Endings = Beginnings
Embracing change
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As an Intuitive Life Consultant I guide you on the most sacred pilgrimage you’ll ever go on—the one from your head, to your heart, to your soul. I support you in navigating your inner world as you move through the complexities of life. I will help you:
Find clarity amidst the emotional turbulence you’re feeling,
Reconnect with your intuition more deeply,
Feel a sense of self-love, peace, and purpose.
Souls come to me when they’re feeling stagnant and have a yearning for something deeper in life. If you want a safe space to explore this with me, join me and start your beautiful pilgrimage today.
Endings are beginnings
Recently I was blessed with the opportunity to deliver a workshop called ‘The Gift of Grief’ for my friend Patrice Washington’s community. It got me thinking about our relationship to grief, love and change.
Change is a natural part of life. Paulo Coelho explains this beautifully in his book Manuscript Found In Accra:
“In the cycle of nature there is no such thing as victory or defeat: there is only movement. The winter struggles to reign supreme, but, in the end, it is obliged to accept spring’s victory, which brings with it flowers and happiness. The summer would like to make its warm days last forever, because it believes that warmth is good for the Earth, but, in the end, it has to accept the arrival of autumn, which will allow the Earth to rest.”
So you see when something ends, something else begins - endings are also beginnings.
Nature can be a great teacher if we pay close attention to it. There are seasons in our life that naturally occur and our ability to embrace them makes life easier to navigate.
Our attachment to a situation is what makes us reluctant to accept change. We hold on to the way things were because it feels comfortable and familiar. We resist letting go because the future we painted in our mind isn’t what we see unfolding in front of us. We’re afraid to be carried into the unknown. But the unknown is home to all opportunities beyond our wildest imagination.
Gently letting go of the attachment to having things a particular way allows us to be more fluid as we move through life.
Let yourself flow with the river of life instead of against it.
Grieving is natural
“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” - Kahlil Gibran
Grief is the awareness that something has changed. It is a natural part of life when we lose something.
The workshop I delivered was called ‘The Gift of Grief’ because grief is a gift - if you choose to see it that way. It expands our ability to feel as humans. We don’t have “good” or “bad” emotions, they’re just labels. Remove the labels and emotions are simply emotions. And as a human, it’s a blessing to be able to experience all emotions. It allows us to experience the fullness of what it means to be human. That means embracing all the emotions we feel along our journey.
To feel is to heal. Feeling is healing. Let yourself lean into the sadness instead of distancing yourself from it (or any other emotion you’re experiencing).
We live in a world of duality. Hot, cold. Up, down. Night, day. Everything has two sides to it. Polar opposites. The Law of Polarity is a Universal Spiritual Law. You can’t appreciate one side without having experienced the other - that’s the benefit of contrast. You appreciate moments of happiness because you know what it feels to be sad. You appreciate moments of joy because you know what it feels to be in pain.
Similarly, grief is the other side of love. The depth of your grief reflects the depth of your love. They come together.
As some of you may or may not know, last year I unexpectedly lost my soul brother Parker Sherry. I’d never lost someone so close to me before so it was the first time I’d experienced grief in that way. Physically losing him helped me realise how much love I had for him. As I was crying I wrote this poem:
Grief tears the heart open like a sharp knife.
Clean cut.
But blood isn’t oozing. My tears, the rivers of God, are now freely merging into the oceanic love that I’ve discovered there.
My sadness slowly turns to inspiration as his light merges with mine.
The sunlight warmly lands on my face and I feel his presence.
He is still here.
How he serves has simply changed.
Whilst I’m sad that he won’t respond to my WhatsApp messages anymore, I’ve realised he hasn’t really gone anywhere - his form has simply changed. He lives on in my memories. He lives on through the person I have become as a result of the positive influence he had on me. His legacy lives on through all the people he inspired.
That being said, grief isn’t just about losing someone to death. It can show up in these ways:
Losing people to death (expectedly or unexpectedly)
Losing people who are still alive (friendships and/or romantic relationships). People come for a season and a reason - each encounter teaches us to love in different ways
Letting go of an idea, a dream, an experience, or a material possession
All of these changes invite you to shed your identity and embrace a new possibility.
I’ve also realised that grief and celebration go hand in hand. Letting go of something is an opportunity to celebrate it for what it was. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter beginning from that moment on. An opportunity to dream and reimagine once again.
Reminder: Don’t downplay the impact of your loss by comparing it to someone who has it worse off. It’s ok to grieve something that you personally consider important. Your loss is the worst loss because it is important to you. Make space to honour that.
Embracing the inevitable
Everything is temporary. Nothing lasts forever in this life. The only thing that is permanent is change.
The Law of Impermanence in Buddhism teaches us that everything is subject to change. Your body is a prime example - you don’t look the same as you once did. Behind everything you see on the surface is a collection of changes. Who you are in any moment is a sum total of all the changes that have happened up to that point in your life.
Embracing this truth will bring peace to your soul.
Be open to the inevitable changes that occur in life so when your final meeting with death arrives you know you lived life to the fullest.
Let yourself feel everything. Welcome all of life’s gifts without hesitation. Live on the edge of your potential and embrace every season that presents itself.
Life isn’t about where we’re going. It’s not the end destination that matters, but who you become along the way. The journey is the destination.
“The Unwanted Visitor [death] visits those who don’t change and those who do. But those who did change can say: ‘My life was an interesting one. I didn’t squander my blessing.’” - Paulo Coelho, Manuscript Found In Accra
As a society we’re obsessed with getting stronger, faster and more agile that we often race past the present moment. We’re never actually in the here and now. Everything that you’ve been through has made you who you are. It’s all part of your story. What is unfolding for you right now is another chapter in your story. Welcome it with your whole heart and let yourself change.
1 thing I’m loving right now
I haven’t read many fiction books but there is one that I’m obsessed with right now. It’s called The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I’m listening to it on Audible as it’s a great companion for when I’m walking or laying down and want to rest my eyes. If you’re into psychological thrillers, you won’t want to pass this up. It’s a phenomenal page turner.
I have a favour to ask you…
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and/or my previous newsletters please hit the button below and share this with 1 person you feel it would resonate with. This isn’t about you or me individually, but about our collective healing. I kindly invite you to forward this to someone who you feel may benefit ♥️
One love,
V
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