shadow work – Rainbowtree Woman

Only your heart and soul can guide you to the truth.

Published on November 5, 2021 by Rainbowtree Woman3 Comments

Do not believe anything because it is said by an authority,
or if it is said to come from angels,
or from Gods, or from an inspired source.
Believe it only if you have explored it in your own heart
and mind and body and found it to be true.
Work out your own path, through diligence.

~Gautama Buddha

* * *

Too often, we accept information presented to us as the truth, with no effort to ask any honest, critical, or introspective questions. We’ve become so blinded by outer “nicely packaged” forms of deception – especially, by people we see as having authority, power or “more knowledge” than us.

In the age of information, we are increasingly impatient. Our impatience will lead us away from the truth – every time. Our inability to sit with the discomfort and challenge of “not knowing” will prevent us from any real discernment – and the clarity and perceptiveness of our heart/soul knowing. Our fear of rejection from others will keep us bound to comfortable yet restricted ways of viewing ourselves, each-other and the world.

Are we open for the truth?… “Truth” © Copyright Jaymie Elder 2014

When presented with new information about any person or any subject, drop into your feeling heart space…how does it feel in your solar plexus (stomach area)?

What does your heart say to you?

If something I read or see in a person does not feel right to me, I try to sit with the discomfort and inner conflict… I believe this is an internal space, we all need to feel, with patience, humility and finally relinquishing our need to “know”, to be right or be in control.

When I have questions about any person or subject, I ask my soul being for answers. I practice allowing the wisdom of my heart to guide me. I trust and know these answers can be revealed to me in many different and sometimes completely irrational ways, i.e. through reading an article (which pops up unexpectedly, but in perfect synchronicity while browsing online) or sharing a conversation with a stranger, friend, a child, an animal, mountain, rock, plant or tree.

Because I believe that a spirit moves through all of life, I know that ALL beings can be my teacher (if I am willing and open to listen). Of course, this is nothing revolutionary. It is a return to the ancient feminine way of the right brain, feeling, intuitive or yin-being. It is the power of the feminine principal, which indigenous people and shamanic cultures around the world have practiced daily as a deeply interconnected and balanced way of life.

Above all, I have learned that being able to see and feel the truth in people and in the world, is an internal process of removing the veils of illusion in myself first (i.e. my past wounded beliefs, patterns and projections on to others, which I may cling too, out of fear and a need for control to feel safe and “accepted”). I also try to allow space for new information to come in because I do not agree with staying “fixed” or inflexible to soul growth and expansion.

I feel grateful to be journeying with a partner who challenges me, every day, to see and feel the truth both in myself, in people and in the world. Juerg is not afraid to call out my (or his own) shadow – false illusions, beliefs and self-deceptions. In doing so, we both offer each other the immense opportunity to grow from a limited human understanding – to see and feel more clearly and deeper from our feeling heart and infinite soul being.

“The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” – John F. Kennedy

If you enjoyed this post, please follow my blog or register to receive notifications in your email box for my future posts. If you wish to take some of my text and share it on social media, please do so respectfully by acknowledging myself and my blog: http://www.rainbowtreewoman.com.  Thank you!

Jaymie Elder is a soul journey guide, artist, photographer and traveler offering intuitive guidance/Soul Sessions internationally. Jaymie is dedicated to supporting others to heal and grow towards their authentic self – and a life in harmony with their heart and soul being.
Learn more about Jaymie and her work here.

Soul Timing…

Published on September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 by Rainbowtree WomanLeave a comment

🌟 Soul Timing 🌟

What is ‘Soul Timing’?…

I have learned,…’Soul Timing’ is the SLOW medicine of being and trusting in the perfection of all,…It’s knowing that everything in life arrives at the right time,…when it is ready…

It’s not about being so “driven” for “results” and acknowledgement coming from the outside…that we try to force and control everything with our mind (not listening and feeling from our heart)…

This time of chaos, change and much loss in the world is offering many people a chance to go ‘within’,…

…to review, re-evaluate and reflect on what is of true value, authenticity and nourishment in our lives…

Chaos, disharmony and loss can give us the opportunity to see that change is necessary…

Learn to become more at ease with your Inner Self,…Overtime,…you will realise…

…the peace, love and contentment you have been searching and longing for – through numerous ways on the ‘outside’ – can only be filled from within,…

…and your connection to the Great Spirit that moves through you and all of life…💓

.
.
🌎🌟A happy and peaceful Equinox🌟🌍
.
.
.
Much love,

Jaymie Elder
.
.

Introvert Musings: Intuition and the Medicine in Being Alone…

Published on July 6, 2021July 7, 2021 by Rainbowtree WomanLeave a comment

“To be free is to be capable of thinking one’s own thoughts…Not the thoughts merely of the body, or of society, but thoughts generated by one’s deepest, most original, most essential and spiritual self, one’s individuality.”

– Rudolf Steiner

As long as I can remember,…I sensed I was different and loved to be alone,…

It has been said that for Introverts, being alone with our thoughts is as restorative and nourishing as eating and sleeping…However, (like many others) I grew up in a culture and time in society when being “introverted” was not as acceptable, widely shared about or even celebrated like it is today!

Despite this, (and the wounds I accumulated to work with over-time) as from the age of 20, I was questioning and longing to “unfollow the herd”!…

I sensed that to find true happiness and self-fulfillment on my path in life, I needed to learn to disyfer, truly listen and follow the guidance of my own intuition and heart…Developing and nourishing my individual, Spiritual core became very important to me and still is today…I’m grateful to have met a partner who shared and supported these core values…

Now in my early 40’s, I am embracing a life and a future of not “needing” to be “understood” by others,…while at the same time, I am allowing myself to truly feel the unlimited, sovereign power, uniqueness and freedom within that….

If you resonate with these musings about Introverts,…

I hope despite what is happening in your life or whichever stage you are at on your journey, you keep following and finding strength in your intuition and unique identity.

Above all, keep walking at your own pace and find the solace, clarity, balance and restoration you need in your alone time.

The earth needs the unique essence and energy you carry within you!

Over many years, I have been offering support and intuitive guidance for sensitive empaths/introverts/mavericks/creative souls – born for this curent paradigm shift we are moving through…Drawing on my artistic expression and my experiences of a self-awareness, healing path of 20+ years, I write, ponder and offer inspiration about similar themes and ideas in many of my blog posts.

…Feel free to browse through this website/blog and also follow my/our journey in the Alps on Instagram.

The Soul Purpose of our Journey…(reflection)

Published on May 27, 2021May 27, 2021 by Rainbowtree WomanLeave a comment

Life is a journey…are we making life choices, which support and nurture our inner-soul-growth?

…On reflection, I see that from the “outside” the choices I made and the path I/we forged and created may have appeared irrational, unconventional, obscure and unplanned to some people. However, as I began to view my life choices more from the “inside” and less how others and society perceived me, I came to realise that the most important was that I listened to my own intuition and followed my heart and soul. I now know that this way never demonstrates a carefully-calculated-straight-path because it is open to flow and spontaneously change as we grow to become more authentic and self-embodied…
Jaymie Elder

Excerpt from: “The Soul Purpose of our Journey”
This post is about looking at life and our journey from the perspective of our soul, where I share much from my own personal life teachings, wisdom and journey…it was written in May 2018.

…Which life choices have you made lately, which may have appeared irrational, “unplanned”, or obscure to other people or society – but they felt TRUE to your heart and soul?…🌺

http://www.rainbowtreewoman.com

Jaymie Elder is a soul journey guide, artist, writer and traveller offering intuitive guidance/Soul Sessions internationally via Skype. Jaymie is dedicated to supporting others to heal and grow towards their authentic self – and a life in harmony with their heart and soul being. Learn more about Jaymie and her work here

Journey with my Lion – what it means to embody Lion energy.(Reflection…)

Published on April 3, 2021April 3, 2021 by Rainbowtree WomanLeave a comment

The night before last, I dreamed I was walking through a large crowd of people who were gathered together for a special out-door event.

As I walked slowly through the crowd, I became aware that there were many stand-alone-people speaking out to the masses surrounding them,… sometimes a small group was gathered around one speaker and sometimes a larger group was drawn in towards a speaker. The people were listening and learning from these truth speakers and I was aware that important information and energy was being revealed and transferred. As I watched them, I felt a deep respect for the courage and fear-less attitude of these truth speakers. They stood out like beacons of light – embodying the awakened energy of the Lion, among fearful, sleeping and confused crowds of people. With every truth speaker, I felt a surge of energy rippling out to others. Everywhere I turned to walk in the larger macro-crowd of people, this micro-script was playing out in smaller groups around me. I had the overall sense that a great shift was taking place.

When it came to me standing in front of my own small group of people, I was overcome with emotion and tears streamed down my face. Part of this was to do with what I had been witnessing (my higher self) and part was feeling the pressure to “measure up” to the other Lions shining example (my human self). My human self felt I was being put on the spot “to be like” the other Lions – and then I realised later, this was my human conditioning, which had a lot to do with expectation and never feeling good enough.

When I awoke from my dream, I was urged to re-read the “most-visited” post on my Rainbowtreewoman blog!
“Journey with my Lion – what it means to embody Lion energy.” I was reminded of my own words about the symbolism of lion energy (feminine AND masculine), which I explore much deeper in the post.

Strength does not appear in the same ways for all people. It’s how we value ourselves and our uniqueness that makes us strong. For many of us, valuing our uniqueness is not something we learned to feel or be comfortable with as children. This is because often we had to give up our true selves in order to “fit in” to what was accepted and expected of us by family members, school and society…
Inner strength grows deeper like the roots of a tree, over a long period of time. The more we trust, follow our heart and find the courage to honour our truth and soul being, the more we come into alignment and harmony with our inner Lion. The inner strength of our Lion will ultimately lead us to make new choices, embrace the unknown and a creative path, which is uniquely our own and no one else’s. The more we are embodying the Lion energy in us, the more we realise how our conscious choices and actions do affect the whole. We realise our own energy (being true to who we are) can send out a ripple effect to influence others, sometimes in profound, mysterious ways.

You can read the full post here: “Journey with my Lion – what it means to embody Lion energy.”

Please feel free to leave a comment at the end of the post, I would love to hear from you, especially if you have your own strong connection with the symbolism of Lion!

Working with our Shadow in a Soul Relationship

Published on February 5, 2021February 7, 2021 by Rainbowtree Woman2 Comments

Have you noticed that now as the earth is receiving much more light than ever before, the shadow parts in many people, as well as dysfunctional power structures, have become much more visible or less “hidden” from plain sight?

If we are continuing with our own most important inner work, we find we can transmute and move through old wounds/triggers much faster than ever before. But at the same time, it appears that relationships or people who are no longer an equal resonance of energy simply fall away – more quickly than ever before.

Carl Jung left us with some amazing insights and revelations about his “shadow work”. He said that we do not grow/become “enlightened” through only focusing on the light or imagining “figures of light”, but by looking deep inside i.e bringing to light the unconscious, through facing and transforming our shadow *. He also said that “to confront a person with his own shadow, is to show him his own light”…

This article was written by me several years ago. I wrote it to honour the journey of shadow work in a relationship, which over time, with steady commitment and devotion, allows us to grow to become a much more authentic expression of our true selves.

As we continue with this shadow work, we open ourselves towards a deeper capacity to feel and share love, and attract relationships that are more supportive, authentic and harmonious with who we are becoming.

However, I believe because we are here to evolve and continue to grow, this journey is not linear, a straight path or finite,…Therefore, our inner work will always take us deeper and higher, much like an infinite energy spiral – returning to our innermost core and then expanding out towards the ether.

* Our shadow is made up of our unhealed, hurt, vulnerable parts of self – often originating in childhood but remaining with us throughout life. We can choose to ignore our shadow and unconsciously project it out onto others OR embrace and work with it for the many deeper gifts and insights it can offer us on our journey through life.

Rainbowtree Woman

Everybody wants a loving relationship,… but few people are really open or prepared for the ongoing commitment and challenge of shadow work i.e. to take full responsibility for our own projections, inner child wounds and personal healing.

Relationships are so important because the deeper we are connected to someone physically, emotionally and spiritually – the greater the opportunity or catalyst for healing our inner child and transforming our core family and generational wounds.

Without this awareness, we may continue to protect or react from our wounds (hurt inner child) through becoming defensive, angry and blaming others, shutting down or avoiding intimacy altogether.

If we pretend that everything is wonderful and perfect on the outside, we deny ourselves the sacred opportunity to work with the truth – the unpleasant emotions that get triggered in us. It is only through acknowledging that our shadow/wounds exist, that we can begin to grow towards…

View original post 956 more words

What does it mean to be a Gardener of the Soul?

Published on January 9, 2020January 24, 2021 by Rainbowtree Woman3 Comments

I am reflecting on the lives of two men who have inspired peace in the world through their art, love of nature/gardening, music, philosophy, activism, poetry and wisdom… John Lennon (also a Libran like myself 🙂 ) and Claude Monet.

During his international career as a Musician, Poet, Activist and influential Ambassador for World Peace, John Lennon has been quoted as saying;

“Peace is not something you wish for,
it is something you make, something you do,
something you are and something you give away”

“My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role,
is to try and express what we all feel.
Not to tell people how to feel.
Not as a preacher, not as a leader,
but as a reflection of us all.”

“Love is like a precious plant.
You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard
or just think it’s going to get on by itself.
You’ve got to keep on watering it.
You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.”

“I’m not really a career person; I’m a gardener, basically.”

“Monet’s Lillie’s”, Monet’s Garden, June 2015 © Juerg Dreamturtle

Every year, some 500 000 visitors come from around the world to visit Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny, France. Over many decades, millions of people have been touched by Monet’s peaceful and tranquil impressionist paintings. People are attracted because of the essence of calm and peace Monet was able to capture in his beautiful paintings and in his garden. For many years, I had prints of Monet’s Water Lillie’s hanging in my bedroom. When I walked into my bedroom, I remember how the paintings made me feel peaceful, balanced and at ease with my surroundings.

Not all of us have the gift of music and poetry to collectively inspire people’s minds and hearts like John – in a positive and powerful way. Not all of us have the opportunity to create a beautiful garden or the ability to paint like Monet did.

However, I believe we all have the chance in this life to work on our inner selves,…to grow in love and peace by owning and transforming our shadow self (our core wounds), healing and forgiving ourselves and others.

I refer to this work as “Soul Work” – and having been a “Gardener of the Soul” for many years now, I believe this is the true work I am here to do, be and share!

I have learned that the beautiful or impressive garden we create on the “outside”, is not as important as the garden we nurture and grow on the “inside”…

The Garden of our Soul is hidden to the eye but felt with the heart…

The Soul Garden we are nurturing, sustaining, lovingly tending too and growing every day – is the most important and true work we are here for.

As we honour our true selves and continue with our Soul Work, the universe will reflect back to us our inner transformation – we can attract more loving, authentic relationships into our lives and experience a sense of deeper peace and purpose for our journey. Although, this does not mean our healing and growing ever stops or we no longer attract challenges in our lives! However, over time, we can become more of a beacon of light to inspire others towards inner peace, truth and fulfillment for themselves.

Real, lasting peace is not something we can “take” from another or a piece of art or music to temporarily “feel better”. We each have to make the commitment to work towards peace in ourselves and this can be a challenging, demanding yet truly rewarding process over many, many lifetimes of experience and growth.

Featured Photo for this Blog Post: “Sacred Sadness Rose” from my Grandmother’s Garden – taken on Christmas day, many years ago. The photo features in my partner, Juerg Dreamturtle’s book; “Sacred Journey – A Simple Book of Soul Wisdom, Love and Healing.”

The book, “Sacred Journey” is very much about this inner work of growing towards love and peace in ourselves, in our lives and in the world. Why not order a copy of the book “Sacred Journey” to honour this day – International World Peace Day?

Find out more about the book “Sacred Journey” by Juerg Dreamturtle here

Photo of Water Lillie’s from Monet’s Garden: taken by Juerg, June 2015.
Read more about Claude Monet here

Working with our Shadow in a Soul Relationship

Published on November 23, 2019September 11, 2021 by Rainbowtree Woman1 Comment

Without this awareness, we may continue to protect or react from our wounds (hurt inner child) through becoming defensive, angry and blaming others, shutting down or avoiding intimacy altogether.

The truth is, we need relationships to trigger the wounds we have protected and tried to bury deep within our unconscious. As children, we developed unhealthy patterns, behaviors and beliefs in order to survive our family and society’s circumstances. However, as mature adults, we have a responsibility to consciously work with our history, our family story, our inner child, so that we do not continue to pass on our unhealed past and wounds.

Our soul acts like a magnet to attract the perfect partner and circumstances for healing and transformation to occur. As we work with the opportunities a soul partner offers us to heal and grow, we can embrace our shadow with love, forgiveness and soul understanding. As we continue with this work, we open ourselves towards a deeper capacity to feel and share love.

The soul purpose of a relationship is to share love and help each other heal and grow.

Love Sculptor — “Love” by Sculptor Alexander Milov

In life, and especially in our relationships,
we often do not “like”
what is being mirrored back to us or triggered by another.

We can choose to protect or defend our wounds,
turn our backs on each other
and walk away from the challenge presented to us.

However, life experience shows –
our unconscious, childhood wounds tend to follow us
into the next relationship… and the next.

In time, we realise that wisdom, self-awareness and maturity
come from looking deep inside
the childhood wounds we carry with us.

Wounds, which require another
to bring them into our conscious awareness
so that they may be faced, transformed and healed.

When we are conscious of our inner child’s needs,
we can step away and disengage from a cycle
of outer criticism, projection and blame.

We can recognise our own shadow parts –
longing to be transformed with love, understanding,
non-judgment, compassion, patience and gentleness.

We focus our energy and time
on the inner changes, we need to make
and the most important personal work we are here for.

When both partners are open to feel and connect
with their unhealed childhood wounds that get triggered,
they have an opportunity to progress
with their inner work of healing and growing.

An intuitive guide can be very helpful to support us
in connecting with what is at the core
of our triggered emotional reactions.

He or she may also offer us beneficial tools
to support our inner child’s needs
for love, compassion and inner safety.

We can therefore approach our challenges as opportunities
to share and grow more together
towards wholeness, love and respect for each other.

With each obstacle on our path,
we have an opportunity to rise together,
reaching deeper levels of love, intimacy and healing.

A soul union is about complementing,
supporting and enhancing
our unique energies and gifts.

It’s also about being challenged –
to confront our old identity, conditioning
and past limited ways of being in the world.

A soul relationship can liberate us from our past –
supporting and encouraging us
to become all we can be.

The soul purpose of a relationship
is to share love
and help each other heal and grow.

The most important journey in life leads us deep inside ourselves!

If we can not be honest with ourselves, how can we be honest with another? In a nurturing and loving relationship with the Self, we acknowledge our shadow in a way that we do not criticise or judge ourselves harshly. We understand its purpose for being there – to provide the lessons and challenges so that we may grow.

In an honest, conscious relationship both partners know that we touch each other’s wounds – and therefore the relationship can offer us a powerful tool for healing, growth and transformation.

“Every moment, it is our sacred choice,
how open we are to forgive, heal and grow
in love, compassion and soul wisdom

– on our Sacred Journey.”

Juerg Dreamturtle

It is of course always our choice how deep we wish to go and how much we wish to face, transform and heal on our own journey.

The true gift and fulfillment of journeying with someone who is open for all of this – someone who also has a good sense of humour, sensitivity, honesty and capacity to love – is the solidity, strength and union you build overtime within yourself AND together as a couple.

Jaymie Elder and Juerg Dreamturtle

Our work is to support people on their soul journey. I am dedicated to my own personal healing and shadow work in a relationship with Juerg Dreamturtle (we have been journeying, traveling, creating and doing this healing/shadow work together for 15 years).

We do not pretend to be perfect because we know we can always continue to heal and grow more. Juerg and I share a core belief that our inner work of healing and growing is the most important, beneficial part of our journey we can devote ourselves to in this life…not only for ourselves and our relationship, but for all people and Mother Earth.

Juerg and I are offering support for this very important personal work, which helps us to heal and grow to a deeper level of love, compassion and soul wisdom. Both Juerg and I offer personal sessions for individuals/couples. Sessions are available internationally via Skype/Telegram/Facebook Messenger.

More reading from Rainbowtree Woman about the Soul Journey
and the path of healing and transformation: – Click here

Follow Rainbowtree Woman on:
Facebook Instagram
Email Jaymie: rainbowtreewoman@yahoo.co.nz