April Insights
“TO FIND IN OURSELVES WHAT MAKES LIFE WORTH LIVING IS RISKY BUSINESS, FOR IT MEANS THAT ONCE WE KNOW, WE MUST SEEK TO KNOW MORE. A FEW BRAVE SOULS DO LOOK WITHIN AND ARE SO MOVED BY WHAT THEY FIND THAT THEY SACRIFICE WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO BRING THAT SELF INTO BEING.” – MARSHA SINETAR
Hello friends,
It’s been over two years since I’ve written any newsletters or blogs. I feel like an outer planet that has been in deep space orbit, finally coming back into the nourishing warmth and light of the sun.
I wrote my last newsletter in 2019 on the heels of the initiations and Shakti kundalini spiritual awakening I experienced while living in Santa Fe. In many ways, I thought I'd integrated the experience pretty quickly after the 9-day immersive spiritual awakening experience, but looking back I can see that the initial awakening was just the beginning. Since then, I've been in a deep process of integration and coming back to my truest self these last two years.
To repeat something I shared in one of my blogs from 2017, If you're reading this and still following my blogs, thank you! for hanging in there during my long silence and holding space for me to go deeper within myself, trusting that I would resurface when I was ready.
Here's the condensed Reader's Digest version to catch you up on where I've been these past 2 years:
-I moved from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Portland, Oregon in June 2018.
-In August, 2018, I legally changed my name from Jennifer Britt to Grace Willow. I know, I promised to share details of my name change in my last newsletter, and then... everything that's happened between now and then was set in motion. I apologize for 'going dark,' so please forgive the delayed share.
Name change deetz: All my life I felt like the name Jennifer never really fit me. My name was sort of like receiving hand-me-downs that sort of fit, but never really felt like ME. Through all of my personal and spiritual growth over the past 20+ years, part of me had been actively searching for - not a new name - but rather a name that fit ME. I had a list of several names written down that felt like possibilities, but over time when nothing really landed I put my list away, trusting that when the time came for me to receive my name, I would know it in my heart.
One day about a week before moving to Portland, I was alone in my bedroom packing my belongings. Humming to myself and thinking about everything that was still not yet done, I "heard" a woman's voice saying "And now you shall be called Grace." I knew the message was from one of my Spirit Guides. Grace was more than just a name, it was an authentic signature of my vibrational essence and also a name I had earned as a result of completing certain soul lessons. Upon hearing it, I thought to myself, "Of course, that's my name!"
I hadn't yet packed my office up, so I pulled the list of names I'd written a few years earlier out of my desk drawer and there it was - written and crossed out three times - Grace. I'd known all along, but hadn't been ready to receive and embody it authentically. Some of the other names I'd also written down fit my name like puzzle pieces.
Jenae is my middle name, and means "God(dess) has answered." Yes... She has. I chose Willow to represent the tremendous amount of trauma and healing I'd experienced over the years, after hearing a sermon by Dr. Rev. Ahriana Platten while I was still living in Colorado Springs, CO and working as the Director of Marketing at Unity Spiritual Center. Willow trees grow near water and are tremendously resilient - high winds will blow over and break trees that don't bend (like the mighty oak). Willow trees impart hope, a sense of belonging, and safety. Furthermore, they represent flow and the ability to release pain and suffering to grow new, strong and bold. The image of the willow tree offers a path to stability, hope, and healing... Finally, Willow is a last name that I share with one of my favorite people on the planet and gives me a sense of belonging and home in the world... to belong to a tribe of Willows feels pretty damn amazing. And that my friends, is how I came to own the name Grace Jenae Willow
- You may or may not remember that I buzzed off my long locks in September 2017. Apparently, once wasn't enough to separate me from the identity my hair had claimed in my life, so I buzzed it off again in September, 2018. If you've never done something so radical, you're probably thinking I'm crazy. Honestly, it was so freeing! You can't imagine the freedom of releasing yourself from the bondage of shadow identities that accumulate over the years and are stored in your hair. Releasing the hair freed me up to integrate and embody more authentic present time selves. I highly recommend it!
- I graduate May 8, 2021 with a master's degree in counseling and I'll be taking some much-needed time to rest and recharge my batteries for a few weeks before following the flow of the next iteration of my career evolution.
- In 2019, I became certified in Holistic Pelvic Care™ which rekindled my connection with my body in ways that the previous 20+ years of healing hadn't addressed, and brought me back to my true North - emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. The pelvic bowl has been an incredible teacher for me - both with myself and working with clients. It has altered me personally and professionally in ways that I can't even begin to put words to, but this is distillation I can share with you: This is what every woman deserves… to come home... to your Self.
The journey I've taken over the last two years has brought me front and center to the task of reclaiming my power and truly owning and embodying all of my gifts, talents, and abilities, I find myself flowing with creativity and feeling more alive than I have in a very long time. I'm literally bursting with clarity, ideas, and passion and have renewed my connection to what feels most vibrant, alive, and resonates with my truest contribution at this time.
My greatest passion in life is supporting womxn in living their most authentic, abundant life and to do that, womxn need to feel their best – inside and out. I'm so excited to share my new offerings with you, particularly my Pelvic Bowl Medicine Healing Journey. If this journey resonates with you, please reach out for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to explore the issues or challenges you're experiencing, and to clarify how I can best support you.
We're all here to learn, grow, evolve, and share what we learn with others as our gift to life. Please feel free to respond to this newsletter with comments, feedback, or insights about anything I've shared that may resonate with your own experience.
XO,
Grace
#holistichealth #holistichealing #holisticwellness #holisticpelviccare #womenhealth #womenempowerment #sexualhealth #lowerbackpain
#pcossupport #pcos #dyspareunia # vaginismus #sexualtrauma #metoomovement #womensempowerment #energyhealing
#energymedicine #alternativemedicine #alternativehealthcare #incontinence #urinaryincontinence #uterineprolapse #fibroids #shadowwork #innerchildhealing #urinaryleakage #pelvicfloor #pelvicpain #holisticpelviccare #womenspelvichealth #thriving #sexcoach
