Reflections and Transformations

I have a vivid memory of watching a television show many years ago about a girl finding a cave that allowed her to see and interact with her future self: this idea of communicating back and forth throughout time is one that has always fascinated me. It was this idea of sending messages across time, of letting someone in the future know some of what I am experiencing now - also prompted by early 1970’s television - that started me writing down my thoughts, ideas , hopes and dreams in journals when I was only nine years old. A practice I continue to this day.

Facebook - while it has many drawbacks and some would even say the whole thing sucks - has a marvelous way of reminding me of where I’ve been in time and place, and what I was thinking about when I was there. Facebook, like my journals, lets the-me-that-is-now check in with the future-idea-I-had-of-me-then and to see how they get along. Facebook, in many ways, is actually better at this than the old journals sitting on a book shelf on our back porch. Unlike the journals, which require a conscious action on my part of me choosing to review them, the algorithms of this beast we know as FB choose to cough up reflections of the past without any input from me. I see these nuggets - or hairballs - in my feed as if they are posts written fresh today by one of the many of the people known as FB Friends, except that this FB Friend is the me of sometime past.

It is really quite a phenomenal experience, to have a past Victoria manifest from out the mists to talk with me today. Recently this came across my feed:

when people ask me what Embodiment LLC does, I now that I can know say I am in the business of facilitating transformative movement...this does not limit me to the physical realm, but places equal emphasis on the method as well as intention! TRANSFORMATIVE MOVEMENT

- Facebook shares with me in 2019 from Victoria of November 15, 2010

I am so grateful for this note from my self, to be able to sit with it and allow my Self of now and my Self of nine years ago to share a cup of tea and to consider how things have changed, what part of this idea to keep fresh, and what part(s) to reclaim that had gone stale! I do so love that young woman, writing to me on the beginning of a journey that then took her to and through so many interesting, challenging experiences to arrive to be the woman I am sitting here today.

She reminded me, in her note, of the core idea underpinning everything I do now - and reminded me that I can sometimes lose (and had recently felt I was losing) the sight and sensation of the passion in the midst of doing the demands, actions, decisions of my daily functional life.

To be reminded that my work, my play, my practice, my purpose is to support, facilitate, and create transformational opportunities. - for myself and for those interested in creating change in their lives - is quite a blessing.

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You may have noticed that the Victoria of today has removed the word “movement” from the original note. This is not because I no longer facilitate transformational movement opportunities - oh no! Creating transformational movement opportunities is still my passion, my love and that which I always desire to share MORE of in my life; however, I have also learned that there is a need for transformational opportunities that most people don’t consider movement at all, although it is. This is the movement of how we ARE in our bodies in relation to our bodies, our thoughts, our emotions, to the planet, to the landscape, to each other. This is the place my work - as a somatic-based mental health counselor and as a somatic movement therapist/facilitator - has taken me that the Victoria of nine years ago could not even have begun to imagine

“Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.” -Alduous Huxley