Transformation of a Breast Cancer Mermaid ~ Part Two
The Transformation of a Breast Cancer Mermaid ~ two
Transformation Tidbits from the Mermaid Journey
WHY I HAD CANCER and WHAT IM DOING ABOUT IT.
Photo Courtesy of Monica Burton
As I mentioned in the previous posts, I gained a significant amount of wisdom from Rebecca Taylor Shaw during her Send Me on Vacation– A Mermaid’s Journey. I wrote endless notes and hung onto her every word during our time together in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She gifted me with the knowledge of strategies that I have personally incorporated since Mexico. It has empowered me to continue to live a happier and healthier life after cancer.
If you want to skip all the stuff in the middle- her contact info is below……but at least, pretend you are interested in what I have to say and continue reading. I promise it will be worth it!
So, I can honestly say, at first the idea of the” mermaid” seemed a bit tacky, or cliché. I thought, “Ok, sure, I’ll buy into it. We are all mermaids diving into unknown depths and finding our magical purpose after such tragedy.” Blah… Blah…
However, after that first session of the Mermaid Journey- I was convinced. I did have an inner mermaid emerging to the surface desperate to share the strength that I needed to continue to live a more joyful life after cancer.
The mermaid, an archetype of mystery, wisdom, beauty, power, magic, grace, and inner strength.
She possesses unwavering faith in her own intuition
The mermaid is sought after, untamed, and in control of her own fate. She is wildly fierce as she dives into the unknown and displays an unusual amount of courage.
One of my FAVORITE quotes:
When I received my cancer diagnosis at 34, it cut me off at the knees. How was it possible that my life could have taken this direction without any warning? The truth is, after a year, I could now answer that question. I didn’t want to admit it, but I do have the answer, and there was WARNING.
It’s a personal conclusion that I have grappled with for over a year. Could it really have been that easy for me to have prevented it? My doctors, friends, and family might challenge me on this, but my intuition tells me differently. My intuition is real, your intuition is real. We get so busy and distracted that we end up stifling it and giving it no voice.
Cancer has forced me to find a way to make peace with my situation and to teach myself how to deal with emotional stress. It is teaching me to find faith in my intuition.
I can honestly say that my lifestyle + emotional stress = CANCER
It has been a tremendous wake up call for me. Admittedly, it has taken me a whole year to move through the motions of this realization. I am a work in progress.
It has been hard work to view my diagnosis as a SIGN.
A sign that I have finally read and it is saying that “the way that I am living is killing me.”
I am literally killing myself by the way that I am living.
No one wants to admit that they may have caused their own cancer, and I didn’t do it intentionally of course- but I am owning up to the fact that- it is MY cancer, my cells that are abnormal and are making me sick and I have to change it. I TRULY believe that I have the power to change my fate. And THAT, is empowering!
I have always lived a bit more spontaneously than most. I crave change, adventure, and I desperately seek what’s around the corner. It has served me well, up until now.
Now, I am a full time mother and wife maintaining a full time career. I am supporting my husband with his successful catering company, while balancing friendships, family and other social obligations. This alone is enough for anyone to feel stressed and exhausted- oh yeah, let me throw in CANCER survivor as well.
I do not have the ability to manage every aspect of life with grace and ease.
And I honestly don’t know anyone who does. Something will always give.
Being a parent is already exhausting.
Being married has its challenges.
Finding a balance between work and home life can be near impossible.
SO my answer is to STOP and say NO.
Say NO to _________ (fill in the blank- you already know what it is- your intuition has told you! ) that makes you unhappy.
Say NO to people in your life that make you unhappy.
Say NO to a lifestyle that makes you unhappy.
Say NO to food that makes you unhealthy/unhappy.
Say NO to a job or career that makes you unhappy.
Say NO to whatever makes you unhappy.
Find your happiness by listening to your intuition.
It has been telling you all along what do to. When you don’t listen, then it shifts to more dramatic measures and it tells your body. If you still don’t listen, those symptoms become louder and it’s impossible to ignore. It may be too late.
Think MERMAID.
There is so much power to harnessing your intuition.
Photo Courtesy of Monica Burton
It hasn’t forsaken you- you just left it on the shelf. Like a good book that draws you in, pick it back up and focus on the power it has. It can bring back emotions, lost memories and experiences that brought excitement and peace.
The #1 lifesaving strategy that I want to share with you is the POWER of PRAYER and MEDIATION.
Deepak Chopra says, that “Prayer is you speaking to God and meditation is allowing the spirit to talk to you.”
I have implemented both at varying degrees in my life. Some years, I have been more prayerful, especially when tragedy, sadness or fear come into play. I find peace and I rest on my faith to push me through the tough times. However, mediation has physically, emotionally and mentally changed me.
I have felt the connection between my intuition and physical body.
The best part is that there is a science behind mediation to confirm my experience. I’m not crazy! It affects you on a cellular level.
Check out the short video below.
To start however, I would aim for a more practical guided approach, especially if meditation seems too impossible of a task.
I would start out with a mediation that guides you to complete relaxation and a purposeful vision. It is open ended, it uses your creativity and allows you to feel free to explore your intuition- the same one that you have overlooked all these years.
Guided meditation or guided imagery is a scripted video or audio clip that is a proactive yet gentle process of focusing on accomplishing specific goals, from work achievements to physical healing, to personal transformation or deep relaxation.
I would personally recommend working with Rebecca Taylor Shaw from Charleston Hypnosis for your first experience. She is loving, successful with her clients, and passionate about helping change your brain through strategies, such as guided imagery, to reach your greatest potential and well-being. There are several other scripted guided practices that I can share with you. Comment below or shoot me an email and I will send that information your way.
Guided imagery and mediation will literally change your brain matter in 8 weeks.
Check out the Harvard study below:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain/
This transformation is not an easy one, but totally worth it. I am listening to my intuition and practicing meditation daily.
Of course, it was easier to get started on this journey on a beautiful vacation to Puerto Vallarta with Send Me on Vacation and it does help to have your fellow mermaids along side you. I was blessed to get to know ten beautiful souls, each with their own stories of inspiration.
If you have had breast cancer or know someone who has- consider sending your application to Cathy at Send Me on Vacation. It continues to be one of the best experiences in my cancer journey so far. I encourage you all to find your inner mermaid, as cheesy as I may sound- it’s working for me.
Connect with me as we swim the depths together.
I pray that it doesn’t have to be cancer that gets your attention.
Let’s be all be mermaids!
Let’s be sought after, untamed, and in control of our own fate. Let us be wildly fierce as we dive into the unknown and display an unusual amount of courage.
Photo Courtesy of Monica Burton
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