2013 was a pivotal year for me –I got a divorce, moved, broke my heel for the second time in a year, and turned 40. But none of those were what shook me. What woke me up occurred during a meditation I had in April of 2013. In it, I received a powerful message: “You’re living the wrong life.”
What did I do? I fought it, but the message kept coming back. Over the next few months, I realized that my inner guidance – which I had ignored for decades – was right.
Although from the outside looking in it seemed as if I was living the ideal life – in actuality I was living an illusion. Yes, I had a good job that paid well. Yes, I was married to a man I had been with for 21 years. Yes, I lived in a place I loved. Yes, I had two dogs who were my constant companions. Yes, I was the person all of my friends and students looked up to and turned to for advice. But you know what was missing from that equation? Me.
Last Spring, I realized that I’ve spent most of my life running from myself – what I had become. Because somewhere deep in my soul I knew this person – my stage name, so to speak – professor, researcher, coach, wife, etc. – wasn’t who I really was.
The truth is in that moment of awakening, which I’ve since come to see as a sacred gift from the Divine, the layers of false masks and beliefs that had kept me hiding my divine truth, my inner magnificence were instantaneously removed. That’s when I started living from the inside out. That’s when I connected to my Soul’s Purpose. That’s when I started being Me again.
We all receive intuitive nudging from the Universe through gentle nudges, intuitive guidance, and life crisis but for many of women who like me have buried their sacred truth we wait for the COSMIC 2×4 to hit. I’m sure my story is no different from yours. I look back on the last 40 years and see years of major health crises, including a near death experience 15 years ago that should have awakened me much sooner to my truth. But I ignored all the signs.
Why? Because a long time ago, I lost touch with my inner goddess. Rest assured, she never left me – she was there all the time, I just refused to listen to her in favor of following the expectations of those around me. And while that brought me success in my chosen profession, it never brought me peace. Instead, it always left me searching. But I never found what I was looking for because all along what I have been searching for has been inside of me, waiting patiently for me to plug in, reconnect.
That day in April of 2013 I made a decision: It was time to stop living somebody else’s life. Yes, it was scary. Yes, I’ve had ups and downs. But life is nothing if not a journey. What I first experienced as a rude awakening has turned out to be a Divine gift. As I have awakened my own goddess within and helped other women do the same, I have seen how being in touch with your own inner goddess can transform your life – if you let it.
All you have to do is say YES!
5 Steps to Reconnecting with Your Inner Goddess
1) Acknowledge What Brought You to This Point in Your Life – When I had my rude awakening in April of 2013, I was experiencing a strong inner sense of disconnect – from myself, from my loved ones, from the Divine, from who I thought I wanted to be. I had to step back and ask myself, “What brought you here?” and decide whether I still wanted those things to be part of my life or not.
2) Accept Yourself for Who You Are – Even when you feel bad there is nothing to fix. “Fixing” something implies that there is something wrong with you. There isn’t. Now that doesn’t mean that there is no healing that needs to occur. There is. But healing is different than fixing. Healing is about consciously reconnecting with the Divine and yourself, listening to your body’s wisdom, and allowing your connection with your inner goddess to shine through.
3) Keep In Touch with Your Inner Goddess – Once I connected with my inner Goddess, She refused to go back into the hole in my mind where I kept Her. Instead, She has been very loud and very vocal. The amazing thing is that I have felt so much calmer since I reconnected with my inner goddess. I know She’s got my back. And so I find myself consciously choosing to do things every day that will allow me to connect with Her, like yoga, meditation, or getting a massage. I call them “Goddess Breaks” and they have become a cherished part of my day. Regardless of what you choose to do for a Goddess break, once you’ve activated your inner goddess, you may find that you need these Goddess breaks to stay connected to Her. You just awakened Her; the last thing you want to do is for her to go dormant again! Remember: if you don’t walk with Her, she’ll start sending you not-so-subtle reminders that you’ve been neglecting her.
4) Exercise Your Goddess Power: Superwoman vs. Your Inner Goddess – I’d love to tell you that as soon as I re-awakened my Inner Goddess, my inner Superwoman was forever banished. Unfortunately, it’s been a constant struggle. After all, my inner Superwoman ruled for nearly 40 years; she is not about to give up the “good fight.” But whenever I find myself working 13- or 14- hour days, I just let that serve as another wake-up call to check in with my Inner Goddess. Fortunately, she is much less of a task master and is much more forgiving than is my inner Superwoman. Over time, you’ll find your inner Superwoman coming to the forefront less often. In turn, you’ll find yourself more at peace and content being who you are living the life you were meant to live. To me, that sense of inner peace is worth a little struggle with my inner Superwoman now and again.
5) New Goddess on the Block: YOU! – Yes, you are a Goddess, but that doesn’t always mean that you’ll remember to listen to your inner goddess every time you should. It’s okay. Life is a journey – we learn it when we’re through. So take your time. Don’t expect change overnight. Keep acknowledging what brought you to this point in your life. Get support. It can also be helpful to keep plenty of positive affirmations close by: I Can Do This. I am Healing. Change is Possible. Or even my personal favorite from Mahatma Ghandi: Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.
