“If this situation was a workshop I carefully designed for myself, what is the lesson I can learn from it?”
I love this question from Jamie Catto‘s ‘Five Golden Keys for Alchemy’. It’s all about turning a situation that is happening to us around, into something we consciously step into. We’re not a victim of our circumstances anymore but take the power back into our own hands.
I’ve been thinking about this to myself a lot lately. What can I learn from a situation with online harassment, a chosen break up, or kids growing up in a co-parenting situation that’s far from flawless?
The first thing I try to do in any of those situations is to shift from (self)judgement to compassion. To check in on what I need at this moment. Am I safe (enough)? Do I need to reach out, and who is available and suited for that in this situation?
When those primary self-care needs are taken care of, I find it beautiful to think about “what is the workshop I designed for myself here”?
Is it a lesson in upgrading my methods of self-care? Is it a lesson in values and stepping up for them? In letting go?
And every workshop needs aftercare and integration. As well as a celebration if you ask me! So I’m also using any of these ‘workshop situations’ as a reminder to take breaks, slow down, and take a few breaths.
