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It seems that many of us are still going through challenging times. This has definitely been true for me, as the overwhelm that had been building up, finally got to me and burned me out. This might seem strange, as I have been going after my dreams and living pretty uncompromisingly - which in my view should lead me to true freedom and deep sense of happiness!  However, there has been a sense of needing to be EVEN MORE truthful to my deepest desires. There has still been some fear lurking around, pushing me into trying too hard, instead of simply TRUSTING that the path will clear as I gently walk on. All that is not in alignment with our highest purpose is being released, for those who seek truth within themselves. When burning out, we are forced into absolute rest and silence. From this unexpected call to enter yet another cocooning phase (oh, never expected that there would be the need for this now!!) some delightful new discoveries has been made. For me this means opening the doors to some Secret Gardens within I have not fully allowed to become visible yet!  I am coming back to honouring my extremely sensitive nature. There has still been that inner expectation that I should be doing more, trying harder, working more hours to 'make it' as an artist and healer, make a product out of who I am. It feels like what it sounds like... very very hard. I simply cannot function from this frame of mind. In order to feel at peace I must, ALWAYS, come back in alignment with my Sacred Nature. And then, ONLY then, move forward with true joy and deep love for WHAT IS.  At the same time, the devastation is still spreading across the Earth, our home. There are those who do not recognise the damage we are doing to our home, Mama Gaia, Planet Earth. There are STILL those who are blinded by their greed and short sightedness. Some in very powerful positions. This brings me to my other renewed dedication - to work even more closely WITH NATURE, to make my creative and healing arts intertwined with the living connection to the Earth. The elements, trees, plants, living organisms. Humans as a part of that web of life, not separate from it.  Being the Queen of my own Existence, I invite you to reign YOUR own inner Queendom! We don't need to fight for material possessions or power. While we can gracefully receive all that we need, (when not living in direct state of emergency!), we can simply love and appreciate WHAT IS. No matter how fragile you might feel at times, there is great beauty and strength in your very being. Nature connects me with a sense of overflowing abundance and pleasure. This gentle connection aligns me with my true values and let's so much of the unnecessary burdens simply fall away. Connect with nature in any way that is easy for you. Dance for no reason. Let life itself move you! Release your overwhelmed mind. Awaken to the simple sense of wonder. Take a moment to simply be. Breathing with you. In silence, in movement, in sadness and pure joy, Meri
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 PAINTING: Path of the Promise, Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna Somehow this world we live in never felt so very real to me. As I was a child, I was observing, wondering, making my own conclusions. Often, not feeling like I really belong here. This feeling has followed me through out my life. Feeling like an outsider in most situations, not really knowing how to be a human in today's world. Being a deeply fragile human being is a beautiful, yet such a challenging experience. No matter how powerful we might feel at times, it is inherent in the human experience to be fragile. We start out as helpless, tiny babies - and we all die, no matter how strong or successful we might have been at some point in our lives. We live constantly between worlds. When I started allowing the spiritual world to take more space in my every day existence, things started shifting. Sense of DEEP BELONING started to replace the feelings of being an outsider. Becoming aware of my energetic, spiritual essence has made it easier to have gentle compassion towards the transient nature of being human.  PAINTING: World Making by Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna For me being a 'spiritual being having a human experience' is a continuos journey of courage and expansion. A journey into deepening compassion and understanding. And yet, never arriving to a specific destination. It is an every day awakening. It is a process of accepting all the human flaws, mistakes and everything we don't really want to acknowledge as a part of who we are. It is a process of embracing all of the shortcomings, the pain and the vulnerability and loving yourself, no matter what. No matter how desperate you might feel at times, no matter how deeply hurtful you might have been towards yourself - and other's. Being spiritual being having a human experience is about accepting that it is challenging for us all and even though we might have moments of great peace, bliss and pure alignment, there will always be moments when the human parts of us cry out their pain. And we must hold ourselves. We must cradle and caress all of those part of ourselves. As only with love will those parts start letting go. Only by loving ourselves through the humanness can we resurrect ourselves into wholeness. I invite you to take a journey into greater self love with me. Tomorrow we will start the very first Art Meditation - 7 Day Experience. It has been deeply thrilling and often a truly blissful process of creation! Diving deep into the paintings of Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna and letting my Vocal Blessings move through my whole being, has been a transformational journey for me. Have a look, take a minute to watch this short trailer and if you feel called to participate, join me in this deep dive through the mystery into greater peace. Hold your human self close. Bless your sweet, gentle essence with all the kindness and love you can allow in. It is a precious process of de-conditioning lifetimes of hurt. It is a journey of allowing yourself to resurrect, to rise anew, to face the hardships and shortcomings of your human self and still, always, allow a new beginning to birth yourself again and again. As long as you live. With love, Meri ...or the journey of becoming who you truly are. It has become more and more important for me recently to practice the art of being who I truly am. It has become one of my main values: to be as authentic as possible.  This seemingly simple idea has many layers. There are some secrets and deep challenges embedded into it. What does it even mean, you might ask, to be MORE of who you are - are you not being yourself already..? Yes. Yes you are, already being you! I am who I am. However, we are multilayered beings and many of those layers we might not even be aware of. Layers of social conditioning, what has been expected of us. There are layers of the culture we are born into. Ideals of a good life, concepts and structures that have shaped us and how we respond to the world around us. Who we truly are, then, becomes a little trickier to define! For me it has felt like peeling layer after layer of expectations that I have had for myself. Expectations based on how I have seen myself and the surrounding world. Finding new ways to see this shared reality, I am opening more and more for living in a constant state of unfolding. I believe we live in a giant sphere of mystery. The most fascinating layers of 'who I am', for me, are those that exist beyond the social conditioning. Layers that connect me directly with the Earth and with the Cosmic Energies, with the past, present and the future of who I am and who I have been in a deeper way. I believe our intuitive guidance has a much bigger view on our lives and the workings of this world than what our minds are able to grasp. Through our minds we are able to make some theories but it is only a limited glimpse into the huge mystery of life in all the galaxies. We are tiny creatures in the grander view of the surrounding universe. Then, what is it, to be a human? Being in a state of transformation, letting the intuitive knowing come through to guide the way. Living in the state of wonder and unfolding. It has given me such a deep sense of purpose and belonging, here on Earth, in this Universe. I believe it is time for us all to connect more intimately with our inner voice, our intuitive knowing. Through these turbulent times it is really the most precious guidance system we have! Through our inner knowing we find a sense of belonging. Would you like to get more deeply connected with your inner world, your inner voice? I would love to go on this journey of discovery and reconnection together with you! It has been my passion to let more and more healing frequencies come through my voice and now I want to guide you into using YOUR VOICE as a tool of reconnection and energy healing.  On Sunday 3.3. we are starting a 21-day The Power of Your Voice - challenge and you are warmly invited to join! Each day you will receive a 5-10min video that is your practice. Your investment is 33€. Ask your inner knowing if this is for you and trust that voice. My deepest wish for you is to find YOUR PATH of highest knowing and least resistance. It is a challenging but beautiful experience to be here as humans and I want to celebrate this life with all it's juicy variety. Much love to you on this Super Sunny February day! May Your Uniqueness Shine Bright. Meri Listening to your inner voice is a lot like finding traces in the snow and deciding to follow them. It is about being open to receive guidance. Trusting the messages and staying in a state of wonder.  Using the same snowmobile track as a pathway: a hare, a deer, me and who else? The little forest next to our house is full of life. There are many visitors that come to us. The biggest guests I have started to receive more regularly are MOOSE. Yes... there are moose that walk around our house, taking a little bite here and there, of the surrounding trees. It is a rather majestic sight, those huge animals, leisurely walking around and about! (They come in the safety of the dark, so no photos to share, unfortunately). As I have been admiring the increasing number of animals and their traces, sometimes bringing clear messages, the realisation came to me: in a sense, I am pathfinder. I am here to share the guidance I am receiving, so that many more would find the courage to follow to their own intuition. I am here to encourage you to honour your inner voice, to truly, deeply listen and let your inner knowing guide you. I am here to walk with you into the unknown.  Embraced and protected by the forest. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and let this VOCAL BLESSING for 2019 move through you: Let these frequencies speak to YOUR SOUL. What awakens within you?  The guardian trees next to my house. It is beautiful to know that we are connected with supportive energies far beyond our limited understanding! Even though our minds might not be able to grasp how this all works, we can intuitively know. As we connect with our multilayered self the perspective gets wider and the sense of inner peace increases, even in the face of the unknown. IF you want to read the Intuitive Message for 2019 and DOWNLOAD the Vocal Blessing, you are welcome to join my mailing list or contact me directly! I listen to the Vocal Blessing daily and read the message regularly, to keep on track. It is designed to align you with your Core Essence as well as the energies highlighted this year. It connects you with a deeper sense of purpose and gives greater clarity on what you need to focus on, to stay in alignment with your purest essence. Stay open to receive, let the path be revealed to you. From this empowered space within, you are creating new realities for yourself and others in this world. Your uniqueness is a gift, embrace it, embody it, live it true! Meri '' I am committed to letting more and more CLARITY arrive into my life as I connect with the PURITY of who I TRULY AM. I PLAYFULLY honour life and the surprises that make it whole. As serious as it is, it's not that serious.''  Selfie with real snow and fake sparkles ;) This year has had a refreshing feel of newness to it for me!! Somehow... there seems to truly be a New Beginning, something I have been preparing for since a few years now. I want to show up even more fully with the gifts I have to share. It is becoming so clear now, how we are here to accelerate each other's processes, to support, encourage and embrace each other through the often challenging times on Planet Earth. What feels important for you in this year we have just started? Is something calling you, to step up, to be more of yourself, to speak YOUR TRUTH and live it fully?  Welcoming 2019 through a snowstorm ❄ Photo: Johanna Salmi / Visit SeaLapland The first quote above is part of my New Year's message that I received for 2019. Surprisingly, I received very 'simple' words for the year! Clarity... Purity... Playfulness. They are asking me to commit even deeper with my inner truth, my soul's true calling. And yet... to remain light about it! To be both Solemnly Committed as well as Lighthearted. To be Fiercely Honest as well as Accepting of Differences. To be Raw and Real and yet... have a silly laugh about it all!! For me, to be truly FREE, I need to be able to embrace both birth and death, religion and new age, the beauty and the beast of me. I can be both wildly crazy as well as profoundly delicate. And so... it is. And so I am. Sharing part of a process I am working on, with a visual artist, Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna, whose work resonates with me strongly. Through our collaboration, I am going deep into the themes of religion, what it has meant for people (women!) through the ages and how we commit to things, both human and divine. With Pirkko deeper questions are allowed to exist. The very questions of our existence. The spaces within and between our first and last breath. The only thing people ever regret in the end, is living their life according to someone else's wishes. What is YOUR DREAM, what ever someone says or what you think you 'should' be going after? Let my voice guide you into the depths of who you are. (Get the coupon code for FREE DOWNLOAD by joining my mailing list) I am here to speak to your soul. To awaken the dream you have within you. Wishing you a reflective, inspired beginning of the year! Meri Blessings of Solstice and the Full Moon on the Darkest Night of the Year!  Mimi dressed as a Lucia on the 13th of December Guided by the Magical Moonlight, what to you feel magnetically pulled towards? What is calling you, your soul? This Full Moon is illuminating the darkest night of the year so that we can see even in the depths of darkness. It is a powerful time for facing your biggest fears, allowing the pain to surface so that we may release the intensity within. Breaking open to be re-discovered by ourselves. It is a time of releasing the past, finding gratitude in what has passed and listening within for the new to arise! It has been a very intense year for many, 2018. My experiences have been breaking me open time and time again. There has been continuous sense of unraveling who and what I am to recreate myself, over and over again. It has been very hard at times, but whenever I truly, TRULY drop in and listen to my soul's essence, there is always Gentle Grace to surrender into. If you have ever felt it all simply being too much, you are not alone. This breaking open to unravel and recreate is what is asked of us now. With a soft heart I am giving thanks to all the highs and lows, the bliss and the chaos of 2018. It has been an important year and more is being revealed to us as we continue on our journeys.  'Joulupukki' drawn by Mimi One of the guiding lights in my life is my amazing daughter Mimi. Almost every day there is a moment when I feel a sense of wonder, as sense of amazement of being her mother. The idea that I am a mother to someone... and that she would be such a glorious, brilliant, sweet and intelligent being! What a miracle! To end this year of revelations on a happier note, I share with you a picture of Santa that Mimi drew. Such a whimsical creature! Wishing you JOY of Being, Gentle Grace and a deep sense of Gratitude on this Holiday Season! If you want to start your year with Divine Inspiration and Personal Support, I have created a SOLSTICE SPECIAL for you! (Available until 6th January 2019.) With Love, Warm Heart and Radiant Soul, Meri Are you afraid of the dark? What does it represent for you? Have you ever considered that darkness could be healing or benevolent?  Me and and my dear friend, the forest. This year the darkening season hit me hard. I thought I had conquered my shadows and achieved some state of inner peace, but something felt off and I fell into a mild depression. My mind was confused: where was this coming from and why was I still experiencing this..?! Even though I have been in the process of honouring darkness and beginning to understand it's importance, there was more to discover. No matter how well we think we know our shadows... we rarely have truly faced all that there is to meet. And.... it is all a part of natural cycles of life! Not something to scare away from but to surrender into for deeper understanding a healing. It is about time we EMBRACE darkness as an important force for good.  Phosphorous glow of the lichen on the branches of these old trees. We need to balance the overpowering energies of continuous striving. Darkness is that feminine principle of non-doing. Pure presence. Being enough, saying: it is ENOUGH now. Enough of consuming, enough of 'making more' enough of believing that 'continuous growth' is an important value above all else. I invite you to start having a whole new relationship with darkness and all that it represents. Continuous striving is part of the sickness we face in our human world and it is hurting us as it is hurting the planet. We know this. And yet... it is hard to embrace that darkness as we have learned to fear it. We have learned to fear the feminine essence and make it 'less than' the masculine. We have been taught that only light is holy and healing. But most of the universe is dark matter. Darkness holds the seeds. In the womb it is dark as well. Darkness is nurturing, if we learn to let it be so and surrender into the healing it offers us.  No make up, no fancy clothes... I am enough as Mother Nature holds me. As a child I loved lying down in the dark of the winter, on the bed of snow, looking far into the starry skies. This filled me with pure wonder and happiness! Such a simple joy with such a profound effect. The snow with it's icy sparks... has always given me such a sense of wonder and magic. Listen within, take gentle care of yourself, celebrate both the light and the dark. We are balancing the energies here on Earth. For inspiration you, listen to my Vocal Blessing on FB: FULL MOON Vocal Blessing With love, sweet darkness and pure light, Meri You are always welcome to connect with me, soul to soul.
Schedule a FREE session with me HERE This autumn has gifted us with exceptionally glorious colours. It has felt like nature's way of filling us up with radiant beauty, bright coloured medicine to prepare us for the upcoming dark months. Nature is also celebrating the past season of growth and light. Treasuring the elixirs that sustain life. The trees turn their flow inwards - and let go. Gracefully, to become bare and silent again.  Autumn walk by the sea. This morning, walking back home after taking my daughter to her kindergarten, I felt the invitation to enter the forest right next to our house. I somehow haven't been there that much, as it is not so easy to enter. It is a bit of a wild thing, not very big, but no paths, lots of moss, untamed growth, tricky terrain. I have already felt grateful and blessed for having this forest as our neighbour, but this morning, I truly fell in love with her... It felt like entering another reality. Very natural and simple, yet so magical and full of variety.  Our forest friend, breathing right next to us. Since we moved here 1,5 years ago, I have felt a new era in my life beginning. So much has shifted and changed. Though I have been on this path for many years already, there is new depth I have been feeling into here. Time and time again, I have been guided to look closer, to receive the gifts already present. To look with profound appreciation and sense of discovery, even when in my own back yard.  My misty breath in the morning sun. My body felt wonderful, walking in the forest terrain, as it makes all the joints move more creatively than on a steady, flat ground. The scents of decay and hidden treasures. Wisdom of the trees, the intelligence of their communication that we have only now begun to understand. The healing effect of being connected with nature. Becoming more accepting of our own limitations, our cycles, our death as part of life. ''The wonder of birth. The mystery of death. Human life, cycle by cycle, around the sun. Opening. Closing. Circling into it's own fulfilment.''  Roses for the last goodbye. I wrote this poem as my farewell to someone I have know most of my life, a father of a really dear friend. He passed away pretty suddenly and was buried recently. On a beautiful autumn day, we gathered together to say our last goodbyes. To realise that life is a fleeting experience, is surprisingly easy to forget. In nature, tuning in with the changing seasons, we see life transforming right before our eyes. This constant transformation is our nature too. Invitation for humble understandings of the fragility of life. We are all growing together, aching together, longing together. Whether we are aware of it or not. Feeling into the depth of our collective human sorrow is healing, as we recognise each other's beauty through our fragility. Much love and a breath of fresh air from me and my forest friend, Meri You are always welcome to connect with me, soul to soul.
Schedule a FREE session with me HERE How have these past few months been for you? Do you feel a sense of newness in your life?  After a performance at my home river for an international group of traditional fishermen and women. Personally I have gone through a series of deeply transformative passages this past summer. Transformation does not always include any specific ritual or a process, you don't necessarily need to go on an organised retreat, travel somewhere or make any magic tricks. This time, it has been all about BEING PRESENT with what really is there, all that makes life simply and deeply meaningful. I realised, I had been striving to make things happen in a way that was not completely authentic for me. Even though I am all about purity, honesty and authenticity, there had been that lurking sense of having to 'make it' - financially, artistically, personally - in some 'bigger' way. Somehow more impressive, more awe-inspiring, more like I was really living the dream I have held dear and true to my heart. It was not so much about what I was doing, but that sense of it 'shoulding' be something even more, that was stressing me out. It took me some complete time off to release all those false expectations that I had allowed to influence me. It can be really hard to define success in your own terms, to DECIDE for yourself, how the most meaningful and fulfilling life truly looks like and feels like for you, without it having to impress anyone else. And like me, perhaps to simply realise that you already ARE living your dream! VIDEO: Performing at the exhibition opening at Pentik Gallery in Posio, Finland. Sculptures by Teuvo Tuomivaara, paintings and video clip by Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna I have contemplated again on how fragile human life truly is and how desperately we need to redefine what we decide to strive for. We all, as humanity are facing huge challenges. Softness, grace, inner expansion into grounded wisdom. Touching the human heart and soul deeply, is my passion that gives meaning and a sense of purpose for all that I do. The inner fire has been glowing again and the compass is set free to follow my truth: that purest voice within that is here to reveal the highest path. As life would have it, after releasing everything, once again, I feel completely renewed. And, as if by magic, my autumn has been full of creativity, new connections and performing in inspiring venues as well as connecting with friends and family in joyful ways!  After our performance for children, IroIro-ii at Border Pride with Titta Court and both of our kids So, how do you know you are on the right path for your greatest expansion? Do you let yourself truly, TRULY decide what YOU need to be happy and let other’s define it for themselves? Tune in with your sense of meaning, nurture that deep connection with your essence and have much love, gentleness and respect for yourself!
If you need any support with your journey, I am here for you. Meri Deep breath in... deep breath out... Sense how your body feels. Welcome all the sensations that move through you.  PHOTO: Midnight Sun at the Solstice These are times of great release and renewal. What magic are YOU inviting into your life at this time? There has been a strong calling for me to spend the summer close to my origins. To live a life of ever greater simplicity. My mother comes from a remote area in Finland where there is a lot of untouched nature. There is silence. Natural purity. There are lots of curious forms in the nature that seem to really come alive as imaginative beings, nature spirits  PHOTO: Nature Spirit that appeared in a lake to me and my daughter in the Mother Forest As a nomad at heart, it has been truly curious to feel like not wanting to travel. This whole year has been a time of renewal and again, this month of July, feels like a sweet surrender into yet another rebirth. Instead of going 'further' I am invited to keep going deeper. Receiving even deeper roots, strengthening the physio-psychic connection with Mama Gaia. It is also a summer of 3 eclipses. Today, on Friday 13th July (in Europe) at the New Moon there was a Solar Eclipse. It is time to let go of old patterns and balancing the masculine/feminine energies in your life and your ancestral lineages. It is time to CREATE NEW PATHWAYS for your personal and professional self to express it's true essence. You might not see the whole picture yet, but listen in and welcome the insights you are receiving now.  PHOTO: barefooted in the Mother Forest Naturally a sensitive time, it has been sweet to leave time for sensing, being at home, connecting with nature. Barefooted in the sun. Naturally held between the Heaven and the Earth. The Cosmic Connection is open and the Celestial Energies are streaming in. Balancing it all by grounding is very important right now. Ground your feet, where ever you are - let them touch the Earth. Transformation is whirling through us. Stay gentle, stay connected with your body. Let the emotions wash through you. It is time for release and renewal. Tonight I will swim in the river to let all what needs to leave, be washed away. With the purity and the clarity of the Nordic Summer, Meri Do you feel like you want some support or more clarity in your life? You are welcome to book a FREE Conscious Connection Call with me! Soul to soul connection that awakens your own core essence, Intuitive Insights and a personal Vocal Blessing. My gift to you! Where ever you are in the world - or in your life. |
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