Lessons through JOY!
Chapter 6 ~ by Emy Minzel
Early one morning on our first Boundary Waters Canoe Area adventure. We were sitting on the boulder beach in our camp chairs having tea. I highly recommend bringing tea and honey if you are going to be drinking the BWCA lake water. The water is safe to drink after you boil it. Although it is pristine, it still has a lake flavor. Tea helps cover the taste quite well.
Tea is a lovely analogy to portray the lessons of our adventures. Stacy and I decided to challenge ourselves. By venturing into metaphorical ‘hot water’ situations. We showed ourselves and each other what we are made of. We recognized our tenacity, our will to succeed, encouraging each other to be authentically ourselves the whole way.
We enjoy supporting each other’s skills and differences. Like tea, we had let our best selves steep and flow in these challenges. We allowed the delicious blend of personality and talent to brew into cup fulling spiritual experiences. Which has allowed for this fairly new friendship to grow into a loving sisterhood over time.
So here we were vibing, observing nature like it’s our favorite TV program. Engrossed in a morning meditation of allowing stillness. The music of nature soothed our spirits and calmed the nervous system.
We heard beautiful birds’ songs, occasional beaver splashing or fish jumping, a faint comforting roar from the small waterfall just south of our campsite. This is what I miss most when I leave; the sound of pure uninterrupted nature; the sound of peace.
We were enjoying the moment of being one with nature when I spotted a giant animal swimming in the lake. It was moving fast! I ran to get my binoculars and zoomed in closer. Even with binoculars it was hard to be sure what it was. It looked like two huge rabbit ears flowing quickly through the water.
“What is that?!” I asked Stacy and handed her the binoculars.
She looked and shrugged, unable to decipher. We had to wait until it got closer.
“It looks like a cow or something… oh! It’s a moose! Do moose swim?!” She handed me the binoculars back to validate her findings.
Now that it was closer I saw that it was a moose. Clearly, they DO swim. Turns out they are exceptionally good swimmers as she was demonstrating! The moose was moving swiftly for such a large animal.
“How cool is that!” I grinned wide as Stacy. I was impressed and psyched to have seen a swimming moose in real life.
“Let’s go get the Animal Spirit Guide, book! To see what message the moose is sending us!” Stacy said as she got up to grab it out of the tent.
Stacy and I believe that The Universe or God/Spirit, insert whatever you prefer to call a higher power. We believe it sends us messages all the time if we are present enough to see them and listen. For instance. Often observing an animal, you don’t see every day is a sign/message from the heavens just for you! We wanted to know what messages the moose was delivering this morning.
We looked up Moose in the Animal Spirit Guide, book by Steven D. Farmer, Ph.D. It said. ‘If a Moose shows up, it means you should feel proud of your recent accomplishment and share them eagerly, not to be arrogant, do it for the humble joy of sharing. It’s important to encourage others with their dreams and vision and by supporting their triumphs.’
In this book it also gives ideas to talk to the moose spirit when you are feeling extremely self-critical and need to remind yourself of your good qualities. There were more meanings in the book, but these are the ones that rang true to me at this time.
That’s how intuition works, when you receive a sign and investigate the meanings, some information won’t resonate, and some will. Use discernment to keep the things that ring true and dismiss what doesn’t. The Universe doesn’t have actual words, so you have to decipher it.
All the messages the moose had to share were comforting and confirming. I WAS very proud of myself for getting off the couch and out of my comfort zone for this trip. I have always loved nature but had fallen into the daily grind of life, like ground hog day repeating itself. I had lost touch with the true purpose of living life.
From my previous chapter on canoe tipping and the portage to nowhere. The message ‘not to be arrogant’ had just been confirmed. Don’t arrogantly ask the Universe hard games… you’ll get them! Take it easy, share joy. Share your accomplishments with humble encouragement. This is exactly the main intention of writing this book and sharing our stories.
The moose hit the nail on the head with excessively self-critical thoughts. I am 4’ 11 1/2 ” and I had gained more weight than I preferred at the time. It was time to care for myself with kindness. (This lesson has taken me too long to fully incorporate and that’s another book all in itself!)
It was time for me to acknowledge that if I don’t love and care for myself, how can I expect anyone else to love me or treat me better than I treated me? I was the one setting the standard here.
Stacy and I processed this message together as we drank more tea.
She commented. “This is so true! I would never allow someone to talk to me the way I talk to myself at times… Would, you allow someone to treat you the way YOU treat you somedays?”
Referring to how our inner dialogue is not always kind, especially for ourselves. I know that I am very critical of me. Yet, if someone talked to me the way I was talking to myself. Saying the judgmental harsh commentary running in my head out loud. I would think “those are fighting words”.
We talked about how we are very hard on ourselves and sometimes other people too. The conversation led to being judgmental of women and judged by them as well. How we need to lift each other up and encourage women to stand together.
We wished that we could all see that we do not have to be in competition. That we all have unique skills and talents that if we cooperated would make magic. Strong confident women that know there is enough success for all of us to go around.
Putting each other down, talking smack about how someone looks in those pants, or “OMG can you believe they just did that?!” This kind of energy isn’t helping anyone. We can unlearn this behavior.
What I have learned is gossiping about others doesn’t make you feel better. What it does is show others you can’t be trusted and will do the same to them.
How is this any different if we are commenting on ourselves? Our subconscious and self-esteem hear our inner dialogue. Our subconscious thoughts form our habits and beliefs! Ope.
I believe most of us do the best we can in the time and circumstances we are in. Including me! I have learned that ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves the whole world blind. Unable to see all the love and support that can be found beyond that relationship.
What if we just observed when we are judging or are being hard on ourselves or others? Then asked ourselves more questions to process and release those negative thoughts.
Would I give others in my situation more compassion than I am allowing for myself? If so, why?
What would I say to my best friends going through this same thing? What if I allowed myself the same grace? How would that change the way I feel about it?
Life is hard enough as it is. I’ve learned the energy I put out in the Universe is what is going to come back to me. What do I want to be returned? If you want others to support you with love and loyalty, do the same for them.
Girl Power is a real live energy! I’ve learned to embrace the power in divine feminine co-creation. I find joy being around the energy of the wonderful women in my life. They have a nurturing vibe, full open hearts, and share their stories of wisdom that lift my spirit and fill my cup.
The solution I came to, is treat myself like I treat my best friends. If necessary, I will deflect my own mean judgements or stories that bring me down. I will do better to be kind to me.
Words have power. That’s why they call it ‘spelling’. What energy are you sending when speaking or thinking of yourself or others?
Learning that my thoughts become things. Being more kind and encouraging, learning to be humble in all areas of my life. These lessons have all rolled together into a massive personal transformation over the years.
Digging deep into the divine guidance being delivered. Contemplating the unpleasantness of some of these lessons learned through relationships, careers, actions, consequences of paths taken. Seeing them as ‘life lessons’ and learning opportunities instead of things that just happened to me.
This has helped me become more the me I want to be. The me that does the inner work of transmuting failures into wisdom. Trauma into tenderness.
While I did not come up with this revolution at the exact Moose viewing moment. It has led to where I am today. These BWCA adventures kickstarted a revolution of my whole life for the better. I get to decide what it means to be “better” nobody else. Same goes for you.
I’ve learned it’s self-love when I allow myself to walk away from connections that do not value and respect me. These were the hardest lessons to learn. Not easy or joyful at all. I am healing by loving myself enough to stop allowing that behavior. Especially from myself.
In the long run I had to learn from taking those emotional hits. I knew I had to find the lesson and transform them into wisdom. It’s taught me to forgive myself for putting up with unkindness. Even realizing I had to forgive myself for the negative things I told and believed about myself. I saw that I can forgive others as it was their part in teaching this lesson as well.
From the lessons guided by the animal spirits that show up for me repeatedly. The spiral of life seems to keep me coming back around to acknowledge these teachings even more deeply year after year. A persistent continuing education of life curriculums.
Watching that moose swim across the lake was a cool experience! I will cherish the memory and the message. I feel that way about all our BWCA trips. At times words fall short of accurately describing the changes that have occurred in my mind, my body and spirit. It’s difficult to truly capture the depth of my internal changes.
Taking time for introspection inspired me to share these stories of our experiences. Contributing to a new perspective on how I was going through life. I feel my soul is soothed by seeing that all these experiences do make sense years later in the journey of my life.
I don’t know what the future brings. What I do know. History has shown me that I can trust the path. I have every intention of enjoying that feeling of faith in each phase of my life. These stories have proven to me that everything is always working out as it should.
So, I will continue to follow the signs and trust my inner knowing. As long as I remember to ask the Universe for easier life experiences full of joyful adventures, supportive kind connections and love!
With much love,
Emy Minzel
Heart Centered, Nature Lover, Writer, Advocate, Adventurer, Yogi, and so much more…
EmyMinzel.com
Emy Minzel 