Crafting Your Sacred Space: Nurturing Ancestral Connection and Renewal at Home

For the past ten years, I have focused more of my energy – being intentional about my living/home space and providing my clients with the same tips. Your sacred space is unapologetic, it is a specific location in your home that fosters a practice connecting to your inner wisdom for guidance. A long standing tradition in all cultures, a sacred space like an altar is a symbol of your belief and connection to something greater than oneself.

Let us embark on a profound journey to support crafting your own sacred space where intention, nature, and ancestral connection intertwine in harmonious resonance. I like to think about it like a special place somewhere in your living area where you can “dial in” and connect to the multiple dimensions that make up your wholeness. An altar is just one way to make the abstract thoughts, feelings, and desires manifest into tangible objects and symbols so that we’re reminded that it’s not only us, in our human bodies, that can make our world the way we want this world to be.

The following are a few basic steps to consider to deepen your connection and communication with other realms of consciousness.

Amplify With Nature's Embrace

Intentionality - it all starts here

Begin this sacred journey with a whispered intention. If you could pick up the phone and call on your support team in other realms of existence, what would you ask them? What do you want them to know about you? Imagine your heart's deepest yearning—your sacred space is a sanctuary for reflection, a tapestry for creativity,  an altar for gratitude. Your intention will breathe life into your sacred space, infusing it with purpose and meaning. And having an intention can help design the feeling of this space.

You become the architect of your sacred haven by planting this, a seed in your home- as an act of creation that sets the stage for all that follows.

Amplify With Nature's Embrace

Now, invite nature's elements in, as the language within your sacred sanctuary and tune into your inner wisdom. Because all the wisdom that exists in other dimensions of our awareness communicates as energy. Your sacred space can harness that energy through the elements.

Do you ever wonder what happens to our loved ones when they transition? They become energy. Just like the energy needed to grow a plant or to let that butterfly travel thousands of miles, our ancestors and guides now live as energy found in all parts of nature. You can bring them into your sacred space with the intention that you’ll be able to hear a more clear message.

For example, plants bring the earth's vitality, stones and crystals ground your spirit in the present moment, and a gentle fountain embodies the fluidity of existence. In these elements, you harness the profound energies of earth, air, fire, and water which can serve as metaphors for translating your intention to the deep wisdom nature has to offer.

Nature, being ancient and wise can now become your co-creator in this sacred conversation. Cultivating this partnership between the dimensions and your physical awareness deepens your connection to the world around you, giving you more clarity and a path to understand  the very essence of who you are.

Ancestral Connection

As your sacred space takes shape, consider the presence of your specific benevolent ancestors—the guardians of wisdom that reside in your lineage and your environment. They are the echoes of time, offering guidance, protection, and a bridge to your roots. What do they know about you that you don’t know? We can ask them by going to the altar with specific questions. 

In your daily devotion, let meditation, journaling, or simple presence be part of your rituals. As you immerse yourself in these practices, remember to invite your ancestors into the space. Pictures of your ancestors, plants traditional to your heritage, or even dry foods in the space can foster a deeper connection. They are your silent companions, offering insights into your history and the path forward. Listen to what they say to you as you recall memories or qualities about them when they were in human form. The conversation can happen in infinite ways, giving you insight as you move about your day.  

In crafting your sacred space, you’re employing a spiritual conversation between you, nature, and ancestral wisdom. It becomes a sanctuary where your ordinary thoughts can transform into extraordinary awareness, maybe even opportunities in real life!

And as you conclude each visit with this space, whisper words of gratitude. Thank your sanctuary for holding you, the land for its embrace of this portal, and your ancestors for their guidance. This act of gratitude is not only that cue to “hang up the phone”, but also deepens the sacred connection by filling  your heart with a sense of groundedness and renewed purpose.

For more guidance like these altar tips, sign up for my newsletter. You’ll get more guidance and intimate stories of my journey, along with VIP access to upcoming training, events, and healing hikes!

Your Nature-based Coach, 
Raynelle

When My Dreams Started Coming True

I don't really speak openly to too many people about my lucid dreams, although they've been a significant part of why I'm here doing the work I do.

While exploring my spiritual identity, I was seeing a spiritual healer and going to therapy. I would say at that time in my life, I really needed both types of support to help me through both personal and professional challenges. Naturally, I thought I should bring up dreams during sessions because they were just so intense. Little did I know they were messages guiding me towards my path.

Take for instance this featured photo. I took this picture at Point Reyes, on the Tomales Point Trail earlier this month. I had the dream about this place about 8 months before I actually hiked it. So when I get there, I decided to take the photo exactly how I remember seeing this trail in my dream.

I knew it was this location I dreamt about because of the distinct cliff sides on either side of the trail. In the dream my feet weren't exactly planted on the ground. I was flying over the point seeing people happily enjoying their time on the beach (probably Stinson Beach) on a hot and sunny day. I was also with a group of women walking back towards the trailhead at the end of a long hike. Of coarse, at the time I had the dream I had no idea this was an actual real place. I just knew I went to this amazing location, with women, on a very gorgeous an joyous day. And I FELT like it was near.

So here's where this summer dream comes true this winter: Not knowing much about Point Reyes area, one of my dear friends requests that I lead a group of women for a healing hike several miles North of Point Reyes as a part of their retreat. Going about my usual planning process, I look up trails in the area and find recognizable pictures of Tomales Point. Bingo! "I've been there before"

Now, that's just one simple example of how one of my dreams materializes into my real-awake conscious life. And you can probably say that was meant to be that I be there and lead a hike with the women. But this happens to me often and with dreams that are much more vivid and intense in situation. 

Earlier, when my spiritual awareness was just waking up, I would feel so overwhelmed by the dreams and the intensity of my experience that it would really spook me out. I would wake up with such clear, intense emotional residual from being in the dream that I couldn't help but write it down or share it with my partner, and reflect deeply on why that came to me.

I remember having an intense dream while I was working with adjudicated youth. I was also questioning why I loved the challenging work so much because I was torn about leaving my students. In this dream, I was with my students at a near by beach, when an old indigenous man walked slowly up onto the shore of a lagoon, pushing onto the shore, a mummified young boy on a rafter. He had been shot. As this man stopped on the shore, he looked me square in the eyes with such intensity, non-verbally telling me to "look at what's happening to them". Then I woke up. 

That intensity is why I actively sought out council and guidance. And that guidance really put things into perspective for me, affirming for me that the ancestors are speaking to me, guiding me, and showing me messages I need to see, process, and connect to what I'm doing here on Earth. The guidance also helped me realize that the communication IS TRUE and a gift I should hold with reverence. Now, I live in more confidence with my dreams and reflect on them with more discipline and awareness that there's a deeper message available for my spirit to guide me through this real-awake-conscious life.   

My dreams are really just extensions of who I am and how I'm walking in this world in communication with the ancestors and The Divine.

Why share this with you now? I truly, truly believe that we as a society are hungry for spiritual connection. In times where we're experiencing extremes in dualities, ideologies, violence, climate, we're facing the options of spirituality to find our answers, or to find our calm center, to stay grounded and not lose hope or faith. I live as that example to surrender to anything your spirit is guiding you towards. Because it's the magic our souls are crying for these days and the magic our ancestors are looking for us to RECLAIM.

The dreams I have and me sharing what it means for me to experience my dreams is my way of validating that our thoughts, believed to be abstract, are REAL.

Pay attention to them and how they show up in you because I know they are ways in which your true gifts are showing. 

Do you know how your gifts are showing up in your life? I'm curious!

Share with me your thoughts, questions, curiosities in your spiritual connection and drop a comment below!

The 4 Essentials to Pack for Our Journey

I call this work a journey, because that’s what it really is. There are no hard stops or starts with me, there are cycles. As you are actively living your cycle of life, I am as well. The moment we cross paths is when we explore where each of us are on our paths. As your coach I make sure to pack these essential items I know we’ll need as we move forward. We actively co-create how these function for us as a strong foundation and as tools to cultivate and nurture our unique relationship. 

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If you are ready to step into this deeply transformational journey with me, schedule a quick 15 minute consultation to discover if my supporting you in nature is right for you! 

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SAFETY
Safety is synonymous to sacred space. Your body is sacred, your identity is sacred, the places we visit in nature are sacred. And so is the space between the two of us as we grow and develop on this journey.
On group hikes I've created sacred space by calling in the four directions and the elements they hold as a way of grounding us into the physical surroundings. I've witnessed plenty of hikes when we're walking in the middle of tourist traps and as soon as the group needs to gather and talk, because we've created sacred space through ritual, people begin to disperse and give us space!
In the coaching practice the initial steps of creating safety is called, creating a conscious relationship. From stating our preferred pronouns to designing ways in which we'll check in with each other when times get challenging, these are all ways that we create safety and ensure a process where we both are seen and heard. 

ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is one of the key things that is sought after in coaching. After all,

"A goal without a plan is just a wish" -Anthony de Saint-Exupery

And setting goals can be a straightforward process, but making a plan to meet those goals....well that's where you can end up with a bunch of wish lists! As a coach, I'm with you on this path to keep looking upwards and onwards with an actionable plan to meet your goals. I'm a dynamic coach, so whether I'm behind, along side, or in front of you, I bring with me accountability in the form of empowering and challenging you to meet your goals with the best of your resources. The process of being held accountable is also something we can co-create because achievability of your goals also depends on me meeting you where you are while challenging the best parts of you. This brings us to the next item I take with me...

Just like the spokes of a bike, balance and alignment creates a smooth ride and cyclical rhythm. Imagine where you can go with your wheel of life! 

ALIGNMENT
These, "best parts of you", are some of those many parts that make you a whole person. Sometimes we don't even know all the parts of us and that can create some roadblocks to meeting our full potential. Awareness of these parts can support an understanding of how they serve us, or not. Working towards aligning those parts to your core values creates a more "balanced wheel of life" ready to ride whatever type of terrain comes its way!
You can read more about this process of alignment and balance from the April blog post, Inner Balance & Alignment  And I assure you, this process of alignment is fairly critical in opening up the pathways to your true self. It allows you to be acknowledged in all your parts. This brings us to our last essential item to pack...

RECONNECTION
It feels like FREEDOM when you're aligned with your core values and can be seen and heard as who you truly are! Alignment can take you there. And what I'm offering is my unique gift of guiding someone into feeling this truth in your heart AND IN NATURE. Because WE ARE A PART OF NATURE, I truly believe that reconnecting with nature means we reconnect to our true essence and open up direct pathways to self-determination. To know how nature works "out there", we can also understand how the nature "within" us works.
I guide you through a profound process in nature that takes us back to our basic knowledge and understanding of our place in the world. Everyone knows that feeling of happiness, freedom, lightness, and pure joy when spending time outside. Coaching outside in nature reignites and reclaims your natural abilities to heal and find answers for any of life's challenges. It's both profound and empowering. 

Here's what one client, Alexis had to say about a session that involved a hike:

"...she guided me through the process of tuning into my inner guides and challenged me to relinquish my fears so that I could embrace my own light. We began our journey with a brief but important “check in” wherein she encouraged me to create and hold onto an intention for myself. During our hike she provided me with many opportunities to inquire about the process but also to voice any revelations that might have surfaced from our meditative hike. She helped me to tap into my own strength and urged me to trust in the answers I was receiving. It was at that time that she utilized her gifts once more to help me make connections that I hadn’t noticed before. Eventually we made our way up the quiet hillside toward a warm setting sun and rested while my heart processed all that I had learned. It was a truly awesome experience to feel so grounded and at peace with the world but more importantly with myself."

If you are ready to step into this deeply transformational journey with me, schedule a quick 15 minute consultation to discover if my supporting you in nature is right for you!