Hi! my name is Sam. I am a Gardener and Storyteller of the Soul who weaves shamanism, story-telling and spiritual mentoring with the wisdom of the ever changing seasons and moon cycles, to create a gentle and profound space for healing and transformation.
Soft. Simple. Still. is a place where, like gentle butterflies that land upon your hand, words will land softly in your heart for profound healing, stillness and simplicity. Welcome to a Soft. Simple. Still world.
Hello my dear one,
How are you today? Please do write to me and let me know how you are.
Before I share my story with you, if you were going on a big adventure, where would you like to go? Who would you like to go with? What would you take?
So, I’m travelling.
Very soon actually.
I’m leaving to go on a very very big trip.
It’s actually a huge trip.
I need to acknowledge that.
I need to tell you that.
It is one of those really big trips that will most likely change my life in one way or another.
This trip will take its time.
Actually a year to be precise.
I will be travelling a whole year.
I just need you to know that.
I am still planning the finer details
I am currently still packing my bag.
I’m still letting people know.
I know it’s quite late to let you know,
I know telling you earlier may have been better…
About 15 plus years ago I brought a ticket to Ireland. My ticket home was one year later. I lived out of a backpack then. One big backpack and a day pack.
Maybe that is how I need to think about packing again.
Go simple.
Think minimal.
I have a family now.
We can travel light.
We recently did so in our last travels.
Yet this time what I take or not has a very different feel about it.
It is a round ticket.
I will be back.
I have been told that the actual journey will be both exciting and fun,
challenging and at times complex.
While I think I know my final destination, I am yet to decide the actual route.
Some say it is fairly straight-forward,
others say expect bumps.
Some say the folk I will meet along the way will be kind, loving and courteous,
others say be wary, be cautious.
I have been told to take things. Basic things like a warm coat for when it gets cold, a good pair of walking shoes, a hat…those kinds of things.
I have been told to pack light.
So, what else do I take with me?
What do I leave behind?
I will take my family with me, of course
And I know I will meet some of my current friends on the journey.
Some I have been told will journey with me,
others will look forward to my letters, postcards, and writings from here on Substack.
Others, unfortunately, will be harder to contact…
When I say goodbye I know with some friends
I will see them again;
others, I know that my conscious travelling will leave a wedge in our friendship.
Maybe we will be able to pick it up again…
maybe not.
I understand that.
I hope they understand that too.
We need to travel our own paths.
It is freer for all of us if we do.
There are so many other things to consider.
The ticket. Sorted.
The passport. Sorted.
The where to stay and what to do…
I know where I will be staying - most of the time..
What will I do?
Some days will be organised.
Some days will not be.
It’s the packing I’m a bit worried about.
I know I will pick things up on the way, so I want to pack light to accommodate that.
I am also de-cluttering before I go.
I see it like this…What do I want to come back to?
And anything I don’t want to come back to just has to go.
I am sorting in categories…
Physically - what can I do to clear my space so that when I come back it will be ready for the “new me.” I feel that every time I travel I come back a different person - more REAL and AUTHENTIC. So, I am currently sorting papers and drawers and clearing my computer (Have you ever really thought about the amount of things your computer holds… DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!)
Emotionally - I want my heart to feel light too…What can I heal before I travel? Does it still serve me to carry that pain and heaviness in my heart? What are my triggers? And just as important, what gives me joy?
Mentally - What does my mind need to release before I go away? What patterns will hinder my sense of adventure, my sense of freedom, my sense of expansion? What patterns will stop me from living in the moment and truly experiencing this once in a lifetime opportunity?
So many things to do before I travel…
When you travel, do you ever think like this?
Do you ever consider maybe you can do a ritual before you travel to feel lighter and freer, that maybe you can say goodbye to some things and open your heart to other things?
Now, it is REALLY VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM STILL WORKING while I travel.
I am still offering MENTORING and HEALING SESSIONS
Still offering my SACRED CIRCLES
Still holding space for YOUR heart and soul.
NOTHING CHANGES THERE…
AND I will still write weekly-ish letters to you too.
You are probably wondering where I am going
Maybe you are wondering why I haven’t told you sooner.
To be honest I have known this date will come around.
Oh, the places you’ll go
Dr Zeus
SO, by the time you get this I would have already left.
Maybe I would have been travelling for about 4 hours already.
And, where am I going?
I AM TRAVELLING, MY DEAR FRIEND,
AROUND THE SUN
It is my birthday you see,
And I am getting ready to take that amazing journey once again around the sun.
This time though,
I am embracing this journey in a very different way…
I am a more conscious traveller this year,
a more conscious and aware traveller…
My dear friend,
I do hope you will join me this year; I look forward to sharing the adventures of my heart and soul, mind and body with you.
Until next week
When I will be a week older
May you have a wonder-filled week ahead
with love,
ps/ If you would like me to hold sacred space for you as you too travel around the Sun, I would be honoured to hold your heart so that you can really enjoy your journey.
Somethings to ponder:
Do you do any particular personal rituals/celebrations prior to your birthday? If so, what are they?
Do you ever stop and think, reflect and ponder what the past year was like, and in doing so what you can leave behind you for the coming journey ahead?
Do you ever envision your forthcoming year…maybe with a vision board or some words or pictures in your journal, or maybe through a journey or meditation?
Do you ever stop and celebrate YOURSELF and pause to reflect what your talents, skills and best qualities are? And if you did, what would you write?In honour of your journey,
and all that you are.
Thank you for a sharing my post with your community. I appreciate your support.
Ireland is beautiful! I’ve been there a few times to do some deep emotional work with my coach and to hang out for my birthday celebrations. One interesting thing that came up for me when you wrote “what can I heal before I go?”…. Here’s a thought for you: what if the next chapter of healing will happen whilst on this trip? Take off the pressure of needing to heal before you go. The journey is in the destination. When the mango is ripe enough it will fall…
Sam, what a fun, provocative, deep post you have shared today. Yes another turn around the sun. Happy Birthday Blessings to you dear Sam! And what a powerful way to great this new year. Decluttering, considering, visioning, letting go... And as time goes by, we do shift with the sands of time. What will transpire? Your intention here is precious, even innocent. I just love it!