March 2025: Now Blooming

Written By Kelsey Williams

(Western) Astrological seasons: Aries (fiery! life! power! the beginning of the astrological year) —> Taurus (grounded. sensual. earthy. spring is doing its dance of life with the Earth!)

Themes of the month: Spring, pushing up through the ground of winter into spring blooms, acceptance, releasing attachment, grace, trust

Greetings!

Welcome to the first ever newsletter of Cosmic Reflections with me, Kelsey, the Hopefull Hermit!

I’ve had a dream of sharing my writing in some format for almost as long as I can remember. And yet…

Even though sharing my writing with the world is the creative expression I most deeply crave, it is also the thing that has always made its way to the bottom of my to-do list. I’ve come up with a million and one other things I “should” do or that feel “more important” or “more urgent” to do than writing. Talking myself out of it, shaming myself out of it, giving up halfway, and everything in-between.

Do you have anything like that in your life?

Any secret dreams that have felt too vulnerable to put out into the world? That you’ve made excuses for years to not do? If so, I hope this project can be an inspiration to us both to practice just getting it out here.

They say if we don’t share what the universe is sharing with us, it will find someone else to share it through. So let’s allow the universe speak through us and share what we’ve got— right here, right now.

This year, (starting with the astrological new year in March) I want to make a commitment to myself and to my writing. The commitment: to put out a once-monthly newsletter like this that is a gathering and summation of where my mind has been at, where my work is taking me, and current offerings. Plus, resources I’ve found helpful, quotes that inspire me, music that speaks to me heart and opens my soul, skills I want to share with you, meditations I’ve been practicing, all of it!

So thank you for being willing to watch me grow, and to grow alongside me! I hope that these newsletters can bring inspiration, hope, comfort, joy, tools you can use right now to help you feel better, and a knowing that you are not alone. I’m right here with you, learning and growing and falling down and getting back up again along the way. (One of my clients once called that “Tubthumping” (the song by Chumbawamba) and I thought that was amazing.)

Every day, every moment, we have the opportunity to begin again.

Quote of the month to ponder:

“You have a right to your actions, but not to the fruits of your actions.”

-From the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, verse 47

Now this is a summarized version of an interpretation of a translation of the original Hindu scripture. But when it comes to exploring themes of attachment and practicing non-attachment, the sentiment is, I hope, shared.

In other words: Play your part, then exit the stage. Let the rest play out. It’s not yours.

You have the right (and responsibility) to play your part the way that only you can, and then your role is to get off the stage and allow things to unfold as they will. Let go of what’s not yours, which is everything else beyond you and your actions. Once you play your part, the follow-up (the fruits) are up to others and to life.

People will respond as they’re going to respond, in ways you likely can’t predict, and for reasons that often have less to do with you and this moment and more to do with them and the moments that came before this one.

Life will flow in and make its own way through your plans and hopes for how things will unfold. (Cue Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” lyrics). There’s a torrential downpour on your beach wedding day. The dog bites your neighbor the day after you’ve given birth. You get sick the day before you’re set to go on your dream vacation. Life does not wait for when things are convenient for you and it does not care about you more than it cares about anyone else. The forces of life are not personal, though they affect us in deeply personal ways.

Some things may go the way you hope. Many things will not.

So… What if you could release your attachment and gripping onto your ideas of what’s best, and practice showing up for and responding to how life (and yourself) is/are actually unfolding?

This is not a guarantee of success, a magic cure-all, or a solution to all of life’s hardships.

But it’s a practice that can help us eliminate or soften at least one layer of our suffering. The suffering that arises when we have attachment to an agenda of how we want things to be (and they aren’t), how we think things should be (and they’re not), how we would like for them to turn out (and they don’t). For how we should be (and we aren’t), for how others could be (and they’re not).

We can’t control most of life. We can’t control how other people are or respond. But we can control how we show up to life, and how fiercely we attach to our idea of the “right” or “best” version of how we want things to go and be.

We are but one facet of the universe. And as close to life/god/spirit as we may be and feel at any given moment, the truth is, everyone (and everything) else is equally as much a part of what makes up life.

If things don’t go your way, fear not. The ways things are going still include life.

This is not me saying to have no dreams, goals, aspirations, or ideas of how you would like things to go, how you would like to be. It’s natural and human and good in many ways to have those. They help us know ourselves, they help us find motivation, drive, direction, courage, and inspiration to carry on in the world. We need that.

But what if there was a way to have those AND show up to life as it is? The trick, I would argue, is in knowing and owning what you want, and then letting go and showing up for what actually happens.

Here’s a real life example for more clarity:

I’m going to be having a joint birthday party at the end of April. (Prime time for egos and personal desires to show up!) When me and the friend I’m having the party with started planning it, we decided we should have a “rager.” I became very excited to lean into the rage part of rager (thinking it’s the perfect time to release some existential rage in community based on whatever the hell is happening in the world right now). So here I was, designing our party flyer, all excited to run with this rage theme. When I shared it with my friend though… she asked if we could limit the rage and make it more positivity-focused.

At first I had a lot of resistance to changing it. I thought my idea was brilliant and necessary and would be healing for all (of course.) I could have told her no and argued (what my ego wanted), or I could have told her it was totally fine to change whatever (what my people-pleaser wanted).Instead, I took the middle road. I owned and shared with her my belief that rage can be positive and healing, etc…. AND that I was open to talking about it and adjusting.

After I shared my truth and willingness to adjust, then she shared her truth (and willingness to adjust), which is that she’s already been living in a lot of rage and wants to take the birthday opportunity to bring in and focus on a different kind of energy. Now that I can totally respect and get on board with! I was imagining a release. She was imagining a bringing in. Both are totally valid. But only after I was able to honor and express my truth was I able to then let go and show up for other options of how it could unfold.

We still have to play our part before we get off the stage. We have the responsibility of owning and speaking our ideas and our truths as only we can. But after that? Our job is to allow life to unfold around us, and to allow people to respond as they want or need to respond. Once you’ve played your part, other people and life come in the mix, and the outcome and results are not yours and not up to you.

Can you find equanimity and acceptance no matter the outcome? Knowing that the outcome was never yours to own? (Remember that accepting does not have to equal “liking.”) Can you show up for what is really happening in each moment? Knowing that life is still present and alive, regardless of what’s happening?

For me, I’ve found that I can only find this equanimity and acceptance and ability to let go when I’ve truly walked both sides of the equation. When I’ve honored myself and owned my desires along the way (maybe even grieved that things didn’t go “my way”). Only then I can truly let go of my attachment to the outcome and show up with that acceptance.It makes me think of the Carl Rogers (famous therapist and founder of humanistic psychology) quote:

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

As within, so without. As above, so below. Though we want to resist what is and stay stuck to our ideas of how it shouldhave been, it is only through acceptance of what is in this moment that we can truly begin to move towards change.

So consider playing around with this wisdom that’s been around for thousands and thousands of years (and probably forever). See if it makes your life any easier, if it reduces any of your stress and suffering, or brings more equanimity into your being. And let me know how it goes!

Want to practice being present for what is in this moment? More tips on how to do that below!

Latest Offerings:

For my Portland people:

Meditation in person!

Starting March 31, I’ll be teaching in-person meditation classes at St. Johns Spa in St. Johns. Open to all experience levels. Here’s my schedule:

  • Mondays 7-8 pm

    Opening with ease 

    Mondays can be hard. Allow yourself time and space to ease into your week with this relaxing evening meditation. We’ll focus on becoming present; exploring teachings and techniques to bring more ease and equanimity; and relaxing through guided visualizations. 

  • Tuesdays 1-2 pm

    Midday Mindfulness 

    Get the most from your lunch break and recenter your day with this afternoon meditation. We’ll practice becoming present; soothing the nervous system; and explore teachings and techniques to help you stay centered, grounded, and energized throughout your day. 

  • Thursdays 7:30-8:30 am 

    Start Centered 

    Begin your day centered and alive in your body and mind with this morning meditation. We’ll practice mindfulness techniques for becoming present; bringing ease into the body and mind; and explore teachings and techniques to help you stay centered, grounded, and energized throughout your day. 

Online meditation offerings through Hamsa Meditation Center

Self Disclosure Podcast

  • Latest episode: On Self Love

    Tune in to hear about tips, tools, and practices for learning how to love yourself as only you can. Don't miss the self-love meditation at the end!

Skill of the now:

Recently I’ve been helping to co-lead groups within my meditation center’s Live Without Anxiety course. We’ve been practicing a lot of skills to help specifically with anxiety but I encourage anyone to try these out as they’re great tools for grounding, staying present, and helping our body+mind come out of feeling triggered or activated.

I’m going to write about them here and in the near future I’ll make some short tutorial videos on YouTube and Instagram to practice with you.

Basic grounding tools:

For meditators, there are 3 things that are always always ALWAYS in the present moment. What that means is by tuning into any 1 of them, you are being present with your body and your mind. Not future tripping. Not past doubting.

Right here. Right now.

They are…

  • SENSATION (and senses)

  • SOUND

  • BREATH

SENSATION:

At any given moment, you can tune into present moment sensation in your body. Here’s some ways to try:

  1. What can you feel in your right big toe? Is it numb? Is it tingling? Hot? Cold? Are you wearing socks or shoes? How do you know? What do you feel?

  2. What are the sensations in your sit bones, in the base of your spine and tailbone area? Is it dense? Is there pressure?

  3. Can you feel the shirt you’re wearing on your shoulders?

These are just some examples to try, but anywhere in your body that feels easy for you to focus in on and feel will do. See if you can explore the sensation(s) with curiosity and practice just noticing what’s present, without feeling the need to fix or change. (If you want some help finding body parts, check out my body scan and progressive muscle relaxationvideos.)

Our sight, smell, and taste senses are all happening in the right now too. Many people find sight to be another helpful grounding sense to tune into.

(SIGHT):

  1. Try looking around the room slowly, taking your time noticing the things around you.

  2. See if you can name 5 things you can see.

  3. Try naming the 5 things out loud with the pattern “adjective + noun” (ex: blue wall)

  4. Widening your gaze. Look forward or upwards and then allow your eyes “widen”, to notice the edges of what your they can see (the periphery)

SOUND:

Sound is always happening in the present moment. Not the future, not the past.

  1. Close your eyes (or not!) and see if you can practice for 5+ seconds noticing the sounds around you.

  2. What’s the furthest away sound you can hear? Closer in sounds? The closest sound you can hear?

  3. See if you can notice the sounds without getting caught up in thought/story— see if you can notice sounds as simply vibrations moving through the air.

BREATH:

  1. Breath is also always happening in the present moment. See if you can tune in and get a sense of where your breath is easiest to follow with your mind and attention, without forcing or changing it.

    1. Nostrils and nose (coming in cool with the inhale, leaving warmer with the exhale)

    2. Throat as it passes by

    3. Chest as it expands and contracts

    4. Belly, lower abs, and back muscles as they expand and contract

  2. See if you can follow your breath all the way in, and all the way out for 3 whole breaths.

  3. See if you can notice the tiny pause and transition between inhales and exhales.

All of these things are always happening in the present moment. So if you notice yourself future tripping, activated, or distracted, try focusing on one (or all) of these to help calm the mind and the body. See which one(s) your mind likes to follow best and most easily. If the mind wanders (which it loves to do!), practice gently bringing it back to one of these present moment anchors.

Meditation of the Month:

Squeeze and release/ progressive muscle relaxation

For anyone experiencing a physical manifestation of anxiety or stress, this one is for you. It can show up in the body as tightness, clenching, gripping, tension, etc. It seems counterintuitive to lean into or expand those uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations, but it turns out that exaggerating it on purpose can be exactly what helps us release it. This is also a great one to try before bedtime to help bring more ease into the body overall.

Now playing…

(Resources to explore if you feel called to!)

Taro + oracle deck:

The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck by Kim Kranz

I’ve always been curious to learn more about the psychotherapist Carl Jung and his work. I think I did a grad school “choose one psychologist to do a deeper dive on” paper on Jung. I love and am so inspired by the fact that he explored and incorporated religion, art, philosophy, and spirituality into his psychological works, and that he explored Eastern philosophies like Daoism (a personal favorite) and handwriting a lot of his works. I have a few of his books but they are quite dense and I can only read them in bits and pieces at a time. I’d been looking for a more hands-on way of exploring some of his concepts, and when I stumbled upon this archetypes deck, I knew I’d found my resource! A beautiful, unique, and mystical deck in general, I highly recommend this deck to anyone looking for a hands-on way of learning about some of the concepts that Jung helped bring into consciousness or the idea of exploring themes and symbols across cultures.

Music:

Raveena’s album “Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain”

When I saw Raveena was coming to Portland for her album “Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain” and that it was during Taurus season, I immediately felt called to investigate. I’ve been listening to this album nonstop for the last few weeks. It’s soulful, rebellious, dreamy, innocent, sensual, and bright. Raveena explores themes of being a woman/human in a capitalistic world, being with and loving herself and her inner child, love of all varieties, and what it means to never give up on being a tender loving dreamer. Color me feeling understood.

That’s all for now! Plenty more to come.

Happy spring!!

Kelsey Williams
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A reflection on the DSM