Wake Up Call

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, 

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honourably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door

and invite them in.

RUMI

Funny how we stumble upon things sometimes. This poem says far more eloquently than I could have what I have been going through - what I am going through. This, it seems, is some kind of dark night. I am beginning to acknowledge that I have been feeling weird for a little while in my life. Something not sitting quite right in my life. 

So often, I make that something a thing external to me - a situation, relationship, work, project, or behaviour. But those things, those conflicts and troubles, are simply reflections of what is happening within.

A number of years ago, I began to extricate myself from a framework that I had built my whole life within and around for a number of years. That framework was 'recovery', as described in 12 step fellowships such as Alcoholics Anonymous. I spent a number of years using this model, which says that addiction is a disease and that recovery is a process that is ongoing throughout life. Freedom, happiness and joy are available in recovery, but be very clear that once an addict, always an addict in the sense that you will never be totally free of the illness.

I am a student of A Course in Miracles, which states that in this world there are two and only two thought systems - a thought system based on love, and one based on fear. ACIM teaches unequivocally that only one of them is real - love; the other (fear) is an illusion, however convincing and real it might appear to be. It also says that 'Everyone teaches, and teaches all the time', and that in every single moment, we are either teaching love or fear to ourselves and to one another. What I teach, I reinforce in myself. What I put out, I make stronger in myself.

I came to a place a number of years ago where I got really fed up of 'teaching' that I was a broken person with some kind of illness or disease, rather than simply a child of God who has, on a cosmic level, deeply forgotten the Truth of who I really am. I began to see my life and my journey differently. I felt trapped rather than empowered by the 12 step model. And so I walked away, contradicting the key message which is to 'Keep coming back' - initially to keep your own recovery going, and secondly, and crucially, to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers.

For a number of years, things have been really, really okay. Yes, of course, I've overindulged with food at times. Yes, sometimes I've been obsessed with my weight. My body size has gone up and down. And, I have experienced freedom, joy and peace that is simply unattainable in active addiction. I haven't missed berating myself for 'being an addict'. I have really had time and space to question, explore and remember that first and foremost I am a person. At times when I was very involved in 12 step fellowships, I found myself unable to relate to other people. I felt different. I thought I was in a unique group of people who were strangely superior because of their extreme responses to life - the highs, the lows and the irrational and self-destructive behaviour so prevalent in active addiction - and dare I say, in addicts. I experienced a sick kind of arrogance about still having 'crazy' relationships, head or family interactions, about never being able to move beyond my brokenness. It was a burden, being an addict. It plagued me and I started to believe that certain things in life would always elude me, such as a loving, healthy relationship.

I stepped away from 12 step and began to rediscover myself as a woman, as a dancer, as a shaman, as an explorer, as a writer, as a lover, as a soulful, creative being. I made mistakes, sure, but over time, I let go of a lot of the terminology and practised what I study in ACIM. The lack of love in my life wasn't down to me being an addict or 'ill' in some way - it was just an area where I'd forgotten who I really was and where there was a lack of love.

Which is all well and good, and has been so important for me to experience.

But today, I sat by a pond and looked at the sky and admitted something that I've been denying and denying - that I am having some kind of a relapse with binge eating. If eating disorders are an illness in the way that eczema is, then this period in my life is one in which I am 'flaring up'.

Here are my 'dirty' secrets.

I have been eating secretly, getting closer and closer to the cusp of the No Man's Land that is bingeing. Not quite bingeing, but beginning to slip and slide towards that awful, deadening, horrendous territory that kills my spirit and cuts me off from life. It was just the odd thing for a while, sneaking chocolate while my beloved was out or ordering the most sugary piece of cake on the menu and eating it even though I didn't really want it (this is key), but I can't deny that prowling the dessert aisles in Tesco or eating a full packet of chocolate biscuits on the bus home or buying and hiding food and then eating it when I'm in the house on my own is happy, joyous and free. 

I have been trying to comfort myself, and trying to hurt myself. Food is one of my oldest and best ways of doing that.

While I think that it's the external stuff that concerns me about my behaviour - namely that I'll start to put weight on, that I will waste a lot of money, and time - what is truly frightening is the effect it has on my spirit. Very quickly, I come to a place of thinking about death. A lot. And not wanting to be here, in this body. Life begins to feel pointless, exhausting, devastating, lonely. It begins to feel this way and then a huge wave threatens to engulf me and I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep going.

It has begun to feel this way recently.

I so related to this piece of art when I saw it a few years ago.

I lived in this place, experiencing relief from it only on days when I was so cut off and shut down, or stressed out and consumed by perfectionism, for days and days and days that sprawled endlessly into months and years. It is hell. It is torture. And I do not want to go back.

And yet... I find myself acting out, and each time I do, that awful place begins to seep into my life a little bit more.

So it seems that there is work to be done. I want to welcome in this guest, as Rumi so beautifully said, allowing it to come in and clear me out in order to make way for new delight. If there is something I need to get clarity on, know, understand or express, let it surface. If there are beliefs I am dragging around, let them emerge. I have seen too much of life in the last few years to truly want to re-enter active addiction. But I must be doing all this secret eating for a reason.

Today I wore an elastic band around my wrist (a fucking great tool that Nige thought up. Sorry to swear but despite my resistance it is so helpful). Every time I noticed that I was having a fear-based thought, I twanged the band. This has so many brilliant effects. It brings me back into my body. It brings me back into the moment. It reminds me that there are my thoughts, and then there are my Thoughts. I do not have to listen to every thought. I can stop and challenge and question them. As I twanged away, catching myself over and over, I began to feel myself come to life again, a sugar hangover having left me depleted physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Questions need to be answered at this time - honestly, in the cold light of these November days.

What am I committed to?

What, truly, is my goal?

Am I willing to do whatever it takes to move through this and return to love?

Am I ready to ask for help?

Today, realising the seriousness of the situation I am in - last time I started to sink into binge eating, it swallowed a couple of years of my life - gave me a humility and a willingness to surrender that I badly need.

Addict or not, I need help.

I accept that for today, there is an urge in me to seek oblivion through food.

I realise that the result is that I become cut off from myself and others - and crucially, so crucially, from God.

I remember that I have a choice, and that even though I must eat, I can definitely choose loving, safe foods.

I can pray and ask for the desire to binge to be removed.

I can keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I can choose to be honest, despite the huge resistance to posting this and to being seen to be in a mess, weak and not a teacher to anyone.

I am in the business of saving my life here. If that means I am 'not ready' to coach, teach, lead workshops or circles or anything else, then so be it. I will not wear a mask and pretend that everything is fine. I see this happening so often in the world, and it breaks my heart (there are people in my orbit with awful, awful things happening and they will not take the risk to reach out and ask for help). I will show them and myself that it is safe to be vulnerable, by being real, transparent and honest.

And you know what? It is actually a relief to have written this tonight. Despite the overpowering thoughts I had earlier about sneaking cake and biscuits, I didn't do it. Here I sit at twenty to ten, and although my head is aching, I feel clearer. I know I am going to bed tonight proud of me, more connected, in a state of surrender rather than self will, and feeling grateful. I want to be here in the land of the living with you.

Will you walk with me awhile?

Love,

Elloa xx

All Over The Place

I feel all over the place today. I am struggling to settle.

I woke up and my beloved wasn't in bed next to me. Immediately, a wave of sadness and aloneness washed over me. I padded into the living room expecting to find him in a standing meditation. I was greeted by a lit tealight burning in stillness, an angel statue and soft music - but no Nige; only the afterglow of his presence.

Anxious, I headed down the hallway to our second-bedroom-come-office, wondering if he'd gone out on his bike and realizing that I had a real sense of needing to connect with him this morning. Last night something happened which really upset me, core beliefs and deep wounds engulfing my body, heart and mind. I felt lost, alone, unworthy, unloveable, and ashamed as Nige and I drove back home, and it took a long pep talk with myself to coax me into sharing what was going on with him.

I wanted so much to be reassured by Nige this morning, to be held in his arms until all my fears and doubts melted away. Feeling very vulnerable wasn't on my agenda as I headed home yesterday afternoon; I spent the weekend assisting and supporting at a deeply transformative, life-changing, mindblowing workshop and had experienced, given and received so much love that I really wasn't expecting to conclude the whole experience with a sense of overwhelming brokenness.

As I stepped through the doorway into our office, there was Nige sitting at his computer, dressed and ready for work, a poem in front of him on the screen. I stopped, hoping he would stand up and come over to me, give me a hug and say good morning. He turned and looked at me, his face unsmiling, deep in thought, and he didn't get up.

I froze.

A moment of abandonment jolted in my stomach, and I said good morning. He didn't come over to me and I didn't go over to him. He told me he was working on changing a poem he'd written the day before, and read the new final stanza to me. Rejection burning in my solar plexus, I listened and put away socks, jumpers and the last few bits and pieces left over from my weekend. My head felt jarred, and his words hovered emptily in the room. I couldn't connect with them. I retreated into the kitchen, a storm brewing in my body, wondering how I could feel so crazy and disconnected after the utterly incredible weekend I had just experienced.

And all morning, this feeling has stayed with me.

What I don't want you to know is that I feel frightened today. I feel out of control in my life. I am having doubts about everything - about who I am, about what I have to bring to the world, about my worth. I am believing that I have nothing worthwhile to offer, that my contribution isn't wanted, impactful or valuable. I believe today that I am at the bottom of the pile, that I am last on the list, that I am one who gets forgotten about, missed, not seen, heard and loved.

All this despite - or perhaps in spite of - the soulful, authentic, overwhelming connection I experienced this weekend. I belief all this about myself today, despite being in this place just two days ago...

Beautiful Angels whispering words of truth to me - and me believing them

Coming back into my home environment has felt awkward, foreign and scary. An urge to bolt, to run away has risen up from inside my belly, and I have found myself thinking it would be easier to be dead, that somehow I need to be away from this life I am in. That some kind of peace or answer or solace is somewhere other than right here in my life right at this very moment.

If you know this place at all in your own life, you'll know that it is paralysing. Here, there is no breath, no room to create, no flow. Just fear, anxiety, shame, loneliness and sadness.

My very best thoughts and judgements on the world and what I experience in it have left me here - bruised, frightened and paralysed. And yet I know I have a choice. That's what prompted me to write this today. My resources feel depleted and yet I know that a different choice is available to me today, that somewhere inside of me is love and that I can depend on that love. 


So I pour out my worries and fears and know that if peace is my goal, they will dissolve, because my investment in believing them will be less than my desire to return to love.

What I don't want you to know is that I don't know what my next step is. I feel overwhelmed and worry that I'm spreading myself too thin. I am sensing that I need some extra support right now in my life, perhaps in the form of coaching or therapy. I need somewhere I can go and pour out all my worries and fears and confusion. I need some time and space just for me. I need to be able to receive, so that I can continue to let God work through me.

What I don't want you to know is that I have so much inside of me I want to share with the world - with you. A suspicion lurks inside me that I am not ready, that I am still too broken, that I am not capable of teaching or leading, and that I need the approval of certain people in my world before I can have faith and confidence in myself. Last night I looked for that approval and didn't find it - because my secret motive was to prove that I am indeed inadequate and not good enough yet. I have a blossoming mailing list and haven't written a single word to them yet. I have people wanting to collaborate and a sense of deep inferiority. I see how my ego is trying to lure me into failing, as 'proof' of its evaluation of who I am.

And yet... In the middle of this, there is a persistent voice whispering to me that now is the time and I am the one. 


So I am committing to transforming these beliefs, and remembering the Truth about myself.

And the Truth is...

I have a right to write whatever I want to and put it out into the world.
I am enough, just the way I am.
I am safe.
I am exactly where I need to be.
I am a blazing light.
I am beautiful.
I am an incredible teacher.
I am gifted.
I belong.
I am abundant. 
My contribution is valuable and valued.
I am inherently creative.
I am important.
And I am so, so, so loved.


I wonder what all these feeling and fears are really for, then? Deep breaths, and realising that as I take this step in articulating myself, I can in fact rely on myself for soothing, nurturing, reassurance and connection. I don't have to look outside of myself for validation. I don't have to rely on my partner to meet my needs - leaving us both free to actually be in relationship with each other. I know exactly what I need and I am able to ask for that and support myself in moving through fear and returning home to love.

And now, I am feeling grounded, present and peaceful again. So grateful for this space. So grateful I listened to the urge to write this morning. So grateful for you.

Love,
Elloa xx

Wow - I am a writer!

For when it is quite, quite nothing, then it is everything.

When I am trodden quite out, quite, quite out,

every vestige gone, then I am here

risen and setting my foot on another world

risen, accomplishing a resurrection

risen, not born again, but risen, body the same as before, 

new beyond knowledge of newness, alive beyond life,

proud beyond inkling or furthest conception of pride,

living where life was never yet dreamed of, not hinted at,

here, in the other world, still terrestrial

myself, the same as before, yet unaccountably new.

D.H. Lawrence

Recently, I have gone through a crisis; I have been trodden quite out, quite, quite out. I am just emerging from it, still feeling delicate.

And somehow, Spirit knew that it would be healing for me to write about it, and an angel in the form of Hattie B invited me to guest post over at People Like Us - published today.

Today, I have also been published over at SABBSLondon.com.

Oh, and I edit and put together and write for The Ripple every quarter. I love this magazine!

Other writing-y things are happening without me even trying to 'make' them happen - proofreading and copy editing not one but perhaps two books, and a possible job in a bookshop even! I have plans to interview local actors for the Theatre Company I'm part of, and somewhere in the depths of my being (dare I say this?) I think (whispering) that there might be a book in me. Yes! A whole book!

So, six months after leaving a full-time job and setting an intention to get paid to write... things are happening. For a while, it looked pretty bleak and I became almost paralysed with fear. Keep stepping forward, one step at a time, I heard again and again in myriad forms. Today, just for this one beautiful day, it's as if my life is knocking on my forehead and saying to me, "Wake up Ell - you already are a writer. See! I'll show you!"

My new playbook. Mmmmm!
Also notice the gorgeous scarf in the background
- a gift from two beautiful friends who stayed last week.

I am so immensely grateful.

What is it that you dream of being? 

Where are you already living that in your life? 

How can you bring just ten minutes of that dream life to life today?