Episode Transcript
Think meditation is hard? Do me a favor, take a slow, deep breath in and now breathe out. Congratulations, you just meditated. Hi, I'm Krystal Jakosky, and this is Breathe In, Breathe Out, a weekly mindfulness and meditation podcast for anyone ready to own their own shit and find a little peace while doing it.
In this episode of Breathe In, Breathe Out, I talk about the latest Sacred Circle that we had at The Beam and Bell. And while I reference August a couple of times, originally, this was supposed to come out in August, but I loved the message so much, I decided to move it up. So I hope you enjoy this episode about our Sacred Circle, declaring freedom and independence from the shackles that hold you back And a little bit about the Yin Yang.
This was an amazing day and I, I am, I, I wanna share it with you because it was so wonderful and powerful and, uh, heart filling. I do a thing here at the farm called a Sacred Circle, and I do it with Reverend Rachel Harrison, who has a Recover Your Soul podcast. Feel free to look her up. She's amazing. We do it every month on the first or second Saturday of the month, and we have a gathering. We limit to about 20 people, 18 to 20 depending on what's going on. And there are always these beautiful moments of insight and inspiration of shifting and change, of healing, of connection.
And this month, I, I haven't shared in the past because it just is, but this month there was just something so different and so much more about it.I was laying in the guided meditation that Rachel did today, and I just thought, I have to do a podcast on this <laugh>. I really have to share this. The past couple of months we decided to do kind of a deeper dive into the yin yang energies of life and the fact that yin is so restful. It's typically mentioned as feminine. It's darker because it's cooler and it's earthy and it's grounded, it's nurturing. There's so many wonderful words used to describe it. Introspective, I think of a hermit in a nice winter cabin with snow on the top.
And then there's the yang energy, which is more expansive and active instead of the restful. It's also white. The sun is typically the yang. While the moon is the yin. White is yang, black is yin. I talk a lot about the fact that I feel like I operate more in the yang, expansive get shit done aspect of life. And I feel like I should personally try to bring in more of that yin energy, that restful, restorative, healing energy. And yet my yang is so strong. My fire <laugh> is very much just, I'm here! So I'm learning how to be a little bit more yin. I am very yin when I'm with a client. I am very yin when I am guiding someone through a life transformation, supporting them and holding space for them. I can be very yang when I am teaching. When I'm speaking.
I bring this up because today we always have everyone pull Oracle cards and that's our icebreaker. Everyone gets to pull an Oracle card and then we go around the circle and we introduce ourselves and say, hi, I'm so-and-so, and this is the card that I got today and this is how it applies to me at this point in my life. And everyone is always like, “I cannot believe how spot on this card is. How are the Oracle cards so right? How do they know what we need?” And I just smile <laugh>. I really just smile because it is the Oracle cards.
Today I wore a white dress and Rachel wore a black dress. Yang is white masculine yang, yin is black, feminine, softer, nurturing. She pulled a card that was telling her about grounding and being more in that grounded, peaceful space. I pull a card that tells me that I should be more expansive <laugh> that I should reach out more. And I thought, I'm wearing white. I'm very much yin energy or yang energy, and here I am being told that that is what I should embody. So as I, well at least I wore the right colors so that I could encourage that for myself. And she laughed because in the same aspect, she was being told to be yin In that moment, it was kind of like this beautiful omen of things to come. I was the speaker today. I was the one who was telling, like sharing a spiritual message. And it was about independence, declaring our independence. Yes, I know this podcast is coming out in August. I am recording this in July because that is when we had it. Thank you for loving me. Even though I recorded early, I was so excited, I just had to share.
I didn't know what I was going to talk about. I knew that that was the topic, but I didn't really have any clue until the night before. The night before I decided to do a reading. The cards are so present right now. They are screaming to be heard and used. So I pulled the cards for today and then this is the message that we had. Every one of us, even though this is August in our lives, every one of us has to declare our freedom and independence from a myriad of things. I declared independence from my childhood religion. I declared independence from a 14 year marriage. I am declaring independence from being a control freak <laugh>. And I'm okay if a picture is hung a little crooked on the wall. I'm okay if somebody comes to my house and I've got laundry everywhere. I paused to think about all of the things big and little that I have declared independence from, that I have chosen freedom and myself instead of the other things that could be. It was beautiful and I encourage you to do the same thing. What wonderful things have you chosen yourself? An independence and freedom instead of continuing in the drudgery.
I told the group that I had declared freedom from a pair of jeans. They chuckled. Some people knew exactly what I was talking about and other people were like, “Did she just say what I think she said?!” <laugh>. Yes, I did. I absolutely did. I declared independence from a pair of jeans. There was a pair of jeans in my closet, and it's from a younger day when I was a little more svelte and I had great memories with those jeans, but in the same aspect, I couldn't wear 'em anymore. It was a “One of these days, I'll get back to that” and “Ugh, I'm still not small enough for that. That's so sad.” And this became a perfect metaphor for, or a perfect illustration for the talk because I brought out the acronym, THINK.
Now this is used in schools everywhere. This has, I don't know where it originated. Somebody said it came from a Monk. Somebody else said it came from LGBTQ+ groups and helping people be more aware of how their words can hurt. Somebody, somewhere else said that it came from cyber bullying and making people stop before they post. But it's an acronym that is so beautiful and valuable and I think that it can help us in immensely beautiful ways in this arena as well. I like to turn things on their head, right? It's not retirement, it's graduation. So <laugh>, instead of applying the acronym to others and talking with others, I encourage people to apply it to themselves.
The T stands for is it True? Now, when I held these jeans and I was excited about looking good and being smaller and getting back to where I was at in the same aspect, I was very sad and frustrated that I wasn't there already. Is it true that I am any less valuable now simply because I can't wear those jeans? The answer is no.
H stands for Helpful. Is it helpful to keep these jeans? Realistically? No. No, it's not. It's taking up space in my closet and it's a reminder that I'm not 19 again.
Okay, let's look at the I. The I in THINK is; is it Inspirational? Does having these jeans in my closet inspire me to be a better person? Does it inspire me to change the way things are? They weren't.
The N in THINK is Necessary. Is it necessary for me to keep these jeans? The answer's no. I do not need to keep those dang jeans. I don't. I really don't.
And the K in THINK is Kind. Is it kind to keep these jeans and keep reminding myself and keep that inner monologue going of, “You're not good enough, you're not skinny enough, you're not small enough, you're not young enough, you're not whatever.” All of those inner dialogues, it's not helpful. It's not Kind. It's not Inspirational. It's not Necessary. And it is not True that I am not as good now as I was back then when I was smaller. Size in this case does not matter. I've had spiritual growth. So maybe that adds to my little growth in my belly and hips. <laugh>. I've had two kids. It's okay.
So I talked about my jeans and I talked about this THINK acronym as a way that we can start breaking free.How do we shift and shake off all of the weight and the beliefs, and the bullshit that we are carrying around all of those beliefs, that hold you back. The next one that you have, <next thought> I know there's one in your head right now. I want you to stop with that thought. Think, is that thought true <laugh>? Was that thought helpful in any way, shape, or form? Was it inspiring? Was it necessary? And was it kind to yourself?
I think the next step in shaking off the shackles that have been holding us back is to tune into our higher power. You see, it wasn't about the jeans. This was about my inner truth, myself, my beliefs. And these are beliefs that I have chosen or these are beliefs that somebody else gave to me. And I said, “Sure, I'm gonna pick that and agree with it. I'll embody that because you told me that I should and I trust you regardless.” It's within me. Nobody else can change it. Nobody else can fix it for me. But you know who can help me fix it when I don't have enough faith in myself to be amazing and live up to my own potential? There is a Higher Power who sure as shootin’ can. That power, endless love, only wants your highest good and greatest potential, only seeks for you to have joy and love. So why not tune into it? You have that thought and you're thinking, you're doing the T H I N K, you're working through it and you're still struggling just a little bit and you say, gosh, what am I gonna do? And you know what? Tune in.
I encourage you that when you tune in, you stop and listen. What do they have to say? Because if you ask, but then you just move, it's not going to get you anywhere. It's really not <laugh>. You're just stuck. This beautiful higher power loving energy will guide you, hold you, nurture you, comfort you, support you, direct you. If you ask and allow. I just cannot tell you enough how much that has changed my life. So you think about whatever that is, that shackle that you're shaking off, that belief, that weight, the backpack of rocks. Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? And is it Kind? And then you check in with your higher power and make sure that you're still doing okay and you get a little reinforcements as far as that's concerned. And then, you know what the last thing is?
It's recognizing that there will be grief and loss as you break free. There will be friction, there will be pain. You can't hide from it. Even though we are choosing something new, something different. There will be challenges. It might be super upsetting. So you will have grief, you will have to feel that, experience that, and then after you have experienced it, you can take it, find the gift in it, and then move on in finding the gift instead of being painful and overwhelming. It is a gift. You know that you learned a lesson, you grew, you were fantastic. What? How amazing is that? I'm so glad. And then you get to look back with gratitude saying, “Yeah, I did that. I learned the lesson and then I chose to move on. And it hurt, and yet I'm stronger for it.” Getting a divorce hurt, it was so difficult. And yet I'm so much stronger, so much better than I ever was. I'm so grateful for it because of the lessons I learned throughout the marriage and throughout the divorce.
You have the ability to choose into something different. You have the ability to declare your independence from whatever it is that you need to, from the shackles, from the upset, from the frustration. You can do that. Think. T H I N K first. And if you need an extra boost, check in with your higher power and then recognize and give space to the grief and the loss that you'll feel while acknowledging that you are growing and improving and doing so much better.
Thank you for listening. Give yourself a hug and I look forward to hearing, seeing you, hearing you being with you. <laugh> next week here on Breathe In, Breathe Out. I hope this moment of self care and healing brought you some hope and peace. I'm Krystal Jakosky on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and I hope you check us out and follow along for more content coming soon. I look forward to being with you again here on Breathe In, Breathe Out. Until next time, take care.
