Stop feeding a beast that doesn’t exist.

Once upon-a-time there was a girl.

She believed in herself.

She believed in everyone around her.

She believed in kindness, compassion, gratitude, magic and love.

She went into the world and came upon an angry, soulless beast.

He looked at her and ripped her beliefs from her soul.

He handed her a sack filled with FEAR;

~ Fear of judgment

~ Fear of punishment

~ Fear of alienation and rejection

~ Fear of pain

~ Fear of heartache

~ Fear of her own creativity

and demanded that she never put it down.

She saw others carrying similar sacks so she complied, she thought it was what she was supposed to do.

So she carried that sack for years. It was heavy and weighed her down.

Deep inside she ached for who she knew she was supposed to be. The memories of who she authentically was kept her soul always hopeful. But, too afraid to BE herself, she continued to carry the sack.

Years went by and she met the beast again. He was weak and haggard and she asked him, “Why did you ask me to carry these things?”

“Because,” he said, “I was afraid of what your beautiful soul might accomplish, I was jealous of the light that radiated from you. I wanted your light for myself. I wanted to shine and wanted you to always be heavy with fear. I wanted to control your light.”

“But you’re not shining, you are not radiating my light?” she replied.

“Yes I know,” said the beast. “You’re light belongs to you, it will only shine for you.”

“Who are you?” she boldly asked?”

“I am no thing. I am no person. I am no place.

I am the manifestation of collective human fear, greed, anger, jealousy and hatred.”

In that moment she realized he had no power over her. It was she that had given her power away to him.

She dropped the sack.

She stared into his eyes and without breaking his gaze, reached into his cold, dark heart and tore out what was hers and put it back where it belonged.

And she felt whole again.

She was not angry, she was not spiteful, she was grateful that she had taken back her power and her light.

She did not slay the beast, she didn’t have to, she kissed him on the forehead, stroked his cheek and left him there to die.

And she lived happily ever after.😊

Don’t give your power over to fear.

Stop feeding a beast that doesn’t exist.

Toni O’K~🌹❤️

None of us are doing this alone

Sweet beautiful soul, you were not dropped on to a planet with 7.5 billion other souls to go it alone.

I know there are days when you feel lost.

Days you just want somebody to show up for you. Days you just wish you could turn to someone and say “Can you take over and take care of me today because I can’t do this right now.”

However, it’s not always in our best interest if someone flys in and saves the day.

There are critical times in our lives when we have to walk our path alone. These are the times we do our greatest learning. The struggle is necessary and is part of our growth and survival. Being alone can be healthy and good, it’s during these times that we sort ourselves out.

Sometimes (not always) the most loving thing family and friends can do is allow us to struggle alone, to live our learning so we can survive. And that’s where you’re NOT ALONE. We ALL go through periods in life when being alone with our pain is necessary.

When you think you’re alone, stop thinking and remember this, you are “alone” with 7.5 billion people all going through their own struggle. We all have to learn how to walk or we fall, swim or we sink, get burnt so we don’t get burnt again.

There is light beyond your pain and beyond the light is a tribe waiting to welcome you back.

We’re part of the same family, the same tribe, all 7.5 billion of us. None of us are doing this alone.

TO’K~ 🌹 ❤️

What are you filling up on?

For most of our adult lives we attempt to balance two cups.

The first cup holds our fear, worry, regret, resentment, disappointment, expectations of others, anger and jealousy.

This toxic first cup is always overflowing. We carefully carry this poisonous cup around trying not to spill it. In fact, we often keep a lid on that cup thats so tight nothing gets out, creating a pressure cooker on the verge of an explosion.

The second cup holds our joy, happiness, love, compassion and kindness. It never seems full enough. We’re always seeking to add more to the second cup while at the same time carrying the weight and stress of the first cup around.

Guess what? You’re allowed to dump everything, absolutely everything, from the first cup and leave it behind.

You don’t have to carry the cup or it’s toxic contents any more, they add no value to your life.

With the contents of the first cup out of your way you’ll make room to bring more of whats good into your life.

When your happiness cup is full, pour some of what you have into the lives of those that need it the most.

We get to choose what we fill up on. Yet, we generally keep lugging that damn first cup around because we think that is what we’re supposed to do, its what we’ve learnt to do. But you don’t have to, you can put that first cup down, leaving all that it holds behind.

Toni O’Keeffe🌹❤️

Something amazing is waiting just beyond your pain.

Beneath the insecurities, self doubt, disappointment, fear, worry, heartache, sadness and below the thickness of your scars, an amazing and wise soul waits to guide you. Your soul holds the key to your healing and has the answers you seek.

Once you strip away the darkness of everything that’s holding you back, your light will shine and the path ahead will be clear.

Stop chasing, stop fighting, stop regretting, stop resisting.

Feel your pain, your loss, your grief, your confusion, your darkness, then let it go. These things are heavy and weight you down.

Surrender and trust that the flow of the universe has brought you on this journey for a reason. It’s time to move on. You will feel lighter, you will BE lighter once the shadows of your pain are gone.

Release everything that’s holding you back. When you do the universe will take you to wonderful people, adventures and places meant just for you.

Something amazing is waiting just beyond your pain.

TO’K~ 🌹❤️

The Sun shines for ALL of us,

The Sun shines for ALL of us,

She warms, heals and feeds us all.

She does not judge or discriminate.

She will shine for you no matter who you are, who you pray to, what you’ve done, what colour your skin is, how old or what gender you are,

She is the energy that sustains us, lights our path and lifts our spirits after life’s storms.

She’s always there.

Even after the darkest of days, she returns, in fact, she never left.

What if we lived like the sun and choose to brighten the path of everyone we met no matter who they are? Forgave and guided each other through life’s storms without judgement. Provided warmth and healing and became the light for those that can not find their own.

Let’s be like that, let’s be like the sun.

Toni O’Keeffe~🌹❤️

You deserve to live in the real world.

As the sun rises over your day, you deserve the gift of time to observe and experience everything around you thats beautiful.

You deserve the gift of silence and serenity that’s found when you step into the natural world.

You deserve to inhale the sweet essence of ocean mist, forest foliage and rosebuds as they awaken your senses.

You deserve sunlight drenching you in warmth and bathing your mind, body and spirit in healing, brilliant light.

You deserve to walk barefoot on the sand allowing it to tickle your toes as the sound of waves roll in soothing every fibre of your being, bringing you to a state of calm.

You deserve to close your eyes and feel the wind kiss your face and blow through your hair as your entire body exhales, releasing your worries, your pain and your fears.

You deserve to lie down upon a carpet of soft, green moss and let your mind take flight as chickadees, sparrows and starlings dance in the sky and sing you their delight.

You deserve the stillness and tranquility that comes when you retreat and allow your spirit to breath and exhale.

As the sun sets on what has been a perfect day, you deserve to melt into the lap of Mother Nature, allowing her to caress your soul as you fall into a peaceful unencumbered slumber.

Every once and awhile, you deserve to press pause, unplug from the noise in your life and rekindle the romance between you and the “real” world.

Toni O’Keeffe ~ 🌹❤️