Going Inward: Grief, Joy, Growing, and Glowing

Going Inward: Grief, Joy, Growing, and Glowing

As the leaves change colors and drop to the forest floor, Blossom & Be prepares to go inward.

The firewood is split and we’re ready to test out that majestic fireplace we’re always talking about, which we hope will capture your attention, connect you with the mystery, and keep us all cozy and warm this season.

Grief & Joy

It’s been bittersweet, anticipating the arrival of our new baby and grieving McKinley’s absence at the same time.  We’ve been nesting—rearranging furniture, gathering supplies, seeking advice, and creating space for our little Scorpio/Sagittarius Blueberry.

As we do this, we keep discovering McKinley’s final little holdouts. Hair bunnies in the corners, or lingering on our packed-up winter sweaters. It’s too quiet when we come home… and yet, Blueberry’s kicking keeps our attention on the life that’s growing and glowing.

Brianna has graduated from changing out soiled dog sheets, to refreshing the massage sheets—and soon to be baby sheets. 🙂 In McKinley’s final months, we weren’t able to spend much time away from the house (or even up or downstairs), because he couldn’t stand to be alone. And very soon now, we will be in the same situation because of a newborn baby. We’re enjoying our brief window of freedom, knowing we’ll be at Blueberry’s beck and call for the next few months.

BTW, we were able to take some lovely maternity shots to capture the essence of the sweetness of this time.

Take a peek at them here.

Letter from Avyanna

As the weather shifts and Autumn rolls on, I’m warming the kitchen with rich bone broth to nourish myself in preparation for the postpartum time of my life. The receding daylight has me turning inward, slowing down and getting ready to rest and nest before this sweet spirit arrives.

All is well, growing, and incredibly full in our lives and within my body. Over the past few months, I’ve slowly started to limit the number of clients I see, which has allowed me to replenish my energy so I can fully show up for myself and for others.

It’s been a powerful experience to engage the work I love while being with child. My practice continues to expand, and the people who are showing up are aligned with the totality of what I offer. This has allowed me to fully drop into my intuition and flow in a way that feels in service to a higher purpose. What a gift to be able to share my work and purpose with this child. For their energy has enabled me to ground, deepen, and broaden in a way I couldn’t have imagined.

My last days of work have been filled with love, appreciation, and a deep well of support for this new life to come, which has eased the transition into my time of waiting, the in-between time.

Phoenix and I have both had dreams recently about our little Blueberry turning out to be a girl. We had our ultrasound before 20 weeks, and the sonographer got very excited and blurted out the perceived gender of our baby (oops). Since we had planned on waiting to find out, we decided to pass on getting further confirmation. We wanted to stay in the mystery, and that’s where we’ve remained. So, we may or may not be having a boy. And maybe it’s just a reminder to let go of any notion of how it’s going to be and be open to the expanse of possibility. Either way we’ll be pleasantly surprised!

We’re planning an unassisted birth, while contracting our doulas, Emily Graham and Mallory Tillotson, who will be offering us support. We’ve completed the birthing class at Homegrown Babies, brushed up on what do in an emergency, got the birthing tub in the basement and are ready for our new arrival.

And, you ask…

Who’s going to give us our massages while “Petunia” and “El Chico Codo” (aka Phoenix’ F*ckin’ Elbows) are tending to Blueberry?

Let us introduce you to Grace Alex!!

Grace Alex, LMBT

Grace Alex Massage AshevilleMoves with Grace / Earth Child / Life Student

Grace is a licensed massage therapist and avid yoga practitioner from Athens, GA, with an affinity for nature, exercise, and deep trigger point work.

“Grace’s ability to connect with me on a mind, body, spirit level has made our sessions together more helpful than I could’ve imagined.”

You can read her full bio here.

What Happens Next…

With the start of Avyanna’s maternity leave, Blossom & Be will be expanding our availability by welcoming Grace’s talents to our team. We will be giving a $10 discount to any existing client who’d like to try a massage with Grace, through the end of 2019.

You can book a session with Grace or Phoenix at either our Black Mountain retreat or our West Asheville office.

To schedule, you can: contact Phoenix, call (828) 545-1899, or email phoenix@blossomandbe.com.

We are notifying our loved ones (you included)—if you don’t hear from us much over the holidays, don’t take it personally, we’re nesting and will emerge in early Spring.

In the meantime, cuddle up in your favorite blanket, with a warn cup of herbal tea and read Our Guide to Staying Balanced During the Holidays 

Love is joy. Love is longing. Love is anticipation. Love is grief. Love is connection. Love is co-creation. Love is love.

Many Thanks!

Phoenix and Avyanna

Blossom & Be Wellness Retreat
Therapeutic Bodywork
Relationship and Dating Coaching
Women’s Health
Primal Diet Coaching
Health Coaching
828-545-1899

828-545-1899

P.S. Check out what else is new at Blossom & Be…

  • Mini-mart with: milk, cream, butter, honey, Green Zing Juice, yoga belts, balls, bands, Epson Salt, Arnica oil and more.

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RETREATS, PACKAGES, AND WORKSHOPS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

Stay tuned for more information on these and more upcoming events!

View our Retreat Packages at Blossom & Be Wellness Retreat – Retreat

Dating Discovery Virtual Class with Larry, Karen Thorson & Phoenix
Monday nights from 8-10:30pm EST, for 12 weeks starting January 6, 2020.

Get coaching around writing an on-line profile, posting profile pictures and learn strategies to improve your possibilities for finding a more compatible partner.

Shamanic Breath and Shadow Workshop (led by Phoenix)
February (time & date TBD)

Through breath, music, movement, psychodrama and art you will access your chakra energies, opening yourself to your own inner healing and guidance.

**Our intention is to post a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about our events, specials, and deep-dive into some health and relationship tips. Please let us know if there is any topic or service you would like to hear about. Contact us if you would like to visit our retreat for yourself or if you are interested in exploring hosting your workshop here.**