2021

Photograph by Alice Karayianni

In all chaos
there is a cosmos,
in all disorder
a secret order

~ Carl Jung

2020. What a rollercoaster of a year.

It has been a year of pain, loss and grief, but it has also been a year of positive transformation in so many ways. Now, transformation is not always easy but, if anything, this year has taught us just how resilient we can be. No matter how dark it gets, we will always be able to find the light, we will always find ways to survive the chaos.

2020 was the year in which the world finally slowed down. We may not have achieved unity, as such, but it was definitely the year in which we all came together to fight the unknown. Knowing that we were all in this together inspired hope and courage to keep doing what is best for humanity. It was a reminder that we need to take care of each other. In distancing we actually connected more.

2020 was also the year in which we learned not to take anything for granted. It was the year in which our hearts softened amidst all the pain and fear. We learned to appreciate the beauty of nature and the ones we love a little more; we learned that happiness is found in the little things, in the most profound way. Miracles dwell in the invisible, if we only trust the process.

It's time to let go and trust that change is always good, perhaps not at present, but definitely in the longterm. To embrace the unknown and learn from what we cannot control. To allow that to transform us. It's time to shift and re-assess what is important to us and, in so doing, to make room for all the good that is on the way, even if we don't know exactly what we are waiting for right now. 

As always, remember to keep an open heart and an open mind!

Happy 2021 to all! ❤️

I forget the rest

Photograph by Alice Karayianni

Then I did the simplest thing in the world. I leaned down... and kissed him. And the world cracked open.

Agnes de Mille

2020

Photograph by Alice Karayianni

Accept what is.
Release what was.
Create what must be.

2019 was a year of growth and positive transition for me, in many aspects, and I have been filled with immense gratitude. Life always has a way of showing us that nothing is ever as it seems and this ephemerality is the very beauty of it. This impermanence that can surprise you from one moment to the next, that can turn your world around. Of course, these are two sides of the same coin! But I’ve learned that whatever will be, will be, no matter what, and that the one thing I can do is to just keep giving any given moment my best. At the end of the day, our life is as good as our mindset and it is the energy that we bring into every situation that matters, how we respond to things. We need to keep those vibrations high!

Every day, we are given the opportunity to build on who we are, to become a version which is closer to who we really are, or who we want to become, at least. Every time I felt lost, I was only just getting closer to new realisations, leading me to a better version of myself. We need to let go of whatever weighs us down and needs to be lost, in order to find our truth. After all, we cannot lose what we no longer are and what is truly ours will never leave us. We just need to have the courage to face our life in all its light and its darkness; I always keep reminding myself that it is through the cracks that the light gets in. It has become a personal mantra over the years. It’s through these cracks that we learn to love ourselves a little more, to accept ourselves for who we are and, in turn, to accept others for who they are. It’s through the cracks that we grow.

And this brings me to my last point, letting go of expectations and the pursuit of perfection. We have this impulse of wanting to know how everything will unfold, a need to figure everything out before its time, to be in control. We have this fear that if we are not prepared then something might go wrong and things won’t be as perfect as we imagined them to be. But how many times has life proved to us that it is unpredictable? And how many times have we resisted a moment simply because it did not satisfy our expectations? We should finally start embracing that uncertainty and allow ourselves to linger in the unknown from time to time. When nothing is certain, everything is possible, the landscape is infinite.

For 2020, I hope we learn to slow down and take a step back from all the chaos around us; to surrender to what is rather than what should be. To appreciate the people we love a little more, to love with actions and not just words, to really experience each moment life brings to us and to make the most of the opportunities brought our way. The present moment is all there is. I hope we learn to embrace the imperfect nature of the world around us and, in doing that, become more understanding and compassionate with ourselves as we are, transforming only in ways that bring us closer to our true self. And, in our continuous pursuit of finding meaning and whatever it is that makes our soul expand, I hope we always keep an open heart and an open mind.

Here’s to a year of magic!

Happy 2020 to all :)