Expansion!

Welcome to the mindful musings of two spiritual mamas.
We are two women walking a path of conscious awareness, mostly gentle, but sometimes fierce. For 22 years our life paths have been winding and weaving a fabric of sisterhood and spiritual security. through storytelling and laughter, we share our wisdom, our follies and our empowered perspectives.
infused with love and intention. Our episodes will inspire those who are ready to shift their soul path into alignment with its divine purpose. You are not alone on this journey
Welcome to Episode Six Season Two of to spiritual mamas. I'm Shelby.
And I'm Alisha. In this episode, we hope to ignite you through our stories of personal expansion around parenting relationships, career, spirituality and self love. How this somewhat daunting task is a blessing when you choose to pivot with an empowered perspective.
This is a daunting topic. However, it's so so rewarding. I mean, we can look at the saying of get comfortable being uncomfortable. Love it, you know, I say that all the time with my students and my staff. Expansion is stepping outside of that cozy place that you've been in that that cow rat if you must, that your nervous system, your your, your mind, your heart even automatically just goes through every day. And Alicia and I we've had such experiences with what does it feel like when you do the hard work to step out of that rut or step on it? Maybe it's not a rut, but it's just like a pattern. It's the same pattern. And it's safe, and you're being productive and you're having wonderful life and your experiences are for the most part in harmony. But how can we bring that to a higher perspective a higher offerings to honor our greatest good and our greatest accomplishments?
There's time for up leveling throughout the cycles, right? We've got the new year the Chinese New Year, the Indian New Year lunar you know, it's like there's so many little moments we've got every morning, every new moon, the cycles of newness and taking our I always say taking the upgrades and noticing when the energy is like Oh, I think it's time right now is time for a shift. There's, there's things happening around me there's energy shifting, we definitely feel it in our kids. Right? They they're growing and every you know, my grade, every Yeah, it's like new friends. And it's it's actually part of the neuroscience of understanding our brains. And you call it a cow rat. It's like the it's like the supercomputer highway of our brains create these patterns. And you know, if you drive to work the same route every day, it actually improves neuroplasticity, and our ability to stay really healthy in our brains to drive a different route, give a new path and start, you know, like hacking away through the jungle is the image that I get like a machete and I'm like, I'm gonna forge a new trail. And I think Judy had said it 20 years ago, and I'm like, Yeah, I'm a trailblazer. Oh, yeah. And I will get off of the beaten path and start a new path because it will bring me to new adventures, it will bring me New Friends New experiences. And that's how I love to expand in my life as with new and different opportunities.
And mind you my friend who are a your wonderful leader and also clears a little bit of the way for those behind you.
That's what we're doing here. We hope to be the expanders for you. And that's a term that I love, love love from the lacI Phillips is her name from this wonderful expander of mine. Her website is to be magnetic. She has a podcast and the concept is that you when you see it, or read about it in a book, a story it can be from anywhere really but if you get a new idea and you see it in reality, you have the mirror neuron receptivity, your brain actually sees it as possible. You don't have to trailblaze everything all the time. You can see someone did it and be like well now i No, it's possible. So that's where I like to live my life out of and it is reflected in all these areas of our lives. We're going to talk about little personal stories and our thoughts and feelings about these different different places that where you've expanded over the years.
Oh, so many places. I, I wanted to add to that I've had this little quote on my, my Facebook profile, your focus becomes your reality. And it's such a simple, simple concept, but it's so true. It's like, if you can see it, you can accomplish it. And so, let's, I'm going to jump into my latest expansion. And it hasn't necessarily just happened overnight. It's been happening for a couple of years now. But my first chakra, you know, this is not necessarily where you would think, Oh, it's going to be Shelby's career Shelby's parenting, it's actually my first chakra. And it's wonderful. In our in, you highlighted a little bit of that connected energy in moon circle recently, where we were going into Mother Earth, and all the way through our bodies into the cosmos. And that Alicia is what's happening for me. Where I've always seen the root chakra as your safety your home. And I think my definition of home is what's been expanding. And instead of it, yes, instead of it just being the bloodline, or the the planet, or you know, the house you live in. It's becoming the cosmic realms, it's becoming the universe. And with that, Alicia is this like, unbelievable surge of energy, of hope of vitality for me to just really dive in and explore that more often. If the universe is mine? Is my chakra my home? Wow, you know, like, wow, you just, like, let's go.
Yay, it sounds like a sense of wonder, and that super huge Excel. I love it.
I just want to give up like two minutes right now. So So that's one way of expansion that you might not think about, you know, and how like, go up your chakras, where tune into yourself today and say, where do we need to clear a little clutter and you know, it might be your voice, it might be that fifth chakra that really needs a little bit more attention. It might be your third eye where you want to work on some meditations, or,
for me, it's been my heart. Yeah, expansion. And I love to meditate on feeling my heart expand, feeling the light, growing and reaching out and spreading that across the planet and sharing more of that, because I feel like my heart is the portal connection to what ended it is that central chakra, we have seven in our bodies, and more beyond that within our energy body. But that root chakra is the first download at your sacrum, right, the connecting to your legs and your feet to the earth. But those are the earth chakras that are how we can be here on this planet as energy beings. And then the top three chakras, our throat, our third eye and the Crown are where we bring in so much of that spiritual connection. And our heart is a blend of the two of that Earth and spirit. And how can we expand on Earth as more energetic beings more aware of energy and that's what we're bringing to this conversation is awareness of the energy and how to work with it when it shows up in your life. And my most recent expansion was a big career shift. I've been working for a company for seven years, and they ended our contract. And that shifted me into a perspective of okay, well, that means one door is closing another doors opening and I have this infinite possibility in front of me to expand my coaching practice and bring on more clients because I have more space. And so big concept with an expansionist spaciousness, and you talked about it in your route with the universe. How does that feel? How do you go oh my gosh, I can't even imagine.
Well, speaking of space, it was a very interesting clearing for me when when it occurred a couple years ago where I had some chords in my root chakra and I had done the work to tie them and cut them and birth them out. And then I was conscious that there was this space, and very conscious that I had best be filling out with some positivity positive, like intentional energy. So because, you know, the universe is a vacuum and I am really good at filling space. With stuff. I'm like, wow, that get in there. So I was like, Alright, let's go, what is this going to be at a very, very intentional level and it was just this most magnificent moment. I was in the hot tub. And I asked, I said, Okay, what are we? What are we doing here? What's my relationship? And Froome it just it was like, I could feel the cosmos. Just moving in there, like got the U haul track. Work. I'm in writing girl. And this is where you belong. This is your belonging. And have I completely understood what this means yet? Absolutely not. And I'm not sure I'll even ever get there. But it's just such a beginning. For me. That is so thrilling. So thank you for asking that, Alicia.
Yeah, I'm curious how that feels. I feel it in my heart, I can definitely speak to like the magnanimous feeling of love that I can contain inside of my body through my heart chakra. But to feel that sense of belonging, which is one of the core needs of humanity, right? It's like food, water, shelter and belonging.
Well, that's exactly how it is. I feel so connected. And I, I don't feel alone. And it also like, brings me to a new level of self love. Because I'm not out there seeking our partners seeking friendship. I feel completely guided and loved. So it's it is it's a different, different way from being who I was 20 years ago. I want to circle back though, to your career.
Because I have a question for you to
who's first?
Well, it's it's part of the concepts and I'll I'll weave it into my career again, because you, you inspire me, you are one of my expanders, and you ignite this intentionality in me, which is why we are so close and love to do these podcasts and live our lives. And Sister soul sisters forever. And you said when you were sitting in the hot tub, and you're asking like, what you're asking the universe, what's next and asking how to intentionally and consciously expand in that chakra. So I'm doing the same thing. Now I'm asking the universe to show me. Of course, I've got my intentions, because I have felt it in my soul, this calling to work with more women, especially around empowerment, and our soul connection and spirit connection. So I am asking the universe to show up with direction guide me, show me, I'm I'm asking for the highest good of all, to please be shown what the next step is. And that's where that's like the seat of where I like to sit. When I am ready to pivot. It's like, when, when we when I I'm looking in a new direction. It's like, okay, acknowledge where I came from. And I would love everyone just like put that little seed of intention in your life, to always celebrate and look back at where, how far did I come? I didn't have a mindset of being able to start a podcast five years ago, 10 years ago, never would have thought that this is what I'd be doing. So to think that I had a limited mindset around something in the past, and now I can celebrate that I have see the possibility now. And I'm asking for the guidance and people are coming into my life. And this Mirroring is happening and expansion as I asked for it, and have an intention of where I'm headed. And it really comes from this essence of what is my purpose? What do I understand about my gifts and what I'm bringing to the world? And what am I most passionate about? And that's what I'm asking myself?
So you just said what do I understand? I'm going to ask you to expand that mindset to What don't you understand yet? What do you even see about yourself? Alicia, what is out there that you haven't? Oh, I'm getting full body chills. Oh, my heart just for you, darling. I want to reference Carolyn Mays. She has this wonderful I think it's on YouTube. She talks about how everybody lives in the same address. We have these apartments or you know, like first floor, second floor, third floor and, and all of these steps that we take in our lives are these floors. And we have to go through the first floor and the second floor to get to the ultimate penthouse. But what people don't understand is when they're on the fifth floor, they don't realize the view from the 10th floor, they don't even know how divinely spectacular don't even know they live near the ocean. Because they're only on the fifth floor, you know, they might smell it, they might hear it, but they just have never seen it. And a lot of times people don't believe it until they see it. So the expansion that I think you were ultimately here inviting everyone who's listening to do is to go beyond what you've imagined. You know, allow yourself that gift to say, I don't know how wonderful my life could be. But I'm going to take the steps toward that. Yeah, as I keep taking those wonderfully gentle, sometimes, oh, a little bit of fiery footsteps, you will rise to that greatest good for yourself. You know, as long as that intention is clear, and we did our last episode on intentions, you know, so keep upgrading and expanding the intention as you get more comfortable inside of each step as you're like, Okay, so the fifth floor is not so bad. I don't mind walking up the stairs. I'm getting used to the cardio workout. You know, I'm gonna move to the sixth floor. Okay, seventh floor. You know what, there's an elevator. Whoa, this is gonna be easy.
Right? It does get easier with that surrender. So when I got the news, I felt so blessed to feel this sense of trust and surrender. But oh my gosh, I have so many things to respond to what to say. Because it's so good. It's like so good. So I'll share an example. Because that's what I was hoping we would do a lot of these little stories today for the queen archetype. So I've been working with this for the past year. And on the day that I got this news, I was trusting I was feeling it, and I took a bath, I took care of myself, self love, you know, that's also so important. And there was a moment in there when I felt the expansion of possibility. I felt the in one year from today, I'm going to look back and say, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. Instead of saying, I lost a huge account, or my life is changing, and I'm scared or like I didn't want to let myself go into fear. One moment, I truly stood in that Queen archetype. And I said, I'm ready to take the rulership of my life and the the highest aspect of the queen is not ruling over others. That's, that's this patriarchal model we're trying to evolve out of is, yeah, it's not power over others. It's power over your own domain. For the queen, she rules over everything she creates. And we are creators. And we are from the Creator, and we are the creator. So how I shifted and expanding is to understand that creativity is what I roll over. And I am nourishing and nurturing that in every single day of every step of the way here with such intentionality that I'm feeling the expansion I'm feeling a possibility and you know, people say 10x your life or 2x your income or whatever is the the level of expansion the times you want to expand over it. And I am so excited to say that I can see that. And I can, I'm actually consciously looking for expanders. So especially women in the field of empowerment who have found success through empowering others, which is just so infectiously the best thing that I think the planet needs right now. Absolutely. And when I was feeling into the Queen archetype, a few weeks ago, months ago, I would say now, I decided I was going to look for some media, some movies, books, whatever shows, that would be the example of this queen that I'm looking for. And like having the expansion and the series the great with Catherine the Great, it is so updated and amazing. It's so like multiracial cast, and they're not just like all white from Russia. She was the Empress of Russia and the 1600s. And the story is only partially true, right? It's like basic historical truth, and then they just expand on so much. She was so fired up about transforming Russia. She was a German woman. You know, her mom married off all her daughters. to different kings around Europe, and she got set to Russia 16. And by 20, she was really in the country. And she lived a long reign and major majorly transformed a huge part of the continent to like update for philosophy and new ways of thinking. And she just brought in so much innovation that I was like, That's it, I'm so glad I found this, I have an expander that shows me and it was so huge, and sexually liberating and empowering, it was just a fun show to watch. So I definitely recommend it. And it's things like that, like, putting it out there to people speaking it, I have been talking about this queen energy for a long time, and people will mention things and it's those little guidance is from spirit that I love. When people are bringing in those little supportive expansions.
I love that you're almost labeling it in a way of like, we can identify our expanders when you know, when we start speaking with a friend or a stranger we meet and you're like, it could be a three minute interaction while you're in line at the store. It's like, oh, you're an expander, aren't you? Thank you so much for that dose of expansion today. Moving along.
It's consciously integrating it and choosing and that's what we said at the very beginning, right? When you choose the pivot, it doesn't just happen. That's why I look at things through this the lens of astrology. And it's not that the stars are affecting us and it's happening to you. It's that that's the energy shift that you can choose to go with it or you can let it happen to you. And sometimes that's more destructive and difficult and challenging. But if you are like, Okay, right now, the energy of the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Mars, I love working with those especially, like, how is that affecting me so that I can be thrust in the right direction that I want my life to go? Yeah.
And, again, going back to us being comfortable, you know, I wanted to go all the way back to you. That when I met you, you were studying herbal medicine. I was studying nutrition and still do and doing gymnastics. You know, though, that was two decades ago, darlin. So think about the expansion that has happened in so many days since that first time I met you. And sometimes I do believe the universe comes in and shoves us a little forward and gives us the nudge or what did you just said a wonderful word. I forgot already. But Ross Ross, that's a great word thrusts you like ping Oh, I'm falling. Nope, I'm landing on my feet. I'm a gap. gymnast, or Jonas, we have crash mats. So we don't always get on our feet. But anyway.
We could use that as a metaphor for life. Like, who is your crush mat? How do you? Like? What is it? For me? It was that bath that night? Like I needed to just be held by water and rest into that. And yeah, anyways,
I didn't know how big is your cash? Matt, do you need the eight inch? Do you need the full foam pit? Like it's really hilarious, like. So yeah, that's just that permission that you check in with yourself. And you say I have been doing the same. I studied this in college and I'm in my career, but wow, it's 20 years later, I am a different human being. I have evolved, my cells are different. My mindset is different. Oh, these ruts are still the same. So let's go ahead and and just start to ask a few questions. Is there something out there that could serve my highest good, a little bit stronger? You know, because there's so many things that we should I could go into stories. I'm not going to even start where I thought things were good for me. And they were were they in highest good? No. But I chose them anyway. And then I had to stumble and Bumble a little bit. And I got through it. And I'm grateful for it because that was like the apartment. Um, you know, level one and level two. And you know, maybe I had a studio apartment. But like I'm trying to get to the penthouse here. And so honoring all that you are but also checking in saying I think it's time to level up. Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna rack up a lot, you know, because when you move you move Oh, my God, a lot of energy.
Everything gets rearranged. Yeah.
All of it. Absolutely.
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Meeting you was an expansion because I thought I was on a very specific path to become a naturopathic doctor and when I was in that movement room of the like womb center basement of last year, that we were dancing our belly dancing troupe and classes and regularly connecting with the feminine and expanding in that way, I it like shook my world, because I recognized I did not want to be a doctor. And I really literally woke up one morning from a dream and felt like I was going to vomit. And it was like the idea of being a doctor was now no longer allowed in my body and my just like black God, that I felt like you said, with your root chakra, I felt such a void. And I didn't know what to fill it with. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next, I wasn't sure how to ask for what I needed. I was only 22 years old.
Yeah. And
that's, that's when you introduced me to Judy, ah, God, I had put the intention out there, like five or six years before like, literally knew at the age of 16. Because I was meditating I had, I have these amazing, spiritually conscious hippie parents that guided me so well at the beginning of my life, to be on this path. And I set my intention, not knowing when it would be fulfilled, that I needed a spiritual teacher, I wanted a guide. And when she showed up, I was very clear that that was what I was asking for. And it had come finally and, you know, I worked with her apprenticed, I mean, I just feel like the the work that I did with her gave me the blueprints have been absolutely huge, foundational, important. And, and I'd like to speak to the energies of Earth, and grounding and how some of us that are earth signs, I don't have a lot of Earth in my chart. But if you're a Taurus, or a Capricorn, or a Virgo, or have those elements as rising, or parts of your chart that make you want to stay the same, a little more than the rest of us, Shelby and I have a lot of air in our charts. And that gives us a lot more movement and forward thinking
waves of change
each other. And we need these energies in balance, ideally, at different times. And sometimes when the energies are all around us are pointing us to grounding and becoming more structural in our foundation, then we, we bring in and I'll pivot now to parenting, we bring in those elements of structure like communication skills. As a parent of a teen boy, I am challenged right now with being able to communicate to my son in a way that he will understand in a way that will cause connection, create connection and create the ways in which I want to see him grow and expand. And you know, he's got friends right now that are giving him a new idea of freedom and ways that he wants to be in the world. And so, you know, working with his guidance counselor, creating a structure for how he can do it differently as an Aquarius as a complete, like outside the box type person. So one of my favorite things right now is the book positive discipline. I am learning how to step into communication with my boy with even more love, at this point, like more acceptance.
That's so important. And we were talking earlier about parenting is can be so complicated and every child need different parenting. But if you can host love and boundaries for them, you can pretty much rocket, you know, as long as you know, and they know that the love is there for them and that you are going to show up. Because you're helping them develop that root chakra, what is home and what is secure. All while creating really amazing boundaries. And I do think we should do it a separate podcast on boundaries, because wow, have they been coming up in my life late. So we're going to stay tuned and go back to that. I did want to back up to Judy, just for all of our listeners, Judy Yama. Mora is who we're speaking of, and she is a wonderful spiritual midwife is what I call her. She has been with with Alicia and I for about 20 years, and I just met with her a few days ago, we continue to meet every month. She's on LinkedIn, she's on Facebook. It's y m A m ura. You can find her name in our show notes if you want to connect. So I think the last thing we want to touch on was spirituality and how that expands. And you know what, Alicia, we touched on that every single week. So I'm just going to encourage everybody at this time to to continue to light your candles to continue to pray and set intentions to continue to ask for more guidance to continue to walk on the planet. Take those deep breaths when you need them. I am completely talking to myself right now. So continuing to connect with grandfathers sky Grandmother Earth, up and down however you look at it, label it. Alicia is latest meditation during our moon circle really asked us to take that figure eight energy. Earlier Alicia, you were talking about it going from the the fifth or fourth chakra of the heart and visualizing that to be like the center of the figure eight through the crown chakras and down to the root chakras. And in your most recent meditation, you invited us to expand that upward and downward and wow, it was so powerful. So expanding your own energy dynamic, you know, do it with caution and do it with with protection. Ask always for protection, and only messages for your highest good. But when you invite that in to your to your daily practices, it really gives you a whole nother place to work from it's like getting a whole new set of encyclopedias. So I encourage you to do that. And congratulations on your upcoming expansion everyone. This is wonderful. Thank you so much, everybody. Yay, yay. And we look forward to any feedback you want to give us about your expansion. We love stories. We love questions. Pretty soon we're gonna do our podcast on all of our questions from you guys. So shoot those out to us. And we would love to chat about it. That's right. They walk in beauty walking grace,
celebrate your expansions.