Transition from Effort to Allowing with Sunflower

Sunflower

Today, I will share the message of sunflower with you. I don't want to offer too much preamble. Don't worry. I do have a lot to say, but I really wanna get into this message. So, let's do it.

I start out as usual calling on my source, my angels and my spirit guides, and the spirit of Sunflower: I ask that you share your message with me and that this conversation and exchange be blessed and protected.

And I begin: "Hello, sunflower. It has been an honor and a delight to watch you grow this year. My mornings and evenings have been consumed with watching you grow. I felt your message come through while I was still in bed and would love to hear more from you. What I heard when the message came through was this: "Sunflowers, follow the sun until they have grown big enough, then they stand tall knowing the Sun's rays will find them. In what ways can you recognize that you've grown enough to stop chasing the sun and let it find you?"

That is such a powerful message and question. in observing the sunflower growth. I didn't get the feeling that it was a desperate following or like chasing. They seemed so joyful and happy at every step of the way.

And sunflower answers me. "Don't think of it as bad or. It is the joyful effort of youth or newness, not wasted energy, especially when the pursuit itself is delightful. And yet maturity brings with it a knowingness, a transition from effort to allowing. That transition is brought about when the work of growing and establishing the capacity to allow is developed.

So, it isn't necessarily happening at the same age for each individual, but more at that point in the growth cycle, when the being is ready, physically and energetically to trust and open. Such a thing of beauty when viewed as a sign of strength and maturity. But, when viewed from the immature or youthful lens, the beauty can be harder to see. Wisdom is funny that way. Don't you think?"

I reply, "I can almost feel your grin. I definitely feel the beauty and strength of the wisdom you reference, and I appreciate your guidance on not focusing on a certain age for the transition from effort to ease. I am a learner and a studier of as much as I can manage. It has always brought me joy. And yet, it is exhausting. I don't intend to stop learning and studying, but I will say that lately I have felt a shift in my being. The frantic energy inside me is slowing down. More and more I have a knowing that the answer will come. Opposed to feeling the need to hunt for it obsessively. At first I was alarmed by this stillness, but lately it makes me feel strong. I'd like to thank you sunflower for walking with me through this process."

And as a side note, I have to say that while I was receiving the message of sunflower, I just felt like this, knowing Buddha, smile, feeling coming through. I don't, I don't know if that translates when I speak about it, but just this, this contentment, I guess, is the best word for it coming through, along with that message.

This season. Wasn't a huge planting season for me. I planted sunflowers along our front walk with my daughter as a kind of experiment. I had never planted them before. As happens when working with little ones, seeds got mixed up and species intermingled, but we had so much fun dropping those big black seeds into the soil and covering them.

The plants were fast to germinate and really surprised me with how fast they shot up. Every time we sat down at our table to eat. We looked out the window to see the sunflowers grow. The whole family became so wrapped up in the near daily changes we saw.

I had always heard that sunflowers will follow the sun as it moves in the sky and was so curious to see how that looked. What I noticed was that the young blooms seemed to chase the sun all around. But once they matured to their full height and flower size, I noticed that they didn't move around so much, but just kind of turned their faces up and smiled. The full symbolism of this didn't really land for me until their growth cycle was over. The whole time they were growing I was paying so much attention to them and just loved being in their presence. I could feel some big message coming, but the more I tried to tune in the less I got. At some point, I just let it go. Knowing that sunflower would share its message when the time was right. And until then I could be present with all these beauties. Sunflower finally came to sit with me when we were on family. I had spent the previous month and a half frantically completing all the necessary tasks to list our house for sale, and then to find a new place to move. I had this knowing that I needed to hurry and get all this done and that it must happen now, but something was different this time.

So if you know me, you know that when I get my sights set on something, I will move heaven and earth to make it happen. And most often wait for no one or no thing. Historically, that has included a lot of efforting and force, even when there were signs that told me to slow down and find ease. The past three years have brought many profound lessons, some painful, all powerful teaching me to stop forcing.

To know what is for me to do and what is for me to allow. My stubborn self has needed the many lessons. And I am happy to say, I feel like I have taken great strides to embody this wisdom.

But Jessica, you just said you were running around hurrying to get a monumental task accomplished at lightning speed.

Why yes, dear listener. I did. So what made this different? Honestly, the whole thing was sparked by my intuition, this practice of listening to my guidance and honoring what comes through is the deal. For the past few episodes, I've mentioned friction and discomfort I've been feeling on the property. I was tending one day, not long after Lyreleaf Sage and mimosa shared their beautiful messages with me.

I decided to get very real with myself. I started asking questions. Is this discomfort worth it? Am I doing here in this space what I intended when we bought this property? Is this life I am living in alignment with my values?

Side note: through studying human design, I found that I actually respond best to yes or no questions, and often will surprise myself with my answers when I am asked a direct yes or no question. It's so crazy. And I love it. Okay. Back to the story.

The answers to these questions didn't surprise me, but they brought up all kinds of emotions. At the end of this thread of curiosity, the realization that what I had moved heaven and earth to get was not serving my family or me.

Ouch. That hurt. But as they say, the truth will set you free.

I got real with myself and then I got real with my husband. I thought he was going to be so mad and there was probably a touch of that. But mainly what I saw in him was relief. This space was too much strain on him as well. He could see clearly that I was suffering to try to make my dream work.

And all I was accomplishing was isolating myself and staying in this "grind" mentality. The minute we both acknowledged that we weren't interested in pushing anymore, that we were ready to release this dream and to find our flow again, the universe started making things happen to support our decision.

Please don't misunderstand. It was not easy to accomplish the task of listing and selling our home while also finding and buying another home in a super tight timeframe. It wasn't easy, but there was no doubt in either of our hearts, that we were being guided and supported the whole way through that process.

That feeling, that knowing can make even the most daunting task feel completely possible.

And now to circle all the way. Back to Sunflower's beautiful message. It would seem that there is a time in life for energetically chasing your dreams. For delighting in hard work done in the name of your passion. For living full throttle. And as life and sunflower are showing me, there is also a season when we really ground into wisdom. We slow down and find that it all still gets done. We live in the faith that what is meant for us will find its way to us if we simply plant our feet and open to our good. Whenever I've heard this wisdom shared before I have scoffed at the idea, I most certainly will not stand still. I will not be lazy when there are opportunities to chase and connections to be made.

Please tell me I'm not the only generator Capricorn out there.

But as I find myself shifting into this season of wisdom of knowing, I'm seeing that I've viewed it incorrectly before. The frantic energy and self doubt are falling away. If somewhat slowly. And I'm feeling more sure footed. That laziness I feared would come isn't laziness at all. I'm pausing more and waiting for guidance. But when I receive that guidance, it's like I'm rocket fueled. Less running uphill, both ways in the snow and more flow.

So dear listener, if sunflower is calling to you, maybe it's time to take a deep breath and slow down, pause and get your guidance, as one of my favorite teachers says. Love you, Edwene. Let sunflower support you while you're in that soupy, middle of transition. Trust that waiting until you know what to do. Like the knowing that comes from the heart is not lazy. It is wise. And once you have that knowing you'll more than catch up for any lost time.

There are so many ways sunflower can support you during transition. Whether your transition be into a new season in life or a different situation, may sunflower guide you into wisdom and flow.

Big love, my friend.