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 Greetings for a Fabulous Fall!
 Autumn is well upon us and with the season brings a time of final harvest, a sense of pulling back, and a readiness to settle in for the holidays and winter months. As the ebb and flow of evolution continues its natural flow, this is the perfect time to also explore your growth and identify what is “next” in your own evolutionary process.
I’ve taken some time “away”, both to do a bit of my own “ebbing” as I complete some very exciting training (to expand what I can offer to you!) and also to do some major planning for the next year (to decide how to best integrate these new skills into what I already offer!). With this in mind, the article below discusses the necessity of “contracting” and “expanding” as we consciously evolve—somewhat stepping away from our current roles or responsibilities in order to later grow into whatever is coming next.
In light of expansion, I want to ask for some help. In the next couple weeks, you will be receiving an online survey which requests feedback related to what you’d like to learn about regarding soul health and soul evolution. PLEASE take the few minutes to complete the survey, and in doing so, your name may be selected for a $25 Starbucks gift card (or $25 credit toward a class/workshop/soul health journey if you prefer). I like to design my offerings for what people want and need, so please consider participating.
In the next few months, you will also receive information about new services, classes, workshops, retreats, and soul health travel journeys. I CAN’T WAIT to share what I’ve been learning, and I know it will help you take your soul health to an amazing new level!
Wishing you well in the beginning of this wonderful fall season!
In shared light,
 Katherine T. Kelly
Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
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The “Contraction” and “Expansion” of Evolution
When it comes to soul health, it is necessary for us to experience times in our lives when we both contract and expand. What does this mean? Essentially, it means that there are times when pulling back to evaluate, rest, or recharge are more important to our evolution than the times when we perceive ourselves to be growing and expanding. The truth is, both contraction and expansion are necessary processes in our evolution. While we might avoid or resist either process, it is important to embrace the ebb and flow as a necessary part of our growth.
As many of you know, 2015 was a particularly  challenging year for me. The long-term illnesses and loss of both my mother and a 16 year-old dog, multiple unexpected car and home expenses, a very busy work/travel schedule, stressful family dynamics, and health concerns of my own left my own “tree” feeling rather wilty. Although I take pride in self-care, regardless of what I did, I just couldn’t muster my typical amount of energy to do much more than see clients, go home, and sit on the couch with my pups. I was spent.
I “measure” my energy in percentages, and early this year, I estimated that I was functioning at less than 25% of my typical energy level. My tank was pretty much empty. In order to “fill up”, I set upon practicing what I preach about Soul Health by cutting back most activity, canceling classes and workshops, minimizing any extra commotion, and basically pulling back on anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary to get by. Anyone who knows me also knows that I don’t like to slow down. However, I had no choice but to “contract” in order to assure a future “expansion”.
 Being a travel junkie, I scheduled a long weekend at the beach, took another extended weekend away at a retreat center, and planned a trip to several national parks in July with my best friend, knowing that visiting majestic sights is one of my most effective medicines. Sure enough, by August I was feeling much more like myself. Another important healing “salve” for me is to learn something new. So, throughout the summer, I also underwent some further training that will enable me to provide many more healing and educational opportunities for others. I just returned from another soul-nourishing workshop that left me feeling much more integrated, excited to launch some new services, and much, MUCH clearer about what I will be doing in the near future.
The moral of the story? My forced “contraction” was exactly what I needed for my evolution. If my energy hadn’t been so low, and had I not heeded my typical words of healing wisdom, not only would I not have acquired my newfound clarity, but I also wouldn’t have the energy it will take in order to implement the plan that has formed over the last year. Contracting from the world helped me heal and restore so that I could expand and grow.
Although I don’t like to think about cutting a tree to look at it’s rings for signs of growth, they do clearly show that contraction and expansion are necessary parts of life. The thinnest rings indicate times of slower growth and stagnation, while the wider rings illustrate what happens when it is time to thrive and develop. Like my own reduction in activity, trees need these times of seeming stagnation in order to store up energy for the next seasonal expansion.
Fall is a natural time of contraction, one when many people pull back from typical activity to reflect and recharge for new growth in the spring. The season provides the opportunity to re-evaluate where your growth has taken you and also where you want to be in another year. Make use of this beautiful and symbolic season so that you, too, can embrace the ebb and flow of your evolution.
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I loved the Celestine Prophecy when I first read it nearly 25 years ago. I recently picked it up, again, and I’m so glad that I did! Although I consider this book to be one that helped to launch my spiritual evolution, I got even more out of it now that I understand energy, oneness, and the power of love consciousness. It changed my life then, and I can honestly say it changed my life again now. Author, James Redfield provides a wonderful novel about what he calls the “Nine Insights” which are essential lessons to live by. If you haven’t already read it, pick up a copy. If you have, then try it out, again. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve evolved since you read it the first time.
