I wrote about Gay Hendrick’s Zone of Genius last time. And as I’m on my journey of stepping into my zone of genius, I realized that before I could make the “big leap” into my zone, there are some absolutely crucial “housekeeping” things, if you will, that I need to first take care of.
Think of two almost identical-looking runners, ready to race each other in a 100-meter race. Now runner A has never won a match before but he has been training hard for the last six months - he has been eating right, stretching his muscles, participating in marathons and sprints, and meditating to get into the right mindset in preparation for this big match. And runner B has won multiple matches before but because of an injury, hasn’t been able to practice at all for the last six months and this is his first match since the injury.
Who do you think will win?
If you follow tennis, in the last few years, Roger Federer, the man with the most number of Grand slam titles has lost more matches than won to players who are much younger than him because they are in much better physical condition, and perhaps, mental and emotional condition than Federer.
Stepping into our zone of genius is similar - we have to do the work, before the actual work. We have to prepare before we play.
I mentioned in the previous post that before we can step into our zone of genius, or walk our soul path, it is important to connect with our higher self (I use higher self, inner self, and soul interchangeably). In this post, I want to go deeper into how we can connect with our higher self. Look at the previous post to read about the soul path or the zone of genius.
How can we connect with our higher self?
Inner work.
Inner work is crucial to walk into your genius.
Inner work includes three main foundational pillars:
invoking the feminine energy to connect with your heart and soul, i.e. inner self
Healing, releasing, clearing, and nurturing your inner child
Invoking the masculine energy to find opportunities in line with your genius and walk the path
Pillar 1: Invoking the feminine energy
We all have both the masculine and feminine energies within us - Shiva and Shakti.
The feminine energy is associated with nurture, protection, intuition, creativity, care, deep inner strength, love, and acceptance. We need this energy to mother parts of us that are hurt, or wounded.
Its free-flowing nature helps connect with your heart and soul and listen to their voice. This connection is what will guide you on your soul path or your zone of genius. Allowing the free flow of feminine energy is necessary to awaken and be able to listen to your inner compass.
To invoke your feminine energy:
Move your body - dance, do some light stretches, or do yoga that opens up the feminine energy
Walk in nature as mother Earth is full of healing feminine energy. Try to grow plants and look after them
Cultivate a playful mood. Indulge in playful games, banter and joyful activities
Check-in with yourself multiple times in a day - ask yourself how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, and what is that you need…
Speak to yourself as you would speak to a friend with kindness and acceptance
Meditate - practice guided feminine energy activation meditation. I like to put on the sound of water while meditating as it helps me surrender and release control
Give yourself time to go with the flow
Pillar 2: Release work
What is clearing or release work?
Just like crystals, water and ice carry the divine wisdom within them, we too carry the divine wisdom, but along with that, deeply embedded are past hurt, pain, fears, limiting, self-sabotaging and scarcity beliefs, thoughts, patterns, programs, and energies. Phew!
And, just as a pipe cannot allow water to flow through it freely if it holds within dirt and debris, it’s difficult for our higher consciousness to surface without us clearing things of the past that we have held on to, whether consciously or subconsciously.
Clearing is super important and one that can take years, if not lifetimes. As we go through challenging experiences, often, unknowingly we allow feelings of discontentment, self-doubt, worry, anxiety, hurt, pain, self-judgment, and guilt to stay rent-free in our hearts and energetic fields. And as we carry them with us through our lives, they resurface every once in a while in the form of challenges - a small trigger is often enough for them to make an appearance.
Those feelings protected us in the past, but they no longer serve us; hence, it’s time to release them.
To release:
In your meditation:
Ask - what needs to be healed and released?
If you’re already aware of that which no longer serves you, focus on it and breathe healing crystalline light into it. Imagine golden light surrounding you and filling up those knots where past energy is stuck
Use your feminine healing energy to accept that part of you
Practice guided healing meditation
When you find yourself indulging in negative self-talk, again choose your feminine energy and try to let go of self judgment and guilt
Call on the universe for guidance (see the post on communicating with angels). Ask them for help with release work
Affirm:
Thank you for healing all past wounds, self-doubt, limiting, self-sabotaging, and scarcity mindset, thoughts, patterns, energies, worries, and anxieties that are blocking divine love, abundance, and creativity.
Thank you for healing, releasing, clearing, and transmuting all that no longer serves me in all space, time, dimensions, realities, and energies.
I am no longer resisting or holding on to limiting, scarcity, self-sabotaging beliefs, thoughts, patterns, and programs. I have released them without pain or resistance.
Pillar 3: Invoking the masculine energy
The masculine energy is associated with leadership, clarity, planning, organization, grounding, strength, focus, determination, and power.
The masculine energy helps us take that big leap into our zone of genius. It helps us set goals clearly and walk the path with confidence and strength.
Even spirituality needs to be grounded. Last year I realized that wisdom alone is not helpful till you don’t implement all that you’ve learned.
Walking the soul path is a fine balance between going with the flow (feminine energy) and taking deliberate, focused action.
To invoke the masculine energy:
Be clear and assertive in your communication. Of course, you are not always required to be assertive, but when you feel the time is right, definitely don’t shy away from being compassionately assertive
Challenge yourself to take risks. When you feel called to step out of your comfort zone, use that as an opportunity to lean into your masculine energy
When you find yourself pulled into your feelings or your thoughts, again try to step out of that internal energy and ask yourself - what is the smallest action I can take at this point?
Check-in to see if you have any stigmas or judgment around masculine energy. Try to shed light on it and release those.
Affirm:
I am confident
I know when to take action
I am focused, organized, and disciplined in how I approach my tasks
Working with the foundational pillars
Inner work essentially involves quieting the mind and feelings and allowing our true selves to surface.
The more I surrender to my inner work, the more I realize that my zone of genius is not something that I have to go to, but rather it is something that I always was, and it’s now time to proactively choose what I always was.
Love and light,
Vishanka