Day 4 is all about creating ‘oases of romance’ – I love how that sounds! Another way of saying this might be altars or shrines to romance, but there’s something that speaks to me about the thought of an oasis – a little piece of paradise amidst the harsh desert of everyday life.
‘As you walk through the desert of life, may you always find your oasis – a place where you can find safety and sustenance.’
Wow, how absolutely perfect for what I have in mind for this prompt to give to you!
Your romance oasis (or oases) can be a small area of your home, car, office, or even your handbag or pocket, that acts as a container for the state of being that you want to embody.
A really good place to create this space would be a shelf in the bathroom because you’ll most likely see it at either end of your day – starting and ending your day with the feeling of romance has got to be a good thing, right?! If it happens to be underneath a mirror, even better.
You’ll want to give it a quick clean first, to make the space all sparkly fresh and new. Then gather together a few objects that help you feel connected to the beauty in your life. Perhaps there’s a forgotten beauty; something you’ve stopped seeing, that you take for granted? If so, this will be a great space to reconnect to that part of yourself and your life.
Spend some time arranging your chosen objects, is there a symbolic way you feel inspired to arrange them? Consider how the light interacts with them – can you create any intriguing shadow play? Perhaps you prefer to keep it simple and uncluttered, or maybe you enjoy having a multitude of objects that have meaning. You’re looking to create a feeling, so that when you gaze upon this space you’ve created, you feel that safety and sustenance, or perhaps you’d rather feel energised and enlivened. Whatever the feeling is for you that brings out that enigmatic smile, the one that comes from being lit up from the inside.
If you happen to have a mirror above or nearby, this can add in an extra layer of connection through the use of mirror work. Now I will warn you, if you’ve never done any mirror work, it can be unbelievably uncomfortable, and down right hard! BUT, it truly is worth pushing through the resistance.
Mirror work is a technique that Louise Hay taught. You’ll want to check out her book to learn more detail, but in a nutshell, mirror work involves looking into your eyes in the the mirror and repeating affirmations. I’ll leave that with you to investigate further if it sounds like something you fancy giving a try, because we don’t really have the scope here to go into it in any depth in this short challenge.
Another way to use a mirror is to write yourself encouraging messages on it – coloured chalk markers are brilliant for this.
If you can create multiple little places like this, go for it! Really surround yourself in the good things that help to keep you in that luscious state.
If you don’t have space to do this, go macro! It could be a mini version in a little lidded tin. How magical would it be to lift the lid in a state of anticipation of the beauty inside? Your own mini secret retreat.
If you don’t have a tin or a box, one small item that you can pop in your pocket can work just as well – every time you touch it you get to recall the feeling it’s there to give you.
If you can do all of them go for it! Revel in the creation.
A Little Inspiration
This is my little pocket oasis – a heart shaped stone a friend gave me many years ago. It’s wonderfully smooth and is very soothing to rub.
Yogi Wisdom and Mantra for Day 4
