Hello from the Hebrides!
A million pictures of this incredible island (free!), plus a Q&A from the Guides (for subscribers!).
Housekeepings!
How is it almost September?! I don’t know how time has flown by so fast, but here we are with Autumn fast approaching. I’ve got a lot of exciting work things lined up that I can’t wait to share with you, but in the meantime (things still brewing), I have 2 updates:
I’m back to sessions tomorrow, online via Zoom. I’ve been REALLY into business-related Guide sessions lately and a lot of the things I’ve been talking about with folks have been how to align their business or work with their Heart Path. Or, to put it another way, how to feel more aligned in what you’re doing, so that the things you express into the world are expressions of your own inner being. How to get paid for those things. How to align with the most expansive and abundant version of that. I’m here for all sessions on all things but if this has been a topic for you lately, the Guides have been doing some truly incredible work on this, so I A+ recommend booking in for a session.
ALL THE WAY down at the bottom of this very long picture post is an answer from the Guides on a question that’s basically: how do I get to where I want to be because I hate where I am, and I’m feeling too stuck to get there. The Guides had a 7 minute run on the topic, to help loosen that stuck feeling. That one is for paid subscribers, as are all Guide answers. If you didn’t know, as a paid subscriber, you can email me with questions any time and I’ll have the Guides answer them here for you. Take advantage of it if you have things you’re feeling stuck on!
/end housekeeping.
I've spent the last week in a little cottage on an island called Eilean Shona. A place dreams are made of. It's been perfect timing: things have felt like they’re coming back together after the life-fall-apart that started happening a few months ago. A week in a cottage on an island with nothing to do but walk, and paddle board, chat to the Guides and earth spirits, and write, felt like exactly what I needed.
What's coming together feels exciting. Clear. Focused. Good. I'm excited to get back to work, and to start letting the energy of my own Heart Path unfold in this new direction. This is the magic thing about the Heart Path: once you're on it, it really does unfold on its own. Once you know the direction you want to go in, you then just ride it out, making choices when it's time. Taking action when it's time. And otherwise just tuning into the energy of the path and what is aligned for you over, and over, and over again. It's hard work to get to the point where you know how do that, but after you've got it down, it's full of ease, synchronicity, and magic.
Speaking of synchronicities: one of the couples here on this tiny island lives on the street behind me in London. Our back windows face onto each other. We've probably seen each other walking around in our underwear at some point. How wild is that?!
Anyway, folks have been asking me for more info about this MAGIC PLACE on Instagram, so I'll give the details and info here:
Where: Eilean Shona.
What cottage did I stay in: Timber cottage. It has wifi and electricity. At first I thought I'd stay in one of the off-grid cottages but then thought about the isolation (which can be resolved by Facetiming people, which involves wifi), and how I like to write on holiday (which involves a computer— I can’t keep up with my thoughts if I write by hand). I'm really glad I chose this option.
If I were with other people then I'd likely want to try off-grid though!
How do you get there:
I flew to Glasgow, rented a car and drove 4 hours. They pick you up on the dock and shuttle you across to the island. You have to bring everything you need because you're there for a week without access to the mainland!
What did you bring food-wise??!
I brought pre-prepared everything (when I’m on holiday I don’t want to cook!). So I went to M&S and stocked up on their salads for lunch (tuna and cannellini bean, and the green goddess salads), and protein meals (I'm really into the chickpea pasta and meatballs one lately) for my dinners. If that was gibberish to you, it's because M&S is an INSTITUTION in the UK but doesn't exist elsewhere. It's a chain of stores that does everything from pre-made meals to school uniforms to bath products. I was chatting to a couple here who'd done the same thing (they went for the roasts— also pre-prepared). I also chatted to a family of 6 who went to the regular grocery store because stocking up on M&S meals for a week for 6 would be cost prohibitive, but they wished they could have though. A+ highly recommend.
For breakfasts, I had porridge with banana for sweet and Skyr for protein. I’m absurdly habitual and this has been my breakfast for the last 5 months straight. I’m sure I’ll tire of it at some point but we’re not even close yet.
Other than that, I brought (cue the most boring list known to man):
Tea (duh).
Milk.
1 packet of biscuits (Nairn fruit and seed oatcakes)
2 bars of choco
2 malt loaves
butter
1 loaf bread (wildfarmed white sourdough- my favourite bread!)
1 mackerel pate (obsessed with it on toast or crackers with some radishes)
radishes
rocket/ arugula
1 block of cheddar (M&S Cornish Cove v good)
a panic-buy tortilla espanola that I haven't touched
apples
plums
rhubarb sodas
instant decaf coffee for afternoons WITH BISCUITS
M&S protein passionfruit mango protein yogurts
What would I do differently food-wise:
I'd bring more biscuits: I finished them all on the first day. Wah.
I wouldn't panic buy a tortilla espanola. That was silly.
I would bring honey. I was trying to save baggage weight and hassle but my tea has been depressing without it.
What clothes did you bring:
I lucked out when it came to weather: it's been in mild and sunny all week. The water here has been, according to people who come here every year, and the island's owner, exceptionally warm. I lucked out because I was under-prepared for the BOGGINESS of the ground here, and went through all my socks in a couple of days.
I brought, and used:
workout shorts x 2
sports bras x 3
t-shirts x 2
sweatshirt x 1
vintage levis that are 2 sizes too big and v. comfy for walking x 1
denim shorts (stretchy) x 1
button down shirt x 1
favourite big wool jumper x 1
all my socks (4 pairs)
1 bikini
2 tank tops
3 pyjama shorts
1 pyjama leggings
1 pyjama t-shirt
(a note on all the pyjamas for a week: I do most of my writing from bed because it is my favourite thing (do you know your Human Design? I'm a projector and this is apparently par for the course for us). Am also anal-retentive about outside clothes in or on or anywhere near my bed, so if I wear shorts to sit out on the stoop I can't get back into bed with them afterwards (THE HORROR), so lots of clothes for bed are essential)
toiletries etc
What clothes did you wish you brought:
Slippers
A giant warm robe. This exact one, tbh.
A blanket to lie on the grass in the sun
Long pale leggings for hiking through the tall grasses (ticks. Oh my god so many ticks. On my bare legs. The absolute HORROR of it.)
more socks (it’s v boggy— I landed up to my ankles in mud on some walks)
less white clothes— the water here is v. peaty so it stains whites brown. Didn’t want to risk a sink wash on my favourite white tops!
Anything else?
Everything else that I needed was provided in the cottage! Even bubble bath! I scored with the weather-- had it been wetter I'd have been a bit miserable as I just didn’t have that many changes of clothes.
Would you go back?
In a heartbeat 100% I already want to come back next year but rent one of the bigger cottages and bring friends. I'm even thinking of hosting a retreat here next summer, that's how much I love it here. It's truly magical, despite the ticks and the fact that I am covered in approximately one million midge bites. I needed a wilderness recharge and this was above and beyond what I’d hoped for. I actually can’t wait to come back.
I'm heading back to London tomorrow and feel excited to get back to being social again. My favourite restaurant now has tarte tatin on the menu- a sign that the seasons are beginning to shift. I'm really excited for Autumn in London.
Second. A really good question for the Guides.
Last week someone sent me in a question that I was so excited to have the Guides answer:
"I feel stuck. Frustrated. Sometimes depressed. There are things I want-- big things and small things, but mostly big things in my life-- that I don't know how to get to. I want to be the type of person who has that life SO much but I don't know how to get there or make it happen. How do I GET there? How do I do it? All I can do is look around at where I am and feel stuck."
I let the Guides take over for the answer. That video is below for paid subscribers. Feel free to email me with more questions that you have for them- I LOVE answering them here.
Big hugs,
Rebecca
ps. Here’s the bravest thing I’ve done in ages because I HATE cold water, but felt like I couldn’t actually leave without getting in the water once.
pps. Here’s what the Guides had to say in response to the above question: