mama medicine - johanna [mar 2019]
healer, mother, daughter, sister, lover, entrepreneur -- my embodiment of these roles has been deepened and expanded by my connection with johanna guevarra-smiley. she inspires me every single day.
in the last year, i’ve had the honor of working alongside her to facilitate various aspects of production for her brainchild 'dropping seeds' -- a multi-purpose herbal blend purveyor that she co-founded with her husband, a few years back, in response to their desire to connect with the medicine of the earth -- the medicine of our ancestors -- as a conduit for psychosomatic, spiritual and emotional healing.
working alongside johanna affirmed in me the viability of a work ethic that holistically honors our mutual wellbeing, that of our families, and the natural ebb and flow of healing as a process that is of paramount importance when we are committed to embodying for ourselves, first, the roles that we get to show up in for others.
as a mother, so much of johanna’s life does revolve around her gloriously bright, playful, intuitive children. so much so that she is one of those ‘how does she do it all’ women -- a lot like @soulflowermedicine. she does do it all, though. and, she does it gracefully, consciously, mindfully, keenly aware of her role as the embodiment of ancient future wisdom, her body and beingness existing as a bridge for the material re-emergence of her ancestors in the form of herself and her children, who embody the same.
She affirms in herself and in her children the gift that it is to be ambassadors of love on this earth plane, to serve as paradigm shifters of the future now. her children, whom she honors as her teachers, are recognized by johanna as independent leaders of themselves and the world we get to co-create together.
because she moves with awareness of her greater mission in this life and how motherhood -- for her -- plays a role in how her legacy is carried forth beyond her, she is deeply grounded in her self care practices as a means to EMBODY the legacy that she is co-creating with her children. johanna takes care of her self. first. before anything else. and that looks like a lot of different things, depending on the day.
yes, she attends empowering workshops, checks out her astro transits, gives herself tarot readings, and participates in shamanic ceremonies, moon dances, and sweat lodges, all meant to de-armour her being and realign her with her truest essence, deepening her connection to her self as a medicine woman tapped into source. sure, she might even get to pencil in a nourishing soak in fragrant @dropping_seeds infused floral bath with complex crystal grids laid out before her on a day where she gets to enjoy 30 minutes of uninterrupted mommy-time. that’s not an every-day, or even weekly thing for her, though.
in reality, what i’ve learned is that the first breath of the day, johanna takes for herself, and no one else. a deeply nourishing lung-full of oxygen that she meditatively inhales to inspire her self to receive the blessings + the resilience to align with her higher self, so that she may show up fully present for the day. she also uses that breath to summon the will and discernment to release with each exhale that which does not serve her, her legacy, or the collective wellbeing. these may be patterns of thought, speech, behavior; self-doubt; limitations, etc.
in this way, johanna embodies the wisdom of the medicine woman, every single day, carrying with her the seedling integration of the teachings that she gathers from daily ritual communion with plant medicine, every shamanic ceremony, moon dance, workshop, meditation and bath she mindfully drops into, whenever she gets to: mindfulness.
practicing mindfulness as a way of being -- as johanna does -- is the ultimate form of self-care and the pinnacle of service that we can accountably offer to elevate the collective wellbeing. our ability to be mindful is strengthened by connecting with our breath, daily. by engaging in meditative practices, as johanna does, we are better able to step into the gap between our pre-patterned reactions and the still space where we can choose how we desire to respond to the ever-changing present, thereby catalyzing and solidifying evolved patterns.
in doing so, we EMBODY the change we desire to experience in the world, teaching without words, offering the gift of authentic, empowered beingness as an example of leadership in our day-to-day lives. this allows our peers, relatives, lovers, friends, family and children to become aware of the choice bestowed upon us as a birthright: to walk in our power courageously, devotedly, unbound by the chains of perceived limitations, fully equipped to side-step narratives of scarcity, depletion and unworthiness.
in this moment, i humbly offer my gratitude to you, johanna, for choosing to walk this earth in the exact moment that i, too, get to, and, am excited to continue growing, learning and playing alongside you!
*ps - - got the okay to share with you all the coupon code i use to fill my fix on all my fave dropping seeds blends, monthly: thanks_luna_2019 enjoy!
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[by] luna elisa granados, mar 2019 [series] mama medicine [images] johanna guevarra-smiley @dropping_seeds + @thejunkfolder via instagram
