Reclaiming Our Seasons of Growth

[00:00:00] Jessica: And as I was sitting down and reflecting on this season, I was remembering how powerful a tool like reflection is. And I want to share something very personal that ties in beautifully with what we've been discussing all season. And it's about my dad and his genius in pruning trees. Hang tight with me.

[00:00:19] It's going to get to a point. So like I mentioned before, my dad passed away two years ago this past May. And I find myself reflecting on a lot of the lessons that he taught me, both big and small, things that he handed down. And one of his greatest practical skills was tree trimming every place we lived, Puerto Rico, Florida, Cape Cod, Alaska, Indiana, the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

[00:00:43] He left a legacy of beautifully pruned trees.

[00:00:49] Your journey to the divine is an intimate exploration of self where you are both the seeker and the source of enlightenment. I, Jessica Paschke, invite you to break [00:01:00] free from the ordinary, to reforge your spiritual path with courage, curiosity, and audacity. Unleash the power of your spiritual connection, stepping into a purpose driven life free of have tos and shoulds.

[00:01:13] Join me on this profound exploration of rediscovery, where you'll not only redefine your own spiritual practice, but also inspire a collective awakening. Welcome to Reclaiming Our Spirit.

[00:01:27] Hello, hello. Welcome back to Reclaiming Our Spirit. I'm so excited you're tuning in today because this is season one's final episode. Final episode. We did it. We've been doing it for a whole season. I'm so excited about it. And today is special, not just because I am wrapping up our journey for just a season, but because I want to share a little bit of wisdom from my dad who crossed over in May of 2022.

[00:01:56] But before we dive into that, a moment of [00:02:00] joy. I have a whole bunch of pets and I have so many pets that my husband rolls his eyeballs all the time at the amount of pets that hang out with us in this space. So we have a 70 pound dog and we have four cats. And my moment of joy is the fact that the cats are getting along with the dog so much better than they were.

[00:02:25] Now watch, you're going to hear a meow or bark or like lose it in the background of this episode. Now that I've said that you have no idea how big of a deal this is. It is a total moment of celebratory joy. So we adopted a lab Shepherd dog, and he's about to turn three in the fall. And if you ask my mother, she would definitely say that he's an acquired taste.

[00:02:48] Some dogs are for all people and all animals, like they love everyone and everyone loves them. And then there's Atlas , who's [00:03:00] ridiculously amazing and challenging in equal moments. And he does not love all of God's creatures and all of God's creatures do not love him. He is very particular. To his credit, he did not have a fantastic start.

[00:03:11] He and his siblings were Born under an abandoned house. So he didn't really have contact with people until he was about six weeks old. And then mama was adopted out when he was around seven or eight weeks. So he was basically feral and he didn't trust anyone or anything. And we got him just after the eight week mark.

[00:03:26] It has been an adventure. I should just probably do a whole podcast episode on things I've learned from my dog. Seriously. I've learned so much in my three years with this little guy. He's not exactly little. He's 70 pounds. But anyway, now the cats, the cats have come out from all over, um, our time and our adventures each time we move.

[00:03:46] So we've got a cat that's 18, a cat that's 16, and a pair of four year old siblings. And they're not strangers to dogs. They grew up with our yellow Lab, who passed away 2021. And that dog, [00:04:00] that yellow lab, he, he did love everything, absolutely everything about life and everyone and people loved him. He was just the essence of joy and openness, totally different from Atlas, which is totally okay.

[00:04:12] So the cats have been around an old dog and actually the old cats have been around. a puppy version of that old dog from the beginning, but they have no room or space for this feral puppy that we adopted. And there were days where I felt like either the dog was going to eat the cat. So the cats were going to take out the dog.

[00:04:31] So it's been a lot, it's been a little bit stressful and a lot to navigate in a time when you all know we've had things going on, but last week, and this is the moment of joy, we had a breakthrough. So the 18 year old, six pound orange girl cat. Her name was Bee, and she was definitely the first one to connect with Atlas, and this was like nine months ago.

[00:04:52] She would have none of his nonsense, and for some reason, he was in love with her, and he listened. Like, she'd just hold a paw up in the air, and he would sit. [00:05:00] She's freaking the queen. Queen Bee of the house. And so they were vibing enough to get along. And then like a month or two, maybe three months after that, the twins of trouble, which are the four year olds decided to not run away from him, which was key for a herding dog.

[00:05:16] Like don't run away from a herding dog. So once they stopped running, they all started hanging out and it started working. But the holdout was Henry. He's the 16 year old beast. He's a big cat. All of the cats are big except for B. But if B is the queen of the house, Henry is the enforcer. And he is going to put everyone except me in their place, including my daughter, which is hilarious to watch.

[00:05:37] And he was like BFFs with our yellow lab who passed away. So Atlas was a hard no for him. He had no interest. Now, Henry still wants nothing to do with the dog. Really, but, and this is huge, I discovered them sleeping on opposite sides of our bed the other day. There was no hissing, there was no barking, there was no eye clawing, there was no [00:06:00] chewing.

[00:06:00] So I'm taking this as a sign of hope, like a spark of hope that one day they might actually like each other. So. That was my moment of joy. The cat and the dog were sleeping on the same bed without killing each other. I think it's a valid moment of joy. I was very excited. I took a picture. Okay, so let's dive into the season episode, or our last episode of the season, because Not only do I want to reflect on the season, I want to talk about why reflection is so important in real life and why it's one of the most powerful tools you can have in your toolbox.

[00:06:35] This season we dived deep into themes like reclaiming your purpose, understanding the power of your story, exploring your soul's blueprint, you know, how do we work with our connecting to our intuition, um, infusing our spiritual practice, like into our entire day, not just a part of it. And we've had some really amazing guests on Abby from Bella Mambo.

[00:06:58] She chatted a lot about [00:07:00] that power of connecting with your ancestors. And Melissa Amos was chatting about intuition in the grocery store. And as Debrava came on in the middle of the season, we dove. deep into how powerful all parts of our story can be. And Sharon Scott brought up ways that we can heal and expand beyond our charts and our blueprints.

[00:07:18] And then Bethany Hawkins of Crackers and Soup, my podcast producer, dropped the mic with her episode about reclaiming your purpose. If you have not listened to that one, y'all, all of them are delicious because these people that I had on this season, I love spending time with them. And I was so excited to get to share them with you.

[00:07:36] So we've challenged. A lot of old views, and we've re imagined a lot of concepts in ways that are more accessible and applicable to real life. And each of these guests completely brought it to the conversation with their unique perspective and their wisdom from the years, helping all of us, including myself, to see our personal and our spiritual journeys through completely different eyes.

[00:07:57] And so I am beyond grateful [00:08:00] and honored to have had them say yes to spending time with us. And I'm really hoping to continue these conversations in the near future. And as I was sitting down and reflecting on this season, I was remembering how powerful a tool like reflection is. And I want to share something very personal that ties in beautifully with what we've been discussing all season.

[00:08:20] And it's about my dad and his genius in pruning trees. Hang tight with me. It's going to get to a point. So, like I mentioned before. My dad passed away two years ago this past May, and I find myself reflecting on a lot of the lessons that he taught me, both big and small, things that he handed down. And one of his greatest practical skills was tree trimming.

[00:08:41] Every place we lived, Puerto Rico, Florida, Cape Cod, Alaska, Indiana, the Outer Banks, North Carolina, he left a legacy of beautifully pruned trees. And I still hear, this is the coolest part, from friends who live in those places about how well those trees have matured thanks to his care. It kind of lights me up that his, [00:09:00] his legacy lives on.

[00:09:01] Recently, I found myself needing to trim a live oak at the base of our driveway, and this tree was just like maybe two feet tall, a little bit taller than two feet tall and really rather scrubby when we first moved in over four years ago. And it has transformed into a gorgeous 10 foot tree under my dad's care over the years.

[00:09:20] So I grabbed my tools and I was feeling a little nervous because I did not want to screw this tree up. It was looking really good, but it did, it did need a haircut. And I was really hoping that I would remember everything he taught me about trimming trees, because the process that he showed me over and over again was super meticulous, very detailed steps.

[00:09:39] And I didn't want to do something out of order because I know that that's why he has success with these trees is the way that he, the way that he prunes them and the decisions, how he makes the decisions of pruning these trees made all the difference. And as I was reflecting back on all the different steps, standing in front of this tree, trying to remember what to do first, what to do second, [00:10:00] it dawned on me that I needed to share his steps with you.

[00:10:04] First, for the obvious reason that, hello, it's spring or spring is just wrapped up and maybe you have a tree or two that you need cleaning up and now you'll know how. But more importantly, how it ties into reflection. and our personal growth and our spiritual evolution. Let's dive in to my dad's system for trimming trees.

[00:10:26] First, he always would assess the tree's condition. What's unruly, what's dead, diseased, before he ever made a cut. He would just stand there and look at the tree from all different angles. And I feel like he probably did this for days before he decided to trim a tree in their own yard on their own property.

[00:10:44] Okay, y'all. Because he'd be like, I've been looking at that tree. And he'd probably been looking at it a while, trying to figure out what he wanted, what he wanted to do with it. So really just pausing and taking time and figuring out what his intention was for it. And then step two was that he'd clear the obvious dead limbs, [00:11:00] making it easier to see what truly needs the attention.

[00:11:03] And he also reminded me that you don't want to cut the healthy living parts until you're sure they need to go. He's he'd say, you can't really glue them back on once you've cut them. True point. And then after you remove the dead, then you're going to look for branches that are crossing or touching, that are rubbing against each other and could damage the tree.

[00:11:25] And then you decide which, which one of those branches you want to remove. So you're looking for places that's creating agitation that could damage both branches, and you're just going to remove one so that at least one can thrive. And then the most important part is take a break. After that step, you want to step back.

[00:11:42] And you want to see the tree from different angles, but you need to take a break. Go have water, go get lunch, whatever it is your thing. Always step back to gain perspective on what you've done. Because when you come back, the tree will look different than what you thought it would. Kind of getting that different viewpoint.

[00:11:59] So I was [00:12:00] working on my tree friend and I was recalling all of these steps. It kind of dawned on me how much this process mirrored Our discussions on spiritual evolution and personal growth and self awareness and discovery, all the things that we've talked about on the podcast this season. Because just like with a tree, we need to make space to reflect, to assess, to reflect.

[00:12:22] Our lives, there are times when we're going to need to remove what no longer serves us. And sometimes in order to figure out what that is, we have to take that step back. We have to go to lunch to gain perspective. And this helps us make the hard choices and the hard decisions more confidently. And it really ensures that we're growing in ways that are in alignment with not only our values, but also with our intentions for where we're at in that moment.

[00:12:44] We do not want to make those decisions and avoid. So I was looking back over the season thinking, Oh my gosh, like how much of that do we cover? So like, just like with Melissa and our conversation with intuition, sometimes you're not going to be sure about what decision needs to be made. Which [00:13:00] branch do you get rid of?

[00:13:01] They're rubbing against each other and one has to go. Like in our life, something is agitating and something else has to go. And that's when you can call on your intuition, call it into play. Even for the little things, your intuition can give you that much needed boost. Abby came on and reminded us that our ancestors are just waiting to help us.

[00:13:20] If we take the time to put energy into that relationship, just like the lessons from my dad on tree trimming, we're waiting for me after all the time had passed and hadn't turned a tree in a while, they were all right there. Our life and our soul and everything, right? Our spiritual practices, our ancestors, they're all made up of this present moment that we're in.

[00:13:40] And so when we work with our ancestors, when we tap into our spiritual practices, it's woven into everything we do. Even if it's just cleaning up gardens and taking care of the yard. And that intention, what do you want to do with that tree? You have to know how you want to move through the world and what matters to you.

[00:13:57] Just like you have to know what [00:14:00] direction you want to take your tree. So sometimes the process is really clear and easy and sometimes it's a bit of a hot mess. Finding that intention, finding that purpose. And Bethany came on to chat about those hot mess times and why purpose is actually what carries us through to the other side.

[00:14:17] Trees also carry the story of their life in their rings. Lindez reminded us that we also have rings like a tree. That our stories are multifaceted. And they're layered. And they're gonna branch out in wildly different directions than maybe we first thought they would. But those branches will be extra strong and be able to carry the weight of what life brings.

[00:14:36] And then Sharon explains the power of evolving beyond your blueprint. That you can't always tell your life how it's going to grow. Just like my tree friend at the driveway. I cannot tell it how to grow, which direction to lean, but I can nourish and take care of it. Just like I can nourish and understand myself more deeply so that I can grow in ways that support the very foundations of who I know myself to be.

[00:14:59] And [00:15:00] this is where the power of reflection really comes into play. Because if I hadn't been out there knowing that I had to write the last Podcast episode, knowing I needed to, and instead going to trim a tree. It was extensive cutting. Let me tell you what, if I hadn't taken the time to go trim that tree and then giving myself the space to reflect on this, I don't know that I would have made the connections that I did.

[00:15:24] I don't think that I would have gotten to the next layer of the journey of this season, what to let go of, what to foster, how to reshape my life, how to reshape stories for all of us, our lives and our stories to make them stronger, more resilient. And how they're, they're growing and to have all of you along on this journey, as we look at our stories, as we look into our journeys, as we tap into our resilience, as we reclaim our spirit, I cannot even thank you so much for tuning in truly.

[00:15:53] And so the power of reflection is so important, whether we are making time on the daily, which is what [00:16:00] resonates for me. I need time to process on the daily. I need time to reflect or it gets to be too much, but for some people, maybe it's just. Every couple of days or once a week, whatever it is for you, carve that time out, step away from something you're too close to, take a moment to reflect.

[00:16:16] What are your intentions? What do you, what do you actually want to do with this thing in front of you?

[00:16:26] Try to trim the tree in a void. You're just going to end up with a naked tree or a tree that still needs trimming because you, you were frozen and you couldn't decide what branch needs to be let go of. So looking ahead, because there is an ahead. I'm thrilled to announce that after a summer break, because I need to go be in the ocean for a little bit, we'll return with a season two.

[00:16:50] I love podcasting and I love storytelling and I love having conversations with you all. Too much to not do a season two. And I've got [00:17:00] some exciting new topics and guests lined up. And of course I'll release some teasers throughout the break, but I would love to hear if there's something specific you'd like me to cover or to invite a guest on board.

[00:17:13] So please send me an email and reach out. Cause I really can't wait to continue on this journey and it is a journey that we share. These need to be conversations. One of the values that I have is connection, connection on a, on a deep level. Um, in the past episodes, you've heard me talk about my Scorpio energy.

[00:17:31] There is no surface with a Scorpio and I want to have these conversations with you. So I'm figuring out ways to do that. But for now it's via social media and email. So send me a message, keep in touch. Maybe you join my newsletter. Maybe you hop into the Patreon and you start having conversations and more in depth discussions in there.

[00:17:51] I've got exclusive content that drops only in there, but I am in there with that community. Maybe it's becoming a member of the Spiritual Evolution Collective and then I get to see your [00:18:00] beautiful face live. That would be wonderful. But our time together doesn't have to end just because we're taking a break in between seasons.

[00:18:06] So figure out a way to stay in touch. I'll be dropping fun things all summer. into the social media channels in the newsletter. And if you have time, please consider leaving an honest review and sharing this podcast with all your friends. It really helps reclaiming our spirit to grow and to continue to bring more meaningful content your way.

[00:18:26] Final question of the season. Here we go. Are you ready? It's a good one. What old views have you this season? And how has This reimagining shaped your approach to your personal and spiritual growth. One more time. What old views have you shed this season? And how has this reimagining shaped your approach to your personal and spiritual growth?

[00:18:54] It's a big one. That's a big question. But you have all of break to ponder it. So send me your thoughts about it via email or DM. [00:19:00] And with your permission, I will share them on the first episode of season two. And once again, thank you so much for being part of Reclaiming Our Spirit. It's been a truly transformative season.

[00:19:09] I don't know another word for it. And your engagement has made it all the more rewarding and I look forward to reconnecting with each and every one of you in season two. Until then, keep reclaiming your spirit and have a wonderful summer break.

[00:19:25] Thank you for listening to Reclaiming Our Spirit. To find out how I can help you reclaim your spirit, reach out to me at www. jessicapaschke. com. Leave me a message and I just may share how you reclaimed your spirit in the next episode.