Bella Cirovic – Page 2 – Modern Creative Life

September 15, 2016

The Wisdom is in the Cards by Bella Cirovic

Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend about our self-care wellness practices. You know the things we do for ourselves that feed and lift our spirits? Lately, I’ve become so interested in how other people tend to themselves when life throws them a curveball. And maybe that’s because I feel like my own go to routines have become old and quite frankly, aren’t doing the trick anymore.

And this is when I had a clear “a-ha” moment about wellness practices. We have to keep changing them up so that we may continue to be inspired, filled up, and ultimately healed. How boring would life become if we were to eat the same food day after day without any changes? I once tried a diet that required eating the same three meals a day every week for a month. I lasted three days.

Now some practices we partake in daily certainly serve us well and most definitely do not get boring. When you thrive in your practice or if you’re working to get better at one, that is awesome. My daughter is a musician who sits at the piano every single day, no matter what kind of mood she’s in because in addition to feeding her soul, it is her dream that music becomes her career. I get this and I support this.

For myself, I feel like I’ve landed in some kind of empty space. I’m trying so hard to tap in and find what it is that I need because I feel a void. What’s proving difficult is that I’m listening, but I’m not hearing anything. Has that ever happened for you? It’s like my own wisdom well has dried up. And I understand that this may just be a temporary dry spell like similar to writer’s block. This dry spell sure can lend to feeling less than whole.

So I have a practice that helps me tap in and access the place that I have a hard time reaching when everything else fails me. I take out a deck of oracle cards for some guidance. Now, there are many ways to use oracle cards and every deck is different. I am attracted to one word, action based decks. I have some that I’ve bought, some that I’ve made, and some that friends have gifted me.

I do love to light candles and incense when I’m getting ready to work with my cards. Most often, I sit at my writing desk in my room. I light a bit of palo santo wood and smoke the cards to clear their energy. I then begin to shuffle with a question in mind which is usually: what message do I need to hear today?

These action based cards have given me guidance like: dance, pray, meditate, walk, share, magic, peace, spin, love, kiss, greet, create, and ease. After I pull a card, I open my journal and begin to write. I try to associate the word with a memory, and if one comes up, I write it out. And this will usually lead to an idea for a project or something to do that day. Or maybe it will lead to nothing at all, and if that’s the case, I just try to remain open and act out the word or wait for the message.

The cards can also be used as prompts when I have nothing. This doesn’t happen often. I know there is a well of wisdom that lives deep inside of me. But some days, I need a little bit of help to access all that I know, all of the answers, or my sweet spot. These are the days that I pull out the cards.

About the Author: Bella Cirovic

Bella Cirovic is a photographer and writer who lives with her husband and daughter in the suburbs outside of NYC. She writes on the subjects of self care, body love and nourishment, crystals, essential oils, and family life. Catch up with Bella at her blog: She Told Stories

August 16, 2016

Dusk by Bella Cirovic

Dusk. This time of the day feels so intimate to me. The sun is just beginning to set as night slowly creeps in and takes over. In the summer months, I long to slow down and savor each day, each moment. Dusk to me feels like slipping into a silk robe very slowly. I keep watch at the window for the changing colors of the sky. When I see varying degrees of pinks, oranges, grays, and then blue, I grab a cool drink and head outside to watch the day fade away.

While each season’s sky brings its own form of magic, I can’t help but be mesmerized by a summer sky. It’s an even more magical treat when there is a full moon. I’m noticing more and more these days that nourishment for me at forty one is so much more than food and drink and love and all the things I would normally feel nourish my soul and spirit.

Observation is nourishment. By simply taking the time to insert myself under the changing sky, I feel a sense of fulfillment. I feel like I’ve given myself a gift. And the beauty of this is that I can do this every night if that is my wish.

This begs me to explore the ideas of self permission and action. I can only indulge in the things that nourish me through feeling by doing. Picking myself up and going to the places that I love for nourishment is vital to my well being. Other places I might take myself are: exploring new neighborhoods in the city, museums, the beach, hiking in the woods or just laying on a blanket in my backyard under the summer sun.

Giving myself permission to play, observe, and move means I believe I am worthy of nourishment. It means that I feel I deserve to fill my spirit with positive energy that will fuel all of the other parts of me. I don’t function very well when I’m not tending to each part of me that needs attention. Permission granted and action taken are just some tools I have learned that work for me.

So because I mentioned dusk being a favorite time of the day, I wanted to share some ideas with you on how you might expand on your own nightly rituals or try something new. You can easily begin by typing “what time is dusk” into the Google search bar and plan on having a half hour to an hour of free time blocked out for your own personal enjoyment. If you do this tonight, you’ll get to see what’s left of the full moon.

Prepare yourself a cool drink. I personally love fresh lemonade. There you have nourishment in a cup. Pick a place that’s comfortable for sitting. Perhaps your backyard or front steps will do? If you don’t have a spot at home, what about a bench in the park or if you live near the water, find a seat right there. Maybe you live on a rooftop? Prepare something fluffy to sit on like a folded blanket or beach towel. You might also like to play some music so bring your phone or ipod with you. And finally, it would be silly if I didn’t mention that bringing along a scented oil to anoint on the back of your neck or on the insides of your wrists could lift this whole situation up to another level.

Now, before you head out, I want to tell you that you are so worthy of this time to just sit back, relax, and watch the sky change colors. I want to tell you that your spirit needs this every once in a while for no reason at all other than the fact that you are out in nature drinking in all of her colors and her glory. I want to tell you that you deserve this. And now, you can take action and go.

About the Author: Bella Cirovic

June 16, 2016

Tune In to Find What You Need by Bella Cirovic

I think about the ways in which the experts in books and magazine articles say we should take care of ourselves. It’s recommended that we sleep for 8 hours a night, that we eat between 3 to 6 meals per day, and that we get in some sort of physical activity. Honestly, these are bare minimum functions for survival. And to think that we should accomplish it all while holding down a job, maybe taking care of children, possibly taking care of our parents, loving our partners, getting dinner on the table, getting the housecleaning done, tackling that huge pile of laundry, socializing with friends, and if we have any time left, we might possibly indulge in a hobby. Or, if we’re being honest, a nap.

There is so much doing that goes on in one day for each of us. How are we feeling in the midst of all of this doing? How is it possible to engage in this life of ours and practice presence? It is possible, I assure you. Here are a few ways I’ve learned to tune in and give myself some nourishment in the form of self care.

From the moment we wake up in the morning, we are given an opportunity to pause. How often do we use that time? In the past, I would jump out of bed to the sound of a blaring alarm. From there I would shuffle into the kitchen and clumsily set up the coffee machine. Beginning each morning like that day after day did not feel calm, it felt like a chore. I knew that I wanted the start of my day to feel soft, like the wisps of a dandelion.

I began setting the coffee maker at night so that I didn’t have to do all of the measuring and pouring with half opened eyes. These days, I wake up to a birdsong alarm on my phone. I take a few moments with eyes closed to give thanks for this day. I give thanks. I pray. I take a deep breath before I begin my day. The ritual of a morning drink is in and of itself a form of nourishment. It is another few quiet moments to myself before the day unfolds.

In the afternoon stretch before heading home from work, I find that my muscles feel cramped from the hours spent at my desk. I keep a bottle of peppermint essential oil handy to dab on my temples. The mint eases away any tension quickly while the overall scent works as an energy reviver. Just a few minutes between work tasks using essential oils can really feel like a lifesaver.

At the end of the day, if I’m having trouble unwinding before bed or if I want to get more deeply relaxed, I pop in my earbuds and listen to a guided mediation. This ritual has been so grounding, bringing me right back to center after a very long day. I spent a few minutes browsing the app store for the meditations that worked for deep relaxation as well as stress relief. While there are hundreds of topics to choose from, I find that these two work best to help prepare me for a good night’s sleep.

These are optional ways I’ve learned to nourish my mind, body, and soul throughout the day. When I’m hungry, my belly growls. It’s my body’s way of reminding me fuel it with food. My body doesn’t ask for essential oils or meditation. I found these forms of self care through a combination of listening to what my body needed and intuitively choosing what to give it to feel well. Maybe you will benefit from giving these ideas a try. You will know what variety of care is nourishing for you. Just tune in and listen.

About the Author: Bella Cirovic

Note from Bella: Join me this summer for a month of self care through my program, The Holy Hush. I’ll share indulgent rituals, grounding meditations, and sensual journaling through writing and photography. It is a mid year pause to meet yourself deeper. Are you interested in learning more? Click here for details.

March 14, 2016

Using Essential Oils as an Aid in Seasonal Transitions by Bella Cirovic

I absolutely love this time of the year. We are not quite out of the grips of winter, but we can see spring on the horizon, like the light at the end of a long tunnel. After an indulgent season of nesting, catching up on movies, TV series, and audio books, I feel like I’m ready to dip back into my creative writing and photography.

For me, the cold months were a time of deep rest and rejuvenation with limited social commitments and absolutely no work deadlines. My work feels like it’s on the verge of deepening into its next evolution. I’d really love to explore this a bit more but my body is finding it difficult to match the pace that my mind is moving at.

When this happens, I rely on my sacred essential oils to aide in lifting me out of one season and ushering me into the next. There are a couple of different ways I use the oils and I’d like to share them with you. But first, let me explain what essential oils are.

Therapeutic grade essential oils are derived from plants via steam or dry distillation. They carry the pure essence of plants which makes them highly potent and alive. Essential oils have been used for centuries for healing purposes. A therapeutic grade essential oil will come in a dark colored glass bottle to shield it from sunlight which can alter its potency.

Essential oils can be used in multiple ways. They can be added to a spray bottle with water or witch hazel to create a room spray, they can be added to an oil diffuser to permeate a room with scent, they can be diluted with a carrier oil to create a perfume, or they can be directly applied to the skin (be sure to patch test prior to check for rash or reaction).

There is so much information that can be found online with regard to essential oils and their uses. I have spent many hours researching and taking notes on which oils will help with a particular ailment or feeling I’m having. It’s really helpful to have this information at hand and in a pinch when it is needed. However, another way to choose an oil would be to tap into our intuition and ask ourselves this question: “What do I need right now?” I have found that each oil I choose this way has been the best oil for me at that time.

I love the scent of lavender oil. It’s calming and relaxing, exactly what I need just before bedtime. Instinctively I know just by how it makes me feel that when I am in an overactive or excited state of mind and I need to calm down, I can reach for lavender oil. I highly encourage experimentation and play as a way to get to know the oils better.

So in the transition from winter to spring, my intuition tells me to reach for citrus based oils. I think it’s because they remind me of summer and sunshine. Bergamot, lime, orange, and lemongrass have been my go to scents to diffuse at home and at work. It is said that citrus scents are energizing, uplifting, and they increase our mental awareness. Yes please! Because citrus fruit grows on trees, I feel like they pair well with a wood scent.

At my office I have been diffusing a combination of grapefruit and sandalwood which is said to aide in calming anxiety. This combination works really well in keeping me aware of my surroundings while feeling relaxed enough to begin writing.

I created a lime and cedar wood combo in a spray bottle with water that I spritz around the house when I get home from work. The lime is tangy while the wood is earthy and warm. It’s a vibrant and welcoming scent that piques my curiosity and imagination which is perfect for when I am ready to cook dinner.

Pairing citrus with woods has worked really well for me at the end of this cold weather season. It helps prepare my mind, body, and soul for the warmer weather that is just around the bend and it infuses my work with a fresh perspective. I daydream a little bit longer which creates space for ideas to grow. Essential oils play a huge role in the expansion of my creative work and tend to my spirit through any transition. They are playful healers and I encourage you to give them a try to see how they enhance your creative life.