You are a natural

In 2012 I made the decision to move from Amsterdam to Glastonbury in England. Glastonbury is also known as The Isle of Avalon and many people are called by this special place like I was. When I came there for the first time in 2002 I felt like coming home: there was a feeling of unconditional acceptance for who I am and this gave a feeling of space and freedom, in such a way that I never felt before. I travelled there as many times as I could and every time I felt so charged that it became more and more diffcult to leave this place. I knew that I wanted to stay and leave behind my old life so I could embrace a new and more natural way of living.

The Move

I made my decision one evening in February 2012, when I realised that although I had been putting a lot of work and effort in making things happen workwise and in other areas of my life, I was not really moving forward. I felt stuck and paused to look at this situation to figure out why. I immediately felt the answer coming: I did not want to be where I was, living in my small apartment on the second story in Amsterdam, closed of from the energy of nature. I needed to feel alive again - not locked up in a place where I did not feel enough room to be who I wanted to be, to interact with like minded people and to live unconditionally from the heart. It just was not happening even though I really tried to go for it, but instead it felt like I could not kep up with the fast pace of society and that I was living in a survival mode. This was not how I wanted to live my life and life simply is too short to not be able to live it fully. I was 48 years old and it was high time to get out of the rat race, we call society.

Modern day society

Why had I not made a better life for myself before? Well, it is the same old story that most people go through: you go to school, you get a career, you get married and have children, you get divorced and before you know it you are in the cycle of trying to live by the norms and values of modern day society. Paying off your mortgage or rent, buying all the things you do not really need, spending your evenings on the couch in front of the television and waking up every morning thinking of all the chores you need to be doing. Life passes you by and you suddenly ask yourself: is this it? Not that I had a bad life, luckily I have been able to do things I like doing, like travelling and spiritually developing myself, but there was always this sort of cage that I felt around me, not giving me enough room to really be me. I am not complaining: I am healthy, I have two great children, I have lovely friends and family. But what I was really longing for, was that feeling of freedom to live more day by day and to feel the magic of life, living in tune with the seasons.

Avalon

There was only one place I could think of where I had that experience of feeling the magic of life: Avalon. Maybe I am a dreamer or maybe I believe in fairy tales, but this really is the place for me where I feel alive and where my soul is nourished with the loving energy of the area. For me Avalon is not a myth, it is my home. I had been coming there for more than ten years and never grew tired of the place. It lifts my spirits and recharges my batteries every time I am there. I love to bring people there and see the effects of the energy on their lives: Avalon makes them feel accepted and loved. They do not have to pretend and hide parts of their personality and spirit, as they usually have to do when going through their daily routines. I have seen women finally accepting how beautiful they really are and realizing that they matter. In the end it is all about accepting who we are and live your life the way you want to. Avalon is about unconditional acceptance of who you are.

Fears an Liberation

When Avalon calls you, you have to be ready to face your fears and so I had to finish some old issues first before heading off. My own fears of failing, of not being enough, of coping financially and of being afraid to receive love. I have always been a very independent woman but I needed to confront my fears. I had to throw out anything that was not right for me anymore. That started on a material level: giving away or selling most of my stuff and it felt liberating. Looking at what I have accumulated in all these years, it really is shocking - I do not really need all of it - most of it is just standing there gathering dust. How do we fool ourselves in thinking we need all these things and to keep buying them: it is just an escape thing to not have to deal with the essential things of what life really is about. When you think about it, we simply need love, laughter, nature and a purpose in life. We need space and time to use our creativity the best possible way we can in order to bring renewal and to feel more satisfaction in our day to day life.

Tips for Natural Living:

Be your natural self and if you have forgotten find out who that is. Step out of what is being asked of you and instead look at what you would like to do yourself. If you had total freedom how would you live your life? What gives you sparkles in your eyes? What is your goal in life? All of these questions are important to get an answer to as they make you more aware of who your natural self is. The more you are living it, the better you will be in balance and you will not need to find the answers outside yourself anymore. It is quite liberating.

Natural food: are you aware of what you are eating and drinking - in other words what you are bringing into your system? Body and spirit are connected and so unhealthy eating patterns can influence not only your physical being but also your mental state. Body and mind need certain vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and in balance. They can be found in foods that have hardly been processes or added with all kinds of chemicals, which unfortunately we find in most supermarkets. These products, which represent at least 80% of what is being offered in a supermarket lack life energy - they are literally dead and many times filled with chemicals that can endanger your health. I believe that our unhealthy and unnatural eating habits cause many of the illnesses people get. Books and studies have been done about it, so I do not to explain this, and also it is simply common sense if you just are aware of it. So if you want to take good care of yourself: be aware of what you buy and eat.

The same goes for our mental food: keep it pure and positive. Negative thinking can cause depression: it is ok to have a negative thought just do not act on it. The American writer Byron Katie has developed a beautiful and simple method to turn around negative thoughts and beliefs. And she is living it herself as I experienced when I interviewed her once. She is totally in the moment and in unconditional acceptance of everyone and everything. I believe this is our ultimate challenge now: to be in the moment with trust.

Natural Environment: a calm mind is benefitting from a peaceful environment: extreme noise, negative people, air pollution or other kind of pollution and not feeling safe are factors that make it very difficult to be and stay in balance, especially when you are a high sensitive person. Nature is the perfect place to find this peace, but not everybody can live there. If you live in a city, try to find a little natural place where you can find that peace and quiet to charge your batteries. Create a meditative place in your own house or garden where you can spend time each day to just be. If you are working in a busy office, try to take at least 5 to 10 minutes a day to give some attention to your breathing. Breathing can help with reducing stress –there are excellent workshops out there on this if you want to learn some techniques that can help you relax. Also try to tune into the different seasons as their energy is of influence to your own welbeing. We are nature beings, connected always to nature.

And last but not least: make a list of people in you direct environment who you interact with on a regular bases and feel if they are taking energy out of you. If you can, this can sound harsh, try to avoid them and if you cannot have a good conversation with them to explain what their behaviour is doing to you. They may not have been aware of this and in the worst-case scenario, they will be upset and do not want to have anything to do with you anymore, which solves it then anyway. Just remember each of us is on a path of self-awareness and some of us are open to really listen and receive and others will block any chance of self-improvement. Just take responsibility for your own path and development. Building a natural environment is about creating the environment that suits you and helps to improve your live. When you are happy, you will radiate it to others around you and inspire them to do the same.

Blessings!

Manon Tromp is a Dutch sacred tour guide, retreat organiser, writer, singer and life coach who resides in Glastonbury, Uk. She is the author of the (Dutch) book: The Magic of Avalon, and co-ordinater of the (Dutch) book 'Earthwomen Speak' in which 13 women speak of how they are viewing the world and what they are doing to change it. She is one of the founders of the first Goddess temple in the Netherlands. Manon is the owner of Earthmama Retreats and Tours and partner in Mystical Earth Tours.

www.manontromp.com / www.mysticalearthtours.com