Working with Personal Touchstones and Talismans for Change

Where and how do you find simple, beautiful ways
to restore your commitment to what you want,
what speaks loudly to you in your life right now?

Often I’ll be working with a client who arrives in the place
where she feels grounded and intuitively powerful,
and really enjoys the ways she’s now nourishing herself with food.

But fear comes in, and she’s wondering…
Can I stay here, though?
Can I do this by myself now?

Yes, she can… and yes you can.

Here’s how to use touchstones and talismans to ground into change.

I started using touchstones and talismans many years ago as a way
to anchor myself to what I really cared about, how I was feeding myself,
body and soul. They’re simple, powerful and creative.

I think of the words talisman and touchstone interchangeably.
They’re these precious, significant little nuggets you carry with you –
in your purse, your heart, or your awareness.
Or all three, which is really great. When you touch them,
see them, think of them or notice them, you’ll be touching back
into what you’ve brought them into your life for.

Actively go looking for a touchstone to support your intention
or your desire to either change a behavior, or to more fully embody one you’re practicing right now.
Go for a walk, meditate, take yourself window shopping, or just look at objects around your house with fresh eyes.

When you do this, you will find the perfect one, and you’ll find it quickly and easily. This is NOT a project with a capital P.

This is simple self-love in action.

They can be in the tangible, physical world
a piece of driftwood you’re in love with at the beach,
a photo of that woman you admire enough to emulate,
the rock that shaman gave you when you felt a “yes!”

Or they can be in the intangible, subtle energy realm
the image of the strong Guatemalan woman, swirling to music swirling her colorful shawl
around her body as she moves,
or the memory of how you felt, your back straight and your shoulders
thrown back two years ago, when you stood up for yourself at that meeting at work.

Be clear about what you’re wanting your talisman or touchstone
to help you with, what wisdom you want to be reminded of.
Be specific.

Take a photo of it with your phone, or if it’s not tangible,
write a few lines about it on a small piece of paper and take a photo of that.
Now, it’s with you all the time to see or read and feel.

I’m working right now with presence and grace in chaos – in my head and in my house. When the static of the day feels big, I “forget” and I eat at my desk. Yes, I know…coaching my own self all the time around here…

My talisman for this is a small photo of my daughter at about age 4.
She’s intently filling up her little wading pool, she’s totally engrossed
and nothing else matters. She’s not looking at the camera.
This is a talisman for me because it reminds me how powerful
single-mindedness can be.

How, when I eat my lunch in the middle of a construction site
(our house at the moment) and with some big projects on my mind,
all I really have to do is savor THIS. ONE. THING.

With calmness, with breath, with trust that it’s okay, better, healthy to do only one thing at a time.
Deep breath, again.

I have another one, a small smooth rock that through many years
gets moved around to various suitcases, purses, backpacks and
always turns up again when I need reminding of it’s purpose –
it’s my balance rock and when I re-find it?

“Ahhhh…yes, thank you! What wants re-balancing in me, like RIGHT NOW?
More protein…less caffeine…more sleep…less talking…more connection?”

This is a really fun and powerful concoction of intention and intuition.

I hope you play with this in lightness and self-affection if it speaks to you, and that it helps you to more fully step into your Sovereign Sage Self.

With Love,
Marina

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