Reflections: A Journey for the Mind, Body & Heart

By Milena Blomqvist

Who Are You?

What do a frightened child, a sleepy lion, a slightly possessive pearl oyster, an angry mother, a contented tree and a piece of cake in an uncomfortable situation have in common? The characters in Reflections share the desire to feel connected. Some are showing us their way to feel spiritually whole, while others are still searching and finding themselves in places where circumstances seem to dictate their experience. Will they be trapped in fear, anger and resistance or can they find their way back to their true nature?

The stories in this book are an invitation to activate all your senses and to harness the power of body awareness and sensing for the benefit of your life. Go on a journey and walk in the shoes of another, expand your consciousness and feel into the world. Dive deep into the mystery we call Life. Change your perspective, find that other angle... take the plunge and move from the pain of separation into connection, acceptance and embracing All That Is.

Get this book and deepen the connection with your Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit.

Reflections was first published by Ex-L-Ence Publishing in 2016. This second revised edition was published by Milena Blomqvist in 2020.
This book is a novel-length collection of short stories and poems of approx. 42 000 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Milena Blomqvist
• Release date: Oct 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005123192

Milena Blomqvist

Milena Blomqvist (1973) is a qualified Life Coach and Shiatsu Therapist. She has an extensive knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Enneagram and the connection between the Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit. She also has a Ph.D. degree in biology and numerous scientific publications in her name. Milena was born and grew up in Finland. Having resided for some time in the United Kingdom, she now lives in the Netherlands with her husband, daughter and her longing for connection, purpose and peace of mind. Although she considers herself still very much a work in progress (and expects to stay that way for the rest of her life), she has picked up a thing or two along the way that she feels are worth sharing.

Book preview

Copyright Notice

Reflections

A Journey for the Mind, Body & Heart

Copyright 2016 Milena Blomqvist

Images by Free-Photos, Rauschenberger and OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Cover Art by Milena Blomqvist

Published 2020 by Milena Blomqvist at Smashwords

This book was first published in 2016 by Ex-L-Ence Publishing under the name of Reflections: Inspirational Stories for the Mind, Body & Heart.

This revised second edition was published by Milena Blomqvist in 2020.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favourite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. All characters are fictional and any resemblance with real persons, living or dead, is unintentional.

Contents

Copyright Notice

To Mother Nature

Acknowledgements

Pause

Read Me First

Rest

Mountain Magic

Breathe

Breathe Out

Perceive

In the Eye of the Beholder

Change

Transformation

Scream

Voices

Listen

Dialogue

I. Prologue

II. Dialogue

III. Epilogue

Speak

The Perfect Troubadour

Create

The Mirror Maker

Feel

Lovely Feeling

Grow

The Snow Angel

I. The little girl

II. The big girl

III. The grown-up girl

Love

Winter Walk

Sense

Evening Dip

Surrender

The Treasure

Play

Micro Cosmos (Just for Fun)

Shine

The Lion and the Chameleon

Relax

Green Ocean Lullaby

Embrace

Lost and Found

I Am

Tree of Life

Connect with Milena Blomqvist

About Milena Blomqvist

To Mother Nature

The muse that never ceases to inspire.

Acknowledgements

Evie Walsma, Jo Saunders and Camilla Hannuksela: thank you for your many helpful suggestions during the editing of this book.

I am also grateful for all the spiritual schools, traditions and teachers that have – directly or indirectly – been a part of the process of creating this book.

Thank you, Manuela van de Knaap for your inspiring and unique expression of unity consciousness.

Sarah, Wouter and Eliane, thank you for all your support.

The story Green Ocean Lullaby was first published in The Dawntreader no. 025, Indigo Dreams Publishing.

About this Book

Who Are You?

What do a frightened child, a sleepy lion, a slightly possessive pearl oyster, an angry mother, a contented tree and a piece of cake in an uncomfortable situation have in common? The characters in Reflections share the desire to feel connected. Some are showing us their way to feel spiritually whole, while others are still searching and finding themselves in places where circumstances seem to dictate their experience. Will they be trapped in fear, anger and resistance or can they find their way back to their true nature?

The stories in this book are an invitation to activate all your senses and to harness the power of body awareness and sensing for the benefit of your life. Go on a journey and walk in the shoes of another, expand your consciousness and feel into the world. Dive deep into the mystery we call Life. Change your perspective, find that other angle… take the plunge and move from the pain of separation into connection, acceptance and embracing All That Is.

Reflections was first published by Ex-L-Ence Publishing in 2016. This second revised edition was published by Milena Blomqvist in 2020.

Reflections is a novel-length collection of short stories and poems of approx. 42 000 words.

Pause

Read Me First

This book is an invitation…

… to activate all your senses and feel into the ‘I’ that is your Self. To deepen the connection with your own Mind, Body and Heart – to harness the power of body awareness and sensing for the benefit of your life.

… to walk the walk together. It is an invitation to look at the world through the eyes of another and to walk in the shoes of another. To feel into other ‘I’s’. Perhaps – even if only for a moment – to become someone, or something, else.

… to expand your consciousness and feel into the world. As above, so below. Whether we know it or not, whether we currently actively live it or not, we are all One.

… to love. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. This book is an invitation to make a conscious effort to connect with Spirit, Source, the Divine, to I Am and All that Is…

This collection of sensing exercises, anecdotes and stories is an invitation…

… to connect and relax into the simplicity of everyday life.

… to look at and experience the world from a myriad of different internal and external angles. Some viewpoints may be familiar, others may seem odd. Still they are all part of one unified human experience.

… to try to view the challenges in life as opportunities for transformation and growth, rather than obstacles preventing happiness. It is not about dictating how you or anyone else should experience anything. It is an invitation to change your perspective and find that other angle.

Every story has been written with sensing and body awareness in mind. The stories at the beginning are more descriptive stories focused around body awareness and connectedness. The stories then move on to the exploration of resistance, duality, transformation and growth. Towards the end, the stories delve deeper into our true nature, life’s purpose and oneness.

Read the book in any order that feels right for you. From beginning to end, or one story here and another one there. Let your feeling guide you to the right text at the right time. For maximum impact, it is always good to be grounded when reading. Take a deep breath. Whether you are standing up, sitting down or lying down, feel where your body makes contact with the surface. Sink into your body. Breathe in… breathe out… and relax…

And now… if you wish, I invite you to walk with me…

Mountain Magic

The night frost still lingers in the shadow of the sun. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of moss-covered earth, mushrooms and decaying leaves. The starlit night is yielding to the crisp autumn morning. The pale sun slowly climbing the clear blue, cloudless sky. The landscape unfolding in every direction. The winding valley guiding the flow of the icy, turquoise glacial river. The mosaic of prickly spruce forest and boggy mires. The hillside – with its lush green vegetation of birches, herbs, grasses and willows – intersected by babbling brooks. Transitioning into an ever thinning mountain birch forest and the raw and untamed mountain region above the tree line. My gaze does not reach that far up yet, but I can sense the unchanging authority of the mountain rock.

A dotted line on the map in my hand hints at the presence of a trail nearby. The dense forest, however, is less than co-operative. Tall, dark-green spruces, clumps of yellow grass and green, soggy moss as far as my eyes can see. Wisps of sleepy morning mist idly drifting between the trees. A barely discernable gleam of light in the distance. I find my way towards the light; the springy, peaty soil yields to my weight as I walk with a bounce in my step. A deep forest lake emerges between the trees. The murky water is calm and cold. Reflected in the surface – a perfect mirror image of the towering spruces against the deep blue sky. The sound of chirping of early birds, far away. The peaty scent of damp boreal forest in my nostrils. No trail in sight.

I return to my starting point and study the map in my hand. Waterway, at least 10 m wide – the glacial river wriggles like a blue snake across the forest areas in light green and the mires in yellow stripes. Height curves, equidistance 10 m show me how the ground and the mountain rise higher and higher towards the sky. The distance between the lines varies. My mind automatically translates the language of the map into the natural reality that lies before me. Brown lines far apart indicate a weak, somewhat hesitant slope. Perhaps the mountain is taking a break? Many lines close together, and the mountain shoots up with powerful determination, impossible to stop. Waterway, less than 10 m wide – blue worms, as thin as thread, twist and turn across the brown and green landscape of the map, always on their way towards the blue snake. There – that line of black dots – the track I am looking for crosses one of the thin worms further up. I listen, and hear the murmuring sound of a brook. With the sound as my compass I find the water.

This time of the year, the brook is scarcely more than a narrow furrow, finding its way downhill with a faint rippling sound. Following the humming water upstream, I am hoping to find the trail that will lead me to the top of the mountain. The spruce forest gives way to a different kind of vegetation dominated by birches, herbs, grasses and willows. Here and there, drops of dew are still clinging to the blades of grass and the leaves of herbal plants. My wind- and water-repellent trousers keep me dry as I make my way through the bushy vegetation. The hillside gradually steepens. The little brook disappears amongst all the green. The contours of the boulders under mosses and dwarf shrubs become more pronounced, the surface now rough and slippery. The birches help me, their black and white stems offering me their steady support for the moments when even the deeply profiled soles of my shoes lose their grip.

Out of breath, I throw down my backpack on the ground and lean against the stem of a birch. I tie my wind-jacket around my waist – my wool sweater is warm enough. A few sips from my water bottle to quench my thirst. I close my eyes and turn my face towards the rays of the morning sun that are tentatively finding their way through the tree crowns.

There is a sudden mewing sound behind me. A Siberian Jay has left its home in the spruce forest for an excursion among the birches. The grey and brown bird lands on a branch, only a few metres away. He communicates with me though a series of whistling sounds. I answer to the best of my abilities. The Siberian Jay studies me, the strange bird that I am in this biotope. As unexpectedly as he arrived, he abruptly leaves again. Displaying his lovely, rusty chestnut red tail and wing-bends one more time – before he disappears into the forest. Backpack on my back again I continue my walk, upwards, upwards.

Opening op, the greenness transmutes into yet another form – an ever-thinning forest of mountain birches. Crooked stems covered in silky grey-white bark bearing black, rough scars. The bright yellow crowns of tiny round leaves shining like torches in the autumn sun. The ground is drier here and covered in blueberry springs and other dwarf shrubs, green mosses and different lichens. With every step, I hear a crunching sound as the grey reindeer moss falls to pieces under the soles of my shoes. Everything around me is shrinking and becoming smaller, more crooked, more compact and more efficient. The hillside slowly levels out. One last band of mountain birches further ahead, followed by an impressive cliff side. I take out my map again and immediately identify the southern mountain face towering up in front of me. I have drifted too far to the west. The black dots – the trail that I am looking for – lies further to the east.

I follow the last outpost of the forest towards the east. Frequent boulder fields infiltrate the sparse forest. Navigating around the fields as much as possible, I climb over the lichen-covered stones, balancing and jumping from rock to rock when the detour would otherwise become too long. The steep ascent begins to take its toll. I try to push myself, but my trembling legs force me to stop. While I catch my breath, I hear a sound in the sky: Arrk-arrk, Arrk-arrk. The shiny black vagabond of the wilderness is flying in wide circles above me. Apparently establishing that I am no threat, he continues on his journey with a few heavy wing strokes. The short encounter invigorates me and – with renewed energy – I continue my voyage across the sea of boulders.

With the last boulder field behind me, a carpet