Awakening Legacy

By Sarah Parkes

Ever wanted to break free from the limitations of the past, and live life on your terms?

Not that long ago the authors of this book were exactly where you are... life events or awakening moments led them to make different choices, ones that enabled them to break free from the limitations of the past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Unbound Press
• Release date: Nov 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781913590437

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

In December 2020, 10 months into a global pandemic, I was looking at my goals for the coming year. As I took a little bit of time to reflect and let go of the survival mode I had hunkered down into, I asked… 'What do I want to create?’

I had thought about writing a book for many years, and had two or three ideas in mind. I decided I would write one.

If not now, then when?

I wasn’t sure which book it would be and as I meditated on this, the idea of doing a collaborative book came through. Trusting and following my instinct, based on an intuitive nudge, has guided me to hold space for these stories to be expressed and shared.

Despite talking about listening in my work most days, really listening to my intuitive self on this level is pretty new for me.

I ricocheted straight back into the familiar, the masculine, that is needed to get things done. I put a plan and timeline together with the publisher, and called in the collaborators.

They didn’t all arrive.

What did I do wrong?

Nothing.

The timeline was not going to work. It was not going to happen that way.

So what can we do when our expectations are thwarted?

Give up … I seriously considered this. Cut my losses and move on.

Or recommit and figure it out, which requires determination and resilience.

I was not prepared for what the journey would be. But If we wait until we are READY we would never begin.

When we start anything, a family, a business, a book, the journey and transformation begins as soon as we make the decision.

When I connected with my purpose, my why behind what I do beyond my family, what my Legacy might be, what kept coming through was this:

To help create a Legacy of feminine social change, so our children can grow up in a world where feminine and masculine qualities are equally respected and valued.

What did this look like within these early stages of this collaboration?

A balance between conscious creation, intention, which feels like it lies within the masculine realm. And the more feminine qualities of intuition, collaboration, surrender and allowing.

Since I have been aware of this deeper, collective purpose, working with men and women has been important for me. I had been focussing on empowering women, as our voice has been marginalised. However, both perspectives are needed to foster this equity.

I wanted to have representation within the book that was the opposite to what we see in society, and redress the balance in some small way through it’s make-up. Both female and male voices, but with a majority of women’s stories – as I said, the opposite of what we see in society.

So I energetically connected with the spirit of the book and the soul-led entrepreneurs and change-makers I was calling in.

I surrendered and listened for how this book was guiding me to congruently create.

And they came.

This is a unique collection of divine feminine and masculine souls, with their passion, their purpose, their wisdom, their stories and their willingness to share and co-create delicious alchemy.

As I read through the chapters, I saw another part of my Legacy forming before my eyes. This book has brought me home to myself, my gifts, an aspect of my purpose and Legacy. Empowering and enabling others to share their story, and how it can support, inspire or enable you, the reader.

What is the purpose of this book?

To inspire, to awaken, to reassure, to call you home to yourself. To begin to connect or reconnect you with your Legacy, your purpose.

There is no right path, just the one you are walking. There is no ‘one way’, there are many paths to transformation, access points to connecting with your purpose.

Many ways to come home to yourself and the universal truths of this life. The things that really matter.

Inside there are also some practical tools to help you on your way.

Who is it for?

Budding and growing soul-led entrepreneurs and change-makers. Seekers of the truth, your path. You may have a feeling that there must be more, or there must be a better way.

People with a sense of purpose, or a desire to connect with their purpose. A drive to make a difference in this world and live authentically and free. Those who want to have an impact, leave the world that bit better for you having been in it. Bringing this notion of Legacy into consciousness.

Those who never fitted in. You wanted more, felt more, desired to be outside the constraints of the family you grew up in, and the society you live in. You can see past the constructs that keep you docile and disconnected from your limitless nature.

I never fitted in. I didn’t want to be fashionable or be a girly girl. I didn’t fit into the mold that I could see was available for females. The blonde, blue-eyed Timotei advert ideal.

I remember being about seven years old, observing how girls and boys were treated differently and there were different opportunities and expectations. It felt massively unfair. I could see that things would be harder and I felt sad, hopeless and powerless. I had three of the disadvantages I had observed and they felt massive. I am female, brown and wear glasses.

I was strong, I could beat most of the boys in my class in an arm-wrestle. Fast, I got picked early on in the team selection process. Our PE teacher would choose two people to pick a team for whatever game we were going to play. A process that left everyone feeling rubbish. Of course I was never picked first, you can’t pick a girl first and definitely not the brown one. Through this selection process you could see the pecking order of any class. Leaving the chooser feeling bad or justified that the slowest, biggest, least popular, least athletic children were always chosen last. Hopefully this soul-crushing practice is a thing of the past.

I would always have to work harder. It was said in so many ways overtly and covertly. But we can create a new story.

The authors in this book share part of their journey to self, to awakening, to purpose, leadership, freedom … to Legacy. The ways they have found to live authentically with purpose and integrity. To heal from the pain and hurt of the past and allow it to be fuel for the future, part of the journey and the learning. How you can shift your life away from generational patterns and towards what you want. Freeing you to focus on the positive impact you desire.

What is Legacy?

The dictionary would define ‘Legacy’ as a gift or a bequest, that is handed down, endowed or conveyed from one person to another. It is something descendible one comes into possession of that is transmitted, inherited or received from a predecessor. (Google)

However, I personally connect much more with the idea that our Legacy is happening in every moment, whether we are conscious of it or not. It’s a word which can conjure up many reactions, ideas and feelings. It’s so deeply connected with our purpose, values and intentions. For me, it seems to call forth a degree of surrender and allowing.

Legacy means something different to each of us. This book will take you on an exploration of what Legacy means to us (and could mean for you), through the inspiring stories and lives within.

Consciously or unconsciously, your spark, your light, your unique gifts will touch others and leave an imprint. Your contribution to this world is valuable and can make a difference, no matter how big or small.

Your unique story is powerful and worthy of sharing. It can connect you to your ancestors and family. It can provide comfort and inspire change. It’s the basis for your business.

As you read this book, I invite you to think about...

What’s your story, your purpose … your Legacy?

Sarah Parkes, August 2021

YOU DON’T LEAVE LEGACY BEHIND – YOU CREATE LEGACY IN EVERY MOMENT

by Lee Chambers

Legacy is something society imprints as a reflective, nearing the end of our mortality exercise. How do we leave a fragment of ourselves on the world before we leave? Do we give our time to a good cause, or the next generation? Donate to a charity close to our hearts?

For me, my Legacy started the moment I was born. Legacy is not what we leave behind; it is the impact on the world and the people in it, from every action you take. Your Legacy is forged in the moment, cultivated from the past, and crafted in the future.

Why am I so passionate about Legacy? Because I truly believe awareness of Legacy from a young age changes lives, and yet the way the world is set up, we find little space to foster these questions. I want to take you on a journey to see my passion for Legacy, how it has brought me joy and despair, and maybe even trigger some thoughts about what Legacy means to you.

I had just turned 29 and celebrated with my friends. I made a poster entitled, 'Project 30,’ with things that I should focus on in the coming year. A week later, on a Friday, my wrist started to swell, and locked my hand in place. Thinking that maybe I had banged it, or used the computer too much, I hoped it would calm down over the weekend. I wasn’t overly concerned until, after returning from a meal with friends on the Sunday, in the space of a 40-minute car journey, my right knee also locked in place. As my wife helped me into the house, I burst into tears; I knew that something wasn’t right. Getting taken to the doctors on Monday, they looked and gave me steroids to reduce the swelling, telling me to monitor it for a few days and return if it didn’t improve. On Tuesday, my shoulder blew up and was up by my ear and very painful. One more day, I told myself, and maybe the medication will work. By Wednesday morning, my other knee started to go. I was left in a bad way in my living room. Cue my mother-in-law turning up, making the decision to take me to A&E, and dragging me into her car. For context, I’m six foot one, stiff and struggling to support my weight, and she is a foot shorter and in her 60s. Sometimes, you need someone to make a decision for you, and do what it takes to get you the support you need.

Arriving at A&E, I’m taken straight through to a ward. My wife, who is sixth month’s pregnant with our daughter, arrives, and the consultant tells her these sobering words, He’s seriously ill. He will be in here for some time. The pain is immense, my whole body feels like I’m on fire, and my wife’s tears leave me feeling helpless. Little did we know that I wouldn’t leave the hospital for a month.

There were no thoughts flowing through my mind. The absolute shock of what had happened left me no space to feel anything. But once it started to wear off, the pain quickly took its place. My immune system was attacking my body, and the testing began to find out why. A quarter of a pint of fluid was drained from my knees, and morphine used to take the edge off the pain as I slipped from dreams to reality. As the pain started to become manageable, it dawned on me. I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t walk. I felt anger and frustration, my son, only 18 months old, came to visit, his eyes wondering why I couldn’t play. My wife, coming to help me wash and feed myself, is heavily pregnant and still not on maternity leave, when I should have been supporting her. And my independence – I’d always looked after myself, never been to hospital – why had this happened to me? I tried to process these emotions as healthily as possible, talking to visitors and nurses and writing my thoughts and feelings down. These faded, and suddenly guilt and fear descended over me. Would I be able to walk again? What about my children, my physicality? My mind was hurting as much as my body. But after two weeks of testing and mental pain, something special happened.

I was moved to a longer-term ward, with three elderly gentlemen in their 70s. Speaking to them, they filled me with hope and optimism. My bed was by the window, and the view from the 3rd floor was across the moors towards Bolton, where I was born and raised. I’d walked across those moors many times. I found peace and serenity in looking out over nature. I drifted off to sleep one afternoon, and then woke up. The first thing that went through my head as I looked out of the window was:

I‘ve never been grateful for walking, until I lost it.

Let me take you on the journey that generated this life-changing thought.

It all starts with my birth. The blossoming spring of 1985 approaches, and my birth is imminent. I was unplanned, unexpected and worried about before I even arrived. My parents met at 15 and 17, a black Caribbean boy and a Caucasian girl. A mixed-race relationship looked down upon and hidden. They would go skating together. My Dad had found school difficult, dyslexia and racism tainting his educational experience. My Mum had been adopted by an older foster couple, alongside her adopted brother,