It’s time to call a spade a spade. I’m affectionately naming this “The Summer of Healing” for both Peter and me.

I realized last week that the muted sadness I was feeling with our children leaving the nest this fall feels more like a big elephant of depression. Not sure exactly why an elephant is coming to mind when I think about how I’m feeling, other than that it’s large and it’s heavy.

As someone who lives the magical life in constant communication with my angels, I had unknowingly placed the expectation on myself to manage this transition seemlessly.

I believed that the wonder I experience with my angels every day would squeeze out any possibility for being depressed. Not so.

I am living proof that a 50 year old woman who’s body is changing, who’s children are taking flight and who’s life is about to change dramatically can experience both tremendous angelic joy AND be depressed.

Now please don’t feel sorry for me. Uplifting prayers are welcome and thank you for those, but my point in writing to you today is to share that sadness and depression are not always unwelcome.

Peter hates it when I use double negatives, so let me say this another way…sadness and depression can sometimes be a very good thing. Especially when staying close to your angelic guidance.

“How could this be?” you might wonder. “How could depression ever be good?”

When we work with the angels, they show us the gifts that lie within everything, including depression.

The gifts for me are two-fold and quite wonderful…

First, this sense of literally feeling depressed like I’m losing air, makes me want to fill up through creativity. It makes me want to write, garden and use my artistic abilities. Not in every moment, because common with depression, there are times when I’m feeling just plain unmotivated and that elephant is standing on my chest. But then I breathe and chat with my angel friends who gently nudge me towards something that I do feel like doing. Even if it’s as pathetic as watching The Bachelorette or cleaning out a closet. Like breadcrumbs on the forest floor, they lead me to something substantive like writing, coaching or managing the business side of AngelsTeach.

In the Human Design system, depression is actually viewed as an important muse that is a necessary part of the creative process. The strategy isn’t to push it away, but rather to embrace it, listen to what it has to say and then express what needs to be said.

My second gift is related to just this. I have always built curriculum and taught from a place of experience. I work through a situation, learn and then teach about it. I have discovered in this past week that I am here to help others work through their feelings of Empty Nest grief. A type of grief that has so many flavors from perspectives as a mother, father, child, grandparent…the ever-changing nest we call home.

I don’t know exactly how it will play out, but I can feel in the core of my soul that this is a big part of my work. Knowing this brings me enchantment and joy.

The strategy my angels have helped me develop to move through this temporary state is to…

A) recognize that it’s temporary. They’ve guided me to allow the space to grieve in whatever way I need to for 3 months. Cry, scream, watch stupid TV, call friends, whatever contructively soothes the pain.

B) be strict about my diet with healthy smoothies and juicing every day. No wheat or sugar allowed.

C) take the necessary vitamins, herbs and homeopathic remedies that my body, mind and spirit are asking for.

D) do daily yoga with an intention of healing my chakras and helping them flow fluidly and in a healthy rhythm.

E) take plenty of time to rest and spend time with friends and family.

F) transition my living space, our home, from a place where we raised children to a place that welcomes them home but has other purposes as well. (Such as our Angels for Everyone event in September!)

In typical angel form when we follow guidance without exactly knowing why, I already had scheduled a Healing Grief with the Angels circle for our Silver/Gold Halo level of our Living with the Angels membership that I will be facilitating this Wednesday evening at 8pm eastern (event is recorded).

If you feel called to join us, please visit www.livingwiththeangels.com and join the Silver Halo level. Feel free to join for one month, or more if you enjoy it!

As you experience sadness dear one, because we all do at times, embrace it. View it as a necessary and temporary stage you need for growth. I invite you to use it as your catalyst for the greater good and positive change.