All strong souls first go to hell before they do the healing of the world they came here for. If we’re lucky, we return to help those still trapped below.
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Last Friday on Instagram Live, I spoke with Australian author and artist, Sigrid Wharton. Sigrid is the founder of Sowelu Studios, a small business that focuses on healing through art. She recently published her first book, “Carving the Path,” which explores metaphysical landscapes, the nature of reality, the vulnerability that connects people, and the very heart of the human condition.
An oil painter by background, Sigrid began writing her book because she found herself overflowing with messages she needed to express, but couldn’t paint fast enough. During the pandemic, Sigrid exchanged her paint brush for a pen to help heal herself and others. Her poetry works to understand the mind and is filled with lessons Sigrid wishes people would have taught her during her self healing journey.
Our conversation was insightful and inspiring. You can find the whole conversation on Instagram TV.
Some topics we covered include her book, archetypes, healing through art, energy, the nature of reality, people who inspire us, philosophy, psychoanalysis and much more. We also talked about how creative exploits— such as art, literature, poetry, music, and dance— help remind us of what’s important in life. Creativity can also help us transform as people and help each of us reach a more enlightened state.
In life, transformation often goes from periods of dark to light. Sigrid’s book aims to helps you not be weighed down by the dark times, and look at things from a more aerial perspective. Darkness and lightness— and how both of those live inside of you— is something that philosophers have been looking at since the beginning of time. Shadow work is important for people going through a self-healing journey because, in the words of Sigrid, “fear is something we should befriend. It teaches us well.”
Fear is something we should befriend. It teaches us well.
Sigrid Wharton, Sowelu Studios
That was one of my favorite takeaways from our discussion: Friend fear. Fear is a part of life. It helps us learn lessons and get to the other side, or to “level up,” and can help us understand our inner cycles.
Resources
During and after our chat, Sigrid provided me with a variety of resources to share with my audience, in hopes of inspiring and aiding in others’ healing/self discovery journeys.
People
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Clarissa Pinkola Estes is an American poet, psycho-analyst (studies Carl Jung), and post trauma specialist. She is also an author, and is probably most well known for her international bestseller “Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype.” Sigrid was first introduced to Estes’ work as a kid when she listened to her fairytales and folklore via her mom’s cassette tape. Sigrid and I share a similar philosophy regarding fairytales and folklore: these stories are packed with rich symbolism and stories that help you understand yourself and the world better.
Though fairy tales end after ten pages, our lives do not. We are multi-volume sets. In our lives, even though one episode amounts to a crash and burn, there is always another episode awaiting us and then another. There are always more opportunities to get it right, to fashion our lives in the ways we deserve to have them. Don’t waste your time hating a failure. Failure is a greater teacher than success.
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
Trevor Hall
Trevor Hall is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. According to his website, Hall’s music is a blend of roots and folk music with touches of electronic elements, and is imbued with a deep love of Eastern Mysticism. Sigrid recommends you check out the stories behind his songs here:
Music was such a love of mine. It was my way of exploring life, my internal world. To be honest, I don’t really know why or why not. It just seems life without it would be death.
Trevor Hall
Aubrey Marcus
Aubrey Marcus is a NYT bestselling author, podcast host, and the founder of Onnit, a lifestye brand that is based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Sigrid recommends his podcast, which can be found here: https://www.aubreymarcus.com/blogs/aubrey-marcus-podcast
To live one day well is the same as to live ten thousand days well. To master twenty-four hours is to master your life.
Aubrey Marcus, Own the Day: Master 24 Hours, Master Your Life
Films
Embrace: The Documentary
You can watch this documentary about shedding negative body image on Netflix. From the documentary’s website, “Embrace is a social impact documentary that explores the serious issue of body loathing, inspiring us to change the way we feel about ourselves and think about our bodies. Released in 2016, this film is relevant, relatable, highly engaging – but above all life changing.
Nominated for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Best Documentary, Embrace has been seen by millions of people across the world and has created a ripple of positive changes.
The documentary was supported by 8909 KickStarter pledgers who responded to the fundraising trailer released in 2014. The trailer has now had over 45 million views.”
The Shift
Per Amazon, “In this compelling film Dr. Wayne W. Dyer explores the spiritual journey from ambition to meaning. The powerful shift from the go constructs we are taught early in life by parent and society— which promotes an emphasis on achievement and accumulation— are shown in contrast to a life of meaning focused on serving and giving back.”
I watched this movie with some friends the other night and found it to be thought provoking. Directly afterwards, we watched a short film based off The Egg short story by Andy Weir. These two resources in tandem are guaranteed to change at least one thing about how you think about the world!
Books
The Language of Archetypes by Caroline Myss. Sigrid recommends listening to the audiobook.
You can pretend to be something other than who you are but eventually you will run out of energy to continue because that’s not authentically you.
Caroline Myss
Healing the Core Wound of Unworthiness by Adyashanti. Sigrid also recommends listening to the audiobook.
and the most amazing thing happened. That love that I had experienced didn’t budge, it didn’t cower, it didn’t pull back from his criticism. In fact, I felt such a sense of appreciation and gratitude and joy because him telling me ‘I shouldn’t have left and I shouldn’t have come back’ I realized that it didn’t budge that quality of love that had been poured into me. And I felt so grateful…it provided a perfect contrast to what I was experiencing.
Adyashanti, Healing the Core Wound of Unworthiness
Another great resource is Sigrid’s FREE course: an intensive, self-paced 7-week program called The Soul’s Palette, which is designed to take you on a journey of vulnerability from darkness to light. She gives you the tools you need to carve your own pathway, while filling your spiritual coffee cup. This course has even more resources for your self-discovery and enlightenment journey.
I’d like to take a moment to thank the amazing Sigrid Wharton, both for speaking with me last week and for these amazing resources. If you enjoy them, don’t miss our conversation on Instagram TV.
You can find me on Instagram @kristinaparrowrites. Sigrid can be found at @sowelustudios.
Visit Sigrid’s website: Sowelu Studios