Soul-Full Sundays: Jo Crawford

Recently, I found a group of incredible sisters through the Goddess Circle. Jo is one of those beautiful women that I am grateful and honored to connect with on a regular basis.

Welcome Jo from www.craftingthesacred.com! (You can also connect with Jo on Facebook and Twitter.)

1. How are you following your life path (dharma)?
My dharma is to heal through creative expression, to open my heart to love and to stand tall in my power.

This sounds like a deeply personal path but it also lays the basis of my work as a Coach and Intuitive Reader.  My sense is that if I am healing and accepting myself as whole, then I am able to be more giving and supportive to my clients.   This is my dharma.

2. Have you always had this calling? If not, was it a sudden/gradual shift?
Deep within I always felt a deep yearning to be able to show my true self and to be in service to others, but it took time for me to find the right fit.

For much of my 20s and early-30s I worked in jobs where I was in service to others mostly in the non-profit sector.  I was content with the security and benefits of the 9-to-5 work world but I craved more meaning in my life.  This became more pronounced from age 33 onwards.  After months of meditation and prayer, I got the message loud and clear: Jo does not belong in a cubicle!
So in 2007 I took a leap of faith to leave my full-time office job and focus on my healing path.  I cashed out my 401(K) and begun a year of self-discovery that I like to call my Eat, Pray, Love year.

It was such a liberating time for me –  I studied massage, herbs and tarot more deeply, went on spiritual retreats, meditated, slept late, made art, traveled home to South Africa, spent time with my loved ones, and, more importantly, relaxed into myself.

It was during this year that I envisioned and birthed my healing arts business, Crafting the Sacred.  Over the past four years I’ve grown into and adjusted the services I offer but the underlying premise remains – to support women who are on the path to be their most creative and passionate self.

3. What did you have to give up breaking free to be you?
This is such a challenging question as I feel resistance to saying I have lost anything.  But the truth is old structures have to fall away in order to build a new life.

In pursuing my dharma, I have given up the security of the “known” path, especially when it comes to a career with salary and health benefits.

The hardest loss has been letting go of relationships along the way with people who did not fully understand or support my path.

4. What have you learned/gained by remembering your true nature (honoring your path)?
I have learned that I am powerful when I am vulnerable and open my heart to my self and to others.

5. What is one thing you do every week to honor your inner most authentic Self (connection to Source)?
I try to give myself quiet time – sometimes it’s meditation, a walk in nature or a long bath.  When I make time to be still with my self, Source is right there with me.

6. What is one treat you can share with us to bring along on our own path towards freedom?
Forgive yourself.  Be kind to yourself.  Loving yourself will bring you freedom.

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