My reiki practitioner had told me to carve out some time for fun, so I did. Over the Labour Day weekend, I had decided to take my youngest daughter to Elora for a few nights.
I had been to Elora once before, for my husband’s 40th, and had fallen in love with its small town charm.
I booked us into a log cabin loft Airbnb, right in the heart of the downtown core. The location was incredible. Steps away from all the shops, with a separate entrance that allowed us to come and go from the main streets with ease. Below us was a cafe, which was the most convenient. We would head down in our pajamas each morning, order breakfast sandwiches, and head back to our space to eat.
It was the relaxing break that I needed. We didn’t stick to a schedule, we went for walks through the trails, ate good food, and snuck in a few naps.
It was also my first time bringing my crystals with me with the intent of meditating outside of my home. That likely doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I am a creature of habit, and I was unsure how it would go. Would I be able to concentrate?
Being away with a preteen meant I was up first. I took the extra comforter and laid it out in the living room. It turns out I had one my best meditations in that space. I’m not sure if it was the setting, or the lack of strict schedule, but I saw orbs and colours for most of my session.
I’ve since come to learn that the colours, shapes and images I see are known as clairvoyance. Not to be mistaken with psychics, which are also clairvoyant, but in a different, stronger sense than I am.
I’ve also come to find that many people chase the visuals that come from meditation. They associate the optics with being good at meditation. It is similar to how people chase the constant entertainment of their social media feeds. The trouble with this is that progression in meditation isn’t exciting. It is often settling into the quiet. The nothingness. The first time it happened to me I thought I was broken. In actuality, I was advancing.
I was also keeping up with my grounding. We had a sweet little garden space, steps from the crowds that had come in droves. It was a quiet little spot first thing in the morning.
Oddly enough, Elora seemed to have an underlying metaphysical element. At least 4 stores we went into, ranging from home decor to stationary and jewelry, had either bins of crystals, or sage bundles and Palo Santo sticks. I was intrigued. I inquired about the reasoning behind it, and one man told me:
“I grew up in Elora. Aside from most of the people being really cool with artsy chill vibes, all the old buildings are haunted as fuck.”
Well that explains it.
I also noticed a strong connection to the indigenous community. Often you can find the metaphysical, and indigenous ways, overlap. A strong sense of spirituality, love of the Earth, and all of its elements. In fact, we even had a small Indigenous shop located across the street from us called Ancient Ways. We popped over and bought a clear quartz palm for my oldest daughter, that had been etched on by a local tribe member. For the sake of recognition, Elora is located on the treaty lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples.
One of the highlights of our trip was an unexpected one. The day we arrived, a young guy was out singing on the corner. My daughter asked me if he was going to stop playing the same song over and over. I had zoned him out as we put our belongings away, but it was then that I noticed he had been playing the Frays “How to Save a Life”, on repeat. Maybe he figured that with the constant flow of traffic, no one would notice. What he hadn’t considered, was the 2 people in the loft above the him, would be privy to his entire one song show. Eventually he stopped, which I assumed was because someone had tossed his ass in the river.
The next morning, an Indigenous man, adorned in purple velvet, with a matching hat, and dreamcatcher necklace on, set up on the corner. He had a set list as his feet, and feathers in his hat. A harmonica, and a guitar were his instruments of choice. He was amazing. I sat on our balcony and listened to him play. His day was long, and his voice was good. He sang through Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, and the Beatles hits. He even played some old Tom Petty, before he was with the Heartbreakers.
I left Elora feeling rested, and with the lightest heart I had in some time.
Leave a comment