Today’s special guest is my friend & biz owner Elise Dixie Jane McCulloch, founder of Free Spirit Delicacies. She makes mala prayer bead bracelets & necklaces, earrings & candles here in Louisville, KY with the intention of creating safe & sacred spaces for people by connecting the way their environments feel with the lives they live.
I met Dixie at a yoga festival. She was so welcoming to me with a warm smile & genuine enthusiasm/ interest in me as a person. Later I hung out with her & her mom a few times…they are both beautiful souls. Dixie is one of the most positive, encouraging, offbeat, colorful, and refreshing people to be around and I am super inspired by how she’s living her life- running her biz full-time, traveling to really cool places (she just went to Thailand!) & having adventures, also having gratitude for her husband, pets & cozy home life. So naturally I was curious about her thoughts on the winter mantra self-compassion. I decided to ask her some questions about it:
1. What comes to mind when you think of the mantra “self-compassion”? How do you think it’s perceived in society?
When I think of the self-compassion mantra… bodywork, showing up for ME, and the song ” My favorite things” come to mind. Self-compassion should look different daily and for every individual. Our bodies need love in separate systems and it is solely our decision what is best for our constitution. At times, society and social media “show” us what self-love looks like. It may take more time to find out what that really means on an independent platform, but it is worth finding. Just another aspect to this journey in a day and age where everyone and everything seem to think they are not enough. WE must simply remember that WE are not broken. WE are not wrong or right. WE are simply responding to the experiences of our past, present, and future
2. Do you feel self-compassion is a habit you’re good at or are you cultivating/ working on it? How?
I believe self-compassion is a daily conscious effort. I strive for harmony and balance in all that I do. While I am not perfect at self-compassion, I do feel my daily practices and the life I choose to live are hella compassionate. The days typically begin and consist with a prayer, hot tea, playing with three sweet creatures my partner and I call our children, movement, breathwork, journaling, reading, sound Healing, Reiki, crystal grid work, and Feng Shui. This art and practice is where I tend to spend my hours. With each new energetic field, I embrace, crystals and other belongings must move. In all that I do, whether it is making the bed, curating my work, diving into homemade gastronomy, or driving in rush hour… I choose to have fun and make the experience one of my choosing!
3. What is the kindest thing you’ve done for yourself (Ever? Lately?)
Let us see… committing a significant amount of time for MYSELF! Which, then allows me to love my soul and others more than before. In setting an ample amount of time aside to live a free-spirited life full of adventures down alleyways and experiencing ground breaking co-occurrences… I can shift any mindset. Through these synchronicities that I create by showing up, the next path reveals itself. My works inspiration and content stems from the human stories during my adventures. Connection. I am talking about sharing raw emotions with strangers. Even if it lasts one minute. With my experiences, I write. I understand, and I love human kind even more. Now that is the kindest thing I can and will ever be able to give myself. It is one step that leads down a beautiful road of taking up some damn space for ME!
4. Best self-care strategy or favorite way to give some kindness to yourself?
A continuous tool from the pocket toolbox that my mind, body, and spirit thank me dearly for would have to be Breathwork! Finding stillness and breathing into uncomfortable areas brings fresh oxygen into the organs and releases stagnant energy from weighing our emotional body down. Breathwork is the most effective practice I could do daily, and it can be experienced when my eyes are open. Through uncomfortable moments or even in a place of stillness. Breathing is what each of us can do all day every day for healthier bodies and healthier minds! It is a simple practice that brings ultimate bliss into my galaxy.
5. Which of your products help people be more kind & compassionate w/ themselves?
It is difficult for me to pin down one product for self-compassion. If you are vulnerable enough to be open for a vibrational match, the energetic frequency will speak to you. Whether it is a candle, aromatherapy, crystal grid, or mala. Choosing to raise our vibration with crystals is an act of self-compassion in itself. Through the Meridian and Chakra system, we heal our Heart through each imbalance we are intuitively drawn to. If you are looking to Heal the Heart and Higher Heart in an intentional way, the New Moon Soy Candle, Buddhas Temple Soy Candle and Aromatherapy are a great fixture. You can also go the crystal route for a Heart Opening Crystal Grid (my personal go-to). Maybe even a Mala with Rose Quartz and Moonstone for heightening the intuition and trust of an open heart that we are already capable of. The possibilities are exceptionally limitless!
6. What mantra are you resonating with on a personal level lately?
In the beginning of January, I treated myself with a trip to Thailand. Part of my time was spent on an eco-lodge for daily yoga, meditation, and journaling. The reflection brought forth deeper insight into this mantra. I am currently living. Which, just so happens to be the name of my upcoming blog, Unapologetically me! It stems from when I joined this yoga community years back, I found myself dimming the sparkle that resides in my aura. There were times, I was “too big”. Or, so I was told. I remember an incident where I was made fun of and said to be wrong for who I was and how I chose to live. This instance happened when a yoga teacher made fun of my hot pink lipstick during an outing. She went on to post online about how we should not define ourselves by bright lipstick among other shares. A friend told me how these posts were about me and the judgement she placed on how I lived my life. It crushed me. I felt that I was living a life of love. A life of meeting people where they were at. At times, I began to question if it was wrong and even spent a few years being afraid of being me. Not because I didn’t love it. But because I cared more about affecting others than showing up with fire in my veins. On the flip side, I have seen how I am able to assist others in healing by being myself. Hot pink lipstick or not! Each of us must remember that being spiritual doesn’t have to look one way and it does not mean you have to give up areas of your life that you love. It is about living a path of your choosing. A life of pure intention, love, understanding, and non-judgement. When I am unapologetically me, I do not show up with any judgement on my side. I show up with genuine self-compassion, which, leads to being whole-heartedly compassionate towards all living beings!
Check out Dixie’s instagram: @freespiritdelicacies
Free Spirit Delicacies Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/freespiritdelicacies
Mantra Made 