Behind the Session - Liz’s Initiation
When I think of this day with Liz, the first word that comes to mind is trust.
This Initiation had such a beautiful foundation of trust throughout the entire experience, from the moment Liz reached out, and I know in my soul that foundation is why the art we created together moves me so damn much.
Liz and I met through a mutual friend, and she reached out for her Initiation with a desire to lean into her edges and spread her wings.
I so vividly remember the words in her original message "I'm having trouble seeing myself clearly."
All at once, I deeply related to those words, having spent so much of my younger years unable to align how I saw myself with the truth of reality, and at the same time, I knew immediately that Initiating Liz into fully embodying and expressing her most authentic self would change us both.
After our brainstorming session, I was crystal clear on the creative vision for the day, and I instantly knew the perfect location.
Liz wanted to immerse herself in nature. She wanted to be surrounded by trees, near water, to be able to get on the ground, roll in the dirt, and fully embrace her inner wild woman.
Our location was the most perfect, private little spot in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on the Kancamagus Highway. A short hike in and you're on the rocky banks of a breathtaking river, surrounded by trees, and being that it was May in New England, we were in peak mud season (perfect for this Initiation).
We began by dropping into a meditation, rooting into our location. We returned to Liz's original intention and dropped into the energy of full, wild expression. We moved through a beautiful moving meditation and created a stunning mandala.
From there her Initiation began.
Once we got started, the words were few and far between. We let the hypnotic sound of the rushing river and the swaying of the trees guide us. We flowed through portraits, a badass warrior-woman moment with a crystal crown, Liz got her moment to roll around in the mud and let herself become one with the Earth. And we ended the Initiation the only way that made sense: Liz immersed herself in the frigid mountain waters and let herself be reborn.
No stranger to cold plunges, watching Liz stay fully embodied and present with herself as she got into the water (and stayed there for nearly 30 minutes!), I was in complete and total awe. There were more than a few moments where I had to wipe tears away from my eyes from behind the camera.
Liz's Initiation felt like the truest and most magickal expression of everything the Initiation Ceremony is and can be, and I will forever treasure the art that we created together that day.
Liz came into her Initiation Ceremony session wanting to be able to see herself more clearly and to fully lean into her wildest, boldest, fullest expression.
Here's what Liz had to say after her Initiation Ceremony:
"My initiation ceremony with Monica is an experience I will never forget. From our early conversations I knew she saw me & we were totally aligned on what I wanted. She created a space for me to express myself fully and encouraged me to use the time we had together not just as a photoshoot but as a time for me to transform. This was all captured so beautifully in my images & I couldn't be happier.”
Mission accomplished.
Are you ready for a full-body, heart and soul experience to initiate you into your most authentic, magickal expression?