We can move through transitions, intense periods of self-discovery, healing, and transformation with ease and grace.Although moving through any transition may make us feel that we are losing our bearings, they are spiritual signs that we are processing new and stored information simultaneously and expanding our conscious awareness. in preparation for the next step forward in life—just as it is necessary to spring up at the end of a diving board to gather momentum for a full twist into the pool.While moving through transitions, you may experience physical and emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and/or disorientation. At such times you might get … [Read more...]
Blessing and Releasing: A Mantra for Letting Go
“The cure for pain is in the pain.” RumiHere I was walking the beach in Antigua surrounded by such natural beauty, a cherished and connected relationship with my husband and a life that I only imagined in my dreams; yet, I was unraveling, falling apart, and disintegrating into little pieces like the grains of sand I walked upon. For weeks since my beloved dog Cammi’s death, I felt fragile and vulnerable as if my heart was flayed open. The grief felt like an anvil pressing down on my chest. “It was too much pain to feel for my sweet dog,” I thought to myself. So I tried to grieve whenever my busy schedule allowed and then held it together … [Read more...]
The Healing Power of Love
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and unspeakable love--Washington IrvingDespite the pain it elicits, loss shows us the healing power of love. It teaches us about the delicate balance, intensity, and richness of life and above all, provides the greatest opportunity for transformation. Loss is bittersweet for we cannot experience the pain of loss without first having experienced the joys associated with what has been lost. The heartbreak that wounds us most deeply eventually leads us to greater … [Read more...]
Don’t Worry Be Happy: 10 Ways to Boost Your Well-Being
"There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way." ~ Thich Nhat Hhan Many of us feel that the pursuit of happiness is elusive and unattainable. We think if we just had the right job, relationship, or an abundance of money that then we would be happy. Yet, contrary to this popular belief, happiness is a state of being-wellbeing that is within our grasp. And, we have always had the power to create it in our lives. We have known this internal power as children when we played in the puddles after a warm rain, chased after fireflies in the summer, or built forts or fairy alters in our yards. Sustaining a flow of happiness takes the … [Read more...]
Inviting in Soul-Hearted Relationships
We create soul-hearted relationships by being love ourselves rather than going on a quest to find “the one.” It is about being fully accountable for the energy that we are in the universe. If our energy is toxic or negative, we will invite toxicity and negativity into our lives. On the other hand, if we radiate love and our authentic selves, we will attract love and connection with others. In my life, the pivotal moment of inviting in real love and connection came when I found the courage to let go of my second marriage and chose to love myself more than the codependent patterns that had held my relationship together. Sitting on the … [Read more...]
Releasing Resentment
Inviting in a new year gives us a natural place to clear our life of resentments and grievances, and begin with a clean slate. Confronting and clearing such negativity unleashes a flow of positive energy within us that we can direct toward shaping a more fulfilling life. At the beginning of 2015, we may have paused, reflected, and even made new resolutions for the coming year. This is beneficial, yet, for our new intentions to manifest, we have to clear our lives of any resentments that we may be holding toward others and even ourselves. Like a cosmic cow catcher in front of a locomotive, we have the ability to clear the track of any … [Read more...]
Breaking Free of Our Comfort Zones
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. —Maya Angelou Breaking free of our comfort zones challenges us to expand our range of spiritual understanding and stimulate growth. Perhaps an apt visual metaphor for such an expansion is the dispersal of a shipment of rubber duckies around the world’s waterways. In 1992, a Chinese freighter accidently dropped a crate of thirty thousand rubber duckies into the Pacific Ocean, which were later discovered on the coasts of Indonesia, Australia, South America, Alaska, the Arctic, and England, resulting in scientists gaining a better … [Read more...]
The Return of the Light
For millennia, winter solstice celebrations have heralded the return of the light and are a time of quiet reflection and intention. In many Native American cultures, tribes and families would gather to start up a new year at the solstice and have a special celebration where they would make a request to the Great Spirit to eliminate certain things that they no longer wanted in their lives. As a way of representing this, they would craft six arrows: three to represent the things they did not want and three for the things they did want. They called them "death" arrows and "life" arrows because they held respectfully, the things they wanted to be … [Read more...]
Embracing Transitions As Pathways to Transformation
Transitions—intense periods of discovery, self-healing, and personal transformation—can catalyze the release of patterns, the resolution of grievances, and open space for new possibilities and spiritual growth. From a spiritual point of view, a person’s life is a constant series of transitions: changing jobs or careers, suffering from and healing an illness, beginning or ending relationships, having a baby or facing a death in the family, and initiating or completing creative projects. Although these transitions may make us feel that we are losing our bearings, they are spiritual signs that we are processing new and stored information … [Read more...]
The Courage to Be Who You Are
"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do." -Brene Brown It takes courage to be who we are in the world. Courage comes from the Latin word for "heart." To be courageous is to be open-hearted, speaking our truth honestly and openly with our whole heart. In other words, sharing our most intimate thoughts, feelings and experiences that comprise our true being. Loving ourselves enough to reveal our deepest vulnerabilities is the most courageous choice we can make. Unlike bravery which is externally motivated, courage comes from within. It sources deep within our hearts as … [Read more...]
