A Writer’s Retreat with Jennifer Louden November 18, 2013 • 0 Comments I originally posted this a year ago, and as I was reviewing the last twelve months as a blogger, this retreat stands out as one of the hallmark experiences in my healing and writing process. The week spent under Jen’s tender guidance gave me the permission I needed to start exploring what I wanted in life, and write it down…
Traversing and Embracing Uncertainty November 15, 2013 • 3 Comments I don’t know about you, but when I became a parent I was somewhat clueless. Right next to my desire to be a mother sat a rather large field of dreams, but not a whole lotta solid thought about what it might mean ten, fifteen, twenty years down the road. I am reminded of this phenomenon as I work on…
Healing & the Power of Receiving November 13, 2013 • 11 Comments “Receiving is much harder than giving. It can be emotionally risky: it requires opening up to a possibility or desire that may not be fulfilled. Giving is easy. Not only do you get to showcase your more saintly qualities but also your ego enjoys the reward – the payoff of giving.” Amanda Owen I was never taught much about receiving…
Repurposing Jewelry That Contains Painful Energy from the Past November 11, 2013 • 4 Comments I envision the aftermath of loss as akin to the miraculous phenomenon of the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. For period of time, while the caterpillar body disintegrates within the chrysalis, it becomes a mixture of imaginal cells, a cocktail of possibility, old and new combining to become something entirely different. It is nature at her best: raw, messy and…
Healing Tools: Inviting Awareness In November 8, 2013 • 2 Comments “Awareness builds its own momentum.” Stephen Covey My mother was famous for saying, “This is the way I am. I can’t change.” And, by dint of osmosis and observation, I too believed that I was the way I was and couldn’t change. It’s a rather dangerous and dead-end way to conduct a life and I am living proof of the tragic…
Walking Meditation: Inviting the Divine Spirit via the Labyrinth November 6, 2013 • 2 Comments “Walking the labyrinth is a way of praying with the body that invites the divine presence into an active conversation with the heart and soul. By engaging in this walking meditation, we are fully engaging our minds, bodies, and spirits at the same time.” Washington National Cathedral My first experience with a labyrinth occurred in Taos at the Mabel Dodge…
Nutrition and Healing: Mighty Cabbage Soup Recipe November 1, 2013 • 0 Comments Our body is our vessel. Home to an infinite number of dynamic inner eco-systems, the adaptability of the human body is amazing, but its fragility is never more apparent than when we encounter trauma, stress or illness. Nutrition becomes paramount and a tremendous amount of healing can be accomplished through simply eating well. According to the Doctrine of Signatures, every…
Hiding Your True Self: Papier-Mâché People October 30, 2013 • 4 Comments In elementary school I had a groovy fifth grade teacher. She was incredibly kind and stood out in her flowing flowery tops, head-bands and long, curly hair. There weren’t a lot of cool wardrobe options going on in 1973 (I would argue that fashion completely bypassed this decade), so she was a breath of fresh air. Our classroom was an…
Self Healing: The Energy of Compassion October 28, 2013 • 3 Comments I have long been trying to understand my own propensity to succumb to the little voice that calls from the dark trying to convince me I am not enough. But even more puzzling is the actual existence of the part of myself that seems devoted to self-destruction. Our dark side is an underground entity with confusing motives – isn’t life…
Healing Comfort Food: Coconut Black Rice Pudding Recipe October 25, 2013 • 0 Comments Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and it seems like the perfect metaphor for healing as old leaves fall away and the outside landscape changes to seasonal dormancy, in preparation for the new growth of spring. It is a magical time of year that ushers in the coziest comfort foods imaginable. I have never been a big fan of…