Stress Neutralizing Daily Green Smoothie Recipe December 6, 2013 • 3 Comments There is a certain pulse to the holiday season that seems to summon stress, and it is very easy to get caught up in the pressure to buy more and put on a happy face. It requires a very concerted effort to protect the precious resources of our mental and physical eco-systems. “We need to mount a stress response in…
Conscious Healing Through Mind Mapping November 27, 2013 • 5 Comments Although healing is an organic process, it requires a pro-active mindset. And, making the choice to heal is the only way for it to begin. Let’s face it, being a victim is powerful stuff and you can get a lot of mileage out of it. But, it limits your range because you will be driving the same stretch of highway…
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…
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…
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…
Awareness & Understanding Quirky Habits October 18, 2013 • 2 Comments “Awareness shines a light through the dark forest of our psyche so we don’t have to keep running headlong into the trees.” When I stand, I have a habit of jutting my left foot out at a ninety-degree angle to my right foot. Sometimes I put my hands on my hips and I look ridiculous, but I can’t help it.…