• How Darkness Can Inspire New Beginnings

    We’ll be moving into another new moon phase soon – which always brings a time of new beginnings. Where one door closes, another one opens. During a new moon phase, the sky is completely black, other than the surrounding stars. It’s the point in every month when the moon takes a retreat and begins to grow again, redoubling her light and reflecting new creative energy on the world. It brings to our awareness the potential that darkness has in shedding light on life’s lessons and the many gifts that would otherwise go unnoticed. As poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” The energies of the dark moon can feel especially…

  • Five Tips for Parenting with Presence

    For many of us, parenting is part of our life purpose. There’s a lot that we learn about ourselves and about the world around us through our role as parents. It also allows us to serve as both teacher and student – as we learn to navigate some of the most meaningful relationships in our lives. Today, I’ve invited author Susan Stiffelman to join me on the topic of parenting with presence. Her book, published by New World Library, was released last week as the first in the Eckhart Tolle Editions series. When speaking on the subject of life purpose, Stiffelman notes, “When it comes to parenting, it seems that although we may not have knowingly signed up for the ‘course’ our children offer, we…

  • The Gifts of the Dark Moon

    As we approach another new moon phase, I’m reminded of the gifts that come to us through the mystery of life’s darker moments. American poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” It brings to our awareness the potential that darkness has in shedding light on life’s lessons and the many gifts that would otherwise go unnoticed. The darkness of the moon brings an opportunity to reflect on our life’s journey by taking a closer look at who we are – underneath the layers of life. It’s a time to turn within and write about our innermost thoughts and feelings. It’s a time to ponder where we’ve been,…