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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…
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Unleashing Your Inner Goddess
Picture yourself standing in front of a forest with a desire to move through it to the other side. You notice the vastness of the forest, filled with possibilities – and you become eager and curious about the path that will lead you through it and what you might find. Your Inner Goddess (your authentic voice) is whispering to you – to boldly venture through the forest, so she can fully unleash her beauty in the light of your unknowingness, helping you see and connect with your untapped potential. But in order to get through the forest and out on the other side, you’re keenly aware that there may be risks involved – and a willingness to try something new. What will it take to…
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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,…
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Managing the Ebb and Flow of Life
American writer and mystic, Thomas Merton once said, “We cannot be happy if we expect to live all the time at the highest peak of intensity. Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.” This speaks to the ebb and flow of life. Humans aren’t machines. We don’t have a constant source of power from which we draw upon – to perform complicated functions all the time without breaks. Rather, our power supplies (our energy and emotional levels) dip and rise with each hour of the day – and even wax and wane on a much larger level. We either find ourselves in periods of great motivation and energy – or in periods where we just want…
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Taking a Stand for Your Own Unique Voice
Something that I see everywhere in our world is judgment. It’s heavy for a lot of people, and it’s heavy for a lot of our kids – whether they’re the ones being judged or the ones doing the judging. Judgment stems from a place of fear – a place of feeling rejected or not approved by others. Judgment also comes from a place of “not wanting to understand.” It’s easier to pass judgment than it is to understand another’s pain or another’s lifestyle choices. This is where a gift of compassion becomes necessary. I often wonder where judgment starts. There’s so much that shapes who we are and what we become – that we’re often robbed of our own authenticity. We’re robbed of our own…
