The wheel of the year keeps turning. Today, those of us in the northern hemisphere pass through a gateway into autumn.
In both northern and southern hemispheres, we have a tipping point, a brief moment of equilibrium, balanced parts light and dark.
I find that these quarterly days of transition are a great time to recalibrate my efforts. Periodically reviewing my degree of integrity, clarity of vision, efforts and outcome can provide great insight.
I like do an internal inquiry and inventory, reflecting on my larger story arc.
Here are some of the questions I ask myself:
Where am I starting from?
Where do I wish to go?
What is holding me back?
What do I need to prepare?
What do I need to let go of?
What guidance have I requested?
What guidance have I received?
How can I be more receptive to all forms of support?
How can I harmonize with the energies of nature?
I spend some time allowing the insights and lessons to bubble up. I keep my antenna up for the following days, noting anything that trips my Spidey senses.
This is an exercise in patience and trust and familiarity through repetition. It’s more of an undoing than a doing, a sort of getting out of my own way.
If you’d like to take it a step further- celebrate with a meal, perhaps including some local fare. Bring home a pumpkin or some kooky gourds for your doorstep. Uncover the sweaters and sweatshirts from storage. Stand outside for three consecutive minutes breathing in the aliveness of autumn.
Honor the turn of the seasons with your attention and appreciation in any way that makes sense for you. And watch as your alignment with nature’s rhythms eases the way.
Approaching landing while enjoying the expanse of Michigan forests and the edge of Lake Superior
The wheel of the year keeps turning. Today, those of us in the northern hemisphere pass…
Last week I was in a neighborhood park. A few unruly dogs herded me away from my usual bench and I found a quiet spot by the little pond.
From there, I could see some shapes moving under the water. Upon closer inspection, I realized that there were several turtles swimming towards me. They were coming from all directions towards what I later learned was called the turtle bridge.
Locals had used slices of fallen trees to create a turtle- friendly habitat.
It was a joy to watch this mini-migration and I got to thinking about the spiritual message turtles share.
Slow and steady wins the race was the first thing that came to mind. This is an adage that suits me well and it’s always nice to be reminded that my natural rhythms are productive.
Then, after seeing a dozen comrades come together, climb up on the bridge and extend their necks, another thought began to brew.
Wait till you’re amongst friends before sticking your neck out. This was the behavior I witnessed and I wondered if there was something more to it.
Yes, I know it was probably a desire to soak up some warmth from the sun, but I’m wondering if there’s some metaphorical wisdom to be harvested here.
Last week I was in a neighborhood park. A few unruly dogs herded me away from…
It’s no secret that health and happiness levels are influenced by self-care practices.
The often-overlooked element, however, is that self-care is an individual experience. Not a protocol that can be assigned by an outsider.
This is an inside process of learning to recognize what is needed in this moment, by this unique being. Which means it’s always in flux.
Sure, I have a foundation of self-care practices that are non-negotiable- rest, compassion, self-reflection, nourishment, movement, breath. But the strategies for addressing them is different all the time.
For me, there’s a lot of experimentation involved. I feel a need to strengthen my body, but how? There’s tons of advice online, but non of these people know my specific needs.
It’s been ages since I went to a gym, so I gave that a try. I don’t much care for the atmosphere (so many TV screens! WHY?) but it’s an affordable, easy way to access tons of fitness equipment.
After giving it a solid try for a month, I realize my original assessment was correct: not for me. But I didn’t really know until I tried.
Now I’m revisiting Foundation Training. I appreciate that it has a strong focus on anatomy, physiology and alignment. At one time it was very helpful to me but when a knee injury reappeared, I wasn’t able to do most of the exercises. That’s no longer an issue, so I’m giving it a go.
But here’s the takeaway: I’m not saying you should quit the gym and get an FT membership. I’m just sharing a real life example to make the point that we all need to get in touch with our own bodies and listen.
Look to the interweb for ideas, but do your own research.
Get the help you need if you’re suffering with a malady. AND then take that doctor/coach/therapist/counselor’s advise with a grain of salt and go with what feels right to you.
So many times I’ve worked with clients who followed the physical therapist’s or MD’s orders that caused more pain or delayed healing.
If you know something isn’t working, contemplate what you could do instead with this new data.
Be your own expert. Learn how to inhabit your body and hear your own truth. Take charge of your health and happiness and become a full participant in living your life fully.
Be willing to make mistakes and try things that dead end. Be willing to pivot when that happens and try something new.
Healing is not a linear path. Your zigs and zags, tangents and reroutes will be uniquely yours. Just pick one small thing and give it a try.
If you’re at a loss for where to begin, consider Reiki. This ancient healing modality can do no harm, can be received from anywhere in the world and feels incredibly relaxing.
It’s no secret that health and happiness levels are influenced by self-care practices. The often-overlooked element,…
I just love what Louise Fletcher has to say about making art. Spoiler alert: she says it needs to be fun.
You heard me- FUN! She doesn’t use the term life-force, but that’s all I could hear during this sweet video.
She has a free 8 day course starting on Thursday that I’m very much looking forward to attending (online). I did it last year and it was incredible.
I picked up some limiting beliefs about my artistic abilities as a child that really caused me to shut down when it came to facing a blank page.
Give me a math problem or a reading assignment and I’m good. But an easel would trigger anxiety and a freeze response.
Now I’m happy to play with paints and experiment. I’m mostly cured of my conditioning about making a mess (oh the horror!), making a mistake (anything but that!) and wasting paper (it’s not wasted if it was used to create!).
If you’re not into art, I think this idea of doing what you love and making it fun is applicable to most of life, so if you have 7 minutes, why not have a look?
I just love what Louise Fletcher has to say about making art. Spoiler alert: she says…
Interested in giving yourself daily infusions of spiritually-guided life-force energy?
It’s so easy to learn!
Anyone can gain full-time, forever access to Reiki healing energy with minimum investment of time and money.
It’s the most affordable way I know to get consistent treatment for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and energetic issues.
Chronic pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, digestive issues, fertility issues, sleep challenges, focus, creativity, peace, joy and freedom are some of the myriad goals it can be used for.
I know because I’ve done exactly that every day for 21 years. And IT’S WORKING!!
Reiki is an ancient healing technique that uses universal life-force energy to cultivate body-mind-spirit balance, stimulate the relaxation response, and relieve stress and tension.
It’s a seemingly magical reset that helps all systems come back online and integrate for maximum wellness.
I’m offering a Reiki 1 certification training, the starting point for those who want to learn how to treat themselves and their loved ones.
We begin on Thursday, October 17th at 6pm in my Mt. Airy (neighborhood of Philadelphia) studio.
This can be the beginning of a new phase in your life if you commit to blending Reiki into your life.
Interested in giving yourself daily infusions of spiritually-guided life-force energy? It’s so easy to learn! Anyone…
Clients often ask me if I felt any bad energy during their session. As if there was something inherently wrong with the energy in their system.
I don’t see it that way.
I often sense energy that is diminished from over-giving/under-receiving or coping mechanisms that have a draining effect. Sometimes it feels sluggish from sedentary lifestyles or blocked from suppressed emotions or unprocessed trauma.
Occasionally it’s clogged in one area, causing a build up upstream and depletion downstream.
Mostly I sense an imbalance in the flow or a general lack of energy. I don’t ever feel energy that is “bad”. I’m not sure there is such a thing.
There are definitely emotions that are uncomfortable; those that we dislike and would prefer not to experience. Our efforts at avoiding them disrupt the flow of energy, but still, I wouldn’t call any emotion “bad”. Unwanted, perhaps, but to label it as bad makes it wrong somehow, and I don’t think that’s helpful.
Many of us have beliefs we absorbed as children about which emotions are acceptable. However, those beliefs are not based on Universal Truths- just some authority figure attempting to make us easier to manage. Just because your third-grade teacher was not equipped to witness grief or anger doesn’t make those feelings bad. Yet we often integrated those messages and began judging our very natural responses to difficult situations as problematic.
I have yet to meet someone with bad energy. I’ve met lots of people who weren’t skilled at expressing themselves or their feelings and were maybe carrying around a lot of unpleasant baggage. I’ve met folks whose energy was not compatible with my preferences and those who didn’t know how to regulate themselves. People with erratic energy, big energy, chaotic energy, or overwhelming energy.
But not bad energy. If you’ve been wanting to get some Reiki healing sessions but worry about the practitioner picking up some bad energy, you needn’t. Reiki transforms and heals whatever isn’t in balance. It doesn’t push it out into the room. That’s something that only happens in sci-if movies.
Let’s stop thinking about our emotions, our experiences, our wounds or our energy as bad. They just are. That makes it a whole lot easier to welcome them, which is the first step in the healing process.
Clients often ask me if I felt any bad energy during their session. As if there…
I’m cross- posting an article I wrote on my Substack blog. I created another community over there to share about my spiritual journey, things that don’t really fit over here.
As you might imagine, there’s a lot of overlap with spirituality and holistic health and wellness. The boundaries often blur. This is one such case.
Without further ado, I present, “What’s in your tank?”. It’s about expanding our capacity to receive. If you’re interested in musings and stories from a soul-full perspective, please join us over there!
I’m cross- posting an article I wrote on my Substack blog. I created another community over…
I’m getting older and let me tell you, it’s pretty amazing! Today is my birthday and rather than lamenting the fact that I’m aging, I’m celebrating. I’m not supposed to tell you that I’m 53, but I’m delighted to do so! I’m not ashamed to be in my 50’s. Quite the opposite. I find it quite empowering.
I know who I am and what I want in ways that I never did when I was younger. It’s very refreshing! No more am I trying to fit myself into someone else’s expectations and the sense of freedom is invigorating.
We’ve been sold a narrative that once you reach a certain age, health begins to fail. Well, that’s just bullshit! It’s perpetuated by the marketing industry trying to sell us stuff that treats the surface symptoms, but never the root cause. If it treated the cause, we wouldn’t need to buy it anymore.
The vast majority of symptoms that I see are simply a result of chronic stress, energetic overspending and under-receiving, suppressed emotions causing a continuous cortisol drip, exposure to toxic chemicals, and neglect/misuse/abuse of the body.
We have control over much of this!
This is the work I do. Relieving stress and pain, integrating emotions, supporting the body’s needs so it can detox and repair, and filling up the energetic tank. I see it working day after day in my clients and students and I am a living, breathing, joyful example that making healthful choices consistently has a tremendous impact on well-being.
What is one thing you can do today to nourish yourself?
What is one thing you can do today to support your body, mind, heart and spirit?
What is one thing you can do today that reduces your exposure to chemicals- be it in food, water, personal care products or your environment?
What is one thing you can do today to protect your energy? It might entails saying NO, better yet, HELL NO! to something you don’t want to do.
What is one thing you can do today to move your body in a way that feels pleasurable?
Just one thing! Do that one simple thing for a week or two and then add another thing.
I bet you already have a thing in mind. Something that you’ve been thinking about for a while and just lacking the motivation to take the plunge.
Today is the perfect day to get started on the next level of your healing journey. Any empowered action in the direction you want to go will ripple outwards and affect others as well.
If you want, you can get started right now by placing a hand on your heart and making a commitment to yourself.
Perhaps you’d like to repeat these words from the mindful self-compassion tradition:
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be at peace.
May I be kind to myself.
May I make choices to support my overall wellness.
If you’d like some support, that’s what I’m here for! I do Reiki healing sessions for people around the globe and soothing, nurturing bodywork here in Philadelphia. It’s my mission to spread this message of self-care and empowerment. I’d be delighted to work with you if that sounds appealing.
But not today. Today, I’m going on a hike, eating fabulous food, reading a fun book and connecting with my friends. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow and ready to give from my overflowing tank.
I wrote an article over on Substack about my process of reviewing the year through a holistic health and spiritual journey lens. Check out Annual Review if you’d like to learn more about this radical way of thinking.
I’m getting older and let me tell you, it’s pretty amazing! Today is my birthday and…
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD.
This book is blowing my mind! It has so much information about the causes of rampant lack-of-wellness and disease in our world and very straightforward remedies.
She exposes heavy duty conflicts of interest in the medical industrial complex, Big Pharma and the processed food industry.
Really, you want to know this stuff so you can make good choices about your habits to build optimal health.
There’s a lot of science and hard facts for those who want the numbers and nerdy stuff but it’s very readable. I can’t recommend it enough.
From her website:
ABOUT THE BOOK
What if depression, anxiety, infertility, insomnia, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s dementia, cancer and many other health conditions that torture and shorten our lives actually have the same root cause?
The truth is, they do. And our ability to prevent and reverse these conditions – and feel incredible NOW – is under our control and simpler than we think. The key is our metabolic function: the way we make energy in our cells and bodies. The ability to make GOOD ENERGY in our bodies is the most important and least understood factor in our overall health, and the biggest blindspot in healthcare.
Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage 