When I was a young school girl, I always thought of the start of the school year in September as a new beginning.
And of course there’s the New Year, on January 1, which is also a new beginning.
But since then I’ve learned what indigenous people have always known: every month can be a new beginning on the new moon.
Continue readingKahunas, the shamanic practitioners of Hawaii, use the Piko Piko Breath to both relax and energize the body. It can work for anyone, and can give a real sense of the expansiveness of the universe.
The word “Piko” means center, or naval.
Before Kahunas meditate or pray they use this breath to build up their Mana (Power) to get focused and in the right frame of mind for whatever they are about to undertake, particularly healing.
Continue readingIn today’s hurry-up world, people often start the day in a rush so as to get everything done. But I’d like you to consider why we should stop before starting anything.
Clearing, balancing, reviewing will actually give you a better start to the day, or any activity, than rushing into it.
Here are some examples of stopping before starting:
Continue readingHere’s the replay of my February 2, 2018 interview on Living the Present Moment. We discussed Teachings from Bear Heart.
Continue readingThis year the Winter Solstice is Thursday, December 21, 11:28 am Eastern Standard Time.
It’s the shortest day of the year because there are fewer daylight hours than any other day.
But the good news is that from this point, daylight will get longer day by day.
The Ancients, and still many indigenous people today, mark this day with bonfires to honor the return of the light. It’s also a way of inviting the return of the light.
The Law of Attraction at work.
There is a lot of suffering and confusion in the world right now, so this is a really good time for us to pull ourselves up and let our own light shine, too.It’s the shortest day of the year because there are fewer daylight hours than any other day.
But the good news is that from this point, daylight will get longer day by day.
The Ancients, and still many indigenous people today, mark this day with bonfires to honor the return of the light. It’s also a way of inviting the return of the light.
The Law of Attraction at work.
There is a lot of suffering and confusion in the world right now, so this is a really good time for us to pull ourselves up and let our own light shine, too.
Continue readingThere’s a lovely tradition in Iceland that I would love to see embraced here in the U.S. In Iceland, the best Christmas gift is considered a book. It’s traditional to exchange books on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading them!
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, and most sales take place between September and December, in preparation for Christmas gift-giving.
The name of this Icelandic tradition is Jolabokaflod, meaning “The Christmas Book Flood.”
I can’t think of a better gift! I love books, and read voraciously. In fact, I can’t fall asleep at night without doing some reading first.
So here are some books you might consider giving as gifts, if Black Friday and Cyber Monday didn’t already tap you out:
Continue readingA friend recently emailed me this article about things that get better with age. It’s uncredited, and when I researched where it might have come from, I found it all over the internet!
I never found an author credit, and I certainly don’t take credit for it. But these simple wisdoms can certainly lift our spirits at a time when we need all the inspiration we can get.
I hope you enjoy it!
Continue readingWe live in a time of upheaval, confusion and great cruelty. It’s a time when sending “thoughts and prayers” is criticized as not enough. And it well may not be.
I write an inspirational blog but these days it’s been hard for me to write uplifting posts about the law of attraction, manifestation and maintaining a positive attitude when the news is filled with more and more tragedy on a daily basis.
Speaking for myself, I often feel angry and helpless. And I struggle to maintain a positive outlook. You may feel the same.
Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
Continue readingThis is a guest post by Rebecca Temsen on how to attract what you want in life:
Whether you have read “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne or you have heard friends speak about the Law of Attraction, you may be wondering how you can really attract what you want in life.
Could something as simple as “believing in something” or “knowing it will happen” make our lives better?
It may seem like a tall-tale, but the law of attraction may actually work.
Here are some practical and easy-to-understand ways in which the law of attraction works:
Continue readingThere have been a lot of articles recently about the upcoming solar eclipse.
For the scientific perspective, here’s a good article from NASA
But I’d like to share a spiritual perspective, which is what many of us are looking for.
Why this? Why now? What does it mean?
Continue readingTo find the heart of any home, the place where joy is born, where people feel nurtured and healed, nourished and comforted, look no further than the sacred kitchen.
Not being much of a cook, I never had much appreciation for kitchens. Living alone, I usually only have to cook for myself and always keep it simple.
When I attended Native American gatherings where women were typically involved in food preparation, I always demurred and preferred physical outdoor labor such as chopping wood and carrying water.
But that all changed after a profound experience I had while attending a Sun Dance ceremony in the southwestern U.S. some years ago.
Continue readingIf you’re like me, you may have found that sometimes your prayers are answered and other times they aren’t. Particularly if you pray for money.
So what’s the secret to a successful prayer?
My teacher Bear Heart taught me a prayer for money many years ago. The prayer isn’t so much how to pray for money as how to pray to make your living doing what you love.
It works. But you have to be clear that it’s what you want.
Here’s how the teaching came about: While I was working on writing The Wind Is My Mother, I had a full time job in a law firm.
Continue readingI’m really excited to tell you that my new meditation course, Meditations on the Natural World, is now available.
Meditation can help anyone struggling with:
Stress and anxiety
Health issues
Productivity
Sleep
Pain
And much more
Having taught meditation for years, I’ve learned that most people who have struggled with meditation just need to:
Continue readingThis four minute healing meditation is a great example of the fact that meditations do not have to be long to be effective in bringing peace of mind. It is followed by a 20 minute talk I gave at Unity Church of Grand Rapids entitled “Is the Invisible World the Real World?”
Continue readingHow does falling off a horse relate to ho’oponopono? My riding instructor explained it to me.
“Horses don’t throw you, you fall off.”
Those were the words of my riding instructor every time I landed on the ground uttering the oft-repeated phrase, “the horse threw me.”
What she meant was that if I went off the horse, it was because I wasn’t paying attention to signals the horse was giving, or wasn’t seated well. Because if one is paying attention, and is well-seated, you will stay on no matter what the horse does.
I find this an apt analogy for how to go through life well.
Continue readingMy teaching partner, John Kralovec, has just released his book about his 35 years experience with Maya and Native American shamanism: Pathways to the Divine; One Man’s Journey Through the Shamanic Realm of the Ancient Maya. If Maya shamanism is of interest to you, I highly recommend it.
Here is the book description from Amazon:
Over the course of his thirty-five-year spiritual journey, Otto John Kralovec III has studied and participated in ceremonies with shamans and indigenous spiritual leaders throughout North America, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Now, he vividly captures his inspiring personal shamanic odyssey toward his encounter with the Divine, supplemented by the latest anthropological findings on the ancient Maya, to guide us on a path back to the Source.
Continue readingLightHearts UK is offering a free online course that is a wonderful resource for relaxation of body, mind and spirit. If you want to reduce stress, I highly recommend it.
Week 6 features breathing as a relaxation technique and talks about Bear Heart, which is why I’m sharing it with you. Bear Heart was a big believer in the benefits of daily breathing exercises for stress reduction.
You can check out their FREE course here: https://www.lighthearts-uk.com/mental-wellbeing-course/
Enjoy!
Continue readingOn Monday March 20, at 6:20 a.m. EST, the northern and southern hemispheres of planet earth are equally illuminated. This marks the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumn equinox in the southern hemisphere.
It’s a day of equal balance of the hours of light and dark before the sun continues its journey towards longer daylight hours and warming temperatures in the northern hemisphere.
The equinox energy is strong for four days before and after March 20th, giving us time to bask in the opportunities and lessons it brings.
Where I live, in Michigan, it’s still gray and dreary, and it’s snowing as I write this. But a few days ago I saw a red-winged blackbird, and local lore says they come back when spring is just around the corner. So I took heart!
Ancient cultures throughout history have celebrated this time of rebirth of Mother Earth. But what does it mean for us?
Continue readingAs a teacher of meditation, I’m always perplexed when I find people who don’t want to meditate, because the benefits are so enormous. I finally realized that it may be that some meditation myths are holding them back.
So I’d like to address them here:
THE 9 MOST COMMON MEDITATION MYTHS
1. It’s hard
2. I can’t stop my mind entirely
3. It takes too long
4. I have to sit on a pillow in the lotus position
5. I have no time
6. I’m not calm enough to meditate
7. I’m not spiritual enough to meditate
8. It will take years to reap benefits
9. It’s a religious practice
None of the above is true, but let’s address them one at a time:
Continue readingI’m an imperfect practitioner of decluttering. I try, but it’s hard. Which raises the question: Are we our things? Do our possessions define us?
For some, the answer may be yes. I think that was true of me for many years.
But perhaps the “things” evoke memories that go far beyond the physical representations.
I’m much less attached to stuff than I used to be, but I still struggle with my annual decluttering extravaganza.
How do you do?
Continue reading