I love a good holiday - one that invites us to contemplate deeply, to call for our inspiration, to bring form to our desires, to bring forth the expression of our deepest longing. Last night (and today) is one of my favorite holidays. It is Maha Shivaratri - the Great Night Of Shiva. In India, this is a night of great celebration and deep meditation. The tradition is to fast and stay up all night, to commune with the [...]
It’s an edgy scene on the shady side of town. Pandemic, financial distress, social justice demands met by more police brutality, violations of human rights, the growing horror that is the orange menace in the white house, the post office, the future of our children, the planet, the shaky foundation so many of us are walking on right now, the lies, the disregard of facts, the unknown, the actual danger of the virus, and the world as we have known [...]
My Mom thinks that covid-19 came here for her. Like the angel of death showing up at your doorstep - “It’s time to come with me.” He whispers from within his dark cloak. Not a hint of a smile, she continues and explains how this virus affirms all of HER anxiety. SHE has always known her biggest fears were going to come true. This global crisis is happening to HER. Glued to the TV, she hasn’t really left the house [...]
It was hard to get out of bed this morning. Dark and cold outside. I wanted to get up before everyone else, so that I can have a moment for myself to meditate, but it didn’t happen. So I meditated with the kids staring at me. They tried to be quiet, but most of the time they forgot about the quiet contract that they signed when they decided to sit on the couch in the living room while I meditated. [...]
She’s sitting on the bench by the dinning table, hair a little messy, lots of missing teeth, a crazy wide spread of artist markers - a hundred and twenty colors and shades, to be exact. She’s working on an elephant. Fifteen shades of gray. Muse-struck. “Mama?” her eyes are focused on the curving lines of her elephant trunk. “Yes, my love.” “I have all these bad thoughts in my head.” The trunk she’s working on is playfully [...]
Whether he dances in the forest of my heart, howls in the dark nights of my soul, meditates on mountain tops inside my head, retreats to his cave, takes the seat of the teacher, or roams the cremation grounds of my life’s deaths, Siva is by far my favorite masculine deity. (not a gender thing, but rather a code, an energy, a coalition of qualities) I am a sucker for metaphor. Myths and archetypes help me understand myself [...]
Sunset on the beach on the last day of 2019 seemed like the perfect thing to do. We were all sick during the first week of Winter Break, so a little bit of sunshine, a breath of fresh air, and the sound of waves crashing was a big yes! Great idea! I was feeling hopeful. Excited. I still had more envisioning and planning and intention setting to do. But I was feeling open and clear and ready to expand. [...]
It’s that time of year again - the peak of Fall, tipping over the midpoint between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. Darkness is gaining momentum. The days are getting shorter and shorter, faster and faster. Nights are growing longer. Death and Decay spread wide through the natural world now. We are being pulled down. Guided to be lost beneath the surface of the earth, beneath the surface of our lives. Down and deep and in to the underworld. To [...]
I hear the call: “Mama!” Coming from the bedroom. It’s almost 9pm. I just finished cleaning. I’m having my evening coffee and finally sitting down to write. “MAMA!" It has only been an hour since I transferred him to his bed from our cuddle pile. I’m feeling resistant. Common, title dude! I need a minute! I was with you all day. I’ve been ON. You’re a toddler. It’s non stop. Give mama a break, will you? I [...]
You have strengths. Powerful abilities. The capacity to overcome challenges. We all have stubborn tendencies. Aspects of our being that keep us blocked in some ways. Parts of who we are that keep us stuck. You have vulnerabilities. Sweet spots. A soft side. Places in you that are wide open. We all have weaknesses. Instabilities. Shaken grounds. Dark holes that threaten to swallow us. You are a woven together tapestry of triumphs and disappointments, hurt spaces and a healing forces, [...]
