One evening nearly a decade ago, I found myself grappling with a decision I needed to make. My mind spun in endless circles, trying to strategize while straining to figure out: do I stay or do I go?

This past week, I had an opportunity to practice discernment in the midst of a synchronistic experience. This nuanced topic is near and dear to my heart because it reminds me of my wide-open hearted, rose-colored glasses wearing, sweet (and naïve) younger self who did not practice discernment in the face of synchronicity – which led me down many rabbit holes, some rewarding, others not so much.

What does it mean to grieve unlived lives and the “what ifs” in the midst of nourishing a heartfelt dream?

Before departing for a new experience (whether physically or in some other form), there's usually a moment where a part of me demands to know why did you ever agree to this???

There's a vulnerability to saying yes to a new experience, a new adventure, a new way of being with life. New experiences do not offer guarantees; and there can be a vulnerability to that because no one wants to waste precious resources or time.

A couple weeks ago, I adventured to a place on the outskirts of Mt. Shasta called Pluto's Cave. I've known about this cave for years yet never felt inclined to visit; I've heard stories from locals about people who've had to be rescued from the cave – and about myths and legends that say the end of the cave is supposedly a doorway to Inner Earth.

If my human experience were a book, I'd imagine the 2022 title (so far) to be…

How do you tend to yourself in the midst of experiencing worry, shame, and/or fear?

This past week, my boyfriend could not find his wallet. I helped him look, feeling both determined and discouraged as our search went longer and longer…

Six years ago, while immersed in an intensive lab at the culmination of my Master’s degree in spiritual psychology…I needed help.

This past week, I hosted a small dinner gathering at my home with some newer friends.

What if a miracle could meet you here?

It was one of those perfect Northern nights, where dusk blanketed the horizon in an indigo-pink symphony.

I want to take a moment to extend a honey-warm welcome into the first newsletter of 2022! I have an old-fashioned soul in the sense that when I sit down to write to you here, I imagine my keyboard as ink, and my hands become a feather-tipped quill while the screen becomes papyrus. I envision cozying up next to a glowing hearth and invite words that embody integrity and sincerity to pour forth like prayers in their own timing.

Today I'm called to share about the difference between nourishing a heartfelt dream versus exerting your personal will on life, a state sometimes referred to as ego creation.

I don’t want fast and furious.

I like sllloooowww and steady step by step breath by breath emergent embers. Growing glowing coals that wordlessly emanate the healing hands of time.

Music is magical. It’s one of many ways we can allow space for embodied feeling without having to think too much about it. Hearing a meaningful song elicits emotion – it’s also one of many ways our angels, the messengers of our hearts, deliver messages.

Today I’m inspired to share a bit of a longer story with you, a story I’ve shared in short parts before, but never quite in this way. Perhaps grab a cozy cup of tea or a warm delicious drink. Let’s gather by the hearth of our hearts and lean in…

Four years ago in the midst of a personal dark night of the soul, I wrote a poem. It goes like this…

“The invitation is to be in consent with yourself,” said the retreat facilitator, all of us tucked into a cozy circle. “If you need to leave, the door is open. If your body is calling for rest, there’s full permission and encouragement to excuse yourself and lie down for as long as you need.”

Perhaps in the midst of these trying times, exhaustion has set in and you’re reading this thinking, I’m too tired to consider what questions I’m leaning into. I don’t have the energy. If that’s you, I hear you and honor your capacity. Perhaps your question might sound something like: how can I tend to and care for myself right here and now… what do I really need?