We are delaying the spring/summer 2020 issue.
Self-love
It’s only mid-March and I’ve already noticed a shift in my outlook that has influenced how 2020 is going for me. I’m not sure what started it: An invitation by my art teacher Flora Aube to ditch typical new year resolutions in favor of self –love? An artwork with a message to replace acceptance with the ongoing efforts to become a better version of myself? Or simply, turning 50? The recognition of having lived half a century leads one to contemplate certain things.
Women with Trees on Their Mind
I didn’t always love trees, not like I love people and animals. It takes a certain amount of deepening, maturity, and patience to appreciate the subtle, to grasp interconnectedness in its totality.
SINGING THE BALANCE: A CONVERSATION WITH THE DEVA OF THE IRS
As tax season looms. Peggy River Singer talks with the Deva of the IRS.
Peggy: May I speak with the organizing intelligence of our Internal Revenue Service?
How To Clean Out Your Closet: What To Ditch And What To Keep
Minimalism has increasingly gained in popularity. When you choose minimalism, there is no space to contain disorder, especially in the closet. The modern-minimal-chic advocate curating every small detail of your life, down to the laundry drawer. Marie Kondo, author of The Magical Art of Tidying Up, promotes the idea that we should only hold on to things that "make us happy".
Heart Power
How is your heart today? Are you taking good care of your hard-working, delicate organ? It is definitely doing its best to take good care of you. Let’s give a little love back to the heart with some techniques that balance the anahata (sanskrit for “heart”) chakra.
A CONVERSATION WITH AUSTRALIA'S FIRE SPIRITS
A conversation with the fire spirit.
Human-Centered Intentional Culture
Creating a healthy business culture with engaged employees is possible. Clarity of purpose, real care for the people involved, clear expectations and persistence can get you there. The bad news: it is hard. But the good news is that work is much more fun when approached this way.
Helping the Homeless
The day after Christmas, 2019, a day when many celebrate the birth of a homeless child, a social mediate site for Ann Arbor townies posted this question: “Would you ever open your home to a homeless person?” Forty-eight comments later, administrators closed the post’s comments. My take on these comments is that most people answered “yes,” “no” or “if I knew the homeless person.”
Habituation vs. Gratitude
I’ve always resonated with the idea of the psyche as landscape that varies in topography, weather patterns, vegetation, and inhabitants. Polarities of all kinds can be found within, even though the mind itself prefers to land on one side of things rather then continuing to remain open to alternatives. It is best to make a practice of contemplating opposing ideas to stay connected to reality, and to not be fooled by our own minds.
What is Truth?
What is truth? In our world of ‘fake news’ and contested facts, truth can be difficult to grasp and even harder to hold. How can we look at an interaction or event and come to such dramatically different conclusions? To perceive it accurately requires a level of objectivity and nonattachment few of us possess. It is almost impossible to separate who we are and what we hold sacred from what we perceive. Truth is challenging to witness—it can be simultaneously terrifying and awe inspiring. Just when we think we understand, it suddenly gives way to a profounder meaning—a soul shaking reality that moves us to the very core of our being.
A CONVERSATION WITH THE SPIRIT OF PEACE
River: May I speak to the spirit of peace, please?
Peace: Granted. I hear you.
River: Thank you! Some of our people call you a goddess, others a spirit or an angel. How do you describe yourself?
Peace: I rather like the title Spirit. It is more complex in meaning, and better suited to my role than the other words you mention.
Above and Beyond Self Care
2018 and 2019 seemed to be the years of “Self-Care.” It was advocated in every store and every social media platform. “Take care of you first.” “Do what you need and if others don’t understand, that’s their problem.”
Certainly, becoming exhausted from busy-ness serves no one well nor anyone long term. Yet, in all the well-meant advocating for self-love, the greater need for this message wasn’t being delivered. Mental and physical self care is important because it is the means to clear thinking and understanding. This then yields the SO needed empathetic actions within our larger communities and in our higher spiritual walks.
A Conversation With Gumk-Ki The Skink
Years ago, I met a Blue-Tongued Skink in a private zoo. Placing my hand on his back felt like touching the shoulders of the Earth; pure solid groundedness and complete self-awareness. The other day, I was thinking about that skink when I was unexpectedly contacted. Here is our conversation...
Natural Dyes Tell The Story of Where you Live
"The story within any natural dye can take you to a place in time, a history lesson of warriors, of antiquity, or harken to your favorite local hiking trail. The Crazy Wisdom journal story highlighting our organization, Color Wheel, ends on a note that makes for a great starting point for this blog:
A CONVERSATION WITH JACK FROST
When I was a kid, every child knew who Jack Frost was. The first elegant white tracery on a window was cause for celebration, since it indicated the arrival of sledding and skating weather. We all know Jack's legend, which is timeless and full of charm. Read on to hear more from Jack himself!
Lilith
Usually, ideas from a book find their way into a blog about a painting with synchronicity rather then cognitive synthesis, in other words, more by happenstance as opposed to conscious deliberation. The above painting came about as a direct result of my reading Original Resistance, Reclaiming Lilith, even though as usual, I wasn’t going for it intentionally, but rather following the creative flow. I thought I was painting another Tree Spirit until the snake showed up letting me know this is Lilith herself, and I better get on with telling her story.
Visiting Da Vinci
Recently I had the privilege of revisiting Paris after 25 years since my study abroad in college. I had no concept of mindfulness back then and wasn’t nearly as contemplative. My memory space stored places and events that were meaningful to me regardless, allowing me to see how they differed from present experiences.
We got a special magical moment with my husband that did justice to the city’s reputation for romance. The first time we had the chance to stroll by the Seine on our own we stopped by a street musician. We decided to not rush by, but stop and give him our full attention while savoring the blessing of being in Paris together.
Helping People Poop
I never grew up thinking I wanted to help people poop.
Of course, I do a lot more than that. Many people find my practice by searching for relief from their GI (gastrointestinal symptoms) such as acid reflux, bloating, abdominal pain, feelings of being overly full, fatigue, foggy brain, poor sleep quality, and a desire to decrease their dietary restrictions. But for many people, they also want to do something very simple - have regular bowel movements.
Squirrels: Beyond the Cute
Squirrels. They're everywhere. They're so common that you kind of block them out after a while. Then one day you're driving along minding your own business, and suddenly one of the furry hoodlums sprints across the road right in front of your car. It's almost like he was actually waiting for your car so he could give you a heart attack as you desperately try to avoid squashing him without causing an accident! What was that little maniac thinking, anyway?
Prepare to be amazed.
