As a mother, entrepreneur, and community figure, Molly Ging provides local families with what they need most—support, and the best baby gear available. We sat down to chat about motherhood, philosophy, Ann Arbor, and the tenuous future of small businesses.
Wild Wellness at Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center
Barbra White, co-founder of Mother Bear Sanctuary and Retreat Center, believes that all living beings are deeply interconnected. “It’s kismet,” she explained, that just as she was longing to spread the word about her retreat center, which opened in 2018, The Crazy Wisdom Journal came calling for an interview. “I feel like I’ve been in a cooking pot for 30 years in this work, but here, specifically with Mother Bear Sanctuary for the last eight years, I feel like I’m saying to the universe, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready.’ So when [the Journal] called, I thought, ‘kismet.’”
Anthropocentric Sound and the Search for Serenity
They are shooting over at the Washtenaw Sportsman’s Club this morning. It’s a half mile away, but it sounds like I’m in the middle of a firefight. Though a mile off, the din of Interstate 94 is ever present like the constant flow of a rushing river with none of the charm. At first periodically, then steadily, cars pass the house. I can hear them coming from well down the two-lane road on which the speed limit is 45 mph but on which many drive much faster. A car passes, then there is a momentary lull, then another goes by. Think of the inexorable splashing of waves against the shore of one of the Great Lakes and you’ll get the rhythm.
Ode to the Arb
When you step through the wrought iron gates along Geddes Boulevard into the hushed shady entrance of Nichols Arboretum, between a wide pea-stone path to the left and a thin deer trail to the right, sits the first bench to welcome you. Benches are placed along the river side, on overlooks, in meadows, along trails, in the Peony gardens, and in countless shaded areas throughout this 128-acre preserve, inviting anyone to rest and take in the grand expanse of nature.
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols--featuring Jonathan Buckman
What does normal even mean?” Jonathan Buckman asked. Buckman is not normal—he is unique and extraordinary by any measure, and that is what makes him such a great therapist, social worker, practitioner, neighbor, and friend. “Jonathan has attained master level accomplishments in so many domains, but you would never guess it if you were meeting him for the first time,” his bandmate, neighbor, and co-conspirator Jeff Gladchun told me. “You couldn’t ask for a better friend than Jonathan. He is one of a kind.”
The Enchantment of Lympha: Ancient Spirit of Pure Water
Inside mossy sunken walls, a bronze nymph pours out splashing streams from cupped palms, arms outstretched to make an offering in a little-known garden I visit.
Water calmed as the goddess raised her face from the pool.
Sprinkling her forehead with crystalline drops,
she drew moist tresses over her shoulder,
and began her story…
Five Tales of Ann Arbor’s Haunted History
The city of Ann Arbor has been around for over 200 years. That’s more than enough time for tales of the paranormal to manifest. Probably the most famous local spirit is that of Martha Crawford Mulholland, a.k.a. the Dixboro ghost, who is believed to haunt the Dixboro General Store. But she is far from the only ghost story Ann Arbor has to tell.
Spirit Seeds--Fall 2025
Answers to your questions! How can I use advanced intentional living space principles to create a harmonious home, energetically balanced, and aligned with my spiritual path? What are the best practices for creating and using a vision board to manifest my highest potential and dreams? What are the best ways to protect and shield my energy field from negative entities and psychic attacks?
Healing from Within: The Transformative Power of The Emotion and Body Code
In today’s world, emotional baggage and physical discomfort often leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves. Energy healing modalities provide an avenue for renewal. Among them, The Emotion Code and Body Code—developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson—offer a powerful approach to identifying and releasing emotional blockages. Using techniques such as muscle testing and direct communication with the subconscious, these methods help restore harmony to the mind, body, and soul. Learn more at discoverhealing.com/the-emotion-code.
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy: Opening Doors to Our Inner World
The use of plant medicines for healing and wisdom continues today with many people finding profound benefits from these ancient traditions when used respectfully and in appropriate contexts. One common thread, in almost every practice, is that there’s more to our experience than what we normally see in our day-to-day consciousness. This day-to-day consciousness, along with our ability to reflect on ourselves, is both uniquely human and can create special kinds of suffering.
On Being Authentic
My sister’s death continues to be one of those events my life that frustrates me. I’ll never have the answers that I need to “move on” or “accept” the massive cave of despair her absence has created. It has, however, made me realize that despite the pain of not having her in my life, I have a responsibility and a need to be present for the people that I love, and I will continue to strive to be the best possible wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and therapist that I can be. My conversation with my cousin reminded me of the important and incredibly impactful moment I had with a client shortly after my sister’s death.
Namaste, Katie--Fall 2025 Yoga Column
I also adore leading, or more often being led by, these foundational elements of yoga. This is That: Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras Padas 1 and 2 by Anand Mehrotra, gets right to the heart of your question when he writes “… it is very dangerous to translate it merely as “Thou shall speak the truth and only the truth.”” He goes on to explain that all of our truths are subjective, based our own experiences, and not based on any universal or unbiased truth. He extrapolates that if we are in conflict, our truth is filtered through the lens of that conflict.
A Look at Great Lakes Performing Artists Associates: A Champion for Human Connection Through Music
As arts funding dwindles and screens pull audiences away from live experiences, one Ann Arbor nonprofit is quietly transforming the cultural landscape with soul and purpose. For nearly five decades, Great Lakes Performing Artist Associates (GLPAA) has championed real human connection through music.
A Spiritual Journey Begins With A Dream
Those “angsty” teenage things suddenly meant nothing though when my father abruptly died from a heart attack at the age of 57. I was 19. The incredible pain, fear, emptiness, and anger of those days can’t be adequately described. I felt like I carried huge, black, heavy boulders inside my body. It was hard to lift my feet. Smiling and laughing had become foreign to me. I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders.
Book Review: Your Creator Matrix:How to Use Optimal Wellness and Quantum Healing to Master Your Story and Create Your Reality
Your Creator Matrix by author Cathleen Beerkens blends deep personal insight with cutting-edge science to offer a roadmap for taking control of your story and reprogramming your reality in the process.
What’s It Like to Be an Animal Communicator?
My first real conversation was when I started talking to a squirrel one day to practice my new skills. He interrupted with, “Don’t just waltz in here and start talking, that’s rude! Be. Become. Then ask if someone wants to talk.” He flicked his tail and departed, and I saw the name Tuu-Liss in my mind.
Weekend Getaway--Red Spirit, A Westward Escape
My path to Red Spirit was a bit circuitous but had nothing on owner Karen Duffin’s journey to create the southwestern Michigan escape. Originally from central Illinois, Duffin moved to the area in the 1960s, when her husband relocated for work. Circumstances led the couple to move back to Illinois in the early 1970s, but they wanted to return to Michigan to start a farm. Fast forward to the 1990s; Duffin was divorced and the owner of 20 acres of undeveloped land between Allegan and Saugatuck. Duffin became a caretaker of the land and when she saw a red glow enveloping the landscape, it moved her to name the area “Red Spirit.” Few others have seen the glow, but visitors with psychic and wellness backgrounds “love the energy.” It inspired her to create an intimate, restorative space imbued with natural beauty.
Cottage Food Businesses in Michigan: Creative Connections and Community
Michigan’s Cottage Food Law allows small businesses to make and sell homemade foods from their home kitchens without cumbersome and expensive commercial licensing or inspections. Goodies like breads, jams, cookies, candies, granola, and more can be sold directly to consumers at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and fairs. It can be a wonderful way to connect with the community.
Exploring the Magic of Community— A Look into Metro Detroit’s Autumn Witch Gatherings
To those familiar with the Pagan community, it’s well known that Michigan casts a strong and enduring spell when it comes to Pagan gatherings. Whether you’re a long-time practitioner of earth-based spirituality, or simply curious about modern witchcraft, you’ll find open arms and thoughtful conversation at gatherings like Witches’ Night Out, the Witches’ Ball, and Pagan Pride events throughout southeast Michigan. These community-driven experiences don’t just bring people together, they cultivate shared knowledge, spiritual growth, and a deeper sense of connection.
Dzanc House ~ You’re in the Right Place
Within a beautiful historic house, nestled in the southside historic district of Ypsilanti, you will find a space for creatives where there are regular events, activities, and gallery exhibitions. Upon approaching the house, one will see writing on the window: Dzanc House, you’re in the right place. This is not only an indicator of having found the correct house, but also a way of communicating to the community at large that there’s a place where they belong. Whether it is for reading, writing, drawing, printmaking, knitting, crocheting, embroidering, performing, or simply absorbing the art—you’re in the right place.
