As the New Year and new decade are now underway, I have been revisiting the ideas and practices around self-care in my life. In looking through some old posts, I came across “Self Care for the New Year”, written way back in 2013…oh my, how time flies! And I thought, wow, it’s time to update this and revisit this topic for 2020.
I love the time of the solstice – winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and summer solstice for our friends south of the equator. In the middle of the holiday season, the solstice gives us an opportunity to connect with the rhythm of the earth, the quiet, still depth of the winter season, and to experience the perfect balance between day and night, light and dark, sun and moon.
The winter solstice reminds me to take time to go deep, to become still and quiet, to allow myself time to complete what needs to be completed, release what needs to be released, and open my heart and entire being gently to the first glimmers of the light of new beginnings.
I loved being a guest on the Sheri + Nancy Show!
In our conversation, we talked about my favorite topic: interspecies communication — especially the spiritual awareness of animals and the great gifts that they bring to our lives.
And… these wonderful women and their dogs make me laugh!
What a rich and multi-layered conversation!
You can listen in HERE.
I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude lately, especially as we approach our Thanksgiving holiday here in the US.
Thanksgiving is a tricky holiday for me, and for many Americans. While I love the concept of a holiday dedicated to gratitude, celebration of the harvest, and spending time with loved ones, I am also aware of the issues of cultural appropriation, genocide, the theft of and continued assault on Native lands and the Earth that the traditional narrative of this holiday represents. (What Does Thanksgiving Mean to Native Americans? is a really thoughtful and clear article about the complexities of the holiday for Native peoples and other Americans who are aware of the dark legacy of colonialism in our country.)
And… giving thanks, not just on a special day, but every day, is a beautiful thing. We know that gratitude is one of the highest energetic frequencies available to us; having gratitude, giving thanks, holding the blessings of our lives in our consciousness is one of the quickest ways to shift our energy. I also believe that gratitude, and thanks-giving is one of the most powerful ways that we have to shift the energy in the collective and on our planet.
I am so excited to announce that the book: The Karma of Cats: Spiritual Wisdom from Our Feline Friends, edited by Diana Ventimiglia, has been published by Sounds True and is now available.
I’m honored to have my essay, “Guru Cat” — the story of how my formerly – feral cat, Freddie, became one of my greatest spiritual teachers and guides — included in this beautiful and inspiring book. (more…)
Many people will be celebrating Halloween here in the US…and around this time of year, I often get questions about how our companion animals feel about wearing clothes and costumes, like this one:
I have the cutest Halloween costume for my dog, and I want to show it off at my kids’ Halloween party, but my friend says it is wrong of me to confine her in clothing. What do you think?
Last August, I participated in a gathering of contributors to Dark Matter: Women Witnessing in rural Quebec, hosted by my friend and editor of Dark Matter, Lise Weil.
This group of writers, artists, and visionaries has been an inspiring and nourishing circle in which we sit in council with each other, dream, write, vision together, and go deep into our shared connection with all life.
I have been thinking a lot about beauty lately… about how, alongside all of the difficulty, suffering, and tragedy in our world, there is an ever-present flow of beauty, joy, grace, and love all around us… and within us.
Many times every day something shows up that takes my breath away, makes me smile or laugh out loud, or makes me bow my head for a few moments in gratitude. Sometimes it’s a bird at my feeder, the flowers in my garden, one of my beloved animal family members’ faces or fur or silly antics; sometimes the voice of a friend, or an inspiration of goodness, an expression of kindness and love in my community or around the world.
Art-music-creativity in all its forms is a conduit for beauty and love, often expressing and nourishing the energy of beauty, compassion, and kindness in our world. One of my soul-sisters sent this to me a couple of weeks ago… and it stopped me in my tracks with its message, its beauty, the powerful spiritual resonance of the lyrics and music. (more…)
Last week, I happily welcomed 5 new hens into my flock of bantam chickens, and I am delighted to introduce them to you!
Meet, Phoebe, a 2 year old bantam Phoenix:
and Ella, Bella, Stella, and Zella, 5-month old D’Uccles:
This month marks the 2-year anniversary of my move to Santa Fe, New Mexico. After over a decade in northern Arizona, where I loved living in both the ponderosa pine forest and the desert riparian ecosystem of the Verde Valley, I am loving exploring the high desert and alpine ecosystems of my northern New Mexico home.
I live at about 7200 feet elevation, with the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains, overlooking the city. The mountains are a primary habitat for the Quaking Aspen forest–or, as I call them, The Aspen People.
As a teacher of interspecies communication and Reiki, I find that a significant percentage of my clients and students resonate with what I share about the blessings and challenges of living as an empath & highly sensitive person. Although I emphasize that identifying as an empath or as a highly sensitive person is NOT necessary in order to become a skilled and proficient animal and interspecies communicator, I do find that this field seems to attract a perhaps greater-than-in-the-general-population percentage of folks who share these traits.
I continue to compile and share resources and tools that I’ve found helpful in my own life and practice. I’ve shared some of these in my previous posts:
Resources for Empaths and Highly Sensitive People
In this post, I’m going to share some practical, physical tools that I use on a regular basis that have become staples of my self-care as an empath and highly sensitive person.
I have been a Reiki practitioner and Reiki teacher for over a decade. When I first began my journey with Reiki, I had no idea what a practical, simple, and profound gift it would be. I can honestly say that I use Reiki on a daily basis in my life… in ways that are simple, easy, and deeply nourishing and healing. (more…)
It is with sadness and and deep gratitude for the gifts of our relationship that I share with you that my sweet Afghan Hound-Golden Retriever mix, Leah Grace, passed into the spirit world on July 7.
Leah’s death was sudden and without much warning, from a silent and aggressive cancer that she showed no symptoms of until her last few days. She passed peacefully in my arms in our home, surrounded by our animal family and many angels. There was a powerful portal in her transition between the two eclipses, offering her an energetic support for gracefully leaving this life.
Like 
many people who live in a multi-animal household, it’s often a struggle for me to give each of my animals all of the one on one time that they, and I, would like. I do my best to create opportunities for solo time with each of the dogs and cats (and the chickens who enjoy it) when I can. (more…)
I’m just back from teaching my program on Animal and Interspecies Communication at The Monroe Institute in beautiful, lush western Virginia this week. Our international group of participants shared a beautiful week together, learning the foundational principles of telepathic communication with animals and all life…including trees, minerals, plants, mountains, and the elementals (often known as nature spirits, fairies, devas…) (more…)
