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Commitment — three stories and a picture

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Where are you on the commitment spectrum?

Is your commitment a promise? An obligation? A duty? Or is it as fluid as all of life seems to be?

How do you allow for changes once the commitment is made? Because darling, change happens (there’s that fluidity again!), and I can tell you that it feels so much better when you realize that even when things change, or lose priority, you’re still okay. There is a ton of freedom attached to full-hearted commitment and full-hearted acceptance of the ebb and flow that may cause commitments to change or even disappear.

I have three small-ish stories that arose this week, calling to be shared with you. Each is about commitment in its own way.

Let’s look.

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Women’s Moon Circles — Divine Feminine Wisdom

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Join us in the Moon Circles

Together we can step into Divine Feminine Wisdom in deeper ways than we can do alone

Know this: together we can make needed and badass healing magic, better than we could ever do alone.

All of these things that we fought for and made space for and celebrated over the last decades — who knows what’s going to happen now?

  • Women’s rights
  • Gender freedoms
  • Civil rights
  • Women’s agency and sovereignty over their own bodies.
  • Health care

[Ack! This post is taking a long time to write because I am throwing my hands up and making disgusted noises as I type each of these things in that list above. Okay, calming back down.]
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Balance point and the fiery energy — how to use them

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This year’s balance point — the Equinox — was very lively.

So much wild energy happening (including buckets of much-needed rain here in California).

The Equinox — that beautiful balance point — was sandwiched between the two eclipses of the season, just ahead of the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse this week.

In my world — in my life and in my business — the balance point this year felt like a moment of stillness wrapped around a fiery ball of energy ready to explode! How did the Equinox, and its moment of balance, feel for you? Did you notice anything unusual?

Now we are in that beautiful creation-inspiring, fiery, let’s-get-going, time-for-new-starts Aries energy.

yin yang balance point
Here are three actions you can take that will make good use of all this energy.

Because it’s a new season, because it’s Aries, because you were gonna take action anyway (weren’t you?), so why not feel even better about the changes you have in your mind and heart?

  • Step back from the details and the day-to-day tasks and take a fresh look at your brand. Solopreneur, wisdom teacher, healer, or humanpreneur — your brand is all about how you show up in the world matches your values and actions. What’s aligned, what isn’t? In business: Does your marketing reflect where you are now? Are you supporting your work in the world with a clear, steady, loving presence? Is it time for a facelift, or an upleveling of some or all of the elements of your brand?

    Outside of business: Are you walking your talk? Are you showing up as you intend to? When shit happens (and it does), do you let others know that things have changed? Power tip: Schedule a no-strings call with me and I’ll look at all of it with you.

  • Clean house. Release what no longer serves you. In your office: Step back and take a look at your desk. Declutter those piles of paper and business cards. Take a quick look at each one and either file it, or schedule an action, or toss it. Have a lovely reunion with your cleared desktop and in-baskets.

    You can do the same thing with your clothing. For each item you can ask: Is this in good repair? Do I wear it? Does it fit? Do I like the way I look in it? Depending on the answer, keep it, give it away, or toss it.

  • Start something new, something daring, something you’ve been meaning to do. In your biz: Ask previous clients for referrals. Call someone you’ve met online whose work interests you — bonus points for calling a niche-mate! Schedule some fun time right in the middle of your work week.

    Up your wellness game. More/longer walks. Regular meditation. Take a class. Start cooking. Knitting. Dancing. You know, that big scary stuff!

I’d love to hear what you’re cooking up in this fiery new season. Talk to me in the comments, or send an email.

Release what’s holding you back — Full Moon in Sagittarius

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What happens when you’re stuck?

  • Do your goals and vision seem inaccessible?
  • Do you keep taking actions but feel like you’re not making progress?
  • Do you wonder about giving up, or worse, do you find yourself in fear?

Release fire

Here’s where I am on my journey….

It’s time for me to find a new place to live and work. Not by my choice.

Wait, stop! Part of what holds me back is this insistence on stamping my foot and saying it isn’t my choice! That is the last time I’m going to think and express that thought, because that thought comes from the voice of the victim. And when I’m feeling victimized I am stuck stuck stuck. So…. reboot.

It’s time for me to find a new place to live and work. My landlady is selling this place I’ve been renting and I chose not to buy it. There! That’s better.

And here’s what I’ve been noticing.

I’ve been looking at possible places to move and bemoaning costs and what looked like unacceptable choices. Oy! I was starting to spend so much time stressed that I forgot what faith, trust, and spacious ease felt like. I was fearing that I’d have to take something that doesn’t suit me (a loud smoking and heavy-drinking neighbor overhead) because I wouldn’t be able to find anything else.

Then I released the fear and the discouragement. Which led me to:

  • Awareness (the noticing). I got honest with myself about how I was paying so much attention to the negative thoughts that I forgot what’s true. I copped. I lovingly laughed at myself (yo, people pay me to teach them how to do this!).
  • Acceptance (no self-judgement). I remembered who I am, I remembered that I am safe in the arms of the Divine, and I released what’s holding me back so I can embrace this journey with spacious ease.
  • Action (moving forward in humility and faith). And now when I take actions, make calls, explore sharing space with someone, I do it from this place of surrender. I dwell in the knowing that the right and perfect outcome is already happening for me, and all I need to do is to continue to put one foot in front of the other, eyes up, heart forward, hands open.

Instead of hanging out in dis-couragement, I am now able to again feel en-couraged.

It’s all a choice. When I choose surrender, humility, and faith, it is much easier to move through the tendrils of negative thoughts that want to wrap around me as I go. When I choose to be positive, I can’t get stuck.

I may forget. I may get stuck again before all is said and done but I’m guessing I’ll be able to release and reboot quicker this time. Or I won’t. The amount I suffer is only and entirely up to me. “Said and done”? That happens when I’m dead. Having to move is a thing, yes, it’s a big thing. But it’s not the only thing. Life keeps happening, dunnit?

When I took my morning walk today in my ‘hood — west Oakland — and I passed the piles of garbage and the homeless encampment I could feel in my heart an excitement. I could end up in a higher-vibration neighborhood, and wouldn’t that be wonderful!

Full Moon in Sagittarius

Tuesday, June 2nd
11º49′ Sagittarius
9:18 am Pacific
12:18 pm Eastern

Mercury retrograde in Gemini

continues through
Thursday, June 11th

The Mercury retrograde and the Full Moon in Sagittarius — what a perfect time to release!

How are you faring in this Mercury retrograde? I’ve been finding that conversations are more transparent and loving (what I give out and also what I receive), and that my research and preliminary negotiations are smooth. Of course, I’m without my desktop computer because the hinge that holds the monitor in place (27-inch iMac) died. So there’s that. Hopefully the repair will be done soon. And hopefully that will be the extent of Mercury’s trickster gifts for me this time!

Astrology for Your BusinessIf your journey during this Mercury retrograde has you thinking about where you are in your business and wondering what you might want to rethink, review, and release, this is an especially good time to get an Astrology for Your Business reading. I have time in my schedule for one, maybe two, before Mercury is done with this retrograde journey.

The Sagittarius Full Moon is a great time to release what no longer serves you in your business and in your life.

  • It may be something in the way you are connecting with clients and prospects.
  • It may be your thoughts and attitudes.
  • It may be a relationship or partnership.
  • It may be some behaviors that don’t match your values.
  • It may be a lack of self-care.

Suggestion for your Full Moon ritual

Sagittarius is a fire sign — release in the flames. Light a (safe) fire or get your cauldron. Write down what’s holding you back, and commit to releasing it as you burn what you’ve written. You can do this work on your own, or in a circle of trusted friends under the light of the Moon.

Where are you today? Are you stuck? Are you freely able to release what doesn’t fit or serve any more? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Just for fun, I’m sharing my Pandora Hawaiian station with you.

Yup, weeks  returning from Kaua’i, I’m still listening to Hawaiian music.

I get so much pleasure out of it, hope you will too. Here’s the link.

How does the Scorpio Full Moon call to you?

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I’m getting ready for my week away…

…guided by the intensified inspiration of the Scorpio Full Moon

How does the Scorpio Full Moon call to you?

It’s time for a break. And I am so grateful that it looks like I get to take one.

With the unexpected recurrence of appendicitis, and a couple of days in the hospital, and iffy health since, it’s been an act of faith to be buying sundresses and sunscreen, and getting my hair cut short, and otherwise prepping for my flight this coming Sunday morning. Setting some powerful intentions around here!

Full Moon in Scorpio

Sunday, May 3rd
13º23′ Scorpio
8:42 pm Pacific
11:42 pm Eastern

Scorpio Full Moons invite us into the mysteries in often unexpected ways.

Accept the invitation: embrace your own mysteries and dive deeply into what may have been simmering in your heart, in your dark interior. Here in my part of the world (northern California), we’ve planted our seeds, and the light is lengthening and warming. But we don’t know yet exactly what will come up from the seeds we’ve sown. We don’t know yet what we will reap.

  • What will success look like in your business?
  • What does your heart crave and how can you give it to yourself?
  • What can you do to nurture your own wild, dark, intense, majestic self?

I’ll be away next week — no blog, no newsletter.

I can guarantee photos, although I may be drawing more than taking pix — my colored pencils are my new passion (just have to figure out how many I can bring!). If I have any good photos, I’ll share, and put them on Pinterest, or Facebook, or Instagram.

Wishing you a joyous Full Moon. Let me know what lands for you. Let’s talk in the comments.

Blessed be!

The Full Moon in Virgo — reason meets spirituality

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Every Full Moon is a culmination point

What have you created and completed since the last New Moon?

How have you manifested your creativity and your passion since the New Moon? The Full Moon is the time to celebrate what you have created, completed, and launched. It’s an auspicious moment to express gratitude for what has blossomed and borne fruit from the seeds you planted at the previous New Moon, make note of what is still left to do, and to set your intentions for the coming lunation.

Full Moon in Virgo — where reason meets spirituality

How does the nourishing healing spirit of this Full Moon show up for you?

Full Moon in Virgo

Thursday, March 5th
14º50′ Virgo
10:05 am Pacific
1:05 pm Eastern

The Virgo Full Moon is the last Full Moon before the Equinox. Virgo brings healing, nurturing, and organizing energy. Decluttering and spring cleaning starts to be a thing in the northern hemisphere around this time. I’m guessing that in the southern hemisphere the Virgo New Moon six months later (when you approach Spring) will bring the same impulse. Let me know if I’m right.

  • You may find yourself moved to declutter — the Virgo Full Moon is a great time for cleaning out closets and donating to a meaningful charity or friends-in-need. Go for it!

    In addition to recycling, or donating, though, I invite you to consider repurposing. Could that beautiful silk shirt that got stained be cut up and used in a quilt? Or those boots that are too old to wear could be made into planters!

  • Use the nurturing Virgo energy to take exquisite care of yourself, your business, and your loved ones. Complete what you started, get organized, and dive into the details. I always schedule my tax preparation in the two weeks following this Full Moon. Luckily I have an accountant that can handle receiving my numbers late in March!

  • Speaking of exquisite self-care, you may feel called to cleanse or purify in some way. Remember, this is the Full Moon where reason meets spirituality. Are you called to do something out of the ordinary for your beautiful body which is the vehicle of your consciousness? Or does it appear differently for you: Are you moved to release something in your business that just isn’t working out the way you’d planned? What is that loving voice in your heart whispering to you?

Suggestions for a Full Moon ritual

There’s a strong sense of freedom in this Full Moon.

  • Place something in your altar space to help you remember to cut the ties to what is holding you back. A broken piece of chain, a scissor, or a knife might do nicely.
  • Spend time in the light of the Moon, if you can. Write a gratitude list. And make note of your intentions. What will you complete? What will you release?
  • Celebrate! The Jewish festival of Purim, and the last of the Lunar New Year celebrations happen now. Join the fun or make some of your own.

Let me know how you go. What questions arise for you? Where is letting go easy? Where is it a challenge? Let’s talk in the comments.

Healing and clear vision — what are you meant to be, do, and heal?

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Prayers for healing and clear vision

Full Moon in Leo

Tuesday, February 3rd
14º48′ Leo
3:09 pm Pacific
6:09 pm Eastern

Imbolc

Monday, February 2nd

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius

continues through
Wednesday, February 11th

The Leo Full Moon rises this year just after Imbolc, the time when you can begin to really feel the first stirrings of Spring here in the north if you haven’t already — tree buds are swelling, and daylight is now noticeably longer. The first days of February are also known as Tu BiShvat — New Year for trees — in Judaism; and Groundhog Day in the U.S., symbolizing how animals are waking from their winter hibernation.

Where I live, in Northern California , the magnolias have already bloomed and brought their beauty and heady scent. My daughter and I did our annual photo shoot with the magnolias as a backdrop just the other day.

Magnolias 2015As we celebrate the growing light in the Northern Hemisphere, those of you in the South are approaching the first harvest. Some of us are opening to the light, and the others are seeing the coming darkness. We are all doing our dance around the wheel.

As the light increases, you may feel pulled to focus on your vision for the year ahead.

Accept this invitation, open this gift, lean into the new life and light that was sparked at the Winter Solstice.

Who will you be, what will you do, and what will you heal this coming year? In addition to setting goals and intentions for the two weeks, as you usually do at the Full Moon, look at the year ahead as well. What is being called forth? What will you share of your time, treasure, and talents with the people you love, and those you serve?

Ribbons for healing at ImbolcAsk for a blessing for healing

Imbolc is the Goddess Brigid’s festival. She is a triple Goddess, a healer, a poet, and a maker — no wonder she’s so dear to my heart! It is believed that at Imbolc, she blesses people and livestock. This is a great time to hang pieces of ribbon or cloth out on a bush or a tree for Brigid to bless and imbue with healing properties.

I have done this today. I wrote on pieces of ribbon the names of those I want to be blessed and healed. I walked my neighborhood and found a lovely bush on a corner where there’s a community garden. I hung my ribbons there. I also made smaller versions of my ribbons and glued them in my journal. Because why not?

healing ribbons in the journalMore about the Full Moon

Leo is the sign the represents your individuality, creativity, and leadership. Is there a moment you can step around your fear and step fully into the spotlight? Leo also invites you to nurture those you love and your own beautiful self. Are you making enough time for fun, rest, and adventure?

We are still in Mercury retrograde (Rx) until February 11th

All three of this year’s Mercury retrogrades occur in air signs (this one is in Aquarius), inviting you to re-examine your thoughts, your limiting beliefs, and your social interactions. Mercury Rx also opens the way for you to re-lax, and turn your attention within and listen closely to your Divine Feminine, your inner creative voice. Honor your emotional intelligence, your instincts and your intuition.

Listen to the whispers that resonate in your heart, and open you up to healing and clear vision, as we turn the corner into Imbolc and the Full Moon. What are you meant to be and do and heal in the coming year? How will you step into what is calling you? I’d love to hear what lands for you — talk with me in the comments. Blessed be!

How do you discern what’s true and glean useful knowledge and wisdom?

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There is a lot of information flying around

The upcoming Full Moon in Gemini, which is ruled by Mercury, may be bringing a wide array of information to your attention. Mercury will be only one degree away from the Sun in Sagittarius during this Full Moon, intensifying the information load (and potential overload), if you’re not mindful.

Full Moon in Gemini 2014

Full Moon in Gemini

Saturday, December 6th
14º18′ Gemini
4:27 am PST, 7:27 am EST

It’s a good time to be flexible yet discerning as you go; check all facts before making assumptions and decisions.

Not everything you are told will be useful or reliable, and not everything has to be fixed right now. Gemini’s twin energies can be scattered, and may prefer to go after the quick fix or the hard-to-resist temptation to make hasty decisions. Stop. Breathe. And breathe again. Allow the commitment to the truth that Sagittarius brings to help you discern what’s useful, what can and should be acted upon now, and what can wait.

Believe me, a lot can wait.

Resist impulses, spend some time in the waiting, so you can discern in your sage heart what’s really useful to you and your business at this time. There is useful knowledge and wisdom for you — take the time to get clear.

How liberating is it when you allow yourself to choose what actions you will take!

This is the last Full Moon before the Solstice

The light will begin to change.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere this Moon has been called the Long Night Moon, the Open Moon, and the Cold Moon. Wherever you are, whether the light will begin to return or begin to wane at the Solstice, we are coming up to a turning point. If you can take some time during the Full Moon weekend, some ritual work around communication, expression, and discernment can be really useful. Useful for you and your beautiful heart, and useful moving forward in your business as the calendar year winds to a close.

  • Do you have a special pen, and/or a journal? I have two fountain pens that I use pretty exclusively. One has green ink, for all matters financial, and the other has purple ink, because of course 😎 . I will place my pens outside on Friday to charge overnight with the energy of useful and accurate and loving information (received and given) under the light of the Gemini Full Moon.
  • throat chakraAre you expressing everything you want and mean to say? I like to do some chanting to clear any expressive energy that may be blocked. You can clear the throat chakra by sitting in a meditative posture, and chanting Om 9 times, then Ram 9 times, then Ham 9 times. Stretch out the sound gently, easily, without strain. As you chant, focus on the center of your throat, and imagine the blue image to the right. When you have done your three rounds of chanting, repeat: “My thoughts are positive, and I always express myself truthfully, clearly and with love.”
  • Could you use some support in discerning what’s useful for you now? What I’m going to do is to put a bowl of filtered water outside next to my pens on Friday night to be charged. I will cover it with a cloth or a dish to keep any schmutz (Yiddish: dirt of unknown origin) from landing in the bowl. I will drink the water on Saturday, as close to the actual Full Moon as I can.

What do you have planned to mark the energy of this Full Moon?

I’d love to hear from you! Please talk to me by leaving a comment below.

Blessed be!

Everything contains the seed of its apparent opposite

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Full Moon in Taurus

Thursday, November 6th
14º26′ Taurus
2:23 pm Pacific
5:23 pm Eastern

Apparent opposites and the Taurus Full Moon

I learned this lesson a long time ago, and I’m revisiting the concept again as we come up to the Taurus Full Moon. After all the drama of the Aries Full Moon Lunar Eclipse which was followed by the intense Scorpio New Moon Solar Eclipse, this apparently ho-hum Full Moon in Taurus might seem rather boring. I’m here to tell you (as a Scorpio fixed-sign woman) that it’s those still times that can bring about major and lasting transformations.

Everything contains the seed of its apparent oppositeThe reason apparent opposition is still such a resonant teaching for me is that it helps me with perspective, with myself and with everyone else.

I have learned that while I may be feeling unsure of myself, what others see is often brash, brave, and confident. I have learned that when I’m anxious, my external affect may look calm. Knowing this about myself helps me see everyone in my life with so much more compassion. When someone reacts with anger, I can see past the anger to the hurt inside. When someone expresses elation, I remember that there might be some sadness underneath, or behind, it.

This week’s Full Moon invites you to lovingly look inside.

What changes are ready to be made? In your business, in your relationships? In your wellness?

Remember, this Moon is bringing the Taurus energy, with its themes of security, stability, possessions, health, and wealth. What’s working? What’s not so much?

Here’s where the apparent opposites come in.

Don’t let the Taurean desire to hold on to everything keep you from embracing change. Remember and embrace the opposites. Holding tight to what is and to what you have can hold you back from stepping into the next unfolding of your highest good. And don’t forget: the Sun’s in Scorpio, Venus is in Scorpio, and Mercury will finally re-enter Scorpio on the 8th after the last retrograde. Embrace change, beloved. So much easier than holding tightly. And as I learned in a 12-step meeting, “When you walk around with your hands clenched shut, you can’t receive the abundance that’s coming your way, that’s meant to enrich your life.”

As one of my favorite teachers, Jen Louden, said in her recent blogpost: “I keep trying to open to the ache of being alive. I mostly fail. I don’t stop trying.”

Start with gratitude.

I find that when I stand in and express my gratitude, I’ve made a good start. Gratitude opens my heart and oh-so-resistant mind to what is, what’s moving, what’s changing, and what’s coming.

  • I am grateful for learning the WordPress keyboard shortcuts. Life is much better now! 🙂
  • I am grateful for my birthday tomorrow, and for the dinner party I am having tonight.
  • I am grateful for the smell of the pork shoulder that’s been s-l-o-o-o-o-w-l-y cooking in the oven for the last 18 hours.
  • Ok, I’m also grateful for taste of that roast. At this point, I am hoping there’ll be some left by the time my guests arrive in 3-1/2 hours!
  • I am grateful for a sense of humor around this position I’ve put myself in for the thousandth time, of cooking something I’ve never made before and serving it to guests. Good thing I’m a decent cook. Good thing I ran to the butcher this morning to check out what I was doing. Good thing my friends and family are patient with me! (They’re gonna love it.)
  • I am grateful for my daily walks and for the Map My Walk app I have put on my phone. Now I know how long I walk, and the distance I cover.
  • I am grateful for my improving strength.
  • I am grateful for having doctors in my life with whom I can be completely honest.
  • I am grateful to be learning all the time.
  • I am grateful for my increasing html and css skills. I am rocking making style changes in my website and for others.

I’d love to know how this Full Moon is shining in your heart. How will you enjoy the stillness and invite change? I’d love to hear from you. Please share your insights and your gratitude in a comment.