~Are You Feeling Part of the Whole?~

I recently had an email exchange with a client that allowed me a different perspective on my own journey and relationship with my intuition. I had happily offered to share some book titles for exploring intuition and then when I went to actually list some titles, I realized just how different my path has been to my current knowing of self and source and how intertwined they are. To me, intuition is being fully in flow with source and thus able to access information that is beyond what we think of as self. Young adult fantasy novels helped me in a huge way (read as an adult) in finding ways of moving with nature and finding my flow within the world. (I know, really!) I feel as though I am at the leading corner of an enormous fabric that stretches out behind me and is woven of all the strands of my experiences leading me to this exact moment. At the same time, I am a tree with branches reaching to the stars and roots that are my experiences providing the nourishment that has led me to my current self. It’s not as though this is any end point, this is all an ongoing experience of being. Maintaining my ability to feel in flow with nature and source is key to maintaining my sanity and ability to move through this world, but so, too, is continued exploration of flow and nature and source.

How do I both maintain and explore? Much of my self-care is both. My gratitude practice maintains my relationship with gratitude and perspective and it’s not a stagnant, detached practice, so it is also an exploration of gratitude and perspective. My walking practice maintains my awareness of my physical self and my physical connection with this planet, and allows me a specific time, space, and place for exploring this physical realm and how/where I am part of the whole. My writing practice creates a specific way and place to unload all the thoughts and feelings that I carry (mine and not mine) which helps me maintain a regular clearing for myself, and also creates a specific way and place for dreams and insights and explorations. I have other self-care practices, but these are my foundation and provide an example of how I am able to both maintain and explore within the same practices.

I will be offering a class to support your own journey into finding your flow within nature and feeling part of the whole. This class is still taking shape, so if this is something that resonates with you, please let me know, especially if there are specifics you are looking for. Details will be coming as the shape becomes clearer.

September Special:

September is a month of transitions and I’d like to provide some support to those of you needing help with one specific issue. The One Issue Session: 30 minutes of guided meditation and conversation. Special price of $35 for this month only. Please email me to book a session.

• If you’re looking for some clearing or balancing for you and/or your whole family in these intense times, email for a session.
• If you’re looking for some nature connection in the physical realm, we can arrange a walk’n’talk and get you noticing your surroundings in new ways, email for a session.
• If you’re looking for some nature connection across the tiny screen in front of you, follow me on Instagram: intuitive_energy_guide and you’ll get views and positive words all in one spot.
• Dog tricks are an exciting and fun part of my world at the moment with teaching classes and working with Lilly. Be sure to find Doggedly Whole on fb and ig, too. Shared moments of joy with your 4-legged(s) are so healing!

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality! Thank you for your continued support and referrals.

~Namaste

~What a Summer!~Are You Breathing?~

Most everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that intense is the word that rings the bell for this summer. Whether it’s the weather (with swings from extremes of cool to hot or dry to flooding) or health (bizarre health scares and diagnoses) or work (lots or none or completely different) or _____ (fill in the blank) everything is intense. I find that the bigger picture energies are providing me with some helpful perspectives. This wacky summer here on planet earth is wacky in the skies, too, with five (soon to be six) planets retrograde which doesn’t really happen that often and especially not during an eclipse window that holds the longest solar eclipse in this century. Wait, what?! I know, I know, it’s crazy. As above, so below, or really, just remember we’re miniscule beings on a small planet in a massive galaxy…it’s all somewhat magical when you look from this perspective.

Two big themes or highlighted concepts this summer seem to be communication and boundaries. Working with multiple species, I spend a lot of time navigating communication across species and am aware of just how hard it is for most of us to communicate with our own species. It’s hard enough for some folks to notice, let alone read, body language from other people (we’re not even talking about words), even grasping the concept that other species are also speaking with body language can be mind bending for some people. Add in words and you’re in a whole new realm. Many of us are very mental and it’s really easy to get stuck in the head and not be able to listen to someone else let alone get out of the head and open to different perspectives. One of the missing links with communication in our world is that with the speed of life, nuance and detail (and more) get lost in the shuffle and little gaps become gaping chasms. Boundaries are hard enough in easier times, but add in the intensity of this summer and boundary lessons are everywhere. Whether you have no boundaries at all, your boundaries are way too solid, or you fall somewhere on the continuum somewhere in between these two extremes, you are probably learning something new about boundaries right now. Be nice to yourself.

Staying grounded and centered is hard for me this summer and I honestly don’t remember feeling this ungrounded and off kilter any time in recent years if ever. I find myself struggling to keep my practices going steadily because of the upheaval of my life (both internal and external) this summer. I continue to come back to my practices every moment I can and I have really been relying on breathing practices throughout the day to keep me present in the moment. Yes, I have some slightly fancier breathing practices that I do use, but for the most part, I just pay attention to my breath and use balanced breathing (deep breaths with the same count for an inhalation as for an exhalation) and find that even only 2 or 3 breaths with focus make a big difference.

What pops to mind now is not “Steady on,” but, “Breathe in flexibility.”

• If you’re looking for some clearing or balancing for you and/or your whole family in these intense times, email me for a session.
• If you’re looking for some nature connection in the physical realm, we can arrange a walk’n’talk and get you noticing your surroundings in new ways, email me for a session.
• If you’re looking for some nature connection across the tiny screen in front of you, follow me on Instagram: intuitive_energy_guide and you’ll get views and positive words all in one spot.
• Dog tricks are an exciting and fun part of my world at the moment with teaching classes and working with Lilly and Lilly having her first modeling gig photo shoot. Be sure to find Doggedly Whole on Facebook and Instagram, too. Shared moments of joy with your 4-legged(s) are so healing!

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality! Thank you for your continued support and referrals.

~Namaste

Two Tools Combine for Activism for All

In today's world there we are inundated with so much ugliness. Inhumane treatment is not new, but the scope and acceptance of it is. The antipathy of most Americans is a pattern that is long in building. It is past time to take some form of action. While your words are only one way to take action, they are still an important one. So, I'm sharing two tools that work together to help you get your words to the politicians who are supposed to be representing you.

Tool One: Do you know about Resistbot? It is one of the many rays of hope that can found in this current world. It's an easy to use tool for getting your words to your representatives. It is a volunteer run service and it's not for profit. You can text or use Twitter or Facebook Messenger to connect with Resistbot (it's free for them if you use Twitter or Facebook Messenger). They walk you through the steps. All you need to do is send the word "resist" via one of three pathways I listed above and you're on your way.

Tool Two: Have you heard Americans of Conscience? Sign up for the weekly checklist on Jennifer Hofmann's page and you'll get an email with not just information about bills in DC for the week, but she provides you with a script for calling or writing your representatives about those bills. She also has positive stories of change and there's a sense of connection and hope. If you take her scripts and use Resistbot it won't take but a few minutes to get your words to your representatives.

I try to tick off a letter or two a day and make my way down the list over the week. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

~Remembering We Are All in this Together~We Are Nature~

July sunrise

Lately I’ve been noticing the us against them mentality popping up everywhere. I see it at the core of what’s going on in so many situations around the world. I find that tied in with this is being aware of definitions and how they can limit and/or exclude or allow for expansion and inclusion. I’ve been on a personal exploration of definitions I am carrying and living by, and finding which are helpful to me and which are not, and I’m seeing the reflection in the larger picture as well. What is a country? How arbitrary are the lines and words and timelines that define countries, citizens, legalities/illegalities? This nation and the entire human species are undergoing massive transformations and the ugliest of uglies are everywhere, but so are the most amazing of hearts.

One of the other keys that is also tied in with this us against them mentality (in a which came first the chicken or the egg sort of situation) is this foundational belief that life is human versus nature; that we as humans are not part of nature and that life is a fight against nature. I find that to be such an ego belief, as though we are better than something of which we are a minor piece. Nature is far larger than our puny little species and will most certainly be here long after the demise of our species (towards which we seem to be doing a magnificent job of speeding). I feel that every minute you tune into being part of the macrocosm of nature, is a moment of healing for you and all that you are tuned into. If there is a fight to be made, I believe it is a fight towards unity with nature. This fight is one fueled by love and cooperation and community. Use your voice in any way that you can, there are many who need help.

• If you’re looking for some activism ideas, check the next blog post for more details.
• If you’re looking for some healing (self-care is a necessity for this fight), email me for a session.
• If you’re looking for some nature connection in the physical realm, we can arrange a walk’n’talk and get you noticing your surroundings in new ways, email for a session.
• If you’re looking for some nature connection across the tiny screen in front of you, follow me on Instagram: @intuitive_energy_guide and you’ll get views and positive words all in one spot.
• Dog tricks are an exciting and fun part of my world at the moment: teaching classes, working with Lilly, and Lilly's first modeling gig photo shoot. Be sure to find Doggedly Whole on Facebook and Instagram, too. Shared moments of joy with your 4-legged(s) are so healing!

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality! Thank you for your continued support and referrals.

~Namaste

Overeager Greeters~Part 2

Having a dog who looks to you when she sees people is so helpful!

As the one who gets to decide what the end behavior looks like, you may need some help scanning through the options. There is one important piece that often gets completely ignored. You don’t want your dog to think that every human she sees is one she will get to greet. There are many reasons why you might not want your dog to greet someone. For starters, when you’re out in public with your dog, do you really want her to think that *every* person is to be greeted? But something else to think about is that you might come across a person who’s petrified of dogs or gives off bad vibes or has a dog who is dog reactive or fill in the blank. As you can see this is a pretty big piece and should be factored into your dog’s greeting behavior. Wait, but how do you do this? In very simple terms, you practice seeing people and not greeting them. And you can clarify things by naming the greeting behavior so that your dog knows when she gets to say hi and when she doesn’t. As always, I’m happy to help you with this or another dog training issue. Touch base with me HERE.

Overeager Greeters: When Jumping for Joy at People *Isn’t* the Greeting You Want from Your Dog

Bryn is politely waiting for the approach of a human he knows.

Puppies are adorable and small…so when they are exuberantly jumping all over you and your friends, you probably aren’t thinking about what happens to that behavior when they get bigger and the jumping on you and your friends becomes jumping on or at *all* people and how that can head toward dangerous territory. Your puppy isn’t going to read your mind if you suddenly get upset and expect new behavior for greeting people. You need to create the behavior you want from your full sized dog now, not later. Food motivated dog? Great, that’s what you can use to reinforce the new behavior. If your dog loves people, you have another reinforcer already built into this situation: actually getting to be with the people (but in a way that is safe for everyone).

Where do you start? The many ways a dog can politely greet people can look different, but the common denominator is that all of your dog’s feet will be on the ground. One of the easiest ways to make sure your dog’s feet stay on the ground is to place the reward, food, on the ground or floor. It’s hard to bend down and eat while jumping on people! This is just the beginning, but you have to start somewhere, right? If you need help with an overeager greeter, contact me and we’ll get the specifics lined up and create the behavior you want now, not later.

~What’s Going On? Lots!~New Month, New You~

Whew! There went May and June is already rolling along. Things I did for work in May: dog sat for the first time in almost 3 years; taught tricks classes for dogs and their humans; finished teaching writing and mindful movement classes at CHEC; walked dogs (training and enrichment); worked one on one training with dogs and their human family members; did bodywork for humans and dogs at an agility trial and an agility seminar; had energy sessions with humans, a dog, and humans and their dogs and cats. Things I did for fun in May: went to some live music events with friends; walked and talked with friends (both 2-legged and 4-legged); ate tasty food with friends; went dock-diving with Lilly for the first time this season; and walked a lot. I don’t often look back at a month and take stock of what I did, but this was such a chock-full month with so many new and different things occurring that it felt helpful to look at it all as a whole. Was your May this busy? Were you experiencing new and different things?

June feels totally different. I know it’s barely begun, but there’s a different sense of flow. And the solstice is this month: light, so much light to draw upon! As May transitioned into June I had several days that didn’t go at all as planned. Even what seemed like a big deal ended up being okay. And I have been reminded, again, what flexibility and flow can feel like even as I am reminded, again, how much I need some bit of structural stability in my day. My mantra has resurfaced: I am different, thus any and everything can be different, too. Are you feeling it?

Work With Me

I have been excited by some energy work I’ve done with clients recently where we work together several times in a month on a larger piece of life and allow time for the processing to occur before taking the next deep dive. If you’ve got something that feels layered or just too large to explore in one session, let’s line up a couple of sessions and see how things flow.

I’ve got some slots open for training or enrichment walks for dogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Key West, Pantops, or North Downtown areas. If this is something you’re interested in, let me know and we’ll talk details.

I will also be offering Bodywork for Dogs at Natural Pet Essentials on Wednesday, June 13. Whether your dog is a senior, has specific physical issues that need attention, or you just want to treat your dog to some feel dog, the benefits are huge: promotes relaxation; relieves pain; increases and balances the circulation of all fluids; improves mobility; affects mood and anxiety. Details are still being finalized so, please let me know if you’re interested and keep an eye HERE.

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality! Thank you for your continued support and referrals.

~Namaste

~Tools for Transitions~Being and Doing~

Excuse the poor quality of this photo. This is a total DIY phone camera through the binoculars. But, isn't she lovely?

Because life is never stagnant, we are always in some form of transition whether we’re thinking of it that way or not. When the transition is a bigger one or just has clearer edges to it, we’re usually aware that we’re in transition and might give it a name: changing careers, going to college, moving to a new state, getting married, becoming a parent. There are so many transitions in life that if we named them all we probably wouldn’t have the time to actually live those transitions. But, when we do undergo a major transition, awareness practices can be an important piece of navigation. Just yesterday I found myself saying that my gratitude practice is part of what has kept me sane over the last few years. And while I may have been laughing as I said it, it was a heartfelt statement. Without my daily walks and gratitudes, I would not be the me I am right now. Finding and maintaining human connections that are supportive and healthy is also super important during transitions. As someone who would happily exist with a few critters in the boonies walking and just being, I have to be sure to schedule human time, because I know I need it and so appreciate the good people I know in this life.

The bigger energies at the moment are bringing our awareness to being and doing as two equally important aspects of our existence. I feel like the last 10 years have been all about me learning to just be, and this is the turning point where I shift focus and learn how to just do. Ideally I will find the right balance of being and doing before I exit this life, right? I keep hearing from others and seeing examples, too, of how this being and doing awareness is playing out. What are you sensing? Does this resonate for you?

Nature update: Saturday morning I saw both adult eagles off the nest after watching one feeding the nestling(s). Last week I got to see the vixen stalk and kill a big squirrel and then cart it back to the den where she shoved it in and promptly left to hunt some more. Saturday morning I saw three kits dashing about between the two den entrances, and in such a short period of time they’ve gone from round, fluff balls to long, skinny lines. The birds are streaming in from afar and the warblers are singing away. Wildflowers are slow to appear so far where I’m looking. I know of two secret caches of showy orchis that are usually blooming by now and the greenery is only this past week peeking out of the earth. It’s greening up and the flowering trees are adding brilliant touches of color to the world, too. Spring really is here.

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality. If you need dog help or energy work, please email or call me at 434-249-9786 to schedule a session. My dog classes are currently full, please email if you want to be on a wait list or if you have a friend or two and want to create your own mini class. I hope to be announcing some new classes soon! Thank you for your continued support and referrals.

~Namaste

~Spring Has Sprung~

Dog training often involves the learning of two species at the same time. Sometimes you have an experienced human working with an inexperienced dog and sometimes the opposite of that. But there are still so many people who have never trained a dog (or have not trained using positive reinforcement anyway) that I get to work with these dual species learning situations regularly. It’s an opportunity to witness magic. As you may know by now, I love finding magic. And there are so many ways and places to find it, that I’m always looking for it. The magic of working on a recall (coming to a person when called) and seeing one dog’s bouncing happiness as she runs to her person who has a bright smile on her face is priceless.                                                                                   

Dog training is all about communication and behavior which are so intricately linked. While the language has changed over the years and we are not commanding dogs to do things (most of us anyway), instead we create behaviors that are appropriate for the situation, we are ultimately still striving for a balance with two different species who cohabit. There is a wide spectrum of how this plays out because we, the humans, are typically making all the decisions. This spectrum runs from no thought to the dog’s perspective to giving the dog the power of consent. That’s a rather wide range! There is no end to the learning for all involved from me, the trainer, to the students of all species.

One of the key pieces of learning, no matter who is doing the learning or what is being learned, is being able to be receptive to new information. And receptivity brings up resistance because often if we can’t receive it’s because we’re resisting. This push and pull of receptivity and resistance has been at the forefront of my awareness recently. The equinox has passed and it is now spring, Mercury has gone retrograde, and things in general feel a bit uneven to me. There’s an uplifting sense of hope and creative freshness, but at the same time there are layers of old grief, pain, and negative patterns being unearthed. In the last month, I have felt like some old patterns have been flaking or sloughing off of me like dried mud off skin. Combine that with this slow to warm up weather and I’m jealous of Lilly’s ability to swim in these colder temperatures because I feel like a swim would be so satisfying in feeling washed clean of these old patterns.

Some of the creative freshness in my spring is getting to teach kids for the first time in years. I am teaching a writing class for older kids and co-teaching a mindful movement class for younger kids. I even have a dog training team of a 10 year old human and a 1 year old Bernese Mountain Dog. It’s so much fun. I am also getting some tricks classes started up and I’m excited that I’m going to have straight up beginners in addition to more seasoned human and dog teams. (See the details below.) The eagles are feeding nestling(s) and one of them flies overhead in the dark on our morning walk as she or he heads out to hunt with that internal time piece so precise according to the light that it’s the same time on my clock every day. I have spotted the vixen at her den, so I’m hoping to see some kits soon. Spring has sprung and new life is everywhere. The colors are emerging!

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality. If you need dog help or energy work, please email or call me at 434-249-9786 to schedule a session.

Tricks Class Cville

• Wednesdays May 2-23 6:30-7:30PM
• $100 at Natural Pet Essentials
• Human and dog friendly dogs only. All levels of training experience welcome. Details and how to register HERE.

Tricks Class Crozet

• Tuesdays April 10-May1 6:30-7:30PM
• $100 We will meet outside at different locations in Crozet.
• Human and dog friendly dogs only. All levels of training experience welcome. Details and how to register HERE.

Thank you for your continued support and referrals!

~Namaste

~Are You a Lumper? A What?!~ ~How dog training concepts cross over to help us navigate overwhelm~

If you’ve never really done much dog training, you might not realize how dog training pertains to life as a human. I have had many a conversation over the years with friends who have dogs on just how it is all related. When you are training a dog, you often have a current behavior and a future behavior you want. The work is in getting from the current behavior to the future behavior. For example, you have a dog who is so excited by seeing people, she jumps up on them, but you’d like to create a new experience and have her calmly standing or sitting to greet people. When you’re training a new behavior you have to break it down to tiny steps that build toward the goal behavior. Just like a road trip, you can’t get from home to the grocery store without lots of tiny little steps (get keys, go out to car, drive car down this road, then that road, etc.), with training a new behavior you need to split it down to those tiny steps and make sure the dog really gets each one solidly before moving to the next step. A lumper is a person who doesn’t split the behavior down far enough for the dog to get the important little steps. Are you a lumper?                                                                          

I know I am, especially when I am in overwhelm. Whether it’s fear or too much happening at once, whatever the cause, overwhelm tends to immobilize me in a space where everything feels so far away that it’s inaccessible or unattainable. I typically feel like I am stuck at A and I want to get to Z but I can’t even see B, C, D, etc. Sometimes the overwhelm is so big and strong I can’t even remember that there are other letters in the alphabet. Lumping is like trying to leap from A to Z when we can barely jump a foot and A to Z is 10 miles. I also tend to fall into lumpdom when I feel stuck in any situation. I get stuck in all sorts of spots even without overwhelm, maybe you do, too?

So how can we use this awareness of being a lumper? I find that remembering to breathe is a great first tiny step to take whenever I’m in overwhelm. Using my inner and outer vision to scan from the end goal, however inaccessible it seems, back to my current situation, I try to focus on something tiny right in front of me. Sometimes it’s taking any action that can help start to bring more of the tiny steps into view, so maybe it’s getting outside and taking a short stroll around the yard for a couple of minutes focusing on how you are connected to the earth and your surroundings. Overwhelm is from the energy of the state of separation, in other words, forgetting you are source, so finding a short cut back to the energy of the state of connection can be a life saver. Breathing practices, eyes scanning the horizon, walking while focusing on your feet connecting to the planet, looking at a picture of a loved one, these are a just a few basic ways you can shift your awareness back to connection with source. Feeling love and/or joy is a way to reconnect quickly, so explore what that can be for you.

As always I love to hear your thoughts and current reality. If you read this and realize you’re a lumper and need help splitting things down, let’s work together. Maybe you just need a new perspective or some time spent in your heart space feeling your connection to the divine, or maybe you need help with dog training, please email [link] or call me at 434-249-9786 and schedule a session.

~Namaste

~Flying at Light Speed? Let’s Slow Down~

January energies have been rather intense. There’s a new frequency now where everything is moving at light speed and the mental aspect, in particular, is very affected by this. It’s not just that things are happening fast, there are lots of things happening. The speed is very much intertwined with time. So much so that last Tuesday evening I was talking with my sister about my Monday, and noticing how it had been jam packed with stuff (sooo much happened) and how it felt like it had been so much farther ago than just a day. I realized that as you’re reading this, it has only been three weeks since I sent my Doggedly Whole announcement emails out; I’ve got clients and am loving it!

One of the side effects of the mental aspect being affected by this new frequency is the brain racing—a lot. Another side effect I have noticed is that any old patterns that were specifically mental patterns are close and keep nudging in trying to grab hold again. But, my sense is that the reappearance of these old mental patterns is tied in with this Wednesday’s full moon which is a blue moon (second full moon in a calendar month) and is also a full eclipse to start the eclipse season. It feels like these patterns have returned so that we can notice the self-transformation from when they were a regular part of self to the current self where they no longer have a home. And then they will be more fully released with this lunar eclipse.

I have found that any time spent in contact with the earth is a huge help with this new frequency. Lilly and I have been adding in new elements of play and engagement, and one piece of that is that I sit on the ground for a long period of time letting her choose to engage with me or not. With all that time just sitting on the ground, I can tell how much better I feel. My physical connection to the bigger, slower frequencies of the planet allows my body to be supported vibrationally as this new, faster frequency is flowing through me. When I am connected with nothing but fabric between me and the earth, I am a full blown symphony with the full range of frequencies all interconnected and supported.

What have you noticed this month? How are you handling this new frequency? As always, I love to hear your experiences. And if you’re in need of some added support, let’s work together whether it’s for clearing, new perspectives or something else specific you need. Email me for a session. Thank you for your continued support and referrals, especially as I move through this transition to more fully provide both ends of the spectrum: energy work and dog training!

If you’re on social media, check me out on HERE, HERE, and HERE.

~Namaste

~New Year and Big News!~

It’s a new year! And for me, this new year means a new addition to my work. I’d like to welcome you to Doggedly Whole: Dog Training for the Whole Dog, my new business. I’ll be helping you and your dogs via relationship-based training to reach the balanced life you desire. I am really stoked to make this move and add the very practical aspect of dog training to my energy work with all species! Yet another way to bridge the species gap so that everyone can thrive in a multispecies family.

Don’t worry, my energy work will continue so, I am still available to work with you individually or in your multispecies family. However you found your way to this newsletter, by now you have seen something from me about Lilly, my border collie, pictured above. (I know, me talk about my dog?!) She’s been an integral part of being able to see this path to dog training. For me, 4-leggeds are some of my most clearly supportive guides. While this has been an organic transition (clients reaching out for energy work and actually needing dog training), it has been rather rapid with the details only coming together in the last several of weeks.

I’d love your help as I get Doggedly Whole up and running. Don’t worry it’s painless. All I ask is that you pass my information and website along to anyone you know who might be looking for some help with their dog(s). Here are just a few things I can help with:

• new behavior when company comes over
• new behavior instead of barking at traffic out the window
• new leash walking skills
• new ideas so your dog has comfortable down time

I’ll be working from the core concepts of exercise, enrichment, nutrition, communication,and connection to help you and your dog find a balance that suits you both. My website is a work in progress at the moment, but details can still be found right HERE.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. And I couldn’t do this without your support.

Thank you for spreading the word!

May you shine your light brightly and know we, the world, need you just as you are. Happy New Year!

Namaste

~Shapes, Shifts, Turning Seasons~Looking for What’s Different Brings Change~

Happy Winter Solstice!

As we near the turning point of the seasons and the shift from shrinking days to lengthening days, it’s a great time to tune into ourselves and do a deep dive into self. (If you need help with this, let’s have a session!) Paying attention to what is and looking for what’s different, allows you to notice the shifts internally as well as externally. A few weeks ago I woke up early in the dark, as usual, and as I was moving from my bed to my yoga mat, I realized I was a different shape. No, my physical body wasn’t particularly different, it was the sense of myself as a whole being that had changed. Could I even put into words how my shape shifted? No. But, it has really helped me know that as I continue to grow, learn, and expand, all of me is affected.                                                          

Are you at all aware of your shape? I mean the shape of your entire being, not just your physical body. Perhaps this is something you haven’t really thought about. Since I am so spatial, shapes, and how they relate to or interact with other shapes, are something I notice. I don’t spend a lot of time defining my shape or the shape of others, but I do seem to have a baseline norm that I’m aware of, thus, I notice deviations from that norm. Does this all sound crazy? Here’s a physical world example of what I’m talking about. When I’m out walking, my eyes are scanning the world. My eyes run along the tree lines, the planes and slopes of the fields. I spend a lot of time outside and thus my eyes combine that information (and constantly add to it) and have mapped what is the “normal” view. So, my eyes snag on something different, something that doesn’t fit in with the mapped view, and I check it out in focus. It might be a bird in flight or in a tree. It might be a skunk not traveling very fast because she’s rooting for grubs, but noticeable because of her size, shape, and motion. It might be a bunch of leaves that still hasn’t fallen from the big oak. This is all part of my search for what is and my underlying search for what is different. You can’t know what is different, if you don’t know what is and what is and what is.

One way to shift your thinking to this what-is-different-perspective is to pick something (your physical body is an easy place to start, but it could be the view out your window, or your critter) and check in once or twice a day asking yourself, “What is different?” Maybe you don’t notice anything different, but you do spend those few seconds really checking which means you are more of aware of what is. Maybe you do notice something different; it could be drastic or subtle. Just explore and have fun with this. And don’t forget to try the mantra below as it fits right in with this.

Mantra

If you haven't tried it, give it a whirl today: I am different, thus any and everything can be different, too. It’s potent.

Gift Certificates

Do you know someone who has everything; or someone who is interested in different experiences? Know a family who has lost or gained a companion animal? Maybe you know someone craving a new perspective. I offer gift certificates! Please email for details.

As always I am here to assist you in clearing the way to new perspectives whether for just you or you and your companion animals. Please email or call 434-249-9786 for a session. Thanks for keeping me in mind and sharing my work with those you think might resonate!

~Namaste

Your Guide to December Energies

It's the final month of 2017 and there's lots going on in the bigger picture. Maybe you're feeling some of this? Here are some great perspectives on the current energies.

Lee Harris has an energy update for the month with goodies like:

"BRING YOURSELF TO LIFE could be the theme for December."

"Remember, FEAR ENERGY creates division and separation and retraction. Fear energy is pumped out to the world quite regularly from several sources. So you really need to monitor how you are feeling. What do you need? What are you doing today? When you take care of all of those things, you naturally become more generous towards others."

The Power Path has a lengthy forecast with details on how this affects you personally, your relationships, your health and physical body, your business partnerships and projects, your environment, then breaks things down to a week by week time frame.

"The main theme for December is 'UPGRADE.'"

"There is an expansive quality to the month that should lean towards excitement and inspiration about the possibilities. We can struggle a bit with fear of the unknown but remember that fear and worry are usually about things that have not yet happened so part of the discipline of the month is to stay present. In the present you have just your current experience to deal with."

"It will be important to pay close attention to your daily details and to stay really present with what is working and what isn’t. The only way to successfully upgrade is to tell the truth about what needs it and then to be disciplined about taking the necessary steps."

Mystic Mamma has her usual compendium of astrological treats and I recommend this and this. You will probably find at least a phrase that you resonate with, if not lots of them!

I'd love to hear how you're feeling the energies this month and how you're adjusting!

~Namaste

~Are You Ignoring Your Physical Body?~Explore How You Are Living in this Physical Plane~

A couple of weeks ago when I was writing my newsletter, words kept arriving that had to do with the physical body and its messages for us. But when I got into editing mode, those words weren’t meshing with the rest of my newsletter, so I put them aside. And then in the couple of days after my newsletter went out, I heard from several people, some even in response to the newsletter, about physical issues. (I am noticing how I am more clearly reading the bigger energies that are swirling around. And I love that this feels like my continuing expansion into my full self which at the same time is an expansion into, and of, the All.) Since I am listening, you get another newsletter sooner rather than later.                                                        

Many of us treat our physical bodies as tools or vehicles. I continue to get reminders about how important an aspect of this human existence the physical body really is. Our bodies are giving us messages all the time. And we ignore most of them, even when those messages are screams. Our bodies do not just give us alerts with catastrophes; they tell us what feels good, what doesn’t feel so good, what hurts. They have messages about the patterns in our lives, about old and new, about change. We would not be humans without these bodies, so we need to embrace this aspect of being human and live more fully in and through these bodies.

Nothing stays the same; change is the norm even as we crave, and often strive for, sameness. Our bodies are always changing. We can be empowered by choosing to engage with and be in these bodies in different ways. We can ignore or not engage with joint pain or we can choose to try something different like yoga or Alexander Technique or taking a walk. We can treat all food as equal fuel or choose to pay attention to what we are fueling our bodies with. We can ignore the messages that say slow down (whether it’s for just that moment or week or a change in general physical life speed) or we can listen and adjust. There’s a lot of give and take that we can participate in with our bodies when our culture predominantly preaches two main things that really don’t allow us to fully live in these bodies in this human experience: no pain, no gain; and, aging is both inevitable and bad/awful. These messages keep us separated from our bodies and focus on control. We wouldn’t be here having this human experience if we didn’t have these bodies. Really. Just as your mind is an aspect of you and not the whole you, so is your physical body as aspect of you and not the whole you. As to the control facet, that’s yet another piece of fear or being in a state of only knowing separation from source. There are no magic answers except, of course, for the answers that are magic for you…and you are more likely to find answers when you are actively looking and listening and open to them.

If you have companion animals, they are great teachers about living in and through the physical body. It’s not that they do it better, they just do it somewhat differently. And paying attention to their hows can provide you with new perspectives for your own experiences in a physical body. There are critters who are always totally aware of their physical bodies and there are those who aren’t always aware that they have a physical body. Interestingly enough, I find plenty of companion animals who are not fully grounded into their physical bodies and the physical plane. Again, it’s not about better, it’s about different perspectives and how opening to a variety of perspectives can shift your own experiences. If you’ve got critters, pay attention and see what they have to share with you.

Mantra

I'm loving what I’m hearing from you about your experiences with this new mantra. If you haven't tried it, give it a whirl today: I am different, thus any and everything can be different. It’s potent.

Gift Certificates

Do you know someone who has everything; or someone who is interested in different experiences? Know a family who has lost or gained a companion animal? Maybe you know someone craving a new perspective. I offer gift certificates! Please email for details.

As always I am here to assist you in clearing the way to new perspectives whether for just you or you and your companion animals. Please email or call 434-249-9786 for a session. Thanks for keeping me in mind and sharing my work with those you think might resonate with it!

Events:

November 28, Tuesday 4-6 I am offering free 15 minute sessions at The Elderberry. I will guide you through a brief meditation bringing your awareness to this heart to heart connection with your pets. If you want a taste of my work or know someone who might be interested, please come. To clarify this event is just for people…you’ll be able to check in with your pets once you get home to see what their response is.

~Namaste

~Gratitudes, Like Platitudes but Better and a New Mantra~

This week is Thanksgiving. While my gratitude practice is a daily one, I like to share gratitudes with others along the way. Here are a few.           

• I am grateful for electricity.
• I am grateful for comfy socks.
• I am grateful for Lilly’s joy and exuberance.
• I am grateful for feeling hope.
• I am grateful for you reading this blog.
• I am grateful for those of you who are referring your friends and neighbors to me.
• I am grateful for expansion.
• I am grateful for knowing, not knowing, and unknowing.

 I’ve had an uptick in folks looking to improve the level of communication with their companion animals and I continue to be amazed at just how much can happen during and from a 30 minute session. Referrals continue to be the best way for new clients to find me. Thank you for sending people my way!

New Mantra

A couple of weeks ago a new mantra showed up for me and I am finding it so true and helpful on all levels of my being that I want to share it with you: I am different, thus any and everything can be different. You read or say it and it seems so straightforward. Then you keep saying it and you notice the waves of shifting that are happening in all aspects of self. I’d love to hear your experiences with this one, so please let me know! It’s potent.

Events

November 28, Tuesday 4-6

I am offering free 15 minute sessions at The Elderberry. I will guide you through a brief meditation bringing your awareness to this heart to heart connection with your pets. If you want a taste of my work or know someone who might be interested, please come. To clarify this event is just for people…you’ll be able to check in with your pets once you get home to see what their response is.

~Namaste

~Blink, It’s Mid-November: Time Isn’t Slowing Down~How to Be You at this High Speed of Life~

Wait, what? It’s November 14?! I feel like this is a repeat of the last newsletter: everything is moving so quickly. Lately, I’ve been paying attention to the timing of and what I am doing when I feel most relaxed and fully me. When I am outside, especially walking the earth, I feel totally me. But, even from inside a building when I look out the window and can let my eyes glide along the lines of a tree or across a field, there’s an easing inside of me and I feel more like me. When Lilly puts her head under my hand and I connect fully with her, I am me. When I sing along to a song with words and music that resonate with me, I feel relaxed into my whole being. These are just a few of the moments when I am aware of being fully me. And when I am feeling so me, I am feeling completely connected and a part of source. What do you do to feel fully you? I’d love to know.

There’s so much going on in the world from the global scale to the personal scale. (Yes this is another repeated line.) How do we maintain a sense of an expanded self when we feel bombarded from all angles?  Maintaining that sense of self allows us to show up more fully in difficult situations or when things go awry. A major part of this human existence is this exploration into self and other or from another perspective remembering self as source even as we embrace this experience of separation as individuals. So much of this human experience seems to be diving into that space between dualities: self and other; separate yet of source; mental and physical (and emotional). And these dualities are often even contradictory experiences. Rich stuff, this life!

So, how do we maintain that sense of expanded self? It’s the little practices that shift things on the foundation level that go a long way to creating big and lasting change. Instead of thinking there’s not much time in a day, how could you possibly fit in self-care…choose an amount of time, even if it’s only 5 minutes, and dedicate yourself to some form of self care 5 minutes a day. It might not happen every day, don’t beat yourself up. (Remember we are perfect in our imperfections!) But, by setting the intention you’re already creating a shift. After deciding on your time frame, make a list of a several self-care or self-exploration practices that you want to try out. Here are a few ideas, and keep in mind you can get as fancy or detailed as you want.

• Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
• Take a mindful walk (around your yard, across the parking lot, etc.).
• Snuggle with your companion animal and notice the edges, the separateness and the merging, notice the breathing of both of you.
• List 3 things you’re grateful for.
• Do 1 or 2 yoga postures.
• Put on your favorite song and dance or sing.
• Find a lovely view (trees, sky, mountains, edge of the woods and field) and let your eyes wander over it.

Repeat the ones that feel good. And pay attention to how your days and weeks change from this focused self-care and self-exploration. If you’re feeling out of sorts and you remember to shift to one of your practices, notice how that makes feel. What has changed? And for added incentive, make this a family affair. Talk to your partner and kids about what you’re doing and what they’re doing and what helps and what doesn’t. We can always learn more about self-care and self-exploration and sharing experiences is a great way to do so.

In the last week or so, I have been on a deep dive exploring myself and my superpowers. While I know perspective is one of them, the other is slower to emerge with clarity. So far, I know it has to do with connecting to the natural world. What are your superpowers?

As always I am here to assist you in clearing the way to new perspectives whether for just you or you and your companion animals. Please email or call 434-249-9786 for a session.

Referrals continue to be the best way for new clients to find me. Thank you for telling others about me and my work and even sharing this newsletter with those you think will be interested. My work is moot without you my co-workers.

Events:

November 28, Tuesday 4-6

I am offering free 15 minute sessions at The Elderberry. I will guide you through a brief meditation bringing your awareness to this heart to heart connection with your pets. If you want a taste of my work or know someone who might be interested, please come. To clarify this event is just for people…you’ll be able to check in with your pets once you get home to see what their response is.

~Namaste

~Yikes, I’m Awfully Visible this Month!~Crazy Fast Life~

The speed of life feels crazy fast lately! In one of the energy forecast videos I watched for the month of October, Lee Harris talks about this increased speed. He points out the need for awareness of old patterns and not relying on those old patterns because this speed means that we can release that which we no longer need quickly, too. It’s not just that we experience things at a faster pace; opportunities appear at lightning speed, too. That’s what happened last week for me.                                        

The start of last week I finally got my hands on this month’s Awareness Magazine. I have an article on animal communication and a small profile on my companion animal work in this issue. This is a free local magazine you can find at the libraries among other spots. It’s also available online HERE. Please check it out and share it with your friends. And here’s where warp speed arrived. I got a call on Wednesday from a CBS 19 reporter who wanted to do a story on my energy work with companion animals. We met on Thursday for an interview and then I did a brief session with her and her dog. And ba-boom I was on the news Thursday at 6pm! You can see it HERE if you missed it. I am still rather startled at how it all happened so rapidly…and how actually I felt comfortable with it. A great experience full of layers of visibility, vulnerability, and how I am only in control of myself. On Friday I stopped in at the library and one of the employees I normally chat with came over to tell me she’d seen me on TV and that I had looked so relaxed. Who knew that all these practices of shifting myself back into that feeling/space of being connected to source would help me relax during an interview with a TV reporter?!

As always I am here to support you and your companion animals in your explorations. I had a recent flash of insight on my work before sleep the other night: I assist and support people as they (re)discover their connection to the natural world (plants, other animals, the planet herself). One of the ways this can happen more clearly is through taking a walk with me. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, please contact me or call me 434-249-9786 to set up a session. Thank you for referring others to me and my work. Thank you for forwarding this email to someone who might be interested. My work is moot without you my co-workers.

Reminders:

October 24, Tuesday, 4-6pm I am offering free 15 minute sessions at The Elderberry. I will guide you through a brief meditation bringing your awareness to this heart to heart connection with your pets. If you want a taste of my work or know someone who might be interested, please come. To clarify this event is just for people…you’ll be able to check in with your pets once you get home to see what their response is.

October 29, Sunday, 7-7:30pm Free Relaxation Session by Phone I will lead you through a guided meditation with the focus on deep relaxation, releasing what is no longer helpful to you, and opening to new opportunities. Register HERE.

~Namaste

~Who Are You? Growing and Knowing Self~Finding or Creating Stability and Balance during Change~

Monarch enjoying the zinnias and african blue sage.

I met up with a friend over the weekend to catch up. (I’m sure you’ll be shocked that we walked while we talked.) This particular friend lived through the woods from me during late elementary and middle school years. As is often the case with those of us who live in the same place that we grew up, we don’t stay in close touch with many of our friends from younger years, even when they, too, live in the same place. We had an immediate deep dive right into real conversations on life, something that happens with ease with those around whom I feel comfortable being myself. This interaction and the conversations, too, have me thinking about knowing self. While the me I was 30 years ago listening to Prince’s "Purple Rain" on the turn table in the rec room at my friend’s house is not the same me I am today writing this, the core of me is still the same. Is that similar to your sense of self? What’s your experience? I’d love to hear from you and you can always contact me HERE.

There are definitely times when I am aware of big shifts taking place within me, and other times when I know that I’m not the same as the day before, but the differences feel miniscule. This summer has been full of transformations and as I settle into this new season, I am (slightly) more comfortable navigating through life as this new me. The lifelines allowing me to find and create stability and balance over the summer during all the change were many and varied. My daily practices (morning walk, gratitude email) were my constant fuel. But other lifelines were: making sure I had quality time with specific friends (for me that was mostly one on one so I didn’t get overwhelmed); making sure to keep creativity near by listening to new music, pulling out the markers and watercolors for doodling; allowing myself plenty of down time to wander the trails with Lilly, scan the skies for birds, sink into good stories. Balance, as I’ve said before, is not an end point, it is a verb and is always in play. As we are always changing, we are seeking a balance whether that is a balance between being and doing, socializing and alone time, mental focused and heart centered, giving and receiving…you get the picture. While I don’t have a specific list for each of you, here are few things to keep in mind as ways to find and create stability and balance when you are in the midst of deep change.

• Physical motion: walk, dance, hatha yoga, run, hoola hoop, etc.
• Creativity, both making and soaking in others’: music, photography, drawing, painting, knitting, cooking, sewing, woodworking, gardening, etc.
• Human connection: quality is important here.
• Nature connection: focusing on how you are a part of your surroundings, the innate beauty of Gaia, this magnificent organism.

Explore what feeds you and what doesn’t, what resonates and what doesn’t. Keep a list of what you try that feels good and right. And bring this list out when you’re feeling overwhelmed or out of sync or like a chrysalis all wrapped up with massive transformation happening deep inside. Remember that as you change your list may also change. Growth is often cyclical or in a spiral, so breathe in, breathe out: you are always new and you are always you.

Nature Note:

Creatures are on the move: migrating, out on their own for the first time, foraging farther for food in the dry conditions. Keep an eye out for birds, insects, rodents and larger mammals. Lately our morning walks are full. We see bats, lots of fox scat (no sightings recently), pack of 9 stunning red coywolves, skunks, deer, eagles, kestrels, flocks of: geese, ducks, meadowlarks, red-winged blackbirds, cedar waxwings. And we took a trail walk last week and saw a bear. Lilly’s behavior along with a recently partially excavated ground wasp nest right off the trail meant I was on the lookout for a bear. Lilly gave one alert bark when we came upon the immature bear and in a flash the bear was off away. Who are you seeing? Stay safe and look to your fellow animals for reminders that we are all part of this magnificent life and for new perspectives on your own life.

As always I am here to support you and your companion animals in your explorations. As we are shift into the shorter days now that autumn has arrived it’s helpful to get that extra support before you’re stuck somewhere you can’t navigate from at all. If you’re wanting some help finding new perspectives in some area of your life or aspect of yourself (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or energetic), please contact me HERE or call me 434-249-9786 to set up a session. Thank you for referring others to me and my work. Thank you for forwarding this email to someone who might be interested. My work is moot without you my co-workers.

Reminders:

October 10 5:30-6:30pm $10 at The Elderberry Sign up HERE Energy Structures: How you can help your pets be healthier and happier. Come learn about chakras, meridians, elements, and heart to heart beams for you and your companion animals.

October 24 4-6pm I am offering free 15 minute sessions at The Elderberry. I will guide you through a brief meditation bringing your awareness to this heart to heart connection with your pets. If you want a taste of my work or know someone who might be interested, please come. To clarify this event is just for people…you’ll be able to check in with your pets once you get home to see what their response is.

~Namaste

~Welcome, Autumn~How to Deal with the Decrease in Daily Light~

Autumn has arrived. It is still rather warm, but the day before the equinox the leaves on the maples around our house suddenly started falling. What is this season for you? I don’t mean the trendy pumpkin spice stuff. I mean, what are your rhythms for this season? Whether due to the lack of light when you aren’t at work or the desire to cozy in and craft or read in those darker mornings or evenings, is there a change in your outdoors time? I suggest finding even 2 minutes to be outside if your time outside is decreasing. Maybe that means heading out 2 minutes before you normally would to hop in the car and head to work. Take that time to walk the yard or driveway, or maybe sit or stand still. Whether you choose to move or be still, just soak it all in. Eyes open, softly scanning your surroundings or zooming in on something specific. Eyes closed, feeling the quality of the light on your eyelids. There are so many options in 2 minutes. Think of it as a refueling of your light levels for the day.

EVENTS

October 3 5:30-6:30pm $10 at The Elderberry

Sign up Here

Physical Structures: How you can help your pets be healthier and happier

Come learn how massage, diet, herbs, flower essences, and homeopathy can help you and your companion animals.

October 10 5:30-6:30pm $10 at The Elderberry

Sign up Here

Energy Structures: How you can help your pets be healthier and happier

Come learn about chakras, meridians, elements, and heart to heart beams for you and your companion animals.

As always I am here to support you and your companion animals in your explorations. As we are shift into the shorter days now that autumn has arrived it’s helpful to get that extra support before you’re stuck somewhere you can’t navigate from at all. If you’re wanting some help finding new perspectives in some area of your life or aspect of yourself (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or energetic), please contact me or call 434-249-9786 to set up a session. Thank you for referring others to me and my work. Thank you for forwarding this email to someone who might be interested. My work is moot without you my co-workers.