This blessing for spring was created from the angel card qualities (italicized) participants received at the Spring Equinox Ritual and Sound Healing. Please join us in June for the Summer Solstice Ritual on June 22nd.

Oh, Divine Spirit, we follow the light…we welcome Spring. 

We stand in celebration! The daylight equals the night! 

We have held the promise of light’s return with expectancy and appreciation for each increasing minute. We delight in the gentle turn of the season – the melting of the snow, the emergence of the green shoots of grass and flowers, the softer winds. 

Oh, Divine Spirit, we follow the light…we welcome Spring. 

Through our openness, we surrender what no longer serves.

We walk with acceptance of what is in our Highest Well Being.

We stand in truth and find the harmony therein. 

Oh, Divine Spirit,  we follow the light…we welcome Spring. 

Through our community, our sisterhood and brotherhood, we hold each other with respect, with tenderness in these challenging times. 

This Spring, may we move with energetic efficiency, in Alignment with our Highest Selves as we progress through the adventure that our Essence directs. What potential! What promise the light brings! 

We follow the light…we welcome Spring. 

Blessed Be! 

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Winter is here with her cold temperatures and short daylight. To bring balance, we are drawn to burn candles, drink hot tea, feel a blanket’s warmth. 

Spirit, Your Presence is here in this season. The preciousness of light inspires our appreciation of Your illumination and love. We wait with patience as the daylight gently increases and the shadows shorten. We trust the process and release resistance that holds us out of the moment. We know we risk discontentment if we do otherwise. 

It is begun…

Here is integrity, simplicity rather than complication, flexibility rather than rigidity. 

May we remember to play – build a snowman, read indulgently, nap at will. The freedom of spirit that accompanies such tenderness goes into the depths of our being. Communicationwith our Highest Selves brings discernment, forgiveness, obedience to our Soul’s alignment. 

We are purified as we step into a new season. We take joy and find humor in the moment. Thank you, Divine Spirit, thank you, Winter. 

It is begun…

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Fall brings an appreciation of abundance in all its glory.  

Yet stepping through the portal into a new season takes a certain courage, does it not? Change has its challenges, its risks. 

Summer’s freedom to step outside with ease begins to recede as we anticipate Fall’s chill and winter’s freeze. Our willingness is tested, our acceptance necessitated to remain in harmonywith Nature’s seasons. 

May we deepen our communication – with Source, with Nature, with ourselves and each other. 

May we forgive and release all that does not serve. 

May we stand in patience as the power of understanding and clarity illuminate our being and doing in each day. 

The start of a new season is a birth. May we gently grow into Autumm, hearts open with gratitude, love shared with all. 

Welcome, Fall! 

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Ah, Summer’s delight! 

We relish your long days and their gifts of time to relax, time to play. We treasure the clarity – both literal and metaphorical – that the bright light brings. 

Standing in this light, we are empowered to be in our Divine Essence, the highest vibration of all. 

May we use this season to release from the depth of our Being that which does not serve. May Nature’s sun and rain bring purification to each of us, to each other, to the good planet herself. 

May the sun’s Fire element spark our actions in alignment with the Divine as we support the healing that our world so badly needs. 

May this intensity be blessed with the balance of humor and contentment. 

Oh, Divine Spirit, may we move deliberately and purposefully through this season as a time of growth. May all that we cultivate culminate in autumn’s rich abundance. 

Ah, Summer’s delight…

This blessing was created with the Angel Card qualities (italicized) that were chosen by participants in the Summer Solstice Ritual and Sound Healing. Please join us in September for the Autumnal Equinox Ritual.

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We marvel at the light of Spring as it expands and overtakes winter’s darkness!

Stepping into a new season, even when a welcome change, takes consciousness, a sense of purpose, and courage. What will the new season hold? Are we up to the exploration that is invited, required?

We enter the process respectfully, honoring what has come before, what is held in promise. We connect with the sisterhood/brotherhood that we are as a community, holding ourselves and others with love and compassion.

May we release what isn’t serving. 

May we restore our “ability to respond” while acknowledging  our responsibilities. 

May we relax into the goodness of Essence, of the Divine.

Oh, Spring! Your beauty is a celebration of Nature at Her most glorious! 

We marvel, we delight, we make a joyful noise! 

Oh, Spring! 

This blessing was created from the qualities (italicized) chosen for the participants at the Spring Equinox Ritual & Sound Healing. Please join us in June for the Summer Solstice celebration.

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We have walked through the portal of seasonal change! Here we are!  

With patience, we settle into winter’s dreamtime and invite the vision of our potential to come into clarity. May the process be rich and well-paced in its efficiency – relaxed and spacious but not wasteful of time and energy.

May this dreamtime carry us to Spring and inspire the seeds we will ultimately plant in our energetic gardens.

 Throughout this season, it is our responsibility as Divine souls to share with others the powerof love, kindness, grace. May we experience and extend forgiveness. May we be in harmony with Spirit, ourselves, and others. 

May we know the courage to honor and be respectful of those with whom we disagree. May we seek to understand each other and find common ground in our humanity. 

With joy, with gratitude, with tenderness, we connect with Oneness.

Winter, we welcome you!

This blessing is based on the Angel card qualities (italicized) chosen by the participants in the Winter Solstice Ritual and Sound Healing. Please join us for the next seasonal ritual in March (date to be determined). 

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Do you like a good road trip? You know the drill – pack the car, load up some snacks, set the GPS and drive for the day (feeling clever along the way for saving money on airfare!). 

When do a road trip, do you use cruise control, that helpful autopilot mechanism that saves gas and conserves a little of your brain energy? 

I enjoy the occasional road trip and my husband and I did one recently. We drove 675 miles to Ohio – in one day – to visit family. It was a long drive, so we definitely used cruise control. When conditions were safe – dry roads, not too much traffic – automatic pilot kept our pace steady and freed up a little of our attention so that we could converse and listen to an entertaining recorded book. The miles flew by…

Autopilot is a great device for road trips. But I found myself thinking, “What about in my life? Am I living on autopilot?”

If so, that doesn’t feel so good.

I don’t want to live on autopilot – going through the motions, living life by rote or habit. I don’t want to be slightly removed from life’s richness. 

Last spring when I had Covid, one of my symptoms was a lessened sense of taste and smell. These dulled senses impacted my feeling of engagement with my physical environment and reminded me how important our senses are. 

Fortunately, my physical senses have been restored by and large. But what about the rest of life? What about the “senses of our consciousness,” those qualities that create and enhance our connection with life’s vitality, with our spirit?  

What are the senses of consciousness? For me, they include awareness, noticing, attentiveness, engagement, connection. The combination of these qualities adds up to vitality, life’s powerful force and energy that enrich each moment. 

Are we ever served by being on autopilot in our lives? Perhaps. When I’m feeling over-stimulated, for example, or doing a repetitive task, being a little dulled down mentally can be helpful. 

However, repetitive tasks might just be an avenue into the senses of consciousness rather than away. Instead of hurrying through raking the leaves or washing the dishes, these tasks can bring us into connection with the moment’s stillness. 

By being gently focused on one simple task/moment at a time, we might find ourselves feeling calm, stability, peace, even contentment. For that moment, we are present, not worrying about the future, not ruminating about the past. 

This centered place is the proverbial eye of the storm. Our life is swirling around us, but inside we are quiet, gathered, present. 

This central point is a good place to be and one which we’ve all experienced at times. How can we stay there longer, more continuously? How do we get ourselves back to it when we realize we’re not in that desirable place? 

The first key, as always, is noticing. Noticing brings awareness – that crucial step of consciousness that takes us out of autopilot and brings us back on the road to consciousness, to engagement. 

“How present am I?” Fully present? Hardly present at all? The aim is to at least get from somewhat present to more fully present. 

Once we notice where we are, we can use some practices – consciously – to return to fuller connection. 

The first tool is, perhaps, the most obvious and well-utilized tool – the breath. It’s interesting to note that this practice uses one of the body’s functions that basically operates on autopilot – to take us out of autopilot! 

A conscious, deep, cleansing breath is the super-highway back into connection, into calm. Try one right now and note the effect of even one breath. Amazing, isn’t it? 

A second practice is patting/tapping. In qi gong, patting all over the body stimulates the nerve endings and promotes blood flow. Gentle patting awakens the body and reminds us we are ina body! 

Tapping on meridian points (EFT – emotional freedom technique) also stimulates the body, mind and spirit and is used to awaken, to shift moods, even to change our learned behaviors. 

I use both of these techniques and also simply tap my third eye lightly to help me connect with my Higher Self’s viewpoint or tap my heart to remind me to stay heart-centered. 

Smile! This is another technique to awaken and come back into the moment. Do you ever walk by a mirror and notice that your face is devoid of affect? Completely neutral? Smiling – even a half smile – can return you to yourself and the moment. Dialectal Behavior Therapy uses smiling to help patients with depression, anxiety, and other concerns. 

Smiling helps me remember to enjoy the moment I’m in, to step away from being too serious, to appreciate my life. 

All of these practices are contained within your body, so you always have them at the ready. If you’re interested in an external tool, I suggest using a Tibetan singing bowl. The tone of this instrument calls you into yourself, into a deep place of inner calm. If you need a source, here’s a link to explore. 

Autopilot in your car eases some of the burden of a long drive. Autopilot in life means missing out on connection with life’s vitality and richness. Coming back to consciousness through the breath, through patting, smiling, through the tone of a singing bowl – we can easily step out of autopilot and back into engagement with life’s richness and centered calm. 

Cultivate your connection with your consciousness senses. You’ll find the drive along life’s highway a lot more interesting, satisfying, and full of vitality if you do. 

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There is certain trade-off in stepping into a new season. We are asked to practice surrender – leaving behind what we loved about the prior season while we readjust, acknowledge and embrace what we cherish in the new. 

Autumn brings cooler days and nights, softer daylight (all the more precious for its increasing brevity), the end of the growing cycle. It brings the abundant harvest, vibrantly colored leaves, cerulean blue skies. 

Through our consciousness, we are in communication with the Earth’s shifts and transformation. 

Through our consciousness, we can hold all with grace. 

Oh, Divine Spirit, through the birth of the new season, we experience our own internal change. In this moment of a new beginning, we stand in honest assessment of who we are and how we desire to be. 

We set our intention to be in alignment with our authenticity, our Essence. We invite wisdom and truth. We invite humor to help us smile and remain light-hearted. 

As we work, as we play, as we explore the journey of this season, may we know relaxation in all domains – the body, the mind, the spirit. Relaxation brings ease, effortlessness, flow. This is the path through these coming weeks and months. 

Divine Spirit, thank you for your Presence and for walking with us. We welcome and feel gratitude for this blessed new season.

 Welcome, Autumn! 

This blessing was created from the angel card qualities (italicized) drawn by the participants in the Autumnal Equinox Ritual & Sound Healing. September, 2024. Please join us for the Winter Solstice Ritual & Sound Healing in December. 

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Are you fond of your first-of-the-morning cup of coffee…that bitter, rich, deep flavor?

Do you look forward to the scent of lilacs in the springtime? 

Does gazing at cloud formations invoke a feeling of expansiveness? 

Senses are “a faculty by which our body perceives an external stimulus” and can be something we take for granted – until we don’t have them! 

It was on Day Three of my journey with Covid when I lost my sense of taste and smell. Coffee became a hot beverage whose warmth brought comfort, but whose taste was missing. The blooming lilac bush at my front door? I couldn’t smell a thing. My garden’s early colorful blossoms were something I saw, but whose beauty didn’t fully register consciously because of my brain fog.

Along with this diminishment of my senses, I felt unwell enough that reaching out and calling friends, even conversing with my husband, took effort and energy I didn’t have. 

I was withdrawn physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was rather bleak. 

A few weeks into my recovery, I began to improve. 

I could tell that I was getting a bit better when my husband and I took a short walk in our neighborhood.  As we walked, I realized I was able to register the day’s beauty, to receive and let in – and even enjoy – a little of the spring colors and textures I was seeing. 

An improvement, yes, but I noted that I could still only let in a fraction of my usual sensory experience. Also, my sense of taste and smell continued to be compromised. 

I had a way to go to get back to my senses. 

At a certain point, still coughing and feeling “off,” I scheduled an appointment with a holistic practitioner, Maegan. 

When I meet with Maegan, I always cover the physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual aspects of what’s going on with me. In this session, first and foremost, I told Maegan about my physical issues – cough, fatigue. I reported that my sense of taste and smell were improved, but not fully returned. She asked some questions and made some notes. 

We moved on to the mental/emotional/spiritual bodies. In considering how I was engaging with the world, with my environment, I told her I was still feeling somewhat removed, not fully present. I felt isolated, yet had trouble being up to reaching out to people. Overall, I didn’t feel like I was enjoying my usual level of richness and depth in my connection with my life. 

In explaining to her how I was doing, I recognized that I felt “dulled” – not only in my taste and smell senses, but in my relationship to others, to the world at large. 

My holistic practitioner got an “Ah ha” look in her eyes as I talked. 

Maegan put it all together, explaining that the nervous system, which houses our sensory stimulators and processors, had been impacted by Covid. 

 My dulled level of connection was systemic, within my nervous system, and was affecting not only my physical senses, but my sense of engagement, my sense of wholeness and well-being. Feeling withdrawn from interactions with friends had a parallel to not being able to smell the lilacs and take in my outer, natural environment. 

Recognizing that dullness was a theme for not only my physical senses, but also my mental fogginess and my spiritual withdrawal from others, was a turning point in my recovery.

I learned that “The nervous system must receive and process information about the outside in order to react, communicate, and keep the body healthy and safe.” 

At this point, my nervous system needed to heal and re-boot in order to help me re-engage physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Fortunately, my holistic practitioner had tinctures she recommended to help heal the nervous system so that I could return to normal functioning and interaction physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  

As a holistic practitioner myself, I’m no stranger to the idea of an interconnectedness in the body, mind, and spirit. I’ve connected the dots between feeling anxious (which is emotional) with maybe having high blood pressure. 

If a client has chronic headaches, they might be due to a physical cause like eye strain; or they might be due to holding in unexpressed anger. 

If one is feeling depressed, they might have a clinical diagnosis of depression – or you might be feeling “dis-spirited” and need to address their spiritually. 

Through my Covid experience with sensory suppression, what I learned – or had reinforced – was the knowing of how integrated a unit our systems are. We truly are a Body, Mind, Spirit paradigm that is interrelated. 

This is information we can all remember and use to understand what’s going on in our systems. What appears to be physical might have a spiritual component, what’s going on emotionally might connect with a physical issue. I encourage each of us to consider whether any issues we’re experiencing might have an aspect that is related to another part of us.

I can’t say that I missed the aftertaste of coffee – that “coffee breath” taste that prompts us to quickly brush our teeth after the coffee’s been drunk! However, I did greatly miss the fullness and depth of my senses – the classic senses of taste, smell, sight, and so on – and also the sense of reaching out and connecting with my environment, of connecting within myself. 

Through this process, as I came back to my senses, I came into a deeper appreciation of the integration that is the whole creation of who I am, who we each are. 

May we all dig deeply into the rich, sensory experience that this life offers. 

May we extend our antennae out into the world and take into ourselves what is out there! The signals we receive and process serve to remind us how alive we truly are.

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Oh, Divine Spirit, we stand in the grace of your light and love as we cross into Summer’s season of growth and beauty! 

We draw on our faith as we commit to stepping into Spirit’s power. We bring courage to each moment. We offer support to each other and promise to live our lives to the fullness of our Essence purpose.

Standing in the grace of your light and love, we ask for patience and resilience for the challenges that we face in our personal lives, for the challenges that are present for our Mother Earth and her people, animals, sacred lands. 

Standing in the grace of your light and love, we hold with acceptance only that which is not yet ready for change. 

For everything else, may our desires become intentions; our intentions manifest as expectations that bring growth and evolution of the most powerful order. 

May Divine transformative healing energy serve the Highest Good in the most efficient and expedient timing possible. 

We honor and celebrate this new season, standing in the grace of your light and love, oh Divine Spirit. 

Happy Summer Solstice! 

This blessing was created using the Angel Card qualities (italicized) chosen by the participants in the Summer Solstice Ritual and Sound Healing. Please join us in September for the Autumnal Equinox Ritual.

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