There’s a reason for the rising popularity of the old phrase ‘Clean space, clear mind’ in recent years. “Minimalism” has gained a lot of media attention and critical acclaim with its resurgence.

A note from the writer : Many of the teachings from this blog come from my undergraduate and masters studies in psychology, in my clinical practice as a mental health practioner, in my meditation courses + daily practices and from the teachings from Anodea Judith in Eastern Body Western Mind. Happy reading!

Dating back millennia, meditation, in its many forms, has been an ancient, Eastern spiritual practice. Meditation in Latin is meditatum, meaning “to ponder.” Although we do not know when, exactly, people began to meditate, experts agree that the practice probably began many thousands of years ago, before the birth of modern civilization.

A mentor of mine, Robin Wall Kimmerer asked permission to share these sacred words of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the Natural World and the message she received from the Onondaga Faith Keeper, Oren Lyons was, “Of course you should write about it. It’s supposed to be shared, otherwise how can it work? We’ve been waiting five hundred years for people to listen. If they’d understood the Thanksgiving then, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

This blog posts provides a link to our recorded webinar and the ‘spark notes‘ of what we discussed about Practical Magic. We begin with what I call ‘The Magic Recipe’ for creating the life you desire through meditation + ritual. You can refer to this blog over and over as supplemental support to your practice!

I go back every year because I find that Burning Man is a place to dream “the waking dream” of new collective consciousness, a new global society, a new world. At Burning Man, we can see that anything is possible and there is a place for ANYONE & EVERYONE to be their most authentic selves. It is so beautiful to experience how people want to dance, play, learn, express and dress (or not dress.) Freedom babyyy!

As we biked the playa on an early morning, self guided “art tour” of Burning Man, I saw a blurry shape from afar. I pointed and shouted “Woah, let’s go see that!” We pulled up. I got off my bike. I walked over to her. Tears slowly started to well up in my eyes.

In February 2021, Jon and I were disenchanted with the “American Dream,” to say the least, we wanted to get out of the Colorado cold and travel for a month. This was right after quarantine & the shock of Covid was palpable. We were, as I imagine everybody was, very tired of being cooped up in our house and ready to explore.

One time, I was at a “Habit Hackers” conference in Colorado. There was a speaker who recommended to the whole community that the way to “habit hack” life is to: “wake up, sit on the toilet, go poop, brush teeth, and scroll on your phone reading the news, all in the first 2 minutes of the day.”

This week the American Psychological Association (APA) released their annual Stress in America poll, which they’ve conducted since 2007. The results of their data is alarming: 87% of respondents cite stress related to rising prices due to inflation, global uncertainty and the horrors of war between Russia and Ukraine.

Have you ever been to a Western medicine doctor? You tell them you’d like to heal holistically. And rather than them being supportive, they tell you to take a pill, for the rest of your life.

I imagine you have heard about “transgenerational trauma,” where trauma is passed down in the family lineage through changes in genes & DNA. But have you heard about “transgenerational wisdom,” where wisdom is also passed down?

I was blessed to be introduced to Eleanor by my sister-in-law, and I am so grateful to have found her. I had tried therapy and counseling several times throughout my life, but didn’t feel like I was getting much out of it. In retrospect, I wish that I had met Eleanor a year earlier, in 2020. But, I wasn’t ready to confront the things that were keeping me depressed and pessimistic.

Imagine trying to stop a wave rolling through the ocean. Sounds futile, right? This is what suppressing emotion is like. Emotions come like waves; they arise, they build, they crash, they dissolve. They move in cycles, just like we do.

I first came to work with Eleanor because my anxiety was so severe that I thought it may kill me. I felt anxious over just about everything in my life: my social life, my career, my finances, my family life.

"Soul Stories" are a series of unedited notes from my clients, detailing their experiences with me on their journey to wholeness. Each story is written by the client.