In The Arms Of The Mother

Unfortunately, much of my work keeps me indoors. But I make it a point to step outside each day and be embraced by the arms of the Mother. It is good for me on so many levels. I think too many people today rush from home, to work and then back home again without noting the beauty that surrounds them. Our modern lives keeps us so busy that many feel that they have no time to be outside; this has somehow become a luxury or a choice that can’t be made do to the circumstances of our busy lives.

If I were to choose this way, I would become very disconnected from the earth. I committed to making this a “have to” in my day. And, within a very short period of time, I discovered it became a “want to” and then a “need to”. When I step outside I connect with the energies of most of the elements. Earth grounds me, Air breathes new life into me and awakens me, the Fire of the Sun warms me and sparks my passions alive, and if there is rain or even Water nearby, I am reminded to go with the flow. I connect with all the other living beings around me. I listen to the birds, follow the squirrel as she moves about her day and delight in the dragonfly that flits from branch to branch in iridescent wonder. I celebrate that I am a part of this vast universe and all the energies of it.

I believe I am so powerfully drawn to be out in Nature because I am meant to be in it regularly. I find time to pause and remember all these parts of myself. I seek the beauty and the energies held there to heal me, to restore my balance and to delight me. All of my senses engage with the gifts of the Mother and I need Her medicine to be whole, vibrant and awake.

My soul seeks nourishment from my time spent in Nature. It finds its natural rhythm. It revives itself. It taps into creative energies that surround it. When I do this I feel my perspective shifts. When I go outside I find my energy level becomes exactly what I need at the time. Sometimes it helps me to release negativity that is only dragging me down. Sometimes it invigorates me and energizes me on a whole new level. And then there are the times it calms me and grounds me to stillness and presence.

Take some time today to bring your body outdoors. Try to be mindful of what you are experiencing. Breathe in the energies. Awaken your senses. Allow your soul to delight. You won’t be disappointed, but instead you will be brought to a beautiful place of wonder and recharge.

Blessings, Lisa

Sacred Kitchen Alchemy

How do you honor your body temple? How do you listen to your body's messages? In what ways do you bring your spirituality into your kitchen? Do you prepare your foods thinking about the energies that they will bring to your body, mind and soul? Perhaps it is time to bring sacred kitchen alchemy into your home.

What is sacred kitchen alchemy? It is a way of recognizing that every item of food we eat contains essential energies. Understanding these energies and how they can serve us is the everyday magic we have access to. Understanding that eating mindfully is about far more than counting calories. It is about choosing foods that serve our body well. It is about intention setting. It is about recognizing that eating seasonally insures we are getting the most nutrition that food item can offer us. As we learn to listen to our body and soul's needs, we then can respond accordingly.

Sacred kitchen alchemy is also about bringing some of your spiritual practices into your kitchen. Ritual is a part of our day already. We celebrate with food during holidays and on special occasions. But making the "ordinary" days special with ritual brings a mindfulness to our meals. We can honor ancestors, celebrate the season, invoke certain energies, awaken our senses with different plant spirit energies through spices and vibrant produce and more.

Color magic is an important aspect of sacred kitchen alchemy as well. Every color offers us its own unique energies. Knowing what these are, we can make food choices to generate these energies within and we can decorate our tables in specific colors to create that energy as well. There are so many possibilities.

The season and the phases of the moon can be celebrated and explored  in sacred kitchen alchemy. Recognizing these and incorporating their celebrations brings a new awareness to our food preparation and meal choices. Each moon honors a new cycle, each season an new phase and our bodies respond in harmony.

We often find ourselves in a rut when it comes to mealtime. Or in our busy lives we find we make poor choices when it come to honoring our body through food. Bringing an awareness to our meals, our food preparation and our body, mind and soul's needs creates a relationship with the sacred and cooking. Delight, honor, intention and wonder can be a part of what is often looked at as ordinary and mundane.

To learn more about Sacred Kitchen Alchemy and to join in an upcoming 4 week program, beginning March 8th, visit http://www.womenwithinsight.com/sacred-kitchen-alchemy/

Blessings, Lisa

A Story of Empowerment

As CBS News corespondent Steve Hartman once said, "Everybody has a story." Each story is as unique as the individual. Some stories have mysterious twists and turns to the plot while some have tragedy, romance or wonder. They all have one thing in common. Nobody has to be defined by their story.

In the shamanic practice story is a powerful tool. The shaman, often referred to as the Master Storyteller, will work with a client to help them see that while the events and relationships that have occurred within their story are undeniable and very real, the amount of power we give to them is always within our control.

So many times this depends upon our perspective, our willingness to let go what is no longer or has never served us and to embrace any gifts or lessons that have come our way from the unfolding story and its energies. We can use these events and relationships to propel us forward, to grow and expand and learn more about ourselves, or we can use them to keep us stuck and in a victim role. Authoring our story and choosing what to emphasize, to serve as fodder to our life's journey and to what we want to call our truth is where the power lies.

When we reflect on our life story we can find the places that serve as traps for us. Think back to your past, note the memories that come up, feel the emotions that are attached to them, pay attention to the energy of your body, and note how your soul feels? Your body, mind and soul can help you to discern if your story is empowering for you or not. Anger, guilt, blame, sadness, fear and bitterness will weigh us down and our story is not serving us as an effective tool. But if we find in these reflections peace, fondness, honoring of life lessons and trust of the future then we know we have done the work to move forward in a healthy relationship with our story.

How do we step away from the negative emotions and energies of our life story? There are many answers to that question, but the first step that will lead in the right direction is learning how to create a new version of the story. We have the ability to choose how we will continue to react to what others have done to us or what they have not given us. We have the choice of whether to stay stuck festering about a life event that was not fair, tragic or life changing or not. We can look to these places for insight and lessons, learn to walk away with this and apply it to our current moment and take it along with us. All the while, we then leave behind all the negative energies, the wounded ego, the guilt or shame that does not encourage our soul's growth.

Learning to find a life story that is empowering, supportive and has possibilities give us a chance to step out of our past and be fully alive in the moment. It gives us the ability to be open to all the options and opportunities that life will offer. It affords us to embrace the energies of forgiveness. When we become engaged in the role of author of our life story, we no longer leave it up to others belief, actions or energies to dictate what our future holds. Instead we are in charge and we can bring all our creative energies and dreams to the story of today.

Blessings, Lisa

Timing is Everything

The saying goes, "Timing is everything." And nothing could be more accurate than when it comes to the fulfillment of our purpose, the coming home to ourselves or the alignment of our soul's call with our life's service.

Our calendars and timetables keep us on a schedule. But this schedule often has little to do with our spiritual timing. Sadly, we often use these man-made  record keepers, calculators and scales of time to measure and compare something that is timeless; our soul work. We expend tremendous energies and create impressive plans to ensure that we will move from task A to task B so that we feel the seeming progress will bring us that much closer to our most authentic self.

But as we all know, life brings with it delays, obstacles, successes and energies that may be supportive or not as we move from one path to another journeying to respond to our soul's call. Each of these hold potential lessons and gifts that we may embrace to help aid us along the way.

The truth of the matter is we are not in control of the time it will take for us to find our Truest Self. We each fulfill our purpose when the time is right. The Universe is at play here, Source is supporting, Spirit is guiding and Ego sometimes gets frustrated in the course of events. Trusting that the "plans" that are laid out for us are exactly as they should be and that they are necessary for the expansion and growth of our soul helps us move through these transitions with grace.

Sometimes we grow uneasy with our progress, we get focused on what we believe should be happening, should be moving or is not unfolding and then we lose our trust in the energies that are at work. Judging our personal progress is truly a waste of time. Comparing ourselves to others, a waste of energy.

Instead, find the peace and joy to be found in just Being. Instead, embrace the power found in the moment of Now. Instead, trust the sacred fact that Divine timing is at play and that is everything that we can trust in and grow in, delight and celebrate in.

Blessings, Lisa