I am writing to you on a 12 degree morning with 18 inches of snow. A beautiful blizzard brought an unusual experience to New Bern (as well as many other states in the south and east).
I love the quiet hush that snow brings after the blizzard. I am so thankful for a functioning heat pump, hot and cold water and plenty of food.
This kind of winter feels distantly familiar, given my childhood in Chicago and later, a decade in Minnesota. I recall the time in Minnesota when I bundled up and went to a nearby park. There, I sat in the snow meditating for almost 2 hours while the winds howled and the icy mix blew across my body. It was a beautiful practice for experiencing deep visceral embodiment!
During this blizzard however, I just managed to sit in the snow long enough to get a photo! Oh well!
Kelley and I made a 3 minute video of the beautiful snow around our house and Lily romping through the drifts. On YouTube Here
Our Vision Board Workshop was a wonderful experience. Despite the cold rain outside we had a warm, creative and inspiring gathering of women open and ready to create 2026 with intention and inspiration.
I made my board the weekend before the workshop. This year my board is very much about relationships. It took me 2 full days to complete it! The process was deep and therapeutic. Below you will find a new meditation "Embodying Your Vision Board" that can inspire you even if you haven't created a board!
Concurrent with the workshop planning was the heartbreak of what is happening in Minnesota. I have dear clients and friends living there as well as most of my family. I call my sisters weekly who are actively helping impacted families, to understand what this is like for them. For me this feels so surreal and deeply troubling.
I find myself alternating between seeking more information and then disconnecting, and immersing myself in my writing and creating. We all know how important it is to come back to our center, to take care of our body and spirit, to notice when our nervous system is overwhelmed so we can pause the input of information and find perspective and embody peace within.
Thankfully in the midst of the tragedy, there is much inspiration. Watching the Buddhist monks walking for peace from Texas to DC has definitely been inspiring as well as witnessing the determination, creativity and love of the people in Minnesota.
I find stories about the children both troubling and inspiring. A few days ago on NPR, I heard an interview with the principal of the school where little 5 year old Liam is a student. (Liam is the boy in Minnesota who was taken to a detention center in Texas for 12 days).
The principal said that the teachers and staff are doing their best to provide structure and safety for the children in the midst of this crisis.
They make a point to remind the children about the invisible thread that connects us all wherever we are.
My friend Gillian Corcoran who is a hospice chaplain just wrote a book about that very topic. You can find it HERE. This comforting book would make a great gift for Valentine's Day to share with your children, grandchildren and your inner child. We all need to reminded of this connection.
One of my projects this month was to create a selection of long formaudios (8-10 hours!). This was at the request of folks from the Insight Timer Meditation app. According to staff, the most frequent request they are receiving these days is for more of these long audios for folks dealing with sleep issues.
So, I have combined and rewritten several of my meditations and stories, added new music and additional nature sounds to give the listener an extended experience of calm. (There are also long form videos on YouTube as well),
I hope you are finding ways to comfort yourself during these times. I hope that you are safe. I hope you will find clarity about how and when to express your concerns as well as how to be of service to our world.
Take good care and as always thank you for reading this newsletter and listening to my meditations and bedtime stories!
Have you created a Vision Board for the New Year? This meditation is created to further inspire you...even if you haven't created a Vision Board! We will tap into the power of your Vision Board to help you stay focused on your connection with yourself and your relationships. We will also be tuning into the energy of bringing hope to our world.
Music "Goddess of the Moon" by Chris J. Burke and "Tribal Eve" by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.
Includes quotes from Katherine Dunham, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, and Harriet Tubman.
In this meditation, you will experience deep relaxation and inspiration through body based practices, healing affirmations and a visualization of being cradled in a beautiful hot springs under the night sky as you sense into the lightness of your being. The meditation ends with a collection of poignant spiritually comforting quotes from William James, Rumi and John Buxton.
(This track draws from my previous meditations: Healing Dream, Letting Go Into The Lightness of your Being, Heartbeat Meditation with Rumi, and a Guardian Angel Journey)
Beautiful mystical music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke, "Floating," continues after narration for one hour.
Divine Bedtime Reassurance is a compilation of 6 meditative readings created to bring comforting wisdom and reassurance to settle your soul. With a sacred feminine focus, this practice also includes relaxing breathwork and beautiful music, "Open Heart" by Chris Collins (Indie Music Box and also here on Insight Timer) for the first two hours, and then rain sounds for the remaining 6 hours.
These are the titles of each reading: "Evening Bedtime Reading", "Meditation for Letting Go", "Great Spirit", "21 Blessings of the Divine Feminine", "Remember Who I Am", and "Dear Divine Mother".
View a similar version on YouTube here:
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