Recently, I left my house without my phone. Although I’m old enough to have once been a functioning adult without a cellphone, it felt very strange to be out and about without my constant companion.

Here in the northeast, the leaves have begun to change color and fall gracefully toward Mother Earth. While this beautiful and age-old phenomenon appears, on the surface, to be a passive detachment, it actually involves intentional actions from the tree, including the release of certain hormones causing each leaf to separate from its branch.

When times feel heavy

Remember that you are not Atlas

Made to hold the heavens upon your shoulders.

Did you know that, in many ancient cultures, 13 is the number of the divine feminine? This is because the moon has 13 cycles per calendar year and, on average, women have 13 menstrual cycles per year, as well.

We are nature. And the autumn season reminds us that we, too, need to periodically shed things that we’ve outgrown. Be it a job, a living space, a habit, or a relationship…

As a collective, we’re being called to step more fully into our authentic selves. To be your truest self is to be joyfully aligned in mind, body, and spirit. But how do you do this? How do you become your authentic self?

At this point, I honestly can’t imagine my life without reiki. While it’s challenging to explain the unseen in words, I think it’s worthwhile to try. Especially when it comes to this gentle-yet-powerful healing practice.

Do you know the main ingredient in the secret sauce of healing?

It’s so simple.

Have you ever received a message at the exact right time? Maybe you got a text from a friend just as you were thinking about them? Or heard a line in a song that spoke to your soul just when you needed to hear it?

Have you ever felt an instant connection to a word? As a spiritual being and a lover of language, I find words and names highly intriguing. The first time I heard the phrase “Akashic Records” I felt an immediate shift in my awareness and a sense of reconnection, which drove me to learn more about this practice on my own and under the guidance of wise teachers.

From childhood, most of us are taught to fear our emotions. We’re told to “stop crying” and “calm down” by adults who are struggling under the weight of their own unprocessed feelings.

I recently returned home from two magical weeks in Italy. Half of the trip was devoted to a life-changing spiritual retreat steeped in ceremony, movement, song, sisterhood, ancestral healing, and more.

Now that we’ve crossed the threshold of Summer Solstice, marking the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, our days will slowly begin to yield to night earlier and earlier until we reach the Winter Solstice in December.

You may have heard the phrase “be the light” used in the context of spirituality, but what does it really mean and why does it matter?

In the world of finance, the denominator effect is something that happens when a portion of your overall portfolio decreases dramatically in value, which causes the rest of your holdings to increase as a greater percentage of your total portfolio. Essentially, something that was meant to occupy a certain amount of space could suddenly appear to take up a much larger share of the whole.

The first time I consciously heard the voices of my ancestors was over 25 years ago. I was playing percussion to accompany my college African dance class, when I heard a clear and distinct chorus of voices.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that some of the most powerful healers I know have had very complicated maternal relationships.

Full moons are an optimal time to release what no longer serves you. Today’s full moon + partial lunar eclipse in the mystical and creative water sign of Scorpio brings us a beautiful opportunity to let go of those aspects of the ego that try to keep you stuck in the illusion of “safety.”

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting a wise and radiant elder who told me that, in her youth in northern India, they would have gatherings with a great number of brass Himalayan signing bowls and that these sound meditations would last for hours. This was a beautiful reminder that sound medicine is nothing new, although it’s now gaining a broader audience in western wellness practices.

Part of the gift of working in the healing arts, is the opportunity to gain a broader perspective on this journey we call life. And I’ve seen so much unnecessary suffering resulting from feelings of not belonging or not conforming to some generally accepted category of x, y, or z.