Early to bed, early to rise.
Makes a Goddess healthy, wealthy and wise.

Since starting my own business I’ve enjoyed the freedom of allowing my body to wake up whenever it wants. No schedules, no alarm clock, no clients until 10 am at the absolute earliest.

And, I’ve loved it!

But as a result of my relaxed mornings I’ve become quite the night owl… up late working on creative projects for my business and burning the midnight oil night after night, sometimes into the wee-hours of the morning. 

This worked for me for awhile, but lately I’ve been feeling a little burned out… Like I’m working all the time, like I’m playing catch up to meet deadlines and finish projects. And I realize this is not the energy I want to create I my business or my life.

So this week I’ve made the decision to reclaim my mornings by waking up early. I mean really, really early. I mean like 5 am early.

Call me crazy, but I actually like it.

Sure, the first couple of mornings I rose from bed on sheer will, cursing under my breath as the sound of my alarm clock jarred me out of my restful slumber. I stumbled out of bed in a fog, fumbling to start my morning with a little yoga or strength training (and foregoing my sacred cup of coffee until after the morning workout). Yeah, it was rough.

But by the third morning, I was actually starting to enjoy it. Not only am I finally honoring myself by making my workouts a priority (no more making excuses about how “I don’t have time to workout” because my day got too busy!), but by getting my body moving so early I’m able to kick-start my day into action.

After my workouts the rest of the day just seems to flow effortlessly. I’m starting work hours earlier than I was before and burning through my daily tasks with a keen and attentive mind. In fact, it amazes me how much a girl can accomplish by noon when she starts working at 7 am.

Not only that, but I’m finding that by 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon I’m actually in a pretty good position to put down the laptop and enjoy the rest of my life! Wow ~ who knew. Temporary balance attainted!

So yes, I’ve given up my alarm clock free mornings and my late night television (I miss you Chelsea Lately), but I’ve gained so much more. I’m enjoying the simplicity of greeting the rising sun with a sun salutation. I’m tapping back in to the endless opportunities of the day ahead. And I’m realigning myself with the magic of the dawn ~ that in-between time that’s neither night nor day, that time when anything seems possible… because it is.

So from here on out... Good morning Universe!
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I've never really been fond of Valentine's Day. The whole idea of showing someone you care with flowers and chocolates just one day a year never resonated with me.

I want the love of my life to show me he loves me just because it's Tuesday, not because some big Hallmark exec said he should. I want a gentle touch, a kind word, a single rose picked from our own garden and placed beside our bed, not an overpriced teddy bear adorned with tacky hearts. But that's just me. 

What I DO like about Valentine's Day is that it brings our attention to matters of the heart. So on this Valentine's Day, open your heart chakra wide and allow yourself to send and receive love freely.

Visualize your heart chakra opening up and sending rays of loving, healing energy out to everyone you know, even to people you don't like very much because they're no doubt in need of love too. Send love to everyone you've ever met and to the strangers in the street with no one to care for them.

Send love to the the planet and to plants and to the animals that inhabit her. Then, open your heart even further and allow yourself to RECEIVE love as freely as you've given it. You are loved, you are worthy of love and you deserve all the love in the world!

Here's one of my favorite meditations to help you get in the flow of love this Valentine's Day. Click HERE to listen to my Heart Chakra Meditation now. 

Happy Valentines Day!
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Picture
Erin & Me (& Baby Thor)
Curled up in my flannel sheets at my best friend's cozy Virginia hillside home, I'm reminded what it means to feel truly comfortable. Comfortable in her home, comfortable in her presence, comfortable in my bed, comfortable in my own skin.

Erin is one of my oldest friends from my college days. Over the years this amazing woman has helped me raise my son, brave my crappy jobs, grieve my losses and celebrate my successes as few others have.

Like any relationship, ours has had its ups and downs. Last year we spent the better part of a month living and traveling side-by-side in Europe. We had an amazing journey together, but at times we grated on each other nerves like an old married couple.  

We became mirrors to each other during this time. We reflected back the best and sometimes the worst, but always the truth. We saw our shortcomings and our strengths through the eyes of someone we loved and trusted. And we didn't always like what we saw. But we did learn from it.

Today, spending time with Erin and her hubby Jason as they're expecting their first baby, I see only beauty and love reflected back at me. We've learned a lot from each other over the years.

We've learned to be gentle with each other when one of us is being hard on herself. And to be firm with each other when the other one refuses to see what's right in front of her. 

We've learned to accept each other WHERE we we are, because we know that WHO we are is far more important. When one of us is having a hard time, the other one never gives up on her. Instead, we hold the space for our friend to step up to be the woman we know she truly IS. 

We've learned to forgive each other, because neither one of us is perfect and neither of us expects perfection (whew!).

And we've learned to be silent together without feeling the least bit uncomfortable or the slightest need to fill the space with mindless chatter.  

And for all this and so much more... We're better women because we've known each other.
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One of the things I love the most about my job is that I get to work with the coolest people in the world!

Not only are my clients absolutely awesome, but the quality of spiritual teachers and practitioners in the South Florida community is truly awe-inspiring.

This Friday I have the honor of working with one of my good friends and one of the best damn numerologists I know, Michele Landers, on a cool, experiential Goddess workshop at the Jamar Enlightenment Center.

What could be better? I get to "go to work" with a woman I adore, invite a group of enlightened ladies to join us, and engage in sacred play for a couple of hours as we connect with our divine feminine in the most sublime ways!

I hope you'll be one of those enlightened ladies who join us as we wake up our inner Goddess together, create a compelling vision for the future and make a vow of commitment to ourselves and to the fulfillment of our dreams.

Truly, this workshop has the ability to get you focused on the life you want to create and moving toward the creation of that life with absolute clarity. Don't miss out! Your dreams are worth it!

Sound like fun? You bet it is! Click HERE to learn more.
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Life is cyclical. It curves and bends and folds back on itself in the most interesting patterns…

Lately, I’ve found myself revisiting some old issues dealing with the themes of balance, boundaries and empowerment. Just last year I started Wake Up Goddess so that my life would be more balanced, so that I could have healthier boundaries around work and so that I could feel empowered in what I do.

But to tell you the truth, I’ve spent the last month in a bit of a tailspin. I’ve been overbooked, overburdened and bogged down in the minutiae. Ironically, these are exactly the spiritual issues that I was teaching about in my 3-week Spirit Guided teleseminar series “Reclaiming Your Life: Body, Mind & Spirit” which ended last night.

The beauty of the spiritual process and my own spiritual path is that by hosting these virtual workshops, I was given exactly what I need to receive in the exact moment I needed it ~ simply by sharing it with others. 

As I was pulling all of the spiritual tools and techniques together for my virtual workshops, I was reminded to keep using them in my own life. And then I was reminded how incredibly damn effective they are!

The results for me and my clients over this past 3-weeks have been amazing. Personally, working with my Guides in such a focused manner has helped me reconnect with my own purpose as a teacher.

The process has also helped me let go of my issues around control and spiritual “micro-management.” And because I was willing to play along, my Guides orchestrated some synchronistic events to hook me up with my very first virtual assistant (who I officially hired today!) so that I can get out of “overload” and start focusing on the BIG stuff!

So next month I’ll be rolling out some really cool, spirit-centered products, program and services that absolutely makes my soul sing (and hopefully yours too). And I’m more excited about my future, the futures of my clients and the future of my business than ever before.

Trust me, I’m living proof that when you honor your spirit the benefits will carry over into every other area of your life! Enjoy the journey (including the curves)!
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You’ve heard me say it before… balance is an ongoing process. And all of us find ourselves a little out of kilter every now and then.

Lately, I’ve definitely been riding the rapids! I’ve overbooked myself and I haven’t been prioritizing well. And as I crowd more and more “stuff” into my day, the less time I have to honor myself by spending time on the truly important things ~ things like hot baths and long walks and watching goofy TV shows with my teenage son and making dinner with my husband.

But hosting Thursday’s Reclaiming Your Life: Body, Mind & Spirit teleseminar reminded me of just how easy it is to slide into that dark place ~ the place where you’re running ragged reacting to your world instead of flowing through it like a gentle river.

Putting together the content for this call also gave me the opportunity to pull out some of my favorite tools and to start using them again in my own life. And, not surprisingly, I'm already seeing results! (BTW, these are the same tools I share with you in the free teleseminar and the ones we’ll explore more deeply in the 3-week virtual retreat that’s coming up soon!)

Maybe the thing I love most about being a teacher is that you can always learn from your own lessons. And that’s exactly what I’m doing now ~ taking my own advice.

If you haven’t heard the call recording from my Reclaiming Your Life: Body, Mind & Spirit teleseminar, you can listen or download it for FREE until this Monday, May 17th. Just click here to register.
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Playing It Safe 03/08/2010
 
For those of you who like to play it safe...

I realize that you may not understand me, and that my actions may seem rash and daring at times.

I get that you might think I’ve lost my mind… that I’m too bold, too outspoken and just plain too much sometimes.

I understand that my desire to shake up the status quo can be scary, even threatening, on occasion.

But please try not to judge me too harshly. Because behind every “rash” decision I make is a well-thought out plan, and every “daring” action I take is an intuitive act of spirit-guided faith.

Sometimes I do allow myself to “lose” my rational mind so that my creative and inspirational mind can step forward. And because I’m confident in who I am and how I move through this world, I will often take risks, say things others are thinking but are too afraid to voice, and generally push the envelope.

And no, I’m not afraid to shake things up when they’re not working and I can’t, in good conscious apologize if that makes you uncomfortable because maybe, just maybe, you needed to step out of your own comfort zone to grow.

Just in case you’re wondering, sometimes I am afraid to take these risks, but I do it anyways, because I’m more afraid of being stuck. So, yes, I can be bit unpredictable at times (just ask my husband), but that can be a lot of fun if you’re willing to surrender to it.

And sure, every once in awhile, no matter how good my intentions are, I screw things up along the way (oh the stories I could tell you!), but I generally learn from my mistakes and I keep going because, really, what’s the alternative?

So I offer you this blog post, not because I’m seeking your approval, or because I expect your validation. I offer it instead to thank you for your patience as we share this space together. I offer it to thank you for being the stabilizing forces in the world so that those of us who are too restless to rest can keep working and playing and dancing our vision into existence.

I offer it to say, I understand where you’re coming from and sometimes wish I could play it safe too. I wish I could be happy with a stable 9 to 5 job and a two-week vacation every year. But I’m just not made that way. It’s not that I’m better (believe me I don’t think that at all!), I’m just wired differently.

I have a gypsy spirit. And to put that gypsy spirit in a suit and sensible shoe and march off to work every day with a briefcase in my hand ~ like I did for nearly a decade ~ is the spiritual equivalent of drinking cyanide for breakfast for folks like me.

So although I don’t expect you to understand, approve or condone my actions. There’s nothing to say you can’t just sit back and enjoy the show.

To stay connected with Michele, click here to sign up for the Wake Up Goddess ezine.
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Yesterday was a difficult day. Why? (Cue rant…) My grandpop discovered that the cancer that had been in remission for years has returned more aggressively than before. My brother-in-law had his second car accident in two days. My mom’s dog was hit by a car. My best friend’s grandfather was admitted into the hospital for kidney failure. And I’m fighting off a miserable little sinus infection that makes my head feel like it’s going to explode. (End rant... refocus...)

Yesterday was a difficult day. But today will be better.

Today I will focus on the fact that grandpop is in good spirits and that I have the pleasure of enjoying his company while he’s here from his home in Belize for his medical treatments. I will be grateful that my brother-in-law, who I love like a brother, is absolutely fine. I will breathe easier because, although my mom’s dog is a little banged up, she’s not badly hurt. I will remember that my friend’s grandfather is surrounded by loving family and uplifted by the prayers of those who can’t be near him physically. And finally, I will honor myself by caring for my body and soul in ways I've neglected lately.

Like many of us, I have a terrible habit of letting my own health and wellbeing go when I’m stressed out. I don’t exercise; I eat foods that lower my vibration, making me feel heavy and weighed down; I don’t sleep at night; I work too much; and I don’t take the proper time for meditation, journaling and all the other things that ground and center me in my spirituality and help me reconnect with my divine nature and spiritual support system.

But today will be better. Today I’m going to start out with a long walk to clear my head and listen to my Guides. I might even follow that up with a little yoga just for good measure. Then I’m going to take a good healthy dose of vitamins and eat wholesome, nourishing foods throughout the day that make me feel vibrant and alive. I’m even going to see if I can schedule a massage with my friend Taina who just had the most beautiful little girl, Anala Rose, who’s angelic face brings me joy and hope for the future.

Today I’m not going to race the clock or push myself into the corners of my schedule. I’m not going to worry about my deadlines. I’m going to ignore phone calls I don’t want to take and I’m not going to return e-mails unless I absolutely feel like it. Today I’m going to play a game with my son and kiss my husband on the lips and not beat myself up for anything I don’t do. Today I’m going to take care of myself so that when I need to, I can take care of others without feeling drained or stressed or overwhelmed.

Yes, yesterday was difficult, but it's over. And today will be better. It will be better because I will make it better. Because life isn’t about what happens around you or even to you, but how you move through it. My goal is to move through it with grace, and with the faith that today will be better.

For more tips on how to care for you body and soul, click here to sign up for my newsletter.
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I'm one of those people who can usually hold a head cold off even when people are coughing and sneezing all around me. But last week my family was here ~ a whole tribe including two younger sisters, three nieces ranging in age from 2 to 14, and one really patient brother-in-law. And, you guessed it, they were all sick.

So despite my neurotic hand-washing (during which I sang the "Happy Birthday" song to myself to make sure I lathered long enough to get the best germ-killing results) I caught their crud, and so did my son Tyler.

In fact, Tyler's been sulking around the house with a low-grade fever for the past 3 days mumbling, "That darn baby" in a voice that sounds exactly like Napoleon Dynamite's.

As for me, being sick holds some blessings, like reminding me to take impeccable care of myself. So to this end, here is my recipe for recovery when coping with the common cold:

1st ~ Nap all day long and allow yourself to be utterly  relaxed, ignoring any distractions that would cause you stress, guilt or worry (especially house work!).

Case in point... right now my Solstice tree sites downstairs half decorated, while ceramic snowmen and stuffed Santa's look back at me with sad, knowing smiles as they prepare to make their annual sojourn into the attic. And although this would normally send me into an OCD frenzy of activity, today I pay them no attention.

2nd ~ Read a semi-trashy romance novel. It's important to have mindless entertainment when you're sick and romance novels fit the bill perfectly. Make sure to read the whole thing cover to cover and avoid full-length mirrors until you've actually washed your hair and changed out of your pajamas.

3rd ~ Take lots of long, luxurious hot baths. And use the good bath salts! I cannot stress the importance of this step enough. Water is healing in nature and soaking just feels good.

Plus, as  an added bonus, you can take your romance novel into the bathtub with you and read while you soak. Add a cup of hot tea and that's the best you can possibly feel when your sick.

And 4th ~ If you have an appetite (and I always do, even when I'm sick), eat really simple, really healthy foods. And, whenever possible, have someone serve them to you in bed.

My hubby actually did this for me yesterday and it instantly raised my energy, making me feel very well cared for and loved.

So there you have it ~ 4 tested and proven ways to "get well soon" or at least make the most of being sick.

To sign up for my newsletter, click here.

Bonus Tip ~ Stay in your most comfy pajamas all day long. I do not understand why or how, but I'm pretty sure pajamas have magical healing properties. Be well!
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The New Year is a time when even the least sentimental of your pessimistic pals will wax romantic about the passage of precious time and look forward with a raised chin and a new resolve to the days ahead and the promise they hold.

It's a time when people think about new beginnings and give themselves permission to start over, no matter how badly they think they've screwed up in the past. It's a clean slate, a fresh start, a brand new day...

And why not? Why not just go ahead seize the energy of the new year and move it forward into the rest of your year? Grab hold of it with both hands ~ the promise, the possibilities ~ and leap into the next decade with abandon.

In 2010 I want to be awake in my life and live it fully. I want to taste fabulous food for the pleasure and the nourishment of it. I want to float in the ocean with my eyes closed and know that the entire sea supports me. I want to run, just because I can. I want to dance with my friends and laugh until my cheeks hurt.

And the only person who can stop me is me. So in 2010 I resolve to ~ as my Guides have so kindly suggested already (darn learning curve) ~ get out of my own way and really enjoy my life. I hope you'll join me on this amazing journey into... well, I don't know what yet, but I bet it's gonna be a blast.

Click here to sign up for your FREE Spirit Guide report and Wake Up Goddess E-zine!

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