Today, I made some nectar and put out my hummingbird feeder. Every year, my little families return and nest in my dear old trees. My garden is made up of plants that flower in each season, and they are purposefully chosen for the bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and any other little creatures that need the blooms. Being outside is one of my favorite things because I get so much joy and healing from the wonder of interacting with these amazing lives. Even as I go about my

Yesterday was a very productive day. A lot of bigger chores were done, so why do I feel conflicted? In the spirit of healing, I paused to analyze. I notice that when I am at my maximum productivity, I lose connection with my spiritual self. Does that mean I have to be one or the other? I don't think so. The two parts of me should be able to share the same space. Now that I think of it, I have already been trying to unite the two. For most of my life, I have given domi

Yesterday, my calendar had thoughts on dandelions. Today, I am preparing to go out and harvest wild herbs, which, of course, include dandelions. My automatic pick for cards then is Soulflower. I often sense patterns, and I could see that dandelion was showing up a lot, but it almost felt too perfectly aligned. As I picked my cards, I would not have been surprised to see dandelion come up, but I also felt some relief when it didn't. The cards were mugwort and yarrow. Imm

As I work on a set of earrings with a crow motif, it seems appropriate that I am watching a tv program in which the people have been doing it long enough to show aging. Of course, I really don't know these people aside from what they allow the audience to see, but they all seem so nice. The host is a lovely lady who, I am now noticing, has developed quite a few smile lines. Another person seems to have facial skin that has migrated downward. Still another lady has lovely

My emotions seem to be out of balance this morning...not that I have a healthy idea of what they should be like. My emotional parameters are based on a world from seventy-five or more years ago, thanks to my parents. My intuition and knowledge tell me that I need to make room for myself, but what goes on in my heart seems so unacceptable to others. As I try to soothe my inner turmoil, I turn to a calming habit of shuffling my cards and choosing one. I've felt a connection

As I sit here watching an antique show, it fits right in with the thoughts washing ashore on the beach of my mind. Is it genuine, a fake, or an imitation? Over and over, I hear it said that to succeed, you set your intentions and prepare for them to be accomplished. My experience has been that every time I make plans, something goes awry. I have tried to make my own choices, full steam ahead, but everything has gone down the drain. So many times I have asked the universe

"Often what seems like an error is a lesson in patience and resilience or even a sign that something better is on the way. It isn't about controlling every outcome!" This is what my morning calendar said, and though I don't feel it yet, I needed to hear that. It has been five months since I have been looking for work with no success. To be very transparent, I am about as discouraged as I can be. It's not just the job, but everything in my life is crumbling. My lifelong

Spring is a time of awakening and refreshing. The cycle of life starts once again. In my mind of pattern watching, I tend to feel the monotony of the pattern at its base level, but without a doubt, I enjoy what each cycle has to offer. In my curious place, I start to ask questions about myself and my surroundings. Is each pattern the same? Should each pattern be the same? The answers to both those questions are no. In my journey of self-discovery, I ask similar questio

We all have challenging people in our lives. Those people can be co-workers, family members, and, sadly, life partners. I have been on a quest to find out how to disentangle my beautiful heart from these kinds of people. Being a very kind empath, I usually give out the care and consideration that I need from others. After all, aren't we supposed to be the people the world needs? However, rarely do I ever receive that same respect in return, and that opens me up to being

As I was scrolling through posts today, I saw one with a picture kind of like this one. The picture was attached to something about autistic burnout, and I didn't even read very much because my mind took the idea and went with it. Nature is the best friend of trauma. My emotions came forward with sorrow and love together. It brought back a memory from several years back, one where I took my family on vacation and fought back a negative person the whole time so my son coul

When I was eleven years old, I remember another girl telling me that she didn't mean to be unkind, but I just wasn't as fun as some of the other girls. It felt like another voice telling me I was unlovable. She was just another eleven-year-old girl and didn't mean any harm. I carried the mixed emotions from that into my future. As the years went on, I could see the pattern of what she said. I was not the one whom people gravitated toward. She spoke truth in kindness, bu

Yesterday, I started reading the next book in the Holmes and Hudson series, by Martin Davies. Its title is Mrs. Hudson and the Blue Daisy Affair. The thought came to me that I should make a pair of earrings to, I don't know, match or celebrate the book. I looked around for ideas for the earrings I wanted to make and came up with a plan, which I will start making shortly. This morning, my laptop wallpaper changed to daisies, and I thought to look in my botanical deck

Often, when someone says the word connection we think of making a line between people. Introverts begin to panic inwardly, and many others envision the group building exercises that seem to be a trend among business leadership. Perhaps, though, the most important connection is between the fragmented pieces of ourselves. A larger percentage of us are really good at distraction and procrastination, and we try to convince ourselves that we have a good life. Our heart tells u

There are some days that feel satisfying, like putting the last piece of a puzzle in and lovingly patting it flat, just a warm, content feeling. This day was not one of those. My emotions have felt shredded, and it is unsettling. I usually analyze until I find a way through, but I haven't been able to sort it out. Somehow, I feel like I let everybody down today. Maybe I didn't feel a particular connection like I often do when I am with people. Interestingly, I had a mom

As I look around my room, one thing catches my eye: a sparkly butterfly ring. My therapist asked me if I was a creature, what would I be? Butterfly. I seem to find deep resonance with these gentle creatures. In the way that my mind works, lyrics to a Tinkerbell song floated through my heart, "Butterflies and fairy sprites, come to me". Naturally, the butterfly oracle deck called to me as well. Now, it has to be said that this deck has lovely art and symbolism, but not m

Yesterday was a busy day in my thoughts and actions. I grabbed a notepad and started writing while my mind struggled to keep up with the needs of the day that required physical action. I nearly lost the thread of what I was writing several times. I did manage to hold on to the thoughts and intended to put them in a post, but when I got home, I was exhausted. Today, my thoughts travel to why I was so tired yesterday. I didn't think I did enough to merit being tired, but

A little over a week ago, I was describing my life to a friend. I told her that I felt like the universe just cleared my chessboard, I mean, took it and dumped all the carefully planned moves on the floor. It's been a tumultuous couple of years with a great deal of change, and it's been unsettling at best. I have always lived within the parameters of a typical life. There are certain non-variables in life, like you have to work to make money so that you can pay bills and

While growing up, I can remember that a lot of people used imitation vanilla, but it wasn't the same quality as real vanilla extract. I had to ask myself why people didn't just use the real thing. All it takes is a little look into history to explain. The world has been through two great wars and many other smaller ones, and that takes a toll not only on people but also on the land that nurtures us. It took me a while to understand that the fields of France didn't grow we

Apparently, I love projects. Not just projects but creative ones. Organizing my life in writing helps me see how many things I enjoy doing, and they don't get completed in the order they were started and that's ok. It means I am listening to my inner needs and allowing life to flow rather than forcing it into a shape that looks normal to others. While I have a main book to read, I actually read quite a few others along with it. It's the same with other aspects of life as

As the winter guardians of ice and snow draw back to make way for the spring ambassadors of greenery and flowers, we are all inspired to hope for more free days. The once magical snowfall has now become dismal and the habits of wearing coats seem smothering instead of warm and we look to the mornings that are no longer cold but scented with the fragrance of freshly blooming flowers. In our hearts, these days will feel much lighter and more care-free and our minds travel to