Faerietale Happiness Challenge: What Makes You YOU?

The Faerietale Happiness Challenge: at the beginning of each week, I like to remind you guys of what I am doing this month. I am challenging myself to create happiness each day during my own faerietale happiness challenge.

I've written my own faerietale, describing my own vision of an ideal life, and created a list of things I can do each day now to create as much of the ideal as possible in my everyday experience. It's an experiment to discover if living my chosen story full out will make me happier.

Toward Living My Purpose: What Makes Me "Me"...

"What is it that you are made of that never ever stops being a part of you? What is it that people have always noticed about you? What do you do now that you've always done in some way or another, that you could never stop doing? Or that you maybe did stop doing and it nearly killed your spirit to stop doing it?" ~Brenda MacIntyre

What makes you YOU?

In the newsletter where I saw this quote, she listed three things that she has always been about throughout her 28-year career. I have thought of four, and I think that whenever I am thinking about or doing something that contributes to building my purpose in one of these ways, I feel happy.

(1) Helping people heal whatever keeps them from the life that's waiting for them

(2) Helping people discover what makes them happy & supporting them in making the changes they need to in order to be happier

(3) Helping people discover and become more of who they are meant to be

(4) Helping people develop a deeper daily spiritual practice/connection

Does living your purpose make you happy? Just making this list made me feel happier, but so does everything I do that is in line with my purpose.

Daily simple happiness score: 6

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What if you could finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the faerietale life
that's waiting for you?
http://www.faerietalecoach.com

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Toward a Deeper Daily Spiritual Practice: Contemplative Silence

Daily Spiritual Practice

"Within the stillness and silence of contemplation, we discover that the boundaries of self-identity that usually appear so firm and solid are actually far more porous, flexible and fluid than we realized. From a centered place of calm, we lose our strict sense of separation and isolation from the rest of the natural world. We enter into a liminal space in which we can experience the myriad connections that weave us together with poignancy and clarity." ~Allison Leigh Lilly

These are the moments in our daily spiritual practice when we are open to connection, to guidance, to change. And it's an important step in the process.

If you are used to ending your spiritual practice each day without ever getting to this step, I encourage you to give it a try. Even five minutes of silent contemplation can be very powerful.

If you try it this week, or try any of these steps we've been looking at this month, let me know how it goes.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

What if you could finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you?
Coming March 17th: the The Magical Moon Healing eCourse:
6-weeks of moon magic for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Toward a Deeper Daily Spiritual Practice: Prayer

Daily Spiritual Practice

"Besides praying to the gods, there are other ways you can adapt this stage of Lectio Divina to a spirituality grounded in nature. If prayer is simply a form of reverent conversation, then you might feel moved by your observation and meditation on nature to converse with the many beings around you — even beings with whom you might not normally strike up a conversation. If you’re feeling inspired by your spiritual work, you can speak with the robins about the coming spring, or converse with the tree that stands tall and patient in your backyard to learn what lessons it has to teach you. You might even feel moved to speak out loud, to tell your own story to the waterfall or the evening breeze." ~Allison Leigh Lilly

In this step, we consider prayer and what that might mean for those of us with a less traditional  spirituality or spiritual practice.  Your own conversations might be with the trees, or the moon, or your spirit animal guides.

What might that look like for you? How would you incorporate this step into your own daily spiritual practice?

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 
What if you could finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you?
Coming March 17th: the The Magical Moon Healing eCourse:
6-weeks of moon magic for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Toward a Deeper Daily Spiritual Practice: Meditation

Daily Spiritual Practice

"Now is the time to ponder, to daydream, to explore the personal meaning that the natural world holds for you as a denizen of the land." ~Allison Leigh Lilly

Today, we come to step two in the daily spiritual practice. We meditate and reflect on whatever we chose for "reading", whether that was spending a few moments in nature, or actual reading of a book or oracle card.

This reflection can be simple and brief, for a few minutes as you consider the message you read or experienced and apply it to your life, or it can be part of an elaborate ritual that includes lighting a candle and taking the time for a longer pathworking.

If you did step out into nature, you could even do your reflecting there.

Next Tuesday, we consider step three, but this week give some thought to how you would want to include this step in your daily spiritual practice.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

What if you could finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you?
Coming March 17th: the The Magical Moon Healing eCourse:
6-weeks of moon magic for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Toward a Deeper Daily Spiritual Practice: Reading

Daily Spiritual Practice

This month, we're taking a look at the typical practice of Lectio Divina and applying it to those of us with a nature-based or earth-based spirituality.

Does "reading" inspirational material as a first step in our daily spiritual practice have to occur between the pages of the book? In the following quote, we're encouraged to read nature.

"Go outside and spend some time quietly observing the natural world around you. It doesn’t matter if you live in a secluded hermitage out in the woods, or in a busy urban center full of bustling people, or even in a carefully landscaped suburban neighborhood. Nature is not something 'out there' beyond human reach — we are deeply embedded in the natural world all the time." ~Allison Leigh Lilly

So we can be creative about this first step.

(1) We can "read" nature.

(2) We can read from an oracle card deck for guidance, like my favorite one: Wild Wisdom of the Faery Oracle (Book & Cards)

(3) We can read a book that's meant to be a daily devotional, like 365 Goddess: A Daily Guide to the Magic and Inspiration of the Goddess.

(4) We can read anything we want that we think will encourage spiritual growth. What might you read?

Next Tuesday, we'll look at the next step in the process.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What if you could finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you?
Coming March 17th: the The Magical Moon Healing eCourse:
6-weeks of moon magic for healing what's in the way.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Toward a Deeper Daily Spiritual Practice

Daily Spiritual Practice

"When we see nature itself as a constantly-unfolding story about the deepest, most sacred truths of life and death, we can adapt the practice of Lectio Divina as a creative approach to meditation that can strengthen our relationship with the earth. Here are just a few ideas about how to use the practice of Lectio Divina to engage with the stories of nature..." ~Allison Leigh Lilly

In her post, she takes each part of the traditional Catholic practice of Lectio Divino and demonstrates how it could be used by people practicing a Celtic or earth-based spirituality. During the next few weeks, on Tuesdays, I will explore how to create a deeper daily spiritual practice by adapting those steps...

(1) Reading or Observation

(2) Meditative Reflection

(3) Prayer

(4) Contemplative Silence

On Thursdays, I'll be back with a focus on connecting with the moon and several ways to use the moon to deepen your daily spiritual practice.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

What if you could finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you?
Coming March 17th: the The Magical Moon Healing eCourse:
6-weeks of moon magic for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Creating a Daily Peace Practice: Part Two

Peace Practice, Part Two

As promised, here are three more great ways to add in peace to your daily spiritual practice or to create a peace practice. And if you missed the first part of this post, you can find it here.

(1) Adding extra “cool down” time and more stretching to the end of your workout just because it soothes, centers and grounds you.

(2) Choosing a peace blend or a comfort blend, or creating your own, when deciding which essential oils to use. I love anything with vanilla! SO soothing.

(3) Creating a peace room, or at least a peace corner, that can house comforting artwork, big-fat-comfy pillows, your favorite cozy throw or blanket, your fuzzy slippers or socks and a window that faces your favorite tree or offers a water view.

And one more (I had to include this one!): spending time just gazing at the moonlight and letting yourself soak up that soothing moon energy.

I encourage you to think about what it would mean to create an entire peace lifestyle.

And I need to tell you that though I know you are busy, especially if you are at all like me (single parent business owner), but answering the call to create a deeper spiritual practice is going to require giving yourself the time you deserve.

Homework

And while you’re thinking about all that, consider what kind of commitment you are ready to make to develop a deeper spiritual practice.

What commitment are you ready to make to yourself?

And what might that look like for you? How will it feel?

“Transformation doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. When we travel down life’s highway, we make small shifts. A slight move today, another shift tomorrow, and in six months’ time, we will find ourselves in a totally new place. We find a new sense of being right with ourselves and a whole new sense of connection with God.” –Mary Morrissey, New Thought Minister

“Contemplative practices cultivate a personal capacity for deep concentration and insight. Examples may include meditation, contemplative prayer, focused experiences in nature, yoga, art-making, and ritual or ceremony designed to create sacred space and/or support insight and awareness.” –contemplativemind.org

Want some additional possibilities for developing and deepening a contemplative spiritual practice?

Look at this page on the Contemplative Mind website:
http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree

Developing a full-blown, workable spiritual practice, after experimenting with this, letting go of that, make take time. But getting started can happen right now. Today.

Start now. You won’t regret it. In fact, I promise you, it will change your life in ways you can’t even imagine.

Let me know how it goes!

Thanks so much for taking this month-long journey with me!! 

Have a great weekend!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Creating a Daily Spiritual Practice: The Final Guideline...

Creating a Daily Spiritual Practice

We've been taking a look at guidelines for creating a deeper daily spiritual practice, and here is the final one I want to share with you. It just might be the most important one of them all.

It has to be a peace practice, not just a spiritual one. Mystics have a deep longing for peace that is often ignored and rarely satisfied. So crafting a spiritual practice has to include careful, deliberate planning to create peace.

What this could mean… 

(1) adding a cup of chamomile tea to your journaling or inspirational reading time. Or, drinking more tea in general. Or your comfort beverage of choice.

(2) adding a few minutes at the end of your walking meditation to sit and lean into the grounding energy of an oak tree nearby.

(3) holding a comforting crystal in each hand, moonstone or rose quartz or selenite (etc.), during your meditation time.

(4) learning some soothing tai chi chih moves.

(5) creating or asking your yoga teacher for a comforting yoga sequence.

(6) listening to music that soothes

(7) chanting a peace mantra or listening to chant.

In part two of this post, I'll suggest three more ways to create peace and comfort and give you some homework to help you process all of this information.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

How to Create a Mystical, Magical Daily Spiritual Practice (Part Two)

Creating a Daily Spiritual Practice, Mystic Style

Here are a few more things to keep in mind as you consider how to create a deeper daily spiritual practice...

(1) It needs to provide you with deeper access to intuitive guidance in whatever way works for you…
 
(a) writing in your journal
(b) intuitive readings
(c) spirit animal guidance
(d) meditation with spirit guides

(2) It needs to give you faith to trust the guidance you receive and courage to take the steps that move you along the path to the life you want most.

So you need to regularly place yourself in front of whatever inspires you, deepens your faith, helps you believe in magic or miracles, gives you the courage too believe in yourself and reach for your dreams, and heals the limiting beliefs and unhealed memories that could get in your way.

What would that mean for you?

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Guidelines for Creating a Daily Mystic Spiritual Practice

Daily Spiritual Practice, 
Mystic Style

Now that you have gotten clear about the story or stories you’ve been living and have begun to rewrite your story to create the life you want, it’s time to choose and create the spiritual practice(s) that will help keep you on the path. And the best thing about it is that it will be uniquely yours.

Your spiritual path doesn’t have to look like anyone else's. So the mission for the rest of this week: creating a deeper spiritual practice that is perfect for you. As a mystic (most of my blog readers are magical, mystical women), “perfect for you” means it will have to meet certain high standards.

Otherwise, it won’t work. So here are some guidelines to keep in mind…

Guidelines for a Mystic’s Deeper Spiritual Practice…

(1) It has to be mystic, which implies several things.

(a) It has to be designed to provide plenty of alone time for contemplation and reflection.

(b) It must be richly imaginative. Reading a page in a devotional or singing the hymn on page whatever is not going to be enough.

(c) It can’t be rushed. Mystics need a slower pace.

(d) It needs to offer connection to nature.

(2) It needs to be designed to create a deeper connection with the divine as you understand the divine, with your inner guide or wisdom, and with yourself (needs, hopes, wants, feelings) through contemplative prayer, meditation or journaling.

Tomorrow, we'll look at a few more guidelines. Meanwhile, what would it mean to apply what you've read already to creating a daily spiritual practice?

Are you getting some ideas already?

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Deepening the Connection with Your Inner Guide: Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy for Deepening the Connection with Your Inner Guide

Yesterday, I suggested several crystals you can use to deepen the sense of connection you feel in your developing relationship with your inner guide. They also can be used to deepen your sense of spiritual connection, in general.

Now let's look at ways to use aromatherapy to do the same thing...

Aromatherapy 

Rose oil – powerful conduit for feelings of loving connection. Also, a very nurturing, comforting oil. Genuine rose oil is pricey but worth the investment.

Petitgrain – promotes loving and harmonious relationships.

German chamomile – increases your receptivity to intuitive guidance, promotes honest communication and increases psychic ability.

Neroli – increases direct connection to intuitive guidance.

Frankincense – increases spiritual wisdom and deepens your connection with the divine.

Jasmine – will help you understand deeper truth.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Deepening the Connection with Your Inner Guide: Crystals

Deepening the Connection with Your Inner Guide

Last week, I suggested the importance of having an inner guide for this heroic journey to answer the call to create a deeper spiritual practice. We talked about how to connect with your guide here and here.

This week, I have ways you can deepen and strengthen that connection, starting today, with crystals.

Resources for Deepening the Connection with Your Inner Guide…

Now that you have begun the relationship with your inner guide, here are some resources to help you sustain that connection or deepen it even further using crystals. Check back tomorrow and each day this week for other resources you can use.

Crystals 

Rose Quartz – holding a rose quartz crystal or even placing it nearby may help to increase your perception of love and tenderness.

Selenite – if you have been thinking of your guide as angelic, this is a great crystal to use because it generates angelic frequency so may draw angels near.

Aragonite – heightens spiritual communication

Fire Agate – is grounding and will deepen your sense of connection to earth energies.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meet your Inner Guide

Meet Your Inner Guide

Connecting with Your Inner Guide…

Today we talk about meeting your inner guide. We've been talking about this heroic journey to answer the call to create a deeper spiritual practice, and I think no such journey would be complete without a guide to accompany you.

Don't you agree?

Planning the Meeting with Your Inner Guide 

How would you like to meet your inner guide? With a handshake? A hug? A touch on the arm? A sudden silent comforting presence nearby?

And what would you like to do when you connect? Take a walk together? Chat inside your head while you have a beer at the pub? Hold hands while you laugh together and tell each other secrets?

Sit in deeply connected silence somewhere outside in nature? Write each other letters in your journal? All of the above? None of the above?

(photo: Urban Flip Flops)

Have a cup of tea or cocoa and think it over. Then make it happen, or imagine it. Tomorrow, we'll talk more about how to connect with your inner guide.

See you then.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finding Your Way on the Path

Finding Your Way on the Path

Yesterday, our focus was on identifying where you are right now in your own heroic story. Are you on the lower path or the higher path to which you have been called?

And this month, in general, you’ve chosen to begin the adventure of finding your own mystic path and story as we look within and follow the intention to create a deeper spiritual practice.

With all of this inner exploration, the goal is to let go of what no longer serves you.

Here are resources to support you on this first leg of the journey…

Walking Meditation 

Take a five-minute walk amongst the trees and connect with their solid strength and grounding energy as you pass them by. Your goal is just to focus on your breathing and take in the sights and sounds around you.

Spirit Animal Support 

Ask for hummingbird support. “Embody boldness. Dive on desire with courage.” –from the hummingbird manifesto. Sarah Seidelmann, What the Walrus Knows 

Crystals 

Grab selenite for calming and soothing but powerful support.

Raises frequency to angelic levels.

Essential Oils 

Vanilla is both soothing and grounding.
Bergamot helps to open the heart.
Rosemary centers and promotes strength.
Rose comforts and helps you let go of fear.

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Call to Something Deeper

Toward a Deeper Daily Spiritual Practice

Are you called to a deeper spiritual practice but so far, have not found time to answer the call?

Do you feel like you just don’t have the time or the inclination to find a workable spiritual path? And yet, this call to something more kind of nags at you in the background of your life?

Do you long to know how this call to something more and your current life experience fit into your deeper Mystic Story?

James Baldwin said, “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”

Are you ready to take off the mask that hides your authentic mystic path? Come back on Monday to continue our mystical, magical adventure that will take you far away from the world you’ve known and at the same time, deeper inside yourself than you’ve ever imagined.

You will have me as your wisdom guide and YOURSELF as a beloved companion.

See you Monday!

Have a great weekend!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Check out the Moon Healing eCourse:
a 4-week jouney for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Simple Moon Rituals You Can Do Every Day

3 Easy, Simple Daily Rituals

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Why Having a Daily Spiritual Practice Really Matters

Creating Daily Ritual

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

So many of us live our lives stuck in neutral.
Do you ever feel that way?
What if you could get yourself unstuck & finally heal
whatever is blocking you from the life that's waiting for you.
Announcing the Moon Healing eKit:
a 4-week eCourse for healing what's in the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Daily Spiritual Practice: Creating an Altar

Daily Spiritual Practice: Creating an Altar

An altar can be a great support for your spiritual practice but it offers a place to group together things that remind you of your faith or support you in it. For example, the altar in that picture used to have spiritual books on it and I often grabbed one each morning when I first got up.

Then, this summer, I decided I wanted to try it without books and I gave it a sort of goddess-y, priestess theme as I re-created it. My books are now in the chair next to it because I haven't figured out where else to put them. :)

This altar will stay in place for at least the summer season, but they also can be temporary. I have friends who create a new altar for each season and others who do so for each holiday they celebrate.

I have another altar that shifts, at least a little, each month, to reflect whatever my focus is going to be for that moon cycle.

Have you ever created an altar?

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

What would it be like to design a daily spiritual practice

that's perfect for you because it's based on
who you are at the core?

Take the Mystic Quiz and discover the mystic within

who has been waiting to be found.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Daily Spiritual Practice: Contemplative Prayer

Daily Spiritual Practice: Contemplative Prayer

Last week, we talked about prayer as a way to address the parts of ourselves we may not like as much as others. This week I want to talk about a kind of prayer that I think is important for mystics and healers: contemplative prayer.

Contemplative prayer can be thought of in two ways...

(1) One is the act of visualizing the thing you want to pray about and imagining the divine joining you as you look at it and enfolding it with love & healing.

This way is great for mystics because it can happen entirely without words and with imagery.


(2) The other is the act of spending quiet time just hanging out with the divine. No conversation, just practicing the presence of God. Or Goddess. Or Spirit. Etc.

Both can be done every day and both can be brief. And yet, they offer a powerful way to connect.

Some people, when practicing contemplative prayer, finds it helps them to hold on to something, like a crystal, prayer beads, or like my goddess wand there.

Have you ever tried contemplative prayer, and if so, how did it go? What was it like for you?

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

What would it be like to design a daily spiritual practice

that's perfect for you because it's based on
who you are at the core?

Take the Mystic Quiz and discover the mystic within

who has been waiting to be found.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Daily Spiritual Practice: Prayer

Daily Spiritual Practice: Prayer

May all that hinders me be released,
May all the binds me be released,
May the outdwellers of my heart be released,
That I may be made pure.

I love this prayer from the Solitary Druid Fellowship liturgy and I love even more the way he explains outdwellers of my heart....

"In the SDF liturgy, however, the emphasis is not placed on beings in physical space; instead, it focuses on the idea of an outdweller being present in the heart of the solitary practitioner. This presence could be conceived of as many things, not the least of which would be fear, doubt, anxiety, or a sense of unworthiness. These are things which hinder us in our solitary practice, and it serves us well to invite them to leave — if only at first for the duration of this ritual — so that we might be confident in our actions. For me, personally, I find the term “outdweller of my heart” to be deeply compassionate. To speak it aloud is to acknowledge that within me there are countless forces, many of which are of my own making, which seek to derail me and take me off of my path."

What means so much to me about this idea is that it offers a way, everyday, to acknowledge and address the parts of ourselves we often try not to think about or pretend aren't really there. But it also offers a way to diminish their influence on our spiritual practice.

What are the outdwellers in your heart?

Have a great day!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

What would it be like to design a daily spiritual practice

that's perfect for you because it's based on
who you are at the core?

Take the Mystic Quiz and discover the mystic within

who has been waiting to be found.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~