Blog
December as Liminal Space
Inbetween-times. What I call "liminal spaces." We experience liminal space in small ways as well as large. Let's start with a definition: Liminal space is a transitional state, phase,or condition that may be physical, emotional, or metaphorical. It's a...
The Challenges We Are Facing
So - here we are, in the early days after the 2024 election. I want to begin saying something, but find it difficult. I ran across a recent YouTube talk by someone who is well-known (though I don't know him) - his name is Charles Eisenstein - and he speaks of...
A few thoughts about Change
I'm saying "a few thoughts" today for a very practical reason.... namely, that I am moving in a few days, about 3 hours north, back to territory thar has been "home" in the past. So my time is mostly spent seeing a few clients and packing, packing, packing. There...
Surrendering to a Deeper Knowing
I've been contemplating the meaning of "surrender," in the context of searching for a house rental (so that I can move back to an area where I loved living a couple of years ago). I'm not finding what I want/can afford, and wondering it may be time to "surrender to...
Let’s Explore Aging…
When it came to me that I wanted to explore aging, the first thing I needed was a definition... so it turns out that AI (Artificial Intelligence, the new respondent to Google searches these days) says 65 is the age at which we begin aging. That came as a shock....
Remembering…
When Did It Happen? by Mary Oliver When did it happen? “It was a long time ago.” Where did it happen? “It was far away.” No, tell. Where did it happen? “In my heart.” What is your heart doing now? “Remembering. Remembering!” From: Felicity ...
Counseling and Spiritual Guidance: Two “Helper” Paths
Clients come seeking help with their own values and “orienting systems.” But even when helpers insist that they are “value-free” in their work, a closer look reveals that they naturally bring their own preferred lenses, assumptions about what has meaning, and ideas...
Spirituality as a Resource – and Beyond
In the world of counseling and psychotherapy, we are often seeking ways to help clients develop their own “resources” to deal with life’s challenges. If they are struggling with some kind of pain or difficulty, so we may support them in exploring their inner...
Focusing: Exploring the Wisdom of our Bodies
An Introduction... As we navigate the challenges of life, learning to listen to our bodies can be surprisingly helpful. I'd like to explore a simple but powerful practice called Focusing. If you've come across Focusing before, that's not surprising because it...
Do You Have Time?
Invitation Oh do you have time to linger for just a little while out of your busy and very important day for the goldfinches that have gathered in a field of thistles for a musical battle, to see who can sing the highest note, or the lowest, or the most expressive of...
Listening to Body Wisdom
Over the years, in my work with clients and spiritual seekers as well as in my own experience, I have learned the importance of being in touch with our bodies. This premise may lead in a variety of directions, but my particular interest here is in “ways of knowing.” ...
Weather Metaphors, Weather Realities
Weather is…. ... a common and powerful source of metaphors for our emotions, feelings, states of mind. (I would guess that we rarely think about the underlying realities that enliven the images.) ... and – if we pay attention – weather is a prominent focus of news...
Me, Myself, and I: Exploring Identity
“Know thyself.” “Who am I?” Growing up We begin to develop our sense of identity in childhood. An infant explores her fingers and toes, and we interpret her actions and responses as reflecting an implicit...
“Part of me” – Exploring Subpersonalities
If you often find yourself saying something like, “Well, part of me wants to do this, but part of me is leaning towards that,” you are not alone! We often feel divided, of two minds - or more! This is not about dissociative personality disorder: this is simply the...
Waking Up in the Darkness and Despair?
Recently, on the fourth day of not feeling well – I don’t really know how to describe what I was feeling, because it didn’t seem to fit a simple label, just involved some achiness, no appetite, low energy, a weak feeling (a weak feeling? What kind of illness is...
Opening to the Mystery
The Wisdom of the Mystics Richard Rohr shares how studying the mystics can transform us and help us meet the needs of our times: We live in a time of both crisis and opportunity. While there are many reasons to be anxious, I still have hope. Westerners, including...
Curious about Personality Styles?
Sometimes (often?) we find ourselves struggling to understand other people: he is a mystery to me, she behaves in ways I don’t understand, this person makes me uncomfortable, why does he/she/they do that? Many of us have explored theories of personality, especially...
New Beginnings 2024
I’m sitting here on January 13, 2024, surrounded by a powerful winter storm. The temperature is 12 degrees, which apparently (I’m staying inside!) feels like -10 degrees. I can hear – and almost feel – the intense power, the howling and yes, roaring, of the winds...
Deaths, Endings – and Openings of the Heart
These may sound like unusual themes for a New Year’s reflection, but every beginning is preceded by some sort of ending. So that’s where we begin… Support for those Grieving a Death Death touches every life, in one form or another – the death of someone...
Climate Change and Climate Anxiety
Climate change: Rise in Google searches around ‘anxiety’ 22nd November 2023 By Lucy Gilder BBC Online search queries related to "climate anxiety" have risen, according to data gathered by Google and shared exclusively with BBC 100 Women. Studies also suggests that...