"Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it."- Haruki Murakami "Der Tod" Sweatlodge 2024 Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) Winter is almost over. It's hanging on but the light is stronger and warmer and will soon push the colder days and nights far away. I think we can all agree that it's time for spring and for more movement in our lives. This winter I began supporting several women have cancer through nutritious food, listening and being there for whatever they needed. Cancer, even...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”– Martin Luther King, Jr. Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) January has rolled into this year with force, are you feeling it? As I sit and watch the events in our world unfold, I have been brought to my knees. From the fires in California, the continuing wars in Gaza and the Ukraine, and now watching how America is still being controlled by white elite men, my breath has become more shallow. I don't want to use this...
2 months ago • 8 min read
“A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” – Dalai Lama Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) Winter has arrived and so has this new calendrical year. I find the energy of this time to be quite interesting- winter asks us to pause, rest and dream, while the collective of humanity pushes ahead with a clean slate, new ideas, opportunities and fresh inspiration. We just finished the Rauhnächte, which is a time to turn within, take personal stock of our...
3 months ago • 9 min read
“Take a rest. A field that has rested yields a beautiful crop.” – Ovid Welcoming Winter and it's light Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) We are descending into the darkest part of our year. Every day, the sun sets earlier and the nights grow longer. This is an invitation to slow down, pause and enter into the quieter parts of life. Our culture, however, plugs in twinkly lights and continues to move at an even more frantic pace. The month of December is one of the busiest months of the year....
4 months ago • 9 min read
“The magic of Samhain is that of endless possibility. Since we return to the beginning, we can begin anew in any way we wish.” - Michael Furie Samhain Sweatlodge 2023 Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) Two years ago for Samhain, or the Celtic new year, I led my very first sweatlodge. Samhain marks the division between the light and dark parts of our year, and is an ending as well as a beginning. It is also a time where the veil between our world and the spirit world becomes thinner and we can...
7 months ago • 6 min read
“I think menopause gets a really bad rap and needs a bit of a rebranding. I don’t think we have in our society a great example of an aspirational menopausal woman.” — Gwyneth Paltrow Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) Welcome, in my part of the world, to Autumn. Summer ended abruptly this year rather than having a slow send-off and although the sun and warmth will return, it will no longer be in the name of Summer. Autumn, for me, is connected to the element of Earth and has the energy of...
7 months ago • 12 min read
"August of another summer, and once again, I am drinking the sun, and the lilies again are spread across the water." ~ Mary Oliver Goldenrod, blue sky and a beautiful August morning. Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) It's mid-August and I've noticed that the light is now different. The days here in southern Germany have been hot and sunny, like a proper summer should be, and it's getting darker earlier than in June. We're on summer holiday and I'm currently in between trips- and my daughter...
8 months ago • 6 min read
"A true community is not just about being geographically close to someone or part of the same social web network. It's about feeling connected and responsible for what happens."- Yehuda Berg Sandra in front of the Rote Mondin Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) Earlier this week the Rote Mondin, the woman's yurt in Untergiesing, was burned down by arson. Sandra, the founder and visionary behind it, has invested so much in not only building this up, but in creating community and a space for...
8 months ago • 4 min read
“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” -Sammy Davis Jr. Thank you to Janine Lewis for capturing this day! Hello Reader, (für Deutsch unten) Last Thursday I got married to my partner, Jonathan, of 11 years. We have a 10 year old daughter together and have been "doing life" together for over a decade. Many people asked us why we were doing this now, and even at all. I've shared bits of our story in my past newsletters. Our journey together, and I think many couple's...
10 months ago • 7 min read