Botanical Perfume & Imaginarium

Here is my autumn vlog offering about powerful personal transformation induced through simple walks and experiences in the forest. I was inspired by the splendor of the forest colors this year and the following poem forwarded to me by several friends. It is an affirmation about how far we have come and a humble love offering. You Have Become a Forest “One day when you wake up, you will find that you have become a forest. You have grown roots and found strength in them that n

So excited to share this video I collaboratively created with my dear friend Victoria Petroff of Breath and Ground! As Vickie notes, despite the content we are consistently exposed to, it is a magical and beautiful world. Our darkest moments present the brightest opportunities for our deepest transformation. We hope you share in our humble love of nature’s gifts. Please like, subscribe, and share hope and beauty! #butterflies #imaginal #transformation #metamorphosis #faerie

I have loved and appreciated so many articles and newsletters with solid suggestions of how to stay healthy and sane during this quarantine – keep hydrated, move your body, breathe, nutrition, wash yer paws, smell exquisite things, keep busy with those long overdue projects or be gentle with yourself when hours and days slip by with nary a single productive task crossed off the to do list, and limit the intake of negative media. Yes, to all of these. Let’s include pleasure,

Was it the new moon?  Already?  And a spring new moon! Time to plant seeds of intention! If it wasn’t for my dear friend and aromatherapist, Miriam, (Kindred Earth Botanicals) reminding me of our shared monthly new moon mermaid card spread ritual, I’d have missed it in the frenzy of all my doing and then subsequent crashing overwhelm in the form of a nasty cold. I’m doing and busy and running and late… Trying to do all the things.  And be all the things to all the people I ho

My favorite forest primeval, Warren Woods State Park, lies sleeping under a blanket of snow and the spell of winter. I am out in the woods, practicing winter Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing” – a nature inspired body-mind spiritual practice. By experiencing the winter forest in a liminal meditation state, through my senses, and without agenda, I’m connecting with nature and practicing meditation in motion. The simple and dreamy practice of Shinrin-yoku comes from Japan and is

Dealing With Bad Faeries Bad Faerie art by Brian Froud Although old as dirt, I’m still a novice.  A novice at this living thing.  Shadows and bad faeries linger and whisper nasty shit I know I should ignore.  I still wanna eat pie for breakfast, am sometimes tempted by the gluttony of vapid media, and give in to occasional self-pitying freak outs behind the wheel.  (Where’s that lavender?!?!?!?) But I have learned a few tricks and I’ll get there. First I have to say it.  Livi

I Asked In Meditation One Morning. What’s Next? Well, how about love?  Self love.  Big love.  Unconditional love.  Love of  dark places of the psyche, and light places too.  Gracious, forgiving love.  Lover of love.  Yup, especially self-love.  Simply, right here, right now.  Loving the self so intensely it emanates from self  like the fragrance of blossoms, permeating the air with sweetness and subtly infusing beauty and more love. As you may or may not know, I’m living a no

Magnolia Can you feel it?  The pulsation of energy and expansion.  Summer is a time of unfurling and ripening, an outward – yang season.   A genial time for delighting in the company of others and for self-expression. Lime Blossom victorian ladies gone fae!  This reminds me of a circus contortion blog – click here to read it! unicorn mug! To connect with this genial and expansive energy, find some time to honor your connection with the sun and the start of summer.  Be quietly

Portrait of an Angel in Coffee – can you see the wings? Birthdays always make me a little uncomfortable.  I feel awkward with all the attention.  Wishing on the candles always feels … odd.   I try to be gracious and go with the flow.  But secretly I hope everyone will just forget. This year my birthday arrived while I was in Guatemala traveling with a group of kind and intelligent persons with Mexi-Mayan Travel.  Including my mother, who insisted we make a surprise stop at a

To fill with pleasureSo it overflows the soulIs gratitude shared. ~ Me In this neck of the verdant wood, Chicago – the midwest region of the USA, we are celebrating Thanksgiving and tucking ourselves inside for a longish cold snap. But like many all over the world, we are steeped in grief and confusion over recent events and the condition of the world suffering under the blows of psychopathology.  Wondering what is to be done. What is to be done?  Work magic.  Be a mystic.  M

It is still the time of the dragon.  Synchronistic unfoldment.  The new moon is Friday – let the fire drake clear space for the new.  Do some nice yogic twists and exhale deeply.  Burn through those things that no longer serve. Some dragon sightings include; Fire drake appears in a card reading Exotic photos a friend sends captioned as gargoyles (dragons) And posts about dragons- Dragons In Trees, by Friendly Fairy Tales There were more that slip my mind at present. Here’s ho

Why I love Teaching Yoga In Gyms Sometimes the hype gets pretty thick around yoga.  With so many different styles to choose from and places to go to practice.  And yep, things can get a touch combative about what kind of yoga is the best or even what is real yoga.  Well down dog it – why are we arguing about yoga, of all things!?!?  Namaste that! It is disappointing to me that yoga in gym falls under negative fire.  Often being put down and even being blamed for the ruination

Love and Kundalini In Chicago (This blog is  part II  following Fear and Kundalini in Chicago.) Dancing I’ve been dancing circles around writing this blog for weeks now.  Struggling with how to express the ineffable. Waiting and hoping for a catharsis to make things clearer.  Come on Kundalini!!! Do you ever just feel so close to something, you know, that “thing?”  So close to an understanding, hitting a mark, or perfecting some skill?  Yet it somehow remains elusive. I get t