What's an Interstitium & Why Should I care?

Well the New York Times must have heard about the Mind-Body Connection workshop that Ashley Dirks and I are doing next week (May 21st 2026 at 6pm) because they wrote about the fascia and interstitium this week!

You can read the whole article here. I sum it up below and explain how it relates to our workshop. And even if you can’t make our workshop, you’ll wanna read about this.

One of the researchers who is credited with the discovery of the interstititum is Dr. Neil Theise, a liver pathologist from Beth Israel Hospital.

He was also interviewed on The Telepathy Tapes podcast where I guess he felt a little more free to share what might seem a bit too woo-woo to alot of NYT readers. I’ll include some of what he said in that podcast interview here too.

Here we go…

A few years ago Neil and a few others discovered a system in our bodies that they dubbed the interstitium. It’s a network of fluid filled gaps between cells and interwoven through every organ and tissue! They describe it as a communication network highway. It’s a big deal discovery!

They think it may explain how energy healing works - “the physical basis for meridians, chakras, and the subtle systems described by healers for thousands of years.” THAT excites me!

He laughed at himself in telling how he shared this amazing discovery with a leading MD in China, who also practices Traditional Chinese Medicine. That doctor said - DUH (in my version of the conversation he said duh) “We’ve known that for thousands of years.”

The article also mentions the fascia- a connective tissue that wraps around and runs within and between ALL of the internal structures - organs, nerves, bone, muscle, blood vessels.

The fascia and the interstitium have been described as “structural networks in the body that facilitate an energetic intelligence connecting the body’s systems.”

Dr Theise also says that the interstitium may carry not only fluid but information! Which he postulates could explain energy healing and the mind-body connection. He says that with this discovery “the boundary between mind and body becomes more permeable than we imagined.” And by “we”, he meant him. Because duh, I already knew it was permeable. That’s my life’s work. And I bet you knew that too. But good for science! Bravo!

Ok I could go on and on. But that’s enough to make my point today…

What does that science have to do with our Mind-Body workshop?

Glad you asked.

Allow me to make the mind-body connection of which Dr Theise references, as I see it …

We know that a thought - which exists only in the mind - like: This is too much. I can’t handle it. It’s too overwhelming.

Creates an emotion, a feeling: overwhelm, anxiety, fear.

Those feelings create a physical response in your body: grinding your teeth at night, tight shoulders, a headache, a churning tummy.

We have all experienced this right?

That’s the Mind-Body connection.

Like when I developed IBS in grad school and lost 20 pounds in 3 months and had to run to the bathroom immediately after eating anything and then broke up with my boyfriend who I knew was bad for me and was suddenly healed….you know, like that! Mind-body connection.

So a thought (which is not “real”, it’s just in the mind) creates an emotion (simply a vibration, not physical), which creates a physical situation in your body.

That’s the work I’ve been doing for 30+ years.

Now let’s connect that to what my workshop co-host Ashley Dirks does, along with these discoveries about the fascia and interstitium…

One doctor explained that the tighter and more tense you get, the harder it is for your body to communicate through the fascia and interstitium systems. The energy, information, fluid, doesn’t flow.

And this creates a situation.

Our THOUGHTS - the ones that make us tight and tense - create blockages in our body, which can create pain, physical illness, and disease because we have blocked the flow of the system.

THAT is what we’re gonna get into in our workshop next week.

Ashley teaches MyoFascial Release (MFR) classes that help you find the spots in your body where those thoughts and emotions are causing blockages and unblock them! This fascial release in the physical body also allows emotions and stinkin thinkin to release. Because as science is proving, which we already knew from experience, is that the mind, body, and emotions are all connected.

So what can you do about it? Here are some options:

  1. Come join our workshop in Indy Thursday May 21st (2026) as we look at the thoughts and stories that are causing us angsty emotions and get on the mat to physically release them.

  2. Schedule a coaching session or a pranic healing session with me to dig into how your thoughts & emotions are impacting your physical health. I do those in-person in Indy or on Zoom.

  3. Go to an MFR class - for sure Ashley’s if you’re in Indy. If not, I bet there is one in your city.

Waking Up In A Funk

I woke up this morning feeling a little off. Like emotionally… some variety of funk.

So my brain went to work on problem solving why I felt this way - it paraded a series of thoughts through my noggin that might explain why I felt off.

And I bet you can guess that these thoughts were not uplifting thoughts.

Because when you feel a little funk, you aren’t trying to explain it with thoughts like: What a beautiful sunny spring day! I can’t wait to see my clients today! My sweet Ruby May comes home tomorrow!

Nope. My brain was looking for bad thoughts that could explain a bad feeling. My brain was parading what’s not quite right in my world, trying them all on to see if they fit this emotion I was feeling.

I’m not alone in this right? You’ve been there too?

I know from experience that my brain WILL be able to latch onto something displeasing in my world to explain this displeasing feeling. No one has a perfect life - we can all find something displeasing.

And then my brain will really dig into this explanation and chew on it like a dog with a bone. I mean really get into it!

And then this feeling will grow. And then my brain is like: YEAH GIRL! You found the source! What a great problem-solver you are! Let’s really obsess now!

And then those yucky thoughts will further feed that slightly yucky feeling and it will grow and then I’m in a spiral of even worse thoughts and feelings, circling the drain.

That sucks.

So here’s what I did instead:

I asked my guides: (I did this by writing it in my journal) If there is something causing this feeling that I need to tend to, would you please make it obvious because I’m not going to let my brain search for it.

And then I wrote something that uplifted me. It started with “I get to live in this gorgeous house that is so cool…” and that had me feeling so good that I just kept writing.

And that lead me to how amazing my husband is and what a rare gift it is to feel the way I feel about him.

And that lead me into writing about how I get to do my dream job!

It was an upward spiral instead of the one I was in, circling the drain.

In pretty short order I realized that my thoughts and emotions had totally shifted.

Also: my guides DID give me something that I needed to tend to - some mundane human thing that I hate doing that I was procrastinating. It was a direct message I got without having to think about it.

Disclaimer: This is NOT just positive thinking. Not “toxic positivity”, as they say these days. It’s not bypassing the root of a problem. There is nuance in this so if you have questions about it, or you’re feeling skeptical, or saying “yeah, but…” then schedule a coaching session and we can walk through the nuance for you.

This is an example of the mind-body connection. How our thoughts create emotions, or how our emotions create thoughts. It can go both ways.

If that’s an interesting concept to you and you’re in the Indy area, you should come to the Mind-Body Connection workshop I’m doing with fascia expert Ashley Dirks on May 21 (2026)!

We’re going to get into this very formula and how to use it to feel better.

Ashley is going to add another dimension to this equation: where it all sits in your physical body. Because it does. And we’ll get on the mat and use tools to move it all through in a physical way.

We need lots of tools in our toolbox to navigate this human experience.

If you can’t make it to the workshop but want to explore how to shift that funk you find yourself in, you can schedule a coaching session with me either in-person in Indy or on Zoom. You don’t have to sit in the suffering.

The Fascia, thoughts & feelings

My whole career has been an exploration of how the mind, body, emotions, and spirit intertwine. That is the basis of my work. And my endless fascination. 

Several months ago I became really interested in the fascia. There are theories and studies showing that it may be one of the ways energy travels throughout the body, and that emotions get stored there. I could go on and on but that is the basic idea of the fascia. Google it and have fun in that rabbit hole!

I was getting my hair cut several months ago and telling Kim about my fascia fascination and she says - “My next client teaches Myofascial Release (MFR) classes!” Say whaaa!?! 

Isn’t the Universe so cool how it just hands you these things?! And then said client, Ashley Dirks, walks into her appointment early! 

So of course I started going to Ashley’s Myofascial Release (MFR) classes. 

They are amazing and provide so much release and ease in my body, unlike anything I’ve ever tried. We relax on the mat and use various sizes of little hard balls to explore & release areas of tension in our body. 

Some balls are in mesh sacks. And they’re blue. And it’s impossible not to make 12 year old boy jokes in your head - and sometimes out loud ;-). 

Some spots we explore are really uncomfortable and painful. Sometimes people have tears. We got into our hips one time and I was like whooooaaaaa. Ashley explained that’s where we store sadness that we don’t want to process. 

You don’t say…

It was a lightbulb moment for me. 

I know theoretically, and through practicing pranic healing, that we store emotions in our body. And I have taught for years that our thoughts and beliefs lead to certain emotions and we may numb or avoid or store the emotions we don’t like. 

I got that down. 

But the MFR class experiences took it a step further and helped me see another way that the body factored into this formula: 

We have a circumstance. We have thoughts about it. Those might implant as beliefs. We pick up beliefs from others. We choose actions, or inaction, based on those beliefs and feelings. Emotions get generated from those thoughts and beliefs. Some of them are uncomfortable so we numb them, run from them, distract ourselves, stuff them…IN OUR BODY. 

The body keeps the score. 

Eventually we have physical symptoms of all of this energy build up. 

Pranic Healing is one way to move and release those stuck emotions. The coaching I do is another way. MFR is another tool. And I love this tool.

If you’d like help with the spirit-mind-body connection, here are 4 ways to dig into it:

A crazy story

Do you wanna hear a cool thing? 

Here’s something I have noticed for myself and from doing coaching and energy work with clients: Once you start doing “the work” - whatever that means to you…tackling your limiting beliefs, opening your connection to Spirit, learning new skills, getting unstuck and creating forward momentum…

Once you start that, it’s like dominos. These seemingly crazy things that you could have never in a million years scripted or even imagined, start lining up.

Here’s a super wacky example: 

I’m coaching a woman who lives abroad. She’s been doing great work. We had 2 coaching sessions and then out of nowhere, a relative in the US who she is not close to, had not seen in years, had no idea what path my client was interested in…this relative emailed her and said “Hey - I have a colleague who happens to live in your city (IN ANOTHER COUNTRY!) and she’s cool and interesting and I thought you two might like to meet.

Ummmm…WHAT?!

And it JUST SO HAPPENS that this cool interesting coworker does THE EXACT type of work that my client has recently decided she wants to pursue! 

I speak the truth. Isn’t that nutty!?

So they met for brunch. My client loved her and was so energized and motivated by this meeting. It has created alot of forward momentum for her. 

All she had to do was to work on herself - to identify and tackle her mental and emotional blocks. And then she was an energetic match to magnetize what she wanted & needed.

I’ve seen this happen time and time again.

So if you’re stuck, confused, know you need a shift of some sort, come see me. I’ll help you shift and crazy cool things will start coming your way! You can schedule an in-person session in Indy, or a Zoom session here.

Beltane Season!

We’re entering Beltane season on The Wheel of the Year on May 1.

This season is about passion & growth. It’s about expanding into your potential. 

You’ve been dreaming and planning and resting all winter. This spring energy is when you blossom. When you come into the light. When you DO the thing. 

It’s when that seed, that bulb, those plants that were dormant over the winter, actually flower. The potential is expressed.

The Wheel of the Year invites us to look to nature for cues about the energy that Mother Earth is offering in this season. 

The animals are out and about. The birds are making their nests and partnering. The plants are blooming. 

Things are coming alive and into action. 

How are these energies showing up for you? How can you step into that energy?

Let’s also keep in mind that doesn’t mean that everyone does everything all at once. So don’t panic. That’s the western world yelling in your ear to “get busy!” 

If you look to nature, some plants are blooming now, some are just barely beginning to green. We all grow and bloom on our own timeline.

The invitation is to observe. To open. To tune into YOUR energy, YOUR timeline, YOUR desires. Mother Earth is guiding & supporting us. There is no rush.

How do YOU want to embrace and express this spring energy?

  • What urges are coming up for you? What’s pulling you?

  • What is giving you energy?

  • What aspect of your life do you want to grow?

If you’d like help exploring how you’d like to express Beltane season energies - schedule a coaching session with me and we’ll figure it out! Or maybe you need an energetic spring cleaning? Great time for that. When isn’t, really? Schedule a Pranic Healing session. Both are offered on Zoom or in-person.

Feeling Heavy?

Feeling heavy?

I hear this over and over and over again in Pranic Healing sessions.

And within the first 10 minutes everyone tells me they feel lighter.

Because energy builds up over time - other people’s junk, the state of the world, our thoughts, our emotions, the to-do list… it all builds up.

And it feels heavy.

I had a new pranic healing client this week.

I have explained the process to him a few times in social situations. He would say: “I still don’t understand it Tracy!”

This week he reached out for a session because he was dealing with some physical issues that western medicine can’t seem to fix.

He said “I still don’t get what this pranic healing is all about, but I trust you and I’m willing to try it.”

About 10 minutes in he said he felt lighter.

The pain shifted and changed during the session.

It went from a 5 to a 1 by the end. He said he felt so light and relaxed. AND his vertigo subsided!

I can explain Pranic Healing to you a million times in a million different ways but there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself to see if it helps you.

If you’re feeling heavy, or out of sorts, or have a physical ailment that modern medicine isn’t touching, why not try pranic healing? Click right here to schedule a session - zoom or in-person.

My energy creates my reality

I draw an oracle card every week*. It’s my divine direction for the week. This week’s card is:

“My energy creates my reality. What I focus on is what I will manifest.”

This is what I help people with in coaching.

Shifting your energy to create the reality you want.

Shifting your focus so you can manifest what you desire.

Maybe your life seems bad right now.

Or maybe it seems good and you think you should be happy, but you’re not.

I have clients in both camps.

All the facts line up to support your claims - the story you tell yourself about your life. It’s all true.

This is where we work in coaching - the tension between these 2 – your energy/focus and your reality/the facts.

It’s nuanced and different for each person. 

This is not about thinking positive. In fact, that will make things worse if you’re doing that to cover up the reality of your pain.

But there is a space - between your focus and the facts. In this space you can influence the quality and feel of your life, no matter the facts.

What we do together in that space between is examine your thoughts, feelings, energy body, and actions.

With that awareness, we use tools to help you shift your energy.

And then “magically” the facts of your life shift too.

One of my fav client quotes is “Just 8 sessions with Tracy and all these doors opened up!” And they did. She got clear on what she wanted, and what was in the way. And THEN all of her dreams happened - seemingly magically. It all unfolded without any effort in ways that seemed unbelievable…like magic.

If you’re navigating something difficult, or want something different – let’s talk. We’ll use your energy to shift your reality, to manifest what you want.


*My weekly card draw deck is “The Universe Has Your Back” by Gabby Bernstein.

Making Violet Water

Spring has sprung! And I’m in love with violet water!

Here’s my tip of the week:

Fill a jar about 1/3 full of violets. Before you pick them: Pause a moment to connect with the violets. Ask permission. If they say no, move on. If they say yes, thank them. Now fill your jar. Pour boiling water over them. Watch the water turn the most beautiful shade of blue/green! Then drink. I usually let mine steep overnight outside to soak in the moon energy.

It’s sweet and SO good for you! It’s rich in vitamin C & A, magnesium, calcium, antioxidants, reduces inflammation, soothes the digestive system, and supports heart health. Powerhouse.

And how about those dandelion greens!? They’re good for everything.

I believe that Mother Nature provides us with early spring beauty and nutrient-dense food to recharge us after a long winter. Thanks MN!

An inspiring love story

Hi friends! I’ve got a love story for you today! It’s about my cousin Collin. That’s him <<<

HE IS IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE!! And so am I, btw…cuz I was honored to be a bridesmaid in Collin and Kaci’s wedding in Atlanta a few weeks ago! Yes, I’m famous now! I’ll autograph your magazine copy if you’d like.

The article is about he and Kaci’s love story, which is heart-warming and worth the read. They met on a dating app for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

But my story about Collin that I want to share with you today is a love story of a different kind…

Collin was born at 26 weeks, weighing only 1 lb 10 oz. He has cerebral palsy and navigates life in a wheelchair. He lives in Alabama and was visiting Indiana with his fam for the solar eclipse in April 2024. I was telling him about pranic healing and he wanted to try it.

When he got home we did a Zoom healing and he felt instant relief - both from stress and anxiety, and from chronic physical pain.

And so began our almost weekly Zoom healing sessions that we’re still doing. Collin says if he goes more than a week without healing that his pain levels get pretty bad.

Fast forward to February 2025: Collin had surgery. He had major complications. He coded. He ended up on a vent for 2 weeks. Things looked grim. He was in the ICU for several weeks and in the hospital for months.

Me, along with my fellow pranic healers Paula & Shika, and a team of other healers from Prana Bar (BLESS THEM ALL), did LOTS of remote pranic healing (you don’t need to be in the same state, or even on the screen together).

And Collin recovered.

His moms say that Pranic Healing and his love for Kaci brought him back to life. I will add that the love and devotion of his moms was also a major factor.

I went to Alabama last April to visit Collin in the hospital. When I got there he said he hadn’t been able to sleep because he was in so much pain and asked for a healing. He was asleep within 10 minutes!

Kaci and I spent alot of time together on that trip and I learned that she was born with incredible psychic and healing gifts. She can literally see energy, and feels it strongly.

But she didn’t know how to help people with her gifts. We started doing healings for Collin together in the hospital. It was incredible. We learned from each other and became quite a healing team. Collin brought us together.

Kaci and Collin are both really special people. They are so full of love. They prevail against constant physical challenges.

Getting out of bed, taking a shower, getting to an appointment…all of those things that are simple for me are difficult for Collin.

Despite the challenges, he and Kaci navigate it all with remarkable courage, determination, positivity, humor and love.

I’m so inspired by both of them.

I’m so thankful that they found each other. And I’m so thankful that Collin connected me with Kaci so that we could both become better healers.

If you have chronic pain, Pranic Healing might help you too, like it does Collin. You can schedule a session here.

And if you would like a duo pranic healing session - with both me and Kaci working togeemail mether for you - comment below and we’ll get it on the books.

Here’s to perseverance, determination, keeping the faith, and LOVE!

The circumstance does not define your value

Making real lasting behavior changes is a practice. And The Universe gives us lots of opportunities to practice once we sign up for the course.

Here’s a recent text exchange with a coaching client:

Client: I have a call with a difficult client today. In major “how do I want to show up for this” mode. 🤪 

Me: So how DO you wanna show up? Don’t overthink it.

Client: You clearly don’t know who you’re talking to…(T note: haha! I attract over-thinkers. Wonder why?! ;-))

Me: Haha! Maybe grounded, anchored, not being tossed about with emotion? Matter-o-fact? Just spit ballin here.

Client: I’d say that’s pretty accurate. Just focus on what the business need is. Egotistical asses on the other screen doesn’t impact who I am at all. And if those interactions become more what my professional life will look like, I have to manage that or I’ll go nuts. A good time to practice.

Yesssssssss 👏🏼 could not have said it better myself. <end of text exchange>

The circumstance (egotistical ass on your screen) does not define your value, or your identity. YOU define that. Realizing that is SO EMPOWERING!

And, without changing the circumstance (because we can’t make other people not be an ass) how do you want to intentionally manage yourself? How do you want to show up?

This client is now aware that he has choice in this situation!

I love to help people realize this.

It’s not always about changing the circumstance. Sometimes it is. But sometimes it’s about managing our internal world…our thoughts and feelings about the circumstance.

Realizing that and practicing it will change your life.

If you’d like to dig into that with me, schedule a coaching session here.

Feeling liminal

It’s late February - that liminal space between winter and spring…not quite any season. We’re in Imbolc season on The Wheel of the Year. Half way between the winter solstice and spring equinox.

Maybe, like me, you’re feeling liminal too? Not quite here or there. The focus isn’t clear yet. There’s been alot of literal and metaphorical fog of late. We feel something stirring but we aren’t on fire with energy yet.

That’s ok. It’s the sacred cycle of life…repeat this over and over with me! You’re not doing it wrong. That’s how life works.

It helps to look to nature (we ARE a part of nature, after all) for cues on how the cycle works. Cuz we’ve gotten ourselves all confused about that in this manic go go go modern world.

That’s the gift of The Wheel of the Year. We slow down, and suddenly we realize we’re in just the right place. In the perfect time.

If you’re feeling the dull-drums of winter, feeling like the hibernating bear who’s rolling over and hitting snooze (as my friend Anna said ;-)), if you’re wondering when you’ll get tired of laying on the couch in your sweats and watching TV (like me!)…

Here’s the invitation for this week:

Get out of your head and go for a walk. Look for subtle signs of change:

  • What shifts to you notice? What is stirring?

  • Notice the ground – how is it changing, melting, transforming

  • Notice the sun – it may be hiding behind a veil of gray, hazy and dim, but it’s there, slowly building strength. Just 2 extra minutes every day add up!

  • Look for color. Any buds starting on trees? Anything poking up from the ground?

  • How does the air smell? Any different than last month?

  • Do you notice any new sounds that weren’t there a few weeks ago?

Imbolc season invites us to make room for the hope of the coming spring and new life. We don’t have to push ourselves. Can we simply notice and allow?

shifting into action

Hi there friends! Boy these times we are living in. Whew. How are you feeling? Helpless? Hopeful? Hopeless? In trust? Out of control? Afraid? Angry?

I’m cycling through that too. I am horrified by what is happening in our country.

But I don’t want to be stuck in inaction.

I have a tool that can help us shift into empowerment.

I provide monthly mentorship for the coaches at Goodwill. We’ve been doing a series on fear - how it gets in the way of taking action and making change. How to identify it and how to work with it.

This week I was teaching the “Levels of Accountability” as a framework for shifting into action. As I was explaining it, one of the coaches said “this is a perfect illustration of where it seems most people are in our country right now - on both sides - defensive, closed, in a state of fear, blaming others, committed to being right.” They are below the line of accountability.

This is a model for choosing a way forward, for finding solutions, and living in trust.

Listen. The fear will also be there. But if we choose to shift above the line, we will also have access to solutions for navigating.

So here’s the tool. And I made a video for you that walks you through it! Here’s the link to that.

If you’d like help using this tool to get yourself back into a state of trust and empowerment, I’d love to help you with it. You can schedule a coaching session here.

Feeling down about the world?

Feeling down about the world?

I was chatting with a friend over the holidays who said she’s feeling despair about the state of the world. She feels powerless and hopeless and, as a result, unmotivated to do anything.

Listen. I get it. But this is the time when good people must activate!

Here’s a few quotes that are inspiring me lately:

I’m reading The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah. Have you read it? It’s about the French resistance - specifically the women - when the Nazis invaded. It will rip your heart out and also give you a quiet confidence in the power and strength of women taking courageous action - even when they felt like it was a small thing, and not enough. It all mattered. The seemingly small things matter.

Here’s a quote from the book that really struck me:

“Love has to be stronger than hate or there is no future for us. We will remind each other. On the dark days. We will be strong for each other.”

And this quote by Jimmy Carter, who did some absolutely amazing things to help humanity…

Let’s not lose heart. Let’s help & inspire each other.

Word of the Year

I’m taking some time this week to do some dreaming and visioning.

Softer than goal setting. What do I desire - like on a heart level. What do I want to feel this year. What vibe do I want to create? What do I want to walk towards?

Part of my process is doing a word search for my guiding words of the year. I’ve been doing it for several years.

It feels magical to receive words that will guide me.

I’m given lessons and opportunities all year to live more deeply into these words.

It’s fun to stay connected to them throughout the year and see how they show up. I journal about them throughout the year as they come up and I learn about them on a deeper level.

At the end of each year, I do a review - what opportunities did I have to lean into them? How do I see them differently? In what practical ways did I embrace them? In what ways did I see others exemplify these words.

My 2025 words were: perseverance, believe, peace

I just chose my 2026 words. Wanna do it too?

BEFORE YOU LOOK…here’s how it goes:

  • Set your intention. I ask for words to guide my year.

  • Then decide how many words you want. Maybe you’re a one-word gal and want to really focus. I’m more of a 3-4 word gal. Whatever you’re feelin.

  • Then let your eyes land on them. Trust what you receive.

GO!

My 2026 words are: purpose, connection, gratitude, love

What did you land on?

I’d love to hear your words!

And your thoughts on how you’ll work with them.

Winter Solstice!

Winter Solstice is Dec 21st. The shortest day of the year also means the light is returning!

Yes it’s coming! It always does.

The name “solstice” means "sun stands still.” The Sun's path stops moving lower in the sky and starts its gradual climb back. Today is a celebration of rebirth and light. 

The Solstice marks the beginning of Yule season on The Wheel of the Year. The Wheel invites us to connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. We look to what’s going on in the natural world as a guide for aligning our own energy.

We are a part of the sacred cycles of the seasons.

The darkness of Yule season invites us to rest and introspection.

This is a season for listening, dreaming, reflecting, soft quiet ways.

The slowly returning light reminds us to have faith and hope in the future. New light brings new life and expansion.

At the Winter Solstice we celebrate the sun.

I love this quote by Eric Bruce: What a miracle, that on this shortest day - when it feels like we could just descend completely into darkness - the Light returns.

We are invited on the Winter Solstice to celebrate the light, and to embrace the gifts of the darkness.

I hope you’ll take a quiet moment today, amidst the holiday hub-bub, to reflect on the themes of the Solstice & Yule season and to celebrate light.

Hope vs Belief

If you missed my blog post a few weeks ago about the “Fear of Hope”, you can read it here.

I have a few more thoughts on the subject that have emerged.

I think Hope vs Belief has a subtle, yet important, distinction.

Hoping to me feels like an anxious passive energy.

Like you’re sitting in your chair wringing your hands and biting your lip…Oh geez, I sure do hope…

Belief feels enlivening and igniting.

It feels active and engaging. You’re doing it and you believe you can.

Hope feels like it’s cloudy or behind a wall. You can’t touch it. You’re not sure.

Belief feels…well, you can FEEL it. It’s around you. In you.

Belief feels sparkly.

I like living in belief.

If you’re stuck in hope and want to embrace belief, I have coaching tools that will get you feeling sparkly and into aligned action. You can schedule a session right here. We’ll turn your passive hopes into action!

photo of the tree in the snow from unsplash.com. Can’t find the artist’s name.

How I’m doing December

We started our Calm The Chaos 4-week series on Monday night! We’re walking through my framework for intentionally creating the December that you want.

I’ve been feeling into my December theme this past week and came up with “warmth”. 

Watching The Family Stone movie really got me in that warm holiday vibe. 

I just love the feel of that house and the kitchen, specifically. 

When I went to grab images of the kitchen for my Pinterest holiday vibes mood board I found that I really didn’t like it at all. It’s cluttered and there really isn’t anything in it that I’d like to replicate.

That got me to thinking…it’s not the material “thing”, or the event, or the <arguably> perfect meal…I mean MAYBE it’s the perfect meal. No really. It’s not. 

It’s the FEELING that you create around it. I want to sit down in that kitchen with Diane Keaton (RIP) and a cup of coffee from her precious coffee pot and just BE there. It’s the warm feeling that the family creates that makes it feel appealing. They are not perfect by any means. That creates warmth too. And that cluttered kitchen. Not perfect. That doesn’t matter either. It’s the felt sense of warmth that calls to me.

So how to create warmth? That’s what I want in December.

I am looking to my 5 senses:

  • I love images. Looking at a collection of images that say “warmth” creates the feeling for me. And then I can express warmth to others.

  • I have some “winter warmth” essential oil diffuser recipes I’m rotating.

  • Hot chocolate is going to be my winter go-to warm treat.

  • I have a few blankets and cashmere sweaters that give that “warm” texture. And I got a super soft rug for beside my bed.

  • I have a few playlists on Spotify that make me feel like I’m nestled up on an old lived-in velvet couch in a NYC coffee shop with brick walls that are 200 years old sipping rich thick hot chocolate and watching it snow. Ahhhh that’s warmth. Cozy Christmas Jazz & Cozy Coffee Shop.

I’m also considering activities and places that give me a sense of warmth.

Stepping outside last night and watching the snow fall in the street light gave me the ultimate sense of warmth. And sitting here on the bed looking out at the way the snow clings to the trees feels SO warm.

The goal is to FEEL a sense of warmth on the inside. I first have to create it within, and then I can express it. 

Others can feel it…whatever it is that you’re feeling. They feel it. I want it to be warmth that they feel this December.

What’s your December vibe? You’re creating one. Might as well do it on purpose.

If you missed signing up for my group, I can lead you through it 1:1. Grab a zoom coaching session here.

The fear of hope

“Hope is the conduit for miracles.” 

That’s my weekly card for contemplation from Gabby Bernstein’s deck. 

Yes, it’s true. But Hope is a tricky little guy. Let’s dig deeper, shall we?

I do monthly training and mentorship for the coaches at Goodwill. They do amazing work with employees of Goodwill. We just completed a series highlighting points from Ross Ellenhorn’s book “How We Change, And Ten Reasons Why We Don't.” 

He talks about the research on The Fear of Hope. This was new to me.

Here’s how my man Ross sees it: “When you hope for something, you YEARN for it. But you don’t know if you’ll actually get it. That makes it different from optimism, which is a strong belief that you’ll get it. When you hope for this something, you’re giving greater importance to it than you did before you began hoping. As a result, your potential disappointment over the loss of that thing becomes more intense the more you hope for it. The higher you go up the hill of hope, the farther you could fall because you’re making that want/wish/goal more and more important as you pursue it.” …or in some cases just think about it.

This is resonate to me. I have learned about myself that I really hate disappointment. And I see how I try to avoid it by not always going for the thing I really hope for. I have also learned that you feel disappointment anyway, because you don’t get the thing you hoped for either way. So you’re not really avoiding disappointment at all, you’re just guaranteeing it.

I tested this theory out with a coaching client and found that hope (supposedly the conduit for miracles!) was actually her block to her forward progress!

She had such a fear that could not find the job that she hoped for that she was doing nothing. SO SHE CAN HOLD ONTO HOPE. She has no idea what would happen if she can’t find a good job where she lives. Not getting it feels like worst case scenario to her. She jokingly/not joking said it feels like someone is chasing her down a dark alley with a chainsaw. The disappointment of not getting the thing she hopes for felt unbearable. At least if she does nothing, she can hold onto hope.

I then explored this with another client. She too was sitting in inaction because if she puts her work out there, it may be rejected. She may be told it’s not good, she’s not good. Then she would lose her identity as an “artist” and that is worst case scenario. So she sits alone with her beautiful creations hidden from view so that she can hold onto hope. Hope that they’re good. Hope that she is worthy. Hope that she is enough. Hope that she is a good artist.

Makes sense doesn’t it? The discomfort of losing that particular hope, the disappointment of it, seems so unbearable that you’re not willing to feel it. 

But here’s the thing. You’re still miserable sitting with your precious hope in tack. It feels bad to have what you hoped for not turn out, but it feels as bad, and eventually worse, to not to try. 

Then nothing ever happens. And you cultivate a fear of hope, because hope feels worthless. And then you stop dreaming because you keep experiencing that hope goes no where.

So yes…Hope CAN be the conduit for miracles. It can also be shackles that keep you stuck.

If you’re struggling with inaction, it might be a fear of hope. I’m good at helping people find the root of their stuckness and getting into action. Both of these clients are now taking action, btw! After years of not. So, you see…there IS hope ;-).

You can schedule a Zoom coaching session here for help.

photo of me by the amazing Emily Schwank.

Divine Guidance for Navigating Change

I recently wrote about navigating endings. Specifically the desecration of farm land in the small rural community where I grew up to make room for pharmaceuticals and a Meta data center. A sign of the priorities of the time. If you missed it, you can read it here.

The day after I wrote that, during my morning meditation time, I was directed by my guides to a passage from the book “Casting the Net”, by Sharon McErlane. She’s a lovely woman now in her 90s who channels a manifestation of The Divine she calls “The Grandmothers”. Here’s the message they had for me:

“As you move closer to the times of change that are coming to earth, all sorts of pain will arise. The horrors will become more and more evident and as they do, you will need to maintain your link to what is real, to what is changeless. As evil behaviors become more pronounced, stay connected to The Divine/God/Source (whatever form of the Divine resonates for you) and you won’t be swept away by the shock of the moment.

Much is changing on earth at this time and you must allow it to change. Don’t fight it. It’s supposed to change. It’s part of the “play”. Life is supposed to change, so let it. In order for the new to come, the old must pass.

You’ve forgotten about it being a play. You think everything that happens on earth is real. Nothing ephemeral is real. That which is real is changeless and that which is not real is always changing. Life on earth is always changing. It’s supposed to.

As this change comes, give your attachment to suffering over to us. You contract whenever these so called losses occur. You try to prevent them from taking place. Every time you do that, your heart clutches and holds onto pain. Just let it pass. It’s only a story. Let it flow. Let it go. Pain isn’t permanent. So let it pass.

Whenever you feel pain like this, remember that you’re holding onto something, thinking it’s permanent when actually it’s just flowing down the river. Let it flow. Relax now and remember that at every moment you are being carried down the river. Carried downstream with the flow, to peace.”

Isn’t that just magical?! If we get quiet long enough to listen, we receive guidance.

I can also help you with transition and releasing to the flow of change through pranic healing energy work or coaching. I do both those on Zoom! Support is always available.

Transitions & Change

Let’s talk about transitions.

My baby girl went to college last month. Transitions and change are top of mind.

Plus - the autumn equinox kicked off Mabon season on The Wheel of The Year. A season of transition. The themes for this Mabon season are:

the balance of light and dark

transition

completion

preparing for winter rest

releasing

I’m in a period of transition as we explore empty nesting so this theme is very present for me. I’ve found this book I’m reading/listening to “Falling Upward”, by Richard Rohr, really thought provoking and helpful as I process. It’s about the first half of life themes versus the 2nd half of life themes, from a developmental perspective.

Life transitions.

I really loved the example he gave of the Japanese ceremony to transition their soldiers out of war. “Discharging Your Loyal Soldier.” He describes how after war (could you call raising a child “war”?! Arguably yes.), the soldiers need a broader identity in order to rejoin their community as useful citizens. And they have a ceremony for this.

The soldiers are publicly thanked, honored, and praised effusively for their service to the people. Then an elder stands and announces with great authority something like: “The war is now over. The community needs you to let go of what has served you, and served us, well up to now. The community needs you to return as a man, a citizen, and something beyond soldier.”

He says this kind of closure is needed for most of us at a transition point in life. A rite of passage, a clear cross-over, a closure and transition into a new period. An invitation to consider your new direction, and your importance as part of the whole.

He talks about how the US is “ritually starved.” I agree. We have no/few rites of passage ceremonies where we say - “That was then. This is now. And it’s a good thing!” We’re just like - yeah have those babies and good luck. Or drop that kid off at college and then…idk…whatever bro. Go have a beer.

So I’ve been thinking about the transition of mothering in this “discharging the Japanese soldier” way (cuz let’s be honest, mothering felt alot like war to me ;-)) and I made some journal prompts for myself. I imagined a wise elder saying these to me:

· Thank you for the service you have provided. <Praise yourself ALOT here>

· Your job then was…

· You are now something beyond who you were.

· Your job now is…

· Your community needs you to…

· You can contribute in these ways…

It feels really nice and uplifting and important and sacred to have an elder (albeit not in human form) walk me through this.

Maybe this is helpful to you too, no matter the nature of your transition. You could look at it as the transition of our global community, of the collective consciousness…transitions of all sorts abound.

And your community needs you!

Thank you for your service.

You are now something beyond who you were. Who are you now?

If these prompts spark some things you’d like to work through, I’m available for coaching and guidance on your path. You don’t have to do it alone. It helps to say it out loud. Schedule a session!