​Do you have days where you feel frazzled and not very grounded? Your anxiety seems to rise into your throat, and you don’t feel very safe or secure at all.

​I know I have times like this on occasion, and I open my toolbox to support myself with a powerful mantra when this happens.
 
And in a very short time, I’m able to dissolve any anxiety or fear and feel grounded again almost as if I have roots reaching down into Mother Earth. Breathing a deep sigh, I feel secure and at peace.
 
Let me share with you how I came to discover how powerful and useful this tool is.
 
When I was about 10 years old, I remember one warm and sunny day when I sat at a table in my house and opened up a box of clay. I pulled out a wet, cold lump and began to work with it. It wasn’t long before the coaxing and caressing of my hands brought an elephant to life!
 
First one elephant. 
 
Then another. 
 
Then another. 
 
And then I had a whole herd of elephants!  The strength that came through their powerful legs, long trunk and amazing ears seemed to resonate with me.  
 
In celebration, I decorated each precious elephant with sparkling glitter of silver and gold. And, oh, how I adored my collection of elephants for many months!

​Later in my life, as an adult, my love of elephants came back to me. I was sitting in a mantra class at the University of Creation Spirituality. My teacher, Russill Paul, was describing the Hindu deity Ganesh, a deity with the head of an elephant and the body of a human. I was completely captivated! 
 
Their power and strength seemed to call to me once again.
 
Guided by our teacher, we soon were learning the chant Om Gum Ganeshaya Namaha.   The words started to become familiar to my mouth as I repeated them again and again, their power resonated within my whole body. It became alive and energized!
 
We were invited to move, if inspired. Soon, I felt the spirit of this great creature, the elephant, with its power and glory fill my body. Its powerful legs and the way they moved their long trunks. Even their amazing, huge ears!

As I returned to my daily life, I discovered that I could call upon this powerful image of the elephant and this sacred Ganesh mantra to support me. So, soon I began teaching it to others. It helped them in feeling safe, secure and grounded in the world during the times that fear and anxiety rise up within.
 
Its energy helps to bring focus and healthy activation to the root chakra at the base of the spine. This is the chakra that supports us in being grounded or rooted upon the Earth. It’s the Foundation of Life and the Mother Earth energy within us.
 
I invite you to explore the movement of the elephant, as an animal in all of its glory. Take some time to look at photos of elephants or a film that shows how they move.  Watch how their large legs carry them on the earth, how their trunk helps them engage, and how their huge ears serve them. 
 
Close your eyes and imagine what it is like to be an elephant upon the earth. How to move, travel, eat, and interact. Open your eyes and begin to move like an elephant if you feel inspired. 
 
And then I invite you to join me and chant the mantra Om Gum Ganeshaya Namaha to activate your root chakra, clearing any blockages. This will help calm any fear, leaving you grounded in safety and security in your life. You can access the Ganesh mantra in my Free Healing Library here.

We shine brilliantly knowing that we are safe and secure at our foundation. From here, we can grow within the eternal Light of the Divine to become all that we were meant to be!
 
Interested in learning more about healing mantras? You can access many here in my Free Healing Library. 

​The courage that St. Hildegard had in the 12th century is truly an inspiration to all of us today. She felt that God was speaking through her in the many powerful visions that she experienced, and she soon felt called to share them with others.
 
Yet, St. Hildegard often doubted herself and her abilities to share this with the world. She lived in a time where women did not preach, speak publicly, or write. Certainly not on controversial topics such as visions from God!

​One of her greatest visions she had, at 52 years of age, was when she was called to leave her home of 40 years and build her own abbey.
 
At the time, she was living at the convent at St. Disibod along the Rhine River. She experienced a vision where she saw a place on a hill where the river Nahe flows into the Rhine that would be dedicated to the name of St. Rupert. At that location, St. Rupert’s church had stood centuries before, but Viking invaders had destroyed it in the 9th century.
 
For St. Hildegard, it was the perfect place to build her own abbey. The inspiring work of St. Rupert in the 7th century fueled her commitment to move forward with this project.
 
And yet, she was faced with many obstacles along the way.
 
The monks at St. Disibod strongly objected to her leaving. The monastery had profited well through the years from her presence as she had risen to become a leader in the community. The women who came to join the religious community at that time paid a dowry. Additionally, those who came to visit brought gifts including valuable property. To have many sisters leave with St. Hildegard meant that the monks’ financial support would too. 

​Yet, St. Hildegard persevered. She felt she was being divinely called to create an abbey that was separate from the monastery at Disibod.
 
Soon, as often happened with St. Hildegard, she fell ill. She laid in bed without the ability to move or speak.
 
During a visit from the abbot at her sick bed, he became convinced that her illness was a sign of God’s displeasure with the delay in fulfilling his will that was communicated in her vision. So, at that point, the move was approved and supported.
 
When her health returned, St. Hildegard moved with approximately 20 nuns and her friend, Volmar, from Disibodenberg to the new location that would become Rupertsberg. There they moved into the old and decaying buildings that were still standing on the Rhine.
 
Even though finances for restoring the existing buildings were uncertain, workers were hired. St. Hildegard oversaw every aspect of the project, even as she worked alongside the builders and artists. Rupertsberg would have every detail needed for self-sufficiency including a mill, gardens, stables, a chapel, infirmary, dormitories and more.

This incredible project took years, even as St. Hildegard entered into her 6th decade of life on earth. But soon, her perseverance and courage were rewarded as the vision of Rupertsberg reached completion. She felt it was truly a place that could manifest the Power of the Living Light and could house 50 nuns on the property.
 
St. Hildegard later wrote a song, O Jerusalem,  that honored this new creation of the Living Light and the respect and even kinship she felt toward St. Rupert who lived centuries ago.  We can imagine that St. Hildegard, in her song, was drawing a comparison between her abbey and the Holy City of Jerusalem awaiting its rebuilding in heaven. 
 
But, St. Hildegard’s work was not done yet. She continued to encounter obstacles even after the opening of Rupertsberg. The early years were quite difficult ones. Some sisters even left. Still, she persevered with the passion she had for the project.
 
And then at the age of 67, marching forward, she even created a second abbey!

St. Hildegard is truly an inspiration to all of us today to find our courage to manifest our visions and persevere through the obstacles that come into our paths.
 
What are you being called to create in your community? New solutions, new ideas, and new ways of thinking are needed in our world today.
 
It is possible to manifest the vision that you’re being called to create.
 
Even through obstacles!
 
Remember the strength and power of St. Hildegard, and you can find yours too. Let the words of St. Hildegard echo in your mind as you take your next steps forward, “God created me… God is also my strength… Through God, I have living spirit.  Through God I have life and movement. Through God I learn, I find my path…” 
 
The Divine is always there to support us on our paths! 
 
Interested in more support to manifest your creative vision for the world, sign up here for my FREE training "5 Steps To Mastering Your Creativity".

​The wisdom that St. Hildegard shared long ago about natural healing, nutrition, and healthy living has been so helpful for me. I love to share with you nourishing foods and recipes that are inspired by her. Below you will learn about a detoxifying drink, Stinging Nettle Tea.
 
What is Stinging Nettle?
Stinging nettle is a flowering plant that grows in North America, Europe, and Asia. The plant itself is relatively small, usually growing less than 5 feet tall. It’s been used in herbal medicine since ancient times. 
Stinging nettle is a common plant that many people find is beneficial to eat cooked in a dish such as nettle soup or brewed as herbal tea.

​Benefits of Stinging Nettle Tea
Stinging Nettle Tea has a number of health benefits. It’s known for its ability to detoxify the body, boost immunity, and ease seasonal allergies.
This tea is also filled with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. It’s a good source of potassium, iron, and magnesium too.

​A Word of Warning!
If you are feeling adventurous and want to pick your own Stinging Nettle leaves to make tea, be careful! The leaves of this plant have hair-like parts that can cause a temporary burning sensation when you come into contact with them. Your skin may itch, become red, or swell.
Now we know why it has the name it does! Thankfully, once Stinging Nettle is processed through cooking or drying, it can be safely consumed.