​When we look outside in the summertime, we can see Mother Nature in a state of expansiveness. Gardens are overflowing with vegetables, trees have crowns full of green leaves, and bees are buzzing around multitudes of blossoming flowers. It’s a wonderful time for you to move into expansiveness too.
 
If you have been feeling contracted or withdrawn from the world, you can shift it. As you do, you can become more deeply connected to the divine, your inner wisdom that guides you, or intuition, and your purpose in life.

​The Crown Chakra
It's the seventh chakra, or crown chakra, that gives us the ability to access these higher states of consciousness. It’s the source of our connection to the divine energy of creation and to our higher self. It helps us to experience that we’re one with everyone and everything in nature.
 
The crown chakra is located at the top of the head and slightly above the head. It sits like a crown, opening upwards. It’s like a bridge to the universe, giving us access to higher states of awareness. This chakra is a doorway that can take us beyond our limitations to connect with the true nature of life and experience a sense of purpose, abundance, and joy.

When this chakra is in balance, you’ll feel unity with others and the world. You have a sense of the deeper meaning of life and feel a deep sense of peace. You’ll trust in the flow of life and synchronicity. You’ll experience the Divine within you and within the world. 
 
You’ll know that your crown chakra is out of balance if you feel disconnected from others and from worldly matters. You may feel lonely and lack a sense of direction. You may also feel detached from spirit. This may result in anger, depression, or flightiness.
 
The crown chakra can become out of balance or blocked in many ways. If we have been fed lies or misinformation, this can cause blockage. Another way is when we haven’t been allowed freedom of thought. And fear is yet another factor.  
 
Bringing Your Crown Chakra into Balance
Let me share 3 ways to help you bring your crown chakra into balance so that you can move into expansiveness to connect with the divine and your higher self.

1. Learn something new. Find a topic of interest and take a course or read a book on it. This keeps your mind open and engaged with new ideas.

2. Sit in silence. It’s so rare for us to be in silence. Relax your body, slow your breathing, and enjoy the quiet. 
3. Speak affirmations to yourself to help shift any negative thought patterns. Here are helpful ones for the crown chakra:
​I honor the Divine within me.
I seek experiences that nourish my spirit.
I seek to understand and to learn from the experiences in my life.
I trust my intuition.

Chanting a Mantra for the Crown Chakra
Want to deepen your work? I invite you to join me in chanting a mantra that is associated with this chakra. This can help you to bring further awareness and healing to this chakra, supporting you in connecting to the divine and feeling at one with all that is. 
 
To help balance the crown chakra, we can call upon Brahman. Brahman is not to be confused with Brahma, the Hindu deity. Brahman is without a beginning and without an end and yet is within all. Brahman is cosmic spirit and infinite consciousness. The universal principle and eternal truth. 
 
Brahman is the divine source of everything that exists and does not exist.  Brahman is genderless and yet has a dual nature that encompasses both male and female. The male aspect known as Purusha, “that which fills,” and the female aspect known as Shakti which means “energy” or “dynamic force.” 
 
You can find the Healing Brahman Mantra in my Free Healing Library and chant along with me.
 
Interested in more? Check out my How to Bring Life to Your Chakras, 7 Healing Mantras guidebook here. 

When it’s in balance you see clearly and understand what you see. You can perceive and interpret visual cues. You have perspective on events and ideas. You’re open to new ideas and can be quietly reflective. You trust your intuition and inner wisdom, able to discern what is for your higher good.
 
Here are 3 ways to help you open and balance your brow chakra through engaging your creative side.
 
1.    Notice and appreciate the beauty in the world. Since the brow chakra is about seeing and perspective, taking time to see the beauty all around you in the world will help to bring balance to this chakra. A walk in nature or visiting an art gallery are wonderful possibilities. Allow your eyes to soak in the colors, shapes, textures, and patterns that you see.
​

​As the brow chakra is related to vision, the eyes and perspective, sometimes a blocked brow chakra can arise out of something we’ve seen, shame we feel (inward vision), or being told something that doesn’t match what we see.
 
You’ll know if your brow chakra is out of balance, as you’ll notice you struggle with seeing a different perspective. Things won’t make sense to you. You may be confused and have challenges seeing things clearly. 
 
That’s a good time to explore these 3 ways to bring balance to your brow chakra.
 

Chanting a Mantra for the Brow Chakra
 
If you are interested in further activation of your brow chakra, I invite you to join me in chanting a mantra that relates to a Hindu deity associated with this chakra. This can help you to bring deeper awareness and healing to this chakra, supporting you in seeing clearly, understanding what you see, and trusting your intuition.
 
To help balance the brow chakra, we can call upon the Hindu god Shiva who is often depicted with a third eye of wisdom. He sees beyond the obvious with clear perception and shows what is truth. 
 
You can find the Healing Shiva Mantra in my Free Healing Library and chant along with me.
 
Interested in more? Check out my How to Bring Life to Your Chakras, 7 Healing Mantras guidebook here. 

Have you taken time to unwind and relax this summer yet?
 
If not, I invite you join me and dive into an experience of the color blue. It’ll bring you right into the mood of summer!
 
Imagine for a moment…
 
A gentle breeze caresses your face as your bare feet sink into the warm grains of the golden sand with each step you take along the beach. You gaze dreamily out to the turquoise waters of the sea that sparkle under the light of the sun. 
 
A swooping arc of a seagull nearby captures your attention as it caws and flies into the distance where the sea and sky melt into each other in a mesmerizing weaving of azure and turquoise.
 
Close your eyes and imagine you’re there on the beach seeing the beautiful blue of the sea and the sky for a few moments.

​When you open your eyes, pause for a moment and check-in. How do you feel?
 
The Calming Color of Blue
The incredible beauty of the color blue can carry us away to lands of warm waters and clear skies. Blue creates a sense of tranquility and peace for us, soothing our minds and calming our bodies. A wonderful space for us to find our inner self, our deeper thoughts, and our authentic voice.
 
The Throat Chakra
Blue is also the color associated with the throat chakra and can help us bring the throat chakra into balance. It can help calm fear, improve your communication abilities, and give you the confidence to find your voice and speak your thoughts.
 
The throat chakra is located in the throat area that includes the neck, jaw, shoulders, and also ears. It’s the center of expression and the source of your speaking, listening, and ability to express yourself authentically. 
 
When your throat chakra is balanced and you speak your truth, it’ll be experienced as authentic and compassionate. 
 
You’ll also be able to listen deeply to others, giving them an experience of being heard and understood.

​When your throat chakra is overactive, you may feel overwhelmed with emotion. You’ll be very talkative, arrogant or engage in manipulative behavior. When your energy in your throat chakra is low, you may feel shy or reticent and not want to communicate openly with others, afraid of the response or judgment. You may shake or stutter as you speak OR be unclear in your words as you speak before thinking. You may also act in passive-aggressive ways.
 
Chanting a Mantra for the Throat Chakra
To help balance your throat chakra energy, I invite you to join me in picturing the color blue (back at that beach, if you’d like!) and chant a mantra invoking the goddess Lakshmi. This can help you to bring awareness and healing to the throat chakra, supporting you in finding your voice in self-expression and in communication with others.
 
The goddess, Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of abundance, wealth, and beauty. She can support you in your efforts to speak your truth with compassion and to listen deeply to others, bringing abundance to all. 
 
You can find the Healing Lakshmi Mantra in my Free Healing Library  and chant along with me.

After chanting, sit for a moment in silence and allow the sound to continue to reverberate around you like the gentle waves of a turquoise sea.
 
Interested in more? Check out my How to Bring Life to Your Chakras, 7 Healing Mantras guidebook here. 

Are you feeling a little off or uncomfortable in your body? Have you been ill or suffering in some way recently?
 
Every part of our body has a vibration. Every organ, tissue, and cell. When these are in harmony, then we have our health and well-being.
 
If disharmony arises in some form, there is a loss of well-being, and we may experience discomfort, illness, or disease.

​We can harness the vast potential of energy that is available through sound (created by vibrations) for our own healing and well-being. It can open the gate to a universal energy field that is far greater than ourselves. And then we can begin to vibrate at a higher level, leading to harmony and health.
 
Are you ready to reap the benefits of the power of harmonious and healing sound in your life?
 
When we bring the right kind of sound into our lives, we can align ourselves with vibrations that encourage health, happiness, and unity. They can help you to shift from discomfort and illness to healing and well-being.
 
As shared by Deepak Chopra,
“The body is held together by sound, and the presence of disease indicates that some sounds are out of tune… primordial sound is the mysterious link that holds the universe together in a web that is the quantum field.”
I invite you to explore this vast potential of healing energy through sound with me. Let’s call upon the Hindu god, Krishna, to support us. He’s the deity that plays divine music on his beloved flute. 
As Krishna plays melodies on his flute every day, he holds deep gratitude and love for the plants and for the sacrifice of the bamboo that allowed him to create his flute to make beautiful music.
 
As the harmonious sounds float through the air, they reach Mother Nature who responds with love. The lakes and rivers rise, overflowing onto their banks. And the plants glow with the vibrancy of life - luscious green grasses, ripe juicy fruits, and sweetly fragrant flowers. The birds begin to sing, and the peacocks dance. As the divine melodies float in the breeze, they warm the hearts of all who hear.

​Join me today and let’s chant a mantra that invokes the energy of the Hindu deity, Krishna, to warm your heart with harmonious sound, allowing it to flow through you in whatever way you’re in need.
 
First, take a moment to bring attention to your fourth chakra, the heart chakra, that is located at the center of the chest. It’s related to the element of air. 
 
We can use our breath and movement, within the air, to feel deeply connected with all that is around us, harmoniously exchanging energy with it. When your heart chakra is in balance, it flows with love, empathy, and compassion for yourself and others.

​Now, go and access the mantra Om Kleem Krishnaya Namaha here,  and let’s chant together!
 
Through the chanting of the mantra, invite the breath of the Divine to flow through you whenever and however it’s needed. 
 
For who are you and who am I, but the Divine? You too can open to receive the breath of the Divine through your being and, in turn, create harmonious and divine sound out in the world. 

If you feel called, place your hands over your heart while you are chanting. You can picture any pain that you may be experiencing in your life at this time. And after chanting for a while, slowly move your hands away from your heart, moving your arms up and out towards the heavens. Keep chanting as you do so and imagine the pain leaving your heart and being surrendered to the Divine.
 
Then, place your hands over your heart once again. Ask yourself, who or what do I want to send my love to? Feel love in your entire being for them. Keep chanting as you do so. While still chanting, move your arms outward and imagine extending your love to them.
 
After chanting, sit for a moment in silence and allow the sound to continue to reverberate around and through you.
Om Kleem Krishnaya Namaha
 
Interested in more?  Become a member of my Free Healing Library and get access to other audio recordings .

​Are you feeling a little lethargic today? Moving slowly? Here’s a way to shift your energy and feel rejuvenated.

​First, take a look outside your window. What can you see?
 
Summer’s all around us in its glorious splendor. What beauty in this season!
 
The warm sun shines down upon the bright colored flowers. The warm color of yellow radiating out into the world.

If you are interested in deepening this work, I invite you to access the Healing Durga Mantra in my Free Healing Library to further support you in balancing your solar plexus chakra. You can join the Library and access the Healing Durga Mantra audio recording here. Join me and chant the mantra while picturing this warm yellow radiating from your solar plexus.
 
 
“Your radiance shines in every atom of creation.”   Rumi
 
 
Feeling rejuvenated and energized from the color yellow? I hope so!  You can access more creative activities here with the Creativity Bowl. 

​Summer is showing us its glorious splendor. What beauty! The lush green crowns of the trees sway in the breeze while raindrops gently fall bringing moisture to the earth. The birds are happily sharing their melodious songs with all, and the gardens are starting to explode with little sprouts.

​What plans do you have for creativity this summer? Any yet?
 
Summer’s a wonderful time to dive into creativity!
 
As the natural world around us explodes with vibrant life, our energy also expands. A perfect time for creativity and play!
 
You’ll feel a part of something greater.  And you’ll feel energized and alive.
 
What’s calling to you? Maybe you like to move in dance. Or paint or draw.
 
Maybe you like to write poetry or songs. Or maybe you become creative in your garden or kitchen.
 
Whatever it may be, summer’s a wonderful time to dive in and play. 
 
As you play creatively, you lose track of what’s outside in the world – the news, daily tasks, worries, and fears. Your thoughts of that part of the world dissolve, releasing any stress you’re feeling.
 
You feel fully alive. And joyfully engaged. 

It’s part of our nature to be creative, as human beings. And being creative brings us back to our true nature. 
 
Inspiration to Get Started
 
Need a little inspiration to get started? If so, access my Creativity Bowl Practice here  – so simple and easy to get you on the path to creativity this summer.
​

​Need a little more support? I invite you to join me in calling upon the goddess, Saraswati.
 
Invoking Saraswati, Goddess of Music and the Arts
 
The goddess Saraswati, reigns over creativity, wisdom and knowledge, music and the arts. She can inspire our creativity in life and support us to find our creative expression in whatever way it may desire to flow forth - dance, yoga, drawing, painting, singing, and in all aspects of our daily life.
 
Saraswati supports human beings to ignite the seeds of creative expression within themselves. Whether it be an idea, thought, dream, song, artistic piece or passion, a new impulse comes into being!
 
You can join me HERE in chanting a mantra to invoke the goddess Saraswati. She’ll help us to bring awareness to the second chakra, the sacral chakra located in your lower abdomen. This is a place where we can access our creative nature.

Sara meaning Essence, and Swa as One Self comes together as The Essence of One Self. In the word Saraswati the meaning becomes, “One who Leads to the Essence of One Self.”  
 
Saraswati, the one who taps into the deepest essence of who you are and your gifts to the world that are needed that can flow through you and out into the world.
 
Find the Healing Saraswati Mantra in my Free Healing Library  and chant along with me.  

​Access the Creativity Bowl here.
 
And may you join the energy of summer and expand out into the world with wondrous creativity this season! 

​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.

​Pause for a moment and listen within?
 
What do you hear within your heart as a longing or yearning that’s calling to you right now?
 
Your heart has a wisdom that’ll guide you on your path. Picture it as a type of a roadmap that keeps steering you back to what you’re being called to do, if you start to wander astray.

The yearning you feel or the call you hear to do something, to create something, is the voice of this divine wisdom. You’re meant to manifest whatever’s calling to you now and offer it as one of your gifts to the world. That’s why it continues to tug at your heart!
 
“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” – Rumi
 
St. Hildegard heard a strong calling in her life at the age of 42 that still inspires me today. This is when she experienced a powerful vision, unlike anything she had experienced in the past.
Later she wrote about it and described how she suddenly gained great wisdom in this vision, a deeper, spiritual understanding that she’d not had before. And soon after this vision, she heard a voice speak to her, telling her to share, through writing and speaking, what she had experienced in all her visions.

And because St. Hildegard persevered, we have the great gifts of her writing as a woman of the 12th century. She followed the wisdom of her heart that kept leading her back to her purpose and path. With the support of those close to her in the community, she was able to move through many obstacles that she encountered, including her own self-doubt. What an inspiration to all of us today!
 
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” -Rumi
 
Looking for a supportive community to cheer you on as you respond to the longing within your heart? Join me in my upcoming course, "Master Your Creativity"!