​Our journey through life can sometimes bring us surprises. Sometimes joyous ones.  But, sometimes challenging ones like the one we’re experiencing now with the pandemic.  
 
As the world has slowed down and it’s hard to see what will come our way in the next weeks and months, we try to calm our anxiety and accept the current circumstances the best we can. We also try to remember to take care of ourselves as well as the members of our community. What a grand opportunity to practice living in the present moment!
In this unusual time, we’re called to turn inwardly and find our inner strength, our inner power, to navigate our way forward. One step at a time.

You may ask yourself – But how do I find this inner strength?  How does it arise within me? 
An image of St. Hildegard holding her abbess staff comes to my mind.  Her strength and power from within radiate out to the world as she speaks, “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…” ​

We see how St. Hildegard finds her strength through connecting with the Divine within.  Great wisdom for us to consider now! 
To find our own inner power, we can first come to our center, that space that is still and quiet within the center of the whirlwind of chaos or turmoil.  
 
Take a few minutes in a quiet place during the day to find this place. Calm your body and mind.  Close your eyes and take several deep breaths.
 
Breathe in, breathe out. 
 
We often take our breath for granted. Yet it’s our source of life.  In a deep inhale, into your belly, you help your blood be nourished, fueling your whole body.  As you exhale, you let go of the waste the body does not need, detoxing your bodily systems.  
 
Now breathe normally, but try to do so slowly, bringing a pause at the end of the exhale and the end of the inhale. Try this for a few minutes. 
 
When you enter into this space of quiet and calm, you can access a greater wisdom within yourself and in the universe. You can access that great river of health, abundance, wisdom, and guidance for yourself.  The dwelling of your Higher Self.  In the present moment, not the past, not the future. This space is always within you.
There we can connect with the Source. We find our inner strength and power to carry us forward on our life’s journey.  Bringing us hope, encouragement, and power. 
As we find our own power from within, let’s not forget what a treasure it is to connect with a dear friend, even from a distance, in your journey through daily life.  Someone who supports and loves you.  Who encourages you and gives you guidance.  Someone who recognizes your greatness and lifts you up when you have anxiety or fear. Who encourages you to reach for that dream you have.
If you have someone such as this, open your heart to appreciate this person’s presence in your life during these challenging times.  Be grateful for this moment. ​

I remember one of St. Hildegard’s closest friends and confidant. While living at the St. Disibod Abbey, her friend, Volmar, was the first person to validate her visions as divine experiences. He recognized her rare spiritual gifts and became a good friend and mentor for many years in her life.
It’s clear that over the years St. Hildegard greatly valued and appreciated her dear friend, Volmar, who supported and encouraged her. She was not alone in navigating the unprecedented path for a woman to share her visions with the public. 
Let us remember today that the strength we need in these times is already within us if we just take a quiet moment to reconnect to it.  And the steps on our journey are a little easier to take when we have a close friend to call upon. Someone who supports and encourages us.  We can remember we don’t have to do it alone. 
Speaking of friends... how about encouraging a dear friend to take the Course: "Master Your Creativity" with you? Tell a friend to click here to sign up for the course!

​ 
Do you have a clear picture of what you are being called to birth into the world that’s part of your higher purpose at this time?  The reason why you’re here. 
 
Are you living a truly inspired and creative life, where you’re bringing that into reality in the world -  in the way that you dream you could? 
 
Envision how you could manifest this now. Imagine it bringing warmth and healing into the world.
 
What’s standing in your way? 
 
What often stands in our way again and again is FEAR.
 
You know how it feels to be full of fear. You’re paralyzed and can’t even take the first step towards manifesting your creative dreams.

​An opportunity will come your way and you say, “I can’t do that”… “I’m not available”... “I am not capable” or “I don’t have time for that.”
 
You feel lethargic. You hide, doing anything to not be seen.
 
Do you want to finally move out of this fear and into faith? 
 
Then, I invite you to learn a body prayer to support you in being filled with a knowing that you are part of the Divine… This knowing is called Faith.
 
In this state of faith, you will know that you’re whole and that you’re love. You’ll trust that you have everything you need to manifest the longings of your soul.

As we sing the sacred words while moving the body intentionally with the music in this body prayer, it connects us with the depth and truth of the meaning of the sacred text. This is a potent spiritual practice where you experience a sense of unity with the Divine. 
 
The sacred words of Kyrie Eleison (Creator of Life, Awaken Love Within Us) used in this body prayer will reverberate through your whole being and move you from fear into faith, knowing that you are a part of the Divine. 
 
Discover more about this body prayer here in the 3rd video of my series of 3 KEYS TO MASTER YOUR CREATIVITY.  

​The world is calling us to become truly inspired and creative beings in our communities in this time!
 
New and courageous ideas are truly needed.
 
Through birthing our creations, we become a shining and powerful healing force in the world. What in your life are you being inspired to create? 
 
Move out of the fear that is holding you back from this vision and move into faith that you are divinely inspired and your creativity is needed in this world.

Step into what it would be like if you were able to manifest your vision.  How would you feel? 
 
Picture yourself having already brought this vision into reality.  How do you feel now? 
 
I hope you can manifest that vision into the world!  I look forward to seeing it become a reality! 

​Is there something in your life that you are longing to create?  Are you wanting to finally write that book or go on that trip you’ve dreamed of your whole life? 
 
Or are you wanting to create your own vegetable garden or maybe take singing classes?  Or do you long to start your own business?
 
What is standing in your way from doing this?  Sometimes we can see only walls in our path, and we become stuck.  We think that what we want to create is unrealistic or impossible. Our fear stops us from taking action. 

No matter what it is that you’re longing to create, you can do it!  Whatever your creative dream is, I know you can make it come true. The truth is that there are as many beautiful things to create as there are people on this planet.
 
I remember the story of St. Hildegard, at age 42, when she heard a divine voice commanding her to speak and write about her experiences.  She shared what it said to her,
 
“… speak and write what you see and hear… according to the extent that you see and hear those things in the heavens above in the marvelousness of God…
Write those things not according to yourself or by the standards of another person, but according to the will of the one knowing, the one who sees and arranges all things in the secrets of His own mysteries.

​St. Hildegard didn’t want to act on this at all.  I can certainly understand.  She was frightened and anxious.  She felt insecure and inadequate. All of us feel like this from time to time. 
 
To share her visions with the world was going to be a big step. It was going against the culture and traditions of the time. Women weren’t part of the clergy in her time.  Women didn’t preach, speak publicly, or write.  Let alone on controversial topics such as visions from God. 
 
St. Hildegard had to muster her courage and hold on to her faith that it would be okay, since she was being guided by the Divine. 
 
“…. I put my hand to writing. Once I did this, a deep and profound exposition of books came over me. I received the strength …. and under that power I continued to carry out the work to the end.”  - St. Hildegard of Bingen
 
It’s time to listen to the quiet voice inside that’s nagging at you, telling you that there’s more to life.
 
It’s time to let go of any sense of limitation or fear that you’re holding on to that’s standing in the way of what you long to create.
 
As you begin to take the first steps forward in realizing your vision, you’ll discover the sweet nectar of the Divine is being birthed upon the Earth through you.  And where this divine energy flows, a powerful healing force can arise.  For yourself. And for the world.
 
You’ll have more energy and more motivation as you create a clear intention with which to move forward. Your life will transform. 

In the words of St. Hildegard:
 
 
I am the one whose praise
Echoes on high.
I adorn all the earth.
I am the breeze
That nurtures all things
Green.
I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.
I am led by the spirit to feed
The purest streams.
I am the rain
Coming from the dew
That causes the grasses to laugh
With the joy of life.
 
I call forth tears,
Th aroma of holy work.
I am the yearning for good.
 
 
I invite you to blossom as you bring forth your gifts into the world.  Become the yearning for the good that you can bring to others. 
To support you in this work further, I invite you to try out a guided mediation that I offer for free in The 3 Keys to Master Your Creativity.  At the heart of this technique, you will give voice to your inner beauty and come to love and appreciate who you are in powerful ways. You’ll find the strength and energy to move forward with your creative dreams. You’ll know that it IS possible.
 
This meditation will give voice to your unique soul’s purpose, helping you to focus on what you are meant to create and giving you the guidance to move forward with a clear vision. Give it a try! 

​In this time of the Covid-19 virus and sheltering in place, do you find yourself going into a place of overwhelm?  Sometimes we can read or listen to all of the news reports and our mind can begin to spin into fear and anxiety.  We worry about our health, our loved ones, and our community. 
 
Or what was once a simple task of buying our food at the local grocery store or farmer’s market now requires much more preparation and energy to keep everyone safe. 

​The joy of having fun with friends and adventuring out in the world around us is no longer possible, and the need to shelter in place with the same daily routine can lack the spark of life for us. 
 
In challenging times, I often turn to the wisdom of St. Hildegard and all that I’ve learned from her over the years. Recently, I recalled how she shares about the importance of not putting so much strain on ourselves. She tells us to strive for moderation or balance in our lives. 
 
As I contemplated how to find this in my life over the years, I often felt that St. Hildegard would lead me to the realization that creativity and PLAY are important in finding our balance. 
 
When we bring play into our lives, we can release our stress. We become totally present and can let go of our worry and sorrows. We also tap into this beautiful flow within ourselves called inspiration.
 
I encourage you to take this opportunity that we have been given to be at home at this time and explore your own creativity and just PLAY. It’ll help you to move out of overwhelm and into inspiration!

​As you move into the realm of experiencing your own creativity, a vibrant flow of energy flows through your whole body. You can feel that you’re part of something greater. 
 
A Divine flow moves through you and you sense that something new needs to come to earth.  To express itself in form through you, the artist and creator in that moment. 
 
Fueled with this breath of inspiration from within, you, the artist, may begin to paint or to sing a song.  You may move in dance, write words, or use other materials to express what is bubbling up inside of you. 
 
When you enter into this space, the outer world of daily tasks and the chatter in your mind disappear.  You can set them aside for this time and your focus comes to the creative activity before you.  
 
You can feel the call from within, and you know it’s time to dive in and play. 
 
What wants to express itself through you?  What wants to come to life from your activity? 
 
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.

​This vibrant creative force infuses your whole being. You feel fully alive.  And joyfully engaged. 
 
Your creative process may be smooth and flow easily at times.  It may be bumpy and chaotic at other times.  It may move quickly. Or slowly. 
 
You get to move through it in a way that speaks to you.  It’s not time for judgment.  Nor for thinking. 
 
This is the time for presence in the moment.  Surrendering to the process and that which moves you from within.

​And when your creative moment is done for that day, you feel pleasantly fulfilled.  You feel complete. You are grateful. And now satisfied, you rest peacefully.
 
Such creativity, when focusing on the process and not product, can help us to access a meditative state, tapping into a deeper part of ourselves.  A place of inner stillness.
 
Here we can enter a feeling of flow and freedom, a space without limits and for self discovery and expression.  An opportunity for healing. 
 
Human beings are naturally creative.  It is part of our nature. 
 
And being creative brings us back to this state – our true nature. 
 
Our true nature that brings us to a place of balance and a place of health. 

​What an unusual time we are in! Most of the country is in shelter in place. Life has become slower and quieter. Uncertainty of the future and a focus on the present is now our daily practice.
 
The roads are almost empty of cars, yet the sidewalks are filled with families walking, playing and working outside their houses. Physical distancing from our friends and family members is becoming a habit even as we still miss all of the adventures we usually have out in the world.
 
If you’re healthy and in self quarantine at this time, remember that you’re taking care of yourself, but you also caring for your community in this action.
 
While you’re at home, what’s the opportunity that’s presenting itself here?  The sparkling gem that shines through the dark soil? 
 
Now is a wonderful time to go inward and reflect on what is the deeper meaning of all we’re experiencing at this time. We have more time on our hands than usual given the slower pace that the world’s moving.

The gift of such uncluttered space and time is an opportunity to see what’s bubbling up inside as a longing. A longing that might have been silenced or hidden in the past. 
 
What have I always wanted to do in my life and haven’t yet?
 
What is my calling at this time in the world? 
 
As we connect to our higher self and deepen our connection to the spiritual world in this time, my thoughts turn to St. Hildegard who is an inspiration as she endeavored to take up her divine calling in the world even when it was quite challenging.
 
Here she speaks of her longing to be the harp and zither of love in the world. 

Longing
 
My home is in heaven,
Where I meet all your creation.
God’s love is my desire,
And to raise up the tower of longing, my wish.
 
I want to do what you ask of me, O God.
On wings of good will
I fly above the stars in heaven
To do your will.
 
Nothing else remains for me to search
Or wish for.
I long only for holiness.
 
Let me, O God, be your harp and zither of love!
 
LVM Pitra IV, 15 (X)

At this time of slowing down and isolation, what is arising within you as a longing?  Something you have always wanted to do or something that is calling to you at this current time of crisis? 
 
What are you being called to bring into the world during this time in the world? 
 
What opportunity exists for you? 
 
Envision it now. Imagine how it might bring love and healing to you and into the world.
 
Now expand that vision. Make it even better. What if there was no limit? No fear and anxiety?  No obstacle? 
 
What would your vision be then?  Imagine that. 
 
So, how can your vision begin to sprout and grow in this season of spring and renewal?  How can you make it come to life? 

Through answering the longing that lives within us to be the harp and zither of the Divine, we can become a powerful healing force in the world, a great need at this time.
 
“When you have a vision that is strong enough and powerful enough, nothing can stand in your way.” Lewis Howes
 
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Check out my FREE Healing Library for more practices that will support you in this time of crisis.  
 
 

​With most of us social distancing at home in the midst of the spread of Covid-19, I want to remind you to get outside each and every day.  Just remember to have a good amount of distance between you and others. 
 
We feel better when we can get outside breathing fresh air, the breeze blowing on our face, and the sunlight warming our bodies.  Now’s the time to enjoy “forest bathing” (walking through a forest) or taking your shoes off and placing your bare feet in the grass of Mother Earth. 

Being outside in nature will help you stay calm and grounded, supporting you to center yourself in this unusual time. The relaxation and negative ions will positively affect your brain and body and improve your immune system, especially after exposure to the positive ions emitted from the electronics we are often needing to use at home these days. 
 
I encourage you to go spend some time in nature, engaging all of your senses! Feel the warm sunlight on your skin.  Smell the aromatic pines and junipers or the first blossoms of spring. Touch the bark of a tree or the edges of a pinecone.  Enjoy the view of the mountains, the streams or trees wherever you may walk. Listen to the sweet songs of the birds. Observe your surroundings in this way, in gratitude for all that you experience. Your body will naturally relax and you will begin to feel a sense of calm and peace. 

  Not convinced yet?  Here are 7 reasons to open that door and head outside. Being outside in nature…..

1. Decreases stress – Studies now show that going out in nature reduces blood pressure and stress hormone levels. 
2. Improves your mood – You’ll be happier!  You’ll experience less anxiety, fear and depression.  You’ll put down your phone and focus less on negativity, resulting in a more positive mood. 
3. Improves your brain function – Studies show that time in nature helps to improve your memory, focus, and work productivity. 
4. Helps you to stay healthy – Exposure to nature improves your immune system and helps you to fight illness. It may even reduce your experience of any pain.
5. Helps you get more from your exercise – Supporting your health, the exercise will not only help your physical body, it will give you a sense of rejuvenation, energy and enjoyment of life. 
6. Connects you with Nature’s Rhythms – Connecting with these rhythms helps you to regulate your sleep, mood, and stress levels. 

     7. Gives you practice in mindfulness – You’ll stay in the present moment as you observe all that is around you in
         nature, with appreciation. The sunlight in the trees, the squirrels chasing each other, the clouds passing by. 

Years ago, St. Hildegard shared with us her idea of Viriditas, translated as “greening power.”  This is the divine life force that lives and breathes within all living beings. This potent force is full of vitality, able to bring healthy abundance into the world. 
It makes all things grow, expand, and thrive.  And it’s the force that returns, after being absent, when healing occurs after an illness.  We experience it in the dynamic growth of plants in nature as well as our own sense of health. ​

“The soul is a breath of living spirit, that with excellent sensitivity, permeates the entire body to give it life.  Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful.  Thus the air is the soul of the earth, moistening it, greening it.”
 - St. Hildegard of Bingen
For St. Hildegard, the Divine permeated all of life – every plant, every animal, every stone, every human being.  Each was a small part or microcosm of the whole of God that was macrocosm. 
As we head outside to enjoy nature in a time of shelter in place at home, let’s all experience the fiery power of life of which St. Hildegard speaks. Let’s have the possibility to embody this radiant flame in our own balance of health and healing in our lives, aligned with nature. 
Can’t get outside right now for some reason? Open the curtains and look outside.  Bring plants into the room where you are the most.  Even this makes a difference! 
 
Check out my FREE Healing Library for practices that will support you in this time of crisis.

​In this time of crisis and self quarantine as the coronavirus spreads across our country, it’s very easy to go into a place of anxiety and fear. Take a deep breath and remember, we can access a state of peace and healing within ourselves even while we’re at home, socially isolated.

Think back to a moment when you’ve created something, anything at all.  Something where you were fully immersed in the moment in time, away from all other distractions.  
 
How did it make you feel? What seemed to want to express itself through you? 
 
When you are a creator, an artist, a vibrant flow of energy flows through your whole body. You remember that you are part of something greater. 
 
Meister Eckhart says it beautifully, “Whatever I want to express in its truest meaning must emerge from within me and pass through an inner form. It cannot come from outside to the inside, but must emerge from within.”
​

​Creating art can help us to access a healing state, tapping into a deeper and more peaceful part of ourselves. A place of inner stillness without the busyness of the mind that happens in a crisis like the one we currently find ourselves in. 
 
In this creative space, we can enter a feeling of flow and freedom, free of separation and physical boundaries. A space without limits. A space for self-healing and personal expression in this unusual time.  
 
Human beings are naturally creative.  It’s part of our nature. 
 
And being creative brings us back to this state – our true nature. 
 
Our true nature that brings us to a place of balance and a place of health. 

​As you dive into your own creative endeavor, your artistic process may be smooth and flow easily at times. It may be bumpy and chaotic at other times. It may move quickly. Or slowly. 
 
But, it’s not a time for judgment or critique.  Nor for thinking. This is the time for presence in the moment.  Surrendering to the process and that which moves you from within. Surrendering to what your being needs to express in this time of crisis in order for your own healing and inner peace. And for the world’s.   
 
And when your creative moment is done for that time, you’ll probably feel a sense of completion for that day. You may even experience a sense of gratitude for what came into being in the process. You can rest and relax some, filled with a greater sense of peace.
 
The sweet nectar of the Divine has been brought to Earth through you. 

In my artistic endeavors, I always remember that at age 42, when St. Hildegard felt God commanded her to write down and share what she’d experienced, she did not act on this call to create immediately. 
She felt insecure and inadequate.  Unable to write. 
Soon, after that she became sick and she interpreted her illness as a consequence of her lack of action in what she felt the Divine was calling her to do.
After some time, she gathered her courage and strength and began to write. She was able to move through her resistance, and she felt her own strength grow, as Divine inspiration moved through her. 
But maybe you don’t think of yourself as an artist?  The good news is you don’t have to!  You are a creator – one who creates out of the materials that long to be used for creation. 
 
As human beings, we’re naturally creative. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover how much art you have inside of you. Yearning to be explored and come out in the world in this time of crisis. 
 
Which artistic endeavor calls to you today to access your own healing and inner peace? 
·       Music
·       Dance
·       Painting
·       Drawing
·       Clay/Pottery
·       Weaving
·       Writing
·       Gardening
·       Cooking
·       Using objects – beads, glass, jewelry
·       Something else?
 
As you engage in art, in creating, energy begins to flow. For energy flows toward creativity. 
 
And where energy flows, a powerful healing force can arise.  For yourself. And for the world.
 
Creativity is not a solitary movement. This is its power. Whatever is touched by it, whoever hears it, sees it, senses it, knows it, is fed. That is why beholding someone else’s creative word, images, idea, fills us up, and inspires us to our own creative work. A single creative act has the potential to feed a continent. One creative act can cause a torrent to break through stone. -Clarissa Pinkola Estes
 
In this time of crisis and social isolation, discover how art can support you and begin the flow of a powerful healing force.
 
Check out my FREE Healing Library for more practices that will support you in this time of crisis.
 
 
 
 

In the Hindu tradition, the Divine is a perfect balance of masculine and feminine energies. The gods and goddesses emanate particular energies that can support us to bring balance to these energies on our path of spiritual development.  If you missed it, you can read more about Balancing the Feminine and Masculine Energies within You here. 
 
In our modern world, there’s an emphasis on the masculine with less attention to our feminine side. We tend to rely mostly on our visual sense, a masculine energy, in our day-to-day lives, with less focus on our sense of hearing. In ancient cultures, the ear, the center of our hearing, was associated with the feminine with its more receptive, deeper, and mysterious qualities. 

​This is why sound and the quality of what we hear is so important! What healing and nourishment for our soul from hearing sound, quality sound. 
 
The ancient Hindu text, the Vedas, shares the importance of sound, “In the beginning was sound…” and Shakti was this sound, the feminine, dynamic energy of the Divine or Brahman.
 
Shakti is the most important energetic force in the Hindu tradition and can take many forms and names. Shakti manifests as divine cosmic energy that dynamically moves through the universe. We see this feminine energetic force expressed in a trinity of the Great Mother Goddess in 3 distinct forms: Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Durga (or Kali), the goddess of power and judgment. 

​The first, the goddess Saraswati, reigns over creativity, wisdom and knowledge, music and the arts.  She also governs our speech – where we share our creativity and wisdom through words. 
 
The second goddess, Lakshmi, is the goddess of prosperity, beauty, and abundance. She helps us to embrace and appreciate the abundant blessings that exist in our lives and brings to us prosperity and possibility in our life’s journey.  She bestows upon us wealth – both spiritually and materially – which is our birthright.
 
Durga, the third goddess in the trinity, manifests as the goddess of strength and power in many forms, defending what is good and right in the world. She’s invincible! She’s considered divine feminine energy, Shakti herself. She can empower us to find our own strength to manifest what’s needed in the world. 
 

Shakti, who moves through these 3 goddesses and is responsible for dynamic and energetic force within the universe, can be seen as an agent of change, creating the new, destroying evil forces, and restoring balance in the world. 
 
When we turn to the chanting of mantras, we can remember that sound, a feminine energy, is the creation of the entire universe. Within this universal sound, chanting OM (A-U-M), a seed comes to birth as form, a masculine energy.  So, in sounding OM at the beginning of a mantra, we bring the masculine and feminine energies into balance within the sound. 
 
Now, it makes sense that, in ancient cultures, when physical illness was seen as a lack of harmony in the body, they used sound and music to restore health and balance in the body.  A “sound” and healthy body produces harmonious music. 
 
Discover more about using mantras to connect with the energy of a Hindu deity in my guidebook and audio recordings , How to Bring Life to Your Chakras: 7 Healing Mantras.  Join me in chanting a mantra invoking Durga to embrace your own power and strength. 
 
 
 

In the Hindu tradition, the gods and goddesses emanate particular energies that can support us on our path of spiritual development.  The trinity that captures the masculine energy forms includes Brahma, the creative force, Vishnu, the sustaining force, and Shiva, the destructive force.
 
These 3 encompass the life process from creation to destruction. Each male god also has a specific female counterpart, bringing a feminine energy that balances and empowers the masculine energy of this trinity.
 
Within the Hindu tradition, the Divine is a perfect balance of masculine and feminine energies.  It’s only through the merging of the two that enlightenment can be obtained on our spiritual journeys. 

​This dance between the masculine and feminine can empower us to embrace and embody both sides of our being. We search and long for union, oneness, wholeness.  To be one with the Divine.
 
Brahma, who is the energetic force of creation, is paired with the Goddess Saraswati who reigns over creativity, wisdom and knowledge, music and the arts.  She also governs our speech – where we share our creativity and wisdom through words. 
 
To embrace the energy of creation in our lives in order to manifest our work in the world, we can call upon the god Brahma, and to ensoul our creations with the beauty of the arts and wisdom, sharing them with others, we can connect with the energetic force of Saraswati.  An embodied and magnificent union!
 
Vishnu is the second male energy of the Hindu Trinity that maintains the harmony and balance of the universe. The female counterpart that brings wholeness is Lakshmi who is the goddess of prosperity, beauty, and abundance. She helps us to embrace and appreciate the abundant blessings that exist in our lives and brings to us prosperity and possibility in our life’s journey.  She bestows upon us wealth – both spiritually and materially – which is our birthright, while Vishnu, in his many forms, helps us to sustain this energy. 

​The third male energy is Shiva, the destroyer which creates a space for renewal.  His partner is Parvati who manifests as the goddess of strength and power in many forms, defending what is good and right in the world.  She’s considered divine feminine energy, Shakti herself.  While Shiva can help us to realize that releasing the old must occur for us to create the new, Parvati, in her many forms, can empower us to embrace our own strength to manifest what is needed in the world. 

Discover more about using mantras to connect with the energy of a Hindu deity in my guidebook with accompanying audio recordings, How to Bring Life to Your Chakras: 7 Healing Mantras.  Join me in chanting a mantra invoking Lakshmi to embrace the abundance that is yours. 

​The world’s an uncertain place at the moment. Every hour seems to bring us new surprises.  In just a couple days, our world has been turned upside down, and I think most of us are still trying to find our footing in our new landscape of staying at home and distancing ourselves from our coworkers, friends and neighbors here in the US. 

​It’s clear in these moments, that we’re called to find our inner stillness, our inner strength to navigate our way forward. One step at a time.
 
Quiet I bear within me,
I bear within myself
Forces to make me strong.
Now will I be imbued with their glowing warmth.
Now will I fill myself
With my own will's resolve.
And I will feel the quiet
Pouring through all my being
When by my steadfast striving
I become strong
To find within myself the source of strength
The strength of inner quiet.
R. Steiner
 
Do you wonder, from where does this strength arise? How do we find it when we need it? 
In a quiet moment, come to your center and find that place that is still and quiet within the whirlwind of turmoil. There we can connect with the Divine. We find our inner strength and power to carry us forward on our life’s journey, knowing that we’ll be held and supported by the spiritual world. 
One of the guides in my life who helps me find my strength and courage is Archangel Michael. He can be one to assist you in overcoming the fear and anxiety that may be rising in these uncertain times. Call upon him to help you find this inner quiet and strength at this time. 

3.  Nurture yourself.  Go outside and put your feet upon the earth.  Take a walk. Sing or draw. Cook a delicious meal.  Have a cup of tea. Do yoga or qigong.  Listen to an inspiring podcast or take a free class online.  Read a book. 
 
4. Foster resilience.  Strive to bounce back from challenging times instead of feeling defeated or a victim.  Endeavor to return to a place of balance and strength, again and again. This is our daily practice. 
 
Many blessings to you at this unusual time!  Stay healthy and use this time at home to discover your true inner power. 
 
 Why not bring healing music into your life while you are at home?  Check out my Free Healing Library with recordings of healing mantras and songs.