New Moon On Monday....AND a Solar Eclipse!

A new moon and a solar eclipse today?  Can we talk about how incredible this is?  Can we talk about the potential and possibility this brings?  Can we talk about how excited I am?  Holy shitake!!!  What a magical day!!!

Okay….let’s start with the Solar Eclipse…
I won’t bore you with the science that goes along with this cosmic rarity because I know you can read that information all over the place.  So, instead let’s just chat a bit about what this eclipse has to offer and I'll assume that you are willing to step right up and delight in the litany of gifts it can bring.
Simply put, I like to think of a solar eclipse as a harbinger of change and deliverer of truth.  Pretty fancy and monumental stuff, right?  Well, anything less simply wouldn’t be giving this fantastic event (coupled with a new moon) its proper credit. 

Ever play with one of those wind-up Jack in the Box toys?  You wind and wind and wind never knowing when that sucker is going to pop right open and set that bobble headed clown free.  Well, a solar eclipse is sort of like that.  Today is that day, except instead of the creepy clown, the box is going to pop open and reveal all sorts of feelings, fears and emotions you have kept hidden; maybe even from yourself.    
Eclipses bring clarity (if we let them) and have a beautiful and very necessary way of ripping the bandage off things you might not have wanted to deal with just yet.  Today you may find yourself annoyed, anxious, sad or even surprised by things that you didn’t realize were weighing on you.  Don’t ignore them or pretend they aren’t there, they exist so that you can learn from them.  Every feeling, good or bad, has a message for you.  It might be time to ask yourself what truths you have been hiding from that you can now acknowledge and set free today?
Teachers in one form or another have always shown up and tried to get your attention in order to show you certain insights.  Sometimes it is merely to show you who you do not want to be.  Other times they lead you into situations that essentially force you to see things you haven’t wanted to acknowledge.  They have also served as wonderful guides leading you to embrace and celebrate change versus running away from it.
Today as the moon completely blocks out the sun for a moment, we can close our eyes and turn away as a means of ‘protection,’ or, as we avert our eyes, instead of closing them, we can pause to let our gaze linger elsewhere and intentionally become aware of what is actually happening around and within us.  Maybe both figuratively and literally, we will SEE or FEEL things we may never have noticed before.  Perhaps they have been there all along and we just weren’t willing to notice?  Ready or not, here they come!

Eclipses are also a wonderful time to set goals, and perhaps even make a leap towards honoring whatever your dreams and visions are for yourself.  If they’ve been hanging around just under the surface, today there will be no ignoring them and honestly, I bet that if you open your mind, you’ll find that to be a really good thing!!  
That being said, if one momentous eclipse has the power to bring all of this magic with it, can you imagine what we are capable of if it happens to fall on the day of a full moon too?  OH.  MY. STARS!
Duran Duran didn’t write a whole song about a New Moon on Monday just because its pretty!  No way sister!  There is wondrous work and adventure to begin today!

New Moons are actually my favorite, most magical, full of possibility lunar experiences!  They are seeds waiting to be planted, and blank pages perfect for you and I to come and fill up with our most desired wishes, hopes and dream.  They are beginnings and intentions and all of those day-dreamy plans you’ve been dying to make but instead you let fear get in the way….  Today is the day to say, “screw you fear and practicality!!  Instead, I’m going with authenticity and possibility!”

New moons are a time to think, they invite us to take pause, set our limitations free and really commit to anything we would truly like to see come to fruition in our lives!  Today, the soil of your imagination and possibility is perfectly tilled and ready for you to begin planting! 

What would you like to plant today?  What sort of seeds will you be offering today?  What would it look and feel like if you really decided to follow your bliss and align your intentions from a place of absolute truth and fearless possibility?  What if you didn’t let your history dictate or get in the way of your future?  What if you didn’t permit other people’s expectations to inform what makes you truly happy?  What if you finally embraced the knowing that all of your excuses are just the voice of fear and resistance in disguise as a way to keep you from feeling true joy?

How many people have you known that literally spent their whole lives waiting for the perfect moment before they decided to leap?  Well, here’s a hot little news flash for you….every breath, every moment, every additional hour is the PERFECT MOMENT passing you by. 

Today is the perfect day.  Today you have at your disposal a beautiful new moon ripe with possibility and charged with all of the energy and wonder that the solar eclipse brings! It is a one-of-a-kind, fantastic day to believe in the power of your own unique and brilliant divine magic! I hope that you will really take the time to plant your seeds and get ready to cultivate and create your very own garden!

That being said, I would love for you to join me in a little  New Moon Manifestation Ritual I have created!  I think I told you before, I’m a visual girl, so while it is also perfectly fine if you choose to just write down in a journal what you would like to create or manifest in your lives, I need bells, whistles and a little bit of fire! 

Please, you do what is comfortable for you!!! 

New Moon Manifestation Ritual

For this you’ll just need a few things

• A Bowl of Water perhaps scented with your favorite oils and/or flower petal
• Towel for drying
• A candle and matches
• Pen and paper

Once you have gathered your supplies, create a quiet space for yourself.  It could be a table top, a special corner of a room or even outdoors.  You can make it special by gathering up a few symbolic or personal items like the ones I have in the photo above, or leave it plain and just be with your candle!  It can be a permanent space or one that you just use for the evening….whatever works for you!  Please just be certain not to light your candle near anything flammable.
Once you’re all set up, take a moment and dip your hands into the bowl of water, rub them gently together as if you were washing them.  As you are doing this, see all of your fear, all of your apprehensions, excuses, all of the shadows that kept saying no…..see all of your self-imposed and perceived limitations being washed away.  Acknowledge that your heart is open and you are ready to step into a place of pure and truely divine possibility.  
Dry your hands, close your eyes and take a few deep, calming breaths.  When you are ready, go ahead and light your candle.

Once your candle is lit it is time to take a few moments, sit quietly and write out what you would like to manifest in your life.  Would you like to invite forgiveness, courage or some sort of new feeling into your heart?  Would you like to make a request?  Do you have dreams and wishes you would like to manifest?  Is there something new you would like to cultivate in your life?  Do you want a new job?  Be as specific as possible.  Be very clear about what your intentions are.  Write as many or as few things as you like.
Once you are finished, sign and date your list.  A few more steady and very intentional deep breaths and then, with confidence and conviction, slowly read your list out loud.  As you speak, see the words of your wishes, your hopes and your intentions drifting slowly off into the abyss so that the Universe can collect them and help you to set their creation in motion.  Visualize every word, every wish as it disappears into the sky.  If you would like, go ahead and read your list out loud a few times until you are focused on seeing your intentions drift off into the night.

Once you have read your list, take a moment to express your gratitude to our Creator/Source/G-d/Divine (whatever you call that which IS) for the many blessings already in your life and for those yet to come.  Say a prayer of thanks for these "seeds" that you have just planted.  Feel deep in your heart the truth that your intention and belief in their possibility has already set divine wheels in motion.  Take a moment to be still and hear nothing but the sound of your own breathing.  As you exhale and blow your candle out watch as the smoke carries your intentions and gratitude out into the world so that it may, like a wave or ripple effect, deliver ongoing blessings and abundance to any who cross your path! 
Fold up your list, tuck it safely under your candle, in a special wish box or even a drawer as long as you know where it is.  Over the next few weeks as your wishes, dreams and intentions begin to manifest in your life, refer back to your list, read the remaining intentions out loud again and each time you put it away offer a prayer of gratitude and blessings out into the world!

Thank you so much for joining me on this most magical and wondrous of days!  Above all else, I hope that you will remember....while special days like today do bring a certain sort of  uniquely incredible, powerful and blessed energy and potential with them, you have access to this sort of divine possibility available to you at any given moment.  You are created in love....of and from a divine light that never stops burning within you.  Everything you have ever or will ever need to create the life you have been searching for, the life you have been waiting for, has been within you since the moment you were prayed into existence!  Your divine magic and all of the gifts that come with it have been with you since long before you even took your very first breath!  Please hold that knowledge as your truth each and every day!
I wish you an abundance of bliss and blessings!
Heather

Expectation Killed Happiness

“Hey Heather…..Expectation is the Mother of all Happiness Killers…."
That’s the first thing I heard when I woke up this morning.  Some sort of bizarre voice in my head tapping on the inside of my brain to let me know that, just in case I hadn’t already figured it out; “expectation is the ultimate happiness killer.”  I don’t know where the voice actually came from or who it was doing the talking (could have been the reasonable, rational ME who knows way too much about life and likes to show off every once in a while by actually making SENSE) but it’s one of those things I heard SO clearly and intentionally that now I can’t STOP hearing it and I feel like I need to share!

How many versions of unhappiness in our lives can actually be attributed to disappointment?  And yet, disappointment with ourselves or others is ultimately just the unwrapped, stripped down result of expectation that has not been met or satisfied, right?  BAM! 
Expectation Kills Happiness!!
I think my brain is on to something here!

-The promotion you didn’t get.
-The human being that really let you down, didn’t say the right thing, didn’t have your back etc
-The friend who wasn’t there when you really needed them to be.
-The guy who cut in front of you at the coffee shop.
-The weather report that was dead wrong (I know that’s a really tough one to believe)
-The 25 pounds that didn’t magically disappear from the reading on the scale
-The house you didn’t sell.
-The credit you never got.
-The art project that wound up not turning out like you thought it would.
-The date that just plain sucked.
-The trip that got cancelled.
-The event that flopped.
-The compliment nobody bothered to give you.
-The spouse or significant other that let you down.
-The person you looked up to falling from grace.

Oh my gosh...The list goes on and on; all sorts of things and desired outcomes we hoped would happen that simply didn’t…or they fell short, or they just absolutely tanked… 
Expectation Expectation Expectation (peppered with a little bit of perception but we’ll talk about that another day)
We expected and hoped for one thing, and what we wound up with was completely different or maybe the total opposite.  
We are left feeling disappointed, unhappy, pissed off, resentful, scorned, sad….  None of these adjectives are things we strive for, but let’s face it, when things don’t go our way, when our expectations haven’t been met, we are not happy campers.

So as I was laying in bed this morning and thinking about this delightful “wake-up statement” that greeted me today, my mind started wandering.   I started to recognize just how many times throughout the course of one tiny day I equate or rank my own happiness based on some sort of an expected external outcome.  Then my mind wandered further up the road and I realized that this mentality means that I am literally gift wrapping and handing over control of my own happiness to an expected result that I have little or no control over.  I'm setting myself up to be miserable dammit!

It dawns on me that happiness being contingent on results is sort of like playing some type of bullshit Bliss roulette….  Rather than deciding to be happy FIRST, I was hinging everything on results…an emotional crap shoot; a spin of the proverbial happiness wheel.  Put everything on RED (expectation) and if that nasty little ball doesn’t stop on red (intended outcome doesn’t happen) then there it is; MISERY! Ding Ding Dine, we have a winner!

When did we (yes, you’re officially in this mess  now too) decide that we have no control over our own happiness?
When did it become easier to hand over the keys to our “Happiness Castle” to someone or something else rather than just choosing to be happy?
Maybe (and I’m just thinking out loud here, so bear with me) we do that because blaming some external force for our discontent or UN-happiness might just be a little easier than taking responsibility for our own feelings and ultimately, for our own life. (Yes!!)
Is it possible that we become victims of circumstance who can comfortably and habitually point fingers so that we can avoid looking in the mirror? (gasp)

Are we programmed as children to believe that we have to wait for the happy ending versus living it from the beginning? No good grade, no happiness.  No coloring in the lines, no happiness.  No date to the dance, no happiness.  No hanging with the “cool kids,” no happiness.  No place on the team, no happiness... I'm unhappy just thinking about all of this.

Can’t we just live happy lives because it feels so much better than sadness or disappointment? 

After all this pre-coffee mind wandering today, I’m realizing that it really does require more energy to rely on someone else or some external outcome to deliver happiness versus just BEING happy. 

What would happen if we decided to RE-member that happiness is a place we can start FROM versus being a destination we have to get TO? (insert choir of angels singing and dramatic thunder and lightning here)

Oh, and by the way nay-sayers, yes of course I realize it sounds simplistic, but I gotta tell you, I crave simplistic happiness in my life.  I seek out simplistic happiness.  I NEED simplistic happiness.  I’ve endured enough drama, sadness and disappointment this year (and its only August) to last me a lifetime.  So when I woke up to that voice and realized this morning that most of that sadness is due to my expectations not being met, I decided that I’m done with it.  I’m done living inside of a life that tethers happiness to outcome.  I’m done waiting for happiness that is always and forever based on something else happening.  To hell with that crap.  I like the idea of being happy RIGHT NOW!  Bring on the happy!

So my beautiful friends, now we (yes, still talking to you) have a choice, and believe me when I tell you that it very much IS a choice….  We can be happy right now or not….but make no mistake, it is completely up to you….the decision is fundamentally and unconditionally yours; every moment of every day.  Your choice.  
Of course I could help out and hand you a laundry list of reasons NOT to be happy because that would be so easy and heck yes, misery absolutely loves company.  But really, aren’t you sick and tired of waiting for happiness versus just BEING happy?  I am.

Isn’t the choice sort of simple?  I think so.  We'll take the leap and jump in together! 
Screw the expectations! 
Let's just choose happiness and never look back….no matter what!

Wishing you bliss and blessings!
Heather

It's Tuesday....Let's Talk Tarot.

 Holy cow....I don’t think I have ever been this self-conscious as far as sharing a piece of something SO important to me.  But if I have learned anything at all in recent months, it is that life is short and we really must do what makes us authentically happy.  If we never step into who we absolutely know we are meant to be, then honestly, what is the point? 

That being said, it is after many deep breaths, far too long steeped in contemplation and a lot of reassurance from my husband that I would like to introduce you to the new addition that I will be offering at Ruby Slippers; Tarot Cards (pause for reaction). 

Before you jump to judgment or click “unfollow,” or “unfriend” might I ask you to just indulge me and read on a bit...it's so important to me that you understand what this is all about, and what Tarot is truly about versus what you might have been lead to believe….  In my heart, regardless of what others have tried to use them for, Tarot is not, nor has it ever been about fortune telling, divination or sitting across from you with a crystal ball and offering wisdom about what is going to happen in your life next month.  The insight and clarity that Tarot and a good reading can offer is actually far more valuable than that! 

I’ve been in love with, fascinated by and connected to Tarot Cards for as long as I can remember….and I mean that quite literally.  I think I was 6 or so when I got to hold my father’s deck for the first time and “play” with them.  The size of the cards being so big in my tiny little hands, the beautiful illustrations…I was smitten from day one.

I fell so in love and got so comfortable with them that in 6^th grade (after winning an argument with my mom and dad about sharing the cards publicly) as a class project I did a visual presentation on the Tarot right down to a sample reading for my 6^th grade teacher…. Obviously, the reading (back then I thought of the cards and their layout as more of a fun game with no ending) was a simple one done from a 6^th grade point of view, honesty and maturity level.  However, I was always a wildly insightful child and unknowingly must have struck some sort of a nerve because the teacher (who, by the way, initially liked the idea of Tarot cards) gave me a terrible grade and I got in big trouble for bringing “witchcraft” to school.  My parents were called in to explain and defend this “black magic madness,” and we were all reprimanded.  It was a very confusing experience because they basically threw the book (cards) at me!   That’s the first time it ever occurred to me that the cards could be interpreted or used as anything other than pretty pictures that helped to tell a very imaginative (I now know this to be replaced with the word “intuitive”) story.

Tarot and I have had a solid and loyal relationship for close to forty years and in that time, I have done numerous and acutely accurate intuitive readings for friends and loved ones alike.  For me, the cards have never been about magic or witchcraft or any sort of a dark practice.  Instead, they are more like a wonderful way to blur the lines between our conscious and subconscious minds and help to get us in touch with our PRESENT selves versus trying to predict the future.  If used correctly, they can help to peel back a few of the social masks many of us have gotten far too comfortable wearing and invite us to reveal our true nature as far as what is really happening in that big, beautiful heart of ours. 

My goal with Tarot is to bring clarity and understanding while helping to shine a light on areas of our lives that might need a little more attention or truth.  I love to use Tarot as a tool for opening up a dialogue and getting my client to really step into his/her own current story rather than being a spectator who is merely watching their life happen or choosing to be a victim of it. 

Tarot is about honesty and insight and perhaps a fresh set of eyes helping to reveal things happening within and around you that can offer powerful lessons and opportunity for life-changing growth.   Tarot has the ability to be one of our most valuable resources for personal development if we are willing to really listen and learn from the messages and insight they reveal. 

I like to think of Tarot as that one really good friend you can count on to always be honest with you even if he/she knows you might not love or want to agree with what you are going to hear.  Her intention is never to hurt you, quite the contrary, she wants what is best for you, so the only way to get to that place is by offering you the gentle truth.  

As with anything else, the reading and intuitive accuracy are only as good as the person holding the cards and after almost 40 years, I like to think that I know what I’m doing!  A true Tarot reading is not about an instruction manual and a booklet offering card meanings.  It is instead about inviting our own intuition and divine nature to be our guide and teacher.

I understand that for many, Tarot is sometimes seen as offensive and lumped into a category with Witchcraft and dark magic.  (just ask me about the first time I showed my husband my deck of Tarot and explained what he was looking at) The truth is, we can look at just about any religious or spiritually based group or teaching and find a way to make it into something shadowy and negative when used the wrong way or for the wrong reasons.  My intent has always been to rely on Tarot as a bridge and a pathway back to our most authentic selves.  I like to think of myself as both a facilitator of understanding and change as well as a cultivator of awareness. 

During the course of a reading, I won’t be able to provide you with the winning lottery numbers, but I can and will help guide you backwards up to the present in order to recognize your truth.  By working together, I can then show you how to lean forward into your life so that you will see how a few changes or adjustments might take you on a fabulous new journey towards creating and embracing the very best version of your authentic self.  It’s truly a remarkable and often life-altering experience if you invite it to be.

One of the questions I am often asked is, where do religion and God figure into all of this?  Now I know that what I am about to say might offend a few of you, so I apologize in advance, but I do hope that you will respect the manner with which it is intended; my personal opinion…nothing more and nothing less.  My truest belief has always been that we are each, every single one of us, created in the likeness and image of God.  In my heart, God, Source, Spirit or whatever you choose to call it, has never been something that is OUT there…. Instead, I very much believe that we each are born with a beautiful Divine spark glowing deep inside of ourselves that acts almost as a powerful light connecting us to the Source of all things; God and yes, even one another. 

I believe that we are each Divine beings on a very individual, very personal human journey.   I also believe that Tarot has the ability to serve as a wonderful vehicle to re-introduce us to our own Divine spark while bridging the gap between our conscious and unconscious minds.  The Tarot puts an end to the great divide between the Divine and ourselves by showing us that we each carry the spark of God within.  The moment we were spoken into creation, we were born of and in the essence of God.

Amidst the chaos of real life, some of us, myself included, have a harder time remembering the Divine fabric we are woven from and are a part of.  My job, my responsibility as someone who has a deep understanding of Tarot and the insight they offer, is to help you re-member who you are and to shine a big sparkling light on the unlimited happiness and blessings that are already at work and available within your own life.   The truth is, you are created as Divine possibility, my job via my work with Tarot is merely to help you step firmly into that truth and assist as you weave its potential into your everyday existence.

If you have any questions or would like to set up a private consultation, please contact me via phone, private message or email!   Your privacy is of the utmost important to me and I treat every inquiry and reading as a sacred experience to be shared only between you and I!  Please know that your information will never be shared, sold, or otherwise. 

I look forward to working with you soon!
Wishing you an abundance of bliss and blessings,

Heather

Curiously Curated Art-Full Kits!

It's taken me a lot of years but I admit it....most of the time the completed piece of art work is not nearly as exciting as the creative process itself!  Scouting and digging and collecting all sorts of little treasures is like a scavenger hunt for things I never knew I "needed" but suddenly cannot live without!  Over the years, I have collected more than I could ever use and I am happy to finally be at a place where I want to share all my treasures with you!  I think I might be really saddened by all the mass produced new-that-is-made-to-look-old "stuff" out there and so my answer to all the STUFF filling the big box shelves is to pull out all the stops, dive into my collection and share the vintage magic!
I'm finally giving myself creative license to curate more and more wonderful mixed media art kits packed full of possibility as far as the imagination can see!
Part of what I love the most when it comes to being  a SERIOUSLY creative girl is being able to see art-full potential in the most wonderful places and things!
I love coming across something that someone else thought was trash and challenging myself to use it for something completely different than it was intended for...

Recently I found myself digging through my back room at Ruby trying to go through some amazing fabric books I had and pull together some textile kits for you.  As is typically the case, my eyes began to wander (if you've ever peeked into my back room at Ruby, you understand) over the piles of papers and various things stacked on top of each other waiting to be loved.  Peeking out from the pile were about 20 enormous vintage calendars that I had purchased with the intention of using their art work for something new and fabulous (famous last words).  To be honest, I loved the front covers so much, I had never really looked through them...until now.
Before I even knew what was happening I had unconsciously dropped my fabric books, pushed them to the side and pulled out the pile of unopened calendars!  As I flipped through their beautiful pages I fell more and more in love with each illustration.
From flora, to fauna, birds to butterflies, vegetables and more, each vintage illustration was its own story and I was in love! These were just too good to cram into a pile...they need to be shared right now!
As I took each calendar apart and began to scan their pages in the hope of creating various sizes, it occurred to me that these images would make the most wonderful greeting card collections!  So, I went around the studio and collected some blank greeting cards, various coordinating papers, vintage fabric, lace and trims, sparkles, baubles, jewelry bits and anything else I could see somehow making their way onto a lovely greeting card.  Before I knew what was happening, my COMING SOON Greeting Card Kits were born!!

Each kits contains 5 blank greeting cards, a wonderful stack of mini vintage illustrations like the ones seen above, fancy pants papers, vintage lace, trims, some sparkle and a few other surprises!  Every kit contains more than enough options to create 5 truly unique greeting cards for whatever occasion strikes your fancy!
For as long as I have been creating, I have always known that for me, the best part of the process is the hunt for all the magical little bits and baubles that become part of the story!  I hope that each of these Limited Edition One-of-a-kind kits bring you lots of joy and inspiration!
Kits will be available early next week!  Stay tuned!
Until then, I wish you an abundance of bliss and blessings!
Heather

My First Full Moon Release Ritual!!!

I'm so excited about this full moon that I actually feel like a little kid on Christmas morning!
Truth be told, in the midst of everything else that has been swirling around in my life, there has been a constant and almost rhythmic tugging at my heart that has been pulling me in a new direction the last several months and I wasn't really sure where it was coming from or what I was supposed to do with it until recently. 
What started out as a response to some big changes in my life wound up leading me right into what I now understand is the voice of my most authentic self finally speaking louder than all the crap I usually hear in my head!  This is the positive, happy and encouraging voice underneath the "other" voice that I've become accustomed to thinking had my best interest in mind!  Wrong.
This new voice is the one I get to listen to when I make an effort to stick my ego in a soundproof box and only listen to my heart!  
I don't quite have a name or title for what this pull actually is, the only thing I know for sure is that it feels very 'right,' and so I have decided to get out of my own way and see where the road takes me....  Words like "intuition, spirituality, balance, creativity, facilitator, guide and art" all seem to be marinating together in my brain and what they will eventually turn into, well, that remains to be seen!
Tonight, all roads lead to me creating and executing my very first (and hopefully many more) Full Moon Release Ritual and I am so excited to share it with you... This big beautiful full moon slowly and steadily rising outside of my window is the cue I have been waiting for to pivot towards this fresh direction I want my life to go towards.  I thoroughly loved performing this ritual tonight and I hope that when you are ready, it feels right for you too!  Feel free to change or tweak anything you need to in order to make it more of your own too! 
So, without further delay, here I go...

The Magic and the Moon!

For those who are not familiar with why tonight has the potential to be such a powerful energetic opportunity, the full moon is actually the perfect time to:

-make the choice to put an end to the patterns, people and ideals that no longer serve us...

-decide that it is time to release old ways of thinking, limiting beliefs, grudges, and fears and self- imposed limits

-set your intention to say good-bye to a situation, thought process or emotion that no longer aligns with your version of yourself

In other words, LET THAT SHIT GO!!!  

For my very first Full Moon Release Ritual I came up with a few simple "tools" that I feel contribute to the overall intention as well as a nod to my need for visual aids! You can also add your own items like perhaps a piece of Moonstone, a special scented candle or whatever feels right for you!

I suggest having the following items available:
One bowl full of water, flower petals and/or flowers, and maybe a few drops of your favorite essential oils
The other bowl should be fireproof and empty.  It can be a terra cotta pot, ceramic, or even a fire pit if you're more comfortable that way!  Just make sure it's fireproof and empty!
A candle
Matches
Paper
Pen

Take a moment and find a well ventilated space for your ritual. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it can be a permanent area of your home or yard or even a little pop-up space you create for yourself!  The space doesn't matter as much as your intent, so don't make yourself crazy!  I chose to set up a little pop-up space in our backyard because the weather was great, I always had the moon in my line of sight and it felt like the right place to do this!
Once you've located your space, set up your items, light your candle and pause for a moment!!  Take a few deep breaths and give yourself a minute to get quiet and move your heart into a space of pure clarity and intention!!  These next few minutes are about YOU and nobody else....just YOU doing something positive for YOURSELF!  Take a second and savor it!

Now, whenever you're ready you can go ahead and on that piece of paper you've got, take some time to write down whatever it is you want to release!  There are no rules for this, only list what you are comfortable with and remember that this isn't a competition or a test!  Maybe you'll have one thing you want to be free of or finished with, and maybe, if you're anything like me tonight, you'll have a list of thoughts, emotions, worn out beliefs and self imposed limiting fears you are ready to say good-bye to.  There is no right or wrong number of items!  Just write down what you feel ready to set  free!!  

Once you have your list complete, sign it, date it and thank each item on that list for the lesson it brought you.  (yes, those old beliefs taught us something even if the only lesson is that we're done with them and now we know what we don't want in our lives anymore)

Using the candle you lit, go ahead and gently dip a corner of your list paper into the flame and let it catch fire (carefully).  As you place your paper into the fireproof bowl and it becomes engulfed in the flame, watch as the smoke drifts out into the Universe taking all of your old fears, beliefs, patterns and anything else you decided to release with it!  

If your page took a while to light or is burning slowly, you might ask yourself if you are truly ready to let go of the thing(s) you wrote down.  

The faster your paper burns, the more willing you were to say good-bye to the things you wanted to release. 

As the page continues to burn you can focus on your breathing, hold your intentions gently in your heart space, say good-bye and know that it is okay to set them free!  As your page and anything you decided to release drift off into the abyss, it is okay to embrace whatever emotions you feel bubbling up to the surface.  Allow yourself to be grateful for whatever is there, take a breath and then let it move up and out of you!  If it helps, you can even intentionally exhale it into the wind!

At this point, trust that you are moving to a new heart space!  Take a moment to dip your hands into the beautiful bowl of flowers and water you set out and see yourself as being free of everything you just released!  The water is meant as a symbol of purity and for the clearing/cleansing of old thoughts. The flowers are to remind you to notice and appreciate the abundance of beauty and blessings that are within and around you every day!  Be still for a moment and don't forget to say "thank you!"  

Congratulations to you for having the courage to say good-bye to all that junk you've been dragging around.  You've now made room for all sorts of wonderful and positive new thoughts, opportunities and beliefs that couldn't quite get to you with all that old shit blocking their path!!!

By the way, it's important to know that if the idea of an actual "ritual" isn't your thing or doesn't quite feel right, that's okay!!  You can still set a mental intention to release something or even write about it in your journal if you like!  Whatever feels right, that's what you honor!  

I've wanted to do something like this for a long time, so it felt right to make it into something special for myself, but that's me!  

I hope that this gives you some ideas and inspiration for doing your own "Moon Work." I loved it so much, I'm actually thinking of hosting a New Moon Intention Celebration as well as a Full Moon Release Ritual at my home studio next month!  I find that when doing work like this it can be a truly wonderful and rewarding experience when we can share it with someone else!

Thank you so much for being here!

Don't forget to leave any sort of comments or thoughts below!  I look forward to hearing from you!

Wishing you an abundance of bliss and blessings!
Heather

Love is the Answer

So, yesterday I told you all about losing my little brother a few weeks ago and the profound impact it had on me.  Today is a day for taking a step towards living the lesson that I now understand to be true.  LOVE IS THE ANSWER.  If everything up to this moment was uncertain and serious, today we need to put on some lip gloss, and raise the energy around here!  As much as I would love to stay sad and live in a melancholy space, that would be an insult to my brother and the life he lived, so instead, I'm just going to lean on in and tell it as I see it!  The lesson is out there, and oh yes, it’s in here too (pointing to my heart) and I have received it loud and clear baby; “love is the answer.”  Now what? 

It sure does sound pretty but let’s be honest, how in hell are we supposed to live it when there are still people talking behind our back, casting judgments, making up stories, spreading un-truths, challenging our beliefs, cutting us off in traffic, doing us wrong, flipping us the bird….the list goes on and on.  How do we stay in the “love is the answer” space when all this shit is still being hurled at us?  That’s the million dollar question my friend.

I get it, I really do.  Some days I feel like I am one wrong, sideways look  away from throwing a rock at someone’s pretty little head.  But then I remember that as a functioning grown-up who likes to believe that she knows the difference between right and wrong, I need to at the very least, TRY to love them and their pretty, sideways looks.  While I may not love 100% of who they are 100% of the time, any bit of shared love is typically a lot better than getting arrested for throwing a rock at someone's head...maybe....I think. 

Stop that….no rock throwing is EVER good…. Do not throw rocks…or even sand….in fact, don’t even throw shade, I know you and you’re better than that!

Love and kindness and all that other intentional goodness is a choice and one that requires us to work at it every day until it becomes a habit (I’ll let you know how long it takes to become a habit as soon as I get there).  I speak from experience when I tell you that consciously choosing this whole “love one another” idea is no small thing, not even for me and I’m the one preaching about and desperately trying to live it. 

The truth is that I was raised by a mother who has taken finding the worst in people to a whole new level of awful and actually made it into her chosen art form.  My mother could find fault with pure AIR so believe me when I tell you that I am working constantly and very intentionally to undo many years of having been programmed to see the worst in just about anyone.  Maybe that’s why this is so important to me that I at least try to live in a head space that is the exact of opposite of what I was brought up seeing.

All I can really tell you with any certainty about love is that it’s a choice, it aint always easy, it aint always well received… and every single part of seeing and sharing it is a conscious choice that only YOU can make.   But if we do have a choice between seeing the best in someone, giving them the benefit of the doubt while elevating our mood AND putting good into the world OR finding fault and judgment in everybody and being a crotchety beast wallowing around in the mud all the time, doesn’t the answer seem simple and obvious?  (unless you’re my mother)  Of course the choice is clear…

CHOOSE LOVE EVERY SINGLE TIME BABY!!!

So, I have an idea….and I'm thinking maybe we can do this together…..maybe today you and I can decide that it is DAY ONE of our brand new “LOVE IS THE ANSWER” Adventure.  Perhaps we start with one tiny step towards love by finding something good in everybody!  For some of you this is as easy as taking a breath, for others with a long list of people you believe have hurt you or done you wrong, this might be a bit more challenging.  Can I suggest you join me in giving it a try anyway?  Yes YOU.  Right now!

Let’s do this!

Think of someone who up to this moment you’ve always thought was sort of a sucky human being…or who made you feel bad about yourself…or you can even pick somebody who someone else TOLD you is a sucky human being but you’ve never really talked to them enough to actually know what sort of human they are…you’re just being sort of judgy and kind of like a robot who doesn’t really have your own opinions.…but I’m not judging you because I feel nothing but love and you have such pretty eyes!!  

Anyway, picture that person as if they were standing right in front of you…smile at them     (a genuine smile, not the serial killer kind of smile that you usually share)….look deep into their eyes and tell them one thing you absolutely love about them….yep, I said it….

TELL THEM what you LOVE about them  (stop freaking out, this is an imaginary exercise designed to get you to start looking for and ultimately finding the good in EVERYBODY and guess what, nobody is forcing you to play along, this is all voluntary so stop complaining and find the good).

Did you see yourself doing it?  Did you see the look of shock and awe on their face?  But wait…did you also see a hint of a smile form on the sides of their mouth?  I saw it!  Yay for you!  You made someone happy today…well, an imaginary someone….but at least they were happy.  

Now be honest, I know that it gave you a fluttery stomach ache for a few seconds, but then didn’t it feel fabulous to say something nice to somebody who is probably only a jerk because somebody made them feel like they aren’t worthy of your compliment to begin with?  (seriously, I do not excuse them, but do you really think bullies begin their lives as bullies or do they maybe get to that mean place as a response to how they were treated first?  Think about it…the world needs more love dammit!  Even and especially the bullies.) 

Since I know you were about to ask, yes, I actually do get tired of trying to keep up with and outsmart the shitty people.  I find it requires a hell of a lot less effort to be nice, I really do. Just the thought of plotting in advance how I’m going to be mean to somebody makes me tired!  (Did I mention that I’m a Scorpio and YES, we most certainly do plot these things in advance…. Did you really think we were all just spontaneously witty? Ha…not so much) 

The easiest thing when we feel crappy about ourselves or are in a bad mood is to try and spread our lousy mood around because as the negative old saying goes, “misery loves company.”  But think about it, how selfish do we have to be to think that our mood is the only mood that matters and that if I’m feeling bad than you damn well better believe you’re going to feel bad too!  Really?  Now who’s the shitty person?

That’s just rotten and you and I are NOT rotten.  Yes, we’re bruised and tired, and our feelings might be hurt and we might really want to hurt someone else’s feelings so they know how it feels, but nobody can ever really know what we’re feeling because they are not us and we all experience things differently.  

So stop expecting everybody to drop everything and feel the way you do do….it’s not going to ever happen!  The closest you’ll get is maybe some empathy, or perhaps if you get really dramatic, you’ll be on the receiving end of a fabulous pity party, but do you really want people feeling sorry for you?  Probably not, but if you do, this blog is certainly not going to help you at all because you don’t really WANT to be helped, so you should stop reading and go find something else to occupy your time. 

We’re closed.

Anyway, I digress.  How about instead of peddling anger and grief, we skip all that nonsense and go straight to the good stuff…  What if we went out of our way to try and leave every single person we meet better off than when we found them?  Maybe that  just means ten seconds of looking deep into their eyes and offering them an authentic smile, one of those smiles that lets them know that they have been truly seen!!!

YES TO BIG BEAUTIFUL INTENTIONAL SMILES!!!!
Let’s get fabulous new shoes and intentionally take the road less traveled….let’s hold hands and get in there deep where the truth and unconditional love lives.  It’s so much prettier there and I think you’ll agree with me, happy, fluffy, candy, coated love feels so much better than jagged, cold, toothy, snot nosed anger!!! (how’s that for a visual?)

 Love is the good stuff baby!  It’s the Tootsie Roll or Bubble Gum at the center of the lollipop!  It’s the cheap and crappy fabulous surprise in the bottom of the Cracker Jack Box (or cereal box if you are too young to know what Cracker Jacks are). Love is all those extra quarters and dimes that come back when you pay exactly what you’re supposed to pay at the automated toll booth on the Illinois SkyWay and for whatever reason, you magically get a pile of change for no reason.  (Or so I’ve heard)

Love is AWESOME and once you get a little you want more and more and then all of a sudden you have so much that it spills over the top and you wind up giving some away because there just isn’t enough room in your beautiful heart to hold all that love…and since you’re a responsible and kind grown-up, you know that anything worth having is always exponentially better and grows SO MUCH bigger when it’s given away.  WOW!  How great is love?  

I was right all along (surprise surprise)…..love really is the answer. (Insert bubble machine bubbles here)

On the other hand, anger and judgment and all its other mean-girl, negative friends, well they are like the cold, hard brick walls of a prison….a dark prison that you build for yourself and for whatever reason, keep hurling yourself into no matter how much it hurts….because it’s a bad habit and you keep forgetting that some habits are made to be broken (or is that promises? )! 
And guess what else is true? You probably don’t even remember this, but you can leave that shitty prison of yours any time you want to, you’re the one who knows the way out…you’re the only one who has the magical mystical key.

So, what the heck….the choice is yours….and mine…. Cold, ugly, void of human emotion, self-imposed anger prison or big, beautiful, fluffy white clouds and multi-colored candy covered love?  You choose!  If you chose anything but love, choose again….and again….until you choose love.

If I were a gambling woman, and as a matter of fact, I am a gambling woman (not often, but often enough to be able to say that I AM a gambling woman…even if they are only nickel slots) I would bet that you always choose love because YOU are a fabulous human being with a heart as big as your imagination can see (bigger) and I instinctively know that no matter what you might have previously chosen for yourself yesterday, you suddenly realize that today is a beautiful, brand-new-world-of-possibility day and you have known all along that love really is the only answer!!

How amazing does this feel? Yay for us!!   We’re intentionally shiny, happy, love sharing and love living people and we’re just getting warmed up!  WOW!!  We’re about to permanently move into the most magical heart space because where there is love, there is always Happily Ever After possibility….and we can say so because now we know so.

So now you know all the really important stuff my friend, but it’s up to you to get out there and live it!  Love has the capacity to literally fix every single thing and change it into twinkling, sparkly, glittery beams of rippling, never ending bliss filled light.  But first we have to decide to BE love….give love…receive love and yes, find love even in the darkest, saddest, scariest and heart-breakiest of places….

No matter who, no matter what, no matter where and nope, don’t even bother trying to ask why because the reason is always the same….love is always the answer!!

Wishing you bliss and blessings!

Heather

My Brother Matthew

My little brother Matthew died three weeks ago, July 10^th 2017….and when I say “little,” I mean, he was 45….just a little over two years younger than me….too young to die.

His death was not unexpected, he had heroically and courageously been battling cancer for two years and the last few months we knew that time was getting short.  About a week before his passing we had one of those conversations where he let me know that he was very much aware that Death had been skulking around his door.  I wasn’t at all prepared for how quickly he would snatch my brother away or for the profound and potentially life-altering moments Matthew and I would have just prior to his death.  

I’ve certainly experienced death prior to losing my brother, and I know that often in the wake of losing a loved one we are suddenly and understandably reminded of our own mortality.  Grief has a way of inviting all sorts of crazy thoughts to bubble up to the surface; it often bitch-slaps us across the face and leaves us feeling like we should suddenly create all sorts of monumental changes in our lives.   

Death and all its blinding finality sort of brings on a need to make big promises to ourselves and others.  We re-connect with people at funerals and promise to “stay in touch.” We go home and vow to not take our lives for granted, to not take our loved ones for granted…. We decide it’s time to be more fully present in our lives and to intentionally appreciate the time WE are fortunate enough to still have.  It all sounds very promising and very positive for a while but then time goes by and before you know it the inevitable happens; LIFE GOES ON and we, being the delicious creatures of habit that we are, fall right back into our usual habits. 

Well in my case, not this time, not me, not possible.  I know that I have been profoundly touched because of an experience I had with my brother just a few days before he died. It left such a beautiful mark on my heart and yet, I am struggling because real life often falls short and I fear that it might never again be as pure and honest as it was that evening. 

The Friday night before my brother died, I was staying with him and his family in the city.  His wife had run to the store to pick up a late-night prescription for him and my nieces were sleeping.  Matthew, in his horribly weakened state had still found a way to walk himself out of their bedroom because he wanted to get out to the balcony.  I put my arms around this once incredibly healthy and physically near-perfect little brother of mine to help him walk a few steps and get a little fresh, night-time air.  We sat down side by side, shared a few private words, exchanged “I love you” and then just stayed there quietly holding hands and crying for a bit.  It was simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful.

I can’t remember hearing any of the usual sounds of the city around us or feeling like I needed to say something to fill up the silence because I knew that no more words would be necessary.  What had taken place between my brother and I in those few moments transcended language…. He and I, for the first time in our lifetime together as siblings who could never quite get on to the same page, had finally, in this eleventh hour, gotten to a common heart space of absolute peace and unconditional love.  It moved me to my core and I can tell you with zero uncertainty that I will never be the same... 

I consciously called upon every one of my senses to help me to be able to take a mental and emotional snapshot of those minutes so that I could hold on to them forever.  I knew in that short time with my little brother we had each experienced a love both given and received that was stripped bare of anything other than what its most true and purest form was ever intended to feel like.  That brief window of time with him, out there on that balcony will forever be among the most sacred moments of my life and I know in the very depth of my soul that that evening was a game-changer for me…. 

As I laid on their couch unable to sleep that night, even amidst all the sadness I was experiencing, there was a peace in my heart that I had never known could be possible.  It made absolute sense that during a collision of the most honest and polar opposite emotions, somehow my greatest and most beautifully raw life lesson had happened in one of my darkest hours.  

I’m 47 years old and thank God, thanks to my little brother, I finally get it now.  I really do and I am going to fight like hell to share this truth and never let this clarity get buried again…it’s just too damned good..

In the beginning of all existence, in the middle of life and even at the tail end as we take our last breath… all that we leave behind and all that we take with us, all that has ever mattered and all that we truly are is pure, unconditional and beautiful love.   Period.

Anything else that gets into our head and muddies the waters between YOU and LOVE is just a big lie created and perpetuated by ego.  

Ego speaks to fear….it speaks to judgment, it speaks to every inner voice that has ever told you that you are not worthy.  

Ego is the whisper telling you that your true self is not enough, that you fall short, that you are broken.  

Ego is what tells you to shrink your sparkle, to hide your gifts, to doubt your true nature.

Ego is the great divide between you and unconditional, pure love.

Ego is malice and suspicion.

Ego wants you to believe that it exists to protect you.

By its very nature, ego exists to keep you from being too happy….too comfortable…..too satisfied.
Ego does not want you to truly know love because once you do, Ego knows that it will cease to exist.

LOVE, on the other hand, wants the best for you and has the purest of intentions for you.

LOVE knows that all things are possible

LOVE knows that you are enough

LOVE knows that you are already a perfect miracle in motion.

LOVE knows to choose joy

LOVE knows that YOU are the reflection and the embodiment of its truest form 

LOVE knows to say YES

LOVE knows that you are always  and already so very worthy.

LOVE IS THE ANSWER.

LOVE is all that there really is.

Even today as I am so very sad because my brother is not here, my heart is full because for what seemed like an eternity, I got to be in the space of that pure moment of awe-inspiring unconditional love with my brother and if I am very lucky, I will never, ever be the same.

Wishing you love, bliss and blessings…

Heather