by rachel
Thank you, Julie, for pointing me toward this powerful tribute. The featured image on the homepage grid is a 17th-century sculpture on a tomb in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Amiens, France. The Weeping Angel (L’Ange de Pleureur), by Nicholas Blasset, was popularized on postcards during WWII and often carried by British soldiers.
Categories: inspiration, love, spirituality, video • Tags: life, prayer, sandy hook, three dog night
by rachel
I can scarce remember when I wrote this. It seems as though it has been circulating here and there forever, and there is always a new wave of people ready to hear and embrace it. This past year, the piece was translated into Russian (and perhaps other languages as well?). I envision a crowd-sourced video version in which many different voices and languages (including ASL, eurhythmy, and other nonverbal expressions) are stitched together, woven into a global tapestry of personal […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: empowerment, higher consciousness, life, wisdom
by rachel
I first wrote and posted this poem in June 2010 and have edited it a bit here. (Some learning lasts a lifetime.) i’m learning that i’m not learning anything new – only choosing to remember a vast universe that I heretofore chose to forget (whether it was some intergalactic, ancient conspiracy or the fact that my slightly agoraphobic father kept us home if there was any possible chance of a thunderstorm within a 200-mile radius, doesn’t really matter) i’m learning […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, higher consciousness, life, sacred, wisdom
by rachel
A divine confluence occurred between my post of “this fragile web: why every moment matters” (November 18, 2011) and my post of December 3, which featured the sublime video “A Fire For You – Winter Solstice,” created by merhlin and featuring the music of composer John Boswell. I connected with merhlin (aka Jeff ), presented him with my longheld vision of collaborating with other creatives to add a new level of dimensionality to my words, and he has created an […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, poetry, spirituality, transformation, video, writing & creativity • Tags: consciousness, inspiring video, life, sacred
by rachel
My tiny rural town of about 65 people has been beset with death, illness, and injury lately. One after another, a generation of elders is passing or rapidly declining. Several receive in-home support from a hospice/palliative care group; two family members with MS are in need of additional home support. A dear friend of mine in her 40s – who assists others with cleaning and cooking — remains comatose at a hospital 140 miles away, receiving dialysis and plasma replacements […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: death, higher consciousness, life
by rachel
I promise to walk the path that I always knew, deep inside, was mine – even when I was blinded by interference, fogged by hypnotic illusion, and momentarily forgot my way. I will remember that the map is etched upon my heart and readily accessible if I choose it so. I promise to trust the inklings of my heart and the urgings of my spirit without hesitation. I will invite my mind to the party as well, recognizing that wholeness […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, personal growth, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, empowerment, higher consciousness, life, wisdom
by rachel
I don’t know a single person who – consciously or unconsciously – isn’t feeling challenged, stressed, bewildered, or downright slammed these days. So here comes my Kiwi friend KE, who introduces me to this precious ditty by Pink Martini. (I especially admire all those beings who find divine guidance in a song inspired by a 1960s-era ketchup ad.) What’s not to love? Stay cool, stay grounded, stay true, sweet hearts. (And, of course, remember that “hold on” is often just […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, transformation, video • Tags: life
by rachel
I wrote this piece back in the 20th century (!), and it cycles around from time to time. Thanks to some Facebookers, it’s now reaching out and resonating with a lot of folks around the world. I started out looking for bright, radiant images to post, but something about the expectant, deer-in-the-headlights look on this young monk’s face captivated me. Stepping into our own shoes can indeed be daunting, but when it’s time, it’s time. The world needs you now. […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, empowerment, higher consciousness, life, new paradigm, wisdom
by rachel
This poem has always tickled me, with its Springy integration of baseball imagery and the realm of higher consciousness. When rhyming verse appears on my doorstep, it nearly always is a harbinger of a reconstituting reality. These words first visited me (and this site) in late 2009. It’s not the bat – – it’s the one who wields it Not the ball but the one who fields it, Not the swing, it’s the yearning within It’s not the score – […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, consciousness, life, new paradigm, wisdom
by rachel
Here is what you must tend to today: You must peel back the bark that sheaths your becoming And bring your most barren recesses into the golden light of afternoon You must fling open the shades that have blocked the imminent arrival of the brilliance that bears your name, Taste joy unadorned on the tip of your tongue And inhale with anticipation your own decay as it hastens the birth of a succulent spring Today, here is what you must […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: divine union, life, mysticism, opening heart
by rachel
On the continuing topic of change… Be Audacious Once your moorings are untied, you can steer yourself into open and uncharted waters. Out of the boxes and pigeonholes that have defined you, you are free to go boldly where you perhaps have never ventured before. Cowering in the face of approaching change is for cowards. Busting out with exhilarated glee is for warriors of the heart and spirit. Surprise yourself! Take a risk! Search out unmined inner veins flowing with […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, prose poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, change, empowerment, life
by rachel
A perfect storm of technological, emotional, relationship, and transformative issues has kept me from my blog, but that, too, has passed. Last year I brought through a collection of meditations to ease the way through periods of change. Even though the project did not fare well in the publisher’s test market process (Go figure!), I still believe there may be one or two people on Earth who might appreciate this bit of inspiration. Be Open to Change When change approaches, […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, change, life
by rachel
This is the fourth time I have posted these words since October 2008. If you are sailing through life right now, bless you. And if you are not, then you are even more greatly blessed. Faith and connection to your Source are the most powerful tools available. Use them! Thanks to thea for guiding me back to this one. until then, maintain your faith: inner strength for troubling times When times are unsettled, There is no place to go but […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, crisis of faith, faith, keep the faith, life, troubled times
by rachel
please take a number and commit to remaining in line until service is rendered. allow yourself simply to wait, maintain a measured distance from the impatience that roils beside and beneath you and know that your moment hangs imminent with arrival please relax every reflex that whiffs desperation unclench your jaw and for goodness sakes, silence the incessant tiptapclickclack of your tightly wound fingers and toes if you have prepared yourself to embrace a heretofore untold-of unfolding, it is but […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: consciousness, empowerment, life
by rachel
I continue to support my daughter as she moves through changes — even as I attend to my own evolution. Many new ideas are percolating yet not quite ready for expression. Enjoy this video (7:40) from crimsoncircle.com, whether it stirs you into silence, stirs you into deeper levels of self, or stirs you into action. If this resonates with you, please also visit (or perhaps, revisit) The World Needs You Now.
Categories: inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation, video • Tags: change, consciousness, evolution, life
by rachel
Here’s an excerpt from a book of mine that’s currently going through test marketing with a certain publisher who shall remain nameless. Can’t tell you the title (mainly since it’s not finalized), but it’s filled with “words of well-being to ease your way through change.” Be Kaleidoscopic If you’ve ever peered through a kaleidoscope, you know the beauty and delight produced through constantly changing patterns. The tiniest shifts this way or that bring forth an unending parade of color and […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, spirituality, transformation, word of the day • Tags: change, life, wisdom
by rachel
Here are three pages from my book, 365 Words of Well-Being for Mothers (Contemporary/McGraw-Hill, 2003), which, alas, is currently out-of-print and generally available only in used or remainder copies. My own mother has taken up fragile residence in between worlds: here but not here, there but not there. She can’t express whether she remembers who any of us are, though I like to believe that in her deepest heart, she will never forget. I always liked the thought that there […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, prose poetry, women, word of the day • Tags: life, Mother's Day, mothers, personal growth, relationships, vintage illustrations
by rachel
Please take a moment to link to the interview with H. Wantue Major. This gifted and highly inspirational man truly embodies personal power, courage, and the role of the arts in the face of conflict and human oppression. In the “be whole now” realm, personal power has nothing whatsoever to do with being more powerful than anyone else, exercising control over others, or holding great influence by dint of status, wealth, education, prestige, or economics. Your personal power is the […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, love, personal growth, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, change, consciousness, empowerment, life, personal power, recovery, wisdom
by rachel
Fact is, folks, the moment is upon you, the necessary pieces are in place, and the trains are ready to leave the station. Pardon the mixed metaphors, but if you continue to resist bringing your hard-earned lessons of higher awareness down through your physical body and out to the hands and feet that mark your movement in the world, you’re going to miss the boat. It’s not really a game, you know. It’s an evolutionary imperative, and either you put […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, body mind & spirit, consciousness, evolution, higher consciousness, Hole-Punch Cloud, life, new paradigm, personal growth
by rachel
Two messages to help move you down the road: one from my book “Be Filled with Faith” (learn more in the right-hand sidebar), and one from a book currently in the test marketing process. These words are infused with the vibration of faith, discovery, and easeful change. Let ‘em in! Be Unafraid to Let Go Change can be a powerful tonic, bringing fresh vibrancy to the old and stale. But first, you must be willing to release dead-end relationships, jobs, […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, personal growth, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, body mind & spirit, change, empowerment, faith, letting go, life, personal growth, truth, wisdom
by rachel
this is how it happens you empty the half-filled jar of embodied eccentricity watch the contents of your consciousness spill over the causeway and reach for a limp and vinegar-tinged rag to wipe the kitchen counter you marvel at the tidepool teeming with incalculable thoughtforms ponder organisms of unknown origin feel the breath of wonder catch ever so slightly on a jutted knob of ancient knowing and you pause in the presence of grandeur for an […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: awakening, consciousness, life
by rachel
If you’re looking for a light and breezy bit of inspiration, you may want to check out a different post on this site. The recent eclipse, new moon, and huge energy shifts around January 15 have provided us all with the opportunity to get up into the faces of our lingering dragons and inner beasts. If you’re serious about your journey to wholeness, there is peace to be found on the other side. i awoke in a dazed state of […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: consciousness, life
by rachel
Today’s Full Moon Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse and end of yet another unforgettable (ahem!) year might have you feeling betwixt and between. Enjoy this great number from Fiona Apple, appearing live on The Today Show in December 2005. The technical quality isn’t stellar, but this tune aways leaves me smiling. For more divas, check out the Video section in the right-hand sidebar under Categories.
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, transformation, video • Tags: An Extraordinary Machine, change, empowerment, Fiona Apple, life, music video
by rachel
I haven’t said all that much about my new rural community down by the Colorado/New Mexico border, but here’s some wordage that just came through. Once you get excrutiatingly clear about your dream and release just about everything blocking your attainment of it, you may find yourself in surprising and unexpected locations. When you are called, you simply go. It matters little whether anything makes sense, is practical or convenient. Home is where you find it; paradise is yours to create. This is […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, southeastern colorado, transformation • Tags: Branson Colorado, change, Colorado, community, dreams, Las Animas County, life, rural life, small town, surrender
by rachel
It’s not the bat – – it’s the one who wields it Not the ball but the one who fields it, Not the swing, it’s the yearning within It’s not the score – – it’s the spirit that wins It’s the passion, the glory, that design the form The ardor unchained that subdues the storm, The plan is nothing without those who create Who resist the temptation to arrive too late Who time after time return to the start Forging […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation, writing & creativity • Tags: awakening, consciousness, life, surrender
by rachel
You can pray or be the prayer Sing or be the song Ask the searching questions or live the unmistakable answers in every moment You were placed here for a purpose beyond all purpose a hope beyond all hope you are the very breath of creation and eternity’s unfolding Nothing is about you and everything is Nothing is certain save the unequivocal certainty of the here and now You own nothing because you are the all need nothing because within […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, co-creation, consciousness, empowerment, higher consciousness, life, new paradigm, prayer
by rachel
your regrets and disappointments, let them go missteps and infelicities, cast them aside indiscretions of the past mean nothing now and if you insist on lugging them along in some ersatz act of Sisyphusian heroics your feet will fail you and you may never arrive leaking baggage is no longer de rigueur as proof of your wounded eccentricities, the weight of these badges has inspissated your soul! elevate yourself let each sodden sack tumble over the transom these millstones are […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, health/healing, inspiration, love, personal growth, planetary shifts, poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, change, consciousness, higher consciousness, letting go, life, new paradigm, opening heart
by rachel
These words are from a book on Faith currently under development by a publisher who shall remain nameless. The NASA image of the sun is not a Summer Solstice photo-but it sure gets me in the mood! Be Awestruck Although it isn’t always easy, the toughest times require you to believe in the greatest, grandest possibilities. Can you allow yourself to be brought to your knees by miracles and finely orchestrated “coincidences” that defy rational thought? Can you soften your […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, planetary shifts, prose poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: ascension, awakening, body mind & spirit, consciousness, faith, inspiration, life, NASA photo, personal growth, prose poetry, spirituality, sun, surrender, transformation
by rachel
I just found the guts of this poetry scribbled 6 or 7 months ago on three little pieces of paper stapled in the corner. I then stumbled upon the work of Steve Banks, a wildly creative artist from Davenport, Iowa. I couldn’t resist this image, or his description of it, “…The all-seeing Priestess straddles two worlds. One of technology and sensory over-stimulation, and the other world, one of loosely flowing organic serenity.” You are your own responsibility Uphold your end […]
Categories: inspiration, love, personal growth, poetry, prose poetry, spirituality, transformation • Tags: Artist Steve Banks, awakening, consciousness, healing, higher consciousness, inspiration, life, mysticism, opening heart, personal growth, poetry, spirituality, transformation
by rachel
Saints be praised! I can feel the stirrings of a new cycle of blogging, poetry, and other shared pursuits. While I’m shaking off the residual cobwebs, enjoy this poignant classic by Billy Joel. These poetic words and his sensitive performance seem to characterize where many of us are these days: Letting go of the old (whether by choice or circumstance) and opening our tender hearts to new ways of being, feeling, and engaging with others. Enjoy! Both tears and smiles […]
Categories: inspiration, love, transformation, video • Tags: And So It Goes, Billy Joel, change, healing, inspiration, life, love, opening heart, surrender, transformation, video, wisdom
by rachel
To encourage and support your becoming, here are three words excerpted from my book, Words of Wisdom for Women (Barnes&Noble/Fall River Press). Though the book’s title is gender-specific, the content is universal. If you enjoy these, hop on over to my sister blog, Just Say Yes Now!, for a trifecta including Refuse, Remember, Restore. Be Remember that life is in the being, not the doing. Be every bit of everything that you are. Be tough, be soft, be dramatic, be subdued. Be a […]
Categories: body mind & spirit, inspiration, personal growth, spirituality, transformation, word of the day • Tags: awakening, be, begin, believe, body mind & spirit, change, empowerment, inspiration, life, personal growth, soul, transformation, word of the day
by rachel
Excerpt from my out-of-print book, What There Is To Love About A Man (Sourcebooks), which honors and celebrates masculine qualities of body, mind and spirit. Used and imperfect copies can be found here and there on the Internet, if you feel like digging. How can I show you who I really am, when I don’t even know myself? How can I share with you my vulnerable side, when everybody told me I had to be strong? What if I want […]
Categories: health/healing, men, personal growth • Tags: body mind & spirit, change, inner conflict, life, masculine, men, personal growth, transformation
