The four elements

The four elements

Shamanic cultures honor four elements – earth, water, fire, and air. Our long ago forebears revered the sun, land, rivers, and sky and respected their power and wisdom. Each is unique. Earth – grounding, mulching Water – cleansing, purifying Fire –...
Anxiety and control

Anxiety and control

Back in December, I felt nervous about my upcoming trip home to Minnesota to visit family. The anxiety slowly built throughout the month, and I attempted to manage it by keeping myself busy, being organized, and managing my schedule. Controlling my feelings and...

My legacy

As far back as I can remember, I have not had a strong desire to be a mother. This thought crystallized in high school, when I reached the conclusion I didn’t want to have children. On my 39th birthday I revisited this to see whether it was still true. I checked in...

The witness observer

A few years ago, I had been having a really good day. I was grounded and centered in my own being, and there were no pressing matters on the internal landscape. I was in a good space. That afternoon I made a quick shopping trip to Farm & Fleet. The cashier at the...
The story of my father’s passing

The story of my father’s passing

It’s hard to believe that it’s been seven years ago today that my dad died. Grief stretches and bends time. In some ways, it feels like just last year and in other ways it seems like an eternity. I’m reposting the story that I wrote several months after his death as a...