Hello Women,

Thank you for gathering here with me today. As always, it is my hope that as we take a little sacred pause together, we can create a feeling of community in this virtual circle of ours. So make yourselves comfortable, maybe put the kettle on for a cup of tea, or get a refreshing glass of something cold on this warm summer’s day, and let’s open the circle for a chat about making the most of the last days of summer.

Hello Women,

It’s been a while!

I hope you are all well and enjoying the change in season. It truly feels like an expansion of earth energy in the month of June here in the Rockies, as the trees finally begin to bud and blossom. The winter is always so long in this part of the world. Those last months, (March, April and sometimes even early May) often feel like the end of a marathon! But here we are, June is finally here! Dandelions are creating a carpet of glorious yellow at our feet. The cherry blossoms are in their full, perfect glory and the lilacs are perfuming the air with their delicate scent of early summer. The ice has fully melted on the lakes and rivers and the promise of warm days ahead brings a new spring to the step!

Hello Women,

The second week of the shortest (yet sometimes can seem like the longest) month of the year is here, and with it comes thoughts of Valentine’s Day. A day dedicated to love, that has strangely mysterious origins and of course, in our modern world has become very much about candy, hearts and flowers! So, on this strangely warm February day, here in the Rocky Mountains, I am pondering all that is Valentine’s Day. Why some of us celebrate it and really enjoy the energy of this day, and of course, why some of us don’t really subscribe to the hype and consumer-focused celebration it has become. Find a cozy seat, make a drink or snack of something yummy and join me in today’s Sacred Pause. Let’s gather here, with the help of technology, and draw on the energy of a group of women, sitting in circle - coming together to chat and support each other. I’m so glad you are here.

Hello Women,

It’s February! How did that happen? It feels like we just turned the corner into a New Year. How the days fly by! As I write, it is February 2nd and here in the Northern Hemisphere we are celebrating the Celtic festival of Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day. It is celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of this month and the energy around this festival is one of awakening. The earth is beginning to stir a little. It is still cold (definitely very cold here in Western Canada. It is -34 as I write!) but the acceptance of winter is about to give way to the unstoppable energy of spring. The earth is stirring below our feet, sap is beginning to rise and bulbs are very slowly beginning to push upwards through the earth. The awakening is coming, we are feeling the energy of the very beginnings of new life. It is an excellent time for new ideas, plans, creative projects and inspiration to germinate. Planting the seeds for a new vision or a new way of being. This is one of my favourite Celtic festivals and this year, as I was dreaming into how I wanted to celebrate, I was imagining the earth - this extremely cold, hard earth around me, just starting to bubble under the surface with the first imaginings of new life. This led me to think about how important the element of earth is to us as humans, and how it can be so beneficial to our health and well-being. When we are not strongly connected to the earth and the stability this brings to mind and body, we can quickly become scattered and unfocused. A distracted way of being and an ungrounded state can then manifest in moodiness and disconnection, and the crazy part is, we often don’t even know it!

Hello Women,

How you are? How are you feeling as this first of month of 2022 comes to a close? Are you filled with the optimism of the brand new slate that is a new year, or have you found yourself getting caught up in the many mundane tasks of life in a never ending pandemic? I know that unfortunately, I fit into the latter. So on this late January afternoon, I want to get cozy for a little while and contemplate some ideas for motivation for the winter season still ahead, even if the first blush of romance with our new year goals, may feel like a slightly distance memory. Make a cup of something warm and yummy, if you feel called to do so, get comfortable and let’s use this small, but sacred window of time together to eliminate the blah and fire up a little motivation!

Hello Women, 

A snowy January day here in Western Canada and the first day in almost a month, when we have some above zero temperatures coming our way! It’s has mostly been below -20 since before the holidays, and that level of cold, during a time of underlying stress (pandemic), gets a little difficult to deal with. While I love the pronounced seasons here and all of their individual glory, many weeks of being indoors, or wrapping up very warm for short periods of painful outdoor time, can be challenging. Especially when you crave the outdoors and nature, as I do! So today, as I reflect on the past cold snap, and others in previous years, I’m writing about the relationship we have with our surroundings and all it’s seasonal qualities. How to enjoy it, weather it’s storms and find the beauty, even when it’s driving us crazy! Wherever you are in the world, and whatever you are facing externally and internally, I hope you will join me for a short Sacred Pause today. Get cozy, or find some shade if you are joining me from the Southern Hemisphere, and take a few deeper breathes. Come into your body more fully and let’s sit together for a little while.  

Hello Women,

Happy New Year to you all! 2022 is here and I think we are all ready to reset mind and body a little bit, and move into a flow state of abundance and creativity for the new year ahead. I know I am! 2021 was many things. I know for some it was a year of much struggle and pain, and my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. I think for all of us it was a year of challenge in some way or another, and as we pause here together in this window of the first days of a new year, I encourage you to take some time to honour all that was difficult and beautiful about last year, before planning for the year ahead. This short but powerful ritual brings a gentle closure to the year, sealing it ever so gently, allowing you to move forward with a new, clean slate. 

Hello Women,

We meet again!

I hope you are well and finding time in this busy festive season to take a little time for yourselves, amid the often slightly chaotic days leading up to the holidays. These late December days are beautiful in so many ways: the lights adorning our neighbourhoods in a magical festive glow, the snow (here in Canada) bringing a silence to the late dawn that is so peaceful, it is enchanting. And the energy of bubbling anticipation for the joyful season ahead, cloaked in quiet reflection of the year that has passed. It really is a special time in the year. So... let’s gather here in a short, but mindful Sacred Pause and take a few deeper breaths together. Appreciating the season for all its splendour, but also honouring ourselves for the time and energy we put in to making this season special for those we love. Let’s take this time together to breathe, allowing the wonder of these last days of the year to infuse some sacred energy into our beings. The joy is everywhere, but it can get a little crazy, so finding space to enjoy the dark, cozy energy, bringing it to a self care practice and taking some time away from the busyness, is a deeply nourishing way to close the year. The days around the Winter Solstice are perfect for dedicating time to nurture the soul, so I invite you to read on to find some ways in which to honour this time and yourself at this sacred time of year.

Hello Women, 

It’s December!! How did that happen? The year has flown by, or so it seems! Pandemic time has a weird way of being different to regular time, somehow. The days fly by in a way that I have never experienced before. I’m sure I’m not the only now who feels this way. So, before this day gets away from us... let’s take a short Sacred Pause to be in the present moment. Get comfortable, maybe uncross the legs if they are crossed and place both feet onto the earth. Lift the heart just a little and allow the shoulders to roll back and down and take a few deeper breaths. Now..let’s talk about how the cold impacts our health and how we can embrace it! 

Hello Women, 

I hope this small sliver of time, taking this Sacred Pause with me today, finds you well, grounded and moving into the spirit of winter. 

As I write, the brilliant silver orb, which is the moon (only two days ago full in the sign of Taurus)is rising above the branches of the trees in my backyard, illuminating the inky evening sky. The glow around her is magical and I can feel her energy, strong and magnetic. In other astrological events, the sun moved into Sagittarius today and the waning Scorpio intensity now gives way to a lighter, more adventurous spirit. This energy will carry us, as we move ever deeper towards Winter Solstice. So sit with me for a little while. Get comfortable, take a few deep cleansing breathes, feel a little bit of that gorgeous Luna magic bathing us in pure, silver light and join me as I contemplate the idea of taking a little time to reset for the season ahead. 

Hello Women,

It’s approaching mid November and the seasons are definitely changing. I was walking in the forest this morning and there was a thin sheet of ice covering the river - the water flowing beneath it, the sun reflecting off it, sparkling like tiny diamonds. We are on the brink of winter here! So get cozy and join me for a small sacred pause on this brink of winter day. Maybe brew some tea (I have nettle and green tea mixed, which interesting and warming), get comfortable and let’s talk about preparing for the winter season ahead.

Hello Women,

It’s a wonderfully blustery morning here in Alberta. The pale, watery sunlight is filtering through some heavy, autumnal clouds and the air feels ready to take on the essence of Scorpio season. The season of Samhain and the thinning of the veil between worlds. There is a definite quality of magic in the energy right now. I hope you will take a few minutes to move into A Sacred Pause with me, as I reflect on the season and the magic being woven all around us.

Hello Women, 

Today, I want to talk about joy. 

I do hope you will take a few minutes out for your day to join me in this Sacred Pause, to ponder this tiny word and how deeply it can impact our lives. Get comfortable and sit with me, allow your shoulders to drop a little, and take your awareness to the place between your eyebrows. Let that area broaden: feel the release in the face. Now let’s take a couple of deep, cleansing breaths. Inhale deeply and bring your attention to the feeling of joy; tune into the vibration of that feeling. Then exhale slow and steady, and let that vibration radiate out into the world. 

Hello Women,

I hope this cool October day finds you well and perhaps feeling that slight cocooning energy, which slowly drifts into our consciousness during this month. The slowing down that naturally begins, as the incoming darkness of the season descends. Pull up a chair or get cozy with a soft warm blanket, today we are going to talk about the journey inwards to a deep and nourishing Savasana. And how it can be comforting, soothing and rejuvenating to mind and body. Settle in and let Savasana work it’s magic for you.

Hello Women, 

It’s Sunday, October 10th today and World Mental Health Day. I hope this day finds you feeling well, mentally strong and balanced. As I sit at my desk, I am watching the very first snow of the season fall upon the golden leaves which cover the earth. It feels cozy in my office: I have a candle flickering beside me and a cup of hot pumpkin latte, steaming beside my computer. I am surrounded by all things Fall! 

Hello Women, 

I hope this week finds you well and feeling steady in your inner and outer worlds. As I write at the end of this Autumn Equinox day, the light is slowly fading. A very brief interlude of watery sunshine is creeping quietly from behind the low grey cloud, that has graced our skies for most of the day here in Western Canada. Night will soon fall and the perfect equilibrium of light and dark is displayed to us during this 24 hours. A reflection perhaps of the balance we seek, both within ourselves and the world around us. Equinox is all about balance: a concept for which we constantly strife. Yet it only truly occurs in nature twice in a year, so maybe Mother Earth is revealing to us that it’s actually okay to feel less balance in our day to day lives?…

Hello women,

I welcome you on this beautiful Fall morning and, I hope you will join me in a small sacred pause wherever you are. If it’s morning for you, maybe put the kettle on... if it’s evening, I invite you to get cosy, curl up a while and take a few minutes with me to press pause and come into the present moment. Thank you for being here.

It’s midway through the month of September and the promise of a spectacular autumn season, hangs expectantly in the crisp morning air. I love it!…

Hello Women,

Wherever you are in the world, I hope our small Sacred Pause here today finds you well and ready to take a few minutes to sit, slow down, be right where you are and come into a space of tranquility. Drink tea with me, or just raise your feet if you can, for this short pause in your day.

I’ve been contemplating how the word rest resonates with me and others lately. Maybe it’s because the world feels a little exhausting right now, or maybe it’s because I’ve never been very good at finding the space in my day to incorporate rest: raising two kids, homeschooling them for ten years, working, being someone who needs to feel busy! Who knows....

Welcome to my blog, A Sacred Pause. I hope you will sit with me here in this space for a little while. Maybe drink some tea and step out of your busyness, to quietly read and enjoy my musings on life, women’s wellness, mothering, yoga, meditation, energy practices, spirituality, creativity and the sacredness of being a woman in today’s world. I’m so glad you are here…