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Do you like beets? Here is an easy dish that is delicious on its own, or, as I usually enjoy it, tossed into a salad with arugula, kale, roasted vegetables, and a bit of turmeric-spiced salmon.

This is one of the purest supportive root chakra dishes I know!

Peel and chop (into about 1/2-inch pieces) 3 small to medium beets. Heat about 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the beets and season with sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, tossing to combine. Cook, tossing frequently, until the beets begin to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Drizzle with the juice of 1 clementine or orange, add about 2 tablespoons water, and toss to combine. Cover with parchment paper or foil, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the beets are tender and all of the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. 
Serve hot or at room temperature. 

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

I have been learning from some truly inspired and inspiring teachers lately. My brain is full of ideas, and I admit my Vata is at risk of becoming even more unbalanced than usual, because my mind is so open to concepts and thoughts. Oh, well. It’s worth it. 

This energy has recently given focus to this thought: the universe is always benevolent, ever filled with abundance and readiness to provide exactly what we need. 

The challenge for us humans is to be in right vibration to actually receive this bounty—to understand, accept, and fulfill what it is we are meant to receive and then go and do what we were born to do.

There is so much noise around us; so much complaining, victimization, and lack mentality. It can be difficult to stay in right vibration. Knowing, however, that the universe is always at the ready to provide when we glance in its loving direction is comforting and inspiring. 

The everyday challenge is to stay in harmony with this Divine right order and, when we get off track, to gently turn our attention back to love and Grace.

Namaste.

I prepare these pecans just about every couple of days. They are a delicious combination of sweet, salty, and spicy and keep well stored in glass Weck jars, set on my kitchen counter, for easy snacking. 

Rosemary marries beautifully with turmeric, curry, cinnamon, and sea salt—great for boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, and providing protein and healthy fat.

Here’s the recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, or 325 degrees F if using a convection oven. Melt about 2 tablespoons of organic unrefined  coconut oil in a large glass bowl. ( I use the microwave to do this.) Pour in 12 ounces of raw organic pecan halves and add 1 heaping teaspoon each of ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, and curry powder, as well as 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary, 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of granulated.monk fruit. Toss to combine. Pour out onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pecans are fragrant and browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Transfer to glass jars and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

I had not intended to publish this blog today. I was on my way to writing another piece, when I found a bit of unfinished work in a file on my desktop. I had actually started this piece last year during one of my retreats at The Chopra Center. For whatever reason, it just felt right to add to it, and so here is the blog as it developed today. 

“All you need is to stop searching outside what can be found only within. Set your vision right before you operate….Clarify your mind, purify your heart, sanctify your life—this is the quickest way to a change in your world.”Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

I’m not sure when this occurred to me today. Perhaps it was during early-morning yoga, when I was lying on my white towel on the Terrace Lawn at La Costa, gazing at the grey sky. Or maybe it was on my walk back to my room past the rosemary bushes following the closing lectures of this weekend’s inspiring retreat. Or yet again, perhaps it was during my Ayurvedic massage, as I lay soaked with fragrant Vata oil, listening to ethereal Indian chants.

I don’t know when it was that this thought came into my mind. At some point, though, this sentiment–what ancient as well as contemporary sages have been telling us about the frivolity of “searching outside [for] what can be found only within”–nestled in me like a feather slowly falling from above and gently settling it its resting place. I realized not only that the truest richness of life, inspired consciousness, simply cannot come from the acquisition of things or anything to do with the ego, but that it can only be realized by an “un-becoming.” We arrive at it upon the peeling away of egocentric gains and masks. This kind of truth requires an unlearning of the outer or false self with which we cloaked, protected, and hid our spiritual essence, and a remembering of our truest, purest, most authentic being.

And how do we connect with this pure inner self? As it happens, as we “set [our] vision” before we act, we are not only connecting with our joy an desires, but these are also, by definition, part of the Divine from which we come into form. Discovering our bliss, therefore, always results from remembering we carry the Divine spark within us and that abundance and joy are always available. Always. The universe is ready, at every moment, to reveal to us in form what it is we most want to be and do and have.

The challenge for most of us is that we are often too busy giving energy to what we don’t want and to what causes us pain, and then we neglect focusing on what we do want. In other words, if we focused more on “[clarifying our minds, purifying our hearts, and sanctifying our lives],” giving attention to feelings of joy and abundance and fulfillment, we would actually see these manifest in our lives.

As Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj states, “this is the quickest way to a change in [our] world,” not because we’ve discovered answers “out there” somewhere, but because it is we who have changed. It is we who have connected to the pure energy and vibration of our truth.

Here are some ideas about how to get more greens into our everyday spring diets.

https://chopra.com/articles/10-high-nutrient-leafy-greens-that-arent-kale

Have you ever heard something and thought, Wow! Yes! That is not only exactly what I needed to hear, but it feels “new” to me. It offers a fresh perspective on my understanding of the world.

This has been happening to me a lot recently, and yesterday this is what I heard: “There is no such thing as ‘yes’ or ‘no;’ there is only attention” (Abraham Hicks).

How does this deepen our understanding of life and purpose? Here’s how I digest this nourishing declaration. As we strive to evolve from lower to higher vibrations and spend more time in feelings of abundance, joy, love, etc., we often first tell ourselves to “stop” thinking about negative feelings or thoughts. We have to say “no” to those lower vibrations and say “yes” to the higher ones.

In other words, we have to negate anger and fear and anxiety and worry and in stead only accept love and joy and compassion. And what ends up happening to many of us? We get more stressed and riddled with anxiety, because we usually can’t jump out of the lower energy quickly enough, and then criticize ourselves and feel guilty and bad and not good enough because we’re not doing the evolved work we think we should be doing. And it gets worse. We then fear that we will become magnets to “bad” energy and will start attracting all the negative stuff we’re trying to avoid. Ugh. Flipping exhausting, not to mention super counterproductive.

But here’s the gift Abraham gives us with this statement. We actually don’t have to say “no” to those feelings. We don’t have to actively reject them and shove them under spiritual carpets, pretending they’re gone. (And we know, because we’ve done this so often, that even when we do this kind of faux emotional housekeeping, these feelings actually haven’t disappeared; they will creep out from under even the most beautifully woven spiritual bypasses when we’re triggered again.)

What to do instead? We have to turn our attention ever so gently away from these lower vibrations. When the worry washes over us, we shift our gaze to something higher, even if it’s just a little but higher. Maybe it’s a beautiful sky, or the birds singing, or a child laughing, or a thought that is just slightly more positive and loving than the worried one that is plaguing us. Abraham calls this trying to think “the next best thought.”

Focusing more on attention rather than on whether our thoughts are “good” or “bad” is so incredibly freeing. This is not to say making this shift is always easy. It will, however, become easier to flow from lower to higher vibrations the more we practice observing our thoughts and, even more important, our feelings. Feeling anxious or angry or scared, etc. is the Universe’s way of telling us a situation is not resonating with our authentic selves—the parts of us that are pure love and joy.

In other words, experiencing these tensions is actually a huge blessing. The ego can’t help but respond, “You mean when my husband had an affair? That was a good thing? You mean when my lover rejected me? You mean when my kid told me he hated me? What in the world are you talking about, blessings?”

Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying (following Abraham’s and other wisdom teachers’ leads.) These are, in fact, delicious, inspired opportunities for us to witness the contrasts, as Abraham defines them, look inward, and ask, “So if this is what I don’t want, what DO I want? What actually am I attracting here and why?” When we’re experiencing these lower vibrations, instead of chastising ourselves with whether to say “yes” or “no” to them, we just observe where we are at any given moment and say, “I’m shifting my attention to a higher energy.”

We all know that where our attention goes, so will our thoughts and feelings, and then they, in turn, will ultimately manifest in form. And this is the best news of all, because it means we are actually responsible for everything that shows up in our lives. In every moment, we are creating our reality. Oh, it is so tempting it is to blame others for the suffering we’re experiencing. It feels like relief to point fingers and wail. But we do this so that we don’t actually have to do the work and go within to search for answers. Reacting like this is handing all control to the ego, allowing fear and judgment to determine our state, our mindset, and the manifestation of less-than-positive events around us.

The truth is, however, that our state is almost never someone else’s fault. We have to take ownership of our mindset. We are co-creating our unhappiness, feelings of “stuckness,” or lack mentality. BUT we are also co-creating our joy, richness of life, aspirations, and abundance. The Law of Attraction doesn’t discriminate between vibrations that hold us back or propel us forward. Momentum will generate wherever we put our attention.

So, forget about “good” and “bad,” “right” and “wrong.” Rise above duality, and instead decide to shift your attention.

Then see what happens.

Some time ago, I stopped being surprised when events, people, opportunities, and messages just showed up in my life exactly when and how I needed them. Cultivating and appreciating synchronicity is a way of life. I ask questions of the Universe and God and Source, and answers simply show up. I’m no longer astonished; my heart is filled with gratitude and joy.

This morning, New Year’s Eve day, I awoke to a quiet house with the sun shining on the gorgeous snow-covered trees and ground. The world was light-filled and sparkling. But my heart was heavy.

Why? As is my routine now, I immediately go inwards. I feel into my body where the tension lies, from where the sadness is emanating. I was telling myself, It’s a beautiful day. I have so much to be thankful for. What’s my problem?

And then I touched on what I believe is the essence of my challenge today. Perhaps it will resonate with you.

On the eve of a new year, I’m feeling, well, behind and lacking in achievement. I’m looking at my life and thinking, “I haven’t accomplished this,” “I am no longer young and filled with youthful potential and possibility.” Is this what mid-life crisis is about?

And then two things happened that inspired me—forced me, really—to sit my rear in the chair and write. First, I wrote a list for my fiancé entitled “I will.” This is a list of thoughts and promises I am writing to him for the New Year, not only to share my thought of commitment and love with him, but also to clarify in my own mind what and how I intend to be in the world in 2018 and going forward in my life.

This was the last sentiment on my list: “I will honor you by respecting myself and maintaining my own spiritual and creative fullness and self-worth so that I can freely, and with overflowing joy, give myself to you.” When I wrote this, I could feel my attitude begin to shift. I stopped looking outward to, what I perceive to be, my lack of accomplishments, age, etc., and I started focusing on my own spiritual and energetic fullness and health. This was the spark that resonated in my soul with inspiration and excitement.

Okay, I might feel lacking in certain ways, but I am committed to being full—so full that my enthusiasm, gratitude, energy, and inspiration will spill over with abundant benevolence to others. And the fact that I KNOW that I need to honor myself first in order to love, respect, and honor others, is perhaps the greatest accomplishment and gift I can give myself and the people around me.

The second thing that happened within 10 minutes of my curating my list, was that I found this quotation by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj in a document I created months ago while studying at The Chopra Center: “All you need is to stop searching outside what can be found only within. Set your vision right before you operate….Clarify your mind, purify your heart, sanctify your life—this is the quickest way to a change in your world.”

Seriously? Can synchronicity be any more astonishing? Yes, this is the key. All of my teachers and mentors, from Dr. Shefali to Deepak Chopra to Rob Bell to JJ Virgin to Glennon Doyle to Elizabeth DiAlto to Suzi Lula, to Kim d’Eramo, etc., etc., have discussed this as the essence of health and well-being. Go within FIRST. Simply refuse to look outward at the world for answers, for we will not find them there. The answers are within. They are ALWAYS within. Our bodies and spirits are incredibly wise and will lead us to clarity, equanimity, and Grace.

So now I will begin my day in earnest and with a new vision. With an understanding of non-duality, I can accept my fears and sadness and pangs of insecurity at the same time I experience gratitude and beauty and hopefulness. This, to me, is living with depth and breadth and an open, whole heart.

My intention is that 2018 will be a year full of looking inward, asking more questions, and becoming more self-aware so that I may manifest my best self, my best life, and become the fullest expression of my divinely-inspired soul.

I heard this today from Little Shaman Healing on her You Tube video entitled, How Narcissistic Abuse Changes You. 

https://youtu.be/KYkTqJXYAlA
Please take a few minutes to watch and read the following transcription from the show.

Some people are not worth your efforts. Some people don’t respect the time and love you give them, and they never will, no matter how hard you try or how much you wish they would. It’s not cold or heartless to stop jumping over hurdles to prove yourself when they refuse to believe you or respect you or show consideration.
The only reason a person would continue to accept abuse is that they’ve been conditioned to believe that’s what they deserve and they will never do better.
My takeaway from this show:

Break the cycle of abuse, submission, and unhappiness. You have a right to be your true self. You have an obligation to your authentic spirit to live up to the potential the Divine designed for you.

Note: This post was written on December 8, published on December 26, 2017.

It has been just a week since a severe fall resulted in my fractured leg, and, in between resting and nursing my injury, I have spent the past seven days deconstructing this event and just what messages I am to receive from it. There is no doubt in my mind that the universe has conspired to teach me something; that I attracted this event; that if I accept that there are lessons to learn here, I will.

For the moment, I’m going to focus on the lesson of self-care. I believe that the universe delivered me this injury in order that I might fully embrace my own self-care in a new way.

I have been saying for some years now that women, particularly mothers and wives, need to be fierce about their self-care. I have been committed to this belief, making time to exercise, see holistic doctors and healers, meditate, eat well, spend time with friends, participate in activities I enjoy, and surround myself with beauty.

But in recent months, despite all of my efforts, I have been feeling tired and anxious and in need of another kind of healing. I couldn’t, however, pinpoint what exactly I needed, and frankly, even if I could have done so, I wasn’t likely to make time to deliver it to myself.

I have felt guilty in recent weeks, feeling overwhelmed with being a single parent, managing our busy schedule, and just attending to daily life. It occurred to me recently that perhaps the years of chaos surrounding my contentious divorce and ongoing custody battle with my ex-husband have overloaded my system to the extent that I am emotionally parched and crave to be quenched with peace and calm and organization. I have felt like my whole being becomes overloaded more quickly than it should, and I sometimes interpret even the normal noise of the everyday as an unbearable din. I love being with my children and I enthusiastically support and participate in all of their wonderful activities, but my soul has been crying out, “I need to heal; I need quiet and contemplation.”

In fact, I stated this exactly to my energy healer just hours before I had my accident.
And so this is what I wanted to say about my self-care routine today. Because this injury has me largely immobile, unable to climb stairs, drive, or do anything quickly, my three children are spending at least the next couple of weeks with my parents. On the one hand, I feel incredibly guilty that I can’t care for them and I miss them terribly. But, then I saw this as an opportunity. I have been energetically telling the universe (even though I didn’t quite realize it), I need quiet time to think and emotionally heal. I have been discerning that the loop that has become my life is too stressed, full of “shoulds,” and has left me exhausted, unable to sleep, and dull in ways I don’t want to be.

My dedication to self-care now has me more fierce than ever about convalescing spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Yes, I miss my children. Yes, I am going to have to reconfigure Christmas a bit. No, I am not going to attend some of the Christmas events and I will not be supermom at school Christmas parties. But you know what? It’s okay. I’m actually fine.

I am accepting this Divine invitation, which I know comes from Source and meant for my expansion as a human and a spirit. My immobile leg, my inability to multi-task and move quickly—this is all part of the “as is.”
The truth is that I know had this not happened to me, I would not have slowed down enough to truly embody and digest all of these messages.

In the past week, I have truly integrated that lesson that the universe is constantly conspiring to teach me—to teach all of us—so many rich lessons and to deliver us what we truly, authentically need.

Not only is Mercury in retrograde in Sagittarius (my sign), but, as Kari Samuels has said, this December is a time for slowing things down. We think we are meant to be busy this month, preparing for the holidays and celebrations, but in fact, this December, the business of 2017 is dramatically shifting downwards, inspiring us to look inwards, assess our values and intentions at the end of the year, and prepare for the integration of lessons we will experience in 2018.

In addition, it’s Christmas, and this season has much to teach us. For Christians, Advent is a time of darkness, waiting patiently, excitedly, and with great hope for the Light of the World, the Christ child, to arrive. Regardless of our religious beliefs, here is the even bigger message (and you don’t need to be religious to understand and integrate them). Just as Jesus comes to light the way, so are our souls called to do the same. Jesus symbolizes and epitomizes the Divine, but if we believe that we, too, embody Divine, are one with the universe, then this time of year invites us into greater awareness and acceptance of our worth and constant connectedness to universal truth.

Just as the babe in the manger, our souls can also be born again in a new way. And it gets better. According to teacher, psychologist, spiritual director, and writer, Alexander Shaia, God did not send Jesus to teach something entirely new to the world; He arrived as a revelation of what was already a universal truth: that spirit and form have always co-existed. And this is what spiritual teachers are speaking of so often today. Life is defined by non-duality; the form and the formless are in a continual Divine Grace-filled dance.

This, I believe, is the universe’s message for me: I am to slow down, look inward, breathe deeply, and think broadly. I am to find comfort in the quiet and darkness of my home. I am to accept that although being busy gives me purpose and a sense of control, at the moment, this is not for me. I am not to be busy; I am to wait, to learn, to accept. My intention is that as I do so, I will not only heal my body and spirit, but I will also have a greater understanding of who and how I am meant to be in the world. Because I know I am one with the Divine, I trust that I am in flow, and the universe is conspiring for my expansion.