Nurturing Turtle

01/02/2022

It’s that time of year again! One of my favorite new year activities.

Ahhh, January. New beginnings, fresh starts and so much promise! Just as I like to set my intentions for myself during the new year, I like to set intentions for my home! I love spending a bit of time decluttering and clearing away what no longer serves my family. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to try and do everything at once, so a simple thing I like to focus on is the Feng Shui bagua.

In each of the areas of my home, I have something to represent the different quadrants on the bagua (this is a simplified, western style bagua). It doesn't have to be very involved, attention and intent are really the name of the game here.

For my marriage quadrant, I have a spot on my mantle where I placed a framed picture of my husband and I. I also put a piece of charged rose quartz near the picture. While the items aren't all that involved, I just make sure I tend to it. I keep the photo clean and free of dust, and periodically charge up the rose quartz again. Whenever I see it, or happen to walk by, I pause and focus on that picture, and the love I have for my husband and our marriage together.

On the other end of the spectrum, my wealth and prosperity quadrant has a lot more going on. My prosperity quadrant is in my laundry room of all places, but I actually have enough space to set up a money altar. My money altar is another post all on it's own! To keep it simple, citrine and pyrite are excellent crystals to use, green candles, money of all kinds - foreign currencies included, and anything that says abundance, wealth and prosperity to you! Again, I take the time to clean and tend to the items, and shower them with intent. I also try to pay attention to leaving my washing machine door closed when it's not in use. If it was left open, in the feng shui line of thought, all my money would go down the drain!

The beauty of the bagua is that it can be as simple or as intricate as you want to make it. It serves as a wonderful guide to helping cultivate intent in your home. Take a look at it and reflect on what energies you want to bring into your home!

01/26/2021

01/05/2021

04/17/2020

Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on a copy of this book!

01/21/2020

I needed this reminder today!

When we become clogged with the everyday overwhelm it helps to step into some form of ritual that connects us to the sacred.

Blessings ❤️🐾

(Art: Susan Seddon Boulet)

12/19/2019

The most magical season of the year!

-Sherri-

06/28/2017

So much truth in this!! Be you. Be ALL of you!

A brave woman stood up at speaking event in DC last week and said: "G, I watch the news lately and I get so angry. I feel bad that I'm so angry. I guess I'm really struggling with anger lately."
And I said, "SISTER! Stop struggling! Just be angry! You don't need help with your anger. You just need to use your anger to HELP."

I get angry.

When I write about my anger, people get uncomfortable. Sometimes they even get upset. It’s really interesting. "I thought you were the Love Wins lady," they say. "I thought you cared about kindness." Why do people think that anger isn’t kind? Every internal or external love revolution starts with a little anger.

We should stop telling women and girls that they are not allowed to be sad or angry. Forbidding half of the human experience to half of the human race is quite dangerous. It hurts women. We internalize this “women shouldn't be angry” message and so every time we feel angry we layer shame on top of our anger. And so instead of using our anger, we hide it. We numb it with food or booze or snark or TV or s*x or whatever else. We assume that if we are angry, there is something wrong with us instead of considering that maybe we are angry because there is something wrong with the world.

Perhaps that “something wrong” is even something that we could help change. Maybe anger can be our fuel. Maybe anger is like compassion, in that it can point us directly toward the place in the world we were born to help heal.

A couple of years ago I was in the kitchen listening to Alanis Morissette. I love Alanis with all of my might- which is a lot of might. My then six year old daughter walked in and said with a touch of scorn, “Is this the angry lady again?” And I laughed and said, “I like how Alanis is passionate. I like how she’s not afraid to share her feelings, even when her feelings are angry. I love how she turns her love and anger into art so it helps others. She reminds me that it’s okay to be angry.” And Tish said, “Girls shouldn’t get so angry.” And I said, Hm. I’m a girl and I get angry. And Tish looked at me and said, “Oh.” Then she went back to her room.

A little while later, she tapped me on the back and said, “I get angry sometimes too, mom.” Phew, I said. That means you’re human. You know, I think anger is like fire- it can be used to save the world or burn it. We’ll just figure out how to use our anger to save the world, kay? “Kay” she said.

My daughter loves Alanis Morissette now. You have not lived until you’ve cooked mac & cheese next to an eight year old in pig tails singing at the top of her lungs: WHY ARE YOU SO PETRIFIED OF SILENCE? HERE, CAN YOU HANDLE THIS?

Yes. We can handle this, Tish. The world can handle you. And needs you. The pretty sweet parts and the loud jagged parts. All of you. Be ALL of you.

06/05/2017

What the world needs now is love, sweet love...

I think we can all agree that what we need most right now is a bit more love.  Regardless of where you stand in the world, it seems there is more chaos than clarity, more violence than vision, and more struggle than triumph and we are all feelin ...