Steppe with me Well, with an overflowing cart, I am finally ready. I am a little embarrassed–my gear is incredibly heavy! And I’m heading into mountain ranges that have no trails. I may end up throwing clothes off the side of the mountain, perhaps my wrench and the three pairs of shoes I have, since […]
Evolve: Stillness, Not Suppression
Control has been a major part of my life and that has its benefits. I have been intentional about my career path. I restrict who has close contact with me emotionally. I monitor how I spend my time and resources to reflect what I value most. Controlling these aspects of my life has produced the […]
Confessions of A Free Range Spiritualist: Going to the Mat
Go to the Mat: To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated. —Wiktionary.org I love yoga, but I would never take a whole weekend yoga workshop. Also: Never say never. The yoga classes I like are restorative classes where you hold a pose for 15 minutes and rest in only a few poses per class. My litmus test: If […]
I Spy Wonder: The Earth’s Chorus
In January 2015 I officially broke up with radio.* As a former and still occasional event DJ and music lover, this was hard for me to do; but, it finally reached a level of toxicity in my life. I’m not worried that I might have just become a grumpy older adult harping on the music […]
Dear Bare Heart: A New Advice Column with Isabel Abbott
Dear Bare Heart, After three years of trying, we are blessed. I’m pregnant. But it’s not what I fantasized. Because of a pregnancy-induced problem with my legs, I cannot stand for more than a few minutes, and I cannot sleep because I have to get up and squat-stretch every hour. The hemorrhoids are insane. My […]
Equal Measure: A Post by the SGR Community
A nation sleeping through its racism is wakened by the brutal killing of nine black parishioners in a historic Charleston church. A week later elation, as marriage equality crosses the finish line, is shadowed by the glaring reality that equality is hardly in hand. On June 26, 2015, the day of the SCOTUS marriage ruling […]
Sounds of My Birth Mother
Wailing. Moaning. Crouching. Flinching. The rhythm, sights and sounds of birth are easily recognizable. But what about the sounds of Mother Earth? How did She deliver me? Did my internal wailing and innate restlessness mimic Gaia’s vibration? Did I swell and roll and bubble to her surface? Or did I break through her layers of […]
DIY Karma: Putting “Stuff Happens” into Perspective
We tend to think of Karma as some kind of luck. You’ve either got it bad, or you’ve got it good. If you’ve got it good, the gods are smiling on you. If you’ve got it bad, you’re at least a little bit cursed, and have to somehow pay or make up for the months […]
Purposed to Evolve
On a recent trip to Chicago, I wanted to see the sun rise over Lake Michigan. As soon as I woke up, I opened the blinds. Beautiful shades of orange and pink were a perfect contrast against the bright blues and waves of light over the water. I enjoyed the view so much that I […]
Confessions of a Free-Range Spiritualist: Dancing For My Life
Flatlines and Faith All alone I have cried Silent tears, full of pride In a world made of steel, Made of stone. Dancing saved my life in my early forties. My marriage was in shambles after a long bout with infertility. The high cost of treatments over six years bankrupted us. The miscarriages broke our […]