Like many communities in the Unites States, my beloved Virginia has been rocked once again by multiple mass shootings this month.

Senseless. Devastating. Incomprehensible.

The reaction to such horrific events: public shock, the anguished cries of loved ones, stone faced politicians sending prayers to the affected families.

Enough.

Our opportunity is to align to the Truth, not the tragedy. Let me explain.

While Americans love to say we’re guided by our ideals of freedom, I disagree. We’re thoroughly and consistently motivated by fear.

Fear of the “other” (those of opposing political views, country of origin, race, religious beliefs, gender identification, and thousands of other delineating factors).

Fear of lack or “not enough” (seen through our monstrous consumer appetite and tendency for hoarding as well as deep issues around self-love).

And the fear of aging, loneliness, fear of not making the “correct” choices around food,...

My coaching clients often ask me some version of the same question. How can I be happier? Happier in my marriage, happier with my body, happier with my life in general?

This time of year, many are thinking about upcoming celebrations and wonder “how can I have a happier holiday this year?”

The answer is forgiveness.

Lesson 121 in the spiritual text A Course in Miracles states “Forgiveness is the key to happiness.”

I agree.

True forgiveness unchains us from the past and allows our full expression of life in the present. What does that mean?

Access to more love, compassion, and happiness for ourselves and all in our world.
Let me be clear. This isn’t the forgiveness of your youth when your mom made you forgive your little sister so you could get your Barbie doll back. (Maybe that was just me?) This forgiveness, authentic forgiveness, is life changing stuff.

How do you start? The Be Love Principles have been my process to shift from the constricted feelings...

We’re a week away from elections here in the United States and…I’m tired. Really. Tired.

I’m tired of hearing what people are against.

It’s hard to turn on TV, listen to the radio or check out YouTube without hearing advertising from candidates that basically say the same thing:

“The other candidate is wrong / evil / destructive / Satanic.
Save yourself and your family - vote for me!”

Now I don’t claim to have seen EVERY ad or candidate interview across the country, but I’ve seen quite a few. Many candidates I’ve seen whether running for local community posts, gubernatorial or federal elected offices campaign on fear. Period.

We’re told to fear rising prices, another pandemic, crime waves, and, of course, the “other guy.” Who is the “other guy?” Depending on who you’re talking to, it’s you.

I don’t pretend to be a politician or any type of political analyst. As an independent...

I wish it was easy for me to choose love in every life situation. It’s not. Sometimes I want to avoid a difficult conversation or pretend I don’t get scared when I hear disturbing news. Even with a consistent spiritual practice, I can still get triggered by a harsh comment, chaotic world event or when faced with a difficult decision.

After practicing degrees of avoidance, dodging, pretending and the occasional “forgetting” for decades, I’ve remembered the truth. All these tactics are simply an ego dance that keep me feeling constrained, stressed, uncomfortable and in conflict.

The truth is equally simple.

Every time I go within and ask Love for guidance on a specific issue or ask for help to react from love instead of fear, something miraculous happens.

There’s a shift.

Sometimes subtle, sometimes more pronounced but a definite shift to a feeling of peace. The shift is physical, mental, and emotional. My shoulders relax, the knot in my stomach...

When is the last time you consciously looked at people, places, or situations in your daily life “anew?”

That’s the message I’ve been getting lately. “See all things anew.” Not from a different perspective, or with a different attitude. Look at everything anew. 

I’ve been exploring this by asking questions.

How could I see my marriage anew? My business? My finances? My family? My body?

I’ve been asking these questions for a few weeks now and have been receiving amazing insights. By consciously looking at every aspect of my life with “new eyes” I’m seeing things I either haven’t seen or have taken for granted.

I looked at my husband anew and noticed the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. I am more aware of how kind and loving he is towards me. Had I really forgotten this? (I can easily remember every time he doesn’t act this way!) I recognize once something becomes expected, it can lose its sparkle. Time...

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  

 Viktor E. Frankl

This week my country celebrates July 4^th as Independence Day. The holiday marks the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the 1776 Second Continental Congress when my forefathers declared our freedom from Great Britain.

While the last few years have been cited as the reason many in America feel oppressed, in truth, significant swaths of our population have never been free. At least not like it was described in the history books I studied as a kid.

I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom. And who, what or in what circumstances I truly feel free.

I realized something.

My freedom comes from an inner sense of peace. While laws, ordinances and Supreme Court rulings can restrict my actions, movements and outside choices, my freedom lies in my ability to choose my response. As...

I was on the phone yesterday with a dear friend. As we discussed recent world events, she wondered out loud, “Where can I move that would be safe, protected from this chaos?”

We both immediately knew the answer.

Within.

“Within where?” you might ask. One of the Scandinavian countries? Australia, New Zealand? Somewhere in the Caribbean?

The safest place for you, me, and everyone we love is much closer than that: within the wisdom of our own heart.

Your best guidance forward, the way to navigate the world events and help consciously evolve our communities, countries and the world will not be found within current government structures. Or in rhetoric created to induce fear. It is always available within the quiet space of your own heart, however.

How do you access it, the wisdom of your inner divine heart? Meditation and spending time in nature are excellent options and here are three more:

• A favorite tool of mine is the free app offered by the Brahma...

I thought I understood “life goals,” and how to create – or force – my life to be what I envisioned. I spent decades learning self-development methods, read self help books and learned about cutting edge scheduling and time management tools.

Yeah, that didn’t work so well.

Opening to mystical texts, especially A Course in Miracles, I learned something that truly changed my life: everything flows from love. Everything.

Hmmm…so how do I merge all I’ve learned over the years with this radical truth?

I used to spend hours on crafting a life mission, or purpose, then created specific goals in categories like work, family, health, and finances. While this works for thousands of people, it never did for me. Now I take a different approach.

My life purpose is to be love. Period.

What does that mean? To live my daily life from divine love, guided by the wisdom in my own heart. This is the same love that’s in you, each member of your family and...

Ever felt like this? Like nothing is going right, you feel out of flow, full of fear and life doesn't make sense?

That's been me the last two months. 

I needed a life reset.

In retrospect, I had allowed myself to be consumed by world events and gone down a very dark hole of fear.

As a result, I wasn't consistent with my spiritual practice or meditations, made poor food choices and started to feel unwell physically. I still took care of my clients and my family responsibilities during this time, but I wasn’t myself. I was “off.”

And then I remembered something my mentor, Robert Holden, often says, “If you think something is missing in your life, it’s probably you.”

Oh, right!

I had temporarily put more emphasis on the external world noise and not as much on the quiet divine wisdom that resides in the silence of my own heart. That’s where my truth lies. Where my guidance, peace, and joy flows from. How could a spiritual teacher forget...

I’ve been blessed to have many spiritual teachers in my life. I’ve studied Christian, Buddhist and Jewish teachings with brilliant scholars, examined mystic traditions with teachers who have embodied the work and followed contemporary authors who helped me understand the meaning of life and how to live with love and forgiveness in this ever-changing world.

But without a doubt this kid has been my greatest spiritual teacher.

Happy fifth birthday to my grandson, Emory, my personal Yoda. Sure, this could be ravings of a doting grandmother (and there’s some of that) but why do I think he’s been my spiritual teacher? While my mentors have skillfully introduced me to new ways of thinking and fascinating spiritual concepts, with Emory I’ve learned how to live those concepts in a deeper way.

This little sage has reintroduced me to:

• Unbridled joy 
• Curiosity about everything I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell 
• Being truly open to new people, places,...