Power Song

Ancestral Clearing

Harvesting and eating fresh produce makes me think of my biological family. Both sides of my family were great gardeners, lovers of flowers and backyard picnics. Today I made cucumber and carrot pickles. I was fascinated by the vibrant colors and smells of the chopped veggies and so proud that they were homegrown. It took me right back to summertime at my grandparents' house. We would sit on the back patio and eat dinner together on seemingly endless summer evenings.

A connection to the land and enjoying good food are ancestral patterns that I am perfectly happy to carry on. Others, however…not so much. Shamanic practices can help with healing ancestral patterns.

Ancestral clearing is based on the idea that the experiences, emotions and issues our ancestors experienced are present in our DNA and energetic field. That means that we inherit physical traits and characteristics, but also emotional and behavioral traits or even disorders not linked directly to genes. The theory is that we can partner with shamanic practitioners or channels, who will help us contact our ancestors to work through and release these issues, as well as healing our relationship with ancestors that we knew when they were alive. This work can also be done on one's own, by experienced practitioners.

Shamans tend to travel to the realm of the dead, or some other meeting place, to contact ancestors. Many shamans partner with their ancestors in all of their path working, so ancestral clearing is in my opinion a necessary step in building a healthy relationship. Some shamanic practitioners also guide groups of people through journeys of their own to do this work.

Channels will contact ancestors directly, and sometimes even have ancestors speak or move with the channel's body. They will do the same type of guided process that a shaman does, in healing and making peace with ancestors. In some cases, the channel will cut energetic cords tying you to your ancestors.

Another approach was taught to me by a wonderful African priestess - the Table of Light, which heals and clears ancestral trauma. Here is how to build your own Table of Light:

1. Designate an altar or small table to this effort; be sure that it is physically clean.
2. Drape the space with a light colored cloth. (white, yellow, pink or other colors associated with healing and light in your tradition)
3. Add beautiful, healing objects to the space, like quartz crystals, fresh flowers, etc.
4. Add as many candles as will fit in the space safely.
5. Place a glass or bowl of fresh water on the altar.
6. Write down the names of as many ancestors as you know on a piece of paper. If you know the name of one person, but not their spouse, use their familial title, like Grandmother XXX or what have you. Be sure that you list only deceased relatives. Place the paper on your altar.
7. Each day for seven days (or use a powerful number in your spiritual system; I think the intent is to show dedication over a period of sustained effort), refresh the water, light the candles, call each ancestor's name three times, and offer prayers of healing. We are holding them in the light and allowing them the opportunity to heal. Reiki or other energy healing is appropriate here as well.

Whatever method you choose, ancestor work is powerful. I remember having an aha moment when that same African priestess said to me - who do you think answers your prayers or requests for help? It is not always the Divine, or an angel - it is your ancestors! Heal them. Release unneeded patterns. Partner with them, and you will be all the stronger for it.

Journeying with the Runes

Writing this blog has been a blessing to me, as have my study group, my old coven, and the Pagan community in general. Participating in discussions forces me to think about and verbalize the practices that I use subconsciously or innately in my life.

What I have overwhelmingly realized is that I don't need to add much of anything to my practice. My life is magical, and has been throughout. It's simply a matter of realizing it on a conscious level, bringing various things under conscious control, and delving more deeply into the well, so to speak.

One thing I have realized is that I get various types of messages. Sometimes it's in the form of a vision; my spirit names have come to me in this way. In both cases, I went into a spontaneous trance and received the name as a vision. Other times, there is a subtle knowing, like when driving, I will often know the next move of a nearby driver, or know that I need to go one way or the other on a familiar route. I also have occasional important dreams that give me some necessary information.

At other times, I go out on spiritual journeys. Occasionally, I have done this on purpose, but most often, it has again happened spontaneously. Early in my Pagan career, I practiced straight astral projection. That’s not what I’m doing now. This is definitely in the realm of the shaman, what I would call journeywork. Is it still my astral body? Christopher Penczak writes that shamanic journeying is “more than astral”, that it is whole-being, soul or psychic projection. Honestly, I don’t know. An interesting question, to be sure, but not a vital one for practitioners.

What happens for me is that I go to my inner temple – a special place within. I honor each element there, then perform whatever work is needed that day. When it’s time for a journey, I shapeshift. Usually, I change into a hawk and take flight. I fly first over the trees that surround my inner temple, then to the nearby river. The river takes me where I need to go.

My current project is to systematize my journeywork. I was blessed to meet a local eclectic oracular group who have been heavily influenced by seidr, the norse shamanism and magical work. The workshop in which I participated included direct experience. We went on a trance journey through the world tree and looked into the well of Mimir for answers. We later went into trance and answered questions ourselves. This was surprisingly easy and powerful for me. At first, it was very hard to speak what I was experiencing/seeing/feeling. My jaws felt frozen and my tongue wooden. After some timeless time, I spoke, and it began easier the more that I did it.

Afterwards, I was set afire with incorporating the runes into my journeywork. I have been a woman obsessed, researching and reading, dreaming and creating my own ways. This is the next logical step in my journey with the runes.

At this point, I don’t yet know if my journeying will lead to oracular work. Maybe. Maybe not, though. One can also work magic in the other realms, do healing work, explore, battle and many other things. So far, most of my travels have been in the middle realm – here on Earth. In the future, who knows?

It seems that it’s time for another vision quest. It’s been a while. I know that I have some unfinished business with a certain hilltop grove.

As I get older, I see that spiritual life…maybe all of life, is about re-discovering truths that we know deep in the center of our beings. It's not really about learning, or getting new truths or insights. No, instead, it is becoming aware of our multitude of talents, traits, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Learning is essential to this process, but often, the things that resonate most deeply with me when I learn something new…this is a thing that I remember. It may be a faint, far-off echo within my being, like a memory of a dream…but when examined, the call grows stronger, louder and clearer…like the tolling of a pure bell. A bell that rings with truth.

Ritual Attire

The power of symbols, ritual tools, jewelry, masks and clothing is well known among all types of practitioners of magic. When we alter our appearance, it helps us to alter our consciousness in preparation for ritual or magical work. As we grow in experience, we learn that these things are not necessary. We are able to make magic in out in public, with no tools, and in our everyday clothing.

Ritual clothing, in particular, serves another function as well. In addition to helping to alter our own state of consciousness, it also affects the people around us. When we assume a leadership role, whether it be in teaching, leading ritual or providing spiritual services, it helps when we pay attention to our image. Like it or lump it, human beings care about and respond to how we look.

Pagans are pretty accepting – we don’t expect you to look like some Californian mass-media ideal of beauty. But presenting yourself well is still valuable. Take the time to bathe, apply scented oils, arrange your hair, put on spiritual jewelry and wear attractive clothing. Of course adjust this list to what fits you; the goal is to show through your appearance that you care for yourself. Practicing good posture helps too. People will have more confidence in you and give more weight to your words.

Contemporary Paganism being an ever-evolving community, we have a lot of options. We can use scholarship to look to the past and recreate what might have been. Others choose to wear some form of Christian-esque vestments (def: a robe of ceremony or office), which seems pretty smart, considering that most Americans are raised with some form of Christianity and thus automatically associate those types of garments with spiritual authority. Some go with the ubiquitous hooded robe common among witches and Druids. Yet others choose historical garments from the culture of their pantheon (for example, Heathens who wear Norse-style t-tunics).

In my opinion, what’s important is finding your own authentic image. Find something that speaks to your soul and makes you feel powerful, beautiful and sacred. Note my usage of the word authentic. It’s important to be aware of the trap that image-consciousness can create: it can be a way to get stuck with excessive ego or caught up in fantastical delusions. Keep it real, gang.

So as an Ordained Priestess, a shaman, a Yoga and martial arts teacher, what do I wear? Good question. That’s really a project in process. I’ve been through a lot of image evolutions in my mundane and spiritual life. You can really see the progress of my personal and spiritual development in those changes. Thank Goddess my close friends are supportive, that’s all I can say.

Early in my pagan career, I started with an undyed cotton robe based on a choir robe pattern. I still have it in storage, and I don’t feel beautiful when I wear it. I do feel humble and earthy, which feelings have their time and place. If I had had it with me, I would likely have worn it to my recent initiation, for example. A couple of winters ago, I made myself a righteous animal print fake fur ritual robe. I seriously love this robe. It is SO warm and I feel really good wearing it, both for witchy and shamanic pursuits. Protip: include fur-lined pockets.Trust me on this. Decadent!

In my last post, I tell the story of how I chose my new vestments. I ended up settling on garments that are traditional in India: salwar kameez and dupatta. Salwar are loose pajama pants, while the kameez is a long tunic (aka the kurta, which really refers to the men’s long tunic). The dupatta is a scarf, similar to what many Americans would know as a pashmina. See left for an example. I’m planning to make my own, because I enjoy sewing. I will likely make mine from cotton in bright colors.

What I like about this Indian-style garb is that it’s feminine, functional and street-friendly. I love a ritual robe, but I’m a very embodied person. I might feel the need to do some Yoga at a moment’s notice, get my groove on with some ecstatic dancing or bust out a headstand - all of which is awfully hard to do in a robe. At the same time, these clothes make me feel beautiful and connected to the Divine. It honors my spiritual foundations in Yoga. It also allows me to be out in public without getting too many stares.

I can also wear salwar kameez to Yoga class. I could even choose to wear the tunic with regular yoga pants. I have been struggling for some time to find my look for teaching Yoga. My Yoga teacher training taught us to wear something neutral, simple and professional so that our students focus on the teaching, not on us.

This bores me to tears and makes me sad. While from a business perspective, I’d like to reach as many people as I can…I’m just not willing to be bland. I don’t think that people really want boring Yoga teachers. Why come out of the house for someone who blends into the carefully neutral, calming studio walls? I personally want someone colorful, lively and inspiring – someone who has something interesting and different to offer. No offense, but I have had my fill of tall, slim, anemic, vegetarian and deadly earnest Yoga teachers. YAWN.

On the shamanic/woodsy side of things, I have a colorful history with what I have worn. There were a lot of broomstick skirts and gypsy sort of things for a while. I also purloined my mother’s hippie clothes from the 70’s. Thank Goddess no pictures remain of the handmade deerskin vest, loincloth and knee-high sandals of my teenage years. Egads. My tastes these days are more in the medieval woodswoman/mountain woman range. Yes, I too made myself a hat from an animal skin, with the bobcat’s face on the front of my head. Sorry, vegans -it's a shaman thing!

Since I’m a huntress and devotee of Artemis and the Horned One, my plan currently is to tan the next deerskins I take and make a pair of breeches and a jerkin (basically a long vest). Maybe a hood, we’ll see. With that I’ll wear the set of knee high moccasins (with fur, beads and a hidden knife sheath) that I’m working to finish up by this fall. That means I’ll have to finish up the fancy leather gun belt I’ve been planning for years…with a pistol on one side and my antique Bowie knife on the other.  

Ah, did I not mention my warrior side? Yeah, that’s a part of me as well. Training students in martial arts again is another thing on my list, and it too requires a uniform. A simple black gi (think karate uniform) and the black belt passed on to me by my sensei will do for that. On warm days, I created a t-shirt design for me and the class to wear with gi pants. No trouble there.

So, to sum up: examine who you are and what you do. Choose ritual, spiritual and liturgical clothing accordingly. Look well groomed and put together. Embrace your own power. Be awesome. Don’t let anyone dim your light and ROCK ON. You know I will!

Ordination Report

I've been struggling with what to say about last week's initiation and ordination. Like many practitioners, I don't like to speak too much of magical work. But I also feel compelled to talk about this pivotal experience. So here we go!

My fast didn't go well at all. Kitchari did not give me enough energy to get through the day, and the whole thing fell apart. It seems that a week-long fast is not in the cards for me these days, unless that fast includes animal protein at lunchtime. I can get away with eggs and vegetables for breakfast, but a full day of massage means a full lunch or I melt down. I also ended up eating red meat for dinner - probably because I hadn't gotten enough calories and protein earlier in the day. After some soul searching, I decided to simply accept the demands of my body. Instead of restricting what I ate so rigidly, I focused on eating mindfully. I blessed each meal and took time to honor the Divine and feel gratitude.

I didn't have time to make a new ritual robe. I probably could have done it if I had a sewing machine at home, but going to a friend's house to work just didn't fit into the ol' calendar. Instead, I ended up with the perfect set of vestments for me, in typically synchronistic fashion.

A while ago, a friend of mine from India gave me a white kurta, which is a knee length cotton tunic with lovely white embroidery around the neckline. I've never worn it. It hung in my closet awaiting some special occasion. Meanwhile, back in yoga teacher training, we talked about clothing to wear while teaching. In the Yoga tradition, all white was the traditional color to wear.  My teachers and colleagues said they thought I ought to do it; that it would look good on me, etc.

That was nearly a year ago, and I've been searching for white yoga clothes ever since. It's a little tricky for me, being busty and swarthy as I am. Hello, mediterranean heritage! So far, I have found a white sports bra and a white camisole. I never really thought of wearing the kurta with it. In my head, I was looking for "some kind of white overshirt", but I never connected the dots to what was already in my closet.

As I prepared for this initiation, I thought of wearing a white robe. At some point, it occurred to me: why not wear a white yoga-style outfit? I could wear my kurta! So I did. I found some random knit capri pants, which I didn't really like, but got me through the night. I put on my white sports bra, the camisole and the kurta.

It felt right. Yoga is a big part of my spirituality, though I don't often think of it that way. But for me, it truly is the foundation of my practice. It's been a presence throughout my entire life, and it's how I was introduced to mindfulness, meditation, self-awareness and so many other things. In a way, it's like air. You never think about it, but you are breathing it all the time. This was a lovely way to honor that part of my life, and I feel very comfortable in those clothes to boot.

The day of my initiation was somewhat of a disaster. I took the entire day off, put my email on auto-respond and my phone on vibrate. It was supposed to be this restful, meditative day. Instead, every single thing was a trial. I had to run errands in the morning. I forgot a doctor's appointment and had to go over there in a hurry. I didn't get home until noon, and then I remembered I was supposed to be at a massage appointment at 4! And the cupcakes still needed to be baked! And what about my ritual bath?! Aaaaagghhhhh!!!

The ritual bath turned into a shower with chanting. The cupcakes got packed up and put in the truck unfrosted. I scrambled up to my massage and that too was a trial, but I soldiered on. Luckily, my best friend let me come over and use his kitchen to frost the cupcakes. This was a blessing in disguise as I then got hugs and congratulations from this very important person in my life.

Finally I got there and my High Priestess gave me this look. She knew exactly what was going on. I smiled and told her that I got a lesson in priestesshood: we have to do it in the midst of everyday chaos. She just nodded, full of understanding.

The ritual was lovely. My HP surprised me by including references to my shamanic journey in addition to my journey as a witch. I was truly overwhelmed by the love and support in the room. I feel so blessed to have found these women. They show me what love and support is supposed to feel like and I am so grateful.

My ordination with the Universal Life Church was much more prosaic: just a matter of a few mouse clicks. Now, the ULC doesn't necessarily have the best reputation. They will take anyone, and they do not require any type of training. Literally anyone over 13 can become a minister in their church.

But for someone like me, it's perfect. I have been studying for this all my life. I don't need further training to call myself a priestess. The ULC is interfaith - and my public work right at this moment is interfaith. The UFC also expressly does not require one to "kiss the ring", as it were. I don't do authoritarian structures well. A benevolent, accepting umbrella organization? Yes, thank you!

It also turns out that the ULC was started right here in NC, by a Christian minister who believed in religious freedom including freedom FROM religion. I love these words from their mission:

"We further proclaim that "We are all Children of the same Universe" and as such we each have a right to be here. Thus said, that is the way that your God and Mother Nature planned it."

Now that's something I can get behind.

So now it's a week later. The dust is beginning to settle. I've made my announcement about the event to friends and clients. Folks have teasingly called me "Reverend Tanaria". This amuses me. I will call myself an Ordained Priestess. I don't have a ministry, I have a priestessry. Sure it's weird, but so what? So am I!

In service to the Gods, I continue to serve all seekers who come to me with honest yearning for truth in their hearts, no matter what their path. Truly, this has always been my path. Now it's official.

Blessed be!

Lizard Medicine

Yesterday, I was preparing for a party. I needed to put some yard tools away in the barn. As I neared the door, I startled a lizard. Normally, lizards disappear when startled.

This one moved closer to me, on to the glass door of the barn.

I stopped to take a good look at this tiny being. It had tree frog-esque toes, a pale underbelly and a light chartreuse back with a tan/beige stripe all the way down its spine. Neon green ringed its eyes. I could see its lungs moving as it breathed.

It looked back at me.

I settled in to watch. Surely, this creature would scuttle off at my slightest move.

It looked back at me.

I realized somewhere in here that this was yet another visitation by an animal teacher. I have a lot of avian and mammal medicine; not so much reptile or amphibian. What does this mean?

At length, and it could have been as much as five or ten minutes, I had to get moving with the rest of my tasks. I quietly walked through the door, deposited my tools and backed out of the barn.

Closing the inner door would surely startle the lizard, right? Nope.

Looking through the glass at my little friend, I hesitated; should I or should I not disturb it by closing the glass door? Yes. I won't be back, and our guests will be here soon. I close the door.

The lizard looks back at me.

I hear you, little one. Thank you for your teachings. Be well.

~

Later, I identified the lizard as a Green Anole, latin name Anolis Carolinensis. The males are territorial, and breeding season stretches throughout spring and summer. It is possible that this was a male protecting his territory, or a female protecting her egg. Interestingly, though, I did not observe any of the associated behaviors such as chin bobbing.

The animal medicine of Lizard is about detachment and observation. It encourages us to detach from current issues emotionally and do what must be done.

Also, from the interwebs:

"It’s time to take do an internal audit. Are you being ruled by your ego or are you coming from your heart? Be aware – simply because the ego is the master of deception and you will often have to peel back many layers to get at the truth – and to discover what your heart is really telling you. Take the time to really focus on your personal dreams."

Medicine Shields

Medicine shields are used by shamanic practitioners to represent their spiritual protection and their essential self, or their medicine, as indigenous peoples would say. It can be a literal shield suitable for carrying in to battle, or more of a spiritual representation that can be displayed on an altar. This tool is infinitely varied because of the extremely personal nature of it. In general, people will paint or otherwise represent power animals and any other spirit guides that they work with on a round plaque or animal hide stretched on a hoop frame.

Witchcraft is a form of shamanism, and it uses ritual tools as well. Generally, the pentacle or peyton represents the element of Earth, and has protective connotations. To me, it seems logical that the medicine shield is equivalent.

Native tradition tells us that seekers should go on a vision quest and pray to their guides, ancestors and allies, then create the shield themselves based on their vision. I agree with this. How can anyone else truly understand what this shield needs to look like? Also, I personally think there is a lot of power in obtaining materials to make the shield from the natural world and through magical means.

Right now, I'm constructing a shield for myself. As a recovering empath exercising hard-won boundary skills, I'm at a place where I need to manifest my spiritual team and protection system in material form. It's the first time I've really had a team, or felt supported and protected.

I began my shield at the Earthskills Gathering, with a woods wander that netted me a flexible hawthorn branch. I formed it into an egg shaped hoop. I have some lovely turquoise suede which will be laced on to the frame.

My rough draft of the skin began with my personal symbol in the middle. I wanted some way to divide the shield into quarters, to represent the four directions. My power animals corresponding with the elements would be in the appropriate direction. Then I was going to hang some feathers, mirrors, crystals, etc. on the bottom of the frame.

At this point I got bogged down. I couldn't get my animal designs to look like they do with my inner vision. It wasn't flowing.

Then, in typical synchronistic fashion, my bestie gave me a stag's head pendant. Immediately I flashed to the idea of attaching it to the shield. This led me to consider adding something similar for the other animals. But one or more of them would be nearly impossible to find.

Stuck again.

Then it hit me - animal guides are only one component of my spiritual team. What if I took this more top level and added items to represent my other sources of support? Namely, ancestry, my faith, community, family and spiritual allies. I'd initially had a vague idea of representing these entities, but hadn't decided where to put them.

Suddenly it was flowing again. Turns out that I have spare beads, parts from broken jewelry and pendants I never wear that can work for each group/entity. Best of all, this means that nearly all of the materials in this shield will be ones that I gathered from nature or have personal connections with. Some were gifts. Some items I have had for many years. This is just the sort of "magical means" of

acquisition that add so much power to our tools.

Call me old fashioned, but I believe that making or at least personalizing your own ritual tools gives them much more power and meaning. The proliferation of spiritual and Pagan supply shops is a double edged sword in this regard. On the one hand, some things are difficult to make without specialized skills or equipment. On the other, it can make us lazy and overly attached to fancy material items. Having that finely crafted etched crystal goblet to use for your chalice in no way makes you a better or more powerful practitioner.

To me, nothing store bought beats the feeling of rightness that comes from birthing a personal ritual tool. Going through the process of inspiration, imagination, design, limitations of tools/skills, re-design, intentional crafting and eventual perfect imperfection...this is how the tool comes alive. This is how it becomes tuned to my energy, my intent, my lessons, my needs.

The act of constructing these items is one of the ways in which I practice devotion. Many are the late nights I have spent hunched over my workbench, manifesting my vision in full-on altered ritual consciousness. Sometimes I even remember to cast a circle. Mostly though, being caught up in one of these projects is like having a sore tooth, or poison ivy. It nags at me, occupies my mind and won't let me get a moment's rest until I get it done.

Tonight, I breathe deeply and trust in the Divine. I let go and allow this process to flow. Blessed be!



NOTE: All of the images in this post are examples pulled from the web.

The Unwelcome Medicine of Pests

A few years ago, I moved back to North Carolina from Colorado. During those Colorado years, I spent a lot of time outdoors, and it was blissfully free from insects. There's nothing like summertime camping in a breathtaking alpine meadow...especially when you're originally from an area where a similar scene would mean irritation, constant slapping and bug spray.

Since I've been back in the South, I believe that the insects have been paying back every sting-free year. Somehow, they've compressed 11 years of freedom into just 4 of pain. My feet and legs have borne the brunt of this insectile attack. Mosquitos, gnats and noseeums I can stand, but the fire ant bites...oh, the fire ant bites.

The first year I was back, I got Chaco sandals. <cue ominous chord here>

As you might expect, it's warm enough for sandals for a good many months each year here. As a pagan, environmental educator and avid backpacker...I'm outside a lot. Wearing sandals.

Somehow, some way, the fire ants find me every time. I may be with a group of people, walking the same trail, or standing around in the same area. No one else is bothered most of the time. Me? Covered with ants.

The most entertaining story comes from last fall. I was leading a meeting of the Artemis Circle, which is an ongoing club spun off from an awesome girls summer camp that I teach. On this particular lovely day, we were planning to look for wildflowers for pressing. We'd cast a circle, everyone was happy, and I thought, hey, here's a hill we haven't climbed! Let's go, girls!

We climbed the hill and were briefly admiring the view. It couldn't have been more than a minute when I started to feel the pain. I looked down and sure enough, I was covered with ants. I brushed off the ones I could see, but the pain didn't stop. I had to get out of there! I started to run and was actually yelping with pain.

Imagine, if you will, a grown woman running and screaming, trailing a string of giggling 12 year olds.

I don't think they knew what was happening. Running and hollering is something we did as a group, being a high-spirited bunch of Artemisians as we were.

I got off the hill, but the pain didn't stop there. For the next hour as I was teaching, I kept feeling new pains. At first, I thought it was just paranoia. But later examination proved that some of the ants had climbed into my clothes and bit me all the way up to my right armpit.

<WAH WAH WAH music here>

Right. Fire ants are an invasive species. They were unwittingly introduced to the USA by a cargo ship in the early 1900's. Humans, even pagans, have a hard time loving pests. Usually our reverence and conservation efforts are reserved for the more appealing animals, like seals, bald eagles, horses, whales, big cats, etc. Who ever heard of someone with a mosquito totem? Or jellyfish totem?

But it is my belief that all beings are animated by the same Divine energy, and all beings have a place in the ecosystem. We call the fire ants invaders, but they are just doing what all species do - expand into new & hospitable environments and carry on their mode of existence.

What's more, from a shamanic perspective, animals have rich lessons to teach us. It occurred to me this morning, as I practiced Yoga, that I was looking at this fire ant plague in entirely the wrong way. They aren't trying to take my blissful sandal-wearing freedom away. They're just being ants. Is it possible, just maybe, that they are trying to teach me something?

I consulted my trusty copy of Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews.

Ant medicine is all about organization. Building infrastructure for our lives. Working tenaciously toward goals. Collaborating with others. Patience. Self-discipline.

You know that feeling when you read or hear something you don't want to hear? Perhaps it's coming from someone you don't like, or it's being presented in a challenging context. Maybe it's something you don't want to believe about yourself. But yet, you KNOW it's true, and no amount of emotional squirming is going to change that fact.

It hit me like a thunderbolt. These are the lessons of this phase of my life. I made a major life change four years ago. I've re-launched my career, becoming a self-employed professional. I've been learning about working with others in an effective way. I've been stepping my self-improvement efforts into high gear, disciplining myself to make healthier choices.

BANGO!

I hear you, little ones. I am listening. I understand. Thank you.

p.s. Can you ease up on the stings now, please? I'll be good, I promise!