BEAUTY
Nature offers its beauty as medicine freely, in small or large doses. We just need to slow down enough to receive.

Click on any image to see gallery view. 

WISDOM
This October saw travel, celebration of family and ceremonies. Two generations gathered in Cape Cod to celebrate our family matriarch, Elizabeth Winston Wagner (Aunt Betsy), who turns 98 in December. We poured over old photographs, marking times and names to enter into the ancestral family album for generations to come. Stories were told and a whole lotta love was shared all round. For many it had been 20 years since the last gathering. As Aunt Betsy blew out the candles on her cake we asked her for advice on living a long, healthy life. Her wisdom was that of the wise sage she is: “Be kind. Take care of others. Eat healthy, and don’t sweat the small stuff.”

ALCHEMY
We are at a time––Halloween, Diwali, All Saints Day, Dia de Los Muertos, Samhain––when, in many cultures, the veils are thin between the worlds, and the ancestors are more accessible to commune with. Comets and solar flares are lighting up the night sky, reminding us that the cosmos too is alive and in flux. And climate change is causing extreme weather events around the globe. All that, and…we’re less than a week from a national election that will determine whether democracy or fascism will rule our country. What else??

Most folks I know, including myself, are on edge and anxious. A lot can happen any given day between now and Nov. 5 and, we don’t know what the outcome will be or what will follow. The truth is, we never know with any certainty what will happen from one moment to the next, and being in that space of “not-knowing” makes us humans damned uncomfortable. So how do we stay grounded, sooth our agitated nervous system, stay out of fear and raise our vibration in times of chaos? Here are some thoughts and practices that I’m working with. You may find any one or all, helpful… or not…

  • Walk daily in meditative silence
  • Find beauty in nature
  • Find beauty in the mundane
  • Find beauty in another’s smile
  • Listen to peaceful music
  • Laugh out loud at cat memes shared with single cat-lady friends
  • Embrace a good hug
  • Cuddle with pets
  • Practice gratitude
  • Be gentle
  • Stay focused in the present moment
  • Allow emotions to flow through without getting stuck
  • Practice non-attachment to thoughts
  • Envision an outcome for the highest good of all
  • Limit news intake and doom scrolling, but do read Heather Cox Richardson
  • Rest both body and mind
  • Commiserate / Co-regulate with a friend(s)
  • Keep your heart open
  • Remember to breathe
Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Thanks to everyone who signed up to receive my blog. Also, if you are in need of a spiritual guide, I have space on my calendar and in my heart for a few more clients, and/or a small group. Feel free to reach out.

Peace, love and blessings,

Rev. Lisa
Spiritual Companion/Guide
Contemplative Photographer
Interfaith Chaplain/Eco-Minister
Free Photos at Pexels
Spirit-Infused Healing Photography Books at Blurb
Photography is my love language. Teaching people to see Beauty-as-Medicine is my ministry. – Rev. Lisa