This is the End + Being Adrift

I keep thinking "I can't believe this year is almost over." It hasn't really gone my way. It's been a bit of a difficult year, but the last few months have been pretty wonderful creative-wise, and for a creative person, that's such an important thing to have in life. Especially when it comes to having a business that runs on your creativity.

Today I pulled a card for myself from Lucy Cavendish's Oracle of the Mermaids to represent this last bit of the year. What do I have to pay attention to? What message do I need to embrace right now in my life?

Sometimes you have to let yourself drift.

Oh it's so hard to relinquish control. It drives me crazy to even think about letting go even a little bit, but if there's anything I've learned from my anxiety it's that letting go of control is sometimes essential. If only so that you don't stress yourself out and run yourself ragged.

This card teaches us that it's beautiful and humbling to float with the waves and the tides and know that you are safe. So often we think of it as disempowering to let go of control, and sometimes it is, but when we consider all aspects of setting ourselves adrift, of letting go with purpose, and going with the flow, we can examine that to intentionally allow ourselves to do so does give us power.

There is sense in making no effort at all.

Especially after going through a tough or stressful time. Allowing the tides and the waves to set your course can be beautiful and humbling. It can lead you to places that you might not otherwise go.

I think that this is a good reminder for me. I just finished riding this huge wave or creativity and drive and now it feels right to just let myself be. I don't have to force anything, I'm just allowing myself to flow. A moment-by-moment acceptance of what is right now. Allowing myself to be gently moved by the natural energy that's moving all around me.

It's good stuff.

Share this intention with me.

Is there a way that you can add flow to your life? How can you follow the path of least resistance in a way that will nourish you? That's what I want you to think about today.

How are you setting yourself adrift? 

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The Power of the Nautilus Shell

Good morning my sweetlings! November is upon us and I think it's going to be an amazing one. The 2014 Self Love Planner + Workbook is all finished and ready to be released in a few weeks and so is the (free) Epic Gratitude challenge. So excited.

Each time I work super hard on something to release out into the world I inevitably get smacked upside the head with growing pains. Sometimes it's personal, sometimes it's professional and sometimes it's a little bit of both. It never feels particularly good, it's just one of those things you have to ride out and try to enjoy it as best you can because ultimately it means good stuff, even when it's painful in the moment.

Enter the Nautilus Princess and her message of Powerful Personal Growth.

This card comes from the Oracle of Shadows and Light and pictures a beautiful mermaid with long flowing red hair adorned with sea shells. In her arms she holds a nautilus shell. The nautical shell is a very important symbol within itself and one that I'm currently feeling fits perfectly in my life right now.

The nautilus, a type of mollusk who lives in its shell (which is actually its external body and part of the creature itself) is quite amazing. The nautilus has changed very little since prehistoric times. Despite that, it is a creature that represents growth, change, and evolution. The shell consists of a series of chambers where the nautilus lives. Each chamber gets bigger and bigger as the creature outgrows the smaller one and moves onto a bigger one until it outgrows that as well. The nautilus then enlarges its shell by the addition of a new chamber suitable for the next stage of its life.

This represents our ability to change and grow especially on a spiritual level.

The start of the spiral represents where we start off in our spirituality. Eventually we begin to grow and evolve, learning new things and expanding our beliefs so that they fit with who we currently are and where we are at in life.

The creature must keep building new chambers as long as it lives. It cannot go back to the previous ones; they no longer fit. It cannot stay in its present space or it will die. It has no choice but to move on and on.

This Princess in this card is uncertain of where she’s going. She knows that it’s time to move forward but she isn't quite sure how. She knows that she will have to make decisions but she’s unsure of her own power uncertain that she’ll be able to do the right thing.

She is reminded to grow in ways that are in-tune with her purpose, her integrity, and what she feels is right for her now.

It is now time to take yourself and your potential seriously. I definitely needed to hear that today as I try to shine brighter. Hopefully these words held wisdom for you too!

In what ways are you currently growing?

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Count Your Blessings In A Pumpkin Patch

Happy Halloween or as I call it, Samhain! May your day be filled with more treats than tricks. This is traditionally a day of Spirits and honoring those that have passed before us.

Which ties into appreciating what we have, while we have it.

How often do you take a step back from your life? I mean really take a step back, with the intention of looking at your life from a detached viewpoint?

Most of the time we don't step back intentionally. We step back when life forces us to step back. When something bad happens and we think back to how good we had it. Or something changes and shifts and we realize how happy and blessed we were before. There is a lot of truth to the old saying "You don't know what you have until it's gone."

It is time to count your blessings. 

Each week I like to pull a card to give us all a little bit of direction and wisdom. This card is Ghost of the Pumpkin Patch, from the Oracle of Shadows and Light and it is quite fitting for the season as we descend into the darker part of the year.

Take a look at your life and really see it for what it is. Take the time to count your blessings, especially the ones that you overlook on a daily basis. Those things that, small as they are, if you didn't have, you'd miss their presence.

Things and even people, become so familiar to us, so part of our every day, that we take them for granted. The familiarity with them breeds blindness to what amazing gifts surround us. This card reminds you to see the abundance that's all around you. The pumpkins, so to speak, the average and ordinary that become the extraordinary when we no longer have them.

Nothing is too small to be appreciated.

Appreciate those things like the fit and texture of your favorite shirt. The way that your shoes fit. The smell of your favorite candle or perfume. The color of the curtains in your living room. The taste of your favorite food. The calm before the storm that is the holiday season. All of these things are little blessings that deserve to be acknowledged and appreciated.

What little blessings are you thankful for? 

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Sanctuary + October Blogging Break!

Are you signed up for the newsletter? In one of the last issues I talked about how I had decided to take a blogging break in October and focus on creating stuff, like this month's Monthly Challenge and the 2014 Self Love Workbook + Planner. Obviously I've made it three days in and hello... Blog! I love it too much to stay away. P.S. Have you noticed the new look?!

I also felt the need to take a step back, figure out if I'm going in the right direction, on a personal level as well as a business one. It's a mix between Strange Brain Territory and Re-calibrating myself. Navigating growing pains are tricky business I always say.

I keep asking myself: What do you want?

On a deep level. Forgetting fear and putting aside what I think I can or can not do. What do I want? That's a really important question and one that we should be asking ourselves all of the time. While also keeping something else in mind:

You are allowed to change your mind.

We are forever blossoming and withering, growing and transforming, and in each stage of that process, our needs change. I'm learning that's okay. What I needed or wanted six months ago is not necessarily what I want now. So I'm taking time and space and deep breaths and asking myself that question. What do I want? Then I'm sitting with the answers. Or getting peeved with my brain because it's coming up with Error 404 because it just doesn't know. That happens sometimes. 

Every week I try to pull a card for you all. I ask the Universe what I need to remind you or what you need to know. This week had me pulling cards for myself from Oracle of the Mermaids and this one popped up and it couldn't be more perfect. Maybe it will help you out too.

Privacy, inviolate personal space, respected boundaries and taboos. 

"There are times when you need to declare to the world, this is my time and this is my space.

For you, much time has been given to others, to caring for them, to looking over them, to watching for them, to loving them, bandaging, soothing them, satisfying them, feeding them... and now it is your time.You have the right to unviolated time out, time alone, during which you can be your whole self. 

It is time to declare your boundaries as sacred."

Why yes, yes they are. So the rest of the month I shall honor my need for a lighter workload, for time to lounge about and discover how I'm growing this time. To take time to cherish and love all over Blessing Manifesting even if I'm not blogging. I'll still be posting affirmations and inspiration on social media, as much for you as for me. All of the affirmations and self love tips serve as reminders for me too. Hopefully you'll join me this month as honoring your boundaries as sacred.

Are your boundaries sacred? When was the last time you took time for yourself? Do you feel like you have "personal space"? I'd love to hear from you!

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An Island of Solitude

Today I wanted to feature a card from the oracle card deck Earth Magic. If you are signed up for my newsletter then you probably know why I'm feeling this card.

The Island a place of solitude.

Looking at this picture evokes a different reaction for different people. Some might look at this and see a lush little island with a blooming tree in its center. A tree that is perfect for sitting under alone with a good book, or laying on your back, staring up at the sky.

Or maybe all you see is the empty space. The things that you couldn't do. The things that you should be doing that would be impossible were you alone on that chunk of rock with nothing to do.

Everyone sees something different, the same person might see something different at different times. What do you see?

Even in isolation there can be life and beauty and growth.

This card is a reminder how important it is to spend some time in solitude and in silence. Even when you have other things to do. Ah, such a hard lesson to learn, especially in today's society when we have so much to do on a daily basis. It's hard to step away from life and responsibilities and family.

It's hard to sit in silence.

The past few weeks I have felt myself approaching burn out. That feeling you get when you know you're approaching mental exhaustion. Either you push through it or you put on the breaks and take a break. The Island is a reminder to do that. To take time for solitude and silence when we need it.

Take time to enjoy silence and peace without worry.

When was the last time you created space for unstructured solitude?

This last week has been full of that for me and it was a beautiful and sacred time. No rushing, no worry, no unpleasing sounds, no people, no masks. Just pure, authentic, me time. It's amazing how good you feel when you are stripped of your roles and responsibilities and are allowed to just be.

It was hard pushing away my responsibilities and telling myself 'no' when I felt the urge to fall back into my roles, to work, to do something other than the things that soothe me. It was a very healing experience and helped me to create boundaries within myself. Sometimes your inner self must create boundaries with the other parts of you.

She knows best.

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Story of the Selkie

The Selkie is a being who lives as a seal in the water but can transform into a human on land. The Selkie's story is usually a sad one as they can only stay on land for a short period of time unless their pelts are stolen.

There tales are usually of a Selkie falling in love with a human and then having to leave them to return to the sea. Alternatively, if their pelt is stolen they must remain on land and are unable to return to the sea.

The Selkie is torn between worlds.

Her ability to choose is taken away. The Selkie represents how important it is for us to make our choices and embrace our freedom and authenticity. Her story is for those of us that have forgotten our strength and freedom and our right to choose again and again and again.

We are so blessed.

We get to choose who we get to be with, we get to stay with our families - shall we choose to, to dance as we will, to worship as we please. We get so many choices on a daily basis, and when we compare that to the past, to the histories of our ancestors, it's so amazing to think that we have the ultimate control of so many aspects of our lives and story.

What choices have you made? What choices will you make?

There's so much beauty and power in our choices. The world is open to us and ready to support us in whatever path we decide to take. Now is the time to dance and celebrate your freedom. Here is a reminder for you: Your life is yours to control. Don't give up your power. Don't fall into complacency by allowing others to make your choices for you.

Don't believe that you are stuck where you are.

You aren't. It might hurt to get un-stuck, it might be awhile before things better, it might take a lot of energy or work to follow through with your choices, but at the end of the day, you get to make them, as well as the choices that come from your choices.

Embrace it.

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What's Your Self Worth?

I was looking through my Angels, Gods, and Goddesses deck when this card called out to me to be shared and it's really appropriate to how I'm feeling right now.

This is for anyone that lets other people undervalue them.

If you are currently undervaluing yourself or letting others undervalue you it's time to stop. Have you ever settled for something or someone because you didn't think you deserved any better? Or you don't let yourself dream that you can have anything better or be anything better because you just don't deserve it.

Or maybe you do believe that you deserve better but you don't know how to say it or how to make it happen or you're scared that it won't happen so you hunker down and settle for something that's not nourishing and doesn't truly make you happy.

It's time to regain your self-worth.

Stop letting other people take advantage of you and stop believing that you deserve it. Stop settling for a life that doesn't make you happy just because you feel like you aren't worthy of anything better.

You are worthy.

Your self-worth is assigned to you by no one but you. Start believing that you deserve all of the things that you want. You deserve to be respected by the people around you. You deserve to have a job that fills you up and makes you happy, but most of all, you deserve to believe it.

Do you value yourself? Do the people around you value you and show it? 

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Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha

As Autumn approaches (I am so excited!)  I find myself turning more within myself, delving into my spirituality and allowing myself to get in touch with higher energies, you know, Gods and Goddesses!

Today I wanted to share the card Ganesha from the Gaia Oracle. Ganesha is a Hindu God who is the remover of obstacles. One of my favorite mantras to recite with my prayer beads is Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha (Om Guhm Guh-nuh-puh-tuh-yea Nah-mah-hah) which means Om and salutations to Ganapati - another name for Ganesha.

If you're feeling blocked or needing to overcome obstacles, try chanting it (108 times is traditional). Not only will it completely zen and bliss you out, but it puts that obstacle-breaking energy into your life. Listen to Deva Premal if you don't feel comfortable chanting it yourself.

This card is an omen for good fortune! Whatever has been blocking your path and keeping you from going forward, now is the time to clear it away and move on.

Stop allowing things to hold you back. 

Whatever was holding you back, see it as a blessing in disguise, something that made you stronger in the process of moving past it. Everything happens for a reason, turn it into something worthwhile. The timing is right to start moving forward so take that leap of faith, do that thing that you've been stopped from doing and know that it is time.

It is time to remove obstacles from your life.

You are protected through this process. Call upon Ganesha for guidance. If you having trouble getting past something or dealing with an obstacle in your life, spend time in meditation, allow yourself to be open and receptive to the answers that are coming your way.

What obstacles in your life is it time for you to overcome?

Want a personal reading just for you? Check out my page for readings!

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Do You See Who You Really Are?

Most of us have dark places inside of us. Those shadowy places wherein dwell the knowledge of the mistakes we've made, the things that we're ashamed of, and the darker sides of our personalities.

How hard is it to acknowledge that part of you?

This oracle card The Mirror from Oracle of the Mermaids is a reminder not to shun that part of yourself. Don't pretend that it's invisible or that it doesn't exist because in doing so you deny the existence of a part of who you are.

Refusing to see the truth of who you are, those raw, dark, shadowed parts of yourself does you and the people around you a disservice. Don't get so caught up in your public self, the you that the rest of the world sees, that you forget who you really are.

Don't lose the vulnerability, the wounds and scars of your experiences, don't cover them up and camouflage them pretending that they aren't a part of you.

This mermaid encourages us to stand in front of her mirror and see our true selves. To love those parts of ourselves simply because they exist within us.

It is time to allow others to love us for who we are.

You don't have to wear a mask. You don't have to pretend that you are all love and light all of the time. You don't have to turn your back to the other parts of yourself.

It's okay not to be happy all of the time, to acknowledge that you've been hurt and you haven't recovered all of the way, to share that everything's not always okay, that you aren't strong every moment of every day.

It's okay to be you, all of you.

Do you have trouble showing those vulnerable sides to yourself?

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Allow yourself to be tender.

I was so happy yesterday when my lovely early birthday gift to myself Oracle of the Mermaids showed up. It had perfect timing and kicked me out of one of those down-in-the-dumps bad moods.

Right after I'd excitedly opened it up and looked at all of the cards, I held the cards to my heart and asked for them to guide me. I chose Vulnerability.

Open your heart, allow yourself to be tender.

Alright Universe, I hear ya. I have been rejecting vulnerability, I know this, and the card was a gentle reminder that it doesn't have to be that way. I have been concentrating on being "strong" and holding myself together that I don't even know the last time I had a good healing cry.

I've been ignoring my vulnerability. 

Sometimes it's easier to close off your heart, to spend your time being busy and working, so much so that you don't have the time to feel vulnerable. I've been telling myself that I'll be vulnerable later, I have too much stuff to do now. I've rationalized that being vulnerable is moping and ain't nobody got time for that.

I do everything myself. My business is 100% Dominee-run. I live by myself, I make my own meals, do my own laundry, clean the house. Often, I get caught up in emotionally supporting others and I forget that sometimes I need support too. I get so tired of only relying on me. It would be so nice to have someone take care of me for a change and yet I block out that vulnerability, ignore those feelings, stuff them down, and then go about life.

This is what the mermaids say.

There is an enormous desire to avoid pain, to avoid anything that leads to emotional distress... and yet, the very thing that allows such a thing to happen is one of your greatest powers. Your vulnerability is beautiful and others are drawn to it and yet so often you feel foolish and embarrassed for being vulnerable and you do your best to hide that tenderness.

You feel like you will be abused or taken advantage of if you are open and willing to trust but to trust and to love are some of the most appealing and beautiful human qualities.

Holy wow that's so right on the money. This week I am taking that lesson to heart, opening my heart, and allowing it to be tender when it needs to be. Maybe creating a stronger support system around myself wouldn't be a bad idea either.

What about you? Do you embrace your vulnerability or do you hide from it?

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Where's Your Sanctuary?

This week's oracle card is from the gorgeous Wild Wisdom of the Faery Oracle by Lucy Cavendish and Selina Fenech.
This card holds such an important message about stability, safety, and security, all very important things, especially for us sensitive people.

We need to feel safe and secure.

This lovely faery wants you to create your own sanctuary. Find a sweet safe place where you can take time for yourself. Just think of it, warmth, silence, comfort, create a place that embodies those qualities.

If you feel yourself feeling overwhelmed and anxious try to find that haven or sanctuary, even if it's only within yourself.

Take a walk and lose yourself in nature, go sit at a park bench and read, spend time in meditation, or with those friends who give you a solid foundation. Do something self-nurturing.

This card signals a need for solitude and quiet. Be very conscious this week of when you need to take a break. If you feel yourself feeling anxious or stressed out, make the time to check out for a bit and take a rest, whether it be curling up in bed with a good book or taking a nice long walk, whatever makes you feel good. This is a time for introversion, so turn within.

If you look around your home and it just doesn't feel like it belongs to you, or it doesn't feel happy to you, this would be a good time to do a bit of cleaning, re-organizing or decorating. Turn your attention towards creating that sacred space for yourself.

Are you happy with your home? Where is your special sanctuary? How do you cultivate that inside of yourself?

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Relax and Open Your Heart

Here's your oracle card for the week! The Goddess of Creation from the Gaia Oracle and it's all about transformation, creativity, and wholeness. Do you ever get stuck in those ruts when you find yourself taking everything seriously? I get that way sometimes.

I'm forever learning to balance work vs play.

Once I leave the pays-the-bills job I have six hours to do as I please before its time to go to sleep. How to spend those six hours? That's the eternal question going through my mind.

My self care routine dictates at least two of those hours be spent lounging in a warm bath or in bed with a book. The three B's make Dominee a very happy girl.

How to spend those remaining four hours? I tend to take them seriously as I imagine all of the emails I could answer, posts to respond to, updates to make, projects to work on, ya know, all of the stuff that comes with doing what I do.

But what if I didn't constantly think of those things? What if I stopped taking it so seriously?

Last week I did yoga for the first time in nearly two years. I'd been wanting to forever but I kept coming up with the same excuse:

I just don't have the time.

What if I made the time but fell behind on my to-do list? What if I made the time but felt guilty for not getting something else done? Was the benefit of a few poses more important than all the other "stuff"? What if I just waited for my weekend and made time then? Eventually I asked myself "What if I stop taking it all so seriously? What if I just do it?"

So I did it. And I did it again the next day, and the again the next.

Oh my goodness did it make me feel wonderful. Not just the act of doing it, but that fact that I stopped making excuses, and that I added another bit of yumminess to my day.

Then I started thinking about what other bits of yumminess I was stopping myself from experiencing. Maybe I wanted to spend an hour working on Harry Potter fanfiction. So I did.

Transformation started happening.

Relaxing my grip, opening myself up to yumminess, adding more play in my day had changes happening in my life in a matter of days. I felt more balanced just with those small shifts, the lingering tendrils of depression that were hanging on dissipated, I started feeling more creative altogether. My brain stopped focusing on all the things I had to do and it started dreaming and brainstorming. I started feeling more beautifully in touch with all aspects of myself.

Just more proof that when you take the time to do for you, amazing things happen.  

What things do you need to make more space for in your life?

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Waves of Love

Want to know a secret? I haven't blogged in ten days. Maybe you noticed, or maybe you didn't. I pride myself on my (mostly) consistent blogging because in my life it's pretty easy not to be consistent and you might not know it, but I can be pretty flighty. I have commitment issues.

What have I been up to?

I've been soaking up inspiration, creativity, and healing. I'm pretty good at recognizing the signs of burn-out and doing what I need to do before I fully reach that point.

I've got burn-out-busting skills.

Whenever I start feeling the yucky feelings cropping up I immediately go into Epic Self Care Mode. I cut out the daily biz things that aren't absolutely necessary. I sleep a lot, or spend time reading a lot, or hours in a warm bath. Water is a great healer to me. When I take a wee step back, turn my energy inward instead of outward, fill up my inner well, immerse myself in love for myself and love for what I do, things start getting better. It's a bit of an "absence makes the heart grow fonder" thing. When I step back it allows me to wholly and fully appreciate what I do and why I do it.

Allow yourself to step back, but don't allow yourself to run away.

If you're doing something that matters to you, that makes you happy, that fills you up, don't let a bad week, or even a bad month make you think that you should give up. When you put a lot of energy, love, and devotion into a project sometimes your reserves get low and you have to give them time to replenish themselves. It's not a sign that it's not meant to be. It's not a sign that you ought to give up.

This week's oracle card from the Gaia Oracle is Ocean of Eternal Love and the message is so spot on for where I've been the last few weeks. Love has an amazing power to heal. It has the ability to change and transform the things around us. This card reminds us of that power.

Now is the time to plant seeds in a barren land and watch them begin to flourish. This could be a project that we've been scared to start, or something inside of us that we are willing to work on. If we allow ourselves to love through the process it gives us the power to make the changes and the miracles that are waiting to burst into our lives.

What in your life needs a few waves of love crashing over it?

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Strange Brain Territory

Is June over yet? In fact, I think I'm ready for 2014! This year has held some hard times and as we reach the half-way point of the year, I find myself reflecting, contemplating, and wandering into strange brain territory.

Strange Brain Territory: Thoughts that you aren't used to, that make you feel wibbly.

Today's card from the Wild Wisdom of the Faery Oracle is spot on for me at the moment. This card represents those exact feelings of wandering into new territory and the uncertainty that comes from that.

This Faery looks like she'd be in her element as she wanders through the woods. In reality she's not confident, she's nervous, and afraid that perhaps she's not where she's supposed to be. She's hesitating, feeling unsure and awkward as to whether or not she should keep moving forward or go backward.

Wouldn't a compass be great right now?

Usually when we feel out of our comfort zone, and out of our element, it's a good thing. It means we are stretching, growing, blossoming, and moving. To do anything else invites stagnation in our lives, yet moving brings with itself a little bit of terror.

Question the path you're on.

When you start feeling that uncertainty and that scardy-cat-ness, question it. It might be time to choose a new direction or it might just be time to choose a better attitude, to be brave and wander into the unknown with a pep in your step and a smile on your face. Get in touch with your inner compass. Ask yourself these questions:

Why are you scared?
What's stopping you from wanting to move forward?
If you didn't move forward, what would happen?
Will this path benefit you in the future?
Does this align with who you want to be?

Tap into that inner guidance and figure out where you are truly meant to be going, and what in the end, is going to make your heart and soul soar.

If you'd like a bit of personalized wisdom from me, another tool to find your direction, I'd love to do an oracle card reading for you!

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Do you feel not pretty enough?

This week's message comes from the Angels, Gods, and Goddesses deck by Toni Carmine Salerno and it represents seeing the beauty within yourself.

Because it's there. All over your face and your body and your lovely heart. Beauty beauty beauty.

Imagine we lived in a world where we saw people just like ourselves in magazines, movies, and on television in a positive light. What if we grew up hearing that we were beautiful and people that looked like us were beautiful too?

Would you still feel not-pretty-enough?

The thing that robs us of our beauty is not those extra 5lbs, 50lbs, 100lbs. It is not imperfect teeth. It is not your big thighs. It is not your renegade body hair. It's not your wrinkles and stretch marks.

It is the power of comparison.

Comparison robs us of our beauty. If we didn't have anything to compare ourselves to, think of how happy you could be. We've grown up seeing a certain kind of beauty, bombarded with sensationalized stories that make us feel less-than, that make us feel like we're never going to measure up to what is supposed to be sexy and beautiful.

We have to create our own standard of beauty. 

And stick to it, and share it. A standard of beauty that is about confidence, about believing you are fabulous even if you're different, of fostering unconditional love and acceptance for yourself.

It's about not giving a flying poo about what the media says.

This condition of comparison bleeds over to so many areas of your life and you've got to fight against it. Who cares if someone is more successful than you, or seems more put together, or has the perfect relationship? Don't let comparison take away what you've been given.

The grass is always greener where you water it.

Do you give in to comparison? What do you find beautiful in yourself?

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Weekly Oracle: Don't Give Into The Gloom

I love spending time with my Oracle Cards and my many decks. My readings always allow me to see my situation from a different perspective. I love that.

This week's card is from Brian Froud's The Faeries' Oracle and is the Gloominous Doom.

Dun dun duuuuuuun.

This card represents self-defeat, self-pity, self-destruction and moving past all of that to discover the ability to take care of ourselves.

Self-pity is the first step on a slippery and seductive slide down the Path of the Suck. We all experience it and we all go down it. It starts off with that one event, or that one thought, and all we can think is:

Why me?

That's natural when something bad or unpleasant happens isn't it? It starts getting tricky when you begin to believe that the world is against you, that nothing is ever going to go right, that the Universe just absolutely hates you and you must be the absolute suckiest sucky person on the planet because nothing goes right for you EVER.

It's easy to slide into those thoughts. It's easier to accept that there's a mysterious somethingsomething that makes life miserable instead of seeing the real reasons. Maybe you have a habit of making bad choices or surrounding yourself with people you shouldn't, or your attitude needs a little bit of an adjustment or you feel like people pay attention to you when you're sad. Or the worst reason of all: sometimes bad things happen to good people and it just wasn't your fault.

Accountability defeats self-pity.

You can choose to pity yourself and to rail against the Universe for all its unfairness or you can be accountable for what you can do about it. You get to pick yourself up and learn from it. You get to make better choices next time. You get to show the Universe that when it knocks you down, you are gonna get up again.

The sorrier you feel for yourself, the worse your life becomes.

It's not about denying those feelings, pushing them away, or ignoring them. It's about being willing to explore just how awful things feel, how hard things are, and figuring out what has made you feel that way in the first place. You shouldn't let feelings go without working through them, they need to be fully acknowledged and understood first.

That is the lesson of Gloominous Doom. Feeling like the whole world is against you, or that nothing is ever going to go right, we need to feel those things so that we can appreciate the opposite. It makes the good times so much sweeter, it deepens our gratitude and appreciation for the good things.

Do you get stuck in self-pity or are you good at fighting your way out of it?

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Gratitude for the Little Things

If you hang out on the Facebook Page then you've probably noticed the new Daily Gratitude posts popping up, ya know, daily. Gratitude is so important to me and remembering that life is good, even when I'm having a bad day.

It's a constant reminder of my blessings.

When you are practicing an attitude of gratitude it gives you the excuse to notice the little things. You suddenly start noticing all of the things that are going right, all of the teeny tiny ways you're being blessed.

Every day for the next month I want to acknowledge what I'm grateful for. I hope that you'll join me! Check out the Blessing Manifesting page every day, and chime in!

It's uber important to be grateful for the big stuff, your health, your family, a roof over your head, but it's also important to be grateful for the little things in life.

That's what The Littlest Faery from the Wild Wisdom of the Faery Oracle represents. Little things matter and they are often overlooked, go unnoticed, or are judged ordinary because of their size but they are still significant. The more you express your gratitude and appreciation the more you notice these things coming into your life.

Last week I went and got my favorite coffee drink, a caramel frappuccino, and I asked for no whipped cream. The barista gave me my coffee, and there was the whipped cream lid (you know the domed ones) and it was filled with extra frappuccino instead of the whipped cream. Yum! That extra few inches of coffee made my day and made me so happy.

Yesterday I was laying in bed reading with the window open and there was a perfect breeze that made its way through my window, warm, soft, and it smelled so sweet.

I felt so much joy in that perfect moment.

It is so very important to see the little things and the exquisite beauty of them.

Stop by Facebook and share the little things that you are grateful for.

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Omg, I'm so weird.

Chances are you're a little weird. Yes, I mean you, and you know what? I think that's awesome. I like my people weird and you guys are my people.

Sometimes I'll be going about my day and I'll do something weird and I'll think "This is why I'm single." I don't mean it in a negative way, more in an I-am-just-too-awesome-to-handle way.

I have learned to embrace my weirdness, my quirks, and those strange things that I do. I wouldn't change them for all the world. But I know there are those lovely people that think they are too strange or too weird, and that it's not a good thing.

It is. It totally is.

There's someone out there that wants a partner just like you, or a best friend like you, or a little kid who would be so proud to have you as their mum or dad in all of your weirdness.

This is the very last chance for someone like you to exist. It's true! Yes there are billions of people in the world but we are all so different. We grow up with different experiences, liking different things, being born in different decades. YOU are the last chance for your specific brand of awesome to be unleashed upon the world. Totally embrace that!

This card is all about transforming into who you are meant to be. Like a beautiful butterfly, but totally better. If you look at the card you will see the butterflies are actually frogs. This represents not labeling yourself or putting yourself into a category. People will try to put a label on you so that they don't truly have to get to know you. Don't live up to that, don't even try.

You can be full of contradictions and complexities and that's okay. It's actually beautiful really. I love being surprised by people. I love people with layers, as Shrek would say, I like it when you're like an onion.

Be the onion. :)

What things are strange and contradictory about you? Do you embrace it?

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Shapeshifters: Embrace the Wild.

I finally got the deck Oracle of the Shapeshifters in the mail a few days ago and I have been loving the cards, they are fantastic! Yesterday I even pulled cards for fans of the Facebook Page, and I'll definitely be doing that again, so stay tuned!

Today, I pulled a card for you, for me, for us, and I wanted to share it with you. I love sharing the messages of the cards, they allow us to look deeper into what is happening around us.

This card completely represents where I am right now and I hope that you find some wisdom in its message as well.

Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the Hunt. She roams the forest embracing the ways of the wild. With her bow in hand she represents strength and accuracy, always hitting her mark. She is the huntress and she is also the protectress.

Artemis insists that you go deep into the wild, leave your comfort behind, and then discover your own strength.

How perfect is that? That's what I'm feeling right now. It's time for me to really be responsible for my experiences and my emotions. I want to stop just reacting to what is going on around me and I want to make things happen. I want to rediscover my awesome. I want to forge my own path into the forest instead of following the well-trod ones.

Artemis is a fearless Goddess who does what she needs to do to survive. She can be gentle and comforting but it is underlined with strength and a strong sense of survival.

Artemis tells us that it is time to embrace the wild, either within ourselves or out in nature. We can, we will, survive. We are able to support ourselves, we are able to give ourselves exactly what we need. We can be self-sufficient and aware of our own power.

We are powerful.

That's what I want all of us to remember, we are strong women, and we kick ass, and we are survivors. That's something that we need to remind ourselves of every single morning. 

p.s. You are awesome.

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Gratitude + Give-a-ways + Lots of Lovin's

Hello you lovely you!

How's it going? I'm doing great! The smile is at full wattage, I'm happy it's officially Spring, and I am so excited for what is to come. We are going to rock this year. We are going to make our dreams come true.

It's going to be amazing.

I really wanted to show my appreciation for you (yes you!) by doing a giveaway! I love doing Oracle Card Readings and here's your opportunity to get one for freesies! (p.s. Have you seen Oracle of the Shapeshifters? So excited to own this one on April 30th! It looks gooorgeous!)

I want you all to know what beautiful souls you are. I have felt so supported this last month. You all have wrapped me up with your comforting words and your loving thoughts and I am so lucky to know all of you.

To show my love (and because I LOVE doing readings) I'm giving away (5) One-card Oracle Readings! I am so excited and I hope you win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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