Carol tending fire at Palm Springs retreat

Tending Fires

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Humans have been tending fires for thousands of years as a form of survival. The fire kept us warm, kept predators at bay, gave us  ability to cook. Today most of us are not concerned with keeping fire in the hearth to keep the house warm, we rely on invisible energy sources like electricity and natural gas to keep our homes warm and to cook. But we still like a fireplace or sitting around a campfire.  It is like it hardwired into our DNA to make us feel connected, a place to gather and tell stories. I love to hold fire ceremonies. Tending fire connects me to mysticism and ancestors of the land. I love to watch how each fire accepts the offerings and alchemizes them. Some are consumed immediately some take a while to burn. A couple of weeks ago at our first Live Your Opulence Retreat, we had […]

Woman in turquoise dress dancing in front of heart paiting

I danced with love (poem and painting by Carol Woodliff)

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I danced with love, and it whispered to me,  “Love isn’t an outcome it is a process.” I danced with love. It said I will both hurt you and make you strong.  Love doesn’t make everything okay, but I will give you the courage to keep trying.  Give you the wisdom to know when you tried hard enough.  It is okay to need a timeout but not okay to check out completely. I danced with love, and it said sometimes hiding gives your heart time to recover.  Other times it is just a cop out. I danced with love, and she said, “Will you please look at the ways cut yourself with your words and expectations over and over again?” I danced with love and she said, “perfection isn’t required, compassion is.” I danced with love, and she took me to gentleness.  She walked me among the trees, showed me […]

white roses

A blessing from my mother (White to Red)

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When my mom passed away in 2010, a friend gave me a white rose bush to plant in my mom Lucille’s honor. A couple times a year, Lucille’s roses bloom in huge beautiful full white flowers, their fragrance subtle and sweet. The other day I was watering Lucille’s roses and noticed tiny buds. TINY RED Buds. “Wait…Lucille’s roses are white roses….Where did the red roses come from?” An internet search yielded a practical answer. My white roses were most likely grafted onto the roots of a red rose bush. New shoots are probably coming from the root ball. But when I saw those red buds…I knew…I knew it was deeper more meaningful than coincidence. I can simply believe the roots just gave me red roses or I can believe that my ancestors and spirit guides are supporting all the work I’ve done over the last 11 years. My mom died […]

Pachamama Mother Earth by Carol Woodliff

Communing with Pachamama (Mother Earth) A Prayer

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Sometimes in life we have to go to the Divine Mother.   Connecting to Pachamama (Mother Earth), the divine nurturing feminine always grounds me and helps me.   Sharing a prayer or incantation I wrote the other day after one of my grounding to her meditations. A Prayer to Pachamama I sit cross legged on the grass, feeling the sun on my face.  Closing my eyes.   Breathing deeply.   In my suburban backyard on a freshly mowed lawn, I extend a root from my vagina connecting to Pachamama,  the Earth Mother.  An energetic umbilical cord.  Anchor me, nourish me, ground me, feed the soul of me that needs to know that in my human form I am loved, I am her perfect child.  That I belong like the trees and the flowers.  That there is a home for me. It is a longing for connection that drives me outside to be…to slow down.  […]

Meditator breathing

Meditation on Breathing

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I was awake at 4:30am this morning.  Wide awake.   Those who know my night owl tendencies,  know how odd that is.  Only 4.5 hours sleep and I was ready for the day.   I decided to get up meditate and write.   As I was noticing my breathing,  I heard these instructions. “Breathe in notice how supported you are, Breathe out give thanks.”   Right now, when so many are struggling to breathe–whether from COVID or lung issues or anxiety.   It was powerful to connect and give thanks for my breath.   When I went to the page to write about that experience this is want came out. Breathe in Notice this Breath Is it shallow? Are you rationing life? Are you limiting your support? Breathe in and allow yourself to receive the fullness Pause. Are holding on to what is done? Are you living in fear of where your “next” comes from? Your […]

Rainbow and quote

Bridging Heaven and Earth

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Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed with everything that is going on in the world.   I know I do.   I was journaling today and this is what I wrote. Be the Bridge between Heaven and Earth.  Have compassion for your fears and the courage to rise above them. Plant the seeds of kindness, love, and miracles that this weary world is craving. We often forget that we are the ones responsible for creating heaven on earth.  We can create heaven or hell in our thinking and our actions.  We choose to make our world a little better by being here and being that bridge.  What seeds of heaven do you want to plant today?

Mountain Image with What if I Fully Embraced my Soul?

What if I fully embodied my soul?

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If I fully embodied my soul, I would listen to the whispers and move toward my fears as mighty as a dragon slayer priestess. I might find the dragon, not a foe but a companion to help me embrace my sacred heart, my earthly sensuality. My bold unique beautiful expression.  My own fire breathed into the world. I might find a bear with a thorn in its paw.   Singing softly to the hurting beast, I would remove the thorn and the bear would walk with me certain that I would be tender with his wounds. I might find a whimpering child who needed to be rocked and have her back rubbed while she told me how lost and small, she felt.  It’s okay love, we all feel lost and small at times. I might sit under a tree and listen to its wisdom or walk a mountain pass and feel […]

Signs Beginnings and endings

August Musings Navigating Change

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Month 5 for me of working from home and only heading out when required. This post contains some practices/mindsets that have helped me navigate and which may spark some ideas for you. Plus I’m excited to announce two classes available in September. Who would have thought a year ago this is where we would be? I know I didn’t. But it has encouraged me to go deeper with my spiritual practices and asked me to step up in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. I’ve been honored to hold ceremony for families who have sick loved ones and for those who lost loved ones during this pandemic. There is something profound about doing death rites and helping souls cross over. It is sad certainly but also a privilege. I’m also doing lots of ceremonies of visioning the highest for this time. In each ceremony I do, I add prayers for my […]

We can do better

We Can Do Better

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This post grew out of a post in my journal.  It is an opinion and a call for us to know that we can do better.  That we have to use our spiritual connections, our creative imaginations, our compassion and courage to visualize and take action to create better.  The very recent past “My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Please, please. I can’t breathe,” George Floyd begs.  Pinned by a police officer who sees him as less than human–deserving of death for the color of his skin or the accusation of passing a bad bill. How can anyone viewing that make excuses or think it is anything less than murder? Ahmaud Arbery jogging.  Murdered because a man of color running in their neighborhood must be up to no good. An entitled woman—who think the leash laws don’t apply to her calling the cops on a black man who simply asks […]

Heart with light

Cultivate Powerful Love

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This morning in my meditation journaling this  flew onto the page.   A reminder that we do have a choice on what we feed and cultivate.  I haven’t been sharing my “From Scared to Sacred” Messages but this reminder felt like it needed to me shared.  I call it Cultivate Powerful Love. Cultivate Powerful Love   In times of fear, powerful love is needed In times of feeling powerless, powerful faith and connection must be tended. Draw light from the sun, the moon and the stars. Ask that your light is made strong. Send roots down to Mother Earth. Ask her to ground you and make you steady in uncertain times. Connect with the Divine, The Source, however you experience That Highest Power. Ask for Love to Grow Strong. Send Love to someone who is sick. Send Love to those who are helping the sick. Send Love to the fear of […]