Cultivating Self-Love: Spirit Re-Cap

Can you believe it is already the last day of January? Don't get me wrong, I'm actually happy that it is, because it means that Spring is just around the corner (and the sun will soon be up before I am). January is generally my least favorite month of the year, and it usually passes so slowly, but this January has been a beast of a different sort, and in a good way.

As you may know by now, this year I have created a project of cultivating self-love, and for the month of January I've been focusing on my spirit. I thought that since it is the end of the month, I would share with you what I have learned this month, and what progress I have made in my over-arching goal.

How I Have Cared For My Spirit

• I have created a new morning ritual for myself. I am not a morning person whatsoever, and I used to hit the snooze button on my alarm for a good half hour before pulling myself out of bed. This month, I have been using the Sleep Cycle app, and I get out of bed when the final alarm goes off. I then prepare cereal and coffee and I read a daily devotion, then say a short prayer. And then I turn on the Today show as I finish my breakfast. As it turns out, having a ritual to look forward to in the morning, and slowing down my morning routine, makes it a lot easier to get out of bed and start my day.
• I have taken breaks as needed. This month was jam-packed with social commitments, and as an introvert, that much activity can leave me feeling drained. I've said no or cancelled plans when I felt like I needed a break to re-charge, and I haven't felt guilty about it.
• I've been reading: Jesus Calling, The Fire Starter Sessions, I'm Proud of You, and The Snow Child. Each of these books has been soothing and soul-stirring. (Note: these four links are affiliate links, meaning I could make a small percentage of any sales generated through these links.)
• I've been spending time with friends. Having good friends is nurturing for the soul. As Marcel Proust said, "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." I couldn't have said it better myself.
• I've been paying attention to my soul's needs. This means taking breaks, spending time with loved ones, watching a movie, reading a book, going to bed early, or clicking away from news stories that infuriate me.
• I've been showing myself grace. I've faced a few challenges this month, and they have truly been opportunities for me to look at what is causing me anxiety and to change the story in my mind. This has also meant forgiving myself for my own mistakes. It hasn't been easy, but it has been rewarding.

What I've Learned

• Let love be the guide.
• Look for the good.
• My spirit is made from love.
• I am human and, therefore, flawed.
• Forgiveness is the beginning of grace.
• Peace comes with quiet.
• We are all connected.
• A loving spirit is the greatest foundation.

There is only one thing that is missing from my self-care this month, and that is time in nature. Nature is my sanctuary, but unfortunately, my body does not tolerate cold temperatures, so I will have to wait for warmer climes before I can return to my sanctuary. Until then, I'm filling my living and working spaces with plants. That counts, right?

How has this month been for you? Have you learned anything about your spirit? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

P.S. I'll see you back here on Monday to announce February's focus. If you can't wait until then, you can sign up for my newsletter here, which will hit your inbox on Sunday.

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Cultivating Self-Love: Soul Music

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I have a thing for music and creating playlists. I have a bajillion of them on my iTunes and my Spotify. Given that I tend to come up with a playlist for every mood and situation, I thought it also fitting to come up with a playlist that ties in with this month's theme of Cultivating Self-Love for/by the spirit. So today, I share with you my soul music playlist.

True story: one of the best compliments I have ever received was actually something someone told someone else about me. The place was a soup kitchen in San Francisco, and the local soul music radio station was playing classics while us volunteers made sandwiches. Given that I love that kind of music, I was dancing around while making sandwiches. The lady in charge said to one of the other youth group members, while pointing at me, "she's got soul." It sure felt nice to hear that.

Soul music cuts straight to my very core and makes me feel things. Sometimes it's longing, sometimes it's pure joy. It's the kind of music that you feel in your gut and makes you want to move.

Listen for yourself, and see if you don't feel something:

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Cultivating Self-Love: Novels for the Spirit

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a percentage of purchases made.

Have you ever read a novel that touched you on a deeper level? Think about a story that resonated deeply with you, one that challenged your beliefs, or broadened your philosophy on life. Today, I am going to share with you three novels that I consider to be "spiritual novels," or, as it turns out, what the French would call "contes philosophiques."

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

I read this novel for my second-year French class in college. We read it the Spring before I studied abroad, and I can't think of a better book to read before embarking on such an adventure. The story is about a young Andalusian shepherd who embarks on a quest across North Africa for treasure. Along the way, the shepherd meets interesting characters and learns great lessons about life and the treasure found within. Some favorite quotes:

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 

 “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.” 

 “We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” 

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

This is another book that I read in French, but not for class. I read the book on my own one Summer, to improve my French. What was unexpected was what I learned beyond new vocabulary words. This is yet another story about a young boy making a voyage, but this one is inter-planetary. The Little Prince makes great observations of the way grown-ups live their lives, and reminds us of the children that we all once were. Yet another book filled with quotes to stir the soul:

“You - you alone will have the stars as no one else has them...In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You - only you - will have stars that can laugh.” 

 “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” 

 “All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.” 

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 

I could not write about spiritual books without including one about a dog. I was born in the year of the dog, and I am a dog-lover. I believe that dogs have so much to teach us, and are truly spirit guides in this life. This story is told from the point of view of a dog whose owner is a race car driver. This novel taught me about manifestation, because the driver teaches his dog that in racing, your car goes where your eyes are looking. So in life, where your thoughts are, there is your reality. It is a truly touching story, and you bet it made me give Lucy more attention and cuddles. A few quotes:

“To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to.” 

 “That which is around me does not affect my mood; my mood affects that which is around me.” 

 “We too, must shatter the mirrors. We must look in to ourselves and root out the distortions until that thing which we know in our hearts is perfect and true, stands before us.” 

If you haven't read these books before, I cannot recommend them enough. I will warn you, however, that you will need tissue for each one. Frankly, I tear up just thinking about these books and all of the wonderful little lessons tucked within their pages. For me, stories have a unique way of teaching us about life and all of its mysteries, and these stories in particular have affected my spirit on the deepest level.

Your turn- have you read any of these books? Do you have any novels that soothe your soul, or that have taught you a valuable lesson? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below! 

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Cultivating Self-Love: Fabulous Fridays, January 24

Yay, it's Friday! I hope you have all had a lovely week. Given that I am currently operating on an empty stomach, I am going to hop straight to it and share with you how I have cultivated love for my spirit in the past week.

• Saturday morning I had my first meeting for Ladies Who Brunch Book Club. My pal Macey headed up the group, and we gathered to discuss books, eat brunch, and picked our first three selections. Given my love of reading, and my love of discussion, this was really satisfying for my soul.
  
• Naturally, after book club, I wandered around Powell's Books, picking up the first two books we selected. Aside from the woods, bookstores and libraries are my sanctuary. Some feel spirits in churches and cemeteries; I feel them in bookstores.
• We had a family dinner on Sunday night, which meant nephew time. The boys were being extra cute, crowding around a table to watch a train movie on my mom's iPad. Even cuter? When Fox grabbed my hand and pulled me over to watch a train movie with him so he wouldn't have to watch alone. Cutest? When Fox wanted on Desmond's lap, so Des let Fox climb onto his lap and they got cozy. Seeing how these cousins love each other warms my soul in the itchiest way possible.
  
• I'm still working my way through The Fire Starter Sessions, and I'm getting a lot out of it. I'm getting a greater vision for how I perceive myself, and how I would like others to perceive me. I feel like I am a rainbow, and other people only ever see a few colors. Sometimes that is appropriate, but there are times that I want someone to see it all and understand that I am whole.
• I had bellydance class on Tuesday, and my teacher really pushed me. There was a movement we were working on and the teacher told me I had it, but she wanted me to give more in one part of it. This basically required opening my heart- literally opening up my chest to the audience (or mirror in this case). It seems like such a simple thing, but that critique, and my resistance to doing what was asked, are really the crux of where I struggle with my dance. It is hard to make myself vulnerable when I dance, as dancing on its own already makes me vulnerable. So I want to work on that and explore that. It was a soul-cracking moment.
• On Wednesday morning, Fox was super cute in saying goodbye to me before I left for work. He's not normally awake when I leave, so it was extra special to see him before I started my day. Having the sweetest little blond-haired, blue-eyed boy waving goodbye over his gate as I left was about as sweet as it could get. You bet I started my day with a smile.
• I've been incredibly busy lately, in the best way, but when I take on a lot of social commitments, my me-time tends to dwindle. Recognizing that fact, Wednesday night I took a little time, grabbed my citrine and perdidot, and lay on the floor for a little mini-meditation.
  
• A second bloom has opened on my orchid plant. My thriving orchid reminds me that with patience and care, even something that looks dead can become something truly beautiful and flourishing. Plus, bright colors make me happy.

Tell me now, how was your week? Have you done anything to care for yourself? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Cultivating Self-Love: Thoughts on Spirituality

Via

Spirituality. A hot-button topic for some, a way of life for others. In my view, their are as many spiritual paths as there are souls who have ever and will ever walk this earth.

Clearly, since I am beginning my year of cultivating self-love with the spirit, spirituality is important to me. It has always been important to me. I am grateful that I was brought up going to church, and therefore given an outlet for my searching soul, though I came to disagree with much of the church's modus operandi. 

I have always believed in God. My idea of God has changed over time, but there has never been a doubt in my mind that there was some sort of higher power shaping our universe (and I am open to the concept of a multiverse, just so ya know). As a child, God was an old man with a really long, gray beard, and he sat on a throne in the clouds, which is where I believed Heaven to be. Even though I did not know what it was to lose a person I loved until my early twenties, as a child I was very concerned with death, and what happens to our loved ones when they pass. Knowing there was a Heaven for my parents, grandparents, and siblings to go to was a great comfort as a child.

That is, it was a great comfort until I learned about sin. I began attending Sunday School at a Conservative Baptist church from a young age, but the church that shaped me most was the one I went to when we moved to Washington. I was about 9 when we started going. I think it was in the Middle School youth group that we really started learning about sin, and how horrible and shameful it is. Sin, we learned, is what keeps us from Heaven. But if we asked Jesus into our hearts, our sins would be forgiven. 

Despite God's forgiveness of sin, my church seemed unable to look past it. I do believe that part of why I am still harshly critical of myself is because of how drilled into me the shamefulness of sin was at church. And I'm really not even a bad person. Growing up in the church, however, I witnessed churchmembers sins being announced to the congregation. One young, unwedded woman was brought before the church when she became pregnant out of wedlock. The church prayed over her for her sins, but seemed to care a little less about the man who committed the sin with her. That particular incident is one that made my stomach churn, and had me questioning my place in the church.

Later in my teens, I began to read the entire Bible on my own, beginning with the New Testament since it is the new covenant of Christ (meaning that everything- including the Old Testament- from before Christ no longer the rule of law for followers). From my reading, I learned some very important and basic things, the things that continue to shape my faith today. 

What I learned:

• God is Love.
• There are two rules: believe in God(Love), and love your neighbor.

Simple, right? With that, I wondered why the church acted the way it did. I don't believe love ridicules and shames people who have let their physical passions overcome them. Love listens and forgives.

So now what do I believe? I believe 100% in Love. I continue to listen to Christ's teachings, because I believe that he showed us how to love. But I also believe that if your path to love is Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Bhuddism, Taoism, Paganism, or any other (positive) -ism, then that is okay too. In fact, I feel that I incorporate a little bit of new-ageyness/paganism to my belief system because I also believe that Love is energy. I listened to a very interesting podcast from On Being the other day about Voodoo, and the interviewee talked about how in Voodoo, they believe that everything is energy. I believe that too. I believe that Love accepts all people, of all backgrounds.

What I believe:

• I believe in spirits, and I believe some people are gifted with the vision to see them. Personally, I have been visited by two spirits in dreams, one was to reassure me, and the other was to reassure a family member. Both dreams were incredibly real and vivid.
• I believe that animals are spirits. 
• I believe spirits are energy.
• I believe in gut instincts.
• I believe in the vibrational power of colors and crystals.
• I believe there is no better sanctuary than nature- especially the woods.
• I believe that all that matters is love, and that no one should enforce their religious beliefs on another person.
• I believe that all we have is faith. 

Having Love as my foundation makes me feel secure. I have a rock to stand on, and it has been with me my whole life. It may have been covered in lots of dirt before, but even as the rock takes new shapes below my feet, it is always there. 

Has your spirituality changed over the years? What is one thing that you believe for certain? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

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Cultivating Self-Love: Fabulous Fridays January 17

Happy Friday, my lovelies! How is it that we're already half-way through the month? 

I have been so busy this past week, and this weekend is shaping up to be even busier. Right now, it feels like me-time is a luxury.

I'd like to take today to check in and see how I did with cultivating self-love for my spirit this past week. It was a roller-coaster week, with today being the low point. It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you set out to cultivate self-love, you will be tested. You will face challenges to your self-esteem, and that is your opportunity to choose love. It is all well and good to love yourself when all is sunshine and lollipops in your life, but it is quite another to love yourself when you are in the midst of dealing with some big mistakes you've made.

Thankfully, because I am consciously choosing to love myself, I am able to recognize when my inner critic rears her ugly head. This week, I've been challenged countless times, and I am actively choosing to accept that I make mistakes, but so does everybody, and my mistakes do not make me unworthy of love and respect. And since I am choosing not to be afraid and beat myself up, and can direct my effort toward figuring out how and why my mistakes occurred. Personally, I've noticed a pattern: when I go for too long (over two years) without a proper vacation, I get worn out, and it affects my ability to do a good job at anything. A clear mind renews focus.

So, it's time for me to plan a real vacation sometime in the next year (the sooner the better).

Without further ado, here are some of the things that have helped me cultivate self-love for my spirit this week:

I had breakfast with Macey and we chatted about life and spirituality, and it was nice to talk about these things with someone who is on a similar wavelength.

I believe that soup is soul food. The process of making soup can be quite meditative, and I feel that pleasure connects us with the divine. Mmm...

I had a show this week! I danced to a live band, and really let myself go to the music. When I dance, I feel like I am tapping into the energy that connects us all. There is no feeling like the feeling I get when I dance, and I hope to do this until I'm well into old age.

How soothing for my soul was it to receive this little package from Lisa. Lisa is a champion for self-love, and just a dear person. Little did she know, I have a soft spot for elephants, and I consider them one of my spirit animals. Bonus: it's an incense holder. I've already given this one a home on my bookshelf next to my matryoshka doll and favorite candle.

I'm still working through Part 1 of The Fire Starter Sessions, and this quote blew me away. It seems so basic, and yet, how many times do we resist this? I'm keeping this one as a reminder for my word- radiant. 

How did you cultivate self-love for your spirit this week? How do you show kindness to yourself when you've made a mistake? I'd love to hear form you in the comments below.

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Cultivating Self Love: Crafting a Vision

Have you ever created a vision board? I have not- this here is my first. I've created many a collage and many a Pinterest board, but never a true-blue vision board.

The idea came over me in early December- I felt called to create a vision board for the year 2014. I've never been big on goals, whether short-term or long-term. I hate the pressure implied within a goal, and I don't always follow through. Life has thrown me too many curve-balls to put any stock in five-year plans.

But vision? I can do vision. I am a very visual person, and very much an idea person. Having an idea of what I want my life to look and feel like- that is something I can do.

Seeing my vision on something tangible is a great reminder for me to cultivate self-love. I see my dreams, aspirations, and even who I already am. I've tucked reminders into my vision board, so that in a dark moment I might be reminded of my greatness.

Many people choose a word of the year, and this year mine is "Radiant," which you can see on my board. This year, I want to make choices based on what makes me feel radiant. There will be singing and dancing, sparkles and red lipstick. Every image that I pasted onto my board represents radiance in some way to me.

If you've never made a vision board, I highly recommend it. Take a few evenings to clip magazines while watching some of your favorite movies, then see how they come together when you glue them to a poster board. Whatever your vision, know that it will be beautiful.

Tell me- how do you feel about vision boards? What words or images would you include? I'd love to hear form you in the comments below!

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Cultivating Self-Love: Fabulous Friday (January 10 edition)

TGIF, my friends! I hope you have had a wonderful week, and if not, at least it's Friday, right? I have plans to see some live music tonight, weekend brunch plans, and potential wine tasting. It sure helps to get through the work week when I have an exciting weekend to look forward to!

As I'm sure you are aware (and if not, here's a refresher), I am on a year-long quest to cultivate self-love, and this month I am starting with my spirit. As a way to keep track of my progress, I thought I would use my Fabulous Friday posts to check in and see how I'm doing. Please feel free to join me, if you like!

So, what have I done this week to cultivate love for my spirit? 

• I've been doing a daily morning reading of Jesus Calling, which has one entry for every day of the year. I will have to do a separate post outlining my spiritual beliefs (because they're not traditional), but essentially I was raised Baptist, left the church, but didn't leave behind the Christianity. As I read each devotion, which is written as though Jesus were talking, I replace all references to Jesus with the word Love (because Jesus is love, right?). It makes me see things from the perspective of love. So far, I have kept up with this every day, as well as following up with a very short prayer.
• I've been thinking about how I would describe my spirit, and that will have to be its own blog post as well. It helps me to love something I can describe.
• I've started reading I'm Proud of You by Tim Madigan. My heart is being touched in a big way by this book. Our planet was blessed to have Mr. Rogers grace us with his presence for a time. From what I have read so far, he is an example of a truly godly man, filled with so much love for his neighbor.
• I saw the movie About Time during a girls' night out at the Laurelhurst. I almost started crying when the main character talked about the love he felt when he saw his loved ones loving on his child. Lots of love in this movie, and lots of tears. But so beautiful.
  
• I visited my favorite local bookshop, New Renaissance, and picked up a citrine and a peridot. The citrine is supposed to help balance my 3rd chakra, as well as support self-esteem and abundance. Peridot is good for the heart chakra, and releases resentment while opening the heart for joy. I have felt a great amount of energy emanating from these stones, no joke.
• Also from New Renaissance, I picked up a copy of The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte. I had actually gone into the shop looking for Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love, but FSS beckoned me, and I heeded the call.
  
• Speaking of The Fire Starter Sessions, I have begun going through it and I am so inspired! I am learning that the way other people do things is not necessarily how I should be doing things.
  
• I met Nicole who blogs at Treasure Tromp for coffee while she was in town! I had such a great time chatting with her- she is about one of the sweetest people I have met (and also has one of the best blogs to sponsor).
• If I could give my spirit a color this week, I would say it is bright yellow. I am inspired, and I feel confident that I am moving in the right direction in my life. 

Tell me about your week, my friends! How have you cultivated love for your spirit this week? Any great plans this weekend? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Leave a Comment About Time, books, cultivating self love, fabulous fridays, happiness, I'm Proud of You, love, spirit, The Fire Starter Sessions

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Rachel's Guide to Portland: Broder Nord

Confession: I have eaten at this restaurant 3 times within the past 30 days. I'm hooked. I love the atmosphere, the light, the drinks, and the food. If you haven't been there yet, get thee to Broder Nord.

Hungry yet?

Portlanders- have you eaten at Broder Nord? Who wants to go back for brunch with me?

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Cultivating Self-Love: Spirit

Welcome to Cultivating Self-Love!

As I said in my introductory post, this month's theme is Spirit. Why start with Spirit? Because I believe that our spirit, our soul, is the very essence of our being, and if we are going to cultivate any kind of important practice in our life, we must start with our spirit.

What does the dictionary have to say about spirit?

Source

Our spirit is a force, and that force can be used for good or for bad. So let's take that force and use it for good. Let's use it to show ourselves love.

How do I envision this?

Explore

First, I want to consider the essence of my spirit, and what I believe. I know what my beliefs are, but I want to explore them and challenge them. I envision bringing more spiritual practices into my life. Meditation, prayer, devotion.

If you know what you believe, explore it. Get to know it, accept it, and love it.

If you don't know what you believe, explore that. What do you believe about the soul? Do you believe in an afterlife? Alternate/multi-verses? If you're ok with not knowing, accept that.

Nourish

Next, I want to think about what feeds my spirit, and do more of that. For me, it is spending time in nature, admiring a beautiful piece of art, playing with my nephews, and cuddling with my dog. When I do these things, my soul feels fulfilled.

What makes your soul shine? Do more of that.

Love

Finally, I believe that the essence of life is love, and that our spirits are love. So when we cultivate the love within our spirit, we will have a strong foundation for loving ourselves. And when we love ourselves, that love is able to radiate back out into the world. When that happens, we create waves of great change.

So, what do you believe about the spirit? Is this a little too woo-woo for you? If it is, that's ok. I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

P.S. I totally had deja-vu while writing this post, which I believe means that I'm heading in the right direction. The Spirit knows!

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The Ghost of Goodbyes

There are times in life when you simply do not get the goodbye that you expect. All you might want is the word itself, but it never comes. A person simply vanishes, as though they were never in your life to begin with.

Sometimes it is fate who robs you of goodbye. Death swoops in to take a loved one and all you are left with are ashes and unspoken words.

Sometimes it is inertia the inertia of two lives drifting apart, so that goodbye is irrelevant.

But sometimes there is an opportunity for goodbye. You open the door to say goodbye, but just as soon as you've ushered this person out, the door slams in your face and you are left with nothing but an empty room.

This is the goodbye I did not receive this past week.

I have never spoken of my romantic life on this blog, for a few reasons. I am still processing the why of this- the wanting to keep something personal to myself, the fear that things would not work out, the fear of discovery, but perhaps most of all, the fear of what I might uncover about this relationship if I wrote about it. Because when I write, I discover just who I am and what I feel.

To start out, I will say that I feel a certain amount of shame surrounding this relationship. Shame for being completely duped and choosing to continue with the relationship when most women would have jumped ship. He had been full of goodbyes, excuses, and false promises- promises I had believed.

In all honesty, it was as though I was never in a relationship all along. We never did the things most couples do- spending weekends together, going to parties together, meeting friends and family. All I had were dates. And then he moved away, and all I had were phone calls. I never even had a photograph of us together.

I wish I had seen the light much sooner, but I had always heard how relationships take work, and I believed I needed to have faith. I have since learned that someone must give you a reason to have faith in them, that they must follow through on their word.

And so last week, when he did not even call or text on Christmas, I said goodbye. In an email. I'm the kind of person who needs closure, and I would have preferred the finality of an in-person goodbye. Sadly, I was not allowed this luxury. When someone does not welcome you into their life, an electronic goodbye is all you can do. So I did. And I waited.

A week later, and I have not received a goodbye from him. He is gone, and like a ghost it is as though he was never there at all. Like I must have dreamed the whole thing.

Now I want to banish this ghost from my life, so that I can move forward into this year, unhaunted. Releasing this relationship in 2013 has created more space for me to love and respect myself in 2014. My wish for this year is that it will be full of hellos and empty of ghosts.

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New Year, New Blog (sort of)

Happy New Year! You made it to 2014. I'm still a bit freaked out by that number- that number means that in September, it will mark the 10th anniversary of my study abroad program in Poitiers, France. I don't know where the time has gone, but it has, and I'm happy for the memories.

2014 marks for some big changes around here. I'm sure you can tell by now that I have a new design (courtesy of moi, so that I can make changes as I go), but that is not all that is new.

This year, I am embarking on an adventure that I am calling Cultivating Self-Love. I believe that self-love is not an end result, but rather a practice. All year long I intend to bring practices into my life that cultivate compassion and respect for myself. Every month will be dedicated to a different aspect for cultivation, starting with Spirit. I hope that you will join me!

How can you join me, you ask?

First of all, I will be sending out a newsletter to subscribers on the first Sunday of every month. In this newsletter, you will find little goodies that will help you to cultivate self-love. I will share books, podcasts, my own thoughts, links, and a call to action for the month. If you'd like to receive this newsletter, sign up here!

Second, you can follow along here, on my blog! I will share what I've learned along the way, as well as resources that I come across.

Finally, you can follow through other social media, such as my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Not only this, but I hope that you will participate with me! You can share your experience with me via social media by using the hashtag #cultivatingselflove, or you can write a blog post. Be sure to email or leave a comment with a link to your blog post if you choose to write one, and feel free to use the button below. If there is enough interest, I will create an end-of-month roundup of fellow bloggers who are #cultivatingselflove.

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January's focus will be all about cultivating self love for/by the spirit. I believe that in all things, one must start with the spirit, and in self-love nothing could be more true. I will be back soon with an introductory post on the topic, so stay tuned!

What do you think? Are you ready to cultivate self-love? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

1 comment 2014, cultivating self love, new year, spirit

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