NEWSLETTER |
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Each quarter, right before the Solstices and Equinoxes, Spirited Living offers a smorgasbord of inspiration, support, and information. Enjoy this season's offerings: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1) COACHING CORNER -- coaching tips, stories, and motivational tidbits Spirited Living is sent only to those who have requested it. We value your privacy and we never rent, sell, or share our mailing list with anyone. To Subscribe, Unsubscribe, or Change your subscription, see the end of this issue. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Dear clients and friends - I've always thought there was something a little subversive about the Summer Solstice. True, it's touted as the "longest, brightest day of the year", but it's really kind of bittersweet -- just when we're getting excited about the longer, warmer days, we hit June 21st and the days technically start to shorten! Still, I intend to let go and enjoy the mellower energy of summer…I hope you're planning on doing the same! With bright summer blessings, ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
“Regardless of whether we are actually a mother, the Mother archetype takes each of us out of our isolation and restores us to direct kinship with the All and thereby to wholeness.” -- Donna Wilshire COACHING CORNER If that same life-giving force is sizzling around you and in you, it should come as no surprise to hear that this is the time of year most associated with the Mother archetype. I don’t think it’s an accident that Mother’s Day happens the beginning of May, just as Mother Earth is starting to “pop”, giving birth to herself yet again. And since ancient times, all over the world, the Summer Solstice has been a time to celebrate the Mother goddesses at their most fertile and vibrant -- Gaia, Demeter, Yemaya, Hera, Frigg, Ishtar, Parvati, Pachamama... the list is pretty impressive. So, how can we mere, modern-day mortals connect more deeply with that joyful, Mother-loving mojo? The most obvious way is to acknowledge the sometimes terrific, sometimes tumultuous, always complex relationship with our own mothers. Before some of you run in the other direction, just consider that it’s the one thing that all men and women share, that binds us to each other – that we were all born of a mother who was born of a mother who was born of a mother… In Donna Wilshire’s fascinating book, Virgin, Mother, Crone, she points out that we all bear the permanent mark of our connection to Mother – an omphalos, a navel. In ancient times, this "mother-mark" was much revered, often decorated as a reminder of our deep connection to the Mother Creatrix. Do you think all those belly-button ring-wearers we see today are aware of that primal connection they're celebrating?! I’m incredibly blessed to have a special relationship with my mom. In fact, this summer marks the 18th year that she and I have escaped for our 2-day mother-daughter retreat to some little B&B nearby. But if the thought of spending two days alone with your mother paralyzes you or if your relationship with your own mother isn’t or wasn’t ideal, think about how you might honor that archetypal energy in some other way. On the Summer Solstice a few years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a sacred ceremony to honor the pre-Incan goddess, Pachamama – Mother Earth, Mother Time, Mother Universe. Peruvian musician and sound healer, Tito La Rosa and his partner, Elba, led us in preparing an offering of seeds, herbs, corn meal and sweets to "Pacha". Then, as we passed this bundle around the circle, we each silently offered a prayer to honor Her wisdom and generosity. As we hugged the sacred offering to our hearts, Elba rained rose petals over each one of us while Tito played a different instrument around us. (As much as I was trying to be in the moment, I found myself hoping that he'd play a particular flute when it was my turn… and he did!) I found myself weeping as I sunk into the experience of giving thanks to the Mother, while at the same time feeling enveloped and nurtured by Her. More than ever, our beautiful, fragile Earth Mother is being pummeled by humankind, the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico being only the most recent horrifying example. What big and small ways can each one of us work toward restoring balance with Her? Maybe it’s making a renewed commitment to recycling. If you haven’t watched “The Story of Stuff”, do it NOW (www.storyofstuff.com) – it’ll blow your socks off. Maybe it’s volunteering to clean up your local water ways, or to buy more organic produce, or convert to natural cleaning products. The next time you go for a hike in a pristine forest or swim in a clear mountain lake, or sit under a tree in your favorite park (I do that a lot!), take some time to think about how to give back to Her. And finally, let’s look at what each one of us can do to honor our own individual creative, life-giving force. We manifest that force literally when we choose to pro-create and produce offspring, when we nurse, protect, and counsel our daughters and sons into adulthood. But remember -- you don't have to be a biological mother to know the excitement of giving birth… to books, businesses, ideas, artistic creations, you name it. We're all "mothers" in one way or another – what's yours? Who or what have you supported, encouraged, counseled, and nurtured to fullness? Are there projects you've begun that are now beginning to bear fruit? Have you ever "midwifed" an idea of your own or someone else's, from the first spark, through its "pregnancy", to its exciting culmination? Now is the time to embrace that energy, supported by the lushness of Mother Nature at Her most exuberant. If you've been stuck in the process of "labor", allow yourself to draw on the magical, productive power of the Mother. Touch your own navel, your omphalos, to recharge your connection to Her and give birth to yourself! *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* RITE-MINDED MOMENTS >>>>>> In many parts of the world, the lush greenery of summer only lasts a few months. Take some time today to connect consciously with the fullness of nature… flop down on a cushion of grass; study the veins in a leaf; disappear into a thick stand of bushes or trees. >>>>>>Celebrate your special position as conduit between the celestial bodies and Mother Earth. Standing quietly with your feet firmly planted, imagine a silver cord extending from your solar plexis deep into the Earth Mother, and another one reaching up to the cosmos. Feel their combined power meet within you and carry you through the week. >>>>>>Celebrate the height of the year’s sunlight with some sympathetic magic of your own – using a small tealight candle, carve a word onto it with a pen or nail that reflects a dream, wish or intention that you’ve given birth to recently. Light the candle and take a moment to acknowledge your own creative spark! *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* LUNAR REFLECTIONS June 26th -- Full Moon in Capricorn July 26th -- Full Moon in Aquarius August 24th – Full Moon in Pisces To more deeply connect with the Full Moon energy, please join us for the Full Moon TeleMeditations each month (dates shown below). *** For New Moon ideas, see the themes for the New Moon SisterCircles below. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* AND ANOTHER THING (OR TWO)... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* SUMMERTIME SOULSHINE ALL DAY YOGA PARTY *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* WOMEN’S SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP TELE-CONFERENCE – starting July 12th. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* SPIRITED LIVING PROGRAMS AND TELECLASSES MIDSUMMER EARTH CELEBRATION – Monday, August 2nd; 6:30pm in Central Park
With Deborah Roth and Katherine Brewster WHERE: The NEW Sacred Grove in Central Park
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* SPIRITED WOMEN MOON CIRCLES SUMMER 2010 NEW MOON SISTERCIRCLES IN NYC
Join us as we gather in the dark of the Moon to locate, heal and re-claim the Divine Feminine in ourselves and in our society. When we come together under the New Moon, we celebrate our connection to the lunar cycles, to the earth, and to each other, through movement, song, personal sharing and magical play. Monday, July 12th New Moon in Cancer Monday, August 9th New Moon in Leo Tuesday, September 7th New Moon in Virgo Monday, July 12 New Moon in Cancer Location: 160 Central Park West @ 76th Please note: We begin to gather at 6:30 and all circles begin promptly at 6:45 PM. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* MONTHLY WOMEN'S FULL MOON TELE-MEDITATIONS Are you missing a sense of sisterhood and connectedness in your life? Join us as we celebrate our connection to the lunar cycles, to the earth, and to women everywhere in a powerful 15-minute meditation. Simply dial into the special telephone "bridge" number - 212-200-6000, pin #999677 - at 12 PM Noon EDT and join our Virtual Circle! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Deborah Roth, M.A., PCCis a certified Life & Career Transition Coach, Relationship Coach, and Interfaith Minister. Through her business, Spirited Living, she helps overwhelmed, undernourished women (and a few good men) create work that they love and love that works. Deborah also facilitates unique, magical wedding ceremonies & baby blessings, as well as ongoing SpiritedWomen Circles, workshops and events. She is currently working on her second book entitled “Circle of One: The Art of Becoming a SELF-centered Woman”. Her first book is “The Authentic Woman Playbook”, and she also has a chapter in “101 Great Ways to Improve your Life”. Deborah has been married for 28 years to the same awesome guy, Peter Roth; they have two remarkable sons, Ben, 26, and Chris, 23. For a FREE introductory coaching session, she can be reached at: 212-665-9660 or email Deborah@SpiritedLiving.com *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* I invite you to share Spirited Living with your mailing list, friends, and associates. We ask only that the entire e-mail with copyright and credits be included. Spirited Living is written and produced by Deborah Roth. You may contact her at (212) 665-9660 or email Deborah@SpiritedLiving.com *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* SUBSCRIBE: To receive Spirited Living each quarter from Deborah Roth, please click here.
Deborah S. Roth, MA, PCC |
Website by AccessAudrey