Tell It: Collage: My new ecourse!

I'm so excited to share the details about my new ecourse Tell It: Collage! 

In this course, I share one of my favorite creative self-care practices that has become even more supportive to me this year. When I've felt stuck, unsure of what to say, in the thickness of overwhelm, this is the practice that has been saving me again and again.

And I can't wait to experience it with you!

Come along for 21 days of collaging, journaling, and connection to help you tell your story. 

• Because playing with scissors and glue and images and words connects us to the creative joy inside us.
• Because we live in a time where the overwhelm can feel tangible, and we need go-to practices to get us back into our hearts.
• Because honoring and telling our stories helps us push through the stacked up stuff so we can fully show up in our lives.

Tell It: Collage is an ecourse that uses the mediums of collaging + journaling (plus a big dose of inspiration and connection) to help you tell the stories waiting inside you.

But it's even more than that.

It sets the foundation for creative self-care that you can do almost anywhere so that you feel supported and connected to your truth and inner wisdom as you move through the world.

And it connects you with a community of kindred spirits who are each finding their way to telling their stories every single day.

YES. YES. YES.

Here's how it works: You'll gather up a journal and magazines + glue + scissors + pens + whatever other supplies you feel called to play with right now. I'll provide prompts, stories, inspiration, and tips.

And then we’ll meet in a private Facebook group and on Instagram to share our stories and creations each day. 

I'll also share peeks inside my journals and how this practice has helped me deepen my relationship with myself, others, and even give me direction with my dreams and business.

Dates: November 14 - December 4, 2017
Cost: $35

Tell It: Collage Includes

• Inspiration, stories, and prompts delivered via email
• A live group call to connect and share
• Connection via a private Facebook group 
• Additional connection on Instagram via our group hashtag
• Breathing space so you can work at your pace
• Accessible, juicy prompts for both beginners and experienced journalers

Why Collage?

• Because the act of flipping through magazines to gather images creates a rhythm that gets you out of your head and back into your body.
• Because this is a creative self-care practice you can do with minimal supplies almost anywhere.
• Because pasting image and words give you a place to begin to tell your story - no more staring at the blank white pages in your journal unsure of where to start.

I'm so excited to offer my first new course in almost two years and hope you'll come along!

If you have any questions about Tell It: Collage, just comment below or send over an email.

Big love,
Liz

the push and pull of motherhood

I spent a week at Pixie Lighthorse's Soulodge Ranch at a retreat last month. I'm still finding the words to explain how that retreat deeply reminded me of my wholeness. I feel a bit put back together as I'm in the integrating phase in my re-entry time at home. I haven't been to a retreat as a participant in a very long time. Oh my gosh I needed it.

As I keep integrating that experience, here are few words today that started out as ramblings on a post on Instagram about motherhood when I got home and became a reminder that I'm letting sink into my bones.

I think about the pieces that are her story, the pieces that are mine, and I know we are here to teach each other.

And yet, sometimes our different personalities make me feel like I woke up in the middle of a busy intersection in a country I've never visited.

And yet, so often she holds up a mirror. 

And yet, even though the initial moments of my return Saturday night from a week away were in the realm of me saying to the universe, "Wait, what? You stitch me back together and throw me into this?" with tears tapping around the edges, we made it to the next day with a renewed sense of softness amidst the sharp edges.

As she said goodbye on her way to camp one day last week, she yelled through the closing door, "I can't wait to cuddle more as soon as I get home."

Yes. Yes to all of it.

Even the holy wow this is harder than I ever thought it could be moments.

Because last week in the sacred meadow I remembered the answers inside me.

I remembered I am never alone.

I remembered I could reach out with an open hand.

I remembered there is still time to teach her so much. 

The truth is: Sometimes I try to convince myself that there is supposed to be a balance. Or that other people know what they're doing while I flail. I try to convince myself that I've failed. That somehow so much that feels hard is my fault. I feel all the feelings all the time.

The truth is: I'm doing the best I can. Sometimes my best is awesome. Other times my best is tired, annoyed, and overwhelmed. 

The truth is: I so often say to others, "All that you need for the next step is inside you. Trust that truth." I say it because I believe it.

The truth is: I'm remembering that applies to me too.

There is a push and pull in this experience of life, of motherhood, of being human. Each day that push and pull is there. Sometimes you find your footing and the sand beneath the surf doesn't swirl away. Other days you realize you can step onto the boat just waiting for you (do you see it right there beside you). Other days are just hard. And other days, you see the open hand beside you inviting you to step out of the push and pull and rest. 

I could go on and on with this image because the push and pull of the waves, of the grief and the joy, of the beauty of every day and the longings inside me...this push and pull is always present within me. 

It's a piece of The And Space that I walk through.*

One reason I practice is to create space inside me that feels more centered, grounded, and better able to navigate that push and pull. I hold onto mantras and poems and minutes outside breathing so that I can pause the swirling thoughts and be present to whatever is unfolding, to whatever is ahead. I sit in meditation, write out my thoughts in my many journals, reach out to you with a story, capture life through my lens to make sense of it all. These are all pieces of my practice.

While standing on a beach with my daughter last week, reminding her, reminding us, that getting outside and just being together can provide a restart, I remembered that I have time to teach her. I remembered that it doesn't have to look like someone else's life. I remembered that I have to keep practicing so I don't get carried away by the push and pull. I remembered I can continue to give us both the tools to come home to ourselves.

Right now, as we continue to be in this part of our time where we walk side by side, each on our own paths, she often reaches out for my hand but also really wants to walk ahead of me. Sometimes at the same time. Sometimes she really wants me to carry her. There is a deep push and pull at times. And I'm seeing that she feels that too. 

So we practice. We practice so we can better navigate and find our way. We practice to find the softness and ease. We practice to find the love.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

*The And Space is what I call this place where we hold onto the beauty and the mess, the joy and the grief. It's this place where we build bridges between the routine of daily life and the longings within. It's where we acknowledge the next steps we want to take. You can read more about it here. 

This is a story I shared with my newsletter list this week. If you'd like stories like this one in your inbox, you can sign up here.

13 poems that just might get under your skin (and change your life)

I love poetry. Poets save me with their truth-telling, getting-right-to-it, you-are-not-alone ways. And lately, I've begun to feel like we need them more than ever before.

Here are 13 poems that just might change your life. At the very least, they will get under your skin and make you think. And if you're new to poetry, they just might make you fall in love with it.

1. "The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry: My mother sends out emails to a group of us a few times a week. They are dispatches to support the resistance, filled with information and encouragement. I sent her this poem after she sent the last one. It's one we all need. (And you can hear Mr. Berry read it when you click through. The best.)

2. "Enough" by David Whyte: This poem is short, and really it's at the heart of what I hope you most know to be true. If you're new to David Whyte, start with River Flow, which is a collection of his poems from his first five volumes of poetry. I also highly recommend his audio CDs of poetry and non-fiction. 

3. "Forgetfulness" by Billy Collins: When you click through, you can also hear him read it. Go ahead and do that right now.

This is the part where I tell you (and tell me), please make sure all the poets you read aren't white men. So let's dig deeper into the world of poetry, shall we?

4. "won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton: Love her words here on "where ideas come from" and the importance of attention.  

5. "Kindness" by Naomi Shihab Nye: This poem feels like one of the most important things we can read right now. 

6. "French Chocolates" by Ellen Bass: This poem gets right to the truth of what it feels like when you are going through the shit of life and people keep saying platitudes and you keep wondering if you're invisible. I freaking love this poem.

8. "Persimmons" by Li-Young Lee. Read this one aloud. And then read it aloud again tomorrow. And then the day after. Read it until you can feel the dance of the language and the heartache and the beauty twirling together.

9. "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes: This poem. This poem. This poem. Please read the whole thing. Out loud. And then sit in the quiet, thinking, listening, learning.

10. "I Am Offering This Poem" by Jimmy Santiago Baca: I read this poem through a few times but it wasn't until I head the poet read it himself that I felt it in my bones. Listen to him read it here.

11. "The Powwow at the End of the Earth" by Sherman Alexie: This poem is like a sermon. Pay attention.

12. "Apollo" by Elizabeth Alexander: For a poem to really capture me, there has to be a sense of place - meaning I have to be able to get my footing as a reader. Maybe the reality is that I just need this sense of place to "get" the poem and it has nothing to do with the poet. This poem immediately gives a sense of place while shoving me into a part of the story I'd never have thought of if the poet hadn't written this.

13. "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver: If you know me well, you are probably wondering how I got all the way to 13 before mentioning Mary Oliver. I imagine I'll do a 13 Things post just about her. Until then, read this one. And even better, listen to Mary read it when you click through. This is one of her most famous poems, and I put it on this list because even if you know it, it is one to read again and again as it sinks into your bones. Also, the collection of poems in Red Bird always bring me home when I'm off center.

What poems have pushed you and gotten under your skin? Please share in the comments.

And if you feel a poem inside you start to brew, to dance, to speak aloud, start writing, dear one. Start writing right now.

Self-Care Move: Creating Space for Connection

just connect pocket talisman available at Soul Mantras

Self-Care Idea of the Week: Creating space for connection (and how opening our hearts to others helps support us as we hope to be more present in our lives).

For a few years now, I've been really blessed to have a circle of kindred spirits in my life. Women who value honesty and kindness. Who create space to listen and ask that I hold space for them in return. Who love me even when I don't show up as my best self, and who remind me who that best self is. 

But it hasn't always been this way. In the past, I tried to convince myself that this deep connection was supposed to look like something really specific, such as a group of women who all know each other and meet up a few times a year or even once a month. I tried to imagine a "ya-ya sisterhood" of sorts and wondered why I didn't have one or wasn't invited to be part of one. And I wondered why I wasn't finding this core group within my own community even though the reality is I spend most of my time with my family and I work from home.

But what I've learned is that connection is more about keeping my heart open and noticing when I feel deeply seen by another person. It is less about thinking I need a group of women who all know each other to become my go-to people for the rest of my life. And it is more about realizing that friendships ebb and flow and that I only feel connection when I actually try to connect with an open heart, even when this feels like a risk, perhaps especially when it does.

In my case, even though I'd been thinking about, talking about, wishing for more connection (with new friends, with people in my community, with entrepreneurs with similar experiences to me), I believe that I began to find it only when my heart opened to all the vulnerability that connection might mean. This means tending to the incredible friends I already have and letting them know how important their friendships are to me. This means holding space for all the past hurts and deciding to stay open anyway. This means making the choice to show up as me and set aside the person I think someone wants me to be. And this means continually recognizing all the gremlins that come up, especially when reaching out for new connection. Gremlins like:

• I might be rejected.
• I might say something silly when trying to actually say, "Want to get coffee sometime?"
• I might seem too eager.
• I might not be cool enough.
• I might not have the right clothes.
• I might over share.
• And how the list goes on and on. 

When we open our hearts to this connection, we realize we don't have to go it alone. We let love in. And letting love in might just be the most important thing we say YES to.

This week: What one brave move could you make toward connection today? Take a few moments to really think about this one. Is there someone in your life who you've been meaning to reach out to with gratitude? Someone who you know is having a hard time who might need someone to say, "How's it going over there?" and then really listen? Do you need to ask for support? Imagine letting someone know that you just need her to listen to you today. Let yourself move toward connection. 

Mantra: As you work with this practice of opening up to connection, here are some mantra ideas for you:

• I choose to keep my heart open.
• I can be brave and afraid.
• Listen with your heart open.
• Trust that yes inside you.

Other resources and tools: John O'Donohue's book Anam Cara, rose quartz, just about all the Piggie and Gerald books, and this guided compassion meditation.

And a few other self-care ideas for you.

13 Things for the Plant Lover

I'm pushing myself to get back to blogging and am going old-school with a schedule, including this new series of posts I'm calling "13 Things Thursday." I'm going to make lists each week that will include everything from mindfulness ideas to finds on the web to resources to things in my curvy girl closet (yes! I'm bringing it back!) to favorite things and so on. 

Today, I'm diving in with 13 Things for the Plant Lover because I have become quite the plant lady over here. Plant-y things are pretty on trend these days, and here are a few fun things I've spotted.

1. This Adopt a Plant t-shirt is so cute! It's by MagnoliaRootsCo and comes in a variety of sizes. (Also partial to this succulent t-shirt and this Let It Grow t-shirt that makes me start singing a plant version of Elsa's song.)

3. Bring on all the monstera leaves! I really want one of these plants in my home soon. Until then, this mug is on my wish list. We have the mama and papa bear mugs from Nokk Valley and I use mine daily. Hoping for this one for my birthday.

5. I love the DIY terrarium kits that are popular right now. They make great gifts and a fun activity with kids. This one is from Bliss Gardens Boutique on Etsy. Most terrariums like these have succulents and/or air plants as their main focus. I have one my brother made me when Ellie was born.  

7. Love this look from Target. The planters are on my wish list. I love the idea of having them out on my back patio in the summer and inside in our rainy seasons. 

9. This eeBoo 1008-piece puzzle is where the cat lady and plant lady come together. Eleanor and I love puzzles, and this on was by far our favorite of 2016. We have several eeBoo puzzles (and other good things) and I highly recommend this awesome company.

11. Eleanor and I LOVE this cactus umbrella. It is THE perfect size to actually keep you dry and it easily fits two people. We found ours at one of our local favorite stores, Stocklist Goods. You can find it online at Nordstrom.

2. Kangaroo pocket + wide neck + comfy sweatshirt + cacti. Yep. Sign me up. Love the not so needy cactus sweatshirt from Nicola and the Newfoundlander. Their whole shop is pretty darn cute.

4. I'm a bit obsessed with thinking about putting this heart-shaped monstera patch on my new favorite denim jacket (that I have yet to find - the search is underway!). There really are so many awesome patches over on Etsy. I've begun a collection and when I finally find that jacket, it will be rad. 

6. Last summer I met Sam of Hemleva at a craft show in Seattle and fell in love with her "plant lady is the new cat lady" pin. She's expanded to all these pins and they are adorbs. Also, she makes gorgeous himmeli, which are air plant holders that are really like artwork for your home. 

8. That adorable Target pillow to the left is out of stock, but you can get this one from Society6 in several sizes and in indoor and outdoor varieties (imagine all the incredible outdoor pillows!).  

10. If you are looking to decorate with plants in your home, The New Bohemians by Justina Blakeney is full of ideas to help you add green goodness to every single room in your home. It has been a huge inspiration to me as is her blog. 

12. This cactus phone case from Sonix is pretty darn cute. Love the flowers and the stars. I have one similar to this one with peonies, and it's been awesome, protecting my phone after many a fall.

13. This cactus necklace from Splendor and Stone on Etsy might just be my favorite item on this list. Gretchen is a local Tacoma artist who I've had the pleasure of meeting. She creates so many fun pieces that you can wear every day or for special occasions. Head over to her shop and explore! (If you've seen the reveal for this month's Talisman of the Month Club box, you know why I have my eye on this one.)

I hope you've enjoyed this first post in my new Thursday series! Note that some of these links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase through the link. All photos are copyright to the businesses and makers mentioned.

Check out more of my favorite things posts here.

Self-Care Move: Try a Candle Meditation

Lighting a candle with intention is something that is done in many religions. Candles are often used to represent a higher power or the four elements. Lighting a candle can be used to begin meditation; then the candle is extinguished when the meditation draws to a close.

The act of extinguishing the candle should be part of the ritual. My teacher once gently told me this has two reasons: The first being that it signifies the end to the practice and the second to remember to extinguish the candle as to avoid burning down the house. 

Bringing a candle into your meditation practice invites in ritual, but it can also provide something for you to focus your attention on. Here's one way to practice what I simply call a candle meditation:

With this meditation, you want a clear space where you can place your candle. It should be free from clutter and distractions. You don't want to worry about anything catching on fire or a pet or child knocking over the candle.

This meditation is best done seated. It's a good idea to have the candle pretty close to eye level so that you don’t find yourself bending forward to look at it. Also, let it be at least a foot away from you so that it isn’t too bright. 

When you’re ready, light your candle, and as you do, create an intention for yourself for this moment. It might be something like, "I connect to the light within and around me." or "Let these breaths center and support me." or "Just be right here. Noticing. Letting the day go for these moments." You could also use just one or two words as your intention, like breathe, notice, be here.

After you light the candle, bring your gaze to it. Watch it as you breathe. Inhaling, being right here. Exhaling, watching the candle. You might want to imagine that you’re inhaling the light inside you and then exhaling it over you.  

Do this for 3-5 minutes the first time you try it. Letting your gaze just soften on the candle as you breathe. 

If looking at the candle is too bright, let yourself just look over it or below it. Your gaze should be soft. You can also do this with your eyes closed, imagining the candle in your mind or just keeping an awareness that it is near you.

Explore other meditations here.

Candle pictured above is from one of my favorite candle companies, P. F. Candle Co, which you can find at one of my favorite shops: Moorea Seal.

For more self-care ideas, sign up for my (almost weekly) newsletter.

Bottom photo by Lauren Oliver Photography

studio news :: january

Last week, when I was making a list of the ways my business can most support people right now, an idea that has been tapping on me for over two years basically stood up and said: THE TIME HAS ARRIVED.

So here we go! Today, I'm so excited to share the very first Soul Mantras subscription box: The Talisman of the Month Club

A SELF-CARE BOX DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR EACH MONTH

Because we need words to remind of us what we know. Because holding something in our hand connects us to our own hearts and the hearts of others. Because, sweet soul, self-care is a deep breath, an act of resilience, and even an act of courage that you can make time for.

The Talisman of the Month Club is a monthly subscription that includes a delightful little box of inspiration and support delivered to your door. Each month presents a new theme that provides you with self-care ideas and practices connected to the talisman you’ll be able to hold in your hands.

The intention behind this box is to give you tangible practices and reminders to see and hold to help you create space to practice self-care each day.

Your monthly subscription includes (bolded items arrive in your box):

• A handmade pewter pocket talisman hand stamped with a phrase to support you, infused with love and blessings, and packaged in a bag to hold close
• A tiny print (all 12 months will create an inspiration deck for you)
• Note from my heart to yours talking about the Soul Mantra phrase and monthly practice
• A surprise additional gift
• Monthly email newsletter where I dive deeper into the practice and share ideas
• Invitation to a private Facebook group where we will talk about ways to connect with the month’s practice, share supportive stories, and so on

THIS BOX IS ALSO PART MAGIC!

Each month’s theme plus the talisman shape and size and your additional gift will be a surprise. This means your box will include all the goodies listed above but you will not know the exact details. Instead, you’ll be stepping into the magic of connection and intuition with me. 

Here’s what I mean: As each new month approaches, I’ll be listening for the phrase, word, or quote that we most need. While I may show peeks on social media, the full contents of the box won’t be revealed until we start shipping them out to the beautiful souls in this circle. 

You can read more about the monthly box and subscribe right here on the Soul Mantras site. And yes, we are shipping internationally!

What I love most about this box is that it bridges the self-care and mindfulness practices I teach at my retreats and in my ecourses with the Soul Mantras I've been making since 2008. I love that I'll be sharing self-care ideas, we'll come together on Facebook to connect about them, and you'll be able to hold real, tangible handmade reminders in your hand in your corner of the world.

courage, dear heart

Earlier this month, I shared some words about why I've chosen "attention" as my word of the year. Today, here's a little more about the phrase I'm also carrying with me: Courage, dear heart.

“But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, "Courage, dear heart," and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan's, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.”

- C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicles of Narnia books have some of my favorite stories of all time. I'm a huge fan of C.S. Lewis and his writings, fiction and non-fiction. I appreciate his honesty and doubt and even cynicism about love until he fell in love later in life. He writes about grief in raw, intense ways in his book A Grief Observed, which is about his reaction to his wife's death. The writing was so truthful and full of questions about his faith that he published it under a pseudonym. I find this all so fascinating.

Lewis has said that Aslan represents Jesus in his Narnia books; I think of him as God. 

So to me, this quote is about faith and reaching out for what is greater than you when you are afraid and being reminded that you must look deep within for courage while also trusting that you aren't alone in whatever is coming your way.

Big stuff.

Last week, while Joni Mitchell sang, I wrote down all that came to mind when thinking about this phrase. Focusing mostly on feelings and words that capture where I am in this moment. I pushed myself to let go of censoring (even if it felt like I was writing cliches) and just write, using a kind of mind map.

I want to try to do this same practice every month - journaling with "courage, dear heart" as my prompt. There will probably be repetition but it feels powerful to push aside swirling thoughts and hone in on the feelings under the feelings with this phrase as a prompt.

Courage and attention, two words that feel important as we march forward into whatever is to come. I look forward to bringing them with me and using them to keep myself focused and supported as I find my way.

What words are you holding close these days? I'd love to know. 

(print above from Cheerful Ink)