Inspired by the words on my tea bag today: Where there is love, there is no question.

The Feminine is the embodiment of heart energy. Her key qualities are compassion and the ability to accept and honor the process of whatever is happening. Perhaps this is often easier for women because we are physically and emotionally programmed to honor the cycle of conception, pregnancy, and birth to welcome and include whoever may be born from that long, mysterious process.

Contrary to the idea that women are overemotional, the Divine Feminine is well grounded emotionally and has the capacity to bring all of her energy to exactly where she is in the moment. Feminine energy accepts the paradoxes of life and has the ability to hold them within her heart simultaneously. Feminine energy connects deeply with the Earth and all of her children, feeling for and with them.

The following list of feminine qualities – the vision of ourselves the Divine Feminine whispers in the stillness of our hearts – is by no means complete. You will be able to add many of your own.

THE DIVINE FEMININE IS….. Read more of Qualities of the Divine Feminine From “The Courage to Be Yourself” by Sue Patton Thoele

To support your mindful transition from 2009 to 2010….

Please share your favorite Tolle quotes – or any others!

Enthusiasm means there is a deep enjoyment of what you do plus the added element of a goal or a vision that you work toward. … You will feel like an arrow that is moving toward the target – and enjoying the journey.

Knowing yourself deeply has nothing to do with whatever ideas are floating around in your mind.  Knowing yourself is to be rooted in Being, instead of lost in your mind.

Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into this world from deep within you.

No matter how active we are, how much effort we make, our state of consciousness creates our world, and if there is no change on that inner level, no amount of action will make any difference.

What you react to in another, you strengthen in yourself.

The source of all abundance is not outside you.  It is part of who you are….The acknowledgment of that abundance that is all around you awakens the dormant abundance within.  Read more of My favorite Eckhart Tolle quotes

Having trouble finding the perfect item for someone special? Need a thoughtful hostess gift? Looking for a way to share cheer at the office without exchanging one more round of Santa mugs and reindeer ornaments? Read more of Mindful Holiday Giving

In many households, frazzled Thanksgiving cooks (Grandma comes to mind) put out a relish tray to keep hungry but idle hands out of the kitchen. These trays are loaded with goodies, each tucked into its own compartment: pimento-stuffed green olives, whole black olives little ones canstick on their fingertips before eating, radishes, celery stuffed with peanut butter or cream cheese, carrot sticks, equal portions of two kinds of pickles (sweet and dill) so there’s no fighting….

Here’s our recipe for a Thanksgiving relish tray:
A spoonful of Mindfulness
A dollop of Awareness
Equal portions of Family Dynamics and Deep Breaths
Lots of little Inner Smiles
A heaping portion of Blessings
Serve on a platter of Gratitude and Love

TheKitchn.com has some great ideas for updating Grandma’s Relish Tray

Maybe you saw it on Oprah? It is part of an international project called Complaint Free Living. I’m finding it requires a high degree of mindfulness!

The process is simple: You put a bracelet on one wrist and wear it there until you complain about something. When that happens, you switch the bracelet to the other wrist. Remember, gossip and criticism are forms of complaining! Each and every time it happens, you switch the bracelet. The goal is to keep the bracelet on the same wrist for 21 days in a row.

Read more of My newest mindfulness secret is a purple bracelet

“What you get by reaching your destination is not as important as what you become while reaching your destination.”

This quote from Dr. Robert Anthony is a good reminder that each moment is a precious opportunity to be completely mindful and present to the unfolding or our essence.  Perhaps the moments of “becoming” are actually the destination?  As Eckhart Tolle says – our primary goal is to be present to evolving consciousness, and everything else is secondary.

Quote I recently heard – “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we will know peace.”  I would add – “When we know and PRACTICE love as the only true power, we will know peace.”

This coming Wednesday, we’ll be talking about Creativity and Play in the face of life’s challenges, large and small. Here are some quotes to get you thinking about the topic……

     “You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self.”  ~Richard Bach

“The Paleolithic hunters who painted the unsurpassed animal murals on the ceiling of the cave at Altamira had only rudimentary tools. Art is older than production for use, and play older than work. Man was shaped less by what he had to do than by what he did in playful moments. It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities.”  ~Eric Hoffer

“Always leave enough time in your life to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous.  That has more of an effect on economic well-being than any other single factor.”  ~Paul Hawken

Thinking of making New Year’s Resolutions? Think again.

The most popular thing to do at New Years (besides drinking champagne) is probably to Make Resolutions. You tell yourself, your friends and your family (and if you’ve overdone it on champagne, perfect strangers!) that next year you’ll do it DIFFERENTLY. Next year, you really are going to lose those extra 20 pounds, even if you have to starve yourself to do it. For a time you stick to your plan. You diet, you join the gym and you lose some weight. Somewhere between Valentine’s Day and June, you lose your momentum. Summer rolls around and you beat up on yourself for not sticking to the diet and you dread putting on a swimsuit. Somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas you realize you really did eat that whole plate of cookies and you swear to fast until New Years so you don’t end the year without losing a single pound! Now it’s New Years Eve and you hate the sense of failure to meet your “resolution”, so you try to muster up some confidence to try again next year. (Maybe this contributes to the amount of champagne consumed on New Year’s Eve!)

Instead of making resolutions, what if you Set Intentions for 2009? Read more of Don’t Make Any Resolutions Till You Read This!