There is a strange thing that happens when you finally begin to love your life. You become aware that you could lose it. For most of my life, death wasn't something I particularly feared. In fact, within my spiritual understanding of existence, I have always thought of death as returning home—to the Spirit World. I often felt more connected to spirit than to my physical existence. And then something changed. I started wanting to be here.

There are moments in life when you realize you aren't quite ready for what comes next, but you also know you can't stay where you are. For me, that realization came after losing my soul dog, Spirit. Fostering felt like the perfect middle ground. I could open my home and my heart to a dog who needed me without making the lifelong commitment of adoption before I was ready.

A spiritual awakening doesn’t arrive with angels singing or a big dramatic sign. Most of the time, it begins quietly. Something shifts inside you. Something feels off. Something feels different. You can’t explain it, but you feel it. It’s like you finally start seeing yourself - and the world - with honest, unfiltered eyes.

There are moments in life when an experience gives us insight we could never have reached simply by thinking about it. As a psychologist, I understand this intellectually. As a human being, I am learning it in my body. My recent Camino journey gave me one of those moments.

A week ago, I was at the window seat somewhere over the country, flying home to Arizona, and I realized I almost left more than my dad behind in Chicago. I almost left myself.

Here are some questions to get you started on the journey back to self-love. These are the same ones I offer my clients to gently guide them home — and you can use them too, especially when you feel that inner tug pulling you away from your center. I invite you to sit with these questions as a check-in:

It can be a very helpless feeling to watch what's happening in this world... to desperately want change but feel powerless and hopeless

I’m writing this mostly for myself, to face the truth of my life’s journey. But I also hope that maybe my story reaches someone

The holiday season can be a rollercoaster of emotions and expectations and it's important to navigate it with grace and joy.

Without adequate boundaries, we run the risk of allowing other people to treat us poorly, use us, or take advantage of us.

The problem with our shadow self is that no matter how well we try to hide it it’s still always with us. And nothing stays hidden forever.

Crystals and Reiki will increase energy or encourage relaxation, and ultimately work at the energetic level to heal dis-ease.

Our instinct, or intuition, can guide us in our lives to make the right decisions that will benefit us in the long run.

Discuss the importance of choosing you and learn practical ways to accept and love yourself. Join us at Free Spirit for Self-care Saturdays!