[caption id="attachment_12420" align="alignright" width="155"] Sneaky monkey. Aw...so cute![/caption] Anxiety. Just the word makes me tighten up my shoulders and lose my breath. More and more people are realizing and admitting to their experience with chronic anxiety. In a fast paced and depend-on-yourself society, it’s not hard to imagine why this unwelcome experience and condition is flourishing. We’re losing our breath. We can’t relax. We’re bombarded and overwhelmed with task after task with no one but ourselves to rely on, and we’re just waiting for the moment when things will finally fall apart. Are you feeling it? That monkey on your back? The weight on your shoulders,

Yesterday I wrote a summary on the books in the self help, healing, and spiritual development categories that came out in 2012. There were three in particular that I wanted to touch on a bit more as we head deeper into this holiday season: Our Children Live On by Elissa Al-Chokhach,  Forever With You by Patrick Mathews, and By Morning's Light by Ginny Brock. These titles focus on bereavement and afterlife. Why these titles? Why now? I've heard year after year how the holidays are often the most difficult time for those who've lost loved ones. With the death of my sister earlier this year I'm learning first hand how very true this is. While the daily pangs eventually subside and "it

December is truly my favorite month! I love the sights. I love the smells. Even the sounds of music and ringing bells that I've heard every year before don't get old. The sense of magic I felt as a kid flutters back to life as new traditions are made and old ones are celebrated. One of these traditions is the year review that begins as I write my holiday letter. What did I do this year and where has life taken me? What did I love, lose, and accomplish? Often I'm left amazed at everything that's transpired in the course of twelve months! From that jumping off point I take another step and write down my goals for the year ahead. By the time I'm done I feel like I know myself a little

Ten years ago it would have been hard to find information about Reiki, but now it's a practice that's becoming popularly featured in spas and is even available at some hospitals and health care centers! So what is this thing called "Reiki" that's quietly been making its way into the mainstream world? I was first introduced to Reiki in 2003 when I intuitively started doing energy work on a sick pet. Baffled by the experience I started researching. Reiki was the first energy healing modality that I discovered and so the learning began! While I've been practicing sporadically for the past nine years, I still find it hard to describe exactly what Reiki is. Unlike something as tangible as