This Is Us
Confidence, discernment, and sexiness develop over time
Many years ago, when I was in my mid-twenties, my boyfriend at the time was explaining his categorization of women. Apparently, it was shared amongst his friends. It went something like this: Women between the ages of 20 and 25 were considered “gazelles.” He described them as being like “a deer in headlights.” They were naive and a little bit useless. Women 25 to 30 were “bobcats.” They were playful, fun, and, most importantly, agreeable. This, apparently, was the most desirable age range. Women in their thirties were “cougars.” They were on the prowl to find a mate. They were…
Humans 101
You will keep getting the same lessons until you learn them
I have long wondered what the difference is between a soulmate and a childhood wound. Why are we so drawn to some people even though we know from experience that the relationship will end badly? How can some people trigger us to go from calm and conscious to a burning cauldron of rage or knot of anxiety in mere seconds?
While there are likely many psychological reasons for this, the explanation that resonates the most with me is that our relationships, or lack thereof, are spiritual assignments. …
Humans 101
Love is an action, not an affirmation
“You’ll never find anyone that loves you more than me,” my high school boyfriend told me as I broke up with him. This was after I caught him stealing my Guns N’ Roses concert tickets and a gold nugget ring my mom had given me, along with other teenage valuables. Of course, I use the term “caught” lightly. I knew he stole them. He actually wore the ring in front of me — I just never confronted him. I didn’t want to rock the boat. But when I caught him cheating on me, that infraction was too big to overlook…
How to release what is no longer serving you so you can evolve into a queen
The weather is getting warmer, and the days are getting longer. As the sun shines more brightly, your mood might be getting brighter too. You may have already started to observe buds on trees, crocuses popping from the lawn, and the sounds of birds returning home. There’s a sense the world is emerging from the dark womb of winter and is ready to be born again.
While you prepare to shed your coat, scarf, and gloves, you can also take this time to consider what else can be released. This could be a habit that is no longer serving you…
How to navigate the life/death/life cycle of a pandemic
If the coronavirus were a goddess, what attributes do you think she would possess?
She would be destructive, powerful, and impetuous. She’d be a pretty badass warrior goddess, and I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. However, she isn’t the first goddess with these characteristics. There are many already.
There’s Oya, the Yoruba goddess of the weather. She represents change, and she’s very destructive. We can feel her energy in tornados, hurricanes, and other bad storms. Kali is the Hindu goddess of transformation and breaking through the status quo. She tears down outworn structures, so we have the…
Self-care is a spiritual practice
I’ve often heard our bodies described as “meat suits” or simply as containers that hold our more important and worthy spirits. And when this happens, I become sad and a little confused. Though our body is transient while our spirit is not, it’s no less important than the spirit — it’s the gateway to it. Our bodies allow us to pursue our dharma (our life’s purpose), experience pleasure and pain (pain provides us with useful information), and help us make sense of the world around us. The body holds our memories, our intuition, and our desires. It’s not some add-on…
Humans 101
On intuition, instinct, and feminine power
What does it mean to be a “wild woman?” If you’re visualizing someone baring her chest at Mardi Gras in exchange for beads, that’s not what I’m talking about. A wild woman is someone who has a keen sense of intuition, follows her instincts, feels empowered to protect herself and her pack, and has the confidence to pursue what she desires—and not the things that society tells her she should want. I’m talking about the desires she can feel in her bones.
This version of a wild woman has been drastically domesticated. …
The artful dance of giving and receiving
My heart started to race as I gazed at the departure board in the middle of Penn Station in New York City. I was headed back home to Boston after a conference. If you’ve ever made this trip, you’ll likely know that there is some level of anxiety that goes along with it. This was before covid when people were still traveling, and the station was mobbed as usual.
The track that my train would arrive on wouldn’t be announced until moments before it was scheduled to leave. Once the track was confirmed, I would need to race against hundreds…
Becoming a goddess isn’t a look — it’s a way of life
The goddess is not some twenty-something spiritual sex-bomb that you see on social media. Or an esoteric deity who is looking at you from above. The goddess is an aspect of your highest self. Yes, you heard me — you are the goddess! I know what you might be thinking, “but I don’t feel like a goddess — at all.” Maybe you don’t right now, but you can learn to embody her.
First, let’s take a quick step back — way back. Goddesses across traditions represent universal energies that we all have within us. Carl Jung, the famed psychoanalyst, coined…
Remember: You are the hero or heroine of your journey
Joseph Campbell, author, teacher, and mythologist, might best be known for explaining the hero’s journey in his celebrated book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. It’s a journey we all must take. It’s not an easy path, and the goal isn’t a pot of gold at the end (or a sexy spouse, sports car, house, etc.). The goal is self-actualization. And it’s not a selfish pursuit, because the wisdom you acquire is shared with others to make your community and the world a better place.
It starts in the ordinary world. Here, everything is “normal.” Or at least, normal to…
Lisa Marie
Join my goddess training at www.facebook.com/groups/goddesswisdom1/ or find me at www.lisamarierankin.com.
