Feeling the Shifts? Here’s How to Navigate the Last Weeks of 2025

As I’ve been reflecting on the past week — especially after celebrating my birthday — I’ve been feeling the quickening of time in a very real way. It reminded me of the ideas we explored together during our Vision 2025 weekend retreat, and how deeply they still apply right now, as we continue moving through this powerful 9 Year of completion.

This is a sacred moment to pause.
To look gently at where we are on our journey.
To release what no longer supports our becoming — without judgment, without rushing, without forcing.

The world is changing quickly. The ground is shifting beneath all of us. But instead of fearing the unknown, this is the time to make friends with uncertainty and trust that you already have the wisdom to navigate whatever comes.

A Time of Opportunity, Not Breakdown

Many of us are experiencing changes in relationships, work, purpose, and identity. Old structures are falling away — and yes, it can feel chaotic. But this isn’t breakdown. It’s breakthrough.

What we talked about at Vision 2025 still stands:

  • Face fear with calm strength

  • Honor your needs and desires

  • Let go of “dysfunctional independence”

  • Build relationships of trust and mutual support

  • Listen to your intuition — and take the small steps it asks for

And most importantly:

Be Here Now.
Honor who you are becoming.
Celebrate what you’ve survived and created.
Let more joy into your life as the guiding force that moves you forward.

Enjoying Thanksgiving Festivities in Vermont

The Gift of a 9 Year

A 9 Year invites us to complete the old stories, the old patterns, the old self-images that no longer fit. It asks us to clear the unfinished business that weighs on our energy, so we can step into 2026 with more clarity, alignment, and purpose.

This is the time to:

  • Release limiting beliefs

  • Reorganize your life in ways that nourish your true nature

  • Trust your inner wisdom as your greatest compass

Let your past teach you —
but don’t let it define your future.

Spiritual Alignment for 2026

As we realign our inner wisdom with our heart’s truth, we open the door to more intimacy, more creativity, more self-love, and more abundance.

And truly… now more than ever, it’s time to become the version of ourselves we’ve been waiting for.

I’m Here to Support You.

If you feel the call to close this year with clarity and step into 2026 with purpose, I’m offering:

And of course, Vision 2026 is coming up on January 24 & 25 — a powerful two-day reset to help you step into the new year aligned, energized, and ready.

Conscious Gift Giving

As we move into the holiday season, I encourage you to practice Conscious Gift Giving — offering gifts that nurture the spirit, expand possibility, and support someone’s inner journey.

This year, I’m offering gift certificates for all my services — readings, rituals, space clearings, and private sessions — as well as my magical aromatherapy sprays, created to shift energy, uplift mood, and bring intention into daily life. They make beautiful, meaningful gifts for loved ones (and for yourself).

With love,
Barbara

Thanksgiving Rituals, My Birthday and End of Year Events

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. But this year, more than ever, I’m aware of how life keeps shifting — people move, relationships evolve, loved ones pass, and the familiar shape of our holiday changes with them. There’s a tenderness in that. A fragility. And, an invitation.

We’re living at a time when relationships are strained, attention is fractured, and everyone is “busy.” The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years have slowly drifted from meaning into performance — the perfect meal, the perfect outfit, the perfect post.

But perfection doesn’t nourish us. Presence does.

So, this Thanksgiving, whether you’re celebrating with family, chosen family, or spending time solo, I invite you to press pause.

  • Light a candle.

  • Name one thing — big or small — that you’re grateful for.

  • And if you’re able, offer something back: a food donation, a few hours helping at a community center, or simply a moment of kindness to someone who needs it.

This is how we rebuild connection — one tiny act of meaning at a time.

And how about this year, we shift the conversation from posting our plates on Instagram…to talking to each other?

Listening. Asking questions. Being fully in the room.

On Thursday, enjoy every bite, every hug — and try a simple practice I love:

Fast from complaining.
Just for the day.
See what changes inside you.

A Birthday Reset — And a Cosmic Invitation

Saturday is my birthday, and as many of you know, I treat every birthday as a cosmic reset button — a moment to step into the next chapter with intention.

My dear friend, the late astrologer Elizabeth Rose Campbell, once wrote this about Sagittarians, and I want to share it with you:

“Imagine yourself as a cosmic travel agent able to write yourself free tickets to any trip. As you write your own ticket, fears fall away about the unknowns involved.”

This is exactly my theme for 2026.

Let me be your Cosmic Travel Agent.
To help you release what no longer fits…
To open the door to what wants to arrive…
To step into the year with clarity, magic, vision, and renewed energy.

Book a reading or ritual session with me — especially if you're ready for a fresh direction, a spiritual reset, or a deeper connection to your purpose.

If you want this year to end with clarity — and 2026 to begin with intention — I’m here to guide you.

Let’s step into the next chapter together.
With love, wisdom, and deep gratitude,

With love,
Barbara

Going Through a Transition Zone? It Might Be The Only Real Thing

With the New Moon in Scorpio this week, I thought this would be useful to share. Again. I found this over 30 years ago; author unknown, but it feels very appropriate for now.

Fear of Transformation

“Sometimes I feel that my life is a series of trapeze swings. I’m either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments in my life, I’m hurtling across space in between trapeze bars. 

Most of the time, I spend my life hanging on for dear life to my trapeze-bar-of-the-moment. It carries me along at a certain steady rate of swing & I have the feeling that I’m in control of my life. I know most of the right questions and even some of the right answers.

But occasionally, as I’m merrily (or not so merrily) swinging along, I look out ahead of me into the distance, and what do I see? I see another trapeze bar swinging toward me. It’s empty, and I know, in that place in me that knows, that this new trapeze bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart-of-hearts I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on this present, well-known bar to move to the new one.
 
Each time it happens to me, I hope (no, I pray) that I won’t have to grab the new one. But in my knowing place I know I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and for some moment in time I must hurtle across space before I can grab onto the new bar. Each time I am filled with terror. It doesn’t matter that in all my previous hurtles across the void of unknowing I have always made it.  

Each time I am afraid that I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks in the bottomless chasm between the bars. But I do it anyway. Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call the faith experience. No guarantees, no net, no insurance policy, but you do it anyway because somehow, to keep hanging on to that old bar is no longer on the list of alternatives.

And so for an eternity that can last a microsecond or a thousand lifetimes, I soar across the dark void of “the past is gone, the future is not yet here.” It’s called transition. I have come to believe that is the only place the real change occurs. I mean real change, not the pseudo-change that only lasts until the next time my old buttons get punched. 

I have noticed that, in our culture, this transition zone is looked upon as a “nothing,” a no-place between places.  Sure, the old trapeze bar was real, and the new one coming towards me, I hope that’s real too. But the void in between? That’s just a scary, confusing, and disorienting “nowhere” that must be gotten through as fast and as unconsciously as possible.

What a waste! I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing & the bars are illusions we dream up to avoid the void, where the real change, the real growth occurs for us.

Whether or not my hunch is true, it remains that the transition zones in our lives are incredibly rich places. They should be honored, even savored. Yes, with all the pain and fear and feelings of being out-of-control that can (but not necessarily) accompany transitions, they are still the most alive, most growth-filled, passionate, expansive moments in our lives.

And so, transformation of fear may have nothing to do with making fear go away, but rather with giving ourselves permission to “hang-out” in the transition between trapeze bars. Transforming our need to grab that new bar, any bar, is allowing ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens. It can be terrifying. It can also be enlightening, in the true sense of the word. Hurtling through the void, we just may learn how to fly.”

All my spiritual work is rooted in one essential truth: transformation happens when we can hold both—our connection to the Earth and our connection to the Divine.

Raising your energetic vibration is powerful, but without grounding, it can feel overwhelming. Grounding is what helps you stay present, centered, and capable of meeting life as it is.
Opening to higher wisdom is what helps you rise above fear, align with purpose, and receive the guidance meant for you.

When these two forces work together, something extraordinary becomes possible:
you shift more gracefully, you make clearer choices, and you create space for new blessings, opportunities, and insights to enter your life.

This is the heart of my work—helping you strengthen your inner foundation while expanding your capacity to listen, receive, and evolve.

If you’re ready for deeper clarity, energetic alignment, and guidance for the next chapter of your life, I’d be honored to support you.

Until next time,
Barbara

The Seeds We Plant — Reflections for 11/11 ✨

Today is 11/11, a day many consider an energetic portal — a powerful time to set intentions and align with your higher purpose.

It’s a day that reminds us how every word, every action, and every gesture of kindness creates ripples far beyond what we can see.

This morning, as if by divine timing, I opened my inbox to find this message:

“I just want you to know that I show an edited version of the ‘New Age’ 30 Days episode to my AP Psychology class every year. This is the twelfth year that I've shown it, and it always leads to a wonderful discussion of how you helped Tom with his stress. It's really inspirational.
Thanks for your amazing work.
— Shukri”

The email was referring to an episode I filmed for Morgan Spurlock’s reality series 30 Days back in 2006, directed by Michael Seldrick.

Filming 30 Days directed by Michael Seldrick

In it, I worked as a life coach with Tom, a 37-year-old man living a fast-paced, stressful life. For 30 days, I guided him through meditation, ritual, and inner reflection — tools to help him reconnect to himself and reduce his stress.

That was almost 14 years ago. I had no idea that this episode would still be shown — year after year — to students as an example of healing, compassion, and transformation in action.

It reminded me of Johnny Appleseed, who traveled across America planting trees he would never see bloom. Like him, we each plant seeds through our words, our presence, and our willingness to show up with love — never fully knowing whose lives will be touched or when those seeds will flower.

So, on this 11/11, I invite you to pause and reflect:

  • What intentions are you ready to plant today?

  • What gifts are you called to share, even if you won’t see their results right away?

  • What small act of love or wisdom might ripple outward in unseen ways?

As we approach the close of this year, remember: the seeds you plant now will shape the garden of your future. Keep showing up. Keep sharing your light. Trust that your impact is greater than you know.

With gratitude and wonder,
Barbara

Ichigo Ichie — The Beauty of This Moment

A colleague of mine recently posted something on Instagram that struck a deep chord with me — the Japanese concept of Ichigo Ichie, which means “one time, one meeting.” It’s a reminder that every encounter and moment is unique — never to be repeated — and should be treasured.

It echoes the wisdom of Ram Dass’ Be Here Now — a truth I return to again and again.

As I approach the holiday season and my birthday, I’m reminded that this moment — right now — is the most important one of my life. It will never come around again in quite the same way.

When I look back at photos of myself in my twenties, I think, “Didn’t she see how beautiful she was?” But at the time, all I could see were my flaws. Sound familiar?

How often do we miss the magic of now — the sacredness of simply being — because we are too busy becoming?

As the great teacher Sai Baba said, “Being is lost in becoming.”

So I invite you to pause. Look at your town or city as if you were seeing it for the first time. Taste your morning coffee with full attention. Feel the air on your skin. Cherish the people, places, and small details that make up the fabric of your life. Let wonder — not worry — be your guide.

Mercury Retrograde as a Sacred Pause 

From November 9th, we enter the final Mercury Retrograde of 2025 — a powerful invitation from the Universe to slow down, reflect, and realign.

Instead of fearing delays or confusion, see this as a sacred pause — a chance to listen more deeply to your inner voice and recalibrate your energy before the year ends.

When we place our trust only in our outer achievements, we build things that can easily crumble. But when we invest in our spiritual resources — our intuition, compassion, and connection to the divine — we awaken our true power.

From this place, you become the creator, the divine initiator — able to find beauty, resilience, and joy, even in uncertain times.

An Invitation

As we move into this season of light and reflection, I invite you to honor this sacred window by reconnecting to your spiritual resources.

Join me for one of my year-end rituals or private sessions — designed to help you release what’s complete, realign your energy, and step into 2026 with clarity and grace.

This is your once-in-a-lifetime moment. Let’s make it sacred.

With love and presence,
Barbara

The Real Meaning of Halloween 🍂

Halloween to most of us means candy, costumes and trick-or- treating. For New Yorkers it means one of the biggest parades of the year. 

Hallows or Hallomas started out as a festival to honor the Crone, the wise grandmother. Over the years it has been transformed and commercialized into wicked old witches flying on broomsticks with black cats. Even the cauldron has changed meaning as it represented the womb of the Goddess – a symbol of rebirth.

For the Celts, it is called Samhain - summer's end - and it is the beginning of the Celtic New Year.

From darkness,  endings and death comes light and rebirth. Something we all need to remember.

This is a holy time when the veil between the worlds is thin. For many cultures this is a time when the ancestors return to visit and communicate with the living. In Ireland, it is believed that the fairies come out on this special night.

Photo by Akram Huseyn

Honoring Ancestors

In Latin America, El Dia del las Muertes is celebrated at the cemetery. Families sweep the graves, bring food, create altars with marigolds and sugar skulls and celebrate those who have died. It is also a way to teach children that death is part of life and not to fear it.

Christians all over the world celebrate All Souls Day and All Saints Day (November 1 and 2).

In the true spirit of Halloween let us take some time to honor our ancestors and to share their gifts with our children. This was the beginning of the story telling season, so why not make this Halloween a time to honor our elders by asking them to share stories of their past.

Make this Halloween a time to honor our elders - send them a card, take them out to dinner or just say, ”I love you”. 

Did you know that the idea of going from door to door to ask for candy and sweets actually comes from a British custom of asking for money for the poor? In that spirit, collect money, toys and food and give it to those who are more unfortunate as we count our blessings. 

As this Chinese Proverb says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.”

With love,

Barbara

The New Moon + Diwali: A Powerful Time to Begin Again

Right now, is the most important time of your life.

This very moment, you are creating your future — breath by breath, choice by choice.

The Universe is supporting you with the energy of the New Moon in Libra and the Festival of Lights—Diwali, inviting you to pause, reflect, and restore balance in your life.

The Libra New Moon brings a fresh opportunity to find harmony in your relationships, peace in your mind, and beauty in how you move through the world. Ruled by Venus—the goddess of love and grace—Libra reminds us that balance is not about perfection; it’s about flow, awareness, and connection.

A Simple Ritual for Hope and Renewal

Tonight, light a candle.

Invite Light into every corner of your life — your relationships, your health, your business, your finances.

Let this light soften what feels tense and hard. Let it bring compassion where there’s been harsh judgment, and open space for love and abundance to flow.

Whisper to the flame: “May this light bless my heart, my projects, my work, and my relationships with true abundance, joy, and harmony.”

Sit quietly for a few moments and know that the light you’ve kindled is already working through you — illuminating your path and rippling out into the world.

With love,
Barbara

Remembering Where We Come From — and What We’re Creating Next

In 1973, my friend Julia Riva and I decided to start a consciousness-raising group.

We were both young mothers who had marched for Roe v. Wade, stood shoulder to shoulder at rallies listening to Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug speak about equality, and devoured every book we could find about Her Story—the stories of women who came before us.

Our group was a vibrant mix of young mothers, bankers, artists, and even former rock-star wives. Together, we explored what it meant to reclaim our voices and our power as women. We discovered the sacred feminine, learned about ancient goddesses, and held Our Bodies, Ourselves as our Bible.

All of these memories came flooding back recently when my dear college friend—and the extraordinary Broadway producer—Daryl Roth invited me to lead a theater blessing for her powerful new play Liberation at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City.

Standing there, invoking sacred energy for a play about freedom and resilience, I felt the full circle of our collective journey.

At the James Earl Jones Theatre blessing for the new play "Liberation"—with writer Bess Wohl and producer Daryl Roth. Director Whitney White was also part of the experience, though not pictured.

We are in a time now where it’s more important than ever to remember where we’ve come from, to honor what we’ve learned, and to ask—what are we still called to do?

Yes, we’ve made tremendous progress. And yes, there have been painful steps backward.

But one thing I know for sure:

  • We cannot live in the past—but we must learn from it.

  • We need each other more than ever.

  • And it is essential to create intergenerational spaces where we can share stories, wisdom, and support one another in courage and truth.

Today, I dedicate this newsletter to my dear friend Rande Brown, who was among the first class of women to attend Princeton University. She was brilliant, compassionate, and deeply devoted to creating a more conscious world. Rest in peace, beloved friend.

As we approach the end of 2025 and prepare to step into 2026—a One Year of new beginnings—I feel a deep call to gather in community once again, both in person and online. It’s time to renew our energy, reimagine our future, and remember the power of women coming together.

If you would like to sponsor a Vision Workshop or host me at your organization to lead a circle, ritual, or visioning experience, please reach out. I would love to co-create with you.

With love,
Barbara

Untangling The Knots: Aries Supermoon Ritual for Release & Renewal

We are standing in a powerful light right now.

Last night at 11:47 pm EST, the Full Moon in Aries rose bold and bright—the first Harvest Supermoon of 2025. This one doesn’t whisper; it blazes. It brings truth to the surface and asks us to see the patterns we’ve been carrying—especially the ones we didn’t even choose.

This moon is deeply karmic. It invites us to break the family and cultural stories that say we must go it alone, fight for every inch, hold it all together by sheer will. Aries is the warrior—but this lunation reminds us that true courage also means knowing when to soften, when to ask for support, and when to simply rest in trust.

The Moon aligns with Vesta, guardian of the sacred flame, calling us back to our center. When we tend to our inner fire, life begins to move again. We remember that devotion—whether to love, purpose, or our own growth—is what keeps our spirit alive.

If things have felt heavy, this Supermoon is your turning point. You are not meant to carry everything alone.

Ritual: Untangling the Knots


You’ll need:

  • A small bowl of warm water and sea salt

  • A piece of red or white string

  • A candle (any color that feels right for you)

1. Ground and center.Close your eyes. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Feel your body anchored to the Earth.

2. Hold your string.Think of the old stories or inherited patterns that keep you bound—places where you’ve stayed small, armored, or over-responsible.

3. Tie small knots in the string as you name each pattern aloud.No judgment—just gentle witnessing.

4. Now, untie or cut each knot as you say:
“I release this pattern with love. I am free to live differently.”

5. Dip the string into the bowl of salt water.

6. Light your candle.Whisper your intention:
“I am willing to receive the support that I require to live a life of abundance, prosperity, love, freedom and fun. I am blessed with infinite opportunities.”

Sit for a few moments, breathing in the glow of your candlelight. Feel yourself reclaiming energy that once leaked away through old habits or outdated defenses.

When you’re ready, pour the water into the earth or down the drain as a gesture of release.


Closing Reflection


This Supermoon offers a moment of liberation—a chance to break free from old conditioning and open your heart to new forms of partnership, inspiration, and support.

Remember: you can be both strong and supported, fierce and connected.As you release what no longer serves, the path ahead becomes lighter, brighter, and far more aligned with who you are now.

With love and moonlight,

Barbara

Grief And The Gift of Remembering🕯️

This week brings Yom Kippur — a time for reflection, forgiveness, and remembering the fragility of our lives. For me, this season is tender. A close friend is nearing the end of her life. Others in my circle are grieving sudden losses. And I notice in myself the fears that come with aging, living alone, and facing how much change is always present.

In Judaism, when someone dies, we often say: “May their memory be a blessing.” I’ve always loved this. It’s not only a wish, but also an invitation — to let the memory of our loved ones keep blessing us.

One way to honor that is through a MEMORY BOX: write down a happy memory of someone you love on a slip of paper and place it inside. On days when grief feels heavy, reach in and let yourself be surprised by the joy of a moment that still belongs to you.

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out

As Scarlett Johansson recently reflected about grief, it’s impossible to navigate alone. Her words ring true: loss is universal, and yet our culture often keeps us silent about it. When we share our grief and our fears — instead of hiding them — we begin to dissolve that sense of alienation.

What I’m learning is that friendship, compassion, and community don’t erase sadness, but they remind us we are not carrying it alone. This week, I invite you to name your grief or fear out loud to someone you trust. And just as importantly — to share a happy memory, so that love continues to ripple forward.

A Simple Ritual

Light a candle in honor of someone you love. Whisper their name. Place your hand on your heart and say:

“May your memory be a blessing. May the love we shared guide my steps.”

Then, write down a happy memory and place it in your MEMORY BOX  (You can buy or make one. Feel free to decorate in any way you want.) Over time, this becomes a well you can return to whenever grief feels too heavy.

Let this be a week to create new happy memories!!

With love & blessings,
Barbara

Stepping Into the Gateway of Renewal 🍂

Fall has arrived—and this is no ordinary September. We are walking through a powerful gateway, one that closes out a nine-year cycle. In numerology, 9 represents completion, asking us to release the old—limiting beliefs, worn-out habits, and outdated attitudes—so we can make space for the new energy emerging this season.

It’s not always easy. Our collective shadow is rising to the surface: racism, discrimination, trauma, ignorance, and unchecked rage are alive and visible. And yet, alongside this darkness, light is growing stronger. Acts of kindness, genuine connections, deeper concern for the Earth, and practices that anchor us in love and awareness are flourishing like never before.

As an eternal optimist, I know real change takes time. Transformation requires each of us to stay committed—to live with more equality, peace, and justice. Start small. Focus on the rituals, practices, and connections that give you strength and restore your hope.

One of my favorite rituals at this time of year is Tashlich, (September 23) a symbolic releasing of our mistakes and burdens into the water. What I love about it is that it reminds us: when we take action to release, Spirit always meets us halfway. 

Traditionally, small pieces of bread are tossed into moving water, each piece representing something we are ready to let go of. The bread nourishes the fish and birds, reminding us that even what we release can serve a purpose. We let go of the words, deeds, and actions that have harmed others or ourselves; the judgments and fears that keep us small; the resentment that hardens the heart.

Rabbi David Ingber calls it a “ritual of scrubbing the soul clean.”

Even if this is not part of your tradition, I invite you to try it this year. Here’s a simple way to begin:

  1. Reflect on the past year and name what you are ready to release.

  2. Take small pieces of bread and throw them into moving water. If that’s not available, use a bowl of water at home.  Then place the bowl of water with the bread outside for the birds.

  3. As you throw each piece, release something specific:

  • Pain from the past

  • Judgments that cloud your vision

  • Resentments and anger that keep your heart closed

  • The “shoulds” and “coulds” that limit your freedom

  • The need to compare yourself to others

  • Any fear, rage, or despair around the upcoming election

With each release, you open space for renewal.

"May your actions transform this world from a world of harshness to a world of compassion, from a world of ignorance to a world of enlightenment, from a world of death to a world of life renewed, and from a world where sin destroys us to a world where we destroy sin.”

—Prayer Un’taneh Tokef

With love & blessings,
Barbara

A Spiritual Portal Is Opening—Are You Ready? 💫

As I write this, the sky is blue, the air is clear, and it is 80 degrees—my favorite kind of weather. Yet my heart feels heavy. Like many of you, I am holding both personal sadness and concern for the state of our world.

What makes this weight bearable is knowing I am not alone. I am part of a strong spiritual community that reminds me I do not need to carry it all on my own. This is the gift of gathering: to witness, to release, to rewire, and to renew.

We are entering a powerful portal of change:

  • Eclipse season is intensifying (with another on September 21st).

  • The Autumn Equinox calls us to honor our harvests and prepare for new cycles.

  • Rosh Hashanah invites self-reflection, forgiveness, and a “sweet” new year.

  • Navratri celebrates the Divine Feminine and her guidance in cleansing, protection, and renewal.

    Though these traditions arise from different cultures, their themes align beautifully:

  • Let go and release

  • Rewire and rebuild

  • Forgive

  • Deepen your spiritual connection

  • Open to new beginnings

  • Trust and build resilience

  • Allow in the flow of abundance and joy

This is the perfect time to clear out old energy, open to clarity, and welcome new ideas, inspiration, and prosperity. When we align with the cycles of the year, we strengthen our faith, raise our energetic frequency, and accelerate the manifestation of what we most deeply desire.

Join me live on Zoom Sunday, September 21st, 2025 as we come together to support one another, build spiritual strength, and open the channels for prosperity, joy, and health.

Whether in group gatherings or one-on-one sessions, my work is about helping you shed what no longer serves, so you can step into the next stage of your life with clarity, resilience, and abundance.

Let’s walk this season of renewal together! Learn more and sign up here.

With love & blessings,
Barbara

Comfort and Connection in Times of Change 🕊️

As we approach the 24th anniversary of 9/11, I am reminded once again of the deep need for rituals that connect and comfort us. 9/11—and, in fact, every crisis we face as human beings—teaches us that comfort is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

Comfort rituals are lifelines. They carry us through fear and uncertainty, offering us safe passage from despair back into wholeness.

I remember in the days after 9/11, cars stopping in the street to let the elderly cross, CEOs leaving work early to sit at the dinner table with their families, strangers leaning in to talk in cafés, friends calling just to ask if you were okay, and spontaneous meditations happening in city parks. We were cracked open, raw—and more tender with one another.

Table of Silence Project 9/11

But as time passed, many buried their vulnerabilities, convincing themselves they could get by with what I call “cold comforts”: numbing through drinking, overworking, overeating, or scrolling endlessly just to escape. Cold comforts may ease the edge in the moment, but they ultimately drain us of the energy we need to heal.

Real comfort, on the other hand, nourishes and sustains us. It’s a gentle hand on the back of a crying child, the embrace of someone who sees you and holds you in your pain, the cup of tea shared with a friend who listens without judgment, or even the unexpected relief of singing along to a favorite song that suddenly lightens the heart. These are not luxuries. They are the essence of what it means to be human.

This week, I invite you to create or return to a ritual of true comfort—something that genuinely feeds your soul.

One of my own comfort rituals is attending The Table of Silence at Lincoln Center, a free public performance ritual and Call to Action for Peace conceived and choreographed by Jacqulyn Buglisi.

This Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 8:10 AM, the ritual will take place both in person and online. If you, too, are longing for a deeper well of connection and spiritual sustenance, I encourage you to join. Learn more here.

Because in times like these, comfort is not only healing—it is sacred.

With love and light,
Barbara

Stop Battling Your Shadow—Do This Instead

Over Labor Day weekend I watched the Anime K-pop film The Demon Hunters, and it carries a message I believe we all need right now: to love and own every part of ourselves. When we do, we bring light into the very places that once felt dark or hidden.

So often, we try to “battle” our shadows—pushing them away, pretending they don’t exist. But true healing begins when we invite them in. The parts of ourselves we fear, or judge can transform in the light of compassion. Wholeness is not about perfection; it’s about integration.

And I’ll share something personal: every time we point the finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at us. I know I can sometimes be “over responsible” and catch myself judging others I perceive as “irresponsible.” But when I look deeper, I see the freedom I secretly long for—the freedom of letting go of the rigid belief that my worth depends on what I hold together. That realization can become a doorway to sacred play and joy.

I also want to say this clearly: real shadow work should not be done alone. There is a tendency to over-identify with the shadow, which can lead to heaviness or stuckness. Having support—whether from a guide, therapist, or trusted community—creates the safety we need to move through it with care.

Photo by Hanna Balan

Here’s a simple ritual you can try this week to begin embracing your shadow with love:

Step 1: Create a Sacred Space
Light a candle and place it before you. Let it symbolize your inner light—ever present, no matter what you’re facing.

Step 2: Call in the Shadow
Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Ask yourself: What part of me feels unloved, rejected, or hidden right now? Trust whatever arises.

Step 3: Offer Compassion
Place your hand on your heart and whisper to that part of you:
You are seen. You belong. You are loved.

Step 4: Integration
When you’re ready, open your eyes and gaze into the candle flame. Imagine its light filling every part of you—shadow and all—until you feel whole and radiant.

Closing
Blow out the candle with gratitude, knowing that each time you honor your shadows, you expand your capacity for love, joy, and freedom.

And remember while small rituals like this can be deeply healing, the deeper layers of shadow work are best done with support. If you’re feeling called, I’d love to walk beside you as a guide, so you don’t get stuck but instead discover the light and freedom waiting within.

May you walk forward shining—not because you have no darkness, but because you’ve befriended it.

With love and light,
Barbara

A Ritual to Honor Summer & Step Into What's Next 🌻

As summer begins to wind down, I always feel called to pause before rushing into the next season. Although Fall officially begins on the Autumn Equinox, Labor Day offers us a beautiful moment to honor both the gifts of summer and the work — seen and unseen — that shapes our lives.

Before diving headfirst into September, I invite you to slow down, breathe, and mark this transition with intention.

A Late-Summer & Labor Day Ritual

This weekend, carve out a few quiet minutes to honor both the season and the spirit of Labor Day. Light a candle, place your hands over your heart, and say:

  • “I honor the gifts of this summer, and I honor the work — mine and that of those who came before me. May effort be balanced with rest, and labor with joy.”
     

  • Drop a flower petal into a bowl of water as a symbol of gratitude for the summer season and add another leaf to welcome September’s new rhythm. Then offer them to either a body of water or the Earth.

This simple ritual helps us transition with grace, carrying the best of summer forward while opening space for what’s to come.

Reflection Prompts

Consider journaling on one or more of these questions as you step into a new season:

  • What is one gift or memory from this summer I want to carry forward?

  • How has my labor — whether in work, caregiving, creativity, or healing — shaped me this year?

  • Where do I need more balance between effort and rest in my life?

  • What do I want to make space for as the season begins to shift?

Bringing Ritual Into Your Life & Work

May this threshold between summer and fall remind you to honor both your labor and your joy.As we enter a new season, I’d love to support you with rituals, coaching, and guidanceto help you bring more balance, clarity, and meaning into your life.

If you’re ready to plant new seeds for your soul’s growth, this is the perfect time to begin. Let’s journey together.

I also offer programs and coaching designed to help leaders, teams, and professionals navigate change with clarity, resilience, and joy. If your organization is ready to step into this next season with fresh energy and purpose, let’s connect.

With love,
Barbara

Traveling Joy: A Practice to Ground and Uplift 🐚

As summer winds down and the pace of life begins to quicken, it’s easy to feel scattered, heavy, or disconnected. Yet joy is not something reserved for rare moments—it’s a practice we can choose and carry with us.

This week, I invite you to create something small and powerful that travels with you wherever you go: a pocket talisman of joy and grounding.

Photo by Dan Farrell

Create Your Pocket Talisman

  1. Gather – Find a small object that speaks to you: a stone, crystal, or shell.

  2. Infuse – Hold it in your hands. Take three deep breaths. With each inhale, draw in grounding energy from the earth. With each exhale, breathe joy, peace, or calm into the object.

  3. Seal – Whisper a word you need most right now—peace, strength, joy, curiosity, trust. Imagine this word glowing inside your talisman.

  4. Carry – Keep it with you this week. Whenever you feel unsteady or weighed down, hold your talisman, breathe, and reconnect with your chosen word.

This simple ritual reminds us that no matter what is happening around us, we can always return to center, to joy, and to the energy that nourishes us.

Imagine what could shift if your workplace, community, or event began with a simple grounding practice like this. These tools bring people together, reduce stress, and open space for creativity and collaboration.

If you’d like me to bring these kinds of rituals into your organization, conference, or community, let’s connect. Together, we can create powerful shared moments that transform gatherings into experiences of meaning, joy, and connection.

Wishing you a week that is grounded, joyful, and filled with light.

PS: Make sure to check out our Upcoming Events. 

With love,

Barbara

Why “More” Isn’t Always the Answer

We all have dreams. But sometimes, in chasing them, we miss the simple truth: what we’re seeking might already be here.

I’m reminded of a story…

A wealthy businessman was vacationing in a small coastal village when he noticed a fisherman relaxing in a hammock, guitar in hand, smiling at the sun.

Photo by Urip Dunker

“Why aren’t you out catching more fish?” the businessman asked.

“I caught enough for today,” the fisherman replied. “Now I’m going to play music, laugh with my family, and watch the day drift by.”

The businessman leaned in. “But if you worked harder, you could buy a bigger boat, catch more fish, open a factory, and become rich! Then you could retire and finally do whatever you want.”

The fisherman just smiled. “But… I’m already doing whatever I want.”

Here’s the thing: being is often lost in becoming.

We spend so much of our lives trying to be more successful, more prepared, more “ready” — that we forget to simply be.

So today, I invite you to pause.
Take a breath. Look around.

Ask yourself:

What joy is already here that I don’t have to chase?

And when you find it… savor it a little longer.

If you’d like some support in making space for that kind of joy — clearing what’s in the way and opening to what’s possible — I’d be honored to guide you. Whether it’s through a private ritual, a reading, a group gathering, or a visioning session, we can create the room for you to fully receive what’s already waiting.

With love,

Barbara

Tap Into 8/8 Power: Free Lion’s Gate Portal Meditation

Every year on August 8th, the cosmos opens a rare and potent portal—the Lion’s Gate—an alignment of the Earth, the Sun in Leo, and Sirius, the brightest star in our sky. The ancient Egyptians believed this celestial moment streamed divine wisdom from the stars straight into our hearts.

This is not just astrology. It’s alchemy.

When this gateway opens, high-frequency light codes flood in, supporting us in activating our highest potential, unlocking clarity, courage, abundance, and spiritual rebirth.

I’ve created a free guided meditation to help you align with this energy.

This is my gift to you—a sacred reset for your soul, to help you release the old and step fully into your power, purpose, and light.

Whether you’re feeling called to heal, expand, or rise… this is your moment.

Click below to receive the meditation and let yourself be guided through this transformational gateway.

Share it, revisit it, and let it guide you into the next luminous chapter of your life.

With cosmic blessings and love,
Barbara

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times: Harness the Lions Gate Energy

Many of you have reached out asking about the significance of the Lions Gate Portal, which reaches its peak on August 8th (8/8)—a time of profound spiritual opportunity.

The Lion’s Gate is not just a date on the calendar. It is a powerful energetic alignment between the Earth, the Sun in Leo, and Sirius—the brightest star in the sky, revered by the ancient Egyptians as a source of divine wisdom.

Each year, when Sirius rises in the morning sky and aligns with the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx, a celestial gateway opens, allowing high-frequency light codes to stream in. This is a portal of awakening, activation, and abundance.

For the Egyptians, this time marked the flooding of the Nile—bringing new life and prosperity. Energetically, it still brings us the opportunity to reset, reclaim our power, and step into higher alignment.

Photo by Noel Schläfli

Energies You Can Tap Into Right Now:

  • Heart Healing: Old wounds may rise for clearing. Let them. This is a time to soften and strengthen the heart.
     

  • Third Eye Awakening: Heightened intuition, clarity, and insight are available—trust the subtle nudges and inner whispers.
     

  • Soul Chakra Activation: The upper chakras are more open during this portal. Tune in to receive higher guidance, especially during meditation and dreams.
     

  • Psychic Downloads: Pay attention to synchronicities, messages from spirit, dreams, and unexpected inspiration.
     

  • Creative Expression: This is a fertile moment to begin or revive your creative visions. Let your inner artist and visionary take the lead.
     

  • Embodied Empowerment: When we stand fully in our own sacred power, we no longer feel the need to diminish anyone else’s. From this place of wholeness, we become natural allies for justice, equality, and meaningful transformation.

Reclaiming your power is not a quick fix—it’s a sacred practice. And it’s more urgent now than ever. When we’re rooted in love, aligned with our truth, and grounded in ritual, we become unstoppable.

You are enough. You are complete. You are powerful beyond measure. The Lions Gate invites you to remember.

 With love,

Barbara

Pause, Reflect & Celebrate the First Harvest 🌾

August invites us into a sacred pause — a moment to soak in the warmth of summer, sip iced herbal teas, and delight in sun-ripened corn, tomatoes, peaches, and berries. But beneath the surface of our modern lives, an ancient rhythm pulses: this is the season of the first harvest.

In the Northern Hemisphere, August 1 marks Lammas (or Lughnasadh), a traditional festival of gratitude and abundance, falling midway between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. In early agrarian communities, this was a time to honor the grain  — wheat, oats, barley — that sustained life through the seasons. And in Celtic mythology, the god Lugh was honored. It was a communal celebration of baking, reaping, and giving thanks.

Many Native American traditions also honor the corn harvest during this time. The Green Corn Ceremony is filled with dancing, purification rituals, and giving thanks to the Corn Mother, a powerful symbol of life and nourishment. Among the Hopi, the Snake-Antelope dance (held every other year) reflects the sacred relationship between humans and the land.

Photo by Nina Luong

Ritual: Give Thanks to the Earth

As you enjoy your next piece of corn on the cob, bite into a fresh bagel, or stir up a quinoa salad — pause. Offer a quiet “thank you” to Mother Earth, the farmers, and the elements that helped grow your food. Gratitude transforms the ordinary into the sacred.

Vow to Love — Another or Yourself

Lammas was also a traditional time for handfasting — a simple marriage or commitment ritual in which the hands are tied together to symbolize the binding together of two lives performed in front of witnesses. The couple vow to be together for a year and a day. After that time they were free to stay together or part ways.

 If you’re in a partnership, consider exchanging vows in a meaningful way, even if it’s just the two of you under a tree or on your terrace. If you’re solo, create a vow to honor, love, and accept yourself as you are, and as you are becoming. 

Ritual: Your Harvest Intention

This is a powerful moment to call in your harvest for the rest of the year. Try this:

  • Take a husk of corn and remove the kernels.

  • On the husk, write your harvest intention — what you wish to grow or receive.

  • Select kernels to represent the skills, gifts, and support you already hold.

  • Wrap the kernels inside the husk and tie it with 7 knots, using string or raffia. Each knot symbolizes a step you’re willing to take, or a prayer you’re offering.

  • Leave it in nature as a sacred offering.

Be a Good Neighbor

Create a harvest basket filled with fresh fruit, bread, herbs, or vegetables from your garden or market. Add a small note of appreciation or a favorite quote. Tuck in a sunflower, a bottle of homemade juice, or anything that sparks joy. Give it to a neighbor, friend, or someone in your community who could use a little light. Generosity is a blessing multiplier.

Let This Be a Celebration

Even amidst uncertainty, there is always something to honor. Let this be a time to slow down, offer thanks, share what you can, and celebrate all that is growing — within you, around you, and in the world.

With love & gratitude,

Barbara