Lee Miller Spark of Awareness

01/01/2026

A Blessing for the Year Ahead

May the new year bring healing where there has been hurt,
peace where there has been unrest,
and compassion where hearts have grown weary.

May it soften what has hardened,
mend what has been broken,
and remind us of our shared tenderness.

May peace begin gently,
in our thoughts, in our words, in the way we see one another,
and from there, ripple outward
into homes, communities,
and the wider world.

May we meet this year with patience, courage, and grace,
choosing understanding over fear,
kindness over indifference,
and love, always, as our guiding light.

~ 'A Blessing for the Year Ahead' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Olya Haydamaka

12/30/2025

Dr. Will Cole

12/24/2025

12/21/2025

I have some oracle cards for today’s event and this was the one that I pulled this morning. 🫶🏼🤍

12/21/2025

A Winter Solstice Blessing

The winter solstice is a sacred time,
infused with quiet magic and returning light.
It is a moment when the universe, in its infinite kindness,
awakens our hearts to tender and brighter possibilities,
rekindling the light of hope within our souls
as a new cycle of light slowly begins.

In this holy pause between darkness and dawn,
we are invited to release,
to loosen our grip on old patterns, heavy sorrows,
and lingering wounds that we may continue to carry.
With open hands and gentle hearts,
we step forward,
cradling the promise of brighter, more hopeful beginnings.

May all who have known loss or disappointment
find comfort in this peaceful turning.
May the light, though small at first,
guide us faithfully through the darkest days,
reminding us that even the longest night
must yield to morning.

As we give thanks for all that has nourished us,
every lesson, every kindness, every tenderness
that shaped our year,
we honor the path that brought us here.
And in gratitude,
we begin again,
walking onward with renewed hope,
gentle anticipation,
and the quiet courage
to welcome the year ahead.

~ 'A Winter Solstice Blessing' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art Unknown via Pinterest

12/18/2025

When we would do the Long Stretch in our workouts with Romana she used to say “you’re a rod of steel from head to heel” in order to convey the proper amount of tension to ask of our bodies.

This stiffness was created pressing down through our feet and hands to create the proper lift in order to pull our fronts up into our backs.

If she felt someone needed it, she would hold a pole along the back of their body - from head to heel - to make sure their head stayed on line with their spine. (Think along the alignment lines of a Ped-O-Pul).

The magic of using creative visualizations like this one is that they short-hand the dynamic needed for an exercise without having to over-anatomize.

And of course we know that when you heat steel it bends - which is the perfect analogy for transitioning Long Stretch into the Down Stretch!

Are there any visuals you use to capture the Long Stretch? Share them below 👇