{And only good will come of it....}

Although the news is full of angry, mean-spirited voices from around the world (harshly reflected in the U.S. election this year), there are also wise, open-hearted voices that remind us that, underneath it all (and not always easy to understand), everything is in divine order.

Ainslie MacLeod reminds us to "Be a force for love and compassion. Turn your fear into feistiness!!" 

Sisterhood Circle voices exclaimed that "this may be the greatest opportunity of our lifetime."

Charles Eisenstein shared "Normal is coming unhinged." And that's a good thing!

And author Neale Donald Walsch writes with optimism: 

...all the changes occurring right now on this

planet are leading to a better life for all.

The movement here is going to be back to basics,

back to what matters, back to our true values in

families, in relationships, in business and commerce,

in politics, and in the world.

Do not worry, therefore. This is the Time which has

been predicted. And only good will come of it.

Read other encouraging messages from past posts on this blog!

{Kickass Princess}

Eliana Dockterman's article in Time this week, "Carrie Fisher Played the First Truly Kickass Princess," shared: "Fisher's portrayal of Princess Leia in Star Wars rewrote the trope about princesses in pop culture."

However, Carrie is quoted in an interview in Rolling Stone about the "flaws" of the character—or more specifically, the flaws in the creators' portrayal of feminine strength.

“The only way they knew to make the character strong was to make her angry,” she said in an interview with Rolling Stone shortly before Return of the Jedi premiered in 1983. “In Return of the Jedi, she gets to be more feminine, more supportive, more affectionate. But let’s not forget that these movies are basically boys’ fantasies. So the other way they made her more female in this one was to have her take off her clothes.”

"By playing Leia the way she did and by speaking openly about the troubled trope," the article explained, "Fisher upended notions of what a princess could or should be. Studios began to figure out that there could be other types of female protagonists....

Read on....

{Smother Life with Love}

"Love is breathing into your heart," according to A Course in Miracles. So breathe deeply and slowly....we need more love in the world today!

And I, well, love this musing about love from Neale Donald Walsch in one of his online morning messages last month:

On this day of your life

Dear Friend I believe God wants you to know...

...that love, in fact, is the agent of universal synthesis. 

Pierre Teilhard De Chardin said that, and he was right.

It is the energy that ties everything together...and

everything falls apart without it.

If your own life is "falling apart" at some level, maybe

it's time to add some love. But don't wait to receive it.

Act like you can't wait to give it.

Smother life with love and watch everything come

together again!
...........................................................

{When the Power of Love....}

Thanks to Kari Joys who shared this on Twitter! What a perfect message for this day....and every day:

When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will know peace.

{Opening Your Heart Chakra to Celebrate the Holidays}

Don't miss Ainslie MacLeod's December 21st holiday message for old souls: "Opening Your Heart Chakra to Celebrate the Holidays."

He writes:
"Being around younger souls can be a trying experience. They tend to be more rigid in their beliefs, more concerned with being right, and less likely to try and understand your point of view. All of which is a result of fear."

(According to Ainslie, psychic counselor and author of the book The Instruction: "The political right is almost entirely made up of fearful younger souls.")

Since the absence of love is not anger—it’s fear...."therein lies the key to dealing with them."

(Ainslie gives a lovely example of how old-soul Bernie Sanders respectfully handled a conversation with a fearful young soul.)

"If respect, curiosity, and an open heart don’t work," Ainslie concluded, "and you start to lose your old-soul composure, you could just try giving them a hug and saying, I love you."

Read more....

{Shifting Consciousness}

"Absolutely everything is a wave of energy and there are many new energies taking place on Earth," wrote Michael Forrester in 2014."We've shifted consciousness, but we're still using old reflections to create our reality."

(Seems we've just experienced this phenomenon is the 2016 U.S. elections!)

The most important thing we can do right now is listen to "what is whispering to your heart," Michael shares. "It won't shout to get your attention so you must listen very closely to the messages you are receiving."

After explaining the six shifts in consciousness we are experiencing, Michael reports: "The hard part is over. The only thing to do is alter your expectations and enjoy the ride." Click here to read all of Michael's article, posted recently on ShiftFrequency.com.

{Nothing Is What It Seems}

From Vanity Fair editor-in-chief, Graydon Carter: "Welcome to Trumpistan" declares that "we're on our way down the rabbit hole, and nothing is what it seems."
In this article from December 21, he shares: "In word and deed, the president-elect has turned on a tap of hate—and it will be a while before we can turn it off."

Donald J. Trump is a man who once said to keep women in their place, you have to "treat 'em like shit".... 
So not a moment to lose....we have to bring on the Big Love, everyday!

{Embracing the Uncertainty}

Happy, Holy Winter Solstice! Thanks to Self Healing Expressions for this lovely image and quote. A beautiful message for all of us...and certainly something "to tell our daughters"....!

Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

{Powerful Women}

Female economic empowerment is not just a matter of social responsibility, speakers said at the Fortune-TIME Global Forum in Rome earlier this month....but they explained "Why Powerful Women are Good for the World Economy." Read Nancy Gibbs article in Time magazine...and please share....

{life begins at the end of your comfort zone}

Here is one of author and teacher Neale Donald Walsch's daily messages from his "I Believe God Wants You to Know" series, emailed a few days after the presidential election in November. Reading it at the time was one of my inspirations for creating this blog compiled of wise and kind voices. Enjoy!

On this day of your life

Dear Friend I believe God wants you to know...

...that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

You won't find glory at the center of safety, but at its

edge. You won't find love at a place where you are

covered, but in the space where you are naked.

You gotta take some risks. You have to not only pick

up the dice, but roll 'em. So go ahead, take the gamble.

You have nothing to lose except the chance to win.

Life is not long enough to spend it on the sidelines. And

you will not have to think but a second to know exactly

why you received this message today.

{Dads & Daughters}

Did you see this on Huffington Post? "Watch These Dads Read Inspiring Affirmations They Wrote For Their Daughters" is a delight, first posted by The Scene.
"I'm confident." "I am little, but I'm a force." "I am kind." "I am fearless." "I love myself." "I believe in myself." "I am beautiful." "I'm loved, and I love others." "I forgive." "Love never fails."
Don't miss it!

{Full Moon & Full Heart}

"If the world has felt heavy or tiring, there are good reasons for it," intuitive healer Julia Griffin reports in her December full moon forecast.

Then she goes on to share her observations about this big sweep of change we're experiencing in another article "Paradigm Shift: Higher Consciousness in a Changing World":
"The world is changing. The energy is currently low, and it can feel difficult to lift into higher consciousness when it's a bit murky around us."

Read on to find helpful ways to shine your light when things seem "murky" in these transition times where "energy works differently and the rules constantly change." The good news is that we are moving through it....into a new era of full hearts!

{She Should Run}

"More Than 4,500 Women Have Signed Up to Run For Office Since the Election" through the She Should Run organization, reported Mahita Gajanan for Time magazine.
One woman who decided to run said: "The election was a kick in the pants that I had to step up and be more involved."
She Should Run is an organization that trains women for public leadership roles.
Read on....

{A Million Smart Women}

Did you read Will Marre's "We Need A Million Smart Women" blog post? Or "liked" his "A Million Smart Women" Facebook page? The women's leadership advocate explains what's behind his plan:

You see the idea of “A Million SMART Women” is very simple. 

Brain research and social science from the University of Wisconsin confirms that men mostly think about status, control, wealth and sex. Most men focus on their short-term self-interest. Whereas women are the force of civilization. Women tend to be holistic thinkers. Psychologists give this feminine form of intelligence the practical name of contextual thinking.  It allows them to think of both short-term and long-term consequences at the same time.  Female empathy enables most women to think in communitarian ways. The “common good” is most frequently put above “my good, my way, my fear.”

Read the entire post here....

{Inspiration in Solidarity}

This from New York Times' Women in the World staff:  "China's 'Feminist Five' may show how women can stand Up to Trump." 

"China’s Feminist Five — a group of women’s rights activists who have been prosecuted by the country for their activism — might offer inspiration for how feminists in the United States could challenge Donald Trump, according to Leta Hong Fincher, the author of a book on the movement."

"Women in the U.S. – after electing a president who has bragged about sexual assault and an anti-abortion vice-president – should not lose hope......and find “inspiration in solidarity."
Click here to find this excerpt and the link to full article at The Guardian....

{Stay Blessed Up}

Perhaps there's no better way to say it! "Stay blessed up!" This is how hip-hop mogul DJ Khaled shares about dealing with life under a President Trump. "You got to get up," he told Jen Yamato of The Daily Beast. "Keep it going. Stay blessed up. God is great."
Amen...and read on....

{Spirit Guides and U.S. Elections}

I thought you'd enjoy this message from Ainslie MacLeod's spirit guides: "Electronic Voting and Faith-Based Elections" where his guides confirm that "electronic voting is a fraud, and has no place in a democracy."
Ainslie first posted the message in 2008 before that presidential elections, but 'tis most relevant today! 

{Prayerful Action Off the Warpath}

Charles Eisenstein posted this article on December 2: "Standing Rock: A Change of Heart." It begins:

"I am told by Native American friends active at Standing Rock that the elders are counseling the Water Protectors to undertake each action prayerfully and to stay off the warpath.

 "I would like to explain why this advice is not only spiritually sound, but politically astute as well. I would like to translate it into a strategic compass for anyone who is going to Standing Rock or supporting the Water Protectors from afar. I also want to explain how it contains a recipe for the kind of miracles that we need for the healing of our planet."

Continue reading to follow Charles' insightful, spirit-guided take on miracles and the power of love....

{Raising Daughters in a World that Devalues Them}

It's a perfect time to read or re-read Kristen Welch's blog post from October 2014: "Raising Daughters in a World that Devalues Them: 7 Things We Must Tell Them." 

Two years later during a harsh presidential campaign in 2016, "when the news broke about Donald Trump's immoral and disgusting remarks about women," Kristen posted this article: "Raising Sons in a World That Disrespects Women."

And to continue this conversation—the subject which inspired this blog—I share a post-election article from Huffington Post written by Kaylee Scottaline: "What to Tell Our Daughters and Sons About a Trump Presidency."

{Do Unto Others}

Trump political rally

Claire Landsbaum's report in The Cut is chilling: "90 Percent of Teachers Say That Trump's Win Has Had a Negative Effect in Classrooms." 
"The day after Donald Trump was elected, incidents of racist and misogynist harassment were reported around the country. Since then the trend has continued, " the article added.

In this time of mean-spirited "Trumpery," what are you telling your children and grandchildren about kindness, compassion, respect, fair play, bullying...and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".....? Read on....

{This is not a time to run away....}

The wonderful Regena Thomashauer, New York Times bestselling author* and founder of The School of Womanly Arts, shares this post-election newsletter: "This is not the time to run away." I empathized with her immediate reaction of wanting to run and hide...give in to fear. "I felt walloped." But as always, Regena encourages our courage, not our fear:

"We as women were never taught how to process our intense feelings, so we stay out of the game and hide, or we keep it to ourselves. And as a result, we never step into our power or potential.... The future of the world depends on women showing up and standing for the truth of the way they feel." Read on......


[*Regena's latest New York Times bestselling book: Pussy: A Reclamation]

{A New Story}

"Normal is coming unhinged." This is the lead line in author and guest speaker Charles Eisenstein's post-election newsletter on November 10, 2016: "The Election: Of Hate, Grief and a New Story." Charles continues his intuitive take on how "we are entering a time of great uncertainty"..."exiting an old story that explained to us the way of the world and our place in it"...and that, more that ever, "it is time to speak hard truths with love." Read on....

{The Power of an Apology}

First appearing on BillMoyers.com, Suzan Johnson Cook's article, "Resurrection is possible: We will move forward with hope, but Donald Trump should apologize," was also posted on Salon.com where I first saw it. And I was struck with these two words: "I'm sorry."
What would it take for a man who only speaks from his ego—his "small self"—a man who seems to have no inner-reflective life, to find the courage—his "big Self"—and truly apologize for the hatred he has spread? Can you imagine the power of such a spiritual awakening, a "crack open of self" as it were? 

With love, anything is possible.

{Don't Mourn, Regenerate!}

Ronnie speaking in Marrakesh at "Unearthing the Truth About Our Food" 

Read this November 22 report from Marrakesh, "Don't Mourn, Regenerate!" by Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association. The group was in the middle of the COP22 Global Climate Summit in Marrakesh, Morocco when they woke up to the alarming news that "rabid climate deniers had seized control of the White House and U.S. Congress."  Read on about their continued campaign for health, justice, sustainability, peace and democracy!

{We Stick Up for the Vulnerable}

J. K. Rowling's post-election tweet: "We stand together. We stick up for the vulnerable. We challenge bigots. We don't let hate speech become normalized. We hold the line." Sarah Begley's article in Time magazine, Why Donald Trump's Election Makes J. K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts Even More Timely, shares that Rowling revealed the plot of this book, now a film, was "'actually inspired by the newfound popularity of leaders like Trump.'" Read on....

{Finding Love in Your Heart}

Colin Tipping, creator of the Radical Forgiveness work, looks at the big picture of the U.S. election as well as other signs of "dark politics" happening around the world. His newsletter of November 16 is just the beginning in "how to see the good in what appears now to be dark and frightening." Colin encourages us to "find love in our heart for Trump for waking us all up from the dream of separation...." 

As transformation leader Werner Erhard taught us about welcoming and acknowledging the "breakdown" in life so we can have the "break through" needed for our growth and well-being....is this breakdown readying us for the big "break through into a new and higher consciousness"....? Read more from Colin.....

{"My Cards Were Right, I Was Wrong"}

Internationally renowned astrologer Steffan Vanel's recent post following the US election, "My Cards Were Right, I Was Wrong,"  follows up on an October 31st post "The Reason for the Collective Resentment of Hillary Clinton, & Why Trump Will Be 'Feeling the Love'." 
Both are great reads as Steffan shares about the uncertain times ahead and how the ancient wisdom of the heavens is sorting it all out....

{A Change in the Weather}

In her November 16 newsletter "Planetary Changes: A Change in the Weather," spiritual physic Julia Griffin of One True Self shared about the many emails she received from people after the election referring to the heavy and gray feelings they were experiencing within themselves as well as out in the world: "the 'grayness' of the energy and the heaviness of mass consciousness." Read how Julia explains what "light work" teaches about moving out of our lower emotions—anger, fear, disappointment—into higher ones—such as love and light—which then moves us into more positive emotions and keeps us on our spiritual path.... Thanks, Julia!!

{Relationships Work}

We are continuing with the focus on "relationships".... today with Lori and Bob Hollander of Relationships Work. Their November 16th newsletter, "How To Survive the Aftermath of the Election," encourages us to be patient, open our heart, and have conversations of loving possibility. Reminding us "that it’s easy to judge and label. What’s hard is to be patient and persevere through the tough conversations," Lori adds that in the end that’s exactly what helps build understanding and relatedness.

{Trusting Love One More Time}

'In Care of Relationships' coach Terri Crosby shares a letter to the President Elect in her November 16, 2016 newsletter: "Donald, You've Taught Me So Much Already."  
In her "Dear Mr. Trump" letter, she expresses the various emotions she and friends were feeling after the election (from confusion to grief to anger) and surprising things she learned about herself. ("Do I live in a bubble?")

My favorite part of the letter are the quotes Terri shared. From Anne Lamott: "Tell me what breaks your heart and I'll tell you your purpose." And from Maya Angelou: "Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time."

{Respond With Courage and Kindness}

Melissa Chan writes for Time magazine on November 16, 2016: "Michelle Obama Has Repeatedly Faced Racism as First Lady. Here's How She Responded." 
"Over the years, folks have used plenty of interesting words to describe me," Mrs. Obama shares. Continue reading how she learned to graciously tackle such hate....

{Standing for Female Empowerment}

Read Fox News host Megyn Kelly's interview on NPR from November 15, 2016: "My Year of Guards and Guns: Megyn Kelly on Standing Up to Trump and Ailes."
Although Megyn doesn't call herself a feminist..."What should matter is whether I stand for female empowerment....and I don't think there are many women out there who have any doubts about that." 
See what you think....

{The Glass Ceiling}

Rebecca Traister wrote this November 12, 2016 cover story for "The Cut" section of New York Magazine called Shattered. "Hillary Clinton didn't shatter the glass ceiling. This is what broke instead. The coalition she thought would pierce it—and the faith that it will happen—are in pieces." Or is it? 
Or are we to trust the big picture...where blessings come from seeming "defeat" and "failure"....?  Click here to read Rebecca's historically informative piece....

{The only remedy to fear is love....}

This from Seat of the Soul author Gary Zukav! Wise and grounding words in his Soul Thoughts newsletter from November 15, 2016 Don't Let the Election Distract You: "The only remedy to fear is love. Everything else is a distraction." Then a few days later another compassionate message about The Next Step for exxxpanding our perception! Read on and be inspired....

{Shaking Our World}

The enchantingly soulful songstress and visionary Norma Gentile (known as a "sound shaman") has a new question for us: "Is this discomfort/disease a part of the current reality chosen by this body and soul?"
Read her newsletter called "Getting Comfy in our New Reality" from November 12, 2016. Then followed up the next day with this soothing message: "Transforming Grief into Spiritual Power" in the newsletter called "Shaking Our World".... 

{Patriarchy's Poster Boy}

Enjoy just-back-from-priestess-training-in-Hawaii, Elizabeth Locey and her latest newsletter, "Patriarchy's Poster Boy" from November 11, 2016. 
(Scroll down to get down to why Elizabeth is excited about the "trumpery" ahead....although "he represents greed, sexism, racism, nationalism, and promotes violence against those who don’t agree with him"...read why she's sure that "love will triumph!!")

{This may be the greatest opportunity of our lifetime.}

Tanya Lynn Paluso of Sistership Circle called on women to be strong in her newsletter on the day after the election! "The patriarchy is in full effect today, trying to take you out!  But Sister, you are strong. You are awake and have been preparing for this." Read on....

{Be a Force for Love and Compassion}

Thanks to Ainslie MacLeod for his "old soul" musings from his newsletter on November 10, 2016: "Be a force for love and compassion. Turn your fear into feistiness!!"

{What I will tell my daughters about.....}

Read Mary Elizabeth Williams article "What I will tell my daughters about Hillary Clinton's loss and Donald Trump's victory" published on Salon.com, November 10, 2016.