SHIVAYA WELLNESS

Ah, spring. Glorious spring. It’s here! And even though I played at “snowbird” this past winter, I still welcome spring like an old friend.

Spring equinox is one of my favorite days of the year. The power of this day and what it symbolizes is enormous. Read the rest of this entry »

A close friend of mine commented that I was pretty vulnerable in my previous post about my Mom. So be it. It’s good to be open–and it’s never come easy for me. It’s a mix of reasons. I have Scorpio rising–and Scorpios are all about space and secrets. I’m not one to show grief in public. I do much better with warmth and pure rage.

But going through the process of losing my Mom has made me even more reflective. It’s exactly that: a process. Read the rest of this entry »

No, your eyes and browser window aren’t deceiving you, my dear reader. Matarot Intuitive Wellness is now Shivaya Wellness.

Why the change? One, it’s a new year. Two, I’m a Gemini. Three, the word “Tarot” in my business name was becoming too limiting for my work, though I love Tarot as much as ever. I still offer the same services — intuitive readings and hands-on healing. Look for new services–including harp Reiki!–to appear soon.

I’ve also fallen in love with kirtan, thanks to stumbling across David Newman’s website and then Kitzie Stern’s amazing Kirtan podcast. If you often feel frazzled and holding on through all of the rapid pre-2012 changes, kirtan may be just the thing for your soul.

Last but not least, the name: Shivaya Wellness. Om namah shivaya (she-vai-ya) is one of the oldest mantras in the world–and just speaking it produces incredible change in the body; opening the heart chakra and inducing an overall sense of well-being. There really isn’t an exact translation of om namah shivaya: the power resides in the repeating of the words.

Shivaya, of course, is based in the god Shiva, the destroyer. Oddly enough, Shiva also means auspicious, kind, gracious. Shiva is seen as a pure force, the inner self that remains intact after everything else is in pieces.

That represents 2009 for me in a nutshell.

Om namah shivaya.

I lost my Mom on Tuesday night.

What can I write after a sentence like that?

I’m nearly 40. My mom was 82, my dad is 78. Over the last few years, I’ve been preparing myself to lose my parents. I didn’t know who would go first and at their advanced ages, either scenario would have its challenges.

I’m a writer. But I haven’t written anything about this until now. Fragments of words and sentences pass through my brain; they want to be written but I haven’t had a moment to myself. That’s the thing about death: it’s so…practical. Read the rest of this entry »