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•Healing Landscapes
Copyright (c) 2010 Karin Marcus
Throughout my life, going for solitary walks on the beach or in the woods has been the best therapy for whatever ailed me. Walking helps me process my emotions and clear my thoughts. Whether there is a challenging problem I need to think through, or a knee jerk reaction that I need to walk off, or a deeper emotional issue I need to resolve, walking prevents my thoughts and feelings from becoming stuck. It allows their energies to flow throughout my body, while...
•Acts of Loving Kindness
Love is in the air... and on every television and radio ad, bill board, and store window. With the coming of February and Valentines Day, there are red hearts every where you look and LOVE is the advertising word of the month. Instead of the mass produced greeting card or the traditional box of chocolates, I find the most powerful expression of love to be a simple act of kindness.
Recently when I slowed to allow a pedestrian to cross the street, she smiled and waved and blew my daughter and...
•Embracing Wrinkles in Time
Copyright (c) 2010 Karin Marcus
Sunday morning, I awoke to the sun reflecting off the first frost; its tentacles gracefully lining the newly bared branches and dusting the carpet of leaves on the ground. It was the final day of a women's retreat I was co-leading in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Our focus for the weekend had been The Joy of Letting Go, and this clean crisp morning seemed to say it was time to move on.
That afternoon, I returned home to the suburbs of Philadelphia and was...
•Spring Cleaning for the Soul
Spring is finally here! New growth is showing its vivid green touch on the tips of branches; daffodils and crocuses are smiling in the sun. As we shed our winters coats and sweaters, it is also a good time to shed some of the layers that have crusted over our hearts.
So much clutter accumulates in our hearts without us even being consciously aware of it. Things get buried under and piled on top of one other, leaving us feeling heavy and lethargic. As you enter spring this year, set the...
•The Art of Being
It seems we have become a nation that honors the human doers and forgotten the value of simply being humanly present. We fear that if we are not accomplishing something every minute, we are wasting our time. We no longer wrestle with To be or not to be, but are constantly consumed with To do or not to do. Recently, I came across a wonderful twist to another old saying:Don't just do something, stand there!
Often in tumultuous times, the wisest thing is to be still. Instead of jumping into the...
•Winter Wisdom for the Soul
Copyright (c) 2010 Karin Marcus
Recently, my husband and I escaped for a few days to a small quaint town in the mountains. We spent our days hiking along river gorges and icy lakes. On our last day, we awoke to a few inches of freshly fallen snow. It was a wonderful way to enter the New Year, walking in the silent forest, witnessing the delicate beauty of every twig, pine needle, and berry delicately capped with snow. It quieted my mind and stilled my soul.
Winter is constantly sending us...
•In Gratitude for 2009
Copyright (c) 2009 Karin Marcus
December is finally here. During this closing month of the year, I intentional make the time to acknowledge and reflect on all that has occurred in 2009, the joys and sorrows, the accomplishments and loses, the lessons learned.
My first challenge is to remember all that has happen. So I like to take a personal day from work and declare it an Errand Free Zone- no holiday preparation allowed. I find a comfy place to sit, with a nice cup of tea, and glance...
•The Importance of Women s Friendships
Copyright (c) 2009 Karin Marcus
The special bond found in female friendships has proven to have tremendous benefits, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Now is the perfect time to reinforce and celebrate those relationships. Sunday, September 19th is the 10th National Women's Friendship Day. This celebration has been endorsed by the governors of thirty-four states, and has become so popular that now the entire month of September has been declared the National Women's Friendship...
•Ways to Pursue Happiness
We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. US Declaration of Independence
Every year come July, we celebrate our wonderful and unique Declaration of Independence. I live right outside Philadelphia and frequently drive by the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, so this document is near and dear to me on many levels. One phrase...
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