Blog - The Sparkling Soul

Chronic Pain: Out-Of-The-Box Ideas

If you feel like you have tried everything under the sun to try to deal with your chronic pain, with no real answers in sight, I’d like to offer some ideas and resources and possibly a little bit of different thinking for you.

9 Personal Growth Ideas That Will Make Your Life Happier

In pursuing personal growth, you not only contribute to making the world a better place, but you also make your life happier and better.

9 Body Positive and Anti-Diet Podcasts You Will Love

I’ve compiled a list of 9 current (as of the beginning of 2023) podcasts that I want to share with you. 5 of these I listen to regularly, and 4 of them are new to me, but I’m looking forward to exploring more with them! If you are looking for some new and interesting listening, read on for some suggestions!

“Almond Moms” Got Nothing on My Generation’s Moms

Read on if you’d like to learn a little more about what the term “almond mom” is referring to (if you don’t already know) and to hear some stories from my generation, too. I think all of these things are important in order to expose how well-meaning mothers have harmed and continue to harm their children through weight stigma. It’s important to expose it because that’s the only way we can begin to correct it in our society.

Using Crystals for Focus and Attention

How can crystals be used to improve focus & attention? Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase, which is one way for you to support this blog. Yay! I try to find amazing things that my readers will love as much as

Using Crystals to Help Your Anxiety and Reduce Stress

I’ve been using crystals and stones for years to help me sleep and meditate, to help me feel happier, and yes, to help with anxiety and stress, and I’d like to share some of the knowledge I’ve gained over the years with you. So if you’re looking for a natural way to help your anxiety and reduce stress levels, read on!

8 Things To Do With Others To Make Your Life Happier

As a general rule, we often think of ways to make our life happier that are sort of self-contained. However, I’ve found that it is very often our day-to-day interactions with others that makes the difference in our own happiness.

8 Acts of Kindness to Make Your Life Happier

it’s amazing how performing acts of kindness can reduce stress and anxiety and create joy and happiness in your own life.

The 10 Best Tarot Decks for Beginners

in my years learning and teaching Tarot, I’ve come to believe that there are decks that are easier and more difficult to learn with. So, I’ve compiled my list of the 10 Best Tarot Decks for Beginners that I’ll share with you here.

Tarot 101: An Introduction

Just starting to learn about Tarot? Don’t really know where to start? As a longtime reader, teacher, and author on the Tarot, I thought it might be appropriate to share a basic introduction to the world of Tarot.

3 Ways to Use Tarot for Self-Growth

Tarot is a great tool for divination and tapping into your own intuition. Intuitive readers all around the globe use it for everything from fortune telling to life coaching and probably in more ways than we can even begin to fathom. But did you know that Tarot can be used as a tool in your own personal self-growth?

What’s the Difference Between Tarot and Oracle Cards?

Tarot is a specific type of deck of 78 cards, while oracle decks can come in any number with any meaning. Both kinds of cards are used as divination tools.

5 Books To Help You on Your Anti-Diet Journey

Not everyone is ready to give up on diet culture, but if you are, I wanted to share some wonderful books to help you out with that. Diets overwhelmingly do not work. Weight loss is almost never sustained long-term. Most people gain back everything they lost, and so many of us gain back so much more every single time.

Is Emotional Intelligence Important?

Emotional intelligence is an important thing to have. Unless you are a hermit and never have to or want to deal with any other human beings, you should probably be interested in finding out exactly what emotional intelligence is and in how to increase it. Much like empathy, some people are born with greater emotional

Is There Such a Thing As Multiple Intelligences?

There are multiple kinds of intelligence, at least according to many in the educational and psychology fields. IQ is used as a measurement of one kind of intelligence, but many people believe that it is not actually that great of a measurement (it is seen to be flawed in many ways) and that it certainly does not give a full picture of a person’s abilities, capabilities and future success.

What Does Toxic Positivity Look Like?

“Anger is not ok.” “Failure is not allowed.” “It’s ok, don’t cry.” “Anger, sadness, and jealousy are low vibrational.” “Everything happens for a reason, so don’t be upset.” “You should be grateful because so many other people have it so much worse.” “Positive vibes only.”

How Medical Focus on Weight Does More Harm Than Good

Larger people stop going to the doctor. They don’t get the treatments they need. Focusing on weight loss as treatment can also cause anxiety and stress, trigger eating disorders, and create trauma and other mental health issues.

5 Ways Weight Stigma Shows Up at Your Doctor’s Office…

And Tips for What to do When it Does Dealing with weight stigma or anti-fat bias at the doctor’s office is a common experience for people of higher weight. It can leave us feeling unheard and untreated and can even cause trauma that keeps us from returning to the doctor, even when we may really

What Is Spiritual Health and Is it Important?

Feeling connected to something greater than oneself is the idea of spiritual health. Having a set of morals, principles, values, and beliefs is also a part of spiritual health. Spiritual health is not necessarily based on religion or even a belief in God but those things can be a part of spiritual health for some people.

What is Weight Stigma and Why Does it Matter?

Bias and discrimination against people of higher weight are what create weight stigma. It matters because, contrary to popular belief, weight and body size has little to do with being lazy, unmotivated, lacking willpower, or engaging in out-of-control eating. It matters because another person’s body is none of our business. It matters because weight stigma

I Love You. I Really Do.

So, here’s a little something I’ve been working with from my past – healing my heart, if you will. I’ve had a lot of experiences with people in the past who were afraid of feelings, afraid of commitment, afraid of being needed, or simply afraid of love. Because I’ve always been a very loving person

Grace Can Bridge the Gap

One thing I do forget sometimes… Grace can bridge the gap. Grace can carry us over the chasms we encounter from time to time. Grace can pick us up and carry us over whatever hurdles, through whatever fires we are facing. It’s okay to relax into the arms of Grace. If you are at a

“Pay as You Feel Guided” Readings

Spirit spoke to me a long time ago and asked me to make an offering to folks who feel they would like to get a reading from me but may be constrained by finances. So, I offer the “Pay as You Feel Guided” Reading to anyone who feels moved to request a phone Intuitive Tarot

The Gift of Empathy

I think that if I could give the world one gift… one gift that would start to heal all of the pain and anger and hate… it would be the gift of empathy. I truly believe that empathy (and therefore kindness) is sorely lacking on this planet. Some have it… many do not. The more

Live in the Mystery

You know, the interesting thing about life is that things can work out well in so many different ways. Sometimes we think we know what we want (or what we think we should want), and so we form this picture in our heads of how it “should” be. But, I think this is where so

Everything You Can Imagine is Real

Yes. It is true… Pablo Picasso was exactly right… everything you can imagine is real! I believe this to the depth of my soul. As I have gone through my life, I have come to understand that there are many people who are afraid. They are afraid to dream, they are afraid to imagine and

Fortune Sides with Him Who Dares

Fortune Sides with Him Who Dares. – Virgil Oh, how I LOVE this inspirational quote… and it is exactly what I need to hear to help me continue forward on my path! Maybe there are other people out there like me? I know that I have gifts and talents to offer the world. I know

Do You Really Believe What You Believe?

This is something I wrote some time ago and my health has taken some difficult turns in the last couple of years, so this is something I have been tested on for myself, repeatedly, over this time. I’m getting ready to have some spinal surgery in the next month or so, and it scares me,

What If We Focused on Learning To Love Ourselves, Instead?

I was watching something on TV from a few years ago and they were talking about “the war on obesity” and I wondered how it could make sense to wage a war on any particular form of human body. A guy on the show was saying it is obese BEHAVIOR that he is against, not

The Source of Happiness

What do you think about this line of reasoning? Personally, I think that there are definitely at the very least, kernels of truth here. But I also think that the deeper truths are always more complex than popular thought or quick spiritual summaries can truly encompass. However, I think these kinds of things are worth

5 Books on Authenticity that are Well Worth the Read

In this chaotic world full of expectations and reputations and so much self-doubt and fake people, it is something of a challenge sometimes to really live in a way that reflects our true, authentic selves. I’ve found a few books that give us inspiration and encouragement to truly start living from a place of authenticity,

30 Affirmations to Connect With Your Goals

I love affirmations and think they can be a useful addition to other spiritually-based practices. Although I believe that affirmations aren’t the be-all and end-all of healing and the law of attraction, affirmations can be a great way to connect yourself with your goals and help you achieve them! I’m giving you a list of

Everything You Want is on the Other Side of Fear

Everything you want is on the other side of fear. This is a popular inspirational saying. Does it inspire you? Or is it one of those things you see and just wave off? I think that it is really true and it one of the sayings that I find actually inspires me to do things

You Gotta Live Your Life

“I don’t want to earn my living; I want to live.” Oscar Wilde Exactly. This is exactly how I feel about life. I think there is a definite misconception in our world – that you have to earn your living, that you have to justify your life. I don’t believe God wants us to feel

Don’t Be Afraid To Be “Too Much”

So much of my life I’ve been told that I am “too much” and that has, at times in my life, really worn me down. I know that I have a big personality. I’m awkward. I cuss too frequently. I talk too much. I laugh too loud. I over-share. I cry too often. Maybe all

What Even is an Old Soul?

Something I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about, being the pragmatic spiritual person that I am… a friend of mine recently asked me if I was an “old soul” (I’ve gotten asked that question a lot in my life) — and my automatic response was, “yes… I have been around for a long time…

Surviving Mercury Retrograde with Grace

I was asked about Mercury going retrograde here in about a week or so (January 30 – February 20, 2021), so I thought I would just write a little note to tell you my take on it! Mercury Retrograde does tend to affect our communications (that old Mercury is the messenger planet, you know…) –

We Are So Much More Than Our Pain

I want you to know that I see you. And I feel you. I want you to know that I love you. So many people are hurting. There is always pain that comes in all shapes and sizes, and it is all real. I want you to know that I sit here and I feel

Do You Deserve Love, Success and Happiness?

Well, do you? Of course you know, the simple and truest answer is “yes.” You DO deserve love, success and happiness. You absolutely do. There is no doubt in my mind. I couldn’t be more sure of myself than I am in answering that question in the affirmative. The question is, do YOU believe it?

Flying in the Sweet Spot

Some time ago, I read Seth Godin’s book The Icarus Deception. It’s a great read, and you should really read it, if you haven’t already. I just want to share one thing in that book that has really stuck with me.. It’s something I’ve mulled over and over in my mind. It’s something that has

Be Who You Are

About all you can do in life is be who you are. -Rita Mae Brown Oh, I just adore Rita Mae Brown. She is an inspiration to me, in and of herself. Some years ago, I had basically read everything that she had written, and I got the opportunity to go see her in person.

The Key to Growth

The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. ~Lao Tzu When I think about this quote, it reminds me of the idea about once you have expanded your mind it can never go back to its original dimension. And that is so true. The key to growth really

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of good luck, good fortune, wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), and she is considered as the embodiment of beauty. She is wife of the God Vishnu. Lakshmi is also known as Mahalakshmi. It is believed that she protects her devotees from all forms of misery and money-related trouble and sadness and is

Attitude is the Most Important Thing

Here’s a story about attitude that will help you understand why it is the most important thing. A reporter was sent to a cafe to interview three different men doing exactly the same job – hammering stones. Asking about how they liked their job, the first one answers, I really hate it. I barely make

St Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi – (Italian: San Francesco d’Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, but nicknamed Francesco (“the Frenchman”) by his father, 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint

Never Alone

Life finds a way to challenge me… a lot. And somehow, I find a way to move forward and to love and to live anyway… even when the weight of so much seems to rest on my shoulders. There are times when I don’t feel very cheerful or happy and there are times when joy

Tending Your Own Garden

Here’s a thing I know. People today are no worse or better than any other time in history. We always want to say how bad things are and how bad people are, and we pick on the younger generation (or older generation in some cases), saying how they do things wrong. There’s so much stuff

The Other Shoe

I don’t know about you, but when things are going really well in my life, I’ve sort of been conditioned to expect or wait for “the other shoe to drop.” I mean, I’ve always sort of had this notion that maybe I just can’t have really good things happening in my life. Like that just

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