We Within

During the covid lockdown this year, I had the chance to witness how generous and resourceful humans can be when we tap into the energies of creativity and contribution. During those months, the world outside my windows slowed down and went quiet, and in that silence beautiful demonstrations of these energies manifested. It happened one morning. The sound of a piano and a female voice floated towards our balcony, filling the apartment, and every day until we were allowed to leave our homes, we were greeted by that sound. I’ll never forget that woman who decided to pick up her microphone and perform for us from her window to make lockdown more bearable. (I talked about that story here ). What’s amazing about these demonstrations is their contagious energy. Our creative contributions have a ripple effect, filling others with an overpowering desire to give to the world as well. Listening to this woman sing, I too felt the need to offer a piece of myself. The idea just popped up in my head...

At the beginning of this year, I felt lost and confused. I hated my job and was exhausted all the time, I was bitter and resentful, and I felt like I was running in circles. But then I turned to one of the biggest things that have always helped me cope: writing. It was Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way that reminded me of the immense power of writing. In her book, she encourages us to write three pages, stream-of-consciousness style, as soon as we get up to unload all the thoughts in our mind and get clarity. It turned out I had a lot to unload. (Stream of consciousness is a writing technique in which you let your thoughts flow from your mind to the page without filtering or editing anything, expressing everything as it comes to mind). Within weeks, morning pages brought to the surface all the things I needed to accept, change or deal with in any way. They pointed me in the right direction as I saw the life I was living was not the life my soul was calling for. Page after page I let al...

“I experience the greatest degree of pleasure in having contact with works of art. They furnish me with happy feelings of an intensity that I cannot derive from other sources.” Albert Einstein You’ve felt those intense happy feelings too. You’ve felt them as you navigated the corridors of a museum or a gallery, immersing yourself in the atmosphere created by the art that welcomed you with open arms. Often beautiful, at times frightening, art is always there to remind us of the truth, leaving bare the soul of the artist. Leaving bare all of our souls. There is something incredibly powerful in the act of witnessing art. It connects us with something deeper, something greater. When we stand in front of an art piece, we are transported somewhere else and, at the same time, we are more present than ever.  I believe art is a form of spiritual connection . Every time we allow ourselves to immerse ourselves in it, it rewards us with the gift of connection. We connect to ourselves, and also...

I’ve been an animal rescuer all my life. Whether it was an abandoned dog, a bird who couldn’t fly, a drowning bee or a snail in a precarious position, my hands rushed to their aid, following a strong impulse. It is in my nature. But what many don’t understand is that this is mutually beneficial, for animals can also help us heal. Those of you who share your life with an animal companion know the feeling: We come home after a hard day and there they are, ready to greet us. They lie down next to us (sometimes on us) when we’re sick or depressed. Or they simply stare at us with that expression that screams unconditional love.  But loving moments aren’t the only thing our companions offer us. They are also excellent teachers. Humans tend to pride themselves on being the most intelligent species (easy to say when you’re basing intelligence on a human scale without bothering to understand other species), but there is so much we can learn from both our companions and other animals. Here a...

  In Part One of this Tools to Heal post series I mentioned how growing up I instinctively looked for things that would help me cope with trauma, fear and other mental and emotional challenges. I believe in this case music came to me. It came in the form of a small keyboard and a recorder, and in the albums my brother lent me.  Soon I discovered two things about music: The first one is that few things in life give me more pleasure. And the second one, that it’s an incredibly powerful tool to reduce stress and negative thoughts, process emotions and, ultimately, recover a sense of joyful hope. If you’re reading this, chances are you also enjoy music and the magic it brings with it. Perhaps you’re the kind of person who needs to play sad songs when you feel sad. Perhaps you play an instrument and feel pulled towards it when you’re having a difficult time. Perhaps you’ve noticed how a particular song lifts your mood instantly. Perhaps something awakens within you as you listen ...

There is so much happening in the world right now that many of us are having difficulties dealing with life. For those of us who are more sensitive, this is even more challenging. We feel the weight of personal and collective grief, the rage of injustice, the fear of a growing uncertainty that involves all aspects of life. If I’m completely honest, some days I can barely cope. Some days all I manage to do is breathe and hope the next day will be better. And yet at times I can hear a still voice within me that reminds me I’ve defeated bigger monsters than this. That still voice is the one writing these words. I have known grief and trauma. I have known fear and hopelessness. But as I reflect on dark past times I realise I naturally gravitated towards things that helped me cope. I believe as children we often instinctively look for what we need, and the tools I found for myself have proved useful to many, many others, especially sensitive people. Now it’s more necessary than ever to turn...

I like to imagine if I had been born at a different time I would have been devoted to a quiet life of artistic creation with a patron who would come knocking on my door to collect my art and sell it. And in between projects I would learn about herbalism and heal the villagers’ ailments, at least until I was condemned for being a witch. I am immensely happy that witch hunts are over (the “burning at the stake” version, anyway) but growing up I had the impression that being an artist was no easy feat. This didn’t stop me from composing poems, writing stories, singing and playing music or taking pictures of shadows. It didn’t stop me from studying Photography and an English degree either. I had many interests but ultimately I wanted to be a writer. And yet by the time I finished my studies I had already given up on my dream.  Earlier this year I came across Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way . It was a magical moment, one of those that whisper fate in your ear, like Arthur pulling...