Snapshots Once upon a time there was a dog named Izzy. Once upon a time she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart, which would eventually kill her. Once upon a time I had to live with the shadow of death, every day, all day, and decide how to REALLY live, befriending the shadow but choosing the light. This is a snapshot from that story. _____________________________ “All of life is saying goodbye.” I’m musing on that quote, and Izzy’s nebulous prognosis, as we climb into the car. We’re headed to the park for our ritual […]

  The Lottery When Silas and I need a pick-me-up, when it seems to be raining crap and we’re feeling particularly uninspired or disappointed or gloomy, we play a little game. It’s called Who Won the Lottery. After we’ve slogged through how upsetting something is, or how terribly hurt we are, of how many things just aren’t going well at all, one of us will turn to the other and say “Who won the lottery?” That’s the cue. The other person’s eyes will go all soft focus and start talking about love, in one way or another. “The day I […]

The Conversion of Conversation Hi. My name’s Angi. I’m your friendly neighborhood muse and shameless tribal ring leader. I just wanted to check in with you, those who have been with me for the past 9 days and those who may be new. Let’s pretend we’re all in my living room. Sit on the red velvet couch. Prop your feet up on the Emu. Have some chai or limoncello or fireball whiskey. We’re gonna play some Bohemian Rhapsody. And let’s talk. This TRIBE EXPERIMENT? It started because I was curious about connection: how we share it over social media, what […]

Belonging I’m looking to define that magical elixir that keeps tribes together: Belonging. As we explore what it means to be a tribe, and what our needs are collectively, as a unit, I’m curious how you would describe belonging? And particularly… What is the difference between belonging and fitting in? Name a time you have experienced belonging. Was it with a place? A person? A pack? How did it make you feel? My deepest belongings (for a very long time) were mysterious, even to me. I rarely shared them with anyone, because I felt like a freak. It wasn’t with […]

If I Were… I’m working on a post that’s on the deep side, and it’s not quite finished, so for today I’m going to keep on the light side, with some more FUN. (Speaking of FUN, wasn’t yesterday’s game just a blast? I had such a good time I’m thinking of playing variations of that game once a week!) So, in an effort to know yourself and your tribe mates a little better, we’re going to play another game. I play a version of this at the parties and workshops I host, and it gives everyone a chance to know […]

  Symbol Speak   We’re going to do something FUN today. I’m giving each of you a little gift. I play this game with myself at home, and I just love the results. The Universe, as I’ve come to know it, speaks in signs and symbols, in energies and sound. There is Presence all around us, and it is constantly communicating with us, if we’ll only show up and engage in the conversation. Today, the conversation-game goes like this: when you comment on this post, (you can use any term you like “Yes, Please!” or “Me! Me! or “Gimme mine!” […]

What We Ache For I’ll admit it here: I’m allergic to small talk, and chatting makes me break out into a case of the I-Don’t-Cares. This makes me a terrible party goer, unless I’m the host. I love the depths, sharing one-on-one or with a small group, delving into what we find most compelling about life, art, soul, beauty, pain, hope. When I came across this poem by David Whyte in the 90’s, I was rushed with a sense of relief and love, “Finally! Someone gets it!” I felt he spoke to my longing for connection, and tapped a vein […]

  Asking & Offering I try to live by these words that were once given to me by author and mentor Christina Baldwin: “Ask for what you need. Offer what you can.” I admit I’m better with offering than with asking. But I don’t think I’m alone in that. Asking for what we need (or want) is tricky business in a culture that eschews vulnerability. Asking can make me feel squeamish, nervous or downright afraid. At its worse, it can feel shameful. Yet how can we expect to thrive – which, in and of itself implies the need for interconnectivity […]

  Loving Wide Open I am convinced that love is the only thing we get to take with us when we cross over. That light everyone speaks of? I’m convinced it’s LOVE, welcoming us into the fullness of what we are, what we’ve always been. And this earth? This body? This temporal experience of humanity? It’s our soul’s attempt to play, to create, to take up our space in the image of the Great Creator, creating at will. Sometimes we create things unconsciously and say “How could I possibly have created THIS?” (Or, in the words of one of my […]

  The Questions I had a post all ready that was deep and thoughtful and heart-pulling, and then I thought HOLY COW! Today is Friday! It’s the day of the week people are most harried. They’re tying up their work week, making plans for the weekend, getting home, thinking forward, looking back. It takes a great deal of shifting energy. So to be gentle with all of us, I’m going to keep it short and sweet today. The topic is simple and can be answered lightly, or you can dwell with it some time and go deep. Up to you.Yesterday […]