bonds, bounds & barriers

“Conflict is connection. It’s how we figure out who we are, what we want, who our partners are and who they are becoming, and what they want. It’s how we bridge our differences and find our similarities, our points of connection. The problem is, we haven’t been taught how to do it right.” ~ Dr. Julie Gottman 

Conflict is often labeled as a negative in our society, especially within relationships. While it can indeed be uncomfortable and emotionally charged, conflict doesn’t have to create a barrier to connection with your partner. 

According to Drs. John and Julie Gottman, navigating disagreements respectfully and constructively can foster resilience and deepen your understanding of each other’s feelings, dreams, desires, and needs.

live & learn

The cycle of give and take is a natural rhythm the earth and most of its inhabitants are in sync with. With the main exception being us human beings - its indulgent infants. 

Our elders and older beings sharing this planet with us have learned to move with the ebb and flow. We on the other hand have much to learn and improve yet. 

if it's to me it's up to me

The wake we make is erratic and chaotic to the cycles and rhythms that have been around long before we were even possibilities in the murky muddy pool we first crawled out of. 

golden harvest

Equinoxes and Solstices are moments of important energy shifts for us - as light and dark ebb and flow. 

This year’s psychological harvest awakens us to our body’s senses, our world’s needs, and our spiritual place in the cosmos. 

pumpkin patch

Autumn Equinox is a sacred moment for grieving our many losses - as individuals, as a culture, as Earth-Gaia. We join Demeter and other Mother Goddesses from around the globe - weeping for all that is gone. Our beating hearts beating on. 

The Mother weeps and rages, the Daughter leaves courageously, the Old One beckons with Her wisdom and promise of transformation. 

Persephone is the Seed in the Heart/Core of the Mother and the Mother is in the Seed within us. They are in each other - we are of each other.

We wish all a bountiful harvest! May there be peace within us and between us. 

Originally published at https://wonderwanderwomen.blogspot.com.

August 2025

August has some celestial delights in store for us all. The night sky is putting on an unforgettable show - from meteor showers and full moons to a rare planetary lineup and a mysterious Black Moon. 

Whether you're a stargazer, photographer, or cosmic dreamer, these celestial events leaves us all awe struck. 

on Astrowonders

From powerful cosmic portals to stunning meteor showers, August's sky offers chances to set intentions, find clarity, and welcome new beginnings. 

life roadmap

“In many traditional cultures, healing was not the burden of one person alone, It was held by the entire community.” ~ Sandra Ingerman, Soul Retrieval

Is it any wonder then that no matter the advances in science and health today, a growing number of dis-ease and illness afflict too many in our modern world. 

this critical time is calling us to shift to a higher dimension of reality

As we were never meant to be alone, soul healing was never meant to be a solitary journey. It takes a village in community - knowing each member and caring for each other's wellbeing to keep us all going. 

a communion of saints

Pentecost is a movable feast that celebrates the Holy Spirit coming to descend upon the Apostles, as Jesus the Christ promised. Many religions recognize Pentecost as the birth of the Church. In 2025, Pentecost is celebrated on June 8.

Pentecost is the universal dissemination of the Christ Consciousness throughout all time in the heart of every human being. 

Pentecost - artist unknown

"This is true communion with the Holy Spirit, Who sees the altar of God in everyone, and by bringing it to your appreciation, calls upon you to love God and Creation.  You can appreciate the Sonship only as One.  This is part of the law of creation and therefore governs all thought.”  ACIM, 123

shroud

The patadyong is more than just fabric - it is a woven story of resilience, tradition, and artistry. As we continue to support and celebrate this heritage textile, we honor the craftsmanship of Filipino artisans and ensure that this cultural legacy enchants countless generations. 

I have collected patadyongs since I had the consciousness to pick out my own clothes. In our coastal island home - they were the perfect piece to throw over myself. 

Panubók Embroidery

As I hid from the sun on a blisteringly hot day. As I stepped out of the water - by the pool, on the beach, or off a boat. As I was caught in a flash by a passing thunderstorm or grew chill up among the clouds on the towering slopes of Kanlaon volcano. 

When I left for university in the big bad city - I had a difficult time selecting a mere half dozen that would come along with me. To comfort and cocoon me far away from home, as I was leaving for the first time. 

Through graduation, several boyfriends, and decades later - my all time favorite, a bright splash of acid colored psychedelic swirls - made it all the way to another life all across the world to the US of A. 

sarongs, malongs, patadyongs

It had served as sleepwear, towel, bedspread, curtain, tablecloth, picnic blanket, full skirt, and off the shoulder stunner - among its many incarnations. I had it before Mahala and I have it still - both such truly beloved, lovable companions. 

It remains vibrant and vivid to this day. It has served me well in life. I am saving it for one last service as my cremation shroud. 

*Now available on Medium and Substack as well.

some patadyongs of my own

eclipsed

Change is inevitable - no matter how much it surprises or how we resist. Around the world the Ring of Fire has been restive. 

Also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. 

Seventy-five percent of earth’s volcanoes - more than 450, are located along the Ring of Fire. Ninety percent of earth’s earthquakes occur along its path, including the planet’s most violent and dramatic seismic events. 

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park on the island of Java, Indonesia

In Negros Island where I was born and grew up, Mount Kanla-on had been spewing volcanic ash and shaking the earth since September 2024. Folks have been displaced and evacuated from its vicinity. Farms have been abandoned and left follow under sulfur fumes. 

fly free, soar high

What if freedom wasn’t about external circumstances but about the liberation of your own heart and mind? ~ Sandra Ingerman 

Often, we tend to define freedom in the doing - what we can do, where we can go, what we can achieve. Yet true freedom is not in the outside world - it lives within each of us. 

salve for our soul

On February 25 the Philippines celebrated the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution. While it was a celebration of ousting then dictator Ferdinand Marcos - the bitter realization of not having done enough weighs the country down still. 

Current president and Ferdie's sole male heir, Bongbong Marcos tries in vain to sell us the fictitious retelling of his parents as savior and hero of the Filipino. While their family have bought their way back with the ill-gotten wealth they looted as leverage - no one is really buying their bullshit. 

As the month winds to its end, Donand Trump's second term as president of the United States of America has been a royal shit show. How on earth such a spoiled dodger and loser could have gained this seat of honor is a truly regrettable mystery. 

Caught between Marcos in the Philippines and Trump in the US, we are hard pressed to keep our love light tended and thriving. And yet we must - so we turn within to liberate ourselves from all these chaos and challenge. 

It is not in the doing where freedom exists but rather in our being. It is in who we are that our independence prevails. When we nurture and nourish this spirit, then we live on our terms and not by those imposed on us. 

May we always remember this and may it always be enough to sustain us. 

drive the dark away

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, when the Earth tilts furthest from the Sun, creating a powerful energetic pause. 

The Winter Solstice has been celebrated for centuries across various cultures as a symbol of rebirth and renewal. 

an iconic Yuletide poem 

It represents a time when the darkness reaches its peak, marking winter's turning point. Days slowly begin to lengthen again, signaling the return of light.