What do you do when there is dissonance in your life? A lack of inner harmony created by acute or ongoing interpersonal conflict, maybe an unresolved disagreement or dispute, a perceived moral injury, or a personal or large-scale trauma or tragedy?

Internal dissonance is not easy to sit with, and I’ve found there’s a fine line between tolerating discomfort for the sake of processing it and straight up suppressing it. A song by Gillian Welch came on the radio recently, and the chorus struck a chord: “Yeah I wanna do right but not right now.”

Are you being mindful of who you’re minding? Now might be the perfect time to do some energy accounting and enter the new year with reclaimed and refreshed energy stores. Are there entanglements or distractions you can leave behind? Anyone whose mental or emotional grip you might release with compassion and forgiveness?

If you're feel drained, agitated, resentful, regretful, angry, or sad about something that happened or didn't happen, something you said or didn't say, something you did or didn't do, try compassion + forgiveness + gratitude.

This painting hung over the sofa in my maternal grandparents' apartment, and as a child I found it spooky and unsettling. Odd colors, unnameable forms, and that enigmatic eye... it was deeply imprinted in my mind. When my grandmother passed away in the spring, I asked to have the painting. Not because I "liked" it, but because it made me think of her, my grandfather, and the apartment they lived in since 1946. When I took it home and unwrapped it I was bracing myself to feel some regret, worried that it would be too creepy or just make me sad. Instead, seeing it outside of my grandparents' apartment for the first time, I was awestruck.

Do you get inspired by back-to-school season? I always feel more energized and focused at this time of year. In the spirit of the season, here are some of my recommendations for anyone interested in learning more about the chakras and the subtle energy bodies, both for casual, personal interest as well as professional development. This is by no means an exhaustive list but rather a few of the tried and trusted resources that I rely on and most often share with others.

I think a big part of the solace that energy healing provides is this feeling of being seen and understood. . In an intuitive session wounds, battles, defenses, and strengths are transmitted and received, subtly and yet fully, without judgment or analysis or rehashing, and that alone can be deeply relieving.

My clients naturally bring to me their concerns about people near and dear to them, and I am often asked whether I can work on someone else's energy field without their awareness. Even though the request might come from a place of love and good intentions, unfortunately the answer is no, I need full consent. One result is that I work with a large number of "skeptical spouses" by referral, which I find especially fun and fulfilling. I also teach (and frequently re-learn!) that one of the most healing and impactful things we can do for someone else is to change our perception of them.

Are you feeling overwhelmed, numb, powerless, or on edge in response to the unrelenting episodes of senseless violence, tragedy, and injustice? Some people are able to move through intense emotions and continue on with their lives without difficulty. Others, however, carry the intensity with them, often unconsciously, where it can have deep and destabilizing effects on their health and well-being. If that feels like you, I am writing to share mindsets and practices that might help you cope with and ultimately shift that tendency.

I took this photo on a recent flight, my first in several years. I love how the clouds look like the ocean, or the desert, or a snow-covered landscape. Gazing out and getting absorbed in the vastness of the natural world, even just with my face pressed into a tiny window, seemed to replenish some of what the noisy, cramped, stress-filled airplane was draining out of me.

I have a feeling that right now you're holding some stress and tension in your body. Tight shoulders? Clenched jaw? Furrowed brow? These postures and positions create a vicious circle -- they tell your nervous system that there's something to be stressed out about, perpetuating a state of "high alert." Do you have 30 seconds to spare? Let's take advantage and change the message.

As we slog through another pandemic-y February, how are your self-care strategies holding up? At this point you might have a handy list of mood-balancing practices — get fresh air, put down the phone, talk to a friend, do some movement, drink water, eat with intention — and yet ... maybe some new tools would be welcome?

Looking ahead, I'm thinking of something the late beloved poet Mary Oliver wrote: "Attention is the beginning of devotion." I like the reminder that paying attention to something or someone — giving time, curiosity, interest, focus — can be a sacred act, a form of love. And yet there's a warning in there, too: what we pay attention to we elevate and invest with significance, whether intentionally or not.

How are you holding up so far this holiday season? There are always reasons to celebrate and much to be grateful for, and yet the winter holidays bring a lot of visible and invisible challenges. Perhaps you have some emotional wounds that tend to get activated this time of year -- expectations and struggles around family, money, relationships, work, food, alcohol, religion, health, social engagements, consumerism, winter weather ... any I missed?

What comes to mind when I ask, "What is sapping your energy?" I imagine that something current pops up first -- work, family, or relationship demands, health challenges, or perhaps some kind of pressing deadline. What if I were to keep asking, "What else? And what else?" How many current situations do you think you would identify? What about situations in the past or the future?

As an experiment for today, why not choose to look at a person or situation through a particular lens? At work, school, the supermarket, the subway ... what if you saw everyone as a child?

Have you been thinking about your orientation in time and space recently? I have, ever since reading gymnast Simone Biles’s account of getting “the twisties” – a sudden mind/body disconnect and frightening sense of bodily disorientation. While most people don’t have to navigate their bodies flying through the air, I think a lot of us struggle with a version of the twisties; some form of mind/body or time/space disconnect that can get exacerbated by stress.

When you look back on your life, can you identify specific experiences, decisions, or encounters that set you on your current path? I often wonder how many life-defining, watershed moments we each have. One or two? Fifty? Hundreds?

If you're trying to make some changes in your life, writing out your demands and desires is a powerful first step. I like how the philosopher Epictetus put it: "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Is there something you would like to declare independence from? Habits, behavioral patterns, entanglements, or limiting circumstances? Do you have a vision of "what you would be" without all that?

Regarding weeding and gardening in general, I'm usually pretty hands off. Why mess with nature? Unexpected and charming things can show up. Plus it's good for the bees! Recently, though, I've been getting worried that invasives will crowd out the beautiful blooms that were lovingly cultivated over the years in this little plot. Given the limited space and resources, pulling weeds means that more desirable things can flourish.

Are you experiencing the surging energy of spring as jarring and destabilizing? Try space clearing and see what a difference it makes. Here are a few different techniques to energetically clear space.