Category: The HOPE Method
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Walking in Peace: The Stoic Way Most People Misunderstand
Stoicism taught me something I didn’t know I already lived — to stay calm with peace in my heart, even when the world misreads my intentions. The hardest part isn’t life’s storms; it’s the misinterpretations that come from others’ fears. Here’s how I’ve learned to walk in peace, even when my character is misunderstood.
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Lessons in controlling the minds narrative
They blindfolded me, told me to hold out my finger, and the next thing I knew — squish. My mind screamed poo! but the truth was far less terrifying… and much funnier. That day, I learned that sometimes the scariest part of life isn’t the moment itself — it’s the story we tell ourselves about…
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Sappho: Feminine Voice and Emotional Freedom
Longing was my first teacher. As a child, I dreamed my way through JC Penney catalogs, imagining a life far beyond what I had. For years, I thought that ache meant I was lacking. But now I understand: longing is sacred. Like Sappho, I’ve come to see desire not as weakness — but as a…
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The Power of Presence and Breath
In the chaos of an ordinary day, a single breath brought me back to myself. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh and grounded in the HOPE Method, this reflection explores how mindful breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, calm the body, and return us to peace — even in the middle of the mess.
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Oshun’s Wisdom: Healing Through Softness and Joy
Joy is more than a fleeting emotion — it’s a spiritual practice. In this reflection, I share how the gentle presence of Oshun reminds me to find joy in the everyday: the blue of the sky, the song of the birds, the laughter of my grandchildren. When we honor joy as sacred, we begin to…
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Harnessing Divine Courage: Lessons from Joan of Arc
When I say I hear God, I don’t mean in thunderclaps or burning bushes. I mean in redirections. In the undeniable knowing that something’s not working — not because I’m failing, but because I’m forcing. Like Joan of Arc, I’ve learned that obedience to divine guidance often feels like resistance before it feels like revelation.…
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Exploring Hildegard of Bingen’s Divine Creativity
I didn’t know the word viriditas as a child — but I knew the feeling. It was the heartbeat of the forest. The pulse of life beneath the mountain. A greening force that found me in my youth… and saved me again in my darkest hour.
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Red Shirts & Cow Pies: Confessions of a Gullible Little Sister
I was a gullible little girl with a trusting heart — and an older brother who saw that as the perfect opportunity for chaos. From cow pies in my bed to ground squirrels biting my fingers, I believed every word he said. And I look back now with a laugh and a whole lot of…
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The Price of Wisdom, the Power of Will
Odin didn’t stumble into wisdom. He bled for it. He gave his eye. He hung from the World Tree. He endured isolation, pain, and silence in exchange for knowledge no one else could teach him. And in many ways, haven’t we done the same? We’ve sacrificed relationships, identities, and even pieces of ourselves — all…
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Healing Through Kuan Yin: Embracing Compassion and Forgiveness
There was a season where I stood in front of the mirror and could not recognize the woman looking back. Years of carrying everyone else’s pain—caregiving, heartbreak, the endless giving—had settled on me like an invisible weight that eventually became very visible. I thought the answer was discipline, diets, or a stronger will. But what…
Wild Soul HOPE 