SOVEREIGN PEARL: THE RETURN TO THE RADIANT SELF I have been sitting with something all week, letting it move around within, the way meaningful experiences sometimes ask us to: slowly, gently, quietly. We just wrapped the latest round of my women’s program, Sovereign Pearl, and my heart still feels swollen, in the best possible way. Maybe it is the timing of the season, maybe the way November nudges us toward stillness, or maybe it is simply the women themselves. I cannot

The Process of Becoming The process of becoming is one of life’s most mysterious, humbling, and holy rites. To bring a child into form, into breath, into being, remains one of the most transformational, and magical, experiences in my life. Parenthood demands us to witness the constant evolution of our children, and hopefully ourselves, and a mother’s body and heart feel this evolution in a uniquely intimate way. As a mother, I sense my children from the inside out. I feel th

by Raphaela Fritz 10/25 One of the biggest lessons I wish I’d learned earlier in life is how to truly love myself, not the polished or perfected version, but the messy, honest, in-progress one. The self who’s a little cracked in places, who still forgets, still feels too much, still tries again. That kind of love didn’t come easily. It arrived through the slow alchemy of life: through challenges, heartbreaks, traumas, and the long road of remembering who I really am. Out of

Sacred & Sultry

What Does Real Freedom Mean? When I was a young child, my early years were full of wonder and play. I was born in San Francisco, and though my father left when I was just six months old, my mother made the courageous decision to go on welfare so she could be fully present with me. Those early memories feel like magic: sipping jasmine tea in the Japanese Tea Garden, throwing flower petals on the Buddha, watching the buffalo roam Golden Gate Park. We didn’t have much material

Sixteen years ago this week, I walked through the portal of motherhood which became a threshold that would forever shape my life. In the tradition of yoga, there are the five acts of Shiva: creation, sustenance, dissolution, grace, and revelation. Motherhood contains them all. There is nothing quite like this act of creation, of sustaining something so cherished and sacred. The journey unfolds in eras, each one rising, blooming, and dissolving into the next. There are moments

Feeling Disconnected?

On this solstice weekend, as we are reminded of the importance of holding steady in the light, we should reflect on the abundance of light within each of us. This light takes many forms and can express itself in a multitude of ways—from the flow of our thoughts, the currents of our emotions, to the vitality of our physical bodies. In all its many forms, our inner light becomes the way we radiate our unique essence into the world. Observing children and babies, we see that the

Taking a moment to reflect on the inspiration of the divine masculine embodied. In a world where many men grow up without positive male role models, the presence of a dedicated father or teacher can make all the difference. This past February, these hands turned 50 as they crossed the threshold into a magnificent new decade. These hands have cradled children and comforted parents as they left this world. They have created music and art, and tirelessly worked the land. Many of

As I gaze upon the captivating image above, I'm reminded of a moment frozen in time—a testament to strength, courage, and unwavering resolve. Navarra fearlessly steps over a clear glass panel, peering into the depths of the ocean abyss below. With the wind in her face and the infinite expanse ahead, she stands firm, embodying qualities that resonate deep within the human spirit. Working with various goddess energies has always been a profound experience for me. Each deity rep