by Maria Cook | Nov 27, 2018 | empowerment, learning, retreats
When we are deeply rooted in a sense of purpose, we have a guideline or signpost that can help us make choices that serve us, that help us to be more fully who we are and to share our gifts with the world. When things matter to us, we can experience a deeper level of...
by Maria Cook | Nov 22, 2018 | empowerment, Travel
The Happy Traveler While on my flight home from Belize earlier this year, I realized part of what I love about traveling is how compact life becomes. I also love it when I remember all the little things that help my traveling companions and I to be more comfortable in...
by Maria Cook | Aug 14, 2018 | acupuncture, empowerment, learning, Rituals, workshops
I recently listened to Martin Prechtel, Mayan shaman, talk about grief and praise, how they are interconnected. There are so many approaches to grief, so many ways to experience it and recover from it, so many stages of grief, so many individual expressions. Grief and...
by Maria Cook | Aug 11, 2018 | empowerment, Kayaking, learning, Yoga
When I was 24ish, I was in so much physical pain from car-snowboarding-skiiing-soccer-ice skating-crazy teenager accidents that I thought I’d be in pain my entire life. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not get days-long migraines, feel a knife...
by Maria Cook | Jun 20, 2018 | empowerment, learning, retreats, Travel
My mind is full of memories, my house is chock with souvenirs. The tiny picture of the church in Palestine, hangs next to the painted metal mirror from Oaxaca. The tile from Ecuador, poignant with grief, subdues the bold colors of the batik print from Tahiti. Nearby...
by Maria Cook | May 15, 2018 | empowerment, learning, Travel
I recently returned from Europe. I had been invited to join a friend to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, starting in Porto, Portugal. The Camino is a pilgrimage and there are many routes that end in Santiago, the most popular goes across Northern Spain....
by Maria Cook | May 14, 2018 | empowerment, learning, workshops
I recently flew to New York from Seattle to I join a seminar with Marie Kondo, the author of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Along with people from 16 other countries, I’m now a KonMari Home Organizing Consultant in training! I’m completely sold on...
by Maria Cook | Mar 13, 2018 | Curanderos, empowerment, learning, retreats, Rituals, Travel
I am home and am surrounded by the colorful reminders of my recent journey to Oaxaca. So many memories pass through my morning mind, wafting along with the scent of coffee, like little golden glitters of joy. Flashes of stunning landscapes, amazing architecture,...
by Maria Cook | Mar 11, 2018 | Curanderos, empowerment, learning, retreats, Rituals, Travel
I am writing from Oaxaca. We just spent the afternoon with traditional healers, who shared about their life and their gift, coming to terms with their calling to be healers. Over and over we hear about these people who were ill and sick constantly until they realized...
by Maria Cook | Feb 11, 2018 | empowerment, Kayaking, learning, retreats
There were nine of us together on the beach. Where to put our tent? We chose a spot under the tree and later learned the tree belonged to a pair of eagles, who sat above us, lost in the green lace of the branches. They graced us with their call, and took our breath...