Wunjo Way of Joy

Years ago, I found The Book of Runes by Ralph H. Blum—a companion for the spiritual warrior, offering guidance through simple stones inscribed with ancient symbols. Among them, the rune Wunjo—joy—kept appearing, quietly insisting that joy is not just a fleeting feeling but a direction, a compass, a way of being. It still feels true. Wunjo is a reminder to orient toward inner alignment, beauty, and the harmonies that arise when we live close to nature and close to ourselves.

I’ve been writing on and off since my teenage years—scribbling into notebooks, chasing questions, trying to remember and reveal who I am and why I’m here in this body, on this Earth. Writing became a way of listening: to my own heart, to the natural world, to the whispers of something larger. Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages showed me how to meet myself on the page, honestly and without judgment. That practice stayed with me. Writing still brings me peace, joy, and the kind of clarity that comes only through attention and reflection.

This blog is an offering from that place—a contemplative space shaped by curiosity, longing, love, and a quiet devotion to beauty. It’s a way of tuning in, of learning through presence, of honoring the seasons both within and without. The Wunjo Way is not a fixed path—it’s a practice of becoming, again and again, with wonder and heart.

Summer Solstice

I took a long hike in China Camp today to experience this iteration of summer’s arrival. This is my 13th summer settling on this land where the Coast Miwok are the indigenous inhabitants. The earth here on the summer solstice is hard and dry. Some of the well-worn trails of China Camp are hardened like…

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Meeting Myself in a Million Beautiful Ways

Today I’m celebrating my relationship with myself. I have been single for 16 or 17 years. I can’t remember anymore. All this time I’ve been in relationship with myself, having all the ups & downs, twists & turns by myself. Who can say whether it’s been easier or harder to be alone? I celebrate the…

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Tiny Moments

I’ve been wanting to say something for days, but I can’t quite get it out. It’s a quiet truth, one that’s easy to ignore and override. It’s that vulnerable risk that’s a little too scary to fully embrace. It’s the part of you that longs to be seen but is mostly shy. It’s noticing that…

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44

I’m finding a lot of peace at the start of my 44th year. Peace in the present moment, peace in being with myself, feeling peaceful in the body I’ve got right now, and peace with those in my life however close or far away they choose to be. There is also an abundance of feelings…

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My Heart

A year ago I shared a beautiful afternoon with Kristen and John. Kristen unveiled this amazing medicine painting to me for the first time. It was love at first sight and I am still completely mesmerized by each detail. It’s so familiar and so precious that I can barely believe it exists and that I…

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The Best We Can Do

***This post took me 2 hours to write. It takes about 10 minutes to read. I posted it and then deleted it last night, but then reposted it today because I really do want to share even though it feels vulnerable.*** I’ve spoken with a lot of people in the past year who are struggling…

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Spirit of the Forest

Walking slowly. Stopping often to listen and observe. Noticing the millions of details of these woods, trees, leaves and earth – each in their fluctuating states of growth and decay. I come here to transform myself, to let the natural world impress itself on me and not the other way around. I come here to…

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Message from the forest

Message from the forest: Stay relaxed. Take your time with everything. Do not let the fast pace of the human world rush you. Do not be ashamed of your slow deliberate pace. Take steady, conscious steps and walk softly on the earth. Let your feet slowly kiss the ground. Feel the quality and weight of…

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Wild Woman

Before the Unleash Your Inner Wild Woman photo shoot. Who is my wild woman self? What does she long for? How does she move through the world? How does she move her body? How does it feel inside of her when pleasure rises up through her root chakra and explodes throughout her whole body? How…

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First smell of fall rain

First smell of fall rainStoking my desire for moreLet go letting go Seasons change, people change, and I change. I want with all my heart to be the most current, accessible, and loving version of myself at all times. I can be all those those things and still struggle to let life flow through me…

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Grey Hairs

A few years ago I decided to stop hiding my grey hairs. I’ve noticed my grey hairs growing in for the last maybe 5-6 years. For the first few years, I decided that I would use demi-permanent hair color every 3 months or so to cover the grey hairs and fade out gradually instead of…

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Adrienne Mehri Shamszad

Last night Adrienne’s voice, her songs and the music she and her band played blasted my heart wide open and made tears stream down my face. She sang poems by Rumi, Hafiz and other amazing mystic Iranian poets in Farsi and it made me understand the longing to be overcome by the love of god.…

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