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.

Right now a lot of people have had it UP TO HERE. They are simply FULL. Filled to the brim with stress, grief, tragedies, even catastrophes. Or with tedium, isolation, loneliness, and frustration. Or all of the above! And of course being full doesn’t mean more challenges won’t be added to the pile at any moment, it just means our inner resources might be maxed out.

From what I am seeing and sensing and going through myself, I think some deep self-soothing practices are in order. If you're feeling clear and balanced and energized, that is fantastic! Feel free to skip the rest of this post. If you're feeling cranky, overwhelmed, frustrated, fearful, furious, or despairing, you are not the only one.

In this season of gift-giving, sharing, and generosity, we have an opportunity to practice gracious receiving. Receiving plays just as vital a role in the flow of abundance as giving. Instead of brushing off a compliment, a simple and sincere "Thank you!" fulfills and nourishes the exchange. If someone offers help, notice whether and where you feel resistance. See how it feels to accept the offer at face value without presuming any complicated intentions or consequences.

I want to share a visualization technique I've been using and recommending more and more lately for when you need to summon your own inner power and presence, for example when preparing for a challenging situation or an encounter with a difficult person or group, or just when you're feeling depleted and low and need to call up your best self. I think of it as "turning up my volume."

There has been a lot written lately examining the new phenomenon dubbed "zoom fatigue" -- why interacting over screens is so mentally taxing and can leave us feeling empty and sad instead of connected.

In addition to the social, psychological, and neurological challenges of virtual group interactions, I've been noticing how they scramble and frazzle the flow of energy through our fields, to use somewhat unscientific terms.

If you've been to Luray Caverns in Virginia (pictured above), you know the surprising visual twist contained in this image. While this looks like a vast underground cavern covered in stalactites (mineral deposits hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (rising from the ground), that's not quite true.

If you've been feeling frazzled, anxious, unsettled, scattered, panicky, or disoriented, your nervous system might be short-circuiting. It's time to kick off your shoes and socks, sink into a soft spot of grass, and get grounded.

In effect, I had gone swimming in a murky stew of panic, mistrust, fear, anxiety, and grief and had come home without cleaning off. (Hand sanitizer doesn't touch it!) I could have gone on feeling bad and radiating bad feelings to my family. These things are contagious. But it has made a big difference in my life to learn to distinguish the emotions and thoughts that are mine — up to me to experience and process — and the "debris" that is floating around and can glom on to any of us. Just awareness of a percentage gives me relief and perspective. What's mine I can deal with. The rest, I know to release.

None of us is immune to the collective energy field -- its impact on our state of mind is often more profound than we realize. Cultivating groundedness, calm, and balance can make a real contribution to the health and well-being of all. Below are a few different exercises to help you find your center. Links are to previous blog posts where I go a bit more in depth about each exercise.

Do you have a burning question about the meaning of life? Why not have a little fun, find a magical source of wisdom today, and see what it tells you.

Lately my family has really enjoyed watching The Dog Whisperer together. We don't own a dog, and yet surprisingly the show's central concept has relevance for us all and particular resonance for my work -- that our energy powerfully impacts our environment and our loved ones, whether or not we're aware of it.