"The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
(Eden Phillpotts)

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those that find it."
(Andre Gide)

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia, until ultimately we are enslaved by it."
(Robert Heinlein)

"The real skill is to raise the sails and to catch the power of the wind as it passes by."
(Thomas Berry)

"What makes a fire burn," writes poet Judy Brown, "is space between the logs, a breathing space."

Most people come to me for counseling because they fear some "fire" in their life is going out --in a relationship, at work, inside their own heart. Often they are looking for a new log that can be thrown on the fire to make it burn hot again. They want to know what to do.

Brown warns about this: "Too many logs, packed in too tight, can douse the flames almost as surely as a pail of water would....It is fuel, and the absence of fuel, together, that make fire possible."

One of the great benefits of counseling is that it provides some "breathing space," some space between the many logs people have packed tightly into their lives. That breathing space makes possible the calming of anxiety, the rekindling of long-forgotten dreams, and the opening up of new possibilities. Usually, it is then that the right thing to do, the right course of action, declares itself. Brown puts it this way:

"We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire
grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings,
in which the the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way."

However you find it--whether by counseling, or by some other means--I wish for you...some breathing space, so that your own fire may indeed find its way, and burn brightly.

                                                ~Dan

[The full text of Judy Brown's poem "Fire" can be found by clicking on the link in the "3 Good Poems" section, below]

(movie): "The Girl In The Cafe." The movies that stay with me tend to be the ones that work on multiple levels. "The Girl In The Cafe" is a May-December love story, a reminder that one brave voice can change the world, and a subtle illustration of the importance and power of bringing a feminine perspective to a world that is still largely patriarchal. Starring Bill Nighy & Kelly Macdonald. Written by Richard Curtis. Directed by David Yeats. "The Girl In The Cafe" won 3 Emmys in 2006: Outstanding Made For Television Movie, Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Supporting Actress (Kelly Macdonald).

(support group): "Women Over 40 Who Never Had Kids." Led by my colleague Dr. Jane Tornatore, this 6-week group explores:"Who am I as a woman who never had kids?," "Lost and Found--Dreams, Roles, and Relationships," "Body Image & Menopause," "How do I care for myself when I become an elder?," "Do I need to grieve?," and "What will I leave this world?" For more info, visit Dr. Tornatore's web site,  or call her at (206) 769-8108.

(art exhibit): "Preston Singletary--Echoes, Fire, and Shadows," at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA through September 19, 2010. I've never been much of a fan of glassmaking as an art form--it just hasn't moved me. That changed a few weeks ago when I stood in the Preston Singletary exhibit at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, and marveled at the ways Singletary has married  the mythology of his Tlingit (Native American) ancestry with a complex combination of artistic techniques that include glassblowing, sandcarving, and inlaying. The exhibit includes several renderings of the story of Raven stealing the Sun (below).

(book): The Raven Steals The Light. Stories by Bill Reid & Robert Bringhurst, Drawings by Bill Reid. A re-telling of ten stories from Haida mythology, paired with drawings by Reid, one of the finest contemporary Native American artists. There is also an excellent "children's book" version of the title story: Raven--A Trickster Tale From The Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott.

I offer professional counseling and astrology services for individuals and couples. Whether you come to me with a problem (like depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues) or simply the sense that it's time for a change, I help you look at how that starting point is calling you to grow, and how you can respond with creativity, vitality, and hope.

To learn more, visit my web site by clicking here.

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