Word Of The Day: Lagom

Here’s a thoughtful word to help us increase happiness and reduce stress with balanced living.

Lagom, pronounced ‘lah-gom,’ is a unique Swedish term that roughly translates to “just the right amount” or “not too much, not too little.”

It’s the art of finding a perfect balance in all aspects of life – work, study, socializing, and even relaxation. In tennis, it’d be the sweet spot. It’s similar to hygge, but different.

To my child-like self, it reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, as she searched for just the RIGHT bowl of oatmeal, chair, bed…

The concept of lagom can be found all around us and can coexist with another theory called the Goldilocks Principle or the Goldilocks Zone. Our planet earth is said to be in the Goldilocks zone, neither too far nor too close to the sun, in a “just right” place that is perfect to support life. A Goldilocks economy is when there’s enough growth to sustain the economy but not too much growth that causes high inflation. In politics there’s the well-known extremes of the left and right and the (all too quiet) center. The Goldliocks principle can be found everywhere.  Maimonides speaks of the Goldilocks principle when he advocates for the middle road in most areas of life, a sustainable and healthy balance that doesn’t go too far to either extreme. shabboshouse.org

How do you embrace the principles of lagom?

Featured photo curated from Pinterest.

Sunset Walks

Beautiful days do not come to you. You must walk towards them.— Rumi

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Small Delights | Kleine Freuden

“Accustom yourself every morning to look for a moment at the sky and suddenly you will be aware of the air around you, the scent of morning freshness that is bestowed on you between sleep and labor.

You will find every day that the gable of every house has its own particular look, its own special lighting.

Pay it some heed…you will have for the rest of the day a remnant of satisfaction and a touch of coexistence with nature.

Gradually and without effort the eye trains itself to transmit many small delights.” –Hermann Hesse

The 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the German author Hermann Hesse.
Photos by Enchanted Seashells

Vernal Equinox – Happy First Day of Spring!

I woke up at dawn to watch the arrival of the sun and the sky was spectacular! The birds are singing and my resident hawks are nest building. All around me, I see evidence of rebirth.

This year’s Spring Equinox on March 20 corresponds with Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, eclipse season, and Neptune’s entry into Aries for the first time in nearly 165 years.

The vernal equinox marks the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in equal day and night hours. 

This event symbolizes rejuvenation, new beginnings, and spiritual awakening — the perfect opportunity to embrace change and harmony between light and dark.

Many pagans today celebrate the spring equinox as ‘Ostara’, which is a Latin variation of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn, spring, fertility, and rebirth — Oestra (or Eostre) with roots in Germanic cultures.

New ideas are calling out to us. The animal world is buzzing with new life. This month is about trying new things out: What excites you right now? What are you interested in? What are you drawn toward?

Just like we plant seeds in the ground to watch them grow and eventually harvest fruit, flowers, or vegetables, which seeds will we plant in our minds and hearts? What will we manifest? What will WE grow?

Image curated from Pinterest. Credit to the artist.

Metta Mantra: Loving Kindness

At this point in time with what’s going on here in the United States (not so united right now), I think we need to collectively try this as a meditation mantra.

I think it’s significant that there’s a full Blood Worm Moon during a total lunar eclipse on Friday. Hopefully, the power of these planetary energies will ignite transformation and remove the toxicity that’s permeated our country.

Again, as above, so below.

May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.

Art curated from Pinterest. Credit to artist.

A Thousand Ways

There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground;
there are a thousand ways to go home again.

Rumi

“There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground;
there are a thousand ways to go home again.”
Rumi

Photo credit Enchanted Seashells

Sea Heart

Photo credit Enchanted Seashells

“Heart is sea,
Language is shore,
whatever sea includes,
will hit the shore.” Rumi

Shades of Twilight. Colors of Dusk.

“It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream.” Bernard Williams

Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Photo by Enchanted Seashells

These photos were taken before we had a few days of much needed rain. There was no flooding around here but I saw video of devastating mudslides in the fire-damaged areas around Malibu — in addition to a medium-sized 3.5 earthquake in the same same general vicinity.

Today was super sunny and warm, a perfect time to spend hours in the garden cleaning up from the storm and getting the raised bed ready for spring planting.

I haven’t had any visits from my coyotes or bobcats in about a month and I’m not sure why. Hopefully, they’ll return soon because I miss my animal family!

Word Of The Day: Effulgent

Effulgent comes from Latin meaning “out” and fulgere meaning “to shine”. A light that is effulgent shines brightly.

A personality that is effulgent radiates warmth and goodness.

The effulgent glow of the sunset painted the sky in hues of pink and orange.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

More effulgence….


Photo by Enchanted Seashells

BEST Mantra for 2025: Ho’oponopono

2025 looks to be a turbulent year, at least politically, and it’s going to take the positive intentions of ho’oponopono to counteract this impending toxicity.

We’re also impacted by the energies of the rare black moon in Capricorn. Today is the second new moon of December which is sometimes called a “black moon,” just as the second of two full moons in a month is referred to as a “blue moon”.

We can anticipate positive amplified new beginnings, shadow work and self-reflection, heightened manifestation and transformations, and spiritual protection.

This is a perfect time to activate ho’oponopono.

Photo of Kauai by Pascal Ingelrest on Pexels.com

Ho’oponopono, the ancient practice of forgiveness, works by focusing on self-reflection and
by repeating a simple mantra:

I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.

This will cleanse negative energy within oneself and promote healing and reconciliation with others.

Ho’oponopono is based on the principle of taking total responsibility for one’s own experiences and the belief that we are all interconnected. By working on ourselves, we can positively impact the situations and people around us.

The word ho’oponopono roughly translates to “cause things to move back in balance” or to “make things right.” It’s a very zen concept. In native Hawaiian language, “pono” means balance, in the sense of life.

There are a few haoles (non-native, mostly white people) who seek to monetarily capitalize on this Hawaiian ritual by charging money to become certified in ho’oponopono. This is a pretty disgusting form of cultural appropriation and wholly unneccesary. The beauty of this practice is in its simplicity. Anyone can access the healing benefits by repeating the four sentences, silently or out loud.

I’m sorry
please forgive me
thank you
I love you