About a year ago I introduced a ritual writing day at the beach into my weekly schedule. With a desire to establish balance and to blend work with play I wanted to create a very specific kind of personal replenishment. With an increase in my work commitments I knew I needed to tune out from the activities of my daily life in a way that allowed me to deliberately tune in to the flow of energy I knew was available for me on the inside. And I wanted to do this repeatedly as an active meditation that I could dive deep into.

Obviously living in Hawaii has many advantages when it comes to finding places for renewal and restoration. The land ('aina) here is saturated with mana (Spiritual Power), deserted beaches are plentiful and the water serene. Add to this the fact that the island has spoken to me and called my name from the very first day I landed here years ago and stepped off the plane and I know I am in an ideal place. With my journal and pens and a block of uninterrupted time I take my beach chair and towel and walk silently to the oceans edge often.

Practice anything long enough and it becomes second nature as long as the practice is maintained. Months of consistently writing amidst the sand and by the sea have opened a portal to the other side for me. Now, even when I am traveling and find myself at the airport in LA or Chicago I only need to close my eyes, picture my beach and very often I am able to slip quickly and easily through the veils of my ordinary mind to retrieve guidance from my inner being.

I live a fully packed human life, as I am sure you do, and yet something essential to my happiness and health would be missing if I did not take time for a deliberate connection with my own inner being.

I can tell you, there are many, many days when I drive toward my writing portal feeling troubled and unsettled by some apparently monumental problem only to find myself driving home a few hours later seeing no problem whatsoever. From my more constricted human perspective I just cannot access the same choices that are revealed to me when I get out of my own way and instead of problem solving I focus on listening

Perhaps you already have a sacred space that inspires you. If not I encourage you to find one. Trust me, you do not need a beach to contact the source of your own inner wisdom! Choose a place that comforts you. Perhaps make your way to a favorite coffee shop if you like the buzz of other people. Choose an old library if ancient architecture energizes you. Or light a candle, prop up against a pillow and sit comfortably in your own bedroom. You will know the right place because it will feel good to you