Cauldrons and Cupcakes

Celebrating Life, Spirituality, Creativity and Kindness!

Category: Life

Tenderness

Tenderness in action – and lessons in love. That’s what today’s post is all about.

The Benefits Of Our Little Road Trip

  I have never believed that vacations are luxuries. They are our necessities–just like shelter, clothes, and food. They make us feel like humans and not like animals that care only for survival. ~ Alexander Babinets Hey, Lovelies! As most of you probably know, Ben and I headed off for a short road trip adventure […]

Clarity

Isn’t it funny how everything is a mess one minute, and then suddenly it all falls together!

Vale, Mariette

  Sadly enough, the most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained. ― Jonathan Harnisch Hey, Lovelies. Yesterday was a sad day for me. I learned that one of our clients, Mariette, took her own life on Sunday night. Mariette lived in Italy with her husband Anton. This time three years […]

Short Blog Post, Long Story

“I feel like a potato that’s recently been mashed,” she said. ― Robin McKinley Hey Lovelies, I am quite wrecked today. Too wrecked to write anything useful for you. It was a big day of family health stuff yesterday, followed by a client emergency late last night. After which I couldn’t sleep because I was all […]

When You Know Something’s Wrong

  Intuition is a combination of historical (empirical) data, deep and heightened observation, and an ability to cut through the thickness of surface reality. Intuition is like a slow motion machine that captures data instantaneously and hits you like a ton of bricks. Intuition is a knowing, a sensing that is beyond the conscious understanding […]

Sleeping in, or trying to!

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. – Irish Proverb Hey, Lovelies. I had really hoped to nap yesterday, after my night of zero sleep, but it just didn’t happen. By day’s end I was so full of adrenalin that I knew it would be late before […]

The Bad Night

Sometimes life will tear your house apart so you can see the cracks in the foundation. ―Vanessa Ooms Hey, Lovelies. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. At first I thought it was because of stress. Then I thought it might have been the one decaf coffee I drank early that morning. So, I meditated. […]

Lovely New Traditions

  The human soul can always use a new tradition. Sometimes we require them. ― Pat Conroy Hey, Lovelies. A friend and I have started this thing, when we go to each other’s houses for a meal. It’s happened frequently enough now that I can confidently call it the beginning of a new tradition. That tradition […]

The Old Boyfriend

  Reunions are the first day of school all over again. Time casts away familiarity and replaces it with warm confusion. Seeing how the years have frayed the friends of our youth reminds us that we too have irrevocably changed and can never return to a state of innocence again. ― Stewart Stafford Hey, Lovelies. I’ve […]

It’s A BIG Day Here At The Treehouse

I cooked dinner! ~ Ben Phillips * Note from Nicole: Ben did not actually buy the food, prep the food, or prepare all of the sides. But he did light the barbeque, add the prepared food to barbeque, and turn that food once or twice. Hey, Lovelies! There is great excitement at the Treehouse today. […]

Off To The Doctor Again

There are only two sorts of doctors: those who practice with their brains, and those who practice with their tongues. —William Osler Hey, Lovelies. I’m off to the city with Ben to see my favourite physician, get some test results, and the next steps in my journey. I’m also in the thick of doing testing, […]

I slept in!

I never sleep in! How did that happen? ~ Nicole Cody Hey, Lovelies. My plan was to get up at 4am, to meditate until 5am, to write until 6am, and then to dive straight into a deadline driven project I need to get finished. The reality? I slept in. I NEVER sleep in. Until today. […]

Life Lessons From A Deathbed

Dying? I’m quite looking forward to it. ~ Annie D. Hey, Lovelies. A friend of mine died. I couldn’t write about it yesterday – after she passed on Tuesday night – I was still too choked with emotion. But she wanted me to write about it, so, here it is. My friend Annie died the […]

My Secret Garden Update

  If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero Hey, Lovelies! Another happy update today – my secret garden on the laundry deck is thriving, and tonight I will be using fistfuls of fresh basil for our dinner. We already have tiny tomatoes forming, our first […]

The Dream That Keeps On Giving

  People think dreams aren’t real just because they aren’t made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes. ― Neil Gaiman Hey, Lovelies. You may remember me telling you about an interesting dream I had last week, where I was working […]

Peaks and Troughs

  Life is just a series of peaks and troughs, and you don’t know whether you’re in a trough until you’re climbing out, or on a peak until you’re coming down. And that’s it you know, you never know what’s round the corner. But it’s all good.  ~ Ricky Gervais Hey, Lovelies. In chronic illness, […]

Universal Right Timing

  Coincidences link us to the unknown and weave us into it. ― Doug Dillon Hey, Lovelies. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? Yesterday, after a rough night, I needed to get myself to an early-morning hairdressing appointment about 30 minutes from my home. I got Ben to drive me there, because I wasn’t up to it, […]

Our Favourite Mandarin Gin Cocktail or Mocktail Recipe 😊🧡

  Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you. ~ William Shakespeare Hey, Lovelies. As you will know, it’s become a tradition here at the Treehouse to celebrate Friday night with a Happy Hour. Our neighbours often join us, or perhaps we’ll go to their place for Friday night drinks, but last night it was […]

The Soul-Sucking Reality Of Chronic Illness

  Having a chronic illness, Molly thought, was like being invaded. Her grandmother back in Michigan used to tell about the day one of their cows got loose and wandered into the parlor, and the awful time they had getting her out. That was exactly what Molly’s arthritis was like: as if some big old […]

The Usefulness Of Tears

  Tears are words that need to be written. ~ Paulo Coelho Hey, Lovelies. I’ve had an unexpected companion these past few months. Tears. They sit just below the surface most days, and digging deeper rarely helps me see a cause. At first I had thought they might be illness related, but now? Now I […]

Owning Our HeART Space

  …and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough? ~ Vincent Willem van Gogh Hey, Lovelies. Yesterday, art happened. Ever since we moved to the treehouse, our walls have been mostly bare. We own art, but it was not on the walls. We wanted to […]

Not Everyone Peaks Early

  So called ‘late-bloomers’ get a bad rap. Sometimes the people with the greatest potential often take the longest to find their path because their sensitivity is a double edged sword- it lives at the heart of their brilliance, but it also makes them more susceptible to life’s pains. Good thing we aren’t being penalized […]

This Quiet Moment – A Way To Cope Better With Life

“Feel your emotions, Live true your passions, Keep still your mind.” ~ Geoffrey M. Gluckman Hey, Lovelies. One of the skills I have honed (by necessity) over many years is coping. Yep. Coping. Here’s the definition according to the APA Dictionary of Psychology: coping n. the use of cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage the […]

Is It Really Too Late?

  You say it’s too late. In my opinion, only a thimbleful of situations in life are that dire. Death begins and ends that list. Everything else is simply an obstacle that must be dealt with. ~ Kathleen Baldwin Hey, Lovelies! I had some strong responses to my post yesterday. Most of them were people […]

You Never Know…

  So have adventures. Go exploring. Drive around at midnight. Feel the wind running through your hair. Life is so short, my darling. And there’s no day like today. ~ Morgan Matson Hey Lovelies, Life is a precious gift, and one that can be all too brief. Before you came to this life, you had […]

My New Beach Wheels

  Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into. ~ Wayne Dyer Hey, Lovelies. We took a walk on the beach at low tide yesterday. The sand was hard beneath our feet, and the beach was empty, because the weather was cold and bleak. I spied a lone item on the […]

Your Unrealised Creative Dream – What If It’s All About Timing?

  There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness. ~ Shannon L. Alder Hey, Lovelies. Have you got a dream that just isn’t happening? A problem that just isn’t fixing? A situation that just isn’t resolving? Or an idea you just can’t stop thinking about? There’s something in the air right now, with the […]

Yesterday

Coping is non-linear, messy and ongoing. And yet, there is still so much beauty…

It’s Okay To Ask for Help

  Problems are not the problem; coping is the problem. ~ Virginia Satir Hey, Lovelies. I know, I know. You are great at helping others. So good at it. You are also good at advising others to seek help. Because, we all need it from time to time, right? I also know that when we […]

Friday Night Vibes

  Music always sounds better on Friday. ~ Lou Brutus Hey, Lovelies. I am really coming to love Fridays. We’ve got a bit of a thing happening now at the Treehouse on a Friday afternoon. I finish work early. Ben and I might do some writing together. That feels amazing… It’s been too long since […]

How To Work With The Energy of Forgiveness

    Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. ~ Suzanne Somers Hey, Lovelies. How’s your heart? Not your physical heart, but your emotional one. Your spiritual one. The energy of your heart chakra. Is it in flow? Do you feel peaceful, connected, open, uplifted and compassionate? Negative emotions can disrupt the flow of your […]

Quack! How’s The Weather Where You Are?

  In terms of habitat, ducks can be found anywhere that is wet. ~ Victoria de Rijke Hey, Lovelies. I think you might need to start calling me Ducky! The rain here at the treehouse has been incessant. At times, it has been cyclonic. Days after days after days of this weather. Around us, everything […]

Mental Health Breaks And Why You Need Them

  I needed some space to lay myself out, so that I could decide which pieces I wanted to pick up. ~ Fennel Hudson Hey, Lovelies! I was scrolling through my social media feed yesterday and came upon a post from one of my favourite creatives. She was posting to let us know that she […]

The Things We Talk About In Book Club

  I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. ― Jorge Luis Borges Hey, Lovelies. We are discussing the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer in our Inner Circle Book Club right now. It’s a beautiful book that blends science, botany, Native American mythology, ancestral wisdom and natural history. In between […]

Why are you so awkward about your Spiritual Practice?

  The things that matter stay with you, seep into your skin. ~Christina Baker Kline Hey, Lovelies. I want to have a quiet chat with you today. I want to reassure you. Your spiritual practice matters. I know, you feel self-conscious about it at times. You can feel awkward and unsure, and a bit silly. […]

The Source Of Today’s Happiness

  Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust Hey, Lovelies. Something wonderful happened yesterday! My social media feed and my inbox were filled with examples of the things you have chosen or done for yourself this week in […]

The Curious Box

  Usually if you pray from the heart, you get an answer—the phone rings or the mail comes, and light gets in through the cracks, so you can see the next right thing to do. That’s all you need. ~Anne Lamott Hey, Lovelies. I received a curious package this week. It was delivered to my […]

Making Room For Emotional Luxury

Luxury – definition: 1. a state of great comfort or elegance 2. an inessential, desirable item which is expensive or difficult to obtain 3. a pleasure obtained only rarely ~ Oxford Dictionary Hey, Lovelies, this is a week for embracing emotional luxury, and finding a little space for the energy in your daily life. So, […]

Are You Ever Slow To Take A Hint? I Might Be…

  “Signs. Senses. Synchronicities. Connect the dots. Follow the breadcrumbs to your destiny.” ~Anthon St. Maarten Hey, Lovelies. I was having a Facebook Live chat with my Inner Circle members yesterday, discussing the energies of the month, and how it’s a great time to pull a card for yourself to help you see the bigger […]

It’s Not A Crime To Say NO!

  “When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.” ~ Paulo Coelho Hey, Lovelies. This is a quick but important reminder. It’s okay to say no. It’s also okay to only say no. By which I mean that you don’t need to add a justification, an excuse, a reason […]

Friday Night Drinks

  “One should never, but never, pass by an opportunity to celebrate.” ~ j d malouf Hey, Lovelies. Ben and I had a quiet celebration last night. I made gin and tonics, we ordered in food from our favourite Indian restaurant, and sat on cushions on the floor around a coffee table in the lounge […]

Sucking It Up With Tech

  “We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works.” ~ Douglas Adams   Hey, Lovelies. I’m having a tech moment. And there’s only me to fix it, and I have no idea what I am doing or even what really needs to be done. So, I am breathing […]

Wide Awake At 2am

Those who wake at this hour feel a lonely separation from everyone but night birds and ghost crabs, never imagining the legion of kindred souls scattered in the darkness, who stare at ceilings and pace floors and look out windows and covet and worry and mourn. Kathy Hepinstall Hey, Lovelies. I could have titled this […]

Cloud Oracle – For Emotional Support and Encouragement

Brushing the clouds away from my eyes, I see clarity in the raindrop and beauty in the first ray of morning sun… Life is strange and wondrous… Virginia Alison Hello, Lovelies!I know, it’s tough right now. There is so much going on, so much to worry about, so much that makes us exhausted from feeling […]

And then the rain came…

Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book. Bill Watterson Hey, Lovelies. When we moved to the treehouse I thought my days of being flooded in were over. At the farm we were cut off from the world by flood waters a couple of times a year, […]

Standing On The Edge Of The Known World

Beyond the edge of the world there’s a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlap, where past and future form a continuous, endless loop. And, hovering about, there are signs no one has ever read, chords no one has ever heard.  Haruki Murakami Hey, Lovelies! I saw my bossy but kind cardiologist on Tuesday, and […]

Well, that sucks…

Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway. Emory Austin Hey, Lovelies. Let’s put in a disclaimer first – if you are expecting love, light and unicorns in this post, move along, cos I have the crankies! To be honest, I am not really inclined to write a blog. Or to […]

When Rats Attack!

Chaos is roving through the system and able to undo, at any point, the best laid plans. Terence McKenna Hey, Lovelies! Thanks for all the well-wishes for Ben’s birthday celelbrations. Which didn’t quite go to plan… We had a massive internet failure yesterday, and needed to be home all day for the tech guys to […]

Happy Birthday, Ben!

I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you. […]

We, The Expendable

From the very depth of my being, I challenge the right of any man or any group of men, in business or in government, to tell a fellow human being that he or she is expendable. Jimmy Reid Hey, Lovelies.COVID is ripping through the Australian population right now. It’s causing panic, supply chain issues, food […]

Monsoon Weather

Jungle rain had no beginning or end; it grew like foliage from the sky, branching and arching to the earth, sometimes in solid thickets entangling the islands, and other times, in tendrils of blue mist curling out of coastal clouds. The jungle breathed an eternal green that fevered men until they dripped sweat the way […]

Vale, Craig Ruddy

Sensitive people care when the world doesn’t because we understand waiting to be rescued and no one shows up. We have rescued ourselves, so many times that we have become self taught in the art of compassion for those forgotten. Shannon L. Alder Hey, Lovelies. A short post today, to honour my friend Craig Ruddy […]

Beachcombing With My Grandmother

The people you love become ghosts inside of you, and like this you keep them alive. Rob Montgomery Hey, Lovelies. With COVID raging the way it is here in Australia right now, and my dodgy immune system the way it is, the only way I am walking on the beach is if it is empty. […]

What will you change for 2022?

I didn’t ‘grow’ wise, spiritual, or happy. I shrunk towards it. I didn’t add; I subtracted. There is wisdom in simplification. There is strength in recognizing that life is too short for nonsense. You find yourself spending time with people who make you laugh. Those who make you feel loved. Simplify your life. That’s where […]

Our Office Hours and Schedule For the Christmas Break 2021

There is more to life than making a living. Do not work more than you live. Mokokoma Mokhonoana Hey, Lovelies!It’s Christmas Eve here in Australia. My team are taking a well-deserved break from today until January 5, 2022. If you have a reading booked with me in that time, rest assured that we have a […]

One Of The Best Gifts I Ever Gave Myself

The best gift I ever gave myself is a gift that keeps enriching my days. It’s a gift of time and care, of comfort and support, of gentle and of hard questions, and sometimes, hard answers. It’s the way I manage life. The way I cope with the things that should break me. I highly recommend it…

When You Don’t Know Who You Are Anymore

Explore yourself in silent contemplation. You will find a breathtaking person you were completely unaware about.  Hiral Nagda Hey, Lovelies, I had a strong response to yesterday’s post from people who told me that they no longer know who they are, or what they want, or what they care about. Somewhere along the way, in […]

The Antidote To Mean People

Don’t believe the noise. Those mean, petty, hateful voices will never be the majority. They only seem loud and pervasive, because they have the idle time to broadcast their negativity. The rest of us are too busy with real efforts to make the world a better place. Anthon St. Maarten Hey, Lovelies. It had to […]

Three Card Spread For The November Full Moon

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. H. Jackson Brown Jr Hey, Lovelies! With the Full Moon upon […]

Using The November 2021 Taurus Full Moon To Create Change

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Leo Tolstoy Hey, Lovelies. We have the Full Moon and Partial Lunar Eclipse coming up on the 19th of November, but you’ll be feeling these big energies already. This Full Moon is a practical moon, a moon that inspires action – and […]

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