Isn’t this one of the most beautiful images you’ve seen? My friend Kimberlie Chenowith took it. She says that she had help with it. She was leading a wilderness retreat, and one of the women with her spotted the reflection and asked her to take the picture. Both the photo and the story speak to me. I love the fact that the photo came to be out of collaboration and cooperation, which are two strong elements of feminine leadership (you can read more about this in the Color Notes below). I love the surprise of this image – the crystal clear reflection of the trees and skies in this pool of water in a piece of granite, with a little bit of shimmering at the edges of the trees and the Lacy wetness around the edges making a frame. I feel the pull to stare into this image for a long time, like a gazing sphere or a crystal ball.

This stunning image is way better than a recipe, so it’s my gift to you this month!

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Beginnings and Endings…

A lot has been happening during January. January is usually a month of new beginnings, but for me it’s been a month of completions and beginnings. I think that’s how it should be – we need to complete things to make room for new things. It’s all about balance. Well, actually I think it’s all about energy. And sometimes I say that it’s all about choice. Or love. Maybe it’s about all that and more. But yes, balance is in there!

One of my completions was 2015 (duh) and wrapping it up. Much bigger for me was finishing the first draft of my second book. Wait, did I just say that? I did. And I giggled excitedly. I have to admit that there are chapters that I have really fallen in love with. (I’m sorry, I can’t figure out how not to end that sentence with a preposition and not sound like a stilted prig.) I can’t wait to get back in and make revisions! I will wait, though, until I get input from my developmental editor, Kate! The book will be published in eBook format on March 10. I’m looking for volunteers for my launch team. If you’re interested, let me know. There will be presents!

The inaugural “Is It Too Late?” group program finished up yesterday, on Groundhog Day, a bit of a bittersweet day for me. I’m so happy with how the group went, with the incredible women who participated, their wisdom and openness, and the amazing things they have chosen to do in their lives. By the way, Groundhog Day is a completely appropriate day to close on, because it is a significant day in the lore of my next book. Stay tuned to find out why!

I’ve also completed individual coaching programs with a couple of clients, which is also bittersweet for me. I love them and miss them, but I am really happy that they have the result that they wanted and are moving ahead with their decisions and inspired actions! 

In the beginnings category, I’m starting a new coaching group this month (another “Is It Too Late?” program) and one next month (Updating the Beliefs That Are Holding You Back). I will also be launching the program in a weekend retreat this spring, for folks who like that format better. I opened up space for three new individual clients. If you know anyone who would be interested in either the group or individual programs, please refer – I still have a few openings. Referrals are my favorites, because, well, they’re your friends, so they must be awesome people! I love helping awesome people.

I started training for a 5K. I’ve never been a runner. I’ve always been a swimmer and a cyclist. This is very different. It’s fun to run in the rain. I’m really slow, but so what? I’m doin’ it.

Oh yeah, and The X-Files has returned for a short bit. I am surprised how happy that makes me! Almost as happy as if another Star Trek or Stargate franchise were to magically appear. Hey, it’s winter. TV is okay in moderation!

So yeah, beginnings and endings. Love it. 

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I get a lot of questions about Aura-Soma, and how it works with my coaching practice. So I decided to add a section to the newsletter about Aura-Soma. I’ll showcase a different color each month. 

So What is Aura-Soma?

Aura-Soma is a non-intrusive, self-selective color system – a  modality for self-discovery, growth and healing. Aura-Soma uses both the universal and individual languages of color and light. The equilibrium bottles (shown) are comprised of oil and water (that’s how a bottle can have two colors) and combine the energies of color, plants and crystals. 

In an Aura-Soma consult, you select 4 bottles that “sing” out to you – visually or energetically. The specific bottles that you choose, the color combinations and the order that you choose them will provide us with an amazing amount of information and insight, revealing layers of understanding about yourself. Together we work to understand your talents, opportunities, strengths, challenges, the future you wish to grow and draw towards you. As an Aura-Soma Practitioner, I help you to translate the insights into inspired action. As a coach, I use Aura-Soma to start the conversation about who you are and who you want to be, and what kind of transformation you want to make. We start with self discovery. “You are the colors you choose.”

I’m starting with olive because this color has been speaking to me a lot this month. It’s an unusual place to start – most introductions to Aura-Soma start with blue. But this IS my newsletter!

Color Notes: Olive (o-live!)

In Aura-Soma, olive is the color of feminine intuition and leadership. Spiritually, olive represents hope and goddess energy. Mentally, it represents intuitive teacher and feminine leader. Emotionally, hope is the cure to bitterness, and olive represents practicality and promise. Energetically, the color olive is a bridge between the solar plexus and the heart chakras. Symbolically, it is found in the actual olive fruit, which becomes edible when the bitterness is cured. Additional common connections people have with the color olive are the olive branch and peace, military uniforms, and bamboo.

Olive is a blend of equal parts green and yellow. It represents cooperation and collaboration, not competition.

So when you pick a bottle that has olive in it, these are the messages that we look at in relation to your journey of self discovery.

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As always, I would love to hear from you! You can simply reply to this email. If you or someone you know would like to find out more about Aura-Soma, individual or group coaching, please contact me via email or at maggie@talktomaggie.com. I hope you have the best.February.ever.  And happy Leap Year!