Nikki Starcat Shields's Blog, page 11

The Connection Between Dreams & Creativity

I’ve always been a big-time dreamer. I have vivid dreams pretty much every night, and lots of times I can remember them. For a long time, I didn’t realize that wasn’t the norm.

There was a period of my adult life when, for various reasons, I was repressing my natural creativity.

Maybe “repressing” is a strong word, but I definitely wasn’t following my calling to write and create. The vivid dreams, though, continued – and even got more movie-like.

It was during my late thirties when I started to ...

Starcat’s Favorites: You Know It’s Summer

At this time of year, when I think about my favorite things, it’s SUMMER that comes to mind. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’re familiar with how much I love the warm season.

Here in Maine, it means swimming, picnics, hikes, reading in the hammock, and long hot days. I adore it.

One of my friends is the opposite. Her favorite season is winter, and she struggles more at this time of year. Recently we were commenting how we’ve been a positive influence on one another over the ...

What’s Your Big Vision?

I talk a lot on this blog, over time, about vision boards. That’s because I love making them and find them a useful reminder of my aims.

But let’s step back just a moment. In order to use a vision board, you kind of need to have… a vision.

What is it that you want to bring into being?

I’ve been working on refining my vision for my business over the past several months. I’ve put a lot of thought into my Deep Why, my vision, and my mission for my work as a book midwife. This is something you can d...

A Poem From the Animus

What I Love About You

by Nikki Starcat Shields

Your willingness to continually

Show up for yourself

and your dreams.

The way we danced

the tango

last night,

tangled in drifts

of potential.

How clearly you see

your fears.

The friends you don’t

see anymore

but still care about.

Waking up hungry

for more life.

You manifest like a poet.

You write wild

and live tame.

You’re open to change

and steeped

in habit.

Your soul dances

to rhythms

that have never yet

been played.

Your darkness guides you

back ...

141 Mind-Altering Books to Awaken Your Spirit

This month I asked the writers in my Sacred Path program to choose one book to read with a curious mind this month – to peek behind the curtain and see how the book was crafted. As part of that process, I shared some books on writing craft, but noted that any type of book would work.

Since some of my clients are writing in the self-help genre, I also suggested a list I’d made of 99 books on spirituality.

Then I got thinking about how many amazing transformational books I’ve read since I made the...

Starcat’s Favorites: Summer Begins

It’s late May in Maine, and our weather has leaped ahead to feeling like early July. I’m not complaining at all – I love the heat!

I’m still going for near-daily woods walks, and also spending time in my hammock.

We haven’t been swimming yet, because that water is surely super cold, but soon…

Even though things are still in a state of upheaval in our society, with no festivals or concerts likely this year, the start of summer seems to ease our minds a bit. At least mine…

I decided that I’m not ...

Nature Is Healing

Nature is healing. It’s amazing to me how many times in life I forget this, and then remember it again.

I’m blessed to live in a beautiful rural area in Maine. Out behind our home, there are acres and acres of forest. I take it for granted sometimes.

I mean, it’s kind of obvious that I’m a bookish type. Even though my spirituality is Earth-based, I’m more likely to curl up and read than to go outside, most days.

But not recently. One of my immediate family’s personal projects this spring, as we...

Personal Projects, No Pressure

Creative people like us often have a bunch of projects underway at any given time. Despite what you might hear or read, this is a good thing.

Our brains work differently from those who move in a linear fashion from one project to another. Creativity is less like a line and more like a wild, spiraling map-style flow chart with lots of scenic overlooks.

As if to prove the point, that last sentence makes me want to draw just such a thing in my art journal. Heh heh.

In my experience, I find that...

Key Life Lessons I Learned From My Mom

My Mom is a really amazing woman. No, Im not just saying that because I was lucky enough to be born to her half a century ago.

A whole lot of people whose lives shes touched think shes awesome, too.

Here are 11 key life lessons Ive learned from her.

No guilt. This is one of Moms favorite sayings, and its so true. Life is short enough. Youre going to mess up sometimes, so make amends, apologize, and move on. Why waste time on past regrets?

Enjoy lifes little pleasures. The smell of fresh baked...

Starcat’s Favorites: The Forest

One of the things Ive been enjoying most during this time of sheltering in place is walking in the woods behind our home.

Im blessed to live on family land that was my grandmothers. She died when I was just 15, but even before that, I remember her saying how she wanted the land to be a family legacy. And now it is.

Walking on the trails were reclaiming gives me feelings of calm, joy, and peace. Nature is such a healer.

Ive also (of course) been enjoying reading. Here are some inspiring reads...