Nikki Starcat Shields's Blog, page 26
December 11, 2015
When You Need It Most
On Thanksgiving morning, I woke up in a bit of a panic. I’d forgotten to set my alarm, and had overslept. We were hosting a family gathering, with Thanksgiving dinner at noon and people arriving as early as 11am. No, I wasn’t responsible for making all the food – everyone contributes. However, we did have cooking to do, and some cleaning and tidying, and setting the table.
I felt stressed. So, I sat down on my bed, crossed my legs, set a timer, and did my 20-minute meditation.
Just like I do...
December 2, 2015
The Dark and the Light
The darkness comes early each evening, this time of year, descending on the world like a blanket. The night is long. And yet, there is beauty in it. We need the darkness as much as the light. It’s time to go within, to dream and to ponder and to think about how we’ll choose to be reborn when the light returns.
“There are two, Arren, two that make one: the world and the shadow, the light and the dark. The two poles of the Balance. Life rises out of death, death rises out of life; in being opp...
November 28, 2015
Starcat’s Favorites: Gratitude
In the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I participated in a “14 Days Glad” challenge that a friend created in a Facebook group I belong to. The idea was to post a list of ten things each day that you’re thankful for. I loved it so much!
It’s not like I’m a stranger to gratitude lists – I write ten things I’m thankful for each day in my own journal. But this group is full of creative, poetic, amazing people, which challenged me to up my game. Instead of just making a list of people, thing...
November 24, 2015
Surviving the Holidays: A Guide for Misfits
Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, that you’re a bit of a misfit. I don’t mean that in a bad way, not at all. It’s just that if you’re drawn to what I write about here, your interests and priorities are probably a bit different from that of mainstream society.
As a vegetarian, Pagan, unschooling, polyamorous, self-employed, environmentally-aware, creative, highly-sensitive hippie chick, I feel where you’re coming from.
This can make for interesting times at the holidays, when extended...
November 14, 2015
A New Book Baby
It seems strange to be posting here twice this week, after a long blogging dry spell. I think it’s because my third book is super close to done, and now I have more space for sharing. I’ve been working on it for several months now, and it’s been an idea that was a few years in the making. I’ve been doing a daily spiritual practice for nearly 20 years now (holy cats, time flies!) and I wanted to share how to do it. How to release stress and add more peace to your life. How to find the time, mo...
November 12, 2015
The Amazing Power of Wondering
Have you ever gotten so mired in routine that your body gets stiff and sore, and you feel all twitchy without knowing why? You could be stuck in a busy daily routine that doesn’t nurture your soul, a relationship that has gotten stagnant, a stressful job, or outdated old beliefs about yourself and your place in the world. It doesn’t matter what it is. You know the feeling I’m talking about – it’s like spiritual claustrophobia. Or as songwriter Mike Doughty puts it, “sometimes I feel like I’m...
November 7, 2015
Starcat’s Favorites: A Full Fall
This fall has proven to be a very full one for me thus far. How about you?
I’ve been working on finishing up my book draft, and I’m finally nearing the end of the process. While I’d wanted to be finished by now, I’m delighted to say that just this week I (with help from BlackLion) came up with the title: Centered In Spirit: Crafting Your Daily Practice. Our plan is to have it available early next month. I can’t wait to share it with you! I’ve been doing daily spiritual practice for nearly 20...
October 17, 2015
Starcat’s Favorites: Autumn’s Beauty
I wanted to share an inspiring post with you today about my experience at the Life Without Instructions (LWI) unschooling conference in New Jersey. It will be full of photos of people of all ages enjoying their freedom and joy, with quotes and bits of wisdom that I gleaned from my experience there. It will tie in unschooling, freedom, creativity, and spirituality. It’ll be awesome.

BlackLion took this photo on one of our recent walks.
Alas, I haven’t had the chance to finish that post just ye...
September 30, 2015
Patience & Perseverance – A Pep Talk
How is it possible that we’ve already reached the end of September? Is it just me, or has this entire month just flown right by?
Also, is anyone else being tossed around by the waves of cosmic energies lately? (Check out the dance of the stars and planetshere and here). The super full moon eclipse, Mercury retrograde, and all sorts of conjunction-junctions feel to me like a stormy ride on a choppy sea. Hang on!
Meanwhile, I’ve been hard at work on a couple of big projects. Despite Mercury ret...
September 5, 2015
Starcat’s Favorites: Back to It
Don’t you justlove September? After the crazy social whirlwind that is August for my family, I really relish that “back to school” vibe, the motivation to get organized and focused on what’s most important. Although I haven’t attended school for many years, and my unschoolers have never been at all, I always love the fresh start, the inspiring creative energies of this time of year.
This year, though, my son is actually going to school for the first time (not back to it). He started at the lo...