The birthstone for June is the pearl.  Pearls are the only gemstones which grow from the inside out.  Their larger, and older, pearls are the more rare, and more valuable.  There is a lot of symbolism associated with the pearl.  Because it comes from the sea, it is thought to be lunar, and feminine.  Ages ago, it was said that the pearl was the result of lightning penetrating the oyster, so it was regarded as the union of fire and water.  In ancient Greco/Roman times, the pearl was a symbol of Aphrodite, or Venus, and represented love and marriage.  Many brides still wear pearls today.  In India, the pearl represents transcendent wisdom, or enlightenment.  In Christianity, it represents purity, and spiritual grace. 

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Here’s a novel idea!  Read a book, register it online, then “release” it into the wild for someone else to enjoy.  BookCrossing.com has this really cool system all set up.  All you have to do is put a tracking number on a favorite book, then leave it somewhere in public for someone to find, read, and enjoy.  Then they can journal about it on the site and “release” it for someone else.  So far nearly 2 million books are out there being tracked!  So, of course I couldn’t resist, I registered my Dosha book and released it.  I can’t wait to see the journey that it takes!

http://www.BookCrossing.com

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Right before the new year begins, it is traditional to make resolutions.  Resolutions are a good way for us to articulate our goals, and to focus our attention on what we want to do differently in the coming days.  At the same time, it is also important for us to reflect a little bit on all that we have accomplished in the year that has gone by.  We need to recognize the work that we’ve done, and reward ourselves before we get going on more.  Make a list and see just how full the year has been.  Everything counts.  A weekend away, visiting a parent, a finished report, recovering from the flu, a bill paid off, a recipe mastered, enjoying a play.  This is what life is made of.  The moments we remember.  Happy New Year!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

When it comes to wrapping gifts, it’s time to think “outside the box!” Instead of the typical paper and ribbon, get creative and do some good for the environment, too.  Presents can be wrapped in a crocheted scarf or hat, which becomes another gift in itself.  Or put kitchen items inside a shiny spaghetti pot topped off with a dishtowel bow!  Kids pajamas or toys could be “wrapped” in a cartoon character pillow case, or bubble bath could be wrapped in a fluffy towel.  The presentation can be just as fun as the gift itself.  The added benefit is there is a lot less mess to clean up when everything is unwrapped!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

There are a lot of parties this time of year, office parties, cocktail parties, block parties.  It is great getting together with people and celebrating the season.  There are a few elements that make up any successful party.  First, the atmosphere, whether your location is a home, an office or a restaurant, dress up the place to look festive, different than it looks every day.  Second, the entertainment, have something for your guests to do.  It can be listening to music, playing games, creating a project together.  Have some table topics handy to keep the conversation lively and break the ice with people who have just met each other.  And third, the food.  As a vegan I am particularly sensitive to this!  Too many times I have been to parties where there is just nothing for me to eat.  Many people have dietary needs these days.  One of my son’s friends cannot have gluten or wheat products.  A lot of my friends are lactose intolerant, and they’re frustrated when they find everything drenched in dairy.  It is important to have a variety of foods available so that there is something for everyone.  And for beverages, do something different than just soda.  Spiced cider with cinnamon sticks, cranberry juice with ginger ale, or hot chocolate with peppermint sticks are just a few examples.  Cheers!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

This certainly is the season of light, whether it is brightly colored lights strung outside the house, or soft candlelight glowing in the family room, light is warm and inviting and festive.  Holiday decor doesn’t have to be fancy, or expensive, it’s just another way for us to enjoy the season.  Fill a bread basket with bright green apples and arrange some cinnamon sticks throughout, an easy, and fragrant centerpiece!  Wrap cinnamon sticks, or peppermint sticks, around a tall pillar candle and tie with a ribbon.  Nature is the best artist!  Place pinecones and some pine boughs on a serving platter and you’ve got a wonderful coffee table decoration that will help keep the air fresh.  Fresh bay leaves and holly branches also do the trick.  With these reminders all around us we can’t help but slow down take some time to smell the cinnamon.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Books and reading have always been an important part of my life.  When I was little, I remember reading “Ferdinand the Bull” and loving it.  The whole message behind that book is about being yourself, and being true to yourself, not caving into pressure or doing something that goes against your nature.  In high school, my favorite book was “Jonathan Livingston Seagull.”  I was inspired to reach for my dreams, to not settle for less, and to keep going despite challenges.  “Perfect Health” is another book that really changed my life because it introduced me to Deepak Chopra, and to Ayurveda, which has become my dharma, and my passion.  Books are a wonderful way for us to learn, to share, to grow, and to experience things we might not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience.  This weekend I’m going to reserve some time to spend with my books, and get inspired all over again!

BE A PART OF AN INSPIRATION REVOLUTION!! Join legendary transformational experts Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay, Jack Canfield and Neale Donald Walsh to receive the books that changed their lives.  Many other world-renowned experts will share the books that changed their lives, too – and you can get them all!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

My favorite TV show right now is “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. It’s really great that they’re helping people who really need it.  The stories are heartbreaking and the transformations are incredible.  But what is so compelling, and inspiring, about the whole thing is how much gets done in just one week!  It shows us what is possible.  With vision, teamwork, and a plan, we can do anything.  There are no limitations.  My goodness, if God created the world in 7 days, it’s no big deal to build a house!  

Given a week, what can we “makeover”?  How about a classroom, or a community center, or a library?  Think extreme.  Gather your team, come up with a plan and go for it.  When we work together we can make this world a better place, week by week, room by room.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Since we moved recently, and we “downsized” by going to a smaller home, I got rid of a lot of stuff.  Some I sold at a consignment store, some I gave away to friends, and other things I donated to charity.  The whole process of releasing was very freeing.  A lot of what I had just lying around the house is now being put to good use by people who really appreciate it.  I found so much that I really didn’t need that I wondered why I held onto it for so long in the first place!  Too often we clutter up our homes with too much stuff, when the statement that “less is more” is really true.

We do the same thing with our mind and our emotions.  How much “stuff” are we hanging on to – hurt feelings, guilt, insecurities that we don’t need?  If it is not serving us, or if it is in the way of our progress, then let’s release it.  Let it go!  Give it up!  It can be as simple as making the decision.  Or it can be as elaborate as writing down everything that you are releasing, and watching it go up in flames in the fireplace.  Either way, it feels good.  It feels lighter when we don’t have to carry around that stuff anymore.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

When we moved away from our old house, I knew that we would miss our little squirrel family: Nadia and Bart, and their kids Buddha and Loco.  We left our squirrel feeder behind so that the new owners would continue to feed the squirrels.  A lot of people find squirrels to be a nuisance, but we don’t have that many of them out here, and we find them to be a great source of entertainment!  We were very happy to make the acquaintance of a squirrel who seems to have settled in our new backyard.  Shiva, as he is now known in our household, is very friendly.  He comes around during mealtimes, doing what he can to get our attention until Greg tosses him a peanut or two, or three.  Shiva doesn’t eat all the nuts, most of the time he buries them for later.  It’s his nature to save for the winter when food is not as plentiful.  Little does he know that our peanuts come in a big bag from the grocery store and we can get them in abundance all year round!  

Many times we human creatures do the same thing; we postpone our satisfaction, saving a nice outfit to wear for a special occasion, or saving a slice of pie for sometime later.  And then what often happens is that when we finally go to wear that nice outfit, we’ve waited too long and it’s out of style, or it doesn’t fit anymore, or we go to eat that pie and it’s gotten stale.  How silly of us, and what a waste.  That is not to say that we must overindulge just that there’s no need to under-indulge.  Life is here to enjoy, and there is plenty of life, just like there are plenty of peanuts, for all of us.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)