Skip to main content

Trending Now: What everyone's reading.

So… Is Your Higher Self the Same as Source?

By The Artful Woman
  Not exactly. Think of it like this: Source is the origin —pure consciousness, God/Goddess/Divine Light, whatever you want to call it. It’s the everything-and-nothing energy from which all things come. Your Higher Self is your personal bridge to Source. It’s your soul in its purest form , untainted by fear, ego, or human distortion. Your Higher Self is you , just on the zoomed-out level —the version of you that remembers the full story, all lifetimes, all lessons, all missions. So: Source is the sun. Your Higher Self is the sunbeam that still holds its essence but is uniquely you . Is Your Higher Self Your Soul? Pretty much— but here's the nuance: Your soul is eternal. It’s the part of you that has lived countless lives. Your Higher Self is like the fully awakened version of your soul —the one not currently squeezed into a human body trying to pay bills and avoid family drama. When you're in human form, you're kind of like the tip of the i...
Post a Comment

Gratitude

Image
By The Artful Woman

 


Gratitude

by Jean Marshall

Sometimes I think—
I don’t have the nicest car,
Or the biggest house,
And I get a little down on myself,
Because I’m not where I thought I’d be.

But then I do laundry—
And something about the hum of the washer,
The warmth of clean clothes,
Makes me pause.
I’m grateful
For my washer and dryer,
For the simple miracle
Of being able to clean my clothes.

Sometimes I wish
I drove something newer, shinier—
But my car is a good car.
It gets me from A to B.
It’s low-maintenance,
Completely paid for,
And I love it.
I’m grateful for that, too.

I ask sometimes,
Why do others get so lucky?
Why not me?
But then I remember—
I got a second chance at life.
I survived a stroke.
I’m still here.
That alone is grace.

I’m grateful
For the voice inside me
That says, “There’s more.”
Grateful for the awakening.
Grateful for every opportunity
To learn, to grow.
For every teacher,
Every coach,
Every dreamer
Who dared to write the book
That reached me.

Business comes in waves—
Feast or famine—
And on hard days,
I hear stories
Of those who’ve had less,
Survived worse.
And I take a deep look at my life…

I’m safe.
I have a roof.
I have a home.
A little family—
Not conventional, but mine.
Two cats, two tiny tortoises,
One loyal dog,
Five chickens,
And plants that bring me joy.

I’m grateful
For warm showers,
Hot meals,
And a kitchen full of food.
I’m grateful
For clients—
For the ones who return,
Who believe in me,
Who see my gift.

I’m grateful for photography—
The gift I once prayed for.
Prayer answered.
I’m grateful.

Grateful for mountains,
For flowers,
For trails that wind
Right behind my house.
Grateful for my views.
For nature.
For the stillness that teaches.

I’m grateful
For meditation—
For this journey.
Grateful for failures.
Grateful for success.
Grateful for what is,
And all that’s still to come.

I’m grateful
For endless possibility.
And most of all—
I’m grateful
For God,
Who never stopped loving me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Learning to Speak Again—from the Inside Out

By The Artful Woman
There was a time I silenced myself— Not because I had nothing to say, But because I thought nobody cared. It all started when I became a photographer. I spent years capturing other people’s stories—their moments, their milestones, their memories. I poured myself into their light while quietly fading into the background. No one ever really asked about my story. Then I moved to a town where, oddly enough, that silence deepened. Coming from Orange County, I was used to people being curious—wanting to know me, connect with me. But after moving to Lake Elsinore, it felt like no one gave two shits about who I was or what I’d lived through. Even in my church community—despite showing up, attending events, trying to build relationships—no one asked. No one seemed to care. So, over time, I just stopped sharing. I stopped offering anything at all. For years, I silenced myself. Not because I had nothing to say— But because nobody asked. Then came the stroke. Afterward, I stuttered and stumb...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Employee to Entrepreneur

By The Artful Woman
You might wonder why I started a photography business.  After losing my career in the mortgage industry and struggling to find work in sales and marketing during the 2007 recession, I turned to landscape photography as a hobby. People who saw my photos started asking for headshots and family portraits. Initially, I resisted, insisting I didn't photograph people. But with gentle encouragement from friends, I eventually gave in, and lo and behold, I was really good at photographing people. So much so that it felt more like divine intervention. It was as if God were saying, "Stop trying to open doors to your past of dead-end jobs and oversold career promises when I'm trying to open doors to your future." This was a spiritual awakening, and with that, everything sort of just fell into line. After that, what truly motivated me to start my own business was a deep-seated frustration. I was tired of building other people's empires with my own sweat and effort. Whether it ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reclaiming Wholeness: From Survival to Soul-Aligned Success

By The Artful Woman
There are two pivotal moments in my life that changed everything. The first was when I had my stroke. I was lying on the ground, unable to move, and I prayed to God, “Please don’t leave me like this.” I had no idea how I was going to provide for myself. I’ve been an unmarried woman my entire life—not necessarily by choice, but because I never met the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. So I’ve always had to pay my own bills and take care of myself. After my stroke, I was left with deep trauma and fear. It felt like my soul had disconnected—like I’d lost a piece of who I was, and I didn’t know how to get it back. The second was the pandemic. It left a lot of fear in me. I had my stroke during the pandemic, and in a strange way, it was both a blessing and a curse. The world stopped—and that pause gave me the time I needed to heal. In the beginning, I focused on my physical healing. I thought that was the most important thing. I needed to rebuild my strength, stamina, and endu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Unworthy to Wealthy: My Money Mindset Shift

By The Artful Woman
  Unworthy to Wealthy: My Money Mindset Shift  I created this course on money mindset because I grew up with a deeply ingrained scarcity mindset. From a young age, I was exposed to conflicting messages about money that shaped my beliefs for years. Raised Catholic and later converting to Christianity, certain religious teachings, especially the idea that “money is the root of all evil,” created a sense of guilt around wealth. I internalized the belief that desiring or accumulating money was wrong or selfish, adding layers of shame to my relationship with money. But it wasn’t just religious beliefs that influenced me—it was also my family environment. My mother, a single mom raising four kids, was extremely tight with money. Every penny was carefully managed, and the constant focus was on survival rather than abundance. I can still remember being punished for something as small as using a paper towel before it was completely soiled. Food was scarce, and if I ate something my mom...
Post a Comment
Read more