by Connie Habash | May 11, 2026 | Compassion, Healing, Suffering
How do we embrace life as well as suffering and death?
This week, I began writing a blog about suffering, and I stopped myself. It felt too vulnerable… too difficult to talk about.
It seems that there is always suffering in the world – whether it is war, disasters, shootings, pandemics, ICE raids, etc.
No one really wants to talk about death and suffering. Yet it is all around us; we often don’t notice unless it comes close to home (or we are fed the images on TV or social media).
In nature, death is fully apparent but we don’t pay much attention. A large fallen Douglas Fir tree across a stream; a dried up earthworm on the cement, caught in the open after a rainstorm; a hawk catches a field mouse and brings it back to the nest for two hungry babies. The dead leaves on the forest floor are crushed beneath our feet as we walk.
Natural Death vs. Human-Caused Harm
Yet there is a difference between these natural deaths and these unnatural events of human device. A part of us can understand and somewhat accept the death of an old tree or one animal in order to feed another. But crimes of hate? War? Brutality and abuse? Rape? Sometimes it seems like all too much, and we ask why? Why that person? Why now? Why that violent act?
People often ask me what I think – why do these things happen? And my honest answer is that I don’t know. We can try to come up with explanations and investigations to discover motives, rectifications to attempt to prevent such future horrors. We can explain it by some spiritual platitudes or psychological analysis. But it still doesn’t change the fact that these things happened, and continue to happen around the world.
All I can offer, and all I can do (short of a march, a letter to a congressperson, words of protest, volunteering for an organization, writing an op-ed), is feel and accept what has happened and how it has impacted me. To share compassion with those in pain. To help them hold their own hearts tenderly as they grieve and allow the waves of pain to wash through until they have finished pounding the beach of the heart.
Holding Compassion for Ourselves and Others
Besides the actions we feel we need to take in the world to prevent future harm, the work we do within ourselves to heal from these traumas is of utmost importance. To work through what they may trigger within us from our past. To share our compassion and empathy with the victims. To help these “victims” find their empowerment again.
And to share compassion, too, with the perpetrators. I’m not unique in expressing this: until we can have love and compassion for everyone, then we cannot truly stop the pain in this world. The pain comes from lack of love, lack of compassion, lack of connection. My sense, as other spiritual leaders have expressed, is that those who inflict pain are suffering inside, especially from a deep rift of disconnection with others.
Returning to Connection – with Self, Others, and Spirit
This is the plague of our modern society: disconnection. It is not a simple solution. It will take more time than probably our lifetimes to change. But we must heal the deep disconnection in our culture by making conscious effort to connect to others… friends, neighbors, strangers, people similar and people very different from us. And conscious effort to connect to ourselves.
Everything that I do is, ultimately, focused on healing this rampant sense of disconnection and returning us to deeply connect with each other in community, to connect to the Earth (that’s a whole other topic!), to connect to our very own selves, and to connect to Spirit.
If that touches you in some profound or gentle way, I am here for you. Whether online or in person, let me know where you feel disconnected and how you want to heal. For we are truly all connected by something beyond what we can see or touch… we are connected by the Divine itself, by the Source of Life that gave rise to you and me and all life here.
May the Divine enfold you with deep love and compassion… and may you receive it deeply into your heart.
Wherever you feel disconnected or in pain, there is a path back to connection. Explore Counseling (if you’re in California) or Spiritual Mentoring and take a step toward healing and inner support.
by Connie Habash | Nov 26, 2025
The Sacred Path of Aging – a 7-week course & support group for conscious, Inspired Aging designed to transform your experience as you journey through the changes that growing older brings.
The Divine Purpose of the aging process is Spiritual Awakening – it’s built-in to our journey through life. Rather than just suffer through or succumb to the aging process, we can “age with intention” and integrity. Through this intention, the challenges of growing older awaken Divine Qualities when worked with in a new perspective.
Each week, we step into a sacred space that supports each of us in being real and honest, gently held with compassion, supported in inner healing, and becoming more and more of our greatest potential as elders and spiritual beings.
For ages 55+ – all genders welcome.
7 Thursdays, 4-5:30pm Pacific time / 7-8:30pm Eastern
Starts on 2/5/2026
by Connie Habash | Nov 22, 2025
Awakening Women of the Earth (AWE) gathers online once again to celebrate the winter solstice!
Sunday, December 21st, 2025 – 10:30am-12:30pm Pacific time / 1:30 Eastern / 18:30 GMT
Theme: Awakening the Inner Light
Join us for a workshop and celebration of the longest night of the year. We’ll uncover our Divine Light within through poetry, art, journaling, and connecting with our AWE sisters. Our time together is capped off with a ritual to honor the beginning of the winter season and spark our sacred inner radiance!
FREE – Online, on Zoom
Register for your free membership to AWE here, and then look for an invitation with Zoom link to each month’s event a couple weeks beforehand in your inbox.
by Connie Habash | Aug 20, 2024 | Essence, True Self
Walking the spiritual path means questioning your thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions in order to discover your True Self.
A few decades ago, I was having a conversation with my mother on the phone. You might say it was a little heated. We were discussing my life direction. She and I didn’t see eye to eye back then (and we never really did, but late in life she was at least willing to look in my direction!). We not only had different interests, but very different ways of perceiving “life, the universe, and everything”.
I said to her, “Mom, don’t you remember when you were a teenager and you questioned who you were and what life was about?” My mother’s response was, “Connie, I never questioned who I was!”
Complete shock. I couldn’t believe that my mother never once investigated who she was. And yet, when I thought about how she lived and what she believed, it fit just right. Questioning was too threatening to her. It was much safer to just believe what she was told and what always has been. It has its advantages – makes for more stability, and keeps things very simple. But worlds apart from where I viewed things.
When we choose to walk a spiritual path, we must be willing to question everything, most especially the idea of who we think we are. This process reveals our most essential assumptions, our habitual thinking process. To discover who we truly are – our true Self – we learn to go beyond our thinking to discover our essence (click here for a free meditation on essence and Oneness). Essence is in-the-now beingness, without mental or emotional limitations, and it is divinely creative, peaceful, and alive. It just is, no matter what the circumstances are in our lives.
We meditate and practice yoga – or any serious spiritual practice – in order to remove these layers of thinking that obstruct the True Self. You don’t have to “figure out” who you really are. Practice letting go of who you are not – your thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions. Like polishing silver, as you remove the tarnish, your True Self naturally shines through.
Want to deepen in your True Self? Spiritual Mentoring can help!
by Connie Habash | May 12, 2023 | Anxiety, Depression, Healing, Spirituality, Stress
It’s Mental Health Awareness month, and I feel there’s an aspect of our well-being that is often overlooked with the challenges of increased depression, anxiety, and loneliness in our era. And that’s spiritual health.
Before you consider what spiritual health is, let’s be clear on what I’m referring to as spiritual. Spirituality is our personal relationship to something greater than us. Many confuse spirituality with religion. Certainly, people who follow a particular religious tradition can be spiritual. But not necessarily so. And no one needs a religion in order to have a connection to something greater.
What is that “something greater”?
We might traditionally call connection to something greater “God”, but we may not. God can be a triggering word for many of us, and misunderstood based on dogma that we grew up with that doesn’t resonate anymore. I like to use more neutral terms, such as The Divine, Spirit, or Creator.
But that “something greater” can go beyond even the idea of a higher power with a somewhat human form or characteristics. It can include The Universe or Cosmos, the higher order of all that exists. It can be Nature itself, the extraordinary interconnectedness of all life. It can also be higher qualities that we value and bring harmony to our world, such as unconditional love, truth, integrity, compassion, or selfless service.
Spirituality is something that you experience within yourself and cultivate within yourself. It is a journey that only you can take, although you certainly can share that journey with others, too. But ultimately, spirituality taps us into a deeper, more profound feeling than what everyday, ordinary life is capable of providing.
Spiritual Health
I see much of the despair, worry, and loneliness of people I encounter in my counseling practice, and in my community, as soul suffering. Without a greater vision and sense of the numinous, life can feel empty and meaningless. Spiritual health is having our connection to that greater vision consciously alive within us. When spirituality is part of our life, we feel more whole and fulfilled.
We are part of something much more vast and intricate than any of us can imagine. This can cause us to feel small and insignificant. As we look up at the stars, this is true. Yet, when we have a connection to the Divine, both within us and all around us, life becomes meaningful. As we deepen in that connection, we can expand into a sense of Oneness with that vast, sacred presence.
Each of Us Matters
Spirituality helps us understand our part in life. We are spiritual beings, coming into form to experience humanness. We came here to participate and contribute. We can here to heal one another and the planet. Each of us has value and purpose, and if we make a difference in one other being’s life, we have mattered.
When we have spiritual health, we feel a sense of belonging. That we are not truly alone, because there is something greater than us that supports us and nurtures us. We may believe that isn’t so. But we know that the sun shines every day, even behind the clouds, and gives our planet light. The waters of the glaciers and the clouds support all life. The planet, left to her natural harmony, provides food abundantly. All of life is a part of us through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. The Creator supports us and all life on our planet; not just physically, but our hearts and souls, too.
In order to receive that support from and experience that connection to the Divine, we need to cultivate it and open to it. If you haven’t explored your spirituality before, or want to reignite that sacred spark, here are some ways you can start:
- Light a candle and sit quietly with it for a few minutes, focusing gently on the flame
- Attend an ecstatic dance event
- Try out a new church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or spiritual center – even if it is a different tradition than what you grew up with
- Take a walk alone in nature or through your neighborhood, mindfullly
- Sit by the ocean and listen to the waves
- Simply sit, where you are, and be fully present with whatever is
- Listen to chanting, kirtan, gospel, or other inspiring music
- Join a local meditation group – meditating in community deepens the experience. Or meditate on your own.
- Journal about your beliefs – what you grew up with, and where they have evolved to this time in your life. What do you believe?
- Write a letter to Spirit; feel free to express your emotions (even if it is anger – God can handle it), share your concerns, show your gratitude, and ask your questions
- Listen for answers: they may come from within, or show up spontaneously in your environment
- Open your heart and love without expectation
- Practice Selfless Service by volunteering in your community
- Start a conversation about spiritual beliefs with a good friend; listen to their experiences
- Watch, listen to, or read inspiration from a sacred text or by well-known spiritual teachers (some good resources: Sounds True and Hay House)
- Find a MeetUp group with a spiritual topic of interest in your local area
- Sit outside in the yard or at a park and open to receive and explore what comes to you, outside of you or within your awareness
What has inspired you in the past? What has been beckoning to your soul? What can you add to the list?
Your spiritual health is part of your mental health and overall well-being. Take the time to seek it, develop it, and open to receive it. Your own spiritual journey will renew you and reveal blessings in abundance.
Ready to deepen your spiritual health? Let’s explore together – Contact Me to inquire about spiritually-oriented psychotherapy or spiritual mentoring!
by Connie Habash | Mar 5, 2023 | Emotions, Play, Playfulness, Spirituality
Ever been in a funk on the path of personal and spiritual growth? Those times when you feel discouraged, irritable, or angry, and can’t seem to shift out of it? “I’m not in the mood to be patient,” we might say, “I have to get to my appointment!” We snap at our kids for leaving their socks all over the house, or blow up when someone interrupts our precious yoga practice. We try to go outside for solace beneath a tree, but we can’t seem to shake it.
I call that the spiritual grumpies – when we’re not in the mood to behave in an “enlightened” way, and just feel stuck. They’re a sure sign that we haven’t had enough fun lately.
The Antidote
The antidote to your spiritual grumpies is playfulness.
To start, recognize that those “unspiritual” emotions, such as anger or impatience, are normal and welcome on the spiritual path. The key is finding ways to play with those emotions – a healthy form of expression – rather than taking them out on others (or yourself).
Playfulness allows us to get out the grumpies. Children love to have permission to feel their feelings. They’re delighted to make happy faces and sad faces. When their feelings are hurt or they become angry, kids love to shred some newspaper or smash clay with their hands to express their emotions. When they have healthy outlets to play with their feelings, their mood shifts and they’re back to the present moment – right where we endeavor to be.
To move through those spiritual grumpies, break out your inner child and find a playful solution:
- Smash some playdough or clay – the tactile experience of clay is so satisfying! You can break through stuckness or express anger while having fun pounding on the dough.
- Scribble and Doodle – you’d be surprised how much energy can move with a few minutes of scribbling on some paper. Don’t try to make a work of art. Allow your energy and emotions to have free, uninhibited reign on the page. Play with colors, movements, and shapes, allowing yourself to express fully. Be messy and have fun!
- Scream and shout! – Step into a closet and let your voice sound! You can even make animal noises. Growl, roar, say profanities, whatever helps your release the energy. No one else is there and you’re free to express yourself. Scream into a pillow if a more private space isn’t available.
- Stomp and dance – allow your inner toddler to have a tantrum (in a safer, more contained way)! Stomp all over the living room floor. Do an angry dance. Let those grumpies express through moving your body.
Check in with yourself after you’re done. What do you notice after giving yourself permission to play? If emotions come up, give yourself some time to feel and honor them.
Energy moves and is freed up when you allow yourself time to play. It relieves tension, opens your heart, and returns you to the present moment. Now, you can go back to the meditation cushion or create a beautiful ritual with renewed vitality and inspiration.
What helps you overcome the spiritual grumpies? Share it here!
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Walking the spiritual path means questioning your thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions in order to discover your True Self.
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Ever been in a funk on the path of personal and spiritual growth? Those times when you feel discouraged, irritable, or angry, and can’t seem to shift out of it? “I’m not in the mood to be patient,” we might say, “I have to get to my appointment!” We snap at our kids for leaving their socks all over the house, or blow up when someone interrupts our precious yoga practice. We try to go outside for solace beneath a tree, but we can’t seem to shake it.
