For now, this will be Pamela Hale's final post for Spirited Woman. I know she will come back on occasion. She is a most talented writer, blogger and friend. I will miss reading her precious words that have helped so many of us thrive and grow.

I've been blogging for Spirited Woman since the spring of 2013, and have posted well over 100 blogs now, so I've spent some time thinking about what it takes to be a spirited woman. Of course Nancy Mills would know more about this than I, since she thought of the whole thing, and has gathered this tribe together to celebrate, collaborate, learn from each other, and serve others. But I have a few thoughts to offer.

As usual, one of my thoughts comes from my own photograph. This one was taken in the garden of the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, CA - holy ground, for sure. And the plants know it. Who couldn't grow in a beautiful way surrounded by the sacred energy that has been cultivated there longer than these flowers? So one element that grows a Spirited Woman is sacred ground.

We weren't all born into sacred ground. Some of us had rough beginnings and a challenging trail to navigate. So we have to learn to create our own sacred ground. How do we go about that?

As a shamanic practitioner, I'm used to doing ritual and ceremony to create sacred space. But you don't have to be a shaman. Just light a candle. Say a prayer. Ask the invisible beings that surround us to support you. Clean out dense or unhealthy energies with sage, or just with your intention, or your arm making a sweeping motion. There is no recipe needed. You have the power already. Create the energy in your surroundings that will help you flourish and grow.

Just the act of doing that says that you're willing to take responsibility for how you live, and for how your surroundings support your choices. That decision is full of spirit, and acting on it makes you full of spirit.

Spirit is, after all, the life force. The invisible magic that makes flesh come alive, that makes flowers bloom, that motivates birds to sing, that turns the earth, that both breaks and mends every heart. So you are already a Spirited Woman.

I think one of the magical things about Nancy's venture is that just by naming ourselves spirited women helps us be just that.

Another aspect to being a Spirited Woman is finding sisters to support you, to play with you, to give you reflection on your life, and to encourage you the way only women can do for each other. Having a tribe, a sisterhood, a community helps us keep meaning in our lives. And meaning can help us survive anything. Sisters can help us survive anything.

You may have a sisterhood of friends. My own community of women friends is one of my life's greatest treasures. It's taken a long time to build, and now that I'm getting older, I treasure it as never before. Maybe your sisterhood is only one true friend, or a handful. It's rare to have more than that, if you are looking for real intimacy. So if you have this in your life, be grateful. You are already wealthy.

If you're still growing or seeking a sisterhood, then this online community might be a way for you to find like-minded women who can become your friends. And if you already have a community, TheSpiritedWoman.com is a way to grow it, to expand it beyond the dreams our mothers or grandmothers had. You could end up with friends and sisters all over the world.

And so, Nancy, I am grateful to you for forming this community, and for welcoming my contributions to it. I've decided to take a rest from my regular blogging, so that I can get my writing out into the world in a more organized creative format; books of some sort will hopefully begin appearing soon. In the meantime, I will remain a part of this community, with gratitude for my readers, my sisters, my colleagues and unseen, spirited friends. Bloom on!

Pamela Hale, http://www.ThroughADifferentLens.com
Click here to read more of Pam's posts.

For now, this will be Pamela Hale's final post for Spirited Woman. I know she will come back on occasion. She is a most talented writer, blogger and friend. I will miss reading her precious words that have helped so many of us thrive and grow.

I've been blogging for Spirited Woman since the spring of 2013, and have posted well over 100 blogs now, so I've spent some time thinking about what it takes to be a spirited woman. Of course Nancy Mills would know more about this than I, since she thought of the whole thing, and has gathered this tribe together to celebrate, collaborate, learn from each other, and serve others. But I have a few thoughts to offer.

As usual, one of my thoughts comes from my own photograph. This one was taken in the garden of the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, CA - holy ground, for sure. And the plants know it. Who couldn't grow in a beautiful way surrounded by the sacred energy that has been cultivated there longer than these flowers? So one element that grows a Spirited Woman is sacred ground.

We weren't all born into sacred ground. Some of us had rough beginnings and a challenging trail to navigate. So we have to learn to create our own sacred ground. How do we go about that?

As a shamanic practitioner, I'm used to doing ritual and ceremony to create sacred space. But you don't have to be a shaman. Just light a candle. Say a prayer. Ask the invisible beings that surround us to support you. Clean out dense or unhealthy energies with sage, or just with your intention, or your arm making a sweeping motion. There is no recipe needed. You have the power already. Create the energy in your surroundings that will help you flourish and grow.

Just the act of doing that says that you're willing to take responsibility for how you live, and for how your surroundings support your choices. That decision is full of spirit, and acting on it makes you full of spirit.

Spirit is, after all, the life force. The invisible magic that makes flesh come alive, that makes flowers bloom, that motivates birds to sing, that turns the earth, that both breaks and mends every heart. So you are already a Spirited Woman.

I think one of the magical things about Nancy's venture is that just by naming ourselves spirited women helps us be just that.

Another aspect to being a Spirited Woman is finding sisters to support you, to play with you, to give you reflection on your life, and to encourage you the way only women can do for each other. Having a tribe, a sisterhood, a community helps us keep meaning in our lives. And meaning can help us survive anything. Sisters can help us survive anything.

You may have a sisterhood of friends. My own community of women friends is one of my life's greatest treasures. It's taken a long time to build, and now that I'm getting older, I treasure it as never before. Maybe your sisterhood is only one true friend, or a handful. It's rare to have more than that, if you are looking for real intimacy. So if you have this in your life, be grateful. You are already wealthy.

If you're still growing or seeking a sisterhood, then this online community might be a way for you to find like-minded women who can become your friends. And if you already have a community, TheSpiritedWoman.com is a way to grow it, to expand it beyond the dreams our mothers or grandmothers had. You could end up with friends and sisters all over the world.

And so, Nancy, I am grateful to you for forming this community, and for welcoming my contributions to it. I've decided to take a rest from my regular blogging, so that I can get my writing out into the world in a more organized creative format; books of some sort will hopefully begin appearing soon. In the meantime, I will remain a part of this community, with gratitude for my readers, my sisters, my colleagues and unseen, spirited friends. Bloom on!

Pamela Hale, http://www.ThroughADifferentLens.com
Click here to read more of Pam's posts.