Soulful Musings

Mandala Soap :: My Newest Creative Adventure

It's official... Mandala Soap has arrived and, as of today, is now "officially" available for sale!

It is with great excitement that I say those words, as Mandala Soap has been my dream in the making for over seven years!

It is extremely rewarding to see something that I hold so close to my heart finally come to fruition and be birthed into the world.

My name is Valerie Rickel, and I am the developer of Mandala Soap. I am also the founder and creator of SoulfulLiving.com a popular web community and internet magazine devoted to personal growth and spirituality.

Mandala Soap is my love and my passion. It brings together so many of my favorite things: art, spirituality, soap, and mandalas! It has long been my dream to bring the beauty and healing nature of mandalas to product development.

I have been planning and developing Mandala Soap almost as long as I have been creating my website, SoulfulLiving.com. Those same seven years spent dreaming up the idea for Mandala Soap were also spent publishing thousands of self-help articles at my website, written and submitted by many of today’s best-selling authors and leading-edge thinkers within the personal and spiritual growth movement.

My intense love and interest in mandalas runs deep. I came to discover mandalas through the mandala images left behind by my artist father at the time of his death and the rich insights about these mandalas that I found in his journals. Read more about his journals here.

In fact, my passionate interest in mandalas inspired me to launch an online store called, Mandala, in 2001, to complement the content offerings at my SoulfulLiving.com website. The store offers a unique and unusual collection of mandala-inspired gifts and tools for soulful living. While my store has offered products obtained from other producers for the last six years, I have always known in my heart that, one day, I would have the resources to bring my own products to market and sell my own mandala-inspired goods. Mandala Soap is the first realization of that dream!

The Buddha Heart Boutique

I'm excited to share my newest creative venture, an online retail store, called, "The Buddha Heart Boutique."

I had great fun hand-selecting all of the wonderful items offered at The Buddha Heart Boutique. I have been personally inspired by many of the books and CDs that I chose to feature, and many of the products are ones that I use in my own personal spiritual practice.

The Buddha Heart Boutique offers a wide assortment of conscious living products and supplies for yoga, meditation, ayurveda and spa, Buddhist and Zen spirituality, chakra balancing, aura cleansing, reiki, massage, relaxation, healing, and inspiration, including decorative art for your your altar or sacred space; soulful gifts to give and get; plus CDs, DVDs, and books to inspire your heart, mind and soul.

Hudson Valley Home Guide

I've been dreaming of moving to the Hudson River Valley and Catskills areas of Upstate New York for more years than I can count now, and over this period of time, I have collected more bookmarks in my Explorer browser of my favorite Hudson Valley area websites than I even care to admit to.

I have spent these years passionately researching the different regions and counties, real estate, realtors, chambers of commerce, local arts and culture, with the hope that one day I might get to call this lovely destination home.  While, I have not yet had the opportunity to make this big leap across the country, it did occur to me that it might be nice to share all of my research with others who might also love Upstate NY as much as I do.  So, with that goal in mind, I set about to create a tidy little website this past month, called The Hudson Valley Home Guide.

I've been blessed to get to travel to this gorgeous region of our country perhaps five times in the last six or seven years and have enjoyed photographing all of the beautiful natural scenery of the area, and I'm excited that I now have the chance to share all of my favorite photos with visitors to my website. I invite you to visit The Hudson Valley Home Guide, click through my various bookmark links, and enjoy your own virtual visit and tour of Upstate New York Real Estate.

The Secret Gratitude Book

I was really excited to discover this beautiful new book at my local bookstore the other day.  I love journaling and am always on the lookout for a lovely new journal to inspire the words within me. The Secret Gratitude Book is the official new companion to the phenomenal best-selling book on the law of attraction and abundance, "The Secret," by Rhonda Byrne.

According to the book jacket, The Secret Gratitude Book can be used as a powerful tool for transforming your life into total joy. The author recommends using the book every day to write about all the things in your life that you are grateful for, and says that you will be amazed at the never-ending list of thoughts that come back to you of more things to be grateful for. You can use The Secret Gratitude Book to powerfully attract specific things that you want into your life in absolute abundance.

The Secret Gratitude Book is beautifully designed with a magnetic flap closer and a ribbon marker. It helps readers focus their energies and clearly and effectively maximize the law of attraction in their lives for six full months. I think The Secret Gratitude Book would make the perfect gift for someone you care about. I've added it to my Wish List!

Learn more about the secret law of attraction and abundance

Connections

"What we're all striving for is authenticity,
a spirit-to-spirit connection."
–Oprah Winfrey,O Magazine, March 2002

This summer, my online magazine, SoulfulLiving.com, is exploring the topic of "Connection," with notable authors Judith Orloff, MD, Dan Millman, Debra Lynn Dadd, Father Paul Keenan, Robin L. Silverman, Patricia Rose Upczak, Sunny Schlenger, and Donna Henes, to name just a few...

These contributing authors have provided us with a wonderful and varied collection of insight on this subject, sharing personal stories of connection, as well as thoughtful guidance and advice to help us become more present and engaged in everyday life, available to make powerful, soul-to-soul connections.

May peace and joy by yours this summer as you make a soulful conneciton!

Click here to read our "Connection" Issue.

The Secret

Have you seen the movie, "The Secret"?  If not, I recommend you get your hands on a copy of the DVD or the newly released book version, as quickly as you can!

The information, or "The Secret,” if you will, contained in this movie and book is life-changing!  My life has certainly changed as a result of learning "The Secret," and that is why I want to share "The Secret" with you!

There are two versions of "The Secret." The first features interviews with author Esther Hicks. The newer, more-widely distributed, extended version of The Secret does not feature the Esther Hicks interviews, but does, instead, offer a bonus of two extra minutes of information, plus various special features. (I prefer the first version.)

In a nutshell, "The Secret" is the "Law of Attraction" (like attracts like, or that which is like unto itself is drawn). We create our lives by attracting into our lives that which we think about and focus our attention on.

The Secret's core message is that in order to attract that which we most want and desire into our lives, we need to be grateful for everything that we already have in our lives, and, in addition to focusing our thoughts and attention on what we most desire, we need to go one crucial step further.

We must FEEL GOOD while we do it!  The Secret encourages us to imagine and experience, in every delicious detail, the feelings of joy and bliss associated with having that which we desire, as if it is already part of our life experience.  This is the key ingredient.

I am all for anything that promotes joy and bliss!  In just the last few weeks, since putting "The Secret" into action in my own life, I've seen some pretty incredible results...  I've attracted several wonderful synchronicities pertaining to two projects I am working on.  "Doors have been opening" and it seems like I am just "walking right into" whatever I am looking for these days.  I also attracted nearly the exact amount of money owed on a large open invoice with one of my vendors, from a customer, who needed to purchase a large quantity of products totaling that amount, which, coincidentally, needed to be obtained from that same vendor.
 
I am encouraged to continue integrating the principles of The Secret into my daily life and very excited to see what wonderful desires I will be manifesting next!

I highly recommend "The Secret" and give it a "thumbs up" for its very positive, life-enhancing content and theme.

Learn more about the secret of attraction and abundance

Life's Deeper Meaning

"There is not one big cosmic meaning for all,
there is only the meaning we each give to our life,
an individual meaning, an individual plot,
like an individual novel, a book for each person."
–Anaïs Nin

In honor of winter, as the days draw shorter and the nights grow longer, my online magazine, SoulfulLiving.com, offers you the opportunity to reflect and ponder the deep and meaningful subject of this season's Feature Articles, "Life's Deeper Meaning," with notable authors Dave Richo, Barbara Biziou, Suzanne Zoglio, Debra Lynn Dadd, Donna Henes, and Hubert Pryor, to name just a few...

These contributing authors have provided us with a wonderful and varied collection of thought and insight on this topic, sharing stories and anecdotes of what life's deeper meaning means, personally, to each of them. It is my hope that their essays will inspire and stimulate an interest and curiosity in your own personal search for life's deeper meaning.

Finding one's deeper meaning is as personal as each individual. What one person finds meaningful in life is likely to be very different from what another might find meaningful. We can begin to search for our deeper meaning in our personal truths, values, beliefs, and in that which we hold most precious in our hearts. We may find life's meaning in life's lessons learned, our mistakes and triumphs, our blessings and miracles, as well as in our struggles and hardships. We discover our deeper meaning by living in the moment and just "being," and by enjoying and truly relishing in the beauty, joy and gloriousness of every blessed moment of our lives.

I believe that our lives can be as meaningful as we wish to make them. Every single day of our lives can be a wondrous, sacred, and deeply meaningful experience. We each have the power to make it so.

Click here to read our "Life's Deeper Meaning" Issue.

I'd also love to share a personal story of my own that I wrote several years ago during the holiday season, on the subject of Life Meaning, entititled, Messages Delivered on Feathered Wings. I hope you enjoy it!

May peace and joy be yours this winter as you search for life's deeper meaning!

New Fair Trade Gift Baskets

I'm very excited to present two new Fair Trade Gift Baskets at my online store, Mandala, this Holiday Season!  I had a ton of fun dreaming up each gift basket's theme, selecting the gift items (all of which are Fair Trade goods handcrafted in Nepal) to be featured in each gift basket, and arranging them in a loving and artistic manner inside of our gorgeous, reusable gift baskets made of willow, mountain vine and bamboo.  I ordered up a bunch of beautiful dry flowers this season to decorate the gift baskets, including: Phalaris in burgundy, golden yellow, orange, lilac, and olive green; Baby Euctalyptus in orange and concord; and Helichrysum (Straw Flowers) in pink and white.

Our new "Inner Reflection" Fair Trade Gift Basket, presented in a gorgeous, reusable two-handled Bamboo Trunk, holds a wondrous collection of Fair Trade gift items, perfect for embarking on a peaceful journey of mindful self reflection, including: our Tibetan "Tangerine Waterbird" Wire-Bound Recycled Paper Journal, Tibetan "Tangerine Waterbird" Singing Bowl Gift Box Set, and a Tibetan "Tangerine Waterbird" Aromatherapy Soy Candle.

Our new "Yantra Mantra" Fair Trade Yoga Gift Basket, presented in a gorgeous, reusable Bamboo Case, holds a mindful collection of Fair Trade gift items, perfect for creating sacred space for yoga practice and enlightened meditation, including: our Tibetan "Yantra Mandala" Wire-Bound Recycled Paper Journal, Tibetan "Yantra Mandala" Singing Bowl Gift Box Set, and a Tibetan "Yantra Mandala" Aromatherapy Soy Candle.

Best of all, all of our Theme Gift Baskets ship for FREE!

Adventures in Sumi-e Brush Painting

There are many benefits to living in a small town with a major university... Last month, I had the opportunity to take an art class in Sumi-e Brush Painting through our university’s extension program. I had wanted to learn this ancient painting technique for many months, and when I moved to town, I just knew with all certainty, that I would find a local artist, who specializes in this technique, to teach me. Within just one week, I stumbled upon an extension course catalog from the university and found this class in Sumi-e Brush Painting being offered. I wondered whether this was a special coincidence, or, perhaps, a regular class, offered every school semester. A quick inquiry turned up the fact that it hadn't been taught in years. Several people guessed as many as twenty years. Wow... Now, how's that for setting an intention!

Sumi-e is an East Asian brush painting technique that has been practiced for thousands of years in both the Chinese and Japanese traditions. Its literal translation is, "ink painting." Simplicity is the most outstanding characteristic of Sumi-e. It is an art form that strives to "distill the essence of an object in the fewest possible strokes."

The Courage to Change

This autumn, my online magazine, SoulfulLiving.com, is exploring the topic of "Courage," with notable authors Barbara Biziou, Patricia Rose Upczak, Suzanne Zoglio, Judith Orloff, M.D., Donna Henes, and Hubert Pryor, to name just a few... These contributing authors have provided us with a wonderful and varied collection of articles and insight on this subject, sharing personal stories of courage and bravery and offering thoughtful guidance and advice to help empower us to create a fuller, richer life, through our own everyday acts of personal bravery. Click here to read our "Courage" Issue.

I'd like to share the following essay with you that I contributed to this issue...

The Courage to Change
by Valerie Rickel

This spring, I made a very courageous change in my life. I moved from the city of Los Angeles, where I had lived my entire life, to a lovely little soulful town in Southern Oregon. I simply packed up my car, drove and didn’t look back. Well, that may be oversimplifying the move just a bit, but it was definitely, by far, the most liberating and courageous thing I have done in my forty years of life.

What gave me the courage to make this move? It was the deep, unfaltering faith and knowing in my heart that something wonderful was waiting for me in Oregon – beauty, nature, peace – all things that my soul had craved for many, many years. Albeit, I was scared to death to make this change – to step into the unknown. I trusted my heart, my Higher Self, with all fortitude, and let it lead my way, bravely, into my new life.

Today, I am seated at my desk, writing this essay, in a small cottage, nestled in the lush forested hills of Oregon. I’m gazing out a picturesque window, at a gorgeous purple sunset settling over the mountains to the north, while a woodpecker is pecking away on a tree outside, serenading me and my cats, who are gathered, to glimpse a group of five antlered deer stroll by. For me, life does not get better than this.

It is hard to believe that only six months ago, I was living my life in the same, familiar, “status quo” fashion that I had known for the last 39 years. Admittedly, with the knowledge that the “big city” lifestyle of Los Angeles was no longer aligned with my soul, for perhaps the last five to ten of those 39 years.

Sitting here beside me at my desk is a small glass affirmation stone, and painted on its surface with silver ink is the word, “Courage.” It is a small, but meaningful, reminder of the courageous changes I have made this year. I purchased this precious stone for myself this past December, while shopping for the perfect Christmas gift for a dear friend in an inspirational 12-step store. I knew the instant I laid my eyes on the little piece of green glass that it was going to be an important “stepping stone” in my life.

Climb Against the Odds

This July, I was pleased to have the opportunity to donate a colorful collection of Handmade Tibetan “Om” Journals on behalf of my online store, Mandala, to the The Breast Cancer Fund, for the participants of their annual “Climb Against the Odds,” held at Mount Shasta this year.

About "Climb Against the Odds": A team of 36 women and men from across the country attempted to climb 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta in Northern California on July 10 in the Climb Against the Odds. Many of the climbers were women living with breast cancer. Others had family members or friends who have confronted the disease. For most climbers, the expedition was an expression of finding strength through adversity. In all, 28 members of the team summitted.

Join the "Stop Global Warming" Virtual March

SoulfulLiving.com supports StopGlobalWarming.org and is dedicated to raising awareness about the important issue of global warming.

By taking simple, yet meaningful, actions in daily life, each one of us has the power to make a difference in helping put a stop to global warming and preserving our precious planet earth.

Take action today, and join us in supporting The Stop Global Warming Virtual March, a non-political effort bringing Americans together to declare that global warming is here now and it’s time to act.

Featured Book: "Younger by the Day"

YOUNGER BY THE DAY:
365 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body
and Revitalize Your Spirit
by Victoria Moran

A dear friend of mine gifted me with this lovely book for my 40th birthday this past June, and I couldn't be more grateful.

A one-year program for "aging in reverse" is the promise of this book, and Victoria holds true to this promise -- presenting 365 invaluable entries of anti-aging wisdom and inspiration, in a fun, easy-to-digest, day by day format, categorized into twelve monthly themes, celebrating such topics as, "Possibility," "Beauty," "Wisdom," "Magic," and Pleasure and Delight."

Younger by the Day can be read cover-to-cover, initially, as Victoria recommends, or read daily, one entry at a time, as I have been enjoying it, since the day I received it. So far, my favorite entries have included: "Seven Eating Habits of Highly Youthful People," "Contemplate Coincidence," "Don't Be a Yes Woman," "Reduce Your Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields," "The Learned Skill of Letting Go," "Never Apologize for Being the Age You Are," "Living Foods," and "The Art of Allowing."

What's New... An out-of-state move, a big birthday, soap, web sites, jewelry...

2006 has been a year filled with many wonderful life transitions... In the spring, I moved from the city of Los Angeles, where I lived for 39 years, to a lovely, little soulful town in Southern Oregon. (Yes, it's now official: I'm a "tree hugger"!) I have long looked forward to a small-town lifestyle, and I could not be happier with my move. It is absolutely beautiful here, and I have to pinch myself every day and ask, “Am I really here?” This year also brought a major birthday. I turned the big “40” in June!

It has been a very busy year with the move, but I have also been busy working on growing my various businesses, and I’m sure that the move to a more beautiful, peaceful environment has helped foster my creativity tremendously. I have found the creative energy and enthusiasm within this new soulful space to finally bring to market a line of products that I have been dreaming of creating since 1999, before the creation of SoulfulLiving.com, in fact. I’m very excited about this line of products, which are currently in the prototype stage, and should be ready to launch into the retail market sometime this fall. I am looking forward to blogging all about the process of bringing these items to market, here on the pages of Soulful Musings.

Managing the day-to-day operations of my online store, Mandala, has also been keeping me busy. Mandala offers a beautiful collection of "gifts and tools for soulful living," including New Age gifts and products, Buddhist and Tibetan jewelry and handicrafts, meditation and yoga supplies, and Fair Trade gift baskets. Every aspect of running this business brings me such great joy, everything from helping my customers and hand-selecting the items offered in the store, to designing and maintaining the store's web site and managing the administrative side of the business. This work is very fulfilling, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be able to offer a selection of products to my customers that support me in my own personal spiritual practice. You can read about my wonderfully inspired, synchronistic journey of bringing Mandala, which at that time was called, The Mandala Collection, into the world, here.

I've also been enjoying working on my website, SoulfulLiving.com, hence the launch of this new blog, Soulful Musings. I wish I had gotten on the “blog wagon” many years ago. It would have been great fun to have had the opportunity to journal the process of creating SoulfulLiving.com over the last seven years. But, I’m going to make my best effort to look back and blog about some of the highlights and triumphs along the way, and of course, enjoy writing about its growth and progress from this point forward.

I’ve also been blessed with many wonderful web design projects this year. I just finished designing a lovely site for my friend, author Dana Reynolds, for her new Spirituality Center for Women on the Monterey Peninsula, called, “Mosaics.” I’ve also had the pleasure to add new artwork to my artist client, Michelle Soule’s website, “Souleart.” And, my client, author Jessica Barksdale Inclán, continues to be an inspiration for my creative muse, always presenting wonderful design challenges with the addition of each of her new women’s fiction novels to her website, JessicaBarkesdaleInclan.com. You can view my website portfolio and learn more about my web design services at my website, TheCreativeSoul.com.

Last, but not least, I am very excited to be working on designing a fabulous line of soulful jewelry, which I hope to have ready to launch by the end of the year. I’m designing this collection with PMC, precious metal clay, a wonderful new art medium developed in Japan, which is in the form of clay, but fires in a kiln to .999 fine silver. You can read more about PMC at the PMC Guild.

I look forward to sharing all about the growth and development of my various creative ventures here on the pages of Soulful Musings. I hope you’ll join me for the adventure!

Divine Inspiration - Designing a Logo for Soulful Musings

Tonight, I had the fun of designing a logo design for my new blog, Soulful Musings. I had been experimenting with this same butterfly motif earlier this year as a possible addition to the logo of my website, SoulfulLiving.com. I haven't finalized that new logo yet, but hope to introduce it a little later this year, along with a whole new slew of exciting offerings at Soulful Living.

The butterfly is a very meaningful symbol in my life. It represents "freedom," "change," "transition," and "rebirth." Themes that have all been important in my life, particularly this year, which held several major life transitions -- a move out of state, from the city of Los Angeles, where I lived for 39 years, to a wonderful, little soulful town in Southern Oregon. I couldn't be happier about my move and look forward to writing all about here very soon. This year also brought a major birthday. I just turned the big "40" in June!

Some thoughts on my creative inspiration...

My father was a very soulful man and a great inspiration to me. He passed away in 1998. He was an artist, illustrator and graphic designer, who enjoyed his work so much, that a five-hour client project would receive days, weeks, even months of attention and nurturing. His last graphic design project, shortly before his death, was for a bromeliad nursery client. He’d been working for weeks on a package design logo for a new "forever-blooming" plant collection. As an artist, my father was very fond of symbols and their meanings. He had incorporated one of his favorites, the infinity symbol, into this logo design. I remember seeing the joy on his face, for days and nights, as he sat at his drawing board, pondering the infinite number of wondrous design possibilities... A glimpse, perhaps of infinite, Eternal Life.

I often ask my father for his guidance while I am designing logos. I like to think of the butterfly as a gift from my dad, as it was delivered to my consciousness almost immediately upon asking him for his divine guidance in prayer. I know he would be very pleased with its symbolic significance in my life this year.

I'd love to share a story I wrote about my father's inspiration, symbolism, and synchronicity, back in winter 2004, entitled, "Messages Delivered on Feathered Wings."

I'm very pleased with the font I found to use with my Soulful Musings logo design. I think it works fabulously with the butterfly and communicates well the feelings and emotions that I want Soulful Musings to convey. If you're a font addict like me, I strongly suggest you pay a visit to MyFonts.com. It is an incredible mecca of fonts, typefaces, and inspiration!

I'd love your feedback on my new Soulful Musings logo or any comments on my blog for that matter. Thanks for reading. :-)

Starting Somewhere - Welcome to My New Blog!

Welcome to my new blog, "Soulful Musings"!

I thought it was high time that I enter the age of blogging. So, here I am. My name is Valerie, and I am the founder, creator and soul of SoulfulLiving.com.

I have long wanted to begin blogging, but, "Where to begin?," was always the predominant question entering my mind. The project of bringing a blog to life has seemed like somewhat of a daunting task, particularly since it would have made perfect sense to have started seven years ago, when I first began creating SoulfulLiving.com, which by now would have produced a wonderful written history of its creation.

But, this summer, I finally decided that "starting somewhere," was much better than never starting at all.

Of course, my next important question became, "How to begin?" I found inspiration on the subject of blogging from a frequent contributor to my website, Suzanne Falter Barns, author of Living Your Joy; A Practical Guide to Happiness, who shares her knowledge about all topics related to "getting known now" at her wonderful and informative website, GetKnownNow.com, and her terrific "Get Known Now" Blog.

It was through one of Suzanne's newsletters that I learned about a great new book, BlogWild: A Guide for Small Business Blogging, by Andy Wibbels, which I just received from Amazon.com yesterday and spent today reading cover to cover. It's a dense, fact-packed, quick and fun read on everything you could ever want to know about blogging for business or pleasure. I highly recommend it. I have gleaned tons of knowledge from this great little book and am really excited about becoming a professional blogger! You can visit Andy Wibbel's blog here: http://www.andywibbels.com.

I hope you enjoy my new blog as much as I am enjoying creating it. I'd love to hear your feedback and comments. Thanks for reading!