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The Spirit Level


Soulstice Immersions - The work of Platform 13
Soulstice Immersions are two-week, women-only experiences, designed to help us come home to ourselves - through courage, creativity and connection. The quiet clarity that emerges when life finally gives us space to breathe. We created Soulstice because so many of us women reach a moment in our lives where we feel ready for something more, but aren’t sure what “more” looks like. Perhaps the chance to tell the story of "us", with our whole heart. Maybe to explore the willingnes
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Gentle Reflections - What’s in your Glass?
There’s a funny comedian who asked this of the audience “who here is a glass half empty person?” Half the audience raises their hands. “Show of hands for the half full?” The rest go up. Now that everyone had defined and labeled themselves, he delivers the punchline. “Has anyone ever asked what’s in the glass?” The room erupts in laughter. Because if it’s filled with sh**, you bet I’m a glass half empty guy!” To prove that all things are not black and white, he asks in a moc
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The art of relocating - Part II - "Legitimacy".
A note on some feelings which recently surfaced, when Vanessa and I ran into a couple we hadn't seen for a while, and what began as a pleasant enough conversational exchange, soon had us on the back foot, in a sort of panicked display of what can only be described as "anxious over-explaining". It was very aparent that this was a central tenet to our personal sense of being in the right place. If our sense of belonging relates to the emotional landscape of moving to France, t
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The Spirit Level - Gratitude - The Ultimate Superpower
We all hear of superfoods - Goji berries, chia seeds… the list goes on and changes like the seasons. Fortunately, emotions don’t follow these trends, but as we head into the season of gratitude, let me highlight why it is your Superpower and why it’s the ingredient you’ll want in your morning mental smoothie. November is the month of gratitude. Being American, I used to celebrate Thanksgiving, and as an American in France, if there’s one of us within 100kms, we tend to gather
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Speaking from the Heart: A Holiday Guide to Graceful Connection
"We have two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak". - Eptictetus. -
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The art of relocating - Part I - Being who we are.
I know... some of you will not see relocating as an "art" . Perhaps viewing it more of an extremely daunting prospect, a discomfort to be avoided, or just something that other people do. Particularly, of course if it involves not a mere change of post code, but a move that crosses time zones and international date lines. We benefit from a built-in bias around the beauty of staying put. Home is where our friends are, or the kids live, or the climate suits. It's where we "belon
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Beauty Transformed - Ageing, between the lenses of love and judgement.
Why is it, when we see the ruins of a great castle, the knarl of an ancient olive tree or the oldest grave in the cemetery, we become so awestruck and admiring? We are so absolutely enchanted by the sheer age of things. We respect them. We willingly keep off the grass of history. We admire the flaws and crumbling imperfections. We feel a loving and protective instinct, despite no sense of personal ownership. It runs deep in us and we feel proud to be a product of our creative
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Spirit Level - Strength is where you least expect it.
Friends often tell me they dream of picking up and moving abroad. That is, until the thought of logistics, language, visas… makes it feel too daunting a challenge. Change is hard when our ego says we are " fine where we are ", but there's more to it than that. Where do we even begin? Perhaps just begin, by beginning… A little about little me first… When I was eight years old, I was watching my mom put on makeup, when I blurted out “I want to move.” Confused, my mom asked “oh
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Un-name Yourself - Charisse Glenn, author of “The Let Go”
"Labeling makes the invisible visible, but it’s limiting. Categories are the enemy of connecting."
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The Spirit Level - Energy & Frequency
It is all well and good to throw buzz-words around, but one that often comes up in casual conversation these days, is ‘frequency’. Like most expressions, it can mean different things to different people and yet actually, is very rooted in science. Not in a “my frequency is like..so off today” as though you‘re just having a bad hair day, but involving physics…a real exchange of energy with the environment and people - total friends or total strangers. We’ve all been in a room
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