{Planet Wedding}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
I thought you'd like to know about a new book, "Planet Wedding:  A Nuptialpedia" by that fabulous "planet" book couple, Sandra and Harry Choron. It's chock-full of ideas and interesting stories about all things wedding -- including one of my stories!

I'm delighted they chose one of my folkloric botanical related stories, "To Gather Orange Blossoms: The Legend of Brides & the Orange Blossom," because I love the connection of brides and flowers. Something magical and mysterious and ultimately feminine about how women and flowers have a deep spiritual connection.

And the book is not just for brides...you and your friends and family will enjoy long after the wedding. Click here to review or order the book.

Enjoy!

....with love from Cornelia

{Your Bridal Spotlight}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Being a conscious bride takes courage. You step into a spotlight when you become a bride, emotions bubble up during this busy time, perhaps self-doubt creeps in. However, it’s the design of a rite-of-passage to shake you up a bit, to prepare you for a huge leap of faith. This may be unsettling at first, yet it is the nature of change . . . to inspire an inner awakening, to prepare you for receiving life as a gift!

Use your time in the bridal spotlight -- and the special, intuitive energy of your bridal rite-of-passage -- to find your quiet center and ground yourself. Have a gentle, meditative stretching routine of some sort that helps relax your body and supports your inner peacefulness. From that more settled aware place, your mind gets quieter; your emotions won’t be so apt to bubble over; you become less reactive, more responsive, more creative, more conscious . . . more available for love.

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Marla Aufmuth]

{Keep Your Heart Open}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Feeling a little overwhelmed with your growing to-do list? Feeling like your attention is constantly being pulled away from your relationship? Feeling like you’re losing your sense of self -- with your strength and usual savvy diminishing? Not feeling clear and empowered to make all the “right” decisions?

Here’s a suggestion: Close your eyes; take deep, slow inhales and exhales; imagine your breath going in and out of your heart; continue these luscious, slow, deep inhales and exhales until you “feel” your heart open. Keep practicing and keep your heart open in the direction of love! Then no matter the circumstances stirring about, when your heart is open, you’ll always know where your real strength and power live.

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: David Willems]

{The Sapphire Mythology}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
For their wedding day “something blue,” some brides wear a special sapphire ring or pin or amulet. Sapphires have a great deal of ethereal meaning in the world of gemstones. Queen Victoria wore a large sapphire brooch, a gift from her beloved Albert, pinned to her white silk satin gown the day they married. As a teenage bride-to-be, Lady Diana Spencer chose a sapphire and diamond engagement ring from the selection offered her by Prince Charles and the royal family.

The blue sapphire is considered the stone of “holy blessings” and has long symbolized truth, sincerity, and faithfulness. A precious gemstone may not be able to guarantee the love we want, but “holy blessings” come in all shapes and sizes and disguises! Whatever gemstone you wear, it’s more of a treasure when you add self-love—a blessing that keeps sharing riches of the heart.

The sapphire mythology also holds that the stone oversees one’s divine destiny. What do you see as your destiny? If it is indeed “divine”—and I believe that’s true for all of us—then love is at its core, and all you need to do is keep your heart open to receive its “holy blessings.”

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

{What Are You Noticing?}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Did you know that when you became engaged -- no matter your age or if you've been a bride before -- that you stepped into an ancient process known as a rite-of-passage? A rite-of-passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one stage of life to another.

And your bridal rite-of-passage -- when you are aware of its magic and inner power -- becomes a journey of self-discovery with a natural flow and rhythm to it. Becoming/being aware is key: What changes are you noticing, feeling, sensing about yourself? It can be subtle, so keep your antenna -- your woman's intuition -- finely tuned. 

In your bridal rite-of-passage, when you “get in the zone” of its vibrant energy, the experience can deeply support your inner growth, helping you discover your true strength and power -- so pay attention.

What are you noticing right now?

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Missy McLamb]

{Love What You Choose}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
There are so many choices to make when you’re a bride-to-be, but good news! A woman’s intuition seems to light up as a bride. That’s just part of the mystical nature of a rite-of-passage. (And why so many brides find the dress during their first round of shopping!) The more aware you are, the more you can tap into your inner resources where your intuitive “wise self” lives. So don’t resist . . . enjoy the ease that comes with following your “inner wise-woman.”

Your time as a bride-to-be becomes a perfect opportunity to listen to that instinctive wisdom inside you, allowing it to guide your choices—foregoing doubt and second-guessing. (I read something like this on a greeting card: Worrying about the past or the future just saps today of its magic!)

Here’s what your wise inner voice is telling you when it comes to making a choice: Choose from your heart’s desire, then love what you choose. Move on to the next decision, and choose . . . then love that. You get the picture. Choose it, love it, move on! Let the love flow.

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Marla Aufmuth]