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Like many of us, I have a long and complicated relationship with hospitals. Yet despite this antipathy being a frequent flyer at "club med" and the "house of pain" was something I sincerely took to heart.  Through the years, I've wrestled with and written about the pain and isolation of being a  caregiver-- my chronic sorrow and disbelief. It took me a very long time to fully comprehend that (obviously) this was an important part of my soul development and karmic path.  As I left the ER last night, I tried to find the setting sun. I desperately wanted to snap a photo that could lift my spirits and give me a little warm hope. But, those pesky Akron clouds would not grant me this wish--- they delivered something even better instead.  It may take a little dot-connecting and Divine grace, but hopefully one day you too will discover that your deepest life wounds are concealing your greatest lessons about love.  By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC...

I was introduced to the work of David Whyte in the 1990's-- in corporate America of all places.  At the time, I was a young project manager in a leadership development rotation through our training and development department.  My primary mentors, three profoundly generous and wise women took me under their wings like the baby bird that I was. Each of them not only  illuminated the technical aspects of adult learning protocols and processes, but who they were as human beings. It was a life and career altering rotation to say the least.    As a young professional I hardly had the depth nor maturity to understand what David Whyte was talking about or what most of it meant. But when this poem, Sweet Darkness re-found me in 2009 it both  haunted and changed my life. Today, I understand and have lived every single word and maybe you have too.   Sweet Darkness (in the collection The House of Belonging ) When your eyes are tired the world is tired ...

All of us enter life with unique wiring and a divine blueprint. Depending on your individual path and journey, there are things you'll naturally outgrow along the way.  Below is a list of some of the things I've outgrown -- ideas and both behavioral and cultural patterns I've evolved/matured beyond. I would  also like to note that about half of these lessons came directly from the soulful wisdom of my daughters-- the one on Earth who's still schooling me, and my cosmic angel who never misses a chance to remind me "the best is yet to come mom, keep going!!!"  colonialism (in myself) toxic masculinity (in myself) toxic capitalism (regular capitalism/exchange is our friend!) consumerism (a form of addiction)  charity (a form of structural colonialism)  "fighting" for a cure/cause (a form of structural militarism) "winning" (a form of structural colonialism) addiction (my one big lifelong addiction was to "thought"-- my blind ...

The last war will not come about because we elected a great leader, or because we finally stopped arguing about who owns what, while our children question their sanity, unable to freely live out their precious soul journeys and human lives. The last war will come through each of us —because of you and me and anyone who has ever felt the fire of their own human heart—who has bled and wept over the many wars they’ve already lived and barely survived and who know there’s no end until they end them.   In quiet rooms, in soulful circles, in secret journals, and in the hopes and dreams we carry in our living cells awaiting our silent signal; the yes that awakens our ancient memory and our living wisdom is released like a massive pulsar that will make Earth quiver all at once. When the golden light of your heart is no longer occluded, and you reclaim your blue sky and inner-sun, everything will be blessed, and your last war will finally end.   By Mayra Porrata ©2026 Solara ...

Anytime we make peace with our wounds and polarities -- with our own internal divide, we enter the realm of divine neutrality.  This is a tender space of deep contemplation and self-compassion. As we meet our own estrangement and forgive all the ways we've abandoned ourselves, we instantly realize the grace that's been with us all along.  As a natural consequence, we naturally allow others the grace of their own journey. We learn that no one needs  fixin'  only alignment and that happens at just the right time (for them).  Standing in neutral ground is not a stance of ignorance or being unaware or unengaged from the daily scuffles and battles of society. In fact, it makes individuals hyper-aware and informs them in ways that change them from the inside-out.  Yes, you can argue, fight, or debate, or you can walk the path that leads from your own divine heart instead. You may find it's the simplest and most rewarding way to live.     ...

The deepest insights from your human journey will not come from your mind, but through your heart and through the unique tune God/Source placed in your cells.  This is the tune that connects each of us to our human family and to our soul lineage-- and that's now playing in the world through you.   Engaging in these tender practices requires our willingness to look, listen, and love, and in many cases re-parent ourselves. Remember: wisdom is not 'out there' in another person, place, or thing. Wisdom is light that already dwells in and through you. self inquiry inner-child work wound/shadow patterns awareness and integration of shadow gifts understanding your multidimensionality readiness/ripeness to move forward  coherence/alignment returning to your innocence becoming an integrated human being (a modern human) By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Aligning with the gravitational pull of our heart changes life for the better. Guided by the natural laws of life, of God/Source, we not only dissolve the density of emotional, mental, and physical energetic baggage, but we begin to embody more light and love—literally.   When our soul’s essence is allowed to direct our days, life takes on a different shape and form. We become more mindful, creative, and playful and more present to the beauty and magic of life and of each precious day.  By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC Photo credit: Camille Silvestro 

As we mature and evolve, our health and wellbeing  naturally  turn inward. This shift motivates us to reflect on the following:     appreciation of your body nervous/electrical system cardiovascular system digestive system waste (excretion) system skeletal system facia network your mind/brain/thoughts your emotional patterns   appreciation of  your people your partner your children your friends your parents & siblings your colleagues/co-workers your extended family your neighbors your local farmers your local businesses   appreciation of  what you ingest food & other substances media nature, sun, ocean, fresh air   appreciation of y our home & community peaceful (to you) beautiful (to you) clear of extraneous objects and clutter clear of unnecessary past feels like home (to you)   appreciation of  nature/the natural world around you your fur babies & ...

Anyone who has fallen or been kicked off the mainstream economy knows this to be true: no one is economically independent. Most, if not all of us, are interdependent and rely on others throughout our entire lifespans. Here’s a basic summary of how most of us are funded at this moment in time:   If you have a regular job, you’re funded by your employer-- who is solely dependent on customers, consumers, markets, social, and environmental conditions.  If you’re self-employed you’re funded by customers or clients. If you work for the government, you’re funded by taxpayers and corporations. If you’re unable to work, you’re funded by both the excess of economic activities (economic safety nets) and by your community --- kind people, caregivers, etc. If you’re married, you’re partially or fully funded by your spouse (note: you can also work a regular job and be self-employed but based on law, marriage binds partners economically). If you're a minor, you're funded by your ...

As a long-time advocate for women and children, I invested a great deal of time and energy testifying and educating others about systems and policies that hurt women and single mothers in particular. Through my own journey I was able to see more clearly what undermines us all.  There’s a powerful lesson I learned from observing nature: anything built on a false foundation is bound to implode or dissolve. Applying this wisdom to human partnerships, institutions, and culture can help us to better understand what is worthy of our effort and what requires our letting go. Building the new systems, structures, and policies require the heart and wisdom of all who have been tenderized by life. Thankfully, there are millions of us who carry the lessons within us, as well as the deep knowing and conviction of those who fought the good fight with us.   By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Women become wise slowly. It begins when we pause to look plainly at all the ways life went wrong, or sideways, or simply stopped being kind. But more importantly, all the ways it lifted, tenderized, and directed our own course. We grow wise from the inside: through the thousand and one betrayals that forced our adaptation and disillusionment; from the courage to walk away from partnerships built on false foundations; from the patience of allowing the same tender lessons of life to touch those who betrayed our hearts—and that includes ourselves.    There’s a powerful prayer I learned in graduate school—the Gestalt prayer (see Fritz Perls) which goes like this: "I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, And you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful. If not, it can't be helped." The medicine of life is there for all of us. ...

As an Aquarian woman, it took me a long time to understand that my deep humanitarian sensitivities and emotional intelligence are not the same thing. From my experience, emotional intelligence (emotional availability) is an activation that enables us to sense or perceive beyond the confines of our mind. This sensory enhancement provides a new language that leads to a broader and deeper knowing, and therefore an expanded intelligence in us.  What some call ‘woke’, commonly used as an insult or derogatory slur, is nothing more than a God-given power and grace that’s available to us all. This activation can occur anytime we’re open to it. For me it was introduced in small doses via friends, colleagues, and family, and then fully received as a heavenly zip-file sometime after my daughter died. Needless to say, this has been a profound process and ongoing deepening of my own humanity --  a revelatory process that has become my new normal and way of life. If you’re not...

We encounter many bridges on the road of life; some we only cross once and some we have to go back and forth on until we master the fear, the lesson, and the gift that can only be found on the other side.  By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC Photo credit: Mari Peterson

Most children don't hesitate expressing who they are and what they love. My sister's granddaughter is a perfect example.  She's eight-years old and is authentically intelligent, funny, thoughtful, and charismatic. She doesn't try to be this way, or apologize for expressing her essence. She is truly her own little person. She is smart and sassy --- a tiny package of multi-dimensional goodness the world has yet to tell her is "too much" or too bright.  And, hopefully that day will never come.  There's so many of us remembering and honoring our unique intelligence and gifts. So many of us expanding beyond the single band of self-expression we were either shoved into or self-assigned in order to fit in, but in so doing, suppressed our inner sassy* light.  (*the lively and spirited kind) By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

My daughter Serena was a bit of a genius. She was also a noble soul who could lay down a sassy, life-changing, one-liner with the precision of a skilled neurosurgeon.  When she spoke, I not only listened, I took notes, and those notes are hidden in plan sight in my books and in most everything I do.  My daughter Camille embodies a different kind of magic. Her genius is her heart and the emotional depth she brings to every single thing she does. Her love language? Gift-giving. In fact, she gifted me one of my greatest life-lessons when she was only 8-years old.  My daughters are two of my greatest teachers. Their intelligence is so obvious and beautiful that it doesn't seem like intelligence at all-- but it is-- it is pure wisdom and pure gold.  By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

Culture tells men that pain, fear, and anger can only be tempered through control and power-over tactics.  And so they learn to externalize and weaponize their confusion to prove and protect their masculinity.  Se lf-awareness and honoring grief are radical forms of love for brave and wise men. This is one of the most powerful and valuable lessons my dad taught me.    By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com  ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

The desire to understand how you think, what you know, and how you know you know , is a simple way to describe metacognition. Another way to say is this: “the awareness of your own thought processes, including its evaluation.” Relative to culture, the simplest application of metacognition is to ask yourself: “how’s that working out for you?” This kind of question ushers us into a tender investigation of our beautiful selves as the living, fluid, and creative forms we each are. As a former educator, project manager, and life-long student, I’ve always valued the process of self-inquiry, dot-connecting, and evaluating outcomes. That’s why for anyone who's analytical in nature or enjoys using their mind to solve puzzles, I encourage the use of journals and contemplations on gratitude and self-awareness.  But...there are other ways to know that don't require any analysis; only your presence, awareness and love.   Recommended journals: Grateful – 30-day self-care journal ...

The way you see and perceive has direct implications for your state of mind and wellbeing.  If you think about it, most of us were never taught how to look, only what to look at. The good news is that with little guidance most of us can expand our seeing and perceiving. But first, let's level set.  Looking at something and blaming the conditions on others or its opposite does not equate to seeing something. Notice this. Notice when you’re projecting and regurgitating versus actually operating from the wisdom of your heart. Presence requires a deeper way of looking -- a seeing that taps into your soul senses to view things from their essential root and form.   Want to practice?  To access your beginner’s mind, you must be willing to “clear your cache and browsing data” (lol) and set your preconceptions aside. Then ask yourself: what do I need in this moment to feel safe, coherent, and loved? When we operate from open and loving queries the solution...

A brief and tender story (for adults)-- especially for anyone who has ever been confused or suppressed their own wisdom and light.   https://mayraporrata.com/b/misadventuresofana By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC

My daughter Serena used to make fun of my Aquarian approach to business, specifically the promotion of our first book Lilly's Life [retired].   She often lamented "mom, you give away more books than we actually sell!"   -- and we would both laugh and agree that doing so was the most noble and honest thing we could do.  For her, having been partly raised in a culture/country that valued production and monetized every single interaction, my approach was certainly different. And yet she deeply understood that some things were so honest, abundant, and real that to monetize them would amount to insanity.  In a culture that values division, war, and "isms", kindness is wildly unprofitable. As more of us realize the value of simply being human and humane, perhaps that will change.  Download >>   Soul Friends    By Mayra Porrata | comments: mayra@solarapublishing.com ©2026 Solara Publishing, LLC