Remember the days of pen and paper? Notes tucked into envelopes and carried away by strangers? Remember waiting with baited breath for a response?

I've written letters to pen pals in foreign countries, celebrity crushes, magazine editors, family and friends. I even wrote a letter to NASA and they sent me a bunch of cool photos.

And of course I've written countless unsent letters, spilled secrets, burned away words of past lives. 

Letters are sacred, especially now that email has taken over. It must've been years ago that I received an actual paper letter. 

I'd like to breathe life back into letter writing. Letters slipped into my love's pocket. Letters on small scraps of paper, hidden for a stranger to find. Letters to people I admire just to say thanks for being awesome. Letters to myself.

Let's revive this art. Surprise someone - your partner, someone you admire, a stranger, yourself. Some tips:

Let go of fear. Shush the inner critic. Your letter doesn't have to be poetry or mushy gushy. It only has to be you, your voice, your thoughts. Share your real feelings.

Use special paper and something you enjoy writing with, whether it's a marker, black ball-point, or pink ink. Or...you know, scribble your musings on a napkin if inspiration hits.

Spritz your favorite perfume over the paper. Let the scent inspire you.

Think about what kind of letter you want to write and how you want the reader to react. Do you want to tease, seduce, encourage, inspire? Let the feelings guide your words.

If you need a starting point, think about why you adore the person you're writing to. What makes her unique? What are the little things he does that make you smile? You could even write it out in list form:

Dearest love bug,
Reasons I think you're awesome:
Your hugs make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Your lips are like pillows.
You bake out-of-this-world cupcakes.

Be as over-the-top or simple as you want. These are your feelings, your love and admiration etched onto the page. 

Who will you write a letter to first?

I recently wrote a news brief about Unity Church's yearly burning bowl ceremony. I had never heard about this kind of ceremony before, but thought, what a beautiful way to let go of the past year and make space for the new.

And that's exactly what this kind of ceremony is meant for; it's a chance to release what no longer serves you to make space for what will.

I think it's a perfect self-love ritual as well. 

How do we show ourselves more love? By releasing those things that no longer serve us, by letting go of negative thoughts, old ideas, frustrations, fears, and inviting in new, better thoughts/ideas/people/experiences.

Here's how to have your own burning bowl/self love ceremony:

1. Pick a day that's meaningful for you. It can be New Year's Eve, your birthday, the first of each month, each new moon. Whatever feels right and necessary.

2. Cut several strips of paper and have them ready, along with something to write with.

3. Set up a sacred space for your bowl (burn-safe, of course). If you don't have or don't want to use a bowl, just light a single candle. 

4. Write down things that you want to let go of on the strips of paper. These could be relationships, negative thoughts and self-talk, situations that no longer serve you, mindsets you'd like to change, bad habits, etc.

5. When you're finished writing on a strip of paper, place it in the bowl or over the flame to burn away whatever you've written down. 

6. Watch as the old is released through the smoke and feel a space inside of you open up.

7. Once you've burned away the old, find a notebook and write down what you want to invite in. Look at your list regularly to remind yourself what you're working toward.  

And that's it. Simple, yet powerful and so full of meaning. 

Much love xx

Every new year I like to think of a word or phrase to guide me through the rest of the year. 2012 was believe, 2013 expand, and this year was a mix of faith over fear and flow . They act as reminders of something I want to accomplish, become, or put into practice. Like little slips of paper in my back pocket I can pull out when I need a refresher.

So I've been thinking about 2015 and what I want it to embody, how I want to feel, the message it needs to carry. One phrase that's come to me and that I've already been using is Just Ask. 

Sometimes asking for what I want is challenging. I'm careful not to "bother" people in fear that they might label me as annoying. But what I'm coming to learn is that if I don't ask, I definitely won't receive, and most times people are more than willing to help me out. 

I get so much more, and faster, when I JUST ASK! instead of waiting around for whatever it is to come to me. So that phrase is definitely sticking with me throughout the year.

But there's another phrase, a big, bold phrase that I imagine displayed like the Hollywood sign and lit up with bright pink lights.

Lucky Bitch!


First, I have to give credit to Denise Duffield-Thomas. You may have heard of her; she wrote a little book called Lucky Bitch that inspired thousands of women to manifest their biggest dreams. Props to Denise for coming up with such a powerful, fun mantra that I'm totally stealing and using as my motto for 2015.

Why lucky bitch?

Because it reminds me to stay open to limitless possibilities.

It reminds me of all the crazy, lucky things that have already happened.

And it will serve as a pick-me-up when things don't seem to go my way. Cassandra, you're such a lucky bitch. Stop yer whining.


Words hold so much power; I've witnessed the results over and over again. I believed and big dreams came true. I expanded and the world opened up. I put faith over fear and things didn't seem so scary.

Thoughts become things. We become what we think. 

So I challenge you to make 2015 your luckiest year ever by believing anything is possible.


Even when the road gets bumpy and you think, nothing could possibly go right, tell yourself, "You're so lucky! Something magical's about to happen."

Because you never know what's right around the corner. You never know what doors are going to open.

I can't wait to ring in the new year and get this lucky bitch party started! If you want to get a head start, I highly recommend the Lucky Bitch book. It'll get you all kinds of pumped up. 

AND I'll be running the Creating Your Magical Life course in January so you can start manifesting all that stuff you thought was impossible. 

Have you thought about a power word or phrase for 2015?