Have you ever seen a Fu Dog? What even is a Fu Dog? In very simple terms, the Fu Dog is a protector. They protect the temple, the sacred ground. They protect the feminine. And they live within us. They protect that soft space within us. They protect the heart.  It's like the moat that protects the castle. Or the snake that guards the treasure. There is a fu dog that guards that love within us. In Kobe, Japan, we wandered through the streets aimlessly for hours on a chilly afternoon. We found ourselves at the foot of the steps to a Shinto shrine. And when I looked up, the fierce Fu Dog looked me straight in the eye. I could almost here him say, "Don't mess with this place. It is sacred."




Who messes with the sacred in us? Sometimes it is the "people out there", but often it is us, our very selves. We speak messages to ourselves like, I am not good enough. I don't have good hair. I am not as accomplished as she is. We desecrate the sacred within us. And it is up to us to reclaim what is precious to us. It is up to us to reclaim our hearts.



Yesterday was Valentine's Day and we danced. We learned lessons from our bodies about our hearts. The lesson was simple and it was pure. Home is where the heart is. And it is with us always. We just need to take the time and practice to reconnect to it and learn new messages of beauty. The invisible world within us is precious. Itis a treasure within us that whispers the language of love to us. Whenwe listen, we hear nothing but you are loved. That is always the firstmessage of the heart. There is power in this vulnerability. It is subtle and when it rises, itis alchemy. The more we do, the less we doubt our belovedness, and the more fully we live in the world. 

Each morning, down the hall from me, two students write a "quote for the day", and I look forward to reading it each day as I head to eat breakfast. Here is what I saw today. And my heart filled up and not unlike the Grinch, grew two sizes.




Protect your sacred self. Mother yourself. And live from your beauty. And most of all, honor your heart today, on the day of St. Valentine.