Rev. Di Anna Ritola

12/04/2024

Doing and Being, Being and Doing

We are officially in the midst of one of the seasons that can feel really overwhelming. My mom used to fill late November and early December with writing holiday letters and addressing cards (no form letter on a photocopier for her!), baking cookies, cinnamon rolls, and fruit cake to dispatch to nei...

12/02/2024

So much of the difference we encounter between ourselves and others comes down to the fact that we cannot ever know all about them, nor can anyone else know all about us. Heck, most of myself is a mystery unfolding over time!

11/05/2024

This beautiful piece of art by my friend Indygo Wolf brings joy to my heart every day.

What do you keep in view that brings you to the heart space of joy and gratitude?

10/16/2024

What's Coming Up at True North Healing Sanctuary

The weather has turned colder here in Western Massachusetts. We had our first near-freezing temps a couple nights ago. All I wanted this morning was a comforting warm bowl of oatmeal with raisins and walnuts. If you're like me, you're thinking of cozy sweaters, hot soup... and the lack of daylight.....

10/03/2024

A heart full of hurt

Grieving comes on us throughout the year, but here in October it seems most apparent as we count down the days to Halloween, All Souls Day, and Day of the Dead. We remember our beloved family, friends, animal companions, and those we have admired but not known personally who have passed through the....

09/28/2024

What a glorious morning!

Grateful for this space of peace and inspiration in the midst of all that is happening in the world.

It’s vital that we each find pockets of respite and calm so we can center ourselves, clear out the mental static, and access our heart’s desires that will lead us to our connections, communities, and purpose.

09/27/2024

Next Sunday, Oct. 6, I'll be at Witch Slapped in Pittsfield, MA offering chakra clearing sessions. You can walk in and sign up, or you can DM me and reserve your spot now.

09/03/2024

Sunrise this morning after the energy of the new moon last night gives us hope and a sense of wonder to be part of a world of change and transformation.

I have been dancing with some of my shadows lately. In the discomfort of facing parts of myself that I usually try to ignore, I am reminding myself of my capacity for self-compassion and patience.

My shadows (and yours) are not enemies of our “better” parts. They are the parts we haven’t yet healed fully. And that’s ok.

Today offers another opportunity to sit with our pain and confusion and simply allow love to be present as well.

I invite you to start with a simple practice of breathing and imagining that you are wrapped in a quilt of light and dark fabrics. Each piece has its place and the whole is more complete because of the contrasts.

So it is with each of us.

08/27/2024

I was away from this sanctuary for two months living in a tent and managing a staff kitchen at an outdoor event venue (also in a tent). While I was there I met a cicada who was ready to molt (picture 1). I was able to watch her process for a bit, but not to completion.

Later I returned to see the evidence of her transformation (picture 2) in the exoskeleton she left behind. The being she had become no longer fit into the shell she needed previously, and she had to crack open and allow her larger and more powerful body to live on.

Is it time for a change in your life? I’m feeling a push for expansion and stepping more fully into my power. Maybe you are, too.

What if you could take some time away from your daily routine and focus on the questions that are calling you to expand?

I’m now booking solo retreats for the fall. Let me know if you’d like to explore what working and resting here at True North Healing Sanctuary could offer you.

06/18/2024

When you schedule a solo retreat at True North Healing Sanctuary, we give you space and time for rest, for peace and quiet contemplation, and the support you need to allow yourself to know yourself as a human being not a human doing.

06/07/2024

As we near the time of Midsummer, I intend to spend more time out of doors to increase my connection to the rhythm of the earth and sky. The flowers and birds, insects and wind, animals and the very dirt under our feet are all bursting with life!
But if you’ve been feeling less than exuberant, I suggest finding a large and patient tree to sit near and allow your breath to slow as you remind yourself that every growing thing has its own timeline. You can go slowly and carefully along your journey at any time. Nature always has a space for you.

06/03/2024

Here's a new review from a dear client and how our spiritual life coaching work impacted her life.

Prior to my journey with DiAnna, I found myself in a whirlpool of continued anxiety, worries, and imposter syndrome. With DiAnna, I was able to find the path to my own strengths, my positive reinforcements, my truths, and how to center myself when life overwhelms me. Through her compassionate, safe guidance, we walked the path together -- complete with care, laughter, encouragement, and truth finding. When I think of my time with DiAnna, I color the photo of that memory with authentic gratitude, positivity, and purpose.

★★★★★ "Prior to my journey with DiAnna, I found myself in a whirlpool of continued anxiety, worries, and imposter syndrome. With DiAnna, I was able to find the path to my own strengths, my positive reinforcements, my truths, and how to center myself when life overwhelms me. Through her com...

05/29/2024

Tomorrow the Women's Meditation Group meets at 9am. Message me for the address if you'd like to attend in person. Or you can join via zoom here Here's the link

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05/28/2024

A mud mask is fine

One of my dreams for years has been to go to a spa retreat. You know...like in the movies where beautiful people get massages and sit in hot springs and have mud on them before emerging with radiant skin and gorgeous hair and relaxed muscles. I used to think that was the epitome of self-care, and th...

05/27/2024

Healing happens when we are connected to other growing things. That’s why natural settings feel so life-giving!

Here at True North Healing Sanctuary, we trust in the right timing of nature’s unfolding and seek to align with the rhythm of the Earth as we grow stronger and more resilient in addressing our pain. Whether we are healing physically, emotionally, or spiritually (and really it’s always a mix, isn’t it?), we can look to the plants, the sun, the wind, and the waters to be our allies.

Are you ready to take another step toward peace and wholeness? Let’s talk!

05/20/2024

Closing activity yesterday for Experiencing Ourselves as Enough was the opportunity to tap into our creativity and paint a piece of slate with symbols or words of our enoughness.
Loving ourselves is a spiritual practice in a world that reflects all the ways we are too much, too little, too not-quite-right and demanding that we feel both shame at our not-rightness and panicked to chase after the remedies to “fix” ourselves.

Nope. Nope. Nope. While we grow into who we are becoming, we are also enough just as we are.

And so are you!

05/17/2024

The day is here!

We begin our first retreat weekend this evening with the lovely women who will come together for Experiencing Ourselves as Enough. These beautiful Mexican figures of Maiden, Mother, and Crone will preside over our altar, help us to name and deconstruct those myths of good enough, smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough, and all the other ways we’ve been duped into the lie that we just simply aren’t enough.

There will be ritual, group discussions, art, rest, nourishing food, peaceful time for journaling and contemplation, and somatic experience of enoughness so we can know in our skin what enough feels like.

05/09/2024

Women's meditation meets on Zoom this morning at 9am ET.

Here's the link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86111771455