Good Clean Reads

Lubrication is one of the simplest and most effective ways to make intimacy more enjoyable. And even though our bodies naturally produce lubrication, it isn’t always enough. Hormonal changes, stress, medication, or simply wanting a little more glide are all good reasons to reach for lube!

“I believe that the world was created and approved by love that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love.”  -Wendell Berry

Love saves us. Although this line of thinking is usually reserved for religious parables, the truth of life bears out that love is the singular source that enlightens, inspires and guides us to the very...

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero

I began the summer of gratitude challenge to learn how to experience the world through the magical filter of thanksgiving. As I have consciously stopped the insidious habit of taking the details of my life for granted and focused on them as gifts, I have become both more joyful and more able to actually...

Discover the convergence of sex therapy and tantric practice with Dr. Sally Valentine.

Sexual issues have a soul and learning from them as you would a spiritual practice brings depth and meaning to every aspect of your relationship. Sally shares insights and easy to adopt practices of breath and attention that will transform your intimate relationships into one of greater consciousness and joy....

It was an honor to be named recently as a finalist for a state wide entrepreneurial award, named for Tom Holce who is known as Oregon’s quintessential entrepreneur. He started and invested in 25 businesses in Oregon, which were the impetuses for thousands of jobs. Prior to his wife’s death, he was married for 44 years. Ray King, one of the CEO’s that Tom invested in said this about him: “He was...

by Anastasia Strgar

If today were the last day that you ever had on this earth, who would you want to be with? What would you tell them? And would anything that may happen really matter?

As human beings with advanced technologies and complex brains that are both blessings and curses, it’s easy for us to take this life for granted. It starts with little things… We take our daily cleansing rituals...

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.”     -Albert Schweitzer

On the...

Some days all I can see is the mess around me. Conflicting needs, insufficient resources and a will only to rest. The question is can I find the grace in the mess instead of getting swept up in feeling daunted and overwhelmed? The beauty of life is still apparent even when things are falling apart.

How we think when things are not going as we’d hope or worse still, when things fall apart in ways...

“The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.”   -Thich Nhat Hanh

The majority of relationships fail from our collective inability to make peace with each other. We watch our long-term investments of loving connection wither on the vine rather than take the courageous steps of seeking reconciliation. We are confounded by our egos into believing...

by Anastasia Strgar

Back in the day, girls were sent to college to find a husband. Once they did that, their entire lives revolved around taking care of their husband and their families. Their identities became grouped with their husband’s and they never really had a chance to develop their own identities. Flash forward 60 years to the “Me Generation.”

Today, girls are told to go to college and...