This practice began as a simple daily inspiration but has grown into something much larger: a source of clarity, grounding, and peace. Each card becomes a compass, setting the tone for the day. Sometimes the cards bring comfort, sometimes they bring a challenge, but always they invite reflection. Through this daily act, Marian has found healing from pain, release from anxiety, and courage to face uncertainty.

She shares that the cards have inspired her artwork, guided her writing, and even opened doors to new projects and relationships. They’ve been a companion on the hard days too—moments of grief, loss, or unwelcome news. Despite not always feeling ready to pause, reflect, or create, Marian persisted. And now, this milestone stands as a testament to the power of manifestation and intentional living—the ability to shape your life by nurturing your inner landscape.

Rituals of Inspiration

Many of us have rituals—some intentional, others unconscious—that help us shape our days. It could be journaling with morning tea, walking barefoot on the earth to ground, or beginning a meeting with a moment of silence. These seemingly small practices can profoundly shift our state of being. They remind us to slow down, reconnect, and notice the present moment.

Science supports this wisdom. Research shows that rituals reduce anxiety, increase confidence, and enhance emotional regulation. By anchoring us in mindfulness, rituals make space for peace to enter. They also create consistency in times of uncertainty, giving us a foundation from which to move forward with grace.

Marian’s ritual of daily card pulling is both personal and universal. It is an act of self-care and an act of creation—inviting the messages of spirit, intuition, and art to flow into her daily life.

The Magnifying Peace Project

This milestone also ties beautifully into the larger work of the Magnifying Peace Project, a collaboration of voices and practices exploring how inner peace ripples outward into the world. The project shares a 16-part video series on YouTube, featuring contributions from Marian Egan, Dr. Michelle Greenwell, and others.

Each short video explores peace in a unique way—through Tai Chi movements like Tor Yu, through artistic reflections, through connection with nature, and through remembering the wisdom that stillness and kindness bring us.

Together, these videos weave a tapestry of inspiration, reminding us that cultivating peace begins within ourselves. When we pause, breathe, and listen to our inner compass, we not only change our own experience of the day—we help magnify peace for the world around us.

An Invitation

Whether it’s pulling a card, moving with the rhythm of Tai Chi, or taking a mindful walk in nature, rituals of inspiration create space for transformation. They bring us back to center, back to truth, and back to the inner peace that is always available.

Marian’s 5000th card pull is a celebration not just of persistence, but of what becomes possible when we commit to small, daily acts of intention. Over time, they add up to a life that reflects our deepest values, and a world that vibrates with greater compassion and kindness.

Explore the Magnifying Peace Project videos on the Greenwell Center YouTube Channel and discover your own ways of cultivating peace. Perhaps today is the day to begin—or recommit to—your own ritual of inspiration.

A Simple Tea Ritual for Cultivating Peace

Mission4Change CommuniTEA from the Cape Breton Tea Company

Rituals don’t have to be elaborate to be profound. One of the most powerful daily practices is preparing and sharing a cup of tea with intention. At the Cape Breton Tea Company, we’ve created Mission4Change CommuniTEA as both a comfort and a cause. With each sip, you not only nourish your body but also contribute to a global initiative that ripples peace outward to the Moyo Family and their village in Malawi, Africa.

This blend features rose and chamomile—two herbs long associated with emotional balance and gentle healing.

• Rose invites the heart to soften, to open, and to reconnect with love. Its delicate fragrance is a reminder of beauty even in times of struggle.
• Chamomile soothes the nervous system, releasing tension, easing anxiety, and inviting restful calm.

When used together and accompanied by the energy-lifting tools shared on the introductory video, rose and chamomile create a synergy that supports resilience and deep relaxation—an herbal mirror of peace cultivated within.

The Ritual

1. Prepare with Intention
   As you bring the water up towards the boil, but don’t boil the water, take a slow breath. Hold the herbs for the tea in the palm of your right hand and bring in their joy and inspiration. Then, imagine the energy of heat transforming the water—just as small acts of care transform your day.
2. Steep with Awareness
   Place the herbs into an infuser and add it to your cup or teapot, pouring the hot water slowly. Watch the colors deepen. With each swirl of steam, let go of any tension or distraction.
3. Breathe and Receive
   Before drinking, inhale the aroma of rose and chamomile. Let your senses awaken and your heart center open. This awakening of the senses goes beyond the nervous system to empower your limbic system and motor system in coordination.
4. Sip with Gratitude
   As you sip, think of one thing you are grateful for and one way you can share peace with another today. Notice how the flavour of the tea changes with the temperature of the water, perspective and opportunity change so easily like this as well. Perhaps you notice how your thoughts and ideas continue to transform as you continue to sip to the bottom of the cup.

This practice aligns beautifully with our first video in the Magnifying Peace Project series, which explores how simple energy rituals while preparing tea can shift your state of being. Just as Marian’s daily card ritual sets her compass, a tea ritual can become a touchstone—a way to ground, reset, and expand peace within so it radiates outward.

With Mission4Change CommuniTEA, every cup is a reminder that peace is not just a concept—it’s a practice, one that begins in our own hands.

Movement Rituals

For those wanting to be mindful of how they sit, stand, and raise vitality throughout the day, consider our latest online class: Movement and Music. Our first day focused on understanding your posture cues and creating new posture to bring alignment, energy, pain relief, strength and more to your day. You can purchase the series of 12 and begin your journey of mindful movements for wellbeing, with the added feature of intuitive music created for you by Colin MacLeod, art for the experience created by Marian Egan, and connections with nature inspired by Tanya Levy’s photography and quotes. It is a NeuroArts approach designed to empower you and your wellness rituals.

The post The Power of Ritual: Marian Egan’s 5000th Card Pull and the Magnifying Peace Project first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

https://youtu.be/NhKlB5lDGc4?si=27L44trYWyUiKDVf

Finding Power in the Solar Plexus

Michelle began by guiding listeners to explore the area just above the belly button—the solar plexus—home to the diaphragm and key digestive organs like the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. Often, shallow breathing and poor posture constrict this area, tightening both body and emotions. This physical smallness can lead to feelings of anger, resentment, and self-judgment—emotions that belong to the wood element in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

“When you breathe bigger,” Michelle shared, “you create expansion. That’s when transformation can happen.” This simple truth is the gateway to empowerment—by giving yourself the space to breathe fully, you give yourself permission to take up space emotionally and energetically as well.

A Breath and Movement Practice to Expand Your Energy

Michelle offered a beautifully simple Tai Chi movement called Commencement to help listeners embody expansion. Whether seated or standing, the practice begins by gently pressing into the feet or seat to invite the arms to float upward with the breath. As the breath deepens and the joints soften, the arms rise with ease, flowing through energetic pathways that align the mind and body.

She invited listeners to breathe in “peace within,” feeling the belly expand and the body settle. Exploring what this intention extends to movement and relaxation. After exploring this for a few movement patterns, she then invites the listener to change the intention to “peace without,” connecting to the collective breath of millions and recognizing our place in something greater than ourselves.

This grounding practice helps release the constriction of judgment and isolation, and encourages a return to confidence, clarity, and connection.

Radiate and Rise: An Invitation for Empowered Living

In alignment with the episode’s theme of Radiate and Rise, Michelle encouraged everyone to approach each day with intention: “Start your day the way you want it to go.” Rather than beginning with stressful headlines or outside chaos, begin with breath, movement, and a conscious choice to expand into possibility.

Michaela beautifully reinforced this idea by reminding us that how we feel on the inside is reflected on the outside—and vice versa. When we feel boxed in physically, mentally, or emotionally, we can become disconnected from ourselves and others. But when we choose breath, posture, and intention, we reclaim our inner power and begin to shine our light more brightly in the world.

Watch and Learn More

If you’re curious to experience the Commencement movement or want to watch the energy unfold in real time, be sure to visit Michaela’s YouTube channel or Michelle Greenwell’s channel, where the full episode and guided practices are available. You’ll find more tools to support mind-body connection and discover how subtle shifts can unlock greater vitality and joy.

Also, be sure to follow the entire Radiate and Rise series this month, as Michaela shares the body, mind, and spirit aspects of the theme with each of her monthly guests.

Empowerment begins with the breath.
Radiance begins with presence.
And both begin with you.

Sip into Radiance: Bras D’Or Sunset and the Energy of Empowerment

To complement the empowering conversation on the solar plexus and living boldly, Dr. Michelle Greenwell brought along a radiant cup of Bras D’Or Sunset (pronounced ‘brah door’) from the Cape Breton Tea Company. This vibrant, orange-yellow blend is inspired by golden beach memories—bonfires at dusk, waves lapping the shore, and that soothing warmth of the setting sun. Infused with the intention to “put yourself at ease as you center into the golden memories that rejuvenate and inspire you,” Bras D’Or Sunset aligns beautifully with the solar plexus energy. Its glowing color and comforting essence serve as a gentle reminder to embrace your inner light, expand your energy, and rise into your day with confidence.

Bras D’Or Sunset is a part of the Harmony Blends series, that have traveled to Tenerife, Spain, and San Diego, California, for special conference presentations. The six teas in this series are colour coded for the chakra system and are part of an Unwinding Trauma – Building Resiliency program offered at the Greenwell Center for Holistic Health. You can find the Movement and Music 12 week course in the shop, which can walk you through the expansion of a challenge into its fruitful support for claiming new perspective and opportunity. These recorded sessions provide you with intuitive music played specifically for transforming each part of the trauma journey, along with movement patterns to bring into your daily practice. The teas are highlighted to provide you with a full series that can transform you by sipping on them through the day or adding them to challenging activities that you want to have support and empowerment with.

As you consider what you need to Radiate and Rise, Dr Michelle Greenwell, has many different tools to help you realize your dreams.

Are you interested in learning more about Tai Chi?

You can find the in-person classes on the calendar for the Greenwell Center for classes on Cape Breton Island in Inverness County. In the Okanagan Valley, you can find Wine Country Tai Chi Society classes in West Kelowna. Both offer seated and standing options for all levels and abilities. You can learn more about the classes by checking out their landing pages and blogs. For online classes, follow Michelle’s posts. Coming up in August is a special nature series to support how to take your Tai Chi out into nature with intuitive musician Colin MacLeod, and in the fall they will be expanding her programming into a certification program for movement enthusiasts as well as musicians wanting to learn more about playing for movement classes and using the Unwinding Trauma – Building Resiliency protocols.

Have you been inspired yet? Tea, podcasts, movement, connection, learning…it all begins with your action to learn more, bring more into your day, and expand your influence to the people around you.

The post Living Boldly from the Inside Out – Exploring the Solar Plexus with Michaela Jones first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.