Category Archives: Spiritual

Stillness

I  like the feeling of movement. I like to do, to accomplish things. It makes me feel useful, valid even. I used to be much more of a “doer” than I am now. Now, I am much more of a “be-er”, now that I have found the benefit of stillness.

It’s such a paradox that in stillness I find I receive much more valuable information and clarity than in my mindless doing. Paradox can be defined as “a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true”. Curious.

How can being still provide us with so much valuable information? Well, in stillness we are pretty much mindless. Empty. And we find ourselves in what is referred to as the “receiving mode.” We are not thinking thoughts, we are just mindlessly sitting. This takes some practice and discipline for sure. The idea is that we practice not controlling our thoughts as much as observing them and letting them pass through us until perhaps there is no thought at all- stillness.

Interestingly enough this is when clarity happens, brilliance even. A solution to a problem comes, or we get a really good idea, or become clear about something. Those aha! moments happen with more regularity. One of the many benefits of a regular meditation practice.

For me, it’s almost the same feeling I get out in nature, alone. My mind seems to let loose of all the gazillions of thoughts and worries and judgements and opinions I may have about things, and I just “BE.”

Alas, I can’t always be out in nature alone. There is stuff to do, obligations, responsibilities. So, I sit, every morning, and wait for stillness to happen. For inspiration. Then I can go do with more clarity, more confidence, and much less stress and anxiety as I am not running around allowing my mind to just go rampant often resulting in running into one obstacle after another.

~Stillness is truly a Blessing!~

Integrity As A Spiritual Practice

Integrity can be defined as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness”. Sounds a bit stuffy. I define it as having the habitual pattern of behavior that ALWAYS makes you do the right thing- no matter what. And, of course that varies widely depending on your priorities.

It reminds me of the saying that I was actually taught in elementary school- THEGOLDEN RULE: do unto others as you would have be done to you. (something like that). Doesn’t that saying just make you do the right thing? Doesn’t it smack of karma? Like if you don’t it will come back around and bite you in the proverbial butt.

But it’s more than that. It’s more than doing the right thing to stay out of trouble. It’s doing the right thing because it feels good to do the right thing. It not only feels good on your part, it feels good on the recipient’s part. You feel better, they feel better. You raise your vibration AND theirs. Isn’t that a win-win situation?

Let’s look at the other side. What if (maybe for once in your life) you didn’t do the right thing, and you know it. How did that make you feel? certainly it did not make you proud. And you probably have no idea the ripple effect of your behavior.

Why would one not do the right thing? My guess is there is some negative emotion involved. “I’m angry so I’m gonna throw that at you since you are the source of my anger” type response. Totally natural. Totally human. But truly we must own our own emotions- there might be a subject matter or a person involved but your emotional reaction belongs to you. My emotional reaction belongs to me no matter what or who instigated it.

Policing everything you think, everything you feel, and every single reaction you have is exhausting. I am not here to berate myself or anyone else, I am just hoping to steer things, particularly how we feel and how we respond to one another, to a more positive, loving note. It benefits us all. And what benefits you or me, benefits the next person, and the next interaction, and the snowball effect takes over. Then you get to witness everyone’s vibe going higher, people being nicer and more compassionate with each other.
And if this was everyone’s intention would not that serve to create a more bautiful world? Yeh, I think so.
~Much Love~

Karma- Is This How It Works For You?

I’ve been thinking about karma for a long time. Years. Reading and reading and trying to glean some pattern out of my experience. Searching for someone who seems to have THE answer, to no avail. Many religions have their opinions about it, but they are just opinions. Like most things, I think karma is something that you have to decide about for yourself. I still have made no such decision. I’m still waiting to be convinced.

This morning I was listening to a podcast about karma, and like many this person was basically saying that if a person has a terrible situation brought on them and they react without retaliation but take the higher road and maybe even display some grace along the way, that they will be rewarded while the perpetrator gets his or hers. Is that the way it works? I mean I have always believed in the Golden Rule- ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’, just cuz. But does the Universe actually step in and make sure justice is served on your behalf? I don’t know. My proverbial “jury” is still out. I just take the high road because that’s what I do, not because I absolutely believe I will get rewarded for doing so.

Then there is the idea of familial or ancestral karma- whoa! You mean to say I get crap loaded onto me because of the doings of some far off relative I did not even know?! How unfair would that be? I should take some sort of responsibility because I share the same bloodline with some terrible person (s)??? Where the hell is the right or just in that?? I get that we all have lessons to learn while we are here, but why should we have to take on something that we didn’t start? It’s all a mystery to me but I do have to say that I see patterns of behavior in my family that seem to repeat themselves generation by generation. It’s odd to say the least.

At this stage in my life it has become obvious to me what the main life lessons I am meant to learn. I’d have to be completely oblivious not to recognize what is going on, and I am not that. They are crystal clear and I have learned well. Does that mean the Universe is now going to rain down Blessings upon me for the rest of my life? Wouldn’t that be nice!

Tell me your thoughts- how has Karma played out in your life? How do you think it works?

Don’t Tell Anyone! (Sometimes it’s Best)

Have you ever shared with someone or someones what is going on with you that is really, really difficult? What happened after that? You probably felt worse on some level. Like a victim perhaps, or that you just gave away your power. That’s how it is on our emotional journey sometimes. It doesn’t matter whether it is a matter of the heart or a physical problem that has knocked you down.

Sometimes it’s an extremely personal thing that is best dealt with in silence, solo. Sometimes when we share our pain out loud it dilutes our personal strength. It just does, have you ever noticed? Maybe not. I didn’t. But I know better now. I have consciously felt the diminishment of my own personal power by sharing with even the most compassionate people.

I’m still figuring out the why but I know it to be true. I think the why maybe so that we actually REALIZE our own personal strength and fortitude, our own very personal power. To realize this is a huge thing. It gives us more strength, confidence, and stamina in the face of some pretty tough things. Some times I get tired of being tough, being stronger than anyone I know. But it’s nice to absolutely KNOW my own strength, and sometimes in order to KNOW your own strength you have to go it alone.

For sure going through these immensely challenging times by oneself is eye opening at the very least.. In a lot of ways. And there are a lot of lessons along the way besides learning to deal with and heal whatever is going on. Growth and expansion of ourselves, who we are, is what happens when we pay attention to things like this. It’s not usually pleasant as we are learning these lessons but the good news is if you keep it up one day you wake up and realize how proud of you you are and how much you really appreciate that person staring back at you in the mirror! And that, my friends, is a REALLY good feeling!
~Here’s to You! You Are Badass!~

Times Have Changed For Sure!

I ran across my grandmother’s life story the other day (typed on a typewriter) and was rather amazed at how she carefully documented our ancestral tree several generations back with names, dates, and places. She obviously found this extremely important information for all of us. And it was obviously extremely important for people during that time.

I find these days many people like myself don’t feel so close to the family tree, it’s not of the greatest importance in our lives these days. I mean do I really care that I am some distant relative of Robert E. Lee? I feel no connection there. It is not significant to who I am. I respect my grandmother and what was important to her tremendously, it just does not feel like it needs to be important to me.

Then I thought about what ancestry IS important to people these days and the answer that came to me made me laugh, just a bit. These days social media is inundated with people trying to figure out their “real” ancestry. Not one hundred and fifty years ago, but millions of years ago. We are asking ourselves questions like am I a starseed? Am I Plaedian or Arcturian or did I have a life in Lemuria or Atlantis?

That’s where the laugh came in, just imagining my grandmother contemplating these things. I’m certain she contemplated Angels due to her studying the Bible but wondering if she was Plaedian? I seriously doubt it!

It just reminded me of how different things are 50 years later. Very different. Our thinking is different. Our interrogations in to this world, this Universe (now some call it Multiverse) is different. And it’s all good. I believe contemplating or at least wondering about the reality of this crazy, nutty, infinite Universe is kind of important- I mean do you think we as humans are the Be All and End All?

If you simply take a look at the space photos of galaxies and nebulas and what goes on out there and how many billions of light years away all that is, how can you not question our limited human vision of “reality”? Reminds my of those “Expand your mind” songs from the 60’s and 70’s. Perhaps we are doing just that.

~Thanks, Grandma, for the Thought Provoking Reminder of Your Reality just a few short years ago~

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GOOD NEWS! (It doesn’t last forever)

Are you in a rut? Having a tough time? Feeling really heavy emotions?

The first thing to KNOW and remind yourself of often, is that every situation is temporary. No situation lasts forever. As it is said, the only constant in this life is change. That is the absolute truth.

So when things feel too difficult to take, just take a moment and remind yourself of this truth. It will make breathing a bit easier. Think back on your life. Think of the last challenging situation that you faced. Is that situation still the same or did it change, go away?

When we are in a difficult situation or feeling really heavy emotions, it’s hard to not feel like we will feel like this forever. It is at this time we must remind ourselves that that is truly not the case. Things always change. We will heal from this. We just may not be able to see how that is occurring right now.

Whether it is through Faith or the experience of life teaching us that things always change, this is the most important thing to train your mind to remember. That and remembering to breathe. Conscious breathing helps us to move through difficult emotions and helps to bring clarity to the mind.

~Peace and Blessings to You~

Empaths Beware!

I’ve said before, being an empath can feel like a curse sometimes but it truly is a gift if you know how to use it. Empaths feel EVERYTHING. We have strong feelings of our own that can be challenging to manage to start with. Then on top of that we feel other people’s feelings! Now that doesn’t seem fair, does it? It’s enough to manage our own feelings and stay balanced much less dealing with feelings that don’t even belong to us!

It gets bigger. Not only do we have to feel another person’s feelings when we are in conversation, we feel the whole collective vibe! Oh my gosh! It took me awhile to realize this. You have to tune into it because it can be very subtle, but once we do there is always a “Wow” moment.

This is when I decided I REALLY need to get a handle on this. How does one do that? By tuning in and becoming AWARE of what is ours and what is not and what is that feeling that I am feeling anyway? It helps to try to identify the particular feeling. When it comes to the collective energy it’s more difficult to identify one particular feeling. It’s more general than that.

Typically, when tapping into the collective energy it’s not so much as defining one emotion, it’s finding a word to describe the general feeling like angst or uneasiness. I find that there is more of a question- is it a higher or lower frequency? How does it make ME feel? Amped? Fearful? Sad? Tired?
Once we can describe it, we can go “oh yeah” that makes sense (and it usually meshes with what is going on in the world). Then we can kind of disassociate from it. We don’t have to own it. We are now aware of what that feeling is and where it came from. Now it doesn’t have to affect us so much. Whew-relief.

When dealing with a person or a group we have to be a bit more precise. I have learned to check in with myself during conversations to determine exactly what feelings and moods are mine and which ones are not. I am certain at this point a person reading this who is not an empath would be thinking “what the hell is this woman going on about”? And probably having some judgemental response about my personal strength or lack thereof. (We will get to that later).

Anyway, us empaths may actually have to do this exercise regularly or we take on other people’s stuff and carry it around like it’s our own, and let me tell you! It becomes a very heavy burden! So, empaths, do yourself a favor and get really conscious about this. It will definitely help you lighten your load!

Now, about the appearance of empaths being weak. EMPATHS ARE FAR FROM WEAK. We are superbly strong. Anyone who can handle this gift HAS to be strong. I’m talking forged steel strong. Not taking an empath seriously, or the empath herself not taking herself seriously is a grievous mistake! We are stronger than the masses I assure you! And as empaths we are the compassionate ones- that makes us extremely important. Light of the world important. Would anyone argue with me that compassion is THE most valuable and needed emotion right now? Seriously? In this world today it is needed more than ever!

~Hug your favorite empath today. We could use a little love and appreciation~

Dreams

Do you ever wonder about your dreams?
Certainly they mean something at least most of the time, right?
For me, some seem random but that is very infrequent. Most of the time, I get right away why I dreamed a certain dream. These are the dreams I use as a measuring stick- where I am at in my healing journey.

For instance, if I am still dreaming about an event that happened that affected me emotionally, that gives me information that there is more healing to do, and I get on it in a conscious way. Usually, this means journaling.

My journal is where I get really in touch with myself. Where my head is at, where am I emotionally? Thoughts and feelings. It’s imperative to be aware of our thoughts and feelings if we are going to live a conscious, creative life, if we are going to improve our life, feel better more of the time, and make less mistakes and better decisions for ourselves.

Then there are the dreams of things that haven’t happened yet and I lean toward thinking of these dreams as precognitive as in something like that is coming down the pike. Those dreams are just fun and I encourage more of them. I find that daydreaming (and/or journaling) about the things I want in my life start spilling over into my sleep state, and I just love that! I believe that is indeed conscious cocreating with Spirit. What we think about we bring about, right? Fun stuff!

Then there are those dreams that we are in and they feel familiar but we know they have never happened- at least not in this lifetime. Recurring dreams are often like that. I think that’s me, but not me today, or I’ve been there, I’m certain of it, but yet I haven’t been there this go round!

At this point, I do feel like they are dreams from other lifetimes, and this has been validated by psychics and people that read Akashic records. I never really know what to do with that information but it is interesting to find some parallels with my current life. There are always patterns with this stuff. Layers and more layers of the complicated task of trying to figure out this life! And always, more questions!

I find these types of dreams do bring more richness to life. I have found myself thinking (after realizing some of these life patterns) that maybe I am on the right track. Maybe I have found my life purpose. Maybe I am destined to do this or be this. And that feels really good!

I would love to hear you chime in on this intriguing topic! Shoot me an comment and let’s chat!

~dream, dream, dream~

A Trip Through The Chakras

I’ve been studying and working with my chakras (mostly in morning meditation) for years now. Long enough to be aware of them and to be able to recognize which ones are working just fine and which ones are out of kilter. These energy centers in our body need to be balanced in order to have the highest level of physical health as well as emotional stability and Spiritual connection.

First to define a chakra- A chakra is an energy center. In a perfectly healthy person, the 7 main chakras work in unison to create life force energy. The body, mind, and spirit benefit from balanced chakras. In addition, each chakra has its own symbol, color, and meaning.

The term ‘Chakra’ is also Sanskrit for ‘wheel’. This refers to the spinning, spherical energy center that makes up a chakra.

Here’s a list of your 7 chakras and their numbers in order:

1. The Root Chakra
2. The Sacral Chakra
3. The Solar Plexus Chakra
4. The Heart Chakra
5. The Throat Chakra
6. The Third Eye Chakra
7. The Crown Chakra

You will notice as we go through the chakras that each one has it’s own color and it’s own vibration. The further we go up the chakras, the higher the vibrational frequency.

You may also notice that the colors of the chakras follow those of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet).

Colors also carry their own vibrational frequencies and as we move up through the chakras the colors move up the vibrational scale just like music notes. So, the higher the chakra, the higher the vibrational frequency.

The Root Chakra
The root chakra is located at the base of the spine.
Its color is red and it signifies the connection to all of your physical, bodily energy with the Earth itself. In other words, this chakra ‘grounds’ you.

Your Root Chakra is also linked to everything you need to survive. This includes the act of breathing, eating, sleeping, and experiencing physical security.

When your 1st chakra is balanced, you’ll feel a deep sense of peace. You’ll feel safe in the knowledge that all of your core needs are met. Because of this, all total body healing starts here.

The Sacral Chakra
Also known as ‘the place of the self’, the second or Sacral Chakra is therefore all about your creative identity as a human. Its color is yellow and it located at the level of the sacrum below the navel and above the base of the spine.

This chakra helps you enjoy your life here on Earth. It is also considered to be related to relationships, sexual and otherwise.

When your 2nd chakra is balanced, you’ll truly relish in all the finer things in life. Life probably feels pretty good.

The Solar Plexus Chakra
The third chakra or solar plexus chakra located near the level of your stomach–around 2-3 inches above the belly button. It is the chakra where your self-confidence and personal power sit together in harmony.

Many call the Solar Plexus chakra the ‘Warrior Chakra’ as well. This is because this is by far the most powerful supporting chakra for bravery and boundary-setting. Its color is yellow.

The Heart Chakra

The Fourth chakra or Heart chakra is located in the chest around the heart space. Its color is green and when you’re experiencing feelings of love, compassion, and kindness…it’s this energy center you’re connecting to.

This chakra is fundamentally about love. Love is the most healing frequency of all. Similarly, when your Heart Chakra is balanced, you are easily able to feel love and empathy for yourself and others.

The Throat Chakra
The color of the fifth chakra or Throat Chakra is light blue and this chakra helps you to quite literally speak up. Because of this, you’ll do so in a smooth, confident, authentic way when it is functioning properly.

In addition, this chakra is your official seat of self-expression. The Throat Chakra also gives a voice to your personal preferences, beliefs, and values.

When balanced, you openly and lovingly speak the truth. Moreover, you express yourself in whichever way feels most in alignment at any given time.

The Third Eye Chakra

The sixth chakra or Third Eye Chakra is located at the third eye which is roughly between the eyebrows and is translated as ‘beyond wisdom’.

This is because this mystic energy center opens you up to expanded states of consciousness. They go way beyond the 5 senses and the material world we live in.

Extrasensory perception, intuition, and psychic abilities are all born from the third eye. This is because of the brain’s small yet extremely powerful pinecone-shaped, the pineal gland.

When your Third Eye is balanced, you’ll feel in tune with the physical and spiritual world. You’ll also be able to connect with both your ego and your soul. Its color is indigo.

The Crown Chakra
It is of course located at the top or crown of your head and signifies pure consciousness, connecting you to the Universe. Achieving a balanced crown chakra is the goal of any Spiritual practice. Moreover, it’s not easy to do.

Once truly balanced–it is said that you’ve achieved enlightenment. In other words, you’ve discovered the secret of who you really are. Its color is violet or white.

The chakras are an innate and primary part of our energy system and as such are indeed sensitive to all of our human experiences. That is why they sometimes get blocked (which shows up in our lives as excess emotion, unbalanced physical health and the like).

I like to “check in” with each of my chakras at the beginning of my morning meditation to see how I am doing energetically and to correct any imbalance I feel. There are many ways to go about balancing the chakras. Many people go to energy practitioners for help with this but you can do it yourself.

Practices like positive affirmations, intentional meditation, visual imagery, and the use of crystals can help. I encourage you to spend some time finding out which type of practice works for you.

Paying attention to the functioning of our chakras can definitely clue us in to where in life we are out of balance. Then armed with this information we have the ability to go about bringing ourselves, our mind, body, and emotions back into balance resulting in a much happier and healthier life!

One final word: just as our emotions change, just as how our bodies feel differently from one day to the next, the chakra functioning changes as well- we are in no way static- the chakras being an integral part of us, do not remain static either. Regular maintenance is a good idea!
~Here’s to Balance!~

Crystal Healing Arguments

As always, I do additional research before writing an article. I was actually stunned at some (actually most) of the articles I read regarding the use of crystals for healing. The word “pseudoscience” was everywhere.

First of all, let me say that my first career was as a Materials Engineering Scientist. I know a little bit about crystals, crystal lattices, energy, and energy exchange. Let me give you a visual about crystals and their energy from a Materials Science aspect: It’s called piezoelectricity. If you take a clear quartz crystal and apply a mechanical force to it- like grinding it with a piece of metal, you get electrical sparks. This is an actual physical practice that proves that the crystal contains within it Energy. That is NOT pseudoscience people.

EVERYTHING IS ENERGY (and that is not “pseudoscience” either). Some of the earlier most brilliant minds knew this. Take Nicola Tesla (famous physicist) for example, who said “If you want to understand the Universe, think of energy, frequency, and vibration”. EVERYTHING carries its own energy and that energy can shift vibrational frequencies depending on the environment. In my example of the clear quartz energy being put under stress mechanically, from the solid crystal (visible) came electrical (nonvisible but REAL) energy. Repeat, EVERYTHING is energy and this is coming from a materials engineer not some new agey woo-woo gal (well, actually I am both!)

Wikipedia gives us some initial hints into the historical uses of crystals for healing (before the remainder of the article ran “amuck”): In Plato’s account of Atlantis, crystal healing is also mentioned. According to Plato, the Atlanteans used crystals to read minds and transmit thoughts. The first historical documentation of crystals originated from the Ancient Sumerians (c. 4500 to c. 2000 BC). The Sumerians used crystals in their magical formulas.

Writings dating back as far as 400 BC make observations about the powers different crystals were believed to emit. Often if a negative incident occurred, a specific stone would be used in an attempt to counteract the negative effect. This was done by wearing amulets or other talismans around the neck with specific stones.

The origins of crystal healing is tied to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, India, Ancient Greece, or Ancient Rome. Do you not think these people knew a thing or two that we do not? If so, I encourage you to do a little research on your own about the miraculous feats these civilizations accomplished without “modern” equipment.

Now speaking as someone who is truly into natural healing of any sort, and as a highly sensitive to energy kind of person, let me tell you that certain crystals soothe me at certain times. I find a rose quartz very soothing indeed when I feel super emotional. I find that I just love being around apophylite, and I can’t go anywhere near moldavite as it makes me dizzy. All these crystals have their own vibrational frequency and it is obvious to me that the ones I am attracted to are more of a vibrational match to me than those that I am repelled by.

I wish we knew what the ancients knew- the the term “pseudoscience” would not be so popular.

Below is one of my all time favorite songs from the sixties (The 60’s– new agey my ass!): Crystal Blue Persuasion. I’ve decided to include the lyrics because the whole planet needs this now. THANK YOU TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS!!!

~It’s a Good Vibration!~