Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirituality. Show all posts

Sunday, August 30, 2015

How to Really Find PEACE Within Polarity



You will see a lot of articles about how to find peace and be happy online, and there are plenty of blogs about living a serene life and attaining a balanced state of harmony.

Often, though, these types of articles can tell you how to go about practising positive thinking and being, and achieving peace, yet don’t really tell you how intense that’s going to be. I mean they may touch upon it, but I rarely see an article detailing how to really work at spiritual balance, or inner peace. Because it is work; letting go of attachment, and becoming a truly happy person. It isn’t as cut and dry as it sounds. In an ideal perfect world everyone would be able to say to themselves “I am no longer a product of the illusionary world around me, I am sovereign, I am a child of the Loving Universe, and I choose peace” and have it be so by virtue of willing it. But this isn’t a perfect or ideal world; this is planet Earth, the planet of polarity and duality. Things seldom go easy when it comes down to deep honest humble goals because this planet is set to a vibration of “tit for tat”. There is a balance, and a counter balance, and this is as it was, and is, and likely always will be here on Earth. There is an opposite for everything here, because that’s the nature of this reality. In order to distinguish light, we must experience dark, to really get an understanding of bliss; we must first fully experience sorrow, as this is how things operate within the vibrational construct of this dimension in Space/Time.

This is the reason life is so complex, and achieving a sense of peace is so difficult for so many. It doesn’t have to be difficult, as I’ve said before, if given the chance that I could go to some Ashram on a mountainside in India, in order to mediate all day and focus on my peaceful core, I would likely achieve enlightenment rather quickly! Who wouldn’t when in such a supportive environment? Buddhists know the depths of polarity and learned hundreds of years ago how to be within its creative layers to the most beneficial outcome. This is why Buddhists respect all life; they know life is vital, and of the same vibration no matter what species and that karma binds us all by the same laws of checks and balances. It’s also why Buddhists know that to know God; they must empty the clutter out from within, and seek through the heart of the Self.


But we aren’t living in Buddhist retreats, are we...

No, we’re living in busy cities, or suburbs, with daily demands and responsibilities. Since we began to ‘awaken’ we have taken stock of what no longer vibrates in resonance with our goals but it isn’t easy to walk away from relationships, even if they’re negative. It’s easy for people to make cute memes for social networks that espouse the fundamental need to rid oneself of all negativity in order to honour their needs.



But let’s face it, we live on a planet that dictates without discussion that in order to find the peace we seek we must deal with the chaos that counters it.

So the real meat and potatoes question here is this:

How do we really achieve a sense of inner peace while living amid the “real world”?

This is the beauty, and the challenge, and eventually you can also realize the amazing gift you face when you decide you no longer can live by petty standards or beliefs. You’ve made some big choices since you began awakening, about who you are, who you wish to be, what you want to do with what you  know, and what you want to keep learning and discovering. You’ve tried applying much of what you’ve read, and learned, and feel intuitively within yourself. But these damn headaches keep popping up in life, and no matter how hard you meditate, or adjust your thinking, or change your vocabulary, you just can’t seem to get rid of some problem, or situation, or cyclic occurrence, or pattern in your life that just brings you down.

And I’m here to tell you that some of what you’ve read or been taught isn’t exactly correct. You don’t want to eliminate the negative from your life my friend. You may think you do, and everything you’ve been working towards has told you that it’s necessary. But I’m telling you if you think about the Universe we live in, and all you know about the law of attraction, polarity, vibrations and manifestation, then it becomes apparent that maybe what you want to do is accommodate the chaos, explore it, understand it. I’m not saying welcome negativity into your life. I’m saying when it arrives, which it will, don’t turn away from it, or try to ‘transcend’ it. Check it out, look at it closely; see what it reminds you of, how it makes you feel. Go deep within yourself and see how you really feel, and then find where that feeling originates from. This is a quest for true self-awareness, and it is the most empowering feeling a person can have.

You can be a strong empath, or clairvoyant, or sensitive, and feel the feelings of others, and identify with the warmth you may feel within yourself when you tune into someone else in such a way that you become beneficial to them. Well when you do that for yourself, you begin to make friends with yourself. I mean truly understand yourself from so many different angles, and ages, and points of view, that you will end up liking yourself, and understanding yourself in a way no other human being possibly can.

The process of really getting to know your self is fun!

It can also be incredibly painful, humiliating, shameful, scary, and sad. Getting to know yourself means seeing yourself clearly enough to see through your own facades, your ego, your own patterns, and habits, and attachments, in order to see the vulnerable, sometimes frail and authentically unabashed you that you are. You have to face things about yourself that maybe you don’t feel great about. You relive past moments that can cause pain. It is a very intense emotional process, and for me personally being extremely emotional and deeply feeling, it has been like being on a roller coaster. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Think again about Buddhists, do they ignore the negative? Do they pretend it is not there? Do they say they have transcended it and it no longer exists? Or do they accept it as a natural element of life and treat it with the same levity and detached sense of acknowledgement that they do positivity? Do they run from the rain and only seek the sunlight?

Accept that you are human, living in a polar opposite reality, playing with almost 9 billion other people who really don’t know who they are that well either. We’ve all been conditioned since the day we were born, to think a certain way, believe certain things, and want certain goals. Those aren’t true indicators of who we are; they are mere echoes of a character we’ve been brought up to play.

The real you lies underneath the façade, is far less complex, and easy to identify.

The real you is the simple being you were as a small child. Think back to how you felt, really feel it, at the age of 6, or 7, while playing outside by yourself, think to your state of being. You dealt with negativity all the time as a kid, yet it didn't impact you the way it does now. Why? Because you were more "yourself" and not yet who the world made you into. The real you is capable of living with the discordant vibration of negativity, because negativity is a lesser resonance and you are a builder, maker, creator, and it is simply a tonal wave. 

Getting to the real you takes work; dedication to your direction. Once you know something you can't unknow it, and in this way a search for self-awareness is a trip down the proverbial rabbit hole. So be sure you're ready to commit yourself to honest to goodness truth within yourself. Because it's a responsibility too, when you take off the costume of who the world made you into, and become simply you, you realize you have to become more accountable to yourself, and the world, via your actions, and words, and thoughts. You become your own critic and coach in this way, and if you don't follow through you may end up with nagging guilt issues down the road. You can't sort of commit to being the best you that you can be; it's an all or nothing game.

And I call it a game because that is how I approach it! It's playful, and to be taken lightly, because it can get heavy enough as it is with all these feelings in this brain in this body! So don't get caught up in seriousness. What are we trying to achieve if not a sense of true belonging in the Universe, and that Universe is supportive and loving in whatever way it's capable of expressing love, and I do not for a moment feel this is serious business.

So in short, the journey is the emphasis, not the destination.


Wake up each day and affirm things to yourself, set your day off proactively. Make goals, or a vision board, keep a journal, or blog. And every day just work at being really honest with yourself. When someone makes you mad, explore your anger, and where within yourself it originates. When something causes you fear look into the feeling itself, and trace it back through your life, to it's pinpoint, so you can discover what triggered your fear, and then put it in perspective. Work at this every day, exploring your feelings, responses, mood swings, habits, crutches, and make goals as to what you're ready to let go of, what needs paying close attention to, what no longer bears necessity, and just keep at it. 

Eventually, a few weeks, or months, or years pass, and you know who you really are on a level you didn't think possible. And in that sense of self-knowing and awareness, you become more keenly attuned to the Earth around you, and the vibration you're sending out becomes the one you're excited and blessed to be  receiving back. And I promise you, when you're vibrating self-exploration, truth, and awakening, the Earth will reveal her own truth to you. It's magical; the bugs, the birds, the soughing of the breeze through the trees, the sunbeams... they all hold a deeper significance, as now you're vibrating in tandem with the Earth, and you feel the poignancy in that connection. And so too the stars, and planets and other galaxies, and so on and so on.

You find your self feeling at ease in such an infinite way. 

And this is the way towards true liberation and peace. We don't need to conquer negative experiences or people. We need to understand what they mean to us, through us, as us... we need to use them as a mirror, and a tool for self-exploration. As through the negative aspects of ourselves, we will discover the true beauty of the positive within.

Move fearlessly into each moment, breathing, armed with a sense of humour, ready and willing to face yourself in all degrees of light, and shadow. I wish you a pleasant awakening experience brothers and sisters. With much love!


Saturday, April 4, 2015

6 Things Peaceful People Know & Do



In our consumer driven world, the bottom line is far more important to most people than anything else; profit over passion, fortune over family, money over meaningful relationships.

There are so many ways this world drives us in the wrong direction, one of the most powerful being in convincing us of how powerless we are, and causing us to believe deeply that we can not heal ourselves, or rise above our baser instincts on our own.

A person with depression or PTSD is put into therapy, where they are told they will require weekly sessions in order to try to rise above the sadness, fear, confusion and isolation they are dealing with. We are basically conditioned from childhood to believe that change is hard, takes a long time, and happiness is something we have to work very hard to achieve. Yet talking about the past, our problems, our fears and limitations and sorrow only keeps us locked within them. I have depression, panic disorder and PTSD, and for many years I too believed I needed to keep "talking it out" in order to be "free" from my pain. This only kept me locked in the past, in the pain, abuse, struggle and turmoil. It was when I took a journey of self-aware exploration of my Spirit, and truth, that I was liberated from that never-ending cycle of confusion.

We do not need to dwell in the past to escape it; this is just another fallacy we are fed in order to become complacent, which makes humanity easier to lead. The powers that be prefer us sad, lonely, and addicted to quick fixes that are profitable to the corporate giants out there.

It is possible to obviate all of the quick fixes however, and the therapy sessions, and the years and years of trying to be a happier healthier person...

There is only one requirement of you to achieve total happiness, peace, contentment, acceptance, forgiveness, and serenity in this moment; you must believe it is possible. If you doubt your own ability to reach greater levels of self-awareness, objectivity, observational clarity, then you will remain a victim of societal constructs and limitations.

And the basis for any Spiritual Awakening is realizing that truth does not come from anywhere outside of ourselves; we are a microcosmic representation of the macrocosm of God/Universe/Creator/All/Oneness. As such, we do have the power within us to change everything, in an instant!

Here are 6 things you can do to shed the yoke of illusion and claim your sovereignty & Peace!


    1. Know you don't have to keep trying. To try is to exert a force against something which doesn't yet exist. Trying is reaching, crawling, clawing, and denotes an incredible effort. This isn't necessary, as you can simply DO. You do not have to try to be happy - simply be happy. You don't have to try to be present and grounded - be present and grounded. The notion that everything worth feeling and being is hard work is faulty logic; peace is present within each breath you take, in each moment, and simply requires you to change your present way of thinking. How long does it take you to change your mind? A dear family member said to me last night "I need to get closure", to which I responded "you have it - stop trying to "get" it..." Closure is a concept, one we think we need to work at to achieve, when the truth is we simply need to "close" that chapter. So close it! Stop trying to be happy - be happy.
    2. Be ever present in this moment. The happiest and most aware people know that the only truth to live in is in this moment right now! The past is gone, there is no bringing it back, and no amount of dwelling in it will change that. In fact, the more time you spend in the past, the unhappier you will be, simply because it's robbing you of this moment right now. The future is a vast blank canvas which is painted by the actions, thoughts, words, and feelings you are having right now. If you are busy dwelling in the past, or worrying about the future, you are being robbed of what's happening in the present, and the canvas of your future will be muddled by confused notions of "then" and "when" instead of this gift called the present. 
    3. Have faith in yourself - you have everything you need within you already to be peaceful, present, and joyful. Nobody needs to go to workshops, seminars, therapy sessions, gurus, readers, or psychics in order to be happy! I'm a reader, and lead workshops and lessons, and this is done to assist and augment what you are experiencing, but it is not done to give you anything you don't already have within you. You were born perfect, no matter what your body looks like, or your psychological condition; you are a reflection of the universes infinite nature, and the only thing that stands between you and peace is your mind. In each moment there is a peaceful potential within you; quiet your mind and feel that. Know that you are strong enough, good enough, smart enough; you are enough. There will always be challenges in life, people will let you down, circumstances will bring crisis and chaos into your life, and yet how you react determines how you feel. Don't be robbed of your joy by external experiences, people, circumstances; know you have everything you need to persevere, so meet each new challenge with faith, calm, and then let them go when they are done.
    4. See the Illusion in the world around you. Our world is a result of the actions of those who came before us; society is built upon many illusions, ranging from politics, military, pharmaceutical corporations, commerce, technology etc. Any slight change in the actions of our forefathers would have resulted in a difference in the way we live now. Who decided we needed presidents? Who decided we needed religion? Who decided we needed to work a 40 hour week, only deserve two weeks vacation a year, have to be married to have children, have to be straight, republican, educated etc in order to "fit in". The 'American Dream' is an illusion, and more and more people are realizing this right now. When you see our world as an illusion, you free yourself to create a new vision for yourself
    5. Choose positivity in each thought, moment, and experience. The way you think, feel, respond, react, and behave determines how you will feel in each new moment. If you are stuck in a pattern of negative thinking simply change your mind - choose positivity. The only "right" and "wrong" are in your perception. Some people were brought up to believe one thing is right, while others are taught to see that thing as wrong. It's part of the illusion in step 4 - and it isn't real unless you decide it is. The happiest spiritually evolved people know that each new experience in life, no matter if it is "negative" or "positive" is an opportunity to express joy, to overcome conditioning, and to learn and grow. When something challenging arises, instead of falling into fearful modes of thinking, simply realize that into each life a little rain must fall, and then move through it with faith, in the Universe, and in yourself, knowing that there is a lesson present which you don't have to understand! You can simply choose to believe that everything happens for a reason, that reason doesn't have to be black and white, and you can simply be at peace no matter what is happening around you or in your world.
    6. Know your words have power, then change the way you speak. We get stuck in patterns of thinking, which then affects how we speak. Our words have vibrational creative power, and when we get into the habit of speaking negatively, we draw negative experiences into our life. Watch your words, observe how you speak, then change it. Listen to the way you represent yourself to the world. If you observe a lot of negativity, simply and mindfully change the way you speak. Drop self-effacement, forced humility, or comic relief, and be an authentic and true person - speak the truth within you - if that truth is negative, then review the first five steps above, and then change the way you speak. Do not be limited by your statements; "I'm not a very good..." or "I hate it when..." or "I can't handle this..." are examples of constricted statements we make. Let your words ring with positivity, to build up yourself, and those around you. Remember - if you have nothing positive to say, don't say anything at all.
There will always be something to fear, to despise, to abhor; so long as there are human beings in the world, there will be evil in the world. And yet we do not need to be a part of it, nor do we need to be victims to drama, trauma, or strife. Learn to meditatively breathe; free your mind by oxygenating it! The more oxygen your brain cells receive, the more simplicity you will experience, as a brain which is oxygenated is free to fire its synapses in healthy patterns. 

Drop the struggle; it is unnecessary, and requires you to believe you are less than you are. You are free, in each and every moment, to choose a new thought, literally changing your mind. If your mind is bringing you pain, fear, anger, or resentment, then simply change it. It isn't difficult! If someone has hurt you, rather than holding that pain inside of yourself, forgive them (for your sake, forgiveness is not about the person you're forgiving, but rather about freeing yourself of the experience) and know that you don't have to understand their process as it is theirs. Your process no longer has to be about complicated patterns of healing and growth; the lies society tells us about what it takes to be a happy person are simply outmoded, outdated, and no longer applicable in our reality.

You are free to change your mind, each moment, of every day, and choose peace. And when you slip back into victim mode, simply change your mind again. And again and again. And soon you will find you don't need to try to change your mind, as it eventually becomes accustomed to choosing the highest thought, the most positive expressions of peace. In order to be at peace - practice being at peace, and eventually it won't require practice! And the best news is, it is so much easier to live a peaceful and happy life than it is to be miserable, fearful, pessimistic, and angry. It requires so much negative effort to live within the confines of the illusion - so step out of it and be free to be the purest joy and most simplistic version of yourself!

I wish you clarity, and the willingness to empower yourself in this moment!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Why Honesty Is So Crucial & Vital



Somewhere in the last couple hundred years we've been conditioned into becoming people who tell lies, and withhold truths in order to be polite, or conventional, or acquiescent. It's become politically correct to tongue in cheek say sort of what we mean, but not exactly, in a rather passive aggressive way.

I'm not sure when exactly it began, I am only 43 years old at the time I write this, I don't know anything for certain before the 1970's, but I can guess based on the history books and articles I've read. I think the dumbing down of the truth began in revolutionary times, when gentlemen used their words to climb the social ladder, and ladies were ladylike, held their tongue, and gossiped only over the quilting bee.

I think this way we operate is so detrimental; to us as a society, families, groups, and individuals. When did it become out of vogue to just be honest? And since when does honesty have to be cruel? We don't have to live in an extreme reality of this vs that. We can be honest, real, and express our feelings while also being compassionate, patient, and generous of spirit.

Is there such a thing as a good lie?


I think there are some white lies that are kind, or well intended. If I ask my husband if "this dress makes me look fat" and he says yes, I'm going to likely have my feelings hurt. It's absurd for me to ask it, because I'm fat, and the dress has nothing to do with it! Yet I'm female, and I like to be reassured my husband finds me attractive, so he does what he's always done, and responds with some sweet line like "you're always beautiful to me" and I feel good and he breaths a sigh of relief and no one is hurt. If your friend asks if you like their haircut, depending on the kind of relationship you have, you may opt to be honest and say no, it's not the best. But chances are you may opt to be kind and give a non-committal "sure it's great". You may even follow that with a "i like it but i liked it before too". 

Sure, there are little lies we tell that are meant to help and not hurt. I don't think those are harmful in the long run.


Lies generally lead to more lies...


Like a snowball, when you a tell a lie, you find often times you have to tell other lies to support that first lie. Eventually you can end up spinning a yarn so ridiculous, and yet you're trapped in it, and lest you lose face or feel ashamed and lose credibility, you have to stick it out. Not a comfortable position to be in. I had a time in my childhood where i wove tall tales, around the age of 9 or 10, and after being caught in a couple lies by my dad, and suffering the consequences, I realized he was right; the truth was always better in the end. 

Kids tell lies to test the boundaries, and to avoid getting "caught"... but adults tell lies for many reasons, and while many of them are these white lies, that really aren't meant to harm, some lies are just dangerous. When spouses lie to one another, it displaces the equanimity in the relationship. When colleagues lie to one another, it shifts the balance in the work place. When friends lie to one another it dampens the light that surrounds that friendship.

Honesty requires great courage, and integrity.


You have to be willing to be brave, because sometimes telling the truth will be controversial, causing you to be regarded by others in an awkward way. 

As an example, one of my Reiki students emailed me the other day, and my heart nearly broke as she told me about how she'd been honest with her mother. She has been awakening most beautifully, and decided to follow her intuition and learn Reiki, in order to continue to deepen her relationship to her Self, and the Universe. She was so full of joy and peace, and knew telling her very Catholic mother would be a gamble. And yet, she was courageous, and told her mother about her spiritual journey, how she feels now that she's exploring a profound relationship with her spiritual bodies, soul, guardians, and the Universe. She shared with her mom just how beautiful her visions are, how intensely loved and supported she feels within the fabric of Gods love. And her mother devastated her, by clinging to a very rigid dogmatic religious viewpoint, and rather than truly hear her daughter, she heard only that her daughter was turning her back on Christ and the church. And this isn't at all what my student and friend is doing! Yet her mother heard her words, and assumed the worst, and then called her daughter horrendous names, and made very harmful accusations, indeed condemning her own flesh and blood child to an eternity in hell.

Now you may be wondering "Dee, how is this an example of how being courageous in honesty is good?" and I admit, it sounds pretty detrimental. And yet I am so proud of my friend, as she stood up for her own beliefs, passions, and desires, and boldly shared with her mother how she feels, and what she is doing in her own spiritual life. And I believe given time, her mother may come to see that her daughter is not turning her back on Christ, but rather getting to know Christ's Father in a deeper, and more intimate way. She may not be doing it through the church, yet she is doing it through her every thought, her fervent desires and prayers, her blessings, and her wide open heart and positive thoughts!

If her mother one day sees that her daughter isn't in danger, that her soul is safe, then perhaps her mind and heart will open. And if not, and the relationship suffers for the rest of their lives, then it is a complete shame, and yet at least my client will know that she stood strong in her convictions, and did not cower in the face of judgment or shame. My friend is free, knowing she can be herself, no matter what others think; she is liberating herself and allowing herself to be authentic. While she is hurting at this time over her mothers reaction, in time as the pain ebbs, she will realize just how powerful a gift she's given herself. 

Honesty is good for the soul, as the old adage goes, and I believe this to be absolutely true. Though I dabbled in lies as a young girl, in my adult hood I cannot lie. It is not possible, my face turns bright red, I feel anxious, and it is just such an uncomfortable experience for me that I don't do it. I am an open book, and those who know me well know this. I attempt to be honest, and at times have likely been "too" honest, and so I personally work at being more gentle in my honesty. Yet I'd love to see a world where people felt safe being truthful. And the only way that will happen is if we allow others to be truthful, and not treat them like pariahs for it.

I challenge you to be more honest, in your every waking moment. Honesty is what got my marriage through the rockiest of times, and brought my husband and I out the other side not only stronger, but with a deeper respect for one another, and a greater understanding of each other. 

The tools for living an honest life are simple:


  • Think before you speak, at all times. Weight your words, and responses, before delivering them.
  • The golden rule is paramount! Do and SAY unto others, as you wish they would do and say to you.
  • Know that with-holding the truth, or omitting it, is as good as a lie. 
  • Never even imagine that a lie is less trouble than the truth; it never is.
  • If you feel a lie is the only answer, it's time to seek another opinion. Talk to a friend, peer, or pray.
  • Seek simplicity, knowing that honesty is the simplest way to live. One never needs to cover their tracks when telling the truth.
Awakening is simply the process of taming the ego/persona, in order to be a truer representation of our Soul, the peace that runs deeply within each of us. The ego is insidious and it has it's counter part - the spiritual ego. Be sure that you are honest with yourself, as well as with others, as lies are like dust that cover up the truth making it harder to identify. Lying to yourself is as pointless as lying to anyone else; in fact it can be even more detrimental. And if you're working consciously at Awakening Spiritually, then honesty best be one of your main tenets!

Honesty may lead you to feel embarrassed, or vulnerable; it may cause you to feel awkward, and yet it will always be liberating in the end. Lies do not create, the deconstruct. 

Work at honesty, every day. Be compassionate, and exercise kindness always, let's not confuse honesty for tact, yet know that you do nobody any favors by lying about how you feel. If you're friends with someone on social networks, that you truly do not like, then why bother going on with the charade? If you politely chit chat with a coworker while you cut them up behind their back, how catty does that make you? And if you're with holding the truth from a loved one to get away with something, trust me, you're going to get caught eventually.

The truth always comes out.

I wish you honesty, integrity, and courage on your journey of Awakening. Always.


Sunday, March 1, 2015

6 Things To Do For Your Spiritual Awakening



A Spiritual Awakening is simply the process of remembering and realizing we are more than mere human beings. As you explore God, the Universe, and the purpose of life, you begin to understand there are things going on in our world that defy establishmentarian explanation. You may see, sense, or feel the energy around you, and note it's changes based on different places, people, and atmospheres. You begin to tap into a deep essence of peace within your being, and it whispers peaceful messages of truth, compassion, and infinite love. And so you then begin to undertake a Spiritual Awakening.

You may have started awakening unconsciously, not wittingly pursuing a Spiritual avenue, and yet at some point you realized on a conscious aware level that you were feeling urged, called, compelled to open your mind, and your heart. So you decided to pursue a Spiritual Awakening, and for that I salute you, respect you, love you, acknowledge you, and am here with you.

We undertake this journey alone, for our self, and yet we are never alone, as we understand that like attracts like, and where one person begins to seek Spiritual peace and sovereignty, others gather. In this way we are creating a battery of love energy on Earth, and each new moment of your Awakening is a new moment to share your Light with others around you! We aren't seeking new members like the Jehovah's Witnesses, or Mormons; we aren't trying to "save" anyone like Christians. We are simply so gloriously thrilled in what we are beginning to experience, feel, and know that we are compelled to share this with others. Not to change them or fix them or enlighten them even; but simply because we feel connected to them in a deep way, and wish for them to know peace.

Here are some surefire steps you can follow on your Spiritual Awakening journey, to help you make the most of your energy, time, emotions and experience. Following these suggestions can make for a very pleasant multi-dimensional experience in this very heavy dense 3 dimensional reality.


  1. Remember at all times: this is ALL about YOU.


Your awakening is about how you are feeling, what you are remembering, what you are learning, what you are intuiting, envisioning, and experiencing. Your awakening is about nobody but YOU - and as such you should always try to remain centered on the knowledge that everything that comes into your world, your reality, is just for YOU. Awakening does not remove negative experiences from our lives; we are still subject to the laws of attraction, and karma on Earth, and we still have so much to remember, and learn, and as such we are still going to be challenged by all of the regular things we've always grappled with. Awakening can rather amplify these things though; now you're consciously pursuing your Spirituality, so you may find negative experiences confront you in more vivid realness! It may seem ironic and utterly laughable at times, as something will pop up to trick you or trap you into old cycles you once lived, and you may have to shake your head a few times, and remember what you know, lest you do fall into the old pitfalls! Life is always going to present challenges, trouble, adversity, and painful situations. As a spiritualist you empower yourself to realize you are NOT a victim - ever - and that while pain is inevitable in this world, suffering is optional. Focus on your self, your behaviors, your reactions, your habits, your negative mindsets, your weaknesses, and then be mindful and watch yourself. If you feel drawn to drama, fighting, ego etc, it's a message from Spirit: You've lost perspective of the big picture. This is about YOU - not "them". This is about how YOU feel - not about how "they" made you feel. This is about what you're putting out there - not what "they" are putting out there. Focus on self-awareness, learn to laugh at yourself, take none of it too heavily, be willing to change, admit your wrongs, and move forward without regret, or judgment, because you KNOW in your being, this has all been a part of your lesson: and the lesson is Awakening to the truth of the Love within you.

2.   Make Time for Your Spirit - Every Single Day!


download (1)You know the 3D work-a-day world we are living in is just a big experiment, based on things like greed, politics, religion, fear etc. The world around us is a mirror to each person living in it, so begin to project the truth of your vibrant and beautiful soul! But doing this type of Light work requires a great deal of transformational energy on your behalf, and can be exhausting. If you're doing energy work, Reiki, healing and helping others in a Spiritual way, this can be taxing after time if you do not stay centered and grounded. If you're giving so much of your Light and your positivity to a world full of cynics and egos, you're going to have moments of utter futility! It's necessary to remain mindful of your own energy, what you can handle, what you cannot, and when you need a "reset". So make time each day, for a meditation, a bubble bath, a quick prayer or blessing. Do something that helps you rejuvenate each day, be it watching the sun rise, or set, or drawing an oracle card. Whatever brings your spirit balanced peaceful calm is something you will want to gift yourself each and every day. How else can you continue to Awakening to such vast amounts of knowledge and energy, while giving so much of yourself to the world around you, and not end up feeling empty at the end of the day? Refill yourself, as you give so much away.

3.   Take EXTRA Care Of Your Physiology!


Your body is attached to it's Aura, and Chakras, and while you are Awakening you are receiving and emitting such great quantities of energy through those centers, that it affects your physical body in ways you aren't even aware of. Each Chakra attributes to a gland or organ, and your Aura is directly a part of your cellular makeup, knowing this can help you remember to care not just for the mind and spirit, but also the body. Ascension is cyclic, one week we will be riding a high energy vibration as we receive massive uploads of Light and wisdom! The next week we can find ourselves crawling around in exhaustion, barely able to focus on simple tasks. This is natural - this is Awakening! So be sure your body is hydrated; water water water, drop caffeine and stimulants where possible, and if necessary, as they can mess with your frequency and cause anxiety during high energy days. Get as much sleep as your body needs!! Some months you may get by on 6 hours a night, even if it's disturbed and fulfilling, you're managing. Then a few months present insomnia challenges, which you manage still to adapt to. Then all of a sudden you'll have a few weeks of deep long slumber, and can feel guilty for suddenly sleeping 12 hours at a time! Please don't feel guilty - know your body is demanding what it needs for GOOD reasons! You do so much energy work on a subconscious level during Awakening, and then you are off Astrally during your sleep too, it's exhausting! And the influx of energy we receive during this process is colossal! So cut yourself a break, sleep, eat, drink water, rest, and just be happy!

4.   Keep An OPEN Mind! The Ego Will Struggle with This!


The ego isn't a criminal, not a villain; it isn't here to make your life impossible, or unhappy. Ego is our sense of identification within the world. It has helped us define our beliefs, about ourselves, and the world around us. The ego has been wonderful in helping us differentiate between the polarities on Earth; we've learned a lot about "good" and "bad" through our ego! Yet, the ego will fight Spiritual epiphanies and truths, as at the core of a Spiritual Awakening is the knowledge that the ego, or the false persona we become in life, is not in truth who we are. We are infinite beings of Light and Love; the ego feels threatened by our realizing this, as it feels as though we are trying to ilimiate those traits which make us individual. But if you can realize you don't need to shed your ego to Awaken, the ego can then calm down somewhat. You don't need to transcend ego in this lifetime, you simply need to recognize it for what it is; a character you've learned to play based on the life you've lived and experiences you've had, and you can then begin to stop playing the character to such extreme degrees! Keeping an open mind is hard for the ego; ego likes to cling to what it feels comfortable with, so when knowledge comes to you and feels threatening to your ego, you're likely going to immediately feel drawn to just shut the knowledge off, call it a lie, and ignore it. But this will be a pitfall in your Awakening at many times in your life, so it's best to stop letting your ego call the shots with Spiritual wisdom and knowledge. Your intuition knows what's what; if the ego can't handle something it's discovered, let your intuition sort it out; you'll know deep deep inside of yourself if ego is having a tantrum, or not. You will face a lot of knowledge during Awakening that will at first rub you wrong, make you feel violated or mistrustful, or even guilty for having fallen for it for so long; but these wisdoms you come across are meant to help you be liberated, and achieve a deeper peace and love, so as much as some piece of learning may make you feel threatened, stick with it, explore your feelings; they reveal so much about who you are, and how your ego defends itself.

A deep and intimate journey of self-awareness can be painful as we come to see things about ourselves that are false, or detrimental, or greedy, or negative. The point is to see it, acknowledge it, make repairs where possible, and then move on. You aren't asked to feel guilty! You're asked to release guilt, understand your previous actions and behaviors with compassion, and then grow from it.

5.   Seek Like Minded People!


There is always strength in numbers, and this is why people of various beliefs gather together. And yet, the reason I TONY-OVERHEAD-DRUM-CIRCLEencourage you to seek kindred people isn't to be stronger, but to be stretched further! The main point in Awakening is to identify ego and "tame" it, so that we can be the truest part of our Spiritual essence. When we gather with others who share similar beliefs, we confront new information, and we can share what we know! We become teachers and students, as well as friends, and this is where information begins to circulate, and minds begin to open even faster! If we explored Awakening alone our whole life, it would be a very one sided exploration. Yet when we befriend others who are striving for Awakening the experience becomes one of examination, observation, reflection, and ultimately it is richer! Be with people who lift you up, inspire you, support you, and do the same to them!

6.   Learn to Face Your Fears.


Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real: it isn't real, it's perceived by the one feeling afraid, and that fear amplifies itself so that often fear can seem rather irrational to those observing fear in others. But our fears are real, in so much as we give them validity. So it is my gentle suggestion that you seek to understand your fears, and then overcome them. I work on this daily, as I have a few fears which hold me back. I am afraid of driving fast on the highway, or over bridges or up steep hills. I never had this fear until about 15 years ago when I went through a difficult time in my life. Since then I began to shelter myself, never driving on the highway, avoiding big hills and bridges. Yet in the last few years I knew I could not keep letting these fears defeat me. So I began to explore my fears, in ways that made me very uncomfortable. Yet this uncomfortable feeling spurred me to examine myself on a deeper level, and I eventually came to realize the fear was based on control, or rather a lack of it. So I decided to start trying to drive the highway again. Baby steps at first, get on during rush hour when traffic wasn't moving, and slowly sit in stop and go, and I did this for a few weeks, getting used to actually being ON the highway, even if it wasn't moving. Slowly I began to be able to hop on during quicker times of day, and get off at the next exit. My adrenaline would rush and what a feeling of victory within me as I merged back into regular traffic. I have pushed myself a little further each week over the last half year, and at present can drive the highway all through my city. That is a big feat! I still feel momentary pulses of anxiety, but then I breathe, and draw Reiki energy into myself and my car, and shake that fear off. I am proud of myself, which is egotistical of course, and yet deeper than this, I am impressed with my courage, and encouraged, and hopeful, because I know now I am stronger than I thought I was. Overcoming fears, no matter what they are of, will ultimately lead you to a greater sense of self-awareness and peace. I have a fear of spiders, I know I will never overcome this fear. So I accept it, and myself, as I know I am not hurting spiders, and they understand if they stay out of my home we will not have a problem *grin*.

These six tips for Awakening Spiritually are simply the tip of the iceberg, and yet if you endeavor to make these six things a priority in your Awakening, your experience will be more authentic, honest, and rewarding.

I wish you the brightest of Blessings, as you endeavor to truly know yourself. May you amplify your strengths, overcome your weaknesses, and surpass your fears.



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Making Every Day Valentine's Day!


Valentine's day is just a few days away, and has me thinking of love. While I tend to look at Valentine's day as more of a corporate creation to encourage people to spend money on cards, flowers, candy etc, I sure do think it's great that we have dedicated an entire day globally to love.

Maybe love is fantastic enough to warrant more than one day though?

When you love someone in the beginning, it's all butterflies and anticipation, remember how it feels to be falling into love with someone for the first time? You find yourself drift off to think of them mid-day, and your face heats up with blood as you blush remembering how it feels to be with them. The first kiss sends your heart sky-rocketing, and you fly on the chemicals your body produces when it's falling in love.

When you share your life with that love for a few years, the passion can wane, as responsibilities take the fore-front. Soon you're passing each other in the hall, hurridly saying "i love you too" before hanging up the phone to deal with your next daily errand or task. In the beginning our minds are almost always with our new love, and yet after a few years of shared life we can begin to take one another for granted.

It's human, every couple I've known who has been together for more than a few years tends to fall into the same category, and after a decade or so you find yourself trying to remember just when was the last time you both engaged in spontaneous love making without planning ahead to have a sitter, and a night out. Like two ships that pass in the night, often times long-time committed relationships can start to feel like room-mate relationships more often than not.

My husband and I will celebrate our 8th year wedding anniversary in May, and have been together nearly 13 years now. We have been through some astounding ups, and extremely trying downs together. He is honestly the best friend I could possibly ask for, and while we've gone through rough patches, there is no one else on Earth I would ever want to share my body, mind, and spirit with. But after all these years we can fall into the same rut so many of you do, we have a child, responsibilities, bills, commitments, it's not often either of us put our relationship first. And that's just a little sad, don't you think? I know we're not unique, most of my peers are in the same boat. No matter if you're in a traditional relationship or not, when two people share their lives for any number of years, the bloom can fall off the rose before you even know it, and eventually you find yourselves mastering everything from carpooling, to financial planning, cooking, cleaning, and raising kids, but there is one way you just can't seem to click together anymore: romance.

Love is the most fantastic thing there IS - in all the universe. Nothing tops love, whether it be the love you feel for your child, or the love your pets show you, or the love you share with your friends; love pretty much rules existence! But the love you have shared with your life partner, your husband or wife, or girlfriend or boyfriend, it's just even more amazing, because it's intimate, and it's time-tested. This is the one person in the world who has seen you at your absolute worst, and still shows up every day!

My husband has seen me cry so hard my nose runs, has heard me laugh so violently I farted! He has seen me gain and lose weight like a yoyo, and has endured my seemingly non-ending self-consciousness about it, yet he has never once made me feel I wasn't beautiful to him. He has let me sleep and cared for our daughter when I was exhausted, and vice versa. Who else on Earth could watch you eat an entire bag of chips, or bawl watching a tv program, or rant and rave after having an argument with a parent, and still love you unconditionally?

Try to make time for your significant other this weekend, and then, ever day after that. My husband and I came close to calling it quits a couple of years ago; we'd been through a storm so rough it's hard to describe. We made it through it though, and now the love is even deeper, the friendship even more poignant, the relationship even more nourishing. And we make an effort to put each others needs first. This has made so much difference in our home, and in our lives. So I dedicate this post to my husband Eric, and to your partner as well, because whether we realize it or not, these people are important aspects of our spiritual journeys as well.

My husband is an agnostic, and though much of what I do fascinates him, and he can't quite explain how his wife knows what she knows, he has his own beliefs, and we allow each other the room to be who we each are in relation to the Universe, God, and personal beliefs. He has stood by me during my dark nights of the soul, and stands by me cheering when I reach new revelations, and experience moments of spiritual epiphany. He provides me with a mirror by which to observe my own behavior, negative or positive, and for this I love him so deeply. He has accepted me on every level, and this has given me the freedom to truly be who I am in every moment, without reservation or doubt.

I remember the first time I tried to get him to meditate with me, and as we sat under the full moon in our back yard, I fell deeper in love with him because it was so clear he was doing it just to make me happy. Spirituality isn't his objective in this life, and I honor that, just as he honors it is what drives me. Think about how your partner has supported your spiritual journey. If you have found someone who inspires you to be your best you, know that this is worth it's weight in gold. Being with someone who allows you to be yourself is such a liberating experience to have.

So honor your loved ones, all of them, and yet take a moment to reflect on your special sweetie, and take a mental walk down memory lane now. Remember the first time you laid eyes on them, your first date, your first kiss. Remember all of your firsts between way back then, and now, and then get off your computer, or tablet, or phone, and go give them a kiss. And if they aren't in the vicinity, send them an email or a text message, out of the blue, expressing just how special they are to you.

And then do this again tomorrow, and the next day. And make Valentine's day an every day affair, that doesn't require jewelry or gifts, or fancy restaurants or trips. Because we don't have to spend money to express our love and gratitude to our spouses and partners. In fact, some of the most profound gifts my guy has given me have been gifts of words, understanding, eye contact, and other unspoken, unplanned things. When I wake up and there is magically a coffee ready for me to drink, or the car has been cleaned of snow before I go out, or inexplicably laundry ends up clean in my room... this is so much more meaningful to me than any greeting card could ever be.

Happy Valentines week to you all, now do yourself a favor, log off the interworld, and go pounce on your special one and enjoy some magic. And if the kids interrupt two minutes later, that's okay, go tend to them, knowing you get to live every day of your life with your best friend, you're most important person, your souls companion. And that's pretty blessed.

And if this Valentines day you're stag and still haven't met that special one, don't give up hope, and yet don't focus all your energy into wanting a relationship. Because when you improve your relationship with yourself, through self-awareness, meditation, and consciously attempting to know yourself and better your self in every way, the Universe invariably sends you exactly what you put forth. I believe we have more than one special one in each life, and your next one could be waiting for you. So put yourself out there, go out, be available, and let the Universe know you're ready to share your life with another! And if you're not, that's fantastic too - love yourself. Love yourself because you are wonderful, in every single way!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a man to go hug and kiss.



Sunday, January 25, 2015

Peace IS Within You


We are creatures of habit and conformity by nature; often we are willing to take someone else's word for the truth over investigating and seeking our own perception first. It is easy to allow others to create reality, so that we must only be responsible for conforming to it.

Yet this is part of the illusion which mankind lives within; we are on the planet of Free Will and Polarity. As souls we have come here to experiment with matter, three dimensional causality, denseness and the concepts and realities of this vs that. It is here on Earth that we can encounter all flavors of duality, good and bad, happy and sad, up and down, sick and well. And we are free to explore these counter parts to our hearts delight... or our fears peril.

Through the ages we have slowly made movements towards fear, and balled up within our sense of isolation in the skin and begun to feel removed of Spirit, and of God. So we created religions by which we could put God away and upwards of ourselves, detached, removed, and fearful. We so fully forgot our very nature as Gods most animate aspects of Universal light and vibration, that we actually have convinced ourselves and much of our planet to be afraid of God, or doubt God exists, or worship a God that is so like we are in his judgment, violence, instability and irrationality.  We have created God in our own image and likeness, and yet we project our greatest fears on to him. Just look to the events in the world at this time, to see the truth of this.

But the Greater truth? It lives within you. And reading these words is meant to remind you of what is true and real and transcendent within you.

Enlightenment isn't the end of a journey, it is a state of awareness, which is infinite, and ongoing, and we strive for it eternally whether we realize it or not. It is encoded into our DNA, to seek, better the self, improve ones standing, reach higher. It is part of our human condition, and our souls condition as well; to raise ones sense of personal awareness to achieve a state of not dominion, or power, but grace over all surroundings. You can seek enlightenment in virtually any venue you can conceive of it, and I guarantee you, it is available to you everywhere, at every time. The greater your struggle, the closer to hand your enlightenment is. The harder your circumstances, the lower you feel or fall, the worse life seems to be, these are the moments where you are closer to your own self-aware salvation than you could know. It is in moments of adversity, when the pendulum of duality pivots on the negative, that we are capable of great things.

You know this, it is apparent in the entire world around you, every time there is a mass event or act of tyranny or cataclysm or upheaval, people band together in brotherhood, compassion, generosity and strength. This is because we are truly closer to who we are when we are pressed against the rail. And yet we are still running under the condition in which we are lesser than, not worthy of, removed from Gods Glory and Divinity.

And the truth of the matter is none of us are less than, or not worthy of, or removed of Gods greatness. I'm not talking about a god that lives in the minds of fearful men, casting doubt, making rules, setting limitations upon his deliverance. I am talking about the creative energy of the whole Universe which has created all life, and is available in each particle of space and time and matter and non-matter which IS in existence. The Creator, or Source of all things, which we are made of, and therefore which we are a part of.

And yet I do not want to get sidetracked, for I'm not posting to talk about God at this time; what I want to talk about is your relationship to the God energy, and how it affects you, and how you affect your reality as a result.

When you close your eyes, and breathe deeply, and feel the calm slip into your limbs and torso, and feel the soothing waves of peace vibrate within you, you will find the Source of all things flows within you, makes up your matter and your biology, and courses through your veins. As you focus on nothing more than love and gratitude, so that these feelings are rolling off of you in waves, you will be able to feel the rebound of those waves of love and gratitude, and this is the Source, God, returning to you what is truly yours at all times - Love and gratitude - the essence of true peace.

Instead of praying to some outside or external source, try to seek the source within yourself, and be patient, and yet faithful. Know that what you seek is real and valid and needs no certification or seal of approval from someone else. Know when you breathe deeply feeling love and abundant joyful gratitude, and it returns to you in waves that undulate down your body, that you are in communion with God, the Universe, all of creation.

There is never anything to fear, no matter how much your human responses urge you to at times. Part of the intrinsic nature of duality is to learn to understand our own biology, in order to truly comprehend what is and what is not. Anything that elicits the fear response in you is not real in the grandest scheme of things. Fear is a feeling that our body enhances with hormones and chemicals, and when these biological sensors go into overload we can get lost in negativity. And yet, you can be mindful, and self-aware, and remember to breathe, and when a crisis arises, or something scary happens, you can remind yourself that nothing will be accomplished by getting washed away in images or feelings of fear, high drama, ego, or over-reaction. There will always be things in our lives which will challenge us, hurt us, push our limits, and yet this isn't a punishment, or a test even; it is simply the game board on which we are choosing to play right now. In the impermanent word of physical duality, nothing lasts for ever, everything is relative to how we are feeling and perceiving, and the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to respond, feel, think, and behave in any given moment.

When you know this, understand it, accept it as truth, then you relinquish your need to feel victimized by any one, or any thing. Ever.

You have within you the seeds of creation, the love of the ages, the vibrant buoyant nature of your energetic self, and the ability to grow, learn, evolve and rise up again and again. The only being in creation that can thwart your happiness, security, faith, or resolve... is you.

So get up out of your own way my friend. Smile. Exhale. Then inhale again, deeply. Always - breathing deeply, oxygenating your brain, allowing yourself to clearly think, observe, understand, and perceive. In this mind-state, you will know that no matter what comes your way, you have at some level of reality and manifestation called it to you for an opportunity to overcome it, and you have the full backing of the Universe to do just that.

So, don't let others continue to draw out the game plan for you, step out of the box and into a place that has no room for labels, or need for categorization. You don't need to ascribe to an ism or ology in order to be at One with the source of all Life - there is no rule book, or place of worship outside of your own body, mind, spirit and sense of intuition and awareness. Every single thing you need to know, you already do - awaken it within you. It is there waiting for the command to blossom.

Breathe, let go... and receive Truth and Love.





Thursday, October 2, 2014

What Would Love Do? Changing Your Reactions


Over the years that I've been reading Tarot for clients, and assisting people with self-awareness and awakening, one issue has kept resurfacing again and again; almost everyone I've ever had the pleasure to work with has wanted to know, "How do I attain peace, and stop getting sucked into drama in life?"

It's a subject we all grapple with in life, no matter if you are spiritual, religious, or an atheist; how do we simply disconnect from the drama all around us and just live in peaceful calm?

It seems like an insurmountable obstacle at first, and to be honest it does take time; lots of time, because people are easily swept away in the emotions of others around them, and human beings operate under a rather "gang mentality", we tend to get extremely embroiled by the events occurring around us and can find ourselves over reacting to any number of big, or small circumstances. But it is this over-reactionary type of behavior that robs one of peace, and magnifies problems making them more than they truly are.

The first step anyone will want to make when consciously deciding to be a peaceful person, is to assert to yourself that you have some very bad habits which need to be broken, and corrected. Negative thinking, and jumping to conclusions are indeed habits, and ones which only intensify if we let them. We weren't born with so many hot button opinions, or red flag issues that can "set us off", we develop these attitudes and mindsets as we grow, and watch and mimic others in our life behaving as they do. If you grew up with loud boisterous parents and family, chances are you're loud and boisterous yourself, and this isn't a bad thing, it's simply part of your "conditioning". So in deciding to make peace your touchstone, you have to commit to the idea that you have some behavioral and thinking habits which just don't reflect who you want to be. It isn't about feeling ashamed of who you are, or how you react to life's experiences, it is simply getting into the head-space of being self aware.

Make a list, as often writing these things down helps us better understand who we are, and on that list write down the attitudes and behaviors you feel you lack control or discipline over, which you would like to change. For me personally, my list has changed a lot through the years, as I continue to look more deeply at who I am, in comparison to who I'd like to be. My list would look something like:

  • Let anxiety or fear determine how I feel about a situation before I have all the facts.

  • Often let fear express itself as anger.

  • Don't always listen intently to others, as I'm so eager to state my own feelings and thoughts.

My list would go on, and on and on, but let's cap it off there for starters. When you've written down your list of behaviors, and attitudes or bad habits you feel you want to change but struggle with, then commit it to memory, because this is where transformation truly begins.

What Would Love Do?

Whenever I'm faced with an issue or situation in which I feel my negative behaviors and reactions bubbling to the surface I find it imperative to stop and do a couple key things first:

  • First and foremost I breathe - deeply - when you stop breathing you limit your brains ability to be the vital thinking and analysis machine it is.

  • I then take a few moments while breathing deeply and ask myself "What would love do?"

Love simply radiates peace and calm, and it is easy to feel love while we are in a peaceful environment, yet when life throws a curve it is so easy to lose sight of Love, and get caught up in strong emotions. So as soon as something occurs which challenges your peace, like someone confronts you, or you are treated unjustly, or someone does something that just really ticks you off, rather than jumping into an emotional state of fight or flight, just breathe and try to imagine how the most loving of all beings would deal with the situation? You know how you would deal with it typically, by becoming embroiled in an emotional state of reaction. So the key is to do something different, to attempt to retrain your thoughts and responses to adversity or negativity. What would love do?

Love will always do what love always does; accept, create space for the other, understand, feel compassion, turn the other cheek (choose your "battles") and generally rise above the ego's need to be right, or satisfied by it's own cleverness. Love will always choose the higher moral road, and in this way, we know Love is right because of the feelings we have within us when we are being and doing as Love would be and do.

You know how it feels to get your panties in a wad, right? You feel your chest tighten, as your breathing accelerates, and your muscles clench, and your fists ball up; you feel your heart rate increase, as you begin to go into counter-attack mode. The responses your body gives you when you're in this reactionary state of being are all good indicators that you are not aligned with a higher state of being and thinking, because it is not healthy or natural to feel so tense, anxious, or eager for a confrontation.

But when you get into the mindset of being as Love would be, your breathing deepens, you relax your limbs and muscles, your stress washes off of you, and this is your body letting you know that you are on the "right path".

A dear friend of mine is a power house of energy; I call her a spitfire, she's very empathetic, and clairvoyant, and incredibly spiritually gifted. However she is sorely un-centered, and as a result she can get caught up in other peoples drama very easily, or rise to anger or sadness quickly, because she has no control over her inner peace. This is something she is working on, with a tonne of self-awareness, and a desire to be the Love she feels within her. I commend her for endeavoring to rise above her previous condition of emotional turbulence, as she knows that peace, center, and calm will not only serve her better, but also her family. This is a huge part of a spiritual awakening, because we live in a society and time in which people have very little control of their own emotions. It's difficult for an empath to operate in modern society as people are just out of emotional control, and can be dreadfully rude, boorish, and selfish by and large. So to dedicate ones-self to this level of self-aware behavior modification is a testament to the Spirit within you, and the journey you are consciously taking.

I don't know that any of us will ever master peace, or if that is possible while having a 3D existence in which we have to work, raise families, deal with every day problems and the complexities of life on planet Earth. But we can each of us take responsibility for our own emotional responses to life. Could you imagine a planet on which no one ever jumps to conclusions again? Where people gather the facts before becoming enraged, and polarized and sucked into drama, arguments, fights and judgment? How amazing that planet would be, where people could simply live and let live, truly.

Choosing peace, and to be as Love is, is a statement to the Universe as well; you are saying "I am dedicated to being a spiritually balanced being of Love, and know it does not serve me or anyone to let my emotions and fears run roughshod over my life."

So you've made your list, and have a general idea of what it is you'd like to work on improving about yourself, and your reactions to life's unexpected and yet all too plentiful challenges. You understand that you can either keep reacting the way you always have, which will rob you of peace, or you can rise above your petty ego, and childish fears and inadequacies, and strive to let Love be your true north. The next step is to live it - every day. In every way.

How Do You Maintain This Peaceful Outlook?

Affirmations, reminders, daily goals and an internal dialogue with yourself will help you change those bad habits into a new state of thinking, being, and doing. At first it will be something you need to remind yourself of, often. Getting into the practice of breathing immediately facing a challenge is a great first step, in those moments you are breathing you can assess the situation, and your own physical reaction to it, and then just take a step back, and observe the situation from a detached perspective. Remember to keep all things in perspective too, as while something can feel like a huge problem in the moment, hindsight often reveals that whatever had us up in arms was nothing more than a minor conflagration of emotions clashing, or a situation which wasn't as dire as we initially thought. In breathing, and giving yourself a few moments to take stock, and find a Loving and peaceful perspective from which to proceed, you give yourself an advantage; you literally rise above the situation so that you can be calm while dealing with whatever the crisis or problem is.

Soon you will find you need less affirmation, or daily goals, as your responses will naturally alter with practice, and repetition; eventually you will not be trying to be as Love, but you simply will be as Love.

So the next time someone cuts you off in traffic, or cuts in front of you at the checkout stand; the next time someone goes ape and starts a fight with you, or the phone rings with bad news, take some deep cleansing breaths, ask yourself "ok, how would Love handle this situation?" and then follow your hearts guidance.

There is truly no situation on this planet that needs you to fly off the handle and get all riled up. All you do accomplish by becoming embroiled in drama or emotional warfare is to add to your own stress, which is not good for the heart, and often end up feeling foolish afterwards after your temper has cooled off. So skip the theatrics, tell your ego it simply isn't in charge of your responses to life's adverse challenges anymore, and just remember to breathe. That is what Love would have you do.

In Great Love,





Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Answer Hate with Love: As "outside" so "Within"


This world in which we live is full of duality, so much of our reality hangs on the balance between "good" and "bad", "happy" and "sad", "love" and "hate"; is it any wonder we can end up confused, depressed, and feeling like life is just too much at times?

Turn on the news and you'll see so many negative stories, senseless killings, wars, natural disasters, all of these stories creating yet more fears within. The news seldom shares the uplifting stories that occur every day in our society. News depend upon ratings, and in this day and age sensational headlines are what get viewers interest; we are all so desensitized to the brutality in our world that it has become commonplace to hear troubling news stories and simply look away, go about our lives, pay it very little mind.

Yet we are part of a dynamic and symbiotic planet, in which we are all connected via the air we breathe, the space we inhabit, the plants and animals and people on this world are all interconnected by virtue of the things we all share; oxygen, sunlight, water, and the will to live.

So as a Lightworker, or a new age Spiritualist, how can we live amid the turmoil on planet Earth, while still nurturing Spirit, and staying centered and balanced within a sense of inner peace? It is simple in reality, and yet takes daily affirmation, repetition, and a retraining of ones own habits and thoughts, because the truest truth any of us can know and share is that we cannot attempt to "fix" the things that are wrong on this planet, until we "fix" that which requires our attention within. Individually, we each have our own inner worlds, where our past memories reside, and many of those memories have shaped us and made us into the people we are currently being. In order to evolve and grow beyond our past experiences we have to be willing to let it go, and move consciously into this moment.

This moment, is the only moment that matters, as the past is but a distant echo, and the future is unfolding moment by moment based on who we are being, how we are feeling and behaving, in this very moment. Realizing this, and truly grasping it as more than a simple concept enables you to really understand that the only significant time in your life is the one you are experiencing right now. And here, in this moment, you have the power to heal your past hurts, let go of anger, hurt, and betrayal, and move into the next moment unfettered, and free to begin shining a Light upon the world around you.

When you begin to experience a Spiritual Awakening, no matter what your beliefs may be, you begin to understand that your relationship to all life, the Universe, and God Him/Her Self is internal, intimate, and beyond the minds comprehension. This is a relationship that blossoms in the heart, and flows through your Crown and Brow chakras. When one is open and receptive to this type of communion with Spirit, then everything rather falls into place.

It is easy when you are in a higher place of receptivity and Light and compassion, to see that while the world is definitely full of darkness, and there is danger and evil of all types in our communities and societies, nothing can diminish the peace you carry within you. This is the basis of true faith; knowing that no matter what goes on outside of yourself, nothing can sever the tie you have to your bliss, your faith, your love and your Light. When you realize that no matter what is done to or through you, that no one will ever be able to rob you of your peace, your joy, your compassion, and your connection to Spiritual Love, then you free yourself to see the rest of our reality for what it is; a grand and bizarre illusion.

This is essentially what life is; a grand stage on which mankind acts out every possible scenario under the sun, in order to experience the fullness of living, in all shades and shapes of life's infinite and boundless options. We come into this world with free will; indeed the Universe gifts us with the ability to choose whatever it is we wish to experience. Yet so many people feel that they are victims of fate, or destiny, and rather than taking an active creative roll in their lives, they spend their whole life feeling as though others control their time, their responsibilities, their morality and their behavior.

Yet when you encounter a truly deep and poignant relationship with Spirit, you realize that you are free to rewrite your story, any time you want, as many times as you want, in order to live the life you truly yearn to live.

This is the gift of free will! If you dislike what you see in the world around you, then look within, because the key to making changes outside of ourselves is to first make those changes within. We are all familiar with the old adage "As Above, so Below" which simply means that whatever the saints and angels and ascended beings can experience in higher dimensional frequencies of existence, so may we here on this 3 dimensional planet, by raising our frequency (through meditation, intention, self-aware introspection), well it also applies to "As outside, so within". What you see in the world is what is mirrored to get your attention within yourself. If you see things that trouble you about people, humanity, behavior, then look within and be certain you are not somehow contributing to that condition or expression of behavior. Only then will you truly be able to examine the thing that has your attention, from a loving place of detachment and compassion and empathy, thereby making you readily able to then point your healing outwards towards the issue itself.

To make an attempt at analogy, which we all know I am horrendous at *grin*, it would be like an Oncologist (doctor who specializes in Cancers) who smokes, being angry at patients who don't do everything they can to get better.

In this way, we must be willing to examine ourselves, and see if we are somehow part of the global problem, and if we find aspects of who we are, or what we do or think, that is contributing to an external problem, then healing it, changing ones mind, and willfully becoming a part of the solution.

If you, like myself, watch the news and are sickened by what you see happening in Israel and this time, and with regards to the terror cell ISIS, then I urge you to stop seeing this issue as external of yourself. Because it isn't, nothing that takes place on Earth is external from ourselves - we are all connected. I am deeply saddened and scared by people who will take another's life seemingly so easily to prove some political or religious point. So I look within, and I find a fear within me of fundamental religion, zealots, people who are so driven by their own beliefs that they are prepared to kill and die for them. And it reminds me of who I have been in my past, while awakening and experiencing my Spirituality in my twenties, and how sure I was that I had found "the" answers, and knew "the" truth. I was rather arrogant in my faith at that tender time in my life, and in that way I can identify with those who I fear, because I know how it feels to be absolutely sure that I'm right.

Understanding this I can now in all humility let that go, realizing I've grown beyond that egotistical need to feel superior through my beliefs, and then feel compassion, and pity, and even love for those who are exploiting the freedom and lives of others to further their own personal beliefs.

So while I do not condone their behavior, and I surely have no long-term solutions to what is going on in the Middle East, I have compassion, and a generalized sense of understanding of how it feels to be a religious zealot and fanatic. And this makes it easier for me to humanize the terrorists, and see them as people who have been indoctrinated, their minds warped by their own religious teachers and mentors, and I can pray for their souls to awaken to love, compassion, and civilized behavior.

In this way I change my own ideas about ISIS, sending out love rather than anger or fear or hate. And in this way I become part of the solution, rather than the problem. Because answering hate with hate is like trying to put out a fire by dumping gasoline on it.

We all have the ability to go within, examine our own motives, understand our own agendas, and see our ego and how it often gets into heated dramatic situations because it simply hates being wrong! And when you identify your ego, learn to laugh at it, and become more capable of gently shutting your ego down when it wants to own the spotlight, then you claim freedom; the freedom to be the Soul and being of Light you are.

So while we may not be able to "fix" the worlds problems, we certainly can contribute in a positive way by praying for humanity, understanding all sides, seeing through compassionate eyes, and answering hate with love. Love is the most valuable asset any of us have, it is our birth right, and it is where we come from, and where we are destined to return to. So when something "outside" of yourself compromises your peace, or your inner love, face it, explore it, identify with it, and then heal it with love, empathy, and self-awareness.

I wish you the utmost Peace & Love, always.



Monday, September 1, 2014

Parenting In the "New Age": Spiritually Sovereign Kids


I look back to when I was pregnant with my daughter 15 years ago, and I have to gently laugh as I remember my expectations back then, my hopes and aspirations for my unborn child. I had a couple of very profound dreams while pregnant with her, and knew I was bringing a very Spiritually alert and aware being into this world. I would daydream about meditating with her, teaching her about the Chakra's, exploring the world with her as she encountered people and places for the first time. I did not for one moment imagine my child would be any different than I was.

As most parents realize as their child begins to talk and walk, I tried to encourage her to participate in her world of imagination, always telling her stories about angels, and fairies, and unseen worlds. In the first five years of her life, she was indeed very connected, and would make very profound statements about angels, people, fairies etc. One day while driving in the car, on a sunny day, she said from her baby seat in the back "Mommy do you see it? It's so pretty!!" and I asked "What honey? What do you see?" I looked in the rear view mirror at her and she was staring out the window, up into the sky, and I thought maybe she saw a plane, as we were near the Toronto International airport. But her response left me speechless; she said "The sun mommy! It has ribbons of light that come down into every persons heart filling them with love!"

This was the type of child she was in the first few years of her life, and I was so eager to continue to nurture and nourish her spirituality as she grew.

So a couple of years ago when she announced to her dad and I that "I'm an atheist" I didn't know how to feel or what to say. How could this child, who was created in so much love, who was so full of wonder, and magic, and so obviously a Crystal child stop believing in magick?

In truth, she's come to accept and admit she is agnostic, as she does believe in "something", but not God, not something sentient, or man made, that makes rules or punishes sinners. And this is exactly where my own beliefs are rooted. And yet I am always walkin within magick, where as my child is completely earth-bound. She does not dwell in her imagination, and at the age of 14 she is so pragmatic, scientific, and sensible. So completely opposite of me!

If someone had told me 15 years ago while I was still pregnant with her that she wouldn't share my spiritual passions I would have snorted in disbelief! How could this being, who has spent 9 months living within me, who has been a part of my soul for all eternity, not share my deeply woven spiritual hunger and passion?

But it's been 15 years, and a lot changes in a decade and a half. I am thrilled that my daughter has developed her own beliefs, and if nothing else I wish to provide her with the space, freedom, and acceptance to continue to cultivate her own beliefs.

You see, we tend to condition our children to share our own faith, which our own parents conditioned us to have. I was very lucky, and I've mentioned it before, that my own mother who was brought up Catholic, gave me the freedom to choose my own path spiritually. She allowed me to attend a Christian church when I was young, and when I walked away from the dogma of Christianity and began to explore Wicca, and Buddhism, she supported that too. In this way, I had the best roll model. My mother taught me that the truest gift we can give our kids, is the opportunity to discover their own spiritual beliefs.

Renée is very like me in so many ways; we share the same twisted dry sense of sarcastic humor, we laugh so loudly and so often together. She is deeply compassionate and a very philosophical thinker, and we can share long discussions about so many topics together. Yet when it comes to my Spiritual beliefs and values, I tend to not "bother" her with them. I know she believes very similarly to me, yet expresses her belief in a very intimate and private way. Where as her mom is public in her Paganism, and blogs about it, and reads Tarot cards for a living, for herself spirituality is a private sanctum within her. One she needn't talk about or examine. And I respect that.

I think this is an important gift any parent can give their own child; the freedom to explore, and discern on their own what feels right to them as individuals with their own minds. When we believe very strongly in something, we tend to indoctrinate our children with it, never really wondering if this is what they would choose for themselves if given the opportunity. Yet how different their beliefs and convictions would be if they came to them on their own, in their own time and way?

I urge all New Age Spiritualists to let their children seek God or Divinity on their own terms. Offer them perspectives, different beliefs, different ideologies, and then let them investigate and come to their own sets of ideals and conclusions. It would have been very easy for me to make Renée into a little clone of me, sharing my beliefs, but I never wanted to enforce my own ideals on her; it has always been imperative to me that I allow her to be her own person, no matter how young she was. She is my child, but she is not my creation; she is her own person, and as such I have always tried to give her the space she needs to develop her own ideas about life, love, spirit, and peace.

There are literally billions of people on this planet who have religious beliefs simply because they were not offered alternatives. Muslims are Muslims and Christians are Christians and they both are such because that is what their parents made them. Had their parents given them the freedom to find God in their own way, I can't help but think there would be far less religion on this planet, and far more Spirituality.

And remember the old cliché; if you love something set it free, if it comes back to you it was meant to be. I think if parents do this with their children's spiritual lives they may be shocked to find their kids end up coming back to the core family values in the end with which they were raised.

Spiritual sovereignty is the greatest gift anyone can give their children - freedom is a precious gift to give! Often if you let your kids explore their own imagination, inner world, conscience and explore the world around them, you'll find them coming to know God in their own intimate way.

Love & Blessings,