You Didn’t Fail, You Expanded

There really is an art to surrender.

Fighting against every emotion, being “on top” on my vibration, trying to be intentional and conscious about every little thing I do — well — it can sometimes take the joy out of LIVING. Didn’t we come here to be HUMAN? Why would we leave our place of Oneness — our knowing of All Things, to come into a human experience and deny ourselves the experience/blessing of being a singular person with an ego and identity and flaws? We will never learn real love by having an attitude of intolerance towards our learning process.

Living on purpose and with awareness is important (of course) but I feel so many of us feel like if we know we create our reality and anything exists in our experience that does not feel like BLISS, we somehow failed as creators. But we would never be able to create anything at all if we didn’t first experience creating what we don’t want.

We came here to fail and succeed, because in this reality, you can’t have one without the other — it’s the nature (and brilliance) of a dualistic world. The trick is to not see anything you do as a failure, but simply as an experience that teaches us all more about ourselves, and helps us further our expansion. It is only our judgement/beliefs about any experience or situation that gives it a negative or positive feeling — not the experience itself. Drop the judgment.

I am beginning to understand that the key to happiness in this life is not being perfectly in alignment all of the time (or even 90% or 70% of the time), but to love and embrace every experience/emotion/creation along the way. LOVE THE PROCESS. LOVE THE JOURNEY. SURRENDER TO LIFE. Give yourself grace. Surrender to the experience (which means failing, messing up, trying too hard, feeling small and insignificant — all of it). You came here to give yourself the perspective of separation just as much as you wanted to understand more fully what Oneness is. We wanted to learn to appreciate all of what we are — not just the aspects that feel acceptable.

So if you are feeling like you failed, you’re too weak, or you just can’t get it right — let yourself off the hook. You are PERFECTLY where you are, and that is always enough. Accept and surrender, and the flow of life will take you to your next level of expansion.

Sending appreciation for all of you today! Thank you for being courageous enough to be HUMAN! What miracles we are!

PS. This interview with intuitive empath Sonia Choquette SO resonated with me because she offers a loving voice to the benefit of failure and points out how we often bypass our humanity (especially in the spiritual community) because we feel we must be perfect. So real and authentic!

Monday’s Magic : A Creation Spell

Chakra Centers, Spirituality, Uncategorized

Try this on for your next conscious creation:

*Stretch to release any old energy stuck in joints/muscles (any area of the body that feels tight or contracted).

*Vigorously move the body for 5 minutes (running in place, jumping jacks, push-ups — whatever feels intuitively in alignment with releasing stagnate/pent-up energy in the body).

*Take 6 deep, cleansing breaths, raising the arms above the head with each inhale, and back down to your sides at each exhale .

*Get in a comfortable, meditative position with your spine straight and visualize a bright, purifying light cleansing all internal/external chakras and the auric field around you (this is a clearing of any energy that may block or interfere with your creation — clear spaces are crucial).

*With the eyes closed, focus on the 3rd eye chakra and see it as a blank canvas for your creation.

*Project (or paint) onto that canvas whatever you want to have manifest into your 3d reality. Make the image as vivid and colorful as you can. Feel it. Taste it. Experience it as if it were happening at this exact moment (because it is!). Take as long as you need with this step — this is where the magic blossoms.

*When you feel you are done “painting” your creation onto the canvas of your third eye, imagine a ball of pure white light swirling up from the heart of the deepest ocean caverns, and another ball of white light descending from the highest heavens — the Source of all Sources. Both balls of white Source energy are moving into your body (one from below, the other from above). One moves through your crown chakra down to your 3rd eye, the other moves in through your root chakra and up into your 3rd eye.

*See both balls of spinning white light blend with the canvas you painted on your third eye, arranging it into many particles, molecules — all the necessary elements of the physical reality it is forming.

*Once you feel all the elements have blended together into one beautiful vortex, send the energy back down through all of your chakras, and up again into your heart chakra, where it becomes alchemicalized with the Kingdom that is within. This is where you trust in the Higher Love and Wisdom of the Existence to add/take away any and all necessary elements. Stay with the image of the energy in your heart chakra until you feel it has completely dissolved and harmonized with your etheric and physical body.

*Acknowledge and surrender to the perfection of this hologram and the brilliance of its ability to reflect back to you exactly where you are in your expansion journey. Accept your journey with no judgement — remember you are perfect.

*Finally, feel your heart chakra burst wide open with the love and excitement of this co-creation, shinning all you have created into the physical world around you. Know that this energy carries within it a magnetism that will bring your creation into manifestation.

And so it is with you…

Responsibility: The Key to Self- Empowerment for Empaths

Empaths, Spirituality, The Heart Chakra

When we don’t own how we feel, when we don’t take responsibility for our emotions and accept them without judgment (even the negative ones) we disempower ourselves. We make other people responsible for our emotions and then we feel powerless to the effect their attitude has on us (for good or for ill).

The problem with shifting the responsibility of our emotions onto the world “out there” is that it leaves us with no other option but to blame, fight, and resent.

As empaths, it is especially crucial not to fall into the trap of blaming others for how we feel. Just because we may be able to pick up on the emotions and feelings of others, does not make our emotional stability their responsibility or their fault (and vice versa). We are the only ones that have the power and insight to recognize how we feel, validate it, and do what we need to do to take care of ourselves. Nobody else has the capacity to do it for us. If we don’t do it, it won’t get done.

Of course, we don’t always know how we feel. Sometimes we don’t realize how we feel until days, sometimes weeks after an event occurs. That’s okay. It just means we’re out of practice with listening to our emotional selves. Start asking yourself every day, every 5 minutes if you have to, “How do I feel?
“What do I need?”

Validation of our emotions is crucial. While friends/family, therapists, etc. can be amazing tools for helping us learn to validate ourselves, ultimately WE have to have the final say on whether or not our emotions are valid (and they are!). If we don’t validate (once and for all) that EVERY EMOTION we feel belongs here (even if it may be out of context), we will constantly feel the need to seek that validation from the outside world around us. And that is the ultimate form of disempowerment.

Yes. Sometimes we need reminders. We’re human. We’ve all been programmed to believe we are powerless. We’ve all bought into the lie that to care about how we feel is “selfish” and that sacrificing our needs for the needs of others is some kind of holy virtue. And of course, altruism is a beautiful thing. But not at the expense of our health. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we’ll have NOTHING to offer the world – and certainly not the best parts of us– and that is the truly selfish crime.

At those times we do feel we need support and validation from those around us, we can – by all means – seek it out. But it’s important for us to remember that sometimes the best “support” will come in the form of nobody validating us – nobody showing up. In fact, it is in those times where we feel utterly alone and abandoned that we often find our greatest strength. The truth is, in some cases, not having support is exactly what we need to finally recognize how crucial it is for us to show up for ourselves. That’s when we find out what we’re made of.

We all must come to a point where we realize, if we don’t validate/love/take care of our emotions, nobody else will. It is in those times where we realize we DO have what it takes to love ourselves, and THAT is when true healing can begin.

When you are feeling invalidated and unsupported by the world around you, remember that you are your greatest guide and the world around you (no matter WHAT the circumstances may be) is your greatest teacher. YOU have strength within you (and the power of Source/Love/God). You have access to that unending fountain of hope, love, and support and it is CRUCIAL that you find it. It is within. As Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within you.” It is when we take responsibility for ourselves that we can truly begin our journey to the kingdom inside our own hearts.

In order to feel empowered and truly heal we must take responsibility for:

*How we feel

*What we need (and give ourselves that)

AND

*What we are creating

WE are the creators of our lives. Every day each thought/feeling/inspiration/decision we make is literally shaping our future.

Take the driver’s seat of your life. Start caring about how you feel and what you need above all else. Begin to believe you have something within you that is truly worth giving to the world, and it’s not the half-empty, run-down “self-sacrificer” you’ve been told you have to be, but something FAR more powerful, loving, and inspiring.

How you feel matters. You matter. Own that and experience the wonder of true empowerment.

Advice for Empaths

featured, Interviews, Online Courses, Spirituality

For those of you who may have missed it, below is my interview with intuitive and spiritual teacher, Teal Swan. Teal is an experienced empath who has a lot of experience teaching other empaths and highly sensitive people how to not only cope with their sensitivities, but to thrive. Invaluable advice:

10 Easy Feng Shui Tricks To Raise Your Vibration

Aromatherapy, Body Work, featured, Features, Spirituality

More helpful tips and goodness I just had to share from MindBodyGreen:

True happiness happens when your vibration is high. In our chaotic world, it’s easy to pick up unwanted energies that can cause us to operate at a lower frequency, without our even knowing it.

While we are equipped to naturally clear ourselves and our spaces, sometimes we may need a little extra help.

Here are 10 easy tricks for keeping your personal and environmental Chi at optimum levels. You can also incorporate any of these tactics to bust stress and relieve tension in negative situations.

1. Breathe.

Deep breathing is a great Chi enhancer. Simultaneously, your home needs to breathe. Open the windows and doors and let fresh air circulate. If your home or office feels stale, the energy might be stuck inside.

2. Open the blinds.

Sunlight can clear away unwanted or negative energy. Letting light into dim spaces can really charge up a room! And when you need a boost, take a break from the computer and put your face into the sun for a few minutes, even on a cold day.

3. Burn white sage.

Native Americans considered this plant sacred and burn it as a purifier in ceremonies. Light up a bundle and waft it around your aura and your space to reset the vibrations around you.

4. Use essential oils.

Spritzers and diffusers with high quality essential oils can also work to clear away the bad juju. Frankincense, sandalwood, lemon, lemongrass, orange, and geranium are great options that will leave you feeling uplifted.

5. Use sound.

Play positive music. Singing or chanting can help clear energy. You could also ring high-quality bells, clap your hands, or use chimes or crystal singing bowls. After all, sound IS vibration and can fine tune the energies in your home and have it vibrating higher.

6. Set the intention and/or visualize.

Words and thoughts hold energy, so when clearing your space or your aura, ask that any energies that are not of the Divine to be transmuted into love and purified. Visualizing your body and home in pure white light or violet does wonders for the energy field. You can also call on angels to vacuum negative energies.

7. Clean!

Water is an amazing substance that works as a great cleanser all on its own. Therefore, showers work! Even running your hands through the faucet for a few minutes will give you a great recharge. Same with your house — clean homes have a higher vibration. Consider adding sea or Epsom salts to your bath, as salt is a great purifier as well.

8. Use Reiki.

Yes, you can perform Reiki your house as well as your body. I like to “paint” the Reiki symbols in the air with my hands in any room where energy seems to get stuck. If you’re unclear as to how to practice Reiki on your own, find a practitioner to guide you.

9. Surround yourself with high-vibration people.

Housewarming parties are for a reason — they can raise the energy of your space! Associating with positive people on a daily basis can also help keep your personal Chi at a high level. Pets and children, when healthy and thriving, can help raise energies as well.

10. Spend time in nature.

Did you know that nature actually cleanses us? I like think of nature as the “Great Healer,” so spending time outdoors can actually be good for your health!

Try to make a ritual of any and all of the above as a way to ensure that you and your space stay at high vibrations. In some cases, you may need a professional Feng Shui consultant or spiritual advisor to help your reset the Chi. Either way, these simple practices will go a long way in making sure that positive energy stays flowing in your body as well as your environment.

11 Important Reasons to Love Yourself

Spirituality

One of the latest from Lotus Effect:

Contrary to popular ideas on selfishness, it is impossible to truly love another person, when we harbor negative thoughts/feelings toward ourselves. In fact, it is ludicrous to think we can take care of the needs of others, while depriving ourselves of the love we need to truly give. If the ultimate truth of the Universe is that we are all one, then it is unreasonable to think we can treat ourselves poorly without affecting those around us.

If the concept of self-love feels foreign to you, commit yourself to this question every time you are faced with a decision:

“What would someone who loves themselves do?”

Self-love is the root for which every good thing grows. The practice of learning to love yourself unconditionally is the most powerful healing energy in this Universe. Self-love sets your soul radically free. By practicing self-love daily, you create a solid foundation which naturally allows you to embrace any experience that comes your way.

To love yourself means to consider your own needs. It’s healthy for those around you to learn your boundaries. When others realize they can’t have ALL of you, it helps them fosters proper responsibility for themselves.

Self-love is about accepting yourself as you are – both the positive and the negative. It’s about admitting where you’re at and not pretending to be anyone but who you truly are. When your sense of self-love feels depleted, a healthy dose of authenticity might be just what the doctor ordered.

If you’re looking for a good reason to love yourself, here are 11:

Self-love attracts love

Self-love contributes to better overall health

Self-love can deepen your spiritual practice

Self-love helps you see and appreciate the uniqueness of who you truly are

Self-love provides you with 24 hour access to someone (yourself) who has your best interest at heart

Self-love gives you the tools to make better life decisions

Self-love inspires more authentic love and compassion for others

Self-love improves your self-image

Self-love helps break debilitating people-pleaser habits

Self-love makes you look and feel younger

Self-love inspires you to give from an overflow, rather than depletion

Ask yourself, “what would someone who loves themselves do?” and watch how your life changes. If everyone truly loved themselves, the world would be a more abundant place.

3 Ways to Rock October’s Mercury Retrograde

Empaths, Spirituality

(Check-out the latest from Lotus Effect):

Astrologists are calling this October 2014, “Rocky Rocktober” – and for good reason. Mercury went retrograde on the 4^th and its cycle falls in the period of a lunar eclipse, a blood moon, and a partial solar eclipse/New Moon on the 23^rd. Needless to say, there is a lot of intense astrological energy going on in our skies, and as all things are connected, we get caught up in the heat of it.

What is Mercury Retrograde?

Mercury retrograde is a three-week cycle where the planet Mercury begins its transit in reverse. As the energies of Mercury are associated with the mind and communication, it can be a time where the atmosphere feels heavy and slow, and where communication systems become chaotic. It’s a time when astrologers recommend not to sign contracts or make any big commitments, and where New Agers advise much self-reflection and harmonizing of the body’s energies.

Many people face Mercury retrograde with a heavy sigh and feeling of dread, but the upside of the powerful reverse shift of this planet is it can be an excellent time to go within and really examine where you’re at and how your current choices are serving you. The problem is, most of us resist the energies rather than ride them for their full potential.

Here are 3 ways you can rock this “rocky rocktober” retrograde:

*Listen to your inner voice: In order to really own this mercury retrograde, it is crucial to stay in touch with how you feel. Keep a notebook by your bed to record how you feel every morning when you wake-up, and each night before you go to bed. Write down both how you feel and what you need. This will help keep your consciousness lucid and active, as mercury retrograde has a tendency to dull the higher senses and cause us to feel out of touch with our inner needs.

*Embrace your negative emotions: One of the reasons so many people struggle with Mercury retrograde periods is because of the negative feelings that can sometimes surface. When we resist what we feel, it becomes stronger. Mercury retrograde is a powerful Universal assistance in bringing unhealed emotions/thoughts/feelings to the surface. When we look at negative feelings as a “bad” thing, we abandon ourselves in how we feel – we put limits on what is acceptable and what is not. If we approach our less-than-positive emotions with a feeling of welcome and embrace, they are less likely to trample us. Embracing our emotions is a way to soften the blow. So give yourself permission to feel whatever you feel. Tell yourself it is okay.

*Connect with nature: Being in nature is one of the fastest ways to raise your vibration, as trees, rocks, plants, and water have a calming/soothing effect on the electromagnetic field of the body and can help us feel more in-touch with our physical existence. So often during Mercury retrograde periods, it is easy to get stuck in the eddies of all our frustrations and negative feelings. This causes us to disassociate from the moment and from our bodies. Make it a habit to go outside every day and put your bare feet on the ground or sit next to a tree or near a body of water. Do this for at least 5 minutes a day. Your body/mind/and soul will thank you for it!

Remember, Mercury retrogrades do not have to be a negative experience. Ride the flow of the energies and use it as a time for purging, going within, and connecting to your inner voice.

Don’t worry. You’ve got this!

Written by Amanda Leigh:

The Importance of Daily Emotional Check-ins

Empaths, Features, Spirituality

One of my latest articles from Lotus Effect:

Feeling out-of-touch with our emotions is an all-to-common ailment among society today. Most of us are too busy fulfilling our obligations, taking care of other people’s needs, and simply surviving, that we forget to stop and listen to our own wants and needs. When we finally do check-in, we realize there is an avalanche of emotions, wounds, resentments, energetic cords attaching us to others, and trauma that has too often been left to fester and infect.

We would never ignore a broken leg or physical wound in the body, but most of us allow our emotional brokenness to go untended for years, and then wonder why we feel crippled. Exploring our own emotional worlds can be scary, yes, but ignoring them can be detrimental. By doing daily emotional check-ins, we can ease our way into the world of our (often confusing) emotions and learn how to become experts in our own self-care.

Daily emotional check-ins should be as natural to us as bushing our teeth.

Here’s how to do to it:

Put a notebook by your bed. Upon waking each morning ask yourself the following questions:

“How do I feel?”

“What do I need?”

Write whatever comes to you. If you can’t access your emotions right away, connect to your body first. What sensations do you feel in your body and where? Can you attach any emotion to those sensations? What might those emotions be connected to? Listen, honor, and respect these emotions. Our emotions are our guidance system. They are our compass to help us see WHERE WE ARE so we know how to get to WHERE WE WANT TO BE.

Once you’ve accessed what you feel (and write it down) ask yourself what you need. It is important to trust your first instinct and do your best to honor the answer you receive. If it’s chocolate, indulge. If it’s a walk, enjoy a stroll. If it’s support, call a friend. If it’s relaxation, take a warm bath. Your Higher Self always knows what you need on an emotional/energetic level, and your body is brilliant at communicating its necessities too. You need only ask. And listen. Your true, Higher Guidance won’t tell you to do things to simply numb or suppress your emotions, but it will always lead you in the direction of healthy relief.

The purpose of writing down your responses is so you can notice any patterns that may emerge. At the end of every week, look through your notebook and notice any consistent themes. Do this also at the end of every month, and even year. Not only will this give you intimate knowledge of your own emotional habits, you’ll also see patterns in specific seasons and times of year and learn to be preemptive for times you can predict you may be energetically or emotionally more vulnerable.

Doing daily emotional maintenance will cause you to be an expert in your own self-care and give you the tools you need to truly thrive.

5 Ways to Align with the Energies of Fall

Empaths, Spirituality

Check-out my latest article from Lotus Effect:

Fall is a perfect time to align our own energy with the earth’s changing season. Here are 5 ways to energetically harmonize with the essence of autumn:

*Count your blessings: Fall is a time of harvest, and a perfect time to count your blessings. Science has proven that the feeling of gratitude produces an incredibly high frequency in our bodies, and when our vibes are high, we attract more goodness into our lives. As the colder months come and the darkness closes in, having gratitude for the abundant harvest is an excellent way to line-up with our highest potential for the fall. Ring in the season with a gratitude journal and make a commitment to write down daily what you are thankful for.

*Balance your chakras in nature: Fall is one of the most beautiful times of year, and with all the lower chakra colors (red, orange, and yellow) in full bloom, it’s a perfect time to balance, clear, and activated your connection to earth and the physical body. Get out in nature and spend time with the vibrancy of the earth’s final blush before her winter slumber. It’s guaranteed to give your body the energy it needs to take on the longer days of darkness.

*Find a balanced routine: As the days get shorter and the access to direct sunlight depletes, it is important to spend our days in balance. Studies have shown that synching our routine with the sun can greatly increase our mental and emotional stability, as well as balance our circadian rhythms. Balancing our routine with the change in weather patterns and sun exposure will do wonders in helping us feel balanced and healthy for the coming of winter.

*Give: Fall is a time of harvest, a time of abundance – a time to reap what we have sown. Energetically, the time is ripe for giving. As we interact with the bright orange colors of fall, the sacral chakra is activated, and with it, our capacity to give and receive. Autumn is the perfect time to practice the art of giving, which gives our sacral chakra the opportunity to release some of its natural receiving energy which is activated in summer. Additionally, giving makes us feel good, which raises our vibration and puts us in a better energetic position to take on the colder months ahead.

*Embrace your shadows: Traditionally, the fall equinox is known as a time of descending into the underworld. Energetically this looks like going deep into our shadows and understanding the thoughts, intentions, and motivations that lurk in our subconscious mind. It’s a time of embracing all that we are and all that we could be. The earth’s energy during the fall season is the perfect time to do shadow integration.

If we use the energy of the season to balance and align our bodies with nature’s changing tides, we are bound to have a more enjoyable transition into the darkness.

Happy fall, everyone!

The Power of Authenticity

Empaths, Features, Spirituality

This is my latest article for modbod. Thought it relevant:

“Live true. Be you.” It’s the motto here at modbod. But it’s meant to be so much more than an inspirational motivation. We believe being your authentic self is a life-changing prescription.

The power of authenticity cannot be overstated. So many of us spend far too much energy worrying about what people think, our image, and the expectations of others, that we sacrifice our own internal truths, desires, and callings. We give away our power in hopes that others will give our lives meaning. We sacrifice our emotional and mental health and expect society to tell us our worth at our heart’s expense. It never works.

Our world is starving for authenticity. We expect our president, our spouses, and our church leaders to be honest about who they are and what their agendas entail, yet we refuse to be honest with ourselves. We live by the expectations of our friends, family, and society, while rejecting the silent promptings and unique call of our own hearts. We sacrifice our personal truths for the truths of others and pretend to be happy about it. Meanwhile, everyone wants out, but nobody dares disrupt the “peace.”

The truth is, we’ve been taught from childhood that the most important mechanism for survival in this world is to fit in. Being liked is more valued than being true to ourselves, and therefore we’ve learned to see our true self as something to be suspicious of. We believe expressing our inner truth might ruin our relationships.

We couldn’t have it more backward.

When we ignore and suppress who we truly are, we die inside. It’s a slow and painful death, yet in the time we spend mastering our own denial we fail to foresee the day we wake up and resent everyone and everything around us – including ourselves. This is what causes relationships to suddenly end, families to split apart, and people to walk away from their lives to drink themselves into oblivion.

Those of us who don’t go off the deep-end slowly allow bitterness to overtake our joy, and life becomes a duty — an obligation. It’s no longer about living our passions, dreams, and desires, but simply about surviving and doing what we can to keep up an appearance of perfection. Well lie to everyone around us, including ourselves. We may be living, but we feel as though we might as well be dead.

The only way to break this heart-deadening cycle to turn inward — to our spirits, and listen to the calling of our hearts. The sooner we decide to be true to ourselves, the less painful and shocking it will be for those around us. We don’t have to wait until we become so unsatisfied with life that we walk away from it all. Every day we can listen. Every day we can choose to bring our truth to life’s table. Every day we can do something that brings us joy. Every day we can choose authenticity over facades. When we live true, we give those around us permission to do the same, and everyone is better for it. This is how we change the world.

Don’t succumb to the pressures of your culture, family, or society to “fit in.” Celebrate the uniqueness of you. You are the only one that can express your individual divinity. Do it with pride. It is only through authenticity that you will be set free. Live true. Be you.

What to Expect During An Ayahuasca Ceremony

Body Work, Features, Health Products, Spirituality, Websites

Those of you who follow my blog know I have an avid interest in the use of certain medicinal plants for expansion purposes. While ayahuasca is certainly not for everyone, I do like to provide information for those who are interested in exploring what plants have to offer us on our soul’s journey.

Mindbodygreen recently published this article on what to expect during an ayahusca ceremony and I wanted to pass it along. Enjoy!

What to Expect During An Ayahuasca Ceremony

It would appear from recent articles in Marie Claire and The New York Times, and a few documentaries I’ve seen, that there has been a rise in the number people attending Ayahuasca ceremonies.

For those of you who have not heard of Ayahuasca, it’s an ancientmedicinal plant with origins in the Amazon, namely Peru. It’s a thick brown tea derived from Caapi, a vine that only grows in the rainforest. The Caapi vine is blended with plant leaves that contain hallucinogenic properties to create Ayahuasca.

An Ayahuasca ceremony involves drinking the hallucinatory plant/vine tea blend under the guidance of a respected Shaman, for a long night spent in deep connection to a higher intelligence and an understanding of one’s true self. Ayahuasca is indigenous to the Amazon and is legal there, where retreats and ceremonies are held and authorized, but not in the U.S., where the scene is still underground and secretive.

If you are considering partaking in such a journey, prepare to encounter the divine, the infinite, the mystery — whatever you choose to call it — that which is beyond the limited perspective of your mind.

You must also be willing to accept that the divine/infinite/mystery cannot be experienced in a way that will make sense to your brain; the infinite is infinite — duh; while your brain is still finite.

Be wary that you might not necessarily like the information that the divine/infinite/mystery chooses to share with you either.

In the documentary Vine of the Soul: Encounters with Ayahuasca, one user reported that the horror she experienced was truly indescribable and that she thought she was going to die.

But another participant in the ceremony said that Ayahuasca opened her heart in a way it had never been opened before.

Ayahuasca is always referred to in the feminine, because users have said that the voice of higher intelligence that they’ll hear while during the ceremony is female. She (meaning the plant) speaks to you directly and tells you what you need to work on in your life.

Returning ceremonial participants should also be aware that each time you experience the divine/infinite/mystery, it will be different — each experience is akin to just a small drop in the ocean.

The experience will be ineffable, beyond language, and you will likely find that trying to put it into words after the ceremony has ended will be daunting if not impossible.

“Ten years of therapy downloaded in a night,” seems to be a fairly universal analogy to convey the possible takeaway from a ceremony. A typical Ayahuasca ceremony is a full night — the trip can last up to five hours. You may wish to take this into consideration before you make plans to attend a barbecue or any other form of social activity, the following day.

The icaros, sung by a Shaman, are an integral part of the ceremony. It is through these songs that your mareación (the visionary effects of Ayahuasca) is enhanced. It is also quite likely that you will likely gain a greater appreciation of the power of music through the icaros.

If you do not adhere to the recommended dieta (diet) before the ceremony, then the plants will assist your body in ridding itself of the chemicals — salt, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, etc., by fleshing out the toxins and impurities that you have crammed into it over the years. This is commonly known as purging, which translates to literally just that. You’ll probably vomit profusely but purge buckets will be provided. But fear not, if your body (including the subtle energy body) is clean, then there will be nothing to purge.

Another possible outcome of an Ayahuasca ceremony is that you will realize that everything perceived through your five senses and assimilated by your mind is contrived or false.

It is possible that plant medicine allows one to open The Doors of Perception, as Aldous Huxley described in his detailed account of taking mescaline. The subjective self is temporarily shed and a merging with the infinite “other,” is realized. After a ceremonial night of purging, you might find that you gain a fresh new outlook on what was once a seemingly mundane reality.

You should also be quite certain that your Shaman is bonafide, as you will be entrusting him or her with your psychological and emotional well-being. Be prepared to experience your mind deconstruct first-hand, and then reconstruct itself back together.

Once your mind is shattered or “broken open” as the psychedelia author Daniel Pinchbeck calls it, you may encounter what feels like schizophrenia, which can be frightening. Therefore it is imperative to do your research on your Shaman and the ceremony itself — whether it’s a retreat center in the middle of the Peruvian jungle or a loft space in Brooklyn — so that you can ensure you are in good hands and feel safe.

It is not a coincidence that seekers interested in yoga and meditation would gravitate towards plant medicine, for yoga and meditation were originally designed to guide practitioners beyond their rational thinking minds and experience the divine/infinite/mystery.

Much like yoga and meditation retreats, the Ayahuasca ceremonial retreat has found a home right here in the wellness world, and even amongst celebrities like Tori Amos, Sting and Paul Simon. Some are even calling it, “the new juice cleanse.”

Feeling Crazy? Join the Party! (Lotus Effect)

Body Work, Empaths, Features, Spirituality, Uncategorized

Because it’s relevant not only to my own life, but so many of the clients I’ve been working with, I thought I’d share another article I wrote for Lotus Effect (just to remind you you’re not alone!).

Feel Crazy? Join the Party!

Feeling more emotional or drained than usual? Don’t fret. The planetary vibrations have been intense; from solar flares and super moons to mercury retrogrades, the energies of our world are at an all-time high.

Not only are astrological events affecting our emotional worlds, cell phone radiation and technological interference in our earth’s electromagnetic field affect how we think and feel. Not to mention, as the consciousness of the planet continues rise, all unhealed past trauma and negative patterns in our lives are coming to the surface. Past survival mechanisms/coping methods no longer work, and many people feel their emotional lives have become too difficult to manage.

Here is a list of 10 common symptoms people experience with the planet’s current energy flux:

Sudden and unexpected bursts of emotion
Constantly feeling on the verge of tears
Past memories/trauma resurfacing
Relationships falling apart or under extreme pressure (more than usual)
Headaches
Unexplained thyroid and adrenal issues that cannot be healed
Restless sleep
Feeling overly tired and fatigued
A sense of time standing still, speeding up, or not existing at all
Feeling detached/disassociated from your body

For those who make the choice to line-up with these energies and allow their consciousness to shift, let go of outdated belief systems, and heal old wounds, the shift has proved to be not only bearable, but beneficial. Choosing the path of expansion is not always pleasant, but it’s necessary for survival.

If you’re having any of the above experiences, it’s important to own up to how you feel. The Universal energies are calling us all out – there is no more room to pretend, bypass, or suppress. It’s time to take care of our individual energy imprint on this planet and do the work to be healthy/balanced people. We are all responsible for what’s happening in our world because everything we think, feel, and do affects everyone.

Here are three important things you can do to start leveling up with the Universe:

Consider how your current habits make you feel. Pay close attention to what you put in and around your body. What kind of music do you listen to? What is the quality of the food you eat? How do you spend your time? Everything you put in your body (and your mind) affects you and everyone around you. It is important to take good care of yourself and get in touch with what you truly need to be healthy.
Do an emotional detox. Commit to healing any and all old energy patterns that continually repeat themselves. Pay attention to how you feel and allow old emotions to surface. Once they emerge, ask yourself what you need to heal and listen to what your intuition tells you. Distracting yourself and stuffing down emotions only gets the energy stuck in your body (which then manifests in physical ailments and disease). Plus, suppressing just doesn’t work anymore. It’s time to face how you feel and deal with it. You’ll feel better when you do.
Do a physical detox. An herbal or juice cleanse works wonders at clearing out old energy stored in our bodies. Even giving your body a break from over stimulating food can be healing. Listen to your body and do whatever feels right to you, but commit to self-care. Your body works hard at keeping you healthy, and with the intense energies on the planet right now, it’s important to give it an extra boost.

Whatever you choose to do with this information, just remember, you’re not alone.

To Hell With Self-Improvement!

Bits and Pieces, Empaths, Spirituality

WARNING: Adult language ahead!

I shocked myself this morning. After a walk, some sungazing, yoga in the park, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Being as I started my day off in the “right” way (I was proud), I thought I would attempt to journal.

You see, I’ve been trying to tap into my creativity for awhile (not only with writing, but with my career as well) and I’ve felt blocked. Majorly blocked. This has been going on for years. I always feel as if I’m operating at about 5% of what I’m actually capable of. But for some reason every time I try to force myself to do better, I shut down. I feel even worse. What’s resulted from this inner struggle is a constant and ever-present feeling of failure. I never feel good enough.

As one who prides myself on my ability to face my own shadow (and embrace my negative emotions), I thought I would go into this feeling and see if I could coax my inner self out — to let her know I love her and it’s okay for her to shine — to heal the negative emotional imprint so I can finally do what I’m “meant” to do.

I decided to write my inner self a letter (my “human” self). I wanted to talk to the part of me that wasn’t allowing success. The part holding me back from my full potential.

But she wasn’t having it.

I couldn’t type the first sentence before I realized it was my human-self who wanted a word with me. And she wasn’t happy:

“Why do you insist I prove my worth to you? Fuck you and your self-Improvement! I don’t want to be improved upon. Fuck you for treating me like I’m your problem to fix — a fundamental flaw in your system. You’ve adopted your dad’s way about you – the critical way. Unaccepting. Unattainable perfection. You chose the path of ‘improvement’ because you hate me.

Fuck your belittling ways; you’re trying to coax me out to do your bidding – to make you look good for others – to earn their love and approval. I’m not interested in improvement. I’m interested in doing nothing but existing in peace without your fucking judgments. I don’t want a war. But a war is what you will get if you try to force my hand.

You always want to prove, prove, prove. Fuck you. I don’t have anything to prove. Your validation is just not that important to me.

I want to be loved simply because I exist. I’m not good. I’m not bad. I just am. Fuck your ‘enlightenment’ bullshit. Perfection doesn’t interest me.

I REFUSE to prove myself to you. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we can go in peace. You cannot force me to do what you want by withholding your love from me. Fuck that. I am not your slave. I am not your constellation prize. I am not your whore. Fuck you!”

It poured out of me like a volcano eruption. I couldn’t hold it back. I was literally shaking. I realize I wasn’t only talking to “me” — I was talking to everything (and everyone) in my life that reflected that judgment — including my false perception of God.

Like whoa.

#shadowwork #shitjustgotreal

Join the Empowering Empaths Online Community

Empaths, Spirituality, Starseed Corner

For empaths seeking a community of support and encouragement, I have created a free, private online Facebook group.

Much like the online classes I’ve taught in the past, this group will be a place where I share videos about healing and understanding empathic abilities, as well as excerpts from my upcoming book, Empathic Healing.

Members can join for free, invite others to the group, share experiences, ask any questions, and even post their own videos too! All are welcome, but only members can see what’s posted.

My intention is for empaths to have a safe place where they feel empowered and supported. All videos/info I post will only be available through this private group, so as to attract only those who are interested in the topic of empathic abilities and want to connect with like minds.

To join, simply request to be added on the Facebook forum.

I look forward to connecting with you!