Healing
Shenpa Is Not About Getting ‘Called Out’
A true teacher offers you a path to extraordinary personal expansion, because she has no investment in praising you in your mediocrity or dysfunction, in order to help you falsely ‘feel good,’ so you will keep coming back for more. But many people find it hard, threatening, or embarrassing, to practice shenpa, even if it is coming from a teacher that loves them enough to be sometimes more committed to their advancement than they are themselves.
Shenpa is a form of mindfulness, applied to you, so you can basically call it ‘mindful self-awareness.’ It is originally a concept in Tibetan Buddhism, meaning ‘attachment’ or a place where we become ‘hooked’ or ‘stuck.’ Pema Chödrön describes shenpa as “the urge, the hook, that triggers our habitual tendency to close down. We get hooked in that moment of tightening when we reach for relief. To get unhooked, we begin by recognizing that moment of unease and learn to relax in that moment.”
In this age of ‘victim worship,’ most people have been taught and rewarded for being or praising victims, no matter what. This approach infers that the victim is a deformed, delicate, broken porcelain object that must be treated with soft gloves. The victim is considered to be so emotionally and mentally deranged that you must coddle them, because deep down inside you don’t believe they have the resources in their own Self to recover, to grow, to self-validate.
This ultimately is a putdown… not a vote of confidence. This gives the message to the victim that they are ruined for life and therefore you will tolerate any behavior from them. This gives the subliminal message that you feel sorry for them, do not expect much, if anything from them, and also do not ultimately believe they will ever recover. They are, in your mind, and how you treat them, damaged for life. But actually they are not. Getting a scar is not brain damage! Continue reading
How To Block The Energy Of Negative People
It seems that negativity and negative people are becoming more prevalent these days. Just a decade ago, I can remember people being afraid to be “publicly negative.” No one wanted to be seen as being negative, or as someone that brought others down.
I find myself avoiding large groups and big events, because I just don’t want negativity and lower vibrations impacting my happy life. But I do go to activities and fun events for the sake of my 3-year-old child, and often some of the moms, women who are forming impressionable minds, can’t seem to help themselves, but go to the negative! A few weeks ago, for example, I complimented a mom on her daughter’s excellent vocabulary and she told me no one had ever said anything like that to her before. She said people just tear each other down nowadays. How sad.
I am currently five months pregnant. I keep having other moms asking me how I am feeling, which is very nice. However, when I say I feel great, they seem surprised, even sometimes put off. They ask, “You don’t have any unpleasant symptoms?” Well, yes. Of course, I do. I’m pregnant! But whatever the symptom is, mild though it may be, it is still a gift to me – a pleasant reminder that I am so incredibly lucky. Even when I got morning sickness, I remember thinking during it, it’s okay, it’s okay, it will be over soon. You’re lucky. This means you’re pregnant!
Actually, I am up writing this blog at 3:00am, because I have pregnancy insomnia. Right now, I am up, because I am pregnant. It’s okay. I’ll sleep properly again in another five years, when both of my kids are older. Meanwhile, I’m getting a lot done that I can’t do during the day.
The Courage To Shed Our ‘Old Bark’
In recent readings, new romance has been indicated very strongly for one of my regular clients. This is a welcome new development, because for a long time, and to his annoyance, his readings tended to relate more to business than to affairs of the heart! He has been very open to new romance for a long time now, but it has been eluding him.
In many of his readings, his late father featured prominently and suggested that unresolved issues connected to his dad were actually impacting his self-worth. As a result, he also didn’t feel lovable or attractive enough to meet a life partner.
It seems strange though, that after reading for this gentleman for several years, he’d never mentioned his family. The subject only arose unprompted during the recent readings. This suggests that subconsciously he was ready to release that old baggage and to embrace positive change.
Because he was ready, we were discovering that it was important to now remove any deep-seated belief systems and blockages to his happiness, and for him to finally find a life partner who respected him, as opposed to the abusive relationships he’d known for years. I told him that he was like a tree shedding old bark!
This took me back years, to a time when I would help a former boyfriend, who was a horticulturist, with his seasonal work of pruning. He would climb the trees and prune those, and I learned to be quite the rose pruner at ground level.
Living Life – A Message From My Guides
Are you living the life of your dreams? Are you happy or content most of the time? Do you face challenges with confidence, or perhaps dread? Do you compare yourself with others and feel sad, miserable, or even angry at their success? Regardless of whether you feel as though you are at the bottom of the barrel, or soaring among the clouds, there is always room for improvement, and it is never too late to get started.
One of the biggest errors in judgment is all-or-nothing thinking. You do not need to drop everything in your life and start with a blank slate. Not only would that be impossible, it would be totally impractical. Your life so far is a culmination of all your experiences, education, career opportunities and family interactions, and cannot be wiped away like a chalkboard. Instead, you can, and should, start by making course corrections and taking baby steps in the right direction.
Set your intention first. Visualize the end result. Begin the process of redesigning your life gently and allow the universe to conspire in your favor over time. Whether you choose to go back to school, read a book, take a course, attend a conference, learn online or join a group, do something that makes you feel happy and fulfilled. Do it because you want to, not because you have to.
Set realistic goals and deadlines. If you are juggling a family or career or both, be sensible in your expectations of yourself. Things take time and if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Do not expect overnight results. Life is not a success-only journey, however, each setback holds a series of invaluable lessons. Deal with each issue, learn from the experience and move on with confidence. Continue reading
Good Vibes At Home With Crystals, Stones And Feng Shui
Crystals and stones have enhanced and blessed my life in so many ways. I like to use them in combination with Feng Shui. It’s all about energy and vibrations and how to work with the energy of the stones in our home, office or even a temporary space. As with everything we do, the intention we give it amplifies the vibes.
I choose certain stones to place in the interior of my house, using Feng Shui principles and the attributes of various stones. After I choose the stones, I find the Feng Shui geographic directions using a compass. I then place one stone or crystal in each of the directions, to correspond with the Feng Shui system. They can be placed on window sills, cabinets, desks, or any place where they will be secure.
As I place each stone, I say my intention or prayer aloud and ring a bell. Many of my selected stones have been in place for years. Once a year, I take a soft cloth and lovingly wipe the stones to clean them, before I replace them. I also reaffirm my intention, say a prayer and ring the bell again. Sound reactivates a crystal or stone. I then offer my gratitude and appreciation to the stone or crystal ‘guest,’ and thank it for the blessings it brings and energetic work it does.
Below are a few suggestions for combining Feng Shui with the energy of various crystals and stones, to imbue your space with good vibrations. These are suggestions from my personal knowledge and experience, but I recommend that you bond with those stones or crystals that resonate with your own intention.
Entering The Lions Gate
We are fast approaching the metaphysically significant date of 8/8 this month – a day that is known as The Lions Gate. This is an excellent time to take a look a look at what meaningful events have occurred in your life over the last year, as well as any wounds that may have been triggered for us.
The Lions Gate is a time of alignment of the Earth, the star Sirius, and the galactic center. As Sirius rises in the sky, Orion’s Belt directly aligns with the Pyramid of Giza. The alignment is called Lions Gate, because it occurs when the Sun is in the astrological sign of Leo.
Sirius is known as our ‘Spiritual Sun.’ We are constantly bathed in the cosmic rays generated by the Sirius system, which includes Sirius A, the larger star, and its binary twin, the dwarf star, known as Sirius B.
The ancient Egyptians celebrated the New Year at this time of Sirius’s heliacal rise, or first appearance on the Eastern horizon just before sunrise. This was also the time of year when the Nile River would flood, bringing life and fertility to the fields. It is interesting to note that the ancient Egyptians somehow knew of the existence of the dwarf star, Sirius B, despite the fact that it is not visible to the naked eye.
Around July 6, Sirius is conjunct to our Sun, starting a phase of its closest proximity to our solar system, and there is upswing in the cosmic rays which infuse us with photon light energy, light codes and divine wisdom. These cosmic rays, with all its spiritual information and activations, are automatically received by all life on Earth, as well as the planet herself.
The Power Of Gratitude In Difficult Times
It is just as important to express gratitude and appreciation when we face the difficult times in our life, as it is when things are going well. In fact, it is even more important to express it during the hard times.
When our lives are on a downswing, the last thing on most people’s hearts or minds is to be thankful, or in a state of appreciation and joy. When we are struggling, our soul tends to be more aware of the negative energy of what is going on around us. This can ultimately attract the manifestation of even more negative energy, stressful situations and unpleasant events. In the end, even more bad days will come our way.
However, when we decide to stand strong and stop the downward spiral of our energy, and to be grateful for all of life’s lessons, whether good or bad, our energy begin to shift for the better.
When I pay my bills (a task that most of us really do not enjoy), I always write thank you under the last entry in my bank journal. When I think of the reason for doing this, especially when it means spending money on things that are not tangible and sitting in my hand, the explanation comes very easily. I am saying thank you for actually having the money to pay these bills – the hydro bill so I can have lights, the gas bill so I can have heat in the winter, the credit card bill for those urgent things I had to purchase, and the medical bill that allowed me to purchase the medication I need to keep my health in check, and so on. Even though these things may not be material things that I can feel or see every day, it means something at some point to make my life better.