pets
The Metaphysical Properties Of Houseplants
Many people who use houseplants to brighten their living space do not realize that they also have metaphysical properties to enhance our spiritual and energetic well-being. Plants, in addition to beautifying our environment, have mystical qualities, and also serve to purify and detoxify the air we breathe.
Herbs are especially powerful and traditionally associated with mental clarity, serenity, and purification. An ancient spiritual cleansing tradition is smudging in which the smoke of burning dry sage and other herbs is used to purify spaces and banish negative energies.
Many herbs are also edible and can be made into elixirs, teas, or potpourri mixes. Delicious and nourishing herbal teas are the perfect way to begin or end a day. Herbs can also be added to healing baths and to enhance nutritious food. Some of my favorites are lavender, mint, rosemary, and basil.
Herbs are easy to grow and do not take up much space. They are no doubt the most versatile houseplant, and even a small apartment can host a herb garden if it has a sunny windowsill.
If you’ve never owned houseplants before, begin with a succulent, such as a cactus or aloe plant. They don’t require much maintenance or watering. Many succulents have spines or spikes, which is why they are associated with protective energies and healing. They are the ‘armor wearers’ of the plant kingdom and keep feelings of despair, gloom, and anxiety at bay. Aloe is also well-known as a treatment for minor cuts, itches, and burns, so grab a piece if you have a slight accident at home and rub some on.
Connecting With Your Pets Energetically
I am the proud pet mama of two cats who could not be more different from one another. Francis is fearless. She’s an agile huntress who is always catching dragonflies and darting around the house. Merlin on the other hand, is slow and lazy. More content to make friends with mice and munch on leaves, he is a cat who just loves to love.
There was a time when Merlin went missing for some time. I was devastated! At first, I simply couldn’t believe it. We had just moved a considerable distance, so he was not at all familiar with the area and his new environment. He is an indoor cat that is afraid of grass and any kind of large moving objects (like boughs of trees moving in the wind). I was terrified for him.
After many days of fruitless, I was beginning to lose hope. I had put the word out with the local animal control and missing pet boards. My partner and I knocked on doors and wandered the neighbourhood nightly, calling out his name, but there was no sign of him at all.
In my heart, I knew Merlin was still out there. As the second week of his absence ended, I just had to try something new. I was willing to try anything at this point!
So, I consulted the Tarot. I asked where I might find him, or when he would come home, but my intensely clouded emotions made a clear, sensible reading impossible. Reading for oneself is generally not a good idea, much less when you are as distraught as I was at the time. The Tarot is also not the ideal psychic tool for these kinds of questions.
Then I began researching energetic methods for finding a lost a pet. This is when I discovered an energy meditation known as the ‘golden thread,’ or the ‘golden cord.’ It is a simple visualization technique for connecting energetically with a pet.
When Two Souls Collide
Clients sometimes ask me if a recently deceased loved one or pet will eventually reincarnate and return to them. In my experience, they certainly do. Sometimes in this life, and certainly in a next life.
There have been times in my life when I would meet someone and there would be a kind of ‘knowing’ or a sense of familiarity about them, as if I had known them before. I believe we all have these experiences of soul recognition from time to time.
A clear sign for me that I am experiencing a soul recognition during such an encounter is that I feel my body tremble when making eye contact, or my hands are shaking. In my experience, the more intense the physical sensation, the more incarnations I may have had with that particular person.
I have had this experience with people who turned out to be someone I only briefly had contact with, but also others with whom I had more lasting relationships. I also experience this ‘knowing’ with my pets. It is something in the way their eyes connect with mine, as if to say. “Hello, it’s me. I’m back!”
One particular incident, which remains vividly etched in my mind, was an event I witnessed about a decade ago. Someone I knew had fallen pregnant when she was going through a difficult time in her life. Despite the father of the child not wanting to be involved, she decided to keep the baby, and she did her best to make sure her baby was going to have the best she could manage to offer her child.
I was very surprised when she asked me to be the guest of honor at her home for the natural water birth. As honored as I was, I was also a bit stressed about it. She outlined the process and reassured me that a trained doula (midwife) would be present. She had done much research into having her baby at home, as well as substantial prepping with her doula. I agreed, but knowing it might be a very long process, I had mentally prepared myself.
The Importance Of Self-Investment
When I was younger, I thought of self-investment as ‘self-indulgence.’ However, as I grew spiritually, my guides made me aware that this was far from the case. In fact, I have learned that self-investment is a necessity – particularly in today’s world!
What can self-investment do for you? Well, it helps to calm your emotions and ground your energy. You feel more in control of your overall situation – whatever that may be.
It can also help prevent burnout by reducing stress, inducing a sense of calm, and minimizing anger, frustration, and depression, while boosting self-esteem! It may further help increase your sense of focus, aid concentration and thus help you deal with any current tasks.
Self-investment also helps you feel much more optimistic and increases your sense of happiness, thus attracting more of the good that the abundant universe has to offer you. It aids you in tapping into your higher self, connecting with the Divine, and utilizing your fullest potential in life.
Sounds great, right? But how does one go about implementing self-investment in a modern, busy life? Consider the following strategies:
Manage Your Time
Most people feel that they cannot self-invest as they never have the time to do so. However, why not draw up a timetable for your week and schedule some me-time? Taking time to do so will pay many dividends for your overall well-being, and what is more important than that?
Drawing up such a schedule will allow you to incorporate healthy habits, and it is the correct kind of habits when it comes to self-nurture that have the most impact. Schedule it: whether you like singing in the bath, cooking delicious healthy food, taking a brisk walk before bedtime, or planning for an early night!