Ritual In A Modern World
Ritual is one of the oldest forms of spiritual expression, and it has roots in pretty much all religions and spiritual practices. The energy created when we take the time to focus our intent, while using symbols and tokens that have meaning for us personally, can be transformational! Whether you practice ritual in a group or on your own, it can supercharge your manifestations and aid in any healing processes you may be going through.
When most people think of ‘ritual’ they often think of darkened smoky rooms, with people in long robes, chanting in strange languages perhaps, all seemingly choreographed with everyone knowing their roles. I’m sure there are some who practice in this way, and truly many of those elements have their place in ritual – incense, chanting, and so on. But I would suggest that ritual can also be something less rigid which we can craft to fit into our modern lives.
In my own practice, I began by creating a little ‘altar’ for myself. It is a small space where I arranged a few candles, some incense, crystals, feathers and some other tokens that have meaning to me. I added a picture of my mother, and a statue of an angel given to me when my grandpa passed away. I created a small space that had deep meaning for me and brought me into a mindset of love.
Now, I didn’t have a lot of room for this! So when I say a small space, this could be anything from the corner of a dresser, to a whole tabletop. As my practice has evolved I now find that any spare surface becomes a home for little treasures that I find in my adventures. Once you start creating these rituals in your life, the Universe will often send you little gifts to help you along. Continue reading
The Blessing Of Mediumship
As a medium, there is nothing more rewarding than bringing through a loved one who has passed on to Spirit. It is tremendously fulfilling to be able to deliver messages from another plane and to put someone’s mind at ease here on Earth.
Often, departed loved ones will come through to give a progress report of sorts, so that family or friends will know that they are happy, pain-free and adjusting beautifully to their new surroundings. In addition, they might weigh in on a family dilemma, reassure a friend that the right decision was made or confirm that everything is currently on track for success.
Readings of this nature are a win-win-win for everyone — for the person who has passed on to Spirit, for the person requesting the reading, and also for me.
Over the years, I have received countless confirmations from readings given privately and in the various spiritualist churches. Although I would never take Spirit’s work for granted, because all messages are important for different reasons, there are many that stand out because of the wonderful reactions they caused.
Once, I was attending a potluck supper at one of the churches and, as I was standing in line for the buffet, I felt a tap on my shoulder. As I turned around to see who was there, an older woman said, “Well, here he is!” She pointed to a man standing beside her. A few years before, Spirit had advised that she would be getting remarried and, at her age, she didn’t believe it for a minute. Fast forward a few years and she brought him to the church supper in the hope that I would be there to meet him in person. She was thrilled beyond belief and beamed with pride as she told me the story of where they had met and how their relationship had progressed so beautifully. Continue reading
Is That Your Intuition Speaking?
Do you sometimes sense your thoughts are more than just thoughts? Do you sometimes hear your thoughts? Do you feel your thoughts? Do you know when it’s your intuition speaking? How do you know the difference between intuition and thinking thoughts?
There are many questions to be asked in order to understand and to allow yourself to become comfortable relating to and relying on that higher part of your consciousness. Your intuition is sometimes referred to as your ‘higher self’ – the all-knowing part of you.
The best way to understand and integrate your intuition into your daily thoughts and understanding of life, is to look back and observe yourself. We all use our intuition every day of our lives. Think about it. More often than not, when you make a decision, you are basing your decision on how you feel about the situation. Look back and see how many of the following questions fit into your life.
- Have you known about future events before they happened?
- Did you sense things going on with other people before they materialize?
- Did you get information through physical sensations?
- Did you feel physical sensations when you made a bad decision?
- Have you felt physical sensations when you made a good decision?
- Have you had an awareness that your intuition was speaking to you?
- Do you sometimes get hunches about things that come to pass?
- Have you checked in with your intuition when you wanted to know the answer to something?
Has Your Astrological Sign Changed?
Reports have been circulating in the media that scientists discovered that everyone’s zodiac sign has changed, due to a permanent shift in the constellations. The truth is this theory has actually been around since the mid-90’s, and has been causing quite a stir in metaphysical circles ever since.
A scientific study that measured the shift in the Earth’s axis (called the wobble) cites that the constellations are no longer moving in sync with the ancient dates and astrological positions originally assigned to signs of the zodiac in early times. This cast a lot of doubt and has been confusing people as to just what their actual sign might be. Of course, it also gave eager skeptics one more reason to point out why astrological practices aren’t valid.
Unfortunately, the scientists and skeptics who promote these claims base their entire theory on a misconception about how the signs of the zodiac came into being, and what they are really based on. In truth, the signs, degrees and divisions of the zodiac have no connection to the heavenly constellations that bear their same names.
The zodiac signs were originally assigned to an ‘elliptical belt’ that surrounds the earth based on the seasons of the year, rather than the stars above. An easier way to understand this is to remember that our seasons start on the first day the Sun enters a particular sign. The first day of Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) corresponds to the onset of Aries; Summer to the first day of Cancer; Autumn to the first day of Libra; and Winter to the first day of Capricorn. Continue reading
Being Prudent
Oftentimes you get stuck in illusions that do not serve you. You may receive a glimpse here and there of what your life could be, and then you allow your ego, the mental chatter in your mind, to believe the stories it creates.
Step out of your story of pain and fear of the unknown. Break free from those illusions. Rise up into your magnificence and glory.
The current Mercury Retrograde may bring up things that you thought you had dealt with. It is just another layer, another level of releasing and healing. Do not fight it. Do not be frustrated by it. Allow it to be what it needs to be.
As you honor and recognize your emotions, your feelings will begin to dissolve and dissipate. It will no longer hold any power of you and you will be free, full of joy, and filled with the love that you are. You will be more able to be present in your life and prudent with your time.
As social media technology has been serving its purpose here on this planet, bringing people closer together in communication and communion, it has also created problems in and of itself, such as addictions to constantly be engaged with your technological devices lest you miss a call or a message from someone.
Again this is where it’s important for you to be aware. Be more conscious of where you are spending your time during the day, so it is not lost on activities that bring no value to your life. We encourage you to put your devices away, where they are out of reach, at least for short periods of time during each day, so that you may truly focus on the task at hand. Continue reading
When The Empath Becomes An Energy Sponge
I just completed a psychic reading for a long-standing client who is a successful teacher, as well as an empath and psychic in her own right. Despite being highly intuitive and, under normal circumstances, able to make good decisions based on her gut feeling, she was feeling totally at a loss, and in limbo concerning her current circumstances.
She asked me for guidance as to what could be happening to her, because even though her situation is not dire, she described herself as feeling like “a sponge that cannot not absorb any more.” She was feeling no sense of creativity or inspiration, nor any initiative to get the ball rolling for a future move for herself and her family. The Tarot’s Hangman card defines how she felt, as if she was just dangling and not getting anywhere fast.
Both she and her husband had made a big geographical move a few years ago, with the well-being of their children in mind. She was beating herself up, because she also felt responsible for every circumstance her family was experiencing, including her 17 year old daughter, who hasn’t quite yet identified her future career niche. Of course, the additional negative energy of guilt was holding her even more in limbo. To top it all, the schooling of her children and work of her husband requires that she lives and teaches remotely, with a several hours commute away from them, so they can only come together as a family once a fortnight. More guilt! Continue reading
Inventory And Choices
People often ask me how to make more progress on their spiritual path. Unfortunately the answer is always the same: time, practice, dedication and money. Money? Yes, even in the days of tribalism, the Shaman was always paid. Communities supported the shaman, to enable her to serve the tribe while keeping her own spiritual practice current and vital. So, yes, the currency of support these days is not food or shelter, but it is money.
As a professor at an art college, I used to observe that the students who were true artists often practiced their art in every spare moment. The students that only wanted a career in art did all they could do just to get by with their classes and training, so they could launch their ‘career’ and get what they wanted and desired, such as money, fame, status or lifestyle.
One is not better than the other, by the way. But this is about looking at what choices you truly make, not what you imagine. Take an inventory of where you spend your time, energy and money, and then look at it carefully, and learn. Own your choices so you don’t convince yourself or others that you are a victim.
By owning your choices, you will have the benefit of not manipulating others (consciously or unconsciously) by presenting as a victim that must be taken care of, and therefore cannot be held accountable. Not presenting as a victim means you will learn to ask for help and support in an honest and mature fashion, rather than singing a sob story to get help and support. Continue reading