Meditation
Everyone Is An Artist
Art is a powerful form of self-expression. It allows us to communicate complex emotions and spiritual concepts through various mediums such as the visual and fine arts, music, dance, acting, creative writing, and so on.
When we are being creative we connect with the subconscious part of ourselves. This can be a powerfully healing experience to help us process and integrate our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and life experiences on a deep level.
When we are children, we don’t have any preconceived ideas about art. If you observe young children, you’ll see this very clearly. They don’t worry about how ‘good’ an artist they are. Most kids just see art as a form of play. They love to draw, or paint, or color, and are typically pretty thrilled with their creations.
So, what happens along the way that we become so self-conscious about our artistic endeavors? It seems to me that at some point most people have had ‘the artist’ within subtly discouraged or silenced. Whatever the case may be,suffice it to say that life takes over at some point and being creative artistically takes a back seat.
“I was never very good at it anyway,” or “I just did it for fun,” are common remarks I’ve heard from people. But what’s wrong with not being very good at something? Especially if it’s fun? Moreover, the benefits of spending time being creative are vast! Art Therapy is growing in popularity and more studies are being done around this modality.
One particular study focused on people with chronic illness or cancer. The researchers looked at the impact visual art activities such as painting, drawing, and pottery had on patients and found that art helped to distract them from thoughts of illness.
Art therapy improved their well-being by decreasing negative emotions and improving positive ones. Depression levels were also reduced, and medical outcomes improved overall. There were also reductions in stress, anxiety, and distress. Further there were improvements in the patients’s spontaneity, expression of their grief, positive identity and social interactions.
Cleanse Your Chakras With The Water Wheel
The chakras are the energy centers of the body and they sometimes become imbalanced or blocked due to toxic energy influences and negative emotions like fear, envy, anger or lust. When this blockage occurs we tend to feel ‘bogged down with no energy to get to where we want to be, be it mentally, physically or emotionally. A chakra cleansing helps to open the door for that built up energy in the affected chakra areas to dissipate.
Working with clients who request chakra readings I like to use an energy cleansing technique I invented that I call ‘The Water Wheel.’ Water is a great cleanser. Its fluidity and continuity makes it one of humanity’s most formidable allies or our worst enemy, depending on how Mother Nature chooses to express herself. Our bodies consist of 98% water and similar to the cycle of the ocean’s tides we are subconsciously also very ‘moved’ by the power of water.
The Water Wheel exercise signifies motion. It goes in a circle, but it also goes forward within that circle. The Water Wheel cleanses the chakras with the motion of water and the movement of the wheel. The Water Wheel is a visualization exercise in which you go from one chakra to the next and mentally see the colors of each as colored water. The key is create vivid visualizations and to practice, practice, practice!
The base or root chakra is associated with the color red, the sacral or naval chakra with orange, the solar plexus with yellow, the heart with green, the throat with blue, the third eye or brow chakra with indigo, and the crown chakra with violet. It is these colors one has to focus on during the Water Wheel chakra cleansing.
The colored water that you see at each chakra point should reflect the color that corresponds to that chakra. For example, when you start at the root chakra you would visualize bright red water and as you move to the sacral chakra the water would turn to a brilliant orange.
The Spiritual Power Of Sweet Solitude
In a meditation circle the other day, there were many of us who got the same message from spirit: that solitude is of vital importance for soul growth and for tapping into our spiritual well-being and psychic potential.
It reminded me of my childhood. I was expanding my psychic awareness and started tapping into my psychic abilities at a very young age. I remember vividly spending time in a tree house, meditating and feeling so free and relaxed.
As I grew older, I began recording my psychic perceptions and spiritual insights in a journal, which at the time I simply thought of as ‘my diary.’ Reading back in later years, I discovered that I had unknowingly recorded many predictions that came to pass.
I would spend a lot of time in solitude and quiet contemplation. I would focus on a certain things or persons that were important to me at the time, and I would then receive intuitive flashes about what needed to be done, as well as what would come to pass, or not.
Discovering the power of solitude and quiet contemplation at such a young age made all the difference in my psychic development and personal spiritual growth. I can hardly imagine where I would be without it today, had I not cottoned on to this in my youth.
If you can spend just a few minutes in sweet solitude every day, or even a few times a day, you will boost your mental and physical health and reduce your stress levels. You will find you will hear your body better for what it needs for healing and well-being.
Spiritual practice in solitude will also empower you to become more creatively inspired and you’ll receive more insightful messages and guidance from spirit. If you want to connect with your intuition and psychic abilities, it is vital that you spend more time in alone in meditation.
Take A Moment To Breathe!
In today’s harried, hurried world we all too often go through life just going through the motions. In our actions and in our words, day in and day out, we rarely take the time to stop and smell the roses. We get up, we go to work, we take care of what we think needs our attention the most, often neglecting ourselves in the process.
Then one day you become burned out. You have no energy to do what you used to be able to do. Your energy seems ‘all clogged up’, rather like a blocked drain, and you can’t breathe. You may feel suffocated. The answer lies in all the excess and adverse energy that you have taken into your body over the years, or over a certain period of time.
Our muscles have what is known as ‘muscle memory’ and we inadvertently have become used to doing what we do, day in and day out. And our bodies remember the feelings. It happens with amputees a lot where they often complain about pain or itching where the missing limb used to be.
It can be triggered by stressful situations, things that bring fear or some sense of trepidation into our lives. Our necks begin to tighten; perhaps your jaw starts to lock up from the stress of not saying what you really want to say. The blocked, burned-out feeling comes from this place of tension and remembered circumstances, and it can be cleared by the power of your breath. We hold so much in psychically that taking some deep cleansing breaths to help us expunge the energy taken on during our daily life.
Do some simple breathing exercises for five minutes when you awake in the morning, to prepare the mind for the day ahead. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results. If you are able to take a break during the middle of your day to practice some additional cognizant breathing, that would be great!
Manifesting With The Moon Phases
The Moon affects all life on Earth and paying attention to her phases, and planning accordingly, can be especially useful in our spiritual practice and in manifesting our wishes and desires.
You can improve your life circumstances by planning events or personal prayers for manifestation around the phases of the Moon. It is also useful in the clearing of unwanted energetic influences.
Throughout the ages, in many belief systems, the Moon is seen as a Lunar deity or goddess. I regularly meditate on her divine presence, while attending to what I wish to manifest within the timing of the lunar energy.
The power of the monthly phases of the Moon can be utilized for manifesting as follows:
New Moon
The phase of the Moon when it first appears as a slender crescent, shortly after its conjunction with the Sun. A time of preparing one’s goals to manifest.
Waxing Moon
A few days after the New Moon one can see a clear crescent lit by the Sun. This is a perfect time for manifesting anything you wish to increase in matters of finances and career. It is also a perfect time for planting all seeds. Remember, the period from the New Moon to the Full Moon are the days of increase.
Unlock The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind
We are problem-solving beings, which is why we have thrived on this planet for so long. Where do the ideas for solutions come from?
Well, our conscious mind can come up with a lot of simple solutions to everyday problems. However, when it comes to more significant issues, it is our subconscious that saves the day.
As incredible as it may seem, experts claim that only 10% of our mind power can be attributed to the conscious mind, whilst a whopping 90% can be credited to the subconscious!
The subconscious mind is a mysterious, powerful phenomenon. I call it the ‘genie within.’ It is our gateway to universal intelligence and infinite wisdom. It is our pathway to higher consciousness. It is also a powerful aspect of our ability to create and manifest through the Universal Law of Attraction.
For example, when my son was small, my husband and I bought a beautiful yellow car. The car was indeed a pleasure to drive. However, my husband used to tease me and say things like, “You have a posh car – I wish I had a car like that! He would say it time and time again, but with no malice intended.
The problem was not so much what said, but rather how my subconscious interpreted his words. Inside I felt unworthy of such a car and guilty for having one far better than my spouse.
Unfortunately, within less than a year of owning my beautiful new vehicle, it was hit by a massive truck and smashed to smithereens. No longer did I have a ‘posh car.’ While I felt terribly sad about this and incredibly out of pocket at the same time, I did feel more at peace.
Thriving In The Winter Of Our Discontent
Enduring a harsh winter with extreme weather, in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, is not an easy feat. It reminds me of the ‘winter of our discontent’ that Shakespeare refers to in the first line of his play Richard III. This winter-pandemic combo is certainly a ‘double whammy’ that could potentially break any camel’s back! But how we choose to deal with these times will determine how it will serve to improve our lives in the long run.
Winter is actually a great time to think about spiritual and personal self-care, especially in places where there are extreme weather conditions. Where I live, in the state of Maine, the winters weather conditions can be severe, making it a time to just surrender, to give myself permission to rest my body, mind and spirit.
It is a time to go within, to meditate, to read, write, paint, to do things that feed the soul. It is good time to connect deeply with our inner being, the subconscious mind, the higher self. It is a time to retreat, allowing the mind to regroup, and to replenish your body, mind, and spirit. When we take the time to get acquainted with ourselves again, we find truth, wisdom, mental and even physical healing.
If you are going through a snowed-up winter right now where you live, use this time to review your bucket list. Reflect on all that is good about your life. Think about things that are not working for you anymore and the best course of action to move forward. Give yourself time to process it all.
The past year has also been a time of getting to know who we really are and what matters to us most. The global pandemic had some major shocks and surprises in store for those of us who had lost touch with ourselves and the people around us. I have been helping many clients working through these challenges.
For many the pandemic has notably been a time of intense solitude. A time of learning to be comfortable in your own company. In the beginning, the hope was that life would go back to normal in just a few months. But as time has gone on, we have had adjust to the so-called ‘new normal.’