awareness
Being Grateful For Every Thank You
It occurred to me recently, while I was out driving in the Spanish countryside where I now live, that most of the local people appear to be really happy and content. They often talk of things they are grateful for, and these are rarely their material belongings. Then I had a big ‘aha’ moment!
As a child I grew up in various Spanish speaking places. I learned, when someone thanks you for something, the appropriate response is to say, “De nada!” In other words, ‘it’s nothing,’ or ‘don’t mention it.’
On my return to Spain a few years ago, I discovered a different response to a thank you. These days a gracias (thank you) is responded to with gracias a ti (thanks to you). Also what I noticed is, when I got thanked in return, it felt really good, as if good energy was being directed my way.
I met one of my Spanish friends for coffee today. We both enjoy our chats about all things spiritual. She is studying metaphysics in various disciplines, and I have read for her, as well as her mom. I brought up this topic about how ‘thank you’ is replied to differently, compared to when I first started learning Spanish many years ago. “It is not entirely the case,” she responded. “There are still those who say de nada.”
The Karma Of Animal Cruelty
Our cats, dogs and all the other wonderful animals we call our pets are like tiny buddhas. We receive wisdom from them in so many ways. They never use words to convey anything, only feeling. If we are in-tune with them, and watch their behavior, we get a sense of how they are feeling.
Venturing into the Akashic record, to read for my clients, I have come to understand that much of our karma is based on how we not only treat ourselves and other humans, but also our fur friends and every other living being on this planet.
And in my experience, karma seems to bear an especially heavy weight when it comes to the animals. To my knowledge, those who abuse and mistreat animals will pay a severe price for it in their spiritual growth and soul evolution. In fact, many people return in a next life as the very animal they hurt, and will experience the same, or worse infliction they put upon that animal.
Animals are creatures of God, messengers of Love. They are here to teach us how to co-exist with each other with compassion and unconditional love. They show us how to share space, heal with touch and communicate telepathically. Some cat owners, for example, will tell you how their cats begin to circle around them and purr whenever they are meditating, or engaging in other forms of spiritual practice, which heightens their energy frequency and spiritual awareness.
Seeing The Real World Of The Heart
As a woman and mother, I have questions about things happening in my world. As an intuitive empath, I receive questions that others have about things happening in their world. A recent experience sums up what I consider to be the most reliable source of inner wisdom, and where answers can be accessed by all of us.
I was awake one night with the energetic sensation of a specific situation permeating my experience. I could feel the energy in each expansion of my chest, as I inhaled. It filled my every breath, my every sense. My mind questioned, but I heard the guiding whisper of God in my soul say, “The real world is in the heart.”
There are spiritual dimensions of reality that are deeper, finer, subtler, more substantial than what is evident on the surface in the physical world. The door that opens to them is within the heart. There is truly more than meets the eye.
This realization reminded me of the illustration plates in the anatomy section of my parents’ encyclopedia, which fascinated me when I was a child. It wasn’t the human body per se that so intrigued me; it was the way the transparencies overlaid one another to form the whole picture.
At the top of them all was the skin, creating a picture of a human the way I was accustomed to see. As I turned the first page, I got a glimpse of something I had felt but never seen directly before with my eye, namely muscles. Page by page continuously showed deeper levels of anatomy beneath the surface, including the circulatory system, organs, and skeleton.
Nephelomancy – Divination By Clouds
I first became interested in reading cloud formations when I was about 12 years old. I was fascinated by the imagery and symbols I was able to see in the shapes of clouds.
Due to my mother visiting another country, I was living at that time with a Dutch family for a while. They had two daughters and a son, and treated me as if I was one of their own. They were nurturing and very open, and they shared many of their own experiences and hopes with me.
The mother, a gentle lady, told me of how just a few months previously she’d received a frantic message from Holland to fly back urgently, because her mom was dying. But just two hours into the flight back home, as she was gazing out of the aircraft window, her departed mother showed herself very clearly in the cloud formation, as if she gently stepped out of the clouds to communicated with her.
Just thinking back to her telling me this story so long ago still gives me the shivers. Her mother then informed her telepathically that she need not rush, as she had already passed to spirit. She then said that she no longer felt stressed about missing her mom’s actual passing. Instead she now felt an incredible sense of inner peace and calm, knowing that all was well.
From that time forward, I became very aware of cloud formations and I would often look for signs from spirit, or try to see if one of my deceased pets or ancestors might be floating by to say hello! I also became more interested in what their formations might represent in the way of a prediction, omen or forewarning of any sort. Continue reading
Overcoming The Trials Of Spiritual Transformation
Major setbacks and challenges in our lives can lead to a ‘crisis in faith.’ However, as much as they may seem like unjust setbacks, they’re actually about transcending major hurdles for the purpose of spiritual growth. In truth, these moments of adversity are evidence of an impending, giant step forward within our emerging consciousness. Cherish them.
For those of us who guide others coming into their spiritual power, it is important to understand the significance of these signs, so as to not misinterpret them. That said, it’s not easy for those undergoing these symptoms, which can include feelings of being in limbo, doubtful and depressed, often creating rifts with family and friends. All of these signposts are marking the path for spiritual transformation in the now. For example, if you catch yourself having moments of letting go consciously of self-limiting negativities, that is letting you know that you’re right on track. Honor them.
It’s not unusual for an emerging lightworker to suddenly let go of family and friends whom they no longer resonate with, or to undergo a career change which formerly would have been inconceivable. One becomes less concerned with matters of everyday security, often feeling that the cultural values we have been taught are nothing but an illusion. Or, some may feel they are in mourning, as though something or someone has died – which is a actually an apt description. Indeed, it’s a death of priorities and loss of all meaningless ties. As a result, it’s not a loss at all. Rather, it’s marking the path of self-sufficiency.
For me, it often goes something like this: “Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit restless. Is there something I should be pursuing? Is there a calling I’m missing?” The answer usually comes as I wait on more information with intention. I call it WOO: Waiting On Orders. Although the ‘orders’ may not come immediately, sooner or later, I am back on my path in the direction indicated by the objectives my higher good is setting out for my next challenge in the spiritual growth process. Be aware of them.
Death Is Never Final
Most of us have lost someone dear to us, whether it be a grandparent, parent, child, friend or co-worker. And when this happens, many of us wonder why, and what happens next? Know this: death is never final.
Death is simply the spiritual essence leaving the physical body. Each one of us is born with this spiritual nature, our soul energy or spiritual essence. We are given a physical body to carry us through this journey on Earth, and throughout this life journey our physical bodies change. However, our spiritual essence remains constant from before our birth, and carries us forward to many other realms and new incarnations, beyond the physical death at the end of this lifetime.
My clients are often concerned about their departed loved ones. Is my mother in pain? Is my family okay? Is my child still suffering? Is my husband safe? Is my friend stuck in between worlds because she took her own life?
The simple answer to all these questions is: yes. When we pass, our physical body is no longer needed and our spirit simply returns to the Highest, or Heaven, or Universal Love, or Source. There is no ‘hell’ or ‘bad place’ after this life. It is all good for all of us. It is a place of peace and simplicity. A plane of existence or realm of the utmost, purest, highest state of unconditional love.
When we lose someone close to us, the essence of their spirit returns to us at different times after their passing. You may see, hear, sense, or even smell them, and sometimes even feel them touch you. All these experiences are real. If you feel them around you, they are there. If you feel a feather like touch on your cheek, they are there. If a scent reminds you of someone, they are there. If you swear someone just sat on your bed, but no one is in your room, they are there.
Seeking Spirituality
During the years of private study with my teacher, Adyashanti, he used to speak a lot about belief systems and spiritual practices. I learned from him, among other things, that to believe something, as opposed to having a direct experience of it, are two entirely different things. If you believe something because you’ve been made to feel guilty for being a non-believer, or merely because you think it’s the ‘right’ thing to do, it’s likely that this belief will be challenged throughout your life.
However, if you have a direct experience that is of a spiritual nature, you’re more likely to remember it and the impact it had on you, and you are more likely to truly believe as a result. The direct spiritual experiences we have, whether through meditation, dreams, or psychic and paranormal phenomena, are the ones that help us grow as an individual and bring us into alignment with our soul.
Why is this? If you think about it, we are bombarded with information every day that our minds must either believe, memorize, and somehow apply. Our authentic state, soul or higher self, has a direct, intuitive knowing that doesn’t come from this information or thoughts triggered by the external world. This kind of ‘knowing’ comes from within. When we have moments where our ‘everyday mind’ is out of the way, either through a psychic vision, spiritual experience, dream, or simply a quiet, meditative state, we come back in touch with this original ‘inner knowing’ or ‘beingness.’
Some call this ‘enlightenment.’ According to my teacher, Adyashanti, and from my own direct experiences, true enlightenment is not something that can be learned, rather it’s the ‘unlearning’ of all thoughts we’ve taken in.