courage
Free Yourself From An Unhealthy Relationship
An intimate relationship or marriage is meant to be a safe space. Your partner or spouse is supposed to be the closest person in your life. They should be the one person you are able to trust unconditionally with the most important aspects of your life.
If you are currently in a challenging relationship, you need to ask yourself if this union has all the key traits for a healthy, happy relationship. Do you feel secure, safe, and supported? More importantly, do you feel loved and valued?
If not, are you hoping it will somehow work eventually, and develop into something that will offer you more of what you need and deserve?
These are vital questions to ask yourself, not only before you commit to someone, but also throughout the relationship. All relationships evolve over time as people change and grow.
Just because everything was great during the initial ‘honeymoon’ phase of a relationship, does not guarantee it will remain that way. A healthy relationship continues to grow and evolve, as both partners grown and evolve.
I have worked with many clients over the years who settled for less, or got caught up in the downward spiral of a dysfunctional, toxic relationship. Saying “I love you” does not mean much if it is not backed up by matching actions and behavior.
Life Lesson From A Resilient Robin
A few days after I saw a robin attempting to build a nest on a neighbor’s balcony in my apartment building, I spotted another robin with a chest covered in mud. I was thrilled, as I knew this meant a little miracle of life was going to happen. And, it did. Three days later, she laid her clutch of tiny blue eggs in a nest built in a perennial shrub, next to the complex entry way where residents come and go all day.
Her strategy for building the nest in such a busy location became apparent two days after she had laid her eggs. A pack of savage crows descended on the nest, tragically cutting her clutch in half. Unlike the other robins, she had built her nest here so that she could potentially depend on human activity for added protection. Sadly, her plan failed.
Crows are one of the most intelligent bird species on the planet. They know and remember their potential enemies and prey. She may have cleverly built her nest here, hoping to avoid them because there are constantly humans around, but keeping crows away can be a real challenge, because of their intelligence and their adaptability. Things that scare them off at first, soon does not bother them anymore.
The crows were however the least of the strategic robin’s problems. After the crow rampage, the landscaping crew came through the property, using a weed whacker on the shrub where her nest was located. I later found her outside. Assuming she was traumatized and stress-foraging, I felt really sad for her. But she stared at me questioningly, then flew into a tree, while I feebly tried to console her. “All your efforts have been in vain,” I sadly thought while looking at her.
Reflections
Sitting on the porch. Rocking. Yes, rocking in my willow rocking chair, surrounded by the smell of petrichor – that delightful odor the earth gifts us with when fresh rain is coming down after a long, dry spell. The aroma of the freshly hung chile ristras greets me in the Santa Fe, New Mexico tradition at this time of year, when the growing season is done and the picking of the season’s ripe offerings has begun. Richness abounds with the aromas of the petrichor and the strung pods of red chile blending in the softness of the evening breeze.
The automatic flood light and the blue laser lights have come on, as they do every day at dusk, to illuminate the waterfall in the garden, although it’s still a bit early for them to shine their brightest. Not quite dark enough yet, but soon it will be. I just fed my precious four-legged fur daughter her dinner. Now that my day is done and another week has gone by, I am contemplating whether or not I have done well this week.
Yes, I believe so! I have learned so much and have grasped many new concepts. I also renewed my awareness of some familiar concepts that were in need of repetition, so I could complete some hard earned lessons. And I found resolution to some newer viewpoints on old issues. Whew! I feel I’ve been turned wrong side out in just one week, only to realize it is the other way around. I was wrong-side-out before. Now I’m right-side-in, or more so at least.
I look up from my musings to see the lights. It is dark now and they’re shining brightly against the dark night sky. The lasers look like blue fireflies as they pinpoint their magical presence. The synchronicity feels deeply significant. At the end of another week, after much breaking down of old thought patterns, I see the flood light and laser lights reflecting the realization that I am different now than last week, or at any time before.
Are You Ready For The Unexpected?
It has been quite the saga with the dishwasher in my apartment! It has not worked properly for over a year now. The maintenance crew here at the apartment complex has been able to keep it going, but it keeps flooding and breaking down. They have however grown somewhat weary with the ongoing dish drama, but I still manage to gain some sympathy for my struggles.
The last time they came by to repair the temperamental kitchen appliance, it took three weeks for them to show up after I put in the maintenance request. They took me by surprise, but I am not sure who was startled more – me or them. You see, I sometimes like to work in my pajamas, and therefore I was not at all prepared for their visit! Fortunately, I was able to retreat to my home office and merely close the door.
It got me thinking about our everyday readiness to embrace the unexpected in life. As spirit beings we signed up for human adventure riddled with many twists and turns, as well as some adversity and unforeseen surprises. The only way to safely and successfully navigate all these ups and downs is to be guided by the higher self with the support of spirit.
When we raise our vibration through spiritual practice and a conscious lifestyle, we build a foundational state of readiness that empowers us to calmly expect the unexpected, and to always be prepared for anything.
I think of it as ‘Father Readiness.’ In The Bible, Matthew 24 states that “no one knows the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Changing Palm Lines Reflect Your Spiritual Progress
Some years ago, I had a palm reading with a lady who lives nearby. Palmistry is not one of my specialties, but I did find the experience interesting and learned much from what she told me.
She focused on my line of fate, also known as the line of Saturn. It is a crease in the center of the palm that often intersects the head and heart lines and runs close to the life line.
In its formation she identified a future time in my life when I’d be traversing a lot of difficulty. This later proved to be true, but I have since managed to successfully overcome those challenges and my life is now so much better.
Interestingly, I recently discovered that my fate line has shifted since then. Instead of shooting straight up, as it did when this lady read for me, it now leans further to the right, towards my heart line.
Doing some further research on the matter, I discovered that our palm lines do shift for over time. I believe this may be the result of our personal growth and spiritual evolution.
This lesser-known phenomenon in palmistry is in alignment with most other forms of divination and psychic channeling. Instead of accepting a foregone, sometimes even grim fate in any reading or forecasting, we are constantly changing, growing, and evolving in mind, body and soul. In time, subtle changes in our palm lines should therefore increasingly reflect this.
I believe my Saturn line has meanwhile sloped towards my heart line because I now do the work I truly love, helping people daily with the guidance of spirit. Back then, when I received the palm reading, I was still doing psychic readings part-time, while working full-time in healthcare. That changed two years later, when I went into full-time spiritual work.
Old Baggage Is Not A Badge of Honor
I have successfully worked with many clients over the years who finally found me after they chose to hang onto anger, resentment, bitterness, or self-pity for many years, even decades, to their own detriment. Withe guidance of spirit, I have also helped many people find peace and healing, after they had pushed away everyone in their life away by continuously abusing the patience, compassion and generous support of their friends and family, by burdening them with same, sad story or repetitive dysfunctional behaviors, over and over again.
I have also witnessed the amazing personal growth and miraculous healing of those who were able to let go of the anger and hurts. And I have watched many thrive once they realize that their self-worth and personal power begin outside the comfort zone of their long-standing victim mentality.
I asked spirit for a message today to share with those that are stuck in this way and not moving forward in life. This is what I was given.
Do not dwell upon your pain, do not try to make yourself a martyr in suffering. Stop allowing the things that have hurt you to control where you are in the here and now.
It is time to boldly step up, stand your ground, and say, “I love myself and I am not going to let the past control my life any longer. I am stronger than all that has happened to me. And yes, it hurt me in the moment, but I refuse to drag it with me any longer further, because it prevents me from moving in the direction of my highest good. It poisons my well-being and steals my happiness, and I refuse to allow it any longer.”
Turn Up The Music Of Your Soul
As have been pondering the miracle of sound and music lately. During these times of uncertainty, I have a collection of songs in my memory bank that I can easily call upon for inspiration. I use many of these songs to jump start my days.
Long after a popular song has been sung, whether it is a familiar hymn, a spiritual mantra, a national anthem, or a Top 40 hit, there is often a residual hum that we hold on to. This constant reminder, time and time again, brings us back to the original song, striking a chord with those emotions that were first charged by the lyrics and the melody.
Music lodges itself in our memories and can be brought forth at any time without actually hearing the tune itself. Sound or hearing is also said to be the final sense to leave as we depart this life. Kahlil Gibran, the great Lebanese writer and author of The Prophet, wrote “music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”
Growing up, I loved all types of music. My eclectic taste was universal and reflected artists from a broad spectrum of genres. I was also fortunate that my metropolitan city was host to artists from all over the world. And thanks to my older brother, whose work in entertainment law made him familiar amongst promoters and musicians alike, I was blessed to gain entre to many of these concerts, including backstage passes.
My favorite acts packed up their instruments from crowded cities and remote villages of the Far East and Africa, making many sacrifices to cross the Atlantic, and often shared between sets the perils of their journey. I likened their sound to ethereal gold, so precious that it would stay with me forever.