healing
The Difference Between Soul Rescue And Soul Retrieval
In shamanic and spiritual traditions, soul recovery practices are based on the understanding that a person’s soul essence or ‘life force’ can become fragmented or lost due to trauma.
While these two shamanic arts are closely related and often assumed to be the same practcie, they refer to different contexts of healing. There is a subtle, but key difference.
Soul retrieval is the most common term used in modern shamanism and it is based on the idea of soul loss.
When a person experiences a severe physical or emotional trauma, such as an accident, abuse, grief, or a difficult breakup, a part of their vital essence may abandon the body to survive the experience. This is essentially a spiritual survival mechanism, similar to dissociation in psychology.
This disassociation might be related to the trauma of a car accident or extreme injury, or perhaps a memory of a time in someone’s life when an attribute of their soul felt threatened or fearful.
Other typical examples include physical, sexual or emotional abuse as a child; a feeling of abandonment after the death of a relative; financial ruin; nearly dying; or loss of a job.
Someone suffering from this kind of soul loss might feel “spaced out,” numb, incomplete, or like they are watching their life from the sidelines. Chronic depression or a sense that “I haven’t been the same” since the traumatic event are common indicators.
The Empowered Empath’s Guide To Spiritual Self-Care
Empaths, sensitives and intuitives tend to be givers. Loyal, sometimes to a fault, and fiercely protective of those they care about… moving at lightning speed whenever called upon.
So, when I say to an empath that it may be time to put themselves first, the response is often mixed.
But, if putting yourself first seems too selfish or too difficult, try something simpler: at least put yourself on an equal footing with those you love and care for.
For many sensitive and highly intuitive people, self-care must be an acquired behavior… and it’s a big one. Empaths intend to be selfless, to help, heal and facilitate those they care about. Wonderful!
But remember, if this is your goal, then begin with yourself. The stronger, healthier and happier you are then the more effective, nurturing and supportive you can be to those around you.
Putting yourself first doesn’t mean that you are doing only what you want to do all the time, and it doesn’t mean that you are suddenly going to ignore those you care about.
What it does mean is making it a priority to take care of your own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. This can be a tall order and quite the task for some empaths. Don’t wait until you are in a meltdown… frustrated and snapping at everything and everyone around you, with little or no provocation.
Take Out The Toxic Trash With A Self-Love Meditation
I’ve been teaching meditation for over 30 years now, and it is something that has been widely misunderstood. It has also been hijacked by people with nefarious, materialistic agendas.
Meditation is not about emptying the mind or having no thoughts. Rather, it is about removing and replacing negative thoughts, repetitive patterns, abusive programming from childhood, and conditioning imposed by sadistic or wounded individuals.
Meditation is about inviting God, Spirit, Source, the Divine back into the heart, soul, and mind.
When we are children, everything begins with love. Children are eternal optimists, even when they have been traumatized.
But almost every child encounters at least one parent, relative, teacher, classmate, or authority figure who is abusive. These individuals attempt to rid themselves of their own overflowing toxicity by dumping it onto others: verbally, emotionally, or physically. Their words become programming, much like a computer virus.
Meditation is designed to replace that negative programming. Instead of hearing “you are worthless” looping in your mind, meditation allows you to consciously replace that tape with “I am loved.”
Think about the hurtful words that were spoken or screamed at you as a child. Then, during meditation, repeat the opposite.
2026: Psychic Insights For The New Year
As we step into a new year, we find ourselves at a powerful turning point, one that invites reflection on what has fallen away and clarity about what is now ready to emerge.
We asked our gifted team of psychics and mediums to share their insights for the year ahead, offering guidance on the themes, challenges, and opportunities that are likely to define 2026.
Most of our psychics feel the energy surrounding 2026 to be unmistakably different from the years that preceded it. Where recent times emphasized introspection, healing, and the slow dissolution of outdated systems, 2026 marks a decisive shift toward movement, empowerment, and visible change.
The inner work we have all been engaged in for more than a decade now demands expression in the outer world. This is not a year for passive hope or spiritual retreat. It is a year that asks for participation.
Across astrology, numerology, emerging technologies, and the channeled insights of our psychics and mediums, the message is strikingly consistent: 2026 is a year of agency. Choice matters more and more. Actions carry greater and more instant consequences. Avoidance becomes harder to keep up.
The question is no longer ‘what do you believe’, but what are you willing to stand for now that you know what you know? The year 2026 asks for courage, but it also brings extraordinary opportunities. With the right understanding, support, and spiritual foundation, this can be a year of conscious creation, not chaos.
The True Meaning Of Spiritual Surrender
When life becomes too challenging, and things begin to fall apart for us, we usually seek spiritual guidance and comfort.
In these circumstances we often tend to hear terms like surrender, release and acceptance. We are told to just let it go and simply be in the moment.
But what does it really mean to surrender? It’s a term often used in spiritual and metaphysical circles. Is there even such a thing? And if so, what does it entail?
According to the dictionary, surrender means to stop fighting and admit defeat. It also conjures up the vision of waving a white flag. But is spiritual surrender truly nothing more than throwing in the towel, and graciously accepting our defeat?
I prefer to explore the meaning of spiritual ‘surrender’ through the metaphor of a painting I made, which is my way of meditating and reflecting on life.
The painting is of an angel and I even named it Surrender. I chose this name, because it is the energy this angel emanates. His pose and posture also symbolizes the act of surrender.
At the time of working with the energy of this piece, I was in the process of leaving the security of a mainstream finance career, to establish myself as a full-time artist, energy healer and spiritual reader. Meanwhile, I was also very busy navigating a family separation and divorce. There were so many major changes in my life, and so much about my future and my life path that remained uncertain and unknown.
A Beginner’s Guide To Forest Bathing
The spiritual healing practice of forest bathing, also known as tree bathing or Shinrin-yoku, is more than just a casual walk in the woods. It’s a conscious, mindful immersion into the living energy of the natural world.
In a time of constant motion and information, nature offers a different kind of wisdom. When you enter the woods with humility and presence, the trees respond. They speak in stillness, they heal without fanfare, and they remind us of the sacredness that lives in all things.
Originating in Japan in the 1980s, Shinrin-yoku was developed as a form of eco-therapy to combat stress, burnout, and disconnection from the land. But long before it became a modern wellness trend, it was an everyday way of life our ancestors took for granted.
At its essence, forest bathing invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with nature as a living, healing presence.
It isn’t about hiking or exercise. There is no goal to achieve. You don’t have to meditate, journal, pray, do or achieve anything at all. Simply being with the trees and plants is enough.
When we stop and listen, we realize the forest has its own language, and it welcomes us into an ancient dialogue of peace and renewal. Trees are masterful purifiers. They filter the air of toxins and breathe out oxygen rich with life force.
When we stand near trees, they seem to do the same with our energy. They absorb some of our anxiety, tension, and fear, and offer us steadiness, grounding, and quiet wisdom in return.
