mindful living
The Spiritual Significance Of Seeing Zero
Throughout time the circle has been a powerful archetype steeped in esoteric symbolism. A zero is also circle. It is an unbroken line. The circle, or zero, represents the eternal nature of the soul and consciousness. It represents the interconnectedness of everything and the universal law of oneness.
It symbolizes the doorway to Source that resides within our own being, or better yet, that we are Source, or expressions of Source. We are as intimately connected with Source, as is all of creation. The entire Universe consists of Source energy. Zero is both everything, and nothing.
While the number 1 reminds us that we are conscious creators of our reality, and calls on us to use this power intentionally and wisely, zero reminds us that anything, absolutely anything is possible. Even that which is currently beyond our awareness or understanding.
While the signs associated with 1111 remind us of our power as conscious creators, seeing signs associated with 0000 reminds us that this creation power is limitless, and that we can literally manifest anything we can imagine.
The number 0 also reminds us that we can move beyond what we may currently be able to ‘see’ or conceptualize, as our consciousness expands. Zero is everything: the circle, the soul and Source; and it is also nothing: the void, the absence and the nothingness within. It is literally all of everything and nothing at the same time.
Zero is also the beginning, the starting point from which all else will spring, as well as the conclusion. This duality may appear confusing or contradictory, but when the number 0 shows up in your life as signs and synchronicities, it usually indicates the beginning of a period of intense spiritual growth. Through this growth you will soon find it is possible to hold various contradictory concepts at the same time, and that they can work together rather than in competition.
Spiritual Awakening And The Segmented Sleep Cycle
One of the most commonly experienced symptoms of spiritual awakening is frequently waking in the early hours from 3am to 5am. It’s important to rule out any medical reasons this could be happening. However, if you are in good health and you have been regularly waking up this early, then you may be experiencing this due to spiritual awakening.
You may have found by now in an online search that you are waking up at 3am because it is ‘the witching hour’. You may also have read that 3am is an auspicious time to wake, or the opposite, that it is a ‘time of dark magic.’ Or that during your spiritual awakening you may be ‘spiritually attacked’ and this is why you are waking in the wee hours. While some of this may be true for some people, I am going to have to say that it probably has nothing to do with your waking up at or around 3am.
Yes, it is a sign of awakening! And a very, very common one too. But the reason you are waking at 3am is not metaphysical; it is biological. It is biology which is influenced by your spiritual progression. But essentially it is a return to your natural state of being – your natural sleep cycle. This is called the circadian rhythm.
Most people just accept that we sleep naturally for about eight hours a night. But there is a great deal of evidence that this is not actually the natural sleep cycle for human beings. In fact, evidence suggests that prior to the industrial revolution, our sleep cycle was very different.
To demonstrate this point, we must return to the concept of awakening and what awakening really is. We call it spiritual ‘awakening’ for a reason – we are waking up. Waking up means being conscious in an otherwise largely unconscious world. During the process of awakening people often find themselves becoming very sensitive to things that never really bothered them before. This is because they are suddenly present and hyper-aware when things are out of alignment with the natural order.
The Spiritual Calling Of Animal Rescue
I have always felt that I have two life callings: my work and taking care of rescue animals. And I aim to do both to the best of my ability.
A neighbor stopped me today as I was walking my dogs. This often happens when I am out with them. He asked me why I chose to walk the dogs, while I have a large plot of land for them to freely roam.
Well, they do run around on the property, at least the two younger ones do, but the pleasure of walking them is immeasurable. It is a true joy to see them relishing in the unfamiliar smells and the intriguing creatures they encounter in the countryside. They even made friends with a nearby farm’s goats and another neighbor’s cat.
I also enjoy the lovely countryside around me, which I will be less likely to experience on my own had it not been for the reminding me every day that it is time to go ‘walkies.’ Apart from the obvious exercise being advantageous for my health and well-being, it is also a sort of a meditative process and spiritual practice, because I am required to be very present in the moment.
One of my dogs is a warren hound, known in Spanish as a podenco. They are a Mediterranean rabbit-hunting dog breed. So, she’s a hunting dog and if she suddenly makes a dash to chase something, she could easily catch me off guard and pull me over. I can therefore no afford to be distracted or preoccupied. Instead, I must mindful and aware, which is very beneficial for my inner peace and spiritual alignment.
My dogs and cats are all rescues, some from unthinkably harsh backgrounds. Looking after them has involved a lot of care and veterinary visits, including many specialist observations and surgeries. When you take rescues into your home, they tend to come with much fear and many insecurities, which takes patience and unconditional love.
Two large rescue dogs, that have since departed this life to cross over the rainbow-bridge, wouldn’t allow me to touch them and refused to come inside the house. I provided them adequate shelter outside, but it still bothered me, because the winters can be harsh here in Spain.
Uproot Limiting Beliefs With Denial And Affirmation
Denials and affirmations are two methods of prayer or meditation that can be used to shift our experience of life. They are simplistic statements of truth that enable us to reprogram our subconscious mind and consciously create at a higher level.
These spiritual techniques are used by many in the New Thought and New Age spiritual movements and are amazingly effective for breaking old habits and thought patterns.
These two spiritual practices stem from the understanding that there is one Infinite Consciousness that is by its very nature benevolent and good. Many names have been given to this Infinite Consciousness or Infinite Mind, such as God, Source, the Universe, Higher Self, Spirit, the Divine, and so on.
The premise of denials and affirmations is that our individual mind is connected to the Divine Mind, and also that our mind is creative in the same way as the Divine Mind. This concept is found in varying forms in various religious and spiritual traditions.
Hindu philosophy, for example, is based on the belief that Brahman is the supreme universal force and ultimate reality to which each soul or athma is connected. The Buddha teaches, “Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.”
In the Christian tradition, Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
When I was going through a difficult time in my life, Jesus jokingly came to me with these words. He has been one of my spirit guides for many years, but on this occasion, I didn’t find the ‘mustard seed’ metaphor very amusing.
The Self-Healing Miracle Of Letting Go
In the mid-90s, I had the opportunity to attend The Sedona Method Technique Teacher Training course in Arizona. The experience pierced the core of my being and changed my life forever.
Initially, I was reluctant to go, because I was living in Michigan at the time with my husband and two young daughters. My youngest was around a year old and our older daughter was only five. We had not been living in Michigan very long as we had only recently moved there, and I was terribly worried about leaving them for two weeks!
Nevertheless, I convinced myself to go, because my husband had gone to a previous workshop and raved about how it transformed his life. I sensed it would be good tool to incorporate into my psychic readings and metaphysical work.
When I arrived at the workshop there were attendees from all over the world, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and even scientists. To be honest, I felt a little awkward being thrown in with a bunch of ‘genius nerds’ with various fancy post-graduate degrees. It was a bit intimidating to feel that many of them probably had a much better understanding and formal education on human behavior than I did. However, that did not prevent me from also learning this wonderful technique.
The Sedona Method is based on the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EQ). It is different from intellectual intelligence, because it refers to our ability to recognize and regulate our own emotions, and how skilled we are at using social awareness to find solutions to daily challenges and life problems.
The Sedona Method therefore teaches one how to improve your EQ. In the same way we can go to the gym to strengthen a muscle, or do brain training puzzles to improve our memory, we can also train and develop our emotional intelligence.
Our natural impulse when something makes us sad, angry, or fearful, is to resist and fight back, or shut down emotionally to it. Emotional intelligence requires that we take a step back, take a breath, and release the urge to go with a kneejerk reaction of firing back or shutting down.
Stepping Into Love With Faith And Trust
I meditate on moving by faith every day, creating a course of embodying inner trust. I step out into the fresh air and sunshine, surrounded by the artistic heart of God in nature, and I pray for the divine guidance of the day.
Day by day, step by step, the path forward is revealed. It is often shown and channeled to me in the simplest of ways: a whisper in the wind; a sparkle in the water; a bird dancing to her own song in the sky.
Each message received highlights an inner sensing and an external physical movement to integrate it into being. The course starts within, stepping into the sacred space of the self.
The power of movement to internalize a concept is profound. I invite you to take a moment now to literally step into yourself, the sanctuary of your soul.
Simply close your eyes, take a few deep breaths to clear and cleanse your mind, and then begin to mindfully move forward, consciously feeling the contact of the soles of your feet with the ground or floor beneath you.
Feel its temperature, its texture, and the firmness or softness of its support. Notice the articulation in your foot as the heel lifts, presses through the ball of the foot, rises, reaches, and then lowers again until the toes, ball, and heel touch down and plant into place.
Take three slow steps like this, imbued with the intention of traveling deeper into your true self through each one of them. Let the third step bring your feet to join one another side by side, marking your internal sacred space.
Allow yourself some still silent time to stand there, grounded in your own awareness. Keep your eyes closed, your attention inward, and your breathing gentle, as you feel the sturdiness of your legs, and the length and strength of your spine supporting you. Just be there.
Rediscovering The Untouched Soul
Our soul is always a clean slate when we are born. Knowing this and living accordingly is true spirituality. However, the virgin territory of our soul is often more or less blemished or darkened due to many traumas and challenges throughout our lifetime.
Along our life path, we often lose much of the spiritual innocence we had as children. Instead, we begin to dwell in shadows of darkness in various forms: indifference to the destiny of others, confinement in our own; laziness, vanity, greed, envy, violence, hatred.
None of us can deny having at times dark thoughts or toxic emotions, malicious habits or selfish behaviors. However, no matter how widespread and ingrained the darkness may become in us, it is also certain that something immaculate always persists in some corner of our inner being. Even if it is tiny, there is an eternal point of light within where our higher self always remains pure and original. The sacred we carry within cannot be defiled.
As much as life may have made us callous or cynical, we always have this sacred stronghold inside. Herein lies the hope of those who practice spirituality: to reach that virgin point and rediscover in it one’s original nature.
This original nature, pure and innocent, we have sometimes forgotten to such an extent that we need someone or something to remind us to look inside ourselves to rediscover who we truly are.
We sometimes need someone to explain that we suffer because we have stopped believing in purity, beauty and what is good. We need someone to remind us that our deepest identity is virginal and fruitful, empty and full, both things, however contradictory this may seem.