personal growth
Spiritual Strategies For A Loving Relationship
Over the years I have worked with many clients who either want to improve an existing relationship or manifest a new relationship.
In my readings, I have seen that most of us carry patterns, energy blocks, or emotional knots that quietly affect our love lives. Many people describe the same inner cycle: a longing for deeper connection followed by fear, self-doubt, and frustration.
Depending on the needs to the particular individual or couple, I often recommend a few simple yet powerful practices that can shift the romantic energy field and open the heart.
These practices are gentle and effective, working not just on the emotional level but on the spiritual and energetic levels as well. They help clients reconnect with their inner wisdom and realign with love.
We tend to overthink our love lives. We analyze our relationships from every angle, hoping to find the answers in logic.
But love is not a puzzle to be solved. It is a frequency to be attuned to. And when we work with spiritual tools, we allow ourselves to rise above the clutter of thought and enter a state of clarity and openness.
I have found that the following practices, when done consistently, create a soft and supportive foundation for emotional healing and soulful connection. They do not require dramatic effort or complex rituals. They are simple shifts in intention and awareness that can lead to powerful outcomes.
False Education Appearing Real (F.E.A.R)
I love the acronym F.E.A.R. (False Education Appearing Real) since we all have people, circumstances, phobias and so forth, that can put us into that space.
Fear is an instance of emotion that is triggered by the awareness, or anticipation of danger. It can also become a state of being. Excluding clinical fears, needing professional help, there are many fears we simply impose upon ourselves as a result of life experiences.
One of my fears is acrophobia, the fear of heights. When I get within five feet from the edge of a rooftop, I begin to shake.
Climbing 30 foot ladders has me nervous and when I hiked to the pinnacle of the mountain of Macchu Picchu in 2004, I could not take those last six nervous steps onto the plateau pinnacle rock. This was partly being due to a few other tourists already sharing the rock… and I am a little “accident prone.”
Although I was invited by my partner and the guide, I leaned against the rock debating my fear, shaking a little at the prospect and wishing that I could take those final steps, as I might regret it after I hiked down. Part of me did regret not taking those last steps when we got back to the base.
Yet, a bigger part of me knew I had to acknowledge the feelings in the moment, and since I am not a regular exerciser, I already had accomplished something tremendous by taking the hike to the top and back down the back side of the mountain. On the way I enjoyed the magnificent views and spiritual energy for several hours. Continue reading
Tarot Forecast September 2025: Queen Of Cups
This month we are inspired by the serene and soulful energy of the Queen of Cups. Her appearance as the card of the month sets the tone for a period of emotional clarity, compassionate connection, and deepened intuition. This is not a time to push, rush, or force. Instead, it is a sacred pause that invites us inward.
The Queen of Cups embodies the wisdom of the heart. She understands that true strength lies not in control, but in compassion. Her energy helps us soften where we have built walls, offering emotional nourishment both to ourselves and those around us.
This month, we are encouraged to listen deeply, not just to others, but to the whispers of our own soul. The next four weeks is about emotional intelligence, healing, and inner alignment. We are reminded that empathy is a superpower, and that our intuition is one of our greatest guides.
Traditionally the Queen of Cups is depicted sitting on a throne by the sea, symbolizing her deep emotional sensitivity and intuitive depth. The waters around her represent the subconscious mind and the realm of emotions. Her throne is adorned with images of sea creatures, signifying her connection to the watery, emotional realm and her comfort with navigating its depths.
In her hands, she holds a lidded, ornate cup, unlike any other in the Tarot. This closed cup suggests mystery, emotional containment, and sacred inner knowledge. It also symbolizes her ability to hold space, to keep confidences, and to honor emotional boundaries. She gazes intently at the cup, not distracted by the waves behind her, illustrating her capacity for focused emotional awareness and inner reflection. The Queen of Cups teaches us that strength can be serene, and that emotional attunement can lead to profound spiritual insight.
Tarot Forecast August 2025: Strength
This month’s card is the Major Arcana’s Strength, which symbolizes inner fortitude, patience, and compassionate control. This month, we are invited to look within and embrace the quiet, enduring courage that lies beneath the surface.
The Strength card traditionally shows a calm, confident woman gently taming a powerful lion. Her white robe symbolizes purity and spiritual focus, and the lion represents raw emotions, instincts, and untamed passions. The infinity symbol above her head denotes eternal wisdom and the balance between the material and spiritual realms.
This scene beautifully captures the harmony between courage and compassion. Rather than dominating the lion through fear or brute force, the woman subdues it through love and understanding.
Her calm demeanor reflects her inner strength and her commitment to responding rather than reacting. Overall, the scene symbolizes the triumph of the soul over the ego and the mindful over the impulsive.
Instead of seeking power through force or dominance, the Strength card reminds us that true mastery comes from the heart, through calm resilience, loving intention, and unwavering self-belief.
The card calls for emotional balance, urging us to act from our higher self, even when faced with chaos or challenges. It’s time to align with your spiritual center, trust your instincts, and rise above fear with the grace of someone who knows their worth.
The Power Of Creativity To Transform And Heal
Creative play is a crack, or a doorway into another part of ourselves… into our intuitive and spiritual nature. To explore our creativity is to open that door of possibility.
It is easy to doubt our creativity when we compare ourselves to others, and to great artists of the past. Through their life stories and work, the master artists left reminders, showing us that creativity is not something we are taught, but rather something we are. Tapping into this is about experiencing this for ourselves, in whatever form that may be.
I took up painting as a hobby in my late 20s. It began as a desire to learn to paint, although I held the belief that I wasn’t really creative, given my Finance and Accounting background. I had never considered Art to be healing, or that it held personal healing benefits.
At the beginning of my journey, I immersed myself in art books and read about other artists. I also joined a local art group. In class one day, I felt inspired to paint the Buddha. From the moment I picked up my brush to paint him, I could feel a presence by my side and I could see in the blank canvas the face that was to appear, long before it was visible to anyone else. That painting is the piece that changed the direction of my life path, as I embraced my creative and spiritual gifts.
Turning up to a blank canvas, is like saying yes to life and the unknown of what lays on our path. And there are many benefits of saying ‘yes’ to painting. Painting allows us to express ourselves through our work, it allows us a time and space to reflect on our life and the meaning we attached to our experiences.
The Miracle Gift Of Spiritual Healing
I discovered that I had the spiritual gift of healing many years ago when I went to visit my father in the hospital. He was in great pain and something told me to gently touch the knee he had just had surgery on. It was not my intention to accomplish anything, just to comfort him. But then I saw his expression change from agonizing pain to instant relief. That to me was a miracle!
The next great healing miracle happened when one of my twin daughters was ice skating when she was about 8 years old. I was watching the children enjoy the beautiful winter day when my daughter suddenly slipped and fell. I will never forget her painful scream. I knew immediately that this was really bad! By the time I got to her, others were helping her, but she would not stop screaming. Hearing her in such pain shot through my heart like a bullet.
When I got to her, I immediately saw the bone protruding through her skin. I put my hands over the fracture on her forearm and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Immediately she stopped crying and said, “Mommy, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I was stunned and so was everyone else.
I held her arm all the way to the hospital, and when we got there, they made me remove my hands. Again I had to listen to my daughter scream in pain and I felt helpless.
After they immobilized her arm, they let me see her. I touched the cast on her arm and immediately felt that it was not properly applied. Of course, they refused to listen to me at first, but I kept insisting that something was wrong. Finally, they agreed to take a second x-ray, which showed that my daughter’s arm was indeed not in the correct position. So she had to have it done again. One of the nurses asked me how I knew. I never answered.
You Create Your Own Happiness
Too often, people find themselves trapped in a shadowed corner of life, believing that happiness lies just beyond the next relationship, paycheck, job, or home. But true joy isn’t found in any of these external pursuits.
As the Dalai Lama so wisely said, “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” Pause for a moment and really reflect on that. It’s a beautifully simple truth, yet so many of us struggle to embrace it.
We’ve been raised in a world that teaches us to chase after happiness as though it’s something ‘out there,’ just one success or possession away. But here’s the sacred truth: happiness begins within.
This is a difficult statement for many to comprehend. “How can I be happy, if I have nothing? you might ask. “I am alone. I have no job, no money, no love.”
And yet, the answer is simple and profound: no one else is responsible for your life. No one else is responsible for your happiness. You are the sole creator of your reality.
Your emotional well-being, fulfillment, and general experience of life aren’t determined by outside forces, other people, circumstances, or luck. Living your best life starts with you.
Happiness isn’t something someone can give you or take away. What you think, believe, and do determines if you feel satisfied or unfulfilled.