self-awareness
My Spiritual Encounter With A Bear
Imagine venturing deep into the forest, sunlight streaming through the ancient trees. The air is crisp, alive with the gentle whispers of nature. Suddenly, a colossal bear emerges from the underbrush, its presence a primal force in the serene scene.
Well, chances are this isn’t just another wildlife encounter – it’s a potentially powerful spiritual experience, imbued with profound symbolism.
My psychic mentor and I once had such a remarkable encounter with a bear that brought me some deep spiritual insights.
The forest has always been a happy place for me, and for this particular long-term retreat, I rented a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One crisp fall evening, while my friend was visiting me and we were enjoying the tranquility of twilight on the back porch, a large black bear wandered into the back yard.
At first, we were both gripped with fear. Seeing such a powerful creature up close is both awe-inspiring and very intimidating! Fortunately, the bear paid us little attention as he calmly foraged for food, his movements deliberate and unhurried.
After the initial shock, we found ourselves mesmerized by his presence. I am always on the lookout for signs and synchronicities from the universe. Decades of spiritual work have taught me that nothing is accidental or random, especially when you are in the wilderness.
Tarot Forecast July 2024: The Tower
This month’s card is the Tower, which predicts the energies of disruption, revelation, transformation and the breaking down of old structures.
The Tower card is a powerful symbol of sudden upheaval and change. It’s traditionally depicted as a tall tower struck by lightning, representing chaos and upheaval. It represents life throwing us a curveball.
As lightning strikes and flames dismantle the old structure, it forces us to confront our foundations and belief systems. While painful, this destruction can lead to necessary revelations and a chance to rebuild on a stronger foundation. By letting go of what no longer serves you, you open yourself up to new possibilities.
The Tower showing up in a reading, though scary and troubling at first glance, always precedes a period of significant growth. Destruction creates opportunity. Most situations we face are opportunities, even the bad ones. It’s all about the opportunity and how you see it.
Embracing chaos will be the key to clarity and growth this month. This is a time to rebuild and redesign your life in a way that is more in line with your true self.
Approach the month with an open heart and a willingness to let go of what no longer serves you. Whether it’s health, finances, career, relationships or personal growth, the Tower’s influence will lead you to a more liberated and empowered version of yourself. Trust the transformative power of the Tower. Embrace the changes and you will emerge from this month stronger, wiser and more in alignment with your true self.
Overcoming Your Inner Saboteur
Have you ever wondered why people sometimes try to ruin an ideal opportunity in their life, or deliberately sabotage a promising relationship?
Even though I have done thousands of readings over the years, I cannot help but still be surprised when I work with people who are in the process of sabotaging a wonderful relationship or alienating a loving, caring partner. Reading for people of all ages and walks of life around the world has shown me that this behavior is relatively common.
Not all psychic readings are about difficult relationships, difficult or cheating partners, or boring marriages. Sometimes they are about perfectly wonderful relationships that one of the partners is doing their best to destroy!
In these relationships, the saboteur consciously or unconsciously creates a toxic scenario or behaves in a dysfunctional way that will ultimately lead to a breakup. For example, the saboteur will begin to find fault with their partner, subtly push them away, or find reasons to walk away from the commitment.
Relationship readings for self-saboteurs often begin with them saying something like: “Well, things are rosy now, but they always start out that way,” or “Knowing my luck, she’ll soon get bored with me,” or “To be honest, things are so good with him, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop!”
It reminds me of my grandmother, who was abandoned by my grandfather when my mother and her sister were very young. She used to say, “All men are gorillas!” I later realized that my mother had adopted the same mindset.
Working Your Way Up The Emotional Scale
Is it not amazing how many different emotions we can experience? No one even knows for sure how many different human emotions there are!
Over the years, psychologists and neuroscientists have proposed various models for categorizing and understanding human emotions. The highest total number of distinct emotions identified by a single model is found in the research of Alan S. Cowen and Dacher Keltner, who identified 27 distinct emotions. Their model is one of the most comprehensive in terms of categorizing a wide range of human emotional experiences.
A concept closely related to the wide range of emotions we can experience is that of an emotional scale, also known as an emotional spectrum or hierarchy. This idea involves categorizing and ranking emotions based on various criteria such as their intensity, positivity or negativity, and how they relate to each other.
There are several emotional scales that are used to help us better understand and navigate our emotions. There is Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, Russell’s Circumplex Model of Affect, David Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness and Abraham-Hicks’ Emotional Guidance Scale.
Emotional scales and models serve a variety of purposes, including therapeutic contexts, self-help, academic research, emotional intelligence training, spiritual growth and guidance, manifestation practices, and other esoteric and practical applications. They help people identify, categorize, and work with their emotions for improved emotional well-being and self-awareness.
Spiritual Practices To Improve Your Mental Health
Mental health has become a critical focus for many in recent years. While traditional methods such as counseling, therapy, and medication are essential in addressing mental health issues, the mental health benefits of spirituality are often overlooked.
Everyone’s mental well-being is affected at some point by the challenges of modern life. It is common to feel out of balance when our world seems to be spinning out of control, or when it seems that we are not getting the things we most want in our lives.
Most people don’t realize that spiritual connection is essential to our mental health and facilitates well-being on all levels. Because mental health issues have such a low and heavy vibration, they make it difficult and sometimes impossible to feel the presence of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine in our lives.
But by working daily to establish a strong connection with your spirit guides and higher source, you are taking a powerful step toward freeing yourself from the grip of these inner demons and dark energies.
Spirituality in its various forms is a powerful way to connect with yourself and the world, fostering a deeper sense of inner peace and purpose for a more balanced and fulfilling life. Research clearly shows that various spiritual practices can significantly improve mental health. These practices offer complementary benefits to traditional mental health treatments, promoting emotional resilience, stress reduction, and overall psychological well-being.
Personally, I have found that spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and journaling give me greater access to guidance and support from the spirit realm and my guides. Our guides are a wonderful source of healing, guidance, and direction. Getting in touch with our guides can actually help us get out of a funk because they have the ability to set us free and empower us on every level.