self-help
New Year, New Habits, And A New You!
Many people make resolutions every year that are never kept. They make a sincere effort for a month or so, and then it just slips here and there until whatever they decided to do just falls by the wayside. This is normal, and you should never beat yourself up if you make a resolution or promise and don’t follow through. Growth is a process, not a straight line.
When I decide to do something, the first thing I do is meditate on it. I ask my guides and angels, “Is this right for me? Will this improve my life? If I don’t do this, will it hurt me or someone else? If the answers are yes, yes, and no, then I know it’s the right thing for me to do.
I do not reserve this for New Year’s resolutions. I do this throughout the year whenever I feel spiritual growth within myself or experience something that sparks change, whether positive or negative. A new year can begin any day you decide to change some aspect of your life. It doesn’t have to be January 1st; it can be any day.
Personally, I make a new “resolution” each month. At the end of each month, I reflect and ask myself if I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. If not, I set it aside and move on to something new. Eventually, I return to the unfulfilled goal, knowing that the timing wasn’t right. I don’t beat myself up about unfinished goals; instead, I send them love and leave them for later.
My most important resolution is to get closer to Spirit. I strive to understand what Spirit has in store for me and to guide me to become the best version of myself from the inside out. The outward appearance can be dressed up or down, but the true self must be healed, clear, and joyful. That joy doesn’t come from another person or thing – it comes from loving myself as it should be for you. Love yourself as you are in this moment, and nurture the new version of yourself with daily love, meditation, and surrender to your higher self.
Releasing Resistance Transforms Your Life
Many years ago I traveled to Sedona, Arizona to attend a teacher training program for The Sedona Method. Little did I know that I was about to discover one of the most important keys to a happy and fulfilling life.
I soon found myself in a conference room filled with psychiatrists, psychologists, and doctors from all over the world. I was a young mother and an novice psychic reader. I didn’t feel on the same professional level as the doctors and behavioral health professionals in the room. I felt intimidated, uncomfortable, and wanted nothing more than to go home.
But within the first few days of training, my worst nightmare came true. The trainer asked me to come to the front of the room and stand facing everyone.
“Oh no,” I thought to myself. “Why in the world did I even come to this class?”
He asked me to demonstrate one of the resistance release techniques he had taught us to a psychiatrist sitting in the front row. My knees were shaking and my heart was racing. But there was no escape, so I decided to just do it. It was a terrifying experience at the time, but it was also one of the best things that ever happened to me!
The Sedona Method is a technique designed to help you release the resistance created by painful or unwanted emotions, allowing you to experience greater personal freedom and well-being. The method involves a series of questions that help you become aware of your feelings and gently encourage you to release them. Resistance is often the cause of suffering in relationships, financial health, career, and all other areas of life.
Reclaim Your Peace And Power With Healthy Boundaries
Saying “no” is one of the most powerful things we can do to maintain our personal and spiritual well-being and energetic balance.
Many of us are caught up in the daily whirlwind of commitments, expectations, and the constant need to meet the demands of others. For those on a spiritual or esoteric path, this can be especially challenging.
The desire to be compassionate and supportive can sometimes blur the lines between compassion and self-neglect. However, one of the most profound spiritual lessons is this: it is okay to say no. In fact, it is imperative!
Knowing when and how to say no is a critical self-care skill that allows you to set healthy boundaries and protect your time, energy, and mental health. Moreover, it is crucial for our spiritual growth and essential for living a life filled with purpose and fulfillment.
Saying no and standing your ground requires recognizing your inherent worth and honoring your personal limits. Too often we stretch ourselves too thin, trying to be all things to all people. This may come from a fear of disappointing others or a belief that our value is in how much we give. Many of us also feel spiritually obligated to be there for others, often because we are so deeply affected by all the struggles and suffering we see in the world around us.
However, when we put the needs of others ahead of our own without balance, we risk depleting our physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. In such a depleted state, we are of no use to anyone.
How Will Saturn Return Impact Your Life?
Saturn return is typically a momentous, but intense time in everyone’s life. This significant astrological event occurs when the planet Saturn returns to the same position it occupied at the time of your birth, typically around the ages of 29, 58, and for some, 88.
It is the completion of a planetary cycle that marks a time of profound personal and spiritual growth, reinvention, and transformation. It’s a time when we may face challenges that force us to confront our deepest fears, limitations, and long-term plans, often pushing us toward greater self-awareness, personal growth, and spiritual maturity.
Known as the “taskmaster” of the zodiac, Saturn represents structure, discipline, responsibility, and life lessons. During a Saturn return, we are faced with the need to take stock of our lives, reevaluate our goals, and solidify our sense of purpose and direction.
Vettius Valens, a renowned astrologer of the ancient Greco-Roman era (c. 120 – c. 175 AD) whose work has greatly influenced modern interpretations of Saturn’s cycles, wrote in his Anthologies, “Saturn delays and restricts, but through patience and perseverance the soul achieves its growth and understanding.”
Any karmic lesson that you have not yet learned, any necessary life challenge that you have not faced, anything that you have avoided, denied or neglected is likely to surface at this time, demanding reconciliation, reevaluation or reckoning, whether you like it or not.
That is why I often tell my clients during a reading, “Learn this lesson and learn it now, while there is still time.” Avoidance, denial, procrastination, and self-deception will not save you from Saturn’s return bringing it right back to your door. In fact, it will only make it much worse and more difficult to resolve.
Our Saturn returns typically occur in three distinct phases during our lifetime, with approximate age ranges based on Saturn’s orbital cycle of about 29.5 years. Each Saturn return serves as a powerful milestone, helping you to develop a more authentic, grounded, and resilient sense of self as you move through the various phases of life.
Forgiving Yourself Is A Spiritual Necessity
Self-forgiveness is more than just a mental health recommendation – it is a spiritual necessity. It is vital for the spiritually aware person to release guilt, self-blame, and self-criticism, because forgiving oneself is crucial to both personal well-being and spiritual progress. It allows for healing, growth, and the ability to live a more fulfilling and harmonious life.
Failure to forgive ourselves can have profound personal and spiritual side effects. Carrying guilt and self-blame leads to chronic emotional distress and contributes to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Over time, this can manifest itself in physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, or even chronic illness.
A lack of self-forgiveness undermines self-worth and hinders personal growth and development. Difficulty forgiving yourself also strains your relationships with others, as it can lead to withdrawal, defensiveness, or projecting negativity onto those around you. Without forgiveness, our negative feelings toward ourselves can fester and damage even our most cherished relationships with our loved ones and friends.
Holding onto guilt and self-blame blocks the flow of positive energy through the chakras and hinders spiritual well-being. For example, guilt often stagnates in the solar plexus chakra, affecting one’s sense of personal power. Self-forgiveness is essential for clearing such blockages in the energy field.
Forgiveness is also essential to achieving inner peace and harmony. Without it, one can experience constant inner turmoil and restlessness. When we hold onto guilt, shame, or self-blame, parts of our spiritual essence or inner divinity are suppressed or disconnected. It causes separation from one’s spiritual path or a sense of disconnection from spirit and the divine.
Seeing The Spiritual Essence In Others
My world was turned upside down when my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. For seven agonizing months in 2005, I became his caregiver, managing the extreme emotional and physical toll of his illness.
Even the hospice staff, experienced in end-of-life care, commented at the time that my father was not an easy patient to care for. Their observation confirmed my own feelings on the matter and highlighted the unique challenges of the difficult karmic relationship I had with my father.
Throughout this stressful time, I held out hope for a miracle. I felt compelled to seek guidance, but unfortunately Spirit revealed a timeline of six to twelve months. This devastated me at the time, but I’ve since come to accept that arrivals and departures are part of every soul’s journey. Spirit was simply confirming a poignant truth: at some point we are all called home to the spirit realm.
Despite his resistance to any form of treatment, my father allowed a trusted colleague of mine, a master in his healing modality, to visit our home weekly for body alignment sessions. These sessions became a turning point — not only for my father, but for me as well.
During their second session, my healer friend shared an observation that struck a deep chord. He sensed an immense amount of bitterness and resentment in my father, energies he had perceived without any prior knowledge of my father’s emotional state or life history. He then offered me a piece of wisdom that changed the way I viewed not only my father, but all of my relationships: “Try to see only the true spiritual essence that is your father.”
Ask Spirit For Patience This Holiday Season
The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, togetherness, and celebration. But for some of us, it can also be a time of tension, distress, and intense emotions.
Instead of being a time of gratitude, love, and connection, for some of us the holidays mark the resurfacing of old family conflicts, unresolved tensions, and the weight of others’ overwhelming expectations or criticisms.
These challenges often lead to frustration, sadness, anger, or feelings of being overwhelmed, turning what should be a time of love and belonging into one that underscores where our relationships with loved ones are most strained.
At this point, asking spirit or your higher power to help you cultivate the virtue of patience becomes a powerful way to stay grounded and centered.
Patience isn’t just about enduring difficult moments; it’s about being aware of those moments and choosing to respond with grace and dignity rather than impulsively. When tensions rise — perhaps during a family dinner where conversations may become heated or awkward — it is easy to fall back on old patterns and habitual responses. Asking for spiritual support and protection in these moments, however, can provide a higher perspective and an empowered response.
Whether it’s through a silent prayer, a few deep breaths, whispering your favorite mantra, or simply making a conscious call for help in your mind, spiritual presence can help you pause, step back, ground and center, and approach the situation calmly and with more compassion — for yourself and others.