selflessness
Tell-Tale Signs You Are Being Gaslighted
You’re crazy, that never happened. Don’t be so sensitive. I’ve never had this problem with anyone else but you. It was never my idea, it was yours! Come on, you’re imagining things. Everyone else agrees, except you. You’re just making things up.
These are just some of the things you might hear when someone is gaslighting you. It usually happens whenever you confront them about their bad behavior, only to have your reality twisted in return…in ways that can really make your head spin!
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse that most often shows up in toxic romantic relationships, but it can also manifest in dynamics with friends, coworkers, employers, family members, and even neighbors and landlords.
At its core, gaslighting is the manipulation of your sense of reality, leaving you confused, anxious, and doubting yourself and your own perceptions. Sometimes it’s very obvious and unmistakable. Other times, it happens so subtly you may not even realize you’re being manipulated.
The term “gaslighting” comes from the 1938 stage play Gas Light, which was later made into the 1944 film of the same name.
In the story, a husband tricks his wealthy wife into thinking she’s going crazy by making small changes to their surroundings, like dimming the gas lights, and then denying that anything has changed. His goal is to make her doubt her own sanity, so he could have her committed to a mental institution and gain control of her inheritance.
Walking In Faith Through Life’s Ups And Downs
Most of us go through life like it is a roller coaster ride. We have our ups and downs, our good days and our hard ones. Sometimes we catch ourselves saying things we probably shouldn’t, or reaching for that chocolate chip cookie even though we promised ourselves we wouldn’t.
Temptation is everywhere. That little voice in our head tells us to go for it, even when our gut or intuition says it’s not a good idea. It can leave us feeling torn and unsure of what the right choice really is.
And then, on top of all our personal ups and downs, there’s everything going on in the world around us. Lately, it feels like we’re living through constant upheaval: wars, natural disasters, political division, economic stress, runaway technology, and so much uncertainty about the future. All of it adds to the pressure we already carry.
It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed or tempted to numb ourselves with distractions. When everything feels unstable, it’s easy to lose our sense of direction or forget the spiritual tools that keep us grounded.
That’s why staying connected to faith, however that looks for you, is more important than ever. It becomes an anchor in the storm, something solid to hold onto when everything else feels like it’s shifting.
Faith helps us pause, speak with care, and make better choices. It gives us insight and direction. When we turn away from it or get stuck in negative thinking, that’s usually when life starts feeling harder and more complicated.
Honoring Yourself In Difficult Family Relationships
Family dynamics can be tremendously complex for many of us. These relationships are multilayered and deeply ingrained, often playing out across generations.
Many of my clients seek psychic insight about family matters. After matters of love and romance, and then business or career, family is often the most emotionally charged subject.
In readings, especially with empaths, intuitives, and highly sensitive individuals, I hear countless stories of family pain. Many carry a sense of never belonging, of being misunderstood or scapegoated.
These emotional burdens are often the heaviest that people bear because they are tied to the people they loved first and still love, despite the hurt.
When control or finances are interwoven into the family structure, the complexity of these relationships multiplies.
For many, family represents a love-hate relationship or a deep bond that carries deep wounds. While we cannot choose our family, we do have a say in how we interact with them, how we respond, and whether we continue to engage.
Severing family ties is a significant and often heartbreaking decision that is never taken lightly. By the time someone considers taking this step, the drama or emotional abuse has often been ongoing for decades and is sometimes rooted in a vividly painful childhood.
We Can’t Always Rescue The Ones We Love
A topic that often comes up in psychic readings is the client’s concern for someone they love – a child, significant other, sibling, close friend, or even a co-worker.
The problem? Usually the person has chosen a path that is confusing, destructive, or even life-threatening: substance abuse, toxic relationships, unwise career moves, or a lifestyle that just doesn’t make sense to the onlooker.
If you’re nodding your head right now about someone in your own family or circle of friends, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there – watching someone we love make free will choices that, from our perspective, can only lead to pain, loss, or utter disaster.
Maybe they have moved in with someone who is controlling and abusive, or they dropped out of college to move across the country and get married to someone they hardly know. Or maybe they are determined to put their life savings into a shady Ponzi scheme. Maybe they keep repeating choices and patterns that seem so clearly wrong for them.
Maybe you’ve seen the red flags from day one, and your heart is already aching with a kind of spiritual déjà vu…because you know what’s coming. And yet…you feel powerless to stop it.
This is where spiritual teachings can offer both comfort and perspective. According to many wisdom traditions, it’s often the most painful, confusing, or seemingly misguided paths that lead to the greatest soul growth. Sometimes a person must walk through fire or descend into darkness to find their light. And as difficult as that is to witness, it may very well be part of their soul plan.
How To Live Your Life With Divine Inspiration
It’s easy to feel disconnected these days — not only from the world around us, but also from ourselves, our sense of purpose, our soul essence, and our higher self. The demands of daily life often leave us feeling drained, reactive, or uninspired.
But beneath the noise and chaos, there is always a whispered invitation from spirit: to live not just from our ego for daily survival, but as an empowered vessel for divine inspiration.
Being a vessel for divine inspiration is not a lofty ideal reserved for saints or mystics — it is a limitless possibility available to all of us. In fact, it is part of our soul purpose, a sacred duty.
No matter where you are in your life or what you’ve been through, you can begin to live a divinely inspired life right now, today.
You are already wired to connect, to attract and to manifest. Your heart and mind are designed to be attuned to something greater than yourself, to fulfill your soul’s mission, your life’s purpose.
Every experience — every challenge, every triumph — has shaped you for this moment. All you need to do is embrace your path with an open heart and unwavering faith. Release the doubts that have kept you small and step forward with confidence, knowing that the universe is conspiring in your favor.
It is time to listen to the quiet wisdom within, follow the signs, and take inspired action. Align your thoughts with abundance, your words with love, and your actions with purpose.
Feeding The ‘Good Wolf’ Changes Everything!
Since childhood, I have been fascinated by parables, folk tales and fables. I realized at a young age that there is something truly inspiring about a story that not only entertains, but carries a deeper message or spiritual lesson and speaks directly to the heart.
This love of meaningful stories hasn’t diminished over time. I still find myself drawn to stories that offer wisdom, healing, and perspective.
A few years ago, I came across a beautiful Cherokee story — one that spoke volumes to me and offers guidance to many of us as we navigate the emotional terrain of modern life.
The story goes that a young Cherokee boy found himself in a dispute with a friend. The boy felt that his friend had treated him unfairly. Hurt, and burning with anger, he stormed off to find his grandfather, a revered elder of their tribe who was known for his wisdom.
Sitting with his wise grandfather, the boy poured out his frustration, sharing the injustice he felt and the fire of anger that burned within him.
The old man listened patiently, his eyes pensve and kind. Then, with a nod, he spoke:
“I too have felt great anger at those who have taken from me what was not theirs or who have treated me unjustly. But anger wears on the soul like fire on dry grass. It consumes you if you are not careful.”
He paused, then continued, “You see, it is as if two wolves are fighting within me. One is full of anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. This is the evil wolf. He lashes out, trusts no one, and isolates himself from the world.”
The Touching Tale Of The Praying Hands
In the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, Germany, lived a family with 18 children. Yes, eighteen! To put food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by trade, worked nearly 18 hours a day at his trade, as well as any other paying job he could find in the neighborhood.
Despite their seemingly hopeless situation, Albrecht and Albert, two of the older children, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they were well aware that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to an art academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down to the nearby mines and use his earnings to support his brother, who would attend the academy.
Then, after four years, when the brother who won the coin toss finished his studies, he in turn would support the mining brother to also attend the academy – either by selling his artwork or, if necessary, by working in the mines.
They tossed a coin one Sunday morning. Albrecht Dürer won the toss and went to Nuremberg to study art. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and spent the next four years financing his brother, whose creative work at the academy was almost immediately a sensation.
Albrecht’s etchings, woodcuts, and oils were far superior to those of most of his fellow students and even his professors, and by the time he graduated he was beginning to earn substantial fees for his commissioned works.