sleep
Learning To Trust Your Intuition
How often have you said, “If only I had gone with my gut?” This is a question that many of us have asked ourselves at one time or another about a matter, or even about the sincerity of a person who turned out to be untrustworthy, and we gave them the benefit of the doubt, only to feel heartbroken when they betrayed us.
We don’t have to throw reason out the window when we tune into our inner wisdom called intuition. But while it’s good to have as many facts and information available as possible before making a choice or decision, there are certain times when we don’t have the luxury of first weighing all the pros and cons. Tapping into our intuition is a powerful tool for making difficult decisions and important life choices by spontaneously ‘knowing’ or ‘sensing’ what’s best for us in our work, business, relationship, or lifestyle.
For example, as a manager you may be hiring someone for a job who ticks all the boxes in terms of qualifications and experience, but that little inner voice is screaming, “Don’t hire this person!” If you then do hire them, you may find out later that they have deep-seated issues that will upset the rest of the staff and antagonize your customers.
So many clients have told me over the years that they had an overwhelming feeling that they were making a huge mistake, but they decided to marry someone because they wanted to make everyone else happy, or because so much effort and expense had gone into the wedding arrangements. Just the other day a client told me that he should have listened to his inner guidance, not to mention the guidance he received in a psychic reading that warned him that he would end up separating within a few months of the wedding. If only he had trusted his intuition.
Spirit Guides Us In Our Dreams
Spirit guides us in our dreams. Whatever your usual spiritual practice may be, it is never truly complete without the inclusion of your dreams. I often advise my clients to pay more attention to their dreams, as they can contain messages and guidance from our angels, guides and departed loved.
The most important dreams are usually the ones that are most vivid, unusual, and at times also upsetting. When we get a dream that really throws us, it is wise to contemplate them carefully to interpret its meaning.
The best thing to do is keep a record of all your dreams. Write it down in a dream journal you keep next to your bed, or download a dream app to record your notes.
It is important to try and remember as much of your dreams the moment you wake up, before you get up, to ensure your dream is still fresh in your mind. It is further recommended that you try to keep your body in the same position when you wake up to boost your dream memory.
Our dream memories fade quickly after waking and typically disappear from our conscious awareness within a minute or two.
Our dreams often do not make much sense at first as dreaming occurs in the subconscious mind and is therefore usually somewhat abstract and even bizarre. Keeping records enables you to refer back to previous dreams, which often begins to reveal the meaning of your personal dream symbols and recurring themes.
The Basics Of Reiki
Reiki is popular concept in modern spirituality, metaphysics and energy healing. It is therefore good for anyone interested in these fields to have a basic understanding of this technique to engage in discussions with likeminded people in a meaningful way.
The term reiki is a combination of two Japanese words. Rei means ‘divine wisdom’ or ‘divine power,’ and ki means ‘life force energy’ or ‘vital human energy.’ Reiki is therefore a ‘divinely empowered life force.’
Reiki, or rather the system of Reiki, was developed in Japan a century ago by a Buddhist monk known as Mikao Usui. He was a renowned spiritual man who dedicated his life to being of service to others. While seeking spiritual awakening on Mount Kurama, north of the Japanese city of Kyoto, he was divinely inspired with the gift of Reiki. It was introduced to the United States in the late 1930s by Hawayo Hiromi Takata, a Japanese-American woman who received training in Reiki in Tokyo and became a master practitioner.
Although it is more commonly known only as a form of energy healing, true Reiki is in fact a comprehensive spiritual practice and a conscious lifestyle. Yes, it involves the healing of the mind and body, but it also proposes living in total peace with oneself, and being aware of your own unique purpose and spiritual light within. The system of Reiki seeks to remove the layers of fear, worry and attachments that conceal our innate brightness of being.
The Fire Season Of Love And Joy
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are Five Elements, namely Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements are each associated with the seasons, certain emotional states, and specific organs in the physical body. I am personally fascinated with how accurate these correlations can be.
In the summer season, for example, the element of fire rules. The four organs associated with the fire element is the heart, small intestines, pericardium (or heart protector) and San Jiao, or the ‘triple energizer,’ which is the hollow space inside the trunk of the body.
In TCM, the solid organs each has its counterpart in a ‘hollow organ (Fu).’ The heart, for example, is a solid organ, and the small intestine its hollow counterpart. San Jiao is a body cavity that is able to influence the functioning of other organs and our overall health through the free movement of Qi, the fundamental life force energy.
The fire element represents expansion of energy expanding with heightened activity and excitement. It is further associated with love, joy, harmony, but also disharmony. In extreme cases, too much fiery excitement can cause insomnia, restlessness, and even manic behavior.
A good example of how the joy of the fire season manifests in our everyday life is the fact that summer is the peaktime of the year for weddings. This time of the year our hearts are most open, seeking to be filled with joy. We seem to radiate more light and love in the summer, just like the warm sunshine.
Transform Your Tomorrow With Gratitude Tonight
Have you ever had a ‘bad hair’ day? You know, one of those days where nothing seems to go right, including your hair refusing to cooperate? On days like that everything just feels off, and everything that can possibly go wrong does exactly that.
It’s a frustrating experience that can leave one feeling negative, stressed, and overwhelmed. Getting through the mess is one thing, but carrying this negative mindset to bed quote another. If one does not properly resolve the ‘bad hair’ state of mind by bedtime, it will adversely impact your sleep, as well as your mood the next day.
It’s easy to get caught up in a negative thought pattern and spiral into increasing stress, worry and anxiety, from one bad day to the next. Therefore it is vital to adopt a nighttime routine that will help you shift your mindset and promote a more positive outlook the next day. The best way to achieve this is to harness the power of gratitude.
The most common practice for this purpose is to keep a gratitude journal, but I prefer a more hands-on, practical approach. I do a simple ritual with a collection of small stones or crystals that I personally resonate with. I keep them in a bowl on my night table and in the morning, after I’ve made my bed, I place the stones on my pillow.
Then, at night, when I am getting ready for sleep, I sit on the side of my bed and pick up one stone or crystal at a time. I hold the stone in my hand and then think of something that I am grateful for that happened that day. It could be something as simple as a smile from a stranger or a compliment from a client. I focus on that experience or event, and feel the gratitude in my heart.
How To Remember Your Dreams
Many people assume they cannot remember much of their dreams, while some even believe they never dream at all. The truth is that dreams are a vital part of our spiritual awareness and inner guidance system. Everyone dreams. In fact, we dream every night and we are able to remember more of our dreams. Dreaming is a natural, automatic part of our sleep cycle as spirit beings in human form.
Dreams are a wellspring of spiritual information, support and guidance. If we were truly unable to recall our dreams, then we could never benefit from the divine guidance and spirit messages they convey. But to interpret and understand the deeper meaning of our dreams, we must consciously remember them.
Fortunately, if you seldom remember your dreams, or feel like you never dream at all, it is possible for you to train yourself to start remembering more of your dreams! Below are three strategies you can implement in your lifestyle and daily spiritual to start improving your dream recall. The key to success here is in combining these strategies in a consistent practice.
Dream Routine
Create a bedtime routine that helps to calm you mind, body and soul and increase the quality of your sleep and dream recall. Avoid the blue light from electronic devices, as it disturbs our circadian rhythm and sleep cycle. Do not consume caffeine and other stimulants. Do not eat for at least two hourse before your bedtime. Alos, avoid unnecessary stressors or stimulation, such as reading the news or watching a horror movie.
The Simple Miracle Cure For Stress
While I was meditating the other day, the voice of an ancestor came to me. It was the spirit of a relative I had personally known when she was in this life. She said, “Why don’t you just rest a little bit honey? Everything is always easier and better after you take a day or two to just rest and recover.”
I cannot say I was surprised by this unusual visitation message. I had indeed been dealing with a lot of stress lately, and I tend to forget that what I really need to do sometimes is to simply stop. Just stop doing whatever it is I feel I have to do. I often do tend to take on more than I am actually required to, and then make matters worse by stressing about it. It’s a free will kind of deal.
My ancestor was right. A timeout would empower me to cope much better and see things in a different perspective. The truth is most of the recent stress in my life is caused by my thinking. It is mostly in my mind and not based in reality.
So, I decided to follow her advice and take a few days off. I turned off my negative thought process, stopped working for a few days, and found constructive ways to clear my mind and relax. I took out a library book to read for entertainment and enjoyment; played with my cats; cooked some delicious comfort food; meditated in the garden, slept late, and allowed myself to just simply enjoy some proper ‘me time.’
Well, it certainly worked like a charm! After just a few days, I felt invigorated, recharged, empowered, and in a much better state of mind. I now realize I had been depleted of energy and especially not getting enough sleep.