spiritual self-care
Your Sacred Center Of Self-Love
We all thrive on being loved. This is natural, of course, if you look back at humanity in history on an evolutionary level. Ancient people came together in tribes, families, and groups, to cultivate a place of safety, security, nurturance, and love.
If you were different or stood out in any way, or even left the tribe, you were literally putting your own life at risk. This topic can be viewed from so many arenas, including psychological, spiritual, scientific, and psychic.
I often wonder how and when did we start defining ourselves by how others felt about us, and why did we believe that other’s thoughts about us were true? At what point in time did we allow others to define us? It’s as though we as humanity went into a deep trance.
We all know the phrase, “Love thyself first”. When did we forget this vital piece of information?
There are many ways we can come back in touch with this essential truth, but for the most part, our society does not support a lifestyle that would naturally lead us back to our sacred center of self-love.
How often do you take a moment to look in the mirror, or tell yourself, “I love you?” Most of us feel silly doing this, but it is very healing.
Have you ever met an older person who behaves in ways that are foolish or who just doesn’t give a hoot what anyone else thinks? My paternal grandfather used to throw dinner rolls across the table at me in fancy restaurants. While my parents and other family seated at the table would roll their eyes at my Grampy, I used to laugh hysterically!
The Empowered Empath’s Guide To Spiritual Self-Care
Empaths, sensitives and intuitives tend to be givers. Loyal, sometimes to a fault, and fiercely protective of those they care about… moving at lightning speed whenever called upon.
So, when I say to an empath that it may be time to put themselves first, the response is often mixed.
But, if putting yourself first seems too selfish or too difficult, try something simpler: at least put yourself on an equal footing with those you love and care for.
For many sensitive and highly intuitive people, self-care must be an acquired behavior… and it’s a big one. Empaths intend to be selfless, to help, heal and facilitate those they care about. Wonderful!
But remember, if this is your goal, then begin with yourself. The stronger, healthier and happier you are then the more effective, nurturing and supportive you can be to those around you.
Putting yourself first doesn’t mean that you are doing only what you want to do all the time, and it doesn’t mean that you are suddenly going to ignore those you care about.
What it does mean is making it a priority to take care of your own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. This can be a tall order and quite the task for some empaths. Don’t wait until you are in a meltdown… frustrated and snapping at everything and everyone around you, with little or no provocation.
What Horses Teach Us About Freedom And Personal Power
Nature is a great place to go when we need to think clearly, feel peaceful, and get back to a healthy balance. It is even better if this includes the opportunity to watch animals in their natural environment.
Animals also carry their own special spiritual wisdom that can add value to our lives if we pay attention.
When I watch horses move freely, it reminds me to honor my own path, trust my instincts, and move forward with grace.
In mythology, it is revered in many forms: as the ethereal Unicorn, the winged Pegasus born from Medusa’s blood, and Sleipnir, Odin’s magical eight-legged steed from Norse mythology.
Horses hold a deeply symbolic place in many cultures, often representing freedom, strength, spirit, and connection between realms. As we move into the Chinese Year of the Horse, these energies feels particularly relevant.
In many Indigenous traditions, especially among the Plains Nations of North America, the horse is seen not as an animal to be used as a tool, but as a “relative” and a sacred member of the Horse Nation.
Referred to by names such as the Lakota Šúŋkawakȟáŋ, meaning “Holy Dog” or “Mysterious Dog”, the horse is seen as a spiritual gift from the Great Spirit or the Thunder Beings.
Hold Your Tongue To Protect Your Peace
Some people deal with unresolved pain in their lives, and that pain often shows up in their words. You can usually feel it right away. Their words can feel heavy, sharp, or draining, like they disrupt the energetic balance of a space.
In spiritual work, one of the first lessons one learns is that words carry vibration.
If you’re the kind of person who’s intuitive, empathic or highly sensitive, this kind of exposure can feel especially overwhelming, leaving you emotionally upset or energetically drained. This reaction isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s just your inner guidance that tells you when something’s off.
It’s important to be discerning on a spiritual path. You don’t have to respond to every person or comment. Not every interaction needs a response.
When someone’s speaking from a place of anger, fear, or unresolved issues, you’re totally allowed to take a step back and choose not to engage with it. Silence isn’t avoidance. It’s all about being mindful of your energy use and being spiritually mature.
Take a breath before you react. Bring your awareness into your body and ground yourself in the present moment. Try to respond with clarity instead of emotion. Meditation, prayer, or just taking some time for yourself can help you get in sync with your higher self instead of getting caught up in reactive patterns.
Take Out The Toxic Trash With A Self-Love Meditation
I’ve been teaching meditation for over 30 years now, and it is something that has been widely misunderstood. It has also been hijacked by people with nefarious, materialistic agendas.
Meditation is not about emptying the mind or having no thoughts. Rather, it is about removing and replacing negative thoughts, repetitive patterns, abusive programming from childhood, and conditioning imposed by sadistic or wounded individuals.
Meditation is about inviting God, Spirit, Source, the Divine back into the heart, soul, and mind.
When we are children, everything begins with love. Children are eternal optimists, even when they have been traumatized.
But almost every child encounters at least one parent, relative, teacher, classmate, or authority figure who is abusive. These individuals attempt to rid themselves of their own overflowing toxicity by dumping it onto others: verbally, emotionally, or physically. Their words become programming, much like a computer virus.
Meditation is designed to replace that negative programming. Instead of hearing “you are worthless” looping in your mind, meditation allows you to consciously replace that tape with “I am loved.”
Think about the hurtful words that were spoken or screamed at you as a child. Then, during meditation, repeat the opposite.
Grief Is A Sacred Gift Of Soul Experience
Long ago, I yearned for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life. And the door opened. It led me within.
Now, I long for a deep wound to be healed, and again I feel the door opening. I am prepared for the changes that come each time the door opens, and welcome them with profound gratitude.
I’ve come to understand that these “doors” don’t always show up looking bright and shiny and obviously spiritual. Sometimes they arrive disguised as heartbreak, loss, and the kind of grief that knocks the breath right out of your body. It doesn’t feel like a doorway then. It feels like a wall. A dead end. A great, echoing “Why?”
Last year had been a particularly difficult time for me. So much grief! Layers of it. Old grief that I thought I had already handled. New grief that came out of nowhere. Grief that didn’t even seem to have a clear name or story attached to it. I just had waves of sadness and loneliness that would rise up and spill over when I least expected it.
All part of the process, of course. But when you’re actually in it, that is not always comforting. I remember wondering, sometimes out loud:
When will I get back into the universal flow again?
When will the spiritual things I need for my Journey manifest?
When will this heaviness lift?
I wasn’t asking in a demanding way, more like a child pressing her face against the window, looking out at life, feeling like everyone else was moving forward while I was sitting in slow motion. My faith never left, but it got very, very quiet.
Remember To Wear Your Protection Daily
Many of my clients complain feeling drained by people around them. These energy thieves can be found in their work environment, and among friends or family. In turn, what affects them energetically, also affects their pets.
Only yesterday, I was driving one of our local veterinarians back to her practice in town. I had brought her out to our place in the country to check our latest rescue dog; he is still too nervous to get into the car.
She then started telling me, with no prompting from me, how her customers are draining her. She feels that her animal patients are profoundly affected by their owners’ moods. The vet said she takes a few days off intermittently to recharge her batteries – not from the work she loves, but from the pet owners!
When I saw psychic medium John Edward perform live, he was stressing how important it is to wear our energy or psychic protection. “Wear it like a condom,” he said. I have since adopted this motto as my own, because it really nails the importance of wearing protection from negative energies around you.
We dress according to climate changes, and so, we must also wear the appropriate psychic protection for our own inner ‘climatic changes.’
We are all vulnerable to external energy vibrations, but at times this threat intensifies. We are especially more open to taking on external ‘stuff’ when we are anxious, tired, going through personal changes, and when are under the influence of any mind-altering substance.