Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Miraculous benefits of Reiki

As a Reiki healer I am very passionate about the benefits of energy healing, any kind of energy healing can benefit the mind, body and spirit. We know that. It's been documented, scientifically researched.

But do we give much credit to energy healing for the other miracles in our lives. Or do we brush them off as insignificant consequences? Of which I might add I believe there are none.

Take for example yesterday. I met with an amazing student of mine for a Reiki exchange. I hadn't had a Reiki treatment probably since November. Since then we've been trying to sell our home (lots of interest, no buyers). We've also been trying for the last 2 months to get our finances in better order so that when we do move we can do it seamlessly and without hardship. With both of these big things going on I had begun to doubt that our decision to move was the right one for us, maybe we should just give up and stay put. That would also alleviate the issue of the finances, since if we stay where we are we can manage just fine as is.

Yesterday things changed. Things changed about an hour after my Reiki treatment.

What happened was the mortgage broker we had been dealing with finally came to us with an affirmative on our financial plans. After 2 months of nothing but brick walls and set backs we were finally getting the go ahead.

We also got a call from someone wanting to look at the house and have received an offer.

Coincidence? I think not!

I think what we all need to understand that if you are imbalanced in the mind and body, your world, your life is also experiencing an imbalance.

My Reiki treatment undoubtedly re-balanced my mind, body and spirit so that they were once again operating at their most efficient capacity and in turn my life (without any warning) instantly came into balance as well.

I have had clients call me days after their treatment to report miraculous things like job offers out of the blue, finally finding the mate of their dreams, different perspectives on life events that used to bring them great distress and even appearances of money when they most needed it.

To limit the benefits of energy healing to just what we can feel is limiting the divine perfection and possibilities that lie within these amazing techniques. When you are one with your energy, you are one with the world, with your life and with all that is around you. Energy healing can get you there.

Don't take my word for it, find someone who is practicing any type of energy healing work and see for yourself!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Mind Games

What would happen if you questioned your next thought?

Something like....Is this thought really true?

I've been doing this lately, kind of a little experiment to my self to see where it will take me and all the fun that goes with that.

What I have noticed is that the instant I question my thought I experience a feeling of peacefulness. Then the next thought comes around and I question that and again peace... And on and on it goes.

Something very different happens when I allow my thoughts to wander and grow. I find I get agitated and unfocused. The challenges with not questioning your thoughts is that your days and nights become filled with reliving past events, your mind is constantly filled with fake conversations and arguments, and your body experiences stress and tension.

Sound like fun?

Not really.

When we don't question our thoughts we become more and more detached from the moment we are living in. The NOW moment.

Another question I have been asking myself in moments of stress, or when I find myself getting caught up in a mind game is "am I OK in this moment".

Take for example thoughts over a lack of money (we all have that once in a while), when I find myself entering into the mind game of "I don't have enough money" I stop myself and ask "do I need more money in THIS moment?" Usually the answer to that is "no".

That small "no" seems to have been bringing me a great sense of peace that allows me to think more clearly and sometimes even see opportunities that weren't there before (or I just wasn't seeing because I was too busy playing the mind game).

I've also added another statement to this one, once I realize that I am not really in need of more money, I state "I look forward to feeling a lack of money". I know this sounds a bit crazy, but I realize it isn't the last time I am going to feel this lacking feeling so I might as well embrace it so that when it comes back I'm not surprised and I am better prepared since....well....I look forward to it.

And truthfully, this statement feels much better than any of the worrying I have done over money in the past, therefore I know it is the right thing for me to do. Good feelings = happy me!

Just for fun, the next time an infamous "lack of" or "not good enough" thought pops into your mind, ask yourself "is this really true?" or "am I okay in this moment?" and see where that takes you.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Passion in Purpose

This is the question in my head today... Queue Jeopardy theme music....

If you are born with a "purpose" in life, does it matter (really matter) if you work your tail to the bone to achieve it or sit back, relax and enjoy the journey that gets you there?

If in cooperation with our Creator we agreed to take on a specific purpose in this life, do you think that you would be left to fail? Do you think that if you aren't actively engaging in stressful situations and pushing through all sorts of adversities that you will not recognize and live your purpose?

Okay, so granted I know all kinds of people who have done that, pushed through challenges and come out on top. Perhaps this was their purpose and their path to claim that purpose. And I'd like to mention I have no idea if they are truly happy with the way things are going because only they hold that information.

The point is, we cannot go around looking at what everyone else is doing and then applying it to our own situation, because....well....because we are all unique and our purposes are all unique and the way we choose to realize those purposes is all unique.

How about this... Consider that right now in this moment you are living your purpose. You are embracing it and you are enjoying it and it is loving that you finally recognized what your purpose is for this moment.

I believe we can find our purpose in the things we love and are passionate about.

That passion is giving us valuable information about ourselves. It shows us where we belong in life.

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Peace of Nothingness

I don't know how to describe what has happened to me. Except to say that an unexplainable sense of nothingness has entered my life. Unexpectedly bringing a sense of tremendous peace to me.

I believe this is what I have always been looking for. And it is finally here. And it feels so different than the way I used to feel. Different than the way I used to interact with life. And I don't even know how it happened!

I verbalized this to a friend last night. Trying to make sense of it, I haven't been spending all sorts of time meditating or paying attention to how I am living. I'm just being me and all of a sudden here I am feeling like I am in a state of constant peace. Like there is nothing that needs my attention, there is nothing that is bringing me stress.

Case(s) in point:
1) 6:30am this morning, my 15 year old son wakes me up to let me know that I may receive a call from school because the Friday before March break he skipped out for the day and he lied to me about where he was and why he "missed" the bus. He lied to me the entire week and got what he wanted all week, and hung out with friends and we even took his girlfriend to the show and to dinner last night.
~ I had no reaction to this. The thought crossed my mind to be angry, but I wasn't! The thought crossed my mind to ground him until he is 35, but I didn't!
(okay the great thing about this is he warned me before the phone call which I can only hope is his conscience speaking :)

2) Payday last week, my hubby's paycheque didn't quite cover the cost of all the bills, we had a vet bill to pay because we just got our dog spayed, and we had promised our youngest we would go to the show and dinner.
~ I had no reaction. I did not panic as per usual. I moved some bills around and made some space and then I left it alone!

3) On our way home from the movies last night the boys got into a punching match in the back seat, one was hurt and crying, the other one was defiant and all of this happening amongst the guests they brought to the movies with them. My normal reaction would have been some heavy duty screaming and yelling. Some blaming and guilt tripping.
~ Nothing!

There are many, many examples of that sort of thing happening to me lately. I cannot explain how it is that I came to this place. I am a bonafide control freak! I love(d) to have control over everything. My 15 year old and I have argued constantly about his manipulation and lying, why am I not bothered by this now? Being short on income is tremendously stressful in our house, why not now?

At first I thought it was that I didn't care anymore. I thought I was losing my mind, maybe sinking back into depression.

The difference between how I feel now and how I felt when I was depressed is that when I was depressed I had all sorts of thoughts jumping around in my head telling me how I should react, my body would feel stressed out and angry. But NOW, I feel...well....nothing. My body isn't reacting in it's usual manner and there are no thoughts about what should or shouldn't be done about the situation. I am calm.

Something significant is going on here and I believe it is going on inside each and every one of us right now. Being aware of it is the first step to recognizing that we are now becoming more and more like our natural selves.

Today, take the time to notice any changes in your behaviour. Changes in the way you react (or not) to situations.

Take a moment to notice your thoughts and question them.
"You should clean the car, it's filthy and it doesn't look nice". "Do I WANT to clean the car right NOW? Am I happy with the car being filthy?" Yes or no?

"My co-worker is really frustrating me today?" "Is it important for me to become upset with my co-worker? Does it change anything about the situation if I do?"

I believe it may have been this kind of questioning that lead me to this place where my thoughts are not controlling my life.

It is a simple step with grand rewards!

Friday, March 19, 2010

I'm not buying it! So there!

So I mentioned in my last blog how excited I was that I was going to take part in a webinar that would help me learn how to increase my energetic frequency.....

Okay.... Huge disappointment!

Imagine... It was all a ploy to get me to buy more products that promised to help me with this manifestation issue and that energy blockage.

Tell me.... How am I to believe that your product is going to help me with all of that when you didn't even deliver on the "amazing experience" of your webinar?

It is no wonder that those who are not familiar with intuitives and energy healers view us with a prejudice eye when we offer them assistance. There are so many people out there with an agenda and it's hard for someone to know what's legit and what is just an infomercial or a ploy to get you to buy something.

Let's get something straight. I totally understand that you have a business to run and that you have a product to sell... However, I do not like to be tricked into spending an hour plus listening to your voice remind me to take a look at the "special offer" every 5 minutes when what you really need to be saying is all the stuff you promised you'd say to help me learn more about raising my energetic frequency.

Here's the real deal. There is no real secret of how to raise your vibrational frequency. There is no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on a 10 disc set, 4 books and a subscription for monthly webinars.

What you need to do to place yourself in a space where you are vibrationally matching what you want to attract into your life is....

(drum roll)

Send Love to everything and everyone, including the earth, the sky and the water. Send Love daily to whoever and whatever comes to mind. The more you send Love, the more you will embody that Love (because it is your natural state, not because it is a foreign land that is hard to find).

Sending Love, being kind, smiling, accepting life for ALL of it's beauty and gifts is the way to raise your energetic frequency.

You can also raise your frequency by reading inspiring books and listening to uplifting music.

That's it...

Oh, I'm sure there are all sorts of other tricks and backflips that you can learn to do if you buy the "special offer", but I don't know what they are because I'm not buying it.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Good vibrations

I am taking part in a webinar tonight that promises to give me the information I need to help raise my energetic vibration...

Oh boy could I use this right now...

There is one thing that I know that raises my energetic vibration for sure and that is meeting with like minded people who have an interest in bettering themselves and assisting anyone else who seeks it as well.

There is a surge of energy and inspiration that wells up inside of me after one of these gatherings. I write well afterwards, I have personal revelations that assist in bringing positive change in my life and I simply fall in love with life all over again.

Unfortunately, I haven't been doing that for myself lately. And I'll tell you something, I can feel that my energy is in a very low space. It is almost like going into hibernation.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it certainly gives me an opportunity to reflect upon where I am in the moment, how much I depend on outside sources for my comfort and ultimately how much I can stand of myself. Plus I love all the nights I get to curl up under a blanket with a hot chocolate and a good book. But even that gets old after a while.

However, if I stay in this space for too long I will feel as though I have lost myself. This kind of feels like a depression, even in this moment I am dealing with a head cold and I know that it is because I am not nurturing the spiritual being that needs social interaction.

This is a need that I have not honoured. I don't give it the importance that it deserves.

What raises your vibration?

Are you honouring that by giving it the time it needs in your life?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The quest for happiness.....

What does happiness, inner peace and contentment look like to you?

How do you know when you have reached the point in your life when you are experiencing these things?

For me, I imagined happiness to be a space where there is absolutely no pain, there is no dullness, no darkness. I imagined I would be full of laughter, energy and total bliss 24/7!

What I am learning is that happiness isn't necessarily fun, fun, fun 24/7. Although you may experience times when this is true, but you will also experience times when it is not. Happiness is inner contentment and peace.

I am beginning to realize that if in any moment you are feeling at peace, no matter what is going on around you, then you are in state of happiness, acceptance and grace.

There is a belief that happiness has to be the complete opposite of how we are feeling right now. If we are burdened by depression we believe happiness is complete and utter joy, laughter all the time. It's not fair to do that to ourselves though, because in that moment we feel even more hopeless because the realization of happiness seems to be too far out of our reach. It feels unattainable.

I realized something yesterday as I was laying around on the couch watching my favourite tv program. I began feeling unproductive, feeling I "should" be doing something other than lying around on the couch, something "better", less lazy.

When I allowed myself to bypass those thoughts I found that I was quite happy and content laying on the couch. So why do I need to change that? Why would I need to find something else to do if I am actually happy doing what I am doing in the moment?

Do you ever do this to yourself?

We are constantly standing in judgement of our now moment. It's all we have you know, this exact moment you are living in, the now moment. Why are we always trying to change it, manipulate it to look, feel and be better?

We bombard ourselves with stress when we do this and we grow farther and farther from our happiness goals.

I feel we need to connect to what makes us feel most at peace and then allow ourselves the pleasure of doing it.

What does peace feel like anyway? And how do we bring ourselves to that place? We've read the books, watched the YouTube videos, listened to countless self help audios but do we really know what peace feels like to us?

Wouldn't it be great if there was an inner peace instruction booklet. Not a fancy book with words and phrases we can't understand, but a simple step by step guide on how to find peace and happiness, nothing left unanswered and a quick approach to finding what we've been searching for our whole lives.

This wish ranks right up there with progress reports from the Universe!

Happiness and inner peace are things you find when you are living life on your terms, living life based on what feels good to you.

When we are not allowing ourselves to live anywhere near what our soul desires we are off balance and we are removed from our inner peace. That is when we put pressure on ourselves to do more, be more, have more.

I believe finding our way back to our balance, happiness and inner peace is an easy thing to do. If you can give yourself permission to let go of all the clutter.

Another point I'd like to make is that the feeling of peacefulness and happiness is most likely different for everyone. My idea of happiness may be different than yours because we are two unique individuals. I can try to explain to you how I feel while in a space of peace, but that may not help you because your space of peace has a different path and a different feeling. I think this is why I have been puzzled for so long by some of the books I have read. Sometimes I felt it was impossible for me to reach the state of happiness they were describing.

Ultimately, it is a process of getting to know yourself. We don't wake up one morning with all of the answers. We have to work at knowing who we are, what makes us tick, what brings us the most satisfaction.

Afterall, you are you, you know you better than you know anyone else on this planet. You may have ignored you for a while now, but it just takes the intention of finding you again to start the wheels of change moving in the right direction.

Taking one step towards being at peace with your life situation will move you into larger opportunities to explore that peace in other areas as well and eventually you will find there is no more need for judgement and criticism in your life.

It is what it is....that's happiness!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Simple & Consistent

So lately I have been mesmerized by something called "The Work"

I have been feverishly watching all of the YouTube videos of Byron Katie and her technique of turning around all the negative thoughts and beliefs that we have running through our minds.

It is absolutely fascinating.

I have begun to apply The Work to my every day life as well as using it with my coaching clients. The feedback that I am receiving tells me that this is far more effective than the techniques I have been using thus far. And the progress that I am making in my own awareness is more rapid than anything I have used in the past.

It's simple and it's consistent.

There is a deep need within me to live a life of simple abundance and peacefulness. It really and truly is all that I want in life.

I want to wake up in the morning and be content with whatever it is I am doing (or not doing) that day. I want to not attach an emotion to anything and make it something it is not. I want to be in total connectedness with the nothingness and the silence that lives within me. I want to embrace wholeheartedly the concept of whatever is, is and nothing else (I embrace this concept only when it suits me at the moment).

Can any of this be possible if we are constantly allowing our inner thoughts to control our exterior reality? If we constantly place a "value" upon all that we experience how can we connect with the perfection of life?

I don't think it's possible. I don't think that simplicity is a possibility when our thoughts are always making things so complex, distorted and frustrating.

This is why the path to enlightenment is paved with bald headed monks and silent retreats!

I believe that this technique is the way to enlightenment/complete awareness that all of us are looking for. The thing that can help us deal with our everyday circumstances and guide us towards a space of complete contentedness. Not a space where we vie for control over the people in our lives, not a space where we step on everyone in our path to reach the top of the ladder of success, not a space where everything that we encounter becomes a personal vendetta against us. But a space of completeness, understanding and ultimately bliss.

Amen!

Monday, March 8, 2010

A journey to be proud of

It's been ten years since my conscious journey to awareness began.

I remember the beginning well. I had experienced the birth of my 4th son and the death of my father within 12 hours of each other, the only way I could cope with the confusion of emotions during this time was to read about life after death, the role of angels in our lives and of course what we are really here to accomplish in this life.

Believing that my father's soul was living pain free and joyful somewhere helped me to focus on staying well for the sake of myself, my newborn son and the rest of my family. I still grieved for him of course. But all in all it was my new found faith in a higher purpose that got me through those trying moments.

And it still does.

My motto is "awareness is key".

But awareness of one's own motives, purposes, our place in the world, etc. is not easy. I would have to say that the words "ignorance is bliss" are right on the money. Some days I would love nothing more than to not know what I know. Then I remember how fascinating it is to be witness to your own transformation and if I was ignorant of myself I would be missing the opportunity to see this happen before my eyes.

In 10 short years I have become someone completely opposite to who I was then.

Back then I was a follower, I was more than willing to allow someone to place their ideals upon me and then allow myself to follow through with them, no matter what it took, no matter how miserable I seemed to become.

I was a loyal and dedicated friend, but not because I wanted to be, but because I felt if I wasn't that I wouldn't be loved by these people, or they wouldn't think I was worthy of their company.

I was dependant upon other people's opinions of me, rarely thought or spoke for myself and endured emotional distress for many years in the form of panic and anxiety attacks.

I often neglected my family because of my great need to be loved and accepted by my peers.

The past 10 years have taken me well into my 30's and as we all know the 30's are all about finding yourself. It's been an amazing adventure and a journey that I can say that I am extremely proud of.

I have worked very hard. I once had a spiritual teacher of mine tell me that I loved homework a little too much. It wasn't that I liked it, I was afraid to fail. Because up until that point I had been wandering through life on someone else's terms, and because of that didn't find much success or happiness in anything that I did.

I wanted to be successful at being me. I wanted to become all that I could be and so I pushed myself into and past situations that created rapid awareness.

Of course none of that was necessary, it's just how I played it out.

At the time I was fighting against a host of limiting beliefs that told me I would amount to nothing in life. That I wouldn't succeed, that I didn't have it in me.

I still fight against those beliefs, I don't believe they ever go away, maybe they just get quieted a little more each time they are addressed.

I make sure to spend my time with people who are encouraging and loving, and who value me in their lives. I make sure to be gentle with myself when the need arises.

This classroom of life is a tough one.

There are no failures though; only honor roll graduates.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Spring Awakening

Can you feel it?

The feeling of renewal, rebirth, revival?

This is spring! And it's popping up everywhere these days.

Spring; the time when we open the windows of our homes to bring in the fresh air and let out the stale, dusty stuff we've been breathing in all winter long.

But it is more than just a time to do a thorough house cleaning, it's also a great time to act on those feelings of needing something new in our lives to honor the personal growth and progress we have made over the last few months and align ourselves to it.

When spring begins to peek it's head, I get all excited and giddy. My smile grows wider than it usually is. I get a surge in energy and an almost desperate like feeling of needing to jump into life, learn something new, put on my cloak of courage and take a leap of faith.

The birds begin to gather items to build their nests. What are you building?

They are chanting their love songs. What type of song are you singing?

Insects are coming alive, taking flight. Where are your wings?

Flower bulbs and spring sprouts are pushing up and freeing themselves from their hibernation. What do you need to let go of to free yourself?

Mother Earth is awakening. It's a good time for us to do the same.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

What's on my mind....

So, here's what's on my mind.

It's coming up on the one year anniversary of my brother's suicide.

Yes I have mentioned his passing in many of my blog posts in the past year. I have no problem talking about it and sharing my experience because I think it's of value to most people. We need to talk about it more because it's the giant pink elephant in the living room.

This past year I met a remarkable young man. He travels the world helping other people achieve their goals and live their dreams. He begins his presentation by telling the audience how he systematically practiced his own death. He didn't want to make a mistake, he didn't want to live through it. He told us he would drive at top speeds along one of the most secluded highways in Vancouver and stop himself just before he was to hit the tree he had chosen to end his life. On the scheduled night, he broke down in tears and stopped the car before it hit the tree. No one in his family knew that he had been practicing and that he had made the decision to end his life until he began sharing his experience with audiences. He turned his life around and made the decision to use his experience to help others realize that life is worth living.

I've met many people who have also experienced suicide in their families this year. I feel like there is always a sense of relief that they can open up and talk about their experience, their feelings and their fears with someone who understands them.

When my brother died, I knew his death would change me. And it has.

My brother was loving and giving in life. He always wore a big smile and was eager to lend a hand no matter the circumstances. His life was not wasted. It bothers me when people say that about victims of suicide. And I use the word victim because they are, they are victims of a society that does not understand and accept who they are. Truth be told I didn't always accept my brother, I always thought his behaviours were manageable and that he should "suck it up".

What I knew about him is that his emotions knew no boundaries. When he was up, he was sky high. When he was down, he couldn't get any lower if he tried.

This was his mental illness. With someone who is suicidal, every little "negative" incident sends them into thoughts of ending their life. Some people are consumed with suicidal thoughts no matter what is happening in their life. They can't escape it and they don't know how to ask for help because they fear they will be locked away.

And it's not just those that complete suicide that suffer. The families suffer as well. There is no other loss that compares to a suicide. People will talk to the families of cancer patients and heart attack victims. But people have a hard time talking about loss by suicide. There is a stigma attached to suicide and it is felt by the families.

There is also the feelings of blame, shame and guilt that come along with a suicide. Could I have done something? I should have known? I should have gotten him help? Where did I go wrong? We are accepting responsibility for our loved ones decision. Something we really can't do because most of the time we have no idea what is happening.

Sometimes our guilt turns into anger, at everything and everyone. We don't recognize that it is our very own guilt that is fueling our destructive emotions.

It takes a long time to get past the "what if's". We hang on to our loved one's memory tightly hoping that they will come back to us and that this is all just a terrible nightmare.

Suicide is sad and unnecessary. No one should feel so helpless, alone and out of options in this life.

In Canada during 2001, 3,692 people completed suicide. In my opinion that is 3,692 people too many! That means 3,692 didn't know where to turn for help, didn't know that mental illness is NOT a death sentence, didn't know that there are simple treatments to help them overcome what ails them. 3,692 people in Canada alone that were lost.

In my opinion the only way to begin affecting change is by increasing our level of comfort as individuals and as a society in acknowledging the issue of mental illness and suicide. We need to make a decision to embrace this topic, we've become comfortable talking to our children about pre-marital sex, we need to become comfortable talking to them about mental health.

Monday, March 1, 2010

A butterfly morning

I woke up this morning with the usual butterflies in my stomach....

Can't exactly pinpoint why they are there. Does it matter?

I really am a morning person, it's the initial waking up I have difficulty with.

I've been experiencing this since I was a kid. So by now it's probably habitual, as soon as my body experiences waking up it immediatley knows to throw on the dramatics.

This morning though it prompted thoughts of the state of my mental health. How crazy am I that I wake up every morning feeling like my stomach is going to take flight.

And even more crazy is that no one else knows about this but me. Until now that is.

These butterfly feelings start my day. Every day! I fight past them each morning so that I can get out of bed and get my kids ready for school. For the most part I do a great job at hiding them and go about my business. Some times (like today) the tears don't stop and I wonder how I'm going to get through the rest of my day.

Why am I telling you this? I don't know. Maybe because I am tired of living in secret hell. Maybe because it is coming up on a year of my brother's suicide and I feel like he and I have a lot in common. I wonder if he woke up with butterflies in his stomach and kept them to himself?

And to the reader that loves to remind me that there are natural disasters happening all over the world, and that my issues are nothing in comparison. For me (and maybe for someone else) this my personal earthquake.

I talk a lot in my blogs about having faith in life, making choices that serve your highest good, etc., etc. And I want you to know that each and every day I live what I blog about. Because if I didn't I would be living in the deepest darkest hole you could possibly imagine and I certainly wouldn't be sharing it with you.

I do know the importance and value in living in alignment with your highest purpose. It brings you opportunities you otherwise might have missed.

But it's not easy. Nope, easy is not a word I would use to describe it.

Especially when you are fighting against a strong current of anxiety, depression and fear. It can seem like a constant battle going on. Good vs. Evil stuff. And what about all of those people who can't make the choice, who are so buried under the mental anguish that they can't see through it to even find value in living?

Well, to those people I say, I love you. Because I do. Because I need to. Because.....well just because.