Gratitude

I was just thinking today about how last October I had a kind of premonition or vision of my future, even though I didn't have any information at the present time to where I premonition could make sense.

Here's the excerpt where I explain my dream:

"In my dream life, I live in a warm, inviting house in some woods outside the city. This place is my retreat. Out of my home, I give people Reiki, meditate with others, and offer spiritual guidance of the sort. My days are spent drinking hot tea, inviting people into my home, and nourshing people's souls. This is scary. I don't think afford a career like this, nor am I educated or trained enough to be able to do this. So this is kind of terrifying."

This was a vision I had over one year ago while I was still a high school teacher. It truly made no sense at the time. From my point of view, I had no logical reason to think I could do that. But over the course of a few months, my body gave out and I really had no choice but to quit my job. I thank God that my limited conscious vision didn't stop me from living my dream.

I wish I could remember where I got this story from. It was a movie. Someone help me out on this. A grandfather-type in the movie told a story about how when locomotives were first invented, the people of this mountain town built tracks over the mountains even though there wasn't a locomotive that could make the trip yet. They just had faith that one day there would be one.

This is just another example of the power of the law of belief. It's so important that we don't limit our dreams, even when they don't seem feasible.

To Ponder

"A wise person knows that happiness actually comes from an inner change, not from managing outer events."
~Rama Berch

To the Departed

I am struggling with wrapping my head around this pattern as of late. There have just been so many untimely deaths in 2009. I guess I should correct myself. "Untimely" implies that they were not at the right time, and as a medium I know we always go when it is our time, no sooner and no later. But why are so many souls leaving earth right now? And why are so many of them before we are expecting it?

Here are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head:
Michael Jackson
Farrah Fawcett
Patrick Swayze
John Updike
Natasha Richardson
Bea Arthur
Ted Kennedy
Mary Travers (Peter, Paul, and Mary)
Eunice Shriver

Then, there are the deaths of those closer to me, particularly of a 22 year old cousin and a 23 year old friend.

Many "new agey" people think that the Earth is going through an ascension process. It seems as though the energies and consciousness of the Earth are moving to a higher level, and some of this involves some energy balancing. I think Karen Bishop did a good job of trying to explain this phenomenon:

"When substantial shifts occur, it can create the departure of souls who have been carrying significant amounts of higher level energy. When Steve Irwin died, he left the energy of wildlife and wilderness conservancy behind. He had embodied this energy within himself to a massive degree, so by departing, he then allowed this energy to be dissipated to many others on the planet, thus creating a more widely spread purpose and higher energy for the planet as a whole.

Dana Reeve created the same effect when she departed. She embodied angelic energy, and thus, when she departed, we were then given the opportunity as a whole to now embody this energy ourselves.

At other times, souls carrying a significant amount of energy depart because we have evolved beyond the energy they are embodying, and the role of these souls is now over. Anna-Nicole Smith was one of these souls.

When souls depart who carry significant amounts of energy, their sudden absence can be greatly felt, and what they leave behind creates a ripple effect as it migrates and dissipates out for the entire planet to embrace and now embody in a more evenly distributed way.

Michael Jackson, perhaps the most talented performer of all time, embodied a massive amount of higher level energy. He was extremely connected to a higher level and to “the other side.” He was unmistakably a bridge; bringing this higher level energy into form and then giving it out to the masses. Remembering oh so well what the “other side” was like, he, like others, found it extremely difficult to exist within and understand the strange and many times darker energies that were on the planet while he was here. So then, he embodied massive amounts of energy relating to the other side and bringing it here.

In this way, he suddenly departed precisely around the time we experienced the solstice of June 21, because it was now time to dissipate that energy to the planet. He has now given us this energy to embody ourselves. He no longer needed to hold so much of it himself, as the shift of the solstice created this new connection for the planet to now experience on its own."

Misinformation

A few weekends ago I was in Minneapolis at the Edge Life Expo giving readings and learning all about "Minnesota nice." A woman came to me, worried, because she said she had seen other psychics who told her to leave her husband and she said she just couldn't do it.








I am always aghast at the things people have been told by other psychics. Here are just some of the doozies:

• A psychic told me that my husband is going to die in two years.
• A psychic told me that I'm going to get into a car accident that will kill my son.
• A psychic told me that I am never going to like my job.
  

This is a big fear among a lot of people . . . that a psychic may tell them something they don't want to hear. But here's why I never tell anyone what to do. We all have free will, and the future is fluid and not fixed. This means that anything is possible. We all have the freedom to make our own decisions. Even your angels can give you advice, but at the end of the day, it's advice, not a command. A reading should make you feel empowered and hopeful about the future, aware of all of your options.

Anything that is "seen" by a psychic today can be changed tomorrow because of the gift of free will and the fluidity of the future. I remember this each day as a reminder of the power of the present.

I need your help!

Last week, I was looking for volunteer opportunities and scouring the internet for inspiration. I remembered seeing a feature in O magazine about women who used their current passion or business for the benefit of others, and I had my own A-Ha moment.

Until January 3rd, you can buy $5 raffle tickets to have the chance to win an hour-long reading, hypnotherapy session, or hour-long Reiki session (you can choose your prize).

There will be two winners, and I will draw the names on January 4th and email the results to everyone. The money raised through the raffle will go to Save the Children (www.savethechildren.com). If you've wanted to do something charitable this season, please consider entering the raffle. To do so, just go to www.peacefoundwithin.com and you'll see the pay button on the right.

The Simple Beauty of Meditation

With the holidays coming, we definitely need to work on meditation!

Here's a good video. The teaching voice is great. I especially appreciate that he explains that any posture is great for meditation. The point of meditation is to have your body relaxed so that you can be with your higher self. How can you do that if you're trying to put your feet behind your head or stand on your butt or something crazy? I think sometimes people get intimidated that meditation seems complicated, but it's just not complicated at all. It's about relaxing the mind to connect with your most divine self.

Meditation relieves stress, answers our worries, and greatly improves our life. Although some people think it is aligned with eastern religions, anyone of any belief (or non-belief) can meditate.

The Curse of the Old Soul

Many times when I'm doing an Akashic reading, a client will get a belwildered expression followed by this question: "So how can I stop this pattern so that I can stop reincarnating and be done with this Earth stuff?" Usually this question comes after the realization that they are an old soul on a long journey.












Here's what I've learned from channeling the advice of angels and guides as well as my own readings and research:

• Many of us are old souls, and being an old soul is not a bad thing!
• We all have free will, even the free will to choose if/when we will come back to Earth again. There's no big guy in the clouds making you go. Each of us choose to go when we feel ready. Our souls are infinitely wise, and we know that life on Earth teaches us many lessons that we need for our soul. So we choose to come back with a willing heart ready to learn.
• We come back for many reasons. We come back to help our soul learn. We come back to help other people in our lives like family and friends. We also come back to help other souls on Earth in a way that only we can help them.

So why do we end up with this bewildered feeling if we chose to be here? Well honey, Earthly life ain't no cakewalk. Really. When we are drafting the big plans in heaven before we arrive once again, we are ambitious, wise, optimistic, surrounded with heaven's love and the love of all our guides, teachers, and angels. Then we get to Earth, it's go time, and our spiritual counselors are hidden behind a veil and the mess and beauty of life begins! It's spiritual amnesia.

Our souls' purpose for each time here on Earth is at the same time simple and complicated. It's complicated when it's analyzed for each person we need to connect with, each smaller thing we need to do; but on a bigger scale, it can usually be boiled down to one word like love, compassion, respect, power, etc. That seems to be the pattern that I've seen from my own readings, meditations, and reflections: the true beauty of the universe is both complicated and simple all at once.

I Think I'm Happy, But I'm Not Sure Because I Haven't Done a Scientific Study Yet

Today I got my December issue of Oprah magazine. Yay! The cover is beautiful and it has Ellen DeGeneres on it, which if you watched Ellen's show you know all about her campaign to be on the cover of O.



I started flipping through, scanning and skimming (I admit I can hardly keep my attention through a whole article), and started to get annoyed halfway through. Then I had an A-Ha moment (picture the trademark symbol here--Oprah has practically trademarked A-Ha moments. Should I send a check?)

What is with our society's obsession with research?! Good God, people. Maybe you've had a similar experience. You're flipping through a magazine, and from makeup to relationships to kinds of underwear, someone has done a study so that you can say that science supports your need for Spanx or dark chocolate. Good Grief.

Here are just some of the research subjects in the December issue:

• You should sit up straight because "people who practice good posture have more confidence and conviction in their beliefs than those who slouch."
• People who care about seeking revenge "have fewer close friends, were more likely to be unemployed, and were less happy" than others.
• Happy marriages hinge on "positive illusions," not good communication, happy childhoods, and determination.

Even the advertisements want to appeal to your logic:

• Such-and-such creme has 2 times the anti-aging benefits as another.
• Pantene has pro-vitamin formulas so you can be sure your hair is healthy.
• Skechers Shape-ups promise everything from improving posture to firming your butt to finding your true love.
• Arm & Hammer toothpaste removes 5x more plaque than some other brand.

Good Lord, people. It's no wonder we are incapable of following our intuition. We can't pick out lipstick or buy a pair of jeans without scientific research helping us make our decisions. So why would we leave things like careers and families and relationships up to our hearts, right?

So many people that I meet wonder why they can't see, hear, talk to their loved ones, angels, spirit guides, etc. But we all can. The problem is that around the age of 5 when we start attending school, the scientific method drives our every decisions. From a very young age we are discouraged from listening to our heart, our inner compass, our intuition. We're made to believe that our hearts can be faulty and intuition isn't scientific.

Sure there's a place for science! But do we need it every day in everything that we do?

To Ponder

"We are each given a block of marble when we begin a lifetime, and the tools to shape it into sculpture. We can drag it behind us untouched, we can pound it into gravel, we can shape it into glory."
~Richard Bach

To Ponder

"Here is a simple test to find out if your mission on Earth is fulfilled or not. If you're alive, it isn't."
~Richard Bach

A Time to Every Purpose under Heaven

Lately I've been struggling with keeping up good habits. Sometimes, it's so effortless to follow through on my intentions, and other times it's just the last thing I want to do.

Take reading. For about 2 months straight, I was flying through about two books a week. I was headed to the library about every other day. I really love to read, and always have from a young age; the mental stimulation is great. I was really enjoying myself and loving it.

But for the last month, I've been going to the library for DVD's instead. I just finished up a Tudors marathon (season one, no spoilers please!). Next I'll be on to Marie Antoinette (with Kirsten Dunst) and then I'm going to give Dexter a try.

I can't figure out what the switch is all about. I actually like reading more than watching a movie, but for some reason the thought of picking up a book makes me roll my eyes like a 10 year old boy at the library.

So here's my conundrum--do I let it go? What do you do when you lose your passion for something that's good for you, like working out or flossing? (just kidding)

When is it healthy to take a break from the activities that make us better, and when is it just being lazy? Do I force myself to pick up a book again, or do I wait until I get the urge, even if it's 6 months from now?

I really don't have the answers, nor am I really sure how I would get myself out of this rut anyway.

Here's "The Byrds." I am a total flower child . . . of the 80's; well, maybe in another life. With any luck, I was the chick flailing around in the background and dancing like she's in a sack race.

To Ponder

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."
~Carl Jung

From DailyOm.com

November 5, 2009
Making It Happen
Go for It

There are times in our lives when all the signs seem to be pointing us in a particular direction. Our thoughts and dreams are echoed in the songs and stories we hear and the media we see. Maybe the message we are getting from the universe doesn’t even make sense in the “real” world, but somewhere inside, these urges feel right. Maybe you feel you are being told to move to a new city although your life where you are is just fine. Or maybe you feel the desire to pursue a new direction in your career when it never really interested you before. When we spend time getting in touch with our higher selves, our intuition sends us directives to lead us to become our best and most fulfilled selves. And when we are open and listening, the next step is to take action and go for it.

Once we make the decision to pursue our inner urgings, the universe sets into motion the means for all sorts of details to fall into place. A sense of peace will come over us, because we know that any questions will no longer make us wonder if our dreams are possible, but how to make them happen. Instead of deterring us from our goal, these questions only serve to clarify our focus to move us forward. We need not throw caution to the wind to follow our dream. The positive shift in our energy affects everything around us. Like a rush of water, it goes ahead to clear debris from our path so that we can go forward. Our new attitude also attracts likeminded people. Sometimes even the most unlikely angels arrive to help us along our way with the information and support we need.

Wherever your dreams are pointing you today, take a step. Take action and manifest your inner urges and soul whisperings.

So, um, is this evil?

Inevitably, from time to time people will ask me how I reconcile my gifts with God. The question is usually phrased in the following way: "My church says this is wrong. Is it wrong?" or "My church says this is evil. Is this evil?"

First of all, I'm glad that people are thinking critically and asking questions. Hurray for not being lemmings! Hurray for thinking for yourselves! Seriously. Thank you. If everyone in the world would ask questions and think for themselves and come to their own conclusions . . . wow. That is a world I would like to live in.

If your justification for the way you make decisions is that "a church told you so," I have trouble understanding your decision-making process. I hope that you can recognize the difference between church and God. Church is earthly, controlled by man and therefore fallible and capable of all of man's shortcomings, including lying, stealing, misuse of power, and the list goes on. I cannot think of an organized religion that is devoid of scandal. God spans beyond any one church and is a benevolent, eternal, endlessly loving being. God motivates and inspires with love, not fear.

Of course, I can't help but notice that the questions never come from within. No one has ever said to me, "This feels evil," or "This feels wrong." It's kind of crazy when you think about it. For those who have met me, I certainly don't seem evil. And the messages I deliver are always messages of love, hope, guidance, and inspiration. How could it be wrong to tell a woman who's husband has passed away that he is happy and loves her infinitely? How could it be wrong to validate someone's own intuition that their job isn't right for them?

Instead, people have said, "I've been told this is wrong." What this tells me is that our own gut instincts do not raise red flags. The only red flags that people raise are based in an institution's reporting. So once again, I ask that we all think for ourselves.

So let me answer about how I have personally reconciled my gifts with God. Well, these gifts are innate in every one of us. Intuitive gifts come standard with this model. Intuitive gifts are simply connection with the divine. Have you ever been driving and felt your gut wanted you to go left? That's intuition right there. Have you ever gone for a job interview and felt in your heart that you were going to get the job, and then low and behold you did? That's intuition right there.

This is a gift we are all born with. Every single one of us has a connection with our intuition.

Secondly, our intuition is divinely guided. Each of us have a chorus of angels, guides, and loved ones helping us throughout our entire lives.

Basically, my intuition is heightened to a more obvious point. And anyone can arrive at this same destination. So not only am I reconciled by God, but I am gifted by God (as we all are) as he made us this way! Angels, God, our loved ones, are not in some faraway place that we have to die in order to connect with them. We can find them within our own hearts everyday.

To Ponder

"Heaven is like Wal-Mart: it's open 24 hours and it has everything."
~My cousin John

How to Compose a Great Affirmation

Here are the tips for all of you attempting to reprogram your brain:

1. Use present tense.
Example: I am well organized, not I will be well organized.

Your subconscious believes everything you say. So if you say "I will be a size eight," your subconscious believes it. This means you will always be reaching for it but never achieve it.

2. State it as an already accomplished fact.
Example: I exercise daily, not I will exercise daily.

3. Be positive.
Example: I eat healthy food, not I don't eat junk food.

Our subconscious isn't paying close enough attention. If you say, "I don't eat junk food," your subconscious will hear "eat . . . junk food." Only use positive words that you would actually want to be lodged in your brain. For example, don't use the word "pain."

These are just a few tips on constructing a great affirmation.

Affirmations

Because I can't help it, just watch this throwback. I couldn't find any clips straight from Saturday Night Live skits, so this will have to do.