Here we are at the beginning of another holiday season. These can be rough times for some of us. All the faux merriment imposed from the media can feel like a lot of pressure and make isolation or loneliness seem even darker. The competition to post the shiniest selfies on social media can weigh down even the most cheerful folk.
I’m here to remind us all that however we’re feeling is ok. Judging ourselves harshly for the way we feel just increases our suffering needlessly. Please be kind to yourself especially today! If you’re able to find one small thing to feel grateful for, no matter how simple or mundane, it could really help shift your mood.
If that’s just not happening, I offer this video of laughing quadruplet babies. It’s just darling. Cracks me up every time.
Wherever you are and however you’re doing, I wish you the peace that comes from within and allows us to accept ourselves exactly as we are. Laughter and gratitude are simply two of the many portals to get there. May you find your own way when the time is right.
Here we are at the beginning of another holiday season. These can be rough times for…
“Change me, Divine Beloved, into One who honors my emotions. Let me have my feelings without judgment, and then release them. May I feel deserving to say no when needed. Show me how to be kind and loving to the child inside who needs care.”
This little gem comes from Tosha Silver’s book Change Me Prayers. It resonated with me deeply this morning and intuition tells me that others can benefit from these wise words as well, so I’m sharing them here.
My emotions are all over the place these days, and I hear the same from people of all walks of life. I’ve observed that the simple practice of noticing and accepting whatever comes up without attachment, denial, or aversion contributes tremendously to my ability to return to peace with greater ease.
Witnessing all the parts of myself is essential for reclaiming wholeness. I cannot be whole if I’m rejecting any aspect of myself, including inconvenient or uncomfortable emotions. I’ve spent decades and loads of money and energy avoiding grief and anger only to discover it controlling my behavior from the shadows. Now I’m choosing to face it head on and allowing it to flow through me.
It is my hope for all of us to cultivate and enjoy inner calm despite the turmoil of the outer world. Tosha’s book, and this prayer in particular, are simple tools for spending maximum time feeling as serene as possible. Why not give it whirl and see what happens?
“Change me, Divine Beloved, into One who honors my emotions. Let me have my feelings without…
This super-helpful article came across my radar today. I’ve heard from a lot of clients lately who are seeking guidance via a sign from the Universe. Repeated numbers can be a potent message from a higher power, and these are some great tips for how to interpret the message. I especially love the accompanying affirmations!
So many clients book sessions after seeing number sequences, signs and other synchronicities. They want to know if they’re “crazy” for believing in things not yet seen based on repeat numbers, dreams or coincidences. I usually say something like, “No, you’re not crazy, but interpretation is key. Let’s explore.” I include here the most frequent number “meanings” I encounter, based on 17 years as a medical intuitive and synchronicity guide. Individual results can vary, as the whole picture remains important, but this list will give you a good start:
Repeating 1’s tell you to watch your thoughts because you’re in a manifestation gateway. If you like your thoughts, great! If the 111’s occur with negative thoughts, explore your fears to see if making adjustments now will troubleshoot and strengthen the overall feeling of your intention. If you seek liberation, joy, or success, lean into those feelings as primary rather than…
Originally posted on Laura Bruno's Blog: So many clients book sessions after seeing number sequences, signs…
Last night in my Reiki Master Teacher certification class, we had a lively discussion about how to offer Reiki to the upcoming election. This was the final class in a 6 month program that just happened to coincide with unprecedented global turmoil. These students have had an education in how to manage stress and build resilience that I never could have offered without the challenges presented by such intense external circumstances.
Reiki people have a great advantage during crises as we have access to healing energy at our very fingertips. Yet we were all feeling some level of distress, dismay, and overwhelm about the climate in this country that recently reached an all-new low. I wanted to explore how we could take action and restore a sense of empowerment and peace internally and expand it outwards.
So what does “Reiki’ing the election” do? For starters, it’s not a substitute for voting or any other civil responsibilities you are inspired to take. It’s also not a guarantee that your candidate will win. Reiki works for the highest good of ALL, and while those of us present last night were in agreement of what we thought that should be, we really don’t have access to the full picture.
As with using Reiki for any goal, we came to an agreement that we needed to release attachment to the outcome.
What constitutes the highest good of all is information beyond our clearance level.
That’s a job for a higher power.
Our conversation led us to a list of core principles that we chose to focus on; the contribution we wish to make to the foundation of the country’s future. It was an animated conversation and amazing to watch as they became inspired to participate politically, but on an entirely different plane.
These are the ingredients we added to our Future of America Soup. We did a short practice, intending for these ideals to become inviolate for all inhabitants of this country. The image that came to me was a crop duster, spraying the essence of these ideals from coast to coast.
Truth
Justice
Peace
Courage
Awakening
Unity
Integrity
Liberty
Please won’t you join us? Reiki is fueled by intention. If you haven’t been trained in Reiki, you can still participate by visualizing the future you’d like to experience and sending loving energy from your heart. If you have been attuned, simply add your Reiki intention and any symbols you have.
You don’t need to choose between involvement and serenity. This is one way you can have both. And incredible soul medicine as well!
Last night in my Reiki Master Teacher certification class, we had a lively discussion about how…
I’ve had a bit of extra time the last several months to indulge in one of my all-time favorite pleasures. Books! I’m dropping the titles of a few that have been significantly meaningful below. Please consider shopping at your local bookstore, perhaps Big Blue Marble if you’re in Mt. Airy. They need your support much more so than the richest man on the planet.
I’d rather spend my time reading them than writing about them, but I will say that these gems have provided me with tools that have contributed greatly to my mental and emotional wellness at a time when the world seems very opposed to such things. Taking a break from the news and social media to attend to your inner landscape can be remarkably empowering.
Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Rick Hanson, PhD
Change Me Prayers: The Hidden Power of Spiritual Surrender, Tosha Silver
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael Singer
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, Julia Cameron
If Women Rose Rooted: A Journey to Authenticity and Belonging, Sharon Blackie
The Three “Only” Things: Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence, and Imagination, Robert Moss
Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home, Toko- pa Turner
I’ve had a bit of extra time the last several months to indulge in one of…
It’s been a busy week of connecting and participating in community via the web. I’ve enjoyed a Reiki circle, a yogini prayer ritual, a dance party, an energetic healing ritual, meditations galore, amazing Kundalini yoga classes, an active imagination journey, monthly astrological and energetic updates for April, a play date with my favorite kiddos, a chat with a friend on another continent, a chat with a friend and neighbor who might as well be on another continent, more chats with friends and family, and surely I’m forgetting several other events.
It’s amaaaazing how interconnected we can be these days. I’m so appreciative for all the quality content available from all over the world and the access I have to spiritual and sisterhood communities regardless of my inability to leave the house.
It’s also overwhelming. My nervous system just can’t handle all this connectivity all the time!
Today, I’m taking a break and unplugging. Allowing time to turn inward and acknowledge the array of emotions and spectrum of energy within me that needs to be sorted, processed, some of it released, some of it integrated, much of it welcomed and tended to with kindness.
You might not be able to step away from your electronics for an entire day. I get that. Yet there’s likely something you can dial down, some information you can let lie, a website or two that could be safely ignored, or a brief time out from constant social media connection that would benefit your mental and emotional health.
I’d love to read about how you’re managing this constant barrage of engagement. Just not today.
It’s been a busy week of connecting and participating in community via the web. I’ve enjoyed…
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster the past two weeks. Much of the time I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the tools and skills that help me navigate the intensity of this global crisis. Frequently I am overwhelmed by grief for the suffering that so many people are enduring. And in between there’s an entire of array of confusing, yet equally potent, feelings.
I experience a lot of joy due to the freedom of a blank schedule. I feel frustration sometimes at being stuck in the house or not having access to the places I want to go. I feel anger when another effing jogger sneaks up from behind me and violates my personal 6′ radius. (Seriously joggers, you are not moving fast enough to escape rival contamination!) I can easily sink into a pit of despair thinking of the debt I will incur if I’m unable to work for months.
This second tier of emotions is easy to explain away by comparing my situation to others. My relentless inner critic wonders how I can be happy, sometimes even thriving, at a time when so many are sick and dying? How can I be so insensitive when others don’t have a house to be stuck in or a credit card with which to buy the food necessary to fill their bellies? What of the hospital employees who willing go to work, the epicenter of contamination without proper protection?
I’ve come to realize that yes, it is absolutely true that millions of others are suffering much, much more than I am. Yet this does not invalidate my emotional response to a very difficult situation. By denying or suppressing my own feelings, I block the flow of life-force energy in my body, putting myself at greater risk for illness and most definitely inhibiting my ability to help those in my community whom I am able to help.
So I’m allowing the full range of emotional expression to work its way through my system. Pretending not to be joyous when I am joyous doesn’t help anyone who is sick and prevents me from receiving the heart healthy rewards of exuding joy. Pretending not to be worried about my bills wreaks havoc in my digestive system when simply acknowledging that I’m worried and that I’ve already done everything in my power supports greater assimilation of nutrients and elimination of waste.
Somewhere there is a balance of accepting and experiencing my emotions and allowing them to move through me without distracting, numbing, avoiding or wallowing. I aim for that balance. Even if I never master this art, every step in the right direction is beneficial to my health and well-being. And that’s good enough for me to continue my efforts.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster the past two…
I’m finding that all the meditation in the world doesn’t touch the edgy feeling of adrenaline in my system. It’s impossible to connect with the outside world without having a stress response. While I’m over here having a mostly wonderful stay-cation, many people are suffering. I don’t wish to ignore that, and at the same time I recognize that empathetic suffering won’t help them; in fact it diminishes my capacity to support anyone.
Movement, particularly movement that elevates the heart rate, helps the body to process stress hormones. If you are safely able to get your blood pumping, I believe you’ll find it very helpful. My rebounder, this mini trampoline pictured below, is my saving grace these days. There’s not much a vigorous 30 minute bounce can’t cure.
Yes, I know the gyms are closed. Your preferred form of exercise may not currently be available. You may have a tragic relationship with exercise due to 4th grade gym class. I get it. You don’t actually have to enjoy it to benefit. But once you get started, I suspect you just might! Please note that I’m not talking about enduring pain or physical discomfort! That’s not at all what I mean. I am talking about perhaps stepping out of your comfort zone for the sake of your mental, emotional, and physical health during this crisis.
There are all kinds of activities available for free right now online. Vinyasa yoga and fitness classes are more readily available than ever. If you have stairs in your home, a dozen trips up and down should do the trick. My personal favorite is dancing. All you need is your go-to foot tapping music and a little bit of space.
Don’t overthink it. It doesn’t have to be perfect and no one is judging your moves or lack thereof. Just choose a safe and sensible activity and give it a try for 10 minutes. Notice how you feel. Check in with your body. Does it want more? Need a rest? Tone it down? Ramp it up? It will guide you if you listen. You have all the information you need within yourself.
Just like any other journey, take that first step and let your inner wisdom lead.
I’m finding that all the meditation in the world doesn’t touch the edgy feeling of adrenaline…
For those of us who are healthy and confined at home, this is an opportunity to slow down, get quiet and listen to the still, small voice within. We’re faced with such a huge volume of information, much of it conflicting, some of it utter nonsense, that it’s often hard to make sense of it all.
When in doubt, I trust my gut. My intuition has been guiding me for months now to prepare for this crisis. I’ve been stockpiling books and tea and essential oils without knowing why. Now I know! Hundreds of subtle nudges have led me to be much more comfortable in this situation than if had I ignored them. (If only I hadn’t overridden the message to not purchase a monthly transit pass for March, I’d have an extra $130 in my pocket. Oh well, I have taken note! Don’t argue with the gut!)
As I lean into this internal guidance system, my trust deepens and the messages are easier to decode. Generally I don’t know why I’m urged to go to a particular place at a seemingly random time until I get there and find the very thing I didn’t even know I was looking for! Given that I’m mostly moving between the chair and the couch lately, the messages are more often related to reaching out virtually to someone or which meditation or yoga class to enjoy. Still, each step in the right direction brings me closer to my greatest good.
My sense that I’ve been gently herded towards maximum health, safety and comfort by a higher power was confirmed when I received a message with this picture attached. My dear friend Rod is creating a multi-layered chakra affirmation painting for me. He started with root chakra affirmations, painting each next layer on top of the last and for some seemingly random (but I know otherwise!) reason captured the 6th chakra and shared it with me.
I wrote these words several months ago and believe them to be true. Yet it was still very powerful to be reminded of this Truth. I am guided. Every step of the way. And when I remember this and take guided action, I am empowered and more likely to experience my optimal reality.
Won’t you join me in taking this time-out in our collective narrative to tune-in to your inner guidance system and develop a relationship with your intuition? It does take patience and practice, but I can promise you that it’s worth the effort!
Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage 