What the… Frog?!

Last night, I met a friend at a park to honor the new moon and to create intentions for the upcoming lunar cycle. New moons are a great time to plant the seeds for what we’d like to experience. Layering that with even a rudimentary understanding of astrological events, we can surf the cosmic energies rather than struggle against the current. 

We talked through our individual circumstances and goals as they related to the astrology and did a simple tarot reading to add another layer of guidance from the mystical realm. These particular cards were challenging to decipher, but we did our best. It helps not to take things too seriously!

As we were heading home in the near-dark night, a frog jumped across the sidewalk in front of us! Maybe that’s a common thing where you live, but this is Philadelphia, one of the largest cities in the U.S. Sure, there was a pond in the park we had just left, but that was about a half mile away, and all the times I had been in this area, I’d never seen a frog. Certainly not on the sidewalk!

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When you’re on the hunt for guidance, it’s easy to cling to every little occurrence. If a squirrel or cat or mosquito had crossed our path, it would not have been noteworthy. But we both agreed that a frog was such an anomaly that it held meaning. Plus, the timing was too significant to ignore.

There’s plenty of information available online about the spiritual message frogs might deliver. I’m not going to repeat any of it here; you can find it easily enough. What’s even more important is the unique meaning that frogs carry for us. Happily this unusual sighting clarified and amplified the tarot reading as it related to the new moon energies. All of these clues allowed us to craft specific and potent intentions.

I’ve written a series of posts on accessing intuition- Intuition Chronicles. While this particular incident falls more into the category of divine guidance via synchronicity, it was intuition that helped us capture and decipher the guidance. It’s simply a matter of asking for support and paying attention to what unfolds.

The more tuned in I am to what’s happening in and around me, the more I am certain that the universe is dropping breadcrumbs along the path to my greatest good. It’s helpful to remember that powerful information can be found outside the traditional intellectual approach if we’re open to it. Deeper meaning and guidance are available to all of us if we choose to slow down and receive it. I’m heading down to sit on the porch and see what surprises the world has to share with me.

The Intuition Chronicles: Cell Phone Edition

Welcome to the series detailing my personal journey of intuitive development. So many students ask me how they can learn to connect to their intuition that I decided to dive in to this complex and fascinating topic.

I keep track of the intuitive messages I receive in order to help strengthen my listening muscles. Hindsight is indeed 20/20.`One way that I learn is through contrast. When I ignore a nudge and experience unpleasant consequences, it highlights my desire to avoid future unpleasant consequences and activates my willingness to comply. 

Intuition is constantly speaking to me. It’s my job to pay attention and take action. Free will allows me to override the messages I get, and sometimes stubbornness gets the best of me. When I record results, both positive and negative, I have a map that helps me move forward in the direction I wish to go. I think these particular episodes, as cringeworthy as they are, will be particularly effective at making my point.

Intuition: Bring your phone. 

Me: I’m just going to the next room. I’ll be fine without it for now. 

15 minutes later, entrenched in a project, my lap covered in layers of notes and books, thinking… I need my phone, why didn’t I just bring it? 

This has literally happened dozens of times over the years! These incidents have been an annoyance, but hardly catastrophic, which is why it took so many repetitions for me to learn. Just take the darn thing when instructed to do so! Intuition can make my life easier, even in small ways; but only if I listen.

Intuition: Move your phone. 

Me: No way! I’m going to need it any minute, I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll just let it charge while it sits on the table next to me. 

30 minutes later, tripping over the cord, and praying the screen hasn’t cracked when it crashed to the floor. ARGH! Fewer applications of this lesson were needed. Intuition wants to help me avoid needless disasters, large and small.

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Intuition: Don’t use that pocket. 

Me: Whatever. I know it’s not a secure pocket, but I’m in a rush. It will be fine.

2 hours later, where is my phone? Did it fall out in my friend’s car? What the … bleep… she’s gone on a silent meditation retreat for the weekend and is notoriously bad at responding to messages even in real life. I won’t even know for sure that it’s under her passenger seat for days upon endless days. GAH! A minor crisis, all things considered, but an inconvenience intuition tried to help me avoid.

Intuition: Don’t use that other pocket. 

Me: 

3 minutes later, whoops! The phone falls in the toilet and now I must purchase a new one. Pocket lesson learned after two applications. Minor crisis, major expense, could have been avoided.

Intuition: Put your phone in your pocket. (Seriously!)

Me: I’m just going to let it charge for a few more minutes. 

45 minutes later on a train, dependent on my phone to connect to the world whilst traveling for 8 hours, realizing it’s still plugged into the socket at my friend’s house. Pocket lesson variation, learned immediately. Major inconvenience, could also have been avoided!

This is how it goes for me. My intuition is rather bossy. It tells me what to do to avoid pitfalls. It tries to guide me towards my highest good and frequently my ego argues with it. Ridiculous! Looking back, it’s obvious to me which voice I’d prefer to follow going forward. 

It’s easy to overlook these nudges when I’m not paying attention. It’s impossible to overlook when I’m tuned in. When I start the day by activating an intention to receive and understand soul messages by applying Reiki, even for just a few minutes to anchor this goal, I’m much more likely to catch on. Keeping a record of messages, received and ignored, helps me to be more aware the next time a message comes through. 

This is the equivalent of practicing scales for musicians or conjugating verbs for language learners. It provides the foundation necessary for a more nuanced experience in the future. In this case, I’m learning to recognize and trust my inner voice. It never steers me wrong and my life would be so much easier should I just follow instructions!

Synchronicity Alert

Yesterday my plans were shifted by consistent inner nudges to head to the local food co-op. Not the one closest to my home, but the one that generally requires a bus ride unless I’m feeling super energetic. I wasn’t and I just didn’t feel like going. OK, truth be told, it was hot. I turn into a bit of a princess in the summertime and tend to reverse hibernate in the afternoons. Yes, I know mid- May is not summertime, but tell that to the thermometer!

When it became clear that I was not going to be able to concentrate on anything, I surrendered. Maybe one day I’ll skip all the resistance and immediately acquiesce to the inner nudges, but it will mostly likely be in the winter!

As I stepped off the bus and started walking the half block to the co-op, I heard someone call my name. It was a former coworker who I haven’t seen in over a year. How he recognized me from behind is a mystery. Maybe it was my glamorous hair. 😉 We stopped to have a chat and it was lovely to catch up and hear that he and his massage business are doing well.

I figured this friendly collision was the agenda of the inner nudge and went on with my day. That evening when I got a call from a former workplace (not the same that he and I shared, but one he had remembered and even inquired about) asking if I’d be willing to do a house call for a client confined to a wheelchair, I declined knowing that both chair massage and traveling to people’s homes is just not my thing.

I wondered if perhaps this client would want to take my upcoming Reiki class, thinking that would be a great match for someone housebound and recovering from a stroke. It wasn’t till this morning that I put two and two together! I know someone who does home massage! Someone whose path crossed mine the very same day! Someone the universe nagged me until I couldn’t do anything except appear in his line of sight.

I have no idea if this massage therapist is a good match for this client. But I have no doubt that it’s my job to connect the two and allow the natural flow to take over from there.

I’m writing these words in case they may inspire someone to heed the nudges within as well as a reminder to myself that I have a role to play in the web of life that often is unclear until hindsight kicks in. (Also, because the nudge told me to tell this story!) Until omniscience awakens, it’s simply my job to go where I’m led and pay attention.

I can do that. Even in the summer.

Floating Effortlessly, Thanks to Reiki

During these times of uncertainty and conflicting information from the media, I’m more grateful than ever for the amazing power of Reiki. It helps me tap into my inner wisdom. I find myself gently nudged in the direction my soul wishes me to go and when I follow along, things fall magically into place, just as if I’m effortlessly floating downstream.

Sometimes I forget how easy it can be and opt to paddle with gusto, trying and failing to get upstream. During these episodes, the nudges grow stronger, eventually becoming prods and finally discomfort intervenes as a last ditch effort to get my attention.

For the most part I’ve learned to avoid unnecessary discomfort by noticing synchronicity as well as my yearnings and moving in the direction my inner GPS suggests. I’ve been using Reiki to awaken my intuition for many years now and intentionally welcome the communication wholeheartedly.

Usually. 🙂 Sometimes I struggle against the flow, meeting obstacle after obstacle until I remember. Go with the flow. Abraham Hicks has said over and over and over again, everything I want is downstream.

Downstream is easy. I just stop paddling and the current carries me.

It might not always look easy from the outside as my path seems to frequently contradict the status quo. But I’m given the guidance and support I need every step of the way.

The longer I follow this path, the deeper my trust grows. Reiki helps me access my soul’s guidance and take action when I’m inspired to do so, and to remain patient when I’m not. No easy feat, but very doable with Reiki’s help.

Dream Message

“Give it up. Stop!” This is the message I received in a dream last week. Yes, lyrics from Tom Petty’s song “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. What can I say- I went to high school in the 80’s and pop music was my primary language. A most effective message from dreamland as it stuck with me when most dreams fade upon waking.

As I’ve been asking for guidance through my dreams, it seemed really important to listen. I teach my Reiki students that intuition is like a friend. If you don’t answer the phone, she’ll eventually stop calling. While I’m courting dream guidance, it would be prudent to actually heed it!

Give what up? was the obvious question. Caffeine was the answer that came loud and clear. @#$%

Naturally, I negotiated.

Really! So silly, I know. I decided to cut back from 2 or 3 cups of green tea down to one. That seemed a reasonable decision.

Then a few days later the headache began. My response? I forgot all about the dream and increased my caffeine intake as that often helps resolve the problem for me. But this headache lasted for three days. That’s unheard of for me. This morning, Day Four, it lingered on. As I sat quietly contemplating on the patio (with a cup of black tea no less! Hey I’ve been miserable for the past three days, don’t I at least deserve a few sips of comfort?), I remembered.

It became quite clear that my body was telling me, YELLING at me, demanding that I give it up- stop! I had failed to heed the gentle warning and now I was receiving the message the hard way- through pain.

So I took one last sip, and poured out that delicious tea. Now I’m drinking a rooibos latte and enjoying it greatly. I’m confident this blasted headache will fade as the caffeine exits my system. I will allow myself a moment to grieve over an old friend who won’t come around here no more, and then I will celebrate a new level of reduced inflammation, deeper sleep, and greater clarity and creativity.

And that’s totally worth it.

Radical Self-Care, Listen to Your Gut

I have a big decision to make about work this week. The numbers are all in support of saying “yes” to an opportunity, but I am feeling hesitant. When I sit quietly and tune in to my inner knowing, my intuition is not onboard. When my head is telling me one thing, and my gut says something entirely different, I know I need to get clear about my goals. I can’t choose the best route to my destination without knowing where it is.

Rather than ignoring the dissonance I sense and choosing the intellectually sound option, I have asked for time. Fortunately I’ve learned to recognize the uneasiness that signals my intuition is trying to warn me of discomfort ahead. I’ve never ignored this phenomenon and not regretted it later. This is one lesson I’m not willing to repeat!

As it turns out there are factors that cannot be evaluated by accounting alone. My needs for freedom and joy do not fit neatly into financial planning columns. Physical and mental wellness cannot be measured in dollars and not all hours spent at work are equal. Sometimes increasing income is not the best way to honor one’s dreams and more work of a less desirable nature is not necessarily an opportunity. And when a potential decision makes me cringe, it’s definitely a sign that I haven’t considered less tangible information.

It’s time to create some clarity about my goals on all levels; career and finances, health and well-being, personal growth, and relationships. While I’m pretty sure that I’m going to decline this seeming opportunity, I’m going to take the time to sit with the decision. Will it get me closer to any of my goals? Will it actually improve my quality of life in this moment? Will it create more joy and freedom today or just the potential for it down the road? For me, all of these considerations are much more important than columns of numbers. My gut is speaking to me loud and clear, and I fully intend to listen.

Knowing better

I’ve come to notice that when I deliberately choose to do something that I know is not in alignment with my values, the consequences are harsher for me than if someone else engages in that same behavior, but without the knowingnes. The difference, it seems, is that not only am I absorbing negativity or toxins from the action, but I am a separating my mind and body from my spirit. It is this splintering that is the most damaging to our well-being.

Reiki, and especially my daily self-treatments, helps guide me to my highest good. It opens me up to receive messages about how to  achieve my goals. Quite often I get a message during my meditation that a certain habit or behavior is blocking my progress.  The most recent example was when several months ago I realized that my morning mug of black tea with agave nectar and almond milk was interfering with my energy field. Well, I was quite attached to the ritual of my morning cup of tea! I carried on, despite the intuitive guidance. Nothing drastic happened; there was no illness or catastrophe that resulted from my impudence. Yet each sip was infused with a hint of guilt because I knew I wasn’t making the decision to pursue my highest good. So now, not only did I have the original deed on my conscience, but the added weight of self-criticism. I believe it was the latter that was more injurious than the former.

Eventually I decided that enough was enough. I wasn’t yet ready to forgo the habit, but I chose to love and accept myself while enjoying my tea. And do you know what? A short week later, I really had no interest in having it anymore. It was easy to replace my morning drink with a cleansing cup of warm lemon water. I had no cravings or withdrawal pains. It truly was miraculous. I brought my mind, body, and spirit back into alignment where they all began working together to support my highest good. Now that I am caffeine-free, I am noticing better quality sleep and more energy throughout the day even though I am naturally waking up earlier. My intuition knew that by letting  go of this seemingly harmless habit that I could accomplish more of what was really important to me. Giving up the judgement and guilt was the key to creating a healthy energy flow and the subsequent ease of making the shift.

Negative thoughts and feelings block our ki (life force energy) as well as our internal guidance. Our spirits know that we are perfect, whole, and complete just the way we are. When we behave in ways that deny this truth, it interrupts the flow of energy that keeps us healthy and vibrant. Simply being kind to ourselves, no matter what our current choices are, creates a shield of dignity that enhances our well-being and motivates us to be truer to ourselves. It might seem ironic, but self-acceptance truly seems to be the magic that produces transformation.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Growth

For the past three months, I have been working with a fellow suffering from the darkness of depression. He reported feeling completely apathetic and fatigued all the time. He called me after hearing about Reiki from a colleague and decided that it was worth a try. He was getting desperate as several months on prescription meds had made no improvement in his mood or energy level.  Each session he announces that he is shifting and beginning to feel more like himself. He is showing an interest in moderate exercise, small social gatherings, and hobbies that had been completely absent on the day we met. In fact, when I asked him what activities brought the most joy into his life, he looked at me blankly and was unable to respond.

Last week his intention for the session surprised me. He wanted to focus on spiritual growth. Now, this is by no means an unusual request for a Reiki session. In fact, it’s one that is so aligned with the principles of Reiki, that I believe it is a natural side-effect of all Reiki sessions. My surprise derived from the fact that he had not mentioned any interest in spirituality or expansion of consciousness at all during previous sessions. His intentions had been strictly in the mental/emotional realm. As a practitioner, I am keenly aware of my client’s needs and comfort zone, and am able to meet them where they are. Reiki is amazingly versatile and can be used for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and/or energetic purposes with ease. He asked for help balancing the psyche, so that is what I focused on while knowing that his spirit was also receiving a dose of healing.

I believe that as his mind grew more clear and his emotions more balanced, he naturally came to realize that the source of his distress was spiritual in nature. I also believe that Reiki helped guide him toward this realization when he was ready to receive it. He is now understanding with more and more clarity that his lifestyle for many years was not aligned with his spirit. He ignored the increasingly demanding messages from his intuition that he was off track, not wishing to be bothered with making changes, until finally his discomfort became so intense that he sought the healing that would help him return to himself. Now that he is aware that an injured spirit is the underlying factor of his depression, he can begin to make small, simple changes to his daily life that will correct his trajectory, putting him back on his own evolutionary path.

I’m truly amazed at how this process unfolded organically, in just the right time and space for him to understand and be willing to accept his mission of re-alignment. The healing energy of Reiki is spiritually guided and therefore allows each of us to receive exactly what we need, exactly when we need it most. And that is the beauty of this work! There is nothing to do except allow it to flow. The Divine takes care of the details. However, it is ultimately up to each of us to follow through with the action we have been guided to take.