Monday, January 30, 2012

Intuition + Truth = Better Health & Wellbeing

Truth is a beautiful thing. Even more so when the truth is spot on and you feel it in every fiber of your being. How do we recognize and trust this authentic reflection of ourselves? My sister and I discussed this question at great length. We compared and contrasted our thoughts on situations and circumstances in which we knew with complete certainty that we were standing on the hallowed ground of our personal truth. It is in this space that healing begins.
Speaking your truth is crucial to releasing energetic blockages in the throat chakra.*  It is also an important step toward manifesting physical healing in this particular energy center. Physical ailments pertaining to the neck, thyroid, jaw, teeth or mouth all correlate to the throat chakra. Therefore, learning to tap into your intuition and rely on this knowing to communicate your inner truth maintains an open and healthy chakra energy flow. What does this feel like? When you are in the presence of your truth, you feel grounded and balanced in knowing that come hell or high water this thought, this deed or these words are right on. It is unwavering, but it is not stubborn. You feel anchored, yet beautifully connected to the guidance of your better angels; humbled yet inordinately grateful.

In a dream I had recently, I possessed a beautiful, lustrous piece of lapis lazuli, a stone I've long been attracted to. Swimming in a sea of cobalt blue was a golden oval (pyrite). Typically one doesn't see the pyrite quite so yellow or pronounced as it was in my dream. As dreams contain messages from our subconscious mind that help us in our waking lives, I was obliged to pay particular attention to this image. Pyrite is a healing stone and provides protection. Nice. Lapis is a stone for inner truth, inner power, intuition and manifestation. Both the stone and its color correspond to the throat chakra aiding in self expression, and you guessed it, right speech. Perfect.

As you begin to discern how your own truth feels, this sensation (whatever it is for you) will become an 'a-ha' you recognize straight away. Use this gift to learn to trust your intuition. Ask yourself in any situation, "Does this feel right?" When you call upon your inner knowing and draw the same conclusion (I feel at peace, I feel calm, I feel all is well), rest assured dear one, this resonance is truth. Your truth. 
*Quick Chakra Overview:
The word chakra comes from the ancient Sanskrit meaning "wheel" and is commonly referred to as an energy center. There are seven major chakras that relate to the endocrine system on an energetic level. When the chakras are open and functioning optimally, each spins in a clockwise direction attracting energy on its specific vibrational level. Other people can actually feel your unique vibrational pattern as they come into your auric field. The chakra collects energy, processes it and releases or absorbs it. On a good day we experience this flow of energy exchange in a pleasant way through our senses: sight, sound, touch and intuition ...  provided our chakras are open and rotating. A blocked chakra, however, may lead to disease and may also warp our perceptions and suppress our feelings.  --Excerpt from Reiki I Manual, written by Kamela Torvinen, November, 2011.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2012...a big year, but what does that mean?

So here we are already well into the second week of January in this new and exciting year, and riddle me this: who's feeling it? The 'it' I refer to is the shift we've all heard so much about that is slated to occur over the course of the coming year. What do you suppose will actually happen on the Winter Solstice in 2012? Will it truly be the end of the world as we know it in accordance with the record keeping of ancient civilizations? Like most of you, I've done a great deal of reading about what this might mean and the more I read, the more I think it's just like everything else in our spiritual journey: it's as Individual as it is Universal.

Is it more fiction than fact? Will we see evidence of the shift in our physical world? Or, will it be an inner shifting...of beliefs, of patterns, of direction, or priorities. Since we're all in this together, it might be helpful to monitor our inner and outer worlds together. Creating a dialogue about where we are and where we're heading can help shed some light on the spiritual journey each of us is on individually and collectively. Let's say you're working on a recurring, very difficult issue in your life (could be finances, relationships, career, you name it) and up until this point in this year, the situation hasn't altered. Oh, maybe the situation has improved or worsened over the years (decades!), but all in all, if you averaged out your progress, the issue remains the same. Why so stuck? Perhaps we may be able to discover what's gotten us so bogged down and how we shift from being stuck to moving forward.

Shift Happens
 
Is this the dawning of the age of Aquarius? Maybe. In the 1960s when the counter culture was in full swing, this was the beginning of the collective transformation. Drugs and free love aside, these people were not just on something, they were onto something. Love was all around which was no coincidence. As we fast forward to 2012 we understand that the Beatles had it right: All You Need Is Love. More and more of us are expanding our consciousness to a greater awareness that shifts us from fear based belief systems to a truly heart centered way of life. In this space we are encouraged to discover not only unconditional love of self and others, but also the discovery of our heart's desire. That is, our potential and why we are here in the first place. The Mind, Body, Spirit awareness that is so incredibly mainstream these days is part of the shift. This wholeness of self expands to the wholeness of our existence with all living beings on the planet and how we may serve each other. It's quite simple really. We were born at this time and in this place to be of service to others.

What is our greatest service to each other? When faced with any momentous change, struggle and fear abound. Those who are truly stuck in their ways as well as their mindset may have a challenging time letting go of old patterns that no longer serve them on a spiritual level. In this time of no soul left behind, we all have an amazing opportunity to assist all of humanity in making the shift. Individually, as you raise your vibration, (ie your consciousness), you in turn help to raise the consciousness of each and every mind. So your greatest gift to every man, woman and child is the development of your own consciousness, your awareness and your spiritual energy.

A Few Ideas

To kick start your own inner shifting, a basic understanding of the Law of Attraction can go along way here. It's been watered down and maybe even misinterpreted over the years, but that doesn't make it any less true and usable This is evidenced by the many books and blogs on the subject of changing thought patterns from negative to positive to manifest your destiny. "All thought creates form at some level." --Marianne Williamson, ACIM, therefore, any thought you put out there comes back to you in the same way, shape, or you guessed it, form. So it is in your very best interest to put out thoughts that are nurturing, affirmative, precise and in the present tense. My sisters and I learned a technique last November called One Command. It is yet another way, similar to EFT, for shifting thought processes from negative and future tense (I am so confused, I'll probably never figure this out) to positive and present tense (I don't know how I know what to do next, I only know that I do now, and I am fulfilled). There are many ways of arriving at positive thought. Any technique worth its salt will help root out the negative thought patterns that are so deeply entrenched that they feel as real as any vital organ. But, they are not real. Negative thinking is our dark side, our shadow side, the side that is fearful of everything especially the Light. This is where the work begins.

I'll be suggesting books, blogs or articles on the subject of the shift to help us navigate the changing waters of 2012. I'll also suggest techniques, meditations and exercises that help put all of this theory into practice.  At some point, we have to put down our reading and put our plan into action. There is no shortage of excellent books on the shift, and the one I read a while back tells it all in the title:  The Shift: The Revolution of Human Consciousness by Owen Waters. This book speaks of the shift as the spiritual and creative awakening of humanity.

Please share any suggestions you may have.

In the coming year, may you be well, may you be at peace, may you be compassionate, may you be of service and may you love and be loved. My best to you.