You teach what you need to learn…

I believe in the saying that you teach what you most need to learn and today I’m experiencing it first hand. Last night I stayed up late watching a movie and then had a hard time sleeping… Today I’m wrecked!

Truth is, I have a sensitive energy system. I have since I was a little girl and could feel the energy of the plants lining the streets as I walked to school in the morning.

I was so sensitive to the energy of others that I ate to buffer myself. I kept a solid padding of “chubby” (I much prefer that word to fat:) on my body as a way to lower my vibration so that I would feel less.

Here’s how to know if you have a sensitive energy system:
  • You “pick up” on the mood of others and intuitively try to fix it.
  • You are highly affected by changes in your routine, such as not getting enough sleep, eating too much sugar, etc.
  • You sometimes avoid new experiences because the energy may be overwhelming.
  • You get over-stimulated by big crowds, extended periods of loud noise, smells, chaos, etc.
  • Others tell you to “relax” or “lighten up,” because they observe you getting tense or shutting down from over-stimulation.

This is a brief list of some of the indications of energy sensitivity. I’ve found that building strong internal boundaries (my own psychic space that I’m able to keep safe by staying connected to my breath and not taking on other’s issues) has helped a lot, as does self care, which I failed at miserably last night!

Processing Intense Emotions

Staying clear enough to channel large amounts of light into the world involves knowing how to process intense emotions so that they don’t get stuck inside.

A friend shared a story with me about how he did this that I want to pass along.

He was driving and realized that he needed to turn left to get to his destination. He quickly turned on his blinker and tried to change lanes. The big truck next to him wouldn’t let him in. My friend missed his turn and decided to speed up and cut in front of the truck in order to make the next left so he could turn around. The driver of the truck laid on the horn and flipped him off as he sped past.

My friend acknowledged that the decision to cut in front of this driver was questionable, but nevertheless was bothered by the other driver’s aggression for the rest of the day. He said he was “obsessing” and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Eventually he realized that he needed to feel in order to stop thinking.

He became quiet inside and asked, “What am I feeling.” He immediately sensed anger. He then asked, “Where is it in my body?” He was able to feel it in his solar plexus or abdomen. As he dove into the raging sea of anger, he had a vision of reaching out and strangling the other driver. He continued to breathe and feel the fury inside. Within moments the anger dissipated and my friend was able to let the incident go.

Does this sound pleasant? Actually, I think I would prefer swimming with several hundred starving sharks, but the wisdom in this approach is that he not only released the pent up anger from the driving incident, but a big chunk from somewhere in his past that the other driver – gift that he was – activated.

Feeling intense emotions is uncomfortable to say the least, but only lasts a few minutes, whereas repressing them blocks our spirit and causes us to slowly suffocate. Kudos my friend, you are now one step closer to inner freedom.

A Lesson in Letting Go

I just noticed a smiley face sticker on my phone speaker button… Today is Anna’s fifth grade end of the year party. It is not only the end of the school year but the end of an era, as she is headed to middle school next year.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. Well, terrified might be too strong of a word, but I am experiencing a plethora of emotions that range from nervousness to excitement. She’s getting into that preteen stage where friends are a life line and everything is laced with the thrill of newness.

As my precious baby girl catches up to me in height, I find myself straddled between wanting to stop time while enjoying the ride of growing up with her all over again.

Letting go is tricky. We get comfortable and would sometimes rather stay put than move on. It’s just another lesson in transformation and I’m hoping to be graceful about it as my child blossoms into a beautiful young woman.

Be an Oasis

Right now I’m preparing to be a guest on Jonathon Fogel’s Healthy Wellness radio show in Minnesota. They are featuring The Energy Cure and want to explore ways to manage our personal energy.

As of late, my passion has been centered around Portals of Peace – my most recent baby – which results in very little thought about anything else, but reviewing The Energy Cure has reminded me how we can make profound changes in our lives by simply applying the concepts of personal energy management. There are basically three levels of energy management.

The first level is proactive – Adopting the rituals that feed us on a daily basis. We all know what they are, but are we doing them? My meditation practice, while still alive and well, needs to be practiced more fully, more deeply, and I’m thankful for this reminder:)

Second, we need to make the moment by moment choices that preserve our energy. What are my thoughts doing to my energy right now? How is this person affecting my energy? What will this food do to my energy? Remember, everything we do either drains or nourishes us!
Finally, we need to transform any draining patterns (behaviors that provide an immediate boost, but leave us more depleted than we started) that keep us from being our best and brightest. These patterns range from relationship conflicts to procrastination regarding self-care and personal growth.
Developing an energy management frame of mind is so simple and practical, yet the results are profound. And in this world of GO GO GO, it’s good to remember that our light and energy feeds us first, but then overflows into the world around us – an oasis in the desert.

Be an oasis!!!

Good Morning!

It’s a beautiful morning here in Scottsdale. It’s probably about 75 degrees and breezy. As promised, I’ve been spending more time “in the silence.” Meditating, contemplating, energizing. I feel much better.

Yesterday in yoga I had an interesting experience. It felt like everything in my past was dissolving as I stepped into a new river of life. I’ve heard that you can have a death/rebirth experience within a lifetime, but I’m not sure if that’s what’s happening or if I’m just releasing more of what isn’t me.

My dear friend and blog buddy just came off 10 days of the Master Cleanser fast. I too continue to fast, but for me it works best to do one day a week. (As a Libra, balance is supreme;). No marathon runs, 10 day fasts or anything extreme for this girl! Don’t get me wrong Gabster – you are clearly the bomb!!

I believe that fasting is helping me to release a layer of fear that my spiritual practice alone has not enabled me to do. I’ve often heard from people on spiritual journeys that the physical is the last level of purification. For me that has definitely been the case.

What becomes more clear each day is that each of us has a unique spiritual path and following our own guidance is the quickest way to inner peace and enlightenment.

This blog post is more about staying connected than anything else, so once again, Good Morning!!! Enjoy your weekend and the week to come, and remember to take time to tune into your inner voice.

Extending Peace

I havn’t written in a while. Truth is I’ve been doing too much. I always find that when my schedule gets too packed the first thing to go is my inspiration and creative energy. Also my enthusiasm and sense of wonder. I miss it and am committed to slowing down and reconnecting with my spirit.

Some wonderful things are happening. Portals of Peace is going to be available in about three weeks. It will be available exclusively on http://www.intentionlove.com/ for about six weeks and then it will be on Amazon and other booksellers.

On Friday I went to the McDowell Mountain Music Festival with some family and close friends. We passed out small cards with the Portals of Peace book cover and the following quote from the book:

“You are an essential piece of the humanity puzzle. The only way to take your rightful place is to show up fully as yourself. Completing the puzzle of humanity by being fully yourself is the most important job you have as a human being. This is the way we bring our light into the world.”

The experience was amazing. Everyone received the card as a blessing. It turned out to be a beautiful way to connect with others. Meanwhile, I have a renewed commitment to “be still and know” so that I am able to bring my spirit fully into the world.

Hi All,

Our friend and blog contributor Vincent has started a Meet-up group here in Phoenix called Manifest Your Life. It looks very cool:) Here is some information about the group and a link if you’re interested!

There are two main forms of energy in physics: potential energy and kinetic energy. Think of potential energy as the energy that “could be” and kinetic energy as the energy that “is”. For example, a roller coaster builds potential energy as it climbs. This potential energy is at its maximum as the roller coaster sits at its apex. Then, as the roller coaster begins its wild decent, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Physics also teaches us that energy in our universe can never be created nor destroyed, just converted from one form to another.

Your goals are your own personal potential energy, and your successes are your kinetic energy. The catalyst which converts your potential energy to kinetic energy is focus. Focus is the energy, the fire, which turns your goals into successes. Focus is achieved through a disciplined mind and positive feelings, and maintained with a well balanced life.

At-one-ment

With Easter on the horizon, it’s a good time to revisit the ultimate spiritual goal: Atonement. From my perspective and spiritual training, atonement involves relaxing into the most fundamental spiritual truth that exists – that we are all one.

Of course, we are all separate beings from the body’s perspective, but if you go to the deepest level of who we are, you arrive at pure spirit, and at this level we are one.

The ocean analogy is appropriate here, with the waves of the ocean representing each person, but underneath each wave is a body of water without limits or separation of any kind.

Embracing the fact that we are “one” involves accepting our physical differences while at the same time acknowledging our spiritual sameness. This can be confusing, as the ego likes to make people bad for not fitting the mold we think they should fit into.

We accept that we are “at one” each time we release another from the judgements we have made about them, instead seeing them as the spiritual brother or sister that they are. This does not entail living without boundaries, rather it involves loving and caring for yourself without making others fundamentally wrong or bad.

Easter is a time of redemption – a time to take the thorny crowns off those we’ve judged, and offer them freedom instead. Only when we free others of imprisoning judgments are we freed ourselves.