“I do not want to change anything about you, I love you the way you are.”-Unknown
While being placed in a deep meditation by my teacher, Kathy Golden, for the Unconditional Love placement for my Usui Holy Fire III Reiki II certification, I was given a story from the Angels. Because of my deep understanding and lifelong experiences with wildlife, the story was interpreted to me through a Peregrine falcon and a mountain lion. As a biologist, my species of focus during my degree and post-school, was carnivores and birds of prey, making this an easily digestible concept for me.
I looked up the spiritual meanings for both of these animals to clarify the download that was received. www.spirit-animals.com
Cougar/Mountain Lion/Puma: Coming into your power. Take charge of your situation and show your strength. Leaping into opportunities that are now available. Balancing power. Knowing when gentleness is needed versus asserting your energy. The power of yin/yang. Cougar-Power/Trust.
Peregrine falcon: New opportunity of a significant positive change in life. Planning and strategy as well as action. Trust you have the tools needed to take advantage of this new opportunity. Independence. Staying focused and being grateful for all that is coming your way. Success is determined on quick reactions. Falcon-Freedom/Action.
I was given a brief 10-15 minute download of information solely with a picture in my mind of the lion under the tree and the falcon perched above. For the purposes of this post, I’ve added additional descriptive text for the telling.
The Story of Unconditional Love
Given from Archangels Ariel and Raphael
A beautiful, tawny female mountain lion lounged under a tree, in the forest, peacefully grooming herself. Oak leaves surrounded her from the trees above. She could hear, in the distance, the rustle of the needles from the pines and spruce that mingled with the oaks in the canyon beyond that lead to the ocean. As she nestled in the bed of leaves, a feeling of power and contentment rose through her. She remembered, not too long before, the sorrow and pain that had overwhelmed every fiber of her being, every cell of her body. She would scream out her fiery anger into the air, her frustration into the wind. But now, she allowed herself the present moment of the contentment and love she embodied. Her pink heart shaped nose was given to her from the Angels for the love she carried in her heart.
Above her, a Peregrine falcon was perched in a branch preening his delicate feathers, looking down on the lioness. When he would watch her here before, his heart would often expand with such powerful love that it would alarm him, causing him to rapidly catch flight, leaving him in such grief. He, too, would remember how the longing and despair would envelope him and consume his entire being. Watching her as he did now, he noticed how the love and contentment filled his heart. For this, he was given tiny hearts all over his chest feathers by the Angels.
They would spend hours like this, radiating love to each other and being content that each could still be in each others lives. But it wasn’t always like this.
You see, he was of the air and water and she was of the earth and fire. They had fallen in love with each other, but because he was a bird and she was a mammal, neither could love each other physically. After her mate failed to return to the cave one night, her nature now was of solitude, living her life by going within. His was one of raising chicks and teaching them to go out and fly in the world.
She would feel her heart break every time he would leave the branch to hunt for his brood, and he would hear her cat screams echoing on the winds. Instead of the merciful way he used to hunt his prey, he would find himself brutally massacring other birds, to bring back to his hungry chicks in the nest, on the cliff beside the ocean. This disturbed his long-term mate, as she could see he was being deeply effected by something. She grew even more distant from him and the chicks, leaving him to do most of the hunting. He didn’t mind, as it allowed him to stay busy, raising his offspring, and not thinking about the lioness.
The lion and the falcon eventually stopped meeting at the mouth of the canyon that lead to the ocean, where the breeze would stimulate her smell and ruffle his feathers. It was just too painful for both of them. He stayed on the cliff side and she wandered deeper into the canyon, both trying to forget each other. But the memories of the time at the tree would continuously haunt both of them. They couldn’t stop loving each other, but they couldn’t figure out how to change who they were.
As the seasons cycled, not once but twice, she, in her cave and he, on his cliff, both learned the ways of healing, and the mending of the wounds that had been brutally opened up by each other: the faults and flaws they saw in each other and themselves, and the pain and sorrow that had been experienced through lifetimes. And with that work, they finally carved their way back to the love.
On an early fall day, as the oak leaves starting turning the colors of yellow, orange and red, and the pine needles started dropping, when the nights started cooling, but the days stayed warm, the lioness up on a mountain peak looked up into the bright blue sky and saw the falcon floating on the air currents. Knowing immediately it was him, she felt her heart fill with the most beautiful kind of love. A love that didn’t need an outcome, a love that didn’t have expectations, a love that knew no bounds. A love for him, just as he was, in all his perfect glory with the sun shimmering off his sleek feathers. She saw him look down at her, and he called out and dove down toward the peak, landing on an outcropping. He turned his head, inquisitively, staring with his piercing gaze and heard the gentle purring emanating from her throat. The tawny gold of her fur glinted from the sun and his heart filled with joy. He also felt the release from her of expectations and outcomes; instead, he mirrored her belief and faith. They radiated pure love to each other and at that moment unconditional love was created.
The Angels saw and approved of this and as a reward for the long, hard inner work that had been done, they allowed a creation to be born from both of them. This creation signified the guarding of a treasure, possession or gift. The gift of Divine Power. And this gift was born with the head and wings of a bird of prey and the body and tail of a large cat, and they called him The Gryphon.
Thank you Kathy Golden for encouraging me to tell this story, and also Melinda Combs for being my editor and helping me express myself. Love to you both!
“There’s no organ system in the body that’s not affected by sound, music and vibration. You can look at disease as a form of disharmony.” – Mitchell Gaynor
Music and sound has been used for therapeutic effects and healing for thousands of years. It has been found since the beginning of recorded history. The Greeks used to use sound healing to cure mental disorders. And about 200 years ago, studies showed that music could lower blood pressure, decrease pulse rate and assist the parasympathetic nervous system.
Genetic studies have revealed musical expressions in our DNA, and NASA has recorded the vibrating sounds of all the planets, comets, and even some black holes. The Universe is made up of sound.
Our bodies, being a part of the Universal One, are also made up of energy that create sound. According to the American Institute of Stress, 90% of doctor visits are due to stress. Stress pulls our cells out of coherent structure, causing a disharmony within the body. Stress also causes our energy vortexes (chakras) to become blocked or malfunctioning. Without the free flowing energy within our bodies, our tissues and organs become dis-eased. When stress is left unchecked or unresolved, the body starts communicating its out of tune disharmony with stress signals such as anxiety, depression, food sensitivities, allergies, inflammation, insomnia, organ malfunction, or physical and emotional pain, to name only a few.
When sound touches us, it penetrates our cells so that they move in different directions at a different speed, corresponding with the sound wave through oscillation and resonance. The sound only needs to be felt, not necessarily heard to be effective. Hearing the resonance is only an added benefit.
Sound healing is a natural way to get the bodies energy movement back into “tune”, by aligning the chakras natural “musical notes”. Each of the body’s 7 chakras has its own vibrational sounds, which follows the musical scale. Humans didn’t create music, the Universe did. Humans only learned how to express the sounds that were already present inside of their bodies.
Each one of these energy wheels (vortexes) is responsible from basic bodily functions to spiritual needs or desires, from the most base one of the root chakra, to the most enlightened one of the crown chakra.
Chakra
Location
Meaning
Needs/Desires
Root
Base of Spine
I exist
Safety, Security
Sacral
Pelvis
I desire
Passion, Sexuality
Solar Plexus
Stomach
I do
Courage, Confidence
Heart
Chest
I love
Relationships, Empathy
Throat
Neck
I express
Communication, Faith
Third Eye
Forehead
I see
Intuition, Insight
Crown
Top of Head
Iunderstand
Spirituality, Universe
If there is a stressor, or multiple stressors within the above “needs/desires” category, that chakra will often be blocked or malfunctioning. Ailments located in the location of the body (in the column above) will often express themselves physically. As a couple of examples, digestion issues with the stomach or upper intestines, will often manifest when there is a lack of courage or confidence, whereas lower intestinal digestive issues or reproductive issues can be connected to a low/too high libido or issues around sex. Another one could be chronic headaches or vision issues might be a disconnect from your intuition and insight. On the flip side, tingling on the top of your head often indicates your connection to the universe or your spirituality, or if headaches are rare for you, then you are in tune with your intuition. Those are just a few examples and reviewing the above ^ post can give you more insight.
So, now we can go into how sound healing can help balance the energy movement in each of those locations. But this also involves effort and free will, as it will only become unbalanced again, if the stressor is not alleviated or resolved.
Knowing our bodies are comprised of organic flesh and blood, inorganic crystalline-based mineral structures are also present within. So while any instrument that resonates at a certain frequency will be helpful, my belief is that pure crystal bowls (99.8% silicon quartz) might be the most effective for the body’s healing (while well crafted Tibetan bronze bowls are also amazing). Each of my crystal quartz singing bowls are digitally matched to the musical scale – C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Frequency in singing bowls is measured in vibrations per second known as Hertz (Hz). The lower the frequency the slower the vibrations, the higher the frequency the faster the vibrations. So, depending on the frequency the bowls are made at will depend on the vibrating capacity.
Chakra
Color
Note
Location
Root
Red
C
Base of Spine
Sacral
Orange
D
Pelvis
Solar Plexus
Yellow
E
Stomach
Heart
Green
F
Chest
Throat
Blue
G
Neck
3rd Eye
Purple
A
Forehead
Crown
Violet
B
Top of Head
Here is a demo by Ashana playing crystal bowls at Mt. Shasta. I like that she is playing there, as Mt. Shasta is considered a very powerful location by some. Ashana does a really good job of playing both clear notes and resonance in this clip. Have a listen…
Ashana playing at Mt. Shasta
The Sound of the Silent mind
In my Yin yoga class, there is an opening song I play that has a quote in the beginning that is spoken, not sung. He says, “The word is the argument of silence.” What this means to me is that we spend hours each day filling our mind with words, thoughts and sentences. We have a constant need to fill up the empty spaces in our mind with endless chatter. We do this in an attempt to NOT be silent and these words create vibrations within us all. We even have the capability of transmitting these mindful communications out into the collective, and these can be positive or negative.
At the end of my yoga class, I always do a 10 mins Savasana session where I include a sound bath healing that incorporates crystal singing bowls, bronze Tibetan bowls and chimes all tuned at different notes and frequencies. This 10 minute time frame allows both the yoga to be incorporated and integrated into the long term memory system, while the sounds reach into a cellular level to heal and repair organ functions and chakra balancing.
I also do classes just for sound bath healing, where students reach a deep meditative state, while lying down, as I play a series of notes, along with nature sounds and music that directly correlate to each chakra area.
Due to multiple requests, I now offer private one on one sessions with clients that include yoga and sound, or I can bring in other practitioners where Reiki and/or massage can also be included. Coming soon will be the option for yoga and sound healing virtually from you own home. Please click here for more information.
What does it mean when planets are in retrograde and how does it effect us?
Today on June 18th, 2020 there will now be four planets in retrograde. In the United States, Mercury will go retrograde on this day, joining four other planets of Saturn, Venus and Jupiter that all went retrograde in May. What does this all mean personally and collectively?
While these planets are direct, we can focus on forward motion in the areas these planets govern, but while retrograde, it’s time to look over the areas of our lives that they rule. Retrogrades are associated with all words that start with “re”, such as reevaluate, review, redesign, readjust, redo, reassess, release, reinvent, revisit, renew and reconcile are just a few. So while retrogrades are often times viewed negatively, they are actually present so we can take the time to do all these “re” things in our lives. We can’t always be all about action, we must take time to look over our actions and see where improvements or updates are needed.
Saturn
Saturn started its retrograde on May 11th and will continue until September 29th. Saturn rules long-term success, self-discipline, limitations, authority and responsibility. It starts its retrograde in Aquarius and ends in Capricorn. In a retrograde period, its really a time to rest and review items relating to careers, work projects, physical and mental health. During this time, it can cause us to second guess any decisions we have made for our long-term goals regarding work and projects, and if they are aligned with our future desires and outcomes. We may need to adjust some goals and plans to be able to get on the trajectory of our actual reality.
Venus
Venus started its retrograde on May 13th and will continue until June 25th. Venus rules love, relationships, values and finances. It starts and ends its retrograde in Gemini. In retrograde period, its a time to review our past relationships with people and money, and how they are contributing to our current actions. We often have memories of past lovers during this time, or we start to reevaluate our current relationships, looking at how and if they are serving us both positively and negatively. This a time when rocky relationships often end, or solid ones become deeper. We also start to look at how we spend or save money and if we are on track or not. We may need to make some adjustments accordingly in these areas.
Jupiter
Jupiter started its retrograde on May 14th and will continue until September 12th. Jupiter rules expansion, freedom, long- distance travel, education and law. It starts and ends its retrograde in Capricorn. In retrograde period, its time to look at the big picture of our purpose and passions. We might define a more detailed view of this or perhaps gotten off track with the need to realign with our morals, values and principles. We will be forced to take a hard look at our philosophies and spiritual reflections.
Mercury
Mercury started its retrograde on June 17th and will continue until July 12th. Mercury rules communication, technology, commerce, travel, perception and intellect. It starts and ends its retrograde in Cancer. In retrograde period, we often see miscommunication, technology glitches and travel delays. Oftentimes, since it is the planet of communication, exes might contact you out of the blue during retrograde. This is the shortest of retrogrades at only three weeks, but it occurs usually three times a year, while the other slower moving planets don’t occur as often and for longer periods of time.
What this looks like over all for the period of June 17th-July 12th when all four planets are retrograde?
Work and Love
The main focus for us during this time is work and love. We will be evaluating our career or work projects, and our relationship choices.
Saturn and Jupiter will have us questioning our areas where we generate money. Are we spot on on our choices, or do we need to readjust our path for better alignment? Do we love what we do and is it working in our life creating progress, or is it time to make plans to change our direction in life in how we make money?
Venus and Mercury will have us questioning or reaffirming our relationships and communication in those relationships. Are we in a solid situation with a partner or is it time to consider letting go to allow something new in? Do we look back on the one that got away and try again or do we stand firm in our belief that we made the right choice in the past? With both of these planets having us reevaluate our current and past relationships, many things can resurface, causing us to question our commitments (current, past or future).
A note of caution here. Retrograde is NOT a time to take action. It is a time of reflection and review. A time to make plans for the future. When decisions are made during a retrograde, they tend to fail when the planet goes direct again. On a good note, this is a time that has been given to us to do this introspection we need, in order to determine if we are where we should be or if we need to plan for something different.
“Yin Yoga: Let’s move inside and have a look at the interesting things we find.” – Unknown
Most people who think about yoga are familiar with Yang yoga, where the muscles are the primary focus. Yin yoga focuses on the deep connective tissue (fascia, ligaments, joints, and bones), which open up when poses are held for an extended amount of time.
This form of yoga was developed by a martial arts champion, Paulie Zink, in the 1970’s, where he taught a combination of India’s Hatha yoga with China’s Taoist yoga, which both had some long-held poses. Yin combines theories from Traditional Chinese Medicine’s meridians, and Traditional Indian Medicine’s nadis. Meridians are the path through the energy of “qi” flows through, and nadis are channels where the energies of prana (life force) travel. These energy paths are the same as Hinduism’s concept of chakras, which we have spoken of in numerous posts.
In Yin, most poses are either in a sitting or lying position, and are held for 2-5 mins each. Breath is a major component, for without deep breathing, it’s difficult to both sink into the pose, and hold it. This deep, or diaphragmatic, breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls stress, blood pressure, immunity and hormones. Activating this system, through conscious breath moves one into a relaxation mode.
buddha
Yin revitalizes the tissues of the body by lengthening the tissues, thereby becoming more pliable. It’s through this subtle release that takes one deeper and deeper into a pose. It restores the body’s range of motion, returns us to our body’s awareness, makes us slow down and prepare for a meditative state, allows ourselves compassion for our body, and to observe and sit with the emotions that arise during this time.
As I mentioned in my post Journey to becoming a Yoga teacher, emotions and memories are stored in our connective tissue, and the stretching open of these tissues, creates an outlet for these to become present on a conscious level again. When you also combine the meditative state, and being in the present moment together, for some, it forms the perfect conditions for emotional release, something that has occurred fairly regularly for me. It used to be a sudden and unexpected purge, but after practicing this for so long, it’s now just a gentle, flowing release of any left over by-product I haven’t yet addressed.
While Yin is considered “easier” in someways physically, it is a practice that is not for just anyone. People who prefer Yang yoga, sometimes have problems with being in their inner space for any length of time, and find Yin “difficult”. It’s a practice for people ready for going deeper inside themselves, to cultivate a sacred space internally.
To practice this type of yoga, one must be willing to find stillness within the body and the mind, so that one can concentrate on breathing, releasing fully into the pose. In this way, there is a level of comfortable discomfort that is found, which is needed to push to the next level of connective tissue opening up. This comfortable discomfort should never shift into pain, just a state of uncomfortable. There will be no growth without discomfort.
meditation
There are many variables that can take place practicing Yin that affect the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual planes, while also stimulating the senses of sight, smell and sound. In this way, Yin yoga can be a very fulfilling experience.
Teachers of Yin yoga, usually give “dharma” talks during the long-held poses. This could include the explanation of the anatomy involved in the pose, the chakra associated/activated with the pose, or they will explore spiritual and personal growth concepts, or even read poetry or sing.
In my class, I do a sequence that addresses the shoulders, neck and hips, since that is where most people store their stress. Due to that, these areas also tend to be very tight. First, I create a space of relaxation, with dimmed lighting, burning incense, and slow, peaceful, music. Then I start my students in the meditative state of Child’s pose, while I speak of focusing on the breath.
We then move through approximately 15 poses, for a time frame of about 45 mins, starting with the shoulders/neck and ending with the hips. During the holding of these poses, I read from personal soul growth or enlightenment books, with my students focusing intently on the words, as opposed to the comfortable discomfort that starts creeping in eventually.
When the transitioning poses are completed, the final rest phase of savasana (corpse pose) presents itself, where I dim the lights even more, and play a long (10 min) song. Along with this, I create a sound bath with singing bowls, rain sticks and chimes. I spray an aromatherpy, that has herbs that are related to the sacral and throat chakras, which tie into the shoulders, neck and hips. Along with the aromatherapy, the song also carries with it a frequency that resonates with the soundbath instruments, creating a healing sound the body uses to clear any blocked energy pathways (chakras). I believe a longer rest period is needed in Yin, in order for the body to incorporate and integrate all that occurred during class.
zen
Its always so gratifying and fulfilling for me to see my students so relaxed and glowing after class. The fact that I am able to create a healing experience for my students has got to be one of the most amazing feelings there is.
Please feel free to check out the studio I work at, and if you’re a local, I invite you to come try a class! Hard-Yoga, Huntington Beach
“The moon, the sun, the planets and the universe are celestial whirling energy centers, or celestial chakras.” – Unknown
In the post, What are the 7 Chakras of the body and How do they Influence your Health?, we discussed the seven energy centers, or chakras, of the body. Now, we are going to go on to discuss an additional three chakras located outside the body, one located between Earth and us, and two between us and the Universe.
The Earth Star Chakra is located between us and the Earth, and its color association is black. It is the grounding energy chakra we mostly feel when we are out in nature connecting to Gaia, Mother Earth. When open, we feel connected and safe on Earth and when blocked, we feel threatened and afraid of the outdoors, paranoid of nature.
Energy color associated with the Earth Star chakra
The Soul Star Chakra is located directly above us and the Universe, and its color is associated with pink. It is the universal energy chakra we feel when we observe the stars, the Milky Way, or theAurora Borealis (northern lights). When open, we understand we are part of a larger force, a bigger reality than just being on Earth. When closed, we are unable, or feel uncomfortable acknowledging, or not able to easily grasp the concept of space, and our connection to it.
Energy color associated with the Soul Star chakra
The Stellar Gateway Chakra is located further away from us and closer to the Universe, and gold is the color association. It is the galactic energy we feel when we can understand the concept of multiple universes, or deeper learnings, like the 12 Cosmic rays, the 7 rays of Crystalline Light, or the 13 codes of Ascension, just to name a few. When open, we easily connect to these theories and practices, but when closed, we have difficulty grasping these concepts.
Energy color associated with the Stellar Gateway chakra
If we also refer to the post, Astrology: How do the Planets influence your life?, we can review how the planets influence different aspects of your life. When we combine these two concepts we can get an association between planets and chakras.
There are as many differing opinions on this subject, as there are planets and chakras, but for all intents and purposes, we will be referring to my own interpretation of how the planets and chakras can be associated with a very simple comparison of what the planets and chakras each represent.
Chakra
Represents
Planet
Represents
Earth Star
I ground
Saturn
I structure
Root
I exist
Sun
I am
Sacral
I desire
Moon
I feel
Solar Plexus
I do
Mars
I act
Heart
I love
Venus
I love
Throat
I express
Mercury
I speak
Third Eye
I see
Uranus
I reform
Crown
I understand
Jupiter
I expand
Soul Star
I ascend
Neptune
I dream
Stellar Gateway
I transform
Pluto
I transform
Chakra and Planet comparisons
The galaxy
It’s also important to distinct that, while there will be times in life where chakras may become impaired or lower energy due to challenges in life, in order to work and understand each chakra, work must be done in each one of these areas in order to ascend. In other words, you need to have climbed the ladder from the Earth Star chakra, where you start to just become grounded to the earth plane, all the way up to the Stellar Gateway chakra, where you can resonate with galactic energy. These people are the minority, but are increasing in numbers since recorded history. These are the Light Language people, who are able to channel messages from other beings in other realms, or star systems. These messages are translated from these other beings by their higher self, which was formed from the Soul Star chakra.
Earth Star-Black energy
Earth Star Chakra-Saturn
Once again, using myself as an example, I was born already having my Earth Star chakra open and flowing, as do most people who feel at peace and harmony in nature. They use the healing energy of earth to ground and recharge. But there are people who don’t feel comfortable out in nature, as these people where born to be more in focus with the mortal body and its core desires. There is no right or wrong with this, just the how and why we were brought to earth for this life.
Root-Red energy
Root Chakra-Sun
I was also born with my Root chakra open and flowing, as I was very aware of myself, and my being, from first memory. As a “larger than life” child, I was a very omnipresent personality, that my mother had to constantly deal with (thank you, mama) and my father came to know better (thank you, dad). People who feel invisible, or insignificant, have a harder time in life, regarding this chakra, and have difficulty understanding themselves in any way, creating blocks for all the upper chakras.
Sacral-Orange energy
Sacral Chakra-Moon
My Sacral chakra was also open upon birth, as I have always been aware of my feelings, for I feel deeply and passionately. My feelings have been expressed loudly and openly, but not constructively when I was younger. So while this chakra was open upon birth, it became impaired during my formative years, from traumas that occurred, where I came to believe my feelings were wrong. The people who have difficulty feeling, from infant stage, have issues with this chakra upon birth. For other people, the lack of feelings come from deep, dark trauma at a very young age.
Solar Plexus-Yellow energy
Solar Plexus Chakra-Mars
The Solar Plexus chakra is the beginning of what needed work for me, at a young age. The “I act” or “I do” was extremely reactive, since I can remember. It took years to learn how to act consciously and compassionately on a regular basis. The only way I knew how to do this from birth was with animals, whereas with people, I reacted unconsciously and angrily. I had yet to understand why people were brought into my life to trigger me. Now that I have embraced that concept, I am able to act and not react. This is a hard stop for many people still, even in their adult and advanced years. Some were not brought to this world for that purpose, instead they were brought as lessons for others.
Heart-Green energy
Heart Chakra-Venus
This one also was a difficult one for me, for while my Heart chakra was well developed, it was impaired, as I only knew how to fiercely love others conditionally. It wasn’t until I learned to truly love myself, that I learned how to love unconditionally. Let me expand on this, as this one is a human collective condition, that many people suffer from. Upon birth, infants love unconditionally. We are all brought into this world as unconditional beings. It is after being programmed by society, that we learn to “un-love” ourselves. I had to take this program and deconstruct it, and embrace the dark aspects of myself, in order to understand and accept what I thought was the dark aspects of others. Once able to do this for myself, I was able to apply this to others, therefore, continuing to love them as a fellow beings, even while not appreciating the influence they had or have on my life. The ones I do appreciate in my life, I can easily now embrace their dark traits along with their light traits. Many people have extreme difficulty with this, and it was not easy to do for myself. I was lucky to have one particular influence in my life, that severely motivated this growth, and I am eternally grateful to that person.
Throat-Blue energy
Throat Chakra-Mercury
That person’s influence created a ripple effect to my higher chakras, which moved me to work on my Throat chakra. Most of my life, I didn’t have problems expressing myself, rather I had issues with how I expressed myself. I was blunt, raw, uncensored, and brutal in how I communicated to myself and with others (this has a lot to do with my astrological placements). I was too intense for most people (and even myself at times) and got called out on it, again and again. Through all that time, I claimed it was “just how I am”. But it didn’t have to be. When my heart chakra got an upgrade, and I learned to love myself, I began to learn how to speak from love and compassion. This is another tough aspect for people, as we are all taught to criticize ourselves, which leads directly to criticizing others. I walk this tightrope every single day because, when we are hurt and angry, its easy to express those feelings by finding fault through other’s actions. What I have to do is remind myself that my hurt and anger, while possibly valid, is still my own to be accountable for. I can express traits about others that I don’t find morally or ethically appealing, in relation to how I have been treated, and still understand why they have developed those traits. Many people struggle with this, as I also do daily, but the key is awareness of why I need to be accountable for my own hurt and anger, and what I can do to continue to heal those wounds.
Third Eye-Purple energy
Third Eye Chakra-Uranus
This chakra was also activated once I learned the art of communication. My Third Eye chakra, while also very present upon birth, became very impaired through many occurrences, creating a sense of doubt in my intuition and spirituality. According to my mother, I was fairly in tune with the “otherworld”, saying quirky things like, “I had a choice of two mothers and I chose you”, or vividly remembering past life traumas, and even possible deaths scenarios. Unfortunately, this was scary for me, and I learned to block it quickly. During my childhood, we were very involved in spiritualism, and certain aspects of these hidden realms became more open for me as time went on. I lost it all again under the title of adult, where my main concern was survival and accomplishments. While I practiced my spirituality somewhat, the constant seriousness of my practice daily didn’t occur until around 2014, when a extremely traumatic event, caused me to plunge back into spirituality and into self-healing. As the progression up the chakra ladder occurred, the more I could rely on my intuition and faith. While there a lot of people who claim to a faith, it is much harder to actually live the creeds of that faith on a daily basis for many, often finding it easier to claim one thing, while doing another. Intuition, or listening to your higher self, can also be difficult for many, as we are not encouraged as a society to do so.
Crown-Violet White energy
Crown Chakra-Jupiter
This chakra has been a more recent development in my life. The Crown chakra came about when I started to understand my role in the larger picture of things. I realized I had a soul purpose and a destiny to fulfill, and this chakra opening allowed me to utilize my talents for the greater good. It started when I saw my drive to continue contributing to wildlife medicine, running a large teaching wildlife hospital, as not just a means to an end, but a higher calling. The impact I had on those animals, and the people involved with their care, became a larger than life destiny. When my soul contract with that place ended, it gave me the courage and drive to move from the healing of not only animals, but also to the human collective. This expansion of my being has been liberating and important work I find deep satisfaction in. It feels right, and pure, and natural, and free-flowing. This area of fulfillment can be difficult for people to achieve, as only a handful of people on this earth can say they are driven by a higher purpose geared toward the human collective. Even reaching this stage can create a very satisfying existence on this earth.
Soul Star-Pink energy
Soul Star Chakra-Neptune
This area of work is where I am currently. The Soul Star chakra is a work in progress for me, as I continually work hard at ascension. Keeping all the bodily chakras clear, open and flowing is imperative to reach this chakra, which is no longer an energy center within the body, but instead connected with the Universe. This is where I can see myself as part of the picture larger than Earth, and connecting to a universal collective. The part where I understand that all beings and objects are all part of a larger vibrational frequency, and that the ascension of a few can radiate out to the ascension of many. This was very hard for me to grasp at first, and I only started understanding my place in it over the last three years. This concept can be extremely difficult for people to reach, for as humans, we are mostly aware and concerned with our bodily interactions with people and places, finding the universal realm hard to grasp. This was honestly something I couldn’t have resonated with most of my life, but the more I work on it, the more comfortable I am becoming with this.
Stellar Gateway-Gold energy
Stellar Gateway Chakra-Pluto
I have not reached this realm yet, nor do I know if I am meant to in this life. It is still a ambiguous concept to me, and one I am still struggling to comprehend. I follow the teachings of some people who have reached this state and find it interesting, but if I am meant to understand and open this chakra, I must first complete the opening of my Soul Star energy field. I feel this area of the stellar gateway is only for a select few at this time, but may very well become a more common way of existence, if we can find our way closer to understanding how to be a part of the One source consciousness. The people who exist in this plane are called Galactic beings, and can translate Light language messages from other sources to the human collective.
The chakra system, like any connecting energy field, needs to be a continuous and complete circuit, in order to function properly. If there is short circuiting occurring, then problems arise that can cause breakdowns or even devastation. While the top two chakras connecting the body to the Universe are not a mandatory requirement in everyone’s lives, being able to clear the first eight is a goal that can be achievable to anyone who is willing to put in the work. As I stated before, not everyone has been brought to this life to clear every bodily chakra at this point and time, but I do believe as the human collective continues to elevate its own vibrational frequency, through a give and take relationship with the Earth, more and more souls will have a greater desire to do so.
“Yin and Yang are one vital force – the primordial aura.” – Wang Yangming
Yin and Yang are opposites, and yet part of a complete whole. You cannot have one without the other. There is no day without the night, there is no heat without the cold, there is no male without female. Nothing can exist as one, without the two.
The first reference to Yin and Yang was in the book, I Ching (Book of Changes), around 700 BC, where all phenomena can be reduced to Yin-Yang. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses this concept as the foundation of diagnosis and treatment.
They are opposites on a continuum of energy or matter, but for this post we will be focusing on them being opposite ends of a cycle, or the seasons of the year.
Yin Yang
When we look at the basic symbol, it shows a black dot inside a white side, and a white dot inside a black side. The white side embraces the black dot, and the black side embraces the white dot, showing us that you can’t have light without dark, or dark without light. “Yin creates Yang and Yang activates Yin.” It’s all a cycle.
Yin is associated with the feminine energies, while yang is associated with the masculine energies.
YIN
YANG
female
male
moon
sun
dark
light
night
day
cold
heat
intuitive
analytical
passive
active
emotions
thoughts
soft
hard
Yin and Yang qualities
All four seasons of fall, winter, spring and summer can be assigned an energy of yin, yin-yang, yang, yang-yin. Winter is considered all yin, or upmost yin (yin within yin), while summer is considered all yang, or upmost yang (yang within yang). Fall is the yang within yin, and spring is the yin within yang.
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Yang within Yin
Yin
Yin within Yang
Yang
Warm going to cool
Cold
Cool going into warm
Hot
Dry going into damp
Wet
Damp going into dry
Heat
Autumn Equinox
Winter Solstice
Spring Equinox
Summer Solstice
Seasonal attributes of Yin Yang
Humans are very susceptible to the changing of the seasons, and our bodies and mind shift, accordingly, as each season progresses.
Fall
In the fall (autumn), we start to wind down after the active summer, planning and preparing for the cold, dark winter. We slow down with the shortening of the days, but there is still a fair amount of sunlight, keeping us somewhat active. At the Autumn Equinox, we have an equal amount of day to night hours and once we pass this, we start to take on more winter qualities. This is the Yang within Yin energy.
Winter
In the winter, we are in full quiet mode, going to bed earlier and requiring more rest. Our activity level is at the utmost low, where we drawn inward, reflect, and we often have low energy. This peaks during the Winter Solstice, when there is more night time hours than there is daylight. Once the solstice passes, we start to look forward to the spring. This is the utmost Yin energy.
Spring
In the spring, our energy increases, we become more mentally alert, and we start planning and preparing for the upcoming summer. The days become warmer, and daylight hours increase. At the Spring Equinox, we have an equal amount of day to night hours and once we pass this, we start to take on more summer qualities. This is the Yin within Yang energy.
Summer
In the summer, we are at our most active, staying up later, and not having as much need for rest. We move outward, become more social, and engage in more physical activities. This peaks at the Summer Solstice, when there is more day time hours than there is night. Once the solstice passes, we move back to the cycle of winding down after an active summer. This is the utmost Yang energy.
Personally, I am very intrigued and in tune with each of the seasons, and the qualities of the Yin Yang energy. As the days grow shorter in the fall, I tend to start decreasing my activity and social level, mainly saving it for the holiday season. I look at comfort food recipes, and start to incorporate them into my diet. I enjoy the warm days, cool nights, and add clothing items with long sleeves or multiple layers. The smell of the earth is cool and dry. The equinox becomes a perfect balance of night and day.
fall pup
Come winter, I am in full-fledged inner retreat, spending most of my evenings with the fireplace going, and activities that surround around rest and relaxation. I pull out my boots, sweaters, scarves and fleece-lined leggings. Most of my diet consists of higher caloric comfort foods, with a lot of soups, and denser-type meals, where I always put on a few pounds, which my body seem to naturally like during the colder months. The smell if the earth is wet. The moon rules over my day.
winter horse
When spring hits, I am ready to get the activities started, and I socialize more. As the days grow longer, I spend more time outside in the early evening. I start to incorporate tank tops and flip flops into my clothing. I include light foods into my diet with fresh veggies and fruits becoming more prevalent. I enjoy the warmer weather, and the budding of plants and flowers. The smell of the earth is warm and damp. Once again, the equinox becomes a perfect balance of night and day.
spring cat
With summer, the peak of my activity level occurs. Most of my day is spent outside, and I am a social butterfly. Pool side, or the beach, becomes a favorite location. My clothing is almost entirely of shorts, tank tops, sarongs, bathing suits and flip flops. I usually only wear shoes if I am going dancing or to a more formal-like venue. My diet is almost entirely protein, veggies and fruits, and my weight naturally adjusts back down with more activity and diet change. The smell of the earth is hot. The sun rules over my day.
summer bird
Learning to live in the Yin Yang energies has been very beneficial to my mental, emotional and physical health. Instead of resisting the seasons, I have become part of them. We are all connected to the earth and her rotating seasons. We are all one with her, and once I started incorporating my lifestyle changes accordingly, I became more at peace in the cycles.
You can’t have spring without the fall, and you can’t have the summer without the winter. You can’t have the yang without the yin. Opposites complete us and the world we live in.
“I don’t believe in Astrology. I am a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” -Arthur C. Clarke
Garbage, you know, is very revealing. It beats the shit out of Tarot cards.” – Armistead Maupin
As discussed in the post The Truth of Tarot, astrology signs have been directly tied to tarot cards for hundreds of years. Jean-Baptiste Alliette (1738-1791), became the first renown occultist doing card divination. The French occultist devised a set of corresponding references between astrology and tarot. In 1785, he wrote a book called How to Entertain Yourself With the Deck of Cards Called Tarot. In 1790, he wrote another book where he tried to interpret the Egyptian book of Thoth, supposed to have been written by the Egyptian god Thoth, the god of writing and knowledge. This was the birth of the Thoth deck idea of the Major and Minor Arcana and their connection with the four elements and the 12 zodiac signs.
Next, looking at the elements that are associated with Zodiac signs and Tarot cards, we have the suits and signs that are aligned with the elements, along with a glimpse into the corresponding Court cards.
Wands
Fire-Wands: Aries (King), Leo (Queen), Sagittarius (Page)
Wands stand for energy and action. Wands people are energetic, charismatic, warm, and spiritual.
Swords stand for thoughts and ideas. Swords people are talkative, intelligent, quick witted and unique.
Cups
Water-Cups: Cancer (King), Scorpio (Queen), Pisces (Page)
Cups stand for love and relationships. Cups people are emotional, passionate, loving, and sensitive.
Noticing how Court cards have an associated Zodiac sign, the King, Queen and Page/Knight (Princess/Prince) also all correspond to the 12 astrological signs.
Let’s look at my trifecta of signs and their relation to tarot. I have my sun in Sagittarius, my rising in Scorpio, and my moon in Leo. Using my Thoth deck and companion book, these are the corresponding cards.
Sagittarius, Scorpio, Leo
Sagittarius (Temperance/Art):unification of opposites, balance, inner change, transformation, alchemy, a quantum leap, creative power.
Scorpio (Death):death and resurrection, transformation, external changes, free from the old.
Leo (Strength/Lust):passion, multidimensional creativity, talents, strength, integration of animalistic energies, overcoming old fears and conditionings.
Notice my blueprint has a reoccurring theme. Transformation, internal and external changes, overcoming and being free from the old, unification and integration through creativity.
Each zodiac sign has a Court card and these are mine.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius-Princess of Wands: being freed from fear, new beginning, optimism, increased perception.
Scorpio
Scorpio-Queen of Cups: as above-so below, emotions shown openly, emotional integrity.
Leo
Leo-Queen of Wands: self-knowledge, change, compassion.
Now my Court cards show interesting patterns with symbols occurring over and over again. Notice the images of cats (4 cards), birds (3 cards), and snakes (2 cards). And they also contribute to the same theme of transformation (as above, so below), change and being freed.
This whole Phoenix rising from the ashes bit has been a part of my life, over and over again, long before I corresponded my tarot cards with my zodiac signs.
Phoenix rising from the ashes
Tying in someone’s Zodiac signs with their corresponding Tarot cards can give great insight into their personality, traits, purpose and mission in life and can contribute to a larger picture of one’s destiny.
For your personal reading of Astrological and Tarot interpretations ($22.00), please email me at: lisa@lovespiritjourney.com with your date of birth, time of birth and birth place.
“Herbalism is based on relationship – relationship between plant and human, plant and planet, human and planet. Using herbs in the healing process means taking part in an ecological cycle.” – Wendell Berry
Almost all ancient cultures relied on plants and their healing properties. Prior to conventional medicine and the production of pharmaceuticals, herbal remedies were all we had. It didn’t take human history long to find a correlation between sickness and plant therapy. It is believed that every sickness and disease has a counterpart plant cure. Unfortunately, due to the mass civilization of this planet and the destruction of many habitats, many of those plants may never be discovered.
The Chinese, Native Americans, Indians, Egyptians, Mayans, Aztecs, Greeks and Romans – to name only a few – all have a history of herbal plant use, from medicinal to cooking.
While there is archaeological evidence suggesting that humans were using medicinal plants in the Paleolithic Era, the first record of herbs was created on clay tablets over 5,000 years ago, by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia (Iran).
The oldest known recorded list of herbs was a Chinese book written around 3000 BC. Traditional Chinese Medicine practice is based on a belief that your health is the result of constant battling between opposing forces of yin and yang. When these forces are in balance, you feel healthy.
Yin Yang
Around 1500 BC, a holistic approach in India emerged, called Ayurveda, that stresses an individual’s good health is the result of a natural balance and that illness occurs when there is an imbalance.
Ayurveda humor
The Greeks and Romans believed that four humors or fluids, permeated the body and each one was associated with the four elements of nature — blood (air), black bile (earth), yellow bile (fire) and phlegm (water). They often used extreme herbs, like opium and henbane, to treat disorders. Greek surgeons in the Roman army, Dioscorides (40-90 BC) and Galen (131-200 AD), complied herbals that were referred to for 1500 years.
Humorism
Avicenna, an Iranian physician, took these complied herbals and combined them with his own peoples ancient practices, writing a book called The Cannon of the Medicine.
The Cannon of Medicine
Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654), was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer, and wrote a book, where he connected herbs to different signs of the Zodiac. He would determine what part of the body was effected, and would associate what planet and astrological sign ruled over that part of the body, and prescribe the herb that corresponded to it.
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal Chart
It was about this same time in history when medicine started moving away from an art form and into a science, with men like Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and William Harvey (1578-1657), who started implementing experimentation process evolving into the current scientific method.
Fresh herbs
Between the 1400’s and the 1900’s, the use of herbs to treat sickness and disease became taboo for women, as men started ruling the field of medicine. The opening of medical universities, which excluded women, created a gap between the two schools of thought, when colleges started getting closed down if they taught the use of herbs for medicinal treatment. This chasm created a deeper taboo, when women were accused of being a witch, if they used herbs for any other reason than cooking. This allowed the rise of conventional medicine and the use of man made pharmaceuticals, whose power still resides today.
Drying herbs
It’s only been in the last couple decades when the use of herbs starting making a come back, within the mainstream. Today, people will often try a less invasive approach to treatment than pharmaceuticals, after years of people suffering from the often overwhelming side-effects of these drugs.
Personally, I started using vitamins and herbs as an alternative to conventional medications, when I saw how sensitive both my mother and grandmother were to many prescriptions.
*Note: I am, in no way, advocating the use of herbs over the use of conventional drugs with life threatening medical problems. There is a time and a place for both herbal use and pharmaceutical use.
Herbs and Spices
So far, I have been very lucky in my life, where I have had very little in the way of health issues, and so the use of herbs and vitamins to help regulate or supplement my situation has been very useful and successful. I advocate for the method of trying an herbal remedy before jumping to a conventional drug in non-life threatening issues. Due to the lack of severe medical issues in my life, I have been able to regulate my issues with herbal use alone.
For example, I use the herb Vitex berry to regulate my hormones; tumeric, ginger and glucosmaine chondroitin as anti-inflammatories for joints and muscles; vitamins B, C and D for immune system support; calcium, magnesium, zinc, biotin, collagen and omega-3 for hair, nail and skin support; and a Multi-vitamin for women, that has superfoods and adaptogentic herbs, for overall health. Many of these vitamins and herbs, along with nutrient dense foods, act as a metabolic stimulant, making sure I have a normal BMI index.
These herbs have kept me off of hormone replacement therapy and ibuprofen, both known to have serious side-effects with long term use, and the vitamins have kept me nutritionally balanced, delaying some ageing factors. I also use herbs occasionally, as needed, in teas or kombuchas for relaxation, mental clarity and additional support for specific symptoms.
Herbs stored in glass jars
Interested in learning more about herbal use? I highly recommend purchasing some books that provides multiple key points, like interactions with conventional drugs and key medical studies on the use of herbs. It’s imperative to be armed with knowledge before attempting use, especially when on conventional pharmaceuticals.
“Each year, more than sixty million Americans use herbal remedies and other types of alternative medical care. In fact, more people seek help from alternative health-care providers than from conventional health-care practitioners…” —Dr. Simeon Margolis (I would really like to know more about this quote!)
A book I would like to purchase, The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicine, seems to have many of the components I would look for in a guidebook. I also like that it was written by two pharmacists. If anyone has any feedback about this book, please comment below, I would love to hear more.
“Twice during the solar year, the sun appears to rise and set in the same place for several days.” – Steven D. Farmer (Earth Magic Oracle Cards)
Ah…summertime in the Northern Hemisphere. Who doesn’t look forward to the longer days and warmer nights? The long, lazy days of summer, where we have BBQ’s, beach parties, river trips, lake boating, hiking and camping. As kids, we are touched with faint memories of being out of school with no responsibility, except playing with our friends in the sprinklers and staying up late. It’s a time of fun and celebration.
The Summer Solstice, also known as midsummer, usually occurs between June 20-22nd each year and it marks the longest day and shortest night of the year. In most places on the Northern Hemisphere, daylight stretches to 17 hours, while the night shrinks to only 7 hours.
Sun’s rays during the summer solstice
Because of the Earth’s rotational axis of 23.4 °, in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun’s rays are directly over the Tropic of Cancer and the North Celestial Pole has its maximum tilt towards the sun. It is exactly the opposite for the Winter Solstice, where the sun’s rays are over the Tropic of Capricorn and the South Celestial Pole has maximum tilt towards the sun. It is why our seasons are swapped with the Southern Hemisphere.
This occurrence marks the first day of summer in the North. In Latin, solstice means “sun standing still,” where it appears like the sun is rising and setting in the same place for several days in a row, and was one of the first astronomical events observed by humans. Historically, this was a marker for humans to determine when to plant and harvest crops. It was a time of celebrations, associated with life, abundance, nature and the sun.
Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice
Ancient Structures
There are multiple structures around the world that have been built by ancient cultures, who made these creations to align directly with the sun’s rays on the day of the solstice.
One of the most famous is Stonehenge, located in Wiltshire, England. It is a circle of standing stones and is designed to show the summer solstice sunrise aligning perfectly with a circle carved in one the stones.
The Ring of Brodgar, on the Orkney Islands of Scotland, also known the Temple of the Sun, align with the sunset and sunrise on the solstices.
The Grange Stone Circle at Lough Gur, in Ireland, is aligned with the rising sun of the summer solstice.
In Chichén Itzá on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, there are pyramids, and the central pyramid of El Castillo is bathed, on the summer solstice, in pure sunlight on one side and full shadow on the other.
Also on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Tulum is an ancient Mayan stone walled city, where one of the stone buildings has a small hole at the top that creates a starburst effect when the sun rises on the summer and winter solstices.
There are two stone lines that frame theCerro del Gentil pyramid in Peru, where the solstice sun sets exactly where the lines converge on the pyramid in the horizon.
Chaco Canyon, in Northwestern New Mexico in the US, has sandstone buildings, constructed by the Pueblo natives. When the sun rises over a pointed butte on the morning of the summer solstice, a pictograph is illuminated by a beam of light on one of the buildings.
In Wyoming, in the US, the Sioux natives, built a stone medicine wheel that aligned with the sunrise and sunset of the Summer Solstice.
Midsummer bonfire
Ancient Ritualsand Festivals
Ancient cultures have celebrated this particular time all over the world, all honoring the same things: life, abundance and fertility.
The ancient Romans celebrated Vestalia, a religious festival in honor of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. For eight days, only then were barefoot married women allowed in the temple to bring sacrifices of food to honor the goddess. At the end of the festival, the Vestal Virgins entered to clean up the debris and dispose of it in the Tiber River.
The ancient Greeks celebrated the festival of Kronia and would honor Cronus, the god of agriculture, by giving slaves equal rights for the day and even being served by their masters. This day was marked as the first day of the year and also the month long countdown to the Olympic games.
In ancient China, the summer solstice was when the Yang (masculine) was at it fullest. After the longest day, Yin (feminine) energy would start entering the season in which fertility was celebrated with various rituals, and the feminine Earth honored.
The Vikings would settle important legal matters on this day, and visit wells thought to have healing powers. They would build huge bonfires in order to boost the sun’s energy to ensure a good harvest.
Germanic, Celtic and Slavic Europeans celebrated around a bonfire launching themselves over the fire to purify the soul by burning away impurities. They also wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers to ward off evil spirits.
Many Native Americans celebrated with various rituals, including sun gazing dances. Among them where the Sioux, who danced around a sacred cottonwood tree, which symbolized the connection between the heavens and Earth, while the sunrise and sunset aligned with a stone medicine wheel they built.
By the time I was in my early 20s, a group of six of us celebrated the change of the seasons. My mother was the Lead Matron of this group. Oftentimes, we would invite others to join us, but it was basically a core group of six people. Only three of us were blood related, but my mother always said family was who you chose to be close to.
On the Summer Solstice, we would build a large fire, drink mead and ale, garnish ourselves with flowers and celebrate, making wishes for the coming three months. We always joked about dancing naked around the fire, but we never did.
I continued this tradition while I was married with my husband and two daughters, while they grew up. We would save our live Christmas tree for six months, creating a completion of winter to summer, waiting for it to completely dry up and then start the fire with it. We added to the ritual by writing down our wishes, and throwing the paper into the bonfire.
We lived way out in the country and our bonfire area was next to acres and acres of diary cow pastures. We had many bonfires throughout the year, but every single summer solstice, for some strange reason, the diary cows would all be attracted to this fire and stand around the fence in a semi-circle the entire time we were out there. It was such a strange occurrence, that I truly believe it was because the time of the year. Animals are extremely perceptive to the seasons and I feel they somehow knew it was a significant time.
Easy things to do to celebrate the Summer Solstice are the following: spend time in nature, make a flower and herb garland; build an outside fire and throw herbs in it, or light your fireplace in your home; burn an orange candle; take a bath with salts, essential oils and flower petals; bake honey cakes; or be romantic with a partner–since its a celebration of life, abundance and fertility!
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” – Nikola Tesla
Like the above quote, inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla also (1856-1943) stated, “If you could eliminate certain outside frequencies that interfered with our bodies, we would have greater resistance toward disease.” The following year after Tesla died, researcher Bruce Tainio (1944-2009) was born and continued along this vein of work, stating that the healthy body resonates a frequency of 62-72 MHz (MHz is equivalent to 1 million Hz). When the bodies frequency lowers to 58 MHz, disease starts. At 57-60 MHz, we become susceptible to colds and flu, at 42 MHz, cancer and at 25 MHz, death begins. Ironically, Tainio died of cancer at the the age of 65, while Tesla died at the ripe older age of 86 of age appropriate heart disease.
So now that we have established that better physical health is correlated to higher frequency on a cellular level, let’s talk about how it also affects mental, emotional and spiritual health.
We have all heard the term “good vibes.” My aunt gave me a shirt that reminds me of this positive fact.
My shirt
Dictionary.com defines “good vibes” as: a slang phrase for the positive feelings given off by a person, place, or situation.
Our thoughts are connected to our vibrational frequency. Positive feelings are generated by positive thoughts, while negative feelings are generated by negative thoughts. What you “feed” yourself mentally is what will manifest in your life. The Law of Attraction, first mentioned in a book by author Helena Blavatsky back in 1877, is the concept of “like attracts like.” It is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. So if we focus on positive aspects by surrounding ourselves with positive people, thoughts and actions, then the same will be returned to us. The same is said about negative aspects. When we belittle, judge, or criticize ourselves, other people or situations, what we emit outwards, will also be returned to us.
When I find myself thinking or speaking negative, or low frequency, thoughts, it is returned to me by the people that become magnetized to me and my vibration. I find myself doubting myself and abilities, feeling betrayed by the people important to me and a significant change to my health, through sickness, weight gain, and skin and hair problems, to name a few.
When I change my Law of Attraction to higher frequency and positive thoughts and actions, then that also is returned to me through the people that are magnetized to me, who are also on a higher frequency. My skills become enhanced, I feel healthy and happy, my weight goes to a healthy level and signs of physical issues disappears.
There are many things that can contribute to making it easier to reach a higher vibrational frequency, thereby, reaching optimum heatlth and wellness for your body, mind and soul.
Environment
Creating an environment of peak wellness can start with changing your environment. Eliminate negative influences from your life, through who you come in contact with, possibly leaving an energy draining job or decluttering your home, all have a huge impact on how your feel about your space.
When I surround myself with happy like-minded people, take a risk to find work that supports my passion and keep my home clean, it definitely makes a huge difference on how I feel about myself.
Foods
They say “you are what you eat.” Eating nutrient rich, natural (if not organic), whole foods has a direct correlation to the health of our physical bodies but also to our mental state as well. Processed or fast foods are full of chemicals and preservatives that create a toxic environment in our body. These foods have a low to zero frequency and will have a huge impact on your thoughts and feelings. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, non-hormonal and chemical free lean meats, whole grains, plant-based pastas, high quality herbs, plant-based oils and omega-3 fats can make a significant difference in how you feel. Also, using caffeine and alcohol in moderation is key.
When I eat healthy and keep my coffee and wine in check, I feel lighter and cleaner, as opposed to drinking more than one cup of coffee or going overboard on wine, where I experience dense and heavy energy. Prolonged and heavy use of either has created a downward spiral of extreme highs and depressing lows for me.
Chakras
In the last post, we talked about chakras and how they influence the energy fields within the body. Keeping your chakras aligned, open and flowing through listening to chakra soundbath music can assist easily and effortlessly. Also, going for a Reiki energy healing session is another easy technique that can have a profound effect.
When I go to regular Reiki sessions and get a chakra pendulum reading to tract the movement of energy in each of my meridians, I am able to stay on top of the function of my chakras, and can determine what areas of my life might need additional work and adjustments. I also play the crystal bowls, which are each tuned to a specific chakra frequency, in my soundbath and yoga classes to assist myself and my students.
Essential oils
Essential oils contain extremely high frequencies ranging from 52 MHz to 580 MHz. While there is still debate about the efficacy of oils, applying them directly to your body (use high or therapeutic grade) or spraying or diffusing them throughout your house, certainly can’t hurt. And it creates a pleasing smell that definitely helps how we feel.
Aromatherapy is another technique I use in my yoga and soundbath classes to create relaxation and a pleasant sensation. While I usually have one or two students that choose not to be sprayed, most seriously enjoy it. When I use essential oils in my home through diffusion or heat, people that visit comment on how nice and enjoyable my house feels with these comforting smells. Similar, I believe, the way a home-cooked meal smells.
Healing crystals
Another concept up for scientific debate, is the power crytstals have over healing and whether they can contribute to raising your vibrational frequency. But one thing that is evident, is belief can change much. So like essential oils, crystals can do no harm and may actually contribute to better health. Crystals like all other matter consist of energy and this energy is harnessed in a technique called crystallization and they vibrate at different frequencies depending on their matter, size, thickness and their color or light frequency. Unlike human frequency, which is unstable and easily influenced, crystals are stable energy that doesn’t change. They have a fixed, repeating, geometric pattern. There are many ways to use crystals to boost your psychological thoughts and emotions, for different crystals are known to beneficially enhance these certain areas. But another way to be more focused on their use for raising your frequency is to apply them to your chakras. There are many crystals that can correspond to each colors that are associated with each of the chakras, as we spoke about in the last post. Using the color guide below, using these crystals on your chakra areas while receiving a Reiki energy session or even just holding them to transmit their energy can be helpful.
Chakra
Color
Crystal/Gem
Root
Red
Tourmaline/Ruby
Sacral
Orange
Jasper/Garnet
Solar Plexus
Yellow
Amber/Topaz
Heart
Green
Adventure/Emerald
Throat
Blue
Lapus Lazuli/Sapphire
Third Eye
Purple
Amethyst/Amethyst
Crown
Violet/White
Diamond/Quartz
Chakras, colors and the associated crystals
My aunt uses chakra crystals during my Reiki energy healing sessions. I often will feel heat emanating from them on any chakra that is low functioning or closed. I have multiple necklaces and bracelets that I wear on special occasions. I also hold certain crystals when I am meditating or having a full moon ritual with my friends. When a powerful conversation is going on, these crystals will become extremely warm. I also have a specific twin-peaked quartz crystal that becomes so hot, I have to put it down until it cools. My personal experience with crystals has been definitive so I carry a lot of faith in them.
Using these techniques can help achieve a higher vibrational frequency, thereby, creating a level up on ascension, which is a shift in consciousness. These shifts can be a painful process, but each time creates a lighter feeling of existence and a powerful inner healing of core wounds.
Stay tuned for a deep discussion of ascension and how to deal with the power of transformation.
