Breathe, Reflect and Recalibrate

Finding a quiet space to catch my breath - that's seems to be the challenge for a lot of us lately! I finally decided to sit quietly and listen to the gentle breezes through my wind chimes and the birds outside to help get back into a more natural rhythm - and of course, to take a breath.

Do you have a favorite way to remind yourself to catch your breath, especially in those times of chaos, when we find ourselves challenged with whatever?

I think when we are at our most harried, we tend to take our breathing for granted. We think that we don't have any control, and yet, that's exactly what we do have - we influence our breathing, we can slow it down, make it deeper, more replenishing.

I've been exploring a new concept for an old word - Recalibrate. Maybe because it was brought to my attention just as we were entering Mercury Retrograde and "Re" words are associated aLOT with times of retrograde=

• Review
• Retreat
• Release
• Reflect
  
• Refresh
• Replenish
  

 I've added Recalibrate to my list, and I think it's the most vital thing we can do in this time.

When I say "recalibrate" it brings to mind my husband having to recalibrate the timing on our car - back in the day when you could actually do such a thing. It took tiny, deliberate adjustments to correct and allow the car to run properly.

That's what we can do for ourselves. If things are not working for you - recalibrate your thoughts, your words and your actions with small intentional shifts. I have been surprised at how a little change in my re-sponse (another re word) made a big difference. 

Sit with it - take a breath and reflect on what recalibration you could use to make your day a bit easier. I think you'll be surprised. Here's my view lately, as I sit and reflect about my own recalibration.

Transmutation to the other side

We were on the road for the family Thanksgiving, the first just after my Mom's passing to Spirit, when I noticed this cloud out of the corner of my eye. "Oh, it's a Snake" was my first thought, immediately followed by thoughts of transmutation and how it relates to crossing over, what I had called transition - up until that moment. We chased the cloud for a few minutes, looking for a safe place to pull over so I could jump out and grab a quick photo to remind me to explore this a bit later. 

Up until that moment, I never thought about how our Soul transmutes to Spirit. Like so many in my metaphysical community, we refer to it as transition - which it is, but I think after receiving this insight from a cloud, I think transmutation is a better fit. Why? Because I relate transmutation as a change, yet still recognizable, like a snake shedding it's skin. When Snake sheds it's skin, you still recognize it as Snake, it's just in a shiny, new, more flexible form of new skin, transmutation having taken place. Unlike Butterfly, who is unrecognizable from Caterpillar, it's original form. 

My experience as a Medium has taught me that when our loved ones are in Spirit, in their Soul body, we still recognize them, we still feel their essence that we are familiar with here in our physical world. Otherwise, we wouldn't know who they were, right? They still maintain their sense of humor, their attitudes, their sense of personality - they just have a better understanding, a higher perspective, after having gone through their life review after returning to their Soul body.

The creators of the Medicine Cards, Jamie Sams and David Carson write about the Medicine message of Snake:  

The transmutation of the life-death-rebirth cycle is exemplified by the shedding of Snake's  skin.    It  is  the  energy  of  wholeness,  cosmic  consciousness,  and  the  ability  to experience anything willingly and without resistance.  It is the knowledge that all things are equal in creation, and that those things which might be experienced as poison can be eaten, ingested, integrated, and transmuted if one has the proper state of mind.

Thoth, the Atlantian who later returned as Hermes and was the father of alchemy, used  the  symbology  of  two  snakes  intertwining  around  a  sword  to  represent  healing. Complete  understanding  and  acceptance  of  the  male  and  female  within  each  organism creates a melding of the two into one, thereby producing divine energy.

Upon our passing to Spirit, we are embodying the life-death-rebirth cycle that Snake represents. We embody the wholeness of the cosmic consciousness. We review our life's toxins, we ingest, integrate and transmute them all gaining a higher understanding to our life lessons.  AND we no longer need to hold onto our resistance we held so dear to here in our physical form. 

This was my message of this cloud. My 99 year old mom passed away just a few days ago. She resisted anything metaphysical that my dad and I embraced. Her last few months, she told me she was ready to go, acknowledging she "had a good run", but she didn't know how to go - resistance, even when she knew she was at the end of her journey. I suggested she call on our loved ones already on the other side, because they had taken that step of their journey and they could show her. When I got "the call" in the middle of the night, my first thought was one of relief "oh good, she figured it out". It brought peace to my heart and continues to do so today, 4 days later.

 When we are able to let go of our fear of this inevitable part of our journey, we are able to let of of resistance, we are able to see possibilities within the Cosmos, and we are able to progress with our Soul's healing.  

Thanks to this cloud and my Mom, I will now add "transmutation" to my lexicon of describing our loved ones' journey to the other side.  I also know my Mom transmuted easily and gracefully to Spirit - another blessing for my heart.

Karma's Reflection ~

"Karma's a bitch!"

I've heard people say this, I've said it myself. 
You know what' I've learned?
Karma is a reflection. That's it. A reflection. 
A spiritual principle of cause and effect, according to the dictionary.

Karma doesn't have the ability to target people. 
Karma doesn't have the capability to dole out judgment, sentence, and punishment.

Karma is simply a reflection of our own energy.

So...if you think Karma is being too hard on you, take a look at yourself:

• what you are thinking?
• how are you feeling?
• how you are treating others?
• how you are responding to situations?
• what words are you choosing? 

All of these actions create energy that returns to you.  
So now you can quit blaming Karma for being a bitch, because really, Karma is a true reflection of you - if you don't like it, now would be a good time to change it. 
It's never too late. 

And speaking of...when we let go of our frustrations, our drama, our worries, we then provide a space for the Universal Energy to flow to us, ,bringing us infinite possibilities and graceful solutions to any situation. That's a much better karmic energy reflection to receive. 
Give it a try.

As you read this I ask your Angels and Guides to comfort you as you consider this change of heart, 

• you are safe,
• you are loved, 
• you are worthy of good possibilities!

Many blessings, my friend. 



 

 






It's been a rough couple of weeks.
Whether it's because you're feeling the unrest of the political world, or you're sensing the retrogrades of the planets, or you're going through challenges with your own personal journeys, whatever the reason, the bottom line is it's been a rough couple of weeks.

It has felt like I've been riding an emotional roller coaster for awhile now, and yesterday my body said "okay - enough is enough - you need to stop and rest." I am an advocate for telling people to listen to their bodies so I took my own advice. I cancelled my dinner obligation, I put on my pjs and rested. I gave myself a Reiki treatment, I smudged, I cleansed and rested some more. I woke up feeling refreshed and renewed.

Being an empath means we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves - yes, we are receptors to everyone and everything around us. Yes, we sense other's feelings and moods. Yes, we can detect energy good or uncomfortable, AND with that knowledge, we have a responsibility to be our own advocate for our own self-care and nurturing.

Here's some of my favorite tried and true ways to taking care of myself that I have discovered over the many years of my doing energy work:

Lavender = having fresh or dried lavender in the room. I also make a tea out of the dried lavender flowers, the same way you make regular tea. Boil the water, put the lavender in a loose leaf tea ball, steep for several minutes. Put the "tea" in the spray bottle and spray your room to clear the air of negative energies.
Selenite = Mother Nature's gift of a crystal that acts as a self-cleaning air freshener. It continually clears the air, transmuting negative energies into clean, fresh energy. Great to have with teenagers in the house. Also a great crystal to clear your oracle tools.
Smudge Sticks = my favorite smudge stick is white sage. It's the all purpose cleaning smudge stick. It is a strong scent, though. There are other choices in smudge sticks - it's a personal choice. What is important is your intention and your focus during the act of smudging. Set your intention, focus, breathe and smudge away.
Water = we can always benefit from drinking more water. Soak in a hot bath, take a hot shower, surrendering to the steam and relaxing, letting the stresses of the day release from you.
Sea Salt = whether you use a Sea Salt scrub, or salts for your bath, the Sea Salt will instantly help you to ground with Mother Earth, helping you to find your center again. I wash my hands every night with Sea Salt soap, asking my Angels to cut the negative cords that have accumulated throughout the day. When I need a boost, I use a tropical Sea Salt scrub - it's an extra boost of Sea Salt, and it's a special treat to my senses.

The final bottom line = It's our responsibility to take care of our self, no matter what anyone else brings into our vicinity. Take time out to care for yourself. Nurture yourself. Replenish and refresh while these planets are in retro-high gear!

Rising out of the muck ~

Out of the muck comes rich new growth.

Tentative at first, seemingly fragile, but graceful in its singularity.

Strong in it's conviction as we let what doesn't contribute to us, flow away with the current.

Establishing oneself takes courage to do it individually, and not the way everyone else accepts or expects.

Establishing a new "established".

Creating a new foundation.

That is what takes courage.

It is sometimes lonely, but I have found that this loneliness does not last because soon,
you find yourself with others who get it - who get you. 

And that takes trust, reminding yourself that this state of flux is temporary, too.

Here's to celebrating our muck and our new perspectives that it nourished. 

When a Medium Visits Pearl Harbor…

Visiting Pearl Harbor was a first for me. I knew it was something I wanted to do as a daughter of a Merchant Mariner, who as part of his tour of service, went to and from Hawaii and San Francisco. I still have a shell my dad picked up somewhere along the shoreline to bring back to my mom. As a medium, I didn’t know what to expect. I said my morning prayers and told Spirit, as I do every morning, I am willing to be of service. That morning, I just added one little addition “to anyone who may be in need of healing messages while at Pearl.” 

Energetic bubble donned, I was prepared to journey to Pearl Harbor. I didn’t know what to expect, so I left my expectations in my room.

Being a federal site, (it’s called a “park” – that just doesn’t feel right, though), they provide some history to help put the experience into perspective. I came away with an outlook that I didn’t expect – again, I left my expectations back at the hotel.

In the opening orientation of our tour, our young Hawaiian guide told a story about how a government bill was recently introduced to bring up the remaining oil from the belly of the sunken ship.  This bill was disbanded after protests from locals and military families, as it is believed that the oil drops that rise to the surface of the ocean represent the tears of the men who were trapped and died in the ship and it would be disrespectful to them. I personally watched several of these oil droplets rise to the surface and spread out in iridescent swirls.

 As we watched the newsreels and footage of the days leading up to December 7, 1941, I was struck at something so simple – the powers that be made their decision to attack because of their perception of the availability – or lack thereof - of the fossil fuel we call oil.

When we reached the memorial, I braced myself for communications from those who may be “stuck” there – and surprisingly, I found it quiet and peaceful.  It didn’t feel like anyone was “left behind”. Yes, there was a layer of the noise of that chaotic morning, I got a whiff of the burning, but I knew it was all just the residual energy that is kept alive by the retelling of their story to the visitors. 

I found a quiet corner in the room with all the names on the wall. As I scanned the list, I asked my Reiki channels to open and affirmed healing be sent to all those in need to release the fear and chaos of the time, to help them with clarity for understanding and to release the grips of grief that may still be lingering.  What I was shown, was almost like a timeline, of how the grief ripples through the generations, creating confusion, resentment, bitterness, sadness and fear for those who came afterward. I asked Spirit to bathe this timeline with healing light, too.  And while I was there, sending healing light to this generational timeline, I heard this:

A better way to honor them is by not repeating the same actions.

Honor them by respecting the Ocean.

Honor them by finding another way.

They have since moved on. We haven’t, as we continue to battle over fossil fuels, land and egos.

If we don’t become better stewards of this planet, we are not honoring their memory.  It is the desecration of all who have perished in the Earth’s Ocean by continuing to ignore our environmental blunders.  

I think that’s why the oil continues to rise to the surface, one drop at a time.

Meet Claude.  

He resides at one of my favorite places, the Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.  He and I had quite an encounter last June when I visited the newly renovated aquarium.  His new enclosure can be viewed from a balcony-type area (where I took this picture) and from a water-level area that gives everyone an up-close, eye-to-eye view.  

This was my first time visiting since the extensive renovation of my beloved aquarium and I was pleased to see a few things - like the seahorse railing - intact.  I can't begin to guess how many hours I spent as a little girl, with my face pressed up against those metal seahorses, looking down upon my buddies, the alligators.   You see, I lived across the street from the park and this was back in the day when your parents would tell you "go outside and play" and that meant "don't come back until it's dark" - and we did.  I had all of Golden Gate Park to explore and call my own - just me and my bike.  Besides, my family knew where to find me - eventually, I'd return to watch my friends, the alligators.

So, here I did return, after too many years and one huge renovation.  I preferred the balcony-view, so I stayed upstairs, reminiscing with my hubby, Larry.  The comments of the crowd downstairs floated up, as we enjoyed our view all by ourselves.  "Is he real?" "He hasn't moved in ages!" "Will he EVER move?"

I snapped the photo (above), put my camera/phone back in my purse and said to Claude "well, you COULD get in the water and surprise the hell out of them..." Larry looked at me and then at Claude - who, at that exact same moment, also looked up at me.  Gracefully as can be, Claude slid into the water, swam over to the glass and snapped his big ol' jaws, creating a splash in the water and a huge roar from the crowd below!  

Larry and I just laughed.  He said "So now I'm married to the Alligator Whisperer?".  We decided to go downstairs and get a glimpse of our new friend, Claude, from the water level.  As we made our way through the crowd and up to the glass, we heard a woman say "I wish there was an Alligator Whisperer around so we could find out what he was thinking just then!"

Alligators have been my totem since - well - always, probably.  Over the years I have learned what that meant:
(1)  Family is important.  They are good parents, caring for their own and the young of others in the pod.
(2) Community is important.  They are good stewards of the environment - as they create their nests, they are also creating watering holes for other animals to gather and drink. 
(3) Roll with life's circumstances, as they roll in the water with their prey.  
(4) Their medicine (message) is about integration = fully appreciating and integrating all that life offers to avoid getting stuck in the duality and quagmire of the human judgment game.

Thanks, Claude, for a magical experience ~ see you next time!