The Power of Love

The power of love is an extraordinary thing. It comes in so many forms and it is felt in so many different ways. There's the love we feel for our family, our parents, and our children. The love we feel for friends, for people on the street who share a funny joke with you, the pets and plants in our lives. There's love we feel for our partners in life, the ones we caress with passion and pride, as well as the ones we care for because our souls are so deeply connected. There are so many forms of love.

Within all these powerful forms of love lies the truth behind who we really are; it's the power of the love that we feel that cascades us into a new way of being. Love is more than power - it is truly grace from the highest form of everything in the Universe. And if we harness the power of that love, what can it accomplish?

Unlimited potential, that's what.

The power of love can be felt in so many ways, but how many of us really feel it? Do we hide away from our true feelings because it scares us? Or do we hide away because what terrifies us is not how we might get hurt, but the terrifying result of loving too much and that power growing infinitely? I would say it was the latter. Most people would disagree and assume it was the previous statement, but I can tell you, deep down inside that onion layer of all the emotions and powerful memories we have collected during our time here on Earth, the most powerful thing we are truly afraid of is our infinite possibilities.

What will it look like? How will I handle it? How will it come to me? 

Truth is, who knows? Not even the Angels do. And you know why? Because everything in the Universe is evolving with every decision that's made, every creation that's created, and every powerful essence of love that emanates out from every being on this planet, as well as so many others.

The power of love is really infinite, but are you willing to take the chance and not know what that infinite will look like? I would say that is the most powerful thing of all ~ trust.

Co-Creative Energies - What Are They and What Does It Mean?

What is a co-creative energy, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

Co-creative energies are anything where two entities, be they physical or not, create and manifest in an unique way in the Universe. They create something bigger and better than themselves, hopefully. This can be between partners, lovers, friends, physicals and non-physicals, but above all, between you (the Soul that you really are) and your body. Your physical beingness is the most co-creative energy there is. And it's incredibly powerful once you realize it.

To co-create, there must be at least two entities engaged in some sort of activity together. It can be divine, it can be devious, it can be mundane. As long as two or more are holding a specific energy for each other, this begins the co-creative process. And as the co-creative process happens, the two or more entities begin to merge their own thought patterns and desires into the creation, hopefully designing something that will last, will effervesce, and will illuminate the world around it.

The co-creative process between you and your body begins at birth. There is an energy that takes place that allows your soul to co-mingle with your body self and the two merge to become an unified whole entity, for the time being. For as long as you create together, you and your body will walk this earth in harmony. But the moment you stop seeing if for what it really is, the co-creative process begins to suffer. One or the two of you will suffer in the end. Until you come back into a co-creative space, honoring one another and illuminating the best within each.

Another co-creative process is the process of partnering with someone. This can be a one-time deal, a weekend affair, or a lifetime of happiness together. And again, as long as the two partners are in co-creative harmony within themselves and the essence of the other person they are with, the co-creative process emerges a wonderful blossom of creative power, illuminating the lives of everyone they meet.

Don't discount the power of partnering. You are not here to simply learn from one another or have something reflected back to you that illuminates your own misgivings or trials and tribulations. Sure, that can happen. But that was never the design. Unless you chose that (and yes, some of you did).

But the co-creative process of which I write is one in which the two entities engage in a process that allows them both to shine to their best abilities. You should ask for this. Ask your guides and your Angel beings to help you create an illuminating pattern in your life where those who show up around you lift you to the highest place they can and you do the same for them. For in doing that for yourself, you have already done it to another. And vice versa. Take care of who you are - your body really is your best friend. It is always with you, 24/7, day in and day out, taking you for the best ride it can. But if you never take a look under the hood or fill it with the cleanest fuel there is, then the harmony can deteriorate quickly. Talk to it. Offer it your own wisdom and listen to what it has to offer. This is what partnering is all about, whether you're with another human being, an animal being, a plant being or simply your own being. All the guides and Angels you have are looking out for you in this matter. They understand the co-creative process and you are co-creating with them too. But minister to the basics first. Once you begin to understand how co-creation really works, co-creating with higher beings of vibrational Light will become easier and easier. Never let go of how easy it is to create and exceptionally simplistic it can be to co-create with any other being. 

Oh, For Heaven's Sake!

Divine by Nature is available for purchase at Denver's wonderful metaphysical bookstore, For Heaven's Sake! 

Dianne Fresquez, the owner and creative visionary behind the store, has graciously offered to host an upcoming event as well. As soon as I make plans to head to Denver, we're all going to do some fun exercises on how to communicate and connect with nature in your own special way. Details to come! But for now, head over to Dianne's awesome store and plan to spend a couple of hours perusing the shelves and picking up some wonderful things that will help you create the next transformation in your life. 

Who Are YOU and What's Your Reason For Being?

Many of us ask this question to ourselves on a daily or weekly basis. We all want to know, right? We want to know why we're here in the situation and the life that we're in and we want to know why. And more than that, we want to know how we can live a better life and help others do the same.

I know so many people who think about this regularly. And they are smart about how they start. They start on themselves. Because the truth is we cannot force or fix or coerce or plead or try to help anyone else. All we can do is offer them the opportunity to grow with us and evolve in their own way.

This may strike people as a harsh reality. And it is. But we're not here to do everything for everyone else, children included. We are here to help one another by helping ourselves. The more we grow, the more we grow as a whole. The whole cannot grow based on one entity - it must grow as a conglomerate mass, pulsating and changing as the majority moves.

And right now, we're outnumbered.

That's why the world reality looks so harsh. There are too many people focused on poverty, crime, hatred, violence and anguish, including self-anguish. And the more we focus upon it, the more it becomes our reality.

So what do we do?

Become who you are, who you always meant yourself to be at the most high level in your being. Be authentic. Be truthful. Be patriotic to your beingness. And be you. That's all you can be. And what most people need to figure out is what that is.

You are not your clothes, your desires, your fears, your frustrations or your design or body type. You are not what you think you are, until you actually become that which you have thought about so often. That's when you create it. You create your own reality. And we create our reality here on Earth together.

For the Pleiadians out there (from which forth I will more than likely call you Pleiadites because that is what the Angel of Pleiades calls you and those still on Pleiades), you are here for a reason, each and every one of you. You came forth into this Earth place to create a space and time that issues forth your own ability to create a dynamic existence for the benefit of all others, including you. The Angel of Pleiades has a message for you:

"Listen not, children, to the words have been told you. You do not exist here for a purpose beyond your own desires. You are not here to help others create their lives. Instead, you have come forth to create an existence that is in issuance with that of the Pleiadian world. The Pleiadites are a peaceful people and they desire for themselves a collective existence. You can have this too. Right here on Earth as we speak to you. Your creations are unfolding, manifesting, redeeming. The message we have for you is one of peaceful coercion to one another. Offer yourself in such a way as to show the way. There is no more you can do. And those in their time, when they are ready, will receive it. You can do no more."

So, go forth and become who you are. You can do no more. Just be who you have always been and always will be - the truth of your existence. 

Being Open to Opportunity

Being open to opportunity is just like any other intuitive process; you have to be available in your present form and willing to accept what's coming toward you.

Have you ever had an experience where you knew something had passed you by and you wished that you had grabbed it, but it was too late?

Well, there are two pieces of information going on here: one, yeah, it did pass you by and it passed you by because you weren't open to the opportunity as it came. Second, it doesn't really matter. And you know why? Because another one waits around the corner. They're lurking all the time, these opportunities. They don't just knock once or twice. They knock over and over and over again.

Now, each one might look a little bit different and hopefully better than the last, but nonetheless, opportunities in this Universe of ours abound. They really are limitless. So don't focus on what might have passed you by - create your next one. Keep creating. Don't stop until you have the experience you want and then don't stop again. Keep going. Keep creating the next opportunity to experience yourself in a new and unchallenged way.

The other day I was conversing with the Angels and I had a meditative experience. Okay, I do this pretty often, but this particular day I was dead-tired and all I wanted to do was pass out in the comfort of my big, soft bed. I wanted to curl up into my sleeping position, hug my covers and my kitty close, and doze away to let my body recover from the busy day I'd had.

But as I floated into bed, I distinctly heard my guides tell me,  Not yet.  Okay, that's not really how our conversations go - they really are more like a dialogue. But to sum it up, that's what they wanted me to do. Wait.

So, I did. I opened my eyes, rolled onto my back and allowed myself to be prevented from falling fast asleep. (This is what it usually takes.) The Angel request then became a desire for a journeying meditation.

Have you ever had one of these? It's where you or your guides take you a bit outside your body, sometimes still with body awareness, but you move into another space or place and allow yourself to experience what's there. There's always a reason for it and some greater good.

But more on journeying later...

So, we began our journey and I found myself in the most unique place: Pleiades. I knew it. It seems I know it well. When I came to this realization, I knew there was something more for me here. And an opportunity had arisen. Was I willing to take it and the leap of faith it required to accept whatever information or experience was going to come towards me?

Yeah, I was. I'm always up for something new. Keeps life interesting, doesn't it?

I relaxed into the space and found myself talking with a new Angel. Again, someone I knew, but didn't in this  lifetime in a conscious way. It was new, but not really. You know what I mean? I'm sure many, many of you do. And as I began my experience with this beautiful white Angel, I came to know her as the Angel of Pleiades ~ the guiding force for the spirits of that place, my place, a home I don't remember, but I do.

Plei, as I call her now, was my opportunity to connect with a part of myself that had long since been put aside and since our inceptive reception, we're forming a relationship that will result in not only more posts, but a lot more books. I can't wait to hear what she has to say.

And that's what opportunity is all about - taking it when it arrives. But don't fret - if you miss something as we all have at one time or another, the opportunity will arise again and again. Or something better will come along. Just tune your vibration into your own highest good and those opportunities will stop passing you by and become a part of your reality. 

Now Available In Europe!

Divine by Nature is now available in Europe! 

Find it on: 

Amazon.co.uk (Now on sale!)

 Amazon.de

 Amazon.fr

 Amazon.it

 Amazon.es

 Happy reading! 

Commonality Among Us All

Don't you all feel the connection we all have to one another? Even those days when you're just walking down the street and you see shining faces swimming upstream as you make your way to work or wherever you're going. Can't you just feel the love of the Universe beaming all around you in every waking moment of every blissful day?

Um, no. Me neither.

Even as Kumbaya might be playing in our minds and emanates the belief of what we should be feeling, many times and most often, we don't. We all want to feel the connection we have with one another. We want to feel that the stranger on the bus next to us is our kin and someone we haven't seen in a long, long time.

But, the truth is we don't feel that. At least most of us don't.

Except in the rare, rare occasion of when we do.

I had such a rare occasion happen to me recently. I met a long ago friend (a friend from a past life - an incredibly important past life) who showed up at a Meetup group I found myself attending for the first time. My "new" friend claims that the feeling was incredibly mutual - the kinship and spiritual connection was unmistakable. And amazingly enough, this is not the first time such an experience has happened to me in my life - this life, that is.

But to have that sort of experience crossing my daily life is just something that doesn't happen. And I don't think it happens to most people. We all have moments when we recognize someone from grade school, a previous job or even from a past life where we just recognize them - we feel them. And that feeling really does mean something. It means we're connected.

The commonality that we all have together is that we are all on this planet as a unified group of experiencers. It's kind of like a really, really big Meetup group spread out over the entire globe. The connection is that we're all here together, right now in the sort-of same place. We might all be having different experiences and each meeting we face is going to be special and unique in its own way, even if that way is just a passing glance, a nod to say hello or no expression at all. We're all just cells forming a big human-earth body, doing our daily things to provide life and living on planet Earth.

When we happen upon those rare circumstances that spring us into an awareness of knowing someone from long, long, long ago, it is just a reminder that we're not alone. We all have our own journey to experience here on Earth, but we're never alone in doing it. We have many non-physicals walking with us, but when a special soul shows up in physical form to say, Hey, I'm here with you. Let's get this party started!, just remember that there are thousands and thousands more waiting to party with you. 

The New Rules of Informed Consent

Years and years and years ago, in a former life in this incarnation, I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician. I spent a lot of time on an ambulance going from person to person, situation to situation helping whomever called us to the best of my trained ability. In the medical field, in order to help someone, you must be given permission, either by a loved one or by the person themselves. This can only happen if the person is coherent, cognizant of their situation and surroundings, and aware enough to say yes, I want you to help me.  Okay, truth is they don't have to be that cognizant. They just have to say yes.

Now, in the special situation where someone is too drunk, too incoherent or completely unconscious and there is no one there to give consent, this becomes implied consent - the implication that if they were awake and aware enough, they would ask me to help them right now. Both types of consent are really important in the medical world. People are allowed to say no all the time, even if the situation is dire. (Actually, what happens then is you just wait for the person to pass out and then start helping them. They've just then given implied consent. We used to do that all the time when it was necessary because we wanted to help people and the assumption is people want to be helped when they are in their right mind.)

This has strangely found its way into the business of the spiritual world, as well. In the world of medical intuitives, mediums, psychics and intuitive writers, people are routinely trained to ask permission before going forth and giving any information they have. Most often this is easily done when someone pays the intuitive or simply makes an appointment - I suppose that's informed consent of some kind. Maybe even implied consent too. What it really is is a transaction that says I want to do business with you. But is this really consent? Because in the spiritual world, you never know what you're getting into.

But here is the big question: do we need to give and get permission? Or is simply both our presences there enough?

Let's say you're walking down the street. Whether you consider yourself intuitive or not, let's just use this situation as an example because not only has it happened to me, but I know many, many others who have had similar situations and not known what to do.

Okay, let's be real. Here's what happened to me, several years ago while I was on a trip to Victoria, BC: My parents and I took a 3-hour walking guided tour that cascaded us through the many streets of downtown Victoria, in and out of several amazing shops and up and down the many cultural avenues. While I was walking along, I got the sense something was with me. Something other than my guides and those who etherically travel with me regularly.

On a side note, many people ask, why do some people get visited and others do not? Because, you see, those of us who are open to our intuitive ability and focus upon it are seen differently in the spiritual world - we shine. We shine with a vibration that says I can see dead people.

Okay, just kidding.

But not really.

And because we're shiny in this specific way, the people on the other side can see this and are attracted to it because they know we can hear them and see them and get their message across. (For those who have a more unique experience where they have no interest in mediumship or channeling or anything like that and do have a spiritual encounter that changes their life, this is because they came forward into this lifetime with the consciousness and intention to be a spiritual conduit. Thus, the consent was given long, long ago.)

Back to the streets of Victoria. As I walked along, I began to understand who and what this presence was. It was the departed grandmother of a young woman walking in front of me. I kept feeling the nudge and beguiling presence of this older woman and all she wanted to do was talk with her beloved granddaughter one more time. I could see her clearly and still can to this day.

But I never got the courage to say something.

And you know why? Because I had been so deeply trained to get informed consent from others. Don't bother people. Don't be intrusive. Don't be wrong. All of these things had been deeply trained into me as a young person and reinforced as an adult in the medical world. Only offer hope or help to those who ask for it. So, what was I to do? This girl hadn't asked for my help. She hadn't even made eye contact with me all day. But there was someone who had given me permission - the ever-so-loving grandmother who had an incredibly loving message to share with her granddaughter - and I ignored it completely. And why? Because the grandmother was no longer in our physical world and somehow we have decided that consent is a physical thing.

For anyone who follows the understanding of the law of attraction, what we vibrate to is what we experience. This should then imply that what we are experiencing is what we have been putting out in the world through our very being. So, why is it that we've been trained to ask for consent when each of us is giving and getting consent all the time? The only difference is whether it's physical consent or spiritual.

Most of us know that nothing in the world that is really real - the spiritual world - is ever really hidden. All vibrations, all information, all connection is accessible and there for anyone who wants it. All of us, even those who feel they aren't intuitive at all, are getting information all the time through gut reactions, instincts, and how something or someone makes you feel. This is happening when you walk into a room and you feel the glorious energy of a party getting started. Or when you step into an empty stairwell and know that it's a bad idea. Or when you start thinking about your good friend and suddenly she calls you. Or when you walk into an office and know your boss has bad news for you. These are all things that you are getting through vibration and energetic communication.

But did you ask permission from each of those beings before you explored your feelings or theirs? Did you ask your boss' permission before you stepped into his office? Probably. Did you also ask permission to feel what he was emanating? I doubt it.

And why? According to the law and rules of implied and informed consent that even psychics and mediums follow, you should have. According to this outdated and antiquated idea about each of us being separate and having the right to our own space (which doesn't really work or apply to the spiritual world because we are all one, literally), we must turn off our ability to feel one another because otherwise, we're being intrusive.

And this is something we have already done. We have turned off our ability to feel the truth about one another so we don't intrude upon someone without their consent and they can't intrude upon us. Children get yelled at for picking up on the fact that a parent has told them a lie. They get in trouble and this makes them stop listening. Adults routinely get angry at one another when someone has intuitively picked up on a deeply hidden secret and respond with a resounding, "You don't know anything about me!" This then makes the person think they really did get it wrong. But did they? Do we really know everything about one another just through our intuition?

Oh, yes, we do.

Each and everyone of us.

Your big toe may be separate from your thumb, but they know each other intimately well. How can they not? They are of the same being. Just as we are all of the same energy.

I think we need a new set of rules about consent. And this starts with really understanding the law of attraction. What you put out, you get back. Simple. So, if you are vibrating in such a way because you've put out the intention that you want to experience something specific (consciously or sub-consciously), then that's what you'll experience.

At the time I was in Victoria, I was putting out the energy that I needed to get permission before intruding upon someone, no matter how much that message from that woman's grandmother would have helped her, and I was also putting out the energy of connection to spirits through my clairsentient and clairvoyant abilities. So the end result of what I got was a situation where a spirit came to me in an awkward situation where I became too afraid to help someone. And who did this serve? Well, certainly not the grandmother, nor the granddaughter. But in hindsight, it really did help me. It brought me to this understanding: create an intention for what you want to experience. Stop worrying about what others might think, how they might respond, or what they might say (the physicals and the non-physicals). Just do what you came here to do. Be a part of this world and stop worrying about social conventions.

I have since set up with my guides and the Angels that I want people in my life who want my help, clarity in what I receive, and a filter by them of only positive messages. No harm allowed. Setting this up in my vibration has given me the confidence to know that whatever comes out of my mouth, as long as I am listening to the Angels and their guidance, will be to the benefit of all, even the people not standing in the same room as us. This outmoded version of not wanting to burden someone who doesn't want our help or the help of their deceased loved one is not working for us because it would be like saying to your foot, stop walking forward. I didn't give you permission to help the rest of  my body.

We all work on conjunction and in concert with one another. That was how it was intended. And if your intention is to be here to help your greater self - the all that encompasses everyone - then don't hold back, don't be afraid, don't wait for them to come to you. Someone has already taken that step. There's a non-physical knocking at your door and trust me, they see the world in a way we are only beginning to understand. But if we don't bother to share that with one another, then all we'll do is stay exactly right where we are. And I, for one and for all, want to grow.

Questions for thought: 

Does the sun ask the earth if it's okay to shine? 

Do the flowers ask the soil if it is appropriate to grow? 

Does the forest ask the trees to grow in a certain place so that other trees are not bothered by one another's growing? 

Do lions ask the zebras for permission to hunt them? 

Do you really need permission to be who you are, no matter what that looks like? 

ANGEL MEDITATION

Sit with your arms safely by your sides. Allow your body to relax and your mind to roll inward. Breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Know that you are safe. Your body is in the hands of Angels and you are safe to be here. You are safe right now. Breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Relax your shoulders and release your muscles. Allow your body to finally relax. Just release. And breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Good. Place your awareness right in the center of your heart. Feel your heart expand and open, allowing yourself to connect all your energies - your spiritual energy, your physical energy, your mindful energy. Connect them into unity by seeing or feeling them interweave and overlap. This is their true purpose, to be interwoven, not separate. Just as you are not separate from anything. Connect your energies, overlapping them. Feel them in their interconnectedness. Breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Release. Relax. Now, push your energy out from your body just a little bit. Feel the next set of energy you bump into. It might be another person, a table, a chair, an etheric body. Whatever you feel next is just fine. Just feel it. Notice it in your awareness. Notice how it feels different from you. Now, encapsulate it. Allow your energy into it. You and this energy are no longer separate. You are not different, you are the same. Your vibrations may be different, but the base energy is the same. You are made of the same stuff, in and out. Feel your uniqueness and your similarities. Feel your connection and universal making. You are both love because that is all there is. Fear is only the absence of this knowledge. Love really is all there is. And you are that. So is everything else. Your unique personality, your unique differences do not separate you - they just offer a new and special pathway. You are truly the same being. And you always will be. Now, sit back and bring your own individual energy back to you knowing that your connection will remain even though you will go about your own day. Relax and fold yourself back into your own unique array. Breathe a few more times, releasing your preconceived notions about separation, awareness and beingness. And allow yourself to continue on a path of connectedness with everything you meet. All plants, all people, all animals, all furniture - no matter the object, they are you and of you. And you are them as well. Breathe in this knowledge and focus on your breath. And when you are ready, open your eyes into full awareness. 

Be Right Where You Are, Wherever You Are

Today is Sunday. Treated as a day of rest for hundreds of years by thousands of people. And what is rest really? Rest is the desire to just be right where you are, wherever you are, content in your own being.

Take a moment and just breathe in your being. What are you feeling? What types of things are you experiencing? This is how you connect deeper to your intuition. Let your identity, your personality, your facade fade for awhile. Just be with who you really are. Take that moment right now. It might surprise you what you experience. And it might not. Just take the moment to be with you.

Wherever you are right now, it is okay to just be within. Breathe peacefully in your own soul, knowing that every moment, every breath that is taken is one that reclaims your own beingness. This is how we hear our intuition. We breathe, we settle, we release. We rest.

Don't just do this on a Sunday. Do it everyday. You will find yourself more peaceful, more at ease (not working towards dis-ease). Be in your moment. Don't look forward to the next one, don't worry about the one that's just passed. Just be. Wherever you are.

 

Be...



Feel, See, Hear, Do Everywhere You Go

Sedona

Years ago, I took a trip down to Sedona with a friend and we spent a week gallavanting around the canyonsides, touring sites, getting massages and bodywork done, and having a generally wonderful bliss-filled time. I wrote a lot about my experiences in Sedona, as well as a few other places, in my book, Divine by Nature: Spiritual Messages from the Planet's Natural Elements. And lots of other people have written about their spiritual adventures in books, blogs, and travel guides.

Some of the most spiritual places on Earth are the most heavily trafficked: Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest (yep, it's not just about the height for that mountain), the Rocky Mountains, Easter Island. And the list goes on and on.

But here's the big question: do you have to go to these unique places in order to have a spiritual experience?

And the big resounding answer is no.

The Grand Canyon

In a highly charged area where there are vortexes and heavy ley lines, the experience you can have can be more exhilarating, but it doesn't mean you have to go to Sedona to connect with the Earth beings there. Or to Stonehenge to feel what the Druids were doing. Or to the Grand Canyon to feel the awesome power that pours into our world through that portal. You will have more of a physical experience, but I assure you, your spiritual experience can be had anywhere in the world. And that anywhere is where you are right now.

Your life will not be altered in the way you are hoping, except maybe having your breath taken away, when you visit the Pyramids at Giza. You may have a phenomenal experience in your physicality, but your spiritual experience can be had right here, right now.

Pyramids of Giza

Simply close your eyes and feel the place you are dreaming about. Feel the essence of it. There is no time or space - not in the truest essence of All That Is - so you are never separate from your experiences at these places. You can connect to the energy of wherever it is you so desperately want to go just by focusing into yourself, feeling your own essence and then bolstering your energy out and connecting with the essence you desire. You never know what might happen. You might have the most amazing experience in your own living room. This has happened to me quite a bit. When I write about my experiences, I don't write about them in the moment most of the time. I go back and revisit the energy of that place, ask the entities to come forward and experience me as I experience them. And then connect in whatever way we are going to connect. That's what a spiritual experience is. It doesn't have to be grand or earth-shattering (but I find they often are because it's always something new). It can be just as simple as two or more souls sharing an afternoon in the sun.

So, go ahead. Close your eyes. Open your heart. Feel whatever is all around you all the time. You can feel, see, hear and do whatever it is you want to do wherever you are, everywhere you go.

meditative practice for opening to this kind of experience: 

Close your eyes. Breathe deeply from between your chest and your rib cage. Feel your lungs expanding and contracting, opening and offering themselves to the Great Creator. Breathe in. Breathe out. And again. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly. Allow yourself to feel the room around you. Feel it pulsing with your own energy as the two of you become one pulsating energy, beating in time with your heart. Feel the rhythm. Beat, beat, beat. Bah-bump, bah-bump, bah-bump. Take in another long, deep breath, exhaling slowly allowing yourself to expand in your awareness as the energy exhales your lungs. Breathe. Relax. 

Begin to see the place you have been desiring. Either call it silently by its name or see an image or picture in your head. It doesn't matter if it's a physical image of somewhere you've already been or only something you've seen in a movie or a magazine. Just focus your attention and awareness to the place of your desired connectedness. 

Breathe. Center yourself by keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground where you are currently and call forth the energy of the place you desire to experience. Call it into your presence. Feel the energy swirl around you. Allow it to fill and enter the room as if an old friend has arrived. Allow it to sit and be in your presence. Feel it. Smell it. Taste it. Whatever comes to you is okay. There is no bad experience here. Whatever you are feeling, experiencing, doing is absolutely fine. Take another deep breathe. 

Ask the Angels to come forward from the space and enter your experience. Allow them to then fill your room and come into your presence fully. Allow them into your space and your experience. Breathe in their essence. Fill yourself with how they feel, how they seem, what they are. What are you feeling? Do you smell something? Do you taste something? Do you feel an arm or hand or wing on your shoulder? Is it getting warm or cold? Are you tingling? 

Allow yourself to feel whatever experience is coming to you. They are there. Trust that. Trust that they are with you in this experience. And then ask them for more. Ask them to shower you with a message from the place you desire to experience. Ask them to help you know it better or understand its purpose or reasoning for being. Ask them to glow the energy of that abundant place into your experience. 

And then sit and be still. 

Just feel. 

Take it in. 

And when you are ready, thank the Angels for coming and the energy of that place for existing in your space. Ask them anything else you may need to ask or let them know you wish to exchange again some time later. Breathe in and breathe out and allow yourself to fill your own essence back into the room as the Angels and the space return to their own energy. 

Breathe. Bring yourself back into only your own energy. Wiggle your toes, stretch your arms, smile. Feel your body hugging you. Express some gratitude to yourself for your accomplishment at connecting, even if you are unsure. Just know that it was there and each time will get stronger and more clear. 

Now, just breathe. And feel, see, hear and do, everywhere you go. 

The Golden Silence of Eating

I had the most unique experience two nights ago. Along with a group of Abrahamsters (that's a group of people who love and work with the energy of Abraham-Hicks), I had my first silent meal with a group.

Now, don't get me wrong here. Eating in silence is something most of us do everyday. I do it practically three meals a day. And with the advent of TV and radio, people have been eating in "silence" - that is, without talking to one another - for quite some time. But this type of conscious silent eating is a new one, even for me.

There is a lot of hype about eating family meals without our TV shows blaring or computer screens lurking. But eating in silence is not something most people even think about or really even want to do. So, why do it?

Well, let me tell you. It was a most intriguing experience and something I definitely want to do again.

The night started with a round of introductions (for this we used our voices), me being the only new person there, with everyone saying their name and what they are appreciative for. What a great way to start anything!

Once our small, intimate circled group made its way completely around, we then turned to some meditative practices and exercises. I was really looking forward to this because as advertised, we were going to be playing some Abraham games. Games? Well, now, I am quite familiar with Abraham-Hicks, but I hadn't ever had the opportunity to play some reindeer games.

And I was eager. I had prepared by listening to a Tony Robbins CD prior to the event and when I got there via lightning speed, I found I had a full half hour before the event even started. So, I sat in my car next to a row of bright red tulips and proceeded to meditate and converge with my Angel friends.

Once the games got started, I became a little nervous and slightly apprehensive. What was I going to say? Who was I going to be paired with? I didn't know anybody. And they all seemed to know each other very well. But my mind was put at ease when the game that we were going to play was announced as an eye connection exercise. Each person was going to go around the room and keep eye contact  with another person for a full minute. And then, we'd move onto the next person. We did this as a group, of course, so it wasn't like everybody was watching only one person do this to another. That would have been awkward. Instead, the orchestrator of the games had keenly devised a way to keep us all from getting bored and just going from person to person, so it ended up being quite entertaining. We stayed focused on one another for a period of time, connecting in our own special, unique way. And then we moved to the next person.

Now, this exercise was really fascinating. I love this kind of thing! I know, I know. It seems very tantric or even a bit strange to stare deeply into a stranger's eyes for a any period of time. But what I have to tell you is this: it gives you a sense of connection without all the verbal hoo-ha that we go through everyday. No need for niceties or fake conversation - just real, lasting (even if momentary) connection. You get to see someone in a way that words can never express. It was really charming. Although, I did find my eyes to be quite tired by the end of the experience and luckily, we were given a break to stretch and release our muscles before we moved on.

The next part of the experience involved a guided meditation to allow us to fall into a deeper-connected space with one another. As Abraham calls it, we connected our grids. After a few other fun things, we worked our way into the next phase of the evening: the silent meal.

Nowadays, you can go to any number of restaurants and get all sorts of eating experiences. You can eat in complete and utter darkness; you can eat with your hands; you can sit on the floor; you can eat off the floor (yes, there really are restaurants that cater to this desire); you can sit cross-legged and be fed by handsome men in loin cloths. Okay, so I don't really know about the last one, but sign me up if someone starts a restaurant that caters to that.

Restaurant in Taiwan

Anyway, the aspect of the silent meal is about connecting with ourselves, with our food and with one another in a new and unexperienced way. As the meal progressed, we started with a bit of finger foods that included dried blueberry truffle balls coated in coconut flakes, peanut butter and date balls rolled in toasted sesame seeds and a beautiful bowl of hummus served with restaurant-style naan. Shortly after, they brought out 9-item curry, basmati rice, steamed asparagus, and the most incredible dhal I've ever had. Everything was meant to be eaten as a group and with our hands. And not a word at all. The orchestrators of the evening showed us how to eat each dish, the truffle balls being self-explanatory, and we were meant to smell, taste, feel and be with each thing before we ate it. I was given a non-metallic spoon because the naan isn't gluten-free, but I found myself diving right in with the three-finger-and-thumb method used commonly in other parts of the world.

Around the world, cultures apart from Americans regularly eat their meals with only their hands. It is meant as a connection, an offering and a way to be with our food without just shoving it in. The belief is it adds a tactile dimension and a sensuality that is missing when you use utensils. Food can be eaten with fingers, flatbreads (like the naan), banana leaves, or rice, which is what we did by stirring the curry and dhal into the puffy white grains. This practice of eating without silverware is common in India, Ethiopia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Many Americans and Europeans aren't used to eating with our hands in this manner. Or at least not since we were children. However, there is a fine art to it and when done properly, it is a really fun experience. I mean, look at kids. They regularly get reprimanded for having so much fun while eating and most of the time, the taste of the food is only half the fun. They have fun with the experience of eating. I know. Amazing concept, right?

When it came down the the actual eating, I must say, I had a bit of concern about the curry and dhal. If I were to drop any of it on my clothes, turmeric stains are beyond a challenge to get out. And I wore a black and white skirt. But I found that eating with my fingers and digging right in, I didn't spill an ounce. It was too good for that. I could feel where the food was in relation to my fingers and my mouth and I didn't take so much that spillage was a possibility. The hand-eating portion made me eat slower and more thoughtfully. I found I didn't eat as much and by the time the coconut pudding with mangoes, bananas and pineapple came out, I was quite full.

Now, about the silence portion. Here's what I found out: it's really quite invigorating. I felt connected to my food, and as we ate, we looked around the room (or at our food) and enjoyed one another's smiles and the quiet sounds of eating. This I must say was the most surprising thing of the evening - at our silent meal, people were incredibly silent while eating. I hadn't expected this. People make a lot of noise, even when they're not trying. But it was calm and serene and really contenting. Maybe this was the lack of utensils and the intense focus we had on what we were doing, but man, oh, man, it was really quiet in a really pleasant way.

I also found that I ate less. Since we were sharing, everyone took small portions to begin and added more as they wanted. But because of the time it took to eat with just my first three fingers with a bit of assistance from my thumb and the calmly intense focus on staying connected to what I was eating, I just ate less. My large plate would normally have been piled with the rice and veggies all covered in curry and dhal. But this time, in my small portions, I filled up fast. Or was it really that I just noticed that I filled up fast? There is a part of me that really thinks that's the true factor. I was paying attention and because of that, I noticed things. Astounding, I know. But that's sort of the purpose - to connect to our entire beings, the body, the food entering it, the feelings we were having, the feelings of being with one another without a focus on what was going to be said next or what we needed to say next. We were just present. At least, I know I was. And it was really a remarkable experience. I would highly recommend this fun experiment with your family and yes, even your kids. Kids for the most part are usually pretty present anyways, but a conducted experiment where everyone eats with their hands and keeps their focus on the feelings of eating and the food might just be a welcome experience in this journey we call life.

Happy eating in silence, everyone.