A Channeled Message from Spirit for the Collective. This practice will help you find peace through the chaos of the great change that is taking place now.
All that you know and all that you are is shifting. This can bring great fear.
It may feel as if the very foundation of your life is quaking beneath you.
Embrace the movement.
Remember when you are in a space where things around you are moving too quickly the more rigid you are the more painful it is. If you sway with the changes they are easier to move through.
There is a specific group of people now coming to the understanding that their lives are not what they could be. They know there is something more for them. This message, if it resonates, is for you,
Swift, fast moving changes are coming. The energies are moving quickly, within you and around you. Remember to sway, to flow, allow yourself to feel the fear and flow with the changes.
Make higher choices, choices toward what you want and dream rather than the choices you make just to survive.
New doors are open. It is time a for great trust in yourself and whatever higher energies you place your trust in. It does not matter what you all them.
It is a time of great turmoil because great change is preceded by chaos. As things seem to fall apart, realize they are really coming together.
Imagine yourself looking into a mirror as things in your reality seem to fall apart, look in the mirror, see in the mirror imagine they are instead coming together.
Carry this image with you. When you feel things are coming apart, put yourself in front of the mirror, see them coming together.
How to recognize what you truly want to heal and change about your life to create beautiful transformation, and light up your life.
When I walked away from a growing corporate career I wasn’t actively trying to glow-up. I was happy with my life. I had opened some important career doors, and was walking toward bigger and better things professionally. My options were open not only career wise, but I was dating and felt an enormous opportunity to meet the love of my life. I was looking forward to creating what was what I considered the second, and best half of my life.
And then, everything changed.
When I say everything, I mean absolutely every aspect of my life changed. I didn’t set out to explode my life, or to change drastically. I am not the adventurous sort who relishes change. Even so, with all of these doors wide open for me to walk through, I was distracted by tiny crumbs leading another direction. Sometimes the path we are meant to take is less obvious, and requires we trust that the Universe is truly calling to us, and we must also trust in ourselves.
A number of catastrophic events occurred in my life swiftly followed by a global pandemic. These events caused a shift in my perspective, a shift in my values; an awakening. You can read more about my spiritual awakening here: Spiritual Awakening.
Listen to Your Intuition
I began to realize that I wasn’t fulfilled in my life, even though at the time I felt happy and on the precipice of opportunity, my perspective of what would really light my life up shifted. This knowing wasn’t a complete idea or even a plan, it was an inkling, an intuitive sense that I wanted something different, deep down in a place that I had drowned out for too long.
What I had to do but wasn’t consciously aware of, was tap into my intuition, and settle my ego. The ego is so lovely in how well it works to protect us but it can be mighty over protective, which can really serve to hold us back. I’ve learned over time how to make the ego my friend, how to appreciate it, and work with it rather than against it. Something deep within me knew I wanted change, and I had to find my way to what that change was.
The first thing I did was leave my corporate job for one with better pay, fewer work hours, and fewer commuting hours. The only problem was the pandemic began just as I was making this exit, and my grandmother was not well and required care. A culmination of events led to my leaving the position just after I accepted the offer.
I could see things weren’t going well. I had a feeling I’d been lied to about some elements of the position, and a recurring inner dread wouldn’t leave me. I had a nagging feeling I just couldn’t shake. An anxiety that was unusual to me. The feeling of butterflies in my stomach but not in a good way. It wasn’t excitement I was feeling. I would stare out the window at my car in the parking lot and think, “RUN!”
Of course it would be completely irresponsible to just run out the door, get into my car, and drive away, right? I was a responsible sort of person, a professional, and I had kids to feed, a mortgage, I couldn’t just…leave!
Except I did. I left. I discovered some behavior that wasn’t entirely legit, potentially illegal, and perpetrated in a way that could cause me significant harm not only career wise, but in other ways. For several days I fought with my ego about the “right” thing to do, the “responsible” thing to do. One Monday morning, I walked into the office with a big fat resignation letter. I had no idea what I was going to do; I was far from independently wealthy, but something inside me knew that I was in a bad situation and I needed to leave, and quickly.
I am not saying you should run out and quit your job, not at all. Please don’t do that. What I am saying, is I knew something wasn’t right, and all of the events together revealed to me that this was an important risk for me to take. I knew, intuitively, that everything would be ok. What I am saying is if we want to live our fullest, most beautiful, juiciest lives we have to follow our intuition, and we have to take risks.
HOW do we follow our intuition? Here’s a quick rundown on Deciphering INTUITION and HOW TO LISTEN TO AND FOLLOW INTUITION.
One of the greatest hang-ups in my own life was that I often made everyone else a priority over myself. When I say everyone, I’m not being hyperbolic. You name it, they came first. My children, of course. But also, my job; a coworker would often text at 5AM because he knew I was awake. I was awake, but I wasn’t at work. I ran myself right into burnout being the best employee, but the truth of the matter is, only in very rare instances does your corporate job actually care about you. They really care that you are there to do the work, and if you aren’t they will fill that chair really quickly once you’re gone.
Now add in family responsibilities, pets, community responsibilities, trying to have a personal life, and societal pressures. Being a single parent in the capitalist socioeconomic landscape of America is exhausting and often invites us to put ourselves dead last.
To get clear on the kind of life our intuition is guiding us to pursue requires we interpret our intuition with a sense of clarity of what we want in life. What YOU want. And that can be difficult to decipher if everyone has a piece of you and you’ve left none for yourself.
Ask Yourself…
How do I want to FEEL?
What do I want to DO?
I’m not just talking about work or a job here. What do I want to DO with myself, for myself? Is there a hobby or talent you have buried in your life-living? Are you burnt out and don’t make time for yourself? Is there something you are passionate about that has fallen away from you? What do you want to do?
How do I perceive myself, and what about that do I want to change?
What am I truly interested in?
And I’m not talking about the books on your coffee table, what books are you reading that you keep on your nightstand (or if you’re anything like me, next to you in bed!)? What Pinterest boards do you have locked that contain private things you are deeply curious about? What secret thing do you keep locked away that you know lights you up, but maybe you’re not so keen to talk about?
Fun fact! Mine was always spirituality but I never told anyone other than my sister until I unleashed it onto the world. And now, I don’t care who knows, I’m happy to share what was once a hidden passion with anyone and everyone that wants to listen.
What does my perfect day or daily schedule look like?
Who am I giving my power away to? When you think of who holds you back, who comes to mind? Often people who love us and are absolutely well intentioned hold us back because when we change they know they may have to change too. Change is scary. Who benefits from your living at status quo? Who would be up in arms if you came to the party and announced a change you have been wanting to make for a long time? Reconcile with yourself that you are more important than the person or the people you allow to hold you back. How often do we stagnate because we are worried about what 5 or 10 people in the entire world might think of us?
Get curious about yourself. You will fall in love with what you find.
Stop Trying to Climb The Mountain
The path of intuition may seem to be taking you to the top of a mountain that seems an enormous climb, but it’s most likely that what you consciously think the outcome or end result is, isn’t actually the intended destination. Intuition rarely taps us on the shoulder and gives us the exact destination. The journey, the here and now, is always the immediate purpose. Staring up at the top of the mountain from the bottom is self-torture, and it hinders the journey.
Instead, realize that the journey to the top is about taking it one day at a time, no matter the perceived destination. I guarantee you, whatever you think the best possible outcome is, is likely grander than you can even imagine for yourself. Take it in small victories. Your goal is to make it to the first campsite on the mountain, not the top of the mountain. Start small.
Give Yourself Time to Heal
We rush through life. Just yesterday, in a half hour drive to the store, I witnessed someone driving so fast in a huge truck, that they totally blew through a stop sign and nearly smashed into me and another car as we were legally crossing the intersection. Just following that, another car cut me off jumping lanes unexpectedly, and then a bus nearly ran down a pedestrian that was actively IN the crosswalk. People are always in a hurry, life is moving so fast for all of us. If you aren’t the person on your phone while driving then you are cussing out the person who is on their phone while they’re driving, right?
We live our lives in perpetually hurry. Or, we get stuck in the mud. Fight, flight, or deer in the headlights; do you fall into one of these categories?
Whether the pressures of daily life have you rushing around silencing your intuition or have you frozen like a deer in headlights unable to move forward; take it obstacle by obstacle, and give yourself the time to do so. To find our truest deepest calling, to light up our lives, we have to be prepared to find clarity on how we get in our own way, and to do what is needed to give ourselves time to heal.
Relax With Life
The number one way to slow down and gain clarity is through meditation. Meditation has many different forms and doesn’t have to require sitting still and being silent. Guided meditation or music can help when sitting in silence is difficult. Try a One Minute Meditation to start or Meditation Music to improve your focus.
Whether you sit in meditation, practice a walking meditation, paint or draw, sing, dance; any number of practices can accomplish the calm, presence of mind needed to bring clarity and help you tune in to your intuition.
Accept What Is
When we finally get to a place where we can see something entirely new for ourselves, it can make the liminal space in between seem like walking through quicksand, and that can make it difficult to trust in divine timing. Whenever we are making changes in our lives, when we are preparing to glow up, the Universe is working behind the scenes on our behalf. There is much that goes on for us that we cannot even fathom and sometimes the work is to accept what is and TRUST.
In moments when I’m struggling with what is or the in-between space, when I’m in the next phase waiting room, I affirm to myself, this is what is. This is what is right now. In the next moment it will be different, and the next. There is a flow with life, and when we try to control everything, we complicate the process.
Trusting our selves, clearing obstacles, finding clarity, giving ourselves time and space to heal, and trusting that we have the support of something greater than our physical selves, and that this something greater runs through us in the form of intuition, can help us flip the switch, and light up our lives in ways that defy our own imaginations.
When I began consciously communicating with my spirit team, I would often sit in silence and not know what to do. I felt silly, sitting by myself, as if I were playing pretend. My perceived absurdity of the process held me back, and for a long time.
When I finally dedicated myself to the practice of communicating with my guides, everything opened up and it became much easier. Using these questions as part of your spiritual practice, tailoring them to your needs and specific situation, and they will help you connect to your guides in a beautiful and empowering way.
What can I do to make our communication easier?
How would you like me to refer to you?
How do you show up in my life?
Do my past loved ones have a message for me?
What do you like the most about me?
What can I best resolve a specific problem I am facing?
Why am I so troubled by ___?
Am I on track to achieve my goals?
How can I better align with my higher self?
How can I love myself more?
How do I hold myself back?
How can I accept myself, situations, other people; exactly as I am/they are?
What one thing can I do today to improve my life?
What did this specific dream that I had mean?
What am I meant to learn from my relationship with ___?
Should I take this job, class, vacation, opportunity?
Can you please help me resolve____ problem?
How can I make more empowered choices in my life?
What is this reoccurring obstacle trying to teach me?
How can I allow more love, money, freedom, opportunity, peace, joy into my life?
Having access to higher guidance brings more ease and support into our lives, and allows us to recognize that the obstacles we face are all part of the program we sign up for here on earth. We are here to learn and grow, to love, to experience. When we tap into our higher guidance, we learn so much about ourselves and our place on the earth. I hope you find great joy within these conversations with your guides.
You are loved and celebrated more than you can comprehend.
Automatic writing is a method of divination and is the practice of calming the mind and allowing spirit to bring information through in the form of writing. This is an easy practice, but by that I do not mean it is always immediately successful. The longer you have had a consistent spiritual practice, the easier it will likely be.
I spent years in frequent meditation and spiritual practice before I felt connected to my spirit guides, but some people come to the ability to do so with much more ease. My biggest hangups were disbelief and fear. Although I was a spiritual person, and I believed in higher realms of existence, I still lived with both feet planted in “reality.” I was probably blind to the signs and
This may take you time or you may surprise yourself, or maybe this is just a nice reminder to regard the importance of consistent spiritual practice. Whatever the reason, I hope you find this practice a helpful and loving experience.
Protection
As part of my daily spiritual practice, I protect myself. This is NOT because I feel I am unsafe and need to call on spiritual bodyguards because they are already there! I do this as a means to call on my own power, and to acknowledge my protection and belief in something greater than myself. We are the light. We are the Darkness.
We are powerful beings.
As powerful beings, we always have autonomy and freewill. When communicating with spirit, we need to remember this. Spirit doesn’t tell us what to do. They suggest. When you’re communication looks like a to-do list, or even a don’t do list, write it down and put it away for later. We always have the power to make our own choices, and our spiritual guidance will never take that away from us.
Our most important element of protection is our own power.
Practice
Most everything we become good at requires practice. Even though we have are innately divine energy in a human body, we can forget our power and our true purpose. A regular spiritual practice is the secret to opening ourselves up to our greatest purpose and our most fulfilling lives. I’ve always been intrigued by spirituality, and sporadically practiced a number of the elements that make up my practice now, but it wasn’t until about 7 years ago, or so, that I began a dedicated daily practice.
The practice I’m about to share with you is one that connected me immediately to my guides. I say immediately, but I had a daily spiritual practice for years before I attempted to communicate with them. Sometimes, what seems to be immediate success is actually born of years and years of seemingly indirect effort. So whether you are immediately successful at this or you become quickly frustrated that the connection feels like it just isn’t there…be consistent and know you will find your way.
Automatic Writing
It took me a very long time to connect with my guides in a way that I could feel I know they have always been here with me, but I couldn’t feel them. I think there was a part of me that couldn’t overcome my idea of reality. It seemed silly to think of energetic beings guiding me, and also, it was so far from the norm that I think I was more than a little scared. So I hesitated to reach out to them.
And when I finally did? They were there loud and clear for me to communicate with.
For this practice you will need a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted, a few questions to ask your higher self or your guides, a notebook and pen, or go digital if you prefer, a comfortable seat, a candle, and some music. I use music from a streaming app or I find meditation music on YouTube.
Light your candle and select your music to create a calm and comfortable environment. Take a few slow, deep breaths to connect with your body.
There are many methods you can use for protection, this is just one of mine. I feel it’s very powerful, and you. may actually feel energy within your body when you try this:
Imagine a light, whichever color you prefer, surrounding you. The light is bright and beautiful, it makes you feel safe and protected. This light expands around you, swirling about. From the top of your head, you bring the light into your body, with each breath you bring it in, and down into your body, swirling and healing, grounding and connecting. This light travels through your body to your feet, and exits like tree roots, carrying its light deep into the earth, grounding you, cleansing. Set the intention that you are safe and protected, and only those energies with your highest good as their purpose may enter your energetic space.
Place your hands on your heart and say, “Thank you.”
Read the questions you have prepared, and wait for the words to flow onto the page. If at first they don’t, sit a minute and wait for them. If you find that words don’t begin to flow, pay attention to your thoughts and write what you are thinking and feeling. Give it time and be patient.
Often we receive answers in a way we didn’t plan. Prior to my direct communication with my guides, I was upset and grieving someone who had passed away just that week. I was thinking about them and I had a question. I wasn’t anticipating an answer, I didn’t ask aloud and I wasn’t seeking an answer, I was just…wondering. My mind went to a book I had bought them as a gift but not had the chance to give it to them before their passing. I found the present, unwrapped it, and there in the first chapter was an answer to my question. I was flooded with chills and I began to cry.
The answer is always there, we may not always know what form it will present itself to us, but if you have a question, it will be answered.
What are divination tools? This quick guide will dispel confusion and fear over divination, offer insight into how divination can help you, and offer a practice to help you get started, or refresh your practice if you already dabble in divination.
Divination
Divination by word, used to scare me. The thing about fear is this: we fear what we do not understand. I was actually in fear of something that I was naturally, unconsciously doing, and something that is incredibly helpful and valuable in my life now that I am more conscious about it.
Divination is an ancient art, likely honed well before it was written about, and much older than documentation reveals. When I say ancient, I mean ancient. Think thousands and thousands of years. Early divination practices included throwing bones or shells, scrying, tea reading, and deciphering dreams or visions, among other methods.
It seems humans have always sought the answers to their questions through divination, and there are innumerable ways to do so.
Divination Tools
According to my mom, my grandma, Syble, used a standard deck of playing cards for divination. Anything at all can be used for divination. Often when I’m at a bookstore I will pull a book from the shelf and open it to a random page to find what message awaits. I would say the most important tool in divination is our own mind and intuition. The experiences we live, the knowledge we have gained, paired with the inner knowing of intuition; are the foundation of divination. Intuition can be strengthened, like a muscle, when used regularly.
The following are tools I have used myself and feel comfortable with. There are many, many more available to you. The most important element when choosing a tool for divination is to seek within what you feel most connected to, and to practice with that tool to get to know it, and see if it’s a good fit for you.
The Body
Mediums and Channelers use their own body, mind, and senses for spirit communication. This can be a challenging path, and one that is not for the faint of heart. If you Channel or are a Medium it is something you are called to, and something that, in my opinion, you have likely practiced and honed lifetime after lifetime.
Mediums and Channelers must undergo a significant healing journey to develop their integrity, their capacity for empathy, and the strength to know and experience things that can be, at times, significantly difficult to see, feel, hear, or know, depending on the ability (or abilities) one possesses.
Connecting with my spirit guides helped me to understand myself more deeply and increased my comprehension of the spirit world in general. You can read more about this here: Spirit Guides
If you are drawn to mediumship and channeling, do a deep dive into shadow work and healing before you get started. Meditate or take on some other centering practice, and it can help to study under someone who is skilled, educated, and talented. I know people who were natural healers, channelers, and mediums who when they meditated regularly became rather frightened and gave up the practice because of the things that they saw and felt. It can take a good deal of time to understand the practice and what it means to each individual person.
Mediumship and channeling are beautiful spiritual gifts to develop, and can be the most difficult to acquire. If this is what calls to you, you will not be daunted by the challenge!
Tarot and Oracle Cards
My first experience with divination was with tarot cards. I knew nothing about them. I found a deck that belonged to my mom, and I began to use them to read my family and friends. I found them to be incredibly accurate and thought of them as magical cards. What I didn’t realize then and do now is that it wasn’t the cards that were magic, but rather, me. We are the magic of the cards, and we pull through information from higher sources.
Tarot cards, which were originally playing cards for a game, and were later used for divining information, Tarot cards have specific suits containing archetypes and symbols and are read to determine potential outcomes and answers to questions.
Oracle cards can come in many different varieties. I have oracle cards celebrating different deities, angels, as well as specific purposes such as astrology or numerology. Oracle cards differ from tarot cards for this reason, they are less structured.
Tarot and oracle cards can offer potential guidance for the future, but more so, can help us to know ourselves better, validate intuitive knowing, and provide comfort during difficult situations by helping us feel more connected to our higher selves and spirit team. Often, for me, pulling just the right card is like a big hug or a little wink from the Universe.
Pendulum
Use of a pendulum is a type of dowsing. There are other tools that can be used for this, like dowsing rods, or even a stick, but I prefer a pendulum. I make my own pendulums and almost anything, as long as it’s weighted, can be used as a pendulum when attached to a chain; a watch, a pendant, a stone, a crystal, a coin… You get the idea.
I make pendulums with crystal points and add decorative handles that won’t interfere with the motion of the pendulum. The pendulum acts as the receiver of energy, and conveys this energy through its motion. Swinging one way for yes, and another for no. Pendulums can also be used to gauge energy centers in the body, as well as, when used by a skilled healer, determine where there may be stagnant energy or a health issue.
Automatic Writing
Keeping a regular journaling practice creates an easy transition into automatic writing. We are, all of us, channeling spirit; our higher selves. So whatever we think or feel, is a translation of our higher selves. We can deeply distort these interpretations when we haven’t befriended our ego or protected ourselves properly.
Automatic writing is the practice of silencing the mind and allowing spirit to bring information through in the form of writing. You’ll know you are successful at this practice when you write effortlessly, you don’t know what will come next, and don’t stop to think what will come next. I use a pen and a dedicated notebook for this, but sometimes also use the notes in my phone. You can use any method to successfully use automatic writing.
When I first began using automatic writing, I would keep a list of questions I wrote down whenever they came to mind. Once I had several questions, and some quiet time, I would start at a fixed point, calm my mind, and wait for information to flow.
Signs Symbols and Omens
Spirit guides, spirit beings, our loved ones who have passed; they all delight in our recognition and appreciation of the signs and symbols they send. Anything that you have a connection with can be a sign. A big one for me is music. If I’m thinking of a loved one that has passed, often a song that was important to us will play and I’ll feel them near.
Experiencing the same cluster of numbers, feathers, the same song repeats, birds, animals; anything at all could be calling on you to recognize a message is meant for you, your attention is requested by spirit. Notice them, write them down, keep track of them. I think you’ll see it happens far more than you realized.
Omens are a less frequent occurrence that portend an event. I’ve experienced omens in my life, on a few occasions. Usually these happen for me in dreams, but once occurred as a large glittering flower of life shining, late one night, on my bedroom ceiling.
Absolutely anything can be used for divination. We are divine beings, spirits in bodies. We are our higher selves, in drag, basically. Knowing this, doesn’t it just make sense that everything at play around us, anything, can be a message from beyond?
Protection
Many will use fear to deter you from practicing divination, which is truly just the way we communicate with our higher selves and spirit team. We are surrounded by light and love, at all times, even if or when we don’t feel it. We are always protected.
Remember that spirit isn’t negative or scary. If you receive information such as your life is in danger, your loved ones are in danger, you receive ultimatums of any sort, or receive harsh judgments; this is information that should be written down, and looked back on later for record and comparison. This isn’t to say there isn’t trickster-like energy that can come through. There very much is, but it isn’t worthy of your worry or time.
Spirit is thrilled when we reach out, and they are not judgmental or harsh.
Still, part of my own ritual is to cleanse and protect myself and my divining tools. There are many ways to do this. I use visualization most frequently, as well as prayers of protection, selenite, and the full moon. Actual bathing; taking a bath or shower, is a powerful way to cleanse our energy.
Ritual
I use ritual frequently because it creates a space of sacredness. Ritual gives power to intention, and creates a sense of importance. How often do we do things that are important but we skip the formalities, and hurry through them? Too often, I think. Creating the time and space for ritual is as powerful as the practice itself.
Creating a ritual doesn’t require expense or even a great deal of time. I generally practice in my bed or on my sofa in the living room, setting aside time each day to connect with spirit. Light a candle or incense, which is also cleansing, play calming music, and take the time to protect yourself, and set intentions.
One incredibly important element is belief. We have to believe that we are more than our bodies, that we are connected to something greater, and that the greater…whatever you want to call it, is open and ready to communicate with us.
Intuition and belief are the driving forces behind divination, and tools simply transmit the messages we seek.
Intuition is our built-in inner guidance. Tapping into this all-knowing source of guidance and information can transform your life in magical and beautiful ways. Listen to your intuition and live your best life.
Okay, so how do we listen to our intuition?
I’ve always been more likely to listen to my intuition than to logic, but I was insecure about doing so because it felt abnormal compared to the expectations of society. I felt the pressures of things like 5 year plans, relationship expectations, and career strategies and allowed them to derail me from my own highest knowing.
I always tried to leave a whole bunch of room for divine intervention. I naturally lead with my heart, rather than my head, a lot of the time. Still,I confused myself by talking myself out of listening to my intuition. I was doing this because I was scared and my head was full of expectations, those pesky 5 year plans, and worse… 10 year plans.
I eventually found myself in a place where outside expectations were pulling at my life and interfering with my inner-connection, my higher guidance, and heart centered direction. I was being sucked in, too busy juggling everything to step back and listen to my inner voice. The harder I ignored my intuition the louder and more physical the messages became for me.
If you, like me, sometimes find yourself ignoring your highest guidance, or if you have been a person that follows their head and hasn’t yet discovered or explored your quieter inner-knowing, these tips will help you.
FEEL
Intuition can feel like a lot of different things; excitement, butterflies, anxiety, a sick feeling, a lightning bolt, and sometimes it’s just the tiniest whisper assuring us that we will be ok.
I once got into my car on the way to meet a date, a first date, for dinner. For some unknown reason, that I at the time correlated to a glitch, his name and picture popped up on my phone. The entire screen shining with his face and his name and I immediately went cold and sick inside. I should have gone home just then, but I didn’t. No harm came to me, but it was clear to me later that this was an intuitive sign not to see this person.
Feeling into our intuition; feeling what our physical and emotional response is to people. places, and situations, and learning to decipher for ourselves what those responses mean, over time gives us a sort of super power.
DECIPHER
Just as I was confusing myself by overthinking, overworking, and also actively ignoring my intuition; we sometimes drown out our inner, higher guidance. Also, we don’t always know what our intuition is trying to tell us, at least, not without practice. It may be second nature to us to listen, but to really get down to what our intuition is trying to say can take some practice.
Take time for stillness. Meditation or simply just time spent in peace and quiet, going for walks, practicing a hobby, taking a bath; any number of things can calm the nervous system and the mind, allowing us to connect more deeply to ourselves, and with our intuition.
Ask your body. Our bodies are powerful receptors. Gut feelings, chills, butterflies, excitement, pain, a sense of calm, knowingness, a tightening in the chest; there are numerous ways our body conveys our intuition. And realize, most things aren’t urgent, even if they feel like they are. If we ignore our intuition, it will get louder, and if we don’t follow it, another path to the destination we are being guided to will surface.
The stuff of dreams. Dreams are powerful guidance. If you wake remembering a dream, write it down before it gets away from you. What does it mean? How does it feel? What symbolism was present? Keeping a dedicated dream journal can be a powerful way to work through problems and issues as well as help to gather what your intuition is trying to tell you.
Spend time with strong emotions. Realize that sometimes what we think is intuition may be anxiety or an ego tantrum. Being emotionally aware and self aware are surefire ways to more easily decipher intuition. If you’re experiencing big emotions; sit with them, find your calm, and and feel into what is being revealed to you.
Writing. Daily journaling is an excellent way to learn to understand our intuition. Regular journaling allows release and understanding of feelings, provides an insight to how we truly feel about things as well as offers insight into patterns, and can be useful in keeping track of feelings and repeating signs.
Talk it out. Talk to a therapist or trusted friend. Often simply speaking our feelings aloud can give us the boost of emotion we need to determine HOW we are truly feeling about something, and to source out the intuition behind the emotion.
Validation
Validation isn’t just for parking. Divination is an excellent way to confirm and validate what you are intuiting.
There are a number of tools that can be used to improve and confirm intuitive insights. Whether your intention is to connect with your subconscious mind, higher self, spirit guides, loved ones who have passed, or a deity; divination tools can help to achieve this goal.
div·i·na·tion the ancient art or practice of receiving hidden knowledge by supernatural means.
On the path to success, the difference between action and inspired action is gigantic. When we move through life following the prompts of society, others, or in survival mode we are more likely to slip off of our path, delay our achievements, and invite in additional life-lessons. My own opinion is that we never mess it up, even when we take the long road, and the long road can often feel more rewarding at the end. There is no need for fear of messing anything up.
What is the difference between inspired action and just taking action? Action based upon what others want or expect, what will feed the ego, a choice that feels like it is opposition to the heart; these are all examples of action. Inspired action requires that we check in with ourselves, we tune into how we feel and decipher how we are leading ourselves: with intuition or with ego? Inspired action is the following of our highest, truest voice.
No one can decide for you what path is best for you. You have innate and accurate guidance within, and when you use it you become more empowered. The highest, juiciest, shiniest life awaits on the other side of intuitively made choices.
Affirmations are an incredible tool to boost confidence, self-esteem, find your personal power, and tap into your infinite intelligence and manifestation abilities. In fact, they are such a powerful tool that they are used by any and everyone within the field of personal development; from psychotherapists to career coaches, and…witches.
Whether you are seeking to improve your financial life, your physical appearance, or your love life; these affirmations will help you find your hidden inner power, improve your confidence, and bring new opportunities to fully shine in your own life.
How to Use Affirmations
Any skill we seek to obtain becomes easier and more powerful with practice. I’ve used affirmations for years and years, but like most practices, over time I allow life to get in the way. From time to time I forget to do them and they fall by the wayside. The best thing about forgetting the practice is how very easy it is to pick it back up and start over again. The first step is allowing yourself to be flexible and find a practice that works for you!
Choose or create your affirmations. Create affirmations that will present results immediately. When we choose an affirmation such as, I’m a millionaire, well, things may seem to fall apart if we aren’t anywhere near becoming a millionaire, and this is why: to achieve some things in life, we will be forced to grow and develop into a higher version of ourselves.
Which is why we should set small, achievable goals. The desire to be a millionaire may very well be achievable for you, but there may be some significant change that needs to come about first. So, be honest with yourself and work on the types of things a millionaire version of you would find achievable: I am powerful, I am abundant, I am confident, I am skilled at what I do, etc. Smaller goals are beneficial. Baby steps equal much larger, easier strides over time than trying to leap into something that you don’t yet believe can happen for you.
Choose how many affirmations to use. I use up to three affirmations at a time that are complementary to one another. Choose as few or as many that suit you. For me, more than three is too many to keep track of and solidly focus on.
Write your affirmations down. Hand writing affirmations is powerful. Writing by hand helps with memorizing, increases focus, and makes the affirmation more tangible to our experience.
Place the affirmations in areas where you will see them throughout the day: the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, your bedside table, the visor of your car, on your desk or computer. Place a money affirmation in your wallet and let it surprise you the next time you go to buy groceries or lunch.
Feel. Feeling the emotion of what you want to achieve is the most powerful element in the success of affirmations. What does the affirmation feel like? What emotions does it conjure within? Be conscious of your choices and tap into those emotions when using the affirmations. One way I get my emotions right when I may not be feeling it, is by dancing. A quick little happy dance can go far to shift your energy and lift you to a positive place.
Repeat them. Constantly. Repeat them in front of the mirror to yourself, while you exercise, while you’re working. I would often sing them while I was commuting to work.
Switch them out. Once you begin to feel the affirmations are taking hold in your life, let them go. When you begin to focus on some new task or goal, create new affirmations and repeat the process.
Trust. Trust in yourself and in the powers beyond (which truly exist within you) that there are things happening for you, behind the scenes. Take inspired action rather than powering through and attacking your goals.
Rest. Play. Relax. Sure, sure, there is need for action to bring beauty and success into our lives, but rest and play are significant to the process as well. We don’t give near enough credit to the work that can be done with a short nap!
Eliminate the need for perfection. Perfection is not necessary for success. The Universe will flow with you, and understands you. Perfectionism is worry in action, and worry interferes with clearing the path to our desires.
Affirmations, as a practice, are an incredibly powerful tool in our Glow-Up toolbox. They’re so easy to use that it seems as though they aren’t a powerful practice, but it’s worthwhile to dedicate yourself to a 14-day or 30-day personal challenge, following all of the steps to see for yourself the power the simplest practices can hold.
Building a relationship with your guides can take years; that was my own experience. Where some may speak to a guide or guides clearly from a young age, I spent years trying to connect with mine. I learned about spirit guides as a kid, reading books by psychic mediums. I wanted to know my own guide, but I was also a little afraid.
Fear of the unknown can be a big obstacle to building a connection with our guides.
Intuition was always my guiding light, and this was the connection to my higher self and my spirit guidance, but I didn’t differentiate between my higher self and my spirit guidance until I began to actively connect and communicate with them.
During meditation, I would ask for my spirit guide’s name, but I wouldn’t receive anything. Sometimes I would just fall asleep! I even tried guided meditations meant to lead you to your spirit guides. None of them ever worked.
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to connect with them, and along with feeling it was a weird thing to do, I think I also doubted, at least on some level, that I could communicate with my guides, even though I had a solid belief that they were there.
That was, until one afternoon, while sitting in meditation, I was prompted by my intuition (guides) to lay down on my bed. I walked up the stairs, lay down in the bed, and was guided, in my mind, to walk a lovely path toward a beautiful garden. There I was met by beautiful beings that offered me the names of my guides.
What I came to more fully understand in the days following that meditation, was that I was always in tune with my guides. I had a relationship with them already. Knowing their names and working with them as I would another living, breathing person, wasn’t necessary until I was actually given their names. The lesson in not receiving the information about them when I asked was this:
I needed to learn to trust that they were there, even though I couldn’t see them and they weren’t tangible to me.
If you have tried to connect to your guides and you feel you have failed, realize, you don’t need to know their names to work with them. You already work with them, they are always with you, and when you listen to your intuition, you are connecting to them, even if you don’t feel like you are. Spirit guidance is very often subtle. So subtle, we often don’t recognize it for what it is: constant loving support and guidance.
Spirit Guidance is always loving.
When We Least Expect It
The other morning I was meditating, and I was struggling! My mind was going every which way, and the dog was whining and running around tapping his little nails all over the hardwood floor. Just then, as I was trying to settle my mind, my dad came through. My dad passed away in 2003, and I’ve had very few connections with him over the years, but when I do connect with him it is always a powerful and healing experience.
I was telling my daughter recently that I rarely connect with him, and I wonder why. Then, just days later, I see him, and feel him. He hugged me and I felt a rush of loving feelings. I cried and sat, trying to hold onto the moment and to try and dive deeper into the connection.
Trying to concentrate so that I could hold onto the moment, I lost all focus when the dog created so much commotion, it brought me right out of the experience. Whether it was meant to be a short hug, or a longer conversation, I can’t know. Focus is important, and I tried holding on to receive the full message, but maybe he just stopped by to hug me because he knew I needed it. I called him, and he answered.
We can try to force these experiences, but it doesn’t work. Our guides and loved ones come to us in their sweet divine timing. Sometimes that is in the moment we request it, and other times it’s at another, unexpected time. Our job is to be open, be patient, and trust that the experiences that are meant for us will come when we are ready for them. Often, this is when we least expect it.
Loving Guidance
Spirit guidance is always loving. If you feel you are receiving guidance that you aren’t enough, that you need to do more, do better, that you’re failing; this is ego. Spirit guidance is always loving. While it’s true, there are always things we feel we need to improve, spirit guides us to these changes lovingly, and accepts us fully as we are.
Ten Tips for Connecting with Spirit Guides
Have an open mind. The most important tool we have in our spiritual toolkit is an open mind. Once we are able to open ourselves up to the possibility that we aren’t walking alone on this earth, that we are spiritual beings with a soul, that we are deeply loved by an infinite Universe, God, or Source – whatever your preference – that spiritual world opens up for us. We are loved! The more we can open up to this idea, the easier it will be to receive communication from our guides.
Meditation. Meditate in whatever you have found that centers you, that works for you. Meditation can include anything that relaxes the mind and calms the ego; from traditional meditation which regards sitting in silence, to walking, running, hiking, taking a long shower or a bath; whatever activity brings you calm and some sense of inner peace.
*You do not have to clear your thoughts. Though meditation can help you to have a calm mind, some of the thoughts you push away could very well be messages from spirit. If they are loving, guiding, and make you feel good; write them down. Explore them.
Prayer. I learned to pray as a child in religious environments that didn’t align with my personal, innate beliefs. For this reason, it became hard for me to pray, and I felt disconnected because of this. Eventually I took a class. Really! I took a prayer class that taught different kinds of prayers, and this opened me up once again to a Universe that not only heard my prayer, but held me and provided for me in ways I didn’t understand before.
Learning to pray in a way that aligned with my personal understanding of the Universe, brought me closer to my own inner guidance and to my guides.
Journaling. I began to journal after meditation, and soon found that I could use automatic-writing to communicate with my spirit guides. I didn’t intend to do it. I just sat down one day and realized that’s what was happening. Journaling in the morning after you wake, or at night before bed, and consistently, can be a powerful way to connect to your higher guidance, whether you are practicing automatic writing or not.
Oracle Cards and Tarot Cards. Tarot cards crossed my path at a young age, and I always found their guidance rather on-point. I still use tarot and oracle to confirm or solidify guidance I receive from my guides.
Other methods of divination. There are a number of other tools that can be used for divination, and you can use anything at all to gain insight and guidance. Some other methods of divination include divining rods, pendulums, scrying, and reading tea leaves or coffee grounds.
Signs and symbols. Maybe you’re familiar with Angel numbers: 11:11, 333, 555, 777, 999… These, when we recognize them, are powerful indicators that we are on the right track, and opening up to our spirit guidance. Other powerful signs can be feathers, butterflies, birds, sparkles of light or orbs, or anything that you see over and over again, whether a word, a phrase, or a symbol. After my dad passed away, hearts were a big sign for me. I saw them everywhere, in everything. It felt like a hug from the universe.
During several different trips to a local bookstore, every time I went, a book would fly off a shelf nearby and land at my feet. It wasn’t a coincidence, the store wasn’t haunted; it was a sign.
Any sign or symbol can be a sign from your guides. Anything that repeats, that’s consistent, that comes up at a particular time while you’re having a particular thought or feeling, anything and everything that grabs your attention can be considered a sign. If you keep track of them, you will find over time that your guidance is consistent.
Synchronicities. A synchronicity is an event or series of events that connect in a meaningful way. For instance, if you are thinking of someone you haven’t seen in a while, and they suddenly, out of the blue, send you a text message. Seeing repeated numbers, angel numbers, is also a form of synchronicity. The more you recognize the synchronicities in your life, the more of them you experience.
Discovering and developing the Clairs. How we receive guidance can vary from person to person. Some of us are more able to hear guidance, clairaudience, and others just know information, seemingly out of nowhere, claircognizance. Our ability to discern our intuition relies on The Clairs, and which of our senses are the strongest. Some of us have natural access to all of them to some degree, while others naturally have one or two of them. We all have access to these senses; everyone can develop them.
Media messages. One of my favorite ways to receive guidance is through music. I’ve also received messages from music, books, the internet, and even a commercial or two. When we remain open to signs, synchronicities, and messages; we find them all around us.
After someone I loved dearly passed away, I went for a hike to grieve. I took my headphones, which I never do when I’m hiking. Every song that streamed felt like a message, and the songs began to weave together to make a sort of mental tapestry for me. I created a playlist of these songs and it deeply helped me heal from the loss, and to feel more connected to the loved one who had passed.
Our loved ones help us grieve; they remain with us to comfort us and try to tell us that they still exist; they are always with us.
Anything that spirit can use to communicate with us, they will use, and whatever we personally enjoy most is going to work the best because your guides are here FOR you, so they will follow your lead and use anything you’ll pay attention to to offer messages of guidance and love.
There are many different kinds of spirit guides; getting to know them, and what they have to teach us helps us to live our lives to our fullest potential.
The first lesson I learned about spirit guides is that they don’t think names are important and the type of guide isn’t always important for us to know immediately, if at all. Often they will refer to themselves as “We” and leave it at that. Some will allow you to choose a name for them, and others will give you a name. This is a part of the process that varies from individual to individual based upon the relationship and the knowledge and lessons involved in that relationship.
Everyone has spirit guides. Everyone. Building a relationship with your guides can take years; that was my own experience. Where some may speak to a guide or guides clearly from a young age, I spent years trying to connect with mine. I learned about spirit guides at a young age, reading books by psychic mediums. I wanted to know my own guide, but I was afraid.
Fear of the unknown is the number one obstacle to building a connection with our guides.
I finally began to connect once I moved past the fear and other obstacles, which I share here Connecting to Your Spirit Guides. I spent time meditating, notebook at my side, ready to jot down any bit of information I could gather. I did finally gather their names, and connected with them deeply, and then the most wild thing happened…
They left.
Connecting with my guides as deeply as I finally was able to, it was as if I had learned an important skill, and for that had then leveled up, and was being offered a new path. Some time passed before I realized I was receiving information from a new source, and I wasn’t immediately informed that my guides had changed. I knew something had changed, that I had done something important. I was shown a celebration, but I didn’t understand until much later what had actually taken place.
Your Guides Can Change
It’s like a changing of the guard; we are never left, and never left alone. We may have the same guides for the entirety of our lives, or some may leave while others stay, or some may leave and new guides come in. As we experience life, learn and grow, as we awaken; our needs may change, and with those changes sometimes comes a shift in our guidance.
Our Many Selves
Highest Self
Your highest self is the spirit version of you. A portion of your spirit intertwined with the body during gestation, and integrated with the mind and body. Our highest self is who we are, also known as our Soul, or The Observer; though it is so much more than an observer.
Our highest self is loving, non-judgemental, and infinitely intelligent; containing the entire scope of our lived life experiences and the infinite knowledge of the universe. We are our higher selves in human form, and the more in tune we are with them, the more sacred and rewarding our life experiences are.
I’ve only seen my own higher self once, she came to me during a time when I was meditating daily and actively seeking positivity in my life. Her visitation was a confirmation that I was on the right path. She brought me gifts of confidence and immense love. I have, since then developed my relationship with her, ummm… myself. She is me and I am her.
There is no separation between yourself and your higher self. You are your higher self.
Future Self
In this incarnation or in another, more knowledgeable versions of ourselves can come forward and assist us with our difficulties and help to relay needed information or support. If you have ever done an Inner Child meditation, and in your mind gone back to your childhood self to comfort the younger version of yourself, this is what you are doing; you are visiting the younger version of yourself to offer love, comfort, or knowledge.
This is no small practice. Though it is generally rather easy, and seems as if it may be insignificant, it is incredibly powerful and can be life-changing.
Past Self
Our younger selves can come forward to assist us but more often than our younger selves, versions of ourselves from past lives can come forward to bring us information that is important to our current life’s path. This is similar to a past life regression except that during this experience, the past incarnation of ourselves speaks to us; gives us information they have learned, potentially the hard way, and they want to help us make a better choice in this life than we have in the past. This isn’t to prevent the lesson, but to further solidify it for us.
When this occurs, we may not understand immediately that this is a version of our own spirit. When this occurred for me, I thought it was a spirit that had come forward, and didn’t realize it was a version of myself until later, when my guides explained it to me.
Spirit Guides
You have one primary guide, though you may have others that are consistently present; one is assigned as your primary guide. Your spirit guide is a spirit being who has lived many lives, many of which have given them specific life experiences that align with your life experiences, lessons, gifts, and purpose in the current life they guide you through. In each incarnation we have different spirit guides with a specific set of skills to help us along our particular journey.
Though they are, in a way, assigned to us, they choose us and we choose them. No soul is ever made to work with a soul they do not feel aligned with.
Spirit guides are pleased to be sought after. They love to have our attention and love us unconditionally. They’ve been in the tough spots we find ourselves in, have similar personalities to ours, they have suffered through similar lessons, and they have experienced life to its absolute fullest in both difficulty and ecstatic beauty and joy. Their entire purpose is to lovingly guide us through life.
Spirit Ancestors
Our ancestors, past loved ones whether we know them in this current life or not, and our spirit family can all participate in our lives; offering their wisdom, especially how it relates to our familial purpose and healing of karmic patterns.
I was introduced to this concept early in my spiritual awakening, and became aware that my grandfather from this life, who has passed, was a constant presence as an elder and mentor in many of my past lives. Much of the family we are close to in our present lives are our spirit family, as are some of our friends, lovers, and even some acquaintances.
Ancestors are by far the most powerful guides in our lives when healing familial trauma and trauma in general. Healing these wounds brings healing to familial lines through generations, and can serve to release energetic blocks to love, understanding, commitment, financial abundance, and health; depending on the karmic circumstances.
Spirit Animals
We all have spirit animals and even past pets that visit or remain with us. Spirit animals are the animal embodiment of traits that serve us in our lifetimes. These can remain with us throughout our lives, or visit us just when we need them, depending on their purpose and how it aligns with our own purpose.
If you’re going through a time of great transformation, a deer may cross your path, or a snake, or you may have an animal you feel connected to for some reason that feels unknown to you, these are spirit animals.
Though they can be fierce, like the tiger, for instance, they contain the purest of energies. Recognizing, connecting with, and embodying the traits of this animal may help to ease your path, and bring a deeper understanding of yourself and your purpose in life.
Angels
There are a large number of different kinds of angels. Angels are celestial beings with the highest of purposes, directly related to helping humanity. There are so many different kinds of angels, that entire books could, and have been, written about them.
Many people experience angel visitation throughout their lives, whether they are aware of them or not. Angels may come into our lives when we need them for a specific purpose, or can be dedicated guides throughout our lives depending on our particular life’s purpose.
Angels love to be called for guidance and assistance. To call upon the angels requires only that we ask. No specific name must be mentioned. The Universe, in its infinite knowledge, aligns your needs with the appropriate celestial being to assist you.
Other Beings
Other beings exist as guides such as deities or Ascended Masters. I’ve also seen other types of guides spoken about that I don’t personally align with. This doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. Whether they do or not, they are not, at least at this time, within my scope of understanding or need to understand.
Some others have been presented to me by my guides, but I don’t work with them directly.
Connecting with spirit guides, in whatever form, brings great healing to our lives. Their purpose is to help us, to guide us to our best selves through very important lessons. and gifts, and with more love than we can fathom.
Channeled Message
When I asked my own guides what the most important information I could share about spirit guides is, they said this:
You are never alone. We are always with you, whether you feel us, see us, see the signs, or don’t. You are always worthy of us, and we always love you absolutely unconditionally. We know who you are, where you are, why you are, and at all times. Whenever you feel alone, call on us, and know that we are always with you.
You are never alone.
Connecting with our spirit guides is the beginning of a beautiful relationship that opens us up to a new understanding of our lives, our paths, and our purpose.
Do you connect with any of these guides? I hope that if you don’t, you will try to, and that it transforms your life in beautiful ways.
