The Elf on the Shelf

 

The Elf on the Shelf

When I am reading for parties, often people have costumes or themes, and I have fun seeing what I can come up with that fits their theme. So for some of the December parties this year, I added this hat for December. In October, I wore a jester's hat. When I am reading for a party, humor and costumes help the guests enjoy themselves. So, of course, by New Year's Eve, the look will change again. Yes, I have a collection of costumes because of all the requests I have had over the years. In one respect the Elf on the Shelf is sitting off to the side watching everything that happens. At parties, I am usually sitting at a table in a side room to do the readings, while most of the guests are out there in the central area eating, drinking, dancing, talking, playing games and all the other things people do at parties. From this perspective, we get the bigger picture of the flow of energies. I focus on whoever is at my table and do my best for them, and when that is happening, then the people at my table are with me, orbiting outside of the main vortex of activity. So that is one aspect of the Elf on the Shelf. Here is another. One night as I was coming home from a party this month, I was driving on I-70 back to Denver, and in one of those dark, curvy stretches coming downhill, some piece of junk that fell off someone else's vehicle was laying in the road, and I ran over it, and whatever it was broke my wheel as well as destroying the tire and the muffler. So I pulled off to the shoulder, as soon as I felt the hard shock. Fortunately, I did not crash into another vehicle or get injured. I called AAA to get towed back home. That night, it took them 2 hours to come and get me. So for 2 hours, I was just sitting by the side of the road unable to go anywhere, keeping an eye on traffic. Earlier in my life, I would probably have been yelling or angry, but this night I was not. I know that tow truck drivers can't always get there as fast as we want because they may have lots of other people to tow. So 3 times I called back to AAA to see where my driver was. When he finally got there, he told me that the calls had gone to the day driver instead of the night driver, so he didn't get the call until the calls finally woke up the day driver. I could not blame the night driver who came to get me for the error in communications. The driver was very courteous and considerate and after we dropped off my car at the mechanic, he dropped me off at home. My years of practicing meditation and positive thinking paid off that night. I never raised my voice when talking to either of them, and in the end what needed to get done, got done. I feel that peaceful progress is the aura that surrounds me and my practice. Taking a look at the big picture I could be calm while I was stranded on the side of the highway. Expand this concept in your life and see what happens. Learning and practicing meditation, positive thinking, journaling and these other things helps you keep perspective like the Elf on the Shelf. Your journaling can help you learn something about yourself, get fresh insights and new ideas. Get messages from spirit. Spirit gives us encouragement while we do this. Once we begin to write, the words begin to flow. Here is another Elf on the Shelf perspective. For example, when reviewing past lives, a person can lift themselves up above the scene to be watching it like a movie so that they can see what happened without feeling all those feelings again. We do not have to re-experience the pain. When we stay focused on the big event and the results, we keep our peace of mind. I get a lot of peace of mind from knowing that I have helped my clients achieve their goals and get some healing. That gives me peace of mind. Spiritual practices bring us many practical benefits. You probably have some spiritual practices that are different than mine because there are lots of good ways to have a daily practice. Happy Holidays from the Elf on the Shelf! I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day!

Streams of consciousness

 

Streams of Consciousness

 Our minds are flowing in one stream of consciousness or another constantly. When our energy is focused and we naturally are picking up signs and getting ideas. When we are in the flow, we have a rhythm and the rhythm feeds the flow. When we have a break in the rhythm, that is when another stream flows in. Notice when this happens. What streams do we find ourselves flowing into most often? Notice how our state of mind flows with the changes of the day. We may have not just a change of clothes, but a change of mind when we go to work out. Bringing our focus to the workout part of the day lets other parts of our mind to relax for a while. It is that relaxation of one stream of consciousness that allows new ideas or messages from spirit to flow in. One stream of consciousness may lead us down a flow of random thoughts on which we float with memories, humor or sorrow, which may be triggered simply by an image. Streams of consciousness are created when we are reading a book. Then every time we pick up that book to continue reading, our mind returns to that same place. When watching a movie, we might experience the triggering another stream of thoughts. One image or scene from a movie can launch a whole different stream of consciousness branching off from the movie. When we are engaged in a guided meditation, this same flow is in progress, where another person's words bring us to a place in our mind where our consciousness flows. Sometimes we need that other voice to take us into meditation because our minds are so busy. When we write, it is common to fumble around at first, before a writer finds their voice. Once they find their voice they have a stream that they return to at will. Listen to famous musicians describe how they came to create songs that became tremendously popular. They often talk about how they were just noodling around with an idea, when suddenly a wave of melody flowed and opened the way for the lyrics. They shifted into a different stream. When I drum, finding a rhythm is all about allowing a flow that is non-verbal, yet moves mind and spirit into new streams. When a person is recalling a past life, the stream of consciousness shifts, then rejoins other streams. Streams of consciousness make it easy to navigate and explore all aspects of life. You can feel those transitions, can't you? Notice what methods you use to set these flows free and how it feels to ride these streams which are always moving. Streams always find ways around obstacles which is why they are the perfect vehicles when we are trying to solve problems or find another route forward. What streams keep coming back now? Where do you feel your best flow? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day!

Finding balance in the holidays

 

Finding balance in holidays

  Keeping our balance in life can be challenging when we are focused on working hard to make ends meet, or working hard to save up for a big investment like a house. How many relationships go down the tubes because one of the partners is spending most of their time at work? So it is important for us to set aside time to take care of ourselves. When we do that, we also take care of our relationships. Make an appointment with yourself every day. Once I started to make time to work out, I felt more energy, and I could still have plenty tme and energy for my work. When we start to say to ourselves that it would be good to do that, but I have so many other things I need to do, you fall into a rut and you feel more run down. My suggestion is not only about working out. If you are a person who likes to sing or play music, keep that in your schedule. If you like to paint pictures, take time every day to some. Just like makeing time for meditation or journaling. Whatever that thing is that lights you up, make time for it. Hobbies, arts, gardening, cooking, they are all ways to keep your energies in balance. Now that we are into the big holiday season, we get reminders about this all the time. Parties and special events may be getting us together with people we have not seen in a while as well as some we see all the time. When we are the host or organizer, we are bringing balance back in when we decide who we are inviting, and who we want to see more of, or confirm connections with. So this social time offers a fun way to do this. But we don't have to wait for a big holiday or special occasion. We can also create smaller events all year long to strengthen our balance. I used the illustration of the Two of Coins card from the Elemental Wisdom Tarot as the perfect illustration of a person making choices to achieve balance between work and play, business, home and health. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do!

What happens when we mask?

 

What happens when we mask?

 When we mask, we are are covering our face so that other people will not know who we are. What energies does that set in motion? When we go to parties wearing costumes and masks, we assume a different identity for a while. Changing our identity in this way is fun. When we have a great costume and mask, people have fun trying to figure out who we are and we can have some mischievous fun with them. Remember that laughter is as good a way to connect with people as love. Barriers dissipate when we are laughing with others. This holds true for business meetings as well as social events. There is also a sense of freedom that comes from being invisible. While we are masked, fore that event, we can pretend we are some famous celebrity, popular icon or superhero. For a brief while, we can pretend we have another life. How does it feel to be able to do that for a while? How does it feel when you return to your normal appearance? Does masking give you new ideas or inspire you in some way? Does your life suddenly feel larger? Then we have another application for masking. When we mask for a civic ritual or spiritual ritual, it is another way of communicating with spirit. Wearing a costume or mask identifies us in another way with spirit. Think about dressing up for a parade. For that event, we are wanting to be seen as part of a larger group with a purpose or identity. Spiritually, this falls into the same category as wearing certain clothes to attend a ritual or ceremony. We present ourselves with a physical sign that we are here for a specific purpose. As part of a Day of the Dead or Samhain (pronounced as sowen, the old Celtic name for Halloween), we take on the persona of guides for those who have recently departed for the next realm. The spiritual reason for these holidays is to send our family members or friends off on a pleasant journey into their next life. The most common imagery reported by those who have had near death experiences is that the family and friends who preceded them are waiting there to welcome them to this next step in our evolution. We are blessing this flow of events and holding space for it to happen. As a kid, Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays. In my eyes, at that time, how could anything better happen than to dress in costumes and then walk around the neighborhood ringing doorbells and getting shopping bags full of free candy? As an adult, Halloween has taken on a whole new meaning for me as a time to pause and reflect on our journey so far. The fact that it is no longer good for me to eat bags of candy is one pleasure that is now in the past. Then there is the reality that many people I have known, loved, worked with, and learned from have made this transition and every year, more names are added to that list, some expected, and some totally surprising. Masking has ancient roots in our human traditions that encompasses both the joy and the spiritual evolution in our lives and the masks themselves become both toys and tools for us. Wear them well. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day!

Where is the light leading us?

 

Where is the light leading us?

Sometimes a small gleam of light catches our eye, and that draws us toward it. When we pursue it, it may seem like it is dark and the light was just a blip, a flash, a glimmer. It can be elusive, just like when we are googling a subject and we get bits of what we are seeking before we find a whole vein of pertinent facts. When the cloud cover is heavy in the sky, we can see the moon glowing behind it, and until there is movement, all we see is a light spot behind the clouds where it peeks through a bit until the clouds move. Where is the light leading us? Every fall, the trees show us how beautiful it is to let go of what we no longer need. They say farewell with a flourish of colors and then reveal the sturdy frame of the tree which will be what supports next year's growth. We are like trees when we let go of old habits and grow new ones, as one season flows into the next. Trees do not choose whether or not these changes will come, because as long as it is alive, this is its life pattern. However, people can always choose their next growth pattern. It is always about priorities. How many times have we said we want to learn a new skill or technique, but keep choosing other things ahead of that? Every time we choose we are showing our priorities. How many times has that back burner had that same pot or pan sitting on it, waiting to be fired up? Free will and our choices serve our focus. When we align our choices in service to our focus, goal or vision, spirit will give us signs to affirm that we are on our best path. With the arrival of the Fall Equinox, each day becomes a bit darker now, and the light becomes quieter, making it a beautiful time to go within, within our place where it is warm, within ourself where we can explore our spirit. Our spirit is seen as our aura, which some people feel rather than see. When we tend our spirit, it nurtures our body and mind at the same time. What do you need to know or do to stimulate new growth in this coming season? What quick fixes are needed? What longer term changes need loving attention over time? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day!

Night Vision

 

Night Vision

You know how little you see when you go outside at night, without yard lights on? At first, every thing just looks dark, but then if you just stand still for a moment, your vision adjusts and you can see although less clearly than in full sunlight. Shapes emerge out of the dark. And what did you have to do for the night vision to come into effect? Nothing. All you have to do is pause for a moment. Let the energy of your night vision shift. It is magical how shapes emerge from the dark. Our vision adjusts in just a few moments. We stay present and our eyes focus and our ability to see returns differently. Notice how our dreams are like that too. At first we see the surface movements in the dream, the characters, the story, the feeling. Then we recognize other waves of energy. Why do these people or places feel familiar? What energy changes when the characters, events or settings of the dreams change? What do we notice in the patterns? If we asked our spirit guides for a look ahead, did our dreams show us an answer yet? Just keep looking. They will answer us, sometimes it takes longer than we would like or the results might look different than what we expected. Notice how your dreams can shift into night vision mode, same as your eyesight does. Notes you made of last week's dreams may be seen in a different light this week because of things that have happened since then or continuations of the dreams may have altered our initial impressions. Dreams come to us while we sleep because our spirit never sleeps, and so it is wandering the universe gathering information and ideas for us. It is up to us to jot down whatever we can and then later on try to decipher it. Patterns will reveal themselves quickly. We move more into night, the darkest portion of the year now, once we reach the equinox when we have one day of equal parts day and night before the nights get progressively longer. We will be using our night vision more, in a deeper way. In so many ways, the darkest part of the year is the richest. Many traditions, holidays, the inward reflection at family gatherings, taking time to steep our thoughts in good books, videos, art and music. Time when students are deep in their studies and so are many adults who want to make some kind of positive change in their life. We might shift our focus and need to realign our energies. While we are currently in a time of harvest and expressing gratitude for that, we will also explore ideas about what we want to plant in the next crop. Just as farmers pay attention to the balance in their soil, we may need to re-balance the energies in our home life, relative to our work. When we use our night vision to see into the dark, we look through the dark to find the light. As our eyes adjust to the night vision, the dark evolves into shapes, and we can see the relations between the objects. More light will bring more details, and by simply having the patience to focus, things come into our field of vision in a way we can understand. Darkness which blocks out everything eventually gives way to light. The photo shows the Owl from Steven Farmer's Power Animal Oracle Cards and the Owl from Colette Baron-Reid's Spirit Animal Oracle, two handy little tools you might choose to use. These decks are fun to use with kids too. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day!

Whispers from Spirit

 

Whispers from Spirit

Synchronicity is spirit's way of whispering to us. When we are paying attention, no one needs to yell to get our attention. A quiet message can be delivered in many ways. Example. It has happened to me on a number of occasions. A person calls and tells me that they really want to see me right now, and I tell them that it will have to be later because I have other appointments to take care of first. Next thing that happens is that one of the appointments reschedules, and that person does get an appointment now. Or a person changes their appointment when 10 minutes later another person calls and asks if I have any openings today. Or a person tells me that they have looked over my listing and website on more than one occasion and every time they look, they feel called back to my listing, so they call. Of all the billions of people on the internet, spirit gave the person a sign, a gut feeling when they were looking over the listings. Or I am looking for a business card for a person and exactly the one I need is on the top of the stack, a stack that I have not looked at for a while. Or I am wanting to look up something and a book that contains the answer catches my attention even though it was not the one I had in mind, so I pick it up and find out what I need to know. Or a book that falls off the shelf is one that addresses what is on my mind. Out of all the books on the shelf, why that one? Other examples. A person expresses their dissatisfaction with their day job, expressing a desire to spend more time on their own business, which has been a side job. Soon after, their day job lets them go. Now they have more time for their own business. A person goes hiking simply because they enjoy hiking. They join a hiking group and meet another person who also enjoys hiking and they find a great partner. A person is thinking about what might be the next best career move for them. A news article about a new business idea catches their attention, after a web search and a phone call, they have found their new position. A person needs a new car. Then someone brings up in conversation that they know someone who has a car sitting in their garage that they never drive any more and are willing to let it go for a very reasonable price. Synchronicity. Coincidence. Alignment. Spirit is showing signs of support when you are connecting with people with a project in mind and everyone you talk to says yes. That is a sign that spirit wants it to happen. When a person appears in your dreams and shortly after you meet a person who is like that, do you think that maybe spirit was affirming your desire to connect with that person? You think it was a coincidence that you dreamed about a person just before you met them? When you have a feeling that you should choose a different route to get where you are going today, and later find out there was a big accident on the road you were first intending to use, you think that was a coincidence? When we begin to notice the patterns in our lives, this is a way that spirit indicates alignment with us and helps us find the way on our path. The more attention we pay to these coincidences, the more significant they become. Everything has a meaning. It is up to us to recognize it. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day!