March 2012 - Deborah King

The Secret Seven: 7 Tips to Buff up your Chakra System

Energy medicine promotes healing by working within an individual’s personal energetic field and seeing how it interacts with the larger energy field. We can tell what’s happening with someone by checking in on their 7 main chakras, the centers of energy that run from the base of the spine up through the top of the head.

These 7 centers, along with up to 20 smaller chakras, govern our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. In other words, chakras hold the secrets to how you feel about yourself and your world, how you get along with others, the condition of your body, your relationship to money, whether or not weight is a problem, how you make decisions, and your spiritual advancement.

That’s a lot to ask of something most people can’t see. But then again, we can’t see the radioactive particles released from a damaged nuclear reactor either, and yet we take seriously their capability to affect our lives. The energy centered in the chakras has a very profound effect on our lives.

So what can you do to create and maintain healthy and balanced chakras? Here are seven sure-fire simple steps you can take to balance your chakras:

1. Connect to Mother Earth: Take a walk in nature.

The first chakra is your Root Chakra and is the very foundation of physical and emotional health. It is your basic connection to Mother Earth- the roots you plant in the soil of your being. This is where your physical strength lies, and the psychological strength to withstand whatever you have to deal with.

A simple walk barefoot on grass or a sandy beach will do wonders to ground you. Hug a tree, go hiking in the wilderness, or visit a local park. You don’t have to live in the countryside or mountains to strengthen this connection with Mother Nature. Grounding yourself will give you the experience of “I am here, and I am safe” and this presence is so essential to your health. Take time out of your day to make sure you make this connection and you will automatically strengthen your Root Chakra.

2. Calm your Body and Environment with Water.

The second chakra is the seat of sensuality, sexuality, emotion, and the inner child. It governs how we relate in groups, how we establish inner and outer boundaries, and how we find pleasure. A common problem related to the second chakra is addition. You may be using drugs, alcohol, pills, food, smoking, exercise, or sex as ways to avoid dealing with your emotions, to numb yourself. The physical problems of a poorly functioning second chakra are often the kinds of things that breed shame if the health issues concern their sexuality. One way to heal the shame is to soak for at least 20 minutes in a bath of warm water with one pound each of sea salt and baking soda. Imagine all your guilt and shame dissolving in the bath water and being washed away as you say:“I speak the truth and reclaim my true nature. I am pure. I am clean.” Water is healing, and immersing yourself in water on a regular basis is a self-nuturing habit.

3. Get Moving!

The third chakra is the seat of our self-worth – our self esteem, will power, and personal power. It is the seat of our mental body, where we identify with our ego and our individuality. A strong will means we know what our goals are and have an idea of what we want to do. The power in the third chakra is our right to act, to use our will, to follow through with what we start, to meet challenges head-on, and to not be stopped by fear. You can balance your third chakra through physical movement, especially outside in the sun in the early morning or before sunset. Don’t get too warm if you tend to be angry or short-tempered! Physical movement awakens and recharges your body. You can also try T’ai Chi, Yoga, or Pilates!

4. Love a Pet!

The fourth chakra is your heart chakra and it is the center point, where you merge the strength and support of Mother Earth from below with the wisdom and guidance from above that combine to make you a compassionate human being. A poorly functioning fourth chakra can keep you in bondage to emotional attachment. It is through your heart chakra that you can come to feel the presence of unconditional, unlimited love – for your self, for all beings, for the world and beyond. One of the best ways to boost your heart chakra is through giving and receiving love with a pet. Our pets love us unconditionally and make it safe for us to learn to love again. Do you have room in your life to adopt a dog or cat? You can feed your heart chakra and at the same time change this animal’s life forever in a positive way. No room or time to adopt your own? What about visiting your local shelter or even just visiting a friend’s friendly pet and sharing some love with them?

5. Express Yourself: Use your Voice.

The fifth chakra is our center of creativity. This chakra is where we express our choices and communicate who we are. Because our use of sound and communication purifies our lower selves and allows us to experience the higher vibrations of spirit, we can tune up our fifth chakra by expressing ourselves more clearly and exploring our creativity. All creativity is a way to communicate what we feel. Use your voice and read out loud your favorite book or poem. Write something yourself and recite it! Sing a song – in the shower, in your car wherever! When your fifth chakra is in balance, you can live your dreams and visions, your greater purpose. Let yourself be who you are and give yourself a voice!

6. Visualize and Find your Inner Sight.

The sixth chakra, or “third eye”, is the center of higher intellect. The gifts of the spirit emerge in this chakra, like clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, and psychokinesis. You can boost this chakra by working to rid yourself of the clutter in your mind so you can “see” more clearly. Daily meditation is a wonderful way to get rid of old beliefs and thought patterns that are holding you back. When you have awakened the sixth chakra, you are in touch with inspiration, insight, wisdom, and vision.

7. Invite the Divine!

The seventh chakra, or crown chakra, connects us to spirit, our higher power, and the universe. It lights up our consciousness. When our crown chakra is open, our perception is clearer, broader, and we are allowed to not only see our daily patterns, but also the deep metaphysical patterns of our lives. Like the sixth chakra, meditation is a powerful tool to boosting this chakra. Perhaps prayer or communion with nature will assist you as well. Ask your own higher wisdom for guidance and signs that you are on the right path, and make time for yourself to listen for internal messages regarding purpose and direction. Visualize positive and peaceful outcomes. The truth that emerges will open the door for you to greater levels of connection.

Your chakras are all interconnected. They embrace you as a whole person. As you do the inner work of clearing and releasing past traumas, negativity and outmoded belief systems, you will lighten the load of your chakras. Your energy will move into greater balance, and as a result, you will feel better. So why not take the initiative and seek out ways to better balance your chakras?

Déjà vu or Past Life?

Have you ever walked into a restaurant that you know you’ve never set foot in before, and felt an intense sensation of familiarity? Have you ever met someone for the first time, yet felt like you two go way back? Have you ever been in a fresh conversation with someone and felt like you already experienced this exact conversation before? Have you ever felt moments in your life that you dismissed as “coincidence”? Can’t shake that nagging suspicion of “been there, done that”? Well, maybe your familiar hunches are more than just feelings — maybe you have actually been there and done that! What if your feelings of déjà vu and coincidence were genuine memories from a distant past, perhaps even from a previous life you experienced?

The term “déjà vu” was coined by French psychic researcher, Émile Boirac. The literal translation of the French phrase means “already seen.” Some refer to the expression as experiencing the past in the present. Common among both children and adults, it is reported that 60-70% of people have experienced this uncanny feeling that they have already experienced something that is being experienced for the first time. Déjà vu can be triggered through any of your five senses, it is not necessarily just something you physically “see” – it can be a familiar smell, taste, sound (pitch of voice, background noises), or feel/touch of something that triggers a past memory. Perhaps you are recalling a familiar smell from your childhood that comes rushing back to you, or maybe the sight or mannerisms of someone you are speaking with reminds you very clearly of someone you once knew and cherished. While déjà vu has been documented in studies as early as the 1800s, it remains today a paranormal mystery that has not yet been solved.

One theory worth exploring is that this phenomenon is a message from your higher self. What if your cosmic self is recalling a memory from a previous life? This moment can be a powerful, miraculous glimpse into your own soul if you are aware enough to notice it. This experience can help you in your current emotional healing if you are mindful enough to recognize it. Your soul on the subconscious level may be sending messages to your conscious mind. These messages may be the very same déjà vu moments you are experiencing.

Too often, we dismiss these signs as ‘coincidences’ and miss their underlying significance. Yet perhaps their significance is their very synchronicity and feeling of familiarity, which is letting you know that you are exactly where you should be, when you should be, and with whom you should be. These moments are signs that are telling you that you are on the right ‘path’ for your soul.

At the same time, know that you do not need to act on your past-life déjà vu moments every time you notice them. You are not obligated to form a bond with someone in this life simply because you may have had a connection in a previous life. If you are aware enough to notice the connection, then you are already acknowledging your path and can view the knowledge as another window to a higher self.

Each time you notice this paranormal phenomenon, you are thereby increasing your ability to tap into this higher self and higher consciousness. You will be connecting with your soul on a deeper level. This heightened state of cognizance can help you see your current life more clearly and can help you make the right decisions and changes you need to unblock the challenges that lie in your path.

These moments of déjà vu may very well be your soul sending you clues on how to handle the challenges taking place in your current life. There is much we can learn from our past, so why not use these glimpses of your past – even past lives perhaps – to increase your understanding, heighten your awareness and learn how to better handle your current challenges? Pay attention to the signs on the map with which your soul is guiding you!

You may just find a much smoother, more harmonious life in the present, all thanks to these glimpses of déjà vu from your past!

Sticks and Stones: Words DO hurt.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

We have all heard this expression as kids. While this may have seemed like a great tactic to use on the playground in self-defense, words actually CAN and DO hurt. And the pain caused from them often lingers long past the healing time of any cut or broken bone. Some words can cause pain that may never go away, or create an “invisible” scar that one carries around their entire life. The memory of painful words can lead to a lifetime of anxiety, stress, anger, resentment, and fear, among other feelings.

In today’s modern, western society of free thinking and free speech – both wonderful rights which we are blessed to have – we now have the tools to use our words to make an even deeper impact and reach an even broader audience. On the bright side, we can spread a message of peace, love and tranquility to the world. We can put kind posts on Facebook walls and support each other from afar. We can use our words in a supportive, nurturing manner to make someone feel good about themselves. We have the power to use our words to make others happy.

At the opposite spectrum, we can hurt each other on an even deeper level than ever before, with just our words. Sadly, many kids today don’t just use mean names on the playground as a form of bullying. They now use the power of the Internet to post terrible, hateful words they may not have ever even dared to utter in person – words so hurtful and cruel that several kids with bright futures have turned to suicide to escape from them. The tragedy of cyberbullying has become so widespread that there is now new legislation being drafted to combat it.

Your words can cause harm.

Too often, we may say something without thought. We may believe what we are saying is right and believe are words will help. In fact, we can still cause damage with our words.

We may be challenging a person’s way of thinking or actions. While we may all be speaking the same language, words can be misinterpreted or misread. Sometimes clarification or further questioning is needed to understand the meaning behind the words. Despite our best intentions, we can still cause pain with our words.

Do you keep track of how many times you say something that can hurt someone else? Who doesn’t repeat a little bit of gossip here and there? Whether it’s true or false, we can still cause harm with our words.

Watch what you say, say what you mean, and mean what you say.

We are all inevitably prone to hurting someone with our words, even when it is unintentional. No one can live their life walking on eggshells every single day – that is just not realistic. But one choice we can all make is to be aware of what we are saying and its impact on others. After all, words have started and ended wars.

We can think before we speak and choose words that we actually truly mean to use. Think about how your words will sound and be interpreted by the recipient.

Silence can be golden.

Ask yourself, do I really mean to say what I am saying, or am I too rushed or careless right now for the right words? Sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all! And ask yourself, are the words you want to speak necessary for someone to hear, or are you suppressing emotions of your own and looking for an outlet to let them out? Are you healing emotional hurt of your own and seeking a place to take it out on someone else?

Think before you speak and know that you do not always have to fill the silence.

Choose words for kindness.

Be the better person, connect to your higher self and make a point to use your words to make others feel good, not bad.

As Blaise Pascal wrote, “Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. They make other people good-natured. They also produce their own image on men’s souls, and a beautiful image it is.”

Choose to be one who makes a beautiful image.

Which Healing System Will Work for You?

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported doctors are tracking a patient’s mood, social life, and lifestyle to better manage their illness. They are trying to define health not just in the degree of mobility a knee or shoulder may offer, but whether the knee or shoulder is limiting their patient in participating in what makes their life full and meaningful. From regular monitoring, the doctors say they will be able to determine how extreme their patient’s treatment should be and what alternative medicine therapies to recommend.

It’s important to understand the mind-body connection as it relates to health. It is becoming more well understood that recurring cases of emotional stress can manifest a real mind-body connection issue that can present themselves in many physical problems—and can even impact someone’s own healing system mechanisms. So we are broadening our view of health and wellness and understanding one healing system is rarely enough.

Praying, meditating, journaling and chakra healing are all forms of healing systems. They allow conventional medical treatments to work more effectively; they allow us to explore the depth of our emotional pain—no matter what it is attributed to—without the fear of losing control and losing ourselves. Use these healing systems and see which one works best for you.

Every ancient culture on Earth, from the Mayan and the Aztec to the East Indian and Chinese, had healing systems that worked. The key is to learn which one will work for you.

Learning Telepathy

Have you ever been telepathic? I bet you have, but chances are you dismissed it as a fluke. Have you ever known who was going to be on the other end of the phone when it rang (and not because you saw the caller ID)? Or maybe you thought of someone you hadn’t talked to in a while, and they got in touch with you later that day or the next? Those are just two common examples of being telepathic that happen all the time. So-called twin telepathy is another example—one identical twin often knows what the other is thinking or feeling.

Whether you realize it or not, we all have the capacity to communicate with other people on other levels that have nothing to do with our five senses or the physical plane. That ability is just something we were all born with. Every once in a while, scientists will try to see if they can get any closer to understanding how telepathy works, but it’s still a mystery. Some parapsychologists believe the information is transmitted through extremely low-frequency electromagnetic waves, but not surprisingly, no one has been able to prove or disprove that idea. All we know for sure is that it does exist, and it seems to happen more often with some people than others.

So how can you tap into your telepathy and cultivate it to make that ability available for more useful things? Here are five tips to get you started:

1) Stay as centered as possible. If your mind is always racing and you’re up for the multi-tasker of the year award, chances are you won’t be able to recognize subtle thoughts and impressions. Those little telepathic whispers won’t even be a blip on your radar screen. So build some quiet time into your day, whether you meditate, go for a walk by yourself (without electronic attachments), or even just push back from your desk and daydream. This sets up a fertile atmosphere for all kinds of energetic communication, including telepathy.

2) Practice with your friends. Start with something easy—numbers or colors. Pick something were there are only a handful of options. Have your friend think of a number or a color and see if you can sense what it is. Remember, this isn’t a guessing game. You’re trying to intuit the information. Be sure to keep this exercise light-hearted. Make it fun.

3) Practice on your own. Sit in a public place like a café, a library, or a store and choose a person in the room. Imagine an energetic connection between the two of you, and try to sense it. Without staring at the person or otherwise trying to attract any attention, see if you can make a great enough connection with the person they change what they’re doing even momentarily. What you’re looking for can be as subtle as a glance in your direction—not a full-blown conversation with a stranger.

4) Don’t beat yourself up. Chances are, you won’t get a ton of hits right away. And that’s OK. As the saying goes, where attention goes, energy flows. So the more you try to tune in to your telepathy, the more you will be able to recognize it. But if you get frustrated and think you’re a failure at it, you will be chasing it away. That isn’t a punishment, by the way, it’s just one of those universal laws. Negativity closes down your channels. So if you start feeling frustrated with your attempts, just put the idea aside for the time being. You can come back to it later when you’re feeling more positive.

5) Use it only for good. Never use telepathy or any other psychic or paranormal ability to try to control others or change their behavior in a manipulative way. It’s one thing to try an exercise to see if you can get someone to glance your way, but it’s another to attempt to intrude into their private thoughts or try to get them to change their will about something—especially if it isn’t in their best interest.

So try out these tips, and remember to have fun with the process. Maybe even keep a record of your successes so you’ll be encouraged to keep trying. As you grow and mature on a spiritual level, you will have access to more and more abilities like telepathy. The more such abilities you stay open to, the more will come your way. Go to my Facebook page and let me know how you’re doing!

The Price We Pay

Have you ever wondered whether small, constant headaches are the price we pay for living in a hyper-charged, over stimulated society? For me, tension headaches were a daily companion as I went through college and law school. I thought they were par for the course and was a little surprised when I found out that others did not routinely suffer from them.

Women are more likely to develop tension headaches than men quite possibly because we are trained from birth to suppress our feelings. Society rewards us for handling career, family, household, and community responsibilities without missing a beat or feeling exhausted. But for many of us, it can be a burden—feeling so disconnected between our inner emotional struggles and the outward calm we present to the world. When we hide from the truth, we don’t allow our energy to flow freely in our bodies resulting in ill health in the form of tension headaches.

Here are three things that you can do to find relief from the pain because our fast-paced society is not going to change…only we can:

Identify when and how you feel when you experience them. Determining if they are primary headaches (such as migraines) or secondary headaches (caused by other illnesses or triggers) will help you treat them.
Honestly, assess the rhythm of your day and determine if stress, food or sleep patterns may be triggering your tension headaches.
Mix alternative medicine techniques with any conventional medical treatments that you may be receiving. Our clients have received headache relief from journaling, more regular exercise, yoga, meditation, prayer, massage, and balancing their chakras through energy healing.

Be a Snoozer, Not a Loser

Chasing the sandman? You’re not alone. Sleep disorders are a big problem for Americans today, and the consequences are much worse than getting caught stifling a yawn during the big meeting at work. Research shows that missing sleep can leave you at greater risk for obesity, not to mention heart disease and heart attack (among other health problems). And more people than ever are driving drowsy, which is just as dangerous as driving drunk.

The answer? Certainly not popping more pills (or trying to get your hands on a little “Jackson juice”). Whether you suffer from trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep, you can improve your chances of catching more z’s by learning to get in synch with your body’s natural rhythms. As you might suspect, that’s going to entail slipping between the sheets at a reasonable hour instead of burning the midnight oil (including late-night texting or checking your Facebook feed). But believe me, the benefits are worth missing a You Tube link or two or even skipping another bad zombie movie.

Check out my latest Huffington Post article, Can’t Sleep? 7 Steps to the Land of Nod to read my expert advice on energy healing designed to help you become a first-rate snoozer.

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