Prayer

Connect with Your Ancestral Guides!

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The dead may not be with us in body but they’re with us in spirit, and during this time of year, at Halloween, they feel especially close!  On November 1st, in the US, Mexico and other areas in the western hemisphere, people honor their deceased loved ones with Day of the Dead celebrations. Families and friends gather to pray for and remember those who have died. In South America, altars are built at gravesites, heaped with skulls made of sugar, marigolds, and the favorite foods of the departed. Families celebrate the memories of those who have died — treating them as something to be honored and celebrated.

 

The belief behind the Day of the Dead rituals is that deceased loved ones return to Earth on that day to be with their families. In my work as a spiritual teacher and energy healer, I detect the presence of ancestors, not just on November 1st, but all year round!

 

Recently, during one of my energy healing courses, I had the opportunity to provide comfort to an attendee who was reeling from the recent loss of both her mother and her 19-year-old son. Her son was killed in a car accident, and less than a year later, her mother fell victim to cancer. The grandmother and grandson had been extremely close, and my student consoled herself with the belief that the spirit of her mother was looking over her son – but she was having difficulty dealing with her own feelings of loneliness and loss. “Sometimes I feel like they are right here with me – I could almost reach out and touch them!” she sobbed. As I scanned her energy field, I became aware of the presence of an older woman and a teenage boy. I was delighted to confirm to my student that her loved ones were not only together and supporting each other, but they were watching over her. I was also able to provide her with some simple energy healing techniques she could use to feel their presence, every day!

 

I urge you to take the opportunity to connect with those beings on the other side that are there to help and support you, if you will simply open the door. They might be loved ones who have recently passed, ancestors who you know through stories or photographs. These guides are available for many different purposes— for healing you or helping you to heal others, for spiritual development, to protect you, to aid in your creative endeavors, or even to help you find a soul mate!

 

How do you connect with those who have previously passed on? To begin sensing and communicating with the spirits of the dead, you need to expand your consciousness beyond the five basic senses. It’s easy to develop these abilities; they are deeply buried in your cellular memory and just need to be reawakened.

 

The following steps will help you connect to any ancestral guide who is there for you. Among the most common of these guides are deceased grandparents and great-grandparents, but use your intuition in choosing your ancestor—it could be anyone in your family tree.

 

  • When you go to bed at night, after you turn out the light and before you fall asleep, state (out loud or silently) your intention to connect to the ancestor most appealing to you. Do the same thing when you first awaken, before you open your eyes.

 

  • Choose the person, whether or not you knew him or her personally, who resonates with you the most. Chances are, whoever first comes to your mind is the right one. Picture the person in your mind.

 

  • Tell this individual that you want him or her to be there for you. Ask a specific question or for help with a particular problem.

 

  • Come to a healing course, in person or via livestream: at every workshop, I help attendees connect to their ancestors; this activity will help deepen your connection.

 

Here is the main rule to remember with guides: they want to help, but they won’t unless they are specifically asked. If you just take a few moments every day, in the morning and at night, to tune in to your guides, you can ask them exactly what you want assistance with, and they will be more than happy to help!

 

Your ancestral guides can be a great source of love and light in your life. To learn more, check out my new book, Entangled in Darkness: Seeking the Light.

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Get Energized with Superfoods!

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Looking for a way to feel good inside and out, maintain a healthy weight, ward off disease and slow down the aging process? To maximize the effects of your regular healthy diet, make it a habit to incorporate a few superfoods into your daily menu. Packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they deliver the most nutritional bang for your caloric buck!

 

Here are a few healthy and tasty choices to consider:

 

Chia seeds – edible seeds that come from a flowering herb in the mint family. They were used as an energy booster in ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures, which makes sense, because chia seeds contain a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, and a healthy blend of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. You can add these mild, nutty seeds to foods and beverages for a heart healthy energy booster!

 

Blueberries – delicious, easy to eat and packed with healthy antioxidants, blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C. Be sure to add them to your shopping list, along with their colorful friends, acai berries, goji berries, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries, and cherries. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory (and did I mention tasty?) When selecting berries, the rule of thumb is that the darker the berry, the more nutrients are packed inside!

 

Kale – it’s been called the “healthiest vegetable on the planet!” Just one cup of kale contains about 100% of your daily requirements for vitamins A, C and K, providing major cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which promote healthy eyesight. Plus, kale is a great source of potassium, iron, phosphorus and manganese – as well as over 45 different varieties of antioxidant flavonoids that lend themselves to cancer prevention!

 

Salmon – veggies are great, but I always recommend that you add some protein in too. Lean protein helps you to feel full and satisfied, without adding fat to your diet. In addition, wild salmon, along with herring, sardines and mackerel is rich in omega 3s, which lowers heart disease risk, helps arthritis, and helps with memory loss and Alzheimer’s. It’s also believed that omega 3s are beneficial in treating depression.

 

Tea – swap out your morning coffee for a cup of tea! The overall antioxidant power of black tea is the same as green tea, but green tea also contains ECGC, an especially powerful antioxidant. A recent Japanese study on green tea found that men who drank green tea regularly had lower cholesterol. Researchers in Spain and the United Kingdom have also shown that ECGC can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

 

Almonds – nuts are another superfood rich in healthy fats that help you slim down, and they’re a great way to get your protein on the go! Almonds are high in protein, heart-friendly, and very filling. While a bit high in fat, they are one of the few foods that, like olive oil and avocados, contain the healthy monounsaturated fat, which is proven to help stave off heart disease and diabetes and to help lower bad cholesterol. Limit yourself to 10 – 15 almonds a serving, and keep the skin on to maximize the healthy benefits.

 

These nutritional superstars are just a few of the foods that nutritionists and health experts are touting these days. I’ll be delving into this topic more deeply in my upcoming healing courses.

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Connect to the Light with Prayer!

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness.

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

When you think about prayer, what comes to mind? Does your mind flash back to your childhood, when you dropped to your knees every night at bedtime and asked God to bless your friends, family and pets?  Do you picture yourself chanting out prayers at church, harmoniously in sync with the rest of the congregation? Or do you remember hasty deals made with your God, praying for the safety of a traveling loved one, that your biopsy will turn out to be benign, or that you’ll ace that job interview?

Prayer can be all of those things, and more! As a spiritual teacher and energy healer, I encourage you to explore a new dimension of prayer – as a conduit to the light. Regardless of your faith, prayer is a beautiful way to connect with your own spirituality.  Through meditation and prayer, you can open up your heart to the power of unconditional love, and flood your spirit with the light of higher consciousness!

My new blog at HealYourLife.com explains how you can use prayer in this enlightening way! Try this technique in your daily life, and open yourself up to the forces of light and love in the universe.

Interested in exploring other ways to expand your consciousness and live in the light? Check out my brand new book, Entangled in Darkness: Seeking the Light, and join me on the path to enlightenment!