October 2013 – Deborah King

Connect with Your Ancestral Guides!

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 1^st, 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 1^st, 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.

Bipolar Comes Out of the Closet

For most, any talk about mental illness makes folks uncomfortable. And if you’ve been diagnosed with a mood disorder, or worse, mental illness, it’s not only embarrassing, but can seriously impact the way others, like your partner or boss, think of you. Often, fear of losing your job can make you keep the diagnosis to yourself. Just as gays had to stay in the closet to protect themselves, so do many who have a mental illness, even though they may be perfectly functional in many spheres.

What helped the LGBT community progress from deeply closeted to standing proud and tall at gay weddings was a host of television shows, from The L Word to Modern Family; shows that depicted gays and gay couples as perfectly normal next-door neighbors. Just as these shows made the gay lifestyle all the more acceptable to mainstream America, what can help people develop a more open attitude about mental illness? Good television shows with compelling characters who are dealing with the issue. And for the past several years, Homeland is making that kind of impact for those who are bipolar.

Carrie Mathison, a CIA operative played by the unbelievably talented Claire Danes on Homeland, is bipolar, and everything from a total manic episode to electro-convulsive therapy is depicted on the show. Read more about it in my blog on the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-king/bipolar-comes-out-of-the-_b_4133629.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment.

Get Energized with Superfoods!

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.

Change Your World in 20 Minutes!

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or pure consciousness
without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.
~Voltaire

Would you like to reduce stress, improve your spiritual, emotional, and physical health, and be thinner, smarter, and happier? What if you could add “saving the world” to that list? In just twenty minute, twice a day, meditation will deliver all of these blessings to your door!

I’ve been meditating every single day for over 30 years, and I credit meditation for most of the good things in my life – it even played an important role in my remission from cancer! When I meditate, I connect to the unlimited and unconditional state of being where knowledge, truth, and perfect health reside. When I’m done I’m refreshed, energized and balanced. I’ve turned the clock back physically. I’ve even spread a ripple of higher consciousness to the rest of the world!

How can meditation be so powerful? To the uninitiated, meditation may seem like a way to “check out” and detach from every day noise and distractions. In our crazy busy lives, that’s an appealing thought – but in my journey as an energy healer and spiritual teacher, I have discovered that the real benefits of meditation come when you tune in, not when you check out!

In order to truly tap into the power of meditation, you need to be trained by a live instructor, not a book. My meditation, a cornerstone of my energy healing courses, is based upon ancient Vedic techniques, and involves the use of a personal mantra, which I choose for each individual.

Mantras are seed sounds that were developed by sages and shamans thousands of years ago. These sacred sounds allow you to slip into the spaces between your thoughts, and travel to the unified field – the great beyond from which we all originated, where we are all connected, and where our potential is unlimited!

If you’re ready to get serious about meditation, here are some preliminary things to keep in mind:

1) Commit to meditating once or twice a day, for twenty minutes. It’s best to meditate first thing in the morning (before you check your email, have your coffee, or even leave your bedroom) and, if possible, again in the evening right after work and before dinner. Don’t meditate too late in the evening or it will energize you and disrupt your sleep.

2) Sit comfortably in a supported position. Your back should be upright and relaxed. You might want to keep a blanket over your lower legs.

4) Nix the background music which will keep you from dropping in.

5) Don’t set an alarm, because that will jar you too suddenly out of your meditation – have a clock or watch nearby, and peek at it once in a while. After only a couple of weeks, your body will automatically learn when it’s time to emerge from your meditative state.

6) Plan ahead to avoid distractions – put a do-not-disturb sign on the door, and turn off your phone, fax and computer.

7) Don’t meditate with a dog or cat in the room! Besides being a distraction, pets will soak up every drop of your meditative energy.

8) Don’t stress if you have “inner chatter” – remember, meditation allows you to slip into the space in between your thoughts. When thoughts arise, just let them flow through without judging them or focusing on them – and return your attention to the mantra I’ve given you. Each repetition of the mantra will take you deeper and deeper into the gap between your thoughts – and with practice you will stay longer and longer!

9) In addition to thoughts, you may experience body sensations, tingling, shaking, or other involuntary movements – don’t be disturbed by them, keep your focus on your mantra.

10) When it’s time to stop meditating, stop repeating your mantra, and continue to sit quietly with your eyes shut for a couple of minutes. Coming out of your meditation too quickly can be jarring, and can even give you a headache.

After a few weeks, your meditation practice will become a habit, and 20 minutes will fly by. It will become something you look forward to each day. Your life may still be crazy busy, but you’ll feel balanced, present and in-control. You’ll sleep better, lose weight more easily, feel less anxiety and more joy, and even be smarter! Plus, you’ll be sending a peaceful energy out into the world, doing your part to help humanity.

This powerful form of meditation can only be learned from a teacher, not a book. Check out my instructional course to learn more about how to do just that without leaving home.

And to learn even more ways to raise your consciousness and become a beacon of light to others, please join me for my latest Hay House Four-Part Live Online Course, Seeking The Light!

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!

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Deborah King