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What the Spiritual Science of Ancient India Can Teach Us Today

“Live each moment completely and the future will take care of itself.”
― Paramahansa Yogananda

Today, as miracles of technology are shrinking our world and bringing us closer together, the global village is growing before our eyes. Yet the challenges are growing, too, with climate change, conflict, and resource scarcity demanding more of the human heart, mind and soul than ever before.

What will it take to become worthy citizens of an enlightened future? How will people build the spiritual strength they need? Many have already discovered that the sacred wisdom of the past holds the key.

The spiritual science of ancient India has re-emerged in a modern setting with remarkable tools for navigating the path ahead!

When asked for advice by a fellow entrepreneur, tech giant Steve Jobs recommended a trip to India. As a teenager, Jobs had discovered the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, master teacher from India and founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles. Jobs made a trip to India during his years of developing his iconic computer company, Apple, and gained a new realization of his purpose and his future in the home of one of mankind’s earliest and richest spiritual traditions.

Jobs made a point of rereading Yogananda’s book of spiritual wisdom once every year. Those who attended the memorial service for Steve Jobs when he died in 2011 each received a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi in a plain brown box. It was a gift from the heart of the best advice for living that Jobs had ever found.

In the twentieth century, the arrival in the West of teachers like Yogananda sparked interest in the spiritual traditions of Eastern philosophy and religion. Practices like yoga and meditation opened new avenues of self-discovery, healing, and spiritual awakening, just as quantum science began to open new vistas in the study of energy and matter.

Today the healing and empowering influence of the ancient wisdom of India is spreading like a breath of fresh air into classrooms, boardrooms, homes, and meeting houses. Technology is bringing the principles of yoga and meditation, mindfulness, positive thinking, and compassion into the everyday world of everyday people.

From celebrities attending yoga classes to school boards approving daily meditation sessions for young children, the practice of mindfulness is growing in popular culture, offering a new lease on spiritual life for millions. The opportunity to embrace this ancient wisdom has come at the perfect time.

It was my great privilege to live and study in India where I discovered the power of this ancient wisdom tradition. My personal quest for knowledge and spiritual training led me to India to explore what I knew was available there. The spiritual science of ancient India holds secrets about human life and the Divine that speak to a modern world overwhelmed by the increasing pace of life, the rapid change, the flood of information, and danger on a global scale.

The message of community, life purpose, and personal connection to nature and the Divine has never been more needed. In my work today, I see a huge blossoming of interest in the study of energy healing and amazing growth in the rate of initiations into higher and higher spiritual levels. Spirit is aware that our world is in a true state of crisis, so we need as many conscious people as possible who are willing to be of service.

What is it about the spiritual science of ancient India that offers inspiration to everyone who seeks it? What does this wisdom hold for anyone today looking for personal growth, fulfillment, happiness, and purpose?

I’ve got a free webinar coming up next week which offers an opportunity to discover the ways this wisdom of the ages can help you create a richer, fuller, and more meaningful life. The pursuit of wisdom involves taking an active role in study and learning and includes these important steps:

1.  Gain knowledge about the nature of life in the context of thousands of years of tradition. Learn how to think about your life in the most honest, productive, and compassionate way.

2.  Face your emotional ebb and flow and decide in what ways your emotions are hindering or healing you. Learn to make choices that center and calm you and move you in the direction of joy, harmony, and contribution to a loving world.

3.  Make peace with uncertainty and change in the world while recognizing the unchanging space within. Strengthen your connection to the Divine.

4.  Learn to create personal well-being through self-awareness and a positive outlook. By honoring the divine gift of life, you express gratitude and radiate love and kindness that all can share.

5.  Recognize the unity of all creation. Your compassionate service helps build the common good even on the smallest level.

If you’re attracted to this kind of learning, or you’re curious to learn more about mastering your spiritual life through the wisdom traditions of ancient India, join my free webinar on Thursday, December 14th 11am PST or register to receive the replay >>>

2023-FluBlog-featured

Worried about the Flu?

Stress can make you more vulnerable.

Tips to keep your immune system hopping!

We are officially entering flu season. And without fail, each season introduces a new reason to panic (such as the recent surge in child pneumonia in China). And while we certainly hope there isn’t going to be another global pandemic, one fact remains inevitable: illness will spread this season.

But there are a few things that you can do to get through this flu season with your health intact.

The number one best preventative measure against the flu is Vitamin D, also called the sunshine vitamin. It protects you from colds and flu and works to boost your immune system. Good quality vitamin D is easily available. I take approximately 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 a day during the cold and flu season (check with your health care practitioner to see what level is appropriate for you). Our bodies produce vitamin D when we are exposed to the sun, so getting out in the sun every day—always a great prescription—also helps. And some foods, like salmon and sardines, naturally contain vitamin D. Maintaining healthy levels of Vitamin D in your body can also protect against cancer!

Another important factor in maintaining your health and keeping your immune system in fighting mode against infection is to get enough sleep. Go to bed in a totally dark room to ensure melatonin production. Melatonin not only helps you sleep better, but is also a powerful antioxidant—more protection against the flu.

And finally, try to stay emotionally balanced. If you are living in fear of getting the flu or worrying excessively about your health (or anything else), the stress leaves you more vulnerable to infection. Do whatever works best for you to maintain balance—exercise, meditate, journal, get out in nature, do creative projects, and find the inner joy and happiness that will sustain you through the winter months ahead.

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Perpetual Thanksgiving

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” –Marcel Proust

It has been a tough few years. You have most likely been affected, to a greater or lesser degree, by powerful forces, including a pandemic, wars, and economic uncertainty sweeping the globe. However difficult this time has been for you, is exactly why it’s so important to reflect on all you still have to be grateful for.

And while we gather for Thanksgiving feasts, it’s important to go beyond the dinner, and go back to the true meaning of Thanksgiving . . . and give thanks.

Gratitude is more than a quick thumbs up for the pumpkin pie; true gratitude is a path to the divine. Henry Ward Beecher, the 19th century clergyman and social reformer who always focused on Christ’s love, said: “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.”

The ancient root of the word gratitude, gwere, means “to be in contact with the Divine.” Gratitude is a way to unleash a flow of positive energy in and out of your heart, and to open to the love of the universe that is available to fill you. Gratitude can transform your mood, shift you into your Higher Self, and connect you to Spirit.

So what do you have to be grateful for amidst the fears and worries of all that is going on in the world?

Start with your health. It may not be perfect, but you’re alive and breathing. Thank you, thank you for the chance to still be here, to appreciate the stark beauty of a winter sunset, the smile of a happy child, the ability to give praise.

Maybe you’re grateful for having a week or a month or, thank God, a year of sobriety under your belt. Being thankful for one day at a time is a good practice for everyone.

You may have loving pets that provide you true companionship. Their unconditional love (in the case of dogs) and noble tolerance (cats) of your perceived flaws are certainly worthy of thanks (and treats). Being grateful for their safe and non-judgmental love opens your heart effortlessly.

Gratitude is how you make your heart sing. When you are occupied with remembering those who have helped you along the way during this past year, your heart is happy. It’s interesting to note that you can’t be feeling grateful and unhappy at the same time. And as Piglet long ago noticed (thanks to A.A. Milne), “…even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”

I recently reconnected with an old friend and spent an hour doing something utterly frivolous: singing! Seriously, just the two us, singing to each other over Zoom, doing hilarious, impromptu duets, and laughing at our mistakes and off-key moments. It is easier than ever to connect with close friends, even if they are a great distance away. So, let’s all be grateful for Zoom!

Like everything else, there is a spectrum of gratitude, ranging from being thankful the sun is shining to down-on-your-knees, head-bowed gratefulness when your life or that of a loved one is spared. It includes your attempts to be grateful for those who have made your life more difficult; that challenge can humble your ego and give you the opportunity to raise your own vibration.

When you are filled with gratitude, you are connected to everyone and everything in the web of love that sustains the universe. Giving thanks for all that you yourself are, for the people, plants, and animals in your environment, and around the world, brings you into the present moment and into the presence of spirit. In the words of Shakespeare, “O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”

Above all, dear student, my heart is full of gratitude for you, for generously sharing your spiritual journey with me. We are one in Spirit, and I am grateful for your companionship and support as, together, we walk toward home.

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7 Reasons to Embrace Gratitude

Thanksgiving is, quite literally, a holiday of giving thanks, so most people have some tradition of gratitude. Whether it is making a list of the things you’ve been grateful for this year, or sitting down at the family table piled with turkey and all the fixin’s with each person expressing thanks for one thing in their life, you probably consider gratitude as important a part of the Thanksgiving festivities as the turkey and pumpkin pie. But what about practicing gratitude the rest of the year?

Gratitude Is Not Just for Thanksgiving

Study after study has shown that gratitude is good for your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, so the more often you do it, the better you’ll feel! Gratitude has been shown to have numerous benefits, from increased life satisfaction and happiness to more compassion to better rest. And in energy healing, gratitude goes a long way toward keeping your chakras clear and balanced.

The best way to practice gratitude is to add it to your spiritual routine. Just as you set time aside each day for meditation, set time aside each day for a gratitude session. Journaling right before bed about what you are thankful for is ideal, but any time of the day will work, and if you would prefer to speak your list, that’s fine, too. The most important thing is to keep it up. Here’s why:

Gratitude can help you through tough times

Listing what you are grateful for seems like a small thing, but it carries so much weight. It’s so easy to forget how lucky you are, how much there is to appreciate even when things are rough. Think about how often someone who goes through a trauma comes out the other side with a new zest for life—this is the power of gratitude in action. When you are aware of and thankful for the small joys of being a body on this planet as well as a soul born out of light, you create a reserve of happiness that boosts you through tough times.

Gratitude is a natural sleep aid

If you’re worried and anxious as you drift off—or toss and turn trying to drift off—the level of stress hormones in your body wreak havoc with your sleep quality, which results in you waking up feeling like you need another night of sleep. And a worried mind is restless, making it difficult to drift off. Gratitude improves your sleep quality and duration by keeping you calmer and less stressed, and having a positive attitude when you get into bed helps you fall asleep faster.

It lowers your stress

Stress is responsible for so much damage to your mind, body, and soul that you should do whatever you can to help combat its negative effects. Just as energy healing is a natural stress buster, so is gratitude. When you are being thankful, you are in a positive frame of mind and you are focusing not on your troubles, but on a little piece of happiness. This moment of respite increases your ability to cope with the stressors in your life.

Gratitude deepens your relationships

As part of your nightly gratitude list, try recognizing the qualities and behaviors of the people you are thankful for. Maybe your best friend always sends you birthday flowers or your partner makes you coffee before you get up each morning. Being thankful for the little things your family and friends do makes you appreciate them more, and improves your interactions with them. This shift in focus also helps train you to see the best in people, and the best in yourself, which makes you warmer, kinder, and better liked, because you are a better friend, spouse, sibling, etc.

It speeds up your spiritual progress

In my healing courses I often talk about the importance of service to others. It’s one of the best ways to increase your chances of an initiation by providing a solid base for the new energy. Gratitude makes you more compassionate and empathetic to others, which means you are more likely to engage in random acts of kindness and help others in need. Thinking of others also brings you out of thinking about yourself, which makes you happier and speeds up the process of processing old wounds and traumas, an essential part of energy medicine.

Gratitude helps you live longer

Grateful people are usually more optimistic, and optimism has been linked to longer life spans, greater immune function, and lowered blood pressure. Studies have shown that people who are grateful and optimistic are also more likely to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight. Being thankful for all the small things makes you feel inspired, which turns into a desire to take better care of yourself, which can add years to your life.

Gratitude begets gratitude

When you begin to notice all the little things there are to be grateful for each day: the unconditional love of a pet, your health, the sun in the sky, a thoughtful email from a friend, the smell of freshly brewed coffee—whatever small and large things make you smile—you begin to feel even more grateful to be alive and experiencing all this world has to offer. Your happiness makes you more appreciative, which makes you happier and kinder to others, which then rubs off and makes them grateful and happier. Gratitude is a win-win, a vital part of increasing the love on this planet.

Do you see how gratitude affects all areas of your life and builds on itself? Thankfulness is an upward spiral. Being grateful makes you happier, which makes you kinder and more compassionate, which means others respond to you with more compassion and kindness, which makes you even more grateful. As an energy healer and spiritual teacher who has seen the power of gratitude, I’d love for Thanksgiving to be a springboard for you to begin your daily routine of giving thanks. Try it for a year, and I guarantee that next Thanksgiving, gratitude is what you’ll be most thankful for.

Right now, we are giving thanks to our community by offering some of the steepest discounts we’ve offered on our bestselling courses, workshops, and seminars during our biggest savings event of the year. Pick the course that’s right for you in your current stage of life, and begin taking the next step towards your personal transformation. See what’s available by clicking here >>

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3 Gratitude Tips That Will Change Your Life

Expressing gratitude is one of the easiest ways I’ve found of living in the light. Gratitude is like manna for the soul. It nourishes you in both obvious and untold ways as it reverberates through your energy field and out into the world. Like no other tool so easily within your reach, it can transform and transmute anything that ails you. In my work as an energy healer and spiritual teacher, I’ve come to understand the immense power of gratitude when you make it the cornerstone of your life.

Being in a state of sincere appreciation is also the single most important way to create everything you want in life. Start with your feelings of gratitude for things you already have. Then begin practicing thankfulness as a positive affirmation of things to come. Envision what you want in positive and present words—as though it already exists—and then be grateful for it as though it has already been received. You’ll be connecting to the emotion that you would feel when you realize your desired result. Feeling grateful activates your powerful, unseen ability to manifest from the abundance of the universe.

To truly establish your attitude of gratitude, you’ll need to practice it on a regular basis until it becomes a habit—until it becomes the place where your thoughts naturally go as you move through your day, including when you face adversity.

Each day, take just a few minutes to make a mental list of everything you’re grateful for and, if possible, say your list out loud. For example, “Tonight, I am so grateful for my good health, another successful day at work, and the kind words from the man I met on the elevator. I’m grateful that I was kind back to him, that my favorite TV show is on tonight, that I learned a valuable lesson in my difficult interaction with my boss,” and so on. You want to give thanks for the many things, large and small, that you’re appreciative of—both the good things and those important learning experiences that enabled you to grow. When you make this a habit every day, you’ll soon find yourself constantly thinking this way and quickly see your life change for the better.

How to build your personal gratitude practice:

  • Keep a gratitude journal. Matthew McConaughey started journaling when he was 14 years old. Every day he writes down the things he is grateful for. He says that he has experienced “it’s a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.”
  • Share your attitude of gratitude. Don’t keep the gratitude you feel toward friends, family, colleagues, service providers, or even strangers a secret. Tell those you love and work with and interact with that you are grateful for their presence in your life and their kindness, their attention. Thanking people is a blessing for them, too, because it invites them to feel good about themselves.
  • Walk about and notice the goodness. Take some time to walk around in the world—in a park, in your neighborhood, or in a natural setting you love. Dedicate the time spent on your walk to really seeing and appreciating the world. Look for things to be grateful for—from the leaves on the trees, the songs of the birds, the colors of the plants around you. Notice the air you are breathing, the sun on your face, and even your feet that carry you through the world. The more you look for blessings, the more you realize how much there is to be grateful for.

Gratitude is an expression of love, the essence of who you are, and your connection to Spirit. Practice being delighted with all that you can find to love and appreciate in your world. It won’t be long before you’ll need more pages for your gratitude journal and a new pen, too!

To discover more ways to apply energy healing to all areas of your life, start by joining our flagship LifeForce Energy Healing® Level I Certification program. It is the ideal first step in beginning your healing journey. A journey you’ll be grateful for taking!

There’s a lovely song running through my head today. Have you heard Art Garfunkel sing “Grateful,” John Bucchino’s beautiful tune about feeling blessed? If so, you’ll recognize the lines—“Grateful, grateful…Truly blessed and duly grateful”—because they take up residence in your heart. The song is short and simple, but it says everything we need to know and feel about our connection to Spirit. We are blessed and the more we give thanks for our blessings, the more deeply we feel them.

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The Spiritual Origins of All Hallow’s Eve

Skeletons and creepy spiders dangle in doorways. Jack-o’-lanterns grimace from front porches. Witches, scary monsters (from werewolves to politicians, grim reapers, ghosts, devils, and the walking dead proliferate on All Hallow’s Eve. Telling ghost stories, wearing costumes, and trick-or-treating are all ways to enter into the spirit that lurks in the darkness in a non-threatening way.

Despite its mass consumerism (between the candy, costumes, and decorations, Americans spend around 6 billion dollars a year on Halloween, second only to Christmas as a commercial holiday), All Hallow’s Eve actually has its roots in spiritual traditions. Hallows’ Eve or Hallowe’en literally means “holy evening”—the night preceding Hallows’ Day, or All Saints’ Day.

Trick-or-treating began in England when poor folks would beg door-to-door for food and would receive “soul cakes” after they promised to pray for the dead relatives of that family. It was called “going a-souling” and replaced the old practice of leaving out food for the spirits who roamed about on that night.

Many hundreds of years before the Christian era, the Celts, who lived in Ireland, the UK, and the northern part of France, had their New Year’s celebration, called Samhain (pronounced sow-win), on November 1st. It marked the end of summer and the start of winter (the Celts recognized only two seasons). Winter was a frightening time of food shortages and deadly cold weather, so the Celts honored the Sun god for their harvest and made sacrifices in large bonfires to appease Lord Samhain, whose name means “summer’s end,” as he came into his power and reigned over the long, cold, and dark months of winter. As they say in Games of Thrones, “winter’s coming.”

On the night before Samhain, October 31st, the Celts believed that those who had died during the last circle of the sun would rise up, searching for the passageway that would lead them to the netherworld. On this night, between summer and winter, between one year and the next, the veil over the passageway is at its thinnest. When the veil between the worlds is more transparent, the dead can return to earth and cause trouble. The souls of the dead become the ghosts, witches, elves, and goblins that are out to seek revenge on those who had harmed them when they were alive. On the night of October 31st, Lord Samhain roams the four corners of the earth to capture the souls who had “escaped” through the thin veil, so he can take them back to his dark world. 

And because the barrier between the dead and the living can be crossed during Samhain, offerings were left out in the fields or around villages for all the unseen beings, from ghosts to fairies. The Celts would costume themselves as animals and monsters so the fairies or other spirits wouldn’t kidnap them. 

The belief in ghosts—the spirits of the dead that were said to roam about and cause problems—is found as far back as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. And it’s still here. A recent HuffPost/YouGov poll revealed that 45 percent of Americans believe in ghosts, although few in the scientific community are on board with non-material beings—their argument is: if they can’t see them or measure them in some way, what’s the chance they exist? 

The scientific community has investigated “ghost-busters” who use a meter to measure the electromagnetic field to detect ghosts. There are also experiments with infrasound (sounds that are below the range of hearing for humans), since a “low frequency standing wave” can create a sensory phenomena that seems like a ghost. Scientists also explain away ghosts as being the result of carbon monoxide poisoning, sleep paralysis, toxic mold, schizophrenia, dementia, or just plain old imagination.

Nevertheless, those of us who understand the validity of different planes of consciousness know that those who have died are still available for communication. If you’ve seen or interacted in some way with a non-material being, you haven’t gone off the Halloween deep end. You’re just more open to other planes of awareness than the average guy, and understand that science is limited, as it is grounded in only what can be validated through the physical plane.

But you still have to be careful about a non-material being you may meet on the inner planes or be aware of one that is occupying the space around you. Everyone is on their own level of consciousness during their lifetime, but dying doesn’t necessarily lift them any higher. They may understand more than they did while living on earth, but they can also still have a desire for revenge for the pain they experienced while alive. So please remember to surround yourself in some form of protective light before beginning an inner journey.

After all, it could be a dark and stormy night . . .and winter’s coming!

If you want to connect with guides from other realms – including not only those from your personal past but other guides that are ready and willing to help you on your journey – considering registering for our best selling Astral Wisdom course by clicking here >>

And if you want to really embody the season’s spirit, you can relive a powerful live event that happened in the spiritual vortex of Ojai, California. Our Highlights of Hallowed Retreat video series will put you into the front row to relive a powerful event that is ripe for this time of year. Click here to learn more about it >>

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The Perfect Time to Reflect on Your Dark Side

As we enter the “dark” part of the year, with short days and long chilly nights, it’s time to look at the dark forces that we would prefer to ignore. It’s not just the ghosts and goblins of Halloween or the presence of dead relatives on the Day of the Dead that can give us the shivers.

Whether we recognize it or not, everyone has some darkness within. We store our negative feelings—jealousy, anger, bitterness, shame, hatred, insecurity (to name a few)—in our shadow side. When we don’t do the inner work of acknowledging and releasing these disturbing emotions, the shadow side can take charge and cause real problems for someone else.

Take Beth, for example. She was so excited when she got her new job, with a hefty pay increase. Soon, however, she could barely get out of bed, much less drag herself to work. I could see the problem clearly: Beth’s father, although he was outwardly proud of his daughter, was inwardly jealous of her success. He’d been laid off and was having trouble finding a job because he was “too old.” There was a psychic attachment between father and daughter—a negative “cord” that connected them. I taught Beth a powerful shamanic technique that is used to sever negative cords between people while still keeping the positive cords of love and respect. Soon Beth was happy again at work.

The dark side deals with pretty low-level energies. When you are under “attack,” you might find that you feel more tired than usual, have trouble sleeping, come down with one awful cold after another, or just feel blue and miserable. You aren’t functioning in your normal perky and organized way and can’t figure out why. Well, consciously or unconsciously, someone may have formed an intention to harm you.

Does your mother-in-law hate the fact that you stole away her darling son or daughter? That old “evil eye” she gives you is for real. Maybe your ex is still angry at you, even years after you split. Or maybe you have a “frenemy” who can’t stand the fact that you’re in a loving relationship while her marriage has fallen apart.

Most people are unconscious of 90 percent of their thoughts and feelings. Your mother-in-law probably isn’t aware of how she feels about you. Your ex may not realize he’s holding on to such anger. Your frenemy probably thinks you’re her best friend. That’s why I’m forever urging people to meditate and journal—two of the best ways to recognize what you’re really feeling so you can clear those emotions.

You always play a role in whatever happens to you; you aren’t a helpless victim. When you deal with your shadow side and process the negative feelings you have about yourself and about other people, you can transform the negative energy of a psychic attack and stay healthy, happy, and peaceful.

Don’t think psychic attack is too “out there.” It’s real, and happens all the time. However, you can learn to protect yourself from psychic attack and to clear yourself of negative energy.

Don’t be scared of the ghosts and goblins you harbor inside or the dark forces sent your way by others – you can clear them!

It’s all about being able to read your own energy, the energy of others, and gaining the skills and knowledge to heal that which needs healing.

Start your journey by joining our Level I Certification Program (which also grants you access to our private Soul Family community). Click here to take the first step >>

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The chakras you didn’t know about (and their locations on Earth)

The Earth Has Multiple Powerful Energetic Vortices. Here Are Seven That Serve As Its Chakras.

You undoubtedly know a lot about your own energy centers, the chakras, but have you ever thought about the Earth as having energetic vortices as well? As we slowly transit out of the Piscean Age and enter the Aquarian Age, we should regard the Earth as a sacred living being instead of as a battleground for the endless wars of humanity. One way to see the planet’s sacredness is to delve into the mystery of its highly-charged chakras.

The first chakra is Mt. Shasta, in northern California at the southern end of the Cascade Mountains. Shasta is the primal chakra of the world’s energy system. It is here that the universal life force is gathered before being formed into you and me and every living thing on earth. Mt. Shasta is like a geyser, spouting a huge uprush of prana into global circulation before it is embodied in various forms, just like the kundalini energy surges upward.

The second chakra of the Earth is centered on the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, high in the Andes Mountains. Here positive life forms are “birthed”—evolutionary advancements that will take us into the future. The raw material of Mt. Shasta is structured in new ways by the Lake Titicaca chakra. The great circle of the second Earth chakra also includes Cusco and Machu Picchu. How does the undifferentiated life force get from Mt. Shasta to Lake Titicaca? It travels an energetic current, called the Plumed Serpent (found in many myths from South America), which is one of the two great ley lines on the planet. (ley lines are mystical alignments of landforms)

For the third chakra we go to Uluru and Kata Tjuta—twin sites in Australia’s Northern Territory. You may know Uluru as Ayers Rock, the former name used to describe the huge red monolith. Kata Tjuta has many large red stones rather than just one. Here, the solar plexus of the globe functions to keep up the Earth’s vitality and that of all the species on the planet. The Rainbow Serpent, that great ley artery, comes up from beneath the Earth to emerge at Uluru, which then “sings” a special songline that moves on to Kata Tjuta. In Dreamtime legends of the Aborigines, it is said that this umbilical cord of the planet will one day unite heaven and earth.

Making the leap to the fourth chakra, the “heart” of the Earth is at Glastonbury, Somerset, and Shaftesbury, Dorset. The Rainbow Serpent sweeps through the sacred sites there, such as the Tor at Glastonbury and the Avebury Stone Circle. Glastonbury is famed as the center of the Holy Grail, while Shaftesbury holds the Sacred Spear of Purpose. When these two massive earth energies merge, the Rainbow Serpent will be able to carry the Holy Grail frequency around the world. Interestingly, this is where there are so many sightings of crop circles that have magnetic abnormalities. Here is where we can open our hearts and help to heal the earth.

The fifth chakra, in the Middle East, is the throat’s energy center, where the voice of the Earth is coming forth. It is the only chakra that is not along a ley line, but it is in the exact center of the Earth’s land mass. The turmoil in the Middle East is trying to tell us something, but it seems like no one is listening to the “cries of the mother” as the planet calls for help. Mt. Sinai is the center of the three sites that define the Earth’s throat chakra in between the Great Pyramid of Egypt and the Mount of Olives. Here is where a planetary “New Jerusalem” can be the eternal home of all faiths and cultures living in peace.

What about the planet’s “third eye?” The sixth chakra of Earth moves west, a twelfth of the way around the world, at the dawn of each new aeon. These days, the sixth chakra is located in western Europe, conjunct with the heart chakra. This Aeon Activation Center will next be in Brazil. In the same way as your pineal gland opens portals that let higher dimension energies enter you, so does this chakra of the earth.

Mt. Kailash, the “roof of the world,” is the most sacred of the Himalayan mountains and represents the seventh chakra, the crown of creation. Mt. Kailash connects the earth with its spiritual destiny just the way your crown chakra connects you with Divine Will.

It is said that there is a Lost Chord of Creation. In terms of the earth chakras, Mt. Kailash sounds the note of praise of the sacred; the heart center of the world sounds the note of love, and Uluru and Kata Tjuta sing of thanksgiving. When these three notes are combined into one force, the world will be regenerated!

Now that you’ve learned about the energy vortexes that represent the Earth’s chakras, you may be interested in reading, clearing, balancing, and charging your own personal chakras for healing. You could start by exploring our Chakra Wisdom course. And if you’d like to begin your journey toward energy healing (including the higher chakras), consider beginning with our Level I LifeForce Energy Healing Certification course. If you think you’re ready for more advanced and individual training and healing, check out our Level IV LifeForce Energy Healing Certification course. Either way, we’d love to see you here!

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Forest Bathing – A Must-Try Therapy for Healing and Wellness

If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, does it make a sound? That’s an old Zen koan, an unanswerable or paradoxical question used to go beyond the intellect and help open the student’s mind to greater internal truths of spirit and intuition. But you don’t need a Zen Buddhist master’s koan to benefit from the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing.

It doesn’t refer to sitting in a bubble bath in a grove of trees, although it definitely feels like it! Forest bathing is simply being in the presence of trees, doing nothing but hanging—not hiking, not taking photos with your phone, not talking. It’s simply being with the trees and letting your nervous system attune to their presence. The trees and all members of the plant kingdom are the highest consciousness on our planet; they instinctively know how to soothe us, how to heal us.

The Scientific Backing for Nature Therapy

According to an EPA survey, we spend 87 percent of our time indoors, plus another 6 percent in our cars. That doesn’t leave much time for the restorative benefits of the great outdoors.

One study showed that gallbladder surgery patients who just looked at trees through a hospital window had a faster recovery time.

The Japanese have spent millions of dollars to study the effects of forest bathing on the mind and body. A professor at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo measured human NK (natural killer) cells in the immune system both before and after forest bathing. NK cells respond rapidly against viral infections and protect against tumor formation; they are a vital part of a healthy immune system. During the week following a forest visit, NK cell activity increased significantly, and positive effects lasted for a month after a weekend in the woods, including less inflammation, improved mood, better ability to focus, more energy, and better sleep.

You know how the air in a forest seems fresher than city air? That’s because trees emit essential oils (called phytoncide) to protect themselves from germs and insects. When you inhale phytoncide, it improves the functioning of your immune system.

Another Japanese study measured stress factors before and after a 30-minute visit to a forest. They found lower concentrations of cortisol, blood pressure and pulse rate went down, there was more parasympathetic nerve activity (rest-and-digest system) and less sympathetic nerve activity (flight-or-fight responses). In other words, hanging out with the trees makes us humans less stressed.

Trees are not only good for your body, they are also good for your spirit. Another study showed reduced hostility and depression after being with the trees, or as one researcher put it, “therapeutic landscapes.”

As a regular practice, forest bathing can deepen your intuition, increase your ability to communicate with the land and various species, increase your life force, and overall sense of happiness.

Forest Bathing Clubs

In San Francisco, there are hundreds of members of the Forest Bathing Club Meetup who forest bathe once a month to take a break from the stress of constant technology—your computer and phone and invasive social media, emails, and texts.

There are even certified Forest Therapy guides.

Check to see if there are such clubs near you. If not you can go on your own – or use this as an opportunity to start your own and club and build a community.

Trees in Myth and Religion

Many myths from around the globe tell of a “world or cosmic” tree, where the roots, trunk and branch represent the underworld, earth, and the heavens. The bible mentions the “tree of life” as well as the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” The Buddha reached enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi tree. Druids worshipped in sacred groves of trees. And Kabbalists celebrate the 15th of the month of Aquarius (on the lunar calendar) as the birthday of the trees.

It’s said that even spiritual teacher, Krishnamurti, found his enlightenment in Ojai under a pepper tree.

A number of trees have always been regarded as sacred. The willow tree is associated with the movement of water and the moon, so priestesses of the Goddess Hecate of the Moon use willow water as part of their magic. Celts considered the oak, apple, birch, and ash trees as sacred, with the ash tree known for healing and enchantment. The largest yellow oak in the U.S. (in Oley, PA) is 500 years old and is said by the Delaware Indians to have the power to heal. The Bodhi tree of India is a symbol of Buddha’s presence, while the banyan tree with its unique aerial roots represents eternal life. The bible mentions the Lebanese cedar 75 times.

Take Advantage of Nature’s Free Therapy

Trees help us physically by providing oxygen and shade to the planet as well as shelter and habitat for animals. Like all living things, trees have an energetic vibration and aura. Their grounding energy comes from having roots that reach deep into the earth, and give trees their vibration of security and stability.

So bathe your body and spirit in the forest (or your local city park) as you mingle with the trees. Go ahead and have a moment and physically hug a tree. Release any negative energy (as well as all those EMF’s you absorbed from your TV/laptop/phone!) and let them travel down the tree’s roots and get recycled by Mother Earth. At the same time, you’ll absorb the nourishing energy Mother Earth sends up through the tree’s roots as you rest against the tree’s trunk beneath its leafy branches.

For one moment, no need to do anything, just be. 😊

Interested in learning more about natural and holistic approaches to health? Your greatest source of truth for your wellness is yourself and your intuition (along with some accurate information). Register for this free webinar with Deborah to tune up your Medical Intuition abilities >>

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5 Things You Need to Know About Your 8th Chakra

You probably already know a bit about the seven chakras that are focal points of energy on your body. But did you also know that there are more than a dozen more chakras beyond these seven? No kidding! These higher or spiritual chakras are the links between your personality and your higher self, and when activated, allow you to access to an expanded universe, increase your spiritual awareness and compassion, and free yourself from the weight of karmic residue.

Ideally, your chakras are open, moving energy in and out between your personal energy field and the larger unified field. With proper self-care and maintenance, you can keep your energy flowing and prevent your chakras from becoming blocked by emotional baggage. Journaling, meditation, and working with an energy healer are all good ways to keep these energy centers clear and open, so you can move on to opening the spiritual chakras.

The first spiritual chakra is located approximately two feet above your head. If you’ve ever seen paintings depicting holy figures with circles of golden light around their heads, you’ve seen a visual representation of the love and light that flows from activated higher energy centers. But this glow is not only available to holy men. Here are the five most important things to know about what activating your 8th chakra can do to help you live a truer,

  1. Connect to Your Higher Self

    Your 8th chakra is the doorway between your immortal soul and your earth-bound personality. When I teach students how to activate their 8th chakra, I teach them an exercise that leads to a meeting with their higher selves. If you’ve done the requisite self-work—through meditation or energy healing or other methods—you should be able to talk to your higher self and ask her the questions you most want answered. Your higher self can give you access to the Akashic records, help you find your true life purpose, and remind you that you are a perfect being made of love and light. Opening your 8th chakra and stepping through the veil that separates your earthly self from your eternal soul will open your eyes to the vast space beyond physical plane boundaries.

  1. Clear Your Karmic Residue

    Karmic residue sounds pretty gross, and it lives up to its name. It’s the leftover karmic energy that builds-up after lifetimes of clinging to the same patterns. These tired and worn-out routines keep you rooted to this planet. Since your 8th chakra is the gate that leads to the divine, it is the last chakra that holds the human information that is not needed or desired in the expanded universe of an opened 8th chakra. Residual energy sticks around, waiting for you to clear it out once and for all before you move on to connect with your higher self and beyond. Activating your 8th chakra can help you shed those patterns that keep you reincarnating and are not useful any more, release that icky karmic residue, and connect with the greater spiritual universe that starts with your higher self.
  1. Uncover Spiritual Gifts

    As your connection to the greater spiritual community grows with an activated 8th chakra, your awareness expands, and you may find that you develop new abilities. Perhaps you’ve always been intuitive, but with an open 8th chakra, you’ll discover your powers of intuition increasing. Other latent talents may reveal themselves as you continue to widen your 8th chakra, including astral travel, telepathy, clairvoyance, and even energy healing. At first, these new capabilities may seem overwhelming, but please don’t worry! Your higher self would never bestow these gifts upon you unless you were ready. Taking healing courses or other spiritual workshops, and working with an energy healer or other type of spiritual teacher can help you control, manage, and develop your newfound abilities.
  1. Learn Your Soul’s Purpose
    The 8th chakra is like the record room for your soul’s contract, which is another way of saying your life purpose. Your soul enters this world with a goal, which has to do with learning lessons in order to evolve. Your soul’s purpose is always clear to your higher self, but may not be as obvious to your personality once it incarnates onto the physical plane. It takes the activation of the 8th chakra to get in touch with your higher self enough to be let into that record room for a glimpse at your soul contract.

    After your 8th chakra is activated and open, don’t be surprised if you begin to feel like you need to shift your focus, especially if you have spent years ignoring your true passion. That nagging voice that tells you to follow your true path is really your higher self offering guidance, nudging you to get to work on whatever your soul is meant to do while in this body at this time.
  1. Experience Divine Love and Spiritual Compassion

    When you start to understand that you are truly a soul living temporarily in a physical body rather than a body with a soul, your capacity for deep compassion and divine love begins to blossom. As the 8th chakra expands and this knowledge is fully absorbed, you become more spiritually compassionate because you now know that everyone else is on the same journey. Each soul plays its own important role in the interconnected community we’re all a part of, and by activating your 8th chakra and peeking at that huge spiritual tapestry, you experience true unity, which is followed by unconditional love from the Divine. Once you feel the power of divine love, you will reflect that love in your actions and it will spread like ripples in a pond. Imagine what the world could be like if everyone had golden halos from their open 8th chakras beaming love and compassion. It starts with you.

If you’d like to learn more about your 8th Chakra, watch this video. You’ll also want to check out my Secrets of Chakra Wisdom course, an on-demand course you can move through at your own pace.

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Blessings for a New Beginning

“And suddenly you just know…It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”  

—Meister Eckhart

September makes a perfect time for new beginnings. Your spirit recognizes the coming of a fresh new season. The relaxation of summer is fading and the excitement and promise of new challenges begins to take shape ahead. Coming soon is harvest-time, a time of centering and gathering and achievement. Remember the back-to-school feeling of stepping forth in new shoes with a clean slate and high hopes for yourself? You may not be going back to school this fall, but doesn’t your spirit still long for the new adventure that represents?

Here’s how I’m feeling this September and I am thrilled to tell you about it. I feel the rise of a great love and also an overwhelming gratitude. I feel incredibly blessed to be where I am and doing the work that has been given to me. I have my purpose and my path in the work of energy healing. As a Master Healer, I am privileged to teach an ever-increasing community of loving hearts who want to heal themselves and then the world. Their spiritual expansion fills my heart with joy and carries me further along my path as we heal and thrive and grow together. Hope and happiness and peace lie ahead for us all as we join forces to make our world a better place.

What an exciting prospect! The healing power that you have within is infinite. You can begin your healing within, and as your consciousness awakens and expands, it will begin to radiate forth and touch all those around you, your community, your world. Isn’t it a dream worth pursuing—to heal, thrive, and grow beyond all the boundaries and barriers you may have imposed on yourself?

More and more people are awakening to their own healing gifts, finding their amazing power for love, forgiveness, and gratitude. More and more people are stepping into the light and becoming the healers they are destined to be. What is your gift? Have you developed it to its full potential? How are you using your unique life force to heal the world right now? And if not now, when?

What are your plans for a fresh start, a new beginning, a real renaissance for your spirit in the months ahead? Here are some steps you can take to ramp up your own program for healing your world:

Be Empowered by Nature. A simple walk in the park, the fields, the woods, or on the shore will allow you to observe and enjoy the nurturing, healing force that is Nature at work. You are a part of that natural energy that colors the leaves and drives the wind, the sunlight, the rush of sparkling water.

Build a Community. Find a band of fellow students who want to study and explore the power of loving energy to heal our world together. Notice how some people make you glow in their presence? Gather up those kindred spirits and spend some time working on your mutual expansion of mind and heart.

Meditate. This mind-calming, soul-soothing activity is spreading like the light of the sun at the dawn of a new day. I overheard a lady say in a restaurant last night, “It’s pretty much the best thing you can do—for anything you want to accomplish.” A sweet understatement for the most important way to create a solid spiritual foundation for your power to heal yourself and your world.

Journal from Your Heart. Ask for the wisdom and the courage to search deep within and tell it truly. Journaling can help you bring forth your true purpose through manifestation. You can call to you the people, opportunities, and experiences your Higher Self is guiding you to discover

Learn to Give and Accept Unconditional Love. If you hope to heal yourself and your world, you will need to work with the kind of love that created you, the world, and everything in it. We come from the Divine Love that is the Source of All. That love is the wavelength we need to be on for all the good we wish for—for ourselves and others—to appear.

I hope you join me in making this September the season of new beginnings for your body, mind, and spirit. Your gifts are needed for the future of our world. We are one vibration, one field, one energy, with love as our connection. How mindful are you of the healing influence you could have on the world? As poet Mary Oliver asks, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

And if you’d like to know if this is actually the ideal time, astrologically, for you personally to have a new beginning, consider booking a private Vedic Astrology session with one of the world’s most renowned experts on the topic. Book a call with Dr. Sisira and see what the stars have in store for you >>

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Learning How to Heal: It’s Back to Energy School Season!

Do you have a favorite back-to-school story? Did you ever embark on a path of learning that changed your life? Maybe even saved your life? Many years ago when I was seeking a way out of the sorrowful and frightening mess that my life had become, I discovered something beautiful—a door to my destiny. I had a learning path that I never suspected was waiting for me.

I needed healing in mind, body, and spirit. I had been burning the candle at both ends (and in the middle!), running so fast from the pain within that I didn’t see the life-threatening dead end that lay before me. When I was told I had cancer, I already sensed that I had an even more serious problem, a spiritual deficit that negated everything else in my life. Who was I and where was the happy and meaningful life I was born for?

You know my story. At the moment when my downward spiral was about to consume me, I discovered the power of Energy Healing. I sought treatment for my illness because I realized how precious my life was. Lying under all the pain and abuse I had both experienced as a child and inflicted on myself as an adult was love. I loved my life and I loved the world around me. And entwined with that love was work I was meant to do. Could I save myself and find my work?

When Energy Healing treatments helped me rise back up in hope and health, I had to know more. What was Energy Healing, where did it come from, and why did it work? Why did I feel like I had come home when I embarked on years of study and exploration of this incredibly powerful healing modality?

Fast forward through my decades of study, prayer, practice, and experience to the present moment. I look back on my learning path with such gratitude and give thanks for the opportunity I was given to work as a Master Energy Healer. Has my path been exciting and joyful? You know the answer. There is nothing that feels better than growing your connection to Spirit, developing the unique gifts you have inside, and using that connection and those gifts to help others.

Why not use this season of learning and back-to-school promise to try the Energy Healing path for yourself? You never know where it will take you, but I can tell you that the experience of healing yourself from fears, doubts, old wounds, and hidden trauma is only the beginning. You will learn to become the best version of yourself by exploring who you are, what you want, and why you are here. Uncovering your highest self, the best version of you, is a mighty responsibility. Your connection to All That Is makes you a vital link in the chain of life. Your contribution to the unconditional love that connects us all is needed for our world to heal and thrive—even survive.

The study and practice of Energy Healing both saved my life and opened the door to my work as a Master Energy Healer. If you decide to join me on the path of study I’ve followed and now teach, you’ll learn all the ways you can bring light, spirit, energy, and unconditional love back to every area of your life…and the whole world. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the last thirty years of study and practice in ancient healing techniques, meditation, vedic arts, shamanic rituals and so much more, to bring you the very best way to bring lasting, positive change into your life.

The study of Energy Healing helps you awaken your mind, body and spirit to the truth of your life purpose. It will forever change the direction of your life. Your transformation will also change the lives of everyone around you. This awakening allows you to step into the very best version of yourself – one without fear, doubt, anger or regret – and to move forward in your life with joy, resilience and abundance.

Are you ready to become the beacon of light and love you were meant to be? I’ve now shared my healing work with tens of thousands of people from over 50 countries around the world. The results of sharing this knowledge and seeing it flower continue to amaze and uplift me. Try to imagine how it would feel to live with greater awareness and the presence of heightened clarity, guidance and wisdom:

How would your life be different?
How would you feel?
How would you look?
What decisions would you make?
What would become important?
Who would you reach out to help?

Energy Healing is really about illuminating the pathway to your true potential. One you couldn’t have achieved – let alone been truly aware of – if you hadn’t taken that important first step of study and exploration. To learn about Energy Healing is to feel its power in your own consciousness, and even to become the healing influence on others and the world that you are destined to be. Along the path of learning, you’ll find the direction, support and community you’ve been searching for and watch your healing gifts blossom before your eyes.

In our infinite universe, the opportunities for growth, expansion, healing, and empowerment are as vast and varied as the members of the human family themselves. What you have within holds the key to your future. Begin your own journey of exploration today…

and create the joy-filled and extraordinary life you deserve.

If you’re attracted to this kind of learning, or you’re curious about energy healing click here to discover more >>>

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Three Universal Life-Enhancing Insights

In one form or another, I’ve been asked to share my accumulated insights time after time. Usually, I’ll be asked in a setting that focuses on a single topic or theme, but following are three pieces of wisdom I would gladly offer you, independent of topic or theme, because they are universal in nature and valuable to all. I know that you can benefit by incorporating them into your lives.

  1. My first piece of wisdom is “Love what you do.” Loving what you do gives life its greatest meaning. Although I may not feel like breaking into a song and dance routine every time I write a blog, empty my inbox, or travel to a speaking engagement, by focusing on the love that prompted those activities, they become consciously proactive expressions of my concern and compassion.

    And for more noteworthy tasks — your profession, longer-term goals, and the like — staying in touch with your “loving why” can help propel you past the problems and challenges that will inevitably arise as you pursue loftier goals.

Are you hiring?

One way to find out who to hire is to ask, “Why are you interested in this position?” and then listen for love, passion, and compassion.

Here’s an example.

One time I was invited to speak before a business networking group in the real estate field. After I was introduced and before I began speaking, I asked each of the members to identify their “whys” – why they had chosen to enter the field they were in, since they were all real estate entrepreneurs and had self-selected their professional endeavor.

One guy stood up and declared, in a monotonous tone, without a stitch of satire, “I sell real estate because I can make a ton of money.” It took concerted effort not to laugh!

Now, everyone chooses a career with an eye toward making a decent living. There’s no shame in that. But if income is someone’s sole motivating factor, something significant is missing, and the people they do business with will sense that. But from this introduction and the corroborating information which he provided later during the meeting, many of his more enlightened fellow networkers and I sensed that, should we retain him, we’d be getting myopic, self-serving “guidance” from this individual.

In sharp contrast, another real estate agent in the same group defined her “why” this ebullient way: “I just love helping people find the perfect property and shepherding them through the process of paperwork and prudent practices to be sure they end up with a definite happy ending!”

Guess which one got the most business? Most property seekers are looking for safety and transparency as much as they are for property. The one sallied forth every day to make money; the woman to spend her love, passion, and care helping her clients achieve cherished dreams.

So, loving what you do matters — especially to your bottom line!

  1. My second piece of wisdom is this: “You are not your thoughts, but what you do as a result of sifting and sorting through them will determine your trajectory and success in life.”

    A famous Henry Ford quote pretty much says it all: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” I’m referring here to your vibrational level. Higher-vibration emotions, feelings, and self-concepts — love, joy, enthusiasm, self-esteem, and the like — cause your personal energy field to vibrate at faster and higher frequencies, which significantly boosts your ability to proactively believe in and make manifest your most cherished goals. With a high energy level, you feel ready to take on the world.

At the opposite extreme, I’m sure you’ve met people who are utterly convinced that life has dealt them a lousy hand and it’s just no use trying for anything better. These unfortunate folks are saddled with debilitating vibrational frequencies, so they don’t have the power-pack working for them that higher vibration individuals do. As a sad result, their prophecies about their future will manifest in the unfortunate ways they believe they will.

Among the best ways to boost your vibrational frequencies is to focus intentionally on what you want your future to look like, and to invest your time imagining every positivity-boosting thing about it.

To realize your most cherished future, you might use affirmations, journaling, meditation, exercises, music, or some other energy/vibration-boosting technique to enhance and uplift your spirits toward your goal.

It’s crucial to remember that you are not your thoughts. Thoughts are like clouds. They can enchant you or ruin your day. Choose wisely which ones to linger on and entertain. The best ones will take you in the direction of your goals! Let the others simply and harmlessly drift on by. (If they’re invasive, say “NO!” verbally and shake your head from left to right to evict them.)

  1. My third piece of wisdom is this: Gather around you people who are heading the same direction you are. The people you surround yourself with are crucial when it comes to “leveling up” step by step on the way to your goals.

Since you’re a member of my tribe, you’re already doing some of this virtually and occasionally in person. (Perhaps at our next gathering in Malibu!) You will know you’ve found the right sojourners when their presence supports, celebrates, and uplifts you as you engage in your pursuits.

Even if you’re an introvert who needs your space on a regular basis, you have a tribe; please do reach out and join mine! We can help make your journey so much more enjoyable, and we can offer additional insights to help you thrive.

And if you are looking for personal hand-holding in figuring out your life’s path and purpose – figuring out which path to take that will resonate with you and allow you to live up to the person you were placed on this Earth to be – consider booking a private session with one of Deborah King Center’s graduate practitioners. All are incredibly well versed and experienced in the field of LifeForce Energy Healing, and can be an incredible support for you to lean on. Learn more and choose a practitioner here >>

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Sleep Deprivation: The Cure for This Hidden Epidemic

Feeling sleep-deprived … or chronically tired?

You aren’t the only one. It is a hidden epidemic greatly impacting countless people across society. And if you are one of the many who suffer from this issue, you should make an effort to resolve it (because it’s hugely important to your mental, physical, and spiritual health).

Here are some easy steps to diagnose the cause and deliver the cure.

Depending on your age and lifestyle, the causes of sleep disruption, insomnia, and other sleep disturbances can differ enormously.

Complicating matters, the amount of sleep you need to feel alert and refreshed changes across time because your circadian rhythm changes as you age.

Bedrooms should be strictly designated as intimacy spaces, relaxation stations, altars and meditation spaces, and sleep. Entering the room at least a half hour before bedtime allows time to wind down and relax. Engage in something soothing during these precious 30 minutes: knitting, drawing, reading. And lay off the caffeine entirely after 12p.m. (noon). It can take up to ten hours for caffeine to leave the bloodstream. If you need a quick jolt mid-afternoon, open your freezer door, and get a quick hit of cold air in your face. Seriously! It works!

If you have insomnia and none of the above (or anything I suggest at the end of this piece) helps, talk to your primary care doctor, as there may be a physical cause that can be addressed.

As an adult, you should be getting between seven and nine hours of sleep at night. How much of that seven to nine hours you’ll need is dictated by your lifestyle. A good way to determine your ideal sleep number is to wake up naturally three days in a row without setting any kind of alarm while in a completely dark room or while wearing a sleep mask. Choosing a three-day weekend to do this is ideal. Go to bed at the same time all three nights and awaken naturally every morning. Take an average of the three days to find your ideal number of sleeping hours. Then pay attention to how you feel the following week while you adhere to the total average number of sleep hours that you determined were right for you. If you’re feeling more refreshed and robust, you’ve found your magic number for the stage of life you’re in right now.

According to sleep experts, what usually keeps adults in this age range from sleeping well is that they have one sleep schedule during work days which they disregard during their days off. Doing so disrupts their internal clock.

When you’re fully rested, an alarm becomes unnecessary. You automatically wake up when you’ve had the right amount of sleep. If you find yourself waking up two hours later on your days off than you do on work days, you are chronically sleep-deprived and should make changes to rectify your sleep deficit. Do this by adjusting your bedtime so you’re going to bed and getting up at about the same time every day. On your days off, reward yourself by spending the earliest waking hours doing something you massively enjoy, whether that’s taking a walk, meeting a friend for breakfast, or something else relaxing and fun.

If you’re an adult experiencing chronic insomnia and none of the suggestions in this piece help, it’s time to let your energy medicine practitioner know, so she can help you out.

Additional detriments to getting a good night’s sleep for people this age may be alcohol, caffeine or work, a health or relationship challenge, or other stresses.

Although alcohol may help you fall asleep fast, the sleep you’ll get may well become fragmented and you will probably find yourself traipsing to the bathroom multiple times during the night, adding to your sleep deficit. And the older you get, the more pronounced are the effects of consuming alcohol. So, not a good solution (for much of anything)!

If worries are the culprit, carve out time to address your stress. Set a timer for a few minutes and write about what’s worrying you. That is usually all it takes to signal to your brain that you’re working proactively on the issue, so it won’t feel compelled to do so when you get quiet at night and want to fall asleep.

And my earlier suggestion about disengaging from all devices and manmade light sources a half hour before bed is helpful.

Another sleep disruptor is that your working life gets in the way. Some work night shifts; others have work schedules that can vary widely from week to week. And even with consistent work schedules, you can find yourself working right up until bedtime, or in the middle of the night if you go to bed early, exhausted, and then wake up refreshed at 2 a.m. and ready to roar!

Here are a few solutions to try:

For those working nights, wear sunglasses home from work to minimize the amount of bright sunshine you receive on the way home. Why? Because sunshine shuts down the release of melatonin, which you need to be able to get to sleep more easily and naturally.

If your shift changes all the time, shift your sleep time backward about three days before your new start time and then inch it forward or back by an hour or two every night. And schedule ten to thirty minutes between work and retiring for the night. Engage in a soothing activity during this time (without screens): relaxing instrumental music, light reading.

During early midlife — between the age of 35 and 40 — you will still need seven or more hours of shut-eye. And it becomes harder, at this stage of life, to bounce back from experiencing inadequate sleep, so you might find yourself becoming more irritated or apathetic after a bout of insomnia or tossing and turning. Lack of sleep will also prevent you from focusing as adeptly as you would after a well-rested night.

For early midlife adults, the causes mirror earlier (and subsequent) descriptions, and the cures are the same or very similar:

Too stressed to sleep. (Write down what’s bothering you during the day.)

Alcohol consumption. (Avoid it.)

After-NOON caffeine consumption. (If you must drink caffeine, do it before noon.)

Work-related stress. (night shifts, changing schedules, see above suggestions)

Insomnia. (May be genetic. Consult with your team of caregivers, from your primary care physician who can refer you to a psychologist or sleep specialist, to your energy medicine specialist, who can help you with buried trauma that may be making you sleepless.)

When midlife happens (ages 41 to 50) your sleep schedule can get disrupted by family obligations (half-grown and grown children, elderly parents’ needs, and more) so it’s crucial to prioritize the amount and quality of the sleep you do get in order to avoid becoming a casualty of catastrophic sleep deprivation. No one can get used to sleep deprivation. Our bodies need adequate sleep and rest to remain robust. There is no cure for lack of sleep except adequate sleep.

For many women, this is the period of time when menopause begins (and sometimes ends). Menopause can cause hot flashes that drench you in sweat several times a night, waking you up, and it can cause depression or anxiety, both drivers of sleep deprivation. Wearing cooler bedclothes (or none at all) and getting breathable bed sheets can help address the night time disturbances. Those who experience depression and anxiety can benefit from journaling, meditation, enjoyable daily exercise, and/or counseling (cognitive behavioral therapy).

And middle age is the period of life when sleep apnea develops in those who are predisposed to the condition, including those who drink alcohol, people who are obese, and folks with a family history of the condition. Sleep apnea means “sleep without breath.” If you know someone — or if you are someone — who snores, chokes, or gasps for air during the night, or someone who wakes up with headaches and feeling drained and depleted despite having clocked eight or more hours of sleep, you should find out more about sleep apnea because, unaddressed, it can be deadly. In some people, their head and neck muscles relax so much during sleep that their airways become blocked; in others, their brain doesn’t deliver the message that they need to keep breathing. Either way, it’s a dicey condition and should be investigated. There are devices to help sleep apnea patients get safe, restful sleep.

This is also the age group that begins to find itself getting up several times during most nights to use the bathroom. If you’re raising your hand now, try limiting how much water you drink an hour before you retire for the night and do a brief meditation, in bed, until you fall back asleep.

This age group experiences the same causes and cures as those mentioned previously:

Too stressed to sleep. (Write down what’s bothering you during the day.)

Alcohol consumption. (Avoid it.)

After-NOON caffeine consumption. (If you must drink caffeine, do it before noon.)

Work-related stress. (night shifts, changing schedules, see above suggestions)

Insomnia. (see above)

Next on our list are those who are from 51 to 60 years old, the period of life designated Late Midlife. These folks mirror the same conditions and challenges as Early Midlife individuals: sleep apnea, menopause, frequent bathroom visits during the night, alcohol, caffeine, work schedules, etc.

And then comes the retirement years, what many people refer to as the Golden Years, from age 61 to 75.

This intense period of adjustment can throw a massive monkey wrench into those who have always considered that what they do for a living is the main reason they’re alive and valuable to others.

Retirement takes away the structures that so many people have hung their existences on, value-wise. Many people who lose that life-long structure develop insomnia, unable to settle into a new routine that is more about being than doing. Take away their daily routines, and their nighttime routines disappear, too. They begin to flail as they struggle to develop a new way of existing in the world. It can be quite unnerving unless they have practiced it a bit beforehand.

For those who want to remain active (and I hope that’s you), part-time jobs fill the bill. For others, volunteering is an avenue that resonates.

Sleep experts recommend creating a new schedule and listing how you want to spend the day ahead, whether that’s a walk in the park or around the neighborhood first thing in the morning, followed by joining a bridge club, or golfing, playing pickleball or tennis, or whatever else will give you smiles, a sense of belonging, and a reason to want to remain physically and mentally robust. Physical activity helps you fall asleep more readily and to sleep more restfully. But do limit physical exercise (except for sex!) at least one hour before you expect to go to sleep every night.

The other sleep-stealers for this group and some of their remedies can be found in the previous age groups: alcohol, caffeine, stress, pre-sleep stimulation via mobile devices and entertainment centers, insomnia, sleep apnea, frequent bathroom visits at night.

For older adults — those 76+ — seven to eight hours of sleep per 24 hours works well. They usually will fall asleep early in the evening, sleep well, and then rise at about 4 or 5 or 6 a.m., feeling fully rested. Of course, those with the aforementioned sleeping challenges may not adhere to this pattern, but a great many do.

The older we get, the earlier we tend to wake up. But those in this age bracket with sleeping challenges should be very careful when taking drugs or supplements for sleep because a great many of them have deleterious side effects that can grievously impact, in addition to increasing the likelihood of a fall.

For most of the above life stages, what follows is my professional advice as an energy healer as it relates to tackling sleep challenges:

  • Spend some time early in the morning, outside, exposing your eyes to the dawn’s early light, so your circadian rhythm gets its marching orders for the day.
  • Limit your contact with EMFs.
  • Exercise before noon.
  • Keep fresh air in your bedroom.
  • Take magnesium at night.
  • Meditate no more than ten minutes after 6:00pm.
  • Focus on the peaceful and positive in the evening hours.

A night of good, restful sleep is essential for our wellbeing. It’s necessary to keep mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy. It also provides an incredible opportunity to gain insights and wisdom from beyond this realm.

You see, beyond getting the rest your body needs to be in balance, sleep also offers you the opportunity to tap into the power of lucid dreaming.

And it is one of the skills taught in our bestselling Astral Wisdom course.

Learn to design the life of your dreams by mastering the out-of-body experience by accessing this course here >>

2023-PerseidMeteorShowerBlog-featured

Don’t Miss the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower Extravaganza!

Heads up, sky watchers! The 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower will be one for the records. Since there will be an almost New Moon, the view from a dark viewing spot on clear, cloudless night promises to be a crowd pleaser.

This year, the Perseid Meteor Shower will be at its best during the coming weekend, Saturday night, August 12th and Sunday night, August 13th. The Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the brighter annual meteor showers, but this year, with the Moon shrinking to an invisible Micro New Moon, the sky will be about as black as it can get, so spectators can expect to see as many as 100 shooting stars (and some fireballs, too) every hour.

The Perseid showers began in mid-July and will persist until the end of August, so avid sky watchers have already witnessed sporadic shooting stars and will do so for a few more weeks. But if you want to join me in enjoying the most shooting stars per hour, mark your calendar now for this coming weekend, Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13, and make plans to locate the best vantage point in your area for witnessing one of the universe’s most impressive shows.

If the weather forecast for your area is clear and cloudless, and you live in a well-lit city (or near one), it’s best to “get outta Dodge” and into the hinterlands, as high up and away from artificial lighting as possible. If you live on or near a mountain range, you will have the best view of the Perseids.

Dress according to the night-time weather in your location on these nights. Take something along to lie down on — a yoga mat, sleeping bag, air mattress, or antigravity recliner — so you can easily look up into the night sky for hours. Remember that you will need up to 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the level of darkness that will surround you on a light-pollution-free night. Take a blanket or two, something warm to drink, and get comfortable. Refrain from using backlit mobile devices, to help preserve keener night vision. Be prepared to drift into/out of sleep, and just enjoy the experience like our ancestors did.

Hint: To find the correct “stage” for the Perseid meteor extravaganza, gaze toward the radiant in the Perseus constellation (from whence this meteor shower gets its name). If you can’t readily spot Perseus, look for Cassiopeia, which looks like a W or an M — because it may be easier to locate in the night sky.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the radiant rises into the sky during the night, reaching its highest point at dawn. So, you can expect to see more “shooting stars” (meteors) after midnight than before.

Another hint: even though meteors emanate from the radiant, they can show up anywhere, so you’ll be seeing some of them out of the corner of your eyes at times.

A bonus: during these nights, you will also be able to see Jupiter and Saturn without a telescope in the eastern and southern sky. They will appear as larger, bright stars, but they won’t twinkle the way distant stars do.

But Wait! There’s Even MORE to See Overhead in August!

On August 31st you will be able to experience a double delight: a Super Blue Moon!
The last time a Super Blue Moon occurred was in December 2009, and the next time it will happen is August 2032, so catch it this year, if you can! (The next Blue Moon will occur in August 2024, but it won’t be a Supermoon.)

Check for Your best time to see the Perseids here.

All of these phenomenal celestial events are not only breathtaking to watch, but also have a profound energetic impact on our everyday lives. And if you learn to analyze exactly what impact the planets are having, you can completely alter the course of your decision making, and thus your life. Want to figure out how to do this based on a proven, ancient science? Join our Vedic Astrology course today by clicking here >>