Posts in category: Featured

One of the great miracles of the human body, and the human spirit, is the ability to heal. You can heal from a broken arm as well as a broken heart. Whatever you’ve encountered in your human journey, at some point you’ve experienced healing—the power to make better, make well, restore, and make whole.  Think about the self-healing you may have achieved in your life. Have you ever wondered how it would feel to facilitate that kind of healing for others? Could you do it? Do you feel called to it?

Whatever your particular journey has been, you can trust that nothing happens in your life that isn’t part of your Divine plan. Everything serves your higher purpose in some way. Take a moment to re-imagine your story, to see if the obstacles and traumas and disciplines of your life may be the necessary foundation for your development as a healer. Ask yourself what may have prepared you to develop the gift of being able to heal yourself and possibly others.

A healer is someone who expands their consciousness and conducts healing energy to help others resolve whatever is ailing them on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual planes. From ancient times, healers or shamans worked to secure the help of the spirit world for the benefit of the entire community. Sometimes the help they provided would heal disease, heal the psyche, or bring greater harmony between human groups or between humans and nature. They also served as intermediaries or messengers between the human world and the spirit worlds. Present-day energy healers contribute the same value. They are naturally gifted and usually called to this area of study by a profound life event. Many seek further training through energy healing courses, so they can help their friends and family or help thousands find relief from emotional and physical pain.

Does the world of healing match your purpose? You’ll know you’re living your life purpose when you’re fully engaged—mind, heart, body, and soul—and doing whatever you feel you were born to do. Are you focused, sensitive, compassionate, hardworking? Do you frequently spend time in nature, meditation, or prayer? Have you begun to work through the wounds and emotional issues from your childhood? The list of possible experiences, qualities, and skills you already possess to help in this endeavor is endless. Real healing power is inside you; it just needs to be awakened, nurtured, and practiced.

Are you ready to explore the healing possibilities? Here are three tips to begin awakening your inner healer:

1. Expand your consciousness –Can you perceive beyond the limitations of your body and mind and feel that you are part of the vast universe around you, connected to All That Is? You may have had such experiences while hiking in the woods or watching the sunset over the ocean—nature can ease you into an expanded state of awareness. Maybe you’ve reached it through yoga, prayer, music or being present at an event where you feel deeply connected to another person—birth, death. The surest route to heightened consciousness is meditation. A state of expanded consciousness is the best state from which to get guidance and direction for your life, to have your energy field recharged, and to get the information and instructions you need for healing. Being in an expanded state allows you to connect to your own higher qualities and the field of all possibilities. All the knowledge and power you need to effect change in yourself and others is right out there, right beyond your everyday senses. When you are able to access the unified field intentionally, you have the ability to discover anything in the universe—past, present, and future. And this information can be the basis of your helping others achieve transformation in their lives, which is the very foundation of energy healing.

2. Examine Your Beliefs —Your daily journaling practice is an excellent way to explore your values and beliefs, to know yourself, and to develop an open mind. Why is it so important to examine your beliefs? Because some of them may be limiting you, may be holding you back—especially those that stem from fear-based thinking. Fear is always limiting, as opposed to expanding. Often, our most important beliefs are unconscious. Over 90 percent of those that we currently hold we took on as kids from our parents, school, and culture, and these views run the greater part of our lives. Your unconscious beliefs may inhibit you from becoming all that you are meant to be. It’s nearly impossible to expand and grow, to take in new information and make new choices, when you are confined to operating solely according to preexisting ideas.  Part of your task in life is to reach beyond the bounds of your conditioning and live true to who you want to be. Once you are clear within yourself, you can be a clear channel for others.

3. Extend Your Hand, Extend the Light – It’s important to balance your inner practices like meditation, journaling, and prayer with out-in-the-world service to others. There has to be an inner and outer harmony in your life for healing to take place.  Connection is one of the most powerful forces for healing. You constantly have the opportunity to be of service to every single person you meet throughout the course of your day. Smile at the harried checkout clerk in the supermarket; don’t be pushy or rude to the people standing in line with you at the bank; and be generous and let that other car into the lane ahead of you! You are being of service each time you send out a current of caring for others, which clears a space for you to receive more of the expanded energy of higher consciousness that you seek.  Becoming more loving in your moment-to-moment interactions is how you heal yourself and others on their journey. It doesn’t matter how many people you touch through your service, just spread your light in whatever arena you are called to serve.

“There is a force in the universe, which, if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results.” –Mahatma Gandhi

The power to heal is very real and has been observed by many cultures over thousands of years. Today, it is an exciting field of study allowing people to expand their awareness, to access the powerful invisible life force, and to serve as an energy healer. An energy healer or healing practitioner reminds us that we are not powerless victims, but are fully able to create the lives we want to live.

If you’re attracted to this kind of learning, or you’re curious about exploring your potential as an energy healer, join me for my popular mini video course, Awaken the Healer Within. Click here to discover more >>>

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” –Henry David Thoreau

As a child, you probably had a powerful sense of possibility. Did you dream of being an astronaut, a rock star, an Olympic athlete or a Nobel Prize winner? Big dreams feel wonderful, and the sense that anything is possible can make your spirit soar. Your dreams may have changed over the years, but your longing to make them real probably hasn’t. Take a moment to gauge where you stand. How is your dream quotient these days? How is your faith in the possible doing right now?

Whether you are ten or seventy, you need that faith to make good things happen in your life. To experience extraordinary things, you need a firm and powerful belief that those things can and will happen. When you believe that you are worthy of what you truly want, you can bring amazing occurrences into your life. Louise Hay advises having faith in the “totality of possibilities,” saying not so much that the sky’s the limit but that there is no limit! All of those good possibilities are within you to be realized. So what can you do today to begin making them real?

Here are three ways to get started:

1. Know Your Intention — The Universe will respond to your request for help in manifesting your dreams once your intent is crystal clear. So the first step is to decide what you want. One way to search your soul for your deepest yearnings is to meditate. Meditation brings you closer to your higher self, which can offer helpful guidance from a point of greater spiritual awareness and understanding. Meditation can help you let go of distractions getting in the way of your dreams and set the tone for new productive, meaningful experiences. As you meditate, you’ll start to see the connections between the tone of your thoughts and the way your life feels.  Once you have determined your intention, you can send it out to the Universe. As a spiritual teacher, I can assure you, if your intent is strong and you remain positive, the universe will answer you. Having set your intention and sent it out, then it’s time for faith. Trust that Source has heard you and will respond at the right time. Continue to live a positive life full of purpose and good will. Keep the faith that your good is out there and on its way to you. You’ll start to notice substantial changes in your life, in all areas of your experience, including finding the vision to forge a new future.

2. Visualize What You Want to See — Great scientist, Albert Einstein, believed that the single most vital quality for human beings to develop is imagination. He said, “Imagination is greater than knowledge.” Without imagination and intuition as its guiding force, life would become stagnant and inert. Visualizing goals, dreams, and outcomes is a wonderful self-healing technique. Regularly spend time resting with your eyes closed, picturing the exact outcome you desire. Open yourself to the wisdom of your higher self and to your more refined inner guidance system. I often guide workshop participants to ask their own higher wisdom for guidance and signs that they are on the right path. I encourage them to listen for internal messages regarding purpose and direction and to visualize positive or peaceful outcomes. Also, do you believe that a picture is worth a thousand words? You’ve no doubt heard stories of the power of vision boarding—the gathering of physical images that portray your goals and dreams. Creating a vision board can help concentrate and focus your thoughts on the things you want to manifest in your life. Keep images that reflect your dreams “right before your eyes” and help bring good things and experiences into your life.

3. Affirm Your Dream Here and Now — You’re probably familiar with affirmations, but have you ever considered them as a form of prayer? Most simply, affirmations are anything you say or think. The goal is to focus on making positive statements that describe the state you desire—joy, peace, prosperity, love, wellbeing. Thinking of affirmations as prayers takes them a step up energetically, because they engage the energy of Source in the present moment rather than the future. Petition, or prayer, oftentimes reflects wanting something you don’t have: “God, please bring me a better-paying job!” With affirmations, you’re saying that you already have whatever it is you want: “I love my fulfilling and rewarding job!” Picture in your mind whatever it is you are praying about—a more loving relationship, better health, more abundance—and know that it already exists, thus allowing Spirit to help you manifest it. Affirmations can be used to declare a shift into your higher-self qualities. For example, do you want the gift of healing? State that this skill is already unfolding in you: “I am able to heal.” Do you want to be an instrument of peace and love? Declare, “I am an instrument of peace and love.” At the same time, you’ll be taking action on the physical plane to bring your desire to life. Once you have your vision solidly in mind and you state your affirmation, look for the most obvious next action to manifest that goal into reality.

As the quote that’s often attributed to Goethe goes, “What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it! Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” Spirit helps those who help themselves. You can help yourself by using your power to intend, visualize, and affirm the life of your dreams!

The excitement, the bustle, the countdown to your big celebration—the holidays arrive like a mighty wind and can leave you wondering what hit you. Even if your days were blessed with abundance and overflowing with good will and good cheer, they can make you feel like a deflated balloon as the confetti settles.  It isn’t your imagination and there’s nothing to feel guilty about. You may be running on empty after the holidays. You rose to the occasion and burned your spiritual candle at both ends. Now it’s time to refuel and refresh!

When you consider how much there is to process at year-end holiday time, it’s no wonder you are left feeling dazed and confused. You may have over-indulged in food and drink, eaten too many sweets, gotten too little sleep, and done too little exercise. You may have skipped a few steps in your spiritual practice. You may feel ashamed that all your hard won spiritual progress didn’t keep you from crumbling when confronted by critical, quarrelsome family members. Fortunately, you have survived and can now call on the resources you need to heal and refresh your spirit. You can rely on the unconditional love that is your birthright to bring you back to a set point of peace and joy.

Try these three tips for healing after the holidays have drained your spiritual well and it’s time to replenish and refill:

Nurture yourself with gratitude and love. Your physical self is a miracle of healing Even if you haven’t taken the best care of yourself during the holidays, you can recover with a gentle and loving approach. Forgive yourself for falling off the self-care wagon briefly and give thanks for the wonderful gift of healing and rebuilding. Create your own spiritual spa where you focus on tapping in to the energy that surrounds you. Eat right, rest well, move your body, and surround yourself as best you can with fresh air, sunlight, and the sights, sounds, and scents of nature. Reviving your good self-care is the first step to restoring your spiritual energy.

Take time for solitude and contemplation. The holidays can draw you into far more social interaction, family contact, and public interface than you are used to or even comfortable with. There is so much to take in and process that you may have fallen behind in keeping up with all the people, places, events, thoughts, and feelings that have touched your psychic space. Emotional overload can result and leave you feeling spent. Alone time, quiet time, creative activity, and meditation will help you catch up and rebuild your spiritual energy reserve. Negative thoughts and feelings may have emerged along with the family reunion and the memory of holidays gone by that may have been happier than your present experience. Take time to examine this negative energy and release it with forgiveness and love. With some quiet time, you can sort your experiences and surround them with healing energy.

Use positive self-talk to affirm and strengthen your spirit. Give yourself a loving post-holiday pep talk. Consider how much you have to be thankful for as you approach the dawn of a new year. Write the story of your holidays in your journal and look for all the good things that happened and reflect on how much you enjoyed them. Any negative events can be analyzed, too, with an eye to understanding and learning from them. Create some affirmations for the new year that will empower you to follow your dreams. Where do you want to go and how will you grow in spirit as you move in that direction? Shine the light of your love on the child of the divine that is you!

As the holiday season fades into history and you begin your bright new year, think about all the ways that you have grown in spirit. You have such amazing strength and understanding, so much power to grow in awareness and to heal yourself and others. The connection you feel with the loving universe that makes your life possible has now been renewed and recharged. No more running on empty as you move toward your future goals and dreams!

I rejoice in new growth. I leave all reservations behind me. – Louise Hay

The New Year is fast approaching, and the good vibrations of the holidays continue to warm your heart and lift your spirits. Your soul wants to know “what’s next?” The desire for a fresh start beckons your mind, body, and spirit. You can feel yourself poised for a new beginning as you ask yourself, “What can I do better? How can I be more, love more, give more? What can I do to feel greater fulfillment, peace, and joy in the days to come?”

This call to turn over a new leaf is a natural part of your soul’s spiritual development. In fact, every moment is a new beginning, a new opportunity to spread your wings. You always have it within your power to heal, to thrive, and to grow. Whatever you wish for in the New Year, you can achieve through the power of your connection to the creative energy of the universe. How will you power up your spirit? What will your new beginning look like? How will you access the energy of your highest self?

Here are my five suggestions for launching your high-flying fresh start for the New Year:

1. Give thanks for the gifts of the old year. There is nothing like gratitude for setting your spirit on a new course. Consider all the growth and all the knowledge you’ve gained over the last twelve months. Each accomplishment and step forward was a gift and a blessing you received from a loving universe. Taking stock of all the goodness in your life opens your eyes to the miracles that surround you and expands your awareness of all that is possible for you.

2. Forgive everything and everyone, especially yourself. You can wipe the slate clean and set yourself free with the willingness to forgive. Let go off all the missteps, negative thoughts and feelings, frustrations, and fears of the passing year. Let the past be past and refuse to allow old pain to enter the new space and time you are about to experience.

3. Decide what you want and set new intentions. How do you want your life to change? Make a list of what you wish to bring into your life: people, qualities, events. Decide what you truly want. What is your true soul calling? Your prayer, journaling, and meditation practices will help direct your search for whatever you need to help you set your goals and focus your powerful new energy. Use positive affirmations to keep yourself on the light-filled path you want to follow.

4. Make taking care of yourself a top priority. Nurture yourself in mind, body, and spirit. Your wellness is the foundation of all you hope to achieve and to give. Use your meditation practice to establish the inner peace you need for learning and growth. Make sure you get plenty of rest, eat well, and keep up all your energy healing techniques so that your chakras are free and clear. Spend time in nature and reserve some relaxing time that is just for you –quiet time to let your mind and body refresh. Give yourself the opportunity to heal and grow with spiritual study and building connections with loving, like-minded friends.

5. Cherish and build your connection to Source. Always remember the loving energy you came from and that continues to power your life each day. The strength to make positive changes in your life, to find and follow your purpose, to heal yourself and others comes from that original creative energy. With that loving connection in view, you’ll remember to ask for the help you need from your angels, your spiritual guides, your ancestors, and the wise teachers you encounter on your path. Your “connections” give you the power you need to realize your dreams and extend your healing energy to the world.

What’s behind that desire you feel at the New Year to make a personal fresh start as well as to grow and heal and bring that healing love to a world in need? It’s the creative energy of a universe powered by unconditional love, the Source of All That Is. As a spiritual teacher and energy healer, I wish you a bright new beginning. Feel the embrace of that miraculous and all-encompassing love and use it to power a bright New Year!

If you’re still searching for a way to begin this process, discover all of the ways you can get started. Click here >>>

“If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.” –Rumi

The turning of the year is fast approaching. It’s a momentous time, and probably also the busiest, most hectic season on your calendar. You may feel you haven’t got a moment to breathe, and yet right now, today, your soul is calling for a time out. This season is made for reflection, for contemplation, and reverie.

It just feels right, as you move from one year into the next, to pause for an inventory of spirit. Where did your soul travel in the year that is ending, and where would you like to go in the bright future ahead? Yes, the future can be bright if you choose to make it so!

At the approach of a new year, people long to energize themselves for a step up. The whole tradition of New Year’s resolutions stems from a sincere desire to do better and be better in the next leg of the journey. If you look closely, each of those resolutions has a spiritual component.

If you succeed in losing that excess weight that is troubling you, it will mean you have increased your self-love and self-respect, honoring your Creator. If you do better financially, you will have the means to help others and to pursue the life purpose you are here for. If you vow to learn more and expand your knowledge, you will achieve a higher and broader vision that you can use to make the world a better place.

As you make time to contemplate the year that is closing, you can be joyful and grateful for all the ways you were able to grow in spirit. You’ll be shedding light on your life, and you’ll start to think of more ways for light to come in. What made you happiest in the past year? What are you most grateful for and proudest of? Now you can make plans to move further in the direction of the divine light that powers everything.

The energy that brought you to life also brought the universe to life. You ride atop an underlying intelligence that surrounds and permeates everything in existence—an energy that is All That Is. Some people call it God, some call it Source, and some call it the light. When discussing energy healing, I use the term unified field from the world of physics—but really this is love. The basic energy of the universe is unconditional love, and it is the strongest force there is. Connecting to higher-vibration energy is what your soul—having come from the light—longs to do. Activities that connect you to the light nourish your soul.

Here are three ways to strengthen your connection and bring you ever closer to the light in the year ahead:

1.Practice Meditation – Maybe you fell off the meditation wagon in the long months since last December or maybe you never had the training you needed to “see the light” that this ancient practice of peace can give. For a fresh start on this healing, light-filled path, get help from my video class.  Commit to connecting with Source through meditation and you will open a channel to the light that will inspire all your spiritual endeavors in the coming year and beyond.

2.Use Your Journal – Have you been keeping a record of your life in spirit though the past months? If so, you’ll be able to look back and see all the opportunities you were given to heal and nurture your soul. Use this moment to reflect on those times and write yourself a letter of encouragement and hope for the days to come. Your journal is a powerful tool for bringing light into your life and helping you grow in understanding and compassion for yourself and others.

3.Make Prayer Your Set Point – As the hymn says, “Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?” A prayer of gratitude, a prayer for help, a prayer for knowledge—where do you turn when you feel the need for connection? Making prayer your go-to practice every day in every season is your instant pipeline to the light.  Have you ever been wrestling with a problem and suddenly thought, “Oh yes! I don’t have to do this alone!” That was your angels, your spiritual guides, your soul, reminding you that you are never alone. Prayer can be any form of contact you create with the Source of all light—from hiking to singing to cooking to kneeling in worship.

How exciting it is to take a deep breath and know that you can nourish your soul and bathe in the light of a loving Universe—make your soul connection—whenever and wherever you choose. As your present year ends and your new year begins, rejoice and seek the light!

“We turn to feed the fading fire, dream deeply through the night

And cherish songs that carry us from darkness into light.”

–Anne Hills, “At the Turning of the Year”

If you’re attracted to this kind of learning, or you’re curious to discover more… explore this year’s Holiday Healing Guide>>>

Have you ever smiled at the sight of a child dashing around with arms extended and a red Superman cape streaming behind? Kids make it look pretty simple, don’t they? Whatever work needs to be done, they are sure they can do it with a little higher power assistance. Haven’t you sometimes wished for a magic cape that you could use to heal the fear, the hunger, the cold, and the darkness you see in the world around you? You know you are called to help, to heal, to mend, but how do you connect with the power you need to do it?

There may not be a magic cape, but in the Bible, an outer garment, a mantle, is described that symbolizes a calling given to an individual by God. If you were the Old Testament prophet, Elijah, for example, your mantle represented your call to minister to the people. And you passed it on to the new generation of spiritual leadership when your lifetime of work on Earth was done.  Today the “mantle” is still a metaphor for the role and responsibility of a given form of leadership, of one who is a keeper of a body of wisdom and knowledge. In the realm of energy healing, there is a body of wisdom and knowledge that can be aspired to by those who are seeking to grow in spirit and to heal themselves and others—the mantle of healing.

I decided to call my upcoming retreat to the beautiful spiritual center of Ojai Valley—The Mantle of Healing. Like its Biblical namesake, a mantle is not only a metaphor for powerful knowledge but also a simple sheltering garment. The mantle of healing shelters and protects and is a source of comfort, refuge, joy and discovery. You are always welcome to take shelter under the mantle of healing. It might also be your own personal connection to the powerful forces of wellbeing, compassion, and unity you seek.

Like all humankind, you are on a path to higher consciousness, a mission to shift from your lower-self qualities—which are largely related to physical existence and survival—to the higher-self characteristics, stemming from the energy of love that your soul intended for you to develop in this lifetime. The mantra of the lower self is, “It’s all about me.” The goal of your spirit is to shift to the call of the higher self—“We’re all one.”

Here are three ways you can shift into a higher spiritual gear and accelerate your movement toward greater spiritual growth and wellbeing:

1. Become more self-aware. Thousands of years ago, the great philosophers advised us to “know thyself.” To know yourself, you must step into the mind-set of self-reflection and self-understanding. Figure out how you feel about everything that has occurred to you in the past and is happening to you right now. There is nothing to criticize or judge; you simply want to know and understand you. Then take the self-inquiry a step further by analyzing these sentiments: “Am I off base here?” “Is this something I need to change?” Give yourself permission to admit your mistakes and accept your frailties, because then, and only then, can you free yourself to become the powerful being you were meant to be.

2. Learn to forgive yourself. Self-forgiveness plays a key role in your spiritual evolution. The number one issue blocking your free access to the light of spirit is blaming yourself. Truly, it’s the biggest problem I find in working with others—human beings are just too hard on themselves! Therefore, in addition to recognizing your feelings honestly and giving them a voice, the most powerful action you can take to grow in spirit is to acknowledge your frailties as they present themselves. When you admit your humanness, you are free to give yourself a hearty dose of compassion. So, forgive yourself for what you think you’ve done wrong and grow in self-compassion and the power to extend compassion to others.

3. Build your connection to Source. With a regular practice of connecting to Source, whatever that may mean for you—and without all the negative self-talk—you’ll find there’s suddenly space for more light to come into your life. There’s enough room in you energetically for your higher-self qualities to be downloaded from the chakras above your head and come right into your field. Maybe for you, one of these qualities will be courage or resilience. The powerful gifts you always knew you had but couldn’t quite access will begin to manifest. With your newly-strengthened connection to Source, you’ll become a vehicle for the higher qualities you need to follow your calling and become the powerful contributor you are meant to be.

The spiritual payoff for these three types of personal action, and all the self-healing work you do, is enormous. When you’re in touch with how you feel and acknowledge your mistakes and let them go, you open the door to your higher self. Dedicated inner work is one of the primary ways you obtain your divine gifts. You become more patient and tolerant with yourself and others. Your intuition grows, and you start to experience the loving qualities of your inner essence. Spiritual growth leads to inner peace and the discovery of those higher powers and abilities you want to bring to the world.

I welcome you to embrace your powers within the mantle of healing >>>

Autumn is in full swing! As we prepare to reap the bounty of a year of celebrating in the light, healing past trauma and radiating unconditional love out into the world… I hope you’ll remember to take a look back to a year ago and see how far you’ve come and what lessons you’ve learned along the way.

I mention this because this is also a season of preparation for higher spiritual journeys, energetic soul adventures and embarking upon the pathway to the very best version of your life… for you and everyone around you.

For those of you who have followed my work for quite some time, you already know that the veil between life and death thins at this season, and possibilities for communication with those who have passed on expand.

Here lies an occasion for you to come close to your ancestors and loved ones who have passed to the other side and receive the love and the wisdom they offer.

At the start of this month, we honored the Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day on November 1. This day set aside by the early church to honor saints and martyrs merged over time with long-existing folk customs celebrating the harvest and the remembrance of ancestors who had gone before. A lively modern day example of this folk tradition is the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead, a holiday which honors the dead by celebrating their lives and the happy times that families spent together.

Day of the Dead celebrations have spread to cities across the U.S. because of the soulful appeal of the holiday. Customs include decorating special “altars” for deceased family members with bright flowers and candles, music, and the special food and drink that they enjoyed in life. It’s a celebration that encourages the belief that death is a natural part of the cycle of life, to be faced without fear. It also encourages the living to reinforce their connection to their ancestors and to the world of spirit, which their souls instinctively recognize as the source of strength and security, love and tranquility.

When you think about all aspects of the “All Hallows” tradition—the thinning of the veil between life and death, the welcoming of those who have gone before, the possibilities for communion between worlds—the spiritual usefulness of this celebration shines bright. It’s a good opportunity to examine what is really important to you. What really matters? How can reflecting on the transition between the worlds of life and death shed light on your present existence? How can life in the physical world be made better going forward? And what is the best way to prepare for the life to come on the other side?

Here are five ways to make the most of this transitional season with its emphasis on family and remembrance. Gather wisdom and knowledge and make yourself ready for your next step:

1. Have your healing tools on hand. Consider all the resources available to you for becoming your best spiritual self and for healing yourself and others. What tools do you have at hand to enhance your growth—from journaling to meditation to prayer? Have you explored the use of a pendulum or the healing power of gems as part of your spiritual toolkit? (I’ve written recent blogs on both)
2. Keep yourself strongly connected to Spirit. Your connection to your loved ones and ancestors who have crossed to the other side comes from your mutual bond in Spirit. Anything you do to strengthen your connection to Spirit, brings you closer to contacting and communicating with the ancestral guides who are waiting to help you. How do you connect with Spirit each day?
3. Take care of yourself with gratitude and love. Believe in the loving connection you have with all of life and the continuum of life and death. By giving yourself the nourishment, movement, rest, and spiritual care you need, you honor the gift of life in the material world that is yours. Do you love yourself and express your gratitude for life each day.
4. Remember our unity of soul; we are one. Although deceased family members have moved into another realm, they are present for you. All that you share with loved ones in the material world is a reflection of the unity that you share with all beings beyond time. Tune in to the spiritual connection between all living things for comfort and peace. Where and how do you find opportunities to feel your eternal connectedness?
5. Help others enjoy this world. Just as the unity of souls makes one family in the spiritual realm, this connection is what bids you to be of service to others in the material world. In the celebration of the Day of the Dead, food and drink, light, beauty, and happy memories are the gifts the living offer to those who have passed. These universal ingredients of comfort and connection can be offered with joy to those who cross your path every day. How do you find opportunities to make the world a more joyful place for all?

You can choose any or all of these in a way that reflects your love and gratitude for a life filled with opportunities to heal, thrive and grow.

If you’re attracted to the special energy associated with this time of the year and you’re curious to discover more, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be livestreaming my December retreat, Sanctuary for the Mantle of Healing, December 1-4.

Click here to register now >>>

The mineral treasures of Mother Earth have amazing power. You may have felt their attraction without really thinking about it. Maybe you’ve stood mesmerized before a sparkling display of colorful gems in a jewelry store window. Maybe you’ve marveled at a glowing formation of rock crystals in a science museum. As a child, you might have begun picking up shiny stones that caught your eye and soon had a growing collection. Stones in interesting shapes and colors become prized possessions for the young almost as if they sense the mysterious powers of creation they represent. The kids are on to something!

From ancient times, humans have valued gemstones not only for their beauty and rarity but as tools of healing, emblems of leadership, and symbols of devotion. Formed deep in the earth and lifted toward the surface by millions of years of wind, rain, and tectonic movement, these colorful stones have always inspired awe and fascination.

In the realm of energy healing, gems are among the array of tools that can be used to collect and focus energy for releasing blockages, clearing negativity, and channeling the healing energy that creates wellbeing. Gems can be especially helpful in clearing and balancing the chakras. As a student of energy healing, you can learn to awaken and apply the healing power of gems.

Here, for example, are some of the particular gems that can help in promoting the health of each of the chakras:

First or Root Chakra

The color of the first chakra is red, which is the part of the spectrum of light with the slowest vibration and longest wavelength. Most red stones relate to the root chakra, since red symbolizes the blood of life, vitality, and our physical nature. So ruby, garnet, red jasper, bloodstone, rose quartz, and coral can all provide a healing vibration for the first chakra.

Second or Sexual Chakra

In rebalancing the second chakra, you work with the color orange, a warm and positive color that symbolizes second chakra energy. It integrates the red of personality from the first chakra with the yellow of wisdom from the third. The stones that work with the second chakra are amber, carnelian, moonstone, fire opal, and the metal gold.

Third or Solar Plexus Chakra

Since the solar plexus chakra is related to the fire element, being outside in the sun is good in the early morning or late afternoon. For boosting the power of your third chakra, use the incense or essential oil of cinnamon, sandalwood, musk, or ginger. Yellow stones, like amber, golden topaz, yellow citrine, tiger’s eye, or rutilated quartz are good for bringing the third chakra into balance.

Fourth or Heart Chakra

The heart chakra is a life-giving green color, and is associated with the element of air. We’ve now risen from earth, water, and fire into the air. Air moves in all four directions, circulating oxygen through our breath, the vital energy we need to live. To further open your heart chakra, use the incense or essential oil of lavender, jasmine, yarrow, marjoram or meadowsweet. Use green stones, like emerald, green tourmaline, malachite, or green jade. Pink colored stones, like rose quartz are also associated with love and the heart chakra.

Fifth or Throat Chakra

To enhance your throat chakra, tune into Saraswati, the beautiful and pure goddess of speech, music, and poetry. You can use blue stones like turquoise, aquamarine, or sapphire, and burn incense like frankincense or mace. Or use rose or jasmine oil.

The rewards of balancing this powerful energy center are more powerful communication, greater creativity, and an ease and flow to life.

Sixth or Third Eye Chakra

In the sixth chakra, you get information in the form of images through light. You see light in the form of color, which is produced by the various frequencies in the light’s wavelengths. The lower chakras’ colors—red, orange, and yellow—are a lower frequency. As you go up the chakras, the higher ones are green, blue, lilac, and white or gold. The lilac color of this chakra conveys peace and tranquility. The color of the sixth chakra is lilac or even purple, so for crystal therapy, use purple amethyst crystal to improve the energy and flow of this chakra.

Seventh or Crown Chakra

Because it energizes, calms, and clarifies the mind, meditation is the best and surest way to heal and enhance your crown chakra. The planet of the seventh chakra is Uranus. Clear quartz crystals vibrate to Uranus. Quartz contains the full range of light frequencies, but it especially illuminates the crown chakra and higher. Other stones for this chakra are amethyst and diamonds. The color of the crown chakra can be either white or gold. Use incense or essential oil of frankincense or myrrh to help open the crown.

I’m excited to announce that our resident gem expert and LifeForce Energy Healing® Master-In-Training Student Meg Lynde will be joining us on this week’s Hay House Radio show to share even more on the power of gems. Join us LIVE tomorrow at 2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern. Click here for more >>> 

What does it mean when your days stagger along from coffee break to coffee break? Maybe you wake up already too tired to think about facing another day. Or maybe you are so burned out that even thinking about your situation is too exhausting—so you never do. You need something deeper than a day off or a nap or another double espresso. You may be tired on a soul-level.

The story of Superman visiting his Fortress of Solitude is a myth for our time.  When the strange visitor from another planet felt his powers waver, he knew it was time to retreat, recharge, and reaffirm his mission to be a force for good on Earth. He reconnected with the source of his power and his mission and grew strong once again. “But I’m not Superman,” you say. And I respectfully reply, “How do you know?” Have you consulted your Source lately about your powers and your purpose?  It may be time for your own soul retreat to remember who you really are.

Your soul needs sanctuary—a holy, safe haven—a protected place in which to experience awakening, inspiration, and remembering. Spirit lets me know when it’s time to refresh, and I choose a place that is peaceful, beautiful, and sacred. I’ll be retreating to one of my favorite sanctuary spots in the Ojai Valley in Central California, at the end of this year–the perfect time for renewal. This special weekend retreat at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa means a time of self-reflection, healing, spiritual growth, the company of like-minded seekers, relaxation and the joy of being in a place of natural beauty as well as a vortex of powerful spiritual energy.

The purpose of sanctuary is to free your soul from the layers of daily concern, fear, worry, and doubt that are misdirecting your attention. Retreating to a sacred space of peace and tranquility helps you renew and refocus on your inner being, your connection to Source and the power of unconditional love.  The gift of your time in sanctuary is a greater understanding of your Higher Self—that part of you that is connected to Spirit—and the discovery of all the imprints and impressions life has left in you, how you have become who you are today, and how to become who you will be tomorrow.

You can learn to spread your wings and fly as you reconnect to the real you, your authentic passion and personal power. Take a look at these 5 ways you will feel when you are acting and being from the Higher Self you are meant to become:

Calm – You will feel at peace with who you are and what you want to do because you are connected to the Source of All. You know that the true set point of your being is a calm and balanced state and you can always return there.

Confident – You will step beyond fear and be a beacon of light for others who are looking for their own paths. Seeing your beam of love and security shining forth will empower those around you to act with compassion and self-acceptance as well.

Creative – You will trust your instinct for trying new things and making things new. The joy of using your unique vision to experiment and create will enrich your life and open doors to new experiences and new knowledge. You will be a fearless explorer and inspire others to make the discoveries our world needs to heal and thrive.

Courageous – Courage is trust in the power of your ability to understand and act on your life purpose. Knowing you are always connected to Source and that spiritual help and guidance are always available for the asking gives you the courage you need to live each day and to help others step into their powers without fear.

Clear – “All clear!” is the signal that the way ahead is open and safe for us to travel. When you feel clear, you trust yourself, you trust your vision, and you trust your Source. You see your path without obstacles or barriers. You know who you are and where you are going. You are ready to channel the energy of unconditional love that sent you here and gave you the gifts you have to use and enjoy.

I’m looking forward with love to my year-end sanctuary weekend in Ojai. The combination of tranquil natural beauty (the sunsets!), the sacred space known since ancient times for its healing energy, and the dedicated time of reflection, fellowship, grateful self-care, and playful freedom are calling! Here you can pamper your mind and soul along with your body. Experience balance in your life—a time for deep inner work combined with restorative relaxation and recreation. Create that sanctuary space for yourself, find your higher voice, and learn to do what your soul wants to do…heal yourself and heal our world!

“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

 –Buddha

You have been given the most amazing gift. A genie in a bottle could not have offered anything as rare and wonderful as the treasure you have right now in your possession. The trouble is you may not even recognize your good fortune. You may be looking at the cracked and broken cement under your feet and not the stars glowing high above your head. Are you aware of who you are? And are you giving the Divinely-created consciousness that is YOU the love, respect, and understanding you deserve?

The gift of life, your life, is a miracle.  Just consider where you came from. You are a spark off the infinite block of unconditional love and eternal good. Even if your path to the present moment has been a rocky one, no matter how many missteps you are sure you’ve taken, you always have the power to heal. Wherever you’ve been and whatever you’ve suffered, you can learn to wake up the capacity for loving and forgiving yourself that you’ll need to recover.

Why is it so challenging to find the self-love and forgiveness needed for well-being and true appreciation of the gift of life? As a spiritual teacher and energy healer, I see many people who are their own harshest critics, their own self-saboteurs. Could you be one of them? Maybe you’ve been labeling yourself a “failure” in various aspects of your life such as romance, parenting, career, friendship. Maybe you blame yourself for things you perceive as shortcomings: being unhealthy, overweight, unmotivated, unintelligent, even unworthy of love.

Instead of nurturing yourself with love and self-care, are you berating yourself for not measuring up to impossible standards? A lack of self-esteem comes from the mistaken belief of “I’m not enough.” It’s a common misperception that so many of my students hold at some point in their lives, often for many years at a time. It takes a lot of work to break out of the stranglehold this lie can take on your life and heart.

As I struggled to heal from an upbringing that almost destroyed my ability to love and care for myself, I was blessed to discover energy healing.  This healing modality came into my life when I needed a reconnection to the Divine gift of unconditional love.  I came face to face with the miraculous and realized that I had to develop a new capacity to love and forgive myself and others. I learned to explore and take care of my heart chakra and stay conscious about remaining open to loving and being loved.

The better you know yourself the easier it will be to strengthen your self-love, self-acceptance, and your power to forgive. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you sit quietly with an open mind and heart:

1. How am I holding love back?

See if you can think of any ways in which you are keeping your heart closed, perhaps to avoid pain or to punish yourself or someone else. How would it feel if you simply removed those roadblocks and began to love?

2. Could I be more loving to myself and others?

Consider any ways in which you might begin to give love more freely. Could you be kinder, gentler, more tolerant, more accepting? Are there some role models whose behavior you admire and could emulate? Fake it till you make it!

3. How could I love myself just as I am?

Think of someone who isn’t perfect but lives happy and fearless just the same. How do they achieve that self-acceptance? What would self-acceptance look like in your life? There may be some areas where you are already almost there.

4. Have I isolated myself from others?

Think about all the connections you have with other people. Are there ways in which you feel set apart and unable to bridge the gap? Are there ways you could grow your feelings of empathy and connection?

5. Do I feel that I am enough now?

What would you need to do to be enough? What does “enough” really mean? What if there were no such measurement in your awareness and you were free to love yourself, forgive yourself, and thrive?

Learning to love yourself and forgive are the first steps to healing, thus removing any barriers to your happiness and wellbeing. Love has the power to heal all the wounds you may have suffered—if it is allowed to flow both within and without. As Louise Hay says, “There is only one thing that heals every problem, and that is: to know how to love yourself.” Awakening the love in your own heart can heal you.

If you’re attracted to this kind of learning and you’re ready to bring unconditional love and total forgiveness into your life, click here >>>