Posts in category: Featured

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 >>>

 “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give.”

–Billy Graham

When someone has a problem, whether they are animal or human, what do you instinctively do? You reach out to them. Hug your friend, pat a neighbor on the back, caress a dog’s head, gather a child into your arms. It feels wonderful. When you do this, does it ever seem like you are serving as an instrument, a conduit, a channel for some powerful energy source beyond yourself? The hand that you extend to another has mysterious power. You know that you are handing off a gift that has come to you through your wish to be of help. The gift is healing energy.

Modern quantum science is just confirming what every ancient culture knew: that everyone and everything is somehow connected. Even though we can’t usually see it, energy is all around us; a subtle form of it permeates the entire universe and comprises everything within it. This force, upon which our universe runs, is intelligent, alive, and the source of all life. The ancients knew all about this conscious and creative energy: how it penetrates all space, flows from one object to another, and connects a thing to everything else. Today we call this field of all possibilities the universal energy field, or simply the unified field.

This unified field is the foundation force for my work as a spiritual teacher and energy healer. Through training and practice, I learned to access this field and now help others activate their own ability to connect. I discovered almost all of what I know about the unified field experientially—that is, while in prayer, in meditation, and while conducting energy in the practice of healing. In this Divine application, energy is the medicine. As you connect to this universal field—attracting, conducting, and transmitting its energy to effect healing in yourself and others—you become the healer.

When you study energy healing techniques, you begin to make yourself an instrument or a conduit for the powerful universal energy field.  Among the first energy healing techniques I teach is the practice of chelation. In conventional medicine, chelation is a process of introducing a chemical infusion into the bloodstream to collect and remove toxic substances from the body.  As applied in energy medicine, chelation is the channeling of healing energy into and through the human body and its field to clear blocked energy and draw out impurities. Energy is the medicine and a pair of healing hands administer the treatment. Chelation is a hands-on technique that you can learn and use to unblock, clear, and balance the body and the energy field that surrounds and permeates it. Blocked energy, if not cleared, can manifest in the body as physical symptoms and illness.

The human energy field, also called the aura, is a manifestation of the universal energy field, the cornerstone of all life. You can think of the human energy field as a living template for the body, which ultimately mirrors what’s happening in the field. Thus, any distortion or imbalance in your field will sooner or later negatively impact you physically. Therefore, if you make a correction in the field—through chelation or other practices—a corresponding change will manifest in the body. This is why healing the field—restructuring it, rebalancing it, and charging it—is so important.

Is chelation an energy healing practice that you would like to master? Here are some things to consider:

1.In practicing chelation, you will transmit energy between your two hands. Do you know which of your hands is the “strong” one? This isn’t necessarily your writing hand, but the hand you would extend to pet a dog or check the brow of someone with a fever. This is the more sensitive of your two hands and sends out the most energy.

2. Do you know how to be “present” when you need to be? If you have a solid meditation practice, you’ll know what this means. Your presence is required for practicing energy healing. To be a conduit for Divine healing energy, you will need all your powers of focus and direction.

3. Do you know how to ground yourself? To receive the healing energy you wish to transmit, you need a firm connection to the Earth. Your strength is not yours alone. You will need to feel clear and balanced and centered to be in touch with the healing energy you are seeking to channel.

4. Do you know how to ask your spirit guides for help? As a channel for Divine healing energy, you will need to be open to the messages, words or images, that your spiritual guides can provide.

5. Do you know how to use a pendulum to explore the health of someone’s chakras? The right use of the pendulum can help you discover blocked energy and misfiring chakras that may be the source of illness and emotional problems that are keeping someone from reaching their true state of health and happiness.

With chelation and the more advanced forms of energy healing, you can learn to charge, balance, and clear both the human energy field and the body that mirrors it. I hope you’ll consider becoming an instrument of the Divine healing energy that is always available to those who seek it. The world of chelation is the world of light that you can spread to others. As St. Francis asked, “Make me an instrument of Thy peace.”

Click here to discover more about this advanced healing technique >>>

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.     

                                                                         —-Confucius

What does it mean to “fall off the wagon”? The homey old expression comes from the days of unpaved streets when wagons filled with water traveled the roads wetting down the endless dust.  In the early days of the Prohibition Movement, problem drinkers were encouraged to give up strong spirits and get aboard the “water” wagon instead. “Falling off the wagon” came to mean tumbling backward into the gutter, sinking back into the mire of hopelessness. Farewell to the chariot that was going to carry you home!

Today, “falling off the wagon” is used as a way to express your disappointment in yourself. You didn’t stick to your diet. You let yourself get caught up in the fearful frenzy of news media designed to scare you senseless. You stopped meditating because you were just too busy and overwhelmed. Falling off the wagon perfectly describes those times when you fall away from the good habits and practices you want to build. You know your best life lies ahead, and you need that wagon of good spiritual self-care to get there. Do you give up or try to catch up?

You know what I’m going to say, don’t you? As singer-songwriter Hayley Williams would tell you, “Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand.”  Just as my recent tumble from a mountainside shook me awake to the real needs of my spirit, any fall you suffer may be the wake-up call for you. What’s happening in your inner world is reflected in your outer world. You may need to look close, think straight, and re-evaluate your life in spirit. Why aren’t you doing the things you know will help and heal and uplift you? Falling never means you have to stay down.

Here are some steps you can take to climb back on the wagon of spiritual growth and self-care:

First, forgive yourself! You fell off the wagon? Well, so have many great souls before you. Instead of beating yourself up for not sticking to your meditation practice, your yoga classes, or your vow never to engage in office gossip again, take a deep breath. You are a child of the Divine. Regarding yourself with love and gentleness is a reflection of your Source. Your falls are tools to build with, so use them to rise up and resume your journey.

Remember not to give in to fear in any form. Let love be your guiding emotion. Fear is a habit you can conquer with intention. I can, and I will! On the far side of everything that frightens you is freedom and the light of liberation. Don’t be afraid of failing or falling. Think about what you love and how much good your love can do in the world.

Focus on service and think about all you have to give. Your efforts to grow in spirit and to stay connected to the Divine matter to everyone. When you meditate, it isn’t just for your own peace of mind and well-being. You lift up the world with your love and your focus on oneness, harmony, and peace. Many others in the world have fallen and need help getting back up.

Reach out for help when you need it.  Our society suffers from loneliness and isolation. By rebuilding the connection and community that humans need to thrive, you are helping to heal yourself and others. I have noticed that I am more effective as an energy healer if I have a roomful of participants.  Gathering together in classes and workshops for spiritual study concentrates the love and intention you need to move forward. All hands are needed, whether they are reaching for a boost upward or lifting another back on board.

Re-engage right away! I recommend getting back to work on the heart of your spiritual practice—meditation. Be patient with yourself and keep in mind why you began meditating in the first place.  Not only is it the best practice I know for self-transformation, it leads to better health and greater happiness. Your meditation practice helps you and contributes to the well-being of all. And the more you work at it, the more it won’t be work at all, but pure joy!

Each day is a new day, and a new chance to turn toward the light. Of course there will be obstacles.  The secret is to accept them as challenges to strengthen you and building blocks for the best life ahead. You are not alone and you are infinitely creative and resourceful. As you take steps to grow in spirit, you add to your ability to help others do the same. Look down the road, and you’ll see that the wagon has paused to wait for you!

If you’re attracted to this type of learning or you want to know how meditation can change your life, learn how to meditate with me >>>

“Happiness is not determined by what’s happening around you but rather by what’s happening within you.”    —–Buddha

What would you say is the most important question of human life? Is it “Who am I?” Or “Where did I come from?” Or “Why am I here?” Mystics and philosophers of all traditions have reflected on these mysteries and arrived at one constant recommendation for seekers—“Look within!” The answers to these eternal questions and so many more are already alive and well deep within the recesses of your being.

The fact is that we’re all here on the same pilgrimage of the soul. Life is a journey toward higher consciousness. As I see it, we’ve come to this physical plane to be bearers of the light. This “light” is the highest energetic frequency that exists in our world and from which we originate. It’s the energy called Source, Spirit, oneness, love, or God.

On the path to higher consciousness, the mission is to shift from lower-self qualities—which are largely related to physical existence and survival—to higher-self qualities, using the energy of love that your soul intended for you to develop in this lifetime. Growing in the direction of love leads to happiness, health, abundance, and peace.

Is there a short cut on this path to higher consciousness where all good things await? As I have often said, learning to meditate changed the course of my life and set me firmly on a spiritual climb I never would have believed possible.

Things didn’t look good for me at first. My pilgrimage of the soul began with a childhood haunted by abuse. Although I had connected deeply with the world of Spirit through my family’s Catholic faith, I abandoned that connection during my rebellious teenage years, replacing it with addictions—to alcohol, Valium, high-risk sports, and extreme dieting. As a young lawyer, I was promiscuous and driven by ambition. Then, at age 24, I learned that I had cancer.

My diagnosis stunned and terrified me. I didn’t want to die. In fact, what I desperately wanted was a better way to live. I began reflecting as deeply as I could on my life and what might have caused me to become so ill. At this point, I discovered meditation. This new avenue of spiritual awakening helped me begin thinking clearly and allowed me to calm down.

When I stopped the addictive behavior that was numbing the pain of my difficult childhood, I focused on caring for myself—mind, body, and spirit. My self-esteem began to improve, and I started to feel better. I tried alternative healing modalities. After several sessions with an energy healer, I had a “spontaneous” remission from the cancer. I knew this miracle was due in great part to the energy work I’d received. In my quest to learn more, I took the first steps on my true life path to becoming an energy healer myself.

Daily meditation became crucial to my physical, emotional, and spiritual health. In my studies to become a spiritual teacher and energy healer, I learned that every culture throughout history has had some form of meditation. The purpose is to still the mind; calm, cleanse, and refresh the body; and increase the connection to Spirit.

One of the biggest problems of our modern-day culture is that we’ve let go of many of the things that in previous times supported our spirit. We’ve become more science and technology driven, more isolated from our neighbors, more secularized as a society.  How has this affected us? People have become more unsettled and anxious, restless and discontent—forever searching for something that will make them feel happy and whole.

Sadly, many members of our society are in a constant state of agitation and unrest. For me, the key practice for increasing your light and keeping your psyche healthy is meditation. Meditation can keep you connected to a power greater than yourself and help you stay focused on living in the light. When you connect with the Divine each day, this connection helps you discover your reason for being here. It helps you feel fulfilled and purposeful, knowing your life makes a difference to others.

What happens when you meditate correctly and regularly for some time is that your brain begins to function in a much more coherent way, which allows you to access intelligence that is beyond regular waking consciousness. The more you meditate, the more information will come to you. I highly recommend that for the best results you learn to meditate by studying with a teacher. You can learn from me here.

While the popular view of meditation is that its key purpose is to help us reduce stress, tune out, and get away from all the chaos of daily life, there is a much deeper purpose. The real intention of meditation is to tune in, to get in touch with what’s inside of yourself as well as with your Source of Being.

The ultimate goal is to reach that state of peace within that so many traditions speak of—the peace that is so profound that it is indeed beyond all understanding.

By expanding your awareness—by experiencing greater peace, raising your consciousness, and connecting with the Divine light—you are actually assisting every other person and creature on the planet to do the same. We’re all connected by one vast field of energy.

When you’re in that field, you’ll find the true meaning of Oneness. You’ll also discover that this field is pure, boundless potential—that you can accomplish anything when you’re tapped into it. You can create anything, heal anything. Meditation is the one intentional path that easily and reliably takes you there.

Are you ready to begin your journey to Meditation Mastery?

If you’re attracted to this type of learning or you want to know how meditation can change your life, learn how to meditate with me >>>

Are you sleeping, Brother John? – Traditional French song 

In the old familiar children’s song, Frère Jacques is sound asleep when he is supposed to be up ringing the bells for morning prayers.

Do you ever feel like the sleepy friar who isn’t quite awake when it’s time to rise, shine, and give out the glory? Maybe you feel like your entire life is one long nap and you are sleeping right through the important stuff.

Are you awake or asleep? Tuned in or zoned out? Your state of consciousness, your level of awareness of all the aspects of your mind, body, and spirit affects the way you experience everything, especially the degree of joy, happiness, and love you feel.

How does your level of consciousness influence your daily life? Find out by asking yourself a few simple questions: Are you filled with joy? Can you maintain or quickly return to a loving space in the face of adversity? Are you grateful for the blessings (and challenges) in your life?

According to the wisdom of ancient India, the Ayurvedic system of energy medicine, a person who is healthy and balanced in mind, body, and spirit is cheerful. Cheerful! A beautiful word for a beautiful state of being.

Each day you have a chance to experience the four major states of consciousness: waking, sleeping, dreaming, and meditative (also called contemplative).

Waking consciousness is your day-to-day awareness. It is how you function in the world and where you live most of the time when you’re not sleeping. Dreaming gives you access to your subconscious thoughts and feelings.

If you keep a journal of your dreams, you can capture and study what your subconscious considers important. This can be a valuable source of information to help in the process of healing and expanding your self-awareness.

It’s the meditative state of consciousness, however, that holds the key to the growth and empowerment of your spirit as well as the health and well-being of your mind and body. In the meditative state, you have the power to access higher levels of awareness as you re-connect with the Source of All That Is.

If you meditate every day, correctly and consistently, you will soon find that it affects the other states of consciousness in amazing ways. After I had been meditating for a few years, for example, I found that I needed less sleep. After a few more years, I realized that I had begun dreaming in a much more directed way.

As more time went by, I felt as if I were in a state of meditation all the time, floating between states of consciousness with ever greater access to the healing energy of unconditional love.

The meditative state enhances how awake and aware you are in every aspect of your life. Can you be open to noticing more beauty in the world, more goodness in the people around you, and more ways to serve and heal others?

Yes! Can you be stronger and more resilient in facing the challenges that life presents? Can you be more loving, accepting, and forgiving of yourself and others? Yes and yes!

Your meditation practice can bring the states of consciousness full circle and expand your waking state in powerful ways. If you are ready to move past the worrisome sensation that you are never quite awake and might be missing something wonderful, consider what happens when you expand your awareness:

You can know yourself better. You have a limitless potential for spiritual development and personal transformation. What abilities and powers are waiting to be discovered within? Why not wake up your potential for healing yourself and others in mind, body, and spirit? Self-knowledge leads to self-love and self-acceptance which lead to greater happiness.

You can see opportunities. Open your eyes and heart to the vast array of possibilities for attracting peace, joy, abundance, and love into your life. Closed doors can become open windows with expanded consciousness. Opportunities to serve others will appear and fit naturally into your life.

You can recognize your path. Your purpose and place in the world lie right before you. When you wake up to the knowledge that you are being divinely guided in the direction you were born to travel, you’ll let go of fear and frustration and embrace the blissful feeling that you are on your path.

You can appreciate the goodness around you. Being more awake and aware will open your eyes to the all the blessings you have to be grateful for. As you see more goodness in others, you’ll feel more empathy and compassion. Feelings of isolation and loneliness will fade as a sense of unity and oneness grows within.

You can call upon your powers of intuition and creativity. Expanded consciousness gives you greater ability to focus and concentrate. You can become more aware of your spiritual potential, access your talents and gifts, and see ways to use them. With increased faith in yourself and your purpose comes greater joy and playfulness. Wouldn’t you love to laugh more and share that joy with others?

It’s sweet to imagine that Frère Jacques, our sleepy Brother John, wakes up laughing and starts ringing those bells for all to hear.

If you’re ready to wake up and start being the REAL you… join our Summer Healing Series and begin a journey into the light… where you belong. Click here >>>

From ripe rosy peaches to gardenias in bloom to heaps of beach towels and sand buckets at the store, you can’t miss the signs of summer. Everyone has their own favorite sights, scents, tastes, music, and memories of summer—the traditional season of freedom and relaxation. Routine and work-day responsibilities fade into the background while beaches, mountains, forests, and parks beckon!

What will you do this summer to celebrate the season of longer, lighter, warmer days? As an energy healer and spiritual teacher, I have a few ideas for you. Underlying all that is joyful and beautiful is the creative energy of Spirit. Why not think of your summer as a perfect time to look within and tune up your healing connection to that unlimited source of light?

First, envision your very best self. How would that highest self think and feel? What can you do to move closer with love to that vision? Summer is all about healing energy —more light, greater warmth, more time, and more opportunity to heal and grow in Spirit. Here are some ways you can harness the powerful energy of summer:

1. Meditate!

A less encumbered schedule this summer? It’s a perfect time to recommit to a daily meditation practice. Meditation has been the true north star of spiritual growth in my life. I teach it and preach it with my whole heart as the foundation of all healing practice. You can learn my tried and true method here.

2. Plant!

Summer is the growing season when flowers, fruits, and food crops flourish. What can you plant this summer that will give you the deep satisfaction of watching life appear and expand? Whether you plant radish seeds and marvel at their magical growth or plant a tree for a future forest, the experience of tilling the Earth with your hands is a sacred ritual. Imagine yourself planting a seed of hope or compassion or courage in the fertile ground of your spirit and see what blossoms!

3. Move (Outside!)

Summer invites you to move your body more so step out into the sunlight and spend time enjoying the wonders of the natural world. The bright and potent energy of the summer urges you to move into action mode. Being connected to the energy of Mother Earth is something our culture is steadily losing, but you can reclaim the peace and joy that comes from being in tune with nature. Being outside helps to ground you and clear, balance, and charge your chakras. Use your long summer days for more healing walks and outdoor exercise.

4. Splash!

Think of how many sweet summer memories are connected to water—swimming and boating, hiking beside a mountain stream, marveling at the power of a mighty waterfall, listening to the crash of ocean waves. Water is a powerful tool for healing. Just taking a walk along a waterfront, river or lake will help clear your mind and lift your spirits. Water is an elemental force for good, a conduit of universal energy. It can help you clear blockages from your second chakra and second level of your personal energy field. Saltwater is especially healing – take time to head to the beach and play in the surf. Take advantage of all the wonderful ways you can enjoy water this season!

5. Shine!

Consider what the summer sun does for your spirit with its warmth and light, energizing and empowering all your dreams and desires. Enjoying the good energy the sun provides can help you wake up the power you have within to shine forth in the world. How can you begin to shine like the sun in your work, in your relationships, in your service, in your spiritual practice?  As the poet Hafiz famously said, “Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that—it lights the whole sky.” Let your spirit shine!

Summer is full of opportunities, so make sure you embrace the light of the season to help you heal and grow your spirit. Summer’s freedom and weather create the perfect opportunity to move toward healthier habits and heal yourself from the inside out. Whether you are basking in the sun or swimming in the ocean or lying on a blanket looking up at the clouds, take advantage of this precious time to benefit from the powerful healing energy of summertime.

If you are interested in this type of learning, check out my Chakra Wisdom Course.