2023-BTSBlog-1

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

by Featured

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2023-UniversalInsightsBlog-featured

Three Universal Life-Enhancing Insights

by Energy MedicineFeaturedSelf Love

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

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

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

Are you hiring?

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

Here’s an example.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2023-SeepDeprivedBlog-featured

Sleep Deprivation: The Cure for This Hidden Epidemic

by Astral ProjectionFeaturedSelf Love

Feeling sleep-deprived … or chronically tired?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are a few solutions to try:

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

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

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

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

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

Alcohol consumption. (Avoid it.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alcohol consumption. (Avoid it.)

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

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

Insomnia. (see above)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

astral wisdom course
2023-PerseidMeteorShowerBlog-featured

Don’t Miss the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower Extravaganza!

by Astrological EventsFeaturedPlanetary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check for Your best time to see the Perseids here.

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

2023-VedicAstrologyBlog-featured

What Vedic Astrology Can Tell You about THE MOON’s Influence on Your Mind, Emotions, Health, and Destiny

by Astrological EventsFeaturedLunar

“When the moon is in the 7th House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars…”

Above is the opening line of AQUARIUS, a scintillating song from the iconic stage play and motion picture HAIR. Oddly enough, it’s a Vedic-lunar-astrology based tune, not the usual (and less accurate)  western sun-based astrological perspective. 

Modern western astrology is tremendously simplified, often focusing solely on the position of the sun at your time of birth. 

But here’s the truth: the sun is the wrong celestial body entirely!

According to eastern Vedic astrology, it is the position of the moon, not the sun, that matters most, from an energy perspective. The moon influences Earth’s tides, our reproductive cycles, and more. So, in this respect, the moon is mightier than the sun because of its proximity to us and its ability to influence our lives.

Discover the connection between the moon, its energy, and your health and destiny.

In Vedic astrology, the moon represents mind (your emotions and your subconscious) and mother

For those blessed with attentive, loving mothers, the words mind and mother conjure up fond memories of the countless times she delivered empathy, sensitivity, responsiveness, and sustenance.

In your birth chart, in which phase was the moon? That is the phase which reveals how keenly and naturally you are capable of experiencing the divine mother inside yourself and how clearly you can nurture and empathize with others. It is also that phase which determines your sensitivity and ability to grasp all that is available to you as a human being.

In Vedic Astrology, the Moon is the second planet (after the Sun) in the order of nine planets. It is a factor of mind, mother, mental state, morale, material things, happiness, peace, wealth, etc.

The Moon is considered by Vedic astrologers to be the most influential planet because it governs our mind and emotions, temperaments, behaviors, moods, instincts, emotional makeup, and feelings.

The moon is considered our most important planet (although scientists don’t call it a planet) because of its “next-door neighbor”-like proximity in our solar system. Because it is so close, it influences our tides, our reproductive cycles, our fertility phases, and other aspects of our emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing, not to mention our ultimate destiny!

The Moon represents our capacity for profound emotional healing

When the Moon is robust and well-positioned in an individual’s birth chart, they are well-connected to their emotions and insights, and they can express their feelings openly and honestly.

But when an individual’s Moon is weak or less well positioned, they can have trouble processing their emotions, they can feel disconnected from their feelings, and have difficulty expressing their emotions.

So, the condition of the Moon in your birth chart offers crucial insights into your inherent capacity for intimacy, self-awareness, and mental and emotional growth.

The Moon is the single most important planet in Vedic Astrology (Jyotish) because your state of mind determines your emotional responses to everything that life presents to you. The Moon is especially important in determining your ability to attach, love, nurture, and mother (offer care). It also influences your habits, emotional reactions, and instinctive behavior.

The Moon represents your instinctive response to your environment, and how you use your imagination. The Moon can become a crucial guide to understanding yourself and others by helping you tap into your inner resources to create positive change.

In Vedic Astrology, the Moon is also believed to represent your unconscious mind, which can be accessed to gain greater insight into your hidden emotions and desires. In each birth chart, the Moon can reveal how an individual responded to their early childhood experiences and how those experiences continue to influence them.

The Moon is also believed to represent the powerful people who play major roles in our lives: our parents, caregivers, and others who provide emotional support.

Vedic Astrology Lunar Insights

Individuals born under a New Moon are frequently restless, impulsive, and constant change seekers, while those born under a Full Moon appear and present themselves as more stable and temperate personalities because they can tap into their fundamental emotional needs and stabilize themselves during times of trauma and ambiguity.

The Moon also represents the systems within our bodies that nurture and feed us: our blood, which distributes nutrition and oxygen to all parts of our body: our womb, which nurtures growing fetuses; and our brain.

In Vedic astrology, the compatibility of prospective marriage partners is determined by the placement of the moon in each person’s chart. The closer the prospective marriage partners’ moons are, the better the relationship is likely to be.

Your health and physiology are influenced by many factors, including diet, exercise, and genetics. But perhaps among the most crucial influences on your physical well-being is the moon. According to traditional Vedic texts, the moon governs your blood and buoyancy (your water retention, or lack thereof), plus a number of mental health issues.

And the moon affects your physical health, too, including unusual/abnormal sleepiness, various afflictions, abscesses, and other maladies. And the moon may cause indigestion, female health issues, jaundice, mental aberrations, blood impurities, and death from water-related illnesses.

The Moon (Thumbnail Aspects and Assets)

Powerful feminine energy

Your crown chakra (emotions, instinct, mind) is ruled by the moon

The stronger your connection to the full moon, the more your heart chakra is aligned. Your heart chakra is home to kindness and forgiveness. This means that a full moon is the perfect time to let go of negativity.

Meditation and healing take place at their fullest during a full moon. This period represents transformation, fertility, and completion.

Many people find moon-gazing peaceful and therapeutic. Watching the moon regularly can boost your awareness of the natural world and add a level of wonder and peace that surpasses what you may be achieving with more typical meditation.

Right now, you can register for our brand-new, live, 7-week course on Vedic Astrology with one of the world’s premier experts on the topic. Learn all about Vedic Astrology – the more accurate astrological science – has to say about your life path. Register now >>

2023-VedicAstrologyBlog-featured

Using Vedic Astrology to Guide our Spiritual Journey

by Astrological EventsEnergy MedicineFeaturedPlanetary

The Karmic Wisdom of the Stars

Today, I would like to tell you about Vedic astrology. Vedic astrology is not separate from Vedic philosophy or Vedic meditation, (both of which I teach), but entwined with both. Many Bollywood celebrities believe deeply in the power of Vedic astrology, and it is threaded throughout Eastern culture and spirituality today. Teachers and sages continue to give it serious study around the world, and the line from now to the dawn of Vedic astrology can be traced back for thousands of years. 

To begin with the words of the spiritual teacher Yogananda, “Astrology is the study of man’s response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these do not help or harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibriums which each man has set in motion in the past.” As we shall see, this is very important to understand. Because when we talk about Vedic astrology, we are also talking about karma.

Vedic astrology first emerged in India between 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. Ancient Indian astrologers looked to the stars for guidance and navigation. Jyotisha, which translates roughly as the “science of light,”  helps us understand how karma influences the present. The seven chakras of the human body correspond to the seven main planets in the Vedic system. We can draw upon Vedic astrology and its insights to guide us along our spiritual journey.

Astrology is thought of as the “eyes of the Veda.” Vedic astrology is not just about daily predictions but is integrated with meditation as a means to approach the divine. In practice, Vedic astrology is mathematically sophisticated and requires extensive study to master. Some family lines in India can track their lineage as teachers of astrology back for centuries.

Vedic astrology needs to be studied on its own terms and within the long history of Vedic philosophy. Still, it can be helpful to begin with comparisons to one’s own culture and traditions. Western astrology began in the Hellenistic period, which dates from the death of Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.E. to the start of the Roman Empire in 31 B.C.E. In other words, while not as old as the Vedic tradition, Western astrology is also really old.  Western science may frown on astrology, but it still has much to teach us if we are willing to learn.

Western astrology uses the tropical calendar, which is based on the 365 days it takes the Sun to pass from vernal equinox to vernal equinox. A tropical year is divided into 4 seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Western astrological charts are based on the planet’s fixed positions.

Vedic astrology, on the other hand, uses the sidereal system, which looks at changing, observable constellations. The sidereal system dates to the time of the Pharaohs in Kemet, over 7000 years ago; a little older than Western, for sure! A sidereal year is the time it takes a planet, say the Earth or Mercury, to orbit the Sun once with respect to fixed stars. In Vedic astrology, the birth chart for an individual reflects the exact position of the planets over the place of their birth, at the precise moment of their birth.

Now it starts to get very interesting. The tropical system and the sidereal system drift apart by about 1 degree every 72 years, and a sidereal year is 20 minutes longer than a tropical year. This may seem inconsequential, but it has a huge effect on the results of the two systems. Nevertheless, Western and Vedic astrology both have twelve signs, and the meanings ascribed to the signs have some similarities.

However, your sign in Vedic astrology will likely be different from what you are used to. One of my students, for example, was born on October 25. In Western astrology, she is a Scorpio (Vrishchika in Hindi). In Vedic astrology, she is a Libra (or Tula in Hindi). Vedic astrology would also point out that your rising sign is more important than your Sun sign.

This is all quite complex, which is part of the reason that some Indian universities offer degree programs in Vedic astrology. We can only consider the broad outlines of the two systems today. However, hopefully, this brief introduction to the differences between the two systems will demonstrate how distinctive Vedic philosophy is.

Before we move on, I want to say a quick word about one more astrological system. In the early 20th century, K.S. Krishnamurti, one of India’s most noteworthy astrologers, developed a system called KP Astrology. Many consider this to be a modernized version of Vedic astrology; it is, in fact, simpler to use and integrates certain aspects of Western astrology. I do not have time to go through the key differences now, but I just wanted to mention this and emphasize that we are talking here about ancient Vedic astrology, not the KP version.

In the Vedic tradition, astrology works with meditation and other devotional practices to guide us as we walk our spiritual path toward Enlightenment. Parashara Rishi, a Vedic sage, is the father of Jyotish Shastra, Vedic astrology. Parashara Rishi wrote the Vishnu Purana—the first 19 Puranas—and established the fundamental principles of Vedic astrology. Roger Gabriel, an expert in this field, puts it well when he wrote that “Jyotish helps you understand the effects of an external Universe on your life. Meditation brings you the realization that the Universe is within you; that you are the Universe.”

Vedic astrology, meditation, and ayurvedic medicine are interwoven in a holistic system that seeks balance in the mind, the body, and the spirit. Daily pop horoscopes are fun, but Vedic astrology is a serious approach to understanding cause and effect as it influences you throughout your lifetimes. All of them. Which brings us to . . . karma.

Vedic astrology as a philosophical system cannot be separated from the concepts of karma and reincarnation. A Vedic birth chart not only lifts the veil on your future; it shows you how the arrangement of the planets at the moment of your birth reflects all that has come before. In other words, it shows you your collective karma from previous incarnations. Whether positive or negative, these reverberations shape you as you continue your journey in this current body.

Karma has many layers in the Vedic system. Sanchita Karma is the accumulated karma of all your past lives, both good and bad. Pralabda Karma can be thought of as the “unfinished business” of your previous lives, which you need to confront in this lifetime. Kriyaman Karmais is the new karma you are generating, right now, every moment of every day, through our thoughts and actions. And, finally, Aagmi Karma is the karma of future birth for those of you whose journey continues into yet another lifetime. 

Let’s pause for a moment. The idea of karma can be difficult for Westerners to accept and even disturbing to some. Contemporary and secular Western values put a great emphasis on individual agency. The notion of past lives and collective karma often agitates those who believe that life should be largely under their control.

Karma, from the Western standpoint, also sometimes seems to contradict the notion of free will, which underlies everything from who we marry to our legal system. Taken simplistically, some observers may wonder if karma does not “blame the victim” and allow offenders to go “scot free.” If karma extends thousands of years and multiple lifetimes into the past, how can any of us be sure of what justice is today?

But let’s go a bit deeper. Vedic philosophy is distinct from Western philosophy. We do not want to simplify too much and the study of either of these systems requires dedication and effort. But we also do not have to put everything into a binary model of either “good” or bad.” Perhaps it is better to sit with these beliefs for a long time and resist the urge to judge. Wisdom does not happen in one day, or even one lifetime. 

So, without simplifying too much or proposing a false equivalency, let me note that the principle of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31)” has a lovely resonance with the principle of karma. By the way, I am not the first to note this. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—yes, the guru who instructed The Beatles in the practice of meditation—discussed this more than once, even on the Larry King Show.

My point is this: Vedic astrology does not absolve us of agency or free will. Sanchita Karma is eternal, but the other layers of karma can be changed. The birth chart maps our karma and points to areas wherein we may have challenges in this lifetime due to accumulated bad karma. But it also points to possibilities for growth and happiness. In either case, apart from our Sanchita Karma, we continue to steer the ship, within the boundaries of the planetary influences at the time of our birth.

In the slightly paraphrased words of Snei Joshi, a Vedic astrologer, “The Vedic horoscope of a person is like a businessman’s balance sheet at the beginning of every year. It represents the total debt and total credit accumulated by the soul in its past lives.” We are not absolved of the responsibility to use the wisdom of the stars in making good choices and attending to our spiritual wellbeing.

Which is why to talk of Vedic astrology is also to talk of Vedic meditation. Om is the sound of the universe at the very beginning, at a time stretching so far back into the mist that we label it eternity and try to understand. Through meditation, we can let go of our attempts to confront Enlightenment “head on,” and truly connect with that which is eternal, divine, everlasting. 

In Vedic astrology, the mantra selected by a spiritual teacher like myself resonates in your body and corresponds with the three fundamentals of life: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. When you align your meditation practice with the insights contained in your astrological chart, you will begin to see the unity between thought and deed, action, and reaction, the past, present, and future. You will move beyond this moment to connect with all that has come before and that which will be, and finally achieve transcendence.

Now, none of this is going to happen today or tomorrow. It may not happen in many lifetimes. But the essential point is that meditation works with Vedic astrology to guide you along your unique spiritual journey. The past exerts a strong influence on what is possible in the present, but you are not a prisoner of past choices or a victim. You are not given a free pass to stumble around and chalk-up everything that happens to “karma.” Instead, drawing upon the knowledge contained in your birth chart, and devoting yourself to daily meditation and your mantra, you begin to move from darkness towards the light. If you are not yet meditating with a mantra that has been selected for you, you can do so here>>

Swami Vivekananda, the seer who we can thank for introducing the Vedas to the Western World, captures all of this in a very simple but profound way. He taught that the mind is everything. As many have said, “What we think, we become.” This is why Vedic meditation and astrology are inextricable from each other. The insights of your birth chart are not a prison sentence, but rather a way to connect the vast complexity of karma to your real, lived life. You have choices to make and work to do.

I hope that you have found this introduction to Vedic astrology helpful and encouraging. As noted, Vedic astrology is an ancient system, and we cannot master it in one session or even one lifetime. And yes, just as in the West, Vedic astrology can be used for what we might call “pop” purposes, but that is simply a byproduct of our times. Vedic astrology has enriched thought and culture immensely, been a core component of Vedic philosophy across oceans of time, and continues to be taught and used today.

Through serious study and meditation, each of us can apply this wisdom in our own lives. Vedic astrology, coupled with a devoted meditation practice, has the power to bring us that much closer to Enlightenment.

And because so many people have asked, we are going to be introducing Vedic Astrology in depth, beginning with a FREE event, which you can register for by clicking here >> 

2023-ProtectingYourEnergyBlog-featured

Protecting Your Energy: 5 Actionable Steps

by Energy MedicineFeatured

One of the topics I insist on covering when I’m teaching energy healing to students is the crucial necessity of protecting your personal energy field. This is because during your time on this planet, you will encounter toxic people, psychic attack, energy vampires, and global catastrophes. There is simply no way to sidestep all of it.

But there are ways to mitigate.

“What Drains Your Energy?”

Not everyone is drained of their energy by the same forces.

Introverts’ energy gets drained whenever and wherever human interaction with others occurs. No matter how intimate the connection or how fond the bond, introverts require space and distance to recoup their energy level.

Extroverts, on the other hand, are invigorated by social interactions and feel drained when they’re deprived of them for very long.

Example: The COVID social distancing protocols were embraced, by and large, by introverts because it became socially acceptable to isolate, giving them opportunities in abundance to “disappear” for the better part of two years, and recharge themselves.

But for extroverts, the exact same isolation protocols, for many, felt like an existential threat. Even with Zoom, FaceTime, and outdoor social-distanced communal activities, many extroverts’ energy levels became severely compromised, prompting them to fall into despair and depression. “Check on your friends’ and family’s mental health” became a constant theme because any change in customary routines could create tsunami-level emotional, psychological, and hormonal waves.

So, it’s important to positively identify whatever it is that is draining your energy. There are so many possibilities: certain family members (you know them – they’re experts at pushing your buttons); toxic associates (naysayers, dream stealers, curmudgeons, coworkers, bosses, Negative Neals and Nellies); psychic attack from a negative source (intentional or not); energy vampires (people who suck the energy right out of you for various reasons: codependence, neediness, fearfulness, narcissism, or some other energy-draining quality); social media (with its 24/7/365 ability to wear you out and down); mass shootings; and any of the other global crises that threaten our wellbeing (armed conflicts, climate change, regime challenges, what next)?

If you’re like me, there is more than a single source of your energy depletion, so you will need to employ several methods to restore your baseline energy level.

To be clear, most energy deficits come as a result of external negative-energy influences or internal medical or psychological/emotional challenges, not by way of direct psychic attack. Although your energy field helps to ward off external negative influences, it is not impervious; some negative energies can enter through a hole in your field. What causes a hole? Well, I’ve written entire books on that, but, the short answer is: unprocessed emotions. When your baseline energy level is restored, your personal energy field and chakra centers return to serve as illustrious defenders of your organic functions.

Among the best ways to protect yourself from negative energies is to develop habits and practices that bolster and restore your energy field on a regular basis.

You can do this in multiple ways. Here are a few of my go-to, standby favorites:

  1. Abide by the Golden Rule. Don’t expect to be protected if you engage in attacking anyone else’s energy field. The universe richly rewards those who treat others as they would like to be treated! Best Practice: Learn to keep your energy field in “neutral,” as opposed to on “push” or in “retreat.”
  1. Set boundaries for yourself and others. When you’re forced into close proximity with toxic individuals, (some interactions simply can’t be avoided), limit your exposure by setting boundaries: “We will not discuss politics.” “We will not discuss religion.” We will not bash or criticize each other’s significant other or children.” Best Practice: Set boundaries that align with your higher self.
  1. Start each day with the intention to act from the highest guidance. Begin the day by connecting to your guides, your angels, your ancestors. Best Practice: Build an altar on which to place those objects that help you focus on higher guidance and start each day with a prayer to those guides.
  1. Make a habit of clearing your energy field; employing white light to do so is often helpful. Best Practice: Spent one minute each morning after your mantra-based meditation clearing, charging, and balancing each of your seven main chakras.
  1. Get educated. If you are new to the world of energy and energy healing, join a program that will ramp up your energy healing abilities and connect you to a community of like-minded folks that will support you on your quest. Best Practice: Spend even 10 minutes a day reading/watch/listening about energy healing techniques and how they can help you protect your personal energy field.

    Consider joining our LifeForce Energy Healing Level I Certification Course. It is the first step on the way towards energy healing mastery and will be the perfect first step towards beginning that momentum. Or check out our Energy Shop to see which course is the right one to solve the specific issue you’re looking to remedy.

It’s important to take steps to protect (and enhance) your energy at all times. It is what drives your quality of life in all areas.

Animal Communication Energy Healing

Our Enlightened Friends: How and Why Animals Communicate with Us

by Energy HealingEnergy MedicineFeaturedPets
Animal Communication Energy Healing

If you’re an animal lover like I am, you’ll have no problem embracing the notion that all animals – tame, domesticated, captive, and wild — think, react, and communicate among themselves and, more importantly, with us. Our experiences with them have confirmed this fact.

And if you know that humans are essentially spiritual beings, as I do, then it’s likely you believe, as do I, that animals are spiritual beings too. In fact, my life experiences with animals have convinced me that they are far more enlightened than we are.

Animal Communication Energy Healing

More than one animal lover has declared animals far better at offering unconditional loving-kindness and forgiveness than any human! I have often said that animals can teach us a thing or two (or two hundred) about how to live life as gracefully as possible.

ANIMALS TRULY CARE

Have you heard about Koko, the sign language-adept gorilla, meeting her favorite and most-watched TV celebrity, Mister Rogers, and taking off his shoes because she had seen him do that on every episode of Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

Or how about the documented cases of wild dolphins rescuing humans who have fallen overboard.

At one point, we had a dozen llamas living together with a gelded horse named Brio. One morning early, before the sun was up, Mama Llama, who had been pregnant for close to a year, gave birth. (llamas and alpacas, or camelids, have a pregnancy that averages a whopping 11.5 months) Eric and I were sleeping outside in a tent, near the blessed event, and Brio galloped over and whinnied excitedly that he had just had a baby! I guess the fact that Brio had been gelded young hadn’t daunted his desire to be a father nor was he troubled that the infant was of another species – he couldn’t have been prouder as he pranced around the field!

Animal Communication Energy Healing

And if you’ve ever had a cat, dog, horse, or some other kindred spirit in animal guise approach you because you’re in pain, to be with you to lend their support and comfort, you have all the proof you’ll ever need that our animals are proactively ministerial and compassionate guardian angels.

Animal Communication Energy Healing

One of my students, Kris, told me she had a Siamese cat named Charisma who she swore was psychic. Whenever Kris would have a truly distressing thought, the cat would run to her from outside with a loud “meow,” as if he had been summoned by her, although Kris hadn’t said a word! Kris told me she even tried faking the sensation of distress, but doing so elicited no response from Charisma. Only the real emotion worked, and it worked every time, no matter where the cat was. It was as though he had whisker-like appendages attached to his favorite person that notified him of her emotional status.

I love the song in Doctor Doolittle called Talk to the Animals. Sadly, though, a lot of people who haven’t experienced close contact with animals consider interactive communication with them whimsical, wishful thinking, or — in skeptical scientific terms —largely speculative and anthropomorphic projection.

Like many other animal lovers, I respect my pets and don’t consider myself their owner. We animal lovers realize we share the earth with all these other remarkably aware beings – beings that are so much more evolved than we are.

“Baby Cries, Caregiver Comes!”

Are you aware that cats don’t meow to each other? Meowing is an adaptation they came up with; researchers postulate that their meows are their best impression of a human baby crying. “Baby cries; caregiver comes! I will try that! Voila! Success!!!” (Two exceptions: young, still-nursing kittens will squeak out a meow-like vocalization to call their mothers back to them, and nursing mother cats will meow to notify their offspring that they’re returning or looking for them.)

Animal Communication Energy Healing

Among themselves, cats chirp, tweet, hiss, spit, purr, groom each other, and tussle. Their meows, after weaning, are for us alone. So, cats learned to speak literally eons before our scientists in the West decided to try to figure out what the rest of their vocal repertoire was all about!

Ears, Hackles, Tails & Vocalizations – How Animals Communicate

Animal Communication Energy Healing

I had so many conversations with my Dutch warmblood horse, Influence, across the years — some uproariously funny, others profound. In fact, he spoke better English than I spoke Horse!

A lot of people converse with their pets. Part whimsy, sure, but true communication, soul to soul, is occurring. You can call a beloved pet a derogatory term just for fun (one person I know calls her dog “turd butt”) but it will feel how much love you have for them. That’s because it isn’t the language you’re using that’s communicating; it’s your soul, your undamaged, loving essence.

Animals respond to what you’re actually feeling. They’re not fooled by your Oscar-worthy acting ability.

Pretending to be patient when trying to get a puppy to return to you goes over like a lead balloon. The puppy knows you’re feeling frustrated and maybe even angry, and that’s what it will respond to. It will decide whether it’s going to feel safe and ready to comply with your request.
Animals communicate verbally and non-verbally. Some of their nonverbal communications include flickering ears, wagging (or sagging or unmoving and level) tails, and a physical reaction called piloerection, which is when some of the hair on their bodies stands upright. (For humans, goosebumps are our body’s honest effort to raise our hackles.)

Being able to communicate back can have a profound impact on your life – making you a better person, allowing you to tap more fully into the healing power of your animal friends, and allowing you to return the favor of providing the healing energy they also need as living beings.

If your pets remain a mystery to you, here’s a suggestion. Put on your Keen Observer/Researcher hat. Emulate Jane Goodall as closely as possible.

Animal Communication Energy Healing

With patience and persistence, your pets — and the crows in your backyard, and the woodland and barnyard creatures that they communicate with — will become an open book to you.

This kind of sleuthing will become so much fun that you’ll find ways to do it every chance you get. And your pets and the environment will be just that much better off because of your new adventure in talking to, and with, the animals in your life.

If you are looking for a bit more guidance on how you can become a better communicator for your animal friend, how you can connect with the more deeply, and how you can better exchange healing energies to improve each others’ lives – consider accessing our Communicating with Pets and Animals course here >>

Pets and Animal Healing
2023-HowtobeofServiceBlog-retread

How to Be of Service (And Why It Matters)

by Energy HealingFeatured

The best thing you can do for yourself and the planet is to be of service to others. You can practice every energy medicine technique in the book: journal your deepest feelings until your wrist hurts, meditate twice daily, pray, connect with Mother Nature, clear your chakras, release your limiting beliefs, etc., but if you aren’t being of service, you are not fully living in the light.

Being of service doesn’t have to include the big gestures you might be thinking about. You don’t have to quit your job and give up your life to join volunteers in a far-off area to help disaster victims, or donate your life savings to charity. You don’t have to work at a food bank or with at-risk teens, unless you want to. Being of service is not only about what you do, but also about how you do it. True service means that you are doing what you are meant to do, and doing it with compassion and love.

Understanding that service is both attitude and action helps you to see that the opportunities for being of service are constant in everything you do. Let that car into the lane ahead of you, smile at the tired-looking bank or grocery store clerk, offer to help someone with their hands full carry their drinks at Starbucks. These gestures may seem small, but each one sends a ripple of love out into the universe. And chances are, you will have uplifted the person you helped and possibly inspired them to also be of service, further stretching the reach of kindness and love. Enough ripples create a wave, and selfless service is the first step to spurring a wave of deep and boundless love to wash over the world.

Here are a few additional tips for how to be of service:

  1. Chop wood, carry water.

     

    This is the phrase I use in my energy healing courses and workshops to help teach my students that being of service does mean you have to do the work, get your hand dirty so to speak, whatever that means for you. Anything you do that gives of your time and energy in order to benefit someone else, as long as you do it with love and without expectation of reward, counts as being of service.

For you, this might mean planting trees in a neighborhood park, or walking dogs, or playing violin on a busy street corner. Perhaps you’re a birthday party clown or a food server or a window washer. Service can be any deed or action that elevates others. After all, that clown is making kids laugh, a restaurant server helps to feed customers, a street corner musician gives a little art to brighten the day of passersby. When you do your work from a place of light, that light radiates to everyone you interact with like a beacon of hope, compassion, and love.

  1. Figure out how you would like to help.

    It’s really hard to act out of love if you’re miserable, and serving others while resenting the work or the people will fill you with negativity rather than love, which doesn’t actually help anyone. So take the time to do some soul searching and think about how you would like to serve others. Try not to think about what your parents or partner think you should do, and as much as possible, shut down any self-doubt that tells you you aren’t capable of doing something, and really focus on getting in touch with your true feelings about what you want to do.

Journal about it, mull it over, ask your guides, and I bet you’ll find that the way you want to serve takes advantage of your unique gifts. You were given your gifts for a reason, so use them! If you’re great at organizing, or wonderful with children, or can paint portraits, or are a born counselor or energy healer—these talents are the way to serve authentically and without resentment or irritation. In this way, being of service can help to awaken and strengthen your special skills as well as help to heal and uplift others.

I’d like to mention here a rarely discussed truth about being of service: it’s okay to enjoy it! There seems to be the misconception that service must be somber and joyless, but who wants to be helped by someone who is all doom and gloom? Joy creates joy. If you are joyful in your service, everyone around you will be buoyed up by that happy energy, too.

  1. Check your ego at the door.

    Expectation of reward is the greatest obstacle to true service. There are two types of giving: that which seeks recognition, and that which serves in silence. If the reason you are serving others is so that you will be seen serving others, you are feeding your ego and not feeding the greater good. If you want to be known as a “good-doer” more than you actually want to do good, then you are not truly being of service. Even those in healing or helping professions, like doctors or therapists or teachers, are only really being of service if they do those jobs in a compassionate, selfless manner. A doctor who helps others solely to advance her personal power and greed is not embracing the attitude of love true service requires.

Focusing on others without thinking of yourself is what makes service a spiritual practice; the process forces you to step outside your small selfish Earthly self and think of the greater interconnectedness of all life. As a spiritual teacher, this in an important lesson I teach: since the universal field encompasses us all, what you send out into the universe comes back to you, so sending positivity to others improves your own life as well. And, as a bonus, when you stop worrying about your own progress and success, that’s when Spirit rewards you with exactly that.

If you are interested in this type of learning, please check out my LifeForce Energy Healing.
2022 BFS
Evolve during summer

3 Things to Add to Your Summertime Bucket List

by Energy MedicineFeaturedSelf Love
Evolve during summer

It’s summertime! Here are a few items that I encourage you to add to your Summertime Bucket List:

  1. Take a sabbatical from Netflix. I know just how addictive binge-watching Netflix can be. In fact, I just “rediscovered” Suits, that awesome 9-season TV series that has me hooked, so I speak from experience when I suggest we all fight off that “urge to binge” and head outdoors right now. Summer only comes once a year, so we need to jump on it! You can hang with your pets, drive through a wildlife park, visit a beach at the ocean, or a lake. Give yourself permission to just BE. You are a human BEING not a human DOING. Your body and spirit will thank you!
Evolve during summer
  1. Choose a summertime wilderness trail to explore. Put on your hiking boots, shorts, and shirt, apply sunscreen, fill your backpack with survival essentials (drinking water, matches, food bars, thermal, a small/foldable emergency blanket in case you end up having to spend the night outdoors due to a missed turn, your phone, a Swiss Army knife, insect spray, first aid essentials) and take a hike. As long as you prepare for the unexpected, a hike to an alpine lake or across some other breathtakingly beautiful nature spot will rejuvenate you like nothing else can.
  1. Visit your favorite environment and do something fun while you’re there.

    Love the water (lake, ocean, pond, river, beach)?     If so, consider building a sandcastle (if there is the right kind of sand or mud where you are), renting a kayak or canoe, going swimming, doing yoga, meditating, painting or drawing what you see (or doing your best to express in words what you see and feel when you’re in your perfect place), going whitewater rafting (or its less intense counterpart, peaceful river rafting), surfing, scuba diving or snorkeling, paddleboarding, or inner-tubing down a placid river. Go whale watching. Whatever “floats your boat!”

Love the Outdoors? Attend an outdoor concert in your region and/or play an outdoor game. Admire the wildflowers. Plant a butterfly garden. Take a road trip. Go camping. Visit a farmer’s market. Ride a roller coaster or ferris wheel. Walk or Run 5K for a good cause. Visit a zoo, wildlife park or animal sanctuary. Go birdwatching. Make a bonfire and cook s’mores, baked beans, and vegan hot dogs. Play tennis, pickleball, volleyball, badminton or any other game that offers laughter and exercise. Rent a log cabin for a weekend or mid-week or longer and meditate or do yoga outside it every morning and evening. (Be sure to step outside to greet sunrises and bid adieu to sunsets!) Visit a regional parade. Take an archery class. Catch a ride in a hot air balloon. Make a birdhouse.

Evolve during summer

Confined to a City? Create chalk art. Volunteer. Put on a puppet show for your neighborhood. Visit a museum and/or an art gallery. Get an adult coloring book. Have a picnic in the park. Record your fondest memories and adventures in a journal or scrapbook. Start a summer gratitude journal. Visit venues that feature animals (zoos, aquariums, the ocean.) Foster a pet or adopt a pet. Write a poem or a song.

There is a poem that I just love, and it’s appropriate here. It speaks volumes about mindset, perspective, and intention, three things that can make or break the human spirit:

Two men looked out through prison bars.
One man saw dirt … the other, stars.

I know you will make this summer memorable in your own inimitable way. Let me know on Facebook if there are other things on your bucket list that I missed.

Enjoy Summer 2023. It will never come again, and you’ll never be this young again, so don’t put off enjoying it in every way you can!

Evolve during summer

And if finally taking steps towards personal transformation, achieving your goals, and becoming the person you were meant to be is on your bucket list, this Summer is the perfect time to take that step. Registration is currently open for our Master-in-Training program. A year-long program that offers you transformative teachings, a close-knit support group, and an opportunity to work directly with me. It’s nothing short of life-changing.

You can learn about the changes people experience in our free Open House. You can watch the replay here >>

If you’re ready to dive in, you can register for the program here >>

2023 Summer Solstice

How to Celebrate (and Make the Most of) The Summer Solstice

by Energy MedicineFeaturedSolar
2023 Summer Solstice

Ancient civilizations were keenly attuned to celestial events. They had to be. Agricultural or hunter-gatherer in nature, these people relied on their ancestors’ knowledge of the predictable changes that seasons bring to the land. Each season compelled precise “marching orders” that needed to be completed to help ensure their survival!

Among the longest-observed and celebrated astronomical anomalies were two solstices (two dates during the year when the sun appears to stand still) and two equinoxes (“equal-night” events).

2023 Summer Solstice

Today, we call these four days the first day of summer, autumn/fall, winter, and spring) and today’s farmers and subsistence hunters and gatherers continue to regard them as crucial dates because nature’s relationship with the sun changes ever-so-slightly (but crucially) during these times.

Those who live in rural and suburban areas can easily witness the changes that the four seasons bring, especially if we live in the northern part of the northern hemisphere: Seattle, Boise, Kalispell, the Great Lakes region, and the like.

In the spring, buds erupt from the ground, leaves erupt from branches, and robins return to pull juicy earthworms from newly warmed soils. Before too long, baby rabbits, birds, mice, rats, moles, and shrews begin to make their appearances. The environment comes alive with vibrant colors, sounds and activities.

As spring progresses toward summer, plants begin to ripen and living beings begin to mature. The land and air get warmer and natural water sources become scarcer. Field irrigation becomes necessary.

By the time summer solstice rolls around, the sun is beating down on the planet as many as 16 hours a day in the northern hemisphere (as opposed to the scant eight hours or so that it receives during the winter solstice). Abundant fresh produce floods farmers markets. Life is good. In fact, life is great! “If only this could be the status quo year-‘round,” I’m sure many of our now-long-dead ancestors wished!

But they knew better. They knew that summer was the last gasp as far as abundance went. They knew they needed to continue preparing for the cold, barren, bleak winter months ahead; they couldn’t rely on international commerce, as we do, to deliver what they would be needing to sustain their lives during the exceedingly lean months that stood between them and mid-spring the following year.

2023 Summer Solstice

So, it should come as no surprise to learn that they acknowledged, with enormous reverence, the value of Sol. Stonehenge and other solstice-specific monuments dot the globe, bearing mute testimony to the reverence our ancestors paid to their life-sustaining environment and to its chief benefactor and influence, the sun.

2023 Summer Solstice

Ancient Greeks

In Greece, the people celebrated the agricultural god Cronus during the Summer Solstice. During this festival, the social policy was reversed and enslaved people were served by their masters or treated and addressed as absolute equals.

Ancient Romans

For days before the summer solstice, ancient Romans attended a festival honoring Vesta, goddess of the hearth. This was the sole annual opportunity for married women to enter the temple to submit offerings to the goddess in that sacred space.

2023 Summer Solstice
2023 Summer Solstice

Ancient Chinese

The ancient Chinese honored the earth, femininity, and yin during the summer solstice.

Other Ancient Cultures

In Northern and Central Europe Germanic, Slavic and Celtic tribes greeted summer by building immense bonfires. The tradition continues to this day in several countries.

2023 Summer Solstice
2023 Summer Solstice

Vikings

Nordic mariners met to discuss legal matters and resolve disputes during the summer solstice. They also visited wells that they believed possessed healing powers and built bonfires around them.

Native Americans

Here in the Americas (North, Central and South) ancient Indigenous tribes took part in centuries-old midsummer rituals, some of which their ancestors continue to this day. Some scholars believe that Wyoming’s Bighorn medicine wheel aligns with the summer solstice sunrise and sunset and served as the site of their annual sun dance.

2023 Summer Solstice
2023 Summer Solstice

Maya and Aztecs

Although not a lot is settled about the ways ancient Central Americans celebrated midsummer, the impressive ruins they left behind point to the significance of the summer solstice to them. Many of the temples, public buildings, and other structures that remain today are precisely aligned with the shadows cast by summer and winter solstices.

Druids

Celtic high priests (today called Druids) very likely led ritual celebrations during midsummer, but it’s unlikely they took place at England’s famous Stonehenge site. This conjecture hasn’t kept modern Druids from gathering at the monument during the summer and winter solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes, though.

2023 Summer Solstice

Solstice Facts

The term solstice comes from two Latin words, “Sol” (sun) and “Sistere“ (“to stand still”). During both annual solstices, ancient astronomers noted that only during two widely separated days each year (in June and December) did the sun appear to be stationary in the sky.

A solstice marks one of the two times each year when the sun is farthest away from the equator.

This year in the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice will take place on Wednesday, June 21st at exactly 10:58am Eastern Time / 7:58am Pacific Time.

Summer and winter solstices happen at precise times; they are not day-long events, although these moments have been celebrated throughout the same day for thousands of years.

This year’s winter solstice in the northern hemisphere will occur at exactly 7:27p.m. Pacific Time/10:27PM Eastern Time on Thursday, December 21.

Here are ways to celebrate the Summer Solstice Where You Live

In addition to bonfires, fairs and festivals, some people use the occasion to restart their lives, let go of what no longer serves them, and/or open up to meaningful change. Following are examples.

2023 Summer Solstice

If you’re into yoga, start the day with a sun salutation to calm and center yourself.

Set new goals/intentions. Cast off whatever no longer serves you so you can open space in your life to laser focus on new goals and intentions. Perhaps start with what’s in your closet and/or bonus room, even if your goals aren’t physical items. Doing so will reset your mind to realize that you’re completely capable of creating the life you want.

Create a summer bucket list. Make concrete arrangements to do whatever you feel you must do to feed your spirit before summer’s expiration date.

Make A Flower Crown: In a folk tale from Finland, a young woman collected seven flowers under her pillow on Midsummer night (aka the Summer Solstice) and lo and behold, her future fiancé appeared in her dreams! Whether you’re looking for a mate or just for some creative fun, making a flower crown is a delightful idea!

2023 Summer Solstice

Start A Summer Garden (Or Add To Your Existing One) But only if you love gardening. Many people feel renewed and/or meditative when working the soil.

Throw a Summer Solstice Party. Get outside with great friends or family members. Build a bonfire, sing songs, play instruments or your favorite music, and eat your favorite foods.

If you can’t be at Stonehenge, watch the livestream to witness the sunrise through the center stone during this year’s summer solstice.

If you’re in the far north (Alaska or Iceland), play a midnight sport (baseball in Alaska, golf in Iceland).

2023 Summer Solstice

Take a hike. Climb with a friend to an alpine meadow, waterfall, or some other natural wonder.

Play some lawn games. Lawn darts, bocce ball, horseshoes and other lawn games are great fun.

Stargaze. Get outside of big cities and into sparsely populated areas to rediscover a night sky filled with an uncountable number of stars.

Go berry picking. Harvesting wild, edible berries is a favorite pastime of a lot of outdoorsy types.

Catch the wave! Go surfing (board, body, or wind) or waterskiing. It’s exhilarating. (Remember the sunscreen!)

2023 Summer Solstice

Go camping. Whether you employ a tent or a camper, camping is where it’s at for those who want to surround themselves with nature.

Take an evening swim. If you can swing it, swim naked in the dark with a romantic partner. Love is in the air!

For many reasons that are now clear, the Summer Solstice has been an all-important day throughout history. It is also a day of equilibrium and powerful celestial energy. It’s an ideal to pause and think about where you have come in life, and where you want to go. And if you feel as though you have much to accomplish, like you are ready to step into the person you were put on this Earth to be, then you should consider our year-long Master-in-Training program. It’s our most intimate, powerful, and exclusive program. A program that drives the time of life transformational in a year that most people couldn’t imagine in a decade. And the doors for registration are now open.

If you’d like to learn more about the types of transformations people experience in this program, you can watch our recent free Open House and hear directly from the people who experienced it. Click here to watch it now >>

If you’re ready to reserve your spot for this life-changing program, then do so by clicking here >>

Healthy Habits

Develop Habits that Help You & Ditch the Ones that Don’t

by Energy MedicineFeaturedSelf Love
Healthy Habits

It’s impossible, I think, to live for very long without developing a series of habits that appear to have worked quite well for a very long time. We’ve all developed habits for assorted reasons: to pass the time, to shift blame, or to pass muster in some way. Some have become workaholics, others shopaholics, others alcoholics, others marathon TV series-aholics, still others video game-aholics. In a crazy, mixed-up, and heavily politicized world, sometimes dropping out simply to stay sane seems the sensible thing to do.

Healthy Habits

Mea culpa

Early on, I developed self-protective habits in abundance: among them, staying out of my mother’s way (she detested me in utero) and pleasing my incestuous father (and later other powerful men, working my way up the ladder back when women attorneys were almost as rare as hens teeth), none of which was good for me. As a result of these unhealthy habits and others (including drinking like a fish and an unhealthy daily dose of Valium), I ended up with a cancer diagnosis in my 20’s. Talk about a wake-up call!

It was just so easy to develop unhelpful habits! When it worked, even temporarily, to give me some sense of control, ease, or release, I did it again. And again. And again. Until they became habits. (As it turned out, nearly fatal habits!)

I can guarantee you that no one ever expected (or intended, or desired) to become addicted to a substance, a beverage, or a way of “doing life” that ended up harming them and/or their loved ones and future. But millions of people have ended up hooked on habits that no longer serve them (and perhaps, in hindsight, never did).

With that cancer diagnosis, I went on a health kick and on a quest that extinguished the older, unhelpful habits along the way. With only so many hours in each given day, and what I considered, at the time, to be a temporary reprieve from undergoing surgery while I researched other healing modalities, a whole new world opened up to me. A world in which I was no longer a victim or a victimizer (both learned at my parents’ knees) but a victor. With each new sage, guru, shaman, and teacher I met, I developed new habits to support my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. My body literally healed itself, as all bodies are designed to do when we stop bombarding them with unhelpful habits and harmful thoughts. And as a result, I discovered my true calling (Spirit never wastes a wound): sharing ways to overcome unhelpful mindsets that deliver the exact opposite of what everyone wants to happen to them and their loved ones! Healing is an inside job and developing helpful habits is a crucial step in the process.

Healthy Habits

My Recipe for Developing Better Habits

Healthy Habits
  1. This month, replace one unhelpful habit with a helpful one.

    If you’re spending more than 30 minutes a day on social media or playing Solitaire or another relaxing-but-irrelevant video game, choose another helpful habit and divert and dedicate the excess time to developing it. Example: If you’re sedentary, devote the excess time to taking a mindful walk. Ideally, choose a nature trail, a city park, or some other place where you can see and hear birds and animals. Or, if children are a special delight, visit a playground in a city park. This new activity should have no responsibilities attached to it. Make this your time to simply walk, sit, and appreciate the value of creating a healthier, but equally enjoyable (“addictive”-worthy!) habit.
  1. Next month, replace another unhelpful habit with a more helpful one.

    If you feel you’re addicted to watching too much TV, divert and dedicate at least half of the time you spend doing that listening to a soothing music station (ideally instrumental). Doing so will give your brain a chance to recalibrate and relax. Although our brains are designed to think and to seek pleasurable activities, they don’t benefit from a too-constant drumbeat of pursuit. Too much action/adventure or adrenaline-pumping entertainment can create an imbalance. Give your brain a break!
Healthy Habits
Healthy Habits
  1. The following month, replace another unhelpful habit with a creative new hobby or undertaking.

    Learn to knit, read a book, play pickleball, speak a new language, or go swimming during the time you would otherwise spend on the unhelpful habit. Write that memoir. Send that letter. Do something you feel really great about.
  1. Repeat, as above, as many times as necessary, each time replacing an unhelpful habit with one that feeds your spirit or advances you in the direction you want to go.

    You do have the time; it’s just a matter of incorporating a more helpful pursuit, using the same hours. Simply establish focused intent and then Make It So!
Healthy Habits

When you’ve conquered your small handful of time-consuming unhelpful habits, you’ll find you’ve freed up ample time (and energy!) to seek and attain the goals that you’re more interested in achieving.

Yard by yard, life is hard.
Inch by inch, life’s a cinch.

It is sometimes the smallest of things that are the hardest to change. And we all need a helping hand sometimes. And that is exactly what our community here at the Deborah King Center provides. And at the highest echelons of our programs, the changes people make in their lives are nothing short of life-changing. Want to learn more about it? Click here to attend our free annual Open House to learn about the transformations that can be in store for you >>

Feng shui your home

How to Upgrade the Energy in Your Home

by Energy MedicineFeaturedSelf Love
Feng shui your home

“Energy efficiency” is a hot topic these days. With the Inflation Recovery Act of 2022 now in place, there are government incentive programs to help homeowners, renters, and businesses upgrade to more energy efficient abodes.

As exciting and timely as the above information is, this post isn’t about that kind of energy upgrade.

There is another energy upgrade which I consider equally — and ultimately, even more — crucial.

Feng shui your home

The kind of energy upgrade I’m referring to is the enormous, uplifting, endlessly creative, and divine universal energy that is available to each of us. Unfortunately, it all too often becomes unavailable or anemic because of stress, trauma, illness, and other hard knocks we received during our childhood and later, and even before, during earlier incarnations.

Far too many folks feel chronically overwhelmed, anxious, and fatigued. Others feel apathetic and depressed. These are all signs of blocked chakras; that is, the pinching off of one or more of the seven energy transfer stations that exist in levels between the bottom of our spine and the top of our head. Unbottling these bottlenecks takes time and intention. Meditation and mindfulness are two ways to unblock chakras.

But another proactive way to jumpstart recovery from blocked chakras is setting an intention to de-clutter your home and every other place where you spend considerable time.

Home Sweet Home

Your home is a direct extension of your energy field. Where is it pinching you? In which room(s) does your lifeforce energy feel absent or anemic? In which room(s) does it feel free to soar?

Is there discomfort-causing clutter in any of the rooms in your home? If there is, simply acknowledge what the clutter does to your mind, body and spirit every time you enter those spaces, and do whatever it takes to remedy your discomfort.

Feng shui your home

Are there closets in your home with unused clothing and/or other seldom-used items occupying most of the space?

What kind of internal energy emanates when you enter your kitchen, bathroom, living room, den, or bedroom?

How long has it been since you rearranged your existing furniture, or repainted a few of your walls, or done something else to creatively express your gratitude for the space that qualifies as your sanctuary?

What can you donate, sell, or dispose of in some other way that will open up your available space to make room for more energy and joy in your life?

By mindfully analyzing how you feel inside each room of your home and making prudent, spirit-lifting adjustments, you can access more of the universal energy that is available to improve your mental, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing.

Feng shui your home

Den/Office

About 40% of working people are working from home these days, the rest commute to offices on foot, on bike, via some transit system, or in a personal vehicle. But either way, whether you’re an employee, an entrepreneur, or an executive, you spend many (if not most) of your waking hours in a space that has the potential to numb your spirit or to nurture it. Naturally, I endorse nurturing it!

If your space is your own, consider Sthapatya Veda, that ancient system of Vedic knowledge that involves the connection between people and buildings. Similar to Feng Shui, these teachings from the Vedas hold that the design of a structure has an effect on our energy; if the design of the building is in harmony with the laws of nature, it will promote positive energy to those of us inside of it.

Also consider that minimalism and vibrant but relaxing colors will make you more peaceful. If you don’t have much say in your surroundings at work, bring to your work space a few personal items that elicit smiles and a sense of aliveness inside you.

Make Being Delightfully Present a Daily Pursuit

Our thoughts orchestrate our moods and attitudes. But our thoughts are not things; they are projections. Think of your mind as a movie screen that reveals in Technicolor the thoughts you’re having. Does your movie have a happy ending? If not, write a better storyline! You have the ability to influence the movies in your head to work for you. When you do this, universal energy gets freed up inside you to help you get where you want to go.

Always remember that you are not your thoughts. Your thoughts are less real than passing clouds, but they do (absolutely!) dictate how your body will react, so they can send you to the gallows or send your spirit and intentions soaring into the stratosphere.

Feng shui your home

Additional energy restorers include exposure to sunlight (remember your sunscreen!), enjoyable movement (fun exercises, gardening, sex 🙂 , laughter (the more, the better!) , gratitude, nature walks or sitting in nature, self-care (hydration, nourishing foods, meditation, all of the above!) journaling, creativity, healthy, sane boundaries, adequate sleep, and friendly, encouraging, supportive connections.

How many can you add to your repertoire of energy boosters? Most cost nothing but intention and a time commitment.

Feng shui your home

Henry Ford was right when he said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Your thoughts dictate the energy you’ll have access to as you sail in the direction of your goals. And since you’re a member of my tribe, I have every confidence that you will choose wisely!

The best way to control your thoughts, and thus control your life, is to practice meditation. But not just any form of meditation, Vedic Meditation is the best form I’ve discovered for truly creating the life of your dreams. And if learning this form of meditation is of interest to you, you can access my bestselling course by clicking here >>

If you want to take things one step further, you can join an incredible, supportive community of like-minded healers and truth seekers for a year-long journey that will help you cleanse everything from your thoughts, to your physical space, to your emotions and energy field. The next year of our most transformative program is starting soon. And you can learn all about it in our upcoming FREE Open House by registering here >>

2023-HaraLineBlog-featured

Hara line: The blueprints of your life’s purpose

by ChakrasEnergy HealingFeatured

You, my friend, have been born countless times. And you will continue to be born countless times. Each time you arrive on Earth, you are here to learn deeply personal lessons that will help you on your path to enlightenment.

Whether you choose to learn some or all or none of those lessons is entirely up to you. That is your freewill.

But where do those lessons come from? Who plans out these lessons? You do! Between reincarnations, your souls plot out your lessons and hopes for your life, imbuing them into your Hara line, for when you make the great trip back to Earth.

But sometimes it’s difficult to see that blueprint, isn’t it? It’s not like you have a physical checklist of your lessons that you need to walk through. Instead, it’s imbued into your energy field, and tapping into that energy field isn’t necessarily easy to do.

That’s what I want to teach about today. Today, I’d like to teach you about the Hara line, and how you can align it to ensure you’re accessing your life’s purpose.

The Hara line is an invisible line that runs through your body, just one level energetically below your human energy field. It starts down near the base of your spine, around 2 inches from your navel, and runs in tandem along with your spine upward to the top of your head, reaching higher and further into Source.

It’s parallel to your chakras, but at a level deeper. This deeper level is all about intentionality and purpose, as opposed to the chakras, which control your physical and spiritual health.

When your Hara line is in alignment, you have a direct connection to Source, allowing you to seamlessly ascertain your higher purpose – those blueprints that your soul worked so hard on in between your reincarnations.

So, if you’re feeling confused, if you don’t know what your purpose is, if you’ve been asking, “what do I need to do with my life?” — you may have a distortion in your Hara line.

If you’re feeling stuck, or unable to comprehend the reason that you’ve been placed on this Earth, then I encourage you to watch this video. Everyone has a purpose. Everyone has a reason for being here. Realigning your Hara lines allows you to understand that purpose. Understanding is a gift, one that will fill you with renewed happiness and fulfillment.

So, let’s straighten out that Hara line. Follow along with me in this brief video where I show you a simple way to align your Hara line, allowing you to access that amazing source of purpose.

Join me now

If aligning your Hara line proved positive for you, then I encourage you to join me at our Open House where you can get an unprecedented look behind the scenes of my LifeForce Energy Healing advanced program. Our Open House will help connect you with fellow healers, learners, and your higher self – presenting you with sacred insight and wisdom that I know you’ll want to receive.

Join our Open House. Wednesday, June 14th, 2023 at 2pm Pacific.

Hope to see you there!

2023-SoundHealingBlog-featured

Sound Healing Methods: 7 Ways to Raise Your Vibration

by Energy HealingFeaturedSound Therapy

Sound is one of the most powerful healing modalities in energy medicine; not only does it have the capability to help you reach your core frequency, but it also connects you to your higher energies (and, thus, Source). One of the best things about the many different sound healing methods available is that you don’t need to be a natural musician or have special training — all you need is your voice and a few basics about sound therapy. The key to using sound successfully is finding the particular technique that will help you achieve your healing goals.

If you were to ask 20 different people to describe the concept of sound, you’ll likely receive 20 very different answers. For example, someone who enjoys going to live rock and roll music performances may describe the emotional side of sound because of a musician(s) ability to communicate strong feelings with the audience by singing a verse or playing a guitar riff; another person may enjoy live music and find it emotionally powerful, but describe sound it in a completely different manner as they prefer the sweet sound of a violin playing a classical concerto.

Despite being extremely subjective, the healing capabilities of sound are universal. Sound not only helps you relax (and therefore decreases your stress levels), but it also can move through any energetic blockages you may be experiencing — including some physical blockages! If you, or someone you know, has ever tried to pass a kidney stone you are aware that it is an extremely painful ordeal (I’ve heard women say it makes childbirth feel like a walk in the park). When the stone is too large to be passed out of the body, doctors utilize a procedure called lithotripsy that uses sound waves to literally shatter the kidney stone into smaller pieces that can then be passed more easily.

While the application of sound in modern medical procedures is groundbreaking, we often forget about the tried-and-true ancient sound healing wisdom that our ancestors have been using for thousands of years. After all, the ultimate goal of sound healing is to reach a place of oneness, where pain and darkness are absent and there are only peace and love. Before I dive into the exciting world of sound therapy and the many different methods you can use to heal, it’s important that you experiment with each method (even if you are drawn to one particular practice over another); just like sound itself is subjective, each of these healing methods have individual strengths that you may find useful in different situations.

Sound healing techniques and exercises to help you fine-tune your vibrational frequency:

  1. Achieve Balance with Voice Toning Exercises

Your own voice is a powerful healing tool for shifting your mental, emotional, and spiritual processes. Toning is the sound of your vibrating breath—a sustained single tone, with no words, no melody or harmony, and no rhythm. It often uses the sound of Om, which is said to be the very first vibration that became sound. It represents the union of body, mind, and spirit all in one. The “oh” part of Om vibrates at the level of your solar plexus chakra, thus helping you resolve issues around your identity and purpose, while also boosting your self-confidence. The “mm” part of Om is like humming with your lips closed and is the most powerful sound for bringing you into harmony with Source.

Try it now.

Ommmm…

Incorporating toning into your sound healing toolkit will help you breathe more deeply, giving your body and organs more oxygen, and opening your energy flow — so you stay healthy and can live a long, peaceful life. When you do this toning exercise (or sing or chant), it doesn’t just help you — the sound frequencies that pass through your lips go out into the world and lift up your family, friends, coworkers, and all of humanity!

  1. Connect with Source by Chanting

Chanting is the rhythmic singing of sounds or words, and it is commonly used as a spiritual practice. While certain types of chanting can be highly complex (such as the great responsorial and offertories of Gregorian chant in the Catholic tradition), it can also be straightforward (as kirtan from India). There are chants in African, Hawaiian, and Native American cultures as well as Vedic chants, Qur’an readings, Baha’i chants, Buddhist chants, chanting mantras, and psalms or prayers in Christian churches.

Kirtan — which is call-and-response chanting — is part of India’s devotional tradition called bhakti. The names of God or mantras are chanted to the accompaniment of the harmonium, tablas and other drums, and hand cymbals. It was Paramahansa Yogananda who originally introduced kirtan to the West in April 1926 — to a group of over three thousand people who joined together at New York City’s Carnegie Hall to chant Guru Nanak’s “O’ God Beautiful” together.

Yogananda wrote, “Sound or vibration is the most powerful force in the universe. Music is a divine art, to be used not only for pleasure but also as a path to God-realization. Vibrations resulting from devotional singing lead to attunement with the Cosmic Vibration or the Word.”

Many people feel silly or embarrassed when chanting, but I hope you’ll give it a try at least once and see if it’s the right sound healing method for you. We often engage in kirtan at our retreats; check out our retreat schedule here, and come to the next one, in person or by stream!

  1. Chakra Sound Frequencies for Healing

Consistent sounds, especially pure vowel sounds, relate directly to the unwavering energy of Source. A mantra is a word or a phrase that is repeated frequently.

For example, if you kept repeating the seed syllable of Om, you would be doing a mantra. When you are repeating a syllable, word, or phrase, you “hear” its sound and sustain that sound silently in your head. The mantra vibrates throughout your body, mind, and emotions. Repeating a mantra can help you cope with post-traumatic stress disorder, help you chill out if you’re in a traffic jam, and accompany you on hikes or during your time at the gym. If you don’t already have a personal mantra for use in meditation, consider enrolling in my Vedic Meditation™ course and I’ll give you your own personal mantra to use in your sound healing exercises.

While mantras work on your whole being, sound healing for the chakras is called chakra tuning. Ancient Egyptian priests used vowel sounds to resonate with chakras, while Aboriginals from Australia and shamans in Native American traditions use toning and repetitive sounds in ceremonies to correct imbalances in the human energy field.

From a physical perspective, the simple act of chanting “om” or “aum” actually causes the release of melatonin, endorphins, and nitric oxide, relaxing your blood vessels, reducing your heart rate, and slowing your breathing. The result? A calmer, more relaxed you, courtesy of sound!

  1. Sound Healing Instrument: Singing Bowls

There are two main types of singing bowls: Tibetan singing bowls (good ones are made of bell-metal bronze, a combination of copper and tin, while cheap ones are brass and have lots of impurities) and crystal bowls made of quartz crystal. Tibetan bowls are most frequently used to sound a tone at the beginning and end of a meditation session. The sound of these bowls brings a deep sense of relaxation and opens your chakras. Singing bowls were traditionally used in Asia, and the history of making sound with bronze bowls may even go back thousands of years to the Bronze Age.

You produce sound from the bowls by using a mallet moved around the outer side of the bowl’s rim, much the same way as when you run a wet finger around the rim of a glass to make it sing. The sides and rim vibrate, creating a sound that has a basic frequency and several harmonic overtones. The sound waves released by both types of singing bowls emit a pure radiant sound that reaches up to the Divine. These pure tones create a vibrational sound field that resonates with and reharmonizes the chakras and the parts of the body associated with those chakras.

Healing through sound combined with the power of crystal possibly goes as far back as the legendary land of Atlantis. Even today crystal singing bowls are sometimes referred to as Atlantean bowls. Crystal magnifies and transmits pure tone. It’s one of the reasons quartz crystal is an integral part of telecommunications.

Crystal bowls are similar to robust radio transmitters, sending energy out into the atmosphere. The pure tones can activate the brain waves that send you into an advanced state of consciousness and can affect different areas of the brain, releasing hormones and neurochemicals that can lessen pain, overcome addictive tendencies, boost willpower, and pump up creativity.

You can find singing bowls on Etsy, certain bookstores, or health and wellness boutiques (including some yoga studios).

  1. The Healing Sounds of Tingsha

Tingsha is a type of cymbal used in Tibetan Buddhist prayers and rituals. In some rituals, the cymbals are used to summon the “hungry ghosts” so they can be “fed” vibrationally. Hungry ghosts are not generic ghosts, like the spirit of your dead Aunt Millie, but ravenous spirit beings with tiny mouths and enormous bellies who represent those with emotional needs that have not been met. Old legends say that hungry ghosts were greedy women in previous lifetimes who never gave away any food. Calling the hungry ghosts and then offering them food, incense, or even a prayer lessens their suffering. In the bodhisattva tradition, enlightenment is only possible after all suffering has been eliminated for all beings.

Shamans use tingsha to clear the environment of any negative or disturbing energies and to bring auric fields into harmony. They are used in meditation and sound healing in much the same way as singing bowls. Generally, tingsha cymbals awaken and initiate healing on all levels and are said to generate an opening in physical, mental, and spiritual reality.

To produce a clear, harmonic sound, suspend each cymbal by its cord, holding it firmly where the string enters the hole on each tingsha. Strike the edges of the tingsha together, usually once, by angling one cymbal at about 90 degrees to the other. Let the tingsha sound until they become silent.

  1. Sound Healing Instrument: Tuning Forks

You may think of the tuning forks that are used to tune a piano, but there other types of tuning forks that can tune your body. All your organs, glands, and cells vibrate at their own specific frequencies, and these frequencies correspond with musical notes. There are twelve keynotes in the human body, and all the parts of If your heart is healthy, it will vibrate at the note of F.

If you think of your body as an orchestra, your various body parts are all musical instruments playing at their own frequency or pitch. If you are healthy, your body will play a harmonious tune. If your body parts are discordant, you can use certain tuning forks to bring your body into alignment. When the right tuning fork is put near the organ or the chakra that is not in harmony, the sound waves will raise the vibration or pitch of that area. Tuning forks clear energetic blockages in the meridians in a similar way to acupuncture.

There are many different types of tuning forks. Classical tuning forks, the ones you’d use to tune your piano, are based on a piano’s chromatic scale. Then there are custom-made tuning forks that correspond with the twelve major organs in traditional Chinese medicine, as French musician and acupuncturist Fabien Maman, called the father of vibrational sound healing, discovered in the 1970s. He found that the pitch and timbre of musical notes had the ability to affect a cell’s shape, color, and energy. If you can tune in to the “fundamental note” of the cell, your energy field will come into harmony.

Certain tuning forks are tuned to the frequencies and musical intervals of heavenly bodies—the sun, the moon, and the planets. Other tuning forks address specific ailments and illnesses. Some tuning forks make a high-pitched delicate sound that can open you up to the angelic kingdom. Chakra tuning forks are a set of seven forks tuned to the frequencies of the seven chakras. Standard tuning forks are used for toning, releasing energy blockages, and clearing chakras or auras. Weighted tuning forks have a much stronger vibration and stay at their frequency for a longer period of time, so it is easier to feel their vibration. They work well for acupuncture-type treatments and muscle relaxation, and can provide immediate pain relief.

A very simple way of using a tuning fork is to strike it, which sends out strong vibrations through the air, and place it near the part of the body you want to heal or in the area of the chakra to energize it. Tuning forks can help provide a deep relaxation and relief from stress, promote mental clarity and concentration, increase physical energy, integrate the left and right brain, and bring the nervous system into balance.

  1. Healing Rhythms and Drumming Therapy Exercises

One of the oldest methods of sound healing is shamanic drumming, which a shaman can use to facilitate communication between a patient and the spirit world. Drumming is also a shamanic technique for journeying, shape-shifting, and divination. The shaman listens intently to find just the right sound and uses certain repetitive rhythms to summon forth the guiding spirits.

The Greek definition of rhythm is “to flow.” Various rhythms convey different meanings, while volume and tempo affect the emotional body. The sound and rhythm of the drum create the bridge that allows you to flow into the world of spirit. Before a ceremony or ritual, the shaman will hold the drumhead over a fire, heating it until the drum is at the pitch the shaman wants to use.

The sound waves coming from the drum energize the systems of body, mind, and spirit and make them vibrate in harmony.

Drumming has been shown in studies to have a positive effect on those with Alzheimer’s disease, depression, cancer, stress, and Parkinson’s disease, as well as those with chronic pain.10 For example, neurologist Barry Bittman’s study on group drumming therapy showed it could increase cancer-killing cells in the body. Psychologist Robin Dunbar at the University of Oxford showed that drumming could release endorphins and decrease pain. Drumming can treat anxiety and stress, sleep issues, fatigue, high blood pressure, chronic pain, emotional disorders, and much more, as well as boost the immune system and deepen self-awareness. Drumming allows us to resonate with the natural rhythms of life.

Of course, other instruments can also be used for sound healing. There’s a very old, amusing story about using an instrument to find your perfect note, and it goes like this: In a faraway country, a man played all day on a musical instrument. This instrument had many strings, but he just sat and plucked one string over and over again. His wife said, “Dear, you have this wonderful instrument, yet all you do is play that one string over and over. All your friends have this same instrument, but they play all the strings and create beautiful melodies and songs. Why do you play only that one note?” The man smiled at his dear wife. He said, “Thank you for bringing that to my attention, and here is your answer: the others are busily searching to find their note, but I have already found mine.”

Learn more about sound healing

We will be offering a very special Sound Healing learning and experiential session at our upcoming retreat in Ft Lauderdale this September 29 – Oct 1, 2023. Come join us for this and so much more at a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the beautiful shores of Ft. Lauderdale. Learn more by clicking here >>