Buddha belly
The other day a meme popped up in my newsfeed that got me thinking. It posed the question, “What’s something you say to your pets that you want to say to yourself?” An answer came to mind immediately. It’s something I often say to my cat Pippin. When she wants a belly rub, she’ll flop down on the floor in front of me. There’s just so much cuteness in her little furry cat body that invariably I will bend down and rustle her tummy fur while saying, “Ooh, look at the cute Buddha belly!” This is said with a coo, without any disparagement...
Feeling the feelings
A friend and I went to a holiday concert given by Shawndelle Marks last night. The performance touched my heart. It wasn’t all Christmas music – there were other songs mixed in as well. Early on, she played Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. This song never fails to move me. Whether it’s from a happy-go-lucky movie like Shrek or a monumental episode on The West Wing, this will elicit feelings. From first familiar measures, I put my hand on my heart and allowed the music to wash over me. I surrendered and let the tears run down my face. It...
Puzzling physical symptoms can point to the need for compassionate depossession
Occasionally a client will come for a session because they’re experiencing troubling pain or chronic physical symptoms. I always ask if they’ve sought medical help. Often they have, but without a diagnosis. Their frustration may lead them to seek out a shamanic healer. Whenever medical science is unable to explain their condition, my antenna goes up. Physical symptoms that cannot be explained by medical testing is a common sign of having a suffering being. I am not a medical doctor, so commenting on physical illness is outside of my scope of...
Empaths survival guide to the holidays
For empaths, the holidays can present challenges in the way of large gatherings, social events, general busy-ness, time with extended family, and even loud noises. Here are some tips for empaths looking to remain more energetically comfortable throughout the holidays. 1) Slow down. If you enter the holidays tired and run down from trying to accomplish everything on your list, you will be out of your center before the big family gatherings happen. When empaths are ungrounded, we are much more likely to take on negative/heavy energy from those...
Common every day forms of sorcery
When we think of curses, we might think of someone casting the “evil eye” or practicing black magic. These forms of sorcery definitely happen in our world, but there are far more common, everyday ways in which sorcery occurs. It affects all of us, and we all do it. Sorcery is any energetic harm we cause. Saying “damn you” or “shame on you” is a curse. By uttering these words, we’re literally damning or wishing shame upon another person. Often strong frustration, hatred or resentment propels the curse and provides the energy needed to be...
Orienting
When we get triggered from something that reminds us of a past trauma, we tend to disassociate and leave the current moment. We may feel like we’re five years old again, reliving the time we fell off our bike and broke our arm. Although a normal response to trauma, it can be comfortable. A technique from trauma work, called orienting, can help us stay centered. It’s simple. When you first feel unsettled in your body, look around the environment and notice some things about the room. What temperature is it? Do you smell any scents or aromas?...