So, Phil and I went out of town for a week. First vacation longer than 4 days we’ve had in over 10 years. 10 years!!! Whew! That’s a long time. Because he and I love what we do, and we take time for socializing, we don’t require much downtime. (Good thing! Lol)

This trip took us to Joshua Tree National Park among other adventures. It was quite cold and the wind was whipping around at 35 + mph, so that part wasn’t fun. What was fun was seeing the rock formations and the amazing Joshua trees.

I’m a goof. I just love rocks. Rocks talk to me. Well, at least I sense that I hear them.

When we pulled into the park, I was expecting to see high desert with lots of Joshua trees. (Joshua trees are actually a kind of Yucca plant – who knew?) Well, there certainly were a ton of Joshua trees. There was also an abundance of incredible rock formations! It looked like a child had been playing with blocks and stacked some up here and there.

These rocks had a lot of energy! And like each unique rock or crystal, these structures had their own brand of energy. These structures were strong, yet playful. Ancient, yet childlike.

I attempted to balance one rock on another, but the wind made it difficult. Even with frigid fingers, I succeeded anyway, however! (Rock balancing is an addiction I’m happy to teach you!) As I wandered through the rocks and wove my way around the trails, I lost sight of Phil and my brother, Joe. They were doing their own exploring.

In those silent moments alone with the rocks, I felt safe. I asked them what I needed to know. I felt this deep rumble through my body. It was a strengthening happening. It came from really deep within the earth and resonated deeply within my being. I was being shaken but not distressed. My old fears, angers, doubts, and unforgiving self, fractured with this rumbling. I was vented. The wind whipped through me and swept me clean.

I could tell I had more conscious work to do to release the rest of it, but the old hidden distress was broken and released. Wow! What a feeling! Several of the books I’m currently reading just happened to be about releasing old trauma. I’m sure that was just and accident I happened to pick those up just before the trip.

Just know that where ever you are right now, it’s right where you can receive a blessing and a healing. Ask for it. Trust that it will happen. Be ready to receive it. It might be subtle or it might be profound.

What will you ask for? Healing of past hurts? Freedom from physical ailment? Self-forgiveness for being human? Releasing of someone else’s anger dumped on you? Cleansing from the shame and blame foisted upon you by someone who supposedly cared about you? What’s your biggest thing?

You ask for it – you got it! May you be richly blessed in this!

I’ve been working on some Facebook ads for our upcoming Healing Light Expo (April 13th and 14th at the Red Lion in Kennewick). I have a bunch of graphics I’m reviewing to see if they will work for us. Then I’m finding text that fits the graphics and fits what our Expo is about. And the text can only be a few words per ad. “Feel the Energy!” “What Will You Learn?” are a few of the phrases I’m using.

Graphics speak to our hearts directly. You’ve heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The words then speak to our awareness. Words cut through illusion and directly to the heart of a matter. Together, graphics and words inspire or instill a desire to move forward.

Do you have a picture or a graphic that really speaks to you? A sunset? An innocent child? Puppies or kitties playing? You might want to find a picture that really speaks to your heart. Then ask it what it’s saying to you!

Is the sunset calling you to rest? Or is that sunset calling you to notice the beauty around you? Only you will know its true message for you. It speaks to YOUR heart. Listen!

What about the innocent child? What does that picture tell you? View the world with child-like wonder, or trust yourself, or rest easy in the arms of love . . .

What about playing critters? Are they asking you to play? Or are they asking you to set aside your busy-busy life for a bit to recharge.

What picture did you choose? How is Divine Source using that image to communicate to your heart? What is that sacred message?

As you go through your day and you happen to catch a visual that grabs your heart, just be with it for a moment. In that moment, that sacred moment, Divine Source speaks to your heart. It’s wise to listen. It’s a blessing to listen.

I’m including a graphic with this blog. What is Divine Source saying to your heart within this visual? Perhaps you cannot find the words right away. That’s okay, let the image sit within your heart for a bit. When the message comes, you will hear it. You will know it. You will experience it.

Take the time to be blessed by this process. You might want to try this every day to see what your guidance might be!

I was chatting with a friend the other day and she expressed reluctance to bother me or intrude in my life with a question. I replied that she could trust me to tell her if I was too busy to answer her at that moment. She said she felt relief in that expression of trust. Safe, clear boundaries do that! They help us feel safe and they help the people in our lives feel safe.

She went on to say that she knows co-workers that defer even if they don’t want to because they feel obligated. It’s uncomfortable for everyone. She wonders, “do you really have a moment for instruction or are you just saying so because I’m the lead and you feel you can’t say no?”

Energetically, unclear boundaries feel unsafe and therefore everyone feels on edge a bit.

So what are safe boundaries and how do I get there when I can’t say no?

I totally get this! I remember years ago I could NOT say the “no” word. Just couldn’t do it. I would do things I didn’t want to do or bail out at the last minute. I would have a neighbor take my car for the whole day when I only got the car one day a week to do errands. At great hassle to myself, I gave in – every time!

I knew I had to set a boundary but I just didn’t know how.

So, I did what I always do when I’m stuck. I prayed about it. Now, personally, I think prayer is magic because here’s what happened. That neighbor called again knowing that I had the car. I had a ton of errands to do and needed it for my own stuff. As the phone was ringing, I still didn’t have an answer and I was still praying!

I picked up the phone and heard her request. What came out of my mouth was nothing short of a miracle. I said, “I’m uncomfortable with that.” I didn’t know what else to say, so I kept silent. I knew that whatever excuse I came up with she would have a better reason. It felt like I”d dropped a bomb. After a really long moment the neighbor said, “Oh, ok. I’ll just get Sue to loan me her car. Thanks anyway.”

That statement “I’m uncomfortable with that” was TRUTH. Pure truth. No guilt, no shame, no blame, no excuse . . . just truth. That truth set me free! Holy Wow!!

That one experience gave me courage to speak my truth in other situations. The trick is finding the truth amidst the muck of obligation, fear of judgment or criticism, and the verbal/emotional manipulation from others. I didn’t want them to feel badly because that meant I would feel their pain as well as mine. (Untrained Empaths feel everything!) When I gave in, at least I only felt my own suffering.

It gets to a point when you just have had enough of that inflicted suffering and just want to be free of it. The truth does that. It frees you. It frees you from manipulation and it frees you from fear, obligation, and suffering needlessly.

But I don’t want others to not like me or be mad at me. They might not be mad at you. The might, but the pain of being mad at yourself is worse, isn’t it? It certainly gets to be after a while.

So, I wrote out some TRUTH statements and taped them next to my phone so I’d be ready. That really helped in the days when I was learning to speak my truth.

You see, we can comply – do what others want. Rebel – defy a request out of hand; don’t do what others want when you said you would, or wiggle out of an agreement. Or Walk a Sacred Path – doing what is in your heart to do. Guess which one grants you powerful energy to move forward? On a sacred path, we may choose to do something that someone asks of us – not out of obligation or fear but out of our free will and our loving heart. Or we will decline their request – not out of anger and frustration but out of our free will and our loving heart.

Whatever you are doing, notice if you have an energy of being pulled back, held up, or restricted . . . you are not walking in your truth on your sacred path. (To be clear, we all do things we don’t like to do. Cleaning toilets isn’t fun, yet that may be part of my sacred path.)

So, if someone is expecting me to do something, I get to choose which space I’m in. Comply? Rebel? Or Walk a Sacred Path. Finding my truth leads me directly onto my sacred path. Even though to someone else it might look like complying or rebelling. You heart knows the truth of it.

The truth is neutral. The truth does not carry a negative charge – even if it’s not what the other person wants to hear! If a person chooses to get upset, you get to stay neutral. How cool/powerful is that!?! Even an Empath can walk the Sacred Path of Truth without suffering.

Here are some Clear Boundary statements that speak the truth:

-I’m uncomfortable with that.

-I know I did that for you before, but not today. (Remember -don’t give them a REASON or an EXCUSE – they will pick it to pieces and overpower you. Just speak your truth and be silent!)

-Perhaps another time. I have other commitments for now. (If they push for a when, just repeat yourself . . . “I have other commitments for now.” If they push for what’s more important than them, just repeat yourself . . . “I have other commitments for now.”)

-Hmm. That sounds like a tough situation. If anyone can figure it out, you can. (Silence – let them figure it out! What a gift you are giving them!)

-I’m not sure how to respond to that. Let me get back to you. (give yourself time and space to think! You have a right to that!)

-I have to think about that.

-I don’t have an answer right now.

-If my help wasn’t an option, what else might you do?

You get the idea! Have fun with creating your own list based on your own circumstances.

Remember: Speak the TRUTH and then be SILENT. If you are asked a question like “Who do you think you are?” they are not seeking information, they are seeking to belittle you, steal your power, and get their own way. Don’t bite that hook! It’s manipulation and you are breaking free from that!

Keep finding new ways to say no without using the no word. It can be fun! This empowers you while helping others feel safe in your world. Your life is your world. Own it.

So, Phil just installed a new keyboard for me – well for us. I primarily use this computer, so I’m claiming it. We’ve had this new keyboard for over a year. Actually, we’ve had two new ones just laying around. Phil’s work, hobbies, and ½ acre of property keep him really busy! This keyboard is wireless. I’m not sure I’m going to be putting it on my lap to type, but should I ever want to, I could do that!

Why didn’t I replace they keyboard myself? Good question. Actually, I was way-okay with the old one. My fingers knew just where to go. As a matter of fact, I had written two books (and a lot of re-writing – lol) and numerous classes using that keyboard. It was so well worn that the letters on the keys are no longer visible. Nothin’ but black. The numbers were still clear and a few letters like “Q” were still visible, but most of the rest of them were worn off. Which is no problem when you are typing along lickety-split and letting ideas flow onto the page. However, once a correction becomes necessary, you kinda need to see the letters!

So it is with life.

We get on auto pilot and we just let our lives flow as we go. Until we discover we need to make a correction. Perhaps we require more rest and auto pilot drives us to late nights. Without seeing what we are doing, change becomes impossible.

Seeing – rather perceiving – what we are doing leads us into awareness. That awareness is like my new keyboard. Bright and clear.

Certainly, my fingers aren’t flying over the keys as fast as they were on the old one. There is a slight difference in the placement of the keys. They are both ergonomic, yet this one has bends where the other had straights. This one has lows where the other one had highs. I’m having to do a lot of backspacing to have a correct text. It would have been hilarious for you to see the mess I started with! At the same time, I can already feel this keyboard is even better for my wrists and fingers. (I feel another book coming on!!! – actually two more.)

So even when our awareness leads us into change and it feels uncomfortable, we also experience the subtle shifts that allow us to be even better – feel even better – perform even better – live even better.

If you feel like a change is due, you might need a bit of help to get started. Find someone to assist, like Phil. Then allow yourself to get acquainted with the new process. Allow imperfection to happen as you step into a new pattern. In time, it will just be natural – like the old way was. Only now you’ll be more comfortable in your own skin – in your own life.

A small change makes a big difference.

So, I was in the chiropractor’s office the other day. In walked a fella who announced that he expected to see both chiropractors immediately. He then sat down near me and started talking about something grim that happened years ago in our community. I just said I didn’t want to talk about that. He excused himself to the restroom. In those brief moments, I recognized I was dealing with an energy zombie.

I prayed for strength and safety while checking to see if I was grounded and spiritually connected. Both were good. Whew! (grounding = being aware of the Earth beneath my feet and the conduit of energy flow between me and the bedrock or the core of the Earth. Spiritual Connection = sensing the connection between me and Divine Source, having a sense of Angels or Spirit Guides nearby to assist.)

When he came back, he apologized for talking about that old incident, so I thought for a moment we could just chat about the weather or something neutral.

Nope.

He started in on something else that was grim, negative and totally nothing either of us could do anything about. So, I just said, “Ya know, I’d rather talk about something positive.”

I could see his gears grind to a halt. It’s what I call an “ERK.” The pattern of thought gets disrupted and you can see a person pull back. Sometimes you can see them tilt their head or have a blank stare.

I told him what I thought positivity was and how powerful it can be to bring love and joy into a person’s life. ERK.

He brought up staying at a friend’s house while they were out of town. I said what a blessing that was for both him and the other person. “It was filthy!” he grumped.

Well, it went on from there. No matter what he said, I said something positive in return. At one point, he condemned his friend for not helping him financially. I said, “Hmm, you might be in judgment about that.” ERK.

He condemned this person and that organization – on and on.

They finally took him into another room.

The office staff asked how I was doing and I said I was fine. And I was!

Check in! Are you feeling fine? If not your energy slipped! Re-ground yourself. (Notice the bedrock or the core of the Earth beneath your feet and the energy flow.) Are you spiritually

connected? (Sense out for your Maker, Angels or Guides. Once you sense them, your spiritual connection reactivates.) See? Fun! Way-Cool!

I had picked up immediately on the situation and had armed myself with grounding (to allow the dark energy to flow away from me) and Spiritual connection (to allow clean energy to flow in to my whole being. I even sensed angels drawing near to me.)

Afterwards, I did a breathing technique that really helps to clear and heal this sort of distress. I based this technique on the Quantum Touch Healing technique. It’s a powerful healing methodology you might want to learn about.

Notice the Universe. Space. Notice its vastness. Notice that even though it’s spacious, it’s also full of planets and solar systems and constellations. Full yet spacious. Notice how it feels. Open. Powerful. Peaceful. Moving. Changing. Silent. I also recognize that God (Divine Source) created the Universe out of love and creativity. Not out of duty and obligation, but joy!

I breathe in this Universal Joy and sweep it up my body to about an arm’s length over my head. At this point I focus upon something I love, appreciate, or enjoy. Maybe you love a favorite pet or family member. Or you love a favorite book or vacation perhaps. Maybe you’d like to focus upon how wonderful it feels to get together with friends or how much you enjoy rock climbing (I accidentally typed rock clinging – that’s what I would do! lol) or gardening. Create an image of anything that brings you deep, pleasant feelings and place it over your head.

When the Universal Joy connects with that which we love, it allows us to hope for everyone on this planet to feel the same love and joy or positive feelings that we experience. We then allow this compassionate energy to release by exhaling this compassion to the whole planet by breathing through heart-space. (Okay, so air goes in and out of our lungs and nose, but energy flows wherever you desire it to go. The air will go out your nose, but the energy will flow out your heart-space.)

Breathe in Universal Joy and sweep it up your body to above your head. Allow that to connect with what you love, appreciate or enjoy and exhale compassion through your heart-space.

Breathe in Universal Joy. Pause while you connect with your own deep feelings. Exhale compassion through the heart-space.

Breathe in joy. Connect. Exhale compassion through the heart-space.

Universal Joy. Connect. Compassion for all.

Universal Joy. Connect. Compassion for all.

Do this for a few minutes and you will find yourself uplifted. You are untouchable here. Other’s neediness and distress cannot effect you in this state of being.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about returning to this state of being when you choose to do so.

Your intuition can remain an active and vital part of your being without causing you distress. It’s really not your intuition that’s causing the distress, it’s our reaction to other’s distress that creates one’s own distress. This breathing technique built upon our intuition helps uplift us out of that sense of distress that isn’t ours anyway!

I’ve shared with you some new tools.

You’ll forget them. We all do. And yet, when you really need them, they will pop back into your memory. Perhaps the next time you feel drained you might sigh heavily. That sigh will remind you to breathe intentionally. You will remember there is a breathing technique to assist you and uplift you. You’ll then remember this process and will be able to help yourself instantly.

Many blessings with this. It’s saved my well-being on more than one occasion!

Have you found yourself asking for your intuitive self to be removed or disconnected because it’s just too painful? Part of this pain comes from being around people who drain and exhaust your energy. That’s painful!

This world is full of very broken and troubled people who become energy drainers. There’s a lot of regular people out there who are just hurting.

We don’t mind giving energy to someone who is temporarily hurting. However, we are not talking about a matter of giving. This is a matter of energy stealing. Rather than an energy vampire who takes your energy by being unhappy, these are energy Zombies. . . . this type of person eats your energy to the point you cannot think, respond, or even move. And it can happen very quickly. One moment everything seems fine, then the next – you are drained.

Truth is, these people are so empty that they become a hollow shell that cannot feed on enough energy to get full. They always want more. They are intuitively drawn to caring hearts because those are the easiest to feed upon. We are less guarded - rightfully so, because living all guarded up is not what we came here to do. Actually, being all guarded up causes us to miss initial cues of their energy being amiss.

Unfortunately, they are really good at disguise. Like a chameleon, they disguise themselves and sweet people and just need a bit of a helping hand. Once you bite the hook, they reel YOU in. Once reeled in, they feed upon your kindness, good nature, and loving heart. You really don’t want to cut out your loving heart, you just want to be safe from this drain.

So, how to recognize and protect yourself in the future? Notice that their brand of helplessness or neediness has a sharp edge to it. It's not just a matter of doing a kindness for them. You can sense the difference if you look for it. You will feel a sense of needing to back up or feeling uncomfortable in a subtle way. You intuition will really help you avoid difficulty if you let it.

The moment you first notice an energy drain, while you can still think, look away - they eat (consume) your energy through your eyes. How do they do that? They have huge expectations of how you should be or how you should act or what you should do for them. When you don’t measure up to this unnatural expectation, they view you/see you with disdain and judgment. That judgment is felt by your caring heart. That judgment then allows them to absorb energy from you. It may feel like it’s coming out of your guts or your heart-space.

As soon as you notice an energy drain, back up so they cannot get within arm’s length as they are capable of sucking energy right out of your aura. If they are too close to you physically, they suck it right out of your heart space, your solar plexus or your whole energy field. Know, too, that their voice and their criticism/victim-speak sucks the energy right out of your heart, body, and energy field even over the phone!

Get away. Get some physical distance. If you have to be around this type of person very long, your awareness and intuition will be your saving grace! You will want to perceive this energy drain before it happens or just as it begins . . . not after you are already depleted.

If you cannot notice it right away, as soon as you recognize this form of energy thief, look away, back away, disengage - excuse yourself to the bathroom and then don't get back to them. They may get mad at you, but far rather they get upset than you get drained. They are only upset because you evaded the trap and now they have to entrap someone else to feed. Once they know they cannot feed on you, they don’t waste any energy in your direction. But use caution! If they think you’ve weakened, they will attempt to reattach!

What's really sad is that they don't even know what they are doing and they feel that everyone else is “so mean” to them and they cannot understand why. If you hear any one start to tell you how mean other people are to them, go on full alert! (Danger, Will Robinson! Use caution or you could become Lost In Space!)

You may think to yourself, well, I cannot be mean to anyone!

Keeping yourself save is not being mean! “Mean” is their judgment of clear energy boundaries – Their judgment of you being mean not the truth. Truth is . . . Letting them feed on YOU is mean, because then they don’t go to Source for their energy . . . by giving them YOUR energy, you are starving them of REAL, SUSTAINABLE energy! You are cheating them out of what really feeds them!

Stand your ground with a clear conscience.

What is also sad is not only do they feed on other's energy, they also download (dump) their dark energy into the one they are feeding upon - much like a mosquito. Receiving that poison will feel itchy and miserable long after the event has happened.

So, how to get clear?

Your awareness of the situation and getting away is your first response.

The second response is put them in pink light or pink bubble. This disrupts their energy barbs from getting to you. They cannot feed without hooking in first. If they've already hooked in, when you walk away, shudder (shake it off) and sweep yourself off with your hands - especially the heart-space. Once you are clear of their attempt to attach, you can release any dark energy they may have downloaded onto/into you. If you can put your hands on a tree or on a wall, this will ground out that dark energy.

The pink bubble connects them with God, who is truly the Source of all they truly need. You can add a prayer to connect the pink bubble to God and envision the pink bubble open at the top connected to Divine Source.

Lastly, here is a way-cool technique for reclaiming your energy and getting clear.

Notice your heart-space. Notice there is a door there. Don’t see it in your imagination? Create one. (See?! Your intuition and imagination are saving graces!) Open the door and notice a thread of light emanating out from your heart-space out away from you. Don’t see it? Imagine it. Once you see that thread of light, say, "All that I Am that I may have given away or had taken away, return to me now!"

You will feel the energy that is truly yours return to you down this thread. It might take a few minutes. Once you’ve received all you can receive for now, this thread of light will stop beaming out of you.

While that door is still open, you can release any downloaded energy. (The door should remain open. If not, re-open it for thus releasing step.) Then say, "All that is not mine be removed fully and completely." You will feel that dark yukky energy (betrayal, anger, frustration, confusion, fear, to name a few) being released or pouring out of you. For me, it’s like a big glob of gunk that spills out onto the ground where it is absorbed deep into the earth. (It feels like my heart-space vomits this dark goo. Sorry for the yukky visual.)

When that release has finished processing, that heart-door will close and vanish. You will feel a lot less drained and more like yourself. Probably more so than in a long time as we allow others to drain us more often than we realize.

There is more to this healing process, but this is the quick version and it works really well!!! I’ve been known to do this process every morning and every night.

Caring for someone doesn’t drain us. Acting out of love doesn’t drain us energetically. Yes, we might be physically tired, yet that unspeakable energy drain doesn’t happen when we act through a loving heart. Our intuition and our imagination work hand in hand to protect us and to help us clear. Now you can interact with your world on a higher level of vibration and feel safer doing so.

There is one final part to this series I hope to share with you next time . . .

The biggest reason people want to cut off their Intuition and Spiritual Awareness has to do with spiritual overload. We sense and feel everything around us. It feels like it’s just toooo much!

When I first awakened to my Intuitive self, I could hardly go in to a restaurant. I would pass the first table and feel everything each person at that table was feeling. I would feel their sadness, anger, joy, frustration, loneliness, grief, and worries to name a few. Then I would move past the second table while still feeling overwhelmed from the first table. God help me if we were seated in the back of a large restaurant!!

Once I even felt the wind blow through me on the way into the restaurant and felt a sharp wave of overwhelming feelings . . . nearly knocked me to my feet! I was so unsuspecting!

My husband, Phil, was understanding, but horrified and helpless as he watched me go from happy and joyful to heavy and overwhelmed. He strongly encouraged me to do something about that because it was breaking his heart.

So, over the years, I’ve found several solutions that really work. I’ll share some really powerful ones with you. I share them with you because living closed down is really not an option. All those walls and barriers we attempt to put up don’t really work. They just take whole lot of energy to sustain them. There are easier ways to be free of that energetic overwhelming experience while remaining intuitively and spiritually open.

Closing down or shutting down or removing the intuition is like removing your eyes. You need your eyes to see! You need your intuition to “see” your world energetically. Your intuition is your early warning system (you can sense something amiss before it appears) and your life support system (your life-force energy flows through the intuition).

Here is the first practice that I did when I was just newly awakened. It really helped tune me in and eased the trauma of being overwhelmed incredibly fast. Before you go into a restaurant or a place filled with people, ask Divine Source to “As a practice, please reveal to me a word or blessing for one person in this place.” Your guides/angels/Divine Source will then direct your attention to one person. All else will fade. All else will fade!!! You will not receive any other information!

You will be gifted a word a thought, an impression, or a kind blessing for that one person. You do not have any responsibility to give that word or blessing to the person! This is just your practice mode! Thank your guides/angels/Divine Source for this information and just be “at rest” where you are. Clutter starts to pour in? Immediately ask your guides/angels/Divine Source, “Please allow me to be at rest.” Then focus upon the menu or who you are with or if you are by yourself, bring a book. Do not allow yourself to be distracted from “at rest.”

You have choice and power over your intuition. It does not have power over you! Know this! Practice this! Take charge of this gift!

If you get into a car, you guide the car to where you are going . . . it is a mode of transportation only. It doesn’t take you where you don’t want to go.

Your intuition is a mode of awareness to get you where you really want to be – A Divinely connected blessing to this world. You are a better blessing when coming from a place of “at rest” than a place of overloaded. From that place of “at rest” you can receive more and

deeper information for one person. This is a huge practice that really helps you move beyond overload and into all the aspects of clear-seeing, clear-hearing, clear-communication, and clear-sensing.

Also, it’s coming to my attention that you may enter a restaurant, movie theatre or shopping center and “hear” whispering or conversations just out of ear-shot. You are hearing other people’s guides and angels as they are either communicating with one another or sending guidance to their person. This is really none of your business. However, this experience lets you know that you are tuning in to the frequency of guides and angels and can communicate with them . . . your guides and angels and other people’s guides and angels. How cool is that!?!

You can use the SAME practice of requesting a word or blessing to let the guides and angels know that you can hear them. Again, ask, “As a practice, please reveal to me a word or blessing for one person in this place.” They will either give you a word or blessing, or they may move out of ear-shot. Either way, you are not so overwhelmed with that energetic noise. Again, you are not responsible for giving the word or blessing to anyone! This is just practice so you can receive and then move into “at rest” mode. Like an engine on idle, it’s on, but not going anywhere. Your awareness is ready, willing, and able to get you where you want to go WHEN YOU DECIDE you want to take the journey.

Obviously, there are many other techniques that I could share with you, but this – by far – is the most valuable. This not only eases up the energetic/intuitive clutter that overwhelms, but it also prepares you for MORE! And if you are ready for MORE, I can help you with that, too. MORE to come on that!

Phil and I noticed the other day that we had somehow developed a tone of distain with each other. I hadn’t been feeling well and he’d been really feeling the pressure of deadlines at work. Whatever the cause, we didn’t like it and we made a pact to refrain from distain.

Distain is that nasty sharp tone of voice that cuts deeply. The words may be harmless in and of themselves. “What?” is an appropriate way to seek additional clarification. However, that same “What?” spoken with a silent “you worthless piece of scum” energy projected in the query harms both the one speaking and the one hearing.

It’s like a paper cut. Not very deep, yet it hurts like heck and it continues to hurt for days afterward. If experienced again, slices deeper and stings like crazy. People don’t die from a paper cut, but the sting reminds one that they are no longer ‘safe” with that person. When we speak with that tone of disdain, we sow the seeds of fear and mistrust. We are, in actuality, asking the other person to mistrust us!

Why do we speak in that tone of disdain? It’s a learned response to frustration. It’s meant as a simple nudge to push someone to please us. We want a certain thing a certain way, and we want it right now. Maybe stressors elsewhere make us feel impatient with the ones we love. Maybe we just get full of ourselves. Maybe we just are functioning barely within our limits. The outcome remains the same. Pain and mistrust ensues.

Energetically, here’s what happens. That tone of disdain cuts right through the energy field surrounding a person and slices directly into their heart-space. This slice is quick and sharp, so it doesn’t feel—well, terrible—just a slight “urk” feeling. Pulled up short. This opens the energy field and the heart-space. Positive energy leaks out while the disdain edges in. The disdain is like poison. Without realizing it, the receiver responds in distain as well. Both people leak positive energy while both people “fester” with this disdain poison all the while sending it back and forth.

We feel unsafe and teach/reinforce that unsafe feeling. The really sad thing is that we speak this way to ourselves!!!

So, how do we refrain from disdain? Notice it when it happens. Recognize it is not about you! Release the disdain, and heal yourself immediately with inner words of truth and kindness. (Like, I love, honor and respect myself. I appreciate all that I do in the time and way I do it.)

In time, if another person has spoken with disdain towards us, we can speak calmly to the other person. Perhaps we can let them know (lovingly as we can) that the way they said a thing kinda hurt. They may or may not get it. They may or may not be able to change. Their words of disdain are evidence of their own pain of frustration. Notice and let it go.

When we notice that we’ve spoken in a disdainful way, we apologize immediately! Even to ourselves! We restate what we intended to say in a clear, non-emotionally charged tone of voice. EVEN IF WE FEEL THEY (we) DESERVE our disdain, they don’t. No one deserves disdain. It’s that disdain poison talking. Stop listening to that voice.

We get to speak our truth clearly with a neutral voice. This heals us and offers healing to the one listening. Speak to the heart. The heart hears and feels what is being said and how it is spoken. Let’s let our words heal.

I wonder if we could start a campaign to refrain from disdain this year? Could we speak clear truth? I wonder what a difference this could make in our world? Let’s give that clear voice a try!

After Last Week’s message at The Divine Fellowship, I was asked to transcribe some of our notes for ease of use. So, here ya go!

As I was sending out an email to the church membership, I came to the part where I make a note of the upcoming message title. Nothing had come to me as yet, so I began to ponder all the things that would be good to talk about. I heard, “And then . . .” and continued pondering other topics. I heard, “And then . . .” again, and dismissed it again, because I had no idea what that would be about. I heard, “And then . . .” again and laughed out loud while typing that in as the message title. I realized I would be given the information as the week unfolded. There have been rare occasions that the message information was delivered as I walked from the back of the sanctuary to the podium. They’ve never let me down! (God, Angels, Spirit Guides – whatevers – lol)

So, as the week progressed I decided to get out my trusty link to Bible Gateway where you can look up verses quickly. I typed in “and then” and hundreds of passages popped up. I read a lot of those and discovered that whenever the Bible used the phrase “and then” it referred to a moment of change! Profound change.

So, I argued with God that this would be a better message for the first of the year. I was reminded by an astrology friend later in the day that the solstice was coming up and it was a great time for change. Sheesh. I guess God might have a better plan than me.

So as I considered the “and then,” along with the Solstice just days away, I realized that there was a wonderful opportunity to use this time and this method to really create chance in our lives for good!

So, the process is this. . . . State your current struggle as if someone else was having it in the past tense. She was overwhelmed. He was worn out. She was fearful. He was alone.

And then, add “and then” to the phrase. She was overwhelmed, and then . . . He was worn out, and then . . . She was fearful, and then . . . He was alone, and then . . .

And then, add a possible new insight or action. She was overwhelmed, and then she found her center. He was worn out, and then he reclaimed his power. She was fearful, and then she became aware of her strength.

Instant shift!!!

Then say the “And Then” statement to yourself morning and evening until the Solstice when it changes to a personal truth statement. I was overwhelmed, and then I found my center. If you can repeat this to yourself for 21 days, true change happens! I hope you give it a try!

Here are a few “And Then” statements for you to choose from. Maybe more than one will apply to your current situation. Notice how you can instantly shift as soon as you say the “And Then” statement. There is Divine Power attached to this! You are not alone in your journey and this is a tool gifted directly from Source just this last week for you to use!

She was overwhelmed, and then she found her center.

He was worn out, and then he reclaimed his power.

She was fearful, and then she became aware of her strength.

He felt alone, and then he connected to Source (and went fishing)

She felt betrayed, and then she found her truth.

He felt full of self-doubt, and then he woke up (awakened).

She felt judged and in turn judgmental, and then she found compassion.

He felt hopeless, and the he saw a glimmer of Light (The Light found him!)

She felt anxious, and then she realized her worth.

He felt full of uncertainty, and then he tapped into Source and was filled with “knowing”.

She felt unimportant, and then she realized her worth.

He felt angry, and then he realized the story he was telling herself. And then he laughed.

You don’t have to know HOW any of this will happen. By being willing and open, things shift and you just automatically find your way into that new state of being. We tell ourselves things that are not true. We hear them in our head and we believe them. Most of the stuff we say to ourselves is just rubbish impressed upon us from events and circumstances long passed.

These “And Then” statements allow our brain to open to new possibilities . . . AND THEN our heart finds the way.

I recently did a message at The Divine Fellowship entitled Bring in the Light. There were a few highlights that I wanted to share with you.

We spend a lot of energy and effort fearing what might happen. We spend our energy replaying old events in our minds hoping to understand then or protect ourselves from being harmed in that same way again. This generates anxiety. The fear and anxiety feed the darkness, and yet, there are things that we can do and do well that causes the darkness to diminish.

When you take time to meditate . . . darkness fades.

When you give a friend or stranger a compliment . . . The Light glows brighter.

When you laugh (genuinely find joy) . . . The Light amplifies.

When you Pray for yourself or another . . . The Light shines.

When you are brave and try something new . . . The Light intensifies.

When you allow someone to be where they are – even if it’s not where you want them to be . . . Light beams.

When you let someone go ahead of you in line . . . The Light blazes

When you notice a sunrise or a sunset . . . the Light radiates.

When you snap a photo for a stranger . . . the darkness scatters.

When you welcome differences while others exclude and ridicule . . . the darkness slips away.

When you tell someone how they’ve impacted your life . . . darkness folds in on itself.

When you are gentle when others are abrupt and impatient . . . darkness yields.

When you refrain from anger when cut off in traffic . . . darkness shatters.

When you forgive someone or take responsibility for your own actions . . . darkness scatters.

When you hold sacred ground for someone who is suffering . . . darkness evaporates.

When you speak kindness when others spew hatred and fear . . . darkness is VANQUISHED!

Darkness cannot prevail. Darkness fears YOU and the Light of Love that abides within you! Be the Light that you already are!