Intuitive Development Archives - Lightspirited Being

Chakra Wisdom – Oracle Card Kit Review

Jun 182014

I’ve used a lot of oracle card decks and would rate Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards by Tori Hartman above average.

Oracles are helpful to reference when considering a question or issue, as they help trigger intuition and insights.

Some work better than others, and this is one of the better ones.

What I like the most is that for each card, there’s quite a bit of material, offering a good chance of hitting on what feels “just right” with regard to considering the issue from a different viewpoint, noticing something you hadn’t before, gaining more clarity, etc.

Individual Cards

For each card, there’s — of course — the card itself. Often something from the image will jump out at me. I like the illustrations by Gretchen Raisch-Baskin, and they have just the right amount of complexity.

Using the Guidebook

Within the guidebook, for each card, there is a title word, a quote, a legend (enjoyable!), an inspiration, a personal inquiry, key ideas, keywords, and a meditation.

That’s quite a lot of raw material to work and play with!

There’s also the card’s general category, or chakra, with interesting write-ups on each of those. Along with that is listed the chakra color and some implications of that.

You can also access what you already know about the colors and/or chakras, which for many of you is quite a bit of extra information since they are already pretty well-established in the main-stream.

The guidebook instructs you on using various spreads or layouts in case you aren’t familiar with them. And even if you are, Tori has put her own spin on them and her variations are fun to play with.

Packaging

The packaging is really nice but with a few tweaks it could be exceptional.

The main box easily pulls out of its jacket with a little ribbon.

Within the box is an indentation which holds the cards, and the guidbook sets nicely on top.

My only complaint is that the indentation is not fastened to the bottom of the box, so the bottom cards slide around and get stuck underneath it. This is remedied by using a rubber band around the deck, but I’m sure that’s not what was intended. 😉

Summary

All-in-all, this is a fun deck to use, and because of its broad range, you’re likely to find something that rings true for you in any draw/reading, and which offers you just the guidance you need.

I recommend it.

Note: I received these cards for free for review purposes and this review reflects my honest evaluation.

3 Tips to Increase Your Intuition

Oct 242013

As you expand your conscious awareness, your intuitive faculties expand right along with it. It can’t be helped.

Everyone is intuitive to some degree.

We have so much information available to us all the time, but we just forget to pay attention.

Today we’ll discuss a few more ideas to help increase your awareness, and thus your intuition.

First, intuition is defined as:

Immediate cognition. The ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.
The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes.
The power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.

Notice how the definitions explicitly eliminate rational thought from the equation.

When we can be purely aware, without interference of the rational process either to figure out what something means or to rationalize why it can’t possibly mean what it feels like it means, our intuition flows freely.

And if you combine that with becoming more deliberately aware, your intuition goes through the roof – literally!

3 Tips to Increase Your Intuition

Here are some ways you can deliberately increase your awareness and thus your intuition.

1. Be Aware Both Deeply and Broadly.

a. Focusing provides the depth.

If you want to get an impression of something in particular you would rest your attention easily on that thing (or person or situation) and see what you notice. Stay open to anything. You can ask yourself pointed questions about it.

In other words, probe.

Allow your attention to go more deeply than your normal senses might take you.

b. Opening provides the breadth.

To do this you can intentionally expand your awareness to the peripheries and beyond.

For example, as it relates to sight, let your eyes rest on the wall (or area) in front of you and see what you might notice literally in your peripheral vision. (Remember Eagle Eyes?)

Here again, notice what you are physically seeing but also let yourself see with your mind’s eye. Do some areas seem “dark”? Especially lively? Icky? Attractive? Are any calling for your attention in some way? Notice all these things.

While practicing both of these, have confidence in your experience and above all, don’t judge it. Just notice it for now.

These perceptions are packed with information and making them conscious will help allow them to reveal themselves purely.

2. Open to Surprises

This can be practiced while you’re deliberately doing intuitive work, or even as you go about your day. (It helps to set it as an intention.)

Especially notice those quick little thoughts — and especially non sequiturs — that flit across your mind. They are often a message, and quite an obvious one.

3. Notice What You Notice!

This one can be powerful.

There is usually a good reason for you to notice one thing over another. It’s not always so apparent at the time, but if you make a note of these things, it’s not uncommon to later realize that it was relevant to something going on in your life. If you can catch the relevance at the time, all the better. (Remember my story about the ravens? Like that!)

So these are a few simple ideas for easily expanding your awareness.

They can greatly enhance your intuitive awareness by opening new channels in your habitual modes of experiencing.

If you play around with these ideas and activities enough, you will likely notice some interesting and applicable things right away.

Do any or all of these tips call to you? Then play around with it/them.

And enjoy!

How to Use Your Eagle Eyes for Expanded Perception

Aug 282013

Years ago, I was introduced to the “eye-opening” concept of seeing with Eagle Eyes to expand your perception.

You see differently, and you see more.

This leads to enhanced creativity and intuition, among other benefits.

And although this concept is related to sight, it can really encompass all your senses, including your 6th sense.

Here’s the idea.

Latent Inhibition

In his book Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality, Dean Radin discusses the idea of latent inhibition. It’s an unconscious brain process that degrades our ability to pay attention to stimuli that have had no consequences in the past.

In other words, we automatically ignore things that are not critical to the task at hand. It’s what enables us to focus without becoming distracted and overwhelmed with all the millions of pieces of information in our perceptual field at any given time.

Healthy people tend to have high latent inhibition, since the more our sensory awareness is suppressed by what the brain considers irrelevant, the more we remain stable and focused.

Openness & Creativity

However, low latent inhibition is associated with the personality trait “openness to experience”, which in turn is associated with divergent thinking and creativity.

Tests done on Harvard graduate students showed that those with high creativity had significantly lower latent inhibition scores than those who were categorized as low creativity.

This underscores the idea that highly creative people have greater access to more of what the world presents.

Expanded Perception

So creativity requires “perceiving outside the box”. This is different than “thinking outside the box”, unless you experience thinking as perceiving a new thought. In my experience, thinking is often directed and active whereas perceiving is receptive. But in a creative state I notice that my thinking goes back and forth between being active and actually receiving ideas.

Creative ideas often come in a flash, and long ago I realize that they are much akin to intuition. In fact they’re so similar that being in a creative or intuitive state is almost — if not exactly — the same thing.

From this perspective, we can better understand why creative people report more psychic experiences. … Most people who believe in psychic phenomena are not ignorant or mentally deficient. They just see farther into the depths of the world than other people do.

~ Dean Radin, Entangled Minds

How to Enhance Your Creativity

Can you choose to lower your latent inhibition and thus expand your levels of perception and creativity?

My experience is definitely yes.

The more I do it, the more information I have conscious access to. My intuition is constantly getting more active and reliable, and I get so many creative ideas I can’t hardly keep up with them.

And all it takes is intention and practice.

And this is where the idea of Eagle Eyes comes in.

Eagle Eyes

Eagles fly high above ground. They have a bird’s eye view. And even though they may be looking at one particular area, they’re ever alert to anything at all that might move or otherwise catch their attention.

A super easy and fun way to practice expanding your perception is this:

1. Choose an object in your vicinity.

2. Look at it. Now soften your vision so you’re gently gazing at it.

3. Notice, while leaving your eyes there, all the other phenomena in your peripheral vision.

4. Allow your attention to focus on them even as your eyes remain gently focused on the initial object.

You can do this with all your senses. While holding mainly on one particular item (sound, sensation, etc.) allow your attention to roam, noticing even more with that same sense.

Another way to practice expanding your perception is this:

When you have a free moment, simply ask yourself

“What am I not noticing?”

If you want more direction than that, then use all your senses, inner and outer, to

a. first check your environment

b. then your body

c. then emotions

d. then thoughts

e. then vibrations.

You’ll be amazed at how many things suddenly come into your awareness!

Some will be things that could be obvious to anyone but some will be very subtle things that you may wonder if you’re really even perceiving as opposed to just imagining.

Trust that you are.

And if you practice these exercises regularly, you’ll start to do this naturally, and you’ll notice that you’ve become more creative and intuitive, sometimes startlingly so.

Here’s to your expansion!

How to Attract the Life You Dream Of – Plus a Giveaway!

Jun 062012

“Are you ready to jump in and begin the most exciting journey of your life?”

These are the words Angela Artemis uses in the first chapter of her new book The Intuition Principle: How to Attract the Life You Dream Of.

And if your answer is yes, then read on, because I’m going to tell you why I think Angela’s book is a perfect first step on that journey.

Here’s my review of The Intuition Principle.

First, The Intuition Principle is a hugely impressive book.

I’ve grown accustomed to the way Angela writes on her blog, and her book did not disappoint. Some people write fluffy, superficial pieces. Not Angela. Her blog is full of posts that you can sink your teeth into. A few minutes with Angela is like an hour with someone else.

The same goes for her book.

It is substantial.

No wonder she’s so quickly become a best selling author!

(I’ve got so many of Angela’s well-chosen words to choose from — besides an impressive clairvoyant, she’s a talented writer — that I’ll sometimes let her speak for herself. Unless otherwise noted, quotes are from the book.)

The Field of Consciousness

Much of what Angela elaborates on in her book is related to what this blog is about: Connecting with a vast field of information and possibility and learning to apply it toward living a life that’s full of joy.

In Angela’s words:

The source of our intuition is the field of consciousness, or what I refer to as Greater Intelligence. … All that it takes to reconnect to this vast storehouse of knowledge is our intention and desire. It’s always there just waiting for us to invite it to work with us.

This last sentence is much like what I said in my last post about “The Field”: that it’s always there.

It’s up to us to interact with it and to accept its gifts.

This book helps us do that.

The Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of

Here’s why I love this book and why I added it to my list (I’m building a list of favorites for you to refer to): It’s about being integrated with your authentic self.

The Intuition Principle is about getting in touch with who you are authentically by listening to your intuition. It’s not so much a book about developing intuition as it is living an intuitively inspired life. …

It’s about living your best life, feeling joy, and feeling fabulous!

~ Angela chatting with Suzie Cheel about The Intuition Principle

And again, from the book:

The Intuition Principle is the concept that within you exists an innate technology, your intuition, capable of both guiding you to and attracting to you the life and happiness you’ve always dreamed of.

“Guiding you to” and “Attracting to you”.

That means it works both directions.

So this book shows you how to best interact with your life situation and how to draw to you (or create) more satisfying life circumstances.

Intuition as a Means, Not the Main Goal

What I found is that this book actually does guide you into using your intuition but in a different way than I’ve seen in most books on the subject (and I’ve seen/read/used a lot of them)!

I think you’ll find that as you go through it, your intuition will increase easily and naturally as she shows you how to use it to investigate and ultimately discover your authentic self and its ideal relationship with the world.

She takes you on a guided journey toward the meaningful goal of discovering your spirit (and all that implies in practical term), and teaches you to use intuition as your main tool.

It’s a beautiful blend of the two subjects: discovering your authentic self and using your intuition.

So although Angela states that intuition includes psychic ability, this book is primarily about getting to know ourselves more deeply rather than about extending our psychic skills. Even as a professional intuitive, I love it and plan to go back through it more thoroughly as an intensive.

The Importance of Intuition

This is not to under-state the role given to intuition and developing it in this book. (It is, after all, the title!)

I love Angela’s bold statements about it:

You will never live your authenticity until you partner with your intuition.

and further along:

Intuition is the only way to connect to your authentic self and your true calling, your reason for being here at this time.

A Peek Inside the Book

Here are a few notes I jotted down as I read the book. (Note: This isn’t comprehensive nor even necessarily in order. Just some of my favorite things about it that I wanted to mention.)

First, I’ve seen and held the paperback edition. It’s beautiful, and it feels so good! For me, that’s always a good sign and a reliable indicator of a book’s value to me.

But paperback or kindle edition, it’s obviously a gift from the heart.

Angela’s bright spirit shines through right from the beginning as she starts you off with a “pop quiz” about if and how you use your intuition. It’s a fun way to calibrate and compare once you’ve gone through the book so you can see how much progress you’ve made.

And in Angela’s no-nonsense way, she has you making progress from day one.

The bulk of the book is various ways to apply intuition to look within and get to know yourself, or in Angela’s words: “To find your passion, purpose, and authenticity.”

She gets you motivated with a list of the benefits of using your intuition in this way, and talks about how “her life changed dramatically for the better afterward when she started relying on it.”

Exercises are sprinkled throughout the book. By the end of chapter 2 she already has you effectively looking within with questions designed to help you begin to get in touch with your intuition. And these are useful questions — questions I’m sure you want the answers to. (Those are the best kind of questions for prompting intuition.)

She talks about the different ways of receiving information, and how to find out which is your primary mode or vehicle.

She gives you the main tools for developing your intuition. And notice how effective these would all be in getting to know yourself!

1. Meditation

She teaches you here how to do it in a simple and easy way, along with how to integrate it into your life.

2. Guided Meditation

She includes quite a lot of powerful guided meditations, including

Meet the “you” that you were meant to be in the life you were meant to live
Remember your mission and see your blueprint

If you like guided meditations I highly recommend you purchase her guided meditation system. (I’d do it now — the price is going up any day now.) She’s got the most beautiful voice and the meditations themselves offer so many gifts, e.g. relaxation, insight, expanded awareness, etc. Plus, there are some amazing bonuses!

3. Journaling

This is another major tool, IMHO.

4. Dreams

Easy, practical ways to apply them.

5. Muscle testing and how to do it

Super! I still find this challenging – grrr. I’m going to really use this section. 😉

6. Meeting and working with your spirit guides

A major topic in itself, and you can even download a recording of one of these exercises.

7. Mind Maps

You draw a map of your purpose and lessons – literally – as she guides you through creating a mind map (& includes related bonus materials that you can download from her site).

Incorporating the Tools

Angela is nothing if not practical. So she then gives you “Twenty-five fun and easy ways to incorporate intuitive exercises into your daily life”.

And then, a super helpful chapter is about how to troubleshoot blocks to intuition. She elaborates on 19 of them (!) and gives you ways to work through them.

If you get this book, you have no excuse not to be benefiting from your intuition on an ongoing basis, and I’m not kidding!

Wrapping Up

At the end she pulls it all together for you.

She discusses this “age of intuition”, and even includes a chapter on how doing this kind of work helps heal the planet.

And she includes a nice glossary of terms, and even an index, gasp! Those are so often missing but an index helps make it a useful reference as the years go by.

As Angela says in closing:

The intuitive personality is an evolved personality.

Do you want to evolve? Then get this book!

Note: Angela is offering you all the free bonus materials whether you get the book or not — and one of them is a free chapter! If you’re still not sure about the book, grab the bonuses and see if they speak to your soul. 🙂

Comments? Questions? Please share your two bits!

Angela

Angela Artemis, an intuition coach, is on a mission to teach readers around the world to “speak intuition” so that they unlock all the brilliant potential that resides within and start successfully living the life of their dreams now – not later. She blogs at www.PoweredbyIntuition.com and is an Amazon best-selling author. Her newest book is, “The Intuition Principle: How to Attract the Life you Dream Of,” Readers are welcomed to download free bonus material here.

> > > Get a FREE Copy of The Intuition Principle! < < <

Angela has generously donated a free PDF copy of her marvelous book to one “lucky” winner of a random drawing. That can be you!

To enter:

1) Tweet this post or “share” it on Facebook. (Buttons below.)

then

2) Leave a comment using the term “free copy” and tell me a) how you shared this post and b) why you want to read the book.

[This contest has expired. We have a winner: Congratulations, Saralee! Thanks to everyone who entered, and many blessings to you all.]

And speaking of intuition and our authentic selves, hop on over to Facets of Joy where the fabulous Joy Holland asks — and several of us answer: “When one has set the intent to query and listen, how does one differentiate between an authentic, intuitive voice and any other voice that is heard? How does one know it is ‘truth’, not just ‘wishful thinking’?”. There are some excellent tips there — and do add yours to the pot!

Are You a Door or a Doer?

Mar 212012

This Friday I’m holding my first group Holographic Emergence Session, in the form of a Spring Activation teleconference.

And boy, do I keep wanting to control it!

I’m so trained. We all are. Trained to take charge, “make” it happen, be responsible. I want so badly for it to be beneficial for all the attendees that I keep feeling like I have to force it somehow. No unknowns. Not even “happy accidents”. I notice myself starting to worry that I need to be better prepared. That it ought to be structured.

But this new (cutting edge, truly) way of operating challenges all those old habits.

And it can be downright unnerving.

Trust vs. Control

The power of consciousness technology (such as Matrix Energetics, on which my Holographic Emergence sessions are based) is that you don’t need to “do” anything.

In fact, doing can be counterproductive.

In order to achieve success, first give up the idea that you are “the Doer.” Instead of constantly doing from the mere human or conscious level, become the “Open Door.”

– Dr. Richard Bartlett (founder of Matrix Energetics), The Physics of Miracles

Rather than “do” something, the main (and maybe only) skill involved is being able to access the state in which “it is done”. And even in this paradoxical statement, the word “done” is more an adjective than a verb.

The other main skill for some of us (as already mentioned) is to let go of being a control freak! Aach! Pant pant pant.

So how do I manage to step into this new way of operating? Or rather, NOT operating? This state of being, and allowing?

♦ I can only remind myself that a lot of people for whom I’ve done individual Holographic Emergence Sessions where I’ve let go of control have noticed positive results.

♦ I also remind myself that when this idea came to me just a few weeks ago, it already had a life of its own.

I was compelled and propelled to just do it.

It was kind of odd, actually.

It was as though I knew the doubts existed but I wasn’t able or inclined to even look at them. I often think it’s smart to examine doubts to see if they’re valid, but almost always I decide that they are — and then they are crippling.

And so, this time, I simply allowed myself to be moved.

Can it be that there is something, some force, some something (I know not what) that actually knows better than me?

Well, let’s hope so.

Choosing Trust

So, I’m letting this be a lesson to me to live as that door instead of just be that door when I do Holographic Emergence Sessions (or LOL when I absolutely have to let go and surrender because I have no other choice).

That means I won’t just be the door during the Activation session, but am also being a door that opens for this and possibly future Activation sessions to enter my life as they will.

The trust required to be an open door also opens you to receive inner guidance easily. I’m noticing that certain inspirations are appearing to me about the sessions. Things that may or may not be a part of it. That’s all fine and is a part of the process. It’s “showing up” on its own — through the open door.

I’m choosing it this time. To not do. To trust.

Because I’ve learned that that’s how magic happens.

Want to join us for the Spring Activation? There’s still time! You can find the registration link here. (And it’s free!)

And a big thanks to those of you who’ve already registered. We’ve already got a group of wonderful people; I’m so excited!

How about you? How do you know if it’s time to DO or time to be a DOOR … or don’t you? Have you seen the door lead to magical results? Would love to hear your thoughts.

What to Do When Your Intuition Is Wrong

Feb 272012

Do you ever get really strong hunches or intuitions, only to find out they’re “wrong”?

Or impressions that were so clear or extraordinary that you’re perplexed as to how you could have possibly made them up?

Well, there is a way to put those “wrong” impressions to good use, and if you’re smart (and I know you are), you’ll do it.

A Simple But Important Lesson

In the late ’70’s I took some psychic classes from the renowned psychic Kathlyn Rhea. Kay was so good she was often hired by the San Jose police department (in the San Francisco Bay Area) to help solve crimes and find missing people. In fact, she was officially deputized in two CA counties for her significant contributions.

She offered classes in her home in the Cupertino foothills and I was lucky enough to live close by and be able to attend. Needless to say, I learned a lot.

She taught us many things, much of which I still use to this day.

One of the most important things she taught was also one of the simplest.

It’s the idea that when you get impressions, you get them from somewhere.

You Got It From Somewhere

This may not seem important until you start applying it regularly.

Say you use your intuition to ask a verifiable question, but find out that what you “got” wasn’t the correct answer.

Well, it’s important to know that your impressions were still likely valid.

You didn’t make them up, and you’re not “wrong” just because they don’t match the answer to the question.

In other words, just because it isn’t the answer to a particular question doesn’t mean it isn’t so!

If I didn’t remind myself of this simple fact, I’d often miss useful information.

So rather than just dismiss it as wrong, it’s often helpful to take some time to see if the information might apply somewhere else, especially to important and current situations in your life.

It doesn’t always, or maybe it does but just not somewhere you think to look. Or maybe you won’t know where it applies until later.

But it’s always worth taking a look, because sometimes it’s obvious and relevant.

Investigate Where You Got It

Often Kay would invite her advanced students to work on cases with her.

One time, several of us saw something that looked like a blanket with a Native-American pattern. Even though Kay didn’t know what we were seeing, the next time she met with the officers involved in the case she questioned what it might have been.

It turned out that at the scene of the crime, the officers used a Native-American patterned rug to cover the body.

We weren’t asking what the body was covered with, but the information was still there and we were getting it. I’ve always remembered this as a perfect example of looking beyond the question to see where the impressions are coming from.

And that’s why, when I do intuitive exercises, I always try to stretch beyond the bounds of the question and see how else impressions might be applied to the situation.

For example, when we did an Animal Communication exercise on this site, a lot of you got specific impressions that didn’t answer the exact question but were still valid intuitive impressions. (Here’s the answer page with detailed feedback from me. The question was “What does Ollie get after dinner?”. There are lots of examples of what I’m referring to, but if you’re short on time, jump down to Angela’s section for a really good example.)

Another good example happened just last week, again with an intuitive exercise on this site. I asked if you could use your intuition to find my camera. (And one person DID find it, with so much specificity that I was utterly amazed!)

But just like with the Native-American patterned rug in my first example, several people — while not finding the camera — were all picking up on a similar thing: a bed.

[By the way, that’s another time to pay close attention: a) When several people are getting the same “incorrect” impression, or b) if you get a similar impression repeatedly.]

You can find all the impressions here, but just to show you what a match the impressions about beds (and sheds) were, here’s some additional feedback to one in particular.

Kara (a skilled intuitive who writes the delightful blog Conduit of Joy!), said:

Here’s my 2 cents…”felt” it in looking at your diagram as it is oriented in your diagram, in the most northwest corner of your house, whatever room is there. “Heard” bedsprings squeaking, so I’m thinking its under a bed, and also “heard” the sliding of the box across the floor, so I’m guessing it is. “Felt” the camera in the box under the bed, surrounded in white wrappings (tissue paper? white cloth?). “Smelled” dust motes, so I’m guessing it is a room that is not used much, like a guest room or storage room. “Tasted” iron, which I believe are the old bed springs (on an antique kind of bed – white wrought iron?). I believe the box was pushed far back under the bed almost against the wall.

First, the northwest corner of the house just so happens to be the bedroom. The bed-springs she heard are significant because at the time, the bed we were using didn’t have springs but we were in the process of moving it out and a new one in — well, an old one from the shed that we hadn’t used in awhile — that does have box-springs. Not only that, but it’s a very springy mattress, I’ve since noticed! Under the bed is a box. It’s empty except for white tissue paper. She smelled dust and that could easily be the shed where the bed was or under the old bed, which had gathered a layer of dust. (We live in the desert and it’s very dusty here. How’s that for an excuse. ;-)) And she mentioned a storage room, perhaps relating at some level to the storage shed. The metal, antique bed she mentioned is interesting. We’re not using it but the bed we brought in from the shed has an antique brass head and foot!

Now, none of this had anything whatsoever to do with the camera. But as she tuned in, I’m certain Kara tapped into something that was much more important than the camera. The reason we’re moving beds around is because the old one was bothering my back and that’s a big deal. It affects my life and that of everyone close to me at a very basic level when my back is injured. Plus, I had already found the camera, and had moved on to the bed as an area of focus.

Julie was also picking up on this idea, even seeing the tools that were stored near the mattress in the shed.

Maybe they were just seeing all the activity. Or maybe it was guidance. There are ways to tell the difference but this is enough for one post. 🙂

So. All put together, the impressions of Kara, Julie, and Beth are encouraging me to believe that perhaps we’ve hit on the right mattress, finally! (It’s actually a wonderful, high-end McRoskey mattress, and was only stored because we used to have it in the guest room. I don’t know why we didn’t think to use it for ourselves instead of buying a new mattress a year ago.) In any case, I’m going to consider it a “yes” vote and expect the best for now. Thanks to one and all!

Stay Open to the Possibilities

So the point is that if you ask about one thing and keep getting information about something else: pay attention!

It just may be something even more important that’s trying to get your attention.

The impressions will sneak in whenever and however they get their chance.

Remember: Staying open minded is what often alerts you to situations you’re not even thinking to ask about, such as the well-being of loved ones in your life, upcoming events you ought to be aware of, or factors in decisions you’re making at the time.

So next time you think you’re wrong, think again! You just may be getting information that’s quite important, and if taken as valid, can make a positive difference in your life.

Who Found My Camera — and How?

Feb 242012

A week ago I offered you a free reading if you could use your intuition to find my lost camera.

Thanks everyone for your impressions!

Even some of you who didn’t find the camera were definitely picking up on things going on around our home — especially those of you who spoke of beds and sheds. There were some matches that I found fascinating and I’ll share the details with you in an upcoming post.

But now … Drum-roll please!

Congratulations go to Debbie Jensen-Grubb for zeroing in on my camera so exactly that it took my breath away!

This is fun! …sort of like hide and seek. After sitting with it for a moment with the picture of the camera in my mind I thought it might be on a top shelf in a closet. I also asked my pendulum who suggested that it might be the office closet. Let me know! Thanks for the brain exercise this morning. 🙂

And that’s exactly where it was: On the top shelf of my office closet!

So Debbie got her free reading for finding the camera, and she kindly agreed to do a podcast with me about how she did it.

Inner Voices and Magic Pendulums

Here’s the podcast for you to listen to if you want to hear how Debbie approached and successfully met this challenge.

It’s about 13 min. total.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

And I’m so glad she shared because I learned a few new things about pendulums.

I especially love her sense of lightness and fun as she approached this, which I’m convinced played a big role in her finding it. In my experience, this, combined with the fact that she trusted what she got is pivotal.

Also: note that Debbie is not a professional intuitive! She says she “tries to listen to her inner voice”, and in many ways, that’s all it takes.

This is a great example of the fact that we all have intuition and we can all use it successfully!

Yoga Nidra

The first 9 min. of the podcast is about how Debbie found the camera.

And then there was a nice surprise!

I got to learn a few more new things about the profound effects of yoga nidra!

I had asked Debbie what she did for a living and she talked a bit about her career as a yoga teacher.

She’s created 2 yoga nidra CDs so of course I asked her to explain what yoga nidra is.

“Nidra” is the Sanskrit word for sleep, and in short, yoga nidra is a specific type of guided meditation where just 1 hour of it equals about 4 hours of sleep. (I’m there! I’ve ordered one and can’t wait ’til it arrives!)

If you ever feel sleep deprived or even just want to dive into your “golden egg” (Debbie explains on the podcast what this is), you might want to check them out.

You can find Debbie at TheYogaTeacher.net and her yoga nidra CDs are available at her shop there: Essential Relaxation and Yoga Nidra Cat Naps.

Debbie specializes in gentle, therapeutic yoga and in a few weeks will also offer her new DVD called Gentle Yoga for Strengthening. (UPDATE: It’s available now, just click on the link!)

Thanks again to Debbie and all who participated! I’ll have to do this again sometime. 😉

(And stay tuned for the related post where I’ll discuss some of your other impressions.)

http://lightspiritedbeing.com/2012/02/who-found-my-camera-and-how/

Find My Camera and Get a Free Reading!

Feb 172012

Calling all intuitives! (That’s you!)

I know that a lot of you are accomplished intuitives.

I also know from when we did some intuitive exercises on this blog that even if you think you’re not intuitive, you are! Every single person sensed some details correctly that you couldn’t have known without using your sixth-sense.

And I need your help!

I’ve looked all over for my camera and can’t find it anywhere.

I want to use one of the filters I packed with it.

If you can help me find it,

I’ll give you a free intuitive reading!

Details

The Camera
It’s an SLR (non-digital), Pentax ME Super with a set of filters and a telephoto lens. Also packed with it are some accessories (including a flash), plus a small automatic Pentax (non-digital), and cases for both cameras. I boxed them up a few years ago to sell and haven’t seen them since.

The Packaging
As I recall, they’re all packed in a smallish box, about the size of a shoe-box; maybe a little bigger. I’m not sure of the shape.

The Environment
Here’s the layout of our two buildings. It could be in the house or the storage shed.

The Reward
If you leave me any tip at all that leads to my finding the camera, I’ll announce it here (or in the comments) and contact you for a free reading. It will be 1/2 hour intuitive reading, and we can either do it interactively or you can send me a few questions and I’ll send you an audio response.

Timing
As soon as your “clues” start coming in, I’ll start checking them out. Please give me as many impressions as you like until I let you know here that it’s found.

Tips for Novices

There are so many ways to get at information like this that my main suggestion is to get creative and do it in any way that occurs to you.

Here are a few ideas to help spark your own imagination.

• First, believe in beginner’s luck. It definitely applies here!

• Next, set your intention to find this camera, and open to get an answer.

• You can use your imaginative skills to cycle through all your senses and see what you might get if you were the camera and sensing your location.

• You can use your hands over a diagram of the 2 buildings to see if you feel anything anywhere. Or look at it with your mind’s eye and see if any areas catch your attention.

• If you’re good with kinesiology or a pendulum, you can ask yes/no questions about where it is. Or use a pendulum over the diagram to see what that tells you.

• You can use your audio sense to see if any words come to you.

• You can imagine me finding it and see if I’m reaching up, down, moving things off the top of it, reaching into something, etc. Am I in a small, enclosed space like a closet, or in an open space like the storage shed?

• You can browse this site for more tips, I’ve written quite a few articles about this. Here are a few I especially like:

The Indispensable Ingredient That Will Make You Psychic

The Secret to Finding Your Intuitive ON Switch

And oh my gosh, there are a zillion more ways. Just go for it. Play with it. Have fun! You have nothing to lose.

Hey, Lady, Why Can’t You Find It?

Well, maybe I can. I haven’t really applied myself to it fully except to physically look around for awhile. Frankly, I thought this might be a lot more fun than my trying to find it all by my lonesome. 🙂

Thanks for any help you can provide, you talented intuitive, you! I appreciate it!

Now, let the search begin!

Note: When you leave your impressions, it might be fun and educational if you say how you got the information. I know that can take more time, though, so that’s optional.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Just after scheduling this post for tomorrow morning, I decided to take a few moments and tune in. After a short search, I stopped and tuned in again. And guess what?

I found it!

I went right to it as though I knew exactly where it was all along.

But I still think it will be fun for you to find it too!

I’m putting it back where it was and I’ll hold the idea of where it was/is in my mind for a few days.

If you can give me some valid and specific impressions about where that is, you can still win a free reading!

AND, if you’d like, we can also do a short podcast interview to be posted on this site about how, exactly, you did it.

I’ll announce the location and the winner (if there is one) next week.

Sound good?

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Update: It’s a week later and most submissions are in. Someone did win a free reading!

I wrote a follow-up post announcing where the camera was and who found it. The winner agreed to do a podcast which is included in the post so if you want to hear how she found it, check it out, it’s interesting!

As far as my finding it, I did know at some level where it was since I had put it there. It hadn’t gotten moved without my knowledge. But taking a moment to be quiet and tune in (like I mentioned above) helped anyway, as did writing down the question “Where is my SLR?”.

The reason I had trouble finding it was I had combined two Pictonary games into one box and packed the camera into the empty one. Both boxes were stored right there in the corner on the top shelf of my office closet and after all these years, I forgot that they weren’t both Pictonary games!

Thanks if you played! Cheers.

Ask Any Question and Watch the Answer Reveal Itself

Jan 092012

We all have questions, all the time. Some are more important than others.

Here’s a simple process you can play with to easily get answers to them, even the important ones. Maybe you won’t get answers all of the time, but you will some of the time, and sometimes they are so profound you can hardly believe they came to you so easily.

(And no, the process isn’t channeling, even though I’m about to open my story with that.)

A Question Asked

Over the holidays, as part of my decision to stay in touch with my intuitive side as much as possible, I decided I would channel on a regular basis. (When I first learned to channel I did it every day for months. But that fell off as it got to where I didn’t “have” to do that anymore, and could always connect at will even with longer gaps in-between).

If you’ve ever channeled or even participated while someone else is channeling, you know that during the session you usually get into a slightly altered state. In this state, your questions suddenly become unimportant to you because you somehow know that all is well, or you at least get a different perspective on your life where you don’t feel as threatened or desperate, and you don’t feel a need for anything, including answers to your questions.

Sometimes, when I channel for myself, I simply forget my questions since I’m operating from a different part of my being than my rational.

So as I mulled over what questions I could ask that were relevant to my life (since those are the most powerful evokers of answers), one glaring question came to my attention.

It’s not really the point of this story but it was about betrayal, something that seems to be a pattern in my life. Betrayal (sometimes simply abandonment which is a form of betrayal) by best friends, by regular friends, by family members, by institutions, by the government, by the so-called justice system, etc. But big time, life-shaking betrayal. No matter how well I think I’ve processed through it, the pain of it periodically comes back to haunt me, sometimes at the most inconvenient or unexpected times. Well, I’d been grappling with it again over the holidays.

So I wrote it down on a sticky note:

And I went about my holiday break, fully intending to ask that the next time I channeled.

An Answer Revealed

Well, I didn’t channel over the next few days but I noticed that there were some thoughts that would appear in my mind now and then, usually when I was doing rather mindless things. An idea was developing, seemingly on its own and out of the blue.

By about the 3rd day I realized that not only was it a complete model that was presenting itself to me, but that it was in response to my question!

As soon as I realized this, I also felt guided to write it down, too; just like I had my question. It seemed to be a part of the process of earthing it, and bringing it fully into my life. Sometimes when I do a similar thing, the idea clarifies itself as I write, but in this situation that wasn’t necessary. It was all there, clear as day, right from the start … all fresh, and alive, and very very relevant.

Note: I can’t wait to tell you what the idea/model was that revealed itself. It so totally answered my question, and then some. In fact, just assimilating the answer completely processed the betrayals for me. And I haven’t looked back. So far, it just isn’t an issue anymore. (Of course it’s only been a few weeks, but still. It feels significantly different.)

However, as part of my new leaf, I don’t want my posts to get too long, so what was revealed to me will have to wait until another day. (Are you familiar with the acronym TL;DR? Too long; didn’t read. Gotta love it as I never read super long posts, and I sure don’t expect you to!)

The point of this post is not what I found out, but that if you present your question to the Universe, to Source, to your Higher Self — who or whatever that part of you is that knows the answer that is most appropriate for you to hear at this time — you’ll get an answer.

Get Answers With This Simple (Yet Powerful) Process

There are lots of ways to do it but I am especially enamoured by this one right now. 🙂

Here it is:

1. Do you have a burning question right now? One that you really want an answer to? See if you can clarify what it is.

2. Write it down. This is optional but is helpful in the beginning. Just make sure you do something to explicitly ask it, though.

3. Pay attention. See what unfolds. The answer may be prompted by things in your environment (anything from normal, everyday activities to unusual “signs”), or it may simply be whispered to you in your mind or heart. It may come quickly or over the period of days or weeks.

4. Acknowledge the answer. Appreciate it. Apply it.

That’s it!

It’s deceptively simple. Don’t let that persuade you that it can’t do heavy lifting.

I used this process a few more times over my break and again got really great answers, and some very quickly. And the best thing about them is that they were more about teaching me to fish than feeding me one, you know? In other words, I was given a new way of seeing or thinking instead of just one answer to get me by until next time.

Pretty cool if you ask me.

I’d love to hear if you’ve ever tried this. Or if you’re willing to try it and report your results. Or maybe you have a better, easier way to get answers?

Separated From Your Pet? How to Reassure Them

Dec 212011

If you’re going to be separated from your pet for any length of time, you’ll find peace of mind in knowing that you really can “talk” with them about it beforehand, as well as connect with them while you’re apart.

It’s natural, and not all that difficult.

When we’d had our first yellow lab for about a year, we left him behind when we went on vacation. It happened to be the day after we reprimanded him for eating a sandwich off the coffee table. We took him to the boarding kennel the next day, said goodbye, and flew off to Hawaii.

We returned 10 days later and picked him up at the kennel. He was more than ecstatic. Even as we were getting into the car he was still licking us, squeaking, and panting.

Just as we all settled in for the hour-long drive home, it hit me — and it wasn’t just a thought. I literally felt it like a stab in the heart as I realized he thought we had abandoned him.

He had no idea we were coming back for him. I knew this with certainty. Immediately I began crying and trying to explain to him that we would never leave him like that. But by then he’d already gone through 10 days thinking we had.

Never ever did I want to do that to him again.

I didn’t know until years later that I didn’t have to. That I could communicate with him ahead of time in a way that he would understand, and know that we were coming back for him — and even when. (In fact, you can touch in with them from far away too, even while you’re separated.)

The main technique is that of speaking to them in pictures as you learned in part 3 of this series.

And you’ll feel more confident that you’re actually connecting if you take the time to practice the exercise from part 1 as well.

Before You Separate

If you know ahead of time that you’ll be separated, that’s ideal. Even if you only have a few minutes, that’s enough in most cases. For complex situations there are several actions you can take that take more time, but for the most part what you need to do is pretty quick.

The general idea is to prepare your pet for what they’ll experience while you’re separated. There are lots of aspects of this.

1. Length of time

Think about how you experience time, how they experience time, and then how you can put that into pictures.

If it’s hours, you might show them you’re gone until you come home and feed them dinner. Or maybe you’re gone until it gets dark. See them at home while it’s light; imagine it getting a little darker, then see and hear your car returning home.

If it’s days, see it getting dark, then light, then dark, then light again (for however many days it will be).

Some animal communicators say that animals can understand numbers, e.g. I’ll be back in 3 days. I don’t disbelieve that but if you want to do that I suggest you also use visuals along with it, at least until you have a sense your pet understands.

2. People and places

Imagine the people your pet will likely encounter. If you know what they look like, all the better. Sometimes you don’t (for example, if you’re boarding a pet there may be various people at the kennel). You can imagine people while you think consciously of the concept that there will be a lot of people around.

If they’ll be home, or maybe in a boarding environment, show them that too.

FEEL and project the idea of safety while you show them where they’ll be, with whom, and their daily routine.

3. Activities

You may be aware of some of the activities your pets will experience. If so, play them out in detail if you can.

Again, the most important thing is that you FEEL safe and calm. See them having fun and enjoying themselves. If you just can’t imagine it being pleasant for them, then see if you can feel them experiencing it as an adventure.

It can be especially helpful to anticipate the things that may upset your pet and play through those with that sense of safety. For example, if your animal will be traveling by plane without you, play through the noise and commotion of a busy airport, what it might feel like in the cargo hold, etc. All the while, assure your pet they are safe.

4. Reunion

Most importantly, see the two of you being reunited. Do this last, so that what you are telling them is as much in order as you can make it.

Don’t worry about every little detail being right or even that everything be in perfect order.

You just want to get the general ideas and feelings communicated to them. That’s enough, as that’s a lot! Most pets don’t get the luxury of anything even close to this kind of connection.

While You’re Separated

If you’re just separated for a short time (e.g. hours), you don’t need to do anything to reconnect unless you want to or unless your pet suffers separation anxiety.

But if it’s a longer period of time, it can help to check in periodically.

1. Connect

When you have a quiet moment (eventually, you don’t even need it to be quiet), just connect with them. Use a photo of them if it will help.

2. Visualize

And then simply repeat some of the things you communicated above, all the while feeling a calm sense of safety and contentment.

Stay Calm Yourself

A lot of people are so connected with their pets and vice versa that they worry whenever they’ll be separated for a long period of time or during unusual situations.

This is one of the worst things you can do.

It really helps them if you remember that you have done everything you can to keep them safe and happy and the final ingredient in that being possible is for YOU to feel calm and happy about it all.

They do sense that and it does make a difference.

Take a look at part 2 of this series for some ideas of ways to think about it which will help you both be more at peace while you’re apart.

More Practical Tips

This isn’t specific to Animal Communication but here are some other things that can help you both feel more calm too.

1. Acclimate them

Whatever you can get them used to ahead of time: do!

Whether it’s the people they’ll be with, crates they may travel in, certain foods they’ll be eating, environments they’ll be in, etc. Do whatever you can to expose them to those things for short periods of time and in a calm manner.

And make them positive experiences as much as you can. Maybe give them treats during or after if that makes sense.

2. Leave them a reminder of you

If possible, leave something of yours with them while you’re separated. This is especially good for dogs or cats, who rely so much on their sense of smell. So, for example, a t-shirt you’ve worn or a blanket you’ve used can go with them in their crate or to the kennel.

3. Use Rescue Remedy

Use Bach Rescue Remedy during and after. You can have a caretaker put it in their food or water just like they would a medicine. Or if you’re leaving them with a blanket or t-shirt, you can spray it with Rescue Remedy beforehand.

Afterwards it helps them process any kind of trauma they may have experienced.

This is a lot to absorb at once and I’ve only scratched the surface, but I’m sure you can use your own creativity to expand these ideas to fit whatever situation you might be facing. That’s half the fun of it, after all!

Let me know if you have any questions. Or if you have experiences with this kind of thing, or other suggestions, please let us all know.

Thanks for reading, and happy holidays to you … and your pets!

The Easy Way to Talk Telepathically to Your Pet

Dec 122011

If you have a pet that you need to have behave in a certain way, you can appreciate the value in having a supportive or reinforcing technique handy.

Here’s an extremely useful one that you can use in lots of situations.

Speak With Pictures

We’ve already talked about communicating telepathically with your pet using any or all of your senses.

When you imagine a scenario you want to encourage, you can and should continue to use other senses, but one of the easiest and most effective ways to get a telepathic message to your pet is to use your visual sense to create pictures.

(And note that the ideas I’m giving here for vision can still apply to other senses too.)

To Encourage Positives

Typically, when we want to relay a message or suggestion, it’s something good or something we want our pet to do.

When this is the case, simply imagine in your mind’s eye what that looks like, literally.

You can experiment with doing it from your point of view, and also from your pet’s perspective.

To Discourage Negatives

When there’s something you don’t want them to do or you want them to stop doing, it gets a little trickier, but only because you have to get creative yourself.

The idea is to turn it around into what you want them to do instead, and then imagine that in your mind’s eye.

So, for example, if you don’t want your dog to go into the street, see them stopping at the sidewalk. You might even see them turning around at the sidewalk and coming back to the house. (Note I’m not saying to do this instead of training or other practical restraint measures! It’s done as an adjunct with them in situations like this.)

Or if you don’t want them to bark when someone comes to the door, what do you want them to do instead? Think about that and imagine it in every detail.

A Few Other Tips

Whenever you’re encouraging a new behavior, it’s helpful to take an extra moment to see (in your mind’s eye) your pet getting some congratulations, affection, or a treat right after they do what you want them to do. And then, when they do it, give them that! Besides reinforcing the behavior, it helps confirm to them that you were, indeed, “talking” to them.

As to senses other than visual, you can also give commands from a distance (in your mind) if your pet is already responsive to those commands. And even though “No” is a negative, if they already are responsive to that, don’t hesitate to use it especially in a dangerous situation.

As with any kind of training, it’s good to repeat the practice lots of times before it’s actually needed, or intersperse it with times when it’s needed.

An Example: Discourage then Encourage

Our boxer (God rest her sweet soul) used to be very protective of us when we were in our outdoor jacuzzi at night.

She would go off barking to all corners of our property, and it was annoying not only to us but I’m sure to the neighbors, too.

The problem was, she was getting old and losing her hearing, so even whistling for her had become futile.

So we decided to use telepathy.

We used a mixture of different techniques, but it went something like this:

1. We calmed ourselves down, so that we truly were okay instead of distressed about her barking. Otherwise she would sense anxiety from us, making her anxious or making her think we were in a distressing situation where we need her protection.

2. We made a deliberate connection by thinking her name as if she were right next to us and we were getting her attention.

3. We imagined what we wanted, which was for everything to be very quiet. I would put myself “inside” her and feel myself just being quiet and calm, i.e. not barking. (Discouragement from barking.)

4. Then we would telepathically issue the “Come” command. She was a very obedient dog, but for good measure I would then …

5. Envision her returning to where we were. I would do this either from her perspective (imagining myself, as her, coming up the hill and across the driveway) or from our perspective (seeing her come around the corner of the house toward us), or both. (Encouragement to return to the house.)

It worked! It worked immediately and repeatedly. It was amazing even to us how responsive she was, but I’m sure that was at least partly due to the fact that a few years before we had all made an agreement of sorts that we would play with communicating that way. She enjoyed it and yet this shows that she also took it seriously.

So don’t forget about all these great modes of communication you have available.

Try them out, and practice them until you see for yourself how well they work. They not only enrich your relationship, but they can be an important means of communicating in serious situation.

Note: This is the 3rd in a series about communicating with your pet energetically (mainly telepathically). The skills are best developed in order. Here are the previous articles:

1. The Very First Step in Communicating With Your Pet
2. Worried About Your Pet? 5 Steps Toward Peace of Mind

Do you have experiences with doing this that you can share? Comments? Questions?

> > > Special GIVEAWAY Announcement < < <

Do you want a free reading? I’m giving away two — winner’s choice of 3 types!

You can choose a:

Channeling (30-min.) OR a
Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) Prasna reading OR a
Holographic Emergence session (30-min.)!

All I ask is that you:

1) “Like” Lightspirited Being on facebook (button to the right if you’re reading this from the blog) AND

2) Write on Lightspirited Being’s facebook wall that you want to be in the “Solstice Drawing”

That’s it!

I’ll draw 2 qualifying recipients on the Solstice (Dec. 21 here in NM). Please feel free to spread the word until then.

Thanks so much — and good luck!

Week 1: Recognize Your Spirit & Breathe

Dec 022011

Did you catch a glimpse of your elusive spirit this week? The one that sometimes hides out when you’re looking the other way?

This is the end of Week 1 of the 10 week online course “The Answer is Simple”. And week 1 was precisely about how to recognize that spirit of yours!

(The entire course is offered free by Sonia Choquette, and some of us are working it together here with a discussion at the end of each week. Join us!)

This Week’s Concept

Here are a few notes I jotted down as I watched the first Week 1 video:

• Who you are is not your story, ego, history, accomplishments, family, personality, community, etc.

• You are a spirit. You are unlimited! All those other things have limits, but you don’t. So change your identity. Say I am a divine, glorious, unlimited spirit!

• Spirit has personality. There are different kinds of spirits, e.g. Sonia says she is fiery. Some are calm, soothing, grounded. What kind are you?

• The key is to know that you are divine.

• Recognize and enjoy spirit. It’s beautiful and perfect. It is so powerful it gives you life.

• We’re here to grow. Life is school.

• Understanding your spirit makes life and lessons easier to navigate. It makes ups and downs more pleasurable to engage in. You’re immune.

• Notice Spirit frequency vs. Ego frequency

• Ego is insecure, etc. When you’re in ego frequency, you feel separate and pull away. You’re fearful, judgemental, etc.

• Spirit frequency is always peace, love, etc. You want to connect and participate.

• Practice and concentrate on recognizing your spirit.

• What do you love? What do you enjoy? What leaves you feeling inspired? Notice how your energy opens up.

My Comments

OK, yes, I’m going to do it. I’m going to disagree with Sonia on a few nuances. 🙂

1. I think our spirits are a part of us (a more subtle version of our physical bodies), but I don’t think we are our spirits.

I think that our essential nature is even more basic than our spirits.

She says our spirits are all different (i.e. hers is fiery, some are calm, etc.) and as I understand it, she is speaking of something that is manifesting at some level. If it weren’t it wouldn’t have characteristics, even subtle ones. (Then during the practice video, she says that our spirits are all the same spirit, which sounds a little like a contradiction to me. I do agree we are all one, but our spirits exist as subtle energy bodies and are not the same spirit any more than our left thumbs are the same thumb.)

I think that at our core, we are pure consciousness. That might not even be the right word for it, but it’s a beingness that doesn’t have any “qualities” that we can perceive. It doesn’t change at all that I can tell. It’s always the same.

And I said I “think” that, but I’ve come to that idea through experience. It’s not just something I read or heard.

The best I can do to describe what I’m talking about is to refer you to John Sherman’s conversations so you can see for yourself.

2. I’ve been playing with getting the word “unbound” (or something similar) into my tagline. I take all her talk about us being unlimited as an encouraging nudge.

3. Another slight disagreement. I used to agree that life is a school, but now I’m not so sure.

I think we’re here to simply participate and enjoy (I like the Sanskrit word “lila” for this, the divine play) even more than we are here to learn and grow. We automatically grow and evolve just by being.

4. I agree that at our core, we’re immune. I don’t know that I believe our “spirits” are totally immune. Our spirits are still energy patterns (albeit subtle ones) and still subject to impermanence. Our basic selves are not; they are — or it is — immortal.

So, all that said, sometimes I “look at me”, or sometimes to my spirit. It depends on the application.

What do you think about the concepts she talked about?

This Week’s Practice

Here are a few more notes I jotted down when I watched the second Week 1 video:

Breathing brings you into spirit frequency. When in ego, you hold your breath.

Breathe
Share a breath with several different people (or pets). There’s only one spirit. (Here’s where I saw that contradiction I mentioned above.)
Notice how doing this lifts your vibration and opens your heart.
Energize yourself with breath when you’re in ego.

My Experiences this Week

First, I did pay more attention than I would have if I were just doing this on my own, so thanks to all of you who jumped in to do this with me! 😀 I do think I got more from it as a result.

I made it a point to revisit the idea that I am not this personality; I am much more essential and basic than that. And more than just revisiting an idea, I actually did more of the “Looking” this week.

Monday I found myself in a total funk. Total. Funk. (On Weds. before Thanksgiving I impulsively decided to take Monday off. Now I know why! I knew at a deeper level than my conscious mind did that I was going to need it!)

I felt really pissy but at some level was still compelled to examine what was going on. I also did some Emergence which included some Channeling about it, and the results of that session were marvelous. Within the next few hours I just kept feeling better and better.

I took some time to do the breathing like Sonia suggested. I did notice that when I was upset in some way, my breathing was shallow … and I was in ego frequency like she said. When I focused on my breathing, and on breathing deeply, I was able to easily get in touch with my spirit as she described it. It felt good.

Your Turn

What do you have to say about the concept? What were your experiences? Can you make any suggestions or have some ideas for others?

Anything goes!

Please feel free to reply to each other, and maybe we can get a discussion going. (If it’s especially substantial, I’ll make a post out of it.)

If you’re not working the course, you can still jump in with your thoughts. And next week you might want to join us!

Also, since this is the first week, I’m playing around with the format of this weekly discussion/report post. Fellow-ettes: Let me know if you want to see something different. 😉

Thanks for joining in! 😀

And now: On to week 2! See you next Friday!

Quick note: Thanks to Lindsay at The Daily Awe, Lightspirited Being has been nominated as the “Best Personal Development Blog of 2011“!

I’d be thrilled to make it into the top 50 but can’t do it without you.

If you like this blog, I’d so appreciate it if you’d head over there and cast a vote for it. All you have to do is say you “vote for Lightspirited Being” in their comments section. Thank you! ♥

> > > Special GIVEAWAY Announcement < < <

I’m finding that a lot of people who like my services hang out on facebook instead of blogs. I’m trying to spread my wings there and would appreciate your help.

To that end, I’m giving away 2 readings, YOUR CHOICE of 3 types! You can choose a:

Channeling (30-min.) OR a
Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) Prasna reading OR a
Holographic Emergence session (30-min.)!

All I ask is that you:

1) “Like” Lightspirited Being on facebook (button to the right if you’re reading this from the blog) AND

2) Write on Lightspirited Being’s facebook wall that you want to be in the “Solstice Drawing”

That’s it!

I’ll draw 2 qualifying recipients on the Solstice (Dec. 21 here in NM). Please feel free to spread the word until then.

Thanks so much — and good luck!

Worried About Your Pet? 5 Steps Toward Peace of Mind

Nov 172011

Sometimes our pets will act peculiar, either for a little while or for an ongoing period.

Did you know that often it has more to do with what’s going on with you than with them?

They do what they can to keep you and your family in balance.

A few years ago someone asked me to use my Animal Communication skills to find out why her dog wouldn’t eat. She’d already had him to the vet (an important initial step) and knew it wasn’t a physical issue.

As I tuned in I got that his hesitancy to eat was somehow related to her (his owner). He was feeling her stress and anxiety which got the ball rolling, and then her stress around his not eating just made the situation worse.

I can’t remember all the details anymore but she was also trying to get him to eat certain things … things that were good for him, but ultimately I got a sense of her being a little obsessive about his food.

As I relayed this information to her, gently suggesting she not be so rigid about his diet because her anxiety about his food and his eating was actually a big part of the issue, she “happened to mention” to me that she was in the throes of an eating disorder. OMG!!!

In this situation, not only was her dog picking up her own issue around food, but also her anxiety around his food plus her anxiety in general. It doesn’t always happen that they act out in the same area of life where we’re having our issues (in this case, food), but this example was just too perfect not to share.

Even when the connection is as obvious as this, we sometimes don’t notice because our issues are not the first thing we think about when our pets have issues. In this example, even with the symptoms being so similar, it didn’t even occur to her that they even might be related until after we’d talked.

Our Pets Act Out Our Anxieties

Any anxiety you’re experiencing will be sensed by your pet and if it’s strong enough, they will begin to act it out.

Anxiety Not Related to Your Pet

In most cases our pets are acting out our stresses that don’t even have anything to do with them.

Maybe you’re worried about financial issues, health issues (your pets often match your symptoms almost exactly), or you’re just out of balance.

These things will definitely affect your pet.

Often they just help us process these things and are no worse for it. In fact that’s a supportive thing we all do for each other in general as part of a social unit. Just like a mobile, we all do our part to keep our family in balance, and our pets are very much a part of that dynamic.

But if it’s intense or prolonged, they’ll begin to show signs in their behavior or their own health.

Anxiety Related to Your Pet

Sometimes they act out anxiety that is related to them.

When it’s because of something they’re doing, it can create kind a mad cycle if what they’re doing is originally related to your anxiety. It just gets worse and worse until you stop the hamster wheel.

But often it’s simply something you’re concerned about because you love them so much and you want them to be happy all the time. (See, I have pets, I know!)

Like you’re going to board them and you don’t want them to be bored (interesting pun, don’t you think?), so you worry.

Or you’ll be traveling and you think they might miss you, so you worry.

Or they’re limping a little bit all of a sudden, so you worry.

Essentially, you have to stop that!

Easier said than done, I know.

What to Do Instead of Worry

First, just reading this and being aware is going to go a long way toward preventing or correcting this situation.

But here are a few ideas for when you see them acting out or even suspect it’s happening.

Better yet, doing these things as a matter of course will prevent your pets from needing to act out your anxiety to begin with.

1. Take care of yourself

If you’ve got deep, ongoing issues of some kind, try to make sure you don’t keep pushing them into the background. Do what you can about them now. What that might be is beyond the scope of this particular blog, but you know what I’m saying.

As in my example with the eating disorder, there can be things like addiction, depression, a bad marriage, a job you hate, etc. that can easily be affecting your pets. Please take care of yourself and they will benefit as well.

This goes for ongoing, serious things and passing issues as well.

2. Take it lightly

As to things related to your pet, be aware that they are very likely to reflect your attitude right back at you.

Are you a parent? Remember when your child took their first few steps, and landed *plop* right on their butt? You find out quickly that if you gasp and panic and run over to soothe them, they quickly pick up that it’s a scary thing and start to cry every time they fall. But if you make a surprised, fun face and say something like “Go boom!” and laugh like it’s fun, they’ll soon be laughing each time and scrambling up to do it again.

It’s the same with our pets, and using this little trick works in all kinds of situations.

3. Be optimistic

Once, during a turbulent flight, my young son and I were both getting nervous. I talked about how planes handle this all the time, and put on an unconcerned attitude. I was surprised to learn that pretending to be brave for his sake not only calmed him, but it had the wonderful side effect of actually allaying my fears too! Soon, I didn’t even have to pretend. And guess what? There was nothing to be nervous about!

Again, just like with our children, this dynamic works with our pets too.

So even if it’s something that might have a difficult outcome, you have a choice. You can make a conscious decision to focus on the positive. New or tentative situations can be an adventure rather than a threat. If and when difficulty actually develops, you can always deal with that then.

In the meantime, keep in your mind that right now all is well.

(If you’re familiar with the Law of Attraction you’ll recognize this as also being a way to help assure a good outcome, and you probably practice this already anyway.)

4. Remember your positive motivation and goals

If you find yourself anxious or concerned about an upcoming activity, remember that you’re doing it for a positive reason.

What is that reason? Keep it in the forefront of your mind.

This is important for personal situations but especially those related to our pets.

For example, your pet needs to go to the vet. We can think about how scared they’ll be when they have to ride in the car (ya right — this is cats, not dogs ;-)), get examined, get a shot, etc.

But better yet, we can think about how lucky we are to have good vet care, their ears (or whatever reason they’re going for) will feel better, the vet is doing this for them not to them, etc. Even if it’s for euthanasia, they will be relieved of their pain and can fly free, etc.

Or if you’re going to board them, instead of worrying that they will miss you or that they’ll be bored, think about how safe and protected they are in a nice warm building with regular meals and that cozy blanket you left with them.

There’s always a positive or you wouldn’t be doing it. So stay focused on that.

All that said, it’s important to also remember that animals are sovereign creatures just as we are. They have their reasons for being here, they are strong and magnificent beings, and they deserve to be able to grow through challenges just like we do. It helps all of us when we honor that. We can’t and perhaps shouldn’t try to protect them from everything.

5. Deliberately communicate positive ideas to them

If you haven’t already, you may want to develop the basic skill outlined in my first article of this series “The Very First Step in Communicating With Your Pet“. It gives a simple way to communicate telepathically with them so you have proof and confidence that your pets really are connected intimately with your inner goings-on.

If you commit to practicing it even a little, it pays off in the long run with greater peace of mind for you and like we’ve discussed here, with your pet’s peace of mind as a result of yours.

There are more things you can do that help you be at peace in relation to your pet, for example, touching in with them when you’re separated. But these things are skills (and articles) in themselves, and we’ll cover them and more in later articles in this Animal Communication series about how to connect more consciously with animals.

For now, the idea that you affect your pet profoundly is an important concept to be aware of and revisit often. The suggestions I’ve given are good skills to practice for the duration of your relationship with your pet.

Do you have any examples of when you were mirrored by your pet, or others by theirs? Were you/they aware of it at the time? If so, what did you/they do about it?

In Celebration of Light and of You * A Prayer of Opening

Oct 302011

Tonight is the 5th and last night of Diwali, the Festival of Light, which is both a harvest festival and a joyous celebration of the Hindu lunar New Year.

This auspicious holiday celebrates light and prosperity.

The focus on this final day and night is to see the good in others (including those you’ve had issues with).

I’m appreciating you very much, and all you’ve added to my life.

To celebrate and to thank you, I made an audio for you today of the prayer “I Open” that I posted awhile back in written form: A Two-Minute Opening to Inspiration and Guidance.

I say it almost every morning while I warm my muscles in the jacuzzi in the backyard.

It’s a beautiful way to celebrate each new day and open to its gifts.

You can listen to it below, or right-click to download it here, and I hope you like it as much as I do.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I wish you much light and many blessings in the year to come.

Namasté.

The Very First Step in Communicating With Your Pet

Oct 142011

If you have pets, you already know that talking to them in a way they can easily understand would be an especially useful skill to have.

Here’s a basic technique in how to send a message and get confirmation that it got through.

No matter what the ultimate purpose or situation, this is the place to start.

Later, when you really need to communicate something important, you’ll already have a connection established. What’s more, you’ll have confidence in that connection, resulting in greater peace of mind.

There are more advanced ways to communicate complex messages for complicated situations, but this is a perfect exercise to begin with. It’s a basic skill that you’ll need to have in place.

You’ll also find that even as simple as it is, it’s a valuable ability to have in its own right. You’ll use it all the time in all kinds of situations.

You’re Already a Team

In some ways, communicating with your own pet can be trickier than with an animal you don’t know. But that’s more true when you’re listening to them.

When you’re talking to them, you’re already connected and they are naturals at telepathic listening, so you’ve got an advantage right away.

That’s why learning to talk to them first is not only easier, but it’s also a fundamental skill to master if you want to advance to two-way communication.

A Strong Foundation

For the most peace of mind on both your parts, you want to practice together and develop your skill well before you actually need it. You want to know you’ve got it down.

Here’s how you can do this and get undeniable confirmation that they hear you and understand.

7 Easy Steps to a Basic Skill

Do this exercise when all is calm and nothing is at stake.

Choose something to tell them ahead of time; something very simple. It should be something positive and something that they would react to, such as a special treat or activity.

Make sure it’s something you’re able and willing to follow through on right after they get the message.

1. Be in the same room as your pet (or near them if you’re outdoors) when they’re relaxed and not involved in anything.

2. Relax and be still. Make sure you’re not giving any explicit or subtle subliminal messages about what you’re thinking.

3. Say their name to yourself, as if you’re calling them. This is to get their attention. Don’t worry if there’s no response … there usually isn’t at this point.

4. Give them the message you’ve already decided on. Do this primarily by imagining it in pictures. But don’t stop there. Use all your senses that can apply to conjure up the full experience. And feel it emotionally too. The more energy you can put into this step, the more chance of success you’ll have.

(It can help to visualize from your pet’s point of view rather than yours, but this isn’t always necessary. Experiment.)

5. Pay attention to your pet, and watch for any change at all. You want to get familiar with how they respond when they get the message. They’ll respond to different messages differently, but often they’ll at least turn and look at you. If it’s something they want, they’ll sometimes get up and come to you.

6. If you don’t see a response yet, you can form all the conjuring you just did into a “ball” and mentally toss it to them.

7. If you do get a response, or even if you suspect that maybe they got your message, then follow through on your promise right away! It’s very important not just to build trust but to confirm to them that you really were talking to them.

Don’t be disappointed if nothing happens yet. Repeat a few times. If still nothing after about 10 min. or so, then try again some other time. Maybe you weren’t really relaxed, or were preoccupied, or some other factor wasn’t in place. Sometimes it takes a few sessions before it all comes together.

When I experimented with these steps in preparation for writing this article, I was able to get confirmation from our lab, Ollie, that he had heard me within 5 to 10 min.

I didn’t get a response with one treat, so the second time through I envisioned a different one. (Oddly, the first is his favorite.) But even though he was snoozing and facing away from me, he just suddenly lifted his head, turned it toward me, and stared at me. It was as if I’d just called his name out loud.

Keep the Lines Open

You can also tell them that you want this to be a regular thing you do with them. Some animals are enthusiastic practice partners and you’ll notice a difference in them when you begin to practice regularly. They love the attention.

Since going through these steps with Ollie, I’ve noticed him reading my thoughts more. I was typing here at my computer and thought about taking him for a walk. He came over right then, sat by me, and just looked at me. This happened a few times. And then, just a few minutes ago as I was typing about the treats, it happened again! (That means he needs a treat now, right? Right!) We’re building a stronger rapport very quickly.

Practice Makes Perfect

So try this out as often as you have time for. Try to remember to do it for little, unimportant things that you would be doing anyway … Before you pick up the leash or the car keys. Before you reach for that special treat.

Once you’ve had success with this, branch out to things that aren’t necessarily positive or exciting for them, such as before you leave the house for awhile. Show them that they’ll be home alone. Notice that their response is different than if they’re going to go for a walk. Make a mental note of it and learn how to recognize their various responses.

Please come back and give me a report. Were the steps clear? Any questions? What happened? I’d love to hear.

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You Can Talk With Animals :: 8 Simple Steps and a Practice Session

Sep 012011

If you have pets, you appreciate the value in being able to understand what’s going on with them.

And given the comments and emails I got after my recent animal communication post, it seems a lot of you wish you could hear what they’re saying to you.

Well I’ve got news for you: You can!

It’s a natural ability, and all it takes is a little coaching and for you to begin to experiment with it.

So I thought I’d give you a few pointers about how to receive messages and let you try your hand at it right now.

A Practice Session with Ollie

Our sweet yellow lab, Ollie, has agreed to talk with you today. (He’s not talked with strangers like this before and thinks it might be interesting.)

Believe it or not, it’s easier to get unbiased impressions of an animal you don’t know personally than one you do, so this is a good way to start out.

I’m going to give you one question to ask him; one that we can verify which is important when you’re learning.

You can leave your impressions in the comments (or email them to me if you prefer).

If you get any additional impressions, even if you don’t know how to interpret them, leave those too.

I’ll reply to each comment (or email) with individualized feedback on your impressions, much like I did for the example online practice sessions I showed you here.

So you’re essentially getting a free lab class. (Agh! Excuse the pun.)

[Note: My replies are on a special feedback page so you won’t inadvertently see the answer to the question before you do the exercise. Do NOT go to that page until after you’ve done your session and commented with your impressions. The link to it is toward the bottom of this post.]

Ready to have some fun? Good! Let’s get to it!

A Step-by-Step Animal Communication Session

Go somewhere you won’t be disturbed. You might want to have something to jot down some notes with, or have an audio recorder handy.

1. Calm yourself. Use any technique you normally use. This doesn’t have to be extreme; just so you can focus calmly.

Ollie

2. Look at his photo. Look him in the eye and softly examine him — but not with your intellect; with your heart. You’ll likely get a few impressions right off the bat. Make a note of them.

3. Say hi. See if you can feel a connection.

4. See if he feels available to talk for a minute. Just like a person, if an animal is intently involved in something, he won’t be too communicative.

If yes, proceed. If no, try later.

5. Ask if he’ll talk to you.

If yes, proceed. If no, try later.

6. Ask the question.

Here’s the question for Ollie:

What do you get immediately after dinner every night?

If you want to make sure you’re getting through to him, you can ask with an image. Picture him just finishing whatever’s in his dog bowl (in the kitchen) and then looking at me.

You can prompt for details too if you’d like, e.g. Do you like it? How do you feel when you get it?

7. Pay attention to everything.

You probably already know that your first impression is important. Always note it. Often, that’s all you need.

If you don’t get an impression or if you get one that’s weak or “iffy”, you can specifically ask him to give you sensual information (e.g. What does it look like? What does it smell like? If it’s an activity, what do you see or how does your body feel?)

You can also probe for other details (e.g. Is it a thing? Something he plays with? Does he eat it? Is it an activity? Is it a job?)

And a simple yet effective technique that’s a good foundation for any intuitive work is to run through your senses one by one and see what you get.

a. Sound

You may “hear” a word or phrase describing the object or activity. This is common with animal communication.

Or you may hear him getting the thing or hear what someone in the vicinity would hear.

b. Sight

Watch for any visual impressions. You may sense a shape, a color, or maybe some thing(s) you recognize. You may see what he does once he gets the object or activity.

If you see something that’s unique to you, then it’s likely that it’s symbolic, so see if you can get a feel for what it might mean. If it’s something common or something new to you, then it’s probably a literal answer.

c. Smell or Taste

Physically breath in and see if there’s a scent in your “mind’s nose”.

Move your tongue around in your mouth while still in touch with him and see if any tastes come to mind.

Sometimes, you really will smell or taste things. It will seem like you’re experiencing it with your normal sense (vs. 6th-sense).

d. Touch

The best way to do this is ask him to relay how it feels to him. If an object, how does it feel in his mouth right after he takes it, or in his paws or near him afterward? If it’s an activity, what does it feel like as he does it?

You can also just see if you get a sense of how it would feel to you. If an object, imagine it in your hands. Soft? Fuzzy? Hard? If an activity, what does it feel like? A breeze? Is it wet?

It helps to run through questions like this, especially if you’re new.

Accept the impressions you get and make a note of all of them.

8. Now say thank-you and goodbye … and then disconnect. You can do this by seeing the connection between you as something visual, and then just watch it come apart as you both go your own way.

You’ve done it! So, how did it go for you? What answer(s) did you get?

Whenever you do this kind of thing, it’s helpful to tell someone what you got. It acts as an acknowledgement to your subconscious that you pay attention and value your subtle senses.

If nothing else, make a written note of the session for yourself. Keeping an “intuition journal” can be helpful for you to begin to see proof in black and white that you are indeed intuitive.

In this case, of course, give us the scoop!

So now, leave your impressions and notes about your conversation with Ollie today. I’m eager to hear what you got and to give you feedback. After you leave your comments below, you can go to this special feedback page for the answer and a little while later for your individualized feedback.

And if you like this kind of thing, we can do more in the future. Be sure to let me know.

Thanks for playing! (And Ollie says Woof! ;-))

+ + + + +

I almost forgot to say that I now offer animal communication services, and the low introductory rate is still in effect for a little while longer.

Thanks to Lindsay at The Daily Awe (and her sweet dog, Chester), who helped me experiment with how to structure the sessions. She wrote an article about the experience today. Do your session with Ollie, then go check it out!

And while I’m at it, thanks to Angela at Powered by Intuition too for suggesting a practice session here. I’ve modified her idea a bit but still: thanks, Angela! And go check out her blog too, she writes super-useful articles!

+ + + + +

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on a special feedback page

The Secret to Finding Your Intuitive ON Switch

Aug 162011

Are you itching to be intuitive but that secret ON switch just keeps eluding you?

Let’s get to the bottom of this so your intuition can guide you like it’s meant to.

Our Senses

In order to survive as humans, we’ve developed very sophisticated senses.

We’ve needed them so we could keep our attention on what’s “out there” lest we be hurt by something or miss something helpful.

It’s natural for us to continually scan our environment, take it in, and decide what’s relevant.

Our Subtle Senses

Just like our 5 senses that everyone acknowledges, we’ve also developed other senses, and for similar reasons.

They’re much more subtle and we tend to experience what they perceive as being “in here”.

But make no mistake. You do have them. They’re natural. We see them at work in the animal kingdom all the time.

They’re sometimes called your “sixth” sense, or your “extra” sensory perception (ESP).

And they’re also known as “intuition”.

The word “intuition” has a root that means to “perceive directly without reasoning”. Do you ever do that? Of course you do!

And you couldn’t turn it off if you tried.

The BIG Secret About the Switch

So the biggest secret is that there is no switch.

You don’t need a switch.

Your intuition’s already ON, and you’re already intuitive!

I know, I tricked you with that headline. Sorry. But really, there must be some doubts lurking around in there, a part of you that sorta-kinda thinks maybe you’re missing something, or else you wouldn’t have been so eager to find out how to turn your intuition on.

Am I right?

If that’s the case, then stick with me. 😉

I know, I know. Lots of you do acknowledge that you’re intuitive, and your curiosity got the best of you. Well, I’m still glad you’re here because I think you’ll like this next section a lot.

We’re Intuitive In Spite of Ourselves

Here’s a remarkable example of our intuition at play, even when we’re not paying it the least bit of attention.

Many years back, a long-distance friend and I played a weekly intuitive game.

Each of us would choose an image, place it in a silver frame, and focus on it. At the same time, we would email a photo of the framed image to the other, but the recipient wouldn’t look at the email right away.

During the week, we would see if we could sense intuitively what was in the other’s frame. We would jot notes or sketch images. When we were ready, we would look at the email of the image and see if we intuited it correctly. Simple.

The image I drew & tossed

One week, I decided to draw the image to put in my frame. I had a vague idea in my head and sat down and played with getting it on paper. In the end, I didn’t like it at all. So I crumpled it up and threw it away, and then I made something else and framed that instead.

While I was doing that, I wasn’t even thinking about what was in my friend’s frame. That wasn’t the point, after all.

Her email had arrived that morning but I still hadn’t looked at it.

I didn’t know until later what a remarkable thing just happened.

“Accidental” Intuition

It was days later when I finally looked in my email and I could not believe my eyes.

Her framed image was almost exactly like what I had originally drawn for my frame soon after she had emailed hers.

I dug through my wastebasket and found the crumpled drawing. Sure enough. Almost a spittin’ image! And I certainly was going for that same feeling of joy.

Framed image by my dear friend, Linda Rae. (Used with permission.)

This is a perfect illustration of us being intuitive even when we’re not trying to.

When I was drawing what I planned to send her, I wasn’t trying to intuit what she sent me yet. (And the fact that we were preparing to play an intuitive game is beside the point, too.)

I was, however, relaxed, in a slightly playful mood, and apparently receptive even without knowing it. (I’ve since noticed that the creative state is much akin to the intuitive state. And both involve alpha and sometimes theta brain waves.)

This fluid state left me naturally open to a mixture of the subtle senses of telepathy (reading her thoughts) and/or clairvoyance (seeing the image).

And by accident!

Or more to the point: Naturally and effortlessly. All on its own.

Just like with our more obvious senses, our subtle senses are continually scanning and receiving, whether we pay attention to that or not.

Claim Your Magic

So acknowledge that you’re intuitive. And if you still doubt it, there are stories like this everywhere. Allow them to convince you.

If things like this happen by accident, surely you can also tune-in intentionally.

Once you claim your natural subtle senses, it’s just a matter of strengthening and refining your skills. A wine-taster may have such a well-developed palate that s/he can describe all kinds of nuances that might escape you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t taste.

Same with your intuition.

Do you have some examples to share of “accidental” intuition?

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Strengthen Your Animal Communication Skills with an Online Practice Group

Aug 112011

Does your intuition lie limp a lot of the time?

Want to keep your intuitive muscles primed and get regular feedback from other involved intuitives?

Here’s a fun and useful way to do that.

Animal Communication

If you have pets or are an animal lover, you can connect with animals and exercise your intuition at the same time.

What a great combination.

I’ve had pets since the late ’80’s (not counting the numerous animals we rescued and nurtured when we were kids), and as an intuitive I’ve naturally wanted to be able to connect with them intuitively and energetically.

When I first ran across the T.V. show on Animal Planet called “The Pet Psychic” (no longer on the air), I thought it was nutty. But once I’d “accidentally” 😉 watched it a few times, I decided it was fascinating. How ever did she know those things?

It wasn’t long before I was studying and practicing animal communication myself. For those of you unfamiliar with that term, it’s an intuitive practice of two-way communication with animals (or any other sentient being).

How Online Practice Works

One of the things I did that was invaluable was to join a Yahoo group that was created specifically for the purpose of practicing. We had a great moderator who kept us on track … You had to qualify to join (it was just for people with training) and participation in the exercises was mandatory.

Someone would sign up to host a pet or animal (some hosted farm animals or neighbor’s animals) every week, post a photo and a handful of questions, and then we all would do our animal communicating and write up what we got for all the questions, and other impressions if we got any. The host would then provide feedback for each communicator as to their accuracy.

It was a safe and non-judgemental environment. We were all there to increase our skills (not because we were already supposed to be *perfect*) and many for our love of animals. Intuitives are a great bunch of people, I keep finding. 😉

Benefits of Online Animal Communication Practice

Participating in an online practice group has lots of benefits and learning opportunities.

• It keeps you practicing regularly which is the magic ingredient for strengthening your skills

• You learn to connect with a broad range of different types of animals

• You’re exposed to a broad range of circumstances the animals are in or were in in the past

• You get to see how other intuitives interact with the animals and you can try new methods

• You get to see how other intuitives interpret their impressions and you learn from that

• You learn how to summon up the courage to “put it out there”, which is a biggie

• The non-judgemental feedback you get helps you hone your skills

• You apply your lessons immediately because the next animal is ready before you know it

• When you have a “hit”, it feels great, it’s encouraging, and you learn from it

• When you’re off target, you can often glean what it is you were picking up and how you could interpret it differently — or you learn how to tell when you’re getting false information

• The instant feedback keeps you involved — and accurate or not, you get right back “on the horse”

• You’re in the loop about online classes and such (free and otherwise) by skilled communicators

• If you have an animal that you host, you get lots of interesting and sometimes helpful info about them

• If you have animals of your own, you all benefit from your improved communication skills

I highly recommend doing something like this if you’re at all inclined.

It works especially well if you’re simultaneously using some other training materials to learn or grow your skills, since there’s no actual teaching or even coaching that goes on in the group itself.

Recommended Online Groups

Unfortunately, the group I was in ended after I was in it about a year and a half because the moderator couldn’t keep up with it.

But here’s another that was recommended by our moderator at that time. Just like ours it’s about practicing, and participation is required (not for every single animal, but they want relatively active participation).

http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACPractice2/

A few others I found as I did research for this post are more for animal communication information and stories than for practicing, but that might be a fun place to start if you’re not real familiar with doing this yet. Both of these are fairly active groups.

This one looks big as there are over 2000 members.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/animalcommunication/

This one’s smaller with just over 500.
http://pets.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/AnimalCommunications

Jasmine

Example Practice Session

Just for fun, I’m including an example of a Q&A session with a brilliant communicator who was in my practice group. It’s from a few years ago when I hosted our boxer, Jasmine (Jaz), for group practice.

Note that s/he knew nothing about me or Jaz and only had one photo of Jaz to go on.

It’s a great example of how a light-hearted, playful approach to opening to your intuition lets it flow and serves you well.

My responses are indicated with “***”. (Most practice reports are not this long. I had a lot of optional questions for people to pick and choose. This communicator did them all!)

Enjoy!

Q: What are your first impressions, feelings, knowings, sensations, etc.
A: Jasmine is a cool, no nonsense type of dog. She is calm, dependable and likes things to be a certain way.
*** That’s right. And she’s grown into her calmness beautifully.

Q: Does she want to talk?
A: She wants to walk with me, we walk for a while then she shows a pole in red dirt and says I tether myself down – when really freedom better suits my nature. I remind her this is about her, not me but I appreciate her wisdom.
*** Ha, that must have been your pole as she’s never tethered. There was a point where Zak (our other dog) had a broken leg but wanted to be out so we put a curly stake in the ground in the red dirt for him. She probably remembers that.

A: (cont.) Yes I love freedom to travel and just wander around and we agree, walking around in nature is the best. She draws my attention to an eagle.
*** We have 6 acres, fenced, and she is free to run. We also take regular walks in the bountiful nature around here. Never on leash. There are eagles around here, and/or perhaps that was symbolic.

A: (cont.) I notice she is limping a little on her back right leg and she tells me this is how it has always been, but she is ok.
*** YES, her back left is what is actually affected and she does limp (tho it’s sometimes hard to determine which side a limp is on from watching.) And YES, this is a condition she was diagnosed with very young (only 1 or 2) . She’s been very good with it.

These I know the answer to (or have at least observed and can get close):

Q: Describe her personality, at least the most prominent aspects. How does she view the world?
A: Life is an adventure to be lived, she takes me through a wall back in time – soldiers, horses ? Wild west I am unsure. She flashes many pictures at me and It is quite overwhelming. I feel like Jazzy is way better at this AC than I am. She laughs and tells me she has been doing animal communication much longer than I have.
*** She does seem to enjoy life immensely. It’s a little like the wild west where we live, complete with cowboys and horses. YES, I have known since beginning AC that she is my partner; she essentially told me this, and is very intense about communicating to us when she wants something.

Q: How did she come to me/us?
A: She came as a very young dog, after a few other homes – but yours has been her only true home.
*** RIGHT. She was 6 mos. old when she joined our family and had already been returned to her birth home about 5 times after failed placements.

Q: She had an unusual birth. Can she tell you about it?
A: She had to be cut out.
*** YES. Caesarean.

Q: Has she ever had a litter?
A: No and she does not feel like she missed out on anything. No need for her to be a mother this life. There has been plenty for her to do without getting pinned down with a brood of pups, more than enough or her to keep her eye on.
*** RIGHT. And I’m glad to hear she’s happy with that.

Q: Can she tell you about her family (i.e. who she lives with) and comment briefly on each of us?
A: You are her Mommy, you are kind and loving and most of all fun. Not always predictable and a little magical even.
*** That’s funny. I’m very gentle and loving with the dogs (firm when needed, of course). And definitely magical!!! ;-b

A: (cont) She shows me herself with a purple cape and a top hat – I don’t really know exactly what that means, but I guess she is magical too.
*** No doubt! And oh ya, once she did dress up with her siblings to pose for a postcard — I can’t remember what she wore, but maybe that!

A: (cont) She likes that and gives me a toothy smile. Anyone else Jazzy? A nice man, busy but kind, gentle calm energy – another dog and the !$$@$@ cat.
*** RIGHT. My husband and her seem to have a special bond. There is another dog, and there was a cat (whom she aptly described!) altho the cat has passed on.

Q: Can she describe my appearance (or personality or activities) for you?
A: You have wild hair and an exciting personality – I feel excitement from Jazzy about you. You were meant to be together!
*** I do have wild hair (ooo I love that description) and exciting? Well, I do speak in a very happy and enthused voice to her when we are doing anything even mildly interesting or if I am directing her somehow. I love having her in my life.

Q: What does she think of Ollie?
A: He is a bit of pain, but he will grow out of it. She loves him but at times could do without him. He is a great in small doses.
*** YES, This sounds exactly like what I would imagine she’d say. He’s younger than her (and came into our home after her) and is a bit goofy. More enthusiastic and inconsiderate than she’d like which can be bothersome when he’s a 75# lab! They are definitely good partners when exploring and guarding tho.

Q: Any thoughts or comments about Zach (or Zakkie)?
A: Aww she misses him, big love, lots of fun – her chest ached when she lost Zakkie and it is still tender.
*** YES, I so believe that. Zach is/was a dog — a yellow lab cross that we got as a pup from the Humane Association. He was about a year old when Jasmine came to live with us. They were very close, and he’s since passed away of cancer. He was always very sweet and gentle with her (except for when he was reprimanding her — for her own good, of course! 😉 . We let her see his body after he’d gone and I imagine that scene as you mention her chest aching. I think it was good for her to see him but I know it was a shock. (I had no idea then that I could forewarn her. Poor thing.)

Q: How is she with other dogs she is meeting for the first time?
A: She lets them know who is the boss and frankly they needn’t try any $$$!! on with her. (Assuming you know Jaz swears. Not really bad words – it could be to make me laugh, she is a great character)
If they give even a hint of a challenge, she will take them down. This is part of her no nonsense personality.
*** You put it perfectly well; even at her age she does not hesitate to let even the big dogs know she won’t take any — well, you know what word she would use. I’m delighted to know that sweeeet Jaz swears. Maybe she hides it from “mom” as we all learned to do…. ha.

A: (cont) Funnily enough I had a dog named Jasmine who was exactly the same! But she loved people, as does your Jasmine – again I tell her she is a cool dog and she agrees that she is!
*** Yes, she does love people. And yay for Jasmines!

Q: What are her thoughts on cats, specifically Schatzchen (or Schatzie)?
A: Yewww and a turned up crinkled nose! She lets her stay because you love it, but really would prefer it gone. The cat is rude to Jaz.
*** OMG, you’re right. Rude is the word. That cat was rude to everyone, actually.

Q: She’s had some special outdoor training related to a type of animal. What are the specifics?
A: She lets you know where snakes are? It’s her job to keep you aware.
*** VERY GOOD, she’s been trained to avoid them as we’ve got lots of rattlers around. (But she rarely lets me know about them as usually the dogs don’t even notice them and prance right by them. They let me practically step on them myself!) However, YES, she does keep us aware of other things, including other animals.

Q: Can she tell you about her relationship with her chewbones?
A: Omg Omg excited over chewbones!! She LOVES them with a passion and no other dog better try and take them if they know what’s good for them. She feels like a general over chew bones!! I see her in a uniform!!
*** RIGHT. And what’s especially funny is that if there is no other dog around, she couldn’t care less about them. It’s all about competition. But if there IS another dog, she will prance around with it and wag it in their face and lie down two inches from them to chew on it.

Q: What is one of her favorite things to do?
A: When she was younger she loved to run – she says she had loads of freedom and could run for miles.
*** YES. She ran like the wind and has always had lots of freedom. And we used to take many-mile-long walks with her frequently.

A: (cont) Now she still likes to walk but hangs closer to home, she likes hanging around the house – naps where she can dream lots of cool dreams. Again I see an eagle!
*** YES, she loves to be indoors with us even on gorgeous days and now that she’s older, well, we let her. She sleeps a lot — good to know she’s enjoying her dreams.

Q: What is her favorite thing to eat?
A: Beef – the smell of beef makes her back teeth water. I am almost drooling feeling her.
*** Good to know. I had a sense of that and trust your confirmation.

Q: In general, what are some things she likes? Dislikes?
A: She does not like baths or the cat trying to be superior. Well any animal trying to be superior she feels she is the animal boss at home and deserves respect.
*** Good, those are easy for us to avoid! I don’t think she’s ever had a bath. (Really. She’s never needed one.) She and Ollie seem to trade off the alpha thing and both seem comfortable enough with that.

Q: She’s had one chronic health condition most of her life. Can she tell you about it?
A: Stiffness in her back – but it didn’t hold her back, she could run REALLY fast she tells me! It has been an inconvenience – but not a disaster or anything.
*** EXACTLY RIGHT. It never held her back at all and she was really REALLY fast! I knew she loved that. At just about one or two years old she was diagnosed with a spinal condition called ankylosing spodylitis where some of her vertebrae are fused together with something similar to scar tissue due to inflammation. The area affected is near her tail and thus affects her left leg sometimes, causing that slight limp you saw as she warms up. It can be painful and is treated somewhat like arthritis.

Q: How does she feel physically these days? Are there any aches and pains?
A: Just the usual no big deal she says. I ask her to be specific – her neck is stiff, right shoulder , stiff back and right leg …Im not complaining she says. Her eyesight is not as good as it was and she misses clearer vision.
*** Great info. The back and back leg we’ve covered, so that’s definitely right on. I suspect that about her eyesight too — have seen signs of it, actually. I’ll make sure she gets more neck rubs and a few people have mentioned her right front leg.

Q: How does she feel emotionally? What does she “need”, if anything?
A: Glasses!! She is a great dog, great sense of humor! You have given her a great life, she is very content!
*** Wonderful to hear!

Q: There’s something that scares her; what is it?
A: Thunder, I feel her shaking – its something that she has become more afraid of over the years. Freaks her out because she doesn’t know what direction it is coming from or how to avoid it.
*** RIGHT. And YES, she does tremble sometimes if it’s especially booming and vibrating.

Q: Does she like her name (Jasmine or Jazzie or Jazz)? Comments about anything else I/we call her?
A: She loves her name, especially when she is called – “Jazzy Girl!” I ask why Jazzy Girl and it makes her feel soft and loved. Sometimes she gets tired of being big and strong and wants to be babied.
*** Good! And we, especially I, use the term “girl” with her a lot (sweet girl, good girl, beautiful girl) so good to know AND believable. And ya, she certainly loves to be babied.

These I can’t confirm but would love any impressions:

Q: Does she have a job/responsibility/purpose?
A: Yes she is the General, keeping everything in check, keeping you all and the home safe.
*** That she does, and I/we do feel safe because of her.

Q: Is there anything she’d like changed or improved?
A: She would like to walk or sit with you at night under the stars more? Or maybe you do this – I just see the picture and a feeling of peace.
*** Our jacuzzi is out back under the stars and we use it every night. She usually goes out with us and keeps an eye on things. It is very peaceful.

Q: Does she have anything else to say, either to you or me/us?
A: Thank you, I have a wonderful life – I could not of been happier than my life with you. She feels very emotional and she loves you very deeply, sincere gratitude for her life with you. She loves the location and the room to roam.
*** Wonderful, and as already mentioned, the location description is a match.

A: (cont) I thank Jaz for her time and ask if I can give her a cuddle and she accepts the invite – big sloppy kiss on my chin and she laughs and says “ I know you don’t let all dogs do that to you” I say nope but any dog called Jazzy is special to me! Thanks for the chat Jazzy Girl! love and blessings to you .
*** Thank you so much. I had such fun reading this and feel I can benefit too from what you were able to pass on to me. Best of luck in your further exploration of this. You are really good!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and would love to hear any comments, or questions you might have about online groups.

*** * * * * * * * * ***

Want to practice right now? Hop over to my mini-workshop. I give you 8 simple steps for making the connection and one question to ask our dog, Ollie. You tell me your impressions in the comments, and I give you feedback. Ready? I’ll see you there!

*** * * * * * * * * ***

And if you or anyone you know is in need of animal communication services, check out my new offering here!

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7 Pointers to Sharpen Your Intuitive Ear

Jul 222011

I was listening to a business coach do a sample session this morning, and it was fascinating.

He was so good at helping people get past their blocks, and what he was doing seemed a lot like intuitive coaching to me (or how I would imagine good intuitive coaching).

I checked his website to see if he presents himself as an intuitive coach. Nope. Not a word about that.

But boy, did this guy listen.

He listened to what people said, and maybe more importantly, he listened to what they didn’t say. He read between the lines. He heard the thoughts and felt the feelings behind their words.

He then used his perceptions to help reveal, clarify, and organize. He worked with the callers to zero right in on areas where new awareness, decisions, and action can make the biggest difference. It was amazing.

And I got thinking…

Deep listening and intuition have a lot in common.

Do You Listen?

How well do you listen? If you’re like most of us, not very well. I often notice that very few people really listen anymore, and I’m just as guilty as the next person.

I think this happens because we’re usually on a mission of our own. We’re in active, output mode.

And then when we are in input mode, we’re often in a super-mental space (e.g. surfing the internet) or a zoned-out space (e.g. watching T.V.).

Or when we’re straddling the two modes, like when we’re in a conversation, we have our own thoughts going full-throttle in our head. “Ya, that’s right…” or “Well, that’s not exactly true…” or “When will he stop yapping so I can tell him about my much more interesting experience/thoughts/whatever…” Right?

And in groups, too often the person running a meeting has their own agenda and just does not give others their due.

Of course it’s not always this extreme, but I think most of us could listen much better than we do.

The Value of Listening

But oh, there are so many great reasons to listen. Here are just a few.

For the Other Person

Sometimes someone will want your counsel or advice. If you can really tune-in to what they’re saying instead of listening mostly to the commentary in your head, you’ll be much more helpful.

And when you’re really tuned in, you sometimes notice that what they’re saying might even contradict what you’re hearing at a deeper level. Their head is saying one thing through their mouths, but their heart is saying something entirely different.

Sometimes people just need to talk, and they don’t need or even want your advice. In these cases it’s powerful if you can simply be present for them. If you’re truly present, you’ll also be listening. The presence in and of itself is healing at many levels.

For Both (or All) of You

True listening can bring you closer. It’s intimate. It feels good.

Today when my husband and I walked to the mailbox, he talked about something that was bothering him. Mostly I listened. I responded with a few simple thoughts, and later he thanked me for listening and talking with him. I didn’t even say anything of significance. But he said he was feeling a lot better. And so was I.

If you’re open and prepared to really listen in the first place, it’s more likely that someone will open up to you. They know that judgement and unsolicited advice will not be thrust upon them. This is especially true of our kids, even our grown ones.

In groups it’s just as important. Instead of having an agenda or an out of control ego, it’s so much more productive and satisfying to open to all the ideas and really find the best way forward for all involved.

Listening can go a long way toward strengthening relationships.

For You

Of course, when you listen and as a result add positively to someone’s life — even in a small way — it feels good. So there’s that.

You also stand to gain not only new information but new or deeper insights and understandings. And not only about whomever you’re listening to, but about yourself as well. This is always good.

And if, like me, you enjoy exercising your intuitive muscles, then all the more reason to do this.

In fact, I’d say being intuitive is almost impossible without knowing how to listen.

The Lost Art of Listening

So if we make a decision to listen — and I mean really listen — how do we do that? What does that mean?

Well, first off, I’m sure you know. You just may not have thought about it or make it a point to do it.

Here are a few things that can point the way to good listening.

1. Remind yourself to listen.

Deciding to do this and then following through is the biggest step of all. In other words: Ya gotta wanna.

2. Make it a point to not interrupt.

You may be good at this already, but I know I have to work on this one all the time. Especially when I’m excited about the topic.

3. Leave space. Take a breath.

I’m getting better at this but I used to pack my jyotish readings so full of information there was very little room for discussion. But I’ve found that the more interactive they are and the more I can be there in the moment with them, the better. So now I try to leave a lot more space.

Discussions — and especially those that are even remotely related to counseling — are not just about information. The more you can tune-in and respond in the moment, the more useful it is.

Things come up you could never anticipate, and they are exactly what’s needed at the time.

4. Open your heart.

Did you know your heart is one of your best organs for listening? Maybe even better than your ears.

Consciously make a decision to listen with your heart. You’ll discover what that means as you do it and it will make all the difference. This is true especially when you’re talking with someone about a disagreement or working through something similar.

Note: One of my regular commenters came up with his own really good #4, which so happens to do away with a need for #6. (Thank-you, Irving!) I like it so much I’m putting it here for you.

4. Open your heart

Open your heart. Really feel concern for the person you are listening to. Try to see where they are coming from and place yourself in their shoes. When you do so, you will really listen and understand what they are trying to share. And as a result, they will feel better also.

If you do this well, you suspend judgment naturally. After all, if you see the big picture and understand the reasons behind it, how can you judge?

5. Stay focused.

Have you ever talked with someone who’s looking around, or otherwise distracted? Someone who’s trying to multi-task and not being attentive? Not real pleasant. Don’t be that person.

6. Suspend judgement.

It has no place here. Let it take a hike.

7. Stay humble.

You don’t have to have any answers or words of wisdom. Accept that you don’t know, or that you don’t have to know. Stay open inside too, and you may be surprised at how much insight or understanding just appears out of nowhere.

Listening can be such an enriching experience for everyone involved, and I’m going to give listening — really listening — a more concerted effort for awhile. Care to join me?

Do you have other pointers for listening deeply, or thoughts about why it’s so valuable? Want to share them? I’m listening…

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Get Insight Right Now With These Online Oracle Decks

Jul 112011

Oracle decks can provide great insight and movement when you’re feeling stuck, or a revealing foray into any topic you choose if you just want to expand your awareness.

And two of my very favorite decks are available to use online for free.

They’re the two Osho decks and you can find them right here: The Osho Transformation Tarot and the Osho Zen Tarot.

The Zen and Transformation Tarots

The Zen Tarot is based on a traditional Tarot deck, i.e. 4 suits, the major arcana cards, etc., although it has its own suits and well, its own everything. 😀

But the Transformation Tarot is not a Tarot deck at all. (I think the word “Tarot” is commonly mis-used in place of “Oracle”.) It’s a collection of 60 cards with no hierarchy or groupings.

They’re both written by Osho and have a wise perspective and a depth to them that a lot of decks lack.

I discovered the Osho Transformation Tarot first and what I love about it is that each card not only has an “insight” but it has a parable that goes along with it. Together these two elements make for a great tool of self-discovery and I always come away with something useful.

I had seen the Osho Zen Tarot recommended by a lot of people for its beautiful artwork and I whole-heartedly agree. It’s breathtaking. It’s art that’s evocative as well, so when you look at a card, it calls up something from deep inside which is the whole point of these oracle cards, after all. They’re unusually beautiful and because of that, this one’s possibly my most favorite deck of all.

Exhaustion

Both decks come with substantial books that are valuable in their own right. They include instructions for using the decks for various purposes along with some unique and useful spreads to use.

Even when you use them online, you can choose from among several different easy to use spreads.

Short on time, or like to keep things simple? Just pull one card, I’m sure that will be plenty! (Did you do it? What did you get? I just got Exhaustion from the Osho Zen Tarot. A part of it says “Life isn’t a business to be managed, it’s a mystery to be lived.” Perfect.)

Never Worked With an Oracle Deck Before?

Eliza Fayle over at Silver & Grace just released her brand new e-guide Developing Our Intuitive Self: Tarot and Oracle Card User Guide. She let me have a sneak peak and I have to say, you just might want to run over there and snag one. (For under 5 bucks you can download a copy immediately.)

It’s beautifully designed and features the fascinating Faerie’s Oracle deck by illustrator Brian Froud. In her lively way, Eliza teaches you all you need to know to get started doing your own oracle card readings, and then some.

I especially liked her section “Asking the right type of question” where she elaborates on “The goal of using cards to develop your intuition is to problem solve, not receive yes or no answers.” She uses lots of real life examples so you really get a feel for how to work and play with the cards.

And if you are so brand new to this that you don’t have an oracle deck, you can use her book in conjunction with one of the online Osho decks I recommended.

Your Turn

Whether you’re a beginner or an old pro, using oracle decks can add a new dimension to your experiences. Oracle decks can fill a need all the way from help through a serious crisis to fun exercises that stretch your intuitive muscles.

[And just so you know, I’m not an affiliate for any of the products I mention in this post. I just want you to know about them.]

Do you have any favorite decks? I’d love to know what they are.

Or did you go to the Osho site and try a spread? Want to share your reading?

Did you like the decks and/or Eliza’s guide? Anything else?

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