Spiritual Well-Being

June 18, 2020

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE: “On Maintaining Perspective In The Year 20 F*cking 20”

Whenever an author, filmmaker or other artist sets out on the noble endeavor of pointing people toward the ideal of living life to its fullest, they usually wind up depicting a character going off on all sorts of wild adventures, skydiving, trekking across the Himalayas, and so on.

In my opinion reminding people to live life to its fullest is the artist’s single most important job, but this is also where most storytellers get it wrong. Most people who live wild, interesting lives sleepwalk through the whole ride just like everyone else; in the end they’re left with a few amusing anecdotes rattling around in their skulls and a secret sense of dissatisfaction.

This is because most people don’t really show up for life. Even if they’re outwardly doing all sorts of amazing things and racking up a bunch of impressive accomplishments, their attention was mostly consumed with babbling mental chatter almost the entire time. Whatever happens in their life, they weren’t really there for it.

The real way to live life to its fullest is to simply be present for it.

I point this out because, at the midway point of the year 2020, I think it’s extremely relevant.

For better or for worse, we are at a time of great change from which the world will likely never return. We are heading into what is probably the most significant period in human history to date, and it would be wise to pay attention.

But when I look at what people are talking about in my social media feeds, even relatively awake and tuned-in people, I see a lot of chatter about the same-old, same-old. People are still yammering on about the same old electoral politics they’ve been on about for years, still babbling about PC culture being out of control and how crazy some people’s gender pronouns are, still dunking on shitlibs for likes and retweets. Even my own articles I notice get a lot more shares and attention if they involve something that tickles mainstream partisan interests like criticizing Trump or bashing the Democrats.

And I just cannot for the life of me imagine continuing to hold such priorities halfway through the year 20-f*cking-20.

At this time we need to drastically change our perspectives and seriously re-evaluate our priorities. We’re all standing on a precipice together and we have no idea what the plunge will look like, and people are still babbling about whether or not you should wear a face mask at the grocery store. This, to me, is a nonsensical approach to our current predicament.

All the stuff that used to consume so much of our attention in the analysis of establishment power structures has been rendered far less important by recent developments. All these recent developments will probably be rendered less relevant by whatever major events are coming next. The only consistent pattern this year has been a greater and greater deviation from old patterns.

For that reason, it makes sense to do two things:

Shift toward emphasizing a bigger-picture perspective of what’s going on. Fixate less on smaller occurrences and pay more attention to broader overall trends. It doesn’t mean ignore the smaller things, it just means view them in the proper context of a world that’s moving into more and more unfamiliar territory in bigger and bigger ways.

Pay attention. Big things are happening right now, and it would be a damn shame to miss them.

We are experiencing something huge here, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

We should rather all approach our current situation at this point in history like someone who is trying to live life to its fullest: mindful, curious, not hung up on petty mental narratives, and appreciative of how lucky we are to be here right now to witness this thing.

And, much like the approach of the end of life, this moment in history should ideally cause us to cast aside petty differences and bring us closer together.

 

~via Caitlin Johnstone

March 31, 2020

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE: “How To Effectively Cope With Your COVID-19 Anxiety”

As 2020 gets crazier and crazier, emotional self-care is getting more and more important. A lot of people, especially the “plugged-in” types who like to pay close attention to what’s going on in the world, are getting into some looping stress patterns over the COVID-19 pandemic that are unnecessary, unhealthy, and unhelpful.

It’s an understandable web to get tangled in; there are all these alarming news stories and statistics pouring in every single day, many of which speak of dangers which may pose a direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of ourselves and our loved ones. Some people spend hours online combing through all the latest information they can find about this thing, and as they’re doing this a tremendous amount of stress builds up in the background of their experience, ultimately culminating in depression, panic attacks, angry outbursts, substance abuse or other unpleasantness.

You see strategies for coping with this increasingly common problem everywhere online, from common healthy stress management techniques like deep breathing and meditation, to escapist claims that the virus doesn’t pose any real danger, to many people simply unplugging from their news feeds altogether. What people aren’t talking about nearly enough, in my opinion, is the simple yet highly effective practice of consciously feeling your feelings.

You wouldn’t think “feel your feelings” is something that needs to be said; it sounds not just like common sense, but like something that happens automatically without your intention or permission. We’ve all experienced emotions we’d prefer not to experience if given the choice, so we assume emotion arises unbidden like a force of nature.

While that can certainly be true, a tremendous range of our emotional spectrum is often blotted out by a basic lack of emotional attentiveness. Our culture tends to encourage us to put all but our loudest emotions on the back burner and focus on other matters, and Covid-19 happens to feed into that dynamic especially well by giving us a bunch of sparkly news headlines and statistics to focus on while this low-level background anxiety slowly builds unnoticed.

Feelings need to be felt. Not acted out on other people, but felt. They’re like small children; if you just give them a cuddle, let them cry and listen to their grievances they feel better in a few minutes, but if you deprive them of attention they’ll start acting out to get it.

At some point between childhood and adulthood, most of us consciously created strategies to stop our feelings from coming up unbidden. At some point, crying in front of your peers became embarrassing and you learned how to stop it from happening. Most of us never thought to take down those defences after they were installed. Some of us have never even re-learned how to cry again. Letting your feelings flow again will take a conscious effort from most of us.

No matter how much mantra repetition, deep breathing or positive affirmations you do, unless you’ve felt those feelings all the way through you’re just wallpapering over the actual issue. A huge percentage of the anxiety that people are currently experiencing is just a big backlog of feelings that need to be felt.

For some of you, just reminding you of that will be enough. Put down the phone and quietly meditate on it until it bubbles up. Hold your feelings like they’re a little baby newborn. Let them happen until they’re all the way done.

Others might need to try out some different strategies. Here are some of mine.

First, I always check in with my body. Am I clenching anything? Hands, bum, tummy, forehead, jaw? What else is happening? Is there background nausea, or a lump in my throat, or is my heart thumping too hard? I investigate. Close your eyes now and try it with me. Scan around for a few minutes.

Try tapping around with the tips of your fingers on one hand of the areas that you identified are tight. You’ll find spots that are a little bit sore. They feel like a light bruise. Tap on those spots for a little longer until they release. Once you’ve done that, let your fingers tap round your body and find other tight spots. Do this for at least a few minutes.

As you’re doing this, the loud buzz of anxiety releases and the actual root feelings become more clear. Sometimes all you have to do is feel them. You will probably feel embarrassed to feel them. That’s just one of the layers of defence you put in all those years ago. If it feels stuck, use your theater improv skills to exaggerate and try some feelings on until you find the source feeling. Feel them all the way through. Sometimes they feel their way to the other side, oftentimes they end abruptly with a burp, the shakes, a yawn or some other release.

If that doesn’t work, I usually hop up and do a very easy qi gong sequence a dear friend of mine taught me years ago. I think any kind of repetitive energy movement would do though. Basically I do the same movement over and over again with my eyes closed. Once the energy is moving around the body I can sense areas of blockage. I just keep looking at them until I’ve fully seen all the parts of it and then it releases, usually by a big expression of feeling like a roar or something, that usually ends in dry retching.

I know I’m done when I’m at zero again. I don’t stop until I feel totally at peace. I think that’s important to note because some people really get off on having big feelings and having their big feelings all over everyone else. Sometimes people want other people to “own” their feelings. Rather than feeling them, they try to make other people feel them by proxy. They’re usually referred to as drama queens.

The point is to release the feelings so your natural peaceful zero point can shine through again. You are the sky, the feelings are weather. Identifying as the weather will mean you are invested in keeping the weather going. Identifying as the feeling will mean you will be invested in keeping the feeling going. Set the intention to let it speak to you, and then let it pass. That’s where health is.

A lot of people are saying that the fear of the coronavirus is more damaging than the virus itself. I think that’s true, but not in the way they mean it. They’re often trying to say that the coronavirus itself a nothingburger and the fear is being used to manipulate us. I think the virus is a real thing, and also our fear will be used by ourselves and others to manipulate us. We need to clear a path to inspiration by feeling through our feelings and getting back to zero as often as possible. This will help us in the big picture by seeing what’s happening and responding with grace, and in the micro by keeping our immune systems in full relaxed readiness and not tangled up, tripping over itself, fighting ghosts and in panic-mode.

Do the internal work and the external work will follow. This is how we save ourselves.

 

~via Caitlin Johnstone

March 31, 2020

LISA RENEE (Time Shift Blog): “Relaxation and Fluidity”

“During these times learning how to slow down and achieve a relaxed state of mind is of vital importance, especially when retraining and clearing out our subconscious mind programming. Our brain and our mental body is much more effective when we have slowed down and works more optimally when we are in a relaxed state and calm atmosphere, because this is the natural state of our core spiritual essence. All forms of mental anxiety, stress, and over intellectualizing makes our mind speed up to having too many thoughts at once, and this overwhelms and clouds our Discernment, causing us to make poor impulsive decisions. To make contact and communicate with our subconscious layers, as well as our super consciousness layers, we need to go slower in order to reach a totally relaxed Meditation state and stay fluid within the energies. Energy bodies behave like waters moving in an ocean or river, if we can sense our inner energy when it meets the outer energies, we can navigate the surrounding waters by paying attention to the energy flow. We go with the flow in a state of relaxed fluidity. If we are moving too fast and not paying attention to the energy flow, we can get carried in the current of stronger forces in a sudden and unexpected tidal wave and this is when we get hurt or injured.”

~Lisa Renee

 

During these times learning how to slow down and achieve a relaxed state of mind is of vital importance, especially when retraining and clearing out our subconscious mind programming. The simple truth is that when we rid our body and mind of destructive habits and useless distractions we create more balance, which naturally manifests more grace and ease in our life.

Our brain and our mental body is much more effective when we have slowed down and works more optimally when we are in a relaxed state and calm atmosphere, because this is the natural state of our core spiritual essence. All forms of mental anxiety, stress, and over intellectualizing makes our mind speed up to having too many thoughts at once, and this overwhelms and clouds our Discernment, causing us to make poor impulsive decisions. To make contact and communicate with our subconscious layers, as well as our super consciousness layers, we need to go slower in order to reach a totally relaxed Meditation state and stay fluid within the energies. Energy bodies behave like waters moving in an ocean or river, if we can sense our inner energy when it meets the outer energies, we can navigate the surrounding waters by paying attention to the energy flow. We go with the flow in a state of relaxed fluidity. If we are moving too fast and not paying attention to the energy flow, we can get carried in the current of stronger forces in a sudden and unexpected tidal wave and this is when we get hurt or injured.

Thus, it is important that you learn to induce a simple meditative state in yourself, where you become the observer and are incredibly relaxed, and yet you are alert, not so relaxed that you fall asleep. Obviously, this state is not for when you are doing heavy physical exertion, but in the majority of your waking life, you can be in this relaxed state of fluidity paying attention to how the energy feels around you, while doing simple tasks or at work completing responsibilities. Using single focus and staying presently focused on the task in front of you, while naturally adjusting to the energies that are making subtle changes to the environment. In the early stage of developing Meditation skill we have to sit, relax and learn to observe the thoughts passing through without having attachment to them. Once we notice the thought pattern, we let it go and bring our focus back to the now moment. The next stage is adjusting to the energies inside you and outside of you. Each of us must find the most natural state of being for our body that feels good in the energetic flow, and not let our mind interfere with that natural state of calm and equilibrium. In our natural state, our inner self will strongly align with the outer self to bring harmony and wholeness between the inner and outer.

Also, we need to know how to stay as calm as possible even when under great stress in the moment. Stress causes our body to enter a heightened state of reactivity due to the release of hormones and Neurotransmitters when we’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. So, remaining calm and slowing down, even during potentially tense situations can establish a sense of powerful stillness that will help your mind stop racing from one thought to the next.

To be effective we need to establish a peaceful mind-set before concentrating on any one thing, especially when facing conflicts or challenges. General fluidity and relaxation of both the mind and body will greatly improve higher sensory perception development and build spiritual communication links, helping to bring more ease and clarity for problem solving. When a person is fluid and relaxed, their Energy Receivers are open and more receptive to guidance and creative resolutions. Listen to your body, treat your body with care and make corrections when you feel tense, by returning back to a state where your bio-rhythm feels relaxed and open. With practice you can discipline your mind and emotions from overwhelming your effectiveness in a range of social settings. The more we dis-identify from our need to control the external influences and learn to allow and accept situations we have no control over, the more quickly we can adapt and stay relaxed while addressing stressful situations.

As many of us in the spiritual community are fully aware, we must move out of the Subconscious Programming and Mind Control conditioning of the 3D way of existence and be hypervigilant to constantly refocus ourselves into higher states of being. Expressing unconditional love, Compassion, gratitude, appreciation, and the Spirits of Christ, are great sources of higher states. Knowing that love, heartful presence, being in alignment with nature, and being an authentic and caring human are the simple keys to ensure our success in every way to rebuild our lightbody. May we inspire others who may come into contact with us, to know the truth in the path of unconditional love, as it is the only path of spiritual freedom!

(Source: ES News- Subconscious Programming)

 

~via EnergeticSynthesis.com – Time Shift Blog – March 31, 2020

February 25, 2020

LISA RENEE (Time Shift Blog): “Healing our Heart”

“It is only possible to engage with Emotional Healing once we have achieved greater levels of Self-Awareness, which is the fruit of dedicated self-inquiry. The process of becoming aware of our Emotional Triggers and sourcing the real cause of emotional pain is made through self-observation and increased self-awareness. Through dedicated observation of the self and gradually discerning between these functioning aspects of the mind, one can attain the direct experience of the Consciousness they are. The still point, through which this consciousness connects into the parts of our mind, is what forms all of our thoughts, emotions, and experiences that direct us through life. Through observation and self-inquiry, we become aware of the contents of our psychological and emotional patterns of behavior.”

~Lisa Renee

 

Preserving and Healing our Heart may be a uniquely different process for each person, however, the main purpose is to give personal meditative attention in better sensing our heart’s inner messages, in order to restore a flow of loving energy in our lives and achieve overall energetic balance. The human heart is an energy harmonizer, and naturally restores balance throughout the bodily systems when we learn how to balance the feeling sensations of the heart with the belief systems of the mind. Sensing our heart means that we are paying attention to our inner feelings, emotions, and needs while sensing the natural rhythms and discovering the deeper dimensions of our multidimensional heart. When our heart has been closed it is usually the result of previous trauma and pain that we had suffered during childhood and carried as miasmatic imprints that were unresolved from other lifetimes. In order to open our heart, we will need to be willing to face any buried and unresolved pain, facing the shadows we carry, which may include emotions like sadness, grief and despair.

As mentioned, when we begin to crack through the energetic barrier that was surrounding our pericardium and heart, we will feel the emotional depth of our soul wounds, the betrayals, the abandonment and the pain. This is the quintessential Dark Night of the Soul. However, it is important to remember when you are undergoing this difficult stage of healing the heart, that you are surfacing all that has been unspoken and unheard to be witnessed, and that out of these powerful feelings and deep-seated grief will come a spiritual strength and renewal that will be worth it all. Practicing Compassion for self and forgiveness of others, working on feelings of Empathy, are ways of developing heart-based qualities that help us work through powerful and intense emotions. These are the beginning stages of intending to spiritually heal and open up our hearts on the earth. We can discover self-acceptance and find joy, feel reverence for and take pleasure in the simplest things in life.

Here are some factors to support creating a peaceful oasis for ourselves even when exposed to the forces of chaos during the planetary shift.

  • Address mental noise: Excessive mental chatter, negative self-talk and playing out archetypes of drama, generates imbalances throughout our body and places energy blocks around the heart. In order to regain energetic balance within all of the main four bodily systems, we must be able to sit quietly and still our mind. This begins with learning about the Negative Ego and learning how to control impulses and quiet the mind, through Meditation or breathwork. To heal and open our sacred heart we must clear negative ego, reduce mental noise and outer distractions. (See Where Can I Start?)
  • Forgiveness: To clear out the pericardium shield and related energy blockages from around our heart complex, many times we will need to forgive ourselves and others. To forgive another person or circumstance is the most generous thing we can do for ourselves. When we forgive others for perceived transgressions it frees us from the bonds, entanglements and cords which manifest painful patterns such as judgments, resentments, and anger.
  • Letting go: For many people that undergo deeply shocking or hard emotional challenges, such as ending relationships, this can give rise to deep negative emotions like anger, resentments and bitterness that block us from moving forward in life. The pain of such events can make us suffer from a broken heart, which has both physical and energetic impacts to closing down our heart. If we can look at life as many lessons in which we are learning to become spiritually whole, the sensation of a broken heart provides the opportunity to explore more of the dimensions of our inner selves. By being present in the moment and surrendering to the now, judgments and future expectations of others are completely dissolved. Let it all go.
  • Discernment: If we act recklessly by making quick and careless decisions based on lower impulses, this interferes with good decision making by impairing our discernment. One must grow in Spiritual Maturity to be able to discern what is in alignment for them personally, without judgment and without concern for what others may think of your choices. As you allow yourself to be who you really are as an embodiment of soul purposed truth, you will allow others to be exactly who they need to be.
  • Take inventory: When we are feeling unhappy about the current conditions in our lives, it is time to restore energetic balance by taking inventory. What are you doing in your life now that brings you meaningful connection, fulfillment and feelings of joy in the moment? If we look to others to give us permission, or rely on relationships or external events in order to experience love and happiness, this sets us up to fail. When we focus only on the external to make us happy, this is based on temporary conditions, thus, we are distracting ourselves from hearing the real messages that come from inside our hearts.
  • Create Priorities: Once we have taken inventory and listened to our heart for more clarity on what generates meaningful connections and increased loving feelings, we will want to apply our new found awareness to co-create a healthier lifestyle and more balanced relationships. If we are too serious and in work mode too much of the time, without playfulness and humor, this also generates imbalances which shut down our heart. We must re-evaluate our commitments in life to reduce stress and seek to remove any areas where obligations or negative interactions are no longer supporting a more natural flow in our life.
    When we are in energetic balance with ourselves, we are in balance with our spiritual self, our heart and we cease to have great personal turmoil or suffering. This is the path to becoming increasingly healthy and peaceful.

Emotional Healing

It is only possible to engage with Emotional Healing once we have achieved greater levels of Self-Awareness, which is the fruit of dedicated self-inquiry. The process of becoming aware of our Emotional Triggers and sourcing the real cause of emotional pain is made through self-observation and increased self-awareness. Through dedicated observation of the self and gradually discerning between these functioning aspects of the mind, one can attain the direct experience of the Consciousness they are. The still point, through which this consciousness connects into the parts of our mind, is what forms all of our thoughts, emotions, and experiences that direct us through life. Through observation and self-inquiry, we become aware of the contents of our psychological and emotional patterns of behavior.

(Source: Ascension Glossary – Healing our Heart)

 

~via Energetic Synthesis.com – Time Shift Blog – posted February 25, 2020

February 19, 2020

ELVA THOMPSON: “Taking Back Our Power”

“Our body is like a musical scale. When it is properly tuned we have a sense of well-being and perfect self-expression.”

~Dr John Beaulieu N.D.

 

The Auric Egg

The word aura comes from the Greek word avra meaning breeze or air. The aura is the ambience, the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround a person or place. An electro-magnetic field that envelopes and inter-penetrates the physical form of all manifested life.

The human aura or electromagnetic field can extend from three feet to twelve feet from our bodies on all sides. It extends above the head and below the feet and contracts and expands in accordance with our health and emotional state of being. Rudolph Steiner describes the aura as egg shaped, and the whole being (energetic) as being twice as long and four times as broad as the physical being.

Colours of the Rainbow

The aura consists of seven auric layers or densities each with its own frequency. The seven moving bands of power connect with the human chakra system, the seven spinning vortices or wheels of light. The chakras are the data bases and bio computers that allow us to take part in physical reality.

In the spiritual world our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies vibrate in the colours of the spectrum. This light of many colours passes into our energetic body and creates the aura. Clairvoyants have found that emotional states create auric colours and many of us are familiar with the phrases: in the pink, red with rage, green with envy, a blue mood or yellow with cowardice.

I think most of us have encountered people that immediately repel us and others who instantly attract us. This is our spiritual antenna, our sixth sense in operation… it picks up on things even though we are not consciously aware of what is happening.

Spiritual Antenna

Many of us go through life without realising that we have an energetic body as well as a physical one. Our auric field is our personal space — a boundary that marks where our energy ends and another begins. It also acts as our first line of defense – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Think how uncomfortable we feel when an uninvited person gets too close to us, or when we are touched or hugged without our consent….

Our unease is due to the fact that our personal space has been invaded and our auric egg violated by a foreign energy.

Taking Risks

The aura is the energetic pattern and record of our existence and left unprotected it can be penetrated by negative projections, thought forms not only from other people but also non physical entities. Most people’s auras are energetically wide open. A good analogy for an open aura would be going to bed in a very dangerous neighbourhood and leaving the front door open… because that is exactly what we do energetically. Do you see this?

Attachments

In our sleepwalking state we become easy targets for the bad guys… parasitic energy attachments. The mirror world is teeming with thought forms and parasitic life and these critters are always looking for kicks. If they find harmonic correspondences in our aura they will electromagnetically attach to our energy field through resonance. And, as a result of their attachment, we experience their thoughts, feelings and emotions, however ugly they may be.

They are the little voice that eggs us on… just one more drink or drug for the road. When we are drunk or drugged, the entity has free rein to do what it likes and many terrible things happen. After a negative event, we’ve all heard the phrases: “Gosh I don’t know what got into him or her.” “It’s not like him or her at all.”

Most people with energy attachments are totally unaware they have a passenger. They assume they are responsible for the shit in their lives and just leave it at that.

Energy Vampires

Have you ever felt completely drained and exhausted around a particular person for no apparent reason? If the answer is yes… the chances are you have been vampirised. Many energy suckers are quite innocent and drain energy from our auras subconsciously but there are others who deliberately energise themselves by siphoning off and depleting other people’s auric energy. Then there are the needy space invaders… these are people that barge their way in to our energy and try to involve us in their personal issues and dramas. Many times they succeed and we end up saying yes when we really mean no.

So, what tools do we have to protect ourselves energetically?

Feeling our Energy Field

I think it’s useful to start investigating our own energy bodies. This is an introduction to personal energy that I learned a long time ago. If we briskly rub our hands together they will warm up through friction. Once they feel hot, we hold them about a foot apart and then gently move them closer together and then apart again like playing a squeeze box. (don’t let hands touch) You will feel a force like a energetic ball between your hands. This is your aura… your electro-magnetic body responding to stimuli.

Taking Back our Power

In this time of chaos it is important to be fearless, have clarity, protect our personal space and its integrity.

For the re-tuning of our chakra system and the cleansing of our auras see my article, Symphony of Self.

Creating an Auric Egg

Here is a visualisation exercise to help us reclaim our sacred space.

To begin we stretch our arms out in front of us and turn our hands inwards to create an energetic boundary about three feet from our bodies. In your imagination — your image-in extend the boundary all the way round and up and down so we are enveloped in an auric egg.

For all intents and purposes, this is the extent of our energy field. The space can always be extended but as a practice I found it is easier to start small.

Once you have visualised your auric egg, place an object into the space where your hands meet. I use a small blue sun to delineate my personal space but you can use whatever object you like. With your intent see all of your energy streaming into your safe space… and everything that is outside of your space stays outside of your space.

The exercise of claiming back your energy can be done any way you like. This is just the way I do it. If we practice creating our space and stepping fully into it, we will see many changes in our life. We will become grounded, secure and confident. No needy space invaders will be able to gain access to our space because we will be present, aware and ready to step back from their energetic advances.

In this way, we can begin to protect the integrity of our space when we meet the public, in our domestic affairs, and at work. Being fully present in the Now, we will be able to choose what comes into our space and what does not, and have the peace of mind of knowing that our thoughts, and actions are our own.

Much love….until next time.

 

~via Waking Times