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Posts tagged ‘spiritual’

Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation

Here in the States, it’s Labor Day weekend, the last weekend punctuating the end of summer vacations, and everyone is bustling about. However, if you are anything like me, you are snuggled in, relaxing at home or in your favorite private nature spots, bypassing the scurry on the roads and trails altogether. I like to avoid chaotic crowds and traffic when possible. Because of this, you’ll most likely find me on the coast, in the city (in San Francisco or Berkeley) or on forested trails during the week when everyone else is busy at work. I like to extend my intuitive healings, readings and animal Reiki during the weekends and evenings not only because it is more convenient for my clients but it also allows me to go inward and dabble in the spiritual realms when the outside world is buzzing around.

This long 3 day weekend is no exception. For me, this is a perfect time to relax, rejuvenate, meditate, read, create and manifest with Reiki, love-centered energy and visualization. The new moon is filling and waxing, which is a perfect time to think about everything good, healthy and high-vibe we want to invite into our lives.

I usually post short meditations and videos, but since we have a few days off for the holiday, I am sharing this 1 hour long Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation Chakra Healing which will help you move into that sacred space within your very core and your love center.

There is no need to listen to the entire video unless you feel drawn to do so. Even just a few minutes of listening will raise your frequency. You can meditate to these soothing natural sounds and musical vibrations or simply play them in the background as you amble about your home or garden. The intention here is to quiet the mind, move into your heart space, resonate with your true essence and embrace deep peace.

Namaste and Many Blessings!

 Shana xo

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Pranava – Deep Chant & Yantra Meditation

sedona stupa

Today is Monday, the beginning of a new week. Tomorrow, we welcome in the new month of July, the zenith of summer. We are also in the midst of new moon energy as we bask under the thinly slivered moon that will grow bright and full with each passing day. I like to think of the new moon as a celestial pregnancy, like a developing belly, filling with the light of our wishes and dreams until it becomes full and brimming with new possibility. All this to say, it is a wonderful time to start anew, refresh, recalibrate, refocus and create our heart’s desires!

One of my favorite ways of beginning anything new is with a centering meditation, especially since we are in the midst of Monday’s bustling energy. It is important to lay the foundation of our inspiring efforts from a place of natural order and balance, with a crystal clear sense of our innate spiritual Selves. It can be challenging to take time out to create what we want in life, to think about positive out-of-the-box ideas, to refresh and stir up creative juices if we are knocked off kilter in busyness or worry, muddled in too much work, if we are not in a mentally, physically or spiritually balanced state.

BALANCE is one of my favorite words. Everything in BALANCE, my dears, everything in perfect BALANCE.

Like the old Zen adage goes: “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.”

The following YouTube yantra meditation is one I enjoy doing often. The vibration of the musical tones and chants coupled with the cosmic, kaleidoscope-like images is enough to place anyone in a meditative state. Yantra (यन्त्र) is the Sanskrit word for instrument as in geometric symbols, patterns and processes.

This is a good 20 minute meditation. I recommended taking a time out from whatever it is you are doing and listen, allowing your body to sink into the sounds, to relax, quiet, calm and harmonize with the frequency of this deep meditation. If this video resonates with your soul as it does mine, watch it often. Listen to it daily if you wish; start your day with it, set intentions with it, re-attune yourself with it.

Turn up the volume and return to your center, to who you really are, to your higher Self and consciousness. Start now.

Ommmmmmm

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Spiritual Living

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Free Reiki on the Full Moon of the Buddha & Wesak

I am spiritually called to offer another one of my Free Distance Reiki Pools for anyone who would like extra healing for themselves, a loved-one (human or animal) or for any life situation that could benefit from a positive dose of light, love and prayer. Feel free to think globally in your requests! (As you read below, you’ll see why.) If you would like to add yourself, someone else or an event that needs healing to my Reiki Pool, please leave a note below in the comment section or contact me privately by clicking HERE. I will be in meditation throughout the next five days, during the festival of Wesak, sending healing globally. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to receive Free Distance Reiki energy and prayer this week. I look forward to hearing from you!

*   *   *

Wesak (pronounced WE-sock) is an observed holy holiday in Southeast Asia and one of the most important festivals in the Buddhist calendar. This year in the United States, Wesak is this Wednesday on May 14th. This is a celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death. It is honored around the world by Buddhists during the full moon of May. It’s an honoring that begins two days before the full moon and ends two days after the full moon. An article (I highly recommend you read) by Alice A. Bailey explains Wesak in much more detail and how it astrologically and spiritually relates to us now during the 2014 May full moon in Scorpio with the sun in Taurus. You can find the article by clicking HERE. (A special thanks to my dear friend, Giacinta, who originally shared this article with me.)

Wesak (also spelled Vesak) is a five day period of practicing non-self importance, generosity of spirit, being of service to others, widening perspective and working for the greater good of humanity. It is about globalized spiritual consciousness. It’s a time to hold ourselves, others and the entire world in divine light and unconditional love to raise the individual and collective vibration on Earth.

The following video further explains Wesak. Please know that this video was created last year, in 2013, so the dates of Wesak as posted on the video do not apply to 2014. Wesak is always honored during May’s full moon, so every year the dates of this festival changes. This year, in 2014, Wesak occurs on May 14th, which is this Wednesday!

As stated in the above video and timed at 6:22 of the video, is the following:

What can we do to play our part in the Wesak festival?

For two days prior to the Wesak full moon, the day of the full moon and for the two subsequent days, endeavor to do the following things:

  • Link up with all people of spiritual intention and good will throughout the world.
  • Using the creative imagination, eliminate out of your consciousness all negativity. See yourself clear and on the side of the forces of light.
  • Preserve a spirit of love for all individuals.
  • When meditating and invoking the forces of light, endeavor to forget entirely your own personal difficulties, tragedies and problems.
  • Endeavor at sunrise, at noon, at five o’clock and at sunset plus the exact time of the full moon in your own land to say The Great Invocation (below) with the intent to invoke, precipitate and anchor an art of manifestation the waiting potencies. Do this aloud when possible and in group formation whenever feasible.

The Great Invocation:

“From the point of light from within the light of God, let light stream forth into human minds. Let light descend on Earth. From the point of love within the heart of God, let love stream forth into human hearts. May the coming One return to Earth. From the center where the will of God is known, let purpose guide all human wills- the purpose which the masters know and serve. From the center which we call the human race, let the plan of love and light work out and may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let light and love and power restore the plan on Earth.”  

*   *   *

If you are interested in honoring Wesak, you can follow the suggestions above in how to play your part. This is helpful for those who thrive with structure and a clear purpose. The Great Invocation is, indeed, a beautiful prayer for the world. For some of you, however, simply spending this week by being more conscious, meditative and altruistic, may feel like a more free-flowing way to celebrate this sacred week.

Some ideas for the week ahead (and please, do whatever resonates and feels good to you):

  • Meditate daily
  • Start a fast (or juice feast)
  • If you’re a healer, send global healing
  • If you pray, pray for others
  • Do something for the greater good of humanity, small or large
  • Be of service
  • Practice unconditional compassion for all Beings everywhere
  • Be mindful
  • Reconnect with your spirituality
  • Do anything that you feel raises your vibration
  • Or simply contact me for Free Distance Reiki 🙂

With pure radiant light and love, have a very blessed and sacred week ahead as we honor Wesak, the Buddha, all spiritual masters, the full moon, Mother Earth and each other.

Peace and Reiki Blessings, Shana        

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Spiritual Living

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Moved by Spiritual Callings

Have you ever had a spiritual calling? Have you ever wondered what life would be like to follow these inner callings? Where would it take you? What would you become?

It wasn’t until I moved from my life-long home of Northern California that I can say that, yes, I know what it is like to walk away from EVERYTHING- stuff, family, friends, familiarity and comfort to follow a higher calling. Stephen and I moved to Western Washington merely based on intuition and a spiritual whim. From here, amazing worlds were explored and an unexpected journey was launched.

We were living in Santa Rosa, CA, in Sonoma County. We had taken a road trip out to Northern Arizona, thinking this area may be a good place to relocate. Immediately upon arriving, I had an adverse reaction to the area, in fact I felt energetically repelled by it. We spent a day in Prescott, a day in Sedona and then drove up to the Grand Canyon (…which I loved. More on the magic of the Grand Canyon in future posts). I loved seeing all these areas. I was intrigued. I was enchanted. And, I fell in love with the strong Native American spirit, but I was not called to stay and live.

One morning, Stephen and I were having breakfast together in a small town just outside of Sedona called Cottonwood. It was here I asked Stephen for one of his famous psychic readings. (I was too emotionally attached to the outcome to read for myself.) I asked him to give me a reading about what the best living environment would be for me at the time. I still have this reading, which I jotted down on a napkin.

He said I would be surrounded by trees, water and lush, rich earth that would grow anything. There would be vegetable gardens and fruit trees, wild life and open wilderness. It was during this reading over breakfast in a small desert town that Stephen and I decided to move to Bellingham, WA, sight unseen.

Bellingham, WA

Bellingham, WA

This was a rash decision based solely on intuition, prompted by a simple and playful reading, but everything about this decision felt right. It was a tremendous spiritual calling, though I didn’t realize it at the time.

By the very next month, our belongings were packed and we were driving into Bellingham, WA, which is located just a half hour south of the Canadian border and British Columbia.

Ever wonder if you are headed in the right direction? Doors will open. These doors didn’t just open for us there, they swung WIDE open.

When we entered Bellingham, we had one week to find a home. It was the very second placed we viewed to rent that we found one of the most beautiful homes I had ever lived in. We rented it on the spot.

Our home in Bellingham, WA

Our home in Bellingham, WA

This was our home- a gorgeous old, single family, Victorian house that had been converted into 5 charming apartments. It had a vegetable garden and incredible bayside, sunset views. We rented the largest of the apartments on the main floor, which allotted me my own healing space for my Reiki practice and a private meditation room. This home called us to it for many reasons. We were supposed to live here.

The backyard bayside vegetable garden

The backyard bayside vegetable garden

 

Sunset view from our living room

Sunset view from our living room

It was here that more magic came into my life than I could possibly explain. It was here I experienced so many spiritual shifts and growths, darkness yet brilliance, and dove into higher realms, experiencing firsthand the world of the elementals. Yes, we had resident Beings, nature spirits, who shared space with us in the garden and in our home. I could see them, and they did all kinds of tricky and fun things around the house. (More on this in future blog posts and articles) Stephen and I taught Reiki classes together, and I gave energy healings out of this home. We only lived here for a year and a half, but the mind-bending things that occurred and the spiritual leaps were life changing to say the least.

Being energy workers, both Stephen and I are intensely aware of subtle energies. The energy of the house, of the city of Bellingham, and of our neighbors shifted. The time to leave was near. We felt it. This was a gentle shift, but the universe was easing us into other opportunities. When the day came that our landlord informed me that he wanted to move his family into our space, I was already expecting this change. And, I was grateful for it.

At the time, we considered moving to Arizona. After a year and a half of darkness, I ached for sunnier landscapes. We also considered moving back to California, but I intuitively knew it was not yet time to return, though I was homesick. Instead, we decided to move an hour and a half south to Seattle. I had friends, raw potlucks, raw vegan restaurants a-plenty, and lots of things to do there. I missed being in a bigger, more metropolitan and cultural city that offered a plethora of activities to choose from.

We left magical Bellingham and our quiet yet grand South Hill neighborhood. We left the bay and the wild, green gardens, the spectacular sunsets and moved to the city. I had never lived directly in a city, and I wanted the full big city experience. (Be careful what you ask for!)

We moved to Lower Queen Anne just 2 blocks away from the Seattle Space Needle, smack dab in the heart of the city. Our apartment was built at the turn of the century. It was an old brick, four story building. It had no elevator but it did have a couple of resident ghosts, one of which lived in our unit. We were, of course, on the top floor and the laundry room was, of course, in the basement. Parking was a space we rented a block away. Needless to say, there was a lot of schlepping going on, schlepping laundry and groceries up and down streets and endless flights of stairs. This was quintessential city living.

Metallic Seattle Space Needle and City Center

Metallic Seattle Space Needle and City Center

The romance of this lifestyle withered away very quickly for me. I didn’t mind the physical requirements of it, but I did mind the grey. Seattle is a grey place with eight months of rainfall. Our apartment faced east, so gone were our glorious sunsets and the glowing, crimson sweetness that cracked the cloudy horizon at the end of each day. My world in the city became drab. The surrounding buildings, asphalt, skies, and concrete- everything around me was one note. I desperately missed living in the forest and among my faery-luscious, GREEN trees. There were wonderful mossy, forested parks in Seattle, which I loved to hike and meditate in, but my actual city living environment and view… as my crime-writing sister would call it… it was all gun-metal grey.

Six months into our city living, we had the opportunity to shorten our lease, which gave me a new lease on life and new possibilities.

I would like to add that Seattle is a very magical place, and I do not wish to down-play this. I did have some very amazing experiences there. I still love to visit and a part of my heart and spirit will always be in Western Washington along with some family and many great friends. But, one lesson I definitely learned during my time there is that I need to live in more natural, wild settings. I thrive in nature!

One of my favorite places to visit, the Faery Bridge of Carkeek Park in Seattle

One of my favorite places to visit, the Faery Bridge of Carkeek Park in Seattle

It was time to move. In retrospect, I feel we placed ourselves in this environment, all of it from the city to the old apartment, so we would be more inclined to leave Washington. You see, I was in love with the magic of the forests, the waters and the islands around this area. However, I had spiritually learned what I needed and it was time to go. If my living environment wasn’t a struggle, it would have been easy to remain complacent and stay longer than I should have. This was an important lesson. It was a lesson about seeing the gifts in the challenges, about non-attachment, about letting go, about embracing forward movement and about taking giant leaps of faith.

Signs are everywhere. Subtle energies are always at work around you. The question is, do you stop to listen? Do you scream out, “Why Me?” in the face of hardship or do you take a look at the bigger perspective, the bigger picture? We are each exactly where we need to be. If you are in an undesirable place, your pain and discomfort are signs to reevaluate life direction and will influence change, especially if you have the gumption to listen and to follow your heart, your gut and the messages around you.

It was time to go. To where, we did not exactly know. California? Arizona?

One morning, the energy to move and shift was strong. It was palpable. I pulled out one of my decks of Tarot called Earth Magic Oracle Cards. I love these cards partly because my Reiki practice is called Earth Spirit but also because I have an innate and very spiritual connection to earth. Earth is magical in every way. So there I was with my Earth Magic Oracle deck. With the question in mind, “Where do we move next?” I meditated, I sent Reiki to the situation, and then I pulled one card…

From the Earth Magic Oracle Deck

From the Earth Magic Oracle Deck

Um, Universe, could you please be more specific, gee-wilikers!

It was decided that morning that we were going to Arizona. Upon making this decision, I remember looking out the window and saw 12 crows perched on a bare-branched, winter tree. Being that Crow is my main Animal Spirit Totem, this very much felt like an acknowledgement and blessing of our new direction. 12 is also the number of perfect, harmonious completion.

A tree of crows

A tree of crows

We were lucky enough to have an opportunity open for us to stay in Prescott, AZ, for 2 months. Another sign we were on the right path, everything immediately opened right up for us. Within one day, we not only decided to leave Washington but we secured our next location out of state and gave our landlord notice. The day started with an oracle card reading and ended with plans to start packing.

Both Stephen and I work from home with his life coaching practice and my distance healing work, so we can be very mobile and live anywhere. We started to pack, but the month it took us to organize the move was a very topsy-turvy time. Despite the oracle card reading, I decided that I wanted to move to California. I went as far as to tell all my friends and family I was returning. I researched storage units and ordered the moving truck. The plan was to drive to California, place all our things in storage, then drive on to Arizona to stay in the home that was available for 2 months. We would have our vision quests and anything else that may open for us. After the 2 months, we would then return to California to live. This was the plan… or so I thought.

There’s a little saying that goes something like this: There are plans, but then there is life. And my life path had another direction and purpose.

While packing our apartment, I was in the bathroom. The overhead cupboard door was open. I was bent down, filling boxes. Can you guess what happened? I swung my head up as I stood and cracked my forehead on the corner of the solid wood cupboard door. This was a severe injury that left an indent on my forehead as a purple lump immediately formed. I had a concussion.

Head injuries are interesting things both physically and spiritually. The concussion affected my eyesight, my ability to focus and my ability to continue packing. I sat down for several days to rest, forcing me to pause and evaluate our movements.

I take nothing for granite. I know injuries and sicknesses are significant signs, often depicting that one is moving in the wrong direction. It was during this introspective time, sitting in a torn-apart apartment, surrounded by boxes and chaos that Stephen and I decided to take a leap of faith, cancel our California storage, redirect the moving truck destination, and move directly to Arizona instead of California. This was the correct and intended path. Both Stephen and I collectively felt a very strong calling. We were each spiritually drawn to Arizona for more than just a 2 month stay.

We originally thought we would move to Sedona, especially with the spiritual, metaphysical and healing work that we do. With this in mind, we stored our things in that little town just outside of Sedona, Cottonwood (and so we came full circle, returning to Cottonwood). We stayed in Prescott for those 2 months, allowing us to catch our breath after the move and to enjoy our new surroundings.

Eagle Blessings over Lake Watson in Prescott, AZ

Eagle Blessings over Lake Watson in Prescott, AZ

It was here that I read, meditated, hiked, photographed, sun-soaked and visited Sedona. The distance from Prescott to Sedona is similar to the distance from where I lived in Sonoma County, CA, to San Francisco. It is a little over an hour away. This is an easy drive from one magical place to another. I love Sedona like no other place, but a very surprising thing happened; I fell in love with Prescott. So, we stayed and found a permanent home for ourselves.

We are here now in Prescott. There is so much I could share about the powerful lands around us and our time here, but I’ll save this all for future blog posts. Just know the magic and spiritual nudges continue… in my life and with my healing practice.

Timing really is everything. Years ago when we first visited Prescott to consider living, we were energetically pushed away. The timing wasn’t then right. We needed to be in Western Washington, both of us, for the time that we were. And, we left Washington at the absolute perfect time. Stephen accomplished exactly what he needed to, and I experienced one of the most cathartic spiritual experiences of my life while there. It was like a spiritual schooling of sorts. It was something that couldn’t have taken place in any other location. I needed the separation, the darkness, the rain, the forests and the magic to support my spiritual shift and growth. Plus, life-long friendships were found.

Thank you Western Washington for your darkness, beauty and woodland magic. Thank you Stephen for your flexibility, spontaneity, out-of-the-box thinking, your gypsy spirit and for your unyielding, compassionate support. And, thank you Northern Arizona for being exactly where I am supposed to be right now.

Shana in Sedona, AZ

Shana in Sedona, AZ

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Life Purpose, My Life

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Cleansing for Hidden Treasures

Do you have at least one box, bag, or drawer of old miscellaneous things that need to be sorted or discarded? I certainly did. I had been living with a big box like this for years. This box lingered with me as it sat, collecting dust, harboring piles of who-knows-what.  It was that nagging sense I had, realizing my life may not be as together as I would like to believe. I have file cabinets, yes, shelving, yes, coordinated stacks of necessities, yes, neatly placed pieces of papers, yes, but this one old, overstuffed, dust-collecting box somehow eluded me. It had taken on a life on its own. I felt that I might as well befriend it, name it even, since it had lived with me for years. It had even moved with me across two states. However, something inside me realized this codependent relationship must end.

Fueled on a super food smoothie, streaming melodies of Deva Premal, and a huge dose of SUNSHINE, I pulled it from the depths of the closet and reverently cracked it open- like an ancient Egyptian tomb – exposing its poor, forgotten, little soul to the light of day.

I have now breathed fresh life into the contents, which are now in their appropriate places.  (And, yes, a garbage can is an excellent place.) Items have been stored and paperwork has been filed. The box itself received its proper burial, ceremoniously folded and gently place in the recycle bin with a grin and a relieved sigh.  I feel, in doing this, I have now breathed fresh air into my life and myself. I am finally free.

I truly believe people take on the energy of stuff, and stuff influence the energy of people. What stuff are you consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally keeping in your life? Are you aware of its influence over you?

If you still have that lingering “thing” that needs tending to, organizing, or tinkering with, I encourage you to tackle it. The time it takes to release it from your life is minimal compared to the subtle constant pressure it has applied on your subconscious over the weeks, months, years.  And… you never know… you may just find a treasure…

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Musings

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Celebrating Spiritual Transformation

I lost my dearly loved uncle last week to lung cancer. After the long battle, he quietly slipped up into the ethers, trailing love and peace in his departure. Though, I expected to hear the news of his death at any point, there is little on earth that can prepare a surviving loved one for the moment of passing. The nanosecond I heard the news, my breath was swiped away and my hands instinctively cupped my face as I watered them in tears.

Why did I weep? Yes, he will be deeply missed. Yes, he played a significant role in the lives of many. But, what was the true source of my tears? Isn’t it a blessing that his suffering finally ended? Isn’t he now in a happier more blissful place?

Society molds us into the people we are, influencing us to think and behave the way we do. Society teaches us that death is bad, scary, unknown and final, but is it any of those things? Since I was raised to believe this, of course I would immediately be shocked into tears of loss and pain. I question- is this necessary? And, I ask a more provoking question- is this even the truth or reality?

The moment my uncle died, I learned that others felt ecstatic energy in the room with him. Visiting family interpreted that his spirit was filled with this very energy; or rather that he WAS this very energy after dying. I italicize the word dying here, because this process doesn’t feel to me like a death at all. It feels more like a birth but on the other end of life. The body dies but our essence, our soul, our Being (whatever you feel comfortable naming it) continues, shifting into another state of consciousness and energetic form. That evening after he shifted, I was told, “He is ecstatic!” It is now clear to me that he has done anything but die. Instead, he has spiritually transformed.

The night I heard the news Stephen sat down and did with me what he does best. He lovingly coached and nurtured me through the process of death, the emotional attachment to life, the bigger picture of it all, and together we explored the spiritual possibilities of my uncle’s transformation. (I should mention that Stephen is a deeply spiritual and compassionate Being with lots of coaching experience and natural psychic gifts.) He is such a blessing to me.

I learned that I needed to cry it all out and grieve. I should not hold on to any of it. I should allow my emotions to flow through, and allow them to do just that- flow THROUGH. Don’t hang on to any of it. Death should be celebrated. (In some cultures it actually is celebrated.) After all, my uncle himself is now totally ecstatic and free of pain and limits. How could I not celebrate this? I must cry for my and the family’s loss, but then I should celebrate his spiritual progression.

I also wanted to connect with my uncle one last time after his death. I wanted to see him, feel his presence or dream about him. A selfish desire maybe, but I wanted this all the same.  I learned that this would be difficult to experience until I released some of my grief. I am not saying that one cannot experience a visitation while still in the throes of grief, because I know this has happened for many, but for me it was far easier after my intense emotions had dissolved.

The next day after he died, I felt much lighter. I was still in a faint daze of loss, but my thinking had shifted. (Much thanks to Stephen) I knew that my uncle was in an ecstatic state. I knew that this alone sincerely and lovingly deserved celebrating. This knowing guided me through my grief. I also intuitively knew that with my spiritual-emotional shift, I would connect with him. Or rather, I would make a portal, a spiritual window in divine multidimensional space, available for him to connect with me. And, that is exactly what happened.

I did not see his vision, dream of an encounter nor did I hear his voice in my head. It was nothing quite as grand or obvious. I simply felt different, VERY different. I was straightening up the house that afternoon, a routine activity, when he entered my thoughts. I suddenly felt intense celebratory energy emanating from my heart. At that moment, I truly undoubtedly knew exactly what it meant to CELEBRATE his death, his spiritual evolution. This felt like pure divine love streaming through my heart and into my entire Being. It seemed to fill the whole room I was in. I felt deeply happy, pure bliss and a peaceful joy. I felt my uncle’s ecstatic energy. He was there with me then. These feelings lasted for some time. Any remaining grief I had was completely dissolved and replaced by this experience.

I no longer agree that death is bad, scary, or final. Nothing about his transformation feels negative in any way or final in the least. If anything, he is now divine, ever expansive and continuous.

♥   ♥   ♥

I share this story not to broadcast my family’s personal loss, but to shed some light on my own experience. I lovingly intend that this may offer a shift in thinking, solace, hope, insight and ecstatic peace and joy to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one.  Peace and Love to ALL.

♥   ♥   ♥

I wrote the following poem for my uncle the evening I heard he passed away from lung cancer.  Each word flowed from me alongside tears mixed with loss and joy. Surprisingly, I created this short piece in a matter of seconds. I am either deeply inspired by intense emotion or I simply cracked opened during my emotional release and streamed his divine energy. Perhaps a little of both are the truth.

♥ I dedicate this to you, Bruce. You are dearly loved and I celebrate you…

As the sun spills across the horizon, you shed your physical form. You run along the sun kissed oceans, laughing in delight.

Expand deeply and lovingly into ecstatic peace. You are now the very breath of life.

Fly free, my spirit brother. Fill your light body with divine energy and ecstatic joy. Fill your lungs deeply with BLISS, my spirit brother. Dance. Play. Rejoice. Love with divine freedom and joyful abandon.

You are now purely LOVE itself. ♥

Body of Divine Light

Body of Divine Light

♥ I dedicate this poem from The Prophet to all Beings who are transitioning into spiritual, ethereal bodies of light, peace and pure love…

“If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one. In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then you shall truly dance.”
~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Category:

My Life, Spiritual Living

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My Wheel of Fortune

A lemon-drop summer sunset over the San Francisco Bay

The Tarot snuck its way into my life several decades ago. It teased my fascination, luring me from mainstream thought, until it enveloped me in a greater respect for the unseen. How could simple cards make any plausible predictions? Shouldn’t this type of divination be left for the gypsies and fortunetellers whose slight-of-hand professes great tales? I had my doubts, for I was settled firmly in structured belief, cemented by logic and a tangible proof-driven society.

However, those silly cards, they tempted my imagination, feeding my belief, expanding possibilities. It seemed every time I would pick up a card, it would perfectly fit a situation, express a feeling or detail an outcome. How could this be? How could those little, colorful cards possibly know anything about spiritual lessons or offer guidance in any way? I wondered; however, I had this strange knack of choosing just the right cards repeatedly. It did not matter what deck I used, the results were always the same. Improbable, I thought. Isn’t this just up to chance, I questioned, a total fluke that I would happen to pick one card over another? So began the great internal debate.

For the longest time, my doubt had this discussion with my imagination. Until one day, while I was quiet in meditation, I realized that there is so much more to my spiritual self. I was meditating on my totem animal guides, a shamanic practice I feel deeply connected to, and Crow, one of my lead totem animals, popped into my mind. On a whim, I randomly flipped over one of my Animal Spirits Knowledge Cards, and a magical picture of Crow surprisingly stared right back at me. It was as if my guides and the universe were collectively saying, “Shana, do you finally believe? How many more times does this need to be confirmed for you?” This spiritual ah-ha moment came at a pivotal time in my life. It was finally time for my imagination to declare victory over my doubt and end this tedious and unsettling trail. Case closed.

This was quite a significant realization for a logic-focused, mainstream woman like me, significant for several different reasons. One might say, “Great, you can now live the life of a seer and dabble in the mystical realms of reality.” However, did I really want to fly away from society on the back of a gypsy’s dream? I will be judged. I will be questioned. I toyed with the idea of professionally sharing my gift with others, but I quickly ushered these ideas into the shadows. My place in society was resolute, and I did not intend to make my claim to fame through any art of divination. Period.

It is curious how destiny calls. Over time, I began to soften and TRUST. I began to dissolve my instilled need to conform to the ideals of the left-brained, linear thinking majority. I began to recognize that it was only I that I ultimately feared- my own critical mind, judgment and disapproval. Did people really care if I could read a Tarot card spread? Would they truly write me off as a fringe mystic? If so, what impact would that honestly make in my life? And, for heaven’s sake, who are all these darn people anyway? Do I even know them?

Once I finally plucked my head out of that restrictive box I built for myself so long ago, I was actually able to see the value in my gift. I now honor it, and I honor myself as I use it. In the beginning of this personal acknowledgement, I gingerly offered Tarot readings to friends and family. This felt safe. Time after time, though, I would be surprised and impressed with the cards, for they were eerily precise. It was not long before I faced my TRUTH and offered this gift as a bona fide service to my global community.

I am grateful I have arrived at a place of admission, acceptance and self-respect, for it has allotted me a new platform to help others. Now, the question that blossoms from my heart is- how can I NOT share my abilities, ALL of them, with those in need? My desire to guide and support others now trumps any doubt or judgment I once had. My life path is paved as I serve others, and the Tarot is yet another modality I can now use to construct the life I was born to live.

The funny thing is… I finally discovered that people actually LOVE the Tarot. Who knew!

“Fate brings success, the unexpected arrival of good fortune.” ~Eden Gray

“The Wheel of Fortune can indicate a vision or realization that strikes with great force. If you’ve been struggling…this card can signal that you can find the answer if you stand back and view everything from a larger perspective.” ~Joan Bunning

“The Wheel of Fortune…symbolizes a new beginning and the completion of an earlier series. The second half of the quest has now begun. The Wheel is a mandala, a symbol of psychic wholeness and inner order….Cast [yourself] free from the bond of society, and [your] sacrifice is rewarded. The symbol of the Wheel brings with it peace of mind, the resolution of guilt, and an affirmation of the fundamental order existing at all levels of the universe.” ~Alfred Douglas

Category:

Intuitive Readings, Life Purpose

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The Death of My Life

Do you want to change your life? I mean really change your life? Do you long to tear it down to the last thread of its current existence and weave a new lifestyle, livelihood, a new identity? If your answer is yes, you are among the millions who are searching for something bigger, something more fulfilling. You yearn for a lifestyle change. You expect more from yourself; you are seeking a greater return on life.

Life is full of movement. Change is the ebb and flow, the breath, of our existence. We learn to move with the winds of desire, opportunity and inspiration. However, what if those winds whip us against a corner, whisking away opportunity, forcing us to take action, make rash changes or settle for less? The current economy has done just that to millions. Real estate and jobs have been lost, families struggle, the individual questions the system.  Many sulk in the corner after that whipping, immobilized by fear and constraint.

I have highlighted a grim picture of our current plight. Is it really this bad? To many, the answer is an emphatic yes. It is difficult to focus on anything more than restriction and lack when treading through the muck of these hardships. But, is it? Can a refocus on new positive changes be possible? I believe anything is possible.

What would happen if you used upheaval and failure to create the life you have always wanted? Could you imagine doing such a courageous feat in the face of defeat? It is time to move towards your true life path. This is something that needs attention whether you have suffered a loss or not.

The time is now.

I am addressing those who have been forced into unsavory life situations, because that is the most challenging position to move out of due to the debilitating wounds of a fall. However, anyone can restructure and redefine lifestyle. It does not take a tragedy to desire more out of life. The yearning for personal evolution and truth exists within us all.

Do you want more out of your life? Of course you do! It is time to CREATE the life you have always deep down felt you were meant to live.

Allow me to share my personal story of loss, growth, courage, fear and transformation.  I was raised with high financial morals. At age 14, my mother made it clear that if I wanted a car at age 16, I would have to buy it myself. I got my first job waiting tables at a small, local café and slowly earned, diligently depositing every cent of my income into my new savings account. Two years later, on my 16th birthday, I bought my first car with all my saved earnings. This was the beginning of my perfect life. Or, so I thought.

I lived the standard life. You know, the life that parents, peers, scholars and society pushes, the one that trucks you along from school to college, from job to career, from renting to home ownership in hopes of delivering the great American dream of material happiness and eternal gluttony. I reached the pinnacle of this dream in my early thirties. I made it. I had the college degree, the career, the home. I paid all my bills in full and on time. My credit was so shinny clean; I could see my own reflection in it. And, believe me, it reflected perfection. I was a success by society’s standards. However, never once did I ask what my standards were, nor did I wonder what it was I considered to be true perfection.

I was so devoted to the principles by which I thought I should live my life that I failed to look at what it was I truly wanted. I thought I wanted everything I had. I thought I loved consumerism. Ironically, I was the one being consumed. Something was wrong.

By the time I realized that my life was incongruent with my greater wellbeing, I was firmly set within it. My house, which had lost value due to the economic downturn, was a giant cement block attached to chains that coiled around and imbedded into my legs. My career paid the bills, yes, but lacked the luster it once did, painting my daily routine in the dullest of colors. I was fading behind obligation. My inner light flickered in desperate attempts to ignite some former passion and enthusiasm for a creative, fanciful, courageous and bountiful future that no longer seemed to exist.

I was so consumed by the life I thought I should live and the things I thought I should own and the person I thought I should be that I was not cognizant of any of this. I clung to society’s ideals. Oddly, I was still considered a success.

Then it happened.

I was a commissioned corporate employee, and as the economy slid down the muddy hills of defeat, my income dropped like a sack of rocks. It crushed everything in its path. I watched in horror as my house and flawless record shattered around me in tiny shards of imperfection reflecting back at me. I curled up in a ball of failure, embarrassment, lack, fear, disbelief and shock. The wounds caused by those jagged little mirrored shards, bled the life right out of me.

This was an absolute blessing in disguise.

The life that bled from my devastated body was no real life at all. As I slowly uncurled myself from that agonizing ball, something greater within me began to unravel. I awakened. A fire started to smolder, and I began to fan the flames of new possibilities. I questioned everything. My values, career, lifestyle and self-image were suddenly splayed across the butcher block to be trimmed or discarded. I knew there was something more within me, something I earnestly wanted to uncover and celebrate. I began to see a clear ray of my true essence where there were once only clouds of obligatory accomplishment shrouding my reality.

This is what I discovered.

I am a precious being with a compassionate heart full of love and wonderment. I am connected ever so delicately with all other life forms and natural elements. I am ONE with the earth, oceans and the skies. My spirit vibrates to the pulse of the universe. I am raw and awake. I am that wild animal with keen senses, untamed, alert and excited. I am the wind, the sun and the rain. I am the lightening that streaks across the darkened night, fierce and poignant. My body has its own intelligence, aligned to my soul’s path. I flow with the synchronicities of life. I am life. I inhale wisps of tranquility and exhale healing harmony. I am everything I have ever imagined. I am every dream that has bounced off my pillowcase. I am that wish upon a falling star from the milky heavens. I am adventure and exploration. Bliss twinkles from my eyes. Curiosity rolls over my lips. I am pure. My life energy is gentle yet powerful, capable and captivating. I radiate like polished crystals.  I am boundless, timeless, and priceless.

So, I quit my day job.

With this single choice, I stepped out of an insignificant life of limits, monotony, lack, fear, disharmony, worry, structure, and confinement, and I stepped into SIGNIFICANCE. As I tepidly stretched my foot over that threshold, I was tempted to maintain my familiar mediocrity by a lifetime of social conformity. It took every trembling ounce of courage and faith I had, but I did it. I took that step. I broke free. With my intuition ablaze and trust in my soul’s greater purpose, I changed my life.

I connected to my passion, my spirit and my higher ideals. I now have my own practice, and I work at what I love. I offer Reiki healings. I teach. I write. I create raw cuisine. I use my intuition in my spiritual readings. I coach others to connect with personal truth and to live significantly. My heart now beats to the tempo of my life work and my whims. Now that I flow with my life instead of force it, my work feels more fanciful and creative. It is my whim, for it is my muse; it is whimsical. As I allow myself to transform and grow, as a result, so does my effort. My passion and my labor have become synonymous. I invite change instead of confront it. I now sway to my own rhythms. I breathe in freedom. It is fresh, invigorating and inspiring. I can now see a fulfilling and abundant future.

I formerly believed that society wanted me to be that other thing, that unimaginative employee with the hefty mortgage and spotless accounting record. I thought perfection was owning that car, having the highest credit rating, making the safest choices, living within structure, and, ultimately, being an insipid enculturated debutante.

The irony is I followed my soul’s true path, and I now have more respect and more personal and spiritual abundance than I ever did before not because I am somehow now better, but because I am living a congruent, passionate, grateful, loving, positive, compassionate and free flowing life. I am living the life that used to occupy my heart in daydreams.

I faced my greatest fears. I took that step. Where there was once defeat, loss and a sense of failure now exists innate knowing, soulful endeavors, spiritual awareness and natural living.

I am exactly like YOU. We share the same inner brilliance. We are no different. We each have higher ideals and a heart opening, nurturing, healing, awakening purpose.

I know many of you reading this ache to embrace that greater calling. Whether it is leaving a dead-end job, selling a home, recreating a relationship, starting your own business or embarking on a dream you have always thought was just out of your reach, you, too, can live your highest Truth. It is more than possible. I now realize perfection is not defined by society. Perfection is simply and only divine. It is within us all. Can you feel it smoldering deep within you?

How will you create your divine life, the life of your unlimited imagination, the life you were BORN to live?

Leave Your Own Beautiful Trail

Leave Your Own Beautiful Trail

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Category:

Life Purpose, My Life

Tagged with:

Gaia

Mendocino, California

Mendocino, California

I sit idle, watching as each wave licks the compressed sand, lapping it up like a savory treat.  Back and forth, small bursts of white froth move excitedly, digging deeper into the cavernous beach.  The ocean foams at the mouth, curling hungrily around each isolate rock.  These rocks, positioned haphazardly throughout the watery cove, lay hidden beneath mystery and fury.  It isn’t until the fervor of the ocean unleashes angry bursts around them are they exposed, vulnerable.  Like beached whales, they are stubborn and steady.  Occasionally, the lone bird coasts powerfully by, dancing its commanding dance, arduously pumping against the western winds, cutting the evening air like a thick, dull knife.  Seagulls have now returned to their hidden shelters, and the skies are clean, leaving only the clouds as a moving, cluttered canvas.  Various shades of grey glide by, determined, deliberate.  Charcoal, lavender, silver, peach, blues, each color faintly kisses the contours of the heavens.  And as the coastal wind whips by, the celestial art changes, moving about, morphs, evolves into nothing, something into everything.  One glance away and the scene is gone, replaced by a new canvas, new inspiration, a new mystery.  My eyes aren’t absorbent enough to consume each pixel of light and color, not focused enough to catch every angle, each contour and the rich depth that lies before them.  I gobble up each subtle moment; each luxurious second feeds into my mind, my body, my soul.  I can feel my molecular structure change.  Each cell, each atom slows, relaxes and meditates my body.  My muscles, my blood, my flesh, all bubble and simmer, fluid and flexible.  Am I any different than this great spectacle I feast my eyes on?  Am I the ocean in all its glorious fury, the air that whisks by, carrying with it the soft grey sky as one complete and complex unit?  Am I each seagull that clamored through the breezy current?  Or perhaps I am that blade of grass that chatters in clumps, encompassed by a field of sand.  There is no separating myself from the land, the life, the action.  I am beautiful.  I am life.  And I sit quietly, steadily, yet actively participating in this living, breathing masterpiece.

Category:

Musings, Poetic Whimsy

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