I just had to share this recent email with you.  I changed some of the details that didn’t sit well with me.  What I am impressed with are the ways of helping ourselves I never thought of.  I mean, I have thought of giving service gifts, but never from the point of view that it is a financially healthy prospect for our country.

I hope you find this as encouraging as I have.  You can add your ideas in at the end like I did.  Fun!

As the holidays approach, factories in other countries are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods. This year we can do things differently. This year Americans can give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in wrapping paper made in another country?

Nearly everyone gets a hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn’t appreciate getting his car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a flat-screen made somewhere else? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people could use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would love the services of a local cleaning company for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I know I can find some young techie who is struggling to get a repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit it into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theater?

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

I do have another two cents worth…  If there is no money to be spreading around this holiday season, even for services, why not exchange the labor with  others?  If you don’t know how to do something, but can do something else , why not trade off with someone who can do what you cannot?  I’ll weed your mom’s flower bed if you cut my mom’s hair…  If you know how, that is!  I’ll draw your dog’s portrait if you do my year end taxes.  Sounds doable!

Picture Credit:  By Pearson Scott Foresman via Wikimedia Commons

Photo Credit:  By SiefkinDR via Wikimedia Commons

I’ve been doing as much energy work as the Universe is blessing me with these days.  It’s always amazing when I realize that I have fewer clients during the times when my personal life is overly full.  I am learning to trust this flow and take comfort in knowing this is the proper way of things.  It’s nice to have a break and I am remembering to be grateful.

This subject comes up so often during sessions.  It seems all of us need a reminder that life is a roller coaster ride and that’s just the way of it.  We can adjust the oscillation of this ride by using our energy exercises – breathing, meditating, grounding…emanating gratitude.  Wave length, amplitude – both variables we can manipulate if we simply take the time to focus.

Breathe in…and breathe out.  Relax the shoulders…now the jaw.  Visualize a fiery sunset with clouds in even patterns, marching toward the horizon – a butterfly lifting and dipping along the grass.  Listen to a seashell covering your ear and magnifying the sound of your blood swishing through your veins– the sound of mourning doves cooing in the morning.  There are so many examples of nature’s beauty and its variable oscillations – all here to observe.

This time of year, especially, we can use moments of filling – energy boosts and encouragement to complete our annual journey and rev up for the next.  Let me know if I can help.

Happy times and potent dreams!

Image Credit by Geraldbrowne via Wikimedia Commons

Do we have a spring in our step yet?  Well, we do in the south.  My step has been springy since October when the temp cooled down and the humidity lifted.  The days are warmer now, but still dry and that goes a long way on the comfort gauge in Florida.

Our oak trees, four large ones on the front, lining our curb, all bloomed a month early this year.  They do the autumn thing and the spring thing at the same time, leaves dropping and blossoms dripping all at once.  Our city has determined that oaks need to be planted whenever construction projects clear and chop down anything.  Pay in oaks.  They are everywhere.  However, now we have a bunch of people (including myself) with severe allergy problems when spring comes and it is largely due to the oak blossoms.  I have been taking Cat’s Claw pretty regularly for some months now and believe the reason I have not had any symptoms to sneeze at is due to the effect of this supplement.  It promotes healthy immune function, according to the label.  Easy breathing always keeps a spring in my step.

And how about that moon – Super Moon?  Wowzer!  It’s fun taking the dogs out at night and being greeted by that broad, clear smile coming from the old Man in the Moon; brings back memories of watching and wondering how the moon could move with us as we drove home from Nanna’s house on Sunday nights with tummies full to overflowing.  The warm, sweet smell of citrus blossoms, and jasmine blossoms, and night blooming cirrus blossoms, and hundreds of other thick, syrupy scents filled our nostrils while we leaned back on our seat, watching out the window into a brilliantly clear, cloudless spring sky; the moon so bright there was not a single star visible.  “How does the moon move with us, Daddy?”   The distance and size explanation meant nothing to us.  The moon was alive and we could feel its energy as a viable entity.  I still can and greet it as a friend, sorrowing for the fact it must compete with wires and buildings and electric lights.  The beauty and strength the moon commands when I can capture a view obstructed by nothing but the backyard mango and orange trees and waving palm fronds is beyond description.  Another reason for a spring in my step!

Spring and daydreams, yes, hand in hand.  When I was in second grade, a new elementary school was built to house the growing baby boom population.  Prior to that, we were shuffled around in an overcrowded old, Spanish style building.  I can still smell the wooden floors mingling with the cafeteria food preparation.  At one point we were behind the curtain of the stage in the cafeteria.  Did that ever tantalize the tummy all morning?  The new school!  Now that was something.  Yes, we could still smell the cafeteria in the adjacent building, but the paint!  The new desks, new books!  Oh what a glorious smell!  The classrooms shared a bathroom between.  There were sinks and closets in the back for art and science projects.  There were floor to ceiling windows on opposite sides of the classroom; no screens, no curtains.  There was no air conditioning either.  We were out of school by the beginning of June, so the excruciating heat had not begun before we were out for the summer.  In the spring, the flies would come in and play after lunch while we were listening to our teacher read.  The air was clean; the cicadas droned from the toasty smelling pine trees outside; our minds wandered.  I love to daydream!  It is the sweet wandering of the mind, the lazy drifting from place to place.  I find myself on a crystalline river, afloat in an inner tube, my hair swelling about the edges of my face as I lean back into the coolness and look up into the treetops wandering past my vision in a long and glorious breath.  The sun dapples my body and the reflective water, causing flashes and sparkles that speak of love and comfort and freshness and promise.  Life is ahead, fully in front of me; ending far beyond my vision or understanding.

I’m ready, let’s do this thing, this Spring Thing!

Wikimedia Commons Super Moon Credit:  Phenixsport

What if you were to intend / imagine that you were at a bus stop, and the bus arrives curbside, and you see the door open, the steps leading up; the driver / guide wearing a huge smile, gives a nod; you step up and start moving into the bus as the bus leaves the curb.  Now you make a choice as to where you will sit, front, back, left, right.  The decision is not a difficult one and you feel in your heart that you have made the exact correct choice.  You feel the exhilaration of the energy as it fills your chest and explodes outward; love permeates the area around you and filters on outward in all directions from you.  The entire bus is aglow as it moves down the street.  The first stop is coming up and you make another choice as to getting off or not.  These choices come very easily and you are free and light feeling.  You know exactly which stop you are going to and you know exactly what will be there…

Get on that bus and feel the excitement of your next stop coming up!

Wikimedia Commons Credit:  Adam E. Moreira

On my day of passing I knelt before the Creator, along with many other souls.

The pieces of our lives lay out, stacked like the squares of a quilt, in many piles; an angel sat before each of us, sewing the squares together into a tapestry.

As my angel took up each piece from those piles in front of me, I noticed how ragged and empty each was.  They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I had faced within each day of my life. I saw where the hardships I endured created the largest holes of all.  Glancing around me, I also saw the others had perhaps a tiny hole here and there, but their tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of fortune, accomplishment, and success.  I gazed upon my own life and became disheartened.  My angel continued sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, seemingly binding the air in most places.

Finally those around me stood – each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been; so worthy were they!  As my turn came and I held back, my angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.  My gaze dropped in shame.  There was love in my life, and laughter, but there had also been trials of health, and wealth; and then the false accusations that took so much from my world. I had started over many times and often struggled with the temptation to quit, spending many nights kneeling in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life.  I had often been ridiculed, enduring it painfully, each time offering it up to the Creator in hopes that I would not collapse beneath the weighty gaze of those who passed judgment on me.

And now, I faced the truth. My life was what it was.  I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares, not being able to look, but instead, peeked at the faces of the others around me… they were staring with wide eyes.  I hesitantly looked up at my tapestry/my life.  Light flooded the many holes, creating an image of exquisite beauty.  The perfect Spirit in all its glory beamed forth. What had seemed shabby to me was not.

With immense warmth and love Spirit spoke, “Every time you gave over your life to love, it became my life, my hardships, and my struggles.  Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let me shine through, until there was more of me than there was of you.”

Wikimedia Commons Image Credit:  Ann

Wikimedia Commons Image Credit:  Anne Norman

I have a problem with letting go.  If I let go, it feels as if I’m not caring — and I don’t like that feeling.  I am a caring person and if I let go of caring, about my family, especially, then I feel I’m not loving them as I want to; very difficult to find the right combination.

My family is growing and active.  We are on a ride, that’s for sure.  The roller coaster humps seem to be less high and low than they once were, perhaps more frequent, though; like a washboard, dirt road.  One can get used to that after awhile; if one goes fast enough, it can’t be felt — so much.  The car’s undercarriage gets ruined, though.  LOL

My key to life at the moment:  Stay busy and go really, really fast.  But, what about stopping to smell the flowers?  Haha!  I do that really fast too.  Every moment that I step outside or glance out a window, I praise God and feel the gratitude for the instant of pleasure it brings me.

Sometimes I must step outside.  Maybe this is the letting go part.  What makes me go back inside, that sense of caring and the responsibility it shoulders?

So here I am in a cycle – care, let go, care, let go; the same rhythm the dirt road has.  It will become so ingrained that I will find it feels as if I have completed the letting go, when, in reality, it’s just that I ‘m moving so fast, I don’t notice the caring part anymore.

That has to be it.  ‘Cause I know I will never, never stop caring and dreaming of a Renaissance garden lifestyle; one of quiet repose, meditative bliss, and loving comfort.

So, here we go on the subject of what we can learn from knitting and how to apply it to life’s decision making.

I have a friend who asks me to work with her as the occasion arises.  She has been in the process of making a decision regarding a class (one of her final needed to graduate with a Master’s degree).  Should she take the easy one to get a good grade, or take the more difficult one because she likes the subject, but risk getting a lesser grade.  I am pasting in the transcript I sent to her after her session. (This is a good example of what comes from a session with me.)

The text in blue is directly quoted from DreamMoods.com

As I cleared and connected yesterday, I was surrounded by the colors purple and black and found myself at your Brow Chakra.  While meditating on what message these were bringing, I realized the image had changed to two strands of yarn, one green and one black.  I began writing about the fact that I have been knitting lately and this may have a message for life. Just as in knitting (especially from patterns), there are always choices to be made, but rules that need to be followed for the outcome to be something with meaning to it.  The black and purple colors were a feeling, surrounding me.  If you blend the two, the color will become like the night sky.  Then the yarn strands came into the picture, making it obvious that the blending process isn’t the same.  You can twine two together, but their colors will never blend.  They may go well together, compliment each other, either in monochromatic or opposite ways, but they will never become one color.

This is kind of like the choice you are making regarding your class.  Will the choice make a true blending and become part of the whole, or will it stand out, bringing attention to itself, and perhaps make the end result have less meaning?  Just as well in the opposite way…Standing out and lending a beauty that would not be there otherwise.

Green symbolizes new life.

Green signifies a positive change, good health, growth, fertility, healing, hope, vigor, vitality, peace, and serenity. The appearance of the color may also be a way of telling you to “go ahead”.

Black symbolizes the unknown, the unconscious, danger, mystery, darkness, death, mourning, rejection, hate or malice. The color invites you to delve deeper in your unconscious in order to gain a better understanding of yourself. It also signifies a lack of love and lack of support. More positively, black represents potential and possibilities. It is like a clean or blank slate.

The opposites are very pronounced here, aren’t they?

I opened your Crown and found myself looking at a pure white, knitted (again) bag.  Knitting has meaning for me at the moment and I can see that, in a huge way, it represents how we approach life.  The bag was empty, but full of potential and the need to be filled.  It was a roomy bag, with no flaws, and could expand endlessly.

White represents purity, perfection, peace, innocence, dignity, cleanliness, awareness, and new beginnings. You may be experiencing a reawakening or have a fresh outlook on life.

I moved back to your Brow and began having the feeling of an overabundance of mucus there.  Breathing problems or sinus problems.  This would mean stagnation and the need for movement.  Exercise will assist the lymphatic system and that will help move impurities and negative energies on out.  Then you can think more clearly.

At your Heart, I am seeing all white everywhere.  Then a red heart floating in the middle of it.  It reminds me of the Red Cross emblem.

Red is an indication of raw energy, force, vigor, intense passion, aggression, power, courage, impulsiveness and passion. The color red has deep emotional and spiritual connotations. It can also mean you are needing this energy in your life.

I moved to your Solar Plexus and was up on high ground, circling around.

I began shuffling the Tarot deck at your Sacral Chakra and one card fell out.  The IX of Swords.  It speaks of worry and despair, anxiety and depression.  You may be feeling overwhelmed.  I can see that this makes your decision making more difficult for you.  Something that might be easily decided at another time becomes a mountain to climb and you aren’t sure of your footing.  You are dealing with a problematic situation/difficult decision, but your worst fear is unlikely to materialize.  What you are feeling is the aftermath of previous difficult circumstances – classes, work, life.  Don’t lose sleep over this.

I hope you are able to make your choice and know that it will be the right one.  Try meditating on the choice.  Follow through with the decision and see how it feels while you are meditating.  Try both and see what your heart and gut feel like.

Lots of love,
Diana

My friend made the choice to take the more difficult class and I’m happy she is exploring her intuition and using her gut feelings as guides to making choices.  She is extremely happy with her choice.

Here’s the original post that we opened discussion with.

And here is the latest :

I just feel that I need to feel more confident about my decisions and being comfortable making decisions. Currently after I’ve made up my mind to stay with my bf and go with the flow, someone who I was interested in in the past couple of years re-surfaced ( he has this funny way of coming up every couple of months). Now I feel somewhat confused about my decision about my bf and my heart and my mind are confused again.

And I replied:

Life is full of confusing situations, it’s all for your development.  You’ve just come of age, don’t rush things.  The whole boyfriend, girlfriend thing is a highly inflated subject.  What’s wrong with just having friends?  How can you give yourself completely to someone if you don’t really know who you are yet?  These are my thoughts rambling away.

At this moment, I want to say that life is a smorgasbord.  Sample this and taste that and enjoy the prospects.  You’ll know when the right one shows up.  If you really want to stick with the boyfriend you have, then do it until it doesn’t work anymore.

Isn’t it delightful that you made a choice and then another possibility came along?  Does it mean the first choice you made was wrong?  Does it mean that all your choices have to be set in stone?  You don’t want to be a fickle girl by any means, but allow yourself some freedom, embarrassments, mistakes, and achievements.

You’re okay!  Have you been doing any meditation practice?  I want to encourage you to that.  Some people call it praying, some meditating, some alone time.  It should be a soft and comfortable time where you allow yourself to find what makes you giggle.  Find what makes that thrill come up in your chest and tremble into your throat.  Try some different subjects other than boys.  What do you enjoy doing?

If you do what you enjoy, then there is a good chance that the friends you find there will be compatible with you.

Now turn all those around.  I’m clear thinking, easy going, in control, strong, and calm.  That’s better.

These are what I truly am after all and that is why it bothers me so when the opposite words seem to apply.  They just aren’t me and feeling that maybe they do apply makes me feel even more yukko.

How many of us believe we are the awful emotions that emerge when we are stewing in our own crock?  My sister once told me that she appreciated being out and around people because they allowed her to be the real her.  I’ve always liked that thought.  The person we are when we are sharing our best with others is who we really want to be, who we are meant to be, and who we really, really are.

The negative attributes are merely the lack of the positive attributes.

Clear thinking – lack of clear thinking (confused)
Easy going – lack of easy going (irritated)
In control – not in control (bothered)
Strong – not strong (struggling)
Calm – not calm (anxious)

I may not have gotten all the opposites just right, but I think you can get my drift.  We are all some form of the positive attribute and function at some degree on the scale of each.  We would like to function at 100 %, of course, at least I would, but it gets just too darn hard to find the energy to do so.  Then we may feel that the lack of the attribute is the true way we are.

If we can find just the right way of filling our energy cup so that we have plenty to be at the top of our game, we will be quite pleased with ourselves.  What is a good way of accomplishing this?  One term that we know and use is prayer.  Prayer seems to have become more associated with a begging or wishing-for mind set, as if it is out of our hands, while others terms are more proactive or action-ary.   I know these terms are becoming more globally known — clearing, protecting, grounding, meditating…

Find your way of filling your energy cup each day, or even multiple times a day if you live in a difficult environment.  The first one I jump on is deep breathing and drawing energy up through my feet into my body and allowing it to flow out of my chest/heart area.  This works very well.  Remember when Mom used to say, “Count to ten?” – Basically the right way to go.  There is another quick fix/fill-up as well.

Emotional Freedom Technique – EFT tapping is a great method.  While you tap on acupressure points, you are opening your energy meridians.  Too, after having done it to the point of habit, you know this tapping to preempt a feeling of calmness, so it acts as your trigger.  If someone else does the tapping for you, you feel loved and energized from this exchange.  EFT is very powerful.

Aspiring to be the best us we can be is not such a struggle if we learn a few little ways of bumping our energy, filling ourselves with love, and allowing greater possibilities of success.

Fotki photo credit: Glamurka

The following is a predicament one of my clients finds herself in after having had a future-telling psychic reading done.  She has allowed me to share it here.  I do hope it will serve you well and that it doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.  There is always something to be said for moderation in all things.

Here’s what she wrote:

A previous reading I received said that I will walk away from my boyfriend. So now I feel like I can’t get this thought out of my mind.  In my mind I’m thinking if that is the case – what is the point of trying with him now? But in reality I don’t want to walk away, I want to try and see what happens. I’m just having the hardest time letting go of that prediction and enjoying what I have right now and going with the flow.

You have made the right decision.  You are making your choice and now want to protect that choice.  This is exactly why it may not be a great idea to get future readings from psychics.  I think “outlooks of present situations” is a good way to go, but to have someone tell you what is coming can lead to confusion and then you are not able to follow your own intuition and heart.  I only look at the Tarot cards as leads into what I should be thinking about, areas of my life that need my focus.

Many people think knowing the future helps and they search for that information with all their might rather than allowing themselves to “feel” what is right.

Even if you do walk away at some point down the road, you still will have had experiences that you may be needing as part of your life lesson now.  You may meet people, do things, or have thoughts that you have never met, done, or thought before and wouldn’t because you quit before it was time.

I just saw this clip on Youtube.  A bit depressing, but something of the truth.  Even if the future telling isn’t true, can it come true by our expecting it to?

My suggestion is that you get about the business of living your life one moment at a time, planning for the future, and enjoying every breath you take.  Really!  It’s never written in stone!  Let future-telling psychics go, at least for a time.