Caring for Your Power Animal
Every animal has its own talents. A study of its talents or characteristics will reveal the kind of medicine, magic, and power that your animal can help you to develop within your own life. Remember, every animal has a specialty.

You must develop a relationship with your totem. To communicate with them demands respect. You must learn their point of view. Animals won’t just warm up to you immediately. They must learn to trust you and your limitations, and you must learn to trust them and their limitations. This takes time, patience, and practice.
You must honor your totem for its medicine to be effective in your life. The more you honor them – the more significance you give them within your life – the more powerful and effective they become.
Think of them as a friend, or a new relationship. When we first meet someone with whom we ‘click’, we want to know more about them. We want to spend time with them, talk about them to our friends, or be able to spend more time with them whenever we can. A new power animal is no different! He’s chosen you for a reason, and he’s as excited and anxious to get to know you as you are to know him :).
Some of the ways you can honor them and draw them closer into your life is by:
- Hanging pictures of them
- Drawing pictures of them.
- Reading and learning as much about them as possible.
- Buying figurines of your totem for yourself or purchasing small tokens and images of your totem and giving them to friends as gifts. These fetishes are a reminder of the power and spirit of your animal totem. I keep a small depiction of my power animals on my desk or in my office somewhere in a place I can see them often.
- Donating to wildlife organizations with time and/or money, always keeping your animal in the forefront of your mind when making this donation.
- Dancing to honor your totem is a powerful link. Learn to mimic its behaviors. If it’s a turtle, learn to creep like a turtle. If it’s a lion, learn to crouch like a lion. If it’s a bird, imitate its hopping or flying. And, most importantly, keeping the animal alive within your imagination. See yourself as the animal totem using its qualities in appropriate places within your life. Remember that the imagination is a real link to your totem.
Once you learn to work with the medicine of your power animal, it then becomes a doorway to connecting with others of the animal realm. You are not limited to just one totem. Each can teach or add something to your life that the others can’t. Working with your power animal will help teach you how to align with others. This way, if you need greater strength, you can call up the image and draw upon the energy of a bear. If you need speed, you can connect with the energy of cheetah. Through your power animals, you learn to align with and shape shift to the energies of other animals and beings.
Keep in mind that the totem will have symbolic significance to you. The more you learn about your animal and meditate on how it might reflect your own life, the easier it will become to access its energies.
If you approach your new power animal as a new relationship, one in which this being has chosen you to be its friend and ally, you’ll do just fine keeping this animal with you for a very long time to come :)
Psychokinetic (PK) Manifestations and Poltergeists
Empaths & intuitives have a unique set of challenges. We usually have any quantity of dead around us at any time, and whether or not we can see and hear them, we can generally feel them, even if it’s in a vague way.
Sometimes, though, it’s us who are creating an entity or situation in which it becomes something outside of ourselves and then begins to act upon us as an entirely different being/entity altogether.

The emotions of gifted people in general seem to hold more weight than average. They’re stronger. Their ability is greater to affect their surrounding; one of the reasons that you might hear from others that you’re pleasant to be around…that you have a calming effect. The reason complete strangers open up to you about things that seem very personal, and yet they feel perfectly comfortable confiding in you. The flip side of this is, if you don’t learn to control your emotions, expel or repel the emotions of others, and control the emotions you put out in the world (emotion = energy), they literally begin to congeal and take a form of their own.
On a long enough timeline and usually only in your home (where you generally have your guard down and feel safe to feel your feelings), this can become an issue. This concentrated energy takes form.
It’s a common myth that ‘poltergeist’ is demonic. In actuality, it isn’t. The definition is this:
“A ghost or other supernatural being supposedly responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and objects thrown around.”
In my experience, in every case of poltergeist (also called psychokinetic or “PK”) manifestation I’ve seen, this has been created by living people. As it begins, it isn’t conscious; it’s just raw energy that is focused in a location. Strangely, I usually find them bedrooms and kitchens, which sort of makes sense as that’s where most of us intact with others the most: Spending time with family in the kitchen, and dreaming, spending time ‘elsewhere’, at night in our beds. If you’ve rented or purchased a house from another family, you’re inheriting ALL of their energy that they’ve put into their house over the years. Every argument, every illness, every sadness, and every joy. Over years, this becomes an entity all its own. Sometimes you create it; sometimes it was there before you arrived, created by the unchecked energy of maybe another intuitive or empath who lived there before you, and sometimes even something from 100 years or more ago that happened on your land. A fully formed PK manifestation can move items. Open drawers or cupboards. Slam doors. Sound like footsteps. They’re disruptive, but aren’t really ‘evil' per se; they’re just energy that is beginning to take a form. They can eventually gain a sort of rudimentary consciousness and then attach to a specific person.
When a fully formed PK manifestation is present in a space, it has to be removed via exorcism. (This will be another topic for another day as exorcism rarely involves anything demonic and about 90% of the time involves removing different types of entities that are not in that category, PKM included). But they can be effectively removed and stopped.
I should say here that this isn’t something most people need to be seriously worried about. I don’t want anyone to panic and think that they’re creating a PK manifestation or poltergeist. That being said, these aren’t UNcommon. I deal with them five or six times a year. But, they are something of which to be aware. Make sure that you’re practicing keeping your space clear of excess energy; remember, yours is a bit more concentrated than the average person and therefore needs more care. Smudge your space often. Practice the “Porcupine Exercise” outdoors and get used to doing it every day before you enter your house (not always in the same space, though!) As long as you’re practicing keeping your space clear, you have nothing to worry about.
YOU MUST KEEP FIRMLY IN YOUR MIND YOUR ANGER AT THEM BEING IN YOUR HOME while you're doing this. As you're doing this, keep focused, that you have an audience. You're talking to these people who don't belong in your space. As you're walking through the house and talking, here's an example of what to say to your audience: "Those of you dead who are here and would like to cross, a door has been opened for you. Go to the light." Be insistent; MEAN it. "GO NOW. YOU MUST GO NOW." You're not asking this of them; you're TELLING THEM. It's not their choice, so make that clear in your mind. Not a request: It's an order. Repeat that every little bit, or in every room then, "For the malevolent dead present, you WILL LEAVE NOW. You are not welcome here. My children are off limits. My HOME is off limits. If you have something to say, say it now and only to me. When I extinguish my flame, you are gone. Speak now, because YOU ARE LEAVING BECAUSE I AM MAKING YOU LEAVE".
It’s amazingly simple, but it requires some discipline. And consistency. That’s it. Those two things to be successful.
A Complete Home Clearing For Issues
When you are alone in the house, gather your sage. Put it in something you can hold with one hand and have your other hand free. Get a small container/cup with tap water in it. Start at your front door. Bow your head and ask help from and a blessing from your higher power as you take back your space. As you're standing at your front door, before you start but after you've centered yourself, imagine a hole of light opening up outside your front door. That that hole of light opens to the Other Side. Envision that this is only an "out" door; nothing can come in, but everything can go OUT. It's a one-way door. Then, hold the water in both hands and imagine that you are a giant Brita filter, purifying the water and turning it into something that cleans EVERYTHING. It's now 'holy'. Light your sage. When you feel completely grounded and centered, you can start. And it's FINE TO GET PISSED. You have a home invasion; you wouldn't approach an interloper touching your children in the night with light and love!!!. You'd be pissed!!! So get pissed! You're not just filling your home with light and love. YOU'RE TAKING IT BACK. Start at the front door and move clockwise. At every window, dip a finger in the water and make the sign of the cross (or a star, either works, depending on your religious leanings) on the window frame at the top center. As you're making the mark, in your mind, you are MAKING IT INVIOLABLE. Move through your house, starting at the front door (sage lit), moving along every wall. This will take you through every single room of your home and bring you back to the front door. Make the mark on every door frame and window frame. Open cupboards and blow a bit of smoke into them all. And closets.

After you've made your circuit through the house and are back at your front door (and take a lighter with you...the sage will go out from time to time, and it's important to keep the smoke going) set the sage aside but don't put it out. Take regular table salt and go back through your house, clockwise and put a few grains on each windowsill. Throw a bit under each bed and then leave it there. When you're back at the front door, REMEMBER TO CLOSE THE DOOR that you opened to the other side. Once you envision it closed and gone, say a prayer of thanks to your higher power and extinguish your sage.
Now, go into each faucet in the house and run some cold water down the drain. As you're doing this, imagine that any residue left from the NOW GONE DEAD is being washed away.
Then, go on with your day. Again, if you feel that this hasn't taken care of the problem, let me know and I will take care of it for you from here. But I truly believe that the power is in each of us to care for our space. And each of you are equally qualified.
Synchronicities
Interesting story...
There have been a lot of synchronicities for me this week. Seeming coincidences that happen in such a way that they appear to be a message or validation for something with which I'm struggling. I usually only look at them as true synchronicities if the message happens more than once and in close proximity.
The past few months have been really difficult for many of us, dealing with feelings of being cut off from our Source, deep depression, loss of faith...but also a time of intense growth which is both frustrating and exciting.
I've been feeling for a while that something serious is coming down the pike with regard to my work. I'm not sure what form it's going to take, but I know that it's going to challenge me in a way I've not been challenged before, and it will require me to overcome a very visceral fear in order to be effective. That's all I know. And right now I'm more scared than excited, though both emotions are present. The day that this question bothered me the most, three very specific synchronicities occurred within about a 30-minute period...one of those things that, when they happen, you first think, "Huh...that was weird", and then the second happens and you think, ""Wow...that was REALLY weird", and the third time, "OKAY!!! I GET IT! I'm picking up what You're putting down! (finally)".
I was getting ready today and happened to notice the bracelet that I wear all the time which reinforced the theory of synchronicity for me a bit further, so I thought I'd mention it.
A few years ago I was fortunate to be gifted with a plane ticket to Ecuador to visit a dear friend along with another best friend. While we were in the jungle, our amazing interpreter and guide, also now a friend, was able to set up a meeting with the local shaman.
On our trip into the jungle from Quito, we stopped in a large-ish town and did some tourist shopping. They had some great jewelry, beautiful pottery...the types of things you'd expect to find in a tourist town. I'm a pretty big trinket maven...I like my bracelets and rings, tend more towards silver jewelry than gold...but I was drawn to this string of very plain seeds. Bought it and immediately put it on, though I really couldn't explain why at the time.
Two days later we've been in the jungle for a couple of days now, and we're headed towards our meeting with the local shaman. This is the highlight of a trip full of amazing adventures, and I'm
absolutely thrilled to be there, getting to watch this man do his work, ask him questions, and observe, even though it's going to take two interpreters to accomplish this. We walk into his hut to find him dressed in his ceremonial garb: A grass skirt...
...and a long string of the exact same seeds on my bracelet.
That sort of blew me away as too big a coincidence to be coincidental! The likelihood that I, with my more western tastes and preference for silver jewelry and sparkle, being drawn to that set of seeds on a string in a shop thousands of miles away from my home two days before I walked into that hut, only to find that this indigenous shaman used them as part of his sacred ceremony...wow. It made me feel infinitely tiny, yet huge...this connection between the work.
Two days later we've been in the jungle for a couple of days now, and we're headed towards our meeting with the local shaman. This is the highlight of a trip full of amazing adventures, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be there, getting to watch this man do his work, ask him questions, and observe, even though it's going to take two interpreters to accomplish this. We walk into his hut to find him dressed in his ceremonial garb: A grass skirt...
...and a long string of the exact same seeds on my bracelet.
That sort of blew me away as too big a coincidence to be coincidental! The likelihood that I, with my more western tastes and preference for silver jewelry and sparkle, being drawn to that set of seeds on a string in a shop thousands of miles away from my home two days before I walked into that hut, only to find that this indigenous shaman used them as part of his sacred ceremony...wow. It made me feel infinitely tiny, yet huge...this connection between the work.
We talk about how the Guides (or God, our angles, etc.) speak to us and how we can hear them. Synchronicity is one of those ways. And, when you start looking for them, you'll find that they happen
ALL.
THE.
TIME.
So, I have a challenge for you. We all have questions all the time. Pick one. Pick one that you're struggling with, and put that question out the universe.
And then listen.
The trick though is to listen for an answer; NOT the answer you want to hear necessarily, but for an answer. Ask the question, and then open yourself up to receive the answer that is right for you and best for you, letting go of what you WANT it to be. And see what happens!
There have been a lot of synchronicities for me this week. Seeming coincidences that happen in such a way that they appear to be a message or validation for something with which I'm struggling. I usually only look at them as true synchronicities if the message happens more than once and in close proximity.
The past few months have been really difficult for many of us, dealing with feelings of being cut off from our Source, deep depression, loss of faith...but also a time of intense growth which is both frustrating and exciting.
I've been feeling for a while that something serious is coming down the pike with regard to my work. I'm not sure what form it's going to take, but I know that it's going to challenge me in a way I've not been challenged before, and it will require me to overcome a very visceral fear in order to be effective. That's all I know. And right now I'm more scared than excited, though both emotions are present. The day that this question bothered me the most, three very specific synchronicities occurred within about a 30-minute period...one of those things that, when they happen, you first think, "Huh...that was weird", and then the second happens and you think, ""Wow...that was REALLY weird", and the third time, "OKAY!!! I GET IT! I'm picking up what You're putting down! (finally)".

A few years ago I was fortunate to be gifted with a plane ticket to Ecuador to visit a dear friend along with another best friend. While we were in the jungle, our amazing interpreter and guide, also now a friend, was able to set up a meeting with the local shaman.
On our trip into the jungle from Quito, we stopped in a large-ish town and did some tourist shopping. They had some great jewelry, beautiful pottery...the types of things you'd expect to find in a tourist town. I'm a pretty big trinket maven...I like my bracelets and rings, tend more towards silver jewelry than gold...but I was drawn to this string of very plain seeds. Bought it and immediately put it on, though I really couldn't explain why at the time.
Two days later we've been in the jungle for a couple of days now, and we're headed towards our meeting with the local shaman. This is the highlight of a trip full of amazing adventures, and I'm
absolutely thrilled to be there, getting to watch this man do his work, ask him questions, and observe, even though it's going to take two interpreters to accomplish this. We walk into his hut to find him dressed in his ceremonial garb: A grass skirt...
...and a long string of the exact same seeds on my bracelet.
That sort of blew me away as too big a coincidence to be coincidental! The likelihood that I, with my more western tastes and preference for silver jewelry and sparkle, being drawn to that set of seeds on a string in a shop thousands of miles away from my home two days before I walked into that hut, only to find that this indigenous shaman used them as part of his sacred ceremony...wow. It made me feel infinitely tiny, yet huge...this connection between the work.
Two days later we've been in the jungle for a couple of days now, and we're headed towards our meeting with the local shaman. This is the highlight of a trip full of amazing adventures, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be there, getting to watch this man do his work, ask him questions, and observe, even though it's going to take two interpreters to accomplish this. We walk into his hut to find him dressed in his ceremonial garb: A grass skirt...
...and a long string of the exact same seeds on my bracelet.
That sort of blew me away as too big a coincidence to be coincidental! The likelihood that I, with my more western tastes and preference for silver jewelry and sparkle, being drawn to that set of seeds on a string in a shop thousands of miles away from my home two days before I walked into that hut, only to find that this indigenous shaman used them as part of his sacred ceremony...wow. It made me feel infinitely tiny, yet huge...this connection between the work.
We talk about how the Guides (or God, our angles, etc.) speak to us and how we can hear them. Synchronicity is one of those ways. And, when you start looking for them, you'll find that they happen
ALL.
THE.
TIME.
So, I have a challenge for you. We all have questions all the time. Pick one. Pick one that you're struggling with, and put that question out the universe.
And then listen.
The trick though is to listen for an answer; NOT the answer you want to hear necessarily, but for an answer. Ask the question, and then open yourself up to receive the answer that is right for you and best for you, letting go of what you WANT it to be. And see what happens!
A Word For Empaths
As empaths we FEEL everyone. You probably can’t go into a crowd of people without anxiety. And then the confusing ‘noise’ of everyone’s emotions. Before someone explained to me what this was, I thought I was literally losing my mind. It had gotten to the point that I’d only go do things like grocery shopping in the middle of the night when the store was relatively empty. Going in the daytime was just too confusing, and I’d end up leaving the store and realizing when I got home that I’d forgotten half the things on my list and I was a wrung-out hot mess who just wanted a stiff drink, a good cry, and a nap. I’d stand in line, if the store was busy, and could FEEL the anger of the man in front of me from the fight he’d just had with his girlfriend or wife. I could FEEL the woman behind me and the sadness she had because her mother had just died (throw in said dead mother, and that made it worse with HER feelings), and the checker who was pissed off that she was still at work on a Thursday. The worst part was, I’d feel those emotions as if they were my own. I hadn’t yet learned to separate out what I felt from the people I was picking it up from (that comes with being intuitive and just takes practice), what I was, and that those feelings were NOT mine…I just felt them all. And it would be totally and overwhelmingly confusing. As soon as I’d get in my car, it would feel better, but it didn’t go away for hours.
I was at a party once, sitting in a corner, completely miserable, when a stranger walked up, sat down, and said, “Has anyone told you you’re an empath?” Of course, I naturally thought he was insane, but then he started explaining what that meant and I could relate to everything he was saying. He explained that everyone is ‘broadcasting’ energy 100%^ of the time; it’s like body heat; you can’t really control it if you’re not trying. It’s often in the form of emotions. And, for someone sensitive to that ‘frequency’, it means they pick it all up like a radio station. For some people, it’s just ‘static’: A vague feeling that you’re not quite right. For others, like me, it was ALL. OF. IT. Because I was also experiencing physical symptoms of things I didn’t have.
People who are empaths are drawn to the healing arts. This ranges from veterinary assistants, x-ray and ultrasound technicians, to doctors, and everything in between. They’re also often caretakers (think hospital volunteers or teachers). But here’s where the problems start.
It’s a very common and seriously dangerous belief that, as an empath, it’s your job to share your psychic space with others. That, somehow, if you’re not FEELING what they’re feeling, you’re doing it wrong, you’re holding back, you’re being selfish, or you’re generally just not being very compassionate. Yes, it makes them feel better. That doesn’t make it right. Just like you wouldn’t invite most of your clients into your home and snuggle with them in your bed, it’s equally ridiculous to allow them into your inner space. That ‘inner bubble’.
I’ll tell you why.
Every person emits measurable energy. The average person emits between 62 and 68 Hz every day, all the time. Every person also has that inner space. A place from which we ‘broadcast’ that emotional energy. To a person who doesn’t understand the process, they walk around all day sending and receiving all this energy ‘information’. That’s sort of like walking through common space yelling your social security number. As empaths and healers, the antithesis of us is out there as well, most equally unaware though some do this on purpose, who are happy to receive the fantastic healing energy you’re broadcasting. Which then leaves you feeling drained. No energy to speak of. Interacting with other humans is a chore. You begin to have physical pain that can’t be explained. Headaches. Bad dreams. I won’t even begin to touch on all the crap that comes with this type of this purposeless shared energy. (And we’ll save the conversation about purposely putting your energy into something for another day as that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms!)
So, what can you do?
It’s amazingly simple, but it requires some discipline. And consistency. That’s it. Those two things to be successful.
Imagine your Self in a bubble. It can look like whatever you want it to look like. Mine is black. It’s opaque and invisible; only I can see it. No one can see in, but I can see out. It’s also impenetrable from the outside. Nothing can get in unless I let it. When I work with children, I use the Harry Potter invisibility cloak, and that works well, too. You can use whatever works for you. The vehicle doesn’t matter one bit. Only that it’s completely impenetrable, absolute, and you control it completely. That’s it. (There’s more information on how to specifically do this in the list below)
Within that bubble are you and your Guides/Angels/God. No one else. I repeat: NO. ONE. ELSE. The friend who is hurting? Nope. They don’t get into that bubble. The client you have that’s suffering? Nope. Not them either. I can’t stress this enough. Think of it like sex…you’re careful about your partners. And you can contract some seriously nasty Psychically Transmitted Diseases (I’m being silly, but it’s a good analogy, and we’re all adults here so go with it ). But, we’re not equally careful about who you let into that most sacred of spaces. The temple. The place where your Soul lives and interacts with the world and all of those higher beings here to help you.
In my practice, I don’t share that space, either. Not even with my husband. And I can honestly say that it makes me more effective as a healer, not less effective. That space has to be kept as pure as it can be. That space is from where your intentions come. It’s where your soul rests and your spirit finds peace. No one gets in there. And that is not a selfish thing, not sharing that space. It’s necessary, not just for spiritual health, but for physical health, too. Because that space, once violated by energy that isn’t yours, then becomes infected with the other person’s ‘stuff’. And they’re (usually) doing it without knowing it. Like a person with tuberculosis coughing in your face; they might’ve meant to cover their mouth, but the damage is now done. We think that, to truly show compassion or empathy, we have to take on the suffering of others. Think about it though: If you do, you become weak. If you’re weak, you’re ineffective. If you’re ineffective, you’re helping NO ONE. Including your Self.
Healing isn’t for everyone. The ACT of healing, that is. Intentional healing. But, as empaths, we draw people to us who are hurting even if we don’t mean to. They just show up. Mainly, because we’re broadcasting healing. And that makes people feel good. But it makes us feel like crap if we’re not controlling it. Here’s the kicker though: IF you can learn to control HOW you’re broadcasting, if you learn to do it with intention, it won’t be draining to you; it will be energizing. You’ll be able to help more people; not just help them to FEEL better, but help them to BE better.
If you’re in a job that requires you to be hands-on or close up with people who are ill, mentally, physically, whatever, you’re at an even higher risk. And it’s most important to keep that wall up. That bubble strong and in place all the time. I promise, you’re still going to feel compassion and sympathy. You’re still going to be effective at your job. Actually, more so, because you’ll start to be able to purposely broadcast healthy energy that is only yours, not contaminated with every single messed up being with whom you come in contact every minute of every day (because that’s what you’re doing right now).
So here’s the recipe:
- Realize that’s what you’re doing. Notice when you’re doing it, broadcasting it all without protecting yourself.
- Stop doing that. That sounds trite. But it’s easier said than done. This is where the discipline and consistency start.
- You’ve lived your life to this point doing this. Over that time, you’ve accumulated TONS of other people’s psychic crap. Treatments like energy work I perform, Reiki from a Reiki master, etc., will all help to get rid of that stuff that you’ve accumulated and leave your psychic space a clearer and healthier place to jump off from as you begin to…
- Start practicing protecting yourself. If you’re a woman, I suggest doing it consciously every morning when you put on your makeup. That’s a ritual. Something you do every day. For men, when you shave…it should be something you do DAILY. Put on that protection when you’re putting on your makeup. Imagine that it will be there every minute of your day, and that you’ll notice ‘weak spots’ when they occur.
- Start paying attention to your own emotions. If you know you started off the day in a good mood, when you’re suddenly feeling tired/exhausted/angry/emotional/ etc. etc. etc., tune in, make sure the bubble is up, and then look at JUST the emotions inside it that YOU can account for. Then work backward to when you started to feel that feeling that really isn’t yours. Learn from those times and move forward. THIS TAKES PRACTICE. But I can honestly say that it probably saved my life.
- Once you’ve got a handle on the fact that something in your bubble isn’t yours, do the Porcupine Maneuver:
- Go somewhere outdoors, preferably in the grass, and take off your shoes (if possible).
- Close your eyes, and visualize your bubble/cloak/protection.
- Gather your energy, and then forcefully project it outward, like a porcupine tossing quills. Those quills are everything inside your bubble that isn’t yours. You can do it more than once until you start to feel more centered and calm. This sounds ridiculous, but it works. It sometimes helps to expel a deep breath as you release the junk you’ve accumulated.
- Once you feel back to your normal baseline, put your shoes back on and go about your day.
- Do this in different places each time. Universe will take care of the negative stuff that you’ expel, but it’s always a good idea to do this in different spots so things don’t build up in one place.
It’s important to make this a part of your life. Like taking your vitamins. Regular exercise. Eating right. It’s NOT SELFISH. If you want to truly be effective, it’s a necessity.
How To Protect Your Self
It’s amazingly simple, but it requires some discipline. And consistency. That’s it. Those two things to be successful.
Protecting yourself psychically should be a regular part of your daily activities, just like getting dressed. I also suggest that you incorporate it into your normal daily routine by linking it with something you already do every day, like putting on makeup or brushing your teeth. Regardless of which daily activity you attach it to, it should be done before you take that first step out of your house every morning. Then, over the course of your day, incorporate it into things you already do. Like your first work break, the next time you get up for a drink or to use the restroom. Then again at lunchtime, and again on your afternoon break...it doesn't matter what you attach it to. What matters most is that you remember to do this consistently. Once you've done it for a few weeks, it won't be so hard to remember to do it on purpose. You'll start to notice when your protection is "slipping", and can then throw that wall or bubble back up. After a few weeks of this, you'll be a pro.
Imagine your Self in a bubble. It can look like whatever you want it to look like. Mine is black. It’s opaque and invisible; only I can see it. No one can see in, but I can see out. It’s also impenetrable from the outside. Nothing can get in unless I let it. When I work with children, I use the Harry Potter invisibility cloak, and that works well, too. You can use whatever works for you. The vehicle doesn’t matter one bit. Only that it’s completely impenetrable, absolute, and you control it completely. That’s it. (There’s more information on how to specifically do this in the list below)
Within that bubble are you and your Guides/Angels/God. No one else. I repeat: NO. ONE. ELSE. The friend who is hurting? Nope. They don’t get into that bubble. The client you have that’s suffering? Nope. Not them either. I can’t stress this enough. Think of it like sex…you’re careful about your partners. And you can contract some seriously nasty Psychically Transmitted Diseases (I’m being silly, but it’s a good analogy, and we’re all adults here so go with it ). But, we’re not equally careful about who you let into that most sacred of spaces. The temple. The place where your Soul lives and interacts with the world and all of those higher beings here to help you.
In my practice, I don’t share that space, either. Not even with my husband. And I can honestly say that it makes me more effective as a healer, not less effective. That space has to be kept as pure as it can be. That space is from where your intentions come. It’s where your soul rests and your spirit finds peace. No one gets in there. And that is not a selfish thing, not sharing that space. It’s necessary, not just for spiritual health, but for physical health, too. Because that space, once violated by energy that isn’t yours, then becomes infected with the other person’s ‘stuff’. And they’re (usually) doing it without knowing it. Like a person with tuberculosis coughing in your face; they might’ve meant to cover their mouth, but the damage is now done. We think that, to truly show compassion or empathy, we have to take on the suffering of others. Think about it though: If you do, you become weak. If you’re weak, you’re ineffective. If you’re ineffective, you’re helping NO ONE. Including your Self.
With a lighter or long match, light one end of your smudge stick. This will take a bit longer than just
lighting a match or a candle as you want to make sure it's well-lit before you blow it out. As you're lighting this, clear your mind as far as possible and open your heart up to love, kindness, and peace...all of the feelings you WANT in your home atmosphere, not just for yourself, but for anyone who enters your home. Once the sage is well lit, blow it out. (This is one of the few times that it is okay to put out fire with air. It is extremely disrespectful to blow out flame when doing energy work. It should always be snuffed out or smothered.) Go to the front door of your home. Close your eyes, and in your mind's eye, firmly envision your home filled with peace and love. Picture it free of everything unwanted, both physical and NOT physical. For instance, if your grandmother has passed on and you feel that sometimes she comes to visit, picture her there from time to time visiting you and that her presence is okay and allowed. Make sure that you strongly picture EVERYTHING ELSE is not allowed in your space. You can do this through exclusion; it's not necessary to visualize every kind of entity you've heard of to keep them out; just picture what you want in and make it exclusive. smile emoticon Waft the smoke a bit into corners as you begin to walk clockwise through your home along every wall from your front door on. If you do this, following the line of the walls, this will take you through every room in your house and put you back at your front door where you began. As you're walking slowly from room to room, speak out loud anything that feels right. Usually a "In this space I allow only those things that bring me peace and happiness, excluding all others" or something of the like. It's more to keep your mind focused as you walk and not get sidetracked on the kids' messy room or the fact you forgot to make the bed. smile emoticon Keep the picture you started with firmly in your mind. If you find your mind wandering, just go back to your thought and purpose as if you're meditating as this IS an active form of meditation.
How To Smudge (Sage) Your Space
This is traditionally called the Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing, a space cleansing technique from the
American Indian tradition. I honestly can't tell you exactly how this works. But I swear by it. I smudge our home at least quarterly, and more often if you're having a stressful week, have had an argument with a family member, or are just feeling out of sorts. If you search this, I'm sure there are many ways it can be done, and I'm certain you'll get results with all of them. I'm including directions below to the tradition in which I was taught by my guides. Smudge sticks, bundles of fragrant sage of different varieties, can be purchased at most vitamin supply or natural type grocery stores such as Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage. You can usually pick one up for about $2. A small stick, like these, will last for many months. They come tied with twine or string. Go ahead and leave this on there as it's tied in such a way that burning it will not unravel, but will keep the sage in stick form for almost as long as you need it. You can also use loose sage, lit in a fire-proof bowl or plate, and achieve the same results as the power is in the smoke created when you light the leaves. Here's how to do it:
American Indian tradition. I honestly can't tell you exactly how this works. But I swear by it. I smudge our home at least quarterly, and more often if you're having a stressful week, have had an argument with a family member, or are just feeling out of sorts. If you search this, I'm sure there are many ways it can be done, and I'm certain you'll get results with all of them. I'm including directions below to the tradition in which I was taught by my guides. Smudge sticks, bundles of fragrant sage of different varieties, can be purchased at most vitamin supply or natural type grocery stores such as Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage. You can usually pick one up for about $2. A small stick, like these, will last for many months. They come tied with twine or string. Go ahead and leave this on there as it's tied in such a way that burning it will not unravel, but will keep the sage in stick form for almost as long as you need it. You can also use loose sage, lit in a fire-proof bowl or plate, and achieve the same results as the power is in the smoke created when you light the leaves. Here's how to do it:

lighting a match or a candle as you want to make sure it's well-lit before you blow it out. As you're lighting this, clear your mind as far as possible and open your heart up to love, kindness, and peace...all of the feelings you WANT in your home atmosphere, not just for yourself, but for anyone who enters your home. Once the sage is well lit, blow it out. (This is one of the few times that it is okay to put out fire with air. It is extremely disrespectful to blow out flame when doing energy work. It should always be snuffed out or smothered.) Go to the front door of your home. Close your eyes, and in your mind's eye, firmly envision your home filled with peace and love. Picture it free of everything unwanted, both physical and NOT physical. For instance, if your grandmother has passed on and you feel that sometimes she comes to visit, picture her there from time to time visiting you and that her presence is okay and allowed. Make sure that you strongly picture EVERYTHING ELSE is not allowed in your space. You can do this through exclusion; it's not necessary to visualize every kind of entity you've heard of to keep them out; just picture what you want in and make it exclusive. smile emoticon Waft the smoke a bit into corners as you begin to walk clockwise through your home along every wall from your front door on. If you do this, following the line of the walls, this will take you through every room in your house and put you back at your front door where you began. As you're walking slowly from room to room, speak out loud anything that feels right. Usually a "In this space I allow only those things that bring me peace and happiness, excluding all others" or something of the like. It's more to keep your mind focused as you walk and not get sidetracked on the kids' messy room or the fact you forgot to make the bed. smile emoticon Keep the picture you started with firmly in your mind. If you find your mind wandering, just go back to your thought and purpose as if you're meditating as this IS an active form of meditation.
When you've reached where you began, you can say a short prayer or thank you to whomever you believe in, for making this peace and love happen in your space. BELIEVE that it will happen. As in all things, your belief in this will help make it so, though there are plenty of people who have tried this for the first time as complete skeptics who do it regularly because the difference in atmosphere is pretty profound. When you're done, wet your fingers and put out the sage making sure that it is no longer smoking. I usually set it back in the bowl until it's completely cooled off just to be safe.
When you're done, just continue about your day! My husband, who is as skeptical as they come, can usually tell when I've smudged the house even if the smell no longer lingers. It really IS a noticeable difference. This ritual is very important when moving into a new space. It clears out whatever energy remains from the last occupants, and even events that might have happened on the property. There are entire other things to be done when it comes to clearing property, but you'll want to find someone who is familiar with those types of things to do them for you if they're required. But I prefer to educate my friends about this stuff as far as possible and put the power into YOUR hands with the understanding that the living are ALWAYS in charge of our surroundings. If you feel uncomfortable in a space over which you can exert control, smudge it. If it doesn't work and you still feel uncomfortable, then call me and we'll figure out the next step. But there is no reason to EVER feel uncomfortable in your space.
The amount of smoke doesn't really matter. Sage has a distinctive smell; some liken it to pot. You can buy sage sticks that have other things in them such as dried flowers or sweetgrass if you'd like a scent that isn't quite so weed-y. OR, when you light it, light it just enough that a small wisp of smoke rises continuously rather than a cloud, and the scent will dissipate more quickly after you're done. The important part is that the sage takes enough with fire to keep a continuous bit of smoke throughout your entire smudging, and you don't have to stop constantly and relight it. It should stay lit and smoking for your entire walk.
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