Since returning from Peru I’ve been opening sacred space for myself by performing a smudging ceremony accompanied by some version of a prayer to the four directions. A “prayer to the four directions” is a bit of a misnomer because just about every version I’ve seen involves calling out to the spirits of at least six directions: the four cardinal directions, up to the heavens, down to Earth, and sometimes even back to the center Read more…
Smudging ceremony
Since June’s gathering was full of veteran Dreamers & Schemers we skipped over the agreements and “getting to know you” and opened up the circle with a smudging ceremony. Since getting back from my trip to Peru, I have been opening sacred space for myself with a private smudging ceremony. This is more than just smudging myself and my space, but also calling out to the four directions for support and in thanks. This ritual has been a really effective way of opening up my heart and familiarizing myself with my own heart energy, so I was really excited to share this with Dreamers & Schemers during heart month!
Physical heart vs. heart chakra vs. sacred heart
Leading up to the workshop I felt a bunch of resistance to referring to Anodea Judith’s work on the heart chakra. I was wondering about that on my walk to the gathering, and then it hit me: It’s because the work I want to do around the heart goes beyond the heart chakra, which is Judith’s concern. When I refer to the “heart center,” I mean both what we think of as the heart chakra and what we might call the divine sacred heart. (more…)
One of my favorite sources of tools is the Akashic Records, since they come tailor-made for the recipient. This tool is one I actually channeled for a client, but as it is often the case in readings, there was something in it for me, as well. I felt resonance in my body as I was communicating it to my client, so I filed it away as something to practice for myself. I love it because it is extremely simple, but incredibly powerful.
The purpose of this tool is to give you the experience of simultaneously feeling the support of your ancestors and your own power. To do this, you turn inward and feel your personal power in your solar plexus and feel the support of your ancestors at your back. (The Records said, “Your ancestors have your back.”) After some practice just imagining this, I viscerally felt this one day as I was practicing “on the go.”
My most powerful experience using this tool, however, was during my plant medicine retreat in Peru. I was really struggling to make it through the weeks with a healthy sense of self intact and woke up crying in the middle of the night on the eve of the last ceremony of the week. In the face of my shadow, I was wracked by fear, doubt, anguish, and self hatred, and I had no idea how to step forward from all that negativity. And then it occurred to me that I had read of countless people in similar situations turning to prayer, and how that became a miraculous turning point for them.
If it can happen for them, why not for me? (more…)
I am a big believer in working the question “Who am I?” regularly, and from multiple angles. This is a great personal inventory tool that was inspired by Byron Katie‘s “four questions.” I call it “spring cleaning” because it involves the same process of discernment that you could use for culling your wardrobe. The point of this exercise is to OPEN TO POSSIBILITY. For you will never know who you are becoming if you never Read more…
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This is one of my personal favorites, which is why I keep bringing it back to the group. I use the Personal Sun meditation when I feel scattered, depleted, and need to bring my energy back together. It’s great to do before or after an event that requires you to be fully centered and grounded in your energy. It’s also one of my favorite tools to “call my energy back” from people or situations that are draining Read more…
Last year when we worked on focusing we used the technique pioneered by Ann Weiser Cornell in her book The Power of Focusing, which was my own personal introduction to the method. It was a great introduction to noticing how the body communicates to us something we need to know about our deeper selves, and how we can tap into that and attend to it if only we took the time to pay attention, ask, and listen.
Purists might disagree, but I consider focusing a form of meditation because it is just another way of quietly coming home to ourselves. But focusing also feels different from most traditional sitting practices because it really asks us to focus on the body (rather than the breath). It also requires that we be more “active,” in that we are meant to engage with what’s bubbling to the surface, rather than simply letting those bubbles go. One Dreamer & Schemer said that the focus on the body gave her something to hook into more easily than perhaps more “abstract” meditations, and that the experience led her to gain a new appreciation for her body!
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We did this meditation with the Higher Self because I wanted to show how easily accessible it was to connect with this aspect of ourselves. You can look up online how other folks suggest connecting with the Higher Self, some of which involve detailed visualizations or energy work, but I only gave two instructions: 1. Set the intention to connect with your higher self, and 2. If you notice that your mind is doing the answering, drop down lower or deeper into your body. You are used to being in conversation with your mind, so the answers will probably feel a little (or a LOT) different when they come from your Higher Self.
If you prefer to connect to your ancestors or any other guide(s), feel free to use whatever method you find effective to make the connection and then refer to the question set below to explore your emotional being. (more…)