Though some people experience excess energy in their fourth chakra, I think the majority of us have the opposite problem of shutting down our heart chakra. Here is a list of ways to open your heart that is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to chime in in the comments Read more…
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This tool is adapted from Leta Worthington. It’s a helpful exercise for instantly clearing any emotion that you’re experiencing, whether or not it’s yours or you’ve picked it up empathically. Even though it’s called the “Blue Ribbon” exercise, you can imagine any color that feels right to you, or you Read more…
This is adapted from the book, Many Paths, One Mountain. Preparing to work in the Akashic Records requires the ability to step away from the critical mind and drop into the heart space. This is a simple practice that you can do at any time of the day, but I find I Read more…
This is in intuitive tool adapted from the work of Sonia Choquette. It’s a really effective way to distinguish the difference the feeling of being in your head and being in your heart. Through its use, you are able to see circumstances in your life in a new light and gain clarity Read more…
Can you think of a more common piece of inspirational life advice than “follow your heart”? So many of us heard this growing up, and perhaps we’ve even passed it onto our young people, but just how much do we trust it? Is it trite or true? I’m going to cut to the chase and stand in the conviction that it is always wise to follow our hearts. But there is a disclaimer here, and it is a big one: We have to be very attuned to how we define “heart,” and also what truth is for each of us in every moment. (more…)
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 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 Read more…