Thanks for the Dance! October 31, 2008
Posted by Michele in Ancient Arts, Feeding Your Spirit, My Faith, Spiritual Classes.Tags: affirmations, manifestation, moon, spirit
1 comment so far
A special thanks to everyone who attended my first “Dancing with the Moon – Affirmations for Manifestation” class last night at The Little Ruby Shoppe. The class was amazing because all of you were amazing. I can’t tell you what an honor it was for me to sit in a room full of such soulful women and bear witness to your dreams and desires as they were being born. I feel like we were all spiritual midwifes for each other and I’m so grateful that you were all part of creating a truly safe and sacred space for these dreams to come into the world.
I hope that you will share your successes with me and with each other here on this blog – like our class this is an estuary for our dreams where they will be nourished and supported and never squashed or dismissed (call your mother’s for that). I look forward to hearing about your progress. I know that each of you is fully capable and worthy of making your dreams come true, and I can’t wait to see what you create and who you become during the process. Remember as you dance with the cycles of the moon to let your light shine, reflecting beauty and grace onto the world. And, of course, don’t forget to enjoy the journey. Now get manifesting!
Awakening Gemstones October 17, 2008
Posted by Michele in Ancient Arts, Feeding Your Spirit, My Faith.add a comment
Awakening Gemstones
Cleansing, Connecting and Sharing the Love of Mother Earth
By Lady Raven
Step 1: Selecting the right stone.
The Earth is ripe with gemstones of various shapes, colors and sizes, all of which possess distinctive energies. When selecting stones for yourself you can identify your need or desire first and then choose a stone that aligns with that energy if you wish. Or, you can let the stone choose you. Often, when you find yourself drawn to a specific gemstone it’s because that stone has something to offer you. When this happens, learn what energies the stone possesses and how those unique properties can benefit you along your path. Trust this process and welcome this new ally into your life.
Step 2: Cleansing your gemstone.
Once you’ve chosen the right gemstone – or it’s chosen you – you should take a moment to cleanse the stone before charging it with your intended purpose. This removes any residual energy that the stone may have picked up during the mining and handling process and neutralizes the stone, preparing it to blend with your energy and receive your intention. Once cleansed, the stone’s innate energy is free to come through more clearly and the stone is also ready to receive the energy that you pour into it.
There are many ways to cleanse your gemstones, but one of the most effective ways is to simply wash it with salt water. Either place the stone in salt water, or rub salt water on the stone. If you wish, you can say something like: “I cleanse this stone with water and earth” while cleansing it. You can also use burning sage to purify the gemstone as well, moving the stone through the smoke to cleanse it. Again, you can say something along the lines of, “I cleanse this stone with fire and air” while doing so. This method uses each of the four elements of Earth to cleanse your stone and no other ritual is necessary. It’s just that simple.
Step 3: Connecting with your new ally and recognizing its gifts.
Many native traditions believe that gemstones are natural allies provided to us by Mother Earth. So once your new stone has been cleansed, you are ready to get to know it. Hold the stone in your left hand and feel its shape, its weight, its warmth or coolness in your hand. Let yourself receive the gift the stone is offering. Plant your feet firmly on the ground and feel the love of Mother Earth rise up into your body and into the stone in your hand. Feel the energy of the stone move through you and back into the Earth, strengthening your connection to both. Whatever energy you experience, take note and let the sensation fill your being. This is like meeting a new friend and getting to know who they are, so be open and receptive to what the stone offers you. Let the love of the Earth fill your being and your life and recognize this stone as an ambassador of Mother Earth, offering love and assistance to help you along your path.
Step 4: Sharing your personal energy and intention with your gemstone.
Once you are comfortable with the energy of your new gemstone, it is time to blend your own energy with it. Hold the stone in your right hand and let it know what you most need from it, remembering that the stone is your ally, sent to you by Mother Earth, and it wants to help you. For example, you may have chosen (or been chosen by) an amethyst to increase your feelings of happiness, a hematite for its grounding properties or a tiger’s eye for protection. Whatever the case, ask the stone to help you foster this energy in your life. Rub the stone between your hands and blow on it to infuse it with your personal power. This allows you to bond with the stone, making your connection to one another special and unique.
Step 5: Walk in beauty and peace with your new ally.
Thank the stone for the new beauty that it brings into your life and the gifts it offers you. You may wish to carry the gemstone with you, place it at your desk at work, or put it in the glove box of your car. Regardless of how you use it, once you and your new ally have gotten to know one another you have a lifelong friend that can help you in specific areas of your life. Whenever you feel the need, hold the stone in your left hand and remember the beautiful gifts that it brings into your life. Feel free to repeat the cleansing, connecting and sharing steps outlined above as often as you desire.
Meet Your Gatekeepers September 8, 2008
Posted by Michele in Ancient Arts, Feeding Your Spirit, Meditations, My Faith.add a comment
Who Are Your Gatekeepers?
Gatekeepers are Spirit Guides who are deeply connected to you and devoted to helping you along your Earthly path. They are your liaisons between the Earth plane and other realms, and have a deep understanding of who you are and what your soul’s purpose is in this lifetime and beyond.
Gatekeepers are benevolent guardians who seek to assist you along your journey by keeping negative, disruptive and harmful energies and entities at bay. Although they lovingly seek to serve your Higher Purpose on the Earth plane, they will not deny access or entry into your life or consciousness to those whom you invite in, either directly through a Soul contract that you made before you incarnated, or indirectly through your negative thought patterns that draw similar energies into your life.
They are the keepers of the veil and as such they determine who and what gets through the barrier that insulates you from the astral and more subtle realms. Their goal is to filter out the distractions that would otherwise keep you from living your purpose while inviting in loving, supportive energies to walk along side you to assist you along your path. Without our Gatekeepers we would be bombarded on a daily basis with the whispers from beyond the veil – Ancestors, Spirits, Elementals and the like (even the friendly ones) would constantly battle for our attention and overwhelm us. Gatekeepers help balance this energy and protect us from extra-sensory overload.
When you feel that the energy you’ve invited into your life is not serving your Highest Purpose, you need only ask for your Gatekeeper’s help. They will gladly step in to block out the riff raff so that you are not disrupted by unwelcome energies. But remember, they will not block the lessons you asked to receive before you came to the Earth plane because those lessons are a necessary part of your Spiritual Evolution. Trust your Gatekeepers and know that whatever you are going through they are working in the Spirit realm to bring in energies that will uplift and support you along your path.
Click the link below for a brief guided audio meditation that will allow you to connect with your personal Gatekeeper on a spiritual level. This meditation is approximately 12 minutes long. Make sure you are in a comfortable position and will not be disturbed once you begin the meditation. After clicking on the link, press the play button to begin the recording.
(Sorry, but this meditation is no longer available online. If you’re interested in receiving it as an mp3 download, please contact Michele at michele@wakeupgoddess.com. Thank you!)
A New Moon and A New Perspective February 6, 2008
Posted by Michele in My Faith.1 comment so far
Tonight is a new moon. The candles on my altar are alight and my prayers to the goddess rise up with the smoke of the smoldering sage. I’m ready to let go of the old and stale parts of my life in order to usher in a fresh start. The past eight or nine months of this life have been wrought with unexpected circumstances and pitfalls. And the past two weeks have challenged my faith and resilience in ways I couldn’t have imagined just a year ago.
No doubt, I’m a different person today than I was this time last year. And, for the most part, I think I’m a better person. This isn’t to say that I don’t have my days – I certainly do. But life is both beautiful and flawed, just as I am. Lately, I’m working really hard to focus more on the beauty than the flaws. Some days I fail miserably at this, but I won’t stop trying. I won’t stop searching and reaching for something greater than what I already know.
Some days, like today, I’m afraid. I worry about my financial security. I worry about the health of the people I love – my family, my Divas, my pets. And I worry, more often than I’d like to admit, that my life will pass me by without my goals and dreams ever being realized. Honestly, it scares me to death.
But there’s another voice inside me, a higher voice, that reminds me that as messy and unpredictable as life is, it doesn’t unfold without purpose. And, if I can just get out of my own way long enough, perhaps that purpose will reveal itself to me. Until then, my faith teaches me that life, like the moon, moves in cycles. So tonight I welcome this new moon and this new perspective. Blessed be.
Happy Imbolc February 2, 2008
Posted by Michele in My Faith.add a comment
Today is Imbolc. A day of initiations. A day when our ancestors would began to look from the trials and introspection of winter into the light of the growing days of spring. Although many parts of the world are still bitterly cold during February, people begin to feel the hope and the promise of spring stirring in the world and within their own souls.
Hope is one of the great gifts of this holiday. But the real blessing is that, no matter what hardships winter brings, the promise of spring will always herald a new season in our lives. And so Imbolc is a day of transition – a cleansing of the soul and a fresh start in the world. It is the day that we look forward into the future and let go of the losses of our past. It is the day we begin to accept the light back into our lives after the long darkness.
A Shitty Day January 29, 2008
Posted by Michele in Living In This Body, My Faith.add a comment
I’m having a shitty day. I’m still sick, my cat’s still sick and I just learned that an old, dear friend of mine died this afternoon. Shadow was one of my first teachers, and had been in very poor health since a car accident several months ago. My faith teaches me to honor the soul’s choice to move on, so that is how I’m honoring his memory today. Still, it’s been a very shitty day.
