On Sickness and Silence

The past few days I have been recovering from a bout with a nasty infection in my throat and eyes. Sleeping has been my main agenda. As my custom is, I always do an inner inventory to see if there are subconscious messages from my soul that have come to me through physical sickness. I have a history of laryngitis. I know my tendency in the past has been to stifle the voice inside of me calling out to be heard. However, at this point in my life, I have felt that I have been speaking my truth and voicing the messages that have been given to me. Is there still something inside of me that is worried about the things I have to say and how they will be perceived? I am sure this is probably true. The messages I have been receiving may not be in the mainstream of thought. They don't line up with my former belief system. Just as my messages are about to be published into a book, I contract an illness that had me unable to speak above a whisper (ooh that may be significant...maybe I should rename my blog shouts of joy) and my eyes swollen and red to the point of vision impairment. My question to the Universe was this.... hey what's going on? Are you trying to tell me something?

During all this time of rest and sleep I could not make contact with the Higher Realms. I would sit out on the patio, pen and paper in hand, close my eyes, focus my intentions on hearing messages... and...nothing...I would just get sleepy.. go inside... take a nap..another nap...

I guess my message for today is... it's okay to take a break. I guess I am a little afraid that after years of stifling the voice inside of me crying out to be heard and then finally listening and writing down the things I hear, what if the messages stop again? What if there is nothing left to say?

Then I will just love. I will love the grass and the trees and the flowers and the bees. I will love the customers I wait on every day and the mail that goes through my hands on its way to its destination. I will love my husband, my kids and grandkids and I will enjoy every minute I spend with them. I will love the way the dirt feels under my bare feet and the song that the robin sings to me while I am sitting out on my patio. I will embrace every moment of life and thank the Angels and the Higher Realms for another day to love and to be in love.

And I will keep listening and writing down and speaking out the messages that I hear. And I will not be afraid.

Trusting Your Instincts

The other night I had a dream. In the dream I was in the driveway getting ready to go somewhere when a large white SUV pulled in behind me. Two old friends got out of the car, a husband and wife. Years ago we had been very close, but they had moved away and we had lost touch. In the dream the wife asked me to help her find a motorcycle title. The one she had in her hands had holes in it, but she thought I might have another copy of it in my house. We went in the house and searched, but found nothing. I remember saying to her, I don't even own a motorcycle, why would I have this title? Then I woke up.

Later that morning out of the blue the thought came to me that maybe this couple was looking for something and this dream was a message to them that they were looking in the wrong place. I sent them a message on a social networking site telling them about the dream and the message that I thought it might represent. I never heard back from them.

After a few days I began to doubt the interpretation and I began to think of alternate meanings. Usually dreams represent things that our subconscious is trying to tell us about ourselves, but recently I have had dreams where souls have come looking to me for assistance, so the original message made sense to me. However, I do know that the Angels and Guides have used me recently to find lost parts of people's souls, and this dream sort of fits that scenario, only I was unable to help this couple find what they were looking for. I realize the dream could mean that sometimes in this area of service to mankind, that I may at times be unable to help people find what they are looking for. There have been a few incidents where I have journeyed and found parts of people's souls that were missing, and even upon returning these lost parts, the effect on people's lives was minimal. Perhaps this dream was voicing this concern in my subconscious.

In any case, I am convinced that the messages that I receive are coming from the Higher Realms, and I will continue to give them, whether the messages are validated or not. Sometimes I may see or hear results of the messages I receive or the journeys I embark on, and sometimes I may not. Nevertheless, I will continue.

I just want to send out the energy of Love and Light from the Higher Realms to all those who I have been able to help, and also to all those who I have not seen any results for as of yet. Our timetables are different from the timetables of Spirit, and in time we may see why some results are immediately visible, and some are not. We are all on individual paths, and we cannot base our path on the path of someone else. But we are all connected, and sometimes I will get a message for someone who I have never met, or someone who I have known in the past, and if I do, I will do my best to get it out there. Who knows. I am not the message, Just the messenger.

Dreams and the Grandmothers

Recently I was doing a journey into the non physical realm and I met some Native American older women who I affectionately call “The Grandmothers”. They gave me some gifts and called me a word that I later discovered means “little child”. I have been very grateful for their presence in my life since then and so after having a dream last night I called upon them this morning for some assistance.

In the dream I was going from place to place with a large amount of trash that I was trying to dispose of. Everywhere I went the trash dumpsters were full and so I was wandering around from place to place with a huge amount of waste materials that needed to be dropped off somewhere. I woke up before resolving this dream so this morning on my run I decided to revisit the dream and consciously dump this “waste” that my subconscious evidently was telling me I needed to dispose of.

In my waking dream, I asked for the assistance of my Guides and invited the Grandmothers to join me as I envisioned a large trash dumpster and myself dumping all this trash into it. The Grandmothers suggested that it needed to be burned so that it did not contaminate Mother Earth. I asked the Grandmothers how I had come to obtain all this trash and they said that I was carrying around some baggage from other people that I had picked up here or there and that I needed to release it. It had been dumped on me from other people and it was not mine to carry but that I had picked it up anyway and had been carrying it around. This made perfect sense to me because some days I go to work and I can barely make it through the day because I feel so exhausted.

I guess the reason I decided to write about this is twofold. I am sure that I am not the only person who picks up on other people’s energies and ends up carrying that energy around with them. It is exhausting!! My Grandmothers told me that periodically I need to revisit this place and envision myself dumping all the trash I have collected along the way and letting it go. Mother Earth is there to absorb some of the energy of the waste and when we envision ourselves burning the “trash” energy, so to speak, that energy is being transformed as it is burned up and released to the Spirits of the Air.

The second reason I write about this is to let people know that they can resolve disturbing dreams after they wake up. Whenever I have a dream that stays with me after I have woken up in the morning, I revisit the dream and ask it questions. I ask what lessons it is trying to teach me and if there is a message in it for me or someone else. And then if I was awakened before the end of the dream or if the dream ended badly, I revisit the dream while I am awake and imagine an appropriate ending which results in a peaceful and joyful conclusion to the dream.

I am hopeful that this is helpful for anyone trying to rid themselves of excess “baggage” or if you have had a dream recently that you have carried with you into the morning. Our waking hours are meant to be happy and productive and none of us needs to carry over the effects of the things that occur to us while our souls are visiting other planes as our bodies rest.

Obstacles or Opportunities?

This week my message from my Angels seems to be about obstacles. Life isn’t always all about traveling down a paved highway to our ultimate destiny. Sometimes they divert traffic on that highway to work on the road.

I guess it started about a week ago. I had a phone meeting with a woman who I was discussing the possibility of turning my blog into a book. I had given her the information to read the blog before our meeting and she had done so. When we began talking, her first words to me were, what makes you think anyone would buy this? (I can’t remember the exact words, but that is how I interpreted her words.) I had never even considered the fact that maybe no one would be interested in reading it. I had visualized my book in bookstores, signing copies for lines of people. I had “seen” it on an end rack at Target one day while walking down the book aisle. I now realize that she may say that to anyone wanting to publish a book, but the question knocked my confidence level down to the ground.

Then came what my husband would call unrelated events, but I saw them as synchronistic. Appliances in the house began to fail. First the air conditioner, then the vacuum cleaner, then the washing machine. I was questioning my ability to live a charmed life. I have recently had the vision of myself gliding through life with roller skates on, no challenges, no disappointments, everything going my way. And here comes some challenges.

So Sunday night I am coming home from a class and dinner with friends and any traffic light I came to turned red upon my approach. The GPS on my phone was giving me directions I did not understand. There was road construction. There were cars creeping along well under the speed limit. There was no opportunities to pass them. I called out to the Angels, “hey come on, now, are you off the job tonight or what?” I finally got home completely exhausted and more than a little irritated.

I recently posted a blog called “Laugh” and laughing was the last thing I wanted to do. Sometimes I think the Angels allow challenges to come our way to see if we are going to practice what we preach. Now I will be the first one to admit that a broken washing machine and red traffic lights are minor irritations compared to the challenges that some others face every morning when they wake up. But I made up my mind to move forward. I decided to laugh and feel good and thank the washing machine for offering me the opportunity to remember what it was like when I had to go to a laundromat on a regular basis.

I think it is okay if we grieve our situation for a time. It is all part of life. But at some point we have to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and say “Okay, Joy, that is enough, now let’s move forward. Let’s have fun. Let’s dance through our challenges and choose to feel good no matter what.” And I send love to my washing machine and I ask the Angels for someone to come and fix it and until then I will wash clothes at the laundromat.

So were the Angels sending me a message through all the red lights? Were they saying, slow down, Joy, obstacles ahead? Maybe. Maybe they were just trying to see if I would take it in stride. Wait for the light to turn green and then take off running. For now I am just going to be thankful that I have breath to breathe in and out every day and good enough eyesight to drive and be able to see those red lights. And when the light turns green I am off and running again!

Dream of an Old Friend

Last night I had a dream about a friend who I haven't seen in many years. We didn't part on the best of terms, but I always considered her my soul sister. Our relationship was always full of turmoil for one reason or another, and for the most part it was my fault. In my dream I went to visit her at where she lived now, in the present. She looked different, and she had a houseful of kids and grandkids and significant others of her kids. She invited me in, and introduced me to all the people I didn't know. I stayed for a little while, and then I felt that I should not be there so I got up to leave. She said to me, "let me get your shoes." Upon realizing that I had not taken my shoes off when I came in the house, she remarked,"I guess you have changed."

When I woke up I was filled with sadness which took me several hours to overcome. I reflected upon the dream on and off throughout the day. I am convinced that our souls visit one another in our dreams, and that our souls had needed to connect. I have had a few dreams about her over the years and I would wake up realizing that our souls had just come together for a visit. I think the remark about the shoes meant that my visit was a short one and the fact that I left my shoes on meant that I was not staying long. She knew that I had changed because I knew that we both have roads to travel that maybe will not connect again in this lifetime.

I just wanted to write about this dream because in this lifetime we will connect with many people. Some will touch our souls in ways we do not understand. I am sure that we connect with certain people over and over in many lifetimes. Just because a relationship ends in the physical doesn't mean that we will never see a person again. Even if a relationship is strained there are certain lessons we choose to come together to learn.

I just wanted to send out good wishes to my old friend and wish her the best in her life wherever she happens to be in the present.

Laugh

I would like to talk a little bit about joy. A lot of times we get caught up in the dramas of life and forget about the joys of being alive. There is within us a part of our souls that loves to be happy. When our lives bog us down with responsibilities or things happen to us that make us forget to be joyful, we lose a part of our mission here on earth. I believe that part of our mission is just to be happy. We create our lives for better or for worse and when we forget to remember to be happy we are essentially creating a lower vibration for ourselves.

Recently I came into contact with someone who has been fighting an illness for several years. She asked me if I could be of assistance in finding out if she had learned her lessons relating to the sickness. This sickness had brought her to the doors of death several times and she related that she was willing to go if that is what was meant to happen. But so far each time she had pulled through. My Angels and Guides did not tell me any lessons she was learning from the sickness, but They told me that she had lost the part of herself that needed to laugh. Now I realize it is hard to laugh when you are dealing with a long term illness. I am not making light of suffering or telling people that their challenges are not serious. But when we make a conscious effort to see that bright side of every situation, then our spirits are lifted and we are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. My Angels told me to tell her to read jokes, watch funny t.v. shows, anything that could make her laugh. That seemed kind of hard to me but I don't just make this stuff up. I just relate the message.

I am wondering if we all couldn't use a part of this message. Are we so bogged down with responsibilities and the stuff that makes up our lives that we forget to laugh? Do we forget to look for the bright side of things? I am one of those people that don't get jokes. My husband tells me that if he has to explain a joke, it is not funny anymore. I have to consciously work at having a sense of humor. So this is a big lesson for me too. Sometimes when I am exercising I will imagine myself dancing and laughing just to raise my vibration to a higher level. I think this is what the Angels were trying to get across to this acquaintance. When you think happy thoughts and laugh and dance you are raising up your level of consciousness a notch. What you focus on grows. If you are focused on a sickness that you have had for a very long time or maybe a failed relationship or the loss of a job then the good stuff can't get in. Even if you are not physically able to get up and dance, imagine yourself doing so. Imagine yourself running and playing and laughing and having fun. Whatever it is that gives you joy, imagine yourself doing that.

I know for myself I have had incidents in the past when I would hurt my back and be laid up in bed for several days. One of the things I would do is imagine myself running. Running is what I love to do as you know if you have read any of my previous blogs. I would also consciously make myself laugh. At nothing. Just laugh. I access that part inside of myself that is Divine and that part of me is always happy, always healthy, and always in a good mood. That part of me is always there, beckoning me to come out and play. No matter what my physical body is doing, there is a part of me that is free, and that part will always be my guiding light.

My suggestion for today is get out and play! Laugh, run, sing, dance, be joyful. If you are working or sick in bed or have other responsibilities that prevent you from physically getting outside and playing, then play in your mind, even if it is just for five minutes here and there. You will notice a difference in how you feel. And how you feel is all that matters.

Recovering Missing Soul Parts

Recently I was doing a journey for a friend and I was made aware of a very common way to lose a part of our souls. During the journey I was given a vision of this person walking down a busy street full of people. Her romantic partner was also in the crowd but was a little ahead of her in the crowd and unaware of her presence behind him. There was also the face of a woman who kept appearing to me in the vision in the same vicinity of her partner. Of course my friend wanted to know if her partner was having an affair. The answer was not given to me but I was given the insight that her partner had lost a piece of his soul to this woman at some point, and that she had given a part of her soul to him, probably during a romantic interlude, but whether it had happened during his relationship to my friend I didn’t know. However I was given the insight that every time my friend was intimate with her partner, this part of this woman’s soul was there, and in the same token a part of his soul was not there but present with this woman.

My Guides told me that we frequently lose parts of our souls to those with whom we are intimate, and we may inadvertently steal parts of our romantic partners souls as well. Many of us may be walking around with parts of the souls of many partners, or even persons with whom we may have had some deep soul connection. We did not intentionally steal parts of their souls, and they probably did not steal parts of ours, but it is important to get those parts back, in order for us to function as emotionally healthy adults.

It is not necessary to go to a shaman to retrieve those parts of our souls back, although this is always an option if we seem to be having trouble gaining those parts back ourselves, but I am going to give you a couple of meditations to do in order to retrieve those lost parts of ourselves.

Imagine yourself standing in a place that you love, usually a place in nature works best. Ask your Guides to bring to your mind the faces of those who you have had a deep soul connection with that possess a part of your soul that you need to get back. It may be that there was not a deep soul connection, but you still lost a piece of yourself. When you see that person’s face, ask them to give you back the piece of the soul that they possess. Usually they will gladly give it back to you, because usually they had no idea that they had taken it or that you had given it to them. Occasionally there may be some that are not willing to give those soul parts back, but if that is the case, enlist the help of your Guides. Then ask your Guides to show you if there are any pieces of souls that you need to give back. Imagine yourself giving those parts back to those from whom you took parts of their souls, whether you were aware of it or not. Give the parts back with love and receive your soul parts back also with love. Welcome those parts back that you have lost. Thank those parts for coming back.

Don’t obsess over whether your current partner has lost pieces of his or her soul to other partners and especially whether these occurrences have happened during your relationship or not. Our souls know when it is safe to come forward to be healed and the Universe will eventually tell us anything we need to know when we need to know it. Focus on healing yourself and as an emotionally healthy soul your Higher Self will choose when to reveal things to you that you need to know.

As our souls heal and as we regain parts of ourselves that we have lost, we raise our vibration to a higher level. We always choose to be in relationship with those that vibrate at a similar frequency as ourselves. If our vibration changes significantly, sometimes our relationships change as well. The Universe will orchestrate this and we do not need to focus on it or try to figure things out.

Remember that our Guides and Angels always have our best interests at heart and everything that is or is not revealed to us is always for our Highest Good. As we progress on our journey things are revealed to us that will benefit us at that particular time. Always thank the Guides and Angels for being with us on our journey.