Independence Day!

Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Independence. But are we independent?

Originally we were under the control of England, and living a life under the cover of a country miles across the ocean became difficult. We secured our independence, but then a certain class of people found themselves the lords over another class of people. Even though our forefathers declared that we were all created equal, what they really meant was that all the white men were created equal. Those of other colors or other genders were not included.

Over the years portions of our population have found it necessary to remind other portions of our population that yes, we are created equal, and we all deserve equal treatment under the law. Sometimes it has been necessary to fight for these rights.

This blog is not about politics, believe it or not.

No matter what your beliefs are, or where you stand on equal rights for all citizens, I am here to declare that the one that keeps us enslaved more than any one else is ourself! Our own thoughts hold us captive. Even if the law declares that we are equal, if we feel that we are a victim, we will experience our lives as a victim. We will notice circumstances that appear to reinforce our belief.

I have found myself constantly fighting an underlying belief that those of other belief systems have a dim view of what I do, and may be sending energy (or prayers) my way that is not in line with my highest expression of my soul.

It is time that we woke up and realized that the only one holding us back from experiencing the highest expression of our souls is ourselves.

Let us take this Independence Day to declare INDEPENDENCE from limited thinking!

We are light. We are the creators of our destiny. It is up to us to declare our intentions for how we want to live our lives!

Let us not limit Spirit when we declare into the realm of Spirit our intentions.

For example.

I have a client who recently declared independence from a marriage that was once delightful but had ceased to be so. She had relocated, and, as expected, found herself having good days and bad days.  She had decided to buy a house and was right on the verge of closing when an unexpected hiccup showed up to halt or at least postpone the closing. She had already hired movers. She had already given notice at her current location. She was distraught!

She came to me to find out the best plan of action.

We decided to do a Full Moon ritual calling in the best solution. Knowing that this was the house she wanted to live in, we wrote the address on a piece of paper and placed it in the middle of the floor. We danced around the piece of paper, declaring to the Universe that we were calling in for her this house, without expectation of how this was to occur. We beat our drums and rattled our intentions to the Universe, the same way Joshua led the Isrealites around the city of Jericho when they claimed it as their own. Now I am not advocating displacing another group of people so you can have what is theirs, but the ritual worked for them and has worked for me numerous times to secure something I wanted, as long as it did not interfere with or cause harm to anyone else in the process!

The next day she called and was ecstatic!

The owners and her had worked out a solution and she was moving forward with moving in to the house!

She declared her independence from limited thinking! She allowed Spirit to work out a solution to a perceived limitation from her living her life in the house of her dreams!

Today, declare your independence from limited thinking!

Allow Spirit to find solutions to problems that are keeping you living a life that is less than spectacular.

Celebrate your independence from anything that is stealing  your joy or keeping you from living a life of peace and abundance!

As our forefathers declared, we have been given the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

If you desire help in manifesting your best life or direction from spirit in manifesting your heart's desires, please feel free to contact me here. Life is meant to be enjoyed!

Full Super Moon In Capricorn

I am not an astrologist, but I follow some really great blogs and I do sit with the moon on a regular basis. When I found out this full moon was in Capricorn, I knew that it was significant for me, since I am a Capricorn. Here are a couple of great posts I found that have great information!

http://lynthurman.com/full-moon-capricorn-work/

http://soulharmonyondemand.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/mother-of-moons-full-moon-in-capricorn-friday-12th-july-2014/

What I do know about this moon is that it is in a place in its orbit that is close to the earth, which makes it seem bigger than normal. It's proximity to the earth, however, really helps to magnify its ability to power our intentions and charge our spiritual items that we want to get cleansed.

Here is what I do. I find a place in the yard where the moon is going to shine directly on the items I want charged. I place the items in salt water and place them outside, asking for the power of the moon to cleanse and charge my spiritual items.

Tonight, weather permitting, would be a great night to light a fire and do a full moon celebration!

Since Capricorn is an earth sign, use the power of the earth in your ritual as well. I like the idea of writing down intentions and planting them in a potted plant. As the plant grows, so do your intentions. Don't do this one after the full moon. Doing it between the new and full moon is best, as the  moon is "growing" during this phase. It is okay to do this one if the actual time of the full moon has not yet occurred.

You can think of your own rituals involving the use of "earth". You could dance around a fire pit, really sending your intentions out the bottoms of your feet as you dance! Make sure you dance clockwise in a circle three or nine times (nine being three times three).

Whatever you decide to do, know that the moon is there to power your intentions. Let us be thankful for the Universal Consciousness in every thing that is and know that we are one with the moon, the sun, the stars, and all other things that have consciousness. And know that everything has a form of consciousness.

On Meditations and Moon Rituals

Feeling a little out of sorts today? Yes, today is a full moon. Not just any full moon, mind you. Today's full moon is in the sign of Scorpio, a very powerful sign to say the least. Scorpio is all about intensity. Death, secrets, and intensity. Today might be a day when every emotion you have been stuffing under the surface comes out to bare its head. It might be the day when those little irritations that normally are just annoyances really grab your attention. It might be the day when things that you have been hiding come out into the realm of reality to be examined and embraced, for good or for bad.

It's not all bad. Full moons are perfect times to really put some intensity into your intentions. Today is a perfect day to reexamine your goals, your path, your career, your relationships, your life. Yes, I know. A full moon comes around monthly. Do we have to reinvent ourselves every month? No, each moon brings with it its own theme. This one just happens to be very intense.

We all know that the moon carries with it an air of mystery. We usually only see the moon at night, and a full moon is the one that shines the most light into the dark places. The full moon has long been associated with bringing in a harvest, manifesting a dream, celebrating victories! The moon is shining its brightest into our dark places and with it comes the power to manifest our deepest desires!

Remember that the light we receive from the moon is really just a reflection of the light of the sun. The sun represents Spirit, it is the Source of our life and the ability for us to exist in the earth realm. The moon, then, represents what we should be, in our life on the earth. Each of us should reflect the light of our Source, and be a light to all those living in darkness. Most of us can attest to the fact that we are not always "full" of light. Sometimes our lights are shining more brightly than other times. The moon's message,then, is that it is okay to not always be "full". We have times when we are shining brightly, and times when we are not so bright. But even the smallest light is light for someone in darkness. Tonight's full moon encourages us to see ourselves in the fullness of the light we are reflecting. What is it that we need to shine the light on?

 What things have been hiding out in the dark, waiting to be revealed?

We all have dreams, aspirations, goals, intentions, and wishes. Sometimes the fantasies within our heart never come out of the closet. Tonight is a perfect night to dust off those dreams and bring them out into the open!! The difference between a person who daydreams and a person who puts feet on their dreams and goes after them is just movement!

Here are a few suggestions for making the best use of the power of the full moon.

1. Fill a bowl with water. Send your intentions through the power of thought into the bowl of water. Then drink the water! As you drink the water, say, "I now receive within myself the power to bring my intentions to pass." You can always request the help of a Higher Power, of course.

2. Write a goal or a dream onto a piece of paper. Put on some happy tunes and dance around, carrying the piece of paper with you as you dance! If you really want to intensify your intention, dance around in a circle clockwise nine times! Nine in Numerology is the number of completion, and is the sum of three times three. Three is the number of manifestation. (Don't be embarrassed!! You have a right to celebrate in any way that makes you happy and feeds your soul!)

3. Do you need more money? Do the aforementioned ritual, only take your wallet or your checkbook and dance around it! Do you need a soul mate? Draw a heart on a piece of paper, or find something that is symbolic to you of love, and dance around it, calling love into your life. Whatever it is that you would like to bring into your life, find something that is symbolic of that, put it in the middle of the floor, or the ground, wherever you are, and dance around it! Say out loud or shout or sing.." I  now welcome...... into my life! It is complete!"

4. Take a symbol of what you would like to manifest, or take the piece of paper with your intention, and plant it in a pot of dirt with a flower or plant of some kind. Every time you water the plant, say, I now send love and Spirit  into my intention and as the plant grows, so grows my dream. Make sure you do not forget to water the plant and make sure it is getting plenty of light. And thank the plant for assisting you in manifesting an intention. If you are familiar with the ancient art of feng shui, put the plant in the section of your home or property which represents the area of your life you want to grow!

There are many ways to ask for the power of Spirit and the full moon to aid you in manifesting your dreams! If you are happy with your life and really can't think of anything you would like more of, then you are truly blessed! Use the time of the full moon to be grateful for all your blessings! (those of us who are still manifesting dreams would do well to do this as well!) Remember that gratitude is the water that nourishes our dreams as they grow! Being grateful for all the blessings in our lives is one of the ways we raise our own personal energy field so that our souls are receptive to even more blessings! What we focus on grows!

Remember to send love and gratitude to everyone and everything that touches your life! Even the challenges come with blessings in their pockets! Look for the reasons to celebrate and you will find more and more of them hiding in your closet, waiting to come out to the fullness of your life!

Not the End of the Story

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the Unicorn Writers Conference in Portland, Connecticut with my good friend Hali.

 I recently finished writing my second book, (or at least I thought I was done writing it) and was looking for my step in the process. The conference was held at San Clements Castle, a magnificent estate, filled with all kinds of picturesque views and fun statues.

At one point in the day, I decided to take a break from the back to back workshops and go outside (it was relatively pleasant that day) to take a breather and connect with the energy of the castle. The message that I received was a great message and I thought that others might benefit from the words of wisdom from my guides.

Let me preface the message with a little background of my life of late.

I get up at 5am Monday through Friday and go to work at the Post Office. After work, I see clients, I write weddings, sometimes (not as much lately with the increase of clients and classes) I post a blog. As you know I have been working on my second book. I have been teaching several classes at two different locations. Oh yes. And I join couples in marriage. The weekend before this past one I went to the beach to participate in a full moon ceremony.

This past weekend it was a weekend writers conference.

So I sat down on one of the concrete walls to breathe and look around at the beauty of the castle. The air was brisk, but invigorating. The sun warmed my face as I took a deep breath and felt the energy of the castle.

"You know,Joy,"  my Guide began, "this castle was not created to be an event location. Even though it is functioning very well in its current capacity, this was not the original intention of the first owners of this land."

Well, yes, I imagine this is true.

"Sometimes, our original intentions do not turn out to be the end result."

This reminds me of one of the philosophies I learned in  my study of shamanism. Don't be attached to having your plans turn out only one way. If you think that the things you are manifesting can only be realized in one way, then you will find yourself stuck.

 Be willing to surrender your plans to Spirit and allow your vision to be manifested in the best possible way for the good of all concerned.

In my thoughts about the castle, I thought about the original owners of the castle and what visions they must have seen for it when they first decided to build it. I wonder if they realized those visions in their lifetime. Over the years, I wonder how many different things the castle might have been used for. I really didn't do my homework and so didn't know much about the history of the castle: how old it was, who were the original owners, how many times it had changed hands, what different events may have occurred here. But I felt that the Spirit of the castle was content with its present duties as an event location. Many weddings occur here. I am sure there are a multitude of various events that the walls of the castle are privy to. My feeling was that the castle was happy with its present state of affairs. (yes, you skeptics, a castle can be happy.)

Since I began writing my second book, a memoir of my spiritual path and how I got from my "previous" life as a born again Christian to my current life as an intuitive, medium, shamanic practitioner, and sometime animal communicator, the message that life does not turn out exactly the way we plan really hits home. No this was not my original intention. My thoughts or expectations of my weekend at the conference did not pan out exactly as I had envisioned.  But I  have to say that Spirit always knows best. Our best laid out plans cannot hold a candle to all the wonderful things that Spirit and perhaps even our own Highest Self envisions for us.

The other "sub" message that Spirit told me was that it was okay to take breaks. I have a tendency to "make hay while the sun is shining." In other words, work work work as long as the opportunity is there. However, at this moment, as I had ditched a workshop to sit out in the sun in this very captivating courtyard, I knew that we all need times when we just breathe.

 We all need to get away from the hustle and bustle of our lives and sit and look at a water fountain, whether any water is coming out of it or not, or perhaps just sit and gaze at a candle, watch a sunset, or sit with the moon. Spirit said to me as I recited aforementioned saying,

"What, do you think the sun is going to stop shining?"

That's very true! If we have the attitude, "make hay while the sun is shining," then subconsciously we are afraid the sun is going to stop shining. The opportunities are going to mysteriously stop coming our way, Spirit is going to go on vacation and leave us hanging, so we better have some sort of back up plan.

Just for today, think about your goals or your visions of your life. Is your life turning out exactly the way you planned or have there been some detours? Has there been some rerouting? I like another saying that goes something like this,

 "life is what happens while we are busy making other plans."

As we head into the new moon on Sunday, let us think about surrendering all of our best laid out plans to Spirit and to our Highest Self. Let us lay aside any expectations that our life or our plans have to turn out in any specific way. Let us be open to surprises. Let us be open to detours. Let us be open to the notion that the there may just be a surprise ending to our story.

Remember this.

Everything always turns out okay in the end. And if isn't okay, it isn't the end.