This past Friday Lysh with Love, had the blessing to be able to participate in an event in Cardiff, UK through Lubella’s Spiritual development. The event that we did was a free workshop for the homeless and those who are working to overcome addictions as well. It was such an amazing experience to be able to meet people in a different country that normally I wouldn’t have been able to. In preparing for the session done in St. Peter’s there, I was reminded by my mentor and Grandmother that Love is always the answer. No matter what situation we are facing at the moment, changing our point of view, and working with a heart full of love, or looking at those things through our “rose-colored glasses” or love shades, it may not change the situation, but it will change us, and how we handle it.
I came across some phrases in my readings as I prepared. Of the books I was drawn to, Max Lucado, Shakespeare, and Patricia Lafayllve were the authors I was attracted to for this. I come from Christian roots, and am Christian myself, but I am married to an amazing man whom is Norse pagan, through this, and my love of anthropology and art history, I have come to the understanding that to help others coming to a deeper knowledge of other cultures and other beliefs is something that is immensely important, particularly for those like myself who work with healing arts, or within the spiritual community.
No matter what culture of belief system we come from, love speaks volumes to all of us. I found a very cool passage in “A Practical Heathen’s Guide to Asatru” written by Patricia M. Lafayllve I found the rituals about Time. I will put what I found here in a second, but I was really impressed that finding the right time, and the love for accepting ourselves, how we feel, and how we react to those things that seem to continually be a block in our lives to overcoming the road blocks to healing, abundance (of anything), self esteem, and spirituality. Here is what the book states: “ 1. Trace an action in your past to its impact on your present, this can be a positive or negative act; it is your choice. I recommend beginning with something positive because it will be less fraught with emotions than a negative action. Write the action down. Give it all the detail you can recall – the act itself, what brought the action about, how you felt and perceived the action, and what consequences came from it. Now look to your present. How did that action change you? What are you, now, that you were not before the action happened? 2. Now, take a look at your present situation. Again, be as detailed as possible. Include your mood in the moment, specifics about your work, vocation, living situation, spirituality, and health. Choose one of these items consider it in terms of your future. How is your present moment impacting your future choices? Keep your future choices as broad as possible, but notice the limitations your present is also placing on your future. As a simplistic example, perhaps you have a cold right now. You feel awful – you’re sneezing, coughing, nauseous, what have you? Write all of the symptoms down on your paper. What are some of the future actions you may take based on the present situation of having a cold? Buying tissues, clear liquids, and chicken soup involves a trip to the grocery store – that is one potential future. You can stay home and wait it out – that is a second potential future. However, going to work tomorrow may not be a potential future at all, if you are sick enough. Going skydiving may also be out, eliminating another, perhaps more extreme future. Look at what is possible, and what is not. The possibilities are not endless, but they can provide a sense of what the future is going to be.”
As I began thinking about diving deep for healing with this community work, I realized that belief system, within them selves, and out side of themselves is going to be the biggest thing that may start a chain reaction to helping them, and anyone really see a “light at the end of a tunnel” I happened to pick up one of my favorite books, “His name is Jesus the promise of God’s love fulfilled” by Max Lucado there is a wonderful statement in it, that has become one of my go to thoughts when difficult things happen to me or those I love, “We forget that impossible is one of God’s favorite words.” Counting the amount of times in my own life things looked “impossible” and have worked out in ways I would have never thought of myself, I would be counting a very, very long time. How about you? Can you think of times that you have seen nothing but road blocks in front of you in your past? What happened to change that block for you? Would you have ever seen the outcome the occurred in that situation?
Love goes the distance! Do you believe this phrase? Can you fathom for a second the fact that this statement as something that would apply to yourself. Many of us believe that phrase when it comes to this for others, and the love that we show them, rarely however do we believe this when it comes to ourselves. Learning to truly care for oneself, and to love, and take time for self-care practices not only is good for us, but also enables us to care and love others in our lives to a greater degree. The more we understand love, the better we can give it. Showing ourselves the opportunity to accept love for ourselves, also it allows us to really do soul searching to find out who we are. William Shakespeare stated “O that you were yourself! but, love, you are…” at the beginning of one of his sonnets. Can you say you live as yourself, with love, and integrity? If we don’t know who we are, and what we want to stand for, it is hard to try to live this way. Where in your own life do you see that you can make a change now to make a difference in your opinion and belief in your self?
I have been doing some exercises with many who struggle with addiction and limited belief systems. The Muladhara (root) chakra, and Svadhisthana (sacral chakra) are where we begin in the chakra system. The root chakra is the foundation of our chakra’s, this gives either a strong or weak base to our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well being. Here we use mantra’s and affirmations that begin with “I am” and the color red. For the Sacral chakra, we find this is our emotional center, we use the mantra’s and affirmations that begin with “I feel” and the color orange. Working with the first two chakras helps to build our self-esteem and self-confidence, and to begin to work through those issues that may be stopping us from emotionally processing those things as well.
To start, getting your energy to flow is important. Using several of the techniques that I teach, try these exercises to get your energy flowing, clear, ground, focus on your chakras, and to protect as well.
1 – Open your energy flow, tap the crown of your head around in a circle, clock wise, 7 times with your fingers. There is no need to do this hard, it is to activate the meridians and get energy to “awaken” for the work ahead. Next tap from the top of your “feeling center” as I call it, which I learned from my Grandmother. Where your collar bones meet, where the dip is, begin just below that and tap all the way down your sternum (chest bone) to the base, and then back up again. One time down, and one time up is one full count. Do this 4 times. Then to aid in the release to come later, tap front to back under your arm pits, where the ribs are, 4 times front to back… all the way to the shoulder blades. Take a moment to then open the energy going to your fingers and toes. “Pinch” but not hard, just to apply pressure for about 3-4 seconds to each finger and thumb, and then to your toes as well. If you still feel like your energy is not moving or is being stagnant, brushing your body, or tapping where ever you feel this lack of movement or flow will help to get it all moving for you.
2- Clearing, I want you to sit and picture a bright white light, one that is opaque, and glittering with brilliance. This light comes from above, the heavens, for me because I am Christian I use God as my reference here, please feel free to substitute any belief system that works for you however when you see me refer to my own personal belief system. This light comes from God, and extends to your crown, and slowly will push any and all colors or negativity from your being as you have it extend down inside and outside of your person, filling yourself with a bright, peaceful, pure light. Focus and push all other things that may come to mind as you do this exercise. Focus your thoughts, and your breathing as well. Work to relax your body as the light reaches each area of your body crown to toes. With your breathing, do it with intention. Breath in positive, all those things that you want in your life, all those things you need to change where you are at in that moment, bring in peace, joy, energy, love, light, self-love, self-confidence, feel free to break this down into specifics how ever you may need. As you exhale, use a fire breath, this is where you breath out like you are blowing hot soup, or fire. Breath out all negative that may be effecting your life in any way, negative beliefs, negative emotions, negative relationships, anything at all that may be causing a block for you. As you breath and relax, allow the white light to filter throughout you, and surround you. any colors, or darkness (this doesn’t mean anything bad) to flow from your fingers and toes, flowing down to mother earth to be healed and become a wonderful part of our earth and its amazing growth. When white is flowing through you, allow that to also filter through your finders and toes, down to mother earth offering it that beautiful light as well.
3- Grounding: Now that you should be relaxed and feeling clear, from the crown of your head, picture a silver cord, similar to a rope, for those whom have seen the movie “stardust” I picture this cord as the one from it that can attach and separate with out seams, and reattach the same way that is attached to the princess in that movie. For those who may not have seen it, I hope that description works for you. Take this cord from your crown, and run it up to the same source as the light came down to you in the clearing exercise, again for me, this is to God. I take that cord to him, and wrapping it around his extended hand 7 times, and watch him close it in his hand, knowing that he will not let go, ever, it is safe and secure in his care. Through this cord I also know that the same pure, cleansing, calming light is ever flowing through it, always bringing that energy to you with a never ending flow. After it has been wrapped around his hand, come back to yourself, now run that same cord down through your crown, down through all 7 chakras, Sahasrara (crown), Anja (third eye), Vishuddha (throat), Anahata (heart), Manipura (Solar Plexus), Svadhisthana (Sacral), & Muladhara (Root); these go along your entire spine from crown to end of your tail bone, allowing the cord to separate and extend down both legs, out the soles of both feet, allowing it to reattach seamlessly, and reach towards the core of the earth. At the core of the earth, wrap the cord around it 7 times again, and when done allow it to seamlessly come together once again. Continue to do your breathing and relaxing just as you did with the clearing exercise above. Sealing the end of the cord, has left it anchored to the core, and leaving the beginning of the cord, wrapped around God’s hand allows that light to be ever flowing through you, never ending, always offering you peace.
4- Chakra clearing and balancing: Muladhara (root) chakra work. The same way you brought the white light through, we are going to bring in a red light that helps to balance the root chakra. I want you to picture this red, a beautiful, penetrating, glowing red. As this red comes through your body, it will begin at the crown, and move throughout your being, also flowing from your finger tips and toes as the light did before. Once it is through fully, concentrate on the root chakra, located at the base of the coccyx (tail bone). I choose to describe this to my clients as a CD or DVD laying on a table. This disc represents our chakra… which actually means “wheel of light” in Sanskrit. Bring the red light to the chakra and allow it to fill it, and allow it to glow, balancing and clearing it. As you do this use the affirmation “I love being in my body. I am centered and grounded. I am at peace with the material world in which I live. I am aware of myself, and what I want to become. I am full of love for myself and others.” Allow this beautiful red light and energy to course through you. Focus on the way it makes you feel. Svadhisthana (sacral) chakra work. Next bring the color orange throughout your body, starting at the crown and going down through all chakras, and out the fingers and toes the same way as you did with the red light for the root chakra. Again keep breathing, this time changing it to what is called “active breathing” this technique is used for many reasons, but mostly for stress and anxiety relief, but it has many other benefits. Practicing this 20 min. a day (not all at once) helps with blood pressure, heart rate, metabolism, and assists in mindfulness. With active breathing, put your hand on your diaphragm, which is below your sternum, but above your stomach ( about where the solar plexus is located) take a deep breath, as you do your diaphragm will fill, causing your hand to rise (not your shoulders as it is typically as we breathe) as you exhale, your diaphragm will fall, causing your hand to fall as well. Still use the process of breathing in good, and breathing out bad, just eliminate the fire breathing this time. When you have finished pulling the color throughout your being, bring it back to your sacral chakra, which is located above your pubic bone, but below your belly button. At the chakra, have the orange emanate and glow with the beautiful color. As this happens to glow and travel through you, use the affirmation “I feel loved, I feel safe, I am aware of my feelings, and the reactions they cause through out my being. I accept, and feel comforted by the awareness of my feelings. I give my self the chance to grow and progress through the bonds that may have held me back due to my emotions in the past.” Allow this light to continue coursing through you until you feel finished. Evaluate how you are feeling at this moment.
5- Protect: Archangel Michael is one whom I go to for protection, and healing. He allows us this through a beautiful royal blue, or royal purple light. As the exercises before, bring this light from above, through your crown, and all the way through your being, and down to mother earth. Also wrap yourself in its protection, like stepping into a bubble colored with the same beautiful, opaque light. doing some deep breathing, and know, nothing, absolutely nothing can come into this circle except for what you choose to allow in. This protection is available to you at any time that you feel you need it. For myself the only thing I allow in it at all times is the grounding cord and the energy that comes through it. This of course is your choice to do or not.
As a little bonus, I wanted to get back to Love… Love is a beautiful way to deal with all of the stressors that may come at us that we may not understand or that may cause anxiety or other issues for us. My Grams again taught me to use the bubbles that I mentioned in the 5th step for protect, but with the pink light of love. I use these not only around myself in these situations, but also to send to people, places, things, and situations that cause those things to be set off in myself. This love is sent not to change the other things or people, but to help me to begin to deal with them and see them differently. Practice sending this love whenever you feel you need it. If you feel as if it is a situation or person you can’t send that love to yourself, ask your guides or angels to do it for you. The more that you practice this, the easier not only all of these exercises will become, but the situations, and people that you deal with that are difficult will become far easier as well.
Love is the answer, it is the most healing power we ourselves have to use for others and us as well. Choosing to love, and accept ourselves and others for where we are all at in this very moment, is so important. Love yourself, Love others, Love who you are and who you are working so hard to become. YOU are a beautiful person, right now, in this very moment. I love YOU and I am grateful you are here, and working so hard on yourself. I am proud of you and I hope you choose to be proud of yourself as well.
Lysh with Love 