Do kitties go to Heaven?

I remember my first pet, a cat named Pompon, who got in a fight and received a terrible wound on his back.  One day, he "mysteriously disappeared" when my father and grandfather had promised to bring him to the vet to get healed.  He ran away as soon as they opened the car door, so the story goes.  I was completely devastated and started questioning my mother on "what happens when kitties die".  I have never been satisfied with the answer - they just die.  They have no soul, and they don't go to heaven.  Heaven is for humans only.  Whew! That was a lot of disappointment for a 5-year-old!

Now that I am open to the Spirit world, I am so happy to have discovered that I don't have to hold on to that belief anymore.  My initial hunch that there is a continuation of spiritual life for animals has been validated for me, more than once.

The first time I had a visit from an animal who crossed over was about five years ago.  One of my cats had died from a painful illness.  Two days after her death, as I was lying in bed, I felt a cat jump on the bed and pawing down the cover just like she used to do.  I felt very heavy in my body, yet I remember sitting up from my body and shaking my husband to wake him up, showing him who was coming for a visit.  (He did not wake from my "spiritual" touch)  ;)  I turned back to Griselie, my spirit form petting her spirit form, clearly hearing her purring and feeling her pawing.  She felt so heavy, as if she had not rested and energetically recuperated enough from her illness, and I was puzzled at how she could come visit so soon after her crossing.  It felt like she didn't have a lot of time, almost as if she had "run away" from her resting place to deliver a message.  She looked at me straight in the eye and started reciting a prayer...  I prayed with her.  Then she turned around, jumped off the bed and disappeared.  I laid back down in my body.  It was an amazing, peaceful and loving experience -- but was it just a dream?

An other memorable cat visit was that of a friend's.  This cat had been ill, and my friend had been quite worried.  On the Saturday night, I wake up hearing a cat's purr in my ears, but an unfamiliar rhythm and voice.  I open my eyes to see a cat I had never seen before, looking straight in my eyes.  She told me to tell my friend how much she loved her, and that she was grateful for a good life with her.  Incredulous, I asked her to repeat the message, which she did word for word.  When I accepted to pass along the message, she jumped off the bed and disappeared.  On the Monday morning, my friend comes to work with red eyes, telling me that she had to euthanize her cat over the weekend.  I told her about my "dream" and the message for her, hoping to bring her some comfort.  She showed me a picture of her cat (which I had never seen before) - it was the same cat which had visited me!

This was more than a coincidence, and I really started to believe.

Since then, I consciously communicate with animals, seeking to commune with their spirit selves in addition to their physical selves.  I've shared many spiritual experiences with my cats, my puppy, the birds in my backyard and countless "wildlife".  Animals do come as healing guides for a few of my clients, either as animal totems or to comfort those who have loved a pet who has crossed over.  Pets to whom I give Reiki treatments respond very well to this healing energy, and communicate messages about their health and how to make it better.   I've helped a dog heal from a torn ligament in his hind leg, a cat heal an injured front paw, a wild bird find her way out of a building. I've helped reduce a puppy's anxiety after her adoption, and I've helped other pets cross over with love and dignity.

Animal Reiki is certainly a healing practice I will continue to develop.  I find it very soothing, rewarding and I believe it really helps "share the Love".

...and with my spiritual experiences, I can now tell my son that if kitties and puppies don't go to Heaven, maybe they go to an even better place where they continue to love us, pray for us, guide us and care for our well-being.  After all, in the spirit world, we are all balls of Light - people, animals and plants - and pets are part of our spiritual family.  We will all be reunited when we return to the Light, and in the meantime we can open our hearts and minds to the visits and messages they have for us from the other side of the veil.

Of death, dying, and living again

Today I closed my eyes and let my fingers pick a book for me, with the intention of receiving a "message".  The book was Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose by Sonia Choquette.  I closed my eyes again and asked to find a page with a special meaning for me, a next step I must take on this journey especially as I transition to a full-time Light Worker role.

My message?  Soul Lesson:  to accept death.  Soul Purpose:  to live without fear...

The suggested actions:

• to discuss with others the cycles of my life that are coming to an end, and the new ones beginning and the good they bring
• to talk openly about death, reincarnation, my own past lives and that of others
• to share positive death or near-death experiences I've had
• to pray that the veil between this plane and the next keeps thinning to reveal to me my own immortal nature

Could it be any more accurate for me at this time?  I do admit I am very afraid of this transition from a work with a very good and steady paycheque to work done out of Love and passion, but with unknown revenue...  Yet my soul is so happy and dances joyfully, and my creativity for my new projects (and there are many!) is just soaring!  

I've been feeling, especially since last January, that a huge cycle was finishing for me - even before my head had decided to take the plunge and make the shift.  During many Reiki sessions (where I was the client) I felt that my body was lying in a coffin, yet it wasn't a sad death and didn't feel like an impeding physical death.  It really felt like a part of me was dying.  I felt completely surrounding with Love and by various entities working on my etheric body - reprogramming, reenergizing, rewiring...  so that finally my higher soul felt better connected to the current physical manifestation of myself and started integrating this body more fully.

The ego, however, is used to vibrating at the speed of fear, anger and frustration.  It does not know what to do with the higher vibrations of Love and Joy.  It feels its control slipping away.  It feels its familiar surroundings dissipating and the big protective boundaries dismantling.  It is a challenging time!  What I am learning through all this, is increased love and compassion for myself.  It doesn't work to say, "bad ego!  Just let go and let my spirit soar!" -- because then I am reacting to the fear by using the same vibrational level which just enhances and feeds it.  Although more difficult, what works best is to talk to myself gently, and say "Dear ego, I understand now what all those protective barriers have been erected in my past.  You did a great job protecting me when I was more vulnerable with your great capacity of flight or fight.  But now, I am stronger.  I am wiser.  I know I am surrounded with Love and loving beings.  I am sending infinite and unconditional Love to you.  I am feeling the fear, and I am thankful for it, for it reminds how great is the leap of faith I am taking.  And from now on, we have to work as partners to build the new me, ready to soar to greater heights.  You are an integral part of me, and I am not letting you go; just switching the level we operate at, OK?"

...and slowly, very slowly, I am building a new relationship with myself.  I believe more and more that I am not alone but surrounded by loving beings in this plane and the unseen ones.  I call upon my guides and angels to guide me in this journey, and I call upon earlier incarnations of myself that may have strengths I can draw upon in this current manifestation.

These small deaths to the self can be quite a roller-coaster ride, but there is so much to learn, and such joy in living again - more fully, more aware, more wise.  

Here's a song I find myself humming frequently lately - I can't find the English version but this version is one I fondly remember from my childhood.  My parents had sung this beautifully at one of the first funerals I ever attended.  It's based on Jesus' last words on the cross "In your hands Lord, I commit my spirit" and tells that if the grain of wheat doesn't die to itself in the earth, it will not grow and bear fruit.  

Entre tes mains je remets Seigneur mon esprit, by John Littleton.

In this time of transition, felt on a planetary scale, I wish you all happy and joyful small deaths to yourselves, so that you may find peace, grow wiser and bear fruit with the joyful expression of the talents you have been gifted.

The Heart of the Matter...

In the heart of matters, it's the heart that matters more...  (Counting Crows, Omaha)

It's hot and muggy in the jungle, the humidity making the air almost unbearable and weighing down every effort.  I push myself forward, exploring here, exploring there trying to ignore the tightening of the muscles and the nausea which seems to never go away.  It's almost impossible to take a deep breath.  The sporadic wind reaching me in gusts is cooling, yet accentuates my discomfort.

With the machete, I cut left, then right, then left again...  thinning down the vegetation around me.  I pull out weeds.  I clean, I clear.  I start over again.  I dig, I pull, I push, I uproot.  I rest, I transmute.  Have I gone anywhere?  Have I done anything that matters?  Overwhelmed.

I am in the central part.  I realize I was avoiding this centre.  I realize I was multiplying efforts elsewhere so I wouldn't have to look here.  I used many strategies to avoid, distract, cover up.  And suddenly, I see it face to face.  There is no running away.  This weed had a deep taproot.  I had chopped its leaves, cut the stem, dug around, yet it was there.  So deep.  So well covered over the years.

As I gaze in the hole left by the removal of this taproot, I see it, clear as day.  The little seed that grew into the big weed that spread everywhere and brought havoc to the most unlikely places.  "Lack of self-love" is its name.  I see you now.  I've named you. I claim you.  Your power over me is gone.  I ask all my divine helpers to help me clear and transmute this seed into unconditional love - for myself, and for others.  May it bloom instead in a magnificent cherry tree, whose blossoms grace all senses and bring joy to the world.

I feel Love showering down upon me.  Refreshing.  Revitalizing.  Soothing.  Calming.  I look again in the hole and see a precious stone.  A garnet?  A ruby?  A gift for my Inner Child who is finally feeling the Love and acceptance for exactly who she is, quirks and all.

I affirm: "I am loved.  I feel loved.  I am worthy of love.  I love myself unconditionally."

Turning point in the Journey.

Upcoming workshop: Empower Your Words, Empower Yourself!

It is my pleasure to invite you to my workshop "Empower Your Words, Empower Yourself".  It will be held on Thursday, September 27th at 6:30PM (please arrive by 6:15PM), at the NavCentre in Cornwall, Ontario.  It is a wonderful facility, right next to my favourite river - the beautiful and majestic St-Lawrence.  If you come from out-of-town, the NavCentre does offer room and board (and now has a beautiful spa, too!).  

In this workshop, you will be guided to look at how you tell your life story and how you speak to yourself.  We will journey to discover if there's a hidden gift in your situation, or what could be the trigger to shift a negative mindset to a positive one.  You will then be asked to re-write your life story with a fresh perspective, and ceremonially release the old perception.

This 3-hour workshop will give you a great starting point to examine and reconsider your life story.  I can help you go deeper into your situation to clear energetic blocks and shift mental patterns during individual sessions.  Contact me to book your appointment.

Tickets are $30 in advance, and $35 at the door.  Space is limited, book your spot today!

Contact me if you would like to offer this workshop in your area.  Workshops can be customized for your community group or corporate office. 

I am looking forward to working with you and helping create a better collective "us", one story at a time.  Blessings of Love and Light to all.

Introducing my new brochure!

Brochure - outside page

Brochure - inside page

Aromatherapy for the Throat Chakra

For me, the best scents and essential oils to be used to balance the Throat Chakra are those that help clear the throat and soothe away stress and tension.  Have you ever noticed how stress brings tension in your neck and shoulders?  That tension does have an impact on how you express yourself lovingly - and can be the result of you not expressing your true feelings, your insights, needs or boundaries in a clear fashion.

Take a bath or make a steam inhalation with the following oils (not all of them at once; it can be overstimulating).  ;)

• Lavender is very safe to use at all ages, and directly on the skin.  Use 5-10 drops in your bath, a few drops on your pillow, or a drop in the soft spot of your throat, and one in your navel.  It calms the nervous system and helps relieve stress.
• Roman Chamomile is very calming - so much so that it is not recommended to use in the morning or before driving.  Make a tea and drink before bedtime, or mix 2 drops of essential oils with a few drops of carrier oil (almond or sesame), and dab behind your ears or on your temples to relieve tension headaches and stress.
• Peppermint is very good to clear the throat, especially if you feel clogged up with mucus.  It is purifying and increases the amount of prana taken from the air.
• Eucalyptus is very cleansing and acts as a tonic - but it a very strong essential oil and not recommended to be used directly on the skin.  I nonetheless often add a few drops to my bath water, or use an aromajar/burner beside my bath to breathe in the scent of eucalyptus.  I often mix eucalyptus with peppermint to use as a tonic, and when I know a client has a cold, sinus infection, ear ache or needs a boost to balance and tone the Throat Chakra.
• Marjoram is used in massage to relieve muscle tension.  Mix a few drops of marjoram with carrier oil, and massage your shoulders and neck.  Remember to breathe calmly and deeply as you inhale the scent.

Crystal Work for the Throat Chakra

Here's a short list of crystals that can help you balance your Throat Chakra.  Notice that most of these are blue, in the hue of the Chakra.

• Blue Topaz:  can assist you for deeper spiritual work, sacred singing or oral presentations.  Blue Topaz directs energy and helps align your body's meridians.
• Yellow Topaz: helps strengthen the nervous system and bring hypothyroidism into balance.
• Sapphire: calms an overactive Throat Chakra when worn as jewelry around the neck.  Make a gem elixir with a sapphire, and drink it slowly.  Add a few rose quartz to the gem elixir to enhance the energy of Love and Compassion to this Chakra.
• Turquoise: helps enhance the clarity of your intentions and offers protection.  It is said also to protect against and neutralize radiation.
• Chrysocolla: dispels fears that may prevent you from expressing your Truth in a loving way.  It helps align and balance all chakras, using the Throat Chakra as the bridge between the higher and lower chakras. 

Before using the crystals for healing work, remember to cleanse and bless the crystals.  There are many ceremonies for this, some more complex than others; some requiring sea salt, incense, or moonlight.  Do what intuitively feels right for you.  I like to hold the crystal in the palm of my left hand as I close my eyes and ask it if it wants to work with me for (and I name my healing intention).  I still my mind and listen to the cues in my body and sixth senses.  I typically feel a loving pulse coming from the crystal when it is willing and ready to work with me.  Only once have I felt a strong stabbing in the palm of my hand.  It hurt so much that I almost dropped the crystal.  I hope I remembered to thank it anyway for communicating with me before I placed it back on its shelf.

Remember to thank and bless the crystal when you are finished working with it.  Again, you can run it through incense smoke, place it in a small bowl of sea salt or on a shelf where moonlight will reach it.