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.