Aromatherapy for the Heart Chakra

As I have previously written, our sense of smell is amazing for transporting us to different times and places.  It can trigger emotional and physical responses.  It can trigger fear and anger if we smell something that reminds us of a past hurt or trauma.  But scents can also help us release stress and anxiety and transport our brain and its wonderful chemistry to a place of peace, Love and harmony.

The Heart Chakra resonates with the sacred Element of Air.  Because scents are often carried to our nose through air particles, working with various aromas is well indicated when we choose to open and heal this chakra.  The sense of smell and the respiratory system are closely linked to the Heart Chakra.  Each breath you take carries oxygen to your body.  Every breath you take moves your lungs; imagine this movement cradling and massaging your heart.  Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation as you focus on your breathing.

This week, be very mindful of the scents around you.  Become conscious how each scent makes you feel.  Are you welcoming the various scents as they talk to your subconscious?  Are the scents in your home contributing to that “homey feeling” you enjoy?  Are you closed to all external scents or overly sensitive to aromas, and is your body triggered with certain scents?  Do you take a deep breath or do you choke up?  Be conscious and mindful; ask your body, your mind and your heart what message is behind each feeling or reaction triggered.

Here are some of my favourite aromas for the Heart Chakra.

Rose:  For thousands of years, the scent of rose has been linked with the feeling of unconditional love.  It helps us reconnect with our divine essence.  It can assist in healing a broken heart and in calling in new love into one’s life.  It is very soothing and can alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety.  I find that Rose connects me to the higher realms and to spiritual guides, including saints - like Thérèse de Lisieux - and Mother Mary.

Chamomile:  This herbal and sweet scent is very soothing and calming.  Chamomile is said to stabilize the emotions and can help release toxic emotions such as anger and resentment; emotions that can weigh heavily on the heart.  Inhale deeply as you curl up with a good cup of chamomile tea!

Jasmine:  The scent of jasmine is very uplifting.  It makes my heart smile as it transports me to a more tropical paradise, and in that sense it helps me combat winter depression.

Strawberry:  Now this is a fun-loving, nurturing scent that always brings me back to lush summer days of my childhood.  I enjoy using strawberry when I work in inner child issues, because it makes me feel safe, protected and joyful.  It’s always easier to find inner peace, joy and forgiveness when we feel safe and loved!

How to use these scents:

Enjoy any one of these scents on their own, or combine them to make you own unique Heart Chakra blend.  When I was working in an office environment, I placed a tissue in a 1 ounce plastic container.  I placed a few drops of essential oils on the tissue and put the lid on the container.  A few times a day, I would take the lid off and breathe in deeply the aromas; it helped me work on my chakras (during my breaks) while not imposing scents on my coworkers.

At home, place a few drops of your favourite scent in a candle warmer or diffuser.  I always fill the top of the candle warmer with water so that the scents can evaporate on top of the water without splattering oil everywhere.  Scented candles and incense are also a wonderful way to fill your space with healing aromas.

An other great way to enjoy these soothing aromas is by soaking in them.  For the Heart Chakra, I recommend using 1 cup of pink Himalayan salt, 2 tbsp baking soda, 1 tbsp almond or coconut oil, 1 tbsp honey, and 10-20 drops of your favourite scent.  Dilute in a very warm bath and soak for at least 20 minutes.  Focus on your breathing, and imagine the healing properties of the plants entering your body through your nose while old energies leave your body with your exhale.  At the end of your soak, pat dry your body to keep some of the scent of your skin, and rest.

Have issues come up this month pertaining to your Heart Chakra?  I can help you work through them by helping you connect to your inner wisdom.  My sessions are intuitive as I tap into what your soul wants you to know.  I connect to higher realms using Reiki, an energy that can help shift and deeply transform how you feel.  Click here to book an appointment.

Surrounding you in Love & Light.

Favourite crystals for the Heart Chakra

I have always been fascinated with rocks and crystals.  When I was a child, I loved spending time just looking at rocks, their colours, and their sparkle.  You could find me playing in the rocks at recess, on the beach and during walks.  I had my own little collection of rocks…  until I was told they were “just rocks” and it was silly to keep them and I had to throw them away.  That felt very sad on so many levels.  It was not just the fact that my rocks were judged at worthless, I felt that I was judged too, because something that I really enjoyed was being greatly devalued.

That negative programming around rocks stayed with me for a very long time, and I am now healing that hurt.  I’m still a little afraid of being judged when I talk of crystals and of the joy they can bring, but I can breathe through that fear now.  I can now affirm that I love working with crystals, and I love their energy!

One of the most fascinating experiences I’ve had with crystals was during my visit to The Casa de Dom Inacio - John of God - in Brazil.  The Casa is located in a mountain range south of Brasilia.  These mountains are filled with crystals, and the energy can be overwhelming.  In meditation, so many hurts and emotions were coming to the surface for clearing.  I felt torn apart and rewired at the same time.  And the weirdest thing is that I could sense all the crystals below me in the ground.  I felt such a huge need for these crystals and the healing energy they radiated that I wanted to roll in them (like that scene in “Chocolat” where the mayor is rolling in chocolate), and I wanted to hold them so close to me.  I visited the crystal shop and found a few favourite crystals that truly resonated with my heart chakra, and I held them in my hands during meditation for the rest of my 2 weeks in Brazil.  I’m sure similar crystals can help heal and tone your heart chakra as well.

• Rose Quartz.  My all-around favourite.  Its energy is gentle yet strong.  It helps us align with the energies of compassion and unconditional Love.  It gently removes blocks to self-love and helps us take down that wall around our heart.  It moves slowly but surely, in the most nurturing way.  I keep a few Rose Quartz pieces around my home and office, and I regularly wear a Rose Quartz pendant on a chain just long enough that the point of the pendant is on my heart.  I have a few of these pendants for sale at the office.
• Amethyst.  The deep purple of amethyst is soothing in many ways.  Purple is a very spiritual colour that helps us align with higher frequencies and divine love.  Often times, hearts can feel heavy with sadness, shame, guilt and anxiety.  These are emotional and mental patterns that can be changed, and amethyst can assist this transformation process.  Amethyst can be used in meditation to help purify your energy and your thoughts.  It can be used to call in angelic or divine help, and you can work with amethyst to help transmute old patterns into a pattern of higher energy or frequency; one that is more loving and nurturing.
• Green Aventurine.  This crystal is calming and balancing.  It is wonderful to keep in a pocket as a touch-stone during the day: any time you feel a rise in anxiety or negative self-talk, touch the stone and allow the feeling of the smooth stone tell your body to tell your mind to tell your emotions to calm down and breathe…  and with your exhale, focus on releasing the tension.  Working with touch-stones such as Green Aventurine can help us remain focused, clear and balanced.  

(Need I remind you that working with crystals does not replace professional counselling?).

A selection of crystals available at my healing centre.  I just love the deep purple of the amethysts!

As you reflect upon your Heart Chakra this week, remember an activity you loved to do as a child.  Find a way to bring that joy back in your life today.  If you were like me and loved collecting rocks, then stop by my shop and we can “play” with the crystals I have for sale.  If you loved to paint, find a few minutes to doodle with different coloured pens even when at the office. If you enjoyed dancing or playing sports, make a date with yourself this week to do just that.

Reconnecting with what brings you fun and joy will greatly support a healthy heart chakra!

Surrounding you in Love & Light.

5 Tips to release anxiety and increase self-love

The heart of winter invites us to take a look deep inside our own heart.  This is a time of contemplation and self-reflection.  This is a time to learn more about our emotional and intellectual triggers, and especially to learn how to move from fight-or-flight reaction mode to a more loving and peaceful mode.

With the various cosmic energies many have felt since the Solstice, it’s time to dust off our energy tools and resolve to apply them to ourselves as soon as we feel hints of anxiety, fear and negative self-talk creeping in.  Becoming aware of these feelings as soon as they show up, and being mindful of how you choose your attitude and behaviours will help reduce your stress and cortisol level.  You will feel more grounded and calm going forward in your journey.

Here are a few techniques I use to switch the gears from fear and anger to peace and love.

1. Talk to your emotions.  It is so difficult at times to stay calm and centred in the heat of a discussion, especially when we feel the other person has wronged us in some way.  Practice talking to your emotions when you review your day.  Say something like, “OK, I see you, feel you, acknowledge you (insert feeling here).  Now, tell me why you showed up so passionately in my life today.  What can I learn about myself from you?”  Just listen to your inner dialogue, and remember that the purpose of this internal conversation is not to validate and sanctify yourself, but to be fully present to your own life, in a deeper way.  
2. Send Love.  I’ve worked diligently for the past few years to get to the core of my wounds to bring healing to my heart and my life.  This past month has been somewhat chaotic and I’ve needed extra spiritual help.  I’ve found a really quick internal “switch”: when I feel fear, anger, resentment, sadness…  and even joy, amusement and freedom, I breathe deeply and say, “And I am sending Love to that.”  This statement seems to cut through all mental clutter and chatter, stops the replay loop of past conversations and should-have-done scenarios and centres me right back into peace.  
3. Tapping.  I love this technique that merges self-talk with energy work on the body’s meridian lines.  It works!  Mental and emotional patterns are shifted, and space is made for new loving manifestations to enter your life.  I’ve added a few Tapping videos in my YouTube channel - check them out here.  
4. Reiki self-healing.  Reiki is a wonderful self-care technique that relaxes the mind, body and emotions and increases feelings of love, fulfilment and abundance.  If you received a Reiki attunement, remember to practice your self-treatment at least 15 minutes everyday.  Message me to find out more about Reiki or to register for the upcoming Level 1 training that starts on January 31st.  
5. Move your body.  Go for a walk, do the Energy Routine, dance to your favourite tunes!  Moving your body will break up the tightness and heaviness associated with less-than-loving thoughts and emotions.  One of the greatest shifts in my life happened when I discovered Chakradance (R) - and I invite you to discover this wonderful modality with me. See calendar for dates.

Always remember that you can choose your feelings, attitude and behaviour.  You are not the victim of circumstances - even if some circumstances are very difficult to live through.  You can allow those circumstances to rule you, or you can choose to rise above.  Doing so, however, does require dedication and discipline.  I am here to help you - you are not alone.

Remember to seek professional help from the medical community if your symptoms of stress and anxiety are stopping you from living a healthy, vibrant life.  Reiki and energy work can support you in a big way but do not replace services from the professional, legal, medical community.

Surrounding you in Love & Light.

2015 Gateway: The year I learn to love myself

First of all, welcome to 2015!   May this year be filled with Love, Joy, Happiness a deep sense that inner Knowing.  I’ve been reflecting on my inner work, my business, the big changes that happened in my life in 2014 and on the energy I feel is arriving for 2015.  I am finding it very auspicious to start this year under the umbrella of the Heart Chakra!

The sensitive intuitives out there have most likely felt this shift of energy since the Winter Solstice.  To me, it’s been palpable.  It also feels quite different.  I have a very strong sense that a new gateway has opened since the Solstice; one that is just as important - if not more - than the much talked-about gateway of December 2012 when many folks were talking about the end of world as we know it as predicted by the Mayan Calendar.

I’m seeing it like this:  imagine for a moment that you are living in a lush land governed by a beautiful of loving King or Queen.  Their castle is just beyond the horizon, past the forest and past well-tended gardens.  There are gates at the end of the forest, at the entrance of the garden, and of course at the entrance of the castle.  There are likely more gates inside the castle itself.  All gates must be crossed before reaching the royal chamber.  Each gate we cross bring us closer to this chamber.  I believe that Lightworkers of the world have been receiving their invitation to journey to the Castle in the years leading to 2012.  Some have responded with extensive preparations including meditation, fasting, and learning new energy techniques.  Others have decided to ignore the invitation, or have felt too much shame, or an overwhelm of responsibility regarding this invitation.

Come Solstice 2012, we were at the Forest Gate.  For many, 2013 felt dark and dense.  It was tough to pick our path through the thick woods.  We felt alone.  It was hard to keep the faith that something better was waiting for us; or rather it was difficult to realize that we ARE that something better as we journey and travel our own path to our soul’s destination.

At the Solstice of 2013, we arrived at the Garden Gate.  2014 held promises of flowers, sunshine and chirping birds.  Some of us become lost in the garden’s mazes, going around in circles and loosing track of the path.  It was a year of push and pull.  A year of revisiting life goals and heart’s desires.  It was a year to shed the past to recreate a new identity based on the new knowledge and Light that entered our life.  It was a year to take stock of our dreams and accomplishments, and to see if we preferred the dream to the reality being experienced, and to what degree we were ready to help THE DREAM become manifest.

At the Solstice of 2014, we arrived at the Castle’s Gate.  Take a moment now to fully visualize this Gate.  Are you at the front gate, the back gate, or any other secondary gates?  Is it covered in gold, is it big and imposing, or is it simple, wooden or of rusted iron?  Take a moment to see, feel, and listen to where you’ve arrived.  Now take a moment to clarify your hopes and intentions before entering the Castle’s grounds.  Are you entering with Love, or with Fear and resentment?  Are you entering with thoughts of lack, stress and anxiety, or are you entering with feelings of peace, contentment and excitement for all that is ahead?  If you’re like me, you’re likely experiencing a good mix of emotions and thoughts.

It is my feeling that 2015 ushers in a greater ability to manifest our heart’s desires.  Our ability to co-create with the Divine will be enhanced.  We have, therefore, an increased responsibility to be clear about what we want to experience and how we choose to feel.  We are that much closer to the Royal Court…  everything we think and feel is important.  Remember: thought-forms are energy that attract to us physical experiences.  As we cross the Castle’s Gate, we enter a hall of mirrors where everything we believe is reflected back to us.   So if you crossed the Gates with anger, bitterness and resentment - more of that will be reflected to you.  If you are clear about your intentions and your feelings, if you are willing to journey to more Love, then those are the experiences you will attract to you.  Take a good look in the mirror: do you like what you see?  Can you see the divine spark of Light and Love in you, or are you distracted by the smoke and silly mirrors that are distorting reality?

Our first challenge for 2015 is to walk through that funny house of mirrors.  Since the Solstice, I have to admit that I have been feeling slightly terrified.  I always panic a little when faced with the reality I create.  I’ve been reviewing my life since childhood and so much hurt came up to the surface - and I had to take a good look at these events.  I had to take a good look at my coping abilities, and I had to call upon extra divine help to bring Light and Love to these events.  I realized that deep down in my core, beyond all the masks, beyond all the efforts of healing…  I have been holding on to a belief of self-hatred.  I have been belittled, bullied, shamed and shown conditional love to the point that those are the feelings and thoughts I apply to myself.  It hurts.  It really hurts.  It sabotages my personal and business efforts in so many ways.  And I’ve had enough.  This is the year I stand up for myself - but out of Love and not defiance or grief.  This is the year I forgive myself.  This is the year I move toward forgiving others.  This is the year I learn to love myself.  This is my Truth, and this is how I humbly make my journey forward to a deeper, more mystical chamber…

What is the hall of mirrors reflecting back to you?  Do you need to talk about it?  I’m here to listen - book a time to connect with me via phone, Skype or in person.

Also, for all who need a bit of extra help this month, I am offering local and distance Reiki sessions at a 2 for 1 rate - that’s 2 sessions for only $100.  Both sessions must be booked in January.

Surrounding you in Love & Light.