Happy New Year! Intuitive Insights for 2016

In my last article, I talked about the Solstice and a few of the practices I love to do at this time of year.  I take advantage of the long nights to go within and reflect.  I dance, I paint, I read Tarot.  This year, Universe even had the sense of humour to send me the flu to make sure I took time off and rested - gee, thanks Universe!

I never know what my paintings will look like, what colours will be prominent, and what the message will be.  I just tune in, pick up my brushes, paint and see the result unfold - at the same time I receive messages from my Higher Self and my Guides.  This year, I was quite surprised that the colour scheme was so bright and yellow, although the night sky is on the baby's cloak whereas it was the main colour for previous years.

Here's an overview of my paintings - and of my spiritual evolution - since 2012 (from left to right, top to bottom).  Do they resonate with you, too?

So, what are the messages for 2016?

I am looking forward, and at the same time am a little bit nervous (ok, I'll admit I'm a little scared!) of what this year will bring.  Why?  Because it's brand new energy - and we can't embody this new energy the same way we've been living with the "old" energy.  This is the year of being born again and although this is very exciting with so many new opportunities presented to us, it also means we need to learn to surrender to the Divine.  Since the Solstice, I received many messages that the Divine is ready to support and nurture us as we grow and transform -- but we need to accept this help through the act of surrender.  And damn that's a tough thing for me to do!  I'm more often than not in my head, planning, thinking, learning, holding back mentally until I know it's safe to proceed...  Allowing myself to be taken care of is new and very foreign, and I'm not sure I'm going to like it; at least that's what my head says.

Since 2012, many of us have been hearing the call to change.  Many of us have actually made significant changes in our lives, on so many levels.  For me, it was quitting my government job to start my spiritual work full-time.  For others, it was ending relationships, changing jobs, trying new spiritual practices, dealing with emerging health issues...  It felt like a lot was happening, yet at the same time everything was on hold.  You could feel the great potential, and yet the time was not quite ripe yet to get the anticipated results. Can you relate? Well, the time is now.  What was on hold will unblock.  What you have sowed these past few years, you will harvest. No wonder I had a bit of the flu and stayed in bed for almost 3 days, sleeping.  My body was resting from all that journey and getting ready to embody this new energy!

When I look at the series of paintings, I clearly see the evolution from feeling lost, making my way "home", finding the portal and taking a whole year transitioning through, ready to manifest magic and miracles... and now having fully arrived but wrapped up and needing to be taken care of as I grow in strength and wisdom.

Notice that the blanket has 11 stars along with the Triple Moon on the crown, and look at all the guides shaping up to receive us and help us grow!  This year, we are asked to grow our awareness of, and our relationship with our Guides and spiritual mentors, and especially with the Goddess.  This year, we are asked to consider ourselves as apprentices to the Divine - and this means discipline, focus, and application of our spiritual tools.  We need to find the help we need to understand and apply our spiritual gifts.  We must take the time to meditate, to look for signs, to ensure we are energetically aligned with what we do.  We must be vigilant about our own self-sabotaging and aware of our patterns of resistance, so that we can stop those behaviours and become more receptive and open to Spirit.

Notice also the prominence of the colour golden yellow.  This is a masculine colour and it vibrates with the Solar Plexus Chakra.  It is a joyful colour, and it stimulates us to action.  It is the colour of the Divine Masculine, our power centre, our time to shine and to say, "hey, world, here I am, and I'm ready to shine so I can happily serve for the highest good!  I'm ready to contribute my gifts!"

This year, we will likely be presented with many challenges to help us balance our feminine and masculine energies.  We need to cultivate our ability to listen to our spiritual insights, AND implement them.  We need to rest AND take action.  We need to surrender AND keep journeying forward.  We need to seek how to serve the highest good AND ensure our own true needs are met.  We might travel AND cocoon.  We need to find the help that is required for us to fulfill our soul's mission.  Our actions will be questioned; our lifestyle might go topsy-turvy; we might experience ups-and-downs of radiant joy and heavy resentments and anger...  Ah! Transformation!

In numerology, this year resonates with "9" (2+0+1+6=9).  This means we are at a year of completion.  Many cycles will come to a head or to an end.  You will see the results of your efforts and work from the past 3 years.  It's a year of karma where you will experience the consequences of past actions and decisions.  You don't like what you see?  Don't blame others/society/your upbringing...  see where you can take responsibility for your own actions and choices, and plan to do something new and better for the next cycle.

The more we resist the changes, the more difficult life will be.  If you can develop your resilience through meditation and mindfulness, then it will be a year of extreme growth, learning and transformation.  You get to choose how you will experience this new energy!

How?  Here are a few ideas:

• Often, when we go through a big transformation process, we don't feel like moving.  There is the risk for weight gain and health issues linked to a sedentary lifestyle.  When we don't move our bodies, our emotions and thoughts can't filter through our energy field; instead, they stagnate.  Our body becomes unable to hold on and embody the new energy, and we become sick or depressed.  For your overall wellbeing and for your spiritual development, consider sticking to an exercise routine.  It doesn't need to be complicated, but make sure to get a good cardio workout on a regular basis.
  
• New thoughts and perceptions have a hard time germinating in a stiff body - so stretch your body every day!  Stretch mindfully, affirming that as you stretch your body, you also stretch your ability to receive new insights, or to embody new energy.
  
• Practice a few inverted poses, like downward dog, and keep your eyes open as you do so.  See the world from a new angle; it will help sharpen your mind and creativity!
  
• Open yourself to new experiences.  Try new foods.  Try a new haircut or colour.  Change the route you take to work or to the grocery store.  Buy some fruit or veggie you never tried before, and taste it.  Join a new social group or volunteering organization.  It will destabilize your taste buds or your routine for a short while, but will do you much good by teaching you about how you can handle change.  Your resilience muscles will be strengthened!
  
• Consider taking classes and workshops that will hone your spiritual skills.  Find a mentor or two.  I offer a wonderful coaching program and amazing classes and workshops.  I'd love to journey with you.  Click HERE to explore your needs and how I can best support you.
  
• Want to clear old karma and patterns of choices that aren't serving your highest good?  Consider booking a Soul Profile & Realignment session, where we'll explore your soul's matrix, your gifts, and clear some old negative stories your soul has been holding on to.  

I am surrounding you in Love, and wishing you much Joy in this new year.  Remember to be very gently with yourself this year - great changes and great possibilities are available to you, but it's all about the baby steps!

Merry Winter Solstice 2015!

Are you ready for the new energy coming our way?

I love this night, the longest night of the year.  I find it mysterious, empowering, challenging an exciting!

For the past few years, the Winter Solstice not only marks a change in season - it's officially winter even though it's the warmest and rainiest December I've experienced - it also marks a change in energy.  I used to think that the whole Solstice, Aztec Calendar, 2012 predictions, Stonehedge ceremonies were just a bunch of New Age hocus pocus...  but then I noticed.  I noticed the subtle and not-so-subtle changes in my life that are seeded at the Solstice.  I noticed my change in outlook.  I noticed my change of energy.  I noticed the changes in my clients, colleagues and friends.  I experienced major shifts in my energy work, with more Guides, more precise energy, more confidence.  Strong with this experience, I now consider this night very special and holy indeed.

I love how this night is quiet - and yet is filled with energy.  If you really stop to listen, you might just hear your Guides speaking to you.  You might just hear messages from your animal spirit tribes.  You might hear love notes from deceased loved ones.  This is a night of deep magic.  This is a night of hope and love and learning.  This is such a special night to connect the different pieces of you that you've tried to hide but are now holding you back.  This is a night of healing.

As I write this, I see the ancient Egyptian Goddess Isis coming forth with her deep blue wings, opened wide to welcome you in her embrace.  She is ready to help you on your journey to feeling whole, spiritually connected, empowered.  You only need to accept her Love and her help.

In her mythology, she travelled up and down the Nile River to find the pieces of her husband, the God Osiris, who had been dismembered by his vengeful brother in a struggle for the Egyptian throne.  Isis found all the pieces, created the first mummy, and the first mummification ritual to bring Osiris back to life.  In doing so, she also brought back Light (Osiris is the Sun God) and order to the Kingdom.  Hers was a journey of Love, of service, and deep life-giving magic for the highest good of all.  I love that she is stepping forward to be our guide this year!  She is one of the most ancient and powerful goddesses; let's get ourselves ready to work with her!

How?  Here are a few ideas:

• Give yourself some quiet time to reflect on pieces of you that you have left behind due to pain, shame, or the need to fit in.  Is it a funky, spunky part of your personality?  Is it your inner rebel?  Is it the part of you that truly believes in magic?  The part of you that believes in true love? Write about it in a journal, or draw a picture, or paint what this piece means to you.  Then close your eyes, and ask for help to make peace and find forgiveness.  Know that you are now strong enough to reintegrate that piece of you in your current life.  See yourself bringing that piece of you in your body.  Where does it fit?  Your heart?  A chakra?  Breathe it in, feel it... and take time to rest.  Now that you acknowledge that piece of you, what is possible for you?
• Put on your favourite music, and move your body!  Dance!  Too often, we allow our minds to direct our life...  for just a few songs, allow for your heart and your spirit to move you.  Find balance as you integrate your body, your spirit, your soul.  Enjoy your body and how it moves.  Speak lovely things to your body.  Listen for its wisdom.
• Light a deep blue candle in a gold dish.  Burn incense.  Meditate on your biggest dream, your biggest desire.  Ask for the courage and strength to find all the pieces of the puzzle, all the resources you need, and the wisdom to see your dream or desire manifest.  Remember that your quest will include action, not just wishful thinking.  Ask about your next right action step, listen for the answer, and DO IT.

Enjoy this special night and all the nurturing energies that are coming forth to help you to your own greatness.  Always remember your beauty and your magic.  Always remember that you are not alone on your journey, even though it might feel like it on the darkest of nights.  Walk through this new energetic portal with grace, and with a new feeling of wholeness and enchantment.

Do you need some extra help?  I'd love to help you uncover pieces of you that you've buried so deep you don't even remember what they are.  They hide under beliefs and patterns.  They might feel heavy or sluggish in your chakras.  They might feel like empty space in your heart.  See what can shift in a session with me.  Click here to book.

I am surrounding you in Love, and wishing you much Joy in this new year.

Solar Plexus Chakra & Winter Solstice: Celebrate Your Inner Light!

This is the time of year where most cultures and religions - at least from the northern hemisphere - are celebrating Light on Earth.  This celebration takes on many forms, and most traditions include lighting candles and sharing wishes of joy and prosperity.  It is no coincidence; most religions have modelled their celebrations of light upon the very ancient traditions of observing the sun’s cycles.  You see, this is the time of the Winter Solstice, where the Sun appears to come closer to the Earth and the days start to get longer.  For the Ancients, this was a time to reflect upon and celebrate divine Mystery.

My kitchen island dressed up as an
Altar to the 4 Elements

To me, the Winter Solstice is the perfect time to meditate on my shadow aspects and also on the projects and energy I want to bring forth in the coming year.  I typically stay up the whole night of the Solstice painting, dancing, meditating and enjoying the company of like-minded friends.  At sunrise, we go outdoors near the beautiful St. Lawrence River and we ring bells to welcome the sun and the new solar year.  We finally go to bed at around 8AM.  The deeper significance of this night of vigil is that there is always hope, even in our darkest of times.  There are many nuggets of truth and wisdom to gain from meditating on our darker aspects.  These lessons help grow our Soul and reconnect us to the source of Light and Love.  These lessons help us understand what is truly important to our Soul, and help shed light on how we can make the world a better place by being more authentic and empowered.

This year's Winter Solstice
Meditative Painting

Looking at this time of celebration through the lens of the Solar Plexus Chakra, it is a perfect time to tend to our inner light, where we store our vital life force energy.  Take this quick quiz to check in on your Solar Plexus:

Simply answer YES or NO to each of the statements below.

• I feel confident in most situations. 
• I am able to laugh easily. 
• I see projects and commitments through to completion. 
• I feel I have a healthy digestive system. 
• I speak up for myself. 
• I have the courage to take risks when necessary. 
• I establish appropriate boundaries for myself. 

How did you score?  If you answers “NO” more than four times, it may indicate that your solar plexus chakra is lacking in energy. If you score four or more YES answers, wonderful! You are balanced in the solar plexus centre.

I love a good Sun Meditation to help balance my energy and boost my confidence, joy and personal radiance.  Use this visualization to enhance your inner peace and sense of self-worth.  When possible, do this meditation while standing in sunlight, offering your forehead and solar plexus to the light and warmth of the sun.

Take a deep breath, and gently close your eyes.  Imagine yourself standing at the top of a mountain. With your inhale, imagine you are breathing in the golden light from the sun.  With your imagination, bring this golden breath to your stomach area, where it ignites the spark within your own fire centre. You are filled with this brilliant solar energy. Your power centre is radiating with vital life force.  Imagine that with each breath, you are bringing golden light to your entire body, especially to areas that feel cold or achy.  When your body is filled imagine that, with your exhale, you are sharing this golden light to your projects, to your relationships, to your finances…  Envelop them in golden light, and know that this light will energize them and will help them grow.  When you feel complete, gently open your eyes and give thanks to the Sun.  Take this calm and restorative power into your life and move forwards with confidence and courage. 

Surrounding you in Love & Light.

A simple ceremony for the Winter Solstice

The energy has been feeling sticky or heavy for many of us these past few weeks.  I am reminded of the general feeling surrounding the "Gateway" everyone was talking about for December 2012, and I am sensing that all the changes, transformations and "tests" we've been through these past two years were just the beginning of a large transformational process.  I feel that this Solstice is just as important, in terms of Gateway or opening.  All the changes, choices and projects we've been working on since 2012 will find a renewed energy in the coming months; the tests of the last few weeks were to verify our commitment and willingness to keep moving forward on this soulful journey.

But to find renewed energy, we have to be willing to release the old.  A sacred fire ceremony on the Solstice will help you take stock of your fears and rethink your goals and purpose.  Focusing on the flame of a candle or bonfire and bringing in the Sacred Flame will help you burn away stagnant energy to bring the energy of renewal, faith and passion.

In 2012, we opened the door...  Take stock now to verify if you've made it through the opening, or if you still have one foot out stuck in the way things used to be.  Are you still holding on to something from the past?  It will be very difficult for you to move forward with that weight keeping you stuck in the same place...  Take time to recommit and rededicate yourself to serving the Light this weekend - if that is what you choose.

Shine on, Lightworker!  The world needs you.

Sending you much Love, and wrapping you up in Light; sending blessings of joy, fulfillment and abundance for 2015 and beyond.

Bulletin de nouvelles, hiver 2014

Le nouveau numéro de mon bulletin de nouvelles est prêt!  Comme je ne peux pas télécharger le document sur mon blogue, il faut sélectionner l'image, la télécharger puis la visionner à l'aide de logiciels comme Preview ou Adobe...  Bientôt, je trouverai bien le moyen de créer un belle version en ligne de mes bulletins!!  Une chose à la fois...  Bonne journée!

Newsletter, Winter 2014

Below are image renditions of my latest Newsletter (I can't seem to be able to upload the document, and I don't want to loose the format by pasting in one article at a time... I worked hard to make it look pretty!).  Message me if you would like to receive a pdf version via email.  Many blessings to you!

Winter Solstice Musings

Wondrous things are in store for me this year - which means more soulful sharing with you! 

As a winter storm blew fresh, scintillating snow and freezing rain on the land, I was feeling blue.  I enjoy celebrating the Winter Solstice with like-minded people and spend the whole night meditating, painting, and leading spiritual processes...  but in the hectic schedule of the last few months as I transitioned fully and definitively from corporate world to being self-employed, I had forgotten to book the celebration!  And now the winter storm seemed to validate that this was a Solstice to be experienced in quiet contemplation and meditation.  

Instead of dwelling on my blues, I decided to do something.  A personal ceremony was in order!  I took a long warm bath in salt water and essential oils, using my own "Forehead Chakra" mix.  I meditated on everything I was releasing from my life as I enter a new phase.  

Then, I took out my paint brushes out "to play".  I allowed the painting to reveal itself to me.

The Crossing, Winter Solstice 2013

This is the result of my meditative Solstice painting... I started by creating the indigo sky.  The paintbrushes wanted to spiral with the paint and create movement.  The entire canvas became filled with the indigo hue and a few tiny stars.  It then felt right to paint the golden mandala circle.   

Mermaid really wanted to be painted in so I invited her in my circle.  At first I thought, "I can not paint a mermaid, I don't know how!"  And on my exhale I let that restrictive thought go as I instructed Mermaid to paint herself in...  I was wondering what she was reaching for... then the spiral portal appeared with... me in the centre! Safely arriving through the portal! I wondered who else was there greeting me as I felt surrounded by more beings of Light and higher vibration.  Fairy appeared, wanting a pink dress, red shoes, and green flowers on her dress. Finally, my Guardian angels revealed themselves, enveloping the passage and lovingly guiding me through. 

The painting then felt complete and I set down the paintbrushes, said a word of gratitude and finally went to bed.  It was 3AM - this year, I did not wait for the sunrise before going to bed.  Filled with the bliss of my inspired creative work, I decided to go to sleep and perhaps find that portal through my dreams.

Soul Search, Winter Solstice 2012

I find it interesting to notice somewhat of a link between this year's Winter Solstice painting, and last year's...  Last year, I had painted a female figure in a Light bubble, travelling to the stars.  It seems that if last year I consciously set out on this journey, I have arrived at the threshold crossing this year!  The journey was arduous: I dealt with my depression and took a year off work to rebuild myself from the inside.  I got clear on my goals.  I started to really love myself and accept myself for who I truly am.  My return to work this Fall was a validation that the old me was no more and that it was no use to continue to follow that path.  It's time to forge a new path!

And here I am, very excited about all the opportunities this new year will bring.  I am feeling so very blessed and proud of the spiritual work I've done this past year.  I am also feeling some fear and anticipation for I am walking a path that is new to me...  at least in this life, for my soul remembers the way.  

I am wishing you merry musings, too.  When is the last time you took out your paintbrushes?  Just have fun, allow your imagination to guide you.  Don't expect a masterpiece - simply allow your inner self to express itself in full colour.  Enjoy the process, you can be surprised at the insights you will gain!