Inner Light

I had such a wonderful May Day today. I spent the afternoon with my dear friend and hypnotherapist, Tammy. The combination of Reiki and hypnotherapy was absolutely uplifting and rejuvenating. I had let myself go far too long without getting this kind of support and release.

Self-care is so very important for Lightworkers. We deal with energy all the time, ours as well as everyone else’s. It’s sometimes hard for us to remember that we have to care for our human vessels or we will simply be unable to do what we do best–spread Light and healing throughout the world. It’s a huge job that we’ve contracted into. We MUST remember to care for ourselves and replenish our energies. You wouldn’t take a long road trip without making sure your car is in top condition, would you? The same holds true for your body. If you don’t keep it in good shape, it’s going to break down on you.

When you start feeling overwhelmed, tired, burnt out, and even depressed, these are signs that you are in great need of some self-care. Taking time out for yourself several times a week will prevent you from getting so depleted that you have no energy. So….be good to you, without guilt, without thinking that you’re being selfish. If you’re not good to yourself, you can’t be any good to anyone else.

Learning self-mastery is the journey of learning how to take full responsibility over your life. Once you achieve self-mastery, you become the person in charge of your life. You are no longer a reactive victim of circumstances and your environment. You are a proactive co-creator of your life and manifestor of your dreams. I feel that there are four key principles that make up this particular path.

1) Commitment to Truth
A commitment to truth encompasses not only being honest with others, but also being honest with yourself. Being honest with yourself means identifying your strengths as well as your weaknesses. This principle also involves living with integrity by being consistent with your values and principles; in other words, walking your talk.

2) Cultivation of Awareness
Be aware of your current reality and how it fits with who you are and who you wish to be. Pay attention to the energies around you and decide if they positively or negatively impact your vision of where you’re going in your life. As you progress through various stages of growth, you should be constantly refining your self-image so that you know what your next step will be.

3) Connection to All
Realize that everyone and everything is connected, and that everything and everyone is connected to Spirit. Because you are part of the Whole, it is important that you grow to be the best person that you can be in order to contribute to the greater good. Nurture feelings of love and gratitude and discover how you can be of service. These are the things that will give you a sense of purpose and well-being.

4) Co-Creator of Your Life
Once you realize your strengths and weaknesses, become aware of your reality and your place in it, and understand that everything is connected, you will better understand that you are the co-creator of your life. You are the master of your emotions and your choices. Self-mastery is about making conscious, proactive decisions about your emotions and choices vs. unconscious, reactive decisions. You are affecting your environment rather than your environment affecting you.

When you start taking full responsibility for your life, you will find that you are more flexible with change and your energy levels are higher. You lose the helplessness that occurs when you’re in “victim” mode and allow life to happen to you rather than you happening to it. Being completely honest with yourself and the people around you eliminates the stress of trying to be someone you’re not. You will feel a greater sense of purpose and will achieve a more positive balance in all areas of your life.

All of your relationships affect your energy balance either positively or negatively. I’m sure you know which people fall into which category. The ones who drain your energy are the chronic complainers, those with bad attitudes, and the energy vampires.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your energy balanced:

1) Limit your time around those people
Whenever possible, don’t spend a great deal of time with the people you know will bring your energy down. It’s not much fun to be around someone who is always complaining or talking bad about others.

2) Shield yourself
When you can’t avoid negative people, visualize a shield of pure white light surrounding you. This shield allows no negative energy to penetrate it, thus protecting you and your energy level.

3) Cut etheric cords to toxic people
When you form relationships to people, there are etheric cords that connect you to that person. If the relationship is especially negative, the other person can use that connection to drain your energy. You can cut this cord by visualizing yourself cutting it or by asking Archangel Michael for help to cut it with his sword.

These methods will help you keep your energy levels high as you go through different situations with different people. In order to operate at your best, it is important to be aware of the people in your life and which relationships serve your highest good. Sometimes, in order to move forward and grow, we need to let go of the people who hold us down.

As you learn to take personal responsibility over your life, one of the biggest lessons is emotional control. Like most people, you’ve probably gone through your life reacting to situations and your environment, rather than responding in a more proactive, responsible manner. It’s a subconscious reaction to say,

“That person makes me so mad!”
“This person makes me sad.”
“This person makes me feel so fulfilled.”
“That person makes me happy.”

But in fact, nobody can control your emotions except for you. By allowing someone else to “make” you feel a certain way, you’re in effect giving your power to them. There is always a choice in how to respond to situations. On the surface, being in a relationship where you feel that someone “completes” you or “fulfills” you may look like a wonderful thing. I’m not saying it isn’t, but I would challenge you to ask yourself, “Can I be complete or fulfilled without having to be in a relationship?” If the answer is no, then you are giving another person the power to control your happiness. Do you really want to let someone else be responsible for your joy?

Likewise, if you are confronted by a situation that elicits an immediate negative emotional response, take a step back and ask yourself,

“How else can I react to this?”
“WHY am I reacting like this?”
“Is there a better response?”

You and only you should be in charge of your emotions, whether they be positive or negative, because only you have the power to change them.

When it comes to writing your own story for a balanced life, don’t forget to write a chapter on spiritual connection. It is this connection that gives us our faith and belief. Not only does it connect us to Spirit, but it also connects us to all of life. This connection allows us to hear the messages from our Higher Power through our intuition.

To cultivate this connection, find a place where you can sit in silence. This can be a sacred space you create within your home, or someplace out in nature. Close your eyes and inhale. Breathe in the energy of the Earth and of Spirit. Let it ignite the Divine Spark within you and listen for the messages that come to you. Feel the Light and Love of the universe flow through you and out into the world.

When you build a nice, strong spiritual connection, you will be better able to receive messages from Spirit. These messages guide you on your journey and since they are from Spirit, they will never be wrong. Listen to them and follow them–even if it doesn’t make complete sense at the time. Spirit always works for your highest good. Allow yourself to be guided and have faith that all will turn out as it should.

I’ve recently gone through a very trying time in my life. Life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls that really flip your whole reality upside down. I’m still adjusting and realigning, but the situation has brought up an issue that I know a lot of Lightworkers have: asking for help.

Lightworkers can become so intent on helping others that they forget they deserve and need help too. I know that I’ve had this belief myself over the years…especially being a single mom. There has been this feeling of “going it alone” and doing everything myself. What is important to realize is that there is no shame in asking for help. It doesn’t make us weak or needy. It is simply an acknowledgement that there are some things that we can’t….or shouldn’t…do alone.

Help comes in all forms: from friends, family, random strangers, or your Higher Power. But these people don’t know you need it unless you ask! When you ask for help, be specific in your request. You might simply need the knowledge necessary to complete a task, or you might need it completely done for you. Maybe all you want is someone to bounce ideas off of, or a shoulder to lean on. Maybe all you need is to know that someone is there “just in case”.

When my own situation came up and knocked me off my feet, the first thing I did was ask for help. I knew I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, deal with it alone. I asked for help from my friends as well as from Spirit. It’s because of that that I was able to stand back up much sooner than if I had to try and do it all alone.

So, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone and there are plenty of people who would love the opportunity to give back to you just a little of what you’ve given them. For those who gave to me……

thank you.

In Linda Goodman’s book, Star Signs, she devotes a whole chapter to lexigramming. Lexigramming is when you take a word and scramble the letters to make other words. For example, the word STOP contains TOP, POT, POST, etc. Linda stated in her book that you can often find hidden meanings to words by lexigramming them. In my name, SHELA, you can find the phrase SHE HEALS, which is what I work to do for people when I coach them. I bet you can see what I’m leading up to, right?

When many gurus talk about the Law of Attraction, they discuss and teach people about the visualizing and feeling aspects only. But, right out there in plain sight is the most important part of the Law of AttrACTION. Yes, it’s action! The words THINK and FEEL aren’t in the word ATTRACTION. While it is important to think positive thoughts and hold positive feelings for whatever you’re trying to manifest, if you don’t take action toward the end goal, you’ll never reach it.

Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t win if you don’t play the game”? You will never create what you desire if you don’t get in there and play the game. The visualizing and thinking and intentions and affirmations are the playbook. Putting yourself onto the field and playing the game is where all the real work gets done. If you want to create wealth, a great job, a wonderful relationship, you have to *do* something to make it real. You can dream about finding your perfect job all day long, but if you don’t take the action steps necessary to land that perfect job, you’ll never get it.

You’ll find that, as long as you hold the visualization in your mind, and take some action toward creating that vision, the opportunities for more action will flow to you easier and easier. Add the *Action* into the Law of Attraction, and I guarantee you will be on the fast track to manifesting your desires.

All too often, people put the care and well-being of everyone else ahead of their own. When you spend all of your time on others and none on yourself, you become energetically depleted, stressed out, even physically ill or dis-eased. These are messages from your body telling you to take time out to care for yourself. In order to be able to give all that you do to your friends, family, and employer, it is necessary for you to take time every day to do something for you. Here are five things you can do that will keep you in good energetic and physical health.

1. Meditate
It has been proven that meditation relieves stress and replenishes energy. Just 15-30 minutes of meditation every day is enough to produce noticeable results. There are many CDs on the market to help you start a daily meditation routine.

2. Spend time in nature
Getting outside and soaking up some sun is a great way to rejuvenate yourself. You can garden, play a sport, take a walk, or simply sit on the deck and relax doing nothing. Absorbing natural light is an instant pick me up.

3. Take a nice hot bath
Do you remember the old commercial for Calgon? There was a woman relaxing in a big tub and her line was, “Calgon, take me away!” There’s a reason why she looked so content! Light some candles and incense and feel the stress melt away into the water.

4. Eat healthy
A healthy diet loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables will keep your body running efficiently. The healthier you are, the more energy you’ll have to keep up with everyone and everything in your life. You can’t keep up if you’re always sick and tired because of a poor diet.

5. Take up a hobby
Engaging in a hobby is a great way to be good to you. You are doing something you enjoy that isn’t (or shouldn’t be) stressful, and will allow you the opportunity to take pleasure in doing something by yourself. Find something that will completely take your mind off of all your obligations for awhile.

If you make time every day to do something that is just for yourself, you will be much healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally. You can’t operate at your best if you are under constant stress with nothing to relieve it. If you aren’t good to yourself first, you can’t be any good to others. Most of all, keep in mind that self-care is not selfish! There is no need to feel guilty or upset if you take time to be alone and rejuvenate. It is just as important for you to care for yourself as it is for you to care for others.

By now, I’m sure most people reading this blog have heard about what happened in Sedona, AZ last month at one of James Ray’s spiritual retreats. He had 60 people fast for 36 hours, then put them in a small sweat lodge made of plastic tarps. 3 people ended up dying and about 20 others got sick.

Now, I admit that I have been a big fan of James Arthur Ray for a few years. I never got the chance to attend any of his live events, but I enjoyed him in The Secret as well as his book, Harmonic Wealth. I’m sad to say that my respect for him has faded a great deal as more details have come out about what happened in Sedona.

James Ray has always preached about personal responsibility. He tells people that they are responsible for their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Yet, he did not cooperate with Sedona police the day of the incident. In fact, he left Arizona altogether and flew back to California. He never called the families of those who died. He never offered to pay medical bills for everyone who got sick. He never even issued refunds for all of those people who paid nearly $10,000 each to be at that retreat.

I am saddened by what happened to those people. All of this was completely preventable. I’m also saddened by what amounts to nothing more than charlatanism on the part of a man I had respected. If you’re going to preach personal responsibility, then for goodness sake, walk your talk.

I’ve noticed a prevailing theme during all the years I’ve been talking to Lightworkers and holistic professionals. Most of you are wonderful at giving, but struggle with receiving. You give of your time, your energy, your gifts and other resources, but when these things are offered to you in kind, you have trouble accepting them. Nature doesn’t like a vacuum, so when you give away your energy, the Universe works to replenish it. If you block that by turning down gifts of love, energy, and support from others, you are keeping the Universe from restocking your own energy level. When you do not allow yourself to receive, you block the flow of energy and eventually, you will feel depleted and burnt out.

Here are some key benefits of allowing yourself to receive:

1. Free flow of energy
Energy is always in motion, always vibrating. By receiving energy from others, you are keeping the cycle moving. You will never feel depleted or like you don’t have enough to give because the flow is always there.

2. ‘Tis better to give AND receive
You already know how wonderful it feels to give to others. Why deprive someone else of the same pleasure? When you receive a gift from another person, you are honoring them as well as the gift. They feel good because you accepted their gift, so in essence, by receiving, you are giving!

3. You will never be alone
When you are in a state of receiving, you attract all sorts of amazing people and circumstances into your life. You will be surrounded by people who want to help and support you so that you can save energy by not doing everything yourself.

So, how do you open yourself up to receiving? The answer is very simple to read, yet difficult for some to put into practice.

The easiest way to receive is simply to accept what is offered and say, “Thank you.”