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As I’ve written here before one of my practices to seek inner guidance is from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. In her book she recommends several practices; the key one I’ve adopted is to write 3 pages of “stuff” long-hand, every morning; these are called “morning pages.” I’ve actually been following this practice for many years; I have stacks of notebooks filled with my scrawl! And, no, I don’t get to this practice every single day. And there are stretches of time when I lapse and don’t write for days, even weeks. But I do very much benefit from the practice when I am disciplined in doing it.
I don’t always get to my practice first thing in the morning either; today it was 3:00 pm! But I do know that the day goes much better after I write so I do most days get to my writing position after yoga, qigong and tea in the AM.
I make a ritual of this practice and embed it in other rituals. Rituals are like good habits; they are both comforting and support the discipline. I light a candle on my alter (see my post last week) and I light incense to clear me, the alter, the space and the writing (including my decks of cards for divination). Then I sit cross-legged with a pillow to support the notebook. I also use a nice fountain pen; this is obviously not a requirement but I like fine tools!
I sit and write the three pages straight through. The content is not always noteworthy; in fact it rarely is! This is not the point; Cameron’s point in doing this practice is to clear the mind, clear the clutter from sleep, dreams, any junky thoughts, unprocessed emotions, mental cobwebs that might otherwise get in the way of clearer, more creative writing. Most often my pages begin with a dump of this kind of mind-trash. But I’m finding with the years of practice this often only takes a page or even some days just a few lines. Then I can get down to more meaningful inquiry.
So, I do use these pages to go inside, to meditate through the use of words, to let my mind go and my writing to follow the thoughts as they come. While Rosemary is a clairaudient and a clairvoyant my information comes through word flow; I don’t hear the words or see them, they just seem to form almost of themselves when I am in that clear space of receiving. I wish I could say this happens for me every day! But it does happen often enough to be extremely rewarding.
After I write out my three pages I then draw two cards from two decks of cards, as I’ve written here before. I write a half-page of notes about each card, what I think it means for me and the energies of the day. This fills my fourth page of writing for the day and these paragraphs are always meaningful (I’ve cleared the clutter with the pages). I use a separate, slightly nicer journal to record these divinations; and I use a better pen (more of the ritual).
And some days I am motivated, inspired to write a poem – a third writing practice I use. And on Mondays I’ve begun sharing some of my poems here on the blog.
I’d love to hear from you about your writing practices. What works for you? Have you tried “morning pages”? Please comment!
Meanwhile, “write-on.”
This is the time to decide what ‘success’ means for you. For most people on the spiritual path, success is not measured by the numbers in the bank account. What is ‘success’ for you?
We’re not talking here about writing a best-selling book that makes you lots of money, although it is fun to be a ‘Best Selling Author,’ but about the kind of writing that comes from your heart. Journaling, meditative writing, channeled writing, letter writing, poetry composing, music composing, drawing, notetaking. So many ways to write!
Let’s talk about letter writing. When is the last time you wrote a letter? I’m not talking about typing an email, but taking pen in hand and actually allowing the words to flow from your mind and heart onto the paper through the pen. When is the last time you received a handwritten letter or note? It feels good to write a personal note on a birthday card or sympathy card. And when did you last send a handwritten thank you note?
When you tune in to another person as you focus on them while you write you are making an important energetic connection through the space-time continuum. There really is no separation in space and time so taking the time to connect through letter writing is a special energetic that can support both parties.
And what about problem solving when there is an issue or conflict between parties? These are the times when you want to be deliberate and take the time to re-read what you have written before you send the letter. You also want to copy your letter so you have a record of what you wrote. Most importantly, though, you want to take the time to make sure you are being congruent with your values before you send a letter in the heat of the moment.
When you write, connect first with your inner guidance to get into harmony within yourself. Then connect to the intended recipient of the letter, energetically inviting the connection for the highest good of all. Do all of this before you put pen to paper.
And sometimes ‘forgiveness’ comes into the picture. Do you need to forgive yourself or someone else before you write that letter? Remember that forgiveness is not about excusing behavior that is hurtful. Rather, forgiveness is saying, ‘Although I have felt hurt, I refuse to allow this energy to stay in my energy field or physical body. I release all energy associated with this and hold myself in gratitude for the lessons I have learned.’ Sometimes it can help in this process to write a letter and then burn it as you release the hurt and choose to stand in your own power. Forgive yourself, too, if you are focusing on having missed the mark in something. Give up the energy of feeling bad and decide that you will hold gratitude for lessons learned.
Sometimes journaling can be a great tool for self-knowledge that can support your success. Try journaling at different times of day to decide when you best connect with your inner being.
Writing is a good way to connect to your inner guidance, too. Your guides are always ready to speak to you when you quiet your mind-chatter and listen. If you hold a pen in hand and invite them to write to you, you can find that the pen captures the thoughts and the words write themselves.
Ask questions and write the answers. Ask about relationships, finances, business, life. The answers are inside. The pen brings them out and places them squarely in your conscious awareness.
Try it! And while you are at it, try writing a poem or drawing a picture or making up a story. Let your creativity flow through a pen or pencil or marker and watch how the clues to your success emerge.
PS: If you are enjoying these written messages you may be interested in my Monday calls when I channel The Divinine Feminine. These are FREE calls for your support and guidance through these fascinating times approaching the Winter Solstice of 2012. The calls are scheduled at 8:30 PM Eastern Time every Monday. Sign up here for the call details
PS: Have you signed up for the Wisdom of the Week calls? They are FREE on Mondays at 8:30 Eastern time. Last evening’s message was powerful about self love and forgiveness! You can register for these call and get the call number HERE.
In this week’s Video Message and Exploration Rosemary speaks to different tools for inner work and ways to seek inner guidance. This follows the theme from last week as well; inner work during this time of transition, transformation, growth, evolution is critical to maintain balance, resolve and direction. And last week in my commentary I wrote about one of my main tools in my tool box, The Artist’s Way page writing. But this in one of many approaches I use to gain guidance and to confirm I am on the right path.
I have probably used just about all of the tools Rosemary mentions from dowsing with a pendulum (I even make them) to using cards and the I Ching for divination. I draw a couple of cards each day to both set the tone for the day and to gain some insight on the energies. I am currently using the Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue and a tarot deck by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris along with The Crowley Tarot handbook by Akron and Hajo Banzhaf. I draw a card from each deck and consider both the individual messages and the integrated message from the two. The Virtue deck brings in a light perspective and is almost always positive in the messages it delivers. The Crowley deck is darker and gives me a more nuanced and shadowy perspective on the day. I enjoy combining these and deriving a sense of what might be in store for me. I am frequently rewarded and never disappointed in these cards’ guidance!
I use the I Ching to determine the energies for the month ahead. I cast a Gua (6-lines, two tri-grams) shortly after each new moon (I just cast a Gua yesterday for the new moon in Scorpio). I use the 50 yarrow stalk method (I even harvested and cut my own stalks from a patch of yarrow I grew in Colorado). I thoroughly enjoy the meditative approach to deriving each Yao (line) for the Gua. Again my focus while doing the work is to look for the patterns and energies ahead for the month. The I Ching is a highly intuitive tool and reminds me a lot of dream interpretation work. I treat the Gua as a map and the names, ideographs, decisions and commentaries as symbols and hints for the journey ahead. It is both fun and entertaining as well as deep and meaningful. Maybe at some point in further writings I’ll share my Guas for the months (moonths) and what I see as the way ahead.
Rosemary concludes her exploration and discussion with the use of alters. Yes, I have one, I always have one. I even have a method I use to take part of my alter with me when I travel. I have been using some of the same components, especially an old piece of leather I use as an alter cloth and wrap for my portable bundle of objects for years. The significance for me in using an alter is the passive grounding energy it brings to my inner work. My writing, drawing cards, casting I Ching Guas are all active methods using tools to gain inner insight. My alter just is; it represents my ground of being. The objects and symbols I choose are parts of me, from knuckle bones to stones, from crystals to statues and fetishes, from element representations to pictures, these are all bits and particles of who I am. They hold space and hold me in that space.
And as Rosemary requested I have included here a picture of my current alter configuration…it may appear to you to be a bit messy and cluttered; maybe that’s how my life is right now! (And maybe its state is pointing the way to some external work I need to do!)
What tools do you use for seeking inner guidance? I’d love to hear your answers; please comment!
If you were a carpenter, you would have a huge toolbox filled with tools that are designed for each specific task that might be required. If you are a doctor, your office is outfitted with all the tools that you need. And I’m sure that whatever you do you have gathered to you the tools that you need to do your work.
But what about those intangibles? What about the tools that aren’t hammers and scalpels and mixers and computers? How is your toolbox for Conscious Living Tools?
You might think these are not as important as the tools of your trade but I believe they are even MORE important, for success in your work depends on being successful in your life, and the 21st Century is asking us to increase our spiritual tools.
These are not religious tools, but the ones that fit us into a bigger picture than just the physical life we lead. Do you have a way to connect with your inner guidance? This can be meditation, journaling, connecting with Nature. Sometimes it’s useful to have a physical tool, like a pendulum or an oracle deck of cards. Do you have an altar, formal or informal, where you can light a candle that communicates to your unconscious mind that you are getting ready to focus inward or pray or send your intentions out to the Universe?
Creating an altar in your personal space is a very powerful way to set an intention and support the manifestation of that intention. You can do this simply by gathering a few objects that are meaningful to you. This does not have to be a complicated process or a formal one. In fact, this is so personal that someone coming into your home might not even realize that the collection of crystals on the windowsill or the candle and pictures, etc. on that side table are really your altar. What’s important is that you create something that speaks to your unconscious mind every time you see it.
Take a space that will be undisturbed and gather some meaningful objects. Then add a candle. I like to use candles in glass so that I can leave them burning for a while without worrying. (And make sure there are no curtains or other flammables that can blow into them!) You might like incense and you can certainly have an incense burner on your altar (adds the element of air). Add pictures of spiritual teachers or loved ones or your vision board. If you do healing work for others you might keep index cards handy so you can put the names on a card on your altar when you are intending to do healing work.
It’s nice to have the elements represented: water, fire, earth, metal, wood. Some add air to the list. A plant or flower. A bowl of water, especially sacred or blessed water. One or more crystals or rocks. Use your imagination and tap into your own intuition about what is meaningful to you.
If you use some kind of cards to get a message you can place today’s card on your altar.
Have fun with this! I have put fruit, pictures, jewelry, gifts I am giving – you name it! Anything you put on your altar gets charged with the energy of your intentions. If you have a new business card, put one on your altar. A problem you want to solve? Write it out and lay this on your altar. Keep a pendulum or other tool on your altar. Are you having an issue with a person? Instead of being upset by them, put a picture or their name on your altar, maybe upside down so you’re not going into the negative energy, but set an intention to heal the problem.
There are lots of ways to use your own energy to bring healing into your life and creating an altar of intention is a powerful way to focus your energy on your desired outcome. This also helps your unconscious mind know the direction that you want to move so it can support you on your journey.
And I’d love to see your altars! Send me an email with a picture of your altar. I’ll gather them on my altar to join with you in manifesting your intentions.
PS: If you are enjoying these written messages you may be interested in my Monday calls when I channel The Divinine Feminine. These are FREE calls for your support and guidance through these fascinating times approaching the Winter Solstice of 2012. The calls are scheduled at 8:30 PM Eastern Time every Monday. Sign up here for the call details
Here is your Video Inspiration for the week:
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Rosemary’s Video and “Exploration” this week offer an excellent way to gain insight into our life, the direction our life is taking and even a method of acquiring that guidance, like our GPS systems acquire the satellites to help us navigate along the highways. And she makes it sound so easy, doesn’t she!
Well, for men this isn’t always the easiest thing to do. In Taoist understanding men have a lot of yang energy, active energy to go out and get things done (even if we are unsure of what it is we are to do at times!). Women have a lot of yin, passive energy to go inside, go quite and seek answers to “what is to be done” – and then to be receptive to what comes in the way of guidance. Taoists teach balance and seek balance between yin and yang energies – receiving and acting. And this is the core of Rosemary’s teaching this week.
It’s important to seek this guidance for a number of reasons; the most prominent is to be sure we are on the route of our “Soul Purpose” our raison d’être. Rosemary throws this out as a given…that we know what our Soul Purpose is, and that we seek the inner guidance to assure ourselves we are on the correct path. But sometimes what we have to seek is that Purpose itself!
Do you know your Soul Purpose? Do you know the answer to your “Big Why?”
Perhaps the answer to this question is the first one to seek inside.
In her commentary Rosemary offers a way to go inside and to get the answers to the big questions. Breathe, tune-in, stay quiet and listen. Listen for any answers, signs, symbols, that come up. Assess these. Separate out the ones that seem judgmental, are coming from ego rather than some deeper place. Note the yin approach to this inner inquiry. It often works quite well for men and women alike.
There are also yang approaches to gaining the guidance our soul urges on us. Rosemary has offered to share additional tools in future videos and commentaries. I look forward to these! Meanwhile I’ll share an approach that has worked well for me.
A number of years ago I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I can say that a few books have changed my life; this is one. I follow a practice recommended by Cameron to write out three long-hand pages of text every day, preferably first thing every morning. Cameron calls these “morning pages.” This practice works for me. And it is a way for me to “tap into my inner guidance.” Note the yang, active approach to this method. The guidance comes as I empty my mind and simply write what comes. In a way it is like “following the breath” in meditation practice; I follow my pen…
There are many ways to seek inner guidance. Active, passive, with words, symbols, studying our dreams, following our breath. The key is to first quiet the mind, the ego, to do the listening, active or passive; then to trust the guidance and follow it. And this is why we call it “practice.” It’s a life-long pursuit!
PS: In addition to the many tools to tap into our inner guidance there are ways to determine and expand on our Soul Purpose. Rosemary offers an incredible and comprehensive approach to this through Scientific Hand Analysis. If you are unsure of your Big Why? check out the details on Rosemary’s Website
Did you know that you have an internal Guidance System that is like a GPS for your life? It’s there and it’s always available, but you must learn to crank up the volume and trust the guidance you receive.
Unlike the navigation system [or SatNav, as our friends in other countries call it] in your car, your internal GPS really DOES know the best route for you to take through your life. This is the guidance that keeps you on track for living your Soul Purpose. It’s important to learn how to turn this guidance system on.
The first step to tapping into your inner guidance is to take a deep breath and bring your attention to your inside being, your inner self. When you focus on deep breathing you energize your inner being and begin to disconnect from the outer turbulence we call ‘life.’
After a few deep breaths, bring your awareness to your heart area so that you are connecting at a deeper level than at your conscious mind, which will only distract you with ‘what ifs’ and ‘how abouts.’ Your goal here is to get to the guidance that is connected to your higher self so that you can ‘see’ the road ahead of you without worrying about the distractions around you.
Now ask your question. If you feel the answer in a feeling or a sound or a vision, then just stay with that until you understand the message. Sometimes the answer comes as a soft voice speaking in a way that you can understand. Sometimes it is a symbol that you can interpret by examining it further. Sometimes the message is very clear and sometimes it is subtler. But there is always a message, for even if you don’t experience a message, the answer might be ‘Pause’ or ‘Wait.’
You’ll know you’ve reached guidance that comes from a higher vibration than your ego if the message is neutral, that is, devoid of emotion or judgment or ‘should.’ Guidance that starts with ‘You shouldn’t have…’ or ‘What were you thinking of…’ is from the ego and not your highest self, so keep seeking a deeper connection if you start to feel yourself judged in any way.
It usually takes some practice to be clear about the inner guidance you are receiving. I’ve worked with some clients who, over time, learn to catch themselves in that self-judgment so that they can avoid the trap of beating themselves up for mistakes. There are no mistakes, only LESSONS. If you keep repeating an action and getting the same results, then you are stuck in the same lesson. Look around for what you are to learn. When the time is right, you will get it!
We once drove a rental car in California from the Napa Valley to Big Sur and decided that we wanted to take the Golden Gate Bridge instead of the freeway on the other side of the water, which is the route our GPS [affectionately called ‘Nuvi’ after the model name] preferred that we take. Can you hear that voice saying ‘Recalculating’ every time we ignored Nuvi’s advice? After about 5 ‘Recalculatings,’ and I’m certain I heard her voice getting more and more disgusted, Nuvi finally said, ‘There IS a better route available!’ [Emphasis Nuvi’s!]
Our inner guidance never gets that judgmental! We just keep plodding along and our inner guidance system quietly ‘Recalculates’ to keep bringing our lessons to us.
Take some time this week to practice tapping into your own inner guidance system. There is a lot of good information available there about the road ahead. And there are lots of tools that you can learn for additional ways to tap in. Stay tuned for that information!
Mystic Messages 
EXPLORATION: Gratitude and Loving Yourself
November 28, 2012 — RosemaryIn this season of Thanksgiving and holidays we focus on being grateful for the blessings in our lives and for the people who are sharing our journeys with us. But have you taken the time to move into gratitude for yourself?
What traits do you have that you can feel grateful for? What aspects of yourself do you need to learn to love? Gratitude for yourself in all your parts is the first step toward loving yourself.
Most of us find it very easy to be grateful for the friends we have in our lives. Some of us can be grateful for our families, or at least some family members. But what about YOU? We are so good at analyzing ourselves and finding fault when we would give someone else a lot more leeway. Have you ever felt self-critical? Do you catalogue your mistakes or the things you wish were different and focus your energy on these things? Do you find it easier to focus on what you don’t like about yourself rather than those aspects that you do like?
If you answered ‘yes’ you’re not alone. But consider that every single aspect of you is important to the WHO YOU ARE at this time in your life. Every bit of you is lovable, whether you believe that at the moment or not. WE asked you to come to Earth to be a part of the process of the unfolding of the Plan of the Universe and you agreed to join us. Thank you.
So if you are perfect right now, in this present moment, and your role is to learn lessons and to help everyone around you to learn their lessons, then every thing that you have done and every aspect of who you are contributes to all of the lessons being learned. Just as you are grateful for those around you, be grateful to yourself for being just what you agreed to be.
Everything that you see as a fault in yourself has some purpose, even if you don’t understand it at the moment. If you wish to change something about yourself, then change it. But do so from an energy of gratitude for the lessons that you have learned and from the space of not needing to be that way in the future. This is a much higher energy than to be in disgust or frustration with yourself!
Each of us is on a path of personal growth if we are living a conscious life. We are constantly moving forward by assessing our lives, changing that which we wish to change, lifting our awareness to higher perspectives and moving on to the next level of being. We are learning lessons all the time. Whatever we see in ourselves is serving a purpose or has served a purpose on our journey. Being in gratitude for ourselves is the starting place for loving ourselves.
Accept yourself and every moment of your life up until this point. Every backward glance over your timeline can carry with it an appreciation for all that you have learned. Some lessons came clearly and easily and others were difficult or tedious to learn. You might still be in the midst of some tough lessons or you might be in a more peaceful moment in your life. And every single lesson has brought you a step further on the path of personal growth. Every aspect of your person has been a loving contributor to every lesson. Be grateful. And love every aspect of yourself.
Loving yourself is not just an emotional thing. It is an important step along your personal journey. I declare today ‘Love Your Wonderful Self Day’! I love you just as you are. Now take that to the mirror and say, ‘I love you!’ to the reflection you see there. And express your gratitude for at least 1 part of you. Smile. Congratulations!
PS: If you are enjoying these written messages you may be interested in my Monday calls when I channel The Divinine Feminine. These are FREE calls for your support and guidance through these fascinating times approaching the Winter Solstice of 2012. The calls are scheduled at 8:30 PM Eastern Time every Monday. Sign up here for the call details