I'm finding a great many people have been feeling as I have. (i.e.; lethargic, exhausted, depleted, anxious and aggravated, unmotivated). What made me take note of myself and others is the way my clients, as well as my friends and family, have been acting, reacting and communicating lately.
As a Wiccan, I take note of energy and fluctuations, and I also know that energy is contagious. I know with the war going on, the economy in distress, and the fear and anxiety swelling from many roaming the planet that this energy does permeate through our core and we cannot help but be effected by anothers emotions and their energy. We soak it up like a sponge, and this can, in effect, shift your own energy from relaxed to anxious within minutes. It's everywhere.
As an empath, I'm especially susceptible to it, and I will admit, I am not the best when it comes to cleaning, clearing and grounding that excess energy.
I started to wonder why, with my extensive knowledge of how to handle excess energy and negative energy from others, why I was being hit so hard, and I realized that I had gotten off path.
When I say, off path what I mean by that is I have not practiced what I've preached. I have not taken advantage of my sacred space; kept up with my journals; meditated daily; and sadly, I've been so busy and bogged down with the stress of the economy lately that I've skimped on the one thing that has always brought me serenity and balance...Wicca!
I've allowed my altar to sit, idle. I have not been giving thanks to the universe for the blessings bestowed upon me. I've allowed my ego to take flight and think that I can fix my concerns by worrying and obsessing about them, focusing on what is going wrong and losing sight of what is going right.
After a long discussion with Azzrian Visions we realized it was time to start shifting this energy, not just so we can assist our clients and family better, but also so we can be more balanced and at peace.
I don't know about any of you, but I know that I cannot run on high octane 24 hours a day, deprive myself of much needed sleep, and not take time to just BE. This blog is dedicated to those who have maybe lost balance and need to get back to their basics.
The Wiccan Way
Many times I'm asked if all Wiccans are Witches, and all Witches Wiccans? The answer is No. Not all follow the same path, and what I love most about Wicca is for those who believe what they believe. In a nutshell, we have only one law...And that is the Wiccan Rede. We guide ourselves by one rule, "And harm ye none, do what ye will". Everything else is subject to what the Wiccan or spiritualist believes. It is not a religion that tells you if you're right or wrong. It's void of judgment. Bottom line: Be a good person.
Wiccan's believe as they believe. This wiccan, me, believes that there is a higher power that assists you anytime you ask. But you MUST ask. I believe that we have the power to shape, and mold and create the life you want, right down to the tiniest detail, if you believe it is already yours. I also believe that when ego comes into play, we mess up the natural order of the universe with our obsessive thinking and self-sabotaging doubts and make even the most pleasurable gifts given to us lose their zest.
GROUNDING + CENTERING = BALANCE
I could outline all the various ways to do this, but who has that kind of time? There are hundreds, if not thousands of ways to do this. I will tell you simplistic ways to achieve this, and what works for ME, hopefully it will assist you too!
Grounding: I stand, sit or whatever, the key is visualization, and I imagine my happy place. Most times it's a forest, but you can visualize a meadow, an ocean, anything. I visualize this place, and I smell the tree's and the dark rich earth under my feet. I feel the cool breeze and I hear the birds. I then take a few deep breaths, eyes closed lost in visualization, and I'm standing in the forest, bare foot, and digging my toes into the earth. I can feel the coolness under my feet. My legs become like tree trunks, and roots are now growing from the bottom of my feet. These roots embed into the earth, digging and shooting downward into the core below me, they anchor me. I raise my arms into the sky and can feel the weight of the world stream out of me. I feel my head get lighter, my neck relaxed, my shoulders less heavy as this icky, black tar, oozes downward, through my body and into the roots and out into the earth. Like a dumping ground for negative energy that will be recycled and cleaned and sifted out, and replaced with positivity.
I then envision the Goddess below me. She is silvery and swimming under my feet, she is full of optimism, positivity and wellness, and she reaches up, after my body has been drained of the negative and replenishes me. Her long finger is inserted to one of my roots and this bright white and silver light begins to fill me, like a glass of water, up through the root, to my feet, to my calves, up my thighs, to my hips, into my belly, enveloping my heart and rising upward until the silver white beam of light shoots through my crown chakra and bringing me into HER place of serenity.
CENTERING: Once I'm filled with this beaming light, and well grounded, I then focus on my solar plexus (the soft spot between tummy and center of rib cage, this is where energy always enters my body as an empathic) and I visualize a small box or door. I see it absorbing only white light, pulling it in through my solar plexus and then, like a linen sheet being fanned out to be placed on a bed, the door/box opens and I practice fanning the white light/sheet outward, then pulling it back in....out.....then back in....I have complete control over it. I open up the chakra and allow it to cleanse and then pull in more and more light.
BALANCE: Once I've grounded and centered I'm then purged of all the "ick" that I've carried, and I am ready to only accept the positive. I am still in my visualization and I then draw the roots from my feet back in. My legs, no longer heavy and anchored, I'm more relaxed. My body, which had become a tree, is now mortal again and I'm feeling rejuvenated. (NOTE: It may take a few tries for you to do this, but with practice you can slip in and out of visualization rather quickly with minimal effort). Give thanks to the universe for replenishing you and then go about your day.
Doing this grounding and centering excersise is a wonderful way to begin your day, or unload the day. Do this whenever you feel frenetic or out of balance.
A MOMENT OF SILENCE
I talk constantly. If I'm not talking to a client, or a child of mine, I'm on the phone with a friend, or family member. There are few moments in my life that are spent in absolute silence, this includes music playing, or the TV always on, noise on the street. Even sleeping I'm not privvy to absolute silence. Silence is important because it gives the mind time to rest. Constant noise makes your brain accumulate excessive chatter that it is, unbenownst to you, sifting through and holding onto information you may not even know you're gathering. It depletes and exhausts you, whether you are aware of it or not.
TAKE A MOMENT: Take a moment during the day to shut off all noise (i.e. TV's, IPods, Cell phones) for at least one hour a day. No noise! Just shut it down.
DON'T TALK: Rest your mind and your voice and take a vow to not speak for an hour. Read a book, bake a cake, clean the toilet, it matters not. But be silent.
SIT IN SILENCE: Go to your sacred space in your home or outside and just sit. I wish I had the ocean nearby so I could sit in the sand and just watch the waves. But I've found going to a play ground and just sitting on a swing is just as cathartic.
You will find, after doing this a few times, you actually look forward to the silence and may even want to extend the time. I've been thinking of "noise fasting" myself. Where I take an entire day of no cell phones, no blogging, no work, no chatter, just an entire day of silence. I'm sure my family would LOVE it if I shut up for a day lmao....
TAKING CARE OF YOU!
Life will not become more balanced simply because you WILL it to be. You MUST, MUST, MUST be an active participant in your change. This means doing some simple things that may seem tedious, but in the long run, will create more balance in your life:
1. Cleaning your space is important. In psychology we learn a clutter home reflects the cluttered mind. Clean out at least one room and get it in order. Dust, mop, scrub, organize. Get everything in check. You cannot "be" if you are surrounded by clutter.
2. Stop obsessing over things you cannot change. Worrying and stressing over that which is not within your power is not going to bring it into existence, nor is it going to fix it. In fact, it makes it worse as obsession and worry are negative emotions. And pondering over and over will only ignite fear, and doubt. By letting it go, you'll find answers and solutions come FAST! It's as if the answer just pops into your head, or mysteriously, the situation resolves itself.
3. Getting some rest is very important. Just like when you were a child and mid afternoon you'd get cranky and mom would tell you it was nap time, this holds true, if not more so, in adulthood. Taking a nap midday is a great way to rejuvnate and rest the body and quiet the mind. Naps are important and replenish what you've burned. They need not be 2 hour naps, but a small 20 minute power nap can truly shift your energy level.
4. Eating well does replenish the body within and it's needed fuel for your active mind or body. You need not eat til you bust, but so many people (myself included) skip meals or forget to eat and wonder why our body clocks are winding down. We then begin to fuel ourselves with those horrid energy drinks or coffee and wonder why we're crashing and moody. Make sure you eat during the day, and snack to refuel. I have frozen grapes in my freezer and some form of banana bread or english muffins. I'm not a big breakfast eater early in the morning or upon waking, and I must always take note to eat, and I'm striving right at this moment to refuel with something good for me. Since it's summer, and fruit is aplenty, I am investing a good chunk of my income into those fruits that going to energize me, and also tickle my palate.
5. Giving thanks and being grateful are powerful tools to help you feel connected. It is a daily reminder of all you've been blessed with and keeps you focused on the bigger picture, thereby bringing more abundance into your life.
GIVING THANKS
I recently went to my nail salon, and while waiting for my appointment noticed in the East corner of the waiting area, on the floor, was a Prosperity Corner. The shop owner stated it's for giving thanks and gratitude for the thriving business and customers were encouraged to place a penny, or a gift if they so desired. In this prosperity corner was a statue of Buddah, and candles and a bowl of fruit offered to whomever they were thanking. Flowers were there also, and other small gestures.
Wiccan's do it, Catholics do it, Buddists do it, and you can do it to. Erecting something, even small and barely candid to the nake eye, as a place of prayer and even gratitude is strongly encouraged and suggested by me. It should reflect what you believe in. As a Wiccan I have my 4 elements present at all times. But due to being raised a Catholic I honor and feel strongly connected to the Blessed Mother. I have a statue of her, and I give her flowers for assisting me every day.
It need not be elaborate, like I said, and it should reflect what you hold dear. (Candles, the elements, religious statues, a plate or bowl for an offering, rosary beads or worry beads, etc). Take a moment each day to clean up this space, dusting it, etc, and then giving thanks. It also helps you to ground and center as you're giving thanks or asking for assistance, and it also pulls your mind and focus to what it important.
Thank you for the reminder, Ms Lisa -- I've been feeling pretty run down and exhausted, too, and I've been neglecting this!
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