My dear friend and astrologer Michelle Gregg gave me a transit chart reading (where the planets are now) to help me understand what’s going on energetically with the world and with me.
 
In the world perspective is Uranus/Pluto squared (challenging energy). This is a signal of tremendous transformation, big world changes. This same configuration took place in the 1930s-40s, the 1960s, and now, with major gender changes and shattered world views.
 
For me, the major upheaval is a mix of Pluto crossing Chiron in the 7th house in opposition to Cancer in the 1st house. Pluto is the planet of transformation. It brings up all the dark nasties to be examined and healed. Chiron represents where you’re wounded. The 7th house is about relationships and the 1st house is about the Self. To simplify, now is the time for all the issues with self-esteem, self-respect, self-worth, and self-love to come up for examination and healing. All those experiences from my past when I wasn’t valued or respected. All the times I haven’t loved myself or didn’t feel loved. All those moments when I criticized myself and compared myself to others and felt less than. That dark, grungy stuff I carry inside is just waiting for understanding, for some compassion and forgiveness, for me to say “I love you no matter what.”
 
So how do I deal with that? Every night before bed I say the Forgiveness Prayer by Lisa Barnett. [You can find it on p. 48 of the March/April 2017 issue of the Conscious Life Journal.] I forgive all those who have hurt me, those I have hurt, and, last but not least, I forgive myself for any hurts to myself. And during the day, I catch my negative thoughts and turn them into positive ones by sending love, love, love to all parts of me.
 
What’s coming up for you to heal? Find out what guidance Michelle has to offer. 

Do you love yourself only when you feel good? What about when you fail a test, don’t get a raise, or can’t fit into your new clothes? What if you could really love yourself all the time?
 
The term “self-love” means the love of oneself, the instinct or desire to promote one’s own well-being. True self-love is not narcissistic or self-indulgent but an awareness of your inner power.  Self-love acknowledges who you are and what you like. Those stirrings inside you (a love of nature, playing with color, writing songs, rescuing animals) are meant to point your way. By cultivating your gifts, you show your true passions to the world. Your light illuminates the way for others and allows them to shine as well.
 
How do you start loving yourself? Here are five ways to begin the journey.
 
1) Address self-sabotage. Does your inner voice say you’re not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough? Those negative thoughts stem from past experience and are lodged in your unconscious. Before you can practice self-love you need to let them go. You can heal these thoughts through techniques like hypnotherapy, coaching, tapping (EFT), and the Sedona Method. By changing your beliefs, you allow the real you to emerge.
 
2) Use affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements that train your subconscious mind to develop new ways of thinking. Here are some self-love affirmations to get you started.
 
I love myself just the way I am.
I appreciate who I am right now.
I let go of my fears and go forward with confidence.
 
3) Appreciate yourself. Really look in the mirror. When was the last time you told yourself how beautiful or handsome you are? Loving what you see is an act of courage, a demand for unconditional acceptance. Last year when I was suffering with horrible hip pain and screaming my anguish, I confronted myself. The lies I’ve perpetrated. The ones that said I’m not beautiful. I’m not worthy. I am less than. I stood there with tears streaming down my face and said, “I love you.” At first I could barely whisper those words. But with each repetition my voice strengthened. As I confirmed the truth about me, the pain lessened until it finally disappeared and I acknowledged who I really am.
 
Start with what you DO like and really love that part of you. The more you do this, the more you’ll incorporate parts of you that you didn’t like before. And when you truly love yourself, others will too.
 
4) Be creative. Do you love to play with color, write, sing, make something with your hands? Give yourself permission to follow that voice that’s saying “can I, can I?” Play. Explore. Discover. Embracing your passions is a sure way to love yourself.
 
5) Practice forgiveness. Criticizing yourself or comparing yourself to others only hurts you. Sometimes it’s hard to remember you’re not perfect. But holding on to that resentment can cripple your body, literally. Forgiveness is a way to heal and move forward with peace and love. Say a forgiveness prayer faithfully—for at least 30 days— and watch those hurts begin to release and dissolve.
 
These are just a few ways to practice self-love and engage in loving thoughts. The more you love yourself, the more you step into your power. Experience the love that is rightfully yours. Let your light shine. Be the amazing person you can be.

[Originally published in the Conscious Life Journal​, March 2017]

Some years ago I hired a business coach to help me expand my gourmet brownie company. She gave me a multiple-choice question test to determine how I "am" in the world. The test included a number of statements that leaned toward Christian philosophy and I struggled with my answers since I wasn't raised in the Christian faith. After I finished the test, she tallied the results and pronounced that I resonated with the Service category. In my ignorance, all that came to mind was visions of missionaries in the jungles of Africa, and I surely did not want to do that or be that.

Now, after many years on my spiritual path, I have a greater understanding of the word "service." Service is how you operate in the world. It is a way of giving to others, of helping others. Using your gifts and talents to lift others up, to motivate, encourage, and inspire them. And that is truly my path.

When I sat in the quiet the other day, my question to my angels, guides, and Spirit was, "How can I be of service?" This is what I heard.

Go within and pray. Not a prayer as you usually think, but a pray-ing, a request, an envisioning of your desires. You are a magnificent manifestor. Just look at all you have created around you—your friends, your business acquaintances, your teachers and healers, the network of people who love and support you, your gorgeous house, your amazing body, the endless creativity you tap into. You want for nothing and yet you still have doubts. Cast those doubts aside and look within.
 
Look within to the peace of your heart. The white shining light that is unconditional love. That love is always with you, always for you, always beside you. It IS you. You cannot be without it. So when you are going out in the world let this love be your guide. When you are wishing and hoping and desiring something or someone, let this love be your guide. Ask yourself, “If I am love, what would I do? How can I be of service?” And then await the answer.
 
There is no need for patience. You do not need to test yourself with situations in which you can exercise patience. Simply be. Be with the love. Every moment. Every breath. Whenever doubt arises, ask again, “If I am love, what would I do?” And resonate with that feeling.
 
Let love fill the walls of your cells and echo through the chambers of your organs. Let love fill your muscles and bones and ligaments and radiate outward until your skin is glowing. Become a vessel of love. See that white light stream through you and surround you so that you are encased in love. And with this love, and from this love, is how you will be and do.
 
We are all here to love, so there is really nothing to DO but be the love that you already are. It is just a matter of remembering. A recalling of the divinity that you came from, that Sourced you, that place and time you return to when you dream. Be the love that fills you up and then watch in amazement what miracles transpire.
 
This is the blessing we give to you, the blessing that is yours and has always been yours. Be Love. That is all. 

           ​At long last, the answer to the great mystery of life can be summed up in three words: relax, release, rejoice. According to Michael Singer in The Untethered Soul, to achieve this wonderful state you simply open up your heart and allow life experiences to pass through you. Any worries, doubts, and fears you meet along the way can be overcome by letting go, and, if you follow his suggestions, you’ll find the golden highway to Nirvana.
              So why aren’t you and the other seven billion people on the planet living this way?
We’re entrenched in our routines. Even if they don’t work, even if they’re harmful, they’re comfortable and safe. Anything else feels scary. Dangerous. So we erect roadblocks.
You know that inner voice, the one that nags, gives advice, even soothes and praises? That voice does its best to protect you, to keep you comfortable and safe. If something threatens your perceived safety, that voice goes into overdrive.
            Your emotions also come into play. Pain, sadness, happiness, joy, fear, guilt, shame, the list goes on. Your feelings relate to experiences. If you were hurt in the past, you’re likely holding onto that emotion in the present, and every time a similar situation occurs, that old pain crops up.
            And all these thoughts and emotions require energy. As long as your energy flows, you feel good. But if something upsets you, disappoints you, frustrates you, etc., you close down. That thought or feeling sticks with you and you create resistance. The energy stops flowing and now you have a blockage.
            To navigate these roadblocks, Singer instructs you to become aware. Watch your thoughts, watch your emotions, look at your reactions to those thoughts and emotions. Discover the you behind that inner voice. “What differentiates a conscious centered being from a being who is not so conscious is simply the focus of their awareness.” Your problems come from your reactions. The narrower your focus, the more you center in your problems. When you feel an energy shift, relax and let it go. The more you do this, the easier it becomes.
             The journey of conscious awareness requires a steadfast willingness to work through your fears. To face all of your thoughts and emotions with an open heart. To reach a point where you can separate your physical, mental, and emotional bodies from your spiritual Self. We suffer all the time, so much so that we don’t realize it. But you can replace your old habits with a new awareness practice and leave the pain behind. All it takes is commitment—the beginning of spiritual growth.
            The Untethered Soul is a metaphorical hand extended to show you a better way. If you’re brave enough to take that hand, you’ll embark on a path that has been guaranteed throughout the history of mankind to result in a life of unconditional love and happiness—namely, bliss.

[Originally published in the Conscious Life Journal, March 2017]