A Common Thread

A common thread that we all share is our connection we have with each other. Our energy, thoughts, and intentions all have a huge influence not only in our own lives but others that we come in contact with. For many this can be called Empathic but as I have learned we all share this ability at different degrees. For me it was a way that I could help others and understand blessings in my own life with what I could feel within my own body as a Reiki practitioner. Later with practice I learned that I didn't have to feel the energy but could read it instead which only changed the way that I learned about energy.

I once had a client come to me who was nursing a cold at the time asking me to balance her energy fields. During the session we had to stop a few times to let her blow her nose. Then in the middle of the session my nose started to run and I had to stop and blow my own. Finally it dawned on me to check in with myself when I recognized that I was fine when we started. It then became clear to me that I was working in her energy field and I was taking on her symptoms. This meant that I needed to acknowledge what was happening and then send the energy that was causing the nose to drip on it's merry way stopping it for the both of us so that we could to continue the rest of the session without all the Kleenex.

I had another client come to me for Reiki and I noticed a few minutes into the session that my stomach was hurting. Not bad but uncomfortable, so I asked my client if she was having a stomach ache.  She immediately responded that her stomach was hurting all that morning and so I started to work on releasing the energy and clearing out the pain from both of our energy fields. It worked, within the next few minutes the pain was gone which I quickly checked in with my client and hers was gone to.

Another time was when I went with a friend to pick up her daughter from her ballet class. Her daughter got in the car complaining that her foot was hurting. Seeing me in the car she asked if I would lay my hands on her foot and help with the pain. I did and after a little while my foot started to hurt which made me speak up letting her know what I was picking up. She smiled wanting to know where on the foot that I was picking up the pain. That was easy, as I could pin point the exact area of where the pain was coming from. She smiled really big and said that, yes, that was where her foot was hurting. I then placed my intentions to release the pain in her foot and my own energy field. After few seconds she sighed in big relief. The pain was gone for both of us.

My husband is a very dear person who sympathized with both my pregnancy and the births of our two children. As I was having contractions, he would feel the pain in his stomach. I must confess at the time, I was not very compassionate towards his pain. But now years later I am still in "awe" of how we can pick up emotions, and even feel physical pain from each other when we are connected.

Throughout my own life I have discovered that we as human beings don't even have to be in the same room but can be miles and miles apart and still be connected to each other.

An example of this was several years ago when I was doing a lot of traveling in my life and I could feel one of my friends thinking or praying over me. The feeling I got was so strong that I would make note of the time and day where ever I was. Later, when I got home, I would contact her and we would compare notes which always confirmed what I noted to the exact time and day. Again, I was reminded of the power our thoughts and prayers have on each other.

Now, years later, I understand more than ever how important it is to send out loving and healing thoughts towards each other, especially towards those who make us feel off-balance. They are the ones who need it the most and when we are conscious of this we can send loving energy that is needed to create that balance. The other thing to be aware of is that often when we are hurt and angry we send the energy out which can cause more pain and suffering for others and ourselves. I am not saying not to get angry but learn how to release your anger into the earth and let it regenerate into a healthy energy that doesn't cause pain to others and eventually make it's way back to you. As multi-dimensional beings it is our responsibility to be mindful for the things that we think as much as the things that we do.

"An Awakening of the Spirit"

As spirit beings grounded in the physical body there is a resonance that seeps out of the human heart.


 Even without the consciousnesses of knowing that we are all intertwined with each of our actions we all share the consequences and love that we put forth into the world in which we live in.


We are the children who play among our own humanity as we forge the planet learning how to hold a sacred space with our Creator, ourselves and each other.

It is only when we awaken and remember that we are multidimensional beings that were created out of unconditional love that we find our connection to the divine and our way back to our true selves.


Photographs (universe aside) by Ana

"And Then There is Toast"

One of our family traditions on Halloween is to watch The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, with Don Knotts. I caught myself laughing when the banker told another character how excited his wife was when she found out that a house was haunted in her small town. He said that she just came home and vibrated. However this made me think about how many times we as human beings change our energy because of outside influences. It also brought up the thought about how we change our frequency within ourselves as we send out signals in an unconscious state attracting certain people, events, and things into our lives.

This morning when I got up I found my husband in the kitchen making toast and I had another thought about energy frequencies as I watched him go through his little ritual of making sure his toast was perfect. In that instant I saw that most of us go through a time of experimenting with the different settings in our relationships. If we are not aware of what we like, or don't know ourselves well enough to know what we want in a our relationships with others, it is a lot like taking a chance on a toaster that was set for someone else.

Again I was reminded that we as energetic beings have the ability by being conscious to change our energy to attract certain relationships and events in our lives. This includes being aware of the signals that we send out into the world with our values, emotions, needs, and wants that we have attached to our lives in case we want to change transforming them into new ones. We don't have to be powerless with the things that go on in our lives if we recognize that we play an active part.  

For more information about frequencies in our energy fields here are a few books on this subject...


1. Frequency, The Power of Personal Vibration, by Penney Peirce
2. The Holographic Universe, The Revolutionary Theory of Reality, Michael Talbot
3. The Field, The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, by Lynne McTaggart

The Soles of Our Feet

I was having tea at a friend's house and she was telling me about how sensitive the soles of the feet are. Knowing that she had spent time in New Mexico learning about herbs I felt honored to listen to what she had to say.

"No, really", she said! "Try this sometime by taking fresh garlic that you cut up and rub it on the bottom of the feet. In a few hours you will be able to taste it with your tongue. If you are stressed you can rub an essential oil like lavender on the feet and it will move into the blood stream quickly helping you to relax."

Of course it wasn't until I woke up the next morning at 4 am that the thought that came to me was how many times had I heard that the ancients not only washed their feet but also smudge oils and different kinds of herbs on the bottom of their feet.

Could this not only be a way to care and cleanse the feet but actually a way of caring for the body as a whole? I have heard stories of people in the past putting Vicks on their children's feet when they had a cold and it would help them breath better.

This made me wonder if our feet are that sensitive then by not caring for them properly might effect our blood, organs, immune system, etc...

Wow, this puts Athlete's foot in a whole other category. What is in the inside of our shoes? What is really in our foot powders and sprays?

Things that make you go Hmm...


Photographs by Steve Noyce

Impressions of an Echo

The repetition of an unhealthy pattern is like an echo bouncing off the canyon wall.

Each time it strikes it makes an imprint on the human heart.

The ripples of the waves move in sequence during a lifetime

Sending out signals validating the original pattern.
                                          

                                         Looking back one might wonder what was it all for?

A coincidence in life catches the attention of the listener

Bringing an awareness that the pattern is only a vibration

That can be changed by redirecting the energy within.

Transformation occurs, as the voice learns to speak its truth

Creating a reflection in a new sound.

Photographs by Steve Noyce

A Tiger Under the Bed

A dear friend once told me a story about when she was really little. She was afraid of a tiger living under her bed.  Her memories were of calling her father to come and chase the tiger away, but she would lay there later on thinking about it, afraid that if she stepped down from the bed it would get her. I often think of her and her story. I know that in our early age there is often a fear of something, whether it is a tiger or the boogie man, that is going to jump out and get us.

This memory of her story brought to my attention this week the understanding that fears can make us miserable if we let them get out of hand. Like a rabbit, we may be too afraid to make a move as we build our fear into something as big as a ferocious tiger.  In those moments, deep emotional pain can add to our suffering because of the imaginary restrictions and consequences that we place on ourselves and others.

I am not saying that fear is something to be taken lightly. There are times that our fears can warn us of danger, and help reveal deep inner truths about ourselves. What I do want to point out is that it can be just as important to investigate what it is that keeps us from moving forward or causes rifts in our relationships. By taking the cover off our head and looking to see if that original fear is an actual truth in our lives, or something that we created for ourselves, can be like turning on the light and recognizing that in most cases we don't have anything to fear but fear itself.

Photographs by Steve Noyce

Psychometry

The first time someone showed me what psychometry was I thought it was a magic trick. I was instantly delighted that there was so much information to be picked up just by holding an object. At the time I didn't realize that it was a natural talent that we all have whether we are aware of it, or not. We were born with it, and often when we find ourselves holding an object, or walking on a piece of property where we pick up the subtle energies around us feeling something deep down inside our gut. In those moments it is up to us to know ourselves well enough to know what we are really picking up from the energy that is held within the land.

When we break it all down everything is created out of energy. Emotions are just another form of energy. Often when these two energies become entangled with one another the emotional energy becomes a part of the object, or land. This happens a lot more than we even realize. Thank about a watch, or a piece of jewelry that someone wore all the time. After sometime some of their feelings and moods become imprinted within the item's energy. Someone else may come along later and pick up on what the other person was going through as they hold the jewelry, or watch in their hand.

Land is another way that people can pick up energy patterns that are trapped, or left behind. We being multidimensional beings have our energy fields that span out around, and in us. Sometimes when we go to a place, or find ourselves visiting where a battle has taken place we may feel the presence of fear, grief, terror, or even hopelessness. Rage, anger, defiance, revenge, hate, lust, greed, power, control, etc... may also be among these emotions left behind embedded in the land. The energy can hit us so fast that we are unsure what is happening to us as we take it all in.

 I had a similar experience this past weekend when my husband, and I decided to visit a town that is known as an art center located in the mountains in a near by state. This past week we decided to drive up for a weekend and as we got closer to our destination I noticed that my husband started to get really quiet. When I asked him what was wrong he said he was feeling sadness and a sense of loss. Grief had overtaken my heart too and when I examined where else in my body it was residing I also found it in my throat, and forehead. Immediately, I asked my husband where he was feeling the sadness in his body and he pointed out the same places on himself.

We knew some of the history of the town and that many battles had been fought there with the Natives and Spaniards battling over the land. What was surprising was how strong the emotions were still a part of the land. Our stay was bittersweet as we enjoyed talking to the artists and shopkeepers and seeing all the sights. It was when we walked around certain parts of the town that it felt as if the ghosts from the past stepped out onto the streets to share their sorrow with us.

Sunday, as we drove home, I noticed that as we got further and further away from the town the sadness began to leave us. Don't get me wrong, I loved our time being together and seeing all the sights, but once again I recognized that we were designed to pick up the energies around us, some of which are supposed to be a deterrence of danger and others are the impressions left behind from of the past. Psychometry is just a part of us and as we evolve we learn that when we pick up these energies they may be useful to us or a reminder of another time...

Photographs by Steve Noyce 

The Insanity of it All

I have heard that one of the definitions of insanity is to continue to do the same thing over and over in life with a certain ending only to expect a different outcome.

One of my children's favorite movies when they were growing up was the Disney movie Bambi. In one of the scenes Bambi's mother is shot by a hunter and killed. It can be a real tear jerker if you sit down and become invested in the movie. I remember several times I would sit with the kids and watch it with them and when it came to that particular scene I would psych myself up for a different outcome wanting the mother to see the hunter and get away. Then the hunter would kill the mom and I would be devastated crying like a baby over an animated movie.  After this happened I am sorry to say more then a few times I realized that I was just setting myself up for failure and a big disappointment. Not to mention making myself crazy.

This in itself may sound silly but think about those people who date the same type of person over and over. Thank about someone who is always choosing the same kind of friends or works for a particular kind of boss who under appreciates them. What about someone who continues to rescue a certain type of person from their own fate. Monotony, frustration, disappointment, pain, fear, anger, depression, etc... which are all attached to repeating a broken pattern in our lives that no longer serves us. In one way or anther we have all experienced this kind of insanity. Sometimes we are aware of the pattern and other times we sleepwalk through it only to find ourselves back on the hamster wheel.

The really good news is like in the Bambi example it may only be that first step in recognizing the insanity that helps us recalculate so that we can remove a lot of unnecessary stress and pain in our lives. We have the ability to learn from these broken patterns allowing us to take the responsibility for ourselves and not blame others for the things that are not panning out. This also gives us the power to change our course in life and steer it in another direction that is more in line with what we wish to accomplish.


Photographs by Steve Noyce - The Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA

"Sending Love out Into the World".

Love is something that we have great abundance of when we remember who we really are. Here is a powerful meditation that can be used to send out love into the world.  

• First find a quiet place where you can sit and relax. 
• Then when you do find your center and focus your attention on the Heart Chakra.
• Follow your breath at a regular pace and when you are comfortable breath in white light and release anything that no longer serves you on the out breath. Do this awhile until you feel you have filled the Heart center with white light.    

• When you are ready place your intentions into a ball of pink rose light for Love inside the Heart Chakra as it is cradled in white light. Give the pink rose light a little time to settle into the white light. 
• As it does allow the ball of pink rose colored light to grow inside your Heart Chakra so it expands throughout your whole body.
• Then expand the ball of pink rose light out through your skin and into your whole aura.

• Sit with the energy of the pink rose light for a while as you place your intention to saturate your whole being with Unconditional Love. 
• Then expand the pink rose light out into the world as far as you can go. Each time going farther sending love out into the world and the whole universe.

• Feel free to stay there for as long as you want.
• When you are ready bring your awareness back into you heart allowing the pink rose light to continue to encase you for the rest of the day as you ground yourself back into the physical world.   

• Now you continue to carry love in your aura and physical body as you go about your day sharing it with others. 

Side Note; Remember when you are connected into your Heart chakra you are connected into the All and the energy is flowing through you, not from you so you have unlimited access and are not drained.

Here is a fun website that explains the colors and meanings 

http://www.color-meanings.com/pink-color-meaning-the-color-pink/

Photographs by Ana

"The Antagonist In Our Lives"

I think one of the most confusing relationships in life is the one with an Antagonist. These people either show up when we least expect it, or they have been there all our lives as a family member. When we take the time to actually evaluate our experiences with them it is easy to see the relationship as rather a large nuisance especially when we are in a position where these encounters create chaos, and brings out our personal fears.

These kind of relationships can become quite difficult as we find ourselves scrambling to use coping skills that may, or may not work, or even be in our best interests influenced by triggers from past emotional traumas opening up our basic instincts of fight, or flight. Then without an understanding of what is happening to us we face these encounters as blocks within ourselves giving us a feeling of being stuck causing us to have feelings of being out of control, helpless, or even hostel. To complicate matters if we don't learn how to heal our emotional wounds from these interactions with our Antagonist physical illnesses have an opportunity to set into the body as fear, or obsessiveness places untimely stress on our whole well being.

On the flip side to this relationship the antagonist can actually be a blessing because when we take the time to look back on past experiences with them we are able to see that these people not only create a large impact on us, but also help us identify how we define ourselves by our interactions with them. They are the teachers in our lives that reflect those parts of ourselves that make us uncomfortable. When we have an understanding of this we know that when the antagonist shows up they give us an opportunity to learn how to maneuver through our own life lessons by the choices we make when we are with them.

It is through these encounters that we can grow as we learn about our own fears so that they become less, and less of a threat that push us off balance. Once we establish this we see that the relationship is bittersweet as we still want to proceed with some caution while recognizing that we have the choice to either be destroyed by our experiences with our antagonist, or to learn how to step into our own personal power so that we can take control of our own lives.

Photographs by Ana

"Esoteric Acupuncture"

In 2010 I was working at an Acupuncture clinic in Fort Worth Texas as a Reiki Practitioner.  I had the opportunity to learn about Acutonics which uses tuning forks and how they work on the different meridian points on the body. It was because of this that the concept that kept coming to mind was that since Reiki was a healing energy channeled through the hands why wouldn't it be possible to do the same thing with the Acupuncture points.

Reiki is very simple process as the energy flows through the practitioner's hands into the client. Since the energy comes from Source it goes directly to the places in the body that it is most needed for healing. Reiki has also been described as a laying of hands energy prayer. In the case of Acupuncture the practitioner is physically engaged with different points on the body that follow the energy flow through the meridians using needles, or tuning forks to help with healing. What caught my attention was that since energy could be channeled through the practitioner why couldn't the energy as a healing vibration be mentally guided instead of using physical instruments on the client.  

As a Reiki practitioner it may all seem a little complicated but what I found working at the Acupuncture clinic was that people wanted to use different techniques that resonated with their own healing process. This idea of mentally guiding the energy flow through the meridians was just another way of working with the healing energy. Also I loved the fact that it didn't need any physical tools to create the same affect. 

I went home one night and searched on the internet to see if anyone else had come up with the same idea. What I found was that there was one man named Dr. Mikio Sankey who not only knew about this technique but had even published a few books about it calling it Esoteric Acupuncture. He even had a wonderful YouTube video describing his work and the success he had using it. Thrilled I couldn't wait to share what I had learned the next day with the Acupuncturists who ran the clinic. To my surprise I found out that she not only read the books but had met Dr. Sankey in Austin. She was happy that I was excited about the whole process and offered to loan me her books.

After reading about how Esoteric Acupuncture worked I asked the Acupuncturist if we could use the same techniques with some of her clients. She thought about it and felt like there were a few clients that would be open to trying that kind of acupuncture out and would really benefit from it. The outcome was amazing. The clients that agreed to use the process were happy with the results and it seemed to speed up their healing process.

I ended up leaving the clinic in 2012 to take time off to write a book and begin teaching about energy patterns. But I will never forget my time learning about the different ways that Acupuncture can be applied in helping to heal the physical and emotional body.

Note: If you are interested in Esoteric Acupuncture here are a few books on the process.

* Esoteric Acupuncture; Gateway to Expanded Healing by  Dr. Mikio Sankey P. Hd. L.Ac

* Discern the Whisper,  Esoteric Acupuncture Vol.2, Dr. Mikio Sankey P.Hd. L.Ac

* Climbing Jacob's Ladder, Esoteric Acupuncture Vol. 3, Dr. Mikio Sankey P.Hd. L.Ac

Photographs by Ana

"The Choice"

This past week I was on my way to visit a Reiki Client and ended up stuck in traffic. That wasn't so bad until I realized the time. Looking at the situation I decided that the lane that I had chosen was not the best to make my way out of the traffic. I checked my rear view mirror to move into the right lane seeing a truck that was at least three cars behind giving me a clear path if I was quick. I then turned my signal on and hit the gas but being in a manual to my horror my Mini tried to stall. That was the only time I had to make the move, leaving me in-between lanes. What resulted was that the driver of the large pickup truck decided he could move fast enough so that I couldn't get in and we almost hit each other in the middle of all the traffic.

I waved at the truck and since I was already in the lane proceeded to move forward. The driver of the truck had his own ideas and he also moved forward. We almost hit each other again. Still stuck in the middle of both lanes I couldn't believe what was happening and so I proceeded to move forward again only this time I hit the gas and pulled the mini out of his way as the big truck jerked forward to take over the space that I was occupying. I got in by the skin of my teeth and then became rather angry once it was all over. No, I was furious! Then I remembered the night before when I was teaching a class and the subject came up about sending out thoughts that had a negative vibe to them.  

As it just so happens road rage is one of those experiences where we get to be tested in what we are sending out to our fellow human beings and out into the world. I knew in that moment that whatever I sent out through my own energy field would not only hit that other person's energy field but it could influence others around us. I also knew that it would eventually return to me as I was the original source of the thought. Being conscious of all of this I decided to take the higher road. Instead of sending out anything that was negative, I felt it was important to forgive and to move into a positive energy. As I sat there in the traffic with the truck in my rear view mirror I sent out love saying a prayer for the person so that they would heal whatever it is that was making them so aggressive. I surrounded myself in love feeling peace flood my being and as I did the traffic opened up and we were all back at the high speed of 70 moving down the highway.  

I ended up being only a few minutes late to my Reiki session with my client. As I got out of the car a flash of the whole incident went through my mind and I caught myself smiling as I knew that I it was going to be a beautiful and wonderful day! Feeling joy in my heart I went inside the building to meet with my client.

Photographs by Ana

"Light Language"

Light language is a language that every human being is already very familiar with. It is a language of the chakras, aura, and energy fields around and in the body. The language is something that I feel most people are not conscious of yet it is a fluent language of the soul, spirit, and even the subconscious mind. The one draw back is that we as human beings become so invested in the physical world around us that we often miss this beautiful language all together even though our bodies, and energy fields are speaking the language and picking up information from others on an a every day basis.

What most people feel, or experience when they tap into this language is what the intuitive world calls hits or a knowing. In truth it is the light from our energy fields encoded with the energy from our emotions, and thoughts which are always talking to other people's energy fields expressing our deepest wishes, and desires. The information that is shared can be about our health and even our soul contracts that we have during this life time.

 When you break everything down you find that everything is created out of light and energy. This is the very basics of understanding that light also carries information that is not only an expression of a color but rather an energy that can be seen, felt, or experienced in a number of different ways within our energy fields which bump into other people's fields. For those that have the ability to see the human aura they can learn to read the colors but they can also learn to feel the energies that someone is expressing in their fields.

Our health is also projected in these energy fields around us and before we develop an illness it always shows up in our subtle bodies which is comprised of light and energy. If we don't clear the energy within the fields holding the illness we eventually advance to the next stage of carrying the illness in our physical bodies. Acupuncturist and energy workers have known this through out the ages. If you want to really look into language of light you will find that Ancient Chinese medicine has documented this amazing energy within the fields as well.

A few good books on the subject are.....

The Web That Has No Weaver, Understanding Chinese Medicine, by Ted Kaptchuk

Hands of Light, A guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, by Barbara Ann Brennan

Esoteric Acupuncture,  Gateway to Expanded Healing Volume 1, by Mkio Sankey, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Photographs by Steve Noyce

"A Lesson in Life"

Over the years I have been learning to access the Akashic Records in combination with past lives and shamanic journeying. These have been valuable lessons taught by dreams, Spirit, Masters and even a few teachers on this side. If someone were to have asked me several years ago if this was something I would be doing in this lifetime I would have laughed and walked away. Today it is very much apart of what I am learning and helping others to discover within themselves.

I don't talk a lot about past lives as it scares so many but the truth is that it is very much a part of our development in our Soul's spiritual journey. It is when you step onto that realm that there are no limitations to what God and the Holy Spirit can do. You begin to have an understanding that there is a lot more beyond our own comprehension even in this life time. We as humans are limited and it is only natural to limit and try to control what is around us from our own understanding.

Learning to be in the Akashic Records and the different modalities of moving in the spirit world can be more than just liberating but causes you to connect to your spirit and soul on a whole different level while bringing you closer in a higher level of connection to God and the love that you were created out of. The Spiritual support that is right by your side and at your finger tips is completely within your sight and grasp.

Now, this does not infringe on free will or the sacred contract that was signed by you and the Heavenly Creator. You still have a life mission and lessons to learn on this world of matter and that includes carrying out the life that you chose to do them in. Yes, this even includes your birth, family, circumstances and death.

It is when you examine your life from the outside and from the soul's perspective you lose some of the fear and anxiety knowing that you are 50% physical body and the other half Spirit. This is when you also discover that you have a life in both worlds living in a simultaneous connection that is linked to each other.

Photographs by Steve Noyce - India

"The Hamburger Theory"

I used to have a friend who liked to tell me that they thought that people were really strange. I didn't understand until he told me about the hamburger theory. What is the hamburger theory you ask? Well, you might be surprised because we hear it all the time.

It kind of goes like this....... You are talking to someone and they tell you that they hate hamburgers and if they saw or smelled a burger then they would be sick. Then you for some reason you ask them if they would like to go to lunch and they say..... Yes! So next you ask where they would like to go since you realize they have strong ideas about food. They suggest this little hamburger place that is around the corner where they make the best hamburgers.......

OK, this might make you think.....Hmmmmm...... Something is not right......and you are right. What you have just experienced is being in the hamburger theory. You are confused and well right you should be..... because what you are hearing is not adding up..... It is a sign of the soul being separated from the body and mind.....

The person is split in half.... One side wants a hamburger and the other side hates them. {Soul separation}is the term and a signal for help. Now here is the hard part, most of the time the person is not even aware that they are split in two. So blurting it out that they are split is not going to win you any points or make you popular in the relationship.

Also know that there is something they might need to deal with and could be detrimental if you see it and bring it up with annoyance. So where does that leave you?

I have a good friend who's mission in life is to remind people that we should all speak in love. So when you are with someone and you notice the discrepancy it is better to speak in love and repeat what they are saying to you asking them again which they prefer. They may even be confused by you doing this because they are completely unaware of their actions.

Just repeat it in love and go on like it is not an issue. This will allow them to hear themselves and later they can then analysis it when they are ready to deal with the separation. If you notice that someone is doing this for you then you have something to think about.

So now when you hear the hamburger theory, you now know you are not crazy and neither is your loved one. Just know that it is just one way we ask for help.....

Energy Cords

Now here is something to ponder about which are energy cords or you might have encountered them under the name of codependency. If you are a visual person like me, then think of it like attaching a cord to someone you cherish or even care for. The only difference is that when you do, you start to give them all your energy or personal power.

Everything revolves around what this person is thinking and feeling. You lose yourself in this person and it might seem fine when you love them but you need to wake up and smell the coffee. This is not just about those people in love but can effect all different kinds of relationships such as friends, marriages, coworkers, family relations, etc.....

As you read this someone may be coming to mind. You might even have known someone who has a child and the world seems to revolve around that child. And everyone knows it except the the two involved. The sad thing is that someone in this kind of relationship is always giving and the other is always taking.

The one taking, understands that this is just how it is and will sometimes push things to the outer limits as proof of the commitment form the other person. The giver gives until they are all used up and hopefully realize that they have not been appreciated but only taken advantage of.

This might bring an individual to realize that maybe they were allowing the other person to use them and that it would be wise to sever the energy cord. The term energy cord comes form all the thoughts, actions, and energy put into the relationship in satisfying the other person's needs.

I have met people in my life who have said, "that life or whatever they were doing was all about, what the other person wanted". "As long as the other person is happy or content then their life was good." That leaves a lot of responsibility for the other person to carry to be happy all the time. And will often retaliate by telling others how unhappy they are with the people pleaser.

If you suddenly wake up and find that you have an energy cord attached to another person then it is time to sever it and become free. You are not doing them any favors by trying to live your life through them or to please them. In fact you are only a hindrance to them growing. Yes, the other person will know when you have cut the cord and will want you back. Why wouldn't they, when you give yourself to them so freely.

I once took a class in Dennison, TX and the teacher Jody reminded us of the energy cords that we have attached to other people. It of course brought up a few memories for me. Ones that I plan not to repeat.  Jody also talked about how the cords grow in thickness as the relationship became stronger but not in a healthy way. This makes it harder to cut through but if you need a chainsaw then I suggest you do it for the sake of yourself and them.

Energy cords only drain you of your vital essence, time, and energy as you allow all of it to flow to the other person. Remember that getting yourself in touch with yourself may revile some issues that need to be worked out and if this is one of them then the road to healing is putting a stopper in the unplugged drain.

Photographs by Steve Noyce - Las Vegas, NV

"What is in a Word?"

I used to play a word association game with my friends when we would get bored as I was growing up. The way it worked was that my friend or I would say a word and the other one would say the first thing that came into their head. We got the idea from some detective show that we watched on television and it was a fun way to pass the time. Now as I look back I see that not only does a word have more than one meaning it has plays a huge part in understanding how we are connecting to each other, ourselves and to the Universe.

The idea behind the game is that each word has some kind of meaning or attachment to it. Bear with me as I know you already know this but the interesting thing is to take it a step further... So, for example, even a simple word like woman has different meanings to different generations. I found this out when I asked some women who were in their 70's what the word woman meant to them. They said, it meant meant hardship, no equal pay in the workforce, pain and struggling. Then I asked some of my friends who are in their 40's what the word woman meant to them and I got back nurturing, caring for the family, being their for others. When I asked someone ladies in their early 20's they said it meant power, getting out in the world and making a place for themselves, Being in charge of the workforce and others.

The reason I bring this up is that I was having lunch with a friend the other day and we were talking about how we attract things to us with our thoughts which send signals into our energy fields that tell the rest of the world what we desire in our lives. This of course lead us into talking about the different associations we have with words.

Now think about this... What do you think when you think of abundance? When talking to some people it meant having more money and physical things in their lives while others said it meant to have more love. Then I asked about the word money. Again I got different meanings spanning from, joy of spending, hoarding it, not enough, to the root of all evil. It was different for each person depending on their experiences or even what was imprinted on them from their families and culture. This really brings to mind a saying that I used to hear in old western movies which was, "Man speaks with forked tongue". I get that now! I know it wasn't a nice statement in the movie but playing this word game it makes so much more sense.

So think about this.. What are you saying actually saying when you are trying to attract something into your life?

Photograph #1 by Ana
Photograph #2 by Angelique

"Vibration"

Growing up, I used to hear people use the word vibration. At that time I thought it was funny listening to the way others used it to describe how they were feeling. Now, years later, I understand what they were talking about and I use the term when I work with my Reiki clients or explain what I notice when I pick up signals from another person's energy body.

So what is really going on when we use the word vibration? To understand what is happening within our energy fields and physical bodies let's start with the basics. We already know that everything is made up of some kind of molecular structure. That was something we learned in science class at school. We also know that atoms are always moving in and all around us and that everything, whether we see it moving or not, is moving. This means too that while it is all moving everything that we know has it own frequency creating a vibration by a certain dance that it is doing to create a solid, liquid, ether, etc... existence.

When we think about it we can see that each dance creates something unique. For instance the tango is a lot different from the two step and by having it's own dance sequence it makes energy very interesting when you become familiar with it. Then we throw in a lot of external and internal influences such as waves that affect the way energy moves. For example waves can come from so many different sources like sound, emotions, heat, thoughts etc... All of these things affect the way the atoms and particles sing and do their special dance. Sometimes it helps to remember that radio waves move though the air as does the television signals which are not seen yet we know they are there. Our emotions and thoughts are the same way. Our thoughts have more power than we realize by creating energy that can change our molecular structure into someone who is producing a positive energy field that people are excited to be around or into someone negative that others avoid.

The miracle is that when looking closely we find that the human body is fully equipped in the way that it picks up these energies. Thank about the last time you walked in a place or meeting and the hair on the back of your neck stood up. When was the last time you were around someone who was stressing you out and your stomach was hurting or someone who you just couldn't wait to be around? Your body was picking up the energy from that person.

A good phrase to remember is that like attracts like to help you gauge the signals that you are sending out. When you are sending off negative signals your body or atoms begin to vibrate in that way and people who are in the same state will be attracted to you. If you send off positive signals then the body vibrates in a higher form and people with that frequency will feel comfortable and will be drawn to your vibration. That is why we attract the same type of person over and over in our lives.

The choice is really up to you...

Another thing that happens is that energy can be imprinted on the things around us. For example if a person was depressed and sat in this one chair all the time and finely decided to sell it it can affect your energy by sitting in it. The chair may even give you a funny feeling or make you uncomfortable. That is because you are picking up the energy off the chair from the other person. If this happens you may decide to get rid of it or you can change its vibration. Cleansing the chair is one way to do that, which can be done by praying over the chair or asking someone to help who knows how to cleanse and clear energy.

To learn more about energy vibration & clearing.......

1. Frequency: The Power of Personal Vibration, by Penney Peirce

2. Energy Clearing, Heal Energetic wounds, Release Negative Influence, and Clear Healthy Boundaries, by Cindi Dale

3. Clearing: A Guide to Liberating Energies Trapped in Buildings and Lands, by Jim PathFinder Ewing

                          Photographs by Steve Noyce - Taos, NM

"Disengage"

The first time I heard the word disengage was on the original Star Trek series when Captain Kirk used it when he give the order to his crew. At the time I was really young so it didn't make a real impression until much later in my life when I heard the word again. My husband used the word on me once when my daughter and I were having an argument. She was at that age when she was starting to assert her independence as a young teen. I remember the image of Captain Kirk flooding back into my memory when he said it, understanding the idea but wondering if he had borrowed it from one of the episodes.

I have learned since that no matter who we are drama is something that plays a part of everyone's life. Whether it is being personally involved, watching it on Television, reading about it, seeing it at the movies, finding it at work etc.. in some way we all are exposed to it. Drama is just one of things that is part of the human experience. All these different kinds of exposures to drama leads us down a trail of learning diverse ways of moving through it. Sometimes the drama is out of our hands and we find ourselves caught up in the web of complications looking for ways to disentangle ourselves from it. Boundaries are great but when the drama has crossed the lines where do we go from there?

This is when the word disengage is useful as it means a form of detachment. I know when I heard my husband use it that first time I thought he was being funny and didn't appreciate it. Now years later I have learned a great deal about this one action that is so powerful in helping to see and to maneuver out of storms that have tried to blow me off course. I am not saying that I have mastered it as of yet because there are still times I'm caught off guard but when I am aware of it I know I have the choice to pull myself back. Just by detaching from the emotional roller coaster I can then find other solutions that open up in exploring the situation.

 By stepping back I am able to take a breath giving myself the opportunity to find my center again where my thoughts are a lot clearer. In this state I'm better equipped  to evaluate whether it is something that I really need to be a part of or if it is something that I need to let go.


For more information on this subject a helpful book on detachment is...  
Let Go Now; Embracing Detachment: By Karen Casey

Photographs by Ana

"Living in Love"

Wow, this is so much fun you must try it! Try to take a little time out for yourself to be alone. When you can find a quiet place or put on some soothing music then take the time to quiet the mind.

Breath out all tension and stress from the day and breath in the loving energy from our Creator. Just take the time for all negative thoughts and feelings to drain out of you. Then send it on its way into the center of the earth. Ask God to use you as a beautiful vessel to channel his love to others.

Again, allow yourself to fill up with this amazing love form God and just let it fill you up in all the places that you allowed to drain away that negative energy. Fill in all that empty space inside of you with love and expand your heart with love. By doing this, you get this huge feeling that moves within you of love and compassion for yourself and others.

As you do, you may start to have things come up that are negative and remember that it is OK. Just release it and fill yourself with love. People will start to come into your mind and when they do, think of them surrounded with love and send that love to them where ever they are. Ask for healing if it is painful and send that pain away and fill that empty space again with love.

If you do it enough, then you will begin to just think of love and that feeling will just take over your whole being without another thought and you can send loving healing energy form God to others through out your whole day. When you do this, then you are learning to channel a very fine and higher frequency of energy that can only come form God allowing you to heal and become balanced to.

Just try it... You may be surprised. Others will notice a change in you, who are around you. Oh one warning, you might feel, "a little out to lunch" as we say. So if you do and need to come down a little to function the rest of the day instead of being on,"cloud nine", then eat something or drink water just to ground you back into this world.

Have fun with it and enjoy!

Photographs by Ana - Taos, NM

"In the Moment"

Have you ever been in a situation where someone that you knew was having a hard time and all you could do was to be there for them to hold their hand? What I have learned in those situations is that it is about really being present for someone when they are working through something in their life that is life changing. I bring this up because it is something that seems to be a theme in my own life these last few weeks as some of my family and friends are making some incredible transitions in their lives.

 For those of us who are standing on the sidelines sometimes the real challenge is not to take it upon ourselves to fix or even take on the situation but to allow the other person to move through their own experience. In some instances it may seem easier to take over someone else's pain or even do it for them but this only creates more problems later on down the road. I remember once years ago when I ran to one of my spiritual teachers upset after I had taken it upon myself to help someone solve a problem and fixed their life only to find that they had repeated the same situation that I had helped them solve. My teacher then explained to me that when we step into someone else's life to solve a problem for them we only delay what they needed to learn.

 On the outside it may look good but if the person doesn't learn how to maneuver through and around obstacles in their life then they continue to repeat the pattern until they do. It is nothing personal but for me at that time it was such a disappointment. The other side of the coin was that by trying to fix someone else's problems I wasn't paying attention to my own life causing me to repeat unhealthy patterns that I didn't have time to solve.

What I have learned out of all of this was that as we all evolve from our experiences interacting with each other we discover how important it is to be in the moment when someone needs you to witness what they are learning about as they move through their own experience. Also how crucial it is to have healthy boundaries so that we all can continue to grow.

Photographs by Steve Noyce - Rome, Italy

Happy Father's Day!

1. "A father is someone who is proud to see you get your first car...but secretly wishes it had no keys."  by Linda Poindexter

2. "My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life."  by Lee Iacocca

3. "It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was."  by Anne Sexton

4. "By the time a man realizes that his father was right, he has a son who thinks he's wrong."  by Charles Wadsworth



5. "There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it." by George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings 

6. "A father carries pictures where his money used to be." by Unknown

7. "Your father gives you many things in a lifetime... most of which you will not appreciate until way after he is gone." by Linda Poindexter

Photographs by Steve Noyce - Los Vegas, NV and Tuscany, Italy

"Recognizing Fear"

When we mention the word fear it seems to carry so many stigmas attached to it. Yet, it is one of the most helpful emotions that we can have in recognizing and releasing old energy patterns within ourselves that no longer serve us. Often when fear comes up we may already be conditioned to believe that we are experiencing something else besides what is really going on. Fear is one of those emotions that tends to be masked by other emotions so that we can hide it from ourselves. If we really take the time to trace the emotions of anger, judgment, grief, shock, disappointment, rejection, failure, even pain, to name a few we find that they are only extensions of fear leading back to the original source.

 So many times when we are confronted or triggered by something we are afraid of we may find that we either shut down, react, or even become stuck in old baggage when it rears its head. Then there are those times we may find ourselves facing a fear that feels so overwhelming to explore and release, we began to live through others so that we can cover it up not dealing with what is happening inside us. In retrospect it looks good from the outside as it masquerades as helping others but the truth be known its only putting off what will show itself over and over until we take the time to heal it. Another side of fear is when we don't recognize and release these patterns and we project our fears on to others. If the person we are are helping is not able to stand in their own personal power they can be forced to wear our dirty laundry. This only perpetuates the cycle of fear and is a lot like the mythical monster whose head Hercules cut off only to be replaced by two others as it multiplied.

So what is the good news about fear you may ask? First is recognizing that the emotion of fear can be a powerful tool. The test is to decide that we are ready to make a change in the course of our lives in mastering a fear that no longer serves a purpose. The emotion of fear is an energy pattern that runs through us and radiates off us into the energy around us. Just observe any animal reacting to you when you are in a fear mode. Then it is understanding that some of our fears are instinct and those are the ones to pay attention to as they help us to avoid danger. It is the conditioned fears that hold us captive that are not healthy for us to continue to keep that need to be addressed when making this decision. The key is to remember that fear is made up of beliefs, thoughts, and ideas which are energy patterns not only circulating in our minds but also in our physical bodies.

The tool works when we are conscious that we are being emotionally triggered allowing us to have the opportunity to work on it. It is peeling back the layers and learning to look past the emotions that come up so we can pinpoint the source of the fear. Educating yourself and doing research about the fear by reading up on it, going to counseling, joining a group that is working on it, talking about it with others is a wonderful way to prepare yourself on how to recognize it when it pops up. This is retraining your mind as it begins to grasp the pattern so that you can see it in others or situations around you. That is when you have the choice to participate or to allow yourself to release the old energy as it also moves through you. By replacing an old experience with a new one you can also train your body to learn that the fear no longer serves a purpose.

I am not going to say this is easy because it doesn't always happen over night or instantaneously. It takes time, energy, and patience when we are moving through an experience and working on dissolving a old fear pattern. What is important is having the courage to be gentle with ourselves knowing we are in a safe place, finding our center, Identifying the fear, and taking a breath as we step into our own personal power. In the end we have the power to move through it and eventually let go.

Photographs by Steve Noyce - Terrell, TX

"The Soul Mate"

I once had a friend that asked me what I thought about Soul Mates? I had thought about it and always believed that my husband whom I have a wonderful marriage of 18 years was my Soul Mate. This had been a hot topic in our marriage because he disagreed.

My idea of a Soul Mate was this childhood fancy of someone made in the universe that was made just for me. The perfect union of souls and love, come together with the blessings of the Creator Himself along with his band of angels.

"No," he would argue "I love you and I choose to be with you in this life." We finely agreed to just disagree with the whole mess. So when others brought up this topic we would smile at each other as the violins began to play for me and he would set his chin firmly and we would walk away.

It wasn't until a friend invited me to a Healing seminar when the teacher came in and started talking about Soul Mates. I was so excited because now I had someone of authority who could validate my feelings and I could triumphantly bring this to my husband's attention.

The whole talk went like this... Most people have it wrong when they think that a Soul Mate is someone out there in the world that was hand tailored for you and only you. A Soul Mate is not about a romantic love as we see in Fairy Tales but a person who will bring out your Shadow Side. This is a person who's task is to make us uncomfortable enough to change or move in the way that the Creator has designed for us. Another words "They can kick you in the teeth to get you to grow spiritually."

What most people get confused about is the Life Mate. The person in our lives who is there for us by being there as a person who will cherish, support, love and help us in life as we grow and as we will do the same for them.

Well, this hit home because I had realized that the number one person in my life was more than special but someone that I could always count on even when my shadow side slipped out. We had been there for each other in the good and the bad and never was there a question of not loving the other.

It was a long drive home but when I got home, there was my adoring husband anxiously awaiting my return...

Building Photograph by Steve Noyce
Cats Photograph by Cameron