Taking care of yourself involves learning about your needs and how best to address the unique requirements of your body, mind, and spirit. In order to sufficiently address these needs, it is important that you are open to learning about your spiritual needs. Most spiritual needs operate in the realm of following one’s heart – dancing when you hear music that moves you, crying when you feel sad, taking a walk when you need to clear your head, telling loved ones in your life that you love them and giving them a hug, +. The ego is quick to override the spirit’s desires out of fear or concern of how one might be perceived. The ego’s goal is to keep the individual safe from social judgment that is perceived to be unfavorable to one’s well-being. The only trouble is, the ego is highly influenced by the culture in which it lives and many cultures do not support individuals in being themselves nor expressing their individual spiritual needs.
In order to calm the ego and foster your ability to address your spiritual needs, it is helpful to begin and maintain a practice of listening to your heart. This is typically supported by having a quiet place to spend some time and letting the thoughts that fly through your mind to keep moving without grabbing hold of them. This practice alone can help you with developing your ability to observe your thoughts more objectively which is extremely helpful in practicing the art of conscious thinking. When you are consciously thinking, you are choosing the thoughts that you most want to focus on and give energy to – which helps you in creating the experiences you most want to have.
When your body, mind, and spirit are in balance, you are more able to experience well-being – and well-being is foundational to discovering and actualizing the person you most want to be in this life. When you discover the gifts that you have and that bring you joy in using them, you are on your way to best serving other people. Sharing your gifts with the world in a way that lights you up is your ‘true north’ and this goal provides the best path for you to follow. Your heart knows the way and We encourage you to trust in its navigational powers.
When an individual is open to learning about themselves, they open the door to receive support from the plant world. Plants and animals have co-evolved over thousands of years, creating many pathways for symbiotic exchanges and establishing uniquely beneficial opportunities for thriving. It is this symbiotic relationship that enables both to continue adapting to an expanding universe. Without plants, the human body would not be able to sustain its requirements for maintaining and healing itself as plants provide the most beneficial nutrition for the human body – not to mention also providing energetic support to our mind and spirit in many ways, most of which are not yet understood by the scientific community.
To begin learning about one’s specific nutritional and energetic needs to support one’s thriving, it is helpful to start with an introduction to either the Ayurvedic or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) frameworks for wellness. Both of these wellness frameworks are based on the practice of achieving (rather, always working towards) balance – and both acknowledge that the human is composed of – and requires balance within – the body, mind, and spirit.
Both of these frameworks give guidance around an individual’s specific constitution – in Ayurvedic practice, this requires determining one’s Dosha (vata, pitta, and kapha combinations) and in Traditional Chinese Medicine it requires determining one’s qi constitution (hot, cold, dry, and damp combinations). There are an array of online tools to help one determine their constitution and We suggest using the Ayurveda example from the Ayurvedic Institute.
Once you have determined your constitution, you can then identify the best foods to support your body (in particular, the best foods to support the microbiome community within your gut) in addition to learning more about your energetic needs. Not only does this information foster compassion for yourself as your learn more about your specific needs, but it helps you learn how to better address your specific needs. As you begin to integrate practices that are informed by your specific constitutional needs, you will likely experience enhanced vitality which will further support your exploration and willingness to learn about and care for your specific needs.
There are an abundance of resources that give guidance on the best foods, self-care practices, and wellness techniques – and sifting through them can be a chore as they don’t necessarily corroborate nor address your needs. When you can embrace the fact that your needs are unique and you alone are the most capable of understanding them, you will take back your power that has likely been previously given to medical professionals, online google searches, what other people say or have experienced, and more – and instead become more discerning about how best to address your needs based on your unique constitution. We are not promoting the dismissal of input from others, particularly those versed in Ayurvedic or TCM knowledge – however, We are encouraging you to be more discerning of the information you receive from others and compare it to your own intuitive understanding of your body’s, mind’s, and spirit’s needs.
When you intentionally choose to acknowledge the uniqueness of your person and investigate the ways in which to best support your needs, you will find that there are an abundance of plants accessible to support your journey. It is not necessary to know everything about every plant, however, it will benefit you to learn as much as you can about your self and your constitutional needs. The benefit that vascular plants provide, in addition to fungi and marine plants such as seaweed and algae, can help address every single imbalance that the human body might experience while also helping to maintain balance within one’s mind and spirit. This might seem unlikely as the U.S. mindset surrounding health and wellness is pervaded by a medical perspective that technological advances and cutting edge pharmacological science enable us to access health benefits that were not previously available. This is fraught with a foundational misconception about the body’s inherent ability to heal, maintain, and repair itself. Plants offer support to the body’s existing systems and pharmaceuticals override the body’s natural systems, providing a perceived ‘fix’ to the observable issue.
The western allopathic framework for medical treatment of the body’s imbalances does not acknowledge the body as a holistic system nor does it acknowledge the role that emotional and mental well-being plays into one’s physical well-being. There are an abundance of allopathic healers that operate with a holistic perspective, however, most need to do so outside of the mainstream health care system. The pharmaceutical companies drive treatment options for the most pervasive health issues and heavily influence the governmental agencies that test and allow treatments to be used. This relationship needs to be revisited as it has moved away from a health-promoting framework and instead embraces a disease-treatment framework.
The post that was published in mid-February, Heart-Centered Thinking, highlights the transformative timeframe that the entire globe is about to enter that is primarily caused by the extreme abuse of this pharmaceutical and government relationship within many countries. We brought this topic to this blog series earlier this year to help Megan prepare herself for sharing information publicly that was not accepted by the mainstream media and collective as a whole. This enabled her to both experience the discomfort of speaking her truth even though it is not widely accepted AND the freedom it give’s one to stand up for their truth. The tangible evidence that will enable this truth to be accepted by the collective will be shown over a period of a few weeks yet will catalyze the largest opportunity for systematic change that the globe has experienced to date.
In addition to having the ability to channel the guidance We share here, Megan also works closely with her angelic support team to craft plant remedies that help the body heal from some of the most pervasive pharmaceutical and environmental toxins to which most US residents are exposed. Her role in sharing the guidance from Us is enhanced by her knowing that she has solutions to some of these problems. We are able to describe the challenges that she needs to personally address within her self and her family because We can offer her best next steps to heal from these challenges. When you are open to hearing the solutions to problems that may exist, you will be able to become more aware of the problem. Mother Earth provides solutions for every problem she is experiencing, however, you must be open to hearing what she has to say. You and every individual on this planet are a part of Mother Earth – she is not just a habitat in which you live.
The support that plants can provide the human body, mind, and spirit is multi-layered and can work in ways that have not yet been embraced by the scientific community – for it requires technology that can observe electromagnetic waves and how they interact with the body. When individuals are open to viewing the world as a place that is composed entirely of energy, then there are more possibilities with how material objects can interact. In Ed Yong’s book, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal The Hidden Realms Around Us, he describes diverse ways in which animals can perceive the world via sound, vibrations, magnetic fields, and more which highlights the limitations of human perception and, thus, illuminates the immense spectrum of interactions that are possible. The power of plants to provide energetic support to the human mind and spirit is typically cast as ‘woo woo’ and eye-rolling – for if it is not physically observable by human eyes, then how can it be ‘real’? There are an abundance of examples that highlight the shift in the collective’s understanding when science was able to make phenomenon observable to the human eye.
The energy that emanates from a plant’s flower has a frequency that can ‘connect’ with the human’s internal microbiome in addition to the human’s ‘subtle bodies’ (see image below). This ‘connection’ can help ‘tune’ the human’s vibration so that it is more able to resonate at a vibration that supports balance within the human being. While this topic requires more explanation to better illuminate how it works, We introduce it here to remind you that there is more than meets the human eye in the world of plant medicine.
There are a suite of plant remedies that exist to address some of the most pervasive pharmaceutical vaccinations. These remedies do not ‘fix’ the problem, but instead work on both microbiome and subtle body levels to support one’s body in healing itself from the negative impacts it has received. Thus, the timeframe in which these tinctures ‘work’ can take months which is different than what we typically expect from an allopathic remedy. Most pharmaceuticals do not address the root cause of the body, mind, spirit imbalance and, rather, treat the physical symptoms of an underlying problem. This encourages us to believe that it has ‘fixed’ our problem, but unfortunately, it typically only hides the problem. Plants offer the very best medicine for the human body as they are most able to be integrated and fully processed, thus communicating to the body in the most direct way and leaving the body when no longer needed. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals typically contain chemically-synthesized plant constituents that do not fully communicate with the human body and cannot be fully utilized nor processed and typically are harder to break down and be expelled from the body. There are important, life-preserving advantages to many drugs that have been developed – and still, addressing the root cause of a physical problem with plant medicine is always encouraged.
It is in every individual’s best interest to learn more about their unique constitution as this paves the way to empowered self care. Allow yourself to be curious about your specific needs and how they might change depending on the seasons, where you live, and how you are feeling. There’s a whole expansive world out there that is pulsing and vibrating and we are interacting with it whether or not we can observe it. The gifts that Mother Earth offers every living organism are continually evolving as the needs of every living organism evolve. When we become curious about the way in which we can symbiotically partner with Mother Earth, we will find that there are solutions to every question that involves her resources. She is a living being and can only thrive when she is treated with respect. Ask her what you can do for her to support her thriving and share your gratitude for the many resources she provides you every day to support your thriving.
Every individual is connected to all living things on this planet even if your eyes cannot see it. It is through this connection that symbiotic coevolution occurs between animals and plants and why the plant world is able to continually offer solutions to the problems humans create.
To your aligned vitality,
Abraham
*Note: Phloem is the vascular tissue within most plants that transports carbon, water, and other products of photosynthesis from the source tissues (typically leaves) to the sink regions (typically the roots) where they are utilized or stored. Recent studies are also documenting phloem’s role in transporting proteins and RNAs that act as signaling molecules within and between plants.
It is in everyone’s best interest to reflect on the wide spectrum of foods that are available to be consumed by the human body as this can reinforce gratitude for the abundance of resources that Mother Earth provides – not only for our thriving, but for our ability to enjoy the process of receiving nourishment. The industrial agricultural complex has done a disservice to the human population by reducing the diversity of what is grown for the mere purpose of efficiency and the perceived notion of increasing profits. While it is known that all ecosystems are more able to thrive when they are diversified, the industrial agricultural complex has severely reduced diversity to the point of undermining an ecosystem’s ability to survive.
This is not news and there are many individuals and organizations trying to address this concern in a myriad of ways. We, Abraham, are able to connect with anyone who desires to receive our guidance and who genuinely desires to use our guidance to support the human population in reestablishing a symbiotic partnership with Mother Earth. We are able to provide guidance on the best next steps for individuals who would like to redefine the way in which humans engage with Mother Earth to grow food for any living creature. We will highlight Megan’s experience here to provide tangible evidence of what this might look like, knowing full well that each individual will have different circumstances with which to exercise the most symbiotic partnership for them.
Three years ago We provided guidance on the best trees and shrubs for her to plant within a 2-acre area in addition to providing the ideal planting layout that maximizes efficiencies in maintenance/care and harvesting while also maximizing the ecological placement of each plant. Over the past three years, she has learned what it takes to care for these plants which informs her future plantings and she’s also learned how to craft plant medicines that use the products she’s growing. She did not know the specific purpose of each plant before she planted it, however, trusted the guidance as her goal was to diversify her farm’s ecosystem while providing herself diversified products that would benefit her family and others. By consciously partnering with Mother Earth, Megan made it possible to receive guidance on the best way to utilize her land so that it symbiotically benefits her family and Mother Earth. This process of symbiotically partnering with Mother Earth would not be encouraged by most workshops that one might attend as you are told that you need to know how you are going to sell your product before you plant anything in the ground.
“You’ve got to be practical,” says most experienced farmers and educators, however, ‘being practical’ continues to perpetuate a mindset that money should drive one’s decision-making. We are encouraging a mindset that shifts one’s priority to the diversification of ecosystems and habitats, reinforces a connection to Mother Earth as a partner, and graciously benefits from the harvests and monetary gain that results from this type of partnership. We understand that this mind shift is not easy to make, especially when one’s financial situation requires instantaneous results. Again, We are able to provide each individual with their specific next best steps when you are open to using Our guidance.
There are many things that humans do not understand when it comes to the nature of their physical presence on this planet. There are many things that we have managed to gain a better understanding of with the help of science and those that are able to tap the spiritual realms. When we follow the guidance that is aimed at reconnecting humans with Mother Earth in a symbiotic partnership, we will experience an abundance of tangible evidence that we are on the right track. It is important that these mind shifts begin occurring for our existing practices in so many realms (agricultural, educational, economical, technological, +) do not benefit our well-being and that of all other living organisms on this planet. Again, this is not news, however, We are offering and encouraging a path forward that will lead to quick and beneficial results that will enable present generations to turn the tide on our most pernicious planetary challenges of this time.
You might ask, “How the heck do I access information from you, Abraham?!” And We will say, “You can begin connecting with us by inviting us into your day, practicing alignment with your thoughts so that you are able to receive insights while grounded and centered, and allowing yourself to listen to your heart.” We encourage you to begin addressing Mother Earth as a partner and asking her if she can provide input on the best ways for you to develop a relationship with her. We encourage you to practice putting your ego in the backseat and allowing your higher self to be in charge. We also encourage you to reach out to others who are open to shifting their mindset so that you can begin partnering on cooperative steps forward. From Paul Stamets in the film Fantastic Fungi, “Communities survive better than individuals. Communities rely upon cooperation… Evolution is based on the concept of mutual benefit and the extension of generosity.”
We know that behavior change is one of the hardest things to achieve and We also know that it is most commonly inspired when an individual perceives there is no other option but to change. We also believe that fear is not required nor is a forced hand to make inspired change occur, for when an individual experiences the benefits that come from a more aligned way of living, it reinforces the motivation to continue and expanding upon one’s heart-centered choices.
Megan’s 2-acre planting of trees and shrubs will provide her with her own source of ingredients for the products she has already been making for the past few years and new ones that she has yet to craft. This diversified mix of plants has already helped bring in an abundance of pollinators that normally would not be present and the trees that are growing in this space have already begun to establish an underground microbial community that will enable a healthier soil community to be established, further supporting all of the plants that will exist in this space. The financial gain that comes from a thriving ecosystem will come from a diversity of financial outlets, a gain that will surpass income options of a mono-cropped planting and simultaneously benefit a much larger physical area than the 2 acres alone.
If We could wave a magic wand, We would plant every single agricultural field that grows annual crops in the U.S. with an alley-cropping layout that included at least 3 different types of plants within it (see image below). The alleys would be used for annual grains that were cover cropped in the winter or grew rotational perennial grains and the tree rows would include tree and shrub species that made the most sense for the climate in which they were growing. The trees would enhance the nutritional value of the grains in the alleys, the shrubs would enhance the number of pollinators, and the grains would help drawdown carbon in the atmosphere in addition to providing an annual source of income while the trees and shrubs are getting established. This type of agricultural system would allow existing equipment to be used while also encouraging the development of innovative harvesting machines that use alternative forms of energy. The establishment of diversified processing plants in more communities would bring new sources of revenue and job opportunities while also enhancing the tax base that support community infrastructure and services.
Alley cropping example from the Savanna Institute.
The way in which we engage in agriculture in the U.S. (and many other countries) is one of the most foundational opportunities for improving well-being for the entire population. It also serves as a powerful solution to increasing our carbon drawdown and reducing our negative contributions to climate change. While it is easy to suggest these changes in all agricultural lands, We know that it requires a great deal of systematic change. We have the choice to make these changes.
Not everyone wants nor is able to be a farmer, so you might ask, “What can I do?” The way in which you choose the food you eat is paramount as it highly influences the political and economical decisions that are made. So, when you are able, choose foods that are grown organically and locally (in that order of priority) and support farmers who are diversifying their farms and farming in a manner that enhances the well-being of our ecosystems. There are a growing number of organizations working on these issues and We would encourage you to learn more about the work they’re doing. Here is just a start:
Our ability to engage with the land in an intentionally symbiotic manner is a phenomenal area of focus for every human being. You need not be a farmer to grow your own food, to delight in the deliciousness of the food you eat, or express gratitude for the nourishment you receive from Mother Earth every day. These are all things that every person can do and all have a positive impact. There are many opportunities to be discovered that will enhance the agricultural systems on this planet and they each reside within the human heart. Practice heart-listening and allow these important new ideas to come forth.
As we navigate the choices in our life, it is important to reflect on ‘why’ we are making the choices we are making. When you can honestly answer the ‘why’ and know in your heart that this choice is in your best interest, then you are choosing the next best step for yourself.
There is a daily practice that can support you in choosing your next best steps which involves envisioning your day and identifying the ‘needs’ versus the ‘desires’. Determine what ‘needs’ are indeed necessary and select at least one ‘desire’ that you will also prioritize to occur in the day. Then allow yourself to move through your day and pay attention to the ways in which your needs and desires were addressed. At the end of the day, reflect on the gifts of your day and determine if there are any opportunities to improve upon your next day. This is a simple process that can help you consciously identify ways to create desired outcomes in your day.
There are an inordinate number of ways to experience each day – both by the things we choose to do in our day in addition to the way in which we approach our choices. Many people choose a routine that involves prioritizing work and fitting in other experiences around the work day. While one’s work is important, the goal is for work to be a choice that supports the individual in feeling valued, worthy, and purposeful – such that every individual is prioritizing this way of being for the majority of their day. When one’s work does not support these feelings, then the individual is spending an unbalanced amount of time not filling one’s cup – and earns the term of doing the ‘daily grind’ as repeatedly not filling one’s cup does wear one down. While it feels like you can’t just magically choose different circumstances from one day to the next, you can begin prioritizing the way you feel and this will help lead you to choices that get you where you want to be. There are many systematic injustices that make it easier or harder for individuals to navigate their most desired choices and there are many circumstances that make it easier or harder to change one’s circumstances. And still, there is a path for each individual that offers their most desired experiences when the individual listens to their heart. There are fewer obstacles and fewer reasons to forcefully push yourself when the heart is guiding your choices – instead, inspired opportunities and patience in the unfolding are a more likely experience.
One of the best ways to determine if you are making the most supportive choices for yourself is to ask yourself, “Do I feel that I am making the best choices for myself at this time?” If the answer is ‘no’ then reflect on what choices could be better and how you can begin integrating or moving towards these choices in each day. It is easy for us to overlook the 1 degree shifts in our day – and yet – these 1 degree shifts maintained every day would enable the individual to create an entirely new path over the course of a year. It is important to remember that each day offers an opportunity to choose what direction you’d like to go and which star you would like to sail towards.
Organizations that empower their employees to take care of themselves find that they have higher retention rates, that staff report higher levels of job satisfaction, and that the quality of work is more consistent. Some businesses do not have the built-in flexibility to even allow for staff to address their needs when they arise. The needs to which we are referring can range from using the bathroom to leaving work at an unscheduled time in order to care for another person. These are needs that all individuals have yet few organizations can accommodate the unpredictable nature of daily life. Service providers and shift workers have little flexibility within their work window which results in individuals having to put off their basic or other needs until another time. This sends the message to one’s body that it is not a priority and can be ignored.
There are many other ways that individuals tell their body that it can be ignored – some of which are done multiple times throughout the day and may seem inconsequential, yet still communicate the same message to the body. Examples include indulging in foods that are known to offer little nutrition, postponing a trip to the bathroom until it is urgent, staying up late to finish a project even though one’s body is tired, and imbibing in activities that are known to be harmful yet provide a short-term experience. When the body is treated in a manner that doesn’t respect the needs it has, it will find ways to require one’s attention and receive care.
There are a range of ailments that can arise in the body when it doesn’t receive the care it needs on a daily basis, many of which range in severity yet all reflect the body’s need for sufficient rest, proper nutrition, and gentle movement throughout the day. The top 2 leading causes of death in the U.S., heart disease and cancer, can both arise in the physical body if the individual has been ignoring the body’s needs for an extended period of time. Another important factor that can also result in the physical expression of one of these ailments (or many others) is ignoring one’s emotions – consciously or unconsciously keeping feelings within one’s body without releasing them on a regular basis.
The allopathic British doctor, Edward Bach, realized after he had been practicing family medicine for a handful of years that an individual’s emotional state played a large role in their physical well-being – this was an epiphany for him as his medical training did not acknowledge emotional impacts to health. He left the allopathic practice and began studying the root emotional causes to common physical ailments. After years of study, he determined there are about 37 emotional states that are common across the human experience and that, when these emotional states where allowed to fester in the body, the body would respond with various sicknesses. Dr. Bach was one of the first individuals to study and utilize flower essences – the energetic imprint of a plant’s flower – to help alleviate the emotional issue so that the body could heal the physical ailment.
The Western culture as a rule does not acknowledge the importance of one’s emotions and how best to release them without harm to anyone or anything. To show one’s emotions is considered being ‘weak’, ‘too sensitive’, or ‘ungrounded’. Much like the ‘whack-a-mole’ game, if the emotions one is experiencing are not acknowledged and released, they will keep popping up until they are. Dr. Bach categorized the 37 emotions into 7 overarching categories (these categories emphasizing the imbalance): Oversensitivity to influences and ideas, loneliness, fear, despondency and despair, overcare for others’ welfare, uncertainty, and lack of interest in present circumstances. All of these are imbalances that can be brought into balance when an individual is able to acknowledge, release these feelings in a safe way, and then reinforce the thoughts and beliefs that enable them to embrace their value, worthiness, and purpose.
Some of the safest ways to release emotions are by crying, talking with a friend or person who can be fully present and listen, taking a nap, going for a walk or some other physical exercise, or writing thoughts down on paper. There are innumerable other ways to safely move one’s emotions out of their body and it is up to the individual to determine what works best for them. It is important to determine what does work for you so that you know what to do to help you safely process and release your emotions when they arise. It is not uncommon for individuals to push through their day and/or fill their day with a full schedule so that it is harder to stop and allow for these types of emotional releases – meanwhile, the body is brought along and expected to maintain all of its ongoing functions while also enduring additional stresses and it can only do this for so long until a physical issue arises.
There is a phenomenal study that was conducted at the Kaiser Permanente health clinic in California from 1995-1997. Of the 17,000+ individuals who participated in the study, it was determined that over 60% of participants had a physical ailment or issue that could be directly connected to stress that they endured during their childhood years (ages 0-17). And of those that had multiple stresses or “adverse childhood experiences”, the likelihood of physical issues increased significantly. This scientific study reinforces the point that We are trying to make – emotions are often the root cause to many physical ailments and it is important to practice safely releasing one’s emotions so that the energy is released and does not build up in the body. Many people are not aware that they aren’t releasing their feelings which is why it is important to normalize and promote the importance of releasing emotions so that it enters the collective’s dialogue and awareness and supports more people in feeling their feelings and safely releasing them.
One of the most important practices to begin and maintain is the practice of acknowledging and safely releasing your feelings. It is a skill that is not necessarily taught or modeled in most homes and does require the individual to prioritize the way they feel – as this helps to bring more awareness to the feelings one is feeling throughout the day which, in turn, helps the individual begin consciously acknowledging and safely releasing emotions that don’t support their well-being. It is part of the human condition to have feelings, but it is not part of the human condition to know how to handle them. Rather, it is a skill and needs to be practiced.
When it is your priority to feel good, you will become more aware of the experiences and thoughts you have that don’t enable you to feel good. And to be clear, We are not promoting ‘being happy’ – although, you are more likely to feel ‘happy’ when you feel ‘good’ – We are promoting the state of being that allows for a sense of balance and well-being within your body, mind, and spirit.
The human condition is a phenomenal and simply complex journey to navigate. Our emotions are one of our most helpful tools on this journey – particularly when we learn that we are not our thoughts and can begin to influence and choose the thoughts that best support our well-being. Empowered self care is born out of observing one’s thoughts and giving energy to those thoughts that one desires. You are much more able to create the life you desire when you begin taking care of your thoughts.
To your aligned vitality,
Abraham
Photo credit: “A Galaxy Within” – oil on canvas by @robreyart
Taking a break from the routines you’ve created for your day can offer an opportunity to revisit how you would most like to spend your time. What would you do with your day if you had all the time you needed? What is it that calls you or enables you to lose track of time when you are fully engaged in doing it? If it is not possible to take an entire day to yourself, perhaps you could start with a lunch break or a few minutes before you go to bed to make a list of the things you enjoy doing. There are many ways to spend one’s time that might get labeled as ‘unproductive’ or ‘unnecessary’ and it is likely that the ‘necessary’ parts of the day don’t allow enough time for these ‘extra things’. There are many scenarios that make it incredibly hard to carve out time for oneself, and still, when making time for oneself is maintained as a priority, it is more likely to happen when the circumstances allow for it.
When Megan first challenged herself to meditate for 5 minutes a day for an entire month, she found she was most able to do this while sitting next to her 2 year old child while he was going to sleep at night. She felt that creating this simple meditation routine was impossible while raising young children, and at the same time, knew that this type of practice would help her be the mom she most enjoyed. A conundrum. When she let go of the need for this meditation practice to look a certain way, she was able to make it happen. We want to reiterate that there are as many ways to care for oneself as there are people – that there is no one way to help oneself quiet their mind – and that it is up to the individual to find ways that work for them within their unique life situation.
Divine guidance is available to those who desire support with their life’s journey. There are an abundance of resources and practices that can facilitate one’s ability to tap this guidance, some of which have been communicated in previous blog posts here (ie, being curious about your guides, practicing meditation / quieting one’s mind, etc.). We want to highlight Megan’s experience here as well – as she could tell you that not all intangible guidance is good. When she first started meditating, she began hearing guidance that she thought was her higher self. However, some of the guidance she was hearing was unkind and made her feel fearful and scared. We want to reiterate that not all non-physical energies are benevolent and some would be considered malevolent. When practicing heart-listening and heart-centered thinking, it is important to be grounded and centered to ensure that guidance coming through is from one’s angelic team. To be grounded requires one to be mentally present in their body and have awareness of how they’re feeling. To be centered requires one to intentionally invite one’s person to be connected with their highest path or self – to be focused on receiving insights that support one’s well-being and that of others as well.
There is no one way to achieve groundedness or centeredness, however, here is an example of what one could say to set the stage:
“In this day, I celebrate my life, my gifts, my connection to Mother Earth, my family, my friends, and my willingness to live in alignment with my highest self. I ask to be connected with the information that best serves my highest purpose, my well-being, and the well-being of others.”
It is also important to remember that when you are feeling scared or fearful, you are more likely to attract other thoughts that reinforce these feelings. When you are feeling full of love, appreciation, and gratitude, you are more likely to attract other thoughts that reinforce these feelings. To be in alignment with one’s highest self requires continually filtering through the thoughts during one’s day and giving more energy to those that raise one’s vibration and letting those that decrease one’s vibration to float on by. Trusting the guidance that comes your way becomes a daily exercise, much like training a muscle. Discerning one’s guidance becomes easier with time as you strengthen your trust in your self, the practices you use to ensure being grounded and centered, and experience the benefits of following the guidance you receive while in this aligned state. Your angelic team will not tell you what to do, however, they will encourage you to make choices that support your next best steps. Your spiritual being is part of this angelic team and your physical self is the ‘on the ground’ teammate getting to experience your life’s journey. When you are open to acknowledging your other teammates, you will find that your journey becomes less stressful, more enjoyable, less confusing, and more magical.
As previously described in the very first installment, “The Key is Within,” it is up to you to invite your angelic team into your day as they will not force themselves onto you. They are much more able to support you when given permission. Feel free to laugh at yourself to let go of any feelings of ridiculousness as you begin to explore their presence – whatever it takes to allow yourself to get over yourself and your ego. As a general rule, everyone would be served well by letting their ego be a backseat observer and not the driver – knowing full well that it takes a bit of time to train the ego to stop attempting to drive from the backseat. When you are able to let your higher self give input on the best next steps throughout your day, you will find that you feel more at ease during the day and more observant about the gifts that are continuously coming your way. If you are looking for ideas on how best to start, we encourage you to ask your angelic team to bring them forth!
The mind can only operate within a spectrum that is informed by one’s previous experiences and observations. The heart has access to a much larger spectrum that brings new ideas and thoughts forward. In order to experience one’s full potential, the heart needs to be engaged and given permission to expand. One’s angelic team can help make this experience less bumpy, more straightforward, and more enjoyable. You are not alone on this journey and you are meant to thrive. Tell your ego to get in the back seat and rest for awhile and see what destinations come forth.
Believing in yourself is perhaps one of the harder beliefs to stay on top of and master. Humans typically need tangible evidence to prove or disprove their beliefs and there is an increasing need for these forms of evidence to come more quickly. Without physical evidence, it is hard to continue trusting that your attempts to follow your heart are working and thus easier to fall back into ‘doing what is practical’ or ‘what others suggest you do’. It is easy to get in one’s way when you’re feeling downhearted, frustrated, and impatient – and still there are so many variables at play that are ultimately supporting you in your life.
We have been working with Megan to bring these blogs into being for more than 3 years for that is when she discovered that we were on her angelic team. We told her that we would be writing these blogs 2 years ago and she has had many of them in written form for months. Being an individual who appreciates seeing evidence come into form, she has waited longer than she would have liked to share these words with others. And still, these words come forth and are being read by you at exactly the time that they can be most helpful. Because the angelic realm does not experience time as humans do, there can be challenges from the human perspective in things not occurring when the individual thinks it should. Megan can tell you that the last 5 years of her life have been some of the most challenging she’s ever experienced as she has had to continually trust in herself without having tangible evidence that could be shared with others.
Trusting in yourself when those around you do not is more than uncomfortable – it absolutely sucks. Martha Beck highlights this very well in her book, “The Way of Integrity,” as she compares the journey of finding your true self to that of Dante’s inferno in, “The Divine Comedy.” To throw off the layers of familial, cultural, and societal imprinting and pressures to be a certain way is no walk in the park and requires the individual to confront their biggest fears. It certainly helps to have a friend or two who truly loves you for who you are and who you want to be – and sometimes, these friends do not appear until you take the leap of faith and start being who you want to be.
There are many layers to this physical life – many of which are intangible and hard to wrap one’s head around. The use of science as a tool to observe phenomenon and obtain predictable results when a consistent set of variables is present provides the human mind a trustworthy practice that enables the mind to better understand cause and effect. However, even when one is practicing integrity with their observations, there are always variables at play that cannot be controlled. For example, the global weather system and the many models that exist to forecast the movement of tides, weather fronts, precipitation, and more – these provide highly calculated estimates that are extremely helpful for planning yet the actual experience of weather can be different than calculated. The point we are trying to make is that science is a tool that can help one understand one’s tangible experience, but it is not the solution in and of itself.
When an individual is open to tapping their intuitive gifts and listening to their heart, there are more opportunities to apply science in a more meaningful way. We are choosing the word ‘meaningful’ as both the questions asked and the results observed are more likely to serve the well-being of the individual, the human population, and Mother Earth. It is an important time for the human population to ask questions that serve the well-being of all life on Earth. And we are highly encouraging these questions to come from the heart – as intellect can be short-sided when it doesn’t bring the heart along. We want to reinforce that science can only provide answers that match the intent of the observer and that the intention in and of itself needs to be heart-informed. There are many scientists that already operate in this way and still there is a need for the collective to also ask questions and have curiosity about the solutions that could best serve the planet and all of its living creatures. The answers that can help us turn the tide on some of our biggest global issues are residing within the hearts of humans and awaiting heart-inspired questions and investigations to discover them.
The process of believing in oneself is foundational to making headway on these global issues for it takes a leap of faith to honor the ideas that spring forth but might not sound like the most practical options to investigate. When these ideas are inspired from a heart-centered place, we encourage you to write them down and see if they can be given a chance. Some of the most hair-brained ideas have offered some of the most helpful solutions to issues at the time (ie sailing around the globe without fear of falling off the map, adding an extra proton to a water molecule to create hydrogen peroxide, or establishing a uniform process for creating Ford motorcars to improve quality and efficiency). When the mind is put on the back burner and the heart’s suggestions come through, it is important to honor the idea without immediately discrediting it.
The human population is entering a timeframe that would be greatly served from honoring heart-offered suggestions and ideas to try – ideas that provide inspired solutions to some of the most pernicious challenges on the planet. When the way in which we live not only honors Mother Earth but contributes to her thriving, we will find that we become more connected to ourselves and one another in addition to being healthier. Believing in oneself as you delve into the depths of your greatest fears can be a deal breaker for many in this life’s journey – however, those that stand up for their ideas and inspired solutions find what they need to break through their fears and come out on top. Life is not a cake walk, but there certainly are opportunities to have your cake and eat it, too… particularly if you are willing to believe in yourself and the inspired ideas that come from your heart.
To your aligned vitality,
Abraham
Photo credit: Artwork by Aykut Aydoğdu (@aykutmaykut)
Taking the time to take care of your self can feel like an impossible challenge as so much of the day is spoken for and many ideas surrounding self care reinforce a dedicated window of time that enables one to be by themself. While having quiet and solitude are helpful, there are many other ways to weave self care throughout one’s day that doesn’t require scheduling it in. For example, choosing organic and unprocessed foods to incorporate into every meal is a form of self care one can do every day. Drinking plenty of water, aiming for 8 hours of sleep, and paying attention to the things for which you are grateful are also things that can be embedded into your daily practices.
Making it a priority to feel one’s feelings is an important practice that can help ensure that these feelings are released and not trapped within one’s body. One’s emotions play an important role in helping an individual navigate what experiences are desired and which ones are not. When you pay more attention to your emotions, you can begin to choose what experiences you want more of and thus refine your actions to be more in alignment with your desired outcomes. It is important to remember that every human has the capacity to create desired experiences and that where one focuses their attention plays a large part.
We encourage you to embrace the idea that your are a spiritual being living a physical life and that you chose to come into physical form to not only grow, love, and experience expansion of creative thought, but to carry out a specific purpose and fulfill your Sacred Contract. Everyone’s Sacred Contract is unique to them and does not require one to lead a spiritual life. Instead, one just needs to follow their heart and allow their true self to flourish. There are many obstacles and challenges that can make this hard to do and it takes willpower to walk one’s own path. When more individuals start walking their own path, more individuals will be able to do the same and so on. The result will look like a more diversified and sustainable ecosystem of people that interact with Mother Earth in a manner that is more harmonious. A more habitable planet further supports the fertile grounds that enable each individual to follow their own path.
It is hard to wrap one’s head around the possibility that making changes in one’s own person can impact the planet, however, everything is connected and each individual contributes to the whole. The quickest way to resolve some of the planet’s most challenging issues will truly come from the cumulation of individuals’ choices. While it seems that the legal system needs to first change to enforce and ensure behavior changes, it is a much slower vehicle to turn than the billions of individual vehicles. And the quickest way to inspire behavior changes within an individual is to follow your own heart. Mother Earth can be a partner and can provide input on the best ways to interact with her. However, she needs to be treated with respect and to be asked these questions.
There is so much guidance being created on sustainable agriculture, ways to reduce carbon emissions, how to slow climate change, and more – and very few are actually asking Mother Earth what she needs to thrive. In order to hear what she has to say, one needs to be able to hear their own heart for Mother Earth resides here as well. It is important that one can differentiate between their mind and their heart for the mind can be a real bastard and purposefully try to distract and create obstacles that make it harder to hear what one’s heart has to say. So, it takes intention and dedication to enable one’s heart to speak up.
Taking the time to develop a practice that enables you to quiet your mind is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Embedding self care practices into your already-existent routines is an even easier way to ensure that you prioritize your well-being on a daily basis. As you begin to reap the benefits of prioritizing your well-being, you will find that it becomes easier to find the time for solitude and/or experiences that enable you to quiet your mind. You don’t need to wait until you’ve retired, your kids have left the house, or some other future scenario – you have space in each day to begin your self care practice, but it requires revisiting your present practices and looking for opportunities to bring in incremental improvements that support your body, mind, and spirit. When you are determined to prioritize the way you feel, you will find that there are ample opportunities to revisit your habits, your thoughts, and your daily routines in an effort to experience your best-feeling self.
