Believe in Love

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace. 

—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnet 43

I imagine many of us recognize those opening lines to Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous poem. That first line is the most important question we can ask ourselves. How do I love…myself, my family, my neighbors, and my friends? How do I love strangers? How do I love the world? 

Love is always a choice. Sometimes it can seem like a difficult one when a person has wounded us—especially when they continue to cause chaos or pain in our lives. (In such cases, loving sometimes means walking away so that we can allow healing to take place in order to restore the true essence of our hearts.)

But love is hardwired into the soul. Love is the very expression of our beings and, therefore, the most natural feeling to experience when we are aligned with the spirit. In every moment of our human experience, the Divine loves us—every one of us—without exception or qualification. The greatest gift we can offer anyone is our love, and, in sharing it, that gift becomes the most precious one we can give ourselves too.

Valentine’s Day for most is a celebration of love. What if we chose to live that love fully and with complete focus and determination every single day of the year?

Many of us find deep meaning in the line from Scrooge near the end of A Christmas Carol when he says, “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!” 

I’m suggesting the same sort of thing. Can we attempt to let the spirit of Divine Love live in our hearts each day and never miss an opportunity to share it—with the person at the grocery store checkout, with the sad souls we pass on our journey, with our closest loved ones, with every child of light who walks into our lives or crosses our path?

I’m not saying it’s always easy. I have been wounded so many times I can’t count them, and some of those injuries cut so deep it took decades to heal them. Like many of you, I also see quite clearly the ills of the world and the forces of shadow at work. Yet, I refuse to let that dampen my acceptance of the spirit’s truth: Love! 

Many years ago an experiment began for the purposes of peace. I still feel blessed when I think of how much shifting occurred as a result of it. The premise was simple: Whenever we encounter a disturbance in life, something that appears detrimental, we are invited to respond, “Only LOVE prevails.” 

At the end of our lives, after all other considerations have passed into nothing, what remains is love. But we can choose not to wait for all else to pass away. We can decide to live love now, to honor its wisdom and its grace and fill our hearts with it as often as possible. My fondest hope is that we love one another so much that all our differences fade into the background of what was and we spend each moment in love with life and honoring each other.

In this moment, I extend the love of my spirit and my heart to each of you. Whether you know me well or not at all is of no consequence. You are my brothers and my sisters. We are kindred in the Light, and I shall love you all my days and far beyond this life.
Thank you for shining!

Love Affirmation: I Am the Flame of Divine Love flooding my being with luminous liquid light to wash away all wounds and open my heart to love overflowing.

Live in True Light.
Open to Creation’s Flow and be a
Vessel of Eternal Love.
Embrace universal grace.

These are Divine messages I received from the angels:

To know the true Self is to know Love abiding and eternal. To offer that love to every aspect of your being and to all life is to love the Creator. Give love, receive love, BE LOVE!

In Pure Love and Light you were born into existence. Your heart and soul hold the very essence of that everlasting, perfect Light and Love. In this time of awakening, you are asked to expand your heart-soul flames, to remember and to live your Divine origins so that you may share in every moment that perfect gift with all of Life.

You pave the path to love when you see through the vision of the heart. All Divine Creations are masterpieces of complete beauty when viewed through the truth of the soul.

In your deepest heart you know this truth. It echoes through your being. You were created as a perfect soul of Light. You were born of Divine Love. The stream of Love from the Creator flows freely and fully to all. It is available to you in every moment. The mis-creations of fear have built a dam in the personal life stream of humans. Only by removing these boulders, these blocks, from your Channel of Light can you access fully the truth of your soul, the perfection of your being. Now is the time to claim your right to LIVE LOVE!

In the third dimension, one cannot rise without employing flawless forgiveness, for freedom is found in this gracious gift of Light. The capacity to forgive lives in every human heart. When you allow forgiveness to rule your life, you truly begin to rise to the level of Divine Relationship.

Open your heart and mind to the flow of joyful harmony and love, for when you seek in such a state you cannot help but shift toward your goal. 

Love Is

My husband and I will celebrate our 28th anniversary later this month. This annual celebration never fails to evoke gratitude for the years we’ve shared. Our lives together have not been without struggles, and the journey has been circuitous at times as well as rocky, but through everything we’ve found a way to continue to love each other deeply and be there for each other in ways we could not have imagined the better part of three decades ago.

This brings to mind the nature of love. It is so much more than the spark ignited when two people have chemistry. Love is the foundation on which to build something that lasts, and it is the cleansing and healing power that makes all things possible. Love is the one sure way past any problem and the one true answer to every prayer.

In terms of relationship, love is the hand reaching out to pick up the partner who falters, the shoulder to lean on in the lean and difficult times, the warm embrace at the end of a grueling day when a sigh speaks more than words ever could. During our years together, we’ve experienced loss of livelihood, accidents and injuries, illness, loss of loved ones, and many other challenges that are part of most lives. But we’ve also risen into greater harmony, found our soul paths, healed on many levels, and released a lot of old wounds and burdens. Of course, healing is an ongoing process, uncovering each layer as we are ready to let it go. The journey to living in the heart and standing in our strength continues, and, yes, we still stumble, still lose our way on occasion and forget our truths in favor of some looming circumstance. But, thankfully, we have many healing tools and the art of listening to help make things better.

Love gives rise to gratitude and gratitude strengthens love. One of the things we still do each day is say “thank you” for the little things. It would be so easy to take them for granted after so many years, but we make a point of being grateful to each other. If he does the dishes, I say, “Thank you, love.” He thanks me for a wonderful meal each time I cook one, and frankly he seems to be equally grateful for a nice salad as a full-blown dinner. This warms my heart.

Whether you’re talking about love of the Divine, love of nature, love of humanity, or love of family and friends, seeking to return each day into that space within where love is the only truth will illumine that relationship. And a grateful heart exercised daily will bring greater levels of love into each moment.

The Journey to You

There is something that makes you uniquely gifted in a way that fits into the grand design. You might have known what that was as a wee child, but somewhere along the way you forgot. Maybe you haven’t discovered yet how you fit. It may take time and lots of exploring, but when you find that essence, your life changes. Things don’t necessarily fall miraculously into place. You may travel a path of moving more fully and deeply into your truth over time. The way may be circuitous or riddled with roadblocks and massive boulders. Sometimes you may need to muster every ounce of courage you have to face the challenges.

Please don’t give up. I can’t tell you how important you are. Every one of us has something that the world cannot live without. Some people stop looking and never find it, or they settle for a small fraction, focusing on an outer manifestation, a talent that only hints at the deeper truth; they allow the larger picture to remain a mystery.

At 61, I’m still learning about my big picture. I never seem to stop discovering it. Sometimes I have to dig deep down into the mire, feeling my way for the crystal clarity that lies buried beneath the refuse of old baggage. At other times I soar to the heights and see truths beyond my imagining. (Guess which one I prefer?!) In either case, each piece of the puzzle that I find contributes to the tapestry of my life as it continues to unfold.

Over the last couple of decades, I’ve learned a fair amount about purpose from working with my clients to uncover their path to fulfillment. I’ve watched people begin to blossom and thrive as they walked more fully in alignment with the truth of the soul. I’ve seen many go from being adrift in a sea of lost dreams to finding the drive to fuel the vision of their spirit. That has been one of the most joyful experiences of my professional life. This certainly has not been the case with every person who came through my door, of course, and many went on choosing the known over the possible. We all have that choice to make eventually—whether consciously or not.

So many souls are seeking something more now. My sense is that we are being awakened and propelled by the universe, the Divine, the spirit within to find the means by which we can make a difference because indeed the world needs each of us.

So how do we do that? For me, I can assure you there was no rhyme nor reason to the process. My route was as circuitous and haphazard as they come. However, nothing on that path was wasted. I make good use of every skill I learned along the way as surely as if the whole thing had been scripted to bring every single aspect of my life together. But I can say it didn’t seem that was going to be the case for the longest time! And the Divine had to step in and give me a huge wake-up call more than once along this journey.

Those among you who are traveling a similar road probably can relate. If that describes you, remember that everything will fit together eventually—although it may take some time to see how.

For now, here is a revealing question you can ask yourself to help discern your path of joy:

What kinds of books do you like to read? (If you don’t read, consider the movies you enjoy.) Many of us are captivated by all or most of these genres. So ask yourself, “If I had to decide on only one kind of book to read or movie to watch for the rest of my life, what would it be?”

Those who love fantasy fiction are often imaginative, creative people. To live a fulfilling life that taps into their uniqueness requires finding a profession that allows their expressive side to blossom. That doesn’t mean they have to write, paint, draw or sculpt. They could be chefs, inspiring teachers, actors or any number of other things. They may end up changing professions more than once as they explore the deeper truths their spirits hold.

Many times the folks who enjoy sci-fi have a flair for invention and a wealth of ideas. These people often have access to both sides of the brain and may be drawn to science or to work that evokes their innovative abilities. They may like to fix things too but in the process may very well be thinking about how to build a new, improved model of that broken ___________. These forward-looking souls are interested in pushing boundaries and stretching beyond where we have been. Fitting in is not paramount to these individuals, and they may be willing to go out on a limb to discover and unveil the truths they seek.

The action-adventure genre often appeals to people who have an inner need to get things done or shape the world. They may feel strongly about issues related to justice. Because action adventure is such a broad category, it’s difficult to express in a few words its many aspects. Here are a handful of potential roles for someone with this as the preferred genre: law enforcement officer, defense attorney, firefighter, pilot, foreign correspondent, athlete and (later) coach. These folks often are meant to move into leadership positions no matter their profession. They can be creative as well and may even become writers of the genre they love, but chances are they would be of the Hemingway ilk with their art definitely imitating their lives.

Those whose favorite genre is romance are often caring dreamers and idealists who seek to make the world a better place. They may see potential where others do not and envision a more utopian reality. These beautiful souls may become holistic healers, counselors, therapists (especially focused on children or women), matchmakers, or any number of things that on a large or small scale serve to make lives better. They may have much in common with the fantasy genre lovers and may share the creative spark—although it’s likely to show up differently.

Drama is one of those classes that encompasses a large array of subcategories. Generally, however, the people who enjoy this form are realistic, thinking, socially-conscious individuals. They may have an interest in philosophy, sociology, psychology, history and anthropology and may gravitate toward professions in those fields. They also may be activists for a cause that reflects their desire to help others. The people who like drama often reveal a strong sense of responsibility that lends itself to dedication and success in their careers.

Those who read a lot of biographies harbor a lively curiosity about people and often seek to understand others at a deep level. They too may have an interest in psychology but usually on a more intimate scale. Their journey is often more about the emotions. They may have a similar desire to help others through one-on-one or family social work. They also may be keen on learning the lessons of life and advising others related to such matters.

If every book you read is on self-help, that does not make you a narcissist. In fact, the opposite is usually true. Your soul is calling you to heal and grow so that you can rise into what you are meant to become. For those who claim this as their favorite genre, the deeper desire is often to become a healer of some sort. When we find the path to healing our own wounds, we are often learning the very things that will allow us to minister to or serve others.

What about those who devour metaphysical books? These old souls (in many cases) are often already keepers of great wisdom who simply need to be ignited and awakened to those spiritual truths that they have yet to access fully. The “aha” moments that come while reading these books may very well be the soul’s way of saying, “Remember?” These people tend to be catalysts, changemakers and visionaries who seek to kindle the flame of truth and freedom. They may not easily find satisfaction in the mundane pursuits of life, for they want to affect beneficial shifts. These individuals may go into higher education or write books that share their philosophy. Some may head movements or become leaders in nonprofit organizations geared toward healing or helping the planet in some meaningful way.

Last but certainly not least, let’s consider comedy. The dear souls who fully embrace this genre are not merely seeking escape. They’re looking for fuel. These are the joy bringers. If their supply is running low, comedy replenishes their stores and sets them right again. These souls often love to spend time in nature. Their main role in the universe can be filled in any number of ways because they sprinkle sunlight wherever they go. They compliment the check-out person at the supermarket and almost always smile at strangers. Their lives are not always easy, of course, because quite often they are meant to be healers too on some level. Their healing gift is the natural light they shine into the lives of those who pass through the world around them. Since these souls are almost always givers, the most vital thing for them is self-care through laughter (and often singing), by absorbing beauty (especially in nature) and through pursuits that nourish their own joy. They tend to love activity (in a different way from action adventure enthusiasts), outdoor games, sunning at the beach (or any soothing natural setting), animals and trees.

Okay, I confess I got a little carried away by the last two categories. I have a lot of these people in my life and love those alchemists/changemakers and happiness spreaders to the moon and back!

Many of you may have read these descriptions and found quite a few that seem to apply to you. I feel the same way. I read every one of these genres and share traits with many of the people I’m describing. My top four are fantasy, romance, metaphyscial and comedy, and I live in all those aspects of my soul’s journey by being a writer, artist, healer/counselor, catalyst and joy bringer. Our paths are not always simple and cannot be defined in mere generalities, but this is a starting place at least.

I hope this article sparks your journey to being YOU in a positive way and reveals a little about where to look next. The world needs you to be the truth of your soul.

 

Risk and Reward

I’ve probably watched the movie Defending Your Life with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep on at least 7-8 occasions through the years and loved it every time. If you don’t know the story, Albert Brooks’ character, Daniel, dies suddenly and gets shipped to Judgment City, a place between Heaven and Earth where people’s lives are assessed to see if that get to “move on” to a more uplifted reality or have to return to kindergarten here on Earth. It seems that Meryl’s character, Julia, is a shoe-in for ascending to a higher plane because she lived to the fullest, risking even her life to help others and always going the extra mile. Daniel, an affable if ineffectual fellow, played it safe and did little to improve even his own situation. As a result, his Attorney Mr. Diamond (played by Rip Torn) can offer little in his defense.

When I watched the film again recently, I couldn’t help thinking about how I’ve approached risk in my life. I certainly have experienced moments when I shied away from the spotlight and from situations where I felt insecure, but I’ve had my fair share of going out on a limb as well—thanks to some powerful examples in my life.

My mother instilled a great need to be “safe” as so many moms do, but she and my father actually lived a much more risk-oriented reality. She went to college at the age of 36 while juggling a full-time job and a houseful of children and ended up getting her bachelor’s, two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education. She started her own school for our church and built that into a K-7 academy. Then, she tackled being first a teacher and later a principal in the public school system, where she instituted programs for reading and art that pushed the envelope and made her primary school the one sought after by every teacher and parent in the county. She ended up being named Principal of the State of North Carolina in 1989 and later receiving the John F. Kennedy Center Arts Education Award.

My father likewise always ventured into unknown territory both in his law career and as a community leader in various organizations. He even ran for State Congress (and lost) in a party that was certainly not the favorite in our state at the time. He made a name for himself as a defense attorney reminiscent of a real-life Matlock.

So there were our parents telling us kids to be safe while showing us that we needed to embrace life with passion and bravery. In some ways, I suppose I took both paths to heart. As a bit of an introvert, I spent a fair amount of time being sheepish in the early years but forced myself to get past my fear of public speaking by joining the National Forensic League in the 11th grade. I started pushing my limits with my writing in college but still didn’t completely overcome the desire to remain out of the limelight.

Finally, in my 40s after hiding my true self to fit in for a long, long time, I came to the point where I knew I had to take ownership of my life and forced myself to share those “out there” topics that were dear to my heart with audiences of over 100 people. It took a while to feel secure enough in my own skin to move out of my comfort zone and let people know who I was. Still, I didn’t manage to screw up enough courage to publish my novel until I turned 60. My writing was always something I held close to my heart for the most part, but the story of Grandfather Poplar finally begged to be told.

I guess I always had the risk-taking gene, but I often had to work up the nerve to rise above my fears. I remember on our honeymoon in Jamaica many years ago I watched fellow tourists parasailing every afternoon as I sat safely on shore. I longed to feel that enticing sensation of flight, but I had a fair degree of acrophobia and didn’t think I could handle it. Every day I would turn to my new husband and say, “I wish I could do that. Maybe tomorrow.” On the last day of our week-long stay, I finally said, “Let’s go parasailing!”

I can’t describe the feeling of soaring high above the waves. Words like “exciting” and “exhilarating” hardly capture the essence of that thrilling escapade. A rush of air lifted me higher and higher. Then, the boat stopped to let me gently waft down and dip into the ocean before returning to the sky and the currents that carried me into blissful abandon. I could have stayed up there all day dancing with the wind, but the adventure ended all too soon and I returned to the starting ramp.

I took the risk that time in my life despite virtually equal amounts of dread and desire, and my reward was an experience beyond description that lives in my memory 26+ years later as vividly as any of the moments of my life. At the time I recall telling my beloved, “Oh, how I wish I had done that on our first afternoon here. Then, I could have gone up again every day!”

Each time I’ve taken a chance and stepped out of my routine, I gained something. My first competition in the NFL in high school resulted in me nervously stammering and stuttering my way through a recitation from a novel. Red blotches covered my chest, climbed up my neck and threatened to swallow my face in a blushing sea of embarrassment. What was my reward? Getting through the experience and seeing that the worst was behind me! As hard as it was, I learned that I could face the judges and get through the meet. I did much better at the next event and felt stronger every time I put myself out there. If we let it, courage has a way of building on itself, I believe.

I invite you to join me in asking yourself what risks you’re willing to take to reap the benefits of a life well and deeply lived. If we had to “defend our lives” right now based on how much we embraced our truths and engaged in the adventure of stretching ourselves and helping others along the way, how many moments could we recall to show that we shone a light into this world and truly, thoroughly lived?

I’m not suggesting we throw caution to the wind and decide to do something foolhardy or dangerous. But what if we missed the opportunity to live our purpose because we were too timid? What if we were hiding inside exactly what someone out there needed in order to heal or blossom? What if we could change the world for the better—even if only for a single soul—by shining our unique light and revealing those wonders that we have kept hidden in our psyches?

As William Faulkner said, “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” I believe the universe is calling us now to step into the unique purpose that prompted us to come into this realm of Earth, to venture into unknown waters in order to gain and then share the wisdom of Spirit.

My experiences teach me that risk often leads to a gift. Sometimes the reward is just proving to yourself that you can do whatever it is or learning a lesson that will guide you in life. Sometimes it’s getting to soar above the ocean and feel freer than you ever imagined you could. How high are we willing to fly in order to make a difference?

“Be brave,” I said to myself as they harnessed me and hooked me to that parachute tethered to a speed boat. As the boat accelerated and my body left the safety of the platform, I was still whispering, “Be fearless, Diana. You can do it.”

And so can you, friends. So can we all.

Perception

A couple of weeks ago, I took a photo of the sun low in the sky filtered through the trees. When I looked at the picture later, I realized there was no way (without knowing the landscape) that anyone could tell whether it was taken at dusk or at dawn.

Spirit reminded me that there is a lesson in that realization. Whether we see these times more as the end of the old world or the dawning of the new speaks to our own feelings and perception in the moment. I personally will always look to the Dawn, for in that direction I find peace and the radiance of the sun rising to lift us to transcendent awakening.

Recipe for Uplifting

We are in the thick of the great shift, and things can seem overwhelming for many at times. What I’ve been guided to do as often as possible throughout my day is to ask myself the questions, “What am I creating right now?” and “Do I want to perpetuate the condition I am experiencing at this moment?” The answer to the latter has continued to be “no” at least a few times a day, but I am improving! I know what my goals are: to live in a state of continuous peace and radiate that to all around me and, of course, to rise to a higher frequency experience. That means I have to be conscious, conscientious and diligent in sticking to the program.

Some days that’s a breeze. When I’m doing work that I love or chilling with my family or walking in the woods, things are just grand, of course. But when I get caught up in the struggle of those around me, in focusing on the ills of the world (all of which I deeply want to FIX) or become immersed in the murky energies out there in the world, well, I have been known to allow myself to let my own energy and outlook be affected. So what do I do? I can’t shut myself off from the world entirely and live like a hermit, after all.

My recipe may be different from yours, but we all have one. Otherwise, many of us might be going quite insane by this point. For me, the recipe includes cleanse and cleanse and cleanse some more. And then some more. I spend a great deal of time meditating, praying, using affirmations and visualizations, doing energy healing and engaging the Violet Flame of Transmutation.

I also limit my time being focused on the things that lower my vibration, which includes—at least for me—the Facebook feed, television and movies. Mind you, I still do my bit as a citizen, calling my Congressmen, signing petitions and donating to the causes I believe in. But if my every waking thought were consumed with what is wrong with the state of the world, I know that I would never accomplish my goals. The Law of Attraction affects all of us in every moment, and I know this as a palpable truth that literally reveals itself to me if ever I forget to be diligent. Thankfully, I also get to see the results of this Universal Law at work in most wondrous and miraculous ways.

What is your recipe? How are you navigating this shift? If you have solutions that work for you, please share them with those you love and all who will listen. Your brothers and sisters of Earth need help from every corner (those ready to hear anyway). This is a great time to make a plan and stick to it. In order to move through this period of awakening when we have one foot in the fifth dimension and one in the third, we need to ground love, find balance and support one another. I hope your recipe is serving you well!

Letting Go

I want to share a personal experience in hopes that this may help someone out there. Yesterday I had occasion to speak with a loved one who was feeling overwhelmed, distraught and highly stressed. She told me that she could not see her way out of the situation. Being who I am, I naturally tried to offer suggestions on ways to energetically rise above the issue and how to protect her psyche from the onslaught of detrimental emotions of others.

I quickly realized that I might as well have been speaking a foreign language, for my words and the good intentions behind them appeared to be neither perceived nor received. After only a brief time of sharing my good will and best advice, I could sense that my message was completely lost on that dear soul, who was so thick in the mire of her own experience that everything I suggested appeared out of reach at best.

When she said she needed to get off the phone, I let her go. And I LET HER GO (energetically disconnected). I don’t mean to suggest that I won’t be there for this treasured soul. On the contrary, I will ALWAYS hold the Light for her and do all in my power to ease her path. Yet, I know in my heart that it is only possible to aid those who are willing to accept help.

My own experience has taught me this all too well. In my past, I have been that person refusing to see the way out many times. I too have chosen to wallow in the pit of despair and refuse the Hand of Light that reached out to pull me up. Of course, I didn’t know that I was refusing it. At those moments, I simply couldn’t see beyond the issue at hand. So I understand where this person is, because I’ve been there. As soon as she is ready for help, she will ask and the Divine will answer, and I will be thankful to be an instrument of the Light when that time comes. For now, all I can do is avoid judging, love her and hold the highest intentions.

Right now many of us are in the thick of grasping the big lessons we came to learn. I profoundly wish that my knowing this lesson could somehow translate it to the consciousness of every other person who is in the process of learning it. But it seems we all must choose to learn when and as we are ready.

So what do we do when faced with this situation—when someone we love is stuck? Here’s what I’ve found helps me:
(1) I love the person—just as he or she is in the moment.
(2) I pray and say affirmations on behalf of the person.
(3) I refuse to be brought down into the mire. Sinking into the same state will not help the person, but it will hinder my progress on the journey of light. I inwardly say, “I love you and honor your choice even as I invite you to rise.”
(4) Instead of trying to fix the issue, I just listen. (I like to put a violet flame shield around myself through the listening process so that I can avoid taking in the energy being expressed.)
(5) I seek within myself any dregs of the same or similar energetic/emotional issues and clear them diligently and utterly. This one is vital. When something arises in the outer world, I know it’s always a reminder that I need to look inside to deal with my own stuff—even if I thought I’d already conquered that issue for good.

There are times when we have to rise above the fray to see things clearly. The density in the atmosphere sometimes seems so thick with chaos that it begs the question, “How do I rise through this?!” Believe me, I understand that. Yet, I also know that it can be done with diligence, determination and courage. I’m doing my best in this regard every moment of every day and I know you are too.

I have to keep believing that only the Light prevails and only Love abides. May we step outside 3D perception long enough to perceive and receive assistance when it comes.

Thank you for shining!

Sacred Heart Soul Healing

SHSHlogoI often am asked the question, “What is Sacred Heart Soul Healing?” I’m honestly not sure how to encapsulate this amazing and beautiful path into a few words. Yes, I can say that it’s an energy healing modality that comes from the Heart of Creation. I can add that it was the healing path of Beloved Master Jeshua (Jesus, the Christ) and that it was He who taught this path to me. Of course, that brings up the fact that I regularly converse with Divine Beings of Light (Angels, Ascended Masters, etc.), and I realize this is something quite out of the ordinary to a lot of people.

I have communicated through clairaudience (clear hearing) with the unseen realms all my life—except for those years when I purposely shut down this gift to function like a “normal” human.  As a child I was told by my beloved mother that, yes, I had “the gift” like my grandmother, but that it was best to keep it hidden from others. So that is what I did—until I came to the place in my journey when I could no longer ignore the calling of my spirit.

So, you see, talking about this modality brings up the source of my training, and that in and of itself may sound a bit strange to some folks. Nonetheless, my teachers of Sacred Heart Soul Healing (SHSH) are the Ascended Masters of Light, chiefly Jeshua, the Great Teacher of the Path of Eternal Peace whom I have known and loved all my days, and Ascended Master Saint Germain, who shines the light of the Violet Ray to assist humanity in freeing ourselves from discord and rising into higher consciousness. My communication with the Archangels has brought understanding to this path as well, but the Ascended Masters are its primary teachers.

The Ascended Masters themselves are indeed true masters of Sacred Heart Soul Healing. They describe Sacred Heart Soul Healing as a path of awakening, a path of healing, a path of enlightenment and ascension!

I suppose the easiest way to explain the modality is to describe each of the levels of its training; so here goes… in a lot more than a few words!

Level I Sacred Heart Soul Healing is appropriate for assisting in the awakening process. It’s ideal for those who seek a closer connection to Spirit, a more harmonious life, and a means for accessing soft healing energy that soothes and harmonizes. Level one training provides an energy that is gentle enough so that even a child could use it with joy and ease. The first degree of this training is a path of peace, and it provides such serene access to the light that (if they choose) people easily can shift to greater alignment and harmony.

Those who are already living a great deal of the time in fifth-dimensional consciousness will find that daily self-practice using SHSH I energy makes that even easier. It can work in conjunction with virtually any other modality to offer additional enlightenment to any path. Typically SHSH I is a hands-on modality that focuses on the chakras and is quite helpful at balancing them and bringing the aspects of our psyches that each chakra represents into a more ideal and stable state.

Level II Sacred Heart Soul Healing offers a big advancement on the path of enlightenment. This is where the miracles begin to happen. While level I is so gentle and easy it could be taught to a child, level II work is much more advanced and provides access to very high frequencies. The first time I taught SHSH II one of my students said of the energy, “Diana, this is way more than twice what the first level is. Isn’t SHSH 2 at least 10 times as powerful as level one?” My answer was, “Yes, it is!”

Level II Sacred Heart Soul Healing really sets us earnestly on the path of healing and ascension. At level two, we work a great deal in the energy field to clear triggers and patterns of discord and trauma, to clear karmic energies and heal karmic wounds, and remove other blockages so that—if the person chooses—he or she can truly leave behind the old framework that no longer serves the ascending soul as we move into this great shift into Divine reality.

Finally, Sacred Heart Soul Healing Level III is the path that invites us to rise into Ascended Master Consciousness, to live the miracles and allow them to become the norm! Does this spontaneously happen as a result of taking SHSH 3?  Not yet—but anything is possible!!

Sacred Heart Soul Healing III training provides a means for working with the Ascended Masters of Light until we reach full ascended consciousness ourselves. Sacred Heart Soul Healing is the fastest track to ascension that I have ever personally experienced. I won’t tell you that it’s the easiest, because it requires earnest dedication, but I will say that it’s the most rewarding and the only path of healing I ever learned that actually is bringing me into alignment with ascended/higher consciousness more and more each day. Whether I am using it on myself or on others, this work brings me closer to Divine reality than anything I’ve experienced, and frankly that’s saying a lot since I’ve been a Reiki practitioner for 19 years and a practitioner of DNA Activation and Healing for 17 years!

Right now I’m the only person in the world (so far as I know) working with Sacred Heart Soul Healing III energy to cleanse soul wounds, re-write programs of discord from this and other lifetimes and re-establish the connection to the Higher Self and Highest Self (I Am Presence)  by clearing the debris and energy surrounding the path of light. I hope to teach the level III training soon so that other practitioners can begin to walk this path and use these techniques.

I use Sacred Heart Soul Healing in almost every session with clients these days (unless someone asks specifically for a different type of session, of course) and always access the energy as the person is ready to receive. I wish everyone were ready for the level III aspect of Divine Miracles, but that is not always the case. This happens only when a person has reached a point of personal readiness to move beyond a certain issue. Most sessions to date incorporate primarily level II and some level III Sacred Heart Soul Healing techniques.

Sacred Heart Soul Healing III work calls the practitioner to rise and live in oneness with the Higher Self. Yes, that is where we are heading, but I don’t know anyone who has reached this state yet while in the physical world. The Ascended Masters did so, however, and so can we! With every fiber of my being I KNOW that it is possible and that it will happen.

Of course, I would love to be a full-fledged Ascended Master right now so that I could serve the cause of ascension ever more fully and joyfully. For the time being, I am still progressing on this journey as a master of Sacred Heart Soul Healing as I work diligently toward that which is already in place as soon as I am ready for it. Onward and upward for all of us!

 

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Listening to Lucid Dreams

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Divine Dream © 2014 L. D. Henderson

 

Sometimes dreams are simply a mishmash of the day’s events stirred in a pot of subconscious stew—images from the past and present creating a bizarre concoction. Those dreams never seem to stick with me. They drift back into the depths of my psyche when I awaken. But what of the others—the dreams that linger in the mind throughout the day, their images coming up into conscious awareness again and again?

Usually dreams that remain long after awakening are the lucid ones, which leave almost tactile impressions. In a truly lucid dream, the dreamer is aware—one with the dream persona—and may be able to affect change within the dreamscape.

I’ve had many lucid dreams through the years. One of my recent ones was rather fun. After all, it’s exciting to be the heroine in your own saga, and this long dream, which lasted pretty much all night, proved to be quite an adventure. It was like something right out of Homer’s The Odyssey, and my role was rather like that of Odysseus or perhaps Jason, who with the Argonauts went in search of the Golden Fleece. I am on the “Golden Path of Mastery” as a Sacred Heart Soul Healing practitioner, after all!

In the dream, my band of compatriots and I traveled across a vast ocean on a great quest and faced many perils along the way. At one particularly dire moment, I suddenly realized that I was in a dream and knew that I could shape my circumstances if I chose; so I said to my friends, “This is nothing! Everything is calm NOW.” In an instant the great danger in the dream dissolved and evaporated into nothingness. We then continued over calm waters, and I knew that indeed the long journey ahead would be smooth sailing from that point forward.

This related to something that was going on in my own life, and I understood when I awakened that I was equally able to alter my waking reality by practicing the Law of Attraction with the same calm, centered certainty that I had in that lucid sleep adventure. I only needed to realize that, after all, life too is but a dream to be crafted by the person who chooses to walk with lucidity through its challenges. As a result, a major breakthrough happened, and I was able to let go of some things that had been blocking my path.

I love this type of dream, because it is generally a message from the higher self. Lucid dreams provide an opportunity to receive wisdom that can shift our waking lives when we decide to listen and act on the wisdom being conveyed.

Lucid dreams sometimes come with messages from beyond as well. Many times I’ve been visited in dream state by loved ones. I realize that some may say this is just the subconscious’ way of remembering a person who is deceased. While this could be the case, more often than not I believe these are actual visits from those who have transitioned into spirit.

I’ll give you an example from my life. Around 8-9 years ago, I had a dream about my Uncle Glenn, my father’s brother, who had died in 1983. I hadn’t been particularly close to Uncle Glenn and hadn’t thought of him in many years; so when he appeared during my sleep one night I was surprised to see him.

The dream felt exactly like a waking experience—as lucid dreams so often do. My uncle appeared tangible, very much himself and quite adamant. “You need to get someone to go look after your Aunt Hazel immediately! She needs help and I can’t be with her all the time,” he insisted.

I awakened right after the dream encounter with my uncle and felt certain that he was actually present and giving me a clear message. So I decided to call my mother as soon as possible and ask her to look in on my aunt. (I live two hours away and wasn’t able to get there easily myself.)

When I called my mother, she said that Aunt Hazel had been taken to the hospital. At that point, she was beyond the danger and had staff to look after her, but I asked my mother to spend time with her and be sure that she was being well cared for. Since my uncle had indicated a need for protection during his visit, I called on Archangel Michael and his angels to stand watch over her too.

I believe that my uncle came to me that night because of the health crisis my aunt was experiencing—about which I knew nothing until I heard the news from my mother the next day. I have had many visits from family members in spirit over my lifetime and have heard countless stories from clients and friends who have had similar experiences.

I personally believe that it’s wise to pay attention to our dreams, and, in the case of lucid dreams, to act on them when doing so seems prudent. My experience has been that lucid dreams always reveal something important. Whether this comes from the higher self, from loved ones beyond the veil, or from one’s own inner knowing, I choose to listen to and honor the wisdom of such dreams.

Giving and Receiving

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When I first found Reiki and learned the principle of energy exchange, I wasn’t exactly ready to embrace this in my life. I believed myself to be a “natural giver.” However, after many life lessons that revealed the need for greater balance, I began to take stock of my behaviors and attitudes.

I was definitely overly giving to such a degree that it made others (*fellow “givers,” that is) at times feel uncomfortable or “beholding” to me. I gave and gave and gave until it literally hurt. In truth, part of my healing journey after my lower back injuries in 1994 was to find a place of balance where I could give in alignment with inner knowing and balance and say “yes” only when I meant it.

Prior to that time, I was such a “yes” person that I found it difficult to say “no.” I was such an extreme giver that I had discomfort when it came to receiving. I even fended off a compliment with some remark that diminished what the person was telling me.

Examples:
Other person: “What a beautiful blouse!”
Previous me: “Oh, this old thing. I’ve had it forever.”
Other person: “You look great today.”
Previous me: “That’s hard to believe when I got next to no sleep last night.”

Those who know me now may find this laughable, but this is honestly how I typically reacted to a compliment during the first 40+ years of my life! Most of the time I didn’t even realize how ungracious I was being in not receiving.

In the case of compliments, all the giver wants to do is lift you up, see you smile, make your day. In deflecting such a gesture, we diminish the other person and create an imbalance within ourselves and in the relationship. The kind person who simply wants to give a sincere compliment may go away feeling small and dejected as a result.

On the contrary, when we receive and graciously accept that compliment with a genuine smile from the heart and words of gratitude, the giver of the compliment is likely to feel uplifted too, and the two of us unite in creating a moment of joy that spreads throughout our day and the world around us.

Compliments are a great place to begin practicing receiving if you’re in the state of overly giving and failure to receive that I once called normal. This is a small thing that we can practice regularly. What I learned to do was to say “thank you” and just let the compliment wash into my energy field and into my heart. It does wonders to nourish and replenish and—as with all true balance in giving and receiving—ends up being a gift to both the giver and the receiver.

On the journey to balance, I took baby steps in the beginning in this way. I gradually started to incorporate an openness to receiving as a result.

Yes, I have had periods where I was out of balance since learning to honor this need for harmony in giving and receiving. However, I find it significantly easier after many years of practice to (a) sense the imbalance and (b) make the necessary adjustments in my behavior and mindset.

Yes, I still go overboard in the giving department on occasion. But now I realize that I must align with receiving by opening my heart to the Universe. When we welcome with gratitude the gifts that come naturally by virtue of seeking and aligning with balance, things begin to flow more freely.

Here’s an affirmation that I find helpful: “I joyfully allow the circle of universal flow to move through me in perfect balance. I receive that I may freely give. I give that I may freely receive.”

Understand that I am not suggesting that we all become “takers.” That would be as out of balance as being the ultra giver that I used to be. Swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other isn’t very likely for a giver in any case.

What we can do is work on opening to the flow. Yes, we continue to give when we can feel gracious in the process. A gift that comes from obligation only or from a feeling of “you did this for me so I have to do this for you,” is not a gift from the heart, and frankly those are the only ones worth having in my view.

If I give to someone when I feel empty and spent and like I have nothing left in me to give, that person is receiving far less than a true gift and is unlikely to benefit fully. They even may feel a “tug” of energy being drawn back to the “giver.” (I could write a blog just on that phenomenon!) I imagine most of us have received gifts that had strings attached or ones we knew weren’t from the heart. Is that what we want to offer others? I doubt it. As for myself, I would prefer to bring to the table only my best—always.

Unless I can give graciously with full intent, I know that I’m not really honoring the recipient or myself, and the gift holds no positive energy. So I still give plenty—whenever my heart tells me the need is there and I am joyful in the offering. Yet, I also receive now with the same level of gladness, gusto and gratitude for the exchange.

Each of us can open the space within ourselves to receive a blessing in return for the outpouring of love and giving we send into the world. In opening that space, we are replenished and renewed and have infinitely more to keep giving.

(*Note re second paragraph: A “taker” is unlikely to feel that discomfort as they feel this is their natural state as I did in being a “giver.”)

© 2016 L. Diana Henderson

Healing Prosperity Issues

Reiki1-2TemplateCpyRAs a member of a professional Reiki network, I received a question posed by someone else in the group about how we can deal with abundance issues both for ourselves and the world. Below is the response I posted along with a few other thoughts I hope will be helpful to all who seek to move beyond struggle and into harmony regarding the issue of financial security.

As Lightworkers, how can we deal with prosperity issues and the global marketplace?

The answer first and foremost begins within ourselves. We need to work consciously and diligently to clear/heal our own issues regarding prosperity. This takes place on many levels.

1. Clear and balance chakras: All the chakras play a role in this, but the heart chakra seems to be key. Healing issues of unworthiness and releasing feelings of lack from the heart center is vital. Also, working to clear the lower chakras can help tremendously. We can work to heal survival issues that block the base/root chakra and consciously breathe nourishing, supportive energy up from the Earth. We can clear the sacral center for greater ease in manifestation on the material plane and balance the solar plexus to release fears, increase a sense of personal empowerment and align the will with the Higher Will.

2. Heal emotional and mental issues related to prosperity: I recommend the wonderful book called Abundance through Reiki by Paula Horan. It’s great for anyone working to overcome prosperity issues whether or not they have taken Reiki.

Reiki practitioners who have learned the techniques at Level 2 Reiki can make use of the emotional symbol techniques to ingrain prosperity affirmations within the subconscious and the energy centers. Creating your own affirmation based on self-exploration works best, but you also can find a plethora of abundance affirmations on the web by plugging that topic into your search engine. Get ideas from these and then reword the affirmation(s) to align with your specific needs/intentions and your way of thinking/processing.

Once you have your affirmation ready, surround yourself with protective, loving energy, center yourself, align with the light of your spirit through meditation, and impart affirmations using the emotional symbol techniques learned in Reiki 2. Getting into a deep meditative state and centering first enhances this experience. Give yourself Reiki for at least 10 minutes prior to using the emotional symbol in order to fully relax and open to the energy.

If you have never learned Reiki or haven’t moved to Level 2, you can still use the affirmation technique. Say a prayer to anchor your affirmation within your subconscious and in your chakras. Then get into a deep meditative state and center yourself aligned with the Light of Source above and the core of the Earth below. Imagine a beautiful, perfect line of golden white light flowing between the center of the Universe/Source/the Divine and the center of the Earth through your core. Call on the Divine Life Force to gently flow through you to empower your affirmation(s). Repeat this daily as needed until you begin to “own” that sense of abundance as part of your normal way of thinking and living.

In doing this personal work, we are able to hold the energy of prosperity, which can bring great blessings into our own lives AND also touches everyone we meet with that frequency. Think of yourself like a radio tower sending out waves of energy far and wide. What we do personally to enhance our own vibrations and hold a higher frequency can affect the greater whole.

3. We also can honor the concept of energy exchange on a daily basis. We can allow the circle of that exchange to be completed in every experience in our lives to the best of our abilities so that no one is left feeling less than another.

4. We can relinquish fear-based judgments. Getting into the habit of catching ourselves and clearing those judgments as they’re in progress keeps judgments from anchoring detrimental energy in our fields and allows us to move beyond the fear-entrenched habit of judging. While “discernment” aligns us with what is beneficial for each of us, “judgment” simply spreads the energy of fear, which is what we need to clear in order to move to a higher ideal.

One aspect of judgment closely linked to the fear of lack—something even the most conscious among us sometimes might miss—is pitying another person. We may think of pity as a form of compassion, but these are entirely distinct from one another. Compassion says to the person, “I understand and I love you. I will stand with you in strength as you empower yourself to move beyond your current state.” On the contrary, pity says, “Clearly you are weak and have no choice but to remain in this state. I’m sorry this is true, but true it is. Go ahead and stay right where you are. I will enable you to remain stuck in your story.”

All forms of judgment, even pity, place the judger and the judged on unequal footing with the latter beneath the former.

We are one. Any inadequacy we see in another exists within us on some level. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t feel compelled to judge. We might discern that which is out of alignment with our own well-being, of course, for this is simply self-preservation, but the moment we step into judgment, which places someone beneath us, we diminish the other person and ourselves.

The difference between discerning and judging can be difficult to define. Perhaps this example will help: If I discern that it is appropriate not to engage a business partner or associate whose values place money at the top of their priorities, I’m simply aligning with my values based on the knowledge at hand. If I judge someone as greedy and shun or criticize that person, I energize greed within that individual and myself.

5. Think beneficial thoughts: In addition to avoiding judgments, we can be more focused on positive thinking and retraining thought patterns that no longer serve us. Of course, the Reiki 2 technique for emotional healing also assists with this. Again, getting into the habit of catching ourselves and clearing detrimental thoughts in the moment, consuming them with violet flame and replacing them instantly with beneficial affirmations, can assist greatly in retraining the mind and creating an environment energized to receive blessings. (Note: If help is needed in this process, energetic cleansing sessions and Sacred Heart Soul Healing may be of assistance.)

6. Use conscious languaging: It’s vital to pay attention to the words we choose in our everyday conversations. An important aspect of retraining the mind toward greater benefit involves creating an established framework for conscious language. We can begin by repeating affirmations each day. If we hone and alter the language in these often to reflect the shifts happening in our lives, they won’t become stale. We need to “up the ante” on our affirmations to create greater impact over time.

Beyond affirmations, choosing our words carefully will go a long way toward enhancing our lives. Thoughts given voice are more powerful than those that simply pass fleetingly through the mind. If we constantly vocalize dissatisfaction, discomfort, etc., we energize the condition we rue and create more congestion in our energy bodies.

Therefore, we need to work on improving our vocabularies, having in our minds all manner of joyful words and expressions, keeping them ever at the ready for use in our daily discussions. At the same time, it’s most helpful to stop empowering phrases like “economic crisis” by repeating them over and over. This country and the world were experiencing this mindset when I first wrote this article, and that phrase was repeated often in the news of the time (2009). In order to shift beyond this energy, I altered the title of the article when I originally posted it. The second half of the title had been “Alleviating Economic Turmoil,” but I decided that phrase energized the very conditions I wished to “alleviate.”

Another aspect of beneficial languaging, speaking truth can be very empowering. If we present our truths consciously, shaping our words with an awareness of their energy and effect on ourselves and on listeners, honoring all parties involved, we can create a field of empowerment that takes nothing from another and energizes relationships toward greater harmony. This requires diligent attention to the way we speak the truth. Our emotions, word choices, body language and inflection need to align with our highest intentions when speaking truth.

7. We need to bring spirit into business. Certainly in the Western world, for some time business has seemed to be immersed in greed. This wasn’t always so. When I was a child, the business community seemed to have much more heart.

Many Reiki Masters and healing arts practitioners have “day jobs” and work in the business arena. Let us shine our lights and do our utmost to bring spirit back into the corporate realm so that over time the attitudes can change there.  I believe the business community already has begun to shift. Certainly on the level of small business, many people are aligning with the Law of Attraction and practicing a more heart-centered philosophy. That seems to be infiltrating the consciousness so that big business will follow suit and in some cases already has begun to shift.

8. Forgive and love: While we’re working on uplifting the realm of business, when we discern an instance of greed, we can practice forgiveness and love. We can recognize that greed is simply a form of fear, and, although we may not want to admit it, most of us have experienced a twinge of greed on those occasions where we aligned with the energy of fear of lack.

Forgiving actions that we see as harmful to us erases the detrimental energy of the experience from our energy bodies and opens the way to blessings. Offering love without condition or limitation to those who “wrong” us enables us to move forward unfettered by the attachments to fear-based experiences/exchanges and opens the space for gifts from the Universe.

Will it help to forgive and love the executives who took billions in a bailout from the government some years ago and then rewarded their people for poor performance, to forgive and love the Wall Street broker who stole billions in a huge fraud scheme, etc.? Absolutely! Forgiveness clears the path to greater wholeness. We can forgive and love every instance of greed in those we encounter—and in ourselves! Doing so will alleviate the congestion of fear in the collective and most assuredly within our own beings, and this can help bring recovery.

9. Breathe gratitude: Finally, we can cultivate profound gratitude for what we have. If every out breath sent the energy of gratitude for the blessings in our lives, with each inhale more blessings would come. Breathing gratitude is something I’ve enjoyed for a long time, and I’ve seen visible results in my life.

For a profound technique to manifest and embrace gifts from the Divine, I love the book, The Moses Code, by James Twyman, which gives you a concrete method for breathing your blessings into reality. Another book I love that helped me move into this state of gratitude more fully many years ago is Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

Beyond working on ourselves as individuals, we can also band together in groups small and large to do this same kind of work. Bringing together people—as many as possible—to hold the energy of calm related to the economy, the financial system, as well as our personal finances can help ease the fear congestion surrounding this issue.

Each month I offer a free guided meditation phone call for healing and abundance. It’s held on the fourth Monday either at lunchtime, 12:33 PM, or in the evening at 7 PM (Eastern Time). One month will be evening and the next lunchtime and so on. The call lasts just over half an hour and allows participants to clear detritus, align energies and embrace greater wholeness and abundance according to each one’s readiness. If you want to participate in this event, please contact me by clicking here.

© copyright 2009 L. Diana Henderson, Reiki Master Teacher & Healing Arts Practitioner

Clear Away the Old, Welcome the New

Reiki2-3TemplateCpyRThe new year is a perfect time to clear the remnants of the previous year both literally and figuratively. After the holidays both our homes and our energy fields may need a good cleaning. So while we’re throwing away the torn wrapping paper, hauling out the Christmas tree and putting away those ornaments and decorations, let’s set aside some time to release the other baggage from our past….

First, think back over the year and go through the act of conscious forgiveness. Did a friend hurt you? Did your father or your mother-in-law (or any other loved one) make a critical comment while visiting at the holidays? Did your spouse disappoint you? Did your co-worker or boss belittle you?

Consider for a moment the emotional wounds you experienced. Don’t dwell on them—just bring them momentarily to mind—and as you do, ask the Divine (according to your beliefs) to cleanse your heart and mind of any discord you feel for these events. Invite the light of the Violet Flame, the ray of forgiveness, into your heart and hold its energy there.

Then, visualize the person, holding them in love as much as possible, and internally say (and mean!), “I forgive you and I forgive me.” Self-forgiveness is as vital as mercy toward others, for many times we may hold residual self-blame no matter the circumstance.

After you have forgiven as much as you can recall of the previous year’s indescretions and difficulties, ask the Violet Flame to live in your heart for a while to continue to release any additional blockages caused by old wounds. If you wish you may repeat the following three times: “I forgive every hurtful act and experience and welcome love and mercy toward all including myself.”

The human energy field actually shifts when a person truly forgives. Therefore, the very act of forgiveness will help to clear blocks in all aspects of life and open your being to greater blessings on many levels.

Follow this process of forgiveness by expanding the Three-Fold Flame within the Heart (blue, yellow, pink), the flames of Divine power, wisdom and love, and also the Violet Flame, to encompass your body and energy field with the intention of clearing/cleansing and instilling love. Meditate at length on the expanded Three-Fold Flame and Violet Flame. When you feel the process is complete, draw the flames back into the heart where they always reside. Repeat the meditation as needed.

On the physical level, it’s a great idea to clean and Feng Shui your home for greater abundance and health in the new year. As you do so, say a prayer of cleansing and blessing in each room to improve the flow of energy. If you know Reiki, Sacred Heart Soul Healing, or any other energy healing modality, you can send these energies into the walls, ceiling, floor and atmosphere of your space.

You may add some pink rose petals to the corners of each room to absorb negative energy (remove when they begin to dry out) and place crystals in the corners to enhance flow (you’ll need to cleanse the crystals first and repeat periodically). Amethyst or clear quartz would be suited to this task.

With these simple steps, it’s possible to begin the new year with greater clarity and joy.

© copyright 2010 L. Diana Henderson