Make Friends With Fear

As my journey continues to take me further off into the unknown, I have grappled with fear. We all deal with fear.

Without conscious practice and acknowledgement, fear can derail us from following our heart.

My spiritual awakening is paying off as I learn to work with fear rather than bury it (or worse—ignore it altogether).

It takes more energy to work against fear than it does to work with it.

Fear is not the enemy when we make friends with it.

It is a vital part of who we are, so invite fear along as if it were a wise friend; it is there for a reason.

Fear keeps us safe in times of danger and sustains us throughout perilous times of change.  

When we make friends with fear and allow it to be heard, we can gently let it know our plans.

Be grateful for the role fear plays, but affirm you are choosing a different route—courageous love.

The development of a healthy ego alongside a courageous spirit ensures we have all we need to navigate this world.

-Sarah Varcas

Fear lands us right at the same intersection we left it, at the corner of been there and done that. Unless we choose a path to love by opening our heart to everything below the surface of fear, we will experience the same unfulfilling and predictable outcomes while hiding from our own emotions.

When fear becomes your lighthouse it will perpetually lead you to darkness.

-Kris Carr

Fear's number one job is to keep us safe and secure in the comfort of our current reality. It certainly doesn't want us to dig deep into the crevices of our heart and soul, because when we listen to our deepest calling and inner knowing we inevitably come to meet the complacency and unfulfilling path that our fears keep us traversing along.

Choose a New Path

There's no security in following love or dreams or desires, because those things offer zero certainty. They DO offer rewards that far exceed the risk we take to follow our heart—happiness, fulfillment, joy, purpose and self care.

Choosing love via adventures, self worth, soul searching, soul mates, dreams, fulfilling careers, or any multitude of things calling to your heart is the only way to live freely with empowerment, purpose and inner peace.

The next time fear starts to speak, go ahead, have a dialogue with it.

"Thank you, Ego, for doing your job; I want you to know that I am choosing to listen to my heart. I already know where you take me, and I'm ready to chart a new course this time. I sure hope you'll come along. I'm still going to need you."

Listen to your intuition to determine whether fear is playing a healthy role, or sabotaging your dreams by halting any momentum.

When fear is kindly put in its place, we make space for the whispers of our soul to be heard. The calling of our heart or the curiosity of our Higher Self begins to flourish. 

It takes often might courage to honour the truth as we see it, especially when it sets us apart from others or challenges the status quo.

-Sarah Varcas

If life is providing you opportunities to grow or revealing experiences to test your heart's desires, say yes. Step outside of your comfort zone, and make one step at a time.

You may not know where the path to Love takes you, but I can guarantee you haven't been there yet. And don't forget to invite along courage, faith and trust. You're going to need them.

By staying present to both our fears and our hopes and dreams, we assertively take action that befits our current reality. Dreams are healthy so long as we take one curious step at a time.

Finding Gratitude Under the Super Moon Eclipse

Do you remember what was happening last September? Do you remember the last lunar eclipse? I know I do. The powerful energy of today's Full Moon eclipse settled into my bones this week causing me unease and discomfort. But as I grounded through my root chakra at yin yoga, I remembered how necessary grounding and gratitude is in our life.

The landscape back in September set me on a journey that delivered me to where I am now: on the brink of major change in my life. I couldn't have known then what would unveil over the last six months, but the view I see now is extraordinarily beautiful yet unsettling at the same time. I am changing careers to follow my calling as a healer and spiritual coach.

God has prepared me for this season of my life by instilling deep and unwavering faith and trust in my heart. I am a believer that where there is faith, there has to be trust. We cannot feel safe taking each step toward our dreams without some semblance of peace knowing it will work out; it has to work out, right?

As much faith as I embody, I struggle with fear on a daily basis. I question. I doubt. I waver. This is normal, and I have learned to be gentle with myself and my Ego. I thank it for sending me flares, but firmly announce that I am choosing faith.

I have determined a recipe that works for me; I focus on the single step needed today to keep moving toward my goals. I hold the bigger picture in my heart, but I do not ponder the details. The next step is on our hands; the rest is in God's hands, so why worry over something that is out of our control?

The last two weeks served as a gateway to the future we dream of, and so it wouldn't be surprising to me if any of us are also experiencing tumult in our lives. This is thanks to the Lunar eclipse on March 8 in addition to the last six months. I set several intentions over that Lunar eclipse (New Moons are the time to set goals for the new beginning of the lunar calendar), but I knew this time, I would be setting intentions that would alter the course of my life.

Now that the Super Moon is here and manifestations of our intentions and desires are creeping in, I am more ready than ever to step into the new phase of my life. But what I am learning is that anticipation of the future is blocking me from being present in the now. I am reminded of this more than ever when the Moon is closest to the Earth in all its splendor and I want to run for the hills.

Two of my wisest friends served me a giant platter of reality today: that without being grounded in the present moment through gratitude and stillness, I will not be able to welcome the beautiful blessings and manifestations coming into my life. We cannot attract more blessings into our life when we aren't already grateful for our present moment and the circumstances tied to it.

So, even though this Moon had me crippled in self doubt and unease, it brings with it far better silver linings. While manifestations are rising up with a roar, I am going to focus on the now.

I want to step into my calling fully; there's nothing more I would rather do. But for right now, I am grateful for the life I lead today; I am grateful for how this Eclipse cycle has carried me into the new horizon of my life; and I am grateful for the lessons that fill me with wisdom and grounding.

We cannot control the future. The past is over. All we ever have is this moment. We can choose to waste it over worry or embrace it with love and gratitude. The choice is ours.

The Winds Beneath My Heart

I’ve resisted against the winds of my heart for a long time. Now I’m too tired to push back. I’m ready to run with them. Maybe you won’t understand why I’m fighting so hard. It may seem like I’ve pitted myself against a life most would be content to have. But I don’t want to be content.

I’m fighting for the utmost joy and a heart beaming with light. As painful as some of these day are, I love where I’m going.

—Meaghan Archer

I'm just tickled so many colors to be announcing that I can't push back against my heart any longer. The time has come to step into my calling and say yes to all that lies beyond, the place where all my dreams reside.

After weighing about a gazillion options and avenues for how to fulfill my calling, I surrendered and let God figure out the "how." I simply put out the intention of serving others based on my God-given gifts, and before I knew it, the path found me right where I am.

Getting to this moment was an unbelievable struggle; it took six months of deep soul work after I received the blessed guidance to drop fear and resistance and own gratitude through mindfulness and appreciation of the present.

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned along the way is resistance will block you from manifesting your potential; it will block you from the energetic flow of the Universe where miracles are waiting. The thing about resistance is it cancels out gratitude.

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

-Eckhart Tolle

You cannot bring more of the good into your life if you don't appreciate what is already in your life. I finally accepted how the Universe had strategically placed me exactly where I needed to be to get where I was going. But my impatience and frustration with my current situation and career led to resistance and unease. I was so caught up in the life I dreamt of, yet I was blocking myself from ever getting there.

Last November, I sought guidance from Kathleen Hosner, an intuitive and spiritual guide, who advised me to find the blessing in my current situation. I was putting up a physical block to all the new blessings desperate to arrive at my doorstep. Clearly God brought me this far, and I was given all I resisted for a reason. Not only did gratitude keep me firmly placed in the present moment, but it allowed me to be present enough to hear and see the signs that would guide me to my next steps. You cannot hear or even notice messages or signs when living in the future; wishing I were already living my calling took me far, far away from the moment I was graciously given.

As I quietly focused my heart on my job at hand, I stumbled synchronistically upon exactly what I was looking for (but didn't know I needed). These moments when fireworks go off, I am reminded that God's plan is far better than one my limited mind can devise. I found the school, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, that would serve as my apprenticeship as I prepare to do the work I am called to do as a healer and teacher.

I was intuitively guided to the people, teachings, tools and certifications that would allow me to best serve those around me, and I embarked on a spiritual awakening to find complete peace in my heart (where my inner truth was revealed). I opened up the flow of abundance that the Universe intended to deliver for my purpose to take flight. Had I not embraced a mindset of presence and gratitude, I can safely say I would not be where I am today: ready to own my truth and start a new, fulfilling career in intuitive healing and spiritual coaching.

I owe everything to gratitude.

The steps I am taking on my new journey fill my heart with so much fire and passion; I simply cannot wait to share everything I am and all I have learned with the world. I am here to serve and I am ready. Will you join me?

Where There is Faith, Trust Must Follow

I speak of faith often but faith and trust are synonymous; you can't have faith without trust. I am at the point where my faith has led me to unforeseen and spectacular heights that now require extreme amounts of trust to act on. The wonderful thing is once you start practicing faith daily, your capacity to believe in greatness and miracles exponentially increases. When it comes time to say yes to the life you aspire to live, it becomes so much easier to trust in yourself, in your dreams, and in a higher power with faith in your pocket.

This is where one on my favorite words enters the arena: Grace. There are umpteen different takes on Grace, but one stands out to me. Doreen Virtue explains this phenomenon as acceptance and trust in faith. I like to think of Grace as faith in action. The very meaning of faith in my life is taking trusted action which allows Grace to penetrate my experience.

I have been called to put more of my faith in action than ever before. I speak of faith and live in faith every day, but practicing faith in new territory is another story. As I am being tested in my faith, my ability to trust the unfolding of my journey is growing in leaps knowing that God is indeed working behind the scenes. This is Grace, and it is what keeps me going.

I am undergoing major life changes as I answer God's call for my spiritual life purpose. I recently decided to leave my current full time job in order to focus more time on my calling (which is exactly what God is guiding me to follow).

The blessing of being a designer is my ability to work as a freelance artist (giving me the flexibility to pursue my new career); because it is not a steady paycheck, I have no guarantee of income after my transition—hence the downside of this blessing.

After the first few moments of uncertainty and fear crept in, I chose to allow the situation to unfold with Grace. Well, the next day or so didn't unfold so gracefully as I battled my Ego who wanted concrete evidence that I would have an income. Consequently, I hit up every freelance contact this side of the Mississippi (and beyond).

It wasn't until a few days later while listening to a daily meditation on overwhelm that Doreen explained Grace; I began to see how this plot twist is really an answer to my prayers. My exercises in faith and trust now make crystal clear sense.

Certainty is irrelevant if you have faith in your pocket.

-Karilyn Owens

God answered my prayers with something I wouldn't have chosen for myself (for I still crave certainty), but this unfolding of events is leading me to boost my levels of trust. The me today understands how this twist is a gigantic blessing. You see, I have prayed (even pleaded at times) for more time to devote to my spiritual calling. I am currently writing a book, taking online certifications and starting my own business.

It dawned on me why my situation is working out as it is; I am being gifted time. As I let that feeling sink in, I realized how much freedom I will now have to act on my spiritual endeavors.

Instead of focusing on securing freelance work, God is asking me to courageously step into my calling by assuring I am ready to help others NOW. Grace tells me freelance work will arrive as needed; my old contacts began reaching out far before I ensued on my frantic mission. I now see how my situation is divinely timed. God is boosting my confidence in my calling for this is what I am meant to embark on.

But back to stepping into this calling of mine. My perfectionistic mindset tells me I am not ready. Ego says I don't have the necessary qualifications or certifications. Yet what God is telling me loud and clear is that I have fulfilled my prerequisites for my life purpose as a light worker and teacher. I have been in school all my life with keen attention paid to the past year (and specifically the last six months).

My dear healer, Alex Hermosillo, says life is the best kind of school (and I vehemently agree with him). We experience our karmic lessons as we "pass" (or fail) each lesson we are meant to learn in order to fulfill our divine purpose. Karma, the intentions behind our actions according to Sharon Salzburg, is put in place to reduce our man-made suffering (known as dharma in the Buddhist Tradition).

If we plant positive seeds based of intention, we experience positive results through our actions. But we learn the most helpful lessons by receiving negative consequences when planting fear-based seeds.

My first 30 years provided much suffering through my experiences and fear-based intentions. I have discovered that healers and spiritual teachers such as myself will go through this phase of suffering in order to prepare and rise to our purpose in this lifetime.

I gained the wisdom to nearly clean my slate of suffering and embody my true essence of unconditional love. That I have fulfilled my prerequisites is an indication that I have passed my Karmic lessons in order to emerge as my true, awakened self—a whole heart, a light worker, spiritual teacher and intuitive healer.

I learned epic lessons that surpass any classroom material. And when I believe in myself and accept God's Grace playing in my life as a finely conducted orchestra, I see how He has sneakily cleared my schedule so that I may get to work. Sure, I will be expanding my knowledge and capabilities (I am a forever student while on Earth), but I am ready to take action by serving others now. I already do.

So, I am taking action even but for baby steps. School will always be a way to gain knowledge and tools, but I am going to focus on the best classroom of all: life experience.

I am going to put faith into action by continuing to pursue my purpose, one small step at a time. Faith tells me I am divinely supported on my journey (as long as I am serving the purpose God put me on this planet to fulfill). This takes trust, but as the events in my first 30 years have unraveled Divinely, I know they will continue to do so. That is Grace.