Power

You love it, hate it, fear it and want it. Power. At one time or another, we've all dealt with the effects of Power. It's been abused, misused and talked about since time began.

We talk about empowerment. Standing in our power. Taking back our power.

And those are all true statements. The bottom line is, most women are afraid of power because we fear abusing it. We are overly sensitive to someone disliking our use of power. 

At some point, we have to accept that someone else may not like our decisions, but that doesn't make us wrong. "They" may be wrong and want "their" way.

Most women I know who are hesitant about "standing in their power" are really saying "I don't want to hurt someone, maybe they're right and I'm wrong, it's easier for ME to stand back and make 'them' happy, then there's peace."

True, there may be peace - and we all ultimately want peace - but at what cost? Surrendering to another person's demands/desires doesn't always mean peace. Short term, yes. But are you setting yourself up for continually backing down? Are you going to feel peaceful down the road, when you no longer have any say in the matter? I think not.

The women I know who worry about misusing power, are never the ones that abuse it. They've generally over-thought their decision and have looked at the issue from everyone's point of view. And by the time they do make a decision, they're exhausted. 

This is a good time to use the "Let go and let God," phrase. You've thoughtfully considered options, and your decision is valid.

Cleansing!

My guides were loud this morning, very adament. Clean, Cleanse!

I've been laying low, caught up in mid-winter blahs and some low, negative and recurring thoughts. You know. Like the record's stuck.

This morning, Ohio caught a break. It's sunny and 50.

Boy, I've really had it with the neighbors, too.

First, I smudged. Thank you Spirit of White Sage. You graced my garden for two years and you hang in my bedroom, a fragrant reminder of the protection you offer. I started with myself, concentrating on my back area, to release the past thoughts that are keeping me stuck in the present. I felt like I was surrounded by dense thorny hedges, and as I smudged and asked AA Michael and Raphael for release and healing. I sensed giant hedge clippers, hacking through the mess.

Smudged the upstairs.

Opened windows in all four directions and asked the spirits of each direction to cleanse the space, keep the energy flowing.

Now, my north windows face a neighbor. Their house is 15 feet from mine. They have a high wattage light that illuminates my entire house, all night long, three dogs they ignore, and a bad habit of slamming their truck door so hard, that my windows shake.

And on this side, I felt such heaviness. I *saw* the North Mountain and Hawk, soaring.
"Hawk what is your message this morning?" "Rise above daughter"
"Mountain, spirit of the North, I ask your protection!"
When I held out my hands, I could feel the heaviness of the neighbors energy - very intrusive, and clearly in my space. The Barrow Wights came through for me. First time. They helped me push this energy away, and shrink it.

This may take several applications, and stronger measures may be called for.

To close the energy, we took the dog for a long walk.
Result: I feel much clearer. I hear messages better, including the one that says I don't have to fix other people. (Stay in your own energy).

Manifesting (still)

We're always manifesting. Whatever we're focused on, grows. Good or bad, worthwhile or worthless.

I just realized that my focus on "having less so someone else won't feel bad" manifested just that. A small decrease in my income, ostensibly due to taxes. In my case, it was a specific situation that I was afraid of confronting honestly. So - lesson learned.

It's true - it serves no purpose to pretend "small". Not one more person will be fed, clothed or housed because I do not accept my good, my abundance, my gifts.

Visualizing

Part of manifesting is Visualizing - seeing what you want. Why don't they call it "seeing what you want?" Probably because "vision" is wider frame. It's both a concept "I have a vision of my future" and a reality "I envision myself in a new and lovely home."

Visualizing, in the sense we're talking about, is putting out a call to action to the Universe. You envision what you want, and release it. The Universe responds.

Manifesting 101

What is manifesting?

It's making your dreams come true. I can "write the words" about how to manifest and you can find a zillion articles that will tell you the same thing. It's like advanced daydreaming - picturing what you really want, then letting it "go."

The key component in manifesting is aligning your energy with your dream. This means, feeling the emotion of actually having your dream - and this is harder than it sounds.

We actually manifest all the time, but we call it something different. Luck, good or bad, Karma, good or bad, coincidence. We're unconciously manifesting all the time, usually through worry, and often through imagining the worst case scenarios for any given situation.

I am very guilty of this, under the guise of "being prepared for when things go wrong."

And often, things Have gone wrong.

So, years ago, I became more concious of my thoughts. Very hard, indeed because I was in a rut of "what will I do if..." and then playing out various disasters.

It's taken years to correct this thought process, but it can be done. It's discipline and a willingness to let go of some cherished bad habits.

My best example, to date, of manifesting my dreams was when I manifested my current (and much loved) job. When I was ready to leave my last position, instead of focusin on the things and people I disliked, I wrote down the things I would absolutely love in a new and perfect job. "Part-time, people with good senses of humor, I feel appreciated, I make valuable contributions to the organization and it is recognized" were some of the descriptions. And, I spent ten minutes everyday really feeling how wonderful that position felt, as if it were mine, right now.

And it did manifest, exactly as I envisioned (and emotionally felt) it.

I recommend "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain. This book really gave me the start on manifesting. It's a short read, understandable and I've held onto it for many, many years.

Go Manifest something in 2011.

Omen - Dead Birds

What did it mean? Dead birds in Arkansas, Scandinavia and Italy?

It foretold losses for the Ravens, Seahawks and Falcons.

The subhead is "Mystic Wisdom from the Midwest." We're practical people here. :)

I am a huge Doreen Virtue Fan. Here is her AA Michael Channeling for 2011 from Facebook.