Blog Archives - Page 20 of 35

Uncertainty Over Certainty

I was driving to one of my favorite parks yesterday when a major theme struck me: why uncertainty is a far better approach than certainty.

Don’t get me wrong, there are moments where a bit of strategy is important (like what to pack for your 5 day hiking trip, or how about making sure you do your due diligence before buying the house of your dreams?), but for the majority of our day our brains are caught up in trying to ensure certainty in EVERY moment. And that can be tiring as hell!

Not only is this tiring our minds but it’s tiring our souls. It’s not allowing for rest. When we rest we are allowing the right side of our brain to be in FLOW with our deeper selves and Mother Nature; we are allowing space for something much bigger than we possibly could have imagined.

So why not lean in? Trust the flow. Surrender. Allow yourself to let go of the worries and thoughts that actually control YOU.

Notice how much lighter you feel. How there’s space for possibility. How suddenly you aren’t filled with fear and what if’s; instead, you’re noticing your breath and how wonderful this moment really is.

Try it out. Trust me. Lean into uncertainty and remember this: you are ok and will always be ok.

Namaste,

Susan

What To Do If You’re An Empath

Do you find yourself feeling anxious, depressed, or flighty after meeting new people or being in a large group?
Do you find it hard to get rid of these emotions you didn’t necessarily feel before?
Do you oftentimes get confused as to whether or not you really feel any of this and find yourself questioning what is really going on?
Do you feel like a pendulum when it comes to emotions? Feeling all the highs and all the lows?

If you responded yes to any of the questions above it could be an indication of your empathic nature. While it’s great to feel into situations and people so quickly, what’s not great is not knowing what to do when people shed all of their energy on to you to soak up.

As an Empath, you may not know what to do when it comes to releasing what’s not yours. Or may you do know what to do but it doesn’t seem to work.

While every Empath is different from one another, I thought I’d share a few techniques that work for me. Keep in mind you may need to try these techniques a couple of times in order to get used to a new technique or perhaps find a tweak that works perfectly for YOU.

Faster EFT. If you haven’t heard of tapping find someone who can teach you or ask Google to teach you. In my case, I found it immensely helpful to learn from someone. Essentially you are tapping on major meridian points along your face and chest to release the specific emotion or thought from the situation that is causing you to feel an undesired emotion. Imagine all the negative emotion draining away from your body! It’s astonishing how quickly it works and you can apply it to just about any situation you come across, not just empathic episodes.
Grounding/Earthing. I find this to be therapeutic as well. I wrote about Tree Medicine in an earlier blog post and there are many ways to ground yourself. Energetically we are surrounded my technology and of course other people’s energy and the Earth (think of a magnet) has the ability to absorb that which you don’t need. How wonderful is Mother Nature? Plant your bare feet into the sand, dirt, or grass. Feel the waves of relaxation come over you as you feel every drop of negative energy which does not serve you seeping into the ground beneath you. It’s Mother Nature’s caring way.
Connect to the Highest Love. This is by far my favorite and most impactful. Have you ever cried without even thinking about it when something touched your heart so much? Felt the pang of deep stirring within your heart from something you saw, felt, or read? This is connecting to the Highest Love. This kind of Love is so deep and so real you suddenly realize what you are carrying isn’t even REAL. What you are trying to rationalize in your mind doesn’t even MATTER. This Highest Love, which is in all of us, doesn’t care about what just happened, all it cares about is bringing you to the TRUTH of who you are, and only you know what this Truth is. You can connect to your Highest Love in a number of ways:
- Hugging someone you deeply love and care about
- Talking to God and letting him know how much you love him/her
- Breathing deeply and getting still; knowing this Higher Love is within you always
- Doing something you absolutely love for 15 minutes (yes 15 minutes); for me it’s working with CLAY
- Last but not least any of the two suggestions above

At the end of the day don’t despair. Nothing is permanent in this world and neither are these feelings.

As humans it is our job to learn and evolve so if you’re new to your superpowers as an Empath or you’ve been on this journey and still trying to figure it out, just know you are fully capable of making positive change in your life. Surround yourself with your own network of guides and teachers, and most importantly believe change is possible.

In wellness,

Susan

Patterns That Rule Your Life

Happy Monday beautiful people!

Today I woke up inspired to share an absolute TRUTH of mine in hopes of sparking inspiration and positive change in your life starting today.

Did you know our entire lives are made up by patterns?

Yes.

Patterned Behavior. Patterned Speech. Patterned Thoughts.

If you observe carefully you will notice that without fail one of these influences the other which influences the other until it reaches full circle and there you have the predictive results of our lives.

Why is it then that we always aim to change the outcome yet fail to get the desired results?

It’s simple. We have yet to change our neural pathway for the new pattern to exist.

Thankfully, you don’t have to willpower your way through this. Whether it’s losing weight, becoming a happier person, stressing less, etc. you don’t have to grit your teeth through the process.

If you desire the change at your CORE you are already half way there. Through NLP (neuro linguistic programming), focused awareness techniques, and self hypnosis work you, yes YOU, can make a positive change and begin living your BEST LIFE.

I firmly believe we are all capable of making the change we desire. This is a crucial first step toward success.

The bigger question is, do you? If there is even a hint of yes in you then you are more than capable of making the change you desire in your life.

Have faith, do the work, be mindful of where your thoughts take you, and equally as important, hand select and surround yourself with your very own network of guides, teachers, and angels.

In wellness,

Susan

Adventure & Mindset

”A grand adventure is about to begin.”

~Winnie the Pooh

How often do you wake up and view life as an adventure? An untold story waiting to unfold?

The first few moments of waking up from your dreamy, hypnotic state is the best time to daydream into your adventures. Allow your mind to relax knowing you are held.

Remember, there is no need to control anything, except for the allowing of what is in complete surrender and faith.
Namaste,

Susan

Friday Focus – 8/18/17 {Grief}

“Grief is tremendous, but LOVE is bigger. You are grieving because you Loved truly. The beauty in that is greater than the bitterness of death. Allowing this into your Consciousness will not keep you from your suffering, but it will help you survive the next day.”

~Cheryl Strayed

This quote struck a chord especially with so much grief being experienced not only in our country but oftentimes we forget other countries as well.

What I keep coming back to is how can we control our own sphere of consciousness so that we can make an even bigger difference in the world? How can we strive to act, speak, and BE from Love, our inner source, so that we can be the change we want to see in the world?

We’re human. It’s much too easy to get caught up in our heads instead of our hearts. That’s the practice. That’s where the years of work come into play. There’s where spiritual work is.

May we find Love underneath our grief, suffering, and/or frustrations.

May we always turn to Love because Love is the most strongest and biggest force of them all.

Namaste.

The Ultimate Secret

Secretly we spoke, that wise one and me.
I said, “Tell me the secrets of the world.”
He said, “Let silence tell you the secrets of the world.”
~Rumi

How often do we rely on others for answers? For validation? What are we seeking affirmation of?

Oftentimes we are in the mode of analyzing every situation and question we have in our lives, and it makes sense! We are primal beings and our brains are hard wired to know every single outcome… after all we survived all these thousands of years to get here right?

However, once we recognize we are safe, we have food to eat, and we have a roof over our heads… we begin to fill out brains with strategy, over analysis, and ultimately we are seeking control of our lives.

Unfortunately this is where we get into trouble. Believing we need control of our lives is what leads to anxiety, depression, and at the end of the day – it leaves us in a state of FEAR.

When we cut through the muck and stop thinking, analyzing and strategizing (left brain) and begin to feel and BE the flow of life (right brain), we come to realize we already have the answer.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset — Mother Nature

This is a reminder to feel into the moment, to allow your brain to rest, to allow yourself to accept this moment and just feel into what is NOW.

When we do this and are willing to see things differently, we are doing more than just accepting and surrendering, we are allowing room for magic. This extra space we didn’t have before is now leaving room for breathe! It is now activating your unconscious to search for creative solutions you may not have otherwise have had the chance to consciously be aware of because our minds were so fixated on our limited thinking.

So I urge you today to lean in a little to the NOW. Be ok with what is just a little longer, and trust you are already taken care of.

Namaste,

Susan

Naturally Shed Deer Antler. Hand made with real, high quality crystal beads. Sage cleansed and high vibe.

Divine Prana

What does it mean to live with unconditional love? To infuse this unconditional love with your personal power? Your life force? Just how different would our lives be if we lived from this state?

Not too long ago I completed this mala for a beautiful soul. When choosing the gemstones I found Blood Jasper and Honey Jade to be the perfect combination to help support Divine Prana. Let’s do a quick deep dive into what these gemstones represent and support.

Blood Jasper: Ahh, this stone is special. I love how you can get lost in the depths of its dark green mass mixed with a unique blending and swirling of it’s equally dark counterpart – red. Legend has it that the red represented the tears of an ancient dragon. Blood Jasper is known for its prana, Qi, and life force. This stone supports anyone to develop and harness one’s courage, strength and vitality.

Honey Jade: When looking at this beautiful stone I am reminded of the sweet, delicate drops of natural honey. I choose Honey Jade to complement Blood Jasper due to its representation of the third chakra – the Solar Plexus – the power house chakra. Not only does Honey Jade aid in supporting your personal power, it radiates divine, unconditional love. It is also a grounding and calming stone.

Lastly, I felt called to choose the naturally shed deer antler to complete the piece. For some reason I felt that it represented the full circle of life.

Very excited for this mala to meet its special owner. May this mala support personal power and living life with integrity, yet showing up in the world with the most powerful force available within all of us – Love. May Love always lead us to co-create with Nature to uplift and raise each other up.

In wellness,

Susan

Friday Focus – 8/11/17 {Last Days Of Summer}

This morning I sipped my morning coffee outside on the lawn and did a few sun salutations and heart openers. I felt the cool breeze move through my untied hair and really savored the moment.

Lately the days here in Seattle have been filtered with a never ending haze strewn across the sky, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying every last bit of what Summer has to offer us.

It wasn’t until after a bit of yoga this morning I walked over to the apple trees in our backyard when I noticed that in about another month the apples would be ready for harvest. “Wow, already?” I thought… and of course, “How beautiful are these apples…”.

As I felt the wave of emotions rush over, in that moment, I understood these were the last few days of Summer. Time to enjoy every last bit of it. The getaways, the hikes, backyard bbqs, picnics in the park, patio brunches with friends… all of it. Time to savor it all.

How are you spending these last few days of Summer? Are you taking the time to unwind? To enjoy and let loose? In what ways can you relax (in your unique way) to prepare for the “harvest”?

All good questions to ask ourselves.

In wellness,

Favorites Lately – Beet Mango Smoothie

I discovered this Beet Mango Smoothie recipe on accident. I’m sure there’s a similar recipe somewhere on the interwebs but truth be told, I was looking for something refreshing to drink on a hot summer day and when I looked in the fridge I had all the ingredients to make this delicious beverage AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT 🙂

What I love about this recipe is that it’s fairly low in sugar, has a ton of fiber, and most importantly will keep you cool on these particularly hot summer days! Thankfully it’s also fairly simple to make. Here are the ingredients:

5-8 cubed raw beets (at least a handful)
1/4 – 1/3 cup cubed mangoes
Ginger the size of half your thumb or a little more (I love ginger so I tend for a little more)
1 whole lime (half if you aren’t into acidity)
2-3 ice cubes

Blend and ENJOY!

Taking the time to make this beautiful drink in the morning seriously makes my day and I hope it adds a bit of joy, serenity, and wellness to yours.

In wellness,

Susan

Getting Creative With Ceramics

I’ve been writing a lot about creativity and allowing your deeper self to play, have fun, and explore. If you haven’t checked out the 5 days of POWERFUL QUESTIONS do it now! It is all about finding your own creativity and how to show up in this world in our own authentic way.

If you’ve been following along you know one of my biggest and playful outlets has been working with CLAY! Learning from others, making new friends, and most importantly LETTING GO of all expectations has been the **best** part of this Summer’s creative experiment.

I remember the first day I entered the studio I had such a hard time creating pieces. The ideas weren’t flowing. Then, the moment I started creating for others it’s as if my hands couldn’t move faster than the ideas.

(Friends, you know what you’re getting for Christmas right?)

Something else I learned while being in the studio? Detachment. Letting go. Surrendering. Clay is funny, some days you get it right, and other days it decides to break or deform overnight. Allowing what is to just be (yes, even the pieces you lovingly worked on), and enjoying the process is what makes the 3 hours a day not only feel magical but go by **real** fast.

I can’t believe there’s only a few precious weeks left of studio time… and I still have another 25+ pound bag of clay! I am looking forward to deeper play, honoring my creativity, and allowing the magical alchemy of surrender influence the next few pieces. Time to get to WORK!

In wellness,

Susan