Buddha is the Reason for the Season

Well, actually, in the Christian world the saying is "Jesus is the reason for the season."  But Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, the Dali Llama and others are all avatars: divine teachers or gods in human form.  All of these great souls came to earth to teach others how to be more aware of their own divinity, their own spiritual awareness. They incarnated to teach love and compassion.

Each of these deities' births is honored with a whole month leading up to, or surrounding, a sacred holiday.  Eid Milad-un-Nabi in the third month of the Islamic calendar honors the birth of Mohammad. The holiest Buddhist holiday, Saka Dawa, which occurs in the fourth Tibetan month, observes Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. And December, of course, is full of advent and other celebrations leading up to Christmas, the most exalted Christian holiday.  I don't know about the cultural traditions of the other two religious holidays, but the deeper meaning of Christmas is greatly overshadowed  by merchants trying to make a living and by our American marketing traditions.

Everyone is aware of the superficial commercialism of the Christmas season. There are many expectations, some of which lead to disappointments. The disappointment is usually because of not feeling emotionally connected to other people. Without connection, the traditions are meaningless.  In order to feel connected to others, you must feel connected to yourself first since your external reality is a reflection of your internal reality.

One way to rediscover or recreate the meaning of Christmas, or any holy-day, is to take the time to rediscover yourself.  You, the Spirit who resides in your body.  Reconnect with yourself and find your own God or Goddess within.  This can be done by meditating, reading spiritual books, going on a nature retreat or even attending a religious service that resonates with you.  Go with the clear intent of creating meaning.  You can even ask for help... from Buddha, Mohammed or Jesus.

Blessings on your journey,
Madeline

Laugh Often

One of the most important psychic tools you can use is amusement!  Think back to the last time you had a good belly laugh.  How did you feel during it and afterwards?  For me, it's a combination of joy, expansiveness, ecstacy and aliveness. I find it fascinating that amusement results in an immediate energy shift that is quite noticeable.  Especially when you were in a bad mood just a moment ago.

When you are stressed, your body releases a particular type of hormone which helps with the fight, flight or freeze response.  Your muscles tense up and the body goes into survival mode. Too many stress hormones lead to unhealthy results When you are amused, your body releases hormones which lead to relaxation. You feel more social, present and alive.  These states enhance your psychic and intuitive abilities.

You are most powerful when you are amused. Amusement is the opposite of resistance. When you are amused, negative energy just passes right through you. People cannot get on your nerves. Amusement makes you attractive to other people.  It will help you to appraise situations with clarity and make the best decisions for the highest good of all.

The poignant quotes below are for your enjoyment.

Take good care,
Madeline

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.-- Victor Borge

The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.”-- Mark Twain

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.-- Yiddish Proverb

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.

-- Jean Houston

A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused. -- Shirley MacLaine

If you're too busy to laugh, you are too busy.  --Proverb

We don't laugh because we're happy – we're happy because we laugh.  --William James

Everybody laughs the same in every language because laughter is a universal connection.

--Jakob Smirnoff

The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.  --Mark Twain

Psychic Tools: Not Merely a Visualization

There are people who come to Psychic Awakenings wanting to learn how to open up their psychic abilities; and there are people who come wanting to learn how to close down their abilities.  The former want to see, hear and feel more energy; and the latter already see, hear and feel energy too intensely. The funny thing is that the same psychic tools are used to help some people open up psychically, and others to close down psychically!

"What is a psychic tool?" you ask. A psychic tool is a visualization or intention used to consciously direct your energy. For example, when you are feeling scattered and unfocused, you can "ground" yourself by directing your energy down into the earth.  This is done by visualizing a grounding cord using an image of a tree trunk with roots that go down to the center of the earth.  At first it's just a visualization for most people.  Then they realize that they feel and act differently when they are grounded.  The next step is to use grounding in a more deliberate way to have more clarity or to change the energy of a situation. The real epiphanies happen when people realize that something that was "just a visualization" is now a powerful tool that they can use in their day to day life.

Grounding is the first of dozens of psychic tools that you can use to consciously create your life. If you have been feeling stuck in some area of your life or if you feel that life "just happens," psychic tools will help you to understand the power of your intention and attention.  You no longer have to be an unconscious victim to the vicissitudes of life.  

Whether you want to be more aware of psychic energies, or to not feel so bombarded by psychic energies, psychic tools will work for you!

The Universe blesses you every day!
Madeline

It Isn't What You Think It is

Movies certainly give a distorted view of what “being psychic” is all about. They present some funny ideas about psychics: all psychics can hear voices, “see” things that nobody else can see, predict the future, tell you what your fiancé is thinking, and move objects without touching them. Some psychics will even cast an evil spell on your boss (for an exorbitant fee). To be able to do all of these things would be a very tall order indeed! Well, that’s Hollywood for you!

So if being psychic is not about impressing people, what is it about? It’s about personal and spiritual growth. First you have to become aware of (1) who you really are beneath your thoughts of who you think you are, (2) how you are using your own energy to live your life, and (3) how other people’s energy may be invading your space and influencing your decisions and behaviors. It is in the process of learning these things that you can bring your spiritual and psychic talents to the forefront and use them to heal yourself, have meaningful communication with others, and create change and miracles. These are the real rewards of being psychic!

There is nothing magical or mysterious about being psychic. In fact, everyone (everyone!) is psychic. If you have a physical body, your body is sensitive to energy. What this means is that your body can feel the energy of someone else’s thoughts, emotions and feelings. So now, why is it that most people (you too?) don’t think that they can perceive other people’s energy? This is because when you were growing up, you didn’t get validated for your experiences, so you started to ignore them yourself. When you may have told your parents that you knew what they were really thinking, they might have responded, “Oh, don’t be silly!” Or worse, they might have yelled at or punished you for telling the truth. This would have caused you to close down your intuitive abilities really fast! In contrast, perhaps you got validated for doing well on school tests, or playing a musical instrument, thus encouraging you to continue to develop these skills.

There are several popular myths that may cause you to not see yourself as being psychic. Movies and books suggest very few people are psychic; and those who are psychic are also strange or eccentric. This is an invalidation of your sensitivities, so now you’ve closed them down and put a lock on them because you don’t want anyone to think you are crazy.

So how do you unlock and open up your spiritual gifts after all these years? Well, if you haven’t received much validation in the past, the first step is to learn how to get some validation. Every person has slightly different talents. Do you seem to know what people really mean when they are trying to explain themselves? Can you see the direction some situation is taking, and how it will end up? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by other people’s feelings or needs? These are all examples of being intuitively perceptive. Due to the reasons listed above, most people have a hard time learning how to validate themselves. Eventually after receiving validation from others, you’ll gain your certainty and be able to validate yourself!


Hurray! It's finally springtime in Seattle!
Madeline


www.PsychicAwakenings.com