Happy New Year!

I have sorely neglected this blog but have been posting, here, instead.

Feel free to find me there or look around at what I have left behind for you on this blog.

Love, warmth and peace to you this year!

Jeanine

Wednesday Wisdom: Intuitive Reading ~ Coming into Your Own

Something new is being birthed into your life. You are in a good place to let go of the old and make way for the new.

You are especially close to the spiritual energy of the between places, the realm of life hovering on the bridge between the physical and the spiritual.

The energy of creativity is available to you. Nurture and take care of any new projects you have begun and be on the lookout for new opportunities to come your way. When they show up, move toward them quickly and aggressively. Ask for guidance about how to make the most of those opportunities.

Though you do not need massive strength to be safe and secure, you do need to be capable of standing on your own. Stay grounded and connected to the energy of both earth and water.

Now is the time to assert yourself, to express your authority and know that you will be heard and your authority respected. Follow your own path and listen to your own wisdom. You know what is best for you and it is safe to trust that inner knowing. Allow it to guide you home.

Blessingway Baby Shower: Completing the Ritual

Bringing the Ritual to a Close

As you begin the process of concluding the blessing ritual, have everyone take several moments to sit quietly and contemplate their experience. Encourage them to think about what shifted for them, to allow gratitude for every way in which they were empowered, inspired, blessed.

Suggest that they decide what they want to take with them into the days ahead. They can consider when they might repeat the part of the experience that meant the most for them (it's a blessing for them, too).

For closure, you might have each woman say a prayer or a few words of intention about what she is taking with her as you conclude the experience. Energetically re-open the healing circle you created and then, suggest that each woman imagine shrinking part of it into a tiny little heart-shaped memento she can press into her heart.

As the ceremony ends, have each woman step out of that space and back into the day. This ending leads to the less formal part of the gathering and is often followed by eating together and spending time just being with the mother-to-be.

The connection each woman has created to her and to each other lasts well beyond the experience itself and offers a source of strength and connection for the mother-to-be if she needs it in the weeks to come. Many women make a commitment to the mother-to-be to be there for her if she needs them and to remind her of any aspect of the powerful process she experienced when she needs it.

Wednesday Wisdom: Intuitive Reading

You are going to need to draw on courage and strength to face the truth about something. It maybe the way you feel about a situation you’re involved in or something that is happening that you would rather not know about, or a truth about yourself, but whatever it is, you haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.

Know that it is safe to do so and you will be guided and healed and protected. And that loving, angelic help is always available when you ask.

This truth is related to illusions you are holding onto that are holding you back. Remember that many things are not the way they seem. Sometimes we create those illusions to protect ourselves. But you are becoming ready to know what it is.

You are ready now for the transformation and healing that will come from knowing the truth.

Blessingway Baby Shower: Creating an Altar

In a traditional blessingway ceremony, the mother-to-be is sometimes left with mementos and reminders of the ritual experience and is encouraged to create an altar that will empower her during the remainder of her waiting period. If you are interested in creating one, there are a number of empowering possibilities.

Possibilities include...

A pregnancy altar - designed to honor this most important time in her life. You might have symbols and images that are related to motherhood, pregnancy, etc.

A mother within altar - designed to remind her that she has wisdom and strength within and can trust herself as she navigates through the challenges of this journey to motherhood.

A mother earth altar - designed to encourage her to draw strength and nurturing from the solid wisdom of the earth. Food or nature symbols would be used for this altar.

The next step in the blessing ritual is shifting negative energy.

Friday Feng Shui: Creating a Feng Shui Home

Get Rid of Clutter

The first thing to do is to remove all the clutter. And, everyone has clutter. What about that closet you have given up to the dust bunnies? Where do old lawn tools go to die? It’s probably somewhere in your garage.

Hold a yard sale or a swap meet to get rid of stuff you don’t need any more. Donate clothing in good condition to the local charity. Much of the extra stuff contributes to your energy not flowing throughout the house as it should.

Use the Map

Next, create a bagua or energy map of your home. There are four cardinal points (North, South, East and West) and each one can be further divided (NE, NW, SE and SW). You now have eight distinct areas in your home. Each area has a governing element and colors recommended for your use.

Feng shui is applied not only to building harmony and releasing energy in your home but also to cures. Even a home needs to be cured now and then.

Have you ever walked into a place and felt depressed or sad? Something is wrong with the energy in that place, according to feng shui theory. Feng shui cures extend to using crystals, essential oils and representations of the elements to cleanse and bring your home back to a stable energy level.

Create Elemental Harmony

Learn everyone’s governing element. Determine which element each member of your family is most alogned with and use that element in each person's bedroom. The décor will create harmony in everyone’s private space.
In the common areas, bring all of the elements together in balance through furniture, artwork, flowers and other features. Using miniature fountains is a great way to bring water into the picture.

In medicine wheel feng shui, the elements are earth, water, fire and air, and it is that system I will be referring to in the weeks to come as we look at creating a home for your soul.
Is Everything in the Right Place?

Where everything in your room is placed is also important. You want the energy to flow unhindered. Resist blocking natural doorways with furniture. Avoid re-cluttering your home with a lot of furniture or accents. Less is more. Simple changes make a big difference in a feng shui home.

A feng shui expert can give you direction as to how much of one color to use in any given space. It is your job to be open to the changes suggested to create positive energy in your home.

Wordless Wednesdays: The Sea

Blessingway Baby Shower: Bonding with Her Baby

Bonding with Her Baby

Many people believe that we exist with God or the divine or the universe as spirit before we come to earth to be born into our families. Part of the traditional blessingway experience is to have the mother-to-be take a few moments to connect with the baby who is coming to her.

In this blessing ritual, she can make it fit her own belief system, keeping in mind that the idea is to increase her feeling of closeness to her little one. The other women can support her by taking a few moments to connect by spirit with the children they have already or just breathe deeply and send the energy of love to the mother-to-be.

So here, you might create a brief meditation where you have the mother-to-be place one hand on her heart and the other on her tummy and focus on the love that wells up within her, telling herself that her baby feels her love and is safe and warm within the circle of love she has created. You could read the following quote.

"As you talk and play music to your unborn baby, and massage her through your belly, you can make her feel calm, safe, tranquil and loved. When she's feeling this good, her brain is bathed in love hormones such as serotonin, which help her develop into a healthy, happy baby." -Miriam Stoppard, Bonding Before Birth

Friday Feng Shui: The Colors of Feng Shui

There are five elements that are essential to feng shui: fire, wood, metal, earth and wind. Each element is associated with a color or a group of similar colors that represent its energy. You’ll be surprised to see where you favorite color turns up.

Earth – In feng shui theory, the earth represents stability in your life. It helps you to stay rooted and grounded in your relationships. The colors associated with the earth element are beige and a light shade of yellow. Light colors like these on walls will lighten up a space and make you feel as if anything is possible.

Fire – As you might imagine, colors associated with the fire element are red, orange, bright yellow, pink and purple. If you think that pink doesn’t seem to fit, you haven’t seen the “hot” variation. All of these colors will make your heart race and feed your energetic attitude.

Wood – In feng shui, the wood element is an ancient symbol of prosperity. Trees are made of wood and they contain lush green leaves and provide an abundance of oxygen for the people of the world. In keeping with these “life givers” the colors for this element are green and brown. So, it’s not a coincidence that money is green!

Metal – If you’ve ever looked at metal you see how it has definite lines and shapes. In feng shui, metal brings clarity to your life. The colors gray and white represent these qualities.

Water – Water is an element that represents abundance and a refreshing spirit. When you bathe in water it makes you feel clean. Using the colors of blue and black in your home promotes that purity.

Don’t be afraid to add color in your home or office. How and where you use each color is governed by the feng shui energy map of your living area. 

Color isn’t just for the walls but also the artwork, furniture and accents. It inspires your dreams, opens your hearts and brings new life into your home.

Wordless Wednesdays: Autumnal Emotion