Posted on

WHAT IS BREATHARIANISM? OH MY!

Shutterstock licensed image.

WHAT IS BREATHARIANISM? OH MY!

When we list the things humans need to survive, most of us come down to three basic requirements: food, water, and shelter. But there’s a movement that claims two of those three things are holding us back.

Some of the most extreme Breatharians claim to survive off of the life energy of the universe alone, no food or water involved. Others who believe themselves to be One With The Breath appear to drink water and snack once in a while – and somehow remain healthy. 

One might wonder which of these Breath devotees are telling the truth – and which ones are projecting an image that no human could ever embody.

Is it possible to go months or years without eating or drinking?

Do Breatharians really exist?

If so, how have they managed to defy the basic scientific principles we thought we understood?

Read on to learn more about this practice and whether it actually allows people to subsist on something loftier than mere food.

What Is Breatharianism?

Breatharianism is the practice of going without food, water, or both and, instead, living from the life energy of the Universe. As the name suggests, Breatharianism uses the breath to harness this energy and nourish the body. Breatharians claim to exist only on air and sunlight, foregoing food (and sometimes water) altogether, sometimes for years at a time.

While Breatharianism is a reboot of the ancient Yogic practice, today’s New-Age Breatharianism birthed in the mid-90s, thanks in part to the work of a woman born Ellen Greve, who has since changed her name to Jasmuheen.

Our friend Jasmuheen wrote a book called Living on Light: The Source of Nourishment for the New Millennium. This book describes a twenty-one-day process that will supposedly help your body adjust to surviving only on air.

While the new-age scene has bastardized this practice, which was established by serious-ass Yogis thousands of years ago, it takes a truly Divine Master or Enlightened Being to be a totes-for-reals Breatharian.

Even Masters like Amma, who eat very little, tend to stay away from using phrases like Breatharian because it’s a dangerous practice – and it’s only meant for people who arrive at some version of Breatharianism naturally – ya know, like because of deep spiritual practices which can result in liberation – a state that is very rare.

How Does Breatharianism Work?

If breatharians aren’t getting their nourishment from food and/or water, where does it come from? Breatharians claim to fuel their body with prana, a kind of life-energy emitted by the Universe itself.

Prana is the Sanskrit word for breath. It points to the substratum and eternal substance that permeates reality throughout every level and realm, including inanimate objects. In other words, Prana is the source of all life built into all aspects of living and non-living realities.

Breatharians claim to be able to harness this energy through intense breathing exercises that connect them with this life-energy. Pranic breathing is an empowering and cleansing practice found in most yoga classes and other spiritual disciplines. 

Pranic breathing is usually performed by sitting in the lotus position, breathing into your stomach and exhaling, all through the mouth or all through the nose – and sometimes only one nostril. The pace of this style of breathing is often very fast with truncated exhales. Pranic breathing can certainly feed you for a time. It can also clear emotions and help you feel more alive and rejuvenated at a core level.

There are centuries of evidence showing the benefits of breathing exercises and meditation. Meditation and breathing can allow us to connect better with our own inner life force, the Universe, other people, and our own bodies.

The challenge with Breatharianism is that proponents claim that these practices can replace food and water. While this might be true for advanced souls, chances are pretty high that Bunny McStretchypants, who teaches beer yoga at the local gym, and Trendy Taj McKrishna, who drinks his own urine at parties, are probably not real Breatharians.

Folks like these are most often hopped-up on new-age narcissism while pretending to be the real deal, when in reality, they can barely manifest enough money to pay their electric bills. 

What is the Breatharianism Diet

On its face, the Breatharian diet seems simple: don’t eat food or drink water, ever. But when you dive into the practice, you’ll discover it’s much more complicated.

There are two basic steps to the breatharian diet: the initiation and the long-term plan. And there are two styles of Breatharians: crazy people who think they can do it forever and reasonable people who know they probably can’t do it for very long. Both types tend to eat once in a while – and most Breatharians drink water regularly.

Many of today’s Breatharian programs recommend starting with an initiation period of fasting. Fasting  gets your body jump-started into surviving off of nourishment other than food. In some protocols, this initial fasting period, during which you drink either only some or no water and eat no or very little food, lasts seven to ten days. Other programs only require you to go three days without any nourishment.

After the initial fasting period, Breatharians recommend that you move to a liquid diet. This consists mostly of fruit and vegetable juices and broths. Some wanna-bees will drink lemon water with cayenne pepper to slowly shut down their digestive systems.

Many Breatharians say they eat every now and then, either in social situations or because they want to enjoy the sensation of eating food. However, a handful of Breatharian leaders claim to go for months or years without eating anything at all. 

While this may or may not be true, it’s certainly fascinating! I have to mention here – um, please do not try this at home!

Breatharianism Doesn’t Work

Now that we know about Breatharianism and its principles, let’s get right down to the facts – it doesn’t work for 99.9999% of those who claim it as a lifestyle.

The simple truth is that the overwhelming majority of humans, aliens, and wandering spirits need food to live. More importantly, you can’t go more than a few days at a time without drinking water before your body begins to shut down. 

There’s no denying that our culture often tends to overindulge in food, and many people have unhealthy relationships with food. As we’ll discuss more later, there are some potential benefits to using breathing exercises and meditation as a way to improve your relationship with food. But the basic tenet of Breatharianism – that humans can live without food and water – has no basis in fact or science, except the occasional Enlightened Master who probably doesn’t need to promote their adherence to this practice. 

And any Enlightened Master worth their salt will probably want a cookie now and again, because cookies were made by God to make our inner-children smile. So there.

Breatharian Deaths

One of the problems with Breatharianism as a practice is that it can be very dangerous. So far, there have been five known deaths connected with Breatharian practices. The most recent death was in 2012, but the best-known was an incident in 1999 in which a woman died of dehydration and hypothermia after practicing the program described in Living on Light.

In most cases, people don’t die of starvation as a result of Breatharianism, but rather as a result of dehydration. Doctors estimate that you can only go for less than a week without water before you die of dehydration. After that point, your organs begin shutting down, your blood gets thicker, toxins build up in your body, and eventually you die. Good times!

Breatharian Leaders Eat

When you start looking closely at Breatharian leaders and the programs they claim to follow, one fact emerges: Breatharian leaders eat. They may make sweeping statements about going months or years without consuming any food. But when you start asking for details, a number of inconsistencies tend to show up.

Some Breatharian leaders admit to regularly drinking vegetable broth or fruit juice, as well as eating in social situations. Although these amounts of food may be much less than what most people consume, it’s definitely a source of nutrition other than sunlight and prana. A few Breatharian leaders have even been caught ordering in-flight meals or with whole refrigerators full of food. 

The Cost of Breatharian Retreats

In addition to being physically dangerous, some might say that Breatharianism classes and retreats are outright scams. Breatharian leaders tell their followers to go long periods of time without eating or drinking, all the while they are regularly eating food. Meanwhile, they’re raking in thousands of dollars in profits from retreats and coaching fees.

Why are they making so much money? Because New-Agers are knuckleheads. They believe trends will save them from themselves. Yeah, it doesn’t work that way.

They way it works is this: chant, pray, eat healthy, forgive, accept, release – and repeat. It’s not complicated.

Many Breatharian retreats, which are designed to get you started on the fasting program, cost more than $1,000. One-on-one coaching sessions can cost $75 an hour or more, depending on who you see. The simple fact is that too many New-Age trendsetter phonies make an insanely lucrative living off of selling dangerous lies.

Using Breath for Food Control

Although the Breatharian fasting program is dangerous, there are some helpful ideas we can take from it. Many people in our society have unhealthy relationships with food, including overeating and, in many ways, being addicted to food. We have to eat food to live, but there are definite benefits to being more conscious of what we eat and how we consume it.

Mindful eating is a helpful practice that uses meditative practices to help control food intake. You may find that using breathing exercises can be a great way to curb food cravings in times when you’re trying to cut back.

Breathing can be a great way to build a healthier relationship with food, but you have to be sure you’re managing your diet in a safe, healthy way. 

Do Breatharians Exist?

It would be easy to say that Breatharians do not exist. I’ve personally met a few Enlightened Masters who I never saw eat. And if you’re a real Breatharian or spiritual master, you’re probably not running around with a trendy book telling everybody to try it. Why? Because elevating ourselves through the most intense spiritual practices is f*cking painful – and not for everybody. 

While most of us cannot survive on life-energy alone, breathing and meditation can build healthier relationships with food and our inner Beings.

Breathing, sunlight, food, water, movement, and forgiveness can all work together to help you to build a life that’s healthy for your body, mind, and spirit.

I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us. 

 

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

Somatic Experiencing: The Wisdom Of Our Bodies

Woman doing somatic exercises in a somatic experiencing image - Paul Wagner

Woman doing somatic exercises in a somatic experiencing image - Paul Wagner

 

We have all been through hell and back. Life can be quite the challenge. While it’s helpful to soldier through it all and do our best to stay positive, it’s not too healthy to ignore what is stored within our bodies.

Emotions from life’s challenges and trauma can be stored in our organs for the entirety of our lives. These emotions connect with toxic memories. When we work to release it all, it can be even more painful – but in the long run, we clear ourselves for smooth and peaceful sailing ahead!

Working through past trauma can be one of the most horrible experiences you may face in your life. Living through that experience once was terrifying enough. Having to relive it in order to process what you felt during that time may be more than you can bear.

Somatic Experiencing uses the mind-body connection to help you stay calm during triggering events and to find your way back to a more peaceful way of being. It also helps you to release the excess energy that you may have trapped in your body – when the original trauma occurred.

Read on to learn more about Somatic Experiencing and how it could help you move forward into a happier life.

What Does Trauma Do to a Person?

Before we dive into the process of Somatic Experiencing Therapy, let’s talk some about how trauma impacts us.

After a traumatic event, many people experience post-traumatic stress disorder. This is not a cute little thing. It can be the most difficult thing you’ve ever dealt with in your life. 

PTSD is a condition that produces several physical symptoms. PTSD can range in severity from a mild inconvenience to an incapacitating disorder. In some cases, a PTSD patient may choose to be institutionalized for a time. This might help the person establish new boundaries and processes in her life.

Nightmares are one of the more common symptoms of PTSD, often in the form of panic attacks. These are usually flashbacks and reimaginings of the original event, in which the person seems to relive the traumatic event and various related trajectories.

Panic attacks, anxiety, and insomnia also tend to go along with this disorder. In the most extreme and serious cases, a patient may lose the ability to differentiate from their flashbacks and nightmares and reality.

If you’re experiencing these things, you can choose to work with a Somatic Experiencing therapist, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, a CBT or ACT therapist, and more.

There are MANY options for healing if you are feeling completely freaked out & messed up by a horrible event in your life.

Being walking into a swirling universe - Paul Wagner

What is the Freeze Response

For many people, PTSD symptoms are born from the “freeze” response to danger. You may have heard that, when animals are exposed to danger, they have a fight or flight instinct in which they choose to fight for their lives or run away. However, there is also a lesser-known response to danger: the freeze response.

Here are some freeze response examples:

  • Stop dead in your tracks, unable to move or respond to a situation 
  • Acting similar to a deer in the headlights, even though the danger is barreling towards her, the lovely animal soul is wholly unable to move forward.
  • Shallow breathing, staring blankly and avoiding eye contact 
  • Cognitive dissociation and feeling detached, numb, disoriented, unable to make decisions or take action 
  • Emotionally shutting down, feeling overwhelmed and helpless, withdrawn or socially isolated

Freeze response examples can be a severe emotional response or more of an emotional and cognitive shutdown. This response is central to prior and ongoing trauma, whereby we feel trapped in the moment of danger even after the threat has passed.

What Is Somatic Experiencing?

Somatic Experiencing is a therapy technique – much like others invented like neurofeedback and ACT – that aims to help people to process their traumas and find new ways to move forward. Peter Levine, who developed the theory, believed that our nervous systems might never move forward past where they were in the moment we were traumatized. Our emotions and memories get “stuck” there and have to be “reset” before we can feel empowered and clear enough to live our lives in the present moment.

Dr. Levine noticed that while people are often traumatized by the dangers we face, animals don’t deal with the same sorts of ongoing trauma. He believed this was because, at the time of the threat, their bodies let off enormous amounts of energy, even after they escaped the threat. 

Because we don’t expand this energy in the same way, that energy gets trapped in our bodies. Later, when we might least expect it, these energies can become expended. This might occur at inappropriate moments when unrelated triggering events take us back to the original traumatic event.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms or trauma symptoms right now, it’s important to seek the help you need to open up your mind and heart so you can expand. If you’re feeling this right now, see if you can breathe through it and find some tears. If not, call a friend to be present with you at this moment.

When you’re feeling clear and open enough, formulate a plan to find the best modalities for your healing and recovery.

Why is Somatic Experiencing Important?

Somatic Experiencing is extremely useful as a treatment for PTSD and other trauma-based disorders. Even challenging one-off experiences can leave an imprint within us. You might consider using Somatic Experiencing to heal even the smallest fissures within your Being and body.

Oftentimes, people may feel guilt, shame, or anger after a traumatic event. Working through the mind-body connection can help to ease these painful feelings and get your body back into a healthy rhythm.

In some cases, Somatic Experiencing Therapy can help with physical symptoms related to previous traumas. This can include muscle tension, chronic pain, digestive problems, and even sleep issues.

Dealing with the physical trauma symptoms can give us more resources to handle the psychological aspects that are driving them.

Recognizing Bodily Sensations in Somatic Experiencing

One of the first steps of Somatic Experiencing is to start recognizing the bodily sensations you’re feeling in this moment. In many cases, people aren’t aware of the physical response they’re having to a situation or how badly it’s affecting them. They might not realize the pain in a knee or a twitch in an arm is born from a prior trauma or their body’s reaction to a new event in the moment.

For instance, you may not realize how tense a muscle is until it relaxes and you feel what it’s like not to have that strain there.

  • Your Somatic Experiencing therapist might begin your therapy by helping you become more aware of the physical sensations you’re experiencing.
  • Your SE therapist may use mindfulness and other meditation techniques to help you discover any tension, pain, or discomfort you may be feeling.
  • The most wonderful Somatic Experiencing Therapists will help you note these sensations without judgement, fear, or the intent to fight them.

Just like in The Sedona Method, it’s all about witnessing what is there, embracing it, accepting it, and then releasing it.

Woman with eyes closed and hands over heart breathing - Paul Wagner

Somatic Therapy Examples

Somatic therapy gives you a gentle approach for working through past trauma by tapping into your body’s natural ability to heal and release stored tension.

1) Somatic Experiencing Resourcing

Once you’ve become aware of what your body is holding and experiencing, your Somatic Experiencing therapist will help you start tapping into the inner pool of resources you have to deal with these challenges.

Resourcing can seek the tools you need to handle that excess stored energy when it emerges. Soon enough, you’ll be able to draw on a deep inner pool of peace, strength, and resilience.

Your SE therapist will begin by asking you to remember a place, person, or thing that you love and that you associate with positive memories. When you start feeling that excess energy being triggered, you’ll learn to draw on this source of positivity in your life.

This can help you remain calm and present as the energy expands itself, making it easier to transition back into your most healthy and vibrant rhythms.

2) Somatic Experiencing Titration

Once you firmly establish your resources and tools, your SE therapist will begin putting your new coping and healing mechanisms to the test. Armed with the tools to deal with it, you’ll begin wading back into your trauma, re-examining the event that threw your life into chaos. This will be a gradual process that allows you to slowly build your resourcing response until it’s strong enough to tackle the next challenge.

This process is known as titration. It stays focused around the physical sensations you experience as you relive that past trauma. 

You’ll step through the traumatic event in slow motion. Meanwhile, your Somatic Experiencing therapist will watch your body language and physical responses. They may also ask you to report if you’re feeling hot or cold sensations, dizziness, numbness, or an overwhelming sense of weightiness.

Your SE therapist might also ask about the emotions that are emerging and which ones feel overwhelming. They might help you walk through those emotions and eventually release them, while working through past trauma.

All of your healing is up to you. The more open and vulnerable you are with your SE therapist, the more you will heal.

Chanting mantras, sutras, and other types of prayers can help you improve your vibration. Doing so, your mind, heart, and body might naturally release many of the things your body has stored throughout years in this life – and from prior lives.

3) Somatic Experiencing Pendulation

As you begin to experience these releases and physical effects, your SE therapist will guide you through the process of Pendulation. Somatic Experiencing therapists believe these symptoms are the way your body discharges that excess energy – the emotional energy that’s still trapped and connected to the original traumatic experience.

Faster breathing, pranic breathing, clenched hands, and allowing dizziness, shaking, anger, and crying are all considered a helpful part of this discharge.

As you work through these releases, your SE therapist will guide you through the come-down process. They’ll help you slowly transition back into a calmer, more peaceful state. You’ll be able to experience these discharges in a safe, judgement-free space. 

They may help you use certain breathing or relaxation techniques to ease back into a more relaxed state of energy. Doing so, you won’t be in danger of trapping that excess energy in your body – more so, you can eventually release all of it. The more you practice this pendulation, the more natural that response will become.

Learn More About Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing is an exciting technique that can help people process and release PTSD, old trauma, and the most challenging events.

Somatic Experiencing relies on the brain-body connection and inspires patients to walk through their physical and emotional trauma symptoms – all the while releasing all of the related imprisoned energy.

Although this technique is still considered “new,” it is helping millions of people walk through their body’s responses to traumatic experiences and become healthier and happier than ever before.

I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my loving services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You have unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

Traits of a Highly Sensitive Person & Self Care for HSP’s

Hand holding a flower and paper that says Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) - Paul Wagner

Hand holding a flower and paper that says Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) - Paul Wagner

Some Highly Sensitive People are like little bunnies – scurrying even amid a simple wind. They’ll go to cocktail parties and similar events only to spend their time in the bathroom, their car, washing the dishes, or playing with the loneliest child at the event. They might even find an actual closet – and snuggle with the coats. Others might show up, freak out, and quickly exit – never to return again.

Some of us are wildly sensitive.  We might go grocery shopping and even feel what other shoppers are feeling. We might even sense the emotions of yesterday’s workers—the ones who placed the cucumbers into the bin in front of us.  Alas, if you are feeling like you collect energy from every experience and find it difficult to shake it, you might be a Highly Sensitive Person.

Being more sensitive and vulnerable means that your soul has grown to sense what others are feeling. Not all Highly Sensitive Persons experience their sensitivity in the same way. Some may pick up on a lot of energies and aspects around them but not internalise. Others may feel them and process them at a deep level.  

Some HSPs are compassionate, while others might not have an ounce of empathy. 

Being sensitive means that you are more finely tuned to energies, emotions and environments, and that you don’t have the same protective mechanisms as others. It might also mean that your brain processes experiences, relationships, and emotions in a unique way.  It might also mean that trauma has followed you throughout your life – and your entire system is continually on alert.

Being highly sensitive can certainly be a superpower and put in the service of helping ourselves and others. But it can be challenging for many without the correct understanding and self-care practices. And, alas, a bit of work might be required – on your vagus nerve, suppressed emotions, and roots of that old pain.

Are You a Highly Sensitive Person?

Here is a short, highly sensitive person quiz, or a few questions, that can help you determine if you’re an HSP:

  • Do you often find yourself more in tune with others’ feelings or having more extreme reactions to certain events than those around you?
  • Do specific environments, emotions, or situations bother you while other people go unaffected? 
  • During an argument, do you quickly begin to feel overwhelmed?
  • At cocktail parties and coffee shops, can you feel the emotions of the people around you?
  • Do you cry or feel stressed when other people are feeling the same?
  • Do you wonder, “Why am I so sensitive and cry easily?”

If any of these questions are hitting home, it might be time to tune into yourself and learn what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).

The concept of being an HSP might feel like a burden, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a superhero power. The more you know about yourself, the easier it is to own your experiences, shift perspectives, and protect yourself.

If you truly take command of your sensitivities, they’ll become immeasurably valuable tools & assets – even weapons when you need to protect yourself. And, over time, if you’re doing the work, releasing emotions as they emerge, and releasing the pains rooted within you, you can become stronger in social environments – and less sensitive to the energies around you. 

As Highly Sensitive People, we are not victims; we are warriors with super skills.

Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) are Super-Sensitive Superheroes - Paul Wagner

What is a Highly Sensitive Person?

An HSP, also known as The Highly Sensitive Person, has a highly active nervous system and extreme sensory sensitivities. Studies are being done to show that Highly Sensitive People actually have brains that work a bit differently than others, causing them to react in unique and often powerful ways within their daily lives and relationships.

While this might sound a bit strange or abnormal, being a Highly Sensitive Person is not a disorder. In fact, around 15 to 20% of people report they might be HSPs, making it a lot more common than you think! At the same time, not enough people experience these Highly Sensitive Person symptoms for the personality to be widely accepted. Unfortunately, that can make Highly Sensitive People feel lonely and misunderstood.

What’s really unique about Highly Sensitive Person personality traits is that it can be found in a wide variety of personality types. You can be an HSP and an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert. HSPs also come from various backgrounds. Depending on the culture an Highly Sensitive Person lives within, they might be lovingly accepted, pitied, feared, worshiped, or ostracized.

How Do I Know If I’m a Highly Sensitive Person?

You deserve to get to know yourself so that you can be 100% comfortable with who you are! If you’ve ended up reading this article, it’s likely you have the traits of a Highly Sensitive Person—or someone close to you is an HSP.

Highly Sensitive Person personality traits can manifest in several ways. Some people are highly sensitive to environments that have too many stimuli, such as loud noises, bright lights, too many people, or distinct textures found on walls or on clothing. When exploring these environments, you might feel like you need to retreat into a quiet, secret place so you can recharge and prepare for your next outing.

Some Highly Sensitive People will go to cocktail parties and similar events only to spend most of their time in the bathroom, their car, washing the dishes, or playing with the loneliest child at the event. Others might show up and quickly exit, never to return again.

As a fellow HSP, I know life can be challenging at times. Some experiences can be so overwhelming, you won’t want to speak to anybody for a day, two days, or more! If you’re also empathic, you might then carry some of the reactive emotions of those who felt disappointed by your exit. Being an HSP can be an overwhelming and never-ending cycle of energetic absorption and release.

Some Highly Sensitive People are more reactive to emotional stimuli, such as with friends, family, and romantic partners. A small spat might feel like a life-changing argument, and a small trickle of affection can feel like a profound, intimate, and loving moment. As such, HSPs might also experience deep thoughts and emotions without receiving sufficient reciprocation.

Further, you might feel the need to avoid intense movies, art galleries, books, and other experiences that overwhelm you. The feelings that emerge from being overwhelmed can be unsettling and potentially anxiety-inducing. You might also feel deeply moved by beauty and upon each event, you might experience your own personalized form of ecstasy.

If you’re still unsure about whether you’re an HSP, there is a test for Highly Sensitive People. Specifically, there’s a questionnaire by Elaine N. Aron written in 1996 that has 27 questions. If you answer YES to 14 of the questions, there’s a high probability of being an HSP. Remember, though, that questionnaires like Elaine Aron’s are subjective, and you should never make changes to your life without further consulting with healthcare professionals and your most trusted allies and friends. 

Are you exploring being an hsp vs empath? Explore my Empath Oath to see how your virtues correlate to your depth of feelings for the world.

High Sensitivity Is a Superpower

Everyone is unique! Each of us has our own personality with unique quirks and needs. Being an HSP means that your superpower is born from sensing energy. If you process and harness this energy in the correct way, you will experience a deeper connection to everyone and everything around you—and you’ll have a highly advanced prayer life—but only if you allow these things.

Having Highly Sensitive Person personality traits can feel burdensome until you decide to master them. 

MASTERING YOUR HSP AWARENESS

Here are a few rules you might consider as you explore the benefits of being a Highly Sensitive Person:

  • Own your sensitivities and celebrate them.
  • Never blame others for being sensitive.
  • Never play the victim. 
  • Own your experiences and process them like a Warrior.
  • Use the knowledge gained from being sensitive to your benefit. 
  • Help others when you can, but don’t hurt yourself in the process.
  • Clear the energies as often as possible: 

Challenges for HSPs

If someone calls you “sensitive,” it is often meant negatively. It can hurt to hear that we “overreact” or “think too much” because it invalidates our emotions and experiences. People with Highly Sensitive Person personality traits suffer these insults and invalidations more often than others because of their visceral reactions to life.

It’s true—HSPs experience life, emotions, and thoughts on a much deeper level. What feels good to some will feel great to you, but what feels bad to others can absolutely devastate you. Pain, whether emotional or physical, is experienced much more by HSPs, and recovery time can be much longer. 

As a result, many Highly Sensitive People choose to take a back seat in life to avoid pain and disappointment. It might feel too much to handle when people or life obstacles let you down. HSPs can often pass up opportunities for growth and enjoyment because they’d rather avoid overstimulation, exhaustion, and potential pain.

The Benefits of Being an HSP

Highly Sensitive People have strong gut feelings and are incredibly intuitive. Having a sensitive nervous system means that you pick up on stimuli that most people can’t, and you have stellar observation skills. You won’t only be able to pick up on changes in your environment but also sense the needs of others with fantastic accuracy and foresight.

HSPs can enjoy intense and powerful relationships with others because of their ability to empathize, anticipate needs, and feel emotions deeply. For the same reasons, they make stellar parents.

Being able to pick up on stimuli and experience on an advanced level means you can also enjoy life so much more. Prayer, rituals, devotion, fine food, art, sex, travel, and adventures can be enjoyed on a whole new level. Having a heightened ability to enjoy stimuli means you have a positive attitude.

When you are extremely grateful for life and everything you have, you are an EMPOWERED HSP!

Self-Care for Highly Sensitive People

Overall, you should celebrate and feel blessed if you are a Highly Sensitive Person! The people you should keep in your life are those who appreciate how deeply you feel things, including how deeply you understand and care about them. In exchange, your personal tribe should understand your need for space and cooldown periods when things get too intense. 

Here are some great methods that HSPs can introduce to their daily lives in order to find balance, peace, and growth:

  • Schedule positive experiences into your most hectic days
  • Plan for alone time and relaxation periods after anticipated times of overwhelm
  • Suggest alternatives to experiences that you aren’t comfortable with—there’s no need to push yourself
  • Come to understand your personal boundaries for environments, people, and tasks—and be clear about your triggers
  • Create a soothing space you can use as a retreat when you’re overstimulated—build a lovely altar
  • Incorporate meditation, yoga, prayer, and other practices that allow you to center your body and mind to find balance

Proper self-care for HSPs is important. To fully know yourself, remember to incorporate helpful practices so that you can continually experience peacefulness in your mind, body, and heart. 

Embrace Your Sensitivity

If you ever become upset over having Highly Sensitive Person personality traits, remember that you aren’t alone. Some of the most innovative and profound people in the world are HSPs. And many will go down in history as assets to humanity. Scientists like Albert Einstein, actors like Jim Carey, Gilda Radner, and Nicole Kidman, and social reformers like Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, and Martin Luther King Jr. are also HSPs who made the most of their sensitivity superpowers!

You are extremely intuitive, empathetic, expressive, and compassionate, and all your friends and family are lucky to have you in their lives. You’re on the path to seeing and doing great things. Remember to harness the power of your ultra-sensitive nervous system and unique mind for your own benefit and the benefit of those you engage. 

As a human being, you are the embodiment of love. As an HSP, you have 10X the ability to feel this at a core level—so OWN IT!

Empaths, heart and sunlight - Paul Wagner

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us. 

If you need help navigating life with high sensitivity, an intuitive session with me can help you understand your unique needs, gifts, challenges and appropriate steps to heal and empower yourself.

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

Neurofeedback, ACT, And CBT: Powerful Healing for the Heart & Mind

Shutterstock licensed image:  Heal your heart, your mind and life will follow.

Neurofeedback, ACT, and CBT: Powerful Modalities for Healing the Heart & Mind

The events and conditions within our lives can feel dramatic or difficult. At various junctures in our lives, we might feel completely overwhelmed and unable to cope.  We might even lose hope, faith, and focus.

Luckily, our world is constantly changing – and so are we. And while many of the aspects in our lives can feel insurmountable, we are always in control of our perspectives, attitudes, and abilities to look deeply within ourselves. 

Even the darkest night has a dawn.

Shadows disappear when obstacles are dissolved.

Science is working on behalf of all the people who are in pain. Many are creating inspiring, life-changing technological advancements that promise to improve life as we know it. All of these emerging innovations are making life more peaceful and bearable for those who are struggling.

Let’s be honest.

Most of us suffer from at least one of these things: stress, frustration, anxiety, depression, panic attacks – or all of the above. Sadly, each of these things is fueling an accelerating mental health crisis.

It might seem difficult to significantly change our immediate environments or have lasting impacts on the world around us. We might not realize just how powerful and impactful we can be!

Regardless, we can change how we respond to everything. If we’re disciplined, we can deeply heal ourselves and become more resilient. By approaching life with a sense of warriorship – a sense of adventure – we can accomplish just about anything. 

Upon every challenge, we must focus on the positive and forge ahead with courage. It’s vital that we dig deeply within ourselves so that we may heal our hearts, minds, and spirits.

While God and Guru are here to nourish and guide us, the only person who can truly heal and save us is ourselves. 

We’re actually lucky to be on the planet right now.

There are so many unique healing and scientific innovations appearing almost every day —  ever heard of somatic experiencing? Specifically, new therapies are gaining momentum in the mental health space that could unlock a future of brighter days.

No matter the modality, begin by being vulnerable with yourself. Ask yourself what you’re feeling and what you need. If you can, call out to God and ask for Her loving guidance. When we’re open and vulnerable to the Divine, angels and transformative forces will come to our aid.

Knowing which options are available to you during your healing process is important. Here are a few that I love: CBT, ACT, and Neurofeedback therapy. 

What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, commonly shortened to CBT, is a wildly successful therapeutic method that has recently gained a lot of recognition. The idea behind CBT is that we can train the brain to respond to certain situations differently than it had before. This method involves talk-therapy mixed with Gestalt-style experiencing. This modality can also be found integrated into mobile phone apps that prompt and guide seekers to change the way they speak, feel, and think about their current situations and feelings.

Why does this work? The mind functions by firing neurons and creating neural pathways. The more your brain responds to a particular event, the more permanent this pathway becomes. People who often react negatively to events might do so because this is the most familiar way the brain knows how to respond. 

In other words, the more you can coax yourself to respond differently or positively to things, the more familiar and comfortable it becomes to stay positive rather than react negatively. 

Through CBT, we can learn to not only cope with stressful situations, we can learn to master and transcend them. Through CBT processes, we can learn to respond positively to even the most disruptive chaos. Breaking our negative cycles and teaching our brains to respond positively help and heal our minds, hearts, and spirits. 

What is ACT?

ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a direct descendent of CBT, and for many people, it’s the most important modality they’ve adopted in their lives. This method uses CBT in conjunction with acceptance therapy, which teaches the patient to genuinely accept the world and all situations so that they can find peace. Another word for this technique is mindfulness, which encourages us to live in the present and be aware of ourselves and our decisions within the moment. 

An adjunct to ACT and CBT – or something that can replace them entirely – is The Sedona Method, a uniquely powerful and effective technique that helps participants acknowledge, accept, and release every experience and related emotions that emerge. More on that, later!

ACT comes in two steps. First, you accept the things out of your control, whether it is the people around you, your environment, or negative events. Then, you commit to specific actions that will help you handle the stress and pain within your situation. 

This method is useful for everybody, from all walks of life. It can help you,  your mind, heart, and spirit become more flexible, open, and (eventually) more detached. The more we can respond positively or proactively under stress, the stronger we become.

What is Neurofeedback?

While CBT and ACT rely solely on human beings changing their behaviors, Neurofeedback elevates these methods utilizing technology. In Neurofeedback therapy, a practitioner uses EEG Biofeedback to help the patient visualize, track, and understand exactly how their brains respond to a variety of stimuli.

With this technology, the practitioner and patient watch a screen to see the way the brain responds, which becomes a primary tool within the therapeutic model. The practitioner applies electrodes to the scalp and shows the patient how their brain waves appear. Then, the patient is asked to alter this activity consciously through a video-game-like interface. 

Through this method, the brain is trained to reroute its pathways, alter its activity, and ultimately respond positively, all within a fascinating reward system. This method is being used to treat conditions like anxiety, panic attacks, depression, anger, attention-deficits, sleep disorders, migraines, and even seizures and autism.

CBT vs. ACT vs. Neurofeedback: Which Is More Effective?

Whether CBT, ACT, and Neurofeedback therapies are effective has been in question for years. Many therapists are committed to using only these modalities, while more traditional therapists worry that aspects of these things are superfluous and ineffective. 

Experts are regularly and rigorously testing new therapy methods to determine which are truly beneficial to psychotherapeutic practitioners. This trend is especially true for recent attempts to administer CBT through mobile apps, which had once threatened the commonly-held belief that professional therapy requires consistent human interaction and face-time with a therapist.

In 2017, a German study revealed that CBT and Neurofeedback showed the same positive results in adults who had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The kicker? The same positive results were found in the control (placebo) group. If nothing else, doesn’t this show that it’s not about what technologies and advancements we apply, but what our perception of them is? Maybe knowing you’ve acknowledged the problem and taken action to better your health is the most significant step towards healing.

It’s all about you. How do you feel? What helps you heal? What will help you change your mindset, and in turn, your response to the world around you? Whatever that is, that’s the answer.

Using Mindfulness To Heal

Being present and aware is natural to us, yet it often seems so far away from us. With the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, amid all of our complex webs of  responsibilities, we don’t realize how far outside of our bodies we usually are. We are too often living in tomorrow, next month, or even 5 years ahead of this present moment. When we aren’t in the future, we’re thinking of the past. All the while, we’re neglecting ourselves in the present.

Mindfulness is the first step towards healing, and it can be achieved through any of the above therapies. If you choose to attend a CBT or ACT group or individual session, you’re choosing to acknowledge your problems and pain in the present and take action now.

 If you choose to explore Neurofeedback therapy, you’re choosing to be aware of how your brain reacts and performs upon various stimuli and in the moment. 

When conscious of ourselves in the present, we’re paying attention to who we are, what we feel, and what we want. Knowing some of these things, we can successfully heal the aspects that are most troubling to us.

Of course, you don’t need CBT, ACT, or Neurofeedback to become mindful. Mindfulness is the most basic of all modalities for healing. All you need is yourself and the conscious decision to become fully present. 

Just like with CBT, you can train your brain to be mindful by default. Like with ACT, you can accept your reality in the present without being too reactive or overwhelmed. If you sit quietly amid a challenging feeling, you can find its source, accept the feeling, and then release it. This might take some time to master, but along the way, you’ll clear years of stealth emotions and experiences. Doing so, you can become free.

Find a way to make meditation a habit in your life. Encourage yourself to regularly turn inward so that you can acknowledge how you feel  in the present. This alone will train your brain to advance. 

Through mindfulness, we can become non-judgemental of ourselves and others. Instead of judging and feeling ashamed of our thoughts and feelings, we can fully explore them and get to know who we are. 

What can be more healing than completely and unconditionally embracing our authentic selves? Nada. Dive deeply and you’ll find that you are part of a luminous and expanded consciousness.

Get To Know Your True Self

If you truly want to heal your heart and mind, begin with a 10-minute meditation every morning and evening. As you meditate, focus on your inward and outward breaths. You might even imagine that your inward breaths are full of light and your outward breaths carry away stored negativity and stress. 

Explore different methods of therapy and tools for self-reflection. 

Seek a guru like Amma (Amma.org), Jesus, Buddha, or other living saints like Mother Meera and Karunamayi Ma. 

Talking to a professional or a trusted friend can help you acknowledge your pain and hear out loud what you’re really thinking for the first time. 

Use a diary or my Personality Cards to delve deeply into your soul to source and release behaviors and emotions that are stifling you. 

Any resources that help you pause, breathe, and explore yourself in the present will put you on the path to healing.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us. 

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

THE SPRING EQUINOX: MAGIC OF BIRTH & REBIRTH

Shutterstock licensed image: Spring is a time of magic, life, love, and rebirth.

SPRING EQUINOX – THE MAGIC OF BIRTH & REBIRTH

Ahhh Spring! The sun outshines the moon, light overcomes dark, and life once again flourishes on the ground and illuminates our skies. We can feel Spring in our bones. Our guts tell us it’s time to get out there and create. We want to dance, play, and celebrate creation. 

Equinoxes mark a time when day and night are equally long. This is rare: the equally long day and night only happen twice in twelve months. During this time, we can experience palpable and delicious Earthly magic. The Spring Equinox is a time of rebirth for all life. We feel the sun’s energy penetrate and uplift our spirits. We hear the rippling of fountains and the pitter patter of light rain on our roofs. We have renewed hope and faith. Flowers bloom, Bees buzz, Bunnies appear, and ALL IS WELL!

The blossoming season is the embodiment of the connection and cooperation between all Living Beings. It’s during Spring that we feel our connection to every creature and all the luscious, invisible threads that bind us. Every creature rejoices during this time.

Spring is truly the embodiment of the Universe’s love for us.

TRANSITIONING FROM FALL TO SPRING

The Spring Equinox invites us to be truly reborn. During the fall and winter, we
pause, reflect, forgive, heal, and regenerate. After setting ourselves free from the past, we’re ready to flourish.

In case you missed the chance to move on from the lessons of the last year, try this on for size:

REFLECT – FORGIVE – ACCEPT – RELEASE

FORGIVING EVERYTHING, 

WE TRANSFORM OUR REALITIES.

In the Fall, during the Autumnal Equinox, we ask ourselves:

What has been holding me back?

What did I learn?

What can I forgive?

The Spring Equinox symbolizes rebirth as well as new life on Earth. Start your Spring Equinox change by revisiting the hidden parts of yourself that you evaluated in the Autumnal Equinox. By finding and opening the hidden that lives within you, you gain insight into your unique spiritual aspects and gifts – ones you may have never before allowed. Then, we can move on in celebration.

In the Spring, we ask ourselves:

What can I celebrate?

What can I create?

What can I embrace?

How can I give birth to joy?

What do I really want?

What do I truly love?

Where am I going?

Who is going with me?

What will I do when I get there?

THE VERNAL EQUINOX MARKS PROFOUND MOMENTS IN TIME

When the Spring Equinox is upon us, it means the Vernal Equinox is here. The Vernal Equinox is also known as the celebration of Ostara. It’s one of eight Sabbaths or festivals that make up what some people call “The Wheel of the Year.” Every turn of the wheel celebrates endings and births, and during Ostara, we celebrate the possibilities of new life and romance.

YES! It’s time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. During this section of The Wheel of the Year, it is the perfect moment to say to yourself:

I ALLOW MY PAST. I ACCEPT MY PAST. I RELEASE MY PAST. I RELEASE THE ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS TO ALL EVENTS AND IDEAS. I WILL NOT LOOK BACK. I WILL WALK BRAVELY FORWARD WITH LOVE, LIGHT, HOPE, FAITH, AND JOY!

 

OSTARA OPENS DOORS TO NEW POSSIBILITIES 

We are fascinated and obsessed with our attachments. We easily become blinded by our egos, temporary self-identities, emotions, and projections. Upon viewing one social media post, we can lose touch of ourselves and reality. When we allow this to continue for years on end, we put ourselves into vulnerable positions. After all, near the moments of our deaths, we will feel a surge of unresolved emotions, thrusting us toward a threshold that leads to the Beyond.

It takes courage to release everything that has been holding you back and blocking your connection to the Divine.

Why not begin this process now? 

Release the pain from your past and make way for space within you. Doing so, you will feel more whole and available to love.

Forgive yourself, forgive others, forgive everything. 

Try the Ho’oponopono process. Say these things in your mind to either yourself or another: I love you. I’m sorry. Forgive Me. Thank you. 

Repeat these things over and over again until you truly release. Deep and unlimited forgiveness will set you free.

AWESOME THINGS TO DO DURING SPRING EQUINOX

The three days during equinox provide you with the opportunity to change your perspective, cleanse your heart, and improve your health. 

  • Accept yourself for who you are.
  • Commit to a process that allows you to accept everything as a gift.
  • Commit to growing virtue.
  • Commit to living a Dharmic life instead of a Karmic one. Karmic lives involve contracts where you do this for me, I do this for you. Dharmic lives involve spiritual law.
  • Send love and gratitude to the living Earth.  
  • Pray for those who have harmed you. 
  • Pray for those whom you love.
  • Meditate every day.
  • Find small ways to serve others. A smile can be a tremendous gift to a sad soul. 
  • Do a toxicity cleanse using Ayurvedic herbs. Banyan is a wonderful company for this class of medicine. 
  • Clean the house.
  • Empty the attic.
  • Give away as much as possible to charities.
  • Lean to cook and garden.
  • Commit to exercise and yoga. 
  • Think of your favorite people and give them gifts that will make their lives better.

The Spring Equinox reminds us to be proactive and disciplined, telling us that infinite possibilities are within us. 

 

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX: Season Of Reflection

Shutterstock licensed image: Autumnal Equinox is the time to relax into and release emotions.

 

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX: The Season Of Reflection And Deepening

Every year, near the end of September, you might notice a change in temperature in the early evening. From there, the leaves are beginning to change colors and you might notice feelings of happiness, sadness, regret, and pride arise within you.

During this time, we might think about all those who helped us throughout the year and those whom we have helped. Using these thoughts as creative fodder, we might form visions and plans to enact in the new year.

The Autumn Equinox is the beginning of a period of pause, self-reflection, and dormancy. It’s a time of reassessment and inner-planning. It’s when humans, plants, trees, bugs, bunnies, birds, animals, and millions of soil inhabitants go deep within themselves. Even the life of bees is altered!

While it might appear as if everything is beginning to sleep, the energy systems of all of these beings are actually actively gathering strength and energy for a later time. Soon, we will all reemerge in the Spring. 

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE AUTUMN EQUINOX?

The Autumn Equinox is when we honor the harvests of our efforts. It’s when we reflect on who we are and why we’re here on this uniquely beautiful planet. During this time, we might also rethink our processes and procedures. We might even reassess our relationships. 

Certainly, the Autumnal Equinox is a time to process all of our emotions and experiences throughout the prior months, releasing the challenging aspects, celebrating the good, and fully embracing who we are in this moment. 

To take full advantage of the planetary influences and this magical time of year, you might explore performing the Seven Arrows Ceremony or Changing The Book Of Life Ritual found on my Free Resources pages. Through these simple processes, you can connect with the Divine, immerse yourself in the energies of Mother Earth, release emotional and intellectual toxins, and create a pathway to begin again.

WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING DURING THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX?

Indigenous cultures mark this time of year as an important period of self-reflection, renewal, growth, transition, and rebirth. To those who are deeply connected to the rhythms of the Earth and Cosmos, it’s a time to gather strength, release the past, deepen our resolve to be loving, vibrant Beings, and imagine new beginnings. 

During this time, we might even venture into exploring the experiences and potentialities around our own deaths. As death opens a door to a new life, so do the Autumn and Winter seasons.

During this equinox, we have equal hours of daylight and night. This is a great time to reflect on the balance of our public personas and our shadow aspects. Where there is light, there is openness and growth, where there is darkness, there is a great potential for learning and expanding. 

When we rest, it is a form of self-care. When we write in our journals to express our thoughts and emotions, it’s a form of self-love. This equinox is a time for silence and looking within.

Given that our lives are moving so quickly, with too many responsibilities, each of us needs time to decompress. If we can write in our journals, find tears of forgiveness, and make time for prayer, even for just a half-hour each day, we will set the stage to become fully rejuvenated, fresh, and expanded at the start of Spring.

For those of us who operate at a rapid pace, we might also need acupuncture, massage, herbal cleanses, and healing sessions. We might feel confused or broken during this time of pause. Be conscious of what you need and seek the healers and helpers with whom you most resonate. This is the time to invest in your healing and expansion. 

When we nurture our inner stillness, we improve our vibrations and allow for growth and positive change.

IMPROVE YOUR SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

As days are getting shorter and nights are growing longer, you might feel a little isolated or disconnected. Consider putting a support system in place. As you reach out to loved ones, you’ll find that everyone is processing something deep during the Autumnal Equinox. 

Truth be told, you are an expanded, connected, Light-Being with unlimited potential in every direction. To source your power and light, meditate 3 times per day, even if only for 5 minutes each time. This will have you know your core Self. Knowing who she is, you can align your personality and identity with her. As you depend on your spiritual practices, you’ll notice that your inner Being is far more expanded than you may have previously realized.

Given the holiday season and all its noise and complications, you might consider foregoing the traditional popular route and create new rituals – ones that truly connect you with God, the Universe, yourself, and those whom you treasure most.

A TIME FOR SELFLESS SERVICE

During these intense transition periods, you might feel that you are focusing too much on the past. If you are unable to truly be in the present, consider volunteering for a few hours every week or every day. By doing so, your heart will come to life and your connection to the Divine will deepen. 

When we selflessly serve others and when we pray for others, the Universe does the same in return. 

The Autumnal Equinox awakens the loving spirits who reside in the Earth’s soil. This time beckons the ancients and our long-ago relatives to nurture us. 

As you venture forward, choose love over stubbornness, hope over grumpiness, and light over shadows. During this equinox, you are being called to forgive, allow, accept, and release all aspects that do not serve your core nature and the light.

Forgive – Allow – Accept – Release

 

In all new endeavors, decide to be more aloof, less attached, and less dramatic. Decide to choose service over selfishness. During this time, you can create a whole new you. 

Take the time to meditate, forgive, cry, pray, and serve others. The seeds you plant within yourself during this time will give birth to a remarkable, luscious Spring.

 

 

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

The Year of the Ox: The History, Meaning & Power

Shutterstock licensed image:  

The Year of the Ox: The History, Meaning & Power

Every 12 years, we experience a Year of the Ox in the Chinese Zodiac. Most recently, we rode the rollercoaster of the year 2021, and the next time we see the Ox will be in 2033. You might have heard about years marked by animals in the past, but what does it all mean?

Coming to understand the history, symbolism, and ultimate power of the animals that stretch across the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac can help you come to understand yourself and the Universe so much better. Armed with this new tool and information, you can better delve into self-reflection, spiritual development, and rebirth!

The Origin Of The Chinese Zodiac

As early as the 14th century, the Chinese used a celestial calendar and celebrated the New Year. The Chinese lunar calendar is the oldest structured example of the zodiac animals used in conjunction with years passing. However, the Chinese Zodiac itself is so ancient that we can’t pinpoint its origin exactly!

However, there is a legend of the Great Race, which tells the story of the Chinese Zodiac’s beginnings. The Jade Emperor commanded all the animals to race across a river in the story.

The first 12 animals to make it to the other side would have years named after them, and they would appear in the order that they placed in the race. According to the legend, the Ox would have been first if it weren’t for the cunning of the Rat, which hid in the Ox’s ear and jumped out across the finish line as soon as the Ox made it to the other side.

When it comes to archeological evidence, signs of the 12 animals in the zodiac first appeared around the 5th century B.C. during the Zhan Guo period. It wasn’t until the Han Dynasty between 206 B.C. and 9 A.D. that the zodiac was officially identified. It was not until the late 500s A.D. that the animals were used to identify people born in their corresponding years. The North Zhou Dynasty was officially in power when the zodiac animals became popular!

We now know that Chinese Zodiac uses animals and elements to mark time passing. Partnered with the lunar calendar, the Zodiac uses animals to mark years, days, and hours in 12 segments each.

Overall, the Zodiac spans 60-year cycles with different combinations of animals and elements to uniquely identify them.

Why An Ox?

The Chinese Zodiac consists of animals significant to China’s culture and history. Each animal was chosen intentionally as being helpful, majestic, and powerful in the people’s eyes.

The animals are always cycled through in the same order, starting with the Rat. Following are the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and finally, the Pig.

As a result, if your birth year lands within the second year of the Chinese lunar calendar cycle, you are marked by the Ox.

So why did the Chinese choose to honor the Ox so highly? Oxen have been an essential part of the Chinese’s ability to farm, transport go

ods, and build a powerful military throughout history. For farming, they are strong, sturdy animals that can move heavy materials, graze and provide milk.

They are low-maintenance, providing great help without needing rewards or anything in return.

On the back of the Ox, Chinese agricultural success and history stand tall. As a result, the Ox is highly revered and often used to compliment others, such as “You are very like an Ox!”

What Happens in the Year of the Ox?

Many predictions are told by seers using the elements and animals, including the year ahead, the people born in those years, and guidance such as for relationships and financial success. Though highly revering each animal in their zodiac calendar, the Chinese have never denied the existence of negative forces and flaws.

Each animal in the zodiac has positive and negative traits that help those born in their years better understand themselves and what awaits them.

One might guess being an Ox in the current year of the Ox (also known as your natal year) is a great thing, but it’s quite the opposite! Chinese astrology says that Tai Sui, otherwise known as the “God of the Year,” works to make the natal year of that person unlucky for them.

Tai Sui can be found as a constellation connected in opposition with the planet Jupiter and draws on the unstable energy of the planet.

Using the knowledge of Tai Sui and the characteristics of the Ox, fortune tellers have formulated horoscopes. For those born an Ox, seers have predicted turmoil and strain in love and finances during natal years. Each year has exceptions, however.

In 2021, for example, those marked by the Ox might find some good fortune in their career even if the overall situation was still mainly negative. Which element is combined with the animal during that year can help bring insights to the nuances of those lucky and unlucky events.

If you are born in the Year of the Ox and are entering your natal year, fortune tellers warn that attempts at success beyond self-development are risky. Rejection in love and missteps in your career can lead to turmoil for you. Instead, focus on your wellbeing and take steps to balance your inner self.

What Are The Chinese Zodiac Elements?

Each year, the animals also cycle through five elements. The Chinese Zodiac includes water, metal, earth, fire, and wood. In 2021, the Year of the Ox was also metal, giving the personality of the Ox nuances of popularity among friends and hardworking, active work ethics.

If you are Wood Ox, you’re probably restless and headstrong. If you’re a Fire Ox, you might be practical but narrow-minded.

If you’re an Earth Ox, you could be honest and responsible. If you’re a Water Ox, you might be ambitious and have excellent observational skills.

Using both your animal and water signs, you can begin to explore yourself further and better respond to relationships and situations in the future!

What Does It Mean to Be Born in the Year of the Ox?

Born in the Year of the Ox? A few set things according to the Chinese Zodiac are good and bad luck for you. Your lucky numbers, for example, are 1 and 4, and your lucky colors are white, yellow, and green. You can also have particular affinities to tulips and peach blossoms and to north and south directions.

You also have compatible and incompatible signs! You should stick close to people with Rat, Snake, and Rooster signs, as they are most likely to work well with you.

Lesser compatible signs are the Tiger, Horse, Goat, and Monkey, so you might want to proceed with caution when entering relationships with these signs.

Like the Ox, those with the Ox sign usually enjoy a long and healthy life. They are also best suited for hard work requiring close attention to detail, like agriculture, engineering, carpentry, or politics.

The Chinese recommend wearing red throughout your natal year to avoid some of the bad luck that might come!

REMEMBER!

In all things astrological, please realize that these aspects are only suggestions to help you better delve into self-reflection and ease some stress. You are far more powerful than you realize.

The blueprints that astrology suggests are not hard and fast rules. It might also be that you have other influences in your life that might greatly enhance your ability to receive what you desire.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

If you’re looking for more tools to delve into self-reflection, you can try out my personality cards or look into my FREE YOURSELF course. It’s wonderful.

YOU ARE LOVE!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

BLESSINGS TO YOU!

There is no “Other.” There is only you experiencing yourself.

Button Nav Icon
Posted on

What Are Spirits & Why Do They Visit Us?

Image of spirit in the sky to convey talking to spirits - Paul Wagner

Image of spirit in the sky - Paul Wagner

Maybe you’ve been visited by a spirit from another realm. It might be that you feel there is an entity attaching to you somehow or stuck in karmic loops. Or maybe you’re just curious as to the nature of spirits: what they do, why they appear, where they reside, and how they can be in both the spirit world and this physical reality? I see spirits all the time. Some of them are negative energies and scare the heck out of me. Others are so sweet that I can barely handle it. 

The veils between here and “there” are thin. While our lives might appear to be one solid experience with clearly defined forms and boundaries, the truth is far more complex and bizarre. 

As we relate to people in our daily lives, we must remember that they comprise a tiny subset of a much larger group of relationships with whom we relate on a regular basis.

When we awake in the morning, we might feel as though we are alone. We might even love our solitude. The reality is that we are never 100% alone. There are always spirits wandering about. They might not be sitting on our beds as we sip our morning java, but you can be certain that some are hovering or meandering somewhere near your home.

Spirits are everywhere. They come and go within this realm and on this planet and throughout many others. Spacetime is not limited in any way. And neither are spirits.

woman with eyes closed meditating - Paul Wagner

Where Do Spirits Live?

Like you and me, each spirit has its own electromagnetic signature and vibration. This means it will magnetize aspects of itself—to itself—just like you and I would attract situations, relationships, and learning in our physical lives here on planet Earth.

Whether they know it or not, spirits can dematerialize and reappear at will. They might not even know when they are appearing and disappearing. Their electromagnetic signatures have a life of their own.

Most spirits aren’t fully conscious of their skills or the nature of their form. Most often, they behave like children playing Hide-n-Go-Seek or lost puppies who lost track of how to get home to the spirit world.

We are each a collection of particles continuously moving from one reality to another. It’s the same with spirits and it’s the same with every physical object in our lives—the chair, the computer, the couch. Everything is moving within itself and outside itself without any limiting boundaries. The only limiting boundaries are form, assumption, intention, and vibration—all of which are changeable.

And now the super complex part….

What Are Spirits?

Have you ever wondered what is infused in a spirit’s vibration or what the idea of a ghost is all about? 

While you, me, and any spirit might appear to be a very specific thing, there’s a lot going on under the hood. It might look like an old, fucked-up truck – but it may have a strong engine and just have been built in a way to make you think it’s got no teeth. It might appear to be a GMC Pacer or Toyota Prius in the picture, but once you get a look at the engine,  you’ll know the nature of the beast.

Each of us has lived thousands of lives. We live, we get excited, we do stuff, then we die. At the moment of our death, we imagine where we are headed, and since we don’t usually clean our palates at death, we don’t die very well and head into the spirit world. We leave our bodies, feel confused, get a sense that we have some unfinished business and juicy desires, choose another mom or dad, and then, within six months of Earth time, we end up birthing into a similar form doing similar things.

Why Do Spirits Follow You?

This is one of my favorite questions.

One of the more probable answers to “Why do spirits follow you?” is that it’s someone you knew from this life or a prior life that’s going through a karmic cycle. This spirit might feel unresolved about prior life interactions with you or they’ve come to tell you they love you. They might even just want to hang out with you. Why? They might be bored or they might need to watch you for a while so they can learn something specific from you.

The spirit might also be someone who wants to know you but hasn’t met you within a physical life experience yet.

And yes, some spirits just want to cuddle. I know that sounds a bit scary, but it’s really no big deal. It’s like when a puppy nuzzles up to you. Just relax and ask them to follow the light and go elsewhere in the spirit world.

While some people like me tend to sensationalize this idea of detached spirits and all the dangers—that’s so rare, it’s not even worth mentioning. They are as open as boundaries and a nudge to leave as all the positive and peaceful spirits. They just might need a little more love for a moment. You can also just chant your mantra or a sutra and hold the intention that they find the light.

From a spiritual-lesson perspective, here’s another answer: If you attracted it, it’s you! You are the Universe. You are everything! No matter what is in front of you or within you, you must deal with it as if it were an aspect of YOU. Because it is. You are what you seek. You are what you see. You are what you attract. You are what you project. You are what you experience. Own it all, forgive it all, and release it all. In truth, it’s all nothing.

When we have negative energies and spirits attaching to us, it’s a really GOOD SIGN. It’s a wake-up call. Just like in real life, when a crazy person tries to hurt you in some way, it’s God saying, “Hey, you might want to look at this part of yourself.”

Image of a child and a spirit or reincarnated parent on the beach - Paul Wagner

What To Do If You See A Spirit

I see spirits all the time and talk to spirits. Some of them are negative energies and scare the heck out of me. Others are so sweet that I can barely handle it. Here’s the thing—all of these spirits are the same. They are a little lost and they need love. For each spirit who engages me, I might scream at first LOL, but then I immediately tell them I love them. When talking to spirits, I say things like:

“You are so beautiful and so loved. I am with you and I want you to be happy. God loves you. The light is waiting for you. Follow the light, follow your heart, and seek your highest Self. You are love, my dear. Go toward love and become it! Follow that light and you’ll feel better. I LOVE YOU!”

If you attracted them, even negative energies, they are either interested in your Lightbody or they recognize their shadows as being the same ones within you. It doesn’t really matter why or how they appeared. What matters is that you love them and you want them to be happy. Doing so, you might also see and feel things within yourself that require forgiving.

Look at every aspect of yourself and your life and forgive it all. Go piece by piece, person by person, circumstance by circumstance, and forgive everything about everything, forever backward and forward.

Dissolving it all, we can Be Here Now.

Loving it all, We Can Be Without Fear.

Fear is good because it reminds us of the unprotected parts of our lives. We can then improve those parts. Soon, most fears can become little friends who continue to remind us to protect ourselves.

Fear and negative energies can also be nasty sores. We need to look honestly at our fears and look for ways to either uplevel them into love or dissolve them into history.

Button Nav Icon