A Brief Overview of Energy Healing

When I began studying energy medicine – the study of subtle energy – I started tuning into and understanding my own energy system, how it interacts with those around me, as well as the huge impact it has on my reality.

When I tell people I work with energy, they usually ask: what exactly is energy medicine?  I find I don’t have my “2 minute blurb” dinner table conversation answer to that question yet.  Energy is such a vast subject that applies to limitless healing modalities.  So instead, here’s a short message on how I was introduced to energy medicine, as well as a broad view of how I use energy in my life.  Maybe this will open a door for you as well.

I first discovered energy medicine and healing about 6 years ago, after searching for a way to find more inner peace after the birth of my son.  Prior to that I’d meditated casually, but never in a way that it was a daily practice like it is now.  My inner voice was telling me to learn about healing.  At that time, I attended a lecture given by a local energy healer.  She went into detail about how we are all energetically connected (which can be good) and how we can carry around energy from others that doesn’t belong to us (which can be not so good).
She described an example of energy “awareness” from her own life: standing in line one day at the grocery store, she found herself behind a very rude person with what could be described as “negative” energy.  As he walked away she took her arm and quickly/subtly swiped it next to her body – like a big karate chop – between where the man stood and herself.  She referred to this as “cutting off”  or clearing any energy cords of his from attaching to her subtle energy field.  She did this quickly, and through the power of intention and movement.  My first reaction to this was, ummm…this is a bit of a stretch.  The thought of dealing with unseen energy around and in us was very new to me.  I could understand how a rude person in line can be annoying and a bit of a downer to be around, but to have that energy stick with you in your aura?  Not so sure.  However, years later, I now see and understand where she was coming from.

What the speaker was pointing out is that we’re all connected through energy fields.  So much so, that it can be hard to tell if what you’re feeling is your feeling, or is it energy that attached to you from a friend you just had lunch with, who was feeling upset about something?  Did you take on some of their energy?  Or take it further – could it be the lingering energy of the person who sat at the lunch table before you?

What does it mean and how does it benefit us that we’re all connected by light and energy?  The simple answer is, it’s what makes being a human so fascinating, and it’s why we thrive on interaction and relationships with others in order to feel JOY in life.

Whether we’re aware of it or not, we are constantly striving to experience the highest vibrational form of energy: love.

Although we are made of this purest, highest form of energy, we also hold various energies in our chakras and aura related to our past experiences, past lives, emotions, fears, traumas, joys, illnesses, and even future events.  There’s a lot of “stuff” going on in and around us.

When we lose the awareness and our connection – that is always available to us – to the high vibration of love (God/Source/Divine), we may seek to fill the empty feeling, or void, we experience by turning to addictions, dramatic relationships, or material things.  Yet the energy we crave is available for us all the time –  and it can be our healing medicine.  It can unblock energy blocks, get stagnant energy moving, and let in light where it’s needed the most.

A lot of people walk around every day completely unaware of their energetic field.  They take vitamins, work out, and eat healthy – yet forget about the importance of the unseen energy body.  And there’s nothing wrong with this necessarily.  Our amazing bodies have an aura with several layers, as well as chakras to filter energy in and out of our body.  We have ways of bringing in new energy without thinking about it (breathing), as well as releasing unwanted energy (exercise, sleeping, sound, yoga).

Yet the trouble with being unaware of our energy is, as in the example of the rude person in line with you, we can inadvertently hold on to energy from experiences that don’t serve us, people that don’t serve us, and thoughts that do us no good.  If we hold onto these, our energy can become blocked in a certain area.  For example, if you were told as a child that children are to be seen and not heard, this can have a blocking effect on your throat chakra.  As a result, this energy blockage can cause you to have difficulty communicating in your life.  You may find you struggle to express and articulate yourself clearly, and it can also be the cause of chronic pain or infections in the throat.  It’s very common that an event and feeling from your past alters your energy field, and then affects your physical body in the future.

Energy medicine teaches that with the transformative power of high vibrational energy, combined with our mind, our intentions, our movement, and our breathing in the present moment, we have the power to heal our energy and live a more centered and joyful life.  This can be done several ways, such as through meditation, healing touch, acupuncture, crystals, working with the angelic realm, Reiki, sound therapy through tones, binaural beats, and Tibetan singing bowls, astrology, yoga and qigong.  The list goes on and on.  What all these forms of energy healing have in common is they’re working with the Universal Energy: Source, God, The Divine – and being the catalyst to get that energy flowing freely in your body to heal trauma, pain, or whatever is holding you back.

As I dived deeper into my studies and began to explore my own energy and those of other students in class with me, I found I could tune into and sense people’s energy.  This is something we can all do through our intuition, as well as our extra senses of clairvoyance, clairaudience, etc.  It is a skill though, and it does take some practice to get to know how you “tune in”.

As I tune in, I “get out of my own way” and allow high vibrational energy to channel through me and into the palms of my hands – to be passed on to another person for healing.  I always remember that it is not me doing the energy healing.  It’s Source/Divine Energy/God/Angels working through me.  If this sounds out there to you – please stick with me.  I guess nobody will call me boring at my funeral someday!

For now, next time you feel a bit out of sorts, simply remember how huge and vast and bright your aura – your subtle energy – YOU are as an energetic and spiritual being. I think of us as huge beings of light, filtered down into these small bodies for our time on Earth.  We long to remember the feeling and vibration of where we came from, and we can, by taking some time to get in touch with our energy and all that we can tap into.

In closing, my message is not: well, I have it all figured out here people!  La de da.
In fact I just told my husband what I was attempting to write about in 1,000 words or less and he raised his eyebrows and gave me a good luck with that look.  Energy healing is a vast subject that can’t be covered in one short post.  For me it’s a lifelong adventure of discovering the amazing healing and creative power of Source Energy, and practicing ways to tap into this high vibrational energy of love that surrounds us.  It’s changed my life in many ways and I hope to encourage others to explore energy in their own unique way.

In gratitude,
Nicki

Here’s a song to enjoy…

 

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Spirit Is All Around You

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.
-e.e. cummings

In my last post I touched a bit on Spirit communication; communicating with those who have crossed over.  One form of this is through sitting in deep meditation, raising your vibration, and getting a “sense” that a loved one on the Other Side, or maybe your Spirit Guide, is with you.  Quite simply, you can invite them to sit with you – and they will.

Another way to communicate – and what anyone can easily do – is to ask Spirit for a sign that they are with you. I’ll share a quick story that illustrates this.  About a year after my husband’s Grandma Dot passed away, I could feel her sitting with my son and me as I read him a bedtime story.  Dot was the sweetest woman, and loved my kids so much, so I often feel her watching over them.  I asked her to show me a sign in my life that she was with us. Sure enough, the very next morning I got a text from my Mom.  She told me she’d just picked up her new foster kitty.  Her name?  Dot.
I laughed out loud and thanked Dot for the quick response!  It was a great sense of validation.

I had another experience with Spirit last weekend, on Easter Sunday.  The week before, I had felt the presence of my Grandma, who has passed away, with me during my daily mediation. I received some images from her to know that she was with me (I tend to receive messages clairvoyantly).  So I asked her to please send me a sign, and I went on to suggest how she could.  She used to wear a charm bracelet with the names of all her grandchildren on it, so I suggested she either bring a charm bracelet into my life, or have someone talk about one, etc.  I don’t own a charm bracelet, it isn’t something I often encounter, so I thought it would be a good, clear sign and not too vague.  Sure enough – just a week later – within 5 minutes of showing up at my family’s Easter gathering, my cousin walked up to me and held out her hand. In it was Grandma’s actual charm bracelet she used to wear.  I hadn’t seen it in years and she said she thought it would be fun to bring to make it feel like Grandma was with us.  Now who do you think send her that nudge to bring it?  My Grandma of course.

I love these two examples because it shows just how close the Other Side is to us, how connected we are even after crossing over, and how our loved ones do want to communicate with us.

This is important for us to know so that we’re aware we’re never alone on this journey; we are always loved and supported by Spirit.  Knowing this eases any anxiety or fears in life, because when we know we have our Divine Self, guides, angels, and loved ones with us always – we can then see the bigger picture.  We can spend this go-round on Earth living with more joy and purpose.  We can enjoy the ride more.  Spirit is always “here” for us – they’re just at a different vibration; in a different dimension.

If someone you loved has crossed over – why not carve out a few short minutes each day to sit and think about them?  By simply thinking about them and setting the intention to communicate, you call them to you and invite their energy to be around you.  Go further and ask them for a sign if you’d like validation.  Make it something that you won’t second guess.  If you ask to see a bee as a sign and you already have a hive in your backyard, that might not be validation enough – it’s too easy.  My friend knows her Dad is around when she finds a wild turkey in her yard.  That’s a little more random and validating.  If your Grandpa loved a certain item – ask to see that around in your life.  Or ask for a specific scent, animal, or song.

Then follow through on your part to receive: open your eyes and ears. Be attentive to your surroundings.  Look around, take life in, and put down the phone.  Set aside the computer.  This not only makes life itself more enjoyable, but also opens you up to receiving messages and helpful guidance from your Divine Self, Spirit Guides, or loved ones.


One final story I’ll share is something that happened to me last Summer that I still find a bit unbelievable.  After finishing a book by medium Janet Nohavec, I was inspired to ask my Higher Self to send a sign that Spirit was around me. That I was supported.  Even after all that I read, study, and experience I still have my days where I question everything.  I still have the side of me that asks for more validation and examples in my life.  I guess that’s the natural skeptic in me.

I often think of finding a feather as a sign that my Spirit Guides or loved ones on the Other Side are with me – so I figured I’d find a feather that day after I sent my question and intention out.  I then went outside to my backyard – and was shocked at what I saw.  My whole yard was covered in feathers.  Not just a few scattered here and there.  They were floating in the pool, covering the walkways, in the bushes.  Everywhere.  My kids started to pick them up excitedly, wondering what was going on.  I stood there speechless.  I’d asked for a sign and I got one I couldn’t deny away.  And it wasn’t the small one I anticipated; maybe Spirit knew I needed more.  That certainly did the trick.  Since then I’ll find maybe one feather now and then in the backyard, but it’s never again “rained” feathers as it did that afternoon.

If we ask for validation or signs in life and are open to receiving, it’s amazing what can show up. Some might shake their heads and not believe this, and that’s okay.  We each open up in our own time.  But do remind yourself to look around – welcome in the opportunity to wonder and be in awe of all that surrounds and supports you.

In gratitude,
Nicki

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“The Light Between Us”: Communicating with Spirit

I recently read the book The Light Between Us, written by medium and psychic Laura Lynne Jackson.  I’ve read many books about life after death experiences, mediums, and intuitive/psychic abilities and I loved this one because it touches on several aspects of mediumship: the emotional, metaphysical, and of course the spiritual.  It’s also written very simply and matter of fact – it only took me a few evenings to read it.

Laura starts by detailing her experiences with energy and intuition as a child and goes into explaining how she discovered her skills as a medium – while raising three kids and teaching high school English.  The overarching theme of the book is that we are all bright lights, connected as a massive field when seen from above.  This is exactly how I picture our world too.
She states, “Picture a hand with five fingers.  Each finger is distinct, but each finger also connects to the same source – the hand itself.  The fingers are separate, but connected.  We as humans have vastly different experiences here on earth, but all of our experiences funnel into one collective experience – the experience of our existence.  Our souls, our selves, our experiences, our existence – these are not isolated in any way.  The universe is not a place of separateness, it is a place of entanglement.  We are connected to others in ways we cannot fathom.”

Although most of the book focuses on touching stories of connecting people with their loved ones on the Other Side, she does get a bit into the energy and science of spirit communication as well.

For instance, she participated in a brain study with a psychologist in order to study her neurofeedback while she connected with Spirit.  They wanted to see what exactly happens to her brain waves during the process – and what they found is fascinating.  Her brainwave patterns were “almost 100% consistent with those of someone who has had a traumatic brain injury.”  Instead of normal brain wave activity, they found that during her readings her brainwaves were showing up as the kind usually seen when a person is sleeping, in a coma, or possibly having a seizure: they were big and intermittent waves rather than the normal steady series of small waves.

The psychologist pointed out that the temporal-parietal junction of the brain, which is “associated with such functions as storing new memories, processing sensory input, deriving meaning, and emotional regulation” was essentially not working much during her readings.  She was entering an altered or meditative state while communicating with Spirit by “slowing down the self-referencing activity in {her} brain.”

He goes on to tell Laura that she was “consciously getting your brain out of the way so that other people and other messages can come through.  When you perform as a psychic or a medium some parts of your brain are basically not functioning.”  She was essentially getting rid of her Ego (mind chatter) so that she could hear and see that which is not perceptible to the average person while walking around during their day.

While the majority of the book is filled with touching stories, the reason I focused on this small scientific aspect of the book is I find often people (including myself sometimes) push aside the possibility of communicating with Spirit or their loved ones on the Other Side because they either don’t think it’s real or possible and/or they don’t think they can do it.  What this brain wave analysis shows is that our brains are a part of the process.  It’s about getting the brain to function in a different way for a bit.  It’s about entering an altered state where we slow down our Ego chatter and enter a highly meditative space.  We can then reach that area of “reality” where communication with higher vibrations is possible.

This also resonates with me since I will often feel and experience sitting with my loved ones who have crossed over, or feel the presence of angels, when I’m in deep meditation.  When we call on and think of our loved ones, they are really right here next to us.  Laura does a perfect job explaining just how “close” the Other Side is:

“Take an ordinary sheet of paper in your hand.  Now hold it up in front of you, as if you’re reading from it.  Notice how that sheet of paper becomes a border that neatly divides the space it inhabits.  It may be sheer and flimsy, a few tiny pulp fibers strung together, but it’s still inarguably a border.  In fact, as a border, it divides a great amount of molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles.  When you hold it up in front of you, you and billions of things are on one side, and billions of things – chairs and windows and cars and people and parks and mountains and oceans – are on the other.  And yet, from your side of the paper, you can see and hear and access the other side quite easily – in fact, some of your fingers are already there, holding the paper. The sides may be separate, but, practically speaking, they are one and the same.  The other side of the paper is right there.”

She asks, “what if the border between our earthly life and an afterlife is as thin and permeable as a single piece of paper?  What if the other side is right there?”

I hope this gave you something to think about – and that you treat yourself to reading this book.  The stories Laura shares of her journey and the people she’s met here on Earth and on the Other Side might make you see yourself and others in a new light.

In gratitude,
Nicki

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Explore The Energy Element Of Wood In Springtime

As the weather turns nicer isn’t it great to get outside and be with nature again?  What a relief!  I noticed the trees budding on my walk yesterday, and found myself thinking about the elements of Chinese medicine – particularly the element of Wood.  This element is related to Spring, and concerns our ability to grow, express ourselves (especially in relation to handling anger), and act intuitively.  If your wood element is in balance you can adapt to your surroundings easily and make decisions intuitively.  If your wood element is out of balance, you might find yourself feeling frustrated, lashing out, lacking direction, and irritable – which can also show up physically in your liver function  – and for women, in PMS.

As this time of year brings about change and growth in wood in nature – trees growing back their leaves, flowers blooming – this also effects our energy.  This is often where those bursts of energy come in to tackle Spring cleaning, or get the bike out of storage, or plant flowers.  The element of Wood cannot help but be utilized within us this time of year.

I like to think about the elements of Chinese medicine – Earth, Fire, Water, Metal and Wood – because I find this practice makes so much sense.  Of course we are affected by and influenced by the elements of nature that surround us – since we are also made up of these elements. I find I’m most drawn to Wood and Water elements (I live by a lake, with a pool, and lots of trees).  There’s a reason I was drawn to this surrounding.  Maybe my energy field needed these healing and balancing elements around me.  (There are numerous online tests you can do to see which element you are and which could use balancing)

So this Spring, when you find yourself outside, why not stop and put both palms on a tree trunk to absorb it’s healing energy.  Or hug the tree.  Nothing wrong with being a full-on tree hugger!  Maybe the world would be a happier place if we hugged more trees.

As you plant new seeds in your garden, think of a couple ideas you’d like to plant for yourself too.  Spring is a great time to manifest something new into your life.

If you’re feeling irritable and restless, or suffering from headaches and joint pain, maybe your Wood element is out of balance.  Try getting outside more and eating more sour foods (squeeze half of a lemon into your water, eat grapefruit), eat more green leafy veggies and whole grains, add a tsp. of organic apple cider vinegar to your glass of water, or sip on some dandelion tea.

Enjoy Spring!

I am going to try to pay attention to the Spring.  I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees.  I am going to close my eyes and listen.
-Anne Lamott

In gratitude,
Nicki

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The Art Of Letting Go

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
Lao Tzu

While practicing mindfulness on what you want to bring into your life, try not to limit yourself to just creating material change (new job, new car, new body) but go further and work on mental and spiritual change and growth.  That’s what we’re here for!  There’s so much to gain by stretching your mind and energy past the mundane of every day life.

As a piggyback to my last post on “I Am” meditation, I’m going to talk about an important step of working with Divine energy: practicing the art of letting go and letting flow.  In the process of welcoming healing, creativity, and growth into your life, it’s important to remind yourself to surrender.

Remember that physics proves that everything around us, including our physical bodies, is made up of vibrating energy.  Nothing is actually solid.  This means that everything around us only becomes solid in our “view” by us looking at it.  I love this. Our world is truly an illusion we are creating over and over.  So as you feel your goals and ideas in your heart and send them out to the Universe, you’re instructing the subtle energy around you to slowly shift to create what you are consciously (or unconsciously) manifesting.  We can focus our attention and intention to better our physical lives through self healing or our mental lives through increased happiness and abundance.

What does letting go mean for you?  Quite simply it means get out of your own way.  Loosen any attachments to how or when something will happen – and simply allow.  Since no energy is ever destroyed, but rather rearranged or evolved into something new, the attachments we hold to a situation or an idea can hold us back if we don’t release the energy to be transformed.  If you hold too tightly or focus too much on fear and what if and how, the energy is too tied up in your thoughts.  It isn’t free to form into the very thing you’re trying to create or heal.  Instead you keep looking around and seeing the same thing, experiencing the same thing, viewing and inviting in the same thing over and over.

Let it go.

This explains the phenomenon of people meeting their spouse after they quit looking so hard.  Or the skeptic being healed by energy work since they have no expectation or attachment to the outcome.

Breathe deep

Laugh to loosen up the energy

Allow life to unfold without the fear or struggle of a timeline

We as a society crave immediate gratification. We know it’s important to have goals in life and seek out what we want, but we often turn this into a struggle and become stressed when things don’t happen on our planned timeline.  However – in the higher realms of quantum and spiritual energy, there’s no such thing as time.  Everything is happening right now: past, present, and future are all in this single present moment. It’s only here in the denser energies on Earth that we label things with minutes, hours, and days, so that we can function in an organized manner.  There’s nothing wrong with this, but we have to remember we are human and spirit.  So whenever I get impatient and want something to happen now, I turn to the “I Am” statements and focus on knowing that in the timeless quantum and spiritual realms, that which I desire already exists.  I just have to wait for the Divine Timing for it to manifest into physical form.  If it’s in the best interest of my Divine Self, it will eventually take shape in the denser reality I live in.  

In the meantime, I do things to get back in the present moment so that stress or anxiety doesn’t hold my energy back.  Go outside, go for a run, play with my kids, go sky diving.  Okay I don’t go skydiving.  But do whatever works to get the energy moving while giving my mind a rest.

By releasing attachment and letting go, you’re free to enjoy the process of learning and experiencing things as they unfold. Take notice and say “thank you” when the right people, the right opportunities, in the right moment, show up for you.  That’s the fun of it all.  Have an attitude of gratitude and divine synchronicity will happen again and again.

By remaining open and going with the flow, you can create anything in yourself and in your material world that’s in alignment with your Divine Self.  Notice how I didn’t say your human self.  Sometimes we have to learn lessons here on Earth, so certain experiences must play out for our learning.  Always go within and listen to your inner guidance – and know when it’s time to let the energy go, so you don’t suffocate the very thing you want to bring into your life.

Repeat this if you’re stuck:
All is as it should be
All is as it should be

This helps me when my kids are fighting and the house is a mess and it’s dinnertime and I haven’t showered yet.  Accept it all.  All is as it should be.  Some days this is easier than others, but we just do the best we can.  Remind yourself to surrender and release.  Experience all that is right now.  It’s through the present moment that life comes back to you in the best possible way, in the best possible timing.  You’re never alone and always supported by Spirit.

In gratitude,
Nicki

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