the obstacle course in your heart space

I've been noticing when we are hurt by someone we often harden that pain and create this energetic blockage that we now have to navigate around. It's like the verbal arrow becomes a physical thing we have to move around. Like that couch that's really too big for the living room. We keep bumping into it, and then get mad at ourselves that we walked into it AGAIN! We use that frustration to make a bigger pathway around that couch rather than let it go. For decades I've held onto the pain of hurts, only to have to take a shallow breath to have the room for it all.

Sometimes it's not even a person that causes this stagnated energy around or in our heart. Sometimes we have a medical emergency or are diagnosed with an illness and feel betrayed by our body. We take those feelings of betrayal and berate ourselves about it.

Other times the clutter we carry in our heart space is from words we've spoken in anger at others or ourselves and the refusal to forgive ourselves for being so human.

During this month of red and pink hearts I invite you to open to loosening the grip on the pain that constricts your heart from loving yourself and others.

Circle ~ ongoing energy meetup - meditation / group healing

Heart Space - February 19th, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM, Crozet Studio

Join us for this Circle to make some space in our hearts and clear the clutter from past aches and pain.

Cost $25

To register: click here.

Be-ing Present

coming back to now


Recently I’ve been catching myself say, “I can’t wait to come back here” (ten minutes after I arrive) or “I wish I could bottle this misty morning, it feels so magical.” It’s as if I can’t even assimilate what’s in front of me before moving on to missing it.

This is hitting home hard as my first-born is about to turn 10! How many times had I thought when he was younger that I couldn’t wait to get through a particular stage only now to go, how’d he get so grown up? It’s making me think about how often we have this with all sorts of experiences, especially as we move towards winter.

Attending family gatherings with an abundance of amazing food and then overeating because I’m not present and fully focused on the food I’m putting in my mouth. Or that thought of scarcity that makes me believe it will never taste this good ever again. Drinking an extra glass of wine at a holiday party because I’m triggered by someone and feel like I can’t tolerate the discomfort they are bringing up in me, even though it doesn't last that long.

When I catch myself moving in fast forward, I’ve been repeating this lyric (My Mind Is An Endless Sea by The Wind and The Wave) to bring myself back in the moment:

Breathe it in, let it out, settle down
Why you carrying all that mess around?
Breathe it in, let it out, settle down
Why you carrying all that mess around?


Here’s the full version if you’d like to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq4CPchBPEk

What brings you back when you’re not staying present? Please feel free to share your techniques with me.

Circle ~ ongoing energy meetup
Deep self care - December 12th, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
As we enter the season of renewal and spiraling inward this month’s Circle will focus on deep self care.

We will balance our chakras and solidify our energetic boundaries so we can enter into this time with the ability to relax and enjoy the wonderment that accompanies these dark and cozy nights.

To register: here.

Cost $25.

Here’s to waking up our consciousness around the ways in which we check out and keep from be-ing in the moment.
Take care,
Kim




Celebrating life as a form of grieving

I spent a decade living in New Mexico and while living there I loved fall the best. Smelling chile roasting outside of grocery stores, having fun dressing up for Halloween with friends and getting to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I had never heard of Dia de los Muertos until I lived there. This Mexican holiday celebrates those who have died. It is believed that the veil between the living and those who have passed is thinner at this time of year. During this holiday, celebrated on November 1st & 2nd, people decorate cemeteries, build altars to their loved ones by decorating sugar skulls, put out food and drink favored by the deceased, and in general celebrate their loved one’s life. I am particularly fond of this as I feel like it is an active way to grieve.

Often when someone we love dies, we feel like our energy field has a huge rip in it and a common reaction is to shut down or freeze. Having an active way to grieve feels like a way to bring movement back when we have shut down. Although we can communicate and connect in with the deceased any time, this is a way to focus and treasure their impact on us.

This year I’ve decided to host an event for Day of the Dead with an opportunity to decorate a sugar skull for your loved one as well as time to meditate and connect in with a deceased family member or friend. If this sounds like something you’d like to do as a way to honor and celebrate your loved one, more details can be found here.

Circle ~ ongoing energy meetup

Energetic Boundaries ~ November 12th 6:30 - 8 PM

Have you been saying yes to activities or people when later you wonder, what was I thinking? Feeling a bit off track in your life in regards to the direction you want to be heading? Do you know where your energy field begins and ends? Come join with others to explore how to recognize boundaries for your energetic field. We will try different experiments to define how we feel our energy field as well as partake in a healing meditation around solidifying healthy boundaries. To register, click here.

Lastly if you'd like to read about another energy practitioner's take on energy vampires you can check it out here. Becky Holtzman breaks down this concept and gives some tips for taking care of one's self.

Take care,

Kim


Circle Questions Answered

This month was the start of Circle, an ongoing energy meetup where we gather with others that are also curious about energy healing / the energy field / meditation and ask / answer questions. Below are some of the questions that came up.

How can dreams be used as healing energy?

Our dream state is often when we have the time / space to decompress and let the day unwind. Things that can enhance our sleep: maintain healthy sleep habits (be vigilant about getting the amount of rest your physical body needs), stop watching screens at least 1 hour before sleep, write down your dreams – look for archetypes / messages. Set a healing intention prior to lying down to sleep. Be open to lucid dreams / astral travel.


How can I grow my own healing energy?

Meditation, sending yourself healing energy, exercise and setting boundaries. Saying no to things and people who drain you. We all have the ability to send ourselves healing energy. You can explore this by placing your hand on a spot of your body that ache or you feels needs support. As you breathe into that area image your hand filling it with healing energy. What does that look like? Are there certain colors that show up? What feelings come up for you? What shows up when you do this?


What dietary habits and foods enhance healing energy vs. diminish our healing energy?

This question is difficult to answer on some levels because everyone’s body is different. The most helpful thing is to look at the energetics to food. If you are at a grocery store and the produce doesn’t look good – that is the energetic of it. If it doesn’t look good don’t buy it. Organic or no spray is better for the earth and you too, but if your finances aren’t in a place to make this affordable, stay away from the dirty dozen. Also you can tune into the life force of food. A bag of donuts doesn’t have the same life force as a freshly made one. Eating a sweet with a consciousness is very different than eating a pint of ice cream while scrolling on Facebook. You may recognize there are certain foods that you cannot be satisfied with – looking at this and being open to the backstory can bring in healing energy as you uncover energetic patterns. It helps to clear food prior to you consuming it, this is works when eating out or eating at home. This acts to clear and raise the vibration of the food. You can do this by placing your hands over the food and intending it to nourish you. If you’re uncomfortable doing that in public you can do it silently and just taking that time to pause can help bring in awareness.


How to find a partner on similar wavelength in Virginia?

The first thing that pops in when I read this question is there already feels like there’s a block to finding a partner in Virginia. I would explore whether there is A. a belief that you can’t find someone who you relate with that lives here or B. are you getting an intuitive hit that the person for you lives in another state. If we believe no one understands us or we can’t find someone on the same wavelength as us, then we will create constructs where people we interact with don’t get us. Or those who are on the same wavelength don’t cross our paths. Creating new neural pathways would be a start to remedying this. I would work on this in meditation or journaling. Look at what makes you believe you don’t or can’t get what you want. Do you have role models that showed compatibility or did your parents fight or model misunderstanding? Then work on healing what comes up. If you are on this wavelength there are definitely others that are too.

Want to explore your energy field with like minded folks? Attend our next Circle, November 12th 6:30 PM - 8 PM. Details here.

Alcohol and the Energy Field

With the holidays on the horizon I’m including my perspective on what happens to the energy body when you drink alcohol. The holidays seem to bring with it many opportunities to make merry, imbibe as well stress us out. If you need some support, please reach out.

How does alcohol affect one's energy field? When we consume alcohol for pleasure or social reasons we may know that our inhibitions are lowered but not question or recognize what has happened in the energy field. Here’s a glimpse of the effects on each chakra.

First Chakra - initially we may feel as if we are more in our bodies and be more willing to dance or play a game of football. We feel a sense of community with those around us, think of tailgating / vineyards / family reunions. This sense of connection can sometimes lead to raucous behavior - think of how drunken sports fans will turn over cars or graffiti following a big win.

Second Chakra - in this chakra we may feel a rise in our passion. Not only towards someone else but this is where we get more animated and talk about politics or how we were betrayed or what we'd really like to do with our life.

Third Chakra - from this chakra we may experience a sense of power and confidence that comes from looser boundaries. We may feel we are doing well and can put off or dismiss problems. We may feel a false bravado and will attempt feats that we wouldn't normally even consider. As many of us carry anxiety in this chakra we may feel some initial relief with the looser boundaries. Personally, I find it difficult to be in places where people are intoxicated as I experience a pulling from my 3rd chakra because this is often where people suck energy from.

Fourth Chakra - we may feel a sense of being more in love or having more love for someone. We see folks declaring how much they love their friends, kids, partners. Alcohol also affects people by touching into their grief and loss. Feeling like they are grieving their loss, although in a detached way. One's feelings can be amplified or minimized. We are open to allowing others into our field, trading tragedy stories and then feel a vulnerability hangover that we shared with someone who hadn't earned our trust.

Fifth Chakra - alcohol can open the throat chakra and we may say things we haven't been able to express or will just talk a lot more than usual. This may feel exhilarating to finally get something off the chest, but can quickly turn into losing our filter and we may say hurtful things. We may also experience alcohol keeping us from expressing.

Six chakra - alcohol can create the illusion that we are expanding our field, but as we consume it we are lowering or loosening our boundaries and others can come closer into our energy fields. We might feel like we are making many cerebral connections. If we have blocked our third eye, we may experience a sense of getting information but struggle to discern or doubt its meaning.

Seventh Chakra - we might feel like we are connected to god or feel like we are experiencing oneness with those around us and the planet, however it tends to be a transient and ungrounded. Alcohol actually pulls in our energy field leaving us with a depressed or shrunken field.And alcohol can leave debris in the field.

Some tips: if you have a social event you are nervous about attending, charge up your third chakra instead of choosing to have another drink. If you can't imagine having Thanksgiving with your family without getting drunk, then I’d suggest not attending or if you do attend and are hungover the next day, try to drop the judgment. Try a seltzer tonic with lime, sans alcohol, see if having a non alcoholic drink can act as a stand in. Less is better when it comes to consuming alcohol. ~

Kim



Blessings as Energy Diversion

Many folks I see have come in with an subtle way of diverting their energy that may surprise you – it’s a form of count your blessings, but instead of it being a way to express gratitude it turns into a way of shutting down their emotions often about a painful experience.

Here’s an example; my family member has X diagnosis and now I am responsible for all these new things…but at least we have a house; at least we are not living in a war zone; at least I can drink the water; I need to be grateful for what I have. I strongly believe gratitude is a helpful and healing practice, but counting your blessings as a way to divert or suppress energy is not. Counting your blessings often serves as a shut off valve to how you actually are feeling about the situation. Perhaps you are actually resentful about your new responsibilities or sad or scared about the situation or maybe all of the above. By holding the space to experience all these feelings, they can dissipate and give you more energy to negotiate this new and different terrain. When we suppress or divert our feelings it can be a way of spiritual bypass. We also do this when we say here’s how I’m going to handle the situation and don’t ever check in on how we feel about it. From an energetic perspective here’s what that looks like; energy gets stuck in certain spots of the body, often stomach or throat area from not being authentic (3rd chakra) and not speaking your truth (5th chakra). It also leaves us carrying around the weight of congested energy, which is like carrying around a heavy purse of energy we can’t access.

So what do you do when you find yourself cutting yourself off with your blessing countdown? Pause. See if you can speak out loud to someone else or even just out loud to yourself how you are feeling about something / someone before rushing into your blessing around breathing. This is not about getting swamped by your emotions, but it is about airing them.

Top 10 Energetic Picks for When You're Getting Sick

intuitive healing
  1. Send your energy down and around your body – when we catch a virus often our energy is stuck in the chest and face area. One way to physically do this is to rub peppermint lotion on your feet. You will consciously send energy down as your feet respond to the peppermint.

  2. Elderberry Syrup – I try to take this daily when it’s cold season. When I’m getting sick, I take it every few hours. It’s super easy to make and you can find the ingredients at The Elderberry in Charlottesville.

  3. Rest – when we feel like we MUST carry on, it actually prolongs the length of our illness and we infect others. Often illness is a gift for us to slow down, recharge and sometimes it is good practice for setting boundaries.

  4. Gan Moa Ling, Chinese supplement. An acupuncturist introduced this to me 20 years ago and it has been a lifesaver. I take it at first sign of a cold and often it has prevented me from getting sick.

  5. Vitamin C and Echinacea Tincture - there is lots of research out there about this.

  6. Throat coat tea or fresh lemon, ginger, honey tea. Chop 1-2” of ginger add to 6 cups of water, boil for 30 minutes, strain, add lemon and honey to taste.

  7. Change your hand towel frequently - this is so simple, but super important especially with kids.

  8. Epsom salt bath or baking soda bath – this helps to relax your muscles and clear your energy field.

  9. Diffuse essential oils – there are several great ones – clove, eucalyptus, rosemary.

  10. Go to bed at least an hour early – yes, this is different than number 3.

    Do you have any tips or suggestions when you start feeling like you are catching something? Please share.

    New Class
    I’ve been asked by clients for help learning more about how they run their energy, what to do with the seemingly random intuition they receive, and the “so what” feeling with this information. I offered this class in September and several folks asked if I could offer it again and this time it's in Charlottesville. It will be held at Cocoa & Spice, where you can find delicious chocolates while learning more about how your intuition comes in.

    Here's a little about the class, we all get intuitive hits or experience knowings: those things that we often don’t listen to or recognize until after the fact, and then go, “Oh! I had a feeling that was going to happen,” or,” I knew something was off.” We will practice various techniques for how you work with this information and how it enters your energy field. If you would like to expand your intuitive skills, more details found here. No experience necessary.

    Warmly,
    Kim

Hey there, beautiful people,

How has your summer been? Mine has been full of learning about acceptance and surrender. While telling a friend what all was happening she replied, “Like it or not, this is your life at the moment.” That simple statement has been a great reminder for me when I’ve received news I didn’t want to hear or had something go differently than I had expected. It’s served to remind me that I always have choices. If you are feeling a bit tight with feelings of uncertainty or unable to catch a full breath here’s my short list:

Spend a few minutes meditating – this, in addition to often calming one down, helps create more energetic fluidity.

Talk to a therapist or friend about what’s going on – the mere act of bringing the words that have been banging about in your mind stateside can release their weight, sometimes reveal their untruth, and / or provide unexpected insight.

Do something to shift your energy field. Get some energy work – healings, acupuncture, Alexander Technique or Kundalini yoga are all great ways to create movement within your field.

Repeat this mantra, “I have choices.”

 

New Classes

I’ve been asked by clients for help learning more about how they run their energy, what to do with the seemingly random intuition they receive, and the “so what” feeling with this information. We all get intuitive hits or experience knowings: those things that we often don’t listen to or recognize until after the fact, and then go, “Duh! I had a feeling that was going to happen,” or,” I knew something was off.”  We will practice various techniques for how you work with this information and how it enters your energy field. If you would like to expand your intuitive skills, learn more here.

Here’s to our transition into Fall ~

Warmly,

Kim

When We Gather Retreat

Our #retreat is just a couple of weeks away! If you're in or near #Charlottesville or #rva and want to join us on Saturday we invite you to do so and include that option in the registration link. Join us for workshops, resource swaps, and a unique experience to set your focus when it comes to being a champion for change. Saturday, June 23rd (with option to stay over) to June 24th, 2018. 
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When we gather... 
We learn together, grow together, and hopefully change the world together! 
🌱🌿🌱🌿🌱☘️
See you there! 

Register here.