Q&A Time - Acts of Power and Acts of Beauty - My Spiritual Contract

Q&A Time:  Was asked to define what "An Act of Power" was in my opinion.


An Act of Power to me is an action taken consciously that is made in order to create.  Create health, wholeness, balance, or even destiny.  The key in the definition, to me, is that it is a conscious act for creation.


When an action is taken consciously that is giving or serving in nature, to me that is an Act of Beauty or an Act of Love.  


An Act of Power is when we consciously are in contact with Source, with the Divine nature of All That Is.  This connection adds the force of energy to empower the act to be directed in a particular intent.  This action is a creation or a manifestation. 


An Act of Beauty is when we extend our own beings to be of service to another, to the Divine Source, or to the Earth herself.  There is a saying I have heard that many refer to as the Spirit Warrior's Pledge that says "Not for myself alone, but that all people may live".  This is the true meaning to me of an Act of Beauty.


I had one teacher share with me that I it was a mandate for any Spiritual Warrior to state their intentions on a regular basis making sort of a conscious contract with Divine Source of what their life was to be.  Many have asked me about my spiritual mandate since then.  I will share with you now a small piece of my own, as I renewed my conscious contract last evening.  


I, Carla, will fearlessly examine the ways and actions of my life where I may leak or give away power and energy to take back all energy and all power; and make a sacred contract now to accept myself as a powerful creator of destiny.    I, Carla, pledge to consciously and actively demonstrate my gratitude to all of life for the blessings bestowed upon me.

A Quick Note on Shamanic Hygiene

Things are happening in a synchronistic way.  For many in the Shamanic world, as well as in the global community of light workers, the cycles of energetic flow are shifting and spinning at a higher vibration than many are use too.  As the planets shift and turn, things become more complicated for us on an energetic level.  Many of those old embedded issues arise and rear the shadows we have avoided.  As we move through this exciting and transforming time, it is easy to forget some of the basics that provide for what am calling Shamanic hygiene.

During my morning meditation it was clear in the flames that it is vital for each of us to ensure that our energetic hygiene is a priority.  It only takes moments to scan your own energy field.  I have shared with clients for years a simple process of clearing the major chakra fields each morning in the shower.  Yet, when we become actively engaged in large projects I forget to take the moments to ‘wash’ my own.  With all the energetic vibrations that are swirling about it is vital we take the moments to ensure our own personal energy does not get depleted or clogged with outside ‘gunk’.

We all have our own methods or techniques of clearing and shielding ourselves, it is important to remember the intent as you follow your own path.  A technique that I have been employing that has worked well for me is using the ash of a cleansing fire.  The intent of the fire is contained within the ash.  In using the ash and the remaining black coals to draw symbols of protection, cleansing, and shielding is a purifying process.  

The Living Universe

November 5, 2010

Inviting Stress Back to Prevent A Heart Attack

Balance.  Something we all strive for in our lives.  Stress is one of the prime factors in disturbing that balance.  Stress is even one of the major contributing factors in medical disease.  Stress steals our pleasure and joy.  There is a balance even in stress.


Find out why I am inviting Stress back into my life to prevent having a heart attack.


Sometimes Stress is a Good Thing

Why Build A Sanctuary?

(Photo from Romantic Soul Sanctuary)

There are many times in life when we realize the true nature of our inner beings.  Even though we are spiritual beings there will be times when become sensitive to pain, tension and stress.  For most, this tension and stress are held in the body and psyche.  For most, it is difficult to just "let it go".

It is important to have a sanctuary that is all yours away from the tension and stress of the world.  I use to wonder if it was selfish to spend time in my own sanctuary when I realized that it is in this sanctuary that we 'metabolize' this stress and tensions.  The process of being in your sanctuary allows you the opportunity to unburden your heart thus allowing your to return to life with focus and external love.

In the world around us many things are considered sanctuaries.  What is a church but a sacred place to renew your soul?  Animals are given sanctuaries to be sacred places that they are protected and loved?  Sanctuary actually means from its root "to make sacred".  So even a simple box drawn in the sand can become a sanctuary if that is it's intent.

To begin, I only had an external sanctuary.  My gardens have always offered the refuge that a sacred sanctuary provides.  It is where I can go to rest and be completely myself.  I know that within my gardens I am safe from outside influence.  There is no need to protect or guard myself there.  It is a profound and nourishing feeling to bury my feet into the ground to renew my roots.

It is within this external and physical sanctuary that you can begin to go into a deeper meditation.  The reason being is that this sanctuary, whether it is inside or outside, is a sacred, safe place.  It is yours, even if it is only yours for the moment.  It becomes your sanctuary because your intent has made it so.  When you make the choice that a space is your sanctuary, you are empowering yourself.

In making the choice to create and go into your sanctuary you are pushing all else aside for the moment and saying to the entire world "Do Not Disturb".  You are giving yourself permission to disappear from the physical world and take a moment to nurture yourself.  When you turn off phones and lock doors, you are putting a strong protective boundary around your sanctuary allowing you to feel safe in the moment.

Once you have spent some time developing this sanctuary in your home or yard, the next step is to create the sanctuary within you.  Deep within your soul.  I call it my Inner Temple.  This can be a daring and courageous act.  To create this Inner Temple you are making the choice to allow your self the privacy to commune with the depths of your being.  You are creating a situation where you will reconnect with the true nature of your soul.

What is the purpose of an Inner Temple, this inner sanctuary?  When there is an inner sanctuary within your it allows you to flow into the space between things.  This inner sanctuary allows for the sheer membrane that separates the conscious and unconscious mind to be penetrated to stir the ancient memories.  It happens in this inner sanctuary as you have created a safe, sacred place that you can drop all barriers and stress.

Remember when creating your own sanctuary, it can truly be as simple as that box drawn in the sand or as elaborate as you choose.  It can have an altar to focus upon as you meditate or it can be a living altar of flowers growing from the Earth.  It is a reflection of you.  Allow yourself to be creative and reflective of your sacred space.  It is yours - make it be so!

Morning Rays, Grasshoppers, and The "Swamp" - Pausing to Listen

As I prepare for another journey, deeper initiations, and clearer insights, I find myself contemplative over a number of area’s in my life.  As though you are standing on a bridge, knowing that once you cross the bridge all that is behind you will remain there and what lies in front of you is unknown.  It sits just over a ridge that must be climbed in order to see the horizon.

Often times when faced with a major shift in the physical, emotional, and spiritual energies of my life, I will spend time in quiet reflection by my fire.  The fire has always been a place of comfort and joy for me; yet, this morning I found myself drawn not to the fire ring but rather to what we here refer to as the “swamp”.  A large area of the property that is used for drainage as we are below sea level it fills often.  The flowers that bloom across the water are incredible during certain seasons.  The canvas presented certainly a sight to behold.

Water is not my favorite element.  I certainly do not hold anything against water.  I am not a swimmer, nor a beach fanatic.  So why was I drawn to the water this morning?  I spent some time just sitting on the edge of the “moat” that leads across the property, asking myself that question over and over.  I thought about the qualities of water.

Water is the most plentiful element on the surface of our planet.  Our bodies contain more water than anything else.  For water to work, it has to move or flow.  When water is stagnant, at least where I live, it breeds insect, decays, and spreads mold.  Some way that water holds the “chi” of life.  As I was sitting there and the sun was rising, I threw the “proverbial” pebble into the mass of green leaves and purple flowers that cover the “swamp”.  Even with all the growth, the ripple was still evident. 

I was reminded as I watched the ripple of how a single pebble or a single event in life can change the course of so many other events.  I watched the insects that felt the ripple jump from leaf to leaf.  The insects awoke whatever was beneath the surface (I am hoping a simple turtle) parting the surface water as it swam.  The flowers rose and fell in the tiny ripple.  A heron swooped down from the sky trying to find breakfast as things began to move.  All of this from a simple pebble tossed into the still water.

Life is like that.  Each event, each moment is like tossing a single pebble into still water.  The ripple effect touches countless others.  Many of whom we will never know that our tiny pebble touched. 

As I contemplate and reflect upon the tiny pebbles that are being tossed into the water, as the moments of life shift and change, and as I begin another journey, I am reminded to pause and listen.  Listen to the voice within my own Inner Temple.  With every pebble, with every moment, with every journey there comes new knowledge.  With knowledge comes responsibility.  The choice of what I do with the knowledge, how I share the knowledge, and even how the knowledge changes and shifts my own life – is truly my responsibility.  That responsibility can be a burden or it can be a joy. Even when it is a joy, there can be painful and difficult decisions to be made.  Those decisions are the pebbles we toss ourselves into the flow of the water.  I am reminded, as I listen, to be careful what pebbles I toss. 

I am beyond grateful that today I know when to pause and listen – even if what I hear is silence – for the messages that are shared do not always come in neon signs.  Sometimes they come in a tiny grasshopper jumping from leaf to leaf.

What is Parapsychology?

What is Parapsychology? I was recently asked the question what the heck is Metaphysical Parapsychology. Parapsychology is simply the study of things beyond the normal experiences that do not seem to be explainable in terms of everyday understanding or by using known scientific principles. Some will argue that Parapsychology is simply the study of all things paranormal. This is a misconception as not all things considered by some as paranormal are truly paranormal.


Looking back to the late 19th century, many of the early researches of parapsychology were basically interested in phenomena that was directly related to after death experiences. In the 1930's the parapsychology was "coined" to refer specifically to controlled experimental research into other paranormal abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psycho kinesis. In more recent years, parapsychology has broadened the approaches so the distinction between parapsychology and psychic research are near impossible to distinguish. The basic difference is the scientific approach in which the study is approached.


Some of the phenomena that are currently being studied in the parapsychology research are mental phenomena which includes extrasensory perception, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry, precognition and premonitions, remote viewing, mental medium ship, dowsing, past life memories, possession, out of body and near death experiences, apparitions, automatic writing, and xenoglossy. In the physical phenomena examples may include psycho kinesis, physical medium ship, psychic photography, thoughtography, healing modular ties, materialization and dematerialization, and levitation. There are other various studies that are also studied in the parapsychology world such as miracles, lucid dreaming and glossolalia.

What does this really mean? There are three basic kinds of events that there is both scientific and scholarly study that fall into this field of study. They are ESP, mind-matter interaction and survival which are integral with the human experience. Most parapsychologists today expect that as research continues most anomalies will be explained in scientific terms. Although there are some researchers that believe that existing science can explain away many of the phenomena anomalous. Parapsychology is not the study of astrology, searching for bizarre creatures, paganism, alchemy or looking for UFO's. Due to the fact many in the Metaphysical realm in fact have close relations with many other psychic studies and beliefs some link parapsychology with paranormal investigators or psychic practitioners. That is not what a parapsychologists does.

The major interest in the scientific world comes from the implication that there may be a misunderstanding about space and time. More importantly we may have a gross misunderstanding about the transmission of energy and information. The understanding of how we sense the world in changing. Psychologists are taking interest in parapsychology for the implications that it has on the nature of perception and memory. The role of the mind in the physical world and the nature of the objective verse the subjective of how energy plays in the manifestation of health are the basis of many of the paraphysciological studies.

There is also a venue of parapsychologist that focus on the materialistic perspective of study. Human consciousness is a by product of the human system. It is completely dependent on the functioning of the brain and the human nervous system. When either the brain or the nervous system dies, so does human consciousness.

With the understanding of how the current laws of science work, it was the assumption that phenomena such as out of body experiences or psi can happen. Yet since the recorded times, phenomena have occurred and continue to occur. Since it seems that psi phenomena transcend all limits of material functions as we currently know them, it leads to the interpretation that there is something more to the mind than simply the brain and nervous system. There must be some sort of "soul" that is within the human consciousness. This "soul" or non-physical aspect of the human consciousness does not seem to have the limitations and bounds that all present scientific models require. This simple fact leads us back to spiritual ideas and practices. With the state of research currently, parapsychology is a long way from proving any specific religious doctrines.

It is important to emphasize that not all parapsychologist are looking for the implications of findings on spiritual concepts. All though spiritual agenda's are not the sole objective of every parapsychologist, it is the reason why even the serious investigators that are drawn to parapsychology tend to have diverse backgrounds.

This is by no means a complete listing of what parapsychology is and isn't. However, it is my hope that it will answer many of the questions that people have asked in a general enough way that they have a better understanding of the term and of what a Metaphysician Parapsychologist does.

A majority of the studies in Para psychological phenomena are those which "blur" the line between mind and matter. The phenomena that know no limitations of boundaries in space or time. Extra-sensory perception is an event that allows a person to obtain information about events that they can not possible know about using their normal senses. This would include subset studies in telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and presentiment. Clairvoyance is the study of remote viewing which obtains information about remote locations again beyond the use of normal senses. Precognition or premonition is the study of how one obtains information about future events such as dreaming. Presentiment is where physiological parameters may change prior to the application of a stimulus. Basically a person on an unconscious level the person knew what was coming before it occurred. Telepathy, near death experience, out of body experience, reincarnation, and place memory. The largest area studied is psycho kinesis or mind-matter interaction. This is the direct mental interaction with physical objects which are both animate or inanimate.

There are a variety of practical applications from the study of mind - matter phenomena. The studies of direct mental interaction with any living systems suggest that traditional mental healing techniques may actually be of a higher scientific value than skeptics believe. In future research the studies to develop enhanced methods of healing based solely on the mind - matter phenomena are near endless.