All in divine time

It was Sunday, September 7, 2014 and as my parents, Prowler and I crossed the bridge onto the Outer Banks, we rolled down the windows and all (even Prowler) let out a collective sigh. That bridge always confirmed we had arrived and that pure happiness and peace were about to commence.  We stopped at Trio at MP 4.5 to get cheese and stock up on wine for the week and then continued on our way to South Nags Head. We usually didn't wait this long in the year to come down for vacation but we decided to revolve it around a friend's wedding in Manteo.

We always had four "musts" in choosing a beach house to rent. The house had to:

1. be pet friendly
2. be oceanfront - that means NOTHING between our house and the beach - not the Beach Road, not another house, nothing. We wanted to walk out of our house onto the beach. We wanted to see, hear and smell the ocean from the house at all times.
3. be in S. Nags Head - past MP 17 simply because there were less people and more beach. We gave up the convenience of having restaurants and stores super close but so what? We had a car. The beach was priority!
4. have central air conditioning.

This year's vacation was going to be at Crew's Quarters in South Nags Head.  As we pulled down the long driveway, we weren't exactly thrilled with the looks of the front of the house but as soon as we walked up to the top floor and saw our view, that sealed the deal. Nothing but dunes, sand and the ocean.  We were back at our happy place and all was right with the world. Oh yeah, it was raining but who cares? It's the beach. It wouldn't last for long.  But while it did, we made the best of it and sat at the round wooden table by the window, played my favorite "let's pair wine and cheese" game and, as Dad used to always say, wondered what the poor people were doing.

We had so much fun that week. We went to the aquarium, we ate incredible seafood, we walked the beach, we read books, we relaxed, we walked and played with Prowler. We slept in, we stayed up late, we laughed, we loved and we just treasured every single moment.

We even went to what became our favorite restaurant, Miller's on the Waterfront, twice that week for dinner.  They still have the best filet with jumbo lump crab and hollandaise I've ever had the pleasure of sharing with my more-than-appreciative taste buds. And.... yes, even though it may be touristy and the wait may take forever during the summer, the sunset and the food are worth every second of the wait.

Dad might even have unsuccessfully tried to squeeze the last bit of wine out of our bottle one of those nights. He wasn't successful but my daddy wasn't a quitter and I hate wasting wine so it was worth a try!

Dad and I also might have decided it made perfect sense to take a walk on the beach after a few bottles of wine one of those nights. Mom may have not agreed with our decision but it didn't stop us. We always were a good team in that regard.

We always get sad as the week nears the end but at least this vacation was ending with a wedding!  On Saturday, September 13, a stranger picked me up at the beach house to accompany me to a mutual friend's wedding.  I wasn't going to this wedding alone and the friend who was supposed to go with me bailed, so I coerced the father of the bride into sending over one of his young, good-looking, intelligent, fun but "didn't expect anything" guys to come pick me up and keep me company for the evening.  Not only did that happen but even after sharing hours together at a hot, rainy, humid, outdoor wedding on the sound, with an open bar, I not only got him to dance but we also actually saw each other again and, two years later, threw caution to the wind and moved to the Outer Banks together! (Yes, I'm wearing the father of the bride's bow tie - don't judge me.)

My parents and I always have a wonderful time on these vacations and we always look forward to them. We have stories to share for years to come.  But there was something different about this vacation. Of course, meeting the man I would soon fall in love with and end up spending the rest of my life with was a highlight AND my grandmother's spirit having conversations with us in the beach house kitchen was life changing but there was something more. We sure didn't know it at the time but it was the last family vacation we would ever share. Just a few months later, Dad's cancer would return with a vengeance and the next year he would endure chemo as his only remaining option.

Fast forward to almost five years later.

After all the years that I have been vacationing here, I have been able to find every single house that we rented except for this one - perhaps the most important one. The last one that my family shared. The driveway of the one where that stranger picked me up and changed my life forever. The one that Prowler and I took our last sunrise walks upon. The one house that my heart has been pleading to find. Why couldn't I find it? It didn't just disappear. This house has become so incredibly important for me to find.

Then, this morning, the man who changed my life in 2014, sent me a link to a rental property in S. Nags Head. He found it. I screamed. Tears began to flow like a river and my heart was overwhelmed. As I looked at the photos online, the memories came back, the emotions came back, the smell of the lamb bolognese I spoiled my parents with one night came back, the popping of the cork, the walking on the beach in the moonlight, the sound of the crashing of the waves on the shore came back, my mom's happy laugh came back and my dad's voice saying "Life is Good" resonated in my mind.
Yes, Daddy, life was so good and
 it still is........

All in divine time.

Everything happens when and as it should.

Meditation

Do you meditate?
Do you think "oh that's for people who have tons of time" or "that's for those tree hugging people"?
Do you even really know HOW to meditate or what true purpose it serves?
By no means am I an expert but I am definitely a proponent and advocate.

Do you have anxiety? Are you sad? Lonely? Confused? Lost? Stressed? Frustrated?

Do you have physical ailments?

Do you fall asleep on the sofa but once you get to bed your mind is spinning in a thousand directions for what seems like hours?

Do you want to just find a place of calm and contentment?
Do you want to clear your mind of all thoughts and just be?

Do you feel bogged down and just want to scream because there's so much in that head of yours?

Then I highly suggest you meditate!

You don't have to go to some special place, but you absolutely can if you want. You don't have to spend money and join a class but there are plenty out there if you so chose. Yoga is a great way to utilize meditation as well. Whatever you do, don't overthink it. All you really need is 5-10 minutes a day in a quiet space. Some of you will think you don't have 10 minutes of free time because you have commitments and jobs and kids. Of course you do. We all do. But you know what? We have to MAKE ourselves take time for ourselves and what better way then meditation?  Instead of plopping down on the sofa and watching something on tv, go to your bedroom and meditate. Wake a little earlier in the morning and meditate. Take a walk, sit down on a grassy hill and meditate.

Meditation is truly just calming and ridding your mind of constant thoughts. It is a technique to bring about mindfulness and a way to truly focus on your breath and the present moment. Forget about the past, stop worrying about the future. Just "be" in the present moment. It is about attention and awareness.

I hear you now. "I can't do it. There's no way I can do something like that. The kids will be screaming. The dogs won't leave me alone. I just have too much to do anyway. Plus it probably doesn't even work." Don't ever say you can't do it unless you are physically unable. You can do it; you just choose not to. Well, I promise you, get in the habit of meditating and you will be so grateful you did.

It's not necessarily easy. Well, it wasn't for me - at least not at first. I found it quite hard to "quiet your mind". But with practice and consistency, you can do it and you will love it and benefit greatly. I was an off and on meditator for years - just couldn't seem to quite "get it" but then about two years ago, I really focused and now strive to make it a part of my daily routine; almost a habit.

You can find meditations on You Tube pretty easily which aren't bad in a pinch. I often have it on as background music at work just to keep me centered. But when I truly want to meditate, I feel best when I have a guided meditation. In that regard, I have found two resources resonate with me and I absolutely love them.

Natalie Eve Marquis of the Wisdom Within has THE most calming, voice I think I've ever heard in a meditation. I highly recommend checking out her guided meditations (and the rest of her website too): https://wisdomwithin.co/resources/guided-meditations/  The best part is some of these are only a minute or two long so no excuses for you busy people!!  I also recommend Colette Baron-Reid's Mindful Magic Mediations app for your phone.  Regardless, start finding some mediations, feel them out, find what works for you and make it part of your life! You won't regret this choice!

How it all started

During and immediately after my first medium session, I was in a state of awe. I was a crying, emotional mess and felt like I was wrapped in the softest, warmest blanket of my passed loved ones. It's a wonder I didn't crash my car on the way home because my mind and heart were racing. How could this be? Did that last hour of my life really happen? Did she really communicate with her? No, it wasn't her. It couldn't be. How is that even possible? She died seven years ago. But it was her. She said things that only I would know and I've never met this medium person before today. She said my mom's name - loud and clear - her best friend. She described situations that no one would know except for me. She was in my house and described a very specific routine of mine. Of course it was true. I saw it. I heard it. I witnessed it. I felt it. But wait, was it? Yes, of course it was. I was there.

I wanted to tell everyone. I wanted to scream from the mountaintops. But who would believe me? My boss would. He's the one that sent me there. But he didn't know the people who came through. He'd still want to hear about my experience though. So I called him and he had been waiting for my phone call. He was just as excited and comforted as I was because I understood. I got it. I went home to my boyfriend and told him all about it and he looked at me - alternating between a blank stare and disbelief. But then again, now that I think about it, he did that a lot over the four years we were together when it came to any conversation of any substance or importance.

I had to tell my mom. I had to. After all, the dominant person who came through was her best friend. What better gift than to know that she is still with her and giving her strength. Mom didn't even know I was going to the session today. I wanted to wait and see how it went before I said anything to my parents. Well, now I couldn't wait to tell her but how exactly do I explain what occurred? Oh your best friend, my second mom, who died in 2003 - yeah, she talked to the medium today and gave me all kinds of messages - some even for you. Your aunt showed up too by the way. But I had to tell her. She wouldn't be able to deny it even if she wanted to. I called Mom and told her I was on the way over. Of course she was worried something was wrong. Not to worry - just something that has to be done in person.

Thanks to the great advice of my boss, I took a recorder and a notebook to the session. Information was spewing out like crazy and there's no way I would have been able to remember all of that stuff. I'm so grateful because 8 years later, I can look back at what became my spirit journal and relive every single moment of that session (and every other session I've had). There were some things that didn't make sense at the time but they did soon after.

I remember telling Mom and Dad everything that occurred and they both just looked at me in disbelief but also in the same awe with tears rolling down their face. It was like looking at myself in the mirror. There was absolutely no denying what occurred. After I went through everything that transpired step by step, there was silence. Mom's mind was reeling. Dad got the concerned look on his face that he always did when there was something that just didn't quite make sense to him. Dad could not wrap his head around the fact that the medium had just had a conversation with someone who had died. He did everything he could to find fault or debunk it. But he couldn't.

From that moment on, I shared the "results" of every session I experienced with them. Mom was on the edge of believing. Dad wanted to believe but he just couldn't make sense of the "how". Then I found out what was really bothering him more than anything. He wasn't letting himself believe because he just couldn't see how someone could talk to a dead person. He believed in heaven and reincarnation and that when our bodies die, our souls do not. But this was against everything he had ever known. He just couldn't ever get behind these experiences being real. Even when I came back from a group session one night and told him that his father came through. Even when his father mentioned his mother's name and not her birthright name - but the name he called her. Even when his father apologized to him for things he should have, but never did, in his life here on earth. It all rang true. I saw the pain and the heartache in my dad's eyes. He couldn't deny it and finally, in death, his father said to him what he should have said his whole life. It was a moment I'll never forget and I know Dad never did either. The power was immeasurable.

"What about God?", Dad would say. "My religious beliefs won't let me believe" would be his main explanation. That bothered me for many reasons. But we will get into that in a different post. At the time, I didn't know the answers to Dad's whys. All I knew was what I experienced and it was real. With each session, it got more real.

And now, here I am.... starting to do the same thing that medium did for me eight years ago. How ironic (or is it?) that Dad is no longer here on this earth and it wasn't even two weeks after his death that he came through loud and clear in my first session with my present energy healer/medium/mentor. I had never met Ilona. She knew absolutely nothing about me. I'll never forget sitting on the floor across from her and she literally felt the exact pain in the exact place that my dad had experienced it. Among other things, Ilona channeled a message for my mom from Dad. That session. That's when I knew without a doubt. He gets it now. It took him almost eight years, but he gets it now. It was so worth the wait.

I believe that there are no coincidences in life - that everything happens for a reason. It's all part of a plan/contract/agreement that we have made or has been made for us before we were born. I also believe that every time a major death has occurred in my life, it has brought about a blessing. When my grandfather (my mom's dad) died when I was 11 years old, I was devastated. But as a result, it brought me closer than ever to my grandmother and she became one of my soul reasons for not only surviving but thriving in this life. When she died, I lost a part of my heart and never thought I'd know how to truly feel love again. A year later, she sent me Jason. (Seriously, she made it happen - that may be a later story to tell.) When Prowler unexpectedly died, he took my heart with him and yet less than a year after, he sent me Nami to give me purpose again. (Yes, he told me numerous reasons why he gave her to me and that will be a different topic as well.)

Every monumental being who has left me has given me something exceptional in return. But when my dad died, he gave me the greatest gift of all. He gave me the confidence and the means to follow my intuition, to begin using my gift to help others. Dad led me to my higher self.

How do you start your day?

How do you start your day? Do you have a morning routine or ritual?

I would love to start mine with a walk on the beach with my dog, some mediation and then back to the house, enjoy making a delicious plant-based smoothie, turn on some relaxing music and plan the rest of my day as I deem fit. I don't get to do that. Well, I don't get to do that yet, that is. One day. One day, I'll have that ability. One day soon. I'm currently going through the process of setting my intentions and manifesting. But for now, I am doing the best I can with what I've got until the rest of my dreams come true. All in divine time and all through the power of positive energy. I am open and ready to receive great abundance!

Right now, I start my day a little chaotic with a two-year old puppy. I also start my day a little earlier than I'd like because I have that thing called a job that I have to get to by a certain time of day. Half asleep, I stumble out the back door to take the little one out to potty.  I go upstairs and feed her as I drift back off to sleep in the chair. Then, Hubs and the little ones waken and I groggily wander to the kitchen, eat an almond energy ball or an apple, or a piece of sprouted bread toast with raw almond butter or maybe just guzzle down a plant-based protein shake with almond milk. I take my fish oil and elderberry with a glass of water. The news is on in the background and I try not to pay attention because all the stories are negative, but I half listen just in case a tragedy occurred overnight.

I used to hate mornings but you know what my favorite part of the day is now? When I bring my little girl down to the bedroom to nap while I get ready for work. That quiet moment when I start to see the sun peeking up from the horizon. The yellow, pink and orange hue that glows through my curtains. The warmth of the natural spotlight shining on my hardwood floor. The waking of the birds as they sing their morning song. That moment of silence when the world hasn't begun to spin yet. If I have time, I often soak in my claw foot tub while meditating, connecting with my spirit guides and centering myself for the day. It used to all stop there.

But over the past few months, I have incorporated a new aspect of my morning routine - an aspect that I have found to be extremely necessary and valuable. I sit on my grandmother's cedar chest, open up the curtains to let the sunlight in and I read out loud my list of about 20 daily affirmations.



The power of positive thinking. We've all heard that our entire lives, right? I used to always blow it off and say that was such b.s. Well, guess what? It's not. For those of you who participate in such a ritual of affirmations, you are shaking your head "yes" right now. I might even have gotten an "amen" from some of ya'll.

Once I started reciting affirmations, my mornings started off so much better. Words are powerful. We all know that for a fact. They can hurt as easily as they can heal. But even more powerful is that we must be wary of what we say because what we say (and think) is what we attract. Say that out loud. What I say and think is what I attract. Let it sink in.

So why wouldn't you want to start off your morning, with positive, empowering and loving thoughts to yourself? Once I started reciting my affirmations, my outlook changed. My outlook on ME changed and isn't that where it all begins? I always say choose love - always choose love. Well, before we can truly love another, we must truly love ourselves. How many of us can truly say that we do? I wasn't always able to say that but I can now.

So how do you start your day.........

Time to smudge!

Smudging. Saging. Spiritual cleansing. Take your pick. Call it whatever you like. I prefer smudging for some reason.  Smudging is an ancient American Indian ritual used to cleanse or bless a home.  Energy has a way of building up in our homes just like dust and it can get really thick and stagnant over time.

I make smudging an annual ritual at the beginning of the year (at least before mid January) and then quarterly thereafter. That is the bare minimum that I smudge. If I feel stressed or a thick, tense heaviness, I'll smudge. If there's been a series of arguments, sickness or a death in the home, I'll smudge. If I feel spirits around that are not welcome, I'll smudge. If I just need to clear the air and jumpstart the energy in my house, I'll smudge. Or as Hubs likes to say, if I want to make the house smell like I have been smoking weed, then I'll smudge.

When  Jason and I moved into our OBX house in 2016, one of the first things I did was smudge it. Who knows what negative energy was in this house prior to us moving in? Best to just give it a good spiritual cleanse just to make sure and start off on the right foot. It surely wouldn't do any harm. I have enough spirits around me - I don't need to encourage ones that may not be pleasant. I also would smudge whenever I rented a vacation home for the summer. Talk about ton of energy - from all those renters week after week? Phew. (I have a story to share about an oceanfront rental I stayed in one October in the OBX that had a beautiful spirit that Prowler and I connected with but I'll save that for a different post.)

Ok, so how exactly do you smudge? It's pretty simple and you can find all you need pretty easily. Whole Foods, Wegmans, Mom's Organic Market. Even Amazon. There are varying things you can
use and you can search online yourself if you'd like but I prefer to use sage, nag champa and a simple white candle.

The most important thing to remember is not to worry about how you look when performing this ritual or worry if you are doing it "right". The key is your intent. Your intentions are to rid your home of negative, stagnant, harmful energy and to invite loving, positive, protective energies in to your home.

Ok, ya ready? Here we go - step by step.

1. I tend to smudge in the early morning, just as the sun is coming up or definitely while it is daylight. But, again, it's personal preference. Smudging is a great way to start off a day for me. Or, as I did today, a great way to end the day as the sun is going down.
2. Turn soothing or meditative music on. I like to have the "Soundscapes" Music Choice channel on the tv piping through the house - it's pretty easy. Or be in silence. You want to be able to focus on the task at hand and not be interrupted. 
3. Take the dried bundle of sage and light the tip with a match or lighter. Now you don't want it flaming so that your smoke detector gets set off (but be prepared because mine did once), but get it going pretty well and then gently blow it out letting it smoke through the air. 
4. Make sure you have a safe plate/bowl/cup to catch the ashes in and walk around your entire home allowing the smoke to circulate and cleanse the space.
5. Take your time because you want the smoke to cleanse each nook of each room. Open closet doors, don't forget bathrooms, crack the attic or cellar as well. Cleanse the stairwells, foyers and hallways.
6. While walking, be firm, direct, unemotional and speak out loud.  Here's something that I started with but tend to tweak it each time I smudge depending on how I feel and my specific intention. "May this sacred sage blend into every corner of this room and cleanse all negative and stagnant energies.  All negative and stagnant energies MUST leave NOW and NOT return." Do this until you FEEL the energy is clear in the room. Once you feel that is accomplished, then say, "In the name of God (or whomever you believe in) this room is now cleansed." Then move to the next room and do the same. Remember you are not running a race. Go at your own pace and feel the energy. Depending on the size of your home, set aside 30-60 minutes for this entire ritual.
7. I also like to spend extra time around entry ways from the outside in to my home and crack those as well. When friends, family, coworkers, handymen, anyone really, comes into your home, they bring their energy with them. My home is my sacred space so I need to make sure it's surrounded by the right energy.
8. After you have cleansed each room/area, blow out the sage and safely place it somewhere. By the way, if it stops burning/smoking while you're walking around, light it back up again. Don't get discouraged, it happens.
9. Light the Nag Champa incense stick and walk around every area of your home again inviting positive energies into your home. Again, this is all about intent.  Say something such as, "I now invite all positive, healing and protective energies into this room. This includes all sprit guides, spirit people and celestial beings. All positive, protective and healing energies are welcome."  Make sure that you have a receptacle to catch the incense ashes as well because if they hit your skin they do tend to sting - don't ask me how I know. 
10. Then "set" the ritual by lighting a white candle and KNOWING the home is now clear. I use this time as a time of meditating, praying and speaking out loud what I am thankful for. I use this as "me and God" time and end it with saying the Lord's Prayer and often even singing a song of praise or hope. This is truly all depending on what I feel and what may move me. at the time.  When you are done, blow the candle out and never leave it unattended. Also, don't forget to shut and lock all of your windows and doors.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to set the intention and feel the negative energy leave. Know that the room is clear and then joyfully invite the positive in! Hopefully, this helps ya'll with understanding how to smudge. If you have questions, comment below or send me a message. I'll be happy to help! Smudging is something I truly enjoy doing and the way I feel afterwards brings such relief and contentment to myself and our home.

My journey with spirit

It's 2019 and what better way to start off the new year than with this type of post?! I know this year I am going to be drawn to helping more people and, in turn, honing my abilities even more and leaning on my intuition greatly. Perhaps, this post will answer a lot of questions that most of you may be scared to ask (yet curious to know) about my journey with spirit.

In the summer of 2010, my boss (at the time) and his best friend went to a spirit medium and I thought they were crazy. He told me everything that happened in their session and how both of his long deceased parents came through with messages for him - relevant messages. I was skeptical but there were things that just couldn't be disregarded or explained. Maybe there was something to this, I thought. So for my birthday that year, I treated myself to a one-hour session with her. What would it hurt? The fact that I could possibly have a chance at hearing from a departed loved one was totally worth the chance and the money spent.

That one medium session changed everything for me that September day. So much so that I treated myself to a session with her every birthday (and a few other times during the year) until 2016 when I moved from Virginia to North Carolina. While each session was incredibly emotional, I still sat in awe every single time of her abilities and of her willingness to share this gift. Each time, was different and I never knew who would show up but I was never disappointed. It may not have been instant but it never took long to determine who was coming through and the support, love and advice "my people" provided was extraordinary.

During this six-year timeframe, I also took her psychic development class and her animal communication class. She thought I would be a natural and while I didn't think there was any way that I could do such a thing, I spent three Saturdays in her office with about six to 10 other people, learning how to connect to the energy of animals and passed humans as well as the art of meditation, the chakra system and overall awareness. As time went on, I gravitated more toward animal communication because I have an undeniable love for animals and that type of energy work was with "living" creatures. I wasn't so sure I wanted to open up the realm of connecting with the "other side" just yet.... or ever.

For about three years now, I have successfully been communicating with animals through a simple photograph. The ability to do such a thing shocked me at first and, honestly, still amazes me with each session I hold. At first, it was learning how to communicate with my best friend, my german shepherd, Prowler. The first time I attempted and it worked really blew me away and after that it became almost a daily thing. Prowler and I had a connection like no other and the energy still remains between us even though he is no longer in physical form. (Here's a link o a previous blog post that explains a little more: https://dennysshotgunriders.blogspot.com/2016/02/animal-communication.html)

While I kept my focus on animals, as time went on, my intuitive abilities started to advance whether I wanted them to or not. I started "feeling" when people were leaving their earthly bodies. At first, I truly thought there was something physically wrong with me and I had a full cardiac workup done due to my family history of heart disease. A very specific type of heart fluttering is how it started and how it continues to this day. I may not always know whose energy is pulsing through me at the exact time but it is typically made perfectly clear within a day or two. Often this feeling occurs at the time of their passing.

I also started sensing things through smell and sound and often times even seeing or knowing that "someone" was present. Whether it was cigarette smoke, a candle burning, the jingle of a dog tag, the shutting of a door, a shadowy blurb floating past or the flickering of lights, I knew "someone" was around. Lucky for me, I could often tune into Prowler and he would shed some insight on those things. In case you didn't know, animals and young kids are very aware - so don't discount when your daughter says she's talking to grandma when grandma passed a few years ago or your dog is staring at an empty chair and tilting his head as if someone is talking to him because that is most likely happening.

Bottom line is, it's all about energy. We are all made of up energy. When we die, we leave our earthly bodies but our souls survive and we just take on a different form of energy. It's pretty fascinating, actually.  We all have this ability - it's just being aware

really. Spirit knows they have an open channel through me and it's easier for them to connect through someone like me for that reason. It takes an equal amount of energy out of me as it does them to communicate.

There are a handful of my spirit people (those friends or family who have passed) who make it very well known that they are with me and then there are others that I'm not so sure who they are. But it's never a frightening thing. For those I know, it is quite comforting and there are certain symbols and signs that have developed so that I know without a doubt who it is (the dragonfly, the sunlight, the moon, a cooper's hawk, a dove) There was one incident that continued for weeks at my old house in Virginia that was really annoying and very disruptive to my and Prowler's daily life. I'm not going to go into it because I have "let it go" and will not welcome that spirit back into my energy field. But that is when I truly learned the art of smudging and made it an annual and then quarterly routine in my life. Smuding truly is a necessary ritual to rid your space of negative, harmful and stale energies. I'll be sure to blog specifically about that soon.

When I moved to North Carolina in September 2016, I was in desperate need of finding a medium and I was at a loss. I had gotten so comfortable with my Virginia medium and had built up a trust with her. Having to start over with someone else would be a challenge especially since I didn't know anyone. Later that year, I found Natalie (https://wisdomwithin.co/) at my hair salon who was performing reiki (highly recommend it by the way) and intuitive work and I had a session. I loved every bit of it and was so relieved to have found an "energy healer" in the Outer Banks. Of course, it wasn't long after that, she moved back to New Hampshire and I was so disappointed. But in the beginning of December 2017, when I was completely broken after losing Prowler and my dad almost a year apart to the day, I turned to Natalie. She recommended one of her students who was new to this field but who would definitely be able to help. That's when things really started to open up for me. Meeting Ilona of Spiritual Giant (https://spiritualgiant.co/) was exactly the push from spirit that I needed.

In June of 2018, my journey truly began and I am really thriving. This journey that I am on is one of enlightenment, self-care, healing of core wounds, recognizing and handling triggers, letting go of that which doesn't serve me, the art of forgiveness, facing my fears and above all, always choosing love.  Not only am I learning techniques and practices to better myself and my temporary life here on this earth, but my spiritual abilities have been heightened and I am in the process of a beautiful transformation.

There is no better feeling than to be able to play a small part in helping others find their truth, to aid them in letting go of something that has held them back for decades, to connect them with their precious dog as he is about to take his last breath or to even give them a message from a loved one who has passed. For when I help them, I truly am helping myself. The trust they must have in me to believe me and to take on such a feat is immeasurable. As an empath, it's not always easy to handle all of my own emotions, much less those that I feel from others, but I am blessed to have these abilities and grateful to those who trust me enough to share their deepest feelings and fears.

A lot of you, if you haven't given up reading by now, are probably thinking, well, it's finally happened. We've lost her. For good this time. First, she starts eating plants. As if that wasn't cuckoo enough, now she's talking to dead people and thinks animals can talk. She talks about the phase of the moon a lot and now she's reading tarot cards so maybe she's even a witch. But she meditates and talks about grounding herself too so maybe she's got some mental issues. If that's what you think, then, yeah, you probably should have stopped reading by now. But if it's not what you are thinking, then you're going to enjoy my blog (and my Facebook posts) this calendar year.  I have so much to share with you and I know that there are plenty of you out there who I am going to reach and help send, in some way, on your own spiritual journey!