In today's episode of Shannon's Mind...
"...just scrolling along their pages, looking for videos I watched back in October or November, I feel strong relief. It's an undeniable sensation. I watched a couple of them two days ago and thought, 'Yes, this is part of the path I'm meant to be on'."
May was a tumultuous, stressful month for me, and eventually, I will tell that story because it's full of juicy pieces of information for people who could relate, or get answers about things happening to one of their loved ones, and those who need my experience to be their wake-up call about boundaries. Today, though, I'm going to praise the sense of community* I get from some of the people in the wellness/ intuitive world. I so appreciate how much we benefit from collective consciousness, how these things allow us to empower ourselves and address a concern, and over time, there are people I come across who are in the wellness industry and labeling themselves as psychic because they authentically care about the highest good of themselves and others. They have a passion for empowerment. I'm going to focus on the fact that my 'aha' moment involved two women I respect very much whom I reached out to once I declared a readiness to have clarity and take more action in rectifying my situation.
I was trying to figure out how I’d make a certain point in this essay and – ta da! – Christina Lopes, DPT, MPH posted something to her YouTube account that helps to get me started. On the image are the words, “Non-attachment is the most loving thing you can do”, and the post goes on to say,
“Why do we cling so hard to people, things and titles?
It’s not just because we love them.
It’s because they hold our self-image together – like emotional superglue.”
Recently, I made a very dumb mistake when I headed across the street to play with my furry neighbor, a golden doodle named Cooper. I had my deck of little Rider-Waite Tarot cards in the pocket of my coat. I wanna tell you about that and also share something quickly about how I get 'yes' and 'no' messages from my Higher Self, just in case this tidbit ends up being helpful to you.
I wonder...if it was coincidence, which in general I don't believe in, or if by train of thought I manifested the moment when a particular audiobook came up on YouTube:The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell.
I just thought I'd share this for anyone who likes using strong visuals in their meditations and energy healing. If you can relate, I'd like to know your version.
At this stage in my spiritual path, I
enjoy a silly, very visual routine as a way of checking in with different essential parts of my
being, providing TLC in a brief, very visual moment to myself before
going back to tangible human stuff, now feeling that much better,
probably because at that point, I'm confident that I've practiced some
efficient self-care. Chakras, also known as energy centers, are a real part of our health and wellness, a statement I make based on research and personal experience, and if you feel like messing around with the concept by spinning or clearing them, I recommend it! I've been under the impression that the condition of one's body is influenced by multiple factors, including the electromagnetic energy in and around it. A few ways of exploring that are detailed below.
As I've progressed in the rookie program of intuitive development, my clairsentience has strengthened. Of course, that's not the surprising part, but instead the way it feels when I run through all the energy centers, spinning them and checking on their status in a simple way, usually starting with clarity and size. These days, I feel them more acutely, and I don't notice these sensations without specific focus, one chakra at a time. I'll admit that usually, when I move through that routine, I'm long past the foggier, lovely phase right after waking. I tend to cleanse chakras while wide awake because it grounds me when I'm transitioning from research to exercising, or I might be in a longer line at the store than I anticipated, overheating because I haven't checked the weather in advance, and it's lovely out, but I'm wearing a coat and a sweater and my foot is starting to hurt and, 'Did I call the bank? Ohmydog, how is the skin on my hand still itchy and feeling tight when I moisturi -- you know what? This is annoying. Let's do something useful: Chakras'.
It's one thing to hear numerous times about balancing a goal with the truth of spiritually and psychologically letting it go, and another to watch a result of doing so and recognize the process, saying to oneself, "Oh, okay, so this is what it looks like in my life". As I type this, I can hear Oprah in my head - a moment from a fantastic, brief talk she gave at the 2016 Essence Festival about scoring the role she wanted in the film adaptation of The Color Purple. She made the following excellent point: "When you've done everything you can do, surrender all". That speech is fantastic, the advice is needed, and what I'm about to tell you is one way in which that very process has played out for me recently.
I've been saving money and tried a few energy work techniques I'd never explored before. One of my responsibilities since quarantine began has been to expand my education on epigenetics, or the science of what causes genes to develop in particular ways, causing blue eyes, allergies, IBS, acid reflux, migraines, cancer, etc. I'm also in the process of studying the connections between stress and the body, the heart and the brain, as well as the brain and the immune system. I've learned about different types of energy work, different outlooks on spirituality, and fascinatingly, I came across media detailing the spiritual beliefs of ancient civilizations and devoted esoteric groups - things that are universal truths, some of which we are finding and sharing scientific evidence for today. There were civilizations in different parts of the globe that passed down info. over generations that match up so well, it couldn't rightfully be dismissed as a coincidence by historians. The better I understand each of these subjects, the more that information serves me today and well into the future, so you can consider this to be a part of doing my share in the process of manifestation.
I want to out myself to you about a meditation attempt. For a moment, I was imagining the energies of two specific women, one on either side of me, with my Higher Self directly across the way. My intention, at first, was to open up to messages, but I kept turning to distractions so varied, I'm surprised I don't have whiplash. Finally, we reduced the session to just the Higher Self and the human. Suddenly, there was an image of a little girl in a dress kneeling or sitting inside a white chalk circle. I knew that so long as she stayed inside that circle she was safe. Well. I quickly placed the reference (A Little Princess, a lovely movie based on a beautiful book, both from my childhood) and asked, "Does that refer to the circle of white light*? Or the electromagnetic heart field?" and the response was, "Heart field".
I feel safe using this generalization: that we're all familiar with the word "karma". The post today is a brief contemplation of whether I want to continue believing that karma exists. Wanna join me?
I'm bringing it up because I've heard it enough times from some speakers I appreciate in the spiritual wellness realm, whether they were giving their take on how karma could result from certain actions, or defining and explaining karma in basic terms. It intrigued me when I heard something different from a shaman named Durek.
On December 26th, I had a silly hours-long symptom of ascension: It sounded rather like someone in the next room was quietly whistling, made even better by the fact that it was changing octave almost constantly, lacking rhythm and it amused me. I periodically would let it distract me just for fun. I'd be eating breakfast, working out or washing my hands and I'd pause for a moment, be quiet and listen.
As I go through a physical aspect of spiritual transformation and the entire planet adjusts to the 5D energy, obviously that means lots of interesting moments, like movement and pressure within my brain, my vision changing so that I can see the vibration of atoms, and this! My hearing has been shifting too, allowing for fun feelings and sounds no one else notices!
I have to be careful around Mom so she doesn't worry that I'm developing any health issues. The physical sensations need to be as much a secret as possible and excuses are made for my pauses or slip-ups; Usually, "migraine" or blaming my acid reflux does the trick.
In this post, I plan on going further with the topic of these ascension symptoms for a little while, then mention a dream visitation I got from a loved one. If you're interested, click!
It was about a young man, an immigrant. I never learned what his first language was and by the time I heard him speak, he sounded American-raised (and thankfully, this was a dream, so I could get away with turning around to be his audience for what felt like minutes plural). He didn't know anybody when he moved to town, so short, so skinny, in baggy athleisure with truly icky hair choices.
You know when someone's hair is really short, but still styled in a questionable way that makes you think, 'It deserves so much better'? I know you've heard me go on and on about acceptance and patience and my pursuit of non-judgment, and everything I've said is what I'm really up to, but I have moments of choosing my old ways and...here I go, being catty, because...this hair. It involved skinny pieces of hair pointed down his forehead as if he didn't understand what "bangs" or "fringe" means. Sure, the look wasn't nearly as interesting as the live tree-as-accessory I depicted in a previous post, but here at No Matter Where You Go, There You Are, I don't try to outdo myself, I just shine light on the weird elaborate metaphors, and this guy was indeed a metaphor.
Are you a fan of walking around barefoot? Do you water your plants or check the mailbox shoeless about as much as weather permits? After playing in the yard with your kid or your dog, do you feel any different? And do you think a person could benefit from spending a lot of time barefoot in the grass or sand?
This list is in no particular order, and it’s a way of practicing gratitude, which is something I need to work on in order to feel good, take less for granted and have an easier time manifesting the positive achievements I want/need.
This dream was had on the morning of either Sept. 22 or 23.
I made the mistake of choosing to not write down this dream immediately after waking, so hours later, I of course didn't remember much, though the scene was fuller than many other dreams I've had, which I'm sure is the result of my Higher Self getting involved. There was more atmosphere when I suddenly was in the home of some friends I don't know in real life - three sisters, one brother - and I was drawn to one of the sisters most because she had an air about her that said we could have intellectual discussions, I could learn, maybe even open up my optimism, standing more often in the headspace where, to quote a cliché, "The world is your oyster."
What I remember now of the dream this morning is that I was working on something with a guy I used to know, a neighbor of a friend of mine, and this guy was goodhearted with so much potential but was awfully immature for his age, which often made him an annoyance, and he moved out of that building, like, a year and a half ago, so it surprised me to recall seeing him in my dream, and soon after that scene was over, my imagination had moved on to some darker alternate universe that had me hiding in an unfamiliar house under one or two heavy blankets in a corner of the front room, shades drawn, because I just didn't have time to bolt for a room toward the back of the house with the faceless older man who found us this house to begin with. He had been partway out of the room, headed for the hall when the front door flew open and let in what I assume was a militia, dressed all in black riot gear, shielded helmets protecting most of their faces from me. Two men in the front didn't obscure their faces, though, and one barked orders at the man who had been trying to help me, while the other looked over at the pile of blankets in the corner and, fearful, I accidentally made eye contact. My response was to flop some heavy, dark-colored blanket over my head, as if that would convey the message that I wouldn't try to describe him to any dissidents, due in large part to the fact that he, like the men behind him, currently had a long firearm in his hands. I was afraid that I was now going to be shot to death. Up until the moment I awoke at 11:22 a.m., lying on my arm in such a way that it felt amusingly numb, Dream Me was still alive.
I think I can tie those two memories together in the following way...
Previously on…
I started writing a book of essays. Later, I made out with Kim Kardashian, saw Santa and ate paste, all within dreams. There began a phase of increased creativity and Pilates. I announced on this small blog that I would be apartment-hunting. My chocolate Labrador friend Pluto seems to have a crush on me while I have a crush on a being who’s over 600 years old. Also, I'll talk briefly about how I communicated with a plant.
