In my Reiki classes I teach people how to become more powerful manifestors by creating affirmations and intentions, instead of setting expectations. Affirmations work by using your intuitive wisdom, putting words to the emotions that you feel in your body when thinking about something you would like to have come to fruition. They also leave space for the universe to work its magic. Meaning we don’t put limitations on when or how this manifestation comes about. We are limited when we observe the world through our small-self lens. Our current conditioning only allows for us to view time linearly, meaning we can only imagine for ourselves what we have experienced before. (Read more…)

This is less of an article diving into something and more of a series of opportunities to reflect. Mercury Retrograde has become a huge meme in the world of the internet, yet it was one of the most important phases to learn about during the early part of my spiritual journey. (And for those of you who don’t know what I mean by spiritual, I kind of just mean the art of becoming more fully human.)

As I understood it then, and still understand it today, Mercury Retrograde is a period of time when we are encouraged to slow down. Some folks fear Mercury Retrograde because “we aren’t supposed to do anything,” when really we aren’t meant to rush. (Read more…)

In my younger years I would seek out the cards to tell me what to do. Sometimes I would even do readings for an entire year in advance, just to “prepare” myself for what lies ahead. I was still unsure of myself and looking outside for answers. I was still recovering from an emotionally unpredictable childhood and felt that I needed to look everywhere for clues. I did not know either of these things at the time.

After more spiritual growth and many years later, I realize now that the cards were never trying to tell me what to do. The purpose of the cards, or any mystical modality for that matter, is to reveal what is already within you. (Read more…)

I wish I could remember where I heard this term originally. I know it was in one of the many ceremony circles I’ve sat in. Whoever was holding the space told us that pain is like a hot potato, as soon as it reaches our hands we toss it to someone else to deal with. The metaphor ended there, but I’m thinking of it again this morning after an interaction I had with someone close to me.

They were standing in front of me; self-described as “squirming” in my presence. That familiar feeling that many of us have had, where we feel awful and just don’t know what to do about it. We writhe and text and doom-scroll and move in any way that we subconsciously think will alleviate us from the pain. As I write this, I realize it’s the denial phase of grief. (Read more…)

This work that I have been practicing for almost a decade has proven to be some of the most impactful. There is nothing that is as consistently transformative than introducing people to their natural healing abilities and teaching them how to trust themselves. All while held in a safe container where they are connected to other souls who are committed to healing.

When people leave this class their lives are changed. I have seen it again and again and again. (Read more…)

While I was standing in my kitchen, chatting with my partner a few weeks ago, I was telling them about the most recent neuroscience study I had read about humans. In that moment something really fell into place for me — humans are hardwired for love.

I feel like I should have already known this, but somehow knowledge seems to first enter through the mind. Only after having experienced and studied something for years does it finally sink down into the body. In that place where your soul embodies it. (Read more…)

There were a few messages that I received in Reiki sessions last week that really resonated with me, and I thought they might help you too.

“Love doesn’t rush, so don’t rush yourself.”

“You belong here, there is no mistake. But there is also no purpose.”

“There is no right or wrong, only what leads to balance.”

“You deserve love, no matter what.” (Read more…)

I remember once, while sitting ceremony, initially I could see every painful memory linked together by a blue thread living within me. But after that, I saw every beautiful memory linked together with a a glowing golden thread that wrapped around the pain.

The pain didn’t disappear, but my ability to hold it had grown. Only love could sublimate the pain. Allowing it to be part of my story, not my entire being. (Read more…)

Being a Reiki practitioner is a pretty wild experience. I mean that in the best way.

First of all, I feel so incredibly honored that people come to me and trust me with their stories, their lives. They allow me to be a witness in their process. I perform Reiki and “listen,” meaning I open myself to whatever arises from the energy-body. I am still in awe of the fact that I can see past memories, relationship issues, personal goals and struggles. There is still no good science to help us understand how this works. But it works. (Read more…)

A few years back I listened to a TedTalk by a man named Theodore Zeldin. The talk was titled “The Art of Being a Couple,” though I’m not entirely sure why since he barely touched on how couples communicate and more about how we can become more human and develop a world that is evolving with the times.

In the very beginning he spoke of the Greek’s rhetoric and how this style of speaking was intended to be used when one wants to persuade someone else into doing or believing something. He stated that this is the way that we have all been taught to speak and how this is no longer serving us. (Read more…)

When I first connected with my partner they would regularly say, “Life is a funky shape.” I liked this phrase so much I started repeating it to myself when things felt a little different than I would like. It would help me settle into moments that felt like they should be different. (But different according to what?)

The phrase reminds me of the Buddha’s first noble truth: There is suffering. (Read more…)

It’s so interesting how our minds operate almost entirely in metaphor. How they take in what they see and become it. There is an evolutionary component to our brains that invites us to merge with what we see. The part of our brains that observe and learn from observation is much, much older than the logic and reasoning portion of the brain. Scientists say we evolved this way because while learning through experience is important, sometimes learning through observation is quicker and safer. I think of that now in these times of high speed technology. What we tend to observe most often are the computers and cell phones that we engage with on a daily basis. (Read more…)

Transcript of most recent podcast. :)

Hello, love buns this week we're going to talk about pleasure. The pleasure ceiling, a term I saw coined on the Internet, and then recently looked into, and it is something that is referenced on Psychology Today. If you couldn't already intuit what it is, it is like our personal, energetic limit for pleasure.

The reason why this is so important, and why I am so interested in pleasure as a practice is because it's only when we feel pleasure or feel happiness, or joy, or calmness, when our bodies can go into a healing state. (Read more…)

Love and weakness.

Strength and dominance.

Humbleness and meekness.

Discipline and punishment.

How many of you think these are pairs, inherently woven into one another? Even if you don’t think it consciously, can you notice the ways in which some part of you plays out this version of reality? (Read more…)

Reiki Level I is really about learning how to heal yourself. While this course can serve as a first step on the path to Reiki Master Level, most people complete Reiki I and go no further. Because Reiki treats the whole person - mind, body, and soul - I say that Reiki I is a great fit for any person who feels called to this healing modality. Whether you are a teacher, firefighter, project manager, hairstylist, etc., Reiki can help you calm your nervous system, heal old wounds, find happiness in relationships, and align you to a timeline of ease. (Read more…)

When people come to see me for the first time they ask me, “What is Reiki like?” and, “How often should I have a Reiki session?”

To which I respond:

You can think of your body-mind like a house. A house that is the same age as you. This house has experienced everything you have experienced and has had as many visitors as you have had interactions. (Read more…)

I stumbled upon this photo while looking for something else in my archives. This is me in 2017 receiving my Reiki Master Level certificate. I had completed Level I + II in the first half of 2013. After my final Level II initiation, my teacher leaned back on the table in front of me and asked what I wanted to do with Reiki. I said, “I think I want to dedicate my life to it.” She said, “Good, because you are called to.” (Read more…)

In the belly. That’s where we are, right? At least that is how it seems to feel. Our Neolithic Irish ancestors named this midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox “Imbolc” which literally translates to “in the belly.” They were describing the time of year when the ewes and other farm animals were pregnant with new life. But they very well could also have been referring to this dark and seemingly silent period of the year. (Read more…)

It's that time again, where many folks are feeling the itch to hit the restart button on their lives. Resolutions are set, diets are underway, detoxes and cleanses are on our minds.

In the past, I felt like if I could just scrub myself clean of all the "toxins," nab a new hairstyle, lose weight, and redo my wardrobe then perhaps my whole life could change… (Read more…)

It is December my loves. We're in the transformational stage of the year. That place which feels groundless and sometimes uncomfortable. No longer who we were, not yet who we will become. At best it can feel a bit awkward at this stage of the journey. At worst it can feel scary, like we are lost at sea…(Read more…)