Do you listen to the synchronicities? The Universe is always trying to communicate to you, but are you really listening? Is she lining up little red flags and showing you that it's time to perhaps lean in another direction? If it's square peg meets round hole, again and again....chances are that is the case. Free will, my friends. Life is all about choices. You have options. We always have options. You can hold onto your hat and prepare for the wind to shift. You can also rise to meet that wind. What is your heart telling you to consider? And will you truly hear what your heart is telling you? Remember. You are safe. You are loved. You've got this. 🍃💖🙌🍃 Carrie Carter -Painted Chakras and Stairways (Located in Hull/Aylmer, QC area) Usui Shiki Ryoho Master/Teacher Lightarian™ Reiki Master/Teacher Crystal & Mineral Master/Teacher Soul / Healing Coach Affiliate Member of The International Center for Reiki Training Member of The Wellness Universe Pachakuti Mesa Carrier #Selenite #ReikiAttunements #ReikiSessions #Meditation #AntiStress #MigraineRelief #Soothing #Gratitude #MeditationWithCrystalsAndMinerals #Crystals #CrystalLove #CrystalCombos #Swoon #CrystalAndMineralGoodness #CrystalReiki #PocketFullOfCrystals #ReikiLove #ReikiGrandMaster #HealingEnergy #WinterLight #NaturalLight #Photography #PaintedChakrasandStairways #HealersOfInstagram #Wellness #WestEndReiki #OttawaHullAylmerReiki
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Where I live in Canada, we are enjoying the first glimpses of Spring. You can enjoy this transformative time with every ounce of your being and with all of your senses. It is a time of great magic and promise. Open to it. Breathe it in. Welcome this time. Transformation will of course usher in great change. This blossoming can only come with embracing the "now" and the releasing of "what was". The caterpillar must cocoon and then leave that very same cocoon to become the butterfly. For each of us this transformation will be different. Letting go of what we can no longer control and surrendering to "what is" and "what will be", can be both exhilarating and unnerving. I am no stranger to change...my whole life has been pivot after pivot. I find change challenging. In order to allow for change, we must relinquish our control. The truth in this surrendering is that it is all an illusion. We have never had control. We can only be present and fluid. Being present is our anchor. That anchor must be based on the sacred 3. Truth. Trust. Love. If it isn't, then true transformation will not manifest..instead it will be the greater illusion. Some crystals that assist with change: Jet, Malachite, Moonstone (rainbow pictured), Garnet, Chrysocolla and Labradorite. There are others...happy researching, my friends! 😘 🍃💖🍃 Carrie Carter -Painted Chakras and Stairways (Located in Hull/Aylmer, QC area) Usui Shiki Ryoho Master/Teacher Lightarian™ Reiki Master/Teacher Crystal & Mineral Master/Teacher Soul / Healing Coach Affiliate Member of The International Center for Reiki Training Member of The Wellness Universe Pachakuti Mesa Carrier #ReikiAttunements #ReikiSessions #Meditation #AntiStress #MigraineRelief #Soothing #Gratitude #MeditationWithCrystalsAndMinerals #Crystals #CrystalLove #CrystalCombos #Swoon #CrystalAndMineralGoodness #CrystalReiki #PocketFullOfCrystals #ReikiLove #ReikiGrandMaster #HealingEnergy #WinterLight #NaturalLight #Photography #PaintedChakrasandStairways #HealersOfInstagram #Wellness #WestEndReiki #OttawaHullAylmerReiki It's been a challenging couple of weeks. Sleep has been intermittent at best. It's been a time of great growth, and with great growth...there is an increase in awareness. Usually this translates into several sleepless nights. This is of course a very precious gift. The growth. The awareness. This travels through bloodlines for generations upon generations. It is worth the effort. I know this all too well. I have always been alerted to the passing of those I have had a heart connection with (platonic, romantic or otherwise). It is not uncommon for those with extrasensory perception to be aware of something as simple as this. This last time it was quite different though. I was woken up 4 or 5 times between the hours of 1:30am and 5:21am with a panicky feeling. At least at the time, that is how my body registered the feeling as being...anxiety like. When I was poked awake (feels more like a "woosh") the first time, I peered into the darkness to see if there was someone there...this happens sometimes and I politely tell them to approach during waking hours. Only I did not see a silhouette, a ripple of energy, a notion that someone was standing bedside. I instead felt this feeling of panic that woke me up to darkness. I tried to fall back asleep, but succeeded only in laying there resting in a meditative like state. I initiated my Reiki and began a self-healing session while I rested hoping to drift off, only it never happened. When my alarm went off I was very aware of the feeling that something felt off. Something that was not of me but a part of me, even though I was fully aligned and centered. I mean, how could I not be after several hours of self-healing? I still wanted so badly to sleep but I couldn't. I had to go to work. I went about my day, drinking a token cup of coffee, despite the impending heartburn, to kick my butt awake in an effort to plow through until pajama time. It was as I sat in my pajama's later that evening, cuddled with my dog, that I received a text from an old friend. He told me that an old work colleague with whom I had been close to while working with that company, had passed that morning. I understood immediately what the night before was attempting to prepare me for. It was not a feeling of panic...but instead the feeling what this person felt pre-crossing. I have had a similar transmission like this before. It happened right before my maternal Grandmother passed. As I lay snuggled in my bed, the night before her surgery, I asked openly for her not to suffer. Should it be her time to leave us, as heart breaking as that would be, for her soul to feel free to return to glory with my full support. The idea of her having prolonged suffering made me feel sick inside. That night I was awakened by a feeling of someone crossing over my feet. I opened my eyes to this gentleman, standing on the opposite side of the bed. I couldn't speak. He was made of what seemed like a liquid amber. He was the most stunningly beautiful man that I have ever seen. His eyes bore into mine and I felt the word "no" as he very gently moved his head from side to side. I felt the deepest ache within my heart and it hurt so much. Just like that he was gone and I got up to get a glass of water and then promptly went back to sleep. My Grandmother died three days later at the young age of 67. I thought about this visitation for a very long time afterwards. The day my maternal Grandmother passed I was working. I could feel this energy beside me. Moving with me. Trying to get my attention. When my husband arrived out of the blue to pick me up and take me home...in my heart I already knew. With one look I knew. AND... I knew that she had been moving with me etherically that whole morning. It felt bizarre and she offered me a lot of communication in the days that followed. I did attempt to share with family but when grief takes hold, people get kind of stuck inside of themselves for a bit. Although I do hear spirit, I have found that my guides communicate in a different way. They do not use words. They communicate telepathically and with colour. They will awaken a feeling within my body, or show me images that help me to piece together their message to me. I know that I was prepared the night before my friends crossing this way. Just as I know the gentleman that appeared bedside before my maternal Grandmother passed, was in fact, one of my higher guides. It is a deeper knowing that you can feel in every cell of your body and it pulsates. It can be something challenging to explain to someone who does not experience it. For me personally, it helps to transition the grief into productivity. This greater knowing brings me peace. My preference is not to be woken up during the night, but this is when I am most relaxed and they have my full attention. Sooo...it is what it is, I guess. I do not get woken up nearly as often as I used to. I have had to set some boundaries. Some instances are worth being woken up for though. I have times during the day where I welcome the visitation and we have an established set of guidelines. Communication and boundaries are a healthy part of any relationship, after all! I am still in a state of learning to understand the full scope of the mediumship and channeling that I can do. I attended a healing workshop recently and I have been reminded again that it is time. In fact it is already progressing nicely...as in the train is leaving the station and I am choo-chooing along whether I like it or not. It's a good thing that I like it. It's my normal. It's just time to understand the depth of the conversation and what I can do with this. All I know for certain is that this is something that I will be devoting a lot of time to understanding. It's not something that will ever go away. It's a skill that must be continuously developed And, because this travels in bloodlines, I'm not just doing this development work for myself. I am also doing it for those that come after me in lineage. But that's a story for another time... Carrie Carter -Painted Chakras and Stairways (Located in Hull/Aylmer, QC area) Usui Shiki Ryoho Master/Teacher Lightarian™ Reiki Master/Teacher Crystal & Mineral Master/Teacher Soul / Healing Coach Affiliate Member of The International Center for Reiki Training Member of The Wellness Universe The truth about healing is that it can be messy. Making space for yourself to go through the unraveling of hard pain to get to the root cause, that pesky soft pain, can be a long process. Soft pain is the beginning. The beginning could have been a single event, or a series of events...there are many reasons for soft pain. This is the initial hurt. A death. A physical/emotional/spiritual altercation. An illness. Even job loss. Soft pain is the result of anything that upsets your energy and your alignment in a large enough capacity that it leaves a scar, so to speak. So what exactly is hard pain? Hard pain is the result of not processing something that ends up becoming what I call, an icky-sticky. It's both icky and sticky...because it's awful and it just won't go away. Over time this soft pain hardens and develops many layers....layer upon layer of unresolved pain. This initial pain, webs into a different pain and then into another. So what happens when we do not deal with our "stuffs"? Simple. They stick. We are meant to feel, process, embrace the truth and lesson and then finally, to release. If you have decided to embark upon a healing journey, to unravel and to free yourself, then I applaud you. It is not for the faint of heart. It requires grit and endurance...and I know that even if you do not feel like you have grit and endurance at times, please allow me to remind you that you most certainly do. We all have the capacity to self heal and to affirm and to maintain our own energy. The truth about healing is that it is not all rainbows and unicorns. Although wouldn't it be great if it were?! Healing is about peeling back each layer and being grateful for what each layer has taught you. Lessons are gifts. However, not every lesson is served with kid gloves. And, not every lesson is meant to feel all warm and fuzzy. Some of them trip you and knock you down and steal your breath from you. The truth about healing is that we are here to feel. That is the human experience. AND...you must feel it to heal it. We are all here to feel different things. That's the experience of the earthly body. While it is important to feel it while healing it...we are also not meant to stay in that moment. We must release. We must let go. That's the tricky part. Staying in our pain calluses us and does the disservice of robbing us of the present and so much more. That is why it is just as important to embrace the lesson. You have to feel it and release it, again and sometimes again...and it will become less and less...but the process is very important. No one can do this for you. You are ultimately in charge of your energy and what you retain and what you release. You are the sole ambassador of your energy. Try, as you move through a period of healing and run the gamut of emotions that is paired with a healing crisis (yes, it's actually called a healing crisis!), to be gentle with yourself. It's important to process and to release and to do what you can to raise your vibration. Anything that brings you joy so that you can be "in joy" is what you do to amp up your energy. Make space for yourself to heal. A bubble bath, a piece of chocolate in that bubble bath and maybe...your favorite music?! Heck, light a candle. Light several candles. Make yourself comfortable and then ask yourself...how can I make myself just a little more comfortable? Then do that. And then do a stitch more. Feel that joy. Feel that comfort. Feel that moment of being present and happy. You deserve to feel joy. It is not realistic to be a happy ball of sunshine everyday. We all move through "stuff". And...that's it. It's just stuff. You need to process it. You need to embrace it. You need to let it go. By doing so, you are making room for more. When we make room for more after making our path lighter, we attract like energy. We make room for better stuff, higher vibrational lessons will appear....and appear...and appear again. You will see that things will begin to shift. As we shift into a more authentic and realistic version of ourselves, we shift into a brighter reality. The Universe WILL give you exactly what you ask for. The trick is to authentically match the vibration of what you are asking for. You. Are. Worth. It. Carrie Carter -Painted Chakras and Stairways (Located in Hull/Aylmer, QC area) Usui Shiki Ryoho Master/Teacher Lightarian™ Reiki Master/Teacher Crystal & Mineral Master/Teacher Soul / Healing Coach Affiliate Member of The International Center for Reiki Training Member of The Wellness Universe Ever since I was a very young girl, I have always been attracted to the sacredness of Mother earth, her elements "et all". Play time was often spent sitting outside either under or up in a tree, reading a book, sketching or simply feeling and dreaming. Childhood was for the better part, without video games, television and outings with friends. "Plugging in" as we put it now, referencing electronics, of course, was very limited and play time with friends, well...a lot of the time I didn't really have any. We moved a lot, I spent every second weekend away from home and real friends were very hard to come by. Between the age of 9 and 12, it was very challenging. About a month before my 13th birthday, my Father had been remarried, we had moved to a small and at the time, kind of remote town outside of Ottawa, with the promise of not moving anymore. I was very far, over 5 hours away from any real family, and I felt pretty sad most of the time, even though I was finally making lasting connections with kids my age. Family was very important to me, still is, and I had considered my Grandparents, maternal and paternal, to be like an extra set of parents. I very much relied on their support, love and companionship to thrive. Being so far from them, and my mother, proved to also be very challenging. Have you ever just sat there, under or in a tree? To feel the moment? To feel with all of your senses? To feel the connection? As a child I did this often. I can recall being very young, climbing a very tall tree while visiting my aunt who had just had a baby. I believe that I was shooed outside to play and returned covered in tiny ants. I didn't notice, of course, and when I leaned into the bassinet to kiss my wee cousin and dropped ants all over her, I did get in a bit of trouble. Although, thinking back, it was hardly my fault...I didn't know any better and was always either rolling in grass, mud...or climbing trees. I spent a lot of time outside and loved it. As a teenager, although I was still collecting rocks and fossils, I had forgotten about tree climbing and all that comes with connecting to the true spirit of nature. I mean, we went camping every year, but after that big move and I made friends, my focus went to writing in my journal, drawing, painting and dreaming about boys. That was until 15 or 16 and then I met a Wiccan Priestess. It seems that after moving and finally having true friends to go out with...dare I say it...to go to the mall!!! I had put my tree climbing on the back burner for a time. After the move though, things would happen that I couldn't really discuss with anyone. I would get woken up in the night by a small blond girl that would sit on the edge of my bed. I was also having experiences of knowing and well in advance, events that would occur sometimes weeks later. I also experienced sleep paralysis, astral travel and through my journaling, discovered that I could do automatic writing. I would receive a knowing prior to and shortly after a family death, before the communication was extended. I would journey to meet the ancestors at night. I did not share the depth of this with anyone as a teenager. I had attempted to share with my step mother, but she was the archetypal evil step mother, and not only laughed at me, she also told me that I was full of sh*t (seriously) and teased me relentlessly for what seemed like an eternity. They were the formative years, the torturous years but also the building blocks of who I am today. Although I have no regrets, as a forty something now, I admit openly that I have had to put in a lot of time to heal through journeying and also, of course, using Reiki and other energy work. This second wife of my father was a Heyoka of sorts, with a heavy pain body. I learned a lot from looking into that mirror. I still struggle sometimes with the residual stuffs, but the processing after a trigger is much faster to deal with now, because I have the awareness and the tools to deal with it all. During my time with her there was a lot of emotional and sometimes physical abuse. The scars are not so deep now and I know that the circle of this lesson for me is mostly complete. Back to the story, for a short time, we had this family friend, the Priestess, who would visit and sit with my Father's 2nd wife. Her husband, also a devout Wiccan, happened to work with my father. The friend, was very open to questions and I had many. Her energy, felt earthy and her eyes, I can remember staring into them and feeling the earth. I instantly felt connected and I feel that she did too because she began to teach me. This was a time of respite, an oasis to escape the toxicity of what had become my everyday at home, and gave me a feeling of empowerment. I have a sense that she knew the truth about the toxicity. Her friendship with my stepmother was not long lasting. I believe that it was meant to be, because she was a great teacher and this was part of a lesson on my journey. In my experience to date, the teacher arrives when needed and then leaves just at the right time, although it may not feel like the right time, and most often, leave to never be experienced again. That first day, the Priestess gifted me with my first two crystals (rose quartz and clear quartz and a lifetime obsession with collecting more crystals), and then overtime, several "must read" books and ritual tools, of which I still have some 25 or so years later, handmade incense, some essential oils and a deck of tarot cards. One of my favorite experiences, was being invited over to her home so that I could spend time in her library. It was a magical place, with dozens of crystals hanging in the windows, ritual tools on the table beneath the window, and 2 walls full of books on the occult, wild flowers, trees...all essential to her practice. That was the day that she gifted me with my first deck of Tarot and worksheets that I could use to "know and to feel the cards". I was to study one card each week and sleep with it under my pillow. Before I left with the cards, she had spent several hours lighting and relighting smudge in a room with the door closed, to cleanse them fully for me. To this day, it is still my favorite go-to deck. Even though I now have a drawer full of tarot and oracle cards...still my favorite! Up until then, I had only ever gone to a Baptist church with my paternal grandparents, the same church that they helped to build, sing in and worship in. When I was around 16, I decided within a few short months of studying everything that I could get my hands on, that I would follow the Wiccan path and that I would be a Dianic Wiccan. I decided this of my own accord and put a lot of thought into what that commitment would mean for me fully, before I did so. I found a circle that would meet up once per week. My father would drive me from our small town into downtown Ottawa so that I could attend. I made like minded friends, experienced group rituals, meditations and discovered what it was to truly dance! Drumming circles, dancing, healing rituals...all integral parts to this experience that shaped me as a 16 year old. I followed this path for many years, well into my early 30's, performing ritual and Sabbat, etc. with love and the upmost devotion. I learned a tremendous amount about myself during this time, and I also spiraled into my pain body. All things that we are exposed to, we must process, or it manifests on a cellular level. If not processed properly, pain will either get trapped in our energetic field, or in our body. I wouldn't say that I went to a dark place. Let's call it a gray area. I did what a lot of people do when they attempt to process their pain. The pain becomes the story. The only story. I suffered through anxiety and depression for years as a result. I moved out right before I turned 18, and a couple years later, met my husband and moved in with him. By then I was calling each set of grandparents on the weekends. I looked forward to it. The paternal side very Baptist, born again Baptist to be exact...so we only ever discussed Jesus and the greater good, light, the divine...and that was just fine. Those conversations felt light and beautiful and I am grateful for that side to my spirituality. It's all a part of the bricks and mortar. This is when I discovered that my maternal side was witchier than I had ever known. My Grannie went to church on occasion (Anglican?) and read the bible each day but she was also open to the metaphysical. She was like an earth angel. You couldn't help but love her for all of her goodness. We discussed astral travel and receiving visits, being sensitive to energy and to spirit, and of course, clear knowing of all senses. I began to realize that I came from a long line of people who didn't talk about it, but possessed heightened extrasensory perception, and were very much aware of what lies in the "in between" and beyond the veil. Her very own mother read tea leaves and was also very sensitive. I can recall journeying to what I will call the ancestral table, shortly after the passing of my maternal and paternal great grandmothers, who passed within a short time of each other. It was a long table, with everyone that had come before me. It was all very proper and luminous. I was very small and they were explaining how this would work, how I would visit and how they would be available to guide me though. I believe that this as my first journey and I was around the age of 9. Also after the passing of my maternal great grandmother, my grandmother took me to my great grandmothers home to visit, perhaps to clean up, and I spent some time up in her attic. I rarely did this because the space felt weird to me. I could feel the residual energy. It didn't feel bad or heavy...just unknown yet familiar...therefor weird to my 9 or 10 year old brain. It was then that I had an experience, with my great grandmother's cat. My great grandmother was there....I could feel her. I cried as I talked to her through the cat. May seem a little woo-woo...but animals are very receptive to energy and I've had similar experiences like this, since then. Another part to this, as ancestral energy is a very important part of my practice, I will share about a photograph. In this same home, the home of my maternal great grandmother, there was a dark hallway that led to the only bathroom. leading to this hallway was a framed photo of my great grandparents on their wedding day. I'm not sure why, but as a kid, that photograph held real energy and I could feel the eyes in it. In fact, I would often run past it. After my great grandmother passed, my grandmother inherited this photograph, and she hung it in her office. Every summer, I would spend a couple weeks with my maternal grandparents. They had moved from Steeles and Young in Toronto, to a beautiful log home just outside of Peterborough in the country. Without fail, I would visit and soak in all of the love and creative energy that I could. In fact, I slept very close to her office, in the room beside, and would often hear a lot of noise while everyone was sleeping. Around the age of 18 or so, I finally got up the nerve to ask her about the clambering after dark. The first time she said that a racoon had gotten into the house and knocked the photo off of the wall. Then it happened again and again...and she told me that it just happens that way every few nights or so and shrugged her shoulders. She would hear a bunch of noise and go to check on it and find the only item disturbed to be that framed photograph. Eventually she just stopped replacing the glass. I think that she didn't want to scare me by sharing the truth so quickly. This was not something that people talked about. After I reassured her that I could in fact handle the truth, she began to really open up about her abilities. Right before my 18th birthday, I moved out, and as mentioned before, after a couple of years, I moved in with my husband. In our shared apartment, I decided to hang a copy of that photograph on our wall. My maternal grandmother told me that she knew that when she passed, I would not be given any photographs, so she made copies of a few, with her printer in black and white. so that I would have some. This prediction, unfortunately turned out to be accurate. I was so happy to have them, even if they were only photocopies and to have this part of my family history. I wanted to have a wall of family, to feel and see the energy each day. I hung up each of the three or four photocopies, one of which was the wedding photograph. I too heard the noise, sometimes it would be footsteps, other times just knocking, and then I would find only that one image on the floor. My great grandfather traveled through the image. Photographs can be portals, after all. The real fun began after I had children. This sort of thing does travel through the bloodline. My children are both sensitive and when they were very young, it took some getting used to. Once I realized what was happening, I wanted to do it properly so that they would have the proper support, knowledge so that I could guide them if necessary. Without getting into the details of it all, let's just say that raising children who have a heightened sense of awareness and extrasensory perception is not for the faint of heart. When they can hear and see spirit, and you of course can as well...it makes for an interesting household that isn't for everyone. I did not know exactly what to do in the beginning because I had only found normalcy in it as an adult. During this pinnacle time, while the kids were very small, and my career was both busy and very stressful something life changing happened. So it really wasn't too much of a surprise when I got sick. Really sick. The severity of it all was the only surprise and not a good one either. It started with a sinus cold, water on both ears and then finally, the proverbial nail in my coffin, full on vertigo. The vertigo lasted for 3 months or so, I have large chunks of memory gone from this time. I had to take a leave of absence from work. I could not sleep fully, and when I did finally sleep, I would start off in bed and then I would wake up on the floor. I would say that this is when I fell fully into that dark space. It all caught up with me then. I had never felt so badly about myself. I had a lot of time to think back and I lived fully in my pain body. I went to specialists, had many medical tests to rule out brain tumors and whatnot. Eventually, my husband found a treatment called vestibular therapy and we made an appointment almost immediately. This worked, after about a month and a half of treatment, I went back to work but would still have the odd bout of the spins. A friend and colleague, suggested Reiki and after telling him about the sensitivities of my children and one spirit visitor that seemed to be stressing out my youngest, he suggested a medium who was also a Reiki Master. I made the appointment that day with her. That first visit began with a reading. I found out more about the visitors that would come in the evening to visit the kids. Not just for my youngest, also the eldest, and finally for myself. There was a lot of night-time traffic in my home. I had many questions, and she was happy to answer them all. Finally we had the Reiki session and it was the second Reiki treatment I'd had. (I had one previously at a fair and loved it). I then made the commitment to return and did so for almost a full year, where I would be given homework to do and when I would return, we would go over the work and monitor my progress. What I did in all of those sessions was healing from the trauma of abuse. Years and years of it as a child. The pain of sexual abuse from a neighborhood teenager when I was only about 5 or 6. The pain of my mother leaving when I was 9 and each abusive relationship she endured afterwards, and I of course witnessed while visiting her on weekends. The pain of the emotional and physical abuse from my fathers second wife, who was an abusive narcissist, who was an expert in gas lighting, who loved to pin me up against the wall by my neck and lift me off of the ground so that only my tip toes could touch the floor. The pain from years of trying to keep control of my body, in the only way that I could, with food, or rather, with very little to none at all. So much pain and I was so tired. Over time, the deep wounds began to heal, the scars began to minimize and a greater awareness of self developed and strengthened. I peeled back layer after layer. I got angry. I cried. I got angry again. I felt the rawness of it all and began to step outside of the gray zone...that dark space. For the first time, I felt as though I was no longer in pain. I did not identify any longer with living in my victimhood, because essentially, that is exactly what I had been doing. I was no longer a victim. I took my power back. I owned my space. I was in control of me. This same friend who referred me to this healer, also told me about tree therapy. When I was having a healing crisis, moving through the pain, peeling back each layer, bit by bit, he told me to find a tree. I had forgotten how I used to sit and climb with trees. He said that when it became too much, to go and ask the trees permission firstly, and then to place my hands on the tree. Gentle. Lovingly. Breathe. Just breathe in the strength and the tree will help me. It was worth a shot. I had forgotten about my childhood spent in trees. From then on, I would go across the street on my lunch hour, to this park and sit under a tree. I would take off my socks and shoes, place my bare feet on the ground with my back against the tree, palms in the earth, take a deep breath and close my eyes. Meditation with this beautiful tree became a daily ritual for me. I had forgotten how to breathe. I drew strength from each meditation. I remembered what it was like to have this connection. To feel this wholeness. I taught myself to breathe, connect, growing roots and empowering myself during the entire process. I felt better than ever before. I decided then that I wanted to learn Reiki. I was already well versed in the chakra system, and was even reading up on the meridian lines within the body. I wanted to help others, as this year of healing had begun to help me. Tree therapy helped me to work through the waves of energy as I peeled back each layer, to move from the hard and calloused pain, to the soft pain...the very root of it all. The time leading up to my attunements, during that year of healing, I learned a tremendous amount about my self. We did a lot of journey work, meditation and I crafted my own ritual tools. I combined my knowledge of Wicca, with my developing knowledge of the energetic system, began speaking with my guides and began working with the Angelics, colour and my crystal collection expanded 5 fold. It was challenging, transformational and a lot of healing and growth resulted from the dedication. I did my level 1 & 2 Usui with this same Reiki Master. I can recall that the attunements were beautifully done. She asked me to source certain information from the internet and to bring it to the first class. At one point she did show me the manual that she had been given by her teacher. It mentioned being a member of the rainbow something or other. This was new to me then. I asked her what this meant and she said to look up rainbow warrior when I went home and that we are all members of the same tribe, united and awakened. Mind blown. Here's a link, if you're interested: https://www.manataka.org/page235.html She did not have her own manuals, or manuals from an association available. To the average person perhaps this would've been a red flag, but I was trusting. I had worked with her for a year, bi-weekly and dedicated to my self healing, and so far with great results. Her classes were not the typical Usui classes, however. Her sessions felt heart-based, but her classes were very different, they no longer felt heart based but became fear based. I didn't actually learn from her during the classes. Post attunements, I would arrive at her home, same time and day each week, bringing with me, someone to practice Reiki on. She would always jump in, after zero instruction, take over the table and my unsuspecting volunteer. After the practice session she would request that the person come back to see her as a paying client. . In the end, all she really did was provide the 2 attunements and teach me what I didn't want. I wanted to learn from an instructor. Even if I had the attunements necessary, I refused to learn hand positions, or symbol usage from the internet. A powerful lesson indeed. The dynamic began to shift during that time and I realized that it was unfortunately more about lining her pockets than the actual education. Keep in mind that I had visited her for healing sessions bi-weekly for an entire year before doing 2 back to back attunements. We were approaching this from two very different perspectives and I decided that I could no longer learn from her. There was a period of mourning. I mourned the loss of the friendship, the mentorship and afterwards I even questioned my abilities as a healer. Again, another lesson. I sought out a second Master. I found someone through a shop that I frequented. She would not honor my first two levels and asked that I re-do my 1 & 2 at a reduced rate. I ended up doing all levels of Usui with this 2nd Master. During this time, I continued to search within, heal and to grow. I enjoyed Reiki so much, was developing my own client base and had my own session space in my home. I even had a spot available to me in a clinic in town. And, just as before, I came to realize that the teacher and I were no longer were operating from the same perspective. I felt awful every time I would be around her and began to back off. My guides were guiding me away from her. I could feel this horrible feeling while around her in my solar plexus. The relationship dissolved long before it was officially terminated. I sought out more teachings, including Angel Reiki, Kundalini Reiki, did a few energy related workshops, began to actively do energy work on animals and was eventually led to Lightarian Reiki. I found a great teacher and have since completed all levels. As far as I know, that's as high as one can go with Reiki. It's a fantastic boost to my existing training and I can now teach Lightarian Reiki as well as being part of their association. I joined IARP, The International Association of Reiki Professionals. Lastly, I became a member of the Wellness Universe, a global healers collective. It's a great feeling, having a supportive network. I feel as though I am in a great place right now, to continue to learn, grow, as I have this strong foundation that I have quite literally spent years building. This brings me back to being a Rainbow Warrioress. I continue to search and to journey within. Lately, I am learning more through shamanic teachings, through reading and attending webinars. I feel that there is a lot of wisdom to be obtained and there are so many of us awakening to this calling to help each other, mother earth and in doing so, we will raise the vibration to help heal all. That is our greater calling, after all. Perhaps there will eventually be another part to this story. Although, I feel as though I've written enough for now. This is blog post is meant to describe a sliver of my journey so far. Healing is not an easy walk or journey, and I am fully aware that I have only just begun. There is a lot of work that goes into our self healing. True healing is done from the heart, by searching within and only with a strong commitment to reconnecting to our authentic self and your ancestral makeup. Not one journey is alike, and it is always a path that will take your entire lifetime and beyond to fulfill. Healing isn't a linear existence and it travels through many lifetimes, through our DNA and through generations. It isn't something that you can burn through your system in a day, month, year or even in years. Until next time, love to all on your journey. Keep on, keeping on, with love in your heart and in the soles of your feet. xo Carrie Carter Painted Chakras and Stairways When the heart speaks...This past year has definitely been the year of great love. Learning and applying each lesson, with each swell and swoon of the heart, fanning the flames to grow even brighter. Not all of these lessons have been easy. Some have been challenging and dark. Everything has a mirror component. We learn by dancing with the opposite, the reflected part that is in the mirror. In order to experience all facets of light, we must of course learn through experiencing the full spectrum. What is love without loss, love without hate, love in all of its highs and lows...to learn the most valuable lesson of all. Unconditional love. Love without condition, for yourself and for others. Perhaps the hardest lesson of all is in the feeling and in the processing of the energy. Loss, resentment, hurt, anger...are all poisons to the open heart. We must feel the great expanse of this darkness, process it with healthful boundaries and then release each fragment, all while maintaining an open heart. We are not meant to build walls that will only block out love, the great expanse of love and all its variations. We are meant to create healthful boundaries though. In choosing to work through each opposite of love presented, we in turn learn a deeper form of love. It is an act of both self love and self healing to work through each lesson in love...especially the dark stuff. This is the path to the higher heart, where we can unlock Christ Consciousness and access our spiritual gifts. This journey, is what 2017 was all about...heart energy. This energy and the path to the higher heart can only met with a series of higher truths and honesty because the signature energy of the heart and especially the higher heart, are equal parts honesty and truth. By the end of 2017, we will have had the veil drop, honesty and higher truths revealed and we will end this journey at our level of awareness based on the work that we have done through out the year. All of the lessons that we have chosen to move through or push away will determine our ascent that will loop into next year. This past year has definitely been the year of great love. Learning and applying each lesson, with each swell and swoon of the heart. Not all of these lessons have been easy. Some have been challenging and I've touched on this throughout the year, mostly on my Facebook page, Healing Energy - Painted Chakras and Stairways. 2018 will be the year of great manifestation. Following all of this wondrous heart energy, everything that you have nourished, honestly and in higher truth this year, will determine the effectiveness of what you choose to manifest in 2018. You can plant seeds to grow and then harvest, but they will only grow in the most nourished soil. Lots of love to all of you. Wishing you all a loving, honest and prosperous year in 2018. xo Photo: Carrie Carter Bedard Carrie Carter -Painted Chakras and Stairways (Located in Hull/Aylmer, QC area) Usui Shiki Ryoho Master/Teacher Lightarian™ Reiki Master/Teacher Crystal & Mineral Master/Teacher Soul / Healing Coach Affiliate Member of The International Center for Reiki Training Member of The Wellness Universe I haven't posted a blog entry in some time. My apologies for that. It seems that I have been focusing a lot of my creativity into my use of photography these past few months. Working instead with crystals and minerals, playing with light and colour and energy. I have a background working with photography and it is and will always be one of my favorite means of expression. I've missed writing though. I've missed sharing my thoughts on paper. The truth....sometimes I really need an energetic timeout and I do this by switching creative mediums. Painting, sketching, photography, writing, crafting....it's all an outlet. When we express creatively, in any chosen manner, we are manifesting....using our own energy to change and of course, to create something. When I first started photographing my crystal selections each morning and posting as a share, I didn't realize at first the scope of what I was creating. That it would mean something other than to me. It is and has always been more than sharing photos of pretty groupings. The crystals and minerals are always selected after my morning meditation. At first, I thought that they were just for me and I would do as I had always done, I would Reiki the stones and then place them in my velvet pouch and carry them with me. Then it dawned on me weeks after I had begun posting my "crystal picks". This is the way I intuitively develop and open to my gifts. I am guided to do something and it begins to blossom. So it begins, I feel pulled and it is lovely. It feels high vibrational and I feel guided in love! Working with your guides and learning their gentle nudges...is quite a lovely feeling. My crystal picks are actually a forecast. How it works is simple. Crystals, stones....minerals...each have their own properties. Together they create a very special energy that will work differently for each person that uses it. Take Rose Quartz for example. There are of course, basic properties that she possesses. However, she will activate, heal and essentially do something different for me, for you...and for Sue down the street. Rose Quartz energy will create something within your field that is needed based on what is needed to heal. Pair Rose Quartz with Malachite and we create something altogether different. Then add Sugalite and Smokey Quartz....you have a very potent combo that will work uniquely for each person that taps into the healing properties. The photos are meant to be meditated upon. Before photographing, I have charged the crystals/minerals with Reiki and with the intent to promote balance and healing for anyone open to receiving. Simply feel the energy and breathe it in. If you happen to have the featured crystals/minerals in your own collection, perhaps sit with the energy yourself. See what happens. Photos are posted on Facebook: Healing Energy - Painted Chakras and Stairways Also, find me on Instagram: paintedchakrasandstairways Carrie Carter -Painted Chakras and Stairways (Located in Hull/Aylmer, QC area) Usui Shiki Ryoho Master/Teacher Lightarian™ Reiki Master/Teacher Crystal & Mineral Master/Teacher Soul / Healing Coach Affiliate Member of The International Center for Reiki Training Member of The Wellness Universe The gift of knowing, can be a funny thing. Sometimes though, it isn't so funny....or even fun. The gift of knowing is more than being capable of communicating beyond the veil, it is picking up on what is "hidden" on the earthly plane as well. Even still, it is still a lovely and cherished gift that I am grateful for. There are many lessons to be learned and with deeper meaning in this heart space. It can be rather challenging to explain being a sensitive to someone without this extra sight. It isn't a parlour trick. It's a part of who I am. Just because you know something, it doesn't necessarily mean that you can or should do something about it. I observe from a position of non-judgement and the rest belongs to karma, really. Yours and mine. Perhaps, I pick up on something that you are not prepared to know, or that you do know, but would prefer to not share...it isn't my place to betray that knowledge. I simply wait until the veil drops. I have been training myself, as I have become increasingly more aware, to take a deep breath before moving forward. I have been creating firmer boundaries and that may seem harsh to some. No matter. It has been my saving grace. This allows me to acknowledge the feeling, to process it ( does this belong to you or me?) and then finally, to release it. Each of us has a pain body and I strive to understand where my pain comes from, if I am in fact feeling me, and work diligently at healing and dissolving that hurt so that I do not put my pain onto someone else. I am like a tuning fork, at all times...even more so after being attuned to Lightarian Reiki. The layers have been pulled back again and again and whatever sight I had prior to this attunement has now been intensified. In all interactions that I have now, the subtleties are obvious, but are of course, held in confidence. Deeply feeling someone's motivation, honesty and doing so without judging thier experience can be the hard part. Reminding myself that the actions, reactions and the catalyst for their movement, all stem from the person's level of awareness and essentially their pain body. We are all blossoming into awareness in varying degrees. For most, if not all, the catalyst is from our unhealed parts. That's why I promote wellness and self-healing. I find that my struggle with knowing currently, is in the feeling of the other person's hurt (pain body/see: E. Tolle)....the catalyst for their actions/reaction. Empathy and non-judgement are key. It can make it especially challenging and also a true test when I am directly in the soup, as they say, and I am on the receiving end of perhaps someone's dishonesty. Alas, the only reaction worthy of my personal wellness is to take a step back, a deep breath, create firmer and more realistic boundaries and to do so with love. #Awake #Awareness #ReikiLove #ReikiMaster #ClearSeeing #PainBody #Sensitive #SelfHealing #Wellness Love to all on your journey. XO Photo: Carrie Carter Bédard Be brave with your love.
Yesterday was an intense day. The energy of the eclipse represented different things to different people. For me personally, it was about letting go, stepping up and trusting in my higher power to help me make sense of all the shifting. It was a time of emergence, renewal and of bittersweet endings and beginnings. My day began with 2 or 3 calls from my employer about an alarm going off. I'm on a staycation/vacation and was up because my pup gets up at stupid o'clock in the morning. I didn't mind any of the calls, as I had been awake for a bit anyhow and I'm blessed to love the people that I work with. I was honestly happy to help out. I thought that we had settled the alarm issue and then the phone rang again. I half laughed but when I answered the phone it was my Dad. My Grandmother had been rushed to the hospital and he was on his way to pick up my Grandfather. I just knew. I visit my Grandparents every weekend. I'll schedule my whole life around each visit because I understand the sacredness of the time that we have left together. My Grandmother had Alzheimer's and she would have good days and then bad. Most days she didn't know my name and would call my honey. She'd lost the ability to complete full sentences some time ago but it was easy enough to guess what she wanted to communicate, if she was able to. Last weekend, I took my boys to visit and she was having a particularly challenging day. Regardless, no time spent in the company of those you love is ever wasted, and I am grateful that I brought them, even if it was a very heart heavy visit. I was able to refresh her nail polish and my Grandfather was concerned that her hair appeared too flat, so we fluffed that up a bit too. She didn't seem to care and was a bit flustered over the attention. We joked that it was like having a spa day, but the joke was unfortunately lost on her. I noted that her pallor was greyish and I could see a lot of white around her. She seemed to be leaving or preparing to leave. She was ready to let go. Two days before her passing, I had the strange sensation of hearing a woman cry. I was sitting at my desk at work and the feeling took hold of me for a few seconds. It was like hearing whimpers, coupled with a heavy pit of sadness and I could sense death. I shared this with one of my closest friends and decided that I would see how she was when I visited over the weekend. Of course, I would never see her again. The day that my Grandmother passed, I woke up as usual to take the dog out for her morning routine. While puppy did her business, I stood on my back deck and did my morning healing meditation with Reiki. When I was about 3/4 of the way through my self-healing the left side of my peripheral vision was bathed in golden light. This usually doesn't happen and I knew that it meant something more. I acknowledged the light and I offered my gratitude for this gift of sight. That's when the phone started to ring. First it was work...then work again...until it was my Dad. I knew that my Grandmother wouldn't return home. I couldn't feel her the same way from a distance. Instead I could sense her close. Everyone has a unique energy signature. It's an energy that makes you, uniquely you. It's a culmination of all of the senses in ethereal form. I could sense this. My hubby drove me to the apartment, where we met with my Grandfather, my Dad and his wife. We sat and talked and shared stories. I brought flowers that we had carefully selected because of the pinks in the bouquet. My Grandmother would have loved them. She just loved pink, peach and corals. My Dad walked us to the car and we left. My Grandfather had to have lunch and then leave for the hospital himself, as he was scheduled to have a minor hand surgery. Of course, keep in mind that he is 95 years young and a Veteran. He's as strong and proud as he is full of love. He's tough beans. His surgery went well and he's already moving his hand! I'm pretty sure that he hasn't barely begun to process everything. They were married for over 70 years. I had scheduled an attunement for Lightarian Reiki in the early afternoon, so I had to prepare for that. It was booked well in advance and scheduled purposely for the eclipse. My attunement went well. I am now an Usui Reiki Master and a Lightarian Reiki Master (level 1 and 2) and registered with the Lightarian Reiki Association. It meant a lot to me to complete this and move forward despite everything. One of the many benefits to Lightarian Reiki is that you connect to the highest vibration, becoming more sensitive and experiencing an increase in your level of awareness. I moved forward because of the golden light that I saw during my morning meditation. I knew it was the right thing to do for my advancement, wellness and overall healing. I know that a lot of us felt the shift in different ways. I feel as though we are all going to see differently now, for whatever reason resonates with you personally. I feel those of us who work at healing ourselves, letting go of what no longer serves us, reclaiming our power and after a period of adjustment, settling into this new heart space that the current shift has created for all of us. That's the long and the short of it. As for my Grandmother, I know that she is better off where she is. She is no longer held hostage within her shell. She chose to let go after a decade of struggle with Alzheimer's. She is free and she is with her higher power. She is bathed in golden light. This morning when I woke up, I opened my eyes to a sky that had a hundred shades of pink, peach and coral, and dusted with beautiful, fluffy clouds. One of the clouds had a large heart shaped hole that was filled with a brilliant pink light. I'd like to think that my Grandmother was saying good morning. Love to all on your journey. xo Photo: Carrie Carter Bedard Find me on Facebook: Healing Energy- Painted Chakras and Stairways Signs from spirit are everywhere if you are open to receiving the communication. It took me longer to catch on to this than I would like to admit. It's confusing and just a little bit frightening to be aware from a young age with zero direction...I needed someone to help make sense of my normal. The truth is that there were relations that I could have shared with but for some reason it was treated as a taboo until I was much older. Even then, it was a carefully guarded thing. Even now, I remain a work in progress...still learning more each day about this wonderful glimpse beyond the veil. I've been blessed and have at very pinnacle moments, been linked with several highly attuned people who had a more practiced vision and who could make sense of it all a bit better than I could at the time. I don't believe that that is a coincidence at all either. I suppose I am meant to open up in baby-step time. I have made leaps and strides though. I receive communication through all six of the psychic senses (listed below)...it's making sense of the messages that is the learning curve. Sometimes spirit will appear as shapes, human/animal shaped outlines, as though they are coming into focus. Yet, sometimes they appear as they were at their healthiest and I have a clear picture down to the buttons and floral pattern on a blouse. It just depends, I suppose. However they choose to present themselves, I only ask that they do so of the highest light and in love always. I always ensure that I am grounded and that I am surrounded with AA Michael's light so that my own energy is unaffected by this contact. There are many ways in which spirit can communicate. They do so through the use of electricity, water, dreams, dragonflies, butterflies, birds, temperature...whatever you are open to as a language, and assuming that you are open to receiving that communication, it will be done in a way that will make sense to you. It isn't straightforward, yet it isn't anything complicated either. In fact, we tend to overthink things as part of the human experience. This is a huge part of the reason I keep my space clean, clear and I am aware of my daily visuals. I don't watch anything with darker imagery...because I know that with my specific gift...it'll translate into darker communications or visuals and I do not want that. That is my choice based on years of experience and trial and well...learning. (I won't say error because I took some very valuable information away from each experience). Perhaps this isn't the way it works for others, but it does for me. The language spirit uses is very simple. For each person receiving the communication it will be different, as it is meant to resonate with the individual. For instance, I am aware of a specific persons presence if I see coins, the colour green and two associated letters. Together, the three signifiers will appear seemingly out of nowhere and sometimes a few times throughout the course of one day and I know that s/he is with me. Also, to sense the actual presence, I can feel it in a certain part of my physical body and it can be best described as a magnetic feeling. Once I establish with whom I am spending some time with, the message can then come in. It can take a lot of energy for a spirit to manifest. When family visits from the other side - it is truly a gift! Water and obviously electricity can be manifestation helpers. You may experience electrical surges, the flickering of lights, the turning on and off of appliances. For me, it is the old radio I have...a few people have experienced this with me and it makes me giggle. Water is also an energy conduit, and as such I have had occurrences in my kitchen and bathrooms within my home. Also, visiting family and sitting outside beside a river...I've had other experiences as well. All friendly stoppers-by, just a quick hello before moving on. Communication through dreams is the softest and easiest form of dialogue/visitation. This is easier for those who are still grieving the loss of the physical presence. Spirit, especially the familial kind, do not want us to be sad or in pain. These feelings are blockers and in lieu of visiting while you are fully awake, it is the softer and gentler way of saying hello and I love you. You are at rest, relaxed...and this is the easiest way around that grief. Oftentimes it will happen and will be written off as a dream....I know better. Dreams and visits have very different energy about them. Dragonflies, butterflies and birds are all signifiers of spirits presence. My maternal Grandparents bring dragonflies and butterflies near when they visit. My Grandmother in particular will do this with dragonflies. There is of course a feeling that is associated with this, a certain colour and a touch point on my physical body to signify his or her presence. My Grandmother and I shared a moment when I was younger...I was with her the first time I saw one and it landed on me. I can recall being alarmed...I had no idea what this strange, alien-like insect was. Her reassuring and calm voice (also giggle) explained what it was and why it was visiting me. I'm not saying that every time you see a dragonfly, butterfly or bird that spirit is around. Hehe. There is an energy about the moment. I always say it's like you are sharing a "look at me!" moment. It's a vibe and it's usually connected with one or two other signs that help you to connect the dots, especially until you are more practised. Temperature can also be a tell-tale sign that spirit is near. I haven't had a tremendous amount of experience with this myself. My peeps don't really play with temperature. I have noticed however that when I had been actually touched, it was slightly cooler or warmer depending...but I am still figuring this part of the process out. I now ask not to be touched and for my personal space to be respected. I found the first few times I was touched - it was a bit unnerving because I hadn't yet figured out who was visiting/attempting to communicate. I have been told that rooms will drop by several degrees...I just don't experience that and that is alright with me. There are different forms of receiving communication. We are attuned to all but more practised at others. We have it within us to be aware of all of our psychic senses. You may be in tune with one or more of these six listed below: 1. Clairaudience- Psychic hearing. The ability to hear sound from the other side. Breathing, words (letters, numbers...), water, wind in the trees...it can all be a message to help put the pieces of the puzzle together. The energy of the sound will have deeper meaning to someone with this ability. 2. Clairvoyance- Psychic seeing/clear seeing. The ability to see from a distance, outside of what you would see with your actual two eyes. Instead, you are seeing with your pineal gland/third eye. My friends and I call this "tapping in". "Can you tap in for me...tell me what you see?" Hehe. 3. Clairalience- Psychic scents. This is the ability to smell scents that are not actually there. Perfume, cigarette/cigar smoke...even freshly cut grass. 4. Clairsentience- Psychic feels. You can feel/sense remotely what another person is feeling. Mothers have this sixth sense, instinctively knowing when their child is hurt, or in need of some additional reassurance. This ability is closely linked to those who have heightened empathy, and a lot of people who experience this are drawn to healing fields. You feel the pain and you want to make it better. I've done this quite often with family, even texting my husband asking him if he hurt his foot. He had just stubbed his toe and was mid curse when he got the text. That is a goodie of a memory! lol. 5. Claircognizance- Psychic knowing. Also known as clear knowing, is the ability to just know that something is going to happen or that something is a certain way without any reason to actually know. You could be in a different country or years before the actual event. The gift is that you can prepare and share this wisdom in advance. The old adage "trust your gut" is the best way to describe this. It's a heads up...heed and learn to trust your own intuitive abilities, my friends! 6. Clairgustance- Psychic taste. Getting a taste in your mouth is another way of communication. Spices, food type...can be a nod from the other side. Out of nowhere, you could taste something metallic, reminiscent of blood...that could be associated to death. Or, a rosier example, you get a taste of blueberry pie and it instantly reminds you of your great-aunt. I can tell a lot from the actual food/drink that I ingest by feeling the energy. I can sense anger, fear...it's one of the reasons I gave up eating meat. I just couldn't handle it anymore. I could write about this on and on...I just love it. I'll close with this however. There are a few things that you should do as a part of your regular routine, if you are open to all of this. It'll help a lot in the long run. Communication is draining and this will help to maintain your energy. 1. It is important to ground your energy. Do grounding exercises. It can take some practise, but if you're sensitive, being grounded will help you to maintain your own energy level without being a sponge for other peoples energy. (Living or deceased). You won't feel drained. Earthing is a good quick fix if you do get drained...but work on maintaining your balance so that you are consistently grounded all day. There are grounding crystals that are beneficial, like smokey quartz, black tourmaline, jet, carnelian. Use them ( love them and treat them well!) but please learn to do it on your own without them. Consider crystals and minerals helpers....sprinkles to your psychic sundae, if you will. 2. Clean, clear and re-align your energy daily. A healthful combination of Reiki, yoga, dry brushing, smudging, selenite wands...all great ways to keep your energetic fields clean and clear of anything hanging on and your mental/physical/emotional/spiritual bodies in alignment. I do 15 to 20 minute self-healing meditation with Reiki every morning and I do a lot of dry brushing. If it's a long day...I break out the smudge and the wands. lol. 3. Wrap yourself in white light every day. This will help to keep your vibration in-line with higher vibrational energy. I also wrap my home and property in this white light. That's all for now, folks. Lots of love to all. xo Photo: Carrie Carter Bedard |
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