Facebook Feed Sickness

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Yesterday, I posted this on Facebook:

I was reading through my Facebook news feed. And, despite the fact that I follow some pretty loving and good-intentioned people, there was so much pain and sadness being shared. News stories featuring violence against people and animals. People mistreating others, devaluing life. My friends aren't trying to spread negativity, but as they rally against it, they're sharing graphic images, and I'm feeling the horror that the images are meant to bring forth.

So I needed some help accumulating some love and light, to counter that energy. And, in asking for help, I posted one sentence.

That sentence engaged a reaction from many of the wonderful people who are friends with me here. They shared comments, which you can read below. Beautiful words, full of vibrant love energy. Words which carry a high frequency that can heal.

If you are so inclined to receive this energy, read the comments. And if you want it to multiply, add yours and share this post.

The sentence I shared is:
Place words of kindness here. Go.
Thank you. Peace.

The response I got was pretty impressive. So far, there are 46 comments. Many compliments, and other positive words. Some shares. More are trickling in.

I see Facebook as a purposefully designed community. Each member of this community is invited into our lives by us giving them attention. It could consist of people, ideas, styles of music, movies, and food, but what's nice about Facebook is each post that we allow into our feed is there by our choice. (Except for ads, I guess, but we can adjust our preferences for those too). 

I choose to follow a lot of positive people and ideas, because that's representative of the ideas which I want to allow into my own field. That usually works out well. I see what's happening, get some inspiration, share my thoughts, expand, encourage, and share what speaks to me. 

But, I also notice that positive people sometimes try to be a voice for change. Nothing wrong with trying to make the world better - I'm all for it. But, sometimes in doing so, the post shared may include a horribly tragic link or image to get some attention to that cause. Seeing those posts feels almost like I decided to turn on the news. And I decided to turn OFF the news years ago. 

That's what happened to me yesterday - I saw many upsetting posts and pictures in my news feed. The causes were just, certainly. But the energy around the posts was inducing a visceral response, which instead of moving me to action, just brought about horror, grief, and an underlying feeling of helplessness. 

So, I posted this as a gentle call to action to be careful what we post, as pictures and words contain energy. Let's choose the most positive ways to share our thoughts intended to encourage actions that will make the world better. Kindness doesn't have to be motivated by horror.

Peace.

Taking it Personally

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It's become a regular practice of mine to invite my angels to play. Meaning, I invite them to bring me signs of their presence, bits of guidance, and even little happy surprises for my day. And then comes the fun part - I notice them and say thank you.

The things I notice might be things that other people dismiss. But I've decided to take them personally, which is part of this practice. 

For instance, we're on vacation at the beach this week. Every morning about 7:30 I walk to the ocean by myself and sit and enjoy just sitting, watching the waves, the sand crabs, and whatever comes my way. The waves come in, go out, stand out, then merge again into the larger body of water. They're a fantastic representation of the concept of flow. 

During my morning beach time this week, I've seen dolphins - which I love. And every day, there have been more. That delights me! 

I know I have a choice to think, "How nice. Dolphins. They're plentiful this time of year." Or, I can take it a step further and say, "Thank you, Angels, for bringing me this delightful gift of seeing a lot of dolphins, which I love." I choose to take it personally, just as if someone had given me a gift. Because it is.

Two days ago, I was having fun watching dragonflies zoom around me as I walked to the beach. I sent out a thought invitation to the dragonflies to come closer and visit as I sat on the sand. Within about a minute, a green-spotted dragonfly landed on my wrist and stayed for about 10 minutes. I admired the dragonfly, thanked him or her, and enjoyed the little gift of personal attention that I received. By the way, that's the only time the whole week that a dragonfly came that close, or landed on me or anyone in my family. 

Think of it this way - if you really could use a little pick-me-up present, and then someone gives you one, you don't ignore it or dismiss it, do you? You express your delight, and say thank you. Otherwise, the giver might not be so inclined to bring you want you ask for next time, because it sure seems like you didn't really receive the gift - and it seems that maybe you're not so open to receiving after all. 

If I ask for something, I figure I should be totally open to receiving it, rather than not really expecting anything, or even, too distracted to notice when I do. In fact, I'm not really "asking" as much as stating that I'm open to receiving. Asking comes from a place of lack or want. I am not interested in receiving more lack or want! I'm open to receiving a flow of blessings, wonderful surprises, and abundance from the Universe. I'm ready to offer the kind of assistance that's best for those who come to me for guidance, learning, or a Reiki session. I'm grateful to share the gifts and ideas I have to help make life better for others. That's how I live in the flow, as the ocean waves have been reminding me all week. 

It's like a game, and it makes life more fun to play it this way. 

I know people who see their life the opposite way. Something bad happens and they say that the Universe hates them, or that's what they get for trying, or something similarly self-defeating. They go around expecting the next shoe to drop, and so, guess what, it does. And then they feel justified, like the world just confirmed they are right about the way they understand their life. And, yep, they are. Why? Because they expected crap, and they got crap. That doesn't mean that they deserve any more crap than I do. But it does mean that the more you expect something, the more likely it is to happen, because you put all this mental energy into seeing the worst, and then put emotional energy (which is actually fear) into expecting the worst, so the Universe responds by manifesting what's expected. 

Turn that around by expecting the best, and anticipating it with gratitude, and a little excitement, and notice what happens. Try practicing living in the flow, and taking the gifts that come personally.

If something happens that you don't want, or don't like, that's not a personal affront. Instead, it's a chance to be open to something better, an opportunity to learn, reflect, or motivation to try something new. It's a gift of another kind. 

The waves come in, and go out. The tide moves the entire ocean further and back again. The tiny and massive ocean life are immersed in the motion of the flow. And for this week, so are we. My intention is to bring this lesson, and the energy of the ocean experience, back with me when we leave for home on Saturday. 

Blessings. 

This and more is holy.

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This came to me after a meditation. 

How would it be if we all could see and feel this every day?

Mind-Blowing Attunements

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I've been a professional Reiki practitioner and teacher for about five years. I've attuned over 900 people to Reiki. I have run a school for three years. 

And still, I feel like there's so much more to learn about working with energy, its effects on people, and how to understand the complexities of energy, guides, karma, past lives, ancestors, angels, and life path. 

Every time I work with energy or intuition, I learn something new. Every class I teach teaches me more. I'm constantly reading, seeking out classes to help me grow and deepen my knowledge.

And I feel out of my league sometimes. 

I don't have all the answers, and sometimes I don't know where to get them. 

Here's an example. I taught a Practical Reiki 1 class recently. Everything seemed normal. I spent the morning teaching how to recognize your intuition, and experience the energy. I gave a little Reiki to each student. Every student could feel the energy and identify how it felt to her. (Every student was female in this particular class). 

In the afternoon, I taught Level 1 and gave the students their attunements. During the attunement, everyone sat calmly, eyes closed, experiencing their attunement. Except, suddenly, one of the students fell to the floor and seemed to be having what looked like a seizure. She flopped around on the floor, out of control of her body. (I've never seen someone have a seizure, so I am going by what I have seen/ read about them). Shocked, we all jumped up and I asked if I should call 911. I was told to wait, because one of the other students knew her well and rushed over to help her. She held the student tightly (I held my phone tightly, finger ready to push those numbers for the paramedics!) and then the student having the episode started crying and recovered. 

She explained that she had started having an out of body experience during the attunement, which scared her and caused a kind of struggle to happen. She had never had an experience like this before. She is, however, very psychic and just discovering these gifts. 

The whole thing left me feeling shaken and uncertain. I suggested she follow up with a doctor, just to be sure. I've been processing, trying to align my experience with anything I've ever learned. I haven't been able to do this conclusively. I've heard from her since, and she's feeling fine, better, lighter. She reported that she feels like a big bunch of "stuff" was released. 

I've never seen anything quite as dramatic happen in one of my classes. Tears, yes. Laughter, yes. Students reporting amazing visions or physical cleansing symptoms (one student had dry heaves on the way home after her first attunement), yes, lots of times. 

I am left with the humbling reminder that this is powerful stuff I'm working with. Energetic transfer, or attunements, is serious business, and needs to be respected. I'm not in control of how a person will react to receiving an attunement. Once I intend the attunement to begin, and the recipient intends to receive, it's out of my hands, so to speak. 

But there's certainly no doubt that it works. 
And for that, as well as the opportunities to learn more every day, I am profoundly grateful.


What's been your most surprising energy experience? Please share here in a comment. 

Being a Jewish Reiki Master

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Today, I decided to vlog, as a response to being asked to speak on Judaism and Reiki for Doves4Peace.com. So I recorded myself talking about it, and it will be posted on their channel. Meanwhile, you can get a sense of how it all fits together by viewing my video right here.

What do you think?

How does your spiritual practice mesh with your religion? (Or does it?)
How do you reconcile your beliefs with your experiences?

With love and intentions for peace,
Alice

Change Your Life and Fix Your Relationships in 30 Seconds

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Well, it's 2015. And already, a lot has happened in my life. (And, warning, this is a super link-happy post. So, click on whatever you want to know more about.)

• I wrote and published 2 books and a new deck of cards (coming soon). 
• I started a new brand and website, A Moment for Me, and got the books on Amazon too.
• My 9 month intensive training program, Lightworkers Intensive, sold out and began its new year.
• All of the above got started in addition to the usual business of running my school, growing my practice, volunteering for Hospice, and taking care of my kids.

So, how did I do that? Sometimes I wonder. 

What did I learn so far? A lot!

The biggest lesson is that even the busiest person can find 30 seconds to do something that changes their day, their relationship, outlook, physical health, presence, and grow as a person. Really, 30 seconds.

We, as a society, are busy. I mean REALLY FREAKING BUSY. I know I'm not the exception, but lots of people are as busy as I am trying to keep it all together. 

So, I started by brainstorming 30 second ways to pay attention to mind, body, spirit, and emotion with mini-tasks. I made 36 cards, and then challenged myself to make 365 more for a daily calendar. (And I made a free app! Want it? Click here.) And a free daily email. Dang, that's a lot.

Then, I moved on to motherhood. Moms are such carriers of responsibility! They're busy. Real busy. What am I talking about by saying "they"?? We're busy.  Anyway, yeah. Coming up with 101 Moments for Mom was a good lesson for myself too.

Then, I moved on to relationships. There really are 30 second ways to make a relationship closer, more loving, and more fulfilling. I came up with 101 ways and made them into a book. Two students asked me to make the book into a deck of cards, which, of course I did, it is currently in the graphic design process, and will be available in a few more days. I'm going to actually try all of the ideas with my husband. (I'm sure I'll need to remind him and maybe nag a little at first, but I think it will become a good habit for us.) I could feel the potential lasting power in each task as I wrote them.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, and this 30 second idea on my mind, I decided to really try to explain how this concept could work. To reach the most people in an hour, I'm hosting a free class called 30 Second Self-Care. It's online this Thursday night, and everyone who attends will be given a 50% off discount code for a signed copy of my new book, A Moment for Us: Care for Busy Couples - 101 free ways couples can enjoy more love, caring and togetherness in 30 seconds. 

In the class, I'm going to talk about what stops people from taking care of themselves. There are so many things that get in the way, from feeling like there's no time, to denying that we need it, to trying to feel empowered by pretending we have it all together. I know, because I do every one. I'm trying to change this by putting it out there, and then talking about why and how to change it - in only 30 seconds a day. Come take it. The class is only an hour. And it's free.

The busiest person can find 30 seconds. The benefit of these tasks last so far beyond 30 seconds, that it can change your entire self-worth, presence, health, abundance, and relationships. 

Want to see how it's going for two people who are committed to trying this daily? I hired two busy people to try out the calendar, and publicly blog about it every single day of 2015. You can see Doug and Michelle's journey with 30 seconds a day by reading the comments at the end of each blog post here.

I'm captivated by the idea of 30 seconds, and think I'm onto something. You can expect more in the A Moment for Me series this year - my goal is to write at least 6 books in 2015. I'm also planning to give a Ted Talk on it. It's gonna happen, my friends, and you read it here first. The details will fall into place, just you wait. Now you and the Universe know. So everything else is already in motion to make it so. 

Got 30 seconds? Sure ya do.

Your comments are so welcome, always.

A New Age Bracket

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Today is my birthday. I started this blog eight years ago, so it's also my blogversary! 

I take some time every year to consider how far I've come in the last year, and also since I started my blog, which I consider the time of the most significant change in my career, the beginning of my spiritual connection, and the start of living my true life's calling. 

I went back and read last year's post to remind myself where I was last year. It's always amazing to me to realize just how much happens in a year. Last year on this day, we had just recently moved here to Maryland, and were in the process of trying to sell our house in Ohio. I had just launched my Reiki Awakening Academy website, and was working on learning to update it and use the ecommerce system. My kids had started new schools, and I was looking for a place to practice Reiki locally.

Since then, I'm more at home here, our Ohio house is sold, the RAA website is doing well for us, my oldest daughter started High School, and all of the kids have adjusted beautifully. My husband has made great strides in his new job and loves it. I found a perfectly suited office to rent space in as needed, and have some regular clients. I've been teaching at The Institute for Spiritual Development, and have more classes scheduled there for 2015. Seven  weeks ago, I published a new product and started a new website for it. (This is a great time to get A Moment for Me Calendar, by the way!) Over 100 have sold already, and they are carried in four stores so far. I'm working on a new line of books for A Moment for Me now. I was interviewed in US News & World Report for an article called "What is Reiki?" 

Year 44 was a great blessing indeed. 

Today I'm 45. It's funny, but I keep thinking about how on surveys and registration forms that ask you to check which age group you're in, now I'm in a new age bracket, the one called 45-55. I've been joking that I hope there are perks in this new group, like graduating to a new level of life. What awaits? Better food? Special VIP access? Secret meetings? I picture an envelope arriving with a code for a secret knock, and an address. I imagine going to that address, and knocking on the door the special way, and being granted access, but no one under 45 is allowed in. They check my ID, and let me in, closing the door firmly behind me. What wonders await inside?

So far, my body has granted me some interesting temperature modulations. I'm told that's part of it. Interesting. Especially at night when I need to throw off the covers, only to pull them on again in about 2 minutes as I start to shiver. But, I'm sure there are more enjoyable perks awaiting. 

As last year was the year of the angels, (44 is the angel number in numerology), I've decided that this year of my life is the year of perks. I'm going to put the expectation out there that all kinds of abundance is flowing into this 45th year, even better than before. I'm in! The perks of being 45 are amazing, and wonderful, and I can't wait to experience them!

And that, my friends, is how you manifest a great year.
Happy birthday, me!