The Benefits Of Being Silent

From an early age, I craved alone time. Most days I would sit alone in my room reading, or I would be out exploring the trees and plants in my yard. I know now a lot of it was because I was highly empathic, and being alone brought me peace. Still, there are many things to gain when you sit in silence.

When you take the time to sit in silence, you are able to get to know self. You can explore your likes and dislikes by asking questions. You can learn about the things that bring you down and the things that inspire you--in other words what to stay away from and what to go after. You can explore your feelings and learn even more.

When you are silent, you can learn about the energies around you. Everything has energy/frequency. Most days we take these energies for granted because most of the things we observe are so common. Furniture, vehicles, plants, animals, etc. Believe it or not, these things even have personalities! It's easy to relate to when it comes to animals. Their energies are similar enough to our own that we often have relationships with them. Others are more difficult. The irony is, there are often things in our lives we have relationships with, but we take them as jokes. For example, how many of us have named our cars? (Or plants, or anything else?) How many of us talk to those same cars? Like I said, we joke around about it, but the next time you do it think about it for a moment. Did you get anything back? A thought or a feeling, perhaps?

There are even energies around that do not have a physical presence, but it is possible to sense them when you take time to be silent. You may have been taught such things are only your imagination, but think about this: Thoughts themselves have energy. I have learned information from beings I would call elementals all because I allowed myself to be open to the possibility of their existence.

There is much to be learned when you take the time to sit in silence. Allow yourself to explore the unseen energies and information in your world. You never know what else might be accomplished when you take the time to understand the more subtle energies around you.

For a simple technique to help clear your mind and get you started, read here (The Space Between Thoughts Meditation).

~CSE

     

The Power Of Imagination

I've always possessed a great deal of imagination. When I was young, I spent a lot of time outside my body (so to speak) daydreaming. I would pretend to be a princess in a magic castle, travel to exotic locations or find myself living within the pages of my favorite books. As I got older, daydreaming would be my escape--back into nature when I didn't have the time or just to experience something more serene than my often tempestuous life would allow.

Back in the 70's, we experienced an "energy crisis". Cars guzzled a lot of gas back then, and the supply was thought to be much more limited at that time. That was the beginning of higher prices at the pump and people lined up to purchase. (Then, of course, they found new oil supplies and the "crisis" went away.) At the time, I was too young to drive, but I was concerned about my planet all the same. I used to play with these little magnetic dogs. I was very familiar with the properties of magnets--how the same poles would push away from each other while opposite poles attracted each other. I realized there was a natural energy in magnets that could perhaps be harnessed. In my imagination, I saw magnets being set around a wheel while magnets of the opposite poles would surround this magnet wheel, forcing the wheel to spin around on its own power. I believe this is the same use for imagination that Einstein applied when he went for his "ride" on a beam of light. Imagination can be the mother of invention.

Imagination can be used in other productive ways as well. When I am surrounded by stressors, I use my imagination to help me meditate, ground myself, and calm myself back down. When I need to change my present circumstances, I imagine myself doing something different. Sometimes I see a solution. Sometimes I am just able to calm myself down enough to change my energy/frequency and change the circumstances through changing my presence.

There are many people who believe imagination is a waste of time because it is not based in the "real world". To that, I can only leave you with one of my favorite Harry Potter quotes. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling writes a conversation between Professor Dumbledore and Harry. Harry is having something of a near death experience and Dumbledore has already passed. The end of the conversation goes something like this:

  "Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?" Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure. "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"

The true power of imagination transcends a reality we often believe to be only physical and allows us to connect to all that is Divine.

~CSE

Finding Your Happy Place

In a world of broken people, it is not easy for someone with empathic abilities to stay happy. It takes some effort to remember the unhappiness around you is not your own and then take the time to focus on those little things around you that do make you happy. Finding your happy place requires you to do two things: figure out what exactly makes you happy and taking the time to journey there every day.

One of the things my coach did for me was to help me remember those things that make me happy. My happiest place of all is outside in nature surrounded by trees. I spent a lot of time in my childhood playing in my yard. There was a smaller maple tree in the front yard and a very large black ash tree in my backyard. The tree in the back came complete with an especially cool tire swing, compliments of my father. Trees have always given me a sense of wisdom and permanence, and I spent many hours of silent communication with them as I grew up.

Even today in my little slip of a yard, I have a tendency to sit and commune with a couple of specific trees that live there. I can feel their presence now as I sit in my living room within 15 feet of where they grow.

On days when it is too cold for me to spend a lot of time outdoors, I will use my imagination to think about some of my walks in the woods. There are several places here in Georgia my husband and I like to go hiking. One of my favorite places is at a state park not far from the North Carolina border called Black Rock Mountain State Park. There is a circular trail called the Tennessee Rock Trail my husband and I found several years ago that makes me feel especially close to God.

This particular part of the trail I call my cathedral because it fills me with the quiet reverence you would expect to find in a church or holy setting. On days I cannot make it into my beloved woods, I will sit and use my imagination to spend some time there.

The point is, I know places where I am happy, and when I need a bit of strengthening and renewal I will find a way to go there, whether I am there for real or just in my imagination.

We all have this same ability. Granted, not everyone has a well-developed imagination. If you don't, it is not difficult to make substitutions. Find a picture here on the internet or one in a magazine you can sit and look at. Ironically, if you look at the same picture long enough, you may actually find yourself there for real at some point in the future.

If you have not already done so, make sure you know those activities and places that make you happy! Ask yourself a few key questions. What was I doing the last time I felt happy? Who was I with? How often do I make the time to do this? How could I do this when it is not physically possible? These questions and more will help you open up to the possibilities that are in your own life.

Take time to find your happy place and spend some time there daily. This alone will change your energy/frequency into a much higher one. When we all find ways to feel and be happy, we will also find our world has become a much better place for all of us to live in.

~CSE

Resolving Nightmare Energy

When I was a small child, I was often plagued by nightmares. Normally I would find myself wandering around in the dark until I found my parent's bedroom and I would crawl in bed with them to chase the bogeyman away. As I got older, that wasn't a very practical approach, so I came up with a new strategy.

I am not a lucid dreamer per se. Only rarely am I conscious enough within my dreams to effect any change while I am there. However, there is a technique that has served me well over the years. Once I have awoken from a nightmare, I spend a few minutes rethinking the ending to one where I take charge and am in control of whatever situation has presented itself.

For example, I used to dream about being chased by monsters when I was a kid. I would wake up just as they were about to catch me. With heart pounding, I would continue to lay in bed but use my imagination to change the outcome. Instead of the monster actually grabbing me, I would imagine myself finding a sword nearby and slaying the monster where it stood. Or finding a secret door only I could see and passing through, door firmly closed and locked behind me. Or shrinking it down to the size of an insect and squashing it. The point is, it doesn't really matter where your imagination takes you as long as it helps you resolve the feelings of being trapped and helpless (which is what monster dreams do to you). You can also use imagination to resurrect family and friends who die and save yourself from terrible accidents by seeing angels pluck you out of the dangerous situations and place you safely nearby.

Another thing you can do is ask for protection and envision yourself surrounded by big angels in armor or see a barrier of light encircling you that will not let anything negative in. Picture this protection long enough that you feel safe once again. It may not happen instantly, but the more you practice such techniques the easier they will be in future.

Imagination is an extremely powerful creative tool, yet we often believe it is a silly kid game with no real power. Think about this though: every book, work of art, scientific study, building, vehicle, etc. began as a thought!!! Imagination is the first step in manifestation!!!

I will leave you with a JK Rowling quote from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"

~CSE