Mary Flanagan Gleason's Blog, page 3

What is a Psychic Reading?

Psychic readings confound people. Mysticism swirls and looms ominously. It is some voodoo magic or woo-woo quality that others find mysteriously haunting. It is a step into another realm.

That last part is true.

Here���s the skinny.

We can all do what I do, if only to different extents. I know many intuitive people who use their abilities every day to make decisions. That’s a big part of what being psychic is ��� tapping into your intuition and using it as a guide for your greatest good and highest purpose. It’s also about picking up signals around you concerning other people or situations.

Last week, I posted steps for meeting your spirit guides. The steps for receiving psychic information are basically the same. However, the more you practice, the less need for a ritual to tap into it.

My primary way of receiving messages is psychometry, holding on to something with the person’s energy, such as a ring or a favorite item. It is not the only means since I frequently read for people on video and phone calls. I���ve also learned that I tend to receive messages from people in this lifetime in my left ear, from passed souls in my right ear, and from spirit guides and angels as they come up from behind my head and back. It helps me distinguish the source and how to best direct questions.

On a personal level, I have learned that random song lyrics or recalling a long-ago character from TV or a book is not a coincidence, and to look for what it is trying to tell me.

Others tell me, “I only hear things, or see things, or dream things.��� We tend to dismiss the ways we receive information as not psychic. Trust your experience, your way of receiving information. Don���t wait for validation.

That said, it is hardest for me to read me because of my obvious closeness to the situation. Occasionally, I also seek readings from others in different disciplines, such as astrologists, tarot readers, aura readers, etc. Some of what I hear is confirmation and much is context that helps me to discern the messages.

I hope this is helpful and answers some of your questions. I am always happy to take your call and share how I can help you.

Mary

Connecting with Your Spirit Guides

Thanks to all who responded to last week���s email about topics of interest to you. The number one request is information about how to connect with one���s guides.

I consciously met my guides during a series of meditations. I was amazed by two things: the setting they were in and the feeling of familiarity. Somehow, I knew them and trusted them. It was both mystifying and obvious.

Let���s start with the basics. Be assured that the guide you most need at any time is the guide that will step forward.

Stillness. Make a date with your guides by sitting still around the same time every day. For me, it is the first thing in the morning. Ten minutes is often enough, or at least a good start. Just breathe. I don���t receive messages every day, but it helps my guides to know when they can find me open to receiving them.

Let go of expectations. The surer you are about what the experience will be like, the more likely you will miss it. Spirit guides come in many shapes, sizes, and forms. Ancestors, angels, guides, spirit animals, and spirit plants are all in play. Trust them. I���ve had dragons and pixies and trees deliver messages to me.

Ask a question. Your question is always heard, even if the answer is not immediate. You will also likely get the message in other ways, such as in dreams or images that come to mind for seemingly no reason. If you don���t have a question, you can simply ask to meet them.

Believe what you see, feel, hear. This is no time for logic. Guides are of the highest vibration. If you are sitting in silence, and you have an image of a robin coming to you; trust it. Ask the robin if it has a message for you. Search online (later) for the spiritual meaning of Robin (read several entries.)  Talking to your guides need only be telepathic. There is no need to disturb the peace by speaking out loud. 

Do not dismiss your dreams, your silly thoughts, that song lyric that floats through your mind for no particular reason. Capture it. Look for the message.

When sitting in the stillness, close your eyes and picture yourself in an open area (field, mountain, ocean, beautiful room, even a cave or your living room) where you sit comfortably. Then, gently invite your guides to show themselves to you (there may be many or only one). Ask if any has a message for you. Remember, the messenger can be a Native American, the deer near the tree, the tree itself, your ancestor. Leave logic out of the equation. When one speaks, it may or may not be with language, but you will get the message. Listen with your heart.

One more note, spirit messages are often short and always positive. It is not necessarily what you want to hear but what you most need to know.

Feedback and questions are welcome.

Mary

Beware the Ides of April

Yes, April 15 can be a taxing day. (Pun intended.)

Uncle Sam is just one of those things. Other taxing items include coming up with meaningful posts for you to consume. It is always tricky to distinguish between my fanciful musings versus something you most want to hear. I sympathize with ministers who must develop longer, deeper sermons every week.

Please send me what you would like to know more about: past lives, the chakras, the benefits of hypnotherapy, how to tap into your spirit guides, connecting with passed loved ones, why psychic readings are important, what a psychic reading is, or the best way to prepare a pizza (I don’t know, but I’ll find out.)

Seriously though, I am open to your suggestions. This week I wrote no fewer than four posts but could not figure out why you would care to read them.

Tax your brain and send me some assignments. I will do my best to respond.

Meanwhile, take it easy and have a relaxing ides of April.

Mary

Quick, look over there!

Don���t see me that way. See what I want you to see. See this very put-together, intelligent woman who is strong, capable, and adventurous.

Ignore the me who is uncertain, flaky, slightly messy, and always acts cautiously to protect her aging hips.

Sadly, despite my efforts, you see it all. My favorite pose in the mirror serves as confidence for the day. Then there is the 360 view I manage not to see. I wish I could hide all that is less than flattering, but then I remember what my mother told my very nervous eight-year-old self: If you were perfect, no one would want to be your friend, and life would be boring.

So here I am: the person who remembers to put her phone on the charger but forgets to plug it in, the one whose tag is sticking out of her collar, the thoughtful friend who shows up on the wrong day for your party, the woman who remembers being such a good mom until her children lovingly (or not so lovingly) remind her of lesser times, the one who endlessly looks for her glasses and keys even when they are in front of her.

As I get older, my feelings of vulnerability diminish. I accept myself���all of me���more and more. It���s been a painful journey at times, but it is so worth the trip. I owe much of it to “doing the work,” going inside and making peace with my humanity, my character, and my highest priorities that make other things less important.

Are you highly sensitive to criticism? To feelings of imperfection?

Hypnotherapy, guided meditation, and affirmations can help you make peace with yourself. It is worth the journey. I���m here if you need me.

Mary

Unintentional Joy ��� Part 2

Last week, I wrote about the unintentional joy I felt when observing various items that, when paired together, reflected a beautiful theme in my life.

That same joy can be found in past life regressions, a form of hypnotherapy that allows you to visit earlier times in this lifetime or others. It is amazing to be able to stand back and observe your stories from a new perspective. You can gain deep insights into yourself and others in your life.

Imagine going back to scenes from your childhood and seeing things from your parent’s perspective, coming out with a new understanding of events you could only remember from a child’s perspective.

Imagine going through your life lacking courage or confidence and suddenly finding where you left it and reclaiming it.

When you can piece together the little pieces of your life and your soul’s journey, you can find joy, restore self-esteem, and move forward in new ways. If you would like to know more about this, you can schedule your free discovery call below. Let’s see if we can bring you more joy.

Mary

Unintentional Joy

This morning, while journaling, I sat and looked up at my decorative shelves. Thinking of each piece, its symbolism, and their visually happy marriage moved me.

At the top is a vase I paid too much for at a charity auction. My husband wasn���t thrilled with my continued bidding, but I really liked it, and it was for a good cause. It is a pretty amber color and held beautiful bouquets from our garden for years.

On the middle shelf is a beautiful cloisonne plate, a gift from my aunt to my mother. Mom had admired it in the MOMA catalog some fifty years ago and was so delighted her sister remembered and put it under the Christmas tree for her. It sat prominently and beautifully on the living room mantle for many years.

At the bottom is a cloisonne bowl I purchased for myself about 25 years ago at an interior designer sale. It spoke to me, and I could not resist spoiling myself.

Today, when considering the whole, I realized that the assembly reflects generosity, thoughtfulness, and self-care. They are all bound together by the gold color of Divine protection. None of this was top of mind when arranging them in my new home. Two years later, I’m just beginning to appreciate their individual beauty and collective story.

It’s fun to think of all the disparate parts of our lives that can come together and tell an even greater story. It makes me curious to consider other pieces and look for their connections.

What pieces of your life are you viewing in separate lenses that, if gathered, might display the goodness in your life?

Mary

I Statements Only

The first ground rule of meeting facilitation is for participants to make I statements only.

You know, in meetings, when you really want to say, “What the heck were you thinking?” but instead you count to ten and say, “I’m confused. I thought we agreed to X.”

It is so very adult to be able to do that. It���s at the highest level of emotional intelligence. Invoking the rule when things get tense is downright brilliant.

I���m so good at recommending their use and about fifty-fifty sticking to them in the moment.

Like most of life, I statements require ongoing practice, with perfection only an ideal. And they are much easier to use when consulting than when having a stake in the outcome. In the heat of the moment. In the stupidity of it all. When it would be simpler to strangle another.

Today���s political climate is one such instance where I find it hard to make I statements.

Yet, I know I must point that mental finger at myself and ask, “What am I going to do about the state of affairs?” It is a much more empowering thought than trying to get others to do what we think they should do. It is better to make a personal commitment to making things the way you feel they should be in your immediate area, in the throes of the swirling thoughts that send you reeling.

Stop. Make an I statement. Do something positive right where you are.

I am committing to my practice of I statements, promising each time to do a little better, taking smaller steps I can accomplish, and being kinder to myself and those around me.

What practices do you engage in when things get tense?

Mary

The Instinct of Fruit Trees

My husband and I are new to the desert and trying to grow citrus fruit. Last year, high winds whisked all the buds off the branches, so this year we brought the potted trees indoors.

They are small trees with many dozens of blossoms, each representing a potential lemon or orange. That is a lot of fruit! My husband did some digging, and it turns out that the tree will determine how much fruit it can physically support and let any extra buds drop off.

How smart is that!?

This set me to pondering, and I quickly realized that our bodies, too, know how much they can support. We just don’t always listen. We let our minds, our egos, our bravado override what our bodies are trying to tell us. That backache, migraine, upset stomach is how our body communicates with us.

We get the message, and then we dismiss it. We think of the pain as just one more thing to contend with rather than a warning sign.

I learned this lesson the hard way twenty years ago when I worked myself into five stomach ulcers. Five! As if one wasn’t enough to get my attention. Nope, I just kept working harder when the message was to work less hard.

Someday, I hope to be as smart as a fruit free.

How are you doing?

Mary

Which voice do you listen to?

While reading the amazing Julia Cameron’s Write for Life, she talked about a fellow author who submitted their first novel to a publisher who responded negatively. He threw the novel in a drawer and did not take it out again for twelve long years. Finally, friends persuaded him to submit it to a second publisher, who enthusiastically proclaimed it ready for publication. But he wouldn’t do it. He knew it was trash because of what the first person said twelve years prior.

I have two questions.

First, why did he ��� and most of us ��� hang on to the criticism more faithfully than the praise?

Second, why do we need everyone to love what we do rather than accept that some will like it and some won���t?

He’s not alone in this tendency. When someone tells me they read my book, my first thought is, did they read the first printing or the second? The first one was plagued with typos and oversights. (Okay, maybe not plagued, but enough to make me blush with embarrassment.) Then, I refocus because they are telling me how meaningful it was to them. Take the praise. Leave the critic.

Years ago, a coach suggested I keep a compliments file. I have both an electronic one and a paper one. I keep thank you notes from clients and friends. I keep emails that say nice things. The more specific, the better. I even have a memo I wrote in 1985 in the early stages of my career as a part of my self-evaluation. To this day, I look on that with pride. I was honest, direct, and truthful about my accomplishments in the past year. In return, I received a letter of praise, an unprecedented ten percent raise.

Do you have a compliments file?

It���s not too late to start one. It���s even okay to include nice things you say about yourself. Give it a try. And don���t forget to consult the file whenever doubt creeps in.

Mary

So many symptoms, so few causes

It���s easy to think every part of us is falling to the wayside���this hurts, that aches, something is out of alignment, etc. More realistically, we are experiencing many symptoms from one cause. The challenge is getting to the core issue.

I am volunteering with an organization that, at first glance, can look dysfunctional, but it is just growing pains that need some infrastructure.

When you can isolate the issue, it distracts you from the symptoms, the blaming, and the belief that it is too overwhelming to participate. It focuses your attention on the right area. You can see the forest from the trees.

Think about your life right now.

Do too many things feel out of control? Does life feel like it is attacking on all fronts? What are the chances that you just need to stop reacting? How can you take a deep breath and decide what you will respond to and what you won’t?

The cause is being distracted by every little symptom rather than the issue.

When I was a stay-at-home mom, I learned I am not the toddlers��� coat rack or the person to whom they should hand their popsicle wrappers. As an executive, I learned to respond to “problems” by asking the complainer how they plan to solve the issue and to ask how that issue pertains to the agreed-upon goals, e.g., should you even bother with this?

When you focus on only the job at hand, the rest learn (eventually) not to leave their woes on your doorstep. Calmness ensues with delegation or your refusal to take on what isn’t yours.

Need help sorting the symptoms from the cause? I have many techniques at my disposal that can guide you to discover for yourself where the cause lies and greatly reduce the symptoms.

Mary