Mary Flanagan Gleason's Blog, page 5

It���s that time of year again���.

It���s Thanksgiving, the official kick-off to the holiday season.

It can be joyful, worrisome, or overwhelming. You get to decide. Just remember that perfectionism and struggle are optional. It all depends on where you put your focus.

Here are a few survival tips for Thanksgiving Day and all the holiday parties.

You don���t have to go somewhere you don���t feel comfortable. (No, really. Just don���t go.)
��Picture a soft mesh over your heart chakra that sifts out all the detritus, allowing only the loving bits to pass through.��
Bring your sense of humor. Other people behaving badly can be amusing.
��You cannot make others see your point of view, so don’t try. Change the subject.��
If you���re hosting, disposable plates are okay. Unless you never use the good china. In which case, treat yourself to a beautiful table.
Eat slowly. Your tummy will thank you.
��Don���t take other people personally even if they say personally hurtful things. If nothing else, it will drive them crazy.��
Not everyone is having the same experience as you are in the moment. Be thoughtful.
��Say thank you. A lot. Until your brain and your heart believe you are grateful.��

I hope this is helpful. I hope your Thanksgiving is so joyful that reading this was unnecessary.

Meanwhile, please know that I am grateful for you.

Mary

P.S. Please pass the dressing.

Breaking and Healing

I can’t help but notice these days that physically, I break more readily and heal more slowly. As I continue to age, that trend will continue.

Emotionally, however, that���s another thing. I break less readily and heal more quickly because I know that whatever happens, this too shall pass. And because I know who I am much more deeply. Others can’t push me around quite so easily.

Only time and a willingness to look inward, to take charge of my life, and carefully weigh who I give my power to make that happen.

The residents of my 55-and-over community have become some of my most thoughtful clients. They know that time will run out, and they are working with me to resolve past relationships and grievances with both those in this world and those who have passed. It is such a beautiful gift to work with them. They report feeling calmer, less broken, and more whole.

You don���t need to wait until you���re older to take the challenge.

You can start today. I���m here when you���re ready.

Peace be with you,

Mary

Clean up this mess!

What does it mean to clean things up?

In a personal mess, one finds the system that works well for them���how to organize their files, desks, even their closets. When it’s your mess, you can see how things got the way they are and what needs to happen to make it better.

When more than one person makes a mess���at home, in the office, in the neighborhood, or in the country���the ability to clean up, and the very definition of cleaning up, changes dramatically.

The hardest mess of all is the clutter you have inside.

To clean that up requires your full attention. Recognizing and addressing the mess means identifying the swirling thoughts that hold you back���the thoughts and beliefs about yourself that keep you from believing you can accomplishing what you most wish to do. Let go of whose fault it is/was or who else can fix this for you (hint: no one).

To do this, you must put in the effort and the struggle and, when necessary, ask for help.

Your internal voice must be nonjudgmental. Only bravery, honesty, and supportive efforts will do the trick.

I am working on my internal voices, which sound a little victim-y right now. This is understandable from my perspective, but it is also not helpful moving forward. First, I will feel them. I will give them their moment and then lovingly send them on their way. Instead, I will speak to myself in the most positive and helpful way. When I feel stronger, I will be more effective cleaning up other messes down the road.

If you need help with your internal journey, consider a psychic reading or hypnotherapy session to help you identify and address the internal messages that hold you back.

Mary

Just Breathe

It���s here. November 5th. Election Day.

We all hope for the best, and we all fear the worst. It is a tense time for the country.

The most important thing we can do is keep calm.

Breathe in.

Go for a walk.

Exhale.

Turn off the news.

You can decide what to do with the results tomorrow. Until then, be good to yourself and those around you. Avoid toxic people.

Love and peace,

Mary

Sisterhood connecting as one.

Happy Halloween! Here is an inspiring observation about witches. I wish I could take credit for it, but the least I can do is share it.

Wishing you many treats,

Mary

I THINK IT WAS JUST WOMEN

It must have been a terrifying sight to behold,

a group of witches gathered by firelight,

chanting, conjuring spirits, creating spells���

No wonder some were afraid.

But I think it was just women.

Being women.

Coming together, as they very much must,

to support one another,

to share their battles and pull each other

through the flames

they faced daily.

Sharing remedies, medicines

and ways to heal.

And believing they were so much more than told,

than allowed.

It is little wonder that the power of this union would appear like magic, to the unknowing eye.

But I think it was just women.

Doing what we do,

every day.

– Donna Ashworth

Don���t edit, just write.

The first rule in writing is to just write.

That is why I had to kick AI off my Word program. It was editing me as I wrote, even though I was not yet clear about my direction, much less where to place a comma or accept a better word choice.

Editing in real time can be dangerous. You might not convey your truth. That���s why journals are so helpful. They are not for others��� consumption, and you get to be messy and cranky and use all the words that come to mind.

Consider anything you write as your first draft.

Consider anything you���re about to say as your first draft.

It’s a late-in-life trick for me, but I work every day to think before I speak. I missed an opportunity to do so just recently, and yet I was able to forgive myself and acknowledge that at least I caught myself in time to apologize. If you know me, that was big���not the apology, the catching myself.

Eckhart Tolle describes this as a lifelong practice. First, you must recognize what you do or what you’ve done and how you are received. Then, you start to hear yourself as you’re doing it. Next, you stop yourself before you say it. This is when you go from reacting to responding. But because you are human, you will slip up, and then you must start again. That’s the practice part.

In this world of artificial intelligence/editing software ever at the ready, I challenge you first to write and think in all kinds of messy terms until you get it just right.

You are the only person who knows what you really want to convey. Convey that, not all the other messy stuff.

Mary

Storage Containers

When I store leftovers in a clear glass bowl, they tend to get eaten. When they are in a colored or opaque bowl, they are more likely to go to waste.

Apparently, opening all those lids and resecuring them if their contents aren’t what you’re craving takes too much time. Clear glass is much more efficient.

We do that with people, too.

If it is clear to me who you are, I am much quicker to discern your content and whether it is something I want to consume. The problem with that is that if I just look at the colored walls without opening the lid, I might be missing something truly interesting���downright delicious.

Most of us do not walk around in clear glass, revealing all our contents.

The clear containers hold the things we like to reveal. If you want to know more, you must lean in, ask questions, and be willing to share what you seek.

There is nothing wrong with colored storage bowls (except maybe environmentally). It���s just that you must take the time to open them or go without.

I propose no solutions except to say don’t be too quick to judge and to store the things you most like about yourself in clear containers to attract others who will like that about you, too.

Mary

I am on the cutting edge of nothing.

What I think of as a grand and new understanding often leads to what others have known, possibly for thousands of years, latching on to readily available ideas whenever I was ready.

Still, whenever that aha moment hits, I feel like proselytizing. Like a newly reformed smoker or the born-again religious, I want to share the good news.

Some of my hypnotherapy clients have experienced this kind of awakening and joy. Their aha moments are precious. It is their next level of truth.

When we are ready to let go of what we think we know, we reach the next level of understanding.

Believing I have found the truth is dangerous. I continue to find new information that better informs my life ��� until I find the next level of information or understanding. Staying curious helps me avoid staying stuck or stymied.

In tarot, Swords indicate beliefs, philosophies, what one believes one knows, or new ideas one is being challenged to consider. The two of swords show a woman, blindfolded, standing in her truth yet meditating on what else might be. It signifies a time of confusion, meditation, and thoughtful consideration. The two remind us we have options.

To move forward, we often must take a step back.

Challenge your story. How is it serving you? How is it holding you back? Look for other possibilities for your actions and those of others. There is always more to the story. There is always more to learn.

Are you ready to challenge what you know? You may be a candidate for hypnotherapy that allows you to explore a greater truth in a safe and confidential setting.

When you���re ready, give me a call.

Mary

Not a dry eye���

This is me, the groom’s mother, and my son, Ben, when the wedding DJ started playing “You Are My Sunshine.” Every mom in attendance teared up. Many moms approached me to say that it hit them somewhere deep and meaningful. Who can’t relate to signing such a joyous tribute to their little ones?

Universal feelings are so dynamic, especially when shared.

What are the things ��� the music, the songs, the scenes, that awaken profound, positive feelings in your heart? Not the triggers but the glimmers? How often do you intentionally bring them into your consciousness?

I invite my hypnotherapy clients to visit a safe place, a place that brings them peace and joy, real or imagined. It is incredible how often the same symbols are invoked, such as being outdoors in nature, trees, bodies of water, birds, blue skies, a campfire, etc.

As much as we are individuals, we share so many things that invoke meaningful moments.

When you are at work or at home toiling away, try invoking some of the things that bring you security and peace and intentionally bring them into your space so that others can see them: a photo, a beautiful rock, a small water fountain, your favorite colors, hum a tune. By surrounding yourself with these things, you may be sharing the peace with others and letting them be a constant source of glimmers for your soul.

If you want to bring more warm stirring moments into your world, I would be honored to help.

Mary

The Year of Going Live

In 2020, I ���attended��� many virtual conferences, spoke on podcasts from afar, conducted phone surveys, and delivered Zoom workshops across the country. Some of the people I met online became friends and clients even though we never met in person.

This year, I had the pleasure of meeting three of these individuals in person. What a joy to find they are as genuine in person as their online personas!

It further confirmed my intuition and ability to discern authenticity even remotely.

Where and how do you find confirmation of what your gut already knows?

We all give off so many clues, so many tells. The secret is to trust what they tell you when you see them or fell. It will serve you well in business and in personal relationships.

I recently saw a comedian on social media joking about her excellent taste in men. (Unfortunately, I cannot find her again to give her proper credit.) She acted out telling her girlfriend about her first date with this guy, and it went something like this: ���He was late. I think he���s married. He took $20 from my bag. But I don���t know. I think this could work.���

How often are we tempted to ignore what our sixth sense is telling us in the name of wanting to get along or, worse yet, to be liked? Not all clues are so obvious, but they are nonetheless indicative of the person.

Life is too short to give your energy to those who will never respect it or return it. If you would like help discerning relationships or tuning into your intuition, schedule a one-hour reading with me.

Let���s go ���live��� together to ensure your relationships are positive and reciprocal.

Mary