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The energy is changing.  Can you feel it?  I don’t know if it is just the time of the year but when the sun begins to wake me up at a reasonable time in the morning (for me it is 7:00 AM) then everything shifts.  My energy renews and I see the light at the end of winter’s tunnel.

This is when my ideas start percolating.  I am actually trying to force myself not to start anything major yet.  This is partially due to getting over an illness (I think my body was telling me I was doing too much for this quiet time of the year and forced me to STOP) but also because it just isn’t time yet.  I need to let these ideas marinate for a while so what finally comes forth will be READY.

Let me know if you are feeling any of the same energies.  Here are some questions to ponder at this time.  If you struggle with the answers, relax, close your eyes and sit with one of your guides in meditation.  You can ask them these questions or just talk them out.

What change do you feel ready to make?

What new feeling is growing in you?

How can you refuel before these changes occur?

What lesson are you revisiting?

Congratulations on taking this time to plan your path instead of just letting life happen to you!  If you would like more guidance check out my journals and relaxation recordings on Amazon: Click Here

Enjoy these moments of transition!

Jessica Cross

Full Moon Meditation

We are now more than one month into the new year.  That may not seem like much but I find it is vitally important to recalibrate your direction on a regular basis.  If not, you find that you have been miserable for a long time and never even noticed, or that everything is wonderful and that you haven’t really been appreciating it.  I have been at both places.

 

If you find you aren’t happy or heading in the direction you want to go, this is the time to start changing gears.  Start spending more time and focus on what you really want instead of what you think you should be doing.  Life passes quickly and while we don’t all have to make radical changes all the time, we do need to make sure we move incrementally closer to where we want to be every day.

 

Sometimes major changes need to be made, at least in the way we are looking at a situation and this may be the time for one of those shifts.   Try this guided meditation to help gauge if a change needs to made, and where to go.

 

Read through the meditation and then close your eyes and remember what you can.  Let your meditation head in whatever direction feels right to you.

 

Take a deep breath and close your eyes.  Find yourself in a valley with lush green hills on either side of you.  There is a clear straight path that lies ahead of you and leads through the flat terrain of the valley. 
To your left is a winding trail that gradually leads up to the top of the hill on your left.  To your right leads a steep trail up the right hand hill.  It looks tough but fast and would entail some climbing over rocks.
Try not to make a conscious decision about which path to take.  Does one path seem brighter or more enticing?  If you just start walking do your feet head for a certain path?  If you spin around with your eyes closed what path do you face?
Begin to walk down your chosen path for a few steps.  Then stop and look around.  Does your path still feel right?  What do you expect to find on this path?  What do you hope to gain from this path?  If you feel the need to return and try another path, go ahead and then ask the same questions. 
Continue to walk down your path a bit further and fully commit yourself to this road.  There will be other paths to choose farther along but for now be confident in the path you are currently taking.
When you feel ready, start to hear the sounds around your physical body, wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.

 

Before you have a chance to leave the feeling of this meditation, write down at least some brief notes about the following.

 

What do these paths make you think of in your current life? (The path may only apply to one area, romance, career, spirituality, etc.)

 

Why do you think you ended up on the path you did?

 

Does the type of path chosen equate with a certain action or thought for you?

 

Be very proud of yourself for taking this time.  It is easy to get focused on dealing with emergencies and never take the time to make sure you are headed in the right direction.  If you would like more direction check out my Journals on Amazon: Click Here.

Recognizing My Own Reflection – ForestPathShamanicWork

The shaman in each of us knows that “as within, so without”, that we are all so intimately interconnected that transformation of the world around us is rooted in transformation of ourselves. It is clear that we are called to transform the world; the world is crying out for transformation, and who else is to […]

via Recognising My Own Reflection: A Shaman’s Guide — ForestPathShamanicWorks

Let Your Dreams Grow

We are now entering the time of the year when we begin to focus on how we would like our life to change this year.  With Imbolc on the 1st of February we leave the time of shadow in the Northern Hemisphere.

What ideas and dreams have been stirring in your mind over the long winter days?  It is now time to sort through them.

 

What dreams is merely a fantasy?

 

What dream is it finally time to move forward with?

 

What dream are you ready to let go of?

 

What dream do you want to nourish?

 

What would help support this dream?

 

If you would like to work together to sort through these Imbolc questions for the next year check out my Esty page or contact me to schedule a Skype Counseling session.

Candlemas with a Kitchen Witch

I decided to whip up a little something in honor of the upcoming Imbolc/Candlemas holiday. In the past, I generally neglected Imbolc.  Maybe because by February, I was over-holidayed, or maybe beca…

Source: Candlemas with a Kitchen Witch

Jung and Shadow Work – Silent Cedars

One of the great contributions in the work of Carl Jung was the delineation of “The Shadow,” a concept partly introduced by Freud in his conception of the “Id,” but given a fuller exposition in the work of Jung. One aspect of the Jungian shadow is “an unconscious aspect of the personality which the […]

via Jung, the Shadow, and Activism (Gandhi) — Silent Cedars

Here Comes the Sun!

With the first of February we move out of the time of introspection.  It may still be cold where you are but this is when we start to think of the Spring.  The days are noticeably getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

The Spring is when we begin to plant the seeds of what we want to have change this year.

 

How do you want to feel differently this year?

 

What steps can you take to allow you to feel this way more often?

 

What can you stop doing that prevents you from feeling the way you want to?

 

For further guidance this month consider the following suggestions for each day of the month.  How can each statement or question change the way you look at that day?  How would you act differently if this was true?  Open your mind to a new way of looking at that day.

 

February




1


Where do you give but not receive?




2


Acknowledge your work




3


You are not solely responsible




4


Ask for help and guidance




5


Accept the past




6


Make a conscious choice




7


Notice these opportunities




8


Tackle these challenges




9


What tools can you use?




10


Follow this guidance




11


Complete what you create




12


Face you shadow side




13


Heal with love




14


Connect to the Earth




15


Get rid of something




16


Something new is coming




17


Act on your values




18


What are you giving to the world?




19


Teach what life has taught you




20


Ground your energy




21


Watch for signs




22


Increase your awareness




23


Take a chance




24


Trust that you will be supported




25


Choose wisely




26


Accept yourself as you are




27


Are you proud of your creation?




28


Begin a transformation

 

I wish you all a happy February and hope you enjoy the return of the light!  If you need support please check out the “About” tab for additional information.  Take good care of yourself!
Jessica Cross

 

How to Refocus

It is important to take time to refocus regularly.  You want to make sure the path you have chosen is still the direction you want to head in.

I find journaling and guided meditation are the best tools for me to step back and look at the bigger picture.  Sometimes it is easy to focus all of our energy on the day to day activities and lose track of our larger goals.

Try reading the following meditation and then close your eyes and remember what you can.  Let your meditation take you where you need to go.  Then journal about the guidance you received and look even closer at where you want to spend your precious energy.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes.  Find yourself walking towards a large tree with a door in the side of the trunk.  Hear the sounds of the leaves under your feet and the birds in the trees.  Smell the woods all around you and feel the breeze on your skin. 

As you reach the tree place your hand on the door.  How do you feel with your hand on the door? Are you excited or nervous?  Where do you hope this door will lead?

Open the door and step inside.  The tree is hollow and there is a light coming from above.  There is a ladder on one side of the hollow tree.  Begin to climb up through the tunnel of the tree. 

You seem to climb for a long time.  Much longer than it would take to reach the top of the tree.  Soon the light becomes brighter and as you climb out of the tree you emerge at ground level in a new world.  How does this world look different from your own? 

You hear someone calling your name and you look around for the guide that is calling you.  Who is the guide that has come to greet you?  What do they look like?  Have you met them before?  If they are new to you, go ahead and ask their name.  Greet your guide and ask what they have come to teach you.

Listen to whatever they have to tell you or how being with them makes you feel.  They may lead you somewhere to show you something and teach you a lesson in that way.  When you have received all the information you need from your guide, thank them for their help.

When you are ready to return to your physical body, there is no need to go back through the tree tunnel.  You need only to walk away from your guide and focus on the sounds around your physical body.  Wiggle your fingers and toes and when you feel ready open your eyes.

Journal Prompts

What did you learn from your guide?

 

Where do you need to focus your attention right now?

 

How are you being guided to spend your time?

 

Is there someone you need to learn from?

 

If you enjoy these check out my Journals on Amazon: Click Here

Take care, Jessica Cross

Full Moon Journaling – Recharge

This is a quiet time of the year.  The holidays are over and that can be a hard time for many of us. This is a time of recovery.  Think of what you need to do to recharge.

It is another Full Moon.  This is a planning time rather than a time of action.  Start asking the questions that will lead you down the right path for the rest of the year.

What have you been neglecting?

Where is your heart pulling you?

What opportunity should you take?

What Peace can you find at home?

How can you connect with friends and family?

Take good care of yourself and recharge this month.

Reclaim your Power

Sometimes life feels totally out of whack and you just can’t put your finger on what is wrong.  These are the times when you need to step back and gain perspective.  It is important to look at the situation you are dealing with but also look at yourself and how you are changing.

A problem may seem bigger than it is because it is altering your view of the world.  One way to gain control in any situation is to find the lesson that you can learn.  We face many problems and transitions in our lives that we may not be able to change.  

The one thing we can always change, is how we perceive the situation.  Even in the most difficult situations there is usually something to learn.  It might take time to get to a place where you can actually think of the lesson and not just feel the pain of the situation, but if you can get to that place you can reclaim some of your power.

Take some time to relax with a meditation and then consider the Journal questions below.  Read through the following meditation and then close your eyes and remember what you can or take your own path.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes.  Find yourself walking on a twisting path up a mountain pass.  There are trees all around you and you would not know you are on a mountain except for the continuous incline.

Hear the sounds of the woods and the animals around you.  As you walk you begin to feel tired.  You wonder how far you are from the top of the mountain.  It seems like you have been walking for a long time.  

You stop and sit on a stump next to the path and question whether or not you should go on.  As you sit a humming bird beings to fly around you.  What do humming birds represent to you?  What qualities do they have?

You watch the humming bird for a bit and then rise to continue walking. The humming bird flits around in front of you, often going far into the wood almost as it to show you an interesting tree or flower.  You watch the humming bird and feel stronger as you walk.

Before you know it the trees are thinning and you are almost to the top of the mountain.  You are amazed at how easily you reached the summit considering your exhaustion early on.  

Walk to the top of the mountain and look all around you.  The humming bird flits around your head a few more times and then returns to the woods.  If there is any realization or wisdom you have received from this journey you may shout it out to the world from this peak of the mountain.  Feel your power.

When you are ready to return to your physical body.  Begin by hearing the sounds around you.  Then you may wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes.

Journal Questions

How are your beliefs being challenged?

What new opportunities are available?

Where can you step out of the way of a problem?

How are you acting as your own worst enemy?

How can you choose Peace?

How can you prepare for a major shift in your life?

Taking this time for introspection is invaluable.  If you enjoy taking this time check out my Paperback and Kindle Journals on Amazon: Click Here

Take care of yourself

Jessica Cross