Intuitive Journal » Energetic Healing

How Shamanic Wisdom Can Enhance Your Daily Life

Laura Warnke — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:11 +0000

How can Shamanic wisdom enhance your daily life? Shamanism is a way of healing that uses expanded awareness to perceive and understand the world. Have you ever wondered what Shamanism is all about? If you have heard the term before but are unfamiliar with its core concepts, keep reading.

Today’s article is a guest post from Mary Rivas of Warrior Spirit Audio where she explains the basics of Shamanism. Please help me in welcoming Mary to this site.

How Shamanic Wisdom Can Enhance Your Daily Life

In this article, I’d like to introduce you to shamanism and how it can help you in your everyday life. You don’t need to be a shaman to benefit from shamanic wisdom and basic shamanic practices.

Shamanism is an ancient cross-cultural quest for knowledge and personal power that predates all world philosophies, psychologies and religions. It offers techniques, principles and wisdom developed over the ages to help individuals learn how to bridge the apparent, but not real, separation between the physical world and the realms of imagination and vision.

It offers practical advice that anyone can use for success in all areas of their lives. The great advantage of this form of empowerment is that it teaches you how to be your own expert, not to rely on others or any external sources. This ancient knowledge can be used to achieve personal and professional success.

Shamanism is not a religion. It has been and is being practiced by peoples of many religions, from Christianity, to Judaism, to Hinduism.

You can think of shamanism as a way of perceiving and understanding the world through expanded awareness. Below is a brief description of how shamans perceive the world.

View of the World

*Everything is alive. Everything has awareness.

*Energy and matter are one of the same. Everything is vibration.

*Everything exists within a web of energy. All things are interconnected.

*Everything has a spiritual counterpart that resides in the spirit world.

*External reality is a reflection of our inner reality.

Common Tools and Practices

Shamanism teaches that we need to quiet our minds and expand our awareness in order to access the spiritual world for guidance, answers, healings and superhuman powers. It helps us to also understand how we can gain knowledge and insights from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks and trees, plants, the sun and water.

The common tools that anyone can use for quieting the mind and shifting awareness include shamanic journeying, vision quests, repetitive sounds from the drum or rattle and certain forms of journaling.

How can you benefit from quieting your mind? The benefits can range from the practical to the sublime.

The practical benefits can be developing your intuitive abilities to make wiser decisions in your everyday life, manifesting goals with greater ease and learning to significantly reduce stress and increase inner peace.

People who want to pursue advanced shamanism can study with elder shamans to develop their skills even further. These type of skills include the ability to heal others using energy and plants, communicate with plants, see energy fields and time travel, to name a few.

As I wrote in the beginning of this article, you don’t need to be a shaman to benefit from shamanic wisdom and basic shamanic practices. You can enhance your daily life by simply expanding your awareness and using basic tools.

Click here to learn how basic shamanic wisdom can help you in your everyday life.

About the author:

Mary Rivas is the author of The Warrior Spirit: How To Use Hidden Mind Powers and Ancient Wisdom To Create Wealth and More. She is the founder of www.warriorspiritaudio.com. Mary has a degree in psychology and attended graduate school in clinical psychology. For over ten years, she has immersed herself in shamanism and ancient wisdom.

The Meaning of Karma

Laura Warnke — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:09:16 +0000

Karma in a nutshell is a reflection of a past choice we have made. Karma isn’t bad or good, it is just a teacher. Put good out, get good back. The opposite is true also.

What is Karma?

There are a lot of misconceptions revolving around karma. Some folks think karma can be given or received. It does not work that way. Karma just is. There is not much more to it.

You cannot give karma to someone else as it is a reflection of our thoughts and actions. It is reflected back unto yourself. One person cannot give a consequence to another as it is your own.

It can extend through several lifetimes if the soul has not realized the teaching lesson there is to be learned.

Is Karma Bad?

Karma is a teaching tool for us here on earth. It is an immediate feedback mechanism to help us course correct. Many people think of it as a negative thing. Please realize that it is not a punishment, it is a teaching method. It is also not fate. What more than likely is the case is that someone did not like the resulting feedback they received from an obligation or choice they made, and thus views the experience as negative.

It can also be positive as well. Positive karma is something we have chosen that is in alignment with our soul’s purpose. Sometimes we just don’t think of the good things that happen along the way. But, as I said above; “put good out, get good back”. So when a happy incident happens in your life, many times is the result of positive choices made that were in alignment with your divine nature.

Justified Karma

Justified karma is what the soul needs to experience usually in order to learn a life lesson. It could have a positive or negative consequence.

Unjustified Karma

Unjustified karma is a bit different as it is not part of a life lesson. It occurs when the soul made a decision that was not in his best interests, going against his Divine nature. In some cases the weight of that realization can carry forward through many lifetimes if it is not resolved. Until you make a different underlying choice, the same scenarios will keep coming up for you to deal with in present day.

An example of this would be something like choosing a certain job, because you felt obligated to follow in the family footsteps. If this is not truly what your soul feels is right, the energy of obligation will keep coming up and be a recurring theme.

You will find yourself presented with many obligations, each different, but they will carry the same underlying theme. You will find yourself wondering why you are the one who seems to be always obligated to do something. The cool thing is, once you can see it for what it is, you can then release it.

Book a Reading

In the Soul Realignment™ readings that I offer, karma is one of the things that I check for in your Akashic record. Once you have an understanding of the core issues, initial causes, and underlying energy of the lesson, it can be cleared and released. Do you feel as though there’s some karma hanging around? Book a reading and find out.

What about you? What are your thoughts on it? Leave a comment below.

Surviving Holiday Gatherings

Laura Warnke — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:29:14 +0000

Are you dreading attending your upcoming holiday gatherings? Learn tips and techniques to help you enjoy the season.

Note: I originally sent this out last year on Dec. 10, 2010 to my newsletter subscribers, but since there are so many new subscribers, I thought it fitting for this time of year. I have also added some additional thoughts.

For many of us, the upcoming Christmas holiday brings feelings of joy and happiness. For others it brings feelings of dread and anxiety. Are memories of past unpleasant situations affecting your ability to have a positive attitude and outlook this holiday season?

A New Lens

Getting together with family members whom you may see only once or twice a year can bring up emotions that you thought you have gotten past a long time ago. It may seem like you have to put on your suit of armor to go to a family function.

Hopefully your situation is the former. If it brings about feelings of dread and anxiety, try looking at it from a different lens. View your family members through the eyes of oneness. We are all one.

Can you get past the feelings to the knowing that we are all on this Earth for the same purpose? Every person is at a different point in their life path, that’s all.

Forgiveness

You may never agree with what has been said in the past, but can you forgive? You don’t need to agree with someone’s point of view to forgive them. Forgiveness is for yourself. Can you finally get past the ego and emotion and see that person as a part of you? Forgiveness and letting go.

When a situation arises that gets your emotions to run wild, practice saying these words: I love you, Please forgive me, I’m Sorry, Thank You. This is a form of Ho’oponopono, a forgiveness meditation and healing technique that, said repeatedly will bring calm and peace to any situation. Read more.

Healing

You have the full ability to heal from your past. All it takes is a decision on your part that the issue will fade and become a thing of the past and will not continue to to affect you in your present life.

That can be easier said than done, in some cases. The point is to acknowledge that you want to begin the healing process. The rest will come in its due time. Christmas – A Healing Holiday

Enjoy the Moment

Take a moment to savor what you do enjoy, whether it be the holiday lights, the smell of cookies baking or anything that brings a bit of joy to you day. By living in the present, thoughts of the past can be dissolved.

How about you? Have you been able to heal and forgive and finally move on or do you find it difficult to get past somebody or something that you feel has “wronged” you? Leave a comment below.

Spirited Woman Directory – Celebrating the Every Woman Visionary

Laura Warnke — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:15:24 +0000

The Spirited Woman Directory is an amazing collection of women from around the world who are inspiring and changing the world, one step at a time.

In case you have not heard about it, there has been a 12-day Share Fest going on over at Facebook. It started on 12/01/2011 and has steadily built steam to today 12/12/2011.

Each day women from everywhere have shared inspiring videos, paintings, photos, and resources. It has been one of the most inspiring and energetic events that I have ever participated in. I urge you to jump over and check it out, if you haven’t already.

I haven’t been able to let everyone in on the best part of the Share Fest, until now. There is a free gift for everyone!

It is the 2012 Spirited Woman Directory. The directory is a magazine-style digital directory, full of inspirational stories, resources, and more.

I am so excited to be a part of this invitation-only directory and to be able to share it with all of you! This is the inaugural issue for 2012. The directory is 173 pages that include Spirited Women from 6 countries and 25 states.

What is The Spirited Woman?

TheSpiritedWoman.com is a leading (and growing!) global women’s empowerment community founded in 2001 by Nancy Mills. Nancy is known internationally as the Creator of the Spirited Woman Approach to Life. Mission: women inspiring women and changing the world, one Spirited Woman step at a time.

What’s in the Directory?

Everything from health & wellness resources, to entrepreneurial teams, to Radio & TV shows that benefit women.

There are listings for healers, astrology, psychics, life coaching, diet & nutrition, lifestyle management, and so much more.

The Directory is filled with over 50 inspiring stories and over 70 listings in 15 categories. It’s also filled with useful tips and information designed to enhance the life of every woman visionary.

It’s complete with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profile links, so you can contact and network with anyone listed in the directory.

The directory even has its’ own theme song Reach (Click to Listen) written by singer/songwriter Stacy Robin. I promise that you will want to get up and dance. It is so motivational! On the Facebook video page, you can see the video that accompanies this music.

Enjoy the Directory!!!

The directory is 173 pages that include Spirited Women from 6 countries and 25 states.

I am so excited to be a part of this invitation-only Spirited Woman Directory! I am listed on page 66, if you want to check out my listing.

There is nothing to sign up for and no one will ask you for your email address. Also, please feel to share the directory with friends and family. This is meant to be passed on and shared!

Inspiring Interviews and Articles

Read more about some of the Spirited Women featured in the directory. There are radio interviews and blog posts from many of the women profiled in the directory.

The Spirited Woman Directory

Guided Meditations for Relaxation and Healing

Laura Warnke — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:02:08 +0000

A guided meditation allows you to reduce stress in your life, re-center yourself and gain back inner peace that may be escaping you during the busy holiday season.

I woke up this morning thinking about the upcoming Christmas holiday and once again wondering if I would be able to get all of the shopping, baking, visiting, and decorating done in the time line I wanted. I made a list of what still needs to be done and it is quite long. Talk about feeling tense and overwhelmed!

Christmas shopping in particular is something I don’t view as a lot of fun anymore because I find myself absorbing energies from strangers and come home totally exhausted. I know many of you have told me that you feel the same way. Gotta love being an empath! Thank goodness for online shopping!

Then there is also dealing with family and relation that you may only see a few times a year. Some you look forward to seeing, others maybe not so much. It all starts adding up to tense shoulders, raised tempers, and a feeling of not having control over a situation. Even in the best of families, this can still be a stressful time of year. Last year I wrote about forgiveness and letting go. A guided meditation can help you to do that.

Over time, I have come to appreciate what a guided meditation can do to bring stress levels into check. You can literally feel the stress leaving your body. I have tried out other meditations on occasion, some free and some that I purchased, but until recently hadn’t found any I really connected with.

That changed when I discovered The Healing Waterfall website. These meditations are the cream of the crop — high quality classics that have sold over 100,000 copies in stores and on the web, and are head and shoulders above anything else I’ve heard. (You can hear samples, and get downloads and CDs on the site. And there’s a special sale on now.)

The Healing Waterfall

There are lots of great meditations on the site. Here’s more about one of my favorites:

The Healing Waterfall meditation has the kind of mesmerizing script and immersive music that puts me into wonderful state of relaxation. The narration is professionally done by a veteran TV actress, and the whole piece is just so… healing!

From the Healing Waterfall Meditation:

“Slowly walk forward into the pool, as this healing water caresses your ankles, your calves, and your knees, as they too absorb this gentle energy… and completely relax. As you run your hands across the surface of the water, you find yourself becoming more and more comfortable, and at home in this pool. And you have the feeling that you’re completely safe, and totally free to be yourself.”

That sounds relaxing even without the background music! One of the best things about the website is that you can try before you buy. There are sound clips to all meditations so you get to hear what you are getting before buying.

Testimonials

Here are just a few testimonials, from the web site:

“I purchased the Healing Waterfall meditation series many years ago and absolutely loved them. I haven’t listened to them for some time and then began doing so before bed and remembered how much peace they give me. I purchased 6 Guided meditations from you last night and started on them and they are wonderful. You have a beautiful gift. Thank you for producing such high quality meditations.”

“The Healing Waterfall and Healing Waterfall II are my absolute favorites. I purchased the CD’s from a local music store and have listened to them may times over. They helped me through a very traumatic time in my life. Thank you for them! I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

“I first owned this exceptional piece on cassette 20 years ago. The bought the CDs to give as gifts. Best guided meditation ever!! The voice is beautiful and soothing. The music soft and supportive. The journey is healing and powerful. I love both Lightbeing and The Healing Waterfall.”

Give a Gift to Yourself

Ready to get a handle on the holiday stress? Consider a guided meditation as a gift to yourself or give a few as a gift to those hard to buy for people on your shopping list.

Check out the meditations, hear samples, and purchase MP3 downloads and CDs, all at The Healing Waterfall website today!

The Energies of 11-11-11

Laura Warnke — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:01:40 +0000

Are you curious about the energies of 11-11-11?

Find out about the changes in energetic vibrations and my thoughts on what it all means.

Is it a reset to make things right in the world?

Is it a literal energetic activation or a doorway?

Is it nothing more than an ordinary day?

My Thoughts

I have been feeling the energetic changes for some months, so I don’t think that Friday will be much different than any other day. I think we have been living the energies of the vibrational shift for some time.

For myself, this date does mark a transition point in the energies of the Earth. It has been coming on for some time now. Many of you that are energetically sensitive will have noticed on certain days all throughout the past year, things just felt different.

Some days this summer have seemed so off, and others quite heavy. The amount of energy movement has seemed to be accelerated and it has felt some days like you can’t even catch your breath or make sense of it all.

It was as though something was off, but nothing you could put your finger on. I have felt incredibly sleepy certain days, much more than usual. On other days, incredible surges of energy. Sometimes, I have just felt so overwhelmed. The shifts of energy seem like they come in waves, recede, and then another wave.

What to Do

Nothing. The day will come and go just as any other. You do not have to do anything if you do not want to. If you wish, the day can go by with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. It doesn’t have to mean anything special to you at all.

If you want to do something, here are a few suggestions:

Meditate for an hour beginning at 11:11 with the intention of connecting with the new energies (or however long you can handle-That’s a long time for me to meditate!)

At 11:11 tomorrow, take a few moments, close your eyes and just breathe it all in. Repeat to yourself “I embrace the new energies and welcome them into my heart.” This is an easier one to do if you are working and are not able to find a quiet space to mediate.

Listen to the video below.

Read my friend Lindsay’s post at The Daily Awe for her thoughts on the subject. It definitely looks like we are on the same page!

A Full Moon

To add a little interest to the upcoming day, there is a full moon scheduled for today at 1:17 PM Mountain Standard Time. A full moon is a great time to set new intentions about what you want to be present in your life. No need to wait for those New Year’s Resolutions. Use the energy to your advantage.

The Energies of 11-11-11

I ran across this YouTube video on Monday and thought the channeled material did a wonderful job of addressing the changes in energies for the Month of November. It is worth a listen if you have a few extra minutes (The video is about 22 minutes long).

This video is from DevineMiracles. Here is her website if you would like to take a closer look.

Stay Tuned for Tomorrow…

Wondering what to do with all this information and how to integrate it and make some practical use of it in your life?

Stay tuned for a cool book offer coming tomorrow. I will be sending out a separate email Friday with a brand new book that is being released that will help you make some sense out of the energetic and vibrational shifts happening.

Intuitive Journal 2nd Year Blog Anniversary

Laura Warnke — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:38:01 +0000

November 4th, 2011 marks Intuitive Journal’s two year blog anniversary. Find out more about what has happened during the year and plans for the following year. Here is a list of archives to past articles.

Thank You!

I want to take a moment and say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my articles, comment on my blog, get an intuitive reading from me, and sign up for my newsletter. Thank you so much!

I am blown away by the support of this community and the wonderful comments that have been posted. I am truly grateful to all of you.

It has been absolutely wonderful connecting with new friends and like-minded intuitive people. I love the diversity of each person’s specializations, like reading auras, mediumship, spirit guides, and oracle cards.

Two years…where have the days gone?

The Third Year

So, what plans do I have for this site in the upcoming year? As some of you may know from past posts, I left my day job June 10th to work full time from home. It has taken a few months, but feel I am finally getting into the groove of self-employment and self-discipline.

I will continue offering intuitive readings, while refining and honing my skills and specializations. There are some areas I really want to explore in more depth both from a learning perspective and also a historical perspective.

I will be writing more about psychic abilities, emotional healing, Archangels, astrology, astral projection, and lucid dreaming.

I am also dabbling with ideas for an e-book. Yikes!

I am also open to learning what you would like me to write about on Intuitive Journal or what you would like to see in an e-book. I would love it if you would drop me a comment below or just stop by and say hello.

Stop Beating Yourself Up!

Laura Warnke — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Do you keep repeating the same pattern of verbally and emotionally beating yourself up when you feel you have failed at something? Is it still serving you? Are you ready to change the pattern?

I wrote about the luxury of negativity in a past post and it got me thinking about how we hang on to our stories.

What Did I Do that was So Wrong???

When I was younger, whenever I had a negative experience and got emotionally wounded or hurt, I would find myself constantly rewinding the situation and beat up on myself for making a mistake. I always wondered what it was that I did or said to provoke someone else and have them not like me or for someone to have said something hurtful to me. It really never occurred to me at that point that it may have been the other person having a bad day, I always thought it was just about what I did or said.

Living in the Past

“The past is over, so it has no power now. The thoughts of this moment create my future.” – Louise Hay

The joys of living in the past with a unhealthy pattern of beating yourself up using negative words and feelings is that you get to keep reliving the scene over and over in your mind. (There’s some joy for you!)

It grows and grows until you think the entire world knows about your situation or WHAT YOU DID. Think about a situation that was unpleasant in high school. Yes, there were plenty to choose from!

If you hang on to the story for twenty years after, there is absolutely no way that what you are thinking in your mind about the situation is the truth of what happened.

You have energetically made it yours and “own it”. Twenty years of thinking about an event that happened when you were too young to know all the workings of the world is no way to live your life. You have to forgive yourself and start showing kindness to yourself.

Okay, fess up. I know I am not the only one here. Which of you are hanging on to your stories? Think about what it would feel like for them not to be a major part of your life right now.

“Who would you be without your story?” – Byron Katie

Self-Love and Kindness

It has taken many years and many tries to be kinder to myself, but there is a point of realization when you think, gee – this is just not helping me get what I want and it no longer serves me.

Every action that we do or don’t do serve us in some way, even if you can not possibly find the meaning at that exact time.

There is quite a difference between beating yourself up and taking an honest assessment of your thoughts and actions. The latter is where you may come to some realizations like admitting that fear did keep you from doing something you really wanted and you missed an opportunity. The former is just about the ego putting a big blockade in your way to really healing from past situations.

I have written about the healing benefits of Reiki in a previous post. This is something that has helped tremendously to get through these negative thoughts. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is also something that works well for letting go of past patterns.

Ready to Move On?

I offer intuitive readings to release and clear those negative thought patterns and energies to help you move on to the next stage of your life. You know you want to be there, not here, right? Book an intuitive reading today.

Share your Comments

Weigh in and leave your comments below.

The Akashic Records

Learn to read the Akashic Records. Click here.

Do you Wear Black to Work on Monday Morning?

Laura Warnke — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:10:05 +0000

Do you wear black to work on Monday morning? If you find that you do, it may be time to take a look at why that is.

Wearing black clothing in and of itself is perfectly fine. In fact, it is one of my favorite colors and I do tend to wear it fairly often. It is a powerful color and can give you confidence. But when does it cross a line from being a fashion color choice to becoming a representation for something that is misaligned within your life? A few months ago, I wrote about leaving my day job and this is one of the reasons I did.

What I am getting at is; are you wearing black to symbolize something that is not going well in your life? If you think about what the commonly accepted associations of wearing black are, you will more than likely come up with going to a funeral. In that thought process, black represents death, the end, and mourning.

If you find yourself wearing black to work on a Monday morning week after week, start looking at the consciousness behind it. Do you just happen to put a black outfit on because you feel great in it or do you put it on because you view your next 8-10 hours of life as a daily grind?

I worked at my prior job for 11 years and somewhere along the way, I made a sub-conscious decision to wear black to work on Mondays, and did so for a number of years. Once I really thought about it, I realized that it was my sub-conscious trying to tell me that the job I had was not aligned to my Soul’s purpose.

Is wearing that color symbolizing a job you dislike so much that you think it energetically represents death? Do your feel that your job is so misaligned to your Soul’s purpose that you view it as waking up and going to a funeral on a Monday morning?

What Color is your Job?

I know that sounds like a book I have read about careers somewhere along the way, but think about your perfect type of employment and the color it represents to you. If it is something outdoors, you may think about a beautiful sky blue color or green like trees and plants. Someone that is a healer may envision purple, as it is regal, calm and serene.

When you are in energetic alignment with what you love to do on a daily basis, a full spectrum of color is available to you and you wear those colors with joy.

So, think about the colors you wear daily, not only on Monday and what type of energy and vibration that is sending out into the world.

What about you? Leave a comment below.

Energetic Realignment

Wondering what your soul’s gifts to the world really are? Book a reading and find out.

The Too Hard to Do Bucket

Laura Warnke — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:11:11 +0000

What is hiding in your Too Hard to Do Bucket? Are there long forgotten dreams, plans, or fears stuffed in there? Find out how to tackle what is holding you back. In my last post I wrote about life lessons. Chances are many of the items in your bucket are also showing up as one of your life lessons.

The “Too Hard to Do” Bucket

A few nights ago I was listening to a recording of a seminar and during questions, one of the callers mentioned her “too hard to do” bucket. This was where she threw ideas and actions that she felt were “too hard to do” right now. I guess that rather stuck with me and I started wondering what I have thrown into that bucket. The list started to become quite long. Longer than I would like to admit!

I visualize my bucket as a nasty old smelly can that is sealed poorly and thrown down into a dark corner of my basement, well out of sight, and promptly forgotten about.

After all, I think all of us view ourselves as the type of person to not miss an opportunity or to face everything head on. No one has any fears, right? I guess it is similar to the age old question of “What is holding you back?”

My Bucket

What showed up in my bucket? I will share a few things that are related to this website.

Doing some videos for the site.

Recording a podcast.

Doing phone readings.

Getting a new professional photo taken.

You might be reading this and think, what’s the problem? Those things are easy! My response is that everyone has their own set of things that are just “too hard to do” at the moment. Easy for some, just not the right time for others. Will each of these things make me personally grow? I have no doubt.

How to Tackle the Bucket

I guess I like the “how do you eat an elephant?” analogy. One bite at a time. Things that you felt were too hard to do six months ago may be able to be completed now. Life in general has a way of helping us to take steps to get closer to our intended outcomes, whether we realize it or not.

If you look back on some of your items, have you made any progress toward them that you may not have consciously realized? If not, is now the time to start tackling one of the items? It doesn’t have to be all of them, just pick one. Is there something that doesn’t seem as scary or as hard to accomplish that you want to finish now?

What have you thrown into your bucket?

This post isn’t about making you feel bad for things you haven’t had enough guts to tackle. It is more about revisiting thoughts and ideas you have had from the past, acknowledging them and bringing them to light. It is meant as a little self searching and also to help you realize that you may have made more progress than you think.

So, what have you thrown into your “too hard to do” bucket? If you feel like sharing for a bit of personal accountability, I would love it if you left a comment below.

Oh, by the way, I would love to connect with you on Facebook or Google Plus.