Soul Contracts ~ Am I the only one who's never heard of this?

 

Once this topic popped up with the great god Google, I found some conflicting explanations:  1) That this is basically the name for our life plan that we go through and decide upon before an incarnation. 2) There was also this definition: Born out of despair, fear, pain, or anger, a soul contract is an unconscious promise that you've made with yourself in the past that is now hindering your ability to move forward in life. 3) And then there was this, in answer to the question, "What is a soul contract?": Soul Contracts are experienced with all types of relationships, including a spouse, a family member, a lover, a boss, an employee or a friend. Three main types of Soul Contracts are: Soulmate Contracts, Bump Contracts and Twin Flame Contracts.  There were a few other explanations and/or definitions thrown into the mix, which only added to the confusion.

Now, I know that when anything spiritual is up for discussion, and no matter what spirituality, path, or religion you embrace and you choose to believe, spirituality in itself is all theoretical.  It just is, no matter how much we don't want it to be, because there can be no scientific proof.  And this is okay, because as I see it, that's where "faith" comes in, and that would be a whole other blog post.

For now, let's stick to Soul Contracts.

After browsing through several pages of information, I came upon this relatively calm and reflective article that I decided to start with.  So, we'll do that.  I would more than welcome other people's reflections, ideas, beliefs, thoughts, etc., in the comments.  What do you all think?

Links to the source will be found here:

The source for this post:

bellamag.co

author: Valerie Gullo

click HERE

Finding the beauty in our relationships is essential for a healthy and well-balanced life. This seems fairly simple, but the stress in relationships gets in the way of us seeing their perfect structure and beauty. When something goes wrong in a marriage, a family, a partnership, a working relationship, or a friendship, it’s difficult to stop and see the beauty and divine planning in the experience. To say the loss of a job, divorce, or the break up of a relationship or friendship is a beautiful thing is an oxymoron, yet all of these events are part of our spiritual plan, or more specifically our “Soul Contract”.

Soul Contracts are agreements made with the people you encounter in this lifetime and include all of the lessons you have chosen to experience with other souls. In my last article, I wrote about spiritual blueprints and how they are the maps of our lives. “Before we are conceived, it is believed that our soul plans the life we will have. Every person that we have or will ever come into contact with is a planned meeting.” If we take that one step further, Soul Contracts are the spiritual contracts between two (or more) people that commence as soon as you meet. These contracts are devised to teach us important life lessons, move our lives in different directions, or awaken motivation and passion within us.

Soul Contracts are experienced with all types of relationships, including a spouse, a family member, a lover, a boss, an employee, or a friend. Three main types of Soul Contracts are: Soulmate Contracts, Bump Contracts, and Twin Flame Contracts.

• Soulmate Contracts

Soulmate contracts are carefully chosen before we incarnate to best support our soul’s development. Our soulmate’s purpose is to help us learn and grow. Think of the person who has hurt you the most and has left you feeling like a train steam-rolled over your heart; the person who swept into your world like a tornado and rocked you to your core, changing who you are forever and teaching you more about yourself than anyone else could. That is a soul mate.

Within this love-hate relationship, your duties to each other are to help grow your souls and to do “soul work.” A soulmate introduces you to a new version of yourself, tearing down walls and barriers that reveal and awaken another layer of yourself. Soulmate does not mean mates for life. In most cases you are not supposed to end up with your soulmate. These relationships are extremely passionate and equally painful, some are the most painful relationships we will ever experience. The soulmate relationship stimulates growth by teaching us lessons that are difficult to learn. The contract is fulfilled once the lesson is learned.

• Bump Contracts

Bump contracts involve a person with whom we have had an intimate past-life experience and connection. These people agree to come into our lives to check if we are traveling on our correct spiritual path. According to Steve Rother, a well-known spiritual advisor, “As souls, we are aware that many times we get stuck in situations that can distract us from accomplishing our real soul work. Bump contracts are designed to come together with such intensity that they cannot help but jolt us out of our routine. Their purpose is to remind us of our original soul intention and direction. Quite often these appear as irresistibly romantic encounters. By their very nature, they must be strong enough to ‘bump’ us into some kind of new awareness. Their very strength is often sufficient to tempt us into an affair.”

Due to the nature of bump contracts, they are rarely meant to be long-term relationships. They allow an opportunity for both parties to change the trajectory of their lives and get on the correct path.

• Twin Flame Contracts

Twin Flames, or Twin Souls, are spiritually two halves of one soul. Each twin completes the other, which is the sole purpose of this contract. Upon meeting a twin flame there is an instant attraction, often referred to as “love at first sight".  According to the spiritual website www.isisjade.com, the following are signs that you have met your Twin Flame:

1. Attraction that defies and compels you beyond common sense
2. A sense of completion when you are with them
3. Their presence is magnetic and is felt long after they leave you
4. You complement each other perfectly
5. Ability to feel each other whether you are together or not
6. A feeling of closeness so strong its as if you are siblings
7. A beginning of a breakdown of your lives as you knew them upon finding one another
8. Synchronicity will be overwhelming discovering yourselves texting, calling, or e-mailing each other at the exact same times
9. Once fulfilled, this contract can bring the most intense and fulfilling love and peace that is ever experienced.

There is another type of Twin Flame Contract that can be a bit trickier:

This contract brings the Twin Flames together to connect the souls and then disconnects them. According to Debbie Nagioff, clairvoyant, writer, and broadcaster, “Inevitably, in twin soul connections we come up against the ‘dance', the connection and the disconnection between the two that is incredibly frustrating and cannot be rushed. We are dealing with a process here. Within the connection you often find that one party is very keen to move the relationship on to higher levels, whilst the other doesn’t know what is going on and doesn’t want to deal with the relationship, as it touches deep and painful emotions that may have been suppressed. So they try and escape the relationship. The latter of the pairing is often referred to as a ‘runner.’ The intensity of the connection means that each one feels the other’s pain and confusion and there is much telepathic interchange. Both are pulled around by the compulsion of the energy and are connected by what seems like an electrical cord.”

The people dealing with this type of Twin Flame contract characteristically have meetings that are unanticipated, unexpected, and in many cases, unwanted. The Twin Flame pair may already be in committed and solid relationships with family and completely established lives. This type of contract never happens at a convenient time.

There are many practical reasons for this relationship not to work, such as religion, long distances, age differences, and existing relationships. Patience is the key to fulfilling a Twin Flame Contract. This type of Soul Contract has been coined “a gift and a curse wrapped up in one".

Soul Contracts are powerful and bring substantial pleasure and spiritual fulfillment. They can also bring about a great deal of pain and distress. It is important to understand the nature of your relationships and what they are trying to teach you. From a spiritual perspective, our soul’s purpose in coming to Earth is to learn and gain experience and knowledge. If you are in a Soul Contract that brings distress to you, try not to get lost in the pain; instead, breathe deeply and focus on the lesson. Thank the friend, boss, spouse, or lover for fulfilling the Soul Contract. Thank them for helping your soul grow and learn.

Herbs: Hyssop ~ The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening

 

The chapter that I found the most fun to write was Chapter 4:  Botanicals & Pagan Spiritualism.  I love the use of herbs and their energies in the pagan path, and I'm strongly connected to them with my own practice.  There is a nice segment on herbs, all formatted as the excerpt below, with a variety of uses for each herb as it pertains, some quite interesting and a bit unconventional.

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If you have ordered your copy of this book, they should start to arrive to their destinations the middle of this month.  I'm waiting, just like all of you, for my first clean copies, so far I have only the author's proof, which is printed with a wide gray "not for resale" band across the cover.

If you haven't ordered your copy yet,

please do so at Amazon with THIS LINK.  

And when you receive your book and have a chance to read it over, I would absolutely love it if you would leave a brief review or a few words on Amazon.  Reviews make all the difference in the success of a book, and they often help someone decide if a particular book is what they're looking for.

I know I can't wait for my copies to arrive, and I can't wait to get your feedback!  I know you'll love this book as much as I do.

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• Hyssop

Energy: projective
Planet: Jupiter
Element: fire

Magical uses: purification, protection

Aside from sage, hyssop is the most popular herb for purification, used widely in protective recipes for oils and powders, as well as burned for its cleansing purifying smoke.

If you’re feeling a bit tarnished spiritually, and you’re not sure from where or whom this energy is coming, you can fix it. Add a little hyssop to your bath water for a cleansing soak. You can add some dried and ground hyssop to your favorite moisturizing lotion or body oils and apply it sparingly, touching your forehead and heart to clear the energy about you.

Spiritual Awakening @ Facebook

"This book is written to help you explore and experiment and discover a spirituality that you might not even be aware of. This book is here to help you embrace your inner pagan, to reconnect with your ancient roots and an earthy spirituality based in nature and magic and inspiration."

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An Early Arizona Morning Full of Tarot

 

Today's early morning readings are full of on the spot intuitive perceptions and advice. Welcome to Arizona and my home. This morning we dive into a grid of cards and explore relationships, finances, personal connections, and life. If you enjoy this video, or find it helpful, please be sure to Like & Subscribe so that other people can find it too. 

And if you haven't already purchased my new book, The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening, you can do that using the link below. If the Spirit moves you, leave a brief book review or a few words at Amazon, that would be amazing! Please and thank you in advance! My book, The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening, is up at Amazon and available for purchase. Follow this link:

click  HERE

The Writer's Corner ~ The Tarot and An Exercise in Story Telling

 

As you may have seen from my last blog post, where I let myself fall completely under tarot's spell and write down uncensored the story the cards are laying open before me, the stories tarot can tell are intriguing and there is no timeline to them, they are in essence timeless, and you can find yourself transported to different places and eras in history.

I got to thinking, and I've thought about this before, wouldn't it be interesting to use the tarot to write stories, or to write a book.  And in essence, I have to wonder, who's story would it be?  I am of the belief that the information coming through the tarot cards are actually messages from Spirit, and can be messages from the deceased as well.  So, really, who's story would it be -- the writer's story, or Spirit's?  I would be most interested to hear opinions and theories.

I'm going to conduct an experimental writing exercise today, pulling three cards, and let's see what story they will tell us, where it will take us, what connections we'll make.  The most intriguing thing to me about using the cards in this manner, is that I most likely will not be writing this story on my own.

• 5/pentacles; Page/cups; 6/pentacles

The cards are once more transporting us back to an earlier time, it feels like a "tween-time", with so many changes, some that feel very modern and altering to the world we've always known... the 1920s, coming off the 19-teens.  Life is so changed after the war ended.  It seemed to release something wild and free and daring and sometimes slightly naughty.  It was as though conventionality had died in the trenches, lost in the battle fields of Europe, in the dirt and the mud and the blood.

But there's still tentacles of the old world, the old ways, trying in vain to hang onto propriety and tradition and morals. The reality of this comes in scathing glances of disfavor, critical words, whispered gossip, legalities of men, and it all leads to the more sensitive of us lingering around the edges, holding our secret revolutions in hushed tones, behind closed doors.

And this story begins, the story of a girl bound by her prim and proper life, her prim and proper beginning, her pristine and polished world, awash with a desire to find herself, to express herself, to break free from the constraints of expectations.  She conducts her daily life mostly in silence, except when propriety dictates otherwise.  Her thoughts, desires, dreams, fears, and deepest thoughts are contained within her slender frame and delicate countenance. 

But change is on the horizon, beckoning to her in the form of a delicate soul, a gentle spirit who was living much as she was, in the shadows, keeping quietly to their inner world of pure thought, filled with infinite unspoken possibilities.

What did it take to connect these kindred spirits?  A chance meeting?  The haphazard frivolous throw of the dice?  The deliberate and painstaking course of synchronicity?

In due course, the connection was made, tentatively and cautiously at first, until there was a recognition of the quiet souls, and they realized what was happening, felt the connection, and gradually grew bolder with this knowledge that they were no longer alone, no longer one, but now two.

The transition to a new life was gradual, the stepping stones sometimes small and quaking, the future pocked with the remnants of an old world and old rules.  But there were cracks within this earthly world, allowing brilliant rays of light, illumination, and realization to burst through in sporadic frenzy.  It would still be a long way for the world to travel to a place of true enlightenment.  But this couple was together, and  they would build upon the life they could achieve at this point in time, and they would continue quietly leaving their soul tracks over the course of eternity.

Conclusion:

Wow.  I can feel her, the heroine of this story, the story-teller of the cards.  It's very subtle, and she feels very prim, still bound in the habit of propriety and a genteel nature left over from the time in which she lived.  She's also a lesbian, and the gentle soul, the kindred spirit, that she connected with is a woman, which I found interesting, because I'm heterosexual, so it was a window of rare opportunity for me.  I was rather surprised that I really got nothing from this other character, her partner, though the energy felt similar to the heroine of this story, gentle and quiet.

There is so much more that I "see", "hear", "smell", "feel" that can't all be transposed into written words, or vocal narration, always with the cards, it's been this way.  And I can't begin to emphasize enough how much more I experience than what I'm able to convey to you.  When I finish a "reading" like this, I always feel as though I've actually been there, really been there.  It's weird, but very cool.

The following is a photo of today's cards:

This is my "scratchings" that I sometimes do right after I lay the cards, in order to make a connection, to see where the story begins, to meet the characters:

Today the Cards Tell a Sordid Story ~ from another time

 

This feels like such long time ago. There's the ambiance of the turn of the 20th century, high top stiff collars, the clopping sound of horses on cobbled streets, the smells of primitive plumbing and horse drawn carriages, the staid colors of cheap dyes for men's coats and ladies' skirts.  There is the feeling of a much different pace of life on a daily basis than what we experience now.  Everything moves more slowly -- us, and our efforts to travel from one spot to another, mail and communication in general, goods and services.  It's so much slower, I feel that I can take a deep breath, that the "rush" of movement in the 21st century has ceased.

It's timeless, this scenario, the set of circumstances playing out before me in a different era and to a different tune, but it's also the same.  There is a surreal feeling of deja vu.  There is a tryst, of course.

There's quite a bit of virulent and violent interaction between two females, cloaked in the conventionality of their era, but so raw when seen through the mists of time... raw and shocking.  Between the two women, there is an aggressor, and there is a victim.  The minute details of this interaction may be steeped in mystery, unknown to the people surrounding them at the time the drama and confrontation played out.

After the confrontation and it's ultimate conclusion:

Someone ran away, disillusioned by the outcome, horrified by the results, morbidly disgusted mostly with themselves, but also afraid of discovery.  This deed, these feelings, this is something that the perpetrator doesn't even want to face with themselves, much less to have the populace know such things, speak of such things.  "Let's run away", she thinks to herself, "where no one will know.  Where the secret will be safe."

And what of the object of all this venomous desire and lust and conflagration?  What happened to him?  Where did he go, how did he move on, what course did his life take?... Within his reality, it would seem that his true love fled, the one he felt so connected with, the truth of her absence shrouded in mystery, unrevealed.  It would seem that life became what was expected and natural at this time and place, for this man and his newly proposed partner, though the passion may have been missing from this coupling, and the legitimate relationship wooden and predictable, the life constrained and often dull.  But it fit smoothly in the puzzle pieces of the day, of the time, of his life, and of the lives of all those he touched.

What became of the victim of these feminine hostilities?  Where did her physical remains come to rest? It would seem that her final resting place would never be discovered, though her spirit moved through the motions of the transition, and her soul ascended.

Questions were left, the mystery remains.

The Soul Mate/Twin Flame Thing ~ Clarification, and did you meet yours yet?

 

So have you met your soul  mate, or more than one of them, since apparently you can have more than one.  Or have you met your twin flame, and apparently you only have one of these, and thank gawds, because they don't necessarily sound very fun -- kind of a troubled, on again/off again relationship with lots of static and issues.

I don't know if I've met my soul mate yet or not, and I guess this statement would leave me to think that I probably haven't, and who knows if we all do.  Maybe some of us don't.  I know I haven't met a twin flame yet, because I've never met anyone I've broken up with or divorced and with whom I would want to reconnect, but I do know a couple people who have done this, my grandmother is one of them, and from my vantage point it looks pretty messed up to me, the stuff of mental turmoil and drama, maybe that's what these people thrive on.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure this all out, just like all of you, and I find it the stuff of fascinating legends and myth.  I happened upon the following article, and let's see if this one presents a clearer picture than I've seen before.  

However you look at it, soul mates and twin flames are a mystery, and we all love a good mystery.

The source for this post:

theverygirl.com
author: Beth Gillette

click HERE

Have you ever met someone and immediately knew they were meant to be in your life? Maybe talking to them felt like talking to an old friend, even though you’d just met, or maybe you suddenly couldn’t picture a future without them in it. Not to get all woo-woo on you, but it might not just be your imagination. You might have met your soulmate, or twin flame: someone who’s intertwined with your soul. So, what does it mean if you didn’t feel this cosmic connection with your partner? First, let’s get into the difference.

• What is a Soulmate?

To put it simply, soulmates are two souls that are destined to be together. But don’t get it twisted: Your soulmate can be platonic too (I stand by that because Charlotte, Miranda, Carrie, and Samantha are each others’ soulmates!). You and your soulmate might meet and click automatically (like your work-wife-turned-BFF). “A soulmate is a person you feel so connected to that the relationship runs smoothly because of the strong bond and compatibility,” said Dr. Mya Bellinger, a medical practitioner who specializes in internal medicine.

A soulmate connection will pale in comparison to other relationships you’ve had in the past. A soul mate connection will often feel very easy because you two souls will always find a way to compromise and make your relationship work. “It is with the soulmate that you finally start to ask genuine questions about yourself and love, you begin to face the answers that you’ve been avoiding, and you grow,” said Celebrity Love Architect Kailen Rosenberg.

You have many soulmates out there, so your best friend, sibling, and partner could all be soulmate connections.

• How do I know when I’ve met my soulmate?

A soulmate connection will feel easy and expand your greatness. It might feel too good to be true, especially if relationships in the past have felt like a full-time job trying to understand each other. You might feel like you’ve known them your whole life, even if you just met, and you might be more vulnerable than you’ve ever been before.

• What is a Twin Flame?

On the other hand:  "A Twin flame is a kind of relationship where the same soul is cut in two, or a mirror of each other,” said Samantha Moss, editor & content ambassador at Romantific. “This is one soul that shares an intense connection because they mirror each other’s weaknesses, emotional damages, and insecurities.” So, if you wondered why Taylor Swift called J*ke Gyll*nh*al her twin flame in “All Too Well (10-Minute Version),” now you know. Your twin flame isn’t always your perfect match because you two can bring out negative sides of each other.  However, twin flames often learn a lot from each other.

Because these relationships can be so transforming, some experts believe you can’t meet your soulmate without having learned the necessary lessons from a twin flame connection first.

But what if you’re dating and in love with your twin flame? Don’t panic. Twin flames teach us a lot about ourselves, and when aligned, you can also bring out the best in each other. These relationships might not come with as much ease as a soulmate connection, but you can end up extremely happy with your twin flame for the rest of your life.

• How Do I Know When I've Met My Twin Flame?

Did you ever meet someone and wonder how you could possibly be so alike? A twin flame is like a mirror version of yourself. You may be surprised by how similar you are and how natural conversation feels.

But if you haven’t met your twin flame yet, don’t feel like you need to plan a cross-country road trip in search of them. Not everyone will have a twin flame, and that’s OK, it just makes finding your soulmate that much easier.

 

• What’s the Difference Between a Soulmate and a Twin Flame?

While they share similarities, you’ll feel like you were destined to meet them and they can both bring a lot of healing and growth to your life, they’re also very different connections. The main difference is that while your twin flame is two halves of the same soul, soulmates are two souls that belong together. Because of this, twin flames aren’t always your perfect match in terms of romantic relationships or friendships, whereas once soulmate connections meet, it’s difficult to ever imagine them apart. “A twin flame relationship is meant to challenge us in order to get you closer to the best version of yourself,” said Amy Javier, Intuitive Wellness Guide.

If you’re looking for long-lasting committed romantic love, you’ll find that with your soulmate. Javier explained that unlike twin flames, soulmates are a “reflection of all your great qualities.” While you can end up with your twin flame, a romantic soulmate connection is more likely to last long term.

In this vein, the same person cannot be your soulmate and twin flame. You also can meet many soulmates in your lifetime, but you only have one twin flame.

 

• Should I Be With My Twin Flame or Soulmate?

One connection isn’t necessarily “better” than the other, as both can lead you to grow and can have long-term success. This all depends on how you’re looking to grow and the work you’ve already done. Twin flames can be more intense and chaotic, but they teach us a lot about ourselves. Maybe you had a whirlwind romance in your early 20s that taught you how to love and broke your heart into a million pieces, and now you’re dating in your 30s, ready to meet your soulmate. Perhaps you just ended a long-term relationship and are looking for an intense kind of love that will change your life. Platonically, a twin flame could be the toxic best friend that turned everything between you two into a competition, or it could be your sibling who feels like your other half. It truly all depends on where you’ve been and where you’re going. 

• What If I’m Non-Monogamous?

The idea of soulmates and twin flames in relationships is antiquated for some, as it entirely relies on monogamy to work. The concept that there’s one single person out there for everyone goes against all the various types of relationships people may have, especially those who practice ethical non-monogamy and polyamory.

• How Do I Find Mine?

Don’t put too much pressure on finding your soulmate or twin flame, as they will come naturally into your life. “The point of understanding both types is not to seek out these types in romantic relationships, but to allow yourself to vibrate at a level that encourages your connection with someone who matches that vibration,” said Rev. Lisann Valentin, shamanic amplifier and intuitive coach.

Valentin explained that you’re a magnet for your twin flame and soulmate connections, but you have to do the self-love work to get there. “Trust that your light will act as a beacon to bring you whatever experience your soul calls for... be it a soulmate, or your twin flame.”

A Place to Record Your Progress & Inspirations ~ The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening

 

This little handbook and journal is special because I wanted you to be able to make this book your own, to add your private thoughts, inspiration that strikes out-of-the-blue, and positive affirmations.  I wanted this book to be a companion to you as your spiritual explorations and awakenings unfold.  There are ample pages of lined paper for you to write on, a beautiful watercolor wash that's inspiring on its own, just waiting for you to put pen in hand.

I'm so proud of this beautiful book, and I know that my own personal copy will become a keepsake journal mirroring my own spiritual journey.

Please be sure to order your copy now, and if the spirit moves you, leave a review or a few words at Amazon.  Thank you so much for supporting my books over the years and traveling this marvelous mystic path with me.

Blessings,
Amythyst Raine

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Past Life Regression ~ I've always been curious, how about you?

 

I've been doing some reading on past life regression, and I discovered this wonderful article (along with this intriguing blog and author that came with it, her links will be below).  Be sure to check out her blog, where you will find a plethora of spiritual and new-age topics.

I have actually dabbled in past life regression before, and by "dabbling" I don't mean frivolously playing, I mean in only briefly.  I've always wanted to go further in depth with this topic.  I have used tarot cards to do a handful of past life readings which always proved to be interesting.  The cards were pretty much just a trigger for the subconscious, as they are in all my readings (if you haven't already noticed this).  Once the cards open the door, the subconscious mind and the intuition and clairs do all the rest.

Anyway, I find this subject fascinating and this article interesting and full of information.  I hope you enjoy it!

The source for this post:

My Spiritual Shenanigans

myspiritualshenanigans.com
author: Vasundhra Gupta

click HERE

I was instantly fascinated by Dr. Brian Weiss’ books about past lives. So in November 2017, I scheduled a session for my own Past Life Regression session. Along with sharing what I experienced, I’ll also be answering some of the major questions asked on the subject because I spent a lot of time studying and researching the truth to this alternative therapy practice. To my surprise, I’ve found a lot of myths debunked for myself and am excited to share all that knowledge with you today.

So let’s get started.

• What happens during Past Life Regression?

When I found the healer I wanted to work with, I was asked to read Many Lives, Many Masters before coming for the session, just so that I’d know what I could expect. Having already been acquainted with Dr Brian’s books, I then prepared myself by putting together the questions I wanted to explore in my past.

I was additionally asked to be well-rested, listen to some guided meditations, and come on a light stomach. Why? Let me explain by going into the science of past life regression. This will also be fundamental in helping you learn how to do past life regression for yourself, in case you’re interested.

Hypnotherapy is the underlying tool used to review past lives, by working with the subconscious mind.

A person is regressed back into a certain period of their life, using steps that I’ll discuss shortly. The end-to-end process takes up a lot of mental energy! And if unrested, or on a heavy stomach, it can make you tire easily. In some cases, you could even doze off.

Hypnotherapy is not exclusive to past life regression though.

When hypnotherapy is used to access the “Akashic Records”, or past life memories, we call it past life regression therapy. However, the same technique can also be used for inner child healing, overcoming addiction, or getting closure from a traumatic experience from the past.

Side note: Akashic Records is a metaphysical term used for the energy "database" of all events that have happened, are happening, and are yet to occur. The belief in hypnotherapy, especially past life and future life regression healers, is that because everything is energy, you can tap into the past, or the future (beyond constructs of time), and gather information that will help you heal.

• Is hypnosis dangerous?

Hypnosis is NOTHING like the dramatic TV shows, where a person is influenced and taken captive!

In the words of the pioneer in the field, Dave Elman, you must understand that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis“.

This means that when you’re hypnotized, you’ve simply been given a suggestion by another person, and you have willingly taken action on it. For example, in your day-to-day life, if someone says, “come, have a seat” and you go sit down, you’ve accepted their suggestion.

On the contrary, if someone said, “Let’s go eat chicken wings”, and you’re a vegetarian, you will reject the suggestion.

When you undergo a hypnotherapy session, the only difference is that you’re given several layers of suggestions in order to achieve deeper stages of relaxation.

This helps you experience your past memories, without the excessive resistance of the conscious mind. 

What are some examples of steps taken to deepen the hypnosis?

You may first be asked to count back from 50 to 1, while staring at a wall. Then, you might be asked to close your eyes and visualize a pleasant situation, like walking around a garden. Eventually, you’ll be asked to travel back in time to a specific memory, which is the part called regression.

This process is a rather artificial means to tire your conscious mind, which operates in beta waves. Thus allowing you to experience the subconscious thoughts by moving towards alpha waves. The different brain wavelengths and their purpose can further be understood through this source.

If you’ve listened to a guided meditation before, you’ll realize that the process is the same. Because guided meditation is also a form of hypnotherapy.

There’s nothing more dramatic or fanciful to it!

So no, it is NOT a dangerous process. Even under hypnosis, you are fully aware of sounds around you, you can talk, and you will remember everything that happened. You are just more relaxed while experiencing your subconscious thoughts.

Which is why you’ll even find self-hypnosis videos on YouTube. Many people claim to have experienced healing through them as well. It hasn’t worked for me though, for various reasons, but it doesn’t mean it won't work for you.

• Common Myths About Hypnotherapy

Here are a four common myths that hypnotherapy practitioner, Serena and I, recently debunked in a workshop with the tribe.

1.  Isn’t hypnotherapy scary?

No, it’s just different.

When you recall an old memory, does it scare you? Probably not. A few incidents might create anxiety for the future, or stir other emotions like anger, insecurity, or sorrow. But then logic will kick in, and you’ll be able to self-soothe by self-affirming thoughts like,

You’re HERE now and you’ve overcome everything.

The past is gone, and there’s a new hope for what lies ahead.

The past doesn’t have to control you, or enslave you.

You’ll continue to overcome your obstacles beautifully in the future.

This is the purpose of hypnotherapy. To revisit the exact moment in the past which influenced your behavior to be a certain way.

Many times, the reason will seem so silly and unnecessary that as a consequence a person can experience major breakthroughs. Like immediately quitting smoking, no longer needing to binge-eat, or no longer feeling so insecure about key relationships.

2.  Does the hypnotherapist take you directly into a past life, or is it gradual?

Every hypnotherapist has their own style, and they might take you into a pleasant memory, or help you tap into childhood wounds first. It isn’t necessary for you to access your past life right away.

While the hypnotherapist will walk you through different "doors", or walk down stairs in your imagination, it is your soul that decides what happens when you cross the threshold of the door to the “other side”.

However, before the session, the healer will typically ask you what your area of concern is, and why you are using PLR to heal it. In some cases, past life regression may not even be necessary to heal something, which is why it’s important to let the healer suggest what they feel is best.

Ultimately, whatever may be the area of concern, your regression into the past is navigated to find some answers.

Such was my case. Here are some interesting findings from my own past life regression stories.

• How Past Life Regression Healed My Fear of Black Cats

As I regressed into my third lifetime, I saw a woman in her late twenties being tortured and raped by a group of men. She was left to die in the jungle, stripped naked, sans resources to save herself.

She made her way into a cave, where she shivered through the night. When she opened her eyes, there were a couple of giant black leopards ready to attack. This was how she finally died in that lifetime.

My healer worked with me to release the trauma of assault, as well as the wildlife attack. Ever since then, I actually love cats! And rape? The fear reduced significantly.

It’s important to understand here that when you consciously access past life memories and work to heal them, you will notice that many experiences will no longer matter. But some things might still have some charge around them, such as the “rape” experience here.

It is both an opportunity to understand why it still has a grip on us, and a chance to free ourselves from fears that might seem irrational and unexplainable in this lifetime.

• Are Past Life Regression Experiences Real?
  
  

There have been countless validated cases, where exact details were mapped to lesser-known family history. The works of Dr Ian Stevenson and Jim B Tucker focused precisely on validating such claims, by children.

There is compelling evidence in Dr Brian’s books too, especially Only Love Is Real where two people narrated the same past lives with each other, without even knowing about each other. It was magical to read!

• Personally, whatever I saw did not have concrete geographical information or detailed timelines. I still consider a past life regression experience logically powerful because:

1.  When you revisit a subconscious fear and retrain your brain to look at it differently, you alter your conscious behavior too. This is precisely what we want to achieve.

2.  Our brain uses the knowledge and dictionary we have created from our experience, so what you see is the closest possibility of what happened. It's good enough to help you understand the significance at least.

3.  Irrational and unexplained fears are explained through the story you see in the moment it feels so real that it can shift your point of view. Thus, lifelong fears can be transmuted in a short span of time, within a few hours of hypnosis.

4.  Even if it’s a figment of your imagination, or fabricated, the fact that your subconscious is conducive to healing can be a breakthrough in itself for people who otherwise struggle to consciously make lasting choices in their life.

For me, it didn’t matter whether what I saw was factually correct, but it did help me see aspects of myself that I wasn’t aware of, at least not consciously. One such example being intense anger and anguish.

• How Reviewing A Past Life Helped Me Mourn A Child I Didn’t Have

I wasn’t even married at that point, let alone a mother. But regressing back into time, I saw a woman badly starved and beaten by her drunk husband. She held a baby, her baby. Their baby, force-fed alcohol by that man. As her child passed away, she grieved intensely. And so did I. I could deeply feel her pain and anger.

Now to put things into perspective, I’m not easily emotionally swayed. It takes a lot to make me cry, but this vision felt so personal, so real, it really felt like my loss.

And the kind of anger I felt in that moment was nothing I’ve seen before. My healer worked diligently to help release the emotions that were uncovered in that lifetime.

I was stunned when I recognized the baby in that past life as a friend from college in my present life. The next day, out of curiosity, and upon my healer’s recommendation, I asked that friend if he had “stomach issues”. He mentioned that he did, but he healed from them in college. Which was when WE met.

"Mother healed baby," said my healer as I conveyed my findings.

Heart-touching, huh.

• How do you recognize other people?
  
  

You might have an instant knowing (feeling), you might recognize their characteristics (visual), or in introspection a name might come to you (auditory). It’s my theory that perhaps the psychic sense which is strongest in you will be utilized during this process.

Past life regression in itself is like seeing a dream, except it’s not illogical, and you can remember it long after you wake up.

But just like a dream, you can experience the past life by being a passive viewer, active participant, or somewhere in between. You will see places, people, and important events in ways that are unique to you. 

I’ve had the privilege to see a significant past life in one of my dreams, which I’ve talked about in a post analzsing the spiritual meanings of dreams.

• How many past lives do we have?

To be honest, I don’t have an answer for that because each soul is unique. Some choose to incarnate often, while others try to learn their lessons through other realms. I’m not a huge fan of religious scriptures that put a number on our births and deaths, because healing, once conscious, is timeless.

This means that you could take several lifetimes to overcome a pattern, or you could finally sit down and “get it” in one day. The process of incarnation is so fluid and dynamic, but it’s safe to say that we may have had many, many lifetimes. At this point, I’ve seen over a dozen glimpses from mine and they have all served in my healing.

Instead of worrying about how old your soul is, it’s important to focus on what you’ve been doing with your time while you’ve been around. And of course, what can you do ahead, looking towards the future, to make the most of your time here! 

• Why is it good or bad to get a past life review?

While the benefits outweigh the flaws, here are some things to be mindful of during subconscious work:

Unless you heal the memory after seeing it, it may not be useful having seen it. For example, when I saw the black cats, I didn’t know what to do because I was scared. A professional hypnotist needs to help you navigate such incidents. My healer suggested I turn the black cats into beautiful vibrant butterflies and let them carry my body into the Light.

NOTE: This isn’t about denying something happened, but to creatively help you reconnect with the bigger picture. Therefore, on most occasions, you will not be able to see a past life yourself, unless you’re capable of dealing with it.

It can seem exciting to revisit the Akashic Records and retrieve your soul’s journey. But becoming overly obsessed with the past is one of many spiritual vices. Trust me, I’ve been there! So please, remember that though past life regression is useful to understand some of our behaviors, we don’t always need to know WHY something happened for us to change who we are NOW. 

 

It is expensive. I don’t know why, but in general, all healers charge a fortune for past life regression. I don’t discredit their work, and I’m all for balancing the karmic debt in whatever way one deems fit. But I’d say that if you can understand the process and go for a few sessions just to get the idea, you should focus on learning how to regress yourself. 

 

It’s really not that difficult. Dave Elman, whom we met earlier in the article, explained in great lengths about all this in his book called Hypnotherapy. Unfortunately, his book is difficult to purchase at this point. But looping back to where we started, Dr Brian Weiss has a fantastic collection of resources for self-hypnosis layered into his books.

All that being said, let’s talk about the benefits of a past life review with a few more stories.

• How Seeing My Best Friend From A Past Life Healed My Trust Issues

This story had both of us laughing. We were in fits when I slowly mumbled through my phone, “You were my wife in a past life." Ironically, when we were roommates, I would always call her biwi (hindi for wife).

In the first past life I regressed into, I saw that I was a secret agent on a mission in Russia where I was finally captured and tortured to death. My best friend, my wife at the time, had left me, unwilling to stand by my side in my life-threatening decisions.

It was her leaving then that had placed a subconscious message in my heart that she might leave me again. It was this thought that challenged our friendship. Even though we were best friends, I had a tough time trusting she would stay that way. Sure enough, this silly but sweet story brought us closer. I’m married to my husband in this life now, but it was cute to see how our roles keep switching in lifetimes. And even our genders!

But it wasn't just about the relationship aspect. This past life regression showed me why I had an inclination towards Russian history and thriller stories, and why I’d conveniently switch to a faux Russian accent in casual conversations.

Would you like to hear more? Okay, one more!

• How I Finally Stopped Being Scared of Diving

In my first session, I regressed a total of five lifetimes. They were all tragic in their own ways, but brought me great insight about the trauma I was carrying subconsciously.

One recurring pattern I saw was about drowning. Two of my lifetimes came to an end because I drowned at the deepest part of a river and pool. It had to do with swimming and losing control.

Growing up, I used to learn swimming at the YMCA. But every time I was led to the 10-feet diving board, I would panic. My body would freeze, and I would become a fetus in mid-air. I ended up scraping my wrists very badly, twice. When I finally learned the why, my inner child took a deep sigh of relief. She wasn’t scared without reason, was she?

Second Chance

 

You didn't get a chance to complete something in life, so the universe is going to give you another go around, another chance.  This time it would behoove you to recognize this chance, to meet the demands and the work and the energy head on, face to face.

The first time you gave this a go (and it feels like so many possibilities, because this is a general reading:  I'm getting a relationship; I'm getting something in the intellectual field; I'm getting something very personal, that is keeping itself hidden from me; and I'm also getting something that was/is pivotal to your adult life and how you live, or how you want to live); anyway, the first time you gave this a go, there was a giant mis-step.

At the end of this experience, or shall we say the second time around with this experience, you will be successful.  Some of you may be mildly successful and possibly view the outcome as rather anticlimactic after all these years of wishing for another try.  There are others who will be over-the-top ecstatic and elated at the feeling of completing something, doing something successfully, or reviving something that you thought was lost forever.

The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening ~ What was the most challenging chapter to write?

I would have to say that the most challenging chapter to write was Chapter 3, Preparing for Your New Spiritual Life.  

The topics touched upon in this chapter include:

• What do you need to let go of?
• What do you need to draw to you?
• Paving the way.

In the Exercises, Activities, & Exploration section, the first exercise called "Getting Rid of Baggage" was an almost cathartic experience to think and write about, because realistically every single one of us has some sort of baggage.  If you've lived at all, you've got baggage, it just goes with the human experience, it's how we learn.

I open the exercise with this paragraph:

"As you experience your personal spiritual awakening, your soul may feel lighter, the world brighter.  But that doesn't mean that you will experience an instantaneous clearing of baggage you've accumulated over time.  You'll find that clearing emotional, past relationship, and physical baggage is something that you have to consciously choose to do..."

There then is included three brief lists with suggestions for clearing that baggage, because this really needs to be resolved and/or released so we can successfully progress on our spiritual journey and exploration.

Be sure to order your copy of The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening @ Amazon, and if the spirit moves you, I would love if you would leave a review or a few brief words about this book at Amazon.  

Thank you all for the support you've shown this book, kicking it off with a burst of enthusiasm that charted it at #5.  Please continue your support by leaving a review; passing this link on to someone else who would enjoy this book; and sharing links and posts with your friends, or on social media.

Bright Blessings,
Amythyst

Walk-ins ~ a slightly creepy possibility that actually explains a lot of things

 

I don't remember exactly if I've ever heard of this phenomena before, but I might have, and I should at least recognize it, because it was the basis for one of my favorite TV shows:  Drop Dead Diva.  Anyway, since I have discovered, or re-discovered, this weird and slightly creepy sort of soul goings-on, I've been digging up and reading articles about it.  The following post is one of them.

You'll find the Source for this post
at the bottom of this article

There seems to be a general consensus amongst experts that when the spirit leaves the body, that’s the real time of death. There’s also general agreement that in total brain dead cases, the spirit or soul is usually out of the body, though often the brain dead person’s spirit stays with the body until life support is switched off. But that’s assuming the life support is switched off within a reasonable period of time. In the last column, I mentioned the case of Som Narang’s father, who was kept on life support for twelve days, even after the hospital where he had been rushed after a heart attack had declared him dead when all efforts to resuscitate him failed. 

Many of Narang’s relatives were convinced that the first hospital, a reputed one, which had declared him dead, couldn’t have been wrong, and his spirit had actually left  while only his body was kept “alive” on life support. One of the relatives made a seemingly peculiar comment: “We were lucky that in the twelve days his body was kept alive, some wandering spirit didn’t enter it. Recognizing that it was somebody else’s spirit and getting rid of it would have compounded our tragedy”.  

But is it possible for a wandering spirit to enter a dead body so that the body comes to life again? Yes, it is.

Often, such a phenomenon is termed a “walk-in”.  According to Wikipedia: A walk-in is a new-age concept of a person whose original soul has departed his or her body and has been replaced with a new, generally more advanced, soul… Believers maintain that it is possible for the original soul of a human to leave a person’s body and for another soul to “walk in”. Souls are said to “walk-in” during a period of  searing personal problems for the departing soul, or during or because of an accident or trauma. The “new” individual retains the memories of the original personality, but the personality and abilities change. Incarnating into a fully grown body allows a more advanced soul to carry out its mission without having to go through the two decades of maturation that humans need to reach adulthood.”

However, though described as “a new-age concept”,  numerous stories that I have heard over the years in remote areas unexposed to television or media of any kind have made it evident that its paranormal chronology is very old, and its occurrence fairly widespread and well understood too. Even in relatively recent times, it was way back in 1941 that a film, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, wove its plot around a spirit entering a newly dead corpse. This film in turn was based on a play, Heaven Can Wait, written in 1938.  The 1978 film remake, Heaven Can Wait, also portrayed one soul replacing a recently deceased man’s soul and reviving and inhabiting his body. This theme was featured in other notable movies; TV serials; novels; and stories: such as The Death of Superman, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower novels,  X-Files, Ghost Whisperer, and others.

There are several types of walk-ins, or soul exchanges. In her book, Walk-ins Among Us: Open Your Personal Portal to Cosmic Awareness, Yvonne Perry has written about them. Sometimes the walk-in soul enters into an agreement with the walk-out soul. “Rather than having a body die in order to release the soul from its incarnation, another soul steps in and picks up where the previous soul left off.  A walk-in can also be a companion soul in spirit form walking along with an embodied soul. A walk-in can be a fragmented aspect of a soul coming home and reuniting with the soul essence in a body… Some walk-ins are a blend of soul essences or consciousnesses inhabiting one body simultaneously. These may rotate in and out of the driver’s seat as needed to accomplish a task.”

It is said that after his death in 1990, the soul of Devraha Baba, often described as “an ageless yogi” and an “unusual hermit”, who was popular amongst both common people and the most powerful people, would speak through the living body of his successor, Purushottamacharyaji, Devdasji (Bade Sarkar), Devraha Hans Baba. But not all cases of a departed soul entering a body are at an evolved elevated level. Many years ago, near Doiwala, situated in Uttarakhand on the Dehra Dun- Rishikesh-Haridwar road, a man had gone for his daily dip in the river when a flash flood carried him downstream and he drowned. At that precise moment, a wandering spirit saw the opportunity and entered his body. His body, now occupied by a new spirit, emerged from the river and walked back to where his chappals and clothes were heaped on the river bank, and he dressed himself.

A part of the soul’s consciousness stays with the body for some time after death, and using this knowledge, the “new soul man” walked back to his homestead and locked himself in a room. Family members were even more shocked when the "new soul man" declared in a strange voice that from now on, food, etc, was to be left outside the door.  They were even more alarmed when a few days later, whiffs of a foul smell began emanating from the room. A chance visit by a sadhu seeking alms led to a struggle and great resistance from the spirit -- “I won’t leave, I won’t leave,” he shouted, to the eviction of the new spirit. When the locked door was broken open, they discovered a decomposed body.

It isn’t only dead bodies that spirits or souls can enter. An exchange or entry of a spirit or soul into a living body can take place when the body is sleeping; unconscious; in a drugged state; under anesthesia; in emotional stress; involved in a near-death experience, or a suicide attempt and so on. Also, more than one spirit can enter a body. Spiritually-advanced souls can walk into adult bodies and bring new dimensions into play.  In each case, there are clear indications that a new or different soul, or a fragmented soul, or a spiritually-advanced soul, has entered a body -- dead or alive, but that’ll be the subject of a column in the future.

The source for this post:

sundayguardianlive.com
author: Veenu Sandal

click HERE

The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening... What's waiting for you inside?

 

Chapter 1:
[an excerpt]
From Chapter One Exercises, activities, and explorations
3.  Reconnecting with animals and trees

"Do you love trees?  Do you feel an affinity for, or a special connection with, trees?  Do you have a favorite kind of tree?  Do you have a tree from your childhood experiences that has stuck with you, maybe a particular beloved tree that you think about even now, after all these years?  Do you feel uneasy in a forest, as though you're being watched?  When the wind blows through trees, do you hear it as voices with a message, or at least feel this energy?"

*Note: Quote from The Little Handbook of Spiritual Awakening @ amazon

Purchase your copy HERE

The Spokes in a Wheel

 

At the center of this reading is the Knight of swords.  He is you, whether you are male or female.

In true gallant fashion, you have your sword drawn, and you're trying valiantly to take care of, manage, complete, face, and solve all of the issues of daily life that are thrown your way.  You are the hub of this wheel, and all of life's issues are the spokes.

• Have you figured out how to handle the domineering individual in your life?  The one who feels that they have the solution to everything and that anyone else's ideas couldn't possibly be right.  Beware this person, not only is their egotistical and haughty superiority irritating, it can be devastating for your own self-confidence and damaging to your ego.  Sometimes people try to give their opinion to "help", but they have ulterior motives, sometimes motives they may not even admit to themselves.

• Dwelling on your past and eternally wondering "what could I have done differently" won't change the present circumstances.  What it will do is hound your soul with guilt and regret.  Don't look back, look to the future and what you need to do NOW, in the present, to make that future bright and successful.

• You may be all primed for a large event or celebration.  Hold your horses, or rather, don't put the cart before the horse.  This may be in the plans, but it may very well not come to fruition.  How would this make you feel?... relieved, sad, angry?

• A lot of the chaos you're experiencing around a situation is caused by someone being dishonest and deceitful.  Quell the lies, and the chaos dies.

• There's something you've been putting off doing.  Do that.  You'll feel better.

• You may be in a hurry, or you may be dealing with something now that is time sensitive.  Stop stressing about it.  This is something that is going to happen, conclude, transpire, or manifest at it's own pace.  And right now, it's not in any hurry.

Your Daily Cards

 
In today's ramblings you'll hear about a young couple grappling with a potential financial fiasco because they listened to the wrong person; you'll hear some dire predictions coming up with The Star tarot card and Aquarius energy; there's an eye opening moment when the true feelings about a generous and consistent individual, who feels taken for granted, is revealed -- along the way we'll have a brief discussion about my grandmother and her romantic decisions, as well as a few other personal moments.