These would look so cute on you…

Click Image to BUY NOW!

Click Image to BUY NOW!

It’s never too early to start picking up your holiday accessories.

Traditional red and green with silver filigree accents, these darling earrings will get you into a festive mood and have you humming carols in no time.

A portion of this items proceeds will be donated to “Donate Life.” This does not suggest any endorsement from the organization, only my desire to support the awareness of Organ Donation after receiving my heart transplant in May 2015.

All items in this shop are handmade by me and I apologize for any “quirks” as I am on numerous prescriptions that cause tremors. My only desire is to support awareness.

**To DONATE an items, please use the following coupon code at checkout. The item will NOT be shipped to you, but will be given to someone who needs the support. (Coupon Code: Donate1)

Un–

karenjones-27Well, I have taken another tremendous step on my spiritual journey. It still sounds weird to me to say that. I have always believed in God, most of the time I believe in myself, and I tend to believe in others. But there are so many things I don’t understand.

If you’ve read my blog at all, you know that I have issues with my mother. Now, I use the present tense, but she has been gone almost two years. Our relationship has been tumultuous and I have been unable to relinquish the feelings of anger and hurt.

With all my health issues, I decided it was time to work on my whole being and not just my physical body. So, when someone suggested Reiki to me, I was intrigued. I have tried meditation, but my mind is unable to quiet down long enough for me to find any peace.

After reading several books, listening to some audios, watching some videos, and talking to a bunch of people, I decided to give it one more try. I have been taking an online Reiki course (Chikara-Reiki0Do: Ultimate Reiki  Training) and one of the things they offer is an audio for Developing Intuitive Reiki Meditation.

I have been struggling with forgiving my mother. So angry, holding onto things that are done and passed and I have wondered why I couldn’t just undo the past. I want to forgive her. Anyways.

This afternoon I grabbed my iphone, my earbuds, and went out onto the pool deck in the sunshine and took my first shot at the new meditation. I did not expect much. My meditation results have been uninspiring, to say the least. It began much the way they all do, but then something changed.

Unbelievably, my mind calmed and I was able to focus on my intention. I needed to talk to my mother. I needed to know why she did the things she did and why she refuses to leave me alone. Well, things are not always as they seem.

Shortly after my mother passed, I told my husband, in a tear-filled rage, that I could not believe that after all the years I took care of her, when it came to the time when I truly needed her, she decided to leave. She decided to die. How could she do that? Why would she do that?

Well, during my “talk” today, my mother explained to me that her action was not selfish, but selfless. She told me she made the choice so I would not have to worry about her during my hard times. She said if she were alive that I would always be worrying about her and that would not be good for me and my health.

She went on to explain that she wasn’t hanging around, I am keeping her around. She told me she loved me, had always loved me, always wanted the best for me and sometimes she thought that meant letting someone else take care of me when she knew she couldn’t. She wants me free to focus on my life and my own healing.

For so long, I have been unwilling to let go of the anger because if I did, I would be letting go of her, and then she might go away. It would be like letting her go twice. The thought of losing her again was too much, but she made me see that I would not be losing her. I would be moving on and letting her move on.  I came to a lot of other realizations during our conversation, but basically speaking, I am the one with the issues because I am the one who is ALIVE. I am the one who needs to let it go.

My mother urged me to move on and to let her go. I can honestly say that I have never had an experience like this before and I am not sure where to go now. I have heard/read that when you have your first meaningful meditative experience it can leave you feeling:

  • Extreme positive exhileration and joy
  • Extreme emotional breakdown
  • nothing at all

I expected nothing. What I got was a lot of very strong emotions ranging from sorrow to relief. I also got understanding.

Ever-Flowing Streams: Tapping Into Healing Energies

tapping400I have known about this book for quite some time, but it took a “miracle” of sorts to allow me to open my mind enough to actually read it. A friend of mine, Mary Cunningham, who is on her own personal journey, sent me an email recently and suggested that I try to get in touch with a Reiki practioner for a Reiki massage. I was stunned. I could not believe the words, Mary is one of the most skeptical people I know, at least she used to be. Mary went on to tell me about an experience she had had, and I was amazed to realize the change in her voice and her choice of words, her overall attitude. I was talking to this fresh and invigorated person who was more excited about something than I think I had ever seen her. It warmed me. It inspired me. So when Mary said she had read “Ever-Flowing Stream: Tapping into Healing,” twice, and loved it, I decided to put my well being in Mary’s hands. Turns out I was putting it in my own hands.

Dana Taylor has offered up her view of something that has not always been widely accepted. Reiki and self-healing are often considered “unsavory” to say the least. Dana offers her personal background with regard to life and how to get the most out of it. She doesn’t give the meaning of life, but she certainly offers insight into how to give one’s life meaning.

Powerful stories and raw emotion are masked beneath her subtle humor and downhome personality. While the book is not a tutorial or a lesson, it is a guidepost to consider something more.

As a Muslim, I will say that I sometimes found her Christian analogies a bit confusing, but they did not detract from the ultimate goal of the book. I did not read this from my religious self, I read it from my whole self. I would especially tell anyone who has issues with forgiveness to read this book. But be forewarned, it won’t change your life. You will have to do that yourself, and Dana Taylor helped me realize how much I want to achieve.