Life is a lot like surfing. Sometimes you are in the flow of the most magnificent wave. Sometimes you miss that wave and other times you take a total beating. But one thing is for certain- When you fall down you have to get up. Recently I found myself caught off guard, and ended up taking a bit of a fall. Only this time while I was getting up, I was hit again and I fell down...Again...and instead of getting up, I got caught in the undertow.Being under violent crazy water not knowing when you are going to pop up for air or even 'if' you will be able to catch your breath is an uncomfortable place to be. It is easy to go into fear in that crazy storm. It can be difficult but it is So Important To Stay Present when that happens and just simply focus on getting head above water.I swam hard, I fought the current.Thankfully I did pop up. I got a breath. Then as things settled I got a few more breaths and eventually I ended up washed up on shore. A bit surprised, relieved, and totally exhausted.I would never have fallen if I had not decided to surf in the first place.Do I regret surfing?Not at all.Am I going to run out there to hop on a big wave right away?Not so much.I think I might take a couple of days in the kiddie pool with a lemonade and recover first.Am I talking about surfing?Yes and no.Am I talking about life?You bet I am.As a Holistic practitioner, I have a lot of tools at my disposal for health wellness and balance. Does that make my life immune to challenges? Not at all. In fact I often joke that my life challenges have gotten larger in comparison to my available tools-just to keep things fair and balanced in the universe. : )Even the most present, aware and balanced surfer is going to fall. You cannot live your life afraid of the fall.If you are going to ride those big waves, then you need to train hard and prepare for them so that if you fall while surfing them, you can survive it.You also need to go into surfing them with no fear. Sure you may fall, you may even get hurt-but if you let the 'what ifs' and fears hold you back, that is not living.So because I am a surfer and because I have 'been there'(on the bad side of a wave) a few times over the years and I am still 'here', this is my best advice for what to do when you fall off your wave, and how to get back up and surfing again. : )
1. Take Action- Try at first to help yourself. Try to swim to get up for air. If you cannot, or the water is too rough then....2. Just Wait. Continue to hold your breath and allow the water to move you up and out or to shore. Baby steps or one step at a time. Only look at the things directly in front of you that need immediate attention and let everything else fall away.3. Surrender. Know that this is Bigger Than You. If your effort alone would change this you would have had results from step #1. If you are still being tossed around, recognize that you do not control these larger elements. Things are rearranging in your life. Allow them to.Chaos Always precedes Large change. The bigger the chaos, the large the change.4. Be The Observer. Watch the scene with calm detachment as though it was a movie you were watching-instead of feeling yourself in the scene. By taking that step back to observer perspective, you will see valuable and helpful things you may have missed while 'in it'.5. Ask For Help. This may mean asking someone for advice, getting more information, or researching something more. It could be that you need actual physical help, or healing. This also includes asking spirit for help and prayer.6. Be Open To Receive the help you asked for. Take that advice. Listen. Allow yourself to receive that love and healing you asked for. Embrace those answered prayers.7. Build yourself up again. Recover. Be kind and gentle. Learn from your 'mistakes' and then get back out there and get back on your wave. After all, you are a surfer!I was a bit later than I wanted getting this post up and out there. Thankfully things have settled for me and I'm back on my board but still felt it was important to share this because I know I am not the only 'life surfer' out there, and I definately know I am not the only one who has fallen and had to get up again. This is for all of the courageous and fearless surfers trying to live their dreams and not giving up, not even when they fall or get knocked down every so often.As Dory in finding Nemo sings..."just keep on swimming, swimming, swimming..."Lots of Love,Kerri
Checking In....Post Birth
I'm wondering how everyone is doing after the big shift we went through leading up to and throughout the holidays. I have noticed lately with clients and students that many people are not quite feeling like themselves yet. Or they have been going in and out of feeling like themselves and then just feeling 'weird'. There have also been a number of colds and flus making the rounds.I just wanted to share my view on what some of you may be energetically experiencing based on what my guides have been sharing with me over the last few weeks as I have been helping others through the process.After our large shift we went into(and are still in) a period of integration and activation. Right now everything you had cleared and transmuted energetically may be still moving through your physical body before making a final exit from your body and energy systems. Hurray! Some of you did this before the shift-and some who were hanging on to some old stuff (and being stubborn about it!) are clearing it post shift. Sometimes the more energetically sensitive the person is, the more tangible and noticeable these physical transmutations have been. Some have felt the release physically, others mentally and emotionally, or if you are lucky like me you get it moving through all layers before it leaves. : )The shift we had was indeed a BIRTH. For all of the moms out there who have gone the 9-10 months through a pregnancy-most of their available energy going towards growing and nurturing the baby- as well as the intensity of the labour experience you can relate to those post birth feelings. The after feeling of joy at having that new life to now hold and care for, coupled with the extreme exhaustion, body aches, and mood swings that may come after. Periods of intense joy followed by fatigue, and also learning a complete new way of being-becoming a mom-responsible for another life other than your own. A big responsibility. Your heart expands, your worldview expands. It is one of those moment that forever changes you, and you cannot even describe it, it just has to be experienced.
Well Congratulations Everyone because on 12/21/12 we all birthed a New Reality. And although that was more of a concept and an energetic shift and not an actual physical baby, it was still a birth nonetheless. It was right up there with having twins in my books. : ) Some healers and intuitives I know actually put on extra weight the 9-10 months leading up to the shift(and that weight just came-no matter how active they were or what they were eating), and they are now in the process of losing it. How crazy is that?!This analogy may help you understand this current integrating period and to remind you to please please please be gentle with yourself as you readjust to life as a new mother. Nurturing that new life, is a big deal. And not only are you the mother who went through labour, but you are the baby as well. You are the mother and the child all at the same time. Amazing isn't it?Once you clear away those cold/flu germs(for those who have had that experience), or any lingering emotions, or mental patterns that no longer serve you, you are going to feel lighter and clearer and ready to go forward full steam ahead.
We all process and clear and shift at our own unique pace that is absolutely perfect for us. I have a tendency to go through things early and then once I'm through and out the other side, my clients and friends and family go through what I just experienced. I asked my guides about this a few years ago because it was a repeating pattern I noticed but did not fully understand. They explained to me that anyone working as a lightworker or healer, in service to humanity will have a tendency to shift through things earlier so that they can better understand and have compassion and offer guidance to those who have yet to experience it. The reason I'm sharing this information with you now is because I went through everything you all have too and am feeling fantastic right now! So if you are still in it and still feeling scattered and all over the place, please hold onto the hope that you will be very soon feeling more balanced and energized.Right now if you are still adjusting, take that necessary time for yourself to recover from the 'birth'. Be gentle with yourself and above all be compassionate and gentle with those other souls around you who are going through the same thing. A kind word and a smile can go a long way to brightening someones day.Much Love & Gratitude,& Give Yourself a Huge Pat on the back for Being So Fabulous!Kerri
Angels All Around Us
I often connect in with spirit and ask for guidance, but last week I felt I was overloading my angels 'inboxes' with ongoing prayers to receive guidance, clarity and help.Over the last two weeks I have experienced many challenges that seemed to come all at once. Coupled with just getting over an illness, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.I found myself using all of my tools as a healing practitioner on a daily basis to help with situations. I found myself wanting to make things better, or at the very least have some understanding.Nothing was happening directly to me, but more to the people around me. These events triggered my momma bear in a big way because I am fiercely protective about people I care about and I do not like judgement and injustice. So not only did I have to learn to detach from the situation, I had to try not to be 'Kerri the healer', and simply be Kerri the silent witness to the process.I knew intuitively that the solution could not come from my desire or will and that it needed to be surrendered to a higher power. So I gave it all up to the universe and promised not to micro-manage God and to just be o.k. with the outcome.The feeling was akin to a child sitting on their hands to prevent nail biting. I had to consciously remind myself to not react, and to just wait, and observe and breathe, and wait.I used this Helpful Advice For Any Situationfrom Buddhist Nun Amy Miller. I believe this to be simple and absolutely brilliant and it works!1. Observe2. Breathe3. Smile4. Be gentle5. Go slowlyI had the opportunity to do those 5 steps a lot. : )Last Tuesday I had to accompany my husband to an important meeting. We went by our local Starbucks on the way home. While I was waiting for him I was looking at some beautiful angel paintings on the wall. They were over near to the corner, he didn't even notice them until I made him look.I, on the other hand, had been magnetically pulled to them. I could feel the love and joy radiating off of them and I even took the business card of the artist with the intent to call her to ask about having paintings done for my nieces and nephews.I put the card in my bag.Wednesday and Thursday I had full days/evening with clients. Needless to say, I forgot about the card.Thursday, after a full day I was getting ready to receive my last client. She was waiting for me in the main room and she said she had to talk to me & show me something first. She was just about jumping out of her skin with excitement.She proceeded to say how after the Reiki class last month her creativity was just flowing like crazy and she had started painting. She was very excited and told me she had made me a painting and pulled it out of a bag and handed it to me.I was so surprised to receive a gift, and when I saw the painting, I just about fell off my chair.There in my lap was an angel painting just like the ones I had admired two days prior! WOW!I immediately jumped out of my chair and said 'just wait a minute. I need to show you something." I ran to my bag and pulled out the business card and showed it to her. I told her I had picked it up on Tuesday and planned to call her. When I initially picked up the business card I had not even looked at the name on the card so I hadn't even made a connection with her name and the Reiki class I taught last month.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE coincidences like this.For me they are always a HUGE Message from Spirit.In this case it was as though the Angels were shouting. 'We hear you! Everything is ok. Relax!' and possibly a 'stop clogging up our inbox'!I took this as a direct message from the universe, that despite my recent experiences, to Keep the Faith.Here I was sitting across from this beautiful human being who was creating and living from the heart in absolute joy.This whole situation did not just confirm the angels were with me and looking after my loved ones, but it also restored my faith in humanity.Prior to this I had experienced some rather shocking behavior from people the last 2 weeks so was feeling a bit disheartened about the state of the world. I know everyone has goodness inside of them but I had recently experienced the darker side of individuals via their energy and behavior towards others. Greed, fear, just plain nastiness. Part of me wanted to say to them. Stop! Think of the karma you are creating for yourself in this lifetime. Everyone who works with energy knows that everything we send out into the universe whether through thought, intention, or emotion comes back to us hundreds of times stronger than what we send out. Especially now with things manifesting so quickly. Please be mindful.While I had been praying, I was asking for direction. Do I keep going on my path? Do I just keep sending them love and hope they will heal and not have to act from fear anymore? Was was this happening in my reality? I do not normally have this sort of experience. Was the universe bringing me these experiences because it wanted me to change direction? Commit further to the one I am on? Just full stop? What exactly?I was not receiving any clarity so had been considering every possible angle-with my logical mind-probably not the best way to solve a situation. : )As I have been moving through this chaos-because ultimately that is what the energy has felt like- I have spoken to many other healers, practitioners, and classmates(as I'm in class furthering my training all week) and have found everyone is going through something similar, either directly or indirectly. My classmates and I had a chat at lunch, catching up since we have not been together since April, and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief as we realized we are not the only ones who have been faced with some pretty tough challenges in the last month. Now in my experience chaos is an excellent energy. Never in the moment of course, but chaos brings with it great and lasting change. When it comes, it means dramatic transformation is in the works, and often change for the better. It is getting through it that can be the tricky part. As healers we all recognized that, but it does not make it easier.It is from that experience of sharing that I felt it was important to share my personal experience here in case it may help someone else.It is during times like these where we often feel our faith is being tested.It certainly is.As a healer this has been the point of all my training. To use it Now. When it is needed.If you have experienced what seems like insurmountable challenges in the last few days, weeks, months.Please Do Not Lose Faith.Ask for help from the people in your life and from Spirit and hold steady on your course.We are all changing, we are all shifting. We are all on the earth going through this shift together, we need to honour one another, not resort to lower vibrational frequencies. Please make choices from Love, not fear, and be kind to one another. Not everyone is moving through these shifts with grace and ease. Compassion is so necessary right now. And so are healthy boundaries. Be kind and compassionate but do not allow yourself to be bullied or belittled by those who would make you feel small.Know in your heart you are a Beautiful Being of Light andLet Your Light Shine.Blessings and Love & A Big Supportive Hug!KerriTo see more of Elaine's beautiful angels please go HERE