A Tale Of Three Angels

Fifteen years ago a wonderful man came into my life. I often told him that he was my angel. On my first birthday I celebrated with him, he gave me this beautiful angel necklace to remind me. It became a symbol of love and protection for me. 

I remember one day I wasn't wearing the angel and a truck backed into me at a stop light. I wear it very often, sometimes wrapped around my wrist when I'm wearing a different necklace.I'm not attached to many physical things anymore, but aside from my wedding rings, this is one of the most meaningful things I own. 

I had taken it off recently and thought I had placed it on the bathroom counter top. When I realized it wasn't there, I tried to remember why I took it off. I thought it was when I colored my hair, as not to get any dye on it. I was hoping that I hadn't accidentally thrown it out with the packaging and dye bottles.

My next go to place was my jewelry drawer. I have organizer trays that hold my necklaces, bracelets and earrings. It must be there. Nope. I went back to that drawer (and the bathroom counter top) about 10 times.

I didn't panic about this. I normally do. I heard recently that worrying blocks you, and I wanted to stay open, knowing that I would find it. I could truly sense that this would work. My intuition is getting strong and louder, now that I'm allowing it. Every time I started to have a fearful thought, I stopped it and reminded myself that I would find it by remaining calm. I tried to remember which archangel it was that could specifically help. And I know Saint Anthony is known for finding lost objects too. But I just spoke generally to the angels asking for help. I did this several times over a few days.

Saturday morning I took my eight-seventh scan of the counter top and jewelry drawer to no avail. I thought, maybe I stuck it in a pair of pants, meaning to put i back in the drawer. I went into my closet and went through all of my jeans. No necklace.

I walked towards the front of the closet (it's like a long, narrow hallway) and to the left are shelves for shoes, gift wrapping supplies, bags and more. It's not here, I thought. Why would it be? But I stopped for a moment and looked anyway. Even though it didn't make any sense, I felt like I should look.

I noticed a bag laying on its side with a jewelry box in it. I didn't remember putting it there. I pulled the box out for a second and thought of just putting it back in the bag. I thought, open it. So I did. I saw the soft, grey pouch that I know so well. I almost closed the box, that piece of jewelry was already in my drawer. Then I thought, open the pouch. It still made no sense to me, but I opened it. Can you guess what was inside?

I had goosebumps all over my arms when I saw the necklace (I even have them now, typing this). I thanked the angel who helped me. Honestly, I felt a bit unworthy at first. But I'm working on this. I know feeling that way only blocks me from getting closer to the divine. I also know deep down, that every single one of us is worthy. So that doesn't mean everyone, except me.

I was planning on spending the day going through my entire bedroom looking for it. I had scanned the room briefly and I'm embarrassed to say I did find a cache of dusty M&M's behind my bedroom table. Clearly some deep cleaning and dietary changes are in order. But that's a whole different story (and will be blogged about, of course!).

So instead of spending the day searching, I am outside writing amongst the trees, birds, butterflies and Scar (a beautiful kitty who I will also be blogging about soon!). I will also spend the day raking leaves, hugging trees, feeling extremely grateful, and loving this amazing gift of life.

The more that you ask for a connection to the divine, the more you receive it. The louder their voices get, and the quieter your ego voice gets. They are speaking to us all the time. The more I meditate, the more I attune with those gentle, guiding nudges. I don't dismiss them anymore. It is getting easier and easier, and more and more beautiful. 

I know this angel necklace, given to me by my angel, was found with the guidance of an angel. Those voices we hear, those thoughts and feelings we get that sometimes don't seem to make sense, are our angels, our guides, our own divine wisdom. They will get louder and clearer if you want them to. You only need to ask and trust. We have the unlimited universe within us and around us, why not access it?

In Gratitude,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

Book Review: Assertiveness for Earth Angels by Doreen Virtue

I absolutely love Doreen Virtue and I've never met a Hayhouse book I haven't liked. As a recovering people pleaser, Assertiveness for Earth Angels: How to be Loving Instead of "Too Nice" by Doreen Virtue was the perfect choice as my latest read. This one actually screamed out to me. 

Doreen describes Earth Angels as highly sensitive people with an innocence regarding love and life, believing in God's loving power, gentle, caring, seeing the best in others, trusting, optimistic and more. She digs deep into the many pitfalls of being such a sensitive being, and how to learn to be assertive without being aggressive.

For as far back as I can remember, I have found myself giving too much, and yet still feeling like it was not enough. I always had high expectations for what I needed to do for others, but never held anyone to that impossible standard. I even helped people who were quite capable of helping themselves. After reading Doreen's book, I learned that my jumping in to try and "save" them didn't really do them any favors. They have their own path, and their own lessons to learn. I also learned that giving for the wrong reasons can cause resentment, fatigue, money issues, health issues and more. Pure giving, she teaches, is not out of guilt, feeling sorry or obligation. 

She discusses how to set healthy boundaries, how to handle professional victims, gossipers, martyrs, guilt trippers, toxic relationships, narcissists and sociopaths (who tend to take advantage of kind, giving people). 

I was an extremely sensitive and quiet child. Although I was often bullied, it was always easier to stand up for others. I could feel their pain and I didn't want them to suffer. I remember my college years and so enjoying going out with my friends. But I also remember not liking large crowds. Trust me, we had lots of fun together, but I also remember feeling drained (not from my dear friends, just the crowd around us) and needing time by myself too. I honestly felt weird for that. Now at 48, I am more sensitive than ever. I absorb everyone's energy, whether positive or negative. It wears on me. I didn't realize that is what was happening to me, until I read Doreen's book. I thought that I wasn't a strong enough person to have my own thoughts and feelings. I felt weak. That's not what it is. I'm empathic. Picking up on the feelings of my classmates when I was a child, was because I truly could feel what they were feeling. Needing quiet time through my college years (and now too), was because the energy I was picking up was exhausting me. I feel very grateful to Doreen that I can now feel compassion towards myself for who I am, instead of criticism. There are so many ways to look at a situation, and more and more I am taking the positive view. That is what is so wonderful about reading books like this, you can find who you really are, and let go of that negative voice.

Doreen shows how how to enjoy life instead of people pleasing. She talks about following your passion and shows how we can use delay tactics instead of working on our life purpose by overeating, compulsive shopping, addictive internet surfing, substance abuse and more.

She shows us how to shield ourselves from harsh energies with crystals, angel lights, clearing, grounding and trees (yes, go hug a tree, it heals!). Also, you will learn how to have more time and energy by exercising, stretching and releasing, and eating healthfully. 

There is so much wonderful information packed into this book, and what I love about Doreen, is that she is honest and caring. She guides us to be truthful with ourselves about our real intentions, and provides so many tools to live an authentic, positive, peaceful and purposeful life.

As you can probably tell by now, I highly recommend this book.

In Gratitude,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

Smudging: A Beginner's Journey

Smudging is a custom of Native Americans and other cultures to clear negative spiritual energy from a space, an object and even people. I have been wanting to smudge my home for quite awhile, so I ordered a Home Blessing & Cleansing kit. A beautiful feather, abalone bowl, oil, salt crystals and more soon arrived. I wanted to literally clear the air in our home. The intention was to release any heaviness and have our home feeling light, positive and happy.

I am most grateful to the amazing Reiki Master Sharna Langlais, who I came to know through Instagram (@sharnalanglais). She had posted beautiful instructions on smudging, and I felt even more inspired to try it. I had also read tips and prayers from Hayhouse author, soul coach and space clearing extraordinaire Denise Linn.

Home Blessing & Cleansing Kit

I held onto the kit for months, feeling a little tentative about trying it... waiting for just the right moment. Well honestly, I was a little scared of trying something new! But that's when you really need to do something! So I decided to smudge during my sons' first day of school.  I thought it would be a good way to kick off the school year, and the house would be quiet for me to figure out what I was doing.

Combining what I learned from Sharna, Denise, the sage kit, and my own inner guidance, I set out to smudge. I held the feather to my chest and blessed and thanked the beautiful bird that it came from. I opened the windows (but not enough, I found out later!), lit the bundle of sage and set it in the bowl. Now mind you, the instructions clearly stated to blow out the fire once it started. I thought, how can I make it through my entire house without it completely extinguishing itself? A lesson in stubbornness or trust for me, perhaps? I now know to follow the instructions! Because I left some of the embers burning, I had quite a bit of smoke. But I had nothing to compare it to, since I've never done this before. So I started on my journey, billowing smoke and all...

I said a prayer and smudged myself as best I could. I used the feather to waft the smoke, and went from the top of my head to my toes, and up the back of myself as far as I was able to reach. Next I went to the front door and even outside at the threshold, said the prayer, smudged and made the eternity symbol with the sage. Here is the prayer I said. You can say what feels right to you:

"Dear God, Jesus, angels, archangels, spirit guides, divine masters and my guardian angels- please remove any negative energy caused by myself or others and sent it up to Heaven for transmutation. And so it is."

I was nervous. Was I doing this right? Was I saying the right words? I felt a bit stressed. 

Next I went to the dining room/living room (it's one big room, so I did it all together). Starting in the east corner (iPhone compass app was invaluable) I said my cleansing prayer and went in a clockwise motion around the room (some go counterclockwise when smudging, clockwise just felt right for me). I fanned the increasingly thick smoke into the air. I stopped at every window and made the sign of the cross with the sage. My kit did contain oil for the windows and salt crystals for the doorways, but it felt a little extreme for my first smudging, so I left that for next time (maybe). When I made it back to my starting point, I said the same prayer again. I ended by making the infinity sign with the sage. 

I did the same ritual in the kitchen and garage. At this point, I realized I'd better blow out the sage before the cats collapsed, or it set off the fire alarm. I blew the sage bundle and the ashes went flying. Setting the house ablaze was also not in my plans, so I made sure I collected the ashes and placed them in the bowl. I smudged the back door, the first floor bathroom, the closet  and even the staircase to the second floor. I started and ended each area with the prayer, made the cross symbol at the windows and the infinity symbol when I returned to each starting point.

By the time I got upstairs I suddenly became aware that I felt calm. I was kind of flitting through the rooms at this point, and it felt like a spiritual, moving ceremony. I was in my smudging zone and it felt beautiful. I felt so joyful when I realized how relaxed I was.

I finished the smudging and my house felt at peace. I felt at peace. Um, but the house was filled with smoke. The air was so still outside, that it didn't pull the smoke out. I was a little concerned that everyone in the house would be breathing too much sage smoke, so I cranked the fans on full blast for awhile. 

I definitely learned that blowing out the smudging stick was sage advice! (drum roll please) I also learned to push myself when there is something I want to do, but don't know how to do it. When I don't have the answers, there are wonderful people out there that do. Feel the fear, and do it anyway. I know that when I do this again, I won't feel that apprehension. I also don't have to feel that it has to be done "perfectly." All I need is a positive intention. And isn't that true for anything?

In Gratitude (and a puff of smoke),

Kerri

www.suitablegifts.com

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Dr. Wayne Dyer

It is time for me to start writing again, and I couldn't begin without honoring Dr. Wayne Dyer. I have written about him before in my blog An Open Letter of Gratitude To Dr. Wayne Dyer where I discussed how his teaching of the power of intention allowed me to meet and thank my spiritual hero in person. I will forever be grateful for that moment.

The soul already knows:
So much has been swirling around my mind with the physical loss of this amazing soul. I have been thinking about how the soul already knows before our ego mind does. I was in my kitchen cooking on Saturday, September 30th, and Wayne Dyer popped into my head. I was thinking about when I met him, and the enormous energy of love that I felt being in his presence. A couple of hours later, I read on Doreen Virtue's Facebook page that he left the physical plane. I read many of the Hayhouse writer's pages and listen to Hayhouse radio,  and have heard similar messages over and over. People were thinking of him, or felt his presence, or received a sign before or after his passing. 

Anita Moorjani mentioned on Lisa Garr's Hayhouse Radio Show, that Wayne usually wanted her to speak about what she learned from her near death experience during their lectures together. At his final lectures in Australia, he wanted her to talk about the experience during it. It was a shift from the norm. Did his soul already know what was to happen? I believe our soul is always speaking to us, we just need to quiet our minds and listen.

Butterflies and other signs:
I have been seeing butterflies everywhere. I had just posted on social media about Wayne's butterfly story from his book Inspiration (it is one of my favorites) and shortly after, his PBS video about it was featured at his tribute. I have been seeing butterflies on Instagram posts, on artwork and in my yard. They will always remind me of Wayne.

One of his beautiful daughters Serena posted a picture on Facebook of the water in Maui, where her family paddled out to spread their dad's ashes. In the water was Wayne's face. It is so clear and obvious.

Anita Moorjani spoke at his tribute of orange flowers she received just before she heard the news. Orange is her favorite color and Wayne always teased her about it. I also read that an orange was on stage "mysteriously" at her lecture for I Can Do It! Orlando this past weekend. There are so many stories, and they will continue because he is everywhere now.

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." -Dr. Wayne Dyer

A message with a miracle:

He had no trace of leukemia in his body. This may sound a little ooga booga, but I don't think you would be reading this unless you appreciated some thinking beyond what we can see and touch, so here goes: on Gerry Gavin's Hayhouse Radio Show "Messages from Margaret," Margaret channeled Wayne a few weeks ago on air, and it made me think how wonderful it would be if someone could channel him and write a book about this. I could see this happening through the large spiritual community he was involved with. With Gerry and Esther Hicks alone, some wild things could happen! I have thought about all of the things he had been discussing, John of God and his remote healing, coffee enemas, juices, and most importantly how he viewed his diagnosis.This could help everyone, even those without illnesses. You can create your own miracles. What an incredible message he left us with. He believed anything was possible and he proved it.

Inspiring others:

He planted so many seeds within us. And they will sprout and grow to pass on his words, wisdom, kindness and love. We will continue to blossom, as he did learning from all of the teachers he so admired. Through his teachings, books, CD's, DVD's and more, there will always be a piece of him with us. We are his messengers, and those seeds of wisdom will continue to be exhaled into the universe. Can you not picture a future college class on Dyerism? There is something magical about all of the lessons he taught us. And I am hearing so many people talk about how they will continue to honor him by being kinder, grateful, and more loving. 

"Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul."-Dr. Wayne Dyer

I don't have a fear of death because of him. He knew what is behind the veil. And I know that he is everywhere now. Mind you, I'm not that evolved, I'm still crying. I feel the loss of his physical presence. But I know that he is in such an expanded state now that he can hear and touch all of us at the same time. I believe his work has just begun and it is going to be incredible. 

"Remember, purpose is about giving…All you can do with your life is to give it away in the service of others."-Dr. Wayne Dyer

Being love:
He gave to everyone, and gave, and gave some more. He gave his life away, and that was his intention. He went out of his way to make everyone he encountered feel special. He lifted everyone up and brought so many beautiful people with incredible messages into our awareness. I choose to honor him by continuing to spread his message, to live from a place of love and see the love in others. Dr. Wayne Dyer is love. 

I send prayers and love always to his family, his wonderful assistant Maya and his dear friends.

You are now part of the morning breeze, and I feel so blessed for all you have done and will continue to do. Thank you, thank you, thank you Dr. Wayne Dyer. Namaste.

In Gratitude and Love,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

Book Review: Energy Healing by Abby Wynne

I first learned of Abby Wynne through Instagram (@abbynrghealing). I love her uplifting and positive posts. She is a Shamanic Psychotherapist, Energy Healer, Spiritual Teacher and Author from Dublin, Ireland. When I realized she had a book coming out through Hay House on Energy Healing, I could not wait to get my hands on it!

Energy Healing: Unlock Your Potential as a Healer and Bring Healing into Your Everyday Life by Abby Wynne is a beautiful guide to learn how to use energy healing on yourself and others. I read the book in its entirety for the purpose of this review, but I am now back to the beginning to work each exercise step by step. This is not the type of book that you read and put back on the shelf. It is a guide to a healthy, healing way of life.

Abby explains what energy healing is in easy to understand language, and her book is so full of wonderful information. She explains the different types of healing modalities and practitioners. She also shares her journey into healing. I always appreciate when authors are willing to share their personal story. It makes her writing even more genuine, because she is not only teaching us, she is living it.

She guides us in creating a "space of love." I just love that term! She teaches us how to center and ground ourselves. One of my biggest issues is feeling others' emotions so deeply that I take them on. I appreciate being empathic, but it can be draining to pick up negative energies so easily. Abby teaches us how to visualize a protective bubble around ourselves to shield the energies we don't want to let in. And it works!

Abby teaches us how to "pull down" Universal Life Force Energy into us for the purpose of healing. We also learn clearing, expanding, mindfulness, and how to bring healing to ourselves, family, the office and more. And as if all of this isn't enough (and believe me, I haven't nearly covered it all!), she also provides resources at the end for even more information.

I highly recommend Energy Healing. Thank you Abby for this wonderful book. I am now incorporating Energy Healing as part of my spiritual practice. I am grateful for your wisdom and for your generosity in sharing it all with us!

In Gratitude,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com