Cutting The Toxic People Away

TOXIC

 Poisonous, Venomous, Noxious, Dangerous, Destructive

Snip, Snip & Cut, Cut! Yes it is time to the cut out the toxic in our lives. The million dollar question many ask, "How do you know if it is toxic or not?" Well, that is a no brainer!! If it makes you feel bad or is painful, then it is toxic and you must remove it. Let me help you understand why it is necessary to remove the toxic people from your life. Many years ago I worked at a place in Charleston, SC, The Charleston County Substance Abuse Commission. I was a counselor in the Detox unit, seeing patients in from 18 to over 60  years of age. They seem to have the mentaility of someone in their much earlier years. This is very simple to understand. When you begin involving yourself with something/someone toxic, you stop growing. So for an addict that begins using at the age of 25, and they are now 50, they have the maturity level of a 25 year old.

So let me point out why you must remove the people or habits out of your life that are toxic to you, so YOU can continue to grow within yourself and reach that "happy place".

What does cutting out the toxic actually mean? It simply means that if there is someone, whether it be family, friend, work environment/people or destructive habitual behaviors, you MUST release them or it.

Is it painful to let those that have been in your life so long go? Of course it is. Just like it is painful for an alcoholic or drug addict to give up the poison they have been using for so long. Actually in most cases, they go through a horrible physical pain during their time of detoxing.

Just as many of us that have to let certain people in our lives go, it is emotionally painful in the beginning. But once you begin to feel the positive energy flow enter your mind, body & spirit after the release, the pain evaporates.

I have a client that has dealt with a friend that sucks the positive right out of her. After a few sessions, she began to understand that it is time to cut the ties. Now this is not always as simple as it sounds. Sometimes you have to use grace and compassion as you are cutting the toxic cord. Once my client started slowly cutting the cord, she began feelling better as she notice the "happy" surrounding her. On her third session with me, I even noticed a difference in how she looked and carried herself. When I mentioned how good she looked, she explained that she was beginning to spend less time with her friend.

When I had removed myself from a toxic relationship six years ago, people started to tell me how much better I looked, and seemed to be much happier. One friend even described me to look "at peace". Once we cut the toxic, we grow on many spiritual & emotional levels. In this new found growth, we are able to recognize the toxic quicker, allowing us to avoid it all together.

So now is the time to ask yourself how important it is for YOU to be in a happy & peaceful place with your mind, body & spirit. If you believe that it is very important, then you must ask yourself whom and, or, what needs to be cut.

Messages From Animals, The Snake

I am not a woman known for running skills. However, there was a time that if I happen to see a snake anywhere close to me, I could do a marathon. These day's when I see a snake I welcome the visit with gratefulness, still to keep my distance, I try to focus on what it is that I need to change. That is what the snake comes to teach us, change. I do not know about anyone else, but for me, change is very hard. For many of us, we are happy being in our comfort zone. I recall when I first separated from my x-husband and was just coming into my "spiritual awakening", I was filled with many dreams about snakes. Most of them were scary with large fangs, somewhere along the dream they would bite me. In this case, change was certainly on the way, and it was going to come in fast waves. The dreams were warning signs from the snake that I needed to be prepared. 

I later met with some dear friends that were aware that change was coming, but they were not sure of what kind of change they were to make. I believe sometimes the Universe likes to play little jokes on us. My friends called me to let me know that a snake came up through their bath tub drain. It seemed that snakes were popping up all around their home in various places. Yes, the snake was there to warn them of the change they were getting ready to encounter.

But although we are being warned of change, that does not mean the change is going to just come on so easy and we may not always adapt to it with grace. Again, the snake is giving us a message of warning, just like a rattle snake gives us a warning of danger when it rattles it's rattler if we get to close. One thing that I can assure you of, is that whatever the change is, you can trust that the Universe has your back. Life is all about evolving to higher levels, change must happen to get there. The change that you are being encouraged to make is meant to get you to the "happy" place for mind, body & spirit. So the next time you have an encounter with a snake, or see them in your dreams, be still and quiet. They are helping you to understand that change must happen to help you grow.

The Power Of The Oyster

I believe that the Universe sends us special messages to help us along the way of our life journey. It is not something I go looking for, but I do allow my senses to stay open.
I have not noticed any of my neighbors having any oyster roast, nor have I eaten any lately. As a matter of fact, they are not in season at this time of year. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason an oyster shell would be in or around my house. But strangely enough, I found one just under a tree that is located next to my drive way, in which I park. It was about 12:30 pm and I was walking to the driver side of my car to take my son to work, when I happen to notice something under the tree. At first I thought it was a mushroom, although we had  not received any rain over the past few days, but it is awfully humid here. As I got closer, I realized it was an oyster shell. Yes, an oyster shell with 5 clusters. Five is a number associated with balance and harmony. My first thought, "This is the oddest place to find an oyster shell. I wonder how it got here?" I was somewhat in a hurry to get my son to work on time, so I shrugged my shoulders and got in the car and drove off.

On the way back home I began to think more about the oyster shell under the tree. I began to realize that it was there to help me understand something. So I got home and did my research. I never knew that an oyster was referred to as an "animal". I always thought of it as just shellfish. However, there is much more to the oyster than most know and understand.

Have you ever notice that in oyster beds, the oysters just sit in the mud calmly no matter what the water conditions are like? This is a display of finding a balance of peace & harmony. The oyster is a very strong species, as it has adapted to living through the rough and calm of the waters, thus it embraces a certain kind of balance no matter what is going on in it's surroundings. Humm, I notice the oyster just before getting in my car to drive.

I feel I must explain that I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I was born and raised here. People all over the world visit Charleston, and for some reason end up moving here. What was once a very charming city is no longer, due to the over crowded population. Furthermore, with the horrible infrastructure, I can't say much for the way people drive. Yes, I have what some would call "road rage". My son often regrets being a passenger while I am at the wheel, out of fear of one day being shot at by a wild and stupid driver that I am blasting with my horn. So yes, perhaps the Universe was giving me a sign to stay calm in the mist of crazy drivers and heavy traffic.

There is so much balance in the oyster, as we see it is so very calm through the roughest environment. Just think of when we are going through some very stressful times in our lives and how we react. As I am writing this, I am thinking toilet paper. Remember when this covid-19 virus first hit the United States and everybody went into a panic? Suddenly there was no toilet paper to be found in the stores. Just think, what would an oyster do in this situation?  Unlike us humans, it would have just sat back and remained totally calm. As a matter of fact, the oyster would have overcome the hardship with self-love and integrity, and found it's own peaceful balance over the covid-19 ordeal.

Every living thing has the ability to create it's own magic. The oyster certainly shows us how to turn hardship into something magnificent. It can turn sand into pearls, which is a symbol of beauty and strength. The oyster reminds us that we too have the power to create beauty into our lives.

There are times when we need to call on the oyster as our spirit guide:
 ~During times of stress and difficult periods of our lives
~When we are seeking balance & harmony
~When we need a boost in strength to carry on calmly
~When we need to claim victory over something we are struggling over
~We need to process something that is unknown or out of the norm for us
~When we are seeking personal peaceful time for ourselves

So the next time you open up an oyster or happen to find one in a strange place, think of where you are at in your life and how the oyster can be of assistance to help you. In my case, seeing that the oyster had 5 clusters, I believe the Universe was showing me to embrace the divine grace of harmony and balance into my life by being like an oyster.

POWER

Power ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something. 

The word "power" can indicate many different meanings. In this writing, I will be referring to the power of thoughts. 

Thoughts are very powerful. It is a form of communicating with our higher divine, and controls our habits and behaviors. We all have ideas of what we want to accomplish or have in our lives. It is through our thoughts that gives us the power to make those dreams come true.

For instance, the idea of buying a house may come to you. You start thinking how cool it would be to own a home. But, it does not stop there. Your dreams of owning a home begin to manifest into the kind of home you want. Guess what? You have put that thought of what you want out to the Universe and it has been granted. Think I am crazy?

Listen to this: 

Many years ago I was sitting with a friend of mine talking about my life and where a was at. I was complaining of all the things I want and do not have. He started laughing, which kinda pissed me off. But the reason he was having a nice chuckle was because he said to me, "Yeah, all those things you want have already been given to you. As soon as you put it out, the Universe began to orchestrate it and it is there." I just looked at him so confused, and he could see that I did not understand what he was trying to say. So he pointed at one end of the room and said, "That is where you are at." He then pointed to the opposite end of the room and said, "Over there is all the things you have put out to the Universe that you want. But, the reason you are not on that side of the room enjoying all the things you have been manifesting is because you have put so many blocks in front of you to get to them." Suddenly the light bulb went off and I understood that my negative thoughts and self doubt was standing between me and my dreams. 

We often allow our minds to get flooded with self doubt and destructive thoughts. I tend to believe that is a human and earthly thing. We are all designed to live in bliss and somehow we get caught up in the ways of the world. Perhaps that is why meditation is so important, it allows us to move our minds away from "Earth drama". Let's go back to the house scenario. Maybe you can't afford the home you want. Yet, you have the power to make it happen. Yes indeed you do! We have the ability to switch our negative thinking around into positive thinking. Perhaps a new job with higher pay is needed. Whatever it is holding you back from getting exactly what you want, you have the power to acquire it through your thoughts. Once the understanding of what needs to be changed in order to get what you want, then the action begins. Again, you put it out to the Universe that you need a job that pays more money so you can have the house of your dreams. It is your responsibility to move forward and believe that the Universe has already got your back on that higher pay.

Will this happen right away? It depends, sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. Many times we have to work at removing one block at a time to finally get to the goal.I like to think of it as a way of growth in the journey of life, embracing the power of turning our thoughts into magic created by the Universe.