Most of my friends were working a fast food job, but I really didn’t want to do that.  My only skills at the time were an incredible typing speed of about 70 words per minute, my natural intelligence, and my people skills.  So I looked for a job as a secretary, receptionist, typist, administrative assistant, etc.  I scanned the papers and found a job listing for a part-time administrative assistant for Chrysler Credit Company.  I got myself an appointment to go in for an interview.

I filled out the application (first time ever!) and waited for the manager to interview me.  I remember he was a little stand offish when he realized I was only 17.  But I was friendly, honest, open, and eager.  I’d never interviewed for anything before.  He said, “I’ll call you if we’re interested, there are a lot of applicants for this job.”  I shook his hand and left his office smiling and full of hope.  He didn’t call.  I was disappointed so I asked my father what I should do.  He told me to call the guy and remind him that I was ready and raring to go.  So I did.  The man didn’t even remember me, but I told him I was perfect for the job and I could start immediately.  He told me to come in for another interview.

This time I met with him and the girl I’d be working directly under if I got the job.  Her name was Susan.  Susan and I hit it off.  She was 21 and I was 17.  Most of the other people who worked there were 30 or older.  I spent 5 minutes alone with Susan making friends with her.  We talked about our mutual interest in the paranormal, and our boyfriend troubles.  She wanted me to work with her, I could tell.  She took the manager aside and said something to him on my behalf. 

The manager, Dave, gave me a typing test.  I remember being incredibly nervous to take the test, but as it turns out I scored 75wpm.  He was impressed.  He mentioned he was having a hard time filling the job because there were so many qualified people.  I said, “Look I live right down the street.  I’d love to work here.  You guys seem really cool.  I’m honest, reliable, an A student, and I won’t let you down.  And besides, wouldn’t you rather be working on something else instead of continuing to interview scads of people?”  That’s when I saw his energy shift and he said, “Yeah, actually I hate interviewing but it’s part of my job.”  So I said, “I imagine you have better things to do than wade through piles of prospective applicants don’t you?”  He smiled and said, “Yes indeed.”  So I said, “Well here I am, qualified and ready to go.  I’m the solution to your problem.  If you hire me today, you can get rid of all those other resumes.”  He said, “You’re right.  What the hell?   You are technically qualified though you’re a little young.  But I’ll give you a shot.  You’re hired.  How much do you want?”  Er, isn’t he supposed to tell me how much the job pays?  I was feeling so bold and excited that even though my father told me to ask for no more than $5.00/hour I actually said, “How about $5.50?”  His eyes got dark.  Oh no, I made a mistake!  I asked for too much!  He said, “Oh, uh… well actually the job pays $6.50/hour minimum so why don’t I go ahead and start you at that wage.”  SCORE!   I was making more than all my friends working their fast food jobs and it was my first “real job” ever!  I was elated.  My father was proud.  I was working for Chrysler!

I loved my job at Chrysler.  I was in charge of making address changes, distributing mail, handling the phones while the phone girl went to lunch, inputting check payments into people’s files, and paying the company’s bills.  I learned a lot and had a great time working there.  When summer was over, I quit because I was starting college full time and I couldn’t get the schedule I wanted since I didn’t have any priority, so my class times conflicted with my job times.  I left on good terms.  I was officially in the work force.  That’s also when I learned that the government doesn’t do any of your work but expects to be paid 25% of your paycheck.  Didn’t appreciate the injustice of that.

When the next summer rolled around I did the same thing, scanned the papers for an administrative job.  I ended up applying at Honda in their service department as their cashier and phone receptionist.  How did I get that job?  When I sat down to interview I sensed the woman interviewing me was upset about something.  With minor probing I found out she had been laid off and was really upset because she wasn’t sure what she was going to do.  The last thing she was tasked to do was hire someone for my position.  I empathized with her and got her talking about her feelings and her skills.  Before long she was feeling really empowered about leaving and had a new excitement about the direction she was planning to go.  She told me she liked me, hired me on the spot and offered me $9/hour even though the job was only supposed to be $7/hour.  She said she wanted to “stick it to the company for firing her.”  I was fine with that.  My coworkers were really upset when they found out I was making what they were making and they’d been there for a decade and were in a higher position than I was.  That made things a little uncomfortable for me but I was pretty secure and dealt with it just fine.  When summer ended I quit that job too as I still couldn’t get evening classes.

And so it went… summer after summer and sometimes into the school year, one job after another.  Every time I applied for a job that I wanted I got it.  It took me years to discover that this wasn’t the norm.  Was I more qualified than the other applicants?  No way.  I finally figured out what it was.  I never went into a job interview assuming I’d get offered a job based on my qualifications alone.  My father told me that most of the people who apply for a job are qualified.  Instead, I offered myself as a solution to the interviewer’s personal problem.  I went in looking to make friends with the people I’d be working with.  Those are real people behind the desk.  They have a difficult task.  They have to find some way of differentiating all the applicants in their stack of resumes.  What do you think they’re really thinking?  “That guy is qualified but he smelled horrible.  No way I want to be working around that for the next 3 years.”  Or “She looks good on paper, but she was so quiet.  What if I have to do lunch with her day after day for the next 3 years?  What a bore!”  Or any number of reasons a person just doesn’t feel right about hiring someone.  It may not be legal, it may be discriminatory, but I’m sure it happens.

Look, if you had a stack of 10 qualified people and you knew you were potentially going to be working with this person for years, wouldn’t you start thinking about whether you could get along with them?  I would.  All other things being equal, who do you think they’re going to hire?  If everyone is equally qualified, they’re going to hire the person they want to spend time with.  Are you that person?

The next time you go in for a job interview remember there is a real person behind that desk.  It’s not just about you and your skills.  It’s about how well you’ll fit into the company culture.  It’s about how easily that interviewer can see themselves working with you.

Even when I interviewed with someone that I wasn’t going to be directly working for, I still treated them with great empathy.  Instead of just answering their questions and trying to impress them with my skills I would say, “Are you getting a lot of applicants?  Yeah?  Do you like the interviewing process or do you find it sort of tedious?”  They’d break “character,” lean in, and say, “Truth be told, I really don’t like interviewing, but I have to.”  Or “Yeah I love interviewing because I get to meet so many interesting people.”  No matter what they said, I’d connected with their true self.  And I’d just keep going.  “Well you guys seem to be a close knit group.  I saw full tables in the lunch room when I passed by.  Seems like a friendly place to work.”  I was friendly.  I showed them there was a real person behind my resume.  I showed interest in them as a person, not a potential employer.  Maybe that’s not what you’re “supposed” to do, but I’m telling you, it worked.  Sometimes I’d uncover a personal interest we had in common and say something like, “Well whether you end up hiring me or not it was a real pleasure getting to know you.  We should hit a Star Trek convention together some time!”  On several occasions I got home from interviews to find a message already on my voicemail that I’d been hired.

Over the years I worked for some amazing companies like Chrysler, AT&T, Honda, and DuPont.  In every case I wasn’t the only qualified person applying for the job.  I stood out because I made friends with the interviewer.  I painted a picture for them.  I solved their hiring problem.  I didn’t muddy their waters any further.  I gave them clarity and confidence that they would be happy with their decision and wouldn’t regret hiring me. 

Help make the interviewer’s decision easier for them, not harder.  Be personable and friendly.  Be empathetic to what they might be going through.  I doubt the lady at Honda told all her applicants that she’d been let go by the company.  Maybe it was partially due to my intuitive gifts that I was able to draw people out of their shells quickly and form connections fast.  It’s a good skill to have, though, and you can develop that skill if you don’t already have it.  If you’re out in the job market today, take heed.  Interviewers are people too.  Connect with them as real people and they will want to hire you and find a reasonable justification on your resume for doing so.

You’re not selling your qualifications, you’re selling interviewers on the joy it will be to have you working at the company.  Now go be in the company what they want to see in the company.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Imagine you had a car and it was your job to give people rides in your car, to help them get where they needed to go.  You invite someone into your car, take them where they need to go, drop them off, and pick up the next person.  You do this happily.  It gives you a sense of purpose, contribution, connection, and love.  And you do it without expecting anything in return, not even gas money.  Even when people offer you money for gas, you turn them down, because to accept the money would cheapen your service, it would devalue the gift.

Then what happens?  You run out of gas.  And since you collected no money from your rides, you can’t pay the gas station attendant for more gas.  People still need you.  You’ve set up a system, they’ve come to rely on you, and you can’t let them down.  So you keep inviting people into your car, but now instead of driving them where they need to go, you’re pushing the car instead.  They’re uncomfortable because now they can see you suffering on their behalf, and you’re uncomfortable because you actually are suffering.  How long can you keep that up before you keel over from exhaustion? 

You know who you are.  You’re emotionally drained.  Physically exhausted.  Spiritually tapped out.  You’ve got nothing left to give.  And why?  Because you didn’t fill up your gas tank so you could keep giving people rides.  There’s nothing wrong with giving rides to others if that’s what you want to do, in fact it’s an admirable way to go through life.  But when you disallow others the opportunity to give back to you, the system eventually fails and everyone suffers.

Somewhere along the way you were taught that to give is divine and to receive is selfish.  This is false though.  To give is indeed divine, but to allow others to give back to you is divine also.  If you don’t receive it means you’re blocking someone else from giving.  Yeah, that’s not cool is it?  When you give but do not allow yourself to receive you are molding yourself into the role of martyr.  What’s going to happen when you’ve got nothing left to give and you’ve conditioned people never to help you?  They’re going to move on and get help elsewhere.  Then how will you achieve that sense of purpose you attached to giving without receiving?  If you’re tapped out, the people who rely on you have to seek help elsewhere.

The solution is to allow people to give you fair value in return for the value you’ve given them.  This could be in the form of money, a service, emotional support, good will, or a material possession.  It doesn’t matter.  You must be energetically open to receiving, otherwise you’ll eventually run out of juice and be so depleted you can’t give anymore. 

I frequently see this syndrome among mothers who give all their time, attention, love and support to their families and get nothing in return.  I also see it in people who have limiting beliefs like, “I should help people with my gift and not expect anything in return,” or “Money is evil, I’ll just learn to live on less and less.”  This helps no one.

So how do you restore yourself?  How do you fill the tank?  Here are some ideas:

• Accept monetary compensation for the value you provide (I know, what a concept!)
• Take a day off to restore your energy by  doing what YOU love
• Mark off time in your day where you work on your own life goals instead of helping everyone with theirs
• Learn to say “no” when you are depleted and just let others know you’ll be back when you’re restored
• Graciously and sincerely accept praise when it is bestowed upon you
• Ask for love when you need it
• Learn to stop feeling guilty for taking care of your own needs
• Learn to accept assistance from others when you actually need help
   

Being a martyr is a dead end path.  Instead, give and receive equally to keep the gears turning and the spice flowing.  The more you have, the more you can give.  Don’t restrict the energetic flow of abundance or you’ll end up taking yourself out of the game.  And then who is going to help everyone you’ve been helping?

I could sum up this entire concept with the oxygen mask on the airline example.  Put your own mask on first and then assist the others around you.  If you go down who will help all those people who need assistance to get their masks on?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Polyamory
Last year was a strange year for me.  When Steve and I announced we were going to try polyamory there was a firestorm of response, which was expected, of course, but the degree was off the chart.  I can recall headlines on other blogs that said something about “Steve Pavlina Cheats on Wife” and the like.  I think what bothered me most were the lies being told about us.  I don’t mind when people write factual things about us, but when people tell bald-faced lies based on no research of the facts, and then their readers believe them and make judgments based on those lies, then I cry foul.  I learned last  year how celebrities in tabloids must feel and I developed great empathy for them.  I say to you now, don’t believe what you read unless it comes straight from the source or the source’s representative.  You don’t want to go through life believing lies.  I know I don’t.

The truth is that polyamory was awesome.  Not because either of us actually slept with someone outside our relationship (for the record, neither of us ever had sex with another person at any time during our 15+ years together), but because we opened ourselves up to greater emotional intimacy with others.  I was blissful during the first 9 months of 2009 as we explored polyamory.  We learned that compromise just makes both people unhappy.

Separation
So if I was so blissful for the first 9 months, what happened to cause a separation?  Steve and I realized we had developed incompatible lifestyle goals that were making it difficult for us to have a life together.  To generalize a little, Steve is always wanting to push the edge, to explore, experiment, grow, and change.  He gets bored with routine.  I, on the other hand, prefer routine and stability.  I like to build on what I already have, not tear down the monument and start building again.  While Steve loves to travel, I can take it or leave it.  Steve wants to see the world.  I’d like to see England, Ireland, and Scotland, but other than that I feel no strong desire to travel.  Wish I did, but I don’t.  Steve wants to immerse himself in different cultures, and I want to set down roots in a single community and get to know everyone for years.  I’d also like to keep my kids in one school instead of moving them around so much.  Kyle is only 6 years old and he’s lived in 5 homes.  I loved stability growing up and wanted to provide that for my kids too.

Steve and I are great friends and probably always will be.  To preserve our friendship, and to preserve our relationship, we had to end the marriage contract; the contract that says we stay together no matter what, no matter who we become or what our preferences are.  It became like shackles around our ankles, where neither one of us could grow in the direction we wanted.  So we decided to separate, amicably.  We basically freed each other of the shackles so we could each explore what we want without compromise.  And that has felt great to both of us.  We don’t hate each other, and we didn’t separate because we were fighting all the time.  On the contrary, there was so much love between us that we recognized we would each be happier outside the marriage.  The resentments are gone, the restrictions are gone, and now we can go back to connecting in the areas where we are compatible, and not feeling honor bound to connect in ways we don’t want to anymore.

Health Goal
At the beginning of 2009 I set a health and wellness goal.  I learned a lot this year, like never to announce a health and wellness goal in a public blog.   I was overloaded with contradictory advice that served only to confuse me.  I had moderate successes in my health goal.  I ended the year at roughly the same weight I started.  My overall health improved, however, as in 2008 I was a real mess of problems that are all fixed now.  I’ve had to start working out from home as now that I have the kids full time I can’t spend 2 hours every morning driving to and working out at the gym unless I want to cut 2 hours out of my work schedule for the day.  I’ve started doing my old Tae Kwon Do workout which is intense, and I’m lifting weights at home thanks to a weight set Steve got me for Christmas.  I will not be blogging about health and wellness this year.  Just watch the Facebook photo to see how things are changing.

Business Goals
My main focus this year is going to be to ramp up my business.  Right now I’ve got the blog and the intuitive readings.  The blog is free and the readings are up there in price.  I’d like to create something in the middle.  To that end, my plans include creating CDs, doing teleconferences, a workshop, and an audio program.  I will continue blogging, and I’m planning to do at least 4 YouTube videos each month (subscribe to my channel now). I will be on stage with Steve during the Conscious Growth Workshop coming up January 15-17, and I may be involved in future workshops he produces, depending on many factors.

Currently, I’m working on a CD that I intend to release this month.  If you signed up for my newsletter you received my free ebook, 10 Ways to Raise Your Vibration in Under 10 Minutes, which people seemed to really love.  Due to high demand, I’m recording an audio version of the ebook that will include two guided meditations that are under 10 minutes each that you can use to raise your vibration very quickly.  It will be available on CD and as an MP3 download.  If you want to know when the CD comes out and you’re not used to visiting my site daily looking for a new blog entry, be sure to sign up for the newsletter right away.

Personal Goals
My personal goals are related to courage, power and authority, the side of the TLP triangle that is weakest for me.  My new motto this year is “just do it.”  I have a tendency to shy away from things that require boldness and courage, so this year I’m going full steam ahead.  If it’s fun, I’m doing it.  If it’s exciting, I’m doing it.  If it’s crazy, I’m filming it!   Going to the gun range with a friend was an example of something I’ve always wanted to try but never did.  We’ll be going back soon to try an automatic rifle. I know, it’s crazy right?  Which is why I’ll be filming it!  I’m also joining the local Improv Troupe, which is something Steve did years ago that he says really helped him with his public speaking, so now it’s my turn.  I’m going to plug into my power and do all the things I want to do but have been too nervous or afraid to try.

Since our separation I’ve been spending more time socializing with friends.  That’s been really awesome!  I started a game night with friends that we host at Steve’s house.  So far we’ve done this twice.  We played poker the first time and Cranium and Charades the second time.  Our friends are all professional speakers, and some are comedians, and that makes for some really funny stuff at game night!  In a few weeks I’m going to play basketball with another toastmaster friend who found out I used to be a really kick ass basketball player.  I don’t know if I’ve “still got it” but it will be fun seeing if I do.  I also might get back into role-playing games (the pen and paper and dice kind).  I’m particularly fond of the Heroes Unlimited system, so if you’re in Vegas and you’re keen on role-playing let me know.

Summary
I think the year ahead is going to be fascinating and joyous.  I’ll be spending less time on correspondence and email (that just never ends and I can’t possibly help everyone who emails me) and more time on product creation and spreading my message to more people.  Thank you to everyone who has been so incredibly supportive to me this year.  I may not be able to respond to everyone, but as of now, I’m still able to read all the correspondence, so know that your messages to me have been wonderfully touching.  Love to you all!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

What is one book or other source you would highly recommend for a complete beginner interested in becoming an intuitive counselor?

You’ll want to develop a very clear connection with your guides, specifically your conduit guide.  And you’ll want to be proficient in counseling.  So I would study the “How To” information of other intuitive counselors such as myself, Colette Baron-Reid, and Sonia Choquette.  Read their books or their blogs, attend their seminars, teleconferences, and workshops.  Or arrange a consult to get detailed answers to the questions that pertain to you in your individual situation.

What do colors in dreams represent?  Aura or chakra colors?  I have had two dreams in a row where the same shade of the colors green and orange have featured prominently in wedding scenes but in different contexts.

Green is the heart chakra color related to compassion, empathy, love, and connection with others.  Orange is the sacral chakra color related to relationships and emotions.  It’s no wonder you saw them at a wedding.  I’d have to know how you felt in the dream to help you better understand why these colors are coming up for you.

In times of personal woe, a lot of people have trouble connecting spiritually. How would you suggest they find comfort if they feel cut off in that way?

In times of woe is definitely when you most need your spiritual connections.  Read my free ebook: 10 Ways To Raise Your Vibration in Under 10 Minutes, which you can get instantly when you sign up for my newsletter.  Everything in there will help you reconnect with yourself and your spiritual posse on the other side very quickly.  Nothing helps me reconnect faster than sitting down to a nice virtual cup of hot chocolate and a hug from my higher self, who is a constant reminder that this too shall pass, that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that you can always choose love.  For long term reconnection, I highly recommend meditation and the practice of feeling blessed by keeping a gratitude log.

Do you have any thoughts about whether the use of antidepressants inhibits a person’s intuitive abilities and/or psychic development?

I’ve never been on antidepressants nor have I known someone who has tried to utilize their intuitive abilities while on antidepressants, so I could only hazard a guess.  Anything that impairs your vibration or ability to connect with your guides is going to impair or inhibit your intuitive abilities and your psychic development, whether that’s alcohol, drugs, shame, fear, anger, anxiety, guilt, etc.  To effectively utilize your psychic faculties you’ll want to be as clear as you can.

What are the top two or three inspiring books you read in 2009?

Most of the books I read in 2009 were related to health and relationships, but I wouldn’t say any of them were particularly inspiring; rather I would say they were informative.  One of my goals in 2010 is to catch up and brush up on the spiritual books out there.  First up is Conversations with God, which I’ve never read, but now feel called to read.  I’m just going to pop by the Hay House website and see what they’ve got on tap.

How do you deal with a deceased person who keeps coming into your dreams and insists she is not dead?

Whoa.  Talk about violation of personal space!  If it were me, I would show them the door, which in this case is the light.  Help them crossover by gently suggesting they are in fact dead, and I would ask the angels to guide them to the other side.  I encountered a fellow many years ago who didn’t know he was dead.  It took me 5 tries to convince him he was dead.  If they won’t go, find out if there is unfinished business they’d like you to help them tie up.  That might be enough to get them to cross over peacefully. 

And what’s your take on crystal healing?

I don’t have a lot of experience with crystal healing.  I recall when I was a teenager trying to use crystals to heal myself when I was ill or in pain.  It never seemed to work, so either it doesn’t work or I was doing it wrong.  My jury is still out on crystals.  I haven’t worked with them enough to tout their benefits just yet.

In order to heal deep emotional wounds do we need people or life situations to open up (trigger) those wounds in order for us to heal them?

No I don’t believe so.  You are capable of deciding how you want to feel about the past, the present, and the future.  It isn’t always easy to hold a loving energy towards a situation, event or person, but it’s always possible.  I find that asking the pain why it’s there is important, and learning the lesson is important too.  Pain and difficulty come when we resist what is, when our expectations are violated, when we feel victimized.  I have found that accepting responsibility for my thoughts, feelings, and actions is very helpful in healing old wounds, as is asking myself how I’d like to feel about the situation.

Does hanging around people with a lower vibration lower my vibrational frequency? And do I have the capacity to become immune?

If you are in a high vibrational state like love, peace, or gratitude and you hang around with someone in a lower vibrational state like anger, for example, then either your vibration will drop or theirs will be raised, or you can both maintain your vibrations if that is your desire.  It is not automatic that yours will lower or theirs will raise.  Guarding against those whose energy lowers ours, though, is something I highly recommend.  Learn how to maintain your higher vibrational state when you are around those who might pull you down.  Be an example for them.  I think we all have the capacity to choose the frequency at which we want to vibrate, but I haven’t personally met anyone yet who doesn’t occasionally drop into a lower vibration.

What is the most empowering lesson that you’ve learned so far from your recent separation? (I hope it’s not too personal or too soon to ask) I just think more people need to see that you can find personal power in “negative” situations. I believe you have a good perspective on life and can get that message across.

Great question.  Most empowering lesson is that I’m learning to rely on myself.  Expressing my own power and authority.  It feels great.  A little scary, but ultimately awesome!  I kill my own spiders, open my own jars, set up my own electronics, I’m a rockstar!    My relationship with Steve is like energy, it was not destroyed in our separation, it merely changed form.  And I’m enjoying getting reacquainted with parts of me that were buried in the relationship.  I’m remembering the power of my own message and am looking forward to sharing it more often and more deeply with my readers.

I have been working on my ability to tune into various energies, such as my guides, angels, and environment. However I am not exactly sure specifically how to tune myself in, outside of guided meditations and visualization. Besides simply concentrating and focusing on that which I want to tune into, can you describe in detail the general “tuning in” process? Sometimes it feels as if I cannot locate my station changing knob.

Tuning in is usually the easy part.  The hard part is trusting that you are tuned in to the being you’re trying to communicate with, being able to interpret and understand what you’re receiving, and having the confidence to act upon it.  Unfortunately it’s beyond the scope of this article to go into the kind of detail we’d need to go into, but I would say to continue to have long conversations with your guides (the longer you go the more tuned in you will be), write down what they’re telling you or showing you, act on it, and see what results you get.  You can also ask your guides to help you tune in better, then get out of your own way (and your own logic) and let them show you how to hear them best.

How can you distinguish the voices of your higher self/spirit guides from those of your ego or mind chatter?

Read this article I wrote on this subject: How To Tell the Difference Between Your Ego, Logic, Spirit Guides and Intuition.

How can you learn to control your visions/premonitions/clarsentience, such as recurring ones happening only when touching a certain person/animal, that will fade when you ask questions instead of giving answers?

If you’re getting repeated visions or premonitions there’s obviously a strong warning in that.  If something you’re seeing is going to come to pass you can either try to prevent it or you can get ready to deal with it.  If you no longer want to receive the premonitions you’ll have to shut down your psychic radio and stop tuning in.  That’s sometimes easier said than done, but maintaining control of when you get information and when you don’t is important.  I had to learn how to stop receiving communication from my guides and deceased people when I wasn’t officially working.  Now my guides can reach me in case of emergency or urgency or when I’m working.  It takes a strong spirit to get my attention when I’m not working.  It does happen but it’s rare now.  Work with your guides.  Tell them what you want and need.  Sometimes I get a metaphor for someone that I just don’t understand and I ask the guides to give it to me again a different way.  This is a two way street.  Let them know what you want and what you can handle and ask them to ease off if you don’t like the kind of communication you’re getting.

Do you have a perspective on ‘protection’ – i.e. managing your field and energy both during sessions and when at parties or out and about like new year’s eve?

Great question.  I was recently at a casino in the evening (rare for me) as I was going to a club to hear a comedian.  I immediately realized I was way too open to be there comfortably.  So many people walking around in a state of arousal, excitement, debauchery, alcohol … many of who had nefarious intentions.  Just a lot of low vibration people (not to say everyone there was that way!  Heaven’s no, but definitely a bunch of energies I don’t normally enjoy being around).  So I had to close my “door” so to speak so I wouldn’t be affected by their energy.  First, I closed up my chakras to be tighter in my body.  So the size of an orange instead of the usual size of a basketball I’m used to.  Then I had to close off my energy by erecting an energy shield around me.  You know the kind I’m talking about, the one that says, “leave me alone” or “I’m not the droid you’re looking for. Move along.”  With practice you can do this too.

When I’m working, it’s the opposite.  I open my chakras very wide and connect them with the infinite divine.  I only do this under the protection of my work environment – my White Room – and in the presence of my conduit guide, Bob.  Managing energy is very important in life.  If you’re too open in a room full of lower vibrational people, you can easily pick up on their energy and take it home with you, much like when I’m in a casino and come home wreaking of smoke even though I never touched a cigarette.

If someone is interested in becoming a psychic medium/intuitive counselor, what should they do on a daily/regular basis to achieve that goal? (besides meditate)

Connect with your conduit guide.  Practice giving readings to friends and family.  Get feedback on your methods.  Then practice on total strangers.  Keep refining your process until you’re very confident in your ability to tune in for anyone.  Let your guides teach you as well.  Raise your vibration and keep it high when you are working.  Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; they will happen.  Don’t be afraid of failure.  Just keep working at it until you are comfortable with the results.

Do you have any new year’s resolutions? 

No.  Not sure I like the whole New Year’s Resolution thing, but I do like writing out my goals for the year, so I’ve already done some work on that.  This year will be all about creating products, teleconferences, more videos, and maybe a workshop or two.

When you give a reading, has anyone ever had and shared a psychic hit on you?  What is the etiquette for that sort of happening?

Do you mean that while I’m giving a reading someone gets information for me?  Yes that has happened a few times.  I do read for a lot of other psychics and mediums, some of them in training and some of them relatively famous.  I also read for clients who are just really intuitive.  And on occasion someone will tell me, usually at the end of the reading, some information they’re getting about me.  I don’t mind receiving it, so I’m happy when that happens.  I’ve also had very intuitive friends and colleagues send me impromptu information they’re getting about me.  I like that too.

The other morning, not quite awake, I heard a woman’s voice call my name very distinct accent, I’m sure it was my spirit guide. How do I hear more, like answers to questions?

The time between sleeping and becoming awake is often a time when we pick up on snatches of conversation at another frequency.  It could have been a spirit guide, or it could have been an auditory hallucination, or a hypnogogic hallucination.  It’s a hard time to get answers to questions.  I would work on lucid dreaming if you want to use your sleep time to communicate with your guides.

Could you ask your guides about free will? Say if you wanted to pray for the protection of someone or if you wanted to perform distance healing, would the angels/guides be limited in helping those people because the request doesn’t come from them directly?

Curses and prayers get through with equal effectiveness.  They either bounce off someone’s aura or they impact.  Whether it happens or not depends on the vibration and intention of the person receiving the curse or prayer or healing for that matter.  You can accept or reject either “gift.” 

If you have a reading that states a possibility for your future, but then a decision you make changes the ending, will the universe bring you back on track somehow?

Depends on whether you want it to or not and if you’re a vibrational match for the path you desire.  Like you’ve correctly presupposed, you can change your future, it is not set in stone.  If, during a reading, a psychic tells you something is likely to happen, you can take steps to alter that outcome.  Just change course.  If, however, you change course but you’re still a vibrational match for that thing happening, you could easily slip back into your old trajectory.  At all times and in all ways you are responsible for the outcome of your decisions.  So always think carefully as you move along the path. 

Do you believe in Jesus?

Depends on your definition.  I believe there is a highly conscious being (one of many actually) who incarnated on Earth to help remind us of who we really are.  I’m not sure when he lived or how many times he’s been back since.  I’ve encountered an energy on the other side that felt like the Christ energy to me, and it was quite humbling.  When I think of Jesus, I think of the highly ascended consciousness.  We are all One, so if you believe in Jesus I hope you look in the mirror and see him staring back at you.  You have access to all of his wisdom and power.

Can psychic powers be gained with yoga and your views on Yogic siddhis?

Psychic powers could be accessed while you’re doing yoga, sure.  Anything that puts you in a higher vibration or balances your mind, body or spirit will help you in the development of your psychic faculties.  I don’t know what a Yogic Siddhi is, so I’ll defer to those who know more on that subject.

***

If you want to discuss any of these answers, there’s a forum thread for this blog entry.  Head on over and let’s hear what you’ve got to say!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

During my sessions with clients, I am often able to tune in to their passions.  There’s this big aha moment when I dig up something they long thought buried, and then outline the steps they can take to leave their old passionless job and step into a career that excites them.  Recently I did a reading for a woman who was at the top of her game career-wise, making a mid-six-figure income, success all around her.  But she wasn’t fulfilled, so she was about to quit her job and go into consulting in the same industry she’d been working for for years in an attempt to at least have some freedom.  She wanted advice on her new chosen career path.  But her guides wouldn’t go there with her because she was not on the path with passion.  Instead her guides showed me a scenario where she started a foundation to help impoverished women and children in third world countries, which was not even close to what she was doing today.  I reminded her that before she went to college this is what she wanted to do.  She agreed that was accurate; that that had been her dream long ago but she didn’t think she could accomplish it so she went the corporate/law route, and rose through the ranks in a very large, well known company.  Her hope was that she could convince this company to be more charitable, but it never happened as she got lost in the corporate shuffle of earning profits or else.  When I tapped her back in to her compassion and outlined the steps she would take to make this foundation a reality she was really quiet for a moment and then got really emotional and said, “I would love to do that more than anything on the planet.  Thank you for reminding me who I really am.  It makes so much sense now.”  On the bright side, her power, contacts, and connections in the corporate world are now going to assist her with manifesting her dream.

So what are you passionate about?  Do you remember?  If you’re not sure, here are some steps you can take to tap into the passion you buried long ago or are putting to the side until “later.”  Get some paper or open a Word document.  You’ll want to keep this handy for “later.”

What makes you giddy with excitement?
Think about all the things in your life you love to do.  Whether it’s skiing, reading, hiking, socializing, going to parties, making videos to upload to YouTube, playing poker, or just meditating quietly for hours.  Just make a list of all the things you would feel eager to do if someone told you to take the day off from work and just do what you wanted to do.  “Hey so-and-so, why don’t we blow off work today and go ________?”  Fill that blank in with a list of things you’d rather do than work.

It doesn’t matter if it seems wasteful on the surface.  One of my friends goes nuts over video and computer games.  He’s a gamer, pure and simple.  There’s nothing he’d rather do.  He went to college to learn computer science because it seemed like a likely choice for himself career-wise, but he really wasn’t into it.  Now he works as a game tester and gets to play games all day.  He rose through the ranks quickly and is well-liked because he is excellent at providing constructive feedback that will make the games better.  If he keeps at it, he could potentially create his own game one day or be on the design team.

Another friend of mine loves movies and television.  He spends a lot of time watching both and getting excited about upcoming new shows and movies.  He’d be excellent at creating a new television series, which is something he is now looking into.  But before I suggested it he thought it impossible.  His day job is at an accounting firm where he daydreams and imagines new characters, stories and shows in his head.  The talent and passion are there, he just has to take action on them.

Once you’ve got your list of the things that excite you, really consider how you might segue into a career that allows you to do that all the time!  Think hard and be creative.  You don’t have to quit your job today, just start thinking about ways that other people are earning money doing what you love, and see if you can find your way into that same arena.

What breaks your heart?
When you look around the world today do you see people suffering?  Do you see things that are wrong with the world that you’d love to see fixed?  What breaks your heart?  Starving children?  Abused children?  World politics?  The homeless?  War and conflict?  What breaks your heart is often a clue to passion.  If you were ignited and believed yourself capable of making a difference in the world, where would you turn your attention?  What problem would you tackle?  No one is saying you have to end world hunger overnight.  Just tap into your heart break and see what’s there.

Make a list right now of all the things that really break your heart.  I’m talking about the things that really tug at your heart strings or ignite you with passion and zeal.  Once you’ve got your list, see if you can figure out a way to take action on your heart break.  This doesn’t have to be something you do for a living, but maybe it’s something you start doing on the side, which will eventually lead to expertise, progress, and job offers.  There are people out there who earn a living tackling world problems, such as politicians, movie producers, and bloggers.

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
What I hear most often from those who know their passion but aren’t taking action on it is, “But I don’t know how.”  No one knows how when they’re first starting out.  Not knowing how to do something is not a good enough reason not to do it.  You learn how.  You either find someone who is successful doing it and learn how they did it, or you go through your own trial and error until you figure it out. 

On your sheet of paper, write down the phrase, “If I knew I couldn’t fail I would …”  and then make a list of what you would do.  Think big, really big.  The sky’s the limit.  Here is my own list:  If I knew I couldn’t fail I would want to help people remember that we are all connected, that we are all One, and that hurting others only hurts ourselves.  I would teach people about compassion and kindness towards their fellow man.  I would empower others to awaken and take action in the area of their passion.  I would teach acceptance and love.

Now think about it, there are so many ways to accomplish the items on my list.  I could be a motivational speaker, a diplomat, a politician, a counselor, a writer, a coach, a screenwriter, etc.  As long as I stay tapped into my message, the medium is my choice.  What could you do with your list?  Make a list of all the careers or jobs you could have where you could make progress on your “If I knew I couldn’t fail” goal.  See what emerges. 

What makes you feel like you’ve contributed?
Another way to determine your passion is to ask yourself to finish this phrase, “At the end of the day, I feel best when I’ve _________” and fill in the blank.  Do you feel best when you’ve solved a problem, helped someone who was suffering, had an impact, made a change in your life, challenged yourself, organized an area, gotten all the kids to after-school activities on time, made a nice dinner for your spouse, taken time out for yourself, meditated, communed with nature, etc?  What gives you that nice sigh of contentment and the feeling of a job well done?  Could you earn money doing that for a living?  You bet you could.  Even if you feel most content sitting in a hot bubble bath or getting a massage, why not open a spa and sell that contentment to others?  What if you’re a stay-at-home-parent who is super organized and you feel great at the end of the day if everything is in its proper place and all the children are well fed and clean?  Write a book to help others who aren’t as good at it as you, or start a blog, or do workshops on it.  Don’t discount contentment and contribution.  If you love it, chances are other people would love it too.  Help them find it if they don’t have it and you’ve got a new career.

***

Your passion is in you somewhere.  Remember it or find it.  Then turn your passion into action. Find the road that leads to success with your passion.  You can do it!  When you combine passion with skill and contribution, success is not far behind.  Don’t spend another day doing something you hate. Find and ignite your passion today!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

I’m a heart-centered person who’s very compassionate, kind, gentle, and caring. That’s my dominant energy. As a result, in my life I usually take a back seat to others with more power, confidence, courage, and authority. Never bothered me; I was happy to let others take command … and the responsibility that usually went with it. I was the ship’s counselor, not the captain. But over the years I realized that walking around just caring about others wasn’t enough. Caring about an impoverished person doesn’t feed them. Caring about child abuse doesn’t save a single child. It’s only by taking action, by exerting our power and courage, that we can effect change. Likewise, if you’re someone who is strong in the areas of power, courage, and authority but you’re not heart-centered and caring, you could end up being a guy like Donald Trump or Dick Cheney; people willing to walk all over someone to get what they want.

Years ago I played an online role playing game called City of Heroes. My character was the group’s healer. I stood in the back and cast heals on people and would occasionally throw a punch, but I was pretty squishy so never ventured too far into the fray lest I be crushed by a single attack. This character I created was a pretty accurate representation of who I was as a person. Willing to let others fight and potentially be injured, but there to provide comfort, healing, and support. I was pretty comfortable in my role. One day, though, just for the heck of it, I created a scrapper character, a hand-to-hand combat fighter that couldn’t do anything from a distance. I had to run in and bear the brunt of the first wave of attack, and I was the one doling out the punishment. I felt really uncomfortable playing this violent character… at first. And then I started to feel more powerful and tough, and I started to really enjoy getting in there, getting my hands dirty, protecting the squishy healers in the back from being pummeled to death. As it turns out, there was a little fighter in me all along.

After I stopped playing City of Heroes I asked myself if in life I was a healer or a scrapper. I wanted to say healer, but after spending so much virtual time as a scrapper I realized it had brought something else out in me besides the caring, supportive, after-the-fact helper. I liked the feeling of power and responsibility that came with taking command of a group. And I also discovered I was pretty good at taking command. I wondered if in my real life I could channel the same energy as courageously as I did in a game where I couldn’t really be physically hurt.

I made a conscious decision to start working on my command and leadership skills. If you’re a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I was Deanna Troi taking the Bridge Officer’s exam so I could command the ship in case of emergency. So over the years I started volunteering to lead. In my toastmaster club, Voice Links, I volunteered to be President, even though I didn’t yet feel qualified. I studied and learned what I needed to be a successful club president, and I was told by people who’d been in the club for many years that I did a fantastic job. But Voice Links is a pretty small club and its members are very easy-going and therefore easy to lead. It was the equivalent of leading a transport ship. I wanted to test myself further.

Last July I became the President of Powerhouse Pros, one of the largest toastmaster clubs in the southwest region. This was like taking command of the Enterprise, the flagship of the Federation. I felt tremendous anxiety about taking the position as I didn’t want to screw up the club with my lack of leadership ability. But as time went by I discovered again that I was comfortable with command. It became easier every week. There are a lot more challenges in this club than there are in Voice Links, but I’m loving it and have become quite comfortable with the job.

Last week, however, the universe threw me a test. Was I the scrapper or still the healer? The captain or the counselor? The leader or the follower?

Many of you know from my tweets that I’ve been taking a CERT class. That stands for Community Emergency Response Team. It’s a course you can take for free, sponsored by Homeland Security, that teaches you what to do when disaster strikes your town and first responders are overwhelmed. You’re basically trained on how to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors survive until the cavalry can reach you. You learn medical triage, fire suppression, search and rescue, disaster psychology (like how to help victims cope with loss and fear), and lots more. I took the class with my friend, Dana Richardson, who had taken the class before and took it again as a refresher. It was nice going through the class with him because he already knew so much and was a good source of information for me when I had questions between classes. Dana was pretty good at this stuff, and a couple of weeks ago he acted as our Incident Commander when we did a light simulation of how to do search and rescue in buildings. Everyone in the class relied on Dana since we all knew he’d taken the class before. This was to be a big mistake however, and something that taught me a big lesson.

Last week we had our final class. We had to do our big disaster simulation, which basically involved handling the aftermath of an “earthquake.” Several members of the fire department were on hand to help us with our simulation and make sure no one really got hurt, and our two instructors were on hand as well. The week prior we had signed up for our roles. Everyone nominated Dana to be our Incident Commander, the person on scene who is totally in charge and has to decide where everyone goes and what everyone does in the midst of chaos. Below him are the Medical, Search and Rescue, and Operations (fire) leaders. And each of those leaders has a team of people. I signed up to be on the search and rescue team… pretty low down on the totem pole. My job was going to be to search rooms for “victims” and bring them to medical for triage. I didn’t feel remotely qualified for a higher position. I was new and inexperienced. Those who had taken the class before we put into the leadership positions. All this planning turned out to be for nothing though as you will soon see.

The night had arrived for our final class. We were given our CERT bags which included a helmet, goggles, vest, flashlight, first aid kit, and so much more. Dana knew I was giddy with excitement and nervousness. I had heard the simulation was pretty intense. But I knew all I had to do was listen to the Search and Rescue leader and do what he said, so I figured I was in good shape. We were told to take a quick break to use the bathroom and then to meet outside to begin the simulation. When I got outside though, I didn’t see Dana. I looked around for him, but he just wasn’t there. The fire dept. lit a controlled fire outside the building, and our instructor, Page, came by and said, “Okay everyone listen up. There’s just been a terrible earthquake. People are trapped in the building and there are fires all over the place. Go.” Someone said, “Wait, where is Dana? He’s going to be our commander.” Another person said, “Hey, our Medical leader isn’t here either. We can’t begin without her.” Page yelled out, “People are now dying while you’re talking folks.”

I quickly realized what had happened. Page removed all our leaders and tucked them into the building as victims. She threw us into chaos as our command structure broke down instantly and we had no “leaders” to take charge. Someone said, “Who’s going to be in charge then? What are we going to do?” Before I knew what I was doing, I walked to the highest spot on the lawn in our group and raised my voice, “Listen up! Dana’s not here and we don’t have time to wait for him. You, over there, you’re going to be our Search and Rescue Leader. Stand over there. You, over there, you’re our Operations Leader, please stand right over here. Do I have a volunteer for Medical Leader?” A woman tentatively raised her hand. I said, “Great, please stand over there.” Everyone else, go stand behind the leader of your choice. They all moved. Someone yelled out, “Are you going to be our Incident Commander then?” I paused for a moment. I hadn’t even realized what I’d been doing. I just knew we had to get started and were wasting precious time so I started moving people into groups. So I said, “Uh yeah, I can do it until someone more qualified comes by to relieve me.” Inside I was thinking, “Shoot, I didn’t read up on what the Incident Commander does! I have no idea what to do here! How can I possibly be the commander?” Even though we had covered in class what an Incident Commander does, since I knew I was only going to be on the Search and Rescue team, I didn’t bother to brush up on it, so I had to recall information I’d learned weeks ago.

I turned to my Fire Suppression team because the fire was already going and I knew we had to get that out first before we could even enter into the building. I told them to engage the fire and put it out. Fire extinguishers were standing by so they went to handle that. Then I told my Search and Rescue leader to start assigning people in his group into teams. And I told my Medical leader to pick someone in her group for triage, transport, and morgue detail. I also told her where to set up her medical operations once we got inside and to create separate areas for triage, for victims whose injuries were delayed or minor, for victims whose injuries were life-threatening or immediate, and a morgue for victims who died on scene. By the time I was done, our fire crew had the fire out and we were ready to go into the building.

I knew our instructors had set many traps for us, and my most important goal and duty was to keep my CERT members alive. So we entered very cautiously, even though our urge was to rush in and start saving people. It took upwards of 5 to 10 minutes for the Search and Rescue teams to put their gear on (helmet, goggles, gloves, vest, flashlights), and for our Medical team to move chairs into circles for their various triage areas. The whole time our adrenaline was pumping. Even though we knew it was just a simulation, we were all on edge and in the moment. We didn’t want to screw up our final exam.

I realized that as the Incident Commander I had no one to tell me what to do. I had to make the final decision on everything. My operations team was running around the outside of the building putting out fires (under supervision of the real fire department) and turning off electricity and gas (simulated, not real). My medical team had no victims to treat so I turned my attention to Search and Rescue (S&R). Mark, my S&R leader, had two teams assembled. Before we sent them out, I reminded them not to go into any rooms where they smelled anything toxic or heard coughing coming from inside. The search teams went out and started searching rooms. I had to plant myself in a position so my S&R and Medical leaders could both see me. I can’t tell you how hard it was not to start running off to search rooms but to trust that our crews could manage the job.

One of our search teams didn’t come back to report in. Both Mark and I had to resist the urge to run down the hall to find out what happened to them. I had to grab a runner from Medical to gear up and go check. We told him to go down the hall, turn left and let us know if he could see the search and rescue team down the hall. But for some reason, he opened a door and went in by himself to look for the team. He was pronounced dead by our instructors. You never go in a room or building without a buddy. While we came to grips with our loss, I had to get another person from Medical into their search and rescue gear.

One lone team member came back from the original lost team to report that they had gone into a room where they smelled ammonia and heard coughing and she’d lost contact with her partner. Dead. We were all upset. After the warning I had just given them, they went and entered a toxic room. We’d lost another rescue worker. I felt like a failure and so did Mark and the lady who’d lost her partner. Two down and we hadn’t even found a victim yet! I was frustrated but we had to keep going. I had to grab more people from Medical to replace the lost search and rescue workers, leaving Medical with only two people to manage what should have been a 4 person team.

Meanwhile, our instructors turned off the lights in the hallway and now we were working in pitch black. I heard Page say, “I hope you all brought your flashlights…” in a sing-songing I-know-you-didn’t-bring-your-flashlights kind of way. Some of us did have our flashlights, thank goodness. Pretty soon one of our S&R teams found a victim. Dana. As they brought him in to Medical with “minor injuries” I shot him a look that basically said, “You could have warned me…” He just grinned evilly and went inside to be treated.

Bodies were piling up in the morgue: 3 dead, 1 injured. We had to find 2 more in the building somewhere. Our S&R teams were moving a lot more cautiously and slowly as they had already seen 2 of their own “die.” We found the last two victims and Medical took care of them. My Operations crew reported the building was now free of fires and electrical and gas hazards. The building was as secure as it could be, our search and rescue efforts were done, and Medical had all the injured (and dead) under control. The simulation was ended. It was way more intense than I expected it would be.

Our instructors then went over everything we did right and wrong. I was compelled to find the S&R member who walked into the toxic room and ask her, “Why did you go in there after I had just warned you not to? I’m curious.” She said, “I know, I know. But I heard people alive in there, coughing, and I figured I could just run in and get them and be out really quick.” In an intense, emotional, situation you don’t always think with your head but with your heart. That can get you killed in a disaster though.

There were accolades all around. When Page got to me she said, “How did Erin end up as the Incident Commander? Anyone know?” Someone said, “Because she stepped up when no one else would.” Page said, “That’s right! The Commander isn’t the person who is most qualified. It’s the person willing to take charge when no one else will. The person willing to take responsibility. How long do you think you would have been standing there, while people in the building were dying, if she hadn’t stepped up when she did? It took her only 10 seconds to assume command. All of you were just as qualified as she was, but none of the rest of you stepped up to the plate. Congratulations Erin on being a leader.”

I was proud of myself for taking command of the situation. I wouldn’t have done that a couple of years ago. I would have gladly waited for someone else to do it – not my problem, someone else can have that responsibility! But after consciously working on my leadership and command skills it was nice to see the Universe giving me a chance to exercise them. I was surprised no one else stepped up to take command though. Dana told me he’d read that in a disaster situation, 10% of the population is just going to break down, totally incapable of coping, 80% will be willing to be led, and 10% will step up into leadership positions.

My CERT disaster simulation showed me a side of myself I wasn’t sure was there. In the past, I wouldn’t have taken a leadership role because I couldn’t handle the responsibility of being wrong or making a mistake. Today I feel differently. I accept that as a leader I will make mistakes, but I’ll learn from them. I’m not afraid to fail anymore.

When was the last time you assumed a leadership position or took command of an urgent situation? How did you feel taking command? Are you comfortable with the mantle of leadership or are you content to let others make decisions that will affect your life?  Try cultivating command and leadership in your own life.  See what you’re made of.  See what you can get done.

Side note: CERT class is awesome – and FREE! It will help you prepare for disaster and learn how to do basic first aid and triage life-threatening injuries. I highly recommend it. You can find a course near you here.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Time and again I’ve noticed that when I play it safe, very little changes.  I make no progress towards my goals, and if that goes on too long I even start to feel stuck.  The river of your life is a constantly moving entity, pulling and tugging at you, trying to get you to your destination.  Your destination is whatever goal you’ve currently filed with the Universe.   If you don’t like your destination, submit a “change of destination” form.  But don’t sit in your boat in the river and resist the current.  It wastes time and energy. 

Often we know what our next move is but we’re simply too afraid to take it.  Sometimes courage is required.  Sometimes you have to be daring.  Sometimes you just have to say, “What the hell… I’m doing it!” and deal with the consequences.  You don’t have to run off half-cocked though.  You can take a moment to aim.  But don’t take too long.  It’s better to take a shot at something and fail then never to try at all.  In my own life, I’ve definitely seen that when I take risks they always pay off.  Not necessarily the way I thought they would, but if I fail I get a learning experience.  Don’t be afraid to fail, otherwise you’re saying you’re afraid to learn.

Imagine if you went to the shooting range for the first time.  You hold the gun tentatively in your hand, lift it to eye level, use the site to take aim at your target and fire a shot.  What’s the likelihood you’ll hit a bullseye on your first shot?  Probably pretty small.  What if you keep shooting?  Will you get better?  Of course.  What if you get instruction from someone who already knows how to shoot?  You’ll do even better when you take your own shot.  What if you learn all you can about shooting and you practice and practice?  Eventually you will hit that bullseye.  Eventually you will accomplish your goal and get where you want to go.

Last week I decided to do something I’ve always been a little afraid to do.  I wanted to face the fear head-on and see what happened.  What I did last week actually illustrates the point I made above in a pretty literal way.  I went to the gun range with a friend who taught me how to shoot a hand gun.  I know, I know… what is Erin the spiritual guru doing with a gun?  That’s pretty far from “Spiritual Wisdom for Conscious People” right?  Nah.  I’ve always been interested in self-defense, disaster preparation, and protecting myself and my loved ones.  Two decades ago I had a boyfriend who taught me how to shoot a rifle, use nunchucks and throwing stars, and how to shoot a bow.  I’ve always been fascinated, but responsible.  I filmed my trip to the gun range; you can watch it below.

(Note: First video I’m posting to YouTube.  Be kind; I’ll get better over time.  Please subscribe to my channel for future video updates if you’re a YouTube member: www.youtube.com/erinpavlinadotcom)

I challenge you to take aim at a goal you’ve been putting off and take your best shot.  Nothing is gained by procrastination.  Go out and fail a little, try a little, improve a little.  Keep shooting.  Keep learning.  Don’t stop until you reach your goal!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

In reality, it’s your belief about death that causes you to fear it.  Do you fear death because you believe it will be the end of you, your essence, and you don’t want to end?  Do you fear death because you’ve been taught that God will judge you and  you may not fare so well?  Are you afraid you’re going to go to Hell?  Do you fear you’re going to be floating like a cloud for eternity?  Are you concerned that you might be “alive” in your body in your coffin forever?  Do you fear death because you don’t want to meet up with abusive parents on the other side?

We fear death because we don’t know what’s going to happen when we die and therefore we don’t know if we should be afraid or look forward to it.

What evidence do we have about the existence of the afterlife?  There are books that include accounts of people who have had near-death experiences, where they died, had an experience, and came back to tell of it.  Some would say they weren’t really dead if they were able to come back, so their accounts aren’t real and were probably hallucinations.  There are books that contain accounts of those who remember their past lives, suggesting there is a life, then an afterlife, then more lives.  There are those who have had out of body experiences and know that their soul can live without their body.  And of course there are mediums who communicate with those on the other side; if the dead weren’t there, how could mediums communicate with them? 

Some say near death experiences, past lives, out of body experiences, and communication with deceased relatives are hogwash.  These people have probably never experienced any of them, because I can tell you that people who have experienced them tend to have no doubts that our consciousness survives death. 

What if death was something wonderful though?  What if when you die you go to a loving, peaceful place?  What if you’re reunited with loved ones you’ve been missing terribly?  What if death releases you from pain and misery and puts you back together again, whole? 

Since most people have not had a personal experience that convinces them of the existence of an afterlife, they have no choice but to bring their dominant belief about death to the table.  What is your belief?  And do you realize that with no personal experience, you’re adopting a belief for which you have no evidence?  And if you have no evidence for it, then your belief is based on speculation.  Why speculate that something terrible happens after death instead of speculating that something wonderful happens after death?  Since you have an absence of evidence either way, why choose something that scares you?  How does that empower you? 

All of your beliefs in life should empower you.  If you lack evidence for a belief, adopt one that empowers you instead of one that scares you.   

If you want to stop fearing death, first get clarity on what  you believes happens when we die.  Then ask yourself if you have evidence to support that belief.  If not, ask yourself if there is a more empowering belief you could adopt that, if it were true, would cause you to stop fearing death.  Then adopt that belief. 

I personally don’t fear death at all.  I’ve had out of body experiences that show me that my body is just a shell that houses my soul.  I’ve communicated countless times with deceased people on the other side when I do intuitive readings for my clients, making connections with people I can’t possibly know existed.  I have memories of past lives.  And lastly, I have memories of my time between lives which I believe to be accurate.  Have I physically died in this incarnation yet?  No.  But I don’t fear death because my personal evidence strongly suggests to me that death is nothing to fear and that we do go on with our consciousness intact. 

I don’t fear death, which makes living a lot easier too.  When you aren’t afraid to die, you find you aren’t afraid to really live, because in the end, nothing can truly harm you, not even death.

Lose your fear of death today.  Adopt a new, more empowering belief about death, and then join Toastmasters to get over your fear of public speaking.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

If you’ve been following my blog regularly you’ll know that I’ve always had a deep fear of public speaking but that I’ve been actively working on overcoming it by taking massive action in the direction of my goals.  I joined Toastmasters 3.5 years ago, I’ve volunteered to introduce Steve when he goes on stage, I recently entered and won my first toastmaster contest, I volunteered to be President of one of the largest Toastmaster clubs forcing me to speak in front of a large audience at every meeting, I did a one hour radio show, and a 90-minute video interview.  All of these actions are part of my plan to become comfortable with public and professional speaking. 

The first time I introduced Steve on stage I was so nervous.  The old me would have quit speaking right then and there.  “Forget it, that sucked, I made a fool of myself, we’re never doing that again!”  But I’ve come to learn that failures and even embarrassments are nothing to be afraid of.  You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the game.  So when Steve asked if I wanted to speak at the workshop I said yes even though it terrified me.  I knew that saying yes was the right thing to do.  I didn’t let the fear stop me.  But I told Steve that I didn’t want to prepare anything.  I wanted to be in the moment and stay fully present, not get stuck in my head trying to remember something I’d memorized.  He agreed that was best. 

During his planning he would occasionally ask me things like, “Do you want to tell your Star Trek story?”  or “Do you want to be on stage when I do the relationship segment?”  I told him to put me wherever he thought would serve the audience best.  So when the first day of the workshop rolled around, I had no idea if or when he would call me up to the stage.

It didn’t take long.  After the first break, Steve was talking about the principle of Power.  I heard him say, “I’d actually like to bring my wife Erin up on stage to tell us a story of how she successfully used her Power to accomplish a goal.”  That would be my Star Trek story.  My heart was pounding as I walked from the back of the room to the stage.  I had no idea what I was going to say, how I was going to start the story, or anything.  Earlier that day, I asked Darren LaCroix, World Champion of Public Speaking, our friend, and the guy who was introducing Steve, if he would come up on stage with me so I could feel what it might be like if I was up there.  I told him I was really nervous about speaking and asked his advice.  He said, “You’re going to be nervous when you first get here.  That’s okay.  Once you get your first laugh you’ll know the audience is with you, you’ll feel their energy, and you won’t be nervous anymore.”  I was doubtful but I absorbed the info and clung to it like a life preserver.

And so it was that I stepped on stage and began my story.  My breathing betrayed my nervousness, and I’m sure I stumbled a bit, but Darren was right.  As soon as I got my first laugh I relaxed.  I felt the audience was with me, that they wanted me to succeed, and that they were engaged in my story.  By the time I was done, which took maybe 7-8 minutes, I was actually enjoying myself.  That’s something I wouldn’t have believed possible before.  I left the stage, no longer afraid of being up there.  I began to hope Steve would call me up again.

As it turns out, Steve called me up during the career section also.  Then I did announcements daily from the stage.  Easy and very similar to what I do as president of my club, so I already had that as a reference experience.  On the third day we did indeed do much of the relationship segment together including some Q&A.  I loved it.  I wasn’t the least bit nervous.  I was happy speaking on stage.  The longest I was on stage at any one time was probably an hour or so.  Interestingly, last year my Mastermind group and I were talking about putting together a one day workshop where each of us would do an hour presentation.  I really resisted that.  I wasn’t ready.  I really didn’t think I could do it.  Now I know I could.  Why?  Because I have a reference now.  I’ve already been on stage for that long.  Yes, it was with Steve by my side, but I’m sure I could do it alone too.  I discovered that the key is to stop thinking about my personal issues and to concentrate on what I’m trying to convey to the audience.  It’s about them, not me.  My job is to share something that will benefit them.  Thoughts of how I might look or come across disappear in light of what I’m trying to give to others.

When was the last time you pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone and created a new reference experience for yourself?  What are you avoiding because you don’t think you’re ready?  How could you get ready?  What actions could you take today to make you ready for that challenge in the future?  I had to join Toastmasters 3.5 years ago to be ready for what I did this past weekend.  I’m a patient woman.  I knew if I just kept showing up to Toastmasters, participating, and giving it my all, that I would eventually get better at public speaking.  Now, I’m not just better at it, I like it. 

Don’t let fear stop you from creating the life you want.  Continue to create new reference experiences for yourself until you reach your goal.  You can take baby steps all the way, or one giant leap if that’s comfortable for you.  My next goal is to do a 1-hour presentation by myself.  I’ll use all of my reference experiences to get there.

What is your goal and what reference experiences will you use to get you there?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

As you can imagine, my first few calls were dismal.  I wasn’t practiced with my script and fumbled a lot.  People hung up on me right quick.  But in time I started to do better.  I remember being so excited to get someone on the phone willing to do the survey.  When I was done, I proudly added a tick mark on the white board.  Our bosses kept track of how many surveys we all completed.  I was the new kid so no one expected much.  There were some people that had been there for years.  They looked like zombies to be honest.  No light in them at all.  It was like the life had been sucked out of them.  I started to be concerned but figured I’d only be there for the summer and I would endure.

After my first week I was accustomed to making over a hundred phone calls per day, and I was lucky to get 20 surveys done in a week.  I felt like a total failure but I was assured it was par for the course.  Then I decided to change my strategy.  I went completely off-script initially in order to get the customer interested in taking the survey.  I just decided to be 100% completely honest with them instead of going through a canned spiel. 

“Hello, my name is Erin and I work for a telemarketing company.  Yep, it’s a horrible job but I’m a student and it’s the only way I can afford school.  If it isn’t too much trouble, would you be willing to take a short survey with me?  I want to look good in front of my bosses and if you stay on the phone with me I won’t have to make another 10 calls.  I would really be grateful.”  I can’t tell you how many people relented and sympathized with me.  Before I knew it, my survey completion record had doubled.  People who had been there for years started noticing and some of them got angry with me.  There was a definite competition vibe there.  Apparently the plum jobs went to the best people.  I was inordinately pleased with myself though, and the job was more bearable.  My specialty has always been connecting with people easily, so I used that skill to make headway in this job.

Of course, my bosses began to notice.  One day they called me in and said they needed to have a talk with me.  I was nervous as I thought they were going to fire me for going off script.  One of my competitors, I mean co-workers, was particularly annoyed that I was going off script, and I know she told on me.  As it turned out, though, my bosses were not only okay with it, but impressed.  They asked if I was willing to be put on a special project that wasn’t sponsored by another company but was actually their own private project.  It came with a pay raise and my own private office with a door, no more cubicle!  I jumped at the chance!

My new job was to call people and ask them if they wanted to buy a book called Dianetics written by L. Ron Hubbard.  I thought that was sort of a strange thing to be doing, but I didn’t care.  So I called people and asked them if they wanted to buy this book which was supposedly all about self improvement and making yourself happier.  The list I was calling from was surprisingly sympathetic to this request.  Good list, I thought!  Whether people were willing or unwilling to buy the book, I was also told to ask them if they wanted to make a donation to some L. Ron Hubbard charity fund.  I had no idea what this was all about, but that didn’t matter to me.  I was doing very well and making a lot of money for this L. Ron Hubbard fellow.   I was proud of my skill and my bosses were over the moon about me.  They gave me another raise.  I was rockin’!

Then the co-worker who ratted me out took me aside one day and told me that our bosses were Scientologists.  I’m like, “What’s a Scientologist?”  She told me it was a religious cult, and she said some really nasty things about it.  I became very concerned.  I felt duped, deceived, and used.  I didn’t want to be a religious cult fundraiser!  Without doing much research on my own (no internet in those days) I decided I had to stop and go back to doing the lame surveys.  I went to my bosses and told them I felt uncomfortable.  They were so incredibly nice and understanding.  In fact, these guys were so gentle and kind, I found it hard to believe they were part of any cult.  They asked if I wanted to know more about Scientology.  So I sat and listened to them explain the whole thing to me.  I thought it sounded really weird but not as cult-like as co-worker chick made it out to be.   I was still uncomfortable with the job they were having me perform, though, so I told them I couldn’t do it anymore.  They understood and then they let me go.  They had already hired someone to take my place doing the surveys. 

I wasn’t overly upset.  I wanted to get out of there badly.  So I left with little huff.  But I learned something from that job.  I learned that who you work for is just as important as the work you’re doing.   If your personal beliefs aren’t in alignment with the goals your company is trying to achieve, why are you working for them?  I often think about people who work for the big tobacco companies, or the people who work in the slaughterhouses.  Is it just a job to them?  Or are they going against their own ideals in order to earn a paycheck?  I mean, we all have our limits and it’s up to you to choose them, but do you know who you’re working for?  Which of their goals are you achieving for them and are these goals you’d work on yourself if you could?  If I were to ever be in a position where I was working for someone else again, I’d try to find a job with a company whose goals and ideals were closely aligned with mine, because then all the work I did for them would contribute to what I perceived as the greater good.

Who do you work for?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

You either fell into your job accidentally or you moved to it consciously.  That doesn’t matter today.  If you no longer like your job and wish  you were someplace else doing the same thing or someplace else doing something different, it doesn’t really matter how you got into it in the first place, it’s time to go.

Maybe you’re saying, “But I’ve been here so long… if I give up now I’ll have wasted the last 20 years.”  No, absolutely you didn’t waste the last 20 years.  You got a lot out of them.  Now you’re done.  Thank your job for what it did for you, and allow yourself to see a life beyond it.  The last thing you want to do is stick it out for another 20 if you don’t love it anymore.  Okay okay, if you’ve got less than a year to retirement and a full pension, maybe sticking it out isn’t such a bad idea.  But if you’re in your 20’s or 30’s or even 40’s and you hate your job, don’t give it any more of your life.  Move on.

But you might say, “If I switch careers I’ll have to start at the bottom.  I won’t earn as much money as I do now.”  That might be true.  It might not be.  It’s not a given that you will earn less money if you switch to an entirely different career.  Lots of people move into doing something they love that instantly earns them more money than they’re making now.  If money is very important to you, make sure the next job or career you move into will earn you the money you want to make.  If it doesn’t, it’s probably not a vibrational match for all your needs anyway and you shouldn’t even be considering it.

So now you’re thinking, “What if you know you hate your job but you’re not sure what you would love to do?”  Figure it out.  Spend a lot of time figuring it out.  It’s really important.  It’s your life, after all.  You should get to spend all of it doing what you want, when you want, the way you want, for the money you want.  If you believe it’s impossible to have all of that in a job then you should examine the beliefs you have about money, careers, and your own ability, because there are tons of people out there who love everything about their jobs.  Be one of them.  Don’t stop until you are.

Literally start making a list of all the things you love to spend your time doing.  Not just your hobbies.  Also list your skills.  I know a woman who has been in the accounting profession her entire life.  About 18 years now.  She hates her job, but when I ask her what she does love about it she tells me she likes solving problems, putting the pieces of a financial puzzle together, and tracking down every last dime.  It’s the thrill of the hunt that she loves.  So now she’s looking for other careers that allow her to express those skills but don’t include accounting.  Do you have some of those?  What do you still love about your job?  Write it down, but don’t attach it to that particular job.  Perhaps you can get some of that in a new profession.  I’ll bet this accountant would love being a private investigator for example.

Once you’ve got your list of what you love, see which things on your list you’re actually good at.  This is important.  If you try to do something you love but aren’t good at, you’ll probably fail.  That won’t lead to happiness.  Maybe it’s something you can get good at either by going to school or practicing more.  So while you’re in your current job making oodles of money, see about getting better at the thing you love to do.  Yes, it’s a commitment, but it’s worth it in the end.  Doesn’t matter if it takes a few years.

Once you have figured out what you love to do and what you’re good at, ask yourself which of those items provide value to other people.  You can be the best stamp licker in the world but is anyone going to pay you to lick their stamps for them?  Don’t be naïve.  Money is an exchange of value.  Unless you love standing on a street corner and you’re really good at holding a sign, you’re going to need to find a way to provide value doing what you love and what you’re good at.  So look at your list.  Does a large portion of society need the value you can offer?  Or would a small portion of society pay you big bucks to provide that particular value to them? If no one would pay you to do it, cross if off your list and keep it to yourself.  Or if you’re very inventive, find a way to create a demand for it.

I think you’re getting the idea here.  Find something you love, that you’re good at, that provides value to others and start a business or get a job doing just that.

When should you leave your current job?  Some people transition slowly to their new job by doing it on the side until it’s earning enough income to replace their current income, or some people just up and quit their current job so they can totally focus full-time on manifesting the new one.  Either way works, and either way can fail.  For example, if you have a lot of savings and you expect it will only take a short while to get your new career up and running, it’s probably safe to quit the current job and jump into the new one full time.  If, however, you’ve got no savings, 7 mouths to feed, and you need time to build up a clientele or get training or more education, etc. then perhaps the transition approach is best.  Just knowing that you’re on a road that leads away from your current job can be enough to sustain your soul while you slog away at it every day.  But don’t wait too long.  Keep your momentum going!

I have a friend who doesn’t particularly love his job.  We’ve identified a whole bunch of things he loves doing that he is good at, and we’ve even identified a way for him to provide value to others by doing it.  His big block?  “What if the new job feels like work?  I’d hate for something I love to do to feel like work.”  When you are doing what you love and you’re earning money from it, it’s not work.  It’s joy.  He doesn’t know this because he’s never experienced it and can’t believe it’s possible to enjoy what you do for a living.  So years later, he’s still slogging away at his job and doing this other cool stuff on evenings and weekends.  He’s afraid he’ll stop enjoying these delicious things if they are his job.   Trust me, you don’t stop enjoying them.  They get even more exciting.

If you hate your job, it’s time to move on.  Don’t give your loyalty to a job you’re no longer a vibrational match for.  There is no honor in that.  You probably were a vibrational match for it when you first got there.  If you’re no longer a match though, why stick around?  What else calls to you?  What else do you wish you always got the chance to explore?  Is your current job the one your parents told you would be safe and secure?  Did you ignore the call of your joy in exchange for security and safety?  I’m telling you that you can have security, stability, financial abundance, and joy too.  Why not go for the whole package?  If you’re waiting until you retire to finally start living and enjoying your life, you’re making a big mistake.  You deserve joy now.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Developing Psychic Abilities – An Interview with Erin and Steve Pavlina

This was my first filmed interview, and we had a lot of fun doing it.  I’ve been wanting to foray into more speaking and interviews, so between this interview and the radio show I did a few days ago, plus the workshop coming up in Vegas, I’m manifesting my goal nicely.  I can be a lot more expressive and connected with my audience by doing interviews and workshops, so that’s something I want to do continue doing.

Hope you enjoy!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Recently I attended a conference where we did a fabulous exercise that I want to share with you because it was truly eye-opening for me.  We got with a partner and we sat facing each other.   One person had to be the receiver.  The receiver kept their eyes open.  The other person had to close their eyes and for about a minute had to supply answers to the statement, “If I wasn’t afraid I would …”  The person receiving wasn’t allowed to say a word, and you couldn’t see their face anyway because your eyes were closed, but you had to unload on this person all the things you would do if only you weren’t afraid.  A minute is a long time when you’re sharing that kind of vulnerability.  At the end, you opened your eyes and the person receiving leaned in to give you a hug and share one nugget of wisdom they gleaned from your statements. 

My experience doing this exercise was powerful.  At the end my receiver said, “You know what?  I don’t think you’re afraid at all.  I think you came here to this planet to do these things and you’re going to do them despite any roadblocks.  You’re ready, and you’re more than capable.  Go for it.”  That wisdom shattered all kinds of resistance, limiting beliefs, and excuses I had all lined up to protect me.  I sat with my mouth agape as I realized that she was right. Deep down I knew I was using fear as an excuse, and that in truth I wasn’t actually afraid.  In fact, I started to feel eager.  This was a big part of the transformation I wrote about in my Transformations blog entry.  What if you could replace fear with eagerness?

So I ask you to try this exercise.  You don’t even need to do it with a partner, but it would be awesome if you could.  Saying what you’re afraid of out loud is powerful, and hearing your partner’s insights and wisdom is helpful.  You might find what I found; that you’re not afraid at all.  That fear is just an excuse. 

If you do the exercise alone, just write it down or type it up in your journal, and then let your higher self make a comment or two.  There’s no right or wrong way to do the exercise. 

So, what would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Would you get on a stage and speak your truth?
Would you write a book sharing your wisdom and insights on life?
Would you call an estranged relative and make a peaceful overture?
Would you tell someone you loved them?
Would you quit your job and start your own business?
Would you end a relationship that isn’t serving your highest good?
Would you have a child?
Would you ask for help?

Don’t let fear be the thing that stops you.  Fear is an illusion.  Begin to realize how ready you are to do all of the things you’re afraid of.  See the power in accomplishing all of these desires.   Life is tugging at you, trying to pull you in the direction of your joy.  Fear is the anchor holding you in place.  Raise anchor and set sail towards your desires.  This exercise can help you identify what you truly want.  It’s like getting a map to a destination.  Once you’ve got it, get going!

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Steve was asked to become a member after having been nominated by a current member of the group.  Not everyone is asked to join this group, and not everyone who wants to be in this group will get an invitation, so we were both completely honored to be welcomed into this group, he as a member and me as a member spouse.

This retreat has nothing to do with making deals or trying to get anything from anyone.  It’s about giving, sharing, and being together.  It was more like a family reunion than a networking meeting.  We settled easily into the flow of this group as they were more than welcoming. 

By the end of this retreat I looked around the room and said to myself, “Wow, the world really is in good hands.”  It was like being in a room of higher selves.  Everyone there was consciously directing their growth.  They were all authentic, loving, giving, nurturing, supportive people.  There were presentations, but also a lot of singing, dancing, meditations, experiential exercises, and sharing of meals.  I never felt higher or lower than any person there.  I felt completely included and loved instantly.  It was like going Home. 

You would probably recognize many of the names of the members of this group, and some you would have never heard of because their work is in niches you’ve probably never studied.  But the names really don’t matter, it’s the work that matters.  All of these people are raising the consciousness and vibration of the people on our planet.  After meeting and getting to know them, I realized we all have the same message: Love.  It’s only in the ways we teach and express it that we differ.

This past week I saw in action the loving tendrils of Source energy who spiral out into the world, touching individuals all over the planet with Love.  This past week I was invited on stage because someone recognized that I am fearful of the stage.   She invited me up and said, “Do what you fear the most” so I started dancing, and I loved it, and I didn’t feel embarrassed or self conscious at all.  There was no judgment in that room.  And Steve got it on film too so I’ll always remember what I did.

I was transformed.  I gained courage.  I touched love. I was wrapped in this nurturing, powerful collective embrace that together said, “We can do it! We are unstoppable!  We can bring the planet to a state of Love.” 

Have you ever had one of those moments, days, or weeks that completely transformed your energy?  Where you knew you could never go back to how it used to be?  Where something just clicked and you realized you’d reached a new level of awareness, a new purpose, with new drive and passion?

The last time this happened to me was April 2006 when I discovered I was a psychic and medium.  That was a three week whirlwind of transformation that included filming for the Criss Angel show and then having Doreen Virtue read for me at Hay House’s I Can Do It event. 

So many ideas are flooding through me right now.  I can’t wait to sort through them and see what blossoms from this experience.  I am filled and overflowing with love.  And I’m going to be exploring new ways to share my message of love, oneness, and connection with the world.  Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

P.S. If you want to see photos of the conference, I’ll probably be posting a few on my Facebook account.  Send me a friend request so you don’t miss out.

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.

Being grounded means you are present in your life, not obsessed with the past or future.  It means your energy is planted firmly in your body instead of drifting off into airy-fairy land.  Being grounded means you have stability, security, and control over your life.  It means being ready to handle life’s challenges instead of burying your head in the sand and pretending they aren’t there.  It means you are checked in instead of checked out. 

Being grounded is important so you can face your life instead of running from it.  And ironically, being properly grounded can help you reach higher spiritual frequencies.  Think of it like tethering your energy here while the rest of you explores another frontier; it’s easy to find your way back if you are grounded.

So what do you do if you’re ungrounded?  Here are five ways to ground yourself.  You can do them all or pick the ones that resonate with you.

Exercise
Moving your physical body reminds you that you have one.  Instead of zoning out in front of the tv while a show transports your mind to a fantasy land, get up off the couch and get moving!  Try dancing, aerobics, hip hop abs, weight lifting, or jogging through your neighborhood.  Jump up and down a little, that will get things settled.

Walk on the Earth
Take off your shoes and walk on the Earth.  Not the concrete.  Find some actual Earth.  Run through the grass, take a stroll along the sandy beach.  I don’t recommend rock climbing without shoes though.   The Earth carries an energy that nourishes your energetic body.  But when you wear shoes and walk on concrete you don’t get to absorb that energy.  So get back to nature and let Mother Earth ground and restore your energy. 

Meditation
Sit quietly and imagine roots going from your feet deep into the core of the Earth.  Plant yourself.  The first time I tried this I wasn’t expecting much, but I was amazed at how this actually felt.  Imagine your feet have grown roots, and like a beanstalk imagine the roots snaking their way down into the Earth.  Go all the way to the core.  This will completely ground you energetically.

Sit in hot water
A hot bath or a dip in the Jacuzzi isn’t just relaxing, it’s cleansing.  Take a hot bath with some Epsom salts mixed into the water.  Water is purifying.  Sitting in a warm tub of water will slough off any negative energy that’s sticking to you.  The shower is okay if you don’t have a tub, but while you’re in the shower, you want to imagine all the gunky energy peeling off your body and going down the drain.  Sometimes other people’s energies can stick to us.  You may come home from work with other people’s problems attached to you.  Water will clear that right up.

Sit in Stillness
Be in the present moment.  Sit in a chair or better yet, sit outside on the grass under a tree.  Get quiet.  Just look, just listen, just feel the air gliding around your body.  Notice what you smell.  Notice what you hear.  Just absorb the present moment.  Disallow your mind from wandering to the future or the past.  Just be in the now.  Notice that you are alright, that nothing bad is happening to you, and that you are totally at One with the world around you.

There are many ways to ground yourself.  What is your favorite method?

© 2009 by Erin Pavlina.