The Wisdom of Death

In Mexico, they celebrate death. It comes from an ancient understanding that one of our greatest barriers in life as humans is our knowing of our death or our denial of it.  It’s not meant to be morbid– it’s to bring about profound wisdom so we know that the only thing we need to consider is our soul, first and foremost.  When we come into right relationship with our mortality, then our priorities become very clear.  Would we do the job we do? Live where we do? Be in the relationship we are in? Do we like our friends or are we being fake and tolerant?  

Now it doesn’t mean you have to change everything overnight, but facing our mortality means we have to get real about who we are, who were not and start aligning ourselves with our Higher Connection so we can, ultimately, die peacefully with a full heart.  

I once had a dream where a Spirit Guide came in and said to me directly – “to master death, you need to master life. To master life, you need to master love.” Simple. And true. 

Reading about Dr. Wayne Dyer’s death, and his sense of non-fear around it, knowing he is on another adventure, is a living example of someone who discovered the secret to life – to live it with as open of a heart as possible. The more he did this, the more possibilities and connections came into his life.  But opening our hearts means trusting – trusting others, trusting the Universe, trusting ourselves.  For anyone who grew up with trauma (and I’m someone who indeed has had my fair share), learning to trust is a difficult thing to do. Knowing you are not alone and you are cared about and your values and things you care about matter, is an important part of the spiritual growth process. 

From doing years of mediumship professionally, I can safely say that much of what the souls who pass speak about is the message of how important giving and receiving love is.  This is what lasts, despite all the other issues and problems in the world. Giving love to a pet, a stranger, a community project or a family member in need creates many blessings in the world and benefits your soul’s progression on infinite levels.  Forgiving others while maintaining self-care is also highly important, as the Creator doesn’t want to see people harmed. Learning to set healthy boundaries is an important part of one’s soul path so your being doesn’t get damaged.

To reconnect with your heart is one of the greatest gifts you can give the world. I invite you to either book a session with me so we can find ways for you to regain trust, or come to one of my Soul Constellations circles, or if you are a woman, I’m offering Open Your Heart Again Retreats – a 1-day retreat in Fergus in October and a Weekend Retreat near Peterborough in November.  

Click Here for More Information or Click Here to Book anAppointment.

With deep love for you and who you are in the world.

Why It's Important to Heal Your Heart

Every religious and spiritual tradition talks about the need to have a good and peaceful heart.  That’s a great idea, but many of us struggle with mixed emotions because of our pace of life, confusing relationship dynamics, stresses of being a human and the real experiences of loss, hurt, betrayal, etc. 

It’s also a nice idea to believe we can just forgive and forget. But some things linger and fester and create all sorts of problems. Our bodies carry the emotions in the muscle and fat tissues. We get bad eating habits to comfort ourselves. Or we lash out at other people because we expected they would care or be respectful, when they have not behaved that way. So we sometimes are left with a sense of loneliness, isolation, anxiety of what’s next.

True peace requires inner work. It requires looking at our hate, our anger, our frustrations, our sadness. And our modern life does not afford us that possibility to take the space to sit with ourselves and feel what’s really going on for us. 

I’ve had to walk through my own painful experiences – from growing up in a highly dysfunctional home where my father continually disappointed me because of a gambling addiction. Or having to leave jobs because of being sexually harassed. And losing loves of my life because they needed to fulfill their callings through having children when I didn’t want to or serving the greater good. Abandonment, betrayal and shame are emotions I know well and have been blessed to have had mentors, coaches, healers and guides to help me continue to stand in my true heart.  One thing I know, is that the stress builds, and it can easily tumble into self-destruction if left unchecked. 

This is why I am offering the Heal Your Heart Retreat Weekend for Women this coming weekend. There is only 1 spot left. It’s a chance to relax, re-centre and feel supported in a luxurious and natural setting. You will be fed, pampered, stretched out and appreciated for who you are, not what’s happened to you.   

If you need one-on-one support, I offer various "Life After Heartbreak" coaching packages depending on what point you are on your path at: http://www.blossomingheart.ca/healing-the-broken-heart-program.html

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at: 226-706-9331, or book a FREE “Get to Know Each Other” Session at: http://blossomingheart.simplybook.me

Because we need more people to keep their hearts open in the world….

Media Article: The Stellar Queen of Oaxaca

Local Author, Heather Embree, is hosting a fundraiser called “The Heart of Mexico” on Sunday August 16^th from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Black Heritage Society at 83 Essex Street.  It is to help her raise money to publish her book “The Stellar Queen of Oaxaca” (illustrated by Mayra Baquedano Zenteno). It is a children’s story based on a woman she met, named Reyna, while she was living in Oaxaca City, Mexico for half a year in 2006. 

Reyna is a single mother, who was born visually impaired, and is economically impoverished. She was determined to not follow in the tradition of her family to beg on the streets for money, and instead wanted to improve her life through learning English as a Second Language and be a role model to her daughter of a woman educating herself. Even though her family didn’t support her, Reyna believed in her dream and received the support of a local organization, called Esperanza Infantil, that helps children living on or close to the streets with getting an education and learning how to improve their lives.  They provided Reyna with the funding to translate textbooks into braille and to take courses to learn English.  Reyna was committed to meeting foreigners and to learn more about life beyond the confines of her culture.

As much as Heather helped Reyna with her English, Reyna helped Heather keep her heart open while Oaxaca City was going through one of the biggest protests and revolutions in their history (which is saying a lot, given that Mexico is known for having uprisings regularly).  Reyna gave Heather meaning, focus and faith in the power of giving, providing Heather with an appreciation for the subtleties of the culture and the ability to see beyond the illusion of violence, because Reyna could not see with her eyes all of the chaos that was happening around her, including the potholes, dangling electrical wires and the regular dangers of a developing country, much less the actual events of people marching and taking over the city. Instead, Reyna would “see” with her heart and intuition, guiding Heather with their regular meetings to enjoy the taste of food, feel the flower petals on her face, listen more deeply to the music playing and love the touch of the fabrics of Mexico.  

Returning safely to Canada, Heather immediately was inspired to write down a children’s story, making Reyna (which means Queen in Spanish), the main character, as the Queen of the city.  Hence the title, “The Stellar Queen of Oaxaca”. In the story, Reyna declares the day “Close Your Eyes and Open Your Heart”, handing out free blindfolds for the citizens to learn how to “see” differently and appreciate life in a whole new way – something all of us could benefit from.  She sent the story to Reyna, hoping that one day, if it got published, that Reyna could receive some money to help her and her daughter.  Reyna loved and approved of the story, giving her the go-ahead with this project. Heather tucked the story away, not knowing where to take it next.  Nine years later, Heather heard a little inner voice that told her to take it out of the door and find a way to get it published.  She trusted that this was indeed the time. 

One thing led to the next – Lisa Browning, an editor for Saplings – a children’s self-publishing company – loved the story and wanted to help Heather get it out there. Also, Heather met one of the former owners of Senor Chipotle Mexican Restaurant and they agreed to cater the fundraising event with authentic Mexican food.  

Then Heather asked around for an illustrator and ended up meeting Mayra Baquedano Zenteno – a woman who grew up in Mexico and worked as a schoolteacher before coming to Guelph. She is now working in housekeeping at the Riverside Glen nursing home.  This project is reminding her of her love of home, her care of children and helps her to expand her artistic talents, as this is her first time illustrating a book. Her drawings show an intimate love and understanding for Mexico and the mind of children, reminding Mayra of her home. 

Heather re-connected with Reyna by email who is thrilled about this possibility – it’s perfect timing as her daughter is at the point when she needs money for College. 

To make the project successful through publishing and promoting the book, Heather needs to raise $2,000.  If you know of anyone who wants to make a donation or to sponsor the book, please contact her directly at: heather@blossomingheart.ca  You can pre-order the book, along with prints of the artwork and find out about upcoming events at: www.blossomingheartwords.com