Standing in One's Truth

They say that with every conflict and loss, we get to define our truth.  It can be painful and difficult, absolutely.  And that the root of all betrayal is self-betrayal.

The last 2 years has been like this for me, on a personal and collective level.  People who I thought had my back or were part of a community of support, just weren’t that caring or even inflicted hurt. 

On top of that, there has been a political and energetic swing that has been triggering deep wounds and feelings of hopelessness within many of us who are sensitive or caring people. 

No matter where I turn, it seems like mature communication and respect have gone out the window.  I know I have fallen into arguments myself, and have had to turn away from people out of self-protection or not relating with their approach to life. 

I’m at the point where I’m not shocked by much anymore when it comes to people.

However, hearing of Doreen Virtue’s announcement of being a born-again Christian, and the news of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, turning her back on the suffering of a Muslim tribe in Myanmar when she used to be an adamant defender of human rights in that area, I am in a place of scratching my head and sadness at the same time.  My conspiracy theory mind wants to believe that she and Aung San Suu Kyi have been intimidated by the powers that be, making them deny their influential status.

But I have to give them the benefit of their own truth, however they choose to express it. It is not my place to deny their choices.

As a spiritualist, medium and energetic healing practitioner, I feel the need to speak to what I’m seeing with Doreen Virtue’s conversion to Christianity. I am not a huge follower of Doreen. I use some of her cards in my intuitive readings and have read a few of her books.  I worked for someone who trained under her and performed amazing healings for people.  

For me, I saw Doreen as a feminine spiritual leader of metaphysical knowledge, spiritual connection and raising awareness about the realm of the angels, along with uniting the faiths.  The teachings and writings in her work were refreshing, healing and uplifting for me, not heavy and oppressive like some religious texts in the world. Yes, I could see she was a bit flaky and there was a narcissism to her. But I could see what she was doing in the mainstream world. She brought magic and mysticism and the divine feminine together.

Through her work, I believe she normalized the use of oracle cards, connecting to the Spirit World through mediumship and channeling, or using our intuitive/psychic abilities to receive guidance. It was not in opposition of Christ or the understanding of needing to connect to God.  

She advanced and brought forward the use of ancient spiritual tools that had gone into repression since Christianity took over the world.  She showed that these approaches to spiritual connection are not evil, and in fact are support systems for our path. She has also helped many people heal their inner child wounds, and given permission to love themselves, exactly for who they are.  

So to hear that she denounces readings and mediumship, and letting go of her work with the tarot, only to put all of her focus on Jesus as "the way", seems deeply concerning to me. It feels like another wave of women's disempowerment and the wave of misogyny spreading across the planet, sending the message that "oops -- I was wrong.  Christianity really is the only path."  This, in a time of anti-Muslim sentiments.  

I am not opposed to Christ as a spiritual being. I see him as a wonderful yogi and spiritualist. He prophesied and did mediumship and healings himself. It was the scribes and powers that be who wrote the scriptures who tried to suppress and control humanity from having a direct connection with the divine.  Doreen's take on the Bible and its teachings is quite surprising, given all that she wrote and channeled. 

Is this just a case of a burnt out woman, or that she herself has low self-esteem issues? I have to respect her current truth, as much as I encourage others to be in their truth.  

Doreen Virtue's shift in her approach and teachings has had to make me question what are my spiritual truths and beliefs?  As a woman, spiritualist, medium, healing practitioner and writer, I have to ask myself this so I am in true authenticity. That I’m delivering services from a place where my clients and community really understand what I can do for them.  What do I stand for?  So here it is, loud and clear:

1)      Heart-to-heart connections – empathy rules. I’m a humanitarian in many ways. I volunteered and worked for human rights organizations and believe strongly in the work they do in the world.  Interpersonal relating, sharing and compassion is where love is spread.

2)      Truth lives in the heart and is unique for each being– this is what intuition is – to tune into the heart.  Whatever feels frustrating, caring, understanding, scary or sad – all come from the realm of the heart and soul.  We are here to listen to our own hearts and to hear the hearts of others in our lives.

3)      Heart-centred spiritual guidance and divine connection – there are many sources for guidance and all sources have their wisdom and understanding.  Through tuning into the realm of the ancestors, I can know a depth of understanding of my life and choices and the path forward for myself on a personal level. Through the angels, I can feel lightness, playfulness and unconditional love and support.  Through nature elements, I feel groundedness and responsibility and connection to the earth.  Every element offers guidance, support, understanding and peace.   

God or Higher Power or Spirit is actually quite small, but mighty.  It is the qualities of life force, love, wisdom and equality.  It can give us flashes of insight or chart a path for us that we don't know about. 

Sometimes when I go to the God-source it doesn’t give me that deep personal understanding I really need. It may give me centredness, peace and insights from a higher level. I am grateful for this. But sometimes I need human compassion that can only come from the realm of those who have passed on or through just hanging with friends. 

I also know that we each have our own spiritual abilities in how the divine speaks to us.  Any guidance that does not encourage love, care, compassion or discernment, is not coming from the divine but rather ego or control.

4)      Self-love and self-care leads to peace.  Much of us in the world have been taught to be selfless. We then burn out, become resentful or stressed.  Being self-loving or self-caring is not selfish or self-centred. It actually allows us to be more of a presence of true love and true care for others in our lives. It means we are special just as much as the next person. And we are not here to be without a sense of self.

5)      The Feminine Spiritual Path.  I believe in reclaiming the ancient traditions of women’s and indigenous spirituality.  Much peace, empowerment, harmony with nature and its cycles have been lost because of patriarchal approaches.  Self-reflection, being receptive, kindness and self-awareness are all important.  To reclaim the feminine path means reclaiming our own hearts, voices and bodies, along with valuing interpersonal and inter-species relationships.  Healing, compassion, gentleness and equality are part of it all. This does not mean men are excluded. We are in it together and we are here to grow together. It is up to men to also want to learn new ways and approaches that honour relationships and themselves in a way of equality and connection, and surrender to the mystery.

6)      Authenticity and Validation.  It is so important for each of us to find our authentic truth and to validate others’ experiences as a path of connection and being sincere.   When we are authentic, we can invite in compassion and understanding from others, as well as give it to ourselves. It doesn’t give mixed messages or make things more confusing. 

So when you work with me, please know, I go to the depths of the heart, I use divine tools to connect, and I take a path of women’s spirituality and intuitive connection. I know there is support on the Other Side and offer you the evidence and guidance so you can feel the peace and support. I do this because I have had personal divine experiences myself and draw on this every day.  

I will encourage your voice and help you to love who you are – all parts of you – so you have the strength to be a presence of peace, integrity, honesty, expression and influence.  I am here to help you have faith in each stage of your journey and keep growing more into who you are.  I am not afraid of the wounds, nor the realities that aren’t so pretty. I call things for what they are, not what people want them to be. But it’s always from a place of compassion and consideration. 

This human journey has many foibles and mess ups.  Just as it has much in the way of beauty, laughter and guidance. Let's just get real and help each other shift into something more caring and understanding.

Do you agree with this? I’d love to know. Please let me know what you believe and stand for: heather@blossomingheart.ca

Let’s bring more heart, truth and connection in this world and not deny all the sources of support we have available.