My Facebook Tribe...



Millions of people everyday bask in the glow of their monitors in an attempt to warm their hearts...by befriending strangers. Gathering around to dance amongst the sacred fires of friendship. We now look to each other to "Like" our every thought and confirm our existence in each other's lives with a push of a button. 



I’ve spent most of my life trying to fit in with people I didn’t fit in with.  I compromised on my integrity for the sake of conformity and then wondered why I felt so broken.  Fortunately those days of not fitting in are few and far between. The positive energy that radiates the magical truth of my existence has seeped into all areas of my life dispelling the illusion of separation.  Something has shifted drastically in my heart and in my mind, my soul and my body feels it. This something is simply a miracle! Each person on this planet is a miracle, and I am deeply moved and now allow myself to be touched buy everyone I meet.  I believe we often take each other for granted and do not deeply appreciate the trials, tribulations and victories a soul has journeyed through in order to meet up with another soul. All of our interactions are sacred, and we are all simply in the process of fulfilling our own unique purpose in life, regardless of the level of awareness we have into how exactly that purpose translates into our daily living. Feeling our self worth and understanding our deeper meaning is crucial to our happiness and cultivating our Joy!

Facebook and other forms of social networking are helpful tools in both bridging the gap between people and creating more distance within our real life relationships. It’s so much easier to love your facebook friends then it is to love the people you live and work with everyday. As an Intuitive I also pick up on the pain behind the happy display pictures. Some days it's just as apparent as the pain I pick up on in the person standing in front of me, clearly annoyed and angry because they have to wait for their morning coffee. What do we do about this homesickness that is caused from being out of touch with our own Soul?

I guess it's not to hard to figure out the answer to that, we Facebook! My facebook tribe certainly offers unique experiences in my life and like yours I'm sure your tribe is made up of childhood friends, relatives,  co-workers and many people you will probably never actually meet. For some odd reason it is completely acceptable for us to approach complete strangers and ask them to be friends. No wonder it is addicting...didn't we all use to get a lot of excitement out of making new friends on the play ground when we were in Kindergarten...How much positive and negative energy is infused in that simple question "will you be my friend?" So powerful is our desire for friendship, for Love. That this desire fuels the stirrings in our soul and attracts all the people into our lives who provide us with everything we need in order to remember who we are on the spiritual level. 

But do we remember this when interacting with our Facebook tribe and we scroll our news feed. Do we really hear what is behind those polished and witty statuses, or the pretty display pictures and the cute photos? Do we see the person the unique individual with their own thoughts and feelings. How many of us really want to see the person who is just wanting someone to "Like" them. There is something very true and sad about facebook's reflection on humanity...

I guess we can only see really what others show us, and just like in real life there is so much more going on under the surface, and now behind the profile. I know in my tribe though...I see the leaders, the visionaries, the artists, the shamans, the "really pissed guy," the warriors, the children wounded and healthy. I see saints and mystics, mothers,  fathers, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and the list goes on and on. But overall I have to admit I see everyday people trying to make a difference in the world, and I am truly inspired! I see you all in my little Facebook Tribe and thanks for dancing with me around the sacred fires of friendship as our souls connect beyond the monitor in order to create a better world.... 

Spring...Where Are You?

Life often seems to rain on our parade or snow in the middle of April. This morning I woke up to weather not knowing what it wanted to do. It was both raining and snowing at the same time and once it decided to snow and dust us with the fluffy white stuff, I was surprised that it actually accumulated. Now snow in the middle of April in Southern Ontario is expected but it usually doesn’t stick…I checked on my Daffodils and was slightly moved as they seemed dismayed lying there face down in the snow, looking completley defeated.

As I looked at their bright and proud little yellow heads peekin out from underneath the snow. I was reminded of the song The Rose by Bette Midler. Once I brushed off my nostalgia, I could see and hear the beauty speaking to me from these crushed Daffodils. I felt a wave of creativity wash over me and I armed myself with my handy dandy Canon Powershot S51S and tried my hand at a little still life flower photography....hmmm, I suck...I think I'll stick to my pastels because for some reason what my artistic eye was trying to capture and my camera's function ability, frustratingly seems to be very much out of sync...I have a lot of admiration for all you photographers out there. One day I will discipline myself to read my camera's instruction manual and maybe take a course or two.

I think what I was no doubt trying to capture was this...Their beautiful heads had obviously been brutally pushed down by the weight of the flakes, or maybe this wasn't against their will. Possibly in the grander scheme of things the weight of the snow had actually supported them in assuming a posture, that protected their most vulnerable and fragile parts from the harsh elements. Their own little reproductive creativity centres...I wanted to capture the beauty and inner strength that is found in our vulnerability.

I too have assumed postures that to an outside observer would look like I was a coward and shrinking away in defeat. This was far from the truth though as it takes a lot more courage to bow ones head and be silent, in order to look deeply within when facing life's storms...

Spiritual Power

There is a spiritual power in this image that strikes a very deep cord in me...

The magic I have experienced in my life comes directly from the people that have showed up on my path to walk with me home...Some days I really do feel like I am just visiting this planet and I don't really belong here. When I am feeling like that though I am out of touch with my own Soul and buying into the illusion of separation. When I can be honest with myself in my moments of feeling deeply "homesick." I can see how I am in fear and sadly pushing people away from me. I am so grateful now for the members of my soul family who have one by one stepped into my life, offering me comfort and peace with their presence in my life.

I recognize these soul friends by their energy, as I instantly feel an enchanting and warm camaraderie that feels very new and yet familiar all at the same time. Shortly into the new friendship we realize that we are kindred spirits and have a lot in common. I can't speak for the other person, but there is recognition on the soul level that allows me on my end to see past the ego level drama and remain steadfast in the truth of the soul, that shines so brilliantly...I believe these experiences can only be found in eternal relationships. There is so much more to these relationships that are based on a deeper level of truth and grace. I often feel there is a divine thread weaving our human experiences together and revealing our soul’s many forms of expression, from the past, present and into the future. In all of our various colours, vibrations, and intricacies of design that create our patterns to birth who we are in any moment. These soul level friendships inspire us to shed our egos and express our spark of divinity, this allows our creativity to flow powerfully into the world. Yeah that's what a soul friend does for me!

Amazingly there is also a very balanced feeling of inner peace and I'm comfortable allowing these new friendships to flourish in their own time. Where once I felt an urgency to nurture a new relationship, there is no urgency now to plot and scheme my way into figuring out what it is I need to do keep the person in my life...It's so much more simpler to just be fully present and honour where a person is at in the moment in order to share the truth of who we are as spiritual beings having human experiences. I hope you guys know who you are, but in case you are wondering I'll give you a hint. If you are reading this you are a part of my soul family, even if I haven't met you yet. Your soul has inspired me to write this and I thank you for coming into my life! I'm deeply grateful that each one of you has reminded me that just as freely as I give love I am also worthy to receive it. You all have shown me that the beautiful expression of our spiritual power brings us together. I hope all of our soul level relationships continue to inspire us to rise above our earthly cares and meet each other on top of the world!

Focus On The Process

The seeds to the meditative process that I have stumbled into called Intuitive Energy Artwork were planted in me through many of my life experiences. Bits and pieces of wisdom and higher truths were freely given to me along the way. I've held these seeds close to my heart as they have made up my personal belief system. One of these seeds I found in college while studying curriculum development. Maria Montessori's approach to allowing children to focus on the process of their experiences and not be concerned about the final product was advocated. There was something profoundly true in that statement and I could see how that fit beyond the walls of the preschool classroom into all areas of my life..Focus on the process not on the product became my mantra for many years.

My artwork has helped me to realize so many soul lessons...

When I begin an Intuitive Energy Art piece I really don't know what image will come through and what the end result is going to be and this is exactly the place where creativity flourishes. Some people call this the void...It is not in the knowing and the certainties of life that we create, it is in the letting go of our ego level expectations and getting out of our own way so that Source can flow through and our Soul can lead us to our highest potential.

Through witnessing our inner dialogue that contains both the light and dark, those negative and positive thoughts that create our feelings. We can go into the darkroom within ourselves and become an active participant in the co-creative process. There is a sacred process of development going on deep inside of ourselves, and unfolds in perfection. As we gain clarity in our minds and feel peace in our hearts we can then feel balanced and start creating from this space in our life. So often we work backwards and try to achieve those things that we already are...Joy springs forth from us as we align with our own soul and cultivate our meaning and deeper purpose in life.  

Once we touch our deeper purpose we touch JOY! We can then rise above our earthly cares and embrace each other in truth and light. This deep connection that we all long for shows us the infinite possibilities that we have at our fingertips for experiencing heaven on earth...

Ginger Snaps Photography

I am honoured to have so many creative people in my life...Lee-Ann Dueck of Ginger Snaps is a natural light photographer and her work is breathtaking. She has generously shared her personal journey (below) on realizing her dream of becoming a photographer...Thanks Lee-Ann you are an inspiration to me everyday!

I read once, that if you have a strong reaction to something someone else it doing, maybe you should consider that YOU should in fact be doing that very 'something'. 
One day, I stumbled across a link to a friend's flickr account.   I was instantly overcome with jealously.  I went back over and over to her  page, looking through each photo, wondering to myself how she got so good.  I thought about how I had no idea that she was creative.  Wondered why I couldn't be doing something like she was, that brought her joy & showcased her skills.  How did she have relationships with other creatives, and I didn't?!  That envy and slighted feeling I had made me question my strong reaction.
Then I asked myself this question, 'Why are you NOT doing something like this, Lee-Ann?'  This is what I came up with;
I didn't think I would be good enough, didn't think I deserved to do something where I might get credit for being skilled, or successful.  Who did I think I was aiming for something so high up there?  I wasn't smart enough to learn about F-stops and shutter speeds or ISO.  I wasn't savy enough to be a business woman.  There wasn't enough money for me to begin, or time, for that matter!  I have four young children, two of them still not in school full time.  It just wouldn't work.  Art isn't a way to make a living.  I'm the only one who thinks I could be an artist, so stop being crazy. 
Or so I thought.
These were the messages I had been hearing my whole life, from MYSELF.  Harsh critical words.  Immobilizing.  The thought that I had nothing to offer anyway, so why bother, ran deep within me.
 I am a mom of 4, and am aware that I need a way to support myself and my kids, just in case.  It's my job to set a good example!  I want to be a symbol of strength for them.  But, I couldn't swallow the thought of a job that brought me no joy, where I couldn't be creative and was not the one in charge.   This is when I found myself saying over and over that I wanted to be a professional photographer and the Universe rose up and met me!  Someone sent me a link to an amazing teacher, I got into the class and suddenly, the money I needed was there.  Just voicing my need for a proper camera and suddenly I found myself standing at the counter at the store purchasing my first DSLR.   Don't get me wrong, I did a whole lot of work to get from point A to point B, but once I started the forward momentum there was no stopping it.
It all just rose up and met me when my heart's calling finally couldn't be ignored any longer.  It got louder than my doubts.  And as with most things, one day leads to the next and before I knew it I went from struggling to translate what I wanted to take with my camera into being able to utilize my learned skills into actually producing the shot!   It took a tonne of hard work to learn what I needed to, but now I can use my medium, photography, to produce pieces that make me happy, that I hope make others feel joy, too.  Don't get me wrong - I have a lot of hard work and learning to go, but I am grateful for what I have already accomplished.  I'm proud of ME!  (that hasn't ever happened in my life before, but I've never believed in myself, either)
It has been my pleasure to spend time with wonderful people who trust me enough to take a peek into who they truly are with my lens.  When I spend time with my clients and friends, my heart and soul are at each and every session and somehow the magic that drove me to move forward with  my dream swirls around and I find wonderful beauty in the images we create together!  Photography is a relationship, after all.  I'm not working alone!
 I have no idea if portraiture is where I will stay, but I know this, if I find myself stewing in my position in life, it is up to me to move forward.  I have to call out with my heart, and be to open to what comes my way.   Oh and I have to be prepared to work my tail off! 
Risk is inherent when following your dreams, press on in the face of doubt.  It will feel far more rewarding to accomplish something you've worked hard at, then giving up ever will.
One day, I went and pulled out all of my old journals and scrap pieces of paper with lists from the last 15 years or so, photography made an appearance on just about every one!  I didn't ever notice this.  Clearly I wanted to be a photographer long enough that my soul got tired of waiting around and made it uncomfortable for me to ignore it's calls any longer.  So, pay attention!  Put in the hard work!  Call out with your heart!   You never know what will come to you, or where your dreams will take you, where you already want to go!
www.gingersnapsyou.ca

Beauty and the Green Eyed Monster...

It’s spring today…the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the smell of sunscreen lingers in the kitchen as my son heads outside.  The seasons are becoming so much more important to me...I’ve transitioned through 38 spring times now and look forward to many more. There is a vibrancy in this season and I’m beginning to deeply understand where it’s coming from this year. I’ve been praying through many goodbyes, and letting my hopes, dreams, wishes that were entangled in many  relationships that didn’t work out, go. 

I’ve noticed a pattern in my life that just keeps repeating itself in a blatant way, I now found myself smiling to spirit saying “There is no getting out of this one is there?”  I’ve reached the point in my life where avoidance and denial are not really working for me anymore. So I have to muster my courage to look into the centre of my fear that has been reverberating for probably many lifetimes now.  It seems that the more I focus and become clear on what I want and start to manifest my desires the people in my life change. Without fail once I commit myself with my whole heart and Being to anything it calls to the surface some insecurity and jealousy in those around me.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it is the women in my life who have these jealousy issues… Initially they seem to be happy for me, and then things get ugly and the dark side of life starts coming at me from all directions.  Actually my past and future seem to join forces to try to knock me off my peaceful centre.  I call these experiences to my self in order to heal the insecurities and jealousy within my own heart. The most unconditionally loving thing I can do is thank them for the opportunity to look at my own dark side and then make the decision whether or not I want to travel on my journey with them any longer.  This is a very hard decision to make, and I guess this is what defines a friend.

I can see so clearly now that there is an unspoken truth that is communicated between two hearts.  It is this truth that always leads the way in the direction that the friendship will go. It is the deep desire of Oneness that directs the course of the friendship in order to bring out the most opportune experiences that will foster growth between two people.  The problem is our heads are so disconnected from our hearts that we can’t often hear let alone understand the cry that is underneath the jealousy.   Jealousy is not a bad emotion, there are no bad emotions…it is when it is suppressed that one finds themselves seeing the angelic soul of another turn into that ugly green eyed monster.  

In the cosmic scheme of things I can see that we are dancing along celebrating the vibrancy and richness of our Beings in a state of ecstasy, eternally entwined in ineffable energy patterns emanating from Source, that when combined with our unique form displays the intricacies that create the Light of life itself…So if we are all engaged in this dynamic dance of energy what is there really to be jealous about? 

I would love to hear your thoughts…I’m sure I’m not the only one who is dealing with this issue…

Intuitive Whispers is Growing!

I'm looking forward to expanding Intuitive Whispers and creating an overflowing reservoir of inspiration...From time to time I will be including guest Authors and Artists, Intuitive Energy Artwork pieces and reflections on the everyday wildly creative human journey...Intuitive Whispers is not about being more spiritual it's about finding the courage to be fully human...It's about consciously making the decision to open our hearts to receive love. So many people I have met up with in my lifetime give love so freely but they often stop themselves from receiving love and in a way they are grossly neglecting themselves in love's energy exchange...

Centripetal Force

I love the explosion of colour and movement in the above image. I just can't stand the hands...

When I was a kid my dad use to take me to the park after dinner and for awhile my favourite piece of equipment was the merry-go-round. You know those death traps with the full metal bottom that sat six inches off the ground. They could spin up to like a hundred miles an hour and if you drank a blue slush puppy just before your ride you ran the risk of tossing Smurf cookies through your nose! Well my dad was a man of brains not brawn and in response to my squeals of delight and yelling Daddy push me faster, one day he said “I’m tired kiddo.” “Pleeeeeease” I begged I wanted to feel the wind in my hair, close my eyes and hang my head upside down just for the simple childhood fact that it felt so good to play! As the ride slowed down I remember catching glimpses of my dad as it slowly turned and thinking he’s not lying, he is tired today, and I hopped off and said “that’s okay let’s go home, maybe we can come back tomorrow and you can push me really really fast!” I said as I started walking away. He said “Wait you know there is a way you can make this ride go fast!” “Really, How?” I inquired. “By using a special kind of force it’s called centripetal force. You see I’ll get you going and push a little bit as you stay here on the edge of the ride I will tell you when to move into the centre. As you move into the centre the centripetal force will speed you up!” I looked into his eyes that were twinkling so bright from his scientific enthusiasm that I knew he wasn’t lying...I hopped back on and yelled “okay start her up! Wait, wait I said jumping off I’m scared! Is this the same force Yoda uses because I don’t want to fly into outer space!” “No” my dad assured me. So I jumped on and held on really tight and listened carefully to my dad’s instructions. I was surprised and tickled with sheer joy that it actually worked, I wasn’t going really fast but it was working! I felt myself speeding up when I walked into the middle and slowing down when I walked backwards out to the edge. I remember feeling like I was in control of that ride and I loved playing with centripetal force.

As an avid spiritual seeker I've found myself to be back on that ride quite a few times in my adulthood...and sitting right in the middle of this cosmic merry-go-round is God/Source. I see we are all on this ride; we are all on a journey into the centre. Some people are ahead and close to the middle and some behind each one of us though is exactly where we are meant to be. On the way home from the park that day I asked my dad how does that work? He explained it, and I tried my hardest to grasp what he was saying but his language and the theory not to mention the whole bloody formula was well beyond my understanding. I said "that’s okay, I know what centripetal force feels like so I guess it doesn't matter that I don't understand how it works right?" I got a funny look, I use to get "that look" a lot, followed by silence that use to lead me to feeling a little bit uncomfortable. I now realize that was his discomfort in that moment that quite possibly I had inspired him to think about things in a different way. Just as it was intellectually impossible for me to understand centripetal force at the age of eight, I know it is just as impossible for me to fully comprehend God/Source while I am in my human form. I’m sticking to my eight year old conclusion though that I know what God/Source feels like and therefore my direct experience’s become my Truth and matter more to me than all those theories...by the way Centripetal force comes from Latin centrum "center" and petere "to seek" I chuckled as I read that definition and realized even though I grew up in a home that valued science over religion and spirituality God/Source was very much present. Always supporting me, in every step of the way in seeking the centre of my Being.

Happily Ever After...

I have often been enthralled by a deep sense of harmony and peace that runs between some elderly couples. I have been affected just by passing them by on the street, or watching them in a restaurant, a wordless communication of love and care turns the ordinary simple acts like holding hands while sitting on a park bench or eating a meal together into a sacred expression of divine love. I believe that this has been an often inarticulate and almost dormant desire in many hearts, yet isn't this what we all hope to achieve when we say “I do!?” Now as my husband Todd and I are beginning to recognize this innate desire we both have of reaching happily ever after. Our intentions to create this in our life are transforming our home and marriage into the sacred refuge that we have been longing for.

Over the years we have created peace in our marriage in a hit or miss kind of way, but now we are coming into alignment as a couple and there is a power and strength in our bond that pulsates with an eternal unconditional love that is not of this world. I use to wonder how does two people achieve that level of harmony and peace that I had caught glimpses of in those elderly couples. Where did they get that kind of bond? Maybe those are soul mates I would think, or maybe high school sweethearts that just made a decision to put their love for each other before everything else. Was this their destiny or did they consciously set out to create this in their life? Had the years of weathering life’s storms in the shelter of each other’s arms revealed to them this gift of peace that seemed to embody them as One.

The sacred dance of the Twin Souls, some say this love is so rare that it doesn’t happen. My heart tells me differently in that it is our worthiness issues that prevent us from being completely transparent in our relationships. We hide from the light that illuminates our very own soul. We live in a state of anxiety and quiet desperation holding our breath and waiting for someone to come along to see who we truly are and tell us all about our magnificence because sadly we have forgotten...I am now truly grateful that I have learned what love was not in order to recognize what love really is. As I have remembered who I am as a spiritual being having a human experience, I have not needed to look outside of myself for someone to tell me who I am. My remembering of my soul has been in sync with my husband's remembering, although his experiences and journey have been very different then mine. The bonds of Spiritual Truth that tie us together as a couple are infinitely strong.

There are many initiation phases in the spiritual journey and in the marital journey, and it seems that just at that time our relationship has been ready to shed our old ego level bonds to expose the true strength that is illuminating from our united soul. Life decided to get extremely challenging and we would sabotage our relationship, in a futile attempt to hide the essence of who we truly are. I have often felt that the brighter the light begins to shine in our marriage the fiercer the dark forces of the world would conspire against us. Dealing with other's jealousy towards us because we were often "in love" and happy is a common theme we have encountered many times over the years...at one time however we allowed other people’s jealousy and malice to influence our life for way too long. This possessive love that we have all been entangled in for so many years is starting to reveal its illusion. I know for myself that this fear based love no longer feels good at all nor does it fit into my definition of what I experience love to be. Todd and I have also been in a state of pain and confusion and have often sifted through the shrapnel that lay at our feet from having blown each other's hearts wide open. We now are celebrating a much deeper level of forgiveness in our life that is creating this immense peace and inner knowing that we belong together at this point in our human experience, and one look into each other’s eyes instantly dispels doubt...I wish the same for every relationship, that each person begins to take responsibility for their powerfully creative thoughts and feelings and set their intentions on consciously creating happily every after...you deserve this too!