Using Personal Power to Create the Work You Love

Oftentimes, I am asked, "How did you get from there to here?"  Meaning, how did I leave my long-standing, stable, career in the ultra-conservative field of engineering to teach yoga and meditation and the practice of energy healing?  My most recent answer to someone who wants to follow my lead?  "Well, I got sick." I replied.  "I had to get really sick." Then, I added, "I decided I didn't want to be sick anymore."

It took me several years to leave my old job—even after I got really sick.  But I eventually did.  And it wasn't easy.  It usually isn't.  If you're one of those people who feels a career change is in order, I offer a few words of advice:

·         Take your time.  Some advice I received when I was struggling with "should I stay or should I go" was to just up and leave.  Just like that—quit my job.  This never sat well with me so it's not the approach I took.  At the time I didn't know if my hesitation to "up and quit" was out of fear or my intuition speaking.  It's so hard to tell during states of emotional turmoil and illness.  Turns out, it was my inner guidance, my intuition.  I only share this as support for anyone feeling pressured to quit your job.  Don't do it on a whim.  Why?  For one thing, unless you have a plan to feed and house yourself, life is about to get a little more stressful.  Stick it out at your current job as you pave the way for your next gig. 

·         Take some action.  Use your current job to sustain your basic needs and pay for training toward your future skill.  Seek out teachers, mentors, workshops that align with what you want to do.  Ask about mentorship to those you are drawn to.  Bottom line is to just keep taking action!  One small step is a huge message to the Universe.  It says, "Yes, I am ready!"  The more little steps you take, the more opportunities will appear.  It really does happen that way.  Put yourself out there so the Universe can see you are serious!  If you take yourself serious, life will.

·         Take your new vision into your current place of work.  Instead of dreading getting up and heading to work, consider how you can improve the place and what gems you'll take with you when you leave.  Try some visualization exercises, set intentions, refuse to gossip, or complain; give every day your best effort.  Even in the most toxic environments, you get to choose how to behave.  Don't allow the toxic energy to change you.  Instead, dig deep and honor your core values.  Stick to your own morals.  Walk in and walk out with a sense of peace that you gave it your all.  Giving it your all fills you with self-respect.  Self-respect builds self-esteem.  With high self-esteem you can accomplish anything!   

Self-awareness is at the forefront of making strides toward positive change.  Take some time to reflect on areas where you might be giving your power away; where you might be falling victim.  Once you recognize areas robbing you of your Personal Power, start making small changes to reclaim your power, your self-esteem.  Once you build your self-esteem, leaving that job becomes not so much leaving a bad thing, but instead, leaving becomes a positive transition to your next opportunity.  It's always best to have the mentality of moving toward something versus running away from something.  Set the stage for something better while making your current situation the best you can.  Instead of running away from that you no longer want, focus on the pull of your future gig to propel you forward.    

And be so thankful for the lessons your current job provides.  Every challenge is an opportunity.  Every single one.  Work to mentally step away from difficult situations and take on the role of observer.  See if you can come up with a new perspective; perhaps one of understanding, compassion, tolerance.  Use current work struggles as lessons to carry forward in designing your future career.  Chances are that down the road people will come to you for help.  Think about how you would advise them in a similar situation.  Do that. 

And always remember that what other people do, don't do, say, or don't say is not about you.  Ever.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the negative energy we can't find our way out.  In the May issue of New Spirit Journal, my column,Chakra Talk, offers more on Personal Power—how you lose it and some tips on how to reclaim it. 

Best of luck on your journey!

It's Not About You: Avoiding The Victim Role

On March 22, Holistic Health Daily referenced my article on what it means to be the victim, noting things that were helpful, and a few things I could have done better.  Since my mission is to empower people by offering helpful tools I wanted to do a follow-up post in which I provide a little more of the "how" that was missing.  I agree with Dr. Vetter.  It's one thing to know what it feels like to be the victim; it's quite another to have tools for avoiding it in the first place. 

There are seven signs to help you avoid falling into the victim role.  Becoming aware of these signs—which are basically identifying situations in your life that are potential triggers—is the first step in avoiding the victim role.  The first of the seven signs was discussed in my March post, What Does It Mean To Be The Victim?, the same article as referenced above.  

The second sign:

·      You might be vulnerable to falling into the role of victim if: You used to be creative, or always wanted to be, but you now have no creative outlet. Maybe no one encouraged your natural talents as you were growing up. Maybe you used to paint or dance or write but stopped for some reason. You’ve lost the desire to express yourself creatively and you blame someone else. Maybe your spouse, children, or job are taking up all your time, leaving no room for you to write, paint, or learn to play a musical instrument. Not having a creative form of expressing yourself has limited passion in your relationship with others, namely with your partner. Perhaps you’ve even developed unhealthy relationships to fill the void. When we lose touch with our own inner knowing, our soul, our wisdom, we are easy prey.    

The sacral chakra, which is associated with inner wisdom and creativity, is impacted if any of the above signs are present.  The March issue of my New Spirit Journal column,Chakra Talk: Wisdom: Why It's the Key Aspect of the Sacral Chakra, provides more on what it feels like to lose touch with your inner wisdom and several tips on how to reconnect to it.  Staying connected to your inner wisdom is empowering and guards from falling victim. 

In addition to the tips outlined in my New Spirit Journal column, below is a self-help tool I developed to aid in getting out of the victim role.  It's basically a 3-step action plan and helps identify the problem (or trigger), what you plan to do about it, along with an affirmation to help you stick to your plan; in other words, form a new habit or way of thinking.  I call this tool the AAA Plan and invite you to write your own based on what you may have discovered by reading this post and New Spirit Journal article. 

·       Awareness: Journal up to a page about any of the signs you feel may be present for you with regard to how you are losing touch with your inner wisdom, your creativity.  Or any relationships that are draining you or preventing you from expressing yourself creatively.  Review what you've written then summarize into one sentence.

·        Action: What one action can you take to help you reconnect with your inner wisdom?  Your action will serve you best if it is creative and has meaning.  Do you want to paint, sing, dance, write? 

·        Affirmation:  Affirmations work best when you get still, as in meditation or walking in nature.  Write an affirmation to support your plan.  Memorize your affirmation.  Use all of it or part of it as a mantra.  You can write several but choose one for your final AAA Plan. One tip on writing affirmations is to include action and feeling words.  Example: "I am eagerly and happily enjoying the freedom I feel while painting (singing, writing, etc)."  The affirmation must be written in the present tense and as if it already exists.  Make it feel as if it has already happened.

Now, write one statement for each element of the (AAA) 3-step action plan: Awareness, Action, Affirmation.  Keep it short and use a small note card or sticky note.  Carry the card with you or post it in a location where you will see it often. 

The secret in avoiding the victim role is seeing the signs and addressing them right away. When we choose to ignore the signs, they get buried in our subconscious mind and gradually become routine behavior, or worse, beleifs.  Beliefs that keep you trapped in the victim role based on external circumstances. And as we all know, habits and (false) beleifs are hard to break! Becoming self-aware helps to correct a problem before it takes root.  We’re all vulnerable, so it’s good to start paying attention to the signs.  When you do, you are less likely to be impacted by what others do, don't do, say or don't say—and not fall into the role of victim in the first place!

For one last tip see the April post on my Trinity of Truth blog.

It's Not About You: What Does It Mean To Be The Victim?

We’ve all fallen victim to negative events in life—at home, work, school, or just while out running errands or shopping. And the pain we suffer from being victimized ranges from minor, like getting cut off in traffic where the consequences fade within a few hours, to more serious things, like physical abuse or abandonment, where consequences linger for many years, or in some cases, a life time. But, what does it really mean to be a victim? The word victim applies to how we define the results of being violated, cheated, or assaulted in some way. One way we become the victim is when we take something personally.

Taking something personally means to make “it” (the thing that someone else did) about you. A sign that you’re making yourself the victim is when your attitude, thoughts, or behavior changes based on someone else’s actions. When we take something personally, we are claiming the role of victim because we do feel like someone has done something “to” us. Everybody knows what it feels like to be affected by someone else’s actions; therefore, we have all taken on the role of victim at one point or another. There’s no getting around it.

The number one clue that you might be vulnerable to becoming the victim is when you realize you are on the defensive. Finding yourself on the defense is a sure sign you’ve succumbed to the actions or behavior of someone else.

What if you had some other clues to help prevent getting to the defended state in the first place? Well, guess what? You do! There are seven signs to help you identify whether you are at risk of becoming the victim. Once you get familiar with these signs, you can do things to prevent falling into the victim role, or at least not falling so hard.

In this post, I will share one of the seven signs you may be in the victim role along with some tips to pull yourself out.  In future posts I will share the other six signs! 

You Might Be a Victim if:  You often feel lonely and have no one to talk to or lean on. You have a sense of abandonment and distrust in life. No one is there to look out for you. No one “has your back.” You feel paranoid, vulnerable, and often scared to take a risk because no one is there to dust you off when you fall. You lack a sense of community, connection, belonging, safety, security. Even if you have a large number of family members, you crave family—one that understands you, supports you, and loves you no matter what.

What to do about it:  To get out of the victim role requires taking personal responsibility.  Taking personal responsibility takes on a whole new meaning if you can see your whole life, from cradle to grave, as one big lesson for your soul. Personal responsibility starts before you are ever born.  

Unless you like being the victim, which some people actually do (because of the attention they get—however negative), you can take personal responsibility for whatever situation is bothering you. Taking personal responsibility means to stop blaming others and to take action by doing something within your control. Some things may seem out of your control but you always have a choice, even if it’s as simple as shifting your attitude. Instead of having an attitude of expecting someone to behave a certain way, change to an attitude of letting them be, knowing we each have our own reasons for doing what we do and acting how we act. Have an attitude of it’s not about me and leave it at that.

Or, you might like this Trinity of Truth Tip: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Can Never Hurt Me

The aspects of the above "sign" can have a big impact on the Root Chakra. Read more about the Root Chakra in my "Chakra Talk" column in the March issue of New Spirit Journal. 

 “When you think that someone or something other than yourself needs to change, you’re mentally out of your business.”

~ Byron Katie

It's Not About You!

I have been working on a little self-help book for a few years now.  Actaully I think I first started on this particular project in 2008.  Recently, I read all the content I have to date and lo and behold, I'd swear it's feeling like, reading like, a book! Thanks to my writing coach and developmental editor, Brooke Warner, that is.  Find more about Brooke here: http://warnercoaching.com/.  Although things have shifted a bit since I started working with Brooke almost two years ago, it is very much the same. It's the same but different, in a really good way, because she helps me with structure, order, focus, and teaches me how to write!  Although I'm a Virgo, I admit it, I still need help in this area!

As I tell more people that I am writing a book, of course,  I am getting asked what the book is about more too.  I use to have such conflict and stammered with my response.  I actually thought someone would steal my idea if I told them anything!  Another thing I've learned from Brooke is that, actually, it's the opposite.  You've got to own your stuff by putting it out there.  It's taken me a while to get confident enough in myself and my project to "put it all out there" but I am feeling a strong intuitive pull to do it so I take heed and now doing it!  So here it goes.

The title of my book is, "It's Not About You!"  The first response when I do share this is "That's a great book title! ...don't tell anybody".   And then I sink a little inside and question myself, feeling like it's a big race now.  I'd better do it or someone else will.  That could be true. But no two people will write it the same.  And if someone I know takes my idea as their own, that's not my problem either.  I do beleive in karma after all.  You'll see why I feel so strongly about that as you read on.  It has to do with not being the victim.  A little thing.  A big thing.  No matter, it is what it is.  And I'm putting it out there.

After I share the title, next, comes the question "what does "it" mean?"  Well, the "it" use to be about a lot of things, but I couldn't gain any traction, lost focus, and got scattered. Yes, this is how a series is born!   ...which I also have plans for and make notes about when I go off track.  See, there goes the focus thing again.  I digress.  Brooke helps me with this too. 

Anyway, because I had to pick just one "it" in order to actually finish the book, the "it" here is other people's stuff as in, taking it (their behavior, actions, etc) personally. It's about claiming the role of victim based on what other people do, don't do, say, don't say, and so on.  Claiming the role of victim makes you sick, on all levels. My book is about how to not let that happen–all of it—not getting sick by not getting into the victim role in the first place.  

There are lots of reasons we take things personally.  This book helps uncover what you might be taking personally, why, how and when it began and what to do about it.  What I mean is that the "it" is what's really making you sick and if you can get at the root of the cause you have something to work with.  Having something to work with helps you figure out how to live a more balanced and joyful life. 

The diagnostics test I developed helps pinpoint both the illness and the actual "it" that hurt you. No one is immune to this whole victim thing by the way, so don't feel bad if you're starting to think you are the victim.  You might be.  And that's okay.  You might be on either side of it and that's okay too.  The only reason I feel like a worthy and credible source for writing about the victim role is because I have been on every side of the role myself—both victim and violator.  And just because I think I know a thing or two about how to manage it doesn't mean I don't have the occasional fall into the deep end.  It's called being human.  The difference now is that I have enough self-awareness and lots of tools to help me recover and not hurt too many other people along the way.

The hardest part of writing my little book is keeping it little.  What I mean is to keep it simple, real, helpful, useful to the reader, and (haha) not about me!  Well, on that note, I must point out a little paradox.  The fact is that to say "It's Not About You"  is not entirely true.  The truth is "It's All About You!" because the only way to overcome the role of victim is to take personal responsibility for every area of your life.  Yep, that's a tough pill to swallow.  And there are many layers there.  That's what my book will explain and teach.  How to get out of the trenches of the victim role so you can heal your life.  It is, indeed, "all" about you.  

Stay tuned!  Future posts will share information directly related to the chakras, content from the book itself, and tools, yes ...many tools!  Isn't that what we all need!?!  

In peace and gratitude,
Ruth

Energy, Empathy, and Apathy

A family member recently asked me if I knew what empathy meant.  Inside, I was thinking, "are you kidding me!...being empathic is at the heart of my work."  But, I simply answered, "Yes, it means to feel another's feelings".  The next question came, "Well, do you know what apathy means?".  Again, I was chuckling inside, thinking, "Oh my goodness, this is crazy!  If he only knew!".  But, then I answered with "Yes, it means to be indifferent.  Sort of the opposite of empathy", I said.   What he didn't realize, and I couldn't get into at the time, was that it was apathy that helped me come to fully understand the meaning of empathy.

When I first got into energy healing, I had a reading with a well-respected and trusted "guide to the spirits"---a person who acts as liaison between the physical and the spirit world. One of the things she told me was that eighty percent of my pain was not mine.  She explained what it meant to be empathic and how I was soaking up bad energy.  She said my suffering was due to not clearing the bad energy. I wasn't clearing because I didn't know! 

The awareness of what it truly meant to be empathic changed how I spent my time and with whom.  I was like a big porous sponge soaking up the slop after a food fight!  I was absorbing other people's "stuff"---their toxic energy and negativity---because I was unaware and in a state of apathy.  I was beaten down, numb, and simply didn't care. 

I immediately understood, and could pinpoint where a particular ailment must have come from.  It was unbelievable ...but not really.  This discovery was frightening but also an awakening. Chills went through me as I thought of what must on me, in me, around me ...needing to be cleared.  Then my fear was replaced with excitement.  The prospect of taking this new knowledge and clearing up some health issues, putting some vital life-force energy back into my veins---some joy---and getting my life back in balance, sent a thrill through me.  I had answers.  I had something to work with.  All I needed now was to learn how to shield myself and clear unwanted energy.  And so I did!  Below are a few things I do to help keep the bad stuff out of my energy field.

1) The first thing I do every day is an energy sweep and, as much as I can remember, throughout the day.  It works like this: Run your hands along your body and, like sweeping with a broom, imagine sweeping any crud off your body.  Crud is tension, negative thinking, and feeling other people's "stuff", for example. After the sweep, imagine a shield of protection around your body.  Imagine a sphere of golden light.  You might htink of the light representing love.  For me, nothing is stronger than love; meaning nothing can penetrate my layer of protection.  Use whatever image makes you feel safe and protected.

2) Work to not allow any negative thoughts into your mind.  This means when tempted to gossip or judge , practice inner dialogue with your higher self. Try to be the observer.  Listen to your thoughts, words, and watch your actions, your behavior.  If you see yourself gossiping, for example, gently say, oops!  And start over with a kind and understanding point of view.  Gossip is really harmful to the fifth chakra.  For me, since I have a pre-disposition to hypothyroidism it would be suicidal for me to engage in talking badly about someone else.  Knowing the consequences is a good reminder too! 

3) Avoid people and places that pull you down.  Sure, you could put up your psychic shield, but it's a bit taxing and takes away from the freedom of just letting loose sometimes.  It's really about balance.  We can't possibly avoid negative energy but when we can, we should.  When we can't, we need to remember to engage our psychic shield.  Surround yourself with upbeat, happy, enthusiastic, positive, healthy people!

I now fully embrace my ability to feel what's going on around me without absorbing or being numb to my environment. On one hand, I actually am a bit indifferent (apathy) but not in that numbing sort of way.  Using all my senses (empathy) I experience everything without being influenced by it (at least most of the time!).  I now know that the other stuff (what people do, don't do, say, or don't say) isn't about me.  Instead of absorbing the bad stuff, I simply see it as "what is" ...a much more interesting, and sometimes entertaining, perspective.   

It's pretty easy to protect yourself once you know you need to.  You need to!  The minute you begin to "feel" a shift---in the way of negative or thick energy---bring in your golden shield.  It's not that you are closing yourself off, but instead the shield acts as a ricochet of sorts.  See yourself as a radiant being. Every pore is like a bright star shining light into the world around you.  The negative energy will bounce off and over time, convert all that surrounds you into light.  Try it for just a few days and see what happens. 

Improve Concentration & Creativity in 15 Minutes!

Did you know that the frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for concentration and creativity?  And when we meditate the pre-frontal lobe is activated?  It's true.  It's like plugging in your electric car for a recharge---when  you meditate, you are recharging the battery of your brain power!

The amazing thing is that if you can manage to meditate just a little bit every day, your concentrate is greatly improved for other tasks.  Not only that, with improved focus it's easier to accomplish more in less time.  Your brain is literally able to process information more efficiently.   Suddenly, you can accomplish in one minute what used to take ten minutes.  The hardest part, though, is finding that extra 15 minutes in your day to meditate.  Below are a few tips followed by a simple practice. 

Get up 15 minutes earlier.

Take a walk at lunch and find a quiet place to sit alone.

Go to bed 15 minutes later.

Ask a friend, parent, or other family member to help with the kids or other duties so you can have 15 minutes.

Two things to help you get started and stick with it:

Stick with the same time every day (commit to 2-3 weeks).

Create a routine that you can easily repeat.  Having a set routine helps because you don't have to think about what to do.  You just show up and practice the same as you did the time before (hopefully within the past 24 hours).

Simple 15-minute routine:

Walk in place for a minute or so.  This helps get your blood moving and reenergizes you so you don't feel sleepy when you sit.

Upon sitting:

Find a comfortable seated position.  Take several deep cleansing breaths.  Behind closed eyes bring your attention to your forehead.  Don't cross your eyes, but just hold your attention here.  Imagine with every breath the front part of your brain is being activated, turned on.  Hold your gaze in this area (behind closed eyes) throughout the practice.  At first it may seem hard, but over time your eyes will just settle in to focus here.  Just relax your eyes, your gaze, looking out and "through" the middle of your forehead, just at the point between the eyebrows.  Imagine a flashlight showing you the way.  Look up and ahead, through, this point.  This practice helps to awaken the pre-frontal lobe (where you gain focus and creativity).

Pranayama:  Practice even count breathing.  Do 3 - 5 rounds of "even count" breathing.  Inhale to a count of 8, retain breath to a count of 8; exhale to a count of 8.  The more you do this you can let go of actually counting; the process will just become intuitive.  You can adjust the count, less or more, as you like.

Watching the breath:  After the even count breathing, resume natural breathing for several breaths.  Then begin to simply "watch the breath" as you inhale and exhale.  Don't control the breath, just let it come on its own accord.  After about 2 minutes add a mantra:  Silently affirm, "I am" on the inhale and then "Peace" on the exhale.  Instead of "watching the breath" transition to "feeling" the breath ...feel the essence of peace.  If your mind wanders, come back to watching the breath and your mantra, "I am Peace."  Practice for five minutes and then transition from watching to just being, feeling, peace, stillness.

Sit in the stillness.  As you sit quietly, feel the energy of peace washing over you.  Gently, imagine the warmth of peace, as if being showered by a gently flowing tropical waterfall.  Feel the peace wash over your face, your heart, your entire body.  Like a sponge, absorb this feeling.  Know it as peace.  Sit in this pool of peace.  Bask in the peace washing over you. Practice for five minutes.

When you're ready, deepen your breath, to help become more aware of the body as you complete your practice.  Come out of the silence by wiggling your toes, fingers, and a few deep breaths.

End by humming or chanting three oms:  Bring your hands in prayer position at your heart center.  Give thanks for this gift of peace.  Now, briskly rub your hands together, feeling the heat, the energy in your palms.  Feel the connection in your heart with your hands.  Open your hands and face them forward as you chant om three times.  Imagine energy radiating from your heart center, through your arms, into your hands, out into your fingertips.  Feel the vibration reaching out to others.  Share your gift of peace as you go about your day.

Take a challenge: Try it for a full week!  See if you notice any "aha" moments, gain clarity or get things done more easily.  Notice if you feel calmer.  Just experiment.  Adopting the above practice (even just a few minutes) before going into a stressful situation (meetings, speaking, etc) helps you to remain calm, collected, focused! 

A Year in Review

This month, December 2011, is the one-year mark since leaving my 23-year career in engineering.  Sometimes I can't believe I really did it—left my job—but when I look at the year in review, I am pleased to see I have used my time well.  I've struck a balance that keeps me healthy, happy, and grounded.   

Leaving behind my old job allowed my life to expand, grow, blossom.  It has allowed time to discover new things about myself and say Yes! to an abundance of opportunities.  My focus has been on expanding my healing practice, writing, continuing education, and playing with my grandsons as much as possible!

Since there's been so much growth for Seattle Energy Medicine in 2011, I thought it might be a good time to provide an outline of what's new and upcoming for 2012.  

Private Sessions:  I gave up my private healing space but sublet in two lovely locations.

·       Tuesdays at The Pujari Center:  The new clinic opened in July, 2011 and SEM has lots of great things planned for 2012! Special deals and additional services coming! Go here for more info on my services as well as the other practitioners: http://www.pujaricenter.com/practitioners           

·         Fridays at East West Bookshop:  I have been offering private sessions for almost two years in one of the EWB beautiful private treatment rooms. Look for special offers, including free mini-sessions in 2012!  Go here for more info on my services as well as the other practitioners: http://www.eastwestbookshop.com/healers/ 

·         By phone: many options and times available.  Email or phone for scheduling. 

·         On site: traveling to the client's location is always an option.  Contact me to discuss.

Classes & Lecturing:

·       Swedish Medical Center: Meditation classes will continue at Swedish Medical Center Issaquah in 2012.  For more information and to register go to: http://www.theshopsatswedish.org/flex-space 

·       The Pujari Center will be offering a variety of classes so check the calendar often.  I will be teaching both one-on-one as well as group meditation classes and workshops on the chakras, developing intuition, and "energetic" parenting.  

·       Speaking:  "Brown Bag" classes within the business community are becoming more popular as many companies invite employees to classes during their lunch break.  I am in the process of confirming events for my 2012 calendar but there's room for more!  One of my greatest desires is to teach people about the benefits of meditation to help manage stress (the main focus for these classes). 

·       Yoga: In March, 2012 I will receive my Yoga Teaching Certification and become registered with the Yoga Alliance.  Private and group sessions will be offered at yoga studios, The Pujari Center, Swedish, as well as many "Wellness Programs" within the business community. 

Writing: A major focus in 2011 has been on my writing and where I've experienced the most growth.  Here's a rundown:

·       My book: The self-help book I've been working on is starting to read like a book!  I've been working with writing coach and developmental editor, Brooke Warner, for the past year and a half and my little project is finally coming together!  Once complete, I will offer more classes and workshops directly related to tools I've gathered over the years and compiled in the book.  Looking forward to this!  Keep an eye out here as well as my web site for when and where these classes will begin. 

·       Articles: On the advice on my writing coach I began blogging more and writing articles.  Although a little bit of a time challenge to post blogs on a regular basis, the process has helped me hone my writing skills and learn to manage my time.  After procrastinating for many months, I finally submitted a few articles to "EzineArticles", of which two were accepted and posted online with one in revision.  Many more articles are in work!  Go to this site and search on my name (Ruth Stender) to find published articles.  http://ezinearticles.com/.   

·        My first article for New Spirit Journal, Seven Triggers of Holiday Stress and Seven Preventive Tips, was just published in the December issue.  http://newspiritjournal.com/current-issue

·       Pujari Center: Dr. Astrid Pujari writes a monthly newsletter/blog and has invited practitioners at the clinic to contribute.  My intention is to write a few articles so check the web site for articles from not only me but other practitioners on a variety of topics and modalities offered at the clinic. For current articles go here: http://www.pujaricenter.com/blog 

·       Columnist: Beginning February 2012, I will begin writing a monthly column for New Spirit Journal, called "Chakra Talk".  The focus is, well, on the chakras! and will offer basic information and practical tips for balancing your seven major energy centers.  Krysta Gibson, founder and publisher of NSJ, has created a wonderful platform for brining mind, body, spirit health to the headlines.  I am so honored to be a contributor to this wonderful publication.  Go here for the current issue: http://www.newspiritjournal.com/current-issue.  By the way, NSJ is a great place to advertise your products and services and the cost is very reasonable.  

It is my intention to continue my own personal journey while offering guidance in the way of sessions, classes, and writing—integrated in a way that enhances the lives of others. 

Many blessings of joy to you!  And thank you for your continued support.

In gratitude,

Ruth