Intuition

Watch Your Breath to Boost Creativity & Heighten Your Intuition

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woman sitting on brown stone near green leaf trees at daytime

When it comes to enhancing your creativity or intuition—because the two work together synergistically—you don’t need elaborate rituals or fancy tools to tune into these natural abilities you have available to you.

Here’s all I want you to do to boost your creativity… Simply watch your breath.

Sounds silly or too simple, right?

Watch your breath. It’s such a natural body behavior that often we don’t stop to think about how we are breathing.

Did you know that your breath indicates what’s happening in your body?

When your breath is deep and flowing naturally, do you think your creativity and intuition might flow more easily to you? It most certainly does!

When we are stressed or scared, how we breathe directly reflects that—by showing up as rapid, shallow, or inconsistent—and also reinforces those feelings.

So, this practical action step is to stop and observe how you are breathing—to see how the flow of energy is coming to and through you.

So, I challenge you to set a reminder on your phone every 3-4 hours to check on the state of your breath. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.

Silently observe and notice how each breath feels as it enters your nose or mouth, how it travels down your throat and into your chest and lungs, and how your body opens up to receive that life-giving oxygen. Feel every step of your breath through your body. How does it feel for you at that very moment?

And assess… How is your breathing?

  • Where does your breath go: into your belly, expanding your chest, or raising your shoulders?
  • Are you restricting your breath somewhere—not breathing as deeply or in short bursts?
  • Does your body feel stiff? Are you holding your belly in?
  • Do you find yourself actually holding your breath sometimes? I have!

Then, take a few deep breaths until your body relaxes into its natural breathing rhythm again.

Air, just like creativity and intuition, is energy. And it’s abundant and available to you.

Everything is energy. How you let it flow into you will directly reflect how you breathe. So, pay attention.

Return to your breath as often as you can. Simply bringing awareness to your breathing can help you develop more of an awareness of how your body feels throughout the day, how your intuition is speaking to you, and how your creativity wants to move through you.

When you remember to focus on the breath, you focus on the energy flow in and out of your body.

Now, imagine when you breathe in, you breathe in creativity and intuitive connection to the greater divine.

And that’s when your abilities open up more… Give this exercise a try and see how it opens up your capacity for creativity and intuition.

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If you like this exercise, I have a gift for you! Get your free guidebook of 9 Ways to Romance Your Creative Muse here to amplify your self-care routines to court your creative muse into working with you more consistently.

What a Little Star Can Do

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flowers on opened book

When I tell you this blew my mind… It BLEW. My. MIND.

Now, before I sit down to edit any client’s book, I have a little ritual I partake in. Goes a little something like this…

I take a few deep breaths. Maybe I move my body around a little to release any stagnant energy. And I go to my crystal collection. I pick out whichever crystals feel supportive for the particular book I’m working on. Each time, my little crinoid fossil star wants to be included when I’m editing.

Every time.

Considering I’m a bit of a crystal junkie, I feel like I should have known the significance of this little star-shaped fossil, but I didn’t. I just liked that they were ancient fossils in the shape of stars and they were quite affordable, so I got a few.

Right before a recent book reading—not to be confused for reading a book, but an intuitive reading for someone’s book—this crystal was like, “Pick me!” Just like normal.

When I do the intuitive readings, I share which helpers (crystals, plants, songs, etc.) come along and what their properties are, and I realized I never actually looked up what these little crystals meant.

And when I looked it up, I found this:

“Fossils are thought to be a wonderful tool to assist you in moving from the old to the new and to be receptive to the fresh, innovative forces that are available to you. Fossils may assist you in your quest for transition, transformation, and personal growth, helping you to understand the process of change. They may also help you instill quality and excellence in your environment.” – Source

Um, WHAT? I didn’t even know this, and I love how supportive this little fossil is for the work I do—which is literally to take something and transform it into its best form. I take books and content from their previous form to a polished form while offering a fresh perspective on how to elevate their words and stories.

And me being me, I do my best to instill quality and excellence in everything I do, particularly when it comes to my work.

But how cool is that? That the stone I’ve been selecting for my editing work is perhaps one of the most perfect stones I could have found to support me in it. What a fun discovery about a little stone that’s been part of my work process for the past couple of years!

I also love that these crinoid star stems—which stem from ancient fossilized sea lilies—have also been known as fairy coins. I’d believe it. 😉

Are you a crystal junkie like me?
What crystals do you feel drawn to all the time?
And have you looked up their spiritual/metaphysical properties yet?

Fun little practice if you haven’t tried it yet…

Give Yourself Grace

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Say you work for three months on a concert, only to fall ill the day before the performance…

Say you have plans to take a trip, only the night before you leave, a tragedy befalls a dear loved one and you must be there for them…

Say someone breaks a promise, doesn’t follow through, or leaves you hanging in a critical moment…

Say you committed to something, but then the time came and you just felt like you straight up didn’t want to anymore…

It’s okay to offer yourself grace in that moment.

This post has been brewing within me for a couple of weeks, since I missed the last weekly post.

So, I feel like talking about grace. But just what is that?

What does grace actually mean?

As a bonafide dictionary nerd, here you go, courtesy of Merriam Webster:

grace – noun

ˈgrās 

Honestly, grace has a lot of definitions so I’ll sum it up for you…

From divine assistance, to approval, privilege, favor, reprieve, charm, ease, or prayer…
Grace can be many different things.

But the kind of grace I’m talking about… is that where you honor and accept where you are in this exact moment so you can embrace what you need in that moment, and let that be okay. To face whatever moment you’re in with love and compassion, maybe even a higher perspective.

Because… life happens and the things we work or plan for don’t necessarily pan out the way we expect or want. Life has so many twists and turns that change and conflict stares us in the face probably more often than we’d like. And when that happens, the best thing you can do is offer yourself grace.

What else can you do, really?

Offer yourself the ease of accepting the moment as it is and moving with the information you have at that time, rather than trying to force an agenda that may or may not be right due to unforeseen circumstances or shifts in the wind.

I hope you offer yourself grace when things get hard, because sometimes facing difficulty is crippling, and just the fact of knowing it’s a challenge can be enough to deter anyone.

I hope you offer yourself grace when things shift on a dime without notice, upsetting plans and expectations.

I hope you offer yourself grace when sudden illness takes you off your planned track.

I hope you offer yourself grace when someone else seems to present a roadblock or gives you frustration.

And I hope you offer yourself grace even in the little moments where you question if the next step is the right one for you.

Grace is always there. And it wants to help you embrace where you are.

(Even if you think you should be doing something else… I know all creatives like to come up with anything else than to write their book. )

Because, in the grand scheme of things, what else is there to do than accept your present moment exactly as it is, no matter where it falls in your timeline?

It’s all about just being here now.

I feel like that’s one of the biggest lessons one can learn, and I think that’s definitely one of mine.

You’ve got your feet moving five feet behind while your mind runs three paces too fast… Instead, stop. Get your feet underneath you, take a breath, and land in your body, mind, and spirit now.

Because now is all you’ve got.

Now is the moment you can give yourself grace.

Now & Then, Then & Now

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black and white typewriter on table

Have you ever paused to look back and see how far you’ve come?

If you haven’t, this is a practice I recommend at least once (or every 9, 10, or 12 years—those are a few life cycle period lengths). This could be through an old blog, journal, conversations with folks, or even just reflecting on what you knew then versus what you know now.

I think you might surprise yourself.

A few days ago, I found myself in a rabbit hole of my blogs from way back when (10-13 years ago), and I found myself laughing, face palming, and thinking, “Gosh, did I really have no shame in sharing this?”

Is it weird that I found Young Me quite hilarious? I hope I still have some of that humor hanging around because I don’t think I realized how funny I was—I was just having fun, sharing my performing, dating, and life antics.

However, I also found that Young Me still had some wisdom to share, like why I decided to break up with the scale because I realized weight is just a number and not an actual indicator of health, wanting to keep music in schools because creativity is essential for kids’ wellbeing, being honest with kids/teens about what protected sex actually is and means because the state I lived in had one of the highest numbers of teen pregnancy in the country, and a few other posts that had my eyebrows raised in surprise because I wasn’t sure I remembered writing them, but clearly I had.

Even though I’ve always felt relatively smart because I got good grades and was one of those weird kids who actually liked school, it’s always reaffirming to have something you said come back to you in a way that shows how wise you were, are, and can be.

This is helpful because oftentimes I don’t remember what I’ve said or written, which is why it helps for me to write things down for posterity.

One of the challenges of being a medium where you just channel energy through you constantly—you barely remember what you’ve said but others do!

Also, how fun is it to have that kind of archive or time capsule to show you how you were then so you can clearly see how you are now. How you’ve grown. How your interests or passions have shifted or deepened. How your view of the world has changed. How you choose what is no longer for public consumption (ahem, Young Me, we may need to have a talk, ha—I still have compassion for you, though!).

Because… We aren’t meant to stay the same. We are here to change, to shift, to adapt. We are meant to grow, to understand more of what we ultimately desire to experience in our lives. As we move through life, we are faced with choices, roadblocks, detours, pain, loss, newfound delights, and all kinds of relationship shenanigans… And all of it shapes us as we go along.

It’s like we can’t help but change one way or another. And there’s always something new to learn from our experiences as we go.

So, that also means it helps to have grace and compassion for who we used to be… Because if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be who we are now.

And that feels like a powerful thing to remember right now.

Message from the Lunar Eclipse

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When was the last time you said yes to yourself

Taking action on that instinct

Doing something just for the heck of it

Just because it’s fun

When was the last time you said, “Screw it, just do it!”

Removing the thought from your head

Moving from pure instinct and desire instead

Just because you can

When was the last time you refused to hold yourself back

Banning restraints from fearful thoughts

Battling doubts and anxieties you combat daily

Just to not stay in one place

When was the last time you trusted yourself to make the call

Knowing you’re your own ultimate decision-maker

The only one in this world who knows what you do

Who can decide for you

Sometimes you have to say no to someone else

in order to say yes to you.

And sometimes that’s the biggest lesson

you will ever learn.

Say yes to you today.

You deserve it.

~ Channeled from the Hunter’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aries, October 29, 2023

Message on What Connects Us

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person holding world globe facing mountain

Sometimes I’m utterly captivated by how magical life can be.

The Magic of Being Human

It’s magical that we are living, breathing beings who are here on Earth… to just live. To grow. To experience the world. To experience each other. To carry out and share our unique gifts.

Animals simply live in the moment, and that’s something humans forget how to do. We don’t remember how to live in the moment. We know how to live for the future, and we know how to live from the past, but being able to just sit right now, here in the very moment we find ourselves in… Sometimes that’s the hardest job of all.

But that’s just it. That is our job. Our job is to return to the present. Our present moment.

To be with our breath, to be with our feelings, to be with whatever it is we are doing at that exact moment.

There’s nothing wrong with that; in fact, there’s everything right about it.

And we are so special. We may not be the only life form like us in this universe, but… Humans are special. We are on Earth for a reason at this time.

Because we aren’t perfect. No human is perfect. We are human and humans keep “humaning” all over the place. You know what I mean…

Earth is the ultimate school for our souls. It’s like graduate school. It’s hard. It’s not easy to be human. It’s even harder to remember that there’s a glimmer of something greater inside of us because of our human-ness. We forget Who We Are, and thus we forget how much power we have. We forget what our essence is.

“You have forgotten who you are and in so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become.” – Mufasa, The Lion King

You see, humans came with these incredible bodies, minds, and systems—all functioning together to carry us through life without much of our notice or control.

In being human, we are called and challenged to remember and rediscover who we are on the inside—something we discover through learning how to just Be.

Not all of us will have that specific path or goal in mind, but quite a few of us will remember the very essence of our Being in this lifetime… And what a magical thing that is! An awakening is happening on a wide scale, have you felt it?

Humans have so much potential and we don’t even know half of it, I don’t think. As humans, we came here to experience life through all of our senses. There’s so much to experience, so much to learn, so much to see, to hear, to feel, to express…

The human instrument in all its forms is magical. Just for living.

How can we not believe that the possibilities are endless due to what we are capable of when we stop to think about it?

Even for those of us who experience suffering, trauma, or other chronic issues… The potential is still very much there.

The potential for love being the most important.

That’s the essence of everything—love. It’s so simple and yet so powerful.

Love is what binds us all together. Love is the primary undercurrent of the universe.

That’s why they say love is everything and love is all you need because it’s built into the fabric of your very Being. So, it’s natural for us to seek out that which makes us feel connected to that sense of love—joy, peace, contentment, relief. We recognize it and our souls relish in being reunited with such pure energy. And love can be most felt in the present moment.

And when you do that, when you align with love in every moment you can…

The road opens up for you. Love always lights the way.

After all, love is the basis for all the magic in being human.

I hope this gives you pause to remember what it truly is to be human. To find the magic in your human-ness. To embrace your senses, your feelings, your experiences, and your present moment as you learn to trust and follow the love even more.

A Revealing Solar Eclipse

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eclipse digital wallpaper

35 years. I’ve been alive for 35 years as of Friday.

More and more, I’m noticing places in my life where I’ve been skirting responsibility, apologizing for choices I’ve made that actually feel good for me (despite going against what people expect of me, even myself), minimizing the work I’ve done, and even avoiding stepping up where I really need to step the eff up and do the work, instead of just procrastinating and waiting for something to happen to make it happen.

And it’s not always easy to see where I’m not stepping up. I have blindspots, just like everyone else. So, I’m grateful now for the awareness I have, and the people and experiences that illuminate them for me.

Because when you know better, you do better.

Hopefully anyway.

It’s all a work in progress. Even 35 years in… All I know is that I expect it to get better from here. And that also means that I need to do what I can to make myself better—to learn, grow, keep my mind and heart open, and take action as I need to.

The call to stand up in myself, for myself, and toward the life I want is like a blaring fire alarm right now. Like I conceptually know the things I need to do and why… and now it’s like they are demanding the care and attention I’ve been avoiding giving them.

Change is coming, though it may not be visible to anyone else right now. Just know this…

Your age is not an expiration date, ever.

You can always choose differently. In fact, I’d expect it if you’re constantly learning and growing. Life is meant to challenge us to reveal where our path truly lies. It’s okay to shift as more becomes illuminated for you.

There’s always room for growth and change.

And there’s still time for you to write your book.

Must be these new moon solar eclipse vibes landing right on my birthday/solar return triggering all this… Whatever the reason, I’m here for it.

Here are a few questions to see what might be revealing itself to you right now:

  • What pieces of your past are bubbling up to your attention? Ask them why they are coming to your awareness now.
  • What have you been avoiding? Why?
  • Where are you hoping someone else will swoop in and take care of it? Why?
  • What are you procrastinating on? Why?
  • What/who do you need to forgive so you can let go and move forward?
  • Where are you being hard on yourself? Why?
  • Where can you offer yourself more grace and compassion?

And finally… Put your hand on your heart, breathe a few times, and ask:

  • What does my heart want me to know right now?
  • What is it my soul asks of me right now?

It’s a great weekend for introspection with the solar eclipse yesterday, so feel free to muse or journal on these questions. I know I have been.

See you next time.

Onwards and upwards!

When It’s Easy to Be Brave

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person rock climbing

“You’re really brave to do that.”

Someone I had just met said that to me last week.

They were referring to me taking the leap and deciding to move to New York City back in 2014.

I don’t know that I thought I was brave at the time. All I could feel was excitement.

And, frankly, if I hadn’t, I imagine my life would look completely different than it does now.

Everything in me screamed that I desired to move to New York. It was just the thing my soul was telling me to do.

So, my WHY was clear… I had a desire. It made itself known to me so clearly I couldn’t ignore it. And then I started putting the pieces in place so I could do that, even going so far as to get a coach with an accountability program to help me set the groundwork to make this big move.

To be honest, I didn’t even feel all that prepared. From the moment I discovered that New York was the next step for me, I gave myself a year to move out there. Only managed to save up $3,000 in my savings account. I was even lucky to have a friend in the city who was able to vet out the room I hoped to rent, so I could secure a place a month before actually moving out there.

And I jumped.

I didn’t have my freelance writing business anywhere near where I would need it to be to make a sustainable living. Thought that would be enough, and it wasn’t.

Sometimes jumping into something blind can be incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Looking back, I feel like I was veering dangerously close to the latter.

You can prepare all you can for a big jump, but nothing can truly prepare you for what awaits you when you land. It was scary when I got here but not so much before I made the leap.

From vindictive roommates, being unexpectedly taken advantage of, the struggle of freelance work and the lack of consistency of those paychecks, unpredictable people in the city (definitely have some stories on that front), and having an intuitive/spiritual awakening on top of it all that made me more sensitive… It has not always been easy. At one point, I even contemplated moving out to LA, rather than moving back to Utah, but then I realized it was actually most cost-effective for me to live in NYC where I didn’t need a car and could rent a room for under $1,000.

So, I stayed.

Because I felt deep in my marrow that this was where I was supposed to be. And I was elated to be here every day.

So, it didn’t necessarily feel brave to me. To move out here.

It felt necessary. It felt like something I had to do. Like something was waiting for me out here or something.

Didn’t know what, obviously… Not at that time.

In retrospect, it felt like I was waiting for me. The parts of me that couldn’t express themselves in the place I grew up. Like I had to choose me by making this move. And the evolution hasn’t stopped since.

In a way, choosing me and making the move was brave.

And I think staying—even when certain challenges felt so crippling I was worried how they’d shake out (money being a big one for a long time)—has felt even braver than making the jump.

And I’m so grateful that I stuck it out.

Because no place has ever felt more like home or made me feel more like myself.

Sometimes it can be easy to mistake fear for excitement. The quickening of the heartbeat and breaths, the nervousness that runs through your veins…

Is this fear because it’s exciting and something you actually want?

Or is this something that’s legitimately fearful?

Is it something you want to run toward? Or run away from?

I know firsthand it can be scary to go after what you want for fear of not getting it or failing… But being led by fear is a constricting and suffocating way to go.

Excitement on the other hand… is much more expansive, thrilling, and fun.

It’s easy to be brave when you are running toward something you are excited for.

Find that excitement and you’re on your way.

Message from the Full Moon in Aquarius

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You were made to be uniquely you.

Your contribution
to the world
is undeniable
when you finally embrace
who you are as an
individual.

The ideas, thoughts, and desires you have that may appear different from the mainstream. Listen to them.

We are all individuals for a reason and we all have individual desires.

When we all look within to find what it is we are made for in this world, everything is taken care of as every dream, desire, and passion is different from others.

Some love to make a cleaner world, some love to add beauty to it, some love to solve problems and provide unique solutions, and some are just here to live and love life to inspire others to do the same.

Even if the desire isn’t clear, trusting what feels good is always a good way to go.

Let your unique individual dreams come through.

Sit with yourself this full moon and ask:

What do I ultimately desire in this one precious life?

And see what comes to you.

There’s so much you’re able to give if you just let yourself give into the desires of your heart. When you give in to those desires, you serve the world because you serve your soul…

And your soul’s highest calling is to serve the world in only the way that you can.

Love and blessings to you.

* * *

Did this channeled message spark something in you? Did it help you in some way?
Share this post or share what resonated with you by leaving a comment!

Message from the New Moon in Leo

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full moon during night time

“I left nothing unsaid.”

This is the phrase that came to me this week in a future-self meditation I did for the new moon in Leo.

Do you have any practices you like to engage in around times, seasons, or planetary markers to check in with yourself? I’d love to hear about it!

In this meditation, provided by the CHANI app, I saw myself on my last day on Earth, surrounded by books and loved ones. At first, I almost recoiled from the guided visualization when it suggested visiting your last day on earth since I have no interest in knowing when/where my last day will be. But then, I just let that go and let the experience take me on the journey anyway.

And before the prompt even came to ask what was most important to my future self… I heard, “I left nothing unsaid.”

Rang straight like a bell and has stuck with me ever since.

So, naturally, my curiosity started brewing…

What does this mean: to leave nothing unsaid?


And what does it mean for me, specifically?

I have some ideas.

In leaving nothing unsaid…

I finish all the books in my heart in this life.

I tell the people I love how much I love them and appreciate their presence in my life. Often.

I communicate my newfound boundaries clearly and kindly, knowing that my needs matter, too.

I know my voice has an impact—it’s safe and okay for me to speak up.

I speak from my heart when love wants to come through.

I trust that what’s on my heart to share is what’s perfect in that moment.

And I’m supposed to be a writer. Literally… That’s what I’m here for.

Anything else is just the cherry on top.

In this meditation, I was at peace. I was at peace with what I created. I knew I created and wrote and put to the page so many stories that help, heal, and entertain others. Reminding people of their potential, the light and inner child within, and the magic that can be found in the everyday.

I truly had the sense that I left nothing unsaid. I said everything I needed to. I told all the stories I needed to. I told all the stories in my heart and thumping in my womb (a healer told me that once). I helped to create stories that expanded beyond the page, even. My words healed, transformed, and inspired me as I created them—just as I hoped and trusted they would heal, transform, and inspire others as well.

I’m also willing to explore all the ways “to leave nothing unsaid” will show up in my experience.

I suppose this is the mantra to guide me right now… So, that’s where my priorities need to be.

To leave nothing unsaid.

Does this statement strike anything for you?

What would it mean to you if you were to “leave nothing unsaid”?

Does it mean to speak nothing but your truth for the rest of your days?

Does it mean to pen every story, song, poem, or other creation that deigns to cross your mind?

Does it mean speaking up when something is wrong, not right, or disrespect has been done?

Does it mean to speak your mind honestly when someone asks what you think? Or even when they don’t ask?

Does it mean to use your voice for others who can’t speak for themselves or those who could use a boost of additional voices?

Does it mean expressing your love and appreciation in more ways than just words?

And could it possibly mean, saying no more than you need to so you can also listen to what’s also being “unsaid” yet communicated anyway?

Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to ask yourself:

What is it I want to feel at the end of the day?

Is this something you’d like to explore with me? I invite you to chime in in the comments. <3