If you're anything like me you've been asking yourself the question, "Where do we go from here?"

Allies have become antagonists, stock markets are crashing, individuals are being denied basic freedoms, and common decency is anything but common.

The world is in a period of upheaval that won't end anytime soon.

So, where do we go from here?

The part of me that wants to run and hide tells me to isolate, protect my own assets, and stay away from the news.

But the part of me that understands how connected everything is urges me to stand my ground, prepare contingency plans, and look for ways that I can be of benefit to society.

The planet and it's inhabitants need our courage right now.

The courage to speak truth to power...

The courage to organize and to bolster democracy...

And the courage to become engaged and change broken systems from within.

Will it be easy? No. But it will be worth it.

And when this current phase ends we will be able to look ourselves in the mirror knowing that we did everything we could to protect what we hold dear.

Who's with me?

We all have  a choice as to how we're going to conduct ourselves during these chaotic times.

We can choose to engage in the upholding of the democracy that we hold sacred. Or, we can choose to remove ourselves from the fray and let others do the heavy lifting.

There's a part of me that would rather sit back, retreat to my meditations and spiritual practices, and keep the darkness at bay by pretending it's not there.

But I can't and I won't.

There is too much at stake.

And I value Humanity too much to sit on the sidelines when so much is at stake.

I don't often get truly angry. My personality is such that I seek to understand why someone is behaving in a certain way before I react to what they are doing or saying.

This has served me well at times and at other times has caused me harm.

Today I am as angry as I ever remember being. Thank goodness it's not the type of anger that makes me feel weak and shaky.

The anger I feel today is the type that strengthens my backbone and causes me to reach deep for the resolve I will need to navigate this rocky terrain we're heading into.

I am a Canadian. I pursue peace, apologize too much and care about the inhabitants on this planet.

It grieves me to witness what is happening in the United States. And I won't sit by quietly while people are being harmed by a narcissistic tyrant and his flying monkeys.

What Trump and his cronies are doing is an affront to Humanity. And my heart breaks to think of how many Souls will be harmed because of his policies.

But I will not crumble.

I will resist.

And I will channel my anger into helping those who will, most definitely, need help.

Yesterday I put away the Christmas decorations and, while starting to put my regular treasures back in their usual place, I thought it might be a good idea to change things up a bit.

To that end, I moved my Quan Yin statue from the dining room to the bedroom.

Later, as I lay down getting ready to sleep, I looked at Quan Yin in her new space and realized that I hadn't connected with her teachings for a while.

The more I gazed at her the more I became aware of how, in the midst of a trying few years,  I had not interacted with the level of compassion she represented and offered.

I could feel tears fill my eyes as her prayer for the abuser came to mind. It's a prayer that I've yet to be able to recite without crying because of its devastating beauty.

Here is that prayer:

To those who withhold refuge,
I cradle you in safety at the core of my Being.
To those that cause a child to cry out,
I grant you the freedom to express your own choked agony.
To those that inflict terror,
I remind you that you shine with the purity of a thousand suns.
To those who would confine, suppress, or deny,
I offer the limitless expanse of the sky.
To those who need to cut, slash, or burn,
I remind you of the invincibility of Spring.
To those who cling and grasp,
I promise more abundance than you could ever hold onto.
To those who vent their rage on small children,
I return to you your deepest innocence.
To those who must frighten into submission,
I hold you in the bosom of your original mother.
To those who cause agony to others,
I give the gift of free flowing tears.
To those that deny another's right to be,
I remind you that the angels sang in celebration of you on the day of your
birth.
To those who see only division and separateness,
I remind you that a part is born only by bisecting a whole.
For those who have forgotten the tender mercy of a mother’s embrace,
I send a gentle breeze to caress your brow.
To those who still feel somehow incomplete,
I offer the perfect sanctity of this very moment.

Even now, my eyes fill with tears as I write this.

I vow that from here on, in honour of Quan Yin, I will offer compassion to all... because we all, no matter how flawed, deserve it.

Are you an Empath?

Do you too often find yourself in relationships with narcissistic individuals?

Over the past few years I've done a deep dive regarding the dynamics between Empaths and Narcissists. Throughout my own healing process  I've learned a great deal about how we can heal from the trauma of loving or being related to a narcissist.

You deserve to have mutually beneficial and healthy relationships.

And you deserve to be treated with compassion and respect while you navigate the rocky terrain of narcissism.

I'd be honoured to aid you on that journey.

Contact me at [email protected] and I'd be happy to book you for a Higher Realm Healing® session so you can begin your own healing journey.

This Spring I will start offering group workshops again.

I have to admit that I've really missed the energy of group workshops. I am in awe of the individuals who authentically show up and create a wonderful Healing and sharing environment.

My first offerings will be the group Past Life Regression workshop. Throughout the process participants will be guided to a Past Life, meet a Spirit Guide and then journey to a possible future life.

The time commitment is 3 to 4 hours and the cost is $60 per person.

If you would like to take part in one of these workshops please contact me at [email protected] I'd be happy to add you to the waiting list.

If you would like to experience the process with a group of friends or colleagues I can accommodate that, too.

"Do you hold your beliefs lightly or tightly? When I hold them tightly, I arrogantly believe everyone should believe as I do. When I hold them lightly, I appreciate others' perspectives/points-of-view, even if they may not be mine. The spiritual path is not about trying to get rid of or not have beliefs. It is about holding them lightly because you know that they are simply one perspective among billions. When we cling to a belief, we are stuck. When we hold it lightly we are not stuck... we are free." Michael Jeffreys

This quote resonates with my Being.

I have a sense we, at times, cling to our beliefs so tightly that it prevents our Spiritual growth. I was raised Catholic and found many of the Catholic doctrines too restrictive. I was certainly not a favorite of the Nuns who taught Church School and the Priests who presided over Mass. I'm sure many of them breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped going to Church. I found it difficult to listen to some individuals preach about Love and Forgiveness while I witnessed how they were dealing with the children in their care. My honest questions were seen as a challenge to their authority.

I am not a religious person. I am, however, deeply Spiritual. My belief system has, over the years, grown to embrace the core teachings of many practices. I used to think that I was wishy-washy for picking and choosing from different religions and belief systems. I now realize that I was simply resonating with the similarities of each. I am not threatened by anothers' belief system. No one has to believe as I do. Everyone's Spirituality is their own.

Any belief that allows us to become the best that we can be and opens the door to treating others as we would like to be treated has my respect.

We all have our own paths to walk and unique ways of reaching our destinations. It's less important how we reach our destination than it is that we simply reach it.

So, throughout my journey, I will be holding my beliefs lightly.

In honour of our brother, Todd, my sister Dianne and I recently scattered a portion of  his ashes on a bank of the Saint John river.

The spot we chose was beautiful and peaceful, and just felt like the right place to perform the ritual.

It was a rainy, cold day and by the time we arrived at the location the sun was soon to set.

How we managed to get to the spot without falling will forever remain a mystery. It crossed my mind that if we injured ourselves during the process we wouldn't have been discovered for quite some time. But we were on a mission and nothing was going to deter us.

We tearfully spoke of our love for Todd, honoured him with prose that described the good man he truly was, and shared in the scattering of his ashes.

As we finished the deed we wondered aloud if we had picked the right spot and said the right things, as it was important to us both that we honoured him in the way he deserved.

As we began the trek back up the hill we were given conformation that we had, indeed, done the right thing.

As we climbed the hill the waning sun broke through the clouds. When we looked up we saw an enormous flock of crows fly overhead, heading to their roosting site.

We held hands as we stood in awe of what was transpiring.

Then, as we looked down to better navigate the hill, we saw that it was covered in wild strawberries.

Laughing and crying at the same time we gave thanks for those signs.

Our brother Todd loved the outdoors and spent much time on, and near, the Saint John river. Many of our phone conversations took place as he was drinking a coffee looking over the river's expanse.

Although I'm not sure he would openly talk about it to most people, Todd often fed crows.

As for the strawberries, he would talk about how many rows of his garden would be used to plant them. I would laughingly say I was going to have to start referring to him as the Strawberry King.

I am grateful that Dianne and I got to honour Todd in this way. It will be a lovely memory that will forever stay in my heart and help to ease the pain of his passing.

And I am also so very grateful we got to witness that our deed was accompanied by such lovely signs of confirmation.

Dear Mother Nature, I bow to your superior intelligence and strength.

The landscaping that took me days to accomplish was wiped away in a few short hours by the river you created that ran through my property.

I just spent the morning cleaning up the mess and relocating the plants that very nearly washed away. They are now on higher ground and safe from the flowing water that I suspect will come through with more frequency.

I have learned my lesson.

I will from now on work with you and not against you.

Now is the time for us to fully engage in what it is we came here to do. Humanity and our Earth Mother require the efforts of both Light Workers and Light Warriors to balance the systems that are in a state of flux and chaos. The time for inaction is long past.

Now is the time for each of us to do what we can to promote Peace within ourselves, our community and the World.

Now is the time for us to protect our environment from those who would ravage Earth to put more coin in their pockets.

Now is the time for all of us to speak out against injustice in any form.

Now is the time to protect the vulnerable among us.

Now is the time for us to teach our children how to connect with others instead of their devices.

Now is the time for us to fully engage with Life and all of its expressions.

Now is the time for us to be our best, and to do our best, so that all will unfold for the best.