Catherine Poole

I allow and accept money into my life from expected and unexpected sources.

-The Magic Refrigerator

Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.

- Thornton Wilder  from “The Matchmaker”

I have often said that I learn as much from my clients as they do from me. In fact, much of my information comes not only from my own experiences, my own life and relationships, but also from your guides and loved ones on the other side. This week I wanted to talk about money, flow, and tithing. So often we associate tithing with the church, and that is often a subject of contention, particularly with the recommended offering of 10% (which is Old Testament Law and the word “tithe” represents “tenth”).

The New Testament does not command or recommend a tithing system, rather it talks about the benefits of giving, the importance of giving. The key here is to give with love, not obligation, guilt, or sense of duty.

You have heard this from me over and over:

money is energy

Tithing is an exchange of that energy, not restricted to money. We can tithe our knowledge, our time, our services, our belongings, our homes, when we share in love, we tithe.

Months ago a client came for a session,  she had been working many hours for her Church to prepare Christmas packages to send overseas to children that otherwise would not get a Christmas. She was also spending a bit of money on those packages, not just her time putting them together. She was feeling a bit guilty because she could not meet her regular tithing allotment for her Church.

I prefer not to know about your current circumstances when we sit down initially because then my information is more concise and believable. Therefore, not realizing this was her dilemma, I began to relate information from her father that had crossed over regarding tithing. I could not believe his wonderful perspective on money and tithing. When living, her father had been a minister with a good-sized congregation. He told her that he wished when he was living that he had understood how money “worked” because he would have approached tithing from another perspective.

Just exactly what was different? Money is not a thing, an object. Money is energy. He described the energy of money being similar to the sparklers we use on the Fourth of July. It moves around us, through us, past us depending on our attitude and our energy toward money. He also mentioned that tithing comes in many forms and that tithing in one manner; say with your time or knowledge, is the same energy flow as monetary tithing. The only difference is our energy in the exchange.

What stops the flow of money?

We do.

Tithing is an exchange. It is about releasing the energy of money or service in order to allow more opportunities to come into our life.

• There are many ways we stop or block the exchange:
• Not respecting another’s worth.
• Cheating someone out of money or their time (free advice).
• Stealing something that doesn’t belong to you.
• Robbing someone of their time or service. (How many times have you said, “I don’t want to keep you, but…)
  
• Manipulating someone into doing something for you.

Cheating someone out of money may seem like you are on top, but the word “bargain” is to “bar” (or block) your GAIN. So in doing something that is unfair to another party will in fact be balanced eventually in your own life, one way or the other.

I had an interesting question from a client a while back concerning this very concept. She had loaned an acquaintance a decent chunk of money and wanted to know if she would ever get it back? My answer to her was that I didn’t think she would get it back –from him. I then asked her to start paying attention to her self-talk, and not refer to that money as lost or give thought to being scammed or victimized because then it would stay “lost”. Rather, open up to all possibilities, she gave with generosity and love, so keeping the flow open will allow the universe to balance her money energy from another source.

And he will get his energy “balanced” as well! When we rob someone of their time, their money, or their energy, the universe will find a way. So the individual that permanently borrowed her money will lose money energy because he took it from her. I use the term “money energy” because it can represent actual money, or the exchange of a service, or product. It is something of value.

The key is to not expect the money energy to come from that particular person, keep yourself open to the balance. When we “beat ourselves up” for being gullible or taken, it stays lost. Does that make sense? Basically, if you follow your heart and act in a manner you feel is right, the universe will fill the void. It may not be in one huge sum that equates to what was given, but if you pay attention it will flow back to you from expected and unexpected sources and fill that void (maybe even a little extra).

THIS IS TITHING, this is the way it works, if you allow.

Service and time work very similar to the push-me / pull-you of actual currency, particularly if you are offering your service in exchange for either money, or barter. Barter is often a poverty consciousness. There are many individuals that work on this premise.

• If it is the exchange of services with equal value then there is a balance between the two individuals.
• When one feels that the other is taking advantage of him/her then there is imbalance in the exchange.

In an imbalance there is a block in the flow of energy. This block may manifest in money, time, or service depending on the imbalance. It could also manifest as tissue issues if it is a repeated pattern of manipulation,  guilt, and a sense of obligation.

Start paying attention to the events and patterns in your life that affect the flow of things: money, time, even tissue issues involving flow? Blocks in flow are not just literally about actual money. Health issues, injuries, or health issues of a dependent (child, spouse, parent) can also “rob” your time, your physical energy, as well as your money flow. Think about your vehicle? Flat tire or mechanical issue lately? Run out of gas? That is flow.

What are some other issues that can “rob” or “steal” your time? Take a moment to reflect on what has occurred lately in your life?  Are you inviting the universe to balance out your life? or are you going with the flow?

• Credit is a subject I will cover this weekend at my Abundance Workshop.
• Credit is not tithing.
• Credit is not flow.
• Credit is not even a block.
• Credit is a black hole that robs us of flow.

Unless you pay off your credit cards at the end of every month, you are blocking the flow. There is a difference in mortgage and car payments as opposed to credit card, as these are “secured debt” and there is a sense of ownership, pride, and caring that goes into the money energy. Credit card spending is spending money that is not there, therefore you are juggling air. This week at Queen of Color, I talk about The Color of Tithing…and with it some fascinating facts about the energy surrounding tithing, credit, cash, and money. Even I couldn’t believe it! It explains so much…

Blessings to you.

I will be presenting a workshop on

ABUNDANCE

at the Waterfalls of Wellness Healing Center

Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 2:00-5:00 pm
739 Bluff City Highway
Bristol, TN 37620

The greatest conflicts are not between two people but between one person and himself.

-Garth Brooks

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.

- Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Last week I talked about skin and all the messages your skin can communicate. It was such a vast list of “messages” that I decided to talk about allergies in a separate entry. Allergies can also affect more than just skin, reactions speak volumes and the message depends on what the reaction is and where on your body (in your body) the reaction takes place. There is also an underlying message in what instigates the reaction.

An allergy is a reaction to a substance introduced to the body whether it be through ingestion, airborne, or topically.  The body can have a reaction from the first time the substance is introduced, or it can develop sensitivity over a period of time, as in certain foods or medications.

Allergies are “inner conflicts” and there is a difference between food allergies, medication allergies, and airborne allergies as they each define what conflicts you are feeling. Just exactly what does “conflict” mean? It is a struggle between opposing forces, so on one side you feel a strong dislike for someone and the other side feels an obligation to love that person. The tug of war creates the conflict and it is then played out in your body.

Remember, that person does not necessarily have to be a romantic association. If allergies arose in childhood, chances are you had two parents that had conflicting opinions creating an internal conflict. Airborne allergies are all about relationships and control, because that is what is associated with the lungs. The lungs also represent family, so when there are conflicts in the family that trigger emotions within you, allergies may manifest.

These conflicts may be with parents, but can also be with siblings or your children-it is family members that you wish you could control in some manner but you can’t…there are conflicts that pull your loyalties in different directions and you just “combust”! It is important to look at what was going on in your life when they first manifested, be objective and look at the relationships. So many of my clients will respond, “that was between my sister and my mother and had nothing to do with me” but the next thing you know, they are allergic to dogs!

Why are some people allergic to dogs and not cats? Some are allergic to horses, but not dogs or cats? You would think that one fur covered creature is the same os the other, wouldn’t you? Well, metaphysically I look at what that animal represents, and there is the conflict.

• Dogs deal with conflicts between loyalties, because dogs are all about being loyal.
• Cat allergies are about independence and often reflect conflicts within relationships.
• Horses are about power, so an allergy to horses are about a conflict with those that you perceive have power over you and the power you have within you.

Being allergic indicates internal conflict, often you will have your mind made up and your loyalty established only to be influenced by the opinion of another. That creates a conflict within you. Another example of inner conflict is when you are attracted to someone but do not want to compromise your emotions or independence, you are pulled in different directions and try to “talk yourself out” of the relationship perhaps by focusing on what is wrong with the other person rather than what is attractive about the other person. If you are learning from allergies examine your relationships with those closest to you. Ask yourself if you feel that you compromise in order to be in that relationship?

I have just discussed animal allergies, and the next is food allergies. These allergies can be developed over time and exposure or we are born with them. Often when you are born with allergies you have either brought in a karmic lesson or it is an issue left from a previous incarnation. Food allergies are related to conflicts involving enjoyment. The can represent a difficulty with allowing yourself permission to enjoy life to the fullest. They can also involve not allowing others in your life to enjoy.

Allergies gain attention, whether it is because you announce you are allergic and put everyone on alert on your behalf or because you have a “reaction” that brings attention. This can be evident as well with bee stings and the amount of energy, attention and even fear that can be introduced when either you are learning from serious reactions or someone you are with is learning from bee allergies. What type of attention does it bring to your life? What type of control do you gain in a situation or relationship when you have serious reactions? There is a payoff, and that body/mind connect is going to oblige every time.

Along the lines of food allergies and insect bites. are allergies to medications. It is my belief that if you are having an allergic reaction to a medication, your body is telling you that you do not need THAT medication! Now, that is not to say you don’t need ANY, but before you go on a regimen of five different ones for the same condition, would you please do your body a favor and find out what it is saying first?! THEN you can tell it to shut up.

It is the same thing I mentioned in my entry on pain, find out the “why” and then proceed with protocol. So many just keep trading one med after another until something works. All the while your body is attempting to communicate to you that you have an issue with getting better. See what the message is, and then look at your payoff for being sick.

If you are allergic to dust or airborne particles such as pollen, it represents an insecurity, that you feel vulnerable and feel easily attacked by others. This requires some introspection, if you are looking over your shoulder, is there a reason they may want to attack you? Take a quiet look at your own behavior and check out what role projection plays in these allergies. Sometime what we fear or criticize in others is within ourselves, making us sensitive to those qualities. There is a reason the eyes and sinuses are often affected by pollen and airborne dust, there is someone that is irritating us (sinus) that we refuse to look at (eyes) because it may be too emotional (mucus and watery eyes) “to face” (yet another reference there!).

How much has self-hypnosis played a part in your allergies? How often DO YOU tell your body you are allergic to something? Can you not tell your body so often, yet still be cautious? Yes. Can you use affirmations (positive self-hypnosis) rather than the negative scripting? The next time you have a reaction, look at what is going on in your relationships and your life that may have triggered that reaction. Who in your life is at the forefront? What is the conflict?

Remember more than anything, you cannot change the other person, but you can change your perception of the other person. In shifting how you perceive them, you shift your relationship and therefore release the conflict. It is amazing what happens in a relationship when you shift yourself! When you change the way you look at people, the people you look at change…Wayne Dyer says that, but it actually goes back much much further with Robert Collier and his book, The Secret of the Ages. But no matter where the origin, it is true and quite profound.

Have a wonderful week! Blessings, Catherine

If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?

–Sydney J. Harris

Temper if ungoverned, governs the whole man.

–Anthony Shaftesbury

Skin is such a complex topic when it comes to metaphysics, in part because there are so many tissue issues related to the skin: rashes, blisters, acne, scars, burns, and of course, there is the overall pigment of skin and the ethnic complications that can transpire with that! Where DO I begin?

Skin defines us, for centuries it has put us in cultural categories. Skin is what we show to the world and issues with the skin are really about how we think other people see us. I immediately think of the two terms: “Thin-skinned” and “Thick-skinned”. Thin implying that your emotions are exposed and you take everything too personal, and thick implying that you can handle just about anything.

Since the skin is the largest organ in our body, tissue issues can be narrowed down by looking at what is happening with your skin and where is it happening on your body. Irritations with the skin are similar to a splinter working its way to the surface, think of that entire process from the initial splinter to the pain, then redness, then swelling and then the festering in order to “push” out the splinter. Emotions are like the splinter and when we bury them instead of pulling them out, they eventually work themselves out…in a painful and messy process.

Overall, when there is dry skin, it indicates that you are holding back emotionally. Fluids (water/hydration) is associated with the sacral (orange) energy and represents creativity, emotion and the processes of flow. Often when there is an issue involving fluids, such as edema, blisters, and “seepy” stuff (yech) then I go right to the keyword “emotion”. You are either holding emotions in or putting your emotions out there for the world to see. Eruptions, such as boils and certain cysts are all about buried feelings that finally erupt when the conflict that NEEDS attention finally comes to the surface.

Cysts hold fluid (emotions) and really are like pimples, just on a larger scale. They often contain pus, fluid, blood, almost as if they are little garbage cans in your body. I apologize for being so graphic, but they really are what they represent, trash. So there is this anger and irritation that is held right beneath the skin until is boils and festers and finally bursts.

I had a client many years ago in Chicago, a young woman that came to see me because she had cysts, but only on the left side of her body. I asked her some questions concerning emotions, pent up anger, and also about what she did not want to “allow” in her life? (Your left represents accepting and allowing.)

She was rather resistant to the questions, so I just let her speak. My father was a Superior Court Judge in Indiana, and he used to tell me that when he would let the person on the stand speak, he would just let them go…and eventually you get your answers. He would say, “little sister, you just gotta give ‘em enough rope…” So, what did I do? I gave her some rope, and then a little more.

She started out very gentle and just talked about her profession and life in Chicago, then a bit about childhood …

and on and on …

and THEN…

she had enough rope.

As if someone turned on a switch, her entire disposition changed. Her energy shifted. And needless to say, she got my attention! Out of nowhere she started talking about how women (in general) are weak and cannot be relied upon, and she continued to express her opinion of the female population. Then she must have realized my gender because she looked at me and stopped. Apologizing, she shut down.

I admit, I did blink a time or two…but I leaned over the desk and I asked, “Wow. You have all of this anger toward the female gender?” She said “yes, they are weak…” and on and on…I leaned back in my chair, took a breath  and began to explain that

• cysts are buried unresolved anger
• they emerge when the hurt and the anger can no longer be contained.
• What we are angry about is usually indicated by where the cysts are located.

Her cysts were only on the left side of her body.

• Left represents female.
• She hates females.
• She IS female.

And there you have it…

The amazing thing was that she DID get it! In her mind she was trashing women, but her body was hearing that she was trashing herself. Well, cysts are really little pockets of trash! (they stink too…) So her body was just responding to her self talk, (“trash talk”)

We need to pay attention to what we tell our body, it loves us and will do what we ask!

Skin is also about connecting with others and the intimacy of touch. When you manifest eczema, dermatitis, (remember last week, about–itis?) even acne or a rash is your body reacting to your request to keep people out of your personal space. These conditions keep others at a distance; whether it is because they do not want to get near or because you keep yourself isolated is no matter, the objective is to keep out intimacy, avoid CONTACT.

Where these conditions appear gives us yet another clue as to what or whom you are avoiding or you find irritating!

Left or right side or both? This is your first “check” is the skin issue only on one side? Again, last week’s entry talks in more detail about left and right distinctions.

Left side is usually about a female getting “under your skin” and can have something to do with being irritated about having to do something you do not want to do or someone you do not want to allow in.

Right side is usually about a male getting “under your skin” and can have something to do with being irritated about having to let go of something (someone) you do not want release.

Arms? Arms represent relationships, either accepting or releasing. They are an extension of our heart center, giving and receiving love. Issues on the left arm are about resistance to allowing new relationships or accepting love into your life. Ask yourself who entered your life when the irritation began? Understand that it can be a karmic remnant from another life and time, so don’t beat yourself up (yea, then it becomes a cyst! Lol) just understand that past life may be the case if nothing else makes sense.  Ask for insight and see what answers you come up with.

Issues with the right arm are about resistance to letting go of past relationships. It may not be YOUR resistance though, so take note! Is there anyone you are trying to “scrape off” and they just won’t go?

Hands are very common for dryness, (emotion) and I remember when I was at Notre Dame, my hands would be so dry and fingertips would just split! This is all about emotion and trying to complete tasks that are required of us. Of course,  which fingers split and leave us in pain and vulnerable can be explained in my “finger entries”…one on thumbs and the other on hands and fingers in general

I have to laugh though, as hindsight is 20/20…My ex husband could not wear his wedding band, EVER. It would break out his ring finger, just where the gold band would be. If I knew then what I know now (and that is 20+ years ago) I would have realized that he was allergic to marriage! (left ring finger, so he was allergic to marriage with me…lol)

Our hands are our first extension of ourselves, so when we cannot extend our courtesy,  offering our energy to another, it adds to our sense of isolation, and pulling back of emotions. When they are dry and cracked, it is because we are giving so much of ourselves to others emotionally and the message is: that it is time to give to oneself. My worst dry hands and fingertip-splits were with my babies, changing diapers, working at the university, (bringing the baby to work, so I had my baby AND students AND faculty obligations…ouch) But it all makes sense now, as I become more balanced and centered I don’t have those issues anymore.

Now I would like to talk about your back, as so many of us have skin issues with the back. In part because it is difficult to scrub thoroughly.

OK, so if cysts are trash, then your back is your garbage dump.

Everyone is always taken aback (pardon the pun) when I say that. But it is true, issues we do not want to deal with get tossed back there for another day…so having a back that has deposits of black heads, pimples, acne or even the outbreak of shingles, indicates some aspect of your life, little irritations and angers that you are ignoring in hopes that they will go away. Cysts are bigger issues of course that fester and bake before they erupt.

Your chest region is about control, actually when there are issues in this area with skin irritations, rashes, cysts, it is anger and irritation about not being allowed to control, you have been waived! Think about Superman when he splits open his shirt to reveal his big “S”…someone or something is keeping you from “saving the day”, so you become irritated, bury the emotions and they find their way out.

The Face is perhaps the most personal and difficult place to deal with skin issues. Our face is literally our identity. We are in a society that places a high level of aesthetics on facial features, so issues with this area are predominantly about not wanting to face the world, mostly due to self-esteem. Irritation, criticism and self-dislike create emotional pain and that is manifested in acne on the face. Adult acne is also self-esteem issues, just as it is in our teen years, so look to see if their are similar emotional circumstances (usually involving peer reviews and approvals) to the teen years.

Scars develop when body tissue has been traumatized, whether cut or burned, the body normally regenerates scar tissue to replace it. A problem occurs when a wound doesn’t heal correctly. We take pride oftentimes in showing our scars, so there is a level of pride in the incident or accident that created it. The scars that finally fade are the issues that finally fade!

There are no accidents, so it is important to look at where the wound was generated and then look at the message your body was sending. I will often ask in a regression if there is a scar that is significant to that lifetime, and then ask that it be healed. They are all about holding onto the past, whether it is current life or past life scarring. Either one, it is all about letting the past go so you can move forward with confidence and courage. How do you do that? That would be answered in my entry “past perfect”!

Have a great week! Next week I talk about allergies! So hold that sneeze for one more week.

It is better to repair the beginning than the end.

–German Proverb

Pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

–C.S. Lewis

I will often ask an audience what they feel is the most intense direct message from their body? Many answer “heart attack” or perhaps “cancer”, even breathing issues have been mentioned. Actually, it is a broken bone! Bone is your very foundation and when there is a break, you are immobilized, in pain,  and it really does get your immediate attention.

When you are in pain it is because something is not right, even in an accident situation there has to be depletion in that area for it to break or for there to be injury. And of course you realize there are no accidents? Accidents are a convergence of similar energy,  in order to facilitate an immediate lesson. That is another blog for another day…this week is all about pain, physical pain and what messages pain has for us.

The first step in figuring out what your body is communicating is to look at where the pain is located. What side of the body is in pain?

Left side is related to predominant female energy,

it could be you if you are female or another female

in your life. Left is also about allowing or accepting,

so pain in this area would indicate a resistance

(a serious resistance!) to accepting.

The right side is related to the

predominant male energy,

it could be you if you are male or

indicate another male in your life.

Right is also about releasing or letting go,

so pain in this area would indicate

a serious resistance to releasing.

The area on your body is yet another clue as to what in your life needs your immediate attention. For example, legs or feet represent moving forward, so left side indicates the need to allow something or someone in your life in order to move forward. Right side would indicate the need to release something or someone in your life in order to move forward. Arms are about relationships, shoulders are about the responsibilities you carry and so on.

When I was in high school I worked at a little Catholic book store and I remember reading one book entitled, “Where is God When it Hurts?” by Philip Yancey. This book was fascinating to me because it addressed why we have pain and talked about leprosy, which affects the nerve endings of the body. What I believed was a dis-ease of the skin, as I was taught in religion class, was in fact the absence of pain. It was assumed that it was rotting skin, but it was the complications created when you could not feel an injury, such as a simple blister. When it doesn’t hurt you do not give it any attention.

Neuropathy is a common issue with those learning with diabetes, it is what I call a cascade. Cascades are “complications” that can be created with dis-eases. Neuropathy is the condition that affects the nerve endings and often begins with the toes and fingers. I wonder how many “lepers” were actually learning from diabetes instead?

Pain is a gift of self-preservation. Pain is your body attempting to get your attention NOW. What you do with the pain (message) can make all the difference in your life. What do YOU do when you experience pain? Do you listen and thank your body for sharing or do you quickly reach for something to “take the pain away?” What you are really doing is telling your body to “shut up”. Yep. The pain is there for a reason, and the reason is two fold, it is an indication of actual physiological issues needing your attention, but also metaphysical issues needing your attention.

Thank your body for sharing its message with you, listen to the metaphysical correlation and THEN take something to quiet the pain and comfort your body.

Listen first. I am so annoyed when the pharmaceutical commercials come on the television., Arthritis? Before you take that pill, examine what you are holding on to and why you are afraid to let it go?! THEN look into the proper medications. I am a doctor’s best friend, I am an advocate for whatever you have a consciousness for. If it is surgery, so be it. If it is a prescription, fine, BUT EXAMINE WHAT YOUR BODY IS TELLING YOU BEFORE YOU TRY TO FIX THE HURT. Otherwise the message will just find another outlet, and it will often get more intense.

My nephew coined a term when he was a little boy, he would wrestle in the living room with my brother. Being the typical child, my nephew wouldn’t stop, he want to go on again and again and again. My brother would try to end their sessions but my nephew would be insistent so the play would rougher and rougher until it stopped. My nephew would come into the kitchen crying, “Uncle John just gets ‘hurtier and hurtier’!”  It was my brother’s (a bachelor) solution to quell the insistence of our nephew.

I love that term! It is so self-explanatory. Your body, your life, WILL get “hurtier and hurtier” if the messages are ignored. Let your body know you are listening, by examining your emotions and your life as well as your language. It is not just what your body is telling you, it is also what you are telling your body! If you keep referring to something or someone as a “pain” or a “pain in the @?s” are you experiencing hemorrhoids?

If someone “ticks you off” have you experienced urinary or bladder infections? Again, where is the pain, and what area in your life correlates with that pain? Any form of –itis in the body is intense anger. WHERE that -itis is located gives us a clue as to what you are angry about. Tonsillitis is all about expressing (or not expressing) yourself. Depending on the circumstances it could be that you regret an outburst or you regret NOT speaking up. I often know if someone has “had words” with another based on the amount of red around their throat center! Cystitis, which I address in my entry on The Color of Pain can indicate being “really pissed-off” at someone.

Appendicitis is about burying your anger so much it finally bursts. It is usually because there is an authority figure that dictates a lot of your life (could be a boss, parent, spouse) forcing you to  suppress your anger and true feelings. Until your body has had enough and then it bursts. And with appendicitis, it can become fatal very quickly…so pain in this area is a serious message to deal openly and honesty with your feelings.

Your body is a messenger. Your body does not have an agenda. Understanding the messages and “course correcting” with the subtle nudges (the “feathers” of guidance) can keep the “elephant” (accident, pain or dis-ease) from dropping on your head!

Have a wonderful week. My newest entry at www.queenofcolor.com is all about The Color of Pain! Check out how pain manifests in the energetic system.