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HOW Did I Get in My Own Way?

Our creative power is our birthright.

If YOU do not limit yourself,

then you have no limitations.

Every action, every thought you think is governed by law. We have to have an established set of laws in order to have order. Birds migrate, the sun rises and sets, wounds heal, babies cry, the seasons come and go, the tides ebb and flow, influenced by the moon and the planets. Order governed by universal laws keeps us from drifting along aimlessly, good things or bad things happen yet it is all in order, per order, due to universal law.

In our thoughts, progress is born and progress resides, ALL progress. All people think. I believe we take thinking for granted. We may be aware of our thoughts but actually thinking we take for granted- like breathing or blinking. It just happens doesn’t it? So why are some people “great thinkers” while others are not so ambitious? Constructive thinkers achieve in any area they set their sights upon, and all achievements began with the mental homework before anything else began. There is no such thing as luck or fate, it is all constructed within your own mind, your own thoughts, and then brought back to you in some form representational of those thoughts.

So, how DID you get in your own way? You created the circumstances and brought in the right individuals to support your doubts and manifest your challenges. Your life, your health, your relationships are a direct product of your thought. AND to top it all off, knowing that thoughts are living, acting, and forever manifesting still does not stop us as humans from assuming that poverty, sickness, fear, and loneliness are also part of the human experience. In reality, the law of the universe (GOD) does not have room for the negative; the active law is all about abundance, health, joy, and perfection. The only negativity this world has to offer is what we invite and introduce through our limited belief system. If YOU do not limit yourself, then you have no limitations.

I am still so amazed at how hypnosis plays such an integral part in my practice, and that is not including actual hypnosis sessions. You may not realize or recognize how or when hypnosis is being used, but trust me, there is an element of hypnosis in your day to day -if not hour to hour- life.

I am often asked by new clients about predictions or negative (“bad”) news, and this is a wonderful opportunity to explain my professional ethics and WHY it is imperative to impart only positive and constructive (there is that word again: “constructive”) information. What you give the most thought you attract, you create, you CONSTRUCT.

How many of you have been to a psychic and received disturbing information? I have, long ago and perhaps that is one of the reason I do not categorize myself as a psychic, nor do I go to “psychics” for advice. I do not like the implications of fortune telling and predictions and get tired of fighting the stereotypes. Although I am very much a psychic and a psychic medium, I work differently than the stereotypical psychic. More than anything I AM A TEACHER. My impetus, my passion is to empower you, offer you information that is constructive, creative, and positive, information for you to wrap your conscious and your subconscious mind around and manifest the information into your reality.

Where do I get that information? From you, I see what you are attracting, often in the form of color. Your thoughts are all energy before you decide to do something with them, and that is what I see when I look at people. Ever wonder how I got the title, Queen of Color? It is because I see your color, your energetic system, as well as the energy you hold onto, attract, and release. Different colors, color symbols and patterns, even combinations represent what you are CONSTRUCTING, attracting, repelling, ignoring! That is how I can tell you with confidence what is coming into your life, or what you can avoid by shifting your thoughts to the positive. I am a “cosmic academic adviser” of sorts. When you have the confidence, the faith in my ability to tell you what I see around you then you give it energy, positive emotions, and turn your magnet on full blower!

Getting disturbing information from someone you value will cause you to give that suggestion energy, time, thought, and emotion …it is hypnosis, self-hypnosis and he or she has given you the script to play over and over. Then ALL kinds of stuff can happen that fall within this energy and thought pattern. That is why you should always be careful and check out a psychic or intuitive carefully.

When you focus on fear, caution, worry, or failure you attract those things, conditions, people and events that perpetuate those thoughts. Those thoughts are hypnosis! Hypnosis is another term for affirmations or prayer. It deals with bypassing the conscious mind and helping the subconscious mind rearrange the details it has stored over the years. The function of your subconscious mind is to build (CONSTRUCT) into your life, your health, your relationships, all your surroundings the finished masterpiece you build with your thoughts.

Your subconscious mind works solely on suggestion, hypnosis is suggestion, self-hypnosis is repeated suggestion to help your subconscious prioritize,  arrange and rearrange the details of your thoughts and suggestions. Your subconscious will pay attention to the passion, conviction, EMOTION, behind the goal you create in your mind, in your thoughts. A majority of my clients are “victims of circumstance” and they ALL have one thing in common; they cannot define what will make them happy, they have no direction and no purpose. They do not know what they want, therefore they become frustrated with constantly running into walls.

We all have been there, more than once…pumping ourselves up to get motivated, or perhaps stay motivated. Getting knocked down, having a setback or a relapse, finances finally squared away and then BAM! A bounced check or a late fee (or both!) business booming and all of a sudden nothing…one week without a cigarette, then right back to two packs a day…losing six pounds only to gain seven back…exercising everyday and loving it, then a cold or perhaps a twisted ankle and you get out of the “habit”…why does this happen?

Even when we work hard and have the best of intentions we have setbacks, some are small and just annoying, others are significant and devastating. When you are looking for something or someone to blame, you need not go far- self-sabotage is the reason for any walls, blocks, or stumbles on your way. Dis-ease, poverty, fear, sorrow, lack are all due to ignorance as to the law of abundance and the law of supply.

What about that law of supply? Just think of nature and the abundance that resides on this earth.  We are always supplied with what we need, only our doubt and fear block what is more than plentiful, and what you can have as your own. I have been canning and preserving for weeks from a modest little garden that Tom put out this year! One seed, one plant and there is summer squash out the wazoo. Why wouldn’t money, opportunities, education, all work the same way? It does, and when it doesn’t, I have a pretty short list, all I have to do is look within. Understanding and having the faith in keeping with your dreams and desires will always make them happen. It is the law of the universe.

When you desire something so bad you can taste it that is because that “something” is trying to find its way into your life. If there wasn’t a connection, a direct pipeline, then you would feel nothing at all it would be more like a second thought. So, knowing that tidbit, how do you get out of your own way and allow it into your life? Lose the “BUT” and just hold the image you have constructed, hold it, think it, and own it. It is not something you want, it is something you have, say “it is mine.”

Next week, I will talk about how to identify your own barriers, and since knowledge is power you can find your limitation and build a script to help your subconscious mind rearrange the details and get moving again. Have a wonderful week, and pay attention to those thoughts, but also your thinking processes.

Miracles are not contrary to nature,

but only contrary to what we know about nature.

-St. Augustine

When we do the best we can,

we never know what miracle is wrought

in our lives or in the life of another.

–Helen Keller

“>

Last week’s story touched a chord in so many. It is amazing to me how the perspective of a story or a situation is so profoundly influenced by personal circumstances. Some individual’s wrote with grave concern about my state of affairs, others wrote with gratitude that I showed my “human side” . Others sent congratulations and encouragement because they realized that it wasn’t about being stuck, it was really about moving up to the next level of achievement, yet not knowing where to go or what to do first.

I went back and re-read my entry, I was lamenting over lack of progress, not on a client basis, that success speaks for itself, but on an overall business-building basis. Running a business is one thing, BUILDING a business is another, and building this as a business is taking away from what I love the most, clients and readings, teaching and writing.  It must be because it was St. Jude that “spoke” to me…and he is the patron saint of hopeless, desperate cases that communicated more duress than I am experiencing.

The real message in the entry was:

what I perceived as trials and tribulations

were merely answers to my query.

I have so many opportunities available right now, yet there is only one of me, so where are my energies best invested? And yes, I did get the answer, and that is the miracle behind it all and no, not the miracle of me finally “getting it”. I am talking about the message and how the message was transmitted. It all gets back to helping clients, helping people understand and “course correct” their lives, their relationships, and ultimately, their health and whealth.

Just exactly what is a patron saint and why are they associated with miracles? The Catholic Church has well over ten thousand of them, and they represent anyone or anything, from all social classes and ethnic groups. They also represent everything human in all of us. Initially, saints were martyrs, dying for their faith and their belief in Jesus Christ. Often churches were erected at the site of martyrdom or burial and then named for the saint. That saint would then become the patron saint of that church; if a religious order or priests, monks, nuns would form within that area or that church they often would name their order after that saint. Franciscans are followers of St. Francis, The Augustinians named after St. Augustine for example, and they would follow the path and the holy work of that saint.

The word “patron” is from the Latin word patronus, which means “protector of clients” or “defender.” Often one resonates with a patron saint for personal reasons, it may be you are named after them, you share your birthday with their feast day. A feast day commemorates the day of a saint’s death. There may be a theme that resonates with you and a saint, location, occupation, plight, or situation, there is no steadfast rule, there just has to be a connection. You do not have to be Catholic to have a patron saint, or to make a novena, you just need to feel a connection. I laugh as we Catholics seem to have a saint for everything and everyone, so no worries, there is even a saint for clowns and circus workers (St Julian the Hispitalier), disappointing children (St Clotilde), and junk dealers (St. Anne).

Devotional art, such as depicted on holy cards, is so loaded with messages.  Because each saint represents different occupations or different countries or different maladies they have their own icons and symbols. Their life in general is a symbol and when one will resonate with a particular saint, a particular life of a saint, and the particular life lessons of the saints, then one feels a special bond with that saint.

That bond is an energy band, and it is the same thing I speak of in a reading when I offer a client the name of their guide or guides. I also assign a particular spelling of that name or particular symbols associated with that guide. It creates a bond and it puts the client at a similar frequency with their guide, offering information that makes sense to a client concerning their guides strengthens that connection.

In a reading, I am the conduit to allow you to connect to your guide (your “patron”). I can offer you the contact information and help you connect. It is up to you to keep that connection clear and open by associating meaning and be open to symbols and dialogue with your guides that makes sense to YOU in order for YOU to take full advantage of that introduction and build on that connection. The more you read and know about a particular person, the closer you become because you find commonalities. That is building rapport and that strengthens that energy band.

Being introduced to your guide (guides) is no different than choosing a patron saint. For Catholics, children are often named for a saint; I was taught that it was expected to name your children after the saints. The reason behind this tradition is so the saint serves as a guide through the life of that individual.

I am named after St. Catherine, and there are several St. Catherine’s so where do I go from there?  I was always told my name was the “French spelling” so I assume I was named after St. Catherine Laboure of France. It is interesting to note, that she also had a life path number of 22, which is my life path number. She designed the Miraculous Medal after given the information from the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was described as having a romantic nature and was known for her visions and intuitive insights. We have one big difference, she kept silent for 40 some years, I don’t see that happening.

Here is a little tidbit, which I find so fascinating, particularly with my title and brand as The Queen of Color…she described seeing the Virgin Mary standing on a globe, wearing many rings of different colors, most of which shone rays of light over the globe. I think that is just too cool.

The Metaphysics in the Miracle

I would like to explain a bit about a novena. Novenas are prayers, meditations, you can even call them affirmations. Novenas are symbolic with the number nine as they are a nine-day prayer cycle. Nine vibrations trigger the ending of situations, people, and circumstances that no longer serve you. You could even say it is a clearing of sorts, so it makes so much sense to take this through a nine-day cycle.

In numerology 1-9 is the entire single digit system, all is reduced to one of the single nine digits. 9 is also a triad, the trinity, three-threes, representing perfection. It is a beginning, a middle, and an end. The trinity of course is one of the most prominent Christian symbols. Therefore to connect with your saint each day for nine days is important. It is not about memorizing a prayer that you do not understand; it is about taking time everyday to connect with your saint (or a guide) of your choice.

Saints aren’t “saints” until they have died and a miracle can be proven on their behalf. It is believed that if a miracle occurs then they are in “favor” with Jesus and therefore you can ask them to intercede for you. What does that mean? In practical terms, it means you are asking them to put in a good word for you, like a recommendation. And it makes sense to work with a saint that knows what you are going through, so that is why certain saints can be invoked (“commissioned”) for certain favors.

Fundamental Christians have trouble with this part, they believe you can only go through Jesus and all else falls on deaf ears. That is their belief, taken from the New Testament and given that context I can honor that belief. Their guides work just as hard with them as our guides work with us. On the other side they are very patient with our human interpretation of  words. Language is a cultural challenge which is why symbol is often used to communicate the true messages of spirit.

To experience and recognize miracles no matter how small or how immense they may seem to be, reinforces our beliefs that we are heard, we are loved, and we are all-spiritual beings getting some help with the human part.

The unbelievable miracles are often small miracles that have been recognized and nurtured and therefore given power to manifest to their full potential.

That is the difference between a small miracle and a large miracle.

Recognizing that we have the potential for miracles within us everyday can make all the difference in the world. I often talk about miracles in healing and have found that

miracles occur when everybody involved in the lesson “get’s it”.

That is not just immediate family members and loved ones, it could be the nurse, a doctor, a caregiver, even a neighbor, or co-worker. We never really recognize how many lives we touch, not until our life review do we really feel and know the measure of our worth, even though our capacity to recognize our worth is within us, we tend to overlook that gift of insight. And it is really only then we understand that we are all capable of miracles, we all have performed miracles, we are all “saint material”.

Saints offer us a safe place to put our thoughts and give our thoughts direction. Connecting for nine days as with a novena, with the belief that a miracle will occur and putting your thoughts in that positive direction can only bring benefits, after all it is the Law of Attraction.

Placing an intention out to the universe is serious business and acknowledging your power within to co-create the life you choose, the life you feel you deserve needs to be given some thought and reverence. But also, like my situation last week, you can’t sit back and wait for the miracles to happen, you have to get into the game AND be receptive to the miracles already around you, already given to you.

How many miracles are passed by because they did not manifest in the form we envisioned? I bet quite a few, and like me with St. Jude I was looking for an action, even though I asked for a message. Yet, listening to the message and acting upon it will bring about the miracle you envision. Be open to the slightest shift from the norm, as that can very well be the small miracle ASKING to be cultivated and nurtured into the bigger miracle YOU’RE ASKING for.

Blessings to you, and have a miraculous week. I am pulling out my “Miraculous Medal” given to me by Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim for my first communion. I haven’t looked at it in years! Catherine

Where there is pain, cures will be found.

Where there is poverty, wealth will be supplied.

Where there are questions, answers will be given.

Spend less time worrying and more time trusting.

-Jalil al-Din Rumi (1207-1283) Persia

Give me beauty in the inward soul;

and may the outward and inward person be at one.

May I reckon the wise to be the wealthy,

and may I have such a quantity of gold as a temperate man can bear and carry-

Anything more?

This prayer, I think, is enough for me.

-Socrates (469-399 BC) Greece

What a week! I know I say that every week, but this week I really mean it! This is one for the books, or at least the blog book. Last week as I was finishing up my Kick! my office was struck by lightning and it took out the cable, internet, router, network card on one computer, and singed the hair on my forearms. Everyone was asking what that was all about, and to be honest with you, I myself had to take some time to figure it all out. This entry is a long one, but worth the read.

It all began on Tuesday when I had gone into the store for some things. I found myself in an aisle with the Mexican food and looked down to see novena candles. Why they put them there I’ll never know, but they are always in the Mexican food section at every store. I thought to myself, “can’t hurt” so I picked up a St. Jude candle thinking that I fit his criteria, as he is the patron saint of hopeless and desperate cases. It worked for Danny Thomas, the entertainer and I believe in saints and miracles, I just have never really asked or gone through the ritual of a novena.

I decided to light my candle and start my novena, asking for help and guidance, more than anything help to get out of my own way and find some answers as to where to put my focus. I have so many irons in the fire (and always have) that sometimes it can be overwhelming. I have my guides, yes, and I listen to them but sometimes even I can’t see the forest through the trees. I asked for the billboard, not anymore of the subtle stuff…just tell me what to do next!

My first billboard, which I “drove” right past was the next day. My daughter Sarah and I were at a local store and at the checkout there was a beautiful writing pen. I picked it up and said, “I had a pen like this and lost it over a year ago, maybe even two years ago, I loved that pen.” Well, I had bought that pen when I started my book “Beyond Food and Fat” over three years ago. This book has had nothing but setbacks and disappointments, and I finally was able to get the rights back from Llewellyn Worldwide just about a month ago.

I had hired different editors and each revision was rejected by Llewellyn. With this last editor I decided to forget about making Llewellyn happy, I wanted the book to be in my voice and similar in tone to my Thursday Kicks! After all, it is my book and many like my style of writing because it is narrative and offers a feeling of intimacy. I agree, and really, it is the only way I know how to write. I enjoy writing like I am talking with each of you individually. In a sense I am, I put myself in that space when I sit down.

I still had three chapters to review sitting in my inbox, they had been there for weeks.  Meanwhile, my right shoulder is killing me and yes, I knew it had to do with letting go of something, but what? I couldn’t figure out. I knew it was work related, as shoulders represent burden and work. But for the life of me, what was I holding on to? Well, my guides, and St. Jude were about to give me a couple big hints, and some guidance in the process.

On the way home from the local store, Sarah and I talked about the writing pen a little more, then I mentioned St. Jude and that I had started a novena. A novena is a nine-day prayer cycle and can be offered to any Saint that you resonate with. (I will talk about the metaphysics of saints next week.) You do not have to be Catholic, you just have to have faith in a miracle. I also explained to her about St. Jude and St. Jude’s hospital and how I resonated with Danny Thomas and his plight.

I have had thoughts and feelings that if my career didn’t break soon and jump to the next level allowing my income to be proportionate with my talent, my experience, and my knowledge, I would just send out a blanket e-mail and say, “I quit”, and go find a teaching job somewhere. Yep, me, the ultimate upbeat, motivational person, quit. And I can find the guidance in anything (except maybe not this week). Yes, even I get tired of hitting walls and telling myself  “oh, this is guidance” or “this will just make a good story for a movie of the week”.

How many times can we pick ourselves up?

Well, the answer is, “as many times as it takes to get where you’re going”.

Sarah and I pulled into the drive and I walked into my office to work on my Kick! In the middle of the office floor is my pen. Yep, my pen. How it got there I don’t even care, but there it was. I ran into the house and scared my daughter Sarah half to death, screaming, “It’s a St. Jude miracle!”

Of course, did I go beyond the act and see the message? No, I did not. Not yet anyway.

Now we shift to Wednesday, and I am finishing my entry and posting my video. The last tidbit is always the newsletter, and as I sat down and began typing away, out of nowhere was a big clap of lightning, there wasn’t a storm it was just lightning. It had traveled through the cable/internet line through the router and came through my laptop, which is a metal Powerbook G4 and knocked me back. It felt like I had grabbed the horse fence at the farm.

I smelled smoke, but everything seemed to be fine, even the electricity was working. All three computers were in tact, which is so amazing. But I realized that the router was fried and it was too late that night to go buy a new one.

I went into the house and of course, I am frustrated on top of being frustrated…over thinking and trying to make sense of it all. Sarah is calling it “day 2” of my St. Jude miracle…since I wasn’t hurt, and the computers, office, and all but the router was fine.

Of course, did I go beyond the act and see the message? No. I did not. Not yet anyway.

The next day there was no Thursday Kick! I go to Wytheville on Thursday’s and volunteer at Copper Crest Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program. In the morning I had made an appointment with a friend and wonderful talent, Denise Romano for a second cranial sacral treatment. While I was on the table, she mentioned that my right arm and shoulder just “won’t give it up” and mentioned whatever I was holding onto needed to be released. I knew that already, but what was it? I already had two billboards, the pen and the lightning, and now here she was using the word “right” over and over…I heard “right” but the answer was “write”…

Of course, did I go beyond the act and see the message of Day 3? No. Now they were trying to TELL me and I didn’t even hear it. Not yet anyway.

I stopped and bought a router but by the time we got home from Wytheville it was late and I figured I would set it up in the morning (Friday) and get my Kick! out after my morning client. I walked into the office and turned on one of my lights. It flickered, faded, then just went out. As did all my computers, the electric was out, just dead. I checked the fuse box, replaced the fuse, but still nothing. I fought back tears (again) and just left, thinking that my “direction” my “guidance” was to just quit and work on a resume.

I had to reschedule two clients because I didn’t have the facilities.  Having an already tight budget, raising three kids, running a business with grocery money, and trying to keep the tenuous string from breaking was taking its toll. And all I was asking, was for St. Jude (the universe) to throw me bone! Shoot, I even asked Danny Thomas…Actually, to be honest, I was praying for the lottery. And I did buy one quick pick ticket. (Don’t know if there is a law about a psychic picking winning numbers, so I always get a quick pick to cover my bases). Yes, I am human.

Anyway, this was it. I was done. I just threw up my arms and went for a walk or you could say I went “wandering aimlessly”. I called Tom and said, “so much for a novena, the criteria must be that St. Jude didn’t think I was hopeless or desperate enough.” I again asked for guidance, what do I do? hang up my hat or just keep trudging forward with progress slow, so slow.Paying bills one client at a time…

I returned to the office, for some reason, the electricity was working fine, like nothing had happened. I even asked the neighbor if he fixed it for me? He hadn’t. Yes, another miracle. So I was fine to work, but the cable/internet still needed restored. The cable guy showed up an hour later, and by Friday late afternoon, all was restored. Now what? Resume? start looking for jobs? keep going one more week? thinking that “big break” will come…that big contract I have been seeing in my head…so, I did what I do, and I pulled out my list of “things to do”…and there it was.

Plain as day, and yes, direct as lightning.

I just did not see it through all the emotion.

On a piece of paper was written:

• “finish book edits” (there was the message with the Beyond Food writing pen in the middle of my office floor)

• “finish application process for Lightning Source” (which is where I am publishing the book! there was the LITERAL message with the lightning)

• “finish business cards, send off to printer”

• “finish application for national trademark for Queen of Color.”

Are you laughing yet? I am finally laughing, and as I have told this story to a few clients they find it refreshing that even I, The Queen of Color, can have some limited views when it comes to allowing guidance into my life.

St. Jude was working overtime on this one! After spending an afternoon with Tom at the farm, I also gained more insight into the guidance. He mentioned that I had so many irons in the fire trying to cover my bases that I just needed to chill out. I heard that loud and clear and that gave me the insight to look at what had happened from an entirely different perspective.

The universe was taking irons out of my fire for me, guiding me through the process of elimination. I was focusing on the new website, membership site information, NGH workshop and conference, Baltimore and workshop, products, and so much other stuff, that I was overlooking what needed to be done to get me moving to the next level. I know I needed to get that book done, and get the next book done. Everything on that list was finished in a matter of 24 hours.

Now it is time to give it a God Minute and let the book, Beyond Food and Fat, the workbook, and the audio CD’s take root. The time was not right for that book, but the time is right now. It is a good book, as I sat and read through the edited version, I tried to understand why I have blocked its progress? It will help so many, as it has helped me and it is time to move forward with it. And as it is being processed and finished, I will finish up the next book which is a compilation of my Kicks! So in a sense, it is already there!

I have been told all along that it will be these books that will make all the difference. So, getting out of my own way and finishing these projects were the messages behind the miracles.

Next week I will talk about patron saints, including St. Jude, the universe, the law of attraction and how miracles are around us everyday, we just need to be open to them. (tell me about it.) Blessings to you!

We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin.

–Andre Berthiaume

In the world to come I shall not be asked, “Why were you not Moses?” I shall be asked, “Why were you not Zusya?”

-Rabbi Zusya

As always, there have been at least three queries or messages regarding a certain subject matter, which leads me to write about it in my Thursday Kick! This week is no different, and I am addressing schizophrenia.

It is defined as a brain dis-ease with symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Individuals can become withdrawn, defensive, and fearful.

Of course, it was just today that I sat with a client and had a wonderful conversation with her guide, staring into space right next to her and gathering information to pass along…then went on later to say, “Oh, my youngest, he reads my mind all the time!” I then started doing some research on schizophrenia, and laughed so hard. Then my daughter walks into the office to see what all the laughter was about. I told her I would explain later.

So, what does make the difference between my work as an intuitive and someone teaching (and learning) from schizophrenia? In describing symptoms, there seems little distinction, but understanding that we are all energy, being grounded can make all the difference. With this dis-ease, there is no touchstone so to speak. Schizophrenia often develops in puberty, and it is this time in our life where we begin to define and understand self.

It is imperative to work with a health care professional and give full medical history. Tests and exams can rule out physiological causes and help to hone in on an honest diagnosis. As a consulting hypnotist as well as a medical intuitive, it is important to fully understand the medical history, treatment, and the medications being experienced by the client, and also important to have communication with their medical professional.

More than anything, it is to help them understand the “why” behind the dis-ease. Often, I will work with the partner or the children of those teaching/learning from the dis-ease rather than those personally experiencing the lessons.

I am always very curious about this dis-ease, because so many symptoms that are described or experienced I try to attribute to intuitive hunches, past life memory, and psychic ability…again it is about being grounded, but also not having a connection to an appropriate source. Deciphering the difference between intuitive ability and delusions can be challenging. One of the major clues can be found in their numerological chart. Over the years as I have found that substance abuse, such as drugs or alcohol can have some basis in trying to quell the channel, (“quiet the voices”). These are people that are highly gifted with intuitive abilities but don’t know that it is intuitive behavior or this behavior has been ostracized due to strong fundamental religious views.

I often ask them about childhood, imaginary playmates, even possible past life glimpses, which can help me to understand their situation a bit better. It also helps me to understand how they process the information they received, and how their gift was handled by family and loved ones. Nurturing this ability in children is the best gift we can give the world, yet so often it is quelled and not questioned.

Looking at their numerology, particularly the life lesson (which is the totality of dd/mm/yyyy of birth) as well as their Destiny (derived from full name at birth) can help me understand the depth of the lesson. Addiction numbers in a chart, such as 12/3 (this is a “victim” number, as 3 faces into the past) or 5, which is the number I refer to as “sex, drugs, and rock and roll!” A 5 is all about adventure, experience, and excess, where as a 3 faces the past, 5 is pulled in two different directions. These are not “bad” numbers, they are lesson numbers.

So, if I see the numbers 3 or 5 I know that the addiction has been contracted to teach about love, letting go, accountability (and a slew of other things)…Now, if I see MASTER Numbers, such as 11, 22, even 33 then I can be fairly confident that the person is intuitive and does not know how to deal with this gift, or does not WANT to deal with this gift. They seek an outside source to quiet the voices, quell the energy so to speak. Grounding is what they need, but what they end up seeking out is a substance that will take them out of reality.

Either way, schizophrenia can be manifested, in some cases it is even manifested because of drug use…so one thing cascades into another. Finding out what the lessons are behind the dis-ease is the key to helping someone cope with the experience. What if none of the numbers above are in someone’s chart? Then they are teaching with the dis-ease…it is not about their lessons…they contracted to teach others around them. I call this “taking one for the team” because they incarnate in order to facilitate others’ lessons.

Again, it is knowing the “why” and then looking at those individuals immediately influenced by the dis-ease and the lessons involved. I have had quite a few clients that have had a family member, sister, mother, brother, father that experienced this dis-ease. Interesting that most find their way to my door in their later years, having quelled their intuitive gifts for so long, thinking it may be heredity and they were manifesting schizophrenia.  I told you I laughed when I read the symptoms and diagnosis! It is indeed a thin line.

The energy that surrounds someone learning/teaching with schizophrenia is broken and fissured. The best way to describe it: a reflection in a broken mirror. In their energy there is not a flow from left to right, it is as if they are “self-contained” and in a sense they are, they are in their own little world…but I will not describe them as closed off, rather they are wide open to accept energy and influences, they just cannot process and release the energy. In a way, they keep it and store it, not knowing what to do with it. They are energy “hoarders” and they have a meltdown when the energy gets overloaded again, they cannot ground that energy. Grounding allows you to rid yourself of unwanted energy, it is about flow.

There is a comfort about retreating inward, but also on some level they feel a need to reconnect with their Divine Source. Schizophrenia is a disconnect from source, which is one of the reasons there is such hopelessness. From a color standpoint, the depletion is in the crown center. Often the “tissue issue” is wrapped around recognition, not being recognized for the individual they are. My experience has been that the majority of my clients over the years are middle children and with that there can be a perception that they were overlooked (not recognized), at least by one parent.

In undergraduate school I took a sociology class that focused on the birth order of children and behavior patterns. It is interesting to note, and I have paid attention to this over the years, that so often in a larger family it is the middle child that tends to act out (even as an adult) in order to gain recognition or garner attention from a parent. This parent is often the opposite sex parent.

Looking into the energy field of someone teaching/learning from schizophrenia can be challenging, particularly if they are on medications. Psychotropic drugs can mask their energy field because they are often used to quiet the neural impulses within the brain, so often the energy field is dull and cloudy. If there is much anger or agitation then the field also has a rust, maroon overtone.

The best color to surround someone with schizophrenia is white. White is all colors, and I often refer to it as “the Christ light” because it is hope and represents enlightenment. Also, the person with this dis-ease can take whatever colors they need in order to balance out their energy.

Everyone have a great week! Blessings to you. Catherine

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

–Dale Carnegie

Effort only full releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

–Napoleon Hill

What a month July has been! Could we expect anything different with a 7 vibrational month in a 3 vibrational year? 7 is all about spiritual seeking, logic, ego, and is represented by the color white: the color of hope. Then we throw the 3 in there which is all about self, self-esteem, self-worth, and of all things, self-expression! This is represented by the color yellow. Well, I exercised my right of self-expression myself this month, more than once…and it seems that I have NOT been alone.

When you add the 3 year with the 7 month you achieve a wonderful number: 10.Why is it wonderful? 10 is all about manifesting. When I look at a client’s chart and they have a 10 in a prominent position within their numerology chart my first comment is “be careful what you wish for…” That is because 10 is all about manifesting, it is the 1 of new beginnings with the thrust of 0 behind it. 10 is wonderful, but instant manifestation can be chaos if you are not aware of its presence or its power.

That is one of the reasons everyone has been in a bit of chaos this past month! Yes, in a sense, your thoughts and feelings have put you there and kept you there (or in my case, gotten me out of my own mess, and my own way).

This week’s entry is not really about the chaos of this month, it is about willpower. It is ironic though as I sat down to write about willpower I was offered the little tidbit on the month’s vibration and just smiled. It all makes sense, even down to the revisiting of two wonderful entries from years ago: A God Minute and Cosmic Closet Cleaning! How they resonated with so many, and helped me get through the past few weeks as well. But the correlation is that willpower resides in the 3rd energy center (there is that 3) AND it is all about hope (7) and manifesting, which is the number 10…so it really is all connected this week.

What does get you up in the morning?

What keeps us going?

I have been pushing and plugging for the past three years (and really ten before that!) to build a respectable practice and a reputation for being the best at what I do…and I am The Queen of Color…yet, I question where this drive, this passion comes from?

Where does the power of will originate?

AND, in knowing the answers can it be possible to motivate and instill willpower in anyone? Motivational speakers are always in demand, let me rephrase that, genuine motivational speakers are always in demand. But, what I see time and time again when I attend conferences and watch as others speak, is that the motivation fades 24 hours after you get back home!

When the motivation fades, what prompts some to reach down within and pull up the power of will, and what prompts others to just give up and go back to the same routine? I have a client that will talk everything to death, yet there is never any action. He has a session and I have even gone as far as given lists of tasks to do in order to get from point A to point B…next thing you know, there is a need to “brainstorm” again…yet no action. There is no willpower within him, and as much as I would love to help, that power of will has to come from deep within himself.

There are two key ingredients needed to conjure up the power of will: faith and hope. Faith is belief without foundation, it is one of the most difficult things for humans to grasp. Faith is merging that positive flow of energy with your desires, wants, and wishes without requiring any proof of results.

Have you ever really thought about the phrase that trickles out of most our mouths, “I bet you $$ that it will/won’t…” Right there is our doubt…even in jest it still represents lack of faith. Many, if not most, do not, nor will not operate with pure faith. Proof is often sought before investment of any time or energy is given. It is the nature of our personalities and the nature of being human,

Faith in self gives birth to will, hope in our dreams provides the power to move toward them. Together, faith and hope make it possible to power up our will because having true faith, believing without a doubt, without any proof, that your dreams will become a reality allow you to take a deep breath and evaluate your circumstances. Faith allows you to look at your life from a different perspective:

• Obstacles become guidance.
• Breakups become opportunities for new alliances.
• Accidents become miracles.
• Chaos is merely a clearing of old energy that no longer serves you.

Your faith, then partners with the hope you hold in your dreams, and that is the energy you call upon for will power. Now, this seems rather complicated and daunting doesn’t it? Well, my job is to explain, then simplify it for you…What many do not realize is that the reason you have your dreams and aspirations in the first place is because you “gifted” yourself with a reminder of what you CAN HAVE in this life!

Why would one person have a dream of becoming a doctor, another dreaming of becoming a singer, or having their own company? a house on a lake? or for me, it was always a farm, with my dogs, horses, cows AND a pot-bellied pig…even your “dream” partner is out there. All because you contracted to be a doctor, or have a house on the lake, or to have children, (or ALL of those things!) before you came down to this earth.

Your dreams are your reality you just need to allow them into your life.

Willpower manifests when you believe you can achieve what you set out to do, yet there can be no willpower without a goal in mind. So having those dreams and keeping your eye on the prize is key.

Another key ingredient for maintaining willpower is understanding that it is all about keeping your thoughts and feelings on the goal, the outcome, and give God the details.

Willpower is getting up in the morning and doing what needs to be done throughout the day whether it makes sense at the time or not. Tasks may be put in your path for a reason, and I can say it here with conviction, if it is too much work, too much stress to work through the task, you are being led in another direction.

Hitting a brick wall is guidance, it is not there to create agitation or frustration, it is there to get you to turn to another solution or to release the situation altogether.

Willpower emerges when you can see through the frustrations and accept them for the guidance they are. Not too long ago I was with a client and we were having a similar conversation about tenacity, willpower, and motivation. It does not matter what success story you read about, it is tenacity and passion for your dreams that create your success…and I remember telling her that if someone tells me “No, you cannot do that” my immediate thought (answer) is

“Obviously, you are not my ‘go to’ person.”

In fact, that is one of my personal battle cries.

This week take a moment and look at what this “manifesting” month has brought to you. If you like what is happening then “keep on keeping on” if not, evaluate your events and circumstances from a guidance standpoint. Adjust your thoughts and feelings and take a moment to review or even rework your “Magic Fridge”.

I did this month, it was re-organized and I added a few things, adjusted a few other pictures and phrases. And through it all, I know deep in my soul, where my power of will is rooted, that

I am Divinely Guided.

You are Divinely Guided.

I am a magnet and my dreams are brought closer to my present reality every minute of every day. The only thing that holds them back is my own doubt of my own worth, and that, can be shifted with a simple thought.

Have a beautiful week. Blessings to you. Catherine

Everything that irritates us

about others can lead us to

an understanding of ourselves.

-Carl Gustav Jung

The most annoying thing about the saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is that it is usually true.

-Anonymous

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I have been working diligently on books, products, and getting my weight release and smoking cessation self-hypnosis packages launched and out into the world! So, you will be seeing a new look, new approach to my Kick! And soon to come, new services via webinars, podcasts, and various other opportunities to learn and understand about color, emotions, and dis-ease.

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail that is very timely concerning the summer and all of our adventures that take place in the summer months. Believe it or not bug bites, stings, even scratches and scrapes are guidance and do contain messages regarding your life and direction.

Last weekend, one of Tom’s friends stepped on a spike from the Hawthorne tree (ouch) and this went through the heel of his shoe and into his foot…that was a serious message to say the least. I will talk about that in a minute.

First, as with all issues of the body, it is about location, location, location! Therefore looking at which side of the body, left or right and then where on the body, gives me a pretty good idea of what the message is all about. Also understanding what message is behind the mishap (bite, sting, splinter…) adds to the puzzle.

This week, I am looking at

• Bites
• Stings,
• Scratches
• Splinters
• Rashes (poison ivy. oak)

All of these have one thing in common: skin. Your skin is the largest organ on your body and is all about perception. How we perceive our selves as well as how we think other people view/see us. I talk extensively about skin in a previous entry so will not go into much more detail, rather I will put it into a specific context.

All of the above: bites, stings, scratches, splinters, and rashes irritate or penetrate our skin, therefore they occur in order to challenge our thoughts about how we present ourselves to the world.

Bites, and I am talking about insect bites, not animal bites, indicate guilt, but not something overwhelming or huge.Rather it is guilt over small things that may creep into our daily existence. What person or issue that guilt is wrapped around would be based on where the bites are located. And, just as in a dis-ease that cascades, I find it very telling if there are multiple bites, where the FIRST ONE was that really got your attention…

Stings, although similar to bites tend to have more of a lingering effect. They are more about getting your attention concerning something (or someone) that you are allowing to irritate you.  When the affected area swells, you not only have the irritation, but you are now throwing emotion into the area of contention. Swelling is fluid, therefore when there is a swelling in any area of the body, it is all about emotion. It also represents being stuck in a certain type of thinking, and that is because you cannot take your emotions out of the situation, therefore you cannot process it effectively. So, think about that, the more it swells, the more emotion you are putting into the situation.

I have had people ask why they have gotten stung by a bee and there was a little sting and itch then it dissipates…and no sooner than that happens they get stung again and they swell up like a balloon! My answer is to look at where and what, where were you stung, and what was going on in your life. AND! Another factor, just for grins and giggles, what were you thinking (or what, whom giving hell) at the time you were stung? You may be surprised…it is all very telling.

Scratches and scrapes, occur more often in our childhood rather than in our adult life, in part because as a child we are finding our way through life. Scratches and scrapes represent that way finding through life and certain experiences. They reflect the manner which life can tear away little pieces and parts of us –a little at a time. Often it is our knees, elbows, and fingers that represent the struggles, I personally scraped all three on my right side last week! Yes, yes, even I have my own messages and lessons to learn regarding letting go and moving forward!

Splinters are invasive, and isn’t it amazing how the smallest of splinters can hurt so much and be so irritating? Again it is about where that splinter is that gives us the message. I mentioned that one of Tom’s friends stepped on a Hawthorne spike. It went through his right shoe and into his heel. Your heel is all about grounding and offers us the thrust to move forward. When one cannot put that heel down then there is a serious message about not feeling secure in your footing or foundation.

Wanting to move forward and shift yet the thought of doing so is extremely painful. In a sense, wanting to move on in his life but afraid to begin anew or to start over. Right is also about a predominant male in his life, it could be about himself, wanting to shift out of current circumstances but cannot, we would have to look a bit further to see if it is work related or relationship related. Perhaps it could be about a son, or father. Either way it concerns the pain of “digging his heels in” and pushing forward, even though that is where his thoughts and his heart are pointing, his body is asking, “are you sure?”.

Last but not least, poison ivy, or poison oak.  Poison ivy represents vulnerability, it leaves us open to attack, and if you get poison ivy or know of someone that gets it, the caution and the fear of coming in contact with it is definitely about feeling vulnerable. I have never had poison ivy, but I have contracted poison oak. Interesting at the time, I had never gotten either, and I have never gotten either since! And I am in the woods, on the farm, and in the mountains all the time, so looking at what was going on in my life at the time, AND how I contracted it just makes me laugh now. (it wasn’t funny then, however).

I was going through a divorce and moving to Tennessee to start a new integrated health clinic with my brother, a physician. So, two strong male influences…the poison oak was all over my right arm, wrist, and hand…it never spread anywhere else. That represents releasing relationships and feeling vulnerable. The irony of it, I contracted it from my brother’s dogs! Dogs represent loyalty…so there were some strong messages there. Amazing stuff this is, all messages and guidance if we allow ourselves to listen. It is also important to hold a sense of humor about ourselves and all that can be discerned from our bodies and the world around us.

It is a pleasure to be back in the office! Keep those e-mails and questions coming, I love them. I also appreciate you.

Have a wonderful week! Blessings, Catherine

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Where God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.

–Maria von Trappe from the Sound of Music (and one of my favorite quotes of all time)

There was an earlier entry a couple of years ago where I talked about chaos. I referred to this as a “cosmic closet cleaning” so this week I am revising that entry a bit because of the response from the last two weeks.

We all are having a roller coaster ride it seems…even “Mother Earth” seems to be in a whirl with all that is going on. So many relationships seem to be having conflicts, not just partners, but friends, siblings, parent/child…I received just three e-mails this morning regarding “Catherine! what is going on?”

First, take a breath and get out of the very energy that created the situation, because you cannot solve an problem in the same energy that created it.

Your current upheaval which is seen in its present form of chaos, is change…

These changes were brought on by request which then pushed a reset button.

What is chaos? It is defined as “a condition or place of great disorder or confusion”. OK, did I hit on something here? Spontaneity is what I call “predicted chaos” and this is an attitude, a way of life, perhaps even a right of passage. We all probably know one soul or another that appears to be in constant chaos, but still happy with the commotion. That is because their chaos is for excitement and adventure. It is choosing to be joyful and accept life and all its beautiful twists and turns. This type of spontaneous chaos is an “oh well” moment on the way to an “ah ha” moment.

The other type of chaos is that unpredicted AND unpredictable mess that occurs when you were expecting opportunity and forward motion. It is being blindsided with something other than expected. This chaos can often lead to what I call the “Lt. Dan Meltdown.” Which describes the scene in Forest Gump when Lt. Dan is on the mast of the shrimp boat screaming at God with everything he can muster. We all have those moments; mine as recent as this week!

It is what we do with those moments that define us.

In my work I describe this moment, this chaos,  as a “Cosmic Closet Cleaning”. It is chaos, but chaos does have a purpose. Think about the process of cleaning out a closet… you open the doors usually not even planning to clean, perhaps just looking for something… and one thing leads to another. Contents are all unloaded and fill the room. You have one goal in mind; emptying the closet. So with your head shoved in the darkness, you begin to unload, throw out, and sift through.

You turn and see the room behind you. Geez. There is stuff everywhere!  and now its time for the kids to get home, or time to get dinner started… yet what do you do at the point of no return? I know, I know, some of you are saying, “I shut the door and sleep on the couch.” ha ha…eventually

• You sort.
• You prioritize.
• You organize.

Most importantly, you question.

• What to keep?
• What to throw out?
• What to give to charity?

Your life is no different. Most chaos occurs when you have put out to the universe you are ready for a change. Whether you said,

“I hate my job” (and really mean it this time)

or

“this relationship IS NOT working” (and really mean it this time)

or

“something has got to give” (and really mean it this time)

Whatever. You put out the invite for change. And when you really mean it, it is magnetized, and the chaos begins.

I often talk about the elephant and the feather; when you don’t listen to the feathers, the hints that change is needed in order for you to get to your happy, then eventually the feathers turn into “elephants”.

When the subtle invites for change are not answered by you or your decisions/actions, the rug is pulled, the elephant dropped, and the result is immediate chaos. The universe is telling you it is time to move, move, move…and as in my case this past week, I realized all of the chaos was the universe getting me out of my own way AND being the stubborn woman I am, there was only one way I would listen. The result has been one of the most amazing weeks of my life. Which, if things had gone differently would not have happened.

If you are experiencing chaos right now in your life, think about what you “wished” for last week, or even three, six, or nine months ago. I always tell clients that your health, your life, your relationships are where your thoughts were three, six, nine months ago.

So if you are in chaos, the universe is simply providing you with the tools to put you in the right place with the right people. In actuality, the difficult part is over, I know you are finding it hard to believe, but it is true.

The difficult part was the realization that what you had was NOT working.

The true warriors in this world are the individuals that break from the familiar.

So, chaos is the storm before the calm. Realize that chaos is opportunity in motion, and for some it is opportunity on steroids.

Chaos means your requests, your prayers; your affirmations are being manifested NOW. The universe just has to get things lined up; it is no different than you cleaning out your closet. So take a breath, say thank you, and look for the opportunity in the chaos. It is also a good time to revisit your affirmations, perhaps rework your “Magic Refrigerator” and start anew. If you haven’t read about my “magic refrigerator, please follow that link. Also, I now have a wonderful (continuously expanding) line of products and fridge affirmations are part of these products. Please check out my new online Queen of Color Store!

I have even taken the past week to look at my current chaos to reevaluate my dreams and desires and continue to clarify and define what I really want in my life to be happy.

Remember, it has to be YOUR happy, and not contingent on anyone else’s dreams or desires. There should not be any trepidation with “Cosmic Closet Cleaning”, there should be a sense of renewal and a trust that what you are making room for is something far better and far more wonderful than what you discard. And, giving it to God, you will also realize what manifests i, far more wonderful than what you can even conceive. Put it out there that you want to be happy and trust that what is happening now is needed to get you to that place.

Have a wonderful week. Blessings, Catherine

Begin somewhere;

you cannot build a reputation

on what you intend to do.

-Liz Smith

It is not enough to stare up the steps

-we must step up the stairs.

-Vance Havner

This week is about Getting Out of Your Own Way… the (again) is because this is a previous entry from 2008 that is appropriate and timely for all of us right now. I am reintroducing previous posts for the next couple weeks, taking some much needed R & R and enjoying the summer.

“Getting out of your own way” is otherwise known as “I hear you, Catherine it is good advice, BUT…”

What does “but” stand for? I tried to come up with a good acronym, BUT (hah! there it is…again) I decided to move ahead with this writing and get to the point, in a sense get out of my own way. How many of us have prayed and affirmed only to wait and wonder what the hold up is? Believe it or not, many times the holdup is our own self-talk, our own fear, and our own obstacles.

Manifesting works. Affirmations work. I am living proof of the power of affirmations, I am also living proof of the personal obstacles we place in our paths in order to stay comfortable in our misery. This entry is very important this week, particularly with the economy, elections and the overall mood of the country right now. The time for getting out of your own way has never been more vital, more important than today.

How many of you over the past week have put your dreams on hold? Honestly, think about it, I know for a fact there are at least six of you, because I have talked with you this week and that is why I have chosen to write about how to step aside of self and move ahead. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get out of bed on Monday, only to find that the stock market took the spiritual nose-dive of 777. The need for dreams, vision journals and optimism is imperative now. Motivation is needed always at times when we don’t have the least interest in moving forward.

To get out of your own way means to hold tight to those dreams and visions and let go of how it is going to happen. It is faith on full blower. Holding a dream and a vision can be the most challenging thing for us, particularly when everything seems to be in chaos. It doesn’t seem like a great time right now, but when all is said and done, you will look back and realize it is the straight path to happy. Getting out of your own way means to quit analyzing how you are going to get to the happy, just keep your eye on the happy.

Check the chaos in your life and see if it self-made chaos. I know I talked about the Cosmic Closet Cleaning and it is still a closet cleaning, but which closet? Yours or your neighbor’s? If it your neighbor’s closet or a closet in the spare room then you are getting in your own way. This is not about procrastination; it is about putting your energy somewhere other than the focus. In some cases, as in mine it is trying too hard and putting out energy when I should just be enjoying the journey. Micromanaging is getting in your own way. I am blessed with friends that not only listen to what I say, but observe and throw some of my own wisdom right back at me! Tom is notorious for it. Just last week after I declared how everything was FINALLY falling into place and I even had time off to relax, Tom in his wisdom said “all you needed to do was quit trying so hard and let it happen, you’re good and people need you.” I needed to get out of my own way. I did and still keep my eye on happy, and realized that being happy IS the best method for getting out of your own way.

Simple yes, and I could get in my own way and think about what I don’t have, what I need, want and how difficult it will be to find the time or the money to do whatever. But that blocks happy, that is getting in the way of progress, YOUR progress. Keeping your eye on the prize and trusting the universe to offer you the most direct route to that dream will allow the opportunities to flow. This is even if you are facing bankruptcy, foreclosure, job loss or just chaos in your life. As I mentioned in the other entries look at what is happening from a different perspective and even though it is mega-stress it is important to keep your eye on happy and your dreams in order to get you through. So many change their focus rather than accepting that what is occurring is guidance, a reset button, and believe it or not, progress.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT NOT HOW YOU GET THERE. And, here is another tidbit, enjoy the journey as it unfolds, but don’t force it. I didn’t say this advice was easy, I just said it was advice! Your homework this week is to redefine your dreams, or perhaps just resurrect them. How long have they been buried or abandoned? Plan, dream and fantasize about where you would travel, or perhaps buy a house? Create a job, or find a partner? Pay attention to your self-talk and bless it on its way out the door! Allow your dreams to unfold and say to your guides and angels that you ARE ready to move forward. Think of the Lord’s prayer, “thy will be done” in a new context. It is about allowing.

Give yourself the gift of dreaming and planning. When you look at the goal, keeping the eye on the prize it takes the energy off the fear and puts it toward happy and the goal. THAT IS HOW THE LAW OF ATTRACTION WORKS.

I am LIVING PROOF THAT IT WORKS OVER AND OVER AGAIN…You create your future and it is fun, but you need to put all doubt aside and just be with your plans and discard the “how could I possibly get there” frustrations. That is what getting out of your own way is all about.

SAVE the DATE, more info to come…

There will be a workshop in Baltimore on September 24-26 that will focus on identifying the obstacles in your life and how to remove them in order to move forward. It is entitled

Stop Sabotaging Yourself:

Getting Out of Your Own Way

It will be an amazing two days (Sat and Sun) with two professionals in the field, myself and my good friend, Gene Monterastelli. Check out his EFT info!

Life on the farm is a school of patience;
you can’t hurry the crops or make an ox in two days.

Never cut what you can untie.

For the next couple of week’s I am revisiting some of my older posts. In part it is seeking balance and taking a couple week’s off -but I also have realized that my list has grown so much over the past year, many have not even seen these early posts. When I revisited, here was this picture or Rosie and me…and a reminder of how things do shift.

First, I want to say that my “mascot” Rosie (Rosebud) seen in this picture was the inspiration for my first Thursday Kick! Of course it had everything to do with her being a donkey…and believe me there have been many times over the past two years I have needed my “donkey”  kicked…Tom would often make the reference to us having “stubborn” in common.

The sad news is that Rosie was lost in the spring floods this year. The same rains that devastated  Tennessee impacted us as well. We all miss her. We never found her, so there is a slight possibility she is eating someone’s hay and Long John Silver’s Lobster Bites…(inside joke)  so if you hear about a pink donkey with bad feet that loves her food let me know! She was a personality to be reckoned with…she and I respected each other and I learned a lot from her. She helped the kids heal after the divorce and brought us much entertainment. (Mainly because the kids would compare her nature to mine!) I find it ironic that with her I did learn how to “stand my ground” and in the end it was Rosie that was swept away.


And, to add to this drama, as our Guides and Angels drop feathers and elephants on our heads to get our attention, I received an elephant with this “brilliant idea to revisit past posts”…I randomly picked “A God Minute” thinking, “this feels right”.

Well…after reminiscing about Rosie,  I went to the Virginia Small Business Development Center and met with Sue Wagner (she is wonderful). I had a business plan I needed help with and an outline for the expansion of Queen of Color Enterprises, LLC. I laughed when I read this entry and revisited those prior circumstances and emotions from 2008 where I was ready to just quit… that is so far behind me!

I am glad I gave my circumstances a God Minute, and now that I look at it, giving it a God Week, a God Month, and a God Year is making more and more sense! SO MANY of you are having some struggles, take a breath and use this entry for inspiration, because no matter what, if you keep your dreams in your heart and your feet moving in your heart’s direction, eventually, inevitably you will arrive at happy. I am proof of that, and it just keeps getting better and better.

Here is the entry from September 18, 2008, enjoy!

This week’s kick is about challenge, I actually went back and forth about challenges and faith, trying to discern which would be more appropriate. In fact, it is offering yourself a “God Minute” which is what challenge and faith are all about. What is a “God Minute”? It is the reason, the answer in the statement “everything happens for a reason”. A “God Minute” is longer than you think you can wait and then after it all  is said and done…it finally makes sense. AND  you realize it could not have happened any other way NOR in any other time frame. In fact it all happened amazingly fast if you really look at the path!

As always, I bring this to my own evolution and experiences. In part, what makes me a resource to my clients is the fact I have “been there-done that”. AND it seems as if I encounter a life lesson, a challenge, and the next thing I know, a client walks through the door needing encouragement and advice on a similar experience or situation!

God Minute’s are revelations of the lessons from the path traveled. Think about the role of free will in manifesting…it is not just YOUR will –it is everyone else and their free will choices that also come into play. So, it may take a while for the universe to get things lined up. It is the water meandering its way through the stream and flowing free, when it meets a rock it either flows over or around, but it still finds its way.

At a meeting on Monday I was talking with the group about my new direction, leaving a clinic setting and moving into private practice in Southwest Virginia is a big step…I kept telling myself, “one more week” “one more thing” change this, tweak this- all that is involved in small business. Then, it came, doubt, and others actually telling me, “Cath, maybe you should get a real job” or “Cath, get back into teaching.” I knew in my heart I was on the right track, after all I tell everyone to follow their joy and that is where abundance is, right? Then I thought, what if this knowing, this ambition is like a gambling addiction? you know, “one more day, one more thing…and it will all fall into place”!

Well, I am here to say that it is safe to follow your dreams! I finished my office this weekend and have a full schedule for the first time since I have made the move to Abingdon, Virginia. It was overnight, literally. I was pleased when two clients this week complimented my work and stated that I was the “best kept secret.” Fortunately for me, they, and many other clients are not keeping me a secret, and all has taken off. I am grateful. BUT I can tell you in all honesty I WAS looking at university jobs last week!

So, I look back and see my God Minute was only a few months. I bless all of my friends and clients who have helped and supported my choices and my talents. I am grateful.

Have a great week, and hold on because if that tug comes from your heart and you know against everyone else’s opinion that you are heading in the right direction, take a breath and give it a God Minute. Those challenges are just directional corrections! How about you? Have you had anything similar- just about ready to give it up and BAM! it all falls into place? I would love to hear about it.

Blessings, Catherine

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.

Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.

~ Michael J. Fox

I love the irony. I’m perceived as being really young

and yet I have the clinical condition of an old man.

~ Michael J. Fox

I have received quite a few inquiries over the past two months regarding Parkinson’s Dis-ease and what corresponding lessons are involved with such a diagnosis. As with any lesson and corresponding dis-ease state, it is important to look at what it restricts you from doing and what it pushes you into doing differently in your life.

Chronic dis-eases are rather complicated and can be regarded as karmic lessons rather than lessons brought on by you in order to “course correct” and get you on the path you set out as your life goals. Often I can look at a numerology chart and that will help me understand if there are karmic lessons involved. Sometimes those lessons are not yours to learn, sometimes you have contracted to teach and Parkinson’s can be quite a teacher.

Many are familiar with the most popular activist for Parkinson’s: Michael J. Fox and we have had the wonderful opportunity to watch how he has taken his dis-ease and used it to teach the world about integrity and optimism. He has even established a Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and not surprisingly, his foundation has become the most credible voice on research for Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a slowly progressing neurological disease of the central nervous system, with disorders in gait, posture and movement coordination. Men are more often affected than women and the onset averages around the age of 60 and I know from personal experience that it is often misdiagnosed. We did not realize my father was learning from PD until after his death. It has a high misdiagnosis rate.

Neurons do not fire properly, so the signals are not transmitted properly to allow for proper coordination of movement. So there is a conflict between what you want to do and your body actually doing it. Symptoms include slow movement, muscular rigidity, resting tremor and postural instability. Handwriting become indecipherable, facial expression may become set, the head inclined forward, words become muffled and the voice hollow, dull and increasingly feeble. It is common for those learning from Parkinson’s to fall backward.

Because of the pioneers like Michael J Fox, and let’s not forget Muhammad Ali, also diagnosed with Parkinson’s, there is more attention being brought to symptoms that are not so visible, such as sleep difficulties, mood disorders, even the loss of sense of smell, constipation, and low blood pressure as well as other challenges. What these reflect in reality is the “inner conflict” that is taking place, because all of these non-motor related are related! One interesting thing to note is that there is no standard in symptoms, one patient will manifest a set of symptoms that another will not. Of course, I look at each symptom a message, a message that cascades from one to another until we come up with an answer.

Where do the symptoms first manifest or are first noticeable? That is often the clue to what lessons are involved with a particular dis-ease. There is no definitive test for PD and there are other neurological conditions that compete with a PD diagnosis, and this is one reason why the misdiagnosis rate is so high. Doctors often look for two or more significant signs of PD before they venture a supposition, and then if one responds to PD medication they assume it is PD.

Resting tremors, usually on one side of the body combined with balance issues or rigidity are the first signs. But tremors in the hands or arms could be “Essential” or “Familial”  tremors, which my mother experiences, making it difficult to write or sometimes to eat due to the tremors.

On a metaphysical level, I look at the tremors being a significant message, and these most often occur in the hands, or at least this is where they are first noticed. So looking at what the hands represent in the body/mind connection is our first clue. Hands will tremble due to conflicting messages between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. It is my belief that it is the conflict that creates the tremors and the imbalance. This conflict involves being unable to hold on to something or someone or letting go of something or someone. The answer of course would be in whether the issue is manifested in the left hand/side first (allowing and holding on) or the right hand/side (holding on and releasing).

This is why often the symptoms are first exhibited in the hands. Hands and arms are extension of our heart center and involve our relationships with ourself, God, and others that we love. When there is conflict due to holding back or giving up our emotions and our sensitivity and vulnerability there creates this conflict, this “push me-pull you” imbalance. Keeping fears and anxieties to oneself, can feed this conflict and create indecision or uncertainty when a situation manifests that you cannot control (“hold on to”).

Trying to remain control of everything around you can create such a conflict when you don’t share your concerns, particularly if you are in a field or profession where control is an issue. That can be due to you having little or no control but you want people to think you do, OR you are in a profession that demands control and you struggle within those constraints. Eventually you reach your limits and you overload your nervous system from the inner tension that you have hidden for so many years.

I would like to conduct my own personal study, it would be interesting to document how many individuals learning from Parkinson’s are perfectionists? They are self-critical and hold back so much of their humanness so that they communicate to the world that they are still in control of all aspects of their lives? One lesson to learn from Parkinson’s is found in my often used phrase, “the only way to gain control is to let go” and in reality you will realize that it isn’t about control, it is about managing your energy!

What is self-control? It is one thing when associated with perfection, and another thing when it is associated with making appropriate decisions about your life based on the information you have before you. Parkinson’s is allowing you to be human and to move forward in life as a human blemishes and all.

If you are learning from Parkinson’s or know someone that is learning/teaching take a moment to identify where the conflicts reside regarding how you relate to your world and those who reside in that world. Tremors and balance issues are about conflicting messages, received and sent, tremors are the inner fight you are having with yourself, and this throws you off balance. The nerves that are not transmitting properly are about energy, and thought is energy, so looking at where your thoughts are focused and what concerns you have about your place in the world can either help or hinder your recovery.

Are you in a career or a position that requires perfection? Balance? Control? Then there is a message there that you need to reevaluate where you are going, or at least how you approach  your career, your relationships, your life. Moving forward can be disturbing for some, particularly when you don’t have specific defined goals. Look at what needs to be redefined in your life, it may be that you just need to shift the way you look at your life, rather than your life in general.

Blessings to you! Enjoy the wonderful summer. Catherine