Spirit Guides.....

Spirit Guides are sacred sources of Divine energy often personified as Beings or animals monitoring our every move. Many people believe or teach that accessing our "Guides" can be complex and limited to the holy anointed ones, mystical workshop leaders, the lucky ones, or those who have a perceived direct line to the Divine, but this is not so, everyone can access their Guide, and I am dedicating the next few weeks to assisting you in discovering your connection with your Spirit Guide.

My journey...

Until my mid thirties, I had no idea what "Guides" were, I merely knew that I had forces within that assisted me along my path in life. I knew that if I remained in connection with those forces I would embark on a journey intended for me. I also knew that I could one day, through Divine guidance, free myself from the shackles I had built around my wounded wings. Guidance from Spirit plays a significant role in my life, in this blog post I would like to share with you parts of my life journey that assisted me in learning to embrace Guidance from Spirit. So, for the sake of staying focused (a challenge for me!), I will start from the beginning of my personal story about connecting with my intuitive self and developing a connection with my Spirit Guide. I will try my best to give you the Coles notes version of my journey!

Sacred Memories, simple gratitude

My most sacred encounters with Spirit's guidance occured as a result of spending childhood moments on my Grandparent's farm in rural Manitoba. My Grandparents farm was a virtual playground of creativity, offering a beautiful connection with nature. My Grandparents lived a very simple life, they owned a small farmhouse full of love and vacant of the essentials of modern day living. The home had no running water until the mid 70's, and minimal lighting, oil heat, water hauled by hand summer and winter, all food consumed by our family was grown or canned on the farm, all meat came from our friend the chicken, the cow named Bossy, or the pig from the neighbor of which my Gigi traded eggs for our bacon and ham. My Gigi was a spirited European immigrent with the longest, thickest eyebrows I had every seen. He was an entrepreneur specializing in chicken farming. On his business trips to town, my Gigi would dress up in a fine suit and tie, head to the big city and sell his eggs to his regular customers. While adjusting his hat and lighting his home rolled Export A cigarette, he would beam a brilliant smile at the prospects of bringing home some cash for his eggs, spending time at the York Hotel eating hamburger steak, and of course enjoying a shot or two of 5 Star Whiskey after his meal. My Gigi had a high level of gratitude for the simple things in life, a vision for his business, and a creative way of approaching joy in life, to him, life was meant to be lived, played with, and embraced. He knew the value of gratitude for even the simplest of gifts, he followed his gut and trusted his intuition. Because of his gratitude for the simple life he lived he was Spiritually open to accept Guidance and whispers of wisdom from his Guides with regards to his business and life. My Gigi taught me that Gratitude is the doorway through which I am able to connect with my Divine source, stay focused on the gift of the present moment, and open myself to Divine Guidance. Gratitude is the first prayer (meditation) I do before every Intuitive Reading and at the start of my day.

The space for creativity

We had virtually no toys on the farm, so our creative juices were forced to flow. The simplicity of the life my Grandparents lived and shared made room for me to have minimal external interruptions of my sacred creative time. There were no distractions from TV (unless the rabbit ears had enough tin foil on them and directed just right), life was simplified, distractions were minimal, all prime conditions for connecting with intuition and creativity. Out on the farm, the main place I could find creative moments were found in the exploration of the bushes that surrounded the old farm site. I would spend hours in the bush, imagining the life of a pioneer, or the expertise of a hunter, some days I was Laura from Little House on the Prairie, and other times I was Daniel Boone, hunting the local beasts. My time alone in the bush provided me an opportunity to connect with nature, to observe the flying squirrels, prairie chickens, and wolves. During this sacred time in my life, I developed a strong sense of knowing that more existed then I and I embraced a connection with the animals and land. I learnt to rely on my instincts to find my way home, and to trust my gut in situations that were somewhat dangerous. This was the beginning of opening my intuitive doorway...a simplified life with minimal to no distractions,trust, as well as developing a fine tuned skill for living in the moment and observing within that moment the messages held within it. Today, in my practice as an Intuitive, I am asked daily, how did I become intuitive. I did not have a formal education in order to learn to be intuitive or communicate with my Guide, I did not sign up for a class or spend a gazillion dollars on intuitive lessons, ....instead I took time to connect with nature, love the simple life, trust my gut, take chances, believe, and live in the moment, this was my training ground. Today I still take time to have peaceful simple moments. I rarely if ever watch TV, I take time daily to connect with nature, and have many creative outlets which assist me in awakening my intuitive self. When I am creatively involved in a project (be it running, making chocolate, cooking a meal) my mind is silent, in the present moment, and I am connecting with the energy of all that is around me, in this space, I find my Guide Nathan, in this space of silent creativity I am able to do readings for my clients. Gratitude, silence, peace, creatively engaging in meditation to open my higher connections, trust, these are all the major components that assist in making a connection with my Guides.

Guidance from Spirit Guides...

The guidance from Spirit Guides manifests in many forms. These forms appear as opportunities, lessons, and experiences focused on assisting you to ascend to the highest possible vibration (or expression) of your Spirit. Remember, a guide is not difficult to access, is not located as some sort of superior being located way outside of you, nor is it only access able through quasi ascended masters, mystical mystics, workshop leaders, books claiming to know all of Spirits way, or anyone else outside of you. YOU HAVE all that it takes to access your Guidance, or essential vibrational attunement with Divine intention (thats what Spirit Guides are really all about, attunement with Divine intention for your life), there are merely a few steps to get there. Here are three that assisted me, perhaps they will assist you too....

Three key components to developing your intuition and connection with a Spirit Guide

1. Gratitude when you need to access wisdom, intuition, guidance for a life situation, sit quietly and feel gratitude for the moment at hand, no matter how difficult it may be, feel gratitude, for in gratitude you become attuned with the vibration of the Divine grace all around you, an awareness develops outside of your situation, you become focused on the Light of the challenge or question at hand. As demonstrated in my story, the moments of solitude, silence, the simplicity of life, living in gratitude for the simple act of selling eggs, having joy love and peace while living in simple conditions, the stillness that existed on the farm combined with the gratitude for all, gave way for the three main pillars of intuition, that being clarity, creativity and peace. With clarity, creativity and peace, the process of awakening your intuition and following guidance can begin.

2-Invoke your Higher Self (or Spirits Guidance) to assist you. This can be done by either prayer, meditation or simply asking for assistance on the matter at hand, then move your awareness to the present moment, watch around you for changes in perception, shifts in your world, messages from people, animals or words all around you, be in the present moment. In my story, I shared with you how in the bush out on the farm, I needed to be aware of my environment. While trusting my instincts on how to return home safely from a tour of the woods, I would need to also be aware of the trail ahead of me, animals and predators around me, the weather, the time of day, the direction and so much more. The farm taught me to ask for help from the energies of my intuition and higher self, then to stay alert, aware and follow the path ahead of me, never judging if I took a wrong turn, if that happened I would merely get back on track, but I would always go back and forth from instinct to invoking the Guides around me.

3- Trust, ah yes, now that's a big one, for me anyway! Trust that you are being Guided, that you are connected to Divine source, that your life has a purpose, the trials you are experiencing are for the highest good. Trust that your Guides are alive and active within you, they are not a royal regal being floating outside of you, but a strength, an intuition, gut feel, knowing, a silent whisper, a loud call, a beckoning, a challenge to move, shift, change and grow.

Exercise for connecting with Intuition and Guidance

For this week, practice the 3 key components to developing your intuition and guidance, ...sit in silence and with an attitude of gratitude, invoke your Guides to assist you, ask for help, be humble, kind and full of gratitude for the presence of your situation and the love that surrounds you. Journal your thoughts, and words of guidance that come forth while you meditate, become a scribe for your higher self. Become more aware and leave your meditative state. Engage in your daily life in a new way of awareness that allows you to be present and alert to all leads, clues or messages from your guides with regards to your situation or question. Trust the process of Guidance and know you will be shown the path, surrender and know that it may not be exactly as you think your path should be, but you will be shown if you are open and filled with trust and gratitude. Journal your experiences, and in the journaling see the correlation, messages and gifts of your awareness of the interactive moments you have with your Guides.

Next week I will write about my experience of meeting my Guide Nathan, why the name Nathan was given to my Guide, and how you can meet and be with that special connection known as your Spirit Guide. As well, I will continue the discourses from Nathan about demystifying Spirit Guides.

Until next week, I wish you many blessings along your path of discovering your connection with your inner Guidance...your Spirit Guide.

Denyse

Here is a picture of the "campus" of my "intuitive university", the farm!!

Ancestral Guides...




Recently my family and I decided to venture off to pick blueberries in the bountiful woods around a beautiful community in Ontario . As we spent time eating (alot!!) and picking, we reminisced about our ancestors and their wonderful blueberry pie recipes, blueberry pancakes, and the times spent with our ancestors learning the fine skill of picking fragile succulent berries from abundantly gifted plants.

Baba & Gigi

During our time together picking berries, I connected with the memories of spending summers out on a prairie farm with my Baba learning to pick Saskatoon's and create everything from Saskatoon pies, to jams and preserves. I realized that now I too will one day be an ancestor, and the necessity of passing this wisdom to my own family, I had awakened to the incredible role ancestors play in our lives.

The time I spent with my Baba was so valuable to me. I learnt respect for the land and plants, she taught me the importance of leaving some berries for the birds and bears, as well as assuring that the plants are well cared for so that next years crop could gift us with more nutritious berries. She taught me that the land can nurture, and all is in balance when we connect with this land. She taught me the cycle of life.. the birds eat the berries and in their droppings they spread the seeds, the seeds grow to make more plants for the animals to enjoy, the animals enjoy the berries to nourish their bodies, eventually their bodies contribute food to animals within the cycle of prey and predator, or their bodies contribute to the soil with their bones and flesh, starting the cycle again of fertile soil perfectly balanced ready and waiting for the seed to be dropped again.

My Ancestor's prairie farmhouse, a home filled with love & Light!

Some may have called my Baba a Grandma, chef or matriarch of the family, I call her my sacred Spiritual teacher, my Guru, and now since her passing, my sacred Ancestral Guide. When ever I cook, can or bake, I call forth her spirit to assist me, and the creative juices flow!! Together we bake, cook and create the most wonderful nourishing food. When I walk on my land, I can hear in my memory my Gigi's tractor harvesting the grain for flour and feed. He would always summer fallow his land, leaving nature to do its work verses using chemicals supplied by large companies. Today, some 25 years after his passing, I still remember his teachings, ...allow mother earth to do what she knows best, and the land will care for you in wonderful bountiful way. As someone who now hobby farms, I live by the values he taught me about respecting the land.



















Another one of my ancestors now in Spirit is My Grandma Jean. Grandma taught me the value of enjoying a good card game and sharing a beer together (she liked the bottom half of the beer!), a lesson in taking time for family. My Grandma also taught me how to walk into a clothing store, scan the entire store in less than a minute and either find what I want or move on...in other words, she taught me how to value my time and not waste it. My Grandma, a widow when she was 38 and left to raise 7 children, taught me how to be self sufficient and creative as a woman raising a family. Rather then give up, my Grandmother sold apple pies and Avon, she had a hair salon and educated herself to become an awesome dietary aid in a hospital. Still to this day when I eat an apple pie I instantly link with the wisdom and sense of Independence she taught me.


















After reminiscing about my ancestors, I began to realize we have many forms of Guides and guidance living with us and within us. I asked Nathan to expand on the Sacredness of our Ancestors and their purpose in our life, the following discourse was shared by Nathan regarding Ancestral Guides...

Your ancestors, those being the teachers of Sacred ways that came before you now exist as a resource for you to explore and connect to your Authentic Spirit call for this incarnation. You were attracted to certain ancestors because your energy, be it in emotional alignment with your ancestors or not, needed the lessons, trials, and connections you are experiencing through your ancestors of times past (those deceased) and human interactions with you now. For some, your ancestral teachers are from the original group of which you entered through, or in other words your birth family. For others you will explore and find your ancestors from other nations and families as the teachers of your Spirits call. In the world of guidance, we do not limit Ancestral guidance and Guides. Guides see not color of skin, culture or blood as a necessity to be part of an ancestral line of teachers, we view ancestral guidance, teachings and connections as a vibrational alignment with what makes your heart sing, your Spirit soar, your Highest self come forth. Ancestral guidance is accessed by a vibrational alignment with the Ancestral ways of that which frees your Spirit to its highest purpose, ...we as Guides do not limit your Spirits growth by the guidelines of human ways, we encourage you to align with your Truth, that which brings joy and challenge to you.

An Ancestral Guide is a vibration within yourself that aligns with ancient practices and rhythms that best serve your Highest purpose here on this planet. You may feel in alignment with a Grandmother or Grandfather, Uncle or Aunt within your lineage, a relative through whom their life has taught you how to free your Spirit. You may be in alignment with Ancestral Guides from religions, spiritual practices, cultures, and ways that you were not birthed to, but yet they, those teachers that lived in the nations, cultures and beliefs before you awaken within you your Spirits call. Ancestral guidance is not limited by differences perceived by the human eye or cultural rules and beliefs, male or female, those perceived as holier than others, rituals, colors of skin, ney, we see no barriers, limits, rules or rights of passage, to us all is one always and in all ways when accessing guidance....to this we encourage you to...

Seek out and practice your ancestral ways, eat the foods, listen to the music, enhance the purpose of their nation and seek ancestral counsel in all that you do. Call upon your Grandmothers and Grandfathers, your sisters and brothers, call upon the birds, the sun, call upon the teachings of those that have been here before you and awaken within you the truth of your Spirits call. Forget these ancestors and you have forgotten yourself! These are your gurus, teachers, they show you the shadow and light of life, they show you the truth's of what is and what was and what will be, they have tried and tested reality and their experiences, thousands of years of experiences and education are found in these Ancestors, this is priceless, the greatest education you will ever have.

Gift yourself this wonderful gift of Ancestral connection, let it not disappear. To access their wisdom, to find your Ancestral teachers and guides look within the family you have, be it birth or connections with those you feel a kinship with, see the teaching, ...in teaching love did they explore hate or hostility, how do you feel about that. Did they nurture or feed another, in their teachings of the land were they connected or disconnected, in exploring their teachings you will find your truths. Explore how their lives influence the life you are here to live. Perhaps the ancestral struggle for food has left you with the lesson of appreciation and generosity for others, perhaps the ancestral lesson of violence has left you with the lesson of tolerance and kindness, perhaps the lessons of love has left you searching for your own love, and perhaps the ancestral lessons of being one with this land the nations of wings and fur has given you the space to explore your connection with oneness and love. It wont take long to review and connect, be open to the trial of exploration in order to connect with truths for yourself.

Nathan teaches the value of connecting with many different levels of Guidance. His teachings have always focused on the lessons that Spirit Guides, Ancestral Guides, and Angelic Guides are vibrational attunements with Divine energy and this vibrational alignment lies within ourselves, it does not exist as being outside our self with control over us, teaching negative damning lessons! Nathan, my Guide, has taught me that all that I need, want or desire is within, and tapping that source is as easy as taking a moment of silence, and in gratitude with love, asking for the vibrational energy within me to be in alignment with the Highest purpose for this planet.



















Here is an exercise Nathan gave to me several years ago as a way to connect with the vibration of my ancestral teachers, my Grandmother, my Baba, my Gigi, and even one day, my parents...

Ancestral Guide meditation: In a peaceful setting,light a candle, close your eyes and remind yourself (visualize) of an Ancestor, ancestral teachings of a nation, people or culture that resonates with you, connect with that energy by visualizing yourself sitting around the candle flame amongst a circle of wise teachers from the Ancestral ways of which you seek wisdom from. This is your council of Ancestral Guidance, there for you to access Divine wisdom for your life journey. Ask these teachers of your Ancestral Council to assist you in whatever your trials are, ask them to share with you their greatest teachings for the Highest good of your Spirits call and for of the world around you. Listen, allow the energy to speak, bathe in the energetic flow of those before you, allow yourself to become more conscious, awaken once you feel the flow of ancestral energy present in you, upon opening your eyes, begin to journal your experience. For the next several days after this meditation, be very present in the moment, allow yourself to follow your hearts promptings, trust, and watch for signs and guidance from your life, those in your life, and your dreams...your guidance from your Ancestral guides will become more evident as you practice this meditation on a regular basis.

For me, when life is confusing or scary, when I feel challenged or lost, I turn to the Ancestral Guide meditation. I light a candle, close my eyes, ask the energy of my Baba, and Grandma to guide me, to align me with my Divine purpose, to show me my answers...I find this to be very effective way to learn how to surpass obstacles and awaken to the guidance available to me from my Ancestral Guides..

On a final note, according to the teachings from Nathan,Ancestral guides differ from that of Spirit Guides and Angels. Nathan shares in his teachings that Ancestral Guides are the first line of Guidance available to us because they have been here in this human earthly vibrational field living life, experiencing the human experience, and have a first hand knowledge of the human aspect of living life.









Next week we will discuss Spirit Guides, until then,

I wish you many blessings and Light!!




Denyse









photo #1 by Elaine Pace - Mother Earth Therapy, other photos by Denyse

Gratitude....

As mentioned in the previous blog post, Love is the essential component for awakening to our life path. Love is the essential ingredient for creating a relationship with our Spirit Guide. Love is one of the key expressions of our authentic self and is accessed through the act of Gratitude for our life, trials, tough times, joy filled moments, and the beings that exist in our life.

In my life, when difficult times challenge me, in times when I feel alone, when life is confusing or even bliss filled, I refer to the following teachings on Gratitude from Nathan and begin to shift my awareness by embracing a Gratitude consciousness . Gratitude is a tool in which I am able to see the Light and gifts within the present moment, and establish a connection to the possibilities that may arise from the situation at hand. Gratitude assists me to become still, to gain a new perspective on things, and to silence the dominant control of needless mind chatter. In this blog post, I have transcribed a discourse shared by Nathan on the topic of gratitude...

The simple act of becoming more aware of the blessings of the moment opens the heart to Love. A connection to Love awakens you to the endless possibilities of living a life in connection with your authentic self. Be your own teacher, become an observer of life, and within that observation you will see that simple Gratitude is the key connection to embracing the freedom you seek. Gratitude is far more than simple thankfulness or appreciation, for thankfulness, albeit essential, is the simple starting point of acknowledging appreciation for the moment at hand. Beyond appreciation is Gratitude, an expression of the deep, Spirit filled connection to the Light within that which is before you. The act of Gratitude is a complete and utter connection far beyond thankfulness or appreciation, it is the act of embracing your connection with Spirit , your connection with the presence of the Divine, and knowing the oneness of all that is before you.

Life will challenge you, it is part of the curriculum for being human. You will feel joy, it too is part of the curriculum, and if in those moments you remove your consciousness from the experience at hand to the gift at hand you will open the doorway to your Highest Guidance, to your ultimate authentic life, to Love. If you feel joy, it is good to feel joy, and in that joy is a gift, a gem, a message unfolding from your Higher Guidance. Allow yourself to be still for only a moment, breathe deeply, concentrate on your breath for three breaths in and out, upon the release of the third breath acknowledge either by the spoken word or by writing, 5 gifts that you are grateful for in that moment of joy. You can do so with a wide variety of feelings from sadness to elation, as well as challenges you may have with work or people in your life. In connecting with Gratitude you are moving beyond the emotion, the sensation, the feeling of the experience you are having and you begin linking with a humbling expression which connects to a Higher power within you, thus creating the opportunity for you to grow, become aware, and embrace your life path.

Gratitude in the moment will deepen your experience, take your consciousness to the very depth of present moment awareness, open your heart to Love, and silence the ever present mind chatter.

When you see the sun rise and you feel joy in your observation, close your eyes, breathe three times and express Gratitude for the warmth and presence of the gift of the sun. A being of another nation, perhaps a horse or an eagle, connects with you either through touch or a display of beauty, feel the joy in your heart then close your eyes, breathe three times and give Gratitude for that which is before you. Your heart cries out for love, or longs for peace, close your eyes, find within you Gratitude for what you are experiencing, perhaps you may only be able to see Gratitude for the simple fact that you are breathing, but even in that moment, the Gratitude for simple breath begins the cycle of love and connection to Guidance. Once you have given Gratitude, ask your Guide to come forth, ask for Higher Guidance, engage your Spirit to come forth and share with you the intentions of the moment you are experiencing, from this place of Gratitude you will begin dialogue with your Spirit Guide, from this place of engagement with Gratitude and Love you will begin to become open to the guidance of your Higher self, the guidance of your angels, Spirit Guides, and Ancestral guides.

Gratitude is the humbling experience of embracing the gift within the moment and that within the gift is a lesson, within the lesson is a map, a map to lead you back to your essential nature, back to the Highest purpose of your incarnation, back to your connection with all beings, all nations, all that is animated by Spirit, it is the experience of Love and the surrender to that Love.

As with all words shared by Nathan, he asks that you take time to ponder the message, reflect on your life, and apply whatever you feel would assist you in deepening and expanding your life experience.

In this discourse, Nathan spoke of Spirit Guides, Angels and Ancestral Guides. Over the next few weeks we will explore the teachings of Nathan with regards to Guides, Angels and Ancestral Guides. Until then, in Gratitude, I embrace your willingness to share this material with me, I am honored!

Wishing you many Light filled blessings!

Denyse