spirituality

Show Up, Breathe, and Reflect

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This has been the mantra that has permeated many parts of my life over the past few weeks.  There have been a lot of changes, and more changes are on the way.  I often say that showing up is the hardest part of the spiritual path.  Breathing is the second toughest thing at times.  Life is not getting easier for many, and that is the reality, but how we relate to the transition energy is our responsibility.  The divine is also pinging many of us to do the deeper work, to go beyond our safety zone, and to let go of what is no longer serving us.

Reflecting and contemplation are important parts of the spiritual process.  Deep listening allows us to go into the soul space.  We get to sit with and reflect on our personal truths.  Tuning into our intuition is not about tuning out the drama of life, its learning how to step into it fully…with compassion for all our parts.

I am breathing life into this blog again.  New things are on the horizon, and I hope to bring you along with me on this journey.

I’ll be posting new channeled information, as I am getting a lot of downloads recently.  I am working on some pretty big projects that I’ll also be announcing over the next few weeks.   Travel is picking up, and next year is going to be a year of deeper exploration through travel as well.

When we show up and breathe, we take in the entirety of our life.  The breathe is God, and we are an extension of that divine power.  How beautiful this dance is.

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

Distractions

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ModernDistractionsCOMICWe live in a fast paced world.  It seems that the more advanced we become the less time we have.  There are so many things around us constantly calling for our attention, and it can be a bit hard to keep up.

Distractions can come in many forms, and at times we allow our distractions to become limitation.  When we give energy to one thing, we are choosing not to give energy to something else.

How much time do you spend on facebook a day?  Do you spend an equal amount of time making actual friends, new connections?  Instead of spending time in Farmville, go out to a farm and actually engage the earth.

Identifying our distractions can be easy, changing the patterns that keep us bound to them can take a bit more work.  If you do not currently keep a journal, I suggest you start one sooner than later.  One way to see where you are surrendering time is to keep a log of how long you spend in meditation, on the computer, working, reading, etc.  Keeping a time log is much like keeping a calorie log.  Until you know where your calories are coming from it is difficult to balance your diet.

One thing that I also encourage is setting spiritual goals.  What is it that you want to create, do, or experience spiritually?  Giving yourself things to work towards allows you the ability to move, but it also allows you to better identify the distractions along the road.  An example of distraction impeding spiritual practice is often seen in mediation.  We decide we want to meditate.  Then we have to go out and buy the meditation books, cushions, just the right meditation music, and all the while we could just start meditating.  Now, I understand it is important to expand knowledge, to get fun tools to assist in our practice, but if the search for “just the right” tools is keeping us from starting our practice, then it becomes a distraction.

Being able to take conscious steps to engage our distractions, moving away from things that are limiting you.  Decide on a place to move towards, and then start moving.

What are your distractions?

What keeps you from showing up to your practice?  What can you do to remove those limitations?

You are loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine

Video: Quick and easy meditation explanation

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Test driving adding videos, so here is a quick and easy video explanation of what meditation is and some quick tips on how to meditate… more videos to come, so be sure to subscribe to this blog, and to the youtube channel!

Channeling Transmission 5/7/2013

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Beloved Children of Light:

You are entering a very interesting time in your earth’s existence.  You are the holders of the energetic space that is needed for the full transformation of consciousness.  Many of you are feeling the upheavals that are coming with this transition, and we are here to tell you that there is more to come.  For the new energy to transition into full alignment, the old has to fall away… but since energy is neither created nor destroyed the old energy must be transmuted.  Be careful of what you are holding onto and what you are giving your attention to.  You focus needs to be on aligning with what brings you the most joy, abundance and happiness.  Create balance, so much more exists beyond the struggle, do NOT get trapped in the struggle.  Your guides and higher extensions of consciousness are assisting many of you in this time.  Take time to slow down, to disconnect from the distractions of this 3D space.  Your technology is designed to bring you into contact with one another at lightning speed.  The flow of information is moving all of you faster into alignment, but you are moving so fast that you are NOT aware of the illusion you are getting trapped.

Be still.  Talk to one another. Write Letters.  Connect through eye contact. Be present with one another.  Do not take for granted to beauty of interpersonal human connection.  You are unique beings that grow through touch, sensation and much more than a machine will be able to give you.

You are loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine Beings Of light.

In Peace we Leave You

Jacob

Standing in power: Owning brokeness

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I haven’t posted here in a while.  I’ve been on a journey, a quest, and I guess I still am.  I’ve resisted, persisted, and am starting to own the entirety of my experience.  I am realizing that I am perfectly imperfect and that my scars allow my light to shine outward.  I am no longer resisting as much, and learning that going with the flow is much easier that fighting the water.

One of the things I have the joy of doing is connecting with people through spirit.  I love what I do, and I think I’m pretty good at it.  Today I came into work with a different mindset, and really asked spirit to bring to me some of those beautiful clients I have not seen in a while.  There are some people who are easy to connect into, and it is always nice to catch up with them.

So, the day started off just as I had asked.  Then I noticed a wonderful theme in these individuals… they were all standing in their power in new and exciting ways.  Each of them is growing, and from the outside looking in it warmed my heart.  One of the things I am so very appreciative of about his job is that I get to see the flowering that happens through my students, clients, and friends that are engaging the spiritual journey.  I always like to use the example of my yoga classes:  as a new student you do not usually get to see where you are growing, but a few classes in you forget that you are new, but as your instructor I get to see the continued blossoming.  What a wonderful opportunity.

I also learn so much about life and spirit from my clients.  When we share that sacred shared space for a few moments, we are reflections of one another.  Sometimes we have to bring out the windex so that we can look into our mirrors with greater clarity, but we do the work.  Today, I got to see people who are doing the work, and living in their process and standing in their power.

broken_vaseWhat does it mean to “stand in your power”?   To me, this means simply owning all your pieces… especially the broken one.  We try to sweep them under the rug, but they just crunch under our steps.  The cracks in the concrete allow the grass to grow through, the cracks in your experiences are where you shine the brightest.  We have to own the cracks as much as we own the light shining through them.   The spiritual path comes with a price.. and that is awareness.  Once we have it, we have to own it, but this allows us a deeper connection with all of our aspects, our complexes, our struggles.  When we have a better relationship with all of our parts, we don’t fight as much.  We become better tenders of our own gardens, and our seeds begin to bear fruit.

My clients always remind me that I have work to do.  That what I do is valued, but that I am not alone.  We are all working towards connection.  Start where you are and move from there.

What in you needs to be loved?  What is calling for your attention in this moment?

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine.

Michael Brazell

Birthing the New Era & Messages for 2013

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We all survived 2012.   The new era is upon us.   There are many that are happy that 2012 did not bring with it certain doom, but for many 2012 did bring much upheaval.  Some are still sorting through the pieces.  Some are finally taking a breath and giving thanks that it is over.

 

 

 The end is only just the beginning.

EarthMother-birth-Goddess-fochtman-KubbyI really hate to be that guy that comes in and bursts the bubble, but we need to be real about what this new age is bringing us.   We are not just going to hop into a beautiful new experience of love and light.  There will be light, but there is also darkness.  We are still in the womb.  The birthing process is beginning.   Rarely do children just pop out of the womb.  The birthing process is difficult.  It can take a long time.  There is blood.  Screaming.  Breathing.  Tearing.  Stress… and it all leads up to the most beautiful of all creations.

We should look at 2012 as our labor phase.  The weather, the earth, the elements are all still cleansing us. I think we have forgotten who is really in charge and mother Gaia is reminding us that it is by her will that we are allowed to be present in the delivery room.  I agree that we will meet lots of love in the process, but we have to also remember that we have to stay strong in our processes.

We just recently had our New Years eve psychic fair at the shop.  The readings at this psychic fair give me a gauge for what the year will hold for many of us.  January and February are going to be months of reprieve from the chaotic energy of 2012.  Things are going to feel “easy”.  It will be easier to move energy, things will feel lighter, and we may feel this sense of spiritual euphoria.  The lesson here is:  DO NOT BECOME COMPLACENT.  We are being given a chance to rest, to get our bearings, and to decided what we truly want from this experience.   What are you birthing in this coming year?   What are you hoping to create?  Do not abandon your spiritual processes, do not become lazy with your yoga, meditation, studying, connecting and prayer work.   This is the trap when things feel overly aligned.   Then when the energy picks up again in March/April you’ll be behind the ball instead of in the flow.

Up your protection.  Start a daily protection ritual.  This can be simply adding prayer work to your day, smudging, incensing, or whatever you feel amplifies your auric space.

This is the year of Embodied Spirituality.  The 4th and 5th dimensional energies are merging with the 3rd dimensional space (the dense space we call home).  Manifesting will happen faster than ever, but we must do it from the lower soul.  Trying to jump up and out of the body will make you feel disconnected.   A lot of new age spirituality has been about getting us “out of the body”.  Do not forget that no matter how high you soar in the astral realms, the physical body is where life is lived from.  All that you see in those realms can be beautiful, but what is it serving you here.  What are you creating.  Do not use ascension to escape.  Ascend into your experience by dropping down into your wild animal soul.  Connect to your body, your sex, your primal nature.  Our bodies hold the memories of all that we are, have been and will become.  Do not forget her in the process of trying to align.  When we forget to include the lower self we are only getting a portion of the information that we need in order to use discernment.  We will only be manifesting through the egoic space and not through the space of full alignment.

We are preparing for the new age.  We are driving forward in our experience, and creating waves of love, light, darkness, and connection.  Where are you being called?   What do you need in this time of transition?

Be safe, keep working, and do not forget….

You are Loved.  You are Beautiful.  You are Divine!

Namaste

Michael A Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

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Soul Satsang: Spirituality as an Escape

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I was recently listening to a wonderful podcast by Swami Ramakrishnananda on the subject of spiritual escapism.

Working in the spiritual domain I often hear people say “I am so thankful for my meditation, it helps me to escape reality for a few moments.”

I am so thankful for my “spiritual group” they help me to escape the mundane nature of my life

… and this is just a few of the avenues that many of us use to escape what is presented.  We often forget that what is presented (even if it is not what we want to face) is also part of the divine experience.  Escaping into spirituality takes away from the sacredness.  When we use our spirituality as a game of hide and seek, eventually the other stuff catches up to us…. Which is why I also hear “every time I try and meditate my brain is flooded with thoughts”… Just because you hide from reality it does not mean that she wont keep looking for you.

When we engage our spiritual outlets as spaces to just be present.  To just be whole for a few moments it allows alignment instead of disconnection.

Instead of running from– Run into.   When you run from something it only will chase you faster.  Run into each moment as a divine experience.  Let your spiritual outlets be moments of transcendence instead of avenues of escape.

What do you feel the need to escape from?

What are you running from?

What do you find yourself running towards in times of stress, chaos, or disconnect?

Does escaping into the spiritual lessen the sacredness of the experience, or does it facilitate a release… define release.

Here are some questions for you to sit with

Love and Light.

M.

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

http://www.yogawitch.com

Overcoming Seasonal Depression

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We are at the end of the year.  The collective energy of all that has changed, grown, and faded away tends to catch up to us when we slow down.  The temperatures are also falling.  Our joints become stiff, the cold naturally slows the blood flow through the body.  The dark energy of the closing of the year surrounds us.

Connection and disconnection exist in this time of year.  One of the best ways to move through the darker aspects of the year is to connect with community.  When seasonal depression sets in, we draw inward.  Connecting to friends, family and making new connections is important.  Tangible human connection is important, it is one of the great losses we’ve faced because of the rise of technology.  Start a club, a group, connect to others through Meetup.com or visit sites around town.

Engaging your spirituality is also important during this time of year.  Introspection is important but we cannot allow ourselves to get stuck there.  Deepening of the connection to our practice is important in keeping us grounded.  Expanding our spiritual circles also allows us to explore and open up to new avenues of growth.  In pulling away from things during a depressive state, many also pull away from spiritual practice.  We have to remember that even if there is struggle we have to show up to our spiritual practice.

Movement also helps us to keep things moving.  The body becomes rigid in the cold.  Things like yoga, working out, jogging, going for walks, dancing, and engaging the body allows a tactile connection to the flow of live.

The idea is to keep simple, but get started.  When depression binds us, we become stagnant and disconnected.  We also have to remember that there is joy just beyond the darkness, but the darkness is also important.  Depression takes us to the dark edges of our reality.  We have to be careful how long we stay there.  Journaling is also an important thing to add to your journey.

Daily gratitude lists are also important during this time.  We often forget the smallest things in our experience… start with small gratitude and they will lead you to bigger ones.

What are you grateful for?

What brings you out of depressive states?

Also, remember… if you are finding life to be difficult, reach out.  Sitting in our spaces alone only keeps us disconnected.

 

 

 

 

The Expansion of the Spiritual Self

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What are your limitations to living a spiritual life?

Where do you find divinity?   Do you see the divine when you look in the mirror?

What is God/dess?

What inspires you to breathe?

Can you feel the spark in your heart center keeping perfect time with the flow of your life?

Where do you let go?

What does freedom feel like?

How often do you say “I love you” to your own heart center?

How often do you laugh?

How free do you feel right now?

When is the last time you looked at the tops of the trees?

When’s the last time you gave from your soul?

 

Expansion of the spiritual self happens through the space of contemplation.  Sitting with our various “life questions” and letting them sit with us.  We spend so much time looking for answers, but often we don’t remember the question… and well, sometimes the question is the answer.  We have to take time to take account of our many pieces.

Alignment is something we work at.  Where do you feel off-balance?  Take that deeper… do you feel spiritually, emotionally, or energetically off-balance?   What do you need right now to come back to center?  We have to take life in slices of “now”.  What do you need in this moment to expand and let go?

Sit with these questions, ponder your existence, and live not just the answers, but the questions… Don’t be complacent–

Seek and ye shall find….

 

Namaste

Michael A Brazell

 

Mastering the Master Cleanse

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Ahhh.. delicious… Lemons, cayenne pepper, molasses and water.

 

This is the basis for the Master Cleanse.  I’m not going to go into a bunch of history on why this cleanse is in existence, but I will share my own personal dealing with it so that you can have a new perspective on an old technique.

The energy this year has been heavy and in many ways chaotic.  Many of us are feeling this shifting force hitting us in magnitude.  We are experience a variety of new emotions, changes (both external and internal), and energies as we align with our higher purpose.  Taking charge of what we are putting into our bodies is vital as we come into this new alignment.

The Master Cleanse is an easy reset button.  Sometimes we come to a point where we know we are not in alignment.  We’ve reached out for the wrong foods, or we might be more aware of the foods that are limiting us.  I do not however follow the traditional mixture.  I have found a concoction that works for me, and it does the trick.

I usually get one of the large bottles (1.5L) of smart water or Whole Foods Brand H2O.  I use 3 Lemons, and I prefer agave nectar over molasses.  Molasses costs a lot more, and agave nectar has a bit few calories and sugar.  I do a couple of pinches of cayenne  pepper, and Ta-Da a delicious drink for the day.  I get up early so that I have time to make my drink, and it typically lasts me through the day.

Leading up to “Lemonade Only”
So, being the realist that I am, I know that if I jump straight into the mixture on its own right away that I’ll throw my body into “Craving every piece of cake in a 50 mile radius” mode.  I typically do not change my diet for a few days, but add the lemonade mixture.  This gives your stomach a chance to get use to the pepper and lemons, and it also provides a mild detox.  The idea is also introduced into your consciousness that a cleanse is on the way.  It’s like buying the cleaning supplies and keeping them in your messy room.  I usually do this for a couple of days, and then slowly begin cutting out different food items, until it’s just me and the lemonade. 

I typically do the cleanse for 3-7 days, and the go into a raw food eating mode for about a week (or longer).   Set a timeline that you know will work for you.

Set an intention for your cleanse.

“As I take in this cleansing liquid so does clarity flow through me”.

Personalize the cleanse and make it yours.  Allow yourself to be fluid with it.  If you feel like doing the lemonade along with raw foods– Great.  If you feel like just adding the lemonade and changing nothing–Great.  The idea here is that you are also including the intention that you are cleansing.  Cleaning happens and a multitude of levels.

Just a quick breakdown of the ingredients.  You want to use purified water if possible.  The agave nectar gives you calories to burn.  The cayenne pepper ups your metabolism and immune system, and the lemons are great cleansers.  Lemon is a natural diuretic, which will help you flush your system

I recommend light activity during the cleansing cycle.  Yoga is a perfect match for the master cleanse.  Yoga allows you to dive deep into the muscles and joints to facilitate release of toxins and limitations.

Trust yourself, and give the body what it needs.  If you need calories, eat.  If you need to modify, modify.

Have fun with the cleanse, open up to intention, and share the journey with those around you.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

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Michael@michaelbrazell.com