The Spirit of Aloha

Today's Daily Word - Saturday, January 31, 2009

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Aloha

We are forever one in spirit and in the love of God.

The Hawaiian word aloha is used as a hello and a farewell. And when I say good-bye to unwanted habits, attitudes, circumstance, I also welcome new ideas, relationships, and opportunities to me.

With the love and affection of an aloha, I say good-bye to a family member or other loved one who is traveling a short distance or halfway round the world. We may be going our separate ways; however, we remain one in spirit and one in the love of God.

The next time we are together, I greet this dear one with all the love and affection with which we parted. My welcome is confirmation that this person holds a special place in my heart, my prayers, and my home.

"When our days there were ended, we left and proceeded on our journey; and all of them, with wives and children, escorted us outside the city. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed and said farewell to one another."--Acts 21:5-6

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Copyright 2008 DAILY WORD.

This particular message reminded me not only of family and friends, but of commitments to healthier living. If you set a new year's resolution, are you still at it? It's now the eve of February. One of the inspiring stories of weight loss in a Chicken Soup for the Soul® story was about a woman who decided she could commit to 28 days, the shortest month of the year, for improved eating and exercise habits. This was the beginning of a two year journey--but if she had thought of "two years", she wouldn't have started. What can you see yourself committing to for 28 days?

The idea of Aloha, of saying hello and goodbye, generally works with most sets of behaviors. This is why alcoholics substitute 12-step meetings for their old habits of getting together with friends over drinks. Not only does one have to say goodbye to the drinking--but one has to form new social networks and behaviors around something else--the value of AA's methodologies aside. Just cutting back on "junk" food normally doesn't work in a diet--one also has to add things like more vegetables and water to one's diet to adjust to a healthier lifestyle. I asked the angels to express their thoughts on Aloha:

Aloha is a beautiful word. Not only is it a lovely greeting, but its original meaning of "the presence of breath" reminds people of the importance of breathing. Too often, people breathe shallowly when stressed. However, in order to be connected to one's body and one's spirit, one needs to make sure one breathes. This relaxes the body as well as allowing the movement of energy throughout one's body and energy field/aura.

Aloha is a reminder that just as the air is invisible but always around one (well, unless one is an astronaut in space), that spirit is ever present. Spirit is invisible, yet all around--and something within as well as outside of oneself--just like the air that is breathed in... and then out...

Aloha is a reminder to slow down and breathe, to appreciate one's life, to live in a spiritual awareness that God is all around, that God is within, as well as God being an outer presence as well. Let the Aloha spirit permeate your awareness. It's a great word or mantra to focus upon when meditating. Breathe in.... a---lo---ha.... Breathe out.... a---lo---ha.... Try it. You can think the word, not say it. Aloha is the energy of peace, of love, and of gratitude. Breathe it in. Breathe the energy of aloha out to others--to the store clerk, to the waitress, to the others at the stop light.

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

Flexibility and Moderation

Be moderate in everything, including moderation.

-Horace Porter

Many years ago, I worked with a woman in her 20s who had two much-younger sisters who were still children. Back then, there was a nutrition bar very much in vogue called the "FiBar". They were quite delicious, and we both ate them to help increase our fiber intake. One day, her little sisters found her stash of FiBar bars in the kitchen cabinet--and thinking of them as "candy bars", ate quite a few of them. Shall we just say that the bathrooms in the house had a high occupancy rate for the next couple days. Even "healthy" things like fiber can be overdone.

I asked the angels to talk about asceticism versus healthy moderation:

Flexibility is a trait that we recommend. There is currently a new word in vogue in your culture, that of the "flexitarian." The meaning is that of someone who wants to eat a mainly vegetarian lifestyle, but also wants to be able to have a steak or a burger a couple times a year, or some other meats on an infrequent basis. The reason we applaud the term is that most people thought of "black or white" categories in the past. People ate meat, or they didn't. People ate meat every day, or none at all. There IS a middle ground. Not everyone's body responds well to a vegetarian diet. On the other hand, there are those whose bodies react negatively to animal fats. The idea of the flexitarian can be applied with success to many things.

Unless you have an issue with addiction or alcoholism, moderation in the "flexitarian" way can be a helpful way to live life. Most of the time exercising, but allowing for "lazy" times when one doesn't feel like it; most of the time avoiding dessert, but eating half a dessert once or twice a week.... Most of you on "diets" give up after "blowing it' on your diet. What if you don't eliminate things from your diet, but instead make them more and more infrequent? On the spiritual side of things, many of you give up on spiritual practices such as meditation because you "have" to sit there EVERY day, for, say, 20 minutes. You skip two days and "well, I guess I wasn't good at meditation." Be gentle. Why not try for five minutes a day? Why not give yourself an optional one day off a week so you don't feel bad about missing a day?

There are many ways to be more flexible with your thinking and of course, this is part of self-forgiveness. If you need help with your thoughts, please call upon Archangel Jophiel, the archangel of beauty, who will help you beautify your thoughts in ways that don't beat yourself up. Please call upon her--and upon all of us--in order to live a more fulfilled life.

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

This Is My Father's World

1. This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

-This Is My Father's World, Text: Maltbie D. Babcock

I heard the tune to this hymn last night on the radio, and I recalled the words to the first verse, which I knew in childhood. This hymn reminds me of an mp3 I heard fairly recently, God's Cricket Chorus by Jim Wilson. He slowed down the sounds crickets make to the equivalent speed of if crickets lived as long as humans and found that the sound resembles a hauntingly beautiful vocal chorus.

I asked the angels to comment upon the idea that this is God's world and received the following thoughts:

This is indeed the Creator's world. It is also your world, our world, the world of the amoeba, the world of the galaxy. It is a shared world for all of creation emanates from the Creator like rays from the sun. All of life is part of an orchestrated whole that sings the song of creation.

You may think that you don't have a good singing voice. We are not talking about vocal singing, but about the wonders of your heart beating, your lungs breathing, the sound of your footsteps, the rustle of your hair--all coming together in an unconscious song of praise.

Free will exists and no one is obligated to have any spiritual beliefs, in a God, or a particular form of God. However, all in the world is an embodiment of spirit. The crickets are the embodiment of spirit as crickets and you are the embodiment of spirit through you. Whether one believes or does not believe does not change one's spiritual nature.

Have you ever wondered why you feel better outdoors in nature? Scientists can talk about vitamin D levels and sunlight, or stress relief all they want, but the real reason that the natural world is such solace for the soul is that it enables you to realign your song with the rest of the chorus of nature, the chorus that has been undisturbed by the haste of the unnatural world. Assuming that a sequoia could think thoughts akin to a human being, can you see how impossible it would be for a large, ancient tree to have the busy, racing mind and chaotic thoughts that humans typically have?

We recommend that you reset yourself, kind of like a computer reboot, and get out into nature more. Not only will you feel better, but you will be reminded of the other beings who share the Creator's world--a reminder about stewardship of the world and its inhabitants as well.

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

The Angels' Reinterpretation of a Situation

One of my friends who was working as a contractor/"temp", just lost her job as part of the economic cuts that are currently going on. This morning, she had a job. This afternoon, she had none. I was really sad for her. But then I got to thinking and thought that everything happens for a reason, and there has to be some good out of this. She's been pretty tired lately as she is pregnant. Perhaps there is a blessing in this. The angels always give a higher perspective when asked, so I asked the angels about this and they said:

It's really important at this time in her pregnancy that your friend withdraw her attention on the outward world and focus upon the nascent life within. Now is the time for focusing upon dreams and visions. Now is the time for focusing upon envisioning the best possible future for the baby, the child, the adult that this being will become. Her child will create the specifics, of course. But by taking adequate rest, by focusing and affirming health, intelligence, kindness and peace for her child, she can do a great deal to shape his or her world.

Additionally, the state of pregnancy is an energetically vulnerable time for mother and fetus. The hormonal levels are not the only thing that alters in a woman's body. There is a great deal of emotional and energetic porosity that occurs. By opening to new life within, she has also opened herself up on the emotional plane and the spiritual plane. Things are more intense--whether they be emotional reactions or the senses of taste and smell, or the nonphysical senses such as clairsentience. Being in a workplace around others' stress is not ideal for her or for the child. It is taxing energetically to shield and clear this energy all day--far better to stay away from it, and shield when going into public spaces on a more infrequent basis.

Yes, her income provided things for herself and for her husband. Yet God is the source of all things, and she knew that the paycheck was not her source. There will of course be an adjustment. But she has an ideal situation, in a way. She lost her employment without it being due to any fault/performance issue of hers. The economy is the honest reason for this happening. And she is pregnant. So whether she chooses to seek something else right away, or wait until after her baby is born, she has a great reason for a gap in employment and she will not suffer any negative repercussions longterm from this.

She is a powerful woman bringing a new life into the world. Focus upon her power. Focus upon her success. For within the darkness of her womb there is awakening a great light. She has a healer within her, a person whose presence will bring calm to those from sheer interaction. There will be no reason to take on healing "modalities" or even take on a specific career. This child is part of a new energy coming into this world, where one can choose ANY career, any life path, and fulfill a spiritual purpose such as healing or teaching, just by being who they are and allowing that to come into contact with others.

There is greatness to rejoice in here, and an opportunity to help shape a life. Do not focus on loss, for there is none. All is well, as you shall see....

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

Write or Die

Not really "die" but a fun website was recommended for me to get past writer's block and just produce writing without that inner editor getting in the way. It's funny and it works. So enjoy! For those of you who practice author Julia Cameron's "Morning Pages" as a way to tap into your creativity, it's perfect for that. Click here to go to the site. Thank you, Pam!!!

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lab.drwicked.com

Inauguration Day

This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

-from Inaugural Address, President Barack Obama, 44th US President.

Today was the inaugural day of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Although President Obama is more liberal by far than I am, I embrace this change, as he is a highly spiritual man of great integrity (and I admit this lifelong Republican voted for him as well...) I have asked the angels for a message to memorialize this day:

This is a day of great blessings and new beginnings for the American people and for the world. The election of such a man represents a coming together of many diverse individuals into a group transcendent of individual race, or gender, or political party. The youth of the country were mobilized to vote and make a difference, a group that is historically underrepresented on the voter rolls.

The atmosphere of the country has really shifted over the past few days. Despite the economy and other issues, people are looking forward to something new. What that is, will unfold. Whatever it is, people do know that the old was not working. Some of the new will work better than other parts. The likelihood is, that there are some things that you will not like that President Obama will do. The likelihood is also that there are many things that you will like. He is a human being. He is highly intelligent, and he is tapped into the spiritual dimensions to a certain extent, but he is human, and we wish you to remember that and to focus on what it is that you like about his actions and decisions.

Be a part of your world, and of your country. Educate yourself on the issues. Become active in the causes that move your heart. Now is the time for change, not only for the President and for the country, but for everyone, as this particular change is a reminder that nothing is impossible.

You collectively have made a difference in the world by electing this man. You individually can make a difference by emulating this man. He is calm. He is confident. He knows he can make a difference in his world, although he is also realistic about the logistics of that. We encourage you to move forward with confidence and grace.

Divine grace goes with the President--and divine grace goes with each and every one of you.

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

The Right Question

The fortune-telling element of divination has unfortunately become a dominant feature in all prognostication: a virtual obsession with the outcome or final result. Divination is really a two-way process of alignment which may be likened to stretching a musical string between an issue in physical reality and its correlative in subtle reality: we stretch our string and then pluck it to see what kind of resonance it has. A resonant note tells us that the issue is well aligned and connected; a buzzing or totally unresonant string tells us that the issue lacks alignment and purpose. This process merely tells us what adjustments are necessary, not what will come to pass. The implementation of divinatory advice remains in our hands.

All divination turns about the way we frame our question. If we ask our question badly, we will receive evasive answers or none at all. Our spiritual direction is based on the questions we ask in life: if we ask the right question, we will achieve our quest.

-Caitlin Matthews, from Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanic wisdom for every day

People ask me how accurate I am. I freely admit that sometimes those of us who practice the intuitive arts are off in our interpretations, myself included. I wouldn't say that the angels are inaccurate--but my interpretation might be.

But I like the passage above because it really highlights something important--that what one asks is every bit as important as the answer, and it may greatly impact the resulting answer.

In an angel reading, my focus is much more on receiving guidance for my clients, and not on "prognostication." Is there a probable future for people? In many cases, there is. In many cases, there isn't. Where someone has a great deal of focus, and there is also discipline and energy aligned with the focus, often there is an almost palpable future there. The person is creating a successful business, or paying off debt, or forming the right conditions to attract a relationship. Then there are the people who aren't creating a future. These people have ambivalent feelings, so they create and uncreate, create and uncreate futures that aren't compatible.

The difference between someone else's "psychic reading" and an angel reading, is that we can both tap into whether someone is creating a probable future that can be read from the energy around them, but in an angel reading, I ask for guidance for the person from the angels--e.g., encouragement and some fine-tuning for those creating something great, or some gentle angelic psychological unblocking to get rid of some ambivalence.

I have asked the angels to give some guidance on this topic:

There really isn't a definitive future that MUST happen for any of you. If any of you have worked in an organization where processes are mapped in a flow chart, you have seen how in a complex flow, that there are all sorts of zigs and zags as one answers one thing yes or no, and then goes to the next step, which can also have a yes or a no.

At any point, you can say yes or you can say no. This is true in life as well as in a flow chart. We are not saying, as some students of the "Law of Attraction" oversimplify, that you create every aspect of your life. Not on a conscious level, certainly, and not to the extent that your life and others' lives intersect.

You can choose how you react to people and situations in your life, certainly. You can choose how you interpret things, and you are free to figure out whether you prefer certain things or others. But if an arsonist decides to burn down your next door neighbor's house and accidentally burns yours, that is part of your experience, but not something that necessarily was created by your own energy alone.

The reason for seeking guidance, the reason for divination, is twofold. First, you can tap into what you yourself are responsible for, and find out if it is to your liking. There are many people who do not realize that they are engaged in self-sabotage. There are people who do not realize that their thoughts are toxic. There are people who could receive angelic guidance about anything from finances to romance, that would assist them in creating a better life for themselves.

The secondary reason, is that because you do not create in a vacuum uninhabited by other beings--be they other humans, angels, beings of light, or lower energies--guidance helps you become aware of things that may affect you. There were many people who avoided the World Trade Towers the morning of 9/11 for various reasons. They were running late or they didn't feel quite well, or they had an uneasiness, or perhaps car trouble. These people were in touch with their intuitive guidance on some level, and they listened. They did not worry about whether it was us angels, or a guide, or their deceased aunt, or their "gut"--they listened. [We are not saying that those who perished failed to listen to their guidance--we are saying that there were many whose time on earth was not yet finished, who did listen to guidance.]

God, or whatever name you use for the Divine, is all knowing. From your human perspective, you are not. The question you should be asking of any oracle, or in a reading, is not what's going to happen to me. Rather, what is in the highest interest of myself and others, for me to know about X right now?

You are not a victim. You are a creation of the Creator, and you partake of that Creative nature. Seek guidance-from a position of empowerment.


***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

Review--John Holland's Psychic Tarot Oracle Cards

To Buy Deck at Hayhouse.com (Hayhouse.com has a significant discount on the deck compared to amazon.com--but it charges shipping as well as sales tax for California residents; it may work better for you to buy on amazon or elsewhere.)

As many of you are aware, I use Doreen Virtue's oracle card decks as a divination tool in some of my angel readings. Her decks are very positive and the images are those of angels, saints, unicorns, fairies, mermaids.... very loving and gentle beings and meanings in her cards.

I was never one for tarot decks (okay--I confess I do own a few decks with cats on them, not to use so much as because it's fun to see cat artwork, or cats in baroque costumes.) I couldn't be bothered memorizing the meanings of the cards--and more importantly, I really didn't resonate with some of the images. Often the Death and Devil cards are fairly grim, as well as some of the Swords cards. Additionally, there is that whole "occult" reputation attributed to the Tarot which was a turn off for me. I have friends who are devout Christians who have no problems having me pull an angel card for them, who think of the tarot as something evil.

John Holland is a medium whom I admire, and I have enjoyed his various books and his radio show. So when he came out with a new oracle card deck that was based upon the tarot, I decided to get his deck despite the tarot in its name. I'm very glad that I did.

He has different titles for the Major Arcana cards--for example, the traditional Devil card is "Temptation" and the Lovers are "Harmony". The card images are really quite striking and attractive and they are symbolically quite rich, like the traditional Tarot. Instead of the usual Minor Arcana suits, he has nine cards each in the Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual areas. He has eliminated the people cards in each suit, but has added cards to represent the seven chakras/energy centers instead, so his deck has sixty-five cards total. The imagery is not as dark as some versions of the tarot, and Mr. Holland did not design "reversals" or upside down cards into his system of divination.

I'm not sure if a Tarot purist would like the deck because of his modifications. However, this not-into-the-normal-tarot person finds the oracle cards very easy to use, without memorizing rote meanings, as the pictures have a great deal of well thought out symbolism in them. For people who enjoy symbolism, the works of people like Joseph Campbell ("The Power of Myth") and C.G. Jung, and dream analysis, these are highly evocative cards that you will enjoy. Additionally, I believe these are easy cards to stimulate the intuition independently of the "book meaning" of each card, so that you can tuck away the guidebook after a quick read.

If this description piques your interest, please check out his deck at the link above. Thank you.



***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

Never Overcome

Between God and the soul there is no between.

He did not say, You will never have a rough passage, you will never be over-strained, you will never feel uncomfortable, but he did say you will never be overcome.

-Julian of Norwich

I like Dame Julian of Norwich, a famous English saint and mystic. She is most well known for saying "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well"--and for being known as a lover of cats, something I definitely resonate with.

I love the quote above. Many people think that the spiritual path means that one won't have worries, or problems in life. Sorry, things happen in life. Yet in our approach to these things from a spiritual perspective, we can gain composure, perspective--and even peace.

I asked the angels for some perspective:

Beloveds,

We know that many of you have troubled hearts and minds. Whether it be issues with one's finances or one's relationships, with one's health or one's moods, it is rare to find one among you who is 100% secure and satisfied with every aspect of life. Yet this is part of life, the challenge of growth and reaching upward and onward. Life is eternally unfolding and constantly growing and expanding. This is its nature.

There is that famous quote about God not giving you more than you can handle, and someone turning that to "I wish He didn't trust me so much." We know that some experiences in life are difficult. We know that there is heartbreak and anger and disappointment in earthly life.

Yet from a divine perspective, we are seeing more of a catalyst effect, as we are not judging these events as "bad" as you might from a subjective perspective. Just as putting baking soda in hydrogen peroxide is the catalyst for a chemical reaction that fizzes, personal obstacles, pain and grief are often catalysts for human epiphanies.

Spiritual teachers Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle were both in extensive and deep states of depression at the time each of them reached their realizations about thought and experience. Each of them learned to set aside their judgments and live in the moment, in the now. They have different methodologies, but both have written and taught extensively on this topic.

Were it not for their intense emotional pain, would they have come to their breakthroughs and become the spiritual teachers they are now? No, they wouldn't. So it is that your pain, your trials, are a way of bringing you closer to bliss.

Yes, we said that. Bliss. Ultimately, when you leave behind judgments, you will be in a state of bliss. We do not expect this to happen instantaneously or for you to judge yourselves for having judgments.

But we wish you instead to focus on Dame Julian's famous "All will be well." She essentially wrote that sin is necessary so that we can feel the depth of God's total nonjudgment, love and forgiveness. She did not label what most Christians viewed as the ultimate "bad" thing that way--instead she saw its aspect as a way to experience grace.

We would like you to remember that even as you experience difficulty, that God and we angels are with you, around you, even within you. Whatever you are experiencing is a catalyst for the realization of divine grace.

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

And the Number One Resolution Is...

Raise your hand if you're one of the people who resolved to get rid of some paunch or pounds, particularly if those went up since Thanksgiving. You're not alone.

I personally have found a great deal of usefulness in the "Eat This, Not That" book, which has been followed by one for kids and now a guide for supermarket shopping. Rather than a "diet", the books are premised on substituting a healthier and/or lower calorie/sugar/fat food for one you would otherwise eat. It's very eye-opening--for example, it's a lot less fattening to get the soft taco plate than a taco salad that runs over 1,000 calories and a huge amount of fat. I had a miserable time after holidays 2007, having put on five pounds with an impending physical exam in January 2008, trying to take the weight back off so my doctor wouldn't see it. I succeeded but it was NOT fun, so I made sure to keep my weight down this holiday season.

So in this traditional "diet season" time of year, I wanted to ask the angels for some guidance for those of you who have made that resolution:

The word "diet" seems so draconian. You're either on this thing or off this thing that has the word "die" in it. Doesn't that seem grim somehow? Yet we also don't like how some so-called "experts" talk about a "lifestyle change." That seems overwhelming, doesn't it? I have to change how I eat for the rest of my life? I'll start Monday, let me scarf down this supersized fries now before I have to change. ADMIT IT--that's the thought, isn't it?

Beloveds, it's not about there being "good" and "bad" foods. There isn't a special place in heaven for those who virtuously give up everything that they enjoy eating and substitute celery sticks.

Rather than focus on deprivation and eating less, we encourage you to focus instead on eating and enjoying more. How about adding a piece of fruit to your existing way of eating daily, for a week? Then the next week, adding either a salad or a vegetable serving to the way you eat as well? Then as it's winter now, a serving of soup before a meal the next week? Through the addition of foods that contain more fruits and vegetables, you will naturally eat more nutritiously and displace foods that are more caloric--yet you will also be focused on the additions, not on deprivation.

Now about "exercise." Don't think about "exercise." Think about what movement you'd like to do but not as a chore called "exercise." Take a dance class. Take a walk. Go swimming or skating, or something else you enjoy.

We angels encourage you to take care of your physical bodies, but there is no need to punish yourselves in the way you think about refining your habits, or in the way you do so. There is a lot of "old time religion" in the entire culture's way of thinking--good and bad, and bad being punished. You do not need to punish yourself for having gained weight or being out of shape. Just find ways to move that bring you joy, and add nutritious foods to your daily life that bring you pleasure.

You will see thin people eating donuts and french fries. Rather than being jealous of their "metabolism", if you inquired, you would find that for most of them, these things were a special indulgence, not a part of their regular diet, and enjoyed only occasionally in limited quantities.

We would like you to not only not punish yourselves, but also to be more forgiving of yourselves--not only in this area, but in all areas of your lives. You are human. You will eat past being full. You will eat things that are not the most natural or healthy for you, you will sometimes gain a pound or two, you may become less active for a while. Rather than hating yourself and saying "what's the use" and diving into a package of cookies because you ate two already, just stop and notice that this was in the past. You can now choose differently. You can put the cookies away and take a walk. You can move forward from now, and there is no need to punish yourself. That is forgiveness as it is applied to food.

We would also like you to apply this to all sorts of things in life--learn your lessons from things you regret, but then forgive yourself and move forward. Too many of you beat yourselves up mentally.

***

To contact Sue to get angelic guidance, to contact your animal companions both here or beyond the veil, to schedule a shamanic healing session, or simply to say "hi" and give me some feedback on my blog,please click here to email Sue. My rates are in the "My Rates and Disclaimer" section in the Links Section to the right of my page. Many blessings and thanks to you!

Thank you for your prayers

I'm going to pick up Mr. Friendly this evening. The vets think he had some sort of clot after either the blockage last week or the procedure to clear it, and the clot sheared off, creating a lot of blood loss. His hemoglobin fell from 31 to 21 (slightly anemic) and then bounced back to 25 so he has evidently stopped blood loss...We're to doublecheck with our regular vet tomorrow to confirm his blood values.

Thanks for all the prayers!

Prayers Please for Mr. Friendly

I'd appreciate it if you readers could keep Mr. Friendly, the kitty who we hospitalized for a few days, in your prayers. He just went to our vet's today because he started bleeding from the urinary tract. He was urinating just fine after he came home from the hospital previously, so we are concerned.

Thank you. As you know, I am a strong believer in prayer!