Tag: Spiritual Life

Shielding

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Shielding

Shielding is a cross-cultural/cross-faith-based practice.

I have been wanting to write a piece about shielding for some time now. I guess this time is apropos. Especially as we are in the position of having to shield ourselves spiritually and physically.

shielding, burning sage

I’ve known that I was an empath before there ever was a title. Most empaths –yours truly included, are in a constant state of exhaustion. Additionally, we struggle with setting boundaries.

Or as the Native American Medicine Woman I met in Ecuador, calls it “shielding”.

Furthermore, this woman felt the need to tell me, “Are you okay? Because you look like sh!t. Your energy is f*cked.”

She then spent the afternoon expressing to my daughter and me how we were both in need of shielding.

Jewish Shielding Prayer

Guide us with Your good counsel, and save us for the sake of Your Name. Shield us from foe, plague, sword, famine and anguish. -from the Jewish Hashkiveinu prayer

I’ve been an empath before it was cool…

When I was younger, I didn’t understand why I often felt sick. I was often told that I was a hypochondriac. But I started noticing extreme pain from time to time.

One particular evening, my stomach was in such considerable pain. Furthermore, the word “gangrene” popped in my head. “Gangrene? Whatever, maybe I am a hypochondriac.”, I thought to myself. The next morning, my step-mother called and asked me to pray for my grandmother.

She further explained that my grandmother was in surgery the night before and they had found gangrene in her stomach. Hmmm. Maybe this is all happening to me, not so that I should be sick. But that I should direct prayer (as a form of shielding) to whoever is truly sick.

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Seclusion

On the far other side of the sphere, some empaths write off people as a form of shielding.

But how sustainable is that? On the contrary, one may continue a relationship while shielding the negative energy others so openly want to share.

True, right now we are all in a form of seclusion, yet this is soon to end. Moreover, some who are in quarantine at home with others are most likely struggling with other’s energy in the home 24/7.

I do not want to devalue the need to walk away from toxic/abusive relationships. These circumstances truly require complete distancing. 

However, this writing is about shielding –or setting personal boundaries from the energy of our people. The people we live with, work with and socialize with.

Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others. -Brene Brown

Faith Without Action is Dead

I believe in the intention of personal prayer. I also believe that prayer is not for God, but for the strengthening of my personal faith. God doesn’t need me. I need God.

That being said, shielding and shielding prayers are not an excuse to shut people out. At least, not in the form of emotional abuse. When we let love lead, we will know our motivations. Call it conscience, Holy Spirit, whatever you prefer.

Additionally, we do not pray then sit on our asses. We follow our Spirit in how it directs us.

For physical shielding, we are at the point where we must be vigilant. Sure, pray. But practice social distancing when needed. Wear your masks and gloves, and wash your hands frequently.

Shielding Prayers

My personal shielding prayer is a simple phrase (with some added personal words) from Psalm 3:3:

You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

So, I did some research and found the following shielding prayers from several faiths:

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Buddhist Chant: Bojjhaṅga Paritta

Catholic Prayer: St. Joseph Prayer for protection

Hindu Chant: Durga Mantra

Kundalini Chant: Rakhay Rakhanhaar

My son, who has embraced The Orthodox Faith, shared this Orthodox Guardian Angel Prayer for Protection with me:

O Angel of God, my Holy Guardian, safeguard my life in the fear of Christ the God, set my mind on the right path, and strengthen my soul in the love of God. Guide me that I may receive a great mercy from Christ the God.

O Holy Angel, standing by my miserable soul and by my life affected by passions: Leave me not alone, nor depart from me because of my intemperance. Leave no chance to the crafty demon to get hold of me by overpowering this mortal flesh of mine. Strengthen my miserable and feeble hand, and set me upon the path of salvation.

Yea, O Holy Angel of God, the guardian and protector of my miserable soul and body: Forgive me everything whereinsoever I have offended thee in all the days of my life; And if I have committed any sin during the last night, protect me during the coming day;

And save me from every temptation of the adversary so that with no sin of mine should I incur the anger of God. Pray to God for me that He may fortify me in the fear of Him, and make me a servant worthy of His kindness.

Amen.

By adding a daily shielding practice to your life, you may find yourself feeling healthier, more energetic. And experiencing true bliss.

Do you have a shielding practice? What can you do today to start one? Share with me in the comments below…and stay blissful my friends.

3 Tools to Help You Shed the Excess [Infographic]

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While working on my “Shed the Excess” series, I am utilizing my tools more and more. Of course, I need to organize these tools for easy access. Thus, I created an Infographic for your viewing — and downloading pleasure.

A few key reminders while you shed the excess:

  • Don’t take yourself so seriously – have fun.
  • Keep it simple.
  • Nurture yourself with good energy, nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
  • Avoid alienating everyone else around you — Don’t judge others because they choose a different lifestyle.
  • Stay blissful my friends – e

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Click here to get a free download of the Infographic.

For Such a Time as This

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LivingElysian, Yoga, Spirituality, Quality of Life

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14

I have been pondering The Book of Esther as of recent. Quite a fascinating history of the Purim Festival.

The story begins with a banquet held by King Xerxes. Xerxes ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. In his drunken stupor, the king sends for his queen, Vashti. Sounds okay right? Wrong. The king’s full motivation is to display his queen’s beauty to his guests.

Queen Vashti refuses. Good on her. Knowing full well that the consequences for denying her king’s request could quite possibly include beheading. But she would rather face death than be exposed by the very man who is supposed to cover her. Her husband, the king is assumed to be her security.

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Furthermore, what other probabilities might incur if she had succumbed to his wishes? Beheading could still be an option as a sobered up king might lose all respect for his now “uncovered” queen. I believe Queen Vashti was in a lose-lose situation and she chose the lesser of the two evils.

The King showed mercy to Queen Vashti and sent her off “never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes”. – Esther 1:19

I am not a traditionalist personally. Though I do understand the security a man provides for a woman. Our men are our covering. Single as I am, I recognize that my tribe is now my covering. I chose them as wisely as they chose me.

I also identify with Vashti having once been married to a man of debauch. How he viciously hid me from many, yet loved to show me off to those of his select. Only to one day, send me off for good, all the while shaming me. This, however, was the greatest gift he would ever give to me.

Ugh, I just called out for Chewy…again.

Anywhoo…The King was now on a quest to find a new queen.

The New Queen

“Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” – Esther 2:2b-4a

Of the many young women, there existed one whose beauty none could compare – Esther. Esther was a Jewish girl being raised by her uncle Mordecai. She immediately became Hegei’s favorite and after one year of beauty treatments was presented before the king. No surprise that King Xerxes chose Esther as his new queen!

 

 

Extraordinary Circumstances

This is where the story gets really exciting! Esther’s uncle Mordecai discovers a conspiracy to assassinate the king and reports it. King Xerxes appoints Haman as his highest noble. Everyone bows down to Haman except Mordecai. Out of rage towards Mordecai, Haman convinces the king to issue an edict to destroy all the Jews in the province.

The Jews are about to be wiped out and Mordecai seeks help from his niece – the newest queen, Esther.  Esther is feeling a bit timid as it is punishable by death to approximate the king without being summoned.

Mordecai compels her to stand up for her people, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:13b-14.

After a three-day fast, Queen Esther approaches the King’s throne.

When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.” Esther 5:2-3

Am I the only one who sees this “gold scepter”, incident as an utterly sensual moment between a husband and wife who just happen to be King and Queen?

 

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Anyway, back to the story. The queen has a simple wish; to hold a banquet. Not only is Esther beautiful beyond measure, she is also quite strategic.  It is at said “banquet” that Esther exposes the motivations of Haman’s evil plan. Haman adds fire to his already out of control flame by throwing himself on the queen begging for mercy. This, of course, infuriates the king and Haman is immediately executed.

Now about that edict. The king cannot reverse an edict (lame) but he can permit the Jews to fight back. This he does.  Fight they did. The Jews not only survive, they are victorious against those who would have them exterminated.

Two brave queens; one proud, the other trusting in her God and her husband’s love. Two headstrong men; one seemingly on the right side, the other seemingly on the wrong side. One King who will have to step up.

A handful of pivotal moments that led to the survival of a race. How many times in life do we get to ask ourselves if particular circumstances have been brought to us “for such a time as this”?  Life can be boring, and I thank God for boring. However, regardless of the extent of said “pivotal moments” we all experience them at least once in our lives.

This brings me to today. The beginning of 2017 I did not expect to move into an RV, go to Hawaii or meet someone with whom I would find such a strong connection.  Yet here I am, in 2018 with more changes in my life than expected. Where will this lead? I don’t know. But I have to believe that I am here for such a time as this…

Stay Blissful My Friends – E

Honoring Mom and Dad

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momdad

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12

I once read that the number 21 represents Mother and Father. I am no expert in numerology but this thought has remained with me. Especially lately as I have applied the meditation practice I learned from the Ashram. After the Guru-Gita, we would meditate for 21 minutes.

Thinking about Mother and Father, male and female energy, Yin and Yang, Father God in Heaven and Mother Earth. Even in engineering parts, they design male and female parts, and some plants need to cross-pollinate.  So many examples God has given us. For good reason. So we can reflect on the power of creation,

Today, I felt led to honor my parents. They may not have been the ideal mother and father, yet I believe they were exactly the parents God intended for my life.

Dad and I did not see each other for years at a time due to his incarcerations.  Mom checked out quite a bit. Yet when I needed sage advice in my younger life, Dad was the one I turned to. After he passed away and I got sober, my mother became one of my best confidantes and friends.

My father never got to see the miracles in my life from sobriety. My mother did. When I got sober, I really had no thoughts of improving my relationship with mother. It was just an amazing added gift of the program and from God!

You may have had an absent parent or a terrible relationship with one or both. Perhaps, someone told you that your father was a “sperm donor”. Regardless, we all came from seed and egg. We can honor the two people who came together to create us anyway. This is a good practice we do for ourselves.

Because we were created from Spirit. God chose and used these two beings to create the wonderful being that is you. For that reason alone, we can find some way of honoring them.

Can you see yourself honoring your parents today? If not, what can you do to get closer to doing so?

Stay Blissful My Friends – E

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Emotional Energy

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Emotional Energy

Crying is good for you, it means that you’re alive. If you were dead, you couldn’t cry.

We are a week and a half into our Yoga teacher training at Shambhava Yoga Konalani and have somewhat found our rhythm in the Ashram lifestyle.

One of my favorite practices is selfless service, aka Seva. Seva is to be performed in silence or while chanting. Today, I began chanting “Om Namah Shivaya”, during Selfless service. I found this to be a blissful practice and I plan to implement it in my daily life when I return home.

Yesterday, a few of us hit the wall emotionally. One of my dear fellow students collapsed in my arms, sobbing. We had a nice chat and shared many hugs. I was reminded of the effectiveness of our pranayama training for our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Our cook told me afterward that she, herself had a good crying session.

We all returned to study hall but by that time, my energy was tapped out. I decided to skip dinner and take a nap.

I find all this emotional energy to be quite normal and appropriate at this juncture in our training. Just think about any other form of higher learning and you will find many young women in tears over grades and deadlines.

But our tears are not over mid-terms and finals. At least not yet. There is so much more or maybe just different concerns in Yoga teacher training. We have the meditation, breathing and the Ashram lifestyle. We are partnering up for complex poses, giving each other honest feedback. We experience communal meals and the vulnerability of presenting asanas and sequences.

Whether we like it or not, we have a true connection, psychically, spiritually, and emotionally. I have complete confidence in our training staff and how they address uncomfortable conversations. I also know that we will come out of this part of our individual journeys as effectual, spiritual beings.

I woke up from my nap to a strong rainstorm. It’s as if the sky had great empathy for our group and nature wanted to partake in a good, cleansing cry alongside us.

We’ll, time to get back to memorizing sanskrit:

Vrksasana is a tree.
It starts with the letter V.
Her branches are raised up high,
For all the world to see.
Vrksasana – Tree Pose.

Stay blissful my friends – E

If you liked this,  check out: https://livingelysian.com/2016/11/06/let-go-keep-going-or-start-over/

Monday’s with – Me: Pain and the Disease

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Michael never ceases to amaze me with his candidness. It is real people like Michael that keep me real. Please keep an open mind as you read this. Michael is thankfully still with us and working on his recovery one day at a time.  Stay Blissful my Friends! – E

Age nineteen, I’m proud I’m a US Marine, but guess what I got too see?,

my good friend killed right in front of me,

to this day it’s still hard to believe,

how come it was him, why wasn’t it me?

This screwed me up mentally, this is the cause of my PTSD,

this contributed to my depression,

this is when my master became the disease,

I started drinking every day, anything to numb the pain,

I hurt so bad I wanted to go away,

I ate some pills hoping to never wake up,

but I did and my life continued to suck,

when I came home from the Marines, I didn’t realize it, but I was already a slave to my disease,

not only did I lose my friend, I lost my girl,

without Jennifer I hated this world,

it’s all good we’re still the best of friends, her family’s my family,

I’ll love them to the end,

this is how life went on for the next few years, drinking and drugging, trying to cover up the fear…

At twenty two I got in a wreck, I was drunk as hell, man I was a mess,

in the hospital, cut up, bloody and bruised, I couldn’t move my legs, but I still wanted more booze,

at twenty three the next love of my life, this girl was sweet, together for eight years, Vanessa I still love you, I’m sorry for all the tears, the disease had me, I was drowning in the beers,

twenty six was an interesting year, DUI number two I blew a point .262,

second trip to jail, it was no fun, thirty days locked up, nowhere to run,

I prayed to God and told him I was through, went to The Betty Ford Center, to cure the booze,

the second I got out, I found myself in the bar, I was insane no doubt, I was blind, I was lost,

I couldn’t see, always in a cloud from smoking the weed,

then I got introduced to my next friend in the disease, his name was cocaine,

oh my I’m in disbelief, then came DUI number three, I continued on like this until 2003,

that’s when my beautiful Vanessa left, she was through with me,

she was tired of the lies and broken promise, sorry doesn’t fix shit.When you have my problems,

a few months before that my granny died, I never realized how much a man could cry,

she was my inspiration, the only reason I tried, I loved my granny more than anyone,

she never judged me, in her eyes I could do no wrong, then I got fired from my job, and another failed relationship with a woman I loved, I could take no more, the shame, the guilt, the fear, the anger, the depression, the PTSD, the disease was about to finish me,

I went to my grannies grave with the gun in my hand, so much pain it was time to leave this land,

I put the gun in my mouth and said a prayer, God and granny it’s time, I’m getting out of here,

as I was about to pull the trigger, the grave yard was quiet like a whisper,

then out of the blue, a big gust of wind came ripping through, I heard a voice it said don’t give up,

I put the gun down and started to cry, off to The Betty Ford Center for one more try,

I really wanted it this time, I went to Alcoholics Anonymous, I continued to try,

relapse after relapse I got my fourth DUI,

I became a liar a cheat and a thief, everything I said I’d never be, man I hate this fucking disease,

then I got serious, I got sober and clean, that was a lie, I drank four times that year,

I thought I had recovered, I’d be alright, I continued to drink and drug for few more years, I was so sick as bad as I wanted to I could not quit…

Sunday Shot of Bliss VII.

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Good Times-Bad Times

Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. – Ecclesiastes 7:14

My faith is not so much in danger when hard times hit. These are the moments I am brought to my knees.  In my anguish, I will say to my God “I can’t do this anymore.” He will softly reply, “Good, now let me handle it.”

But when things are going smoothly, I have to be extra alert to my complacency. Sometimes, when the momentum is strong – so is my ego. EGO = Edging God Out. Such behavior can lead to self-made misery, of which I am a good architect – if I don’t remain spiritually vigilant.

This is evident within my marriage. My husband chose to marry me when I was in the thick of my fight with Gastroparesis. Having lost 65 pounds from starving the prior year and not knowing if this weight loss/starving would end in the near future, he still wanted to marry me.

During this time there were numerous trips to the ER. One night in particular, my husband would tell me a year later he thought for sure I would not be coming home that night. I had no idea what his fears were because he remained so strong. There were nights, after puking my guts out I would find him in the bedroom straightening out the comforter and diffusing peppermint essential oil. There would be a cough drop laying on my pillow waiting for me. This is when our marriage was at its strongest.

Now two years into my remission, we have to pause at times and discuss how we are doing. So used to functioning under difficult circumstances, we now have to get used to living with my good health. It seems to take more work, more vigilance. We both know how worthwhile it is. So we do this because we love each other. Because we are committed.

This takes daily communication. Daily communication with each other. Daily communication with God. Spiritual Vigilance.

Daily communication with God

I am not talking dogma. I am referring to a daily conversation with your God, however it works for you. Some pray on their knees, some in a chair, some in their car. When I think about road trips with my husband, I recognize that these are some of the best conversations we have. So why not with God? Some use prayer beads to keep focus during prayer. Some pray for an assigned length of time and some just go with the flow.  Prayer is personal. Like any other form of communication, it takes practice to find your rhythm. My prayer life is my prayer life and yours is yours. Neither are the same nor are they wrong.

Staying in touch with God daily makes it so much easier to call upon Him when the sh*t hits the fan. (Yes I did use a four-lettered word and no, I don’t think God minds at all.) We can avoid that awkward beginning of prayer “God, I know I only talk to you when things go very wrong, but…” Not that God needs us to pray to him, prayer is for our own benefit. I am fairly certain that God is NOT checking off on a chart each time we pray to him. We are not on a spiritual gold star system.

The other part is in listening for God’s voice or seeking His messages if you will. So many lessons are to be learned from all of His creation if you are truly searching for them. People laugh when I say that God speaks to me through my dogs. “Your dog talks to you?”, my granddaughter once asked. Not exactly. I will see a manner of behavior in them that will remind me of something I need to work on in myself.  Because I am paying attention now. I am asking God to speak to me however He so choses.

All this takes time and practice. A good start:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Stay Blissful My Friends – E

Personal Values/Break on Through

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Personal Values

In my last blog “A Moment of Clarity“, I posed the following questions:

“Ask yourself if you still believe the words that you speak or even the thoughts that you think. Are your actions representative of the values in which you are living today? ”

I also wrote of taking action. Elysia, where do I start? I’m glad you asked. A few years ago, I experienced yet another painful bursting of a bubble. I found a support group on-line and one of the first assignments handed out was to prepare a Personal Values statement.

I had done this several years before after reading The Purpose Driven Life. Again, I found myself asking the same above questions. Not a bad place to be really.  At this point, I would do anything to step outside of the raw emotional pain I was enduring. The Personal Values writing process was simple and I would love to share it with you today!

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  1. Start with a list of everything important to you. You don’t need to overthink this, just write.  Some examples: Having dinner at the table as a family; Getting to Work on time; Daily Meditation and Prayer at a specific time of day; Going to the Gym in the morning; Spending one night a week with my girlfriends; Volunteering once a month at a shelter.  Got it? Good. So write, write, write!
  2. Review this list and choose 5-6 of the most crucial items for you today.
  3. Summarize these 5-6 items. Elaborate and expand on the importance of each value.
  4. Then again, ask yourself if you are already living according to any of these values.
    • If yes, identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
    • If no, how do you intend to make these work? Where are your strengths and weaknesses in following through? Might you slightly tweak one of these? For instance: It could possibly be more attainable to have dinner at the table as a family three times a week, or meet up with your girlfriends every other week.
  5. Ask yourself if your current work/life situation is allowing you to live these values.
    • If yes, then you are ready to go forward with living your personal values! I like to post them in a place I can see them daily as I begin the process of living them.
    • If no, well, this part can be difficult, because  you are probably due for a major life change. But be fearless! This is an exciting part of your life!

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Life changes are a positive thing, just not always easy. I remember when my little Chevy Aveo was a total loss due to a rear ending accident. I was sad. I loved that little car. It was fun and it made a really cool sound when I accelerated. Then I saw my new car…A beautiful purple Ford Fiesta with all the perks that the Chevy did not have!  I know this is just material, however transportation is a daily part of life for most of us.

If you trust the process, you can truly experienced the satisfaction of breaking on through to the other side!  

You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day, tried to run, tried to hide
Break on through to the other side

Break on Through

I know right? How do The Doors fit in with all this personal values jigger? This song can mean so many different things. Today I see it as anthemic. I am ready for a change. Fired up, ready to go, ready to break on through! This song did not represent such a thing to me several years ago.  That my friends, is the true magic of music. But that is a topic for another day ha!  I love the idea of changing my perception or psychic change if you will. I have a tattoo of a blue rose that specifically represents this type of change.

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Today is a different day. The bubble has been burst. Nothing will ever be the same. Thank you God!!

Now Go!

…And stay blissful my friends – E