'​We have all had situations in life where we have felt hurt, frustrated, mistreated by someone’s words or actions. Whether verbal, emotional or physical the situation has left us with feelings of anger, frustration or hurt. We hold on to these things for days, months or years. Sometimes the offender apologizes and we move on letting the past situation drop. More often though even if we have accepted the apology we still hold on to little pieces of the past hurt. We never fully open back up, we hold our self back never trusting completely. Then there are the situations where an apology is never given, where amends are never made and we hold on to the emotions more fully as they were never released. There are also some situations where the hurt and/or anger is so deep that even with an apology and amends we don’t let it go we hold on fully to those feels and do not allow forgiveness.
 
Forgiveness is not about the other person. So often we get stuck in the thought that forgiveness is something that we give the other person. We feel that if we grant them forgiveness we are saying that what happened is ok, that we do not have hurt, anger or frustration about what occurred, that we remove them from blame and accept the situation as it is. The reality is that forgiveness is about releasing your feelings and emotions about the situation. It is not about providing absolution to the other person but about granting yourself permission to move on and above the situation.

​We have no control over another's actions, words or behaviors. We do however have control over our reactions. Granting forgiveness and letting go of those reactions, taking the power back and not allowing the hurt, anger and frustration to weigh you down is the freedom you grant yourself. Holding on to those feelings, placing blame and waiting for someone to validate your feelings with an apology leaves you tethered to them. Your feelings do not hurt the other person, they hurt you. Holding on to them is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Release the negative emotions allow forgiveness of the situation and heal yourself.  Cut the connection caused by this situation. Make a conscious decision to let go of the feelings and move forward. This does not mean that you should forget what happened. Everything that happens helps shape and direct our life paths. Find the lesson in the situation instead and move forward.
 
Moving beyond the situation is as essential as letting go of the negative feelings associated with it. Each situation is going to look different for every person. Sometimes moving on means seeing clearly that this person no longer has a purpose in your life and moving apart in different directions. Or it could be that this situation is providing you an opportunity to claim your power. If this is a person who will continue to be in your life perhaps this is a chance for you to speak up and let the other person know how you would like to be treated. Remember we teach people how to treat us. It is much easier to claim your power and speak your truth when we are not bogged down by the negative emotions, forgiveness grants us that freedom. Moving on can also be a lesson in trust. For some of us it is hard to let people in and be open with them again after a past situation. Remember that we are all human and none of us our perfect. Forgiveness releases us from the emotional hurt but it takes a great deal of inner strength to keep the walls down and not retreat behind them again. Move on by maintaining your open heart.
 
Don’t let Forgiveness be a road block in your life. Don’t let the negative emotions bog you down and keep you focused on the past. Grant yourself the freedom of forgiveness, learn the lesson of the situation and allow yourself to grow and flourish while moving on.  

Selenite is a very unique and powerful crystal. It is a form of gypsum and can be found in the USA as well as on most continents. It is a relatively common crystal and in it’s natural form it ranges in color from clear transparent to a milky white. Raw Selenite is fragile and it is not uncommon for pieces to flake off. Polished Selenite has a smooth pearly appearance often containing windows and rainbows. 

Tell me if this sounds familiar? You have an event, situation or interaction coming up and you map out in your head exactly how you “know” it is going to play out. You have created this reality of what is to come and placed it in your tidy little box. Expectations have been set, plans have been anticipated, emotions and reaction are at the ready all reliant on things going as you have foreseen. How often do things actually play exactly as you “know” they will? How often were your assumptions completely off base and you were left feeling less than satisfied in what occurred? We are robbing ourselves when we ascribe to this My Way or the Highway mentality. Things did not fit into the tidy little box that I created for this situation and what could have been an amazing experience is now left feeling like it is lacking because of this.  

This is a hard lesson for me and I know I cannot be the only one. I am a planner and I enjoy being in control of situations. The Universe provided another wonderful learning opportunity for me and once again I missed the mark. Recently I had family visit from out of town. We don’t get to see each other very often, maybe once every 2-3 years so it was exciting to have this opportunity to reconnect face to face. Since the last time they had visited I had purchased my own home, an accomplishment that I am immensely proud of as it had been something I worked very long and hard to achieve. In my nice tidy little box I had decided how it was going to play out when they came to see us at the house. They were going to ask for a tour, appreciate all of the little decorative details, comment on my bountiful rose garden, explore our hallway of pictures sharing memories, appreciate my design aesthetic and join me in my pride of what I had accomplished. The experience did not go “my way”, what I “knew” would happen did not even come close to reality. They arrived came straight to the dining room, took a seat and did not venture from that spot until they left. They never mentioned the house, my roses or seemed to even take notice of their surroundings.  I fell into the same faulty pattern of My Way or the Highway and allowed this to taint the rest of the evening. I robbed myself of truly embracing and appreciating spending time with them, of interacting and rebuilding connections and just enjoying being with family. I was present and I participated and loved on people but there was this underscore of disappointment and resentment because the experience did not live up to my expectations. I did not allow myself to embrace the moment because I was so focused on what did not happen.

Chakras are an ancient concept that originated in India. There are 7 main Chakras which are believed to be focal points or energy centers in our bodies, Crown, Third Eye, Throat, Heart, Solar Plexus, Sacral and Root. The universal energy force, often referred to as Chi, moves and flows through each of the Chakras running down the center of our bodies. When the Chakras are blocked or out of alignment it causes a disruption in the energy flow. This disruption can manifest in a multitude of physical, spiritual and emotional ways. Symptoms usually correspond with the area of the body that the Chakra is located in. For example digestion issues could be a physical symptom of a misalignment or blockage of the Solar Plexus Chakra where as an inability to speak your truth would be an emotional symptom of a misalignment or blockage of the Throat Chakra. There are many ways to bring your Chakras back into alignment. For minor adjustments using stones such as Kyanite can help snap your Chakras back into alignment just by holding or wearing it. To help bring specific Chakras back into alignment you can work with the representative crystals and do some self-reflection on the emotional attributes associated with that Chakra. Sometimes self-awareness can help get the energy flowing again. For larger blockages or misalignments it is beneficial to get an energy healing, chakra balancing session or even chakra reading to help identify issues. Understanding the location, significance and symbols of each of the 7 main Chakras can give you a better understanding of yourself.
 
Crown Chakra –

• Location – Top of the head.
• Color – Purple
• Crystals – Clear Quartz, Amethyst, Lepidolite
• Attributes - Accessing your Intuition, Trusting your Inner Guidance and Fully Connecting Spiritually.

           
Third Eye –

• Location – Center of the forehead above and between the eyes.
• Color – Indigo, Violet, Deep Blue
• Crystals – Iolite, Fluorite, Angelite
• Attributes - Awareness, Wisdom, Imagination and Focusing on the Big Picture.

 
Throat –

• Location – The Throat.
• Color – Blue
• Crystals – Sodalite, Lapiz Lazuli, Chrysocolla
• Attributes – Communication, Expression, Personal Growth and Independent Thought.

 
Heart –

• Location – Center of the chest above the heart.
• Color – Green
• Crystals – Rose Quartz, Green Aventurine, Malachite
• Attributes – Compassion, Love, Complex Emotions, Unconditional Love for Self & Others.

 
Solar Plexus –

• Location – Upper abdomen, stomach area.
• Color – Yellow
• Crystals – Citrine, Pyrite, Yellow Jasper
• Attributes – Personal Power, Fear/Anxiety, Confidence, Energy, Assimilation/Digestion.

 
Sacral –

• Location – Lower abdomen 2 inches above the naval.
• Color – Orange
• Crystals – Amber, Carnelian, Agate
• Attributes – Sexuality, Relationships, Base Emotions, Abundance.

 
Root –

• Location – Base of the spine
• Color – Red
• Crystals – Hematite, Garnet, Onyx
• Attributes – Foundation, Grounding, Fight or Flight Instinct, Survival, Security. 

March is here! Spring is coming and that very short window of perfect weather is upon us. So stand up, put down the phone, walk away from the computer, disconnect from all electronics and promptly run to the nearest outdoor area….. well, maybe finish this blog first. In Arizona we really only get a very short period of time where the flowers are blooming the grass is green and it is not hot enough to cook breakfast on the sidewalk. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks and miss this golden outdoor time.​Connecting with Mother Nature is not only enjoyable but it is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

How many hours a day do you spend plugged into some form of electronic device? If you are anything like the average American that number is over 10 hours a day according to recent studies. Now ask yourself when was the last time you went outside just to be outside? When did you last stop and look around at the beauty of Mother Nature, focus on the wind in your hair or toss off your shoes and feel the earth with your feet? If the answer is “I can’t remember” then it is time to make a change. 

​​I know it is hard to find time in our busy, over scheduled, constantly connected days to squeeze one more thing in so start small. Go spend 15 minutes outdoors and see what a difference it makes to your energy levels, stress, mood and overall mental, physical and spiritual health. There is nothing worse than looking up from your electronics to realize that it is now “oven-mitt-steering-wheel” weather. Don’t rob yourself of some much needed one on one time with Mother Nature. Take advantage of this lovely weather go visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, spend the day at the Desert Botanical Gardens or go for a hike. Whatever ways you enjoy connecting with the outdoors get up and do it.
​

​Share with us your outdoor adventures, we would love to see pictures or hear stories of how you are connecting with nature.