It’s All About the Money…. and Guided Image Readings

Posted on January 22, 2012 by conduitofjoy

Sometimes doing intuitive readings is just so FUN…. I am always amused and delighted about all the ways the Universe throws out clues in such hilarious ways. I recently did a short reading with a client, and this is what he had to say about my answer for him: “Holy crap Kara, you can be a little frightening sometimes. You are right on the money, if you don’t mind me saying. LOL.”

Doing his reading was very fun, because during the whole reading I kept hearing the phrase from a song “It’s all about the money, money, money”. I was in my home office typing up his reading information, which I was noticing had not just one, but many kinds of money metaphors. I thought to myself “Well, I guess it IS all about the money”, when my child opened the door and said “Mom, come and see how much money I have!”. I laughed out loud at that.

When I emailed the client, surprise, surprise it WAS all about the money for him. I was right on the money.

With short readings I usually get a guiding image which clues in me into what you most need to know about in that moment. For the client above, the first the image I got was of a silver coin dropping. Then of course there was the musical clue, and finally the undeniable words coming out of my child’s mouth. Even the moon was full that night, , looking like a gigantic silver coin, lending itself to the money theme. I literally couldn’t ignore the signs about money!

Guided Image readings are fun and quick, and fit into my schedule more easily than the longer readings, so you get them back faster. Guided Image Readings are great for making decisions between two choices, or just checking in with your guides to see what would be best for you to be doing right now.

Until January 31, 2012, I will be promoting these Guided Image readings by offering them for $40 (they are usually $50). To get started, you can send an electronic money transfer to my email address (conduitofjoy@hotmail.com) purchase a Guided Image reading below by clicking on the Paypal button.

Also, I have a new “Conduit of Joy” Facebook page.Come join me there, where I post more often, and share other materials on intuition too.   From time to time, I post to invite Facebook friends to get a spontaneous free mini-reading.   So keep your eyes peeled on Facebook to take advantage of FREE mini-readings!Welcome to 2012, it’s going to be an exciting year!

Kara

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Take Care of Yourself During the Holidays + Intuitive Stocking Stuffers!

Posted on December 21, 2011 by conduitofjoy

Hello dear readers,

The holidays are upon us.  In North America this means lots of holiday gatherings and parties, and also lots of shopping for gifts. 

For many people, gift shopping probably means more time spent rubbing shoulders with lots of strangers in malls. Family and work parties, mean that often we are gathering with people who we don’t know, or those who we might tolerate only once a year.  For those of us of who are empathic, these experiences can cause us to unintentionally end up absorbing a lot of yucky emotions from other people.  This accumulation of others’ emotions can leave empath folks overloaded emotionally, and feeling very un-Christmas-y.

So how can we avoid absorbing all of these yucky feelings of others?

I recorded a podcast with my friend Lisa, over at Practically Intuitive, which contains tips to keep your emotional boundaries more intact this holiday season.   Click *here* to listen to this podcast for some techniques to help you avoid empath overload.  Lisa has alot of great podcasts, and she also has some great promotions on her intuitive services over the holidays. I highly recommend her!

Intuitive Stocking Stuffers!

Have an intuitive friend or family member who you would like to give a little something extra to? How about a quick intuitive reading?  Or perhaps someone needs a suggestion as to what to get you?

Try out my“20 minutes for $25” readings. They are fun for me to do.  They are bite-sized readings about one question. I usually get a guiding image, which provides me with all the information you need to know about the question at hand.

In the New Year, I’ll be making some changes to the way I provide intuitive services, and accordingly my pricing and services will be changing. So, as of January 1, 2012, my “20 minutes for $25” will be replaced with a new type of reading, at an increased price.

My“20 minutes for $25” readings are for sale until midnight on December 31, 2011.  These readings can be purchased, and then redeemed up to February 28, 2012.  (When redeeming please email me prior, for my availability).


Happy Holidays To All of You!

I just wanted to say a hearty “thank you” to all my loyal readers for continuing to read my blog, and order my readings.  I get so much joy and satisfaction from doing readings for you, and reading your comments on blog posts, and emails to me.  I look forward to many more from you in the upcoming year.

I hope you enjoy this holiday season.  Here’s sending love and light, from my house to your house.

Kara

 
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Descend Before You Ascend – Grounding for Integration

Posted on November 16, 2011 by conduitofjoy

When I asked what to write about, and the answer I received was “grounding”, I thought “Really? Hasn’t that been done to death?”  But the more I wrote, and the more I thought it, the more I realized that grounding is more important now, than ever. 

Those who regularly access their intuition, know they must ground before they start.  Grounding firmly roots you inside your body.  If you are not rooted in your body, your lower chakras will not be balanced.  Your lower chakras must be balanced, to have the best connection with your upper chakras. The stabilizing Earth energies balance the energies you pull down from the Heavens.  (It makes me think of putting on your rubber boots when you are about to go fly your kite in a lightning storm.)  The vital link between grounding and using your intuition is why grounding is such a popular subject in intuitive circles. 

Grounding can be accomplished in a variety of very simple ways, that I have discussed in a previous post.

Grounding can be done by visualizing your roots growing down into the earth, eating, breathing, doing physical exercise, or anything else that really centers you in your body.  Seems easy to be grounded you say? It is easy. The hard part (for some of us) particularly at this time, is to stay grounded.  I try to remind myself often to ground. In fact, I have a note by my computer at work, which says “Ground. Now.”  This is because I really do need to ground as often as I spy that note.

I find I can become ungrounded easily these days.  There is a lot of buzz about entering into the astrological phase, which many describe as the end of the Mayan calendar.  While this may sound scary, what it means is exciting.  The end of Mayan calendar time marks the beginning of the leap in the evolution of human consciousness.  Depending on whose calculations you subscribe to, this exciting phase may have started in October 2011 (though much has been made of December 2012 date). While the meaning of the Mayan calendar ending is discussed extensively elsewhere, my point in mentioning it is, even if you don’t subscribe to any of these beliefs, as an intuitive person, you have probably personally experienced the feeling of time speeding up.  It is hard to deny, as a human just living your life in this world, that something is in fact is shifting now.

So what does grounding have to do with the end of the Mayan calendar and the evolution of consciousness, you ask?  Grounding has everything to do with this phase.  Grounding, and re-grounding throughout your day, is more integral to your emotional and energetic well-being now, than it has ever been. 

Fully Feel Your Feelings

Tom Jacobs is an astrologer, medium and channel who has been working a lot lately with the energies of the end of the Mayan calendar/evolution of human consciousness.  

His fascinating videos on his Youtube channel, describe how we can best use the energetic influences of this time, and also why it is very important for you to be able to stay grounded in your body.

In his videos, Tom stresses that it is important during this time to let yourself fully feel any emotions that rise to the surface. 

In order to fully feel your feelings, you must be fully and completely present in your body.  This is where the grounding comes in.  If you are not present in your body, it is not possible to fully feel your feelings, and process them.  Tom reiterates that by allowing yourself to fully feel your feelings, you have the opportunity to finally comprehend the lessons, that arose from the experience, that caused those feelings. 

Tom’s channeled information speaks about how time barriers between old emotional issues from this life, as well as past life issues, are collapsing. This means that we may currently experience old issues arising that we thought we have mastered. The purpose for this resurfacing is so that we have the opportunity to learn the lesson contained in these old lessons for the last time. 

Now is the time for you to be fully conscious of why these feelings are arising, and the lessons to be learned from them.  You have the chance to fully grasp the lessons that you chose for yourself, when you came here to Earth.

One point that Tom makes, is that we are nearing the end of thousands of years of patriarchal systems, which have always told us that we are mental creatures, who just happen to live in a body.  Now, we are entering the era where we have the opportunity to fully realize that we really are spiritual beings who are gifted with life inside an amazing body.  Our precious bodies are fully integrated with, and cannot be separated from our spiritual selves.

Do you see where the grounding is coming in again?  To fully experience our feelings, and open fully to our spirituality, we must fully inhabit our bodies.  To fully inhabit our bodies, we must feel grounded inside those bodies.  This means feeling present in our bodies, not disembodied, not floating around up in the ethers, but fully integrated, with feet planted firmly on the earth.

Another side effect of this transitional time is that it is very intense emotionally. When we are processing lots of emotions, we need time to recover. The more emotion we are processing, the more time we need to recover.  So we need to take it easy on our bodies, give them lots of sleep and pay attention to our physical needs.  Lots of sleep and healthy food is essential at this time.

Grounding Keeps Us in the Real World

Grounding is also a way of keep us in touch with our real, three dimensional world.  It keeps us in touch our very “earthy” elements, the elements of our human-ness that we associate with our animal nature.  When we are grounded, we are conscious of our body’s needs.  This is includes not only those things about our bodies that may be unpleasant – pain, suffering, hunger – but it also keeps us in touch with those things that bring our bodies the most pleasure –  eating, sensing our world, sex.  Grounding keeps us in touch with how we smell, touch, see, hear, and otherwise experience our three dimensional world.  Grounding keeps us “real”.  It reminds us that we cannot experience our feelings or our spiritual aspects apart from our three-dimensional physical aspects. 

Grounding is about integration, the integration of all of the parts of our selves.  Our bodies and spirits have been seen as separate entities for a long time, and now is the time to re-integrate them.

Now is the time for our integration as complete multi-dimensional human beings.  We exist as bodies which are meant to be fully integrated consciously with our wide-awake spiritual natures. 

Now is the time to integrate and honor all aspects of ourselves, from the mundane to the sacred.  We humans who clean toilets, also channel the wisdom that created worlds – and we cannot do one of these without the other.  (See how cleaning a toilet grounds you!) 

Now is the time to fully realize what it means to be spiritual beings having a human experience.

Make the most of this amazing opportunity for your own personal evolution.  Knowing grounding techniques will help you stay centred, be a solid container for your emotions, and help you master your own personal lessons.

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Need a little help determining your next steps? From now until the December 15, I am offering a limited number of 30 minute live readings by phone, for $35 (regular price $45).  In addition to
“next steps” readings, I can also do past-life readings during these sessions, so you can become more aware of how these issues may be effecting you now.  These readings will be recorded, and a link sent to you. 

Email me today at conduitofjoy@hotmail to get yours! or buy one for another intuitive type for a great Christmas gift.

Copyright 2011 – Conduit of Joy – Kara Thompson

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Are You Over-Giving? Emotional Boundaries and Authenticity

Posted on October 21, 2011 by conduitofjoy

 

Recently I was resentful, grouchy and feeling very taken advantage of in a relationship with another person.  What was going on?  Once I figured it out, it revived an old lesson for me about setting emotional boundaries that happened long ago.

When I was younger I was in a relationship with someone who I thought at the time was my soul-mate.  (Now I’m pretty sure he was my soul-mate.  He just wasn’t the romantic “we’re going to be together forever until the end of time” soul-mate.  He was more of the “your despair over me leaving you, will crack you open so deep that you will start to discover all the life lessons you need to know”, kind of soul-mate).

While we were together I went through a period of extreme stress, anxiety and loneliness.  Being so emotionally needy, meant I wanted this person to be around me all the time, to serve 100% of my emotional needs and fill me up.  After all, he was my boyfriend, right? The only thing is, my partner was also going through a very stressful time himself.   But the difference between he and I, was that he knew that when he had nothing left to give, he had to stop giving. 

He knew that this was an absolute necessity, before he himself became totally depleted.  I remember being so angry at him at the time.  That bastard.  Didn’t he know that I needed him?  He was supposed to love me, how dare he withdraw.  I needed his love, it was his duty to give it to me – right? 

He knew, no matter how much I thought I needed his love to fill me up, that he needed his love for himself first.  Giving more than he had would have depleted him, and trampled all over his boundaries.  It wouldn’t have authentic to who he was.

This lesson in emotional boundaries almost sent me over the edge, as he could not be motivated by guilt (this was another lesson I learned from him, and while it aggravated me at the time, it was very valuable for me in the long run).  But what he taught me by emotionally withdrawing, and not going beyond his own limits, was that when you have nothing left, you have nothing left to give anyone else.  You need to emotionally replenish yourself before you can give anything to anyone else. 

He knew that when he had almost nothing left, it was a necessity to go in and preserve whatever was left of his emotional energy.  When he was emotionally replenished, he would come out of his emotional cocoon.  From him, I learned the paradox that the more needy I was for someone else’s love, the more I needed to love myself.  I learned that instead of trying to get his love, to give my own love to myself.  Doing this brought me back to feeling whole again, and it reestablished my emotional boundaries. 

While his standing up for his emotional boundaries certainly created strife in our relationship, it also meant that he was able to maintain his authenticity.  It meant he did not go beyond his own boundaries, and remained true to himself first – no matter what the emotional cost.  He knew that if he did not respect himself, in the long-term I would come to not respect him either.

Being aware of emotional boundaries is important lesson for empaths (clairsentients).  When I was on the other side of the coin recently – over-giving - I was resentful, and coming to despise the person more and more.  The over-giving was slowly destroying one of my most important relationships.  I had to acknowledge what was happening, decide what I was willing to give and not give, and redraw my own emotional boundary in the relationship.

It is easy for us empaths, clairsentients, who feel others emotions, to have more porous emotional boundaries.  After all, being open to others emotions is part of our gift.  However, the downside of open emotional boundaries is that if we don’t consciously create clear intentional boundaries, we can become doormats for others to walk all over. By not drawing clear personal boundaries about what will give and not give of ourselves emotionally in relationships, we can end up over-giving.  Over-giving leaves us depleted and unable to give emotionally to ourselves, or others. 

Often you can start with clear emotional boundaries in a relationship, but the boundary line can drift as life circumstances change.  Before you know it, all of a sudden you are feeling taken advantage of and trampled all over.  Most times this is not even done intentionally, but due to life changing life circumstances. Neediness arises from the extreme fear and lack of one party in a relationship. 

You may only become conscious of over-giving, if you are feeling more irritable than usual, and possibly resentful.  If you keep over-giving you may even get physically ill.  If you notice these symptoms, you may want to look at the emotional boundaries in your relationships.  Are you both equally emotionally giving and taking from each other, or do you feel taken advantage of and drained?  If so, you may have re-set your boundaries.  You may have to consciously decide what you will and won’t give of yourself in your relationship with that person.

It is especially important if you are empathic, to have clear, conscious boundaries.  Setting clear emotional boundaries, and respecting them, keeps you authentic to who you really are.  Once you are clear on where your emotional boundaries are, you will be able to release anything above and beyond what you wish to give.  You will know you have been successful in resetting this boundary, once you feel the surge of relief of any you didn’t want to take on, falling away. 

Never underestimate the effect on the other person either.  If you are over-giving, you are not allowing the other person the opportunity to build up his or her own emotional support.  You are creating a weakness for that person.  It can be amazing to see how the new emotional balance helps both parties once they are in equal balance again.

If you don’t honor who you really are, by respecting your emotional boundaries, eventually the other person won’t either.  If you are willing to keep giving to them, they will keep taking, whether its conscious or unconscious.   You will also not respect the other person if you are over-giving to him or her.  You will come to resent them, and possibly even despise them in the end.

Over-giving prevents you from being the best you, and diminishes your relationships.  Being mindful of these emotional boundaries, keeps your relationships healthy and yourself authentic.  Being authentic keeps you aligned with your highest purpose – and isn’t that what your time here on Earth is all about?

Care to share any of your experiences of over-giving? or of being taken advantage of?  Were you successfully able to rebalance the relationship?

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Getting the Best From Your Intuition – Setting Intentions

Posted on September 22, 2011 by conduitofjoy

Getting the best information via your intuition means setting intentions.  Intention is everything in the spiritual realm. Therefore, it is important to set your intentions every day.  Intention setting first thing in the morning sets your course for clearer sailing for the rest of your day.  Call it whatever you want – an invocation, a prayer – setting your intentions in the morning, makes sure you are best aligned with your guides, and helps your intuition function at its highest level all day long.

Just like staying on a diet, or disciplining yourself to study, setting your intentions requires you to be mindful about receiving guidance through your intuition.  It forces you to be clear on that fact that you want to connect with your guides and Higher Self, and focuses you why and how you want to use your intuition.  Ensuring that you remember to set your intentions every day keeps your “spiritual hygiene” nice and aligned with your highest soul growth.  It keeps the information from your intuition as authentic and accurate as possible.

I would advise including the following components in your daily intention setting.  Most of them are self-explanatory, but if they aren’t I can explain them more.  I have included a script of what I use in my own daily intentions setting, but ideally you should adapt your own intentions to your own personal beliefs, preferences and needs.

a) Be thankful for what you have already been given. Why would the Universe throw some more your way if you don’t already appreciate what you have?

“I thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the abundance and good that I have already received.”

b) Call on your Higher Self and Guides. You need to specifically ask for who you wish to connect with.

“Higher Self, power animals, spirit guides, I ask for your help today to lead me in the direction of my soul’s highest growth.”

c) Ask for assistance in tuning up your talents to their highest use. We are here on Earth to use our talents to their best expression to help ourselves and others.

“I ask that you make me the best channel that I can be.  Help me to best discern and provide the most relevant information, in the most understandable way for myself or others in our soul’s highest growth.”

d) Be specific in asking for what you need. Is there something specific today you need help with?  The more specific your request can be the more specific the guidance can be.  Being specific also strengthens your intuition.

“I ask that you help me today with knowing the right things to do and say in this job interview, so that I may move towards the job that is in my soul’s highest growth.

e) Make sure you practice good spiritual hygiene, so you keep only the guests you invite in your energy field.

“I close off my aura to all but my own Higher Self and those Beings of the Highest Vibration who are with me at the choice of my soul.”

You may wish to use some type of closing or gratitude again.  Some folks also use protections as part of their intention setting.  Your practice will vary with your personal beliefs, preferences and specific needs from day to day.  However, covering the basic elements will help you tune in to your best intuitive information all the time.

I give thanks to Andrea Hess at Empowered Soul, Slade Roberson from Shift Your Spirits, and the wise counsel of my great friend Lisa Wichtenheiser from Practically Intuitive, from whom I have all borrowed from, to craft my own daily intention setting script.

Care to share any other components that you use in your own daily intentions setting? Or any thoughts on setting intentions?

This amazing photo is a Dakota Sioux man in 1907, from http://www.old-picture.com/indians/Indian-Invocation.htm.

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Need some extra assistance with getting guidance?

I can connect with your guides for you in a quick reading, 20 minutes for $25.

Click on the tab at the top of my blog to see how, or email me at conduitofjoy@hotmail.com.

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Spirit Guides – You Say Spirit Guide, I Say Power Animal

Posted on September 6, 2011 by conduitofjoy

**On Edit: Here’s an update my thoughts on this subject. 

I apologize if I caused any confusion with my initial post, I have edited it a little.  

When I re-read this post after posting, I felt that I may have confused some key points.  Keep in mind that these opinions are only mine, and yours may be different.   Also, I am human and still learning every day.  :)   The main points of my post:

a)      Upon reflection I do not think power animals are the same as guardian angels, although they may share some similar functions.

b)      I saw my power animal and the guide that Slade saw for me as the same guide (I think they may be different aspects of the same guide, for example power animal may help me connect with lower chakras, the guide may help with accessing my higher chakras, but that is a different post I hope to write…).  I think that power animals and spirit guides share similar functions.

c)      My religious baggage caused me to not to be able to accept the existence of anything associated with mainstream religion, including the existence of “angels”, in my own belief system for a long time.  While I have now done some work with Archangel Micheal, I’m still considering how angels and guardian angels fit into and work with my personal existing cosmology,

d)      I think that because of who we are as individuals, the culture we are raised in, our religious beliefs and world views, we may each view the intuitive world slightly differently, and that is a beautiful thing,

e)      I don’t think our spirit guides, and other teachers, care as much about the names that we call them, as much as that we DO call them to assist us.

Anyways, hopefully this has brought clarity and not more confusion.  I would at least hope it would create some good discussion, to help you clarify how you see your own intuitive world. 

Kara

Hello dear readers,

Welcome back!  It is nice to be back with you here again.  I’ve missed being here with you at “Conduit of Joy”.  

Look for new posts to appear here every two weeks.  I will also be answering some of your short questions, for free, with my feature “Answers from the Universe” at least once every two months.

I am still available for readings on a limited schedule, and I’m particularly excited about doing past-life readings lately, as those have been particularly illuminating.  Email me at conduitofjoy@hotmail.com, and we’ll see what’s cooking for you.

Sending blessings and fun to you for your continued readership!  Kara

Earlier on in my intuitive life, I learned alot about intuition and guides from reading the blogs of other intuitives. I was particularly fascinated (and continue to be) about how other intuitives connect with their own angels and personal spirit guides. 

But reading about angels and personal spirit guides that appeared in human form kind of stymied me.  I had learned to access the spirit world in the shamanic tradition, where my guides appear as animals.  In the shamanic tradition, the main personal guide appears as an animal and is known as a power animal.  I was very familiar with my own personal power animal, and my other animal guides, after working with them for years, but I wondered how they would look to other intuitives that had learned a different method.

My curiousity got the better of me, and I sought out a reading from another intuitive to specifically tell me what my main personal spirit guide looked like (the venerable Slade Roberson at Shift Your Spirits.).  He gave me the name of my guide, described as a male person, and my guide’s “physical” characteristics and what his function for me was.  He also described where my guide was usually located in relation to the position of my body.

I was pleased but also confused.  The way my personal spirit guide was described physically was certainly not the personal guide that I was familiar with.  Could it be that I had another main guide? Was I wrong about my own personal spirit guide?

Seeking to get to the bottom of my confusion, I did a reading for myself to communicate with both these guides.  When I invited both guides in by their different names, I could see them individually, one in animal form, one in human form.  When I asked if they were the same guide, they both nodded and then I saw them slowly super-impose over each other, confirming for me visually that they were in fact the same personal spirit guide.  It was then that the lightbulb went on for me.

Since then, my guide has been identified by a different name and form, but the “personality” characteristics and purpose of my guide have been described consistently.  This indicates to me that whatever name my personal guide or guardian angel is given, is probably mostly irrelevant. 

The important thing is that the essence of my personal spirit guide is perceived by other intuitives in the same way. 

What did I take from this experience? 

I believe that all intuitives are dialed into their own unique channel to the Divine.  I find that very exciting, as it is the ultimate in individuality.  Since each of us humans is wired differently, depending on the cultural and religious beliefs we were raised in, we each respond differently to different types of teachers.  We can only “hear” a message when it is delivered in way that we are individually wired to receive it, and understand it.

For instance, because of my religious baggage, years ago when I was starting to open to intuitive experiences, at that time, I doubt that if I would have contacted my personal spirit guide if I thought that personal guide was associated in any way with what I associated with organized religion.  Because of my past, words that were used in organized religion, triggered specific emotional responses in me that would have shut down the intuitive part of me.

However, since I had always been close to animals and nature accessing the spirit world in animal form, was easy for me.  As I have continued to learn about the spiritual realm, I have realized not to judge quickly, and no longer write something off immediately just because I don’t resonate with the label applied to it. I have learned not to make up my mind about something until I fully understand what it is about.

I have come to embrace concepts I would have previously rejected, such as “angels” and other entities, that in the past I would have rejected, or judged as being negative and bad.  I try to stay open to spiritual messages, and to be aware if certain words trigger me, so I don’t miss the meaning of the message.

We need many different spiritual teachers in this world to deliver the universal messages in many different ways since we are all different.  It is the message -  that we all have personal guides that are available to help us if we ask – that is the most important.

Care to share any experiences of your own personal guides in the comments?

** The beautiful spirit guide image on this post is attributed to its creator Clarita Zarate and can be found at  http://gg.tigweb.org/clarita/31177/ **.

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Gone Fishin’

Posted on July 9, 2011 by conduitofjoy

 

Dear Conduit of Joy readers,

After spending week after week thinking “Hey, I might have time to write a blog post this week”, I was finally forced to admit that I would not in fact have time to write blog post, or carry on with my intuitive practice to the extent that I had been.   The addition of a new business to our lives has added new challenges for me.  Apparently for me it is not possible to work full-time, be a parent, help with a new business, and also do intuitive work.  Who knew? But that is my reality now, and I must honour that.

So, I have given myself permission to be on hiatus from this blog until September 2011.  I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me sad not to be blogging and doing readings for others, as I really love both of those things.  But apparently I have more to learn about accepting my limitations, and respecting how things are.

While I have plenty of grunt work to do, I hope this time will also be a time of soul level renewal.  I plan to  spend more time in nature, immersed in green forests and lake water, and playing with kids.

Watch this space in September for new posts, or enjoy some of the “Conduit of Joy” archived blog posts for now.  I may offer some shorter reading spots from time to time before then (just cause I can’t help myself).

I still continue to count myself lucky every day that there are many loyal readers of this blog.  Your participation, dear readers, in this blog continues to bring me much joy.

I hope you enjoy a season of renewal yourself, wherever you may be.  See you in September!

Kara

Posted in Authenticity | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Empaths R Us – Dr. Judith Orloff

Posted on May 23, 2011 by conduitofjoy


 

 

 

Welcome again to the “Empaths R Us” interview series of empaths.

Today and I am honoured to be posting an interview with well-known psychiatrist Dr. Judith Orloff. (I’m even more honoured as I know she was in the middle of a book tour and had very little time, but she managed to complete this interview).

Dr. Judith Orloff, MD is an assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and author of the New York Times and international bestseller “Emotional Freedom”. As a board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Orloff blends her traditional medical skills with intuition to enhance patient care.

She synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality to achieve physical and emotional healing. She passionately asserts that we have the power to transform negative emotions and achieve inner peace. Dr. Orloff’s site can be accessed here.

Many thanks to Dr. Orloff for sharing her personal experiences as an empath.  I invite you to visit her site here and read her book, “Emotional Freedom”, to explore her techniques for best using your empathy.

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Empath means “becoming one”. Empaths have the ability to become one with something (humans, animals, crystals, environment,  etc.) How would you describe the kind of empath you are?

In Emotional Freedom, I talk about an emotional type called an Emotional Empath. This is someone who is sensitive, loving, intuitive but they are an emotional sponge.  They can absorb the stress and negative energy of the world into their own bodies and get exhausted. That’s why I’ve had to practice the strategies in the book in my own life to set clear limits and boundaries with people.

How would you describe your most dominant empath skill?

Sensing what people are feeling emotionally in my own body.

At what age did you consciously become aware that you were more sensitive than others?

As a young child, 7 or 8. I couldn’t go in crowded shopping malls without feeling exhausted or picking up aches or pains I didn’t have before.

How did this empathic ability affect your childhood?

I had no idea what my empathy meant so I was confused and blamed myself for being overly sensitive. My doctor-mother told me “get a thicker skin” which made me feel like I had done something wrong and had to change.

How did your parents or family reaction to your hypersensitivity?

They wanted me to toughen up.

Did you view of your empathy change as you became an adult?

Now I see it as a great gift but I’ve learned how to protect my energy and empathy with the techniques I share in Emotional Freedom. It lets me be passionate, go deep, have compassion with people, experience the nuance of life to the fullest. It also helps me as a psychiatrist have more empathy and compassion with my patients.

At what age did you fully realize what being an empath meant?

In my thirties.

What did you feel like when you realized that there were other empaths in the world?

I felt I was okay and wasn’t so alone or considering myself weird. Now Emotional Freedom gives that sense of being understood to other empaths out there. Empaths need to unite and support one another

How would you say this empathic ability shaped your life overall?

It has made me more sensitive as a psychiatrist, more intuitive, more loving, and able to set clear health limits and boundaries. As an author of Emotional Freedom it has allowed me to help empaths all over the world come into their own power!

Do you consciously use your empathic skills in how you make a living?

Yes, I use it as a psychiatrist with patients every moment and also as a speaker I use it to tune in and empathize with groups.

What are the best techniques that you have found to keep your emotional boundaries intact with others?

Learn that “no is a complete sentence”.

What is your favourite thing about being an empath?

Connecting with the ecsatatic forces of nature.

What is your least favourite thing about being an empath?

Being around chronic talkers.  In Emotional Freedom I have a chapter on Emotional Vampires, people who suck your energy dry. All empaths should read that chapter so they know how to handle these people and not be drained.

What is your best piece of advice for other empaths?

You are beautiful!

Develop your sensitivities but practice the strategies in Emotional Freedom to protect your empathy and energy.

Dr. Orloff invites you learn more about helping yourself as an empath, by reading the information in her book “Emotional Freedom”.

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Need a quick 20-minute intuitive tune-up? Purchase on the “Book A Reading” page, I can help you out.  You can also always email me at conduitofjoy@hotmail.com.

 

 

 

Posted in Empaths, Intuition | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Empaths R Us – Nicole Chayka

Posted on May 16, 2011 by conduitofjoy

Hello again! Life has been very busy, but I guess that is as it supposed to be – in alignment with spring and the energy of beginnings – both of which are here. I am happy to back on my blog to post another empath interview for you, in the “Empaths R Are Us” interview series!

Today’s interview is with empath Nicole Chayka, co-author of ‘Fringe Dweller on the Night Shift: True Stories from an Afterlife Paramedic’, which can be found at her site here.

Nicole writes paranormal articles for ‘Coming out of the Psychic Closet’ on the Fringe Dweller website here.

I want to thank Nicole for sharing her personal experiences as an empath, and I invite you to visit her site and read more about her experiences.

Enjoy the interview with Nicole.

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Empath means “becoming one”. Empaths have the ability to become one with something (humans, animals, crystals, environment,  etc.) How would you describe the kind of empath you are?

Since childhood  I’ve been able to connect with other people and feel what they are feeling, however animals seem to respond to my energy as well.  I recall a particular incident when I was explaining to a rather high strung friend of mine that her energy was exhausting.  To illustrate my point a puppy was jumping up and down next to her like it was on a trampoline (bing-bing-bing) yet when it crossed the room to me it settled down immediately putting its head on my lap and mellowing out.

How would you describe your most dominant empath skill?

People.  Definitely people.  I can sense the underlying emotion that is driving a person’s behavior even when they are trying to hide it from others or worse, themselves.

At what age did you consciously become aware that you were more sensitive than others?

It is so innate to my being that I didn’t recognize myself to have abilities.  I thought it was natural and so paid little attention to it.  It wasn’t until a psychic friend of mine who can see ‘auras’ decided to reveal to me that my aura changed with each new person I met (essentially mimicking theirs) and what that meant that I came into fully understanding it.  That would have been sometime in my early 30’s.

How did this empathic ability affect your childhood?

Oh yes childhood.  I knew things I shouldn’t have which constantly got me into trouble.  No one wants to be confronted on what they are feeling until they are ready to own it.  Often times I knew what a person was feeling deep down before they themselves recognized it.  That spells trouble.  Nonetheless my highschool years were I’m told ‘unique’ in that I was part of, and accepted by every peer group in the school be it the nerds, the jocks, the metal heads, the punk rockers to the pop crowd, religious folks to atheists, guys, gals, the party crowd to the keeners and everyone in between. I didn’t think it unusual at the time but now I know why.  I could ‘relate’ to everyone and find that ‘commonality’ between us all.

How did your parents or family reaction to your hypersensitivity?

My folks weren’t the touchy feely type and children were to be seen not heard.  I learned to reign myself in and control my feelings.  Life in a rural setting is busy.  I don’t think they noticed much of anything.

Did your view of your empathy change as you became an adult?

Yes.  I learned to have separation from other people as a survival skill.  It’s exhausting to ‘feel’ all the time, especially when those feelings don’t belong to you, yet you feel them in your body just the same. I learned about chakras and how to ground myself.

At what age did you fully realize what being an empath meant?

I’m a late bloomer.  I discovered fully what being an empath meant in my early 30’s when a psychic friend who sees auras followed me around at a party I was hosting.  They said that my aura changed with each new person I greeted at the door.  Later we had a little ‘discussion’ about everyone’s aura having it’s own  frequency like radio stations on the dial, as did I.  However, as an empath I could slip down the dial to anyone’s frequency ..to be in synch with them and thus ‘tune into them’ and receive information from them.  I think of it as a form of telepathy but instead of thoughts it’s feelings.

What did you feel like when you realized that there were other empaths in the world?

Not surprised at all..I could feel them.  Of course other people are empathic.  It’s really the degree to which we are willing to let ourselves recognize that we are all part of the whole and thus connected.  It’s more like some people are ‘awake’ while others are sleep walking.  Those who are sleep walking are still part of the collective but don’t realize it- so they feel intensely alone and lonely.  On a funny note I can usually tell when I am in the presence of another empath.  It struck me that whenever I couldn’t ‘read’ someone they were usually like myself.  It was a terribly uncomfortable feeling when my senses couldn’t pick up any information, and in some ways it felt like a handicap to me…like being blinded or deaf for a moment.  The absence of that sensory perception that feels natural to me was like having one arm tied behind my back. Of course the visuals are hilarious…both our auras zipping up and down the dial searching for one another..too funny.

How would you say this empathic ability shaped your life overall?

It allows me to have greater compassion for others, to step into their shoes emotionally and feel an event from their p.o.v.

However, I have noticed as I’ve grown older that I seek solitude from people as it is too exhausting to be in the presence of ‘high strung’ emotional people.  Maybe it is the Taurus in me that is so grounded that I am becoming less patient with people then I was as an adolescent -who just wanted to help everyone I met, and make them feel better.

Do you consciously use your empathic skills in how you make a living?

When I worked in sales I probably had an advantage that I wasn’t aware of but no, I have never consciously used my skills to make a living.  I did debate for a brief time in high school if I should pursue a degree in psychology and work in counseling.  I think that may be a common theme among empaths..to want to help people heal their emotional wounds.  If we can ‘separate’ ourselves from others to the degree that we remain neutral and professional I think we can be of service.  The danger lies of course in getting far too involved and doing them a disservice.  I’m glad I didn’t go into clinical psychology…that would have been exhausting.

What are the best techniques that you have found to keep your emotional boundaries intact with others?

I tell them to leave the house. (only kidding)

A good meditation to start with is to consciously decide to ground yourself and have separation from others unless you want it.  It’s one thing to intentionally connect and another to be bombarded with information all the time.   To that end I visualize my chakras grounding into the center of the earth one at a time, and then reaching forth to the sun and creator to connect me to spirit.  I say aloud when I enter a public setting…’All that is not mine please leave.’ for the spirit world that also walks among us.  My favorite technique if you are in the presence of ‘negatively charged individuals’ incarnate or not…is to intentionally send love.  Imagine white light surrounding yourself as though you are inside an egg of energy.  Then imagine extending that energy emanating both from your heart chakra as well as streaming down from creator (the sun if that will help you visualize it) filling the entire room.  You would be amazed how negative people avoid you or leave the room altogether b/c the frequency you have raised the room to is incompatible and therefore uncomfortable for them to be in the presence of.

What is your favorite thing about being an empath?

There are two fold things that I enjoy about being empathic.  One is the ‘inside scoop’ to be able to communicate with others in a way that makes them feel so comfortable that they are able to open up and be authentic with me. I enjoy the intimacy that comes when two people are honest and trusting of each other.  The other aspect that I am grateful for is that I know when I am in the presence of a sociopath and/or in danger.  It is hard to explain the place that sociopaths live in their heart.  It is almost as if they were born missing an invisible appendage, and so the intellect rules their being..not their heart.  It is a very dark and scary place.  It is like walking into a cold abyss with a total absence of light. These people are the complete opposite of empaths who haven’t the ability to feel compassion or empathy for another person whatsoever.  They live for themselves.  Only for themselves.

What is your least favorite thing about being an empath?

Knowing too much.  You can’t unknown what you know…you know? Oh and public places like a  large concert.  Talk about taking a hammering if you haven’t prepared yourself.

What is your best piece of advice for other empaths?

Don’t wear other people’s emotions.

Learn to differentiate between yourself and others.

Learn to ground yourself and take a breather when you need to or you will become saturated, exhausted and over stimulated with a constant bombardment of emotional energy.

Also learn the difference between compassion vs pity.

Don’t try to mend every broken heart. You don’t need to ‘fix everyone’s pain-that’s not your job.

Offer love to those you meet and pass in life, but also recognize that their journey through suffering may be leading them somewhere karmically.  That they may have written this into their script when they reincarnated this time around.  It is not for us to intervene in what could be a very huge ‘learning opportunity’.

Do you believe there is any difference between empathic skills and intuitive/psychic skills?

No. I would say that there is a huge umbrella of psychic skills and being empathic is merely one of them.  I have also experienced clairaudience, clairsentience, telepathy, and have had lucid dreams of visiting dead loved ones on the other side as well as the living.  These are all part of the package of ‘tuning into’ one another in various ways.  There is a lyric line from a song I didn’t finish a long time ago that went…

We are all drops of water in an endless sea

A forgotten divinity.

We are all part of mass consciousness which in turn is connected to the consciousness that holds reality as we know it together.   God, Creator, or whatever name you wish to call it by….is us…collectively.   Our collective memories, feelings, thoughts is an ocean that we can all take a swim in and fish out information from.  The 100th monkey effect?  Naaa, just mass consciousness.

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Thanks to Nicole for sharing of yourself!

An insight I got from Nicole’s answers, is that I realized why I was also good at sales.  When I was young and needed a job, I found out accidentally that I was very good at sales, even though I hated it.  I could only do sales for a short time when I was young,  for purely economic reasons, but it went against every fiber of my being.   I now realize it was because I could unconsciously read each person’s energy to know what they needed to hear, in order to buy whatever product I was pitching.  While I was good at it, it went against every fiber of my being if the product wasn’t 100% in alignment with what I believe in, stand for.

After that, I realized I couldn’t do this to myself or others, no matter how desperate for money I was. Now I know that it was because it was out of energetic alignment with who I am, and it was exploiting the energy of others, and that just felt “bad” to me.   (I guess that is your guarantee that whatever I  “sell” I totally believe in, and that it aligns with who I am!)

Do your own experiences resonate with Nicole’s?  Please share in the comments.

I’m still here and available to do readings.  If you want to figure out what to do next, email me here at conduitofjoy@hotmail.com, for a reading.

Posted in Authenticity, Empaths | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Empaths R Us – Yvonne Perry/Lavendar Rose

Posted on May 1, 2011 by conduitofjoy

Welcome to another empath interview in the series “Empaths R Us”!

This week’s interview is with empath Yvonne Perry (soul name LavendarRose). Yvonne is the author of “Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You”. This is a guidebook for empathic people who have been unknowingly carrying energetic burdens that belong to someone else. You can find a link to Yvonne’s book here.

Yvonne is also the host of “We Are One in Spirit” blog and podcast, which is described as allowing for people of all walks of life to discuss their spiritual journey, beliefs about God/Goddess, and paranormal or life-transforming experiences that remind us that we are all ONE IN SPIRIT. Uplifting, enlightening, and insightful topics include healing, empathy, intuition, spiritual/psychic gifts, metaphysics, soul development, afterlife, spirit communication, and more. You can find the blog and podcast here.

Enjoy the empath interview with Yvonne below.

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1. Empath means “becoming one”. Empaths have the ability to become one with something (humans, animals, crystals, environment, etc.) How would you describe the kind of empath you are?

I find that I connect best with human beings, whether in physical or spirit form. I tend to get over-stimulated in a crowd of people, but I’m also easily able to tap into higher realms to glean information from my spirit guides. In taking this Empathy Quiz, I score high as a healer, human, and animal empath. I feel very connected with my dog and there are times when we communicate telepathically.

2. How would you describe your most dominant empath skill?

The ability to sense energy shifts like when someone is upset about something or when a spirit is in the vicinity. I can feel the energy of stones and sense subtle changes in the electromagnetic field around me.

3. At what age did you consciously become aware that you were more sensitive than others?

I was an adult before it dawned on me that not everyone felt as I did. Looking back though, I realize I was energy sensitive even as a young child. When I encountered a near-death experience at age 17 my sensitivity increased. It took another leap each time I had surgery. It’s like a reconnection with the spirit world occurred while I was under anesthesia.

4. How did this empathic ability affect your childhood?

Because I was picking up energy of my fellow students, I hated going to school. I sensed that my peers didn’t like me or that I was a misfit. I was depressed as a teenager due to feeling my parent’s unhappiness as if it were my own.

5. How did your parents or family reaction to your hypersensitivity?

Mom thought I was weak because I cried a lot and things upset me that didn’t upset her or others. My dad is also a highly sensitive person, but he does not have an understanding of this intuitive gift.

6. Did your view of your empathy change as you became an adult?

By the time I was in my thirties I realized that not everyone had the same ability to feel and sense energy as I did. I knew I had a spiritual gift and I wanted to use it to help others. When I sensed someone needed help, I prayed for them and many times their condition or situation improved. That’s how I became a prayer warrior (intercessor) and began to spend hours each day praying for others. During those sessions, I had some strong physical and emotional manifestations in reaction to the high-vibratory energy moving through me. I was also picking up on the emotional energy and physical illnesses that others were releasing. While I found a few other prophetic prayer warriors who manifested similar “symptoms” and accepted me as if I were part of their family, I never fit in to the framework of organized religion.

7. At what age did you fully realize what being an empath meant?

I still didn’t have a name for what I was experiencing when being an empath finally took its toll on my marriage and my health. At age forty, I was burned out. I left organized religion and started my life over in an effort to heal myself and find out what was going on with me. I began seriously searching for answers and found ways to alleviate energy overload and remain emotionally stable, even when close acquaintances experienced an upset. I did this by detaching, setting boundaries, and caring for my own needs.

8. What did you feel like when you realized that there were other empaths in the world?

Even though I didn’t have the term “empath” when I was involved in the prayer group, I felt as if someone finally understood me. Everyone in that group experienced what we called “backlash.” I now know that this feeling that we thought meant we had been “cursed” is called empathy overload or compassion fatigue.

9. How would you say this empathic ability shaped your life overall?

There’s not an aspect of my life that being empathic has not touched. It affects how I do relationships, where I go, who I spend time with (and for how long), and how my home is arranged and decorated, as well as understanding my spiritual purpose and why I’ve always needed to spend time alone.

10. Do you consciously use your empathic skills in how you make a living?

I’m transitioning my career to use this gift more and more. I operate a freelance writing and editing business, and I use my intuition to know which clients I’m to work with. Since publishing my book, Whose Stuff is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You, I recognize an opportunity to share my gifts and experience through public speaking. I plan to put together a workshop or tele-seminar later this year. See http://whosestuffisthis.com for information and resources for empaths.

11. What are the best techniques that you have found to keep your emotional boundaries intact with others?

Grounding and centering, meditation, smudging, clearing and maintaining my energetic field, running energy through my body, and balancing my chakras are a few that I use regularly. Learn what your own energy feels like so you can quickly note when you are picking up energy that isn’t yours. Chapter 9 of my book gives about two dozens ways for empaths to strengthen their boundaries and stay emotionally healthy.

12. What is your favourite thing about being an empath?

Being able to feel connected to the Divine and to others. Helping people by being able to sense what is bothering someone and offering them practical advice (when asked) to get them on a higher path.

13. What is your least favourite thing about being an empath?

Being overwhelmed due to my extreme sensitivity to sound—especially when it is mixed with group energy. Because I get overwhelmed pretty quickly, I avoid meeting clients in a busy or noisy public place such as a coffee shop or restaurant during lunchtime. I’ve learned to pick a library or bookstore that has a quieter atmosphere and fewer people around.

14. What is your best piece of advice for other empaths?

Many empaths exhibit codependent behavior. We want to please and help people even if we find it draining us. We’ve been taught that martyrdom and sacrificial giving is honorable. But, I’ve learned that if I can’t give something (whether time, energy, or money) without feeling joyful and enthusiastic about it, I’m not living authentically. You can only give to others without draining yourself when you share from the fullness of spirit.

My advice is to honor yourself by saying no when you need to and then refuse to feel guilty about it. Let other souls have their own experiences and learn from them. There’s no need to run interference or prevent others from suffering the consequences of their own choices. Find what techniques work best for you to keep your energy field clear, learn to set boundaries, and care for yourself before you try to help others.

15. Do you believe there is any difference between empathic skills and intuitive/psychic skills?

They are very much the same, but there are some subtle differences if you want to break things down and analyze the two terms. Empathy is the ability to feel for and with others—like putting yourself in their place or walking a mile in their shoes. It has more to do with emotions and feeling (clairsentience), whereas a person with psychic skills might also experience clairaudience (hearing in the spirit realm), clairvoyance (seeing apparitions, having visions and dreams), psychometry (gleaning information from objects), and mysteriously knowing things. Not all psychics are emotionally empathic, meaning not all of them get their information from what they feel.

Empathy is just one component of the multi-faceted intuitive package that I call our divine or internal guidance system. As empaths develop their intuition, they will naturally stop giving away their energy by default and become more on purpose about what energy they send and receive. It’s best not to use our bodies as a psychic barometer or allow empathic abilities to wreck havoc upon our emotions and physical well-being.

Thanks to Yvonne for sharing her personal experiences.  Here again are the links to Yvonne’s book, and blog and podcast.

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Need to get crackin’ on your real path? I’m still here to help you.  Email me at conduitofjoy@hotmail.com.

Posted in Empaths, Intuition | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments