One day, while enjoying the morning light, I discovered a small velvet bag nestled behind a curtain. Curious, I opened the bag and found 30 Nordic runes. I’d never heard of runes before, so it was fortunate that the bag came with a book.

For those who don’t know, runes are a divination system that utilizes the Nordic/Germanic alphabet. Each letter represents a concept, like joy or growth.

I’ll never know if my immediate resonance with the runes was due to my Nordic ancestry, or if it was simply a meaningful coincidence, but I fell in love with them on the spot.

It may seem odd, but over the years runes have helped me grow my lifework.

I’ve found simple, and sometimes profound, guidance from these little stones.

Whenever I feel frustrated or stuck, I blindly draw three of them from the bag and see if they have a message for me. They’ve illuminated challenging situations, inspired me to let go when I wanted to hold on tight, and almost always helped me see more deeply into my current situation.

As I started to contemplate the theme for today’s post, I noticed the same bag of runes sitting on my desk.  I decided to draw three stones and let them determine the topic. It’s not the first time I’ve done this, but it is the first time I’ve talked about it publicly!

In a three rune spread, the first rune describes a problem, the middle rune offers the path to healing, and the third rune depicts the potential result.

But in order for the runes to share their wisdom, you have to first ask a question. Here’s what I asked:

What is the most appropriate topic for today’s ezine?

Quotes from The Book of Runes by Ralph Blum

The problem: Mannaz, the self reversed

“If you feel blocked, do not turn to others, but look inside, in silence, for the enemy of your progress. You will recognize the outer “enemy” as but a reflection of what you have not, until now, been able or willing to recognize as coming from within.”

The solution: Isa, standstill, that which impedes

“Be patient, for this is the period of gestation that precedes a rebirth. Trying to hold on can result in shallowness of feeling, a sense of being out of touch with life. Seek to discover what it is you are holding onto that keeps this condition in effect, and let go. Shed, release, cleanse away the old. That will bring on the thaw.”

The result: Wunjo, joy, light

“The shift that was due has occurred and now you can freely receive Wunjo’s blessings. This is an alchemical moment in which understanding is transmuted from knowledge. Joyousness accompanies new energy, energy blocked before now. Wunjo is the Rune of restoration, of the self properly aligned to the Self.”

So whatever challenges you are currently facing, I offer this reading as inspiration to help you move through it.

How might a perceived block in your path be an external manifestation of an inner struggle?

How might letting go and clearing attachments to this block help release whatever is holding you back?

How might this struggle become a path to joy?

I’m curious, do you ever use divination systems? If so, which ones? Let’s share our favorites in the comments below.

Here’s our good news: ovarian cancer is measured in part by a protein created by the cancer. Her protein count before surgery was over 22,000, but just before she started chemo it was down to 695. 35 and under is normal for a healthy person, so she’s getting closer to full health by the minute!

So thank you again for all of your prayers and support and for asking how she’s doing. I feel a bit sheepish for not thanking each of you who emailed prayers – there were so many of you(!) – but I am eternally grateful and send all of you a huge heartfelt hug.

Praying for One Another

In truth, the hundreds of people praying for my sister got me to thinking about how we might support one another as service providers.

Imagine how different you and your work might be if you knew you had people all over the world praying for your success. And imagine what it would feel like to be a prayer-keeper for other service providers.

Considering this, I’m starting a daily prayer practice to hold the intention that all service providers, everywhere, find success. You’re welcome to join me.

Here’s my prayer to you:

May your lifework be a beacon of light for those who need your help.

May you trust your insight and intuition to guide you joyfully on your journey.

May you have financial and spiritual abundance as you share your wisdom with the world.

And may your clients feel healed, held and whole long after they leave your side.

May it be so.

Do you have your own prayer to contribute? If so, share it below in the comments area.

It all started on an unusually warm, winter morning. A friend and I were sitting outside at a cafe, preparing to share a lovely breakfast.

Suddenly it seemed we were under attack.

The sound of automatic weaponry filled the air, the crowd looked nervous, and I leapt up to take cover inside.

My friend, on the other hand, ran into the middle of the street to investigate.

Seriously.

At first I was miffed and wondered how anyone could be so dumb. I envisioned his insides splattered on the ground, an unsightly mess, and me having to call his mom to explain why he was dead.

But as my imagination got the best of me, I slowly realized what was really happening.

Turns out the restaurant next door was celebrating the lunar New Year with an explosion of firecrackers.

Sometimes things seem life threatening, but turn out to be nothing but a joyful celebration.

For instance, how many people are terrified of public speaking, or going public with a website?

Due to the nature of my work, I know a lot of people who fear both.

For some people, public speaking and having a website are two of the scariest things they can imagine doing.

If you’re one of them, or if you have a similar fear about being in the public eye, you might be interested to know that these are not “monster in the closet” fears, but truly life threatening situations.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

When it comes to growing lifework, most of the things that might scare you, like public speaking, having a website, or coming out as a service provider who specializes in somewhat “woo-woo” stuff, require that you face the death of who you are now in order to grow into who are you becoming.

And that feels like death.

It feels unnerving.

Scary.

Maybe terrifying.

Unfortunately, when many people feel this way they freeze and stay stuck.

And when we’re stuck, no matter how badly we want clients, or buyers, or new collaborators, nothing happens because we’ve unconsciously planted our feet at the foot of a significant threshold, the gates to death.

In the hero’s journey this gate is the threshold from the known to the unknown, and crossing it forces us to face our fears.

When we don’t cross it we stay stuck in a sort of purgatory which can feel like living in hell. When we’re in this place, things feel less than satisfying. They are truly frustrating. Worse of all, we know we’re not living up to our potential.

So if this happens to you, you have three choices:

1)  Stay stuck by going about your normal routine; never take chances and risk always feeling that something isn’t quite right.

2)  Stay stuck by shifting your lifework focus because you think you’ve found a new, better direction. (Don’t kid yourself. I see people doing this all the time and it is usually, but not always, a way to avoid facing that metaphoric death and taking their work to the next level.)

or

3)  Consciously cross the threshold, confront your inner demons (which look like external events, people and situations) and move beyond it.

As mythologist Joseph Campbell said so eloquently, “‎You have to be willing to give up the life you’ve planned for in order to live the life that’s waiting for you.”

So what is your preferred option for dealing with metaphoric death?

If you constantly choose 3, then you are probably feeling fully aligned with your life and on top of the world.

If, however, you usually opt for choice 1 or 2 you may want to investigate why.

Also, you may need to find someone to help guide you into the new territory. In the hero’s journey, the heroine always has a helper. In growing lifework you need a helper too. It’s much easier to face fears when you have a support system to help you through them.

I’m certainly available to help you through spiritual guidance or lifework direction. Email to find out more details.

You can’t desperately probe your way to clarity, insight and information.

Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself.

Have you ever anxiously explored your mind for insight, or desperately tried to get guidance from Source in an attempt to find the “perfect” next step, only to discover it never comes, causing you to feel even more anxious or desperate?

I certainly have.

What I re-realized this weekend is the importance of growing lifework like a shamanic healer heals – intuitively, with faith and movement.

This method makes it easier to connect with Source and receive the information you require for moving forward.

Here’s my roundabout way of explaining this important lesson:

Shamanic healing is the art of (re)moving stuck energy and reintegrating missing soul pieces. Neither of these areas are easily perceived unless you have developed your second sight. For this reason, it can feel like make-believe to work in this arena. It requires faith and follow-through, even when there is doubt.

In order to access information from Source, the healer must be able to navigate the imaginal realm, which is different than the imaginary realm, although they are two unique aspects of imagination, both equally important.

The imaginal realm is the place where angels and spirit guides reside. This is also the realm where intuitive information exists as images, knowings, sounds, smells, and tactile senses. It’s where we connect with deeper, universal truths.

The imaginary realm, on the other hand, is make-believe. Just because you imagine you’re holding an apple doesn’t mean you are actually holding a physical apple.

In other words, the imaginal realm is where energetic, but non-material beings, messages and information lives. The imaginary realm is make-believe, although still useful.

Considering this, here’s the key to my entire revelation:

When you access the place of make-believe you have to be proactive. You are the creator. The artist. The Inventor. You actively imagine the apple. Maybe you paint it. You can make it red or green, whole or sliced, juicy or dried up.

Growing lifework is partly an act of creation. It requires you to take ideas and metaphorically paint them into reality. This can be fun and inspiring.

It can also become maddening when you need guidance, but stay stuck in activity mode and forget to listen for insight. This is where it’s helpful to understand how the imaginal realm works.

In order to successfully access the imaginal realm you need to be 90% open and receptive, 10% active. In fact, the more you try to probe this arena and actively seek information from a place of neediness or desperation, the more the information slips away.

For example, when I am in shamanic healing mode, I have to be open to receiving information. If I adopt a desperate, hurried attitude and a feeling of, “Oh my, I must find the cause of this illness. What is it? What is it? I have to get it right!” Then the information will not present itself. I will stay stuck and ineffective.

The very act of probing shuts down my receptors and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get information.

In order to get clear, solid information I have to surrender to the process. I state my intention, then let go of attachments and expectations. When I do this, information comes flooding in.

Spirit guides and animals might appear and lead me to a missing soul piece. I can then retrieve it and integrate it back into my client’s body. 95% of the time my clients verify that what I experienced was a fact of their past, not a part of my “imaginary” realm imagination.

To be a good healer I have to constantly let go and surrender to the process, letting my skeptical thoughts come and go like a spring breeze and allowing my body to move intuitively where it needs to go to remove stuck energy.

The Same is True in Self-Employment – Surrendering will Help You Move More Freely

How many times have you tried to think your way to a solution? Anxiously probed or felt desperate to get things right?

How many times have you needed clients yesterday or felt panicky about your current financial situation, causing you to desperately push your way into possible scenarios in hopes of moving forward?

And how many times have you discovered it simply doesn’t work that way. In fact, it usually just pushes clarity further away.

So the next time you feel desperate about a situation, become the healer of your practice.

Let go and trust the moment.

State your intention then open your awareness.

Pay attention to images, thoughts, knowings, sounds, feelings and act on what you hear.

The more you practice this way of growing your lifework, the easier it becomes.

So what do you think?

How have you used the imaginal realm or intuition to help you make decisions? Share below in the comments.

Let’s discuss.

Shoes?

The Magic Talisman

When Dorothy arrives in Oz she’s given a pair of ruby red slippers. The Wicked Witch covets them, but Dorothy is instructed not to remove them. This tension creates a great deal of anxiety for everyone involved – Dorothy, the Witch, and even the unlikely helpers Scarecrow, Lion and the Tin Man.

What Dorothy doesn’t realize is that she’s been given a talisman, a special gift to help her return safely home.

The truth is, throughout her entire quest, throughout all of her longing and fear and doubt, Dorothy has the very thing required to make her dreams come true.

A few clicks of the heel and Dorothy could easily be home without all the hassle.

The problem with the shoes is that they’re rather ordinary. Other than their sparkly ruby color, they feel and look just like shoes. There’s nothing extraordinarily useful about them, at least not in Dorothy’s mind.

But the deeper truth is that they’re magical. These colorful shoes can take Dorothy exactly where she wants to go as soon as she recognizes their power.

What talisman would the wise woman give you?

In myths and fairy tales the heroine doesn’t get to choose her talisman. The talisman is given to her by someone like Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (or South, if you read the book).  She’s the wise woman, after all, the guide who knows the heroine better than she knows herself.

The word talisman comes from the Greek root, “telesma”, which means, “to initiate into the mysteries.” This sacred object initiates or activates a latent, inner gift the heroine doesn’t know she has (or takes for granted) until it’s brought to her attention.

Of course, the reason the heroine doesn’t recognize her special gift is because it seems ordinary, average.

Besides, sometimes it’s just easier to accept a physical object from someone else than an intangible inner gift you have to claim yourself.

So what talisman would the wise woman give you?

It must reflect a gift you already have. Possibly a talent you take for granted.

It must be something that can easily get you “home” which is a metaphor for feeling more connected or aligned with yourself.

Take a moment to imagine your wisest self giving you a talisman.

Then leave a comment below and tell us what you receive. Describe how you might use it to grow your lifework.