During the lockdown in March 2020, I started making a list of all the things I'd like to learn. One of the things on that list is surfing. I have always loved the idea of riding the waves, becoming one with the ocean, and somehow being equal, even if just for a moment, to the power of the ocean. As I picture myself riding a wave, it gives me romantic notions of being one with Nature.
I have been told that surfing is hard to learn. It takes balance, agility and timing, and a little luck too. Sometimes you'll catch the wave at just the right moment and stand tall on your surfboard as you ride into shore. Other times no matter how hard you try you'll miss the wave and crash upon the rocks or swallow too much water. You can spend hours trying to catch a single wave without success. And let’s not forget that surfing is dangerous – you’re in a foreign environment where you’re not the apex predator. So, if you're having a really bad day you might even get attacked by a shark. Just ask Mick Fanning. And yet people still love to surf. I want to be one of them. And then, I realised that I already am a surfer. I do surf. Just not ocean waves.
Let me explain. The analogy of a wave is powerful. We use it in society and in science to describe all sorts of things, from light, to sound, to energy itself.  Life itself is like a wave. You can learn to ride the wave, but you will never control the ocean. But waves are also used to describe emotions.
We’ve all experienced emotional waves. They are intense, so intense that we often try to turn away from them. The grief of losing a loved one, the fear of lost income, the joy of holding your child for the first time. Any life experience which draws out strong emotions from us can be described as an emotional wave. If you feel like you’re drowning in the emotion, then it’s a wave.
We’re not naturally equipped to deal with overwhelming, strong emotions. It’s easier to turn off or turn away. You know, fight or flight or freeze. But if we’re not present, if we’re not consciously aware, then the emotion takes us over and we get lost in it. Some experiences contain such strong emotions that even decades later, recalling the event causes the emotions to wash over us again as though it just happened. We’re suddenly back at the beach, in the surf, getting thrashed by the ocean again.
And then there’s your dumb friend, your mind talk. If you allow it to, dumb friend will take over and tell you a story about the emotion, turning it against you and overwhelming you until you get dumped in the surf. But if you ride the emotion like a wave, staying present and consciously aware, then  it will eventually lose momentum and you’ll end up in the shallows, adrenaline-fuelled but unharmed.
According to a psychologist I know who studied Gestalt therapy, emotions are intensely powerful for approximately two minutes and then they dissipate. TWO MINUTES. If you can ride the wave of that emotion for two minutes, you’ve won. You won’t have to carry the emotional intensity of that experience forward with you into the future. Each time you remember the event and ride the wave, the emotional intensity lessens, until eventually it’s gone. The scientific term is called extinguishing the trauma cycle.
So go ahead, take a surfing lesson. Start facing the emotional intensity of the experiences life sometimes hands you. Keys 3 and 4 contain the tools to get you riding high! There are numerous techniques available to you. Try talking to the reptilian brain, climbing the emotional ladder, getting into being energy and out of doing energy, doing the reset technique.  Whatever technique you choose, stay present, and stay in your body, not in your head. You’re in charge, not the emotion(s) and not your dumb friend.
I am compelled to point out that there is one major difference between riding ocean waves and emotional waves. If you ride the emotional wave until it dissipates, you really are more powerful than the wave. Whereas with the ocean, you’ll always be second best. And who doesn’t want to be the boss?
Now where is that surfboard…

We are energetic beings made up of masses of atoms that are vibrating continually. When we come in contact with other people we respond to their energy vibrations.  Have you ever been to a concert with great music and the atmosphere was awesome and you felt uplifted? You and everyone there were contributing to the uplifting energy. I am sure you have experienced this in a negative way as well, maybe at a workplace or in an aggressive crowd at an event. You may not have formed an energy cord to an individual but you were influenced by the energy around you. Energy surrounds you every day, whether you feel it or not and it can be both negative and positive energy.  It influences how you feel and remarkably, can often attach itself to you.  This is why it’s so important to do energy healing practices, protection techniques and cord cutting daily.
We are constantly interacting with the energy of others and places, with each interaction different. Our individual energies can become connected and influence each other. Quantum physics describes this phenomenon as quantum entanglement. The current concept of quantum entanglement can be used to support the existence of energetic overlap between two distinct entities, even if separated by considerable physical distance. While the theory has been validated for atoms and groups of atoms to date, its application to larger groups of atoms (ie; human beings!) is entirely plausible.  And what this means is that once an overlap between two groups of particles has been formed these two individuals remain connected and influence each other. We call these overlaps links or preferably, cords.
Anytime two people interact with each other, energy cords are formed between them, so you can imagine how many cords are attached to you if you have never cut cords before! Many of these cords no longer serve your highest good.  The cord cutting ritual is our method for removing unwanted energetic cords. It’s important to know that when you are cutting cords to those who you have strong bonds with, you are not removing the connection. You are simply removing the connection that is no longer good for you. It’s a little like cleaning out your closet; what no longer fits is removed and what fits well stays put.
The cord cutting ritual below is simple and can be done regularly.

The Cord Cutting Ritual:

1. Find a quiet place where you will not disturbed. Begin by relaxing your body and taking a few deep breaths.
2. Once relaxed, close your eyes and call upon Archangel Michael to help you with the cord cutting.
3. Ask Archangel Michael to cut are the energy cords attached to your aura and body.

“Dear Archangel Michael:
 I call upon you to help me heal and cut any energy cords that are no longer serving my highest good. I ask that all cords attached to me that are not aligned with love be cut. Please surround me with a healing light to protect me from future negative attachments. Thank You.”
Close your eyes and visualize the cords being cut with the sword of Archangel Michael. Once the cords are all cut visualise his healing light surrounding you.

Your Daily Self-Care Routine:
It is important have a regular energy self-care routine. Here are some simple techniques that you can use every day.

1. Set the intent for the day. See your day going smoothly and being surrounded in high vibrational energy.  Here is an example of an affirmation you can use: “Today will be peaceful and fulfilling”
2. Check in regularly with yourself. How are you feeling?  Ask yourself is everything I am feeling mine. If it isn’t ask what is not yours to be returned to sender with love.
3. At the end of the day do the cord cutting ritual.
4. Use your shower as a way of washing the energy of the day from you. Ask the angels to empower the water cleansing you of anything negative and simply thank them for assisting in this cleansing process.

Cutting negative energy cords can be a fundamental step in freeing yourself of old energy and moving on to new possibilities. Give it a go! If you feel you need some help with cord cutting, we offer a cord cutting healing on our website. https://www.beingingrace.com.au/store/p3/cord-cutting.html
 

Photo Credit: Lisa Weber. Moonlight over Atauro, East Timor
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Most people have experienced trauma throughout their lives. Each of us seem to deal with it in different ways. Some of us repress it, some let it become who they are and see life from the role of victim and never move on, while others breeze through seemingly unaffected. How do you manage traumatic situations?

One thing is for certain, to truly heal you must face the trauma you have experienced and be able to release the emotion surrounding it.

Trauma can come in many forms including events in childhood, abuse, physical injury, natural disaster, divorce, loss of employment, bullying, death of a loved one, to name but a few. Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extremely stressful events that leave you feeling unsafe and helpless. But really, any event in which you felt like a victim or that you had no control over can be seen as a form of trauma. Bear in mind that what constitutes trauma for one individual may not be the same for someone else. Trauma is personal to you; everyone reacts differently.
Trauma can have a dramatic effect on our bodies and our minds. When you first experience trauma, your body will go into stress response. This response involves physiological responses including increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, increased cortisol (stress hormone) in the body - essentially, you go into fight/flight/freeze response. The effects of trauma can also cause intense emotions and emotional upheaval, unhappiness, anxiety, overwhelm, loneliness, anger, and irritability. Over time, the effects can even become physical such as insomnia, nightmares, muscle tension, agitation, fatigue, trouble with concentration and rapid heartbeat.

Over time these responses can become chronic and adversely affect your health and mental well-being, Because trauma changes the way in which people perceive the world and in how they process information and emotions, especially when it comes to feeling safe. People who have experienced trauma often find it hard to trust others, and to trust themselves. This lack of safety leads people to disconnect from yourself and from others and even from the world itself. This makes people feel isolated and alone and in extreme cases leads to PTSD and suicide.

Unless you learn how to process trauma, you will continue to repeat the same damaging patterns that keep you stuck and in pain. Processing trauma includes:

• bodywork
• clearing limiting beliefs
• understanding the source of trauma
• acceptance of the trauma
• healing the disconnection
• restoring body and mind to a state of calm and balance
• restoring a sense of safety *

* pivotal in the process

Remember, you may have been victimized but you do not have to continue being a victim. The goal of trauma healing is to give victims a feeling that they have control over their lives again. Please note that healing from trauma cannot be done with a single technique, or a single session. Trauma is multi-factorial and complex in nature, but it is possible to heal from it.
When you first experience trauma, it is best to seek the help of a professional; if done with immediacy long-term negative impacts can be minimized. Don't leave this up to a well meaning friend or relative. You need to work through the intense emotions until you can feel safe again; choose wisely who you are vulnerable with so that you do not retraumatise yourself. Energy healing and emotional freedom technique (EFT) work are amazing techniques to help release the emotional charge from your body. There are other modalities that assist in healing trauma but these are my go to systems.

From our perspective, trauma is a journey that involves mind, heart, body and soul. As such, all 7 keys are important. However, when you start the journey to heal from trauma, it specifically involves the Keys of Choice and Belief in our book Being in Grace (Key 1 and Key 2). Essentially, you have to me 2 decision. The first is that you believe you can heal and believe that it is safe to heal. This is Key 1, the key of belief. Then, you have to do something really tough - you have to want to heal, to actively choose healing, nomatter how difficult the road is. And the first step on that road? You have to decide that you no longer wish to be the victim and to start to see your traumatic experience from a different perspective. It is a hard and brave choice to make, because you did not deserve the trauma but it is your responsibility to heal from it. You cannot let it ruin your life, do not give it that much power. Once you make those two decisions; to choose to heal and believe you can heal, then you will experience a shift within you and healing will begin to occur.

We'll return to the complex topic of trauma in future blog posts.

Author: Karen O'Shea and Lisa Weber

The Ho’oponopono prayer is one of my favourite clearing techniques, so much so I trained to be a practitioner of it. It is a simple set of phrases that pack a punch in releasing and clearing unhealed parts within you. The Ho’oponopono prayer is a method of forgiveness. It cleanses and releases you from thoughts, beliefs and emotions that separate you from the divine or universal energy. It works on the premise that you create everything in your world, which also means you have the power to heal it. Everything that happens to you is stored as data within your subconscious mind and over time leads to disconnection from your true self; the energy of love and the divine. The Ho’oponopono prayer corrects this disconnection.
Forgiveness is the acknowledgement that releases the energetic blockages within you and brings you back to that original state of love.
Let’s look at the meaning of the word Ho’oponopono. Ho’o means “to make” and pono means “right”, so Ho’oponopono translates into “to make right.”
So what is the Ho’oponopono Prayer?
I’m sorry
Please forgive me
I love you
Thank you

Let’s look at each phrase and what it actually means. Once you fully understand each phrase it is easy to comprehend the power within the prayer.

1. I’m sorry:  This is the step of responsibility. This is where you take 100% responsibility for suffering, either your own or someone else’s. I am sorry for the incorrect perception I have created that has affected myself and others.
2. Please forgive me: This is the step where you ask for forgiveness. Asking forgiveness is a way of opening up to forgiving myself. Please forgive me for creating this incorrect perception and forgetting my divinity.
3. I love you: This step is filling everything with love, the transmutation process. Feel love for the issue, for yourself, others, life and everything. I love myself and everything unconditionally.
4. Thank you: This is the step of gratitude, giving thanks for the transmutation of the issue. Give thanks for everything and feel appreciation, gratitude and love for this incredible process. Thank you for clearing this for me.

 
How to Use the Ho’oponopono prayer
Think of the issue that is coming up for you in this moment and how it makes you feel. Take 100% responsibility for it. You may not have consciously created it but something in you is triggering to it, so it is up to you to clear it. Keep repeating the prayer over and over. I’m sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you. 
Repeat these phrases until you feel peace or a sense of calm within you. If you have a very deep issue or limiting belief, you may need to repeat this prayer often for a few days for it to clear. Just remember that every time you use the Ho’oponopono, you will be clearing yourself and raising your vibration. It can assist you in clearing emotions, trauma, limiting beliefs, controlling dumb friend, anything blocking you from healing. Add it to your daily routine and see your life transform.