Monday, September 26, 2016

October Guide 2016 - Shadow Work


What are the energies of October?  We are heading into the darker time of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere.  This is the time to start looking inwards and relax before the Holidays.  If you are feeling blocked, this is a good time to begin some Shadow Work.

Shadow Work allows you to examine the hidden parts of yourself that may keep you from moving forward.  If you are new to Shadow Work and would like some guidance, download my Free Shadow Work Journal: https://gum.co/fnek  I try to do Shadow Work every year from the Fall Equinox to Halloween every year.  I want to work through what may be holding me back before heading into the Holiday season and the New Year.

Some other questions to ask at this time are:

What do you need to move away from?


What would you like to move towards?


Have you moved closer to where you want to be this year?


Do you need to shift priorities so that you can move in the right direction?


As you work through these questions work with the energies of this month to keep you on the right path.  Have a wonderful month and I hope to help make this time easier as you allow the energies to help you, rather than fighting against them.  Use your own intuition to interpret what the energies of each day mean for You.  Let me know if you ever need any additional guidance.

 

October

1

Let go of preconceived ideas

2

Get out of your rut

3

Explore you inner world

4

Leave your ego behind today

5

Stop deliberating and choose

6

Embrace this new pattern

7

Balance your emotional self

8

Make an honest life assessment

9

This is a time of discovery

10

Allow help to assist

11

What signs are you given today?

12

Obstacles will clear

13

Inspiration surrounds you

14

You perception needs to change

15

You will receive wisdom

16

Get rid of any blocks

17

Work towards the greater good

18

Get into nature

19

Center in your heart

20

See the truth

21

Share your gifts

22

Be creative

23

Focus on your ideals

24

Change is in the air

25

You can bring harmony

26

Clear unresolved issues

27

What is becoming easier?

28

Follow your vision

29

We need your talents

30

What holds you back?

31

Positively express creativity

 


Monday, September 19, 2016

Raven Guidance - Free Shadow Work Journal



Carl Jung described the Shadow as the unknown side of the personality. These unknown parts cause us to react to stress based on old feelings, not the current situation. 

The FREE Shadow Work Journal will help you to discover these part so they can no longer control your feelings. Imagine if you were able to see problems as interesting challenges rather than feeling overwhelming dread.  

What you will Learn

  • Learn to focus on the actual challenges of the moment rather than feelings from the past.
  • Start immediately and quickly get to the issues that are keeping you Stressed Out.
I created this journal for myself to uncover my own shadow so I know it works. This ebook focuses on activities and guided meditations as I find that is the easiest way to tap into the unconscious. I also wanted to enjoy the discovery process so I kept it simple and even lighthearted at parts. And it worked.

I use this program at least once a year to explore the issues that trouble me. Shadow Work is never done but each time you go deeper into your thoughts and beliefs that hold you back. This program is a great place to start with your Shadow Work and I encourage you to expand on it yourself each time you try this enlightening process.  


Try this Sample Meditation to see if the Shadow Work Journal is right for you.

Read through the meditation and then remember as much as you can letting your intuition guide you or listen to this meditation on Spotify (Jessica Cross).

Raven Meditation

Get comfortable sitting or lying down.  Take a deep breath and close your eyes.  Picture yourself walking through a forest.  Hear the sounds of leaves under your feet.  Smell the crisp air and the forest scents.  See the light of the sun filter through the trees as you walk on a path through the forest.  Soon you see a clearing ahead.  In this clearing there is a large tree the size of a small house. 

Near one root of the tree there appears to be an earthen staircase heading down into the ground.  Walk down this staircase and onto a path that leads through a tunnel, just light enough to see through from a few holes to the sunlight above.  Soon you enter a part of the tunnel that is darker, as there are no holes above and you seem to be sloping downwards.  This tunnel is soon lit by sunlight that seems to be coming from the end of the tunnel.  The end of the tunnel appears, and remarkably leads to a clearing within another forest.  You are now in the lower realm. 

As your eyes adjust to the sun you see a beautiful meadow surrounded by trees.  Look into the sky.  Does it look the same as the sky on the physical realm?  How does the sun look here?  Are there any other differences here from the land above?  

Soon you notice, to the side of the clearing, a large Raven standing on the ground.  It comes closer to you and you see that it has a piece of meat in its beak.  It looks directly at you and then turns its head towards the forest.  It hops a few feet away and then pauses.  It looks back at you as if waiting for you to follow; it then hops farther away and you do start to follow.  It begins to fly but stays low to the ground and allows you to keep up.  Raven leads you into the forest and after a short walk flies to a nest up in a tree.  The nest is about half way up the tree. 

You begin to climb the tree and find it much easier than you expected.  As you reach a limb across from the nest you see that the Raven is feeding the meat to her young.  You recognize that Raven will find sustenance from almost anywhere.  Raven is not squeamish, and has adapted to digest even the most unpalatable meal.  Raven has learned to survive where others could not.  
As you look at Raven you see the rainbow of colors reflected off her jet black wings.  She lets out a cry.  It is loud and not at all lovely.  Raven does not care if you like her cry.  Raven will call and sound alarms without concern for how she is received.  She calls again as if to reinforce this fact. 

At her third call she looks at you and raises her beak as if to indicate that it is your turn.  Reach for the branch above you and stand on the limb where you were sitting.  Think of something that you have needed to say but have been worried about how it would be received.  Is there a boundary you need to set or a truth you need to tell?  Take this time to shout that truth to the world.

Raven calls to you again, offering encouragement and raises her beak higher.  You feel strong as you climb up to the limb where you were holding on and stand.  Shout your truth again, or shout another truth you need to express.  Raven calls to you again and raises her beak.  You feel powerful as you climb one limb higher up the tree and stand.  Shout your truth to the world without worrying about the response, as it is the only voice you have.  Look out over the forest and see that no trees have toppled due to your words.  Breathe in the crisp air and feel the wind that still blows despite your truth.

Climb back down to Raven and thank her for her gift.  Climb down the tree and begin to walk back towards the clearing.  It is not far and you have no trouble finding your way.  Head for the tunnel and make your way back up to your realm. 

Think of your fears about speaking your truths.  Have they changed since meeting Raven?  They may change or continue to change throughout the week.

Rise and begin to walk back down the path through the forest.  Soon you begin to hear the sounds of the room where your physical body waits.  Start to wiggle your fingers and toes and feel where you are sitting or lying.  When you are ready, open your eyes.

Find a way to ground yourself and return to your physical body.  You can eat or drink something.  Feel your extra energy sinking into the earth.  Go outside and touch the ground with your feet and give your energy to a tree or other plant.  Physical exercise can also help return you to your body.  Find something that makes you feel connected to your body and the earth so you can go on with your day.

Journal


Journaling is another good way to ground yourself.  You get more from your meditation if you can process it by writing down what you learned or summarizing your meditation.  The connections will become clearer as you remember the experience.


If you are not a writer you can also collage (physical or digital), draw, paint, sculpt, or any medium that calls to you.  In deciding how to represent what you have learned in meditation you will gain a better understanding of your experience.


What did you learn?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



What do you need to say?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


What boundaries do you need to set?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





For those of you who have to have your journals in physical form (I know, sometimes I need off the screen too) I did make this available on Amazon.  Unfortunately because of the paper and printing it will cost you $14.98 but here it is. Click Here!

Friday, September 16, 2016

The One-Two Punch for Stress Reduction



You may have noticed that most of my recent videos have an ASMR Massage that then segues into a Guided Meditation.  This is because I think that is the best one-two punch to alter your stress levels long term.

ASMR is wonderful as with the technology available now a days, it is pretty easy to access these recordings during the day.  There is something to be said for unplugging occasionally though.

That is why I teach guided meditations in my workshops.  It is important for you to be able to close your eyes and find a relaxation break where ever you are.




Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Do you Need to Relax? - Zenvigorate




Stress is something we all share.  It is impossible to remove stress from our live and sometimes it is something we need to push us forward.  The problem is, that our stress response has been conditioned to far outweigh the actual circumstance that is causing us stress. 

What does that mean?  When faced with a stressor, our body creates chemical reactions that prepare us for fighting or running away from a predator.  Our body conserves energy and sends that energy to the areas needed for fight or flight; heart beat speeds up, digestive system slows down, and you get a shot of adrenaline.  Lots of other physical changes happen too that throw your body off from its normal functioning state. 


If you are an anxious person, imagine how often this happens in a day; alarm clock goes off, stuck in traffic, 100 emails in your inbox, the boss calls an unexpected meeting and you are sure it is bad news, too much work to take a real lunch, upset customer or client call, stressful gossip or conversation about the news with a colleague, traffic on the drive home, house needs cleaning, dinner needs to be made, too tired to exercise and feel guilty, watch a drama filled TV show…  That doesn’t even throw in children or partners.  For most of us this is a pretty normal, “low stress” day.  Now maybe not all of these stress you out or you don’t experience them each day, but I bet you have your own stressors that crop up regularly.  We also have crisis and happy but major life changes (move, wedding, childbirth, etc.) that can weigh on us for weeks or months at a time.

No wonder we are all exhausted.  How can you move forward towards your goals if you can't relieve some of this stress.  While I can't counsel you individually on how to remove stressors I can teach you the techniques that I use for myself and with my clients over the past 20 years to relieve some of that stress after it has built up.  Join me for the Stress Reduction Workshop - Zen-vigorate to receive 7 weeks of stress reduction training.  The doors will shut on signing up at Noon on Friday, September 16th before the first live Google Hangout.  We have already started getting to know one another in the Private Facebook group and discussing the opening meditation and PDF so join us now to make the most of this program.  I hope to get to relax with you the next few months.  Find Out More



Zenvigorate is $49 for 7 weeks of relaxation - Save my Seat Now!



Friday, September 9, 2016

How to Reboot Your Day


We all need a break to refuel during the day. Here is a brief meditation you can do in five minutes to hit your reboot button.

Reboot Meditation

Take a few deep breaths and let go of any worries from the day. Picture your body seated or laying down where you are meditating. You are looking down on your physical body from above. Look at the room where you are seated and see your body below you. 

Now begin to rise up and away from your physical body. Rise through the ceiling and the roof, up into the sky. 

Continue to rise up until you see a large fluffy cloud above you. This cloud seems to shimmer and seem denser than the other clouds.

Head for that cloud.  Place your hands on the outside of the cloud and feel the warmth of the energy within.  Also feel the peace and understanding this energy holds.  

Once you decide you are ready, you find that you are easily absorbed into the energy of this cloud. Feel the connection and calm within this cloud. Feel any remaining worries or concerns drift away as they have no meaning in this place.  

Allow yourself to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. This is like a deep cleansing that refuels you and allows you to begin the day anew. Bask in this feeling for as long as you need to.  

Relax and know that this place is always here for you to take a break during the day or to prepare for sleep. If you have a question you have been struggling with, you may ask it into the energy around you and see if you receive an answer. If you do not that is alright, but the answer may come to you soon as if from out of the blue.  

After you have become re-energized, leave the cloud and begin to drift back down to your physical body. Pass through the roof and ceiling into the room where you are meditating. Look down at your physical body and when you are ready, re-enter your body. You can now drift off to sleep or wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes.

This is a good time to eat or drink something to connect with your body.  If you have time write down anything you learned from your experience to further solidify the information you were given.  See how your attitude changes after taking this break.

If you enjoy these meditations, join me for the 7-week Online Relaxation Workshop - Zenvigorate.  You will receive weekly meditation recordings as well as other relaxation tools that really work!  Hope to see you there.

Jessica Cross

Monday, September 5, 2016

The Hormone that May Cause ASMR



I have a theory about ASMR (What is ASMR? Click Here).  I will preface this by saying I am not a Psychiatrist so my working knowledge of brain chemistry is rudimentary.  But, I have done a lot of research on stress for the various stress reduction trainings I have taught over the years.  

You may know about "Fight or Flight" and how your body prepares to physically fight or run away in reaction to stress.  Fewer people know of another response to stress called "Tend and Befriend." This is a reaction that is mostly attributed to women but I believe is also felt by many men. 

It is fueled by an increase in the hormone Oxytocin.  Oxytocin is often called the "love hormone" and increases the behaviors that build relationships.  In the case of stress it causes people to "Tend" to their families and their loved ones and "Befriend" by calling the people who support them to discuss the stressful issue.  

I feel Oxytocin may also be responsible for ASMR.  Since ASMR is a very physical, rather than emotional feeling, there must be some chemical change happening in the body.  The reason I believe Oxytocin may be involved is that I have also gotten ASMR when thinking about people I love.  It has to be a very strong love reaction, like when I was first falling in love with my husband, when my son was first born and I would just look at him most of the day, or even now when my son is sleeping (and not ordering me around, he is 5...).  

The feeling I would get on the back of my head in these situations is exactly the same as what I get when I am listening to ASMR recordings that trigger me.  One important component of ASMR for many people is personal attention.  I think it is that sound of someone really appreciating and taking care of you that creates this reaction for me.  It is the same way a really good friend or loved one will sit right next to you, hug or complement you and allow you to really feel seen. 

The fact that my brain can be tricked into this feeling by a recording created by someone I don't even know, still astounds me. I will not look a gift horse in the mouth though, as ASMR has allowed me to reduce my stress dramatically.  

Thank You, to all the talented ASMRtists who have given me the instant relaxation tool that has changed my life.  I so appreciate you, and am glad to have actually befriended some of you!

So here is my gift of relaxation to you.  I hope you can feel appreciated and cared for while you relax.