Soulbyte for Wednesday November 20, 2024

-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

Spend some time alone in quiet contemplation to discover something new about yourself. The usual routine is fine for keeping you focused on what must be done, but quiet time, time in silence, time in nature, time just looking up at the sky, day or night, offers a different perspective and the opportunity to perhaps discover what’s been missing. All humans have a deep longing and for each it may seem like something different, something personal, but for the vast majority that longing is for the same thing, a connection to spirit, to the other self who carries all the answers. Look for that other self in quiet ways and ask it directly for help. It will find you. And if you listen carefully you will hear its answers.

Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Chuck’s Place: Navigating Now With Fluidity & Resilience

Don’t feed the flyers!
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

In his usual mischievous way, Carlos Castaneda would come into the gym every few hours and assess the energetic status of the thousand or so Tensegrity practitioners who’d been rigorously practicing the physical forms, called Magical Passes, we’d been taught. He’d then announce, “Not yet!” According to him we had yet to accrue enough energy to handle the impact of the special knowledge he was waiting to deliver.

Ultimately, having fully captivated our attention, he introduced a special topic, which the shamans labeled, the flyers. The flyers are inorganic beings; meaning, beings who have an energy body but lack a physical form. He stated that we are their prey, the food source for this species of being.

Flyers feed off the energy generated by impassioned human emotion, particularly the incoherent energy produced by intense anger, hate and sadness. Furthermore, flyers infiltrate our minds. They commandeer the thoughts of our internal dialogue, creating stories of us being offended, disregarded, and considered unworthy in our daily interactions. This intensifies the negative emotions that season our energy.

Of course, this is quite a grotesque characterization. Years later, I had the pleasure of a moment with Reni Murez, one of Carlos’s apprentices. She assured me that much in the shaman’s world was metaphor, not to be taken too literally. I pass this guidance along. Nonetheless, metaphor is used to illustrate  energetic facts.

The energetic fact is that thoughts, generated from within, or from an outside source, trigger powerful emotions that deplete our energy and weaken our spirit. It is also an energetic fact that some entities, human or otherwise, feed off the tortured emotional energy of others. Such is the heightened energetic reality of our time.

Clinically, the collective diagnosis of now is Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), reflecting the incessant traumatic bombardment of bombs and words that inflame and terrify the world daily. ASD rapidly turns into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the overriding diagnosis for our traumatized modern world.

In response to these diagnoses, the central nervous system, for the bulk of humanity, is fixated at the fight-flight-freeze mode. In this threatened survival state, the body floods with cortisol and adrenaline to cope with the ravages of overwhelming stress.

The side effect of this constant state of arousal is addiction to the very chemicals the body releases internally to cope with threat. This hyper alert state has become the desired state to feel safe, which results in a continuous cycle of generating fearful thoughts that trigger heightened emotions, which in turn release stress hormones to be prepared for largely imagined catastrophes.

Behaviorally, this leads to a strong attraction to activating news, outer events, and interactions that maintain a steady flow of the stress hormones we have become addicted to. The physical exhaustion of this constant state of arousal is overridden by the defensive energy released by the stress hormones that then weaken the immune system, making one more prone to disease. In addition, despite exhaustion, one is often riddled with poor sleep, as the mind is wary of releasing the defense of alert presence and relaxing instead into rejuvenating sleep.

The first step to energetic recovery is to acknowledge our chemical dependency upon stress hormones. With that, we must take responsibility for our own behaviors that ensure the delivery of our chemical fix. If we truly want the sobriety of calmness, we must be willing to change our thoughts and behaviors.

“I am safe in this moment,” is most likely an energetic fact. State it often, while allowing for a relaxing breath.

“I choose not to engage in confrontative interaction on social media, and that includes just reading it!” Why and how often do I seek out the current news? What is its impact upon my Central Nervous System?

“Am I willing to ask for help from the divine love and intelligence located in my subconscious mind?”

“Am I willing to imagine the calm I seek and allow myself to release to the joy of receiving it?”

“Am I willing to let go of control, trusting the higher power within myself to guide me to equanimity?”

“Am I willing to meditate?” When I meditate, I change my brainwaves, which allows me to sink my awareness into the limbic system of my brain, the touchpoint of the subtle body of my subconscious mind. With this direct access I can rewrite the ingrained habits and illnesses imprinted in my autonomic nervous system, turning off the embedded flyers, healing myself in a fundamental way.

“Am I willing to refuse to not be positive?” An internal dialogue of positive self-statements exchanges the release of stress hormones for the release of the emotionally regulating happy hormones of dopamine and serotonin. To be bathed in the calm of loving compassion is not addiction, it’s the ticket for navigating now with fluidity and resilience.

Thanks for everything,
Chuck

I offer a link to another meditation, this one only 35  minutes long! It’s a very powerful meditation to begin the day with, but can be listened to at any time. Enjoy!

Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Most Powerful Morning Meditation

Soulbyte for Tuesday November 19, 2024

-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

Stand your ground and with determination that is unbending continue upon your path of change no matter the affairs of others or the affairs of the greater world. All things are set to change. It is a natural law. You have already changed so much and have an incredible amount of change still to enact in your personal world, in your body, and in your mind. It’s never-ending. Your part of the changing process is best attended to by your frame of mind, your attitude and your outlook on the future. Keeping a cheerful frame of mind, a grateful attitude and a positive outlook on the future will enhance the journey so that you will be affected only minimally by what is going on outside of you, for you will have the secret, that the human spirit is stronger than anything outside of it.

Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Soulbyte for Monday November 18, 2024

-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

Before getting too upset about anything, get calm and know that everything is part of the unfolding of life, teaching you valuable lessons. Learn to go with the flow so that your internal energy stays at an even pace. No need to get overly attached to anything. Let your body and mind remain aware of outside influences and occurrences but not too bothered by them. Things are in constant motion and change is inevitable, both within and without. With patience in your heart, mind and body await the new changes that are to follow.

Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Soulbyte for Friday November 15, 2024

-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

Keep your inner plan always in the forefront of your mind and stick to it no matter the distractions that arise. Clear intent and constant focus on your goal, and keeping a persistent energy going in its direction, will bring fruition. A good outcome is based on a good attitude as well. Knowing what you want and taking steps each day toward its positive outcome are sure to bring it about. A cheerful outlook will bring a cheerful outcome.

Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Chuck Ketchel, LCSWR