Category Archives: Chuck’s Blog

Welcome to Chuck’s Place! This is where Chuck Ketchel, LCSW-R, expresses his thoughts, insights, and experiences! Currently, Chuck posts an essay once a week, currently on Tuesdays, along the lines of inner work, psychotherapy, Jungian thought and analysis, shamanism, alchemy, politics, or any theme that makes itself known to him as the most important topic of the week. Many of the shamanic and psychological terms used in Chuck’s essays are defined in Tools & Definitions on our Psychotherapy page.

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Replenish The Body With New Thought

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Try on some new thoughts…
-Artwork © 2025 Jan Ketchel

Thoughts issue from the mental or spiritual plane of our being. Our mind, or spirit, is located in our energy body, or soul, and is intimately connected to, and oversees, all the operations of the physical body. Thoughts have an energetic momentum that profoundly influences our physical body.

 Our ego mind, though actually of spirit origin, is so deeply identified with the material world, that it simply cannot believe in the primacy of spirit behind physical life. To entertain this spiritual perspective, as suggested in this blog, suspend temporarily the judgment of the material mind view and open to an insinuation of spirit from your higher mind.

The world is so reflecting to us at this time how rapidly changing thoughts are dismantling and reshaping our material reality. Long held medical, environmental and economic beliefs and truisms are being eliminated with the stroke of a pen. This is a grand scale example of how the force of a spirit, as exercised through thoughts, is reshaping our material world.

The big question is how the material world will carry and sustain the demands of these radically demanding thoughts. As individuals we are equally challenged to contend with the impact of our own thoughts upon our physical bodies.

 Spirits choose to enter an earthly life to test out their thoughts in a material playing field. Choice of family and physical circumstance provide the materials to mold a physical life to embody the thoughts it seeks deeply to explore through a human life. Our physical lives are thus our spirit’s laboratory for discovery and growth. Spirits may actually need a physical life to advance in their more subtle dimensions of existence.

For a spirit who lacks the experience of emotional attachment and the maturation and refinement of love needed to advance on its spiritual plane of existence, an earthly life in time, space and the dense energy of physical relationships can provide all the necessary materials for advancement.

As a spirit works its way through the developmental stages to mature love in physical form, it will materialize or attract to it a plethora of relationship experiences to refine its experience of love and relationship  from its crudest to its most sublime form. This subtle energetic achievement of refined love will allow it to deepen its spiritual horizons in infinity.   

Of course the truth is that we need spirit to advance our life in physical form as well. Spirit, or the mind, generates the thoughts whose substance builds the body. Yes, we build muscle and physical skill through physical exercise and repetition, but we equally generate those physical results through their repetition in the imagination. This is the action of suggestion from the conscious to the subconscious mind. It is the subconscious mind that materializes spirit intent.

Not only are our bodies shaped by our own thoughts but also by the thoughts of others who are attracted to our thoughts and moods. If we are burdened with our own negative thoughts and absorb the negative thoughts of others, our bodies, the physical representatives of those thoughts, will reflect the weight of those burdens upon our slumped shoulders and the sad, depressed feelings impressed upon our wrinkled brows.

In order to replenish our bodies we must allow for new thoughts to saturate our minds. May these new thoughts be for the greater good of self and other. Like attracts like. When we bathe in positive, loving thought, we magnetize our energy to draw to us people, circumstances and outside thoughts that reflect our state of mind. This also has the effect of detaching us from others whom we may have attracted from our prior negativity. Thoughts, people and spirit entities drop away when they find no sustenance in our current positive thinking.

Of course, we must contend with the ruts of old thoughts that have been habitually stored in the automatic functioning of the subconscious mind. These habits are the triggers associated with old thoughts. The good news is that the subconscious is always open to suggestions in the form of spirited new thoughts.

However, before the subconscious abandons an old directive it will test your resolve and patience through seeing your reaction to old triggers. Don’t get caught. Prove your sincerity. Firmly tell the old thought to get lost, but most importantly, emphatically and often, state the new thought. And then, with unswerving faith in the power of one’s new thought, calmly follow its yellow brick road to completion.

Try this one: My body reflects my spirit. My spirit is completely healthy, wealthy and wise. My deepest spiritual desires are realized in human form. Everything is possible.

Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: It is Change In Desire, Not New Rules, That Cures

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The Spiritualization of Desire…
-Artwork © 2025 Jan Ketchel

Stop having to stop anything. We get hooked on this materialist imperative for the obvious reason that our senses provide a constant barrage of physical impressions that dominate our attention and mental consideration. We are led to believe that if we are to improve our lot we must change something physically.

In this scenario, our spirit, in its ego form, takes charge and insists upon a new schedule of defined behaviors that will advance it toward its goal. Inevitably there is habitual resistance toward this stated intent, but ego basks in the power of its determination as it pushes through.

The shadow of resistance might lie dormant as ego flexes its muscle, but inevitably there is a coup that overthrows the best of ego intentions. Ego intent is no match for desire. The fire of desire will reign supreme until the fuel that feeds it runs out. That fuel is the spirit of the lower mind that is identified with the denser energy of the physical body, as well as all things physical. Its battle cry is, generally, “More!”

It may be that we want desperately to truly change a behavior and, in fact, must to stay healthy. But in order to achieve this in a sustained way, the change must come at the level of spirit, not from efforts directed at the physical plane, which ultimately terminate in defeat.

The needed change is the refinement of the spirit of desire that issues from the lower self of the physical body and ultimately rises to the higher Spirit self that resides, in the transparency of truth, at the immortal dimension of our being. We experience that elevated dimension from the truth of our heart, the clarity of our intuition, and in our partnership with the divinity of all that is through the portal of our subconscious mind.

To avail itself of the power of this divine relationship, ego does well to focus its attention on suggestions to its subconscious mind, rather than focus on new rules for physical behavior. In this scenario, an influx of spirit energy from a higher plane of self is released to effect a greater spiritualization, at the coarser plane of the physical body.

Specifically, the ego could ask the subconscious mind to lift its desire for a particular behavior, and transform its energy into a changed expression for the greater good of self and other. How might such a transformation feel?

Say, for example one was dealing with a sexual addiction. Under the compulsion of such desire, one spends most of one’s day trying to secure objects to serve as a release for this desire. These casual hookups have no connection except the mutual desire for sexual release. Sexual desire at this level is at its coarsest—physical contact for physical release.

If one were to strongly and consistently demand that the subconscious engage its energies to lift this compulsion, the first effect might be the experience of a reduced actual desire, or physical neutrality, at exposure to a possible object for release. What one then confronts is more the old habit of thought of desire, but not actually the compulsion itself.

In this scenario, the ego is charged to make the choice to accept this gift of grace, and not purposely try to activate the desire for habit’s sake. The ego is asked to be the adult that has been provided with grace by its Higher Self and choose to stay in the peace of this actual moment. This is not a new rule, it’s simply being where you actually are in that moment. Ancient habits may require many rounds in this choiceful cycle.

The actual spiritual lifting of this coarser sexual desire might ultimately refine it into the experience of true loving connection and cherished sexual union in a committed partnership, with a true soulmate, versus mere release with an indiscriminate playmate.

Obviously, these transformative stages are relevant to the refinement of all compulsive desires. These might include food, wardrobe, substances, perfection, negativity, the getting of attention, rage, self-importance—the list is endless. Life in human form is life in the refinement of spirit, from the coarser to the finer, the ticket for spiritual adventure and advance.

The technology for this advancement rests in spirit relationship. This includes spirit at the physical level, spirit at the mental level of the ego, and spirit at the level of the divine in the relationship between the conscious and subconscious minds.

Forget approaching change with a new set of rules for the body. Get instead to the spiritual heart of the matter. With love and demand, ask and you shall receive. Be receptive to grace as it arrives as it will, every day, in some way.

An equanimity mantra from Jan, said slowly, with emphasis on “I am”:

I am at peace.
I am at peace.
Within and without,
I am at peace.

An equanimity mantra from Chuck:

Everything is Meditation.

Only the best,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: The Highest Level Of Spirit Influence

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Sculpt a life of love and positivity…
-Artwork © 2025 Jan Ketchel

Many years ago, my sister, while working as a nurse in a hospital, had an encounter with a man, who may be described as the current, most powerful person in the world. She described him, in that encounter, as both gentle and gracious. This description is quite at variance with his current emphasis, one seemingly dominated with hatred and rage.

The experience of the full range of positive and negative emotions and thoughts is central to the human journey. When our spirit chose to enter a life in Earth School, the intent was to address a specific issue via a human life that would allow for the full enactment and resolution of that core issue.

Naturally, we begin that human journey with our core issue in the crudest of form, like the sculptor who begins their opus with a pile of clay or a solid hunk of marble. We master that core issue, from its crudest of form, into the most refined delicacy of love, toward self and all others, through the working art of a human lifetime. This is the mastery our spirit requires to further its journey in the ever-deepening mystery of infinity.

Spirit, then, is capable of acting both from the higher emotions of love to the crudest emotion of hatred. Thus both good and evil exist in spirit form. Our thoughts and feelings are emissaries of our spirit. When we think positive thoughts and feelings about someone, they experience, on some level, the energetic intention of our positive spirit toward them.

The feeling and behavior of kindness brings people together, regardless of their differences. Expressions of hate and rage generate fear and more rage, as well as divide people in accordance with their differences. Many people today are deeply concerned with the fate of the world under the strain of this polarization, which is rapidly impacting life at all levels.

Many feel compelled to protest, in a variety of ways, the exercise of power as it is currently being deployed on the world stage. I approach the challenge through the suggestion of positive influence, emitted from the highest level of spirit.

This may take the form of a telepathic message for the greater good that we send off, in thought and feeling, to someone we know. That person may experience an unexpected thought about us as the message is delivered. However, the force of the message may not reach the level of their conscious awareness, and act instead as a hidden suggestion to their subconscious mind.

The relationship between the conscious and subconscious minds is the most powerful force we have access to in human form. Thoughts and feelings that issue from the mind, or spirit, act as suggestions to the subconscious mind that then engages its ability to manifest on the physical plane, the intents and desires that issue from the mental plane.

We impact the lives of others by the thoughts and feelings we have about them. If we feel hatred towards someone, their subconscious mind will be influenced by this suggestion to generate more hatred. Our own preoccupation with hatred also directly impacts our own subconscious mind, which will then draw experiences toward us which further those dark feelings and thoughts.

The most effective way to influence another person at the highest level of spirit is to encourage, in thought, that they reach a highly refined resolution of their own core issues. This suggestion is imbued with love and compassion and encourages the same feelings in the recipient.

Every time I think of the powerful man I opened this blog with, I imagine the experience my sister once had with him. I appeal to the kindness I know he has inside him. I suggest that he open to that side of himself and take full advantage of his ability to advance the greater good of the world on a grand scale. I know, with certainty, that this possibility exists within him, as well as within all others.

I suggest that many people, in their thoughts and intentions, send off the same message. This collective intent for the greater good generates a high level of spirit influence, the true motor behind our expressions of physical life.

Whatever form of protest or influence one might choose to engage in, always be sure to refine both thoughts and feelings beyond hatred and rage so as to deliver a current of energy that awakens love and a focus on the greater good of all.

Anything is possible,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Awaken To The Stupendous Spiritual Opportunity Of Now

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Stupendous Spirit emerging into new life…
-Artwork © 2025 Jan Ketchel

Please indulge me in the sharing of this succinct AI summary of Kali Yuga, the Hindu cosmological season that we are now pervasively living through:

“In Hindu cosmology, Kali Yuga is the final age in the Yuga cycle, representing a period of decline in morality, righteousness, and spiritual awareness. It is characterized by increased materialism, greed, and a weakening of traditional values. While often seen as a “dark age,” Kali Yuga is also believed to be a time of opportunity for spiritual growth…”

If we can suspend judgment, and grasp that we are living through a season that cannot be stopped, any more than we can decide not to have winter, spring, summer or fall, we are freed to detach from negativity, helplessness and blame, and awaken to the stupendous spiritual opportunity of now.

 At its essence, profound change is the birth of whole new life. Spiritual birth is the discovery and gaining of access to the knowledge and capabilities of our greater Self, or Spirit, that is connected to us in this life, yet resides at subtler levels of our being, beyond the coarser daily drama we are so deeply attached to.

Our current sojourn, on this planet earth, is deeply immersed in a physical life monopolized by material concerns. This daily focus on physical survival and fulfillment consumes nearly all of our mental and emotional energy. Our Spirits are so dominated by material concerns that Spirit is often only experienced through its projections of itself upon those we admire and desire, or objects of beauty, taste and comfort.

To advance to Spirit connection, beyond mere attachment to its material reflections, we must bring home the essence of these outer projections of Self. The hardest part of this process is acquiescing to the inevitability  of detachment. We recognize a simple detachment in the letting go to trash or thrift store of an article that once shined with promise and lit up our lives.

For the child it is the stuffed animal or material article that was once imbued with mother’s magic, now tossed aside, as its basic spirit of security has taken up residence within the growing personality. This internalization of the magic does not require loss of love for the outer object, but it does grant it its own existence, beyond the burden and illusion of carrying our Spirit for us.

Kali Yuga is the time of grand detachment. The climate of the planet is extraordinarily volatile, unpredictable and ruthless. Basic rights to land, property and life itself are not guaranteed. Beliefs that have ruled civilization are being torn down, seriously doubted, and flippantly revised. Morality is now governed by self-interest alone.

I stress here the need to suspend judgment. There is plenty to judge, but the greater reality is the all-pervasive breakdown of the ability to rely on anything we have previously held sacred and secure, things we could definitely count on. All the magic once projected onto the outer world, to keep us secure, is gone. The world we knew and trusted in is rapidly unraveling. In this time of utter uncertainty of attachment, room is made for new possibility.

It’s time to awaken to the stupendous spiritual opportunity of now. Many who are severely traumatized now are discovering their Spirit life beyond the physical body, as they are thrown out-of-body by impact of traumatic agent. This is a rude and unexpected awakening, hard to wake up to, but it opens the door to greater Spirit discovery and experience.

Scientifically validated approaches to health and healing are all being challenged and made scarcely accessible. This forced detachment has opened for many the spiritual discovery of the power of the relationship between the conscious and subconscious minds.

The subconscious mind has access to all knowledge and powers of manifestation. Under the influence of proper suggestion from the conscious mind the subconscious can miraculously heal the body, what was once brandished as mere placebo. These powers do not invalidate the truths and practices of medical science, but they do empower access to the healing power of Spirit within.

Kali Yuga is a passing season that will morph into new life with new understanding and power. But we have no choice but to bear the brunt of its fierce storms, as it tears down all the prior givens of civilization. Let mourning be brief, as the flood of change is exponential and has yet to reach its climax. We cannot stop it; no one is to blame, it’s just the spiritual weather of this cosmic season.

Buddha experienced a brief deep sorrow as he opened the door to his enlightenment. This was the accompanying sorrow of loss of a narrow view, the personal dramas we are so deeply attached to, to the greater view of the relativity of all views, as well as the seeds of all possibilities in the cosmic oneness of enlightenment. This is the bittersweet moment of pause we experience as we cross from adolescence to adulthood of Spirit.

Use the impact of this time to shake free of all old attachments, no matter how worthy they are, and awaken to the stupendous spiritual opportunity of now. This expansion will usher in a world of unfolding spiritual potential, from telepathy as our native language to effortless travel and material manifestation via confident intent alone.

Turn attention inward, away from the outer suggestions to give over your spiritual independence. Ask from the subconscious for all that furthers your individual good and the greater good of all. Claim and manifest the best from your own divinity. Become the next chapter of who you really are.

Simply Stupendous,
Chuck

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Chuck’s Place: Love With Wisdom

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Let love with wisdom radiate…
-Artwork © 2025 Jan Ketchel

We are in a time of short-lived truce. Threat of violence has favored conformity over the challenge of liberty. The I Ching, in hexagram 37, depicts our time as one of the Darkening of the Light or Wounding of the Bright. Energetically, the dark forces predominate and movement is ill-advised.

In such times, we are counseled to maintain the brightness of our candle in the hidden sanctuary of our hearts, with the resolute conviction that the sun will indeed rise again, and that sanity and morality will prevail. Though outwardly yielding, inwardly we act through love with wisdom.

More powerful than an armory of weaponry is the substance of our thoughts and feelings. When we consistently state to ourselves an intention, with the gusto of true desire, our subconscious mind will be drawn to this charged suggestion and ultimately bring it to fruition. Our confidence increases as we experience the truth of this divine conscious/subconscious relationship and as we receive the gifts of all that we have requested.

This is not about wishing, pining, envying or empty imagining for that which we desire, but truly living, in the mind, the knowing and tempered excitement that our seed of desire has been planted, and whose growth is well-attended. Love with wisdom grants to all, without discrimination, the full materialization of their own desires, with the stated caveat that it be for the greater good of all.

Love with wisdom also recognizes the need to prune last year’s deadened remains to allow for new growth. If we hoard old habits that no longer serve us, there is insufficient space for new life. Detachment is pruning that frees the energy for latent and desired new growth to come to life.

Love with wisdom knows that good and evil are equal members of all that is. Love with wisdom knows that the interplay of these forces in the times we are in is essential to the higher refinement of love, the greatest opportunity for life in human form. I quote, in depth, from a book entitled Your Forces And How To Use Them, written by Prentice Mulford in 1887:

“Force by the same law may now be acting on you, but force bringing mainly unhappy results; for being so surrounded by evil or immature thought, we unconsciously open our minds to it, and send back more or less of gloomy, despondent, peevish, or other unhealthy thought. It is almost impossible to avoid this, since we live in a cloud of such thought-element, and our minds may be trained by life-long habit to give way to it. We are unconsciously daily co-operating with this order of thought. We now seek to turn this thought into a higher, better channel; and it is turned into such channel when we, if but for a moment, desire the welfare of all people, and exclude not from such blessing the person to us most repulsive, hateful, and disgusting; for every thought of ours, as sent out, is a force in nature; and the more freighted it is with good to all, the greater is that force; and the more of good it sends to others, the more good through its re-actionary effort comes back to us. A thought is not an “idle breath,” here one moment, gone into oblivion the next: and if but once a day we say in all sincerity, “May the Infinite Spirit of Good bless all men and women!” we shall find, when the grand sum-total of all our life is footed up, that the moment so occupied was of all the most profitable; for the force we sent out in thinking this may have been the only one which penetrated the murky thought atmosphere so prevalent all about us, and, reaching upward, brought down to us its corresponding ray of higher, purer, life-giving and constructive force; for every thought of real good brings to us its like in return.”

Love, expressed with the wisdom here so eloquently described, is how we advance ourselves to higher love rather than be consumed by the flames of hatred, revenge and blame. Thoughts of ruin are indeed all about us, but we have the power to exercise love with wisdom as we train our thoughts upon the greater good for all.

May the efforts of all who feel such in their hearts collectively restore the light to our world.

Love with wisdom,
Chuck