Every soul we cross paths with has a reason for showing up in our lives. We encounter people and situations to help us grow and evolve. For anyone who has ever had a pet they know that this holds true for those furry creatures that we share our time and space with.

I have personally been blessed with some very special pets that have been amazing teachers. I’d like to share a journey I took with two amazing little chihuahuas. It starts when I had an undeniable urge to get a chihuahua puppy. My partner at the time thought I was a little nuts since we were both large dog fans. When I just couldn’t squelch the desire, and he finally tired of the begging, he agreed to explore the possibility saying, “I know you have very strong intuition and if there is some reason it is telling you to go down this path, let’s see why.” Little did we know what kind of  journey we were about to embark upon.

After some time searching, and not a whole lot of luck, for an adoptable pup at a humane society and calls to every puppy ad in the paper we finally received one sole return call. The man had one puppy left from a litter of 3. When we looked at the photos online it didn’t fit the “perfect picture” we had painted for what we wanted, but after such a long search and this being the only result that returned, we agreed to make the 2 hour drive the next day to meet the dog.

The entire night I couldn’t sleep. I was stressed that this wasn’t a good idea. We couldn’t really afford to buy a puppy – and I would much rather adopt one from a humane society – and besides that, something was just nagging at me. In retrospect, I now recognize that feeling as some resistance, that I was already aware of on some level, to the huge amount of personal growth I was about to emabark upon.

When we arrived at the man’s home the next day it was love at first site – is true that our wishes always come back a little different than we had envisioned.  Besides, how could you not be immediately enamored with a puppy, any puppy, the size of a tennis ball. He was so soft, cuddly and sweet. As we went outside to “discuss amongst ourselves” whether or not we should take the little guy home my partner, who was a lover of wine, said “His soft coat reminds me of the smoothest glass of pinot I’ve ever tried.” Um, yea. How can you say no to that? On the drive home I remember locking eyes with this little guy and being instantly in gratitude that he had come into my life.

We decided on the name Diesel.  I was in a bit of shock at first with how hard it was to care for a puppy. I remember thinking one day, in frustration, “What was I thinking? It’s like having a baby!” And I wasn’t exactly ready for that. However, amidst the challenges of potty training, finding someone to watch him when we went out of town, etc. an intense love for this little creature quickly grew.

Fast forward to when Diesel was 9 months old and we started to notice that he was sleeping a lot more than normal. A few more days go by and he starts shaking and whining. We took him to the vet and they didn’t think it was anything other than feeling a little under the whether. We continue to helplessly watch him not be comfortable in his body, have little appetite and sleep away the days. Then one Saturday afternoon, while taking him out to the bathroom he collapsed in the hallway. The doctor at the emergency vet noticed some swelling in his joints and they wanted to keep him overnight in order to stablize him and run some tests. It turns out he had juvenile onset of immune-mediated polycystic arthritis. An auto-immune disease similar to rheumatoid arthritis. This was very rare for dog, especially a chihuahua, to get. The news felt devastating, but in retrospect, it was a perfect unfolding of events.

We started him on pain medication and steroids, which I knew were not going to be good for him in the long run – but they seemed to be the only thing that made him comfortable and bring some life back to his sweet little personality. I was always someone interested in alternative modes of healing and I became obsessed with researching non-traditional methods to help him. My passion for healing was more intensely sparked than it ever had been before. I had always, in the past, flirted with ways that I could become a healer but I never followed through with any of them. Now, I had this little creature depending on me to find help for him. In my research and experimentation which included, homeopathy, pet psychics, healing crystals, science and consciousness conferences,  meditation, recommendations from friends,  theology schools, books about clairvoyance, etc. a syncrhonistic chain of events began to unfold. It led straight (although I couldn’t see that clearly at the time) onto my current path and helped me to embody my gifts as a clairvoyant healer.

Diesel passed away just a year after he came into our lives. I happened to be on the road at a Science and Consciousness conference when it happened and didn’t experience his passing in the physical. When I returned, I was suffering in my sadness and decided to take action and enrolled in a class called “How To Heal Yourself”. That ended up being a life-changing decision for me. I know Diesel had come into my life to help me heal myself – and in doing so showed me how to heal others.

A month after Diesel passed on there was one especially sad day for me. That night I had a clear dream about him playing with a small white, happy-go-lucky dog. This little creature manifested in the physical the very next day. I saw him in the paper, and again, it was love at first site. We called the breeder and they told us that dog was no longer available, but they had others.  I couldn’t tell you why, as I was still very much attached to the idea of Diesel and felt somewhat like a cheater, but I was driven to go take a look. When we arrived the little white dog came bursting down the stairs and seemed thrilled to see us. The man thought it was odd that this normally shy dog, was jumping so excitedly all over us. He had intended to keep the pup for himself, but he couldn’t deny the connection.  And that was it – he was mine. Again, driving home I locked eyes with this little man and felt something move inside of me. I couldn’t help but observe the simple physical differences between this dog and Diesel.  Diesel was a dark brown dog and this one bright white.  As I often like to think now, you can’t have the light, until you’ve experienced the dark. Wow, what a metaphor I was living!  As I welcomed “Q” (the letter that was formed perfectly on his back with two cute gray spots) is for Quantum into my life, it was inevitable that more growth was on the way.

A couple of months later I decided to move more in the direction of my dreams. I got offered a job in Santa Fe, NM working with children in an afterschool program. Although not in a healing capacity, it would be the perfect next step in the direction of my long-term vision in working with kids. I moved with 10 days notice and dived right into a new way of life.  I felt so happy and free. Thank you Diesel. You had come into my life to show me the way into a lighter, brighter, path.

Prior to moving I had continued my self-healing training at a center in Boulder, CO and was just about to drop into their advanced Clairvoyant training. I left without attachment, thinking,t “Oh well, done with that, I’m not really psychic anyway.”

Ha, boy-oh-boy, what did I know?

To be continued …

Meditation doesn’t have to mean something esoteric or be some sort of practice that is out of reach or glossed over by the general public. Just as yoga has gained in popularity amongst the masses, so to can Meditation. It is basically a tool to help bring one back to the moment – free of past or future thoughts. The power of meditation for children is being recognized across the country in schools and other children’s based programs. Fun experiential sessions are being developed for children that teach simple, psychologically empowering, tools to help build a strong inner foundation to support all of life’s challenges and opportunities.

In an example of these sessions, everyday imagery is introduced as something kids can spend time visualizing to facilitate the release of thoughts and emotions that don’t feel good; help to set their energetic and emotional spaces to peace; and to serve as tools to draw upon in situations for proactive, rather than reactive, responses. Ultimately, helping them to gain coping skills, raise self-awareness, and increase personal power in recognizing and handling life’s tests. Another example is the the provision of a set-time each day where children can practice conscious breathing as a way to help them focus the mind on one simple, refreshing, act for themselves.

Meditation can empower children with lifelong skills to: quiet the mind; form practical awareness of how their energy affects others; gain understanding of how outside influences affect their energy and emotions; increase healthy behavioral choices thru reliance on inner resources; grow to maintain individuality yet thrive in groups; learn to stay in, and handle, the present moment with effortlessness; foster peace internally and externally.

Stay tuned for more articles on the progression of , and research into, children’s based meditation programs!

When I was pregnant I not only expanded (and we’re talking some major stretching) in the physical sense, but also took immense steps in my spiritual growth.

Throughout my twenties I experienced tons of body aches, pains and illnesses. I often referred to myself as an 80-year old in a 25-year old body, and friends and family were always shocked with all my crazy diagnosis’. Occasionally, the thought of kids would come up, and my partner at the time would reflect that I couldn’t make it being pregnant because my body was so weak. And I believed him. It’s amazing to me, when I look back now, how I readily bought into this picture of lack in health, and how often times my spirit wasn’t in my body in order to deal with all the pain.

When I started to take steps down my current path, beginning to meditate and release untruths through my clairvoyant training, I went through some major shifts in my body as I let go of this false definition of myself. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you, but I slowly came to a place where I was feeling healthy and energized. I had just turned 30 and had a sense of freedom from my old self. Then, just as I was starting to understand that you get exactly what you need to go further in your healing, I found out I was pregnant.

Okay, here we go. The major test had arrived. Of course, old images of weakness and many fears around my body’s abilities popped up, but I was now certain in my power to define my path and let go of things that weren’t my truth. I could do this.

Since I seem to like challenges, I found myself with an opportunity to have an even more tremendous growth experience in that I was to be a single mom. So, not only were there old body pictures to release, but also an increased level of emotions to work through in the circumstances around being on my own.

My deep commitment to intuitive based meditation had me in a place where I was able to focus my mind into an awareness of what I was feeling, observe where it was coming from and then let it go – whether it be an emotion, lack of energy, a physical pain, or a tricky ego attachment. Not only was I able to release personal pictures about my health, but also all of the typical ideas one may hold about the discomforts associated with pregnancy. When I look back, I am amazed at what I was able rise above utilizing simple meditation techniques. My healing also opened me up to receive the love and support that was all around me. I was not alone, nor would I ever be.

I can now officially say that I had an extraordinary pregnancy – full of positive energy and healing. One in which I was able to be present, with spirit fully in the body, every moment. There is no doubt in my mind that this level of self-awareness and growth can be achieved by anyone who is pregnant – or not pregnant. The power of meditation is amazing.