Suffering in Silence …

Sometimes, we are way too good at suffering in silence.

 

We don’t want people to know our story.

 

Maybe we’re not feeling strong enough to change our story …

Maybe we don’t know how …

Maybe we think we don’t ‘measure up’ …

Maybe we are afraid of being judged …

Maybe our dream turned into a nightmare …

Maybe we are afraid …

Maybe our voice is only a whisper …

Maybe it will turn into loud, anguished sobs …

Maybe we will be abandoned …

Maybe we will be alone …

Maybe we have lost religion … faith … hope …

Maybe we think we’re unlovable …

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In breaking the silence – our suffering can be a light of strength.

 

Sharing our story …

Opens doors to heal hearts … (our hearts) …

Creates pathways to change …

Breathes courage into the very depths of our souls …

Brings in people who understand … who will walk with us …

Who will lend their shoulder for our sobs …

Who will love us just as we are …

Vulnerable …

Authentic …

Weepy and snotty …

Angry and hurt …

 

And we feel a flicker of love …

And we let it in … just a bit …

It flames the tiniest speck of hope … entwined with a fleck of faith.

 

We soften, letting down our guard as we break our silence … we are incredibly brave. Perhaps standing alone … perhaps with someone good to lean on … knowing we can take a breath … knowing we have broken free.

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My Encouragement to you: 

Share your story.  Bring in counselling if you need it.  When I did, it validated my truth.  It made me work at seeing – how feeling my emotions were a good thing – even though they were awful! 

A great Anne Lamott quote:“I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out-loud, because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.” 

Yep – that was me!   

                     

Be brave and speak. 

You don’t know the light you will bring into someone else’s life …

let me assure you, you will.

Blessings and Love,

Namaste

Debbie

www.debendres.com

How I came to be an Energy Worker

 

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The power of touch …

Cultivating Quiet Healing From Within Since 1990

I remember, nearly 30 years ago, when I was going through Massage School … the teacher had spent some of our class time talking about energy and Chakras.  I was fine with all we had been learning and training and practicing on, until this odd word and topic came up.  Chakra origin is from from Sanskrit meaning  ‘wheel or circle’.   We have 7 main wheels or circles of energy in our bodies (Chakras) – from the base of our spine to the top/crown of our head.  Mind you, I came from a strict, traditional Roman Catholic upbringing, and anything to do with ancient traditions from the Hindu Religion, Chinese Taoism and Buddhism was strictly taboo.  I made up my mind, I would leave all the Chakra stuff behind and focus entirely on the bodywork of massage therapy.

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Back then, people still thought of massage therapy in more of the ‘flashing red light’ mentality.  Oh my … that led to some interesting encounters!   I spent the first 3 years of my practice educating clients on the benefits of therapeutic massage to help with stress management, pain management, increased flexibility and boosting their immune systems.

I was/am highly empathetic and can feel pain clients are experiencing.  In the quiet time working with them, I was becoming very much aware of the heat that would flow through my hands, and at times, there would be a feeling of something ‘blocked’ with their body.  I would spend focused time (and prayer … Catholic girl, remember), on the blocked area, hands hot with heat … and there would be a shift – and the block was gone.  I would ask clients what what happening in their life.  I was aware of the physical part of them, and also gave focus to their thoughts, emotions, and Spiritual well-being.  There seemed to be connections with the energy they had flowing or blocked and what I was feeling.

I was beginning to notice nudges – intuition – whispers of Spirit/God – dreams – to ‘pay attention’.  Circles and wheels.  Circles and wheels.  Then it clicked: Chakras.

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Hmmmm ….

I realized I was being led to look deeper into the ancient wisdom of these energy wheels in our bodies.  I was also realizing God as I knew God to be, was bigger than any box I could dream of … and the lid to that box was blown off … up into the Universe somewhere.  I was opening my heart and Spirit to what ancient wisdom had to say about energy, circles, wheels, health, balance, flow … body, mind and Spirit.

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And when I did – everything clicked!  Chakras made sense to me.  They affirmed the awareness I was experiencing with clients.  The energy we have in our bodies is miraculous.  It helps me with the energy work I now do with clients.  The power of compassionate, loving touch, brings peace.  The questions I may ask, or the clarification I may offer, is in tune with what I am picking up with their energies – their Chakras.

And … I still pray and God is still present!  I keep listening to the whispers of Spirit/God and do my best to ‘pay attention’!  I’m grateful for the continued blessings clients receive and the energies of peace and love that follow them out the door.

With a Grateful Heart,

Namaste

Debbie

www.debendres.com

 

 

Guardian Angels

Our Guardian Angels are always close by. Let’s start our week by acknowledging them and asking them to help us through the week … and then … paying attention to the signs and whispers they give us, as messengers from God.

It’s ok to ask for help and guidance … and a big part is trust. As many of you know … sometimes, I’m quite specific with my requests. One time, I had asked for an answer to a particular situation I was dealing with. This time, I didn’t ask for an ‘Please deliver it in black and white/’cause sometimes I need it that clear’ answer, but ‘flowers – by 5pm on Friday, if it’s for my highest good’ answer. (I never tell anyone about these requests, it’s between God and the Angels).

Guess what? Before Friday, a friend was stopping by. She knocked on the door holding one of the most beautiful bouquets of flowers I had ever seen. She said, ‘I know this sounds weird, but on my way over, it popped into my head to stop at a flower shop … I didn’t want to, because I knew it would make me late, but I ended up going around the block and back to the flower shop I had just driven by. Here. These are for you!” I cried. Yep, often I do – It was a beautiful answer to prayer. My friend was the messenger from God/Spirit/Angels. SHE listened. SHE followed through with the prompting. SHE delivered.

So, this week, I encourage you to be open to your Angels.  Ask.  Notice the signs. Trust.

Wishing you Blessings and Love,

Namaste

Debbie

https://www.debendres.com/my-offerings.html

A Reminder …

Iona’s Beach on the Shore of Lake Superior

This summer, one of the places I was mesmerized with, was Iona’s Beach, on the Shores of Lake Superior.  This pink stone beach is known for the “tinking” sound you hear as the waves ebb and flow against the stones on the beach.  I’m familiar with sandy beaches, so walking here was very purposeful … with my sandals on!

I love the energy of Lake Superior.  The stones on this beach were soft rounded edges, smoothed by the consistent washing of the waves over thousands of years.  While strolling, I discovered a beautiful teal/gray stone in the midst of the pink.  It took my breath away.

It was a gentle way for Mother Earth and Spirit/God to whisper,

“There is no one like you.”

We are not alone.

We are surrounded by many.

But in this whole wide world, there is only one YOU.

How wonderful is that?!

In the busy minutes of life … I remember that beautiful stone … I pause … and embrace the ebb and flow … allowing it to soften my edges … and breathe!

Blessings and Love,

Namaste

Debbie

I Found It! A Treasure Trove of Wisdom

This book is for anyone who is called by Spirit – that whispered voice within – nudging us to go on a sacred journey. A Pilgrimage is both an external journey to a place longed for and an internal journey to the center of our most authentic self.  So … it can be right out your own back door, or … to a holy shrine …  a Camino journey … a bus in Peru … a horse up a mountain … a car dodging crater holes and on-coming traffic in the Himalayan Mountains … you get the idea!

I don’t know Evans Bowen, yet.  I hope someday, I will.  She has traveled all over the world with her eyes, heart and spirit open to all that is sacred … and BEing her authentic self.

I am loving her insight:

“Each of us is called to different places, to different journeys, as we seek our most meaningful and authentic lives. – Pilgrimage is about devotion and initiation and transformation.  It is a journey from one way of seeing to another.  The specifics are be between you and the Divine.”

PILGRIMAGE A Modern Seeker’s Guide, starts with the basics, from explaining the History of Pilgrimage, to the Stages of Pilgrimages.  I appreciated her practical information for first time travelers:

Preparation – Have the right equipment, be physically ready, read up, get your house in order and paper work set, travel arrangements organized – so when the thinking part is done, you are ready to embrace the experience.

You head out the door – your journey is real.  It has begun.  You are officially a Pilgrim!

And then you arrive …

“When that moment comes for you – take a deep breath of thanksgiving.  In can be overwhelming, and it might be different than you imagined.  There can be tears or just quiet joy and wonder.  Sometimes when I get to my destination, all thinking just stops.  My conscious mind is on overload.  It can be a challenge to stay present, the energy can be so overwhelming.  Accept that your reaction is right for you.  Use all your senses to feel, hear, touch, smell and see the magic.”  – Evans Bowen 

After untold magic, you return “Home”, transformed … and begin to integrate the ‘transformed you’, into your life.  It can take you off-guard.  I wish I would have had her advice before leaving on my trip to Nepal.  “Re-entry” for me, was not easy, it took me much longer than I expected to find my balance following my arrival home.

Part 2 – 40 Day Pilgrimages – Here’s where the treasure trove of wisdom really connects!  Evans is incredible with daily spiritual and practical insight.  I found myself not wanting to finish the book, because then it would be over!  Thankfully, mindfully, I am going to enjoy and embrace the daily sacred time this book offers me over the next 40 days.

To summarize PILGRIMAGE A Modern Seeker’s Guide, ( not my words, but perfect!): Combining practical steps for the physical journey and 40 days of inspiration for the spirit, this guide book gives this time-honored journey to the Divine to inform the whole person in our increasingly fragmented world.

Oh, how I hope you will get this 100 page book of wisdom!  You can pre-order:  Click here!  It’s coming out in May.  It’s been an honor to get an advanced copy so I could write this review.  Thank you, Becky Flansburg … you are right, my Spirit resonated with every page.

 

The Art of BEing …

I love early morning coffee time with God.  Quiet time.  Nurturing.  I never cease to be amazed at what comes though when I journal.  After being on a hiatus with this practice during the time of a whirlwind romance, Spirit was ready and waiting when I returned. (Note to self: Never let anyone or anything get in the way of these gentle moments. God wove around and about and through me during that time – I feel clarity and strength would have been recognized sooner with meditation and taking time to journal.)

And so … one early morning, as words poured out on paper, it was clear Spirit was prompting me to “put myself out there”.  What unfolded was a series of gatherings – for people to come together on a path of discovery for body, mind and Spirit.  It was to be called: The ART of BEing.  That was a WOW moment.  I’m one that needs confirmation … still, after all these years.  Like, I’m not imagining this … or am I?  If I were to do this, we’d need a space, so, God, you’re going to have to come up with something.  You provide the space, I’ll be brave and do this. 

I took a breath, and started my day.  One of my “to do” things, was renewing my membership with The Crossing Arts.  An amazing art community, fostering individuals to create their own works of art! Be sure to check them out.  While I was there, I was offered the Art Gallery as space to hold gatherings for The ART of BEing.  How incredible is that?!  The beautiful, creative art – first imagined by the artist and then coming to reality, surrounding us as we gather … this is affirmation, don’t you think? Now, I’m being brave and holding up my end of the deal!  You can get more info at The ART of BEing!  A couple of wonder-filled things we will be doing: meditating, taking time to journal and share … I think Spirit is smiling.

What I know to be true … BEing true to myself, BEing still in the silence, BEing able to listen, BEing willing to be brave … are parts of God and the goodness that is waiting.  All of us are a piece of ART … BEing who we are … is our gift to the world.