Healing for the Earth, Day 16: Turn off the News and Turn on Nature

Hello Earthlings,

How are y'all doing out there? Are you getting rest? Are you getting out in nature or at least breathing in some fresh air?

The news is pretty prevalent on the internet and TV right now. It's all over the place. Some of it is very important information that we need to be aware of, but watching the news and tuning into the thousands of news posts on social media 24-7 can make a person go crazy. Seriously. It's not healthy for fellow Earthlings.

You could probably get all the news you need to know in an hour or less each day. I find it healthy to maybe select a few credible places where you intend to be informed and leave the rest.


Here's a little video I made on my walk in the rain today, where I didn't see a single soul, so I was able to keep my social distance from other Earthlings. Out here in the countryside, it isn't hard to do. My counselor calls my channel of choice the Nature Channel. I like that one.

I'm aware of the turmoil out there, but I have decided that it is not helpful to the world if I'm in turmoil too. I can have compassion for what we as a species are going through. I have been offering love and support individually to several friends and collectively in my thoughts, prayers, chants,  drum sessions and meditations to all beings and our planet. This may not feel like much to some, but when I tune into the bigger picture and offer this gift of peace and healing, I find it to be so powerful. It tunes me in with all the other millions of people doing the same and collectively I can feel that energy.

The other thing that can offer so much incredible healing to Earthlings right now is tuning into the EARTH that we are living on. Yes, this big blue marble we call home. This crisis is not a human problem, it's an Earth problem. If we separate ourselves from nature and our planet by making ourselves the only important beings here, we are going to suffer.

In nature, ALL is there for us. Our water, air, sun, fire, material for our houses, and food has always been there for us. It's what sustains us and keeps us alive, actually. And the animals, particularly the wild animals, are speaking. They are literally SPEAKING! I now understand why our ancestors had such a strong connection to the land and animals. They understood very clearly that without them they could not live. Indigenous people have always known this. In my meditations I feel we are being called as a species to WAKE UP and remember that we are also part of nature and to survive we need to work in harmony with it.

I know, from all the news, that we are to keep ourselves 6 feet away from all people other than our family members and partners in order to flatten the curve of this virus. I'm respecting this, We Earthlings are also supposed to sanitize ourselves by washing our clothes, our bodies, our hands, etc. This is working very well. I'm proud of everyone for doing their part.

  I'm also enjoying the gentleness and quietness of our species who are normally so loud and dominant in the world.

We may be loud in our homes, but outside all is quiet. I hear a heard of elk walked down Cannon Beach in Oregon. A herd of ELK! When I see Earthlings outside now, here in the countryside where I live, they walk so mindfully and contemplatively. They keep huge distances from each other and respect space. They look so beautiful, as if they have just woken up to this precious planet that we all have been rushing around on.

You don't have to walk far to hear the quiet stirring of nature again. You don't have to do too much to feel that it has changed and a big part of it is that we are not running the show out there now. We were sent to our rooms! And those who venture outside for a walk, at least out here where I am living, have found a way to connect again.

On the beach today, way off in the distance, I saw a fellow Earthling walking alone in the rain and she was beautiful, the way she moved. And it brought me back to a time before our time when we used to walk like that, paying attention to the direction of the wind and the position of the sun and the sound of bird calls. Behind some logs on the beach, I found the medicine wheel I made with by boyfriend before the lockdown happened. I was delighted to see that it had remained completely untouched for over a week!

Today I spent time in meditation with a few friends virtually. We spent about an hour in silence together. Afterwards I felt so much peace and gratitude. We are all in this together. Be gentle with each other. There's so much love out there. There is so much healing happening! Thank you, each one of you, for doing your part.

Healing for the Earth, Day 15: Mana Iho (Self Empowerment) by Guest Blogger Kau'i Auwae

Today's guest blogger is Henrylyn Kau'i Auwae. Originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, she currently lives in the Seattle area and boy are we lucky to have her RIGHT NOW in these times we are living in. I first met Kau'i in a shaman journey at a retreat at Breitenbush led by Hank Wesselman.  That means that I met her in the dream realm. It was an extremely powerful experience that I shared with the circle at Breitenbush and it changed my life significantly and pointed me clearly to the path I am now on. When I left Oregon to return to Washington, someone told me of a workshop that I might enjoy which was led by Kau'i. When she walked into the room, I nearly fell over. She was the woman from my shaman journey. Kau'i comes from a line of healers and her grandfather, Papa Henry, was a beloved Hawaiian healer and kahuna. She teaches Ho'oponopono classes that I highly recommend. She has one coming up online through Seattle Psychic Institute. You can click on this link to find out more about this online class starting on APRIL 3! If you are going through a hard time right now or need more connection, peace, self-love and ALOHA, I recommend this class. Here's Kau'i with a message for us about Mana Iho, or self empowerment. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful.

Mana Iho in ʻŌlelo Hawai'i means self empowerment or self power. Though Mana Iho starts with choice first and foremost. Mana Iho is limitless when you OWN your power to choose. 

In these uncertain times that we are living in currently, we may not be able to change the situation. Though we can always change our perception of our current situation. We all are able to make a choice to stand in our own power. Because we have the ability to create for ourselves anything we desire.  It is through our ability to choose and create that we are truly able to own our power and EMBODY self empowerment. 

The power to live a life of Mana Iho comes with the understanding that we, as individuals, are the creators of our own reality. A creation of our personal reality that we desire for ourselves. Take a moment and breathe..... 

Know that we have the ability to release anything that isn't in alignment with our truth or doesn't resonate within. Whether it be old habits or constructs that are holding you back from your true potential, or a relationship that no longer resonates or not rewarding yourself with needed self love. You know what you need in order to stand in your power. 

Take another moment to breathe....

Are you brave enough to stand within your power? 

Are you willing to make the necessary choices to be Mana Iho?

Are your choices here and now keeping you in a stagnant position or allowing you to flow and adapt to our changing surroundings?

Give yourself permission to experience the true greatness, brilliance, and beauty of all things. YOU have the ability to make the CHOICE that resonates for you and your well being. Know that all things are possible for us all when we stand in Mana Iho. Be willing to be the GREATEST YOU, that you can be, as you stand in Mana Iho.


Henrylyn Kau'i Auwae is a licensed massage therapist, Ho'omana practitioner, Ho'oponopono facilitator, Kanaka Maoli cultural practitioner, certified Reiki practitioner and  an intuitive tantric healer. She is the founder of Ola Mai I Loko Mai. As a Kanaka Maoli cultural practitioner, she teaches and shares her 'ohana lineage on numerous cultural aspects, such as Hula, Lomi, and Ho'oponopono. You can find her on her website at olamaiilokomai.com

Healing for the Earth, Day 14: Going Within

Hi Earthlings,

Howya doing today? Feeling okay out there on this big, gorgeous, BLUE marble of ours?

 Today I connected with other fellow Earthlings in my Vision Circle via Zoom. All 13 or so of them touched my heart so very deeply. They are family and I appreciate all of the inner work they are doing that doesn't show up on the airwaves here, but counts for so much. Seeing them today reminded me of how connected we all are. The inner work you are doing is a thread in this web. There are so many people doing this work.

Going within not only helps me feel centered and grounded, but it connects me deep down to the core of Mother Earth. Then, everything I do is from a centered and clear place. I'm not reacting to my environment, I'm observing my environment.

Reaction and observation are two very different things.

Reaction is the stuff fear is made from.

Observation is the stuff peace is made from.

By being an observer, you can actually take action on things without being in re-action to things.

It's not easy to be an observer. Especially in these times. Sometimes when I sit, emotions bubble up. My mind says I don't like this. I don't like what that person said. I'm done with this and I want this to end. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm scared.

All of these emotions are genuine. They are real. And they are A-OKAY!!!! We wouldn't be human if we didn't have emotions.

But instead of letting my emotions rule the show, I've decided to try and drop in each day and observe them. I'm observing them as I would clouds passing across the sky. Behind the clouds the sky is always brilliant BLUE. Sometimes there are dark, ominous clouds. Sometimes there are white puffy clouds. Sometimes there's just a thick wall of clouds and sometimes there are no clouds at all.

It always changes. Just like our emotions. They always change. So actually, change is the only thing we can be absolutely sure about.

If we know things will change for sure, we know that we won't always be in this state. We KNOW that this virus won't last FOREVER. We know we will get through whatever we are currently experiencing. No emotion lasts forever. No pain lasts forever. In fact, nothing lasts forever.

THIS. TOO. SHALL. CHANGE.

Perhaps that is a good mantra for our times.

We can't control anyone but ourselves. We aren't in control of the world and other people, but we do get to decide what we each are going to do in any given moment.

Walking on the beach today watching the clouds make shapes, like a gray whale or a lotus or dark, scary monsters, helped me see this change up close. I enjoyed watching these clouds change.

Then, I sat down in the sand and meditated. I listened to the bird calls and the waves and grabbed fists full of sand and let them sift between my fingers. I tasted the salty air and touched the smooth surface of seashells. I breathed deeply into my heart and released my breath to the Earth. I let each emotion or feeling hang out for awhile. I didn't push them away or entertain them. I just let them be there with me on the beach.



Here's a little video I made for you about going within. Sorry, I'm wearing my nerdy glasses, but the message I wanted to share is there.

Healing for the Earth, Day 13: Every Little Thing Counts

How are you doing fellow Earthlings?

It may feel like you are not doing much. It may feel like you are wasting time, but every little thing counts.

Today a million things were swirling around in my head. A million things. I wanted answers to all of the questions:

Where am I going to live after my parents return? What is my life going to look like? What are OUR lives going to look like? How am I going to get my book finished? Forget it...too much is needed now in other areas.

 How am I going to train for this new tech job at my college?  People need help getting classes online. Can I really help? I'm not even a techie.

What will I do if my eye is infected? What if this virus never ends? What if there are more deaths? What can I do to help?  What if I never see my boyfriend again?

Swirling, swirling, swirling....

So many thoughts were swirling around in my head wanting answers.

I did some things today related to my housing situation. There are some exciting things on the horizon. Every little thing counts.

Nothing is certain. Nothing has ever been certain.

But I feel things will work out.  I think there is a global sense that people want change. I see people helping each other. People are coming together and people are taking care of themselves. Self care is important too.

On the one-lane road to my destination today,

I smiled and said hello to several people. And every single person returned a smile and hello.

Every little thing counts.

I communed with the eagle down on the beach. He always comes when I'm there. He sits proudly on his pine tree branch and observes the world. I took a few minutes to tune into my eagle friend. The wild animals need attention too. The Earth loves our attention.

Every little thing counts.

I joined people in play on the beach keeping HUGE distances.

Skipping, jumping, walking, wading in water, breathing, smelling a flower, picking up a shell....going far far out on the beach to have a good YELL!

Every little thing counts.

That's all I've got for you today. I'm going to now go slip away into an epsom salt bath with a cup of echinacea tea.

The fact that you are here today, means a lot to me.

Every little thing counts.

Healing for the Earth, Day 12: Signs of Love are Everywhere

Hello my dear Earthlings,

Howya doing out there in quarantine? Are you going stir crazy yet?

 For awhile, I've been getting up late and not eating quite right. There's no one here to check in on me and I'm not good at keeping myself on task, but I'm going to try and stick with a schedule starting tomorrow.

I'm also going to try and give myself a break and realize that these are very different times. After all, the entire world's schedule got thrown out the window. That makes me feel better when I'm eating mint Milanos at 11.

But truthfully, I have things I do want to accomplish in this time that I have free. I actually have a tech job at my college that I'm supposed to be learning, I have some classes and workshops that I'm putting together, I'd like to get into a more structured book writing schedule, I need to put a class online for spring quarter at the college and I am working on my housing situation for when I have to leave this lovely place in Sequim, WA. So there are things I could certainly focus on. Also, I'd like to organize and pare down my possessions. I don't have a lot of things, but they could be organized a bit more. So I'm ready for some structure.

I managed to get out for a walk again at sunset. This time, the clouds were puffy in the sky and I felt happy that I made it out the door and on the way to the beach in time

As I was on my walk, someone put up beautiful handmade prayer flags of good wishes on the barbed wire fence along the deserted road. It made me happy to see it there. I had been feeling like I needed a bit of hope and love and there it was.

Further down the beach, I saw that the medicine wheel that Scott and I made last Sunday was still there almost a week later. That made my day.

I walked as far down as I could and another person had made a heart out of shells. Signs of love were everywhere.

And once again, the eagle that is always around when I'm down on the beach, flew overhead and landed on a high branch of a pine tree nearby and sat there calmly staring down at me.

I was so happy I made it to the beach. I almost didn't make it. I had been feeling cooped up and unproductive. Whenever I walk I feel so refreshed.

When I got home, I called my boyfriend and put the ingredients for a 12-bean soup in the Crockpot. I wanted to make a lentil soup, but all the lentils in the grocery store were gone, so this was all that I had to work with.

I feel that people are looking out for each other out there. I feel there is LOVE in the air. At least those are the signs I seem to be tuning into today.

Have you seen any signs of LOVE out there?

Much love to you fellow Earthlings!

Healing for the Earth, Day 11: Everyone is a Hero for Going Through This, Have Compassion

Hello dear fellow Earthlings,

Wow, so many emotions coming out now. Do you feel that? It's an Earthling thing.

Every little word feels likes it's charged with so much emotion. The world is a bundle of emotions right now. We are ALL processing so much.

I'm grateful for each and every one of you. ALL of you are heroes just for going through this. From the doctors and nurses who are on the front lines, to the people all alone in quarantine with no family around, to the person who has a loved one in the hospital, to the person who has just lost their job or home, to the people who are sick and struggling for their lives.


ALL OF US ARE IN THIS TOGETHER.

If you are feeling lots of emotions today or feeling alone, this little video I made today may help:

You might think only a few people are affected by this. I don't believe that. We are all affected in one way or another by what's going on. Life will never be the same after this.

Today, I was feeling rather emotional. I've been pretty grounded, but I got caught up in a swirl of emotion. It was a feeling of unsettledness. I envied people in quarantine with their lover or their family. How lucky you are to have your lover or family with you. How lucky! Hold them close.

I'm out here without my boyfriend and who knows how long I'll be out here without him. It's not easy to be alone when things are so uncertain. That's also the heroes journey. We come into this world alone and we die alone. If you can learn to be alone in the midst of all of this, you are my hero and I SEE you!

Actually, each one of us is on the hero's path for just being alive on the EARTH! It is not easy to be a human being. We go through sooo much in one lifetime. There are deaths and divorces and losses and pain and disease and uncertainty and natural disasters and war and...the list goes on. Every one of us has been touched by some kind of trauma. Every single one of us.

So if you think one person's got it easy and another's got it hard, think again! You are looking from the outside at a person. You are NOT that person and you have no idea what they are going through.

So have some COMPASSION for each and every Earthling. Especially NOW when we are all going through this.

Today I realized that I had to just GET OUTSIDE again. It's what grounds me and brings me back into connection with the planet and what it means to be here and connected to all things.

The streets out here where I live were deserted. It was like a ghost town. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere came a car driving at 40 miles an hour down the residential street I had just turned down. She was driving so close to my bumper that I thought she might hit me. Her face looked angry. I thought about pulling over, but I was almost to one of two parking spots in front of the beach, so I just kept driving and rolled into a spot. She took the other spot and got out of her car and gave me a death glare. If looks could kill I'd be dead.

I stayed in my car as she got out. I watched her walk with a bit of a limp. It seemed like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. At first I felt angry that she had spewed her anger out on a stranger. What was wrong with her? I came to the beach to be in peace and I felt upset.

As I walked down the beach,  one of the few places we are still allowed to walk, I was able to release some of that anger. I had no idea what this woman was carrying. What if her husband had the Coronavirus? What if she was alone and couldn't take it anymore (I could relate to that somewhat)? What if she had just had a fight? What if she had just found out she lost her job? What if she didn't know how she was going to make ends meet?

Suddenly I began to feel compassion. I began to forgive myself too for being upset. I let it all wash off me. I let the waves come and take those emotions and thoughts out to sea. I then filled that empty space with compassion for myself first and then for this woman.

It was a stormy day on the beach. It was dark and cloudy and cold and a bit ominous. There was a thickness in the air. It was hard to see far out in the distance, like driving through a fog. It's that feeling of not seeing where you're going but trusting you'll eventually get there, wherever there is.

It was starting to get darker and I looked out across the water and could see the light house at the end of Dungeness Spit. The Spit is closed to the public, but the light at the end was still blinking. I stared at it through the dark clouds and at that one little spot of light and it brought me hope.

Wherever there is darkness, there is also light. Have compassion for each person out there. You have no idea about what they are going through. Have compassion for yourself  for all the emotions you may be feeling. We WILL get through this and be stronger for it. You are all heroes just for going through this.

Much love,
Katherine

Healing for the Earth, Day 10: Feeling Grateful

Hellooooooo out there fellow Earthlings!

How y'all doing on this big blue marble of ours? Let's keep it BLUE!

This is DAY 10. I'm a third of the way done, but this Healing for the Earth business is really helping me tune into the vibration of love and........

GRATITUDE!

Today I woke up late at like 11AM and ate mint Milanos for breakfast. Hey, I'm not perfect! There's no one checking in on me, so why not?

But then I thought, geez, it's gorgeous outside. I just want to get OUTSIDE.

Humans, like plants, can wither without enough natural sunlight, fresh air and clean water. Luckily there's lots of space out here and I was able to walk to the beach without bumping into hardly anyone.

On my walk, I talked to my mom on the phone who was in the process of creating face masks from her old bras, I kid you not. She needed to go to the doctor for a check up and didn't have a mask. We've gotta do what we've gotta do in times like these.

When I hung up with her, I smiled. I love my family. They are funny, nuts, generous and kind. They are probably like any family. You can't live with them, but you can't live without them either. Anyway, I'm grateful to have all of them in my life.

And I then thought about my lovely partner Scott. Wow, what a blessing to have such a sweet, kind, insightful, spiritual, FUNNY, loving man in my life. Blessed beyond words.

Then I started thinking about all my friends. Wow, so many friends that make me laugh or friends who have helped me in a time of need or friends who have encouraged me. I began to recall memories of many friends as I briskly walked to the beach in the sun.

Then I started to think about the sun, cherry blossoms, my comfortable shoes, the fact that I CAN WALK. So much gratitude. Have I taken it all for granted?

On the beach, I found that the medicine wheel Scott and I made three days ago was still there untouched. I stood in front of it with my shadow in the middle.

 As I stood there listening to the waves on the shore, an eagle flew over my head and landed in the pine tree behind me and began to sing. "I hear you!" I said to it. GRATITUDE for the eagle who came to visit too! Here's that eagle SINGING!

And then I walked back in the sunshine to the lovely home that my family is so graciously letting me stay at while they are in Arizona and I felt enormous gratitude.

And then I opened the fridge to find that it was full of food. FULL of FOOD. There is plenty to choose from. I have a choice. I can CHOOSE!

And then I had a 1 hour training to be a faculty tech support person at my college. It's a new job for me and I'll also be teaching. I don't consider myself a techie, but I'm willing to learn more. I have a job. I will have enough money.

Food √
Shelter √
Water √

Immense gratitude for having those three things covered. The rest is icing on the cake. Yes, things have changed. It's not like it used to be and everything is uncertain. But the truth is:

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN UNCERTAIN!

We think we have it all figured out and we know what will happen, but we don't. We have no idea what will happen in any given moment and these strange times are proof of that.

When I operate from a place of gratitude, I realize I have everything I need (more than I need in fact) in this moment and it helps me to then reach out and help others. I'm excited that I get to support my college in an area of need. I feel grateful for the opportunity to help. I am also grateful for the opportunity to do 30 days of healing for the Earth on this blog. It's connected me deeply to the Earth and so many like-minded people. It's been a powerful experience. And WOW am I ever grateful to MOTHER EARTH! Where would we be without her?

 Stay tuned for many guest speakers here. I'm not the only one who has something to share.

What are you grateful for?

Healing for the Earth Day 9, Every Word You Say Creates. What Are You Creating?

Dear Earthlings,

How you all doing out there on the big blue marble? It's still spinning isn't it?  And it's beautiful!

It's Day 9 of Healing for the Earth. I ended my evening tonight with a meditation in silence with 8 people on Zoom and then a drumming session with my amazing Hawaiian healer friend Kau'i Auwae and her son Elijah. Kau'i played the deer drum, I played the elk drum and Elijah played the singing bowl. We played online for about an hour.

We didn't use words, we used instruments to speak for us. Instruments carry a vibration, just as words do. The vibration of music or chanting is so powerful. It can lift the spirit. That's what we were doing tonight. We were lifting the Spirit.

There are so many words flying around these days. Not all of them carry a high vibration. Many of the collective words these days carry a low tone or low vibration. There is an atmosphere of fear and fear for the whole is not helpful and can be very destructive to a person and the world. Fear has its place, but unless you are running from wolves in this very moment, it's not helpful.

Today, after our drumming session, Kau'i drew a card from her Hawaiian card deck and shared it with me. Here's what it said in both Hawaiian and English:

Aia i ka 'olelo no ke ola,
Aia i ka 'olelo no ka make.

In the word there is life,
In the word there is death.

And here is the message from the card deck:

"This is an ancient Hawaiian saying. It encompasses the understanding that we are powerful creators. As spirit beings living here in the material plane, we bring the creative energy of Spirit to life in the linear world. And we do that through words.

Every word you say, everything you think—creates. The thoughts you hold inside, and the words you put out, are life giving or death dealing.There's no in between. All your words either feed the pono and create a life of connection, or they feed the pilikia and create disconnection from Spirit."

So with all that's swirling around out there in the world, what are you choosing to collectively create? Love or Fear?

With each word, feel how it vibrates in your body. When you speak, do you feel anxious, nervous, judgmental or scared? How can you tune into the vibration of love?

Today, connecting to my body and spirit helped me tune into the vibration of love. I have been staying away from the news. I'm aware of it, but I can feel that it has the tone of fear. I'm consciously choosing to tune into a different vibration.

Every word creates. What your read, what you think, what you hear. It creates. What are you choosing to tune into? What are you choosing to create?

Mahalo Kau'i and Elijah for your gifts today. They are very precious, just like both of you!

Healing for The Earth, Day 8: An Offering of Healing for the Earth and All Beings

Hello fellow Earthlings,

How are you all doing out there??

Have you been able to take any moments to connect inward today?

Out here, the land speaks to me. It called me and my boyfriend Scott to the shores of Jamestown Beach where we made a medicine wheel in the sand out of shells, crabs, pine branches, sticks, seaweed, and other items that we found on the beach. We worked in silence creating this wheel. It was an offering of healing for the planet. It was an offering of healing for all beings.

We both took out our elk drums and began to play. Immediately I felt a Native American presence. We drummed for peace and healing. An eagle flew overhead and a passerby stopped to listen to us. He asked to record us and take pictures for his daughter. He told us that she would find peace in knowing that we were doing this.

To me, it felt natural. The Earth and the people on the planet are ailing. What happens to one of us happens to all of us.

We are all doing our best out there. Some are working on the front lines and some are grounding and holding space and offering peace. There are people praying, chanting, drumming, meditating, playing gongs, and making offerings for healing all over the planet. You can't see them all, but they are out there. Maybe you are one of them. There are thousands of them. It may seem that one person can't make a difference. It may seem that one offering of peace and healing can't help, but it is so far from the truth.

We can come together in fear or we can come together in love and offer blessings to ourselves, all beings, the Earth and even the Universe and beyond. This is medicine for the planet. It is also medicine for the people.

One pebble dropped in the lake creates hundreds of rings that spread out beyond what we can even see. No offering of goodwill goes to waste.

Thank you, each one of you, for your offerings, whatever they may be. Thank you for being here in goodwill. Thank you for choosing love over fear.

Healing for the Earth, Day Seven: Love Yourself

How are you all doing fellow Earthlings?

Are you a bit overwhelmed yet? I'm a little teched out, to be honest. I'm helping my college with tech support as things move online and it's a rather big job, but I'm still finding time to get a walk in each day, breathe, and show up here.

Today's post is about loving yourself. My boyfriend gave me the desk calendar by Jen Sincero called YOU ARE A BADASS for Christmas.

Are you familiar with any of her books? They are hilarious and enlightening at the same time. I like things that are both hilarious and enlightening.

For today, on my YOU ARE A BADASS desk calendar, the message is:

"Love yourself. Like you are the only one there is."

How appropriate because after being alone out here I was starting to believe there was no one else out there until my boyfriend showed up to save me from crossing over the line and believing everyone else had disappeared.

But back to that message. It sounds cheesy, I know, but loving yourself is so important. I've felt bombarded with all the Facebook messages of what's been going on and what's okay and not okay and where is the line and who is enforcing it.

Yes, it's important to take measures and social distance, but I'm announcing it right here, I AM GOING TO GO OUTSIDE and I AM GOING TO HUG (etc.) MY BOYFRIEND and it's okay.
I'm also going to LOVE MYSELF and know that it's okay.

And you get to make your own decisions on what you are going to do in these very different times. I can't tell you what to do, I can only follow what intuitively feels right to me.

Fortunately, out here in Sequim, there are less people and I'm able to practice social distancing without too much difficulty, but I will be quite honest! It felt good to give my boyfriend a hug and go on little bike ride around the neighborhood before I had to get on a Zoom call and offer tech support to my colleagues.

Today I'm going to treat myself to some relaxation after a long day. Maybe a little Netflix even or a bath.

What are you doing to LOVE YOURSELF?

Here's a little video I made on loving yourself. Enjoy.

Peace + Love + Light,
Katherine

Healing for the Earth, Day 6: Go Outside

Hello fellow Earthlings,

How are you doing today? Today marks 6 days of writing here everyday. That's almost a week. I still wonder how I did TWO full years of writing a blog post every single day. Whoa! Sometimes I feel like abandoning this plan to write for a month. It's hard to keep going sometimes. I don't always feel wonderful. Sometimes I also feel lonely, sad, overwhelmed. lazy, worthless, etc. But when I get outside, I am able to release many heavy things that I'm feeling. Here's a little video for all y'all about my time outside and some messages for you too!

Today, at around 2pm, I really felt like I needed to JUST GET OUTSIDE and everything would change. When I'm outside, I feel this expansiveness that seems to give space to all these emotions that I'm feeling. The fresh air, sun, smell of pine, butterflies, bees, waves, sand between my toes, etc. really helps. All of these things in nature nurture me so much. They give me a place to rest the restlessness and unease that I sometimes feel. If I can just get myself outside, I feel better.

Today, while walking down to the beach, I saw many families and couples. Lots of couples were holding hands, so happy to be together in the sun. During this time on social distancing, I really miss physical touch. I REALLY miss my boyfriend out here, but he hasn't been able to come out all week and possibly not this coming weekend either because he's working a lot, which is good.

Being in community is so important. Man (or woman) is not an island. It's important for us Earthlings to be in community and help each other. We are all in this together, yet it's easy to feel lonely. I felt that today. I felt like I could really use some social interaction that did not involve a computer or a phone. Do you know what I mean???

Being outside felt as close as I could get to really feeling connected. If I couldn't connect with friends, family or my boyfriend, at least I could connect with nature and celebrate the other people down on the beach with their loved ones enjoying!

After walking down the beach a bit, I found a place to hunker down in the sand between logs near the bird sanctuary. I actually took off my boots and socks and felt the sand between my toes. I lay down with my head on a log and let the sun beat down on my face bringing me back to days when I use to sunbathe in Florida with friends. I love that feeling. I could have stayed on the beach today forever, it felt so good, but I put my boots back on and made my way down the beach a bit further before turning around.

The sun was high and children were running around chasing waves in their bare feet, screaming with excitement. Lovers kissed on beach blankets. It was hard to believe we were in a crisis. It was hard to believe that our world is going through something big right now because people seemed happy and joyful for the moment.

On the way back home, I drove along the beach and saw an eagle high up in a pine tree. All the cherry blossoms are out. It's definitely spring. I'm glad I went outside today.

Healing for the Earth, Day 5: Creature Comforts and Whatever You Need to Get You Through the Day!

Hello fellow Earthlings,

It's strange out there, isn't it? What an interesting time to be an Earthling. Today's little video is about saying OKAY to creature comforts and whatever gets you through the day! Yay!

Today was a day of paperwork and getting things done, so I didn't get a chance to be out in nature much, except to see the last rays of sunlight as I drove to Safeway to pick up provisions. You can be sure that the entire aisle of toilet paper was empty and there was no hand sanitizer in sight. In fact, there were signs up limiting these items to two per person. Earthlings are so interesting, aren't we? Not a single animal uses these things. We wear clothes, use hand sanitizer and toilet paper and drive cars and go to store houses that hold all of our food. This is what we do, many of us. While I was looking for Epsom salt, an announcement came on at the store that said, "Be sure to get your flu shot because you never know if it will be wild or mild out there." I swear that's what it said.

Today I decided, after feeling anxious about work and my future housing situation, that I was going to give myself some comfort and it is OKAY! I stocked up on snacks, which included a little chocolate. I put on my favorite cozy socks which have stars and moons on them. I turned on the gas fireplace for a bit to warm up. I took a long shower and washed my hair. I gave myself comfort today because it's what my body and spirit wanted. I will probably curl up in the bedroom and watch Netflix. I haven't watched anything in a long time, but today I'm cutting myself some SLACK.

I love you all for being here and doing your best! You are doing GREAT!

Peace, love and light,
Katherine

Healing for the Earth, Day 4: You are an Important Thread in the Web of the EARTH

Good evening fellow EARTHLINGS!

How are y'all on this fine evening?

 I made a little video for you.

 Perhaps, at this juncture in time, you are feeling lots of different emotions. Maybe you are feeling lonely, sad, helpless, afraid or just plain nervous. Or maybe you feel happy to have a bit of time on your hands to just BE. Or maybe you feel overwhelmed or underwhelmed or overstimulated or under-stimulated.

Whatever you are feeling, I want to tell you that YOU ARE IMPORTANT! AND you are right where you need to be doing just what you need to do, even if you don't think or feel this way.

Today I hit a bit of a wall. I've been alone for a week. All my friends are on the other side of the pond in Seattle, a ferry boat ride away. I'm out here with all the wild animals and Native Spirits, but I miss my community and actually giving hugs and looking into my fellow Earthlings sweet eyes. We are all in this together, aren't we? Now is the time to let go of the grudges. Now is not the time to judge or debate or disagree. Now is the time to come together (THINK WOODSTOCK ONLINE....lol....now there's an idea!) Now is the time to honor yourself deeply for all your foibles and to tenderly, lovingly sit with that part of you that might need some love.

It was a little bit more of a productive today. I got a lot of work done for my job at the college. I taught a class online this winter and now my skills will be needed to help teachers start the spring quarter online, as we will not be starting any classes in the classroom due to the virus.

Around 6pm, I thought I need to get out of here and get myself to a beach! It was a beautiful day ALL day, but I felt like I needed to get work done. The sun was starting to set, so I grabbed my silver-blue puffy jacket and slipped on my red boots and headed out to Jamestown Beach. The tide is always way out this time of the evening and I was excited to have my boots on this time because I wanted to walk out in the tide pools. The birds were going nuts. They were cackling and cawing and tweeting and twittering with joy, it seemed, to have this all-you-can-eat shellfish buffet right there on the sandbars. An eagle landed in a huge pine tree at the edge of the shore and made its gorgeous call out to the world from its perch. The sky was streaked with lines, reminding me of threads—white puffy cloud threads going in all different directions.

I thought, we are all threads, each one of us so important to the whole and it reminded me of the quote by Chief Sealth, for whom Seattle was named:

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."—Chief Seattle, Duwamish

You are important, each one of YOU! Remember that. You are on the EARTH for a reason.

Much ALOHA to all of YOU! Keep on keeping on and love each other. You are doing great!

Love,
Katherine

Healing for the Earth, Day Three: Grounding

Hello fellow Earthlings,

Here's a little video on GROUNDING that I created for you all to help you release all that's in your space that doesn't need to be there. Much like deleting files on your computer that may be overloaded. Sometimes it's good to clear all of that out. The volume's a little low on this one, but you get the gist.

How y'all doing out there on our BIG BLUE MARBLE? Have you been able to get outside and breathe some fresh air? Have you taken a break from technology? Have you been able to take a few minutes to tune in? Today, I woke up late and didn't get much done. It's easy for all kinds of emotions to swirl around in my head and not have anywhere to go if I don't get outside! I don't know what it is about being outdoors. Perhaps there's a different language out there.

One that makes you stop and smell the roses.
One that makes you stare at new leaves on trees for several moments.
One that makes you notice a butterfly.
A BUTTERFLY!

Some say that there's no time to smell the roses. We've got a crisis here. People are dying. Our Earth is ailing. We don't have time. We need to keep ourselves active and informed and busy and on top of it and well-stocked and checked in with everyone and, and, and...there are a million things to do and find out and know and help with and do, do, do.

.Nature wants you to stop and notice.
 Nature wants you to be part of it!

Of course it's important to care and be informed about what is going on and to help others in any way that you see fit. Each person will have there own way.

As long as it is kind and compassionate and useful, it's all good.

One thing that helps me is to drop in and see how I'm feeling. That gives me a lot of information right away.

When I'm on my computer all day doing work or if I get on Facebook, while it's nice to connect, I don't feel connected to my body and spirit a lot of the time. Something in me and in nature longs for a connection. And when I'm able to do this, it's amazing medicine for the spirit.

Today I felt the need to GROUND OUT all the energy that is swirling out there. There are so many different news stories, posts, emails, thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns, worries, laughter (laughter is good), sharing, sadness, grief, anger. All of these are fine and GOOD, but if you are an empath like me, that stuff gets stockpiled in the system. Time to put it all on a disk drive or into the TRASH BUCKET just like on my Mac down at the bottom right of the screen.

Do you ever take time to empty out the trash or clean house? I can't operate unless I do this. Otherwise I'm a walking collection of every single thing I've picked up throughout the day.

One of the most marvelous things I learned in Psychic School was GROUNDING! We are on the EARTH and yet sometimes we float around on top of it never really sinking in to it. The EARTH is our home, without it we would not be here.

Grounding helps me to release that stockpile of all that I accumulated throughout my day so that I rest very soundly at night and am able to wake up refreshed the next day.

Out on Dungeness Spit, I found a little spot in the sand amongst the logs and stone altars created by fellow Earthlings down on the beach.

 I nestled in and created a little video on grounding for you all. The stones and sand really help me feel connected to the EARTH. They give me permission to let go of all that is not needed in my space so that I can be a receiver of what is needed. If I'm filled up with gunk, I can't operate very well. Kind of like a vacuum cleaner that needs the lint basket cleared out.

I walked down the beach to the natural totem pole that stood tall. No one knows exactly how it stood straight up like that. Some say a root ball from the tree dug deep into the sand making it a permanent feature on the beach. I felt my boots sink in the sand and really felt a connection. Just then an eagle landed on the top of nature's totem pole and looked me in the eyes.

I am a Scorpio and eagle is a symbol of my sign. I felt that the eagle was really witnessing me. We had a moment together and I felt very seen. Somehow I got the message that the work I'm doing here is good work for the Earth and I should keep going. This is what the eagle gave to me. Had I not stepped outside and walked down Dungeness Spit, I would not have met this eagle who is still in my heart reminding me that I too am part of this Earth and I can let go, tune in and ground at any time.

Peace to you my fellow journeyers. May you take a moment to ground each day and feel yourself on this EARTH! The Earth loves it when we recognize her and the animals definitely feel it!

Peace + Love + Light,
Katherine

Healing for the Earth, DAY TWO: Drumming for Peace

Hello fellow Earthlings,

I offer you my drumming this evening for PEACE. So get comfortable for a few minutes and put this on speaker and lay down and just let it enter you....the beat of the EARTH and our own hearts on it. This is my prayer for peace. This is my offering of PEACE, love and healing to all of you and the planet on which we live.

Today and all days are gifts. I really feel this. Each moment is precious and has always been precious. Today I took a long walk down Jamestown Beach. The sun was high and the tide was out. Hundreds of birds used the opportunity of the high tide to find shellfish. I found a sand dollar today. A whole one!

 When I walk, I really feel in tune with all living things. I know, in these difficult times, it may be difficult to walk or go outside. Even just a few steps outside to look at flowers or see a tree is important. You can call nature and the beauty of the Earth into your heart space. I have a friend who is quarantined in Europe and on lockdown and can't go on walks, but she finds creative ways to get outside. She walks to a grocery store that is far away so that she can be outside. We are not meant to be locked inside as a species. The Earth is our home, but it's ailing. I really feel this. This is not a human dilemma that we are going through. It's an Earth dilemma. It affects all beings and most of all, the being that we are living on. If we separate ourselves from the Earth and nature, we won't be able to go on. For the next 30 days, I'm dedicating my blog to healing for the Earth. This evening I decided to share with you the elk drum I made in my Vision Circle. I play it every evening in ceremony. A herd of elk live in Sequim and it makes me feel more connected to them when I play it. The animals are in tune with the Earth so if you listen, you can hear them and understand their wordless language. They are calling all beings to LISTEN.

Today's message and healing is about listening to the beat of the Earth. It's about putting down our human agendas to TUNE IN to the larger picture. It's about the HEART BEAT of the planet, this big BLUE marble we live on. There's a tendency to ask, "What can I DO? What can I DO?" There's a flurry of people out there wanting answers and wanting to DO something.

If you are able to just stop for a few moments and breath and go inward or walk and feel each step, you will find the answers. Just two minutes, five minutes, a half hour, one hour. It doesn't matter, but it is so important.


Much love,
Katherine

Healing for the Earth, DAY ONE: Walk Gently on the Earth

Hello fellow Earthlings,

Here is a message from my walk today through the woods towards Dungeness Spit in Sequim, Washington.

I've been called to write a daily month-long series called "Healing for the Earth," which includes ALL Earthlings and other beings on it. Here's my DAY ONE message for YOU!

Last night, I came back to Sequim after a few days in the Seattle area. Right away, I felt a pull to get very quiet and meditate. The energy out here is so strong and I'd like to share it with all of you. I am in a monthly Vision Circle with other like-minded souls who come together to drum for peace, love and harmony for each other and the planet. I created my own elk drum with River, who leads that group. It's interesting that my drum is made from elk hide as Sequim is the home of a large herd of elk.

I am a psychic and I'm able to channel. These are two things I haven't fully been able to own in public, but I've decided to own them here. I'm extremely sensitive to energy and I often pick up on very subtle vibrations. I often know when deer are near when I'm inside the house and I can feel sea animals, like seals, sea lions and whales, under the water out on Dungeness Spit. I know they are there and they often come up to the surface when I face the water and we have a few moments together. I'm aware of a very strong Native American energy here and feel the ancestors of Jamestown nearby. When I drum, they gather and I receive messages.

Last night I drummed for about 1 hour. I could feel the animals of the Earth and feel a Native American presence. I could feel that, as many have predicted, the Earth is going through a shift. It can not carry on as it has been. This shift is happening on a very deep level. It's asking each Earthling to drop inward and listen. It's calling Earthlings to experience and find answers within nature and in silence. It's calling for Earthlings to reduce or let go of technology. The answers are in nature and the natural elements of nature. It's calling us to RAISE the vibration by dropping inward.

Last night, I was instructed to burn sage and also to gather salt, particularly Himalayan salt, which is actually a crystal called Pink Halite and has similar properties to Rose Quartz. It's known to release negative ions in your environment which purify the air. I grounded this salt last night and mixed it with hot water and drank it. I felt energy and clarity in my lungs and throat. I turned on my salt lamp in the evening and I also have a night light with Himalayan salt pieces in it that has an immediate calming affect on me.

This morning I felt a pull to Dungeness Spit. The mountains and deer were out and the sun was so bright. Here's a picture from my walk on The Spit today:

 Before I left, I drew a card from my Earth Magic Oracle deck the I got at Breitenbush Hotsprings in Oregon. Each card displays beautiful art connected to the Earth and a message with each picture. I drew GREEN MAN which I found so appropriate because tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day and also because the message on the card is so pertinent to our times. Here's the photo and here's what the literature says about the card:

Green Man reminds us of the incredible synergy required for Gaia to maintain her delicate and dynamic balance among the various beings on the planet....We witness this (synergy) in the complex and cooperative interaction between plants, humans and animals.

And here is the message:

A flow of life is guiding you, where things seem to fall into place as you move about your business. You are in a mutually cooperative interaction with Spirit, as your will is aligned with the will of Spirit, and your mission in congruent with your sense of purpose. When this is happening, there is a synergy, a way that your life force is continually coming into balance with the forces of Nature.

Yes, I feel this. Nature is guiding me out here and is available at any time for anyone. I feel like the messages are everywhere! On the beach in the sun lying against a log, I picked up a handful of sand and let it sift through my fingers, fall and become part of the many grains that were already there. I feel we are in a time of letting go of FEAR and expanding and being more part of this Earth which we inhabit by being loving and walking gently upon her. She is such a gift to us.

Peace + Love + and Harmony to all of you, my fellow Earthlings. Until tomorrow.....

Letting go of Toilet Paper....

Fellow Earthlings,

Are you feeling it?

Panic, chaos, viruses, crazy leaders, tornadoes, school closures, no hand sanitizer and no toilet paper...these are the topics of the emails and articles coming through from afar. I feel removed and separate and it reminds me of a dream I had where I saw what was going on, but was not part of it. More about that later.

Truthfully, it's weird to be out here in Sequim already quarantined in nature. I'm out here with the eagles, hawks, deer, seals, crabs, salmon, elk. In fact, sometimes they are the only beings I come into contact with on any given day.

I'm teaching an online class at the college, so actually, I don't need to meet students and risk getting exposed. The coronavirus has taken 11 lives in Washington State and 70 people have been infected and that number is expected to rise. Governor Inslee has called a state of emergency in Washington State. My colleagues at the college are scrambling to make arrangements with their students for the end of the quarter because they may not be able to finish the quarter with their students. We are waiting to see if our college closes.

But out here, things move slowly. Since I moved out here in December, this land has been calling me to stop and TUNE IN. Whenever I have big plans to get things done, the land calls me to put it all aside and get outside. It's not that I don't get things done, it's that my plans are often interrupted by nature's schedule. If I wake up and it's sunny, I put my shoes on and go. I want to be down on Dungeness Spit breathing in the salty air and hearing the waves roar. While I'm walking, I often close my eyes and drink it all in with my entire body. I breathe in the sun, sand, wind, salt, breeze, clouds, waves and bird calls. My body vibrates with all of it. I feel stripped down to the core essentials out here.

After hiking at the Spit today, I headed to my bank to cash a check and decided to stock up on some food. I hadn't been to the store in a few days and truthfully, I didn't really want to be amongst shoppers who all had the potential of being carriers of this disease. Every time I'd hear a cough, it would propel me to wander away from whatever aisle I was on to one that was empty or sparsely populated. I'm trying not to buy into the fear, but it's there. I'd like to believe it hasn't made its way to Sequim, but my answer was there in the hand sanitizer section where I stopped in front of a gaping hole of nothingness. Same with the toilet paper section. I'd have to let those go for now.

Back in my car, I took 5th Ave past Old Olympic Highway to Evans Road. I passed trumpeter swans breeding in a nearby field of a farm with a worn-out red barn. Not a single car passed me on those roads. I turned left on Dungeness-Sequim Highway and then a right on Woodcock Road making my way past Graysmarsh Farm, a huge estate that seems to go on forever and where you can pick blueberries and strawberries in the summer, but not much is happening there right now.

I often wonder what I'm doing out here. I'm 50 years old and I'm living at home. That's the stuff people talk over fences in hushed voices with their neighbors about and here I am doing it, without toilet paper even. What has the world come to? What have I come to?

On the outside, things may look dire. But on the inside I feel this unbelievable gratitude for my life and I feel the earth vibrate with an incredible goodness. I feel the wildlife on it calling everyone to stop and listen. I feel I am a witness to this language that has no words. I move with the wind. I feel the rhythm of the earth out here. I feel the native energy. Nearby my family's house is the grave of Native American Chief Lord James Balch. There's a huge eagle totem there to honor him. He was one of the first natives to pool money together with fellow tribesmen to purchase 210 acres that is known as Jamestown. It's not a reservation, it's owned by the natives. I walk past this great chief's grave to the beach frequently. The energy is so strong around there. And I have dreams of a world that is calling us back to our origin. It's calling us back to when we listened and knew. Yes, I'm remembering this language that has no words. It comes to me in dreams.

I am not going crazy, but the world might be. I'm stopping and I'm listening and I'm hearing.

In January, there was a snowstorm that hit The Peninsula quite hard. I was alone out in Sequim. The wind was howling through the trees and shaking the windows. Right before the power went out, I found a dream I wrote on paper about the end of the world. Minutes after I finished reading it, everything went dark. I felt along the wall to the living room where I knew I had candles and matches and I  lit candles all around the room and lit the gas fireplace. I was warm inside, but I wanted to feel the swirl of nature outside, at least for a few minutes. I stepped out into the howling wind and felt cold snowflakes hit my face. I was barefoot on the deck. I could see the glowing red eyes of deer huddled under pine trees. They had been sleeping there in front of the house for a month unafraid. I felt their presence daily and knew they had messages for me. Back inside, I piled blankets on top of me and huddled in front of the gas fire place and read my dream again.

I have lost the piece of paper with the dream on it. I know it's somewhere. Anyway, here's the gist of it:

People were in a panic. There was some kind of tsunami happening and waves were crashing all around and buildings were falling down. People were running through the streets screaming and police cars were zooming around with their sirens blaring, but I was inside an old cave watching all of this from afar as if watching it on a movie screen. It was real and in front of me, but I was not part of the madness. An old man with a very long beard, I imagine Confucius to look like, was sitting cross-legged in the dirt also watching. Just then I grabbed a stick and began to draw a line in the dirt. I drew two inches forward and three inches backwards. My hand moved effortlessly and I don't recall I knew what I was doing with my logical mind or even if I was doing it. The old man bowed to me and told me it was about balancing the planet. I felt very calm and collected and sure that things would work out and rebalance. There was nothing to do, it was more about be-ing.

I don't believe it is about magic or miracles or anything out of the ordinary. I just believe it's about tuning in and listening. Most of our lives we move in the way our fellow humans move. If one person panics, we all begin to panic. What if we didn't panic and follow the crowd, but chose to really stop and listen deep within and move from there? What if we allowed our deep inner experiences to guide us on the outside rather than allowing the outside to dictate our inner state. I'm letting my inner compass guide me out here. I'm completely unafraid. I trust things will work out even if everything looks like it's falling apart and more importantly, even if there's no more toilet paper.