Healing for the Earth, Day 18: Meditation for Anxiety by Guest Blogger Scott Walsh

My partner, Scott Walsh, is here to share his insights on meditation for anxiety which is really important, particularly in these uncertain times. I'm lucky to have a partner who I meditate with and share a business with. We both offer classes at Seattle Psychic Institute along with many other wonderful teachers. We are also in a shaman drum circle together. Having a partner who understands and gets the inner realm has been such an important support in my life. Here's Scott with a few words on meditation for anxiety. Sorry if the video gets cut off. I had to shorten it a bit, but you get the gist.

I thought I’d write something that would be helpful right now.  I know a lot of people are freaking out.

In the midst of fear, in the midst of overwhelm, there’s one thing that works.  It works because a saving grace of humanity is the ability to focus on only one thing at a time.

Take some time.  Find a space by yourself, a place where you can just BE.  What happens when you just STOP?  Notice your body.  Your heart beating, your breath.  What happens when you start thinking about all the uncertainty, all the what ifs?  Just try it.  Pretend you’re a scientist observing YOURSELF.  You’re both the scientist and the subject.  When you focus on things that are scary, what happens to your heart rate and your breathing?  For a minute, rather than being carried away by your thinking, your worrying, your wondering, just notice what the effects are in your body.

Now take some time and gently pull your awareness so that it rests only on what is happening right now to your body - what you’re hearing, feeling; the sound and sensation of your breath, the feeling of your weight in your chair if you are seated.  NOTICE your thoughts.  Try to OBSERVE them.  It’s easy to go from observing thoughts to becoming completely carried away by them.  That’s just the way it is.  Our thoughts are SO interesting.  If you find that five minutes have gone by and you’ve been thinking about one thing or another, one person or situation or another, then gently come back to being the scientist, the observer.

Don’t beat yourself up if your mind wanders.  Believe me, it’s part of the process.

Notice if it’s comfortable, uncomfortable, or extremely uncomfortable to stop and just observe yourself.  If it’s uncomfortable then, do you feel like doing something to escape?  And notice what things come to mind as escape routes.  It’s all really good information.  It’s REALLY HELPFUL if you can just notice that it feels uncomfortable to just BE, in the sense of observing what you’re feeling etc., and nevertheless you can just hang out with that anyway; hang out with that feeling of discomfort.  Notice it.  It can’t hurt you; not if you’re just WATCHING it.  Look at the discomfort up close, open the jaws and look at the sharp teeth.  Ask: where does this come from?  What voice inside of you is shouting/screaming/lecturing?  Who does it sound like and what is it saying?

This is called defusing the bomb.  “The bomb” is a metaphor for what is the scariest, most horrendous thing of all for most of us, and that is our own inner criticism, judgment, fears.

If you can learn to just sit and observe all the parts of yourself - even when it’s uncomfortable - then that is an incredible accomplishment.  If you practice meditation regularly then you will get to the point where no matter what the upset you’ll know that if you take some time to tune in and OBSERVE what’s happening, it won’t overwhelm you.

The meditative state - the state of tuning in, observing, ACCEPTING what’s going on without judging it, of just continuing to be aware of what’s happening in and outside of you in the moment, is a way of being you always have access to.  If you do it regularly then it will change your appreciation of everything.  And perhaps more important than anything, it’ll help you right now.


Scott Walsh is a teacher of meditation and and psychic techniques and is the co-founder of Seattle Psychic Institute.  He has been practicing meditation most of his life, has been a psychic for 18 years and a teacher for 7 years.  The sense of connection, purpose and joy that practicing these techniques have brought him can’t be over emphasized.

Healing for the Earth, Day 17: Let go of Expectations

Hi there Earthlings!

Wow! Everything is changing so RAPIDLY. Can you feel it?

I just took on a new tech position at my college and my brain is on overload. So much new information and sometimes I feel like I have to be an expert in what I'm doing, but I'm not!!!! In fact, I'd call myself rather un-techie. Today we had a Zoom meeting with 21 teachers and I realized that they probably have it more together in the tech department than I do.

However, I did teach a synchronized online class for the first time last quarter and so I have experience teaching online. I think that's the only reason I got the tech job.

Part of me wants to pull out of the position and another part says Let go of your high expectations and just ride the wave. You probably know more than you think you do.

So I decided to let go of my expectations today and just ride this crazy wave we are all on.


 I'm having trouble following through with tasks and deciding which tasks are most important in any given moment. There's a part of me that is aware that I need to keep up with my job and online materials, but there's a bigger part of me that feels I need to pay attention to my body, mind and spirit in this ever-changing time.

I had a tech meeting at 11am and another meeting with 21 teachers at 4:30pm. Luckily, between those two times, I got outside and took a long walk on the beach nearby.


 The tide was waaaaaayyyy out and I felt like I was walking on the moon. I walked out on a sand bar and part of me wanted to just keep walking to the end of time or the end of this time to when this virus is gone from our lives and we are all onto a new chapter in our Earthly lives, one that is more in-tune and loving. One where we take care of the Earth, fellow Earthlings and all other beings in our web.

But we have a long road ahead I feel and Rome wasn't built in a day. In fact, Rome is kind of falling apart again.

I'm letting go of expectations. When I give myself permission to realize that I don't and WE don't have it all figured out, I feel so much more at ease.

When I tune into very simple, small things, like sunshine and flowers and birds along my trail, I'm reminded that all we ever really have is this moment. Tomorrow is not promised to us. All of nature is pointing me to be aware of this. It's asking me to pay attention to what is right under my nose.

For weeks, I haven't seen the deer. It has made me sad. They use to come and sleep outside my window every single night. It's been about a month or more since I've seen a deer in front of the house. Today, as I let go and as I was typing this, one came right up to the deck and stared. I didn't expect that AT ALL. It touched my heart so deeply. It was a message that when I let go, everything I need is right here. In fact, when I hold too tightly to an agenda or plan, I sometimes miss nature's promptings.

 I feel, in my job, that people are ready to just jump back on the bandwagon, but things are shifting fast. We are all going through a shift both internally and externally. Our bodies and minds need time for this reboot to happen. I'm only running on 20-30% in the outer world right now because my inside is downloading so much new info. It usually happens when I sleep. I can feel it.


What happens to one of us happens to all of us. Give yourself a HUGE BREAK! Let go of being ultra productive or having it all together. This is a time when things are falling apart or unraveling. Sometimes going with the flow is all we can do. I don't always get things checked off my list. Heck, I'm having trouble finding the list.

Each day is a brand new day and offers new things. If we have this hefty agenda of expectations of what NEEDS to happen, we are missing the little things that want to enter into the picture.

There are some days when all I can do is breath, or walk, or take a bath. Other days,  I have to shut the computer off and read a book for pleasure or write in my journal. When that happens, all my original plans get thrown out the window, just like they did when this virus took over. And that is OKAY! That's life!

When we have a virus on our computers, we have to install malware, but sometimes that doesn't work. We may end up having to throw out the old computer and get a new one. We may have to let go of files, and documents and pictures. We may lose some things that we once cherished.

We may have to start again.

There are two questions I've been asking myself lately that you may also want to play with:

1. If this were my last day on Earth, how would I want to spend it?
2. In the new world we are entering, how do I want to show up? What would I like to let go of and what would I like to keep?

Good questions to ponder right now. In the meantime, I'm going to flow like the river. I'm going to let go. I'm going to remain flexible and agile and be willing to change as the world changes. I'm going to give myself a break if I don't meet all the expectations I need to meet. How about you?

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!