Birthing the New Era & Messages for 2013

January 2, 2013January 2, 2013 / soulinteraction / Leave a comment

We all survived 2012. The new era is upon us. There are many that are happy that 2012 did not bring with it certain doom, but for many 2012 did bring much upheaval. Some are still sorting through the pieces. Some are finally taking a breath and giving thanks that it is over.

The end is only just the beginning.

I really hate to be that guy that comes in and bursts the bubble, but we need to be real about what this new age is bringing us. We are not just going to hop into a beautiful new experience of love and light. There will be light, but there is also darkness. We are still in the womb. The birthing process is beginning. Rarely do children just pop out of the womb. The birthing process is difficult. It can take a long time. There is blood. Screaming. Breathing. Tearing. Stress… and it all leads up to the most beautiful of all creations.

We should look at 2012 as our labor phase. The weather, the earth, the elements are all still cleansing us. I think we have forgotten who is really in charge and mother Gaia is reminding us that it is by her will that we are allowed to be present in the delivery room. I agree that we will meet lots of love in the process, but we have to also remember that we have to stay strong in our processes.

We just recently had our New Years eve psychic fair at the shop. The readings at this psychic fair give me a gauge for what the year will hold for many of us. January and February are going to be months of reprieve from the chaotic energy of 2012. Things are going to feel “easy”. It will be easier to move energy, things will feel lighter, and we may feel this sense of spiritual euphoria. The lesson here is: DO NOT BECOME COMPLACENT. We are being given a chance to rest, to get our bearings, and to decided what we truly want from this experience. What are you birthing in this coming year? What are you hoping to create? Do not abandon your spiritual processes, do not become lazy with your yoga, meditation, studying, connecting and prayer work. This is the trap when things feel overly aligned. Then when the energy picks up again in March/April you’ll be behind the ball instead of in the flow.

Up your protection. Start a daily protection ritual. This can be simply adding prayer work to your day, smudging, incensing, or whatever you feel amplifies your auric space.

This is the year of Embodied Spirituality. The 4th and 5th dimensional energies are merging with the 3rd dimensional space (the dense space we call home). Manifesting will happen faster than ever, but we must do it from the lower soul. Trying to jump up and out of the body will make you feel disconnected. A lot of new age spirituality has been about getting us “out of the body”. Do not forget that no matter how high you soar in the astral realms, the physical body is where life is lived from. All that you see in those realms can be beautiful, but what is it serving you here. What are you creating. Do not use ascension to escape. Ascend into your experience by dropping down into your wild animal soul. Connect to your body, your sex, your primal nature. Our bodies hold the memories of all that we are, have been and will become. Do not forget her in the process of trying to align. When we forget to include the lower self we are only getting a portion of the information that we need in order to use discernment. We will only be manifesting through the egoic space and not through the space of full alignment.

We are preparing for the new age. We are driving forward in our experience, and creating waves of love, light, darkness, and connection. Where are you being called? What do you need in this time of transition?

Be safe, keep working, and do not forget….

You are Loved. You are Beautiful. You are Divine!

Namaste

Michael A Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

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Mastering the Master Cleanse

October 11, 2012 / soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Ahhh.. delicious… Lemons, cayenne pepper, molasses and water.

This is the basis for the Master Cleanse. I’m not going to go into a bunch of history on why this cleanse is in existence, but I will share my own personal dealing with it so that you can have a new perspective on an old technique.

The energy this year has been heavy and in many ways chaotic. Many of us are feeling this shifting force hitting us in magnitude. We are experience a variety of new emotions, changes (both external and internal), and energies as we align with our higher purpose. Taking charge of what we are putting into our bodies is vital as we come into this new alignment.

The Master Cleanse is an easy reset button. Sometimes we come to a point where we know we are not in alignment. We’ve reached out for the wrong foods, or we might be more aware of the foods that are limiting us. I do not however follow the traditional mixture. I have found a concoction that works for me, and it does the trick.

I usually get one of the large bottles (1.5L) of smart water or Whole Foods Brand H2O. I use 3 Lemons, and I prefer agave nectar over molasses. Molasses costs a lot more, and agave nectar has a bit few calories and sugar. I do a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper, and Ta-Da a delicious drink for the day. I get up early so that I have time to make my drink, and it typically lasts me through the day.

Leading up to “Lemonade Only”
So, being the realist that I am, I know that if I jump straight into the mixture on its own right away that I’ll throw my body into “Craving every piece of cake in a 50 mile radius” mode. I typically do not change my diet for a few days, but add the lemonade mixture. This gives your stomach a chance to get use to the pepper and lemons, and it also provides a mild detox. The idea is also introduced into your consciousness that a cleanse is on the way. It’s like buying the cleaning supplies and keeping them in your messy room. I usually do this for a couple of days, and then slowly begin cutting out different food items, until it’s just me and the lemonade.

I typically do the cleanse for 3-7 days, and the go into a raw food eating mode for about a week (or longer). Set a timeline that you know will work for you.

Set an intention for your cleanse.

“As I take in this cleansing liquid so does clarity flow through me”.

Personalize the cleanse and make it yours. Allow yourself to be fluid with it. If you feel like doing the lemonade along with raw foods– Great. If you feel like just adding the lemonade and changing nothing–Great. The idea here is that you are also including the intention that you are cleansing. Cleaning happens and a multitude of levels.

Just a quick breakdown of the ingredients. You want to use purified water if possible. The agave nectar gives you calories to burn. The cayenne pepper ups your metabolism and immune system, and the lemons are great cleansers. Lemon is a natural diuretic, which will help you flush your system

I recommend light activity during the cleansing cycle. Yoga is a perfect match for the master cleanse. Yoga allows you to dive deep into the muscles and joints to facilitate release of toxins and limitations.

Trust yourself, and give the body what it needs. If you need calories, eat. If you need to modify, modify.

Have fun with the cleanse, open up to intention, and share the journey with those around you.
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

www.michaelbrazell.com

www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell

Michael@michaelbrazell.com

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip: 7/10/2012

July 10, 2012July 10, 2012 / soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Most of us have tried dieting at some point. We have gone through the ups and downs, and the “in-between” seems to remain the only constant. For many, dieting it the final ditch effort to reach an end result.

“Its beach time, and now I have to lose 10lbs”

“I have a part to go to and I need to fit into that outfit”

These types of connections to the way we eat and the way we engage the body in fitness only lock us into places of limitation. When we truly take our practice of bettering the body to both our physical and energetic core we begin to make lasting changes.

They body’s physical core is made up of the muscles of the Latimus Dorsi, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and abdominal region. These area also the body’s largest muscle groups and when the core is worked in unison you are facilitating a full body workout. The larger muscles also burn more calories due to their size. So the more you work the core, the deeper and more effective your workouts will be.

So, how do I work the core–do a plank.

I know it sounds simple. One single exercise engages all of the above mentioned muscle groups and also helps to create balance and alignment.

In many spiritual traditions the energetic core is located in the solar plexus. Doing meditations to also help strengthen our connection to this deep center will resonate to our physical center.

The foods we put into our body are also able to help us facilitate alignment. When we eat things that are in our highest good. When we avoid polluting the body with toxins we are able to create both physical and energetic balance.

Take your practice to the core. In the coming weeks I’ll be posting videos and guides to show you how to structure workouts to engage the core.

Love and Light!

Mike Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT

PBP2012: B- “Bindi” aka What does that little dot on your forehead mean

January 27, 2012 / soulinteraction / 2 Comments

Through my yogic journey, I have had the opportunity to take initiations into different aspects of yoga. Through yoga we also learn different ways to bring a fuller connection to aspects of our practice. The “bindi” is one of the tools I was least familiar with, but now use fully in my practice. Most of us have seen Hindu women with the traditional red marking on the center of the forehead, and a big misconception is that this marking only signifies marriage.

The “bindi” is also applied to bring awareness and attention to the third eye. One of my favorite kirtan singers BhagavanDas says it best, “The bindi brings

Bhagavan Das

full awareness to the third eye. People will look, you will see it when you look in the mirror, and this adds energy to your third eye.” Just to be completely honest, people will stare… especially if you are male and wearing this symbol. I personally feel most connected when I take a moment to apply it. It’s a very personal act of connection with the divine, a deep connection to the third eye center.

There are a couple of important reasons to wear it, and I’ll also talk about application in case any of you reading might want to take the bindi for a test drive:

One of the reasons I like wearing it is not just the significance of the third eye energy, but that it helps me to connect deeper to my spiritual path. When others stop and look, or even talk to me about the bindi it gives me a chance to share my journey with someone else. We live in a world where life is moving quickly, and little things like this catch people off guard and it slows them

down, causes them to stop, and connect for a moment. A bindi can be worn by both men and women. It is a connection to the divine, and in some ways is an outward representation of that connection. It focuses the energy into our intuitive center and helps us to focus.

The bindi is traditionally applied with sandalwood paste and kumkum powder. Sandalwood is important for many reasons. It’s fragrance has calming properties, and when applied to the forehead allows us to smell it, feel it and embrace it. We know that it is there, and the forehead is where we hold most of our worry, so it brings cooling to our “worry center”. The kumkum is the red powder that is applied on top of the sandalwood paste. You can easily find powders in different colors, and different methods of application. I’ll detail my personal process, and feel free to apply it as you see fit.

Some people just apply the adoration as a fashion statement, and where there might be nothing wrong with this, there are deeper energies present in simple actions. There are individuals that take yoga solely as a physical practice, but the spiritual aspect is inherent whether you want it or not. So just keep that in mind when connecting to practices that may have a latent spiritual symbolism.

You can use as a tool to focus your meditation, you can use it to build your connection to your intuition, and it can outwardly help you connect to your spiritual path.

1) I first take a moment to center myself and I call in my personal deity, guides and angels.

2) I apply a small amount of water to my left palm, and add a small amount of sandalwood powder then mix them with my left ring finger until a paste forms.

3) once the mixture has formed into a paste I take my right ring finger and apply it to the spot right above my nose, centered between the forehead. I apply it by making small circles, and its usually no bigger than the size of a nickel. While I apply it I usually say a mantra. This mantra penetrates into the third eye during the application process.

4) Now to apply the kumkum powder. What I have found best for getting the perfect little circle is to take the eraser end of a pencil, lightly tap the powder covering the eraser fully. Then take the eraser and press firmly into the center of your sandalwood past circle. I hold long enough for me to say the mantra one more time, then release.

Some people apply the bindi without the sandalwood, some use their finger when applying the kumkum, some use applicator kits, and there are many other ways of adorning oneself. The most important part is finding what works for you, and finding your reason for applying it.

Have fun with it. Even if you don’t find yourself drawn to using this spiritual tool, hopefully now you will have a deeper understanding of its meaning. Namaste!

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

michael@michaelbrazell.com

Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip 1/22/12

January 24, 2012 / soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Here is your Tuesday Spiritual Fitness and Nutrition Tip!

Fitness: Affirmations are powerful in how we connect or disconnect from moving into fitness. We have to take caution as to what we say less we create the experience or emotion. If we were to say, “I have no time to workout, life is just too busy”- it becomes our reality. If there is time to complain about there not being enough time, you just wasted time you could have been doing push ups, squats, or jumping jacks. “I am too tired to workout”– in the time it took you to plop down on the bed, turn on the TV, and find the perfect show to watch you could have run a few times around the block. We have to listen to what we are affirming. Some of these affirmation are stored in the subconscious (I’ll be doing an entire blog on this in the next few days). Some we speak daily.

Here are a few common negative fitness affirmations:

“I’ll never reach my goal weight”

“The gym frightens me”

“I’ll never have the perfect body”

“I’m too busy to workout”

“My life is too chaotic to spend time in the gym”

—What all of these are saying is simply this: “I do not have time to take care of the body that will allow me to be part of this wonderful physical experience. My temple is in shambles, and will not take part in its restoration. I willfully damage my connection to this divine vehicle.”

This is basically what you are saying by not committing to moving into greater states of health. What will it take for you to show up to your life?

Here are some positive fitness affirmation to add into your day:

“I make time for my body, my health and my well being”

“I am committed to my health in all areas of my life”

“My body is the temple of my life, I am committed to its upkeep fully.”

“Each day is a new opportunity for me to connect to my body through fitness”

“Fitness comes easily to me”

“I am perfect, and all my imperfections add beauty to my experience”

—You get the hint, now right a few of your own.

Nutrition: Simple, fresh and easy. Nutrition needs to be simple. This can be one of the most overwhelming areas when looking at making lifestyle changes. Start with micro shifts into more sound nutrition choices. Instead of eating fries or chips with your meal, have an apple. Keep fruit, nuts, and veggies handy through your day if you are a chronic snacker. Keep a food journal for a few days to see how many calories you are actually consuming. Not eating enough calories can be just as bad as eating too many. Many smart phones even have some useful apps that can help keep track of your daily intake.

Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT

michael@michaelbrazell.com

http://www.michaelbrazell.com

http://www.deviantyogi.com

Transformation, Taking Charge: Being the Butterfly

May 9, 2010 / soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Not sure what is in the air, but it seems like everyone is going through some sort of transition, change, or shifting. Even those of us that are in a place of spiritual connection are feeling the effects of global energy. I personally am taking some steps to adjust my life into a state of preparation for the changes that are coming. It is time that we take back our power, detach from negativity and learn to communicate with our divine nature. I am going to share my process for the next week with you for a couple of reasons. First, it holds me to a greater level of responsibility: The better I am, the better I can be for those that I am of service to. Secondly, it give you a process that you can take from if you are looking to develop a greater connection to your path.

I am taking 7 days to ground, reconnect, transition, and move back to center.

1) I am fasting. In the non-traditional way: I am eating lentils, rice, raw veggies, water and tea (decaf)– no food after 8pm.

2) I am going to bed each night at 11:00 pm.

3) I am waking up each morning at 4:30 am for meditation, prayer and for my cardiovascular workout. For the yoga I am doing a 27-54 sun salutation repetition. Each day for the 7 days I am doing a focused meditation on a specific topic, and for that day will use a directed mantra for my prayer.

4) I am doing a structured evening 60-90 min yoga flow.

5) I am eliminating all sugars, processed foods, caffeine (ugh) and filling my body with as much goodness as I can.

6) I am going to write at least 1 poem a day, and journal my experience throughout the day.

7) I will do deep spiritual connection and readings for myself, my locale, and global (a few of which I will post here)

Next Sunday I am doing a 24 hour day of silent meditation, reflection and prayer. I will not speak for the 24 hr time period (4:30 am Sunday-4:30 am Monday). I will do yoga, silent prayer, and am planning a walk through a local nature trail.

These are just a few of the things I am doing, and I am doing a minimum of 7 days. I could stretch it out do longer, but it will not be any less that this.

When is the last time you’ve connected spiritually to your path? What sacrifices are you willing to make to dive deeper into your life, path, and soul work?

Keeping Your Eye on The Prize by David Salisbury

January 28, 2010 / soulinteraction / Leave a comment

Visualization is not a foreign word to anyone in the new age community. We see it pop up in instructions for meditation, pathworking, spell work, and a great number of other things. How many times have you heard the phrase “now I want you to imagine in your mind’s eye…” in a self help CD or even at yoga class? It sounds easy, right? Just imagine it in your head and POOF, you just practiced what is called “intentional visualization”, also called “creative visualization” or “mindlight”. Though people don’t talk about this very often, most people find that it’s not as easy as you may think.

Just as anyone with experience in meditation can tell you, it’s a concept that’s so simple yet can be a pain in the butt to get right if it doesn’t come “naturally”. Anyone can sit still and breathe, but can everyone keep their mind clear, their soul focused, and their brain-chatter quiet? Usually not. The same goes with visualization. If I tell you to imagine a bright red apple in your mind, what happens? OH, right there, you just did it! Now I want you to imagine the apple and only the apple. Now background, no thoughts associated with it, and no other meaning to it. Gets a little harder, doesn’t it.

For visualization to be effective and powerful, we need to do more than just “imagine it”. We had good practice with this by playing make-believe as kids, but as our hardened adult minds grew, our ability to see things in the mind, in the astral, shrank. Let’s try the apple again, but this time give it a little more “oomph”. When you see the apple, imagine how it would taste to you. Let your mouth salivate as if it’s right in front of you. How does it feel when you hold it in your hand? What does the crunch sound like when you take a big bite? By doing all of these things, we are engaging all of the five senses (plus our 6th) to bring the apple out of our mind and into the astral. And what happens in the astral, takes formation on the material. Speaking of that, don’t be surprised if you find you crave apples for awhile after doing that exercise! Remember that when we visualize, we are putting a thought into the universe, an energy that has a body. A prayer would be like the “soul” of the visual body. It helps move it forward and creates change in a tangible way much quicker. Next time you pray, visualize the intended outcome while you do so. See it happening in your mind like a movie. You can stop, rewind, and fast forward. Just remember to not let images of doubt, fear, or failure cloud your work or you’ll be putting road blocks up that your work will have to drive around before it can reach its goal.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the inner working of visualization, try it! If you find it’s difficult for you to imagine an image you’re not alone. Practice makes perfect. If you can’t clearly imagine the movie scenes, go back to the apple, or any simple image. It will come to you.
Meanwhile, remember to keep your thoughts in good order in your day to day life. Just as we can visualize things for our benefit, we can do so for our hindrance as well. When we imagine negative things, we’re essentially sending curses. And it would be silly to curse ourselves, wouldn’t it? When you see something negative, try thinking to yelling “cancel, clear!” and imagining a big red X. This can help cancel out your thought.

Do you have any tips or tricks for creative visualization? I’d love to hear them!
Blessed Be,

David