Life sometimes demands that we step out of our comfort zones and “face the devil.” Sometimes, it’s literal, and it came my way one beautiful summer’s day with a knock on the screen door. I looked up from my book to see one of my neighbors standing on the other side of the screen.

I closed the book, stood, and walked over to the door. The neighbor held a used Kleenex in her right hand and pulled on it with her left. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and she seemed profoundly upset and anxious. Maria (not her real name) introduced herself and said she heard I was an astrologer and wondered if I could help her with a problem.

Of course, I said I would do my best, invited her in, and once settled in with a cup of tea, and without further delay, she dove into her story. “For two months, I have heard voices telling me to kill my children. I’m terrified.” Her husband was taking her to a therapist, who naturally thought she had a mental/emotional imbalance and gave her medicine.

However, Maria insisted that she knew it to be a spiritual problem because she could see and hear “demons” in their house. She felt the demons were the ones putting the thoughts in her head. Maria said this was out of her doctor’s wheelhouse, but her husband and doctor wouldn’t listen, much less believe her. She didn’t know where else to turn.

I asked questions and listened closely to her answers. Thankfully, her children were away from home and staying elsewhere but were due to return. Thus, the reason for her current terror.

There was nothing else to do. I agreed immediately to assist Maria, even though I had never done an exorcism in my life before. I also felt I had to act right away. Seriously. We were talking about demons telling a mom to murder her kids! What!? The only thing that was clear to me then was that Love Consciousness and the like are more powerful than all else, including any demons hanging around with nothing better to do than stir up and suck off a family’s fear energy.

We walked over to her apartment, and I tried to keep it light along the way to help this mom relax — and prevent me from overthinking the task at hand. Once in her apartment, she showed me around. On the physical level, the house was spotlessly clean. I then “energetically cleaned” the space and ourselves with purifying sage. No one else was home. I reopened her front door because I heard that it’s a good thing to leave a door open in exorcisms for the life-taking spirits to be able to escape, and I wasn’t taking any chances!

Together, we sat on her sofa. I asked her to tell me where the demons were, and she said, “in the dining room.” I looked across the living room from the sofa where we sat into the dining room and called on them to show themselves to me. Surprisingly, the little monsters peaked around the archway that separated the two rooms, and I could see them, too, and said so. Maria was wholly relieved that someone else could see them, especially when I described their appearance accurately. We could both hear them whispering amongst themselves, too.

We lit a candle, held hands, and I started to pray out loud. I don’t remember what I said precisely because the whole thing was being spoken not from me but through me from what felt like a powerful Presence of what can only describe as Love. Maria pointed to the door, and the demons quickly vanished through it. She then shut the door. All in all, it was one amazing experience!!

Maria and I hugged and cried tears of relief, and for two years more, we continued living in the apartment complex without ever seeing or hearing another demon again. It was the last of Maria hearing voices, too. Her husband was happy. Her kids thrived, and the event became nothing more than a piece of a tapestry of all our lives.

I later embarked on a shamanic path that lasted to the present and learned to understand more about the intricacies of navigating this world of duality, inhabited by two basic kinds of spirits for us to interact with while in our human bodies. One type of being is of the Life-giving variety, and the other is life-taking spirit. They both appear in countless ways and fashions, helping us wake up to who we Really are. It is my experience that both dissolve into Love Consciousness upon our physical deaths.

So, here in the Life Game, sometimes we are asked or forced to face our shadows, fears, or little devils in our lives. We are Divine or Conscious Beings who are more powerful than we can imagine, and playing the game and our roles this way, full out, without fear, wakes us up to greater freedom than we can imagine. We can’t let the little devils (or the seeming big ones) get us down. We do have to work at it, but we are so much greater than we know and are up to the task.

What do you think? Post your comment or a shadow experience to share with the rest of us?

Love and Freedom in the Game of Life,
Kaye

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Introduction

The latest blood test results were not good. My daughter, Kelly, was a year old when given only two years to live if she did not have a liver transplant. The warm Indian summer day in Coastal Virginia when my family’s life changed forever has remained in my mind as part of that devastating news. The mind is strange.

I hung up the phone and wandered out into the backyard, where Kelly’s Dad pushed her on a wooden swing hung above from a massive tree branch. She giggled and laughed with her whole being and couldn’t have cared less about her blood tests.

Kelly at one was here to live “now,” and at this moment, she was in a state of bliss to swing high while chortling with more than enough glee to dispel our sad thoughts and feelings.

“See the world through the eyes of your inner child. The eyes that sparkle in awe and amazement as they see love, magic, and mystery in the most ordinary things.”   –  Henna Sohail

Child-like perspective. Inner peace. If only it were that simple. We all know what it’s like to feel out of control, buffeted about by the winds of fate and circumstance. But there is a way to find calm in the storm, and when we practice being child-like in more of our moments, life is better, even amid challenging times.

More than anything else, loving ourselves with supportive compassion is like loving a child unconditionally. We all thrive under these conditions, because love is contagious.

There are profound benefits to embracing a child-like way in our approach to life.

The first and most important thing to know is that childlike innocence fully immersed in the present moment IS our essential state of being where we are connected with our Divine Self. There is no thought, just being in the current of existence. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Seeing the world as a child helps us feel safe and stay upbeat despite difficult circumstances. An open and curious child-like attitude attunes us to our feelings and intuition and inspires us to greater creativity. We connect with others in a more trusting and authentic way.

Another benefit of tapping into a greater trust is relaxing and enjoying life more. When we are devoted to loving our actual innocence, stuck patterns are exposed and released.

Child-consciousness-focused people tap into a profound freedom that lies within the trusting, open heart of our True Self

Being child-like means different things to different people.

A general description might look like you are being present, playful, and creative. It also means not taking things or ourselves too seriously but being more flexible to new experiences and seeing old ones with a fresh eye. Progress is rarely all at once, but we can practice being all here whenever possible.

How do we remember to practice child consciousness qualities?

One way to connect is to think about what makes us happy. If we’re not sure what feeds our soul this way, and some of us aren’t, drop into nature to find out: ride a horse, go swimming, take a hike, take a yoga class or go on a plant medicine retreat, take a simple walk, or sit in the grass, looking for four-leaf clovers. The possibilities to re-establish a connection with our inner child and true Self are endless. It always is wherever we are, but easier to tune into nature and serenity.

Additionally, we could dive once and/or again into Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way  to discover a deeper version of our inner child/artist within. We might fall in love with a new creative destiny, from writing or photography to drawing to writing and singing to designing a sailboat, or a trillion other things.

Do you remember what you loved to do when you were young? Maybe it was going outside and playing tag or riding bikes. Perhaps it was baking cookies or building a fort in the living room on a rainy day.

Extra tip: If childhood was not so happy, it’s never too late to bring it into balance. It is worth the effort. Search “trauma release for multiple healing options. It’s a big topic right now.

What is there to leave behind? 

We all need to let go of any perfectionism or tension that holds us back. We didn’t care if we “got it” at three years old. That “life-taking” stuff stopping us in our tracks came later. We need to “suspend” debilitating beliefs as often as possible. Play full out, instead of small.

See how many beliefs you are better off without hauled throughout your ongoing life. When the viewpoints within our minds stress us out, triggering old traumas and preventing us from being authentic creative, and child-like, it leaves our love and light suppressed. Life taking influences manifest all the way around in us and project out onto those we love.

Start living a more child-like life today.

We can be more spontaneous, take more risks, and start where we are. I knew a man who loved climbed the most dangerous mountains on Earth, while I felt great trying a new healthy restaurant! Having fun, however we define it brings other blessings, too!

We can start by doing something new or different, by spending time with more authentic people who reflect our own hearts and support our best efforts, yet give us gentle, loving mirrors when they see something out of balance. We serve our beloveds as well as those less fortunate in the same manner.

Final Thoughts to Keep in Mind

And I feel I don’t even need to write this, but just in case, here it is. While being child-like can bring many benefits, most of us know to be responsible and accountable for our actions, or we’ll feel pretty childish and not so innocent or free after all.

As children grow older and the world appears harsher, it is easy to lose touch with inner essence or become disconnected from creativity and playful side. When we embrace the fun and pure part of ourselves, which always is right here, right now, we are lifted up and return to Love.

Weave a child-like perspective into your life to lighten up and feel the freedom!​

Mucho love from me to you,
Kaye

What If You Lived in a Hall of Mirrors?
Here’s the Key to Your Escape into Freedom

By Kaye Sturgis

Looking in the mirror, we see our physical reflection staring back at us. But what if we could see beyond our physical appearance? What if we recognized everything and everyone who touches our lives as a gateway to seeing ourselves as we are, already perfect, whole, and unified within and in relationship with one another?

Let’s explore and find out.

Specifically, to us human beings, it isn’t easy to believe sometimes that every person, place, and thing is a mirror of our consciousness. When we look at someone we love, when we’re happy and content, we see a reflection of our perspective about who we are, and likewise, when we look at a beautiful landscape, we see our inner beauty mirrored in nature.

It’s easy to see the Love we are in these loving mirrors. But what about the painful mirrors that trigger us and push our buttons? What good could they possibly serve?

Our most valuable insights come from our close relationships; the closer the relationship, the more likely we will bump into our pesky shadow realities. The great 20th Century seer Edgar Cayce once said, “If you want to be on the fast track to enlightenment, get married!”

Indeed, most realize that the intimacy of living daily in a long-term commitment with another person offers a literal treasure trove of mirrors upon which to self-reflect and grow. Wise Mirrors that appear to inflict uncomfortable feelings show us our shadow side, the parts of ourselves that we feel insecure about and don’t want to face — even though we are trying to get to the Love Consciousness we are.

These types of mirror reflections are painful, especially from those we love most, but they are essential for our growth and evolution. Without them, we would never be able to see areas in our lives that cry out to us to see the light of day.

So, the next time we look in any mirror (reflected by a loved one), we can remember seeing all of who we are – our light and our shadow. Both wake us up to our light. Rather than finding reasons to blame others while secretly judging ourselves and attempting to separate from the pain we feel, it works to pay attention to and do our best to understand what the mirror is reflecting about our inner nature. — It is much easier to get the message if we use humility, flexibility, and compassion.

We are perfect just as we are! This perspective can ultimately help us function as Love in all our relationships and in the face of all our mirrors.

Now that we know that all mirrors are reflections of ourselves, let’s explore more about how to work with them in our everyday lives.

Below are more insights on how to deal with painful reflections:

1. Be willing to try on everything outside yourself that is mirroring what’s happening inside you.

It is not as easy as it looks, but worth the work. When you peer into and master this Universal Law, basking more consistently in happiness and joy, they will be yours. You will have learned how to love yourself and even the parts of yourself and any others you once found uncomfortable.

Tip – If you break an elbow, forget the mirror. Go to the hospital to get your bone set! Using common sense is “doing Self Love.”

Self-reflect later in such cases that demand immediate action. Would it help you to slow down? Have you been “arming yourself” against life? Do you need to be more present in the moment?

Yep. The above was right out of my personal experience. The upside is that it turned out well, and I won’t run at night, not l looking where I am going again.

2. Don’t judge the mirror or take it personally.

When looking in the mirror and seeing something we don’t like, we can remember that it’s not personal. Mirrors aren’t “real.” They are reflections. But if we forget, no worries!

Sometimes, we slip back into the old patterns. We forget that reflections play a role in life, just as we play one. All of this is a play, a dream, a game. It’s temporary!

Pay attention to the context. The role of the mirroring factor is here to Wake Us Up, not to push our buttons. If we don’t have buttons, they can’t get pushed. Right.

Otherwise, we must gently look at the trauma causing the poke (uncomfortable feelings), accept it’s there, soften it, and bring ourselves into balance. Learning to detach with compassion brings deep inner peace and freedom.

3. Unusually severe mirrors are blessings in disguise.

These are here to wake us up, too, so we have to contend with them. There is        no other way around it. And ultimately, we must come to terms with them, for their intensity shape and transform us.

When we get hit with a harsh mirror, i.e., such as an apparent illness, abuse, poverty, death, etc., we can feel deep despair, resistance, anger, sadness, grief, jealousy, or other life-force suckers that rise with paralyzing fear at their helm.

Yes. Life and its mirrors are very intense at times, but the Truth is we are so much more than our circumstances, no matter how dark or dire. Our role is to get humble enough to ask for healing mirrors that burn through that stuff to the Light we are.

Work things out inside before sharing too much with others. It is empowering to turn within for answers, as it’s on the inside where we ultimately clear out the distortions and, in our pure childlike state, once again meet up with Love Consciousness or Who We Are.

Again, use common sense, and if you’re stuck, get a mirror that can help. We save ourselves and everyone a lot of suffering that way.

4. Choose wisely what we spent time on and with whom and what we spend time.

Soaking in the mirrors that support, affirm, and uplift Love Consciousness, Balance, Freedom of Perspective, etc., will help keep us afloat throughout whatever or whoever shows up.

People, images, places, and other mirrors of this type that continuously bombard our well-being with fear and pain are toxic. As we learn who we are, we also realize that we are not who we thought we were – and neither are we the mirrors we see.

The people we love who are toxic people are probably not be ready to look into who they are. We can offer a mirror, but not be attached to the results. It is arrogant of us to think we know what path they need to walk. We cannot change others. Remember all change comes from within ourselves.

Toxic people can sometimes be great “heyoka” teachers for us. Even so, arrogance toward those less fortunate will get equally toxic consequences. One of the gifts this stuff has is to help us to practice humility (flexibility), compassion, and loving kindness while claiming our sacred space.

Recognizing the mirrors we get in life helps guarantee a smoother sail in the inevitable stormy waters ahead and the solutions for the calmer ones that will most assuredly follow.

These are just a few tips on working with mirrors daily. Seeing mirrors for what they are is essential to unlocking the vast reservoir of who we Really are. Check it out consistently to see how much evolution you can handle.

Love, Peace, and Appreciation,

Kaye