Hello Friends!

Many years ago, when I was doing my Qigong certification, I had the rare opportunity to meet the head of the Chinese Health Qigong Association. It was a brief but life changing interaction.

I was invited to ask him one question, and it was this. There were times when my mind was very calm, but my body was nervous (to the point of shaking), and I didn’t know why. It was as though my mind and body were disconnected. He looked at me very intently, and I suddenly felt a searing heat in my diaphragm. He then walked away leaving my teacher and her teacher looking very confused. There had been no words exchanged, but it was obvious that there had been an interaction. When they asked what had happened, I told them what I’d felt, and my teacher’s teacher stared at me. He asked my teacher a question, and she turned to me and asked, “you felt heat?” I nodded, pointing to my diaphragm. He said something, and my teacher turned to me and said, “He says you must be a very nervous person”. I didn’t understand at the time because in that moment I felt that “nervous” was the last word that I would use to describe myself.

Recently, it occurred to me that my teacher sometimes used words that didn’t really fit, but were close enough that I could get the general idea of what she was saying. Perhaps by “nervous” she meant “sensitive”. After all, isn’t it nerves that make us feel? And feeling is what sensitives do. That made so much more sense to me.

I feel things. A lot. It can be challenging, especially in times like these. If I didn’t know that I was an empath, I might think that I was, indeed, a very nervous person.

If you’re “nervous”, you may be struggling right now. You may be getting caught up in the anxiety and the outrage that the world is feeling in these crazy times. It may be overwhelming. My advice to you is to go inward. Find that feeling of peace and radiate it outward. If you’re a sensitive, this is your job. The lines that connect you to other people go both ways. Instead of letting them affect you, you can turn it around and affect them instead. It takes practice. It takes determination. It takes focus. We need to do our best to remain calm and in alignment. The best way to do this is first to take good care of ourselves. Do something that makes you happy today. Then tomorrow, do something that makes you happy. And the next day, and the next. That’s your job. Get happy. Get peaceful. You will be doing a service for other sensitives out there who are looking for shelter in this storm.

Hello, my name is Kelly, and I’m an empath.

I’m writing this because there may be others empaths wandering out there who don’t know that they’re empaths. They only know that they’re often tired for seemingly no good reason especially when they’ve spent time with other people.

Mostly, I’m writing this because after telling my children to be themselves and not to fear what people think or say about them, I have to walk the walk.

My form of empathy allows me to feel resistances in a person’s energy field. I sense them in my own body, and it most often shows up as pain or pressure. It makes meeting people and being in groups or crowded places a challenge.

This may seem strange but, honestly, I’m no stranger than your dog. In the same way that your dog can smell and hear things that you can’t, I can sense vibrations that most people can’t. The information is there and accessible if you have a sensitivity to it. It’s like snipers have keener eyesight or wine connoisseurs have a keener sense of taste and smell. When I drink wine, I only know two things. I like it. I don’t like it. I miss all the subtleties like “bright”, “chewy”, “charcoal”, “musky”, “spicy”, etc. but I can tell you which areas of your energetic body are sluggish.

Please rest assured that I only tap into your energy field with your permission. This is for a few reasons.

1. It’s none of my business unless you make it my business.

2. It’s exhausting and overwhelming to feel everyone’s pain.

3. I prefer to hang out in my own energy field.

In the same way that people can learn to appreciate wine and it’s subtleties, people can learn to be more sensitive to energy. Some people see colours, others receive thoughts. There are many ways it manifests. It’s a mixed bag.

So, there you have it. It’s official. I’m that one weird friend. Pleased to meet you.

Hello Friends!

Here are directions to get to the Peace Arch Park.

Please remember to bring photo ID showing citizenship just in case you’re asked for it.

From the US:

Take exit 276 off I5 towards Blaine City Center. Once you’ve taken the exit, you’ll come to a roundabout. Take the second exit onto 2nd St. There’s a small street sign that says Peace Arch Park. Be sure not to take the third exit as this will take you back onto the highway and right up to the border.

The entrance to the parking area is at the end of 2nd St. If you don’t have a Discovery Pass there is $10 parking fee. Please bring exact change and a pen as I believe it’s just a box you put your money into.

You’ll want to park at the western most part of the parking lot to avoid having to walk through the parking lot to get to the Peace Arch. Head west (towards the water) until you can see the white Peace Arch monument.

From Canada:

Take exit 1 off Highway 99 towards Beach Rd. Head west along Beach Rd. The Duty Free parking lot will be to your left. Continue past the parking lot. There’s a road that runs behind the Duty Free parking lot called Peace Arch Place. Turn left onto this road (you won’t be able to go any further on Beach Rd anyway as it’s closed). and continue until you get to the Peace Arch Park parking lot. Head to the south end of the parking lot. Walk south to the Peace Arch.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.006363,-122.7587488,353m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Parking is free on the Canadian side.

Hello Friends!

If you’re new to meditation, you may have some trouble trying to get to that quiet space. What really helped me was the realization that meditating isn’t just staying still and doing nothing. For those of us who need to “do” rather than “be”, knowing the reason for quieting the mind is helpful. Why do we need to be so darn quiet?

To listen.

Imagine that you’re a parent with three children in a crowded mall. You tell your children you’ll pick them up at the north entrance at 3:00.

One child is on the phone texting, another is distracted by a pair of shoes in a window, and the third one is listening (you’re not supposed to have favorites, buuuut…did I mention this one was listening?) The same information was offered to all three children, but only one received it.

Don’t worry. All three children make it home. Eventually. One child just happens to get there a little more comfortably than the other two.

So, what does this have to do with Tai Chi?

Trying to go from regular brain activity to where you can listen is like trying to stop a train that’s going 100 mph. That’s where Tai Chi comes in. When you practice Tai Chi, it puts the brakes on. The more you practice, the quicker you can slow the train down. Once the train is still, it’s easier to hear the announcements. I don’t know about you, but I can never hear the announcements while the train is moving. It’s all just garbled sounds to me.

Tai Chi is simply one method to get to that state of stillness where you can hear more clearly. There are many methods…

Whichever method you use, don’t worry. All of us eventually make it home.