For so long, I heard about spirit guides. I tried over and over to connect with mine using various techniques, from meditation to journaling to hypnosis…but I was never able to connect with them no matter how hard I tried. I had so many preconceived ideas about what communicating with spirit guides was supposed to feel like. I began to think connecting with spirit was something for the chosen few. That I simply wasn’t able to hear their messages and never would.
One day, I realized something: I was leaving myself out of my spiritual journey.
I had only been trying to follow what worked for other people, rather than utilizing my own gifts and natural talents. The things that make me Me. My love of nature, the innate connection to spirit I feel when I’m near water or out in the woods. A connection I felt when I was younger but let go of as I grew up. I was trying to make my spiritual journey into what I thought it was supposed to look like, rather than allowing myself to get creative and authentic in my journey.
As a hypnotist, there is a phrase I have used in nearly every session, when guiding people through visualization and relaxation practices: Pretend if you have to. It helps people to tap into their subconscious mind without overthinking it. When attempting to connect with my guides, I was so focused on doing it right, that I wasn’t following my own advice.
Once I began to allow my imagination to run free instead of clinging to the urge to overthink it and follow other people’s rules, it was as though the veil finally lifted. New guides appeared each time I’d connect. I was surprised to find that several of my guides had been sending me messages for a while, but I hadn’t let myself receive them because it wasn’t what I was expecting.
I learned to recognize when and where I feel most connected to spirit so I could set myself up for success. And most of all, I began to have fun with the process using my creativity and intuition.
As I received their guidance, I was surprised at just how clear it came through. Their unrelenting urge that I focus on myself rather than others for a change, subtly yet firmly guiding me to actively pursue the healing I knew I needed after a long, unhealthy relationship. Their advice on what steps to take next in my business (P.S. This course is one of those steps!) And most of all, their incredible ability to be my biggest cheerleaders, always reminding me that I’m more ready than I realize to do amazing things in my life, like write the book I’ve always known I wanted to write.
Creative Alchemy with Melissa Conkling 