I wonder if we all really know just how powerful we really are? The same energy that makes up the heavens, the universe, and every living thing is also the same energy that is part of our soul. As a soul - we are all connected.

I’ve noticed lately, there are three popular words I’m seeing everywhere, namely: Intuition, Empathic, and Soul.  These are hot topics and I feel more and more people are seeking wisdom inwards instead of finding the answers in the outside material world. Let me ask you this simple, yet powerful question: "Do you understand the workings of your own soul?"

I’d like to show you how to use and trust your soul’s sense of intuition and appreciate that the power and energy of love is vital to your soul’s well being.

We all go through difficult times, when things don’t seem to work out.

It’s easy to lose hope and feel like you are facing bad karma or luck during these moments.

Your karma is the result of the sum total of your actions. For every cause there is an effect.

If you are going through tough times right now, remember that it is only a season, and no season lasts forever. Even your most difficult time will pass.

Trust.

Your challenges are gifts in disguise sent by the universe to strengthen your character. Your dreams chose you for a reason. And your dream will take you on a journey of having to become the person who is capable of fulfilling the vision.

Twenty five plus years ago I was trying to sleep… More like crying myself to sleep as I did many nights. I had just got off the phone with my boyfriend who told me very strongly that although he’d promised to come home that night.. Easter Eve… he wouldn’t be coming home. He was partying. Drinking. Playing music. It was 2 am and I was pissed. I couldn’t believe it and I certainly couldn’t sleep.

I’ve changed this column numerous times over the past few days.

Why? Because words matter, and I wanted to convey a message this week that is hopeful, yet still has just the right amount of indignation to it. After all, this is a moment that requires some indignation.

Over the last few days, I have found myself stopping, staring, shaking my head, and getting upset at what I’ve seen. My friends, this is not a moment to scroll by. This is a moment to make your voice heard. I’m not just talking about the important issue of immigration. (I think we all know that immigration reform is needed, and I do believe that we can come to a conclusion that is both compassionate and respectful of our borders.) I’m talking about making your voice heard on all issues that we face today, and that we’ll continue to face in the days, weeks, and months to come.

This is not a moment to lose your mind and rant and rage. I don’t believe that ranting and raging works. What I do believe works is using our voices in a forceful, confident, and collective way. What works are voices that express just the right amount of outrage, just the right amount of shock, and just the right amount of care — as in, capital CARE.

A money issue doesn’t just mean having none. It can mean that one of you makes a lot and one makes none or a little, unbalancing the ‘power’ in a relationship. When you were dating did you both try to pay equally for things? After you moved in together did financial responsibility shift to one person alone? Did things move from balance to imbalance? Did you talk about it or just let it happen because it was uncomfortable?

Are you living within your means or way beyond them? Address this. This is one of the biggest problems couples face - And they usually don’t want to talk about it. Does one of you like to have lots of savings, college funds for the kids and insurance policies and the other simply likes to have things when they want them regardless of cost? This has to become balanced. It’s not a fight of one being responsible and one irresponsible. It’s different personalities; one may be fearful and label it responsible. One may be free and fun and label it irresponsible. Don’t label it. Talk about balance.

Show each other the real financial situation. Maybe you have separate credit cards with balances the other partner knows nothing about. Maybe there’s a secret debt. Maybe there’s a secret habit. Talk about it or honesty will be compromised and the relationship will be undermined.

I’m a firm believer in making small changes each day to make it to your ultimate goal. It’s no secret that our daily habits define our short- and long-term outcomes. But I also think that sometimes we need to look at the big picture. To get to where we want to be, considering our long-term goal helps us determine our daily actions.

After the “honeymoon”

A lot of us make the decision to lose weight or spend less and save more. And the first two weeks – the honeymoon phase – we are making huge leaps towards our big goals. Our motivation is sky high; we avoid possible temptations and we smash through barriers and view our mistakes battle scars. Nothing will stop us from achieving that big goal.

Clutter is important to look at. What clutter represents, whether it’s nicely organized clutter, stacks and piles, or hoarding … it’s about not wanting to let go. It’s about holding on. It can be about protection … protecting yourself from being seen, keeping yourself safe, abundance (feeling abundant when I see how much stuff I have around me, that gives me value or a sense of value in this world.) It can be about how you identify yourself in the world … there are so many different parts to this.

What are your challenges with stuff and clutter?

What is your perception of why you’re keeping that stuff around you?

Many people struggle with clearing out their space. I’ve worked with people that on the surface things look nice, but you open a cupboard and all the shit falls out, or you look under the bed and there’s piles of stuff. That’s all symbolic.

There’s a saying something like “clear space, clear mind”. When you have a lot of stuff around you, especially when it’s disorganized and piled up everywhere, that’s usually how your mind feels. If you have stuff in tubs that you haven’t seen in 12 months or 5 years, it’s likely that the majority of that stuff is not necessary in your everyday life.

What makes a journey to Peru so satisfying and perfect for natural healing? How does a vacation help heal and transform us? Here we look at some of the vital ingredients that make Peru such an important place for sacred travel, healing, and transformation.

Sacred Medicine – San Pedro (Wachuma)

San Pedro (also known as Wachuma) is a sacred cactus native to the Andean mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Along with Tobacco, Ayahuasca, and Coca, it is one of Peru’s most sacred plants, and has been used for over 4,000 years to heal and expand consciousness. The medicine is typically prepared as a tea; pieces of the stem are boiled for a few hours, and once the liquid is cooled it is taken orally. It is known as a gentle but powerful Masculine teacher plant, and can be used as a tool for meditation and self-awareness. It is very important to work with this medicine as part of a sacred ceremony led by an experienced Healer or Medicine Man/Woman, and with the protection of the ancestral spirits.

Read San Pedro: Mother Earth’s Most Powerful Medicine.

Power Places in Peru for Natural Healing – Machu Picchu & More

When you visit sacred sites that have been specifically chosen for their healing energy and importance to the spiritual teachings of the journey you are on, the connection to them is extremely powerful. Machu Picchu, the 15th century Inca site, majestically perched above the Sacred Valley, is one of those energetically powerful sites, and an important part of any visit to Peru. Because it sits within three corresponding high peaks of power, which create an energy triangle, it is a perfect spot to sit and meditate, focus your intent, and expand your awareness.

I remember the first time I heard this statement 30 years ago, and, (as a newly minted magical thinking new ager) I took it to mean that I would “easily and effortlessly” manifest what I want. After all, if I desire something should I not be able to manifest it?

“What is truly yours will not be withheld from you”, and “If you can imagine it you can create it”, became two statements that have challenged me over the years to dive deep and find the courage to face what I didn’t want to face.

The fact is that life will not always give me exactly what I want in the form I insist upon, and that chasing anything to make it so will not yield the fruits of either statement no matter how much I try to manipulate it.

If something eludes you, chasing it will only lead to heartache, or boredom.

How’s your 2018 going so far? Still undecided what you want to happen or bring into your life this year? If you want to manifest something into your life, it’s important to start out by having a clear mental picture of what you want, as well as the desire to bring it in to your life. Remember: “The soul never thinks without a mental picture.”

When you have an image followed by the emotion of joy and excitement, as if it’s what you desire, and it's happening here and now, then you open yourself to the universal energy – the Divine Source – to able to attach itself and assist you in fulfilling your aspiration or desire.

Many people when asked: “What do you want in your life?” often respond by saying: “I DON’T KNOW.”  When you say ‘I don’t know’, it really means the energy has nothing to grab on to. By visualizing, what you truly desire and bringing in the positive, joyful emotions as if your goal is already happening, you stand a far better chance of your soul meeting your goal half way. If it’s for your highest good, and that of others – then you, your soul, and the Universe can all work as partners in manifesting the outcome you desire.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes many claims, some quite futuristic, others just around the corner. Somewhere in the middle lies the prediction of human behavior, with the attendant claim that if people are predictable, this could be the future of well-being.

To predict when someone is going to get angry, sad, afraid, or tense is already well within reach. AI is developing readouts of muscle activity and related bodily responses that indicate what the brain is going to do. Going a step further, at the MIT Media Lab they’ve taken enormous steps into translating thoughts—i.e., words in our heads—into signature brain signals. These signals can be digitized, and suddenly, a thought in your head can be sent to Google’s search engine via Wi-Fi, allowing you to search the Internet simply by thinking.

If you put these breakthroughs together, a new model of human behavior emerges, one based on predictability and reading the signals originating in the brain that attend predictable behaviors. AI experimenters get very excited about the notion that the brain, and the behavior it triggers, can be mathematically reduced to equations that in essence turn people into a complex of algorithms. The excitement is justified, because anything that can be expressed logically is understandable in computer language.

“God is in the details,” some wise individual once said. Different people interpret that sentence differently, but for me it means the Divine lives in every seemingly insignificant detail in the world. God does not show up solely for fiery sunsets, mountain panoramas, and sacred ceremonies. God is also in the tiny ant crawling across the picnic table and the voice of a neighbor singing off-key at 6 a.m. God exists beyond judgment and circumstance. God is everywhere.

I am a work in progress… always.. and some days are better than others. How about you?

Who is behind the mask?

The Practice:
See the person behind the eyes.

The question has been asked: Why does a guy who writes books on global economics also give workshops on shapeshifting and sacred plants and guide people on trips to experience such things with indigenous shamans in Latin America?

The answer is one that is best experienced for yourself – although I offer a short version below. For the real answer, I invite you to join me at an experiential workshop or trip – limited to 15 participants. A few spaces are still available:

August 22-24, 2018 
Sacred Plants: Touching the Jaguar, Omega Institute, NY
Learn more. 

December 4-15, 2018
A Journey To The Land Of Transformation: The Mountains, Jungles, Kogi, & Caribbean Coast Of Colombia
Learn more.

January 2-19, 2019
A Journey To The Lands Of The Maya: Guatemala – Shapeshifting into Higher Consciousness
Learn more.

January 10-18, 2019
Raising Consciousness – Magical Plants In The Costa Rican Jungle
Learn more.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power of shifting your thinking.

I’ve written in the past about shifting my own thinking from “I have to…” to “I GET to…” I also wrote last week about my shifting my thinking on time from “It’s happening to me…,” to “It’s happening FOR me…”

Shifting your thoughts can shift your perception of a person, of a place, of an event, or most importantly, of yourself. How you view yourself is truly dependent on how you think about yourself and your life.

Do you see yourself as a victim? If so, try shifting to survivor. Tell yourself, “I am a survivor.” Just use the word over and over again.

Do you see yourself as weak and indecisive? Then tell yourself that you are brave, clear and confident instead.

Sometimes no matter how much you want something, you must let go and surrender it to a Higher Power. In fact releasing attachment is key to the co-creation process.

You may be thinking, “But Colette, what if I really really want it with all my heart?” Maybe you’re in a relationship that you really want to work, but things just haven’t come together. Or perhaps you’ve been pursuing a career path that you’re determined is best for you, yet it’s not moving forward. It may even be that your efforts to change or avoid a difficult situation aren’t working.

Most of us have had the experience of wanting something so badly, we’d do almost anything to have it or make it happen. Determination is after all one of the most important keys to success in any area of your life. Yet, what happens when you keep trying to make something happen but it’s just not falling into place? Could it be you’re holding on to it too tightly?