Kuan Yin: The One Who Hears the Cries of the World

12/9/2025

By Jen Watts, Transformational Embodiment Coach

As I've been sitting with this theme of holding grief and gratitude, I keep returning to the Buddhist bodhisattva Kuan Yin. Her name literally means "she who hears the cries of the world."

In Buddhist tradition, Kuan Yin is the embodiment of compassion. She's depicted with multiple arms, representing her ability to reach out to all beings in suffering. Sometimes she's shown with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes - seeing all suffering, reaching to help in infinite ways.

The story goes that Kuan Yin was about to enter Nirvana - complete enlightenment and freedom from the cycle of rebirth - when she heard the cries of the world. She turned back. She chose to remain in the world, taking on the suffering of others, until all beings could be freed from suffering.

This is profound. She didn't turn away from suffering. She didn't spiritually bypass into bliss. She heard the grief of the world and chose to stay present with it, to hold it with compassion, to transform it through her presence.

But here's what many people miss about Kuan Yin: She's not just about sorrow. She's also associated with joy, abundance, and the granting of wishes. She holds suffering AND she offers blessings. She witnesses grief AND she radiates grace.

This is the medicine Kuan Yin offers us: the capacity to stay present with suffering without being destroyed by it, to offer compassion without taking on others' pain as our own, to hold grief with one hand and gratitude with the other.

Qualities of Kuan Yin to Call Upon:

Deep listening - the ability to truly hear another's pain without trying to fix it
Compassionate presence - being with suffering without being overwhelmed by it
Tender strength - soft enough to feel, strong enough to hold
Boundless compassion - for all beings, including yourself
Graceful balance - holding both sorrow and joy simultaneously

Prayer to Kuan Yin:

Kuan Yin, She Who Hears the Cries of the World,
Grant me ears to hear the grief around me,
A heart to hold it with compassion,
And hands to offer comfort.
Teach me to witness suffering without drowning in it,
To feel deeply without being destroyed,
To hold both grief and gratitude in the same breath.
Help me be a vessel of compassion,
For others and for myself.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings find peace.

Holding Both: The Sacred Practice of Gratitude and Grief

12/1/2025

By Jen Watts, Transformational Embodiment Coach

Dear ones,

As I write to you in these early days of December, I'm sitting with a profound paradox. Outside my window, the late autumn world is stripped bare - trees standing in their naked truth, the ground covered with what has fallen. There's a stark beauty to this season, a kind of honest grief that nature wears openly.

And yet, this same landscape fills me with gratitude. Gratitude for the cycle that allows death to nourish new life. Gratitude for the trees' willingness to release. Gratitude for the shelter those fallen leaves provide to countless beings through winter. Gratitude even for the grief itself - because grief is proof that we loved, that we cared, that we were present enough to feel.

I'm holding both in my heart right now - grief and gratitude - and I'm learning they're not opposites at all. They're companions. They're two hands of the same body, two wings of the same bird. We need both to fly.

The Grief We're Carrying
Let me name what I'm feeling, what I know many of you are feeling too. There's so much grief right now.

Grief for our world. The violence, the hatred, the division. The environmental destruction we're witnessing in real time. The systems failing people who depend on them. The future we fear for our children.

Grief for the veil being lifted. For many of us with privilege, recent years have shattered comfortable illusions. We're seeing clearly now what marginalized communities have always known, always experienced, always tried to tell us. The racism that was always there. The misogyny that was always there. The cruelty that was always there. And we're grieving - not just the reality, but our own complicity in not seeing it sooner, not believing it sooner, not acting sooner.

Grief for what could have been. The lives we might have lived if we'd made different choices. The relationships that didn't survive. The dreams we had to release. The versions of ourselves we'll never become because we chose a different path.

Personal losses. The deaths of people we loved. The endings of relationships. The transitions that felt like little deaths - empty nests, retirement, bodies changing, identities shifting.

This is a lot to carry. It's profound, really. And it's present to all of us in a myriad of ways.

Here's what I'm learning: We're not meant to carry this grief alone.

Grief is Meant to Be Shared

In his beautiful book The Wild Edge of Sorrow, Francis Weller writes about how we've lost our communal containers for grief. In traditional cultures, there were rituals, ceremonies, designated times and spaces where the community gathered to grieve together.

We've lost most of that. We're expected to grieve privately, quickly, efficiently. To "get over it" and "move on." To not make others uncomfortable with our sorrow.

But grief doesn't work that way. Grief unexpressed becomes stuck in our bodies, hardened in our hearts, transmitted unconsciously to those around us. Grief shared, witnessed, held in community? That grief can transform. It can soften. It can even, eventually, become something like wisdom.

In our recent women's circle, we created sacred space to share our grief. And what happened was profound. As each woman spoke her sorrow aloud - for the world, for personal losses, for dreams deferred - something shifted in the room. The weight that each had been carrying alone was distributed across all of our shoulders. We were still holding grief, but together. And somehow that made it bearable.

This is what we're meant to do with grief. We're meant to witness each other's sorrow. We're meant to say, "I see your pain. Your grief matters. You're not alone in this."

The Healing Power of Gratitude

And yet - and this is crucial - acknowledging grief doesn't mean abandoning gratitude. In fact, I'm coming to believe that gratitude is how we survive grief without being destroyed by it.

Gratitude isn't toxic positivity. It's not pretending everything is fine when it's not. It's not spiritual bypassing or denying real pain.

Gratitude is the practice of noticing what remains even after loss. What persists even in darkness. What continues to nourish us even as other things fall away.

Gratitude is fundamental to healthy existence. Research shows it literally changes our brain chemistry, strengthens our immune system, improves our sleep, reduces anxiety and depression. But more than that, gratitude grounds us. It connects us to what's real and present rather than leaving us lost in what's gone or what we fear.

Gratitude creates flow. When we notice and appreciate the good in our lives, we align ourselves with the energy of abundance. Not in a "manifestation" way, but in a genuine way - we become more aware of gifts constantly being offered, more able to receive them, more generous in offering our own gifts in return.

Gratitude is contagious. When we embody gratitude - when we can feel it in our bodies, when it radiates from us - it lifts those around us. Not in a performative way, but in the simple way that light spreads. One candle can illuminate a dark room. One grateful heart can shift the energy of an entire gathering.

In this late fall season - aligned with the wheel of the year's natural rhythm of thanksgiving and the solstice - we're invited to practice gratitude not despite our grief, but alongside it. In conversation with it. In holy relationship with it.

The Paradox: Holding Both

Here's the sacred truth I'm learning: To hold space for both grief AND gratitude is transformative. It's balancing. It's centering.

When I hold only grief, I collapse into despair. The weight becomes unbearable. The darkness becomes absolute. I lose hope.

When I hold only gratitude - especially the forced, toxic positivity kind - I become shallow. Disconnected from reality. Unable to meet others in their authentic pain. Spiritually bypassing what needs to be felt and processed.

But when I hold both? When I can say, "Yes, this is heartbreaking AND yes, there is still beauty. Yes, I'm grieving AND yes, I'm grateful"? That's when I find my center. That's when I become whole enough to be truly present. That's when transformation happens.

This is the practice of early December is teaching me:

I can grieve the state of our world AND feel grateful for the activists working tirelessly for change.

I can grieve the veils being lifted AND feel grateful that truth is finally being seen.

I can grieve what I've lost AND feel grateful for what remains.

I can grieve who I'm no longer AND feel grateful for who I'm becoming.

I can grieve the suffering around me AND feel grateful for my capacity to care.

This isn't either/or. It's both/and. It's the full, complex, beautiful mess of being human.

Creating a Practice: The Gratitude-Grief Ritual

I want to offer you a practice for holding both grief and gratitude. You can do this alone or with trusted others.

Preparation:

Quiet, comfortable space
Journal and pen
Two candles (one white for grief, one gold for gratitude)
Two bowls or containers
Small pieces of paper
Tissues (grief work often brings tears)
45-60 minutes uninterrupted

The Ritual:

PART ONE: GRIEF WITNESSING (20 minutes)

Light the white candle. Say aloud: "I honor my grief. I make space for sorrow."

Take several deep breaths, placing your hand on your heart.

Begin to write - stream of consciousness - everything you're grieving.
Don't censor, edit, or judge. Just let it flow:

What breaks your heart about the world right now?
What personal losses are you carrying?
What dreams are you grieving?
What truths are painful to see?
What are you angry about?
What feels unbearable?

Write until you feel complete - or until 15 minutes have passed.

Then, if you're alone, read what you wrote aloud. Speak your grief to the universe, to the Divine, to your own heart. Let yourself feel it. Cry if tears come. Rage if anger comes. Let your body express what your words have named.

If you're with others, each person shares their grief while others simply witness - no fixing, no comforting, just presence.

Place your written grief in the grief bowl. You're not getting rid of it, just giving it a container outside your body.

PART TWO: TRANSITION (5 minutes)

Sit quietly. Place both hands on your heart. Breathe.

Notice how you feel after expressing grief. Perhaps lighter. Perhaps heavier. Perhaps both. Whatever you feel is right.

Take three deep, cleansing breaths.

PART THREE: GRATITUDE PRACTICE (20 minutes)

Light the gold candle. Say aloud: "I open to gratitude. I receive the gifts that remain."

Begin to write everything you're grateful for - big and small:

What beauty did you witness today?
Who loves you?
What nourishes your body?
What delights your senses?
What opportunities do you have?
What moments of grace have you experienced?
What in your life works?
What gifts do you bring to the world?

Write for 15 minutes, letting gratitude flow as freely as grief did.

Then read your gratitude aloud - to yourself, to the universe, to life itself. As you speak each thing, pause and really feel it. Let gratitude move from your head to your heart to your entire body. Feel it warming you, lifting you, opening you.

Place your written gratitude in the gratitude bowl.

PART FOUR: INTEGRATION (10 minutes)

Now, with both candles lit, with both bowls before you, sit in silence.
You are holding both. Grief and gratitude. Sorrow and joy. Loss and abundance. This is the fullness of being human.

Place one hand over each bowl. Feel how you can hold both simultaneously. Notice that holding gratitude doesn't diminish your grief. Notice that holding grief doesn't cancel your gratitude. They coexist. They inform each other. They make you whole.

Speak aloud: "I hold both grief and gratitude. I am large enough to contain multitudes. I am balanced. I am whole."

CLOSING:

Blow out both candles, releasing the energy of the ritual while keeping its medicine in your heart.

You can keep both bowls on an altar, revisiting and adding to them as needed.

Invoking Kali

10/28/2025

By Jen Watts

In times of profound transformation, I find myself drawn to the Hindu goddess Kali – the Divine Mother in her fierce aspect, the destroyer of illusions, the one who dances in cremation grounds and wears a garland of skulls.

Kali terrifies many who first encounter her. She represents everything our comfortable lives try to avoid – death, destruction, chaos, the stripping away of all that is false. But to those who understand her, Kali is the ultimate liberator. She destroys what must die so that truth can be revealed and new life can emerge.
Kali doesn't ask permission before dismantling what no longer serves. She doesn't wait for us to be ready. She comes when transformation is necessary, wielding her sword of truth, cutting away illusions whether we want to release them or not.

But here's what many miss about Kali: her destruction is always in service of creation. She is both the death and the birth, the ending and the beginning. She destroys the false self so the true self can emerge. She burns away what is toxic so what is sacred can flourish.

Qualities of Kali to call upon in your transformation:

Fierce courage to face what must be faced, to see what must be seen, to acknowledge truth even when it's uncomfortable
Ruthless compassion that knows sometimes the most loving thing is to let something die rather than prolonging its suffering
Wild freedom from social conditioning, others' expectations, and the need for approval or comfort
Protective ferocity toward your authentic self and your sacred becoming
Trust in destruction as part of the creative cycle, knowing that death always serves rebirth

A prayer to Kali for transformation:
Kali Ma, Dark Mother, Destroyer of Illusions,
I call upon your fierce grace in this time of transformation.
Grant me courage to release what must be released,
Strength to stand in the liminal darkness without fear,
And trust in the sacred cycle of death and rebirth.
Cut away all that is false within me.
Destroy the illusions that keep me small.
Clear the path for my truest self to emerge.
I surrender to your wild wisdom.
I trust your terrible love.
Guide me through the fire and out the other side,
Transformed, renewed, and free.

With love,
Jen

The Sacred Fire of Transformation: Embracing the Phoenix Within

10/20/2025

By Jen Watts

As I write to you in these deepening October days, I'm watching the trees outside my window engage in their annual ritual of letting go. Each leaf releases its hold, surrendering to the pull of gravity and the wisdom of seasons. There's no resistance, no clinging to what was. Just a graceful descent, a willing participation in the great cycle of death and rebirth.

I find myself thinking about that word – death. How it frightens us. How our culture teaches us to avoid it, deny it, push it away. And yet, death is not an ending but a transformation. Every ending contains within it the seed of a new beginning. Every letting go creates space for something new to emerge.

We are in the season of shedding now, dear ones. Not just in the natural world around us, but in our personal lives and in our collective experience. If you're feeling the pull to release what no longer serves you, if you're sensing that old ways of being are ready to fall away, if you're experiencing the discomfort of structures crumbling – you're not alone. You're in tune with the wisdom of the season.

And if this feels frightening or sad or overwhelming, know that this too is part of the sacred cycle. The phoenix must burn before it can rise.

The Wheel Turns: Honoring the Season of Shedding

In the ancient wheel of the year, we are moving through the time when the veil between worlds grows thin, when the earth herself demonstrates the necessity of release. The trees don't mourn their leaves – they trust the cycle. They know that this shedding is not loss but preparation for renewal.

What the trees teach us is profound: transformation requires surrender.

Right now, in our world, we are witnessing shedding on a massive scale. Systems that no longer serve are beginning to crumble. Illusions are being stripped away. The comfortable narratives we told ourselves about who we are as a society are falling like autumn leaves, revealing the bare truth of what lies beneath.

This is uncomfortable. It's painful. For many of us, it feels more personal and real than ever before – the recognition that change is not optional, that transformation is not just a spiritual concept but a lived reality unfolding in our communities, our country, our world.

And yet, dear ones, what if this shedding – as frightening as it feels – is exactly what must happen for something truer, more beautiful, more aligned with love to emerge?

The Three Sacred Phases of Transformation

Recently, in our women's circle, we explored the complete cycle of transformation through a series of ceremonies that moved me deeply. I want to share this journey with you, because I believe it offers a map for navigating not just our personal transformations, but the collective metamorphosis we're all experiencing.

Phase One: The Sacred Shedding

We began by asking ourselves: What is ready to be released? What beliefs, fears, patterns, or ways of being no longer serve the person I'm becoming?

Each woman wrote her answers on small pieces of paper – those private burdens we carry, those inherited fears we've never questioned, those self-limiting beliefs that have kept us small. One by one, we spoke our sheddings aloud to the circle. The act of naming what we were releasing gave it form, acknowledged its presence in our lives, and prepared us to let it go.

Then came the ceremony of dissolution. Each woman placed her paper in a bowl of water, watching as the ink dissolved, as the words disappeared, as the weight she'd been carrying literally dissolved before her eyes. All of us felt the power of conscious, witnessed release.

I invite you to create your own shedding ceremony:

Find a quiet moment and ask yourself: What am I ready to release? Write down everything that comes to mind:

Fears that keep you playing small
Beliefs about yourself that no longer fit who you're becoming
Patterns of behavior that drain your energy
Relationships or situations that have become toxic
Old identities that feel like costumes you've outgrown
Stories about your limitations or unworthiness

Write each one on a separate small piece of paper. Speak them aloud – to yourself, to a trusted friend, to the universe. Then choose your method of release:

Dissolve them in water, watching them disappear
Burn them safely, imagining the smoke carrying them away
Bury them in the earth, composting them into fertile soil
Tear them up and scatter them to the wind

The method matters less than the intention: you are consciously choosing to let go.

Phase Two: The Liminal Space – Dwelling in the Sacred Dark

After the ceremony of release, we sat in silence. This was intentional – a recognition that between what was and what will be lies a space of unknowing. The liminal space. The void. The darkness.

Our culture has no patience for this phase. We're taught to move quickly from ending to new beginning, to fill every empty space, to have a plan before we've even fully let go of what came before. We're conditioned to fear the void, to see it as emptiness rather than potential, as loss rather than gestation.

But transformation doesn't work that way. Between the caterpillar and the butterfly lies the chrysalis – a time of apparent darkness when everything that was dissolves into formless potential. The caterpillar doesn't emerge from the cocoon with a plan. It surrenders completely to the mystery of becoming.

This liminal space is where the real magic happens. It's where old forms break down completely, where we release our grip on who we thought we were, where we become receptive to entirely new possibilities. It's uncomfortable because we have nothing to hold onto, no map to follow, no guarantee of what will emerge.

And it's sacred precisely because of this unknowing.

In our circle, we honored this space by simply being with the discomfort. We didn't rush to fill the silence with plans or new intentions. We allowed ourselves to rest in the fertile dark, trusting that transformation was happening even though we couldn't see it.

How to honor your own liminal space:

If you're in a period of transition – whether you chose it or it chose you – resist the urge to rush through to what's next. Instead:

Create dedicated time for not-knowing. Sit in meditation or quiet reflection without agenda. Practice being rather than doing.
Journal the questions rather than seeking answers. "Who am I becoming? What wants to emerge through me? What does this transition want to teach me?"
Honor feelings of discomfort, uncertainty, or fear as signs that you're in sacred territory. These feelings aren't problems to solve but experiences to witness.
Rest more than feels reasonable. Your entire being is reorganizing itself. This requires tremendous energy, even when it looks like nothing is happening.
Trust the timing of your transformation. You can't force the butterfly to emerge before it's ready. You can only tend to the conditions that support the metamorphosis.

Remember: the liminal space feels empty because you're shedding old forms of identity, perception, and being. But it's actually the most fertile space you'll ever inhabit. Everything is possible here. Stay a while. Let yourself marinate in the mystery.

Phase Three: The Rebirth – Speaking Your Becoming

After dwelling in the darkness, our circle moved into the phase of emergence. But this wasn't about setting goals or making plans. It was about sensing into the essence of who we are becoming and giving it form through symbol and voice.

Each woman brought or chose an object – an image, a symbol, a crystal, a photograph, a piece of art – that represented what she is bringing forth into the world. Not what she's trying to become, but what she's allowing to emerge from her deepest self.

One by one, we spoke to the circle, holding our objects, sharing what they represented about our becoming. There was recognition, and profound witnessing. We weren't performing or proving anything – we were allowing the circle to see and reflect back the truth of who we are at our core.

What moved me most was how different each woman's becoming looked. No two journeys were the same. No two expressions of self were alike. This is the beauty of transformation – it doesn't make us more similar. It makes us more authentically, radiantly ourselves.

Your rebirth ceremony:

When you've honored the shedding and spent time in the liminal space, you'll feel a natural stirring toward emergence. You'll sense something wanting to be born through you. Honor this with your own ceremony:

Choose or create a symbol of who you're becoming. This might be:
- An image that resonates with your emerging self
- A crystal or stone that embodies the energy you're calling in
- A piece of art you create specifically for this purpose
- A photograph that captures the essence of your becoming
- Words, poetry, or a manifesto you write
Speak your becoming aloud. Even if you're alone, the act of giving voice to your transformation makes it real. You might say: "I am becoming a woman who..." or "I am calling forth my gifts of..." or "I am allowing myself to..."
Create a physical reminder. Place your symbol where you'll see it daily. Let it remind you of who you're becoming when old patterns try to reassert themselves.
Share with trusted witnesses when you're ready. There's power in being seen in your becoming by people who can reflect back your truth.

Remember: this isn't about becoming someone different. It's about allowing the truth of who you've always been to emerge more fully, more freely, more boldly into the world.

The Global Transformation: Finding Hope in the Fire

What we're experiencing in our personal lives mirrors what's happening collectively. Our country, our world, is in a profound process of transformation. Old systems are crumbling. Illusions are being shattered. What we thought was solid is revealing itself as unstable.

This is frightening. It's messy. It's painful to watch and painful to experience.

And it's also necessary.

The structures that are crumbling were never designed to serve everyone. The systems that are falling apart were built on foundations of inequality and exploitation. The comfortable narratives that are being challenged were always incomplete truths.

For true transformation to happen – for something more beautiful, more just, more aligned with our highest values to emerge – the old forms must fall away completely. We must move through the fire. We must endure the liminal space of not knowing what comes next.

This doesn't make it less scary. But it might make it more bearable if we can recognize it as part of a sacred cycle of death and rebirth rather than as meaningless destruction.

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, the fire is needed for the rising. The burning away of what no longer serves creates the conditions for something magnificent to emerge.

The Phoenix Rising: Your Transformation is Sacred

The phoenix is perhaps our most powerful symbol of transformation. This mythical bird doesn't simply survive the fire – it requires the fire. It builds its own funeral pyre, sets itself aflame, burns completely to ash, and then rises renewed, reborn, more magnificent than before.

The key insight: the phoenix doesn't fear the fire. It knows the fire is necessary. It participates willingly in its own death because it trusts completely in its rebirth.

You are the phoenix, dear ones. We all are. And right now, many of us are in the fire.

Some of us are in the phase of shedding, feeling everything we thought we knew falling away. Some of us are in the liminal space, sitting in the ashes, not yet seeing any sign of what's coming. Some of us are in the early stages of emergence, sensing new wings forming but not yet ready to fly.

Wherever you are in the cycle, trust it. Your transformation is unfolding exactly as it needs to. The discomfort, the uncertainty, the fear – these aren't signs that something is wrong. They're signs that something profound is happening.

Timing Your Transformation

Remember that transformation is not linear. You may move through these phases at different speeds, or cycle through them multiple times. Some aspects of your life may be in shedding while others are in rebirth. This is natural.

Signs you're in Shedding:

Feeling ready for change but uncertain what that looks like
Old patterns no longer feeling comfortable
Experiencing losses or endings
Feeling complete with certain chapters of life

Signs you're in Liminal Space:

Confusion about who you are or what you want
Feeling "in between" identities or life stages
Discomfort with not knowing what's next
Need for more rest and solitude than usual

Signs you're in Rebirth:

Feeling creative energy returning
Sensing new possibilities
Clarity emerging about desires or direction
Increased energy and enthusiasm for life

Honor your unique timing. Trust that you're exactly where you need to be.

A Note on Collective Transformation

As I write this, our country and world are in profound transformation. We're in the messy middle – past the point of no return to what was, but not yet clear about what will be. This is the liminal space on a collective scale.

It's uncomfortable. It's scary. Many of us feel helpless as we watch structures crumble and uncertainty reign.

But remember the phoenix. Remember Kali. Remember that transformation always looks like destruction in the middle. The caterpillar doesn't know it's becoming a butterfly when everything it knew dissolves in the chrysalis.

What if this collective chaos is exactly what needs to happen for something more beautiful to emerge? What if the systems that are crumbling needed to fall? What if the illusions that are being shattered were always blocking our view of truth?

I'm not suggesting we be passive in the face of injustice or suffering. Rather, I'm inviting us to approach this collective transformation with the same wisdom we bring to personal transformation:

Honor the shedding of systems that never served everyone
Trust the liminal space even when it's terrifying
Hold the vision of what we're becoming as a society
Participate actively in birthing the new world

Your personal transformation is not separate from the collective one. As you do your inner work, you change the collective field. As you release old patterns, you make it easier for others to do the same. As you step into your authentic power, you give others permission to do likewise.

We are all phoenixes in the fire together. Your light matters. Your transformation matters. Your willingness to burn and rise again matters.

An Invitation to Sacred Becoming

Dear ones, wherever you are in your transformation journey, know that you are held by the wisdom of the seasons, supported by the cycles that have repeated since the beginning of time, and guided by forces larger than you can see.

The shedding you're experiencing is making space for something more true.

The liminal darkness you're navigating is gestating something more beautiful.

The rebirth you're stepping into is calling forth something more authentic.
Trust the fire. Honor the ashes. Know that you will rise.
May you have courage for the shedding.
May you have patience for the liminal space.
May you have joy in your becoming.
And may you remember always that your transformation is sacred, necessary, and exactly what the world needs.

With fierce love and unwavering faith in your phoenix heart,
Jen

New Year, New Possibilities: Your Journey to an Intentional Life

1/5/2025

By Jen Watts, Centering Spirit, Transformational Embodiment Coach

I always love this time of year – the fresh start, the turning of the calendar to a new year. A new sparkling clean planner (or planners in my case) with lots of fresh space to write out dreams, plans, and life events. I feel this same way in the fall, at the start of the school year. Even though it has been a long time since I was in school, or even since my daughters were in school, there is something magical about a new start. The open space is full of possibilities, the energy pregnant with things yet to come. The air is filled with hope and expectation. The beautiful and most true thing about this is that a fresh start is available at the start of every season, every month, every week, every day – and in each moment.

Just as your body renews itself constantly, you have the incredible power to regenerate your spirit and reshape your reality whenever you choose. Think about that for a moment – you hold the key to release what no longer serves you and welcome new possibilities. You get to choose your reactions, set your intentions, define who you want to be, and decide how you'll move through this world. Isn't that extraordinary?

Now, that doesn't mean there won't be challenges. Challenges are necessary for growth – they help us see and recognize what is most important to us. They help us become who we are and who we want to be. When we set our intentions for who we want to be and for what we desire, challenges help ensure we're on the right path and help us appreciate the journey that much more. I have had many challenges in my life, as we all have. Some I have faced well, some not so well, and some I have tried not to face at all. What I'm learning is that they are teaching me about joy and about new beginnings.

So while we know challenges lie ahead, we also know that joy and new beginnings are present. We have the power to choose joy and those new beginnings – exactly one moment at a time. I hope you join me in reveling in this knowledge, in this power. I hope you feel the excitement and the joy of creating something new and of new possibilities.

May you embrace each moment as a chance to begin again, aligned with your deepest intentions. I send my love and blessings to you that you create and follow your new possibilities and your intentions – in each and every moment!

With love and faith in your journey,
Jen

But I Wasn't Hypnotized!

10/31/2024

By Christi Clemons Hoffman, Level 3 QHHT Practitioner

I received an email recently from a client saying that she felt she wasn't "hypnotized" in her session—that she could hear all the sounds in the building and outside the building and even hear me sipping water. She had tried to pop up a few times during the session, but I instructed her to close her eyes and lay back down. The client has just started the Level 1 class and wanted to have a session to experience QHHT for herself. She was disappointed, as her session did not match her expectation of hypnosis.

I replied that as practitioners we find that it truly doesn't matter how ‘deep’ someone is or feels that they are. Clients have profound sessions at whatever level they are comfortable with. In fact, I recently listened to Jesus and the Essenes, and in the introduction Dolores talks about this very thing. She also reiterated this in one of her recoded lectures.

Yes, you will hear everything that happens in your surroundings during a session. There is no way to turn off the sounds inside or outside the building and no way to turn off your ears! This is why there is a suggestion in the induction about any sounds that you hear fading and becoming part of the background. There are also suggestions we give during the session to disregard any noises. Most people understand and aren't bothered, but there are a handful who might be at first. Several months ago I had a client who had two sessions with Dolores herself. He said her office was a converted gas station near the highway and he could hear highway noises the whole time.

As the practitioner, we look for many signs of hypnosis in the client: changes in breath, relaxed muscles, changes in voice. The client who reached out had all those signs, plus emotion (which you cannot make up), time distortion, and Rapid Eye Movements--LOTS of them, and showing the white parts of her eyes. You cannot fake this. I've tried, just to see if it's possible!

We have so many preconceived notions of what hypnosis truly is or is supposed to be that it is difficult to understand what it really is, which is a naturally relaxed state. The client did try to fight it, but some people do—they even did with Dolores. The client who had two sessions with Dolores experienced this with her—literally. She told him, "We're not finished yet. Lay back down and close your eyes. You can do this.” He had great sessions with her.

When my client tried pop up during the session, her eyes were definitely altered, which I can't describe accurately except that I have seen that look in my daughter's eyes when she is sleepwalking and in other clients on occasion. It was clear she was not truly awake or fully conscious. After 8 years and more than 560 clients, I have only had three clients successfully fight me and refuse to relax and only three who did not remember anything, like Dolores' favorite subject, “Katie" (Jesus and the Essenes, A Soul Remembers Hiroshima). Everyone else is on a spectrum of awareness.

As practitioners, we also know that each session is unique to the client. A client will go to the depth of relaxation they feel comfortable with and have the experience their Subconscious (higher self) feels they need to have. The client in question received much healing and insight--and had several releases of pent up emotion with it.

In the QHHT practitioner’s forum there are hundreds of questions about the client "not feeling hypnotized" and twice as many answers about it. If you feel you are not “hypnotized” during your session with any practitioner, the best advice I can give is to listen to your recording. I think you will be amazed at what came out of you.

5 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle When You Travel Often for Work

1/12/2023

When travel is part of the job description, you may think it's a great way to change up the monotony of work. However, it can be an obstacle when you're trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, proper preparation will ensure you adapt your wellness plan to life on the road. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1. Prioritize Safety

Your wellness plan must contain safety precautions. When you check into a hotel, don't rely on the door locks alone to keep you safe. To maximize your safety measures, avoid staying on the first floor of the hotel, keep your luggage locked when you have to leave the room, and also keep the deadbolt locked when you're inside.

If you're concerned about the staff coming into your room, keep the do not disturb sign on the outside of the door, and also choose hotels with a safe in the room.

2. Seek Healthy Food Options

It can be very difficult to eat well while traveling, especially if you are busy with meetings all day and just need something fast. The best way to avoid unhealthy snacking is to prepare a snack bag to keep with you and include healthy snacks, such as fruit, nuts, and granola bars. You can keep a water bottle in your bag as well.

When you do get the chance to eat a meal out, search for healthy options on the menu. For example, even fast food restaurants offer some salad options.

3. Get Sufficient Sleep

Sleep is absolutely crucial to your overall wellness. A lack of sleep can weaken your immune system, and getting sick when you travel is miserable. In the long-term, not getting sufficient sleep can cause heart disease and increase your risk of weight gain and diabetes. Ultimately, you need the right sleeping hours to get the quality sleep that keeps you healthy.

4. Stay in a Hotel With a Pool or Fitness Center

Fitness is a very important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but traveling can easily derail your normal fitness routine. The best way to stick to your workouts is to ensure you have the equipment you need when you travel.

Look for hotels that have fitness centers to do strength training. Get your cardio by swimming a few laps around the hotel pool in the morning. For extra activity, walk or ride your bike from the hotel to your meetings.

5. Bring Your Pet for Stress Relief

If you suffer from a stress-related disorder, such as anxiety, having your pet with you when you travel is a great way to soothe. Research shows that pets reduce blood pressure, relieve stress, and can improve your physical and mental health overall.

For solopreneurs and freelancers, pets are a great way to manage being alone for long periods, but traveling alone with a pet also means taking additional safety precautions. For example, you can purchase a GPS collar to track your puppy if they escape the room. Just look for one with real-time mapping so you can follow their steps to the exact location on your phone.

Looking after your physical and mental health while traveling is just as important as travel safety. These tips allow you to address all the possible obstacles to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Just keep in mind that plans conflicting with sleep should never take precedence over getting enough rest.

Radiate Wellness offers a number of excellent coaching, events, and classes designed to help you better your spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. You can book an appointment today.

Check out our feature in Healthy Kansas City!!

8/28/2022

Been to a doctor's office or clinic this summer? CVS or Walgreen's, perhaps? Then you may have seen our company spotlight in the July/August issue of Healthy Kansas City Magazine! This article all about #RadiateWellnessKC features Christi, Kathy, and Mary Jane and all they do--Readings, Reiki, Energy Healing , Astrology, and QHHT and other forms of hypnosis.

Smash the Scale!

2/14/2022

by Melissa Dunn

So I did a thing and decided to smash the damn scale!

I actually did this several months ago when I decided that my weight does not define me or my health.

Here’s the thing: our culture is so focused on a number and telling us how much weight affects our health when it’s simply not true! There are several studies that state that weight is not a true indicator of health. I also know that diets don’t work and in fact the majority of people gain all the weight back and then some within two years.

(If you want to learn more, check out the Health at Every Size Movement, or books like “Anti Diet” “The Fuck it Diet”, “Intuitive Eating,” and I’m sure if you're reading this you could weigh in with more suggestions here, no pun intended!)

Some of you may disagree and my stop reading here, or maybe you already have. That’s ok. Feel free to keep scrolling and move about your day.

The point is, I’m no longer equating my health and happiness to a number....

I know and have felt first hand the psychological damage that comes from weighing myself, yo-yo dieting, weight cycling, and the messages that foods are either good or bad for me or I shouldn’t eat a piece of pizza because it might go straight to my thighs....

So, here’s how I choose to live my life instead when it comes to food and my body:

• Do I enjoy this food?

• Do I want it right now?

• How will this food make me feel? (Physically, like will it make me ill?)

• Am I hungry?

• Am I full?

And that’s it! Am I perfect? Far from it. I’m also human and sometimes eat to fill emotional voids. I’m aware of it, and it’s ok.

So then I decided to ask myself these questions:

• Am I happy?

• Do I feel like the best version of myself? (Whether that be physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.)

• Do I need a change right now?

• Am I doing this out of love and kindness or am I doing it because I’m feeling shame or guilt?

We all have the power to change whatever we want about ourselves, and if you want to lose weight for your wellbeing, more power to you! But let’s do it because it makes us feel good—not because of a number on a scale or because society tells us this is how it SHOULD be.

Let’s also make sure we’re doing it from a place of self-love, not self-criticism.

Health and Wellness is about so much more than a number on a scale.

What makes you happy? What will make YOU feel the most fulfilled and whole?

What Do You Do with Emotion?

1/29/2022

By Melissa Dunn

Do the parts of you that experience negative emotion, pain, anxiety , shame and guilt, unworthiness make you feel broken inside ?

I used to feel this SO deeply and to be honest , sometimes I still do. I’m human and I’m a human who was taught by society that it was unhealthy to feel or show rawness, real emotion, or pain.
The other night I felt triggered by a past event in which I realized I hadn’t fully forgiven myself for past mistakes .
In the past I would have run and hide from my feelings , I would have let myself disguise the pain or pass it off as it being hormonal as we women also tend to do.

But here is where I saw my truly transformed self....

Instead of running, hiding , stuffing my emotion down with food , wine or pretending it wasn’t there at all I let the sadness and tears hot on my cheeks wash over me like a warm bath and you know what I did next?
I talked to myself like a young child , put my hand on my heart and the other hand on my stomach and said it’s ok, you’re human, you make mistakes , I forgive you, I love you.

After my tears subsided...

I decided that this was a great opportunity for healing and went on google to find a healing hypnosis for guilt, shame and forgiveness and I made a promise to myself that I was going to make a habit of this forgiveness and let this shit go, kick it to the curb , “bye bye, you are no longer needed here.”
This is what having inner peace and healing transformation can look like and it can look this way for YOU too...

No more shame , blame and guilt for your past , realizing that the past version of you was just trying to feel loved and to belong.

You learn to thank her and forgive her...

You then can make the choice to step into the next level version of you, the version who loves herself completely, even with all her flaws.