Here I am, back from a great Angels Abroad week in Crete having enjoyed the company of a super group of lovely people, friendly Cretan hospitality and, of course, the glorious sunshine.
Coming on holiday and ‘baring your soul’ with strangers can seem very daunting and takes some courage if you have never done it before. Every group is different. Sharing experiences can be cathartic and tears of joy as well as sadness can flow. One of the most important aspects of group work is to set the scene for harmony, acceptance of differences, tolerance and mutual respect. How rewarding it is for me, as the facilitator, to see genuine friendships form with hugs of warmth and sad farewells on the last day.
All of us have a story to tell, and sometimes we are more keen to tell our own than hold the energy in loving silence so that others may tell theirs – and then consciously allow them to be heard. Our personal sorrow, experiences and emotional pain can be hidden in our physical bodies for many years and I wonder how many of us are truly practiced in ‘letting go’ of the ties that bind us to the past. Some of us are not even aware of how spiritual work can release us from previous toxic relationships and experiences. One of the lessons that recurs time after time, for many people, is the importance of developing exercises, tools to use, for truly releasing old patterns and setting ourselves free.
On the holiday retreat in Crete, right by the side of the beach, I often teach a beautiful way of releasing our unwanted baggage .Calling in their own guardian angel to help them and silently asking Archangel Michael to give them the power to release their ties. I invite everyone to wander on the beach and find seven pebbles. One for each chakra, our seven energy centres, where we will (whether we care to admit it or not) be holding on to past emotional hurts and beliefs that are effecting us. With seven pebbles in our hands I invite people to go down to the edge of the water. This is something you may wish to try the next time you are by the sea, or even by a lake, pond or river.
Each chakra represents every seven years of life. So for the first – the base or root chakra – think back to the first seven years of life. This includes your conception and growth before birth too. Some say it even includes past life experiences. If you are holding on to anything relating to this you will know by how your legs, feet and hips, and circulation function. Throw the pebble as far into the sea as you are able, and at the same time say to yourself
‘I release all energy held in my base/root chakra from my past and move forward with ease.’
Then taking the next pebble do the same for the sacral chakra, releasing anything you may be holding on to from the age of seven to fourteen which you may be holding in your pelvic area and may be limiting your creativity, abundance and joy in life.
Carry on doing this for all seven pebbles, moving up to your solar plexus, your heart (and chest area), your throat, third eye, and crown. Each represents a further seven years in your life. Then walk away from the water saying to yourself: ‘I release myself from all past issues of self limitation, I walk forward with ease and joy in my freedom. And so it is’.
Trust and believe that you have completed an important step in your spiritual and personal growth, and physical healing.
Another beautiful and empowering exercise is the visualisation I use when working with Archangel Michael. Michael’s energy helps us to release old patterns and here is one of my favourite guided meditations for ‘cutting the ties that bind’. This is the visualisation with Archangel Michael from module 3 of the course Educating Heart & Soul, and is also available as one of a set of Archangel meditations available on CD. Click here to listen for yourself:
