To my great surprise, I recently learned how to do channeling.

And in case you’re wondering what channeling is, it’s when you go into a deep meditation and allow a spirit guide to communicate through you. You may speak their words, or write them. (I spoke.)

One of the most popular channelers today is Esther Hicks. She channels a spirit guide named Abraham, and their main theme is the Law of Attraction.

Now I say “to my great surprise” because I’ve never been totally interested in learning how to channel. After all, I’d already been communicating with my spirit guides for over a decade, what could channeling offer me?

It offered me a lot, actually…

For a few months now I’ve been bumping into a spirit guide who looks like a nun.

I mainly feel her presence when I’m applying healing energy to one of my daughters many boo-boo’s. She stands behind me in a solemn prayerful position, helping me direct the healing energy properly.

In fact, when she initially came around, I thought for sure it was a sign that I was to become a healer. I even journaled about it, questioning my inner self, “Am I really to become a healer? I thought I was meant to give readings.”

It was a bittersweet entry. I enjoy healing, but I love readings.

On the other hand, sometimes the Universe is trying to ever-so-gently show us our intended path – which is why I took the appearance of the nun so seriously. Was this a sign of another shift in my life?

Yes and no

When I did the channeling, the nun was the spirit guide who came through. I relaxed, cleared my mind of any preconceived notions, and felt her warm energy.

And then her message began…

Apparently we’ve known each other in spirit form for many centuries. I was once a nun in France and that’s when she and I became familiar with each other.

As a nun I loved God, but I also believed and engaged in many esoteric topics as well. Which is probably why I enjoy solitude, quiet time and esoteric topics so much in this lifetime.

She went on to say that I am indeed a healer in this lifetime.

Aaaack! My rational mind thought…

Here it was – the big lowering of the boom on my head! Or so I thought.

She went on to explain that I was a healer through my words. The words that I write (because I am a writer by trade) were to be a healing force in many, many lives.

My words would offer transformation. They would help others to find themselves. They could heal – if I allowed them to.

I understood her message completely.

I’d always looked at healing as a physical act. Your body is ill, you take or do something to get better, and your body gets better.

But healing, in its purest form, is all about change. Changing from a place of pain or confusion to one of peace and clarity.

It’s not necessarily a physical occurrence. And if you’re called to be a healer, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re supposed to be a doctor or a Reiki practitioner.

For example, you can help heal someone’s self esteem by offering them a kind comment. You can heal a rift by forgiving. Or you can provide healing to a situation by simply walking away from it.

Why the nun said what she said – this is important

To be continued in my next entry…

Just like any other natural gift, there are going to be times when you’ll feel shaky about your intuitive abilities. I think every professional psychic has gone through a reading where they begin second guessing whatever it is they see or feel.

I just want you to know that this is perfectly normal. We are – after all – talking about a skill that can seem to come from nowhere. Moments of self-doubt are to be expected, especially if you’re just starting out.

And that’s where a power word can come into play. A power word can be an instant confidence booster. It can be said quietly, out loud, or you can even imagine it floating around your aura.

Sometimes when I’m giving a reading I’ll imagine my own power word resting within my heart chakra. It’s my reminder to stay focused, when I might be feeling otherwise.

So what’s my power word?

It’s the same one that I recommend to anyone who’s developing their intuitive abilities – TRUST.

TRUST for an intuitive is as necessary as oxygen is for the human body. TRUST brings you back to an inner knowing that you are as insightful as you think you are. It gives you permission to freely speak whatever it is you feel, hear, see or know.

When I first started giving readings to friends of friends, I was oh-so-afraid of letting them know about the things I picked up.

One time, I kept seeing a married woman as a single, stay-at-home mom. When I intuitively read the tarot, the cards were telling me that her husband was reaching a breaking point. In fact, the hermit card came up twice during the reading. But at the time I didn’t TRUST enough to tell her what I saw.

Keeping the truth hidden doesn’t create a successful reading. If you see or feel something during a reading, there’s a reason for it. And if a person comes to you for your insights then it’s your job to TRUST what you see and relay it.

Life, after all, isn’t one big happy-fest. It’s filled with ups and downs. And in using your intuition you’ll see both the ups and downs.

Your job isn’t to be a shield from the truth. It’s to TRUST that what you see is meant to be expressed to the sitter.

And that also goes for using your intuitive skills on yourself.

For example, how many times have you shoved a negative prophecy to the side because it wasn’t something you wanted to see or hear? I know that I’ve done more times than I care to admit.

Eventually I realized that TRUSTING what I saw would help me in the long run. Nobody likes to think that an earthquake could take away everything they own. But then again, being able to prepare for it does help.

Exercise for today

Either print out or hand write a poster with the word TRUST on it.

Hang it wherever you do your readings, or in the room where you meditate.

Use it liberally as your guidepost.