Evolving Magazine
A Guide for Conscious Living since 2009
FEATURE - January 2016 - Kansas City
Self Care: An Essential Key for Conscious Living
By Priestess Kim Macy
The hot water beat down on my shoulders, soothing aching muscles as I struggle to wake up. As I wash my body, I’m silently singing, “I am cleansing my aura, yes I am! I am cleansing my aura, yes I am!” to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain”. Next I rinse conditioner from my hair while holding my belly button and Third Eye in the Donna Eden Energy Medicine practice called “The Hook Up”. This practice activates the Radiant Circuits, our pathways for joy in the body. As I towel off, I affirm that my aura is strong and connected to my physical body. I apply rose body butter, blessing my arms, breasts, chest and neck. I rub cream into my feet, appreciating them for carrying me around everywhere I want to go. I pull cozy warm socks onto my feet and throw a pretty satin robe on as I finish getting ready for my day.
By now, this practice has become routine. It has taken me YEARS to integrate all that my physical body requires in order for my spirit to live with fearless joy. My body sends me messages about what she needs and several bouts of serious depression have taught me that I better listen.
If you’re a Giver, you may find that giving to others provides you with an emotional charge, an immediate reward for your thoughtfulness and kindness. But giving to yourself may not give you that same reward. Giving to yourself is an investment in sustaining your personal flow of energy so that you can continue to give to others. But this is not necessarily supported in American society. Our culture doesn’t encourage time for reflection, leaving us with only surface-level attempts at self-care. We might indulge in a sugary, high-fat coffee treat at 3pm when our circadian rhythms encourage sleep but the demands of our lives require caffeine. We order pizza to give us a break from cooking. We devour chocolate late at night, attempting to comfort and soothe inner stress. But these are not acts of self-care; this is self-sabotage. True self care asks us to tune in, to listen deeply to what the body, mind and spirit needs in order to function at an optimum level which can only be determined by you.
Creating a Self-Care Routine is simple and only takes a little bit of time to tune in and connect with your personal needs. Set aside 20-30 minutes to consider what has been happening with your energy level. Have you felt tired and sluggish? Do life and its demands leave you feeling overwhelmed? Has your Inner Critic wreaked havoc on your attempts to create healthy boundaries? Time to take the wheel and set Intention for Self Care.
Step 1: Evaluate. Personal assessment requires truth and respect. It is vital to check in with how you truly feel and do your best to respect what your energy level is trying to tell you. Where is all your energy going? Are there people or situations that drain you, that you know are not good for you but you feel obligated to engage? What is your desired state of being? Observe what your body wisdom is saying to you and journal your findings. Do your best not to talk yourself out of what you feel or what you know to be true.
Step 2: Claim Your Energetic Field. The magnetic field of the human heart extends 8 feet in diameter around the physical body. This means that your energetic field is constantly mixing with multiple energy fields everywhere you go. Personal relationships create energetic cords between us and those we care about and can be potentially draining if left unattended. Consciously pull all your energy from all people and places and bring it into your heart center. Breathe, expanding your body with the light of your own energy. Make sure that you are in your body and seal your energy field in light, imagining that you are able to contain your pure soul essence and nothing else in your secure field.
Step 3: Establish a Resonant Field. I see creating a Resonant Field as holding space for the spirit within the person to shine through. This process used to be automatic, but as humanity became more disconnected from nature, Source and the Source Self (Higher Self), the ego has taken over, creating disharmony and confusion. Simply nurture your spirit, listen to your heart and let go of the “monkey mind” to get a sense of your own Resonant Field.
Step 4: Know Your Triggers. What takes you out of alignment? Are there certain foods or substances? The news? Family members? Co-workers? Inner self judgment and thoughts of “not good enough”? Identifying what throws you out of your Resonant Field will help you quickly re-align when you are triggered internally or externally.
Step 5: Create a Self-Care Action Plan. You know what you need in order to function in the world. Take some time and journal your specific needs. Include rest, exercise, food choices, supplements, spiritual nourishment such as meditation or Full Moon circles, emotional connections with friends, art, music...Have fun with it! A great place to start is with the Donna Eden Energy Medicine 5-Minute Daily Routine. These simple techniques support the body’s flow of energy along meridians, the neurolymphatic system and keep our energies from getting scrambled and confused.
Step 6: Return to Your Resonant Field. You will be pulled off center but with daily care, it will become easier to return to your Resonant Field and it will continue to strengthen with practice.
The best thing we can do for ourselves, those we care about and the consciousness of this planet is to stay in alignment with our Higher Selves and with the Divine Source. A strong Self-Care Routine supports that alignment and has the potential to create a new reality of Heaven on Earth!
Evolving Magazine
Kansas City
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Kim Macy is a Priestess of the Goddess trained in Shamanic practices and Native American healing & ceremony. She works as an intuitive Spiritual Counselor, Healer, Teacher and Spiritual Guide, actively supporting people with spiritual journeys and awakenings. You may reach her at Kim@KimMacy.com or (816) 510-4391. More info at www.KimMacy.com/blog.