Hey little lights,
I have been trying to sort out this post in my head and as with most things I do, sometimes I just need to get to writing and put it out there. Spirituality is a HUGE part of my life and who I am in general. Being connected in this way has been quite the adventure and I've done a lot of work to figure it out for myself too. Unfortunately we are taught from a young age to not talk about our religion/spiritual beliefs because it causes conflict or something?! I actually don't know why. Maybe instead it would be better to teach young people how to have a civil conversation and to embrace diversity but hey, that's just my opinion. So because of these things I have been hesitant to share my own practices with others. Until recently. I'd say for this year I have been sharing more and more of myself and that includes spirituality. I like to talk to people about what they believe because I think that at the core of every religion or practice there is this golden rule of love. Love for oneself and the other creatures we inhabit the Earth with. This also leads into my job as an energy healer/reader. If you listen to the podcast I have with my friend Yukon, I talk the most about it there but if you don't well first, subscribe to Thesunsquadpodcast on apple podcasts and leave us a review and second keep reading as I attempt to lay it all out.
On a previous post about sex I wrote about how after grade one I was transferred from public to Catholic school and finished my education in that school system. My mom is Spanish and that meant for most of her life she grew up in a religious home and when I was younger, even in public school, she would take us to church on Sunday and that was just part of something we did. Oddly enough none of us were baptized and religion wasn't forced on us. My parents wanted to give us the choice and as we got older and asked questions or wanted to look into other things they were fine with that. I was put into a Catholic school because of location and timing and overall it was a good experience. I don't necessarily identify with all their teachings now but it was a decent start. I was interested in religion class a fair bit and as I got older I found it a place where I could open my heart and mind to things. I prayed quite a bit in my own time but I will say that one thing that confused me was that some of my religion teachers spoke of a higher power who was spiteful. If you didn't follow the rules then they would be mad and it would show up in your life. I did not believe in an unloving God because I feel like that defeats their purpose. Of course when something would go wrong I'd pray harder and ask for forgiveness though, just in case. There are a lot of things I didn't do because I thought I'd be punished for them.
After high school I was still occasionally praying and thinking about it but it was not a strong practice. I kept thinking about it and it didn't really become a big question until I started unravelling my sexuality. Was God or my higher power going to hate me?!!! I didn't think so but it crossed my mind. How could it not? Some people make it their job to tell others they are going to hell for their sexual preferences and that is a whole other thing to unpack. That happened for a brief moment because I was really blessed to be surrounded by other queer people, some of who were spiritual/religious and that made a huge difference. I stayed here and there in prayer for the rest of my post secondary years, only connecting with myself and higher power during yoga and in the occasional moment. The past year and a half were a bit different. I had my old curiosity come up and I started meditating for my anxiety and less for a spiritual practice. Although when I meditate I can physically feel the expansion of myself in the universe and I know there is so much more to this life. I didn't pay much attention until I got sick. Many people turn to their faith in times of crisis or pain and that is exactly what I did. When I got my ulcer pain I felt fear. The same fear you get when you are on your own and you know it. I remember one night I was laying in bed and I felt the pain again. I was newly off my medication and I thought all was in the clear but that night made it very clear there was more going on. As I was laying on my side, afraid that any movement would make things worse, I cried my eyes out. I wanted to be done. Being in pain like that was so tiring and as I stared at my wall I repeated a mantra that I had been playing with for my anxiety. I repeated "I trust and I allow" until I fell asleep finally. The book I was reading had told me to surrender, to let go of what I wanted or thought I wanted and let it happen. That became my practice and is still something I practice. I started using affirmations more often and doing things that helped me feel connected to my spiritual self.
Fast forward to this past December when I went to my first Reiki appointment and it changed my entire world. Reiki is a healing technique that is described as the channeling of energy (the Japanese call this life force energy) into the client via the practitioner. This is carried out by means of the practitioner laying their hands on the client. It's used to treat various mental and physical illnesses. The life force energy mentioned above flows through the person receiving treatment and clears any energetic blocks that may be there allowing positive energy to surround them and give a sense of clarity. I was referred to my practitioner by my best friend and since then I have been in love. My visit was warm and exactly what I needed to help my mind and body start to heal. Through the next couple of visits after that my practitioner and I were talking about one of my callings to be an energy healer as well. I had no idea what that looked like or what it meant really but as I looked into Reiki and chakra clearing I knew I wanted to work on it. Once I opened up to my own sense of spirituality I was able to hear my higher powers voice more clearly.
The coolest part about all this is the fact that I am able to help people in a way that I did not expect. I'm an energy reader/healer and it fills my heart up so much! You could be reading this and wondering what a session with me looks like so let me tell ya. When someone first comes into a session I like to talk to them a bit about what brought them my way and if there is anything specific they would like to look at. After little chat I have them lay down and take some nice deep breaths. This gives me some time to get ready and also for me to connect with their energy. I work hands on so through the session I place my hands on certain energy points in the body that need clearing to allow for good flow and then whatever comes up during that time I talk to the client about it. We all hold feelings inside our bodies and "muscle memory" is very much a real thing. At times these stored emotions will come up during a session and whoever I'm working with will release it in laughter or tears which is an amazing thing to witness. Of course not everyone has those reactions but we are all different and that's what makes my job so great!
I am always learning more things to improve my work and to better serve other people and I want to share it with you! If you have any questions go ahead and message me on Instagram or send me a message through my contact page here! If you'd like to book a session you can book online here on the blog and we'll get the party started.
Love and Light,
Sahara