Even the most well-intentioned energy workers, coaches, and spiritual practitioners can harm their clients if they don’t understand trauma. Here’s a personal story about how an energy worker harmed me.
The wellness-to-white supremacy pipeline – aka the crunchy-to-alt-right pipeline – may be something you heard of. This describes the pattern of indoctrination of people within the wellness world into the alt-right. Today, I’m going to show you how New Agers are uniquely susceptible to it, which might explain why so many fall for conspiracy theories and become born-again Christians.
The New Age obsession with wealth manifestation and abundance is helping to destroy the planet. If by ascension, you meant mass extinction, then yeah. That light work is workin’ it alright.
Full transparency: This is a really long read, but it’s going to completely change the way you view reality. *shrug* Learn about social constructs and how they’re deeply connected with metaphysics and spirituality.
The answer to this one might surprise you.
Question submission: “Do you have experience with how different prices could affect the “energy coming through” in a session? Higher price=more flow, easier to connect with divine? Higher doesn’t mean to say unethical pricing. Just interested in your experience/opinion.”
Question from a reader: How do we do this shadow work? I’m am aware of plenty of traumas in my past but I struggle to break the habits and patterns I have developed. Are there any tips or advice on where to begin? Journaling? Specific meditations? I’ve read a lot on your site and I really enjoy your ability to cut through the bullshit, while holding to the mysticism. You talk a lot about shadow work, but where do we start?
Question submission: “Do you believe that you can deeply feel when you are in the presence of a genuinely bad person? And if so, how is that something you can explain without sounding crazy to others? Sorry to just jump in your DMs. I’m just sitting on this really hard today and I have a feeling that you maybe know this feeling too.”
It’s important that we recognize when and how systems of oppression and classism show up in our community and in our own spiritual and business practices. Here’s a few ways that may be happening and what you can do about it.
For those in the know, “spiritual ego” is quite rampant in the spiritual community. The more mainstream spirituality has become in the west, the more it has been influenced by individualistic Western cultural values, resulting in what social science has now termed spiritual narcissism.
I reference individualism frequently in my posts and point to it as one of the underlying problems with Western spirituality. I wanted to take some time to do a deeper dive on this so everyone understands what I’m talking about.
A common misconception that many spiritual people have is that spirituality tells us that we each create our own reality. What many often don’t realize, however, is that reality isn’t what is subjective –– your experience of it is what is subjective. The personal beliefs and opinions formed by those experiences are may not be valid, particularly compared to someone else’s.
I’ve noticed that a lot of people have been led to believe that health is something that is equally attainable to anyone who simply chooses it. Today I’m talking about why this is a misconception that has been inceptioned into your brain by a $4.3 Trillion industry that needs you to believe it in order to get you to pay the unfairly high prices they are asking.
You might think spirituality is supposed to be void of cultural programming. After all, it’s supposed to push us to question all of those things. But does it, really? Especially when it comes to the Divine Masculine and Feminine, patriarchy seeps in. Here’s how to identify it.
I made a post on Instagram last week about ableism and spirituality which has sparked some conversations that further demonstrate how ableism is so deeply embedded in our beliefs and culture. I’m going to really dig into this today and ask you to critically examine some of your own spiritually-based beliefs and biases.
Spirituality and holistic wellness is supposed to be about the mind, body, and spirit, but a lot of toxic, ungrounded spirituality completely ignores the entire body part and only focuses on the mind or the spirit. Here’s how to discern whether or not a spiritual teacher/teaching is disembodied (and thus, not holistic).
I talk about narcissism a lot and in varying ways, and I see it spoken about with a lack of important context online, so I wanted to make sure that everyone understands it all appropriately. Here’s what you need to know.
Spiritual professions are an area ripe for manipulation due to the lack of structure, cohesion in teachings, no governing body to regulate them, and a host of wide-eyed people in pain seeking answers from gurus. Here’s some tips on identifying patterns of behavior from a narcissist disguised as a “light worker.”
What if I told you that we don’t incarnate on earth to learn lessons, we don’t make contracts with other souls to experience abuse, and that we’re not here to suffer? How would you react?
Toxic spirituality is mired in spiritual narcissism. As such, many of us experience symptoms of narcissistic abuse under the guise of spiritual teachings. Gaslighting is a spiritual abuse tactic used to keep followers under the thumb of narcissistic cult leaders. Here’s how it’s subtly affected you.
Not all spirituality is helpful or healthy spirituality. Trauma-informed spirituality is where we need to go in our attempts to leave behind toxic spirituality. Here’s what that is, and how to identify it.
Are you living your life from an either/or perspecitve? Or a yes/and perspective?
The concept of victim consciousness gets thrown around by New Agers a lot as this motivation for every single person needing to take 100% personal responsibility for everything that happens to them, but this label gets thrown at the wrong people most of the time and I’m going to tell you why.
Do humans truly truly have free will? Don’t be an April fool.
Question from a reader: “How do you balance masculine and feminine energies?”
The flip side of spiritual narcissism is spiritual codependency. Do you think you’re responsible for manifesting all of the shit people and situations that have come into your life? It might be time to reexamine that frame of mind.
Fear gets a bad rap in New Age spirituality. I’m here to argue that certain, very obvious kinds of fear need to fuck off, but other kinds of fear are actually quite helpful in helping you determine where your edges are.
You’ll find a lot of wildly popular information on the internet talking about the relationship between narcissists and empaths, and how these two polar opposites ends up attracting each other. Surprise! They don’t. Here’s why.
Are you actually setting boundaries? Or are you using spiritual concepts to avoid accountability and having to face your own cognitive dissonance? Let’s discuss.
Digging into cancel culture, racism, sexism, bias, and bigotry today. Oh my! As well as what these all have to do with spirituality.
Spirituality and mental illness have a complex relationship. My goal today is to talk about mental illness within the spiritual community in a way that can help those of you reading this recognize just how pervasive it is in the spiritual community and help you identify spiritual people–psychics, channels, influencers, whomever–suffering from mental illness, all the while without stigmatizing it.
I’ve been receiving a lot of comments on my posts lately from people within the spiritual community and outside of it all saying the same thing: “I don’t understand how people got from spirituality to QAnon.” Hold my beer, I’m gonna draw you a diagram…
One of the main goals of spirituality is to move away from separation consciousness and ascend by achieving unity consciousness, but separation consciousness has infiltrated spirituality (!). Are you unknowingly embodying separation consciousness in the name of spirituality?
The time has come for the spiritual community to confront its own shadow.
Learn how to identify people who’ve placed themselves in positions of power and authority who perhaps have no business being there.
You can’t be anti-science AND be spiritual. Here’s why.
For a community that is supposed to be focused on love, light, and healing, New Agers have invented and contributed to some of the most toxic, harmful, bullshit ideologies on the planet, and nine times out of ten, the Law of Attraction is behind it. Here’s what everybody gets wrong about LOA.
I talk about shadow work all the time on social media. I’ve had a few people ask me questions about what the shadow is, what shadow work involves, and express an interest in learning more, so I’ve revamped an old post to provide a better explanation, as well as make a connection between spirituality and psychology that I think is often overlooked or misunderstood in the spiritual community.
There’s five people we all meet on our spiritual journey that we wish we hadn’t. Here’s who they are, how to spot them, why you should avoid them.
One thing we all look for on our spiritual path is signs. Signs help guide us, give us validation, and simply give us hints that there’s more to reality than meets the eye. We call those signs “synchronicities.” But is it really synchronicity? Or is it something else?
I originally wrote the first half of this post in 2015, but I came across something on Facebook last night that reminded me of it and I had some additional thoughts to add. The phrase “Speak your truth” comes with a couple of important caveats. I’m diving into a new one in the second half of this post.
I don’t talk about manifesting a lot, even though it’s all the rage. Here’s why.
The concept of credibility came up in my post on critical thinking and spirituality yesterday. I think part of our issue today with all of the misinformation floating around is that a lot of people don’t really understand what credibility means. Today I’m going to give you a rundown of what makes someone credible in the realms of science and journalism, and how to apply that to spirituality.
It’s time to talk about toxic spiritual concepts and its contribution to victim shaming and the enabling of abusive dynamics.
All of the world’s problems (and yours) come down to this.
This post might make you uncomfortable. Can you sit with that discomfort long enough to figure out where it’s coming from? Let’s find out.
Well hello, friends. It’s been a long time. Given the state of affairs in the world today (global pandemic and crumbling economic system), it would seem the universe is putting out the call to lightworkers: All hands on deck. This is the moment you’ve been preparing for. So, here I am. Springing out of retirement to hold the lines. Here’s what this mess means for us as a global community, astrologically speaking.
Reflections and ruminations about self-destructive behavioral patterns and how they affect interpersonal relationships, particularly those of a romantic nature.
Learn about different types of psychic abilities and the breakdown of predominant clairs, how people use various psychic modalities, and more.
Can you “hear” spirit even if you’re hearing impaired?
Surprise! You get a Saturday post because Ash is fired the fuck up. Get ready for an earful of F bombs and a whole lot of “Fuck off!”
A quick life update and answering a question from a reader about her psychic abilities.
If we’re all one, how can we have boundaries? And why should we?
Question from a reader:
“I have asked you this already when I was wondering how to know when was your mind talking and when your intuition. I finally discovered that I can be receiving a lot of information, but I could be blocking it. How can I start believing that what I feel is actually information from them?”
There’s a dangerous kind of thinking perpetuating the New Age community from all sides. Bullshit New Age content farms are hocking over simplified clickbait social media content on a daily basis leading people into an ideology that keeps them locked in a low-level conscious state. Here’s how to spot it.
Question from a reader:
“How do I listen to my guides? I know they are there…I feel them & I see synchronicity. So how do I listen?”
Question from a reader: “How can I tell the difference between my guides or intuition and my mind? Sometimes I’m thinking and it appears as a thought, but I cannot recognize when it is me and when it is them.”
Question from a reader: “I’ve been considering writing a blog for over 5 years. One of the largest questions I ask is: what makes what I have to say so special that warrants a blog. This concern feels like what you describe as the (spiritual) “ego” but I’m also curious about the role of the ego in terms of how society/pop culture use the term. So my question is: what is the role/relationship of (pop culture) ego with (spiritual) ego?”
Question from a reader:
“How do you know if it’s your loved one talking to you, or your subconscious?”
Just because you’re a healer doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice yourself. Don’t let others tell you otherwise… plus – another Woo Woo Wine Night: Intro to Tarot has been added. Sign up while you still can!
Question from a reader:
“Hey Ashley! I’ve been reading about manifestation a lot and how our fundamental/subconscious beliefs draw experiences to us. After realizing what we subconsciously believe, what’s the best way to change it? For example, I’m realizing I’ve always believed that God won’t give me the things I want–I’ve entwined “struggle” with God’s will. Is it best to work “top down” with mantras? Or is there another way?”
Meditation allows us to reach alpha state most often, and theta state in the most practiced meditators. Each of these states produce a different kind of intuitive experience and allow us to access different levels of our multidimensional self. I find that most novices don’t realize that there are different types of meditation and each type lends itself to an entirely different purpose.
Question from a reader: “Since I was 5 I have intuitively known things that others did not. My parents who would say, “No honey that won’t happen because of xyz.” and then it would happen… they were puzzled and confused. They realized I had a gift of some sort and eventually would even ask me questions. I carried this gift as an adult to my career of being a police officer/detective. How can you explain this feeling of knowing and additionally I would like to try and better develop my skills. What and how can I do this?”
“I am a bit confused about personality and soul. I understand about being in alignment and think I can feel when I am in it. However I am not sure if this is because I am in alignment with my personality or soul. If I live not in balance with my personality, I am soon aware that I don’t feel in alignment, but I thought that our personalities are just cloaks for our souls? Rarely do I feel urge to do something which I wouldn’t ordinarily do and wondered if this is soul overriding personality?”
The last couple of posts have talked about out of body experiences and astral projection as it pertains to our individual experiences. Today I’m going to talk about something similar but a little bit different – dream walking.
Dream walking is when you enter the dreams of others, or when they enter your dreams. Some may also experience this as a shared dream.
With astral projection, you can also be lucid, or totally unconscious, or somewhere in between but you’re usually not fully in this dimension. What I mean by that is, with an OBE, everything around you looks the same as it does when you’re in your body. With Astral projection, it typically doesn’t, if you’re even “here” at all.
I’m a little bit surprised that I’ve had this blog for over two years now and I’ve yet to write a post about or even receive a question submission regarding out of body experiences and/or astral projection – thought I know that we’ve discussed it a few times in various groups here and there.
More people have experienced OBEs than you’d ever think, and to be honest, all of you astral project pretty much every single night. You just don’t usually remember it.
Question from a reader: “My abilities come and go and are very few and far between. I don’t have the ability to sense, I only have the ability to see and hear. Why does it come and go and why is it not consistent?”
Question from a reader: “I was recently informed that I was a medium. I want to enhance my gift to be able to help others. I have tried meditation to help myself embrace my gift but I can’t stay focused long enough to concentrate. What would you suggest I do? I would really love to embrace this gift. What are other methods that I can try? Also how can I tell the difference if it’s just my imagination or it’s a message or someone trying to contact me?”
This is definitely one of the more hotly debated topics I’ve seen here and there. Should people be expected to pay for a psychic service or healing? Read on…
I feel very much like I live feeling everyone is part of myself. However I seem to always have abusive people involved in my life. How can I improve my situation? So far only my faith in God is keeping me strong but there are only so many roads we can travel.
Did you know that numerology, astrology, dream interpretation, tarot and palmistry are all connected? A lot of times when you learn about these things independently, you may miss the ways they all intersect. Learn more about archetypes in today’s blog post.
Question from a reader: “I had a reading in which I talked to my higher self. At the time I really needed some serious advice and probably still do. What I got from my higher self was something I didn’t think was even close to being as important as the the things I really needed advice on or answers to. My question is why your higher self, when given the chance to give some serious answers or advice, would choose to pick a topic on something which I thought was sort of trivial in comparison to what I really wanted advice or guidance on?”
Question from a reader:
“What does channeling feel like? Do you hear the spirits’ voices? Are you able to see them? How do you know that the ideas (if they communicate with thought) are really them and not something made up unconsciously by your mind?”
When attempting to develop psychic abilities, contact guides or deceased loved ones, attitude is everything. It is what will make or break your attempts at getting in touch with the other side. There are a few foundational things that you need to internalize, and one of the biggest is ATTITUDE.
A lot of people who read this probably won’t like what I’m about to say, but to me, the entire concept is bunk. It’s just a label. And many times I see people using it as a way to puff up their ego and feel important, or they took a quiz on the internet that told them they were even though the “signs” are so vague they could literally apply to billions of people.
Question from a reader: “The local medium in my ghost hunters group always takes over the conversation and everything is about her. I have come to her for private classes where we talk about my life and what lessons I want to learn for five minutes then she asks me to help her organize her house! Lately, I have caught her on three different occasions taking credit on things I received on investigations with our ghost hunting team. She has gathered some more “followers” and they all seem to be in “awe” of her. Have you ever encountered someone like this in your life?”
If you’re like me, you’re taking a few days off around the holidays and you’re probably going to be looking forward to doing a little Netflix and chill after the fam heads out of town. If that be the case, here’s a few documentaries you might want to check out, personally viewed, approved, and highly recommended by me.
I’m sure many of you have had experiences where you’ve come across a spiritual teacher who just didn’t resonate with you, or perhaps you had a psychic reading from someone that just didn’t feel quite right. In those times, we often doubt ourselves, because we’re still placing our faith in things and people outside of ourselves. But it’s of the utmost importance to trust your instincts.
In a post earlier this week, I discussed the differences between telepathy and channeling and promised that I’d write another post discussing telepathy more in-depth…and here it is.
Question from a reader:
“I’m interested in the idea of channeling for those still living in the physical realm. Even possible? Such as those who are non-verbal due to autism, stroke, Alzheimer’s and dementia, coma, etc.”
You hear a lot of talk about boundaries. “Set boundaries.” “Uphold boundaries.” “Don’t overstep boundaries.” But what exactly does that mean and what does it look like?
Everybody thinks of “the shift” or “Ascension” or whatever the fuck you want to label it – they think it’s going to change the world. It’s not.
Actual narcissistic personality disorder is one of the most misunderstood disorders by the general public and often confused with simply being ego-centric, which is not considered a disorder.
It’s really hard to see clearly when there’s a yucky film on your glasses. It’s really hard to hear someone clearly when there’s a ton of background noise. It’s really hard to talk when you have a sore throat. All of these things get in the way of your ability to clearly communicate. So what’s getting in the way of your ability to communicate with spirit?
A person lives in a fear-based belief system when they have not yet remembered who they really are and still cling to fearful beliefs and perceptions. When they have not yet realized that everything in their world is love, and the only thing that makes it appear as fear is their limited understanding of it.
You may have never realized that you have altars all around your house already, you just never thought of them that way. That photo wall dedicated to your family that hangs above your couch? That’s an altar. The photos represent the members of your family and the couch is the place where you come together. Your desk? The notepad that’s always sitting there, the pens in the cup, the little inspiration quote you have framed there that you look at every day? That’s an altar. Your sacred space. Now you’re suddenly thinking about your home decor in a whole new way.
Learn how to identify some of the most deeply rooted belief systems and societal programming.
Question from a reader: “I struggle with noticing synchronicities; rather, I struggle with an internal dialog of feeling nuts when I notice synchronicity. Banish fear, sure. But there’s a difference between discernment and neurosis. I guess that’s a good description of the elements at play…”
Question from a reader: “Before my great nan died, whenever the phone rang early in the morning every time I was with my dad my stomach dropped. The last Christmas we had with her, I asked my cousin do you think this will be our last Christmas with nan? And he said no, but I said yes it will be. Then the day she died I was at my dad’s house and the phone rang early in the morning. Somehow I knew. I’m still confused how I was going to find out. Does this mean I have a little bit of a physic ability or just a one timer sixth sense?”
Question from a reader:
“Why do some people possess spiritual gifts right from childhood whereas others have to develop it? What is the mechanism to develop any psychic ability one prefers and how long does it take for anyone to develop and master it? Is it possible that anyone can develop any psychic ability?”
Question from a reader:
“When it comes to spirit guides, is there anyway that we can learn how to determine who is giving us the help when we don’t easily know?”
Last week I wrote the first post in this series on attitude’s role in contacting your spirit guides. This week in How to Contact your Spirit Guides: Part 2, we’re going to talk about tactics.
Last week I wrote about five ways to start recognizing your intuition while it’s happening so that you can better know when it’s talking to you in the future.
Being able to recognize the feelings associated with intuition is first step in working toward discernment and development of those abilities which we all possess. Today I’m going to give you a few tips for helping those abilities to flourish!
Many times I’ve heard my husband say, “I don’t have a psychic bone in my body.” He claims that he’s never experienced a single intuitive episode in his entire life.
How much of that do you think is simply because he believes it?
I think we have a tendency to just assume that simply because a person has the ability to connect with the other side, they must also have a direct line to get all the answers they’ve ever wanted or needed and therefore, they must surely be highly spiritually evolved people. That’s just not accurate.
Are you wondering how to choose a psychic for your firs treading? The first thing you should do is ask yourself what you intend to get out of your reading. Are you looking for advice on a life situation? Spiritual guidance? Do you want to make contact with a deceased loved one or know about your past lives? Or meet your spirit guides?
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