KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Sam Bennett

Here’s an example of the kind of letter I frequently receive from my clients: "I know what I need to do, I just can’t make myself do it. I watch endless YouTube videos, I play computer solitaire, I fool around on Facebook — I even scrub my kitchen floors — all just to avoid the work that I know is my destiny. I get so mad at myself. Am I chasing a shadow goal? What do I do?" — Elizabeth

Here’s what I would say to Elizabeth, and to you, since chances are fairly high you are dealing with the same concerns:

"Rest easy, honey — you are merely suffering from a biological imperative called 'displacement activity.'" Displacement activity is what happens when an animal is in the grip of two conflicting instincts, and so it enacts a third, seemingly inappropriate behavior.

For example, you’ve probably seen a chimpanzee being challenged by another chimpanzee. When the first chimp doesn’t know whether to run away or fight, he might scratch his head...yawn...look away...start grooming himself. Seems like a very passive response to aggression, but that chimp will do anything to deflect the energy, avoid making a decision, and otherwise make himself as invisible as possible.

When you have the instinct to create and you simultaneously have the instinct not to create, your fear says, “Don’t do it!” And so, confused by these two equally strong instincts, you shut down and get stuck playing an online word game for hours on end.
Sometimes years.

It doesn’t mean you have low self-esteem, and it doesn’t mean your dream is impossible, and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re lazy. So the next time this happens, just recognize the dynamic without yelling at yourself. “Ah,” you might say instead, “I appear to be having the instinct to create something. And I also find myself feeling afraid of what will happen if I create that thing. Perfectly natural. But my fear does not get to make my decisions for me. So I will now set my kitchen timer for fifteen minutes and just play around with my creative idea in a light, fun, beta-testing sort of a way and then see what happens.” And that’s what it’s all about — giving you the loving encouragement you need to move forward. And maybe a little loving thwack upside the head.

Here’s a good shorthand tip: If you have lots and lots of ideas, you may want to pick one using the same method some people use to pay off their credit cards. That is, either pick the one that’s closest to being done and finish that one, or pick the one that has the highest “interest” rate and finish that one.

Fifty years from now, the details that you are worrying about will not matter one whit. But the art you create, the novel you write, the doll you sew, the dance you perform, the photograph you take — that will still be making a difference in the world.

Action Step
As your first step to action, spend fifteen minutes right now playing around with your favorite project. Once you get started, you'll find yourself compelled to continue!

From the book Get It Done by Sam Bennett. Copyright © 2014 by Samantha Bennett. Reprinted with permission from New World Library. www.NewWorldLibrary.com

Sam Bennett worked at the renowned Second City Theatre in Chicago alongside comics Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert. In addition to her multifaceted writing and performance work, she specializes in personal branding and career strategies. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Her website is TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com

The other night, I awoke with a start because I sensed a presence in the room. When I opened my eyes, I was extremely startled to see a face hovering in the air above me. The face looked like a Native American man and his expression and manner seemed to suggest he was just looking at me with calm curiosity. When I was startled, he seemed just as surprised as I was and then he was gone. What in the world was this?

Brian

Susyn:

It seems you had an up-close-and-personal experience with one of your spirit guides. We rarely catch a glimpse of these special souls, but when we do, it's usually to confirm that they are watching over us. Sometimes spirit guides will show themselves when they have a special message to share with us. However, based on the fact that he appeared as startled as you were, I am betting that he did not realize he would be visible to you.

Our spirit guides are always near us, for they travel next to us in a parallel dimension. Most people have between three and seven personal spirit guides or guardian angels. We may have known some of them in this lifetime, such as loved ones who have passed away. Others are entities who have traveled with us for lifetimes and are committed to guiding us on our journeys.

Many people have Native American spirit guides. They are here to look over us and offer us the calm, stoic determination that helps us move through difficult or challenging times. Your impression that he had a curious look on his face might lead you to believe that he was a stranger to you, but my sense is that he was studying you in your sleep to see how you were doing.

If you were under any stress or pressure during the time this happened, he may have appeared to you as a reminder that you are always protected.

Spirit guides can be shy about showing themselves, so they often disappear suddenly upon discovery. Had this been a random or harmful entity, you may have had additional interaction. One way to determine the nature of this entity is to evaluate how you felt after the experience. Fear is a sign of negative energy. Since it sounds like you were more surprised than anything else, I think it's safe to assume that this spirit was benevolent.

There are a ways you can get additional information about the apparition you encountered. You could have a psychic reading to learn more about who he is and whether or not you knew him in a previous lifetime. You might also want to research historical records to see if your house was built on land that was once inhabited by Native Americans.

Once you discover the origin of this spirit, you may want to perform a guided meditation to see if you can call him back and get to know him a little better. The ideal way to start a meditation like this is to write down your experience in detail and then sit quietly as you visualize the figure you saw. This can draw the Native American spirit you saw near so you can interact with him in a more conscious way.

*****

Oceania:

You have been visited by a spirit guide. This nurturer and protector made his presence known because you were ready to perceive and receive him. It is time to expand your consciousness. Your guide revealing himself was an invitation to you to build a connection with him. To begin, choose a name for him that is meaningful to you, and invite his ongoing presence in your life.

His face hovering over yours was suggestive of a mirror. He is not only your guide but a reflection of your higher self. To explore his philosophical and spiritual traditions, you might begin by reading the Native American 10 Commandments. These traditions revere the rhythms of nature and focus on the interconnectedness of all life. They coincide with the views of St. Francis of Assisi, who called the earth his mother, the moon and the stars his sisters, the wind and the fire his brothers.

Release your ego and humbly see yourself as a part of the whole. Release the pervasive consumerism and materialism of American life and learn more about social movements that reclaim unity with nature. It's time for you to go green. Explore veganism, energy conservation, and the voluntary simplicity movement, which promotes a lifestyle that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich.

Consciously sort out what is important to you. Intentionally eliminate or minimize anyone, anything, and any activity that causes you stress, while maximizing those that bring you balance, serenity and joy. Create rituals of appreciation. Create an altar with natural objects. Light a smudge stick and purify the energy of your home.

Native American tradition views animals as healers and teachers. Explore the Animal Medicine Cards and discover which lessons the animals in your life are offering you.

Face the East where the sun rises and contemplate reawakenings, new beginnings and illumination; feel and know the energy of springtime. Face the South where the sun reaches its peak and embrace your personal power to create and to thrive. Feel and know the energy of summer. Face the West where the sun sets and experience the energies of slowing down, releasing and letting go. Feel and know the energy of autumn. Face the North and appreciate the gifts of rest, dreams and reflection. Feel and know the energy of winter.

Open an ongoing dialogue with your newfound spirit guide. Ask questions and listen for answers. Feel his steadfast loving presence and receive his wisdom. Welcome him into your world as you venture into his.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.