Monday, March 30, 2009

Theta Brainwave Entrainment

A few weeks ago, I purchased the Neuro-Programmer 2 software after reading the website www.4mind4life.com/blog/ and other resources that I have been discovering. I am very impressed with the functionality and options in this program. I have been using the 50 min Theta Alternating Hypnotic Deep Relax session with a brief introductory script to help me relax. After using this for a few times, I can skip the relaxation script.

My theta experiences may have been "tainted" with the experiences that I have had over the last few weekends. I learned Quantum Touch, became an Adept with the Rocky Mountain Mystery School, received my Reiki Level II attunement, and attended a Barbara Brennan Fundamentals workshop. Each of these experiences have helped me learn how to "run energy" and/or increased my capacity to hold more energy over matter. On the other hand, I feel that the theta brainwave entrainment helped me experience these weekends at a deeper level. Here are some changes that I noticed overall.

Sleeping - I am much more active in my dreams and sleeping much lighter which suggests that I am spending more sleeping time in theta. Prior to using this program, I was a pretty sound sleeper and it was typical for me to sleep through the night. Now, I often wake every 45 to 90 minutes and am a bit more tired in the morning. When I was sleeping deeper, I would wake up very fresh and ready for the day.

Dreaming - As I mentioned, I am dreaming more often and thankfully not nightmares or weird dreams. They have seemed rather normal and often relate to what I experienced the day before.

Mental State - I have noticed that I feel much more "even" and peaceful and loving it! I only remember once having a "cranky pants" moment since I started using this programmer (although in all fairness I ought to confirm that with my hubby!) I seem to take a lot more things in stride and feel much happier all around. My thinking has slowed down but not at a pace that it has caused me any concern. My thoughts are clearer and my ability to stay in the present moment is easier to maintain.

Meditation - It is much easier for me to slip into a meditation state, although I do have "monkey mind" from time to time. In some meditations, I drift off not into sleep but it feels like awake dreaming. I am semi conscious but I am clearly off somewhere else and not fully present to the room. I have also had a much easier time visualizing and downloading messages from my guides. My meditations have felt much more relaxing and productive.

A few weeks ago, I was on mission to create some meditations for myself. I used some content from Nikki Cobb's "Your Divine Heritage" book which explains how to access our Higher Self states of consciousness. I used music that was specifically designed for theta wave states from Dr. Jeffery Thompson or Reiki music. I also used the theta brainwave entrainment sounds underlying the tracks to encourage theta waves. I have asked a few friends to try these meditations and provide feedback. If you are interested, please contact me and I can arrange to send you copies. I will use your feedback to create a final version.

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Adept Initiation and Reiki Level II Attunement

I am going to write on the brainwave experiences next and first share my experiences from the last two weeks.

A week ago last Saturday, I became an Adept in the Rocky Mountain Mystery School. This Mystery School is one of seven and the only one that is public. My friend Pat initiated me at her horse farm in Whitehouse Station NJ. This ceremony enables me to hold 10x more light energy. I had received the King Solomon healing and a DNA activation from Pat last year which helped me "Clear and Connect" and prepare for this day. The work of the Adept is to clear the negative ego. The next steps are to become a Teacher, and if selected, a Master.

In energy work, we focus on increasing energy over matter which helps to facilitate a person's own healing. Through learning, maturity, initiations and experiences we can all increase energy over matter which enables us to live our lives in more harmony. The overall vibration of the planet is increasing and it is up to us to do our part by paying attention to our own level of vibration. This initiation is part of my journey and it truly felt like a second Baptism. Throughout the ceremony I had feelings of light, love, peace and serenity that I have never felt before. I simply knew that I was in the right place at the right time and this experience was as natural as breathing. I am grateful to Pat for her loving service and the opportunity to be together that day.

Last Saturday, five others and I gathered at the Innergize studio in Colt's Neck to receive our Reiki II attunement from Suzanne. She did a great job of taking us through the symbols and educating us on the finer points of Reiki.

The purpose of the attunement is to receive the symbols and activate them for each one of us. The symbols are sacred and are to be shared only with those who have been attuned to receive them. Some have violated this request and published them on the Internet. The reality is that unless you receive the attunement they are essentially worthless. I wonder if this is parallel to the Catholic traditions where priests receive training in the sacraments. Do they also receive an "attunement" of sorts? Is this true of other religions, too?

I will say that now having gone through these experiences, my eyes have opened much wider on the Mystery Schools and Reiki. Over the last six months I bought the William Rand materials and had gone through the King Solomon healing and now it all has much deeper meaning for me.

In the attunement, my body felt energized all over and especially in my hands. It literally felt like my energy field was opening up and a rod of light was activated through my spine and head. I also had an interesting meditation experience, and I ask that you read this all the way through.

After my attunement was finished and as Suzanne was working with the others, my hands started to slightly jerk open like a book. It felt like they were "clicking" open. As this was happening, I saw myself in a chapel in a castle during the Medieval times, in the late 1200s or the 1300s. I was kneeling and in intense prayer which had been going on for some time. To my right was someone that I knew in this lifetime - Sandy G. - who was the Mother Superior. She had a worried look on her face and it was her turn to watch over me and be with me. I was in complete rapture and looking up at the light streaming in above me. Although I had been there for hours, I had no weariness or fatigue. In this vision I looked down at my hands and I had the stigmata. At that point, Suzanne called us back into the room.

Was this a past life regression? A vision? I know it wasn't a dream because I was conscious and alert the whole time. Who knows what it really was? My takeaway is that it symbolized the importance of both days and how we use our hands and intention to be with others. Hands can provide a loving, healing touch or they can perform one of a thousand other tasks. The message that I received was to treat this work with reverence and use the gifts that we have. I am also clear that experiences do not equal enlightenment.

Since these experiences, my body has been clearing toxins and I have not been feeling 100% the last few days. I am attending a Barbara Brennan workshop this weekend which is another healing system. All of these - Quantum Touch, Barbara Brennan, Reiki, Rocky Mountain Mystery School - they all work on the level of the Universal Energy Field and the Human Energy Field which is central to the work of quantum physics. March is a pretty important month for me! I can't wait to see what is in store for April.

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Many Sides of Brainwaves

In this post, I will provide some general information on different brainwave states. In my next post, I will share how I have been working with these states.

We all have five general brainwaves that function all the time, and at any moment we have a predominant wave pattern based upon our activity level. Here are the brain waves and their characteristics, and are ordered in the most frequent patterns that we usually experience:


Beta - Active and alert, thinking, analyzing, applying logic, organizing; "high" beta is experienced as stressful

Alpha - Relaxed, calm, awake, conscious; positive frame of mind, stillness. It is also the period immediately before sleep

Theta - Dreaming stage of sleep. Also experienced as “flow”, “synchronicity”. Associated with advanced intuition, creativity, strong emotional connection. Typically more present in women, children, animals

Delta - Deep, restorative sleep (DHEA, melatonin) without dreams. Also associated with advanced meditation bliss

Gamma - Compassion, happiness, increased mental abilities and focus; perception of consciousness ("we are one")


In many ways, our society and culture encourage beta brain wave development, and in particular, "high" beta (stress). Some people complain that they "can't shut their brains off". Beta is not "bad", but too much of anything is not healthy. There are ways that we can encourage the development of each of these states. The optimum state is balance, and too much of one wave can cause difficulty. To help encourage the different brainwave states, here are some suggestions:

Beta - Use low frequency brainwave entrainment, take deep breaths and be "present"

Alpha - Close your eyes and look up; focus on your breath, be “present”. Meditate, daydream, use your imagination, visualize. Use brainwave entrainment

Theta - Use meditation and/or hypnosis. Participate in yoga, art, music. Use brainwave entrainment. Use creative visualization (e.g., visual scenes, scenarios). Focus on feelings of appreciation. Participate in *voluntary* exercise ("have to" exercise does not trigger theta waves); participate in a repetitive activity such as Nintendo

Delta - Get a full night of sleep. Deep meditation discipline.

Gamma - Use brainwave entrainment; associated with advanced levels of meditation; hypnosis, yoga

In coaching, we encourage our clients to "pause" many times during the day. This simple action can encourage alpha and perhaps theta states. For many roles, alpha states are strongly encouraged and is often the calm feeling that you can get from leaders, coaches, therapists, clergy, etc. Alpha states help the leader or practitioner stay clear in their thinking and emotions.

In my next post, I will share my experiences of using the NeuroProgrammer 2 program. Until next time... with much love and gratitude Mj XOXO

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Friday, March 13, 2009

Medicine and Empowerment

Years ago, I was at a cross roads to either become an MD or a PhD. I loved my anatomy and physiology class where I learned about the marvelous inner workings of our human body. I went from working at a McDonalds where people would yell at me because they had no ketchup on their hamburger to working in a hospital where I would assist people in their own healing. I loved spending time with the patients.

I looked at the medical profession and could see that much of the time and energy in this system was involved with power. Many of the doctors talked about having to hire full time staff in their practice to take care of the paperwork. HMOs were coming into vogue and there was a power struggle over getting treatments authorized and monies collected. I could see the endless turnstile of appointments when I would visit my own doctor. In the hospital there were power plays, politics and personality clashes between doctors and nurses as roles were shifting and evolving.

Some doctors were very easy to work with because they would listen and hold the best interest of the patient as the highest intention. Alas, many doctors prioritized their own expert power and needs. I looked at what it would take to become a doctor - the long hours and dedication - and decided that it was not for me. I didn't trust that I could be awoken during a 24+ hour shift and have a patient's life depend upon me having the stamina and alertness to think clearly. The thought of confronting that situation simply terrified me.

While I was working in the hospital, I also developed a mysterious skin condition. I consulted several doctors who were puzzled. It was a cross between an allergic reaction to the sun and sun poisoning. The dermatologist said "Well, it's both and neither. I'm not sure how to treat this." The net result was that I had to stay out of the sun entirely. I had put dark window film on my car windows. I would drive to work in the predawn hours, and on the way home I was thankful for cloudy days. I was confined to my own home all summer. I was thoroughly depressed.

During this time, I was also doing an internship at a hospice. One of the nurses taught us guided imagery, where our patients could use a guided meditation to help alleviate their pain and suffering. This was all new to me and I decided to give it a try. In a very crude fashion, I wrote my own script and recorded it. In the script, I would walk through a forest and feel the coolness and moisture of the morning dew and the mulch below my feet. I would walk out to a beach in full sunlight, lay down on the sand and let the cool water wash over my body. I imagined that the toxins in my body were draining from my hands and my feet.

I could not face another summer confined to my home. I faithfully used this 20 minute tape every morning. Medicine had "failed me" - I sought out the experts and they could not help me. I was taking matters into my own hands. What I didn't know is that I was claiming my own power. Sure enough, after six weeks it was completely resolved. Every day I could feel my body healing. I was my own instrument of healing.

Medicine likes to use scientific methods to determine if pills and treatments are effective. This process is important to protect us from needlessly throwing away our dollars on the proverbial "snake oil". And, they continually deal with the pesky and annoying "placebo effect". Ladies and gentlemen, the placebo effect is everything. The pill gets it power from the patient's belief that it will be effective.

I recently started learning Quantum Touch which is based upon the principles of quantum physics. I also read the book "The Intention Experiment" by Lynne McTaggart and both support each other. What I love about Quantum Touch is the core tenet that the practitioner and the client are in partnership, and both play a vital role in helping the client heal him/her self. My role is to be a catalyst for their own work. It provides me a level of engagement where I feel that I can be in service. Now my interest in medicine has come full circle.

I will say that I have friends who are doctors and nurses and I get a very different feel, thank goodness. It sounds like there is a lot more openness, teamwork and collaboration. **Yay!** In fact, I first learned about Quantum Touch from Kathy, one of these nurse friends. My own doctor is very well versed in medicine, homeopathic remedies and alternative healing modalities. Health care workers are expanding their horizons and there is much more scientific evidence to show that Qigong, Reiki and other traditional energy therapies are effective and have their place in a holistic approach. Traditional medicine and other therapies are becoming more synergistic.

The final cycle is when the money starts to change direction. Suppose you went to an eye specialist to correct your vision. Would you rather pay $2000 for lasik surgery or for the eye specialist to run energy into your eyes? Which would you rather empower? What if both were equally effective in the short and long term? Chances are we would pay more for the surgery. Isn't that a bit odd?

With much love and gratitude for our ever evolving awareness, Mj XOXO
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Monday, March 9, 2009

What IS Love, Really?

I want to honor two blog entries of a friend of mine, Gayle. I "only" know Gayle through her blog - and Gayle has a heart the size of Alaska, maybe bigger. She pours her heart into her life and into her blog posts.

Here are two loving posts that she wrote to her daughter who is coming of age in this crazy world that we live in. Wonderful advice, indeed. Pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee or tea, relax and read on....

All The Truth I Know About Love
Part Two All The Truth I Know About Love

Thank you Gayle, for the gift of yourself. You are "Big Love" Sistah!

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Saturday, March 7, 2009

The Oneness Of It All...

Today I meditated with a Dolphin meditation. The meditation encourages us to connect with the ocean and ultimately with one dolphin who takes us on a journey. We are asked to develop a question to be answered on this journey. My question was “Who am I – really?” and why am I even asking this question?

Earlier in the day, I was mulling over a tele-seminar that I was listening to on Thursday night. The speaker was teaching us how to develop a highly successful coaching business. Her advice was to “forget that spiritual and personal development stuff” during this tough economy and focus on coaching executives to get results or focus on career coaching if I am to be successful.

As I was recalling her advice this afternoon, I could feel every cell in my body screaming “NOOOOO!!!”. It was truly a visceral and whole body reaction. I have had this feeling for a few months, and today it was very present to me. It was downright uncomfortable and not fun to feel this at all.

I have been listening to Advanced Energy Anatomy by Caroline Myss and she was talking about following our intuition. At first, we are guided in a certain direction when we get an “intuition hit”, a gut feeling of which way to go. Simple examples are when we have to choose to turn right or left, and something is nudging us to turn right. Big examples are when we have an insight that is life altering, like it is time to change jobs, change life partners, move to a new city, etc..

If we ignore these intuitive insights, the next step is often that we “lose magnetics”. This means that we not only lose our attraction to something, we become repelled by it. This happened to me about 18 months ago when it was difficult for me to work on change consulting projects because I ceased to be a change consultant. The “magnetics” were repelling me, pushing me away from those activities and pushing me in a new direction. Sometimes we are fearful because we are moving away from the familiar into the unfamiliar, the unknown, out of our comfort zones. Faith that there is a bigger plan at work is required during these times.

By the way, if we continue to ignore even this, “fate” will often take over. A typical example is that we get so sick that we are knocked on our butts for a while and taken out of commission. A friend shared with me a few years ago that he got so sick with the flu that he had no choice but to lay in bed for five days. During those five days, he thought a lot about his life and came out of that experience with more clarity than he had for the last 20 years. I don’t intend to let it go this far ;-).

So I am paying attention to the “magnetics”. I trust that there is a bigger plan. I was going out to dinner with some friends and had about an hour before we were to leave. I decided to meditate, and intuitively chose the dolphin meditation. Hence, my question “Who am I? What direction am I moving in?”

I connected with the ocean and my body started to come alive. I was tingling all over as I opened myself to the energy of the ocean. I could feel the energy between and within the cells of my body. In my mind’s eye, I put out my arms as if to embrace all of it. In the meditation, dolphins approach the shore and we are asked to connect with one in particular who will be our guide. My dolphin guide was the spirit of my dog who was an old soul. We bonded in this life very closely and I started to sob deeply when I recognized him. I went to him in the water and together we melted into the ocean, the air, the sunlight from above.

My body continued to tingle and I started to fill with light. I was in the light and of the light for some time. I turned to the shore and saw the many people who I have loved and loved me. They were all in the light, too. It was a glorious experience – timeless, peaceful and without bounds. I felt the oneness of us all and I could have stayed there forever.

And my question? I occasionally conduct Reiki sessions with people and during the session I clear their chakras and bring light into their body. I do not personally feel it but they often report an experience similar to mine tonight. I feel great joy when they are able to experience this. I am a catalyst; I help others "amp up" the voltage so they can more fully experience this for themselves. My experience tonight confirms that this is my direction.

It also says for all of us that this is our true nature. What if everyone could experience this at least once in their life? What if we lived in the full awareness that this is Truth, that we are really all One?

After dinner, I watched podcasts from the Oprah network. Jill Bolte Taylor wrote the book “My Stroke of Insight” and in podcasts 3 and 4 she describes how we can live our lives with more awareness and less stress. When she lost the left side of her brain during a stroke, she describes an experience that is similar to mine tonight. There are no accidents in our life, and when we pay attention we are provided exactly what we need, when we need it. According to Caroline Myss, every prayer is answered in an instant. Tonight, my prayer was answered…

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Friday, March 6, 2009

Let's Get Money Moving!

It seems that everywhere we turn these days, there is a minute by minute, blow by blow report of the sad state of the economy. In every challenge, there is an opportunity. I believe that the recent events have uncovered some serious flaws, corruption and greed. Growth - in the economy and in organizations - can hide a lot of problems. This opens up an opportunity is for us to change the course of how we use money, and we can use it to improve our world - literally!

Money works because it moves. I would estimate that every dollar in my 401k is also represented in the 401k of at least 100 other people. Simple economics teaches us that when we put a dollar in our savings account, that dollar is lent to someone in the form of a loan, and that money is put to work.

And, we individually put money to work. Every time I spend a dollar at my dry cleaner, I support the owner's dream of owning his own business. Every piece of jewelry that I buy from a local artisan supports their creativity, and it supports the love of art for both of us. These are all positive ways that we use money. This is one of the main premises as taught in Money Freedom.

Many people who do energy work - Reiki healers, massage therapists, chiropractors, etc. - use their hands to positively bring healthy energy to others. I use Reiki all the time, and it is a skill that we all can learn.

I have also been reading "The Intention Experiment: Using Thoughts to Change Your Life and Your World" by Lynne McTaggart. Intentions are very powerful and can literally change the course of many events. Intentions are most powerful when:

  • it is a highly specific aim or goal
  • you visualize the intention as already occurring, especially if you visualize using all five of your senses
  • you are in a state of concentrated focus and hyperawareness
Here is what I would like to propose: that we use the power of our own intention to positively and creatively influence this economic crisis that we are in. I started doing this a few days ago, and it has been a lot of fun!

Put your money between your hands, like a sandwich, with your left hand on top (your receiving hand) and your right hand on the bottom (the giving hand).

First, focus on appreciation for what the money has done for you. How did you receive it? Was it through the fruit of your labor? Then feel gratitude for the opportunity to work and receive that income. Did a friend unexpectedly repay a debt? Feel the appreciation for your friendship and the surprise.

Second, focus your intention and visualize supporting the person you are giving the money. Are you supporting their dream? Are they able to take care of their family with this money? Infuse the money with positive intention. Think about how they will pay it forward, and how this money will be used for good things.

It is just as easy to imagine and ponder the good things that money creates versus the other stuff we see in the news. We can turn this situation around - on a dime - and literally! Let me know if you try this and what your experience is.

I know, crazy idea. So is spending $800 billion! This one is free. :-)

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Monday, March 2, 2009

We Have Snow!

It is very unusual for us to get snow because the temperature of the ocean generally turns everything into rain. Last night we got about 8 inches. For someone who grew up in Chicago and misses the snow, this is an event!

Imagine this in the summertime, bright sunshine above with a carpet of sand supporting a multitude of children and parents digging in the sand, teenagers on beach blankets and umbrellas shielding the direct rays of the sun. The energy of the summer is a definite balance to the serenity of these days.

With much love and gratitude for the ocean, Mj XOXO

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