I wrote this article before the November 2012 election, when there was alot of stress, anger, and fear in the group energy. Now we are into the winter holiday time – another time when people seem to feel stressed and at times angry. This time of year, I often feel others’ loneliness, or their sadness about not being able to afford what they want to give others, their stress about wanting to please and take care of loved ones, etc.

A big question I often ask myself and my clients is “Is it yours??”. Just because you are feeling off-center, does not mean it is “yours”. The group energy is bigger than your personal energy, and you can be affected by the group energy. So, the first step is to ask “is this mine?”, and then to trust your gut level feelings of “yes” or “no”. If the feeling is not yours, ask to release it, and do all you can to take care of yourself, with enough sleep, meditation, good food, grounding, energy healing, walks in nature, and the like.

I was talking with my sister last month, and she was mentioning feeling off-center, discontent, restless, disoriented, etc. I shared that I have been feeling some of that lately also, and that I attribute it to the energy of our country about the upcoming election. The group energy can affect us! We are so polarized, and for many of us, our feelings are very strong. I know I have felt fear and dread about the possible election results. And then there’s the pain and suffering from the East Coast storm… Sometimes I feel like I have been holding my breath for months! It can be too easy to feel helpless.

I received a wonderful email from the earthclinic.com International Prayer Group yesterday – asking us to pray for “Honest and Ethical Elections”. Wow! Just feeling into a reality of “honest and ethical elections” felt good – peaceful and grounded instead of blaming and fearful. I have been sending Reiki distant healing to our country, to “honest and ethical elections”, to our government…

To me, using Reiki is like prayer.. it is a form of prayer. Every time I give it, I receive it. So, as I send prayer / Reiki healing to our country and elections, and to the East Coast, I feel better! I am also using lots of EFT (tapping) to clear my uncomfortable emotions. I am choosing to take a breath, ground, come into the moment and feel gratitude for my life.

It is too easy to forget that we have choice about how we feel, about where we put our attention and our focus. And it is too easy to forget that our thoughts have alot to do with how we are feeling, and that we can choose our thoughts and feel good. What is happening outside of us (including the elections) does not control us!

A reminder: I offer healing for animals as well as humans – by phone or in person

“The world is a much more beautiful and incredible place than you think, and each of us has a great deal of power to make it more so.”

— Oie Osterkamp