In this Wholly Holistics two-parter piece, I want to explore words and phrases we hear thrown around the arena of spirituality. I entitled this article with the term Wikipedia because Wikipedia is mostly factual, but also open to interpretation. While I have explored my spiritual side more than most and “know what I know,” I will not arrogantly state that this is definitive. No, that’s up to you, the reader, to see what feels right to accept, reject, or modify. It is my genuine wish that shedding light on the murky, mysterious and misunderstood will give the reader insight on terms like self-love, soulmate, higher self, psychic attacks, karma, remotes, energy vampires, Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, Divine Timing, Divine Intervention, and Transmutation. It also should be noted that the behaviors and issues I’m addressing in this article are nothing more than a day in the life of being human. I’m merely putting a different perspective on the psychology of it all.
Let’s begin withself-love. Self-love often gets confused with selfishness. And sometimes we distract ourselves by insisting it’s all about massages and getting your nails done. Sure, those things can fall under the self-love category, but, as always, I suggest meditating on our motivations for said self-love. If you’re avoiding something, you need to call it something other than self-love. Sometimes self-love can be about dowsing the gas-lighter’s flame or exploring one’s dark side to heal the child within. Neither of these will be as pleasant as a massage, but the benefits in the long run are priceless. Money, in and of itself, nor facials can buy piece of mind. Ironically, sometimes the purest form of self-love is discipline.
Remotes,as I call them, are often misunderstood even by those who have been around the energy work block a time or two. A remote is basically working on someone with whom I’m not in the same physical location. My opinion is that this is nothing more than old-fashioned prayer with a ton of listening, rather than all talk. If I do a full-on remote with a client, first and foremost, I must obtain the person’s permission. Do not insert yourself, even if well-meaning, into someone else’s energy field without consent, even if you know what you’re doing. Bullies, a.k.a., energy vampires, do this, among other things, to suck the life right out of you. However, since you can’t always obtain permission verbally, there is some leeway with permission by contacting a person’s higher self. (Notice I said leeway, not loophole. With pure intentions, you can do no harm.) I see the higher self’s permission in a variety of ways, but most often and simply an affirmation and appreciation of loving help or a halt signal from them. For me, the halt signal often comes in the form of a polite “no thank you” and a door closing gently in my face. There is much more to be considered by respecting another’s wishes, regardless of how they’re delivered rather than giving in to the ego’s desire to “fix” things. Fixing others is extremely seductive when you need to be fixing yourself. (As an aside, remotes are the most esoteric thing I do. If one can get past the “remote speak” that it entails, the potential for healing is the greatest, if for no other reason, because you don’t have two egos in the same room vying for attention.)
This leads into psychic attacks. Yes, they are a real thing. Psychic abilities do NOT preclude one from being morally corrupt in some manner. To keep it simple, being vulnerable to psychic attacks means there are still places in your heart to be healed and boundaries to be drawn. I’ve had attacks done to me, both intentional and unintentional. At this point, I know the difference, but feel it’s brain candy to try to figure out another’s motives. It’s a rabbit hole I’ve spent too much time in. Symptoms of a psychic attack – or perhaps refer to it by its more archaic name of a “curse” – usually include some sort of mental or physical distress. I’ve worked on people that have “inexplicably” had their legs go limp without getting a real physical injury. Mental cloudiness is another common form. I personally felt what it was like to lose my mind for about six months. Now, if you’re dealing with a psychically talented incubus or succubus, the symptoms are no less serious, but can often feel strangely pleasurable. When something in your gut tells you something isn’t square, listen to it. Think psychic honey pot and remember that neediness takes many forms.
At various stages of our spiritual development we’ll work with or against energy shields and blocks. Blocks are what our higher self has put in our way for our own good on a karmic level. The higher self can see the forest and the trees as well as our past lives. For example, my first transpersonal experience came at seventeen with an astral projection. Upon reflection, I know in my heart that had I been able, or rather allowed, to have out of body experiences all the time, I would have checked out of life the way addicts numb out. That said, some will intentionally block abilities out of fear of what they may see or feel. Energy shields come in various forms with the intention of defending against energy vampires, psychic attacks or just bad juju we find in certain environments like a dive bar. These days, I transmute the poop not serving my highest and best into unconditional love. This process takes a bit of practice and meditation, but I feel it’s the way to go. If someone is throwing darts, intentional or otherwise, why throw them back with an “eye for an eye” mentality? Craft it to your loving advantage by changing the world bit by bit beginning with yourself. The haters will fall by the wayside as you transcend or you really won’t give a s*** any longer. To love something is to transmute it.
Chris (Sutty) Suddeth was born in Greenville, SC in 1975 and has lived his whole life in various locales within the state of South Carolina. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1998 with a minor in English Literature. Writing began its siren song for him at the age of twelve while he was sitting on the rocks of Fripp Island, SC, where he now lives with his wife and daughter. Sutty is a full-time Mr. Mom with his own holistic health business. Sutty has been a practicing Reiki Master and emotional energetic alchemist since 2010. Sutty just welcomed his debut novel Swoondalini into the world. It’s available at Amazon. Visit www.soulshinerefinery.com for more information.
