CALIFORNIA BLONDE

I am a petite, curvy, olive-skinned brunette in the land of the tall, skinny, fair skinned California blonde. And that is just the women. The men are often square-jawed, tall, confident, and athletic. It is the kind of regal, effortless attractiveness they did nothing to earn. I was born and raised in New York, where I feel at home amidst the world weary throngs of the hard working melting pot. In New York, merit is measured through the fruits of your labor. Here it is a birthright. 

Circa 1950, Stan Galli

Sometimes I am awestruck by this culture of ease. Mind you, I am just looking at this from the most superficial point of observation. Yet, there is something extraordinary about the lack of apparent struggle that I see around me. No New York angst here. 

Nineteen years of living in Miami did help to eradicate a fair amount of the neuroses I accumulated from growing up in New York. I was blessed to live near the Atlantic Ocean and often submerged myself in its’ warm aquamarine waters, cleansing away the stresses of the day. I left behind the gray urban landscape and embraced bright color, café con leche, and full moon drum circles on the beach.

Again, a new world opens before me since relocating over a year and a half ago to California. It is not just the topography of rolling hills and striking coastal views, though. This is far more subtle. It is an opportunity to leave behind the last bits of struggle, no matter how persistent they appear to be. Yet, I cannot claim to have mastery over a lifetime of indoctrination in the paradigm of limitation. Am I required to believe the worldview that most people never question? What we view on our televisions and computers enforce this belief at us at every turn. I’m not talking about ignoring the endless injustices in the world and living in some rainbow-colored intergalactic fantasy. This is about realizing that we cannot wait for the world to change. We must choose a new way, not just by embracing it philosophically, but by confronting our inner demons determined to undermine any progress of the soul. 

Allow me to explain. Confronting ones’ demons does not imply a life and death struggle. It simply means, looking at ones’ limiting beliefs squarely in the eye, and remaining as quiet observer. This sounds simple, but in fact it is one of the hardest things to do. The mind wants to barge into our silence and remind us to be afraid, sad, angry, etc.

Here in the land of the California blonde, I can sometimes feel like a foreigner from an alien planet. Yet I also know that I am creating a new reality. It is subtle and expansive and yet, like earthquake prone California, there are sudden and unexpected jolts that call me out of complacency.

I have to go now.  . . it is my turn in the queue where yet another tall, perfect, California blonde stands ready to take my coffee order.

Asandra© 2012

WHERE THE GRACE LIES

I am a strong believer in following one’s true path. This is where the grace lies. Whenever we attempt to take steps in our life based upon either what is expected of us, or what the world dictates, instead of following our heart, we come up against struggle.

As many of you who are reading this blog know, I have been a full trance channel for over 28 years. It has been my experience that our spirit guides can only guide us on our highest and most true path. When an individual speaks to their spirit guides through me, and is asking a question about something that is not their authentic path, it is very difficult for spirit to give them support for the thing that is false. Almost invariably, Spirit will instruct that individual to become aware of what lies within their true heart first, and then the guidance can come.

Eternal Self, Monoprint

Following what is within our heart is the true path. The path is not about being a Buddhist, or a vegan, or a Democrat, etc. It is about knowing what calls us forward in his life. That is the signal that inspires us and moves us toward a higher vision. The higher vision does not have to be an agenda to save the world. It just has to be our personal expression in this life. In fact, if you are following your true heart’s expression, you are indeed doing your part to transform consciousness into an authentic expression of the soul. Therefore, you are doing more to ‘save the world’ then all the charities and activists put together. It is only a shift into higher consciousness that can truly change the world. Furthermore, ‘the world’ is just fine. It is our outward projection that is causing all the confusion, violence, and uncertainty. If what we envisage is from a conscious and clarified center within, then the dissolution of collective confusion will inevitably and eventually occur.

Therefore, the simple act of knowing and acknowledging what lies within our heart is indeed our true path. There is no need to search for answers. The answer lies within. This has always been the highest truth. More than ever, the consciousness shift is calling us to the authentic voice. It tells us:

There is nothing else of relevance now.

Let go of what is false.

Be aligned in your heart,

And allow the grace to carry you forward.

Asandra © 2012

The Four Indicators of Destiny Movement

There are four basic indicators in which we can ascertain that the direction we are headed is the right one:

1. The material/manifest/form
   Is what we are seeking clearly manifest before us?
   Do we experience the opportunities that match our desire?
   
2. Sensory response
   How do we respond via our outer senses (taste, touch, sound, smell, sight)?For example, if you love the ocean, when you are near the water, you may have an immediate feeling of expansion, or connection to the infinite.        
3. Emotional/psychological
   What is our immediate emotional response to the situation, environment, etc? In the aforementioned illustration, you feel an immediate sense of expansion near the ocean, and this makes you feel safe; that all things are right with the world.
4. Intuitive/higher knowing
   What is our instinctive, ‘gut’ feeling?Do we have a sense of rightness, do we feel calm, and at peace?

Some approach the movement toward destiny fulfillment solely based on whether or not something has materialized. The problem with this is getting stuck in a mindset of waiting for something to happen. The markers that reflect back to us the movement of destiny, however, can be experienced most clearly through the other three indicators. The materialized form is the result of following these other signs.

The materialized form is anchored in third dimensional time and space, whereas the sensory, emotional, and instinctual are not limited in this way, and can be accessed continuously. We are players in the universal mindset, that of the eternal. Here we can mix and match, layer and nuance, and be endlessly creative in a rhythmic dance of life.

So, where do we get stuck? The deeply ingrained paradigm of limitation has been in motion for eons of time. The human experience has us gridlocked in the notion of the finite defining our reality. Furthermore, we have become so skilled at believing our own lies that we can passionately defend our position based on past experience like seasoned trial lawyers.

Returning back to our original connection to Source through any means (meditation is top of my list), is a way of erasing the patterns we get stuck in. Clearing our mental mind-field and letting go of the gunk that we’ve accumulated is just as necessary as taking out the garbage. You can live in a privileged, Ivory-tower-esque mansion, but you will still accumulate garbage. 

When we let go of all the trying, pleading, praying, negotiating, planning, etc, the four indicators of destiny find their natural alignment. Everything falls into place. We call this synchronicity; a place that Spirit says is a realm that we can live in, not an occasional, arbitrary right-alignment of the stars.

I was once taught a saying that aptly describes the movement of destiny:

“Whatever you vividly imagine,

ardently desire,

sincerely believe in,

and enthusiastically act upon,

must inevitably come to pass.”

--Paul J. Meyer

Asandra

A MEDIUM'S CONFESSION

A few days ago I received an email from a client thanking me for her channeling session. It was her first experience with a Medium. This particular individual was deeply moved by the messages from her Master Guide, and said something that I have often heard clients say. She voiced her desire to contact her Guides directly, and wished she could ‘connect as easily’ as I do.

There is an assumption that I have some extra special ability that they lack. Ironically, those whom know me well probably heard me refer to myself as “the reluctant medium”.  In other words, I came to the work I have been doing for 28 years, kicking and screaming. My singular ambition in this life was, and generally still is, to express myself as an artist. And I most certainly do not think of myself as having a special gift. Channeling Spirit Guides is just something I do, to the very best of my ability.

When I decided to leave my full time, and very demanding job as an Art Director for an Art Magazine (Art & Auction Magazine -- Google it), the idea of being a free agent had great appeal to me. I worked briefly as a freelance graphic artist, and collected unemployment between jobs. Once a week, I attended a mediumship class in New York City with Alexander Murray, an accomplished Medium and teacher.

I was being guided to do this work. That was clear. Secretly, however, I was mostly interested because it liberated me from the grueling schedule of a full-time job (not to mention the many late overtime hours and deadlines that a magazine required). I felt disempowered and no longer desired to do work that wasn’t authentically my own.

Deep down I knew I would be doing good work that would bring wisdom, support, and comfort to many. But my willingness to develop this gift was not motivated by the noblest aspirations. I just wanted to be free, and I didn’t want to do anything that impoverished my soul. So it seemed a fair, albeit peculiar, exchange.

Often I have thought that this reluctance is partly why my work has evolved, thrived, and helped many. I do not identify with being a Channel. I have always seen it as my job, and approached it with the same commitment and dedication I would any occupation. I was raised with the hardworking New York work ethic instilled in me from childhood. As a third generation American, I was aware that my Great-Grandparents came from Europe on a boat to a new land, language, and culture. They worked hard and made a good life for themselves. 

Don’t get me wrong; channeling is a great service, and there are countless blessings in being given this opportunity. Not putting my ego in the mix, however, seems to be what has enabled me to remain unadulterated.  

This is why I am surprised whenever someone looks to me as if I had some extra special access to the higher dimensions. I don’t. I’m just doing the work that I’ve been given to do. With a little effort and commitment, anybody can, too.

THE WOUNDED CHILD

Today in Sprouts, a large health food grocery store, I encountered a woman with teased bleached blond hair and bright pink exaggerated make up. She was wearing an outfit composed of fuchsia pink trimmed corset, animal print mini skirt, hello-kitty purse, plunging low cut top exposing sagging D-cup breasts and pink, fur-lined booties.  It wasn’t until I returned home to search on Google that I discovered it was the 80’s and 90’s LA billboard icon, Angelyne. Her claim to fame is that she became well known for posing for billboards throughout Los Angeles as a pouting, busty, sex-kitten. She landed a handful of roles in films and talk shows as a result. Her fame apparently was short-lived, and she had to short-sell her Malibu Condo a few years ago.

Angelyne

All the store patrons waiting to check out their groceries averted their eyes to the loudly dressed middle-aged woman. The long term effects of too many collagen or Botox injections made her appear puffy and misshapen. She stood behind me in line and appeared nervous, hurried, and uncomfortable. Angelyne’s days of being a billboard ingénue were clearly behind her even if she still dressed like one.

If a woman like that appeared in a grocery store in New York (where I grew up), no one would blink an eye, and maybe in Los Angeles this is normal. But in Thousand Oaks, an upper middle class suburb about an hour north of LA, she stood out. The feeling of discomfort from the store patrons was palpable. I desperately wanted to break the ice and talk to her. 

“I love your look.” I said. This was not a facetious comment. I meant it. There is something oddly brave about a person that wears their wounded self on their sleeve. There is no doubt that this strange costume is a masquerade for a person badly in need of attention. But maybe not the kind she was receiving at Sprouts. The moment I complimented her, I could feel all the tension in her body ease. “Thank you!” she replied, offering to give me her card in exchange for letting her go in front of me on the line. Perhaps in Angelyne’s world, receiving her business card was a privilege. Regardless, I was happy to oblige. She complimented me on my purse and my necklace. Did she feel a need to return the favor of my simply being nice to her? 

We spoke a little more after that, and I could sense that deep down Angelyne needed someone to see the real person, not the caricature she has become, wearing makeup and tight fitting clothes as a shield. I have an extra-special empathy for the wounded soul. And Angelyne, although cloaked in her old sex-kitten attire, seemed particularly wounded. I wanted to treat her as a person in the way that the others in the store could not. It is how I need to treat my own wounded child that sometimes needs to be recognized beyond the outer cloak. To do so is priceless.

It was not until I got home, that I looked at the information on Angelyne’s business card. All it said was: 

“To join the Angelyne Fan Club, send $20.00 to . . . Los Angeles. CA . . .”  

Almost priceless that is.

Asandra ©2012

WHAT DO MY GUIDES HAVE TO SAY?

Free Fall, monoprint, Asandra

Since I moved to California in February 2011, I lived in four different cities. Two located in Northern California and two in Southern. The impact of this can only be understood with the knowledge that all of this transpired during a 15-month period. In addition, every possession, including a car and a furry co-pilot named Sasha, came with me.

I grew up in New York, eventually relocated down the East Coast to Miami, then moved 3,000 miles across country to the East Bay area of California (close to San Francisco), and a month ago drove 377 miles to Southern California. One would certainly consider this a zigzag across the United States.

The response that I have often heard about my numerous relocations is that I am “wild.”  Hardly, I reply. Another common misconception: “You must not have a lot of possessions.” Wrong again. However, the singular most common reaction is, “What do your Guides have to say about this?”

The expectation is, as an adept Channel, I should have known the exact, perfect location to land in not only immediately, but also effortlessly. Here is what many do not realize: I am no different from you! Yes, I am an experienced Medium, but do I have some extra-special privy to the Spirit world because I channel for a living? The answer is no. I am just like you: doing my best to hear, feel, sense, and respond, to the higher guidance.

Does that mean that I have been misguided, or not able to receive clear information? No. What it means is something that Spirit often says, “Life is a circuitous route.”  There is a tendency for us in our linear thinking, rational reality, to want to know why something is happening.  Our expectation is that if we are receiving the guidance, the path will be void of road- blocks, traffic jams, or potholes. If we knew the cosmic reasoning for everything, however, there would not be any surprises, mysteries to explore, or lessons to learn. In other words, we would not grow.

For those of you still insisting on a more linear explanation for my zigzag journey, I can tell you that I used the resources I had available to me. This mostly required a lot of trusting the unfamiliar, and leaping into the unknown. Furthermore, whenever I second guessed myself and wondered if I had made incorrect choices, I realized that whatever I needed to face within me, as a result of leaping into the unknown, would still have surfaced. The great illusion is that we live life on the outside, but the truth is that we experience though our senses, react with our emotions, but live through our consciousness.

Have I settled yet? The answer again, is no; my new life is still a work in progress. I have learned something great though: that if I trust my inner guidance, the guidance of spirit is a given. They are right behind us, supporting us every step of the way. When a child is learning to walk, you cannot do it for them. At a certain point, you have to allow them to find their confidence and courage to walk forward. Sometimes we just have to learn to let go of getting it right and simply go in the direction of where we are inspired to go.

Asandra, copyright 2012

For more info: Asandra.com, TheGuidedPath.net, ContactYourSpiritGuides.com