Thank You All, So Much! From Astra

Hello all – Astra here!

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I just wanted to let you know, I am stepping away from my role at Abundant Heart Center to give my energy to my new business, EMERGE: Embrace Your Truth.

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Abundant Heart has been a very necessary segment of my road and journey. Co-creating all of the fascinating services that ClareShale and I channeled from the Universe last year was like nothing I had ever before dreamed or conceived of, and it has been absolutely instrumental in my own growth.

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I have equally enjoyed being a witness for ClareShale’s transformation in all of this – she is a powerful shaman and leader – and of course I have been so honored and blessed to enjoy the growth and forward movement of our amazing clients. Our clients, truly, have been more astonishing than I could ever have hoped for – and to you, dear clients, I also say – oh my goodness – from the deepest well of my heart….I could never thank you enough for being You. I love you! ♥

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If you like, you can reach me at:astra@emerge-embrace.com– or friend me/message me on my AstraSpider BizShaman page, https://www.facebook.com/astraspider.

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I would absolutely love to keep in touch!

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Again my new business, which I have been lovingly creating and growing, is EMERGE: Embrace Your Truth, where I support you in stepping into your power! http://emerge-embrace.com/

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I would love for you to Like my new FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/EMERGE-Embrace-Your-Truth/235849573166931

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And follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EmergeEmbrace

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Thank you all so much! ♥

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Astra Spider

Shaman and Mentor

http://emerge-embrace.com/

astra@emerge-embrace.com

Life’s a Beach – If You Want it!

by Astra Spider

I couldn’t resist the reference to this fun, vintage motto from the 80’s!

But it’s true. Life’s a Beach – if you intend for it to be one!

We create our day-to-day living from what we decide to be, do, and act upon in every moment.

What if we all decided to relax, regroup and enjoy?

I remember many a hot summer’s day of childhood spent at Lake Michigan – the coolness of her magic waters, the warmth from the sun – the sudden gray of the sky as the sun would temporarily disappear behind the clouds. Laying on a blanket waiting for the golden light to reappear. The tropical scent of 70’s suntan lotion flowing through the air.

There was not much to worry about. There still isn’t. If we want it.

Relaxing, resting, playing. My favorite was to turn cartwheels in the wet sand at the shore over and over, and then turn around and look back at the prints that were made by hands and feet – hands and feet….and then, go get a treat from the ice-cream truck, or a snow cone from one of the vendors with their cool snow-cone vending bicycle contraptions – choosing the flavors and watching the bright colors of the syrup fill the frosty cone with beauty.

Now again I am deciding, in the energy of resting, relaxing, playing – I want it.

My Life’s a Beach. Is yours? Tell us all about it!

Love!

Astra

Living the Happy Life

by ClareShale Mountain Star

That heartwarming feeling you get when you help another, even just holding the door for a stranger, is connected to a deep place within your very humanity. As it turns out, scientists are discovering that humans share the impulse to help with chimpanzees, our closest genetic animal friends – and that impulse is connected to a well-researched brain hormone.

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Recently I watched a small segment of the PBS series The Human Spark (hosted by Alan Alda, yessss!). The video clip shows an experiment designed to compare the altruistic response present in chimps and human 18 month-old infants.  As you can imagine, the cute factor is quite high! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8rKKp-vP0

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Basically what they found is that both humans and chimps will go out of their way to help another. Felix Warneken at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology sums it up well: “Potential altruistic motivation to act on behalf of others is something that is shared between chimps and humans, and therefore something that maybe was already a characteristic of our common ancestor.”

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There are many reasons I can think of that this makes so much sense. Being of support for others is simply what being in community is all about. We are a social species and the well-being of those around us directly affects our own well-being.

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Another super-cool factor in this realm is the hormone that helps us build trust: Oxytocin, also called the “cuddle” hormone.

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This hormone is released during important social occasions such as communal meals, breastfeeding, parent/child bonding time, physical contact with other beings (humans and animals) and not surprisingly during moments of altruistic behavior.

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It is actually possible to increase your oxytocin levels by being generous! Check out this article for more info: http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218393041

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There’s a bit of science for your day.

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Here’s a fun exercise to try:

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The next time you are feeling anxious, stressed out or frazzled, you may be in need of a dose of oxytocin! If you can, get yourself into a cuddle situation as quickly as possible. If animal or human friends are not close by, try letting someone go ahead of you at the store, holding the door for a stranger or even making a donation to a trusted non-profit.

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What are your favorite ways to connect? Let us know if this exercise is helpful for you in bringing you through to a state of Trust in the universe.

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Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Manifest Your Dreams

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

Quietude in Music

by Astra Spider

It can be seen as ironic that one of the things that brings me to stillness is music. Logically, music is the opposite of quiet – as it is made up of sound.

Energetically, however, everything is energy and has energy – including “quiet”!

And being brought into the energy of quiet allows for dreaming – and dreaming allows for creating – and music is one of the most innately creative things made by a soul.

So, intuitively, it doesn’t surprise me at all that the mesmerism of certain melodies often brings me deepest into the sound of silence.

A song which pops instantly to mind when feeling into the stillness of music is “Pandora” by the Cocteau Twins.

Listening to Pandora brings me directly into a state of feeling lightly blanketed by a sprinkling of snow in afternoon sunlight – only it is not a cold snow. It is tepid, healing, perfect; the illumination of the sparkle of each flake echoing through the mirrors of my soul.

This song performs a Soul Retrieval (a form of shamanic healing) on me each time I allow myself to fully relax into the harmonizing care of its trance.

I am snow. I am silence. I am the sun.

What brings you into your state of stillness?

Love,

Astra

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Manifest Your Dreams

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

Being Myself in a World Full of Magic

by ClareShale Mountain Star

I emerge from bed at 6:45, and then it’s a two-hour dance of love bringing my children from home state of mind to school state of mind. From there my day unfolds in such a large variety of ways, each day of the week being different from the next, each week holding its own magic. It feels like my life is a grand and glorious improvisational aerial dance, complete with a flying trapeze (and safety nets of course, lots of them!).

This feeling, that my life is an aerial dance, began to emerge over this past summer and has been increasing in intensity and duration since then. I am still in observation mode, not sure I totally understand it yet, not sure if I like it or want it to dissipate. Can I attribute this to planetary shifts or is it simply a phase of life? Maybe both?

This new “dance” energy does feel important for me to master somehow – its lessons extend beyond the wisdom I am gaining from raising a family, strengthening my community and enjoying my career. My intuition tells me that the particular muscle I am being called to develop right now is: Faith. Faith in myself. Faith in the perfection of what IS. Faith that all my needs will be met in all situations if I follow my intuition, love myself enough to set and stand in clear boundaries, and follow the bright light of what brings me true JOY.

I have, out of necessity, begun to intentionally strengthen my Faith in the grand directors of this aerial dance, who I’m pretty sure are my own spirit in close cahoots with the mysterious workings of the Universe. I am finding that in order to move forward, I must trust that the platform will be there when I release my grip and fly through the air, grabbing lunch and dry cleaning as I gracefully twirl onto my feet. Sometimes I perform beautifully and gracefully, not missing a beat. Of course, there are also those days when I completely miss my cues and end up all turned around; but that’s the learning process in action, I suppose.

I so appreciate you taking the time to walk through this with me. I know that we are all connected in ways I don’t totally comprehend, so it is highly probable that you have danced though the air in your own life as well. I welcome your feedback and would love to hear about your experience!

ClareShale

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Manifest Your Dreams

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

Creating Your Life With Love in 2012

by Astra Spider

As Abundant Heart practitioners and Empowerment Shamans, it is our deep desire to support you in creating a life you love, with love. Part of this process is to love everything in your life today, as it is right now – even the elements which you may find discouraging, less-than-optimal or downright frustrating. By loving these challenges, as well as the awesome and fabulous pieces, you create a field for yourself in which it is way easier to dream up, build and manifest your life as you truly desire it to be – as well as giving yourself the pathway forward to flow into the future with effortlessness and grace.

As I sat meditating on this subject, loving my present, and imagining myself flowing effortlessly into the future, a powerful exercise came into my consciousness. It is called:

“What Do I Love About 2012?”

I was able to perform this exercise since, during my meditation, I had already slid effortlessly into the future! And it made me remember something very cool I once read about how the best way to ensure a happy future is to create it for yourself.

I invite you to participate in this exercise (have a notebook and pen handy for after the exercise).

Ready?

Close your eyes for a moment, and take a few deep breaths. Focus on your heart center as you breathe, and feel it expanding and glowing with warmth.

Next, love your present circumstances – especially the challenges, as rising to meet these challenges breeds strength, and loving them transmutes them into the love they are.

When you can feel your present life buzzing with love, go ahead and flow effortlessly into 2012. Cascade into the new year with grace. Open to the new and amazing experiences that are happening, and notice your energy flowing all around you. How does that feel?

Bring your awareness to all of the fabulous things you have created for yourself in 2012. Feel what it feels like to have these things in your life, both in your heart, and physically around you. What are these things? How do they look, feel, taste? How do you feel while honoring yourself as the heart-centered creator that has manifested these things?

Now ask yourself: “What do I love about 2012?”

Allow your answers to flow in, taking notes on all the amazingness and beauty that is there for you, flowing from your Heart.

I share with you now that the future I’ve created entails a strong and fabulous support system, both for myself and for our always magical and bountiful business!

We’d love to hear about the future you have created! Feel free to share by emailing us, posting it on our Facebook page, or leaving a comment on our blog here!

Love,

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

How My Mind Learned to Love Simplicity

by ClareShale Mountain Star

I’ve been interested lately in the more simplistic elements of life; I love that they are so easy to achieve and enjoy. A simple meal of soup and bread, a simple gathering with a few friends, a simple melody, my favorite jeans. Those are all pretty basic, but so deeply enjoyable.

On a spiritual level, Simplicity is currently my quest. I’m finding that walking my path with Simplicity is a very interesting challenge. In my experience simplicity at its core consists of being in the Present Moment. Nothing is required of me in that place but to be aware. No doing, thinking, planning – just awareness. This seems like it should be easy to achieve and enjoy (like the jeans), but wow – it’s so much more of a journey than that.

Being Present is of course an experience that connects all seekers on the path of “enlightenment”; practices to support experiencing Present moment awareness have been handed down from teacher to student for centuries. I love thinking about how this state is our birthright and as children we are just there already – it reminds me of that story about Jesus telling his followers that they needed to be as little children to enter the “Kingdom of God.”

About 8 or 9 months ago I came to a new level in my process of consciously creating my life. I realized that I had not taken the time to really deeply consider what my inner being actually wanted to create; it was like there was a dis-connect between my Heart and Mind. When I finally checked in with my Heart to find out what was there and ready to be brought into the world I received an answer that was very simple; my heart wanted my being to “Be Present.” Up until that point I had been endeavoring to create a life that resonated only with what my mind and personality wanted – it was very external and not Simple at all!

I wanted to be in Maui, I wanted to create a sustainable community, I wanted to have chickens in my yard, etc. It seems funny to think about it now, but that was what I was making my whole life about. Those very external things. The truth is that without looking within to find the true desires of my heart and soul, I would still be searching for the next thing and the next, no matter how awesome my sustainable home in Maui was. True happiness would have been just out of reach.

I’m so glad that I took the time to find and consciously connect with the Intention of my heart. My dream home will still be built, my vacations in Maui will be great and my chickens are going to be amazing, but enjoying those wonderful experiences is no longer what my life is all about.

My simple Intention for living in each moment is to Be Present – a challenge to be sure – but an Intention that I find deepens each day. Thank you Heart for sharing your deep wisdom with my dear friend: Mind.

Please add your comments here, we’d love to hear from you!

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

Claiming My Spirit-Centered Christmas

by ClareShale Mountain Star

As a teen my perception of the Christmas celebration was skewed dramatically by the gross consumer obsession that I saw reflected in the gift-giving traditions of my culture. I rebelled against this perception that I had of Christmas as much as I could, making dramatic anti-consumerism cards and sculptures as gifts for my parents.

In general the holidays were a stressful and anxiety-filled time for me because I was so busy protesting it all. (Which was of course the perfect thing for me to be doing at that point in time; I was doing my job as a Teen!)

When I began my own family, though, I began to soften my opinion; and especially as I deepened my awareness of the ancient pagan roots of the holiday, I really started to wonder what it might mean for me in my adult life to celebrate Christmas.

Having small children, as you may be aware, tends to make deep contemplation of historical, philosophical, cultural and spiritual phenomena a bit challenging. This is especially true around the Christmas season when there are a thousand things to do. Basically, for me, up until now it has been all about “Christmas Survival.”

This year though, I am finding, is different – because my kids are actually getting older.  No one is potty-training and everyone sleeps through the night in their own bed! Now it is truly possible for me to think about a subject for more than five minutes at a time; and Christmas is even more important than ever, because all the kids are Aware that it’s happening – so I’m needing to step up my game!

I know it seems like I’m yammering on, and I kind of am, so I will get to my point.

With all the traditions, reasons to celebrate and ways to move through this time, I am feeling so happy about being able to “Focus with Intention” on the parts that resonate most with me. There are many different kinds of holiday energies floating around out there right now. I’m finding it takes a bit of effort for me to stay grounded with my actions, awareness and even finances all geared towards celebrating Christmas in a way that really resonates with me and my family, but it’s so worth it.

This is our first year lighting an Advent Wreath; the kids are so excited to light the candles. My 4 year-old is especially thrilled with the whole idea…it’s just so super-cute to see them get geared up for such a seemingly simple act. I know for them the season holds an incredible magic.

I am thankful that I can relax and explore Christmas a bit this year, and I am so thrilled to find that I have the inner resources to discover what is special for me about this time amidst all the possibilities.

Good Yule!

ClareShale

Honoring Yourself

Your Truth is your Abundance.

How do you connect in to your Abundance? Do you give yourself time and sacred space to go within?

Do you give yourself the space you need to feel into the desires of your heart, soul and whole self?

So often the “old ways” of society have taught us to always be active – always do something – reach outside one’s self, connect externally – be a full time care-giver for others.

All of this is important, and has its own place and special gifts – but truly we cannot be there in our most helpful capacity if we do not first take care of ourselves.

We are able to be of the highest service when we not only are seeing to our basic needs, but when we are carving out time and space to cultivate and become our highest selves – our most conscious, expanded and aware versions of our already magical beings.

The more you honor your Self, and carve out that time and sacred space for your dreamtime, the more you feel your connection to All – and the more you allow your creativity to flow. From being in a relaxed state of abundance, you are opening to the epiphanies that are ready for you to tap in to.

You are your own well of abundance.

What will you do to create your space today?

Please add your comments here, we’d love to hear from you!
 

Astra Spider & ClareShale Mountain Star: 

THE EMPOWERMENT SHAMANS

Abundant Heart: Breakthrough Success in Your Life and Art

www.abundantheartliving.com

Blog – www.abundantheart.wordpress.com

Twitter – www.twitter.com/abundantheart

Facebook – www.facebook.com/abundantheart

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/astra-spider-clareshale-mountain-star/35/a05/598

Horses: Healers for the Heart

by ClareShale Mountain Star
I have loved horses my entire life. At a young age, after having shown a persistent interest in riding, my parents finally allowed me to take lessons. I stayed committed to the sport for years and I am, to this day, in love with horses.

As a healer I know that horses have great capacity to facilitate shifts on many levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.   Horses are emotional mirrors for us; they reflect what is going on inside of us in a neutral, immediate way so that we can process through what we are really experiencing. This is one reason why, for example, one sees Equine Assisted Therapy used to help people with autism, down syndrome and in recovery programs for all kinds of issues. Physiologically, the movement created by the walking gait of a horse so closely reflects the walking movement in humans, that many physical therapists use “Hippotherapy” (from the Greek ‘hippos’ meaning horse) to support development of nerve and muscle reflexes in patients dealing with cerebral palsy, as well as many other physical challenges.

As an equestrienne I have experienced, and continue to benefit from, those horse-inspired shifts. I wanted to share with you briefly the stories of two special horses. There have been so many, but these two really helped me feel my own Truth as a child.

I met my very first pony-love when I was about seven years old. His name was “Popcorn;” a dark brown liver/chestnut tiny little guy. He could be a challenge at times, but was really a great teacher to many children. On one specific occasion I was attempting to put his bridle on, and he just stepped on my foot and leaned in – he just wouldn’t get off no matter how much I pushed and pushed. I got sooooo angry; it felt like this well of anger had been opened up in some mystical way. I finally freed myself and had to storm out of the stall and just cry and cry. Looking back on this experience I can clearly see that Popcorn was intentionally helping me access my deep anger, the kind of anger most kids really aren’t allowed to express. It felt great to get that out and to cry in the barn. After I was done processing, we made up with a peppermint and a hug, and I got that bridle on in the end.

The next horse I wanted to share about was called “Sugarfoot.” She was such a sweet soul, a white Appaloosa with black spots. After having spent the whole summer with her, riding daily and playing in the fields, I was leaving to head back to school for the fall. On that final day I led her out to the pasture one last time and said good-bye, watching her walk into the grasses. Later, as I was saying my goodbyes to the humans at the barn, my heart was just about to burst and of course I was crying (again). Just then, trotting through the field, was Sugarfoot – rushing to the fence as though she could feel my sorrow and wanted to say farewell one last time. She called out to me in her horsey way and the beautiful compassionate act made me laugh and smile. I knew that we would always be connected, no matter the distance. I can still feel her with me now.