How to touch someone with finesse, skill and attunement in a way that is unattached to outcome, listening to both your needs and theirs, following the flow of what wants to happen... It's an art.

On one level, it's super simple to touch someone - you just do it.
However, we're complex creatures.
I'll speak for myself...

I want to be attuned to, deeply heard and seen. I want the person touching me to release what they think they know and to actually listen to my body, my energy, my words, my breath, my soul AND theirs. If they are not aware of what's happening for them and they're focused solely on me, something is missing.

What is attunement? 
Speak to me, make contact with me in a way that has my body, mind and energy soften and clarify in your presence. When we are attuned, my body trusts your touch the moment you come into contact with me, and where you come into contact with me is not necessarily physical touch first. Here in this moment as you're reading, you are coming in to contact with my words, my thoughts, my energy field. The energy field spans distances and time.

Attunement is finding resonance where your body and mine meet. It's finding harmony between us. 

Attunement is how a mother knows exactly what her baby requires, and giving it to them in a way that they can fully receive it. Attunement is not assuming you know what someone else needs based on past experiences, but being present with the being you are with in the moment, who may be different than how they showed up 10 seconds ago.

A guitar will need different tuning in dry and humid conditions. A living human is far more complex than a guitar. They may desire completely different contact now than you gave them 2 days ago, or different than you would like to receive yourself. 

HOW do we attune to our partners?
First, know yourself. Become so purely present with yourself in this moment.

As I type this now, I feel tingly in the back of my head, tension in my jaw and teeth, distrust of people who may read this (I have a story that the more strangers know about me, the more they'll take advantage of me, in a way that takes and doesn't give), awareness of sounds around me - the dryer running, neighbors upstairs - my sleepy eyes, the ticking clock, the habit of my energy coming forward, then recalibrating and finding where my energy wants to be - naturally sinking in to my belly as I allow it. 

What's the point of noticing and naming all of this? Why does any of this matter?

Because as I write, as I notice everything in my experience, I soften, settle, and relax. My energy expands. The pressure in my head releases. 

How does this relate to attunement to a partner?

If I'm holding tension, or on edge, or not present and aware in my body, then some part of the person I'm coming in to contact with is aware of that, whether they are conscious of it or not. Their body, or their energy, or their subconscious knows. And the better that I can attune to myself, to become aware of my present state and to give myself what I need, I will be better equipped to make contact with another being in a way that is clear and mutually supportive in a clean, unattached way. If I were disregulated and not aware of it, not owning it, and then offering supportive contact to someone, I may actually be receiving more benefit by touching them than they are receiving from me. I may actually be subconsciously taking. This can create an energy imbalance - an unconscious way to pull energy. The more that I as a support person am aware of my experience, and am grounded, centered, and owning my experience, the more I can offer neutral, attuned, supportive contact.

Once you know where you're at, you're ready to start attuning to another... which I'll write about another day.

If you're not clear where you're at and what's happening for you now, reach out to schedule a session. Bodywork, somatic coaching, and Biodynamic energy healing will clarify the body, mind and spirit.

The piece that's most important to me at this time is Biodynamic...
Biodynamic = connecting to the health, following what the system wants for optimal function.

• No agenda
• Deep listening
• Attuned presence
• Clear, neutral reflection
• Appreciation for what is here
• Holding space for what wants to happen
• Awareness of the whole, and of the health which is always present

This is the core of my practice, this is the foundation:
Connecting to Source, the pure essence of Love, Life and Light +
Appreciating what is here, unveiling what's hidden, welcoming it all.

There is a purpose for everything - deep listening, curiosity, reflection and appreciation for it all can shift patterns and pain with more ease than forcing, denying, or fighting something.

Energetically, physically and / or verbally reflecting what I notice to you can support you in seeing what's truly there. By recognizing and appreciating the health AND the dysfunction, your system can unwind and come into alignment with it's true path.

Hi, I'm Erin, and I'm an empath. Sensorial psychic. Clairsentient. I'll walk past a stranger with my eyes down, not seeing or cognitively knowing anything about this person, but my body knows what's up. I instantly have a hit into what they're feeling, and they may not recognize what they're feeling (I spent years not knowing what I was feeling - I was numb... more on that another time). This was me feeling all the feels last week -->

Sometimes I'm aware that I'm taking on other people's stuff, and sometimes I recognize it much later. Sometimes I can let it go immediately, but sometimes I hold on to it for years.

Can you relate?

What will it take to let it go immediately? What will it take to release attachments to pain, trauma, suffering? To let go of carrying other people's baggage?

What will it take to be in the flow?

Repeat after me:
1. I am not responsible for other people's trauma and baggage.
 2. I am at choice of what to do with the awareness that I have.
 3. What feels in the flow now?

Maybe it's time to actually feel all the feels... No? Ok, go for a walk. Cut your hair. Dance...
What feels true to you right now?

~

Now
Ground.
Feel. Your. Ground.

and
Center.

How do you access your ground? Well, for one thing, you're already in a body, gravitationally pulled to Earth, so in a way you're already grounded. The key is acknowledging that and FEELING it. Feeling present, aware and settled in your body in this moment. So what may support you in accessing that? Look around you. Notice what lights you up. Right now as I write, the birds sound lovely to me. So I feel my body as I listen to their song...

... and more space opens up ...  What is heavy or not true to me lifts away.

We all have shared and individual ways to access our sense of ground. I'm happy to share some methods that I find supportive. For now in this moment, what do YOU know about grounding?

Find your truth. Find your ground.

And this is me after a couple days of stewing in my shit, allowing the support of friends, receiving some energy healing, and opening up to the beauty of spring on Beltane. Feels a bit lighter!

Your health matters to me. I've increased my level of cleanliness in the office, and if you're not comfortable leaving your home at this time, I highly encourage you to receive an online somatic coaching session for nervous system balancing and self-care. One of the top risks to our health is stress, and one of the top support systems is healthy social engagement. And if you're comfortable still coming in to my office, adding nurturing touch to that boosts the immune system even more. Click here to schedule an online session, or here for in-person. I can also bring my table to you - please inquire if you're interested in an at-home session: 720-432-3032. And do reach out if you need a sliding scale rate. I look forward to supporting you, and the world around us!

Just a quick note to say that I'm testing out a new scheduling software - Acuity - because MassageBook was unreliable with Google Calendar sync, resulting in double bookings. Acuity seems to be more reliable on that front. So for now, please CLICK HERE for the latest schedule. Thank you!

What am I doing?!!!

I started something new, initiated myself into a 156-day project. Whoa. That's quite a commitment.

So I was at the bookstore with a good friend yesterday, browsing Tarot and Oracle cards, and she asked if I ever considered making my own, as she's familiar with my art.

Yes, yes I have.

And I have felt stifled by the prospect of such a big task - wanting to "get it right." I'm fairly new to the exploration of Tarot. But another book I picked up inspired me to start my own exploration in depth. It was a beginners guide to tarot that included spaces to draw your own Tarot images based on the description of each card.

After years of using other people's guidance to  learn about various modalities, about myself and the universe, I've decided to give myself my own "homework assignment." With a desire to CREATE my work, to understand myself more deeply, and to share with the world what I know, here's my project:

Create one painting for every Tarot card, at least every other day, completing by December 25, 2019.

Technically it would be December 26 from the day I started; however, I like the possibility of ending at the start of the holy nights (thank you, Sweigh Spilkin for your influence there - I gained a newfound appreciation of the 13 Holy Nights after your guided meditation practice).

This is a big task, at least it sounds like it in my mind. Commitment. Daily practice. Learning something new, for a set time period. Parts of this are very masculine - direct, focused, set framework. My teachers have been suggesting that I need a masculine presence to help balance my yin essence. Yin is all-encompassing, includes everything, flowing, spacious.  Yang is direct, focused, stable, structured. I want to allow my yin to play and enjoy herself, and give her some framework to stay balanced, on-track and clear.

• I intend that I gain a deep, clear understanding of the Tarot from multiple angles, getting to know my decks and developing my own imagery.
• I intend that I learn this established modality, while adding my creativity, experience and knowing to the mix.
• I intend that I have fun and enjoy the process.
• I intend to deepen my understanding of myself and the universe through this process.
• I intend that I open up to connecting with like-minded people who care about personal growth, interconnectedness and creative processes.
• I intend that I teach people what I know.
• I intend that I share my process with the world.
• I intend that this serves the highest good.
  

Each day will be a mini journey, an opportunity to see what's happening in my world. Let's take a look at what day #1 has brought up, my relationship to beginnings.

The Unknown . New Possibilities . Beginnings . Innocence . Unfolding

Yay! I'm starting something new! I committed to something! Look at the line-up of dates - this is gonna be great! Look at the potential, the possibilities this could bring.
...
Did I make the right choice? Is this the best use of my time & creativity? What will other people think? This seems like a big commitment...
...
In my work with John and Anna Chitty at the Colorado School of Energy Studies, I've learned about the process of beginnings, middles and endings. They say that our relationship to these aspects of life is dependent on our earliest imprint - from conception to birth. How we deal with beginnings is reflective of the moment we were conceived, how our mother was when we were in utero, and how the beginning of our birth was - if the start of our birth was delayed or complicated, we may have difficulty with beginnings.

I wonder what my mother was thinking when she first conceived of me... Was she questioning her choices, wondering what other people think of her? Sensing in to my birth, and thinking of what I've been told about it, it was both easeful and scary. I was ready to come in to this world, but also not completely trusting of the experience.

An excerpt from The Wild Wood Tarot (0 is "The Wanderer"):

At this moment the burdens of the past are set aside - either for the Wanderer to pick up and take along, or to leave behind if the weigh is too great. The Wheel of the Year is beginning its great cycle, bringing a new range of possibilities and challenges. The Wanderer is ready to make the leap into the unknown - all that is required is faith.

From White Witch Tarot (I just realized both of my tarot decks are WWT... I wonder what the significance of that is?):

Certainty comes quietly
From acceptance
Of its own impossibility

It seems to me that my drawings always start with the unknown - I usually don't have an idea of what they're going to look like. In this case, I started with sensing in to the energy of the Fool, and following the crayons and paintbrush from there. It's a practice in surrender. These images and this process may not make sense to a lot of people (sometimes it doesn't make sense to me!), but I want to allow the process to unfold, to have faith in the unknown. I feel grateful for those who do appreciate and see value in my work. And at the very least, it's fun and interesting to me.

Final note: Reversed (upside down), this Tarot card represents recklessness, which I noticed as I was completing the painting on the first night - I started to check my phone, considering replying to a call, before I had finished cleaning up the space, and I knocked over a glass of a chlorophyll-enhanced water, nearly staining the carpet green. It felt clear that this process requires more respect and intentionality, that it's best to maintain a clear container as I'm working and finish cleaning up the space before moving on to the next thing.

Thank you for reading this far! Thank you for joining me on this journey. And if you have any reflections on what this brings up for you, thank you in advance for sharing.

What is your essence?

If you sense in to this, releasing what you think it is, releasing judgements and projections, what do you notice? Do you see, feel, perceive, hear, smell anything?

I've recently started sensing in to this for myself and others, and what I'm perceiving is becoming clearer. I see colors, size, sensations in my body. It can be difficult to describe, so I invite you to close your eyes and ask the question yourself - what's your essence? Then check in to see if you notice anything different in the essence of your best friend, of the stranger across the street, or an animal you see. Again, release any preconceived notions, judgements and projections. What do you notice in your body, or your minds eye, or any other way that you uniquely perceive?

Now,
What is the energy you're portraying?

Do you notice something different?

I asked these questions in my mind the other day when I was afraid of an interaction I had. I was afraid I overshared. I felt lightly triggered and I wanted to check in to get an energetic / psychic / intuitive read of the person I had been talking with. I got a sense of their essence and the energy they were portraying, and I did the same for myself. Both were different.

So I asked myself, what will it take for the energy I'm portraying to align with my essence?

And thanks to my background in Access Consciousness, I didn't try to respond right away. I didn't allow my mind to take over and figure out an answer.

The next day I did my morning ritual of running and dancing in the park. The inquiry came to mind again, so I checked in with my essence and the energy I was portraying. They were more aligned! They felt closer to each other. I saw / felt / experienced an energetic signature in the energy I was portraying that was more similar to my essence. Victory! My housemate lovingly calls me "weird" for dancing in the park, and I'm ok with that. In my experience, more alignment with my essence = more joy, ease in my body, flow throughout my day, and authentic expression. Yes please, and more!

So I invite you to hold this as an inquiry:
What will it take to align with your essence?
Then settle in to your body, go on with your day, and notice what arises. I'd be curious to hear your findings. And let me know if you'd like support tapping in to your essence.

720-432-3032

There is a time for yielding, surrendering, and there is a time for pushing.
 Which one it is may change
  Moment to moment
AND it is not all up to you to decide and control.

What wants to happen right now? Can you yield to that? How deeply can you listen, find attunement to the rhythm of your body, connected to your soul, connected to the soul of the Universe: co-creating, dancing, listening, pushing, yielding, listening to the natural flow of life....

Do you desire that?
Do you wish to delve deeper in to the magic of you?

You are not doing the pushing and yielding alone. When mothers give birth, the mother and baby are co-creating the process. A contraction happens. The baby instinctively pushes against the uterus, the mother feels this, and works with baby, surrendering to it's push, riding the ocean tide.

You are not doing the push and yield alone!
Other forces, people, creatures are available to support you and are already working with you, whether or not you're aware of it. The more you realize this and acknowledge it, the easier it will be.

May 1st.
Welcome, Spring.
Welcome, new life.

What wants to be birthed through you today? What can you yield to in this moment to access your desires?