Medium Rare™

The Sacred Space and Wellness

Posted by Linda Lauren on February 2, 2012

Personal Sacred Space

I have always had a sacred space, for as long as I can remember. A place I retreated to when I needed comfort and understanding,  or even just to go within and be at mindful peace with myself and my surroundings.  My sacred space is personal and intimate and  always affords me private time as a valuable appointment i make with myself. It is always the place I call home.  Its where I organize my mind and download the day.  It’s also where I do my best thinking and have a true sense of what I feel.

I believe that everyone needs a sacred space and its easy to create one, no matter the space you have available. I have had small ones using an end table,and have seen people with a separate room in their home dedicated to it.  A sacred space is a great way to enjoy meditation, journaling and  praying. Connecting and disconnecting each day by using a sacred space to honor that special Me Time is intimately important.  It will enrich your life by improving your mood.

My personal sacred space (seen here) is in the sitting room in my bedroom. I choose to incorporate my religious foundation with my spiritual beliefs and display items to appropriately convey that. Different seasons, moon cycles and intentions guide me in deciding what is on my space at any given time.

Some items to consider for your space:

A candle or a light source of some kind is an important centerpiece and  is used to shed light on your time beside your space.  Lighting a candle or lamp will ignite your chosen  intention for that day.

A scarf, doily or cloth – to honor your furniture and create a spiritual boundary that shows respect for your intentions.

An icon, figurine, or crystal – some people put items of a religious nature, or crystals special to them.

Photographs – caution here as its easy to put a lot of deceased loved ones on your sacred space. That sorrow will interfere with the downloading, uploading and relaxing you need to do here. Your focus is on guidance for you.**

**As an alternative, you can always create a small sacred space to pay homage specifically to your loved ones who have passed on.

Flowers- flowers have long been an offering on tables for holidays and special occasions, and your sacred space is no different. Whether you place one flower in a vase or a spray of them, the wonderful scent and energetic color will be soothing and uplifting.

These are only guidelines designed to help you create a special sacred space to nourish your spirit and take the time to embrace the internal you. You can go there to meditate, read, listen to music or to just be still.

I would love for you to share your sacred spaces with me! Please send your photo along with a descriptor ion to me at info@lindalauren.com

 

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Embracing Life: The New Years Collage

Posted by Linda Lauren on December 31, 2011

Today’s blog offers a message of encouragement and hope, and a way to embrace a positive vibration as you move into the future. I call it the New Year Collage, while others might call it a vision board. Regardless of the title, it is a reminder to me to keep my focus on what I want.  It’s very easy to get caught up in the angst of the world and not realize how deeply world events can affect our smaller, personal world in the negative. The signs are: depression, anger, jealousy, impatience, and the growing threat of intolerance. Everything from social media to social connections is threatened simply because it is easier to ride the wave of a bad vibe then it is to work at a positive one.

I remind myself of how important it is for me to be positive if I want to live a long and happy life, and I instill in myself the fact that my every single thought has a profound affect on my entire life and I reprogram my personal intentions through my collage, adding to it as the year progresses.  I strive to create what I want to manifest in the New Year from the seeds of a dream. I define a dream as a wish that is powered by a positive intention until it becomes a reality.  We make our own reality each day and that is through our thoughts and convictions.

Since the age of seven, my way of doing that has been by creating a collage of words and pictures that represent my wants and goals. The process is empowering and, though I’ve shared it here before, it is worth repeating. I hope you will gather up some time, material, and create a collage to help you embrace 2012. And it’s also something that can include the entire family.

You will need the following: poster board, scissors, glue and a lot of different magazines, newspapers, and photos.

The size of the collage is up to you. If you are doing this as a project with family, friends or business partners, you might want a larger piece so that everyone in the can participate.

Cut out images and words of what you want to manifest. Be sure to cut out the New Year date, and remember to include a photograph of yourself and your loved ones. I have seen these collages take on a life of their own and I am amazed at how they become a source of comfort and peace. A collage helps us to do more than “go with the flow” of our intentions. It helps us to direct the current so that we arrive at our destination!

Though you can do a collage on any topic: business, health or relationship and at any time, starting the New Year off with one is effective and powerful in setting a positive tone for the months ahead.

God bless. Enjoy a Happy, Healthy New Year!

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What My Christmas Tree Means to Me

Posted by Linda Lauren on December 25, 2011

boot

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I’m sitting by the my newly decorated Christmas tree, my eyes drifting over each ornament in mesmerized reverie, already sharp in the knowledge of the special memory held within every one of them. I’m always pleased to share the stories of what’s hanging on my tree. They embrace the history and traditions of those who came before me, those who celebrated with me, and those who will continue the tradition long into the future.

My Christmas tree is very much a spiritual collage of what my parents, grandparents, and family believed in and what they embraced. It allows me to remember them in the tradition, and is one small part of how I join other families in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

And so I thought it a nice idea to share a few of my ornaments with you:

The Red Boot – this was given to me back in 1977 when I was living with my late uncle in California. It is not expensive, and the accompanying ornaments are long gone, but the fact that it came from Frank Sinatra makes it very special. This boot was made for walking on my tree!

The Crocheted Mailbox -this was hand crocheted by my ex-fiances Grandmother. She was a wonderfully creative woman and this was hanging on the tree with a $50 bill in it one year.

The Nineteenth Century Lady- a very detailed ornament from my late Mom, in honor of Amanda and Jonathan of Hostage in Time.

I thank you for letting me share some of my Christmas tree with you this year.

From our hearth to yours, we wish you wonderful memories this Holiday Season!

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Embracing Blessings with Gratitude

Posted by Linda Lauren on December 19, 2011

I am holding one of my Blessings close to me!

It’s that time of year when people feel the energy that comes from  nostalgia mixed with holiday cheer.

You are in traffic. You’re standing in one at the store. Your temper begins to flare.  You don’t want to feel this way…and you can’t stop from reacting and it takes over the nice personality inside you. This is an excellent time to focus on remembering your blessings.

According to Dictionary.com, Blessings are a beneficial thing for which one is grateful; and a prayer for God’s favor and protection.  Look around you, and you will see “blessings” everywhere you look, and not just at this special time of year, but all year long.

Blessings take all forms. There are blessings in the smile you receive, the kind word a stranger offers, the advice you communicated to someone who needed it. You are blessed when you catch your taxi or bus and get the ride, or  when you are given coupons and discounts when shopping. The simple fact that the sun is shining is a blessing.

Look around you, pay close attention to the small details that make for big blessings and remember to give a blessing in return by taking notice and sending your gratitude out into the universe to be shared and multiplied. This single act of gratitude will help you feel better while your in that line or impatient in traffic.

Embrace your blessings and light a candle in gratitude for them. It will encourage more blessings to come your way!

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Managing Mercury in Retrograde

Posted by Linda Lauren on November 28, 2011

I am so tired of people stressing out and running scared because someone told them we were in “mercury retrograde” and that somehow is negative. We don’t have negative planets; we have negative people who use the planets as a great excuse for negative thinking, and in some cases, even negative behavior. My mother always said for every down there is an up, so let’s clear the decks, and get a better understanding of this phenomena and how best to flow with it.

Mercury is the planet governing communication, transportation and truth. When it is in “retrograde” it’s movement appears to be streaming backward in the skies, and that backward intention affects all forms of communication: whether that be via computer or person to person. Just because there are more misunderstandings and bad judgment calls made during Mercury Retrograde periods than any other time, does not mean that Mercury is singularly responsible. I am beginning to suspect an uncomfortable pattern. By the very virtue of the Universal Law of Attraction, many people are actually encouraging the frustration experienced during this time, rather than working with the blessings of it.

Breaking it down:
Don’t sign contracts or commit anything in writing, or any other important agreement papers while Mercury is Retrograde.

Back up your computer files regularly because Mercury wreaks havoc with any form of technology, whether that is a computer or a toaster oven. Keep that in mind.

Avoid travel when Mercury is Retrograde, and if you can’t, then give yourself a lot of extra time and confirm your itinerary several times and check all reservations.

Be extra mindful of your words. Be clear and concise about what you are conveying or need and not make or take things to a personal level. Even the most innocent requests can take on total miscommunication with neither side thinking they were wrong.

Favored activities when Mercury is in Retrograde: editing, revising, reviewing, research relaxing, and regrouping. Cleaning out clutter, organizing and catching up on paperwork are highly favored during this time.

So, as you embrace the holiday season, remember to take a nice, slow deep breath, and take a little 60 second breather so that as you begin to go with the flow, you will be directing the current to make this the positive that a Mercury Retrograde should be.

 

CLICK HERE FOR : Sixty Second Centering Meditation

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How the Jewelry We Wear Can Help Us

Posted by Linda Lauren on November 22, 2011

A while ago, I had to run an errand to my local pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I headed out in the morning so that I would not have to wait in a long line. I arrived to find only one person ahead of me, a beautiful, middle-aged woman in corporate dress. She was leaning in toward the pharmacist and telling him that she was feeling extremely balanced that day.

“I’m amazed at how grounded I am,” I heard her say. “I just don’t know why today is different.”

As often happens with me, I have an intense desire to furnish people with metaphysical facts and/or helpful information that will clarify questions and guide them in a positive direction. Knowledge is power, no matter what it is or where it stems from. I took a very quick ‘read’ on the jewelry she was wearing and immediately found why she felt so grounded. Dangling from each ear was a Hematite earring. Hematite is a very dark gray stone with a shiny finish and is known for its grounding of our spiritual energy to the reality of our daily routine. It is an excellent stone to keep beside your computer as it draws in radiation.

Every piece of jewelry you wear carries a vibration. That vibration is enhanced by the energetic properties of the stone or mineral it is set into. A diamond ring set in gold would represent innocent power and purity of heart, it will ground us to being powerful on a more practical level. It embraces happiness and clarity. When set in silver it works with that energy and will allow more power in communication and help us feel more hopeful.

Turquoise is a gemstone I often see worn as a necklace or a ring. With an origin seeping in Native American tradition, it is known as a truth stone and a powerful sacred stone. It helps with spiritual healing and communication skills and absorbs negativity.

One of the most useful ways to connect to the energy of what jewelry to wear that would benefit you is to relate it to your birth month. We all have a birthstone, and each metaphysical meaning is explained below. There are several schools of thought: Traditional, Modern and Mystical. For our intents and purposes I am focusing on the Traditional gemstones.

BIRTHSTONES (Traditional)

January is Garnet- all about friendship and trust. When set in a ring and given as a gift it promotes a strong bond between the gift and the giver. Good for those who wish to embrace understanding regarding a single topic.

February is Amethyst – connects you to the intuitive energy within you and accelerates the process of clear thinking. Good stone for writers and for people who are working through addictions.

March – Aquamarine – Back in days of old, this stone was one to guarantee a safe voyage. The serenity of aquamarine can cool off the temper so one remains level headed.

April – Diamond – representative of innocence and power, this gemstone draws abundance in terms of happiness and success in all areas of one’s life. The diamond helps with clarity of vision.

May – Emerald- has much to do with rebirth and starting over. It has long been known to carry foresight and good fortune. Good for the immune system and to increase intuitive abilities

June – Pearl- allows you to be in tune with emotion and absorbs thoughts both positive and negative. Though it can be soothing, if you are agitated and negative while wearing a pearl, it will hold that energy until cleansed.

July – Ruby – beneficial to the eyes and to promote blood sugar balance, this is a stone of great joy and love. You will always have physical energy and financial prosperity with this stone.

August – Peridot – used for health and wealth, this gemstone assists us in relationships. Known as a visionary stone, it alleviates depression and anxiety and allows us to discover our purpose.

September – Sapphire – used for, inspiration, spiritual prayer and devotion, It works as an antidepressant and soothes inflammation. It is a very calming gemstone.

October – Opal – creates spontaneity and helps with emotional states. Also stimulates visualization and the imagination and activates dreams.

November – Yellow Topaz- this is a stone of mental clarity, focus, and confidence. Helps mood swings, insomnia, depression and exhaustion, turning them around to create a warm feeling.

December – Blue Topaz – offers creative expression and is fantastic for writers and publishers as it helps to focus on your path. It will help you inspire spiritual compassion.

Remember that all crystals and gemstones carry a vibration, and you want that vibration to emit positive energy to you when you wear them. Before you put your next piece of jewelry on, give yourself a moment to investigate it and why you may be wearing it.

I tell my clients to ask themselves this question: Will the jewelry I’m wearing help me move through the tasks ahead of me for that day? Sit quietly for a few moments after you have your accessories on and let the energy speak to you. Allow yourself some quiet moments to gather a sense of companionship with the pieces you have chosen. If something feels “off,” then remove one piece of jewelry. Perhaps your watch, a ring, or a bracelet is interfering with the energy you want to create for your day. By process of elimination and experience, you will learn to enhance and embrace a personal vibration that makes you feel complete and at peace.

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Pet Awareness

Posted by Linda Lauren on November 4, 2011

The more I work with pets and their owners, the more I realize how out of touch so many people are with the concept of communication.  There are two basic forms: one is verbal and/or through command; the other is psychic and telepathic in nature.  When you are communicating with your pet psychically, you are creating a direct dialog that will, over time, convey the necessary information between you.

Here are three things to keep in mind to help bring awareness to your communication:

1.  Pay attention to your pet’s physical mannerisms, especially during reprimand.  If your pet is squinting his/her eyes during a correction in behavior, that is a sign of fear and indicates your pet was previously abused.

2.  If you have a pet that is walked on a leash, then please be aware that it is safer to train your pet to walk beside you or slightly in front of you and to your right or left side, never behind you.  I have seen too many injuries that could have been avoided if the owner was more aware of the leash.  That leash is your lifeline to your pet and your need to pay attention.

3.  Finally, we come to sound.  Give yourself and your pet time a deeper connection by tuning into the sounds they make and why they make them.   What does your pet sound like when happy or sad or in pain; that knowledge is powerful because it is one of the most important ways your pet communicates with you.

So enjoy conversations with your pet, but remember that it is just as important to have his/her feedback if you wish to have a long, happy life together.

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My First Séance?

Posted by Linda Lauren on October 25, 2011

Credit: Crystlnks.com

So how does a 4th generation psychic medium disobey her mother? She has a séance before she is old enough to facilitate one!  That was what I did back in 1968 because I was a new kid in a new school who was ‘different’ and I wanted to make friends. Someone suggested that we have a séance at our friend Sean’s house and that we try to speak with the great magician and escape artist Harry Houdini. They asked me to show them the way.

Sean lived in a stately house in the old and once prestigious Seven Oaks section of the Oranges in New Jersey.  The homes there were large mansions that were no longer kept in the grand style that surrounded them in the 1800s, but they were still in decent (in some cases, stellar) condition.  My then boyfriend picked me up on his bicycle (yes, a bicycle) and we rode over to Seven Oaks.  I was pretty excited because, just shy of seventeen, I was finally going to facilitate my first séance, something my mother considered out of the question.

I remember standing there beside my boyfriend while he rang the doorbell.  We could hear Sean bounding down the stairs, and waited as he pulled open the heavy oak door. “Come on in!  I’m all set up.”

As we stepped into the large foyer, my eyes immediately swept up to a beautiful tapestry of angels that hung over the staircase in welcome. The long staircase led to the other floors of the house, with the dining room on the immediate right, and across the hall the living room was to the left.

“Everyone is here.  I have us sitting at the dining room table,” Sean said.

I remember hearing him, but I became lost in the swirls of the color in the tapestry and soon his voice was barely audible to me.  Before I realized it, I was walking up the staircase with slow, deliberate steps.  The closer I came to the next landing, the more distant the voices became.   I stopped at the second landing and reached out to grab the railing as dizziness took hold of me. My eyes started tearing and my throat closed up, and I felt like I could not breathe.  I steadied myself and continued up to the next landing. It was here that my peripheral vision disappeared and I found myself walking into a tunnel of white light . I stopped as an image began to take form.  The white turned to dark and then light again. That’s when I saw her more clearly.  Standing outside the door where I had stopped was a woman dressed all in black. And she didn’t look very pleased to see me!

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled away from her face and tied into a long braid. She was not smiling and her hands were folded in front of her.  I froze.   We made eye contact, and I found myself running back down those steps faster than I knew was possible.  I stumbled right down into the surprised arms of my boyfriend at the bottom of the landing.

“You didn’t tell me your grandmother was home, Sean,” I reprimanded, trembling.  “She was pretty angry that I went upstairs.  She scared me.  I didn’t expect her–.”

“Huh?”  Sean looked at us.” Didn’t you tell her?”  He raised an eyebrow in question to my boyfriend.

“Tell me what?”  I was sitting down on the bench down in the foyer and was finally feeling my heavy breathing subside.

“That’s why you’re here. My grandmother died yesterday—there is no way that you saw her alive just now up on the third floor.  We thought you might want to call her when you call Houdini.”

That is all I remember hearing before I slumped back against the bench and fainted.

Séance called on account of fright!

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A Ghost Story or Time Travel? You Decide!

Posted by Linda Lauren on October 24, 2011

Ghosts? or Time Travelers?

We drove to my friend Todd’s house in Mountainside late one night, the car taking the curves slowly as we made our way through the reservation. The night was warm with lots of stars in the evening sky. It was just getting dark and I was glad that my friend, Sue, was driving. Our dogs panted happily in the back seat and I fiddled with the radio, just as we turned to head up Todd’s street.

“What’s going on up ahead?” I asked as I trained my eyes on the group milling around the entrance to Todd’s driveway. “What’s with all the people? What do you think happened?”

There was a spotlight on up ahead. No painted dividing line in the road, and the area seemed more woods-like than I remembered it. A man in long sleeve blue pajamas, with stripes, was talking and gesturing with his hands to the woman beside him. She was short and dressed in white. A nurse, I thought. The group looked like they were waiting for something. Had something happened? I felt as if something had. The man turned to face the street and I could see he had short brown hair that was parted on the side.

I didn’t recognize anyone. I turned toward Sue.

“Pull up.” I turned back to the window and pointed, but the people were suddenly gone. In a flash…poof! “What?”

“Linda, there is nobody there. What were you seeing?” Sue pulled the car into Todd’s driveway and we got out to join him inside the house.

I recounted what I had seen and said that I felt it had to do with an incident that happened in the area many years before. My reading on it was that there was no paved road and it was not as developed, but more rural. The man I saw was in pajamas and barefoot, and the scene of a fire sprang to mind. He was waiting for help while his house went up in flames. There was no line in the road because this was before 1940, and I feel they were milling around to wait for the fire department to arrive. The man was gesturing as he retold what happened to him to his nurse, as I am sure he was a patient of some kind. Or at the very least, under a doctor’s care.

Was this vision a past experience, which means they were ghosts? Or was this a vision of parallel time and the people I was seeing re-enacting a scene that happened in their lives in the spot where the memory of it is strongest?

I’ve yet to decide. Have you?
Send me your comments.

 

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The Man on the Woodpile

Posted by Linda Lauren on October 20, 2011

The Garage and wood!

I saw him first in profile, leaning against the woodpile in the driveway. I probably heard him long before we met face to face. It was the day before, when part of the stack of wood in the driveway collapsed for no apparent reason. I was alone in the house and heard a rustle of leaves, followed by a loud crash that caused me to run to the window. When I investigated the area, I discovered the fallen wood and had to move my car back to avoid the logs that had spilled over.

As I rounded to the driver’s side, I managed to remain standing and I stared in this stranger’s direction. I wasn’t sure he was the living or the dead, as my work as a medium has introduced me to some very interesting spirits and ghosts in the past. It looked like he was peering in our window! Dead or alive, that made me shudder! If he were real, it wouldn’t be a good thing to confront him.

I stood one car away from the stack of wood, and he seemed to not be aware of my presence. I took the opportunity to scan him slowly. He wore a tan pinstriped shirt with the sleeves rolled up; tan khaki pants with white socks and black sneakers. His arms were folded across his chest and he had the relaxed pose of someone leaning against a car, rather than wood. He was intensely staring into our living room window! My observation triggered something and he turned his head, not his body, and looked silently at me. His hair was as dark as his eyes; and it was kinky and parted in the middle. His mustache was thick and long. I marveled at how much he resembled the man on the Colombia coffee commercials.

After a few moments, I could “feel” his thoughts, and knew what I was dealing with. “You have to leave. You are on private property,” I said, now realizing he was a ghost. “And shame on you for doing that to our woodpile!”

“Emmanuel,” he said slowly. “I am Manny. I’m here because you called me.”

“I did not call you. Now go away, please!”

A slow mist formed around him and he was gone. I went back inside the house to share what just happened with my friend, Sue, and I kept insisting that I did not call on this ghost.

“I think you did call this ghost, Linda,” Sue said. “Yesterday morning you told me the story of your grandmother being a young widow and that she had fallen in love with a musician named Manny!”

“Oh my God, I did! I was teasing and I said his name three times like in the movie “Beetlejuice,” and told you that he would appear.”

The lesson of this Halloween tale is to remind everyone that when we talk about the dead, whether we know them or not, they will be responding back. They might be around you and let you know they are there, and they might just peer into your window to share a little part of this world again. If you find someone on the woodpile by your house, peering into your window, be polite and buy shutters!

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