“In the beginner's mind there are infinite possibilities. In the expert's
there are only a few.” - Suzuki
    Hello Bellesprit readers. I am really excited to be bringing you this brand
new column, Jenny’s Gems, which will offer unique ways to connect with your
intuition, as well as help you notice when you are in the  intuitive and
manifestation flow. Sometimes I will share stories from my own journey,
sometimes I will share ideas that have helped me become  more aware of my unique
truth, purpose and calling, and sometimes I will share channeled visions and
different tools I have discovered for  spiritual connection. 
    This column will hopefully suggest to you  as well, a new way of looking at and engaging
your world. And lastly, if I am lucky, it will enliven your unique spirit and
open up a greater  connection to your abundant source energy. Regardless
of what I  share in the column, know that my express purpose is to help you grow
by  defining your unique awareness, potential and connection with spirit.  With
this goal in mind, each monthly column will also offer a helpful  affirmation.
Think of this as a distillation of the article’s alchemical energy. In
addition, and true to its name and Bellesprit’s  theme, i.e. Diamond Psychics, I
will suggest a gem stone to carry as a  reminder to help you witness these
ongoing changes in yourself.  Know  that I will carry the stone as well so
we can both do our own inner work together. This will allow you to feel
supported by aligning with a  larger body of co-creative energy working toward a
similar purpose. In  this way we can support each other intra-spiritually in
these soulful  endeavors.    
    I believe growing spiritual energy and building  momentum is something our souls innately and reflexively respond to.  There is an amazing building interrelationship between imagination,
  intuition, intention-setting and manifestation. When we are in the flow, all of
these abilities work in tandem, like a gently swelling wave  which builds to a
steady crescendo leaving treasures stirred up from the depths of us and the
universe strewn in our path. Our lives cannot help but work this way. It is what
we are born to do on a quantum level. 
    As children, we are finely tuned  channels that zero in on these waves of  possibility easily and readily. It is easier for us developmentally to  de-center and see ourselves as part of the
whole; part of this gently  swelling wave of abundance. These realms of the deep
unconscious, the  sea of potential, are where we are meant to live throughout
our life  span. As children, when we were able to easily engage in all of the 
things we most love, it is easier for us to open up to this constant  source of
goodness and abundance as adults as well. That is why the  power we develop as
children, the ability to play, is so important to  put into practice as healthy
adults. When we play, we are focused not on outcome but on source energies. In
this way we are curious, inspired  and fueled throughout our experiences.  
     Many people who become  involved in metaphysics and new thought ideas
look for experts to put  them on the right path so they can glean the benefits
of their time  trusted wisdom. In other words, they look outside themselves for
their  definition of truth, beauty and worth. This can be stifling to their
  inner spirit as well as to their outer life. It definitely was to
mine.
    If there is anything I have learned through my twenty plus years
moving  and working in these psychic and intuitive circles it is that the gifts
  we seek, the connection we desire is already inside each of us. While it is
helpful to look for a teacher for guidance, most of the unique  insights you
have and felt-senses which accompany them, will be known  uniquely to you. They
will originate inside your spirit. Trusting your  own unique feelings and
perceptions will take you far on your path just  by opening you up to listening
deeply to your own spirit for guidance. 
    C.G. Jung talks about the concept of synchronicity as following a series of 
meaningful coincidences which are readied, not only by our attuned  awareness,
 but also by our deep appreciation of them. Jung called this  the transcendent function and he
believed this deep connection to the  divine was not only around us, but also
developed and then held within  us. Being in the flow of this intuitive energy
helps put us in direct  alignment with the divine.     
    When I use the word divine I don’t  mean other-worldly, but very much in and of this world.
So it is not  what we see that makes it magical, but how we choose to look at it, the 
attention to details and appreciation we bring into view. This allows us to
connect with the pictures within the pictures; kind of like watching clouds and
seeing the visions within them. Because these visions and  symbols exist within
us and have a powerful life felt there, seeing  these emboldened in nature and
in the world readies us to connect with  our imagination and activate our
dreams. It is the practice of tuning  into this uniquely readied awareness that
helps us express the courage  to continue to see the world and live through our
intuitive visions and  inspirations.  
    In some ways, this is like the idea of beginner’s mind. In beginner’s mind, we are wholly new to
possibilities,  perceptions and outcome. We are excited, eager and open to each
new  aspect of our dream coming into view. Somewhere along the way we become 
jaded and slowly come to accept the importance of at least some type of 
routine in our lives to create security. 
    Today the first thing that truly captured me during morning tea was a quote a friend posted on Facebook. She posted, “In the beginner's mind there are infinite possibilities. In the
expert's there are only a few”  - Suzuki. This quote suggests that the
price we often pay for becoming  an expert is that our minds close. When this
happens, fewer  possibilities are able to be seen as holding weight or validity
for us.  We do a disservice to ourselves because, as our minds close, so often 
does our level of heart centered awareness, followed by our ability to 
entertain magical possibilities. So as adults, we must strike a balance  of
knowledge and child-like wonder, a balance between the energies of  the sage and
the fool. The goal is to stay open to new possibilities and opportunities that
allow for magic to creep in. It is this magic, or  way of viewing the world
created by our perceptions and visions, that  add joy to our everyday
experiences. 
    There is a wonderful book by Eugene Gendlin called Focusing.
Gendlin identifies a process that can happen within us called  a  felt-sense.
For Gendlin, this process is a way of setting aside problems that
typically occupy our mind and allowing our core truth to rise from within us.
This is often accompanied by a shift in perception and a  feeling of lightness
and rightness of energy that fits our truth,  perceptions, and perspective just
perfectly.
When we feel this  shift, we know we are truly contained by
and in our experience.  Sometimes this happens in nature, sometimes with a
friend or partner and sometimes in the parent child-bond. It can also happen in
our  imagination or through creative expression. It can happen in an instant  or
over a period of time. When it happens, we can truly in-joy the  peace, freedom
and connection that fits our sense of self, feeds our  souls and is our
birthright.  
    So December’s Affirmation Gem is: “My
innate truth, sense of calling, and joyful purpose are all found by  listening
to my own deep self, and intuition. I am delighted to witness  myself in a
deeper communion with each of these connections daily. “
And December’s Gem is azurite. Azurite stimulates the third eye and 
 facilitates intuitive development, spiritual guidance, and higher 
 consciousness. Azurite also brings new perspectives and expands the  mind. 
As I said, I will be carrying this stone too and doing  this magical
affirmative intention setting work with you. Please trust  the visions you are
drawn to and already creating. Blessings and happy  envisioning and intention
setting to each of you! See you next month! 

I may be reached at (614)  309-7916 or   [email protected] or
at:  www.innervoiceintuitive.com to schedule intuitive 
 tarot readings, intuitive services and counseling
packages.      

Copyright Statement- 
All writing is © Jennifer Sieck.
I own the  copyrights to all writing that appears
on this website and blog unless otherwise noted.
Thank you! 

    For those who have been following the Inner Voice Insights Blog--here is the post about the Turkey trip I promised to you back in Mid June. This entry is an adendum to the previous blog and also offers a clear example of what can and does happen when we are able to ask the universe for what we want with unabashed vigor, joy and curiousity instead of stipulations, ultimatums and self-imposed limitations. When we get more excited about the possibility then the promise of it such amazing things can come to pass. This happened to me toward the end of graduate school in 2008. After applying myself in my program and completing my final thesis requirement I wanted to regroup, get back in touch with my inner self, celebrate a huge accomplishment and figure out what my next move was. 
    I had imagined taking a grand trip to Greece and basking in the Mediterranean breezes, swimming in the Adriatic and eating Salty feta and drinking Retsina in one Villa after another. I planned on using a portion of my school loans to finance the trip and when the time got closer to make the arrangements I realized that I'd miscalculated funding and wouldn't have enough to take this trip of my dreams. I was dissapointed but quickly regrouped and planned instead to take a trip to Niches, a local sustainable campground in the area. I would put off my dream trip toward sometime in the future and I was okay with it.  Around the same time I responded to an invitation from my family to join them for a much needed belated Birthday celebration weekend. 
    I traveled to meet them at the end of October and enjoyed several days of relaxation in which one of the high points was when they shared their photos of a recent trip to Turkey with me. When I saw their photos I realized in one sweeping moment that it was Turkey with it's Whirling Dervishes, Alien Stalagmite landforms, petroglyph caves and writings of Rumi that truly called most closely to my soul. As soon as I saw the photo's I began to clear a space in my mind, heart and life for this sojurn I felt so sure I was somehow destined to take. 
    I began to look into ways that I could make this trip real in my life. I decided to open a bank account for the trip. I would refer to it as the Turkey trip fund. If I had to withdraw monies for other things that was fine but I would at least bring it into being in a practical way and do what I could to make it a real possiblity in my life.  That magical weekend I also investigated travel options and found out that If I booked a trip for a group Globus would offer me round trip airfare free. 
    My dream was already so much closer and felt real inside of me and I was doing all I could to answer that by bringing it into being in the external world too. This process of entrainment meant that the spark of this dream already had life energy. The Free dictionary defines entrainment as 1. The ability to pull or drag along after itself. 2. To carry suspended particles along in a current. It was clear this possibility, this ambition already was being pulled along in something...A wish, a dream, a curiousity? Now what could make that more real...?
    That night my father took me to see Lorenna Mckennit, the brilliant Singer of Sacred Songs from Wisdom traditions for my birthday.  Lorenna shared her travels and then punctuated the spoken pieces by sharing songs written from the places she traveled on her journey. To my delight she shared stories from her journeys in Turkey.  As I listened and let the music take me away to all these places I dreamed of seeing, it became clear to me that Lorenna herself had taken the same tour that my parents had. It was unmistakable as all the locations she visited were presented in the same order as my parents photos on the computer. The universe clearly had a brilliant sense of humor as it mirrored back to me my dream in lyrics andd words so clearly. At this point I could fill the energy tipping toward my dream and spreading itself out in the corners of my imagination. Now I had to admit it seemed more like a when not a whether, I would embark on this magical journey.  
    I got back to C-Bus so excited about where this energy could lead. I started telling everybody about what happened on my weekend and asking to see if anyone I knew had been to Turkey. It turned out the next door neighbor had been on a trip to Istanbul and shared her pictures with me. And then it happened..someone in the women's group I attended asked me, "Would you like to go to Turkey this December?" I said I most certainly did but doubted it would be possible so soon. She suggested I get more information and that a trip was being sponsored by a local interfaith organization that was two travelers short this December. I agreed to speak to the host, assuming it would be far beyond my price range. 
    And that is how closely the universe listens...The trip was 10 days, easily in my price range (which, really was equivalent to a long luxurious weekend in a cabin). We had one flight in Country. We stayed in four star hotels which had lobbies nicer than any accomodations I had ever stayed in up until now. We were the recipients of beautiful traditional Turkish meals made especially for our group. We were invited into people's homes and gifted with Art and Sacred stories about their families. We got to worship in Mosques bowing with humbleness to the wonder of the world, our personal God and the beauty of community. We were a traveling band of flute players, poets and yes, even someone who was on the board at Jung Haus. This trip was hand picked by an intelligent magical universe just for me. 
    I believe I seized upon it by being a willing participant to what the universe had so lovingly and clearly set into motion that weekend at my parent's house. As if that blissful universal gift weren't enough we had the happy accident of getting stranded in Amsterdam on our return flight. The Airline agreed to put us up and for 3 days we got to see the beauty of Amsterdam spread out in Crystaline wonder under a blanket of ice. When I asked the universe to provide the perfect trip for me I had single pointed focus and an enthusiasm that made my cheeks hurt from smiling. The universe was smiling too and I believe we just became so intimately aware of each other.. Like a call and response we listened with patience and anticipation and so told each piece with brilliant clarity to the other. It was this alchemical quickening that grew wings which rose more quicly then each dream in isolation could. I know we both witnessed it rise on bouyant winds until it burst forth and told itself what it could be....
 
Copyright Statement- 
All writing is © Jennifer Sieck.
I own the  copyrights to all writing that appears on this website and
blog unless otherwise noted. Thank you! 

    This morning I woke up feeling fresh new & alive. Maybe it's Venus's move from slower Taurus to lively Gemini! Maybe it's the lovely day. Not sure but everything felt positively charged with a slowly building energetically charged humm in my heart.  I have been incubating the idea for the new Inner Voice Intuitive Newsletter for about a week now and have finally decided to write about how to recognize & court the experience of abundance in your life. In this blog I'll share my own ideas for connecting with the experience of this universal flow. 
 When you are working on manifesting abundance: 
1) Don't focus primarily on the literal expression of abundance i.e. money, big ticket items, etc...These literal focuses may keep your experience of what it feels like to receive at bay. Qualifying the worth of something soley   through a monetary filter will often keep you from the experience of feeling truly abundant. Instead focus on what it means to be receptive to goodness and abundance in your life. This can mean enjoying a great cup of coffee, or seeing a beautiful expression in nature that speaks to your soul in the moment. All of these non-literal examples represent resources & deeper experiences of richness as well. 
2) Stay away from media definition's and other's definition of what you need to be happy. The bigger, better, faster more crowds definition often is one based on entitlement & comparison more than a true connection with what makes you (and only you can know) happy. 
3) Sit with yourself to figure out what feels like enough. If you don't know you will always be searching for an outside view of what makes you happy and what enough is. This can lead you into definition's that don't fit your needs, sense of self, values, or lifestyle.  
4) Don't get caught up in the idea that to get clear about what enough is means that you have to embrace a scarcity mentality. There is more then enough wealth, resources & wonderful opportunities to go around thrice fold.  
5) Sit with yourself too to figure out what you do need on a regular basis to be happy. I need good books, fresh veggies, light, reg. bonfires, water aerobics, earrings & lovely throw pillows. These are non-negotiables. Know your list & imagine having a regular and plentiful supply. Create a budget that allows for a generous helping of these. If you envision your list with awareness, purpose, clarity, joy and belief the universe will move mountains to make it happen. 
6) Practice daily gratitude for what you do have, remind yourself regularly and daily of these overflowing non-conditional goodnesses in your life.
7) When you feel the need to compare yourself to others or you do feel a lack of abundance in your life notice the feeling that acompanies it. The need to hang on just creates more scarcity. Instead try giving something away without strings; a gift, a service, a compliment. Mirroring others in this way keeps the flow going & growing and  it flows both ways when you give away what you feel you lack. 
8) When you have feelings of unworthiness don't ignore them. Instead acknowledge them and make an agreement with your better self to set them aside while you visualize your desires & dreams. 
8) Now set your intention for what you truly want to manifest. Be curious, playful and have fun while doing this. See it manifest in your mind's eye as well as feel the feeling accompanied with having the experience. Your body doesn't know the difference between imagination & actuality... Feeling it cleary and richly with your five senses and with your heart will help you materialize it in the outside world.   
9) Have as much fun & put as much stock in the creative visualization part of this work as in the manifesting part. A great way to do this is to acknowledge the deep wisdom and feeling sense of your dreams & intuitions. Make a vision board with pictures that show the energy's, experiences, environments and things you are hoping to manifest in your life.  
10) Notice if the universe is providing an energetic match for you too. This is the universe making a bridge from the possible to the actual. It is like noticing that the vision board iyou made is now being reflected back to you in your daily experiences with the outside world.
11)Imagine the universe giving a gentle nudge and wink to your most persistent and clear dreams. This encourages you to connect with what Jung calls the principle of synchronicity.  Examples can be small. i.e. saying words in your head & then hearing a song that reinforces the need to play along & pay closer attention to your gut & heart. Or they can be huge like my perfect magical almost free trip to Turkey that fell in my lap after setting intention for 3 weeks. (I will share this story of deep receiving & right alignment in a future blog.)   
12) Make a daily pactice of opening to the experience of receiving abundance. And keep an active checklist of what the universe has provided since honoring your practice. 
13) When you backslide (which you will, we are human) be gentle with yourself. Then return to gratitude for the unconditional, unseen and magical. 
14) Know that the more you practice these 14 steps the more the universe will respond in deight and in kind! The universe loves to have a witty spritely companion to play with!
I want to Thank you for being there to write this for, this has helped me have more clarity about my own process of receiving which is always a wonderful gift! If you'd like to share your own experiences with manifestion, synchronicity and receiving I'd love to hear them! Please feel free to share them below. Your wisdom may inspire someone else on their journey! ♥

Copyright Statement
All writing is © Jennifer Sieck. I own the  copyrights to all writing
that appears on this website and blog unless otherwise noted. Thank you!

    Yesterday I felt scattered with lots of loose ends...I was deluged in details and unable to complete anything. What was worse was every time I tried I felt pulled in a new direction and further from completing the tasks at hand. I felt equally powerless to coplete the tasks associated with deadlines coming up. Popular logic would suggest that when this happens we should put our nose to the ground and just power on through... This was certainly the reasoning I learned in school, from my parents and in many of the the jobs I've held.
    However I wonder what this sense of hurry does to the body and the spirit? I wonder If the body is telling us something when we are overwhelmed? Perhaps this is an opportunity to deeply listen and not an obstacle at all? Perhaps our body offers us the opportunity to set aside our to do list and instead listen to our innate needs for inner soothing and slowing down? I wonder what would happen if we got off the "Just get it done train" and listened to the wisdom of our symptoms instead of seeing them as something we must ignore or conversely, worry about?
    Seeing the symptom as a divine message as to the unmet needs of the body and the soul offers the opportunity to bring our hearts, souls and systems back into balance. Scatteredness by it's very definition suggests a need to slow down, focus and pay attention to simple activities that bring us joy and a connection with the five senses.
    I remember years ago when I was finishing my graduate program and coming upon the deadline for the first draft of my thesis. That morning I woke up and had intended to power through on a self-imposed deadline and, "Just get her done!" I was restless, unfocused and frustrated with the deadline and the amount of work I had heaped upon myself. Instead I found myself looking at pie recipes. That day I made coconut buttermilk struessel, 3 berry with crumbtop and chocolate orange cream silk.
My self-recrimination could have stopped there but I had grown up in a family where the expanded definition of responsibility ran deep and spontaneity and ingenuity were most often undervalued. So were listening to the needs of the body. I beat myself up for my procrastination further in an endless unconscious loop. I demeaned myself for doing something so fool hardy. Then I got the brilliant idea of speaking with several of my friends in the same program. The two I spoke too, when I was able to admit to them I had ignored my work said, "Maybe making pie was exactly what you needed to get to the point where you were ready to sit down and write? Do you feel more ready now?" I had to admit I felt more settled inside and less restless. The other one just said, " That's brilliant! "  After a night of sharing the pie with dear friends I felt more whole and calmed down inside.
    The next morning I was then able to sit down and write out all the qualities I wanted this draft of my thesis to have. I wrote them on a list in descending order and imagined my thesis embodying each one of them. Then I sat down and wrote veraciously for about a day and a half with these qualities as my diamond shining crystal clear end goal. Each quality represented a facet that added refinement to the overall clarity. Although I dug a deep well the day before I was able to catch myself quickly. So If something isn't sticking for you let it go....It may not be the right time to complete it. There is brilliance and opportunity in the moment beyond this one too. Honor the internal symptoms as rythms of your spirit. Let your body play and your heart open. Make pie or whatever task your body is drawn to do! Then return later, refreshed, and renewed with the inner clarity of the task and your ingenious brilliance intact!

    What have you let go of and returned to with a new awareness genius and clarity recently? I'd love to know! 

 Copyright Statement
All writing is © Jennifer Sieck. I own the copyrights to all writing
that appears on this website and blog unless otherwise noted. Thank you!

Ahhh...So glad you found my Brand New Blog Inner Voice Insights! Welcome! This is the first of a series of articles that will explore different ways to let your Soul Self shine! Some will have to do with archetypes or themes that are popping up on the horizon, some will share personal insights & some will be introductions to different spiritual practices! At any rate, I'm sooo ecxcited to share this blog with you! 
Right now Mercury has just gone retrograde in Aries. This means it is going backward in the sky. So if you are experiencing, restlessness, setbacks and just general overall grumpiness, funny energy, & feel a bit up against a sharp edge in yourself; Don't worry, your not alone! 
Trust your Inner Voice! Listen to the guidance you are being given. When aspects like this show up it is easy to have a an out of wack inner critic. When you start to listen to that still small, but persistent Inner Voice the inner critic may want to shut you down and deny you the experience of connecting with your heart & your soul. This is because the inner critic is connected to painful experiences or wounds you have felt. The inner critic would rather protect you from more pain even if that means keeping you from new pleasure & positive experiences as well. The inner critic may say general things like..."You can't do anything right." "Those are the same ideas you always have." And, "Someone has already done that." But it It can say specific things too like, "That's just my monkey mind." When really you may be on the verge of a great ingenious idea that when tended closely & lovingly could lead to a whole new resonant awareness or creative part of yourself! When your inner critic feels big & your authentic self feels small (which happens to all of us at times) there are some clear steps you can take to build up your authentic self & tone down your inner critic. (who by the way just wants love too but might not know productie ways to get it). 
Right now you can:     
1)Honor the fact that you are a little off & contract with yourself to turn inward & refuel.
2) Do kind, loving & pleasurable things for yourself. For instance, take a walk in nature. This will get you out of your head & into a more soulful loving space in yourself.
3) Do extend loving support to others when they need it. This puts us in a place of gratitude & receiving.
4) Do notice the needs of your body. Stay away from fatty, fake or high carb foods. Eat whole foods instead!
5) Make an agreement with yourself to be a curious playful observer. Hold off from assessing the reasons for things for the time being. 
6)Do write present centered affirmations. These are positive things you are manifesting in your Soul self or most inspired self! Say them often & put them somewhere you can see them. 
7) Do allow yourself ample space for creative expression! Cook, sing or try your hand at a new project like collaging or journaling.
8)Do meditate work with your chakras, set your intention with stones or other objects in nature or whatever connects you with a sense of the spirtual. Whatever takes you there will work. If you are are looking for ways to connect spiritually feel free to fill out the form on the first page & I'll send you my e-book on Balancing your chakras to get you started! 

Just like there are some things you can actively do to connect with your creative authentic self, there are also some things you might want to steer away from when your inner critic is taking up a lot of extra headspace:

1) Try not to sit in one place to long, move your body & bring new experiences and fresh energies into your life. 
2)Don't compare your work to others, this gets the inner critic going with the general comments shared at the beginning of this blog. Look for a day when your authentic self is clear, sunny & very open to possibility & opportunity to do evaluative types of work.  
3)Don't engage in what I call "water cooler talk" this is he said, she said gossip about other people. It is low energy & leads to suspicion & often inner ridicule. 
4) Try to limit engaging folks who focus on cultural generalizations like, all men are bad. Or, there are no good jobs out there etc... Don't try to win them over either. This will drain your energy too. Just choose to limit your time with them. 
5)Don't take too much media in. This can be ungrounding & the bulk of it is often focused on *You guessed it* Comparisons. 

This list can ceratianly be added to! What helps you let your creative authentic self take up more space? And what helps you channel your inner critic back into helping you make better more loving choices? Please share your comments as well as ideas for & comments about this blog in the comments section below! I'd love to hear from you! <3 

Copyright Statement
All writing is © Jennifer Sieck. I own the copyrightes to all writing
that appears on this website and blog unless otherwise noted. Thank you!