CHAPTER 1
Devotion: The Key to Intuition
Finally, I looked into my own heart and there I saw him;he was nowhere else.
—Rumi
Everything you need to start the process of angeldecoding is within you. Each of us on this amazingplanet has been blessed with the extraordinary simply bybeing individuals. Being human makes us part of the unifiedfield of love, and being individuals is our expression of thatlove in this world.
When you first learned to read, you were introduced tothe alphabet. Getting grounded, spending a few minutesin meditation, and incorporating deep breathing into yourdaily life are the ABCs—the basic first steps—of creating asuccessful base upon which to build your skills in the processof angel decoding.
Success begins with preparation and practice. Angel decodingstarts with devotion. I encourage you to begin and end eachday by centering your breath to help establish balance and adeeper, higher vibration of your essence.
The Beginning of My Journey as SpiritualTeacher and Angel Therapist
On a crisp day back in 1999, I was in Minneapolis,Minnesota, sitting in a workshop given by Doreen Virtue,PhD. She had just guided the two hundred or so attendeesthrough a mini angel-reading session. This was the firsttime I experienced my clairvoyant abilities clearly, and itwas truly an aha moment. In an instant, I came to realizethat what I had assumed for all the preceding years—thatI was simply a good guesser—was wrong. A total strangerhad just confirmed my true spiritual abilities, and I finallyunderstood that I knew much more than the eye could see.My understanding reached beyond the physical and into thespiritual. Specifically, what I had done was use a variety ofinnate intuitive tools to give an accurate and helpful angelreading for my workshop partner. Later the same day, whenI had time to reflect on the impact of that experience, Irealized the inevitable: my life was clearly going to change.A part of me once masked was now emerging.
And so, with an open mind about what might happen nextin my life, I did what had always come naturally to me whenI needed answers and direction. I took deep, relaxing, andclearing breaths, and I said a prayer in my heart. I asked fordirection from God and the angels as I surrendered to theirguidance. The answer came to me a bit later that day.
But before I share that answer with you, I would like to takea few minutes to outline the process and the importance ofbreathing to attain a quiet mind in order to gain clarity anddirection. Each one of us can access the guidance within bysimply clearing our minds with a centering breath. Answersto baffling life questions are available to us if we are still andattentive. This method of opening ourselves to the path ofawareness is within reach at any moment and in any place ifwe just breathe.
The Sacred Key: Centered Breath andMeditation
Every human life on earth begins with breath. Have youever noticed how babies and young children breathe? Whenthey breathe in, their tummies stick out, round and full likea beautiful Buddha belly. This happens because the lungsfill to capacity and the diaphragm expands downward andout toward the abdominal area. As we get older, we beginshortening our breaths, using less of our lung capacity foreach typical breath. It is time to bring awareness to thisdeficiency and support a new practice of breathing, whichin turn will support our health, balance our emotions, andhelp us tune into the guidance within. Breathing deeply andcontinuously opens the chest and heart—and when hearts areopen, miracles occur.
What is more organic than breathing? We can live withminimal food, water, and clothing, but we cannot livemore than a few minutes without oxygen. Breath is life. Itcan increase our sense of well-being, balance our energycenters, aid in releasing toxins at the cellular level, and boostbrainpower. Imagine what you can do if you honor andutilize this gift with concentrated intention and practice.
I have found the following breathing exercise beneficial andeasy to incorporate into my schedule. It combines practicesand modalities from a variety of sources, including my ownyears of personal experience. When I relax into a centeredposition and breathe, I find that I can transcend distractingmind chatter and access higher states of consciousness. Thisis the place you want to journey to in order to more easilycommunicate with the angels.
Centered-Breath Exercise
Find a quiet space free of distractions where you cansit erect or lie flat on your back. Rest your arms andhands comfortably on your lap or, if you are lying down,alongside your body. If you are sitting in a chair, closeyour eyes, plant both feet flat on the floor, and imagineyou are firmly grounded by Mother Earth.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly countto four. At the same time, quiet your mind and allowyourself to be present and clear. Then exhale throughyour mouth, letting go of any stress and filling your heartcenter with love. Release any distracting mind chatter andfocus instead on creating a sacred space within.
Continue taking these deep, cleansing breaths in throughyour nose and out through your mouth, inhaling andexhaling to the count of four. Focus on filling your lungswith life-giving oxygen while relaxing or softening theabdominal area so that you naturally extend your stomachas your diaphragm expands. This is called diaphragmaticbreathing. Remember the breathing of little children, theway each breath fills them down to their tummies. Letyour shoulders relax, let your arms and hands relax, andallow the stress to ooze out as you exhale.
Your work from this point forward is to breathe in and outsmoothly, evenly, quietly, and deeply. Inhaling throughthe nose is healthier and more cleansing because your noseis a natural air filter. If...
