If you have any questions or requests on any of these subjects, please let me know and I will write about it. Otherwise, I look forward to sharing more about these areas with you.

​With Light & Love,

Patty (Sage) 

What better better way to start this blog post off with than the title SOULFUL RADIANCE! That’s what this Traditional Maori Greeting felt like to me. Having been able to experience this greeting from the village elder touched me to the core of my soul! I felt honored to be able to share a “hongi” with this man named Prince, the village elder of the Ngati Whatua tribe.
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New Zealand was the trip of a life time! To be honest, it was never in my radar to go there. I was more interested in Australia. However, it was a gift from one of my closest friends…all expenses paid, so hell yes I went! It wasn’t easy for me to say yes to her. I mean this was a very expensive gift. I had to go through this whole process. Thoughts of am I going to have to owe her came flooding through. I also struggled with my own self-worth and being able to receive something so valuable. There was no way on my salary I could have afforded this. And yet, another side of me, knew I had to go. I mean how often does something like this come along? I also believe that when someone offers you a gift, it’s important to receive it…so thank you my friend if you are reading this!

Another reason I had to go is because I felt the call of spirit answering one of my requests. You see, I have a close relationship with spirit and take the time everyday to connect. I’ve been journaling about being able to take a trip and needing the money to do so, etc. Journaling is also one way I talk to spirit, but I’ve also been working on shifting my mindset to one of abundance and raising my vibration so I can attract more of what I want in my life. This stuff works! So in a way, I’ve been asking to receive this for myself and it came true. And because I also know that when you ask spirit for something and they give it to you, you better say YES!

Somedays, I’m still in awe and wonder how I could have been so fortunate to receive such a gift, but I did and I’m forever grateful. And one of the things I couldn’t wait to do the most was to experience the Maori traditions…I’ve always loved the native/aboriginal ways. I wish we would honor these traditions more often in our own lives, and because they honor the spirit in all things, which I think is also very important if we are to live in a world where everything is respected and honored.

Anyway, visiting the Maori was one of my favorite parts of this trip, besides seeing dolphins, feeding sheep, getting kissed by an Alpaca, and going out to visit Milford Sound. Please enjoy a few more photos from Milford Sound, along with the bottlenose dolphins I got see, from the sheep I got to feed, and from being kissed by an Alpaca.

I hope you've enjoyed my first post. Please feel free to comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences you’ve had with New Zealand, Spirit or the Aboriginal ways.
Love & Light
Patty (Sage)

CREATING SACRED SPACE FOR DAILY RITUAL
In my work, when I’m teaching or coaching others in personal, spiritual or intuitive development, the very first thing I like to talk about is creating sacred space and ritual. This is a sacred place and time where you can go to daily, for ritual, to nourish your own soul growth, and for communing with your higher self and the divine to get guidance or healing. It's also important if you’re someone who works with others, does any kind of massage, healing, shamanic, spiritual work, meditation, intuitive development, or gives readings of any kind. And, it's setting yourself up for uninterrupted time to go within from a place of intention.
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SETTING AN INTENTION FOR YOUR RITUAL
I also (suggest) and like to create an intention before I go into my ritual. By setting an intention, you enable the energy to shift…to take you deeper, so that something more sacred could emerge. This intention could be for some kind of healing or guidance, but the point is to set it so that the energy can shift. As the energy shifts, you are also making space for your higher self and the divine to work through you. Rather than letting you or your ego take over, with intention you are allowing for the sacred to touch your soul with growth, healing and guidance. It also helps you to get more grounded and centered in your own life or when you have to work with others.
 
When we don’t create sacred time or space for ourselves, we tend to use up our own energy and have poor boundaries in our lives and around others. This can also cause burnout in our work! We also open ourselves up to negative energies and can receive incorrect guidance from the ego's standpoint. We have to be careful not to play God and to get out of our own way so that real healing and guidance can occur. Even for myself, when I’m sloppy with my own soul growth, I feel less grounded in my life and with my clients. I'm not connected to my higher self or the divine and tend to be less confident in my work. So yes, creating sacred space and ritual builds confidence...it builds connection with a higher source. Going within guides you and your highest path. It nurtures your soul! It can bring more joy, abundance, purpose, healing and guidance. Below are some of my favorite rituals that you can do in your sacred space. Which ones are your favorites?
 
RITUALS YOU CAN DO IN YOUR SACRED SPACE  OR WITH CLIENTS
(and some of my own favorites)
Journaling
Meditation/Shamanic Journeying
The Law of Attraction
Reading Spiritual or Personal Development Books
Pulling Tarot or Oracle Cards
Positive Affirmations
Movement
Self-Healing Techniques
Mindfulness
Energetic Protection
Grounding
 
CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT FOR SACRED SPACE AND RITUAL
We also create sacred space by setting up our own personal alters…with our own sacred objects. The purpose of creating an alter also brings in ritual, guidance and healing, along with invoking the spiritual elements that you connect with on a daily basis to be with you as you pray, meditate, journal. 

​When setting up your alter, make sure it is placed somewhere that feels sacred to you, where you can have your ritual and sacred time for soul work. Your alter could even be placed in a small corner of your home or somewhere out in nature, like your backyard. What’s important is that this space is sacred to you.
 
Typical objects placed on an altar MAY include: crystals, pictures, statues, objects from nature such as leaves, flowers, branches, etc., and representations of the elements such as incense or sage for Air; soil, stones, crystals or salt for Earth; cup of water for Water; candle for Fire. An altar is your "anchor" for the ritual you are doing.  You may also like to find a nice piece of cloth to place your items on.
 
And finally keep a Journal by your side to record your experiences. Recording your experiences helps to gauge how much you are growing in your development, so you can look back at a later date to see how much you've grown.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this! For those of you who already do this work, I hope this is a reminder to keep attending to your own soul growth. If this is new to you, I hope it gave you some good ideas and you give it a try. Please feel free to reach out if you need help. For those of you already doing this work, I'd love to hear what you're doing? You might even give me some new ideas. :-)

If you've read this far, thank you for your interest. Please do reach out if you'd like to find out more about what I'm doing or if you'd like to work with me. We can set up a time to briefly talk and see if we are a good fit. You can also go to my website www.pattyswiatly.com to see what services I do offer. Regardless, you are always welcome to reach out to me. 

Namaste, Light, & Love,
Patty {Sage} Swiatly