I have been told that I need to give you all some idea of who I am and why I am writing all of this, so here goes...
My name is Reverend Michael Kilgore and I am a shamanic practitioner, reiki master and instructor, master of Mayan Ira'Ku healing and an intuitive reader. Wow that all sounds pretentious.....
So what does all that mean? I'll tell you!
I spent the first part of my adult life working as a shipping and receiving supervisor in a western PA steel mill. I got married really young and had two great kids, got divorced and remarried and had another great kid. During my time at the steel mill, I also worked part time in real estate, law enforcement, high school football coaching and radio and also started a small sporting goods business. I spent two years as a Director on my local school board. Then my wife and I got bored and moved across the state to the town her mother lived in and I got into the car business both in sales and service. My mother-in-law had a friend that was involved in a holistic, new age kind of group and my wife and I went with her to a holistic expo. It was filled with all these new age hippie types selling all these crystals, drums, essential oils and of course readers. I walked around all day and looked at things and politely nodded to some of these weird folks. I got a hot dog from the concession stand (no beer? Can you believe it?) and met back up with everyone close to the close of the show. My mother-in-law's friend asked if I had gotten a reading with anyone and I told her no. She insisted I go to her friend's booth and have a reading with them. Now, I had walked around there all day and looked at all of these "readers" and actually thought about trying one, but there was this one husband and wife team that I knew I wouldn't try. Mainly because every time I walked past them, this guy, who was about 6'1" and about 220 pounds, was hugging the people he was reading! No way, my friend, I am not going there! I'm pretty accepting of people being who they are, but that is asking a bit too much! And of course, that is exactly where I was being dragged.
So as not to look like a complete ass (although I can be very good at that) I went ahead and had the reading. He looked at me with a smile and kind of a weird gaze and immediately picked out my kids and my profession. I was a little taken aback. Then he stopped, put his hand on my shoulder and said very softly, "You are supposed to be doing the same work I am doing...". Front part of my brain is just laughing at this but something clicked when he said it and I knew it was true.
This led to an almost total immersion in holistic learning. I started taking classes at a local center and finding out where I belonged. I bought books and crystals. I attended weekly lectures about various holistic topics. I found Reiki (a Japanese energy healing method) and studied to the level of master/instructor. I began studying Shamanism and found I had a reading talent also. I started going to holistic fairs as a vendor and conducting healing sessions. I got ordained and I got divorced again.I also met a Mayan Shaman and learned the Ira'Ku. I still consider myself a work in progress...
That's where I came from. I am available for healing work and readings. There is a website up if you are interested in services or consultations at www.dreamoftheshaman.com . This blog is kind of like I am doing readings for the internet. I will be posting what Spirit wants me to talk with you all about the best that I am able. They wanted me to write this....
Oh, and if you are wondering, that reader did hug me at the end of the reading. He is also a great mentor and my best friend. Life sure is screwy, sometimes!
Blessings
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
The Power of Gratitude
I've had them, you've had them, she's had them and so has he. We all know they've had them! Crappy days. My boss sucks, my job stinks, traffic is horrible and the weather, well, its perfect like maybe twice a year and then it's too hot or cold, too wet, too snowy and when it is good, you're stuck back at that crappy job you have....What's to be grateful for?
Everything.
Yup, everything.
Take a breathe and really feel it. Experience the air rushing life into your body. The air is not something we can see, taste or really feel, yet it surrounds us and nurtures us every second of every day. What a miracle! Look around you. See anything green? Be aware of the plant kingdom taking in the poisonous carbon dioxide you exhale, using it and returning oxygen to replenish the very air you breathe. Watch a hawk riding the thermals and see him suddenly dive to catch prey. After he consumes his meal, what he leaves behind decomposes into the soil to provide the very nutrients that nourish the same plants that work to keep you breathing....
Yes we can keep going and write a whole book on the connectedness of all life on the planet and how truly amazing it is, but what is most awe inspiring is that which created all of this, designed these intricate systems and allows them to keep working. I really don't care what name or title you give to the Creator or what brand of religion you ascribe to (or don't), stop and look at all of this and just try not to be grateful!
What's our next step? Understanding that NOTHING happens by accident. The Shaman understands everything that happens is a part of the synchronicity of the Universe. Some people call it God's plan, some say it is karma and others will avow fate or destiny. We meet people we need to meet. Maybe it's that boss you were complaining about? What does he have to teach you? Is the job you hate so much showing you who you really are? Could the traffic issues be there to help you develop patience?
Judgement is the next hurdle to overcome on our journey to gratitude. When something makes us uncomfortable, irritated or just plain angry, we slap a label on it and send it blame. He did this to me, it's her fault this happened, they all suck as drivers and that's why I'm stuck here on this highway! But maybe that bad driver was rushing home because of a family emergency and got careless in his concern. The job you hate might be perfect for someone else and maybe you just accepted the wrong position. Is your boss really a jerk, or is he responding to pressure from his superiors and he doesn't really know how else to act on it? The antidote for all this judgementing (the spellchecker is freaking out over that word, but I like so it stays in) we do is simply forgiveness and acceptance. Forgiveness isn't for those you feel wronged you but for your own healing from those negative feelings that arise. Embrace forgiveness and acceptance and watch the calmness ensue. Just a quick FYI-the author is known to harbor a lot of those judgemental thoughts, but every life is a work in progress....
So why is gratitude so important? Gratitude is our bridge to divinity. It is the direct link we have to Spirit and Creator. It is our acknowledgement of the beauty in every part of creation and the synchronicity of everything around us. As a healer, it is important in my work to be grateful everyday. I have made it my practice to be consciously grateful of something every morning when I awake and every night before I sleep. It can be harder than it sounds, but there is something in your day that you can thank the Universe for. Sometimes I include the things that most frustrated me during the day for the lessons they brought me or the mirror they held up so I could recognize things in myself that bring these things on.
Try this for a week. Stop when you first wake up and thank the Universe, God or Goddess or whomever you prefer, and then do it again right before you go to sleep. I know you will see a difference in your life. I know it is making a difference in mine. Oh and, go easy on yourself, too, you might not be as bad as you think you are....
Blessings
Everything.
Yup, everything.
Take a breathe and really feel it. Experience the air rushing life into your body. The air is not something we can see, taste or really feel, yet it surrounds us and nurtures us every second of every day. What a miracle! Look around you. See anything green? Be aware of the plant kingdom taking in the poisonous carbon dioxide you exhale, using it and returning oxygen to replenish the very air you breathe. Watch a hawk riding the thermals and see him suddenly dive to catch prey. After he consumes his meal, what he leaves behind decomposes into the soil to provide the very nutrients that nourish the same plants that work to keep you breathing....
Yes we can keep going and write a whole book on the connectedness of all life on the planet and how truly amazing it is, but what is most awe inspiring is that which created all of this, designed these intricate systems and allows them to keep working. I really don't care what name or title you give to the Creator or what brand of religion you ascribe to (or don't), stop and look at all of this and just try not to be grateful!
What's our next step? Understanding that NOTHING happens by accident. The Shaman understands everything that happens is a part of the synchronicity of the Universe. Some people call it God's plan, some say it is karma and others will avow fate or destiny. We meet people we need to meet. Maybe it's that boss you were complaining about? What does he have to teach you? Is the job you hate so much showing you who you really are? Could the traffic issues be there to help you develop patience?
Judgement is the next hurdle to overcome on our journey to gratitude. When something makes us uncomfortable, irritated or just plain angry, we slap a label on it and send it blame. He did this to me, it's her fault this happened, they all suck as drivers and that's why I'm stuck here on this highway! But maybe that bad driver was rushing home because of a family emergency and got careless in his concern. The job you hate might be perfect for someone else and maybe you just accepted the wrong position. Is your boss really a jerk, or is he responding to pressure from his superiors and he doesn't really know how else to act on it? The antidote for all this judgementing (the spellchecker is freaking out over that word, but I like so it stays in) we do is simply forgiveness and acceptance. Forgiveness isn't for those you feel wronged you but for your own healing from those negative feelings that arise. Embrace forgiveness and acceptance and watch the calmness ensue. Just a quick FYI-the author is known to harbor a lot of those judgemental thoughts, but every life is a work in progress....
So why is gratitude so important? Gratitude is our bridge to divinity. It is the direct link we have to Spirit and Creator. It is our acknowledgement of the beauty in every part of creation and the synchronicity of everything around us. As a healer, it is important in my work to be grateful everyday. I have made it my practice to be consciously grateful of something every morning when I awake and every night before I sleep. It can be harder than it sounds, but there is something in your day that you can thank the Universe for. Sometimes I include the things that most frustrated me during the day for the lessons they brought me or the mirror they held up so I could recognize things in myself that bring these things on.
Try this for a week. Stop when you first wake up and thank the Universe, God or Goddess or whomever you prefer, and then do it again right before you go to sleep. I know you will see a difference in your life. I know it is making a difference in mine. Oh and, go easy on yourself, too, you might not be as bad as you think you are....
Blessings
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