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YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Submitted by on August 13, 2010 - 6:27 pm

At the retreat I attended recently at the Tree of Life I heard Gabriel Cousens talk many times about moving from the Culture of Death (where much of society is) to the Culture of Life (his vision for a healthier possibility). This seemed to so clearly describe something I’ve seen throughout my life, and especially as I’ve traveled this summer.

For almost 20 years I’ve chosen to live in places like Santa Cruz, Boulder, and Topanga (LA) where organic food and spiritual seekers are commonplace. So whenever I leave these spots I admit I have some culture shock!

Since leaving LA 2 1/2 months ago, the thing I miss most are all the bright and shiny, radiant people. I know LA gets criticized for being superficial and materialistic but since living there I am convinced that being beautiful and radiant is the NORMAL way to be.

I’m not talking about fake boobs and plastic surgery.

I have also heard the term “spiritual materialism,” usually used as a criticism, but I am coming to feel like a proponent of spiritual materialism… perhaps in a new way!

I think those who use that phrase critically are talking about those who pretend to be spiritual out of greed, or who are all talk and no action, as an ego-boost rather than a deep soul calling. I’m not a fan of that.

But as I’ve been traveling, I am so yearning to see more light shining through people’s bodies! We are light and so often I’ve wanted to scream, “Let it out!” I love to see people with their lights turned on who are also grounded in their bodies.

Seeing so many people and places, I’ve realized unfortunately how uncommon that is. I’ve witnessed what a mass agreement there is to, to use Gabriel’s words, “the Culture of Death.”

For example, visiting beautiful places like Yellowstone I was saddened to see the cafeterias serving Cokes, chips and sandwiches (white bread and processed meat and cheese), and how grumpy lots of the tourists were. I’d be grumpy too if I ate that! And I’ve seen how having money and opportunity does not always mean enjoying or really HAVING what one has.

We are what we eat and when we eat foods filled with light (living, raw foods) we shine more radiantly. When we eat grounding foods (which may include proteins, root vegetables or whole grains), we tend to be more grounded.

For the record, I have also seen many raw foodists and spiritually-oriented people who seem so far “out there”, in denial or rejection of the body and I’m not a fan of that either!

Every food has energetic qualities which, when ingested, enhance that same energy within you and your body. For example, this is why root vegetables help us root, or why bee pollen and seeds are said to increase fertility.

When one eats mostly processed food with little life force, one has little life force and a feeling of numbness. There is no blame in this. Most of our culture agrees to do this, and so in addition to the vulnerability that comes with feeling, there is also a fear of being alone and disconnected if we don’t go along with everyone else.

The truth is though that once we feel, we connect so fully with ourselves that the world begins to mirror this connection. We may need to make new friends, but those friends are out there!

I’ve realized that most people haven’t even experienced other options. Never mind Yellowstone, go into the typical grocery store across the country and there is very little organic, chemical-free, unprocessed food!

Go into a typical gathering and people are bonding over suffering, complaining together as a means of connecting (if the TV is off and they’re even talking)! When I notice this happening, with my clients or in my life, I tend to redirect the energy because I see so many more life-enhancing ways of connecting and expressing our precious energy.

So perhaps today, ask yourself what type of feeling would make you feel good (for instance: grounding, cleansing, or stimulating?) and then ask what foods seem to match that feeling. Try them and see how you feel.

Ask yourself what patterns you feel stuck in and see if you can cut back on foods you’ve been choosing that seem to match those patterns. For instance, the term “couch potato” is quite telling!

Food or otherwise, are there choices you’ve been making that have been bringing you down? Perhaps today, ask yourself what new choices you could make to enhance your life?

If you don’t know, or need support, I love this stuff and I can help.

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF DESIRE?

Submitted by on - 6:20 pm

Do you feel open and excited about life? Or do you regularly dwell on what’s “wrong” in your world, on what you’d like to fix or change?

I spoke with a client recently who wanted to feel connected and was struggling. As I listened to his stories I noticed that he expressed a lot of judgment for his circumstances, and so I understood why he felt stuck.

Some people need to learn to say no, but he was not one of them. His mind was filled with “no”s and in doing so he created the very separation he felt in the world around him.

Without getting rid of the no’s or his feelings, I simply asked him what each “no” was a  “yes” to. I saw that focusing on what he wanted and not just on what he didn’t would lead him to the feeling of connection he sought.

It’s easy to do, because the no’s and the yes’s go together. It’s just about looking at things a little differently.

We have been living in world where, generally speaking, the mind has been valued over the heart. The mind excels at “no,” and at discernment, where the heart is a master at YES.

Both are valuable, but most of us could use to get more into our hearts. What I am finding as I travel is that when I am in my heart, MIRACLES happen.

At best, the mind keeps me organized or helps me creatively analyze a problem. But the HEART… ahhh…

Let me tell you a story.

The day I woke up in Colorado with plans to drive south to Santa Fe, I woke with guidance to stay in New Mexico about a month. All I had lined up was a friend of a friend’s couch to sleep on for a few nights, but I trusted and felt excited!

Later that day I was driving through Chama, NM and felt guided to call a friend I’d been in touch with, but whom I hadn’t seen in 2 years. I knew she’d been staying near Taos and would be in Chama that night, so I called and left a voicemail saying I was driving through Chama and thinking of her. I also told her I was guided to stay in NM a month.

A few minutes later she called me back to say she was driving towards me, about 10 minutes south on the same road. So after not seeing each other in 2 years we met at a gas station 5 minutes later.

There, she told me that there had just been a cancellation and that the house she’d been staying in near Taos would be available for the next month! This is the house I’ve been at off and on and it has been my favorite place to stay so far.

Had I listened to my mind or any number of “shoulds” this opportunity may never have arose, but since I trusted my heart I was well-provided for! I am grateful for the many experiences like this that “prove” it to my mind who really does want to come along with my heart after all. :)

YES!

And what does your YES say?

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

WHERE IS YOUR JOY THIS MOMENT?

Submitted by on - 6:13 pm

If there’s one thing I’m sure of after 23 years of metaphysical study and 13 years of training and practice in intuitive readings, it’s this: God likes suprises. Especially now.

Have you ever thought you were going one way, then ended up somewhere totally different? And then realized you never would have gotten there unless you had headed the “wrong way” to begin with? Hmmmm…

It might make you feel stupid or lost, or like you can’t trust yourself or life. Actually you are doing very well when this happens. It’s just our habits of control or self-judgement that create these unloving stories.

I see people getting so hard on themselves, so frustrated looking for the big A-HA. The name, date and time when they’ll meet of their soulmate. The be-all end-all purpose for their life. And I see this questing paralyzing people.

So what do we do then when we so want to know but can’t predict the future? As I see it, the trick is in enjoying each moment and in following our guidance moment to moment.

And we all can do that. In fact, most of us really enjoy getting permission to do follow our momentary joy.

And I’m here to give you not only permission, but inspiration that it will actually lead you somewhere! Because I think that when most of us DON’T do this it’s because we dismiss it as frivolous or indulgent. it’s not.

Let me tell you a few stories:

Last summer at a retreat in Mount Shasta, I was guided to lead a New Year’s retreat with my friend Julie. I thought it would be in LA area. Julie agreed and then “happened” to meet Puma, who runs Grace Grove Retreat Center in Sedona where we were gave the retreat in January.

After the retreat I wanted to move in there and was strongly guided to stay in touch. As it turns out, Puma and her husband used to work with the Raw Spirit Festival and so recommended me to intern there… where I am headed now!

Another story…

I spent the first 3 days of my trip last week eating food from my car.  Good food, mind you, but I was ready for something else so was very excited to find a Whole Foods in Salt Lake City. I got there hungry to a disappointing deli (bless LA and all it’s choices!) so asked the checker where to find a restaurant with organic food.

She didn’t seem to know but meanwhile there was a woman in line who took the time to draw me a map to 2 different restaurants. One of them “lit up” for me so I went only to find the menu didn’t look that great either. Hmmm…

I turned around and there was a Middle Eastern restaurant calling me strongly! So I went and not only had some of my favorite foods, which I had not expected and was delighted to find, but also found some amazing connections!

The waitress told me she was clairvoyant and into raw foods. I gave her the Raw Spirit flyer and she called the chef over who pointed to a man pictured on it. The chef said, “That’s my son. He owns the raw food restaurant here in town.” I felt totally connected in the miraculous flow of life!

Another story…

Years ago I met an amazing man when I was traveling as a singer/ songwriter. At the time I lived in Boulder, CO and was also active in African dance. I was heading down to New Mexico and had the feeling to look for a gig in El Paso, TX which is only a little ways south over the NM border.

So I asked a friend from dance (who had just moved up from El Paso) where I might play and she told me to call her friend, who ran a cafe, for a gig. The friend agreed and promised to promote me and put me up for the night.

When I arrived, the staff working knew nothing about my gig or the promise of a place to stay. So I was about to leave when one couple arrived to see me play. They were missing their singer/ songwriter son who had moved to Austin, and when they heard my story, offered that I stay with them.

My hit on that was “no” but I did agree to go to coffee with them. At the coffee shop, their friend arrived who told us about an African drumming workshop the next day. I had my djembe (African drum) with me and it sounded like fun so I went.

There I met the amazing man who offered I stay with him anytime I was in town. And so I was back several times over the next year and we are still in touch. Turns out, he is also friends with my friend in Boulder who “helped” me get that first gig that fell apart. So crazy and perfect!

If I had asked ahead of time where I’d be or how to get to any of these experiences I think my head would have been spinning, but by following moment-to-moment guidance it’s been so fun and easy every step. It’s nothing I could have figured out!

Is your head spinning trying to get answers? Let me know if I can help you enter the miracle zone instead. :)

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

ARE YOU TRYING TO LET GO?

Submitted by on - 6:10 pm

Is there something you’re trying to let go of? A relationship? Condition in your body? Mental pattern? All of the above?

Recently, I helped a woman who told me how hard she was trying to let go of old patterns, yet she still struggled. One challenge in being so self-aware and motivated to grow is that we sometimes give ourselves a hard time here!

What I saw for this woman is what I see for the many of you who ask: Stop trying! I know– you are a good person, you may pride yourself on your spiritual path, but (so) STOP TRYING!

The reason is that trying doesn’t really work. Here’s why:

1). “Trying” and “letting go” are opposites. Letting go is an un-doing. So the more we can let things be and not try, the more we actually let go.

2). The most powerful catalyst for breakthrough is love. You have probably noticed that when you are in a loving state, so much seems possible and easy. By contrast, when we’re angry, afraid, resentful, punishing, you name it… everything seems difficult. So when we give up trying we begin to love and accept ourselves, which makes change possible.

3). Sometimes we don’t let go for very good reasons. Even when our aware selves have already changed, our bodies and emotions take their sweet time. An example may be the addiction our bodies and hearts have to a past lover even once we realize the relationship doesn’t serve us anymore. Or, someone trying to lose weight may actually be wise in holding weight because toxins are held in fat. Until the person is strong and self-loving enough to safely release those toxins (and the related energy patterns), no diet will work!

So what to do instead of try? Besides self-love and relaxation (both easier said than done, I know!), here’s what I recommend:

Look honestly at the condition you’d like to change, then simply move TOWARDS something you prefer, that feels healthier. Don’t make yourself stop anything, just do something else (instead or in addition).

For example, how loved can you imagine feeling?! Open up to more loving relationships, choose love and then notice how the old, unrewarding ones start to lose appeal.

If you drink a pot of coffee a day, ask yourself what you are really wanting from the coffee. Then add in something that will give you that. You might realize you need more protein, exercise, or a nap, or that you actually prefer not to work at the frenetic pace that coffee encourages!

If your mind is repeating fearful thoughts, one of my favorite exercises is to write them all down in one column, then next to each one write a positive affirmation to replace it. I recorded mine and listen to them all the time on my iPod. They work!

Enjoy and happy un-doing!

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

MY BIG NEWS! (April 2010)

Submitted by on - 6:06 pm

It all started when I got guidance to clean out my file cabinet. I am not one to keep clutter, but somehow I had accumulated two tall 4-drawer file cabinets full of papers I mostly don’t need.

And they weren’t just papers. In going through and shredding them I cleared out ties to old homes, old relationships, and old ways of being in the world that I had forgotten about and didn’t resonate with anymore.

Only when I let go of these “hidden” papers did I recognize how they had commanded my energy in a subtle yet powerful way! And the more I let go the freer I felt, and so the more I wanted to let go of all kinds of things– clothes, facebook friends I don’t know, canned food I don’t eat, you name it!

I admit I was nervous too. I was invited to parties and didn’t want to go. I had thoughts that this was unhealthy, but I wasn’t depressed or anything like that. I just felt such a deep pull inward and knew it was what I needed at the time.

In going through old yoga magazines (that was next after the file cabinet), I had the thought one day that it felt like I was about to move. “But I’m not moving,” I spoke back to that voice.

Then it came back and louder. I talked to some friends and they said, “I think you’re moving”. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, for months I had been writing, speaking and listening to recordings of my affirmations and prayers about the life I desire. And mind you, in 2009 I was happier than I had ever been, but I have always been a powerful dreamer.

When I left our retreat in Sedona in January, I felt like I wanted to move into the retreat center! I could see myself like the woman there, in the kitchen much of the day, creating a beautiful home, nurturing people and putting on inspiring events.

I came home and my previously fulfilling life seemed so isolated and boring. I have increasingly felt the call to connect in community, and I have also been drawn to expand my offerings to be more interdisciplinary– including food and nutrition; creative expression, movement and the body; and connecting to the Earth along with intuitive readings and classes.

So once I really got the clarity to leave LA, I had no idea where to go! And I am in total “nesting” mode so to pick up and go seemed strange, but my next instinct was to get in my car and travel for the summer to explore some retreat centers and communities.

Then the phone rang one day with an opportunity that seemed to so clearly match my affirmations I could hardly believe it. I was invited to go to Arizona (not Sedona, but nearby!) to work with the Raw Spirit Festival.

I love the vision for this festival involving raw food, music, world peace, healthy living and more! And, it’s in a gorgeous natural setting!

I may still do a bit of traveling, too, and unsure where I’ll end up from here, but I know I will know as I need to know. I WILL still be offering phone sessions, products and events so please do stay in touch!

I am so excited at how fresh and new life feels right now, and I trust all is unfolding miraculously for you too!

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

10 WAYS TO SNEAK MEDITATION INTO YOUR DAY

Submitted by on - 5:58 pm

Feeling like you don’t have time to meditate? Here are some fun ways to sneak it in to your day!

1). Get a jar of soap bubbles. Seriously! The kind with a magic wand inside. Then when you get stressed, imagine you put the stress into the bubble as you blow it and then have fun watching it pop.

2). When you’re head feels busy, imagine you bring your awareness to an area right behind your eyes in the center of your head. As if you’re in the eye of a hurricane, let all those busy thoughts just float outside your head as you create a calm sanctuary all around you.

3). In a crowd, imagine you can feel all the hearts around you. What do they feel like? I find it fascinating to do this in different environments. It is also a great way to get out of our small selves and remember how similar we all are.

4). What happens to you in transitions, for example between home and work or work and being with your loved ones? Consider that when you go from one place to another you take all of you with you! Imagine a gold ball of light that magnetizes and neutralizes all of your energy that was at work, for instance, and draw that light into you as you leave work.

5). Anytime you feel spaced out, imagine a gauge that shows you 0-100% and ask, “How much am I here right now?” If less than 100%, turn the dial up to 100% and see how you feel!

6). Feel your feet. Even better to take your shoes off or put them in the dirt, but anywhere will do! Rub your feet on the ground til the bottoms of your feet start to tingle, and imagine the earth’s energy flowing up your legs.

7). Feel your seat. Pretend you are sitting on your favorite tree trunk and imagine it’s as wide as your hips with roots deep into the center of the earth.

8). Breathe. With every exhale imagine letting any tension you’ve been holding fall down your tree trunk.

9). Just like choosing what color to wear in the morning, choose what color energy you’d like to “wear”. Imagine a bubble around you of that color. It’s fun to change it periodically and see how people respond to you!

10). Pick a part of your body or life you’re unhappy with, and decide just for one minute to love it just as it is. Breathe into it, send beautiful colored light there, speak or write your love and apology for judging it– whatever feels best to you.  For one minute. Then go on with your day and see if perhaps you feel more energy?

If you like these mini-meditations, imagine the power of a deeper and longer (but still do-able!) meditation, guided by a soothing voice, in the comfort of your own home! You can experience that in the meditation products we offer.

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

copyright 2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

GROUND YOUR DREAMS NOW!

Submitted by on - 5:48 pm

You’ve said your affirmations, made vision boards, and gone to healers and cleared up your childhood and old pain. You feel guided and worthy and you think you do all the “right things” but still your dreams still may not have manifested. Hmmm…

Sound familiar? I have been there and it can be so frustrating!

What I have learned is that we need to not only do our visioning, praying and healing, but that we also need to get into our bodies if we really want to enjoy life. As I see it the Universe is always delivering everything we ask for, but if we are not home (in our bodies) to receive it, it will seem to get delivered elsewhere.

Where would we be but in our bodies? Well, most of us (especially we sensitive types… I know from experience!) daydream a lot. When life pales in comparison to our dreams we plod through the day feeling “spaced out” and in those moments (or hours, or years… hee hee hee) our energy is “out of our body” and even though we have the grandest dream, as long as we are out of our bodies in the dream, it never has to land in our lives. There is no need!

As I shared with the Sweet Surrender class last week, I used to date on the astral (in both my dreams at night and my imagination during the day) because it was easier than dating in real life. Because I am so aware of my psychic experiences, I have felt them to be real and then wondered why my life was the way it was.

For you, it may be your finances, your health and body image, your career or something else. What do you most dream of and where does your life not match?

Now, being naturally sensitive with a big imagination is not all bad and can actually help you bring your dreams into being, if you know how to bridge the two. We are going to address that on the call next Thursday.

Besides getting grounded, if we want to in manifest our dreams I find it hugely and increasingly important to connect with others and open to support. It’s not only easier and more fun, but in these accelerated times creating alone is just too slow, not to mention out of alignment with the community-minded world we are fast becoming!

When I work with clients every week it’s like night and day watching their shifts in just a few months time! For others, months or years may go by before they ask for help.

I don’t think we have months or years anymore to step onto our paths and start living our dreams. That doesn’t mean we need to be perfect, but it does mean start now. Start whatever your heart longs to start and see what happens.

I understand this because I’ve been the one suffering for years before I asked for help, usually because I didn’t even know I needed help or that something else was possible! And then some of us think it’s noble to suffer, or we don’t want to bother anyone by asking for help.

We bother people more by not asking. We bother people by suffering in their presence and we bother people by not living our greatness and not serving in these times of great need.

So if you’re feeling a pull like more is possible in your life or that you could be more fulfilled in ANY way, consider reaching out for support. You don’t need to be suffering first; in fact, if you give yourself regular support you may never suffer again! Can you handle that?

There are many sources of support, of course, but if you’ve read this far I imagine you’ll like the “Ground Your Dreams Into Reality” Meditation mp3. The sooner you commit the quicker your dreams can find you!

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts when you sign up now.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________copyright

2010 Ann O’Brien- All Rights Reserved.

DO YOU LEAK ENERGY?

Submitted by on - 5:38 pm

How much energy do you have right now? Of course, when we think of energy we think of health, but there’s more…

How much energy you feel relates to how much money you have, how good your sex life is, and your sense of abundance and fulfillment in life as a whole.

And the truth is we all have incredible, unlimited energy and power! But most of us are scared of this, and our current culture doesn’t really “ok” it, and so most of us leak a lot of our energy to stay “comfortable” and fit in.

But then we feel exhausted and frustrated, so we drink some more coffee. Or we take a class or go to a doctor or healer. Or we hang out around people or places that seem to have energy, and soak their energy in.

I know I have leaked a lot in my life. Here are some ways I have:

  • Talking too much
  • Worrying
  • Listening to music or stories that deny life
  • Eating foods that bog down my energy and digestion
  • Investing in unrewarding relationship patterns
  • Sticking my chin out and cutting off the flow of energy up my spine into my head
  • Keeping papers, clothes, and other objects that I don’t need or like

Reading this, do any of your own habits come to mind? Many of our habits are unconscious–I know they were for me–and we don’t tend to change them we have “proof,” or at least compelling inspiration that more fulfilling ways of living are possible.

We hear a lot about the whole mind-body-spirit connection and it is so real! While living with 2% of our energy might feel “normal,” it’s not. And I think times are so critical now that we can’t afford to just bop around unconscious anymore.

No matter what. Most of us are already “losing” what seemed like security, so why not change before more dramatic change finds us?

As I’ve learned not to leak energy, I am blown away by how amazing I can feel. The more I know, the less appealing it is to leak anywhere.

I used to wake up and “have to” meditate. Now I wake up feeling bright and clear and available to help people, or focus on a project.

I used to give away my healing energy without noticing when I felt drained. And I have learned to love and honor myself, not only for my own good, but also because I can give so much more this way!

And these are just a few examples, with the intent to inspire you! Would you like to explore?

Ask yourself where you leak energy:

  • In your posture?
  • In your relationships?
  • In your diet?
  • In your daily habits?
  • In your home?

Then play plumber and fix the leaks! Maybe pick one leaky behavior a day and commit to not doing it that one day. Call back your energy and see what happens!

If you’d like some help identifying your leaks we can set up a private session. I’ll bring my toolkit and we’ll help your energy-faucet flow strong!

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Want to use this article in your E-Zine or Web Site? You can, as long as you use this complete tag with it:

Intuitive Healer Ann O’Brien publishes the “Flowering Sol” email newsletter to help you blossom into your light. If you’re ready to open up your intuition and creative power to fulfill your dream life, get your free gifts at www.FloweringSol.com.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

© 2010 Flowering Sol. All Rights Reserved.