Soul Bridge Coaching

A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven

In early March of this year, after writing the post, Say a Prayer For the Pretender, I asked my spirit guide Holly what I could do to ease the impact of Spiritual Vertigo. She told me that there was a disequilibrium between my human aspect and my divine aspect. She told me that there was an imbalance between my body, mind, and spirit, and too much emphasis was being placed on the mind and spirit, and it was time to place equal attention on my body. It was crying out for attention through vertigo, eczema, breast cancer, etc. It was time for me to love, appreciate, and fully engage in my human aspects. And then I heard the words, “To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Holly added her own words to those lyrics by The Byrds’ song, Turn, Turn, Turn:

Sweet Paula, the time for this year-long series of blog posts is coming to an end. This was an opportunity for you to memorialize aspects of your spiritual journey — your own spiritual memoir. You didn’t truly understand on May 13, 2021, that this project would culminate in the great realization that YOU are Holly. You see, sweet friend, Paula is merely your human aspect, and I am your soulful “higher self.” Through this process of guided writing, you have learned to fully embody your human and divine aspects. There have been times when we have been out of balance — where you were not fully rooted in your body, and it was like a needy child, grabbing your attention in unpleasant ways. There were times, too, when you spent too much time in your egoic mind, unable to hear the voices of the Collective Wisdom. So, here we are, one year later, learning to integrate our humanness and our divinity.

To those who read all of our posts, or only one, we appreciate the loving-kindness you brought to our process. For every season there is a purpose. And while this project comes to an end, you can be sure our focus on soul-bridging will continue. With much love to you and the collective from Paula Wilkes, Holly, and the Collective Wisdom. Soul Bridge Coaching, May 10, 2022

Slowing Down to the Miraculous

There have been times over the past few years of guided writing with my spirit guide Holly and the Collective Wisdom that I have had repeated messages. Messages about slowing down came prior to retiring from my position as an associate professor. Messages about slowing down came two years ago as I was transitioning from my work as an ed therapist to that of a soul bridge spiritual coach. On February 1, 2020, I received this message from Holly and the Collective Wisdom:

Holly: You have been thinking about slowing down for a long time. Slowing down to see a smile form, to truly listen to a grandson so he doesn’t have to stammer out what he wants to tell you. Slowing down so the miraculous becomes visible. Slowing down does not mean being unproductive. It means being more alive to what is. Love is not experienced as a “hurry up.” It is the slow cultivation of an open heart. Slowing down to each present moment, to each new NOW, allows you to have a deeper connection to the Sphere of Peace. You are learning to let life happen around you without grasping, or running toward or way from. It is right here, right now, in these moments that your Truth lives.

I took Holly’s wisdom to heart, and I am finding my way, over and over, coming home to the Sphere of Peace. I have cultivated a slowing down that is akin to Thich Nhat Hanh’s “mindful movements.” When I am walking to an appointment in my neighborhood, I give myself enough time to appreciate my slow strides on the sidewalk, the sights and sounds of local birds (and the occasional wild green parrots that live in the Larchmont Village neighborhood of Los Angeles), the beauty of the Hollywood sign I can see as I head north, the sounds of children laughing, the people who quickly pass me as they take their dogs for a walk. The slowing down has helped me have a greater appreciation for where I live and the life I live. It has helped me pay greater attention to the family and friends I love and the clients I treasure.

And the messages about slowing down began again last month with these words from Holly and the Collective Wisdom: Sweet Paula, we are inviting you to slow down ever so much more subtly to become aware of and immersed in the Divine Energy that animates and connects all living beings to Source. You have had glimpses of the Web of Life of which you are one soul inhabiting a body on that Web. You have always had the experience of the energetic power of an occurrence on the other side of your neighborhood, state, country, planet to impact your energy field. That is due to the quivering of the Web of Life that can be felt by highly sensitive people and animals. You are also beginning to develop an ability to call on those in spirit to support and inspire you. This invitation to slow down will significantly impact your skills as a soul bridge. Once again, this is not an invitation to hurry up the process, nor is it a time to ruminate about what is about to unfold. This is simply an opportunity to step slowly and deeply into your Oneness and soul work as a guide. This is not about doing more reading. It is not about watching more videos. It is about slowing down your senses so that you become aware of senses you never knew you could access. Much love to you as you walk this diverging path toward the miraculous.

And so it is with eager anticipation and with gratitude for the guidance that has brought me this far, that I am allowing my nervous system and senses to fall deeply into a state of peace. I know this diverging path will generate synchronicities, miracles, and challenges to help me grow in the soul work that nourishes my human existence.

We will invite you to slow down along your path so that you may experience all the Universe is holding up for you to witness. This is not about rushing toward a shiny object. This is about a deep and meaningful connection to all that is. Soul Bridge Coaching and Holly, May, 3, 2022

Communion: A Treasured Aspect of this Human Experience

I am so grateful for this life. It took the mud, the sun, the rain, the fresh air, to create the foundation for this life, for the lotus I am.

During my morning writing with my spirit guide Holly and the Collective Wisdom, I asked them if they could give me a focus word. The reply was COMMUNION.

Holly: You are coming upon your 50th wedding anniversary, and that is what has held your little family together so well — your communion. When you work for both the individual and the whole — you have created a communion. You and Rick have managed to do that for nearly 50 years. You exemplify the saying, “The whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.” Your communion is to be celebrated.

As usual, Holly’s wisdom was encouraging me to see all we have created from the mud, rain, sun, and fresh air of our lives. During the very challenging past few years for us personally, and for the world collectively, it has been our communion, our sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings, on both a mental and spiritual level, that has helped us rise like the lotus.

And as I have watched friends lose their life partners, I am aware that one of the most significant losses is the communion they once shared with their loved one. Holly is encouraging me to remember that this life as Paula is finite, but my soulful aspect will live on, allowing communion to continue with those who are willing to continue our intimate communications at the spiritual level.

We will encourage each of you to find balance in your life so that COMMUNION becomes an important and treasured aspect of this human experience. This is not a treasure that is reserved for couples and families. It is a treasure that can be shared with loving hearts who are willing to share intimate thoughts and feelings for the sake of the collective, friends and loved ones alike. Soul Bridge Coaching, Holly, and the Collective Wisdom, April 26, 2022

Be a Carrier of Love

January 14, 2020, I was on Day 14 of Mark Nepo’s wonderful book, The Book of Awakening. His words of wisdom for that day suggested that the reward for loving is being a “carrier of love.” That resonated so strongly with me, so I sat down with my journal to see what my spirit guide Holly and the Collective Wisdom had to say about Nepo’s entry for that day.

Photo by How Far From Home on Pexels.com

Holly: A carrier of love, as Nepo says, is just what you experience when you are channeling guidance for others. But do you feel this same love when we guide directly to you? Do not overlook or underestimate the profound love we feel for you. You are a carrier of love whenever you are loving another person or thing. Be a carrier of love for your clients in a purposeful way. Make sure they feel loved, seen, heard, appreciated. This is what most people are searching for. Once they deeply feel that love, they are better able to share that love with others.

Several days later, on January 20th, Nepo’s entry suggested we should “love whatever is in your path.” It made me think of the Stephen Stills song, Love the One You’re With. I never really liked the idea of the guy who has a girlfriend who is far away, the guy is lonely, so he’ll “love the one he’s with.” Holly had another take on Nepo’s idea of loving whatever is in your path.

Holly: Today you are feeling so loved and nourished. After the previous day’s clairsentient angst and inflammation in your shoulders, you are now feeling a bit of low-simmering elation. We suggest that you focus on today’s saying by Mark Nepo. Be easily pleased. Whatever comes before you deserves to be loved. As each thing arises, say, I love you, and thank you.” In that way, you will live a peaceful and joy-filled life. Your clients are noticing the crystalline peacefulness of your energy. It is one of the things that attracts them to you. It is also an indication that you are bringing greater balance between your humanness and your Divine aspect.

And then the next day, January 21, Mark Nepo’s entry suggested that it is through our connection to everything that we stay well. He suggested seeing with love. Holly and the Collective Wisdom had the following response.

Holly: Nepo’s comment about seeing with love has to do with your ability to sense the Beingness of all things. But it does not mean that you should take on the pain and illnesses of other beings. Love and compassion can flow through you. Universal Love can flow through you as your default way of being. The Soul Bridge work you are doing will enable others to see with love, as well.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

We will encourage you to BE A CARRIER OF LOVE. So many people on this planet are in need of loving compassion. Remember the lyrics, LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH, AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME. Allow yourself to be a carrier of love and peace. Allow it to flow so freely through you that other living beings will be lifted up by the crystalline energy you emit. Soul Bridge Coaching, Holly, and the Collective Wisdom, April 19, 2022

Two Years Down the Road

Two years ago, on my 69th birthday, I was thinking about the many and varied choices and experiences that had brought me to the person I was and the life I was leading. It was Day 224 of my 365 day writing challenge with my spirit guide Holly and the Collective Wisdom. Here is what Holly had to say:

Holly: You have had 69 years of animating this Being and seeing this life through the limited lens of Paula. This year, you will learn more about being both singular and the Unity. You will begin to understand the importance of living out your role and your viewpoint for a greater understanding of The Whole. Your own viewpoint will expand as you understand just how limited your view is. When you meet and discuss with people of disparate views, you are expanding your own awareness of The Whole. There is a tendency for those who are spiritual to become judgmental of those taking a different path. This judgmental tendency should wake you up to the insidiousness of the duality of the egoic mind. When you feel the thorn of judgment, scorn, lack of compassion, allow yourself to fall deeper into the Sphere of Peace, knowing that all things are part of the Unity, part of Source. As you begin your 70th year, we invite you to embrace even more mindfully the important role you and everyone else plays in the evolution of Source Energy.

I must tell you that two years ago this seemed very heady and difficult to truly understand. I knew, as always, that Holly’s message was important, but I wasn’t really ready to embrace the impacts of those words. And two years later, she has lead me down a road where I am just now understanding the profoundness of her words. I am just getting to that place where I am finally feeling both fully Human and fully Divine. There have been bumps in the road, times when I have been judgmental and angry with people who didn’t see the need to nourish and save our planet. Judgmental and angry with those who didn’t care about the welfare of other people. But this journey has allowed me to see that those instances of judgment and anger have only served to deplete my energy, have only served to dim my light. I now prefer to focus my attention on all the amazing people who are working passionately for the sake of this planet and its inhabitants. That focus enables me to carry hope and love for The Whole. That focus enables us to do our Soul Bridge Coaching with a loving and compassionate understanding of the plight of our clients.

We will encourage each of you to embrace even more mindfully the important role you play in the sustenance of this planet, its inhabitants, and the evolution of The Whole. Soul Bridge Coaching and Holly, April 12, 2022

The Gifts and Challenges of Each Lifetime

As anyone who journals and takes the time to re-read those journals, we are able to see ourselves change and grow across time. For those of us who communicate with a spirit guide or other energetic being in a journaled format, those journals hold an opportunity for us to see how that guidance has helped shape our journey as well as our human and divine aspects. I have spent the past few days reading through old journals, and I came upon this note from my spirit guide Holly and the Collective Wisdom about the gifts and challenges of each lifetime:

You have a great attitude about your life. Seeing the blessings, even during the storms serves you well. You have learned to have an awareness that shows you…you are never alone. This 365 days of guided writing has helped fine-tune your knowing. This life, as with all lives, is an opportunity for the soulful aspects of you to have greater understanding through the challenges and nuances of your bodily home. Those experiences are eased and/or exacerbated by your soul family who are adapting in each lifetime to a new body and personality, as well. You are experiencing in this lifetime, the challenges of a gifted person’s highly sensitive body so that you have a greater understanding of the children and adults you serve. Do not take your challenges personally. Just as the character in a play must wear a certain costume to be a believable member of a cast, in each incarnation as a human, you are given gifts and challenges that help in your personal evolution.

I had been dealing with a virus for more than a month, and Holly took these ideas of the nuances of our human bodies a little further when she shared with me a new metaphor of the sensitive and protective immune system I have been given in this lifetime:

Your body’s immune system is very protective of you. When it becomes aware of a spark or some smoke, it yells, FIRE, and all the volunteer firefighters rush to attention and start hosing down and spraying fire retardant. The result is a body that is overwhelmed from so much defensive action. It will serve you well to thank the firefighters and militia that are constantly standing guard, and let them know you do not need everyone to respond at once. Just because you have so many defenders at your disposal doesn’t mean you need to use all of them. Highly sensitive people are sensitive, in part, because of all the defenders who are in a vigilant and protective mode. Rather than being unhappy with the results of this overprotection, be grateful that your body has the ability to mount such a dynamic response. Simultaneously, communicate with your body to help it ease up on the level of response. Going along with the article from GRO (Gifted Research & Outreach), the bodies of gifted children have highly functioning immune systems because much is being protected due to their intellectual and creative capacities. You have been given a highly-tuned immune system to better understand these unique people.

Receiving these messages from Holly and the Collective Wisdom has encouraged me to pay close attention to the role I am playing this lifetime and the many and varied ways I can support the body I call home.

We will encourage each of you to consider the gifts and challenges you’ve been given this lifetime and how you can support your body, mind, and spirit for your own wellness and that of this planet. Soul Bridge Coaching and Holly, April 5, 2022

Rise and Bring Your Head Above the Water, Yet Again

I was reading through journals I have kept with my spirit guide Holly, and I came upon one from from December 9, 2019. I was wondering about all the health issues and family traumas that had taken place in the previous three years. Holly began with this response:

The traumas and health issues aren’t about something you could have done better. You are being shown your ability to continually rise and bring your head above the surface of the water. For much of your life, you had felt “less than” and very vulnerable. You are being shown your true strength and connection to Source. In spite of all the challenges you have faced, you rise. It is about the rising and about the connection to Love, and Grace, and Compassion that are never lost. And in the midst of the many challenges, you realize just how fortunate you are. Even this morning, you feel yourself being held in the Sphere of Peace. One should not expect to live a life free of pain or challenges, even when one prays or meditates or lives a “good life.” You are learning how to live an appreciative life, even when things are messy. There is nothing to bemoan, nothing to feel self-pity about. You are among the luckiest people who have found a joy-filled life in the midst of the chaos and messiness that is the human experience. You are choosing to feel it fully and not use spiritual by-passing to obscure the truth about a life well-lived. Much is to be learned from the challenges and the gifts. This is the human experience.

The re-reading of Holly’s guidance is particularly powerful for me as I journey through another challenge along this journey. Less than two months ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am so grateful to have developed such a powerful and nourishing relationship with Holly and the Collective Wisdom, and I have been able to fall back on their wisdom. It was by their urging, in fact, that I had a mammogram, and I was not surprised by the diagnosis. They had prepared me for this, as well. Following the call with the pathology results, this was the message from Holly and the Collective Wisdom:

You are interested in learning as much as possible about your options. This, in fact, is what will help you through this process. Do not feel pressured by any doctor to make an immediate decision. Gather together all the facts you can. Fear is a normal reaction to hearing a diagnosis of breast cancer. We will encourage you to stay in the Now rather than catastrophizing about possible future events. Allow breast cancer to be the reality now, but also let it go, too. You are so much more than this diagnosis, and it is important for you to live out your soul work as a bridge to Love and the Divine.

We will encourage each of you to see the gifts and challenges of your life as part of the human experience designed to help you grow and flourish. Some of you will meet your own spirit guides to help you travel your journey, and others of you will find other opportunities for support and guidance that will help you raise your head above the water. Soul Bridge Coaching, Holly, and the Collective Wisdom, March 29, 2022

How Does One Lessen the Impact of World Chaos?

On December 1, 2019, I was on day 177 of my 365 day challenge to write on a daily basis with my spirit guide Holly and the Collective Wisdom. I had been hearing and feeling the cries of the world, and my nervous system was being challenged mightily. I sat down with my journal and wrote the words, “How do I lessen the impact of world chaos and wild energy?” The following was Holly’s response:

Photo by Evgeny Tchebotarev on Pexels.com

We need for you to live in the awareness of the power of love and compassion. Loving-kindness needs to be your default. You are being reminded over and over to allow Source loving energy to flow through you. When this is the manner in which you live your everyday life, there will be no need for energetic overwhelm. The truth is, dear friend, that in every moment, someone is suffering – beyond which could ever be reported in the news you read and hear. There are heroes throughout the world trying to serve others. You are being called on to serve, as well. Do not wait for the strong viscerals of knowing for you to act. Fall into Grace, into your Sphere of Peace (see a previous post about the Sphere of Peace), and from this place of deep love, peace, and compassion, help your world heal. It is not your responsibility to cure each individual’s pains. It is your challenge to BE LOVE. This will be particularly difficult when you are enduring your own suffering, but by Falling into the Sphere of Peace, you, too, will tap into the treasure, beauty, and power of Universal Love. The living out through your gift will feel magically peaceful. That is our challenge to you, sweet friend. And we are here to support and remind you.

I acknowledged to Holly and the Collective Wisdom that I was grateful they were enabling Source Energy and guidance to flow through me. It was an honor and blessing to help others receive their own guidance, too. Holly continued with these words:

Remain focused on positive and heartwarming aspects of your life. Despite divisive goings on, it is important for you to focus on all the goodness that surrounds you and others. Negativity diminishes the glow of Light that will lead humans out of the darkness. You are a part of that Light. Be unwilling to allow your glimmer and shine to be snuffed out. The role of Lightworkers is important at this time. Always remember you are Love, you are loved.

Similar messages, inviting me to Be Love, have continued these past two years, and I have taken them seriously. My life has been graced with many and varied synchronicities, and when first thinking about this post and the importance of love, a sweet friend surprised me with the gift of the bell hooks’ book, all about love. (For those of you who are not aware of the works created by bell hooks, the use lower case is her style both with her name and the title of her book.) As bell hooks says at the end of all about love, “No matter how hard or terrible our lot in life, to choose against lovelessness — to choose love — we can listen to the voices of hope that speak to us, that speak to our hearts — the voices of angels. When angels speak of love they tell us it is only by living that we enter an earthly paradise. They tell us paradise is our home and love our true destiny.”

We will encourage each of you to expand your awareness of loving-kindness, your own loving-kindness and that of others. Return to the destiny of which bell hooks speaks, LOVE. Do not take moments of deep loving calm for granted. It is those moments that sustain you and invite you back during your most challenging experiences. A world in chaos can certainly use more love. Soul Bridge Coaching and Holly, March 22, 2022

Leaning Into Your Soul Work

Two weeks ago, my spirit guide Holly asked the question (in the post Take Good Care of Your Mother) whether we have the WANT and the WILL to save our planet and the living beings that inhabit it. The day after writing that post, I sat down with my journal and wrote this comment: “Yesterday, Holly and I wrote a post about stepping up and taking action. She asked if we have the Want and the Will to make a difference, to create daily ripples that will become the wave of change so necessary for this survival of humankind. I want to engage in a way that is personally meaningful, whether it is a local, national, or global effort.” And here was Holly’s response:

Holly: These acts of engagement or activism could take the form of donations, reading to better inform yourself, joining an organization, writing messages to encourage others to take action, and the list goes on and on. Rather than planning ahead of time what you will do on future days, allow yourself to be moved by sychronicities and opportunities. A few months ago, you read about college students on a hunger strike outside the White House who were urging passage of the voter rights bill. You found a way to support their efforts. This is not about making a game out of activism. It is about being moved to do your Soul Work which is focused on supporting the dignity, sustenance, and justice of this planet and its inhabitants. How you choose to embody that soul work will be your day-to-day and moment-to-moment journey. You may be surprised by all the many and varied ways other humans are engaging in their own soul work. Many people will be deeply focused on one issue across decades, taking a deep dive, while others like you will drop pebbles that create ripples across many different issues that will join together in a wave of change. This is not about egoic activism for self-aggrandizement; this is Soul Work aimed at sustaining your planet and its living beings.

I had received a similar message at the beginning of this year, and I decided to include our grandchildren in this wave of change. Each month they are given $100 to donate to organizations benefiting this planet and/or humankind. In January, we focused on animals, and they donated all their money to the World Wildlife Fund. In February we focused on children, and they donated to Together Rising to provide STEM kits for children in foster care, and to St. Jude’s for cancer care for kids. This month we focused on food scarcity and they donated to Chef Andre’s World Central Kitchen, Project Angel Food for seriously ill people in Los Angeles, Food on Foot Los Angeles for homeless members of our community, and to the Los Angeles Food Bank. In addition, we found organizations to sponsor who are providing much needed support in Ukraine.

We hope many of you will join us by following your own synchronicities and opportunities to impact Mother Earth and the greater good. We encourage you to share with us your deep dives and small ripple experiences with your Soul Work. Soul Bridge Coaching and Holly, March 15, 2022

Say a Prayer For the Pretender

I had been hearing the lyrics “say a prayer for the pretender” from Jackson Browne’s song The Pretender for a few days, so I sat down with my journal and asked my spirit guide Holly to help me understand why I was receiving this particular message. Here is what she had to say:

It would be easy to focus on all the ways humans are afraid to show their authenticity: gay and trans individuals who fear a backlash from family, church, community. People of mixed-ethnicity who are accused of being too black, too brown, too Asian, or perhaps, on the other hand, too white. People who are intellectually gifted may be accused of “ruining the curve” on a test, or of acting arrogantly when they are simply speaking with a vocabulary that feels authentic. There are many reasons why people might choose to be pretenders.

But now let’s focus on you, dear friend, and why you might have chosen to be a pretender. You were born with Ehlers-Danlos and wore braces on your hips as an infant. As a result of the EDS, your joints ached, your stomach hurt, and when you complained, you were called a hypochondriac, and you were misunderstood. Add to that, you were an empath who felt the pain of others and the planet, and you couldn’t distinguish which was your own pain. So you became a pretender. You would carry your pain in silence and try to stop listening to the messages of your body. That disconnect from your body caused your pain body to speak even more loudly to get the attention it needed.

And here you are today, an empath who experiences the pain of the world through your body. The day the attacks on Ukraine began, you found yourself in the throes of significant vertigo, and 12 days later, the bombardment on Ukraine continues, and so does your vertigo. The good news is that you are no longer a pretender about the depth of your spiritual unity with the other living beings on your planet. You have worked hard to not take on the cries of humanity and this planet, and you are no longer physically debilitated by school shootings, tsunamis, wild fires, and other disasters natural and man-made. But this tragedy in Ukraine has crossed a new threshold for you. You are experiencing Spiritual Vertigo due to relatives who were murdered and/or driven out of Kyiv by a pogrom 100 years ago. (My grandfather was murdered along with the young men of his village, but my great-grandfather, who survived the pogram, is pictured here after an escape to America.) Humans carry trauma from past lives and from ancestral crises. That is what you are experiencing, vertigo that was triggered by the waves of despair. But the good news is that you are living a more authentic life trying to find a balance between being a fully human and fully divine being. May this feeling of disequilibrium serve to remind you of the unity, the interconnectedness, of all living beings.

And for those who are still unable to step fully into their authenticity: SAY A PRAYER FOR THE PRETENDER.

We would say that love needs to be sent to all who are suffering on this planet. So, too, does love need to be sent to the perpetrators of violence and hate, whose hearts are closed and are in dire need of healing and opening. Sending heart-opening love does not mean you love what they are doing. Hating the haters does not bring about love and peace. You see, dear friends, they, too are pretenders. Say a prayer for the pretenders. Soul Bridge Coaching and Holly, March 8, 2022

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