Purple Abstract Background

Home

Welcome To My Blog Page

Moments of stillness. moments of self-care and self-soothing. Healing rituals and meditation. Dance Movement . Young woman dancing in nature background with reflection
Young Lovers at Sunset
Woman's head with a healing crystal

Healing




What is a ​Spiritual Advisor:

Angie’s Spiritual Readings

Navigating through life with uncertainties, ​insecurities, anxieties, trauma, and adversities can ​often leave us in a constant state of unrest.


We can find ourself with more questions than ​answers, we wonder what we are missing and why ​other people seem to have it figured out. Speaking ​with a spiritual advisor can offer help – but picking ​the right person is important.

What to look for and what to look out for when choosing a ​spiritual advisor:

-Look for someone who resonates with your belief ​system. You are looking for someone who

understands your spiritual journey and can help ​guide you to a deeper level of understanding.

-Your advisor’s goal should be growth and ​understanding of your journey – not dependance or ​reliance on the advisor.

-*Look for someone with a good reputation and ​ethics – there are no magic spells to remove trauma ​and adversity, no special blends of oils that will take ​away hurt, no potions that can make your life ​instantly better; your advisor should offer tools to ​help with your journey, but it takes hard work, ​understanding of self and time to work through ​trauma and fear. If you are offered an instant fix by ​purchasing expensive hex removals, or potions – ​beware.

-Look for an advisor that offers you emotional safety ​you should be able to discuss anything without fear, ​judgement, or ridicule.

-Be sure to discuss fees. You don’t want to add ​another stressor to your life by struggling to pay for ​this service. Find someone who can work within the ​limits of your financial goals. Even if it means less

frequent, yet still influential and meaningful sessions. ​Your emotional and spiritual journey should not

add stress to your life

Esoteric Mystic Spiritual Symbol. Moth, Butterfly

What can you expect at Angie’s Spiritual Readings

-We work with clients one on one, at a pace that is ​comfortable for them while also challenging them to

keep taking steps toward healing and growth.

-We assess current life struggles and develop tools ​and strategies to make today better while identifying

and healing past trauma and adversity.

-We assess generational as well as time/date stamp ​trauma to develop an individual plan of action

based on need.

-We offer no magic potions, no hex removals, no ​instant fixes, but rather clear, concise ways to heal, to

release and to claim the power over your life and ​your journey. We help you to develop the strength

and confidence to live a life free of fear.

We work on making today better while healing yesterday with the goal of a better, ​healthier tomorrow.

Dreams

I Broke a Nail – The Dream

It is important to remember that dreams are unique and may have a ​different meaning depending on your life and history.

Have you ever stopped to think about your fingernails? They seem to be just ​a hard protective coating that protests our fingertips. Culturally fingernails ​can represent a variety of things: social status, personal hygiene, health and ​well-being.

In dreams, the symbolism of fingernails can take on even more significance, ​providing clues about our subconscious thoughts and emotions. Fingernails ​in dreams often represent our sense of self-worth, confidence, power, and ​control. Broken fingernail dreams can symbolize vulnerability or feeling ​emotionally exposed.


Perhaps you are going through a difficult situation in your personal or ​professional life, and you feel like your emotions are out in the open. It could ​also represent insecurities. Understanding why you are feeling this way is ​the key factor in dealing with this dream. Self-reflection is the way to gain ​insight and understanding of the emotions. Meditation or sitting with your ​thoughts might lead you to better understanding.


Although it’s easy to dismiss dreams as random processing of events, they ​can often give you a glimpse into what is important in your life. Issues that ​need to be understood and processed – issues that need to be honored ​and healed.


BY: Angie Kuschel

A Braided Hair Woman Filing Her Fingernails

Trama and Healing

Trama and Healing

You can sell ​your soul to ​the devil, ​but only ​once!




The day I met James I knew my life would never be the same. He ​was a force of nature, a love that would transcend space and time. ​A love that would nearly kill me, a love that I would sell my soul for…

James was the most beautiful man I have ever seen, tall, blonde, ​blue-green eyes and a smile that would melt even the most frozen ​of hearts. I tried to resist but I was powerless, I wanted to run, I ​should of…but if I did, I would have missed out on the most magically ​tragic experience in my life


BY: Angie Kuschel

Red Liquid With Bubbles

IWith James, music and poetry were finally understood. The love that I thought only lived in the imagination of writers ​was now my reality. I would do whatever it took to keep this feeling, and I did. I made a deal with the devil, sold my soul ​for passion, lust and love. He was my drug, my obsession, my needle in the arm… His energy ran through me as freely ​as my own blood. His touch made angels sing and time stop.

With every touch our addiction grew stronger, we were bound by love and pain. His hurt was my hurt, his love was my ​love, his tragedy was my tragedy. This was a love that made heaven and hell collide. Recovery was not something we ​were interested in, so we relaxed into our fate. Our life of brilliance and destruction, our life of beauty, our life of us ​against the world. We were love, and we always would be, or so we thought. Just as with any addiction, you either ​recover or you die…

The day was here, the devil came to collect on our deal… I had to choose, it was James or death. You ​would think this would be an easy choice...I’d like to say it was… But how, when he is as much of me as I ​am of him? How do you pull the needle out, how do you stop the shaking, the cravings, the panic, the ​loss? How do I give up a magic that I know I will never find it again? How do I get up in the morning ​without just one more hit, how do I sleep at night without just one more touch? Why should I have to? I ​begged the devil for a new deal…please, don’t take this away, don’t take him away… there was no new ​deal, this was it… I would die for him, but would I allow him to kill me?


I spent two years in recovery, two long hard, if only I would have done something different, years. The ​biggest lessons are the ones you have to fight to learn. As my once disintegrating world started to ​rebuild, I learned a valuable lesson. I can love again, and my fear of never again finding someone’s who’s ​kiss makes the world seem beautiful, well let's just say…magic is everywhere, if you just believe…



Clean Your Closet, ​Clean Your Mind




The day started out simple enough – I prayed, I lit candles, went to the beach, turned the ​music volume to window shake level: all things I do when I need to get myself centered, ​refocused. I had to make a decision that I didn’t want to, even though I know it’s for the ​best.


My mom has a saying “clean your closet, clean your mind.” The thought process behind ​this is simple, focus on something else and the answers you are looking for will become ​clear. It’s a tried-and-true process of working through things, when we move something ​from the forefront of our brain to the ‘back burner’ we stop confusing our brain, we ​allow the thought to simmer, the subconscious mind is still processing but we are no ​longer dwelling.


But what if the closet I’m cleaning is filled with memories? What if I suddenly find myself ​staring at the relics of relationships past? Our lives were once so enter-twined that every ​corner of my house contains pieces of him, pieces of us. So, what do I do when I find ​myself sitting on the floor in a heap of sobbing mess?


Should I shove everything back into the closet and shut the door? Should I save this for another day? Will there ever be a time that this will be easier? When is the time to ​say goodbye? How much time is the right amount of time?


The next several hours flew by like a movie I’d seen 100 times..

You made this decision, this is what you needed, get a grip on yourself ..oh, I remember the day he brought home these earrings, remembering my favorite stone is ​aquamarine: I love these earrings, I’ll just put these back for now. Smiling through the tears as I picked up the bag of shells we collected on the beach the morning we ​watched a dragonfly migration (still one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen). I looked at the shells, held them in my hands, traced their grooves, remembered the laughter ​and amazement of that day…the perfect day.


How is there still one of his shirts here, and why does it smell like him? I loved the way he smelled: I’ll put this in a bag and bring it to his mom’s. His watch, in the bag it ​goes, family pictures, in the bag, pictures of us…smiling, the happy times staring at me, maybe this isn’t what I wanted, did I make a mistake? Tears flooded my eyes as ​memories flooded my heart. I missed him, with every day and every breath.


I took a deep breath, looked around, my past scattered around me: A trash can now filled with thoughts never to be revisited, a bag sealed off so tight that the smell of ​that forgotten shirt has no way to seep into my new life, pictures of good times, gifts that were given out of guilt and not love, tucked back into the recesses of my closet ​and my brain. I stood up, breathed in what seemed like the cleanest air I have felt in a long time, I wiped my tear-stained cheeks, took one last look at the past, and ​silently thanked him for having an important place in my life, for teaching me things that I will always treasure, like how to say goodbye.


It’s not always easy to sit with our hurt, but until we have a much-needed conversation with our past, it will never truly be our past. I’ve been told that you haven’t moved ​on until you can tell your story without crying.

So, today I sat with my pain, knowing that each tear that fell was a piece of the hurt leaving my heart forever.

My closet looks great, I have room for new things, new memories, a new life free of the heavy, hurt cluttered closet of yesterday, and for that, I am thankful.




We see things differently as we age, as we mature, as we ​grow, as we gain understanding of our traumas and those of ​others. But what does that reflection tell us? If you ask me, it ​can tell us a lot – here is my reflection for today.


I was not a nice person. I was unkind with the feelings of ​others. I was so protective of my feelings and swimming in ​old trauma that I didn’t even know I was being insensitive. I ​didn’t even know I had trauma. I went through much of my ​life just thinking I was honest, that I was standing up for ​myself, that I …. I, I guess I really don’t know what I thought ​– but I didn’t think I was wrong, or mean, I was actually very ​sensitive – but I wasn’t sensitive to others.


Through the Looking Glass


Woman Looking Through Broken Mirror

I am fortunate enough to have identified and healed from some of those traumas and I am working on the others. It is often said that we need to ask for forgiveness when we hurt ​other people and while I agree I also think we need to forgive ourselves first. Here is my story – one example of how trauma affected my life.


We will call this guy Jim, I knew him casually, he worked at a neighboring business, we had limited interaction but saw each other regularly. One night I was walking into the gas ​station near my local hang out, as was he was walking out. I remember what he was wearing – White jeans, a white jacket, and white shoes. It might sound like he looked like a ​snowman, but he looked cute. With his buzzed-up courage, he stopped me and asked me if I would go to dinner with him. Me, with my trauma intact and my cocky, I have all the ​options in the world attitude, I replied – why would I go out with you? Although I don’t remember what he said exactly, but whatever it was, I said yes.


He took me to the most expensive restaurant in our little town. He was so nice, so thoughtful, so giving and so attentive. We dated for several months, but with abandonment ​trauma in tow I ended the relationship. I told him I just thought I could do better – or something equally as callous (I know, I kind of make myself sick a little bit when I remember ​who I was). I was presenting myself to the world as someone who knew what she wanted and wouldn’t settle for less, someone who wouldn’t be defined by someone else, ​someone who didn’t need a partner to feel good and secure – now say that 111546479316 times and you might believe it, like I did. But that is not who I was – I was scared, afraid ​to be trust, afraid to be vulnerable, afraid to be seen as weak. But weak is exactly what I was – I protected myself from being discovered by being insensitive, uncaring, unloving.


Jim and I went our separate ways for many years, reconnecting after the birth of my son. I must admit, I wanted him to love me like he had all those years ago, but he didn’t, how ​could he, why would he? I was hurt that he stood up for himself, hurt that he was not going to fall into a trap that I had carefully laid out. If you loved me once, you will love me ​again. He didn’t, maybe he never did – but that doesn’t matter to me today – 35 years after the last time we were together. What matters to me now is - as I look through this ​looking glass, hoping to see my future – I have seen a lot of my past – a past that I am not always proud of, but a past that I know I am healing from.


I had a dream about Jim the other day – turns out the next day was his birthday – I wished him a happy birthday on social media – not going to lie, I secretly whished he was ​single, he isn’t. I’m glad he’s happy. But I wanted my chance for redemption, I wanted a chance to show him I was different, I wanted forgiveness. As I sat with the feeling of a ​nonexistent rejection – I laughed at myself and remembered why I was on this journey. Why the universe saw fit to present this old wound – it was time to forgive, myself.


Understanding who I was and how I was processing my trauma offered me a chance to realize that part of forgiving myself means I need to thank him. Thank him for being ​gracious in the face of my trauma induced bad behavior, thankful that he, being who he was, forced me to look though that looking glass.


When I woke from that dream, I had hope that I was getting glimpse into my future. But instead, I saw a picture in that looking glass that forced me to remember that trauma was ​lurking in every part of my life and would stay there until the day I dreamed it could be different. This day, this dream, made me remember to offer myself forgiveness, and allow ​others grace as we all look through that looking glass expecting to see one thing but finding something even better - ourselves.


So, as I thank him for who he was to me, I also forgive myself for who I was to him.




FIGHT CLUB



Fight Club – not the movie, but emotional, trauma healing fight club. I’m sure you are asking how I could draw a parallel between the movie and spiritual ​growth, but once you realize that the most harmful things in our life are often lived in the shadows, you’ll see that it was not a big leap. Fight club had 5 rules – ​I am going to use these same rules to make my argument for our personal fight club. We are all fighting in some secrete society that we don’t think anyone will ​understand. Once we realize that we are fighting in the shadows it will all make sense.


Rule #1 – you don’t talk about fight club.


This is the same things as: we all have problems, no one cares, we all have trauma, suck it ​up, if you ignore it, it will go away, act like it doesn’t bother you and it won’t. This is the ​emotional fight club we learn to keep to ourselves, the emotional fight club that bleads ​us to the shadows of depression, despair, toxic acceptance, and often addiction. This hurt ​stays with us, cloaked in the darkness that leaves us fighting for our lives (this might ​sound dramatic, but we are fighting for our lives, not the lives we were told to live, not ​the dreams we were told to want, and not the relationships we were told to accept, no, ​we are fighting for ourselves). We fight with the people that are part of our lives, ​because they showed up, their trauma led them to the same place of shadowy darkness as ​ours. We stay in this place of hurt because we think this is what we deserve, we deserve ​the beating, physical or emotional, so we take it. Day in and day out. If we don’t talk about ​it, it doesn’t exist, right?


Rule #2 – Only two people fight at a time – lets keep the fight ​fair


Good rule, except in the case of trauma it often feels like us against the world, so ​we have to really work hard at keeping the fight fair. We do this by working ​slowly, not trying to face everything at one time. Trauma is after a series of events, ​reactions, or perception of events – imagine trauma as pebbles, they are small and ​can be easily picked up and carried, but over years, decades even, as we continue to ​pick up and carry these pebbles with us, they become unmanageable, too heavy, they ​weigh us down until we are forced to surrender under the weight. To keep the ​fight fair, we work on one pebble at a time, small steps lead to big success. We ​didn’t collect these pebbles all at once, we can’t expect to release them all at ​once. Keep the fight fair, this means being fair to yourself and your expectations ​of the healing journey.



Rule #3 – No weapons

Also, a good rule, but when it comes to trauma healing these weapons are called coping skills, those skills you have ​developed over years or decades to avoid feeling: substance abuse, avoidance, self-harm, negative self-talk, ​isolation. These are the unhealthy ways we fight off the world, told hold in the pain. It’s time that we stop using ​these ineffective weapons and reach for a healthier way to fight.


Rule #4 – the fight continues until someone taps out or goes limp

Truth is the fight, this fight will continue after the tap out, usually that’s when the real battle will actually start. ​There will always come a time in this fight for emotional well being that we have to acknowledge that we’ve been ​fighting the wrong battle, that we have waged a war on ourseves, that we have been fighting symptoms and not the ​problem. That’s usually the time we go limp, not because we are weak, but because we are tired. This is often a time of ​new reflection, of realization, of exhaustion. This transition time is hard, it’s unfamiliar, it’s confusing. Those rays of ​light you see through the windows are the future, that light that peeks into the shadowy darkness, that’s hope, ​that’s relief, that’s healing.


Rule #5 – 1st time at fight club you have to fight

Just by showing up to fight club, you’ve made the decision to fight. To fight for yourself, for healing, for emotional ​health and wellbeing. You have decided to fight for change, for the life and dreams you want. So yes, we showed up ​to fight club to fight.

Yes, fight club rules apply to emotional trauma healing: it’s time to talk about fight club, take small steps, put down ​the weapons, tap out if you need to, but only to recover… we showed up for the fight and that is progress.





Woman in Cosmic Fantasy Costume

Energetic Overload

I feel so frazzled, I’m anxious, I’m worried, I can’t sleep, I am snappy and short tempered, and I am ​not even sure why.


I woke up fine today, I didn’t have a particularly stressful day, it was just a day, not unlike most ​days. But that all changed in what seemed like an instant. I felt anxious, I felt uncomfortable, I was ​revved up in a bad way. People were annoying me; I was annoying me. What happened? Why did I ​suddenly feel like this? I was overloaded energetically, all the people that I interacted with today ​left an energy residue on me. I picked up all the pieces from everyone I encountered. I was trapped ​by them; I was suffering from the day they were having.


This unfortunately was a constant in my life for years. I stopped wanting to interact with people at ​all. Not just the people I knew, but strangers as well. I didn’t want to go to the store, I didn’t want ​to go to restaurants. I wanted isolate myself from any interaction. By separating myself I was safe, I ​could contend with how I felt, I could deal with my emotions and feelings, but once I was around ​other people, it became too much.


My anxiety reached the point that it was almost unmanageable. I was feeling panicked all the time.​ All my relationships suffered. I often found myself saying things like, I just can’t take anymore. I ​just can’t do this anymore. I pulled further and further away from family and friends. I didn’t ​accept any invitations to social gatherings, I was done. I started to believe that this was how I was ​going to feel, this was my new normal, this was just who I was. I started to label myself as having ​social anxiety, it was easy to put a name to it, find the reason behind the way I was feeling.


The isolation wasn’t healthy for me, I started to miss people, I started to crave human interaction. I ​wanted friendships, I was lonely. I once again started to join friends on a night out to dinner, and ​then quickly remembered why I didn’t do that anymore. I was fine for a small amount of time but ​then it was like a switch flipped and I was overwhelmed, anxious again. I started to wonder what ​was causing this sudden onset of anxiety. It couldn’t be social anxiety, I was able to walk into a ​public place, I was able to interact with people, so what then was causing this.


My goal was to try to isolate the feeling. I would be fine one minute, nothing happened then the ​sudden urge to flee. The first and best isolation of those feelings came in the grocery store, ​minding my own business then suddenly I felt racked with fear. I was looking for carrots, nothing ​stressful about that. So, I looked around, who was in my energetic field? I noticed a man a few feet ​away from me, I focused on him, he was sad, a little confused, and unsure of what he was doing. I ​stayed focused on him, not visually but energetically. It took just a minute for me to understand ​what I was feeling. He lost his wife; she usually took care of the shopping. He was in a new world, ​he missed her, he was forced to make a different life, and he didn’t know if he even wanted to. He ​was lonely.


After I identified where the feelings came from, that these are not your feelings, there is no need to ​hold on to them as if they are. I felt instantly calmer. I might be on to something. I tested this ​theory every time I felt that uneasy anxious feeling, I asked myself who it belonged to. Success! I ​found myself intentionally seeking ways to feel anxious in public so I could see if I could isolate. It ​worked, over and over I identified who owned those feelings, accepted them, and then released ​them. I started to feel comfortable in my life again. I started to interact with people again, I started ​to feel again, but this time in a good way. Lesson learned, although I can always strive to help, and ​to be kind and empathetic, I cannot hold on to all the feelings of the world.





Minimalist Cosmic Vintage
Cosmic background

Angie’s Spiritual Readings

Complex Post Traumatic ​Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)

Mental PTSD disorder woman sit near dirty wall

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) differs ​from PTSD because the duration of the trauma is longer. C-​PTSD is the result of ongoing traumatic experiences. Child ​abuse, both mental and physical; domestic abuse, both ​mental and physical, exposure to cults and sex trafficking ​are some examples.


C-PTSD is a mental health condition that can result from ​prolonged repeated abuse or trauma. The result of this ​exposure can manifest in such ways as anxiety, flashbacks, ​relationship avoidance, and difficulties sustaining healthy ​relationships. While these are similar to PTSD, additional ​effects are often suffered.



C-PTSD can bring with it feelings of worthlessness, emotional detachment, hypervigilance, negative thoughts and ​emotions, difficulties with emotional regulation (overreacting or underreacting), and persistent shame or guilt.


Long term abuse such as child abuse can be a leading cause of these mental health struggles. These struggles can lead ​to secondary abuse cycles such as abusive adult relationships. Feeling trapped, unvalued, unloved, powerless, and ​victimized are part of daily life.

This exposure to constant abuse changes the way our brain processes information. We only work from our knowledge and ​experience. The neuropathways created from trauma determine our reaction to the world around us. Once we are working from a ​place of trauma, we are always working from that place until we acknowledge it and start to heal from it.



Close-up of man psychologist or psychiatrist sitting and holding hands palm of his woman patient for encouragement. PTSD Mental health concept,

1 - admitting that the abuse was real and that we have the right to be hurt and ​angry


2 – accepting that this was beyond our control


3 - Understanding that we have the power to control our emotional future


4 – Growth and understanding of self – this is a long, yet empowering

process. This is taking back your life and gaining control


5 – notice the changes in your physical body as well as your thoughts when you ​start to feel triggered


6 – identify the cause of these feelings – is this something new that needs to be ​looked at and dealt with or is this based on old feelings and fears


7 – once the process above becomes comfortable and more of an automatic ​response to stress the healing has a place to grow


8 – Working on step 6 and 7 will take time and repetition. If the anxiety and fear is ​coming from a place of old trauma, identify it as such. By putting these feelings in ​the old trauma category, it releases us from the fear in this moment.



Working with someone who specializes in trauma healing and recovery is the best first step we will ever ​take. Talk therapy, spiritual advisors, learning new coping skills, setting achievable goals, being kind to ​yourself, knowing when you need to be alone to recharge and learning how to self sooth are all ​components of recovery. These are time tested, and successful avenues that lead you to the path of your ​life.

Relationships

Flame Wallpaper

TWIN FLAME FLAME OUT

Our other half, the one that completes us, our missing other half – we have all heard ​those expressions and more than likely we have used them as well. What are we ​really saying when we use them? In essence what we are saying is that we are ​looking for the combination of both energies and in that combination, we find ​balance. The flip side to that is we are convinced that our other half is what will ​make everything better, make our life complete.

How did this all start – a little history

The twin flame belief seems to have originated from the ancient philosopher, Plato. ​In his work “The Symposium” he shares the details of an androgynous being that ​fused together the male and female creating the ultimate being of masculine and ​feminine energy. The Gods, in fear of this power, devised a plan to dimmish it. Zeus, ​acting on this plan split the being in half. The myth is that by forcing the being apart ​the newly created half beings were weakened; to further the punishment this ​separation forced the half beings into an eternal yearning for their other half.

This yearning, this searching, this is the place we are in today. Forced to feel like we ​are missing our other half, endlessly and tirelessly searching, believing that they are ​out there, we just have to find them. Looking for our other half, we are on this ​endless journey for completion of ourselves. Believing that we are but part of an ​actual whole person. So, we set out in search of our other half… the quest for our ​twin flame.


OuThat is the over dramatized, over sensationalized over fantasied belief about twin flames; The reality is very, very different, and often ​misunderstood.


What you will find with your twin flame: The most powerful, intense soul connection you will experience (keep in mind this connection can ​often be confused with trauma bounding – but is very different), but this isn’t the romantic love story that we want to believe it to be. In ​finding your twin flame you will find your shadow self, the parts of you that you keep hidden, that you struggle to control; the parts of you ​that you don’t want to show the world, but here they are. The fears, the doubts, the insecurities, all the issues you’ve struggled with are now ​part of every day. The mirror of you, this twin flame – this is everything that you’ve ever struggled with, but now it’s in your face, it’s no longer ​taking the I will heal at my pace strategy, it’s an overwhelming, intense realization of everything, all at once.

These relationships are often toxic, unproductive, difficult, and confusing, with break-ups and make-ups. Because of the twin flame belief, ​we often find it hard to move on, hard to recover, we think we are supposed to be together so we lock into to this trauma, we become held ​in this space, the place of powerlessness, toxic, unhealthy, trapped in the abuse of ourselves and others. We believe that this person ​completes us, so we have to keep fighting to make ourselves whole, to complete the twin flame union. That belief keeps us trapped into ​believing that we are only complete with this counterpart. As time in this relationship grows you will feel resentful, angry.


The, is that even if we were separated by some evil plot to weaken us, that doesn’t mean that by completion of a re-union we are now ​strong, healed, that the world all makes sense, that all fears and trauma melt away, it’s often the opposite with a twin flame union. This union ​is part of our lessons, our karmic contract, we are placed in the path of our deepest fears and trauma in order to identify them, stop hiding ​from them and to heal. The reason for this great intensity is to amplify the need for healing, forgiveness, emotional and spiritual growth. This ​twin flame relationship is a test, a huge test, one meant to show how far you’ve come and remind you of the journey you are still on. This ​relationship is designed to highlight with great fever what is and what should be important to you, and that is you. The twin flame ​relationship forces us to take a hard look at the things that make you feel trapped, insecure, fearful, then start the process of trauma healing, ​recovery, and growth.


Fix It Girl

Woman Working from Home

I have always been a fix it girl; I fixed or attempted to ​fix everything from lawnmowers to people. I jumped ​in to every challenge with that ‘at least I can try’ ​attitude. I will admit that this has led me down some ​interesting paths, I’ve made some situations worse, I ​have also surprised myself a few times. What I didn’t ​consider, until now, is why I always felt that I could ​‘fix’ it or that I should at least always try – one word ​trauma. How is this trauma? Let’s dive in.

I learned very early in life that you should at least try, ​great attitude and great life lessons, so I did just that, ​I always tried, I tried everything, broke a lot of stuff in ​the process, but what I didn’t expect, or even realize ​is that my try attitude was shifting from the physical ​to the emotional; Everything can be fixed with time, ​patience, a good attitude and a little hard work. I still ​believe this to be true; however, what I’ve realized ​recently is that the hard work can’t just be my hard ​work. I cannot put all the effort into fixing someone ​that isn’t willing or ready to be fixed. I can’t love you ​into being better.



Turns out I was on a mission to fix everything, ​everyone. If you’re hurt, I can help, if you’re scared, I ​can comfort you, if you’re emotionally scared, I can ​love you. My relationships, it turns out, were all about ​this ‘I can help complex’ that I built over the years, I ​had something to prove; but to who?


I once, more than once actually, told people that I felt ​my place in this world was to take the emotionally ​broken, show them, help them, find their worth and ​value and then send them back into the world to find ​their love. I was never going to be someone’s person; I ​was on a quest to fix and ready others for their new ​position in the world. A position of strength, ​emotional security, and love. And I felt good about ​that, I felt like I was helping people, that I was making ​an impact on the people I helped. I went into every ​relationship knowing it was temporary. As I busied ​myself ‘fixing’ the pains of others, committing myself ​to their trauma recovery, to their stressors and to their ​lives, turns out I was avoiding mine.



So, back to how this was me working with my trauma (notice I didn’t say ​working through it); I was avoiding my life, my pain, my trauma. I always had an ​escape from my life by diving into someone else’s. I was busy, I was being ​creative, I was being helpful, I was being the me that I forced myself to be out ​of fear. I realized that I was preventing myself from my life by fully investing in ​the life of others. It turns out that the satisfaction I was getting out of helping ​everyone but myself, was hurting me. I delayed my spiritual and emotional ​growth


If I can fix you, maybe I can fix myself. I had to learn that this was actually a ​coping skill, one designed to avoid my own trauma and pain. Once I realized ​that my tool belt was getting too heavy, filled with all those tools of avoidance, ​I knew I had to put it down, I had to take off that tool belt and stop trying to fix ​the people around me. It was a big step, it was a lifetime of gathering tools, I ​have been emptying that tool belt one tool at a time realizing that the weight ​of my life seems much more manageable without the self-imposed ​requirements.

I still enjoy fixing things, but I have replaced those patch kits used to cover the ​cracks in my life with more permanent repair options, like healing for myself, ​understanding of pain and realizing that while I was carrying the weight of ​that tool belt, I was holding myself in a broken place. A place that no one else ​can fix but me. I have new tools in that belt now and those include hope, faith, ​belief and love of self.




trama, bulloni, viti, chiodi
old haunted house

BY: Angie Kuschel

This old house

I bought an old house. I thought she was perfect, scared, weathered, ​a little damage her and there. She was sturdy, tried and true, ​standing up against decades of wind and rain and countless ​hurricanes. There she stood proud, strong, with almost a try harder ​next time attitude. She was my house. She was me.


I knew she needed work and I was willing to roll up my sleeves to ​expose her full beauty. The beauty, hidden behind years of neglect. ​Underneath those patches and coats of paint hid the truth. She was ​damaged. She had places of her that were barely hanging on, parts of ​her that had so many coats of paint that the paint was the only thing ​keeping her together. She needed a lot of work; more work than I ​knew. With each layer came the truth of her real damage, the real ​scars of time. Beaten by life for decades. She had good bones, she ​had strength, she was strong, but she was injured. Deep injuries, ​those that couldn’t be seen by just anyone, you had to be willing to ​look, to want to see her shine so that you knew where she needed to ​be repaired.


As I pealed and scraped away those years of paint, intended to ​make her look pretty I saw the real beauty that she had to offer. ​The beauty of damage. The beauty that was waiting on the right ​time and person to see what she had to offer and to allow her to ​shine. I worked hard to restore her to her original glory. ​Unfortunately, there is no such thing. She needed to be better, ​she needed to change, it was time. I worked through all those ​time-worn areas, pulled up damage so deep it was part of her ​foundation. Swept out the old, brought in the new, consulted ​professionals when necessary. Each layer breathing new life into ​her battered soul.


I opened windows that hadn’t been open in years, the stagnant ​energy becoming light and fresh. She was starting to come to ​life, keeping the parts of her that were still solid and strong, ​fixing the damage that was done by others and removing the ​parts that no longer served her. Layers of protective paint, years ​of destructive treatment. Years of damage, repaired now with ​the chance to live on, the chance to breath in new life, a future ​that is free of that old weight and damage caused by someone ​else’s attempt to cover the past instead of fixing it.


As I sit and reflect on my progress, I am proud. Proud that I took ​the time to get to the core issues, proud that I didn’t just cover ​the pain with another coat of paint, proud that deep within the ​damage I still believed in my beauty.


Victorian House Illustration

PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS


PARANORMAL ​INVESTIGATIONS

Portfolio

Black Basic Short Arrow Left

The May-​Stringer House

September 8, 2024

Located in Brooksville, Florida this house is rumored ​to be one of the most haunted houses in Florida.


A visit to the May-Stringer takes some planning, ​private investigations are booked for a year in ​advance. We booked and waited. As the date ​approached, I grew excited, was all the hype, just ​hype. I was about to find out. There she was in all her ​three-story Victorian glory. The small group of six ​investigators was shown around, given instructions ​on what not to touch, be careful the house was ​settling and the floors are still uneven. Walking in to ​the lower level will catch you a little off guard ​because of the sloping floors.



The house was lovely, I am a big fan or ​architecture and love old furnishings, ​throw in a really cool fireplace (and ​there were several) and I am hooked. ​We walked around, listened and ​waiting to be turned lose to do our ​thing.

Paper Ripped Frame

Paired up with another investigator ​we chose the room that is now set up ​as the communications room. ​Located on the second floor it ​contained old phones and ​switchboards. The communications ​room shares a doorway with the ​nursery. The room that Marena Died, ​not long after given birth to a ​daughter they named Jessie Mae. We ​decided to put equipment in both ​rooms and see what happened. ​Nothing. So, we focused our attention ​to the nursery. There was plenty ​residual (energy left behind from ​people who were in this space) but ​not intelligent energy (energy able to ​communicate). We set up blocks and ​dominoes all in the hopes that we ​would get the spirit energy to knock ​them over, we wanted any sign that ​we were communicating with spirit ​energy, again, nothing but residual ​energy.

Not willing to give up hope we moved to ​another bedroom. The Wedding dress ​room. The fabrics and the dresses were ​worthy of the display. We admired these ​dresses as we once again set out our ​equipment. Tripwires (picks up on ​electromatic fields), cameras, REM Pods ​(designed to pick up electromatic fields, ​and temperature changes) all at the ​ready to assist us in picking up spirit ​energy. Again, only residual energy was ​detected. Slightly frustrated we moved ​on again, this time to the attic.

The attic was an interesting place, we did get some ​intelligent spirit responses in this area. There was a wire ​hanging from a beam, we asked the spirit to move that wire ​and to our joy the wire moved. This was successfully ​repeated three or four times. Finally, some intelligent ​interaction. There were shadows moving around in the area. ​We decided to just sit, no equipment, just two investigators ​talking to spirit energy. We both enjoy sitting in the moment ​and feeling. We sat there for maybe 30 minutes before ​another group worked their way into the attic.


On to our next location. The stairs and the second-floor ​landing. This might seem like an unlikely area to investigate ​but every time I was on those stairs I was affected: my knee ​gave out, I was anxious, I felt like something bad was going ​to happen, I just knew I was going to fall down the stairs ​(with each trip up or down, I held the rail for dear life, being ​very intentional with each step I took). Once at the landing ​area we sat for a bit. Talking about the house and that we ​were kind of disappointed in the lack of activity. We ​wondered if there is such a thing as over investigating a ​location to the point that the spirit activity dissipates (I’ll talk ​about that in a different blog)


As we sat there something caught my attention, we continued to ​talk but my focus was on this doll in a glass cabinet. There ​were several, but this one, I had my eye on her. After seeing this ​doll move for the third or 4th time, I asked the pother ​investigation to sit next to me and see if she sees anything. ​After a couple of minutes, she said ‘that doll just moved’. I ​asked her to then switch places with me, so that we could both ​see this doll at a different angel. Again, within seconds, we ​both saw her move. Then one of the other dolls moved her arm. ​Both of us, sitting in different locations (to eliminate the ​chance that we were seeing shadows) at the same time said that ​arm moved.


We had no equipment set up; we were just watching. I decided to ​set up a camera, as I did several other investigators came into ​the area, conversations were had as they walked through. I set ​the camera up and then left it there to run. It ran, and I do have ​video, the grainiest video that you will ever see. I watched it, I ​saw that doll move. As an experienced investigator I don’t get ​startled, or caught off guard, you won’t hear me scream or run ​from a room. But this, that doll, she impressed me. I’ve been ​thinking about her for days, kicking myself for not setting up ​the equipment correctly, kicking myself for not finding a way ​to prove what I saw. Then I remember, where there is proof ​there will always be a skeptic, where there is belief there will ​be understanding.

With over 160 years of history, the house has been

the site of numerous paranormal investigations, revealing

at least 11 distinct ghosts identified by various researchers.

The Victorian home has had reports over

the years of cold spots, mists and the sound of a crying child.