Marian Buck Murray

Release, Relax, Tap into Your Brilliance. EFT Tapping to help you unleash your creative genius.

Embrace The Metaphors Within You

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Metaphors have always been there, reaching out to guide me — even when didn’t notice, or when I tried to push them away.  And, now, when I open to their call, I begin to see them everywhere. In every challenge, every pain, every place of beauty. They’re here for us each day, in every moment.  

The poetry of life, waiting for us to embrace its eternal, loving guidance.

It was one day, many years ago, when I realized the power of what was inside me, begging to be seen.  It was a hot day in August, and as I listened to the cicadas sizzling in the trees, it dropped, right smack into my consciousness.  A neat little package of metaphors, it was the answer to the questions I had been asking for over 15 years.  Finally, I knew, without a doubt, why I had gotten sick, over and over again.

My heart, my body, my spirited inner child, were all in it together, creating the poetry that would guide me back to health.  Urging me to open my heart.  Showing me where I had shut down.  Painting the picture I needed to see to finally wake up from my pain.

It turned out, that each symptom, each autoimmune illness, each heart surgery, were all pieces of the same puzzle. When I saw them all together, they revealed the divine map I needed to heal from the trauma I had experienced many years earlier, when I lost my sister to suicide.

In my work with clients, metaphors appear everywhere. They show up as a restriction, or pain in the throat, for a client who’s afraid to speak her truth.  Or as a tight heaviness in the shoulders, for someone who feels as though she carries the world on her shoulders.  Sensitive digestion, is often a sign of deep sensitivity, and an inability to digest all the worries of the world.

Though these metaphors can sometimes seem obvious, it’s usually not that simple. 

Layers of meaning abound, and for each one of us, they are uniquely personal.  It’s where we go next after that first glimpse of the metaphor. What lies underneath?  What guidance do we need to follow? What pain is asking to be loved and released?

Both EFT Tapping and Matrix Reimprinting are the perfect tools to help my clients uncover hidden metaphors within their pain.  As we gently unwrap the layers, pain is released, and messages are discovered.  Wisdom emerges, leading to even deeper healing.

The way I see it, it all comes back to a call for love.  The metaphors within us, the metaphors all around us, are beckoning us to love ourselves more.  To forgive, to let go, and to open up to the love that’s all around us.  Simply, and profoundly, they are love poems, ready and waiting to be read.

Curious about the metaphors within you?  Contact me!

In Love and Courage,

Marian

How To Honor Your Sensitivity

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Being sensitive means many things.  As a sensitive, empathic person myself, I know how painful it can be to feel or see certain things more deeply than other people. Over the years I have learned how to manage my sensitivity so that it has transformed into a gift I truly embrace.  It’s this process that I  share with my clients and students.

If you’re a sensitive person, you might notice that when others’ don’t share your depth of experience, you wind up feeling misunderstood, or even excluded. You might have heightened sensitivities to noise, smell, foods, and environment. If so, these sensitivities can easily contribute to feelings of weakness, illness, and irritability.

In addition, by believing society’s negative critique of sensitivity, you might think that you’re wrong for being ‘so sensitive’.  Nothing could be further from the truth! 

What’s important for a sensitive person, is to take steps to honor your sensitivity so that it transforms from something painful into a true gift of beauty and strength.

Below are some key steps to turn your sensitivity into a gift that will enrich your life, over and over again.

Understand Your Sensitivity – Understand that if you are one of the estimated 20% of folks with heightened sensitivity, you have a nervous system that feels things more deeply than most. This means that you need to care for yourself differently than someone without your depth of sensitivity. Get to know yourself better. Read up on the different aspects of sensitivity – there are a number of good books on the topic. Understanding yourself will help you increase feelings of self-acceptance.  And, self-acceptance is key to honoring your sensitivity.

Get Clear About What Feels Right for You – We’re often brought up to believe that we ‘should’ enjoy certain experiences that others enjoy.  Getting clear on what feels right for you might mean you don’t go to that party, or you opt for one or two good friends over a group of friends.  Get clear about your ‘shoulds’ versus your true desires. Trust your intuition to help you find the right balance for you.

Honor Your Need for Downtime –  Sensitive people need downtime. And, it can be easy to implement.  Treat yourself to a peaceful nature walk, or sit quietly in a darkened room.  A quick nap can do wonders to calm an overwhelmed mind and nerves.  Throughout each day, allow for short periods of downtime.  Regular breaks of just 5 minutes each can make a profound difference.

Create Self-Care Rituals —   As a sensitive person, you likely lead a rich inner life. Honor it by nourishing it.  Meditation, music, art, yoga, salt baths, and mind-body therapies are all wonderful tools to help you nourish your creative, intuitive soul.

Get Enough Sleep – Because sensitive people take in more information, more deeply, they need more sleep than people who are not highly sensitive.  This means a daily minimum of 8 hours of sleep, preferably 9.  If you have trouble sleeping, be sure to create a soothing bedtime ritual. Eliminate stimulants, and forgo electronics at least 1-2 hours before bed.  Know that by just closing your eyes, you will help to calm and replenish your nervous system. 

Take steps to honor your sensitivity.  It’s a divine gift.  And it’s a gift our world needs now. 

In Courage,

Marian

To schedule a FREE 30 Minute Call, where I’ll help you get clear on your best strategy to honor your sensitivity, and give you a tool to turn it into a superpower,  click here.

 

 

Turn Your Sensitivity into Your Superpower

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Have you ever been told you’re too sensitive?  Or, to grow a thicker skin?  Do you have a habit of taking on other people’s pain?  Do you consistently put others’ needs before your own?  Do you struggle with your sensitivity, at any time, in any way?

If you’re like me, you might be an empath, a highly-sensitive person, or maybe someone with an extra dose of sensitivity.  There’s a spectrum, and if you find that you have heightened sensitivity, you likely fall somewhere within the spectrum of empaths.

Although, as sensitive souls, we know how painful it can be, it’s important to know that sensitivity is actually a source of inner power.  What’s tricky, is knowing how to manage sensitivity — so that rather than disempowering us, it empowers us instead. 

There’s no question in my mind that sensitive people must be vigilant about self-care.  Daily self-care is not an option if you want to thrive as a sensitive person. And, fortunately, with the right methods and tools, it’s possible to turn your sensitivity into your superpower!

What do I mean by turning your sensitivity into your superpower? I mean nurturing your inner gifts, such as:  intuition, inner vision, deep knowing, psychic ability, love, compassion, healing energy, creativity, artistic vision, and so many more — and letting them shine.

Our creative abilities come from our senses, and we help them flourish by creating a nurturing inner environment.

Here are 4 Steps to Turn Your Sensitivity into Your Superpower:

 

STEP 1: EMBRACE

This is where you start. Tune your awareness to what lies within you.  How does sensitivity show up for you?  How does it assist you?  How does it hinder you?  Embrace everything that shows up with love, and acceptance.  Let go of judgement.

Write a list of all things you love about your sensitivity. Write a list of all that is painful.  Practice embracing yourself with love, when you notice either the pleasurable, or painful aspects of your sensitivity.

For one of my clients, when she learned how to embrace her sensitivity, without making it wrong, she was able to harness it in her work as an artist.  Now she infuses her sensitive gifts into her creative projects, and her work has blossomed.

STEP 2: CLEAR

This step creates space for the magical part of your sensitivity to assist you in ways you could never imagine.  Freeing ourselves from judgement, other people’s opinions, other people’s feelings, and all the old emotions we’ve stuffed down, is the key to allowing our sensitivity to shine.

Sensitive people are prone to experiencing intense bouts of self-doubt, anxiety, fear, sadness, and overwhelm.  In addition, because we are sensitive, we’re sometimes more likely to accept beliefs that aren’t even ours. When these emotions and beliefs get stuck in our system, they contribute to persistent limiting patterns.

Clearing out old stuck emotions, and releasing limiting beliefs and patterns is crucial for our sensitivity to truly thrive. Clearing techniques include:  meditation, deep breathing, yoga, EFT tapping, matrix reimprinting, heart breath, and various talk and/or touch therapies.     

Experiment with what works for you. Many times, if not most, it’s helpful to enlist professional help when dealing with old persistent patterns and stuck emotions.

And, remember, self-love is the healing elixir for clearing any, and all, old negativity.

STEP 3: RECHARGE

Cell phones, with all of their amazing apps, only work when they’re charged.  Think of your superpower, or your inner power, as a battery that needs recharging on a regular basis.  When we don’t recharge, we lose power.  Recharging is essential.

Recharging for sensitive people often means a daily self-care ritual, perhaps combined with services such as massage, sauna, salt therapy, and energy therapies.

It also means creating healthy routines to allow for alone-time, creative expression, sleep, and time in nature.

And perhaps the most important aspect of recharging, is the presence of healthy boundaries. Without them, overload and burn-out are almost guaranteed.  Boundaries can be firm, hard, loose, stretchy, soft, or any way you want them.  How ever you decide to create them, remember that boundaries are essential to protect yourself from unwanted energy, people, ideas, and anything else that’s not a match for your system.

STEP 4:  ACTIVATE

Once you’ve become clear on the different aspects of your sensitivity, you’ve begun to clear out old, stuck energy, and you’re regularly recharging your inner power, you’re ready to active your gifts.  As with anything, this is a process.  The more you repeat the steps in the process, the easier, and more powerful it will become. 

Decide now, which of your sensitive inner gifts will you expand?  Which of your natural sensitivities will help you enrich your work life?  Your relationships? Your Health?  Your Spiritual Life?  Your creative life?  How will you shine your gifts, and with whom?

When you begin to see the picture of how sensitivity can flow through your life, activate one aspect of your sensitivity.  For example if you have a lot of compassion, you might choose to volunteer as a way to share your compassion. Or, if you have a gift for sensing subtle energy, you could expand your knowledge of energy therapies. The possibilities are endless.  The goal here is to expand what you already possess, in the way that enriches your life.  This is what turns your sensitivity into your superpower.

Throughout the process of activating your inner gifts, it’s important to recycle through the first 3 steps.  Embrace, Clear, Recharge.  A continual act of self-love will help you continually activate your brilliance.

You deserve your own magnificence!

Here’s to Bold Sensitivity!

Marian

Contact me for a free 30-minute Clarity Call – I’ll help you get clear on your best strategy to manage your sensitivity, so you can turn it into your superpower.

 

How To Get Back Up After You Fall Down

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Watching the Olympics, it’s easy to feel inspired. So many strong, able, beautiful bodies all in one place.  So many inspiring stories.  It motivates me to get my own body into really good shape.

But I, like most of us, am not even close to understanding what athletes go through to get to the Olympics in the first place.

We all know it’s a lot of work.  Pre-dawn wake-ups, hard-core work-outs, compromises, schedules, expenses, pain, injury, and rejection.

What we don’t know, because they’re too numerous to count, are how many times the athletes fell down.  In practice.  At competitions.  The first 100 or 1000 times they tried.

What we do see, however, after all the pain, are the phenomenal feats of athletes such as Skater Adam Rippon, Snowboarder Chloe Kim, Cross Country Skier Simen Kreuger, and so many others.  We see them when they’re at their best.  And, even then, sometimes they fall, and then they get back up again. 

And of course, there’s Shaun White, who, after failing to medal in 2014, and after a horrific crash in the Fall of 2017, got back up again to win the Gold in 2018!

What brings these athletes to the Olympics is not only their enormous talent and skill, but their ability to persevere — to get back up after falling — and continue on, right where they left off.

I fall down when I get some sort of rejection in my business.  Or when I create an idea for a workshop that just doesn’t fly. Or when I find myself neglecting my work, my health, or my family.

Where do you fall down?  What do you do to get back up?

Of course, it hurts to fall down. And the more we fall, the worse it can feel!  And, if we’re sensitive or perfectionistic, it might feel almost unbearable.  But each time we fall, we’re presented once again, with the chance to get back up and do it even better the next time.

Here are some tips to help you get back up again:

Accept mistakes and misfortunes as part of the game.  It’s not about something being wrong with you. Or even that you did something wrong. The more you swim around in feelings of defeat, the more defeated you will feel. Allow yourself to begin to let go of your perception that mistakes and ‘failures’ are wrong.  Instead, remind yourself that each misstep is actually a stepping stone towards your goal.

Surround yourself with love and acceptance.  Give yourself some much-needed love at those times when you’re feeling down and defeated. Hug yourself, literally, by wrapping your arms across your chest, holding the points above your elbows. Close your eyes, and hold yourself like this, breathing deeply, and imagine a field of love and compassion all around you.

Feel your uncomfortable feelings, and then let them go.  It’s okay to feel sad, angry, disappointed, ashamed, frustrated, or scared when you lose your footing.  Embrace these feelings, and then let them release. Holding onto them, or resisting them, will only make them stronger in the end.  Try deep breathing, meditation, or EFT Tapping to clear away your uncomfortable feelings.

Use your experience as guidance for your next step.  What can you learn from your fall?  What can you do differently next time?  Is there a different way to prepare?  Do you have inner blocks or doubts you need to release?  Assess your situation, take action, and move forward.

Use Creative Visualization.  Visualization is a very popular tool among athletes. Often, you’ll notice that an athlete appears to be going over her routine in her mind, right before a performance. This visual rehearsing helps the subconscious mind remember what to do, automatically.  When done consistently, visualization will teach the subconscious mind a new pattern, and the ‘thinking’ brain (with all its fears and limitations) can take a rest.

Reach out for support.  One thing is very clear.  Athletes need the support of their coaches, teammates, friends, and family.  A healthy source of support can help minimize the effects of failure. If you’re feeling unsupported, reach out to a friend, family member, or professional. The right support will help you feel encouraged, so you can build and strengthen your sense of value, confidence, and courage.

What I love about EFT Tapping and Matrix Reimprinting, is that they’re such amazing tools to help when we’ve fallen down. EFT helps to release uncomfortable feelings, and increase a sense of peace and calm. Matrix Reimprinting uses the creative mind to overwrite an old limiting vision with a brand new, positive vision. Invaluable tools to help us get back up again.  Contact me to learn more.

In Love and Courage,

Marian

How to Shine When You Feel Like Hiding

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As I write this, it’s the first week of January, 2018.  Time to get back into the swing of work.  A new stretch of life beyond the overload of the past year.

Emerging from the bliss of vacation time, the comfort of hibernation, or the avoidance of reality, can feel enormously difficult.  I know the struggle all too well. Stepping out of hiding can feel scary.

But, as scary as it is, sooner or later our hiding places get stale, and uncomfortable, and we’re presented yet again with the decision to go deeper into hiding, or step out and shine.

I know the seduction of a comfortable hiding place. I also know the danger of staying too long. I’ve had to re-emerge into life too many times to count.

The good news is, it can be easier than you think to awaken your spirit from its slumber. Here are the ways I’ve found to help myself awaken and emerge into a place of shining:

Cleanse Your System –  Cleansing your system will help wake up your spirit.  Ease off sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and wheat. Drink lots of water, eat plenty of green veggies, and increase your consumption of probiotic foods.  Detoxifying sea vegetables, miso, and green tea will help you shift your tastebuds towards healthy food choices.  Salt baths will help detoxify your system.  

Get Comfortable Feeling Uncomfortable — Be present with yourself as you move through your day. Notice when and where you have the urge to hide, or avoid something.  Instead of hiding, or avoiding, stay with your feelings, or release them, using one of the techniques mentioned below.  Keep moving forward.  Action will help dispel your discomfort, and increase your courage to stretch even further.

Clear Your Energy — Use energy tools such as EFT Tapping, Meditation, Heart Breath, Yoga, Qigong, and Reiki, to clear unwanted feelings. Often, we can feel overloaded by other people’s needs and negative energy. Combine this with our own stuck emotions, and it can feel impossible to move forward. These energy techniques will help you cleanse and strengthen your energy, making it easier, and more enjoyable to shine.

Ignite your Passion – Read, watch, listen, do, whatever it is that lights you up.  Be vigilant about maintaining fuel for your fire. Often, in hiding, we allow our inner flame to become nearly extinguished, making it difficult to emerge. Special attention to your unique creative expression and desire is necessary to re-ignite your passion and inner power.

Use Creative Visualization — Sit quietly, close your eyes, and breath deeply. Imagine a ball of golden light (or any color you desire) over the top of your head.  Allow this light to flow down into and around your body. See the light cleansing and releasing whatever needs to go.  Notice that as the light cleanses you, your inherent brilliance begins to emerge. Allow the light to radiate beyond your body, forming a beautiful field of your personal essence all around you. Stay with hthis visualization as long as you like.  Emerge with the sense that you’re radiating your inner light.

Step Forward and Shine– Start where you feel safe and encouraged, whatever this means for you. Stretch from there, in the direction that feels best for you. Choose your pace. Choose your style.  Just keep moving forward.

We need your light!

In Courage,

Marian

I’d love to help you emerge from hiding.  Contact me to learn more about how EFT Tapping and Matrix Reimprinting can help you re-ignite your passion, power, and courage.