Have you ever felt little buzzes - mostly like tingling sensations - on any part of your body when you hear or see something that resonates with you?  I have, and they’re becoming more pronounced and frequent lately.  I’m not talking about the kind of goose bumps you get when you sense something sinister, nor the shivers-down-your-spine type of sensation when you watch a horror movie.  I’m referring to a feeling that’s rather warm and pleasant … maybe a little surprising, sometimes inspiring, but nothing that causes alarm.  In a way, it’s a feeling that says “Yes.” or “Pay attention, this might be it.”.  Occasionally, these buzzes may bring some tears to your eyes – not tears of sadness or fear, but tears of inspiration.

I started noticing these buzzes sometime early last year, when a close friend of mine and I were exploring various ways to connect with our spirit guides.  We would talk often, casually, on topics relating to spiritual growth and how they translate into experiences in our everyday lives.  On more than a few occasions, my friend would pause our conversation, look at me, and then show me the goose bumps on his forearm.  He couldn’t quite describe the feeling that came with the buzz, but he was certain that they felt like nods or a sense of agreement from his spiritual team.  Most of the time, I felt the same way too.

Then there would be other occasions when I was reading a book or a post from one of my wonderful friends on blogosphere, or I could be watching a video clip on YouTube or a program on TV, and something would hit me with inspiration and I’ll get that nice buzzy feeling again.  Hey, I even get them when listening to my kids or to executives in corporate meetings!

I do notice a pattern with these delightful little buzzes in my life.  They usually happen when I am searching for answers … these could be related to big life questions, or just small little curiosities.  The answers can come externally, or through things I say – yup, sometimes the answers I’m seeking do come from within, and they pop up rather unconsciously till my guides push the buzzer to alert me.  It’s like they’re saying, “There you go.”.

Lately things are getting a little more interesting for me.  I noticed more clients and friends are starting to get these buzzes too.  It’s like deja-vu.  I will be sitting there, chatting away with them and suddenly they’ll stop, look at me, and show me the goose bumps on their forearms (some get the buzz on their foreheads or shoulders).  Again, they will describe that buzzy feeling as something that’s positive, like an affirmation.  I now take these impulses on others as a sign to me that says, “Pay attention, this could apply to you too.”.

Isn’t it lovely how our guides work?  If you’re curious about how your own set of guides work for you, and how they uniquely impulse you, check out my spirit guide profile readings … or write to me if this boggles your mind a little too much.

Do you have similar experiences too?  How do your spirit guides/inner wisdom impulse you?  Do share in the comments section.

Blessings,
Irene

Hello people!  I’m on a quick lunch break at work and figured I should leave a quick tiny post here just to let you know:

~ that I’m back from vacation … since 3 weeks ago;

~ that I had a bout of post-vacation depression (coz vacations are just too good, they’re addictive!) and slept for 3 days when I came home;

~ that I survived the salty foods and colder-than-usual winter in Beijing and came home with water retention, so I look like a puffer fish;

~ that everyone at work had missed me terribly while I was gone and was so darn determined to get a piece of me when I got back … not to mention the backlog of work that was also waiting for me affectionately;

~ that I started 2009 with a big bang – the corporate way – with a capped email inbox, endless planning meetings, and an incredible list of to-do’s that were due yesterday;

~ that I got a sudden surge of intuitive reading requests from wonderful clients at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 … guess everyone wants closure from the old and a new clean slate for the new year;

~ that I have not been able to do my rounds to all the nice blogs but I do plan to catch-up, hopefully real soon;

~ that despite the craziness of it all, I’m so thankful that I have a life worth being busy for.

So my dears … while I may disappear from time to time on this blog, just know that I have abandoned NOTHING here.   Wishing you love and light for 2009 and beyond!

Blessings,
Irene

Hey beautiful people … just leaving a quick note to let you know that I’ll be leaving for my vacation tomorrow, yay!  I’m off to China and will be visiting Beijing, Tianjin and Chengde.

I will have NO access to my blog, emails, other people’s blogs, forums, Google, YouTube, StumbleUpon, the whole online thingamajig - yikes!  Yup, I’ve decided to leave my beloved laptop and my online life behind.  Trust me, that wasn’t an easy decision.  We’ve never been apart for more than two days in a stretch so I’m going cold turkey!  I’m missing it already as I’m typing this.

Nonetheless, I’m sure there will be lots of nice things there to distract me from this addiction.  I’ll be back before Christmas.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Blessings,
Irene

I believe every single thing, big or small, happens for a reason.  I’m not saying this just so that we can all go micro-analyze every aspect of our lives and go crazy.  In fact, if we trust life enough to bring us to where we need to be, at any given moment, we’d be going with the flow and there’s really no need to analyze anything much when you’re going with the flow.  Of course while we ride the waves, we still need to work to keep our balance and stay afloat, but we’ll “usually” end up in a pretty decent place, some way or another.  Yes?

I see some people shaking their heads.  Right.  So what do we do when “unusually” happens and we realize we’re drifting off tangent into unknown territory?  We’ve seen quite a bit of that happening lately, with all that’s going awry with the economy.

I was reading a very inspiring article just the other day on Forbes.com - it was an interview with Samuel Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation.  Amidst the economic turmoil, Sam remains optimistic (this seems to be a trait of hugely successful people) and points out two exciting things that he sees:

1. getting people to change is easier in troubled times;
2. there’s a lot of growth happening in the world – it is just happening in unfamiliar places.

Sam also said, “As a leader, you have the mandate for change … you could create the future, or defend the past.”  It is obvious that he chose the former for his company.  The positive implications were not just used on his company, but also on his country.  I believe the same implications can be used on me and you, as individuals.

When life throws us outside of our comfort zone and into the unknown - when we lose our jobs, end a relationship or discover a tumor in our body – what does this mean and why?  Sure, we can get angry, bitter, sad, afraid, we can blame it all on the world and hope that someone will come and lick the wounds of our egos, but will that change things for the better?  I’ve heard some people lament about how their friends were lucky to have escaped company retrenchments, and they felt hurt that they had to be “sacrificed” instead.  This is when I feel that change happens when it needs to happen.  Sometimes it happens when you least expect it.  Sometimes it happens as a collective exercise, or it just happens to you exclusively.  Whatever it is, change happens to everyone - just not at the same time, and only when it’s needed.  Change happens because it is time for us to learn something new.  It is time for us to grow and expand into something better.  The process may be unfamiliar and scary, but it’s usually with a good agenda.

There are countless stories out there of people who had been through some serious adversities, but came out of them even better than before.  Perhaps the man who was making a million dollars a year had to lose his job for him to realize that he had not paid enough attention to his family for the past five years - that he never knew what his son’s favorite color was, or that his wife was seeing someone else for the past three years behind his back because he had neglected her.  And that despite his wealth, he had no real friends to turn to when crisis hit.  It is time for this man to shift his focus into areas that have been missing or are incomplete.  It is time for this man to grow in areas where he is unfamiliar, so that he may learn to live a fuller life.

I hope that someday, everyone of us will be able to look back at some (if not all) of our life lessons and give thanks for the opportunity for growth.

Blessings,
Irene

Do you believe in coincidences?  Or chance?  Or accidents?  I used to be very intrigued by how unexpected events would unfold in my life.  If I bumped into an old friend while travelling to another country on business, I’d think, “Wow, what a small world!”.  If I stepped on dog poo while rushing for an important appointment, I’d exclaim, “Oh, what bad luck!”.  And if I won a prize in an art competition because I’d submitted it under the wrong category and it turned out to be in my favor, I’d say, “That was by accident!”.

Today, I no longer believe in coincidences, nor chance, nor accidents.  I believe that everything – big or small – is orchestrated in our lives, by a Force that simply knows better.  I am still intrigued though, by how events are still unfolding unexpectedly in my life.  Sometimes it feels like they are little details that I’d left out in my grand plan, but they have been taken cared of nevertheless by my ever efficient spirit guides behind the scenes.  It can be pretty fun to observe the synchronicity of it all.  I have to say … these synchronicities can come with humor and mind-blowing creativity.

I did step on dog poo once when I was rushing for an appointment.  Just as I was sprouting, “Oh @#%^*!”, guess what happened next?  A flower pot fell right in front of me, about 10 steps away from where I stood. and smashed to the ground.  I was stunned!  If I had not stepped on dog poo, my head would be the smashed one.  Was that luck?  You tell me!

It is also interesting to note how some divination methods – such as Astrology, Chinese 4-Pillars Chart (also known as Ba-Zi reading) and Palmistry – have been able to foretell progressive events in a person’s life.  I’ll give you an example here.  My sister had a Ba-Zi reading when she was about 3 years old by a very experienced master.  In his reading, he mentioned that my sister would marry in her thirties, to a fair-skinned foreigner who looks “just like her”.  When my mom shared this info with us when we were younger, we thought nothing of it.  After all, my sister hardly travelled, had local boyfriends, and … well, just didn’t seem like someone who would marry a foreigner.  What are the chances of her meeting the fair-skinned man of her dreams while on a short vacation to South Korea 3 years ago?  Apparently 101% – and she did not speak Korean!  They tied the knot this year (my sister is in her thirties) and my brother-in-law does kinda look like my sister.  Is this chance or destiny?  I’ll leave that to you to decide.

I’ve also noticed how these subtle (and sometimes very obvious) coincidences and accidents in my life come with mini lessons of their own.  Everything happens for a reason, and we can indeed learn a thing or two from every occurrence.  Some have taught me to be more open minded.  Others have taught me about joy, love and gratitude.  Most have taught me that we are all connected – that everything is orchestrated, that we do not meet by chance, even on blogosphere.

I’ll tell you … I’d never thought I’d ever be so grateful stepping on dog poo and feeling so blessed that I’m being watched over!

Blessings,
Irene