How MOON MAGIC Came To Be

In March 2020 I closed my doors at Rebalance Reiki and Massage in Westwood the same day that my sons’ schools closed, not knowing when I’d be reopening them. I didn’t anticipate that “never” was an option! Like everyone, I adapted my business during those early covid days. I did more distance Reiki than I ever did before! It was really cool for me to explore my work in this way. I began hosting some Facebook Lives alone and with guests, hosted many Zoom classes and workshops for other homebound spiritual folks. I even set up my massage table in the backyard for friends and family during the summer months. When the time came to renew my lease in July, I decided not to. My friends would ask “Where are you going to practice when the weather gets cold again?” and I’d say “I’ll have a space by the winter.” I was putting my faith into what was unfolding in my plan to expand my business.

Originally, I thought I was going to open a larger yoga space/spiritual center in downtown Westwood (while still renting my smaller healing room for 1:1 sessions), but that big space fell through in early October. I was discouraged, but only for like a minute. I wondered to myself “where is the Universe redirecting me to?” I immediately began searching for vacant spaces to rent in the surrounding towns. In my pursuit of one location, I literally drove past the perfect one. I stopped, peered in the windows and decided THIS IS IT!

432 Hillsdale Ave, right in downtown Hillsdale by the train station. It all fell into place in record time. It turns out that it was the exact same distance from my house as the one in downtown Westwood was, 0.7 miles! The original location I was hoping for in Westwood was a 2nd floor spot- more removed from the general public. I liked that idea initially because I wasn’t ready to be OUT THERE on street level for all to see. It felt too accessible to me. But low and behold, this new spot in Hillsdale is right on Hillsdale Avenue. Pushing me right out of my comfort zone. People stop at the train or the traffic light all day long and they see me and my space. No more hiding! The world is ready for my kind of work. I guessed I was ready?!   

Throughout those early quarantine months I, like many others, had an abundance of free time. I found myself walking deeper and deeper into the surrounding neighborhoods. I would take nature shots along these walks and post them to my rebalancereiki IG account. Eventually, I found this magical little tucked away stream which happened to be on the edge between Westwood and Hillsdale. This became my destination, my respite. I’d sit at the stream and connect with nature all summer long. One day in November right after I signed the lease but didn’t yet have the keys, my husband and I decided to walk to my new work location and go get a bagel at the place a few doors down, getting to know this new area. In the stream on the way there, we saw an inverted duck fishing for food. It was the cutest sight and such a positive sign!

All this time I’d been walking to that stream, I didn’t even know about this section of downtown Hillsdale! I hadn’t ventured that far. The stream was just on the other side of the parking lot where my new work is located. It stunned and amazed me to think, this place in nature was closely knit to the land my business was on! During a healing session a few weeks prior to that, my friend gave me the message “The land is calling you”. Yeah, it was! I was hanging out on it, getting intimate with it for months not knowing that THIS is where I’d end up with the next phase of my business.

When setting intentions and making wishes, we often wrap it at the end with “this or something better, for the highest and best good, or for the good of all or not at all”… I am SO glad that my space in downtown Westwood didn’t work out because it led me right where I was supposed to be, and at the perfect time. I opened the doors officially to Moon Magic on December 18, 2020 and it’s been such a fun adventure building the space out and witnessing all the magic that regularly occurs within these four walls. My hours vary, as they are built around my 1:1 clients, meditations and classes- so be sure to check my website before making the trip- or better yet, just schedule a session or a class and you can shop, play with crystals and oracle cards afterward. I have a retail section with lots of crystals, sage and products handmade by fellow women entrepreneurs living THEIR passion. It’s so awesome to support one another in this way. Moon Magic is a safe zone for spiritual folks to let their guards down and share what is ordinarily considered taboo topics! I’m so happy to offer this sacred space for others. I am so blessed to be here. Maybe I’ll see you soon!

Listen to my episode 10 of my podcast to hear more about this!

My Poochie Loochie Magaloo

In the days leading up my dog’s passing and the days that followed—I knew I’d have to write a blogpost sharing some of the cool things I experienced w my sweet devoted pooch Maggie.

I was lucky to have had her for the past 9 years. We got Maggie in May 2011 and she passed June 8, 2020. We got her as a 13 week old puppy. She was my main support at the beginning of my spiritual journey. Back in those early days my husband was the last person I could connect with about my spiritual experiences and my kids were so little… I was feeling isolated a bit and Maggie came and held that space for me. As she grew alongside me, so did I with my spiritual aspects. As dogs are, she was a regular force of loving companionship. I hugged her so much that my kids questioned if I loved her more than them!

One night, back in the fall of 2019, I clearly heard Maggie tell me “I’m not gonna be around much longer”. Occasionally I can telepathically hear her thoughts… not often, but sometimes. And this was SO CLEAR I couldn’t un-hear it. She knew her time was running to a close and was warning me. I did as best I could to love her up, be present with her and appreciate her, each moment I spent with her. She’d wrench her back sometimes and hide out in pain for a day, but she’s always rally and be okay the next morning. She was a healthy dog generally. One day, in like April, she got all puppy excited about getting playtime in the backyard and I threw her ball hard and she tore off after it and put on the brakes fast and suddenly… but then she just sorta stopped. She sadly just turned and walked back slowly to me, saying “I can’t do this stuff anymore”. It was a sad moment, recognizing and feeling her aging bones. From there she began taking it a slower getting off the couch and bed. You could see the struggle and pain.

Over Memorial Day weekend my husband and I took a walk to a local park with Mags. There was no one around, so I let her off the leash. She hadn’t had a big field to run in a long time (when she was a puppy we did that often where we used to live, but since moving here 5 years ago it has hardly happened). She was SO EXCITED and ran happy circles around me like a puppy with her tongue hanging out… it was the sweetest.

Her last park visit

Then she went down and stayed down, a bit surprised, thinking “I can’t do this anymore!” I had the fleeting thought “this was her last hurrah”. After some time she got up and limped all the way home. It was super sad. She then hid out for about a day and didn’t act like herself when she reemerged two days later, and the next day, a Wednesday she began vomiting, shaking and panting heavily. This was bad. My kids and I cried our eyes out that night, worrying about her vet appointment the next day, I warned them that she might not make it through this. She went to a vet the next day and was sent home with meds to help her symptoms. I was hopeful they might work, but truly kinda knew she was done. I figured if the meds didn’t improve her by Sunday then we’d have to worry. She refused to eat, but was still sweet in her disposition. Her movement was severely restricted as it had been since Wednesday – we had to help her down the steps and off the couch. By Sunday tho, she didn’t lift her head to greet me. It was then that I knew with dread what was next.

Being so caught up in emotion, I wanted to connect with someone who could tap in and get messages (in a neutral state) from Maggie. I very much was seeing that Maggie’s purpose, her mission was near complete. My husband and I had come a long way since the beginning of my spiritual journey. He’s become a better companion to me that he hadn’t been able to be before. I also felt that she was with me when I had my spiritual training wheels still on and now I was standing strong in my convictions and very much embraced my role as a spiritual leader and teacher. I felt like she was saying “you got this!” So I reached out to Kirsten @ Dicey’s Healing for a reading for Maggie. I was fortunate that she got back to me right away and was able to tune right in. She gave me the exact messages I needed to hear.

I wrote to her: I remember back in like Sept I heard her clearly and she said “I won’t be here much longer”. I don’t feel it’s lymes. I do think she wants to go. She came into my life in 2011 At 13 weeks old when I had only first stepped into my role as a spiritual healer, still shaky on my feet. Now I’m strong on my feet and the world has woken up and I feel I’ve embraced my role fully and she’s like “here’s where I bow out”. But still- curious to see what you may get when tapping in since you’re not me and not as intertwined and as emotionally invested!

Kirsten’s Reply: Your intuition was spot on. Maggie had me in tears with the love she is sending all of you, but specifically you. Immediately in connecting with Maggie I heard: “It is time. I need permission to go. If you have learned anything, you have learned love never dies. I will never be gone. You will just have to connect with me in a different way. Do not veer off your path. You are just getting started and have so many people to touch. You will see me in their smiles. You will feel me in their appreciation. That is love. That is what it is all about, and that is what I have given you and you have given me… Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being you. Always perfect in my eyes. As you continue to walk your path know I am still walking it with you. Love you lots. I AM at peace with all that is. Embrace it.”

I sobbed when I read Kirsten’s reading. Soon after I had called a vet who could do housecalls for euthanasia, I figured I’d just have them come that night because why prolong her suffering? I went upstairs to let my kids know about the upcoming appointment, the news they were anticipating. Then I came back down the stairs and found Maggie perched up on her couch corner (like a cat, her usual)... I was like "What's going on here?" I heard her clearly say (in my head, telepathically to me) "I wanted to sit up here one last time.” Oh geez! My girl is so sweet and aware. She somehow managed to maneuver herself up there for the sake of doing it one final time.

final couch perch

I realized I needed one more night with her so called and ended up scheduling for the next morning. We all needed just a little more time. She continued to wanna do things “one last time”. I took her out back and she just sorta stood in the grass, eyes closed feeling the breeze. She said “I just wanna feel the grass and the breeze one more time”. Then I asked her if she wanted to stay out longer or if she wanted to go inside. She said “it hurts to stand” so we went back inside. I was grateful for this special, extra time with her. That night wasn’t an easy one. She insisted on climbing up the stairs to lay in her dog bed at the foot of our bed one last time. It was so sweet and sad.

The next morning after she did her morning pee out back, she led me to her leash- I said "Really? You wanna go for a walk? One last time?" So we did a teeny walk, where she smelled the edge of our yard and our next door neighbor’s. Divinely timed, a neighbor friend was walking his dog and he was all cheerful asking about our day. I broke the news to him tearfully and he was shocked and sad. I told him she was being put down at 11. He said “are you sure?” and I barely could reply before Maggie vomited and then laid down exhausted at my feet. Yeah, I was sure. He agreed it was the right decision after being in disbelief. It was very nice to see and cry with this neighbor friend and his dog- one of Maggie’s buds.

Maggie decided to go out back like 10 mins before the vet arrived-- she knew it was her time. We all went out together. It was a sad and heavy time, just hanging in our yard with our tired pup. After examination from the doctor, they prepped her with an IV line. She resisted the sedation meds- the doctor said "wow, I have to increase the dose to what would work for a Great Dane!" (Maggie was 60 pounds). Eventually the sedation worked and they administered the euthanasia and we gathered around her under a big umbrella that we were using for shade. Within just a minute or so, I felt her spirit lift up and out of her and I gasped! (her physical body had about 3 breaths left after her spirit left her body). Her spirit was so bright and joyful!! She was just in my face in awe, like, “wow”! We all were crying, hovering over her body after she passed. My oldest son had the hardest time and couldn’t back away. It started feel “too long” and I was wondering how do I tell him time is up, man… and then boom- the umbrella caught a gust of wind and flipped over. Amazing.

Right after that I went to the vet and told her how I felt Maggie's spirit lift up and out and she said "did you feel the breeze?" I hadn't bc we were under the umbrella -- she said each time a pet passes with her outdoor visits like this (bc of COVID) that a breeze comes through as they pass. So neat. Later that day as we all moped around I was guided to ask the kids to connect with Maggie’s spirit. Because anytime I THOUGHT of her with my eyes closed I felt like she was nose to nose with me, with big excited eyes. I was curious what their experience would be. So I went to them individually and instructed “Okay, close your eyes and think of Maggie… what do you see?” and they each separately reported the SAME image and feeling that I got. They said she was like goofy and excited. It was the best. She really was RIGHT THERE.

I am so grateful for my spiritual connection and that I have a ton of friends who are also quite gifted intuitively. In the days following Maggie’s passing I heard from several of them. In fact, I heard from my friend Deb within hours… later that same day she wrote to me:

“Hi Karen I went into the woods today and was drawn to do a healing for you and Maggie. During the healing you were laying in a fetal position and Maggie was snuggled within you (spooning). (*This is a new friend and had no idea me and Maggie spooning was “a thing!” lol)  I was surprised and  channeled Maggie! And she has message for you. She wants you to know how much she knows you loved her. Sometimes she felt like you loved her the most. She loved that you thought she was so goofy and cute. She loved all that you did to make her life special. She thanks you for all the walks. She also wants you to know that she’s now your spirit Animal. She wants you to continue to talk to her because she’s right beside you.  She said that pets can be spirit animals right away. I saw her go over the rainbow bridge then come back and I blew her into your heart. After the healing you had a rainbow bubble around you. Maggie was above your left shoulder. I’m so sorry today was painful. May you be called to ceremony and honor for sweet Maggie. Much love and light to you.”

Then I later heard from another friend:

“So I just finished meditating and Maggie came to me! She told me not to be stingy with my love… And she gave me the image of going around licking everyone like a doggy does sharing the love no matter what! Wild! I Love it!!!”

I had two other friends report seeing Maggie in their dreams and meditations—she really made the rounds and made sure I got the message! I am so grateful.

One week after Maggie crossed over I decided to go out back and just hang out on a blanket. I left my phone behind on the blanket while I ran inside for something. When I returned, I picked up my phone to find one of her dog hairs wedged in the middle of the phone, partly tucked into the case along the side. It was STUCK in there. I laughed and immediately showed my kids. My son even did a video of it for me which I’m having a hard time posting.. but trust me, that hair magically appeared and it wasn’t budging! Also, since she’s passed I have been seeing the number combo “112” which was the address of our old house- her first home with us!  So anytime I see 1:12 or even 11:12 I say “hey Maggie!” This happened after my mom passed, too. Every time I see 5:17 it’s like a wink from my mom (my birthdate).

I am so glad I got to share nine years with my poochalooch, smoochie poochie, Maggle Waggle, Mag-a-loo… she was my sweet girl. People are sad when I mention how she passed- and of course I’m sad and miss her. But how I see it, she broke my heart open so I can love EVEN MORE. She really is apart of me now. It’s pretty beautiful and wild. We are anxious to get another dog one of these days. We miss having dog love in our lives! I look forward to seeing which dog she sends us, we trust that she’s playing a role in finding us the next perfect match.

Reassured by Jesus Part 2

As you may or may not know, I'm looking to open a yoga and meditation studio in my downtown. I shared with some of you the "Jesus Van" story back in June (to hear that story, go here). Now again, early August 2019, I have yet ANOTHER story of Jesus’s support.

There's been a long pause in the process of the yoga studio bc of the demo and also town meetings, applications etc. It just now seems like things are finally gonna start moving again- which is great. However, it stirred up some anxiety on my part of ALL that I need to do...

I was processing this reality of "oh shit, I'm gonna have to do a LOT of work in these coming weeks/months" while walking my dog yesterday morning. All of sudden she pulled hard to cross the street and backtrack like 15 feet. It was peculiar, as if she heard fireworks and wanted to get home fast. But then she stopped and did her usual sniffing... while standing around letting her sniff, I looked down and saw this.

In the dirt, otherwise nothing else around. As many of you recall, I had the "Jesus Van" story happen 2 months ago in June, and also on that initial day back in March. Here He is yet again!! Talk about reassurance. This yoga space is bigger than me, and I know that. Jesus just wanted to remind me of that yet again. And to let me know he has my back. Holy moly. Thank you Jesus!! It just takes all words away when something like this happens… you’re just left awestruck. Amazing.

Reassured By Jesus on the back of a van

So, back in February I had just learned of an opportunity for me to take on a space in my downtown for yoga and meditation. (I wasn't even REALLY looking for it, just sort of stumbled into it; divine orchestration if you will!). Well, after looking at the property and meeting with the landlords I was extremely excited and almost sort of numb with awe. I walked my dog around the block when I returned home and this white van drove by me that had a pic of Jesus on the back window. I took that as a positive sign and as a sort of wink from Jesus that I was on the right path!

Fast forward to early June.. I went back to the space to see it again with the landlords (now post-demo) and when I arrived the Jesus van is parked right out front of the building. NO JOKE. I was dumbfounded and in awe, yet again! Are you for real?! I live and work in this town and have NEVER seen this van before, and here it is yet again. I don't like to say "oh my God"--- but OH. MY. GOD! Talk about reassurance!!

I just love stories like this and here I am experiencing one.
God is good!

I feel so supported by this whole thing and even more reassured about it!! The opening date of the studio is still a long way off bc of construction, so I can share more details as that develops... but for now, just WOW about this whole confirmation!!

There’s more, too— check out part two of this story!

Small Glimpse of My Life as a Healer

Being a Spiritual Healer can mean lots of things. One thing I love most about what I do is connecting in a real, authentic way with my clients and students.

There’s no room for fakeness or public faces in my healing space. You come as you, no hiding.

It’s a safe space for people to ask questions that they are afraid or intimidated to ask in other company. It gives people the chance to share their own private experiences in dealing with personal things that border on the “weird/crazy” or otherwise unbelievable. It’s also an opportunity to just let go and receive healing energy without any guards up. I love that I help to create that space.

My Reiki clients trust me with their minds, bodies and spirits—not something I take for granted. I am humbled to be entrusted with people in a most vulnerable way. They lay down and surrender – if only for an hour or so. I love helping people to connect back to themselves and to really calm down and step away from their busy minds and stressed out bodies. While connecting to their energy I am able to smooth out kinks and just chill out the system. I’m in a meditative state and sometimes I might stay longer in certain areas that require more work. My clients might report back to me that I lingered longer over an area that was bothering them or was the site of a past injury. There are times that I feel a busy energy, or a stagnant one, hot or cold or simply just a need to stay put till a warmth or pulsing subsides. I am the conduit to the healing energy, I am not directing it. I am holding the space and am also the witness.

Over time my psychic abilities have strengthened, and I am able to “see” things while working on my clients. This can range from seeing darkness or sensing denseness in areas of sickness or congestion, feeling my client’s ailments in my own body, getting pictures in my mind or hearing messages. It’s amazing work that grows stronger all the time. Sometimes a crossed over loved one might make an appearance and give a message, or an Ascended Master (like Jesus) or Angels. I am privileged to have this connection and awareness. I can discern the feel of the different energies and it’s so cool. I am always humbled and awed when experiences such as these occur. Inevitably, when I witness and interact with these energies there’s something my client needs to hear; a message which I am sure to deliver. While tapping in in this way, it can be almost dreamlike so I make sure to jot down everything right away onto my handy notebook so I don’t forget any details when delivering the message after the session is complete. Such visits are unpredictable, so I can never make a guarantee that something like that will come through. However, I am always able to tap into the 7 major chakras and get information from them. I see pictures, get a message and a general feeling from what I am picking up on when “looking” at the chakras. It’s basically a summary of the current energy my client is going through.

My workdays are never boring and are always very fulfilling. It can still be “work” though, and I don’t always want to leave my house to go do it- but I am always happy once I’m there, connecting with my clients or students! Together we are gaining awareness and are building a strong spiritual community where we can be real with one another and connect in an authentic way! Improving ourselves, and as a result, the world around us, a little at a time.

It’s A Process

I thought I was doing fine. As fine as fine goes when your mom has recently died. I’m learning how the grief process is truly a process. I have no experience with this for the most part. It’s new to me and I’m not sure how one can prepare for it, anyway.

I had just finished talking to a friend who’s also recently lost her mom and was saying that I thought I was doing okay, despite the lack of focus and motivation I’ve been experiencing. Then I went and spent a few hours cleaning my dad’s house. Felt good to stir the energy in there, dusting, vacuuming and sweeping. I smudged with white sage and palo santo, opened the windows and just freshened up the space. I thought I was fine. Afterwards I went home and got triggered because I wanted to do something together as a family with my husband and two sons and the kids were resisting it a bit. I ended up freaking out to my husband about my parent shortcomings, how I should do things differently and basically yelled, screamed and cried until the words of what I was feeling filled in the gaps. I made no sense. I felt crazy. My husband stood like a deer in headlights, not knowing how to react to me. My poor kids heard me and ended up crying too. My mom-drama basically blew up the whole house. I didn’t know what to think! It was so out of character. In my own mind I’m like screaming to myself “I dunno why I am upset but if I keep talking maybe the answers will come!”

In trying to mend my freak out with my sons, I said to my oldest “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” I ended up hearing myself say “I just miss you and want to spend time with you and you are getting older and are spending more time behind closed doors and I just miss you! Maybe it’s because I was at Pa’s and I miss Nana! I don’t have her to reach to so I’m reaching to you guys and you guys are growing up!” Oh my gosh. Mommy meltdown. I realized then it was the 8 week anniversary of her death. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re feeling until we start reacting and then the expression comes out as a result of it.

Love can hurt so much. In a weird latent expression of feeling my mom’s loss I was struggling with losing my own kids as they are becoming more and more independent. I found myself crying over the heartbreak of motherhood—from both directions. It can all be so deeply painful and wonderful at once. To love so much you ache. To be that raw though is so therapeutic. To love and hug your kids while you both are crying can be so powerful. The last thing we want to do is hurt or damage our poor kids over our own stuff, all we can do is be our best and be honest through the process (…and ask for forgiveness, be real and own your crap when you screw up).

Everyone has their own way of dealing with their grief. It wasn’t that I was numb to it or above it—it’s all just so new and different. How am I to know how to expect I will process it? I haven’t really been through this before, except for losing my grandparents. I’ve never lost a parent before, though. Every now and then it hits you; “My mom died.”

I love all the signs she’s been delivering though, so of course that helps. Pennies, feathers and specific number combinations come very regularly. Songs, scenes in TV shows… so many little things that assure me of her regular presence. That meltdown just goes to show how unpredictable the grief process can be. I cried so much in July in anticipation of her impending death, that by the time she was first gone I hardly cried because I was just so happy for her. I felt weird and as a friend of mine put it “shellshocked”. Kind of just floating through it, witnessing life and not really truly feeling the sadness of her loss, just observing the everyday life around me, detached in a way. Apparently, however, my days of crying are far from over… something about this two-month mark has shifted things for me. I always heard people say that it can come out of nowhere and how it comes in waves. Now I know what they meant. Grief is a process. Really, I’ve kinda just begun.