As an Energy Coach, I believe in the effectiveness of energy therapies: balancing chakras, reiki, hands on healing, and I LOVE a great massage.. But a friend wrote me recently in a sort of desperation, seeking to find an energy therapist to heal a self-defeating pattern. I do not do this type of work, as I teach clients how to heal themselves by re-patterning thoughts and behaviors, while attuning to their spiritual natures.

While these therapies are balancing and often help to release cellular memory that can keep one stuck, they are no replacement for taking responsibility for your part of the pattern which created the imbalance in the first place.

It takes a willingness to SEE the truth, followed by consistent attention and energy toward changing how we view things, react to things, and often perpetuate our own pain. Every, and I do mean every, downer situation that occurs in our lives is an opportunity to transcend a limiting pattern. All you have to do is look at yourself with open eyes and be ready see what is often difficult to look at.

Replacing the parts of ourselves that play victim with warrior spirit takes time and effort, but the small battles are nothing compared to the victory of liberation that follows.

Easter is my favorite holiday. Aside from the sheer fun of it - eight kids under the age of 10 overflowing with excitement - the symbolism is profound. Every year at this time I reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection in our lives today.

This year was particularly profound for me. At one point during a Stations of the Cross service, I had a clear image of duality (light and darkness) and the truth underneath it all.

The experience was so powerful that it renewed my long-standing desire to demonstrate the truth and gently wake others up from this dream we call life.

In the spirit of this new revelation, I've been asking love to reinterpret my perceptions of anyone I'm tempted to judge. When I do this I sense their fear - masked by whatever behavior helps them feel better. This vision releases me from my ego and into a place of compassion.

We have so much to do to bring more love and peace to this planet, but it can only be done one moment at a time. Each time we choose to see from the eyes of love instead of our egos, the collective drama is weakened and the the truth of who we really are shines through.

Today is the first day of Spring - Equinox. As everything in nature starts to blossom, Spring reminds us of life's inherent resilience. As much as we are submersed in technology and comfort, we are still animals affected by seasonal rhythms.

Often, my intuition gives me messages in my sleep. Last night I kept hearing, "I'm in full bloom," only to wake up this morning to see Spring Equinox on my calendar.

What does this mean? It certainly doesn't mean that I'm perfect, or that I don't have room for any more joy or love. But I believe that it means the time for striving is over, that it is a season of being, enjoying and receiving from a place of fullness rather than lack.

This is the season that life bursts through all the various forms in nature. I'm looking forward to this time of newness and ease, and encourage you ride the wave of life that seeks to effortlessly carry us for a while.

On the mat. "Be where you're at... on the mat" a yoga instructor once said to my sister-in-law, Amy, who was taking the class. The part that stuck with Amy was the "Be where you're at" part. She was able to bring that lesson into her life and use it to help her to relax into wherever she was at any given moment.

So often we try and escape from where we're at. There's only one thing we ever run from, and that is our feelings. We don't run away from other people, but how they make us feel. Same with jobs, cities, and everything else.

What would happen if we all learned to just be where we're at? What if we sunk into those uncomfortable feelings - turning toward ourselves instead of away from ourselves?

I believe it would be liberating, and that we would find the discomfort to dissipate sooner. That our feelings would reveal the right action to take to keep our lives on track. Feelings are the great navigator and are there to guide us through this journey we call life.

So for today, I am going to be where I'm at, despite my feelings of discouragement. Instead of busy myself with external distractions, I will rest and be still and wait for life to lead me. My experience is that when I can do that, the sun comes out quicker and shines brighter.

This Saturday I will be giving a workshop on Embodied Spirituality. One of the things I will be talking about is how a new spiritual era is upon us - instead of seeing our source (God) as "out there" we are beginning to ignite the spark of life that is already within us.

This shift in thinking changes our orientation to the world. Rather than chase the light, we are now starting to be the light. These are exciting times as record numbers of people claim their birthright to be bright, wise and inspired (in-spirit).

I see these people as leaders - literally leading the planet out of the darkness and into brighter times.

Here are some ways to more fully embody your spirit:

• Cultivate your intuition and follow it wherever it leads you.
• Don't be afraid to be your quirky self - there's only one of you and you're lovely.
• Strengthen your will so that your higher self can lead you instead of your habits.
• Whatever you are afraid to do right now, but know you must: DO IT - Your life depends on it, and so does the future of the planet.

If you read this blog, you are on the path. I'm so proud to be walking it with you.

For more information on the workshop, check my website calendar: http://www.kimberlykingsley.com/Calendar.htm

As a firstborn who got a lot of praise for taking care of my younger siblings, I learned how to give. I also have the firstborn over-achiever streak. Did you know that the majority of US presidents, Supreme Court justices and NASA Astronauts are firstborns? Oh, to have the free spirit of a last born...

Like many of us, I have a soul desire to make the world a better place. I have a vision of what that means as well - books, speaking, coaching... Basically helping people however I can. The more the better.

In truth, the biggest contribution we can give to the world is to simply be open and happy - allowing spiritual energy to flow through us and beyond, like a lighthouse in a sea of darkness.

This definition of giving requires that we say "No" to commitments that spread us too thin. It requires that we are happy and at peace even when life doesn't look they way we think it ought to. It requires that we just "be" sometimes instead of always doing.

I'm still integrating this new model, and have a feeling it will take some time. Meanwhile, I better go so I can get to work on my new book...