Soul Journeys Healing & Companioning

Enlightenment - October 2026 | Insights on Life, Death, and Grief - https://mailchi.mp/merrileeculbert.com/enlightenment-october2026

Guidance of the Month: DOUBT

"I release the need to know all the answers. "

It's impossible for the human brain to comprehend the mysteries of the Universe. You are only consciously aware of the three dimensions for a reason, and that is to learn to love without the full awareness of your connection to Spirit. Everyone has his or her own personal path to this awareness, and there is no right or wrong answer as long as your goal is to manifest the energy of love and compassion.

The wisdom of the Divine trickles into the physical dimension, and some of it will resonate with your soul and some will not. These are your signposts that guide you to your correct path. If the wisdom resonates with you and seems right, then keep it. If not, release it back to the Universe. Always be aware and mindful of the insights that your Spirit Guides and teachers put on your path.

What happens when the life you planned isn't the life you get?

Most of us carry a picture of how our lives are supposed to unfold.

We make plans. We imagine relationships, careers, families and futures.

And then life happens.

Sometimes it changes slowly. Sometimes one moment divides everything into a before and an after.

When I look back over my life, there have been so many times when things didn't go the way I wanted. Endings I didn't expect. Changes I resisted. Paths I was afraid to take.

And yet, again and again, I've found myself somewhere I never could have planned—sometimes somewhere even more beautiful than the place I thought I was supposed to be.

After everything I've lived through, I still choose to believe there can be reason and meaning in what happens to us—even in experiences I never would have chosen.

I believe our most difficult experiences can become invitations to grow, heal and become better versions of ourselves.

But we still have a choice.

Pain can change us, but growth asks something of us. We have to be willing to look inward. To feel what needs to be felt. To heal what needs healing. To release what no longer belongs.

When I look back at my life, I wouldn't change any of it.

Not because it was all easy. Some of it nearly broke me.

But every version of me had to walk through what she walked through to become the woman I am today.

Different doesn't necessarily mean lesser.

Sometimes, different becomes more beautiful than we ever imagined.

So if you're standing at a crossroads, unable to see what comes next, remember:

You don't have to know exactly where the new road leads.

Sometimes you just have to be willing to take the next step.

Because not being able to see a beautiful life from where you're standing doesn't mean one isn't waiting somewhere ahead.

Sometimes healing isn't about finding our way back to the life we planned. It's learning to live fully—and maybe even fall in love with—the life that's here. 🤍

What other people think of me is none of my business.
What I know to be true about myself is.

I think one of the hardest parts of becoming more comfortable with who we are is learning that we don't get to control the version of us that exists in someone else's mind.

People will see us through their own experiences, expectations, wounds and perceptions.

And sometimes, they will get us wrong.

There was a time in my life when being misunderstood would have sent me scrambling to explain myself. I would have wanted to clarify every detail, correct every assumption and somehow make the other person see me the way I saw myself.

But healing has taught me something else.

I don't need to attend every argument I'm invited to.

I don't need to defend every choice I've made.

And I don't need someone else's agreement in order to trust what I know to be true about myself.

That doesn't mean we never reflect on our behaviour. Quite the opposite. Self-awareness asks us to look honestly at ourselves, take responsibility when we've caused harm, apologize when an apology is warranted, and continue growing.

But self-awareness and self-abandonment are not the same thing.

Through my own healing journey, particularly over the last few years, I've had to recognize just how many times in my life I abandoned myself for the sake of someone else. I made myself smaller. I put my own needs aside. I ignored what I knew or felt because keeping the peace, maintaining a relationship, or taking care of someone else seemed more important than taking care of me.

I understand now that I don't have to do that anymore.

In fact, I'm simply not willing to.

At some point, we have to trust the person we've worked so hard to become.

Some people will understand us. Some won't.

Maybe peace begins when we stop believing it's our job to change that. 🤍

Sometimes protecting your peace means disappointing someone you love.

And that can be really hard.

We can convince ourselves that loving someone means continuing to give, continuing to show up, continuing to say yes—even when something inside us is quietly saying, 'I can't keep doing this.'

But there comes a point when giving more than we have to give doesn't make us more loving.

It makes us depleted.

And sometimes resentful.

A boundary doesn't have to mean shutting someone out. It might simply mean changing the way we participate in a relationship so that we can remain healthy within it.

We can love someone and still need space.

We can care deeply and still say no.

We can honour someone else's needs without continually abandoning our own.

Sometimes creating space isn't what ends a relationship.

Sometimes it's what gives love enough room to breathe again. ❤️

Have you ever found yourself desperately wanting something to change... while continuing to do exactly what you've always done?

Maybe you're saying yes when you really want to say no.

Maybe you're staying quiet because speaking up feels uncomfortable.

Maybe you've expressed a boundary, but you're struggling to hold it.

Or maybe you're simply waiting and hoping that someone else will change so that you don't have to.

Here's the hard part:

Wanting something to change and doing something differently are not the same thing.

We can't control another person's behaviour. We can't make someone hear us, understand us, or choose differently.

But we aren't powerless either.

We have a voice. We have choices. We can decide what feels healthy for us, what we're willing to participate in, and whether we're going to honour what we already know to be true for ourselves.

Because sometimes the change we're waiting for doesn't begin with someone else.

Sometimes it begins with us. ❤️

Enlightenment - September 2026 | Insights on Life, Death, and Grief - https://mailchi.mp/merrileeculbert.com/enlightenment-august2026-18114221

Card of the Month: PEACE

"I am a being of love, and I release all negative energy."

This is a gentle reminder that balance in the mind is imperative in order for your soul to live its true nature. At this time in your life, you are to learn the value of peace and quiet and the joy of being still. One can never be truly connected to the Source when the mind is engaged with unneeded chatter.

Look around your life and be conscious of what elements are taking you away from the peaceful nature of your soul. Who or what is interrupting this solitude? It is time to reconcile past hurts and perceived injustices. Your peace may also be fostered by changing your outside view. Create harmony around you physically with order and calm. Trust the voice of your higher self to create an environment in which you can truly be in tune with your soul.

Grief isn't always about death.

Sometimes it's grieving the parent who no longer recognizes you because of dementia.
Sometimes it's grieving a marriage that ended, a friendship that quietly faded, or the child who grew up and no longer needs you in the same way.

Sometimes it's grieving the life you thought you would have, the health you once took for granted, or the person you used to be before life changed you.

One of the hardest parts about grieving the living is that there is rarely a clear beginning or end. There is no funeral. No casseroles. No sympathy cards. Life simply keeps moving, while your heart quietly tries to catch up to a reality you never expected.

I've learned that these losses deserve to be acknowledged too. They are real. They matter. And they ask us to let go of what was while making room for what is.

Grief isn't a sign that something is wrong with you. It's a reflection of love, hope, and the life you imagined.

❤️ Have you ever found yourself grieving someone—or something—that was still here?

One of the greatest misconceptions about Reiki is that you have to want to become a practitioner to learn it.

That wasn't my story.

I enrolled in Reiki Level I because I was searching for healing. At the time, I had no intention of ever teaching Reiki or building a practice. I simply wanted to feel better. I wanted to understand myself more deeply, reconnect with my intuition, and find a different way of moving through life.

Looking back now, I can see that saying "yes" to that first class was one of the most important decisions I've ever made. It didn't change my life overnight, but it changed the direction of my life.

Healing rarely happens all at once. More often, it begins with one small decision. One moment of courage. One willingness to believe that something different is possible.

You don't have to have everything figured out before you begin. Sometimes all you need is the courage to take the first step.

❤️ What is one small step you've taken that changed the direction of your life?