One of the podcasts that I listen to always has a segment at the beginning where they talk about something they are diggin’ right now. It’s one of my favorite segments because you never know what they are going to say! It’s like the toy inside of cracker jacks and I really appreciate them allowing themselves to just enjoy what they enjoy.
One of the things I know for sure is that letting ourselves enjoy our lives is how we RECEIVE. When we notice the gifts of our lives and take time out to fully receive them, that is when we are truly in a “vibration” of gratitude and appreciation.
In those moments, instead of using gratitude and appreciation as a way to earn brownie points with the Universe, we are celebrating for celebration’s sake. It’s deeper and feels more genuine.
It’s truly one of my favorite things and something I aim to experience more often.
So, that is what we are doing with this first edition of Things I’m Diggin’ right now.
Thing I Dig # 1: Solfeggio Frequencies
Ok, so, remember when I mentioned in my day in the life post that I like to meditate to “dissonant” sounds? Well, Solfeggio frequencies were how I discovered that!
Solfeggio frequencies are tones that resonate at a particular place on the Hertz scale. They are said to be Divinely inspired and can invoke healing and clearing certain vibrations from the body. Here they are:
396 Hz – Liberation from Guilt and Fear
417 Hz – Undoing Situations and Facilitating Change
528 Hz – Transformation and Miracles (DNA Repair)
639 Hz – Connection and Relationships
741 Hz – Expression and Solutions
852 Hz – Returning to Wholeness (Divinity)
One day, I was surfing around the Insight Timer app, looking for some meditation music and I happened upon some music with these frequencies. I was a little suspicious at first.
I knew that music is very powerful and can shift your energy pretty quickly. Nothing is more soothing (to me) than a nice piece of classical music on the piano. And, I could listen to Trevor Hall all day long; his music really connects with me on a soul level (especially this album).
But, I had never consciously used music as a healing tool and didn’t really understand what was happening when we listen to certain sounds and frequencies.
I still can’t really explain it in any coherent kind of way. Maybe one day I’ll be able to give you more information about WHY it works.
But, for now, I’m just going to say that I’m totally HOOKED. These frequencies have been incredible for me and I feel really empowered using them as conscious healing tools.
I set my intention for the meditation and then listen to the music with noise canceling headphones. I keep my focus attuned to where the sounds vibrate in my body and I observe my brains response to those sounds. If I find myself starting to analyze WHY it resonates the way it is or WHY my brain is “making it mean” something, I bring my focus back to the vibration in my body, breathe, and just be present to what is.
Sometimes, I’ll have tears just pouring down my face and will have radical insights about my intention.
For example, once, I set an intention to “clear out whatever is ready to go” and by the middle, I was completely sobbing and all of a sudden, “just knew” that to restore my energetic integrity, there was someone I needed to make amends with. So, I trusted that instinct and it was incredibly healing for me and the other people involved.
Now, all of my experiences haven’t been this profound, but, I think as with anything, there is an ebb and flow that we have to just trust.
All that to say, I definitely recommend beginning to work with Solfeggio frequencies in your meditation practice!
This is my favorite one (and yes, it will probably feel uncomfortable!) if you are working with fear or guilt.
Thing I Dig # 2: Making My Own Cold Brew Coffee
I remember my first cup of coffee. I was somewhere in my early teens and on a camping trip with my family of origin.
It was in a big white styrofoam cup with powdered creamer and sugar. It was delicious and the addiction began immediately.
Since then, I’ve tried to quit coffee at least a million times. Alas, I always come back.
I’ve successfully overcome drinking, drugs, binge eating, and compulsive dieting. But I’m pretty sure you’ll have to pry my coffee out of my cold dead hands.
And at this point, I’m at peace with that.
One of the things I tell my clients all the time is that integrity isn’t about giving up all of your “bad” habits. It’s about being honest with yourself and making conscious choices about them, instead of pretending you don’t know why you do something.
If you are going on a diet as an attempt to exert control in your life, own up to it. If you are drinking to get through family gatherings, own up to it. If you are using ice cream as a substitute for love and rest, own up to it.
So, I own up to it. Coffee is my drug and I’m not pretending otherwise.
Anyway, my absolute favorite way to drink coffee is cold brew. I love how smooth it is and how the buzz is much gentler without a big crash later in the day.
I drink it black with ice. For a long time, I was buying Chameleon cold brew every week at Publix. I couldn’t figure out how to make it so clear and smooth at home without a lot of hassle.
So, I kept trying. Buying the cold brew but also still giving different methods a try for making my own.
And, my friends, I am happy to report that I figured it out.
Three things made the difference.
- A lighter to medium roasted coffee with softer notes. The darker the roast, the less likely you’ll enjoy it as a cold brew.
I am not a coffee aficionado, by-any-means, so I don’t know all of the technical terms. But, I use a local brand called Blanchard’s in the “Blanchards Blend” that says the “notes” are balanced, cocoa, and caramel. I’d recommend looking for a similar blend if you want to make your own cold brew.
- The ratio of water to coffee. You want to use a LOT of coffee with only a little bit of water.
Ultimately, you want your cold brew to be very concentrated and when you are ready to drink it, you dilute it down with water, ice, or some sort of creamer. As I mentioned, I just add ice and I let the ice melt (while I meditate) before drinking it.
The ratio I have been using is 8:1, water to coffee and I let it sit out for 24 hours. If you are going to brew for less time, you can do 4:1.
This ratio has given me that strong depth of flavor I have come to love in a good cold brew.
- No Stirring + Double filtering. The thing that made the most difference.
As I mentioned, one of my favorite parts about the Chameleon cold brew was how smooth it was, not fine grit at all.
I tried all sort of things. I bought special filters, nut milk bags, cheesecloth, etc. but could never seem to get it so clear and smooth.
But, I persisted. (Cuz that is just what I do!)
And one day, it dawned on me to double filter it.
So, now, what I’m doing is adding the fresh ground beans and room temperature water to a french press WITHOUT STIRRING and then letting it steep for 24-ish hours.
After 24 hours, I plunge the French press and then, pour it through a sieve and regular coffee filter. This makes it crystal clear with no grit at all.
Now, I am sure there might be other methods that produce the same results but, for now, I am sticking with what works!
Thing I Dig # 3: My Sense of Empowerment
I can honestly say, I have never felt more empowered in my life.
And, by that, I don’t mean to say that my life is perfect. It totally isn’t. Perfection is an illusion, after all.
I still have days that suck and there are things I’d like to change. But, even with those things, I feel that I have really stepped into my power as THE creator of my life.
For most of my life, I felt like a victim of the circumstances in my life. I thought that the Universe was testing me and that I was being punished for just being alive.
I carried the wounds of unworthiness and believed in the lie of enoughness.
Every time something painful would happen in my life – such as my when my brother died (he was 25), or when my heart was broken, or when I found out that my dad isn’t actually my biological father – I would blame that thing that some call God. I was so pissed off ALL THE TIME and forgiveness was not an option.
I can’t say for sure the exact moment that things turned around for me. Because it definitely feels like years, perhaps even decades or lifetimes, in the making.
But now, I feel like I’ve stepped into full responsibility in my life, and therefore, am truly empowered.
I’ll be writing a full post about this at some point soon, but, I feel like I stopped blaming. Like, period.
No more blaming myself. No more blaming other people. No more blaming the Divine, as if the Divine was something other than me.
Like, no blame.
Blame, I’ve discovered, isn’t a useful energy. It doesn’t move anything forward; it keeps it all in the past.
Responsibility, on the other hand, is about this present moment and consciously responding to what is. Instead of blindly reacting from old wounds and patterns.
And man, it’s a powerful place to be.
I totally dig it.
I Receive.
By taking a moment to really CELEBRATE the gifts of our lives, we are able to receive. Oftentimes, we try to conjure gratitude and appreciation because we think it’s how we earn brownie points with the Universe. But, that leaves us in a cycle where we aren’t actually receiving, we are pretending to receive.
This post today is my way of truly receiving the gifts of my life and my experiences. It’s a way for me to honor how far I’ve come and what I’ve learned along the way.
From the surface level stuff like my perseverance in making delicious cold brew at home to feeling deeply empowered in my life because I’ve surrendered all blame.
I hope that you have found it both entertaining and enlightening.