​My greatest Loves are my husband and my (now grown-up!) children. As we wrap up this year, I am consciously choosing to first be more present with them. Finding more moments  together, which can be challenging because their lives and mine are full and busy. And so I continue to weave in and out of their schedules, finding the places where we each and all overlap. Those moments always fill me up, as Love sits so firmly in our conversations and stories.

 3. And then flowing my Work into my Grid, discerning how to best honor my own creative desires and love for the healing work I offer, while also balancing my desire to play more with my family and friends. Making this Intention Grid helped me see visually and energetically how it can all come together with ease and joy!

Here are a few of the last 2019 available Treasures that I placed for us on my Grid:

• If you have been feeling the pull to connect individually with me for an Energy Session / Soul Activation as we prepare for the new decade, I invite you to match up our schedules now. I have limited my availability for Individual Healing Sessions to four sessions per week, now through December 20th before I wrap up my work year. That's only 25 sessions available... they are going to fill quickly! You can read the details and sign up here.

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• If you have been feeling the desire for more community time and accountability for stepping further into your life's purpose, all of that is available for you in our weekly Energy Gym community. These beautiful humans are expanding so quickly and deepening their friendships... it is miraculous to witness! You can read more about the Gym here. Or "test" the space out in a Tuesday group video chat here or a Sunday meditation here. This Gym space is unique, brilliant, and so much fun!

• If you know that something deeper is shifting inside of you and you can feel the pull, but aren't quite sure what it means, I invite you to spend some time tuning into Awakening The Guides. This 8-week self-study course brings you the best of what I have learned in my own journey of becoming a Guide, with a simple framework that carries you through the eight weeks. As we move towards the end of this decade, this is a powerful time to begin this course and prepare for all that is available in the next decade. Details are here.

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• And then there are all these fun ways on the calendar for us to play virtually or locally here in town! We can have Lunch and Love (SO fun!); we can meditate together on Sundays; we can Listen Quietly in a healing space every other Wednesday; we can sit in community at the last New Moon Circle of this year; or you can join me as I open up more as a Teacher in the new Embodied Love classes.

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• And of course, you can always tune into the daily Gaia's Love podcast with me!

​Time is a precious gift and it is up to us to honor it as ours to intentionally invest or spend in the ways that matter most to each of us.

It was so much fun to tune into these last two months through the lens of an Intention Grid and then share it here with you! I trust it inspires you to also be intentional with your time as we wrap up this decade.

I wish you a beautiful pathway through the end of 2019!

So much love,
Viv

Vivienne Gerard – Teacher / Scribe / Healer / Guide / Lover of Souls and Humanity 
Clearing Past Patterns to Co-Create an Empowered NOW

Join me on My Soul Journey on I-Tunes, SoundCloud, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

Consciousness is "the state or quality of awareness, or, of being aware of an external object or something within oneself." Scientists, theologians, and philosophers have long debated the definition and mystical understanding of consciousness, often with no clear answer.

I believe it is a concept that is personally defined and understood, perhaps best without words. But if I were to share my own definition, it would be that consciousness is "an internal level of awareness of who I am without my body or mind - when I am simply the Soul, the Knowing that continues after the physical drops away." And to take it one step further, "consciousness is one unifying thread that runs through all Souls, connecting all of us back to the one original Source of Energy."

It's hard to put into simple words, isn't it?

And how does this connect to an article about "Autism and Intention Grids"? 

Well, a little more spiritual philosophy first to help show the connection.

I believe that Souls choose our human experiences here on Earth, and we do that as individual expressions of consciousness and also as part of a collective Soul agreement for what would most serve all of humanity. This can be a difficult concept to agree with when our human lifetimes feel so heavy, frustrating, or limited. And yet, the contrasting idea that a loving God would send us to Earth to simply suffer doesn't make much sense to me.

So perhaps we can play with this idea of choice then. That we choose each body we incarnate into, we choose the family members we come to expand with, and we choose the physical and emotional experiences that will serve our individual and collective Souls at the highest level. Even if it doesn't make a bit of sense once we land here in these dense human bodies and forget all those wise Soul choices we made!

Continuing with this idea of Souls and choice, what if, as Souls in between our human lives, we keep stretching and expanding our consciousness, our understanding of awareness and connection?

So that each human lifetime makes us MORE than we were before. Makes the collective humanity MORE than it was before. And we share that collective awareness as Souls and keep expanding further and further together.

Dr. Michael Newton, founder of The Newton Institute for Life Between Lives, hypnotherapist and author of Journey of Souls, describes in great detail that space between lives, where Souls advance in their lessons and awareness of consciousness. In doing so, he has identified that when we are between lives, each Soul reflects an energy-aura color that indicates their progression. "Beginner" Souls are a neutral white or grey; "Intermediate" Souls are shades of red, yellow, and blue; "Advanced" Souls are blue; and "Highly Advanced" Souls are dark blue-purple. (p. 103) 

In his 40+ years of regression therapy, Dr. Newton hasn't had "the opportunity to regress many Blues," and says "We may recognize them when they appear as public figures, such as a Mother Teresa; however, it is more usual for the advanced soul to go about their good works in a quiet, unassuming manner. Without displaying self-indulgence, their fulfillment comes from improving the lives of other people." (p. 169)

Again - what does this have to do with autism and intention grids?

I believe that Souls who choose human incarnations with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), are "Advanced" Souls of Blue who agreed to come help slow down the pace of our Earth and bring humanity back into harmony and balance.

A difficult, difficult human incarnation for any Soul. And a gift for every one of us blessed enough to be on this Earth with them. 

If you can, perhaps imagine having a PhD in Consciousness, studying here for lifetime after lifetime about Love and all other complex human emotions, and then arriving yet again to serve humanity - but this time in a body that doesn't follow your own commands, speak the words you know in your mind, communicate the Love you feel in your heart, or allow you to focus on even a simple task that others make look so easy.

Can you feel the internal tension that must constantly exist in that beautiful mind/body/soul of a child or young adult with ASD?

And their growing numbers are begging us to pay greater and closer attention.

In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "identified 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD)." The word "spectrum" used by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NIH) refers to a "wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in people with ASD. Some children and adults with ASD are fully able to perform all activities of daily living while others require substantial support to perform basic activities." 

​But what if, inside every one of these children and adults along this spectrum sits an "Advanced" Blue Soul, here to teach us a new way to communicate and be present? 

Naoki Higashida, a charming 13 year-old Japanese boy with autism shared his reflections in The Reason I Jump - a must read book for every child and adult on our planet, translated into English by author David Mitchell. Naoki offers this wisdom (through pointing his finger at one letter at a time, using an alphabet grid to create words):

"(People with autism) are outside the normal flow of time, we can't express ourselves, and our bodies are hurtling us through life. (p. 71)

I think that people with autism are born outside the regime of civilization. Sure, this is just my own made-up theory, but I think that, as a result of all the killings in the world and the selfish planet-wrecking that humanity has committed, a deep sense of crisis exists.

​Autism has somehow arisen out of this. Although people with autism look like other people physically, we are in fact very different in many ways.

We are more like travelers from the distant, distant past.

And if, by our being here, we could help the people of the world remember what truly matters for the Earth, that would give us a quiet pleasure." (p. 111)

If all of this is true, what other resources can we provide to children and young adults with ASD that perhaps have not been considered before?

I believe that stone / crystal intention grids can be used as a tool to support the healing and play of these "Advanced" Blue Souls.  The process of setting an intention grid combines nature, touch, and structure / order in a new energetic way.

Naoki shared in his book that he has a deep connection to nature, to the living world around us. "To us people with special needs, nature is as important as our own lives. The reason is that when we look at nature, we receive a sort of permission to be alive in this world and our entire bodies get recharged. However often we're ignored and  pushed away by other people, nature will always give us a good big hug, here inside our hearts." (p. 85)

The stones and crystals used to set intention grids hold a living consciousness that is intimately connected to our planet. Each stone has a story of where it has traveled before arriving in our hands, with an energy that vibrates and charges all around it. Certain stones are known to heal specific chakra energy centers in our body or shift energy blocks from old stories that can't always be explained with words. Stones are as ancient as our planet and hold wisdom beyond our understanding.

​And when Naoki was asked why children with autism like to line up toy cars and blocks, he said, "Lining things up is the best fun. ... What I care about - in fact, I'm pretty obsessive about this - is the order things come in, and different ways of lining them up. It's actually the lines and the surfaces of things like jigsaw puzzles that we love, and things like that. When we're playing in this way, our brains feel refreshed and clear." (p. 70)

Intention grids of stones and crystals combine nature, touch and structure / order in a playful, powerful way.

Hibiscus Moon in her book Crystal Grids: How and Why they Work, offers this definition: "A crystal grid is a geometric pattern of energetically aligned stones charged by intention set in a sacred space for the purpose of manifesting a particular objective." She connects grids to sacred geometry in nature, saying "Geometric patterns appear to be commonplace within our universe, seeming to be the favored means of energy transmission. Sacred geometry may actually be nature's means of manifesting a universal plan, tapping into just the right frequency necessary to communicate with Source energy."

There is a magic that happens for me when I put my hands on my stones or crystals, feel the intention of what I would like to create next, and then physically place the stone on a velvet mat with a clear vision of that intention manifesting. It is an energy-based way to play, a space where my soul, my consciousness dances through my body and out into a physical, tactile world.

What if this same magic can happen at a Soul level, at a consciousness level for children and adults with autism? 

This isn't a scientific or medical solution I am proposing that will heal the disorder. But perhaps playing with intention grids offers a "quiet pleasure" for "Advanced" Blue Souls. An opportunity for their Souls to whisper quietly through their fingers and into nature as they line up each stone in a way that makes perfect sense to them.

Perhaps their Intention Grids are meant to help "manifest a universal plan" to heal our world and we are now handing them more of the tools they need to do their Soul's "work." 

What a beautiful exchange of Love we could co-create together.

Even if this suggestion brings one Soul-human with ASD more pleasure and a deeper sense of purpose in their lifetime here on this planet, I celebrate with them!

​So a few logistics, if you are new to intention grids:

1. How do I start?
If you or your child are a visual learner, you can watch me play with stones and intention as I share my process. I love creating intention grids, and just posted My 2017 Intentions video (photo on left). Last year, I made an Introductory How-To Video with a few of the basics, if you're looking for more info.

2. Which stones are the "right" stones?
There are many websites that can offer guidance on which stones or crystals best support autism. My suggestion is to focus on stones that provide grounding energy or heart-opening energy (to support the easy flow of energy from your child's heart to everyone around him/her). But trust your own intuition as a caregiver or invite your child to participate in choosing what resonates. They might love a certain color - trust them! As you and your child begin to play with the stones or crystals, be sure to use them safely, taking your child's abilities into consideration.

3. Where do you get the tools / supplies?
I buy many of my stones from The Crystal Guy in Cincinnati, and I know he ships orders if you're not local. My black velvet "Flower of Life" mat is from a beautiful healing store in Encinitas, California called SoulScape, which ships orders.  They also have a wide variety of stones and crystals. And you don't have to be fancy - you can find stones locally in your own backyard or neighborhood by getting outside with your child and exploring together.

4. How long does the intention grid stay in place?
This is where the magic will happen! Let your child guide the process. Trust them to know when a grid is ready to be changed and allow it to be their space to play, as much as possible. Let us learn from them because my belief is that they intuitively know so much more than we think we know about this topic! Enjoy the adventure together. 

Please share this article with others in the ASD community if it resonates. And I would love to hear from you if you and your child begin playing with intention grids. Let's learn and share as a community in this new year filled with possibility!

SO MUCH LOVE to each of you...
xoxo

Vivienne Gerard - Healer / Guide / Lover of Souls and Humanity 
Clearing Past Patterns to Co-Create an Empowered NOW
Join me on My Soul Journey on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

* ADDENDUM: March 2024, I received an email from Milavetz Law firm in Minnesota regarding a resource guide they put together with information about Autism and driving. It offers information that you may find useful for your family or those you know. Please share if so!

​Driving with a Disability Guide

"From a legal perspective, autism is classified as a disability. This means autistic people are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a law, not a program. This means there’s no need to apply for coverage or benefits."