Articles | Flow Alchemy Blog

Are You Addicted to Your Story?

When I was younger I used to feel like a victim a lot of the time. No matter how many things were going well in my life, I could tell a story I felt bad about. I didn't know at the time that I was indulging in a victim story. Even when my situation was comparatively easier than that of many people around me, I found a way to focus on the victim story and not take responsibility for my own choices. I think everyone has done this at some point without realizing it. It doesn't necessarily have to be something one does consistently. It can be a habit that creeps up, usually in times of stress and change. After all, periods of scary, risky change are the perfect time to dwell on old, familiar stories that relieve us of responsibility.

By Christine Mattschei| May 8th, 2012|Categories: Synchronicity|Tags: Attachment to Story, Life Story|12 Comments

How Do You Know if Your Belief Serves You?

A dream come true starts with the belief that a dream is possible first. But have you ever wanted something really bad and then realized that you don't want it anymore after you got it? Or maybe your dream come true really is amazing. But you thought your life would be perfect if you just had that one thing, and now you realize it isn't. There are still problems to deal with. Or you realize that it's nice to get what you want, but not particularly amazing. What seemed glittery, fascinating, and full of illusion when it was just beyond your grasp just gives you the same feeling as looking at the furniture in your living room after you get it. (Who would have thought?) Or maybe you realize that you don't want what you thought you wanted after all. Maybe you were completely mistaken in your desire, and everything you dreamed it would be was just a fantasy that has nothing to do with objective reality. Maybe by getting what you thought you wanted, you ended up with something you truly don't want at all. That's definitely happened to me before.

By Christine Mattschei| April 23rd, 2012|Categories: Law of Attraction, Manifesting|Tags: Beliefs, Dr. Simonton, Healthy Thinking, Positive Thinking|11 Comments

What are the Exact Steps for Visualizing Healing and Change?

Okay, so you know the basics of creative visualization are getting into a relaxed state and then visualizing what you would like to happen. If you'd like more information about the basic steps, you can start by reading a four part series I wrote about detailed visualization here or sign up for my newsletter to get my free ebook (where I explain more) if you haven't yet. But once you get started, a whole bunch of other questions come up. Like what exactly should you visualize for the best effect? And how long or how often should you practice visualization for? Does spending more time at it indefinitely increase the effect, or is there a tipping point? These are some questions I received from a reader recently, and I'd like to address them in today's post here.

By Christine Mattschei| March 26th, 2012|Categories: Law of Attraction, Manifesting, Meditation, Random Inspiration|Tags: Creative Visualization, Detailed Visualiation, healing, law of attraction, Steps for Visualization|21 Comments

Simple Rituals: The Scent of Rosemary for Productivity

I love the use of simple rituals to prep for work and creative projects. Some add clear, physical benefits, while others simply provide a psychological anchor. Whether it's exercise, meditation, or drinking a special drink, it's helpful to establish a simple ritual that is both pleasurable and effective. These are also little pleasures that help make your immediate experience and overall life a work of art. Here's a very simple ritual you can try that takes seconds and very little preparation: simply inhale the scent of rosemary.

By Christine Mattschei| March 12th, 2012|Categories: Aromatherapy|Tags: Aromatherapy, Rosemary|14 Comments

Make Your Life a Work of Art

That new and sudden realization that you can change your life in an instant with one decision becomes clear. Maybe it's saying yes to spending time with new friends or saying yes to being invited on a trip, even if you feel anxious about leaving your comfort zone. It's that sense of realizing that you can take risks and be the orchestrator of your life in a big way for the first time. And the best part about realizing this at that age, is that you're not scared. There's a feeling of invincibility, as if the decisions don't really matter, which is both true and false.

By Christine Mattschei| February 26th, 2012|Categories: Manifesting, Random Inspiration|Tags: Life a Work of Art, Life Art|5 Comments

Can Processing Emotions Improve Physical Health?

I completely believe processing emotions can improve physical health. In our culture, we tend to view physical ailments as problems to be solved with medication. It's becoming more popular to look at diet, but even then we're not always getting to the root cause. I recently read an article about how diet can affect migraines, but only when somebody is under stress. Meaning that certain foods are more likely to cause a migraine when someone is stressed, but if you remove the stress, they can eat anything and not get a migraine. I've always suspected that I'm particularly sensitive to emotions affecting me physically. Everyone seems to have a certain physical weakness, a way that your body tells you it's not happy. It could be digestive, psoriasis, migraines/headaches, acne, too much/too little appetite, being susceptible to the flu, etc. For me, it's my stomach. If I'm too lost in my thoughts or ignoring my emotions and instincts, my stomach will find a way to tell me. I can even give you a personal example that drives this point home.

By Christine Mattschei| February 14th, 2012|Categories: Dealing With Emotions|Tags: Dealing With Emotions, Emotional Stress, stress|7 Comments

How to Select a Signature Fragrance

A guy I was out on a date with recently asked me which cologne for men I thought was the most attractive and sexiest one. I realized I had a lot to say on this topic and decided to share it! For those who want a quick answer, there is research to back up which scents men and women find most attractive to each other. In general, men tend to be attracted to scents like vanilla, cinnamon, and a combination of pumpkin pie and lavender (yes seriously) on women. Women, on the other hand, are most attracted to the scent of musk in men--in fact we are 1000 times more sensitive to the scent of musk than men are! There is something deeply primal about fragrance. Our sense of smell is the only sense processed directly by the brain and it's processed quickly. Other senses must travel through neurons or the spinal cord before conscious interpretation, but not scent. It goes directly to the part of the brain linked to emotion and motivation, which explains why scent can take you back to a specific memory or point in time immediately. It's why certain essential oils like mint or orange can energize and motivate you so quickly and effectively. If you've always wanted to know how to select a fragrance and use it but felt overwhelmed by the perfume counter, this article is for you. I want to share with you three steps for choosing a Signature Fragrance that inspires YOU and best conveys the message of who you are to the world.

By Christine Mattschei| January 31st, 2012|Categories: Aromatherapy, Love and Relationships, Manifesting|Tags: Signature Fragrance|1 Comment

Honoring Mystical Experiences and Emotions

Have you ever had an experience, emotion, or altered state of being that you just couldn't explain? Maybe you enjoyed it in the moment and then brushed it off later, trying to rationalize it... I want to create a space here to acknowledge and honor experiences that are difficult to explain. I know I've definitely had experiences that I can't completely explain that have caused profound shifts in my life. And I've also had some that just feel mystical even if they don't seem to have any meaning

By Christine Mattschei| January 17th, 2012|Categories: Dealing With Emotions|Tags: Mystical Experiences|1 Comment

Manifesting the Feminine Way in 2012

Yang energy is associated with heat, outward force, and masculinity, while Yin is associated with coolness, moving inward, subtlety, and femininity. Most of us approach New Year's Resolutions in a very Yang, masculine way by making a list of goals with deadlines and attempts to follow them rigidly. Setting goals is very important, but this year I invite you to call on your Yin energy and try manifesting the Feminine Way to create more balance in your manifesting process.

By Christine Mattschei| January 2nd, 2012|Categories: Manifesting|Tags: manifesting, New Years Resolutions|Comments Off

The Synchronicity Diaries: Entry #1

After writing How to Create Synchronicity, I feel inspired to create an ongoing dialogue about synchronicity as it plays out in my life, starting with this entry. I hope that I will inspire you to welcome and look for it in your life also. Such experiences make everything so much more rich and interesting and are a phenomenon not discussed often enough! I had the idea after reading The Seven Secrets of Synchronicity which featured one story about a guy who chronicles his synchronicity experiences on a blog that I really love called Teapots Happen. He went all the way back into childhood and made a post for each synchronicity he could remember experiencing. Well, that may be a project for the future, but I thought maybe I would just start with Now. After all, where is the beginning really? So many of the synchronicities I've experienced are linked to things that happened before, and I really could just keep going further and further back. Now seems as good a time to start as any. Of course, one single moment does lose a bit of its significance when not viewed in the whole picture. I've read stories of synchronicities where the ultimate punch line only comes years and years later.

By Christine Mattschei| December 19th, 2011|Categories: Synchronicity|Tags: Dreams, Synchronicity|2 Comments