feeling triggered

Recently I sent out an email to those who have elected to receive my weekly Monday email and, in return, I was met by a number of souls choosing to no longer receive my emails.

Now don't get me wrong. I do get souls choosing to no longer read or receive my emails when, for example, I can no longer help and support them in their spiritual journey or when they aren't yet ready to grow further and have chosen to stay put in their spiritual journey. But it is rare that a number of souls ask to stop receiving my emails, all at the same time.

So I wondered what triggered their reaction.

Thankfully I didn't have to do much soul-searching as one of them kindly sent me an email prior to electing to unsubscibe from my weekly emails. Although I can't say she spoke on behalf of the others that chose to also leave, I suspect their feelings were similar.

In her email she expressed her disappointment that I was always selling to her and how she felt my free weekly readings were manipulated. Every week, in my emails, I would make mention of that month's special angel card reading that I had created around a specific theme. Depending on how relevant they are to that week's free group angel card reading, I may talk about, and provide a link to, my special monthly reading at the start of my email, in the middle, or towards the end.

If my special monthly reading is linked closely to that week's free angel card message, which has become quite common, then my mention of them will feature early on in my email.

I only introduced the concept of a special monthly reading a couple of months ago and, ever since doing so, the card that has been chosen by the angels for each week's free group reading has tended towards the same theme of the special monthly reading.

This is no coincidence.

I work with the angels closely each and every day. When I'm choosing a theme and designing a card spread for each month's special reading, the angels play a big role. When I'm preparing each week's free group reading, I hand the choice of card over to the angels. They choose which deck(s)  I should use and which card(s) within that deck. I simply follow their direction and then interpret the card that they choose.

As the angels are intimately involved in creating both my weekly free group reading and my monthly special reading, it's only natural that they will blend the two together.

So, whilst I can understand why this lovely soul wrote to me in disappointment that she felt I was manipulating the free weekly group reading by choosing cards that could be specifically linked to that month's special card reading, I have to be honest and say that it wasn't me manipulating the readings, it was the angels choosing to carry the theme throughout the month so that any souls who felt called towards the theme of the month, would be encouraged to book a slot to receive a special and personal message from the angels which would give them the support and guidance they needed in the area of their life that had been selected as that month's theme.

When this soul also mentioned that she felt that I was always selling to her, well, there's nothing I can say but 'yes, I was'. Providing angel card readings and passing on messages from the angels is what I do. It's my business. And I need to earn money to pay my bills, just like everyone else.

Doing spiritual work, following the path you are called to follow, doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for payment, even though I've met many who believe that spiritual work should come for free. It's neither wrong nor unethical to request payment in exchange for your gifts. Money, after all, is purely an exchange of energy - I offer you my time and gifts and you, in return, exchange that energy through money. And, together, we keep or energy in balance.

When I received the honest and disappointed email from this soul, I'll be honest, I initially felt really hurt.

But after I'd read her email a couple of times, I could then see that she hadn't written it because she was so upset with me, she had written it because I had triggered her.

Either I had triggered her because the theme of the month was something that she knew she would benefit from guidance on but didn't feel she could, or because she didn't agree that I should openly ask for payment in return for my gifts, or both.

Whatever the cause or the reason, she had been triggered, as had the others who chose to no longer receive my emails. So that they could stop what was triggering them they chose to opt out of receiving my emails, going forward.

Here's the thing about feeling triggered that I want you to take on aboard, that I want you to appreciate.

When something or someone triggers you, it's your souls way of highlighting where something may be missing or lacking or needs focus. If, for example, you are triggered by someone asking for payment in exchange for a spiritual gift they offer, maybe it's time to delve into your beliefs of how spirituality and money are connected. Are they beliefs you've acquired from those around you? Are they beliefs that were taught to you as a child?

Feeling triggered is a simple way of finding out that there's a gap in our understanding or we're no longer in alignment with our beliefs, or our beliefs are limiting us. Regardless of the reason, when something or someone triggers a reaction in you, take a step back and look inward and ask:

• What has triggered me?
• Why has this triggered me?
• What does my soul want me to learn from being triggered?

In taking the time to step back and look inward, you're giving yourself a chance to learn, grow and expand. In giving into the trigger and making a rash or knee-jerk reaction, you're keeping yourself small and stunting your growth.

Next time you feel triggered, look on it as a positive experience, something that can help you grow as an individual, should you choose to explore why you felt triggered; look at it as your soul, your higher self highlighting an area that needs work in order for you to become a better human being.

Viv xx