Laughter: Medicine for the Soul

Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards.

I got a full house and four people died.

-- Steven Wright

Ever notice how good you feel after a bold, hearty laugh? Laughter is medicine for the soul. Its positive effects can remain with you even once laughter itself passes. Laughter is an antidote to pain, stress and conflict. At a time on the planet where energies are urging us to release all patterns that limit our divine potentials, finding the humor within ourselves and life can be liberating.


Laughter can help us see the absurd within trying situations. Ever drop something or slip and start laughing? Humor can help us discover new ways to experience ourselves. When we laugh, we shift our perceptions about life.  This breaks up denser energies that clog our creative flow and allows us to see things from a fresh perspective.


Laughter relaxes our whole being. Deep, hearty laughter can relieve stress and reduce tension within our muscles. That effect within the body lasts far beyond the laughter experience.


Every time we laugh our immune system receives a boost. Laughter decreases the production of hormones associated with stress while increasing the production of cells that fight disease. Laughter improves our overall resistance to disease.

"A cheerful heart does good medicine, but a broken spirit makes you sick."

Proverbs 17:22

Laughter promotes positive feelings and reduces the presence of pain. When my daughter was recently injured, she was crying from the trauma of the incident as the fear and the physical pain from her injury set in. While compassionately comforting her, I introduced small bits of humor which made her laugh. That laughter gave her energy system a noticeable boost and soon her overall experience shifted.


Laughter protects the heart. When you deliberately access the infinite well of love and bliss within your heart chakra, you promote genuine benefits in the mind, body and emotions. Laughter has a powerful impact on your hearts health. It improves blood vessels’ functionality and increases blood flow. Laughter expands the heart chakra and allows constricted or blocked energies within the human energy system to be cleared with little effort.


There is an appropriate time and place for humor. If you have attended one of my workshops or seminars, you will likely experience a flow of humor woven into the discussions. But if you have only experienced me within the context of a private intuitive consultation, it is quite possible you have never witnessed my sense of humor. Some things are not funny. Sensitivity to when and where can build or break trust within relationships. 


So how do we cultivate laughter in our lives?


Become willing to laugh at yourself. Some of the funniest moments in my life are when I have taken myself far too seriously and have stepped back to notice! When I can witness myself with humor, it relieves the anxiety and opens me to the silliness of a given perspective. As a teacher, I often share the stores of my intuitive journey and resistances to following divine guidance with a great deal of humor.


Discover the humor within a stressful situation. Have you ever found yourself unable to contain laughter at a funeral or in a religious service? Fairies and other divine beings often tweak our sense of humor to free us from how we perceive a situation. My father’s death was one of the most challenging losses of my lifetime. But during the eulogy, I told one of his favorite jokes to honor his bold sense of humor. When you laugh, your entire mood shifts and so does your perspective.


Introduce laughter into your day. Read or tell a joke. Keep something that makes you chuckle at work; in your purse or in your car. Surround yourself with photos of you and your loved ones laughing. Watch a funny program or read a humorous book. Years ago when I was in the midst of a deep depression, I asked my helping spirits to relieve my suffering. Three angelic guides appeared and told me to take a walk outdoors; “but first” they said, “turn on the television”. They guided me to turn on a specific channel in that moment where a comedian was delivering the funniest routine. I immediately burst into laughter with tears streaming from my eyes as they then said “ok, now go for your walk”. I walked with a new spring in my step, simply from allowing that momentary laughter into my perception.


Distinguish between hurtful humor and helpful humor. Humor that promotes health engages our deep sense of joy. It bonds us with others and improves intimacy. Humor that hurts creates pain and distance within relationships. Humor at the expense of another pokes fun at individuals or groups and leaves the other feeling lousy. Sarcasm, put downs, ethnic and anti-jokes do not promote health. Healthy humor builds connections with others. Sarcasm or sensitive jokes can be funny when they poke fun at yourself, your own personal situation or a situation from which others have appropriate emotional distance.


Humor and laughter benefit us in many ways. When we laugh with others our connections deepen, we feel more relaxed, and we open to a new perspective. Laughter elevates your energetic vibration. You cannot remain angry while laughing. Laughter opens the heart chakra increasing your capacity for love, forgiveness and compassion.  It uplifts your emotional experience, positively influences your choices and improves your health. And laughter feels great!

Now dance like a psychic and do the Crystal Ball  ;)