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So… Is Your Higher Self the Same as Source?

By The Artful Woman
  Not exactly. Think of it like this: Source is the origin —pure consciousness, God/Goddess/Divine Light, whatever you want to call it. It’s the everything-and-nothing energy from which all things come. Your Higher Self is your personal bridge to Source. It’s your soul in its purest form , untainted by fear, ego, or human distortion. Your Higher Self is you , just on the zoomed-out level —the version of you that remembers the full story, all lifetimes, all lessons, all missions. So: Source is the sun. Your Higher Self is the sunbeam that still holds its essence but is uniquely you . Is Your Higher Self Your Soul? Pretty much— but here's the nuance: Your soul is eternal. It’s the part of you that has lived countless lives. Your Higher Self is like the fully awakened version of your soul —the one not currently squeezed into a human body trying to pay bills and avoid family drama. When you're in human form, you're kind of like the tip of the i...
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When Effort Becomes a Block

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By The Artful Woman


 When Effort Becomes a Block

Dr. Leslie Phillips describes something called “being in effort.”
It’s when you try so hard to be connected—over-cleansing, over-reading, over-seeking—that the trying itself creates a block.

She teaches that true spiritual connection doesn’t come from effort. It comes from alignment.

That landed for me—not because it described what I’m doing wrong, but because it affirmed what I’ve been doing right.

I’m not chasing connection.
I’m not grasping for signs.
I’m not in obsession—I’m in curiosity. I explore what resonates, stay open, and trust.

I’m not in effort. I’m in flow.
And that, too, is surrender.

Effort Blocks Flow

Being “in effort” is a subtle but powerful block.

It doesn’t just apply to manifestation—it applies to everything:

  • Growing your intuition

  • Opening to spirit

  • Deepening your healing

  • Feeling “spiritual enough”

When you push too hard—even toward something beautiful—you risk making it about the ego’s need for control rather than the spirit’s natural unfolding.

Less Effort, More Surrender

This may be the lightbulb moment you didn’t know you needed:

You don’t need to do more to be more intuitive, spiritual, or abundant.
You often need to do less to allow your gifts to rise naturally.

Sometimes, all the extra tools—smoke, cards, rituals—become noise.

What you really need is:

  • Space

  • Stillness

  • Trust

Your spirit already knows the way. Your job is to let go of control long enough to hear it.

Manifest with Flow, Not Force

If you’re done pushing, striving, and second-guessing your path…

If you’re ready to align with your truth and create from a place of ease, trust, and soul connection…

Then you’re ready for Artful Living Coaching—a space where we release effort, reconnect to inner wisdom, and allow abundance to meet us in the flow.

💫 Let’s clear what blocks you.
💫 Let’s activate what calls to you.
💫 Let’s move forward—not in force, but in faith.

Contact me to explore 1:1 coaching or upcoming group offerings. Your path to effortless alignment begins here.



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Location: Dana Point, CA, USA

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