Episode 68
Have you ever joined a spiritual experience, listened to a transmission, attended an event, or worked with a teacher and wondered…
"Am I actually receiving anything?"
Have you ever looked at someone else's experience and thought:
"Wow, they had such a profound experience. Why didn't that happen for me?"
Or perhaps you've had an experience where you felt drawn to something. You felt called to listen, to participate, to explore…
And yet, when you arrived, when you began listening, when you entered that space…
You found yourself not fully resonating.
Maybe it was the person sharing.
Maybe it was their words.
Maybe it was their style of teaching.
And perhaps your mind immediately stepped in and said:
"Maybe this isn't for me.”
"Maybe there is nothing here for me."
"Maybe I should move on."
But what if receiving isn't about having the experience you expected?
What if receiving is about becoming available to the gifts that are already trying to reach you?
What if there is more available than we realize?
In this episode, we’re going to explore six keys to receiving more from spiritual experiences.
Because receiving is not just about what we encounter.
It’s about how we enter the experience, how we engage with it, and how open we are to the many ways wisdom, healing, guidance, and expansion may arrive.
We’ll explore how the energetic fields we choose to enter influence what we’re available to receive, why intention matters, how we can receive beyond the messenger and beyond the words being shared, and how we can learn to trust what we receive — even when understanding comes later.
Hi, I’m Joanne Cary, and welcome back to Embodied Soul.
And if you're ready to join me, pull up a comfy chair, invite in your soul, and be open to receive exactly what you need to live, be, and thrive as the embodied soul you are.
Recently, I had the beautiful opportunity to participate in the Higher Consciousness Living Summit as a featured guest.
And what was really important to me about this experience was that I didn't only show up as a speaker.
I also showed up as a participant.
I wanted to receive.
I wanted to listen.
I wanted to experience the different speakers, their perspectives, their guides, their messages, and the different ways that consciousness was being expressed through each person.
It was almost like a beautiful buffet of energies, perspectives, wisdom, and experiences.
And I found myself reflecting on how different this summit experience was compared to other experiences I have had in the past.
What stood out for me was the intention.
The intention behind the gathering.
The intention behind the speakers.
The intention of the host.
The intention of creating a space that supported the evolution of consciousness.
And that matters.
Because something I have learned through my own journey is that every experience carries an intention and an energetic field.
And how we engage with that field influences what we are available to receive.
Now, when I say that, I want to be really clear.
This is not about judging an experience as good or bad.
It’s not about creating fear.
It’s not about needing to protect ourselves from everything that doesn't feel aligned.
Because that can actually become its own form of limitation.
If we’re constantly looking for what we need to defend against, what we need to protect against, what we need to avoid…
we are still orienting ourselves around fear.
And that is not the intention here.
The invitation is discernment.
The invitation is sovereignty.
The invitation is asking:
"Is this a space I consciously choose to participate in?"
"Does this support where I am choosing to go?"
"Does this feel expansive?"
"Does this invite me into more of myself?"
Because we get to choose the fields we enter.
And this leads us to Key 1.
Key One: Choose the Field You Enter — the intention of the space.
Before we even talk about receiving more, there is a first step.
Choosing consciously.
Because receiving begins before the experience even starts. It begins with the choices we make about where we place our awareness, our energy, and our openness.
It begins with the spaces we say yes to.
And this is something that I think is becoming increasingly important as more and more spiritual spaces, teachings, courses, communities, and experiences become available to us.
There is so much beautiful information available right now.
There are so many people sharing their wisdom.
There are so many different pathways, perspectives, teachers, channels, and ways of exploring consciousness.
And that is beautiful.
It is beautiful that we have access to so much.
But with that availability comes the importance of discernment.
Not fear.
Discernment.
Because every experience carries an intention.
For me, when I’m considering participating in something, I pay attention to the intention behind it.
As every experience carries a field.
And before we enter a space, it can be really supportive to ask ourselves:
"What is the intention behind this?"
"What is the energy of this space?"
"What is being invited here?"
"Does this feel expansive?”
"Does this support me in connecting more deeply with myself?"
"Does it honour my own inner wisdom and sovereignty?"
"Does it invite me into more of who I am?"
Or does it subtly create a different relationship with myself?
A relationship where I feel like I’m always missing something.
Where I am always behind.
Where I’m broken and need to be fixed.
Where I always need one more thing before I can be whole.
Where I need the next thing, the next teacher, the next program, the next healing before I can move forward.
And I want to be really clear here.
Healing is beautiful.
Healing is important.
We all have places within us that benefit from compassion, awareness, integration, and love.
But there is a difference between healing as part of our evolution…
and becoming trapped in the idea that our purpose is to endlessly fix ourselves.
Because we are not here only to heal.
We’re also here to expand.
We’re here to embody.
We’re here to create.
We’re here to experience.
We’re here to live as the soul that we are.
And so, when I look at an experience, I ask:
"Does this support me in expanding into more of myself?”
And the other thing that’s important, is that we learn through all experiences.
We grow through all experiences.
But we also have choice.
We get to choose what we participate in.
We get to choose what we give our energy and attention to.
We get to choose the environments we immerse ourselves in.
And that choice matters.
Because the fields we enter influence what we’re available to receive.
And this is something I have become much more conscious of over the years.
I’m very intentional about what I consume.
Not only informationally, but energetically.
What am I allowing into my awareness?
What am I repeatedly listening to?
What am I repeatedly focusing on?
What am I allowing myself to be immersed within?
Because what we focus on, what we surround ourselves with, and what we repeatedly engage with does influence our experience.
And this is where discernment becomes such a powerful tool.
Not because we need to be afraid.
Not because we need to put up walls.
But because we are conscious creators.
We are participating in our own evolution.
And then there’s another piece that I think is really fascinating.
When people gather together with a shared intention, something different happens.
A collective energy field is created.
Now, depending on your language, you may call this energy, consciousness, frequency, resonance, or simply the atmosphere of a space.
But we’ve all experienced this in some way.
You walk into a room and you can feel whether it feels joyful, heavy, chaotic, peaceful, inspiring, or draining.
There’s something being communicated beyond just words.
And when many people come together in a space of openness, learning, expansion, healing, and consciousness, the collective intention itself becomes part of the experience.
The field becomes part of what we’re receiving.
And this was something I really noticed during the Higher Consciousness Living Summit.
The intention behind the summit was centered around supporting the evolution of consciousness.
Supporting expansion.
Supporting each person's connection to their own divine nature.
Supporting embodiment
Supporting our highest good.
And when we enter a space like that consciously, something beautiful can happen.
We may find ourselves receiving things we didn't anticipate.
We may find ourselves integrating information differently.
We may find ourselves connecting with a person, a message, a frequency, or an experience that we didn't specifically come looking for.
But somehow, it’s exactly what we needed.
And I think this is also where it’s important to recognize that collective fields can support acceleration.
When we immerse ourselves in a field of a particular intention, we may find ourselves resonating with that intention.
We may find ourselves expanding.
We may find ourselves becoming aware of places within ourselves that are ready to shift, release, integrate, or transform.
And sometimes that means receiving something beautiful.
And sometimes that means becoming aware of something that is ready to be looked at.
Because expansion does not always mean everything feels easy.
Sometimes expansion brings awareness.
Sometimes it reveals beliefs, patterns, or limitations that we’re ready to move beyond.
And this is why the intention of the field matters.
Because a supportive field does not tell you:
"You are broken. You need fixing."
A supportive field invites you:
"Here is something you may now be ready to see."
"Here is something you may now be ready to embody."
"Here is another possibility available to you."
And for me, that distinction is everything.
So before entering any spiritual experience, any gathering, any transmission, any course, or any space where you are opening yourself to receive, I invite you to simply pause and ask:
"Is this aligned with where I wish to go?"
"Does this feel expansive?"
"Does this support my connection with myself?"
"Does this invite me into more of my own consciousness?"
And then, from that place of conscious choice, you enter.
You enter not as someone searching for what will complete you.
You enter as someone who is already whole…
and is open to receiving the next piece of wisdom, the next key, the next possibility that supports your unfolding.
And this is where conscious receiving begins: not from a place of seeking something outside of yourself, but from a place of connection with what is already within you.
And this brings us to Key Two: Enter With Intention — the intention you bring.
Once you have consciously chosen the field you are entering, the next piece is how you enter that experience.
And this is where intention becomes such a powerful practice.
Before I enter a transmission, before I listen to a channel, before I participate in an energetic experience, I always set an intention.
And the intention I use is - and for those who’ve been with me a while you likely know this by heart by now-:
“I set the intention that I am only open to those energies and that information that are for my highest good, in the perfect amounts needed for my healing and evolution at this time."
Now, I want to pause here because the wording matters.
This intention is not coming from a place of fear.
It is not:
"I need to protect myself."
"I need to block something."
"I need to make sure something doesn't get through."
That is a very different energy.
For me, this intention actually allows me to relax.
It allows my body.
It allows my nervous system.
It allows my mind.
To know:
"I am supported."
"I am held."
"I can be open."
"I can receive what is aligned for me.”
And only what is aligned to me.
Because I know I’m not asking to receive everything.
I’m not asking to receive more just for the sake of more.
I’m asking to receive exactly, and only, what supports me at this moment.
In the perfect amounts.
Because more is not always about intensity.
More is not about overwhelming ourselves.
More is about deeper alignment.
More is about receiving what is appropriate for where we are now.
And when I trust that, something shifts.
My mind doesn't need to be monitoring every moment.
My nervous system doesn't need to stay alert.
I don't need to analyze:
"Is this right?"
"Should I be feeling something different?"
"Am I doing this correctly?”
And even if something comes through that doesn't feel aligned for me…
Perhaps a teaching, a perspective, or a way something is being shared creates a feeling of contraction or discomfort within me… I can meet that experience from a place of trust rather than fear.
I can ask:
"Is there something here for me to see, learn from, or receive?"
"Or is this simply something that is not aligned with my path?"
And I can trust that I only integrate what is aligned for my highest good.
I don't have to brace.
I don't have to fight against it.
I don't have to close myself off.
I can simply remain present, discern, and trust.
I can be present.
I can listen.
I can receive.
And I have found that when we create that internal sense of safety and trust, we actually become available to more.
Because we’re not bracing.
We’re not searching.
We’re not trying to force an experience.
We’re allowing.
And this is something I would invite you to experiment with.
The next time you listen to a transmission, attend a gathering, work with a teacher, or enter any experience where you’re opening yourself up to receive, try setting your own intention.
It doesn't have to be my words.
Find what feels true for you. But perhaps something like:
"May I receive whatever is for my highest good."
"May I receive the wisdom, information, healing, and support that’s aligned for me now."
"May I receive in the perfect way and the perfect amounts for my journey."
And then notice what happens when you enter from that place— not as a passive observer waiting for something to happen, but as an active participant in the experience. And this is where something really interesting happens.
When we enter an experience with this level of trust and openness, we begin to loosen our attachment to how the receiving should happen.
We are no longer looking for a specific person, a specific message, a specific feeling, or a specific experience to confirm that something is being received.
We become available to receive in the ways that are actually aligned for us.
And this leads into the next key.
Because once we release our attachment to how receiving should happen, we create space to receive from unexpected places.
And this includes releasing our attachment to who we believe the gift must come through.
Key Three: Receive Beyond the Messenger
This is one of the biggest — and perhaps most freeing — shifts I have learned through my journey.
Sometimes we assume that receiving is about finding the perfect teacher.
Finding the perfect channel.
Finding the person whose words completely resonate.
And yes, sometimes we experience that.
Sometimes someone speaks, and it feels like they are speaking directly to our soul.
Sometimes we feel deeply connected to their message, their energy, and their way of sharing.
But sometimes the gift arrives differently.
Sometimes the messenger is simply the doorway. Not the destination.
And this was one of the things that stood out to me during this summit.
There were some speakers where I immediately felt connected.
Their words resonated.
Their way of sharing felt familiar.
And there were others where, if I were only listening through my mental mind, I might have decided:
"This isn't for me."
"This isn't really resonating."
"This isn't the information I was looking for."
And there was one particular experience where I was actually close to turning off the video.
I was listening.
I was open.
But I wasn't necessarily connecting with the person or the way they were sharing.
And my mind was saying: "Okay, this isn't for me."
But something kept me there.
And moments later the person raised their hand. And suddenly, I felt this incredible energetic movement through my body.
It was immediate. It was like: “Ah." "There it is.” "This is why I was here."
And what I received was not related to the words that were being spoken.
It was something else.
It was a frequency.
A code.
A healing.
An energetic shift.
Something that my system recognized.
And I remember thinking:
"This is why I was called to stay."
Because if I had only judged the experience based on whether I resonated with the messenger, I would have missed the gift.
And this is something I see with channeling and energetic work as well.
Sometimes people will say:
"I don't really connect with that person's voice."
"I don't really connect with their personality."
"I don't really connect with their style."
And that’s okay.
You do not have to force resonance.
You do not have to pretend something feels aligned when it doesn't.
But there is another question you can ask. Instead of: "Do I like this person?"
or "Do I agree with everything they are saying?"
You might ask:
"Is there something here that is available for me?"
"Is there something in this experience that supports my journey?"
Because sometimes what you receive is not the information.
Sometimes it’s the energy underneath the information.
Sometimes it’s the reminder, the perspective, the feeling, or the awareness that something within you was ready to receive.
And this brings us to another layer of discernment.
Because sometimes we are not only invited to receive beyond the messenger…
we’re invited to receive beyond what is being shared.
This brings us to Key Four: Receive Beyond What Is Being Shared
And this is a related, but slightly different, piece.
Because sometimes we receive not only beyond the messenger…
but beyond the content itself.
We are all these beautiful puzzle pieces.
We are all keys.
And each person carries their own unique expression of consciousness.
Their own experiences.
Their own gifts.
Their own way of being.
And when we encounter someone who embodies something we admire or something we desire to cultivate, there is an opportunity there.
For example, perhaps you listen to someone and you notice:
"They are so confident."
"They communicate so clearly."
"They trust themselves so deeply."
"They are so compassionate."
“They're so grounded."
And instead of placing that person above you and thinking:
"They have something I don't have."
You can begin to recognize: "If I can perceive this quality, there is a possibility of this quality within me."
The awareness of that quality is showing you something.
And you can consciously ask:
"If there is an energetic quality, a way of being, a frequency, or a capacity that this person carries that would support my own unfolding, may I receive whatever aspects of that are aligned for me now."
Because we’re not here to copy another person.
We’re not here to become someone else.
We’re here to become more fully ourselves.
And sometimes another person acts as a key that unlocks something within us.
And this is something I have found repeatedly through working with guides, through the Akashic Records, through transmissions, through different teachers and experiences.
Sometimes we receive the exact thing we came for. And sometimes we receive something we didn't even know we needed. And that is part of the beauty of being open.
Because these experiences are not simply about finding something outside of ourselves to receive. They are also opportunities to discover what is already within us.
And this brings us to another important piece of discernment:
Key Five: Remember You Are Also Participating in the Experience
Something else I want to remind you of is that when you enter these experiences, you’re not simply a passive receiver. You are participating.
Your consciousness is participating.
Your awareness is participating.
Your own guidance is participating.
And I think this is especially important for those of you who are exploring your own connection to channeling, your own inner guidance, or your own relationship with your soul.
Because sometimes we can unintentionally place the teacher, the channel, or the person sharing the message in a position above us.
We think: "They have the connection."
"They have the information."
"They have something I don't have."
But what I’ve found through my own journey is that this is not really how it works.
Yes, there may be someone who has developed a particular capacity.
Yes, there may be someone who has spent years strengthening their relationship with their guides, their intuition, or their ability to channel.
But the reason we recognize something in another person is because there is a possibility of that within us too.
The reason something resonates is because there is a part of us that can meet it.
We are not separate from the experience.
We are part of the exchange.
And when you enter a channeled experience, whether that’s listening to another person’s channel, receiving a transmission, or participating in an energetic gathering, there is a relationship happening.
There’s an interaction.
There’s a conversation happening beyond just the spoken words.
The person sharing is receiving.
But so are you.
You are receiving through your own unique system.
Through your own awareness.
Through your own connection.
Through your own guidance.
And this is why two people can listen to the exact same transmission and have completely different experiences.
One person may receive a powerful emotional release.
Another person may receive a new insight.
Another person may have a physical sensation.
Another person may not notice anything in the moment but weeks later something shifts.
And none of those experiences are more or less valid.
Because receiving is personal.
Receiving is unique.
Your system knows what it’s ready for.
And this is also where I think there is an opportunity to deepen our relationship with channeling itself.
Because channeling is often viewed as: "There is someone who can channel, and I am listening.”
But there is a much more expansive way to view it.
A channel is opening a doorway.
A transmission is opening a doorway.
A teacher is opening a doorway.
But what happens through that doorway is a relationship between the information, the energy, the field, and your own consciousness.
You are not just waiting for something outside of you to give you something.
You are participating in the receiving.
And this connects back to something I shared earlier about receiving beyond the messenger.
Because when we recognize that we are participating, we can begin to relate differently to the people we learn from.
Instead of placing them above us, we can appreciate them as mirrors, teachers, and keys.
We can say:
"What is this experience showing me?"
"What is this person reflecting back to me?"
"What possibility is opening within me through this connection?"
"What am I recognizing that is ready to be awakened within myself?"
And this is also why I love the idea of asking.
Because we get to ask.
We can ask our own guidance:
"May I receive whatever is available here that supports my highest good."
"May I receive the information, qualities, or energies that are aligned for my journey."
"May I receive what supports my next step."
And then we allow.
We don't have to chase.
We don't have to force.
We don't have to make it happen.
We simply become available.
I also want to acknowledge something that I think is important.
Sometimes people will say:
"But what if I don't receive anything?"
"What if I don't see anything?"
"What if I don't feel anything?"
And this is where I would invite you back to trust.
Because receiving does not always look the way we expect it to look.
Sometimes the most profound shifts happen quietly.
Sometimes they happen beneath your awareness.
Sometimes the thing you received is not something you consciously recognize until later.
Remember:
Understanding often comes after receiving.
Integration often comes after receiving.
The meaning often reveals itself in the perfect timing for you.
So the next time you enter a spiritual experience, remember:
You are not just attending.
You are participating.
You are not just listening.
You are receiving.
You are not just observing someone else's connection.
You are engaging with your own.
Because the ultimate relationship you are strengthening is not only with the teacher, the channel, or the experience.
It is with yourself.
Your own soul.
Your own consciousness.
Your own ability to receive.
And this brings us to perhaps the deepest layer of discernment:
Trusting the process of receiving itself.
Because sometimes the greatest challenge is not opening to receive...
It’s allowing yourself to trust what has been received before you fully understand it.
And this brings us to
Key Six: Trust Receiving Before Understanding
This final piece is one that has been such a journey for me personally.
Because for a long time, I wanted to understand everything immediately.
I wanted to decode every experience.
I wanted to know:
"What does this mean?"
"Why did I see this?"
"Why did I feel this?"
"What is the message?"
"What is the purpose?"
And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to understand.
The mind is a beautiful tool.
The mind loves meaning.
The mind loves patterns.
The mind loves to organize information.
But what I’ve learned over time is that sometimes understanding comes after receiving.
Not before.
I spent years trying to decode every experience immediately.
I wanted confirmation.
I wanted understanding.
I wanted to know that what I was receiving was real.
And over time, I discovered something very different.
Sometimes the receiving happens first.
The integration happens next.
And the understanding arrives when it is ready.
I see this often in my own experiences.
Sometimes I will receive an image.
Sometimes a sensation.
Sometimes a knowing.
Sometimes something comes through in a way that I don't immediately understand.
And my old pattern would have been:
"Okay, what does this mean?"
"Let's figure this out."
"Let's solve this."
But now, I’ve learned to trust.
To allow my system to integrate.
To allow the information, the energy, the wisdom, whatever it is, to move through me in the way that it needs to.
And if I need to understand it, the understanding comes.
It always finds its way.
Sometimes through another experience.
Sometimes through a dream.
Sometimes through a conversation.
Sometimes through something happening weeks or months later where suddenly I think:
"Oh."
"Now I understand."
And I want to share something else that I noticed during this summit because it was such a beautiful reminder of this.
For much of the week, my dreams became very quiet. And this is interesting because many of you know that dreams are a significant way that information comes through for me.
But during the summit, there was a period where there was almost nothing.
And then, toward the end, the dreams returned. They came back strongly.
And for me, this was a reminder that our systems are constantly working with what we receive.
Even when our conscious mind doesn't see anything happening.
Even when we think:
"Nothing happened."
"Maybe I didn't receive anything."
There may actually be a great deal happening beneath the surface.
And this is where the body is such an incredible teacher.
Because sometimes the body knows before the mind does.
Sometimes you feel a shift before you understand the shift.
Sometimes something moves through your system before you have language for it.
And this is why I encourage you not to discount your own experiences just because they don't look like someone else's.
Your receiving may come through:
A sensation.
An image.
A thought.
A dream.
A feeling.
A synchronicity.
A change in perspective.
A moment of clarity.
A new possibility opening.
Receiving is not one-size-fits-all.
And perhaps one of the most important things to remember is that receiving is not measured by how intense an experience is.
Because when we hear:
"How can I receive more?"
the mind can sometimes interpret that as:
"I need bigger experiences."
"I need stronger sensations."
"I need something dramatic to happen.”
But that’s not what I mean.
Receiving More Does Not Mean Forcing More.
Receiving more is not about chasing intensity.
It’s not about trying to accumulate more experiences.
It’s about expanding our awareness of what is already available.
It’s about becoming more conscious.
More present.
More open.
More willing to notice the subtle ways that wisdom, support, healing, and guidance are already meeting us.
Because often, the gifts are there.
The question is:
Are we available to receive them?
And this is really the heart of discernment: not closing ourselves off from experiences, but becoming more conscious in the way we engage with them.
So as you move through your own experiences — whether that is a transmission, a meditation, a workshop, a conversation, a book, a teacher, a summit or simply an encounter in your daily life — I invite you to explore these questions:
What field am I choosing to enter?
What is the intention behind this experience?
Does this support my expansion?
Does this deepen my connection with myself?
Am I entering from fear, or am I entering from trust?
What am I available to receive?
Am I willing to receive beyond my expectations?
Am I willing to receive beyond the messenger?
Am I willing to receive beyond the words?
And perhaps the most important question:
What gifts may already be trying to reach me that I haven’t recognized yet?
Because we often think receiving is about finding the right teacher.
Finding the right experience.
Finding the right transmission.
Finding the right person who has what we need.
But receiving is really about learning how to become available to the gifts that are already trying to reach us.
If you participated in the Higher Consciousness Living Summit, I would love to hear from you.
What did you notice?
What did you experience?
Did anything unexpected come through for you?
Did you notice changes in your body?
Did you have dreams?
Did you receive something from a speaker or a session that surprised you?
I would love to hear how you experienced this collective field.
And for those of you who have been working with the 3-Day Embodied Soul Reset, I would also love to hear how that experience has been supporting you as you continue to integrate and move forward.
And if anything came up for you as I shared this, please feel free, whatever came up any insight or any takeaway you took.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for walking this path.
Thank you for your willingness to explore, to receive, and to continue discovering the many ways your own soul communicates with you.
Remember:
You are not here to chase the next thing that will make you whole. You are here to discover the wholeness that is already within you and to become more available to embody it.
I’ll see you next time.
