Full Moon Meditations - Presence

Today the moon is full.
Let us meditate on what it is to be present in each moment.

FEEL!   

 ALLOW! 

  ACCEPT!

Do not resist what you are feeling.
There is no right or wrong emotion.
There is no negative or positive in this moment.
There is just you and what you feel, right NOW.


FEEL and RELEASE
ACCEPT each emotion
Then LET GO! 
That moment has passed.
into the next ONE.


Do not hang on to these feelings as they keep you bound.
Love yourself enough to let go.

The Road to Now.

Sometimes life... gets in the way. We fall behind in all of the things that a tiny part of us has us convinced that we are supposed to be doing.

The sum of the last two weeks hasn't been horrible, it hasn't been brilliant either. It has had beautiful moments from both of these categories. The last couple weeks has also come fully equipped with lovely "life lessons" at no extra cost. The only thing that was ever asked was that I "pay attention". Some times it can be hard to shut off the self critical voice in your head long enough to do that. As they say... practice makes the master. Meditation music shuts up the voice too.... Wonderful conversation also shuts off the voice. 

Within the last couple weeks I have been as random and in the moment as I can be. In some instances I haven't been this "present" since I was a teenager. I think my soul needed that... I think everyones soul needs that sometimes. To be free of all it's chains. If we live our life according to other people's wishes and expectations we have as many chains attached to us as we can carry.

We have gone out more this summer than we have in the last 2 years. Which is both good and bad... on the bright side, this summer has been chalk full of amazing memories. I am concerned about the winter months. I do not want us to coop ourselves up all winter and get depressed because it is so easy to do that. I dislike the cold weather so that right there can keep me inside. I don't have a job outside the house and the kids are in school all day so it is almost too easy for me to stay inside. So I feel that this winter will present itself with lovely lessons all about balancing indoors with outdoors and how to incorporate social activities into wintertime. Enough focus on seasonal death, back to life.

Sometimes life just gets in the way. The last few weeks have seemed very much to me as though I am aware of two different worlds. One that is predominately run by fear and another that is very loving and amazing. In the moment, my sense of time slows down and I am able to focus more on the infinite number of choices that are available at any number of times. If I wanted to I could even ponder the infinite number of outcomes that might come into being based on whichever choice I make. I can choose to react in a response to my feelings of fear or in a way that is loving and free. Why would I place my faith in my fears when love is an option?  I am conscious of my consciousness. In a state of awareness, I observe my consciousness. This has even allowed me to delve into specific thinking patterns.

Observing my thinking patterns have made me aware of certain negative patterns that have in the past prevented me from "being my best". Our lives are the sum of what we create, think and feel internally. So if we are thinking in a way that is counter-productive to our goals... we might end up feeling like we aren't good enough or the world is against us. In actuality it has been us all along, thinking and feeling like everyone was against us until we begin to act nervous and sketchy. Just think, that could snowball into us avoiding other people all because we nurtured a thought that told us a lie and we believed it and eventually placed our faith in it. Say one of my dreams was to perform at a huge venue... do you think my performance would be spectacular if I didn't believe I deserved it or was good enough to be performing in the first place? I would be surprised if I didn't get stage fright. It can be hard to be at your best if you aren't feeling your best inside.

My spouse and I are both guilty of doing this... different thoughts and different circumstances. Practice truly does make the master. I am aware of the pits of doom that are contained within my conscious mind and by observing and continually being aware, I am able to change and refine my entire conscious body of water. One rock, the rock of awareness... creating a ripple of change.

Have there been instances in your life where your mind has proven counterproductive to your dreams?

Do not feed the blogger.

It has been almost 2 weeks since my last post. At the time of writing this my sidebar is cluttered with giveaways that have all expired. Let it be known it is a work in progress. Winners will be announced later today and some have already been emailed! I can't promise this will be the last time I duck out momentarily. I go where I am needed and the need hasn't been here. It doesn't change the love though lovelies. :-)

I will have more giveaways coming up in the next couple weeks but until the kids go back to school it will mostly be product/book reviews that I need to catch up on, my alternative healing posts and me. <3

The Metal Element

The Metal Meridians:
2 different Meridians make up the Metal element in our bodies. Those meridians are the Large Intestine and the Lung. They manage your respiration and the health of your bowels and skin. The Lung Meridian is in charge of your breathing. Slow and regular breaths indicate that you are relaxed. The large intestine handles your food, further filtering and refining what you ingest. It is a mover of sorts, enabling you to dispel physical and emotional waste.

Emotions:
Grief

Note: It is possible to have your energy become frozen or blocked on any specific meridian. If your energy is blocked on a metal meridian you may find yourself continually mourning the past. This can prevent you from moving ahead in your life and may prevent you from letting go, forgiving, or healing past traumas.

Colors:
White, Silver and Gray

Taste:
Spicy

Sound:
Weeping

Season:
Autumn

Metal in Balance:
Lives a life in abundance, justice, hope and honor. In touch with spiritual side.

Metal Imbalance:
When metal is out of balance, foods may effect you negatively. You may in turn develop acne, hives or eczema. (Consider the instances of temporary allergies. The body will react accordingly to the circumstances surrounding you at any given point in your life.) The metal element allows you to heal lifes painful experiences and replace them with hope.

With a Metal Imbalance you might overuse or avoid pepper, salsa and other spicy condiments all together. Disease and various symptoms that are associated with the Metal element include: asthma, delayed menstruation, sinus problems, colds and bronchitis, dry or chapped skin, constipation, diarrhea, acne, eczema, frontal headache and pain and tension along the Metal Meridians.

Unwind your clocks

Here is a relaxation exercise that I am going to pass on to you today!

Imagine a Clock
One hand is moving backwards
As the hand moves counterclockwise
You find yourself feeling more relaxed
Numbers pass by and the feeling of relaxation grows...

When the hand reaches 11
You are more relaxed than you were at 12.

When the hand reaches 10
You are more relaxed than you were at 11.

By the time this slow moving clock reaches 12
You are deeply relaxed.
You feel an inner peace like no other.



Give yourself a hug! You deserve it, you are fantastic!

The Earth Element

The Earth Meridians:
The earth keeps us grounded, giving us physical and emotional balance. When mixed with the water element it creates your sexuality and fertility. The two meridians that belong to the Earth element are that of the Spleen and the Stomach. The Spleen Meridian is responsible for building blood and the Stomach Meridian is responsible for digesting food. Together they regulate the digestive process, the menstrual cycle and our emotional reaction patterns.

Emotion:
Sympathy

Taste:
Sweet

Sound:
Singing

Color:
Yellow, Brown and Orange

Season:
Late Summer, frequent weather changes.

Earth In Balance:
When Earth is in balance feelings of stability, being present in the moment, and loving where you are in your life resonate throughout your being. You are filled with an understanding that some days are more productive than others. Because Earth's season is late summer when the weather frequently changes, we are able to enjoy our day and express feelings of joy regardless of the weather outside.

Earth Imbalance:
When the Earth element is out of balance it is common to feel sympathy at the expense of self, or to ignoring the needs of others or yourself. Constant craving for sweets even if you have managed to kick the white sugar habit is a sign that your earth element is out of balance. Other diseases or ailments that are common with an Earth Imbalance are: Canker sores, stomach/abdominal pain, ulcers, nausea, vomiting, eating disorders, diabetes, yeast infections, PMS infertility, irregular ovulations, hypoglycemia, self-pity, mood swings, and tension and pain along the Earth Meridians.

The Story of Cosmetics

Feel free to visit the website.

I read an interesting comment on You tube about how the amounts were so small in some things and then they compared the toxins to cyanide in apples.

Cyanide in apples is found in the seeds, the reason apples are "safe" is because we do not generally consume the seeds. Granted some children do and they would have to consume a large amount of apples before they suffered from cyanide poisoning.

When you consume or absorb a small amount of Chemical A here and a small amount of Chemical B there what we so often neglect to realize is that slowly these chemicals are mutating our cellular structure and genetic material into something different overtime. So essentially our tiny molecules are dancing with toxic tiny molecules and forming bonds.

It is no different than the pharmaceuticals we so often use to treat our common ailments eventually assisting the viruses resistance to these same pharmaceuticals, we over drug and in turn we continue to add more synthetic things to our bodies. Hoping to achieve a balance that is unrealistic.  Many of these compounds haven't been tested as much as we believe they have been. Cut costs, put it on shelves, make money.

We have become naive sheep that believe that if we can buy it on the shelves in the grocery store that it is safe to consume. That way of thinking almost killed my cat.

We bought the big fuzzy phoenix some flea stuff at the grocery store. It was on sale and we just happened to need it at the time. She had a major reaction and she was convulsing and panting. She was panicking and we couldn't get her to drink any water. Hubby gave her a bath to get the stuff off of her (Hartz... I will never buy it again) and so she would lick her fur and get some water into her system. She ended up fine, but as it turns out there is an entire website dedicated to victims of this product. They STILL sell it in groceries stores.

A friend told me that someone important (can't remember who...) compared Homeopathic medicine to a drop in a body of water and she wanted to know what I thought. I slept on it and called her the next morning (the answer came while still in bed the next morning) with an answer that can equally be applied to toxins and healing herbs.

"A drop of oil can contaminate a well"
"A drop of bleach can kill bacteria within a well"

What is the concentration of that drop in your "body of water"?

Burdock Root Tea

Now that we know how to brew different kinds of roots and herbs I'll start telling you some random herbs and the benefit of teas with those herbs in them.

This week is Burdock Root.

A tea made with Burdock root helps detoxify the body, cleansing the liver and purifying your blood. Because it purifies the blood it can be used to relieve some skin disorders. It also aids with digestion and balancing the blood sugar.

Burdock root has been used as a diuretic and to help release uric acid from the kidneys and blood. Some gout sufferers find relief drinking Burdock Root tea.

Burdock Root is rich in many vitamins and minerals including:

Vitamins -  A, B, C, E, P

Minerals - Chromium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Iron, Potassium, Sulfur, Iodine, Silicon, Zinc, Magnesium, and Calcium

Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thomson

This book has made the list for top 5 most interesting books I have read this year. It comes laced with pros and cons that will vary on the scale depending on your own individual perspectives.

First of all Anatomy of the Soul is highly informative. I love studying and cross referencing different religions and beliefs and this book was able to unveil and broaden additional perspectives that were both different and at the same time similar to the Christian beliefs in a way that doesn't benefit any small group of people or organization.  Instead it becomes personal.  Your mind is the key to living a good pure life. Emotional memory  + Subject/Object of focus = Your Spiritual experience.

Simple enough right.

Okay, there were some fantastic psychological perspectives addressed, including attachment issues, overcoming those issues and building strong pathways in your brain. In some instances, depending on what we faced in our childhood, we may have to build better behaviors from scratch. Picture if you would an awesome tool box with shiny, guaranteed for life tools but deep inside that tool box there are old rusty tools that have been taped up and are ready to break any day. Well we need to replace those tools with some better ones. Do you like that? I came up with that analogy the other day. It takes time to collect the right tools, it isn't the new one that is so hard to learn... it is parting with the old one. We are afraid that our brand new shiny tool won't be as reliable as the old rusty one. How funny is that!

What did however bother me though, was something that didn't necessarily get under my skin but I felt that thousands of people would take the wrong way. Perhaps, even put down before they even gave it a chance. In the introduction, God is mentioned in nearly every sentence, sometimes frequently in the same sentence. The frequency bothered me grammatically, the fact that religion can be touchy for some people made me feel a little stronger about it. I felt that some people who may be open minded enough to accept the perspective might feel overwhelmed by the frequency enough to deter them from reading.

If that doesn't bother you I really encourage the read. Concepts are compared with scripture, the last half of the book presents various amounts of scripture to further emphasize what has been covered. Even if you are on the path of change I encourage you to read this book simply because... when a rock (change) is thrown it creates a ripple (more change). Something can always be learned from someones perspective. We are mirrors of one another you see...

About the Author:
Curt Thomson, M.D. is a psychiatrist in private practice in Fall Church, Virginia and founder of Being Known, an organization which develops teaching programs, seminars and resource materials to help individuals explore the connection between interpersonal neurobiology.


Disclaimer: I received this book from Tyndale Media Center for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

About the Book:
The periodic table is one of science's crowning achievements. But it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in The Disappearing Spoon. Follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

My thoughts:

I'm a bit of a nerd/geek so I was really intrigued but the sheer thought of reading this book. Rightfully so, it is fantastic! It is laid out in such a fashion that anyone who has absolutely no background in Chemistry will be able to follow it and learn a thing or two about why the periodic table is set up the way it is and why some elements struggle to create and maintain bonds while others excel (sounds like some people I know!) I find I am able to learn things when I have interest in it and hearing all of these stories really helps me visualize everything as it were. Now that you have gotten my imagination involved.... tell me more! It is like listening to an old grandfather tell stories about back in his day. Except, the man is not old and lots of the stories are long before his time. So, don't expect to read "Back in my day..." anywhere in the book.

It has been interesting reading about some conflicting theories/public perspectives as the different elements were being discovered and interesting to read how dramatic you may find the scientific prestige.  One story that I found particularly interesting was the story of Medeleev. Long before he was enrolled in an educationally institution he had experienced more in his life than most people in its entirety. This beautiful tale of sacrifice really helps paint a vivid picture of this man.

One thing worth noting, footnotes are not found at the bottom of each page. Instead there is an index in the back broken down by chapter. Then the page number follows along with extended information about that topic. I found it a clever way to keep the book organized.

About the Author:
Sam Kean is a writer in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, The Believer, and The New Scientist. In 2009 he won the National Association of Science Writers' runner-up award for best science writer under the age of thirty. He is currently working as a reporter at Science Magazine and was a 2009 Middlebury Environmental Journalism fellow.

Giveaway
Hachette Book Group has kindly offered two copies of The Disappearing Spoon to my readers!

To Enter:
Leave a comment below with your email! That is it...
Please, nothing generic though.. like "I want to win this"
Hey even if you need to rant about your day... I'm a good ear :)

Bonus Entries:
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Giveaway Rules:
Contest is open to residents of Canada and the US with a valid Street address. No P.O. Boxes please!
Closes August 18th, 2010. Winners will be selected via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email before a new winner is selected!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Hachette Book Group for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Brainwaves and a Delta Wave Meditation

I'm been doing a lot of reading on the different brainwaves and have been incorporating them with my mediations. For those of you who aren't familiar with them it goes something like this:

Gamma:
Inspiration, High Learning, Focus (fastest brainwaves)

Beta:
Alert, Concentration, Cognition

Alpha:
Relaxation, Visualization, Creativity

Theta:
Meditation, Intuition, Memory

Delta:
Healing, Sleep, Detached Awareness (slowest brainwaves)

Progressive Relaxation

Active progressive Relaxation is essentially muscle tensing followed by a conscious effort to relax the muscles. The idea behind it is that once you have consciously felt the difference between tension and relaxation it may be easier for you to induce relaxation. Progressive relaxation teaches you to be more aware of daily tension.

Fifty years ago a man named Edmund Jacobsen developed a series of over 200 exercises that were designed specifically to relax the muscles by teaching muscle awareness. Jacobsen believed that "An anxious mind cannot exist within a relaxed body."

Much of our tension is the result of impressions of memory that have been stored in specific areas of our body and often times can manifest themselves as a physical ailment later in life if those traumas are not healed. Which is often why some people during relaxation/body scans exercises are able to feel pain in a certain area and then have flashbacks of memory when asked to focus on that area and allow themselves to experience it.

Two types of relaxation were developed from Jacobsen's original exercise: Active Progressive and Passive Progressive. Those of you whose tension is easily aggravated may benefit more from the Passive Progressive Relaxation.

Winners Circle

The winner of their own choice of soap from Thistle Delight is...

Comment #131 - Grace

I am emailing you now!

Don't forget to enter the other giveaways that are running including the UnderWAY giveaway which is only open to Canadians (unfortunately)... it is super LOW ENTRY and 10 winners will be selected!!