Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Experience: When Do You feel Anger, Fear, Grief, Love ????

How do you know when you’re comfortable, in pain, bored, or terrified?.....
How do you know when you trust or don’t trust someone?......
How do you know when you’re happy, said, pleased, disappointed, or neutral?....
Remember the last time you laughed so hard that you cried and the last time you cried your heart out.  Even though in both situations tears came out of your eyes, didn’t you know the difference?......
Did you know that from thinking about it or from feeling it in your body?.....
The next time you’re angry, frustrated, peaceful, scared, or in grief, ask yourself…. Where in my body do I experience this feeling/emotion?......  what are the specific sensations of this feeling/emotion?.......
We have no feelings unless we have physical ones.  It is through our bodies that we know love, that we receive it and give it… and other emotions.  Even when we speak, our bodies often contradict our words……
When we become more aware that we have inside us resources for knowing and evaluating, then we begin to develop an inner source of confidence, which has repercussions in our self-concepts, self-esteem, morality, and behavior, as well as in our relationships, health, and creativity.
What we reject in ourselves is usually what we most need to befriend.  Once we accept it and respond with compassion, it can heal or blossom….
What we need to learn is how to be an accepting, kind, and understanding friend to our own bodies, as we are with our dear friends…. When we establish an amicable relationship with our bodies, they are sure to respond in kind…. With comfort, pleasure, energy, strength, flexibility, ease… and wisdom…..
If you’re interested in transforming your life, a shift in attitude will take you a long way…..
Discovering the Body’s Wisdom by Mirka Knaster

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Why do we feel alienated and lost?

Few of us have lost our minds, but most of us have long ago lost our bodies. – Ken Wilber
Most of us have punished, abused, hated, or ignored our bodies at some time, if not regularly.  Not much has changed over time.  Stop to consider what has happened in your life.  Where there reasons you might give some thought to here?….
Were some inherited?  What did the religion of your family teach you about the body?  Is it something to be ashamed of or joyfully celebrated?...  Is your body a blessing or a curse?...  Are some part of your body acceptable but others not even mentionable?... Is the spirit high and good but the body low and bad?...
Were you physically abused?... Sexually abused?... Did it make you hate your body as the scene of the crime and want to escape it?...  Did you numb your whole body or certain areas to the pain in order to survive, cope, and adjust?...  Did a rape or beating make you dissociate from and leave your body?....  Did you come away with the belief that the body is a source of pain and powerlessness rather than pleasure and power?...
When you were growing up, did your family touch affectionately or have little to no physical contact?...  Was masturbation disapproved of or allowed?...  In you social group, were outward displays of closeness considered improper manners or expected behavior?...   Were people proud of their physicality, or did they try to hide their bodies?...  Did they hold themselves stiff or swing their hips?...  Was sex considered natural and pleasurable or something to be despised yet endured?....  Were menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth rued as woman’s curse or considered a celebration of life?....
Were  you even in a serious car accident?... Have you been mugged, raped, kidnapped, or robbed?....  Did you undergo a terrifying surgery?...  Were you in a war?...Were the experiences so painful and frightening that feeling became unbearable?...   Do you still flinch and avoid certain things?...
Did you even inflict hurt on someone else, even unintentionally?....  Did you ever kill a person or animal, even accidentally?...  Did you ever hit someone younger, smaller, or less powerful?...  Do you wish you could vacate the body that committed the damage?... 
When we’re taught to hate our bodies, we’re also taught to disconnect from them.  The origins of how we feel and live in our bodies are many underlying attitudes and beliefs that prevail in our families, cultures, and educational systems. 
We repress the experience of our bodies to protect ourselves from threatening pleasure and pain.  We also become disconnected when others take over the functions of detecting our own bodily states and estimating our strengths, weaknesses, needs or desires.  How often have you continued to take a medication after it has ceased being effective only because it was prescribed for you, not because of what you felt in your body?....  You can use bodyways to help you get back in contact with your own body so that you, not someone else, knows when and how much to eat, sleep, drink, exercise, work, play and so on…..
And the more at home you are in your body, the more competent you will feel.  Knowing your personal boundaries, respecting your body, and being in touch with its wisdom and power can all contribute toward freeing yourself from feeling overpowered by others….As a victim or potential victim… When we are truly embodied, living fully from within our bodies, that feeling gives us a presence that is empowering.
Discovering the Body’s Wisdom by Mirka Knaster 

Monday, November 28, 2011

Walking Bear - Shamanism

Shamanism is perhaps the oldest system with which man has sought connection with creation, yet it has no scriptures or dogma. It doesn't tell you to worship one god, or to associate only with those who hold the same beliefs.
Shamanism is concerned with what goes on beneath the surface of things - why certain situations occur in our lives and why we act as we do. It is concerned with the nature of our creation - why and how we came to be.
 Shamanism takes nature as its teacher. It is concerned with the natural flow of life and with showing respect to our fellow creatures and to one another. North American medicine men are similar to African witchdoctors in their belief in the power of the earth. Those who share these beliefs have often been misunderstood and regarded with suspicion and fear. Medieval witches were burnt and, more recently, Native Americans killed and their ancestral homes seized. The Aborigines face discrimination, and the development of the modern world draws Inuit and other native peoples away from their traditional ways.
 Shamanism would seem to be hanging on by a thread. Because all is connected, this is also true of humanity and the globe. In the West, there has been a resurgence of interest in nature-based religions, shamanism among them. Shamanism is not complicated. Many people conduct their lives in a shamanistic manner without referring to it in that way. For others, the word shamanism describes this energy perfectly. 
Shamanism is not about becoming a Native American Indian. It is about trying to reach our full potential as we walk on planet earth. Recently people have begun to blend different faiths from around the world. We may meditate like Buddhists, pray like Native Americans and use tarot for personal development, bringing knowledge from many sources to create positive energy and a better planet.
 Shamanism is natural and is only as magical as we believe it to be. A student once asked a great teacher, a very deep question about why a ceremony was carried out in a particular manner. He replied, "Don't ask me, I just work here." His answer illustrates that when we have an affinity with this path it can feel as if we are wondrous tools in life's great mystery. We sense that life around us is an extension of ourselves, and acts as a giant instruction manual on how to live life. Shamanism is in part a study of our environment, which is a big reflection of who we are. All the information we need is around us. We only need to know how to look for it.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Let’s try an exercise… using our body to change our mood.

Remember the last time you felt sad, depressed, or aggravated over some loss.  Picture and/or feel how your body was.  Were your shoulders rounded and your , chest drawn in as if to protect your heart from more hurt?...Did you keep your eyes cast downward?  If you were fortunate to have a friend or partner  put her or his arm around you did that touch allow you to expand even just a little bit, to feel less alone in your body?...Were you able to take a deeper breath?  Did the physical comfort ease some of your emotional tension?...

If you have any sad or depressed feelings now, straighten your posture but without forcing anything.  Lift and open your chest so that your shoulders unwind themselves; pick up your head so it isn’t falling forward, then look straight up at the ceiling as you tilt your head back. ..

Whenever I sense I may be on the verge of crying in a situation where it’s not appropriate, all I do is gaze upward and suddenly the urge for tears is gone.  If you find yourself feeling sad while driving a car, lengthen and straighten your spine by pushing down with your  
buttocks and reaching with the top of your head toward the roof of the car…  Instead of slumping over the steering wheel, straighten and lengthen your arms. …
To deal with emotions other than sadness, you can try a different exercise.  For example, even if you’re not angry or anxious right now, you can practice by thinking of and picturing something or someone that really gets you furious or .  Fearful.  Get worked up……
Really feel it…...
Pay attention to how you’re breathing .  Is your breath short or shallow?.... Is your heart beating wildly?....  These are some of the physical sensations that go along with anger and anxiety…
Now consciously breathe deeply and slowly:  Fully inhale into you abdomen, chest, and back, then gradually let out all the air….
Do this until each round of breathing exercise is effortless…
Notice that as you have changed physically, you have also calmed down emotionally.  Are you still irate or angry?...  You used your body to affect your mind. 
Discovering the Body’s Wisdom by Mirka Knaster

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Experience: Observing your breath

Stop for a moment and notice how fast, slow, shallow, or deep your breath is.  Don’t make any effort to change it.  Just watch your breath as it enters your nostrils, fills your lungs, and expands your chest.  Notice how it makes your abdomen inflate or rise when you breathe in.  Then, as you breathe out, feel how your belly deflates and falls and your chest drops back…..  Did the air coming into your nostrils feel cold or warm?.. When the air touched the area above your upper lip as it came out of your nostrils, was it cold or warm?...  Did you breathe in and out through both nostrils, or in one and out the other? …. After several breaths, has each breath become easier or more labored?.... Do you feel calmer or more anxious?... Has your heartbeat slowed down or speeded up?...

Any emotional response you have will immediately change your breathing pattern.  Simply becoming aware of your breathing changes it, but without any active intention or effort to do so.  The mere observation of our natural functions is enough to connect us with our body and what it wants to do, given the opportunity.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Mindfulness...

Mindfulness…
The closer we come to knowing  how and living in a way that honors and reflects wholeness,  the greater will be the quality of balance and harmony that we experience in our lives.  A good place to begin is exactly where you are.   Begin by bringing your mind to a place where it doesn’t stray.  If it strays, bring it back.  Use your breathing technique silently letting your breath guide you into a steady focus on the present moment and begin by balancing your rhythmic breathing.   Your mental energy will gradually begin to settle and stabilize with your calming and mindful breathing.   Mindfulness requires being fully present, here and now.  You can only manage the moment.  Every moment is an opportunity to increase your awareness.   Mindfulness is not some strange abstract or imaginary exercise.  It is a productive way to bring your life alive and in balance and to discover what is real and true for you.  By staying focused on what you are doing and thinking will help you get back on track.  .. simply noticing which way your attention is most drawn  will help you become more balanced in the present.  You begin to see clearly what is really going on inside you.  The essence of mindfulness is to be aware of what you are sensing, feeling, thinking, wanting, and intending to do at any given moment.   Your real source of balance lies in remembering that you are more than the chatter that you hear in your head.  You are also the presence of mind that knows these thoughts… you  are able to see through them to the creative intelligence that underlies and sustains them.    As you learn to understand how your body, your communications, and your behavior, you will feel more confident and better equipped to guide the course of your life and find balance moment to moment , day to day.
Living In Balance, Joel Levey and Michelle Levey

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Dorena shares her experience about the body's wisdom


Nothing is wholly separate and independent. If you alter any one dimension of a system you influence all the others. What changes structure changes our mind and heart. All that exists in the revealed world has a living force within it. Born at the time when human consciousness began to grow; awakening to realities more subtle than those of the everyday world, has led me to the idea that everything in nature has a soul and every healer employs a method of healing that is hers and hers alone.
As a keeper of culture and tradition, I am an initiator of the mysteries and the secret knowledge to the connection with the invisible world and the supernatural energies that derive from it. I believe that all natural disorders (diseases) are a reaction of the disturbances created by humans. Health is restored to the sick by re-establishing the balance between the person and the cosmos and exorcising the disturbances with rituals, herbs, Reiki, and other natural medicines.
To access cosmic forces requires a high degree of knowledge. Becoming a shaman takes years of painful initiation and many initiates die from the hardship involved. I have undergone many trials. My personality and nervous resistance was tested. It was through active initiation that I was introduced to experience other realities.
In Reiki, my hands pass over the clients body. I can literally experience their pain in my body. The aura materializes to reveal diseased tissues and / or organs. Healing is then concentrated on the aura to restore its color. To heal, we must rebalance the mental, physical, and spiritual energies. Meditation has allowed me to move into the body to decipher messages from the cells.
Once Ive decided on what the establishment is reflecting and valuing, I am able to speed up the recovery. If I try to overcome what is going on, my own personal awareness becomes stiff. My body provides information like a dialogue corresponding carefully, needless to say, teaching at the same time. Even though the clients questions might be different, it is as though new patterns of thought are being nurtured. My tissues promote healing so as to be expressed spontaneously. By changing illness, weve changed tension and stress. The body is released and some spiritual part or clue is revealed. There awakens the soul.
Criticized by who I knew, created confusion and whispers broke out. Personable, willing to travel, and come February, would bring a trip that would stimulate me. The gentle sounds of nature are a great importance to my body. I can feel the power and have lived in a time when being alive acted as though the universe were a deliberate thought, more than an absolute emphasized, mathematical complement. And with much loss in the Christian faith, it is an interesting turnabout for this century.
Earth in its embracing sacred display offers the self and the world a chance for the changes to be initiated. One example has been the use of humor to deal with circumstances and situations. Humor can be genuine, or it could be tears of a clown. Some of us become the victim or its opposite, the aggressor ( hurt before getting hurt). They wont let me change Just wait for the funding for the current research on the effects of complementary health, Reiki and other natural remedies Minds are physiological body systems; ordinary images having no favor expensive treatments as real. As I consider and pay attention to the dynamics around me, it gets easier to recognize these and many tactics.
Reiki is noninvasive and gentle. Reiki represents changes, consciousness, mild curiosity to experience the disease, accepting, pulling in the universal life force and recovering from illness or injury. One who experiences Reiki is less anxious ..more calm and relaxed. The answers come to our awareness with ease.
A little confusing at first, feeling healthy represents heightened awareness and acknowledging our responsibility in having created the situation or condition and being no longer afraid. Through loving connection and support, everything I believe to be true, has made me aware of the precious gift I had been born with. I am willing to release the need for resistance. Changes are immediate and lasting. The words, body systems, slowly being depleted and searching to the point of death into the unknown: these should be the most important functions of the body. This picture concerns us in our modern day logic, which I have come to realize so well on a spiritual and mental level. When we can maintain our positive energy with certainty we become a radiating center of light. Reiki is one way to give back.
I discovered that learning about the world in which we live, a responsible person is a giving person. To me, true prosperity begins with feeling good about myself. It is enough to move my work, to say these or whatever words come to mind. And it is the path leading back home. Healing happens, this is the mystery.
I remember as a mountain, sharing desires, information and material things with such focused awareness. I feared the night. The trees let in the light serving as a vertical protective force, dividing the dark half and the light half. There I found, can be a remarkable communication if one would just ask. When the trees were given the opportunity to spread, they notice everything I was thinking and feeling. The Adam and Eve trees are open and accepting, thats a fact. My being, once there, will be solid and protective. This story can lead us to so many more questions than those we already have questions about parallel worlds, what reality really is, and which is more solid, the spirit world or the world in which we live we mortals of the earth plane.
The old ways of natural belief provide moments of penetrating what we feel as guided. Natural talks about belief beyond energy, beyond the grasp of the intellect receiving a fulfilling answer reveal a spiritual strength and depth we may never previously have tapped or known about.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Light Workers Gift And The Indigo and Crystal Children


A Lightworker is one who volunteered, before birth, to help the planet and its population heal from the effects of fear. He or she is one who is here for a sacred purpose, however with all the material focus here on earth, they entered into a form of amnesia and forgot their identities and their abilities to help. They have forgotten what they signed up for, but are sensitive to the fact that they feel compelled to make the world a better place before leaving.
All humans are here for personal growth, and the Lightworkers are here for the same personal growth, but are also here on a global mission. The biggest of which is to teach about love in some form, though they are here for all sorts of missions such as healers, teachers, artists etc.
Lightworkers are considered earth, or human angels, and have been here for eons, and have probably been Lightworkers in other life times. They are the role models for others even though they feel different. They try to fit in and act normal but it doesnt usually work. Some feel as though they were dropped off on this planet by a space ship, and it isnt as though they wanted to come. They were told they were needed here by the heavenly recruiters.
Lightworkers have always come in answer to prayers from earth, and after WW2, and in the 1950s, they heard the prayers from here for additional angel help, so more and more came. There are many young Lightworkers and the Indigo children, who have a mission of their own, are here in answer to those Lightworkers prayers.
These angels may not know who they are, but if any of the following sounds like you maybe you are missing your calling:

You feel called to heal others.

You have mystical experiences.

You feel compelled to write, teach or council.

You know that you are here for a higher purpose even though unsure of what it is.

You hear an inner calling.

You are very giving, but need to learn to balance with receiving.

Many of you remember being asked, as a child, what do you want to be when you grow up? what you said then was a gift or clue as to what your mission is now, or at least in some form of the same.

The Indigo Child & the Crystal Child
The Indigo child is ushering in a new energy which is moving that energy from Patriarchal to Matriarchal, male to female. Findings from Pet Scans show they are right brained dominant. The left brain rules phonetics and the frontal lobe plans the future, but the right brain involves feelings, music, the abstract and the intuitive. All they need to see is a picture and they can spell the word. It is part of the human evolution process.
The Indigos are called that because they carry the Indigo color; the life color or aura seen around these people; for those of us who can see auras. They are replacing the fuchsia and magenta auras of yesteryear. All auras are representative of the generations of life colors which are relative to what our life purpose is. These children are the leaders and warriors of tomorrow. They are here to knock down the old structures and make the changes that are needed in order for us to move on to higher dimensions; the bridge from the 3rd to the 4th dimension.
They are bright, charming and impossible to live with. These children have a feeling of royalty, have difficulty with authority and get frustrated with any ritual that is without thought. They can often see a better way of doing things. Some may seem antisocial but are not shy and do not respond to guilt while letting you know what their needs are. For one thing they are more head than heart which give them the gift of being technology oriented and with the understanding of computers.
Indigo children refer to special emissaries, sent from heaven, bearing profound intent; they know exactly what they came here to accomplish. Don’t ask them what they want to be when they grow up. It doesn’t apply. But we can help them create their own disciplinary solutions and give them choices about everything. Explain why you give them instructions and listen to how it sounds to you. Never dictate without good solid reason. Allow them to be partners in raising themselves. They were born with refined communication skills and are leaders not followers, so dont try to get them to go into family businesses. Do not talk down to them. They do not respect people based on wrinkles and gray hair. You earn their respect. Let them tell you what they need. But do teach them to make good choices when it comes to the internet.
An Indigo child needs to manage anger that has been built up due to the direction the world is going in. When they are in a cranky mood they have cravings for sugar products and caffeine. They are inclined to bed wet. They have been labeled with ADD or ADHD, having an attention deficit disorder. This is wrong diagnosis and should not be handled with drugs; it will cloud what it is they are here to do. When these moods appear it is an indication that their Serotonin is low. There is a lack of sunshine which provides
Vitamin D and Melatonin which increases their Serotonin level. Exercise also increases the Serotonin levels. This provides for a good nights sleep, especially REM sleep, which applies to everyone. These children are sensitive to not only sugar, but chemicals and food additives (food coloring especially).
A big plus is to observe them interacting with others of their kind as well as interaction between parent and child and remembering they are children first. They excel in an environment where boundaries are clearly set regarding what is not acceptable, but where open exploration is encouraged with flexibility and adjustment on the part of the teacher or parent. In a nut shell, be firm but fair.
Most of all trusting one-self and others is basic in all healthy relationships. Children who operate from a secure and solid basis of trust can build mutuality and connectedness with others and a sense that somehow things will work out. Education must change to accommodate the Indigo children. Our future depends on it.
There are four types of Indigos. The Humanist, the Artist, the Conceptual and the Interdimensional. First the Humanists are the ones who will work with the masses. They will be tomorrows doctors, lawyers, teachers, salesman, businessmen and politicians. They will be the hyperactive and very social children with very strong opinions, and will be ferocious readers.
The second type will be the Artists who will be more sensitive, very creative and will be tomorrows teachers and artists. They could be surgeons or researchers and also musicians. They will usually be small in stature.
The third type, the Conceptual will be the engineers, architects, designers, astronauts, pilots and military police. There may be control issues and there may be some with addictions, and violent tendencies.
The fourth type is the inter-dimensional. They will be larger in stature and will bring the new philosophies and religions.
Many of them will come into their own by the year 2007.
Regarding schooling, Indigos as well as all children are smarter and better equipped mentally than schools are able to keep up with. Again many gifted children are mistakenly thought to be learning disabled and with the label of ADD or ADHD by their teachers as well as parents. But the fact is that when IQ testing was performed most were superior in verbal and visual spatial performance abilities. Still due to their behavior they are put on Ritalin or Cylert.
Another attribute is that they can read you like a book. They know if you are trying to manipulate them and have strong determinations to work things through for themselves. Outside guidance is only wanted if given in respect. Button pushing is met with resistance. The lesson is let them go no matter the age, because they are capable. Be aware and watch the process.
Leading into the Crystal generation of children who started coming in 1995, the difference is their temperament. Indigos have a warrior spirit since their purpose is to mash down old approaches that no longer serve us, and to squash governmental, educational and legal systems that lack integrity. They led the Crystal children with a machete chopping down anything that lacks integrity.
These children are very new on this earth, and they got their name because of the multi-colored auras, such as the crystal quartz prism effect. They are also interested in crystals and rocks. The first thing you notice is their eyes which are large and wise beyond their years. Most are happy, delightful and forgiving and prefer vegetarian meals and juices to regular food. They started arriving around 1995, though there are some who have been around longer. They are known as scouts. The Indigos also had scouts.
The crystal child as with Indigos has been given a label. Their gifts are misunderstood and some are considered to be autistic as they may be slow to talk. They are more telepathic. The problems arise when the medical and educational professionals judge them as having abnormal speaking patterns. The autistic child lives in a world of his or her own, in contrast to the Crystal child who is most connected, communicative and caring child of any generation. They are quite philosophical; showing kindness and sensitivity. They are labeled due to our systems not accommodating the process of continuing evolution.
They do have an authoritative air about them as if they are wise adults in little bodies. They are blissful and even tempered with only an occasional tantrum. They are psychic, musical, do not fake their feelings and are attracted to the ill, those in need and other crystal children. They may hum, grunt or paint and do sign language. One day they will become leaders in telepathy. It will be mind to mind communication. This ability can be polished or squelched depending on how others react to them.
These children are extremely artistic and creative and have spiritual abilities with a love for animals. They are sensitive to loud noises, crowds, temperature, clutter and disorganization. They love animals and being outdoors and dont need special toys for entertainment.
Regarding intelligence (quotient testing), there seems to be two kinds. The verbal that are usually down and non-verbal which are very high with overall scores being up collectively in contrast to the Indigos.
There is a third generation of children also starting to enter our world according to Doreen Virtue. They are the rainbow children. There isnt a lot written as of yet but according to her they are also a group of telepathic children. A subject for further investigation.
Though some Indigos arrived in the 1970s it wasnt until 1980 that an author named Nancy Ann Tappe, who had learned to see peoples life colors (auras), began noticing the auras around some of the children she encountered at that time. The color became their collective name.
At around age 26 or 27, according to Nancy Tappe, these children will come into their own. The older ones will have a strong knowing as to why they are here and the younger ones will also be clear as to what they are going to doing in this life. Up until that time their path is not and will not be clear, or is clear but blocked.
This paper expresses the work we all share in caring for these children; to help rid them of the anger they hold, and to give them the nutrition and love they need and are seeking. The anger which caused the Columbine tragedy, this was the killing of children by Indigo children who were looking for emotional wellness, namely love. Many parents and teachers do not understand the emotional needs of the powerful young beings and are in an emotional gridlock. The Indigos are here to help us elders learn emotional options and strategies for working with them so that we can evolve our own emotional adequacy and competency. We cannot deny the buildup of anger, abuse, violence and rage across the planet.
The medical, educational, faith based and mental health disciplines are not adequately addressing this emotional dysfunction. The stigma from generations past has made it hard for people to know what to do with anger. It is time to change and these children are part of that grand plan.
It is time for us to change also, and recognize that our competency for applying these principles in behalf of them lies in our own personal applications, because we are more comfortable dealing with acting out behaviors than an emotional issue. Much is to be learned and even more to be applied, since anger when manipulated and suppressed, accumulates in the uncontrolled, uncontrollable and the destructive condition of rage. Indigo childrens emotional needs and presence can be powerful and behaviorally challenging, and far too many families are either controlling or drugging them with authoritative force, and far too many parents are unaware that their child could be potentially gifted.
Indigos auras are as varied as there are shades of blue. Many of them are natural-born philosophers who think about the meaning of life and how to save the planet. Some are to be the gifted scientists, inventors and artists. Due to their intelligence they are mistakenly thought to be learning disabled or faultily labeled with ADHD, and are therefore being destroyed in the public education system.
When the Indigos are labeled it confirms and validates their inner feelings of being different. Instead of feeling happy that they are unique and have spiritual gifts and purpose, they feel ashamed of their differences. The price is high and they will be bound to chemical strait-jackets. Ritalin offers them the opportunity to fit in with the other kids and to please their parents and teachers, and it helps them escape the pain of feeling different. Ritalin may have been behind the shootings at Columbine and other violent behaviors, according to the National Narcotics Control Board.
Some of the characteristics they display are an excessive amount of energy. They are highly sensitive and bore easily. They are creative, strong willed and feel and act like royalty. There may be a history of depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts. They resist authority and prefer their own way of learning, especially reading and math. They cannot sit still unless absorbed in something of their own interest. They believe in themselves and can learn from an exploratory level and from just listening. Most candidly remark that they dont feel they belong here or I dont relate to my family, or no one understands me, I just stay angry.
Indigo children, gifted children and those labeled ADD or ADHD are almost always right brained dominant, which means they use their visual center of the brain more than the logic center. This includes nonverbal studies such as art, music, math, philosophy, psychology and the psychic arts. They need outlets to express their powerful energy. Because of their acute senses, they are easily distracted. If they become overwhelmed with sights, sounds and feelings they may withdraw into introversion.
A word that describes these Indigo children is sensitive. They are extremely sensitive to feelings, sound, nature, creatures and colors. With their intuitive abilities they can sense others thoughts and feelings and they can feel the integrity level of a stranger and sense when they are lied to. They have a love for animals and need them in their lives. They often bond with them and the animal offers the comfort these children need.
Indigo children have a fear of not experiencing adequate love. This fear was a buildup of anger that drove love away. The more the anger accumulated the greater the fear. The love they get is not comforting, touching or supporting them, so they create a strategy for surviving without it. Rage is a part of it and a condition that develops because they feel it has power and keeps them from experiencing the sadness that is stored below the surface. It is a desperate cry for love.
If we the elders are incapable of loving ourselves then we are incapable of helping others. We have untapped emotional potential and we are in these childrens lives to help them develop emotional maturity and integration. At the same time they can give us an opportunity to expand so that both sides can experience more love. First we need to honor our own need by making good choices and honoring our priorities.
Our childrens anger is about needs we have been unable to meet based on our current capacities. Increasing our capacities often requires making changes within ourselves and within our lives. Once we identify those changes and begin making them we will have greater capacity to help the children attract what they need.
Every individual has a life purpose; a personal one and a global one. Their personal purpose involves certain characteristics you are trying to develop such as patience and compassion. The global purpose involves discovering developing and using your natural talents and interests to help other people and the planet. Some peoples purpose affects a few and others help thousands.
The indigo children share a similar global purpose and will follow their inner guidance to usher in a new age of peace. Their role in the world today has ancient roots when people were more peaceful and loving. They are compelled to help others despite the fact that their self-esteem has taken a beating, and despite the abuse perpetrated by teachers, parents and other school children. They need guidance on how to channel their altruism as they are here to show us how to trust our intuition and become more telepathic.
The Indigos won’t betray their true inner feeling unless they are forced to by parents, teachers or their intuition is drowned in Ritalin or other medications. This is what happened in the 1960s when the first generation of Indigos arrived. They were to bring integrity to our government and other systems, but got distracted by heavy drug use. They were disheartened by the Vietnam War and Watergate and got side tracked, and became known as the hippie generation. These new children will be more focused if given the chance.
Several ADD and ADHD experts state that if the children would jog once or twice a day, it would virtually eliminate the need for Ritalin prescriptions. Exercise is important. These children are also sensitive to unnatural chemicals such as household cleaning agents, food additives, dyes and good coloring which worsen their hyperactivity. They do not have a tolerance for artificial smells such as perfumes and cologne.
Diet has also been blamed for ADD and ADHD. The children feel they are receiving an adrenalin rush which is still in the meat when an animal is killed. Fast foods affect them negatively making them feel they have to hurry through life. A more balanced diet will help them focus their attention, especially if refined white sugar and flour is eliminated. It is too much of a rush of energy rather than a slow release. A diet of fresh fruits and vegetables and live food (grains), uncooked, unfrozen and un-canned along with no juicing that last longer than 20 min before drinking, is best so the life force is not removed.
Low blood sugar is also an underlying problem with the Indigos. It can be caused by too much sugar that causes agitation, anger and irritability. But never skip their breakfast even if it has to be left over pizza. Small snacks of trail mix, nuts or peanut butter sandwich will quickly stabilize their blood sugar.
It has also been noted that vitamin and mineral supplements lead to significant improvement in behavior. Fatty acids such as flaxseed oil would help with the deficiency they may have.
One of the changes that could be met is in the schools, and more precisely, homework. It is a stressor for families as well as the children. Huge amounts of homework that these children find boring and useless. The reason they are here is to change the educational, political, medical and legal systems and they need our help and respect. And as we heal ourselves and them, it will change the consciousness of the planet and the universe.
References:
Lancaster, Dianne. Anger and the Indigo Child, Boulder, Colorado. Wellness Press, 2002
Virtue, Doreen, Ph.D. The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children. Carslbad, California, Hay House, Inc. 2001.Canada. Raincoast, 2004
Carroll, Lee and Jan Taber, Indigo Children. The New Kids Have Arrived. Carlsbad, Calirfornia Hay House, Inc. 2005
Virtue, Doreen, Ph.D. The Crystal Children A Guide to the Newest Generation of Psychic and Sensitive Children. . Carlsbad, California Hay House, Inc. 2003
Virtue, Doreen, Ph.D. Indigo,Crystal, and Rainbow Children. Hay House, Inc.,2005
http://www.hayhouse.com


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Some thoughts regarding Shaman practitioners

Shaman practitioners should be as equally respected as the allopathic physician would be. Medicine reflects patterns that run deep in our culture. For fifty thousand years shamans have used expectation and suggestion to help people heal. An important aspect of Shamanism is that it provides us with ancient means of solving everyday problems as well as lifes major issues.
Medicine which took shape in the second half of the nineteenth century was not devoid of this understanding although most doctors left it decidedly in the background. Compared to the spectacular physical effects of therapies such as antibiotics, vaccines, and irradiation, the minds effects seemed trivial. Moreover, by the middle of the twentieth century many authorities claimed there was simply no need for the concept of mind or consciousness, these terms were merely unnecessary symbols of the brain.
A shaman is a healer, a person who helps others. A shaman works with the energy that connects human beings to the incredible power of the Universe a work that involves journeying and shifting back and forth between realties.
Shifting mind sets or moving between worlds in full consciousness is a subtle and delicate process. Learning to do this requires the ability to change ones perception, to drop limiting assumptions, to allow for the possibility of an expanded reality. Shamanism is a way in which we can expand our knowledge by expanding our awareness of the world around us.
The wisdom of these indigenous, land-based people of the earth can help guide us to a re-balancing of our nature and of the natural environment that is necessary for survival in a world of increasing interdependency.
A shaman is defined as an individual who received the power to cure directly from supernatural beings through dreams, visions, or spirit possession. This opposes them to the bone setters, herbalists, etc. who derive their power to cure from a naturalistic knowledge of curative substances and techniques. The existence of these other types of cures in the native tradition shows that naturalistic philosophies are part of native Meso American thought and that shamans are just one type of healer. Yet, because they deal with an emotionally charged world beyond ordinary perceptions, they are often regarded as the most powerful healing specialists.
Shamans may also use non-magical treatments such as herbal medicines, but these are used within the context of an overall magical treatment. Although the patient may benefit from the biomedical effects of the herbs, he or she is led to see them as part of an overall magic solution to the problem.
A model of how the world is constructed lies behind shamanic healing. Shamanism is simply based on the laws of nature as Native Americans see them. This traditional world view is fundamentally animistic. People believe that an animating force is contained within all living things and moving objects. Animating forces are the essence of life. An animating force is usually called a soul al alma in European languages, but this translation distorts its meaning by adding irrelevant Christian connotations. Anthropologists have sometimes conceptualized the idea of animating forces as a visit by the shaman to another spirit world. The traditional shaman seeks greater awareness of what is in this world, not awareness of another world. Uncontaminated animistic philosophy is relatively simple. All things move and act because their animating forces give them the power to do so. In the native world view, no distinction is made between symbolic physical effects or between psychological and medicinal causality. All significant actions are the result of animating forces at work. The forces exist in a hierarchy of power with the sun and moon at the top and the stones at the bottom. The animating forces of humans are in between these two extremes. Humans have total power over stones, which have no animating force, but no power to change the motion of the sun or stars, which have powerful animating forces. Humans dominate animals. Beings that are more powerful dominate humans. The traditional shaman seeks knowledge of these forces. The traditional shamans quest for knowledge has its own spiritual rewards beyond being simply a practical means of curing. The community is drawn into the quest and support it as a religious calling.
When herbalists and shamans exist in the same community, the herbalists are enlisted for routine medical problems where sorcery is not suspected and where a positive outcome is likely. When illness proves to be more intractable, a shaman is called in to deal with the underlying animating force. The shaman, on the other hand, confronts the underlying animating forces.
Shamanic curing begins with a consultation. The consultation has several important dimensions. First, the consultation is a visit to a person with special professional knowledge. Second, by means of visions the shaman may also consult other more powerful beings. It is a necessary first step in a cure that links the patient to beings that can help him or her. For this reason, the consultation practically always includes prayers and offerings. The linking of the patient and shaman to higher powers is almost a reflective act in which the presence of the supernatural is constantly brought to mind through hundreds of small altars in houses, on the roadside, and in public places.
Diagnosis depends on the knowledge of how different illnesses manifest themselves. A shaman acquires such knowledge from study, visions, and experience. Each type of disease manifests itself in a different way. Each culture has developed different diagnostic traditions.
Weakness and depression, for example, can be interpreted as symptoms of a loss of animating force. The loss of animating force, soul loss, is a serious illness treated by practically all shamans. In many ways, soul loss is essence of illness. If the animating force cannot be returned, the patient will die.
Shamans in the East feel the pulse of the patient (pulsing) to determine the illness. They state that the blood of the patient accuses the sorcerer who has caused the illness. They say the crystals, made of quartz or colored glass, arrive magically and have the power to reveal an illness inside the body.
The visions of the shaman are always important. There are often times in the diagnostic process when the shaman will retire to receive visions. Shamans speak of certain symbols that they look for in their dreams. The vision symbols vary from shaman to shaman and from culture to culture.
Shamanic diagnosis and treatment go together. The shaman starts treatment as soon as the illness reveals itself. As more is learned, new treatments may be started or prescribed. Treatments are logically related to the way that an illness is conceptualized. Illnesses seldom are simple, so treatment can be complex. The patient and the patients family provide the material for the treatment. The shaman tells them what to buy and when the rituals will be held, and shaman receives a fee for his or her work.
The core of belief that supports shamanic healing is supported by myth. Each shaman has a personal myth that explains how he or she began to cure and how that power was acquired. This personal myth needs to be conceptually separated from the actual learning process that shamans go through to acquire skills. The personal myth usually tells of a dramatic trial in which the person almost dies and is forced to recognizing that he or she is destined to be a curer. To turn away from this path that the tutelary beings have set for one would bring their wrath down on the person and probably result in his or her death. The myth is widely told and serves to explain and enhance the shamans power to cure.
Other psychologists have recognized the uniqueness of shamanic consciousness and have sought to develop forms of therapy based on ancient shamanic methods. One of the most familiar forms of this is that of guided imagery. Basically, a shamanic journey can be considered of his own mind and guided imagery. It is the shamans diligent exploration of his own mind and consciousness that enables him to make these other world journeys and return with wisdom for his own path and for others.
Two stages of shamanic healing the strengthening of personal power, and the counter actions against power of the illness the shaman uses methods and medicines designed to encourage the sick person (mind, body and spirit) to participate in his own healing process. In shamanic healing both the shaman and the sick person share the view of the interconnectedness of all aspects of life. The task of the shaman is to make the sick person fully aware of the significance and meaning of the dis-ease. This awareness goes beyond physical and mental awareness into spiritual understanding of the cause and effect of the dis-ease. In the shamanic healing process, the shaman and the sick person share a level of awareness which they are able to communicate , spirit to spirit. At this level of awareness the sick person is able to choose to restructure himself toward health by redirecting his own energies, realigning with those of the universe. But most importantly, the sick person must be the one to choose this.
It is natural that this attitude is greatly misunderstood particularly in Western society which views the healing process in terms of success and failure. Shamanic healing may be best viewed as a process of awareness of choice. The outcome is viewed as a choice made, rather than a success or failure on the part of the sick person or the shaman. Scientists are striving to find a framework in which to understand, explain, or measure this process. Although such cases are exceedingly rare, they do exist and they do defy conventional measurement of definition. It may be that the interactive healing process of the shaman and the self healing of the sick reaches a level we can only speculate on metaphysically. Perhaps it is best to approach such phenomena in shamanic healing by remembering one thing: The shaman seeks clarification not verification. It is also useful to remember that self healing comes from the working connection of body, mind, and spirit. To follow the path of the shaman, we need only to open our minds and our hearts to the wisdom surrounding us.
The practice of medicine is both a science and an art. The first level of good medicine care is to do no harm. Much of the nutritional scientific dilemma involves differences of interpretation between the provers and the experiencers. I believe experience comes first, then proof.
A shaman practitioners dedication and spirituality are admired. They can fail to cure, they can disappoint some people, but by and large, they are respected like medical doctors in western culture.
Resources:
Dow, James W. (2000) Central and North Mexican Shamans http://www.oakland.edu/~dow/oersonal/papers/cnms/cnms.html
Dossey, Larry M.D. (1999) Reinventing Medicine
Haas, Elson, M. M.D. (1992) Staying Healthy with Nutrition, The Complete Guide to Diet & Nutritional Medicine.
Sams, Jamie. (1951) Sacred Path Cards
Sams, Jamie. ( 1988) Medicine Cards
Solomn.com (2000) Medicine Man http://www.solemn.com/shamanism.htmlWiggen, Rev. Nancy (2000) Spiritual Counseling, The Inner Center.
http://www.theinnercenter.com/shaman.html

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thought for Today

To accomplish great things, you must not only act, but also dream -- not only plan, but also believe.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Basic Philosophy of Natural Health / Attitude and Your Mind

Attitude is your self-talk….   Our attitude is our internal dialogue—what we tell ourselves, either consciously or subconsciously, about the people, circumstances and events around us. A good attitude is a buffer against stress and disease. It promotes a good immune system. A bad or negative attitude causes the body to release chemicals into the bloodstream that are inappropriate for the situation and detrimental to health
    * Health is a state of well-being in which the body is vital, balanced & adaptive to its environment, not merely the absence of illness.
    * Causes of illness are multiple actions/forces which interfere with the balance and movement of  energy: one's constitution, psyche, lifestyle, trauma, and environmental stress (nature or human-made).
    * Symptoms are signs from the body that something is wrong and needs to be addressed.
    * Prevention: by correcting early-stage imbalances and unhealthy lifestyle
    * Personal Responsibility: the psyche and lifestyle are key causes of energetic imbalances. 
    *Attitude is your self-talk
    * Your attitude is a key part of the  mind - body model of Natural Health.
    * Attitude is a psychogenic factor of the mind - body connection.
           Psychogenic factors affect both your mind and body.
    * For good natural health you have to be both physically and emotionally well.
    * Attitude is about having the fortitude to do, what you want to do, when you want to do it.
    * Stress comes from how you have chosen to react to the stresses of everyday life, rather than from the stressor itself.
    * A strong mind, or the capacity to say no, improves a person's health.
    * Stop reacting to stressors, and start acting by plan.
    * Having a strong mind, being responsible, self-disciplined, capable, easygoing, having a low level of anxiety, enthusiasm, sensitivity, and warmth is correlated to successful aging
Attitude is a strong mind
Your unconscious mind refers to the automatic processes controlled by your brain and nervous system that collectively take place without your awareness or conscious control. Any behavior that has become routine and is done without conscious thought is controlled by your unconscious mind, by definition. Emotions and feelings are an integral part of your experience of self-awareness. Yet emotions are a part of your unconscious mind because they operate automatically.

http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/natural-health-philosophy.html

During this time of discussing the Attitude of the Mind...

...you may share your experiences, information, intuitions, empathy and impressions. I will help with unique perspectives which can lighten difficult situations. Our attitude is our internal dialogue—what we tell ourselves, either consciously or subconsciously, about the people, circumstances and events around us. A good attitude is a buffer against stress and disease.