Meditation, mandalas and mindset

Mandala, Meditation, New Moon, visualization, Zen Chi

Day 10 of the exploration of energy.
The morning session on the zen chi machine seems to be getting shorter as I get used to it.
I can feel my lower back loosening up and some of the time is used for arm stretches, which also seems to help in loosening up the spine and in meditating.
Today the colours of meditation were greens and yellows.
Another warm Melbourne day and  the intention was set to use the emWave on arrival at the office – seems like I am becoming a bit of an energy junkie!!
However, I attended to a couple of phone messages first and then to writing down the workshop and  information evening dates as well as preparing the flyers for the events.
In the process of looking over the Meditation manual, I came across this Mandala and decided to do another New Moon meditation whilst contemplating it.
No matter that the New Moon was yesterday, the waxing energy is still there.
Writing down my goals for the next month and what inner resources that I have to achieve them, I found that I was focusing more and more on the lotus petals and coloured them in.
Each petal now represented a goal and the energy of the Mandala changed. In fact, it changed with each new colour that was added – as I was using the colours of the chakras, took the opportunity to use the meditation as a clearing process.
Completing the meditation felt great, there was greater clarity and a really wonderful way to set goals.

The Polarity of friendship

energy fields, friendship, Polarity, Yang, Yin
The flow of energy between friends flows unseen, yet it can be felt. The renewal of old friendships and the gradual lessening of contact and detachment as both you and they move on can be both liberating and in some cases, emotionally painful. Nurturing new friendships, letting go of judgements and observing how the friendship develops can take a certain amount of surrender on our part. Stuart Wilde likens friendship to “the school that you attend, where what you are is reflected back toward you. They act as a mirror. That is why people suffer a lot of imbalance, emotion and difficulty in relationships. They’re looking at themselves and their shadow and that makes them uncomfortable, fearful and angry.”The polarity of friendship is determined by the flow and interaction of energy between people. The yang or outgoing energy is the external social self and is positive. The yin or ingoing energy is the inner body, the spiritual side and holds a negative polarity. The energy to maintain a friendship can ebb and flow and the friendships that are carefully nurtured are the ones that will last a lifetime – or several. The energy of conversation between friends and the energy of positive empowerment and choosing how you spend your time, or how you help others along their paths, all contribute to the polarity of friendship. Sometimes a single word spoken between friends has a profound and lasting influence – it can heal or hurt, so choose the words carefully.What lessons are you here for? What gifts do you have to share? Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th Century British Prime Minister said “Most people go to their grave with their music still in them.”Are you in tune with your own music? Can you express yourself and your needs adequately? Can you surrender to the energy of the friendship and allow the energy to flow organically? If you are feeling that your energy is constantly being drained, then maybe it’s time to let that relationship go.

Exploring energy

balance, energy fields

Day 7 of the energy exploration year and noticing how other people’s energy is affecting me. Having the emWave is great as it enables me to record when I have got out of balance and at the same time a great tool to return to balance after a couple of sessions.
The zen- chi machine is still in use and the morning session has gone to 20 minutes – loving the feeling afterwards and noticing that I have more physical energy. All good!!

Wibble, wobble, jelly on a plate….

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…that’s what was going through my mind as Day 5 of the Energy year began and I stepped up the pace on the zen-chi machine. Observing how my body has been responding is interesting – the left side is becoming more flexible and still the right ankle remains stiff and sore. The increased speed also had an effect on my lower sacrum & I very carefully did some lower back exercises before getting up off the floor. I broke my coccyx around this time of year – about 5 years ago, mucking around in the pool and landing on the pool steps. Ouch!! Looking up Louise Hay’s explanation for lower back problems “fear of money. Lack of financial support” came up. Hmmm!! So my new thought pattern is to be “Trust the process of life. All I need is always taken care of. I am safe” as I let go of the constriction in the body and restrictions in the mind.
Amazing how events unfold. On the way into work & listening to a podcast from Manifesting Wellness all about Network Chiropractic, there was information about theenergy link between emotions, endocrine system & the spinal system. So much made sense – and to think that I see a naturopath in the same clinic as a network chiropractor …… as they say… when the student is ready……!! Something to explore

The colour of energy

Emerald, Energy, Green, Heart Chakra, Philosophy, visualization, Yoga
Moving into Day 4 of my year of exploring energy, I have been drawn to the energies of colour. Green is seen as a “healing” colour.  It is the colour of balance, one only has to look at the green colours found in nature and experience the relaxation as you look at the leaves, grass and plants and feel their energy. On the physical level, choosing the colour green may indicate an imbalance which may be caused by disease or surgery.   Using the colour green in a visualization will help to strengthen the heart chakra. Ayurvedic medicine suggests drinking emerald powder to help improve the health. Wearing emeralds will also strengthen the heart and heart chakra,  (Great idea!) and putting an emerald under the tongue is said to help predict events. On the emotional level, choosing to work with the colour green, may indicate emotional issues such as fear which causes the aura to become stagnant and blocked. The Heart Chakra (Anahata) is connected to the lungs, heart, immune system and the arms and hands. The spiritual path of the Heart Chakra is to show unconditional love, not only to others but to ourselves. This means loving how you look, how you feel about yourself, no matter what your size or shape. Having no judgement about yourself or others regardless of any faults or inconsistencies. An exercise for the Heart Chakra is Uttihita Trikonasana – The stretched Triangle – and as you do this yoga pose, bring the awareness to the Heart Chakra and imagine a soft, clear, green light filling your body as you breathe in and as you exhale, expand the green colour out into your aura.

Add a little chi

EMF Balance, Energy, HeartMath, Reiki, Zen Chi

Chi (or Ki in Japanese) is all about energy.
“Where attention goes, energy flows” – I’m not sure who said that, but I like it!
The reason I am focusing on energy is because I’m in the process of writing a workbook to accompany an energy workshop. 
It took a request from a client to experience a Polarity massage to revisit the practices that I had let lapse.
The daily meditation was still in place but since the health issue last year, my personal energy fields are quite depleted. I was eating well – too well – given that I was not as active as I had been before.
But something had changed within.
Again and again I found myself drawn to the study of energy within the body. Using the emWave daily has helped with finding congruence and the HeartMath material on the energetic heart is great reading. Well, I think so!
Another energy system that I use regularly is Reiki – hands on daily and all the better if there is someone to do it for. I have always enjoyed the quietness that comes from giving a Reiki and it took a conversation with another Reiki Master Teacher just recently to realize that I need to schedule some regular classes to teach. Currently I offer “boutique” training, which means that I teach when the student enquires about a class.
Another energy system that I have recently revisited is the EMF Balancing Technique and the energy generated by using one of the symbols has been very effective in making some changes to my work environment.
Last weekend I dusted off the Zen Chi machine and gave it a go. I did this because I couldn’t get medical clearance to go to the gym and decided to be a little more pro-active in minding my own health.
I had forgotten the feeling that is experienced after a session and today is now Day 3 of my new and improved energy program.

When Life brings you lemons….

Cardiac Ablation, Homeopathy, Philosophy, Spirituality

….make lemonade!
No point being sour and puckered up about what happened, find a little sweetness to add and hey presto!
A delicious experience!
2011 has been a rollercoaster of a year.
Sudden highs and dramatic drops – heart stopping – literally!
The Tasmanian adventure in January started with some soul searching and a trip to a hypnotherapy colleague to resolve my reaction to a spiritual event.
My Reiki Master, who is also a Free Priest in the Order of Melchizidek, has been suggesting for many years that she ordain me & I was set to go through with the process, but had a sense of dread as the day approached. My stomach lurched when she described the ordination process & I took this as a pretty good “gut reaction” that it wasn’t going to happen.
In the end I delayed the trip by a couple of days and although we did meet, she continues to express her disappointment that I didn’t go through with it.
Interestingly I lost the Larimar stone from my Lives between Lives session whilst in Hobart.
But I did find an Orb!
The time in Tasmania went quickly and returning to Melbourne at the end of January, it was strange, but nice, not starting school.
A new phase of my life was starting. I had already taken on my room and had been down there part time in 2010, so it was familiar. I was continuing with my studies – a Certificate 4 in Business as part of a Diploma in Life Coaching and had clients scheduled.
An earlier post chronicles the event of February 10th, which has seen my life take a different direction. Priorities changed and moving through the “muddle headedness” was a challenge.
Focusing on completing my studies helped enormously and Spirit provided enough clients each month to pay the rent on the room.

Over the year, I have grown to love my space – looking out onto a grassy area with some trees, there are a couple of magpies that come close to the windows and peer in from time to time and the other tenants always have a cheery greeting.
The space has given my time to pursue some dreams and bring some into reality.
A few new friends were very supportive and this contrasted with the lack of emotional support from family, both around the cardiac event and my change in career.
At this stage I’m going pucker up and have a lemon moment!
After having been a “people pleaser” (or doormat as my friend Susan once famously said) for 30 years in my marriage family, the lack of support has been like a massive slap in the face. ( 🙂 remember I have abandonment issues!!) A pointer to their insularity & as the psychologist I was seeing to deal with the post cardiac anxiety said ” Would you be friends with them if you weren’t married?” I don’t think so, however I am grateful for the clarity that has come from their inaction.
More time out in July as the palpitations continued and it was decided to undergo a Cardiac Ablation.  This was very confronting and I nearly didn’t go. The Cardiologist remarked after the procedure that he didn’t expect to find anything and was surprised to find a “rogue circuit” that caused my heart to race at an astounding pace. I have been using hypnotherapy to go into a relaxed healing state daily, along with daily EmWave sessions (which have also shown when I have had arrhythmias). Metaphorically, I have decided to look at the ablation as the opportunity to excise old heart hurts, burning out the old. Reflecting on my lemon moment, perhaps the ablation cut deeper than I thought!
Interestingly a number of clients I have seen over the last 6 months have had cardiac events and being non retirees have struggled with lack of support as well. They do say you attract the clients you need for your own development.
A couple of joint ventures with workshops have been an excellent learning experience and I am grateful to the wonderful women with whom I have worked to present them.

More recently, I ran my first homeopathic workshop and realized that I have a wealth of material which I wrote in 2000 and 2002. Homeopathic manuals that are hyperlinked from remedy to symptom and back again. I’m impressed with what I did then!
Time to set it free from the files where they have been store and share with the world! Book release perhaps!
Focussing on the clinical aspect has been good and now it’s time to move in a more spiritual direction, mixing the clinical and spiritual.
So my New Year’s Resolution is….?
Step into integrity, walk the talk and honour who I am and where I have come from.
I am grateful to the teachers I have had along the way and to wake up every morning to new and wonderful opportunities……so my resolution for 2012 is to show gratitude.

Watching the Emotions

Life balance, Philosophy, , , , ,

The frantic rush of shopping, with tempers flaring over lack of parking spaces and erratic driving as people’s minds are elsewhere.

It seems that nearly every social event is awash with alcohol and this contributes to the scattered feeling.

It’s an emotional time of year at the best of times, with the Summer Solstice and the busyness of winding up school and work projects, Christmas or end of year parties.

The overload of food, laden in fat and sugar places stress on our physical bodies, whilst the overload of social events with the expectation of presents and gaiety overload our emotional bodies. The assault on our senses of tinsel and lights and constant caroling put further strain on sensitive souls.

Family functions are fraught with dangers. Long suppressed slights and perceptions can erupt into nastiness after the throat has been well lubricated with alcohol. To be an interested and disassociated observer at these social functions takes a lot of effort, but can have its own reward in feeling a sense of peace, finding an oasis of calm in the maelström of emotion that swirls about.

So how to go about surviving this time of year?

Choose to simplify – everything.

Presents

If buying presents has become a financial strain – set a price limit, organize a Kris Kringle with the family, suggesting that this way each person gets a quality present, and not something that ends up in that secret gift cupboard or drawer to be recycled to someone else.

Alternatively, announce that you are buying each person a charity donation which will help someone less fortunate.

Cards

E-cards are not the same as the paper ones, but a handy standby for the last minute seasons greetings. There are now online options where you can choose a card which are printed with your message and  posted out when your order is completed.

Events

Pick and choose your events. If you are an empath  (someone who picks up others emotional states), make a brief appearance and make your apologies as early as possible. Difficult to do with family events, but at these if you can make yourself busy with serving food & clearing the tables, you will be able to extricate yourself from most emotionally laden conversations and observe.

Food

Choose the least rich foods and avoid heavy, fatty food or sugary concoctions which will stress your liver. The festive ham is loaded with nitrates as are most cured meats. Avoid pasta, rice or potato salads if they have sat out for a while as they can cause stomach upsets. The festive puddings, such as Pavlovas, fruit mince tarts and shortbreads are laden with sugar & fats.

Research shows that a diet high in sugar results in premature aging and for blokes, a high fat diet has a negative effect on your reproductive system.

If the food is served as a buffet, you will have greater control over the food you put on your plate and the portion sizes.

Being summer, there is a greater chance of a range of salads included in the meal, so head for those and enjoy the rewards of not feeling bloated.

If your host insists on serving the meal, ask for a smaller sized portion for health reasons.

Find some time for yourself

Even a 5 or 10 minute walk or meditation will help out.

Avoid the alcohol and/or the Valium to keep your head clear.

Observe

Rather than react, observe the conversations and behaviours.

Being aware of illnesses or conditions that family members have and looking up Louise Hay’s Heal Your Body, allows you to see them in a different perspective.

For instance, the person with constant aches is probably longing for love or to be held or the one with tics or twitches is bound by fear and a feeling of being watched or judged by others.  

The elderly gentleman with prostate problems may have mental fears about his masculinity, sexual pressure or guilt or a belief in aging.

The relative with the knee problems may be experiencing stubborn pride and ego and has an inability to bend and certainly won’t give in. They almost certainly will have a bit of fear with that inflexibility.

Another relative with vertigo may be experiencing scattered thinking or a refusal to look at their lifestyle, whilst the child who constantly sulks in the corner may just be overwhelmed by the anxiety projected bythe adults who are unable to trust the flow and process of life.

Yet another relative with chronic shoulder problems has lost the ability to experience life joyously. They are making life a burden for themselves. The family alcoholic is laden with guilt, inadequacies and self rejection and the overweight members of the family hide their anger at being denied emotional nourishment.

Gratitude

Feel gratitude for something that the event or these people can bring to your life. Feel the grace and peace that comes with regular gratitude moments.

Planetary Ages and Stages

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Ancient astrologers not only noted the planetary periods of the days and months, but recognised that there were planetary influences as we age.
The Moon influences the first seven years of life, with the child absorbing nutrients from the physical, emotional and spiritual worlds.The mothering influence of the Moon works on the etheric of the developing child and together with the parental influences, loves and nurtures the soul.

Mercury begins to influence the child from the time of losing the “milk teeth” to puberty. The planet of the mind, it governs thought, learning and the beginning of reason. Innate curiousity about the outer world is awakened and the imagination is developed. A quiet discipline to direct the child and good role models are needed as the child of this age is good at imitating adult behaviours.
Venus rules the teenager, from about the age of 15 through to 22. The emotions and reproductive development collide with the pressures of school and study and there is often an internal conflict as they learn to cope with these demands. Venus is the planet of love & beauty, but the opposite traits of laziness and overindulgence can lurk beneath the exterior, manifesting in rebellion and confusion if not supported. Emotions run high, sexual awareness develops and nurturing the spirit to build the solar body needs careful and thoughtful consideration.
From the age of 22 to 41, the individual enters into the age of the Sun, having fully incarnated into their soul. The Sun, astrologically associated with the 5th House, means that the search for life partners and creating a home of one’s own becomes a priority. Responsibility, duty and contribution become part of the way in which life is lived.
Mars – the opposite planet to Venus –  rules the years from 42 to 56. Here many experience major life changes and for women, the “change of life” or menopause also occurs. Generally the children have grown up and there is more freedom for the parent than before. Previous life ambitions may be re-visited and new careers forged. Other changes that occur are the passing of parents or relatives and the immortality of youth fades. The body may start to show signs of “wear and tear” and a meditation practice is beneficial.
Jupiter rules the next, sixth stage of our lives – from 57 to 68 years of age. Jupiter is a time of change in the soul as well as the body and a greater spirituality awakens as we become more familiar with the transience of life and the vagaries of the aging body.
Saturn rules the final stage – old age- from 69 to whenever we die. After many years of hard work, caring for children or elderly relatives, this period can be a period of serenity. Saturn is the bridge between worlds and focusing on the mind in the heart will enable us to cross into the spirit world with greater ease when the time is right. For some, living to a very old age, this time can be difficult, a time of endurance and faith can be tested.

Monday Meditations

Education, Hypnotherapy, Life balance, Philosophy,

Yes, check the calendar, it’s Tuesday! The last 2 Monday evenings have been set aside for meditation and although the group is small, I am getting so much more than I thought possible from it.

I scheduled ten  sessions, each with a different topic and designed for both the regular meditator and the beginner.

Week one began with breath work, using different styles of breathing including counting the breath, and alternate nostril breathing. That one can be tricky if you have a cold or hay fever!

Week two was progressive muscle relaxation. We did going up the body from the feet to the head and then down again in a different style. There are as many variations on progressive relaxation as there are teachers, but I based the first on Ian Gawler’s interpretation and the second was what I use in some of my hypnotic inductions.

We had a short discussion whilst waiting to see if more people were to arrive about Chakras meditations, but we may not touch on this until the Mandala and meditation session in late November.

The mind is much clearer and the manual is on the way to being written. So many other books to read and reference from, but it seems that Mindfulness meditation is the path that I am most drawn to. It is a joy to sit a record the exercises, although there are a few “office noises” invariably just as the session is about to finish. It just means that I treat that as a rehearsal and do it again, and find that I relax more as I get into the flow of recording.

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