Shamanic Healing and Happy Mother's Day!

Good evening, and happy mommy day to all moms - everywhere!  :)  Cuz moms are great!

I started to write out the 10 things I love about my life today, and, uhm...that's gonna take up a lot of space, so I think I'll match it with the 3 positive things I'll do today, and limit it to 3. I'll still write 10, but I'll just share my top 3, if that's cool?  Yeah?  OK then, here goes...

1) I had a really wonderful time with my mom and dad this morning. It could have been frustrating because of the whole mothers-day-brunch-restaurant-busy-tried-two-and-failed thing, but we decided to instead get groceries, go to mom's and make a meal for the family that was yummy, easy, and fun to hang out and eat. Then we had carrot cake!

...What?  It has carrots in it - it's a vegetable, so it's ok on this detox prep, right?  :P

Well, no, but today was mother's day, and my husband was right when he said you gotta be ok with it every once in awhile, then get right back on the horse. It's a very healthy way of looking at things. It's when you start thinking every day should be a "special" day that you would get into trouble, so ya know...keep it real, yo!

Anyway..

2) My mother's day present was 100% chosen by my lovely daughter, Lilly!  So cute. I got a bag that had a Barney DVD (LOL), which will provide good quality us time whilst singing the songs and dancing with that wonderfully sappy, purple dinosaur. There was a very cool pair of sunglasses that made me look like a movie stah!  I'll have to post a picture of me wearing them for posterity. And the 3rd gift was a lovely pair of earrings, that were actually pretty darn cute!  All this from my precocious 2 1/2 year old! Go Lilly!  I love being a mom!

And

3) My husband and I took some time just for us, which we don't do enough, and he gave me a greatly needed massage (my shoulders are still thanking him)...Many thanks for that, honey.

OK so the day is pretty much done so, the 3 positive actions part will be for tomorrow.

1) The water fast started today at 7:00pm and will be up at 7:00 pm tomorrow, so 1st positive thing on my list is to not pass out tomorrow!  Ok to actually drink a lot of water and do as this detox is meant to do.

2) Enjoy the process of cleansing, taking the opportunity to reacquaint myself with my body, reset my tastebuds and cravings, and get this 21 day detox groove on!

3) Do my AM Yoga DVD and start my day off right.

*deep breath*  Yeah it feels pretty good to start these posts off like that.  I think that might work.

OK So yesterday I was part of an all day Shamanic healing workshop lead by Dr. Hank Wesselman - this workshop that I've been giddy over for months now, and it didn't disappoint! Dr. Hank's style is witty, reverent, and deeply meaningful. This gave me the opportunity to remember all the cool stuff I learned when I took his course at Sierra College forever ago, and also go a little deeper into doing the work. 

I won't go into all the juicy details as you can get much of it from his books if you're that interested (and I wouldn't do the info justice anyway), but as for my experience I can say a little. Needless to say, I have some experience with energy work, energy healing, even shamanic journeying, so that was handy. I have several helper spirits which I work with regularly, and I know how to get into relationship with new ones for myself when needed.

What we did Saturday was not only gather in a new helper spirit (I got 4 new ones!), but later we helped others in the group to receive one by journeying on their behalf. I had never done that part before. It's called re-empowerment, or power animal retrieval. When I did it for my partner, I was thrilled and amazed at how easy it was! It took like 5-10 minutes for the whole group to finish, novices and experienced alike. That was beautiful.

At the end, we did a healing on one of the participants with Dr. Hank and my friend, DeAnna presiding over the actual journey work, extraction, etc part, but the rest of us (around 40 people) called up our helper spirits to grant us their power, which we would then focus into the person being healed while we all drummed and rattled long and loud until it was done.  I really have few words I can say about that experience because it truly transcends any healing I've participated in before. All I can say is imagine the power and love in a room full of 40 shamans focusing the power of their helper spirits in one direction.... Yeah it was powerful.

So I know what's going on my vision board...Vision Seeker 1, 5 day workshop and training, and visionseeker 2 and 3 and beyond! It's calling me, and so are the herbs!  I was thrilled to find out that my friend's mother is also interested in herbal medicine, and there's a good chance we could form a learning alliance! Yay!  There was a young woman at the workshop who had taken a course that was by an herbalist near us and highly recommended it, so more accessible learning opportunities are making themselves known.  Don't you just LOVE synchronicity?

Well it's way past my bedtime, but I wanted to post an update about his amazing weekend! I hope yours was just as great!

peace,

Raw Detox and Positive Vibrations

Phew!  OK this week has been busy, and I'm super surprised at how well I'm doing on this raw food detox supported through http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/ so far!  The only time I didn't eat pretty much what's on the recommended menu is yesterday's cinco de mayo nachos, and when I might add some extra greens to my smoothies.  In fact, just the celery has not been enough!  I've needed to add spinach to make it feel richer. Today, I just made my favorite green smoothie that I learned from a raw food prep class I took a couple of months ago. 1/4 fresh chopped pineapple, 1-2 bananas, 1 c coconut milk, and a couple big handfuls of spinach. This morning I used a full 5 oz container of the luscious green goodness, and I'm still happily sipping away on it as I write this.

I am looking forward to getting into more green, less fruit. I feel like I'm taking in way too much sugar. But I've been a raw food dabbler for a couple of months now, so I guess I'm ready to move to the next level.  That's why I'm here, after all!  I need this jump start to get my raw lifestyle under way.

My main concern is that I can't really afford all organic foods right now. I'm getting it where I can, but yeah, that's the tough one.  I have been checking out some youtube channels that are really awesome, though, and talk about budget raw recipes. One of them is http://www.youtube.com/user/liferegenerator - this guy is awesome. He's so full of love for like, everything and everyone! He even gives tips on how to prepare food - with love, present food - with love, and how to eat food - with love. His recipes go into how to turn the bulk leftovers from juices into yummy meals (like a raw "burger" - just amazing, though I don't know that I'm ready for that recipe quite yet!).

I am feeling more energy now. Normally I'm ready to pass out around 9:00, but last night, after hubby and child were fast asleep, I sorted some laundry, repotted a couple of plants, and made sure the house was all snug and tight before heading to bed around 11:00.  I woke up this morning, groggy, but with an underlying rejuvination which brought a neat little smile to my face when I realized it.  hehehe
So far so good!  I'm looking forward to next week!

Positive Vibrations!
I'm getting a growing awareness about thoughts, emotions, their energy vibrations, and how easy it can be to change them. Even though it may not seem like it as I write these posts (because I won't write unless I've gotten myself into a good space for sharing), I have been going through quite a lot of negativity in life - self sabotaging, self-negating, medical things with my thyroid which makes the big hormonal dance a bit depressing at times, and external factors which bring negativity to me which I would then react to negatively. This...in a nutshell...sucks!  It's totally against where my heart lives, where my Spirit thrives, and where my body can successfully withstand the temptation to stuff itself with crappy food because I'm filling a void that would be much better served by being filled by a heapin' helpin' of love!

So, it may be really apparent that I am doing a LOT of listening to the self-healing gurus of our time, and taking in what tidbits are working for me, and shelving other info that's not speaking to me (for now). I'm recently enamoured with the Psychologist and EFT "Tapping" goddess, Carol Look, and I listen to both of her interviews from the WISH teleconference over and over. A couple of things that she has said have helped me to make a decision on the direction I want to go with this blog. Kind of a template, to help not only myself, but those few ardent, and brave readers of this blog to vibrate a little higher each time they read it too!

So I will start each post with these 2 little lists:
"10 things I love about my life today" or my "I love it when" lists.
"3 positive actions I will take today"

The whole premise to doing this is, to quote Carol Look, "You change your feelings by changing your focus". It's that simple. If you're feeling a bit down, lift your head up and look around where you are for one little thing that you love. It can be a picture of a loved one, your favorite color, a keepsake that has meaning for you sitting over there on that dusty shelf. You want to feel even better? Go over to that dusty old shelf and dust it off, and make it a special place to house that special little thing. It can be the smallest thing, and it's instantaneous! All I have to do is look at a picture of my daughter laughing, and instantly I'm vibrating that few inches higher than I was the moment before.

This stuff begins to build on itself. It creates an opening for that joy and light to come in where before we were blocking it by not paying attention to the great stuff we do have around us, even if it's just a groovy color, or a wispy, wonky cloud in the sky.  When you have a chance to go that one step further, go out in nature and look around. It's amazing how quickly you can become like a kid again.  When you shift your focus, you can hear that cool bird you didn't know was nesting under your eaves, or that rustle of leaves in that warm spring air. Possibilities arise that weren't there before - because now you are in a place to accept them.

While I still get stuck in negativity now and again, and let others push my buttons waaaaay too easily sometimes, I'm beginning to recognize that it's because when that's happening, it's pretty much mostly because I let it happen. When that negativity takes a hold on me, I'm not giving myself permission enough to really take care of myself all the time - whether it's by going to bed too late, or eating the wrong foods, or just not taking the time to be quiet with myself for 5 minutes so I can remember to breathe.  What a concept.  Breathing - that in and out dance that we kinda don't do very well most of the day.

So here's where I remind myself that I'm worth being fabulous. Heck, I already AM fabulous, and I don't need anyone else to tell me so to make it so. 1 of those positive things I will do today is remember to take a look around me and remember the great things going on in my life, the love that I live in every day, and the fact that every single moment is amazing because we're here!  So I will end with a quote I think my Saskia Shakin, because it's rather nice to remember that we're often too scared or feel ourselves not worthy enough to do or be something so we say no to an opportunity before we've ever actually consider it.  Have a tremendous day!

"If you say no before you know what you're saying no to, you can lose the best opportunity of your lifetime. Say yes first, you can always say no later."

Spring, Beltaine, and Blessings BE

OK! So it's been a while since the last time I wrote something. But life got busy, as it will, and until I'm a work at home mom I won't be that goddess of leisure I so long to be.  That being said, I have to say this Spring has done sprung SO many changes this year.

Spring is always a time of renewal, starting new things, or watching the Great Wheel turn on long term projects. Spring has usually been a time of "meh" for me, however, until this year.

I've graduated from the Artist's Way course, and I totally know what I want to be when I grow up...well I should say for a living since I don't plan on ever growing up in the boring old sense.  I have rediscovered how cool it is to be on a clear Path that is leading you somewhere you actually want to go, vs. those creepy, overgrown paths which tend to lead to those "omg a serial killer lives here" kind of places.

Now just what the heck am I talking about?!  Be clear, woman!  :)  OK OK. Sheesh. Shall I list all the grooviness that is before me?  Yeah?  cool.

1) I'm a total grad of the Artist's Way. That's right - and feeling really good about that.  Got a pretty certificate with a butterfly on it and everything! (the whole symbol of transformation - 'tis a good thing). I made it through the 12 week course, and it has altered the direction, or I should say added clarity to, the Path before me. Going through the exercises and taking to heart the wonder that is rediscovering the artist within (whatever form that manifests) has pushed me past all hope of mediocrity. Never again will I be able to tolerate, or be content with, a life not manifesting my creative desires, joys, and personal gifts to share with the world and in service of others.  ah-ho!

2) I received the blessing of my Sisters to go forth, no longer JUST a Seeker, but as a teacher as well, and on Beltaine (May 1st) received my 2nd degree initiation into the Greenwood. It was one of the most powerful, inspiring, life-altering experiences I've had on my spiritual path. Prior to the ritual I was "sequestered" away from the circle to meditate, focus, center. I did that and spontaneously went on a shamanic journey which took me through an initiation in the Otherworld before even the This world ritual began. I won't go into details as that is something sacred to me, but suffice it to say that I have never felt so much love and support in all my days. Life will definitely never be the same again.

3) I have change the way in which I interact with others. Formerly I was totally a-skeered of conflict, and would do my utmost to try and make sure that no one would get upset or have hurt feelers and all that such nonsense. I say nonsense because the more you try to do that you are either lying through your teeth, stuffing your own feelers down your throat 'til your choking on them, or acting out in passive aggressive ways which always bites everyone in the proverbial butt. I should point out that this is a trait which pretty much runs in the family, so you can imagine what fun communicating between us can be at times. So I took a stand (yay me!) when one family member acted disrespectfully toward another, and told them in no uncertain terms how I felt about it. The results are still out, but there's a little more clarity before me, and a family-wide dialogue is opening up on how to be better communicators.  Baby-steps fo' sho', but at least the door has cracked open.

4)  As a result of all of this shifting of energies, receiving more clarity on things that are important to me, and in general taking responsibility for my own happiness, I am developing a very clear roadmap on how I will get to where I am headed.  My goal is to be completely a work-at-home mom within 3 years - as a holistic health practitioner. There are steps which are very clear to me now that I couldn't fathom even a few months ago. One of my biggest goals is to achieve optimum health for myself first, and to share that with my immediate family (my fabo hubby and amazing daughter). The beauty part of that is that I can use techniques toward this goal which also lead to my ultimate goal of being an independent holistic health practitioner!

• Step one:  Start taking yoga classes with Vina (the facilitator of the Artist's Way). She is also a yoga instructor-instructor, so she is a great resource for helping me toward my goal of becoming a yoga instructor myself.
• Step two: Start study with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) which have been calling me to learn about and start practicing. The premise of EFT is it identifies the root causes of ailments of all kinds: pain, weight issues, emotional issues, etc., and helps you to release them through "Tapping" on certain energy meridians on your face, hand and body. I can easily see myself becoming an EFT Practitioner using these techniques with my clients in the future.
• Step three: I'm taking the plunge and have started a 21 day Raw Food Detox Challenge! It's through the fabulously supportive and charming folks at The Raw Divas, aka the Green Smoothie Queen (www.greensmoothiequeen.com). These are the same folks who did the WISH teleconference I believe I mentioned in an earlier post.  Anyhoo - yeah I'm doing this green smoothie/raw food detox! I just bought the groceries for it tonight and it felt good just buying the stuff I'm going to be eating! Whole pineapples, raw spinach, mixed green leafies of all kinds, TONS of fruit - and the recipes! Oh heaven help me they sound good!  So, yeah, I'm totally doing this, and I'll be blogging my little heart out about it - at least that's the goal. I'd like to document the experience for posterity. And perhaps my posterior will start to get smaller for it!  :P

This might mean I might actually have to give out some personal facts about where I'm at with my physi-cal-ity, but hey, all in the name of .... something appropriate to the occasion. Having a great success story to tell to inspire others - if nothing else. I know success stories seem to be a dime a dozen these days, but I can't deny that though they can be cheesy as hell sometimes, they do inspire!

So there you have it - the main reasons for my non-bloggy-ness. Soon I will be setting up my first herbal challenges for myself and be writing about them. I'm allowing myself to stay grounded a bit for awhile before I throw more and more stuff on my plate.

Oh yeah! Speaking of plates - I've been gardening! Oh such fun!  I've planted some ornamentals in the front yard (my favorite bush flowers, gardenias - got some Rue herb goin' on, with some pansies and a sick old rosemary who might not make it, but I'm hoping he'll pull through). Tomorrow, I'm going to pick up my daughter from daycare early (after a mother's day wahoo at the school) and come home to plant our HERBS and VEGGIES!  I have broccoli, spinach, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, stevia, peppermint, sweet mint, sunflowers, chamomile, etc. My daughter will be my little digger pal and we will plant us a garden that will hopefully feed us through the summer and some of the Fall.  It will be an organic garden, which will help greatly to defray the cost of being a RAW vegan! Right now, I can't really afford to go all organic, but at least it's more greens and goodness, and wiping out all the packaged, processed foods, and this garden will give me many more organic veggies than I could get from the store!

Wow, if you made it through this doozy of a post you get 40 sunflower seeds of goodness! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more from your burgeoning sunflower diva!

Peace!