New Years Resolutions?

Hello All! December is such a funny month to me.
Many feel a great deal of pressure because of Christmas and then what is worse is that come January 1st we take a good long look at ourselves; generally focusing on the flaws and create resolutions for the New Year that are generally pushed by the way-side only to make us feel worse that we didn't keep them in the first place.

I suggest we all try to simplify the holiday. Lets shift the focus and take the opportunity to just reflect. Let us take a good long look at all the entire year, begin with all of the good that took place. Take time to reflect on some of the other milestones be they good, bad or somewhere in between and focus on how you may have felt when they happened and how far you have come now.

Rather then focus on an event focus on how you are feeling about it at the present time, how you have dealt with it and if possible let go of anything that may not be serving you at this time. If possible create or perform an existing ritual that you find to be very 'clearing'. I love to put my feet in the Ocean; even on a cold day and feel the salt water washing away the things that are bogging me down; the energetic matter that is clogging my field. It is important to remember to let go of that which is not serving you, and that which is not to your highest good. Sometimes even what we consider to be less good we will hang onto because we may not be finished with it yet.

There are of course many different ways to release energy, I love to use Reiki to shift and manipulate the energy, of course you can meditate or visualize this happening. Sometimes I love to write everything out; just to feel that release, you can then choose to keep or destroy the paper depending on what resonates with you. Everyone has a different way of 'letting go', and if you don't I encourage you to find your own way, whatever feels right with you.

So rather then focus on the bad; lets again take the time to see how far we have come this year and lets intend that whatever we may be hanging on to from the past year that is not serving us is released. Let it go and enter into 2010 feeling a little bit better!

Controling the Uncontrolable

Its amazing how people in our North American culture have just accepted that life is stressful. I mean sure it can be. But it is my personal view that we can only become stressed when and if we choose to allow ourselves to be. While some emotions are harder to control; Stress is quite easily mastered.
I know a man who becomes easily stressed at the drop of a hat, suddenly one thing leads to the next and his negative energy attracts more negative energy and 'the whole world has turned against him' Does this sound like someone you know?
Here is my dealing with stress lesson 1: When it really is out of your control-

I am talking about a situation that you really can't change at this present moment, not something with a true solution. Something like being in traffic or waiting in line
Now:
Think about it from a very subjective point of view, think of what you can control. I'm going to give you a huge tip here: the thing in any situation that you can always control, is you. The thing that you can always change is your perspective. For example when your in traffic; rather then focus on the slow moving vehicles and how you wish they would go faster; change your perspective and just accept that this is where you are now. Acceptance is huge and lets face it if you are waiting in line, or if you spill something, break something, if your car breaks down the fist thing is always just accepting what has happened. No need to get upset about it, its done, it happened and you can't change it now. Most people will get stressed maybe express a few expletives but really all you are doing is causing stress to YOURSELF. Why would you want to do that?
So lets recap lesson 1:
If you find yourself in a situation that would usually cause you stress but you just have to wait it out; change your perspective, accept that you are here right now, remember that you will not be here forever and for good measure find a way to enjoy something. Be it focusing on something visually enjoyable, listening to something you like, or taking a moment to just focus on something that does make you happy.

The Reiki Principals

The Reiki Principals are rules for life:

Just for today I will not worry
Just for today I will not anger
I will honor my parents, teachers and elders
I will earn my living honestly
And will show gratitude for everything

My thoughts on the Swine Flu/ H1N1 Vaccine

This is such a hot topic and I have to admit I am one of those people who feels very passionately about the Vaccine and the flu in general. This is because I had the flu last July. I was hoping that most people would be awake to realize what is going on, but as I keep hearing of friends lining up to get the shot I feel like speaking up a little bit.

There are a lot of sites making claims and as most of my research has come from the net I will tell you what I know to be true first.

I went to a 4 day music festival in early July. I was there Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then on Saturday, and it was Saturday that I first felt a tickle in my throat. I figured I had been singing along and what not so a scratchy throat was to be expected. Sunday my throat was quite hoarse, again to be expected and Monday I had the sniffles and realized it had been a cold. I kicked myself because usually at the first sign of a cold I eat some garlic, get some extra rest, maybe gargle a little salt and wake up the next day feeling great. Once the sniffles set in though it takes a little more effort to get better.

I consider myself a very healthy person, I very rarely get sick at all; even despite my boyfriend having a horrible immune system and being sick all of the time. Well in July; by the Tuesday I felt absolutely terrible! So weak and achey and tired and very congested. I went home from work at noon; fell asleep on the couch right away, woke up at 6 pm and went to bed for the night. I slept for about 24 hours, only to wake up violently hacking up a lung. Not a pretty scene I know. The next day was the same, everything ached, every muscle, my eyes, my ears, my head, even my toes. And I felt like I would never get better. I couldn't even watch TV because that was too much stimulation. All I could do was sleep more. My boyfriend dragged me to the walk in clinic across the street. It was hard just to get up to go to the bathroom because I was so achey let alone cross the street! He said that I displayed every sign and symptom of the H1N1 and put me on home isolation for a week. I even had to wear a mask around my BF. That night I made a concoction of a couple table spoons of turmeric, a wedge of lemon, and a squeeze of honey. I drank it which I thought tasted like carrots from the garden, with dirt still on. But my taste was pretty weak due to the congestion. I went to sleep because that was all I could do.
The next day I felt a world better. Not cured my any stretch of the imagination but I had some energy back, my head felt better - I could actually think. I slept a lot this day too but felt like I was recovering. The next day was Friday and I felt fine. Not fine, I still felt like I had a cold but it was really just a few sniffles. And by Monday the sniffles were gone.

So to sum it up, it was bad but it really was just a flu.

Now on to the vaccine: Is it worth the risk?

I know what the flu is like and while I wouldn't wish it upon anyone; I would take the flu over the vaccine any day because I don't know what the vaccine will do.
I have found that it contains Thimerosol which is 49 % mercury; this movie was quite enlightening on the affects of mercury. To quote it: If water has two parts per billion of mercury it is unsafe to drink, if any substance has 200 parts per billion it is toxic waste and the average vaccine has 50,000 parts per billion of mercury. That means that if the Dr or nurse drops the vial and it breaks it would have to be treated like toxic waste. Why would anyone put any sort of toxic waste in their body. It also contains a squalene adjuvant which you may read about how it is safe; what they don't tell you is that when administered through a vaccine they body cannot analyse and process squalene effectively and this has been linked to autoimmune disorders; affects can range from mild night sweats to seizures and have been linked to various disorders including MS.
I have also found a whole host of other peculiar ingredients but cannot for sure claim that they are in there but they include cat and dog cancer cells.
It seems like the vaccine is poison? And why would your doctor want to poison you?
For two reasons. One he doesn't know any better then what he is told, and two he doesn't care to know differently because doctors receive huge kick backs for writing prescriptions. Does he feel bad about this? Probably as bad as a logger who cuts down a tree - that tree was a truck payment and zing there is a family vacation.
Who else is benefiting from this?
The Media, right now we are apparently in a recession and anything the media can grab onto equals dollars.
Big Pharma, this one is obvious, but what not be so obvious is that they won't only benefit from the vaccines being sold, but if any conditions 'mysteriously' develop after being vaccinated those people will most likely turn to medications thus fueling Big Pharma yet again! Those sneaky bastards!

Clearly I am anti vaccine and really I could go into further depths of why but I encourage you to do some of your own research. Look in as many places as you can and weigh the risks. I'm pretty sure you will see the scale tipping strongly to my side but it is important that you find this out for yourself. And because you researched and asked questions not because you are now a statistic for H1N1 vaccine complications.

Before I end this I want to mention something else; that alot of health care workers are refusing the vaccine too. I spoke to one nurse who said she would not get it because there were to many questions surrounding it and not enough answers; and I have read many reports that are similar.

I am going to share with you some site that I found to be interesting; please note though; that my info in this blog did not come from any of them.

Here is a resource that I just found and believe to be very reliable:

Care 2

And some other info I found interesting:

http://www.theflucase.com/
http://www.autoimmune.com/GWSGen.html
http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/swine/swine-flu-vaccine.php
http://www.zimbio.com/Autism/articles/42/MERCURY+RISING+EVERY+PARENT+MUST+KNOW+VACCINES

Day 3

Well Day 3 is over. I am actually on day 4 and haven't eaten solids yet; I am enjoying a big green smoothie so there is fibre but no solids. Anyways back to Day 3. Day 3 was hard. I would say Day 1 and 3 were harder and Day 2 was easy peasy. Day 1 was just getting used of it, and Day 3 was hard knowing that all I had was one more day. I struggled with the thoughts of 'well there is only one day, does it really matter' Its so funny how we do that to ourselves; self sabotage. I really had to realise that I was doing this for my own good and that really only you guys know so I would only be letting myself down. I felt good though, energetic, clear headed. I was more prepared knowing how much juice I would need to keep me going at work and I have a busy evening so I was extra thankful that I didn't have to make dinner.
Over the next few days I am going to be careful introducing new foods back to my body. I encourage you to do the same if you've been following any kind of cleanse or detox. Be aware of how your body reacts to some foods, and which ones make you feel good and which ones bring about a more negative affect. When your body is clean it is more sensitive and your body knows what is the best for it; often we become numb to what our body is telling us so this is a good time to take advantage of its sensitivity.
In general I try to eat quite healthfully so my symptoms of cleansing were quite mild; I would like to do this again on a longer term. Maybe a week of Juice and then a longer period of a healthy eating plan. I'll have to look into it. Last year I did a great cleanse that was actually through Martha Stewarts Body & Soul magazine and it was so thorough; lasting a month and beginning with a eating plan then going on a media cleanse, developing time to yourself, regular exercise habits and journaling as you go along.
I believe heavily in journaling. Especially when doing a cleanse or any sort of healing. It really helps to clear out your mind and brings clarity and focus. Sometimes when I start writing it is about one thing and by the end I realize where the root of the issue is. A journal is also a great tool because you can look back on it and see not only patterns but also how far you've come. It really helps to show personal growth on every level of your being. And its great to take that time to actually reconnect with yourself. That is probably the greatest benefit, is taking a few minutes a day to focus on yourself.

Green Juice and the completion of Day 2

I think I am back to the empty feeling. It is actually becoming very normal and I don't mind it. Today when I got home from work I had so much energy that I could hardly sit down. Normally I look forward to sitting on the couch for as long as possible but today I was just go go go because I wanted to be. Yeah that's right, because I wanted to be not because I had to. I even re composted my plants. Who does that after work? Crazy Juicers I tell you!

Here is my green juice:

2 bunches of celery
2 cucumbers
1 head of lettuce
1 finer ginger
1/2 lemon
1 bag of apples

Juice and enjoy! Again this will make roughly 1/2 a big jug of juice. If you can make fresh smaller amounts on a more frequent basis that will be good but I am juicing in bulk and storing in an airtight container in the fridge and seem to be reaping major benefits so don't beat yourself up if you have to go this route too. Juicing is so beneficial because of its direct surge of nutrients as well as giving your digestive system a break.

At this time it is also worth mentioning that it is also really great to dry brush your skin in the morning before showering. You can buy a brush at most health food stores. Begin brushing the feet in short upward strokes moving up each leg. Then brush the arms beginning at the hands in the same way. The idea is to make short brush stokes towards the heart. So upward on the arms and legs, but then be sure to brush downward on the torso. This helps to enliven the lymphatic system and exfoliate because not only is our skin our largest organ but it also takes care of a lot of elimination so we must make sure to slough off all of the dead skin and the waste that excretes along with it. I know not very pleasant sounding but we're adults so big whoop!

Halfway through Day 2

Today has been a whole different ball game. Today I went to work, actually I'm there right now; and its strange how different it has been from spending the day at home. Yesterday I kept myself busy with chores and as I like to do when taking a personal day the food network. And watching cooking shows didn't really alter my hunger; however reading blogs today has really made me hungry. Also knowing that this is my lunch break and I'm not having any lunch is hard to wrap my head around. My body doesn't feel hungry but my brain wants to munch. It could also be that it is Day 2 and no food has entered my stomach, my teeth haven't chewed, nothing. That small rant being said; I am wide awake and oddly clear headed. Generally when I haven't eaten I am cranky and can't think very clearly but because of the juice that has not happened. It really has me feeling very stable.

When doing a cleanse it is very common to feel crappy. It is a time when toxins are releasing from your body, you might get a headache, you might smell funky symptoms really vary a lot but I have found that with the juice cleanse I am feeling pretty good. There was one small headache but being aware of your body and tuning in to yourself will really help you to feel if that negative side affect is leading to beneficial health results or if you should end the cleanse. For example I knew that it was just the release of toxins so I drank a big glass of water and let it ease away.

Remember that if you have any health concerns you should consult a doctor. Also always do what feels right for you; keeping in mind that sometimes the road to good health is not the easiest path; however once you are on course it is much easier to stay focused. I think that that is why a cleanse is so great. Its an excellent head start down the path of healthful-ness.

Carrot Ginger Juice and the completion of Day 1

I have noticed that my stomach feels very empty. Its not a bad empty, its just a different feeling. A feeling of lightness is the best way to describe it, its strange and different; and I haven't figured out if it is bad or good yet. I have had a moment where I was overwhelmed with hunger, but it was really my own fault and it wasn't a stomach hunger, it was that low blood sugar jittery feeling and with only a few sips of fresh pressed carrot and ginger juice, I was back to normal. The value of the juice really affects you instantly and fills you with an energy that is so light.

Below is the recipe for my Carrot Ginger Juice

1 whole big bag of Carrots
1/2 whole lemon
1 Finger sized piece of Ginger

Just throw this all through a juicer. You can add more or less ginger depending on what you like, the lemon really helps to bring this together and add a well rounded flavour, almost like you would add salt to a dish, you can add lemon when juicing. This will make quite a bit of juice so you will want to store some. I know that the benefits of juicing are the greatest when the juice is drank right after pressing; but in reality if you are busy and trying to do a juice cleanse it is important to have juice to drink. So that it is there when you need it, just like any other plan you must be prepared in order to be successful.

Juice Cleanse Day 1

Well, I am half way through Day 1 of my 3 day juice cleanse and to be honest it really has been quite easy. I made a big jug of juice this morning so that I would have it for the day and I feel quite energetic. I imagine that I would have more energy due to the quick delivery or nutrients in the juice but also because I am not taxing my body with foods that it needs to digest. Digestion really is a lot of work for your body. I know that for example right now it is almost 3 pm and normally at this time I would have eaten lunch and would be getting tired after eating. Most of us experience the 3 pm weariness and I think that most of us believe that it is because of the day but today I don't have that. I don't think that it is the day. I think that that tired-ness comes from digestion. I guess we will have to wait for tomorrow to see if it continues.
Also I decided to take a personal day so we'll see what its like at work tomorrow.

Cleansing in the fall

Lets be like trees and let anything that doesn't suite us this winter fall to the ground!
The fall is an excellent time for a short and gentle cleanse. As we leave the celebratory summer full of too many drinks on the deck, and some foods we couldn't refuse at BBQs it is a good time to take a short cleanse to renew the body and banish any unwanted waste physically and energetically and raise our vibration in preparation for another season that leads to low will power, aka 'The holidays' What a great time to cleanse as well, as nature has provided us with a bounty of fresh fruits and veggies.
You can choose what type of cleanse, and when to begin in order to be realistic to your lifestyle. For example a juice fast over thanksgiving is probably not a great idea, and you want to be as successful as possible. It is important to cleanse all year by be good to ourselves, but seriously, we generally aren't even aware of what goes in to our bodies on a day to day basis. Last year I did an excellent cleanse that was from Martha Stewarts Body and Soul program, which I intend to follow again this year, it surprised me in its holistic approach, but for now while I wait to begin with them again I will do a juice cleanse.
I am going to follow a strict diet of just juice for 3 days beginning on Monday October 5th. I try to do this every fall as there is often a great amount of produce to juice. I have heard that For everyday of Juice Fasting you reclaim 120 days of your life. That doesn't really coincide with my spiritual beliefs but I think that you may feel as though you are 120 days younger. I know last year I was filled with so much energy, more then I had ever experienced before, as as long as I kept juice handy and could keep my blood sugar levels even I didn't feel any sort of hunger.
Please join me in a short 3 day cleanse, we will give our digestive systems a break, and fill our bodies with the pure life force of the fruits and vegetables that we consume. I will make sure to blog each day on how I am feeling, and feel free to let me know how you are too!

A very inspirational website is Loving Raw; Philip from this site completed a 100 day juice feast in order to further accomplish his health goals. I also love reading Natalia Rose from detox the world. She offers a lot of great tips and recipes.

There are a lot of different types of cleanses, so please feel free to experiment with any that you naturally feel drawn to, I encourage you to not do anything that might seem unhealthy, nothing to extreme, the body more readily responds to gentle cleansing. Even if its a little tweak, like dry brushing before showering (Sooo beneficial!) or getting a lymphatic massage. Give yourself a little break this fall and let me know how it goes.

October 1st!

I must share with you that I love the month of October! It feels like such a cleansing time. The leaves fall from the trees, rain begins to fall replenishing our lakes and streams. We leave behind the celebratory summer and enter a season of warm soups, and family meals. There is something so comforting about this season, something that just breathes love, while spring breathes life, and summer breathes radiance; the fall breathes love!
Go on outside and take a big breathe of love in!

What is Reiki?

Something that I believe is that we are drawn to what we need when we need it. So I have come to terms with the fact that some people may not be able to fully grasp what I am about to say, and for others it could be a miraculous revelation.
Reiki is universal energy.
Reiki is a universal energy that can be channeled through a practitioner's hands to help facilitate healing. It used as a hands on approach to balancing energy and heal the entire being on a physical, spiritual and mental level.
It can be used to soothe and relax a person, to heal a physical ailment or to facilitate spiritual growth in the most gentle and comforting way; this happens by the practitioner channeling the energy into your energetic field; this can be hands on or at a distance. The practitioner then works the energy where it needs to go in order to release blockages that can cause physical, emotional or mental and more subtly spiritual imbalances. The beautiful thing about Reiki is that it is non invasive, all a receiver is required to do is relax; generally on a massage table, but the physical contact is very little and both the giver and the Reiki energy itself know the flow of energy that is needed to help the receiver to their highest good. This means the experience will always be a positive one that will only delve into blockages that you are ready to release. It works with you to help you to become the most 'whole' being that you are able to be.

What do I love so much about fish?

Their simplicity and freedom.

Gratitude and Kundalini

I have read that the concept of Kundalini comes from yogic philosophy of ancient India and refers to the mothering intelligence behind yogic awakening and spiritual maturation. I always thought that in order to have these kind of profound spiritual experiences you must be on a disciplined path, that you must eat natural and whole foods free of animal products, that you must slowly raise your vibration and while I do think that these things are important I must admit that my expereince happended during a period that I have been feeling a low vibration.

Here it is. I am a Reiki Master which does help to raise your vibration but during that last few months I have fallen behind in my practice, rarely giving treatments and allowing myself to get wrapped up in some 'bad energy'. There was something though; that was lifting the cloud for me, and it was gratitude. Gratitude is one of the most simplistic and powerful things in existence. I signed up for a daily gratitude email from gogratitude.com actually it is a 42 day experiement, in which I get an email reminding me of the power of gratitude. What it did for me was encourage me to focus on gratitude. I have been taking time out of each day to recall what I am grateful for, as well as during times of stress or self induced negativity I have been actively shifting my focus and taking time to recount what I am gratful for.

In the future I will discuss what this can do for you but now I would like to acknowledge that it was this practice souly that helped to bring about a great raise in vibration and has helped to unlock my dormant serpent, also known as Kundalini energy and really has helped to shift my whole being to a happier and more loving place.

Kundalini Rising

I have had several experiences that I had thought were Kundalini related, and probably were. Several times during reiki attunements I had 'cracking head' syndrome; on which I will elaborate later, but nothing quite like yesterday. Yesterday I was not expecting this, and at work; at my desk was definitely the least opportune time and yet it happened. Kundalini is an energy that takes the shape of a serpent coiled at the base of your spine, I have read about it many times and yet nothing that I read truly makes sense. I suppose nothing can really be said of energy as it is not something that words can master. It is subtle and powerful.

My understanding of Kundalini energy is that it waits at the bottom of your spine like a serpent waiting to awaken and rise up the spine and into the cranium allowing you to reach greater depths of enlightenment. It is said to be extremely dangerous if you are not ready for it and can be brought about intentionally through spiritual practices (which should be only attempted with a trained professional) or unintentionally either spontaneously when you are ready or through a traumatic experience such as drug psychosis or a near death experience. I have heard of situations where an individual is not ready for the extreme energy and awakening that it can cause what would clinically considered well... crazy... or even death.

There is much you can read about Kundalini online, some of it is very hard to sift through and some of it isn't. I wanted to share my experience with you as it happened yesterday afternoon.

I woke up very tired and began the day in an altered state. I have had this happen before and to be honest, it wasn't a very pleasant state. Kind of like the haze of a really bad hangover combined with the feeling of being in a dream and I had next to zero patience. I was feeling pretty low and realized that I hadn't eaten since early the morning before so I thought that maybe had something to do with it. I went to a vegan restaurant near my work for lunch and came back with the intention that I would feel refreshed and clear minded. I even did some grounding exercises at lunch because I was feeling so spacey. I came in and sat down and tried to work but my attention span was next to zero, my stomach felt heavy, weighted, but much differently then just being full. Then I started to feel very light headed, and my vision became blurred. I actually panicked a little bit, I felt like I was going to black out. Then I felt the tingling sensation. Like sparkling traveling up my spine, at this point I realized what it was and could do nothing more that sit completely still. I stopped and rested at the base of my cranium and I mentally visualized it and coaxed it to travel back down my spine and relax. I was at work with two other gentlemen that would have no idea what was happening to me; nor did I know what to expect. I asked that it happen again when I was safely at home. After this; I felt refreshed and clear and full of energy.

Tom -ay -to or Tom -at-o?

I don't care how you say it! The first seeds to sprout were tomatoes. I thought eggplants fo rsure but I was pleasantly wrong.

The beginning of something beautiful...

This is the beginning of something beautiful, and its quite attractive already. Its such a great feeling to plant a little seed all dry and wrinkly then put it in a safe little home of soil and give it a little drink of water and it grow up into a big fruit bearing plant. Just think a little nurturing will lead to nourishment.


To be perfectly honest, I am not sure exactly what this sprout is, I planted equal containers of tomatoes and eggplants. Here is a picture of the other kind of sprout:


It was so exciting to see the little sprouts come up! so far I have counted 10 shoots!

I was a little nervous about growing tomatoes from seeds, usually I just buy plants that are already started but the lady at the counter said it was easy enough... I hope she was right, and while there are a lot of shoots, there are 3 of the small round leaves, they are very small and flimsy looking, and the rest are a heartier pointier sprout. Only time will tell, and to think in a few months I will have beautiful vegetables growing on my deck, what a reward! I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Relax and feed the fish!

Feel free to take a minute out of your busy day to relax and feed these frenzied fish!
Studies as done as far back as the 80s reveal that watching fish swim has been proven to reduce stress, blood pressure and even insomnia. They have even proven that in cases where hypnosis has been used vs. aquarium therapy (watching the fishies) the aquarium therapy proved most effective. In the studies seniors blood pressure was decreased, patients with Alzheimer's in the dining area required fewer supplements, in dental offices patients required less pain medication, and in children hyper-activity was reduced to a more calm level. So go on and feed the fish, its good for you!

Click your mouse in the tank and food will appear.

Fish

Welcome!

Hi there, and welcome to my new blog! I decided I needed a place to share my thoughts and feelings on this earthly experience. Check back as I share my thoughts on what I see and feel.