Imagine

Ever since I was a young girl I have imagined living in a beautiful, healthy, vibrant, and environmentally friendly community. Since then I have read about such communities, watched documentaries about these places, explored some of these places and continued to imagine living permanently in one. Lately there are some happenings in our community that are whispering of the possibilities of such a reality blossoming here. It is time to get excited about the opportunities that are showing up and kick our imaginations into high gear to create energetic avenues to transform those possibilities into realities.

Unfortunately many of us have been punished and berated by teachers, parents, employers and other authority figures for wasting our valuable time in dreamy thought. Day dreaming and spending time exercising our imaginations is actually a very productive use of our energy. It opens us to be able to receive unfiltered information and creatively arrange it into new patterns and ideas. It is these new ideas that can become solutions to some of the biggest challenges that we are facing or simply new ways of doing things that can be better than the status quo. Inventors, past and present, are well aware of the power of free flowing thought. Athletes have tapped into a more focused form of this mind power for many decades. They understand that their bodies do not differentiate between imagined activity and actual activity. In other words they can train by putting their bodies through their usual training routines or they can train by quieting themselves and visualizing themselves completing their routines. Both forms of training are equally valuable. For more information about sports visualization or creative visualization just surf the web, there is an abundance of resources to be found. One of my favourite books on this subject is “Creative Visualization” by Shakti Gawain, and this year is the 25th anniversary of its original release http://www.shaktigawain.com/booksandmore.php

Did you know that the Chinese symbol for crisis also has the word opportunity in it? While some people are focusing on all of the loss around us and finding it difficult to be hopeful, others, like myself, are dreaming of the possibilities, talking about them and even making them happen. I have painted and hung an opportunity enhancing canvas right near my front door to keep me aware of opportunities in my midst. I have launched a new business along side other brave entrepreneurial souls who are seizing the opportunity of these fertile times. I recently attended a local Chamber of Commerce event that highlighted new local businesses and I was pleased by the ingenuity, creativity and positivity of all in attendance. Last week I attended the Erie Cultural Action Team's Cultural Mapping Launch at Smith & Wilson Wineries. It too was attended by many forward thinking people who can smell the opportunities swirling around us.

Maybe you are not the entrepreneurial type, or you don't know how you can contribute to the cultural development that is underway. You can still help out, and you can do it from your favourite armchair if you like. You can contribute some time and energy to dreaming of the improvements, opportunities, and lifestyle that you would like to live. The more that we fill the airwaves with thoughts of possibility and renewal, the more energy is available for manifestation of positive change. This kind of thinking might even motivate you to put a plan in place and begin working on it. Remember that journey of a thousand miles – it began with one step. If you need some food for thought for your imagineering check out this site about some amazing cities doing some amazing things http://science.howstuffworks.com/five-amazing-green-cities.htm

I believe that everyone has a very important role if they are alive on this planet today. Martha Graham, the mother of modern dance, if she was still alive, would agree with me. She is the author of one of my favourite quotations ( I am a quotation collector – takes up a lot less room than other types of collections!) She said “There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.” I have no doubt, that if you give yourself some time to daydream and imagine things on your own terms, you will start to get in touch with your unique purpose. Consider why you think some things are important and others are not. You are built, wired, and inspired for a specific purpose and these times are ripe for you discovering what that is.

If you are really struggling with figuring out anything related to your purpose make arrangements to work with a personal coach, counselor, vision quest leader or engage in some training to assist you to remember who you are (get in touch and ask me about Shamanic Journeying if you yearn to learn how to gather information that is unique to you). You can also ask those closest to you for clues about your strengths and weaknesses. Ask them sincerely and be prepared to truly listen to what they have to say. Others can see our powers at work more readily than we can – we are too close to ourselves to be objective.

Lately as I read our local print and online newspapers I have focused on the Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan that is unfolding, the possibility of Findally Inc. making its home here, the expanding cucumber industry, new business ventures, and the work of the Cultural Action Teams. I do smell opportunity in the air.

Flu Fear

Most of us have been there, puking our guts out, coughing so much that we think we’re going to burst a lung, or running to the bathroom hoping that we make it there in time. Sometimes we are unfortunate enough to experience all of these symptoms simultaneously and we feel like we are going to die. Alternating between fever and chills while trying to deal with the other acute comings and goings of the flu usually leaves us drained of energy. The flu can certainly change the way that we feel and make us question our desire to live.

It’s no wonder that we fear the flu and want to prevent it from entering our lives. But have we gone too far? Have we lost a balanced perspective about healthy lifestyle choices because we have let fear take over? People do, and have died from the flu. If you want to keep a close eye on death rates you can go to the flu watch website http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fluwatch/09-10/w38_09/index-eng.php. As I write this article this site is reporting that, so far this year, 24 H1N1 related deaths have occurred in Ontario. There are multitudes of causes of death other than natural aging so lets get some perspective on this. Go to the “Leading causes of death, Canada, 2004” chart http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/lcd-pcd97/table1-eng.php and just spend some time reviewing it. Infectious and parasitic diseases or respiratory system diseases are not highlighted as leading causes of death for any age group. By conducting further research I found these statistics:

* Each year regular seasonal flu causes 4000-8000 deaths in Canada. http://www.lung.ca/diseases-maladies/a-z/flu-grippe/index_e.php

* In Canada, ordinary seasonal flu is directly responsible for the deaths of between 500 and 1,500 people every year. http://health.lifestyle.yahoo.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=3471&channel_id=2034&relation_id=34552

* Seasonal flu has a death rate of less than 0.1 per cent — but still manages to kill 250,000 to 500,000 people globally every year. http://www.canada.com/health/Swine%20death%20rate%20similar%20seasonal%20expert/2001615/story.html

* Swine flu death rate similar to seasonal flu By Maggie Fox, Reuters September 17, 2009 http://www.canada.com/health/Swine%20death%20rate%20similar%20seasonal%20expert/2001615/story.html

So we have established that flu can be a killer and is something to be concerned about. But I believe there is a difference between concern and fear. In my opinion, concern is a decision that we make, to give something that is potentially harmful, some of our attention, with the intention of developing a positive outcome. Fear is a reaction, which we haven’t necessarily made an informed decision about, and may sometimes cause us to act in ways that we normally wouldn’t, if we were not operating from a reactive perspective. If you think about my definitions and then ask yourself if you are operating from fear or from concern, you will probably gain some clarity. Unfortunately many of us live our lives motivated mostly by fear and rarely by true passion, joy, or love. Don’t blame yourself for this. I believe it is a throwback to our earliest days when we lived with survival as our main motivator, and our bloodlines have carried this through to us. Fear definitely protects us and teaches us about things that can be a threat to our life, but if we allow it to take over our lives it can seriously harm us and our resulting quality of life.

Fear can push us out of our bodies, knock us off centre, drain our energy, erode our immune system, cause us to live lives that are out of alignment with our purpose, and cause many other things. Here are a few interesting online resources to browse for additional details about fear and its effects:

* http://www.depression.oldguy.us/fear.php

* http://www.wingchuncenter.com/Articles/art01.htm

* http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/a/a_04/a_04_p/a_04_p_peu/a_04_p_peu.html

* http://www.cimmay.us/oncall/pc_w.s.sadler.pdf (a 338 page download about the physiology of faith and fear)

There are many more resources available to help you understand fear and its effects, but in this column I want you to think about the fact that fear can actually weaken our immunity and make us more susceptible to contagious bacteria, viruses, ways of thinking, other’s emotions and experiences etc. It can literally undermine our whole being and keep us from living fully.

It is easy to say get over it and move on, but fear does have its way of getting hold of us and not letting go. Overcoming our fears is often a lifelong process, but it can be a very rewarding and exhilarating (that is a topic for another column, and I will try to stay on track here, okay, okay, I will give you a brief peek at something, check this out http://drbenkim.com/overcome-chronic-fear-anxiety.html). Gathering unbiased information about the subject of your fears is a good first step, and looking at other perspectives on the issue that is making your knees weak may help you to loosen fear’s grip a little. So let’s take a look at the benefits of experiencing the flu in its various forms.

Developing a fever gives the immune system a boost. In a 2006 issue of Nature Immunology Sharon Evans and her colleagues report the findings on their research with lab mice http://hum-molgen.org/NewsGen/11-2006/000015.html. Other additional sources relay the same information to us http://www.parents.com/baby/health/fever/fever-benefits/, http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/33438.aspx, http://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/28/science/fever-new-view-stresses-its-healing-benefits.html. Researchers are just coming around to digging deeper into this natural body response. My work with meditation and Shamanic Journeying taught me early on that natural processes such as fevers are important for our whole (body, mind & spirit) growth and evolution, and if we shortcut these processes, we are shortcutting our potential. My studies and work with Jin Shin Jyutsu® have also taught me that staying with a fever and processing through it (feeling and releasing all of the emotions, physical, and spiritual sensations that accompany it) gradually, layer by layer clears away by fearful beliefs and makes room for a more faithful attitude. Fevers are whole being cleansing and initiating agents that can be monitored, left to their own pace, and only interrupted when life is thought to be threatened. This has long been understood by many cultures, and practices such as sweat lodges and saunas were, and are considered necessities of life.

Coughing, vomiting, and diarrhea are powerful cleansing mechanisms of the body. Yes they are extremely uncomfortable and often bring us to our knees, but they are serving to cleanse the body of some form of offending energy. Flu is an acute reaction to the offending virus that has entered our body. The symptoms of flu are our body’s mechanism for protecting and healing itself, and experiencing a flu gives these mechanisms a work out, keeps them fine tuned, and perhaps helps to keep our immune system strong and healthy (some day the researchers will come to this conclusion). A recent study is alluding to this idea: “Seasonal flu shot may raise H1N1 risk, studies find”

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/seasonal-flu-shot-may-raise-h1n1-risk-studies-find-61012632.html

I am concerned about the amount of effort that we have used over the last several decades to prevent ourselves from feeling the symptoms of colds and flus. Most of the products designed to alleviate our symptoms and get us back to work quickly work by suppressing (driving the symptoms back into the body, or stopping them completely) symptoms. Are we short-cutting our body’s ability to develop a strong and healthy immune system when we do this? Are we setting ourselves up for autoimmune diseases, congestive diseases, mental health disorders and much more by choosing to use mainly suppressive forms of health care? We don’t use the label of disease in Jin shin Jyutsu® practice. We consider all disharmonious experiences as projects, which we can work on and learn from. Here are a few more postings to consider:

* http://peristaltor.livejournal.com/48451.html

* http://www.slideshare.net/AutoSurfRestarter/overtreated-why-too-much-medicine-is-making-us-sicker-and-poorer-by-shannon-brownlee

* http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12595624

If you contract the flu, statistics show that you probably will not die from it. There are many non-invasive and natural ways to support yourself as you live through the flu. Consult your local professionals for this information if you need it. In the Chatham-Kent area we have licensed Homeopaths, Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioners (RNCP), Chiropractors, Certified Iridologists, Certified Reflexologists, Registered Massage Therapists, Licensed Acupuncturists, Certified Mind-Body Therapists etc. who can assist you (forgive me if I have left any of you helpful people out and reply to this article with your contact information so that the public can get to know you). If you would like to learn how to help yourself through the flu with Jin Shin Jyutsu®, please contact me and I will send you some information to consider.

It is important to keep a balanced approach to all things. If your symptoms are worsening and your fever is approaching dangerous levels, contact your medical professional for their assistance. Contact medical professionals if you experience any of the following things (from http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/cold-flu/073.html#ArticleParsysMiddleColumn0009 you might want to print this out and post somewhere for easy reference, to help reduce your anxiety and allay your fears):

In children:

* High fever(above 103 degrees), or a fever that lasts for more than 3 days

* Symptoms that last for more than 10 days

* Trouble breathing, fast breathing or wheezing

* Bluish skin color

* Earache or drainage from the ear

* Changes in mental state (such as not waking up, irritability or seizures)

* Flu-like symptoms that improve, but return with a fever and a worse cough

* Worsening of a chronic medical condition (such as diabetes or heart disease)

* Vomiting or abdominal pain

In adults:

* A high, prolonged fever (above 102 degrees) with fatigue and achiness

* Symptoms that last for more than 10 days or get worse instead of better

* Trouble breathing or shortness of breath

* Pain or pressure in the chest

* Fainting or feeling like you are about to faint

* Confusion or disorientation

* Severe sinus pain in your face or forehead

* Very swollen glands in the neck or jaw

I hope that I have been able to give you another perspective on some things and that you are blessed with good and improving health.

The Best Kinds of Medicine

Let’s face it, some kinds of medicine that we ingest are vile, and that is why Julie Andrews sings the line “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” as she portrays Mary Poppins in the 1964 movie of the same name. Other oral medications are flavoured to assist their consumption. But there is a completely different category of medicines that require no consumption, inhalation, or injection, and often little or no fee. I will get to those in a moment, but as an aside I found some information about a research study that shows that giving children a small amount of liquid sugar on their tongue before giving them a vaccine seems to override the pain messages to the brain http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1058406/A-spoonful-sugar-really-DOES-help-medicine-say-scientists.html It seems that Mary Poppins was correct! An interesting study for sure, and my mind wanders to its holistic perspective and wonders “Hmmmm, is this the same override mechanism that adults continue to use to drown their physical, emotional and spiritual pain and cause them to be addicted to sugar laden foods and alcohol?” (regular consumption of alcohol can cause excessive blood glucose levels that trigger the same override response, for a while at least). If we give the wee ones some sweet liquid to alleviate pain when they are young, will they develop an automatic need for sweets when they are anticipating or experiencing pain? In my humble opinion I do indeed think that this is one of the ways that we learn to drown our sorrows with food, alcohol or other things, and then find it quite difficult as adults to learn how to feel our feelings and learn from them.
Back to those other kinds of medicine. I could free write and come up with a list that includes hundreds of things and experiences that have acted as medicine for me in my lifetime. Spreading rich colours across a canvas, listening to the wind, breathing deeply, and soaking in a warm tub are just a few of my favourite medicines. I know someone who reconnects with their spiritual self every time they hear a recording of Louis Armstrong pouring his love through his trumpet.
Feel free to conjure up your own list and share it with the CKDP readers. For simplicity’s sake in this column I want to focus on the healing powers of humour.
When was the last time you almost peed your pants because you were laughing so hard? Can you even remember it? I hope it wasn’t too long ago. Many years of research have shown that laughter can:
· stave off Alzheimer's disease
· boost immune systems (http://www.holisticonline.com/Humor_Therapy/humor_therapy_benefits.htm)
· make you richer, and smarter with its productivity boosting effects
· help control emotions (Amazing isn’t it, how losing control can help you gain control!)
· help us cope with extremely difficult situations
· instantly shift us to a more positive perspective
· reduce pain (http://www.holistic-online.com/Humor_Therapy/humor_mcghee_article.htm )
· exercise the heart (http://www.webmd.com/video/laughter-heals )
· etc, etc, etc,

Do you know that there are laughter therapy organizations, classes and Yoga practices? I think that our provincial health care system should spend most of the money targeted to largely untested and unproven vaccines whose safety is questioned on comedians instead. Can you imagine having a laughter break at work, riding on public transit with a professional humour monger, or waiting in the emergency department in the local hospital to the sounds of laughing and guffawing? Prescriptions could be written for movies that get even the most stoic personalities laughing.
Even before the research was conducted people understood the power of humour. Check out these wise words from the past:

· “Total absence of humour renders life impossible”
from Chance Acquaintances, 1952 by Colette
· “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter”
e e cummings (1894 - 1962)
· “Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
· “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.”
Irish Proverb
· “A good laugh is sunshine in the house”
Thackery
· "When you have a heartfelt belly laugh, all parts of your being - the physiological, the psychological, the spiritual - they all vibrate in one single tune. They all vibrate in harmony!"
Osho

Research has also shown that laughter can be acutely contagious and pathological laughter can be a sign of a serious disease (http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Provine_96.html )
Sometimes we take life and ourselves so seriously that we find it quite difficult to laugh or to see the bright side of things. By holding our Safety Energy Lock 15’s (in your groin, right where your legs join your pelvis http://jsj-holds.blogspot.com/2007/11/keys-to-our-harmony.html or http://mysite.verizon.net/ron26/art2.html ) we can assist our vital force to balance in such a way that we can start to see the positive aspect of any situation. And if you don’t think holding your groin will help, just the thought of it might make you smile. It is bound to make others smile if you choose to do this in public!
To honour laughter as a powerful medicine in my life I am issuing a challenge to the people of Chatham-Kent and surrounding areas. I am willing to give away three FREE Jin Shin Jyutsu® sessions to the three people who make me laugh the most with the jokes or stories that they comment to this column with (hopefully there are at least three people who read my column!) Send them in by December 15, 2009 and I will let you know if anyone manages to get me to pee my pants!

Highly Sensitive People

Sometimes they are called wimps, shy, nerds, neurotics, and at other times, like in the ancient past, they were known as intuitives, sages, and wise people.

Who are these interesting people?

They are the 20 per cent of the population that psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron Ph.D. calls Highly Sensitive People (HSP). Dr. Aron, a self-proclaimed Highly Sensitive Person, has written several books that explain the sensitivity phenomenon and offer helpful tips for living a healthy life, fully, and happily as a sensitive person. She has helped many to understand that:

* Sensitive people are more aware of the subtleties in other people, places and things in their environment and therefore observe, reflect upon and experience more than non-sensitive people.

* Sensitivity is related to a survival strategy that inspires humans and other creatures to observe and assess situations before they proceed into them.

* The brains of sensitive beings work differently than non-sensitives.

* Different cultures value or devalue sensitivity in different ways. Low self-esteem issues are common among sensitive people because of this.

* Sensitivity is still misunderstood and was once thought to be a disorder to be treated.

With 20 per cent of the population being sensitive you probably know at least one sensitive or maybe even live with one. Perhaps it is time to consider these people in a new light and value them for the gifts that they bring into our lives. Highly Sensitive People tend to be very intelligent, conscientious and pay attention to the smallest details, so they make great employees. Because they are intuitive to other people’s needs they make great counselors, massage therapists, coaches and tutors. Their observance of details and nuances in their environment make them ideal visual artists and musicians, and if you want someone to guide you with money management, choose an HSP because they are usually three steps ahead of the stock market and your personal needs.

Living with acute sensitivity can be a gift as it leads to great personal awareness, compassion for others and the development of skills that can assist others. The challenges of living with your sensory skills constantly registering information can be devastating if one does not realize that they are sensitive. Before developing awareness and management skills for their sensitivity, many HSP work extra hard at trying to be “normal”.

They will accompany their family or friends into settings that they find uncomfortable (loud, cluttered, crowded, over stimulating), and endure a horrible experience, to avoid loneliness or just to be like the others. Many HSP try to keep the pace of non-sensitive people and end up experiencing burn out. Because they experience so much more sensory experience, HSP need more sleep and down time than other people.

It is almost like they live three days condensed into a single day. Mental health days are a priority for HSP. Unfortunately many adults are unaware that they are HSP, and they try to live their lives like the other 80 per cent and begin self-medicating with alcohol or drugs just to get through a day.

My theory is that most people with serious addiction issues are HSP and they use their drug of choice to muffle their sensory reception.

As children, many HSP are labeled as shy, fussy, inhibited, fearful, or challenged in some way. If we could change places with that child for a few minutes we would realize that they are indeed wise, thoughtful, creative, intuitive and quite caring for others. Unfortunately these children are easily overwhelmed, especially in a school setting where noise, visual stimulation, and topic shuffling are normal (a Feng Shui nightmare if you ask me!), and they sometimes express their discomfort through uncooperative behaviour.

Instead of implementing behaviour management techniques that are designed for the other 80 per cent of the population perhaps the offering of a quieter space, the ability to leave the classroom for sensory breaks and adopting better understanding of their experience by teachers and caregivers could be considered. Instead of sending your child to their room as punishment, suggest that they go to their special space for some relaxing or creative time.

When you empower a Highly Sensitive Child to learn how to care for themselves at an early age, you are giving them a gift of self respect and self acceptance that may remain with them throughout their life. This can help them to create healthy and fulfilling lives as adults and avoid a life of suffering like many unaware HSP.

Some schools, such as those with a Waldorf or Montessori approach, create quieter, more reflective environments (better Feng Shui) for children to experience, and this is sometimes a better fit for a sensitive child.

So how do you know if you, your child or other family member is a HSP?

Just type “highly sensitive person” or “highly sensitive child” into a search engine and begin your research.

Fortunately sensitivity is becoming more understood and accepted so you will find a myriad of resources to assist you. There are online questionnaires, helpful ideas and suggestions and references to several books written on the subject, as well as opportunities to communicate with other HSP through social networking sites. And, if you want to learn more, you can get in touch with me, because, yes, I am one of those HSP, and proud to be!

Brain Waves

Just like a lake, ocean or other significant body of water, our brain is constantly flowing with different forms of wave energy.
If you stand beside a lake when its waves are crashing on the shore near you, you can feel the power that generated those waves. In contrast, a still and calm body of water usually brings peace to our state of being. The different wave activity in the body of water is somewhat like the different levels of activity in our brains, and if you choose to, you can learn how to adjust your brain activity and achieve different states of being.
The four main levels of brain waves that researchers have identified and described are Beta, Alpha, Theta & Delta.

BETA Brain Waves
· 15 to 40 cycles per second, low amplitude
· awake, alert & working
· high BETA can be associated with anxiety states, Impulsivity and ADHD http://www.ldrc.ca/contents/view_article/219/

ALPHA Brain Waves
· 9 to 14 cycles per second moderate amplitude
· reflective, meditative, at rest state

THETA Brain Waves
· 5 to 8 cycles per second, greater amplitude
· daydreaming, highway hypnotism, mental disengagement
· THETA can be associated with greater access to creativity

DELTA Brain Waves
· 2 to 3 cycles per second, greatest amplitude
· sleep, dreaming or dreamless sleep
· DELTA can be associated with regeneration of the body

Most of us spend a lot of our waking day in the BETA state while we move through our fast paced, multi-layered lives. We often forgo
short breaks, daydreaming time and do-nothing time to replace it with another item from our to-do lists. When it comes time to retire at night it is sometimes quite a job to settle down into the quieter restful states so that we can fall asleep, rest and rejuvenate. We have adopted the fast paced life in the belief that we will keep up with the Jones’ and be more productive and therefore more valuable to our employers, and in other words more secure. In actual fact we have reduced our ability to sleep well and heal, our access to creativity
and our ability to function efficiently. Essentially we have reduced our security in the world.
So, if you choose to, take back your life. Try to set your own pace, and not the pace of the North American culture at large. Build brain-calming activities into your day. If your employers are balking at you daydreaming on the job, provide them with information that supports your efforts and intentions (get in touch with me if you need help with this). Try walking to or from work if possible. The rhythm of your feet touching the earth will help to slow your mind and exercise your body. If it is not possible to walk to work try to take a walk before you get into your car in the morning or after you get home in the evening. Walking is a great left and right brain integration activity that will help you to sort out the day’s challenges and access more creative levels of thought. Other physical activities that go the next step to induce healthy and healing brain states include yoga, Tai Chi and any activity that induces the flow state that allows mental disengagement.
If you or someone you know has a strong attachment to spending many hours in front of a computer screen participating in cyber world activities perhaps you can consider using some of that time to assist yourself. Type “brain wave games” into your favourite search engine and have a look. Wild Divine is one of the leading companies producing and selling video games that are designed to help us slow down our brain activity and reap the associated physical and emotional benefits.
Spending time in natural, unadulterated settings can help your brain to slow down and match the rhythms of that environment. In the late 1800’s it was well known that exposure to fresh air, good nutrition and rest in natural settings would assist one’s immune system to grow strong. Sanatoriums were developed to help individuals overcome the effects of Tuberculosis. Today most of those Sanatoriums have been replaced by modern medical facilities that use a pharmaceutical approach to infectious disease.
The ancient art of Feng Shui guides us to bring the energy of nature into our homes as much as possible. Recent research has shown that good Feng Shui can create healthier brainwave states and bad Feng Shui can do the opposite http://www.learningstrategies.com/FengShui/BrainWaves.asp
We are all interconnected with our surroundings and our culture. It takes great strength and courage to break away from the pack and live a more personably suitable life. Surround yourself with others who have had the courage to march to the beat of their own drummer. Fill your mind with good information such as biographies of others who have found their own way. Begin asking yourself “What is my way?” and be prepared to receive and act upon the answers, and hold those Safety Energy Lock 14’s http://jsj-holds.blogspot.com/ http://mysite.verizon.net/ron26/art2.html to help you keep in touch with your way.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Bobby McFerrin said it well,

“Don’t worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double”

… and he made it sound so easy, but trying to fix your mind with your mind can be challenging.

“When you worry you make it double”

Frequent worry can lead to a host of physical ailments such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, ulcers, gastrointestinal problems, muscular aches and pains, skin rashes, eczema, respiratory problems and asthma, and many other stress related disorders.

When you worry you are projecting a portion of your vital force to future events that may happen and limiting the vitality that you have in the present moment. It is this projection of energy that leaves you vulnerable to the myriad of stress related symptoms mentioned above.

When I studied with Peruvian Elders several years ago, I was fascinated by their observance of our culture and how we throw our energy away or attach it to so many material things. What a gift it was for me to see our culture at work through the perception of a completely different way. So if you were aware that you were throwing your energy away like this would you continue to do it?

Unfortunately some people are genetically wired to worry more than others http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/dont-worry-woody-anxiety-is-in-the-genes-study-finds-890291.html and others have learned this taxing habit from our culture at large.

The good news is that there are some things that you can do to reduce the worry pattern and bring more peace back into your life.

You could start by thinking about the fact that recent studies are demonstrating that approximately 85 per cent of the things that people worry about never occur (sorry I couldn’t find the actual studies to reference here, but if you surf around you will find many indirect references to them).

Since most of us have already bought into the belief that our lives must be complex to be successful, I will keep this column’s suggestions simple.

Overcoming a life long habit of worry probably won’t happen overnight (see last week’s column) but consistent, simple effort can reap rewards. Trying to fix your mind with your mind can be like a dog chasing it’s tail, so instead maybe you can look to your fingers.

Jin Shin Jyutsu® is a fabulous tool to release worry from your life. By holding your thumb with your opposite hand you can transform anxiety energy into a more grounded, centered, and present energy. This simple and free exercise, repeated throughout the day, over time, will harmonize your energy and power up your self awareness. You will find yourself worrying less and also becoming aware of when you are worrying, so that you can choose to stop. Jin Shin Jyutsu(R) has a cumulative effect, so the more that you work with it, the more benefits you receive.

If you want to learn more about Jin Shin Jyutsu(R) check out this great site:

http://jsj-holds.blogspot.com . I have been studying and practicing Jin Shin Jyutsu(R) for 20 years now and I have not lost any interest in it. Instead I continue to be awed and inspired by it as it continues to assist me to maintain balance in my life and to teach me about the unseen energies within and around me.

No Quick Fixes

Have you ever stood beside a beautiful 100+ year old and felt its powerful presence? That energy did not gather in a short time. It took every bit of that 100+ years to grow that tree into what it is. Strength, personal power, health & wellness are very much like the old oak tree, and they take time to gather, develop strong flexible roots, and flourish.

It seems to me that many advertisements are still promising dramatic results in a short period of time, and the faster the promised results the higher the price tag for the product. We humans seem to want everything now and are willing to part with our dollars to speed up the process. Some processes in our lives can be sped up by waving the pretty printed paper in front of the right person, but Mother Nature does not understand the concept of economy and money and she has her own wisdom to let things unfold in their perfect time and place.

True and sustainable healing of our personal issues, whether they be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual generally involves a process or journey. The pace of this journey is as unique as the individual experiencing it. Some people overcome great diversity within a few months, while others are reeling many years later. Both of these ways, and any way in between, are perfect for the person in question. An open-minded attitude toward our process and our willingness to learn and embody new ways can assist one to enjoy the journey as our life flows ahead.

In my 20+ years of experience in the field of wellness I have yet to find a technique or way that offers fast and sustainable relief from core issues that are causing illness or discontentment. I have witnessed and experienced quick and dramatic relief of pain or acute symptoms with holistic practices, but I have not experienced this with chronic, long term situations. The chronic conditions are usually rooted in misbeliefs that we or our ancestors adopted when it was most logical or appropriate to do so. Unfortunately over time these beliefs and the energetic patterns that they create in our personal energy fields often lead to chronic uncomfortable conditions as our psyche pokes at us to reexamine our subconscious choices and make room for new ways of being.

Yes, there it is again that subconscious thing. Lets just say that if it was in our waking consciousness or awareness we would choose to change the way that we think or react to situations to bring relief to our selves. But because it is not a part of our awareness the root of our problems remains hidden from us most of the time. True healing modalities bring these subconscious patterns, a little at a time, to the surface so that we can make choices to maintain them or let them go and replace them with new patterns. So this process takes time and inner reflection and doesn't happen overnight. So if you are thinking of investing a little time, some energy and some money into something that promises to help you change your life dramatically in a short period of time, you may want to decide if this is the right thing for you. Think about the kinds of things like this that you have invested in in the past, and what return you received from these investments.

All of that said, spontaneous remission does occur and this throws a wrench into the “no quick fix” theory.

Sometimes the soul does not need a long term lesson but a deep and dramatic awakening to the value of life, and when a threat to that life arises the lesson is sometimes learned quickly and the need for the threat dissipates. Other times miracles happen simply for us to remember that things beyond our understanding are possible. Why do some people experience miracles and others suffer through to the end of their physical life? Perhaps it is the lessons they are learning, or we can chalk it up to the great mysteries of life which we are not meant to unravel.