Insomnia

From the book, “Natural Healing With Herbs,” by Humbart Santillo BS, MH –  if closely followed, these few rules will assist in a sound sleep.

1. Sleep in a well ventilated, cool room; not an overheated room.
2. Never sleep in the same clothes that you wore earlier in the day.  Wear lose clothing or none at all.
3. Be sure your sheet and blanket are neither too warm or too heavy.
4. Avoid excitement or extraordinary strain before bedtime.
5. Do not eat at least 3 hours before bedtime.
6. When you first go to bed practice relaxing before you fall asleep.

If you’re still having problems, try a fresh-air walk, or walk barefoot in the grass before retiring for the evening.  Drink teas of equal parts hops and chamomile.

It is also suggested that an infusion of equal parts of wood betony, peppermint, chamomile, catnip and valerian mixed (one cup) will assist in a good nights rest. 

And if you think your restlessness is due to nervousness, mix equal parts of valerian, spearmint, lemon balm, lady’s slipper and skullcap.  Drink as in infusion when needed using one ounce to a pint of boiling water; steep for 20 minutes.

 

Connect

Mother Teresa use to tell the sisters to greet everyone they come in contact with throughout the day with a smile.  And they lived it.  One day I was riding down the road when it occurred to me that I loved sharing that bit of information, but I didn’t smile at everyone I met.  Are you kidding?  That meant I would have to make eye contact with a stranger, who could be dangerous or something (LOL), and then I would have to smile like I meant it. 

I can laugh out loud about it now, because I’ve been doing it for the past seven years, and I can honestly say that there is nothing to fear.  It’s pretty special when someone smiles big and waves back at you.  I feel my heart swell and my smile widens more as I connect with another.  It just goes to show how beautiful and magical life is when you step out of your comfort zone.    

But if you never try it, you’ll never know the majesty of unleashing your heart upon the world.  If you really want to feel powerful then release a hug here and there. Hugs shouldn’t be limited to family and friends only.  The lonely need hugs more than anyone.

Research has shown that touch is fundamental for human communication, bonding, and health.  Most western cultures, including the U.S., are considered to be touch deprived. 

According to an article in the Greater Good, Dacher Keltner reported that people in France touched each other up to 110 times per hour, while friends in Puerto Rico touched up to 180 times.  Here in the U.S. that number was 2 times, and only during a “burst of enthusiasm.”  But not all is lost to the U.S., in England the number was reduced to zero times.

In addition, a French psychologist discovered that when teachers give a pat on the back to their students, the student becomes three times more likely to speak up in class.

We all need each other.  We have this ability to lift each other high, and make the world a better place and there is nothing hard about it.  It simply begins with a smile followed by a wave of the hand. 

(greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/hands_on_research)

 

 

 

USE KIND WORDS -

“Pretty words are not always true, and true words are not always pretty.”

“Characterize people by their actions and you’ll never be fooled by their words.”

“Words can inspire or words can

destroy -  choose your words wisely.”

 

 

 

 

 

Suicide

I don’t know why, but on Saturday I found myself in a very dark place.  I felt so sad, and I found myself crying, a lot!  Regardless of how much I wanted to turn my thoughts around, I could not.  All hope was lost.  We live on a fucked up little planet with fucked up little people who are happy slinging shit at one another, like primates. I’m not sure as to what exactly triggered all this, but I had to stop this blackness that creped deep into my soul.  My focus quickly turned to suicide.  So I researched the subject and sorrow gripped my heart even tighter. 

Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States.  Each year 44,193 Americans die by suicide; numbers are estimated to be higher; but the stigma attached to suicide often leads to underreporting.   For every suicide it is estimated there were 25 others who attempted to kill themselves.  On average there are 121 suicides per day.  Firearms account for almost 50% of all suicides.   Men die by suicide 3.5 times more often than women, yet females attempt suicide 3 times more than males.  The rate is the highest among middle aged men (white men in particular). 

Wyoming has the most suicides in the U.S.  Alaska ranks 2^nd, Montana 3^rd, New Mexico 4^th, Utah 5^th, Idaho 6^th, and the State of Florida ranks 29^th.  Over twice as many people die by suicide in the State of Florida annually than by homicide. 

The New York Times reported, in April 2016, that suicides surged to its highest rates in nearly 30 years.  The rates rose by 2% per year beginning in 2006.  The article went on to say that, “American Indians had the sharpest rise of all racial and ethnic groups, with rates rising by 89 percent for women and 38 percent for men. White middle-aged women had an increase of 80 percent.”

Collectively we are not happy people; we have to turn this all around and bring happy back.  2006 is the year of the Amish school shootings.    It’s the year of the Enron trial, and the year Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death; money, guns and oil.

You know there’s a serious issue when a society’s self destructive behavior impacts a self-sufficient community that is totally disengaged from the modern civilization.  Events such as 9-11, and the Amish schools shootings serve as road signs as to what’s to come, if we continue down this road of destruction. 

By Saturday afternoon, I just shut down.  I drowned myself in alcohol until I couldn’t think anymore, and passed out early with an upset stomach.  It was dark when I awoke, and I found myself in regret for wasting an entire day in such a manner. 

I rose early Sunday morning anticipating a day at the beach.  But I still wasn’t myself.  Instead of music thumping my ear drums, I found myself listening to Louise Hay affirmations that I had recorded from YouTube, as I rooted myself to the Earth and absorbed the radiating energy of the sun. 

By the end of the day I was feeling more like myself, and even more so on Monday.  I can not tell you how I was drawn into such a dark place that Saturday, but I can tell you this, it’ll get better.  The more we work on healing our own sorrow, the better our world becomes.

(afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics)

Suicide Prevention Hotlines Serving Pensacola

850-438-1617 or 850-623-6363

 

Trust Me

No I'm not talking about the banking definition of trust; I'm talking about a belief in reliability, truth, and strength of someone or something.  Trust involves faith in another to be loyal and sincere.   We trust our friends to be non-judgmental and to keep our secrets, and when it comes to our lovers, trust can include devotion to love one above all others.  It’s pretty evident that trust is the foundation of good health, in addition to hearty relationships.

But trust shouldn’t end with family and friends.  We should be able to trust our neighbors, the media, or the EPA, FBI, CIA, Congress, as well as the office of the President, but we don’t.  That trust has been broken.  Instead of seeing the best of others, we seem to be fixated on the dark side; stuck in a broken system of mistrust. 

I spent five years as an environmental activist, and I can tell you that I did not trust the EPA for nothing.  I even met people who represented the EPA, who seemed very concerned and well educated, but I knew money talked and hands were out palms up.  The EPA wasn’t ruling in favor of a healthy human environment, they were supporting a long outdated fossil fuels industry that has been proven to be detrimental to human health.  And today, with a new administration, there’s talk of demolishing the Environmental Protection Agency all together. 

I had to ask myself is this a good thing or a bad thing?  I mean really, if the EPA wasn’t doing their job in the first place, why bother keeping the agency around? 

Of course I do not think this is a good thing, but as I see all this crazy whipping around an unstable government, I see our Court System working as it was intended.  Our system of checks and balances is still in place.  I see twenty times the people protesting for our Earth Mother in the past four months than I had in the past seven years, here in Pensacola.  But most of all, I realize that my lack of trust and assumptions of the EPA (government) was contributing to the ciaos we see today.  Never has this been so clear as when I attended a pipeline march/rally on February 12th.

As I stood in protest, a young woman rose before the crowd to speak.  Her heart swelled with each spoken word. It didn’t take long for her voice to begin breaking up, as she bravely tried to fight the tears.  I use the word brave, because that is what it takes to open your heart to others, especially when you’re in the spotlight of a hundred pairs of stranger eyes.  That’s trust!

People are not governments.  People are individual persons.  The problem is not one of a government, but of us individuals; you and me.  Our lack of trust leaves no room for love to grow.  It is not boarder fences we need to be concerned with, but instead it is the fences we build around our hearts we need to fear.  We have to quit shutting each other out and embrace each other instead; we have to matter to each other.  Your fight for justice is my fight for justice.  When we stand together, we can change the world.  Trust me.

 

 

 

Critisim

Being too critical of others can make you a mean-spirited person, regardless if you’re the perpetrator or the victim.  People criticize their selves as well as others for many reasons.  Some of us use criticism with the intention of protecting others, or when we feel the need to protect our own self-image.  Our intentions may be honorable, but when we are critical of others, we are focusing on the negative, instead of the good.

Other words that share meaning with the word critical include: demanding, belittling, condemning, cynical, demeaning, derogatory, sarcastic, fault-finding, and scolding. 

Yet with proper balance, criticism can be a good thing. Critical thinking is a necessity to our evolution.  If it wasn’t for the criticism of others, would we attempt to better ourselves? 

To find balance, we need to train our minds to look for the good. Ron Potter-Efron, the author of, “Stop The Anger Now,” suggests setting a goal for 24 hours to notice how many good things about the world and your surroundings as you can.  Do this everyday for a month.  This will assist in training your brain to think differently.

Second, Efron suggest that during those moments you when you see only the bad points of a situation, that you set a goal to see the good.  He further suggests using the following question, “I could have complained about ___________, but instead I noticed ___________.”  He says the more we train ourselves to look for the good, the more we’ll see it.

Thirdly, look at the critic within.  If you are critical of others, then you most certainly are demanding of yourself.  Pay attention to the cynical things you think and feel about yourself.  Keep a journal and write these thoughts down; release the burden they bring and lighten up.

(www.neilrosenthal.com/why-am-i-so-critical-others)

 

The Art of Listening

Dreams are probably the most popular subject when it comes to listening for answers to your questions.  They are visual masterpieces of symbolism, and most certainly spirits way of communicating with a higher power.  Write a your question on a piece of paper and put it under your pillow at night.  To understand your dreams, you should write about the dream out as soon as you wake. Put pen to paper, or type it out on the computer.  You do this for two reasons, one of which is that you have a record of the dream to refer to later, if it is indeed a prophetic dream.  It has been my experience that prophetic dreams occur right before you wake up, and you swear to God the dream is real. 

Yet other times, dreams simply assist us in identifying behaviors that are detrimental to our spirituality; or assurances of our waking life choices.    Which is the Second reason you’ll want to record your dream for reference, it makes it much easier to identify the symbolisms of the dream. 

Your intuition is just as important in determining a dream message.  Listen to your heart and be honest with yourself. 

To assist you in determining a dreams message, there are dream dictionaries that you can purchase, as well as online dictionaries that are free.  I often use www.dreammoods.com – it’s free. 

Cloud Reading is another way of receiving messages from above.  Windy days are the best.  Close your eyes and quiet your mind.  Next, meditate on the question you seek the answer to.  Look up at the clouds and reference what you see.  Is it an animal, or an object, or person?  Next, research what you seen.  If it’s an elephant, the message may have to do with ancient wisdom.  A dragon often signifies luck.

“The divine always reveals itself in nature.” – Ted Andrews, who wrote the best seller, Animal-Speak teaches us how to communicate through animals.  Respect and honor the animals and they will guide you too. 

A raven once warned me of a speeding ticket if I wasn’t watchful.  Crows and raven are watchers.  They often fly ahead of wolves and warn them of impending danger. 

On this particular day I was turning onto an on-ramp that led to a freeway.  This particular part of the freeway was under construction and it wasn’t unusual to see a patrol car parked with his radar on, just ahead as soon as you merged with the traffic. Yet, I saw a raven sitting on the speed limit sign on the on-ramp.  I wondered to myself, “What are you trying to tell me?  I know there’s a cop up a head, I see him everyday.”  I was surprised when I merged and the cop wasn’t there.  Right as I was ready to punch the gas pedal, I glanced in my rear view mirror, and there behind me was a patrol car.  If I would have stepped on the gas as I had planned, I would have been busted for sure.

The radio is another tool; a source of solutions when pondering a question.  Random music isn’t always so random. For example, I’m driving along on my way home, when a song comes on the radio called “Somebody’s Watching Me,” by Rockwell.  Chills ran up my spine.  I decided to pull into a grocery store to see what I could see.  And sure enough, a car that I had seen earlier in the day pulled in behind me.  I approached the vehicle, and the driver squirmed and twisted trying hiding her face.   But I was determined to make eye contact, and sure enough I had actually sat and spoke to this same woman in a bar/restaurant earlier in the day on the other side of town.  She turned out to be a private investigator working for the federal government, investigating a federal complaint I made against an employer.

I have found that at times the answer to my questions comes immediately, and other times the answers may come later, like in the night time as dreams.  But still there is another more direct way of seeking knowledge; it is often referred to as shamanic journeying. 

Shamanic practitioners often access the subconscious mind through repetitive drumming.   Some traditions include rattles; Australian shamans use didgeridoos and click sticks.  It’s the monotonous sounds generated that is used to enter an altered state of consciousness, allowing one to access invisible worlds.

If you would like to learn more about journeying, I suggest Sandra Ingerman’s book for beginners; it comes with a drumming CD, but of course there’s always the internet as well.

This is where the magic is.  It’s in open minds and open hearts.  Those who do not believe in magic will never find it.

 

"Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean

and as high as the sky." - Sonia Gandhi

 

Fish Food for the Soul

The older I get, the more I love this Earth life.  Youth may have its beauty, but with age comes the wisdom that unlocks the magic.  Still, I wish I knew then the things I know now.  How many times have you caught yourself thinking just that? 

I don’t know? Maybe one has to cultivate in order to gain wisdom.  Socrates said, “Wisdom begins with wonder,” like a child viewing life with new eyes, they question everything they come in contact with.

Where is Heaven?  What does the Creator want of me?  Why did He/She create me?  What is this life about?  These are not necessarily questions of a child, but they are those of an adult. 

We begin life on the outside and as we age we work our way in; peeling away the layers like an onion.  With each new cycle comes the arrival of a new awareness, a shift in perspectives that can only be achieved by “living.” 

When our perspective shifts, the notions we ponder upon change also.  One question leads to another so to speak.  It’s like visiting or moving to a new city. Each town has its own unique feel; our awareness shifts with movement. The new flows from our minds in the form of questions, and feeds our hearts if we are willing to listen. 

“Give us our daily bread,” is just another way of saying, feed us wisdom daily; give us fish food for the soul.  Just remember, wisdom begins with a question. 

What question do you seek the answer to?

 

“WHEN AN OLD MAN DIES, A LIBRARY BURNS TO THE GROUND.” - African Proverb