THE WATER BLESSING

You’ll often see me blogging about the power of the mind, and how thought can affect our bodies.  Considering ninety percent of the human body is made up of water, it is logical that a direct correlation exist between the two (thought and water/body).   And there are actually scientific studies that support this assumption. 

Masaru Emoto, from Japan has published six books (1996-2007) that claims human consciousness has a direct effect on the molecular structure of water.  Emoto wanted to test the power of thought and words and its effect on water. So he taped words onto glass containers, so that the word could be read by the water inside. The water would respond to words like, love and gratitude, by crystallizing shiny and white, like snowflakes. But words like hate or even the name Hitler would not crystallize, and took on shapeless and unattractive forms.

Emoto’s experiment affirms that what we say and think has a profound effect on us physically. And to further this theory that thought can clean and heal polluted water, a demonstration of few hundred people, led by a Buddhist Monk, gathered around a polluted stream in Japan and focused on the water healing for an hour. Fifteen minutes after the meditation, it was reported that the water became visibly clearer.  The water would not crystallize before the experiment, but afterwards the water crystallized into beautiful shapes.

This not only authenticates that we have the power to heal ourselves; it also proves we have the power to heal the oceans, lakes, rivers and steams. 

In 2011, after the Deepwater Horizon Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, a few of us began to meet once a month at the beach.  We would collect a small jar of water, and we would take the water home with us and tell it how grateful we were, and how much we loved it; meditating on the water healing from the oil and Corexit used by BP.  

I personally drew a little smiley face on my jar of water, with a red heart.  I taped the words Love, Gratitude, and Peace on the jar as well. 

We meet on the Thursday closest to the full moon.  Then we return the water to the Gulf of Mexico and collect a new jar of water to take home.

The moon also plays an important role in our ritual.  Not only does the moon have an effect on the tides, but it also amplifies human emotion; therefore enhancing the power of the prayer. 

And what’s really cool is that anyone can do this.  You do not have to be part of a group. No priest or monk needed.  You can do it where you live, or anytime on your own.  You have that ability to heal. 

If you still need scientific proof, please watch the video below.

 

 

THROUGH A CHILDS EYES – Keeping It Simple

When I was about eight years old, my mom and dad decided to send me and my two siblings to Catholic school.  I wasn’t too happy with this change of schools.  I had to make new friends, and I had to wear a dress.  Because the school was approximately three miles away, I now had to ride a bus to school and back as well. 

On the first day riding the bus home, my mom decided to wait for me at the bus stop.  As I bounced off the bus, I pointed to a brown skinned boy and declared with excitement, “Look mom, that’s my new boyfriend!” 

Without missing a beat, as I was waiving goodbye to Robert, my mother grabbed my other hand and began to escort me home.  She said, “Kim, white people and black people don’t date each other.  He can’t be your boyfriend.”

I looked up to her and said, “What do you mean? 

“They just don’t.  That’s the way it is,” as my mom tried to explain.

“But doesn’t Jesus say we're all the same?”

My mother snapped back, “Doesn’t Jesus say to listen to your parents?”

Of course the answer to that question is yes.  But somewhere deep inside, I knew she was wrong, because of what Jesus said . . . “they are yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” 

Go figure, you send your kid to a Catholic school, and they are taught that we all bleed the same, and Jesus loves everyone. 

We were not taught that there were exceptions to these rules.  Jesus didn’t say, only white people can love white people. 

Then a couple years later, when my parents divorced, I was told by the Church that my mom and dad could no longer partake in communion, which made about as much sense as condemning interracial relationships.   Jesus never laid out any rules regarding the holy act of communion.

Negativity will affect your spiritual well being.

We learn fear from our parents and our elders.  For my mother, it was a fear of being poor.  She grew up in a poor family, and set out with the purpose of disassociating herself from anything related to poverty, including race.

Even church’s incorporate the fear of its leaders - “Well, the bible doesn’t really say that divorcee’s can’t participate in communion, but I think because it is a holy reconciliation with Jesus, that it would only be appropriate.” 

That statement is nothing more than an assumption.  These leaders tend to forget that Jesus preached about forgiveness, the absence of judging people, and loving others as we would love Him.

The U.S. government uses fear to control “We the people,” as well. Fear of losing American jobs; they use the fear of terrorism to fuel the wars in the Middle East, for oil and the access to lay pipelines. 

By the time we grow up, we’re so full of fear that we no longer see the truth for what it really is.  But the truth will reveal itself when we begin to ask questions from the heart.  The heart is a symbol of love.  Jesus is often depicted as having a sacred heart (of love).  When Peter went to Jesus’ defense, with a sword in his hand, Jesus scolded Peter (Matthew 26:52).  Love, love, love . . . that’s what Jesus taught. 

It is pretty much a “Keep it simple stupid” philosophy.  There really is nothing tricky about it.  Love and have fun. Respect others and help them out when they’re needy.  Look at life through a child’s eyes, before you were taught how to hate, or be prideful and envious.  And question everything, just like a kid!

If you are feeling negative in any way, ask yourself, “What is it I fear?”  Own up to it and eliminate that fear from your life.   Un-complicate your existence; shed those chains and return your heart to a time of innocence & Love ~

 

GRANDMOTHER SPIDER - The Weaving of Fate

(From the book, Animal-Speak, by Ted Andrews)

The spider has shown up in myth and lore throughout the world.  Usually it’s symbolism has been very similar wherever it is used.  In India, it was associated with Maya, the weaver of illusion.  It has had connections to the Fates in Greek mythology and the Norns in Scandinavian lore—women who would weave, measure, and cut the threads of life.  To the Native Americans, spider is grandmother, the link to the past and the future.

Unlike insects, spiders have a two section body instead of three, often giving them a figure eight kind of appearance.  This in conjunction with its eight legs (unlike an insect’s six) links it to all the mysticism associated with the geometric form of the figure eight.  On its side, this is the symbol of infinity.  It is the wheel of life, flowing from one circle to the next.  The difficulty is learning to walk those circles or even hold your position within the middle between the two. 

Spider teaches you to maintain a balance—between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female.  Spider teaches you that everything you now do is weaving what you will encounter in the future.  In the tarot deck is a card– The Wheel of Fortune.  This is a card that has to do with rhythms– the rise and fall, the flow and flux.  It is linked to the energies of honor and fame, and the sensitivities necessary to place ourselves within the rhythm of Nature.  Meditation upon this card would be beneficial for anyone with the spider totem.

The spider awakens creative sensibilities.  It weaves a web of intricate and subtle fabric, as if to remind us that the past always subtly influences the present and the future.  Often the webs will take a spiral shape, the traditional for of creativity and development.  The spider found within the web reminds us that we are the center of our own world.  The ancient mystery schools had one percent inscribed about their portals:  “Know Thyself and Thou Shalt Know the Universe!”  Spider reminds us that the world is woven around us.  We are the keepers and the writers of our own destiny, weaving it like a web by our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

The spider, because of its characteristics, has come to be associated by mystics and in mythology with three predominant expressions of magic.  The first is the magic and energy of creation.  It is a symbol of creative power, reflected in its ability to spin a silken web.  It is also associated with assertiveness of that creative force, of keeping the feminine energies of creation alive and strong.  As will be discussed further, this has ties to the characteristics of some spiders, i.e. the female black widow, which will kill and eat the male after mating has exhausted it.

The third predominant magic of the spider is associated with its spiral energy, the links with the past and the future.  The spiral of the web, converging at a central point, is something to meditated upon by those with this totem.  Are you moving toward a central goal or are you scattered and going in multiple directions?  Is everything staying focused?  Are you becoming too involved and/or self absorbed?  Are you focusing on others’ accomplishments and not on your own?  Are you developing resentment because of it—for yourself or them?

Spider is the guardian of the ancient languages and alphabets.  Every society has had myths about how the different languages and alphabets were formed.  The Chinese alphabet is attributed to Ts’ang Chien, the god with the dragon face and four eyes.  He formed it from the patterns of the stars, the marks on the back of the turtle and the footprints of birds in the sand.  The Norse god, Odin, created the Runic alphabet after hanging upon the great tree of life for nine days and nights.  After this time, the twigs fell off and spelled out certain formulas and words.

To many, there was an alphabet even more primordial.  It was formed by the geometric patterns and angles found within spider’s web.  To many this was the first true alphabet.  This is why spider is considered the teacher of language and magic of writing.  Those who weave magic with the written word probably have a spider totem.

The spider has long been associated with death and rebirth.  Part of this may have to do with the fact that some female spider will kill and eat the male after mating.  This is often found in the insect world, the praying mantis being another such example.  Because it is constantly building and weaving new webs, it has also been a lunar symbol, with ties to the waxing and waning of the moon.  For those with this totem, this pattern is a reminder to maintain balance and polarity in all aspects of life.  Spider teaches that through polarity and balance creativity is stimulated.

Books, movies, and television have had a tendency to promote a fear of spiders in the general public.  Most spiders are poisonous.  This how they kill or stun their prey.  They serve a vital function in controlling insect populations.

The black widow probably has received the worst reputation undeservedly.  It is found all over the United States.  It is jet black, but it has a red hour-glass shaped marking on the belly.  It is a poisonous spider, but it is not fatal to humans as many assume.  It is actually a very timid spider, and it is usually as much or more afraid of humans than they are of it.

 

Tarantulas are another common big spider that people are familiar with.  The tarantella, a folk dance of Southern Italy, was named after the tarantula.  They believed incorrectly that its bite caused convulsive movements in humans.  The dance with its circular direction and quick foot movements was named for it.

The tarantula is one of the largest spiders, and it is hairy.  Its mouth is underneath its body.  Its bite is poisonous, as with most spiders, but it would not affect the average human any more than a bee sting.  Tarantulas do spin a thread, but they do not weave a web.  This dig a burrow or a hole in the sand and hide in the bottom of it.  As soon as they feel something walking around the opening, they will jump up, grab it, and pull it back in.  That is how they catch their food.

Most spiders are actually very, very delicate.  If you were holding a tarantula and dropped it, it would break and die.  Spiders are a combination of gentleness and strength, and they have learned to combine both for successful survival.  This is an important lesson for those with this totem.

As delicate as they are, spiders are also very agile.  They can maintain balance and walk the tiny silken threads with ease.  To walk the threads of life and maintain balance has been one of the mysteries throughout the ages.  Myth and lore often speak of individuals who have learned to walk the threads between life and death—walking and sleeping—between physical and the spiritual.  This is part of what spider medicine can teach, for spiders are the experts at walking threads.

Most people have little or no contact with the bigger spiders, but they will often see a wide variety around the house and home.  Many of these serve vital functions, killing more harmful insects.  Most of their movement occurs in the dark, and they move into inaccessible areas.  This reflects much about how to express the creative energies.  Don’t be afraid to employ it in seemingly inaccessible corners.  Weave your creative threads in the dark and then when the sun hits them, they will glisten with intricate beauty.

If spider has come into your life, ask yourself some important questions.  Are you not weaving your dreams and imaginings into reality?  Are you not using your creative opportunities?  Are you feeling closed in or stuck as if in a web?  Do you need to pay attention to your balance and where you are walking in life?  Are others out of balance around you?  Do you need to write?  Are you inspired to write or draw and not following through?  Remember the spider is the keeper of knowledge of the primordial alphabet.  Spider can teach how to use the written language with power and creativity so that your words weave a web around those who would read them.

THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF – Harnessing the Power of the Human Mind

Thought is a vital creative force that moves. It is infectious, and it changes rapidly. Sometimes it can be hard to keep up with your thoughts, because they move so fast. The body is a product of the mind. Good positive thoughts can keep you healthy, and bad negative thoughts will bring you sickness and disease.

In his book, “The Biology of Belief,” Bruce Lipton, PhD (at page 112-113) gives an example of how the nocebo effect (opposite of the placebo effect; thinking you have a disease when you don’t) can feed into an unjustified belief.           

In1974, Nashville physician, Clifton Meador, had a patient named Sam Londe, who was a retired salesman with esophagus cancer. The disease back at that time was considered fatal. Londe ended up dying about three weeks later, to no ones surprise. The surprise came after Londe’s death, at which time the autopsy found a small amount of cancer in Londe’s body; there was a spot on his lung and one or two on his liver, but not enough to kill him. Most importantly though, there was no esophagus cancer. Not a trace. Three decades later, and Dr. Meador is still haunted by Londe’s death. Meador told the Discovery Channel, “He died with cancer, but not from cancer. I thought he had cancer, he thought he had cancer, everyone around him thought he had cancer. . . did I remove hope in some way?”

And here’s an example of Lipton's work (at page 109) that goes to prove that the placebo effect doesn’t only apply to pills. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, in 2002, a study lead by Dr. Bruce Moseley, of Baylor School of Medicine, in which Moseley divided his knee surgery patients into three groups. In the first group, Moseley shaved the damage cartilage in the knee. The second group, Moseley simply flushed out the knee joint. And in the third group, he conducted a fake surgery. The “fake surgery” patients were sedated, the standard incisions were made; he splashed water to stimulate the sound of the knee washing and talked and acted like he would, if he had truly done the surgery. All three groups were given the same post surgery instructions. And guess what?

The placebo group improved right along with first two groups. This study was prompted by the question of which surgery was actually giving Moseley’s patients the most relief from their pain. Lipton quotes Moseley as saying, “My skill as a surgeon had no benefit on these patients. The entire benefit of surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee was the placebo effect.”

Bruce Lipton who wrote the book “The Biology of Belief,” is a cell biologist, and at one time a professor at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine.  He later performed pioneering studies at Stanford University.  He is recognized for bridging science and spirituality. 

Through his research and others, it has been proven that thought will reproduce what you believe.  The mind is not a physical object, it is intelligence.  Our bodies are containers full of energy.  The thought will manifest itself in the physical world.  What it can not express outside the body, it will express inside the body.  That’s one reason why it important to keep your thoughts positive.

An easy way to train your mind is with the use of affirmations.  It means to affirm; to make firm; to make strong.  The practice of affirming allows us to replace the negative mind chatter with positive thoughts.  In general, affirmations are positive statements; affirm what you want, instead of what you do not want.  And they should always be made in the present tense, as if it already exists.  Here are some examples:

·         I release all that does not bring me joy

·         I am a radiant being filled with love and light

·         Every day in every way I’m getting better and better

·         My life is blossoming in total perfection

·         I am vibrantly healthy

·         Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my life

·         The light within me is creating miracles in my life here and now

The most effective affirmations are short and sweet.  Say them to yourself silently or verbally aloud.  You can write it on a piece of paper.  Use your name (Kelly is a radiant being filled with love and light; Kelly, you are a radiant being filled with love and light; I Kelly am filled with love and light).  Repeat this process a few times through out your day.

And when you roll out of bed in the morning, instead of saying, “Oh my back,” say, “I feel good and refreshed.” 

You’re simply changing your perspective.  It really does make a difference in your life in regards to your health, and how you feel about yourself as well as others. Here’s an example of how your thoughts can affect others. 

One morning on my way to work, a car cut me off like three times!  At first I had a few choice words for the driver, but then I caught myself and began to say in my mind, “I’m sorry sister, I didn’t mean to call you a ________, and say all of those other mean things.”

When we pulled up to the next stop light, she was beside me.  She rolled her window down and said, “I’m sorry for cutting you off.  I’m just running a little behind, and I apologize.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “That’s ok,” I said, “I’ve been there before myself; I understand.”

Talk about Karma!  People usually use the word Karma in a negative aspect, but it works both ways.  If you put positive thoughts out there, then positive things will come to you. 

So clean up your thoughts and make the world a better place to be.  Believe & Be the Change!

THE CHANGING SEASONS – Autumn Equinox

I hate that the American football season begins in August.  Just the thought of football seems to trigger a chill in the air.  What’s the rush?  Jeez, the butterflies are still mating.  Summer isn’t even over yet. 

Summer is my favorite time of the year.  Yet as a kid, fall was my favorite season.  I lived up North, and loved to play in the leaves; and the fall colors were always a favorite as well.  But as an adult, I know winter follows autumn, and I do not like the cold at all; which is one reason why I now live in the Florida panhandle.

Still, like it or not, autumn is on its way; its part of the cycle of life.  The seasons do not only indicate a change in the weather, there is a spiritual aspect that is represented as well.  The energies that are ushered in with a particular season surround us and have an effect on all of humanity.

Take for instance the fall season.  Autumn is a time of purification.  It is a time of harvest; relinquishing the old and preparing for the new.  It’s time to plant your seeds and set your goals for the year.  What a perfect time for school to begin!

This time of the season is also great for balancing the spiritual and the physical.  Take for instance, the zodiac sign of Libra.  Libra is symbolized as a scale, increasing the ability to weigh opposites and attain balance.

And the fiery zodiac sign of Scorpio, initiates transmutation; like a butterfly or a moth.  With the holidays at hand, there is an increase in sensitivity. This is a great time to purify and cleanse your heart chakra.

The final zodiac sign before the Winter Solstice is Sagittarius.  Sagittarius begins with the holiday of gratitude and pretty much ends with the holiday of giving.  It is a time to recognize and overcome self-centeredness.

Just like the changes in nature, our faces change with the change in the weather.  Even religious and spiritual holidays reflect the changes in the seasons.  In winter time we withdraw from outside activities, and social gatherings are less common.  Lent begins in winter, a time of sacrifice; followed by spring, which is an end to darkness and death, and new life initiates with the warmth of the sun once again.   

The Autumn Equinox is September 23^rd.  I haven’t drained the swimming pool yet.   Eventually the flowers will die, and the decorative vines will disappear along fence, and I’ll find myself parked in front of the computer or T.V. more often, but I know the day will come, when I will dance with the fire in the sky anew.

 

 

BUTTERFLIES - The Dance of Joy

(From the book, Animal-Speak, by Ted Andrews)

 

Probably no animal or insect has come to represent the process of transformation and shapeshifting more than that of the butterfly.  For those with this totem, the process of metamorphosis should be studied closely.  With butterflies and moths there are always four distinct stages of change.  (The cocoon is only spun by the moth, and not by a true butterfly, for the chrysalis stage).

 

Swallowtail Butterflies Mating
(Pensacola, Florida)

When a butterfly shows up, make a note of the most important issue confronting you at the moment.  This probably why butterfly has shown up.  What stage of change are you at in regard to them?  To determine that, you may have to examine and determine what you wish the outcome to be, and how best to accomplish it.

 

The butterfly is a powerful symbol in myth and religion.  In early Christianity, it was a symbol of the soul.  In China, it was used as a symbol of conjugal bliss and joy.  In the Hopi tradition, unmarried girls of the butterfly clan wore their hair in the shape of butterfly wings.  In Indian lore are stories of how butterflies come when called by the children of the Nez Perce tribe.

 

To the Native Americans, the butterfly is a symbol of change, joy, and color.  The colors of the butterfly should be examined for its significance and to help you understand its role within your life.  Prior to a workshop on fairies and elves recently in Florida, I was performing a meditation at a nearby nature center in preparation for the workshop.  When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by approximately a dozen black and yellow butterflies (Zebra Heliconius).  There were even several on my lap.

 

This was very significant to me for several reasons.  First, there has long been an association in folklore of a relationship between those of the Faerie Realm and butterflies.  The black and yellow was even more significant.  In traditional angelology, these are the colors often associated with the archangel Auriel in her guise of overseeing the activities of the nature spirits.  It was a wonderful indication of the energy that would accompany me to my workshop.

 

Butterflies appear to dance as they light upon flowers and such.  They remind us not to take things quite so seriously within our lives.  They awaken a sense of lightness and joy.  They remind us that life is a dance, and dance, though powerful, is also a great pleasure.  Butterflies can be reminders to get up and move, you can dance.  Dance brings sweetness of life back.  This is further exemplified by the fact that butterflies actually have taste receptacles on their front legs.  They taste flowers by walking upon them.

 

Butterflies bring color and joy with them.  When butterflies come into your life, look at how much or how little joy is within your life.  Lighten up.  Look for change.  Don’t forget that all change is good.  Butterfly medicine reminds us to make changes when the opportunities present themselves.  Transformation is inevitable, but butterfly will help teach you that growth and change does not have to be traumatic.  It will teach you that it can occur as gently, as sweetly, and as joyfully as we wish.