Change

I have been through some serious changes the past two years, so when confronted with the New Year, I find it hard to get excited about more changes.  This past year alone, I have been accosted with changes in my health for the good and the bad.  Friends come and go, and some even changing faces. 

I quit smoking many times, but this year I believe I’ll stick with it, because I have finally been convinced that smoking cigarettes are bad for your health.  No doubt about it in my mind.  I have been forced to come to the realization that I am no longer Superman.  I finally understand that growing old sucks, because I have had to face my own mortality.  A major lifestyle change for sure.

After dealing with 3 surgeries in the past two years, I’ve had to make massive changes in my diet; this year those adjustments continued in some concerning ways.  I can no longer eat cheese like I use to, I had to learn to drink warm tea in the morning and evening, instead of ice water and wine.  I avoid red meat like the plague, but I love hamburgers (excuse me while I droll at the thought). I hardly even drink alcohol anymore, especially beer (my preferred alcoholic beverage).  And I no longer allow myself the luxury of fast food anymore, which provides limited choices; I really don’t know how vegetarians do it.

As a result of the surgeries I find myself a changed person, but those around me do not understand, and most do not care to.  My favorite friend, the one person who would understand, left for the far North. 

But that’s ok, because I learned that I’m never by myself regardless (another one of those lessons learned from a hospital bed). It may get a little lonely at times, but I would not change the changes if confronted with second chances.  There is wisdom in pain, and magic in wisdom.  I like this place I find myself. 

Of course change is constant.  Tomorrow is today and yesterday was tomorrow.   So instead of listing changes I want to make in the New Year, I think I’ll just look forward to a new future with eyes wide and enjoy the ride.  There’s gold in them there changes!

 

 

New Years Resolutions

Everyone is aware of the “Quit Smoking/Lose Weight” resolutions.  Both being very hard to sustain throughout the entire year, but what about improving the way we think and treat each other.  I think it would be much easier to fulfill a promise to yourself  by doing something that could benefit another, as well as yourself.  So here are some suggestions that I’ve been toying around with myself.

To be more forgiving—to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply is not an easy task, and it may take some extensive work, but it’s just as important for your health and well being as losing weight.  And I’m not talking about just friends and family, we should be more forgiving of the guy who shot and killed 35 in a movie theater or school, and the terrorist who bombed thousands. 

 

“The weak can never forgive. 

Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

 

To be less judgmental—the world would surely be a better place if we all could curb the judge and jury mindset.  I do not believe that anyone of us is immune to being judgmental on one level or another.  If your worried about what others may think of you, then you’re judging yourself.  If you think that a woman is going to hell for getting an abortion, then you’re being judgmental.   If you see a homeless person standing on the corner  asking for money, and your thought is that person is going to spend your money on drugs or alcohol, then you’re not only judging that individual, but your also being selfish if you drive by without sharing your wealth.

 

“The more you know yourself,

the less judgmental you become”

-Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel

 

To become more aware—To know yourself is to be  aware of your thoughts.  How does your mind react to emotion?  How does your body react to emotion?  Pay attention.  View yourself as if you are watching yourself on video.  When you get angry, try stepping back and asking yourself why do I feel angry?  What am I being fearful of?  I have found that anger for me usually indicates a fear.  The U.S. Presidential Election is a great example of anger and fear.  Why are people angry about the election? Because they’re scared.  We fear for our future.  And I don’t know about you, but for me, once I’ve identified the fear, I overcome it. Which brings me to . . .

 

To be less fearful—To fear the future is to fear the unknown.  Redirect your thoughts on the here and now if you get caught up in a fearful future. 

 

 

 

 

THE POWER OF NOW—is a book written by Eckhart Tolle (1999) that brought about my awareness of the dangers of allowing the mind to wonder as it does. Whenever I find myself thinking of things our new president might do, I bring my mind back to the here and now, and I flip my thoughts to, “I hope he makes a positive change.”   I refuse to allow something that has not happened stress me out.  I read this book about a year and half or so ago, and since then I can say I’m much more happier for it. 

 

I became an environmental activist after the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  I was devastated, and I was all up in fighting to keep further drilling out of the Gulf. Between oil spills, pipeline leaks, train wrecks— the constant assault on our water, the future was bleak and climate change is very real.  No wonder I ended up in the hospital with waste floating throughout my body due to a pipeline rupture of my own.

 

Eckhart Tolle writes, “Unease, anxiety, tension, stress and worry-all forms of fear—are caused by too much future, and not enough presence.  Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.”

 

“Enlightenment consciously chosen means to relinquish your attachment to the past and future to make the Now the main focus of your life . . . it means saying yes to what is.”  - Eckhart Tolle

 

The Power of Now is a great book full of wisdom.  It helped me get through a very difficult time in my life.   I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to make a positive change in their life or who is having difficulty dealing with life in general.  It was a #1 New York Times Bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold.

 

 

 



“Giving up smoking is easy -

           I’ve done it hundreds of times!”

                                                         - Mark Twain

 

 

AN EASY WAY TO QUIT SMOKING!  Yes, it’s true—this recently stop smoking person writing this would not lie to you about something so addictive that I consider myself no different than any other addict.

 

I have smoked cigarettes since I was 13 years old.  I kicked the habit several times in the past five years, once for six months.  But this new product has done me more service than any other on the market.  And it’s all natural—no nicotine, no tar!  A dream come true for me.

 

It’s called TBX Free.  TBX claims to have an 88% success rate in comparison to the patch, which has a 10% success rate, and the nicotine gum at 5%. 

 

The main ingredient in TBX Free is cytosine. Cytosine is an acid like chemical found in the seeds of the golden rain tree.  Cytosine fools the brain into thinking it is nicotine.

 

I purchased a box of TBX Free, at www.tbxfree.com, for $49.95, and received 120 dissolvable strips (the labeling on the box suggest that it’s a 30 day supply). 

 

It works very well, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to end the cigarette habit.

 

 

 

Second Chances

With the New Year rolling in, I thought writing about second chances would be appropriate.  So I typed, “Second chance” into a search engine, and I was over come by the amount of information that was available.  So if you’re looking for a second chance, you are not alone, buy no means. 

And why would you be?  After all, being human and second chances go hand in hand; there is no such thing as the perfect person. Our perfection is in being imperfect.  Without imperfection we would be rather boring, wouldn’t you think?  Kind of like a well-oiled machine where everything is mechanical.  The tone of ones voice, would sound alike, we would probably look alike, live in the same perfect home with no color, because color induces emotions, and it is emotions that set us apart. 

And we are emotional beings.  That is why color and tone play such a huge role in our healing.  It is also why there is such a great need for forgiveness.   Second chances are often a result of being forgiven.   The story of Jesus teaches us that even in death, after brutally beaten and hanging from a cross for hours that to live as the Creator intended, we must forgive; including such extreme acts against us such as the crucifixion of Jesus.  Forgiveness no matter what! 

Forgiveness is allowing your heart to let go of the hurt and pain that you or another persons actions may have caused.  

And yes, it is important to forgive yourself as well.  Forgiving is an essential component of any healing process, and its effects can be felt worldwide by others.  When you heal yourself, you heal the world.  I strongly prescribe to this belief that forgiveness is a gift shared by all.

Ho’ oponopono, a Hawaiian practice of forgiveness, has traditionally been used to heal the ill.  Ho’ oponopono means to make right.  I learned of the ritual from an article about a therapist who was using it to heal his patients in a mental institute, without ever seeing them.  Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, psychologist, would study the inmates chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person’s illness.  As he healed himself, the patient improved as well.

“I was simply healing the part of me that created them,” he said.

In other words, the total world is of your creation.  Ho’ oponopono is taking total responsibility for your life; if it’s in your life, then it is your responsibility.  You simply need to create a mental picture of the person you need to forgive in your minds eye, and then from your heart you say these four things, “I am sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.”

So now you know - this is your second chance.

 

 

Christmas Story From A Hospital Bed

It was two Christmas’s ago when I found myself in the hospital fighting for my life.  I was so out-of-it due to pain medication that I can hardly remember much in regards to the experience anymore, but I do remember that moment when I wanted to just die and move onto the next life.

As I lay still by myself with tubes and wires extending from my hands and arms in the darkness of what was, I couldn’t help but compare myself to my father.  Is this how he felt when he was laying by himself in a hospital bed, miles away from his family on Christmas day?

I was only two months short of his age when he passed away on December 27, in 1996.  I thought I was healthier than he was at this age.  I can only imagine the sadness felt by my mother and my siblings as history served a cold reminder of my father’s passing. 

“Dad, help me through this.  This can’t happen again.  Not like this. Not now at Christmas again. Please Jesus give me the courage and the strength to live.”

There was no warmth of a Christmas tree, or the festive colors of blue, white, yellow, green and red in the darkness of the cold and lifeless critical care room.  Yet, the night felt just as holy as the Christmas nights that had passed within the security of my own home.  I then realized that it was the love within my own heart where I found that familiar warmth and comfort. 

 

Christmas isn’t about shinny lights, brightly decorated homes, and wishful presents; it’s about gratitude and that simple exchange of love between caring human beings. Our love is our legacy; it’s what we leave behind in this world, and it’s the only thing we can take with us into the next.

And no matter how dark and desperate the times may seem, you are never alone.  Love is a constant companion, which is why I consider Christmas 2014 the best Christmas of my life. I received a special gift that year, a deeper awareness of love.  Even now as I think back on that night, I feel so terribly blessed to have experienced such suffering, and to be able to share this story with you today.

 

 

Quartz Crystals

QUARTZ CRYSTALS are formed from silicon and water through years of heat and pressure.  In ancient traditions they are sometimes referred to as the “Veins of the Earth.”  For most of us, crystals and gemstones are simply eye candy.   The idea of a rock healing a person sounds somewhat ridiculous, but there are those who use crystals in healing therapies. 

Based on the concept that our bodies are no more than energy of various patterns and densities, crystals can assist us in restoring and balancing these frequencies when patterns become disrupted (when we become ill).  And why not?  We use crystals to store memory  now.

Researchers at the University of Southampton have succeeded in recording and retrieving five dimensional digital data using a quartz crystal.  “It is thrilling to think that we have created the first document which will likely survive the human race,” said Professor Peter Kazansky a supervising researcher on the project. “This technology can secure the last evidence of civilization: all we’ve learnt will not be forgotten.”    (inhabitat.com)

Just as plants have individual healing qualities, the same holds true with crystals and gemstones.  Take for instance rose quartz— when you hold it up to your heart, your asking the body’s subtle patterns to align themselves.  Any unresolved heart issues will be challenged and cleared.   (www.crystal-cure.com)

It is suggested to use amethyst, clear quartz, or other high vibrational crystals when working with the crown chakra, located at the top of the head. 

Sodalite, selenite and fancy jasper works well with the brow chakra, located at the center of the forehead.

Turquoise or aqumarine works well with the throat chakra; while citrine, yellow agate, amber or yellow calcite works well when working with solar plexus chakra found below the chest.

Carnelian and sunstone corresponds with the spleen chakra found in the lower abdomen; while red jasper, garnet, ruby and hematite corresponds with the root chakra, at the base of the spine. (themagicofcrystals.com/#/category/energy-center-all)

When determining which part of the body you need to work with, it is important to understand the chakras and  how they work. 

The root chakra is tied to the functions of the lower extremities, the reproductive system as well as the circulatory system.  The emotional and mental attitude that reflect dysfunction would be aggression, manipulative, impulsive, recklessness, possessiveness, hyperactivity, bulling and/or obsessively sexual.

The spleen chakra is tied to the adrenal glands.  Also a major influence on the reproductive system, as well as the entire muscular system.  It influences the spleen, bladder, pancreas, and kidneys (just remember detoxification).   Mental attitudes that reflect dysfunction include  worrying about what others think, vanity, conceited, proud, arrogant, mistrust of others, anti-social.

 

The solar plexus chakra influences the digestive system, stomach, liver and gall bladder.  This is where assimilation of nutrients takes place.  It is also linked to the left hemisphere of the brain.  If you have ulcers, intestinal problems, you will want to work on this area.  Emotions indicating dysfunction include feeling deprived of recognition, fearing group power, isolation, judgmental, and being critical of others.

 

The heart chakra influences the entire immune system.  It is tied to the heart (of course), as well as the circulatory system of the body.  It is linked to the right hemisphere of the brain and tissue regeneration.  Emotional and mental attitudes that reflect dysfunction include anger, unable to enforce your will, financially insecure, emotionally insecure, possessive, jealous, envious, self doubting, and blaming others.

 

The throat chakra is tied to the functions of the esophagus, mouth and teeth, thyroid, and the respiratory system. Dysfunctional attitudes include clinging to tradition, the need for rules and supervision, dogmatic, resisting change, melancholy, fanatical, authoritarian.

 

The brow chakra, also known as the third eye, influences the pituitary gland as well as the entire endocrine system.  It also has links to the immune system, sinuses, eyes, ears and the face.  It’s the balancing center of the brain.  Emotional attitudes demonstrating dysfunction include worry, impatience, lateness, superstitiousness, inefficiency, unable to live in the now, forgetfulness, fear of the future, introverted, unable to manifest.

 

The crown chakra influences the nervous system and skeletal system, as well as the pineal gland, and electrical synapses within the body.  Emotional and mental attitudes reflecting dysfunction include feeling misunderstood, intense erotic imagination, needing sympathy, shame, self-denial, negative self-image, daydreaming, a need to feel popular or indispensable, not understanding need for tenderness. 

 

And there is so much more to learn regarding this subject.  This information was gathered from Ted Andrews, “The Healer’s Manual: A Beginner’s Guide to Energy Therapies” (2003). 

 

Crystals make great gifts regardless of their function.  And the Bead & Crystal House is offering 10% off any item within their store throughout the month of December.  For more information, please see their ad on the back page.  Thank you!

 

 

"WE ALL SHINE ON

LIKE THE MOON, THE STARS & THE SUN" 

(John Lennon)