Jet Lag

Traveling to far off places has become common as our world shrinks. Whether for business or pleasure, far more people are seeing the world.  One fairly common complaint is jet lag. Jet lag or desynchronosis, "is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms".

BEFORE YOU GO: For me, the most effective thing I do is done the day before I go.  I set my watch to the new time zone and I set my intention to be there, in that time zone. I agree with Sensei Sasanuma, to keep yourself in the moment. While you are on the plane or at your new destination, don't keep looking at your watch saying "gee, back home it is...". 

ON THE PLANE: EFT works well. Every couple of hours on the plane you can tap on the energy points with the statement “it's 2 am (or whatever the new time zone time is), and my body is adjusting well. Check with an EFT practitioner to learn how.

Of course all of the other advice out there pertaining to drinking lots of water, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, walking around the plane etc. are all valid as dehydration can contribute to general symptoms, but what we are interested in is your circadian rhythms.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE:  If possible, being mindful of safety issues, go out to a park or somewhere where you can connect with the earth (even a tree outside your hotel will do). Deep breathing while connecting to the earth reconnects your energy system to the frequencies of where you are. Being out in the fresh air helps to rejuvenate the body and sunlight will signal your hypothalamus to reduce the production of (sleep-inducing) melatonin during the day, helping to reset your internal clock.

Lemon grass has a stimulating effect and is a powerful antiseptic. It has a sedative effect on the central nervous system and is useful for headaches. You can put a small amount on a cotton ball and put it in the heating vent to improve the air quality.

If you arrive in the evening apply a few drops of Lavender on your wrists and the bottom of your feet to help you sleep.  You can take a warm bath with  a few drops of Lavender as well.  Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties which may help with swelling.

If you arrive during the day use Peppermint to revive.  It has uplifting, stimulating, and immune-boosting properties. Inhale or put on a compress, being careful not to get in your eyes.

Bon Voyage!

Balsam Fir and Frankincense for pain

The other day I hurt my neck installing some light panels at my office. When I got home I noticed the strain. As the evening went on, the pain became worse. I put some peppermint oil on my neck, and while the pain level did decrease, the results didn’t last as long as I had hoped. Later I took some aspirin but that didn’t help at all. The next morning the pain was still there. I took Aleve. Nothing. Now I know I could have used Healing Touch pain techniques, but the pain radiated down my back and shoulder and was hard to reach by myself so I was saving that as a last resort.
I am new to oils and am still learning so later in the day I looked up pain in the Essential Oil Desk Reference. I read that Balsam Fir and Frankincense were also good for muscle pain. This time I followed the directions and put it on the neck of the toes (the reflexology points on the feet for the neck). Nothing on my actual neck. I have not used this method before. Although I understand the concept behind this, I was, I must say, a little skeptical. One drop of Balsam Fir and one drop of Frankincense on each foot. Within minutes, and I mean MINUTES, the pain was completely gone. I was shocked. I was also expecting the pain to return. It never did. I was amazed.  For those of you who say it’s the placebo effect, then that would have worked with the peppermint (which HAS worked for me before) and not for the Balsam Fir and Frankincense on my feet of which I was skeptical. These oils are amazing and I am looking forward to the Clinical Aromatherapy course in San Francisco in later in September. The combination of oils and energy work is going to be fabulous.  I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, Balsam Fir has jumped into first place for my favorite oil.

Bring your vacation home

You can't bring the beach home with you, but can you bring those feelings of contentment and relaxation back?

My husband and I recently returned from an extended vacation at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Although it was searing hot out there, we had a wonderful time. At the end of one week (our planned vacation), we decided we just weren't ready to go home and extended our stay. The question of the day was "how can we bring that vacation mode back home into our lives?" Obviously we can't bring it all back, we don't have 9 gyms, 4 pools and a 5000 square foot spa in our house with myriad trainers, specialists, cooks, energy workers, doctors etc. However, there are things we can do.  By examining what we did there and what we do at home, we were able to bring a little of the Ranch back with us.

For instance, when people go on vacation, they usually eat all or most of their meals together, frequently sans TV.  So often we get caught up with our hectic lives we don't take that leisurely time to begin and end our day. Every morning at the Ranch we planned what we were going to do, and every night we reviewed the day. That was an easy change to keep.   I really like starting my day and connecting with my wonderful husband .  We now cook and eat breakfast together and talk about our day ahead. Now if I could only bring home the dishwashers....

Food: We don't realize how sluggish we get when we overeat. At most resorts and restaurants the serving sizes are ridiculously large.  At the Ranch, they are small. In fact I was sure I was going to be hungry. Though I worked out like a fiend, I was never hungry, even with the (much smaller) portions.  I drank a lot more water as well. I wasn't snacking between meals because it wasn't available. I didn't miss it. So that tells me that it's in my brain and when it's available, I eat. I can eat less back home and drink more water. When we go out to dinner I ask them to automatically put half in a doggie bag or we split the meal. The food always looks good when you are out.  I try to cook with a little more flare...a sprinkle of parsley, a handful of blueberries on the plate, perhaps a flower... a little creativity goes a long way.

Exercise: If you told me to exercise 3-4 hours every day at home, I would tell you to go jump in a lake. There, it seemed like nothing. Hmmmm. First it was the energy of the place, but it was also fun and we were with people. So how can I make it fun back home? Change my attitude for one thing. Instead of "ugh, I have to go work out", I can decide that I'm going to have fun and work out with someone else.

We were breathing and talking and laughing and connecting. I can breath and talk and laugh and connect at home. It reminded me to bring calmness and peacefulness and joy into my everyday life.

So analyze specifically why you like your vacation and perhaps you can add some of those things to you "real" life. I'd love to hear from you. How can you bring your vacation home?

Peppermint Feet

When I moved my office, I was exhausted. As anyone who has moved anywhere before, there is a lot to do, and you are on your feet all day. In an office-to-office move, you are also on concrete all day. After a good 12 hours on my feet, just before retiring I decided that the Young Living Oils should be just thing for my poor tired feet. I am new to aromatherapy and Young Living Oils, so I am still learning. I have had many successes -  everything from staving off cold sores to acne remedies to sleeping "potions" as my kids love to call them.  I remembered that peppermint oil was good for aches and pains. Diluting it just a little, I slathered it all over my feet-top to bottom. Ahh, felt good. Got under the covers, took a deep breath and waited for blissful sleep. Then ZING! Wide awake. I forgot that peppermint is also a pick-me-up... a refresher...an energizer... and I had it all over the bottom of my feet - which is a giant portal to your energy system. I couldn't believe I had done that. I guess I was so tired, I wasn't thinking. So it was back to the bathroom to wash my feet, and slather them with Lavender oil. Ah, much better. I was asleep within minutes.

Request from Cheif Arvol Looking Horse

I am reposting this message:

Gulf Coast Oil Spill – Sioux Prayer
Request – A letter from Chief Arvol Looking Horse (Present Chief and
Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota,
Nakota Nation of the Sioux)

Gulf Coast Oil Spill - Sioux
Prayer Request
****** A Great Urgency ****** To
All World  Religious and Spiritual Leaders ******


My Relatives,

Time  has come to speak to the hearts of our Nations and their Leaders. I
ask  you this from the bottom of my heart, to come together from the
Spirit  of your Nations in prayer.
We, from the heart of Turtle Island,
have a great message for the World; we are guided to speak  from all the
White Animals showing their sacred color, which have been  signs for us
to pray for the sacred life of all things. As I am sending  this
message to you, many Animal Nations are being threatened, those  that
swim, those that crawl, those that fly, and the plant Nations,
eventually all will be affect from the oil disaster in the Gulf.
The  dangers we are faced with at this
time are not of spirit. The  catastrophe that has happened with the oil
spill which looks like the  bleeding of Grandmother Earth, is made by
human mistakes, mistakes that  we cannot afford to continue to make.
I asked, as Spiritual  Leaders, that we
join together, united in prayer with the whole of our  Global
Communities. My concern is these serious issues will continue to
worsen, as a domino effect that our Ancestors have warned us of in their
 Prophecies.
I know in my heart there are millions of
people that  feel our united prayers for the sake of our Grandmother
Earth are long  overdue. I believe we as Spiritual people must gather
ourselves and  focus our thoughts and prayers to allow the healing of
the many wounds  that have been inflicted on the Earth. As we honor the
Cycle of Life,  let us call for Prayer circles globally to assist in
healing Grandmother  Earth (our Unc’I Maka).
We ask for prayers that the oil spill,
this bleeding, will stop. That the winds stay calm to assist in the
work. Pray for the people to be guided in repairing this mistake, and
that we may also seek to live in harmony, as we make the choice to
change the destructive path we are on.
As we pray, we will fully  understand
that we are all connected. And that what we create can have  lasting
effects on all life.
So let us unite spiritually, All
Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer. Along with this immediate effort, I
also ask to please remember June 21st, World Peace and Prayer
Day/Honoring Sacred Sites day. Whether it is a natural site, a temple, a
 church, a synagogue or just your own sacred space, let us make a
prayer  for all life, for good decision making by our Nations, for our
children’s future and well-being, and the generations to come.
Onipikte  (that we shall live),

Chief Arvol Looking Horse

19th generation  Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe




                     =

How Past Life Regressions can Help With Weight Issues.

We have all been many things.The idea is to release that energy and not compound it. We carry the energy of the past with us.  Say in one lifetime you lived in a culture  where being plump or heavy was beautiful (let's say Reuben's time). Being heavy meant wealth, beauty and power. Now fast forward to another lifetime where you died in a concentration camp of starvation. So in just 2 lifetimes you carry the energy in your deep subconscious of "food is good, fat is good... no food is bad, being skinny means horrible death".. So if you are heavy in this lifetime, how well do you think diets are going to work? Especially since the subconscious rules our attitudes and behaviors about 92% of the time.

The idea in going into a regression is to re-experience the past and learn the lessons we were supposed to learn. Tie that into how we are carrying those beliefs forward into our present lifetime and let that go.

There are many ways to release those limiting beliefs we carry. Sometimes just by bringing them to our conscious mind, we can let them go. We can realize that we are NOT in a concentration camp and we no longer have to pile on the food in order to stay alive. We can understand that while in Reubens time being fat meant power, that no longer applies to us today. We can make those connections and let those thoughts go so we can just deal with the issues of today.


Form more on Past LIfe Regressions, visit my website Holistichealings1.com

You Can’t Fool Mother Nature

I thought about waiting until Wednesday to buy the new car but was really fed up with my old one. Losing power, remotes that no longer worked, trunks that didn’t open, locks that didn’t lock and a weird smell from which I couldn’t quite place the origin, was making my life more difficult than it had to be. Yet I knew it was probably a bad idea to buy a car when Mercury was in retrograde.

For those of you not familiar with planets in retrograde: a planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. On April 18th, 2010, Mercury the wise communicator—and universal trickster—turned in the sign of the Bull, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and many electronics into chaos. So if you have been having problems with your computers, cell phones, cars, busses and train schedules, the stock market, negotiations, trade etc. - you can thank Mercury.

It's best to avoid making set plans during the Mercury Retrograde. This means being cautious about things like signing contracts, and forming partnerships. What gets put in writing at this time may turn out to need serious revising after Mercury returns to direct station. I also knew that Mercury wasn’t going to go out of retrograde until today. The salesman wasn’t going to be there today though and those of you who know me, know I am not long on patience. I tried to convince myself that 5-10-10 was a cool date to buy a car and maybe numerology would win out over astrology. So I boldly signed the papers and bought the car.

I was at the Acura in Libertyville and drove off with my shiny new car about 9:30 pm. I drove over the train tracks and flash: a light comes on that says my ABS brakes may not be working properly. Great. I kept driving and the little voice in my car (not my head) told me to turn the car off and then on again and if that didn’t fix it to call the dealer. So when I got to my next red light [this time the little voice in my head] said "go ahead, turn it off and see what happens". So I am on a very dark part of Route 83 in a left-hand turn lane (thank God) when I turned the car off and pressed the button to restart it and .....nothing. That’s right. N-o-t-h-i-n-g! No lights, no hazards, no nothing. DEAD. One mile from home. I quickly called my husband to come and park behind me with his flashers on so no one would hit my black car on a dark road. I then called the cell phone of Scott, my salesman. He had written it  on the back of his card with a cheery "If you ever need anything you can call me directly" .  So I stood behind my car with my iPhone warding off any would-be turners and started laughing. Mercury in retrograde! Served me right. Within a few minutes the Lake County Sheriff arrived and stayed with us until Scott showed up a few minutes later with wrench in hand. You see, the car had been on the showroom floor and they had removed the battery so that it wouldn’t be used every time someone looked inside. When they put the battery back in, someone forgot to tighten down the bolts. When I went over the railroad tracks it loosened it.

I must say, I was very happy with the service I got at Acura of Libertyville. Things happen. What is important is how willing someone is to help you afterwards. My salesman Scott could have told me to call roadside assistance, but instead he immediately and personally took care of me along with a boatload of apologies. I’m glad I bought the car there. But, as my husband said "You can’t fool Mother Nature!"

The Pain of Mother’s Day

Going out to brunch, flowers, frantic scurry for forgotten cards/gifts, juggling in-laws and feigning sleep waiting for that burnt toast while the children prepare breakfast in bed. All happy memories made even more poignant by the incessant lovey-dovey commercials depicting the perfect Mother’s Day.

            What about the pain of those who have abortions, miscarried or had newborns die? According to an article in the Tribune this morning by Burt Constable, over a million mothers face this sort of pain every year on Mother’s Day. Then add the pain of infertility, mom’s who have lost older or adult children, those of us who have lost our moms or people who can’t get along with their moms/children. Suddenly the pain of millions makes a chink in that ever-popular utopian holiday.

            First, energetically, lets talk about abortions, miscarriages and newborns. We all pick our parents. We pick them based on a number of things; age, race, genetics, personalities… in a souls agreement with them before we are born. We all agreed to be together in this lifetime. Or not. What I mean by that is, we are all here to learn lessons. Occasionally the parent(s) lesson may be that they need to suffer a great loss to learn an important lesson in order to grow on a soul level. The would-be baby agreed to fill that contract. So the soul comes into being for a limited time in order to facilitate the parent’s learning. It is not a punishment. It is not a degree from the Almighty. It is simply a lesson, albeit it a difficult one, that the parents have agreed to before their incarnation.

            The other end of the coin is that the baby’s soul decides it simply isn’t ready to fulfill it’s own contract. Perhaps its life plan needs more tweaking or if the lesson plan is changed, these are no longer the appropriate parents to help them learn those lessons, either racially, genetically or for a whole host of other reasons. NO blame here. NO “if I were the right parent, they would have wanted me”….  It was not the right time for that soul.

            My mom used to tell us that “God never gives us more that we can handle”.  Although I believe there is Divine manipulation of events in order to facilitate our learning, I believe we set this up ourselves. I have this vivid picture of these souls sighing up there before incarnation and one of their soul “buddies” (perhaps the child) saying “Are ya SURE you want to do this”?

             I have a client who lost triplets only a few short days after they were born. Many ask, why would anyone agree to such a cruel and devastating “lesson”? Clearly, she is an older soul who has chosen a very difficult life this time around and she is to be commended for her courage in doing so. By focusing on how those souls have helped her to grow as a person, how they still continue to influence her in her life and how they prepared her for further devastation in her life, she continues to move forward reaping the knowledge that these dear departed ones imparted. Does it mean that she has no sorrow or doesn’t miss them? Of course not. Especially since we form energetic bonds to people. (more on that next time).  What is does mean is that she can fully appreciate what they had to teach her. She can let go of the guilt, of the “what if’s” and the “I should haves”.

            I don’t know any parent who has lost a child who isn’t forever changed. Embrace that. All is as it needs to be. They can either surrender to the horrible sadness and wallow in their sorrow or move forward so that they don’t have to continue with the lesson another way. They can learn and grow and be who they are meant to be, all thanks to those children!

So to all the mom’s who have lost children either through abortion, miscarriage or death, I send you many blessings, and urge you on Sunday to celebrate and give thanks to those souls who helped you fulfill a very important contract in your life.

Apatite

In the ironic column of life, the apatite stone is used for weight release! It helps to digest proteins, sugars and fats in the small intestines. When the digestion of fats is promoted, fewer fat reserves can accumulate. It also helps the immune system, helping to relieve colds, flu, runny nose- all without the side effects of many medicines.

I love the beauty of these stones and carry one with me especially when I go to restaurants. They can be used several ways. You can carry them or soak them in mineral water overnight and drink the water (check with someone who knows how to do this) . I also use them as a trigger for my weight release hypnotherapy clients. Many people use triggers - "when you hold this______you will feel full and satisfied" so why not use a trigger that energetically helps in digestion as an added bonus?

Eating while cooking

Eating while making dinner. I never really thought about it before. After several clients complained that that was a hard time for them, I started watching my own habits. I was always proud of the fact that I eat smaller portions at dinner. Well of course I do... I eat while I'm "tasting for seasonings". By the time we sit down, I have probably already consumed at least half a meal! I had no idea how much I ate while cooking. Chop a carrot, eat half. Needs some salt ... taste it 3 or 4 times, just to make sure ...what... that it tastes good everywhere in the pot? Browning the meat...better make sure it's done. Need to taste the soup...grab the serving spoon. Don't even get me started on holiday meals. What percentage of stuffing do you think actually makes it into the bird?

So what's a cook to do?

Chewing gum is a good way to keep your mouth busy. Check out the article on WEBMD http://bit.ly/aQEofx that talks about sugarless gum and dieting. That can be a great deterrent. It keeps your mouth busy and having to take the gum out every time you want to nibble is a pain. However, if you are a serious cook, and do need to taste frequently, the gum could interfere with your palate. Fortunately, most of us do not fall into the category. You can also chop up some veggies into cute little bite size pieces. It's healthy, and it keeps us from mindlessly eating the other stuff. Tasting - one bite/sip is enough. When you use a spoon, make it a teaspoon - not the ladle. Keep a glass of water by the stove. Drinking water is a great way to keep from nibbling and it cleanses your palate so when you do taste, it will be fresh.

So keep an eye on how much you eat while cooking and keep some healthy alternatives around.

And if you would rather not change your cooking style, then make your portion size at dinner smaller. Eat healthy and happy!

Fate vs destiny

My previous discussion fits right in with Fate Vs. Destiny.

My fate was to find this office; right place, right time, right square footage etc. Now things are stuck in red tape. What I decide to do is the destiny part. We always have free will. Perhaps I will throw in the towel and leave a place I was destined to be in-and my path will go in another direction. Or perhaps I'll stick it out and be where I was given many signs to pull out of. Option 3 of course is I stick it out and it's exactly what I should have done. Hard to say. I agree with my friend barb that I will be exactly where I need to be. Sometimes we don't end up there right away because we have lessons to learn along the way. I hope I am just learning patience right now (I REALLY love this office). I also hope I am not letting my ego get in the way of pursuing this.

Fate puts many things in our paths and it's up to us to choose or not choose. I was always fascinated with the children's books where you could pick multiple endings. Remember those? Go to page 53 for the first ending, page 92 for next etc. That was so cool. Life is like that. We may miss a path or two but if we are lucky fate will give us a few different routes back! Sometimes those alternate paths can be fun and exciting. Here's to the many paths!

When to let go

It's hard to know when to let something go and when to fight for it. If something is difficult to obtain (my new office for example), do you let it go (the "Let go and let God" theory) or work harder to get it (the "God helps those who help themselves" theory). 6 1/2 weeks ago I signed a Letter of Intent with my would-be landlord. Today I got the lease and much of it had nothing to do with what we had agreed on. After this long a time period, I was beginning to wonder if this was right. This morning I decided that I indeed wanted the place. 10 minutes later my real estate broker called and said we had the lease in hand. Ah serendipity. Then, when reading the lease, it had things in there like: utilities were only included Monday - Friday 10-5 and Saturday 10-3. I guess if I have a client on Sunday, we're out of luck with the heat! So if it's meant to be then I will be working things through. If not, hopefully I will know when it's time to give up the ghost. I will keep you posted!