Mind, Body and Spirit Connection For Continued Healing

It is 10:00 am., the sun is shining and I believe it will be in the upper 60's today.
I slept in today and it felt pretty good. I only got up because I began to crave coffee. I love morning coffee.

I think my love of coffee and my Guidance kept me going those terrible years. No matter how bad things were, I always had my morning coffee to look forward to.. and my Guidance to give me inner strength to do what I had to do.

Now, I live a totally different life. It has taken some time to really dig in to the emotional healing and fully realize that I no longer live under crushing stress or horrific emotional conditions. I have come so far. It amazes me.

A little over a year I started this blog on Google. Even though I had begun my healing journey way before I moved from Virginia to West Virginia, this year the process appeared to be greatly accelerated.

I think the important thing is to go into your own flow, find ways to invite your body to move around. And move around everyday. It doesn't have to be my little regime or anyone else's. Just move, move something. It feels so good.

My newest focus is how to help myself with physical aches and pains. I have practiced Reiki for years and it is a wondrous discipline to follow. But I am finding that combinations of things along with Reiki are even better. My focus is expanding.

At my age and due to my career choice as a nurse, my knees and back have taken a beating over the years. Also I believe there is always a connection between our physical self and etheric energy self. And that can be affected by the ego/emotional duo.

I have a lot of trouble with my lower back, hips and knees. That could also be from being a bit non-flexible. I don't mean physically..I mean being a bit unbending and rigid emotionally.

I notice the pain travels from place to place. It is usually triggered by the weather, if I step into a small sink hole back up my little hollow while working, if I slip in the mud while down working on the creek or sometimes just because.

It has verying degrees of severity and sometimes it really restricts my ability to move freely. I began to feel frustrated and saddened by it..almost helpless..like there was nothing I could do because I am not having surgery on my back or knees.

So, with the help of my Guidance, I developed a regimen for easing the tension this pain caused in other parts of my body. That was my intent. What a surprise when I realized it was helping the pain causing the stress. Wow! Eureka!

It began with Reiki, of course. I did Usui and Karuna®.

I developed a gentle stretching routine that really eases a lot of body stress caused by pain. Mostly some basic yoga that helps strengthen my core (solar plexus). These are easy enough and the time spent short enough that I actually look forward to doing it. Because it feels so good.

I also do some upper body exercises with some weights. Which is helping my upper body strength. Which seems to be giving me a bit more strength in my back.

After this I have a Nordic Track stationery bike that I use. I have to do this twice a day because at this point my knees cannot tolerate more than 6 minutes at a time. However, I am able to increase the resistance twice during that 6 minutes. I practice deep breathing while I do this.

Last week I visited a friend of mine in Hinton. She did an intuitive reading for me. (she is very good, I think I mentioned her in one of my blogs) One of the things she told me was that I needed to focus on some of my pressure points. I felt that familiar stirring inside me from my Guidance and I decided to look into it.

Now, I am familiar with the idea of pressure points and how they relate to energy flow within the body but I am no expert. I am a big fan of Massage Therapy, Shiatsu, Acupressure and even Acupuncture. However, my dealings with these disciplines has been limited.

I have worked with Reiki for years and I have my Teacher certificates but the rest of the above mentioned disciplines, I have just brushed on. So, I began to do some research. I found some excellent sources for using basic acupressure on basic pressure points.

I began utilizing this information experimentally last week. Wow, what a difference.

So, I added this to my regimen. Meditation, Reiki, Stretching, Stationary Bike, Acupressure. Along with this I am implementing periods of deep breathing while doing all of these. I have also increased my water intake.

While doing my research, I also found some interesting information on EFT tapping. (Emotional Freedom Technique.) I also tried this out and it was interesting. I felt a definite shift in my energy at the points that I tapped. However, it doesn't really work well for me to do Acupressure and EFT the same day. So I alternate them. One day I do tapping, the next I do some basic acupressure after the above mentioned regimen.

On Friday I hoed a long flower bed for two hours and apart from being just tired from doing it, I was thankful to able to move well enough and have the endurance to accomplish this. I was practically delirious.

I think this last year I have been so engulfed in emotional healing that I have kind of overlooked the importance of the physical connection. Not intellectually but personally if that makes sense. Now it is in the forefront.

My pattern is so easy to follow that I actually look forward to it everyday.

Meditation/Prayer that includes Gratitude
Reiki Treatment
Stretching
Stationary Bike
Acupressure or EFT tapping (alternated)
Walk the dog or just yourself, noticing the trees and plants waking up
Periods of deep breathing
Drinking extra water
Dancing wildly through the house

Yeah, I added that one. I do that a lot. Especially when I am in the house alone. I put on old and new music that I like and dance like a lunatic. It is so much fun.

My husband to be noticed how much easier I was moving and how much better I felt so he asked me to do a "healing treatment" for him.

I plopped him down on my massage table, performed a joint and aura cleansing. Gave him Reiki, Usui and Karuna® and then did some basic acupressure. Well, he fell asleep. It took over an hour. I woke him up afterwards and made him drink a bunch of water. Last night he left for work and didn't say much about how he felt besides thanking me for the treatment.

This morning when he came home, he woke me up to tell me how much better he felt. And asked me to do the whole thing again in a few days.

I have to wrap this up. My body is anxious to get started with the routine.

I will leave you with my favorite song to dance to. It came out in 1965. I was between 5th and 6th grade. I remember dancing around the house like a crazy girl while my mother looked on with a strange and worried look on her face. Ha Ha!

Now when I dance like a crazy girl it is my dog and my cats that watch me with a strange and worried expression.




I think the important thing is to go into your own flow, find ways to invite your body to move around. And move around everyday. It doesn't have to be my little regimen or anyone else's. Just move, move something. It feels so good.

Does it magically fix everything in your life? No, it doesn't. However, it does make me feel so much better than I can handle the obstacles and challenges of life in a healthier way.

The Tarot Self Reading Challenge

Last night the tarot class I found on Enchanted Forest was cancelled. Even though it was an online class; I had carefully carved out the time to view this. When it was cancelled I decided to get my kindle and read a bit but..I had a niggle to work with the cards some more.

I took my dog outside for potty business and even then I became aware of myself still trying to decide whether to practice the tarot by reading my cards again or do something else. Hmmmm...this awareness caused me to mindfully wonder why this is such a dilemma to my "chattering" mind which includes the ego/emotion duo over something so simple as a little decision about what to do next.

So I brought my dog in. I sat quietly for a bit in a chair, asked my "mind chatter" to quiet down and settled down to feel what I would feel. And it was surprising. I sensed this wave of fear and anxiety coming through me. I didn't try to stop it or shove it away. I asked my Guidance to help me acknowledge how I was feeling and process it. To "Conduct" the energy through me to become transformed into healing energy.

I had definitely triggered something very intense and painful inside me. Something that had been buried for a long time. That a small event like trying to decide what to do caused such a wave of discomfort was amazing to me. It was kind of interesting, to be honest.

So, as an experiment I decided to think about giving myself a Tarot reading. It was a strange feeling. Like it was a good idea but it caused me so much emotional discomfort.

Reading your own tarot cards is like facing yourself down. And, clearly, I did not want to face what the cards had to say. I still have fear and terribly anxious feelings from the past. I think that is what triggered it. Regardless, I helped myself process the anxiety and made the decision to read my cards.

My Guides have taught me that Acknowledgement and Awareness are two important keys to processing uncomfortable feelings through Conduction rather than Resistance. By processing this I can actually release it.

I did some deep breathing and Circulated my energy through my body and aura and mindfully stated the desire to myself to read my own cards as honestly and objectively as I possibly could. To continue processing any fear or anxiety that arose from this. That was my stated intent.

I shuffled and shuffled, focusing on the question I was asking. I frequently quieted down the mind chatter in the background. I laid out the cards and began the reading. I promised myself to not change the cards because I didn't like them or find a way to make them upright if they came out reversed. I would not read these cards from a position of helplessness and fear.

It was surprisingly good. The path I am on is definitely working towards a specific aim but it still isn't clear to me. I need to continue what I am doing. My biggest obstacles are guess what?? Anxiety, indecision and fear over small things. Well..I think that is the case for everyone if we get down to the nitty gritty. Which I think is where I am now. The nitty gritty.

I have made such progress in healing. Things that used to set me off, trigger anxiety attacks, push me over the edge no longer effect me the same. I am calmer and way more peaceful inside. The "mind chatter" has lost it's hold on my thinking. I can now sense where the "real mind" lies and how much deeper and wiser it is than the "chattering duo."(ego/emotions) But I still have a ways to go. Maybe this is a process that takes an entire life span.

I can now do my own tarot readings for the first time. Without reeling from panic and fear. Another big step for me.

And as always I want to convey my Gratitude to my Guides and all the Holy Ones that have given me this time and space to process, heal and grow.

Sunday in April

It is overcast with a intermittent drizzle this morning. The time is 10:30am. On Sunday mornings I stay in bed a bit later. My partner returns home from work at 8am or so. He likes me to stay in with him because my presence helps him go to sleep faster. It's our little Sunday morning ritual and I love it. I meditate while he goes to sleep.

Last night I prepared a small beef roast with beer, peppers, onions and broth. I slow roasted it in the oven all night. Later I will shred the beef into small pieces and mix it with the juices for pulled beef. One of our favorite meals. I like to make his favorites on the weekends because he works such long hours.

I am wondering around the house in my pajamas. I did all the laundry and cleaned all I am going to clean. Today I am going to devote to meditation, reading, working with the tarot cards. I may go out later. I haven't decided yet.

All the years I worked on weekends. I didn't think I minded. I got used to it and it was fine. And probably at some point I will be working on weekends again. But for now, every Sunday I wake up and I am so grateful to have this time and space to know what it is like to not work on Sundays. It's part of society's labeling and preconditioning that I bought into. The special feeling of Sunday.

I am so thankful to my Guidance and my partner for this time I have had the last year. A lot of healing, growth and redirecting has occurred because I had the space and time to work through the walls of anxiety, sorrow and pain.

I am going to go now. I have to top up my coffee, get my kindle and head out on the back porch and read a spell. I am also in the process of planning my own little Beltane observance. Right back in my little hollow. I will work on that today a bit.

Happy Sunday!

Wandering Back Toward the Tarot

I have worked with Tarot cards for many years. I started with regular playing cards when I was very young, quite by accident. I received my first set of Tarot cards when I was in my early thirties as a gift. I am ashamed to say that I never really paid much attention to the books. I would just shuffle, cut, ask the question for whoever I was doing them for and lay out the ones that my hands felt a vibration for.

Reading them was just as haphazard. I would just state the blips and blurbs that came to me. Much like I did with regular playing cards. I mean I was clear on what I got but it was not in any real order. It was in the moment of the flow. I lacked eloquence and structure. The rich imagery of each card would just speak to me. Or not sometimes.

About two years ago I found my interest in my cards waning. By now I had about 10 decks..two Rider Waite and the rest were varied types. My friends and I even made a set. I am the keeper of them and they are very interesting. I packed them all up carefully when I had the feeling to let them go for a while. I moved them all here with me to West Virginia but had not used them very much.

About two weeks ago I walked by one of my "altars" and something held my attention. (they are positioned in various parts of my house). This particular altar was in my bedroom and as
I gazed at the items arranged there my attention was pulled to the small black velvet bag that I keep my small deck of Rider Waites. I placed my hand on them and I felt that deep sense of pulling that lets me know I need to pay attention to what I was perceiving.

I took them with me and brought them out of their little bag. I started to shuffle them and I knew I was supposed to start working with them again. However, not yet because when I laid them down to try a reading I got nothing. When I just held and shuffled them I felt the stream of knowing that lets me know I am on the right track but not yet. If that makes sense.

After that I seemed compelled to carry them from room to room. Taking them out at odd times. Then on Sunday night a friend of mine who is desperately fighting cancer asked me to do a reading for her. I first started to tell her I was not able but my Guidance wanted me to. And so I did. The reading was the way I have always done them but thankfully the meanings came to me..clearly. It helped her but I still could feel there was more that I could do with the cards..to make my readings (when I felt called to do them) more concise and less bluntly blurted out.

Monday night I was looking at my email and I found one from my favorite Social Network, "Enchanted Forest" and saw an invitation to attend an online "Tarot Class by Hermotimus" It was for Tuesday at 9pm EST. I know I have seen these announcements before but for some reason it didn't register and I rarely was available to get online to attend. But this time I felt the push so I did last night.

It was amazing. All the years I have been doing Tarot and ten minutes in the class I knew I was less than an amateur. Hermotimus was very concise, easy to follow even though he gave out so much information. He was patient and very thorough. I can't wait for the next class. Until then I am reading everything on his webpage on Enchanted Forest. It's like a straight up text book on the Tarot. It has great ideas for form and structure. Which is what I need.

It is cold and rainy today here in my little hollow in West Virginia. I will clean a bit but I am going to work with my Rider Waite deck and start using some of the tips I learned from reading his site and the "notes" I took from last night's class.

I recommend this class to anyone who has interest in the Tarot. Whether you are a beginner or fairly experienced. We all have our own way to read them but it's good to get other perspectives sometimes. I think it is great that someone so knowledgeable and so talented would give their time to teach this. Thanks Hermotimus!

here is how to get to the page for Hermotimus on "Enchanted Forest" It is a good and informative read: "http://enchantedforrest.ning.com"

Then go to groups. Click on "Learning Tarot and Sharing Group"


Now if you want a good spiritually intuitive Tarot card reading, I suggest RavenNightsong. She has done a couple of amazing readings for me. And I am really picky about asking anyone to do a reading for me. You can find her on facebook: www.facebook.com/RavenNightsong"

Sorry, my link thingie is NOT working today for some reason. And I am a bit computer impaired at times. *sigh*

Anyway you can also find RavenNightsong on Justin TV on Tuesday nights...about 5pm EST:

"http://www.justin.tv/ravennightsong"

She is very down to earth, humorous, knowledgeable and following her own authentic spiritual path. I am never home at the times she is on Justin TV but I watch other video blogs by her and it is both interesting and entertaining. Spiritual and Humorous with a little itsy dark side. I LOVE it!!!! I have met her several times. She lives about an hour from me. And I can tell you she lives her own unique Spiritual Path. She is for real.

Ok that's it for today. I kind of imagined that I would write about something else but this took precedence out of nowhere. It is meant to be and So it is.

A Beautiful Sunday Morning

I have freed a big part of my day for this beautiful Sunday. I have mowed my huge lawn..(more like three fields.), cleaned the main part of the house, done the laundry, cooked all week long. I enjoyed doing all these things because it was in my own time. I was not rushed or exhausted from my outside job. I am still reeling from the idea of having every weekend off. After a year and a half it is still a novelty.


Especially on days like today. I have the opportunity to do just about anything I want to do. Well, within reason. Because even though I have more time to do the things I love, I have way less money. I don't mind because we have enough to meet our needs and we,my partner and I, are enjoying the rewards of a simpler and less hectic life.


I had made plans for today with a friend but she had a domestic disaster involving a water pipe at her house and was not able to go. I feel bad for her. I cringe at how many times Life has handed me something like that to deal with. “Shudder”


When I lived in Virginia, the rare times that I actually had a day off and was not too exhausted to go somewhere; I would meet my friends for dinner or we would get together at one of our houses. I always enjoyed this immensely. And, of course, I miss it.


I am having my coffee and deciding where I will go today. I feel like exploring a bit. There are so many places I haven't seen in my area as of yet. Many things I have not found. One thing I am still looking for is the used book store. I love used book stores. Even though I have a kindle and am joined at the hip with amazon.com; I still have a passion for these wondrous places.


I do know where the Starbucks is..it is one of the first places I found. I may drive down New River and take some pictures.
I could stay home and just meditate and write. Or take a blanket and my kindle and wonder up my little hollow.


Whatever I decide to do will not include cooking and cleaning today. That's all I know for sure at this point.

Deep in the Dogwood Winter

It is cold this morning. The temperature is in the middle 20's. It is hard to imagine that just a couple of weeks ago it was in the 70's and 80's. I actually got a sunburn while out puttering around up my holler.

It appeared that the mild winter was over and we were going to skip spring and head right in to summer. The trees were budding and the grass started to grow a month earlier than last year.

Then one day I noticed the sunlight appeared different. The air held a subtle but persistent chill. The temperatures began dipping down again..and not going up during the day past 40 or 50. The ground is covered in a white film of frost every morning.

I had the television on Easter night and the weatherman called this change in weather, "Dogwood Winter".

I like the sound of that. And I don't mind the drop in temperatures. It is reassuring somehow. In a way I cannot describe.

Dogwood Winter seems appropriate. It kind of coincides with some phenomena I am experiencing right now. I am sensing the presence of my "Guidance" externally as well as internally. It happens at different times but mostly in the evening when I am alone.

I am still focused on the word "economy" and I have a sense that it is not about any kind of material thing. It is linked to my internal life, how I process things. How manifestation of my own personal reality comes about. It has to do with flow..flowing inside like water.

There is more to this but it is still in the process of unfolding to my conscious mind.

I can tell that whatever it is I am being shown or led to remember or taught is very important. I don't sense an urgency but a consistent sense of the external presence of "My Guidance". My own internal energy pattern has stepped up in vibratory level. Sometimes to the point of being uncomfortable. I have noticed over the years, especially as I get older, the energy patterns become so intense at times that it makes my body ache. Especially weakened areas (from years of being on my feet hours and hours a day) like my back and knees. Also a sense of physical fatigue. I have to ground myself a lot and self treat myself with Reiki. These cycles usually last a couple of weeks. Such is the stepped up telecommunication with my Guidance. And it's all good.

I know it doesn't sound so good. It's hard to describe something like this. But it is so beneficial and I welcome it. I will receive more gifts of "sparks of insight and streams of wisdom". I am so thankful!!!

I am constantly processing and circulating my aura through my energy centers and my body. My sleep at night is deep and very vivid dreams that I can only remember flashes of the next morning. My attention is pulled inward and I have a feeling of deep reverence for whatever is occurring. My ego and emotions stop chattering in the background (for once).

I am deep in the Dogwood Winter.

The beginnings of April and other Ramblings

I went to a Moody Blues concert this past Saturday night. March 31st, to be exact. I went with someone who is more of a sister than just a best friend. She brought her oldest grandson with her. We had a great time.

Part of it was the concert. I mean I was in my teens when Moody Blues first came out. I distinctly remember laying on my bed, burning strawberry incense and listening to "Knights in White Satin", wondering what would I be doing in 20 years, 30? It never occurred to me to think about what I would be doing 40 years later..And here I am..40 years later.

It makes me want to shout to that girl laying on the bed and day dreaming about what she would be doing in the future. I want to say,"Hey, look at us..we made it this far."

The other part that made this little trip so enjoyable was just being with my good friend. I miss her really bad. In fact that has been the only downside to my exodus from Virginia to West Virginia. I had to leave my two best friends/sisters behind.

So Saturday I got to enjoy her cute grandson (I have none yet)..be with my beloved friend and just talk about everything and anything for hours. Well into the night after the concert. The next morning we hugged each other and went home..in opposite directions.


A very nice weekend.

I realized something on my drive home. All my life I have been blessed with being able to make friends easily.

But since I moved..I haven't. I think I am just too odd for the area I am in.
Don't get me wrong, I have not only enjoyed but needed the alone time..but sometimes I miss other people.

I met a couple of people that I really thought were interesting..I attempted to make a connection that could lead to friendship later on..but I gave up from lack of response and apparent disinterest.

I mean, I wish them well and send them on their way. People are drawn to who they are drawn to. It's not their fault..it is just a time for me to be alone I suppose. And I have faith that the people that are meant to will show up.


I am still pondering "economy"

The only thing that has come through clearly about "economy" is that it is connected with emotions. At least the part of economy my Inner Guidance is introducing to me.

It is the first week of April. I am inspired by the green luscious growth. The energy surrounding me is strong. Sometimes so strong it feels heavy. I have to circulate a lot.

In fact, I sense a big energy shift. Like a new intensity and vibratory level. I will ponder this. It has two noticeable affects...one is a sense of anxiety..the other is a sense of malaise. My Inner Guidance helped me recognize the changes. I was able to begin processing more efficiently. And it helped.

As usual I am outwardly a bit chaotic, scattered, kind of anxious..but fortunately for me and because of my Inner Guidance..I am busily processing inside me...My energy is calm..I am circulating my aura, taking deep breaths, focusing on the Now.

I had an interesting response about the energy shifts I notice sometimes that cause discomfort. A kind lady commented on an earlier post where I was describing something similar. She suggested it was a "Mercury Retrograde"

I know nothing about astrology. I love it..and I believe in the information it brings..it's just not my path of divination for some reason. Anyway I have been reading up on it.

Sounds like something that could exacerbate an energy shift....hmmmm..

Thank you, Lady Mimosa, for mentioning this.