Week Twenty One
Observe/Step Back/ Pause

We often become ungrounded and leave the body when we are confronted with the unexpected. This will trigger any internal residue or traumatic memory that is aligned in frequency. Our pre-frontal cortex is compromised as blood moves to the reptilian brain at the back and base of the cranium where we engage survival mode, or fight or flight. A proven strategy that interrupts the tendency to vacate is to become the observer of the inside and of the outside. The choice to observe invites us to step back for a bigger perspective. From this new vantage point we are more likely to pause, which then allows the intensity of the moment move right on by. Simple, yes, but not the easiest thing to do in the heat of the moment. So, let’s look at how we can grow these muscles…

The ability to do these well is tied to the amount of energetic residue and toxic unexpressed emotion contained in cell, tissue, and chakra. The more one chooses to clear that then the more effectives one’s capacity to observe without getting pulled in. Being an effective observer requires practice. That practice begins with awareness. Becoming the observer of the inner world is a powerful and practical place to start. Monitoring and acknowledging sensations, aches, pains, numbness, tingling, temperature and tickles hones your capacity to notice. The awareness brings noticing which leads to observing which leads to information which leads to understanding which diverts runaway emotion and leaving the body.

To step back is to do the opposite of where the initial energy directs in the triggering instant. You are not stepping back in fear or to turn and run away. More likely you are stepping back to gain the moment needed for the emotional energy to move and dissipate some. You can see the bigger picture by disengaging and start to discern the facts contained in the moment. This allows for a decision to be made that is very different from one where the energy is backed up and sounding an alarm. Any time you involve the body you are activating a consistent element of grounding, of staying in body. Stepping back is a higher frequency choice that attracts a different frequency in form.

Was just having a discussion on the Las Vegas shootings with a friend who is more in support of the gun for protection rationale. In fact he wants to learn to shoot and care for a gun because there is an inherent fear in him about them. His strategy is to grab the gun and learn to tame that fear. Fine. I come from a different place. I have no interest in guns because guns are designed for one purpose…to kill. I do not subscribe to killing as a useable strategy and choose to stay as much out of fear as possible. With no fear being sent I severely diminish fear being attracted to me. I have no need to protect myself because it is not in my belief system. Bees and wasps respond to fear vibrations. When one comes near and you go into the freakout you may notice the bee/wasp getting excited and moving faster, wanting to get closer to the fear vibe and protect itself.If you are calm and breathe and even greet the bee you will see them move on quickly. Step back from your first response.

Stepping back will ignite the pause which is a place of non action where likely breathing will occur. The breathing serves to calm the nervous system and bring one back to body and to the rational forebrain. The need to vacate is gone in a short time when one does these three in a quick sequence. Keep this in mind the next time you are in a situation where you fog over and witness yourself slipping out the back side of your head. Come back little one, there is really nothing to fear…stay in your perfect home…

Week Twenty Two
Earth Food

We have already established that the Earth is the primary source of grounding or bringing your consciousness back into the physical body. Anything of the Earth can serve to be a talisman that energetically sends you towards your feet and the waiting Earth vibration. Food is grounding because it brings your conscious focus back into your body. So do a host of other sense activation activities that won’t challenge your blood sugar level.

In times of stress and threat one tends to seek comfort and classic comfort food. Bread and sweets are the preferred food that will remind you of the safety of Mother, even if that never existed. Great…but the challenge of these two is that they will initiate a burst of feel better followed by a severe dip in energy and focus, which can activate more fear. Certain foods will serve you better to bring you back home.

Anything grown in the Earth is a primary Source. Plants and vegetables are rooted to the Earth and are directly connected. Their vibration is more in line with that solid foundation and strength and power. Potatoes and in ground vegetables are very grounding energetically. Their colors are even lower chakra in vibration to bring you down to your feet and, ultimately, touching the Earth. Animals are on the Earth but are not so connected energetically so their consumption in times of stress can have a mixed impact. With typical meat sources the emotional energy of the slaughter is contained in the cells and tissue so that when you eat it, you take on those energies…which can contribute mightily to feelings of disconnect.

Water is a precious grounding tool as well, cleansing and nourishing you, cooling the fires of fear and anger and run away. Stones, gems and minerals are powerful Earth objects that will bring you out of a difficult situation. Obsidian and other metamorphic rocks are particularly powerful because they have been formed deep in the bowels of the Earth herself, and are thus infused with a strong, solid foundational vibration. Keep a small stone like obsidian in your pocket or nearby, especially if you are finding yourself wanting to leave your  body more frequency.

Fruit is another thing to be aware of. It is often grown above the Earth in tree or bush. Its high sugar content can create a carb rush and a big fall, so watch for how these effect you personally.

Any contact with the Earth will help you stay in body. Feet, hands, all fours, lying on your back, all useful choices. To go to the extreme it is curious that children will like to put dirt in their mouth. Talk about grounding and going back to source!

And again, pay attention to the color of the food. To really move back into body eat foods of red, orange, and yellow. Notice  how you respond to the various colors of food as well. You can create a particular menu to assist you in times of challenge, trauma, and moving emotion.

Also remember that the more alive a food is the better its capacity to be assimilated  by your body. Artificial foods and fast foods are not likely to bring you back into your body for long. Aside from the act of chewing and the feeling of something in your stomach, you are not deriving much nutritional value from these choices, no matter how good they taste to you.

The invitation is to be conscious of your choices. Relying on the Earth to provide all that you need in moments of challenge is a wise choice. The more you move in that direction first the more solid and in body you will likely stay.

Week Twenty Three
Aromatherapy

Vibration is everything. Frequency determines relationship. The sense of smell is the only one directly connected to the brain without additional nerve pathways. Thus there is an almost immediate response to smells. Plants are the closest things to living Light. Plants are nourishing as food stuffs, as medicine, as feeders and providers of oxygen…life givers they are.

Put  these all together and you have a profound energetic healing modality, aromatherapy. Plant fragrances are combined into solution to provide specific remedies to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual imbalances. Each remedy stimulates the energetics to a particular response, thus changing the vibration of the condition into health.

Under the umbrella of aromatherapy there are various additional modalities that can be ingested under the principle of less is more. Flower Essences and Bach Flower Remedies are two very effective ones that come to mind.

From the site aromatherapy.com comes this definition: “Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being. The inhaled aroma from these "essential" oils is widely believed to stimulate brain function.”

Some of the health benefits include, relieving stress (lemon oil, lavender oil, peppermint and ylang ylang essential oils), acts as an antidepressant (peppermint, chamomile, jasmine, and lavender), boosts memory ( sage oil), increases energy levels (jasmine, tea tree, rosemary, and sage), speeds up healing (calendula, lavender, rosehips, and buckthorn), reduces headaches  (eucalyptus, sandalwood, and rosemary), regulates sleep (lavender, chamomile, jasmine, sandalwood, and rose), strengthens immune system (oregano, frankincense, lemon, peppermint, cinnamon, and eucalyptus), relieves pain (lavender, chamomile, juniper, and peppermint), and improves digestion (lemon, orange, ginger, and fennel).

All of the above can be useful in grounding one more into their body. One of the best ways to utilize the essential and plant oils is through a diffuser which heats the oils to release the fragrance into the room. There are electric devices that light up in a variety of colors while spritzing out the fragrance into the room space at regular intervals. Others include a candle under a oil holder bowl.

Regular use of the various essential oils can help to keep your living space flowing in a balanced vibration. You can get vials of specific aromas to simply open and smell at regular intervals to take advantage of their particular support properties. You can make a spray bottle and spray the fragrance into the air around you. Essential oils can even be applied directly to the skin

These oils can be used for introducing Earth energy into the air: Oakmoss, sandalwood, cypress, elemi, cedarwood, patchouli and rosewood.. Use these Oils to heal physical/emotional trauma, to release cellular fear: Lavender, chamomile, rose, geranium, jasmine, marjoram, ylang ylang.

These oils are grounding: Cinnamon – spicy and warming, Clary Sage – warming and sedative,
Clove – spicy, warm, sweet, and numbing!, Coriander – spicy and musky, Frankincense – citrusy and woody, Lavender – calms and soothes, Patchouli– earthy and balancing, Roman Chamomile – softly soothes and relaxes, Sage – warm and spicy, Sandalwood -Stills the mind and clarifies thoughts, Vetiver – earthy, with a cool, moist energy.

Start exploring aromatherapy and you will soon find a new fragrance in your life.

Week Twenty Four
Engage in Play and Laughter

Few things bring you back to your body like play and laughter. The natural child state is revisited every time you engage in this light hearted activity that celebrates the simple things in life. We have been taught to believe that life is too serious and that stress is a normal part of the human experience. Sadly, most of the stress is self induced and, even more so, is too often based on misperceptions and long held beliefs that suffering is a holy and desirable choice of action. Too many think that they need to feel bad and thus forget to laugh at the obvious, even believing that to be like the child is to be week and not adult like. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Now that we have established the way it has been for most of humanity, let’s just lighten up!

Measurable research has shown that laughter helps to reduce stress hormones, increases health enhancing hormones, boosts the immune system, is a natural exercise for the abdominals especially,  releases endorphins, tightens and exercises face muscles, prevents cancer, regulates blood pressure, increases blood oxygenation, improves memory, enhances mood, promotes creativity, and just feels good. While play is obviously excellent as a physical exercise, to stir creativity, increase oxygenation and blood flow, initiate laughter, expand human connections, and more.

It is all about body, emotion, mind, and spirit when you engage in play and laughter. It raises your vibration and lightens the load of whatever is challenging you in your life. The greatest challenge for an adult is to step out of self judgment that play is for children only. Adult play has a tone of seriousness or is snuck into the closet with  hints of sexual activity. It is time to remove the line of demarcation and let play infuse your adult life. Life does not have to wield the burden of seriousness all the time. Becoming light hearted is a gateway to the land of laughter.

Your laughter may be inhibited not only by history but also by unreleased/unprocessed energetic baggage of wounds to tender to touch. One gets afraid to laugh when they know they are supposed to be hurting. One just simply has to be aware of these perspectives and engage in playful activities anyway. Once the gates of laughter open then they will have a difficult time closing. Your child like state is where you want to be. Most moments can be viewed through that playful open heart. You can learn to see the lightness in anything. And isn't it interesting that excessive laughter will often result in the wash of tears, that essential vibrational lightener…like the laughter is the doorway to clearing the debris and feeling more in joy, less inhibited.

Everyone likes to be around someone who is light and playful That spirit and action can make any situation, even serious work place ones, less of a stressful weight. People can feel your open heart and lightness. It is attractive and frees them up by helping them to clear out the weight of held memories.

So get playing and get laughing for your own good! Take a laughing yoga class, go outdoors and play like you used to as a kid, go to the beach, make sounds and change your voice to make playful characters, read books with jokes (learn a few and share them with your friends), be light in energy and look for the bright side of your moments of living, refuse to participate in gossip and complaining and judgment of others, spend time around children at a playground, go to a park and swing or play on the merry go round, play a sport you did as a child, play with an animal, go to funny movies and laugh out loud, listen to the variety of comedy channels on XM/Serius radio, dance, exercise just for fun, make laughing sounds to exercise your abdominals until you start to laugh, make up some funny laughs and share them with others, play the I love you Honey but I’m not allowed to smile” game…as you can see, the ways are endless.

Before you know it, your play and the subsequent laughter will have you fully in your body craving more. You will be drawn to the lighter side of life and will start to see that your own life starts to lighten up as well. Ha ha ha, ho ho ho, and a couple of tra la la’s….that’s how we laugh the day away in the Merry old land of Oz…

Week Twenty Five
Practice Feng Shui-like Organization

Organization is a curious thing in a world of constant oscillation and change. How does one address it when to do so would be a constant? It is not about control. That must be understood to free one up to focus more on the flow of energy. Throw in the richness of no resistance and you have a recipe for a grounded life that responds to the form of the moment. Sounds a bit strange but let’s play with this for awhile.

You have to start with energy. As it is the fundamental component of all forms of life and is the Celestial constant, then we must be willing to step into that moving river of vibration. Moments work best when there is no resistance, when one becomes the witness through awareness, focus, and action to walk with the current form that has manifested. We are not taught to do this. Humans have learned a false arrogance living so long at the top of the food chain and it has become one of the main roadblocks to higher vibrational living. There is an expectation in that arrogance that life will serve you in all your forms. Sorry, that ain’t gonna happen. None of us are powerful enough yet to hold back the river. Another strategy is necessary.

Recognizing that all is vibration, in that constant oscillation, taking form based upon the intention launched by you in that breath before the now, is worth your time. Knowing that will allow you to lean towards seeing the flow in all things. Yes, energy flows. If you look closely then you can see the trails it follows temporarily. Movement seeks companions. Take it by the hand and see where it leads. Soon you will see the organization of how it moves.

Then you can start to set your life up in alignment for the moment, at least. Feng-shui is about knowing energy and setting your environment up to be in harmony with it…no resistance is preferred. I am no expert, but the idea serves to bring our attention out of the control clouds into our own body…where we can feel again and direct our feet into the earth…grounded.

You want life to serve your vibration, not provide resistance. There is no plan except for what you put in motion. Trust that you know what to do and that you are well taken care of. Look where you have resistance. Survey your home and personal spaces for clutter and disorganization. Is there more space than blockage? If so, then you have opportunity.

Change will not stop. You can get very fluid in flowing, setting up a temporary organization that will deliver you to the glory of the next now. Keep your pathway free of stuff of any kind. Make a habit of setting up a flow in your home. Notice where you look and what is there. Where have you stored your past and don’t even see it anymore? What’s in those piles in the corner? When was the last time you dusted off your self? How do you contribute to inner and outer clutter?

Are you getting the picture? Organization brings you out of energetic confusion. It delivers the next moment on a crystal platter, clearly presenting options and choices. If your mind is cluttered and your space is a mess then you will be impacted by that rather than the glory of the bird’s song. Is that what you want?

If not, then organize the moment to guide you along to the next. This requires attention. Attention is built on awareness. Being in the now ignites awareness. Being fully in body is the source for the now moment. Practice paying attention to your space to reduce clutter. This is an ongoing process, a journey of walking hand in hand with an attitude of whatever happens…and trusting that whatever happens is a true gift..

Bring life home to your body. Touch the earth and activate the flow. Trust the flow and organize your moments around that trust. You could get really into feng-shui if you are so inclined. As for me, I like to borrow ideas and ride them for awhile to see w
hat personal message they have just for me. There is simply too much variety in life now that I am getting into my body…know what I mean? Moment by moment, flowing like a river…no resistance…just celebration and reflecting on the wonder of it all…