Intuition
As many 'institutions' are crumbling around us, we are being called upon to access our inner resources. For those who have cultivated them through prayer, meditation, or other spiritual practices, this may be something familiar. Although, I am observing in the communities to which I belong, that even the leaders and teachers are being pushed beyond their comfort zones. Those who have led thousands are now having major challenges to their lives. No one is exempt.
Finding new, different and creative solutions to our personal and societal problems is possible. One path to our creativity is through our intuition. Creative inspiration speaks to us all of the time and it is through our intuitive faculties, that we can hear it. We need to listen to, trust and act on our intuition at this time. "Reason" and "rational thought" have their place in life. But what is occurring now is outside of the realm of reason; outside the box.
Einstein said: “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”
Desert Alchemy has some wonderful essences for Intuition.
A Way to the GodSelf Formula
Creativity Formula
Queen of the Night Cactus
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Herb of the Month - Pine
Finally finished my classes and sent in all the final projects, which were taking so much time I didn't get a chance to say more about Pine until now.
First something about Pine essential oil.
A useful essential oil is distilled from Scotch Pine Pinus silvestris
Extraction method: Steam distillation from needles originating in Austria, Canada and Russia.
Properties: Anti-bacterial, antimicrobial, anti-neuralgic, antiseptic, antiviral, expectorant and stimulant.
This oil may help dilate and open the respiratory system, particularly the bronchial tract. It may also help with colds, coughs, cuts, cystitis, fatigue, feet (excessive sweating) flu, gout, lice, nervous exhaustion, scabies, skin parasites, sores, stress and urinary infection. Pine oil may also help increase blood pressure and stimulate the adrenal glands and circulatory system. Pine is a good recommendation for any First Aid kit. It affects emotional balance and the respiratory system.
Aromatic influence: Helps soothe mental stress, relieve anxiety, freshen and deodorize a room and revitalize the entire body.
Oral use as a dietary supplement: Can be used as a food additive and food flavoring agent. Dilute one drop in teaspoon of honey or in a 4oz. beverage. Not for children under 6, dilute further for children 6 and over.
Historical uses: Pine was used by some American Indian groups to prevent scurvy. They also stuffed mattresses with Pine to repel lice and fleas. It was used to treat pneumonia and lung infections and was added to baths to revitalize people suffering from mental or emotion fatigue and nervous exhaustion.
Folklore: In some cultures, pine branches were placed in coffins to signify immortality. Coffins themselves were often made of Pine for the same reason.
Blends well with: Cedarwood, eucalyptus, juniper, lavender, lemon marjoram, melaleuca, and rosemary.
Caution: Repeated use may cause skin irritation.
For the chefs out there, a marvelous recipe:
Honey and Pine Nut Tart
First something about Pine essential oil.
A useful essential oil is distilled from Scotch Pine Pinus silvestris
Extraction method: Steam distillation from needles originating in Austria, Canada and Russia.
Properties: Anti-bacterial, antimicrobial, anti-neuralgic, antiseptic, antiviral, expectorant and stimulant.
This oil may help dilate and open the respiratory system, particularly the bronchial tract. It may also help with colds, coughs, cuts, cystitis, fatigue, feet (excessive sweating) flu, gout, lice, nervous exhaustion, scabies, skin parasites, sores, stress and urinary infection. Pine oil may also help increase blood pressure and stimulate the adrenal glands and circulatory system. Pine is a good recommendation for any First Aid kit. It affects emotional balance and the respiratory system.
Aromatic influence: Helps soothe mental stress, relieve anxiety, freshen and deodorize a room and revitalize the entire body.
Oral use as a dietary supplement: Can be used as a food additive and food flavoring agent. Dilute one drop in teaspoon of honey or in a 4oz. beverage. Not for children under 6, dilute further for children 6 and over.
Historical uses: Pine was used by some American Indian groups to prevent scurvy. They also stuffed mattresses with Pine to repel lice and fleas. It was used to treat pneumonia and lung infections and was added to baths to revitalize people suffering from mental or emotion fatigue and nervous exhaustion.
Folklore: In some cultures, pine branches were placed in coffins to signify immortality. Coffins themselves were often made of Pine for the same reason.
Blends well with: Cedarwood, eucalyptus, juniper, lavender, lemon marjoram, melaleuca, and rosemary.
Caution: Repeated use may cause skin irritation.
For the chefs out there, a marvelous recipe:
Honey and Pine Nut Tart
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Issue of the Week - Dec 15 - Dec 21
Certainty
At times of rapid and constant change, it is important to stay the course of your own life. One must ride the fine line between flexibility and rigidity. How do you hold on and let go at the same time? What should you cling to (if anything)?
If one has certainty about their life's path - hears the voice of their inner calling, then they can ride with the tides of life knowing that no matter what, they are being guided toward their goal. Things may change on the outside (and they probably will), but trusting that the course that has been set is true, then small zigzags will not make any difference.
The desert nomads view the shortest route to be a zigzag and use it in their rug patterns. Crossing the desert cannot be accomplished by traveling in straight lines. Still, they know their destination, and they arrive at it. Sailors must tack to the right and left as they move forward, taking advantage of wind and current, in order to travel anywhere.
So it is that we must recognize the small things that appear as deviations, as insignificant in terms of the larger goal.
Mullein Verbascum thapsus (yellow)
Positive Qualities: Strong sense of inner conscience, truthfulness, uprightness.
Patterns of Imbalance: Inability to her one's inner voice; weakness and confusion, indecisiveness; lying or deceiving oneself or others.
Through Mullein the soul awakens to its inner voice and develops the capacity to listen and respond to its true Self.
Scleranthus Scleranthus annum (green)
Positive Qualities: Decisiveness, inner resolve, acting from the certainty of inner knowing.
Patterns of Imbalance: Hesitation, indecision, confusion, wavering between tow choices.
The experience of living on Earth is one of duality; the soul must constantly learn to establish its own inner balance through the tension of polarity. The individual who needs Scleranthus finds this level of inner activity to be very painful and challenging. Subconsciously, such a person longs for wholeness as a given external condition of life, not realizing that a far greater wholeness is achieved through the ability to choose and define who one is. Scleranthus flower essence helps toward greater decisiveness and clarity of purpose.
Wild Oat Bromus ramosus (green)
Positive Qualities: Work as an expression of inner calling; outward life which expresses one's true goals and values; work experiences motivated by an inner sense of life's purpose.
Patterns of Imbalance: Confusion and indecision about life direction' trying many activities but chronically dissatisfied, lack of commitment or focus.
Soul health and happiness are very much dependent on the ability to realize one's true life purpose and vocation. If the soul does not have the opportunity to evolve and to serve through its basic life work, it will suffer great distress. By these standards, we can appreciate the depth of sickness in our modern, technological world. Many people are unknowingly enslaved to the forces of materialism,for their primary motivation to work is a monetary one (whether they make much or little money). This situation drastically drains the soul's true vitality; evenings, weekends, and holidays are spend simply recuperating or escaping from alienating or exploitative work situations. Dr. Bach recognized this fundamental soul ailment, and considered Wild Oat, along with Holly, to be one of the two basic remedies in his system. Wild Oat helps to transform the basic cultural illness of our age. Wild Oat helps the individual to recognize and respond to his/her true calling, seeking forms of work that give the Self a sense of higher purpose and meaning, and the ability to truly serve and help others.
We might try to see all these downsizings and lay-offs as a chance to re-align our work with our soul's purpose. Do we really need all these things to by happy and fulfilled?
Descriptions of flower essences and their uses from Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz.
Photos from the FES website.
At times of rapid and constant change, it is important to stay the course of your own life. One must ride the fine line between flexibility and rigidity. How do you hold on and let go at the same time? What should you cling to (if anything)?
If one has certainty about their life's path - hears the voice of their inner calling, then they can ride with the tides of life knowing that no matter what, they are being guided toward their goal. Things may change on the outside (and they probably will), but trusting that the course that has been set is true, then small zigzags will not make any difference.
The desert nomads view the shortest route to be a zigzag and use it in their rug patterns. Crossing the desert cannot be accomplished by traveling in straight lines. Still, they know their destination, and they arrive at it. Sailors must tack to the right and left as they move forward, taking advantage of wind and current, in order to travel anywhere.
So it is that we must recognize the small things that appear as deviations, as insignificant in terms of the larger goal.
Mullein Verbascum thapsus (yellow)Positive Qualities: Strong sense of inner conscience, truthfulness, uprightness.
Patterns of Imbalance: Inability to her one's inner voice; weakness and confusion, indecisiveness; lying or deceiving oneself or others.
Through Mullein the soul awakens to its inner voice and develops the capacity to listen and respond to its true Self.
Scleranthus Scleranthus annum (green)Positive Qualities: Decisiveness, inner resolve, acting from the certainty of inner knowing.
Patterns of Imbalance: Hesitation, indecision, confusion, wavering between tow choices.
The experience of living on Earth is one of duality; the soul must constantly learn to establish its own inner balance through the tension of polarity. The individual who needs Scleranthus finds this level of inner activity to be very painful and challenging. Subconsciously, such a person longs for wholeness as a given external condition of life, not realizing that a far greater wholeness is achieved through the ability to choose and define who one is. Scleranthus flower essence helps toward greater decisiveness and clarity of purpose.
Wild Oat Bromus ramosus (green)Positive Qualities: Work as an expression of inner calling; outward life which expresses one's true goals and values; work experiences motivated by an inner sense of life's purpose.
Patterns of Imbalance: Confusion and indecision about life direction' trying many activities but chronically dissatisfied, lack of commitment or focus.
Soul health and happiness are very much dependent on the ability to realize one's true life purpose and vocation. If the soul does not have the opportunity to evolve and to serve through its basic life work, it will suffer great distress. By these standards, we can appreciate the depth of sickness in our modern, technological world. Many people are unknowingly enslaved to the forces of materialism,for their primary motivation to work is a monetary one (whether they make much or little money). This situation drastically drains the soul's true vitality; evenings, weekends, and holidays are spend simply recuperating or escaping from alienating or exploitative work situations. Dr. Bach recognized this fundamental soul ailment, and considered Wild Oat, along with Holly, to be one of the two basic remedies in his system. Wild Oat helps to transform the basic cultural illness of our age. Wild Oat helps the individual to recognize and respond to his/her true calling, seeking forms of work that give the Self a sense of higher purpose and meaning, and the ability to truly serve and help others.
We might try to see all these downsizings and lay-offs as a chance to re-align our work with our soul's purpose. Do we really need all these things to by happy and fulfilled?
Descriptions of flower essences and their uses from Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz.
Photos from the FES website.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Issue of the Week - Dec 8 - Dec 14
Receptivity
We are going through a time of rapid change. The alignment of our Sun with the Galactic Center has already begun (the event which will be at its high point on Dec. 21, 2012). We are receiving pulses of energy that will assist us in our next evolutionary step. That is, if you are in a receptive state.
There are many reasons why people are closed or blocked. Sometimes people are shut down to protect themselves from being hurt.
The challenge of now is to open up the heart as wide and as far as possible, despite fear. Fear is a construct of the mind. The mind wants things to remain the same, so that it can have a sense of continuity (security). But living in the Now requires living in a heart space. Trusting Creation means feeling the Unity through the heart.
Flower Essences are uniquely suited to assisting us in coming into resonance with Unity.
For receptivity the following Flower Essences from FES.
Angelica Angelica archangelica (white)
Positive Qualities:
Feeling protection and guidance from spiritual beings, especially at threshold experiences such as birth and death.
Patterns of Imbalance:
Feeling cut off, bereft of spiritual guidance and protection.
The modern human soul suffers in a way which is unique and tragic, for it must face profound spiritual isolation and separation through living in a materialistically dense and technologically abstract world culture. The Angelica flower essence addresses the soul's experience of compression and restriction by quickening the thinking and perception processes. The soul becomes more able to perceive and discriminate its connection to the subtle sheaths surrounding the physical world. Angelica especially encourages the individual to develop a relationship with the spiritual world, transforming an overly abstract or intellectual viewpoint into a genuine feeling for spiritual presence and spiritual beings. This awareness is particularly enhanced for that group of spiritual beings who immediately border the human kingdom: the angels. Through a living relationship with the angelic realm the human soul receives guardianship and guidance in daily affairs, and protection at times of crisis or during threshold experiences. This feeling of being protected and cared for is of enormous importance to the inner life, giving the soul great strength and courage for its work in transforming and healing the world. Angelica is broadly indicated for many flower essence formulas and is particularly important at threshold times such as birth death, festival celebrations, or other major life passages.
Mugwort click the link to go to another post where Mugwort is featured.
We are going through a time of rapid change. The alignment of our Sun with the Galactic Center has already begun (the event which will be at its high point on Dec. 21, 2012). We are receiving pulses of energy that will assist us in our next evolutionary step. That is, if you are in a receptive state.
There are many reasons why people are closed or blocked. Sometimes people are shut down to protect themselves from being hurt.
The challenge of now is to open up the heart as wide and as far as possible, despite fear. Fear is a construct of the mind. The mind wants things to remain the same, so that it can have a sense of continuity (security). But living in the Now requires living in a heart space. Trusting Creation means feeling the Unity through the heart.
Flower Essences are uniquely suited to assisting us in coming into resonance with Unity.
For receptivity the following Flower Essences from FES.
Angelica Angelica archangelica (white)Positive Qualities:
Feeling protection and guidance from spiritual beings, especially at threshold experiences such as birth and death.
Patterns of Imbalance:
Feeling cut off, bereft of spiritual guidance and protection.
The modern human soul suffers in a way which is unique and tragic, for it must face profound spiritual isolation and separation through living in a materialistically dense and technologically abstract world culture. The Angelica flower essence addresses the soul's experience of compression and restriction by quickening the thinking and perception processes. The soul becomes more able to perceive and discriminate its connection to the subtle sheaths surrounding the physical world. Angelica especially encourages the individual to develop a relationship with the spiritual world, transforming an overly abstract or intellectual viewpoint into a genuine feeling for spiritual presence and spiritual beings. This awareness is particularly enhanced for that group of spiritual beings who immediately border the human kingdom: the angels. Through a living relationship with the angelic realm the human soul receives guardianship and guidance in daily affairs, and protection at times of crisis or during threshold experiences. This feeling of being protected and cared for is of enormous importance to the inner life, giving the soul great strength and courage for its work in transforming and healing the world. Angelica is broadly indicated for many flower essence formulas and is particularly important at threshold times such as birth death, festival celebrations, or other major life passages.
Mugwort click the link to go to another post where Mugwort is featured.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Issue of the Week - Dec 1 - Dec 7
Self-acceptance
Has anyone ever said to you, "You're too hard on yourself" or "You are your own worst enemy" ? What does that mean? Sometimes is means that we expect more of ourselves than other people do (which is okay in a way), or it could mean we expect more of ourselves than is reasonable (which means we might be overdoing it). Either way, we might be causing ourselves undue suffering.
Being motivated, inspired and ambitious are not good or bad in themselves, but if they come with judgement of ourselves or others, they are moving in the wrong direction. Finding the balance is ideal. Staying in a heart felt space is best.
Interesting that for the month of December, The Herbal Rituals book I wrote about last month, has designated Pine to represent the month. Next post I will write about uses for Pine. For now, I will write about the flower essence Pine.
The Flower Essence Repertory has this to say:
Pine Pinus sylvestris
Positive Qualities:
Self-acceptance, self-forgiveness; freedom from inappropriate guilt and blame.
Pattern of Imbalance:
Guilt, self-blame, self-criticism, inability to accept oneself.
Objective knowledge of one's faults is an important soul virtue; when taken to an extreme, however, one can be wracked with undue guilt and misery Those who need Pine get stuck in self-blame. At times a real circumstance from the past may result in deep feelings of regret and remorse; however, the Pine type often feels guilt which is entirely disproportionate to the actual events. These feelings may arise from childhood, when the person learned to internalize blame for dysfunction in the family system, or they may stem from a religious background which emphasizes sin and error more than salvation and grace. Pine helps the Self to learn true forgiveness by quite literally being for giving: learning to give oneself nourishment rather than withholding love from oneself; learning to release rather than retain energy The individual is encouraged to move forward rather than stay entangled in self-deprecation and emotional paralysis. At it highest level, Pine teaches self-acceptance and inner esteem as a pathway to the soul's realization of its own sacredness and divinity.
Pine is one of Bach's original 38 remedies
He said about it, "For those who blame themselves. Even when successful they think they could have done better, and are never satisfied with the decisions they make. Would this remedy help me to stop blaming myself for everything?" - Dr. Edward Bach
To read about and order you can go to this website.
Edward Bach devoted his life to this mode of healing, sacrificing everything because he trusted his intuition despite 'how it looked on the outside'. His story is inspiring and his legacy is profound. Read about Bach.
Has anyone ever said to you, "You're too hard on yourself" or "You are your own worst enemy" ? What does that mean? Sometimes is means that we expect more of ourselves than other people do (which is okay in a way), or it could mean we expect more of ourselves than is reasonable (which means we might be overdoing it). Either way, we might be causing ourselves undue suffering.
Being motivated, inspired and ambitious are not good or bad in themselves, but if they come with judgement of ourselves or others, they are moving in the wrong direction. Finding the balance is ideal. Staying in a heart felt space is best.
Interesting that for the month of December, The Herbal Rituals book I wrote about last month, has designated Pine to represent the month. Next post I will write about uses for Pine. For now, I will write about the flower essence Pine.
The Flower Essence Repertory has this to say:
Pine Pinus sylvestrisPositive Qualities:
Self-acceptance, self-forgiveness; freedom from inappropriate guilt and blame.
Pattern of Imbalance:
Guilt, self-blame, self-criticism, inability to accept oneself.
Objective knowledge of one's faults is an important soul virtue; when taken to an extreme, however, one can be wracked with undue guilt and misery Those who need Pine get stuck in self-blame. At times a real circumstance from the past may result in deep feelings of regret and remorse; however, the Pine type often feels guilt which is entirely disproportionate to the actual events. These feelings may arise from childhood, when the person learned to internalize blame for dysfunction in the family system, or they may stem from a religious background which emphasizes sin and error more than salvation and grace. Pine helps the Self to learn true forgiveness by quite literally being for giving: learning to give oneself nourishment rather than withholding love from oneself; learning to release rather than retain energy The individual is encouraged to move forward rather than stay entangled in self-deprecation and emotional paralysis. At it highest level, Pine teaches self-acceptance and inner esteem as a pathway to the soul's realization of its own sacredness and divinity.
Pine is one of Bach's original 38 remedies
He said about it, "For those who blame themselves. Even when successful they think they could have done better, and are never satisfied with the decisions they make. Would this remedy help me to stop blaming myself for everything?" - Dr. Edward Bach
To read about and order you can go to this website.
Edward Bach devoted his life to this mode of healing, sacrificing everything because he trusted his intuition despite 'how it looked on the outside'. His story is inspiring and his legacy is profound. Read about Bach.
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