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Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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Rue

July 11, 2014 — 12 Comments

 

When the Pope sprinkles holy water he dips it in a branch of rue. Ruta graveolens is used medicinally as well as ceremonially.  In ancient Rome there were celebratory foods prepared with rue.  It is poisonous in large amounts and should not be consumed by pregnant women at all.  There is a homeopathic remedy that is very popular made with this plant.  Mexican folk medicine prescribes leaves of the plant stuck directly into the ear to cure an earache.  In gardening it is prized for its ability to repel insects from the area where it grows, making it a very good companion.  I grow it at the back of my garden by the gate because it is a protector plant.  It repels any unwanted attention, human, insect, or otherworldly.

The prophet Mohammed blessed this herb and none other.  Early Christians used it to  exorcise evil spirits.  During the Middle Ages it was hung in the doorway to repel evil, the plague, and witches.  Italians had a custom of adorning a silver amulet shaped like the top of  rue plant, a cimaruta, with symbols of fertility.  This magical charm was used to protect the user against the evil eye.  Medicinal uses as well as magical ones have been recorded for centuries, but the way I like to use it is in the bath.  Make a sachet of rue and create a strong tea in the bathtub by brewing in very hot water for 10 minutes or so before adding water to hit the bath temperature you desire.  To add an extra helping of magic to this bath I spread honey on my face and leave it on while I soak in the tub.  After rinsing the face feels very soft and the entire body, as well as the aura, is clean and clear.  These baths are great before a meditation session or a creative project.  Clearing and protecting are positive ways to influence your moods, your focus, and your ability to rest and relax.  If you need protection from evil, or just from too much stress, try a rue bath.

Empire Avenue, a Social Experiment

July 10, 2014 — 32 Comments

The activity on Empire Avenue resembles the stock market, but Wall Street does not have recreational investment games on the weekends. I like the Avenue because it allows me to meet and find new people writing all kinds of great content. The games are intended to socially introduce the members to each other in a non competitive way. Embedded treasure hunts are followed at your own pace. Reward bucks and accomplishment badges are the prizes given for participation, but the true reward is the exposure to the other players.  One way I learn about the other players is by completing missions, for which I am paid in Empire bucks.   This straightforward approach is better, in my opinion, than all the quid pro quo schemes I have seen in LinkedIn (like my page and I will like yours).  As any investor wants his stock to increase in value, so on the Avenue you want the scores and stock prices of the players you hold in your portfolio to do well.  If they quit or loose interest you can sell the stock without any problem.  If they quit entirely you are given a refund in the amount of your shares invested in that person.  There are commissions, and ways to save on them, but since they are all imaginary bucks I don’t stress over that particular issue.  These are some of the ways Empire Avenue differs from other social media sites:

  • There is an open market so reciprocity is not a factor for connecting-just buy or sell
  • All other networks are listed making it easy to get in touch elsewhere if desired
  • Special groups organize parties, games, and innovation
  • EA Leaders group works to enhance the whole experience and recruit new members
  • Missions allow you to both support and learn more about your shareholders/portfolio
  • Detailed data from all the social media sites gives very good feedback on success/failure rates
  • It allows me to feel like a stock market tycoon without risking real money

In a little less than a year I have built up almost 80 million Empire bucks in wealth.  It is satisfying to watch your shares become more valuable and your portfolio rise in value too.  Some of the same due diligence you do for the stock market is necessary.  It is not such a good idea to buy and hold blindly.  Things change.  You need to stay current on your investments, just like real life.  I have been thinking of inviting my fiduciary to join just to see how well he would do, but I really want him to concentrate on my money, so maybe that is a silly idea.  I will let him handle calculated financial risks.   I will enjoy being a mogul on #EmpireAvenue while he sticks to Wall Street.

Artemis, Goddess of Discernment

July 8, 2014 — 5 Comments

Artemis is an independent spirit, choosing solitary activities.  She is a hunter who feels at home in the woods and with nature. Her social life is limited, and she remains single.  She loves a group women who are  her companions, all sworn to chastity.  These are the original wild women, happy in the forrest, hunting and living in accord with natural rhythm.  The story of Callisto illustrates how seriously Artemis took the privacy and chastity of her followers.  Artemis’ own father Zeus seduced Callisto and made her pregnant.  When Artemis discovered the pregnancy she changed Callisto into a bear.

Her protective nature makes her the guardian of childbirth and children.  She is Apollo’s twin sister.  It is said that she was born first, then assisted in the birth of her brother the sun god.  Her strength and confidence come from her powers of discernment.  Hunters learn the ways of the prey in order to be successful in a hunt.  Artemis  is physical prowess and natural instinct combined in a strong feminine being.  Her positive force is derived from loving herself without reservation.  She is not influenced by the opinions of others, and rarely condescends to take part in arguments.  She has abilities to discern the motives of those around her.  She is happy, free, and physically in tune with nature.  Her fitness and poise come from a life of natural exertion.  She has enough self confidence to protect, inspire and enlighten others.

To get in touch with Artemis use the herb Artemisia vulgaris.  It can be purchased as essential oil, although a good quality oil is hard to find of this herb.  Use it very sparingly because the oil is very potent.  It needs to be diluted with a carrier oil like jojoba.  On full or new moons the Artemis energy is high because she is a moon goddess.  Inhaling the scent or using the diluted oil on the temples of the head increases the connection to the magical huntress.  Choose a meditation or journaling exercise that invites animals into your imagination.  By setting a scene, perhaps a lake, or a shady spot, in your mind’s eye, wait to see the wildlife that comes into the picture.  Notice if the animals are healthy or seem stressed.  Just observe what they do, how they act, and what you think they desire.  By going deeper into these images you will make a connection with the Artemis in you.  Follow her instincts.  Her refined intuition makes a wonderful guide through the woods of life.

Theme Party, Sabotage

July 6, 2014 — 1 Comment

“Even pudding needs a theme.”- Winston Churchill. He could not have ben more insightful.  Americans often use freedom as a theme for national celebrations.  We repeat themes in our lives without awareness, but how would it make a difference if we embraced themes?  Leonardo da Vinci pioneered mind mapping by drawing similarities between seemingly unrelated things.  His essential belief in Connessione broadened his thinking and increased his creativity.  He took notes constantly, drew pictures and diagrams that we are lucky enough to be able to see today.  His notebooks are full of connections, discovery and contemplations.

“every part is disposed to unite with the whole, that it may thereby escape from its own incompleteness”-Leonardo da Vinci.  If we think in terms of unification, or connectedness it is obvious that no part of life exists by itself, on its own, with no assistance.  Our social connections are different from our commercial connections, and our survival connections are a different group.  We rely on systems, nature, people, and cultural beliefs to keep our lives running.  By taking a theme for a day we can start to see how connections are at least as important as single relationships.  Every relationship touches other relationships, and so it goes.  Within the personality of each person there may be dynamic tension or power struggles daily.  There are themes within those dramas too.  Pick one and observe it for a day, or a week.

Choosing to observe sabotage might reveal deep meaning.  We certainly sabotage others and are sabotaged by others.  It is also true that we sabotage ourselves and pretend others have done it.  Drawing a timeline of the history of self sabotage can be interesting, but why not look at this phenomena in real-time?  Check out daily habits that dilute health, happiness or finances.  The theme of saboteur is well-known in fiction because everyone has this common issue in real life.  If you take time to observe your inner saboteur at work notice how it is connected to those who seem to sabotage you from the outside. Are they in secret alliance?  How do they know your weaknesses so well?  Are you in cahoots?  What are the themes your inner and outer saboteurs use to stay connected to you?

Time Lines Tell the Truth

July 5, 2014 — 6 Comments

cactus blooming

cactus blooming

Our memories are not accurate.  Our self images are not well aligned with reality, and our sense of time is warped.  This is true for almost everyone.  I have embarked on some time line drawing exercises that have proven to me how far off base I am with a lot of my beliefs about my life and myself.  The course in archetypes asks that I draw a time line for each of my dominant archetypes, including first meeting and how their powers entered and left the scene.  I am surprised about the details I recall when I focus on only one aspect.  This is also true if I draw a time line that includes all my physical injuries, surgeries, and illnesses.  I have lead a healthy life, but  I do see a pattern when I study the tendencies I have had.  My doctors ask me to outline my injuries and illnesses, but I had never drawn them out on a paper with dates before.  This chart alone tells a big story about your health and your life.  There are other valuable time lines to draw for self knowledge:

  • Mental time line- included studies, hobbies, development of talents
  • Emotional time line- describes the highs and lows of living as it occurred
  • Spiritual time line- takes some concentration to detail moments of enlightenment and deep meaning to the soul
  • Global time line-the places we go during our early years especially, influence many of our cultural patterns
  • Physical time line- mastery of skills and sports, as well as the injuries and illnesses

When you have drawn these lines (all in the same scale) line up the sheets of paper under one another to see if they have any sequential patterns.  Putting them all in a row shows detail that can sort out patterns in our lives.  We tend to think of time in various delusional ways.  We believe we have always been like this (whatever this may be), for instance.  We often believe we were innocent when we were guilty, and sometimes believe just the opposite.  The time line describes turning points and events that were pivotal in our development.  If we then overlay the archetypes in our personalities, and which ones were dominant at what times the portrait becomes even clearer and more detailed.  I started with the assignment of the archetype timelines, which is the most intricate and difficult of them all.  By doing the easy ones above first we become accustomed to the focus it takes to really remember accurately.  Then we are warmed up to question who was in charge and when.  Time lines contain a great deal of power while still holding mystery in the line where it says nothing.  Obviously there were constant events, but only some can be brought to mind.  More practice brings better proficiency in stringing it all into place.

Flying Leap Vineyards Tasting Room

July 4, 2014 — 3 Comments

 

I had just learned about the #TucsonEatsLocal challenge from the Food Conspiracy when I ran into Cindy as she was about to open the Flying Leap Vineyards tasting room. I decided to step in and taste 6 Arizona wines. The quality has improved over the years, but I have been waiting for Arizona wines to really get good. There is excellent news….they have!! I enjoyed spending time focused on these very well balanced and delicious wines. I tasted:

  • 2012 Verdelho- a white crisp and floral wine produced from Portuguese grapes
  • 2013 Grenache Rose- a rose with more body and complexity than usual fruity, yet dry
  • 2011 Monsoon Red-an alchemical accidental miracle meritage created when they bought a winery, including wines in progress
  • 2009 Sangiovese- aged in oak to create a light and figgy flavor
  • 2011 Head over Heels- a complex meritage with a wide range of high notes and low notes- big vertical drop in flavor
  • 2010 Cabernet Savignon- a smooth and velvety version of this varietal classic
  • 2011 Tempranillo- a rich bright taste profile

All of the wines pleased me in their own way.  The reds, which are really my favorite, had unusually broad flavors.  They could all be drunk by themselves for enjoyment, but would bring out extra pleasure and flavor if enjoyed with food.  I like the idea that our local wineries produce a wide variety of superb wines.  The Flying Leapers will soon break ground in Elgin on a distillery.  That is the new frontier in Arizona, distilled spirits.  We are returning to our roots, and in a very tasty way.  If you are in Tucson and want to sample wine from Arizona I encourage you to drop by the Flying Leap and take a leap into flavor town.

Grapefruit Magic

July 3, 2014 — 3 Comments

Citrus pardisii

Citrus pardisii

My grapefruit tree is healthy and bears very well for months each winter. We enjoy fresh juice daily from January until about the end of March.  The intoxicating aroma of the blossoms fills the air for about a month in March.  The plant is ruled by the sun, like all citrus fruits. It has zingy, cooling and cleansing properties that are prized by health lovers.  The fruit and the juice are delightful, but the essential oil of grapefruit has very useful qualities.  Buy pure unadulterated oil and store it in the dark because it oxidizes quickly, therefore has  short shelf life.  Using it with a carrier oil, like jojoba, it can be very helpful to warm up and boost circulation.  The benefits of using grapefruit in a massage oil include:

  • ease join pain by stimulating muscles and joints
  • treat congested skin disorders like clogged pores and oily skin
  • diminish water retention and cellulite in specific areas

To use the oil for aromatherapy delivered by inhalation you can use a diffuser or use a few drops straight up on a handkerchief.  The subtle and immediate effects of the inhalation include:

  • headache relief
  • calm nervous tension and stress
  • uplifts the mood in depressing situations

I never get tired of the smell and the flavor of grapefruit.  It makes me happy and nourishes me.  Cocktails made with grapefruit juice are very high on my favorites list as well.  What is your favorite way to experience grapefruit?

Body Image and Wellness

July 2, 2014 — 1 Comment

Being Blonde

Being Blonde

Our bodies serve us as the vehicle with which and for which we live our lives.  If we are strong, flexible, ambidextrous, and well coordinated we are likely to feel good and be healthy.  Improving diet and exercise habits can bring about changes in attitude and vice versa.  The key to being the best body you can be for your whole life is unconditional gratitude for the body you have now.  You may train to become more graceful, more balanced, or more relaxed, but you must work with what you have.  Start by loving your skin and everything inside of it.  An understanding of basic anatomy is helpful in cultivating well-being.  Learning about customs of folk medicine, healing techniques, or diets of foreign cultures can expand the options for self care.  Knowledge and understanding are not the key ingredients in radiant health.  Acceptance and love for all the ways your body serves you are the foundation on which strong healthy lives are created.  What are the different aspects of our physical realm?

  • Thinking me and all the thoughts that I think
  • Feeling me and all the emotions I feel
  • Remembering me and all the memories I recall
  • Sensory me and all the sensations I experience

The body contains all these different ways of sensing life.  Poise, grace, and fitness result from practice.  Practice requires focus of  mind and body to achieve results.  To refine our movements as well as our thoughts we need training.  Staying fit and flexible may be the best way to avoid injury.  Feeling healthy does uplift the emotions and add to self confidence.  Self image is a strong determining factor in the way health is pursued.  To clean up and clear up some possible issues from the past answer for yourself these questions:

  • What message did my mother give me about my body?
  • What message did my father give me abut my body?
  • How did my friends and schoolmates form my body image?
  • What does my lover tell or show me about my body?
  • How do publications and popular culture influence my feelings about my body?
  • Do I compare myself to others in terms of physical beauty?
  • What physical ideal do I wish to have without making any effort ?
  • How delusional are my thoughts and feelings about my body?

If you reflect well on these questions and your honest answers to them you may reach some enlightenment.  Your thinking, feeling, remembering, and sensing selves can invest in better habits when they are grounded in a healthy self image.  First do no harm to your own idea of your body.  From there it is possible to heal misguided thoughts about wellness and self care.  We deserve the best we can give our bodies for as long as we are in them.  Clearing away false judgements from the past makes way for positive changes.

Plants, Planets, and Medicine

July 1, 2014 — 1 Comment

Planting by the moon is a simple way to increase your luck at growing anything.  By planting annuals bearing fruit above the ground during the waxing phase of the moon ( new to full), and sewing plants that bear under the ground during the waning moon ( full to new) we follow ancient traditions of horticulture.  To easily determine in what phase of the moon you find yourself, remember this rule:  Crescent moon makes the shape of the letter C when the moon is on the wane.  The moon has the shape of a capital D when it is on the rise.  Think DOC–first D– then full moon–then C to remember the sequence.

Medicine was tightly constrained by local botany in history, limited to plants available and known.    The natures of the plants were studied and knowledge of remedies was shared.   However, before transport of goods became easy people used local plants as medicine because they had both access and some empirical evidence of the medicinal qualities.  Astrology was part of pharmacology and medicine. Gardens and buildings were designed with healing and astrology in mind. Today there are ways to incorporate the heavens into garden design.  The medicine wheel is one way to express the seasons and the heavenly connections.  At Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, MA a humoural garden is planted to display the relationship the Pilgrims had with plants and healing.  They considered the relationship of the plants to the humors of the body.  They had to rely on the plants they brought with them and those that the native people showed them.

Some gardens are designed to feature the four directions, or the elements.  If you had unlimited time and money to create a symbolic garden what would you plant in it?  What kind of medicine would you practice?  I am fond of all the aromatic plants, so I have a vast array  of herbs and flowers that can be used in tea, baths, cooking, and now in bitters.  The creativity you invest in a garden returns to you many times.

 

The Rebel Archetype and Trauma

June 30, 2014 — 7 Comments

Authority issues plague many of us.  I am highly suspicious of all authority.  There are a few instances that make the exception to the rule, but generally I think that power is a reason to investigate the motives of someone.  My own upbringing has a lot to do with the issues I have today, since I grew up with quite a bit of sexism and some rigid nonsensical rules.  There was violent insistence on the rules and on the concept that we were a happy family.  I don’t think my parents were very happy, and I know I wasn’t pleased with my living conditions during childhood. This social mask imposed to hide the true situation included a strong dress code and many other elements designed to display  perfection.   I always felt repressed and restrained in various ways.  When I was out of my parents’ world I never sought out any status symbols or social signs of belonging.  I preferred to be a pleasure-seeking liberated person without the need for social approval.  I respected no authority figures of any kind.  As I look at it today I see an extreme reaction to rules and regulations, as well as to many institutions.

Trauma lives on in the feelings, thoughts, senses, and memories of everyone.  It would be impossible to go through life without any shocking disruptive events.  The way we process them depends on our circumstances at the time.  If trauma is induced by  parent or someone we must depend on for survival we may disassociate from reality in order to survive.  Later the trauma continues in the body and the emotions if the appropriate anger is not found and processed for the serious betrayals of the past.  Forgiveness is a part of the healing process, but it is not healthy to forgive without recognizing the wrongs and the disrespect we endured in childhood and early adulthood.  Our personalities are mostly formed by the time we are 30, although we can have transformative events after that time also.  If you draw a timeline of your life and include all the major emotional and physical traumas you have experienced you notice how your current reactive self was formed.  We continue to react to the unresolved past, often by rebelling.  To heal the trauma and stop the need to react we need to return to the times of greatest stress and damage, acknowledge the ways we were hurt, and come to the rescue of the helpless victim in the story, ourselves.  Notice this situation may have been reconstructed a hundred different ways in life.  To clean the slate and transform that trauma into understanding we need to look at the truth and take it into our consciousness.  To stop repeating patterns that we continue out of reaction to the past we must examine the source and resolve to treat ourselves with confidence and love.  We must rebel against unfair and unjust treatment both now and in the past in order to free ourselves from the damage it does.