mermaidcamp

mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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Selena, Goddess of the Moon

October 17, 2013 — 2 Comments


Selena bears good tidings at the full moon. She rides through the sky in a silver chariot reflecting all that is true and eternal.  She was a Titan goddess, predating the Olympians. Selena bathed during the day and rode around the heavens at night.  Her love affair with a handsome mortal resulted in 50 daughters.  She has the power to control time, mask reality, and  expose the truth.  She had her lover put to sleep eternally so she could visit him in a cave forever.  She is distant, cold, and yet kind.

The full moon is associated with mania and extreme states of mind.  The time between the last new moon and the full moon tonight was characterized by the loony government shutdown and all it entailed.  When the old men in the Senate had nothing, the women organized to end the stalemate.  They shed light on a ridiculous situation.   I am reminded of a saying attributed to the Buddha:

“There are three things that will not long stay hidden, the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

Selena

Selena

Eleanor of Aquitane

October 16, 2013 — 3 Comments

Eleanor of Aquitane Eleanor of Aquitane

My 25th great-grandmother was extremely powerful.  She married the king of France, and then the king of England.  She ruled for her son, Richard the Lionhearted, while he was off crusading.

Eleanor of Aquitane (1130 – 1204)
is my 25th great grandmother
Eleanor Spain Plantagenet (1162 – 1214)
daughter of Eleanor of Aquitane
Berenguela CASTILE LEON (1181 – 1244)
daughter of Eleanor Spain Plantagenet
Saint Ferdinand Castile amp Leon (1199 – 1252)
son of Berenguela CASTILE LEON
Alfonso X Wise Castile Leon amp Galicia (1221 – 1284)
son of Saint Ferdinand Castile amp Leon
Sancho Brave Castile Leon (1258 – 1295)
son of Alfonso X Wise Castile Leon amp Galicia
Beatrice Sanchez Infanta Castile (1293 – 1359)
daughter of Sancho Brave Castile Leon
Peter I Portugal Cruel Algarve (1320 – 1367)
son of Beatrice Sanchez Infanta Castile
John I DePinto (1358 – 1433)
son of Peter I Portugal Cruel Algarve
Beatrix DePinto (1403 – 1447)
daughter of John I DePinto
John Fettiplace (1427 – 1464)
son of Beatrix DePinto
Richard Fettiplace (1460 – 1511)
son of John Fettiplace
Anne Fettiplace (1496 – 1567)
daughter of Richard Fettiplace
Mary Purefoy (1533 – 1579)
daughter of Anne Fettiplace
Susanna Thorne (1559 – 1586)
daughter of Mary Purefoy
Gov Thomas Dudley (1576 – 1653)
son of Susanna Thorne
Anne Dudley (1612 – 1672)
daughter of Gov Thomas Dudley
John Bradstreet (1652 – 1718)
son of Anne Dudley
Mercy Bradstreet (1689 – 1725)
daughter of John Bradstreet
Caleb Hazen (1720 – 1777)
son of Mercy Bradstreet
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Caleb Hazen
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Eleanor of Aquitaine

(in French: Aliénor d’Aquitaine, Éléonore de Guyenne) (1122 or 1124 – 1 April 1204) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France (1137-1152) and of England (1154-1189). Eleanor of Aquitaine is the only woman to have been queen of both France and England, with the exception of Margaret of Anjou whose status as Queen of France is disputed. She was the patroness of such literary figures as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-More, and Chrétien de Troyes.

Eleanor succeeded her father as suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers at the age of fifteen, and thus became the most eligible bride in Europe. Three months after her accession she married Louis VII, son and junior co-ruler of her guardian, King Louis VI of France. As Queen of France, she participated in the unsuccessful Second Crusade. Soon after the Crusade was over, Louis VII and Eleanor agreed to dissolve their marriage, because of Eleanor’s own desire for divorce and also because the only children they had were two daughters – Marie and Alix. The royal marriage was annulled on 11 March 1152, on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate and custody of them awarded to Louis, while Eleanor’s lands were restored to her.

As soon as she arrived in Poitiers, Eleanor became engaged to Henry II, Duke of the Normans, her cousin within the third degree, who was nine years younger. On 18 May 1152, eight weeks after the annulment of her first marriage, Eleanor married the Duke of the Normans. On 25 October 1154 her husband ascended the throne of the Kingdom of England, making Eleanor Queen of the English. Over the next thirteen years, she bore Henry eight children: five sons, three of whom would become king, and three daughters. However, Henry and Eleanor eventually became estranged. She was imprisoned between 1173 and 1189 for supporting her son Henry’s revolt against her husband, King Henry II.

Eleanor was widowed on 6 July 1189. Her husband was succeeded by their son, Richard the Lionheart, who immediately moved to release his mother. Now queen dowager, Eleanor acted as a regent for her son while he went off on the Third Crusade. Eleanor survived her son Richard and lived well into the reign of her youngest son King John. By the time of her death she had outlived all of her children except for King John and Eleanor, Queen of Castile.

Fear, Blame, Revenge, Repeat

October 16, 2013 — 1 Comment

skull and crossbones

skull and crossbones

The human condition known as revenge is ancient and well documented.  The Greek goddess Nemesis represents retribution.  She lives in the underworld with Hecate.  She feels no remorse and hesitates at nothing to deal out vengeance when it is required.  She is a neutral spirit with a balanced approach.  She has the task of taking happiness from the undeserving while bringing more joy to those who earn it.  She is pictured with a balance scale, doing  calculations.  She is concerned with issues of money.  Her name is related to the word number, and the word economy.  She is not vengeful,  but is an accountant from the underworld.

The collective as well as your personal consciousness about wealth, money and right livelihood are the province of Nemesis.  She keeps the accounts in balance.  Abundance and prosperity follow the laws of nature.  Knowledge as well as belief influence the outcome of all your earthly investments.  Spiritual integrity in work and business ethics are measured against one’s degree of avarice and destructive behavior.  Can you find ways that your beliefs about receiving limit you now?  Can you think of ways to budget a more secure financial future for yourself through awareness?  Some Americans call her “Death and Taxes”, to say she is hard to avoid.  She is impossible to avoid, and she is counting all the time.  She will deliver what is due from the wheel of karma because that is her job.

Dining Blind

October 15, 2013 — 3 Comments

Last week in San Francisco my friends and I attended Blind Cafe, an enlightening evening in the dark. This is a show that travels around the country, gathering local volunteers and donations in each city in order to put on the production.  None of us knew what to expect, other than a blind tasting and some music.  It turned out to be amazing on many levels.  Happy hour was in dim light with the guests drinking wine and meeting each other as well as the visiting puppies in training and their guardian/trainers.  The two darling golden retriever mix pups were loving and enthusiastic about partying with everyone.  Our tickets were arranged in tables with seating numbers so when the time came for us to go into the darkness we lined up with a hand on the shoulder in front of us to be guided to our places.  Our group of three briefly met some of our table mates while we were in line.

The room was pitch black and very loud.  It seems that when we have no sight we begin to turn up the volume in order to stay in touch.  The plate of delicious vegetarian food was set in front of each chair, but the table also was full of other items in the center that could only be discovered by feeling.  We were given plastic forks, but they did not last very long for most of us. I was happy to find water bottles in the center, and friends passed me some exquisite bites from other places in the table.  Most of the talk was about the food and how to find it, but somehow the person across the table from me started talking about his ultra special diet.  Before you could say gluten intolerant I was involved in a heated argument with this stranger in the dark.  We were already in an organic vegetarian situation, so I did not want to hear that eating one of the goat cheese roll ups would cause him to become bipolar.  Quickly I determined that he took bipolar drugs as well as LSD and copious amounts of alcohol, but that was not enough.  He explained that he had a masters’ degree in interpersonal shamanism and was therefore totally aware of the incongruities he presented.  He said he agreed that LSD might make him think he is bipolar/bisexual.  My friend seated next to me asked me why I was freaking out at this man, and I asked myself the same question.  Luckily it was time for us to all do active listening during the comedy and music entertainment, so we had to end the fight.  I have wondered why this bipolar/bisexual LSD person was there for me, and what archetypes we both represented in the food fight.  I maintained that orthorexia is damaging, and he maintained that goat cheese can potentially cause in his life temporary states of mental breakdown.  I will not know his name, and I was careful when we left not to look to see his face.  He is a mystery shadow that completely engaged my shadow, but in the dark!!!  Who was that????

If you go I doubt that you will encounter any transpersonal analysis sitting across the dinner table from you.  This had to be some special San Francisco thing that could not happen again.  The food and the fun were beyond compare; Who knew it came with an archetypal lesson?

Fabulous Feds

October 9, 2013 — 3 Comments

Just when I thought the Federal government had no redeeming qualities I was proven wrong.  My friends and I had the privilege of touring one of the classiest buildings the US taxpayer owns, the US Court of Appeals of the 9th Circuit in San Francisco.  We were invited by my friend, appellate commissioner Peter Shaw , who has worked in the building for many years.  We knew we would see one of the oldest buildings in the city, but none of us was prepared for how cool it actually is.  When it was built it also served as the main post office, so some of the teller windows and details that belonged to the post office era have been included in the design today.  We met very gracious people who were  distinguished and personable to us. The courtrooms are  ornate and full of fine stone carving, wooden furniture, and mosaics.  The metal throughout the building is beautifully formed. Many of the lighting fixtures are brass, shined to perfection.  We truly loved the feeling of being treated to the luxury of the surroundings without being involved in a court case.  The big thrill of the day was dressing in Peter’s robe and sitting for photos on the bench, flanked by the babes of justice.  He had done this before so he knew how popular this would be.  We felt like the luckiest taxpayers in the country.  The commissioner is more than an esteemed member of the court.  He has a pride and sense of history that he was able to convey to us as we examined the evidence he presented.  We all felt much better about our government, if only for an afternoon.  I will always remember this opportunity to peek into the distinguished and artful world of jurisprudence.

Wellness Budget

October 7, 2013 — 2 Comments

psyche

psyche

psyche

psyche

Your health is like a bank account. You deposit and withdraw from your inherited constitution.  If you need a loan, there is no place to apply.  Your account, like the number of days you will live, is subject to your habits and practices.  Diminishing returns are built into the model.  Some of us are genetically lucky, while many start life with disadvantages.  Accidents and disasters cause permanent damage, mental and physical.  There is no way to know how much one will need to withdraw due to illness.

Prehabilitation is more cost effective than rehabilitation because once a system is depleted it may never fully recover.  There are ways to make deposits over time that will earn interest.  These reserves affect your immune system and your ability to remain calm under pressure.  Health is your only real wealth, in the words of Dr. Bronner.  Changing lifestyle habits results in changing wellbeing.  We need not aim for perfection, since that in itself is cause for stress.  Logical, simple additions can be made to daily routine that add up to better health in the long run.

  • Rest and sleep adequately
  • Exercise the entire body as much as possible
  • Eat the most natural fresh foods you can find
  • Develop a meditative practice
  • Dance, sing, draw, take photos, or otherwise express your creativity
  • Spend time enjoying friends and family
  • Learn stress reduction techniques to add to your arsenal  of tools
  •  Discover the power of bodywork and other healing modalities

Investments made today will accrue interest as long as you live.

Eternal Child Archetype

October 3, 2013 — 4 Comments

Each of us has a child archetype within our psyche. Carolyn Myss outlines six kinds of archetypal children. They are:

  • Eternal child
  • Divine child
  • Magical child
  • Orphan child
  • Nature child
  • Wounded Child

The eternal child has an attachment to youth and immaturity.  The positive eternal child is the stuff that ads are made of, enthusiastic, fresh and free.  The shadow eternal child has a resistance to responsibility and rejection of the aging process.  The need to stay youthful may lead to extreme dependence on others for security.  The puer aeternus is a man who never accepts responsibility.  He is frequently a character in fiction, and sadly appears often in real life.  Peter Pan is a modern eternal youth story with Tinkerbell playing the puella aeterna.  Clinging to youth can prevent one from reaching the full range of emotions and insights.  Youthful enthusiasm and a willingness to make fresh starts are the positive aspects of this child persona.  Adults who are consistently unreliable or dependent on others reflect the worst aspects of the eternal child.

Peter Pan Peter Pan

Travel Time

October 2, 2013 — 4 Comments

jet

jet

I have learned to budget time by planning many trips for myself and travel clients. When tour companies take groups out on an excursion the itinerary is published to give all a sense of unity. Planning time for commuting in a city or check in at a strange terminal must be done with precision and plenty of lead time. I think travelers are often too optimistic about the amount of time it really takes to get across town or out of town.  Being on time for appointments or performances is essential to enjoying a visit.  I also think free unstructured time to explore is an important element of happy tourism.

Here are the ways I like to expand my world when I travel.  I use time in new ways:

  • Explore museums of all kinds, usually by myself
  • Enjoy a lot of walking outdoors, cityscape or natural path
  • Try food I will not find at home, both new preparations and new items
  • Rearrange my at home routine by eating breakfast
  • Meet with friends for special performances, events, or meals
  • Use a big part of each day taking taking photos

I learn before I go.  My research into options can take weeks for some destinations.  I study maps and transit systems, look up details and make notes if there is something I want to make sure I see. No matter what I learn from reference materials I always ask for a local’s opinion if I can.  Once I have made the arrangements for the elements of the trip, lodging, transportation, dining, and exploration I believe it is important to give in to serendipity as much as possible.  I find that being open in both mood and schedule allows  the magic of the place to speak to me.  Sometimes I meet cool people who inform me; other times I am called by special architecture or botany.  I find that when I plan and inform myself just enough to know where I am, but not too much to make assumptions, time is my ally.  It expands and allows me to turn a few days into an exciting yet easy to accomplish new adventure of discovery.  I am working on turning next week in San Francisco into just that.  If you know about something special I need to know before I go, please pipe up, gentle reader.  I do enjoy the unusual, and already know about many of the usual highlights of the bay area.  I am open to learn more.

Healthcare/Wellness/Insurance

October 2, 2013 — 3 Comments

healthy food

healthy food

The way words are used has a big effect on culture and expectations. The words health care have come to mean prescription drugs and medical procedures. Wellness has come to mean any kind of body work, cleanse, or restrictive diet. What is even more debilitating to the public health is that insurance policies determine the care most people use.  There is abuse on both sides, by wellness quacks and medical losers. Wellness or health coaches are essentially practicing counseling in everything from nutrition to psychiatry.  The unhealthy American population is vulnerable and guilty, willing to jump to all kinds of conclusions, buying into all kinds of cures and programs.  The market is so crowded the consumer has been confused by all the possibilities.  Now the public will need to understand how health insurance functions.  This is a giant leap for the citizens, a shock to the system.

I made a living teaching and promoting health and wellness through water for many years.  I have enjoyed waters and spas all over the world and had the pleasure of teaching many wonderful students.  I have a strong healthy body that I treat to the best food and body work I can afford to give it.  Since I love movement, I move.  I don’t take any prescription drugs; my plan is to avoid them. The reasons I am keeping my insurance policy as it is, and not vexing myself trying to read all the  options are:

  • In two years I will have Medicare, which I do understand well from the parental care I did.
  • My policy allows me to go to any provider I choose
  • If I change I will undergo an unknown medical exam requirement I do not care to do
  • I am satisfied with the service when I do have a transaction with the company
  • I am guaranteed to get a rebate under the new laws because I use far less than 20% of my premium costs each year on covered services.
  • My senior care experience taught me that it is very difficult to know what will and will not be covered; the only way to find out is to need something, then be denied.
  • My senior care duties showed me the many entities out there financially abusing seniors by swindling Medicare.  I am sure this has not improved since my parents died.
  • I am convinced that the shopping on the exchanges will damage my wellbeing.
  • My time is better spent in the pool increasing my core strength and flexibility.
  • Staying away from the crisis in health care is healthy.

I Endorse Michael Ray

October 1, 2013 — 2 Comments

Michael Ray is a friend and colleague I met in  a business development forum offered by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Tucson.  A small group of us continue to meet once a month to focus on the model we learned and the progress being made by individuals.  Michael’s project is interesting to me because I garden in the desert with more and more difficulty myself.  I also like to watch the way he solves his design problems because I too am an inventor.  Some serendipity and some  failure accompany all inventors.

Initially one may not even plan to invent a product, but an issue or problem starts to fascinate the inventor.  Failing fast has a lot of merit when you don’t know where you are going anyhow.  Eventually the prototype will show/teach the creator new ways to  remedy design problems.  I endorse Michael because his core concept is strong, and his creative spirit is guiding him to keep experimenting until he finds solutions.  I know the long and winding road through “one size does not fit all”  from my own work.  I believe when the Nursetree Arch comes on the market it will benefit many gardeners, both new and experienced.  I know I want one.

shade

shade