mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Healing vs Stagnation
February 19, 2013
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There is a tendency to avoid truth and maintain status quo in an effort to stay in control. This habitual use of the lowest common denominator to define reality is detrimental to wellbeing. Bernie Seigal notes in the above video that to forget is to get something for yourself. To forgive is to give something to another. The gift that everyone has to give is responsibility. We have selective memories and stories that we tell about ourselves and our circumstances. The story about the wound is the one that keeps the wound alive, whatever it may be.
Woundology is the currency exchange that places value on damage. The currency of pain only has value if you accept it and give it. Carolyn Myss coined the phrase and noticed a growth of the epidemic. Her work as a medical intuitive has been to explain and teach Why People Don’t Heal. I believe that there is a codependent heath and fitness industry that feeds the insecurity and pain as a way to make a living. I have seen this in action, although I do not think the participants had awareness of their folly. If your health and fitness story is not a clean, clear and happy one, the good news is that you can change it. Change your story by refusing to allow the past to define your present. Trade in the wounds for a brand new set of possibilities.
Passionate and Determined
February 18, 2013
Feet of Culture Clown
Zappos Insights
The number nine core value at Zappos is about passion and determination. This one may be the determining factor in my quest to make Floatli the official sport of Zappos. I am positive that many have, are currently, and will pursue a spot in Zappos future. In order to make my offer stand out in a giant crowd I accept the challenge of showing more passion, and ultimately more determination, than others who are vying to be the provider of the official sport of the company.
With any luck I will be the only one applying for this position. Zappos is full of healthy employees who enjoy working and playing. The presence of the company coach supports this balanced lifestyle. Employees can schedule coaching sessions for work or personal reasons. The popular program is much utilized, therefore a waiting list exists for appointments with her. I admire this kind of development program because a passionate determined employee is a content and personally fulfilled employee.
Zappos Education Dept
As the most insightful capitalist venture I have ever seen, Zappos screams sport. The minute you walk into the place the vibe is all about personal expression and fashion extravagance. The team spirit is overwhelming. My guide, Culture Clown, told us how she and her firefighter husband enjoy Lake Meade and participation in outdoor fitness events. She had completed a tough mudder with Marines that impressed me greatly. The reason Floatli is the perfect team sport for Zappos is that it is non competitive. What gravity does, Floatli remedies. The more you wear shoes and play tough games on land, the more you need to reverse that action. Floatli downshifts the joints and prehabilitates the body to do more sports without risk of injury. Summer is hot in Vegas, but they still have a big beautiful Lake Mead, as well as millions of pools.
I want the chance to to market Floatli with Zappos. More fun even than that would be to organize an exciting alternative fitness program that enhances staff levels of health and satisfaction within the company. The integrity of the company comes from taking care of the employees so they can deliver happiness to customers. I want to deliver some happiness to the discriminating employees to give them a new way to chill and stay fit. I am passionate and determined to get an audition.
The Gossip Archetype
February 15, 2013
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If you have attended an elementary school you have been involved in gossip. Private information spreading is power for the gossip. It can have two distinct patterns running at the same time. Damaging or false information may be spread as well as flattering or promotional stories. This is a member of the creative family and can be considered to be artful and expressive. Dr. Phil and his ilk fit into this category. Networking can be a positive form of gossip designed to help others. To make the best of your own gossip within notice the news you spread and why you do it. To a certain extent we all make our own PR as well as our own self image. We spotlight or eliminate part of the story for effect, even if we are unconscious of it, and even in our memories.
How can the gossip teach us to respect the feelings of others? If you observe your own communication carefully you can spot trends. The shadow gossip my bring you news of all kinds, but it is not your job to share it. I know plenty of people who do not watch cable TV but are still influenced to believe what they are told, read, or hear. Due diligence is your friend when it comes to discernment and discretion. Know what you mean to say and why.
Punctuality, Politness, Professionalism
February 15, 2013
The the P’s have served me well as a guide since I first saw them on a sign in a panyard in Port of Spain, Trinidad. I hung out at the Neal and Massey Trinidad All Stars yard in the early 1980’s. I took my video camera and shot the practice sessions. I adored the look as well as the sound of the steel drum. The panman was just leaving the shadows of Trini society in the 1980’s. The Despers, The All Stars, and some other very old steel bands were representing very hard neighborhoods in Port of Spain. The idea that you could build an instrument out of an oil barrel and make a professional orchestra of people who did not read music was not yet considered to be a fine art by everyone.
I had some of the best times of my life at that yard. I remember Dane Gulston for his artistry and also his super friendly attitude. He was very young, but was already indoctrinated with the discipline of the All Stars. Dedication and cooperation are the ingredients needed to win in Panorama and in life. Today Pantrinbago oversees educational programs and the nation is proud of their indigenous instrument. Brooklyn has a large contingent of the best musicians for at least part of the year. In the above solo Dane ably demonstrates the benefits of practicing the three P’s.
Know too Much to Argue or to Judge
February 14, 2013
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The limits to your love are set by you. Finding fault is the opposite of finding love.
Do Not Mess with Cupid
February 13, 2013
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Apollo and Daphne
The myth of Daphne is an illustration of fate and revenge of the gods. She was part of cruel power play between two archers, Apollo and Eros. The proud Apollo bullied Eros who shot two arrows, one tipped in gold and the other in lead to find revenge. Eros, the son of Aphrodite enchanted his arrows to cause total lust and desire in the golden arrow victim, and total hatred in the recipient of the lead tipped arrow. Apollo was hit with the golden arrow, and the object of his desire, Daphne, was struck by the lead one. The struggle between lust and chastity is ended when Daphne turns into a laurel tree. She begged her father to transform her body forever in order to escape Apollo’s desire for her.
Eros is the god of sexual desire. He marries Psyche, a goddess/human representing the human soul. They have one daughter Hedone. Hedone is the quest for pleasure with only good consequences. The English word hedonism is derived from this word, but has a meaning far from the original. Eros is also known in Rome as Cupid. We know this god as a logo for Valentine’s Day, a time when we honor a Christian martyr by consuming mass quantities of cheap chocolate. Neither Valentine nor Cupid will be impressed nor honored with a mindless mandatory purchase of tacky gifts. That is neither pleasurable nor sexy. Eros, Apollo, Daphne, and Aphrodite are archetypes that exist in the human pantheon of possibility. Which one will you play on Valentine’s Day?
Valentine for Kali Maa
February 7, 2013
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The Hindu goddess Kali has protection on her mind at all times. She is one heavily armed vigilant benevolent mother. She has a red tongue to represent our carnal desires, and she prefers red flowers as an offering. Remember Kali at Valentine’s Day because she is the ultimate power ranger of tough love. She can and will make or break you. Understanding the Hindu pantheon will not conflict with your religion, and may bring to light your own relationship with the wrathful mother. You do not have to call her Kali to know who she is.
Kali is the destroyer. Her name is based on the word time. Nothing escapes time. Her job is to shatter illusion. She shows up all blue and naked with weapons and multiple severed heads and arms. She herself has four arms to administer justice. She is intent on the destruction of evil, and like all mothers, teaches her children about evil in doses they can handle. Her protection is essential for the continuation of the universe, but she gets a bad rap. Destruction is only the other side of creation. The birth and death cycle is inevitable. To grasp the power and the glory of Kali you need to see that time is at least as powerful as space. Mother Earth is the ultimate judge. This too shall pass. This year dedicate some red flowers to the eternal protective mother.
Dream Travel
February 6, 2013
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Remembering and studying dreams can bring insight directly, and later through contemplation. Flying dreams are interpreted as liberation, although Sigmund Freud considered the flying to be representative of sexual release. Floating dreams are indicative of a total acceptance. Floating is representative of great success through calm and unresisting nature. Struggling to stay afloat either in dreams or in waking life has the effect of disturbing the surface of the water, indicating problems.
I have seen confidence grow significantly when fear of water is conquered and the skill of floating is mastered. Knowing how to stay afloat in water essentially improves our chances of survival. Appearing in dreams floating serenely is a powerful vision of stress free living. We only dream about people we have seen in our lives, although the circumstances may not be similar in our dreams. The content is very ephemeral and quickly evaporates as soon as we wake and begin to move or interact. To capture and study dreams it is necessary to record the memory immediately upon waking. The notes taken upon waking can be used as the subject of meditation or simply reviewed to find trends. With regular practice and the book right next to your bed it is possible to make significant progress into remembering more details as you keep the journal.
Artemisia Vulgaris is an herb used to improve the quality of lucid dreaming. I have used the essential oil for the purpose with good results. A combination of tea and smoking dried mugwort (one of the common names of this herb) before retiring is a traditional blend for inducing lucid dreaming. This herb has been used for centuries to enhance the dream state. The video above mentions a vinegar tonic easily created by soaking the plant in apple cider vinegar. Anyone can make use of these techniques to learn more about unconscious and archetypal players in our personalities.
Gradual Decline
January 29, 2013
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The people who have gone through natural disasters and survived can tell us change is never what we expect. The people who languish in unhappy circumstances often believe that fate has trapped them without options. The appearance of permanence is a mind boggler. The sensory world seems permanent and meaningless, virtually everything it is not. You are an element of change, weather you acknowledge it or not. Some folks imagine they are preserving the world, others think they are destroying, ruling, or upgrading it. If sudden events alter the world around you, you will both adopt new ways of coping and adapt new skills. This is true for gradual change as well.
The median income in the U.S. of all but the top 10% of earners has remained relatively flat since 1967. Not all family groups, but most, own less than they owned three years ago. A small increase in household income is enjoyed by the top 5 percent of earners, but the middle class has lost income since the big crash of 2008. The adaptation to this reality does not look like healthy acceptance and appropriate response. The concept that the future is always better casts a dark economic cloud over real budgets. Spending as if there is no tomorrow usually results in a future of gloom. Paying the piper is inevitable in terms of karmic as well as financial debt. At both a personal and a national level new skills and perspectives are needed to break the cycle of gradual decline.
Saboteur Archetype
January 28, 2013
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archetype card deck
The saboteur archetype is at the heart of the reasons you do not attempt change. Each person has a saboteur, but few of us have any knowledge of how it works. When this archetype speaks it is important to decipher the message. It wants us to give up, put off, or just forget our aspirations. It offers plenty of reasons for you to be discouraged from trying any kind of change. It takes a dim view of just about everything.
What can you learn from the nagging pessimistic voice in your head that will lead you eventually to contentment? You can openly learn the language and the logic it uses in order to engage it in a meaningful dialog with you. Listen to the voice of your sceptic in order to understand how and why you stay stagnant, unable to accomplish what you set out to do. Begin to identify the script your inner critic uses to deflate your hopes and postpone your dreams. As in dreamscapes, there might be themes that are literal or more symbolic. There are deeper interpretations to archetypal insights, but basically our saboteur teaches us how to see through fear founded in insecurity. The reasons we believe we are not capable are usually unexamined. Once the issues are observed in the light, the lesson can be to use logic and wisdom rather than fear to draw boundaries. The energy and power bound up in the struggle between our whole selves and our personal traitors is a tragic waste. Sit down and have a drink with your saboteur. You both sabotage and are sabotaged in ways you do not currently recognize. Long term analysis will not bee needed to find the main talking points used to discourage you on a regular basis. As with a human bully, be firm and polite when dealing with your inner punk.
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