mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Divine Family of Archtetypes
March 9, 2013
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What is your relationship to God? Your archetypes will define and expose your spirit. While we may all want to be a visionary or some very special rare spiritually gifted being, our story may be stronger than our experience. If you know the spiritual archetype, you will also have some experience with the shadow of it. Spirit does not bring along only happy good time feelings. It brings lessons required for our own wisdom and advancement. If you really are a martyr you have used your own suffering to manipulate others. The depth of the reality depends on how truthful and open you are. None of us worships like our parents before us…well, very few. Do you give your spirit a rich practice or a platitude?
The Spa in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania
March 4, 2013
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I stand corrected about the spa culture in Pennsylvania. It is alive and well in Bedford Springs. The indoor and outdoor pools are heated with mineral spring water. The hotel, now operated by Omni, is an historic building as well as a health resort from another era. The historic Bedford Springs Hotel was a favorite of many presidents of the US. The healing waters were taken internally as well as used in bathing. The existence of 8 different sources makes this a very special location. The revival of the hotel to a glorious state of the art facility warms my heart, and will warm my body in September. I love to visit places that have been in continuous use as health resorts for centuries. They acquire a certain culture that is always interesting and usually healthy too.
As an historic landmark the hotel building has very specific restoration standards. They are exacting. A source of water was discovered during the renovation that is known as Spring Eternal. The new deluxe spa is named after this spring. The large property was purchased by Dr Anderson in 1796 for development as a health center. His approach included diet and exercise as well as use of the healing waters. The inclusion of local botanicals as well as the spring water is still part of the treatments at the fancy new facility. I look forward to taking a dip, wishing the live musicians were still playing at the indoor pool. There is even an herbal steam room..be still my heart.
Frankfort Mineral Springs, Pennsylvania
March 3, 2013
Investigating the possibilities to spa down in Pennsylvania, the past appeals to me much more than the present. The current favorite for PA visitors is the Hotel at Hershey which has many chocolate ways to do body treatments. Oh dear, was that ever not what I had in mind. I looked for hot springs, which are almost non existent. The one that served as a health spa is now part of a state park near Pittsburgh. In the 1800s it was all the rage to take the waters and seek health in Beaver County. I wish my class reunion in Oakmont could end with a month of water taking, but, alas, that was a different century. This spring was closed in 1912. The lodge burned down in 1932 and was closed for good. The ghost people like it. If my own ancestors had been there I might be more into the hauntedness. What I am seeking is a big pool full of hot mineral water. This does not seem to exist. It looks like the only ones who do spa rituals in Pennsylvania are dead people and folks for whom chocolate is a travel destination…very interesting.
early sketch
state park
Beaver County Landmark
Rebel Archetype
March 2, 2013
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If I am classified by others I imagine the rebel archetype is used liberally. I have both cast myself in this role, and have been asked to play it. Rebels are catalysts for change. They reject conformity. Steve Jobs made the misfits trendy and to disrupt is now an honored business method. Disobedience or disrespect of authority is not as evil as we are taught by those same authorities. Revolutions are brought about in all corners of the earth by people who are willing to risk and step outside the norm.
Many revolutions in history have been brutal and angry, while some of the grandest have been almost sneaky. The digital revolution has a cutting edge that must be driven by rebels because it takes that spirit to continually disrupt and change the current methods. We may soon have Google glasses and internet TV at home because of the rebellious among us. I have to tend my own rebel, who does not do homework, who procrastinates, and who takes shortcuts. She is not terribly evil, but she does give my teacher archetype a whole lot of flack. If I have an internal war, it is between this teacher and this rebel. They are both persuasive and have great achievements to show for their particular philosophy. Both study and patience and completely out of the ordinary gambles have worked out for me. I need to honor them both because they are sticking with me for the rest of the flight, it seems. The rebel must be unleashed with care and proper consideration for best effect.
Psyche
March 2, 2013
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Butterfly
Psyche is the goddess of the soul. Her curiosity and her great beauty made her life difficult. She was the object of Aphrodite’s jealousy. The story of Beauty and the Beast is almost exactly the tale of Psyche. She earns her place in the pantheon by enduring hardship and deceit. Psychic has come to mean the ability to sense beyond the obvious. Our experiences in life that test our ability to see through disguises are maturing our psyches.
I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found
February 28, 2013
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Handicrafts Club
I have been found by a group of people I would never have guessed were looking for me. My classmates from elementary and junior high have tracked me down to invite me to the reunion of the graduation I would have had with them had I not moved. I am blown away in many ways. First, I always admire good detective work. Second, I am touched and pleased and thrilled to be remembered for so long. Third, in am in flashback mode, laughing hysterically. Stories and pictures have been produced that take me back to Oakmont, PA in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. These were very fun, if somewhat unfashionable, times. In the above picture I am in the front row with jazz hands crossed on lap at the left end. Nobody remembers what kind of handicrafts we made. Another sexist ploy like home ec, where I received the one and only D of my academic career for stabbing the seam ripper through the pocket of my apron sewing project. Mrs. Gallashun, you can shove your apron….because I still have it for some perverse reason.
Jr high cheerleaders
In the photo above I am seated in my Oaks sweater, which was green and white. I am third from the left, leaning conspicuously to the left in some body language clue about my feelings about my fellow cheerleaders. This one is very funny to me because it brings on total recall of the games and the cheers and getting my collar bone broken playing tackle football with the high school boys when my parents were out of town. In fact it brings back floods of nostalgia and appreciation for the really excellent place we had to live as kids. We had Roberto Clemente, and life was very easy.
These are the people with whom I built snow forts, went sledding, ice skated, sang, baton twirled, and played dodge ball. These are the people who taught me to speak with a very heavy accent I no longer have, but do enjoy hearing. I am into the Amish Mafia on TV because I like to hear them talk. I can’t believe they have changed so much, but still sound the same. The Oakmonters are having a party which includes a tour of the high school, which happens to be the same building where I went to elementary school, two blocks from my house. I think I have to go. I think the past is calling loudly, and I have to answer. It is just too funny.
Peach Flower Essence
February 27, 2013
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The use of flower essences was made popular by Dr Bach in the first half of the 20th century. He was a physician who discovered the effects on his own emotions when he took simple essences of flowers. His formulas are used widely today, the most famous being rescue remedy, which is a combination of flowers. I have used these concentrated bottled products for years and find them to be effective. However, when the flowers bloom I enjoy making and drinking fresh pure flower remedies.
Practitioners of this method must know and study carefully the proper dosage for a patient. Since I am enjoying my own, I am not concerned with the conventional practice of using a few drops diluted in alcohol for a remedy. I drink much larger quantities straight up. I always know the meaning of the flower and the cure for which it is used commercially. There are many local companies doing remedies now, so finding a reference to a specific flower is not so hard. It does require the use of the Latin name. Common names in botany can lead to serious errors.
My peach tree is in bloom now and the bees are busy turning the blooms into peaches. I will make an essence when the weather warms later in the week. Peach, Prunus persica, is used for altruism. It is a catalyst that facilitates the release of tension by those who fret excessively over their own problems. It allows nurturing from wholeness rather than from neediness. It is recommended for external application. This is important. The remedy works if you put it in a bath or rub it into the skin. You do not need to consume it to enjoy the benefits. The first step in making an essence is to meditate on the plant. Enter a quiet state, the best you can, and ask the plant for healing.
This is not natural to you yet, but if you do it for a while, you will begin to feel (notice, perceive) the plant respond to your request. Staying quiet and respectful, pay attention as you pick the flowers so as not to strip or deplete the tree. Placing the flowers in a clear vessel full of clear water, rest the glass container in the sun (or moon) for a while. This is subjective. Do not let it become sun tea, as the flower is delicate. Stop before the flower wilts, but after a taste has entered the water. It often tastes like cucumber or melon. Roses, iris, violets, and citrus taste just like they smell, which is lovely. Peach has little smell or taste, but the beauty of the flowers makes a very happy meditation.
bee in peach tree
prunus persica
peach blossom special
bee on peach
bee with pollen sacks
bee in peach blossom
bee in peach tree
prunus persica flowers
Vicitm Archetype, Queen for a Day
February 26, 2013
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Jack Bailey, host of Queen for a Day, gave big prizes to the most pathetic contestant as judged by audience response. The woman deemed most victimized got a full length mink coat, long stemmed red roses, and almost always a washing machine. The prizes were given in consideration of promotional value of the show. This was the prototype for almost every game prize show that was ever produced. In the 1950’s what it took to win was the most tragic story.
The victim exists in all of us, as it is a survival archetype. We have all been on both sides of bully/victim, typically starting with siblings at a young age. The lesson the victim teaches is that pity can be a temporary reward, but a hollow one. Like the lady who takes her full length mink coat back to her shack in Appalachia, the victim never really wins. If suffering gains too much collateral reward, suffering will be used to control others. We need boundaries to be happy and well balanced. By being victims we learn how to protect ourselves. If this lesson is not learned the individual always feels that they suffer through no fault of their own and have no power to change that.
Regular Guy Archetype
February 25, 2013
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Everyman, also known as the regular guy, is one of the archetypes in Carl Jung’s core breakdown. The primary goal of this player in the personality is to be accepted. Blending in, not standing out, is the way the regular guy relates to society. Ad companies use this profiling to create messages that they hope will reach the market of choice. To be desirable to a regular guy a product needs to show that everyone uses it. The most common experience is the target.
This player has much in common with the orphan child archetype, having similar needs and fears. This personality will forfeit much in order to feel like a part of something. After finding the fold in which to fit, they often find it unrewarding and not what they had hoped it would be. The irony of seeking approval from others by being like them is that your own desires may never be made clear. If standing out in a crowd is your worst fear, your own dreams (and personality) may forever remain a mystery to you.
I do not respond well to messages aimed at Everyman. They have a negative effect by showing me that everyone is doing something. I recoil from that. A Eurofriend said this week she does not understand Oprah, the American phenomena. I tweeted her that Oprah is everywoman, as a joke. But, in truth, Oprah does market herself as everywoman (who can afford to buy $900 blouses). That is pretty ironic in itself, that her favorite things are out of range in price for most of her audience. She makes many feel like they are a part of her network, even if she is really the queen.
St. Verena, Coptic Healing Saint
February 21, 2013
St Verena of Egypt
I first knew St. Verena because I stayed many times a year for many years at her hotel in Baden Switzerland. It is a fantastic Belle Epoque building with plaster elephants on the dining room ceiling and a direct access to the hot spring mineral baths. Verena served one of the best ever Swiss breakfast buffets, which is saying a lot. The Swiss hotel breakfast buffet is designed to wow you, fill you, and make you a loyal customer of the establishment. As a vegetarian I do not care about all the cold cut and caviar stuff, but am an expert in knowing a good muesli bar when I find one. Verenahof had everything, but the stairs were noisy and creaky, the elevators smelled highly of sulpher, and the surrounding hotels had closed. Now it looks like Baden, with a history of spa since Roman times is having a grand reopening. I am so pleased to know that Verena will once again be serving breakfast at the bad.
I did not think too much about her until I visited Bad Zurzach on the Rhine a few years ago. She is buried there in a church. The mineral spring there was not discovered until relatively recently, but Verena was a big deal there for centuries. I saw all kinds of statuary and art of Verena, and made an attempt to read about her in German (ha!). It looked like she was from Egypt and lived in a cave in Switzerland ( aka Rome) where she became a magical healing saint. Since that was way too weird, I decided I must be translating very badly. I went to her grave and lit some candles and hung out all by myself with her a few times at the church. She does have a heavy vibe, based on the people who have come here to see her for centuries. When I arrived in the states I looked up her story and read about Coptics in the Roman army in English. Her story is even wilder than I could have imagined.
Verena grew up in Luxor and traveled to Italy to receive a Christian education. When she learned of the fate of St Maurice she went to Switzerland to look for the Theban legion. They had been decimated by the Roman Emperor Maximian. Since her army was slaughtered, she found herself in a strange land with no language skills, so she went into a cave to pray and meditate. She came out of the cave healing like crazy, and was even imprisoned for it. She is typically depicted as holding a water vessel and a comb, symbols of her work with the sick and the poor. Today you can visit the cave where she had her big empowerment. Who would guess that a third century Coptic saint would end up at Swiss spas? Another great reason to visit Bad Zurzach, where the healing complex is extensive and elegant, is the hand organ festival which they hold each year.
