holistic health
The Spirit Rituals Of Life – Part 3
Pain can just make things downright miserable. We can have the best of everything: a great job; a wonderful, caring spouse; a wonderful home; wealth and luxury; the list goes on, but if you’re in emotional pain, or suffering from a chronic illness, it is very difficult to connect spiritually… let alone do anything uplifting every day.
But, committing to rituals that are good for us every day, can help relieve the pain. I have many clients who suffer from fibromyalgia, depression, and all kinds of pain. One thing that I can say for sure is that whatever may help or work for one person, may not for another. Each person needs to be helped on a individual level.
I have found that emotional pain is sometimes just as painful as physical pain. Those that have lost loved ones sometimes don’t want to get out of bed, just like my client who suffers from migraines, she just wants to lay in bed most days with the shades drawn and to be left alone.
While I was alone in the woods, I asked some questions regarding pain, and how pain can help us to take action to connect with more happiness or contentment.
How can we relieve physical pain? Spirit says, “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes me stronger.” Do things that help alleviate pain. For example, one of my clients suffered from severe osteoarthritis and arthritis, so she took it upon herself to start taking supplements that build up the joints and help cushion the bones when they grind against each other. She said that this one little daily ritual is what has saved her from experiencing the pain on a grand scale. It has minimized her discomfort remarkably.
The Spirit Rituals Of Life – Part 2
I had just finished making the bonfire for the evening. The sun was setting and I had had a good day walking in the woods on what looked like a well-worn path. I was contemplating the day and reflecting on some things that came to me.
I was not remembering what my ancestor had said about an angel coming to visit me. I had just let it go, and felt if it was meant to be it would happen in the right timing. I was not going to obsess over it. I just wished to enjoy each precious moment and was looking forward to deep meditation after the sun when down.
When I went into meditation, I did as I normally do, connecting with the earth and doing my visualizations. In my mind’s eye my feet began to grow roots to the middle of the earth, and I was filling up with earth energy and light. I meditated for what seemed like an hour. Upon coming out of the deep meditation, I was feeling warmth, from the fire… but also from something else.
I looked straight ahead and on all sides of me was pure white light. It was the whitest light I have ever seen. It was so white that I think there had to be a different name for it. It evoked a serene feeling that was beyond anything I had ever experienced. The best way to describe this light was that it was that of a very powerful angel.
The angel was very tall, with huge wings. They were enveloping me while they stretched out what seemed to be very wide. It felt so healing and comforting.
The Spirit Rituals Of Life – Part 1
I recently had the opportunity to spend time in a cabin out in the woods. The best part for me was the bonfire at night, while listening to the wisdom of my spirit guides.
I had hoped to enjoy solitude there, but it turned out there were other folks staying in cabins nearby. I was on this three day vacation in the woods to meditate. I had planned to go on this trip alone to get some deeper spiritual insight into what brings true fulfillment in life.
I also knew in my heart I did not have to go to an ashram far away in India, or some other exotic destination. I knew in my heart going into the woods that true contentment and happiness can only be found from within.
Blessings come to us when we are willing to listen to that still silent voice within. Spirit always meets us halfway. The first blessing came on my first day there, when I learned that the people in the neighboring cabins were all leaving and I would have the place to myself soon, except for the people who run the camp. But they were far enough away and I could finally enjoy some serious silence and seclusion.
The first night was simply magical! If I walked a little ways from the cabin, I could see the entire sky lit up with stars. I walked to the camp store to purchase some odds and ends, and trekked back to my quiet spot in the woods to get a bonfire going. Then I just relaxed, peacefully watching the flames. I was surrounded with the elements of fire, water, air and of course earth.
Is It Worth Your Health And Happiness?
We are usually deep in conversation, accompanied by a lot of belly laughs, when I meet with my group of crochet girlfriends every other week. We meet around a large table, yarn in hand, to make lots of wonderful goodies to give away at Christmas, or whatever festive holiday is upon us.
Things turned serious at a recent gathering, when one of the gals in our group starting talking about her daughter, who recently separated from her husband. She said a few things about their situation and then looked up at me, but decided not to ask, as I was there for fun and not to be asked any psychic questions.
My friends know that when I’m at our crochet circle, it is about taking a break from my work and just having some fun with the girls! But it’s not always so easy.
She quickly tried changing the subject, but the other ladies started to talk about their own children. Some of the older gals even brought up their grandchildren who were recently divorced, or separated.
Many comments were made like, “Times are tough,” and, “These days things aren’t the same as they were when we were growing up,” and “Life is no longer as simple as it used to be back in the day,” and also, “Technology is ruining a lot of couples these days.”
Do It Anyway
No matter what we go through in life and with who, we always come back to the same place… a familiar place of being alone. The thought occurred to me the other day that we come into this world alone, and we go out alone.
Though we may be surrounded by others, at the end of the day, we are still alone when we go to sleep at night. Even if we are married, or in a relationship with someone who sleeps next to us, we still enter into the sleep state or dream state, alone.
Have you ever noticed that people who are comfortable being alone, have somehow mastered being alone without being lonely? There is a true comfort, freedom, and delight in being by oneself, alone. When we are alone, we can take an honest inventory of our life, who we choose to spend time with, and also decide how we wish to spend our time.
The relationship arena seems to be one of the most challenging areas of life. We all fall into traps and pitfalls that can steer us away from our natural state of happiness , which we come home to when we are alone. However, relationships also seem to provide a fast track for our own personal growth by revealing how we interact with other people.
Our relationships point out areas within ourselves that may require growth or increased self-love. Simply put, relationships show us exactly where we need to focus on to come back to a state of wholeness.
Choosing A Spiritual Path With Heart
There are many blind choices we make when we are too young or inexperienced to make the best decisions for ourselves. We are born into a family, or raised in a culture, for example, with its unique traditions and beliefs, or lack thereof, and we are usually quite susceptible in our youth to these influences.
In the process of becoming an adult, the questioning of such beliefs and traditions leads us towards who we will become, to discovering what truly resonates with us, and what does not. But this is something we may have taken lightly in our youth, and therefore needs to be looked over several times in our life to find out with real sincerity what is truly calling us.
It is possible that being born in a traditional Christian home, for example, we felt constrained and limited, even small and powerless, ultimately causing us to reject all dogmatic religion. For someone else, brought up maybe in an atheist home, the search for God or faith may bring a profound sense of empowerment and life purpose that nurtures their life. It all depends on us as individuals, and how we process our own reality.
Carlos Castaneda writes in The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, “Before you embark on any path ask the question: does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him.”
How To Slow Down Time
We live in a world today where we are constantly being challenged to get everything done as a matter of urgency. We have to check every item on our ‘to-do lists’ by a specific deadline, which leads to stress overload and energy depletion.
The pressure to constantly perform drains our energy, which ultimately leads to exhaustion, depression, irritability and even ill health. It also negatively impacts our day-to-day interactions with others. And from personal experience, you can’t truly enjoy any task or moment when you’re always in a rush, or living only for the future.
Let me remind you today that it’s okay to sometimes ‘press pause’ for a moment and allow life to just flow in its own time, without getting frustrated or stressed. Inner peace comes from surrendering time to the Universe and finding a routine that works for your unique needs. Here are some ways you can slow down time and help you live in the present:
Breathing – Get involved in a form of exercise that encourages you to breathe deeply, like Yoga, Qigong, and even strength training.
Disconnect – Logout from the internet and social media on a regular basis.
Recreation – Go for a walk in the woods, sit by water or find a beautiful landscape that you find calming. Use your hands to make something with food or art materials. Continue reading