by marikare | Oct 31, 2023 | Acupuncture, body wisdom, chinese medicine, Five elements, mental wellbeing, nervous system, resilience, traditions |
Welcome to my favourite Season, Autumn! also known as the Metal Season in Chinese Medicine. As the days shorten and the leaves fall and the harvest comes to an end we find ourselves in this season of letting go and finding what is of most value to us. This is not only a season of the year but also a natural part of our day (late afternoon/evening), our monthly cycles for those of us who bleed (premenstuation), the moon cycle (waning moon) and our life cycles (perimenopause). It is the time when we prepare for the rest of night/winter/elderhood and we shed the layers of what we no longer need so that we can come to what is of most importance to us as we move forward. This can be felt strongly during premenstruation and perimenopause, if our lives are out of balance and we have many things that are not serving us that we are resisting letting go of or feel that we cant let go of. We can look to nature for an example of the ease with which the trees and plants are letting go of their fruits and leaves and preparing to rest for the winter.
The organs that are associated with this season are there to help us with this process, our lungs through the inhale and exhale and our large intestine with it’s clearing of the waste from our system, as well as the skin which also helps us clear toxins. If these organs are working well we can more easily clear the burdens from our body and we can also clear any trapped emotions, especially grief and sadness which are natural emotions when we are letting go of something, be that a dream we had, the coming end of our reproductive years, the end of a relationship or the death of a loved one. But if this grief over runs us these organs can become impacted, causing shortness of breath, asthma, constipation, obstructed bowels, eczema, rashes, and other skin issues. The spirit of Metal is known as the Po or the corporeal soul and it is said to enter into our bodies when we are born and return to the earth when we die. Disorders of the po were known as the seven ghosts with names like stinking lung, flying poison, greedy thief, dog’s cadaver. Each associated with severe emotional repression causing great somatic illness in the body. I find this so interesting as so many cultures including my Celtic Ancestors saw this time of year as being a time of ghosts, where the veil between the world thins.
“The corporeal soul is the spirit of the Metal element. This means it’s mortal and it dies. Po comes from our mother (Earth). It houses all the automatic systems and instincts. Everything that can breathe has Po. Po being part of the body makes us introspective.”
To Strengthen our Po
There are several things we can do to strengthen our Po and allow for introspection and pull ourselves out of being stuck in introspection. For the acupuncture pts, massaging them for a few minutes or place a drop of the suggested essential oil (EO) or flower essence (FE) on them.
- Deep Belly Breaths- support our lung function, stimulate our bowels, helps release grief
- Lu3 Palace of Heaven- Helps us to let go of our grief (frankincense EO)
- Lu5 Elbow Marsh- promotes movement when we are stuck in grief or introspection
- Lu9 Supreme Abyss- supports us in reflecting on our lives (Atlas cedar EO)
Metal Season Reflections
As we naturally move inward with the season taking some quiet time to reflect on what we value and what we are ready to let go of can be incredibly nourishing to our metal element and Po. Take some time away and sit with these questions.
- What are you ready to let go of?
- What is no longer providing value to you?
- What is draining or depleting to you right now?
- What are your core values?
- Why are these important to you?
- What is preventing you from living them?
.Living in alignment with the season
As we are beings of nature our bodies need to live in alignment with the seasons in order to maintain optimal health and vitality. Some ways we can do that are eating seasonally, dressing for the weather, sleeping with the patterns of the sun and getting outside as much as possible. In the Autumn these things can support our bodies:
- Eating more pungent white foods: onion, garlic, apples, radish, daikon, white beans, cauliflower, mushrooms.
- Eating warm slow cooked foods like soups and stews
- Going to bed earlier and sleeping later
- doing more gentle exercise: qi gong, yoga, walking
- Keeping our necks, heads, feet and bellies/low backs covered to keep our bodies warm and prevent pathogenic wind, cold and damp from entering the body
And of course getting acupuncture can be of immense help to support our bodies in adapting to the seasons. So if you need any support feel free to reach out and book an appt.
Wishing you a season of deep reflection, solid boundaries, clear values and knowing your amazing worth!
by marikare | Jul 4, 2023 | Acupuncture, birth, body wisdom, doula, Friends, mental wellbeing, nervous system, postpartum, resilience, Self-Love |
” Rest is not only an act of self-care but of reclamation, rememberance and resistance.”
I began writing this at 31 weeks into my second pregnancy and it has taken me over a year to finish it. It is on a topic that has been on my mind for a long time, especially since experiencing pregnancy and being a mom and it is around our ideas of Rest. What does it mean to truly rest and why is it so hard for so many of us to do? Why do so many suffer from chronic fatigue? Why do most of my patients, especially the mamas come to me exhausted, stressed and still pushing themselves? Why is it that when someone is sick or injured they go back to work the minute they can. If anything I would have hoped Covid would have taught us to slow down and really wait till we are better before we go back to work, but alas it seems that now we just work from our homes and continue to push ourselves.
Ever since having my daughter four year ago I have felt tired on some level or another, there were moments before that, of course, while busy trying to study and work or when ill or injured but nothing quite like trying to be a working mother. Add another pregnancy and a second job and it was hard to function without multiple naps. I certainly am better at allowing myself to rest these days, as I know how trying to rush back to things leads to more illness and exhaustion, and yet I still feel that pressure from somewhere deep inside myself, a seed planted, a family icon calling to me that I should be doing more, I should be better by now, I should be able to get up and go like I used to.
As I see it there are many factors that affect this, One of the most insidious of these runs back to the origins of North American colonization, that of the Protestant Ethic. An idea that the work we did was what made us worthy under the eyes of God and the harder we worked the more “holy” we were. This can easily be seen playing out in the “American Dream” and the idea that we can create anything from our hardwork, no matter who we were born to or our status in society. This powerful messaging has been carried forth by our culture and our families. My Father’s family who came to North America very early on has this story woven into our DNA, I saw it in the way my grandfather, father and uncle worked so hard, and how they indulged in booze, food and marijuana to make them feel better in their lives and I have seen it in myself, how i push myself to achieve more or take on more things than I can handle.
This history of hard work and no rest that is woven into our culture has caused many to feel like failures, sinking into some form of addiction to numb the voice of disapproval or manifesting some illness that will not allow them to work hard anymore. The body or mind demanding the rest that is so desperately needed. This has been a recurring theme for myself and many I know, taking on too much and then either becoming ill, getting injured or having to cancel a commitment that you made because it is all too much. The sense of failure leads many to some form of addiction or self-beratement that pulls us further down the spiral of having to work harder.
Then there is the need to survive in this reality we have created, rising food costs and rent, mortgages and childcare. I recently discovered that Canada has one of the highest housing to income costs in the world. In the face of the cost of living I understand why people don’t rest when they need to and yet as a society and a country that is evidently one of the best to live in in the world we don’t take very good care of our people.
But there is another way, a way our ancient ancestors knew and a way that many are starting to find and that is to move more slowly, to recognize these stories within ourselves and our culture and resist them, to allow ourselves to fully rest when we need to. At one point in time the Estimated Due Date (EDD) for a woman was known as the Estimated Date of Confinement (EDC) and it was not the date when baby was expected to arrive but the period of time she would remove herself from the world to care for herself, to nap and walk in nature, to eat many small nourishing meals, to nest and move into the deeper delta waves of the brain that are needed to birth and care for an infant. It was also common practice that a mother and babe would be left alone in the quiet and dark of their birthing space for weeks to allow for the full healing of the mother’s body and the gentle welcoming of the baby into the world. At birth we are blown open and our babies are just entering into a whole new world, still half in the realms of spirit they need time to settle into their bodies and become aware of the world around them. It is up to us to reclaim this practice of rest and care and support each other in it.
So what can we do? Firstly, we can honour our need to rest and when our bodies feel exhausted we can lie down or take a nap. Set boundaries around your time and capacity so you can nourish yourself first in order to give back to the world. Secondly, we can look to our friends and family and recognize when they are in need of an extra hand. When visiting a new mom bring her food and offer to do some laundry or wash some dishes. When a friend is ill or had surgery check in and see if you could pick up their groceries or medications or bring them some soup you lovingly made or bought. Offer to watch your friends kids for an hour or two and let them go and do whatever it is they most desire to do; nap, watch a movie, get a massage,….. It is only through caring for ourselves and then those we love that this will ripple out into our communities and eventually out into society at large.
by marikare | Oct 19, 2021 | Acupuncture, body wisdom, chinese medicine, Five elements, research |
” The best and Most efficient pharmacy is in your own system.”
– Dr Robert C Peale
How the Immune System works
The immune system is a truly amazing system within the body, an orchestrated dance of players that continually explore, survey and identify what is us and what is not us and help to keep the sacred vessel of our body free of disease. In this article, I will be offering you a Chinese Medicine perspective on how the immune system works, why we get sick and how we can prevent this and support our immune systems if we do. To achieve this I will be pulling from Chinese Medicine with dapples of Western thought to keep it in line with what most of our Western trained minds can understand. If you need a refresher on the basic understanding of the immune system from a Western Persepctive I highly suggest checking out one or all of these links; Cartoon, podcast, written.
Wei Qi aka your immune system
In Chinese Medicine, your immune system is called Wei Qi and is governed by the lungs. It circulates in a special layer between your skin and muscle called the Cou Li and is always on alert for what is beneficial to you and what is not. Wei Qi is created in the body from the processing of air, water and food and mixed with our Jing Qi (Ancestral or pre-natal Qi, what you get from your parents). In order to make the strongest Wei Qi it is most important to consume clean air and water and nutrient dense foods, along with hopefully having inherited good jing qi from your parents. Wei Qi is a yang qi, which means it circulates strongest during the day and weaker at night, this is why when we are sick we often feel our best mid day but as evening comes or when we awake in the morning we feel more unwell. Yang qi is hot, fast, and vigorous hence the heat, swelling and pain associated with an infection. The stronger your wei qi is the higher your fever will be and the more intense the aches and pains in your body will be. You will also clear the infection faster so long as the infection is not stronger than your wei qi.
Autumn is the season of the lungs which govern and regulate our wei qi. It is at this time why it is so fundamental to support your immune system through strengthening your lungs and their ability to circulate your wei qi through opening and closing the pores, sweating and breathing. The lungs are known as a delicate organ and like the canopy of trees, their inhale and exhale orchestrates the rhythms of our bodies and the circulation of our wei qi, which acts as not only a physical boundary to foreign objects but also an interface between us and the world.
Why we get sick
In Chinese Medicine there are several reasons why we get sick, some come from the outside, some inside and some are neither internal or external. Ultimately each of these factors can either bring “disease” into our bodies or can cause damage to our internal systems that allows for already present issues in our body to become illness inducing.
External factors come from the six external pathogens: wind, heat, cold, camp, dry, fire, damp. These factors can come from our environment such as seasonal weather changes, the conditions in our home and work space and from the food, drink and other things we consume that may contain harmful viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc.
The internal factors causing us to become sick are the emotions; joy, fear, grief, anger, and worry. Each of these is connected to an organ and when they are out of balance they cause our qi to move in the wrong way. This creates an imbalance in the system and leads to disease states.
The factors that are neither internal or external are mostly life style factors that again cause an imbalance to our qi, yin and yang and create disharmony in our systems. They are
- irregular diet (eating too little or too much, at the wrong time or when stressed, eating the wrong foods),
- overwork and overstrain; one of the most dire situations in our culture and one of the big lessons asociated with covid
- sitting or standing for too long; “Extended lying down damages the qi, extended sitting damages the flesh, extended standing damages the bones” – Sun Simiao 7th century
- insufficient rest; we have a tendency to not take the proper time to rest and heal ourselves, leading to secondary infections and lingerig pathogenic factors.
- night work
- Lack of exercise; though too much exercise can damage the body, not moving the body can damage the qi
- Traumatic injury
- excessive sex
- parasites and poisons
- wrong medical treatment
- ignorance; not having been taught preventative health measures or how to utilize common sense judgement when making choices
Ways to support your immune system
Listening to the Seasons
Part of supporting our lungs and strengthen our immune system/Wei qi is living in harmony with the seasons. In recent research it was actually found that approximately a quarter of our DNA changes with the seasons, with inflammatory gene expression increasing in the winter time when we have more colds and flus in the Northern hempisphere (1). Preparing for and living in harmony with the seasons allows our bodies to adapt and find balance. These are simple practices like making sure you dress properly for the seaons, eating seasonal foods that balance the nature of the climate, honouring the tides of yin and yang and choosing our activities based on their ebb and flow.
In Fall this means;
- covering out necks
- eating warm foods that nourish the lung (cauliflower, almonds, daikon radish, potatoes, turnip, parsnip, rutabaga, apple, pear, rice, oats, sesame seeds, onion, garlic, and white peppercorns)
- allowing our bodies to adjust to the coming chill by not over heating out homes or vehicles
- slowing down our activities and contemplating what we need to let go of
- working through our grief and sadness
In Winter this means:
- covering our low back and kidney area
- eating warm foods that nourish the kidneys (eggplant, black sesame seeds, black beans, kidney beans, wood ear mushrooms, plums, figs, dates, seaweed, miso, seafood, bone broths and bone marrow)
- going to bed early and rising late
- spending time in the quiet stillness
- working with our fears
In Spring this means:
- not undressing to quickly and keeping our bodies warm
- eating seasonal fresh foods that nourish the liver (leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, beets, carrots, chives
blueberries, goji berries, grapefruit, strawberries, eggs, liver, pork, venison, crab, crayfish, lobster, mussels, oysters, shrimp, squid, trout, whitefish, flax, pine nuts, sesame, cayenne, garlic, onion, vinegar, turmeric, olive oil)
- getting outside and moving our bodies more
- rising earlier
- working with our anger and being creative
In Summer this means:
- avoiding too much heat and direct sun
- protecting the skin while staying cool
- eating fresh foods that nourish the heart (celery, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms, lemons, mulberries, schisandra berries, chia seeds, jujube seeds, brown rice, oats, whole wheat, cow and goat milk, ghee, basil, chamomile, dill)
- rising early and staying up later
- being active and spending time in community
- expressing our joy
In Late Summer this means:
- dressing for the weather in layers
- eating more warming foods that nourish the spleen (cooked and fermented vegetables, brothy soups, cabbage, carrots, corn, onions, peas, string beans, sweet potato, yams, apricots, apples, cantaloupe, dates, figs, grapes, papaya, beef, chicken, duck, eggs, fish (bass, carp, herring, mackerel, sardine), goat, goose, lamb, spleen, veal, venison, amaranth, brown rice, sweet rice
coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, vinegar)
- finding and expressing our gratitude
Supporting your Wei Qi
There are several things along with living in harmony with the seasons and following a lifestyle of moderation and emotional regulation that specifically support our wei qi, these include herbs and supplements, qi gong, acupressure and acupuncture and calming our shen (spirit/nervous system). Below I will offer you some of my favourite ways to support you immune system and prevent yourself from getting sick.
- Qi gong is a form of meditative movement that helps us to connect with our bodies and move our qi. It is a simple and powerful and encourages movement in the body without overdoing it. You can even learn to bring qi in from your environment to supplement qi lost. I especially like to do my qi gong in the morning outside but any time that you can make your own is perfect. There are three specific practices that help support the immune system and build your wei qi. You will find them here in these videos: qi gong for the metal element, qigong for autumn, qigong to strengthen the lung.
- Acupressure to support wei qi: acupressure is a simple technique that involves pressing and massaging specific acupuncture points to bring balance to the meridians and organ. As the wei qi is dispersed by the lungs, but built from our digestive and air qi along with our jing qi from our kidneys we will work with lung, stomach and kidney points. I recommend taking some quiet time and if you like light a candle and set an intention to balance your body and build your wei qi and then go through teach pair of points rubbing them at the pressure that feels best for as long as you feel neccesary. If you are unsure 1 minute is always a good bet.
- Lu9-Taiyuan- Supremem Abyss- source point of th lung channel, tonifies the lung and the wei qi
- Ki7- Fu liu- returning current- metal point on the kidney channel, replenishes energy esp kidney yang that helps produce wei qi
- Rn12- Zhongwan- supreme granary- command pt for the stomach- gathers energy of all the yang channels and harmonizes the centre, promoting digestion and ying qi that helps build wei qi
- Moxabustion- moxa is dried mugwort that gets burned over points in order to increase heat and tonify qi. When placed over specific points it can strengthen different kinds of qi including wei qi. You will need a moxa stick (which you can get this from me or your local acupuncturist) and you will light it until it glows and then hold it over the point below until it gets hot, switching to the other side continuing for about 10- 20 mins.
- St36- Zusanli- Leg three mile- earth point on the stomach channel- tonifies the digestion, wei qi and overall strength of the body
- Herbs – In Chinese medicine there are many herbs and formulas that work with the lung qi, wei qi and supporting us in creating harmony in the system based on your individual pattern, so here i will offer you two herbs that have been studied quite extensively and are often used to support the immune system. It is always advised to see a practitioner when you are unsure of what herbs you can and should take.
- Astragalus- Huang Qi- is adaptogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It has been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years and is well tolerated by most but those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, on immunosuppressant drugs or have an auto-immune disorder shoulde consult their practitioner. It has been shown to increase white blood cell production(2) and help fight bacterial and viral infections (3, 4)
- Cordyceps- Dong chong Xia cao- a caterpillar and fungus used for thousands of years in Chinese Medicine has been shown to increase natural killer T cells (5) and increase macrophage phagocytosis, along with may other immune factors (6)
- Supplements- A healthy and balanced diet and good digestive system to breakdown and absorb these nutrients is always the best way to get key immune building vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, B6, D, E, zinc, selenium. Here is an helpful list of what these nutrients so and where you can get them in your food and a podcast talking about common immune supplements.
- Probiotics- There is amazing new research coming out on the microbiome and how crucial it is to the functining of all of our systems but especially the immune system. I highly recommend checking out this podcast, this article, and this book for more of the incredible way that microorganisms support our health.
- Staying as relaxed and stress free as you can. Many of the above measures can help with this especially the qi gong and acupressure. Other things you can do are: spend time in nature, with those you love or doing something you love, getting lots of rest and moving your body.
- And of course getting acupuncture will help support your wei qi, balance your emotions, reduce stress, anxiety and fears.
I hope this supports you in being proactive in caring for yourself and keeping your family and community healthy. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and I am always available for in-person acupuncture, shamanic healing and online consultations.
Blessings
by marikare | Mar 21, 2021 | Acupuncture, body wisdom, chinese medicine, Five elements, mental wellbeing, nervous system, resilience, Self-Love, Soul wisdom, traditions |
We find ourselves once again at the turning of the wheel, where light balances dark and we are called to see what it in and out of balance in our lives. The equinoxes are my favourite times of year, heralding a great change from yin to yang and yang to yin. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are blessed to be moving into spring and here on the West coast the world is singing with fertility and life. when I go on my morning walks, the birds are singing their merry tunes and the daffodils are waving hello, the cherry blossoms wave in the wind releasing their intoxicating scent. We are reminded that are that died away in the fall has given rise to this new life and so I hope for you that what you released in the fall has given rise to new and fresh dreams within you.
For those of you who wish to take a little quite time and reflect at this powerful time. Find a quiet space and time, take a few deep breaths, light a candle and call on your guides and take some time to consider these questions:
- What has happened in your life since the fall equinox?
- What was revealed to you in that time?
- What feels out of balance in your life?
- How would you like to bring new balance to your life until the next equinox?
In Chinese Medicine we have fully entered into the season of wood. Wood is ruled by the Liver and the gallbladder and helps us to dream, plan and take action in our lives just like the little sprouts that are pushing up towards the sun. Wood is resilient when it is flexible, breakable when it is too rigid. It harnesses the deep nourishment of the stillness of winter and the water element to help guide its dreams and create change with loving kindness. You may find that if you wood element is excessive, you become dictatorial, forcing life to happen and raging when it doesn’t go the way you want it to causing your body to tighten and ache from the tension and if it is deficient, you may lack the drive to dream or plan, be stuck in a depression and feel lost in the world.
In order to support your wood element, I offer you hear some tips and tricks;
- begin each morning with a room temperature glass of water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed in to awaken your liver and continue it’s digestive processes
- try not to eat any fat or protein rich foods until afternoon, instead eating fruits and salads (ensuring these are room temperature or even warm if its still cold where you are)
- start to add in fresh spring greens; nettles (here is one of my favourite nettle recipes), dandelion, arugula, chickweed, wild mustard and other bitter foods
- move your body daily (go for a walk, dance, do some yoga, or qi gong….) Here is one of my favourite qi gong sequences for the wood element.
- take time to dream, plan, and create; make art, draw, do a vision board
- apply some bergamot essential oil to the following acu points: Liver 3 and Gallbladder 13
For those of you who would like to go on a little journey to tap into the energies of spring and the medicine it has for you. Check out this Drum Journey I recorded last year.
I wish for you a spring filled with renewal, dreaming, planting and creation.
Many Blessings to you and yours
by marikare | Apr 17, 2020 | Acupuncture, body wisdom, chinese medicine, distance healing, research, shamanism |
Prayers, intentions and healing energy have been sent out into the universe since humans began to form cosmologies of the world. Traditional practices performed by Shamans, Qi gong masters, Priests and Rabbis have always included connecting with the divine within all of us and asking for help to heal the sick, boost the crops, protect the people, etc. With the Scientific Revolution, there was a move away from this form of healing and a focus on the physical manipulation of the body and the planet. But in the last few decades a growing number of people have been recognizing the validity and importance of prayer, intention and energy healing in our lives. During this time of physical distancing there has never been a better time to begin practicing these powerful techniques.
What is Distance Healing?
Distance healing is a form of energy healing or prayer that is sent from one person to another person, place or people; like a mother sending loving thoughts to her children, a friend lighting a candle for the safe passage of a baby or a group of people gathering to send energy to a war zone, disaster area or dying individual and their family. The power of the healing is in the heart felt intention and focus of the person sending the energy and the connection that we all share through spirit, the divine, god, the collective unconscious,… With practice we can learn to sit with our prayers and intentions tap into the collective and focus that energy.
How Does it work?
Whether you are using Reiki, Shamanic Healing, quantum healing, Prayer or any other form of energy medicine they all tap into the same collective energy field that we all share. The universe is made up of energy, Daoists call in Qi, Yogis call it Prana, Hebrews call it Ruah and Quantum Physicists, well they call it energy. Much research has gone into If and how distance healing works, while most studies show that it does work none have been able to explain how it works from a Western scientific view point. A well designed 2008 study looking at 36 couples, 22 with one of the couple having a cancer diagnosis and 14 healthy couples, found that directed intentional healing thoughts made a significant difference in the activation of the Autonomic Nervous System, which is necessary to keep our bodies in balance and all of our unconscious bodily functions operating, and the more they sent the intentions the more strongly the Autonomic Nervous System responded.
One of the theories trying to explain distance healing proposed by Dr. Swanson in Synchronized Universe suggests that the molecular level of DNA to the biophoton field of the body, to the biohologram and to the torsion field, which is integral to the aura, connect each of us to the cosmos. According to Swanson’s SUM model, torsion field research findings and theory may provide a scientific basis to understanding how higher, non-material dimensions of consciousness can continue beyond the physical plane. The gist of this research and other research implies that healing energy doesn’t actually travel from one person to another but the intention, prayer, healing energy of the sender shifts the energy field of the receiver simultaneously in nonlocal space. This connects to the idea that we are all connected and are aspects of spirit. So when one aspect shifts another shifts at the same time.
From both a Daoist and Shamanic Perspective we are all an aspect of the Dao or Creator and our spirit comes directly from this aspect. When we are thrown out of balance whether from direct trauma to the physical body, an emotional response to life circumstances or an energetic trauma to the psyche the spirit will often flee the body leaving us feeling disconnected, anxious, fearful, and numb in body or mind. Energy healing works by connecting to the collective or the spirit realms and identifying the imbalance, clearing the body, mind and emotions of the imbalance and welcoming the spirit back into the body. As this is all done energetically there is no need to be in the physical presence of the receiver and in fact I find distance healing allows for the space to let go of the judgements and preconceived notions of the mind and flesh and create a greater opening to the healing forces of the universe.
Start sending Healing Energy
If you know someone who is struggling right now whether from pain, grief, anxiety or any other physical or emotional imbalance, here are some simple steps to get you started in sending them some healing energy. You can also use this technique on yourself.
- Begin by finding a quiet space
- Take some deep breaths in, focusing on your heart beat
- Picture the person, place, or people you wish to send energy to
- Ask spirit if it is ok for you to send energy to them and what kind of energy they need
- Take a minute and really listen. It may come as a feeling, word, image, knowing
- Begin to cultivate the energy they need in your own heart and imagine it filling their heart and flowing out through their body
- Spend as much time as you can focus on this. Could be 2 mins or 10 all is good.
- Keep sending and build up those distance healing muscles.
Please let me know how this goes for you in the comments below and share it with anyone you know who may benefit from this practice.
If you are interested in receiving your own healing please check out my offerings
Many Blessings,
Marika
by marikare | Mar 31, 2020 | Acupuncture, astrology, birth, body wisdom, chinese medicine, death, family, Friends, grief, Ritual, Self-Love, Soul wisdom, traditions, wild food |
Dear Ones,
These are extraordinary times we are living in and they call for us to gather up all our strength and tools to navigate them. In shamanic traditions it is believed we are constantly dreaming our world into being and advances in the world of quantum physics we are beginning to see how true it is. So I challenge you at this time to begin to allow yourself to dream. Think on all the things in your life that aren’t working for you and begin to paint a picture of how they can improve, think on all the things you love in your life and how you want them amplified, expand your thought to your family, friends, community, city, country and out across the whole world.
Here is mine:
I want to live in a world that is ridiculously accepting, generous and loving.
Where children can feel safe to play in their communities
Where everyone can feel safe to be who they are
Where people touch, hug, kiss and express their love, joy and gratitude for each other
Where everyone’s perspective is welcome
Where we know ourselves as the stewards of mother earth and care for all her children
Where we use only what we need and share what we have
Where people are connected to their dreams, their spirit guides, their ancestors and their higher selves
Where life is regarded as a true miracle and death is regarded as the next step in a well lived life
Where ritual marks each day and the initiations we pass through are honoured and celebrated, allowing for time and space to mourn and grieve
Where we care more about the quality of the food we eat and where it comes from than our latest new gadget
Where integrative and traditional medicines are valued just as highly as modern medicine
Where companies give back to the communities they work in, take from and are responsible for the full life cycle of the things they create
Where our elders are seen as the bearers of great wisdom and the passers down of memory
Where each choice we make takes into consideration the next seven generations
Where every person has enough food, water, clothing, a warm, cozy, safe home, access to the tools needed to practice their passions, hobbies, work and art
I’d love to hear your dream! Please share in the comments or email me at marikarhall@icloud.com
