the medicine of mate & the master brew

For just over a year I have found a great friend in Yerba Mate.  It never affected me in the same way as the caffeine in coffee or green teas did.  I never experienced the jitters, a crash, or the dehydration with Mate.  What I did experience was really clear thinking and Oh! such happiness!  I mean, happy, positive thoughts, and enthusiasm for life in all the shapes it took.  

We began our move here to Los Angles last spring and it just so happened that was when Mate became my daily companion.  Honestly, I thought I was just so excited to be here, in a new city, a new life, with a new wide open future ahead.  And this was true.  However, little did I realize that the Mate was a medicine to match all the positive happening, and maybe creating an even more enthused me that might not have been without it's help.  Little did I know this, until that is, a couple of months ago.

A couple of months ago, I decided that I was going to let go of this companion, Mate and transition to what a friend of mine calls my 'Master Brew.'  More on that shortly.  In all my years of drinking coffee or green tea, never did I ever go through any kind of with-drawl symptoms.  Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that I transitioned from one to the next.  But in my defense as well, I did have a period of time in Tucson in which I did enjoy a variation of my Master Brew. . . oh yay, that concoction did include raw cocoa powder, didn't it?  Well then, I guess it is safer to say, I have never really been too long without some form of stimulant in my system in a very, very, very long time!

So, as I was saying, a couple months ago I decided to do without my cherished Yerba Mate.  Wow, was I in for a surprise!  Confusion, sleepiness, foggy brain, crankiness and depression set in.  I didn't even know I was going through with-drawl for a few days.  Finally I saw a post on Face Book from someone else who just so happened to be leaving her Mate behind too.  I was relieved to find similar sentiments in her comments and I felt better knowing I wasn't alone in this unsettled state of mind.

I took solace in my Master Brew.  Being what we would refer to in Ayurveda, a Vata-Pitta constitution, my body was really calling out for some balancing, calming, soothing and nourishing.  After a year of transitioning, beginning two new businesses, and also holding a demanding role in my 'job', no wonder I was feeling the need to sooth. A Vata type can only be on go-mode for so long!  The Master Brew fed me on so many levels.  I began to balance out, the fog lifted, the mood rose naturally, and the crankiness softened.

In all honesty though, the Mate held something that I couldn't regain on my own.  I struggled with this odd dependency I was pulled toward, only this time it was conscious.  I played with it.  Every couple of days I would indulge in a Mate, remain present to what it was creating in my mind, and then let it go again.  My sensitivity to it increased with it's absence and I found my desire for it to become balanced as well.  

What I have concluded for myself is that it is a medicine that I can utilize with consciousness.  There are some days when I have a lot of mental work that needs to take place, I do invite the medicine of Mate to aid this process.  There are days when I recognize it is best for me to be in a higher vibe, I invite Mate in to help here too!  However, in this conscious approach, it has been discovered that this body does not always need or desire it's particular vibration and qualities.  There has been an evening out in my system in which it desires to experience peace, an inner quietude, a groundedness that comes with the Master Brew.  

In the end, I find both to be incredibly beneficial to my health, peace of mind and enthusiasm for life.  I feel grateful to this body for communicating to me it's needs and the ability to be conscious in the skills of discernment of the body's messages.  As I have balanced out, the messages are clearer.  I partake without guilt and now the high vibe happiness that used to be ignited by Mate, has found a genuine expression without.  I must admit though, that there is a specific quality of happiness, enthusiasm and clarity, present all at once with the medicine of Mate, that I have yet to perceive all by my little ol' self! And there are days that fullness is accessed!

More and more, it is the Master Brew that calls out to me.  As my meditation & yoga practice are now becoming more consistent, once again, the qualities of peace and calm win out.  The Master Brew for anyone who may wish to explore it's nourishment, along with a few of the many benefits, is as follows:

Ashwaganda Root: 

Boosts immune, combats stress, increase memory & learning, aids anxiety/depression, balances blood sugar & cholesterol, anti inflammatory . . .

Astragalus Root:

Increase vitality & immune system, combats stress, heart health. . .

Cats Claw:

Increase immunity, anti-inflammatory, aids arthritis, positive affect for breast cancer, supports digestion. . .

Pau d'Arco:

Increase Immunity, fights cancers & infections, stimulates red-blood cell production, blood purifier . . .

Holy Basil/Tulsi:

Increase immune, decrease stress, increase mental clarity, antioxidant properties, soothes headaches, supports skin & heart health, balances hormones, increases joy, increases cerebral circulation . . .

Lavender or Rose Petals: 

Both are cooling, calming, soothing and increases the feminine energies. . .

If you need some soothing in this stimulating world, perhaps the Mater Brew will call to you too.  I might add, I am not an herbalist or doc, so always research based on your own health and any medications you might be taking and listen to your body!

Happiness & Health!

katy perry - firework

thank you katy perry

Yesterday we went to see the new movie, "Katy Perry ~ Part of Me."  We loved it and felt great after seeing it.  Not being familiar with her or her music really, I was left humming, singing and smiling! From the personal glimpses in the movie, I really appreciated her joyfulness, humor and enjoyment of life.  I was also taken by the embodiment she has achieved of not only being a beautiful and sexy woman, but she has yoked that with a childlike whimsy and wholesomeness.  Even as she hits the stage, minimally clothed, in a large busted bra with tassels swinging from the  nipples, there is a brightness and charm that is always present.  While it seems like most of her audience is young, even they seem to remain connected to their innocence of candy-fairy land dreams in the midst of singing along with Katy, "I kissed a girl and I liked it . . ."  My favorite aspect of the movie and her message though, is that of embracing who you are, be it geek or starlet, follow your dreams,  find your individual spark of authenticity and let it SHINE!

I am a push-over for true stories, celebrity stories and come-back kid-against the odds stories.  I love to feel inspired and reminded that we all have dreams, we are all filled with inspiration that moves through us, and we all have our own unique purpose of why we are here.  The trick however, is to wade through the conventional expectations and sometimes very real survival aspects of daily life. I do believe we all have dreams, aspirations and a special purpose, but sometimes the reality is that it is way too difficult to FEEL those things are true for us.  We watch those who do live out their dreams and continue to feel it is out of our reach.  It is for those few, not for us.  I believe that is one of the reasons our society is mesmerized with celebrity.  We revere celebrities as royalty, whether they are movie stars, musicians or athletes.  We are intrigued and enamored with the ways we are shown 'they are just like us.'

Of course they are just like us.  Well, maybe not in all ways.  One thing that seems to be consistent for them and maybe a bit different than us average Joe's and Jane's, is that they have dedicated themselves to their dream.  They believe they can reach that star!  They are willing to risk hardship, disappointment, and being thought of as being ridiculous by those around them.  They are also willing to live outside the box of conformity, they are willing to risk the comforts of security and they step out into their fears, the unknown, and allow what comes through them to take the lead.

I certainly don't believe all this is conscious, yet I do believe there is a surrendering process to something bigger than them, whether it all makes sense or not!  I feel we are in awe of the people who push the edges of the box, who risk and put themselves out there, because they reflect to us a part of ourselves.  It is as if we project onto them what we also have within us, but we may fail to recognize our awe is attempting to awaken us to ourselves!  Our own spark is trying to ignite when we get all turned on by those whose names are in lights.

That is another one of the beautiful messages I heard in yesterday's movie . . . We are the spark! Let it shine!
Katie is sending this powerful message to young people today and they are listening.  Those who were interviewed shared how she has helped them to accept themselves, however they are; to reach for what brings them joy, for their dreams; to be true to who they are.

Young people are not the only ones who need to hear this truth.  It wasn't until I was in my 30's that I even began to listen inwardly and believe that I was here to follow my dream, give life to my purpose and come alive in the voice I am here to speak with.  When we wake up later in life, it also means we have to take off the heavy blankets of misconceptions or lies that we have been told.  But that in no way means that the work isn't fruitful and shouldn't be started.  It is never too late to find what we love and give that attention, energy and life.

So, the layers have sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly been shed as I become more aware of what lies inside of me.  My dreams may not be of stage lights and autographs, yet they are not any less powerful.  I may not have to overcome fears of succeeding/failing in the eyes of millions, yet the fears I get to work through are still scary.  The authenticity of voice may not have to be fought for as those that are under big money contracts, yet I still find I have to delve into self-imposed ideas of how I should let my gifts flow.

It also seems to me, that if we connect to our inspirations, feel them as a voice of guidance, then have the courage to follow them ~ whatever the risks, we would be more creative, more joyful, more peaceful, more whole.  If we as individuals were more creative, joyful, peaceful and whole, that would impact our world in an uplifting way.

I am reminded every time I find myself feeling an energy surge from those who I see as 'making it', that I am seeing myself, my life and my dreams coming to life and hopefully I can touch others in the way Katy is!
 I will close by simply saying 'Thank you Katy Perry! For the playfulness, beauty, authentic expression of your gifts, and uplifting all of our hearts with smiles and possibility!'

enlivened beings

The world we are living in today is very exciting. Granted, there are the existing turmoils and areas of great concern, but is also a part of the worldly existence and the nature of it's duality.  Yet there is an ever increasing understanding of the unlimited Joy, Abundance and Bliss available to each of us, if we tune our minds and heart into those qualities.

It seems too often when people seek healing there isn't the realization that the power lies within them. For those of us acting a vehicles which facilitate healing, in whatever modality that may be, it is important to empower those we work with. We are learning more clearly that we each have a hand in creating our imbalances and that it is truly each of us who are responsible for our healing.

However, I want to move the focus here beyond the healing state. Years ago when I was in the throes of alcoholism, I basically felt like s*#! all the time, yet believed that was 'normal'.  There was relative numbness, feeling 'ok', sometimes more rested and alert, but never really happy in any full sense of the experience.  Then I got sober. Wow! What a difference! My mind and body began to feel much more alive.  There was a greater connection to both ups and downs.  I was beginning to be 'touched' by moments of happiness, which then grew over the years. As I healed on deeper levels, that happiness transformed into Joy! And as I continued on the path of spiritual awakening, transformation continues to morph into expanded states of Bliss, Joy, Love, Peace and Gratitude!

Had I not been prompted by an inner knowing and listened to that guidance, I may have stopped short at mere happiness, feeling that as the ultimate fulfillment.  For awhile I was astounded on a regular basis when I would hit those high peak states of Joy.  Then they became the rule rather than the exception. I refer to this as being enlivened.  There is an active, pulse, an energy always present keeping me tuned into an inner truth of my being. This inner truth is the experience which is imparted by the wisdom and mystical traditions.  It is a growing Light that is born from within as a result of deep healing, purification and recognition that I am NOT the false identifications which I once felt locked into.

This enlivened state may not always be evident. It doesn't mean there aren't times where the veils of illusion don't cover my eyes.  But what can be truly said is that even then, there is the constant thread of Joy, of Light, of knowing, always and forever present!

We are learning at a quickening pace the power of our own minds, how to direct our thoughts, desires, and intentions in order to create not only a life of Joy for ourselves, but the envisioning of a better world.  From my personal perspective, science and spirituality are forming a marriage and with this union, we will all be empowered to raise ourselves up into these higher states of living!

We are realizing we do indeed have a large degree of control over our health and well-being by what kind of thoughts we are thinking. The ancient wisdom of the yogis are popping up in mainstream media as science 'proves' the power of mindfulness, meditation and harnessing our thought patterns. All of this information streaming to us via varying sources is returning us into our own hands, encouraging us to claim responsibility for ourselves, our happiness, our fulfillment, our process of enlivening.

Though for some this may feel more challenging, but ultimately the rewards are boundless. This new paradigm does require accountability, a letting go of old ways and habits, shifting our understanding of how we, as human beings are evolving, and engaging our will to move through tough spots.  There is no denying that if one has been entrenched with the programming of the past, it will take some effort. That being said, I have also learned through my experience, that when we seek to align our will with the highest of good, there is a force that supports that intention.  This force, God, Goddess, Spirit, the Universe, Higher Power . . . assists in the endeavor, bestows grace and guidance.  We are not alone making this journey into a higher Love.  We must open the door though, and make the first effort.

We never need to settle for just 'getting by' in our emotional and spiritual life, living a life of numbness, mediocrity, or moving a notch above depressed.  These are just starting points.  We have the potential and tools to be deeply at Peace, Joyful, Ecstatic, and Blissful.  These are not emotions, they are states of consciousness and qualities of being.

Those just beginning a healing journey, which I see as a journey back to remembering your wholeness and Holiness, the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly awaits!  Don't stop when you just start to feel 'better'. There is much more out there waiting for you to wake up to as you become an Enlivened Being!

Blessings along your path!

bissful depth diver

"I must be a mermaid Rango. I have no fear of the depths and great fear of shallow living."

anias ninn

I must be a mermaid then, too.  This is what I have come to understand from the first time I read this quote by Anais Ninn.  While I love to dance and sing in the sun, I also am called by the subtle but powerful pull of the moon.  Were we all the same, with the same purpose on this Earth, in the life, what a lackluster existence we would have. As the saying goes, we need all the colors of the rainbow, each streaming into the next, and offering us a new light through which to see the world.

For us to be inspired, we require different muses at different times along our journey.  I have had great teachers who helped me to be more gentle, just as I have had those who have modeled power.  At different times, each called to me for exactly what and when I needed to transform.  There are so many amazing teachers and guides leading our revolution of higher consciousness through their Joy and Light.  They teach us how to look to the light, raise our minds and open our heart into a vibration of love.  There is a richness and a much needed up-liftment from the shallow, surface, sleepwalking many of us have been programmed into.  Many suffer from chronic issues, physical, emotional and spiritual, from which joy, laughter and community is the medicine.  And many live in a kind of numbness, disconnected from true joy or sadness. I am forever grateful to that medicine that lifts my Spirit to it's heights and those who imparted it to me!

And yet, for me, in this life, as joyful as I am most of the time, I must be a mermaid of sorts, according to Ninn.  I marry my light into the depths and shadows of Soul exploration. What breaks my heart open into a greater love, are the mysteries of our lives and our deaths, the bitter-sweetness of the change that cause us to stop and look within.  There is a Beauty and a Joy present in being able to touch my own sorrow and help another to touch theirs. There is an ache within, that is a blessing, as it always calls me into my own center where I find my deepest connection to God/Goddess. 

Through the years of meditation and yoga practice, the light and shadow have found peace with one another.  I can't live with just one. I wouldn't want to. The gift that this has given me, is the ability to hold space for those in pain, suffering, ill or dying.  We all experience loss and many suffer. I believe suffering is  an option, which I also don't hold a negative meaning to the word. I don't always remove myself from it, so that I may learn from it.  It is a gift to not feel I must shun my own pain, escape it or make it go away.  This is the gift I  have the opportunity to share with others.

Because I am able to befriend my own shadow, meet it consciously, with love and compassion, I can be of service to others in these times of need.  Going on a journey into our depths frees us up to be more present in our dancing and singing in the sun. 

Many are still frightened by those times Life calls them 'down'. It is a cultural habit of ours to find the 'feel better' fix, without recognizing and appreciating the need for diving into the depths!  So, thanks to all those who have given permission to listen to what kindles my flame and amazing teachings to illustrate the Joy and Bliss hidden within the shadows!

All of you who keep shining the light ~ many thanks! and those of you who are blissful depth divers or those feeling nudged to awaken through that healing power, let's bring the polarities of the light and dark into Union, that we may discover our Wholeness!

Learning to See by Byron Lindley

LEARNING TO SEE

She learned in ways

uncivilized by man

the books they gave her

couldn’t speak

to the heart

the jumble of words

twisted inside

covers of cardboard

confuse the mind

let’s go outside

converse with stars

listen to leaves

whisper secrets

along strings of time

blown on a breeze

she could feel the Earth

beneath her feet

holding her up

with delicate strength

a gentle giant

like a teddy bear

who’s been abused

by generations of insensitivity

but she can feel

the pain

and the joy

present within

each moment of time

not wasting them

in sterile classes

built on equations

authoritarian

memorization

detention

for speaking with  angels

do what you’re told

the prize at the end

a piece of paper

she couldn’t comprehend

their consternation

and they

were just as baffled

when she said

I want to be here now

but what of your future

they cried

with hand-wringing concern

it never comes

she replied with a smile

walked outside

to sing to the grasses

blowing and growing

in meadow classrooms

beyond the lies

of a world gone mad

taught to pupils

with Ritalin eyes

forced conformity

in old fairytales

that make no sense

in the language of truth

we learn the hard way

when Babylon falls

but she already knew

when she came in

that tress and stars

hold more wisdom

than wars of fear

and religious dominion

take me away

from insanity

I’ll follow the breeze

on the music she sings

of ancient souls

calling you in

time to begin

healing within

Mother of time

forgive our sins

one and the same

she touches the Earth

a little girl

with healing hands

my faith renews

I smile inside

through the darkness

a new light shines

copyright by Byron Lindley

from ‘A Portait of Soul’

cycles of Ma Nature

The season of Spring-time is approaching and new life is abundant. We see this in the rituals and tales of the traditions of Mother Nature. This year, the first day of spring reaches us on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.  This day is one of only two days of the year, in which our day light and night time is the same length of time. In the pagan path, this holiday is named Ostara, for the Goddess Ostara.  It is the celebration of the returning light, warmth, time for planting and the rebirth of nature, after the long cycle of winter.  Easter eggs have been a symbol of this season to signify fertility and the birthing of new life.  We also see that Christianity, in it's effort to bring paganism into 'it's accord', celebrates Easter (or Eostre in the Germanic language) to symbolize the  rising of Christ 3 days after his crucifixion on the cross. 

In all of life's cycles, we witness, birth, life and death.  Plants grow, give their fruit, and return to the earth, reviving the soil for the following cycle of life.  Nothing really is born or dies, there is just a change of form. Seasons change bringing us the Spring of new life, the Summer of sustenance, the fading of Fall, and the death and hibernation of Winter. Day and night cycle light and dark, sun and moon, wakefulness and sleep.

Even our man-made structures, over time begin to crumble to the ground, experiencing the pull of gravity back to the earth. (Of course, there are man-made objects that unfortunately defy this cycle, and as we know create difficulty within our material world. There is something to be learned here, and yet, someone else is much more equipped for that conversation.)

If we are a part of nature and her living order, what is it that leads us away from the harmonizing and balancing of her ways?  If we pay attention, we can witness in ourselves the push and pulls of these larger cycles, as well as the minute ones within our being.

On the grand cycle, we are born into Spring.  We relish the blossoming into the sun of Summer, which is a lengthy season of our life.  Eventually, we feel our inner Fall approaching, and inward dance attempts to catch our attention.  And finally, for everyone, Winter will arrive to bring us into our core Self and the body will return to the Earth. 

And what happens on the smaller scale of our internal/external cycles?  I will venture to say that the majority of us are put off by the onset of the Fall and Winter of our existence on the grand scale of things.  So, I have to wonder, does that anxiety or fear of the 'big Winter', carry over to the smaller cycles which attempt to call us within? And do we understand the importance of the life's cycles and rhythms that bring us in from fun in the sun?

Technically we are still in Winter.  If we haven't yet, we still have an opportunity to explore the gifts of what Winter can share.  When we hear a call from within, a call that is asking us for rest, inner quiet and reflection, can we respond to it, instead of getting a cup of coffee, a 5-Hour energy drink, or going for a run, in order to soften into that gentle inner voice.  Find a quite nook with a warm cup of (non-caffinated) tea and a lovely window to simply sit and watch nature. Here in Los Angeles it can feel like Summer most of the time. However, when my mind just doesn't feel like working, I do my best to honor that cycle my body is expressing.  I take a blanket out into the yard, stretch out with the warmth of the sun bathing me, and listen to the birds and watch the breeze through the trees.  Even if you feel like taking a relaxing hike along a trail,  at some point - STOP,  find a place to sit and be.  There are times that even the tiniest thing we 'do', interferes with the magic, beauty and power of BEING.

It is in these moments of allowing the nurturing of 'down time' that without 'doing' anything, the Soul has an opportunity to communicate with us.  As our body slows, the breath slows, stress is released, and the heart begins to open and a sweet song sings forth.  This is a song that we have to become still and quiet enough to hear.  It is a song of Soul, that connects us to what is true for our being.  However, if we are to hear it's message and tune, we must stop.  We must become still ~ consciously and with wakefulness.

We are always dying to things.

We're always shedding everything

in order to be fully alive 

& resurrected at every moment.

unknown

Healing come to us on all levels with this kind of practice.  It reminds us of our wholeness that is always present in spite of our doing to become whole, productive, and proving our existence.  This healing softens our beliefs and ideas, it brings us close to our fears so we can be freed of them.  Too often, too many of us  move through our days like a kinked hose or a knotted rope, without realizing this.  Illness happens here, blocking the organic flow that heals.  The mind becomes rigid with too much information because we don't give it an opportunity to unload what is really not necessary.  Emotions become convoluted and confused without the stillness and consciousness to be present to what we are experiencing.

This is the healing that the cycles of Fall and Winter bring.  It is an internal time when what is no longer needed dies away, what is needed has time to integrate into our heart. Our lessons are digested.  We are revitalized and prepared for a re-birth, for Spring, to not only dance in the light but become the Light!

We can not always live in the light of Spring and Summer, without the balance of Fall and Winter.  And just as night and day are alive and well in all seasons, in all days, this is an invitation to listen inwardly to the cycles of nature balance within you.  Treat yourself to the nourishment of those times of peace and quite.  Relish in the full spectrum of emotions and let them flow through and cleanse you!  This may last for a day or only an hour.  It may show up once a week or once a month.  Let go of the fight of the mind to 'keep going', become conscious of the stories you hold and allow those realizations to bring healing as well!

Prepare for the full light and birth of Spring, by surrendering and softening into the last days of Winter!  Gift yourself with the aliveness of your inner world, your Souls call, the process of integration, maturation and rejuvenation!  Experience the "Ahhh" of emptiness. You will blossom in all realms of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual as you tune into this new dance.


Spring Blessings ~