Spiral Visions Blog

I've been experiencing feeling "less than positive" about my ISP for the past few weeks. I've actually said "I Hate Mediacom" outloud at least a dozen times. Pretty silly, actually. I've been aggravated by recent outages, intermittent disconnects, and slow (anguishing SLOW) downloads of web pages. I even joined the I Hate Mediacom fan page on Facebook for a few days. I've since "removed myself" from its membership. I visited there initially to see if others were experiencing similar issues with their service. But, the place was basically toxic... lots of complaining. Some of them had legitimate complaints about the lack of service, but I dunno, I just felt my anxieties increase when reading the rants so I left.

I hung up an evil eye amulet in my home office directly facing my computer to deflect negative energies. I dialed tech-support and after having to jump through hoops of listening to and responding to pre-recorded commands I finally got to speak to a live person. Helpful "Brian" scheduled a tech to visit the house and hopefully resolve the problems. I also was given a two-week credit on my account. Computers and ISPs can certainly be aggravating, especially to those of us who depend on them for work. But, if you stop and think about it, technology is really amazing. I am grateful for this miraculous way to communicate.

Blocking Toxicity

This week I received several inquiries from hypersensitive people asking me how to go about using energy shields or suggesting other ways for them to protect themselves from absorbing negativity from other people or places. My general response is to point them to my article What Does it Mean to be Hypersensitive? which explains what it means to be be highly sensitive and includes links to several resources helpful for empaths.

Inviting Criticism

At About.com I blogged about a new website that is in the making. Failin.gs invites "friendly" criticism. Now, why would anyone want to invite criticism?

Stop Projecting Toxicity

Rather than inviting criticism I think we would all be better served if we became more cautious when choosing our own words and reactions that get projected onto others (our co-workers, siblings, spouses, children, etc.). Protecting others from our toxic thoughts would be a good step toward creating less toxicity out in the world.

Random Pages

On Fridays I share healing information or inspirational quotes gleened from random pages found in my personal home library. This week's featured random page is from Sandra Ingerman's book How to Heal Toxic Thoughts.

Using Symbols and Inspirational Pictures to Stop Habitual Reactions - When we meditate on a symbol, a process begins in the depth of our being that we might not have an intellectual explanation for. A symbol or a picture can change our state of consciousness... it can lift our mood just by its beauty... put one or more inspirational pictures up in a place where you tend to lose yourself to negative thoughts and emotions... Put up pictures that make you smile and inspire a joyful state... Surround yourself with symbols such as hearts, the moon, the sun, the earth, stars, or or your favorite flower that remind you of beauty and the preciousness of life.

How to Heal Toxic Thoughts: Simple Toos for Personal Transformation ~ Sandra Ingerman

January is "get-fit" month as a result of the holidays ending and new year resolutions firing us up to improve our habits and live healthier. Counting the days until February arrives. February is when the uncomfortable itch for Spring settles in. Wintertime can be a difficult time to stay focused on living in the moment when strong desires for warmer weather keeps cropping up.

My mother told me last week that she was SO ready for winter to be over, but not really, because warmer weather would only deliver yard work. And my youngest sister couldn't resist buying a bouquet of yellow tulips earlier this week to bring some Spring-chi into her home. Spring fever hit me this week as well as I was browsing my library for a book to feature for my random pages post. I curled up on the couch this afternoon with an herb book to help cool my Spring fever symptoms. I bought Backyard Medicine last fall but haven't given it much more than a glance since then. Although, Iwas impressed enough with it from that brief glance that it did get a priority "top shelf" placement among my favorite reference books. Backyard Medicine is filled with many color pictures of various herbs, harvest how-tos, and herbal recipes. Love resourceful books!

I also dug out my copy of J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye after reading about his recent death in the morning paper. I may just re-read it tomorrow. It will be my fourth time reading it if I do. I own a hardcover edition put out by a book-of-the-month club I was a member of in the early seventies.

Random Pages

On Fridays I share healing information or inspirational quotes gleened from random pages found in my personal home library. This week's featured random page is from the herbal medicine book Backyard Medicine.

Herbal honeys - Honey has natural antibiotic and antiseptic properties so it is an excellent vehicle for medicines to fight infection. It can be applied topically to wounds and burns... Honey is naturally sweet, making it palatable for medicines for children. It is also particularly suited to medicines for the throat and respiratory system as it is soothing and also clears congestion.

Backyard Medicine: Harvest and make Your Own Herbal Remedies ~ Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal

For a while now I've been feeling a bit bummed because I don't always allow myself the time to enjoy my HUGE collection of books. I love books, and yet much of my time is spent in front of the computer writing, not reading. I am also aware that I've been neglecting updating this blog, This is primarily because I focus considerable amounts of my energy for my About.com Holistic Healing readers. But, still, it is important to care for personal needs and also tend the home fires, right? This blog is my home, yet About.com, Facebook, and Twitter have been keeping me away from home.

Last evening an idea came to me to start posting weekly blog entries each Friday. I've decided to call my weekly postings "Random Pages." If I stick to my plan I'll be fulfilling two areas of my life that have fallen through the cracks. I will get the pleasure of fondling and reading my beloved books! Yea! And, sticking to doing this weekly will be my attempt to keep the blog active. Wish me luck in keeping to my new plan.

I'll be sharing "bits of wisdom" from my treasured library. So, starting today and hopefully each Friday I will share healing information or inspirational quotes from "random pages" from within my books. Primarily I'll be posting worthy "excerpts" from random pages.... but I will also try to share my thoughts too. Okay, 'nuff explaining... here's today's book excerpt.

Random Pages

One-Minute Retreat -- Let There Be Light

The symbolism of light is present in all religious faiths, and is perhaps one of the most powerful images for invoking the divine. Simply repeat the phrase "Let there be light" at any time during your day and feel the light within you.

20-Minute Retreats: Revive Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day with Simple, Self-Led Practices ~ Rachel Harris, Ph.D.

Welcome to today's edition of the Carnival of Healing. The carnival is a weekly round-up of blogs across the Internet featuring information about healing, self empowerment, and spirituality. The carnival home is on my About.com Holistic Healing GuideSite.

Facebookers are invited to become a fan of the Carnival of Healing Group Page! I would also like to extend an invitation to carnival followers to Friend me on Facebook.

I sifted through quite a few submissions that were spammy, link farms, and prostheletizing tools, which were immediately deleted. Brought to you are the best carnival attractions, nothing less. Here they are:

Daylle Deanna Schwartz continues her Law of Attraction themed posts. This week she discusses taking control of your manifestations. Daylle says "When you feel out of control, it's hard to lose weight, achieve goals or manifest good stuff because of the message you send to the LOA. But you can slowly take control and attract everything you want by changing the message you put out to the Universe."

Anthony Freeman's contributed blog post felt a bit disjointed to me at first, but yet it still grabbed me. I ended up reading it twice to fully get the gist of what I believe he was trying to convey. I guess you could say that this dinner guest wasn't shy about requesting a second serving. What I took away from Fear, Feted at the Dinner Table was Anthony suggesting we take a closer look at whatever frightens us. We should invite our fears to dinner and shine a magnifying light on them so we can watch them dissolve into unimportant matters. And, not only that, but he wants us to also take a closer at our goals and ambitions to find out if these things are really what we want. Surely there is something ever bigger or better to aim for. Well, at least that's the message I got out of it. His post may very well speak differently to you though.

This week Kaushik Cholkshi shares some strikingly intimate details about his Indian heritage and his upbringing in Africa before fleeing to an Austrian refugee camp with his parents when he was a teenager. These were not his darkest days though, his days of discontentment followed him to the United States and reached out far into his adult years. Kaushik feels that advesity brings us to an awakening... Awakening is a continuing theme of his blog, Beyond Karma. Kaushik is a frequent contributor to this carnival. I always look forward to his posts.

On a lighter note, Elisha Webster Emerson ponders ever widening rings in her thoughtful meanderings about circles encountered in our lives: body shapes, coming full circle life cycles, crop circles...

Alvaro Fernandez educates us on the "working memory" or rather the "working memory deficits" that contribute to ADHD in children and adults as indicated in a scientific study. Alvaro compares working memory training and medication treatments for ADHD. He says "Results from this study indicate that working memory training yields greater benefits in WM for children with ADHD than are provided by stimulant medication treatment. Furthermore, memory gains following training persist for a significant period. Because adequate WM functioning is critically important for children's academic success, ..."

Nutritional advice from carnival contributors this week include:

• 7 Tips to Eat Heart Healthy
  
• 7 Tips to Make Sure Your Organic Food is Really Organic
  
• 7 Tips to Eat Healthier on the Cheap
  
• Health Foods - Should I Be Feeding them to my children?
  

Thank you for attending the carnival. I hope you enjoyed your visit. Also be sure to check the carnival calendar for open dates for hosting a carnival edition on your blog!

Looking Back: Last week the Carnival of Healing was hosted by Rosanna C. Rogacion at Melisma.
Looking Forward:Next edition of the carnival (June 27) will be hosted by WP at The Conscious Life

Welcome to today's edition of the Carnival of Healing. The carnival is a weekly round-up of blogs across the Internet featuring information about healing, self empowerment, and spirituality. The carnival home is on my About.com Holistic Healing GuideSite.

Facebookers are invited to become a fan of the Carnival of Healing Group Page! I would also like to extend an invitation to carnival followers to Friend me on Facebook.

It has been awhile since I served as carnival host, but a last minute cancellation tossed it in my lap. I'm not complaining. My turn has been long overdue. Hosting has its benefits... the host gets to sample the punch first before the guests arrive to make sure it is not too sweet or too tart. Hopefully, you'll think that party punch for this edition of the carnival tastes just right me. Set yourself up with a cooling beverage to beat the summer heat and settle in for a good time.

I'd like to open up the carnival by inviting you to take my hand and walk alongside me to Organic Family Circle where Julian Pollock has opened up her garden gate so we can breathe in some lovely fragrant organic herbs. Who doesn't love the smell of Chamomile and Lavender! Julian says "Both chamomile and lavender have natural healing qualities that help strengthen us against other, shall we say - less healthy, foods we sometimes (mistaken?) take!"

More Carnival Attractions

Transform Yourself

BrainBlogger Sajid Surve, DO ( physiatrist, acupuncturist, and osteopath who specializes in musculoskeletal medicine and integrative medicine) writes about the ability of the brain to remap itself when a loss or injury occurs. Dr. Surve says "new research and tools such as functional MRI have suggested that our brains are constantly being molded and shaped by our experiences, and maintain some degree of plasticity throughout life." In his article Reflections on Plasticity he compare the brains ability to compensate when needed to the ability to adapt to new experiences in general. Transformational reading!

EmbraceLiving.Net - Celestine Chua blogs Cultivate Good Habits in 21 Days, detailing a take-action program meant to help you make positive changes in your life that will stick. It is a long post and one that I've bookmarked to return to later when I have more time to digest fully. Lots of good advice, also includes many links to explore further. Celse says "Have you ever thought of introducing a good habit into your life, but never got around to doing it? Perhaps you tried it for 1-2 days, but then lacked the discipline to continue afterward. This is a 21-day program which will help you cultivate good habits into your life."

Peaceful Living

Life Optimizer What are you grateful for? Donald Latumahina writes about violence in the history books and feeling grateful that "People in most parts of the world can live peacefully without worrying about warfare or torture."
The Joy of Living Today

change therapy Isabella Mori blogs about the politically rightness and politeness in our communications with one another not only in our speech but also in our silences. She writes "What is it like when we communicate with peace in our hearts? How does that relate to the art of dialogue and the buddhist concept of right speech?
peaceful communication - problems and solutions.

Fears and Faith

To the Heart of the Matter - Catherine VanWetter embraces four intentional steps (belief, confidence, trust, and inner knowing) to better understand what having faith means. Catherine says "At times I think about what faith is too much and discover that is a way to get hung up in the details of faith rather than trusting the divine unfolding. How to enter your day with intention."
To the Heart of the Matter - Inner Peace Tip: Choosing Faith over Fear

axel g writes about fears of "not having enough" saved up for retirement robbing youth of living their lives more fully. His post Consumed By Collective Fear is an interesting enough read. It gave me something to think about. But axel g and I are not on the same wave length on this topic. Certainly, people do worry about their savings and future lives. I agree with that. But, I'm also aware of the "impatience" in people wanting to have things that took their parents striving for years to achieve. And, as a result, they are up to their ya-ya in debt. That's poor planning. axel g has touched on an old argument in the spiritual community. The argument goes like this. The fancy-free-minded spiritual being argues If we trust the universe to provide for us then why save our money, isn't that showing mistrust? How about living in the now? The frugal-minded spiritual being argues that the universe has supplied you with the means to make money and the brains to spend and save it wisely.

Thoughtful Manuevers

Movement As A Way In - Jenn Givler is one of our veteran carnies here at the Carnival of Healing. Jenn participates both as a frequent submitter and also has served as a host for several carnival editions. I love Jenn! She has a new blog in the works and has honored our carnival with a wonderful post Monday Muse: Be Unstoppable introducing us to this newest twist in her personal life path. Jen says "Obstacles are a part of life - but you don't have to let them stop you."

Optimism Despite Struggle

Joy's Journey To Wellness Joy blogs I'm alive as she struggles with living within the confines of chronic illness. Reading through it you will feel her day-to-day frustrations, her willingness to laugh at her circumstance, her underlying determination to live despite the pain, and her ability to look forward with optimism. Joy, I wish you all the best and a brighter less-painful life.

Living in the Now

The Conscious Life- Post about "living in the moment " - Free Yourself from the Prison of Your Mind WP says "Stories from the past and worries about the imaginary future often leave us exhausted and disenchanted with life. Learn how to transcend the constant chattering in your mind and live a life of freedom and tranquility with breathing meditation."

Beyond Karma - Leave your thoughts behind and click How to Be Awareness Now (Awareness).
Kaushik Chokshi says "Awakening is simple with the two-step dance of awareness and release. This is an easy to integrate awareness technique."

Surrendering to Your Inner Wisdom

The Healed Spirit Blog - Michael L. Pierich posts about following his Intuitive guidance and being led to the place where he wanted to be. He says "It's not up to you to tell your inner wisdom how you want to get somewhere; you tell it where you want to go, and it tells you step-by-step how to get there. It may not make sense to you in the moment, but that's OK."
OK, So How Do I Do That?

Healing Tips

• Martial Arts Chris gives readers a brief (emphasis on brief) introduction to chi and chi kung. How to Feel Your Chi Energy in Just Ten Minutes
• Megan Wong shares home remedies for treating sinus infection.
• Pankaj Gupta suggests 10 Little Known Ways to Improve Your Health . Actually, except for brushing your skin the other nine healthful ways he listed are already well known to me. But, maybe not to you. Pankau says "Brushing your skin aids in detoxification of the lymph system and promotes overall health."
• Scientific Living educates us on How to Choose a Supplement.
• Health Tips 101 Joel Gray writes a "common sense" article about the importance of prevention and body awareness. Illness Prevention It Could Save Your Life

Thank you for attending the carnival. I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Looking Back: Last week the Carnival of Healing was hosted by Dave at Tri-Freedom.
Looking Forward:Next edition of the carnival (June 27) will be hosted by Ranjana Jha at Just About Everything

I'll be hosting the Carnival of Healing here at Spiral Visions on Saturday, June 20th. I am the founder/organizer of the carnival but have not actually hosted it for some time. The volunteer who had planned to host this coming week had to cancel so I'm stepping in to save the day. Well, not really. I think I may very well be the one being saved. The cancellation is probably the Universe's way of kicking me back to my roots. So, here I am back home where I belong. Please use the Blog Carnival Submission Form if you would like to have your blog featured in the carnival.

It is a good idea to return home to where you started from time to time. Soak up some nurturing vibes from the womb where you were birthed so to speak. This blog, specifically the domain Spiral Visions, is my Internet home. Lately I've been absent. My energies have been primarily focused at About.com, but also on Twitter and most recently Facebook Fan Page: About Holistic Heaing. Even the Carnival of Healing has its own group page on Facebook.

Maybe the theme of the carnival will be Homecoming.... I'll think about it! Hope to see you here on Saturday.

The other day after shopping at a local department store for a few mundane items (hairspray, toilet paper, envelopes, etc.) I found myself waiting patiently in the checkout lane. Yes, I said patiently waiting. I'm not normally the most patient person in the world, but when it comes to waiting in lines I really am patient. I think of waiting as a break from rushing around. I have no control over how fast or slow the line moves so I choose not to stress over it. In fact, I think waiting in line could actually be a gift from the universe. I am grateful for any free time and not having to be focused on doing something. Waiting can be a fabulous "living in the now" experience.

Anyway, while I was waiting in line I had a chance to look around at the people near me and study them. People watchers will understand my delight in an opportunity to simply be still and watchful. When it was my turn at the cash register I spoke up and said to the checker. "I really like your hairstyle, you look so pretty." The woman was so shocked by the compliment that she blurted out "Oh my, I can't believe a complete stranger said something so nice to me." She was obviously flustered but happy and continued rambling about how she had been thinking about growing her hair out, but now maybe not. She was smiling from ear to ear. As I was walking toward the exit I over heard her say to the next person, "That lady is so nice..." then I heard her holler out, "Hey, is your last name Desy?" She had my credit card receipt in her hand and had noticed my name on it. I turned around and answered yes. And then she said "I don't know you, but I know another woman with that same last name, and she is a very nice lady, just like you." She was referring to my husband's ex wife. So, I told her I knew her too and nodded with a smile. I was chuckling to myself as I walked through the parking lot back to my car. I couldn't wait to go home and tell my husband that he had married two very nice ladies.

The moral of the story is.... Say something nice, it makes people smile. I guess you could say it is message therapy.

Dream Explorations

I was attending a weekend retreat several years ago when I first heard the expression "I'm in a FOG." It was then explained to me that being in a FOG represented "F***ing Opportunity for Growth." Basically it's a crude way of saying that you are facing a crisis or are actually in the midst of chaos playing out in your life. A FOG can be an unsettled legal dispute, a personal health crisis, impending divorce, finding yourself unemployed, or some other unhappy scenario.

The tricky part is not what the actual crisis (FOG) is, but knowing how best to respond to it. It is very easy to become "reactive" when life throws us a curve ball. My tendency is usually to dodge the ball defensively, while others may react more offensively. But, not so fast. FOGs seldom clear away when we react to them in our normal fashion. Taking any action right off the bat is probably not a good idea. Usually just sitting in the midst of the FOG and waiting for any emotional energies attached to it to lift before reacting will be your best recourse. Allow yourself 24-48 hours to have a "pity party," although I don't suggest you invite any guests. But it is okay to have a solitary tantrum in your own private space. Suck in all your "woe is me" energies and embrace any emotional backlash you are feeling. Go ahead and feel sorry for yourself. Curse! Complain! Cry out "Why Me!?!" etc.

Be careful not to get stuck in the "poor me" state of mind for more than a couple of days. A crisis is raging, and you will need to take some kind of action. After the initial shock has worn off it may be a good time to slip into a more reflective state of mind and quietly ask "Why me? Why now?" rather than screaming out "WHY ME?" in despair. But truthfully, even during a calmer, reflective state you may not get a clear answer as to why you are caught in a chaotic situation no matter how connected you normally are to your inner dialogs. That's why it's called a FOG. It's difficult to understand the "why?" of such matters.

You have been gifted with an opportunity to grow as a person... but it won't look like a gift. It may very well feel like a slap in the face. I have often learned from past FOG experiences that, once the FOG has cleared and my life is again flowing less erratic, I will get a better perspective as to why I had to experience the struggles and the emotional stings. It can require a distanced view from the initial impact to see the bigger picture.

A FOG can actually be useful when it knocks us out of our comfort zones in order to nudge us into branching out in different directions. Remember, life is a journey. We're not going to get anywhere if we insist on standing still.

After I was able to re-map my course of action due to the detour that a FOG had forced me to take, I realize I was a better person for it. Surprisingly, I always land on my feet afterwards. The ground I end up standing on might be foreign to me, but I always know that, eventually, I will find my best direction to travel. This is not to say that I welcome FOGs to enter my life. I prefer a calmer existence on most days and, for this reason, I try my very best to pay attention to the quieter messages the Universe whispers gently in my ears. If I listen carefully and pay heed to the messages, there is no reason for the volume to get turned up to a deafening roar.

One of my About.com associates Patti Wigington (Guide to Paganism and Wicca), blogged yesterday about Panthea's Create-A-Goddess. Naturally, I had to jump into the fun, take a break from my web workings and create my very own avatar just like Patti did. Check out my goddess' spiral necklace. Spirally Cool!