Halloween – Samhain – Adult version

Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…it’s Halloween/Samhain, and a full moon on top of it. I have heard it’s a once in lifetime event. Houses are decorated with intimidating displays and large spiders crawling from the sidings. Little goblins can be found in the streets, eagerly ringing doorbells, rushing from house to house, showing off their costumes, while opening their bags in the hopes of gathering a lot of sweet treats. I can’t help but wonder how different this tradition might be this year with a pandemic still at large.

My Halloween contribution is slightly different as well this year and is focused on some adult fun.

We are making some delicious, adult, hot Bourbon cider to stay warm. Halloween is usually a time for the first heavy storm to hit in my region, so the timing is perfect.

Here is what you need

1 part Makers Mark bourbon (I’m not here to endorse any brand, so it you have a favorite, I’m sure it will work even better)

4 parts apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

5 whole cloves

3 while allspice berries

6 while peppercorns

Lemon slices and additions cinnamon sticks for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan on the stove. Let sit on medium – low heat for 1 hour (covered) and then ladle into mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon slice.

And now… let the goblins come. It could turn out to be a wild and interesting night. Oh, and don’t forget to pay attention to grandmother moon and release what no longer serves you. Perhaps you charge your crystals to the magic of this rare blue Hunters moon, or drum under the moonlight like me to release old energy that no longer serves you.

So, take a little sip or two, as goblins roam the street, while waiving hello to the moon and admiring her beauty. Your magic potion will keep you warm for sure.

Happy Halloween / Samhain my friends. Enjoy.

The Monsters within

Picture taken from google

This year so far has been largely about self awareness, understanding, and growths. About recognizing, as well as stopping to resist, to not interfere, to utilize, and be patient for the right timing. It’s been a huge growths push, layering on and deepening the journey I have found myself on over the last couple of years.

It’s been about making peace with the way things are. I’d say I’ve come a little ways, understanding and forgiving, letting the past rest (mostly) and looking ahead with optimism and excitement. I am at peace with the progress and where I am at, even though things are not perfect. I don’t think they will ever be and you know what? That’s ok, I don’t need perfect.

There has been a lot of insight about how the past has shaped me, why I reacted the way I did, what changed and how I see the future unfold. It feels as if the mental, undecided struggle of what is the best choice, what if I do this, what’s the outcome of that, and what to do period, is over.

This year has been filled with periods of looking within, to find cause, addressing and working with my shadow self and any darkness that is in my heart. To meet this void with unconditional love and without judgement. To not condemn it but to meet it with love. Not only within myself, but also in others who might have shared mutual negative experiences. Alone or with each other. It’s been a year of forgiveness and letting go. Of not holding on to the emotional baggage. It’s even been a year of losing people I once thought close to me. It’s been hard coming to trust that even there is reasoning behind it and it hurt to lose these people. Yet I have to trust and try to understand that our journey has taken us into different directions.

While many would define 2020 as a tough and challenging year, I definitely don’t disagree. But I do have to admit that I have come to see it in a much different light then that. I have learned to always look for the lesson and to embrace it with positivity, no matter what. For me, 2020 has been an important year. A year of many personal breakthroughs and personal growths. I can say that I have done my best and I’m ok with that. Being able to say so doesn’t mean that there are no things I wish could be different. But it means arriving at a point where you can accept the reality of it without feeling disturbed by it. A point where you no longer fight and try to control the outcome. Where either way it goes, you learn to dance with whatever comes your way.

A quote crossed my path and like so often spoke to me. I can only agree and it truly is great advice.

“Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we will keep trying to slay them in the outer world. For all darkness in the world stems from darkness in the heart. And it is there we must do our work.”

~Marianne Williamson

Discordant Emotions and Seed Thoughts

Picture from my adventures along the Nevada’n highways ❤️

Not too long ago I’ve written about a book from Danielle MacKinnon called Soul Contracts. In that post I talked about your support network, understanding the bigger picture, our connection to source, the need for safety and our root belief system. I would like to revisit this post and dig a little deeper. I have a feeling it needs more clarification for understanding how things come to be.

Let’s start with Seed Thoughts.

According to MacKinnon a Seed Thought is an original thought you had about yourself (usually accompanied by intense negative emotions called Discordant Emotions) that you planted in your soul, rather than experiencing it and growing from it. This thought was created by a life experience, something you, yourself experienced. Something, or someone made you feel extremely negative about yourself and whatever was said or done hit to the core. You came to believe how the world made you feel, and it has now become a Seed Thought (how you view yourself) that is stored within your soul. It will remain there, and it will trigger from time to time as similar experiences arise. The cycle repeats until you experience this Discordant Emotion and face it.

Facing past trauma is extremely painful for many, and it means you will have to revisit that very experience that made you feel this hurt. You will have to identify the negative emotions that you adapted about yourself, why and how they came to be, and you will have to address a dose of self doubt, fear, and uncertainty. Only by pinpointing the event and working through it, including the feelings, the emotions and the experience, coming to terms and understanding why you experienced it the way you did, will eventually allow you to put in the work, face the demons, and release this energy for good. Only then will you be in a position to let go of it and become free.

What about Discordant Emotions? These are the intensely negative emotions you felt at the time when you embedded your Seed Thought into your soul. These emotions are embedded with your Seed Thought, and those too, are here to stay. They are the reason as to why you continue to re-experience them as an adult, until you learn to release them.

Most people are surprised to find how many Discordant Energies they carry with them. Worry, anxiety, stress, depression, and fear are the most common, but most people attract other types as well. Can you identify any of these emotions within yourself?

Perhaps this post sheds a little more light and understanding on this complex subject. Perhaps we can be a little gentler on ourselves and meet ourselves with more compassion and empathy. 🙏🏼 I think you are doing amazing and you know I’m right 😉💙

State Park & National Park Passports

Bristlecone picture from last winter.

Passports, yep you read this right and I discovered that there is a State Passport (at least for Nevada) as well as a National Parks Passport.

It started with the State Passport. Each state park within Nevada carries it’s own stamp, used to stamp your passport. Collect 15 stamps and you attain free annual access to all the parks within the state. As if that wasn’t cool enough, I have to admit that I am nerdy in a way that it is almost more fun hunting for the stamps then anything else. I’m afraid it’s a little like Indiana Jones on one of his adventures. Kind of like Mad Max driving the barren wasteland.

The stamps are all different and it’s exciting just to see which stamp you get. Like the world traveler I am, my passport is filling up, but I’m not quite there yet. If I could only travel to Germany and stamp my real passport.

Anywhoo, following the State Passports, came the National Parks Passport which spans much further and is much, much thicker. This will be a lot harder to fill up, but I couldn’t be more excited about the first stamp. It was actually much like a real stamp, a decal, you purchase, peel, and attach into the corresponding section of your passport. Not only is it fun, but educational as well. So maybe not all thaaaat needy.

The first stamp was Stamp No. NP49 from the Great Basin National Park. It talked about the Bristlecone which I have long admired, and this is what it had to say.

The bristlecone pine arguably is the oldest thing on Earth. Found in scattered groves near tree line, some of Great Basin’s bristlecones are more than 4000 years old and owe their longevity to the harsh conditions at the parks higher elevations. The tree’s slow growth makes the bristlecone wood hard, durable and resistant to disease and the rugged alpine elements.

In it’s own due time

You know I think it’s quite amazing how things work out in there own due time. When the time is right. Things I’ve used to struggle with, that perhaps at one point I’ve tried to force (without avail), only made life a living hell, with nothing but grief. Little did I realize at that time that everything has it’s own rhythm, it’ own vibration, it’s own timeline, and it’s own maturity of when it’s ready. Only then can progress be made without running up against that same wall that never budges.

I have learned that it’s nearly impossible to challenge any sort of resolution if the timing is not on our side. It only causes more struggles and periods of uneasiness and unrest. It makes me wary, feeling distressed, and anxious. I unnecessarily age in the process of it, hahaha, but it’s true and my health takes a dip. When I look at it from that aspect, I have to admit that my chronic disease in some parts has been a blessing in disguise. It has allowed me to take better care of myself, to listen to my body and be more kind and respectful towards this temple that holds it all together for me on a daily basis. It is true that today I see more positives than negatives when it comes to suffering an autoimmune disorder. I believe that everything had to happen the way it did, in order for me to make these vital changes. Only because is it possible to have a better life in the end.

I also learned that other times when I do go with the flow, when I don’t try to force and plan everything out, when I just accept what comes my way as a great gift, that it is then that everything miraculously falls into place by itself. It’s almost like being rewarded and shown how simple it truly can be. It’s like encouragement of the finest to continue on this path and to drop any resistance that might remains.

The question arises if this goes back to learning not to interfere, to not resist and to trust that the universe will provide? That the universe has our back, loves us and wants us to do well. I’d say that personally I have made this a focus, and I’d tell you that if we can adapt to this motto and live by these values, we perhaps learn to live a more peaceful life with less headaches and drama.

Life will always fall into place in it’s own due time. On it’s own terms. We can resist and struggle or trust and believe. We can look the order way or make the best out of every situation that comes our way. A tell tell sign may be this: Have you ever tried extremely hard to make something work but it just didn’t? It’s so hard and takes so much effort. Everything goes wrong and you have to work so hard trying to reach the goal you envisioned for yourself. You keep running up against that wall that won’t budge. I’m sure you have been there. Frustrating isn’t it? But what about if we changed our approach, if we could recognize that perhaps there are still lessons along the way we need to learn, and that that is the very reason that wall won’t budge. Because we are not ready. What if we could understand that when things are that hard, perhaps the timing is not right. Not yet anyways. I’m not saying that you won’t have to work hard, or that life will be easy. I’m not saying that everything always falls into place, but I am saying that you have a choice of much frustration and resistance you expose yourself to.

Just remember…Blessings happen every day and in their own due time. 🙏🏼🦋💙

Nefelibata

It’s new word Monday as we kick off another week. Today’s word comes to us from Portugal and it somehow spoke to me and my journey.

It translates into “Cloud Walker” and it’s no secret that I do hold a love affair for the white “Puffies” that magically set the ambience of any scene.

Further it describes someone who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams. Or one who does not obey to the conventions of society, literature, or art.

I’d say it’s a great summary of me these days and sums it up nicely, although not all inclusive. But mostly 😉

Anyone relating to this?

The sweetest love, and every woman’s secret longing and dream

“He is 85 and insists on taking his wife hand in hand wherever they go.

When I asked why your wife is distracted, like she wasn’t following anyone? He replied: She has Alzheimer’s…

So I said, will your wife worry if you let her go? He replied, “She doesn’t remember…She doesn’t know who I am anymore, she hasn’t recognized me for years.”

Surprised, I said “And still you continue to guide the way even though she doesn’t recognize you.”

The elderly man smiled and looked into my eyes. He said “She doesn’t know who I am, but I know who she is.”

“SHE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!” 💙

How sweet is that? Simply priceless. How many of you have seen the movie “The notebook”? It’s what it reminds me of.

Reinventing time…once more

Warning: lots to say today and a longer one

The last couple of weeks have been kind of “meh” on the health front. I have fallen off of my exercise routine and step goal, and clearly I have been much less active than usual. I think the only thing I did stick to was to be conscious of what I eat, continue my green juice intake, and still get a few hikes in, here and there. Not too bad overall you’d think, but for me it was like taking a step backwards, an interruption, a halt, a standstill in the pursuit of my goals.

It wasn’t that I got lazy all of a sudden, but what brought everything to a head was a reminder of what it’s like to deal with chronic pain and that it can strike at any time. Things can change in a heartbeat and no two days are the same. You’re ok one day and the next one you don’t know to perform the simplest of tasks. All of a sudden the left knee started clicking and became painful. Walking was annoying, stairs were a pain and hiking became non enjoyable or possible. Then there was a lot of tension in my neck that spread to the shoulders and arms. I tore my entire bed apart, changing pillows for maximum support, all to little avail. The wrists were on fire, the elbow felt like the tendons were overstretched into a abnormal position, and at times I was unable to bend my arm to blow my nose, or perform other simple things. Even dressing was a drag and each morning started with a lot of time requirements just to get going. I needed an intervention, to reinvent myself.

Looking at my hands it was clear that inflammation had returned. The entire backs of my hands and fingers were swollen like plump sausages. It’s always there to some degree, but at various levels of intensity. It was back and it was painful, by no means how it used to be, but dull and naggingly painful most of the day. It became a every day thing again, and that alone can scare you to pieces if you ever experienced how bad it can get.

I made the decision to stop pushing myself. To put topping a record productivity week to the wayside and to listen to my body and let it rest. Continuing was not optimal or optional under these conditions. I felt I would do more harm then good, and I slowed down. My body has been working so hard to support me in my quest of a healthier lifestyle, losing weight and getting stronger. I felt guilty to stop so abrupt, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

Hadn’t I achieved so much already? Didn’t I accomplish it all? I was stronger, with more stamina, building muscle and endurance. I waived goodbye to fat, and by now I was almost 16 lbs lighter. Yes I still have a long ways to go, but it was undeniable of how much better I felt. Not just on the weight and physical side of things, but also on the mental and confidence side. It’s amazing how just a little can have such a huge impact.

Looking back, it’s been a fairly good year for me when it comes to personal progress and my chronic disease. I have somehow managed to manage it, but it took and continues to take hard work and commitment. It can slip at any moment. It takes drive and motivation. It takes making up your mind and just doing it, regardless of what others think, because no one else will do it for you and it’s your life to live.

This is what I mean with reinvention. In review and hindsight, first came eliminating some of the stress that had me in constant chaos. Next was Reiki, becoming a Reiki Master and Energy healer. Then I dabbled into the foods I was consuming, including elimination, portion control and times, as well as water consumption, staying hydrated and flushing the bad stuff out. I stumbled across essential oils and herbalism, choose a more active lifestyle once I grew stronger and was physically able to, and layered on increasing healthy veggies with my green juice. Each effort got me so far, steering me into the right direction, but each eventually became somewhat stagnant. The results were there but it appeared that no further progress could be made. I wanted to go further.

Stiffness and pains reappeared, just enough for an annoyance and to make things difficult and hurtful, but mostly to remind me that this was not what I wanted to go back to. It was time for yet another reinvention of myself. What was going to be next? What was my next building block to get behind in this grant scheme of becoming the healthiest, best version of myself. What was my next lesson.

It came in the form of another holistic approach to fight pain and inflammation. To repair gut flora and digestion for the proper elimination of toxins. To boost and strengthen my immune system. My Ginger Syrup came to the rescue, not just for myself but also to gain popularity in the world as well. There is a need for natural approaches and healing out there and I am truly happy to contribute my little part to it. Also, I would like to say a huge thank you to you who have supported me in this quest. I thank you for your trust in my product and your care. I hope you soon share similar success stories of how my syrup has made a difference for you.

Further I have made a natural muscle rub including essential oils. I have used it over the last couple of days, and the results are amazing. Pain and inflammation (swelling) is minimal again and my flexibility and ease of motion has retuned. I can function again and I am back with a vengeance.

So what’s the morale of this story. I guess there will always be challenges in life, times of stagnation when we feel stuck or perhaps on halt. These times will require you to reinvent yourself and everything you have been doing. You will need to layer on to what you have learned so far, and you will need to change. There will be days when what you have been doing will not be enough anymore. It will require a new way of thinking, new education, new wisdom, and a new YOU to propel you forward, not having you stuck in a rut. So how do achieve a new you? Never stop learning and pursuing the best version of yourself. Be your own best friend and listen to your body, your heart and your mind. Your soul already knows the way. Trust, believe, and reinvent yourself, because every next level will require a new and different version of yourself.

Trauma permanently changes us

This is the big, scary truth about trauma. Trauma permanently changes us and there is no such thing as “getting over it.”

The five stages of grief model marks universal stages in learning to accept loss, but the reality is in fact much bigger and not that easily put. There is no plan, no guideline, and not really a process one goes through. The best path is if you can allow yourself to feel it in all it’s grief and pain, no matter how hard it is. To let it go through you rather than suppressing and storing it for years to hold on to. Trauma is a major life disruption that leaves a new normal in it’s wake. There is no “back to the old me.” You are different now, full stop.

This is not a fully negative thing. Healing from trauma can also mean finding new strength and joy. The goal of healing is not a papering-over of changes in an effort to preserve or present things as normal. It is to acknowledge and wear your new life – warts – wisdom, and all – with courage.

We can do this. We can lean on each other. And we learn from each other. Giving support, love and light, one person at a time.

Every next level

Every next level of your life will demand a different version of you. The key is not to resist and stay as flexible as possible. To remember that proven ways may no longer work and that this new level is here to teach you the methods of a new version.

Smile and embrace this new level. You’ve made it this far and new opportunities are just around the corner. Once again, you are being asked to reinvent yourself, to emerge your best version yet. Here you decide what you would like to change. Here you have input about who you want to be, what you want to be known for and what legacy you leave behind.

Here is to the next level of your life…🙏🏼💙