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12 Aug 2021
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Dragon And Tiger Medical Qigong

An Ancient Chinese Treasure for Health and Longevity

 

As more people seek natural, safe and effective ways to improve their health, strengthen their immune systems, reduce stress and anxiety, have more energy, emotional balance and greater mental focus, many have come to rely upon the ancient Chinese practice of qigong to accomplish these and many other health and wellness goals.

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong is one of the most popular styles of qigong practiced around the world today. The 1,500-year-old self-healing system teaches you to move qi (vital life energy) through well-defined energy lines within your body that are related to acupuncture meridian lines. Its seven-movement form is a low-impact practice very gentle on the joints, and able to be comfortably performed by anyone regardless of age or current level of health. At the same time, it’s very powerful and dramatically increases vitality, promoting healing on many levels.

Before exploring Dragon and Tiger specifically, let’s first take a look at qigong in general to learn what it really is and give you some background in this remarkable Chinese cultural treasure.

A General Overview Of Qigong

Depending upon sources cited, qigong originated in China between 3-5,000 years ago. Not a single static system, it has many variations, styles, and philosophical bases, each with their specific purposes and objectives. It can be done as a stationary standing practice or a moving form with many parts. Some styles can be done while sitting or lying down, by oneself or with a partner. It has continued to grow and evolve over the centuries, and is perhaps the most well-researched, comprehensive and highly developed system on the planet for building health and extending longevity. That it has continued to flourish through the millennia is a testament to its unique, profound effectiveness and versatility.

Even in the early stages of a beginner-level practice, qigong promotes greater self-awareness, awakening you to increasingly more subtle levels of your being. Many qigongs are rooted in spiritual traditions that transcend simply improving physical health and longevity, adding a nuanced richness and deeper dimensions to enhancing your life. At the highest levels of practice, it is a path to enlightenment and spiritual cultivation, and can prepare your mind for the deepest meditative practices.

Defining Qigong

In order to better understand what qigong is, let’s take a look at the word “qigong” itself, since that will tell us a lot about the actual practice. It is made up of the two syllables “qi” (pronounced “chee”) and “gong”. As each syllable in the Chinese language is itself a discrete word, we’ll first define each syllable separately to gain insight into its fullest meaning.

Often translated as “vital life energy”, or simply “energy”, qi is the sum of all the functional energies that animate and keep you alive, aware, and healthy. The electrical energy measured by an EEG (measuring brain activity) and EKG (measuring heart functional energy), the magnetic energy of an MRI that allows for the magnetic imaging of every cell in your body—all of your cells are polar— the neural energy running through your nervous system, the biochemical energy of enzymatic reactions, hormones and neurotransmitters, and the functional energy of every internal organ are all a part your qi. For a Western mind, this understanding can provide some useful touchstones, but it’s only a part of the totality of your qi, which includes many more subtle aspects than what are contained within the current Western medical paradigm.

In the context of qigong you may find that qi is sometimes translated as “breath” or “breathing”. This is not technically incorrect, since the Chinese character for qi as energy is identical to the character for qi as breath, and we’ll soon see that the Regulation of the Breath is an integral component of all qigongs. But that’s only a part of what qigong is about, and leads to the misinterpretation of qigong as “breathing exercises”. Sometime qi is translated as “subtle breath”, which distinguishes it from the common breath, and is more accurate as it’s the “subtle breath” that is the qi that circulates through our body’s numerous energy pathways.

“Gong” means practice, skill, or cultivation. As in the Western use of the word “practice” as it relates to practicing a musical instrument, practicing medicine, practicing law, or really any profession or avocation in which you may want to acquire some proficiency, it requires some effort invested over a period of time to gain that skill. That acquired skill is the desired result of the practice.

Because all qigongs involve regulating the body, “gong” is sometimes interpreted to mean “exercise”, so that “qigong” is often translated to mean “energy exercise”, but as with “breathing exercise”, it’s also a limited interpretation. In fact, the word “exercise” is sometimes used as a gentle admonition by a qigong master correcting a novice: “You’re not doing qigong, you’re just doing an exercise.” Once learned, an exercise is something that can be effectively performed by rote. In qigong, your full awareness needs to be engaged throughout the entirety of your practice.

Now we can see that the word qigong most accurately means effort invested over time in working with your vital life energy in order to sense, direct, and gather it for the purpose of enhancing your life in a variety of ways. You get to choose what those enhancements might be based upon the style of qigong you select to practice.

Five Philosophical Bases For All Qigong

The five broad categories of qigong are derived from one of the Five Philosophical Bases that most inform each practice. Those are Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian, medical and martial. Each category is very rich and varied, but looked at simply, we can say that Daoist qigongs are most concerned with aligning oneself with the cycles and energies of the natural world and promoting longevity; Buddhist qigongs are most concerned with spiritual cultivation and enlightenment more than with physical health; Confucian qigongs are most concerned with intellectual achievement and societal ethics; medical qigongs are most concerned with preventing illness and treating disease; and martial qigongs are most concerned with developing physical and energetic power for martial applications. Each of the five categories may contain hundreds of different qigong practices ranging from the very simple and relatively common to the very complex and rare.

While there are qigongs that purely adhere to one of the Five Philosophical Bases, it’s common for there to be some overlap among styles. For example, the Daoist qigongs that promote longevity naturally inform some of the health-building aspects of medical qigongs (and vice versa), while the intellectual clarity produced by Confucian qigongs help the mind travel along some the more challenging aspects of spiritual cultivation in Buddhist qigongs.

The Three Regulations

No matter the philosophical basis or style, all complete qigongs include The Three Regulations: The Regulation of Body, Breath, and Mind. Beyond just improving your physical health, each of the Three Regulations influence your emotional, mental, and psychic states of being, more directly as you advance in your cultivation. At very high levels of practice, you can access, balance and clear your karma.

The specific ways in which body, breath and mind are regulated can vary considerably depending upon the goal and purpose of the particular qigong being practiced. The coordinated regulation of body, breath and mind further regulates the qi, first by intention, and ultimately by the mind’s direct contact with qi.

While each qigong has a particular focus, a specific purpose for which it’s intended, all initially produce a similar range of baseline benefits, including general well-being, more energy, reduced stress and increased mental clarity. No matter what style of qigong you may choose to practice, you can expect this common range of benefits. This is because through the Three Regulations, all help you to tune into the wisdom of your own body, releasing negative or restrictive energies, thoughts, and beliefs while bringing you back into balanced wholeness.

Now let’s examine the specifics of a most versatile, accessible and rewarding practice, Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong.

Dragon And Tiger Medical Qigong History

The origins of Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong are traced back 1,500 years. Its creation is attributed to the Bodhidharma, who taught it to monks of the Shaolin monastery in China to help strengthen and revitalize their bodies after extended periods of seated meditation. It included the stimulation of qi flow through qigong and acupuncture meridian lines, providing the foundation for an energy wisdom that blended Daoism, Buddhism, and Chinese medicine. That information was passed to each successive head abbot of the Shaolin monastery in an unbroken lineage through the centuries until the mid 20th century, when the last head abbot taught it to his niece, Zhang Jia Hua, a doctor of Chinese medicine.

Dr. Zhang was very experienced in the use of qigong for medical purposes, and made some additional refinements to the practice, transforming it into the even more powerful medical qigong it is today. Those refinements made Dragon and Tiger one of the most widespread and successful treatments for cancer and other serious degenerative diseases throughout China. During the 1960s and 1970s, she taught more than 20,000 instructors who spread Dragon and Tiger Qigong to over 20 million people. (As an aside, I learned Dragon and Tiger from Daoist Master Bruce Frantzis, who learned it directly from Zhang Jia Hua.)

The Meaning Of Dragon And Tiger

The Chinese often use animals to represent the characteristics associated with an abstraction they are describing, common in Chinese astrology and Five Element Theory, for example. In this qigong context, the dragon is associated with the lungs, which take in the air we breathe, while the tiger is associated with the liver, which powers so many of our physiological processes. The first movement of Dragon and Tiger particularly benefits the lungs and liver, giving this set its name. Here are some characteristics of each of these animals, and the associated benefits you may expect from Dragon and Tiger Qigong.

As the flying dragon is a creature of the air, the first associated correspondence is to the air itself. Dragon and Tiger strengthens your lungs and increase your ability to take in fuller, deeper breaths. We’ve seen that the Chinese character for breath is identical to the character for qi, so as you bring in more air with each breath, you are bringing in more qing qi, or atmospheric qi (literally, “clear qi”). The breathing practices contained within Dragon and Tiger increase your ability to extract more qing qi from the air, which builds your reserves of qi.

A second quality is that of the dragon’s movements, sinuous and lithe. Dragon and Tiger creates a physical openness that engenders a flexibility in your body you may not have enjoyed since you were very young.

A third quality has to do with the positive emotions associated with the lungs. When the lungs are functioning well, you will experience an upsurge in vitality and an exuberance for life, increasing your enthusiasm and joy. Conversely, when the lungs are not functioning well, you will often feel sad even when there’s no apparent reason for such sadness. A two-way street, prolonged periods of grief will likewise adversely affect the overall health of your lungs.

The tiger is the animal associated with the liver. The tiger is very powerful, agile and quick, able to transition from a relaxed stillness to the immediate physical activity of a rapid pounce or run in almost no discernable time.

The first association with the tiger’s power corresponds to the power of a well-functioning liver. The liver is involved in aspects of digestion, nutrient assimilation, detoxification, production of enzymes, the storage of glycogen, vitamins and minerals, and more. Its far-reaching influence on our metabolism and physiological processes is staggering. The health and strength of our body depends extensively on the liver’s ability to perform its functions optimally.

Another aspect of that power exists on the emotional level. It takes drive and perseverance, a kind of psychological power, to make changes in the world and in your life. A healthy liver provides that ability to accomplish, to get things done in a positive and productive way. This means you have the inner strength and focus to do what needs doing yourself, or you are able to inspire others to help when help is needed. By contrast, an imbalanced liver will make you easily angered, and that anger can be used to fuel anger-driven actions (which may even be directed against yourself) or to intimidate others into doing what you want. While still powerful, this is a pathological manifestation of impeded liver energy, an unhealthy way of getting things done.

According to Chinese medicine, the liver controls tendons and ligaments. When the liver is functioning well, your tendons and ligaments will be relaxed, allowing your body a greater freedom of movement, as embodied by the supple grace of the tiger. This helps reduce any restrictive physical pain you may have, and provides not only a greater freedom of physical movement, but greater internal freedom on every level. This involves the more subtle aspects of the manifestation of power, whether that’s applied for health, longevity, martial ability, social influence, intellectual accomplishment or spiritual cultivation.

The liver is also responsible for the smooth flow of qi throughout your entire body. This promotes the optimal functional energy of every organ, allowing each to do its job best and work in balanced harmony, fostering homeostasis. It reduces stress, helps maintain both physical and emotional equilibrium, and sharpens your reflexes, creating the same type of smooth continuous internal flow that allows the tiger to move from a relaxed aware stillness to an immediate pounce with no hesitation or awkwardness.

Physical And Energetic Characteristics Of Dragon And Tiger

Dragon and Tiger is primarily a medical qigong that balances the body’s energy systems in accordance with the principles of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The inclusion of Daoist and Buddhist elements in Dragon and Tiger are used to support and enhance its medical applications. Increased sensitivity and awareness are the hallmarks of all qigongs, and with focused attention on your body, breath and mind, your awareness grows, helping to connect you to your healing qi more deeply. At advanced levels of practice, it can move into spiritual realms, fully integrating body, heart-mind (xin) and spirit (shen) for profound healing on every level of being.

On the surface, Dragon and Tiger have some similarities to the beautiful flowing movements of taiji (tai chi), and many of the principles of Dragon and Tiger can be transferred directly to taiji if you choose to learn that at some later time. It even provides many comparable benefits, improving balance, coordination, strength and longevity. With only seven movements it’s much easier to do, taking less time to learn and less space to practice. Each of its movements focuses on a particular meridian pathway or organ system, and each has specific targeted medical effects that will provide you numerous health benefits beyond those found in taiji. The synergy among the seven movements creates a system-wide energetic upgrade that benefits the health of your entire being.

Despite its simplicity, it’s a complete medical qigong system addressing almost every part of your health needs. Practiced regularly, you will activate and balance the core energy channels most commonly addressed in qigong, and the major acupuncture meridians, releasing blocked and stagnant energy both from your physical body and from the energy field around you, known as the qi body or the etheric field.

Some Expected Medical Benefits

As a therapeutic practice, Dragon & Tiger is designed to balance your body’s energies to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the suffering of disease. In China, it has been used to treat cancer and other serious degenerative conditions. Its seven movements are repeated a number of times, gently stretching, opening and releasing the body, making you more flexible and relaxed. It will reduce stress, improve blood circulation and increase synovial and lymphatic fluid movement, build energy, and enhance your felt sense of general well-being. By increasing awareness of how your body moves through space (proprioception), it‘s also excellent for improving balance, an important consideration for older people and athletes alike.

* The Regulation of the Body can be viewed simply as physical activity, yet when practiced with awareness, it promotes health on both physical and energetic levels, and lays the foundation for deeper energetic benefits that come later. In Dragon and Tiger, some of the physical regulations include weight shifts, which help improve balance in the same way that taiji is known to do; and bending, stretching, and gently twisting muscle tissue, which helps both to release physical tension, promoting relaxation, and opens pathways through which qi flows, reducing obstructions in order to increase the amount of qi available to circulate throughout your body. Removing qi obstruction and promoting qi flow is also the main mechanism through which it relieves aches, pains, and other physical discomforts.

When proper body alignments are learned and maintained, many of the movements release contracted muscles throughout the body, especially in such common trouble areas as the neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back and hips. Some movements massage and cleanse the axillary and inguinal lymph nodes, stimulating the flow of lymph fluids and benefiting the entire immune system. Some Dragon and Tiger movements stimulate communication between hemispheres of the brain, improving cognition in ways similar to the Western physical therapy technique of “cross crawl”, used to rehabilitate people with brain injuries and other cognitive dysfunctions.

* Regulation of the Breath most obviously improves lung health, breathing capacity, and resistance to airborne pathogens. It helps to create the optimal acid/alkaline balance throughout the body, crucial to overall good health. As important as these are, they are just a small part of the benefits derived from the Regulation of the Breath.

The Daoist natural breathing used in Dragon and Tiger gently pressurizes all of the internal organs, in effect massaging them to facilitate releasing the toxic accumulations of metabolic waste material in the same way massage therapy does for muscle tissue. It also frees any binding restrictions in the suspensory ligaments that attach each organ to the vertebral column. This allows for both greater organ mobility (its ability to be freely moved, the lack of which often causes pain) and organ motility, the natural movement patterns intrinsic to and generated by each organ. Together this increases the optimal functional energy of each organ, its ability to perform its intended functions, which is a large part of the organ’s qi.

In a purely Western medical context, there have been numerous studies that support this understanding. One study in New York State tracked 12,000 people for nearly three decades, and found that the stronger your lungs are, the less likely you are to die of any cause, when compared to other people in the same demographic. (Schunemann, H. J., Dorn, J., Grant, B. J. B., Winkelstein, W., & Trevisan, M. (2000); Pulmonary Function Is a Long-term Predictor of Mortality in the General Population. Chest, 118(3), 656–664.) The European Society of Cardiology reported that even a minor drop in lung capacity raises your heart disease risk by 200%. (The European Society of Cardiology, 1998.)

The University of Arizona researched possible holistic treatments for Covid-19.  They reported that among 20 subjects taught to practice qigong, there was a significant increase in lung capacity and that after just 10 days, their lungs had become 20% better at taking in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. It was noted to be a potentially lifesaving improvement.

* The Regulation of Mind improves cognition, mood, and perception. When layered in with aspects of Regulating the Body as discussed above, it further improves communication between hemispheres of the brain. This enhances creativity, analytic ability, and overall intelligence.

A well-know qigong principle states that “the qi directs the body, but the mind directs the qi”, or more simply put, where the mind goes, the qi follows. When integrated with the Regulation of the Body and Breath, the Regulation of the Mind most fully regulates the qi, providing the greatest benefits possible in regards to health, well-being, vitality and longevity. This is where the ability to directly feel and work with your qi becomes most apparent, and where Dragon and Tiger becomes most fun and exciting.

Somewhere between 6” and 18” outside your physical body is the perimeter of your qi body, also known as the etheric field. Dragon and Tiger teaches you to learn to feel that perimeter, and to move qi through it in specific ways. The qi of your qi body connects directly with the Dragon and Tiger energy lines within your physical body. Moving qi through your qi field moves qi through the corresponding energy pathways within your body, which creates all the health benefits and other positive changes that this medical qigong practice provides.

What’s Next?

Now that you have a detailed conceptual foundation for Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong, the next thing you might want for further insight is an actual demonstration of the Dragon and Tiger form. Click on this link for an in-depth look with additional descriptive information about each movement, and graphic representations of all the associated energetics.

 

About the Author:

Steven Cardoza, M.Sc., L.Ac, holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a nationally certified Chinese medical physician, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist with over twenty-five years of experience. He is a certified instructor of Wu taiji and many styles of qigong, and has taught public and professional classes and workshops since 1986. He is the author of the books Chinese Holistic Medicine In Your Daily Life (2017), and Chinese Healing Exercises, A Personalized Practice for Health and Longevity (2013), both published by Llewellyn Publications; and the companion DVD, A Visual Guide To Chinese Healing Exercises. Email Steven at [email protected] or visit www.healingdragon.org

 

12 Jul 2021
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Remembering Beauty

Today as I was preparing to go for my almost daily bicycle ride, I stopped to glance over at one of our two rose bushes. They are planted in a small strip of ground between our living room window and the fence, and in previous years they have not been doing so well. Poor weather is usually the culprit here in the British Isles, but forgetting the rose food is also another factor. However, during the past 3-4 weeks, they have not only been producing a prodigious number of blooms, but they’ve grown over 6 feet in height!

As I gazed upon the unique orange blossoms, I thought that how easy it is to become inured to the beauty that is so close by somewhere. For a moment in time, all my personal thoughts faded into the background, and so did all the world’s tumultuous activity. Here it was just my consciousness taking in the beauty in front of me, and I became lost in a serenity that there are no words for.

Seems we take so much for granted these days, and most of us are so preoccupied that we just don’t really take in what is right at hand in our lives. It is one thing to look; it is quite another thing to actually see what it is we’re looking at. A mere thought about the to-do list, or a worry or three, and we are turning away from the miracle in front of us and exchanging it for another task, another obligation, and another round of problem solving. If you are an entrepreneur, most likely you live that experience 24/7, and barely come up for air. Marketing, tech hassles, virtual staff issues, grumpy clients…where does it end? When does the good life begin?

It can begin when we choose to slow down enough to take stock of ourselves, check and see if we’re occupying our body instead of hovering near it, and exercise our sovereignty diligently so we honor our own feelings and space to be as we are. Yes, I know…there are obligations aplenty. Working for a paycheck with a family to support during the upheavals of the past 17 months has been a grab bag of stress. Or perhaps you or someone you know has a health condition, or a psychological one. None of this we are experiencing is easy, and we can be so focused on survival mode that we overlook so much that there is to appreciate.

I have a very good book about spiritual seeking called “Doing Nothing” by Steven Harrison. Its focus is on the modern quest for enlightenment and peace, but many of his perspectives could easily be applied to more mundane matters. The other book which I have not read, but recently ordered, is entitled “How to be Idle” by Tom Hodgkinson. The Puritan work ethic, or the work ethic imposed by a jealous God in the Old Testament (“…by the sweat of thy brow shall you earn your bread…”) set the human race on a high-stress path of exertion with a future promise of reward and comfort. The entire dogma of the Abrahamic religions is centered on a perfect hereafter, if we are all good boys and girls, that is.

What is discouraged more today then ever before is that to be idle, or decide to withdraw from the Rat Race, is to be a reactionary. Someone who is anti-societal, and not to be trusted. In China it’s becoming a “thing” and they call it “lying flat”.

At this New Moon in Cancer take an inventory about your own life. Where do you over-commit? Where do you over-give? How do you cope with low-grade anxiety or moments of high stress? Are you happy and peaceful, or anxious and fearful? Are you in your body, and loving your body, or not?

Here’s something to ponder: when there’s a lot of cortisol pumping through our bodies we are incapable of rational decision making. The cost for this is multidimensional too, and as Dr. Gabor Maté states, trauma or living with trauma is the single biggest cause for disease…period!

Your physical and psychic boundaries are yours to employ and maintain. No one else will do it for you. We are empowered, we are capable, and it is not selfish to be concerned with one’s own harmony and wellbeing. Slow down, breathe and look around. What do you see? There’s beauty within and without to appreciate. Remember it often.

About the Author

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

24 Jun 2021
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How To Help Dogs And Cats Manage Separation Anxiety When Their Humans Return To Work

When one of my co-workers found out about a tiny, orphaned kitten that needed a home a few months ago, he didn’t hesitate to adopt it. He says his new companion helped make the months of COVID-19 isolation at home much less stressful.

He is not alone. Animal shelters and breeders across the country have reported record numbers of dog and cat adoptions in recent months.

But after my co-worker returned to work, he says his adorable kitten started urinating on the kitchen counter while he was away.

Another friend is worried about how her dog will react when she returns to the office. Her big, goofy Labrador retriever follows her everywhere, even to the bathroom. When she leaves to run a quick errand, the dog sits by the back door and whines, awaiting her return.

What should these pet owners do?

The problem with sudden changes in routine

A change in routine, such as suddenly being alone for many hours every day, is a major cause of separation anxiety for both dogs and cats.

Separation anxiety is more than a little whimpering when you head out the door. It’s major, unwanted behavior that happens every time you leave or are away.

For dogs and cats, this can mean excessive pacing, barking or howling, whimpering or self-grooming as you get ready to leave. In some cases it can mean urinating or defecating around the house, often in places where scents linger, such as on bedding or rugs, or destroying household items in your absence. Extreme clinginess or neediness is another symptom.

Separation anxiety won’t go away on its own, and it can be difficult to get rid of entirely. But there are ways to manage it. As a clinical veterinarian and professor, I am often asked to help people find ways to ease their pets’ anxiety.

What not to do

First, it’s important to understand that it’s not about you – it’s about your pet. Your dog or cat is not trying to teach you a lesson or get revenge. Animals don’t act out of spite.

Instead, it’s a signal of extreme distress and frustration that should be approached like any other medical ailment. Your pet doesn’t want to experience separation anxiety any more than you want to experience its consequences.

For this reason, punishment is never the answer. For one thing, your pet won’t connect the punishment with something that happened hours – or even a few minutes – earlier. And punishment may only exacerbate your pet’s anxiety and stress.

Similarly, going to the opposite extreme by praising or giving affection when your pet is suffering anxiety also will make the problem worse.

The goal is to create a balanced relationship so your pet tolerates being alone. First, get your pet checked out by a veterinarian to rule out physical conditions, such as a urinary tract infection if your pet urinates in inappropriate places.

Next, make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. For dogs, this may mean a long run or brisk walk every day. Getting exercise shortly before you leave the house may put your dog in a more relaxed state while you’re gone. It’s harder to feel stressed when the endorphin levels are elevated. For cats, this could mean a change of environment by being outdoors in a safe, enclosed area such as a “catio.”

Treating separation anxiety with behavior change

Here, we’re talking about your behavior. The goal is to make your absence seem like no big deal. Making a fuss over your pet when you leave or arrive home only makes matters worse. If you treat it like it’s routine, your pet will learn to do the same.

Try to figure out when your pet starts to show signs of anxiety and turn that into a low-key activity. If it’s when you pick up your handbag, for example, practice picking it up and putting it back down several times over a few hours. Similarly, get dressed or put on your shoes earlier than usual but stay home instead of leaving right away. Try starting your car’s engine and then turning it off and walking back inside.

Next, practice short absences. When you’re at home, make it a point to spend some time in another room. In addition, leave the house long enough to run an errand or two, then gradually increase the time that you’re away so that being gone for a full day becomes part of the family routine.

Changing the environment 

Boredom makes separation anxiety worse. Providing an activity for your pet while you’re gone, such as a puzzle toy stuffed with treats, or simply hiding treats around the house will make your absence less stressful. Other options for dogs and cats include collars and plug-in devices that release calming pheromones.

To maintain your bond while you’re gone, place a piece of clothing that you have worn recently in a prominent place, such as on your bed or couch, to comfort your pet. Similarly, you can leave the TV or radio on — there are even special programs just for pets — or set up a camera so you can observe and interact with your pet remotely. Some of these come equipped with a laser pointer or treats you can dispense.

Using supplements or medication

In some severe cases, when the animal harms itself or causes property damage, medication or supplements might be necessary. These alter the brain’s neurotransmitters to create a sense of calm.

While some are readily available without a prescription, it’s a good idea to get advice from your veterinarian to determine which are safest and most effective for your pet’s situation. Medication can help reduce the anxiety, making it easier for the pet to learn new coping skills. A behavior modification plan accompanying the use of medication can help manage this problem.

Separation anxiety is difficult for both you and your pet. But a few simple changes can make a huge difference as life returns to some semblance of normal.

 

About the Author:

Lori M. Teller is a Clinical Associate Professor, Veterinary Telehealth, at Texas A&M University

 

14 Jun 2021
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Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Happiness is the ultimate goal. All of us want to be happy; it’s our first search in this life. However, do we really know what being happy is?

Many of us think happiness is being content and satisfied with events present in our lives, like getting a new car, obtaining a new job or a promotion, falling in love, or traveling to a new place. But, the effects of these experiences pass and we keep looking for that elusive state.

Over the years and practicing my spiritual instruction, I have discovered that happiness is not a passing state or an illusion; it’s really a permanent state of fulfillment. Happiness for me is waking up every morning rested, it’s hearing the birds singing, it’s admiring the green beauty of my little garden, it’s enjoying a nice cup of coffee, it’s the simple things in life.

What I am trying to say is that my state of being is constantly a happy one and the best part of this is that everywhere I go I radiate my state of fulfillment to others around. I go to buy groceries, for example, and I get an extra apple for free, because I have been smiling and happily chatting to the cashier. Or somebody offers me their full bottle of mineral water in a restaurant before leaving. Or people just smile at me and talk to me.

It wasn’t like this before. I used to be a bit moody and bad tempered. However, by practicing meditation and spiritual exercises, little by little, my mood changed and my way of “being” changed, so much so that it caught my family’’ attention and they encouraged me to keep going, to keep practicing. I myself was amazed at my new way of enjoying my very own existence in this physical plane.

What about bad days, you may be wondering? Well, of course they appear from time to time, however they don’t last for long and if they do, I go deep into myself and quickly find my peace again.

Spirituality has given me the tools to achieve calmness, balance and inspiration to live my life like the happy energy being that I am. Happiness is a choice, and you can be happy, too.

Many times before I have said that our major proof is our own experience. Happiness is in my experience, not as a passing asset, but as a permanent one.

Go and make the necessary changes to allow happiness into your life.

 

About the Author:

 

Veronica Sanchez De Darivas is Chilean-Australian, now living in the UK and a proud mother of teenage twins. A spiritual awakening teacher, bestselling author, pineal gland (third eye) activator and Certified Instructor for the Cyclopea Method, Veronica is currently the only instructor in the world teaching the Cyclopea Method in English.

 

 

 

09 Jun 2021
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Spectro-Chrome: Healing With Colored Light

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to use colors as a way to make your life healthier? The truth is, you can. Dr. Alexander Wunsch, who is based in Germany, is a world-class expert in the use of light as a therapeutic healing agent, and is a human treasure trove of information on a topic that very few people understand.

In previous interviews, we’ve discussed the history of photobiology and how LED lighting can compromise your health. Here, our focus in on the therapeutic use of colored light, which Wunsch began experimenting with nearly 25 years ago:

“My first approach was colorpuncture from Peter Mandel. One evening, I met a friend of mine. I told him I would like to go deeper into the colorpuncture issue and learn more about that. He handed me a book by Darius Dinshah, ’Let There Be Light: Practical Manual for Spectro-Chrome Therapy’ …

I thought this is really a fascinating color system. It’s not only a color therapy method, it’s also a beautiful color system — [the way] Dinshah arranged these 12 basic colors, how they compose the Spectro-Chrome color wheel is a pleasure by itself, because it’s very symmetric and there’s a very logical plan behind it. I started to evaluate this method on my own.”

Why Chromotherapy Was Relegated To The Dustbin

As noted by Wunsch, who has studied the historical rise and fall of photobiology, in the 1920s, there was a strong push to weed out so-called “quackery” in medicine, although there was no evidence-based medicine to speak of as of yet.

All physically-based treatments were targeted for elimination, for the simple reason they were unwanted competition standing in the way of the burgeoning drug industry. In this crusade, the Spectro-Chrome method was one of the hundreds of targets of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“If you have a brave patient who takes the pills every day, he’s a good customer … If you have a client who’s treating himself with colored light, you might sell a lightbulb to him, but that’s it,” Wunsch says.

“There was a hype for blue light [in those] days. It was very popular. Light therapy, think of Kellogg, for example, was very popular. The medical experts in a way had problems with the spreading of these physically-based methods. It was more or less a logical step to [ban] the method …

Dinshah did one thing quite early in his chromotherapy career. He thought, ‘OK. If the doctors aren’t ready for the method, I will address all the knowledge I collected around the diligent use of colors to the laymen.’ His motto was, ‘Spectro-Chrome for every home.’ This was his aim. He wanted to spread the word about the effects of colors so that everyone would know how to treat himself or herself by using colored light.”

While there are well-documented health benefits associated with the red, near- mid- and far-infraredspectrum, the Spectro-Chrome method created by Dinshah focuses on the visible part of the light spectrum, on the rainbow and the extra-spectral colors.

Systemic And Local Use Of Colored Light 

You can implement colored light therapy either by shining light through a colored filter, or by wearing colored glasses, so that the light striking your retina is of a particular color frequency.

“You could say there is systemic use and local use of colored light. You would shine the light onto a body part, which can be the eye or the skin. There is a dermal application, and there is an ocular application. You can treat systemically, which means you are taking a light bath, covering the full body surface with the light, [or you can do] local treatments. 

The ocular treatment is somehow in between the local and the systemic. You’re treating only the eyes, which is locally defined, but the eyes are the window of the brain, the window of your vegetative system, so the treatment of the eyes is also a systemic treatment,” Wunsch explains.

“In the 1930s, when the Spectro-Chrome method had been banned already, there was some kind of modification, which is called Syntonics Optometry. Syntonics optometrists used the colored light exclusively for the eye. They addressed also systemic disorders using this ocular pathway. As a basic principle in phototherapy, it does not matter what kind of technology you’re using for the light source.

[What’s] important is that you cover the wavelength band and that you reach certain intensity levels. Intensity levels are already something that is very close to modern phototherapy. Spectro-Chrome [produces] effects based on information, not intensity. This means you can use large, huge colored projectors, but you can also use the small little light [that] might have comparable effects.”

What Can You Treat With Colored Light?

The premiere textbook for Spectro-Chrome is “Let There Be Light,”written by one of Dinshah’s sons, Darius Dinshah, current president of the Dinshah Health Society. This book lists more than 320 different disorders that have been successfully treated with this method

Wunsch goes so far as to say he would not exclude any disorder from the potential treatment with colored light, because you can, at bare minimum, benefit from symptomatic treatment. That said, one concrete example includes the treatment of skin burns:

“[Dinshah] understood green as the central color … the color which balances all the different body functions, mental functions and partly also emotional functions. The colors with longer wavelengths compared to the green, he called the infragreen colors. The shorter wavelengths, he called the ultragreen colors …

[W]hen you think of the classical signs of inflammation … you have the reddening, the erythema, you have heat, the inflammation. You have too much inflammatory or flame effect, so to say. The tissue gets red. The tissue gets hot. The tissue is painfully altered. You have hampered function …

Too much of red, too much of heat gives you already the idea of which color to use. You would use the ultragreen color to compensate for the long wavelengths, which become apparent by reddening, fever or heat. An acute inflammation would be treated with ultragreen colors and vice versa. 

The chronic inflammation or the chronic disorder should be treated by the infragreen colors. You’re always aiming to reach the green after a certain while, because this is the balance. This is the middle between the extremes.”

To Cool Heat (Red) Symptoms, Use Violet Or Indigo

This is not to say that there’s not a certain level of complexity involved. For example, you need to be cautious with ultraviolet (UV) rays and shorter wavelengths when you have a wound, as exposing wounds to sunlight can result in more severe scars. Wunsch explains:

“If you have inflammation … sometimes it comes along with an infection. Some germs, some bacteria, are aggravated or they benefit from shorter wavelengths. UV light can induce inflammatory reactions. We can tell this, for example, from the erythema caused by sunlight. This was one of Niels Ryberg Finsen’s findings that short wavelength light acts as an inflammatory.

If you have too much heat and you want to cool it down, it’s important to lower the activity of the metabolism. The metabolism is more or less represented by the activity of mitochondria. If you have an overactivity of mitochondria, then you would increase this over activity, probably, if you are using long wavelengths, because the long wavelengths definitely activate mitochondrial activity, metabolism and energy production, which we know from photobiomodulation.

So yes, you could treat a skin burn with a certain intensity of long wavelength light. This is not what Dinshah did [though]. For severe skin burn, which is induced by long wavelength, which is a thermal skin burn, he would use violet or indigo in the first phase.

The reason is, when we talk about the thermal skin burn, we have blistering. We have excretion or secretion of liquid. We want to reduce these secretory activities. Here, the violet or the ultragreen colors in general are much better than the infragreen colors.

There comes a moment in the process of wound healing where we definitely need the longer wavelengths as well, where we start and compensate for the excessive heat, for the excessive infragreen. We compensate for that using the ultragreen colors. 

Personally, I [had] the best experience using the indigo in the first step. If you treat a skin burn once or twice with indigo, you can even keep this injury from developing a blister … [I]f the blister does not fully form, it will hold and it will stay on the skin, even if it’s thermally modified. It will stay as your own natural wound dressing for the first few days. This gives the deeper layers the time to regenerate and restore.”

Practical Example: How To Treat A Burn With Colored Light 

If you were to get a sunburn, or accidentally burn yourself on the stove or hot instrument, how exactly would you treat it using colored light? Wunsch recommends using a simple incandescent lamp equipped with an indigo filter. Post-surgical wounds also benefit from indigo.

If you’re even the least bit handy, you can easily build your own Spectro-Chrome color projector. For a mere 50 cents, you can purchase step-by-step instructions to make a color projector with a 25- or 40-watt reflector lamp, some cardboard and glue from the Dinshah Health Society.

The book will also tell you exactly which filters you need to get to achieve the recommended Spectro-Chrome colors. Rosco and LEE are two companies making colored filters.

A drawback with these filters is that since they’re made for theater lighting, they also transmit white light. In other words, they’re not as saturated as the true, original Spectra-Chrome filters were. To achieve the required saturation, you’ll need to combine two or more filters according to the recommendations of the Dinshah Health Society (detailed in “Let There Be Light”).

As for the lamp, Wunsch builds his using a military angled flashlight, available from Amazon. They’re specifically made for adding filters for signaling purposes. Once you’ve made your projector, simply shine the light onto the affected area.

“The first one, two or three days, depending on the reddishness, on the heat in the tissue, you start with Indigo and [then] switch over to blue … In the classical and original Spectro-Chrome method, you would treat for 30 to 60 minutes …

[A] 10th of a millimeter under the skin surface [is] the capillary layer. All the colors of the rainbow reach the capillary layer. They reach the bloodstream. This is one of the direct actions. If you shine colored light onto the surface of the skin, it will automatically come in contact or it will automatically reach the bloodstream.

This is the reason why Dinshah recommended treatment duration of 30 to 60 minutes. He wanted to make sure that your whole blood comes in contact with the treatment color several times during the treatment session … Personally, from my own experience, after five minutes of treatment of thermal skin burn, the pain turns into a kind of tickling discomfort.

When you remove the indigo light, after 10 minutes or so, this tickling discomfort disappears almost immediately. But as soon as you treat it again or tonate — tonation [means] the use of colored light — if you go on treating it and the tickle and discomfort reoccurs, there is still [more healing to be done] …

In my experience, as long as the tickling and discomfort reappears under the influence of the indigo light, you should go on with the treatment. I had a third and fourth degree skin burn on my wrist. I treated this for more than two hours. I was able to prevent it from blistering. It healed up within two weeks or so. 

After two or three days, you can use the turquoise, the green and the Lemon. Depending on the progress of healing, you adjust the color which fits to the actual condition,” Wunsch explains.

How Color Affects Your Skin 

Contrary to the application of ice, which will only act superficially, the indigo colored light will act on different layers of your skin. Superficially, the indigo light will reduce the inflammatory reaction. In the deeper layers, there will be photobiomodulatory active radiation as well, because when you use an incandescent lamp combined with an indigo filter, you will have:

  1. A basic field consisting of near-infrared radiation
  2. A controlling field, which consists of the color indigo (approximately 430 nanometers or nm), which addresses the reduction of the metabolic activity on the surface

Incandescent light is an analog full-spectrum source, and when you place a filter over it, the majority of the wavelength will be indigo. However, almost all older glass filters and modern gel or plastic filters allow infrared, especially near-infrared radiation, to pass through. Were the filter to excessively absorb heat, it would break or melt.

“The filters from the old technology, you always have a transmission in the long wavelength part of the spectrum as well,” Wunsch says. “This, in a way, fits well to the principle of Fritz-Albert Popp, who said there is a supporting field in the long wavelength part and an information field in the visible and probably also in the UV part.

But for the Spectro-Chrome method, we use the information part in the visible section of the spectrum, and we use the supportive energy from the wavelengths we also know as being effective in the realm of the photobiomodulation.”

Treating Low Back Pain With Colored Light

Another common ailment is back pain. Wunsch, who is trained in the Alexander Technique, osteopathy, craniosacral therapy and acupuncture, notes that the area where it hurts is not necessarily the specific site of the problem. In acupuncture, specific meridian points will help alleviate back pain, but you could actually use a laser light on these points instead of a needle. You can also use temperature or vibration or other physical stimuli.

“Normally, the Spectro-Chrome method uses the whole body tonation. There is a set of questions you can ask, and then you will get an idea how to treat it. Is the back pain acute or is it chronic? If it’s acute, you would probably use the indigo, because indigo also relieves pain. An alternative would be violet or purple. These three colors are classical pain relievers.

If it’s a chronic event, you would not necessarily treat the area of pain, but you would start with whole body tonation using lemon … As a standard, if we are talking about a chronic condition, the basic color, which is always part of the treatment regimen, is lemon.”

Spectro-Chrome Glasses For Day And Nighttime Use

Another alternative is to use Spectro-Chrome glasses. Similar to a color bath, the glasses will provide systemic treatment, and they’re a lot easier to use than setting up a room for full-body tonation, as you need to make sure the room is pitch-dark aside from the colored light, the temperature needs to be optimal since you must be naked or near-naked, and you need a projector and all of the necessary filters.

“The glasses resemble a kind of ultimate life hack, because you can just choose the best color for the moment or the situation out of the box … When we just imagine the colored world that surrounded us as early humans in the step in the Savannah, in the rainforest, in the river scape, the coast landscape, the desert, the mountains, all these settings are linked to certain colors, which are predominantly active in this scene. 

The seasons, they add that color characteristics to the location and to the climate. Normally, our physical and mental body expects colors from our environment. When you are in a concrete desert and you look around, especially during the day when daylight is on, you would miss a lot of these colors. During the night, you will not have colors for longer periods of time …

I would not recommend for someone who is in a chronobiologically disordered situation to use the blue light or the blue glasses at nighttime … [T]here are colors that are recommended for the use during the daytime and other colors are recommended for the use during nighttime — those are the purple and magenta colors. Purple is the color that has the highest impact on sleep quality … 

[P]urple activates bromine … [B]romine was used in former times … for sleep disorders. Magenta stimulates lithium and alleviates depression. It’s the color addressing soul-associated disorders. Lithium salts are used for depression treatment in pharmacology as well. Instead of administering lithium, Dinshah would administer magenta. Magenta, purple, those are colors that should be used during the nighttime.”

A Remarkable Success Story 

A powerful testament to the effectiveness of color therapy comes from Wunsch’s own family, on his wife’s side. A male relative was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis at the age of 50. The university clinic gave him six months to live, telling him to go home and get his affairs in order. Using Dinshah’s method, he exceeded this grim forecast by a factor of 72.

“He traveled from Germany to Dinshah’s place [in Malaga] and learned all about the diligent use of the Spectro-Chrome method from Dinshah. He took a set of filters home and started to treat himself as you would treat a chronic condition, with lemon and red. Red is the color that addresses the liver. He was able to add another 36 years to his life.”

Personally, I believe chromotherapy is a safe and powerful alternative healing strategy that nearly anyone can add to their self-healing toolbox. For $100 or so you can obtain all the information and supplies you need. Just like liposomal C, which I believe should be in every emergency kit to treat acute infections, a light with an indigo or violet filter is another must to radically accelerate burn healing.

Again, you’ll want to get Dinshah’s book, “Let There Be Light,”from the Dinshah Health Society. (It’s also available on Amazon, but you’ll pay as much as five times the price.) Once you know which Spectro-Chrome colors you need, you can buy the required filters from Rosco or LEE and fashion a projector, either using Dinshah’s inexpensive projector plans or an angle head military flashlight. Alternatively, invest in a set of Spectro-Chrome glasses, available from Innovative Eyewear.

 

~ Dr. Joseph Mercola

Original article here

06 May 2021
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Learning to Listen: Liberating Myself From Lyme

In 2001 I lived in Marin County, a rural area north of San Francisco Bay, where I worked as a field biologist. While taking a shower, I found a tick embedded in my armpit. Two weeks later, I noticed a rash on my stomach. Maybe it’s poison oak, I thought? But it didn’t itch. I let it go.

A month later, I noticed creeping, itchy arthritis in my right hip. Then not long after, I was playing guitar, and my arm would not move as commanded. My friend said, “Dude, there’s something wrong with you!”

I went to a doctor friend and flipped through his book of diseases. When I got to L, I knew what it was. I got tested for Lyme (Borrelia). It came back positive. The treatment was 30 days of the antibiotic doxycycline, which cleared out all my symptoms. Cured, I thought.

Little did I know it was just the beginning of a near 10-year nightmare.

Lyme worms its way in

Lyme lays “eggs” or encysts. The cysts can be dormant for months, then hatch and mutate. The tick can dump other bacteria and parasites into your body that need different kinds of treatment. Long-term sufferers will tell you the illness can be interminable if Lyme isn’t eradicated early. It transforms into “persister” cells and can create an autoimmune situation where your immune system is trying to play catch up.

A few months later, all the symptoms and much more came raging back. I was hospitalized, receiving intravenous antibiotics because Lyme had developed into a kind of meningitis ravaging my brain. As I lay in the hospital bed, I began to cry. I was in a state of utter despair. What was going on? Why was I sick again?

I focused on my breathing and prayed. Lyme was jumbling my brain, I couldn’t think, but I could feel. If I can still feel and breathe, then I can love and exist, I thought. I felt into my brain and asked, What’s the matter?, as if my brain were a baby. With all of the love and tender feelings I could muster, I cradled my brain and asked again: What’s the matter? I love you, brain. What’s wrong?

Trusting my inner wisdom

A miracle happened. I had a vision. I saw a beautiful large oak tree in the woods, and up the side of the trunk, shelf mushrooms were spiraling up the tree toward the sky. I need these, I thought.

I recognized two kinds of mushrooms from my work as a field biologist. One was reishi mushrooms, another was turkey tail mushroom, and there was a third kind, but I would have to wait till I got out of the hospital to look it up. It was chaga.

I researched the mushrooms and discovered reishi mushrooms have been used in Chinese medicine as an immune booster for thousands of years. Turkey tail mushrooms are also immune boosters and are part of an anticancer drug currently being developed and tested called PSK. Chaga turned out to be another incredible immune booster, according to research by world-renowned mushroom expert Paul Stamets. While these mushrooms are now quite popular, in 2002 they were unheard of.

I began to hone my intuitive skills and practice the art of intuitive sensory perception inside my body. I noted what I was seeing, tasting, smelling, and hearing during my motherly loving meditations with my brain.

Then I had another breakthrough. While inward viewing, I saw cysts inside my body. Lyme can lie dormant for up to a year or more, and those cysts — nasty little eggs — were inside my brain. I saw rows of them like peas in a peapod. They were coated with a biofilm and with what looked like a pencil on top. I couldn’t understand what this image was. I worked with my sensory perception and realized my body was speaking to me symbolically.

Deep healing begins

About a week after this vision, I wandered into the supplement section of the market. In the homeopathic aisle, I saw a little blue tube labeled Graphites. That’s in pencils, I thought. What do graphites do exactly? According to the homeopathic pamphlet, “Graphites can dissolve toughened skin, scars, boils, and cysts.” Holy Moses! Pencils over eggs! My intuition told me that graphites and similar homeopathic remedies could dissolve Lyme cysts. Graphites became a crucial component of my healing. It was a huge breakthrough.

After this, I started trusting the more profound wisdom that came through the senses from a place deeper than my mind. I wrote down a multitude of foods, herbs, and antibiotics my body identified for me. I also started seeing stuck feelings and other things that were dampening my immunity.

I used the intuitive information I received along with the science I researched to affirm what I was intuiting, and worked closely with a few Lyme specialists to liberate myself from Lyme. I used both sets of knowing to collect information and facts. I would often be shown a remedy and then find the medical research that confirmed what I had intuited. This method helped me validate what I was seeing and sensing. In addition to many common antibiotics and herbs, I discovered several unusual medicines and techniques for Lyme that I had never heard of.

Loving the messenger

However, the most profound healing came late in my near 10-year journey. I went to the Mono Basin in the eastern Sierras in California on a vision quest. Any Lyme suffer knows there is a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety with Lyme. I would often wake with panic attacks, not being able to sleep.

On the 8th day in the desert, I went into a massive panic attack. I thought I was going to die and lose my mind. Why was I so terrified of this bacterium, I asked myself. How could a little piece of life devastate my life? Anger and fear swirled around me. Then I had the thought that changed me forever.

What if I love Lyme? What if I love the monster?

It was like a million light bulbs went off.

With all the love I could muster, I cradled an imaginary worm-like bacteria; I blessed it. Although at the bottom of the karmic totem pole of life, Lyme is still alive. I thought, what if I were Lyme? A lowly, evil little creature, just trying to survive. I had a sense of compassion for the Lyme, sadness for its life. At that moment, it lost its power over me. By blessing the enemy, it no longer had control. I had weakened it, and this moment was the real healing. The Lyme became my teacher, showing me how to reclaim my power and remain symptom-free.

About the Author:

Vir McCoy works as a healer and a field biologist and botanist, focusing on endangered species, and is the co-author with Kara Zahl of Liberating Yourself from Lyme (Healing Arts Press, 2020).

 

Source: Spirit of Change

 

12 Apr 2021
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“The Power of No(w), and the Power of One”

 

The New Moon on Sunday/Monday, April 11th/12th (depending on what time zone you are in), and the Full Moon of April 26th-27th will be the harbingers for the beginning of 2021’s eclipse season, which kicks off on May 26th. These three lunations will be reflecting and instigating the next steps in the unfolding drama within the dream spell of human interactions. It will also herald an almost year-long process leading up to the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces in mid-February 2022, just as Pluto arrives to station at the same degree as he was at when America was born on July 4th, 1776. The Pluto Return for the USA announces that this is the end of empire(s). China be warned!

Even though the last 15 months has tested everyone and everything to the extreme, we will now be entering another phase of that cycle, which began with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn on January 12th, 2020, and then followed by the ingress of Saturn into Aquarius last December 21st, 2020. We are in for more change and disruption, but also with some distinct glimmers of light and radiance added in. This New Moon is the real beginning of the astrological “new year”, as we will have the Sun, Moon, Venus, Ceres, Mercury, and Chiron all in the sign of the Warrior/Ram. Very potent stuff! Not to be overlooked in this recipe is the addition of the minor planet Erisat 24 Degrees of Aries. Her other name is Discord/Truth. My fellow astrologer Eric Francis has also dubbed her the ‘Sigil of the Digital Age’.

This stellium in Cardinal Fire is also squared (tension) by Pluto in Capricorn. Mars, the ruler of this New Moon, has finally crossed over the North Node in Gemini, and is the first planet coasting out in the clear of everything that has been packed together on one side of the sky. A real traffic jam…which is why everything felt so stagnant these last 3 months.  We are now stimulated to not only initiate and act on our deepest impulses, to say “yes” to Life and to new opportunities, but to also use the power of “no” to counter anyone or anything that attempts to violate our boundaries or exert continued or new authority over us. Keep that in mind during the weeks following this weekend it will play out in the collective in surprising and sometimes distressing ways.

Essentially, the pulse I am picking up everywhere is a sense of exhaustion with the control and top-down way in which everything is being “managed”. Nothing like a global health emergency to drive people to extremes of behaviour. I have directly experienced and had folks report to me that long-standing friends and some family members have become strangers. This is a direct manifestation of Saturn in Aquarius. The crowd says “yes”, and a handful say “no”. The pressure to conform, to do what is right according to the authority (Saturn) is building up, all done with digital mediums like track and trace, proposed medical passports, and surveillance.

With the arising of the Aries season the power of “no”, done in the “now”, by each “one” who hears the call of their soul will challenge this pattern of authoritarian control. The mask is slipping, as it were. Chiron in Aries is the energy of the Warrior as Healer, and unlikely Hero. During the next 10-11 months, Chiron will represent a guiding light for the wise way through much of what will (probably) unfold. I may sound like I am hedging my bets there. It is mainly due to the presence of Uranus in Taurus. His archetype is prominent in that first total Lunar Eclipse on May 26th, 2021, but that is a discussion for another time.

Since duality itself is a phenomenon of the One in materiality, it should be obvious that when one says “no” to something or someone, the flip side is also present. We are saying “yes” to something else.

In this situation, I feel it is looks and feels like a big “yes” for individual sovereignty and respect and at the same time a recognition that none of us, of and by ourselves, can do everything. This is the cornerstone that many have lost touch with – the balance between Self and Other, between the physical and the ethereal, between acceptance and rejection. Another way of thinking about it is embodied awareness that recognizes its own survival is already a foregone conclusion. Death is a phantom, and Uranus in Taurus warms us up to the embrace of organic symbiotic interactions with all creatures great and small, while at the same time placing one’s own survival instinct into unfamiliar place…one of trusting Life and losing the attachment to ego preservation.

In the image with this article, one taken from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the figure of Gandalf the Grey, a seemingly small-time wizard of little stature, is facing off against a dark adversary of immense proportions. An evil of the ancient world, a Balrog of Morgoth. Does he cower or falter, even when his demise seems certain? No. His fellowship with the Hobbits, and men, and a single elf are at stake. So is their mission. He stands his ground, and courageously speaks to the shadow and flame, “you…shall…not…pass!” He says “no” with everything he has within him.  I personally aspire to possess such courage, and such calmness, as Tolkien’s unlikely hero, Gandalf the Grey, does.

Whoever you are, and wherever you are, I hope you may be inspired to discover and set loose your biggest “no’s” and “yes’s!” We will have plenty of opportunities to explore, experiment and experience this core energy of the divine within each of us. Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It is a fear sublimated and harnessed by Love and harnessed to for a purpose that is in the truth of your Being.

We are going to need to do more than just talk truth to power. We will have to ask ourselves to act like the truth matters. One truth is this – while everyone is focused near field of fear about viruses and vaccines, no one is looking behind the veil and beyond to the larger picture. For the first time in our history, the threshold of carbon dioxide levels has surpassed 420ppm. The last time our Earth has been this warm was 3 million years ago, during the Pliocene Epoch.

The proposals for vaccination documents or passports conceals a deeper and more disturbing feature that arises from the increasing reliance and implementation of A.I. across the globe for surveillance and social manipulation. I will be covering more of this in depth during my radio show on April 18th.

Usually during times of the greatest challenge and darkness, we rediscover the Light within, and regain the wisdom and sense to course-correct. This may be the most important time on this planet since the days of Atlantis. The choices around what is most helpful and humane and what is not, are becoming clearer by the day. Not everyone will see or hear what you may have to say, so do yourself a favour. Do not attempt to open a closed system. Respect the boundaries of others, as you would want others to respect your boundaries. However, you have an inherent right to the following: to choose how you manage your life, your health, your relationships, and especially your consciousness and your individual relationship to whatever your spiritual path and concepts of the Divine might be.

Unconditional Love is allowing. And that also includes allowing yourself free expression to say your biggest “yes’s”, and your biggest “no’s”.

About the Author:

Isaac George is an internationally recognized intuitive mentor/coach, evolutionary astrologer, conscious channel, self-published author and musician. After a life-altering spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1994 he explored various healing modalities, including hypnotherapy and Reiki. In 1998 he began spontaneously channeling Archangel Ariel and other dimensional intelligences.

Originally from the United States, Isaac currently resides in the UK and offers Spiritual Mentoring sessions and programs and Evolutionary Astrology consultations.

 

22 Mar 2021
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The Dandelion Principle

One spring I volunteered at a botanical garden, spending many days uprooting what to my untrained eye looked like lovely flowers and plants, because they were “non-native.” This particular garden cultivates only indigenous plants, so any errant seeds that have the misfortune to blow in and bloom are routinely removed

I found myself apologizing to the blossoms I pulled, innocent flowers who happened to settle in the “wrong” location. And I began to contemplate how much of our sense of borders and boundaries trickles down to everything we express as a species. While I’m not a horticulturist, my sense of deep ecology evolved out of my own healing journey.

Living Beyond the Lawn

Growing up in suburban America, I observed fairly rampant homeowner disgust with the dandelion, scourge of suburbia’s well-manicured lawns.

Much later, I discovered that dandelion is one of the most healing herbs available to humanity, offering itself in abundance wherever we may dwell. It’s a supreme liver tonic, known to help detoxify the body’s “processing plant.” In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the liver equates to anger. If you want to release that pent-up rage in a healthy way, the remedy is probably available, free and easy, right in your own backyard.

Dandelion can act as de facto compost, gently surrounding and helping to decompose back into rich loam that which no longer serves. Yet we curse the weed and uproot it, spray poison to keep the green carpet unsullied. When we can stop “livin’ for the lawn,” focusing predominantly on the external, and make the subtle shift from ego mind to Universal Mind, we see with great clarity the incredible gifts all around us. Our teammates are everywhere, in the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms — if we have eyes to see.

Reimagining Inclusivity

As we move ever deeper into our collective rebirth process, we’ll be releasing people and places that no longer resonate with our lives now, and preparing to welcome in the new. Doing this with lovingkindness is our mandate. It’s a ripe moment to ask, who or what in my life seems like an outsider? Am I willing to look again, to enlarge the lens, to see beyond imaginary borders, to become inclusive rather than exclusive?

The Dandelion Principle says that where some see a weed, others see an herbal ally; a tonic not a toxic.

Where in your life is the medicine you need staring you in the face, masked as an undesirable…and all you need to do is shift your perception?

Below are seven practical steps to enlarge the lens this spring (fall, for our southern hemisphere allies): to slow down and look with the eyes of wonder, like a child. You’ll find many more on my mp3/CD, What You Need to Know Now: A Road Map for Personal Transformation:

  • Keep a journal. Buy a beautiful blank book and a pen that feels comfortable in your hand. Then allow yourself to write whatever and whenever you want. No one else need ever read it unless you choose to share, so send the censor packing! Journaling is like ingesting dandelion leaves with your pen — a great way to purge emotions and discover what really matters to you. And writing by hand is very different from writing on a digital device.
  • Dance your evolutionary process. Do you instinctively sway as you talk, or dance around the room when you get excited? Express your change process as flowing movement. Maybe it’s yoga, or tai chi, or free-form dance.
  • Make art. Are you a natural with a paintbrush or clay? Splash your emotions onto canvas, pour them into a mold, sketch them into being. Remember, this is art from the heart: done for the sole/soul purpose of enlarging your own vision.
  • Sing! Is your voice your most powerful expressive tool? If you love to sing but don’t know any songs, make up nonsense words to tunes you like, and sing them — in public. This is also a fabulous way to break free of the “What will people think?” trap.
  • Be in Nature. Sit by moving water. Sit inmoving water. Sing while sitting in a stream!
  • Prepare a meal that is as aesthetic as it is nutritious. As you combine ingredients, imagine that you are cooking up a grander vision for your life.
  • Hush. Spend a day, alone or with others, in total silence.

© Copyright March 2021 by Amara Rose. All rights reserved.

 

About the Author:

 

Amara Rose, Managing Editor of Ascension Lifestyle, is widely published in health, business, lifestyle, and new thought magazines, both digital and print. Visit LiveYourLight.com, where you can also subscribe to her monthly e-newsletter, What Shines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18 Feb 2021
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Cleaning House

Your home is an extension of your energy field…

Practices like cleaning your home, rearranging furniture, organizing your closet, and getting rid of objects that are cluttering your space can have a profound impact on your  mind, body, and spirit. It is this feeling of “cleaning house” that we lean into during this season so that we may fully embody true change, not just intellectualize it.

Cleaning house means to get rid of stuff, organize your life, finish tasks, have conversations with people that you have been putting off, clear up any possible misunderstandings, end relationships that are no longer serving you, and collapse timelines. Let it all go so you can start to make progress. Trust that there is a greater force in this universe that is orchestrating the changes and growth you will experience.

There are certain things you are calling in that will require you to grow in order to receive them. And that growth will be exactly what your soul needs. It is time to start aligning yourself with the right people who can support your vision and growth trajectory. On a deep level, a commitment to the serious soul confronting work is needed for real transformation and lasting change. Lean into this calling and commit, all in.

Know that all of the growth and progress you have made thus far is because you did the work. You are a masterpiece in progress so give yourself credit. With the magnificence of who you are in mind how will you show up? How will you clean house? If your home is an extension of your energy field, how will you fill it with things that reflect you and who you are becoming?

About the Author:

Incarnated in this lifetime as a clairsentient, Maryam Hasnaa has learned the importance of living in alignment with one’s intuition and most authentic self. She uses her etheric abilities to remind other beings of the vibrational, energetic nature of this universe. The key elements of her work include a depth of knowledge and experience within a diverse range of esoteric spiritual traditions, cosmic cosmology and energy work.

 

Photography by Sal Tran

26 Jan 2021
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How To Outsmart Your COVID-19 Fears And Boost Your Mood In 2021

After a year of toxic stress ignited by so much fear and uncertainty, now is a good time to reset, pay attention to your mental health and develop some healthy ways to manage the pressures going forward.

Brain science has led to some drug-free techniques that you can put to use right now.

I am health psychologist who developed a method that harnesses our rip-roaring emotions to rapidly switch off stress and activate positive emotions instead. This technique from emotional brain training is not perfect for everyone, but it can help many people break free of stress when they get stuck on negative thoughts.

Why The Stress Response Is So Hard To Turn Off 

Three key things make it hard to turn off stress-activated negative emotions:

  • First, our genes make us worrywarts. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors survived by assuming every rustle in the grasses was a lurking hungry lion, not harmless birds hunting for seeds. We’re essentially programmed to be hyperaware of threats, and our brains rapidly launch stress chemicals and negative emotions in response.
  • Second, the chemical cascade of stress hormones in the brain associated with negative emotions impairs cognitive flexibility, goal-directed behavior and self-control.
  • Third, our tendency to avoid dealing with negative emotions puts people in a perpetual cycle of ignoring unpleasant feelings, which amplifies stress and the risk of emotional health problems.

 

Traditional approaches for coping with stress were based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on modifying patterns of thinking and behavior. It was developed before our modern understanding of stress overload.

Researchers at New York University discovered a paradox: Although cognitive methods were effective in low-stress situations, they were less effective when dealing with the high stress of modern life.

Emotional brain training works with these high-stress emotions in an effort to tame them, releasing negative emotions as the first of two steps in preventing stress overload.

Step 1: Release Negative Emotions

The only negative emotion in the brain that supports taking action rather than avoidance and passivity is anger.

Studies have shown that the suppression of anger is associated with depression and that suppressing anger doesn’t reduce the emotion. Healthy release of anger instead has been found to reduce other stress-related health risks.

Our technique is to switch off stress overload by using a controlled burst of anger to help the brain exert better emotional control and allow emotions to flow rather than become chronic and toxic. After that first short burst, other feelings can flow, starting with sadness to grieve the loss of safety, then fear and regret, or what we would do differently next time.

You can talk yourself through the stages. To experiment with the process, use these simple phrases to express the negative feelings and release your stress: “I feel angry that …”; “I feel sad that …”; “I feel afraid that …”; and “I feel guilty that …”

Step 2. Express Positive Emotions 

After releasing negative emotions, positive emotions can naturally arise. Express these feelings using the same approach: “I feel grateful that …”; “I feel happy that …”; “I feel secure that …”; and “I feel proud that …”

Your mindset can quickly change, a phenomenon that has many potential explanations. One explanation is that in positive states, your brain’s neural circuits that store memories from when you were in the same positive state in the past can be spontaneously activated. Another is that the switch from negative to positive emotions quiets your sympathetic nervous system – which triggers the fight-or-flight response – and activates the parasympathetic system, which acts more like a brake on strong emotions.

Here’s what the whole stress relief process might look like for me right now:

  • I feel angry that we’re all isolated and I can’t see my new grandson Henry.
  • I hate it that everything is so messed up! I HATE THAT!!!
  • I feel sad that I am alone right now.
  • I feel afraid that this will never end.
  • I feel guilty that I am complaining! I am lucky to be alive and have shelter and love in my life.
  • Then the positive:
  • I feel grateful that my daughter-in-law sends me photos of Henry.
  • I feel happy that my husband and I laughed together this morning.
  • I feel secure that this will eventually pass.
  • I feel proud that I am doing the best I can to cope.

After a daunting year, and with more challenges ahead in 2021, upgrading your approach to emotions can be a drug-free mood booster. Our COVID-19 fears need not consume us. We can outsmart the brain’s fear response and find moments that sparkle with promise.

About the Author

 

Laurel Mellin, Associate Professor Emeritus of Family & Community Medicine and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco.