Announcing; Wild Wisdom Wednesdays

The strength and resilience of so many people whom choose to stand and speak up in the face of threats, bullying, intimidation and fear-based violence keeps a flame of hope burning deep within me.
At times (especially during the last 6 -8 weeks) I have felt at a loss for how to effectively help and promote positive change. Personally, I choose to do more than I have and more than what I am doing.
As givers, healers, caretakers and protectors we often overlook ourselves - putting the task and requirements of other people and influences, first.
Others of us, in the face of such atrocities and hate, may become stagnant - stuck in the mire of fear, unable to move forward.
From a place of humble respect, love and support for us  (and those "in the thick of it") as we navigate these immensely challenging, uncertain and changing times, I am choosing to begin a weekly post of tips and influences for action (and sometimes inaction) from which self care ideas and guidance may be gleaned.

I welcome you to join me on Wednesdays throughout my Wild Wisdom series. I wish each of you the blessings of gratitude and grace.

Love & Light,
Teri

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Love is the Source of Your Own Being

"Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity,

 we shall harness the energies of Love,

 and then, for a second time in the history of the world,

 humankind will have discovered fire'.  

~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

In Kabbalah, the center of the Tree of Life is associated with the heart region. Christian Kabbalists associate this area with Jesus and with healing. Sufis, the mystics of Islam, talk about the Sirr—the secret, innermost heart of the heart. In the Chinese system of Qigong, the heart region is call the dantian, the “furnace” that transforms the qi energy into shen, spirit energy.

When you work to clear and balance your fourth chakra, you grow spiritually. It is in the heart that you can come into universal love and dissolve the illusion of separateness. It is here you can heal, both emotionally and physically. It is when you open your heart to love so you can forgive yourself and others, connect deeply to others, rise above the lower emotions of anger, hatred, and envy, and rise to a higher state of consciousness. It is in the heart center that you experience peace and deep inner balance.

A balanced heart chakra is beautiful. It is the center of compassion, altruism, devotion, and the ability to accept that all the circumstances of your life are within the divine order.

However, many of us have built walls around our heart chakra to protect ourselves from getting hurt again. A blocked heart chakra can make you feel defensive, or you may be critical, controlling, withdrawn, or afraid of letting go. You are likely to feel lonely, and think of others as being separate from you. Your life may be full of suffering.

So how can you open your heart and bring that center into balance? 

• Get out in nature. The color of the heart center is green. Let the green of nature start the process of healing for you.

1. Before you meditate visualize green light filling and surrounding your heart center.
2. Allow yourself to receive love, including loving yourself!
3. Love others unselfishly, not demanding anything in return.
4. Be thankful. Gratitude is a great way to stop finding fault in everyone around you.
5. Learn to forgive. A lot of heart chakra blockage is caused by not letting go of past hurts.
6. Move your body. Try a practice like yoga or tai chi to gently let go of stiffness and open your heart center.

 As you do the practices and meditations that are designed to help you open your heart, your ability to love grows. You go beyond what we think of as love (the affection and warmth we feel for someone) to unconditional love (love as a force that comes through you and has no attachment) and on to universal love, where you understand that love is the Source of your own being. You will be a more caring and joyous individual.

Love Your Belly - Tips for Solar Plexus Chakra Wellness

Located along the spine at the solar plexus, is the manipura chakra (aka belly or solar plexus chakra). It governs the pancreas, adrenal glands, liver and stomach. In Chinese the written character for this chakra means "between heaven and earth" which signifies the duality of this chakra.  It is the energetic power house of our bodies and while we want it strong, helping us to manifest our worldly desires, we must also keep our ego in check. Somehow, in order for all we desire to come to fruition we must balance drive and control with acceptance and letting go. When people are always attached to the outcome of their work, then their "power" and happiness depends on that outcome. We must ignite our energy, engage our presence and then let go of the outcome.

The comparing mind resides in the Solar Plexus Chakra tempting us to look outside for our power, to create a value judgement about whether we are "better" or "worse" than someone else. The irony is that when we turn inward we let go of our ego and its attachment to outcome, we can find our inner power - we follow our instincts. Following our gut is infinitely more precious and potent than any external source of validation.

The color of this chakra is yellow.
Supportive stones and herbs include: citrine, amber, tiger eye, yellow (or gold) calcite, lemon balm, chamomile, tumeric, fennel and goldenseal.
The solar plexus chakra resonares to the musical note E.

Glowing Alignment

Image  from NASA's Hubble telesope

All energy, all the forces of the universe, are movements which emanate from one source, the center of all consciousness. We can call it what we like - God, Creator, or Universal Consciousness. Everything that exists carries this point of divinity within itself.

Our chakra system is part of our natural design. All living beings are united by the fact that we have chakras and they work in the same way for us all. Having better understanding of the chakras will increase your ability to notice when things are out of balance and to know what to do to bring them back into alignment. Chakras are collecting pools of subtle energy and subtle energy is very sensitive to mental, physical, emotional and spiritual input.

On an average day our chakras are exposed to many factors that influence and effect them;  interactions with others, self-talk (positive and negative), news reports, electromagnetic frequencies, prayer, music, meditation and movement to name a few. All these outside forces impact (for good or bad) how the chakras move energy throughout our bodies. Fortunately, bringing them back into balance is fairly easy.

One quick method involves quiet breathing and visualization;

Either at the start or end of your day, lie as flat, comfortable and straight as possible

Take a slow deep breath, pause for a moment, then slowly release the breath
Continue normal, relaxed breathing while you do the following:

Picture a red glow surrounding the base of your spine - hold the image for 3 seconds
Picture an orange glow around your navel area - hold the image for 3 seconds
Picture a golden-yellow glow at your stomach area - hold the image for 3 seconds
Picture a green glow surrounding your chest area - hold the image for 3 seconds
Picture a turquoise-blue glow at your collarbone area - hold the image for 3 seconds
Picture a purple glow on your forehead, between your eyes - hold the image for 3 seconds
At the top of your head, picture a bright violet-white light flowing between you and the Universe (or Heaven) - hold this image for 30 seconds (you may also hold it longer)

When you are ready, take a long, slow deep breath, exhale and smile.

Sacral Chakra Wakeup

The sacral chakra is located just below the navel in humans. It is also known as the Dan Tien, and its color is pumpkin orange. The second chakra is the center of emotional, sensual and sexual consciousness and encompasses creative acts.governs our passion, creativity, sexuality, and play. This chakra also manages energy exchanges. Blockages of this chakra may make us feel disconnected from our creative urges. or cause unhealthy relationship patterns. 

According to Ayurvedic texts, fruits and vegetable juices for breakfast will balance the energy of the second chakra, In this tradition, this energy is called sadhaka pitta. Ayurvedic teachings go on to say that fruit in the morning is like gold because it is the optimum time to receive the nourishing physical and spiritual properties of fruit. 

The following recipe was created by Christie McClelland, the founder of Gayatri Healing.

1/2 mango
6 tangerines
5 strawberries

Juice together and welcome the day! This cleansing elixir is best taken 30 minutes before eating other breakfast foods.

Root Chakra Care

Whew!
Far too much time has passed since I last connected with this blog and shared myself.  Perhaps, though, just the right amount of time has passed.

As I gear up and allow my increased published writing desires to guide me, I have been drawn to boosting my creativity on multiple levels.  To do so clearly and with self-authenticity, I decided to begin thoughtful clearing and activating of my chakras. By utilizing a multi-modal approach, I am delighting in the results.  As with any self examination and healthy detox, the process is not always a smooth journey.  The experience has been rewarding and the results are worth any minor bump that may have been experienced.  My approach to this process has been the utilization of crystals, herbs, food, meditation, sound therapy, and Reiki.  The recipes I will share are ones that have worked for me along the way and may be something you can add to your own personal healthy living toolkit.

Root Chakra Fizz

2 cups spring, filtered or distilled water
3 slices ginger root 
1 teaspoon dried sassafras root
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1/8 cup honey
1 cup seltzer water

Put the herbs and water into a stainless-steel saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat ans let sit for 20 minutes. Strain the herbs out, add honey, stir and let cool. Once the tea has cooled you can add seltzer water and ice.  This recipe easily triples and the tea can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days and add the seltzer water when you are ready to drink it. 

This blend is cleansing and grounding. Ginger root, in Ayurvedic tradition, is called "the Universal Medicine" due to its comprehensive healing properties. Sassafras is a root plant native to the United States known for its cleansing properties. Orange peel contains powerful citrus flavonoids, including hesperidin which has a beneficial effect on blood vessels and aids relief of health problems such as premenstrual syndrome, menopausal changes, varicose veins, high blood pressure and allergies.

A Tarot Spread for Lammas

This tarot spread works well with the spirit of Lammas, the celebration of the First Harvest.  The spread helps us to acknowledge and appreciate the abundance in our lives and gives us glimpses into what we can give, what we need to receive, and the particular skills needed to assure we reap the most from the seeds we have sown.

The layout:

Card positions:

1.  GLOWING What is the most nourishing talent/skill/offering to the world, that you carry right now?
2.  FIRST REAPING What are you harvesting?  What are the fruits of your labor?  This may include overcoming personal obstacles, completed projects, and abundance of all kinds.
3.  SCYTHE  What are the tools, at your disposal, that you use to gather your harvest?  Ideas of tools are your professional or personal skills, your spiritual practice, and your own determination and perseverance.
4.  RIPENING  What needs further time to mature?  What is already ripe?
5.  CHANGING  What is changing within you as the dark of the year waxes?
6.  GIVING  How and in what ways, will you share your abundance?
7.  RECEIVING  What are you most resistant to changing and accepting?  What do you need to receive more of in your life?
8.  DESCENDING  What do you need to focus on between now and the harvest at Mabon,  the Autumnal Equinox?