Slowing Down & Dis-ease

I had this thought come to me awhile ago and do wish now that I had blogged about it then rather than waiting till now (I know I had more in my mind about it at that time which may not have left me... :/.)

I have heard the phrase, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." and while it's marginally funny from a serious perspective it's disturbing.  As someone who loves and feels compelled to always be productive I understand this way of thinking.  In our society (Western culture, America especially) it is fairly typical to have to get things done to feel of any worth.  This fosters a desire and need to be ultra productive or maintain a certain standard that may not be true to oneself or healthy.  We work 80 hour weeks (or at least long hours) to maintain the status quo.  We have jobs we hate, and demands on our time that far exceed the actual time we have available.  A great many people feel the need to meet some grandiose and far off expectation to do everything and be everything to some extent.  We have deadlines that loom over us like dark monsters and we ritualistic chide ourselves harshly for not maintaining, even when it's not necessarily what our heart wants.

While this isn't the case for every single person, it's very common, and it's also very sad.  The upside is that our bodies know.  They know what's right for us, what is enough, and what is too much - if we would but listen...

As is proliferated by The Secret, Wayne Dyer, and a number of other authors and people of various industries who speak on such subject, including the lovely Lissa Rankin of Owning Pink, our bodies constantly tell us what they need, want, and what nourishes them.  When you find yourself doing something effortlessly, so much so that time passes without you knowing that's a key right there.  Whatever you find joy in, is good for you.  (And we mean real live joy, not the "temporary" gratification that can be found is less than good for one practices such as drug use, etc.)

However, even beyond that is the message from our bodies to take care of ourselves.  Likes and desires aside there are certain things we all need.  In general humans are social creatures, we need to be around and interact with one another.  But not just anyone, you need people who feed your soul, who support you, and who are real to and for you.  For some this seems like a luxury as it's so easy to find those that do less for us than we do for them, who bring themselves and others down, and just aren't really who or what we need to be around.

Then there is the main point we want to reach here - of slowing down.  At the core this aids in solving a great many of the issues we've touched on here.  Slowing down and really listening to the world around us, to ourselves within our bodies and thoughts leads to a greater connection with the world at large.  Learning to know what we need and how we need it enables us to achieve it on a much greater and fulfilling scale.  When we slow down we're much more able to see those signs that are being sent our way in whatever form, including and especially of health.  When we perform at breakneck speeds it's hard to notice the twinge in our knee, the weight on our shoulders, or that aching that signals what will later be a doozy of a migraine.  Such activity masks our ability to observe and contemplate, while stillness promotes it.

When we put too much stress on our minds and bodies we deplete our vitality and strength.  Doing this makes it harder to perform and ultimately puts unhealthy levels of unnecessary stress on our bodies which all the sooner revolt and break down as a result of it.  For some illness and injury serve as a big red flag being waved wildly to take stock of their lives.  While not every case may me to physically slow down, it certainly does mean a call to attention at what one is doing - both in life externally and internally to one's body.

So next time you're rushing out the door, thinking of all the things you have to do, wondering or concerned if you will get them all done.  Take a moment to slow down.  Notice how you feel, see where any negative feelings are coming from and really embrace them.  What can  you change about your actions and perspective to nullify them?  Make this a conscious daily practice and notice how these troubles melt away.

Kalends Messages for August (& July)!

With the birth of my son I have had to make everything take a backseat so I took off the remainder of June & July but I'm glad to say I'm back!  Things will take awhile to be back to their full swing just for the fact that there is still a lot of flux, but bear with me things will slowly return to "normal".

Things to look forward to or keep in mind for August...

We've got a coupon running in the healing center's store on Artfire, if you are friends with us on FB or follow us on Twitter you've seen it.  20% off on everything in the store, good as many times as you wish to use it but only for August so grab the savings while you can!

From this point on we'll likely be running some sort of sale every month there is a Sabbat and specials during other times during the year so stay tuned for those!

Due to some major changes with Artfire you will also notice some differences in our store front.  Originally everything was listed individually and only in quantities of one, but we have upgraded our account and that allows us several options including the ability to list more than one quantity and have many more pictures.

As of this month we will be removing our services from LivePerson.  This site too has undergone many changes and it is no longer financially lucrative to work with them.  All of the services (healing & readings) we still offer but you must contact us independently.  (You can do this via Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or just by using our email!)

We will also be altering our contact number soon so if you have used the prior contact number you can no longer reach us there.  We are always reachable via email however!

Until next month!

Naware

of

PhoenixFlame Healing Center

Chakra Throw Blanket!

When we originally made it it was just a "neat idea", but as the project progress we fell in love with not only the simplicity of the design but also the vibrant colors chosen for this piece.  We love it so much that we have used it in a few healing fairs we've attended and compliments are always given on it.  Well we're proud to say today that it was listed recently in a collection featuring chakra colored items on Artfire!  You can view the collection here.  Currently we only have one in stock, but more will be made to order upon request.  While we'd hate to see it go we know that it will be cherished and honored in its new home whenever it sells!  Like it?  Grab it before it's gone!

Thanks for stopping by!

Naware

of

PhoenixFlame Healing Center

Healers are human too!

I recently (and only briefly) attended a meeting about a book (Practical Reiki) concerning Reiki written by a friend and mentor of mine Alice Langholt.  In the small portion of the event I was able to attend I can clearly recall her speaking on the importance of intention in using Reiki (and really any other healing for that matter).  I start this post off with this note because it sticks in the forefront of my mind as I'm thinking about what I have to say at the moment and how ironic it seems upon reflection...

When I started the healing center and everything associated with it (my practice, it's website, store, blog, and various social networking avenues) I had every intention on devoting some large amount of time and energy to it.  However, if you were to ask me what precisely this amount of time and energy was I doubt I could have given a set figure or full description.  Now it's two years later and looking back I don't feel that I could say I have lived up to what I was expecting of myself, but that doesn't mean I haven't done well.  It also doesn't mean that I don't need to put forth more effort either.

With the birth of my son things have obviously been more than a little hectic.  As any new parents out there may well know, being a new parent is a full time job in and of itself and while many juggle full time jobs along with a number of other things and raising their child I seem to be having a bit of a time with it.  I could say this stems from having a hard time managing my time.  This may come as a shock to those who know me personally or those who have worked with me as I am ridiculously conscientious about getting things done and industrious to a level of insanity it seems.  On the other hand, it's not at all surprising given my personal knowledge about myself.  I could say that perhaps I'm "in over my head" with my expectations.  Afterall, I run two businesses, both of which have websites, blogs, stores, and various social networking presences including Facebook, Myspace (although who uses that anymore!), Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  Again this isn't surprising to those who know me well since I always seem to have "too much" on my plate and many don't understand how I can expect to get so much done...You could also say that it just has to do with the chaos of  dealing with a new life in the world.  One who literally knows nothing and must start from scratch with careful and patient guidance.  But there are plenty of people who manage it so why not me?

To be honest I think it's a combination of these things and other factors, some of which I may not really even be in the know about.  In the time since I have ventured out on my journey as a healer from deciding to become one many a year ago, to the advent of my Reiki training, and then the addition and study of various other healing related disciplines many things have changed in my personal life that in turn have and are affecting my professional life.  I have moved a number of times, moved on from many relationships both romantic and platonic, had some hard times as well as great ones, and find myself rediscovering myself and re-evaluating where I want to be and what I want to do.

Most notably is the venturing out into a program (the "Get Out of Your Way E-Course") created by Lissa Rankin that while somewhat focused on "fixing" your business or professional life in reality it is a true wholistic "re-vamp".  What I mean by this is that it can be applied to any and all areas of your life.  I'm about half way through the program and then came my son and since then I've taken a bit of a hiatus (somewhat against my will) and I find myself reflecting on the irony of stepping back from something I was "so sure" that I'd be through in a minimal amount of time.  I also find it funny that the area of the program I stopped at is right around the part speaking about caring for yourself (specifically your health).  I am looking and reflecting a lot on what I want for my own life, as well as observing quietly my health, that of my other half, noting it for some around me and realizing how much more I have stepped back than I realized.  What I meant to be a brief hiatus from my breakneck pace has turned into a way of life with several "speedbumps" serving to keep me slowed down (including some ill health, and just being so very tired, as well as being the primary caregiver to my son without having a real break - eg no time to do anything else!)

What all this says to me is that I'm human.  The importance of this message is not to be missed out on however since many people who come to health professionals may see them as "above" needing care.  Mistakenly thinking that because they practice they have it all figured out for themselves.  I can promise you this isn't the case.  Health and healing is a full time, life time job and every day we make choices that require us to re-evaluate our health and lifestyle decisions (even though many of us do not evaluate ourselves that much).  But this is okay.  Really, it is - because being a good healer isn't about being perfect and having all the answers.  In fact you could say a big part of it is knowing when you don't have the answer and having the courage to admit it and the will to figure it out (or at least try).  The pathway to healing the self is not a straight line but rather a meandering way and it's a bit like a shifting labyrinth for every choice we make affects the end point so it's not even possible to fully map it out - there are so many unknowns.  Still, that too is okay.  So if you're a healer and finding yourself struggling, breathe, relax, and be gentle with yourself.  It really is okay to find yourself in a rut or a lurch sometimes.  That's just the Universe's way of telling you to try a different approach.  If you are a layperson know that your healer(s) are people too, just like you, with good days and bad days.

Thanks for tuning in!

Kalends Messages for June!

A little behind the eight ball this month as the winding down of my pregnancy makes life a bit hectic as I'm trying to get things taken care of and learning some harsh lessons...but enough about me!

As an advisory note hearkening back to my just made statement with the advent of a new life and addition to my family things may slow to a bit of a crawl here at the healing center.  Babies take time and patience so he will be coming first.  That said, business here will continue otherwise as normal!  (We might even include some information about parenting, babies, and Reiki too!)

As has been our custom since opening the store on Artfire we've been working to add at least one product to the store front everyday.  Since our inventory is fairly low compared to the sister store Faith Works one a day is plenty without going to great excess and allows for steady progress.

If you noticed yesterday's post about "Healing Our Feminine Wounds" it seems like a bit of a change from the way things were before.  This change was brought on by the lovely inspiration of Lissa Rankin who supports and promotes "being authentically you" all the time.  Participating in an e-course with her and several other women about "Getting Out of Your Own Way" has had us rethinking some of the "standards" that have thus far been imposed here at the healing center and is causing us to re-think some approaches.  So starting "now" we're going to try and more fully adopt that philosophy here as well as well as personally.  What this will mean here is that while we will still strive to remain positive as much as possible you may see notes that relate to the less than  positive side of the "human condition".  Originally we sought to avoid such posts altogether, not desiring to "spread" any negativity by talking about it - but while we wish to keep part of that up, instead of avoiding the dirty laundry we are going to deal with it as it comes and share it - and with is ways to deal with it via self-care etc.

From last month to this one we've finished our initial edits of the Alchemy Reiki Distance Course.  All of the original lesson plans have been made up and pre-typed for future students and as we are able to we will be re-vamping our instructor's manual.  (This will include the required reading of the Alchemy Reiki manual itself, re-formatted for neatness and structure but with all of the original information intact, and the addition of our personal write ups for the course, pre and post student evaluations and a space for notes.)  While this isn't necessarily relevant to students we want future instructors and other healers as well as students to have the chance to be aware of these changes!

Business hours on LivePerson have continued, though with some recent internet trouble some days have been shaky.

We're also hoping to get to that "more involvement" with our two charity projects that were mentioned last month!

Healing Our Feminine Wounds...

This post is directed specifically to talking about some of my own personal experience as a healer with menstrual issues and how I worked through mine.  In putting this out there I'm embracing some of my "authentic self" and putting it on display.

For me I have long been a misogynist.  As a woman this almost seems like a bit of a "hate crime".  But I have female friends, I have relatives and other female associates that I have no problems with.  It's the "gender in general" that irks me.  But the truth is not that I really hate women, I hate some of the negative things they engender.  The backstabbing, flakiness, oneupmanship and various other conniving and manipulative qualities some use.  This is not to say that men don't do the same things at times, and everyone has their "asshole" moments.  But as a woman I am intimately familiar with many of the inner workings of the female mind.  It honestly sickens me to a good point as well, how could they?!  While I tend to shy away from the strictly "traditional" thoughts on the feminine, I do not deny that they for many generations and in originality have been true.  The relation of the feminine to nurturing, the elements of water & earth (which nurture and help things grow), and the emotional are true to form in many cases.  While men can nurture, when they do it's often not in the same fashion of expression as the feminine.  And not every woman is "feminine" in these way.  Some are much more detached and model it seems after the traditional masculine forms more than the feminine.

But for the sense of being basic, we'll stick with "traditional" gender models.

This hatred I have long had, and really can't think of when I might have developed it but certain sometime during adolescence.  While I won't say that the seeds weren't planted by poor female modeling by my mother, the effects weren't set to bear until later.  Needless to say, around such time I also developed some very bad menstrual issues.  At the time I was not aware of any connection and knew virtually nothing about holistic health or viewing things in that way.  But now it seems "so clear" the issues with the feminine and my physical issues with what biologically makes me female.

For me my menstrual issues came in the form of intense pain at the beginning of each cycle of bleeding.  So intense that I had to miss school and work and would write on the floor.  I would scream and cry in pain and as it progressed through the year it became steadily worse.  I had even gotten to the point where I'd tried to knock myself unconscious just so I wouldn't feel the pain anymore.  I often commented that that was one of the one times where you didn't want to see me because I looked so bad.  And there was nothing I could do - no amount of over the counter medications would touch the pain and even a narcotic would merely take a small amount of the edge of and make me not care, but if I started moving around too much the pain would come in full force and it'd be just as bad as if I'd taken nothing.

While some things seemed to lessen it, it was more it not being exacerbated as much than it being lessened.  While many women crave chocolate (due to it having a chemical in it which is molecularly similar to something which supposedly helps to relax the muscles) for me it causes cramping and thusly the pain to be worse, to the nth degree.  Even the smallest amount of it - like a chocolate chip - will worsen the symptoms and the more I have the week prior the worse off I would be.  Even though I would often crave it and not clue into why at the time.  I also noticed that if I had a lot of dairy it would also worsen the symptoms a bit too.  So I learned to try and remember to avoid those things in excess the week before.  I wasn't always successful as I would often not even think about what I was doing at the time, but when I did remember it helped.  I also tried a supplement for a time called Maca Root - which helped some but again when I remembered to take it and I had to build it up a few days before and with an irregular menstruation it could be hard to tell exactly when it would happen.

However, despite the minimal relief these things seemed to afford me it wasn't enough and it didn't take even half of the issue away.  So for years I dreaded the time, tried to remember to avoid certain foods and just take it easy (it's also proven that certain exercises done right before menstruation can cause pain to be worse) and bear it.

Then one day, after I'd come to start working with and studying holistic healing I came across some literature speaking about the relation of certain emotions to the body and illnesses.  One example was the Chinese thought of the relation of fear & the kidneys.  (And incidentally that year I had been dealing with a lot of fear and had some very recurrent kidney problems...)  Continuing with this research I related to the uterus, and general female organs.  I gave it thought and realized that my hatred and issues with women were being transferred to my own body and the "female" parts of myself.  Also to note all of my life most of my "issues" seem to focus on the left side (versus the right) which is also related to the feminine.  The revelation was amazing to me at the time.  Despite being a very emotional person it had never occurred to me to connect my emotional state with how I physically felt, even though I knew there to be a connection on some level.

As I worked to come to terms with the issues, to realize my problem with women, acknowledge and sit with it and realize just what it was (that it wasn't really women but some of the negative stigmas I associated with the gender) I found a significant relief in my symptoms.  While they are not fully gone, I have really not worked as closely and deeply with releasing these feelings towards women.  But the relief is immense compared to everything else I have tried to date.

So while not every woman may have their menstrual issues, whatever they may be, due to the relation of how they deal with and feel about women, it's definitely interesting food for thought.  Another connection I've made is with anger and heartburn.  I often describe anger as "an acid that eats away at whatever it touches" to clients.  And from my severe issues with heartburn I realize that it is lack of compassion due to extreme inwardly turned anger (eg, I don't express my anger so it gets internalized), at myself and others, that is one of the causes of it.  Yes spicey foods, and for me too much sugar will also cause it, as will eating and then lying down.  But to have it without doing these things, without even have eaten there had to be something else and there it was.

So when you're feeling ill, in pain, etc I urge you to "sit with" that feeling.  Looking at it beyond the physical, what thoughts or feelings does it make you think of?  What would you relate it to?  Shame? Anger? Hate? Sorrow? Betrayal?  Think of where you might be harboring that feeling and see if it relates to the body area or a chakra related to the body area in question.  How long have you been feeling this?  Does it correlate to how long you've had the physical issue?  Does it seem to exacerbate it a problem that while it may have other causes, definitely is sometimes worse than other times...?  Really sit with and meditate with it and you might be well surprised at what you discover about yourself.

You are the healer, you are the power, You can do it!

Kalends Messages for May!

It's the first of the month and we thought that it would be a great time to blog (and it's our update day too!)

Just moments ago I noticed a fluttering on the desk as I was checking up on our profile on LinkedIn (a website offering networking services to professionals) and saw a spider crawling from monitor to keyboard.  Now while preservation of life is a goal of mine being a healer and a bit of a pacifist, I detest spiders (and certain other creepy crawlies, like centipedes, you know the poisonous kind...)

My general rule used to be "live and let live", that was until I woke one day with a nasty bite on my side and couldn't figure out what it was and only a week and a half later figured out it was a spider bite (including a fang still stuck in my skin).  After that point I re-hashed my theories on what to do when such things invade my home. Now it goes along the mindset that if they are not bothering me and won't (too far away), or if I can shoo them carefully outside I will.  But they are not overly welcome in my home.  It may not be very nice, but in the interest of my health and not getting bitten again I find it's necessary.

While I squashed the little thing, it did cause me to reflect on the messages of Spider (and also means that a reference to it will be entered into the Guild's Book of Shadows today as well!)  So all in all Spider served it's purpose I believe, even if it resulted in an untimely demise.  Spiders in general are weavers, they spin their own silk and build homes, nests, and even traps from it.  They have many offspring (which symbolizes a proliferance of their influence), have 8 legs (alluding to numerological references including industriousness, and "getting things done", connection, networking, etc) among other things.  The message of course that stands out most to me is that of connections.  With their webs they are able to provide homes and hunting grounds, and while to us they may seem frail and fragile proportionally speaking the webs are very strong.  But day in and day out at times they must rebuild or repair these webs, they are ever constantly reviving and keeping their connections and there is something to be learned from that I say.

In this technological day and age we too can form connections (and need to) but ours are somewhat removed from the personal structure of that of Spider.  While the internet, phones, and other electronic technology allow us to communicate easily and quickly over large distances with people all over the world - there is a certain level of impersonal-ness to the communication.  We don't necessarily view the voice over the phone or text from the email as coming from a "real, live person" so much as an entity that we are acquainted with in some fashion.  I have commented on the joys and banes of technology before and thusly I feel they are this:  (joy) while they allow greater communication with people one otherwise would likely not have come across if you were restricted to merely in person meetings, (bane) they take out the "personal" factor in those connections many times.  They also cause us to be lazy about dealing with people.  It's that much easy to put off a phone call or an email since either will take seconds or mere moments to complete, whereas an in person meeting takes more orchestration and time.  While the benefits and ease of communication are absolutely wonderful, the quality of it is at times lacking.

So what does this all mean?  Why am I sitting here going on about it?  Perhaps it's time to take a step back or perhaps forward, and re-evaluate your connections.  Who are you connected with?  Why?  Can you strengthen this connection?  Should you?  Re-ascertain those connections that you do not want or that may not be good for you and release them.  Take the time to put effort into those connections that you do want to keep, perhaps even spend a bit more time getting to know or working with them.



In other news...

• We'll be resuming the management of our Alchemy Reiki course - finalizing some written information about them and re-vamping the distance course some.
• We've set our business hours for both healing work & intuitive consultation on LivePerson.
• And we'll be putting in more work to our 2 charity projects - the Pink Pride Project & our Multi-Faith Prayer Shawl Circle!