LunarMusings

Wellness Wednesday: Ginger Tea

Its wonderfully cold outside.  I think its this way wherever you may be with the exception of the Southern Hemisphere.  This scene is actually in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I spent the day yesterday on a turn around trip.

One of the things I have fallen in love with this Winter is Fresh Ginger tea, which is actually an infusion as there are no actual tea leaves involved.  My Ayurvedic Practitioner, recommended that I drink plenty of this infusion a few months ago in order to get my stuck ama, toxins, moving and out of my body.  She said that Ginger is great for keeping the body going through the Winter months when our systems slow down and get sluggish.  Its a great detoxifier and digestive toner, and adds warmth to the body while giving the immune system a boost.  I drank quite a bit of it while sick, and arrived home late last night from my trip craving it to warm me up.  Sadly, I didn't have any ginger left in the house. 

So drink up!  Here is how I make it:

I will slice up a large root of ginger into disks and place them inside a large tea kettle with water.  Bring to a boil, and then when you hear the whistle, turn down to a simmer and leave it for about and hour or so.  The object is to get it to be as potent as you can drink it.  You may need to experiment with this, as ginger can have quite a spicey kick.  Once done I pour and then add a teaspoon or two of delicious local raw honey that I buy at the Farmers Market. 

And then drink as much and as long as you like!

Be Well.

Wellness Wednesday: Writing Our Own Stories

This last month has been filled with much visioning by all of us.  Its been a wonderful journey that continues for me.  I find that I am dreaming, then falling into doubt, then dreaming again.  Its an inner battle between the Soul that knows how to soar, and the Uglies within that are invested in limitations. 

I spent much time this month in bed sick with some yucky flu virus.  It was frustrating and depressing.  I couldn't do much, and often times even thinking felt like to much work.  But I would be in bed, and look up and there would be my Vision Board.  A constant reminder and lesson, that ultimately, no matter how loud the voices within were singing the anthems of self doubt, I choose how my story is going to go.

And there is a freedom and healing in this truth.  Think about it.  Its not necessarily about the broad strokes in life, although those too are part of this.  Its about the mundane, the moment by moments.  If something isn't going well for me right now, I get to choose how I respond to it.  This can create a world of hurt, or a world of freedom. 

And this is a truth that keeps coming back around for me. I go through a phase where I am in the freedom and in the choosing, and then I trip up and begin to feel that familiar sense of impossibility and pressure that tempts me to give it all up for a chunk of chocolate and a pint of "poor me".  I know that this is in large part what contributed to my weakened immune system and this terrible flu that hit me.  I was in a state of self suppression. 

My Vision Board has served as a daily reminder for me.  And now I am looking for more.  More reminders of my power to choose.  My responsibility to write my own story. 

How do I make this such a deeply engrained truth that I never forget? 

I would love to hear from all of you on your journey with this, and what helps and works for you!

Be Well!

Wellness Wednesday: A little bit of housecleaning

Hello!  Doing a bit of catch up this week with Wellness Wednesday.   I want to thank all of you for your participation and amazing wisdom.  The posts that I read every week are all full of such insight and consciousness when it comes to the day to day practices of mindfully caring for your health.  So inspiring!

There are quite a few new joiners that I have yet to add to the link list on the side bar.  I should have all the new additions linked in by the end of the weekend.  I also want to ask you all to stay tuned!  My hope is that by March Wellness Wednesday will be revamped in such a way where all of our collective wisdom can be pulled together in one central location so it can be accessible to people who would like to find some wellness inspiration at their fingertips!

Much love to all of you and Be Well!
e

Wellness Wednesday: The Business of Being Born

Last Monday, Jon and I were fortunate to be able to attend the LA Premiere of Ricki Lakes' The Business of Being Born.  My friend Anni is co owner of a company called Natural Mama Media, and as a fund raiser for an organization called Bloom OC, put on a fabulous premiere with a silent auction and an after party.

I have never been pregnant.  But I feel fortunate that either due to living in Southern California, or simply the amazing Goddess Women that I have surrounded myself with, I have been informed and able to participate in the birthing of my friends baby.  Having a child is the most important rite of passage a woman will ever go through.  And where it is true that not all women can have babies, and not all choose to, it is important that those who do and can, educate themselves and empower themselves for a process that is completely theirs and completely natural.  The medical profession in the US has completely negated a womans wisdom and ability to let her body do what it was made to do.  We are powerful beyond measure and we are 100% responsible for our choices.  Education is power here.  Read, research and talk to your community wise women.  They are out there in the form of Doulas and Midwives in women's health centers. 

This movie is long over due.  And I urge all of you to go see it.  Seek it out, write to them and ask for it in your area.  If you belong to a non profit there are ways for you to host a screening. 

And the lighter more Hollywood stuff?  ;)  We got amazing swag bags filled with all sorts of yummy natural mama stuff.  Some of my girlfriends will be getting some serious goodies!

And as is always the case in Southern California and a bit exciting no matter how cool we all try to be, there was some serious celebrity sightings!

Update:  Here is another link to photos that give a more detailed view of the evening!

Wellness Wednesday: Vision Board 2008

So this is my work in progress Vision Board!  Ta da!  Our gathering over Solstice was wonderful and brought forth alot of possibilities.  I found that the act of collecting images would have to be an ongoing one, and that in order to hold space for all the things that I am calling into my life from the grand menu put forth to us by the Universe, I had to include words and phrases to list on either side of the visioning images themselves.

Part of creating a vision for a specific year is finding the energetic pulse or vibration to tap into that will immediately remind you of the sensation you are wanting to live in.  And to do that, we did a guided meditation where we invisioned the best year of our lives, whether past or still to happen.  And then the question was dropped in:  How does this year feel?  Not what does it entail, but how does it feel?  If you can come up with one or two words, let that coalesce and bring that forth.  We then allowed that word or words to inform how we set about calling in specific things into this new year.

For me those words were FREEDOM and EASE.  The best year of my life would be made up of a series of situations, and choices that leave me feeling as if I have complete freedom to do as I please and ease in moving from one aspect of my life to another.  And this feeling, this energetic is one that I claim and carry with me through each and every day of this new year.  Its the first reminder I turn to on my vision board when I look at it in the morning.

Freedom

Ease

And the rest?  Well, some were goals.  Things I want or need to get done this year.  And some were more like, "ooo!  It would be sooooo cool if I could have this!"  Shopping the Universe.  And other things were reminders of the essence I want my life to emanate. 

All of this though, sits under the umbrella of playing big.  More then Freedom and Ease, playing big was the impetus for doing this Vision Board.  It has been about wanting, asking, and committing to more.  MORE.  I have yet in my life to access all of what life is offering me on a daily basis. 

Its not about being greedy, its about living out my full potential as a human, as a woman.  Each time I shy away, or hold back I deprive the Universe of its unique expression through me.  We all deprive ourselves and each other. 

I'm beginning to play Big in life. 

Big Freedom... freedom beyond any of the wildest dreams I have ever allowed myself to have.

Big Soft Ease... all illusory struggle just evaporates in my path.

I would love to hear from you all on how your beginnings have been for this year.  I would also love to hear how you are playing big in your life.

Much love to you all,
e

Wellness Wednesday: Stay tuned...

So much... and sooo behind!   Just got in today from the cabin and still trying to unpack, settle in and remember what day of the week it is.

I will be back to a regular schedule next week!  Hang in there with me!

Love to you all,
e

Wellness Wednesday: Visioning continued

I have posted this quote before, but I need to post it again:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson from her book, "A Return to Love," p. 1655

Its a reminder that I need time and again.  And as I prepare for my visioning circle this week, I have begun to really plant the seed within myself that it is time to truly commit to playing big as oppose to playing small in life.  It serves no one to do this, and it continues to keep me from having more.  More of life, of love, of art, of me.

This is my theme for this coming year, and beyond.  In everything I engage in, how can I play bigger at it?  How can I engage it more so that I am reaching my full potential in every given part of my life? 

I am excited about applying these questions and this intention to all of it, but especially the mundane.  How can I play bigger in managing my finances?  How would someone that lives on a grand scale, in a completely empowered manner, live their financial management?  How would I address, create and engage my art work if I were in complete alignment with the truth of my creative expression?  What would my health be like if I took complete ownership of my body and practice of consciousness about it?

I truly believe that my playing small in my life depresses my health, my fire, my experience and my impact in the world.  I am amazed right now at how much around me is supporting this message to play full big and YES in life, and I want to empower all of you to do the same.  To the extent that we hold ourselves back, is to the extent that we lack vibrant, thriving health in our lives.  I know this in my bones.

Tell me how you want to play big in your life.  Tell us all. 

Next week I will share my Vision Board with you all!

Be Well.

Wellness Wednesday: Breathing

Things are busy.  I've lost time all of a sudden and haven't attended to my blog reading, my walking, my writing...  such a flurry of activity, chores, fun gatherings, organizing, creating.  I'm overwhelmed almost to a point of dizziness, but its somehow good. 

And yet I find that when I look around and am alone in a room, or find myself between one task and another, I just automatically stop and take a deep enhale.  I relish every nanosecond of it as the air passes in through my nose, and I feel it light the way inward.  And the exhale... it soothes me down to my toes. 

Its like a mini meditation, a trip to a Wellness Healer, and a mini face to face with the Divine.

Give yourselves these moments to just stop.  Inhale.  Linger.  Exhale.  Repeat as often as you feel.

Remember yourselves this week as the activity levels increase exponentially. 

Be Well.

Wellness Wednesday: Visioning... a request

Hello Wellness Wednesdayers!

I am in a flurry of activity, but wanted to check in with you all and ask for some inspiration!

Part of Wellness for me is the act of Visioning for those things I want to bring into my life.  Magical Manifestation, I like to call it! 

I am putting together a Solstice Visioning Ritual for some of my Sisters and I, and wanted to know what some of your visioning techniques or rituals were?  I am planning on having us all do a guided meditation to clear the debris from this previous year and carve a pathway for identifying and bringing in those things we want for 2008.   After the meditation we will be enjoying yummy food and spending the evening creating our individual vision boards! 

There are quite a few different types of vision boards that can be created.  With all the fun visions of glue sticks, magazines, paints, music and sisterhood laughter in my head, I am a jumble and would love some of your ideas to help me coalesce our path for that evening.  And!  I'm just wanting to know what you do!

Thank you and Be Well!
e

Wellness Wednesday: Gratitude

I took this picture over the weekend along with the one in the post below this one.  How cute are they?  It was wonderful spending the day with such sweetness, and it gave me an opportunity to practice my photography skills.

I am always mindful of gratitude, but because last week was Thanksgiving here in the US, its been a bit more prominent.  One of my practices is listing all the things I am grateful for at the end of the day, when I'm in bed ready to go to sleep.  Its my Thank You prayer, and I also do it in the morning before rising for the day. 

I find that it creates space and joy in my life.  A touchstone to always know that life is filled with amazing beauty and blessings.  I believe that it creates a magnetic for more of the same, but it also is a remedy for the "poor mes" and negative thinking.

So today I am grateful for:

~that heavy, juicy moon hanging in the sky while I drove over the Vincent Thomas Bridge on my way home tonight.
~my Beloveds voice on the other end of the phone connection, telling me he loved me.
~Sisterhood, and the laughter that comes from a deeper place of knowing, mischief and humor.
~Inari!
~A very productive phone calling session this afternoon.
~Getting a good portion of my financial budget and plan in place.
~Beginning to really feel the shift that the herbs I am taking are having on me and my well being.
~Therapy.
~Artistic expression and evolution.
~New inspiration for a solstice celebration! woohoo!
~My cool red Keen Mary Janes!!! circa 2005.  I love this pair!
~A super supportive employer that creates an environment I have wanted to be in now for almost 7 years.  He gave me a little extra support today and it was just lovely!
~Synchronicity. 
~This blogging community.
~Vanity Fair!
~Hot hot hot baths
~Inspiration.
~Oh and Frida Kahlo.  I have an image of her by my desk and today as I looked over at her, and she stared straight at me, I heard her speak...  secrets only an artist can tell...

I also want to thank all of you who have come on board with Wellness Wednesday.  I am so honored and continuously moved by the wisdom you all share.  I am also feeling like in the coming months Wellness Wednesday will want to evolve a bit more, and I am open to hearing from you if you have any inklings about that. 

Blessings and be well.