Free to Fly: My First Healing Session with Bhima Giri

I lay down upon the bed where my husband received his healing before me. My son slumbered next to me in his crib as my daughter slept upstairs. My stepson son was distant but close within my heart. I waited for a light and was greeted by a fly.  Buzzing, buzzing, he walked along my arms and legs and circled my head. He flew toward my throat opening the chakra there so I could speak honest and true. I twitched but received the gifts of this creature. Energy tense within me began to relax and flow slowly through me as though my life force were being renewed. Blocks cleared in my left leg, right arm and throat. My crown chakra opened wider, and I felt a peaceful calling to step away from what constrains me and to fly free.  A crystal lotus-shaped vase began to glow. A gift from either my husband's stepmother or a former student, I have not thought of it as sacred, but it is what I need, a missing piece for rituals now and later. I take this renewed gift with gratitude and peace that flows through my evolving spirit. Our session marks the awakening of the next stage of a major transformation started four years ago following a fire that stimulated creation in the wake of its destruction. There is love among the ruins. Flowers in the ashes. Beauty in the ugliness. Humor in the severity. Laugh and Be. These are the messages I take with me. My husband called to unknowingly signal the end of our session, his pilgrimage underway on this Solstice day. Today we will walk through a week, physically separate and spiritually united, as we have never been before. I'm thankful to encounter Bhima Giri along my way. Lightening bug in the day time dances around my son. My daughter wakes. Blessings come. And, I recognize the blessings that have always been. Peace. Fire. Love. Power. Release. Kali. Be.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/bhima-giri/white-lotus-activating-try-your-first-healing-session-free/10150221029182945

Visit the link above for more information about scheduling a healing session.

Full Circle: Talkin' Hula Hoops and Life with John Adams

 Above: John's hoops and his cat Duncan

The day before Twilight 2011, my husband C. and I arrived in Athens around midnight with our two youngest children in tow.  Tornadoes had just swept through our corner of Northwest Georgia, and 24 hours ago we’d all been crouched, along with our dog and 70-something-year-old godfather, in our root cellar.  When we crawled out into life without power and internet, we packed our Airstream camper and took to the road.  We had already planned to go to Gwinnett County for my stepson’s birthday, but, instead of turning back after our time at Chuck E. Cheese, we just kept going North on I-85.  Having graduated from UGA in 2004, I had Athens in mind as a destination.  However, I neither knew about the upcoming races nor stayed to enjoy them.  Instead the highlight of my Athens adventure happened behind a Baxter Street strip mall where my husband found a tiny slice of spring paradise and set up a temporary campsite for me and our children while he used the coin laundry facility next door.  I filled my time by interviewing my old friend John Adams, a former Russell Hall co-ed turned hula-hoop maker, and discovered four little nuggets of wisdom. 

1.  Evolution happens.

John says, “When you’re a little kid, you get a plastic hula hoop that is really no good.”  He continues to imply that, in and of itself, this isn’t a major problem because little kids do seem to have a lot of fun with plastic hula hoops.  However, allowing this child’s toy to completely shape your perception is an issue.  In reality, there is a whole sub-culture of hula-hoop girls out there who devote a lot of time and attention to the art of hoop dancing and take pride in showing off the results at concerts and creative festivals nationwide.  John is inspired by watching these lovely women perform.  At the same time, he recognizes that taking such a dualistic, child’s toy vs. serious hoop dancer, approach is limiting.  Free-spirited, fun, flexible, durable and individual are some adjectives that describe both John’s hoops and the sort of personally evolving folks for whom they’re made.   

2. Struggle is over-rated.

John looks at me then smiles slyly.  “You don’t have to exert effort to hula hoop well,” he says.  His meaning is that quality hula hoops tend to keep themselves in motion without people going overboard to keep them spinning.  I think this is a good metaphor for how people choose to live. If you construct a life plan that is rigid and unoriginal, you may have a difficult time keeping it in motion.  However, if you create a life plan that is designed to be personally sustainable, then it takes little added effort to keep it going and reap the rewards. In keeping with this philosophy, John seems open to embracing new ways of living until he finds the one that fits best. 

3. Create your own reality.

 John reveals that his hula hoops are constructed mainly from irrigation PVC pipe and carefully applied alternating colors of electrical tape.  He adds that the internet has been instrumental in helping him make hoops effectively and spread the news about his products.  One may say the accessibility of materials and information comes from a willingness to create new uses for existing things and to openly accept the wisdom that others voluntarily share—two more great practices for balanced living.

4. Be natural.

When I think of John, I remember the guy I met while signing our buddy Nora’s petition to have permanent ash trays installed outside Russell Hall.  He was tough—always kind of angry but still interested in the world and the lives of the people with whom his life intersected, a young man at the center of both teenage drama and early spiritual awakening.  Ten years later, interviewing John about making hula hoops feels strangely natural. Perhaps this is because the motivation behind the work seems so honest and clear.  In addition to citing his girlfriend Christen as inspiration, he simply states, “I saw a beautiful thing in the world and wanted people to know about it, to have it.”  If the inspiration behind all great ideas were so natural and direct, people would probably have a lot more peace. 

To order a customized hoop from John just in time for summer concert season, e-mail jadams3@jsu.edu.

Sorry ,Sid

Sid the Science Kid is a decent show most of the time, but today they are singing about getting vaccinations. The song tells children that it is their civic duty to become vaccinated.  Seriously? Do people really think this way? This episode is a clear-cut example of propaganda directed right at youth. I will use it one day to teach my kids a lesson about the importance of being critical of the media at the same time that I teach them about why we don't support vaccination in our home. As for today, my 3-year-old is shouting at the TV, "Siiiiiiid, they're WRONG!" Go girl!

As for me, I probably would have been singin' and dancin' right along with Sid at my daughter's age, but, then, I hadn't had biology yet. My current opinions of vaccination are addressed pretty well in the following article:

http://www.healthychild.com/vaccine-choices/the-case-against-immunizatons/

To summarize: There is little to no solid evidence that vaccinations actually do what they claim. There is also limited evidence that vaccines cause autism, cancer and severe degenerative physical and mental illness., as their opponents claim. However, the illnesses which vaccines fight are generally less horrific than the illnesses they may create. Since it's a gamble either way, I'd rather my kids get sick with something more or less "natural" than with something that I WILLINGLY GIVE THEM in the form of a chemical cocktail sometimes cultured upon a base of . . . wait for it. . . . monkey brains. I think most common-sense people would agree with me were it not for social programming like ol' Sid the Science Kid that makes it look like vaccination is the choice of sweet kindergarten teachers and loving grandmas. In contrast, the face of anti-vaccination must look like a monster.

Do I look like a monster?

I don't think so.

Does the pharmaceutical industry somehow fund Sid's existence? Probably.

What is Natural Parenting?

Multiple sources define "natural parenting" in slightly different ways.  Having read several of them, I think of natural parenting like this: It's a way of nurturing and relating to your child that maximizes his or her inherent strengths and abilities as well as your own.  Rather than looking to outside sources to protect, educate, or indoctrinate your child, it asks that we first look within at our own physical, mental, and spiritual resources. It's a form of self-empowerment that usually turns out to be physically healthier as well.  While it doesn't condemn mainstream society, it does encourage free thought, and it gives children the right to claim their own voices, ask questions, and forgo traditional wisdom when they sincerely believe it to contradict what they know to be best for themselves. 

In my opinion, the following list sums up general characteristics of natural parents and their children:

1. We take a holistic approach to health care and are well-versed in alternative medicine.  Even though we sometimes deem medical doctors necessary, we support natural childbirth, resist mandatory vaccination, and use a combination of healthy eating, gentle exercise, meditation, supplementation, and alternative therapies to treat and prevent most illnesses.

2. We practice green-living and enjoy spending time outdoors.

3. We build a family-like network with people who may or may not be related to us by blood.  As a result, we frequently volunteer at community events and invite others into our homes.  We may plan regular gatherings and open community centers or non-profits.  When we travel, we typically make a point to connect with the locals instead of sticking to tourist attractions that could appear anywhere.

4.  We have a deep appreciation for music, literature, and art.  We encourage our families to create.

5. We take a non-traditional approach to education and home school our children or send them to private schools that reflect our personal philosophies.

6. We have a deep sense of spirituality; however, it's typically too rebellious for the confines of organized religion. 

7. When it comes to disciplining our children, we focus less on praise and punishment and more on helping our kids objectively understand and learn from every incident so they may independently become the best possible versions of their own unique selves.

Personally, I strive to be a natural parent. In the course of raising my two children and stepson, I've found another way to define natural parenting: It is giving birth to yourself and being transformed into someone who manifests the future for her family, one day at a time.

For more information about natural parenting, explore the links below.

Natural Childbirth FAQ

The Vaccination Question

The Business of Being Born

Plan C

Well, I did not complete the 11 day challenge as planned, but my hodge-podge approach to viewing the daily videos seemed to reveal a general pattern which I’ve adapted to a little world view I like to call Plan C.  Feel free to really let you mind run with all the undertones of that title.  Now, check it out.  It goes something like this. . . .

CREATE  . . .  art, crafts, good vibrations, a nourishing meal, a new opportunity.  The form your creation takes doesn’t matter.  The act of consciously manifesting something is enough.

CARE . . . for others and yourself.  Share hugs, share encouragement, share a meal, clean up messes.  Acknowledge the adage that we are all fighting a hard battle.  Infuse your being with a pervasive sense of care.

 CONNECT. . .  with others, with nature, with yourself.  Connecting gives your thoughts a context and common ground on which to take root and flourish.  Connecting brings us purpose and relieves fear.     

Pretty fabulous, right?  And simple.  Complexity is a C-word we don't need.  I'm interested in the core of things. 

The Visions

"Somewhere beyond all ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing, there is a field.  I will meet you there." Rumi                           

I close my eyes and focus on wrapping Earth in a rainbow.  Each color receives special attention: Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet.  With my mind, I carry each ribbon of the spectrum across the surface of our spinning planet, cradling it first in one direction and then in the other until it looks snug—like a  dearly decorated Christmas gift or an infant in a sling.  Light radiates from the rainbow Earth, and, as it spins, the light pushes back the rainbow ribbons.  On its surface, some people’s souls glow brighter with the shimmering of the rainbows.  Others dim and fall away with silent grace and drift out into the universe like snowflakes sinking softly to the ground.  I think of a light glowing within my throat and the following words come to mind: Speak truth.  Be peace.

The next day, the rainbows have been replaced by candle flames showering the Earth in a warm-orange glow.  I see a crystal around my heart begin to shatter, and my mind draws rainbows around my husband and me, simultaneously warming us and cooling us down.  Flames burn out from people’s mouths as their thoughts catch fire around the world.  Then silence descends, candle light returns, and the soft glow comes from me. 

On our third day of meditation, my husband and I sat alone.  Instead of closing my eyes, I consulted my oracle cards to guide my mind through the chaos of its thoughts.  These urged me to stop pushing rivers and allow life to flow, recognize appreciation when shared and find a way to express myself with strength, grace and sincerity. 

Yesterday, I took my meditation in the park, nowhere near 11:11, as I strolled my infant son.  At home, my husband built a pretend world with my stepson after posting to Facebook his thoughts on God’s existence independent of religion, and my daughter napped deeply in the safe embrace of her room as I rounded a weatherworn track at the local park.  The vision that unfolded happened in real-time as I watched the birds ascend from the ice-speckled ground.  First, I saw a small memorial built to honor men who fell in war and, just beyond that, a steeple rising up through the snow.  Then, after the signs of politics and religion, was an empty expanse of sun-sparkling snow, spreading out alongside the railroad tracks, reminding me of Rumi’s field which exists somewhere beyond all ideas of right-doing and wrong. The thought, “May this be the future,” lit quickly in my brain.  Resting in his carriage, facing toward me, my sleeping son smiled, and we headed home.

Day 1: Gratitude & "One Love"

On Day 1 of his Ignite! Challenge, Alex asked us particpants to compile a list of 10 things for which we're greatful.  He also asked us to beign a new practice of taking 3 cleansing breaths and of identifying and embracing a theme song for each new day. 

My gratitude list

1. My husband.  There is no one else like him, but he is always spreading the awareness that all are one.  I’m thankful to spend my life with someone I love, and I’m thankful that the one I love loves me in return.

2. Our daughter Kyra Lena.  The care with which she treats her baby dolls and makes me imaginary tea and snarls as though she’s a little monster who likes to sing with abandon, give kisses and terrorize her brothers (who are at once her adversaries and her dearest friends) embodies the idea of balance in the most beautiful way imaginable and gives me faith in myself and everything. I’m thankful that I was able to have her naturally and that, after nearly 40 hours of uncertainty, she emerged healthy and strong into my arms.

3. Our son, Valor.  At 4 months, he radiates the purest love I have seen.  His smiles, his laughter, his determination and joy remind everyone he meets why it’s good to be human.  I’m thankful that I embraced my unexpected pregnancy with him and delivered him naturally as well, in less time and with less fear, than I did his big sis’.

4. My stepson, Aldan.  Aldan has a dream in which he consciously chooses to live and a flying pig tells him that he’s going to “rock on.” I’m thankful that, upon meeting the child on his first birthday, I watched him kick one baby-fat leg toward me and knew immediately that I accepted him as my child forever even though he did not enter this world through my body.

5. My house.  In a time when foreclosure is high and society is in flux, the flexibility of my freelancing lifestyle allows us to find a way to stay in the warm and protective walls of the beautiful home my husband built 2 years ago.  I’m also thankful that I live in a place where I can easily walk all the way across town, to a park and the store all the while watching the oddly captivating beauty of passing trains.

6. Warm running water.  Somehow, we always find a way to afford this luxury.  With warm running water, everything will become clean eventually, and the knowledge of this brings me peace.  Throughout my life, nothing has been quite as conducive to peaceful, healing meditations as a deep soak in our claw foot tub or a powerful shower that stays hot.  I have warm running water to thank for that.

7.  Food.  Somehow, we always have enough, and most of it is very tasty and increasingly healthy, largely due to my husband’s desire to help our family evolve our consumption practices .

8. Internet.  Sounds weird, but I’m thankful for this web of connections that allows people to share information, increase awareness, practice free speech and instantly chat with friends new and old.  It also allows me to work as a teacher, writer and entrepreneur and is available at my home and, lately, in hotspots all around the world.  Were it not for this technology, I would not know about Alex Obed’s Ignite Challenge, and I would not be able to share my progress with you.

9. Payment plans.  Like National Parks, just knowing they exist brings me peace.  Not everything must be done at once.  When we’re proactive, we can take things one step at a time and look forward to the release that will come when all debt is resolved.

10. Art—as it exists in all its form, natural and man-made.  Art—a word that, by defying definition, reminds me that not all good things must be so easily defined.  Art—the ultimate form of creative expression which brings us back to ourselves and reminds us we are more powerful than we believe.

One. Two. Three.  Breathe.

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY MY SONG--A melody heard 'round the world