Day: July 21, 2012

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for July 21

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

“There is no royal road to anything – One thing at a time, and all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures.”
– J.G. Holland.

The first lessons we have to learn is that instant success in anything is a fantasy. The overnight success stories we hear about are really products of much preparation.

If we could view a life laid out before us, we could see it is much like a hand sewn quilt, built of many tiny pieces, colors of every hue, fabrics of every kind, and patiently joined together by tiny stitches to give many years of service. Maybe we missed a stitch someplace and it caused a weak place, but the strength of many other stitches will carry it through. Finally a complete quilt has been created and it is strong and lasting.

When we truly want to move ahead we build our lives a quilt block at a time, patiently adding to another part of life until we have the strength and courage to endure.

Take on step at a time, but take it positively forward! The patience will be rewarded. To have a dream come true we must first have a dream. Don’t look back. The past is gone, but the future is still in our hands.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:

 

http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 21

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 21

“You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts.”

–Cochise “Like Ironweed” CHIRICAHUA APACHE

Come into my heart this morning. Allow me this day to live in the now. Help me to see all the beauty You have created in all things. Let me know myself. Today, as I make mistakes, let me see them as lessons. Guide me. When I see others make mistakes, let me honor them for where they are. Let me realize that they are Your children and only You, my Grandfather, knows what is really going on. When my lips move, let the words be Your words.

Allow me to have the courage to speak Your truth.

July 21 – Daily Feast

July 21 – Daily Feast

When we are appalled at the other person’s ignorance, it is hard to believe that our own is just as profound. We stand in awe that they do not see what is so apparent, but in all our self-confidence we are as much in the dark as the next person. We are just ignorant on different subjects. What one person studies intensely may mean nothing to someone involved in another idea. But it takes all of us to make up the families of the world. We each have a purpose – and none of us quite like another. Time, circumstances, and beliefs have separated some as far as the East is from the West. It is not that we were created to be nu da le hna v, different or separated – but that we chose. We chose. We had the freedom to choose, and therein lies the difference.

~ You think I am a fool, but you are a greater fool than I am. ~

SITTING BULL

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Daily Motivator for July 21 – Choose to actively live

Choose to actively live

Don’t find an excuse. Find a way.

Don’t figure out how to put it off until later. Use your energy and  intelligence and time to get it done now.

Let go of the urge to complain about how things are. Remind yourself that you  can make things better, and challenge yourself in each moment to do just that.

There’s no need to be dismayed at how hard it will be. Choose instead to be  enthusiastic about how much of a real difference you can make.

What really matters is not what’s pushing against you. What matters is how  authentically committed you are to moving forward.

Connect with that commitment, connect with your positive passion, and choose to actively live life for all it’s worth. You absolutely can if you will, so do.

— Ralph Marston

Daily OM for July 21 – A Special Goodnight

A Special Goodnight

Creating A Nightly Ritual

At the end of the day, as the sweet, dark stillness of night beckons us to lay down our bones and rest, we find ourselves at a clear transition point: Behind us lies the previous day and all that has come before; ahead of us, dawn heralds the unfolding of all that is yet to be. While many of us have morning rituals that connect us with our center and help us to set intentions, we may want to explore the magic and power of nighttime ritual as well. It holds for us a beautiful chance for self-appreciation and blessing. Before you go to bed each night, you can send gratitude, compassion, and healing to the being you have been up until this moment. And you can send lightness and love into the future for the one you are in the process of becoming.

Though simple, this action honors the journey you have taken thus far, while opening you to the wonderful possibilities still ahead. When you consciously engage with your own evolution this way, you may find that your sleep gets sweeter, filling your night with a deeper sense of trust and relaxation. As you rest, you can surrender to these peaceful hours, knowing that the road behind you has been seen and acknowledged with respect and kindness, while the path ahead now holds your own benevolence and well wishes.

This bedtime ritual empowers you as the only one who can determine the meaning of your own past and the hopefulness of your future. By setting this special time aside each night, you can begin to orient yourself on your path of growing. It allows you to let the past have its place, to trust that the future is taken care of, and to simply rest yourself in the graceful arms of the present moment.

10 Ways to Alkalize Your Body Today

10 Ways to Alkalize Your Body Today

by Michelle Schoffro Cook

Acidity has been linked to pain, excess weight and many other health issues.  Fortunately, making your body more alkaline (the opposite of acidic) is  easy.  Here are 10 ways to alkalize your body for more energy and  vitality:

1. Start your day with a large glass of water with the  juice of a whole, freshly-squeezed lemon. While lemons may seem acidic, they  have the opposite effect on your body as it metabolizes them.

2. Eat a large green salad tossed in lemon juice and olive  oil. Greens are among the best sources of alkaline minerals, like calcium.

3. Snack on raw, unsalted almonds. Almonds are packed with  natural alkaline minerals like calcium and magnesium, which help to balance out  acidity while balancing blood sugar.

4. Drink an almond milk and berry smoothie with added green  powder like spirulina, chlorella, or other greens. Choose almond milk over cow’s  milk, since the latter is acid-forming.

5. Go for a brisk walk or some other exercise. Exercise  helps move acidic waste products so your body can better eliminate them.

Keep reading to learn how many glasses of water it takes to neutralize one  soda…

6. Breathe deeply. Ideally, choose a spot that has fresh,  oxygen-rich air. And, sorry Febreze, Glade, and all the other so-called “air  fresheners”: air filled with these scents is not what I’m talking about  here.

7. Go meat-free for a day… or longer if you like. During  the metabolism of meat, there is an acid residue left behind.

8. Skip the sugar-laden dessert or soda.  Sugar is one  of the mosyogt acidic foods we consume. You need over 30 glasses of neutral  water just to neutralize the acidity of ONE can of soda.

9. Add more veggies to your diet. No, potatoes don’t count.  But sweet potatoes are a good choice (provided you’re not slathering them in  sweeteners or butter).  Asparagus, squash, peppers, and other vegetables  are also excellent choices.

10. Sprout it out. Add more sprouts to your daily diet. They  are extremely alkalizing and supercharged with nutrients and energy-boosting  enzymes.

Using the Tarot as a Tool of Healing

Using the Tarot as a Tool of Healing

by Dr. Neala Peake, selected from AllThingsHealing.com

The Tarot,  long a powerful tool of divination, can also be used as a dramatic tool of healing,  and for shifting deep patterns. The deck that I suggest for this, the  Rider-Waite, is perhaps the most well-known deck in the Western world. Created  by Dr. Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942), a scholar of occultism, and illustrated  by Pamela Coleman Smith, a theatrical designer and American member of The Order  of the Golden Dawn, it is the “standard” teaching deck, and the first to use  detailed illustrations of the Minor Arcana, not just the Major.

The Deck Itself

The 78 cards of the tarot deck are divided into two groups: 22 Major Arcana Cards, and 56 Minor Arcana cards, made up of pip or suit cards (1-10), as well as court cards, which more or less correspond with traditional playing cards. The meanings of the Major Arcana are generally considered more far-reaching, relating to our journey for meaning and enlightenment, while the minors are considered more transient, representative of day-to-day activities.

The Seven Chakras

Using both the structure of the seven Chakras and the images of the Rider-Waite deck, the Chakra Lube Job illustrates how the  cards of a layout may be replaced as the healing progresses; as the images  shift, they actually depict the process of growth and resolution, similar to  time-elapsed photography.

The term Chakra is the Sanskrit word for “wheel,” and refers to our  own energy system: the interface between our energetic and physical selves, our  body and consciousness. Just as the car’s engine requires regular maintenance,  the Chakras, too, require regular “tune-ups.” This not only keeps its system  running smoothly, but addresses any blocks or problems on the core level.

While the chakras can be “tuned-up” through meditation, energy work with  light, sound, color, crystals, singing bowls, musical instruments and others,  the method which I’ve created and coined is known as The Chakra Lube Job.

The Chakras, one through seven, are: #1, the Root, at the base of the spine,  which relates to our ability to prosper and thrive on the earth; #2, the Sacrum  relates to our ability to gratify ourselves; #3, the Solar Plexus addresses our  own personal power and capacity to be comfortable in our skin; #4, the Heart  preserves unconditional love, and the integration of all polarities; #5, the  Throat, the center of the seven, is self-expression; #6, the Third Eye, our  ability to see the big picture and our psychic center; and, #7, the Crown, at  the top of the head, is our connection to the universal, wisdom and bliss.

The Chakra Lube Job Reading

Here is a sample healing Chakra Lube Job, to show you how this works. This  was a session with a woman in her early fifties, who is accomplished in her  field, and highly regarded in her community. She pulled seven cards, one for  each of the seven primary Chakras, in a vertical formation. She then continued  pulling cards, until I, or, she, or both of us felt the process was complete.  This process uses the images of the Rider-Wait deck to heal and shift the  chakric patterns, in a very conscious fashion, and may take anywhere from 20  minutes to several hours. (You may want to use your own deck to follow  along.)

Initial Layout The Chakra Lube Job  Layout

Card #1 (Root) Ace of Pentacles (an immense  pentacle shown emerging from a cloud, held by a huge celestial hand, above a  flowering hedge and archway leading out to mountains)

Interpretation: This is a wonderful, life-affirming card  that points to new beginnings, particularly of a financial nature. This ties in  beautifully with the meaning of this chakra; the primary concern with this  image, however, is that it refers to divine intervention, and points to a  fundamental belief on this person’s part that she did not hold the power for her  capacity to thrive in her own hands.

Card # 2 (Sacrum) Three of Wands (man on land, facing away  from three wands).

Interpretation: This card indicates that this woman has  given up on fulfilling her own sexual and emotional needs. She has turned her  back on any expectation, but does not know where she will go from here.

Card #3 (Solar Plexus) The Magician (#1) Major Arcana (an  androgynous figure in a red coat holding a wand that points upwards and  downwards, behind a table bearing a cup, a pentacle, a sword and a wand)

Interpretation: This is a powerful Major Arcana or destiny  Card, #1 in this sequence, which like the Ace of Pentacles, which she pulled for  the first Chakra, (also a #1), shows she is in a powerful new cycle of putting  herself first or fresh beginnings. This card shows that she has all the  resources and power she needs to transform her life, and create all that she  envisions. She loved this card, and we did not feel guided to choose any other  cards. (This is quite unusual to stay with the first card chosen, and indicates  that this area of personal power is very solid for her, and that she has  everything she needs to make her life as she desires.)

Card #4 (Heart) Four of Wands (two women celebrating in the  background near a castle tower; in foreground, four wands forming a lush  canopy)

Interpretation: This is a beautiful celebratory card. My  primary concern was that the two women were so far in the background, indicating  they did not feel they were at the center of this area of their lives. They  clearly loved life and had a great capacity to give and receive love, but tended  to put themselves in the background.

Card #5 (Throat) King of Swords (Virile dark-haired young  king, in blue robes, seated on a throne, holding a sword erect)

Interpretation: This card indicates that this woman feels  very powerful in her position as a communicator; it is important, however, to  note that this is a strongly masculine or patriarchal card, indicating that she  does not necessarily feel this power as a woman, but more in a socially  determined position of authority.

Card #6 (Third Eye) Two of Cups (man and woman making an  oath or promise. I call this the “going steady” card, not as serious as The  Lovers, Major Arcana)

Interpretation: This is the second card that depicts two  people in it. This indicates that she does not feel completely self-reliant in  her capacity to express her intuitive gifts or see the big picture. It may  indicate that she prefers to be validated or supported by a partner (in this  case a male or romantic partner).

Card #7 (Crown) The Emperor #4 Major Arcana* (an imposing  bearded white haired ruler or father figure, in red robes and warrior armor,  seated on a stone throne, holding an ankh.)

Interpretation: This is the second card of powerful male  authority that she drew. This indicates that she feels strongly connected to her  higher wisdom and the Universe, but in a form of male authority, or following in  the footsteps of the father. It is no surprise that this woman has Saturn  prominently in her chart, which points to a tendency to look for authority, and  hence validation, within the framework of the established order of things. It  also indicates that she looks to work and outer sources of acknowledgement (such  as success, status and approval) for her personal validation. This is a powerful  card, as it is a Major Arcana, and points to an overriding theme in her  life.

The Crown

The remaining session lasted two hours, and while we don’t have time to show  the entire process, we will give the example of the Crown position to  demonstrate the process. I asked the woman to draw a card for a chakra position  in which she felt the need for healing. After interpreting that card, I asked  her to draw another card until she felt complete with the healing on that  chakra. We did this with each chakra until all were complete and healed.

Crown sequence

Card #1 The Emperor (see above)*

Card #2 Ten of Wands (shows a blond androgynous individual  carrying ten wands, as if burdened, on his/her shoulders. With home in the not  too distant background, she/he is closer to home than he/she realizes.)

Interpretation: This card indicates that she feels  overwhelmed by all that she has to do. This is emblematic of someone who always  has a chore to accomplish or a deadline to meet. While they feel overwhelmed by  this pattern, they don’t know any other way. The fact that they are closer to  home then they realize, indicates she is maxed out on this tendency, and very  close to reaching a place where she no longer will continue with this  pattern.

Card #3: The Empress #3 Major Arcana

Interpretation: I was thrilled to see her pull this card,  the female counterpart to the Emperor, and a Major Arcana card, showing a major  shift in core perception. This is Venusian card, a celebration of one’s  femaleness, a card where someone is allowing themselves to live in concert with  the natural cycles, enjoying life and comfortable in their female essence in a  powerful and celebratory way. This card indicates no pressure to succeed, and a  joy in just being, enjoying and being receptive to the sensual and natural  pleasures of life itself.

This short sequence demonstrates how this process maps a major shift in  self-perception. It displays this process, using the simultaneity of cause and  effect, and mirrors back to us, using the archetypal illustrations of the  Rider-Waite, our own healing.

This healing affects our own Chakric well-being, as well as our own  relationship to our self, and to the Universe. This process demonstrates how The  Chakra Lube Job functions to both heal and maintain a healthy and  life-affirmative relationship to mind, body and spirit, allowing us to prosper  and thrive, continuing on our path to true happiness and true self, fulfilling  our destiny, as we go.

The Chakra Lube Job is a term and technique created by Cathy  H. Burroughs and is protected by copyright. Any reference to the technique or  usage of the title of the technique must be attributed to Cathy H.  Burroughs.

8 Ways Acidic Foods Damage Your Body

8 Ways Acidic Foods Damage Your Body

by Michelle Schoffro Cook

In small amounts, acidic foods like sugar, food additives, meat, rancid oils, trans fats, and fried  food can be handled by your body’s detoxification systems like the kidneys as well as its mineral reserves.  But, over  time, acidity can have many damaging effects on the body. The following are  seven ways acidity damages the body, but they are certainly not the only  ones.

1. Excessive amounts of acid deplete oxygen, which is needed by every cell in  your body to function properly.

2. It damages the mitochondria—the cells’ energy centers—so your cells won’t  have enough energy to perform their vital functions properly.

3. Excessive amounts of acidity need to be eliminated or acid will be stored  in tissues and joints, causing damage over time.

4. If not properly eliminated or neutralized, excessive amounts of acid can  damage brain cells and other cells.

5. When acid levels are excessively high it creates a breeding ground for  bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.

6. Acid can damage tissues, joints, organs, and glands, resulting in any  number of imbalances or dysfunction.

7. It depletes alkaline mineral stores in the body, particularly calcium from  bones and magnesium from muscles.

8. Superfluous acidity overburdens the detoxification organs like the kidneys  and the liver.

Study Shows Herb Effective for Seasonal Allergies

Study Shows Herb Effective for Seasonal Allergies

by Michelle Schoffro Cook

The herb Perilla frutescens and the extract from the perilla leaf  have been found in numerous studies to be effective for the treatment of  allergies. In one study published in Experimental Biology and Medicine,  perilla and one of its active ingredients, rosmarinic extract were found to  ameliorate allergic inflammatory reactions including nasal and sinus congestion,  and eye irritation.

In another study published in Phytotherapy Research, Japanese  scientists at the Department of Kampo Medicinal Sciences, Hokkaido College of  Pharmacy, found that perilla was more effective than a drug used for allergies.  Another study published in the journal Food Chemical Toxicology showed  that perilla oil had a beneficial effect on asthmatic allergies.

Perilla leaf or perilla leaf extract are available from many health food  stores. Follow instructions on the package.

Adapted with permission from Allergy-Proof:  Over 60 All-Natural, Drug-Free Ways to Beat  Allergies by Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.

 

Be Cautious of Gluten-Free Labels

Be Cautious of Gluten-Free Labels

 by Molly, selected from Experience Life

 

Think you can have your gluten-free cake and eat it, too? Not so  fast.  Despite the hundreds of products that sport gluten-free labels,  the FDA has no  official standards to regulate the claim. For those  striving to limit their  gluten intake, that lack of regulation can be  frustrating. But for those with  celiac disease, hypersensitivities to  cereal grains, or certain autoimmune  diseases like Hashimoto’s  thyroiditis (in which the body mistakenly attacks the  thyroid), a  “gluten-free” food with traces of gluten can pose a serious health   threat. Fortunately, new rules likely to be unveiled later this year  should  clear up the confusion.

As it stands now, the FDA only requires companies to state whether  common  allergens, such as wheat or nuts, are ingredients in a product.  Labeling  regulations are lax for products potentially cross-contaminated  with allergens  during the manufacturing process — something that  happens frequently in  facilities that process a wide variety of foods.  That means small quantities of  gluten can easily sneak into products  labeled “gluten-free.”

The FDA is currently evaluating the issue. Many experts anticipate  that if  the FDA does adopt new regulations, they will mirror those  governing product  labeling in several European countries, which allow  companies to label  their products gluten-free if they contain fewer than  20 parts per million  (ppm) of gluten. Many researchers assert that  those levels are tolerable even  for people with celiac disease, says  Danna Korn, founder of Raising Our Celiac  Kids and author of Living Gluten-Free for Dummies (Wiley, 2010).

In the meantime, you can eliminate the guesswork by avoiding  processed foods  whenever possible. “The best way to avoid gluten is to  eat products that aren’t  manufactured,” says Korn. “Most natural, non-grain whole foods, such as  vegetables, fruits, meats, legumes and fish,  are  inherently gluten-free.”

 

Quiz of the Day – Which Spirit Keeper do You Need?

Quiz: Which Spirit Keeper do You Need?

by Annie B. Bond

 

Native American traditions speak of four powers, or Spirit Keepers,  associated with the four directions, animals, colors, and qualities, that may be  honored and invoked, celebrated and worked with in order to bring ourselves into  better balance with What Is.

Take this simple quiz to see which Native American Spirit Keeper would be  most helpful to you now:

Look at the following sets of three statements. Which set of three is most  true for you?

A1. I long for a sense of renewal and quickening in my life.

2. I desire more clarity.

3. I feel that increased intelligence, intensity, and purity would be helpful  to me now.

B1. I long for transformation in my life.

2. I desire to be more grounded.

3. I feel that increased endurance, stability, and introspection would be  helpful to me now.

C1. I long for illumination.

2. I desire a sense of awakening and newness.

3. I feel that increased Light, spirituality, and far-sightedness would be  helpful to me now.

D1. I long for discovery in my life.

2. I desire a sense of unfolding and organic growth.

3. I feel that increased vitality, intuition and awareness of feelings would  be helpful to me now.

If you chose A, you need the Power of the North. Animal: Buffalo Color: White The Power of the North clarifies the mind and purifies our  mental being.

If you chose B, you need the Power of the West. Animal: Grizzly Bear Color: Black The Power of the West activates the intelligence of the  physical body and enables it to work with the material substances that  constitute our flesh, blood and bones.

If you chose C, you need the Power of the East. Animal: Eagle Color:  Yellow The Power of the East enables us to be enlightened with sudden  flashes of inspiration and understanding through our innermost “self,” which is  the noblest aspect of our total being.

If you chose D, you need the Power of the South. Animal: Mouse Color:  Red The Power of the South empowers and strengthens the intuitive “self.”

Spend some time facing or contemplating the direction you chose. Connect with  those qualities within you. You may want to petition the power animal of that  direction to help and guide you.

 

Daily Feng Shui Tip for July 21 – ‘National Junk Food Day’

It’s ‘National Junk Food Day!’ But what you should do if you ate peanuts and Crackerjacks at the ballgame without any regard to when or how they came back? According to an ages-old Indian indigestion remedy, you should crush a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and steep them in a cup of boiled water. Let steep for five minutes and then strain. Drink this tea slowly for quick relief. Chamomile or peppermint tea will also bring fast and soothing relief to a sour stomach, as will chewing on caraway or cardamom seeds. Better breath and a calm, unbloated belly? Give me some of that game!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com