The Daily OM for Feb. 21 – Sound Healing

Sound Healing
Good Vibrations

When the vibrations of our physical and spiritual bodies are out of harmony it can cause disease.

Everything in the universe is in a constant state of vibration, including our bodies. Sound is vibration that can be translated by the delicate structures of our inner ear, but it moves more than just those tiny receptors. It is part of the spectrum of energy vibrations that affect us on the menta

l, physical, and spiritual levels. Long ago shamans recognized the power of sound when they first used chants and drumming to heal people. In ancient Egypt, Greece, and India, the use of sound and music for healing was a highly developed sacred science. Sonic vibration has been one way of experiencing the energy of the universe for much of humanity’s history.

When the vibrations of our physical and spiritual bodies are out of harmony it can cause disease. Sound healing gently massages the molecules back into the right places, clearing blockages and restoring harmony. Ancient healing systems such as Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda associate specific musical notes with subtle-energy systems of the body, such as in yoga where particular notes of music correspond to each of the seven chakras. In Tibet, priests have long used bells and bowls over and around the body to tune and clear the energy centers. Chimes and tuning forks are other tools that have been used to heal not only the body but the energy in a room as well.

Knowing that sound has the power to heal, we should also try to remember that sounds from modern life can have a negative affect. Choosing silence over discord may help us maintain a state of equilibrium. As we seek soothing and harmonizing sounds to surround us, we may be doing more than creating a balm for the noise of the world. We may actually be performing an act of self-healing that connects us with one of the most basic vibrations of the universe.

The Daily OM

REFERENCE GUIDE FOR HERBS

Overview

Herbs are a gift from nature. They include leaves, bark, berries, roots, gums,
seeds, stems and flowers. They have been used for thousands of years to help
maintain good health.

ALFALFA

Aids in healing allergies, arthritis, morning sickness, peptic ulcers, stomach
ailments & bad breath; cleanses the kidneys & removes poisons from the body;
neutralizes acids; is an excellent blood purifier & blood thinner; improves the
appetite and aids in the assimilation of protein, calcium & other nutrients.

ALOE VERA

Helps alleviate constipation, aids in healing burns & wounds, canker sores, cold
sores, ulcers, acne and digestive disorders.

BLESSED THISTLE

Helps strengthen the heart & lungs; aids in healing urinary, pulmonary & liver
disorders; increases circulation to the brain; aids digestion, reduces fever,
expels worms, helps alleviate menstrual cramps.

BURDOCK ROOT

Is an excellent blood purifier and cleanser; aids in healing skin blemishes,
arthritis & rheumatism; promotes healthy kidney function.

CAPSICUM

Promotes cleansing of the circulatory & digestive system; reduces fever,
purifies the blood; helps prevent muscle aches, tiredness, skin blemishes,
headaches, rheumatism, ulcers & sore throats; helps in regulating your blood
pressure and pulse rate.
CASCARA SAGRADA

Stimulates the secretions of the entire digestive system; helps prevent nervous
disorders, colon & constipation problems.

CHAMOMILE

An excellent cleanser & toner of the digestive tract; aids in calming the
nerves; expels worms & parasites; Improves the appetite & helps eliminate
dandruff.

CHAPPARAL

Aids in healing skin blemishes, acne, arthritis & allergies; promotes hair
growth; acts as a natural antibiotic within the body with no side effects.

COMFREY

Aids in healing respiratory ailments, anemia, arthritis, fractures, mucous
membranes, lungs & wounds; it is soothing to the gastrointestinal tract; aids in
cell proliferation; helps the pancreas in regulating blood sugar level; helps
promote the secretion of pepsin & is a general aid to digestion.

ECHINACEA

Is the most effective blood & lymphatic cleanser in the botanical kingdom; its
acts as a natural antibiotic and works like penicillin in the body with no side
effects; aids in reducing fever, infections, bad breath & mucous buildup.

EUPHRASIA

Aids in reducing skin blemishes, clears bloodshot eyes, and helps with
impotence.

GARLIC

Is extremely effective in dissolving and cleansing cholesterol from the blood
stream; it stimulates the digestive tract; it kills worms, parasites and harmful
bacteria; it normalizes blood pressure and reduces fever, gas & cramps; it used
by athletes for increasing physical strength & energy.

GINGER

Aids in fighting colds, colitis, digestive disorders, flu & gas; it helps
increase the secretion of saliva; is excellent for the circulatory system and
helps increase stamina.

GINSENG

Aids in increasing endurance, longevity & vitality; aids in balancing hormonal
activity; acts as a sexual stimulant, mental & physical stimulant; normalizes
blood pressure levels; helps protect the body against stress; strengthens the
endocrine glands; stimulates the activity of RNA & DNA in your cells, thus
helping retard the aging process.

GOTU KOLA

Is an excellent “brain food” which promotes memory & helps alleviate mental
fatigue; excellent for the eyes, impotence, endurance, energy & normalizing
blood pressure; considered to be an excellent nerve tonic.

HAWTHORN BERRIES

Strengthens the muscles and nerves to the heart; aids in relieving emotional
stress; regulates high & low blood pressure; helps combat arteriosclerosis,
hypoglycemia and heart disease.

HYSSOP

Regulates blood pressure, purifies the blood & promotes circulation, excellent
aid for the eyes, hoarseness, lungs, mucous buildup, nervous disorders and skin
problems.

LICORICE

Expels mucous from the respiratory tract aids in healing hoarseness,
hypoglycemia, coughs & constipation; promotes healthy adrenal glands; acts as a
sexual stimulant; helps increase endurance & vitality; helps in reducing skin
blemishes (age spots).

MA HAUNG

A stimulant of the adrenal glands; helps increase energy level; aids in healing
asthma, bronchitis, lung, coughs & congestive disorders.

MULLEIN

A bone, flesh and cartilage builder; aids in healing respiratory ailments,
asthma, bronchitis, diarrhea, sinus congestion; soothing to any inflammation and
relieves pain; acts to relieve spasms & clears the lungs.

ROSE HIPS

Used to fight infection & curb stress. it is the highest herb in Vitamin C
content and contains the entire C-Complex.

SARSAPARILLA

Helps cure impotence; relieves inflammation & gas and will increase the flow of
urine; an excellent blood purifier; aids rheumatism, heartburn, hormones, gout,
fever ad mucous buildup; also used to promote perspiration.

SPIRULINA

Is an algae containing 65 – 70% protein; it contains 26 times the Calcium of
milk; also contains phosphorous & niacin and is far more nutritious than any
known food; used for rejuvenation & weight reduction; an excellent blood and
colon cleanser; very high in Vitamin B12 content.

YELLOW DOCK

A nutritive tonic, high in Iron and useful in treating anemia; also nourishes
the spleen and liver, thus, being effective for the treatment of Jaundice,
Lymphatic problems & skin eruptions; strengthens, cleanses & tones the entire
body; excellent for boils, ulcers, wounds, and cleansing

Daily Feng Shui News for July 26th – 'One Voice Day'

There’s no better time than ‘One Voice Day’ to share some ancient wisdom from the Eastern Ayurvedic tradition. This healing modality says that we should spend some time each day intoning each of the vowels in the modern day alphabet. Elongate the vowels for an extended period of time in order to fine tune your brain, balance your breath, reduce your heart rate and infuse yourself with an overall sense of well-being. These A’s, E’s, I’s and O’s are tremendously good for U!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Healing The Base Chakra

Healing the Base Chakra

The base chakra, also known as the first chakra, is located at the base of the spine. It is the survival center, supporting strength, determination, and the things that nurture us such as our family and friends. In certain traditions, such as Ayurveda and hatha yoga, it is regarded as the place where the resting kundalini is stored. It is the center through which we experience our connection to the earth and earth plane, while we are living this life. A healthy base chakra will keep you grounded and help you move forward in life.

Location: Base of the Spine

Crystal: Red Jasper

Color: Red

Fragrance Association: Patchouli

Keywords: Survival, health abundance, connection to the earth, change, strength, family, security, nurture, assertiveness, determination, passion, practical matters, tradition, endings and new beginnings.

Emotional/Mental Healing: An unbalanced base chakra can prevent you from advancing in life. When it’s blocked, nothing seems to happen. The lack of balance prevents the release of grief and other restricting emotions that hold you back. Everyone needs time to grieve, but this should always be a process of release rather than something to hold on to. Death is about change–not just for the person who dies but also for the relatives and friends they leave behind. All change brings opportunity and a fresh start. Without releasing grief and holding onto feelings such as sorrow and guilt, any new projects you start may never quite work or come to fruition. This prevents abundance–not only material but abundance on a deep soul level, of sensitive feelings and happy emotions. You feel unfulfilled. Slowly this has an emotional effect. You start to feel as if nothing is working or worthwhile and no one is on your side. You become stressed, a myriad of apparently unrelated physical symptoms begin to appear, and low-level depression sets in. You can feel as if you have lost a connection but to what you often are not sure. The dysfunction of your base chakra prevents you from appreciating the nurturing things in life. You can feel distanced from family and friends and unsettled. As you start to feel alone, insecurity can set in, leading to anxiety and panic attacks. In extreme circumstance, addictions, phobias, and obsessions can develop.

Physical Healing: When the base chakra is out of balance, common symptoms appear, such as chronic lower-back pain, varicose veins, sciatica, water retention, rectal and anal problems, constipation, diarrhea, some fertility issues such as impotence and immune disorder. The base chakra also affects the health of the groin, hips, pelvis, lower end of the digestive system, legs, knees, ankles and feet.

Spiritual Healing: The base chakra connects you to the earth. In one sense this is rational, mental grounding, as in your link to the planet; keeping your feet on the ground than your head in the sky. In another way, it’s bringing all your spiritual knowledge and experience into your everyday life, living in the present moment and experiencing every second of your existence. Part of this process can involve development workshops and classes, but many people go to these have enlightening experience and then simply go back to their everyday lives, maybe tell their friends about the weekend and nothing. A healthy base chakra enables you to take the experiences and skills you have acquired and use them in your everyday life. This brings positive change in small manageable doses, leading to happiness.

Lifestyle: A balanced base chakra can help you move forward in life, change career, accept opportunities and run with the ball when it falls in your hands. It promotes a healthy sense of security and confidence, allowing you to give and receive nurture, stand up for yourself when you need to, take advantage of all that life offers and succeed in whatever you do.

Alternative Crystals: Hematite, black obsidian, smoky quart, snowflake obsidian, red calcite, falcon’s eye, zircon, mookaite, black banded agate, jet, black opal, petrified wood.

Daily Feng Shui Tip for August 16th

Today I’m thinking of all-natural herbal supplements. Of course, always consult your health-care professional before taking herbs or supplements, but keep a bottle of andrographis at hand if you need something that stimulates immunity. Andrographis has long been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine traditions for treating colds, sinus issues and other more concerning airborne illnesses. It contains a number of bitter constituents that embrace both anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating properties. Recent research have found that andrographis may even help to reduce symptoms of influenza, which might explain why the Swedes have used this supplement as a primary herb to ward off common winter ailments.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

It’s Elemental, My Dear Watson

It’s Elemental, My Dear Watson

Author: BellaDonna Saberhagen

In most modern neo-Pagan paths, there are four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. When I first started out, these were unquestionable facts. All the books I bought broke up the elements this way, ascribed certain tools to certain elements (though whether the athame and wand were air or fire often changed with the writer) , assigned the same directions for the elements and even gave their times of year. It even kind of makes sense from a scientific standpoint: the four states of matter are solid (earth) , liquid (water) , gas (air) and plasma (fire –ok, not quite, but lightning, which is plasma, often gave birth to fire) . It wasn’t until I left neo-Wicca and began researching ancient cultural religions that I even considered the ‘whys’ of the elements.

The elements as we know them now, are an ancient Greek construct. Around 500 BCE, Empedocles wrote Tetrasomia, or Doctrine of the Four Elements. It is doubtful he came up with the idea, but he was the first to write down all four elements as the foundation of the universe. When looking at a map of Greece and Europe, it’s easy to see why the elements were assigned the directions they were given.

In the Northern Hemisphere, as you travel south, it gets warmer; hence the realm of fire must lie to the south (Summer being assigned to fire also makes sense due to the warmth of the weather) . The Olympus Range is to the north of most of Greece (it separates Thessaly from Macedonia) , thus the home of earth being in the north makes sense; as does earth being assigned to winter, as when you travel north it gets colder, as it does when you travel high enough in mountains.

Most of the Mediterranean Sea is to the west of Greece. If you travel far enough west, you reach the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean; so the home of water should be to the west (though why it is assigned to Autumn, I really don’t know other than to make the transition from fiery southern summer to earthy northern winter flow nicely) . Air is more ambiguous; perhaps wind is more easterly than usual in Greece, or perhaps it was the only direction that elemental association wasn’t obvious.

Most books I’ve read say it is because the sun rises in the east, but that makes very little sense to me as the sun is a bringer of warmth and should thus be associated with fire. After all, the sun is in the sky longest in the summer, the month of fire. Aristotle added the fifth element, which he called ‘quintessence’, but is often referred to as Akasha, Ether, or Spirit by the modern Pagan community. And thus we have the five points of the pentacle. (A point which I find very interesting: If you wear a pentacle, you might state that it is a sign of protection, each point is an element and they are connected by the circle. However, according to elemental tool assignment and tarot cards, the pentacle is assigned to earth.)

Taken out of Greece, the directional associations we are so comfortable with start to break down. In the Southern Hemisphere, it gets warmer as you travel north and colder as you travel south (I have heard that some practitioners in those regions flip directions as they also flip the Sabbats) . How about in the northeastern USA? The closest ocean is to the east, not the west; the closest mountain range to me is to the west; the wind can blow from any direction, though the sun still rises east-ish (it only rises in the true east all year at the equator) ; it does still get warmer if I travel south. It would almost make more sense to me to put earth to the west, water to the east and air to the north… almost, if it weren’t for the power behind the belief in the traditional associations.

So that’s where our traditional elemental associations come from. How about other cultures? Let’s first look at two other major European cultures for comparison: the Celts and the Norse.

In Celtic cosmology, there are three realms: Land, Sea, and Sky. We can associate Land with earth, but it is more than that. The Land isn’t just the dirt and rocks, it’s the trees and plants and animals that live there, it’s where humans live and beneath which the dead reside. Sea is water, but it is also the gateway to the Otherworld from which the gods came and the way to travel to unknown lands. Sky can be associated with both air and fire. Wind moves the clouds in the sky; but the sun is also of the sky and fire first touched the land as a gift from the sky (lightning) ; the sky is also how time is reckoned by movements of the sun and moon. There were no directional associations as the Land was the land around them, the Sky was the sky above, and the Sea was the sea wherever it was found.

There were also three elements according to the Norse: Earth, Fire and Ice. If you look at places such as Iceland, this makes a lot of sense. Northern Europe is very cold and there are places in the northern most reaches of Norway and Sweden where the sun does not rise at Yule and does not set on Litha. Snow and ice have a greater grip and impact than they do elsewhere, frost giants were a very real threat to winter survival. You can perhaps associate ice with water and air, but it was more than that, it was something to respect and fear. The powers of ice were not called upon lightly. Earth was closer to the Land of Celtic beliefs than earth of Greek beliefs. It was the earth that sustained them, but it also suffered at the hands of the frost and fire giants. Fire for the Norse was trapped within the Earth. Iceland was (and is) very seismically active. Fire could be friendly to those in the cold north, but it could just as easily overwhelm towns and destroy all they had worked to survive on.

Let’s move further east now, to India and China. They also each have elemental systems that differ from our most common cosmology.

In Hindu belief, there were once only three elements: fire, water and earth. Air and Akasha were added later. The elemental health system of Ayurveda uses all five elements but breaks people down into three health types (or doshas) . The doshas are air-space (vata) , fire (pitta) and earth-water (kapha) . Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and each have their own rules about how to bring the other elements into balance within your body.

Similarly, the Chinese elemental system is used in Feng Shui. Contrary to western belief, Feng Shui is more than just a decorating guide; for example, one of the Feng Shui masters (known as The Living Treasure of China) has a restaurant, which serves food based on the elemental balance of Feng Shui his patrons need to maintain optimum health. There are five elements within the Feng Shui system: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. What we would refer to as earth is divided into three separate elements. Wood is associated with trees and plants. Earth is associated with stone, clay and mud. Metal is associated with all metals, both the ore that is mined and the finished pieces. Fire is associated with the sun and flames. Water is associated with bodies of water. There is no air element and no conglomeration of elements that one can extrapolate air from.

The Chinese and Hindu systems are older than the Greek system; at least based on dates they were recorded. Since the Celts and Norse did not have their own writing (use of ogham and runes aside) , it is impossible to date their ideas. My books do not cover Egyptian and Sumerian sources, so I do not know if they had elemental associations or what they might have been. However, having studied what I have, it does make me consider the whys of what I use in my spiritual and magickal practices. It’s important to understand why you use something or do something a certain way beyond “it’s what the book/my teacher said.”

Understanding the ‘whys’ of your practice will make your path deeper and your magick more effective. If you find that the Grecian elemental assignments do not work for you, you can always adapt them to your own geographical location or you can use another system altogether; just try to be mindful of mixing cultures in ritual. (I’m a bit uneasy about doing it. Others might be fine with it.)

Footnotes:
Aveda Rituals by Horst Rechelbacher (he has a great section of Ayurveda)

Feng Shui by Gale Hale and Mark Evans

Mind, Body, and KickA** Moves (a BBC martial arts show that interviewed “The Living Treasure of China”

The Way of Four by Deborah Lipp

Digestive Tips for Your Holiday Feast

posted by Care2 Healthy Living Guest Blogger

By Scott Blossom, Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner

I recently watched the movie, “Melancholia,” by Lars Von Trier, and was struck by parallels, plot-wise, with the upcoming season of holiday feasting. For those of you who don’t know anything about the movie, it is about a wedding that happens on the eve of an astronomical disaster. The promises of love, unity, and family bonds are eclipsed by the presence of a rogue planet on a collision course for Earth. I know from first hand experience and observation that many a holiday feast, while gleaming with the promise of gathering and celebrating life with our beloveds, often ends with some in the party being eclipsed by a sort of gastronomical crisis!

Yes, I am being hyperbolic. Indigestion is not the end of the world. From an Ayurvedic perspective though, digestion is integral to virtually every aspect of our body/mind health- to harmony and balance as we know it.

The thing to keep in mind: you are not what you eat, you are what you digest.

Most people’s digestive capacity is similar to that of a small campfire. (There is, of course, a special subset of exceptional individuals, mostly adolescent males, who like wildfire can incinerate nearly anything that comes their way. I direct my commentary toward the rest of us.) Like a small campfire, the average human’s digestion is delicate: overload it and you smother it; feed it too little fuel and it dies; stir it too much or too little and it sputters. The key to good fire tending is to be a good observer and listener. Elemental fire knows what it wants and communicates its needs in the form of heat, radiance, and sizzle. Our internal digestive fire speaks its own sensual and intuitive language: that of gut feelings.

For successful digestive fire tending, at least from an Ayurvedic perspective, consider these images:

Heavy foods, like flesh foods, dairy, highly processed and intensely sweet foods are big logs. (Actually, dairy and intensely sweet foods, especially sweetened dairy foods like ice cream, are more like green or soggy logs, since they are the hardest to digest for most people.)
Nuts and legumes, which fall in the middle of the spectrum from heavy to light, are well-seasoned medium logs; their vegetable fat and protein content make them both easy to burn and substantial enough to burn for awhile.
Vegetables and fruits are light foods, easy to burn but quick to burn out. Fiber-rich foods like these are the sticks that keep the fire burning, that stir it up and keep air circulating within it (via healthy peristalsis and elimination patterns).
Judicious amounts of alcohol (apertif anyone?) and seasonings are your matches and kindling.

An experienced fire tender knows you need all of these items, in the right balance and timing, to have a good fire.

So how does our fire-making go wrong?

Heavy food offered to your internal digestive fire in excess can overwhelm it and produce indigestion by stifling the fire.
Insufficient heavy food and too much light food will weaken the fire by starving it.
Large amounts of strong spices, fried food, or alcohol will cause the fire to flare up, which may scorch the fire-tender. (Excess alcohol overheats and dampens the fire simultaneously.)

The key to tending the digestive fire is to learn to accurately identify the moment of satiation, the first signs of which are feelings of energy, satisfaction, and gratitude. Complications set in because most people, for a wide variety of reasons, take these first signs of satiation as a cue to eat more. In a Hollywood world, the film’s score would loudly alert everyone to the danger approaching in that the next plate of food or glass of wine that will upset the eater’s digestive harmony. In the real world the score, while clear enough if we listen carefully, is sometimes too subtle to detect.

Like most skills proficient tending of your digestive fire is best developed through personal trial and error. Useful suggestions may be found by reading about eating well but even the best theory requires verification. Personal experience and paying attention to how the crucible of your own stomach works are the only sure ways to knowledge. In my opinion, one of the best sources of insight in this regard is to tend an actual fire, from ignition to ashes, and draw your conclusions from direct observation and intuition. As you watch the interplay flame, air, fuel and smoke you may put yourself on a surer course to avoiding gastronomical collisions this holiday season.

Scott Blossom is an Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit www.DoctorBlossom.com to learn more about Ayurvedic food recipes, whole-food cleansing, and health consultations. He wants to thank his brother Michael for contributing to this article.

Ayurveda

Having existed in India for at least 2,000 years, Ayurveda (Sanskrit, “science of life”) is one of the world’s oldest systems of medicine. A holistic tradition that integrates massage, exercise, diet and meditation, Ayurveda accords a special role to gemstones. According to ancient texts, the light of the Creator is transmitted to Earth by the planets; gemstones collect and then radiate this energy. If a person’s well-being is affected by in harmonious influences, an ayurveda healer can identify which planet is responsible and prescribe the appropriate gem to wear in order to correct the disruption.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

	dfior80 on Happy and Blessed June WOTC Fa…
	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on WOTC’s Lady Carla Beltan…
	dfior80 on WOTC’s Lady Carla Beltan…
	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on International Towel Day 2023:…
	shiroshine on International Towel Day 2023:…
	Rev. Lady Carla Belt… on Flower Meaning, Symbolizes, an…
	Christa on Flower Meaning, Symbolizes, an…

Tag: Ayurveda

The Daily OM for Feb. 21 – Sound Healing

REFERENCE GUIDE FOR HERBS

Daily Feng Shui News for July 26th – 'One Voice Day'

Healing The Base Chakra

Healing the Base Chakra

Daily Feng Shui Tip for August 16th

It’s Elemental, My Dear Watson

Digestive Tips for Your Holiday Feast

Digestive Tips for Your Holiday Feast

Ayurveda

The list below shows for each ayurvedic planet, the aspects that it represents and the principal gemstone associated with it.

Planet and gemstone correspondences

Sun (male aspects, vitality, success) – ruby

Moon (feminine aspects, peace of mind, comfort, well-being) – pearl

Mercury (education, intelligence, speech, humour) – emerald

Venus (love, beauty, art) – diamond

Mars (courage, confidence, physical strength) – coral

Jupiter (philosophy, spiritual growth, wealth, learning) – yellow sapphire

Saturn (fame, longevity, sincerity, justice) – blue sapphire

Rahu, the ascending node of the moon (restlessness, worldly success, force, selfishness) – zircon

Ketu, the descending node of the moon ( passivity, spirituality, non-attachment, selflessness) – cat’s eye chrysoberyl