Two Roads For Fear – Which One Is Resonating Most?

Posted on by
Reply

Fear – our world is ripe with it.  There is no one I have ever met that does not deal with it on a regular basis.  Fear will slow down or completely halt a person on their daring journey to something greater.  And, journey to something greater can include a career, parenthood, a budding soul mate partnership, reversing generations of oppression, and more. It is helpful to know what kind of fear is slamming at us, so that we can work through either the mind fear (pachad) or the growth fear (yirah) that is inevitably part of our journey.  The greater the fear, the greater the path, the slower the journey (sometimes), but the bigger the reward.

Everyone is different – what scares the heck out of you might be something that doesn’t bother me in the least.  Just remember that people often hold fear for a really good reason – it’s just that it’s often from an old pattern and not really rational or helpful anymore.  When we see that, we can let go faster.

If all life is sacred, then we must honour the processes we morph through in life, and the processes of others as well.   I liked this video because it honours (instead of dis-owns/shames) the natural process of fear.  Enjoy!

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

May we boldly go where we haven’t gone before!
Nancy

Going Deeper: Love and Compassion Are Life Keys

Posted on by
Reply

Love and compassion do not drain us, they deepens us. Are you okay with going deeper… and expanding your heart?

For close to 3 years, I volunteered in Palliative Care at my (then) local hospital. We were instructed to serve the patients – help them with what they might need/want. The medical staff took care of any medical issues, of course, like moving someone or adjusting a medical device; the volunteers brought drinks, read books aloud, or helped with a task the patient might not be able to complete on his/her own. Most of the people were conscious when I was there and, sometimes, family members were also present.

Sometimes I would give them a foot massage or quietly sing songs that might comfort them or bring back a fond memory. This is such a special space to share with someone because there was always a sense that that person could leave life at any moment. It was incredibly expanding and a deep, deep privilege to help in this way. All expectations dropped – the room was filled with Love and compassion – compassion for that person’s journey toward the final leg of life as we know it and the dissolve of all their life experiences into the big mystery…. what must they be thinking or feeling as they made peace with this “ending” inside themselves?

I wish we all could tap into that place with each other – a place of reverence. If we could, perhaps we would see each other with a deeper sense of appreciation for the life that flows through all of us – and how precious and fragile it is.

Enjoy the video…

 

 
Namaste,
Nancy

Kegels – Have You Done Yours Today?

Posted on by
Reply

Part of everyone’s good health regime should include doing Kegel exercises to develop/maintain strong, toned pelvic floor muscles. As women, we need strong pelvic floor muscles to prevent pelvic prolapse, and incontinence.  Strong muscles also makes sex more pleasurable. (For men, it helps to prevent incontinence, improves sexual function and helps reduce problems associated with prostatitis).  A quick way to get a few extra Kegels in is to just stop the flow of urine several times when you are peeing.  If you haven’t done Kegels for a while, check out this video made just for we women and follow along.  Aim for 100 a day.

Squuuuuueeeezzzze!    :-)

Heart beams,
Nancy

Osirus And How Your Heart Measures Up

Posted on by
Reply

When I was a young girl, I was fascinated with King Tut and ancient Egypt. It’s interesting how the areas we are attracted to in life often have a lot of relevance later on.
In ancient Egypt, Osiris was the biggest god of the underworld.  When people died, their hearts (which were believed to be the dwelling place of the Soul) were removed and measured against the feather of Truth.  If the heart was heavier than the feather, the heart would be thrown to Ahmet – a monster of a creature that would snap it up, chomp it down, and it would be game over for your soul – no hope for re-birth!

I thought this was a powerful concept and that’s why I’m sharing it with you now.  Most of us go through life inadvertently collecting judgments, resentments, hurts, disappointments -and more- from all the experiences we’ve gone through.  It’s not always a conscious choice – feelings are just felt and often not totally processed.  Society is riddled with this – most of us have grown up in homes where feelings were distorted in some way.  We learned to process them by… stuffing, downgrading, anesthetizing, projecting them onto others.  But, they fester and colour our perception of others and our world.  

Think about it!  Could you honestly say that your heart is free and clear and feels as light as a feather?  I know I couldn’t, but I’m working on it and being aware of this, visualizing that feather in my heart, is a cool little practice.  Being conscious of feelings by checking in …

“Do I want to hang on to this yucky feeling — or can I forgive this person and let go of these _____________ vibes?”  

(fill in the blank with your feelings.  By taking ownership of them, they can be released because you choose to do just that). 

Maybe Osiris isn’t waiting downstairs, but we are all here NOW – on the ground floor- likely, wanting an expansive, well-lived life.  Holding a feather in your heart is a good way to start, or continue, on that path.

Walk tall and carry a light feather!

Love,
Nancy

 

It’s Sometimes Necessary To Pass Alone

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, I heard a woman expressing her heartbreak around her mother’s passing.  It was difficult enough to lose her mother, but a lot of pain was coming from the fact that she was not present when her mother passed.  She had stepped away to get something to eat and her mom passed while she was out of the room.  This is a huge source of grief for people and I want to lend another perspective so it might lighten your heart if you ever have to go through this.

Several years back, a friend of mine was married to the love of her life.  They were married for over two decades and finished each other’s sentences.  For a while, he worked in a mine – and his time there would be the source of a lethal illness that developed not long after.

When he was diagnosed with cancer, she was there for him.  Night by night, she stayed by his side, never leaving – but it began to take a toll on her.  She told the on-duty nurse that she would take the bed they had offered in the other wing but didn’t leave until they assured her that they would call her if there was any change in his condition.  She laid her head down on the pillow and fell into a deep sleep.  Around 4 a.m., she awoke with a bad feeling and hurried back to her husband’s ward only to find that he had passed while she was sleeping.  I cannot tell you all the pain she went through from not being there with him.

The thing about this heart-wrenching circumstance is that it happens often – the part where the loved one passes when they are alone.  Sometimes, people just cannot pass if their loved ones ARE present.  They may not be able to handle the grief their family/friends feel, the tension of letting go, or their own struggle with having to say goodbye – from this world, from the people they love dearly.

It’s hard enough to see a loved one pass but to endure even more pain because you feel that you did something wrong (abandoned them) is further damage to an already-hurting heart.  It’s easy to think – bad time to leave – should have slept in the chair again that night – should have booked an earlier flight out… but please stop to consider that the person passing may need to pass alone, it’s not personal and no one did anything wrong – they just need to go that way.

I hope that, if you or someone you care about, ever has this experience, you will find comfort in a different way of looking at these things.

Love,
Nancy

Superbug Roulette with Canadian Grocery-store Chicken

Posted on by
Reply

Part of the reason that I chose to drastically reduce my consumption of meat (basically, I’m 98% vegetarian) shows up in an alarming documentary recently aired on CBC’s Marketplace show.  It is imperative to be aware of this problem because it has far-reaching health effects, particularly if you’ve taken many doses of antibiotics and may have developed some resistance to them.

Because of the current laws in Canada, chicken producers are permitted to feed antibiotics full-time to their chicken flocks – even when they are perfectly healthy!  As one person put it so succinctly in the presentation which we’ll get to soon – would we consume these powerful drugs along side our vitmains – every day?  Heck no!  We realize the redundancy/danger in doing so.  This gap in reasoning is somehow eluding the Canadian meat producers and particularly, the bodies that oversee laws and public health/safety.

We are regressing – because of the serious misuse of these drugs – back to the time when, if someone contracted pneumonia, 50% died of it within 16-20 days.  Why?  Because they had no antibiotics to rely on.  We are getting close to the point where these drugs will no longer work if fast-crop profits are put over public health/safey. It is not only our voices, as  consumers, that help change policy, but our actions as well.  Money talks.  Try buying something else.

One alternative, when choosing a protein source at the grocery store, is to consider beans which have a lot of protein and fibre (meat has no fibre!).  If you are concerned about adding to the current global methane challenge that may result from eating beans, try buying Bean-o (an enzyme which helps inhibit natural gas formation…  ; )  Works for me-hopefully for you too if you need it!

Read labels, stay safe!  Here is the video…

CLICK HERE to watch the 22-minute presentation.

Love & Blessings!

100 years – International Womens Day – Are You A Feminist?

Posted on by
Reply

One hundred years ago, in Canada, women were not legally considered “a person” and thus not allowed to vote!  It wasn’t until 1918 that womens’ voices were finally able to be heard when they acquired the right to vote.  We owe a lot to the women who fought for these rights and, as the video (below) alludes to, need to boldly take back our roles as Feminists.  (Feminism: The advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. Oxford Dictionary, online)

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. Rebecca West

The word brings up a lot of different meanings for different mentalities but it is a simple word – complicated by controlling groups trying to dictate to women how they “should” be in their bodies, spirits and lives.  I say, it’s time for women all around the world to define what is right for themselves.

There is still balancing needed – very much needed – and I would even say – desperately needed – in order to right the course of our planet.  Following the principle of yin and yang, within the yin, there is a little yang, and within the yang, there is a little yin – but when we look at the balance of power in the world, we see that women’s voices are not represented enough and more men are needed to stand up to speak on behalf of womens rights.  It truly is in their best interest to do so.  We really need our partners for global change to happen.  WOMENS voices, in all their feminine glory – need to be heard from the grass roots right on up to the political realm.  Women do things differently and it is this difference that is missing from the slipping vitality of our planet.

So, today, let us reflect on our voices, on a grand reclamation of our Feminist selves,  and on shifting this planet so that everyone can benefit from a healthier world.

Do you think the world would benefit from greater levels of female energy – or are we ok as we are?

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Click the link below for an insightful perspective on where women stand these days…

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/video.html?ID=1827955896

Here’s to a better planet, for us all but especially for the generations that are to inherit it.

Boldly, with Love and Hope,

Nancy


2011 – What It Could Be

Posted on by
Reply


Well, we are beginning a new year and I have to say that 2010 was filled with a lot of ……… experiential learning, so while it was NOT a particularly easy year (some of it really sucked), it was tasted, lived and learned.  I am thinking of calling 2010 my year of NO (…and, thus, KNOW) because of all the no’s I received and the no’s I ended up saying to myself!  Each experience holds a silver lining, a life lesson, so I will say there were many in the last year.

And 2011?  Well, it could be shaped into a productive, prosperous, happy, healthy and Loving year – or not.  I choose door #1 – the not-so-easy door.  Why?  Because it means being a lot more vulnerable.  Everybody starts off from a different point in life.  Some of us were steeped in a healthy, Loving and supportive environment but, unfortunately, most of us were not.  Part of the reason why we don’t live as fully as we could is the residue that remains, even after all those years.  Holding back comes from fear(s) – and, often, clusters of them, uniquely tailored from our own experiences, disappointments, and pain.  With that in mind, it is hard to be really vulnerable, but as the following excellent TED talk by Brene Brown explains, it is the key that opens the doors to a fuller life.  Have a listen and give it some thought.  Leave a comment if you like.



Thanks for stopping in!

Sprinkling some Love,

Nancy  : )


Do You Know Your Rights?

Posted on by
Reply

Be The Change.....

Last week-end I had a rare opportunity to participate in an assertiveness training workshop and it was such an eye opener!  I highly recommend this kind of training to everyone because we often forget how to really communicate with each other about our wants and needs, or to help others express theirs to us.  The course was small – only 3 participants (including yours truly) – and the teacher was wonderful.  Dr. Dan Sydiaha has decades of teaching experience and is an expert at delivering the material.  What a great opportunity to attend, particularly with these class dynamics.

It is astoundingly common that most people do NOT know their rights, and if you don’t know them, you can’t own them.  It’s not like most of us have never read them.  On the contrary, I had read them long ago but there is something about timing that allows the “right” information, at the “right” time, to really permeate one’s consciousness, particularly through this kind of experiential learning.

Being in chronic situations where one is asking over and over again for something (a need, a right) and not having it acknowledged, respected or fulfilled can really jump the needle up on the stress-o-meter. Also, having been in a work-place where bullying was going on, I can attest to how badly these skills are needed right now – in order for people to function at peak levels.  Being in unhealthy situations can really wear one’s Spirit down and re-owning one’s rights can act as an empowering re-set point.

Here is a link for you to learn, or reacquaint yourself, with your personal rights… click HERE. Take your time and focus on reading each one and how you feel after you’ve finished the list.

Consider how many times in one day yours were transgressed, or that you may have transgressed someone else’s.

This is a local act, with global implications!  Think of some of history’s leaders who completely obliterated the rights of thousands/millions of people – what if they had been respected as children and taught to respect others’ rights as well?  In Rwanda, 800,000 people were murdered in one month, Cambodia’s Khemer Rouge, led by Paul Pot, murdered two million people and I don’t have to remind you about Hitler.  Yes, I consider it — that far reaching — so if we want to be the change – we must take responsibility for that and learn — role model this to/for our children and all the world’s children.  Life is easier when we do not oppress ourselves, or others!

Know Your Rights!  Click here to read them!

Here’s to a healthier world!

Love,

Nancy

The Present In Your Future…

Posted on by
Reply

~ Finding our heart's space

Do you realize that there is a great present in your future? Well, there is!  Let me explain.

Recently, I was invited to a 2-part workshop with Ti Caine and Sherri Nickols which was quite an inspiring and transformative experience!  In the process that Ti does, “FutureVisioning,” we were asked to imagine ourselves into the future.  When there is a lot of trauma, loss, stress, or a string of (seemingly) unfortunate events, it can be challenging to look into the future because we are stuck and mired in the old stuff.  How can we be present, enjoying time TO-DAY, if we are having a hard time processing yesterday’s stuff and maybe feeling less than hopeful about tomorrow?  Well, there is a way to lasso the different “time zones” and resolve what is needing resolution so that the present is, well, a big, bright beautiful present!

The future creates the present. Lazaris.

Think about that for a moment.

Those who write their goals/dreams down will have a far better chance of actually attaining them than those who do not.  Similarly, if we have a foggy or less-than-sparkling view of the future, then that is what will be created.  When we anchor in our vision of the future, it takes care of the present.

After much frustration with manifesting what I want in life, it is apparent that building a bridge to our highest heart wishes is crucial.  A good place to start is with a vision board.  Gather some magazines and cut out any photos that “speak” to you.  Other items can include something you craft/write yourself to add.  The sky’s the limit with this so let your creativity flow.

If you have some time to do the Futurevisioning process with Ti, I highly recommend it.  Sherri has a great site and I highly recommend signing up for her newsletter.  It was a Blessing to meet and work with both Sherri and Ti.  I am including links to reach them at the end of this post, if you want to find out more.  If you have any questions, feel free to send me a note.

The point, in being here, is to have a fun, connective and soul-expanding time.  We are meant to be free, to grow and thrive.  Whatever I can do – to help you do that – I will do!

Remember who you are:  a chip of the old omniscient, omnipotent Goddess/God Block!  I am just reminding you!  : )

Love,

Nancy

Click here to —-> Check out Sherri’s site

Click here to —-> Check out Ti’s site