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 “Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.” – Sai Baba
Love IS the most remarkable healing energy when it radiates from your heart and the core of your being in a pure and boundless way. Each of us craves love, from the very moment we give our first cry when we are born into this world. Our hearts continue to “cry” out for for love in so many ways throughout our lifetime.
When we are surrounded and basking in a life filled with exuberant and abundant love — we are fully alive! It helps us grow as individuals; it brings us sublime joy; it gives us that boost to achieve all that we wish to accomplish!
So it also follows that the greatest gift we can give to another is that of true unconditional, limitless love. I clearly remember my mother’s take on love, insight she shared with me when I was in my teens: “Real love is when you can put another’s welfare before that of your own. It is selfless. And when it is genuine, it will come easily, without much thought or effort.” Mom was right, and her simple, yet profound wisdom has stayed with me through my lifetime.
Unconditional love means just that: no strings attached. Not “I’ll only love you if you do this or that for me.” Absolutely NO conditions.
Yet, if someone truly loves you, they will be guided by their heart to selflessly take actions that will benefit you, as you will generously do things for their benefit. That is the natural give and take of love. When love is pure and positive, it lifts us to a place of exquisite energetic balance.
Of course, loving authentically from the heart and soul, one’s actions must be consistent with that emotion. That is the sign of real, healthy love. It is not merely saying “I love you” — even if you say it in a convincing manner. (Abusive people will tell the object of their abuse that they love them, but certainly their actions are not consistent with real love!)
If you sincerely love someone, you will (and MUST!) treat them accordingly. That means respect for their desires and life choices. It doesn’t mean you always have to agree with them, but you need to show respect for them — that is essential! Love means never saying or thinking “I control you.”
Love often means letting go, but sometimes it means a grand and thrilling “welcome back.”
Love means heartfelt communication.
Love means sharing authentically.
Love is personal, and love is uplifting.
Love is creating, and love is laughter.
Love means being a focused listener.
Love means pulling all the infinite joy and radiant emotion from the depth of your soul, from the innermost foundation of your being, and sharing it in a dazzling, illuminated and gloriously perfect way!
 Eat More Fresh Fruit! I could not believe what a strange feeling it was being surrounded by all the aisles of boxes and cans of totally processed foods. I almost could feel all the chemicals and toxins lurking on the shelves, but I just walked on, amazed at how dramatically my eating habits have changed in the last year.
Those reflections crossed my mind as I was picking up a few non-food items at the local supermarket where I used to shop regularly before switching to what I call an “organic flexitarian diet.” Now I shop at a whole foods market, but just a year ago I was still buying too many cans with long ingredient lists of manufactured ingredients and preservatives. Somewhere in the earlier part of the year, my eating lifestyle was going to undergo a metamorphosis and though it had already begun some time before, the true organic butterfly in me emerged earlier this year.
The catalyst for this was a healthy lifestyle conference, sponsored by the Reiki organization to which I belong, which featured a local doctor/nutritionist who promotes a raw, organic whole-food lifestyle for better health and longevity. Everything he spoke about made perfect sense and I was hooked on this concept. The one highly memorable comment he made was in response to a woman from the audience who asked if commercially boxed breakfast cereal is okay to eat. The nutritionist replied, “You might as well throw out the cereal and just eat the box.” I took it to mean that most cereals were not quite as nutritious as the ads on TV would have us believe!
The term “Flexitarian” was coined in recent years to denote a mostly — but not completely — vegetarian lifestyle. A flexitarian diet occasionally includes a meal of fish, fowl or meat. “Occasionally” can mean different things to different people. If one has been eating meat 5 times a week, then perhaps two times per week would be occasional. And for me personally, I prefer organic food and thus the term organic flexitarian best describes my own way of eating.
Here is a brief summary of just a few interesting things I learned and incorporated into my own eating lifestyle in the past year:
- Processed Foods – Reduce or completely eliminate these from your diet. A processed food is something that is not available in nature, something that could not be grown in a garden. Processed foods contain preservatives and chemicals.
- Organic is Better – Non-organic foods have pesticides, herbicides, additives and hormones. These are chemicals that can adversely affect the liver and kidneys.
- Raw Foods are Healthiest — vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouts. Our bodies actually recognize these as real foods!
- Chew Your Food Well – What mother used to tell you was right on target! We have teeth for a biological reason — to completely pulverize our food into a cream-like substance so it is easily digested by our system. With thorough chewing (and the biochemical action of saliva) our food is more thoroughly prepared to be digested by the stomach, and the healthy nutrients are absorbed and prepared to be used. This is healthier for our bodies — and also does help reduce gas!
- Animal Protein – Limit this to three meals a week, not on two consecutive days, so your digestive tract can clear itself.
- Three Meals a Day (no more than this and snacking must be greatly reduced — or stopped completely if you have the willpower!) Eating more than three meals and snacking often can cause food to lay in your digestive tract, fermenting. Letting your digestive tract completely clear means it is going through a detoxification process. It can’t do this if you are constantly snacking. Scientifically, it is shown that fermentation can lead to inflammation at the cellular level which can start the disease process within one’s body.
- Acid vs. Alkaline – Your body has a natural, healthy alkaline state that it tries to maintain. Too many processed and cooked foods can create a more unnatural, less-healthy acidic condition. It’s beneficial to reduce the amount of acidic foods consumed. Another tip is: if you are eating acidic foods, consume alkaline first, such as salads and juices, which act to neutralize the acid food that will be consumed next.
- Food sequencing – It is better to eat quickly-digested foods first and slowly-digested foods next. Salads are better eaten before the protein part of the meal, especially if you are consuming meat for that meal. The theory behind this order of eating is if easily-digested foods are blocked by foods that take much longer to digest, then the easily-digested foods will sit in the digestive tract and start that process of fermentation.
If you are contemplating a healthier way of eating, I wholeheartedly suggest trying some of these ideas, but most importantly, add lots of fresh fruits and veggies to your diet!
We are all familiar with the importance of having the electrical currents in our homes grounded. This is for safety reasons, allowing the overflow of electricity to be dismissed, so there is no damage to the circuits from the excessive voltage.
However, have you ever considered how important energetic grounding can be to our health and well-being?
With the process of grounding, we are able to maintain a healthy energetic balance, by releasing energy blockages and negativity. When we are grounded and centered we are in a good and serene space and the flow of energy throughout our bodies is free-flowing. Grounding connects us to the stable and positive earth energy. It helps improve our overall health and well-being.
Reiki Practitioners learn and understand how to achieve that positive balanced state of being grounded, while allowing the Universal Life Force Energy energy to flow through them for the purpose of healing. But grounding is beneficial to everyone!
The opposite of feeling grounded are those times when we are frantic, hyper, stressed, overwhelmed, or “out there.” If you tend to experience these feelings often, then maybe you need to work on some grounding techniques to re-align yourself with the powerful Earth energy.
A very simple guided imagery technique can help. Sit in a relaxed, meditational position and focus on your breathing. Take slow cleansing breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Focus on your breath and imagine the in-breath flowing all the way down to your belly and then do a slow exhale.
Then, imagine that, like a tall, beautiful, earth-connected tree, you have roots growing out of the base of your spine (the Root Chakra) going all the way down to the center of the earth, securely connecting you to “Mother Earth.” Or you can imagine an electrical cord coming down from the base of your spine, plugging in and connecting you to the earth’s energy.
Either way, you are establishing a strong connection to the earth. Begin to feel all negative energy and blockages flowing down this grounding cord or roots, to go deep into the Earth. Concentrate on releasing all blockages that are harmful to your well-being, resulting in a clear, fluid energy system.
To add to this visualization, you can imagine gold or white light from the Universe flowing down through the top of your head (Crown Chakra), clearing and healing your entire being. Feel light flowing all the way down through your entire body, washing away all negative issues down your grounding cord. This mental exercise will help get you into a light, energetically balanced space.
For those who are interested in crystals, hematite and black tourmaline are stones that are ideal for helping ground us. Hematite helps harmonize body, mind and spirit. Black tourmaline helps ground energy and also is said to improve physical vitality and reduce tension and stress.
As I found myself blow drying a pair of my socks in the ladies’ locker room at the gym one Saturday evening, it dawned on me that it is essential to be able to find and hold on to the humor in a situation!
Thank goodness the locker room was quiet because I would have been mortified if someone saw me sock-drying, and I was trying to think of the best way to explain this if someone noticed. The old me would have been totally frustrated and blame-filled, but the new me simply found the humor in this odd situation and laughed it away.
To explain: my husband had done the laundry earlier that day and obviously did not check to see if the socks were dry. Now, it’s WONDERFUL that my husband is helpful and does the laundry — many women would be totally envious of a husband who does laundry. But on a January day in New York, having come out of the locker room shower, ready to get dressed, I was not exactly overjoyed as I started to slip my socks on only to find soaking wet cloth on my nice warm feet! I knew my husband was waiting outside in the gym lobby since he had also showered on the men’s side of the locker room. (We go to the gym together each weekend.)
So as I stood there, drying my socks, watching them flip up and down on the granite counter as the blow dryer’s stream of hot air passed over them, I mused about the comical aspect of this situation.
The old me would have been a grumpy grinch about this scenario, negatively telling my hubby off in my head and then probably to his face. But the newer, more understanding me had a chuckle over this mishap. When I made my delayed exit from the locker room, I explained the reason for my tardiness. Of course, my husband was surprised to hear the socks had not dried and was very apologetic.
As strange as this happening was, it was enlightening to me. It reiterated how crucial it is to develop the ability to find the humor in a situation. This ability is an essential aspect of positive living — and will serve remarkably well in many challenging situations!
Are there times when your are overly frustrated by a relatively minor situation, and wonder just what to do to keep your cool? We all get into these predicaments at times. When it’s happening, we often feel out of control.
I had an experience like that just the other day. I had re-upped an account with a stock photo company a month ago over the phone with a sales rep who had offered me a substantial discount for renewing. However, I didn’t need any images until this week. When I went in to my online account I discovered that my new allotment of images had never been deposited into my account. But my charge card had been billed and paid weeks ago! I soon became entangled in a confusing loop of phone calls and emails with this company, including the rep I had purchased from. Between sales people, customer support and tech support, this was taking hours of my time and I was losing hope that this would ever be resolved.
Instead of sitting there, fuming, I reminded myself to follow my own advice! First I took a “breather” — literally. I took a couple of cleansing breaths. This allowed me to start thinking a bit more clearly. I began to envision the resolution of this matter happening soon and peacefully for the best outcome.
I decided to focus on this affirmation: “I am calm and centered. I fully trust that this issue will be fully resolved today. I am grateful for all the phone support that this company provides.” Then I just sat a moment and pictured this situation having a positive outcome, really “seeing” my account credited for my purchase, and then envisioned myself being able to download images. I definitely experienced a shift from frustration to calm.
Within the hour, one very wonderful, kind rep called to explain that my purchase had accidentally been given to another customer! She was very apologetic, but immediately walked me through an online process of crediting my account. I had my images that evening.
Don’t underestimate how powerful these small positive actions and affirmations can impact life’s little routine obstacles. Use these steps to help when you find yourself in such scenarios:
- Pause
- Breathe (several deep cleansing breaths)
- Think (about how to best proceed)
- Create a quick affirmation solution to your particular problem and focus upon it
- Envision the positive outcome very specifically and clearly
- Be confident that it WILL be resolved for your highest good
 Reiki helps one relax deeply & promotes healing! Thanks Dr. Mehmet Oz for your enlightening and fascinating show on Alternative Medicine — and for including Reiki! Dr. Oz, whose claim to fame began on Oprah, now has his own show. This year he is encouraging people to explore alternative forms of medicine, particularly if their problem area has not been cured/solved by traditional Western medicine.
In the posted video of Dr. Oz’s recent show (YouTube link is at the bottom of this post), Pamela Miles gives a brief Reiki demonstration. Ms. Miles is the founding president of the Institute for the Advancement of Complementary Therapies, and has 35 years experience as a clinician, educator and lecturer in natural healing. She has helped further the acceptance of Reiki in more traditional settings.
Explaining a little bit about the modality of Reiki, she describes it as a “balancing practice” which influences a person’s overall system toward balance. As one’s system becomes more balanced, the symptoms of illness fall away.
Basically, Reiki affects the flow of energy within and around the body. It serves to re-balance the energy field toward improved health. Another way to think of it is as a modality that energetically helps create a healing environment within one’s body. I fully believe that the body has a powerful innate healing system. When this system veers off-course, Reiki can affect a return to the “homeostasis” of balance and well-being.
Reiki is used in many clinical and hospital settings across the country, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. As time passes, Reiki is becoming more widely recognized as an effective complementary healing therapy.
Dr. Oz is a supporter of the Reiki modality of healing. His wife is a Reiki Master, and regularly uses Reiki in their home to treat family members. My husband and I have also used Reiki to treat each other when we are ill or have aches/pains, and achieve great beneficial results.
 Meditation Helps Us Connect to Our Spiritual Side People interested in learning Reiki, or even those that have begun Level I, often wonder if Reiki is a religion. Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, was Japanese and followed Buddhist teachings, but Reiki has no specific tie to the Buddhist religion.
Reiki is not actually affiliated with any religion. However, it does ask us to call upon the spiritual side of ourselves. Some people say they do not have a spiritual nature at all – and yet they can become Reiki practitioners. If you are considering taking a class, just know that there is no particular religious affiliation involved.
The meaning of the word “Reiki” (which is really two words – Rei and ki) is often translated to mean “universal life force energy” or “spiritually guided life force energy.” Reiki does ask us to understand that there is some greater power, higher consciousness or Universal Consciousness from which the healing energy flows to us. Those that are more religiously oriented will believe the life force energy flows from God, the Divine, Source — or whatever their personal version of this may be.
For me, I always have had a belief in a higher power. Yet I do not necessarily feel that I must go to a formal place of worship, and that I can connect to the Divine through personal prayer and meditation. My Reiki journey has definitely served to shift and amplify the spiritual nature in me, inspiring an even more profound connection with what I consider Source. This has uplifted my life and my overall attitude. I find that attending Reiki Circles is not just a healing, empowering way to let the Reiki energy flow, but a means to reconnect to the higher consciousness within me.
Research does show that people who embrace their spiritual side tend to have more balance and joy in their lives. I think there may be something to that!
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao-tzu.
We all do it, most of us at the beginning of every year. I am referring to making those usual New Year’s resolutions such as planning to exercise more, eat less junk food, spend more time on yourself, etc. If you look back over last year, how many of those many resolutions did you manage to live up to or put into practice? Maybe a few? Or maybe none? Be honest with yourself.
With too many resolutions and those not backed by real feeling or motivation, we set ourselves up for overwhelm or failure. Instead, try to use the perspective of “evolution” on the personal development level.
One of the meanings of evolution is “any process of formation or growth; development.” The idea of a process — of growth and development occurring over a longer time period and not bound to be accomplished and completed within the span of that particular year is much easier to embrace.
This year consider the concept of personal evolution. It’s certainly an optimistic and positive step to lay out your goals (which we should be doing anyway on a consistent basis all year long). But instead of trying to foresee and attain an entire journey having to be made and completed by the end of this coming year, simply try to visualize a first step or two along the road you are planning to take. The bottom line is, start small.
Choose your broader goal and envision a series of steps that you can take toward achieving it. Let your “resolution” or your plan be to just get moving into Step 1 of your individual goal. Visualize it clearly. Create some affirmations for it, hold it in your heart center, and focus your inner energy on clarity of vision and purpose.
Once you make the move and actually set foot on your road, let the rest of the process unfold and evolve. Steps 2, 3 and 4 may happen more easily and naturally, and all in the right time. Be joyfully open and let your intuition guide you — and remember to enjoy the journey!
 Fresh produce is so healthy! A true “raw foodist” will advise: eat it only if it grows in the ground. Breakfast cereal flakes (even the oatmeal, granola and natural-sounding kinds) do not grow out of the ground. Slices of bread do not grow out of the ground. You get the general idea.
A raw-food organic diet includes all fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly made fruit and vegetable juices, legumes, grains, nut and rice milk, nuts, seeds, beans plus other organic foods that have not been processed.
Throughout history, mankind survived on a raw diet, including plants, vegetables, seeds, nuts and berries. It is only in more recently that man has switched over to the processed-food way of living, and in more recent years, the fast-food way of eating. Starting in the last century, we have had the ability to completely manufacture food, with additives and chemicals that help preserve food items. They are supposedly “safe” for us.
Though these foods are touted as beneficial, they are so far removed from what our bodies can recognize as “real” food at the biological level. However, the media promotes these foods and the large, powerful manufacturing companies have vast budgets to spend on advertising. Processed foods are much easier and less time-consuming to prepare and so they neatly fit into the time restrictions of our hectic, on-the-go lifestyle.
Scientific studies have found that people who eat a processed diet high in animal protein tend to suffer from more chronic, inflammatory conditions and diseases than those who follow a raw, plant-based diet. Almost every health organization advises us to add more fresh fruits and vegetables into our daily diets. Even the well-known Food Pyramid which has served as a general eating guideline for many years, advises 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit. How many children and adults follow that guideline? There have been many newspaper articles regarding the diets of children in American being severely lacking in the fruit and vegetable department.
The switch to an all-natural, mostly organic raw diet would be a major lifestyle change that most people would be unwilling to make. However, the benefits can be incredible: increased overall energy, natural weight loss and an increase in your body’s ability to fight off disease.
Start today – just begin to cut down the amount of processed food, junk food, and high-fat food you consume. Replace those processed items with tasty, nutritious fresh fruits and crisp fresh, uncooked vegetables. Your body will enjoy this natural biochemical “fuel” and be in far better shape for it!
“Dwelling on any unhappy moment in life is like channel surfing through a thousand possible TV shows, selecting the one that troubles you the most, and then blaming your TV set for the pain you’re feeling.” – Guy Finley
You may have to read that quotation a few times for it to sink in. But isn’t it profound – almost humorously profound? Would someone choose to watch a troubling TV show if it was ultra-painful to watch – of course not. So why would someone choose to focus on their unhappiness? The odd thing is that most people do. They don’t realize they have a choice. They are manipulated by past behavior patterns. Sometimes they are not even aware that they are consciously choosing to dwell on unhappy thoughts, unwilling to let go of the uncomfortable emotions that accompany these thoughts.
What to do? Carefully choose what you think! And choose potently good thoughts. Don’t blame your spouse, your boss, your neighbor, the world! Search inside yourself. Take responsibility for your life, total responsibility.
All the great motivational experts boldly tell us this — don’t blame everyone else for your own lack and limitation. But it’s so much easier to do that, you say! Let’s blame the economy, let’s blame the rich, the poor, another race, another religion. But the real answer, the enlightening answer, the one that will make a huge positive change in your immediate experience is to take 100% responsibility for your own thoughts and actions.
Contain your thinking and start viewing the world in a new way. For what is the world – the world is YOU. The inner world of you creates the outer world. Think good thoughts and make every effort to feel good feelings (yes, you can absolutely do this). Be kind to yourself and choose to be kind to others.
This is all really Law of Attraction thinking. Getting even a gentle grasp on this concept will point you in a better direction. When you immerse yourself in this glorious positive thinking system, you will attract more positive aspects into your life. You will feel lighter, and have an improved sense of joy and appreciation.
But it takes time. Start your better journey. When those fearful negative thoughts pop into your head swat them away, brush them aside. Either conjure up a remarkable memory instead, focus on something excellent in your nearby surroundings, create an exciting plan or goal for the near future. Or find the unique humor in a situation and bring on a smile!
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