Animal Signs: Crab

According to my We'Moon 2012 book, today marks a Waxing Half Moon in Cancer. As I've written before, the Waxing Half Moon phase can be a powerful time to draw things toward you. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/05/waxing-moon-and-third-chakra.html It's a good time for positive magic. Hmm...

Sometimes it seems a combination of events or aspects helps put things in perspective. Today the Waxing Half Moon is in Cancer.  When the moon is in Cancer, We'Moon explains that we reconnect with our "oceans of emotions". Cancer is the cardinal water sign.  That means things are flowing! All that flow can mean we feel a bit overwhelmed, not only by our own emotions, but by the flowing emotions of others as well.  I guess today would be a good opportunity to reconnect with your Vagus nerve. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/02/vagus-nerve-and-7-chakras.html

The sign for Cancer is the crab. I didn't see a crab today, and I defiantly didn't take that picture.  It is thanks to the National Geographic website ( http://www.nationalgeographic.com/). But I believe we all may be experiencing the energy of the Crab due to the moon's position in Cancer.

Steven Farmer, in "Animal Spirit Guides", writes that Crab energy is portrayed by acute hearing, vision, and physical feelings. Farmer explains this includes a sensitivity to your surroundings and other people. This increased sensitivity can lead to a need for withdrawal or self protection from others. The crab is very protective of home and personal space because of it's sensitivity.

When a crab shows up, Farmer writes,  it may signify you are about to experience an unexpected shift in your environment or personal life that will benefit your soul journey. You may find yourself able to see things from the invisible realm more clearly. Farmer suggests you pay attention to promptings from your subconscious what might come in the form of dreams, visions, or flashes of insight. Sounds like positive magic to me!

The crab does have that shell it protects so fiercely. It's possible you've been hiding under that shell for a bit, or want to crawl back in when so many emotions are swirling around you. There's nothing wrong with a bit of protection every once in awhile, but it might be hard to draw good things to you if you're keeping everything and everyone at a distance.

To find the balance between a positively magically time and the urge to withdraw, you might find a few drops of the Bach Flower Water Violet helpful. Water Violet types are a bit like a crab. They are knowledgeable, calm, capable, and pretty happy to be on their own. They are self-sufficient; carrying that house around with them. They don't need much from others and for the most part are pretty happy to be alone. But every once in awhile even a proud and aloof crab gets a bit lonely.  When magic is in the air and insights abound, it might be nice to bounce some ideas off another crab or two. Water Violet can help you develop warmer relationships with others. It might help you open up that Vagus nerve and feel that empathy rather than protect yourself from it's intrusion. You might find yourself allowing others "in" a bit. You might find that strengthens your spine to match with that shell.

Maybe it's an opening of your Vagus nerve that is the unexpected shift suggested by the energy of Crab.  Maybe we could all use a bit of that!

Enjoy the flow!

Tiered Health Care?

Having recently discovered my shadow, I have firmly sewed it to both  the soles of my feet and  my soul. I'm embracing my urge to look outside the box and consider systems that I believe could use some tweaking rather than continuing to quietly conform to them or "fly under the radar".  So when I saw yet another headline about Canada's Health care system and required efforts to keep it from becoming two-tiered, I decided to write about it! 

Canada prides itself on not differentiating between rich and poor when it comes to the delivery of health care and strives to prevent what it calls two tiers of health delivery- those that can afford to pay and those that can't. With subsidized care through tax dollars, everyone has equal access to the system. Hmm...

I think the system is already two tiered. The first tier is conventional health care.  You can access this everywhere no matter who you are. You can have multiple tests down on you for a range of reasons.  You can have lab work, x-rays, ultrasound, scopes, exploratory surgery done without paying a dime. You can try out multiple drugs to "see if they might work" to treat your symptoms, in most cases without paying anything near to the actual cost of the medications. They are subsidized.  You can stay in a hospital for days, even weeks, and walk out without paying a cent.  In fact, you have no idea what any of this might cost. No one asks you if you want those treatments tests and procedures- it's free why wouldn't you take advantage of everything there is to offer.  You never see a bill, an itemized invoice, a detailed account of what you've used and how much it cost. The government (tax payers) paid for it. Aren't we lucky.  Maybe...

There is a second tier of health care in Canada in my opinion.  It's alternative health care.  To access this type of care you have to be able to really dig around. You need to talk to people that have used this system.  You have to be pretty open to trying something different. You have to do some research and consider some different ways of looking at health and disease.  You won't find ads for this type of health care on radio and T.V.  You won't be told how or when you should access this level. You'll have to look for it.  In fact, you will find opposition to this level of health care. You may have to move past the fear and anxiety of this tier of health care that many people, and the conventional system, holds on to.

Alternative practitioners don't often even advertise their services. To get to them you might have to go to private houses or small clinics instead of centrally located, easily accessed facilities. In most cases you will see a itemized bill and you will have to pay. This type of health care is not government subsidized. Much of it isn't even covered with additional health insurance plans although you might be able to claim a few services. The fees most of these practitioners charge are actually pretty reasonable and they make no where near the salaries of conventional health care practitioners. That is often why they can't afford, and perhaps don't need,  big overheads for office buildings, receptionists, intake workers, or triage personnel. But the cost can be pretty prohibitive and surprising if you're used to walking out without paying a dime. It comes out of your pocket, not out of your taxes. My shadow gets pretty ticked about that.  I pay into a system I don't access very often and I do access a system the government doesn't support.

I don't want tiered health care. I want to be able to access the system I pay into but have it support my needs better.  I want the system to change just a bit to accommodate me rather than me having to work around a system.

 If I get in a car crash, or break an arm or a leg, I want to be able to call 911 and have trained personnel come and transport me to a medical facility. I want that x-ray, maybe that ultrasound to figure out where I'm hurt and what  my body needs to heal. But I want Rescue Remedy before I get any of that and it would be nice if Paramedics gave me some of that instead of me having to dig through my back pack to get it while I'm spinally imbolizied and not thinking straight. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/bach-flowers-for-crisis-events.html Before they move me onto an examining table, I'd like to take a few more sprays and not have to sneak it, or have it taken away from me with my other belongings.  I would like to choose Homeopathic remedies like Arnica  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/10/crushed-fingers-homeopathics.html instead of the painkillers. If there is a risk of tetanus, I'd like the nosode instead of the needle vaccine. I'd also like a healthy drink of colloidal silver because lets face it, I've probably hurt my immune system and the guy beside me in the waiting room for sure has a nasty virus. We might both benefit from watching some quantum healing videos http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/11/quantum-k-free-healing-experience.html while we share that waiting room. There might  be some bacteria on the floor of this facility that I could use some protection from. It would be nice if I didn't have to wait till I got home to dip into my own supply of colloidal silver or have someone "sneak it in" to me. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/11/colloidal-silver-for-colds-flu.html I don't mind if the person beside me takes the vaccine and the pain killers and the antibiotics. But I'd like to be given a choice. I'd like to have my bones set and casted by a professional but I'd like to be given Symphytum once that's done.  I think I'll heal quicker and I might be able to bypass expensive long term repeat visits. I'd like to walk out without a bill and I'd like to save the system some money as well!! Imagine!!

I'd like to be treated by a professional who could recommend the best treatment for me and my condition. I'd like to be in on the discussion. I don't want to be treated like "everyone who has this injury" because I actually think I have some individual characteristics.  I know I'll lose some cognitive thought in the trauma of an injury or illness but I'd like a professional that works with me and helps me understand how complimentary medicine might be to my advantage. If I have problems afterwards, I would like to able to decide if Bowen http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/01/bowen-therapy-for-neck-pain.html, or massage, might get me back to balance. I suspect a couple of treatments might be all I need.

Today's picture is of the medical caduceus. I've had this symbol on the arm of many a uniform sleeve for a lot of years. But today I see the shadow in the picture and I wonder what might be out there that I don't even know about. Who knows what wonderful therapies we might discover if this second tier of health could be allowed equal footing, dollars, research and support.  I look at the twisted snake and I see what looks suspiciously like my pendulum.  What if we used some kinesology http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/10/kinesiologymuscle-testing.html  to identify what people needed rather than treating everyone the same according to some generic protocol.  There might be some savings there. There are 7 gaps in the intertwining body of that snake. I wonder if that's the chakras wanting some attention for healing? The caduceus is a two headed snake.  That suggests to me, two brains coming together in one body.  That's complimentary health care. And both those heads and brains are on one level. In direct contrast to the grounded nature of a snake, the caduceus also has wings.  To me, that symbolizes using both grounded theories and divine knowing to find true healing.

That's one tier health care.

Bach Flowers for Crisis Events

I thought after yesterday's experiences, perhaps it would be a good idea to devote a blog posting to the value of Rescue Remedy. It is  the Bach Flower combination Dr. Bach developed for use in crisis situations.

There are 38 individual essences in the Bach Flower collection.  Each one of these essences is designed to help balance a particular emotion. There are subtle differences between the essences and it can take some good detective work, knowledge of the essences and self awareness,  or a professional consultation, http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/04/bach-flower-consultations-getting.html to really identify which of the 38 would be most suited for an individuals particular situation. You can experiment with the essences.  They are meant as a self-help approach and it won't hurt you to take the "wrong" essence, you just might not get the full balancing effect you will if the essences are appropriately selected.

A typical remedy bottle includes 4 to 6 different essences, providing a unique combination of healing help. This type of "chronic" remedy is usually taken as 4 drops, 4 times per day for the maximum effect. Some people experience immediate relief when taking their remedy, for others it's a more subtle benefit.  After a few weeks with the same remedy, people typically experience a layering effect.  One layer of "issues" or emotions is shed or balanced, and they are ready to move on with a different remedy combination.  These remedies are designed to bring long term stability and balance.  Often they help with long standing emotions,  personality traits, or patterns of behavior that have developed over time.

But Dr. Bach didn't stop there. Perhaps it was his background as a physician, or maybe it was the experience of having a sailor pretty much "wash up on the shore in front of him", that encouraged him to develop a remedy that could be used by everyone for emergency situations.

When you suddenly find yourself in a trauma or emergency situation, one of the first parts of your mind that suffers is cognitive thought.  So it's pretty hard once the air bags have deployed in your face, to take a step back and think about what Bach Flower essence might help you with that. It's also pretty impractical to carry around the 38 different essences "just in case".  That's why a bottle of Rescue Remedy can be a valuable addition to your first aid kit, glove compartment, purse or back pack.

In emergency medicine, particularly in the pre-hospital arena, the first "trick" when providing aid is to calm the patient so they can think and respond to questions about what happened and how they are feeling physically. When you aren't calm you don't even know what or where it hurts. That's when a few drops or a spray of Rescue Remedy can really make a difference.  In my opinion, every emergency room and all emergency services personnel should carry Rescue Remedy as the immediate response. Teacher's should have a bottle on their desk and playground supervisors should have one in their pocket. If Rescue Remedy was given as the first action, right up there with immobilizing someones head and spine and telling a patient to take a deep breathe, our bodies and our brains would be better able to begin the healing process.

Rescue Remedy contains 5 of the 38 flower essences; Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum, Rock Rose and Clematis.

If you've ever been in an emergency, or witnessed an emergency, you probably remember you weren't feeling all that patient with yourself, others, and the world in general.  You might have sped into some pretty "non-purposeful movement" just to be "doing something".  If you've ever listened to someone try to explain what happened at a crisis event you know what I mean.  The words and actions just come tumbling out in a fast rush without really making a lot of sense.  People run all over the place in scattered ways to try and help. It feels like emergency personnel took hours to get to you instead of minutes. Nothing seems to happen fast enough for you.  That's why Impatiens is in included in the remedy.  Impatiens helps you calm done, slow down, and allow your brain and body to start working together to process things calmly and efficiently.

Star of Bethlehem is also included in Rescue Remedy.  It's the essence for the after effects of shock.  If you could get a few drops of Star of Bethlehem in you and the patient immediately after an event has occurred, you can help neutralize the emotional effects of the trauma and already be on the way to recuperating instead of continuing down a spiral of shock, pain, disbelief, and grief.  This essence might help prevent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from showing up years after an event has occurred.

Cherry Plum is included in Rescue Remedy. It is the essence indicated when you fear losing control of your behavior or on the verge of a breakdown. Some people in crisis events react violently. Some people react hysterically. Most people feel on the verge of one or both of those reactions, if only for a fleeting moment. The more crisis you experience and the more "trained" you are, or the better able you are to detach yourself from others, the more controlled you are likely to appear, but for even those seasoned veterans, or victims who have been there multiple times, there is still that moment of fear. That's why Cherry Plum is in there. It helps you calm your racing mind so you can both think and act rationally.

Some people freeze up during crisis events. For some it's more obvious than others, but most people have at least that second when they feel absolute terror. This is often accompanied by a sense of helplessness.  If you've ever seen trauma in action you know what I mean.  You can see the child as they teeter off balance, you know they are going to fall, and time slows as you realize there is no way you can cover the ground required to do anything about what you are seeing. The moment before you hit the tree, there is a similar feeling- total helplessness to prevent this event. That's the emotion that Rock Rose helps with. It provides courage and peace of mind so you can "get your wits about you", move your legs and be calm in the face of the fall-out. 

Clematis is also included in Rescue Remedy.  Clematis helps people in shock remain grounded in the here and now and addresses that sensation of fading consciousness. It is said   Dr. Bach found a sailor on the beach fading out of consciousness, and Clematis is attributed with helping him focus on the here and now and maintain his presence so his body could react in ways to help him heal and recover. Our minds are kind of tricky things it would seem.  Sometimes during emergencies we want to just "slip away", "pretend it's not really happening", go off to dreamland, succumb to another dimension.  Clematis helps you maintain your interest in the world around you so you can focus on what you need to do to improve your situation and initiate your healing.

That's why the 5 essences where chosen for Rescue Remedy. You don't need to remember that. You don't need to think about that, analyze that, or argue that.  All you need to do is have a bottle of Rescue Remedy handy and try it the next time you find yourself in an emergency situation.  You don't even have to consider whether or not your situation qualifies as an "emergency".  We are all individual in that manner.  If this seems like a bad, difficult or uncomfortable situation for you and you could use some emotional help- take Rescue Remedy and see what happens.  If you can't figure out what is wrong with your child or your pet, give a couple of drops or sprays of Rescue Remedy and then see how they respond.  You might need to follow up with more tailored essences, but once the layer of trauma, panic, and shock is balanced you can get to the underlying issue.

There are so many examples of  Rescue Remedy's amazing properties. I have seen it work in dramatic and wonderful ways.  But there's nothing like personal experience to become a believer. You can find Rescue Remedy in both spray and liquid preparations in most drug stores, health food stores, and even some grocery stores.  It's the most common form of Bach Flower essences out there.  Pick one up, keep it within reach and see what it might do for you.

Enjoy the journey.

Connecting with your Shadow

In the Walt Disney Classic, Peter Pan, there is an early scene where Peter is desperately trying to remain attached to his shadow.  He tries some tricks with soap, but in the versions I've seen, it's Wendy that comes to the rescue- she sews it to the bottom of his shoes for him. That seems to do the trick. Hmm...

Lots of psychological and spiritual writers talk about connecting to your shadow self. Debbie Ford has written a number of best sellers about this including "The Secret of the Shadow". I recently picked up  "The Shadow Effect", in the clearance bin.  I find a lot of interesting books there.  This one is a shared authorship between Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson- all well known in the world of spiritual evolution.

The basic idea I guess is that we all have a shadow self.  It's that well-hidden part of us that we would really rather not acknowledge and try hard to squish and suppress. In doing so, we build that shadow self to gigantic proportions. Eckhart Tolle, in "The Power of Now", among other publications, writes about the pain body in a similar concept. Both the shadow and the pain body are sides of our personalities that prevent us from enjoying life to some extent and to growing into all that we could be.

It isn't easy to figure out where your shadow is lurking or what fuels your pain body.  By it's very nature, it's a part of you that you try to avoid. We are taught to "stay in the light", look for the positive, foster our positive qualities and talents and stay away from our "bad side".  We are frightened by our shadow side, perhaps even embarrassed by it's existence. Our shadows aren't the mature, well-behaved, politically correct and well mannered versions of our soul. We are socialized to fear our "dark side" and work hard to keep it in check. Sometimes they aren't even dark or bad, we just think they are and force them into becoming that way.

You know you've caught a glimpse of your shadow or your pain body, when you suddenly explode at something and rather surprise yourself(and others) in the explosion. When something really just "tweaks" that inner part of you and makes your blood boil, and your mouth run away from you, your shadow has come out of the box. And once unleashed, it likes to take full advantage because it knows you are soon going to put it back in the box and hide it again.

I ran into my shadow today. It was at the Motor Vehicle office. From the minute I walked in and had to take that number and wait till I was called, despite the fact there was no line, I started to feel a little a antsy. By the time I got to a person to explain what I was trying to do, I could feel myself preparing to fight. I know she's a civil servant, just doing her job and not out to "get me" but my shadow begs to differ on that. So when she so patiently explained that she couldn't do what I need done without me having to do about 20 previous actions all of which involve more paperwork, money, and the retrieval of documentation I was apparently supposed to keep from 10 years ago, I really knew I should have taken multiple drops of the Bach Flower Cherry Plum before I left the house.  I knew I could take some Rescue Remedy and breathe deep and save us all some grief but I really wanted to just jump over that desk, take her computer keyboard and do something drastic. I'm not "in her system" according to the name that's on all my documentation except the one piece that so happens to be my driver's license. It doesn't matter that "the system" made an error when it issued me that card.  I'm told I'll have to sign my name differently and just "play along" in order to satisfy the computer system. Really!!!  Well.. hello shadow...

 I didn't give in to my shadow and end up arrested. I got out of there intact. But I'm not going to just squish that shadow. I'm going to examine it a bit.  I guess I have some issues with rules and control. You figure??? I don't like to play the game because it makes bureaucratic sense. I'm not trying to buck the system exactly, I just want people to recognize when the system doesn't make sense and when computers are controlling us rather than us controlling computers.  That's my shadow (one of them). I can see how it developed. Maybe it had something to do with the rules of that etch-a-sketch I got and didn't appreciate so much. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/12/etch-sketch-evolution-this-too-shall.html  Maybe it was being told to "color within the lines", "print neatly", "write a beginning, middle and end to all stories", "eat your vegetables before your ice-cream". Perhaps it's the idea of  taking the medicine the Doctor perscribes whether you feel better, or and it feels right, or not... Hmmm... Now we're looking right at that shadow!

Back to Chopra, Ford and Williamson... They all suggest that once you face your shadow you find  a piece of yourself that, if allowed to emerge at appropriate times, might not build to out of control proportions and might just serve you well.  They suggest that by reclaiming the part of us we've tried so hard to ignore, we might reclaim our true path and release a valuable feature of our personalities.

They are not suggesting, I don't think, that I go back to the government office and launch a protest or spray paint the walls, or drive without a license.  But perhaps if I recognize the piece of myself that likes to look outside the box, challenge the rules, and find different, unconventional ways to solve problems I might find it easier to "play the game" when necessary, knowing that in other areas of life I was breaking new ground. 

The thing is, your strength is in your shadow.  It's strong when it comes flying out of the box in an uncontrolled manner and flies around the room like Peter Pan's did. But it's not an asset then.  It becomes an asset when you don't put it in the box in the first place. When you acknowledge your "dark side" and let it come into the sunlight a bit at a time every day, it doesn't need to "explode" anymore. That's when it's both a strength and an asset. It just wants to be heard and allowed to become a part of you every day. The woman at the motor vehicle branch has nothing to do with my shadow self. My shadow just saw her as a likely target and it was tired of not being allowed out to play.
Shadow's are created in different and individual ways. Sometimes we hide our ability to express ourselves and tell ourselves it's wrong to speak up for ourselves. Sometimes we squish our fears into being a shadow. Sometimes we think if we don't work all the time and keep ourselves busy that lazy shadow will come out of the box. Shadows are created when we overcompensate for something we deemed ,or were told was, undesirable.

Peter Pan felt better when his shadow was re-attached.  Our shadow is a part of us, sometimes it's a good part of us. It might be one of our better qualities. It deserves to be heard and examined and allowed to show it's face. The more you hide it in the box, the darker and the stronger it grows and the more likely it will come out at the wrong time. I'm going to think outside the box a bit more.  Even better, I'm going to speak about what I think that might be unconventional and "outside the system".  I'm going to reattach my shadow firmly to my shoe and then I'll walk into that motor vehicle branch with the right paperwork, happy enough to play along knowing we'll (my shadow and I) write about it later.

I wonder what else is lurking in that box???

New Moon in Aries

Today marks a New Moon in Aries according to We'Moon 2012.  As with all New Moon phases, this is a time for new beginnings http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/03/new-moon-phase.html.  The New Moon can be seen as a time to consider your intentions and focus on what you want to bring to you over the next few weeks.  This "fresh start" seems even more appropriate given the focus on Spring and times of renewal.

Aries is a fire sign and as Spring sunshine lights up the earth, maybe we can use the heat of this sign in the New Moon to light our personal fires and get us focused on moving foreword  towards our goals and aspirations.

We'Moon writes that when the moon is in Aries we tend to be ignited and emotions can run high and intense.  We may feel a sense of urgency to "get on with it" during this time.  We want to get back on track if we think we may have strayed over the sleepiness of winter months and dormant times. This moon phase signals a time to get back to whatever you feel passionate about.  It's about doing whatever makes you feel alive and energized.

The symbol for Aries is a Ram. According to Steven Farmer's "Animal Spirit Guides" book, the Ram spirit energy can help you "charge ahead" with whatever gets your attention. Farmer suggests you draw on this energy when you're ready for new challenges and  want to get started on something, but perhaps need a boost to find the energy to go for it.

Farmer also writes that when Ram energy shows up, it may be an indication that something in your life is out of balance at the moment. This can be a sign to think about your balance and take steps to find the realignment that comes with moving forward in a balanced way.

Rams like to rear up and leap forward but they keep their feet on the ground. That's how they maintain that sense of balance. So in this New Moon of Aries and Ram energy, it's a good time to think about where you want to go, what projects you want to move foreword with at the same time that you maintain a sense of groundedness, firmly connected to the earth.  It seems like it's time to take a leap of faith that might be tempered with a practical influence. Hmm...

Rams are also known for butting heads. And no matter how good you are at that kind of activity, it can still leave you a bit dazed and stunned I think. Aries energy can be quite self directed and independent. While that kind of energy can serve you well, it can also leave you feeling a bit stunned and out of balance. Perhaps you forgot to consider others in your moving foreword. This forward charge without consideration of others and the need to "allow",  might leave you feeling frustrated, critical and just a bit intolerant of the other rams in the pasture!

The Bach Flower essences that might be helpful if you're feeling frustrated, impatient and out of balance during this New Moon phase, could be Impatiens and Beech.  These might be good essences to have close at hand during the spring season in general  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/spring-equinox-2012-and-transition.html, perhaps especially during the New Moon phase.

Everything around us right now seems to be pointing in the direction of upward movement and positive change. There is fuel and energy out there to move on with things and start fresh, enriched from our past experiences and dormancy. It seems sometimes our intentions, our thoughts and our desires, move just a bit faster than our bodies and the reactions of those around us. It's about that transition. There can be a lag time between setting our sight on the goal and actually getting there. Perhaps acceptance and awareness of that "lag time" is all we need to soothe the fires. But if you're looking around and deciding those other rams are the cause for your lag period, you might want to consider some Bach Flower essences before you start hitting your head against some equally hard surfaces.

It seems that nature is telling us we are moving into a new phase of challenges and opportunities. The energy around us is encouraging us to pursue our dreams, and pull things towards us. We are encouraged to use this energy for re-growth, renewal and revitalization. Let's move forward with our feet firmly planted in the ground, and our heads in the air. Mind you don't butt heads in the process.

Onward and upward!

Lessons From Nature: Spring Flowers

In my part of the world we seem to have bypassed Spring at least for the moment and have gone right to summer.  It's crazy out there- 30 degrees! Unheard of in March and still in my opinion, a little unsettling maybe.  I am looking forward to flowers though.

Sabina Pettitt from Pacific Essences, www.pacificessences.com  identifies three flowers as being particularly significant of spring. They include Purple Crocus, Narcissus, and Windflower. 

Yesterday's picture was of a Purple Crocus.  These guys are defiantly a sign of spring around here and seem to often bloom in that transition when there is still snow on the ground but spring in the air. In her book "Energy Medicine: Healing from the Kingdom of Nature", Pettitt writes that Purple Crocus is a flower that can be used for resolving tension from grief and loss. The buds are deep purple, the colour of mourning and tightly folded inwards symbolizing the journey within that grief requires us to take. But when they open  a wonderful yellow center is revealed symbolizing another part of us that embraces the experience of accessing a new inner part of ourselves as we shed that layer. Pettitt writes that Purple Crocus helps us respond to exactly who we are. It corresponds to our throat chakra helping us express ourselves and release our grief. Maybe the Purple Crocus can help me release the grief of missing snow days and embrace the wonder of springtime!

Today's picture is the Narcissus, usually the flower I see closely behind the crocus and another clear sign of spring.  Pettitt lists this as one of the "spring flowers". Pettitt writes the Narcissus is the "slayer of internal dragons". It has a calming influence when it seems like life experiences are providing a cycle of challenges. The Narcissus is closely linked to the stomach and that feeling of being "unsettled" when little butterflies of fear may be disrupting peaceful flow. The Narcissus sends a message to allow our thoughts and emotions to digest and flow freely rather than getting stuck and disturbing our mind. The Narcissus resonates with the Root chakra.  It can help us feel grounded when our thoughts stray to dreamland or threaten to overwhelm us with the "to do" list. It reminds us that the spring sunshine is meant to nourish us gently and nurture us as we come of the cave.

The third spring flower according to Pettitt is the Windflower.  This is also known as pulsatilla and is prepared as a common homeopathic remedy. This flower is described as being shy or timid.  It's a soft furry violet flower that appears more often on the prairies than the coasts. It is said to open only when the wind is blowing. I guess it needs that little bit of encouragement to open up and reveal itself. Pettitt explains the "Windflower essence provides us the security necessary to express our spiritual being".  I think when we come out of the winter cave we need to know the world is safe enough that we can reveal all the things we discovered while we were sleeping. Like the Narcissus, the Windflower speaks to a grounding type energy. We feel safe and nurtured so that we are able to speak our truth as it comes from the heart.

I guess the lesson from nature is that this is a time of transition.  Having spent the winter a bit "closed in", perhaps hunkered down in our caves, it can be a bit scary to suddenly be out there in the bright sunshine. The presence of these flowers, in my opinion, acts as a sign of safety and security so we can come out, shed a layer, embrace the sunshine, and speak our truth.  Having spent those winter months inside and within ourselves, we have connected with our inner wisdom. Now is the time to slowly let go and release that energy and wisdom. Hmm...

I'm told  today, in 30 degree weather, that it is predicted to snow by the weekend. I'd say there is a 50/50 chance of that snow.  Of the two horses in my backyard, the one that is having the shedding "issues" is still shedding, and she is standing in the sun soaked with sweat. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/shedding-layer-bach-flowers-for-animals.html  Apparently it is a good feeling because she doesn't move to the shade.  She seems very peaceful to be shedding now- maybe she's convinced she was right to loose that layer. Perhaps she feels safe enough to let go and let be.  Her brother however, is still sporting his winter coat, hasn't lost a hair, is standing in the sun, and has nary a bead of sweat of him. It seems he believes it's still a little premature to bring out the shorts and sandals.  He's still holding his wisdom within. He's waiting for the flowers.

Spring Equinox 2012 and the Transition

Last night or early this morning, depending on your time zone, marked the spring equinox. That means we have an equal amount of light and darkness.  It's a little fuzzy to me whether that means last night and today or today and tonight or somewhere in between.  Apparently it's really not totally 100% equal anyway, but close.  If you're in the Northern Hemisphere that means spring equinox.  If you're in the Southern Hemisphere that means fall equinox.  I tried to sort this out last year. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/03/super-moon-spring-equinox.html What I really know for sure is that in my part of the world, today is the first day of Spring and nature 100% agrees.  We've got way above normal temperatures and sunny skies. 

In my opinion, equality is one of those words that perhaps in our overuse we have twisted a bit to mean something else.  We tend to think of this as being very positive in nature and sometimes use it to mean that.  But it really just means "the same" and the word itself doesn't put a judgement on whether that is good or bad. Hmm...

Spring is considered to be a time of action.  It's when we put those dormant plans, that thinking, contemplative, energy into "doing". We are encouraged to "get outside" instead of "gazing outside". We are to clean up the yard and allow new growth to emerge from the blanket of leaves.  It's time to crawl out of the cave and take a look around. Hmm....

I know there are people that jump out of bed in the morning and are ready to go. They can make a quick, almost immediate, transition from sleeping to waking and thought to action. I'm not one of them. I like to catch "just a couple more minutes of sleep", maybe take a look around before I put my feet on the ground. I enjoy that first coffee to consider the day and think about what I might want to do.

So for me, the idea that yesterday it was winter and today it is spring is just a little jarring.  I'm not quite ready to let go of winter yet and I need some time to adjust.  I feel a little cheated out of storm days and winter blasts. We didn't really have much this year and maybe I missed that just a bit. I'm happy enough to see spring. The sun feels good, the warmth is great. I look forward to flowers popping up and green grass replacing the dead leaves.  I just need a bit of time here in the middle between winter and spring. I might want to float back to the winter side a bit before I'm ready to commit fully to spring. I'm not quite ready to put away my mittens or exchange winter boots for sandals. I don't even know where the sandals might be, and I am not into "spring cleaning" in order to find them! I'll have to think about that a bit.

It's possible that I'm all alone on my reluctance to totally and completely welcome this sudden change of season but I don't think so.  I've met a few people over the past couple of days that seemed a bit "out of sorts" without really knowing why and I wonder if that isn't the reason.

Nature doesn't make this sudden and complete shift. Nature has been working on getting to this equal state of light and dark for awhile now. The temperature is going to go up and down a bit before we settle into new levels. Those plants that are pushing through the soil have been working at it for awhile. I've never met a bear coming out of his cave, but I don't think they pop up and jump around. I think they stretch a lot and lazily sniff the ground, squint in the sun, wonder around a bit sort of lost and confused in the adjustment. I think a few of them might decide, like the groundhog http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/02/groundhog-daycandlemas-2012.html, to go back for a just a few more minutes before they leave that warm bed for good.

So it's us humans that decided we needed to speed things up, and suddenly "get into gear" and get "doing" instead of thinking, acting instead of planning.  It was humans that decided there should be new fashion trends to celebrate spring and that we should suddenly switch our activities. Okay then.  Well, if you're the kind of person that jumps out of bed ready to go and jumps into Spring ready to plant, or clean or "do" anything- then it's official and you "go for it"- enjoy.  I'm going to just take my time and think about it a bit.  Maybe I'll have a second cup of coffee and enjoy the view a bit.

I think most people, myself included, jump back and forth a bit in the transition from winter to spring. We still want to read a really good book under the blankets but a part of us wants to be outside doing something- we just aren't really sure what. It can be a real time of restlessness in the transition. There are some Bach Flowers that might help you find the balance if your body is adjusting a bit slower. Scleranthus, Beech, Clematis, Crab Apple, Impatiens and Walnut might all be worth considering.

Scleranthus helps balance that jumping back and forth, grasshopper restlessness that can come with a change in season and a change in moods. If you're having difficulty deciding what it is you want to do, or how you feel, Scleranthus can be quite balancing. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/07/grasshopper-restlessness-scleranthus.html

Let's face it, a few bears when they come out of the cave could use a few drops of Beech.  They can be irritable and intolerant of all that sunlight, all that noise, those pesky bugs and the lack of immediate sources of food. Beech might help you accept that type of irritation in others and balance it in yourself a bit better. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/10/bach-flower-beech-for-irritability.html

Spring is the time for bringing plans to action and that speaks to the energy of Clematis.  If you're wanting to go back under the covers to dream instead of working that dream into reality, Clematis might be for you. It can also be very helpful for kids that find it difficult to concentrate in school when they feel the "call" of warmer days and adventure outside the window.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/09/having-difficulty-concentrating-today.html

If you've got a bit crazy in the urge to spring clean and all that sunshine is making you feel embarrassed bythe streaks on the windows, the dust bunnies dancing in the sunbeams and the muddy floors, Crab Apple might be helpful for you.  It can also help if you feel the need to "shed a layer" before you're ready for Spring, lighter clothes and sandals. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/02/crab-apple-cleansing-bach-flower-remedy.html

If you're the "jump out of bed person" and all this slow transition phase is making you bounce around with impatience to get going, a few drops of Impatiens might help.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/10/impatiens-lost-keys.html If you've got out the pitch fork and found the ground is still frozen and you're considering a bigger shovel or a well aimed blow torch, this is the Bach Flower for you. Impatiens can help you relax as you wait for nature to catch up with the season humans have decided "is here".

It seems we all are feeling more of a connection to nature's cycles and changes. Perhaps that means during transition phases we need to consider Walnut more often. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/09/walnut-for-changes.html Walnut can help provide protect from change and outside influences. It's helpful during atmospheric changes. Perhaps that unsettled "out of sorts" feeling is your body feeling the subtle influences of nature changing as it tries to settle into place with a new season.

It is Spring and that is a good thing. Winter, Summer and Fall are good too.  They are all good, for different reasons.  In this time of equinox we're really hanging in the middle between winter and spring as the pendulum swings towards spring. Often transition causes angst. Perhaps it's about acknowledging, allowing, and soothing ourselves gently as we enter a new phase, courtesy of nature. Maybe just knowing that we're experiencing a shift is all that's required to soothe the angst. Bach Flowers, a good pair of rubber boots http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/03/rubber-boots-soakers-and-balance.html and the freedom "be" will all help the transition.

Enjoy the puddles!