Going with the flow of spring & Making Maple Syrup

Today I realized, it's really and truly spring.  It wasn't because of the appearance of robins although they have been around too. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2012/02/animal-signs-robin.html It wasn't because of melting snow, or the appearance of Spring Bunny stuff in the stores. Those can be somewhat unreliable signs I have learned.  What really signals spring to me is something much sweeter- the sap is running!! 

In my part of the world when the temperature starts to swing dramatically between overnight and afternoon, the buckets come out, maple trees are tapped, and by the end of the afternoon you  can have a full bucket of what looks like water. As kids, we somewhat impatiently watched the drips coming out of the spout and collecting in the grey tin bucket. A bucket full of sap meant we were "in business"!

I can't imagine how the first person figured out to make maple syrup.  When the sap drips out of the tree it's colorless, odorless and pretty much tasteless. We always found that tasteless part kind of hard to believe. But no matter how many times you dip your finger in the bucket or put your hand under the spout and try drinking the sap, it's going to taste pretty much like water- maybe not quite as good.

Somewhere along the line, and a long time ago, someone figured  out that if you heated the sap up long enough and most of it evaporated out, you'd be left with something totally different and something that, even today, can't be replicated with artificial "stuff".  Nothing really tastes like sap that has been boiled down to maple syrup. Maybe it's  the process that makes maple syrup taste so good.

It's a lengthy process to make maple syrup.  First you have to tap the tree, hang that bucket and wait, and wait, and wait.  It's amazing how fast the drips will start to come of the tap once the temperature rises. It's also amazing how long it takes to fill a bucket when you're watching every drop!  If however, you put your taps in and avoid looking at them till mid afternoon, you'll be pretty excited how much has accumulated!  On a really good day, your bucket can even start to overflow.  It's one of those things that you have "allow".  A few drops of the Bach Flower Impatiens might be required if you find yourself trying to coax out the drips!
http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2010/11/impatiens-bach-flower-for-patient.html

Once you have the sap collected you need a hot fire and even more patience to melt it down.  You can do this over the stove top. Your kitchen will smell heavenly.  Your ceiling will become very very sticky!! For that reason, it's highly recommended that you boil your sap down outside. 

You start out with a lot of sap even from just a couple of trees on a good day.  But you have to  boil and boil and boil.  Just about the time that your pot is almost empty, having had most of the liquid evaporate, you're left with a little bit of syrup on the pot. It's about a 40 to 1 ratio! That's a lot of sap for a little syrup and it takes a long time to boil it down to that point. More reason for Impatiens!

Collecting and boiling down sap can be just a little addictive.  If you're not careful ,you'll get a little crazy tapping trees.  It's a lot easier to tap the trees than it is to keep boiling it down. It can be a long night if you're still boiling all that sap down round about midnight when the temperature has gone back down to minus 10 and you're standing out there "watching the pot boil".  For that reason, it's a good idea not to tell Vervain types that you're making syrup!  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/03/allowing-instead-of-forcing-change-bach.html Vervain types will have turned your one bucket operation into a commercial enterprise in no time flat!

Once you have the sap boiled down to syrup there are multiple things you can make from there.  You can use it "straight" as syrup for pancakes or ice-cream or whatever you choose.  You can use it as a sweetener the way you would corn syrup and make just about anything.  You can further boil it down and make maple sugar. But my personal favorite, is maple candy.

To make maple candy you need snow and a Popsicle stick or a twig.  When the syrup is boiled down and still boiling hot, you pour the syrup out on the snow in a line. Then you take your stick and twirl the gooey stuff up onto the stick and you've got the best lollipop you'll you'll ever taste! Trust me.

In my opinion, there's something about using a twig, and the snow (which we were were never supposed to eat) and perhaps just the fresh air and the fact that you've been waiting so long, that makes this really special. It's sticky and messy and gets stuck in your teeth- and for all those reasons- it's heavenly.

I've lived in parts of the country where either there weren't maple trees or the temperatures weren't conducive to sap flow, and trees weren't tapped in the spring.  That always made me fell kind of homesick.  But you can adapt a bit.  You can buy maple syrup, heat it up to boiling and pour it over snow or crushed ice and make maple candy. It's almost as good. And it's a lot of fun.

I've spent a long few days listening to the impacts of Climate Change.  Much of this is doom and gloom and some pretty dramatic science.  But there are some real positive signs of changing climate. One of them is that the swings of temperatures may make for some really profitable maple syrup seasons.  We're tapping trees much earlier around here and it's predicted to be a great year.  Maybe some other areas of the country will find they too can make maple syrup.

Maple isn't a Bach Flower essence. I think if it were it would be for an emotion somewhere in between Impatiens and Rock Water. It speaks to the need to be patient enough to go with the flow and adapt to changes and swinging temperatures or seasons  in order to find the sweet spot in the middle. Maybe it would help us find opportunity in the mundane or support the ability to change the ordinary into something magically wonderful. Maybe it would help us connect to our inner child and just enjoy nature and it's sweet offerings.

Animal Signs: Chickadee

For a few days now, Chickadee's have been "in my face".  They have been flying all around me it seems and I can hear their distinctive songs clearly.  I have been thinking about writing about them in the blog for awhile now, but neither of my animal totem books have them listed as a spirit animal so I turned to other things.  This morning the Chickadee's continued their persistence presence and I decided to write about them anyway. They seemed to deserve a blog post for sure.

Once I made my mind up, it seemed there was a ton of information on Chickadees available to me. I found lots of  links to them as a totem animal and obvious connection to spirit. Hm...

In turns out, from 7 different varieties of chickadees, the particular Chickadees I'm seeing  (and today's picture) are Black-Capped Chickadee's.  Apparently these guys are quite Canadian. They like the cold northern climate and are found throughout Canada and only in the northern United States.  Maybe that's why they aren't included in some of the Totem Animal books.

According to the Spirit Lodge website http://spiritlodge.yuku.com/topic/974 the black cap on the Chickadee's head is significant.  The attention to the head  identifies a connection to the thinking process, the higher mind and higher perceptions.  The black color points to mystery and that ability to be tapped into higher knowledge,  inner wisdom and help from beyond the obvious.

Although they are only about the size of a golf ball, Chickadee's are a bold, courageous, creature.  They seem to have no fear and are quite willing to battle other bigger birds if they have to.  Their main survival skill is their ability to connect with that type of inner wisdom that allows them to recognize danger. If you mean a Chickadee no harm, you can quickly make friends with them.  They will even land on your hand if you offer them a black oil sunflower seed or two.  However, they won't go near people that might harm them and they seem to be able to sense the difference.

Chickadees are very social birds. They flock together and will even accept other types of birds into their group. That familiar song for which they are named, chick-a-dee-dee-dee, is used to let other birds know when they have found a source of food. They seem totally willing to share their knowledge and express their truth. As a totem animal they represent cheerful and truthful expression. The Raven Medium website, www.ravenmedicum.com/TotemAnimals.htm writes that if you see a Chickadee when listening to advice, you should consider that advice as truth. The site suggests you could call on the Chickadee energy if you want to distinguish truth from fiction. The Chickadee can help you find the truth within your heart to guide your actions.

Literature suggests there is great significance in the fact that there are 7 different types of Chickadees.  The number 7 is considered to be a symbol of the individual rising from the material plan of life. It is also connected to the 7 primary chakras. Hmm..

The Chickadee seems to indicate balance in all  seven chakras, but it points particularly to the 5th or Throat Chakra from where we are encouraged to speak our truth. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/02/foods-for-throat-chakra.html When this Chakra is balanced we are able to express ourselves clearly and kindly, because our words come from a place of inner knowing and our heart.

In Sweet Shack & Bach Bar, Rachael finds Throat Chakra balance. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-here-sweet-shack-bach-bar.html  The Bach Flowers that resonate with this Chakra and help Rachael find balance include Mimulus, Agrimony and Cerato.  The positive aspects of those three Bach Flowers all seem evident in the Chickadee spirit.

A few drops of Mimulus can help you face your fears with courage. The Chickadee is able to be particularly courageous because it maintains a connection with inner knowing and thoughtfulness.  It seems to face fears by thinking through them. The Chickadee is a risk taker.  It puts itself "out there" in a cold climate, with lots of predators around but it adapts because it recognizes danger and acts accordingly. The Chickadee doesn't fear cold nights. Rather than fly to a warmer climate when the going gets tough, it just  lowers it's body temperature by 10 to 12 degrees C on cold nights to conserve energy! It senses when that kind of danger is coming and takes action to avoid the risks.

Chickadees and the Throat Chakra are both about "expressing self" and speaking your truth.  The Chickadee has a number of songs it sings that all mean different things to other birds apparently,  although to us it sounds very simple. Raven Dreamer at www.spiracanada.com/ravenDreamer/totems/chickadee.htm writes that someone with Chickadee as a totem animal tends to be a charismatic character that has no problem speaking in the center of the room about almost any topic.  They can be the life of the party in a knowledgeable and natural way. They aren't subtle creatures but tend to dart about, clearly in the open where all can see. That type of energy can be found in the Bach Flower essence Agrimony.  When balanced, Agrimony types are able to speak their truth openly no matter who the audience.  But when the throat chakra is unbalanced or blocked, you may hide behind a mask of cheerfulness that isn't the way you truly feel.  This can be expressed in people that present as the joker, or the life of the party, seeking social activities and distractions as a way to suppress their true feelings. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2010/12/agrimony-to-release-whats-behind-mask.html Agrimony can help you connect with the balanced Chickadee energy of being able to be genuinely cheerful, in touch with your true feelings, and able to communicate freely what is inside you.

A balanced throat Chakra, like the Chickadee energy speaks the truth and only the truth. This truth must  be first found from the connection with your higher self, your inner knowing and that sometimes mystical intuitive side of self. In this aspect, the Chickadee energy seems to share a connection with the positive aspects of the Bach Flower essence Cerato.  Like Chickadee energy, Cerato can help you listen to your inner knowing rather than be distracted by the misguided advice of others. If you need help identifying fact from fiction, Cerato and Chickadee energy can help.

Chickadees show that, in nature, size doesn't matter.  It's the power within you that helps you survive and thrive even when the going gets tough. We all need to sing our song, share with the group, and listen to our inner knowing.

Here's to singing your true song!

Whooping Cough: Some Alternatives

The wind is picking up, the snow is starting to fall. It looks like tomorrow could be another snow day around here.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2012/02/snow-day.html Of course, a snow day really is no fun if you're home sick in bed anyway. It's been a really mild season for influenza this year.  However, at least in my part of the world, everywhere you go, people seem to be struggling with coughs and colds. In many parts of the world and the country, there are outbreaks of whooping cough.

Whooping cough is a pretty alarming childhood disease in it's presentation.  It starts out like any other cold and most people experience a mild cough. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection caused by the bordetella pertussis bacteria,  that quickly spreads through droplet transmission.  Someone coughs or sneezes on you and the bacteria enters your body through the mucous membranes of the nose, throat and lungs.  About two to four weeks into what seems to be a relatively typical cold, the cough worsens. The whooping cough is characterized by short sharp coughs that comes in attacks or "fits" of up to 20 coughs in a row.  All that violent coughing expels most of the air from your passages so the intake of breath at the end of the coughing fit looks (and probably is) panicky and sounds a bit strange- like a "whoop" or an animal yelp. There is usually some phlegm that comes up with the cough and this is often accompanied by vomiting.  See what I mean- not fun to be home with!! On a good news note- there usually isn't a fever with all of this.

Like any bacterial infection, whooping cough can cause complications, particularly in young children. Sometimes these complications require hospitalization and advanced care. Like all bacterial infections, for some, the complications can be fatal.

Like all infectious diseases, the worst cases of whooping cough are seen in areas when there is a poorer standard of living and less sanitation or prevalence of clean food, water, and good hygiene.  During times of inadequate nutrition and poor hygiene the bacteria thrives and an outbreak can ravage through such a community. This happened in Europe on a pretty regular basis prior to the mid-18th Century.

Like many common childhood diseases, a vaccination was created to protect people from acquiring whooping cough.  The Pertussis vaccine has been around since 1912.  It's typically given as part of the series of vaccines given as the DPPT (Diptheria, Pertussis, Polio, Tetanus)  and MMR (measles) series to pre-school and early adolescent children.

The vaccine is intended to allow your body to produce anti-bodies to the bacteria so if you are exposed to those droplets, your body will recognize and be able to launch a quick counter attack to the invasion. The vaccine doesn't produce life-long protection, so for this reason, it's relatively common to see Whooping Cough outbreaks on a cyclical basis.

In some areas of the world, particularly in regions where Whooping Cough is found in increased numbers lately, Public Health officials are recommending the vaccine be given. For some this might be a "booster" shot of the vaccine, for others a series of shots. The recommendations might involve "atypical" age groups.

If the vaccine is available and recommended for you or your family members and that feels right for you- I highly recommend you follow through.  I do however, believe in the power of "informed choice" and if that doesn't feel right for you, I suggest you do some research and understand there are alternatives worth researching so you can make the best choice for you and your family. And I truly believe, this is a personal decision. No choice is wrong.

In the world of Homeopathy  alternatives to traditional vaccinations are known as "nosodes".  Nosodes work in a similar fashion to vaccinations in that they encourage your body to recognize the particular bacteria so your body can create it's response mechanisms while you are healthy.  Your body then remembers the bacteria if you are exposed during an outbreak and you have a quicker immune response. The difference between nosodes and allopathic vaccines can be complicated, but the short version is that the nosodes only contain minute, diluted and successed levels of the bacteria- typically found on sugar pellets, while the allopathic vaccines contain greater amounts of the bacteria in combination with other chemical agents, typically given in a needle format.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/04/homeopathic-remedies-potency.html

There are a number of great books that explain in simple but detailed fashion the homeopathic alternative to immunization. I highly recommend both  An Educated Decision: One Approach to the Vaccination Problem Using Homeopathy, by Christina Head,  and Homeopathic Alternatives to Immunisation by Susan Curtis.

The Homeopathic nosode for Whooping Cough is called Pertussin. This is typically given once a week during an epidemic or three doses in one week if you have been exposed to the disease or had contact with someone with Whooping Cough.  These are given orally and don't require a physicain or clinic visit.

In allopathic or conventional medicine, the treatment options for Whooping cough are largely focused on antibiotics. There are also treatment alternatives for Whooping Cough within the field of homeopathy.  Unlike allopathic medicine, in the world of homeopathy, no two cases of whooping cough are exactly alike so the remedy needed for each patient will depend on their particular symptoms.  That's part of the reason why it's helpful to find a Homeopathic Practitioner you know and trust prior to an outbreak.   A few of the most likely remedies however, include Drosera, Antimonium Trtaricum (Ant-t), Belledona, Magnesia phosphorica, Cocus Cacti, Kali Carbonicum, Bryonia and Ipecac.  Which remedy is used depends on a number of factors specific to the type of cough, other symptoms such as the type of phlegm or vomiting, and the personality type of the patient. Homeopathy focuses on treating individual signs, symptoms and people, not a specific disease or syndrome so "one remedy doesn't fit all" in this world of alternative healing.

In my opinion, Public Health campaigns and vaccination strategies are not done with evil intention although I know there are some people that would argue that.  I believe for the most part, the people purporting these treatment options have your best interests at heart and they believe in what they do. They believe in science and what they have been taught. 

I also believe in the power of the unknown, the advantages of looking outside the box, of considering other points of view, and doing some research in science arenas that aren't as popular or publicized for the masses. Having done my research and personal experimentation I'm a big believer in homeopathy among other alternatives. I believe in multiple strategies and complimentary medicine.  I think there are positive components of almost every health strategy. Above all ,I think it's personal choice, but that involves personal work. 

When your child is sick with a cough that sounds like a wild animal and there is a mass campaign strategy on public media sites to vaccinate or take broad spectrum antibiotics, it's very difficult to look "outside the box". That's really not a good time to decide to experiment with something that is likely going to have some pretty heavy resistance in popular circles. When people are fighting in line-ups to get vaccine needles that may be in limited supply it can be difficult to go against the masses and decide to opt out.
It's probably a little easier to do your research before the first case of whooping cough gets diagnosed at the school your child attends. It's defiantly easier to find a homeopathic physician before you need some advice at midnight. You might be surprised at the peace of mind you can enjoy once you have done your research and  have a personal plan in place for you and your family's health care.

Whooping cough is a childhood disease. And childhood diseases are just that- dis-ease that typically occurs in children. Part of being a child is building immunity. Your body knows how to do this.  Most, but not all, people are equipped to develop such immunity. Some times we need a bit of help. 

Part of being a parent is going through the angst of childhood diseases as your child develops immunity and challenges your own.  Your body knows how to do this. Sometimes your mind needs a bit of help.  When that's the case, consider a few drops of the Bach Flower Cerato  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-advice-your-inner-knowing.html  breathe in and breathe out, do some research, ask some questions and follow your intuition.

Make the choice that's right for you and then relax in the knowledge that you are prepared not scared!

Leap Year Day & Waxing Moon in Gemini

Good thing we had a snow day yesterday to calm everything done a little and restore energy and sense of self. All that might be required for today it would seem.  Today is February 29th and therefore a Leap Year Day. It also, according to We'Moon 2012, marks the Waxing Moon in Gemini.  Lots of "stuff" floating around out there today.

The whole leap year "thing" seems more than a little confusing and quite analytical. The theory of it all in brief, is that it takes just a little bit longer than 365 days for the earth to make it all the way around the sun. It takes 365.242199 to be exact. But our Gregorian Calender has 365 days in a precise fashion. I guess it would be kind of confusing to break the year into 365.242199 days.  So.. every once in awhile we have to play "catch-up" and add an extra day.  If we didn't do this we would loose about 6 hours off our calender every year and after 100 years or so we would be "off" by about 24 days. That doesn't mean we would change weather patterns, it means that after awhile the seasons wouldn't be quite lined up with what we agree to be the days of the year. The calender would tell you it was spring when it actually felt like winter- or vice versa - I'm really totally confused about which side of the equation we would be off on!!!  There is a lot of science behind this "adding an extra day thing".  It isn't exactly done every 4 years no matter what.  There are 3 criteria that have to be met to make it a leap year. You have to be able to divide the year by 4 evenly for starters.  If you can also divide the year evenly by 100 it's not a leap year, unless the year can also be divided evenly  by 400.  Apparentlyy this explains why 2000 was "allowed" to be a leap year- it met the 3rd criteria.  Wow!  Confused??? Way over my head in the mathematical figuring... And then you can even get into Leap Seconds!!!  They are even more confusing. Who does all this calculation!!? People have been doing this math for a long time it seems. Julius Caesar in the Roman empire introduced the concept of Leap years. If you want a better or more thorough explanation of all this (can't imagine you would!!) you can go to http://www.timeanddate.com/time/leapseconds.html  - and good luck.

What really strikes me once I shake the number dance out of my head, is how we have agreed to all this.  It seems so much an external construct the very idea of date and time and yet, across the world we agree on this.  We have different time zones and date zones but we all agree on the concept and have worked out how different areas of the world can all fit in there together. How did this happen?? We can't even agree in a little village or town how we should best spend our taxes, or what is healthy to eat every day and we agree that someone can just make today February 29th?  Hmm...

It also strikes me how hard we work to make our analytical calculations fit with the way we feel.  We feel different seasons.  We feel when it's winter and when it's summer. We can feel when the weather is transitioning to spring or fall.  We say things like "it feels like spring out there today".  We really don't need a calender for that. Yet we want to make sure our calenders, our externally controlled ideas, line up with the way we feel.  To avoid a disconnect between that, we just throw in an extra day every so many years or so.

It seems we really depend on that calender to tell us what to do. We celebrate according to the calender. It must be really confusing if you're born on a leap day.  When you celebrate your birthday?  Do you change it every year?  We say when it's the first day of spring or the last day of winter according to our calenders.   Many plant and harvest according to the calender. We seem less connected with nature and more in tune with the calender on the fridge it seems. Hmm...

On the same day that we are experiencing an "extra day", we have a waxing moon in Gemini.  The waxing moon is a good time to draw things to you  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/05/waxing-moon-and-third-chakra.html  And here we have a whole extra day to draw energy towards us.

When the waxing moon is in Gemini, you might feel things really being sped up. The moon in Gemini is about juggling possibilities, speeding up thoughts and nerves.  Today you might find yourself getting  a lot of information thrown your way. Conversations may be very quick and continual and you may feel yourself getting drawn into that speed of multiple thoughts or ideas.

There is a cautionary note about the waxing moon in Gemini.  We should be careful to appreciate the stillness and solitude of the day and not get so caught up in the speed of action or the volume of information that we don't see down to the depths for answers. The energy of this waxing moon can be quite superficial in it's speed and action.

In my opinion, if you really want to get to the depths of things, you have to consider how you feel.  You have to stop for a minute when everyone around you is talking and think about how you feelHmm...

Maybe we should do less looking at the calender and our watches and do more feeling. Perhaps we should connect with ourselves and nature a bit more and consider how we really feel rather than what we are being told to do. Maybe we should plant when it feels like spring rather than what the calender says.  Maybe we should spent that "extra day" today doing what feels right rather than what we think others expect us to do or what our planning calenders direct us to do.

Today can also be considered an "11" day.  If you add up 2 and 9 you get 11 (I feel a bit more confident about that  math than the math behind the leap year!), and 11's in numerology are considered powerful http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/09/day-of-11s-clematis.html .  It's a good day to connect with your spirit. To do that, you have to slow down your thoughts and incoming information a bit and just feel. Let you spirit and your feelings direct you  to the energy you want to bring towards you and the dreams you want to create.

Instead of trying to fit nature into our thoughts and analytical calculations, maybe we could let up a bit on the intellectual pursuits. Maybe if we  felt our way through this extra day, and the energy of a waxing moon we'd have a clearer idea of what is really right for our soul. Maybe we could think less and feel more. Maybe it doesn't matter what day it is on the calender as much as what you do with the day and what you become. Maybe it's about leaping forward in the right direction for your spirit.

Snow Day

Yesterday's robins turned out to be right.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2012/02/animal-signs-robin.html Today is a "snow day"!! Yippee!! In my part of the world a snow day means school is canceled because of weather. It's a cause for unexpected celebration. It always has been and I think always will be- at least in my heart. It's probably the possibility of a snow day that gives me the gleeful anticipation feeling of a pending storm.

I've lived in other places in the country where people didn't even know what "snow days" were. I found that very sad. I think you really miss out on something if you don't know the feeling of waking up at the usual time in the morning only to realize you can go right back under the covers and sleep a little longer. Maritime kids  often go to bed at night asking for the "percentage" of chance their parents will guess for a snow day. If weather is predicted, or it's windy and snowing out there, a chance exists you won't have to go to school in the morning. It's the chance aspect that is the most delicious.

I don't think it's that Maritime kids hate school really. And even when you're past school age, and past having school age kids around, many people still look forward to "snow days".  It's just part of the culture I think and something we all look forward to.

The thing about a "snow day" is that you get a break from your routine.  You get to spend your time in an unanticipated, often unstructured, sort of way.  You get to sleep in, stay in your pajamas a little longer- maybe even the whole day.  It feels like a sweet treat when you get to do something special.  It might be reading a book that isn't school work, or making cookies, or a snowman, or watching T.V. or "all of the above".  It's just fun to have all that free time ahead of you without anyone telling you what to do.

A snow day is totally different than a weekend.  See, weekends get structured.  There's a list of things that wait all week for you to do on Saturday and Sunday.  It used to be chores. I think now, for most kids, it more about sport practice, but it's still structured. And even if you like doing it, it starts to feel a bit like something you have you do and that gets kind of heavy sometimes.

Maybe a snow day appeals to the Water Violet in all of us.  Water Violet types love to be "hunkered down", in the cave, safe and sound, with a good book, a solitary activity and no distractions from other people. They enjoy being alone. Some people like that feeling more than others, but everyone has a bit of all the emotions in them.  A snow day brings out our Water Violet tendencies.

Even Rock Water types like snow days.  Rock Water types are often pretty inflexible. They stick to routines and regiment. Maybe it's because of that that inflexible nature that they actually like snow days.  Snow days somehow force us out of the routine and there's nothing that can be done about that! Maybe we like that push that forces us to relax, let go, and just be. Hmm...

Not everyone gets to take the day off on a snow day.  People still have to go to work and for some parents it's quite a juggle I'm sure to cover off child care and still get to work and get it all to work out.  But  around here at least, I don't think there's a lot of angst about it all.  Everyone expects to have a snow day or two or three or four or more during the winter months. Because the kids are home from school a lot of people "have" to work from home. Employers seem pretty understanding that it might take you longer to get in to work, or you might have to stay home.  A lot of office buildings shut down as well.  It seems people are starting to catch on.

I saw a lot of really happy kids today.  We didn't really get that much of a storm so people were "out and about".  I saw kids with their parents.  A few of them were in the mall.  Some of them were at the coffee shop. Some of them were tagging along at work.  I didn't see anyone looking anxious about that. It was as though everyone was enjoying a break the routine and just "going with the flow".  Everyone was smiling. Hmm...

I could probably write a whole lot more about snow days, but it's a snow day so I'm going to quit working! It's time to pour a hot chocolate, curl up with a good book, and enjoy the chance to be free of all constraints.

Cheers!

Animal Signs: Robin

I went looking for "blog inspiration" today as a subject wasn't quite coming to me. The sun was shining, it felt like a great day to get a bunch of errands done around town and sometimes some little thing someone will say will inspire me. Maybe I was trying to hard.  Seemed like people were a bit slow and grouchy today. Maybe it's just Monday, maybe people were up late last night watching the Oscar's and not so happy to be at work today. I didn't hear any inspiring words.

So I turned to nature for inspiration and went for a walk in the woods.  Everything seems very quiet- kind of as though nature felt kind of slow and sleepy today too, and that didn't seem to quite match with the bright sunshine or how I felt inside. 

I met my ducks and had a conversation but I've already written about them  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2012/02/animal-signs-duck.html.  Nothing else seemed to be "out and about". I was starting to think it would be a 'blog-less" day when all of a sudden I came across a flock, and I mean flock of robins!  Ahh.. now that's what I was looking for.

I saw a flock of robins on someones lawn the other day.  It wasn't just one or two birds. The whole lawn was covered.  I casually mentioned it to someone.  Turned out he was quite an expert in birds and he explained that they really aren't "our robins". It's still too early for "ours" to appear.  Apparently these are robins that belong in Newfoundland but have made their way in land because of very stormy weather off the coast. 

The robins I saw today did quite a bit of talking.  I have no idea what they were saying, but it sounded like quite a party.  I have some friends from Newfoundland and when they are excited, nervous, or have dipped into the Screech heavily, I can't understand what they are saying either. So maybe these robins are newfies. Hmm...

Robins are definitely an animal sign according to both Steven Farmer and Daniel Mapel. Farmer in Animal Spirit Signs  suggests  the appearance of robin means it's time to let go of anything in your life that's outmoded and stagnant.  He writes that Robin is a symbol to let of attachment to drama and allow the joy to flow in.

Mapel, in Into the Heart of the Wild, writes that the Robin is a symbol of nurturing and a symbol to look after yourself in gentle ways. He also suggests Robin energy helps us create harmony out of chaos. They are considered a grounding energy.

In my part of the world, the robin is unquestionably considered a sign of Spring. The first appearance of the robin is a welcomed event no matter who you are.  Maybe that's why the thought that the robins we were seeing weren't quite "ours" was a little disappointing.  Maybe spring still isn't really here yet.

It turns out there is a storm barrelling towards my part of the world with the potential for some snowfall, high winds, maybe some rain.  So that explains the quiet in nature it seems.  Often the woods is pretty quiet just before a storm.  That also explains the way some people are feeling today.  Some people seem to react to impending storms with aches and pains, unsettledness and sometimes a bit of quiet grouchiness. Other people react to impending storms with a sense of anticipation, a bit of excitement- which also explains my mood today.

So given an approaching storm, maybe those robins really are Newfoundlanders that have decided to extend their layover a bit until the winds are a bit calmer. Newfies are good at that kind of thing.  They can make what others see as adversity an adventure. They seem pretty good at nurturing and making a party out of just about any situation- harmony from chaos I guess.

I'm going to interpret the robins I saw as a symbol of that new life and happiness that both Farmer and Mapel write about.  I don't think it matters if the Robins are newfies or "home growns'.  I don't think they are forecasting the weather as much as they are forecasting a sense of revitalization, opportunities, and new growth. And that can happen in any season, and from my point of view, is always welcome.

"Long may your big jib draw" (may the wind always be in your foreword sails" and be careful it sounds like it might get "some rough out" tonight!

Fear of Food

If you've been following along, none of those temper flare-ups I witnessed this week resulted in food fights, but I have noticed some different reactions to food over lunch meetings, and that got me thinking...

We humans spend a lot of time in the pursuit of food no matter where we live. If we aren't physically engaged in finding, growing or preparing it, we are spending a lot of our income on it. It all comes back to "putting food in our mouths" in seems.

Our relationship with food seems rather complicated. It's a bit of a "love/hate" thing. We worry and suffer when we are lacking food. We also worry and suffer when we have too much food. We struggle to find the balance.

North American culture has really opened up to the dangers of food in the past few years. We are concerned with how it's grown, what's put into it, and how we are affected by it. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have come out of the closet and effort has gone into finding ways to help people that suffer from such ailments. Much of this awareness, research and development has been very positive, but in my opinion, there may also be a negative side effect.  Perhaps we have increased our fear of food just a bit.

There actually is a word for "fear of food".  It's called cibophobia. Often people with this fear are misdiagnosed as having anorexia.  But unlike anorexia, where the fear is of the affects the food will have on body image, cibophobia is really fear of the food itself.  The symptoms of cibophobia all actually make good solid sense if kept in balance.  They include concern for highly perishable foods like mayonnaise and milk. It makes sense to be cautious of that, they can harbour deadly bacteria, but it's about concern versus fear. Another symptom is over-concern for expiry dates. Again, that makes sense, there is a reason to have that date on there, its' about concern and awareness versus fear and anxiety to the point of total avoidance that tips the scale. Another symptoms is avoiding certain food altogether perceiving them to present above-average risks to health.  Again, a point of fuzziness in my opinion.

Only a generation or so ago, if you wanted to loose or gain weight, which you likely did more for health reasons than for over-concern for appearance, you would be instructed to either eat less or more.  The foods you put into your body likely didn't change nearly as much as the amount. That seems to have changed.

We have a much greater variety of foods thanks to globalization among other things. As much as that has opened up our world and choices it seems to have increased the confusion as well.  You can find people and programs that promote diets including; fat-free, high-fat,  gluten free, dairy free, vegan, organic, sugar-free, no carbohydrates, all carbohydrates, etc. etc.  For every diet suggestion there is a "counter-suggestion". For many we have created "movements" to provide a certain healthier approach to food supply.

Many alternative health providers focus on diet as part of your overall approach to health.  Some will suggest you eat according to your dosha. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2010/12/ayurveda-healing-which-dosha-are-you.html   Some will suggest a very restrictive diet in an effort to find your "set point", slowly introducing foods back in to the mix once you've sorted out allergies, intolerance and sensitivities.  These approaches can all be helpful. Like everything though, I think it has to be about the balance.

I think all this focus on regimes and restrictions can contribute to your fear of food. I wonder if we are creating a generation with more than a little cibophobia. Efforts to restrict intake of certain food groups or items or ensure intake of others, needs to be balanced with pleasure, enjoyment, and perhaps availability. If you find yourself explaining or apologizing for your food choices, without anyone asking, you might be tipping the balance a bit. If you've asked for the ingredient list or the food preparation plan and the recipe before you choose your meal in a restaurant and you don't have a severe food allergy, I think you might be tipping the balance.  If you feel sick after eating an item you worry might have included an ingredient you've been trying to avoid for no reason other than it's "on your list", you might be tipping the balance. If you find yourself avoiding or feeling uncomfortable in social situations that involve food, feeling it would be rude not to partake, you might be tipping the balance.  It might just be that your efforts to eat healthy have turned into an obsession and cibophobia.

There are some Bach Flower essences that can help you find the food balance. Rock Water is the first that comes to mind. It's helpful for people that have become overly rigid in their approach to life. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/04/allowing-flexability-rock-water-bach.html Often this involves severely restricting themselves in diet programs. Rock Water might help you relax your approach a bit so you can bring the concern over food choices back into balance.

Mimulus is the Bach Flower essence that is indicated for known fears. If you know you have tipped the balance to a real fear of certain foods, that isn't in your best interest, this Bach essence could be for you.

And then there's the Bach Flower essence Cerato.  It's helpful when you're lost your sense of trust in yourself. I believe we all intuitively know what foods are good for us and which we should avoid. I think it's a survival instinct that is most likely still intact- just buried pretty deep within us. I imagine this might not be a collective instinct but quite personal in nature. One person's dairy free diet might be perfectly right for them and totally wrong for another. Balance is a personal attribute. It is found from within, nourished from within and does not need external support. That's the healing nature of Cerato.

There are seven recipes in Sweet Shack & Bach Bar.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-here-sweet-shack-bach-bar.html Each recipe has ingredients that resonate with the chakra it is intended to soothe. One of the recipes happens to be gluten-free.  One of the recipes is dairy free. All of them can be made with organic ingredients.  None of them are sugar-free. All of them can be tweaked and modified. Some of them might remind you of your childhood. Some might soothe you. Some might comfort you. Whether they are good for you or not is an individual decision and should be made from a balanced, non-fearful place. I know and trust you can make the right decision.

I believe food can be joyful as well as sustaining. I believe it can bring people together in celebration. I think food can reveal our individualaity, and our culture. I think food should be honored rather than feared. I think food can help us find our balance.

Bon appetite!