Spring... Maybe

Just got back from a 5 mile walk...  The birds were so very happy this morning AND the flowers are really out!  Beauty is all around and so ready to be expressed.  My hope is that everyone takes an opportunity today to go outside, take a deep breath, and say "Thanks".    Thanks for the birds, the flowers, the soft breeze, the bells in Groton (which by the way were playing "Hey Jude" by the Beatles this morning and I was singing along!), their children (including pets), their friends and relatives (even the ones that may make you want to pull your hair out), the gift of clear skies today and the almost 50 degree weather!!!  I know Mother Nature teased us a few weeks ago, but it feels like Spring is really here and I for one am ready for it!

Enjoy your day!  Janet

UCLA Study about Women's Friendships

My dear sister friend Jackie sent me an interesting study done by two UCLA research professors. Laura Cousino Klein, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University has documented how when women get stressed they release the hormone oxytocin as part of their stress response.  It buffers the fight of flight response and encourages her to tend children and family and gather with other women instead.  When a women engages in this tending or befriending behavior more oxytocin is released which further counters stress and produces a calming effect.  The study states that this calming effect does not occur in men because of testosterone which men produce in high levels when they are under stress.  

This information makes me wonder...  I know many men who reach out to their friends for stress relief and I know many women who shut down when under stress...  Could this study be only partly correct (left brained so to speak?).  Maybe if as a society we begin to encourage our children to talk things out, and praise them for finding peaceful solutions to problems on the playground, we would begin to see, hum, I don't know, maybe more friendship (male and female) based on love and caring.   

So my thought is this - lets thank Mother Nature for our wonderful hormones that naturally occur in our amazing bodies, AND lets create ways in society that mimic the behavior that the hormones promote so that we get the benefits from environment and society.  What do ya say, are you in?!

Black and White

I thought I'd share this photo of Boris and Brutus - Black and White.  This theme has been coming up a lot lately.  We discussed it at our ARCH (Ancient Rainbow Conscious Healing) Certification training last weekend.  And I was discussing it again with my friend this morning.  Hope you enjoy the photo and play with the different ideas about black and white that you may have!  Enjoy the weekend, and if you are going to the Maple Festival - don't forget to wear a raincoat!

Three generations

I got some photos of Sara's graduation in June and one of the photos was of me, my mom, and Sara (don't we look cute...)  It got me thinking about the three generations.  How my Mother's generation was given the belief that they were to get married, have babies and take "good care" of their husbands.  My Mom told me many stories of her best friend in school (My Aunt Joan) who didn't want what everyone else wanted.  She was "brainy"... She ended up going to an all boys college - one of the first women to be accepted - and became the first woman CEO of UPS.  She is an amazing woman and I have been priveledged to call her Aunt.  Women like Aunt Joan paved the way for my generation to have more choices... Even with more choices we (and of course I am generalizing and this does not include everyone...) are venturing out into the world to make our mark and have careers, but we are also still trying to have babies and "take care" of our husbands / partners, and forgetting to take care of ... you guessed it - US!   I believe this way of being to be a collective memory that we are working hard to change through love and gentleness to ourselves (yeah!).  

Now I look at my daughter.  She is so far ahead of where either me or my mom were at her age.  She understands that its okay to ask for what she wants, and its even better to ask and gratefully receive.  I have been fortunate to be part of her life, and also the lives of her friends. She has chosen well.  She is happy.  She is "awake".  It is the only thing I every really wanted... happiness "awakeness" for her (and my Son), for me and for my mother - three generations "out in space" (tee hee).  

Can't wait (ahh, let me rephrase that - I CAN wait...) for the next generation.  They will be so "light" and "tuned in" if we the elders continue to put out the energy of love and compassion and permission to be who you are - no matter who that is!  And so, I signoff today with wonder and curiosity and hope... doing my part to pass down / hand off / give to the beings coming after me.

Orbs, voices and being a good guest

I received the audio clips from Syracuse Paranormals and WOW it was amazing!  Sounds like there are a number of spirits here that I was not aware of...  One voice sounded like a little girl and one sounded like either a man, or a woman with a deep voice.  Two of the voices sounded like they had accents from another country, which of course could be the workers that had Dutch descent.  Along with the voices I have been gifted a number of photos from the Womens Gathering that we had at the church with the Grandmothers.  

If you look to the top left of the photo you will see three orbs. 

The ladies were happy to have the gathering that day!!  They are also happy that we will be using the sanctuary for more gatherings in the future.  It is the perfect sacred place to have commitment ceremonies, anniversaries, receptions, family gatherings, and so much more.  The stained glass is filled with flowers and sacred geometry and it just feels so full of love!  Anyway, I ramble...  The long and short of this blog is that I am a guest here at 111 Church Street, and I am collecting much data that supports that statement!!  Enjoy the long awaited sunshine today and keep an eye open for more info on these spirits around the end of April!

Cardinals

Sunday while taking a walk I saw the most beautiful cardinal and listened to his song for quite a long time.  I kept singing it in my head all afternoon...  Cheerful and bright!

This morning while sitting on my back "veranda" which overlooks the most beautiful asian garden (Jeremiah Donavan's back yard) I watched a pair of cardinals "dance".  The female would fly away, the male would follow, she would turn her back, he would fly around her to get her attention.  Finally, I felt like she "allowed" him into her domain.  It even seemed like her body softened a bit and they finally flew off together.  It seemed to be very important for me to see this...   I, of course, had to look up Cardinal in my Animal-Speak book (written by Ted Andrews) because two days in a row they made such an impression on me....

Here is the long and short of cardinal totems:  Cardinals show up to reflect lessons in developing and accepting a new sense of your own true self-importance.  They remind us that we always have an opportunity to renew our vitality and recognize the importance of our own life roles.  They also remind us to add color to our lives and to be conscious that everything we do is of importance.  

The Cardinal felt like a message so I just had to pick a rune to see what they would tell me today...  I got "the self" and the big message I heard was "live an ordinary life in an extra-ordinary way".   I feel like I do this very well.  Hummm,  maybe someone is trying to tell me something?  Feels to me like I am on the right track!  Yeah!

Cortland High School Teachers In-Service

Friday was a very busy day for me.  I was at the high school at 6:30 am setting up for sharing information with teachers and administrators about essential oils, stress reduction, and reflexology.  Then at noon they were able to experience a 10 minute foot massage and choose a lotion that fit their needs for the time being.  I used the essential oil cocktails as an example of fun and therapeutic for essential oils and how you can blend an amazing scent and have the therapeutic properties assist in health related issues...  I even had one woman share that the love lotion #9 reminded her of her grandma's kitchen and she was right back there sharing that amazing feeling of being with her grandma immediately while smelling the lotion.  Powerful thing our olfactory nerve and scent triggered memories...  

The rest of Friday was spent preparing for the first night of the ARCH certification workshop that is happening this weekend here in the church.  ARCH (Ancient Rainbow Conscious Healing) is considered a quantum leap beyond Reiki. Some folks are taking the workshop for their own healing and some of us (like me) are therapists who will be able to offer this healing modality to our clients.  I am excited to have this in my "tool bag" and I will share more about this healing art once I have completed the certification training.

Enjoy the snow this morning and be prepared for surprises!