Four Elements Cleanse

Four Elements Cleanse

Start by filing a small glass jar or ceramic jar with kosher salt, Epsom salts, borax or plain table salt.You can add an aromatherapy oil like lavender or bergamot. Shake it well. Hold it in your hands. Infusing it with your intention by saying:

Salt of the earth.

I know my self worth

Crystal transmission

Help me with this transition

Take a pinch and sprinkle it into each corner of the room. Toss some over your left shoulder for good luck. You can also place rose quartz, silver dimes, or healing dirt in the corners, anything representing the earth and its' ability to transform on the physical plane.

Next, sprinkle holy water in each corner to clear emotions. This can be found online, at your local church, or make your own by leaving a crystal or glass bowl outside under the new moon or the full moon for 3 days. Holy water can be infused with crystals, flower petals, and/or aromatherapy oils, as well as your good intentions. Add photographs, power words, or tarot cards placed either on the top or bottom of the bowl. Use it in self-blessing rituals too. Affirm out loud:

Sacred water

Sacred feelings

Release old emotions

For sacred healing

For the element of air, many folks like to burn sage, cedar or pine for their cleansing properties for both the mental and spiritual planes. If you do not like smoke in your dwellings, you can grind the herbs or do pinches of tobacco in the corners. Alternatively, you can use a feather or a (fairy) feather duster to bless the corners. Whisper the words:

With every inhale

I breathe in relief

With every exhale

I breathe out release

For the element of fire, symbolic of your life force and energy, pick a new candle in a color that speaks to you on a chakra level, beeswax preferred. Take an athame (ritual knife) or just a ballpoint pen and carve from bottom to top what is being released from this space or your life as the candle burns it away. 

Then carve from the top to the bottom what you're inviting in as the candle burns down. Walk around the room and poke in the four directions. If you do not want to light candles, use a wand or sacred broom to sweep out the energy from each corner.

Sacred Fire

Come and cleanse

Release the old

And begin again

Stand in the center or power spot of the room. Bless yourself with the four elements. Say:

In the name of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone

I'm here by myself, but I'm never alone

So the ritual is complete

And I am blessed from my head to my feet

Blessed be!

Breaking Up

I'm breaking up with my cell phone. It has been a long, arduous divorce, but I'm hoping to transition into a more pleasant acquaintanceship much like I have with the fax machine. I'm over "till death do us part," or the warranty runs out.

It started innocently enough. I had resisted owning a cell phone for years. Loyal to my landline, even the archaic answering machine that sat brooding on the kitchen counter. My friends thought I was a Luddite.

Everything changed when my daughter was ten Suddenly I had full custody. My ex-wife was in the mental hospital, her partner was being hostile at best. It seemed imperative to have a mobile device. I bought a cheap burner phone for $64. The lowest pay as you go plan ATT offered was $24 a month for this particular electronic security blanket. The phone barely told the time.

Over the years I received a plethora of technological hand-me-downs as various family members took pity on me when they upgraded. At first, I simply enjoyed the luxury of having a decent digital camera, and found myself posting pictures online. Soon I became embroiled in the snarled web of social media - likes and dislikes, tweets and re-posts, comments and trolls, the ever elusive hashtag. I could spend hours curating images, watching reels, getting sucked into another video.

Worse, I discovered games. First solitaire, of course, but come on, who doesn't? It's built-in. Then multiplayer games: Farmville, June's Journey, Words with Friends, Seekers Notes. I was so obsessed I ended up doing three months of physical therapy to release a frozen shoulder.

Now it's at the point where I can't take a bowel movement without playing Wordle first. In the morning I reach for my phone before I reach for my husband, and then it is glued to my hip for the rest of the day. Chip can find out what aisle I'm in at Costco simply by geo-locating my phone.

And even though my phone goes with me everywhere, somehow, I'm always looking for it. Patting my pockets, peering into my purse. It has become a regular icon in my dreams. I'm lost in a strange city. The numbers are not working. How I get back to the hotel?

I've already started. First, I was gentle, deleting all the apps I don't use anyway. Next, to ones rationalized I could always access on my laptop. I had already lost interest in Pinterest and was bitter about Twitter, easy to let go. Then all the news feeds -  I'm done with the gloom scrolling. Finally, I said farewell to my beloved New York Times crossword puzzle and a kissed Sudoku softlygoodbye.

When I get home I'm moving it out of the bedroom back to the kitchen where it belongs, next to the pens and scrap paper. No longer will I jump at every chirp, click, or beep like Pavlov's dog salivating for virtual treats. No longer will I depend on it every time I have a minor wait while standing in line at the coffee shop. If I need to know the weather, I can always look out the window.

Like all breakups, it will be hard and uncomfortable at times learning to live without my electronic companion. I'm sure our friends will be divided. I wonder just how will I engage myself now.

Digestion Reset

Digestion Reset

In a tall glass, add:
One third or half of glass unfiltered, unsweetened cranberry juice
One teaspoon to one tablespoon Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
One to two tablespoons liquid probiotics
Fill to brim with purified water
Stir briskly
Sip and savor


Variations:
Ice if desired
Pomegranate or blueberry juice
Local honey if it's too tart
Fresh squeezed lemon
A pack of EmergenC

Adventures in Detoxing, Part 2

As I wrote in my last post, I decided to go on an eight week detoxing program, based on The Detox Book by Bruce Fife. Here are my notes from each week:

The first week I lost five pounds, which I attributed mostly to water loss as both the practitioners said I could be experiencing bloating from the antibiotics and from being on my period. I felt lazy and lethargic, wanting to sleep a lot, experiencing a lot of asthma. I realized that I never want to eat when menstruating, a natural time for me to fast, so for a few days only drank juices and ate fruits.

The second week I lost one pound, added the thymus supplement, and found a general return of energy. We went biking twice and hiking. I added daily meditation/visualization that I can do while driving. Both allergies and asthma are better. I also went for a chiropractic adjustment.

The third week I gained two pounds. It rained all week,so though I continued to eat clean, my daily walking routine was interrupted. We decided to take ballroom dancing classes on Monday nights for winter activity. Started oxygen therapy using hydrogen peroxide on my underarm rash and toe fungus. I also began weekly reflexology sessions.

The fourth week I switched from dandelion tea to a detox tea specific for kidney and liver health,starting with one cup a day and gradually increasing it to three. Got my period. Started doing more heliotherapy, deliberately sitting out with my arms exposed. Lost two pounds.

The fifth week I experimented with ear candles and continued reflexology. Stopped dairy completely, including milk in my coffee. Lost another two pounds.

The sixth week I got the flu and had emotional crises. I used aromatherapy, especially eucalyptus, and as the mucus drained affirmed clearing my brain of congested thoughts. Here the neti pot was my friend as well, helping to ease the strain on my sinuses. I took homeopathic oscillium and wellness formula from Source Naturals, as wells Boirons Chestal, a homeopathic cough syrup. I drank a lot of gypsy cold care tea and green tea, eating mostly soup. Lost 4 pounds.

The seventh week I had another emotional crisis, did my first 24 hour fast, took bath with Epsom salts, lavender. Did acupuncture. This time I added a media fast, as tv is junk food for the mind. Lost 3 pounds.

The eighth week got my period, I tried herbal laxative, hated it! The rash where tick bite was flared up considerably. Looking forward to getting a massage. Lost 1 pound.

My overall perspective of the detoxification process is extremely positive. This was one of my best courses from AIHT and one I plan on using in my life as well as guiding my clients. Physically I notice my smooth skin, more energy, felt back in my body, fungus gone, less mucus, less plaque on teeth, and I had lost over 15 pounds. Emotionally I feel like I survived the winter and actually had less symptoms of SAD than previous winters. Mentally I enjoyed the visualizations and meditations, and look forward to more mind fasts by continuing to go on silent retreats. Most importantly, the detox had a profound spiritual effect, allowing me to clear some clutter from my soul, transmute the poisons of the past and change some of my wounds into gifts that will help others.

References
The Detox Book. Fife, Bruce. Colorado Springs: Piccadilly Books, Ltd.
The Tao of Detox by Daniel Reid
The Miracle of Fasting by Patricia Bragg

Adventures in Detoxing Part 1

After reading The Detox Book by Bruce Fife, I decided on trying herbal detoxification because "(n)ext to fasting, herbs are the oldest method used for detoxification... In our modern society we have the advantage of using herbs from all over the world, not just the ones growing near us. This way, we have access to the strongest, most effective herbal detoxifiers the earth has to offer" (p. 173). I spent the next eight weeks trying different combination of herbs, mostly in the form of teas, as well as incorporating other detox methods such as regular fasting, oxygen therapy and eating the natural foods diet.

The physical, mental and emotional steps I took in preparation were way more than I had anticipated. Last June I was delighted to come home to my next set of course books from AIHT. I picked up the books on detoxification and thought,"This is what I'll do first!" as the saying goes, we make plans, God laughs. I certainly thought about it for six months, reviewing my life style habits, thinking about menu plans and exercise, my general health and well being, and creating better habits.

In December I was diagnosed with Lyme disease from a tick bite last October. Three weeks of antibiotics helped with the symptoms but had severe side effects, including daily nausea and headaches as well as a hyper sensitivity to the sun, and of coincidentally I was going for my first time to Hawaii. My hands broke out in a heat rash and three patches of ringworm appeared in my arm pits.

In January I started reading The Detox Book and went on the Natural Foods Diet. I bought a scale for the first time in my adult life, and was dismayed to see had gained five pounds while on vacation. I put a calendar in my walk in closet and each day weighed myself and charted what I had eaten, number if alcoholic drinks, any exercise, and any supplements.

Each day I added one thing to my regime to create my own 7 daily habits. For example, the first day I ate a piece of fruit in the morning, the next day I added a glass of cranberry juice in the afternoon, the third day a cup of herbal tea midday, etc. The first month I added one weekly habit, such as a 24 hour fast, dry skin brushing, a longer physical activity such as hiking or biking, and a regular appointment with a health care provider. The second month I added monthly routines, such as a 3 day fast, hot bath with Epsom salts.

It was easy to eliminate red meat from my diet, eating salmon, lentils, tofu and eggs, mostly not worrying about protein. I eat vegetables but not a lot of fruit, so I started adding fruits to my salads, such as apples, raisins, and grapes. Later I read more about proper food combining in The Miracle of Fasting and started eating fruits completely separately from other foods. My only dairy is usually milk in my coffee and occasionally yogurt, although the couple of times I broke down and did eat pizza, which I really felt it the next day, especially in mucus production.

It was easy to limit alcohol to the times we went out to dinner, and then only drinking two glasses of wine, eliminating beer and hard alcohol completely. I slowly added supplements, starting with magnesium/ calcium to help the nerve damage in my hands from the Lyme disease and probiotics for intestinal and colon health. I added a thymactive supplement on the advice of both reflexologist and acupuncturist, both of whom I am seeing on a regular basis.

I thought I was prepared to go through a healing crisis, which did occur, both physically and emotionally. Probably the hardest part of the whole process was my emotional sensitivity and difficult communication with my partner. I really wanted my choices to not feel like a judgement, and to honor and respect his own decisions. I certainly learned the rule of "On fast, don't tell" and received criticism from other friends as well.

The detox experience itself was great, in some ways easier than I expected, mostly because I had thought about it so much and continued to think about it throughout. I felt like I was kind and gentle to myself, going slow, and choosing to create life time habits more than just trying a fad.

References
The Detox Book. Fife, Bruce. Colorado Springs: Piccadilly Books, Ltd.
The Tao of Detox by Daniel Reid
The Miracle of Fasting by Patricia Bragg