Grandma's Got Tattoos

"Grandma, today I got bullied and teased.

I felt confused, ashamed to my knees.

With this huge birthmark on my face,

How will I ever fit in, ever feel at place?"

"Come sit on my lap, I have a story to share,

About my facial tattoos, piercings, and gray hair.

These are the stories of my life all they have to tell

Every wrinkle, stretch mark and scar,

They illuminate.the manuscript my body has known well

There once was an island, a peculiar place,

Where everyone was born with their story on their face!

So imagine the confusion, all the consternation,

When I was born without a mark on my presentation...

Growing up, no one took me serious,

Where were my markings? Was I delirious?

So I set off one day when I had nothing to do,

And that's how I got my very first tattoo…

I didn't have a plan, I didn't do the math,

Simply feeling lost, I set off on my path.

I set three intentions at the wishing well,

To feel young, well connected and simply quite swell.

I moved along, but there blocking my way,

A huge tree, fallen in the thunder rain!

I took a moment to consider, simply to ponder,

How would I get over this and continue my wander?

I knew it was big, more than I could handle

But I gritted my teeth, and over that log, I scrambled.

I scraped myself as I slid down the other side,

I was hurt, confused, lost--and so I cried.

"Don't be sad," said a voice, so I looked around,

There was a rose bush growing deep in the ground.

"Notice where you are strong, let go of feeling weak,

Let me help put more color on your cheek...

You will always remember to grow caring and tender,

Still with sharp thorns that can easily render.

Allow yourself to blossom with each tear you cry,

As you grow older, you'll discover just why."

I accepted her gift and went on my way,

Following the winding path down to the bay.

But before I could go further, take another step,

A big old gate was blocking me yet.

I felt all my doubts crash in on me,

What to do? There was no key!

But I looked closer, instead of moping,

And guess what? It was already open!

A little bit rusty, it squeaked as I slid by,

A little crusty bit caught the corner of my eye!

I felt so stupid. As much as I had tried,

I sat down to comfort myself, and so I cried.

"Don't be sad," said a voice, so I looked left,

There was a spider looming her weft.

"It's not complicated, it's quite simple,

Let me spin laugh lines on your temple."

I accepted her gift, and I took it to heart,

Already I knew I was far from the start.

Here at the crossroads, what decision to make?

An opening in a tree seemed the right decision to make.

I moved through the hollow, and what an astound!

Finding a world where no one was bound!

Here I met a relative previously unknown,

She was my higher self, where I had not yet grown.

"I would like to release what has been weighing me down,"

I passed a suitcase of money along with a frown,

"I've been keeping myself ransom, hostage to my fate,

But now I know I have the keys to the gate."

"Well done," she said, "Gold stars, kisses on both cheeks!

You have proved yourself strong when you thought you were weak."

And upon my forehead planted a kiss, "Goodbye for now!"

Which spread into the butterfly wings across my brow.

"Thank you for the blessing, I feel much stronger,

Just like how the summer nights grow longer.

I know that everyone is a story inside her,

That's why I'll become a union organizer."

"And so my child, as you look upon my face,

Notice every wrinkle, what they really trace.

The bloom of the rose has faded from my cheek,

But you can still see the thorns for I am not weak

Here in the laugh lines by my eyes,

I'm sure you see the spiders surprise.

And tattooed here on my third eye,

Is the butterfly, transformation in disguise.

"I see you, Grandma, I realize your beauty,

And now I understand that my personal duty

Is to love myself, moles, stretch marks, and scars,

For each has a story that takes us the most far."

Kayla Garnet Rose Copyright 2018

7 Tips for Weight Management with Hypnosis

Ho ho ho, it's the holidays and the time of overeating is upon us! Here are some simple tips to manage compulsive eating in this time of excess.

According to Deepak Chopra in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, the healthiest individuals who live the longest are not necessarily the thinnest people, but interestingly enough, folks who remain a consistent weight in their adulthood. Many of my clients, as well as myself, have experienced the effects of yoyo dieting, fad exercises, or the expense of some new miracle supplement. Sure, you lose weight - but usually it comes back, plus more.

Simply, your body will think you are starving, and as soon as possible and in the most insidious of ways, will pack on as much "stored fuel" ie fat in case their are lean times ahead. I am 50 years old, and in my adult life my weight has ranged from 98 to 170 pounds. Over the past four years I have lost 38 pounds. Weight management goes both ways - being too thin is dangerous to your heart and health just as much as obesity.

What are the mechanics of weight management? There are seven components:

• Start with self-acceptance (EFT) - If you never gained or lost another pound in your life, could you love and accept your body? Change only begins once we truly accept where we are, in the present moment. Hypnosis can help with that acceptance.
• Calories In - It really is about how much, when, and what you are eating, including empty calories like alcohol and how much water you take in. Hypnosis helps by changing "comfort eating" into healthier, more active habits.
• Calories Out - We all hate exercise but love to feel strong and active. You need to watch out for getting bored in your workout routine. Always start with baby steps and avoid unrealistic goals, be reasonable. Hypnotherapy is effective for setting reasonable, achievable, and healthy routines.
• Sleep - Deep relaxation is beneficial for all healing. People who sleep four to six hours a night do not lose weight. Not enough sleep contributes to cortisol retention, which translates directly into belly fat. Learning self-hypnosis will help you fall into a deep, easy, restful sleep where you can dream yourself back to your natural, genetically programmed weight.
• Stress - Once again think "cortisols," when we're in fight or flight we release neurotransmitters that make the body store feul in case of danger. When you learn to de-stress, ie: get back into the parasympathetic response system through relaxation, it is easier to maintain your optimum weight. Learning a simple self hypnosis technique can help manage stress and emotional eating.
• Genetics - Ancestry is a big part of our weight management. Honor your culture and work within your genetic blueprint. Love your parents, grandparents, and ancestors. Past life regressions can often create a feeling of oneness in the body.
• Age - I am now in the joys of menopause. Who knew how much one's metabolism could change over time. Hypnosis can help regulate one's eating habits, daily activity, and sleep schedule in order to find balance and effectively age gracefully. Remember, fiber is our friend! "high-carbohydrate diet - but it is only effective if the carbohydrates that are consumed are from high-fibre, unprocessed sources".
  

Remember, the slower the change, the more real and long lasting the results, please call for your appointment or click on the "schedule now" button to start controlling your weight instead of letting your weight control you.

Thoughts on Turning 50 and Re-Creating the Crone

 "Work is love made visible." - Rumi

I've been doing art projects that have been on my mind for years, including painting this statue from Philippa Bowers, which was part of a Goddess fountain when I had my cafe back in the 90s. About two foot tall, glazed in a matt green, cradling a large vibrant purple amethyst cluster, We named her Hypatia after the greek mathematician, who was killed by having her flesh flayed with oyster shells.

We would add a few drops of bleach each week to the fountain water, to keep down bacteria. After a dozen years, bleach deposit both built up and began to decay parts of her face and body, as well as loosening the crystals in her belly. After I closed Herland, Hypatia came to live in my garden, along with an assortment of other broken nosed and gently damaged goddesses.

Being flayed was a feeling I related to, and during those dozen years I got over a dozen tattoos.

Much of this was a reclaiming of my body, my beliefs, and my standards of beauty. A way to be comfortable in my skin. Everyone has scars on the inside - mine are on the outside, and they are pretty, colorful, and make for good stories.

Now approaching 50, I'm experiencing a new body image issue, that of becoming the crone, the hag, the elder. What does it mean to age gracefully? What does it mean to express my authentic self? I am questioning dying my hair, working to accept my buddha belly (now I know why it's called "middle" age), while pondering the delight in creases, folds, and wrinkles.

So I decided to paint Hypatia, to reclaim her as a symbol of my croning. Her hair is silver white, with a crown of pearls and roses. I will begin detailing more of her face and body next. I'm also painting a wooden stand to a marble table that she might sit on, and a ceramic cat from my daughter's garden. I like working like this, on a few projects at once, since as the paint is drying on one thing I can paint another one.

As I painted her white hair, fine wrinkles, smile lines, tattoos, and scars, I thought of Ani DFranco's line, "I got highways for stretch marks, see where I've grown". I think about all the ways to love a body that is half a century old, the ways to treat myself with tenderness and respect. Just like my old car, this body needs more regular tunings, more quality fuel, and more lubricant.

How will you re-create yourself today?

Blessings,

Kayla