My favorite definition of success, which I’ve cited on numerous occasions, was offered by Henry David Thoreau in the mid-19th century at Walden Pond: “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” I’ve italicized two words in Thoreau’s definition of success—dreams and imagined.

What Thoreau is saying is so important to you today. Be willing to dream, and imagine yourself becoming all that you wish to be. If you live from those imaginings, the universe will align with you in bringing all that you wish for—and even more than you imagined when you were living at an ordinary level of consciousness, or what Thoreau calls “common hours.” Keep in mind the basic axiom—all that now exists was once imagined. It follows then that what you want to exist for you in the future must now be imagined.

You’ll see as you read through these foundations for fulfilling your wishes that using your imagination involves more intensity on your part than just imagining an occasional wishful thought. You must first unlearn some of the ways that you’ve been misusing or squandering the capacity your imagination has for providing you with an unlimited ability to manifest all that you desire. Thoreau called it advancing confidently in the direction of your own dreams. Unfortunately, most of us have learned to do the opposite with our imagination, and instead regularly use it to develop mental habits of advancing in precisely the reverse direction of our highest dreams for ourselves.

In my book Wishes Fulfilled, I also address in depth how to utilize the I ams and live from your I am God awareness, beginning with your imagination. Recall that I am God doesn’t refer to your body in any way. It refers to the birthless, deathless, changeless spirit that remains in all the changing forms your body takes every moment of your temporary life here on Earth.

It is important that you recognize a few of the imagination missteps that will block you from fulfilling your unique desires. Remember that your imagination is yours and yours alone. You have the inborn capacity to use it in any way that you choose. No one else is responsible for your imagination. Anything placed in your imagination and held there ultimately becomes your reality.

Nikos Kazantzakis reinforces this idea by giving these words to his fanciful character Zorba (in his book Zorba the Greek), who always lived his life to the fullest: “By believing passionately in something that does not yet exist we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.” This is the power of your imagination when what you desire is imagined sufficiently to make it your reality. Don’t diminish this great gift by using it in a way that is antithetical to its I am God original nature.

Perhaps the most common misuse of imagination is stressing what you don’t want for yourself. This is the largest category of misusing imagination. Start paying attention to general conversation, and you will be astounded at how incredibly prevalent it is. Imagining that finds expression in phrases like, I don’t deserve prosperity, I am always so unlucky, Things never work out for me, and I am unhealthy and cannot be healed, are the kind of ideas that may have been entertained since childhood. Highly functioning self-actualized people simply never imagine what it is that they don’t wish to have as their reality.

Begin noticing and being careful about keeping your imagination free of thoughts that you do not wish to materialize. Instead, initiate a practice of filling your creative thoughts to overflow with ideas and wishes that you fully intend to manifest. Honor your imaginings regardless of others seeing them as crazy or impossible. Recall the words of Kazantzakis and passionately believe in that which is in your imagination and which does not yet exist on the physical plane.

Wayne W. Dyer, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. Wayne holds a doctorate in educational counseling from Wayne State University and was an associate professor at St. John’s University in New York.

http://www.healyourlife.com/author-dr-wayne-w-dyer/2012/02/wisdom/inspiration/be-willing-to-dream

For parents of whatever faith, please do not take offense to the terms I may use below.  The bottom line is that the group of beliefs that has been termed “New Age” has had a great deal of discussion about the spiritual aspects of autism, while similar discussions are just beginning in other faith communities.

What is important about spirituality and autism is my fundamental belief that these children are not broken.  They are not victims of some divine genetic casting of dice, and while they may react very severely to adverse environmental attacks, they can rebound.

Beyond that, when dealing with autistic spectrum children, I see the canaries in the coal mine.  For those unfamiliar with the metaphor, miners brought canaries down into the mines with them because the canaries were the first to react to poisonous fumes.  Children with autistic spectrum are the first, in my experience, to react to many of life’s troubles, whether it be by withdrawal or by acting out.

It is in addressing that overall sensitivity, it becomes clear how difficult it is to affect an autism child positively when they are surrounded by negative stimuli.  Take the perfect supplement regime with the perfect food, the perfect amount of sleep, the perfect teacher, the perfect friends (and the perfect parents) but wrap your child in a hairy, itchy wool sweater in the morning.  Guess what?  Bad day.

But the autistic’s sensitivity to stimuli that makes parents pull their hair out (or at least go grey) is the sensitivity that confirms so dramatically what is right in the world.  We might eat overcooked pasta, but an autistic child refuses to treat his body as anything less than a temple.  We might tolerate a toxic work environment, but an autistic child will withdraw into a world of his own rather than interact.  Rather than judging his behaviors (and I’m sorry to use just the male pronoun for our girls out there) perhaps we should be judging the world into which he has been born.

Those parents fortunate enough to find a friendly, nurturing environment for their child have seen him take root and blossom, confirming it wasn’t just in his genes but also in his soil.  He knows a good place, and he cannot tolerate much of the world we do.

In New Age circles, autistic children are discussed as Indigo children.  They are also discussed more recently as Crystal children.  The distinction is one of internal focus (Indigo withdraws, while Crystal expands) and interaction (Indigo is suspicious, while Crystal wants to blend in).

There are many discussions and chat groups about these types of children.  Much of the information is useful regardless of your personal religious focus, and there are beginning to be discussions using different religious language if that is your preference.

In my practice with the withdrawing type Indigos, I have found focusing on adult conversation very useful.  They also respond profoundly to homeopathics, more than “normal” children (there is no normal in medicine).  Crystals are much more difficult to interact with at an adult level, but demonstrate clearly by their behavior what they are feeling.  I have noted several Indigo/Crystal sibling pairings, usually in that order.

As a parent new to this terminology, you might ask: “so what?”  Well, given that your child is likely to continue to have issues it is useful to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  What permanent changes have you made in your life as a result of your child and what permanent changes will you make?  What answers have you given yourself about why this child and situation was placed in your life?  Please don’t tell me this child is simply a burden given to you for past sins or past karma.  These children are extremely trying, extremely tiring, and extremely wonderful.  Whatever your answers to the questions about why they are with you, I will go out on a limb and give you a few compliments based on the parents I have seen:

Your autistic spectrum child chose you to care for them and protect them because of the spark within you.  They saw a parent smarter than the average bear and more persistant than the average barracuda.  As a parent, they are your focus and your heart, and they needed that.  (Yes, I know this is true of all parents, but with autistic children you parents have a ferocious intensity).

What they needed from you from the beginning was a parent who would listen first to his or her heart and only secondly to experts and white coats (Don’t feel guilty about this, this is the path to fastest recovery).  If the white coats are still making a fuss about this, find other white coats (as you have done before).

If your child is to grow, the most important thing you can do is fully accept the mantle of caregiver and to understand what a tremendous honor and challenge this is.  It isn’t ok, once you accept it fully, to pretend you can hand over the treatment of your child to well meaning experts.  Even in a full, in house treatment center your child needs your input.  I don’t care how many letters they have after their name and neither does your child.  You have more experience with your child and with this particular path to recovery (something as simple as:  “no, the teddy bear needs to be with her all the time now” or “he needs three pencils by the bed” is not something you get a degree in).

You have the capacity.  You have the brains (I have had biochemistry discussions with high school dropouts).  You have the stamina.  Your child chose you, and even if you think something you allowed to happen during her life may have affected her adversely, she is counting on you to be instrumental in helping make it right.

http://www.maloneymedical.com/id110.html

Situational depression: Many clients are situationally depressed. They usually have situations in life that are stressful and appear overwhelming. Situational depression often arises after loss of  loved one is experienced, typically during the mourning process. The good news is when the situations change massage can very effectively support the client moving out of depression.

Family of origin depression: Other forms of depression are more psychological in nature and usually stem from family of origin issues that have been unresolved. Often these clients will have been in therapy to work on these issues and many will be medicated for depression. The seeds of depression will have been around since early childhood, so there has been plenty of time for the body to grow into a depressed and collapsing structure that gets significantly worse when the issues arise. In these situations, there are also endorphin biochemical changes.

Moderate depression, like family of origin depression, will be longer term than situational depression. However, unlike family of origin depression, moderate depression will often be triggered by no discernable event. Often the appearance is cyclic even to the time of the year. These clients are often on long-term medication and in therapy. Because of the longevity and severity of moderate depression there are substantial structural and biochemical changes to the endorphins. It is important that these clients be monitored by mental health professionals during the duration of massage therapy.

Severe depression often requires hospitalization and heavy medication. These clients usually won’t be coming for massage until they have had months of both psychological and chemical therapy. Due to the severity of the depression their issues are often profound, and the changes both structurally and biochemically are more severe. It is important for the massage therapist to be working with the psychiatrist and/or psychotherapist to monitor the risk for relapse and potential suicide.

Chronic depression is usually moderate to severe. These clients are being treated by mental health professionals with both medication and therapy. Because of the duration of chronic depression there will be significant structural collapse and changes in the endorphins. They should also be monitored by a mental health professional during the course of massage.

Treatment with Massage

Now let’s identify some of the physiological and energetic challenges for those who are depressed. This is where massage therapy can accomplish physical changes that normal psychotherapy or medication cannot. With all the above forms of depression there is a structural collapse in the client. This involves a shortening of the abdominal muscles and a tightening of the diaphragmatic arch which pulls the chest down and forward, limiting its ability to expand during breathing. There is an additional medial rotation of the shoulders and internal rotation of the arms resulting in a kyphosis that further restricts breathing. Without the support of the thoracic region, the head and neck will move forward and down and further into collapse. All this distortion of the upper body will lead to further distortion in the lower body and give the structure an image of being fully collapsed. The degree of structural collapse will depend upon the severity of depression and its duration.

The benefits of massage: Applying massage with the goal of releasing the structural collapse associated with depression will bring the client from a hopeless, helpless collapsed structure to one that is supported and erect. This sense of support will give the client feelings of being stronger and more capable of dealing with the issues of their depression.

While releasing the structural collapse associated with depression you will also be releasing the breath process which will allow depressed clients to energize their system and have more energy. This additional energy will allow them to take part in their lives and move out of depression.

By:

Don McCann is the creator of Structural Energetic Therapy® and has been in private practice for more than 31 years in Lutz, Fla. He has a Masters Degree in Counseling Education and teaches the one year intensive Structural Energetic Therapy®Training at SET, Inc. For additional information, visit www.structuralenergetictherapy.com.

This is such a great article that I just had to share it! I really hope that you take the time to read this through, as it may explain quite alot about what you or those around you have been going through, an dit is extremely worthy of your time. Enjoy!

“Spiritual Bypassing: A term first coined by author John Welwood. The spiritual bypass is the tendency to jump to spirit prematurely, usually in an effort to avoid various aspects of earthly reality (practical challenges, unresolved emotions and memories). The bypass has many symptoms- the starry-eyed bliss trip, radical detachment from one’s self-identifications, premature forgiveness, ungrounded behaviors, wish-full thinking etc.” ~Jeff Brown

As a seeker and teacher who has been on the path of self-development and spiritual transformation for many years, I know first hand that this journey is not always full of bliss. There are times where you are curled up on the floor in tears, breakdowns happen at the most inconvenient moments and the pain can feel deep and almost insurmountable. It rocks your inner and outer world in ways that are only understood by those who are and have been on this journey. When you make the choice to begin doing your deep inner work and face everything you have held on to, there is no turning back. You can’t begin this work and ever revert to the same person you were before you started this process. The only way to get through and come out is to go through it fully; there is no, “easy,” way out to achieve true personal liberation.

There are many routes one can take on the path of self and spiritual transformation. Deep down everyone wants to achieve personal fulfillment, freedom, unconditional love and unlimited amounts of abundance, vitality and peace. But this transformation doesn’t just happen by chance, by good fortune, by reading a few self help books, going to seminars or taking a few yoga classes. This path of transformation and transmutation is a steady, ongoing process that doesn’t end once you simply achieve a couple of goals or feel good about your life. This isn’t enough and nor will it create heaven on earth for you and the collective.

I hear time and again people intellectualizing spiritual wisdom and personal growth rather than embodying and grounding their transformation. There can be judgment, avoidance and a desire to bypass the emotional and physical experience because many want to do anything and everything to protect themselves from feeling uncomfortable and dealing with their pain. It is by far much easier to stay in your own mind and be, “up in the clouds,” than to be in the body feeling everything that is moving in and through you. In that perpetual state of avoidance and protection we actually end up creating more masks, layers and barriers that get in the way of massive breakthroughs and true deep growth.

Our pain and feelings of discomfort hold many gifts and lessons and it is in the process of facing those emotions and tending to those wounds where our real transformation occurs. I have heard many spiritual people state that feeling or expressing sadness, grief, frustration, anger etc. is, “being in a low vibration,” or, “being in a, ‘dense,’ state.” If you engage in those emotions repeatedly and stay in a state of victim-hood and blame for long periods of time, than you are in fact lowering your vibrational energetic field and are in a denser state of being. If, however, you embrace and fully allow the emotions and/or pain to surface to its fullest without any judgment and with full expression, than deep awareness, release and learnings can be taken away quite efficiently from those experiences. To be human is to experience all feelings and emotions on every different level. To be human is to experience pain from time to time. To be human is to accept and acknowledge all aspects of this experience. We live in a duality and therefore cannot always be or feel positive and happy all of the time, especially if you are not authentically in that space and feeling that way.

Part of self and spiritual transformation is being able to confront and work through those parts of you that have been locked away, denied and disregarded. Anything that you resist to face or deal with will eventually show up and persist until you do.  This is what true wholeness is. If you can love and accept all emotions, all experiences, all pain and pleasure in your life than you are truly creating a unified experience and being an example of what it really means to embark on a path of self and spiritual development.

Here are some other Tips to Avoid Spiritual Bypassing:

1) Spiritual and Self-Developmental information is abstract. Attending seminars, workshops, reading books, going to yoga and meditation classes, etc. are fantastic tools, however, the most important thing you need to ask yourself is if you are taking action and applying what you are learning from these modalities consistently, by integrating it into your life daily. If it remains abstract and is simply intellectualized it really isn’t going to help you to create long lasting and permanent change.

2) Many people believe that something must be terribly, “wrong,” or dysfunctional in their lives to see a Life Coach, Therapist, Counselor or Healer. This is absolutely FALSE. Everyone has personal, “stuff,” to work through. When you see a professional you move into a vulnerable state of expression and opening; something you cannot always do alone or with friends or family members. These professionals are objective and are invested in only seeing you thrive and grow beyond your limitations and boundaries in a safe setting. They can offer you a different perspective as to what is going on inside of you. They will also hold you accountable to be sure that you are doing the work and making progress in between sessions that create a lasting impact on your life.

3) Express and allow your emotions, wounds, traumas and pain to surface healthily and with love. Let go of the fear, judgment and suppressing of emotions. We often turn to things outside of ourselves to cope with our internal pain and suffering. Examples include addictions to food, drink, drugs, shopping, sex, work, focusing on others and diverting attention away from yourself etc.  Make peace with being uncomfortable. If you are numbing yourself inside out this energy lingers and creates a breeding ground for other issues to arise and manifest. Get down to the root of your problems as they will not go away on their own.

By Vanessa Petronelli B.A., W.W.H.P. & Certified Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher

One of the most powerful ways to be vibrantly healthy is to use food as your medicine.

But what does that mean, let food be your medicine?

How can herbs and foods be used to promote health in a way that really makes a difference?

Sure we can all add a dash of oregano to our spaghetti or eat a few more vegetables each day, but how do we use foods, herbs and spices to create a state of vibrant health that shines through our eyes, glows from our skin, and bursts through us with energy?

Today’s newsletter is about why food as medicine is so powerful and how to use food as medicine most effectively. We’ll end with one of my favorite recipes for putting this into practice!

Why is using your food as medicine a powerful tool towards vibrant health?

#1 Secret is in the dose

What do you think really makes the difference in a person’s long-term health? The 60 drops of tincture they took or the healthy nutrient-dense food that they eat over a lifetime?

One of the core principles behind food as medicine is that the food we eat every day directly effects our health and well being. Those food choices are going to have a much greater impact on long-term total health than a squirt of tincture or cup of tea ever will. (Understanding, of course, that tinctures and teas have lots of benefits themselves.)

#2 Consistency

I often hear from people… “Oh yeah, I was drinking that tea (or taking that tincture) and it seemed to help but then I slowly stopped and forgot about it.”

Most people eat every day and they don’t lose the habit of eating! Every day we eat food, which means that every day we can be consistently fueling our body with valuable nutrients.

#3 Pleasurable

Sitting down to a delicious meal can be one of life’s simple pleasures, but food as medicine isn’t simply what’s on the plate. It can also be in the company and conversation. Culinary herbalism is fun, pleasurable and delicious, which makes it a joy to keep up!

Here are three ways of HOW you can use food as medicine with the best results.

#1 Eat Seasonally

Most of us already know the cravings of eating seasonally. Light and cool foods like watermelon and gazpacho are enjoyed in the summer while hearty stews and dense foods are craved in the winter. Matching foods energetically for the seasons is a big part of healthy eating.

Eating foods in season also means those foods are more nutrient-dense as well. Grapes shipped from Chile to the US in January don’t hold nearly as many nutrients as grapes gathered in season and locally in the summer.

Often times it is the exotic herbs that make the headlines for their health benefits. One week it is noni berries for cancer or maca root for restoring fertility. But many of our own fruits and vegetables achieve the same results.

Did you know that the more onions you eat the more your risk of cancer is decreased?¹

That is but one of thousands of examples of the benefits of our local every day foods!

#2 Eat Foods For You

If you are using food as medicine then it is especially important to eat foods that are good for you. Have you heard that saying, “one person’s food is another person’s poison”? Just because your aunt Jane swears by such-and-such doesn’t mean it’s a good match for everyone!

Some key principles in eating foods that are good for you are to avoid foods that you are intolerant to (gluten, soy and dairy being the most common) and to match your food to your constitution. If you tend to feel cold and have dry skin then eating warming and moistening foods will be better suited to you than cooling and drying foods.

#3 Use herbs and spices liberally

A lot of the health benefits attributed to herbs and spices are due to their high antioxidant levels. Antioxidants reduce systemic inflammation in the body and have been shown to decrease chronic pain, increase heart health and reduce the risk of cancer. Inflammation is a key factor in many chronic diseases and antioxidants reduce inflammation.

Like many things, the power is in the dose.

Many of our recipes in the US call for a dash of this spice or a pinch of that. But the real power of culinary herbalism comes with using a 1/4 cup of this and a 1/2 cup of that. The goal is to maximize the benefits of each meal while still enjoying the taste.

For the past two months we’ve been focusing on the herb cayenne at HerbMentor.com.

There are lots of benefits to eating cayenne in foods. It’s been shown to support heart health, decrease chronic and acute pain and promote digestion. But the amount a person can eat is variable because some people are highly sensitive to this hot spice.

Paprika is a pepper with the same genus and species but is often more mild-tasting than cayenne peppers. (It can also be very hot, but the paprika sold at Mountain Rose Herbs is mild.)

Paprika offers many of the same health benefits as cayenne, but people can consume a lot more of it.

Today’s newsletter is one of my favorite recipes. We eat it practically every week during the colder months. It is loaded with antioxidants that have been shown to protect the heart and reduce the risk of heart disease.

You’ll probably notice this recipe is very similar to Buffalo Hot Wings. We use chicken thighs instead of wings and cook it at a lower temperature so the olive oil doesn’t heat up too much, which would cause it to go rancid. However, I think the secret to this yumminess is in the smoked paprika!

To make this recipe you’ll need..

Stir them well until they form a thin paste.