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It is the year of the dragon…a symbol of courage and strength in Chinese mythology. Perhaps there is some universal archetypal energy afoot that can help us all develop more of those qualities in this new year!

Jungian Psychology, Mythology, classic fairy tales and myths from many cultures all suggest that w e are each on a hero/ine’s journey in our lives. These sources all speak of human drama, dilemmas and long journeys in search of truth, ‘treasure’, and freedom. They also speak quite clearly of the challenges along the way.  Our lives may seem less adventuresome in contrast with these stories and legends. On closer inspection though, aren’t our lives filled with drama, intense emotion, seemingly impossible tests and spine tingling cliff hangers as we hang out in the ‘not knowing zone’?  It does seem that just living life requires enormous courage!

Unusual or astounding situations aside, it seems that life can and often does require a great deal from us. One of the greatest myths about facing our challenges, in my opinion, is that we should have all we need to cope immediately, or that there is something wrong with us if we cannot rise to challenging circumstances with grit and grace NOW! A more accurate and compassionate view is that we have raw potential within and it is life’s difficulties that trigger the development of strength, courage, patience—or any other quality that we may have in short supply!

What images come to mind when you think of courage? Strength? Patience? Other virtues?

 Do you find images of real or fictional heroes and heroines tumbling into mind?

If you do, use them to imagine having those same qualities rather than to berate yourself for being lacking.

 Can you remember times in your own life when you’ve found an inner strength or drive that perhaps you never knew you had?

Use that memory to start a flow of positive energy and piggy back the new desired quality on it.

Your brain does not know the difference between real and imagined. Envisioning helps to build what you desire

Focusing on the development of positive qualities not only works to benefit mind-body-energetic health, it also combats stress! 

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As I build, strengthen and balance my energy, I increase my ability to freely dance with the energy of the cosmos

I can forgive myself for mistakes. As I grow and learn more, I move more gracefully with life.

Feeling appreciation brings balance to my heart and mind.

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We all have fears and anxieties, real and imagined. They seem to be part of our human journey and perhaps are present to help us grow as souls. There was a time when I believed that knowledge alone could quell the fires of fear and quiet the anxieties that agitate the mind, breed turbulent emotions and disturb sleep. I found that not to be the case! Information can be a great first step, but by itself knowledge and the everyday mind are not equipped for the task of quieting the fears and anxieties that shake our foundations on our walk through life.

The discovery that it is necessary to have methods to transform knowledge into inner knowing, a felt experience that amends our default patterns, was a doorway to freedom for me. The most effective approaches I found were those that included personal energy work and the map of consciousness that the chakra system provides. Once I began to work with my energy system, I found life and living to become much more manageable… and even better—enjoyable and happy! In my opinion, understanding and knowing how to address our personal energy system  offers both a means to remove what agitates and troubles us, as well as the means to build in new self sustaining, nourishing and life enhancing energies.

Any journey toward healing or rebalancing necessarily begins with the root chakra as it is the foundation of our physical and psychological being. It is also the primary mover and shaker concerning fear and anxiety! Strong root chakra energies allow you to face life without being overtaken by unnecessary anxiety and to respond from a grounded strength to difficult, stress filled situations.

ROOT CHAKRA: Your Secret Ally
The root chakra is located at the base of your spine and is the first to develop after birth. This energy center is the foundation of your energy system, the seat of your physical vitality (Kundalini), and a cornerstone of psychological and spiritual well being.

Physically the root correlates with the adrenal glands and all bony structures….It provides support and a framework for both the physical and psychological body. We learn to crawl, walk and stand as the root chakra expands and comes online. In addition, first chakra energy also assists us with putting down roots in the world and standing on our own two feet.

Trauma, family stress and a lack of appropriate nurturing during the first few years of life can unbalance root chakra energies. Early disruption of this energy is recorded within the system and has the result of amplifying reactions to later losses or upsets such as loss of a job, living situation or person in your life. Who among us in the first five years of life did NOT have some circumstance that left its mark on our ability to feel totally safe and secure within the world? My experience is that it is part of the human condition and simply needs to be addressed and not denied or battled with ceaselessly

My Mother, My Self
The positive archetype for the root chakra is the Earth Mother. A person with strong, positive root energy honors and cares for the body as a sacred vessel that carries them in the material world. Physical needs are well cared for which results in healthy vitality as well as abundant energy to flow upward to nurture the higher chakras. The higher chakras help to expand your inner world, and open up greater creative manifestation and expanded spiritual experience.

Physically the root chakra governs the immune, skeletal and lower digestive systems. When root energies are out of balance the physical issues that present are: poor balance, sciatica, chronic fatigue, bowel disorders knee, and leg or foot problems.

Emotionally a lack of first chakra energy manifests as being too rigid and not being open to options for change…change can also be difficult if you are overly grounded —-this is evidenced through being overly controlling, or lacking in imagination or initiative.

If root energy is steady and balanced you can transcend fear—thoughts of loss do not disturb your inner peace, sap your strength or drain your vitality. Fear does not always show up as an outright anxiety disorder or phobia. It can also appear as shyness, dread or fear of criticism. Many people feel fear as an absence of security or as difficulty experiencing inner stability, safety and comfort.

Strong balanced Root Chakra energy enables you to:
 Be open to opportunities that can emerge from the unknown
Experience an inner source of comfort, soothing and ease
Tolerate ambiguity, paradox and not knowing
Move through change with more fluidity
Feel inner security, stability and safety
Care for self in healthy ways

For Root Chakra Balancing Meditations:

Chakra Guided Meditiatons http://bit.ly/wWnQ2J

Energy Aerobics http://bit.ly/w1D4sN

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We are always evolving throughout our lives. The question is whether we do it consciously or by default. The quality of our lives is  affected by the level of our consciousness which is deeply intertwined with the state of our personal energy.

1. Your energy centers are each a different focal point of consciousness that develop throughout your life.

2. Your willingness to develop and evolve consciously brings greater ease, power, and harmony to your life.

3. How you manage reality is determined by your predominate energetic development and focus.

Each of you energy centers or chakras governs a specific facet of your mind, body, mental, emotional and spiritual being. Working directly with this energy facilitates personal growth, development, adaptation to change and ability to manage stress positively.

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There are so many different types of love. If you stop for a moment and think about all the various kinds of love you have felt in your life, you may find that you alternately bring your energy level up only to have it crash as the next memory comes rolling in! Of course the good news here is that if we are conscious we can use this dynamic to our benefit. By choosing to dwell on times when you were truly deeply loving from the strongest place within, you can not only raise your energy level but also help yourself grow in the capacity to hold higher vibrations of healthy love. And it feels so good that perhaps you will decide to feel it more often thus helping to bring a more consistently loving state to yourself and those around you.

It has been said that the very fabric of the universe is love…that the basic vibration of the cosmos is unconditional love. As part of the cosmos we have that essence within us. The problem is that most of us are disconnected from it. But just because we cannot always feel it does not mean it is not there.  We can reconnect to the flow of love within ourselves through our heart chakra.  Flowing energy regularly through this very important center can expand your heart energy and open you to love.

Outside circumstances often have the effect of bringing this kind of universal love to the surface. Natural disasters, illness in oneself or a loved one, parenting and deep friendship are all instances that can draw the best from deep within us. An outpouring
of love and compassion is evident in many forms in response to crises .

Outside sources may seem to trigger the flow of this higher form of love and we come to believe that we need the stimulus in order to feel it. We do not. Many of the world’s great mystics speak about the intoxicating elixir that is cosmic love. They connected with and cultivated this type of love through meditation and other spiritual practices.

You do not have to be a great cosmic seer or a great holy person to feel this love. You can start right where you are. The first step is to look at what blockages or barriers you may have in relation to self love. Love is energy just like any other emotion. So it makes sense that if you are in contact with that energy and have an abundant supply flowing through you that you can easily flow it to another.  If you don’t feel love from within, look at what blocks may be there. What messages, thoughts, feelings, beliefs and emotions are you carrying that keep you from this most precious birthright? What do you believe about yourself, the world…men… women…need…lack… that holds you back?

We see our beliefs reinforced around us every day.  Where some have “good” experiences, others have “bad” ones.  Where some experience happiness, others may experience and project anger, blame, fear, anxiety and more.  Your beliefs can present limits and place obstacles that keep you from having what you desire. The most important thing is not what happened to you to create these beliefs, but what you are doing today to change them and take charge of your life.

It is an amazing feeling to be able to experience love for no good reason other than it is possible! It is peace and joy…a quiet heart full to bursting. It also is not a permanent space for most of us. We must keep working at it and recommitting to it each day.

What if you were to see your life as a palette to paint upon? What if you were to respond with an artist’s heart, one filled with love for the creation and fashion something fine and beautiful with the gift of freedom to love? What if your destiny is to be love in the world? Begin deep within yourself and practice opening your heart to its full potential every day!

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Over the past few decades the cosmos has gifted us with a steady layering in of new energies that have challenged us to adapt, change and adjust to a transforming world. Global shifts are affecting everyone even those who have not had to face a major catastrophe or natural disaster. We each are being shaken, confronted with an opportunity to wake up to a reality without  illusion –not just to accommodate, but to live from a more authentic inner core and participate in the creation of a new world. We do not need to be revolutionaries on a global level (unless we feel called to operate on that level), but we do need to and can  take care of our own corner of the world—ourselves—and manage our energy so that we can respond from strength rather than react from fear to change.

Change typically begins with the erosion, dissolution or destruction of the old. This is naturally accompanied by feelings of anxiety, confusion and fear as foundations crumble and roots are shaken or torn out altogether. Understanding the energy and structure of your root chakra helps begin the process of moving through change with more ease and grace. Focusing on healing and building new energy at this level contributes to building a new, strong foundation for your life as you move forward.

 Our energy and nervous systems —the state of our inner nation—-has a lot to do with how we will experience, process, and respond to the new energy taking up resonance in our universe.   The strength, resonance and alignment of our personal energy also affect what and how we will create in our new world.

 Chakras in Real Life
How do our chakras operate in real life? Many in the west tend to think of the energy centers as mere metaphors; however they are very real electromagnetic spaces that exist within our bodies and affect our minds and feelings. The chakras are like mini brains that sit at strategic places along our spine. They occupy the same space as major nerve plexus and endocrine glands. In fact they are in intimate conversation with these structures and together they orchestrate our mind body communication and expression in the world.

 Root Chakra: Qualities and Influence
The root chakra is located at the base of your spine and is the first to develop after birth. This energy center is the foundation of your energy system, your physical vitality, and a cornerstone of psychological and spiritual well being.

Physically the root correlates with the adrenal glands and all bony structures….It provides support and a framework for both the physical and psychological body. We learn to crawl, walk and stand as the root chakra expands and comes online. Physically the root chakra governs the immune, skeletal and lower digestive systems. When root energies are out of balance the  physical issues that present are: poor balance, sciatica, chronic fatigue,  bowel disorders knee, and leg or foot problems.

 Psychologically first chakra energy assists us with putting down roots in the world and standing
on our own two feet.

 Trauma, family stress and a lack of appropriate nurturing during the first few years of life create an imbalance in root chakra energies. The consequence of these early experiences and the resulting imbalance amplify fearful or negative coping and reactions to change. Fear does not always show up as an outright anxiety disorder or phobia. It can also appear as shyness, dread or fear of criticism. Many people feel fear as an absence of security or as difficulty experiencing inner stability, safety and comfort.

The state of your root chakra energy affects how you respond to upsets such as loss of a job, living situation or person in your life. Directly addressing the energy of this layer of your field can heal and shift your energy to manage life and events from a place of centeredness, groundedness and inner strength.

Spirtually strong, balanced root chakras contribute to feelings of really being a child of the universe with all the security, sense of belonging and capacity to connect therin. 

 Earth Mother Energy
The positive archetype for the root chakra is the Earth Mother. A person with strong, positive root energy honors and cares for the body as a sacred vessel that carries them in the material world. Physical needs are well cared for which results in healthy vitality, as well as abundant energy to flow upward to open and expand the chakras above. The health of the lower three chakras determine how you experience and behave in the material world and the higher chakras help to expand your inner world. They open up the capacity for greater creative manifestation and expanded spiritual experience.

Emotionally a lack of first chakra energy manifests as being too rigid and not being open to options for change…change can also be difficult if you are overly grounded —-this is evidenced through being stubborn, overly controlling, lacking in imagination or initiative.

If root energy is steady and balanced you can transcend fear—thoughts of loss do not disturb your inner peace, sap your strength or drain your vitality. With strong balanced energy serving as the foundation of your system you are more able to allow yourself to see life clearly, to let life unfold as it will, and accept what is while, knowing where your power, responsibility and boundaries lie.  A strong root chakra helps to maintain a calm steady inner experience in spite of what is happening outside or around you.

If you are interested in working with your root chakra energies, our program Relaxation 101 is a great 21 minute relaxation/meditation designed to help you begin your journey. Other programs include information and techniques for the root chakra while addressing the entire energy system. You can find complete descriptions of what to expect in each program here:    https://www.livingenergyworks.com/store/?ccUser=

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Exploring and learning to manage your energy is a way to move beyond concepts to the full realization of you personal power.

The process of understanding our energy systems, overcoming the weaknesses and promoting the strengths has been referred to as the  spiritual warrior’s path. Undoubtedly this is because honest self appraisal requires courage. We cannot embark on this journey without encountering ourselves; however, it need not be difficult or painful.

An attitude of curiosity and adventure, as if you are entering into a garden filled with wonderful dicoveries awaiting you, can  turn your journey into a treasure hunt that can be fun! Remember the treasure is the real you unencumbered by fear, outmoded scripts and heavy burdens … the real you who can live with purpose, passion, creativity, harmony, balance, abundance, health and prosperity. Seems like it’s worth the trip!

If we understand energetic principles and use energetic approaches, we can bring about change with less conflict and greater comfort as well as access our inborn natural capacities more easily. Often our attempts to change are approached from a stance of willpower, hard work and a forced focus on what to be or not to be. The world of energy provides ways to facilitate change more
easily, to integrate new patterns and abilities more effortlessly so we can become that person we see in our mind and feel in our heart.

All aspects of our Selves are important. Life is more enjoyable, balanced and fulfilling if we understand, appreciate and care for
all our parts. This may seem like an obvious statement, but often we humans tend to over value one aspect and develop it to the exclusion of others. Each aspect of our Selves provides a different level of awareness, a facet of our wholeness, and a distinctive way to experience the world. When we embrace the whole of our being we develop greater mastery, have more skill and ability to
live more fully, vibrantly and with more satisfaction and fulfillment.

Consciously developing and navigating our human energy system helps turn these concepts into reality. An energetic perspective
regarding our selves and our lives opens the door to a deeper awareness concerning our true nature; it offers a broader lens to look through; provides more options for discovery, promoting health and healing, and developing higher level human capacities including creativity, intuition and spirituality.

For a moment imagine a free flow of energy sweeping through you like a river that is free to flow through the landscape. Feel what it would be like to BE this river, at first meandering, then rushing along more strongly, perhaps stopping to pool in a happy little eddy just for the joy of it, once again picking up speed as the current moves forward toward the future, exhilarated by the prospect of a new adventure around the next corner.  Feel how this river moves smoothly and evenly through a variety of landscapes shifting, moving, and shaping itself to navigate the terrain but never fighting, stopping or stagnating. Of course rivers do hit
obstacles just as we do in life. But unlike the river we have choices, free will and the ability to not be at the mercy of the elements….if we know the appropriate skills to navigate the territory.

When our river of energy is negatively impacted by life, people, events, traumas or stresses, automatic reactions occur as mechanisms of protection and survival. Unfortunately these can then become a source of obstruction to the free flow of energy that would fully enliven us. If all of our energies are not fully charged, properly flowing and coherent, we can not meet the world with the full force of our being. Our view of the world and our place in it then tends toward negativity, limitation and feelings of
deficiency. We may experience suffering and pain in our lives as a result of these ‘wounded’ energies reverberating through our being. Working through our intellect is not enough nor is it the most elegant or powerful way to release our suffering, pain, reactive responses or troublesome patterns. The good news is that there is a lot we can do to remedy these situations. Working with our energy body/field and the chakras can release old stagnant, stuck energy, help to heal over wounds of the past, stabilize and ground us so we can live in the present fully and with ease. It is the most profound and fundamental way to reclaim our power.

As we work with our energy, we expand our selves and become better able to connect and live from an authentic center. In addition, we become large enough to hold all of life and strong enough to meet life directly which adds a depth and richness that is lacking when we live from our minds in what becomes a watered down version of life.

The future of healthcare in the USA is encouraging. Many thanks to Tom Main and Adrian Slywotzky for  their article “The Quiet Health Care Revolution” in the November 2011 issue of the Atlantic Magazinethat publicizes a new model for elder care.

CareMore, a company in Cerritos, CA is showing that you can improve quality of care while simultaneously lowering health costs. CareMore’s model provides early intervention — including free rides to appointments when needed – which is resulting in significantly lower overall expenses. This is welcome and exciting news! CareMore is spending money where it makes sense and adds value. As a result, their members are receiving better care and have better outcomes at a lower total cost. Early intervention costs less.

According to Main and Slywotzky, CareMore operates 26 care centers across the Southwest, serving more than 50,000 Medicare Advantage patients. CareMore has achieved  a hospitalization rate 24 percent below average; hospital stays are 38 percent shorter; and the amputation rate among diabetics 60 percent lower than average.

There is a good chance that we will see this model spread. Main and Slywotzky report that in August CareMore was acquired by the insurer and health-services provider WellPoint, which serves 70 million people nationwide directly or through subsidiaries, and has plans to expand the CareMore model.

While so many in positions of influence continue to complain about the cost of healthcare, it is encouraging to learn of a company that has done something very remarkable about it.

Read the article.

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Energy. It’s everywhere. Inside. Outside. All around and ever-expanding. Karen Kallie, Tony Pace and I call our work together Living Energy because it is alive, connected and always changing.

One of the aspects of energy that fascinates me is how our individual and collective energy patterns are mirrored in our space and visa versa. Have you ever noticed a pattern between your computer or technical devices and personal energy?  I have. When my energy is not running smoothly, my computer displays similar patterns and visa versa.

When it takes me longer than usual to do something, I know it is time to shift my energy, attention and focus: take a break, go for a walk, do some yoga, meditate, garden, write a note, cook a meal, call a friend, etc.  When I return, the process usually goes much more smoothly and takes far less time. Since this is a type of energy I want to expand every day, it’s worthwhile for me to tune in and notice what is happening. If I continued on the same path, I would be expanding the energy of blockage, frustration, jams and more.

The next time you realize that you are pushing against something, take a break. As Esther and Jerry Hicks might say, drop your oars, allow your boat to turn around and float downstream. Shifting your focus changes your energy and enables a new pattern to take root. Going with the flow that comes naturally to each of us, through our hearts and intuition, is far easier than moving against the current. It also feels much better.

 

Everything we experience has an energetic reality. How can we begin to notice it in order to have more awareness and ability to shift  things in our lives? Consider the following examples…

Have you ever felt or said any of the following?

1. I feel like I am always running to catch up. (With yourself, life, others)

2. I feel drained, empty, depleted, like I am out of gas.

3. I am burned out.

4. I am beside myself. (In general, or with a feeling E.G. fear, anger, jealousy)

5. I feel so scattered, fragmented, all over the place.

6. My heart is breaking; is broken.

7. I feel knifed in the back; sucker punched.

An energetic perspective offers us more options for resolutions to problems that are not available otherwise. Our solutions can be more to the point, more effective and permanent.

Here are a few examples to illustrate an energy connection to our expressions using the above statements as examples.

1. Your energy field may be projected way out ahead of you making you feel like you have to catch up with it. Our energy belongs inside us
where it can perfuse our physical bodies, inform our feelings and help us think clearly. Illness results when our energy is chronically projected out, or we are not properly aligned with it.

2. When our energy supplies are low we feel drained, depleted, like we have no fuel to go on. Of course the solution here is to learn how to build, replenish and maintain energy, but also we must look to where and how our energy is leached out of us and make a correction at the
source.

3. Feeling burned out is an extreme state of depletion that can come into being as a result of not paying attention to restoring ourselves when we hear the whispers that tell us we are running out of fuel/energy.

4. Intense emotion can result in our energy leaving the body as a way to protect ourselves. However we can forget to correct that situation
after the stress has passed and a part of ourselves remains split off. This can become a habitual way of responding to intensity as well and then we have feelings of not being fully present in our lives…and we’re not!

5. Being scattered is exactly that. You are sending your energy in so many directions that it is not with you and you are not available
to perform at your best.

6. Who has not felt the pain of loss, disappointment or hurt in the heart chakra?

7. As stated previously, everything has an energetic component including thoughts, words, deeds and intentions. If someone speaks harshly or
abusively, you feel it. Think about a time when you felt that someone had slung an arrow of insult toward you, or ‘put you down’ or gave you a mixed message. With mixed messages (E.G. someone gives you a barb but denies that they are often shifting the blame to you for being too sensitive or imagining things),  the problem is that we are sensing the person’s intentions along with the awareness that the words and
intent do not match.

Other ways to recognize energetic patterns

Another way to notice the dance of energy in your life is to look at what happens on a daily basis. Are the people you meet friendly? How do
you get treated in stores by clerks?

Do you always run into the worst traffic? Is it easy for you to find what you want or need? Does chaos follow you?  Now we are not going to suggest that you see every detail as somehow speaking to your inner state. BUT a lot of what happens, what walks by on a daily basis, reverberates with our deeper thoughts, feelings, limiting beliefs and unresolved issues and it is there that we can take charge of ourselves and shift some of our experience.

These ways of looking more deeply at your life also can help you get clear on what is not an issue, not a part of your makeup. As you
ask different questions, observe the ebb and flow of events, you are calling on the ability to define and know who you are. The process itself has a way of helping you to know yourself more intimately.

Listening to others interpretations about you and your patterns can also be enlightening but a balance needs to be struck. On one hand,
others have a vantage point that you do not have. On the other hand, they can have their own agendas, projections and unresolved material that may be coloring their feedback to you. After all, since we are human, everything is filtered through our perspective and the perspectives of everyone around us daily.  Wisdom grows as we learn to sift and sort through these various stacks of information to come to the best truth
possible at any given moment.

Above all, cultivate a light heart, an open mind, a playful spirit to help understand these rich sources of self knowledge. Over time this approach ultimately makes your life more interesting, flowing,  happy, rewarding and fun!

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