November goddess

Haliya is offered to us from the Rockpool’s 2924 Moon Goddess Diary. She is a masked goddess of the moon and of moonlight, who was worshipped in pre-colonial times throughout the Philippines. She’s symbolises the strengthen potency of women who would gather in sacred ritual to dance and sing at each full moon, circling around a tree and summoning this goddess until the light was returned once more to the land. She and her brother were both incredibly beautiful with a luscious dark hair and eyes as dark as midnight. They travel down to earth and bathe in freshwater lakes. The moonlight and the beauty becomes so radiant that the next day, flowers would appear from the muddy depths of the lakes, covering the surface of the water in bold pink flowers. Legend, has it that this goddess wore a mask of gold shielding her incredible beauty from those around her. She has come through to support you this month, giving you the courage to stand radiant and proud and recognise your divinity As you learn to embrace the goddess that resides within you, you can remove your mask and learn to radiate your profound beauty through the world. Her mantra is: I am learning to lower my barriers and embrace the beauty that is within me. Her totem is the lotus flower. Remember her on 15th November. 

Oracle card reading for November

The first card is number 11 and is titled ‘Elephant’ and is taken from Animal Voices by Chip Richards with the keywords ‘Responsibility, Cooperation and Empathy'. Elephants have one of the closest and most loyal family groups in the world. They live together for up to 80 years. They baby-sit each other’s off-spring and if a mother is unwell, others bring food and protect it until it is well again. When an elephant dies, the others cover it with brush and branches. Passing herds stop to offer respect – even if they did not know the individual. Elephants bring great blessings. Their trumpet reminds you that you are a force for good in the world. Ask for help when you need it and look for ways to help others. Take time to say ‘thank you’ to someone who has helped you. Return the kindness by helping them where you can.

Paradox of Choice

What is the paradox of choice? The more choice we have, the more difficult the decision. 

Pilates

What is Pilates?
Exercise which lengthens and stretches the body using all the muscle group is both relaxing and health giving. Pilates practitioners have an individualised programme for their specific needs. There is an emphasis on body posture and balance and on good breathing technique. The method began in Germany in 1880 when Joseph Pilates pioneered this health method due to his physical frailty as a child. He was interned on the Isle of Man where he devised this method of health and eventually worked as a boxer, circus performer, self defence teacher and body builder. He worked in Germany with Rudolph Laban , setting up,his first studio in New York.

Join the Wildlife Campaign

You can get involved with saving the wonderful species of animals and plants that have graced our planet for millennia. Many species have inspired humans in inventions, such as radar from bats, and aerodynamics from birds. Many plant and animal species have provided potent medicines and more research is ongoing to use plant and animal chemicals for health. 

The two major threats to our planet’s animal species are loss of territory and slaughtering for body parts. We can support their protection by challenging the fashion industry, confronting the lies presented as ‘traditional’ medicine, stop the decorative uses of body parts of hunted species, and by campaigning against taking animals from the wild to keep as pets in extremely poor and unhealthy conditions. 

All species on our planet are interdependent, when we lose one species, the loss has a knock on effect where others also become extinct. 60% of the planet’s mammals, birds, reptiles and fish are endangered and on the verge of extinction. Goodwill Ambassadors are coming forward, such as Aiden Gallagher, Nadya Hutagalung, Wang Junkai and Dia Mirza. 

Giant Cell Arteritis - An Elusive Odyssey

Mind Body & Soul Book Review - Giant Cell Arteritis - An Elusive Odyssey by James Rupp. 168 pages, published by Lulu. 

This book is dedicated to Pearl Rupp, James's wife, whose photo fronts the text. We are introduced to Pearl and to her illness, Giant Cell Arteritis - inflammation of large and medium blood vessels - and its related, disabling condition, Polymyalgia Rheumatica. We read of symptoms, tests, scans, diagnoses, flare-ups, procedures, medications, treatments, X-rays, biopsies, disabilities, complications, drug conflicts, and the advice of numerous doctors and health care workers. There are confusions, speculations and assumptions and doctors who argue with each other about who has most wisdom in treating this extraordinary illness which requires an individualised care plan.

Dealing with Depression

How to deal with depression! 

Depression is a lonely existance that other people often don't understand. It is a low energy illness, a feeling of meaninglessness, guilt, shame, worthlessness and hopelessness. It is not just a state of mind, but an illness, a disability and can sometimes lead to suicide in very serious cases. Advice does not usually work, even when meant well because the person is often totally unable to take it. There is much the person can do to help themselves, but they need to feel well enough to find them for themselves.
Suggestions: breathing exercises, walks in nature, meetings with friends, an uplifting book, dancing, gardening, handicrafts, exercise, join a club, travel, volunteering.
Learn more, and conquer this affliction without drugs...

Sleep Paralysis

 

What is sleep paralysis? 

Sleep paralysis is a sleep state where the person thinks they are awake, but cannot move their muscles. They have very vivid dreams that they think are true life. It is very common and the person loses good quality sleep, feeling very tired throughout the day. Stress tends to make this worse. Create a stress-free bedtime routine where you have a light meal, listen to some gentle music or a relaxation meditation. Organise your life for the morning when you awake and forget the stresses of the day. 

The Hakomi Therapy Method

Using mindfulness for self study. No questions asked but experiments can be conducted with mindfulness and awareness to process unconscious vulnerability about how the client is truly in the world to release and change suffering to receiving nourishment and crating peace of mind.

Richard Barratt on Communal Values

 

Instead of being 'The Best IN the World', we need to be thinking of being 'The Best FOR the World!' Richard Barratt was a Civil Engineer for 20 years and then became involved in Eastern Philosophy, the work of Abraham Maslow and the importance of personal and societal transformation. To transform ourself - and our world - our soul needs to be activated. Our conditioning creates discontent, but by working on ourself, we become contented. He suggests there are 7 levels of consciousness which lead to a new paradign for leadership. 

Yoga Is Skill In Action

The basis practice of yoga is self-inquiry which, through this process, we create change within ourselves. Before I started practicing yoga, I was more selfish and immature. The grass always seemed greener on the other side of the fence. Yoga changed my world perspective and philosophy in a way that has helped me live my life with more grace and integrity. I care for myself and others more deeply, my eating habits have become conscious choices and my friendships have evolved. I no longer spend time with people who are addicted to drinking and drugs, or those that spend their time gossiping about other people. I look for people who help me feel good about myself and those who are more happy and have goals in their life.

Sustainable Lifestyles

Jonathon Porritt reflects on sustainability: Governments are failing to meet their responsibilities on climate change and population explosions, pollution, global warming and vital loss of trees. In the USA, it is often city mayors who are making the running, sometimes with the active support of state governors. It was Mayor Bloomberg of New York who succeeded in forcing climate change into the presidential election, endorsing changes he immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In China, there’s an extremely active network of eco cities, enthusiastically competing amongst themselves for government support and new industry investments.