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Published Articles
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Lost Woman, Lost Dog: Listen
Without Expectations
Positive
Words, Positive Results
Within Divine Will & For My Highest Good
The Spiritual Aspects of Addiction Rehabilitation
A Holistic Approach to Healing
Communicating with
Animals
Understanding the Spirituality of
Your Health in You & Your Pets
Spiritually Connecting
with Mother Earth
Bodywork…What Can It Do For Your Horse?
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ANIMAL
TALK
Lost Woman, Lost Dog: Listen
Without Expectations
By Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
Printed in Art of Well Being Winter Issue 2006 |
This
summer Downs Syndrome neighbor Cherry and her dog Copper
were missing. Rescue squads and hundreds of volunteers
gathered near their home late Saturday afternoon. They
combed the area but to no avail. Nightfall came and
still no Cherry, no Copper. They continued the search
throughout the night.
What an eerie feeling to see flashlight beams jotting
here and there across the fields near our house that
night. The next morning I saw people walking the fields
about ten feet apart. I knew they were still looking for
Cherry, probably exhausted from the stifling hot summer
temperature of the previous day, certainly hungry, and
perhaps disoriented from wandering for almost
twenty-four hours. Late Sunday morning and still no sign
of Cherry or Copper.
Then they found Copper at the creek. He was stuck in the
muddy bank. Exhausted and dehydrated, Copper could not
walk to the house. Someone picked up the large dog and
carried him home.
When I heard Copper had been found, I went to the house
to see him. I believed he could lead us to Cherry. Beth,
Cherry’s sister, met me in their yard and thanked me for
coming. Copper was resting peacefully on the living room
floor. He greeted me with loving eyes when I knelt
beside him.
I introduced myself to Copper and did some energy
work with him to help him release the trauma of his
ordeal. Then I asked him to help us find Cherry. Sitting
there with Copper, I had the distinct feeling that
Cherry was still alive. I kept getting the impression of
UP from Copper. Normally this UP message means the
person or animal has died and has ascended into spirit.
However, the impression of Cherry still being alive far
outweighed the UP message.
About eight people, including Lynn’s Episcopal minister,
were sitting there watching me as I talked with Copper.
Not getting Cherry’s distinct location from Copper, I
asked everyone to join me in a meditation to her. They
all listened intently as Copper and I spiritually talked
to Cherry.
I reminded Cherry that no matter what happened to her
that she would always be surrounded by Spirit’s
unconditional love. I asked her to avail herself of the
fruits of nature since “manna from Heaven” comes in many
ways. I smiled when the Episcopal minister nodded in
agreement.
We all opened our sacred hearts and sent unconditional
love to Cherry wherever she was. We imagined every light
in her home being on, beckoning her home. We then
imagined the light of our sacred hearts extending
through the woods, over the fields, shining brightly,
showing Cherry her way back home. I then asked Cherry to
connect with her own sacred heart energy and to project
outward her love from within.
I continued to sit close to Copper as I asked Spirit to
open the heart and mind of someone who was open to
feeling Cherry’s love extending outward. . .someone who
would search in just the right place. . .someone who
could find Cherry.
I still got the impression of UP from Copper, but I
dismissed it since he was giving me a greater impression
of her being alive. I did not stop to consider that his
UP could mean something other than Cherry’s transition
into spirit.
About an hour later we received word that Cherry had
been found safe, but tired, several miles from her home.
She had wandered UP the hill and had walked north toward
the small town of Badin.
A woman from Badin had gotten in her truck and driven
south. She drove off the main road and then found Cherry
in about ten minutes. She was not a trained rescuer. She
had not been part of the organized search party. She
just had the feeling she was to go look for Cherry in
her own way.
So what does this adventure have to do with Animal Talk?
Plenty! It taught me two things about communicating with
animals.
First, release all your expectations when you talk with
other species. If I had gotten past my thoughts that UP
meant having died and ascended into spirit, I might have
perceived the further message that Cherry had gone UP
the hill. I tried to make Copper’s UP message fit my
perception of UP.
We must listen without expectation. We must listen to
animals with a clear mind and heart. We must allow them
to expand our perceptions.
Secondly, I expected Copper to lead us to Cherry’s
physical location through his telling us where she was.
Instead Copper lead us to a meditation through which we
created the sacred space for Cherry to be found
easily. Had it not been for Copper, I would not have
asked those people to join me in meditation, in prayer,
for Cherry. Had it not been for Copper, we would not
have created the group energy that helped Cherry be
found.
Truly, our animals take us where we need to go if we
will listen to them without expectation, if we will
listen to them with open minds and hearts.
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Positive
Words, Positive Results
by Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
October/November 2006 Issue InnerchangeMag.com |
Words…oh,
the power they hold within them!
Do you realize that it takes more energy to hold a
negative thought than a positive thought? Just imagine
what a mouthful of negative words does to your energy
field as you speak them. Then imagine what these words
do to the energy field of those who hear them. Makes you
think more about what you say, doesn't it?
Being positive and talking positive has always been one
of my pet peeves. A friend surprised me one day by
commenting that often I phrase things in a negative way.
I was aghast! Surely I talked positively all the time
because that was at the top of the list of what I tell
others to do. Realizing that often we teach others what
we need to learn ourselves, I took note of what I said
for the next several days.
 Sure
enough, I often phrased sentences in a negative way. I
realized I had often said, “If you don't learn anything
else but this one thing in my workshop...” Gad! I was
setting up my seminar participants to learn only one
thing. Immediately I decided to watch everything that I
said for several days and to take the time to phrase
everything positively. You would be surprised how often
I stopped myself and took time to think of a more
positive way of saying something.
A good example of this is how we talk to our animals.
Listen to this sentence and note the mental picture you
get: “Princess, do not pee in the house.” You actually
get an image of Princess peeing in the house. It does
not matter that you said do NOT pee. You still see
Princess peeing.
Now listen to this phrase: “Princess, thank you for
peeing only outside.” This sentence gives you an image
of Princess peeing outside...exactly the message you
want to give her.
When we tell someone or an animal what we want in a
negative way, they are confused. They get an image of
what we do not want them to do and then they have to
figure out what we really desire. When we talk
positively, stating what we actually desire, then they
know right away exactly what we mean.
Several years ago when I was hit in the head by a horse,
the emergency room doctor told me I would have the worst
headache of my life the next day. I immediately told
myself he was wrong, that my head would feel fine. I
refused to accept his words, although medical experience
would have backed up his statement. I changed his words
within myself instead of owning them. My head felt
congested the next day, but it did not hurt. Remarkable,
because I had received a really hard blow to my head.
Another example of the power of our words is the names
we give our pets. So often names are self-fulfilling. I
worked with a horse trainer who had a horse named Joker
that was having major behavior problems. The first thing
the wise trainer did was change Joker's name to Coal
because diamonds come from coal. Immediately she changed
not only her perception of the horse but also the
horse's perception of himself. Within a month Coal made
monumental behavior changes.
Take note of what you call your pets and the nicknames
you give your children and friends. Listen to yourself
when you talk with them. Realize what images you give
them. Feel the difference in the words as you say them
and as you hear them.
Please accept my challenge to phrase sentences
positively, to use more positive words with everyone,
humans and animals. Doing so will get you better results
quicker. You will also feel stronger and more empowered
because thinking and talking positively will strengthen
your own energy field and positively affect the energy
fields of those around you. Give it a try. Everyone will
benefit!
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Within Divine Will and For My Highest Good
by Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
Posted 0n InnerchangeMag.com, August 1,
2006 |
Has a person or animal ever drained your energy from
you? Have you ever been in a foreboding situation? We
all experience times when we wonder what is going on,
when we feel challenged. We then react out of love or
fear. Let me share with you some ways to react out of
love. When these behaviors become second nature to you,
then you instinctively respond out of love. Hence, you
disempower fear.
First of all, realize that your solar plexus energy
center is where people, animals, and situations drain
your energy. You have your power struggles with others
in this area. Your solar plexus is approximately two
inches above your naval and is the seat of your will to
think. Its vibrant yellow color nourishes your
creativity, your personality.
When you feel tired around someone or feel they are
draining your energy, simply place your hand over your
solar plexus area. Doing so is a natural body stance and
no one knows you are actively protecting your own energy
field. Holding your hand there reconnects you with your
own self and helps balance you energetically.
Secondly, thank your body daily for releasing what you
no longer need. Our daily activities affect us
energetically. Often we pick up things from other people
and situations that do not serve our highest good. Some
times we have beliefs that no
longer apply. To live joyously we need to move beyond
limiting perceptions. Others may affect us negatively,
but we do not have to accept that energy as part of who
we are.
We need to keep within our energy system only those
things that serve our highest good. Simply thanking your
body for releasing what you do not need and for filling
with divine creative energy will rejuvenate your spirit
and your body. Include this release nightly when you
prepare for sleep.
As humans we often get caught up in another person’s
drama and react emotionally. Seeing beyond the third
dimensional situation can take us through deep emotions
and keep us from being weighed down with them. This
third technique allows us to see beyond the obvious into
the perfection of all things.
Remember that all creation originates from eternal,
divine Oneness. Each of us is a unique manifestation of
Spirit. Each of us is divine. We get off the mark, do
anti-social things, when we forget who we and others
really are. When we see the divinity within another,
then he can see it within himself more clearly. Doing so
is what I call looking beyond the obvious, what presents
itself to us in third dimensional terms.
Several years ago I worked with a child who was aware of
thirteen beings around him that wanted to play “head
games” with him. They followed him everywhere he went.
He was so afraid of them that he was suicidal. When I
connected with him energetically, I was amazed at the
purity and power of his own light. No wonder these
beings were attracted to him. Some were curious about
him. Some wanted to keep him from shining so brightly.
Instead of seeing these beings as evil and exorcising
them from him, I asked him to connect with his own light
within and to look long and hard enough until he saw a
spark of light within each being. I referred to them as
“less thans” because they had forgotten they are of the
Light and thought of themselves as less than they really
are.
When he concentrated on the light within each of them,
then they were able to see their own light more clearly.
More than half of them transformed into pure light when
they saw themselves through the loving eyes of the
child. When he told the others they could remain with
him only if they accepted their own light within, those
not willing to transform left him.
When we see the light within another, we help them see
their own light more clearly. Instead of judging others
as bad or evil, we see beyond our fear and allow the
love within each of us to shine more brightly.
Fourthly, the phrase “within divine will and for the
highest good” is one of the greatest tools of
discernment. It should be the basis of all spiritual
work. Establishing divine will and the highest good as
the perimeters of your life creates sacred space for
your earth journey.
Whenever anything confronts me or I question the
integrity of something, I tell it to remain with me only
if it is within divine will and for my highest good.
Without exception, this guideline keeps me within the
rhythm of the universe, resonating with only the highest
vibrations available to me at this time. Trusting the
power of this phrase and its intention dispels fear and
moves one beyond judgment. Through it we claim our own
power and ability to consciously create our reality.
In conclusion, we establish for ourselves healthy
boundaries when we heal our power struggles by
connecting with our solar plexus, when we daily thank
our bodies for releasing what we no longer need and
filling with divine oneness, when we see beyond the
obvious and concentrate on the divine spark of life
within all beings, and when we embrace life within
divine will and for the highest good of all.
Living within these guidelines transforms fear and
judgment into loving acceptance and understanding of
ourselves and all others divine beings. With healthy
boundaries we reclaim the joy of living as we fully
integrate our spirituality into our everyday life.
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The Spiritual Aspects of Addiction Rehabilitation
By Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
Printed in Stanly News & Press, Albemarle, NC, August
2005 |
 Can
spiritual energy healing help with addiction
rehabilitation? By all means, yes!
To be truly healthy, one must be healthy physically,
emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Therefore, we
must consider the spiritual, as well as all other
aspects of any disease or addiction.
Humans
are much more than their physical bodies. We are
spiritual beings. We are energetic beings. Our energy
fields within our bodies also extend beyond our physical
bodies. Energy never dies. It transforms and evolves,
but never ceases to exist. Our energy field is like our
spirit. It is eternal. It will exist after our physical
body stops functioning.
In any magnetic field, there are negative and positive
aspects that balance each other. When we are diseased or
addicted, our energy field has excess positive ions
in it. These positive ions have lost their negative
counterpart, therefore causing an imbalance within our
system. Energy techniques can release these excess
positive ions from our bodies.
Addiction of any kind affects the entire body.
Therefore, a full body energy technique is necessary to
release damaged energy from every cell in the physical
body. A full body magnetic unruffling releases from the
energy field damaged energy that affects the person
physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Several years ago I worked with a woman who had formerly
been addicted to alcohol for many years. She was very
active in AA and was conscientious about her health on
all levels. She came to me because of her severe asthma.
Traditional medical care helped her breathing but had
not reached the original cause of her asthma. Thus, for
years she lived with breathing difficulty to the extent
that at times she kept a portable oxygen tank with her.
During our session I realized her energy field was
greatly compromised. It was as if there were something
deep within her keeping her from breathing.
Energetically it felt as if she were smothering from the
inside out. As I shared with her what I felt, she
replied that she indeed experienced a smothering from
within that manifested in her severe asthma. She
confirmed that she did not want to continue living this
way. She wanted to be balanced and centered and able to
breathe normally.
When I looked closer at her energy field, I felt the
presence of an energy that did not resonate with the
rest of her. There was a part of her completely out of
balance.
Originally, I did not know the source of this energy,
but I intuitively knew that it needed to change or leave
in order for Nancy to be able to breathe easily.
Often in my work I talk directly to my client’s body or
spirit not just to the person’s conscious mind. So I
talked directly to this part of Nancy that was out of
balance with the rest of her body and her energy field.
I told it that Nancy did not need it any more. I told it
that it had remained with her and had hurt her long
enough. It was time for it to transform or to leave.
Nancy cried out and then immediately relaxed. She said,
“I don’t know what that was, but I am glad it is gone.”
Before her sobriety, Nancy had been an alcoholic long
enough that the alcohol had permeated the cells of her
body and had formed its own energy within her. Hence her
feeling as if she were being smothered from within, her
inability to breathe normally. After Nancy released this
damaged energy, her energy field balanced and she
breathed normally without additional oxygen.
We were then able to work on the spiritual aspects of
her former addiction and heal the original cause of her
addiction. Energetically and spiritually healing the
first cause of any disease or imbalance is different
from healing the symptom. If the original issue does not
heal, then one symptom will replace another. As each
symptom is treated or healed, another will arise until
the healing involves the spiritual realm as well as the
physical, emotional, and mental realms.
|
A Holistic
Approach to Healing
by Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
Printed in Stanly News & Press, Albemarle, NC, Spring
2005 |
 Healing
Touch is a holistic energy therapy that complements
traditional health care. Gentle non-evasive touch
influences and supports the human energy system within
and surrounding the body. It restores harmony, energy,
and balance to your physical body.
Physical health cannot be separated from spiritual,
emotional, and mental health. Too often we fail to see
the connection of all facets of our being. To be truly
healthy you need to be healthy physically, emotionally,
mentally, and spiritually.
Your physical body is one of your greatest resources for
understanding who you are and what you need to learn.
When you are aware of the partnering your spirit and
your body, then you see beyond the physical symptoms of
disease to the spiritual aspect of your being. Living a
life of gratitude and attuning to the oneness in all
creation helps create the sacred space for healing on
all levels.
To heal means to make sound, to make whole. Our English
word “cure” comes from the Latin word “cura” that means
care of the soul. To be truly healthy, one must heal
spiritually as well as physically.
You have numerous energy centers throughout your body,
but there are seven major centers called chakras. Each
chakra nurtures a specific area of your physical body.
Through these chakras, energy centers, you receive,
transmit, and process life energy. When these centers
are open and balanced, you are better able to process
your experiences and have healthy relationships with
yourself and others.
Within you is the innate wisdom of your soul. Every cell
in your body contains complete memory of all your
experiences. Energy work heightens your self-awareness
on all levels of being. It removes blockages helping you
heal not only your physical symptoms but also the issues
behind your symptoms. Energy work used in connection
with conventional medical practices accelerates healing.
Energy therapy activates, realigns, and balances your
energy field. It has a wide spectrum of uses, from minor
injuries to terminal illness. Healing Touch and Reiki
are two of the many modalities of energy work. Spiritual
energy helps you heal your past, fully accept your
present, and positively affect your future. It makes you
aware of the journey of your soul.
Chi DAS is a new system of body movements that activate
your seven major chakras and nurture all parts of your
body and spirit. Created by Robyn Achey and myself, Chi
DAS, Dancing with Awareness of Spirit, is a meditative
body movement modality. These intentional graceful
movements are in sync with the rhythm of the universe
and allow a natural flow of energy, chi, throughout your
physical body. Through Chi DAS, peace and well being
permeate your awareness. These mindful and soulful
movements partner your body and spirit and integrate you
on all levels.
Chi DAS is the newest form of healing energy work.
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Communicating with
Animals
by Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
Printed in Paw Prints, Wilmington, NC, October
2003 |
Communicating with
animals develops a deep relationship between humans and
their animal companions. It shifts our perspective. We
realize humans and animals are here to learn from and
teach each other.
Animal communication is very practical.
It helps with animal behavior, letting the animal and
human know from each other what is expected of them. It
can also affect physical and emotional health of your
pet.
 Connecting with animals
complements traditional veterinary care. It helps us
realize emotional issues behind physical symptoms.
Dealing with emotional issues speeds up physical healing
in both animals and people.
Communicating with dying animals helps
animal and owner process their grief. It shifts the
owner’s perspective to relating to their beloved pet
spiritually, not physically. After an animal physically
dies, he is still available to his owner on a different
level. It is amazing how our deceased animals continue
to work with us. Having lived with us here on Mother
Earth, they know what we need and desire. Being in
spirit, they can help make our earthly journey easier
for us.
As we communicate with animals, we gain
insights into our own issues. Working with animals, I
rarely receive information solely about the animal, his
health or issues. Our animals’ experiences are
opportunities for our own spiritual growth. Anne Marie,
one of my clients, illustrates how our animals mirror
our own journey: “Mary, you did a reading for my dog
Moon and me last summer. I wanted to let you know after
a year, she and I are very happy, in a large way due to
the info you gave us in our reading. You told me Moon
was here to encourage me to be free. I have struggled in
the last year with a job where I felt no freedom, no
joy. Moon began to run away in April. Once, three
times in one week. One night she was gone, lost. . .it
was raining outside. I meditated and was shown by Moon
that one of us in the family had to be free if I was not
going to free myself. (Just like you said, last
summer!) I told Moon wherever she was I loved her
enough to set her free if she did not have enough
freedom living with me. It was the hardest thing I have
ever had to do. I then heard, "you love Moon enough to
set her free...don't you love yourself enough to do the
same?" I walked in to my job and resigned the next
morning, Moon came back, and I have never been happier.
I plan to make my living as an artist and move to the
coast. Now, when Moon and I walk on the sound and I let
her off her leash, she does not run away from me. She
runs and plays but she knows our freedom continues, even
when we go back home! . . . A year later, your lesson
is still so very valuable and has changed my life.”
Animals and humans are
manifestations of Spirit, journeying here together on
Mother Earth, evolving toward complete Oneness of all.
Inter-species communication is one way for us to
understand our partnership with all creatures, the
relatedness of all creation.
Animal communication can
truly open the door to your own self-awareness and to
the depth of your relationship with your pet. Once you
realize you can communicate with your own pet, then you
can also communicate with all species, tame or wild.
There is no end to the possibilities that await you when
you commune with animals.
Our challenge in working with addictions or any disease
is to look deeper than the physical, emotional, mental
aspects of the condition. To complement traditional
therapies, we need to connect with our spiritual aspects
so that our healing can come from within. When we do so,
we energetically balance and align with our God source.
Incorporating spiritual energy healing with traditional
addiction rehabilitation empowers the person and helps
insure continued sobriety. Thus, the person can then
heal on all levels of their being. |
Understanding the Spirituality of Your Health in You &
Your Pets
By Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
printed in Integrative Health & Healing, Spring 2003,
Issue # 4 |
|
 When we
are healthy, we take our body for granted. We go along
our merry way never giving a second thought to the
relationship of our body and spirit. We amuse ourselves
with the activities of being human. Then something
happens and we experience physical discomfort or
disease. Now we no longer take our body for granted. We
are very conscious of it and its ability to function
properly.
We consider physical pain something not needed and
certainly something not desired. We may see it as
something outside of us attacking our body and in that
perspective we err. Our physical pain is a message from
our body. It is our body’s way of getting our attention,
asking us to honor our body.
In
the summer of 2001 I began experiencing pain in my right
knee. I did not remember straining my knee or hurting it
in any way. But it let me know it was there by aching. I
awoke in the mornings aware of discomfort in my knee. It
hurt as I walked. I reasoned that it could just a
symptom of growing older, but I was unwilling to accept
this pain as an inevitable part of aging.
After two months of knee pain, I shifted my perspective.
Each morning I thanked my knee for not hurting. Every
night I thanked my knee for not hurting. Sometimes I
would thank it for not hurting as much as it hurt
yesterday. Even if it were hurting, I thanked it for not
hurting. Within two weeks, my knee was pain free.
Shifting my perspective from a space of pain and lack to
a space of health and comfort, I made it easier for my
knee to heal.
One of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves is
to have a grateful relationship with our body. Within
each of us is the innate wisdom of our soul. Every cell
in our body contains complete memory of all our
experiences. Our body will hold our issues for us until
we are ready to work through them. Therefore we should
thank our body for helping us understand ourselves more
clearly. Each physical discomfort or illness gives us
the opportunity to look more closely at our personal
journey, to get beneath our physical symptom to our
spiritual issue.
Preparing your body for surgery begins the healing
process before any medical procedure has begun. Prior to
my daughter’s tonsillectomy, I explained to her body
what was going to happen and why and then thanked her
body for healing quickly and without incident. At her
checkup her doctor remarked that she was healing faster
than normal. I explained what we had done and he smiled.
I didn’t know at the time if he was expanding his
awareness or if he thought I was just another crazy
mother.
Every night when I shower I thank my body for releasing
everything it does not need. As the water falls over my
body, I give thanks for my body helping me process my
daily experiences. I honor it and give thanks for its
being a vehicle for my soul.
In my spiritual healing practice many physical symptoms
simply disappear when the person or animal works through
their spiritual lessons. I recently worked with a horse
that injured his left hind leg by tearing his deep
digital flexor tendon and suspensor ligament. Prior to
this injury he was at the peak of his dressage and
jumping career. He loved to perform and was also in the
best physical shape ever. He had six weeks of stall
rest, physical therapy, and cold hosing. After ten weeks
of no improvement, several vets told his owner to give
up hope because he had a career-ending injury.
At that time, his owner contacted me for spiritual
healing for her horse. His owner herself was so sick
with the flu that we did part of our session over the
phone with her sitting on her bathroom floor. I told her
to thank her body for releasing whatever it was ready to
release. She knew there was a correlation between her
flu onset and her horse’s session with me.
During our session both horse and owner worked through
personal issues. Two weeks later I received this email,
“I've been meaning to follow up with you regarding our
talk about Pippen and his healing. Finally, one week
after we talked, I started feeling better and recovered
from my flu. Since then, I haven't really had the
emotional energy to revisit our discussion. This past
week, however, I have ridden Pippen twice. The minute I
get on his back, he is so excited! He doesn't want to
just walk. He skips and hops and canters sideways,
begging me to just let him gallop. I can tell he is
feeling so good. I am taking it slowly though. I don't
want him to overdo it. When I trot him, I can't see or
feel any lameness whatsoever. He feels perfectly sound!”
This was the horse her vet had told her to put out to
pasture because he would always be lame.
Another example of spiritual healing affecting physical
health is my work with a gentleman who had chronic back
trouble. He came to me regularly for several months
getting temporary relief from the Healing Touch back
technique that I used on his back. During one session I
held his heart and his sacral area and never touched his
back. He asked me how my holding these areas had
anything to do with his back. I asked him to trust me
and to listen to his own body.
During that hour he processed issues with his former
wife, issues he had held in his heart and sacral area
for many years, issues that were affecting his lower
back. Later that evening his current wife called to say
his back felt the best it had felt in years. I worked
myself out of a job with him because he no longer needed
help with back pain. His working through his emotional,
spiritual issues healed his back.
Our physical body is one of our greatest resources for
understanding who we are and what we need to learn.
Partnering our spirit and our body is one of the
healthiest things we can do for ourselves. Living a life
of gratitude and attuning to the oneness in all creation
reminds us that our physical being is just one part of
our existence. To heal means to make sound, to make
whole. Our English word cure comes from the Latin word
cura that means care of souls. To be truly healthy, one
must heal spiritually as well as physically.
Understanding our own self-evolvement and working
through our spiritual lessons certainly complements
traditional medical treatment and expedites our healing
on all levels.
|
Spiritually Connecting with
Mother Earth
By Mary Lemons, BA, CHTP
Printed in Innerchange,
February/March Issue 2002 |
|
 We
are truly blessed to live on such a bountiful planet
that allows us to call her home, our Mother Earth.
Myriad of resources are available all around us, and yet
we humans can be blinded to them by our preoccupation
with ourselves. We are often unaware of the beauty and
oneness around us. When we live in harmony, in oneness,
with all creation, we tap into the many resources that
can help us with our self-knowledge and healing.
All living things--man, animals, vegetation, minerals,
nature--have a common life force within them. Through
this life force we can find our oneness with all
creation. Once we become one with all, our own
self-healing truly begins.
There is a pulsation in all creation. We know our own
pulsation as the beat of our hearts. That pulsation
within us can be aligned with the pulsation of all other
living things. When we spiritually connect with Mother
Earth and the many manifestations of Spirit, we receive
gifts unknown to us in our normal third dimensional
world.
Behold the wonders of creation! The earth herself
provides us with a gravitational force that enables us
to live upon her surface. In spiritual terms we call
this “grounding.” It enables our spirits to reside
within our physical bodies. Most people never give
groundedness a second thought, but some people are “out
there” and truly need the consciousness of being
connected with the earth to feel a balance within their
being.
The rocks, especially the big boulders, give us much
strength and a sense of stability. If you are scattered
and feeling out of sorts, sitting upon a rock can center
you and calm your flightiness.
Rivers, streams, and lakes—all bodies of water—can
cleanse us spiritually as well as physically. Not only
do they refresh us when we physically walk or swim in
them, but they can help cleanse our souls when we
release our concerns to them. Imagining yourself in a
peaceful stream can do wonders for your disposition.
Trees have so many characteristics for us. The tall
pines stoically point heavenward, reminding us of God
above. They also have deep roots that allow us to go to
the core of all life. The more flexible trees like the
weeping willow signify the flexibility that we need so
much in our lives. The acorns that drop from the trees
tell us that our growth can begin with just a little
seed. We don’t have to know it all or do it all at once.
The dirt that we are so careful to wash off our hands
holds many mysteries for us. What does it have within it
that feeds and nourishes the roots that wiggle their way
down through its many layers? Is our foundation fertile
enough to allow us to burrow, expand, and grow at will?
The grass is our welcome mat to reassure us that it is
safe to journey here. Our feet will not tire from
walking in the grass. It refreshes us and lets us know
it is all right to rest awhile before we venture on.
The rocks and crystals that grow within the earth
signify the gems that are waiting for us deep within our
souls. All we have to do is look long enough, deep
enough, and many wonders will unfold before us.
There is nothing quite like being outside on a beautiful
sunny day, breathing in the freshness and listening to
all the sounds of creation. When it is cold and dismal
outside, we can still enjoy all the wonders of nature by
quieting our minds and bringing the essence of creation
to us. Seeing yourself standing against a tree or
floating on water or lying in grass can still your
thoughts and give you focus, clarity, and vision.
Next time you are frazzled or confused or just plain
tired, close your eyes and ask Spirit to take you
wherever you need to go. Then take in all the beauty and
wonder of your special place here on Mother Earth.
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Bodywork…What Can It Do For Your Horse?
By Karen Braun, BA, ESMT, RMT |
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Note
from Mary: Karen Braun is my dear friend who taught
Equine Bodywork at my farm in June 2006. I endorse
her philosophy and respect her methods of healing that
she discusses in this article. Reiki, the energy work
that she integrates into with her equine massage, is one
of numerous energy healing modalities available to
animals and humans.
Horses are one of nature’s greatest gifts to us. Think
of how many times your horse has been there for you
unconditionally. You’ve had a bad day or aren’t feeling
well…who has consistently been there for you, waiting
with loving eye and welcoming nicker?
Horses are great teachers about presence, gentleness,
living in truth, and right use of power. They come into
our lives for many reasons. We owe it to our equine
companions to take the best possible care of them.
Horses’ bodies, like ours, have an incredible ability
for self-healing. There are things we can do to assist
them in this process of maintaining good health. Regular
veterinary care, dental work by a professional, enough
grazing time and healthy diet, awareness of proper
bit-usage and saddle fit, and bodywork all contribute to
the well-being of our equine family members.
Bodywork has been an essential component of health and
healing for thousands of years across many cultures.
There are numerous forms of bodywork such as massage,
craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, reiki,
chiropractic, and acupuncture to name a few. Theses
noninvasive natural methods help the body heal, balance
and release trauma. Keep in mind, though, that bodywork
does not replace veterinary care.
When we think of the word “trauma,” we usually think of
a huge accident or catastrophe. Actually, trauma can
occur on physical and emotional levels from things that
we may consider insignificant. Examples of things that
can cause trauma to the body and spirit of the horse are
falling down in the pasture, pulling back while tied,
having to wear an ill-fitting saddle or incorrect bit
for the size and shape of the mouth, lack of or
incorrect dental work, getting kicked by another horse,
being mistreated or ignored by humans (even if it was
years ago).
All of these things are stored in the body and spirit of
the horse on physical and energetic levels, causing
restrictions of movement in the body, tightness,
asymmetry, imbalance, and emotional upset. These things
may show up visibly to us as a horse who bites, kicks,
bucks, refuses to go, has “attitude” problems,
head-shaking, is crabby; and the list goes on. These are
all issues that we sometimes incorrectly interpret as
bad behavior or resistance to training.
Imagine wearing shoes on your feet that are too tight
and someone keeps pushing you to walk and run. If you
couldn’t talk or gesture to tell them about your feet
hurting, you would eventually become crabby, try to stop
walking, sit down, and probably develop a headache and a
sore back from holding all this tension in your body.
This is what it can be like for horses that have pain
and tension in their bodies. Sometimes the only way for
them to tell us is by what we see as “acting up.”
A trained bodywork practitioner can look at your horse,
evaluate him through observation of movement and
hands-on palpation, and locate areas of tension and
restriction. An appropriate healing method is then used
to address the restrictions, working to release them and
restore balance to the body, in turn improving attitude
and emotional state.
During a bodywork session, the horse shows many signs of
releasing tension in the body and spirit… demonstrated
by licking, chewing, putting the head down, relaxing the
pelvis to one side, yawning, and softening the eyes.
The following four types of bodywork can greatly benefit
your horse:
Sports Massage
Sports massage works deeply into the muscle and facial
tissue. It addresses specific muscles used in
performance. Massage increases circulation to all the
tissues, releases tension and muscle spasms, helps to
increase range of motion and flexibility, helps speed up
healing of injuries, lengthens connective tissue,
promotes relaxation and well-being, and more.
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy works with the nervous system,
providing balance, harmony, and connection from head
(cranium) to tail (sacrum). It combines light finger
pressure with intuitive use of inner listening to sense
restrictions in the body. Restrictions are then
released, allowing the parts of the body to feel more
connected and function to their highest potential.
Myofascial Release
Fascia is a web of tissue that is interwoven throughout
the body. Trauma to the body causes fascia to become
restricted and shortened, causing pain and muscle
spasms. Myofascial release is a method of using various
holds and stretches to release the tissue and restore
proper movement and body symmetry.
Reiki
Reiki is thousands of years old. It is a gentle hands-on
approach that works to release blockages from the energy
system of the individual. Balance and harmony are
restored on all levels…physical, emotional, mental, and
spiritual.
 Which method is used depends on the horse and his or her
situation and “issues.” The practitioner does a thorough
evaluation to determine which method or methods are most
beneficial for each session. Bodywork sessions are
typically one hour in length.
Horses give us so much and ask for so little in return.
We owe it to them to help them feel their best in body
and spirit. Bodywork is a wonderful way to further your
connection with your horses, as well as helping them
maintain health. Your horses will thank you.
Karen
Braun, BA, ESMT, RMT
Karen is an Equine Bodywork Practitioner. She is the
instructor and founder of Anam Cara School™ where she
teaches others to safely provide bodywork to horses and
connect with them on a deeper level. Topics covered are
equine massage, energy work including Reiki, equine
myofascial release, and intuitive development.
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