Do you bless your medications this way?

Those of you who take medications or supplements probably already bless them before taking them. I shared with a friend what I do and she liked the idea so much I thought I would share it with you - my last doctor's appointment went great again so I guess I am doing something right!

I hold my medications, bless them, and talk to each of them about what they are supposed to do for me and I thank them. Then I quietly Aum to them three times before taking them. (For those who don't know, Aum or Om stands for the Universe/God/ All that Is and, when we use the word, we are calling on the Divine within all to bless us or whomever we are directing the energy to.)

Another feature I've added that comes from Ann Marie Chaisson's energy healing program is to Aum three times in each palm before giving myself Reiki or other energy treatment. This really seems to augment the energy I feel coming out of my palms. She suggests healers do this prior to working with clients. I've also started doing this prior to giving tarot or mentoring sessions.

If you don't resonate with the energy in Aum, you could use the word love, peace, or the name of an angel, saint, or master who is meaningful to you. The idea is to direct healing energy and intention more directly into whatever you're doing for self-care and healing. If nothing else, it feels great!

What do you do when people won’t do what you want them to do?

Without sharing details, I am trying to help a family member who’s having a difficult time. Sometimes she states she wants to do something that seems very wise. Because of her health conditions, I offer to help with whatever it is and spend time researching the issue. When I bring the information to her, she acts as if she never asked for my help, sets the information aside, and says she has to think about it as if it was my idea and not hers.

This happened again yesterday. As I sat there watching her read the information I had gotten for her at her request, I realized this was about to happen again. At first I felt frustrated and angry, minimized and invisible. I paid attention to my breath and waited. I realized I was upset because she wasn’t behaving the way I thought she should.

She should be grateful I am trying to help her. I went to great effort to be there for her and try to help. She should move in the direction she herself said she wanted to go. She shouldn’t need to sit and contemplate the information I had already digested on her behalf. She should just follow my lead and get on with doing what needed to be done.

And while I was watching myself and listening to my own thoughts, I realized my issue was that she wasn’t behaving the way I thought she should. How often is this the basis of difficulties between people? I told myself she has every right to be herself and to make her own decisions. Even if I think she is being foolish or stubborn, she has the right to live her life the way she wants to live it. Yes, this is more difficult to do when her decisions have the potential to have a negative impact on my life. She still has that right. I just have to find a way to honor and support her the best I can while taking care of myself, too.

The conversation ended with her saying, “I don’t know if I want to do this or not. I have to think about it.” To which I responded, “Yes, it is a big decision.” That was the common ground I could find with her. Sometimes it is very difficult to step back and let other people do what they think is best, especially when it can impact your life. The truth is we can’t force people to our point of view and need to keep our opinions to ourselves and just support them the best way we can. This is what I will do and be grateful for the insights the situation offers me.

Embracing Uncertainty

One of my all-time favorite books by Susan Jeffers has this title: Embracing Uncertainty. A new book by Estelle Frankle is called The Wisdom of Not Knowing - Discovering a Life of Wonder by Embracing Uncertainty.  I’m about halfway through it and will be interviewing Estelle by telephone Monday. The reason I like both books so much is that when I can stay in the place of embracing the unknown, life is much sweeter and easier to navigate.

The truth is: life is uncertain. We don’t know what’s going to happen from one minute to the next. Even if we don’t want to admit this in our personal lives, one can’t deny it on the political level these days. Every morning, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s he going to do or say today?” This is one of the ways he exerts control - through the chaos he creates. In my lifetime, I’ve never known such uncertainty on the national political stage like we have now. What if we could embrace this instead of pushing against it or denying it’s happening?

Embracing what is doesn’t mean we approve of it or like it. Simply put, it means we stay open to change, evolution, and all possibilities, not just those we can conceive of. It makes each moment fresh and new, not boxed in by our previous experiences or accumulated knowledge. It means living our lives with open hearts and spirits and giving up the need to control what happens next!

Martin Buber wrote this: “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” I believe this is as true of my daily life as it is of my entire life. I don’t know what will happen today. I don’t know what secret destination Divine Mother has in store for me today. It could be a new idea, a new person, a new place, or new purpose. What I do know is I am staying open to the uncertainty and embracing the magic it offers. What about you?

Do you feel unsettled this morning - or is it just me?

I’ve written here before about how some days a general feeling of unease comes over me and how, after spending time asking “what’s wrong with me,” something big happens in the world. It could be a natural disaster or a man-made one like a bomb going off. I feel this unease this morning and wonder if it is just me. Of course, I recognize that lately every day unwraps something shocking or at least unsettling. It’s difficult not to feel unease when the people in charge of our country seem to enjoy lying more than they enjoy doing their jobs.

Usually I spend my morning quiet time reading a spiritual book and getting my bearings for the day. This morning none of my books called to me. Instead, I read Ursula Le Guin’s book of blog postings where she writes about aging, choosing a cat, and how she responds to readers - among other things. And I found it difficult to focus very long on anything she wrote.

When I get up, my first task is to take the corgis out for their morning sniff and greet the day. Then they both pile back in bed with my spouse who gets up a few hours after I do. The house is blessedly quiet while the three of them snore away - quite happily, or so it seems to me. This morning, my little dog Pearl left the warmth of this sleepy pile and came into my study requesting some tummy rubs. I fulfilled her request; then she trotted back to the bedroom and rejoined the other two sleepers. Most unusual.

I wonder what will happen today. Is my unease due to my picking up on something in the air? Or is it just me? Let’s see what the day holds.