Life has been wonderfully busy but it has been too long since I last blogged. Missed out exploring the subtleties of fall and winter cycles and now we are full circle at the time of snappy spring. Honestly Houston's seasons are a bit of a gambit and it certainly seems like we are catching up with the drought that hit us last year. But it is good to see rain and to see our lawns green and gardens thrive.I've been currently taking classes Clinical Aromatherapy at Derwen Therapies: Holistic Wellness Center and Reflexology Academy. It has been such a blessing to learn more in the field of natural medicine. In Europe and parts of Africa and the Middle East essential oils are revered for their healing and mood uplifting properties. You cannot buy them over the counter in France since their are considered medicine.
A good friend of mine who loves to travel the world told me of when she was in Egypt and having abdominal pain and digestive issues and a fellow traveler gave her lavender oil to put above her lip and she felt much better. At first glance it seems as though these pleasant scents are mostly for spas, candles and potpourri. However these oils are the absolute essence of the plant in highly concentrated forms where just a few drops can have a therapeutic effect.
When I first experimented with the oils after my first class last year I gave my husband a foot massage with ginger oil. I did not use ginger oil directly but with a carrier oil, grapeseed. Many essential oils can actually burn or painful directly on skin, except a few such as lavender and tea tree oil. I noticed while giving him the foot massage, how warm my hands were and the smell is not like fresh cut ginger or ginger candy but a much deeper, earthy spice scent. The next day my husband told me he woke up in the middle of the night with extremely warm feet and had to pull the covers off. Maybe it was not the best choice of oil to use in the middle of August with 100 degree weather but now I know which oil to use in cold winter nights!
I now recognize the power and potential of ginger oil, and not just fresh and dried ginger herb as it is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas. But the interesting bit with essential oils are the emotional benefits. Each therapeutic essential oil is tied to health quality or health benefit such as poor circulation, arthritis and travel sickness for ginger oil. There are also emotional health benefits present in therapeutic essential oils. Ginger oil emotional benefits are self acceptance and self awareness. This fits in the energetic medicine viewpoint of the interconnection between mind, body and spirit. Your thoughts and emotions have an influence on your health and you can influence them back. There are many ways to go about this, and essential oils are one of them. A few others are affirmations, music, color therapy and art therapy.
Affirmations are an amazing tool to utilize for those of us who want to manifest more positive outcomes in our lives and don't seem to have the time, money, confidence to really feel like we can make it happen. We want a change, we want our lives to be different but can't seem to get out of the life track we seem to have stuck on repeat. What we may discover at the root of it all is love. Or more specifically the lack of self-love. It's hard to believe but sometimes to get to where you want to be, you have to believe you deserve it. You have to believe you are worthy of happiness, health and success. Louise L. Hay is the mother of positive affirmations and here are her "12 Commandments to Learn How to Love Yourself":
Stop All Criticism.
Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
Forgive Yourself.
Let the past go. You did the best you could at the time with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge that you had. Now you are growing and changing, and you will live life differently.
Don't Scare Yourself.
Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.
Be Gentle and Kind and Patient.
Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved.
Be Kind to Your Mind.
Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts.
Praise Yourself.
Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.
Support Yourself.
Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.
Be Loving to Your Negatives.
Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So lovingly release the old negative patterns.
Take Care of Your Body.
Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise do you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.
Do Mirror Work.
Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents while looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say, "I love you, I really love you!"
Love Yourself... Do It Now.
Don't wait until you get well, or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin now—and do the best you can.
Have Fun.
Remember the things that gave you joy as a child. Incorporate them into your life now. Find a way to have fun with everything you do. Let yourself express the joy of living. Smile. Laugh. Rejoice, and the Universe rejoices with you!
Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
Forgive Yourself.
Let the past go. You did the best you could at the time with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge that you had. Now you are growing and changing, and you will live life differently.
Don't Scare Yourself.
Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.
Be Gentle and Kind and Patient.
Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself as you learn the new ways of thinking. Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved.
Be Kind to Your Mind.
Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. Gently change your thoughts.
Praise Yourself.
Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. Praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.
Support Yourself.
Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.
Be Loving to Your Negatives.
Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. Now you are finding new, positive ways to fulfill those needs. So lovingly release the old negative patterns.
Take Care of Your Body.
Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have optimum energy and vitality? Learn about exercise. What kind of exercise do you enjoy? Cherish and revere the temple you live in.
Do Mirror Work.
Look into your eyes often. Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself. Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. Talk to your parents while looking into the mirror. Forgive them, too. At least once a day, say, "I love you, I really love you!"
Love Yourself... Do It Now.
Don't wait until you get well, or lose the weight, or get the new job, or find the new relationship. Begin now—and do the best you can.
Have Fun.
Remember the things that gave you joy as a child. Incorporate them into your life now. Find a way to have fun with everything you do. Let yourself express the joy of living. Smile. Laugh. Rejoice, and the Universe rejoices with you!
