How do you understand life’s challenges?

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Are you an internal processor, or an external processor? Folks who process situations and experiences and feelings internally usually go off by themselves and hide for a few days while they think everything through. They don’t appreciate input. External processors, by contrast, are people who need to say what they are thinking in order to get it out in the open where they can examine their thoughts and perceptions. The first thing an external processor will do is to call a friend and tell them what happened. Or grab a journal and write about what’s going on so they can examine it. The goal isn’t to have the problem solved by the friend. They don’t really need the friend to say “you’re worth more than that!” They know it.

But they are external processors, and they need someone (or something– a journal, etc) to mirror back– to reflect– what they are saying/feeling/realizing as they process the situation. There needs to be someone on the other end to bounce their ideas off of. Even if some of the ideas are contradictory. They just need to be heard, and affirmed (“Yes, I agree that you are worth more than that.”) as they figure out how they feel, what they think, and what they’re going to do about it all.

I have come across maybe 2 true internal processors in my lifetime. Most folks who try to think through a problem completely on their own aren’t internal processors– they are overly-protective and trying not to burden their loved-ones with the problem until they have worked out a good solution. Unfortunately, this actually erodes trust between partners and friends because it hurts the partner not being trusted with the secretive one’s worries and challenges. And if the problem affects both people in the partnership, then it takes away the other person’s right to act on their own behalf. If you are someone who gladly helps your friends with their troubles, but won’t share the burden of your own with them, you are being a care-taker, not a friend. True and healthy friendship (and partnership) requires a give AND take of support, advice, trust, laughter, etc.

In my experience, there are several stages of processing. Roughly, the first stage is where we ALL need a few moments alone. It’s the part where we are SO EMOTIONAL about whatever happened (or might happen) that we need to just get the emotions out without censor or rationale– so we rant and name-call and hit things and scream and cry and throw blame around for a few minutes where nobody can hear us or be hurt by us.

The next stage is where most avowed external processors call up a good friend. This can be moments or even days after the triggering event or interaction occurs. We’ve had our initial blast of irrational (and so necessary) emotion, and now we need to figure out what we actually DO feel, how we actually DO want to respond, and what actually IS REAL, vs what we were triggered into feeling/thinking just at first.

So, for example, your boss is targeting you for all her yelling and unhappiness. At first you might take his yelling as a personal attack, and it might trigger you into the initial reaction that “he hates my work and wants me fired.” Then, you might share the facts of what happened with a good friend, and they can both validate (agree with you) that your boss’s behavior was wrong and inappropriate, and you’re good at your job. But then they might also suggest “Wow. Sounds like he was having a really bad day, and you just happened to be there. That sux.” Suddenly, you can begin to work with the possibility that it wasn’t personal. That maybe something bad happened to him, and he’s so triggered by HIS initial reaction (fear, self-defense) that he’s attacking whoever happens to be there. We call this “projecting” because he’s turning you into whatever hurt/scared him so that he can fight back against something real. And none of it has anything to do with you, personally. It still hurts and angers you. It still isn’t okay that he ranted and yelled (whether you were at fault or not– we all deserve some basic respect here!). But you can stop worrying about your job security.

The next stage of processing is to decide what you think happened, and then brainstorm possible responses. Sometimes we do this part alone, sometimes with the same friend in the same conversation, sometimes we go to it later, with someone more qualified to problem-solve, and less touchy-feely-supportive. We explore the possible responses to what we think really happened, and then we pick the best one we know of at the time. After all, we’re most of us doing the best we can with what we have– it’s just that the best we can do isn’t always good enough (as when a boss starts yelling for no reason).

Yes, it is VERY important to feel all your feelings first– to acknowledge that you are angry, defensive, upset, frightened that this person who is supposed to encourage and support your work might not actually like you or your project… etc. But these feelings are NOT USUALLY the ones we base our actions on. Instead, we experience our emotions honestly, then we process what’s really going on (most of us need someone to listen and reflect our conclusions back at us– external processing), and THEN we respond to the situation. At the end, we take action.

If your boss yells at you unfairly and inappropriately, and you simply let your emotions tell you how to REACT IN THAT MOMENT, you might yell back. You might make the situation worse. You might tell him to his face while he’s still upset how inappropriate and out of line he’s being. You might call up HR and the head of the company and rant at them about your incompetent boss. There’s an old quote about actions taken in anger being soon regretted. …But if you give yourself time to go through all the steps, and ACT INTENTIONALLY instead, you’ll probably get much better results.

Yes, you might still decide to send an email to HR, but instead of passing the angry rant up the food chain, you might just voice some well-placed concern about your boss’s stress levels, or suggest some all-office training for better communication on team projects. You have more options, and whatever you do will come across as intelligently thought out and professional, not fearful/angry and reactive.

When I first started to acknowledge my emotions– to recognize what they were, why I was having them, and the difference between reacting and acting intentionally… sometimes it took me a few days to figure it all out and come back to finish the conversation that initially triggered my emotional defensiveness. These days, I’ve come to terms with a lot of the things that used to trigger me to angry/fearful reactions, and I just don’t get triggered as easily.

There are still some times when I need a few days to figure things out (and time to process a situation with a trusted friend and ally before I respond to the situation), but mostly this process is shorter and easier with all that practice under my belt. I can identify when I’m being triggered, and with just a pause in the conversation, I can figure out whether or not I’m really– and personally– under attack. And suddenly I’m able to interact with the real situation I’m in now, and not some situation from my childhood that I already know ended badly.

My mantra in those moments? Breathe. Breathe.
Breathe. Slowly. In. Out. Breathe.

My hope for you today is that you recognize your deeper value to the world, that you are able to feel your own emotions honestly, and then act with integrity toward the current situation, and not react to what triggered your emotional response. My hope for you is that you remember to breathe, all the days of your life.

Be Well.

| Posted in Resources, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | No Comments »

Mornings

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

I was connecting with a good friend yesterday, and told her how my morning clean-up had turned into a morning energy-working. She told me I needed to write that down, as an example of how being connected to All That Is and being an energy worker and Shamanic Healer is part of my life. How I am a shaman whether I’m officially working with a client, or just tidying up my living room before leaving for the office. And how I’m also still human. So here goes:

Having recently moved to a studio with a bit more room, I’ve finally been able to set up my permanent Community Altar in one corner. To honor and support the well-being of an acquaintance with a lot of life-challenges, I recently lit a candle on my altar for him. But I’d only burned it about half-way. The person I was asking the Universe to support is not fully emerged, fully engaged, nor fully okay with the world. He doesn’t really want his problems to go away. So I could not fully burn his healing-support candle. And it sat for a night and a day on my altar in that half-complete state.

The next morning, yesterday morning, I looked around my studio and realized that the best thing I could do with my extra half-hour before work was to CLEAN UP!! There were dirty clothes thrown beside the hamper, papers and receipts in a pile on the floor, unpacked boxes taking up room, and I really needed to put together my Ikea chair so I’ll have someplace to sit when I make Healing Bags and charged candles for clients.  I put the chair together, gathered up the papers, got ready to do laundry, and replaced the burned-out candles on my altar with fresh. Then I picked up the half-burned candle that represents my acquaintance who isn’t interested in moving his life forward. It needs to get cleared away, too.

But what could I do with the other half of the candle, the part I wasn’t going to burn? I couldn’t just put it with my ritual stuff, and I couldn’t use it for anything but that one acquaintance now that it had been dedicated to him. SO I found a bit of cloth to wrap the candle up in. And then realized that I should probably put some salt and a few pinches of herbs in with the candle stub to stop it from absorbing any more of my energy. And if I did that, I’d need some string to tie the fabric closed and keep the salt and herbs inside.

At that point, I was half-way through making a Healing Bag to honor that person, and send them on their way. And so I paused my “tidying up” to sit at the alter, focus, and get intentional about what I was putting into this particular Healing Bag with the half-burned candle and the salt, and why. The most healing thing I could do in the situation was to leave that person alone, and to release them from my life. To stop putting energy into supporting him. It wasn’t really doing either of us any good to be working together when my whole goal is responsible best-self living (as a shamanic healer, which requires a TON of integrity on my part), and his whole goal is “It’s somebody else’s fault; and to make it fair, they need to pay me for the trouble they’ve caused.” It just makes me sad.

So I crafted the Healing Bag, tied off the energy of it (and of my acquaintance), and tied the bag itself closed with a bit of intentioned string. And looked at the bundle. Now what do I do with it?

The answer I “heard” was that I was done with him, and with the medicine of that Healing Bag, so it was okay to throw it in the garbage can just behind me. REALLY?? I’ve never thrown a Healing Bag in the trash. Not even one I was finished with. But the suggestion was strong, and my intuition agreed. So I threw the Healing Bag in the garbage, and went back to cleaning my studio.

That’s the story my friend wanted me to share. Here are the other stories from that day (or at least, from the last 24 hours) that *I* want to share:

Later that day, in the library where I work and support my community part-time, I had another unexpected moment of zen. I was about an hour away from going home for the day, and I was checking in books that patrons had returned to the library. One of the books caught my eye because it’s on a topic I find endlessly interesting. As I took it from the pile, I found myself hoping that it wasn’t on hold for anybody (if it was, a message would pop up, telling me to send the book to that library patron, and ONLY that person) so that *I* could be the next person to check out the book.

Unfortunately, the book WAS on hold. Fortunately, it was on hold FOR ME! I had to laugh. Because I’d put that book on hold weeks ago, I was now the only person who COULD check it out next. I love my life.

This morning, however, was different. THIS morning, my cat found the cupboard door in the side of the bathtub, and wormed her way in. It’s a jetted tub, so there are electrical and plumbing components and insulation inside the tub-surround. Hence the door, for access. So when I woke up this morning, at O-Dark-Thirty (about two hours before my alarm, thankyouverymuch), it was to the sound of a cupboard door banging shut in the bathroom. Oh, joy. And no cat.

So after searching the studio for her, and calling a bit, I realized that she hates closed doors, and the only one that she hasn’t found a way to open yet (besides the front door of the studio, which I keep locked) was the one leading to the underside of the tub in the bathroom. I opened it, and started calling for my cat. And heard some faint meows. It took about 20 minutes for her to finish exploring, and make her winding way back to the cupboard door in the wall. I was terrified she’d get stuck. I had visions of tearing out all the ceramic tile and the tub in this rented studio in order to rescue my cat. And once she finally emerged… HOW DO I KEEP HER FROM GOING BACK IN THERE?!

She kept me awake for the next hour-and-a-half until my alarm finally did go off, because she was pissed that I’d closed the door to the bathroom, where her food is. And where the cupboard door to the tub is. She really wasn’t done exploring.

So I’ll be stopping by the hardware store after work today. And buying a couple of eye-bolts, and a padlock. For the cupboard door. Now… where did I pack my toolbox… sigh… Mornings.

| Posted in Laughter Makes the Best Medicine, Shamanic, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | No Comments »

Compromising

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

A while back, I signed up to receive “notes from the universe” via TUT email. These are personalized encouraging messages that show up in my in-box on a daily or weekly basis. Today, my note from the Universe reminded me not to compromise. Not to give up on even a little portion of my dreams and goals– what I want to accomplish in my lifetime.

Now, at the same time, I’ve been attending some couples’ counseling, which is all about finding a happy (or at least livable and respectful) compromise on the issues and challenges of our relationship. So that email from “The Universe” really got me thinking. Most of us don’t ever want to BE compromised, or feel compromised. And most of the time, to reach a compromise is to reduce your demands/expectations until someone else agrees to meet them.

And I think that’s the clue. I know myself capable of making my own dreams come true. And so long as I agree to meet my own demands/expectations/needs WITHOUT LETTING GO OF ANY OF THEM, then I don’t have to compromise. I don’t have to bargain down or give up on any of my dreams and goals for my lifetime. It’s when I start looking for someone else– someone external– to make my dreams come true that the trouble starts.

I think counseling for couples is more about learning to communicate, to listen, and to understand your partner a bit better. And a good counselor can help you learn to support your partner in productive ways, too. Good counseling is not about compromising. You gain new insights, new opportunities to have your needs met, and more tools for offering trust and support to your partner, to ensure that your partner isn’t compromising his or her dreams just to be with you. To ensure that your dreams AND YOUR PARTNER’S DREAMS continue to be the priorities in your relationship. Couples’ Counseling is for two people who are committed to fulfilling each of their dreams together. So if your partner isn’t excited about your goals, and isn’t making space for your dreams… you have three choices:

–Go to counseling and learn to communicate your needs, and have a partner who goes to counseling because they want to learn to hear and honor your needs in ways that work for both of you (and you theirs).

–Compromise your needs and expectations and goals in order to remain with a specific person. Someone who doesn’t want the same things, and doesn’t make your goals a priority.

–Find someone else, someone who appreciates you for who you are, and for where you are going, and who supports and encourages you along the way. (And you support and appreciate them, too.)

No one person can meet all of your needs, and you will wear yourself out quickly if you try to be everything that your partner needs all the time. We all need a whole community of friends, acquaintances, family and partners. For example, I care deeply about human rights, but politics depress me. My partner loves talking politics. Rather than depressing me with daily discussions of the latest political problems, I encourage my partner to find other friends or social groups who enjoy talking about politics as much as he does. That’s one of his needs that I just can’t fill. And because of this, my role becomes one of supporter instead– I encourage him to find those other folks and spend some of his free time talking politics with them. I don’t ask him to stop being interested in politics. And he doesn’t ask me to suffer through his political rants (much).

We aren’t compromising. We’re communicating with, listening to, and supporting each other. My wish for you is that you commit to a partnership with someone who communicates, listens, and supports– someone who is actively meeting their own needs, too. Someone who would gladly go to Couples’ Counseling with you if either of you ever felt that their needs weren’t being met, so that you could both learn to partner each other better. Your needs are no more important– and no less important– than anybody else’s. And if you are willing to compromise your dreams and expectations for someone else, understand that you won’t be getting them back. If you both agree that the other person’s needs are more important than yours, then that’s the compromise you’ve made to be with that person. It’s a raw deal, and it forces both of you to live a lie. My wish for you is that you live an authentic life, wholly and without compromise.

Be Well.

| Posted in A Wish For Tomorrow, Your Support, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | 2 Comments »

FYI: Seven Chakras

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

Just to let you all know, I’ve sent the first round of personal individual emails out to everyone whom I know has registered for the Seven Chakras in Seven Months online workshop. If you have not received an email from me, and intend to participate in this workshop, PLEASE EMAIL ME AGAIN. I look forward to including you!

Be Well.

| Posted in Get Involved/How-To, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Root Chakra

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Welcome to the first month of the Seven Chakras/Chakra Healing online workshop. Whether you’ve signed up to actively participate, or are simply interested in learning a bit about the Chakras, welcome.

This is a fairly long post, but don’t worry. It’s a once-a-month thing. For those of you who’ve registered, your email about Root Chakra will arrive sometime this week. I’m glad to be working with you. For those who just wandered in to read my usual blog posts, lucky you!

Chakra One, the Root Chakra, is represented by a deep red color. It is located at the Perineum, near the base of the spine. It’s energy focuses on the element Earth, on our roots, grounding or groundedness, survival, security, day-to-day reality, body, food, matter, and beginning. And so we are beginning.

If you’ve heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of human needs, this chakra focuses on the base of the triangle– food, shelter, safety. When the Root Chakra is blocked or underdeveloped, it means that everything above it isn’t built on a firm foundation. We might have issues with trust, be easily unbalanced or pushed off-kilter by life events. It may be hard for us to overcome challenges and turn obstacles into opportunities. And we tend to live in a fight, flight, or freeze mentality where we expect to be treated badly in every new situation. We often make fear-based decisions when our Root Chakra is blocked, and often say, “But what if THIS horrible thing happens?!”

People with a healthy Root Chakra have a wider variety of coping mechanisms– like deep breathing, taking time to think through difficult decisions, asking for support from trusted–and trustworthy–friends, a regular work-out routine, etc. We often have a sense that things will work out for the best, and we are actively and successfully working toward a life worth living every day. We seem sure of ourselves, solid in our opinions and preferences, without being angry or defensive.

The Root Chakra affects our nervous system from the ground (or root) up. It also relates to the solid parts of our bodies– our bones, and large intestine (which passes solid waste). The Root Chakra is our opportunity to heal or re-balance our legs, feet, and knees, as well.

The Root Chakra is the most dense, having to do with solid matter, so it is also the slowest to change. There is a lot packed into its function, or lack of function, in our lives. “If we do not balance this chakra before we progress to others, our growth will be without roots, ungrounded, and will lack the stability necessary for true growth.” (Wheels of Life- Anodea Judith, Ph.D)

According to K. Govinda (A Handbook of Chakra Healing), blockages in the Root Chakra can cause a number of ailments, including:

  • Digestive disorders
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Constipation
  • Lower back pain
  • Sciatica
  • Skeletal problems
  • Osteoporosis
  • Pain in the legs and feet
  • Varicose veins
  • Anemia and other blood disorders
  • Stress-induced ailments
  • Allergic reactions
  • Anxiety
  • Lack of Trust
  • Depression
  • Fear-based codependency, which creates a sense of security when with the grounded person

So what can we do? How do we begin to unblock and to heal the flow of energy through this chakra?

Begin by taking walks, noticing the colors of the earth under our feet, taking a beginner’s Yoga or Tai Chi class, stamping your feet, jumping up and down, or receiving professional massage. These are all great ways to reconnect with your body, and strengthen its connection to the Earth.

When I first started working with my under-developed Root Chakra, I found a cheap red cotton bath mat, and used it as a cushion during my attempts at meditation. I put a few drops of Clove EO on the edge of the mat. It was my way of focusing my attention and my energies on reconnecting my Root Chakra with the earth, and utilizing my Root Chakra as the basis of my new healing process– the foundation that holds up my body. “Resting on the ground, we cannot fall, which provides a sense of inner security. It is at the first chakra plane that ideas become reality.” (A. Judith)

Tools for working with the chakras include Essential Oils, Herbal Teas, Stones, Bach Flower Remedies, and healing rituals. If your Root Chakra is well-developed and flowing strongly, a little positive attention and maintenance doesn’t hurt. Who knows, you may even uncover new understandings of who you are, and how you got here.

Here’s a final checkup (from K. Govinda) of when you need to work on your Root Chakra:

  • If you feel you’ve lost trust in life
  • If you don’t feel at home in your own body
  • If you are easily overwhelmed by life
  • If you feel chronically tired and lacking in energy
  • If you don’t exercise enough
  • If your digestion isn’t working properly (this covers any/all parts of the process from top to bottom)
  • If you have a tendency toward back pain

Here are some resources for Root Chakra healing:

Essential oils such as cloves, rosemary, cypress, and cedar. Putting a few drops of one of these that appeals to you on a hankerchief, and smelling it from time to time during the day is a great start. You can even take something like this to work with you.

Consider purchasing a little piece of ruby, hematite, or garnet stone, and holding it or keeping it with you over the course of our month. Different stones have different electromagnetic vibrations, which interact with our own bodily energetic vibrations in different ways. By holding a piece of garnet in our palm– our Activated Secondary Chakra– we can re-tune the vibration of our Root Chakra Energy.  And a more “down-to-earth” explanation of this healing method is that the specific stone you select is connected to your Root Chakra healing process in your mind. So every time you touch or notice that stone, you’ll remember the work you are doing to clear your Root Chakra.

Most important of all, make your own decisions about what will be best for you and your health.

The inner state we achieve when our Root Chakra is well-grounded and freely flowing is one of stillness, security, and stability.

With a solid Root Chakra comes our understanding that we each have the right to be here. We have the right to have good health and happiness. Root Chakra includes the right to be, and the right to have. What are you telling yourself you don’t deserve? How different would your efforts at self-healing be if you DID deserve to be well, to have security and balance in your life?

Sometimes the mantras associated with each chakra can also have a powerful effect on our understanding. Find a piece of red paper, or one whose color appeals to you, and write “I have the RIGHT TO BE HERE.” Post it on your bathroom mirror, or somewhere that you will see it every day. Other mantras might include “I enjoy my body.” or “I trust myself and the Earth to provide all that I need.” maybe “I am becoming whole.” or “I am enough.” You can also make your own positive statement. It needs to be a statement that you WANT to be true about you. And you need to read it aloud to yourself several times a day– especially when you are feeling insecure or unsupported.

Take a few minutes, or a few hours, every day to focus on the connection between your Root Chakra and the Earth. Feel the connection grow stronger. Feel your foundation grow stronger. Put your roots deep into the Earth and share her energy. Feel the energy of the Earth feeding the energy of your own vitality. We’re all here on Earth, working on our own personal challenges, and finding our own personal joy.

Maybe there is a specific experience or situation in your past (or present) that you’ve decided to focus on healing with Chakra Energy. What did you do to take care of yourself and your physical well-being during that experience, or that time in your life? What choices and resources did you have back then? You probably did the best you could with what you had.

How does that experience inform your current goals, or the understanding you have of your own abilities, skills, resources, and potential? How have your abilities, skills, and options changed and grown since then? Maybe your needs and self-awareness have even changed. Think about areas of your life now where you could integrate that past experience and the lessons it taught you. The lessons that make you stronger– not the fear-based ones.  Think about building a solid foundation for your current goals and projects and health. Being alive includes taking risks and embracing changes. Become intentional about accepting healthy risks and embracing positive changes.

Get solid with yourself. There are decisions, experiences, successes in your past that you can celebrate. Celebrate yourself– get past the shallow cultural norm that says we shouldn’t acknowledge our strengths, abilities, and personal beauty. I’m here to tell you that you are beautiful– from the inside out. And eventually, we become our own solid core– we create our own place to belong in the world, and people it with the folks who truly see us, and love us as we are now.

The Root Chakra is all about Earth, and Smell, and  Grounding, and Survival. It’s about building a strong base and a strong framework for your ongoing growth. Consider burning some cedar incense during your evening meditation, or holding a chunk of garnet or bloodstone in your free hand as you take an evening stroll. Maybe you’ll put a drop of essential oil on the wax of a tea light candle, and let the light and the smell honor your ability to survive your past, and acknowledge that the best is yet to come. Feel solid in your own body and your own path– whether you can see the path clearly yet or not. Healing chakras isn’t usually about instant miracles. It’s about taking many small intentional steps over a long time. We often don’t realize how far we’ve come until we pause and look back at where we started.

Animals associated with the Root Chakra include Elephants, Ox, and the Bull. Good solid animals, known as the embodiment of wisdom, and removers of obstacles. Once they make a decision about what path they will take, it is impossible to stop their progress along that path. The chief operating force of the Root Chakra is gravity. Gravity is the force that hugs you to the Earth. It shapes our entire world. Slow your breathing. Allow your body and your Root Chakra to hold your weight– let your point of balance ride low in your body. Deep breaths, at your own relaxed pace. Let the bowl of your pelvic and abdominal cavities relax and make room so that you occupy your whole body, and not just your head or the top half of your lungs. Relax into your Self.

Think about that. Feel yourself held firmly against Mother Earth by the supporting force of Gravity. Understand that you are securely attached to Earth– and that we are constantly surrounded by energy. Gravity is one form of Energy. Earth is another, and you yourself are another form of Energy. Let the energy flow. Let yourself be one with the larger energy of the Earth. Become a tree. Stretch deep your roots and wide your branches, and breathe. Feel the sun, the wind. Smell the earth of a freshly-turned garden or a sun-baked pine tree. For this moment, feel secure inside your own skin.

Be Well.

Tags: , | Posted in Resources, To Your Health, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | 1 Comment »

Secondary Chakras

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

As you may have heard, I’m offering a free and self-guided online Chakra Healing workshop, starting in May. We’re calling it the Seven Chakras. Before we begin, I’d like to share with you a bit of VITAL INFORMATION about the Secondary Chakras. (Capitalizing the words “vital information” made me laugh. We need to laugh as we heal ourselves. Don’t get too caught up in perfection.)  Also, I still haven’t looked up whether or not Chakra is supposed to be capitalized. And since I vacillate between wanting to respect something as specific and powerful as a Chakra, and knowing that it’s probably not something you have to capitalize when speaking generally of chakras, sometimes the word “chakra” will be capitalized, and sometimes not. Now, on to the important stuff:

Generally speaking, chakras are points of energy within the body. Places where energy gathers. Some books say there are hundreds of these points within the body. Most books focus on the primary Seven Chakras. Which is what our workshop will do as well. These seven happen to align with the spine, with the first chakra– Root Chakra– at the base of the spine (sort of), and the seventh chakra– Crown Chakra– hovering aura-like on the top of your head. However, the Secondary Chakras– the ones in the palms of your hands, and in the base of your feet– are also important to the work we’ll be doing.

You see, the Secondary Chakras in your feet are used to ground your whole body for doing energy work with the Chakras, and the Secondary Chakras in your palms are used to activate the energy in each of your primary Seven Chakras. Here’s how:

You may find it helpful to read through each exercise before you begin.
Sit down comfortably, on a chair, with your feet flat on the ground. Notice that this gives you a three-point connection to the earth. Each sole of your foot, and your bottom. Since the Root Chakra (the foundational chakra that grounds you to the earth) is located at the base of your spine (sort of), it is your center grounding point. But balancing on a single point isn’t all that stable. Using the Secondary Chakras in the feet gives you a three-point basis. A balanced and sturdy foundation.

Visualize roots growing through your feet and down from your bottom into the earth, rooting you in the Earth. Visualize yourself being solidly supported by the Earth, and connecting to her calm and sturdy energy through your three points of contact– right foot, left foot, bottom. Breathe Earth Energy up into your body through your roots. Breathe YOUR energy back down into Earth. It is a strong energetic connection. A way of releasing negative emotions and overwhelming energy. A way of receiving healing energy in return. The earth recycles energy. For her, it is just energy. And these emotions and fears and your sense of exhaustion… they are not attacks on Mother Earth. You are giving her the energy you cannot use in exchange for receiving recycled Earth Energy from her that you CAN use. Nourishment from the Earth.

This is one way of “Grounding” yourself and your energy effectively. You’ll want to practice this connection, as it supports the energy balancing and healing work we’ll do with each of your Seven Chakras over the next few months.

Now. Hand Chakras. How do you feel the most centered, the most calm? Not comatose– not how do you watch TV comfortably– but rather, to center and calm yourself, do you sit up in a chair, do you do yoga (Tree Pose is GREAT for activating foot chakra and Root Chakra energy, by the way), do you sit cross-legged, lotus-style on a pillow on the floor? Do that. Whatever that position is, find it. Feel how you can still use your three points of contact to ground yourself– your personal root system that solidly joins you to the Earth. Now, hold your hands in front of you, fingers pointing up, palms together. Let your wrists relax, and your fingers droop out away from the body just a bit.

Rub your palms together– around and around in tiny flat circles– to activate the Secondary Chakras in your hands. Gently. Don’t push them together, just maintain contact. Do this until your palms start to feel warm against each other. (Or cool! — it’s a shift in energy that feels a little different for each person. If you don’t feel anything, just circle your palms for about 30 seconds, and then move on to the next step, but start with a 2-inch gap.) Then, slowly, pull your palms apart– straight apart from each other, across your body. Start with pulling your hands apart until there is a gap of about six inches. Can you still feel that warmth connecting your palms? Go further– eight inches. Can you still feel it? The way your two hands are connected by Energy, even though they don’t physically touch each other now. That is chakra energy. Don’t think too hard. This isn’t a mental exercise. This is an energetic exercise. The best thing to do for your mind is to breathe slowly and deeply, and allow the energy to do it’s thing. Just allow.

I usually end this exercise after a couple of times of rubbing my palms together and seeing how far apart my hands can go while still feeling that energetic connection. Hold your hands at that point where the connection still exists, see if you can allow that connection to exist for a few minutes at a time. It’s a way of growing your ability to work intentionally with your personal energy. A way of becoming intentional about where your energy goes and how strong it is. Eventually, you will be able to use this practice with the Secondary Chakra Energy of your hands to activate the flow of energy in your Seven Chakras as well. If you want to understand how this works, activate the chakras in your palms, and pull them far enough apart to slide one hand on each side of your neck, near the base of your throat. One in front, one behind. Keep your hands together enough that the Chakra Energy is still felt strongly between them. And move your hands up to bracket your throat. Your fingers may not face the same direction for this part– the relationship between your palms are what’s important.

Most people have a hard time expressing themselves honestly to the world. That is what the Fifth Chakra– Throat Chakra– is all about. So using your Secondary Chakra Energy– healing energy– to activate your Throat Chakra is a great way of stimulating positive energetic flow in the way you interact with the world. Simply sit there with that chakra energy flowing between your two palms– through your Throat Chakra– for a few minutes, or until you feel that connection begin to fade. I usually end my practice– strengthening my hand chakras or using them to activate other chakras– by bringing my palms back together, fingers flat against each other, pointing straight up.  Just for a moment. It intentionally ends the connection between your hand chakras. It’s also a way of gently appreciating all the universe provides. Appreciating all that we are capable of doing to heal ourselves and renew our connection to The Great Something– the energy that fills all life. Then I allow my hands to be just hands again, get up, stretch my knees and ankles a bit, and get on with my day.

Be Well.

Tags: | Posted in Get Involved/How-To, Resources, To Your Health, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Seven Chakras

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Two years ago, I began a series of blogs about the Chakras. A self-led on-line class for folks who wanted to rebuild their lives and energy. Folks who were searching for their sense of Self in the world, and needed something solid to start with– tools and resources for re-balancing their lives.

The Welcome Bell

I went back to read those posts, and they’re a great resource! So, with the encouragement of my online client community, I’m going to return to that project and that Chakra Healing process. If you’d like to participate, please send me an email titled “Seven Chakras” and tell me a little about why you’d like to spend the next seven months focusing on your Chakras.

Here’s how it works: I’ll post a couple of blogs about a specific Chakra each month. If you’ve asked to participate via email, I will also send you a personal email about rebuilding that Chakra, and how it relates to your personal life challenges. You are welcome to correspond with me via email during that month– about your personal process of healing. And best of all, it’s FREE.

Next year (2013) I’ll be offering a year-long workshop series that focuses on healing and balancing the Chakras. The Chakra Year. If you’d like to attend that workshop in person, the fee is $950. In addition to the monthly in-person workshop and included one-time Healer Reading of your Chakras, there will be opportunities to work with a skilled kinesthetic healer and masseuse on your embodied challenges as they relate to that month’s Chakra. (Additional fees apply.)

The Chakra Year is a great workshop, and an incredible opportunity to receive hands-on energetic healing. I highly recommend it. But if you can’t participate in that, this summer’s “Seven Chakras” blog-based series offers many of the same resources.

So again, if you’d like to participate in the “Seven Chakras” online, please send me an email with “Seven Chakras” in the subject heading, and a little information about what draws you to balance and heal your Chakras at this time.  (brooke @    BeWellMedicine.com) I’ll respond within 36 hours, so you’ll know you’re on the list. We’ll begin our work with the Root Chakra on May 1st, so don’t wait too long to sign up.

In the meantime, look for my blog post about the all-important Secondary Chakras later this week, and check out the original blogs that inspired this summer offering: http:seven-chakras-in-seven-months Of course, the first blog about the Root Chakra (the starting point) is at the bottom of the page, and you can work your way up from there.

Be Well.

Tags: | Posted in Get Involved/How-To, Register Now!, Resources, To Your Health, Workshops, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Location, Location, Location

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

By the time you read this, I will be happily ensconced in my new home. I will have the craft supplies stashed on a shelf (okay, three shelves), the books organized (well, MOSTLY organized), and the alarm clock reset for Monday (LATE on Monday). By the time you read this, I will have eaten something, and I may even be taking a nap with my cat, resting up after all that box-slinging and excitement.

You see, I’ve become a local again, and I’m very excited about it. Available for individual client consults EVERY WEEKEND, and able to schedule workshop offerings based on what is needed when, and not “When is my next trip into Portland, and how much can I do while I’m there?!” I think it’s going to be a positive shift for all of us. Even my cat. Because now, I can go home after giving an evening workshop. And by the time you read this, home will be a very nice place indeed.

Be Well.

| Posted in Blessings, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Security

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Ever heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy? It’s a list of human needs, ordered by priority. Basically, we all need food, clothing, shelter, and physical safety. Those are very basic. If we don’t have them, it’s difficult to feel that ANY of our needs are being met. Food. Clothing. Safe Place to Sleep. “Shelter” really has so many important meanings when we talk about basic needs.

Well, I realize that each of us has also developed something that we rely on to know that we’re okay. Sometimes it’s a place that we can always go to cry or be safe, no matter what. Sometimes its a person who always loves us no matter what. Sometimes its a food that comforts us. But always, the piece of our Basic Needs that Maslow didn’t really address is the need to feel loved. People will give up almost anything to have THIS need met. Even their personal safety. Even food.

Most of us had a stuffed animal or a blanket that was our “security blanket” as a small child. I still have mine. A very well-hugged teddy bear, and a weird striped throw blanket that I adopted at the age of 3. As an adult, I have a different “security blanket.” For me, a big piece of my security comes from being able to buy quality foods at the grocery. Stuff that tastes good, is organic, etc. That makes me feel secure. It’s my must-have in life. And thanks to Food Stamps, I know that this security blanket can never be taken away from me.

You see, when I became conscious of how dependent I was on some of my belongings for a sense of security (ie: I must have THAT LAMP in my house to really feel like it’s my home!), I started consciously working to diversify the things and people that I rely on. That make me feel lovable and loved. That way, when things change– when the lamp breaks, or the friend moves to a different town– I will mourn that piece of my life being less available, but I won’t lose my sense of basic security in the world.

And then I realized that for my cat, *I* am her security blanket. If I’m not home enough, or I leave her alone in a strange place with strange people for too long, she gets stressed out, and she starts to gorge herself on cat food, and eventually makes herself so sick that she starts to throw up. But as soon as I come home again, and it looks like I’ll be around for a while, and she’s had some lap-time to get lots of kitty reassurances, she’s fine again. Her security blanket has returned to her life.

What, or who, is YOUR security blanket? What makes you feel loved? And what’s your backup plan, so that your sense of security can never really be taken away?

Be Well.

| Posted in Resources, To Your Health, Your Support, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

Buoyant Optimism

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

Who knew that “buoyant” was spelled like THAT?!

As I learn about chemical sensitivity, detox for a body overloaded by everyday chemicals, and how to manage my symptoms, I’m excited. I mean, there are moments when I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and grumpy. Like the moment I discovered the fake bread I’d had with dinner STILL contained foods I’m allergic to, even tho it was wheat and dairy free. Can you still call it BREAD at that point? Really?

But for the most part, the reality that I can do something about the rash on my arm, the exhaustion in my brain, and the way I wake up at 3 am gagging on my own snot… It’s a relief to have a diagnosis and a treatment plan that are actually working. It’s GOOD NEWS that if I just remove these twelve items from my diet, filter my tap water, and sleep on an all-cotton bed– I’ll actually get to sleep all night, pain and allergy-attack FREE. I’m not resentful about my medical diagnosis. I’m grateful to have one. I don’t have to feel crappy anymore. I don’t have to feel guilty about how tired I get after a simple trip to the local corporate food store.

Because now I understand WHY I’m that tired, and I have a natural treatment for dealing with that. No drugs.

In fact, my new reality REQUIRES me to live the organic, healthy, pollution-free life I’ve always wanted anyway. It isn’t just a waste of money to buy organic foods– my doctor WANTS me to! And it isn’t a luxury to have all-cotton sheets and all-cotton clothes, it’s a perscription. If I want to keep myself rash-free, I have to wrap myself in cotton. So to speak.

Recently, I’ve encouraged several of my good friends to consider that they might also be sensitive to chemicals, like I am. Because I do love them (friend-love, as Emma would say), and because I see them suffering like I was, and feeling guilty and incurable– and it just doesn’t have to be that way. But in that process, I’ve discovered that most people are more afraid of the diagnosis than of the suffering. They’d rather not know that they HAVE to eat organic now. They don’t want to feel different, sensitive, restricted because they have a specific illness or disease. And I just don’t see it that way. Knowing what my parameters for heath are actually FREES ME to be healthy, and live well with what I CAN DO.

It’s forced me to recognize my buoyant optimism as a personal strength, and not just a normal attribute that all humans share. That optimism has gotten me through so many life challenges. And I’m just not that old yet, so the universe has certainly given me a LOT of opportunities to develop my strength. I’m so grateful to have it. To see the gift of MCS, and not the curse of a disease. It makes me think more compassionately about the unique individual experiences and strengths that each person who lives a good life AND HAS A DISEASE must bring to the table. Courageous.

What is your disease? Addiction? AIDS? Hay Fever? Cancer? Poverty? MCS? How have you chosen to live with it? I was watching OPB’s Art Beat last night. The man they featured is a talented musician, making his way in the world professionally as such. But as a college student, he was diagnosed with cancer. And he credits that cancer with changing his life for the better. He wouldn’t be living this great life of his now, at the age of 40, if he hadn’t battled cancer at an early age. I hope for you that you see the opportunities and strengths that this particular challenge has brought into your life.

Be Well.

| Posted in Research/Info, Resources, To Your Health, authored by: S. Brooke Elliott | Comments Off

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