spiritualmom's Blog

PMDD – Premenstrual dysphoric disorder – teenage years

For many years, since puberty if I’m honest, the ‘time of the month’ has never been easy for me.

If you created a list of every PMS symptom that a woman gets related to our hormonal cycle, then I could check all them – oh, except for headaches, that’s the only symptom I DON’T get.

As a teenager, hot water bottles were my constant companion on a monthly basis.  I used Aspirin and Ibuprofen, neither of which gave me much relief.

About an hour later and the intense cramps and nausea were back, leaving me 3 hours to ride them out until the next pill.

PMDD – mid-twenties plus a high stress job

Then during my mid-twenties cyclical depression set in.  Each month when my period was due my mood would head south.  Some months were better than others and during those months I could joke about it.  You know – that joke about

“Q:Why does it take a woman with PMS 4 hours to cook a chicken?  A: <shouting> BECAUSE IT DOES!”

Other months I would be so depressed and exhausted at the end of my long work day that I remember walking into the house with my winter coat and boots on and getting straight into bed -  coat, boots and all.

It probably didn’t help just then that I had started a high stress job as a computer help desk assistant with a 2.5 hour commute each way into Central London.

My training had consisted of a few written notes, a rushed demonstration from a fairly quiet spoken ‘computer manager’ on how to shut down and power up a rack of modems and 3 mainframe computers.  Okay then.

With a large client base of very shouty and sweary broadcast media clients both in the office and remotely based who were new to ‘all this computer stuff’ I guess my energy was ripe for the draining!

I remember one lady being so frustrated she walked into the office, screamed at me and then walked out again.  At least I was surrounded by positive people in that office who could all laugh with me – that did help.

To be fair, that particular lady thought better of herself and the next day came in with a box of chocolates.  If anyone reading this has to work with computer support people, please remember to give them a smile and a kind word – they are always doing their best to help you and don’t want your stuff going wrong either!

Then one day…I just couldn’t go to work

Probably the combination of all of the above led to a day where my body refused to go in to work.

Prior to this, when it got really busy a few weeks before I had found myself hiding in the bathroom at work and shaking and sweating.  I had thought at the time maybe I had a bug – but in retrospect I realized I was having panic attacks.

The stress of the job and the constant drain on my body from my imbalanced hormonal cycles – and I suspect lack of sleep with the commute – led me to wake up one morning with the knowledge that I wasn’t going in that day, at least.  I felt really, really low and my body just felt heavy.

I phoned in with some excuse and went to my local doctor.  It was a father/son practice and the father was on his last day of work the day I went to see him. I’ll always remember his kindness born of years and experience as I wept and wailed in front of him, not knowing how else to express my fear and anxiety.

He said “I have had 5 other people in here today with similar issues to yourself.  We live a very high stress lifestyle Sarah – it’s not your fault“.  He suggested that I try anti-depressants and he would connect me with a psychotherapist who could work through the behavioral issues.

My first cycle of treatment – anti-depressants and psychotherapy

I was concerned about taking the antidepressants but at that point was desperate.  So I agreed.

Within 4 or 5 hours of taking them (extremely low dose seratonin reuptake inhibitor) I was camped out on my sofa at home feeling happy for no reason.  I took a prescribed two week break from work for a ‘virus’ – which my doctor signed me off for – he said my reasons were none of my bosses business – and I started seeing the psychotherapist.  He seemed like a really nice guy too talking to someone other than family members or friends really seemed to help.

After two weeks I went back to work, continued with the anti-depressants for a few months and continued with the psychotherapist.

Things seemed to settle down. I was functional at work, didn’t get so stressed out when the people got stressed out and got better at my job.

I still had the bad physical symptoms with my cycle even though I had taken the contraceptive pill since I was 19.  It made no difference there, strangely – other than adding weight gain to my list of woes.

Change some aspect of my life – that will fix the PMDD

I decided that one of the problems must be my job.  It was too stressful, the commute was too long and I just couldn’t hack it.  During this time though I had started training people to use a new software system and really enjoyed the training work.

My then husband and I had moved out of London to East Sussex around the time I changed to this new job – I thought a local job might be better (I couldn’t take a break, we had a big mortgage to pay, another stressor).  I would have more sleep, have a shorter commute and stress would be less.

I found a job as a computer training assistant with a local Water Utilities company and applied.  It seemed great…a half hour drive, nice location near Brighton, East Sussex and good pay and prospects.  I’d have to take a pay cut, but I would have to pay for travel to London either, so financially it all worked out…until the next round of PMDD took me down again…

Do you suffer from PMDD or think you may have the symptoms?

Here’s a link from the US National Library of Medicine with more information

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Peace from Broken Pieces and the way my mind works

I was fortunate enough to read this book around Christmas time – Peace from broken Pieces by Iyanla Vanzant.

Iyanla relates the story of her childhood and life as a woman – and how being treated as unworthy as a child and being sexually abused affected her life and her children’s lives as they were growing up also.

If your family patterns have been difficult or you don’t feel in touch with your broken pieces, then I highly recommend this book – it’s not an easy read, but a deep one.

One of concepts I really like about this part of Iyanla’s work is how she uses her family’s history to shed light on the nature of family pathology.

What is family pathology?

Think of family pathology as unhelpful or damaging behavior that a child experiences, which then gets passed down to the next generational member of the family.  Here are three examples to give you a hook to hang this on.

1. Saying one thing and doing another is one form of family pathology.  A parent may say ‘We don’t lie in this house’ and then go on to lie about something repeatedly, which the child will sense on an energetic level and be constantly shown the mismatch in behavior verses what is actually said.  A form of lying in itself…
2. Repeating patterns of abuse based on the abuse received from a previous generation is another example.  E.g. beating a child when they have misbehaved, perhaps even using the same implement or approach that the abuser’s parent used.
3. Having a knee-jerk response and being unaware of causing distress to any children present.  A parent is unaware than something triggers them, will scream and shout about it, then carry on about their business as if everything is absolutely normal.  The child may experience distress at this outburst, but also get the message ‘this behavior is completely normal, it’s okay to be triggered and unaware and then we go about our business’.

Given this frame, I’m quite sure many readers on this list would be able to start listing their own family’s pathological patterns – or be able to observe these kinds of patterns in other families or group behavior.

Perhaps you have heard this one – Children do as you DO, not what you SAY [Click to tweet]

It’s uncomfortably true.  Children are our best mirrors and as a result, our best teachers.  From staying in the moment to questioning our behavior, they are there for us.

In my family one of the patterns of family pathology was to have a strong emotional reaction to something, but not discuss it.

In one of her teaching videos, Iyanla Vanzant describes this as ‘There’s an ‘alligator’ chewing the leg off the living room table, but everyone chooses to ignore it and talk about the weather‘.

Perhaps there’s a huge family elephant in the room…the child sees it!  If the child mentions what they are feeling, sensing and ‘knowing’ through their body awareness, often they are shut down and told to remove themselves from the room.

In my house, if I ‘gave voice’ to the elephant, I had to leave the room and go to my room and have the experience by myself – an effective punishment which in the long run turned me into an observer and not a commenter.  Why comment if it’s only going to get me in trouble?

Now there are all sorts of reasons for this kind of group behavior, some of them valid.  When it leaves a child confused and isolated without an explanation though – the result is a broken piece of that child.

The Akashic Records help to identify ancestral patterns

From my recent study in learning to read the Akashic Records, I see a connection here in how we are taught to assist people with a reading surrounding a family issue or problem and the issue of family pathology as defined by Iyanla Vanzant.

In the Akashic Records work we can help the client to identify an ancestral pattern, defined as ‘a behavioral pattern we can name’.

Three examples of ancestral patterns from the viewpoint of the Akashic Records are:-

1. Self-sabotage.  E.g. compulsive over-eating, addiction, or some other kind of self-limiting behavior.
2. Self-doubt.  A lack of belief in the power of the self.
3. Controlling behavior.  Abuse of power over others so that the perpetrator feels bigger – at least for a while – and the other(s) feel diminished.

Again, looking at life through this lens, I’m sure many readers on this list could quite quickly identify ancestral patterns in their own line or in other family groups in their life.

How to help identify and potentially heal family pathology and ancestral patterns?

Someone like Iyanla Vanzant uses very powerful counseling and energetic tools to help identify and have people do the work of healing their family pathology if it is causing them pain or distress or holding them back.

Within the Akashic Records work, if a client has a family problem then more often than not, ancestral patterns are involved and sometimes even Past Lives.

An Akashic Records reader can help the client to open their Records and have them ask the difficult questions, such as ‘Why did my father always____________?’  Or ‘What was my mother thinking when she_____________?’  Often the Akashic Records will offer up deeper insight on the nature of the ancestral pattern, when it started and why it has manifested in the client’s life…or even in the lives prior to the client’s current life.

Once the energy is described and more light cast on the issue, the client often finds that their experience of the issue changes too.

I am learning to overcome my family pathology and ancestral patterns – it takes a lot of work – first to accurately identify them and secondly to clear the energy around them and heal any broken pieces.  I believe my children are worth it.

Like to learn more about the Akashic Records?  I’ve created this new Facebook Page where you can post questions!  It’s called Akashic Messages.

Did you find this article useful or helpful? You can sign up for free monthly Energetics Updates including a monthly email, intuitive exercises and updates about New World Energetics, my online practice. Until next time!
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So you’re having a great day…

All is well in your world, you are growing and glowing and then – shazam – you interact with somebody else and your high spirits act like a pricked balloon and head into your boots.

Up until that point in the day, all was good in your world, until THAT happened.

Now you feel emotionally drained, perhaps even physically unwell and have no idea where it all came from.  You need a time out, maybe even a day out, or more – simply to regain your balance.

Have you been energetically ‘slimed’?

It’s entirely possible that you were slimed!  As opposed to the fun aspect of being slimed at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards – the kind of sliming I’m talking about is entirely different and can happen at a moment’s notice.

As I move on through my Spiritual Journey – my main focus of study has been about the nature of our energy fields and how our fields can affect each other, or be affected by the world around us.

One thing I have learned for sure is that people can hook into other people’s energy, or change a person’s resonance or vibration – sometimes consciously and sometimes without even knowing that they are doing so.

If you are a Sensitive or more empathic than most – then you may notice this more than most!

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP?

I recently read The Highly Sensitive by Heidi Sawyer.  This book really helped me because I found a piece of information literally on the first page about our energy bodies or ‘Jiva’.

The sensitive unconsciously gives extra Jiva or vital energy to those who can’t generate it themselves.  When under pressure yourself, you haven’t enough Jiva even though others still unconsciously absorb like the sponge the vital energy you do have.  This is the reason the company of others makes you tired.

I have noticed this happens sometimes when I am with a client, or even a potential client.  We talk, we part, the client reports a shift or a great result of some kind – and I feel drained, even with all my energy tools, pink bubbles and angels of protection in place!

I have so far experienced 3 general ways in which other people have either consciously or unconsciously shifted my energy field and caused a drop in resonance,

1.  Energetic Vampirism – yes, it does exist!

2.  Another soul needing your light or Ji more than you do (as in Heidi Sawyer’s example).

3.  Another soul needing you to be ‘like them’ with such a strong resonance that they take your vibration down a notch or two to make themselves feel better or ‘the same’.

Before we go any further…a word about judgement

In my current studies of the Akashic Records, I am beginning to learn about the energies of the Akasha.

One of the guiding principles when working in the Records is ‘Judge Not‘.  I can only learn to become a really great Akashic Records reader if I can see the other person in the Light of the Records when I am reading for them, truly ‘get’ who they are and see their light – and not just their shadows.

As you read the rest of this article, be aware that we ALL have energy fields.  I am quite sure that I have taken another’s ‘Ji’ whilst working with other energy teachers, albeit in an unaware state.

I can honestly say that I’ve never intentionally been an energy ‘vampire’, but who can say for sure what happened when I’ve been out of present awareness?

I’m quite sure that in my younger years I took other people down in resonance to make myself feel better – one example of that is scoring a point with somebody or forcing an agreement with them when we knew all along it was not what they wanted…can you honestly say you’ve never done that?

So the focus is – if our energy is ‘taken’, if we feel ‘slimed’ – what can we do about it? 

If you interact with someone and your energy has been impacted in a way that feels negative to you…

1. If your intuition or guidance tells you that energetic vampirism is involved, ask to identify the method and reason and use Archangel Michael’s white light shield to prevent further interaction.  (Use the freecool tools below for extra information).  Also use the power of your own inner voice to disconnect the other person from their entry point into your field.
2. If you are working with or have completed spiritual work with somebody else and you feel drained, take responsibility and time to rebuild your own light-body or ‘Jiva’ with regular spiritual practice.
3. If someone else is trying to take you down vibrationally speaking (main intention here is to make them feel more comfortable, so that you become ‘like them’, take a time out if you have been triggered by their behavior.  It may be that you have some healing to do also.Think of ways that you can set good boundaries with the person and act on your ideas.  Also take time if appropriate for thanking the other person for sharing their point of view (no matter how angrily or nastily they did it).  This will disarm the ego and give the other person some breathing space also.

My first free cool tools – help yourself if you’ve been energetically slimed or want to know what to do in the future

I’ve created a special PDF and sound file to support you with this process.

Listen to the Energetically Slimed Sound File here.

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Download the PDF here – it’s a short guide and questionnaire.

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Download (PDF, 720KB)

Know that we are all energy!

As we all continue to grow and learn on our individual spiritual journeys and on our planetary journey of spiritual awakening, more and more people will become aware of their light bodies and the responsibility this entails.

Keep working on your own spiritual growth, share what you know and it can only benefit all of us in the long run.
Until next time.

Did you enjoy this article? You can sign up for free monthly Energetics Updates including a monthly email, intuitive exercises and updates about New World Energetics, my online practice. Until next time!
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Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O Clifton PhD

I’m currently studying online at Marie Forleo’s business school to learn more about how to develop my online practice.

One of the suggested books on the reading list is Now, Discover Your Strengths.

Based on the research work of Donald Clifton who used Gallup surveys to ask millions of people around the world ‘what are your strengths’ (amongst other positively-framed questions), Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham wrote this book to start the ‘strengths revolution’.

Discover Your Strengths – so THIS is what I’ve been doing!

OK that may sound a little flippant however the first few lines really resonated with me and made me happy!

Guided by the belief that good is the opposite of bad, mankind has for centuries pursued its fixation with fault and failing.

Doctors have studied disease in order to learn about health.

Psychologists have investigated sadness in order to learn about joy.

Therapists have looked into the causes of divorce in order to learn about happy marriage.

And in schools and workplaces around the world, each one of us has been encouraged to identify analyze and correct our weaknesses in order to become strong.

I have come across this concept of discovering my strengths before…

I began learning about these concepts initially whilst attending NLP™ (Neuro-Linguistic Programming™) workshops with Richard Bandler who suggested directly to me ‘How much bliss can you stand?’  Nobody had ever framed the world quite that way before.

Later in my ‘training period’ I worked with renowned expert in entrepreneurial and professional transformation Dr Joseph Riggio who suggested the following premise “Why go where the problem IS?  Instead, go where the problem ISN’T!”.  Again, a concept I had never been exposed to before.

What is a Strength?

A Strength as defined in Now, Discover Your Strengths is “consistent near perfect performance in an activity“.

Now before we get too put off by this definition, the aim here is to find your natural talents, or ways that you express yourself in the world that you find the easiest because your brain works that way.

Or, even more simply, ‘What are you really good at?’

There are 34 Strengths defined in the book, some examples are – Achiever, Maximizer, Learner, Ideation, Strategic, Restorative.

Now remember that this book is written from a relatively new paradigm, that of Positive Psychology – new paradigms require new language – so some of these terms may not yet be familiar to you.

How to discover your strengths using the Now, Discover Your Strengths book

The book comes with a sealed packet at the back containing a code (if you want to learn more about your Strengths and do the Strengths Finder profile, buy a new book, the code can only be used once).

Once you have read to a certain point in the book you will be directed to open the packet, visit the web site and enter the code in order to complete your Strengths Finder Profile.  Average time about 35 minutes.  Each question has a 20 second time-out rule on it so that you give your ‘top of the brain’ answers rather than getting too internal about it.

Once you have completed the survey, you will receive a report containing your top 5 natural Strengths – you can have it emailed to yourself or print it out there and then.

One of my Strengths – Connectedness – and how it relates to my Spiritual Journey

One of my Strengths is the Strength of Connectedness – defined as

Things happen for a reason.  You are sure of it.

You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected.

Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgements and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger.

Some may call it the collective unconscious.  Others may label it spirit or life force.  But whatever your word of choice, you gain confidence from knowing that we are not isolated from one another or from the Earth and the life on it.

This feeling of Connectedness implies certain responsibilities.  If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others because we will be harming ourselves.  We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves.

Your awareness of these responsibilities creates your value system.  You are considerate, caring, and accepting.  Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures.

Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives.  The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong.

It sustains you and your close friends in the face of life’s mysteries.

Connectedness – not only a Strength for me but a Life Value and a way of seeing the world

Now if you’ve read my blog and learning about my Spiritual Journey for a while you will know that after many career twists and turns I have focused the last 16 years studying energy work and the concept that we are all connected.

Clients always giving me positive reviews for my EMF Balancing Technique Sessions.

As you can see from the definition of Connectedness – my beliefs, world views and relationships spring from this Strength.

So, working in this area of life, I have a natural talent!  (Talents in the book are defined as “naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior.  Your various themes of talent are what the Strengths-Finder Profile actually measures“.)

This isn’t meant to sound egoistical or to imply that you need to go out and become an energy worker – what I’m demonstrating here is how discovering your Strengths can be empowering and enlightening – either confirming your current path in life or indicating that movement towards a new one may be due.

If anyone has read Now, Discover Your Strengths, I’d love to hear more about your results and experiences

This book is revolutionary.  It’s a very different concept to consider simply building on your Strengths rather than ‘plugging the skills gap’ and shoring up your ‘weaknesses’.

What you do think about the Strengths revolution?

Did you enjoy this article? You can sign up for free monthly Energetics Updates including a monthly email, intuitive exercises and updates about New World Energetics, my online practice. Until next time!
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Premonitions or psychic experiences – how do I know if I’m having them?

I’m in the middle of some Akashic Records training and the teacher mentioned recently that being involved in this type of work increases our intuitive abilities in other areas.

Well, after an experience I had this week I have to say I think she’s right!

A premonition?

The other night I was lying in bed ready for sleep and I had the strangest vision.  A hooded figure appeared at my bedroom door (this is in my psychic eye, folks!) .  The figure had no face, just a shadow where the face should be.

This figure stretched out its’ arm towards me and moved across the room as if on wheels, zipped ‘through’ the bed past me and disappeared behind my back.  Even weirder, the figure was singing a song ‘Let’s talk about Death, baby’ to the tune of ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’.

Now I’ve had several doses of weird during my life (and plenty of people thinking I’m weird for the practices I’m involved with) – but this was pretty strange I have to say.  I’ve had experiences of seeing hooded figures before, (see Angelic for details, but not quite like this).

Being me, I filed this experience away and thought no more about it, until…

My oldest girl was off school earlier this week with a cold.  We backed out of our driveway and headed off to school as normal.

Not quite so normal, however.

As we were leaving the subdivision, I noticed a guy on one of those ride-on mowers where you have to stand upright to operate it.

Many people wear headphones when they cut the grass, after all it can be a long and monotonous job sometimes.

As I drove past this guy…

I had a flashback of the strange dream – music in the dream (headphones), the figure with no face (hoodie and mask) and moving as if on wheels towards me.

It was simultaneous.  I jammed on the breaks and this guy mowing the grass on my right took an immediate left turn into the road straight in front of my car with myself and my daughter inside.

If I hadn’t hit the breaks I would have hit him.

It all clicked – as strange as it sounds and as strange a premonition as it was – there was my meaning!

I’m so glad that I had the flashback and braked when I did.

The 3 keys to becoming aware of premonitions and acting on them

Ultimately this premonition was very useful for me.

Sometimes we have feelings of deja vu or premonitions – how do we know whether to act on them – or not?

I believe that these 3 keys will help anyone make better use of their premonitions and precognitive experiences.

1. Stay as present as you can in everyday life.  Because I was present, I was able to match the vision with my present experience in a flash – and take action very quickly.
2. Find a way to mentally or physically file away any strong premonitions or precognitive experiences you have.  Either talk about them to yourself, jot them down or tell somebody understanding about them.  This will help you to have them stick in your mind should you need them later.
3. If the experience is very strong and somewhat unusual (as mine was) – ask for guidance about it or pray about it.  (This was the part I didn’t think to do at the time, although I did tell someone else I was working with about the strange vision, which is why it stayed more present in my mind).

Have you had any premonitions that came true in ways that you can easily validate?

I’ve had really simple premonitions come about…for example on the way to a friends’ house several years ago now I became sure he had cut all his hair off.  My partner at the time completely disagreed because this friend was so proud of his ‘mullet’ hair style.  Yet I was right – when we got there – he had short hair!

It doesn’t have to be anything life-changing necessarily – discussing the experience of having premonitions can help you notice the conditions in which you received the premonition and sharpen your intuitive awareness, so it’s an excellent spiritual practice.

Feel free to share your intuitive experiences with me!

Did you enjoy this article?  You can sign up for free monthly Energetics Updates including a monthly email, intuitive exercises and updates about New World Energetics, my online practice.  Until next time!
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Kundalini Meditation by Kathryn McCusker

I recently wrote http://" target="_blank">this review of Kathryn McCusker’s book and since then have undertaken to practice this type of meditation on a daily basis for 40 days (even if as a part-time SAHM I could only manage a few minutes per day).

It appears to be day 40!

As I wrote this I figured out I am at day 40, so as a dutiful Mom On A Spiritual Journey I thought it time to report my findings.

Well, one thing is for sure – I shall be carrying on with this practice well after day 40.  This type of meditation for me is one of the most intriguing and experiential practices I have undertaken.

During the first week of meditation I found myself in the middle of a powerful vision.  It was so strong that I decided to write to the author about my experience.  She very kindly responded.

Here’s my Facebook Message to Kathryn and her response

If you enjoyed this article, you can sign up for monthly Energetics Updates via email – it’s free!

The latest round of illnesses at home – glad I had homeopathy and essential oils in stock

We are on Spring Break here in Wichita Kansas this week – woo hoo!

Girls are having a great time whilst I spend some of the day studying Marie Forleo’s B-School (business school) and complete my Akashic Records Online Certification.  Not the most restful of weeks, I agree, but a very productive one.

Callie came down with a fever on Friday (about 99.4) – Arianna started Saturday by throwing up

So I’m sure other mothers can identify – I’d set up a study intensive time and then all of a sudden BOTH my kids go down with something.  Gagh.  Not that I don’t have sympathy for them…but the TIMING!!

Luckily for me I have some extra tools in my toolkit.

For Callie – homeopathic influenzinum (you can buy it in your local health store – it’s a Boiron product) and a day in bed with the Young Living Essential Oil Inffuser next to her burning Thieves® and Lavender.

Result – completely well by Saturday morning.

Thought I had ducked the bullet for Spring Break…

…that is, until Arianna’s first morning activity on Saturday was to sprint to the bathroom and throw up.  Gagh once again!

She was obviously not in a place to be able to ingest anything homeopathically with pellets.

I did have some Arsenicum Alb in liquid form which a colleague had given me.  She took some of that, plus spent time in bed (or the bathroom!) whilst I burned yet more Thieves® and Lavender in my Young Living diffuser by her bed.

By midday, she was all done and eating crackers.  Yay for us!

What I did whilst Arianna was unwell – homeopathy and essential oils to the rescue once again

Apart from the essential oils diffusing in her room, I also made use of my Thieves® Cleaner for cleanup, and (I have no shame because like most people, I HATE throwing up) I put Thieves® under my nose, a drop in my mouth and on each wrist every half-hour or so.  (So did my husband!).

Sometimes viruses like this can be airborne – and what can you do – you have to clean up.

We are now all well!  Yay again!

Despite feeling somewhat queasy during the morning – I am an intuitive empath after all – no-one else contracted whatever this ‘thing’ was.

Last time this happened was Arianna’s second day of school 2012

Arianna’s first day of school last year was marked by another young person running into her during Gym class and accidentally head butting her.  She had a swollen lip and bleeding mouth.

After applications of ice, Arnica Gel and homeopathic Arnica internally we also had a safety visit to the dentist because we weren’t sure about her teeth.

All clear…thank g-d – until next day she started throwing up.  Really?  I thought perhaps it could be concussion so we headed to the doctor with bowl in hand – poor kid – she was really bad.

After an assessment and blood test (glad that my doctor’s surgery is somewhat conservative) we were able to ascertain that due to a raised white blood cell count the issue was viral.  Phew.

They prescribed me several anti-sickness drugs…but I confess what I did was take Arianna home and diffuse Thieves® and Lavender Young Living oils by the sofa.  She went to sleep and was well within a few hours.

The following week she sprained her little finger so badly even the doctor thought it was broken…so I was thankful to have an X-ray…however no break so back to the Arnica and a pinky brace!  All good within a week.

Moms – we can’t control everything – but we can make an effort to learn about oils and homeopathy

I know we can’t control everything as moms and accidents will happen.  When they do, I am always grateful for appropriate medical care.

I’m also very grateful for using Homeopathy and http://" target="_blank">using Essential Oils.  I know that they have often saved me a co-pay, and more importantly, avoided the need for antibiotics which can have undesirable effects on a small person’s immune system (and us bigger people, too).

If you’d like to introduce essential oils into your life and the life of your family, there are a number of great companies out there who provide therapeutic grade oils (proven to be the most effective).  In a pinch, who doesn’t want the best for their kids?

I use Young Living Essential Oils, have been with the company since 2005 and love their products both as a mom and practicing reflexologist.  My clients love the essential oils too!  If you’d like to know how to order these oils through a distributor (me or somebody like me), here’s some information on my http://" target="_blank">Essential Oils Signup Page.

If you’re not sure where to start, I offer an Online Services Site where you can chat with me via Skype for 15 minutes, or if you’d like to know how essential oils connect with our spirit, or vibration, I offer Online Intuitive Oil Sessions too.

I have a dream, a Vision involving you, me, homeopathy and essential oils!

Honestly, I’m not invested in WHERE you sign up to use essential oils, or HOW you learn about homeopathy (although I know a great book or two that will help).

What I am invested in is a future where moms, dads, parents and carers know how to use homeopathy and essential oils for their best health and where doctors and medical practices are open to that too.

Just imagine…

Somebody paid my bill at Starbucks the other day – and I don’t know who it was

A few days ago I was surprised at my local Starbucks when the person in front of me at the drive thru paid for my order.

My credit card actually flew out of my hand onto the passenger seat I was so surprised!

And then it made me feel really, really good.  A tall decaf latte and a piece of banana nut bread never tasted so sweet, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face all the way home.

Now that’s one simple way of sharing abundance and I guess paying it forward too (or backwards, as my scientific husband reminded me when I told him about it).

Today I returned the favor to the person behind me – more abundance

I usually go to Starbucks about once a week…it’s a treat for me after school drop-off and makes a little difference in my school-home pickup and drop-off routine.

So today there I was again and I noticed the woman behind me.  She looked very young (to me, anyway – ha!) and a little tired and harassed.  She was riffling around in her purse looking for something.

I got a good feeling so went ahead and paid for her coffee.

It felt EVEN BETTER than when I received mine. 

Thinking back on other times when I have shared abundance

When I used to live in the UK, I regularly commuted to London via Victoria Station.  It’s a big building with a large entrance way and was often a haunt for homeless people seeking a warm place to stand during the winter months.

Most commuters will stand and look for their train to come up on the noticeboard in this large entrance area – and perhaps it still happens today – in my experience I was often approached by a homeless person or somebody down on their luck.

I have never felt comfortable giving people money in this environment, simply because I’m not sure how they are going to spend it.

Take a homeless person to a food vendor or buy them a hot drink – it will (mostly!) be appreciated

When I had time, I would take the person to a nearby food vendor and buy them something hot to eat or drink.  I know it helped the person concerned, at least in that moment and I felt good about it, too.

I lived in Hove, East Sussex for a couple of years and some homeless people would sit outside the local deli there.

I remember buying one guy a sausage sandwich (very British style sandwich, ketchup and all) and when I gave it to him he was totally surprised.

He gave me the hugest grin and despite the fact that he was missing quite a few teeth I still remember it being one of the most loving and genuine smiles I have ever received.  It definitely warmed the cockles of my heart.

Sometimes the small ways of sharing abundance and giving back can seem really, really big.

The Akashic Records and my Online Certification

This week I started my first week of four weeks of online study with the Akashic  Studies Center, created by Linda Howe, author of Reading the Akashic Records and Healing with the Akashic Records.

I started this spiritual practice over a year or so now after reading Linda’s book.

The ‘aether’ or all that surrounds us

The Akashic Records, aka The Book of Life is considered to be part of the’aether’, or all that surrounds us (Akash in Sanskrit means aether….).

Reading this way used to be in the realm of mystics, seers and psychics only.

Edgar Cayce and the Akash

One of the most well-known interpreters of the Records in modern times was Edgar Cayce, founder of the ARE or Association for Research and Enlightenment, where oddly enough (or not) I commenced my reflexology practice at the Cayce Reilly School of Massotherapy.

Edgar Cayce used to put himself in a light trance where he could read the Akashic Records and give people detailed information about their health.

He was unable to remember what went on during these sessions and what he said.  His long time secretary Gladys Davis Turner painstakingly transcribed all his sessions and they are still in use today.  You can buy searchable transcripts of his readings at…

Many doctors and MD still use the remedies and healing advice Edgar Cayce gave during during his trances

One example of his work is the application of heated castor oil packs using Palma Christi oil, available in many health stores now and also at the Heritage Center in Virginia Beach VA, a few blocks from where I first lived in the United States.

(And if you’re there, you HAVE to visit the Jewish Mother sandwich restaurant just around the corner).

How to practice readings for yourself with Linda Howe’s work

Linda Howe was called to study and work this way as part of her spiritual journey, and after 9/11 intuited a method of accessing the records using something called the Pathway Prayer Process.

It’s a simple and powerful prayer that changes the state of mind in order to connect with the energy of the Records and is a very simple process to learn.

Linda’s view (and mine too) is that it is now time for more people to be able to access the Records, not just to help others with readings, but as an avenue to help yourself and as part of a deeper spiritual practice.

This course is an opportunity to learn from Linda’s wisdom and experience without needing to travel to Chicago or one of the other areas where she offers live group study and certification.

The course involves 4 online lectures of 1.5 hours each using the Maestro conferencing service, a homework assignment each week and work with another student on your course who is your accountability partner and with whom you share your insights or in later weeks you provide a reading for (as they will read for you also).

A Skype connection is also helpful, or Google Chat, since students are being drawn to this work from all over the world and you may be paired up with someone from another country.

I’ve been giving online readings for a while, yet I knew attending this course would give me an opportunity to learn more from Linda Howe, the originator of this method, as well as learning from other people attracted to this spiritual practice.

We have a Facebook group for this class and already we are generating support for each other and sharing our learning experiences. This is only week 1 and already my learning has ramped up!

Would you like a reading?

If you’re interested in having an Online Akashic Records reading, here’s a link to my online services page.

I have also written this article listing the top 5 reasons why you might be interested in having a reading.

You can connect with the Akashic Studies Center if you’re interested in attending a future course to learn to read for yourself.

Some unexpected help from giving readings – when buying a house

I’ve been able to help several clients already with this work – and myself, too.

Last year my husband and I were looking for a house and I used the Records to read the houses before we went to view them. (If houses are on the market, then it is OK to read them).

Reading a house without some form of permission from the owner is basically prurient and bad form. Who wants to be an energetic voyeur, after all?  If the house is on the market, then its Records are considered to be open.  (It’s the same reading for people, you need the person’s permission, their full legal name, and their direct permission to read their Records.)

We liked one house after the first visit and wanted to go back again, so I opened the Records in order to check it out.  I got a very clear reading that something was up with the sump pump in the basement (the seal) and that there were some foundational cracks that needed work.

When we went back for the second viewing, the realtor apologized and said that the sump pump had broken the night before, causing the furnace room to flood and the lower patio outside. We had heavy rain the night before.

As I looked out of the window I saw that one of the side walls from the lower patio had large cracks in it where water was seeping through into the ‘pit’ or lower patio.  These would not have been apparent unless the sump had failed.

We decided not to buy that house and I used the Records to read for the house we have now lived in since last September. All good so far!

Are you part of this work or interested in learning to read for yourself? I’ve love to hear from you.

All clients need to be 18 years or over to have an Akashic Records Reading.

Kundalini Meditation – a book, the practice and the Year of the Snake (2013)

I’m a member of the One Spirit Book club and carefully measure out my points and purchases so that I can feed my SBH (Spiritual Book Habit) without breaking the bank.

Last month this book fell into my lap via the Book Club Featured Selection process and I just couldn’t say no.

I’m really glad I ordered this book – written by a Yoga teacher and internationally known Opera Singer

Kundalini means “the coil in the hair of the beloved” and refers to our coiled serpent-like energy which begins at the base of the spine, moving up through the chakras or energy centers and resulting in a feeling of bliss throughout the body, mind and soul for the regular practitioner.

The book looks and feels beautiful (as you can see from the cover) and contains all the exercises required to start a regular practice.  There are also online resources available on Kathryn’s website so that you can download some of the meditations.

Kathryn McCusker’s Spiritual Journey into Kundalini Meditation

Kathryn is an internationally acclaimed Opera Singer and found that the practice of Kundalini Meditation gave her even greater benefits and help with her craft than her regular yoga practice.  She was taught by a spiritual teacher and visionary called Yogi Bhajan who was originally a Punjabi Prince.

He brought his work to Canada and then the USA, has written over 100 books on the subject of yogic meditation and trained thousands of teachers.

I love Kathryn’s description of Yogi Bhajan’s intention for this body of work – “To create teachers not to gather disciples“.

I’ve had a number of experiences of Kundalini, not always during meditation though – it can feel like bliss…

My main experiences of kundalini bliss have been unexpected…and I didn’t always know what they were – until now.

The first time was during a meditation with Kai Kermani, author of Autogenic Training: The Effective Holistic Way to Better Health – where I happened upon a class at a professional learning event and decided to join in.

The resultant feeling of grace and bliss caused me to hug and kiss my business partner – and a few other people – after I left the event!    I definitely felt that I was in a completely different space and set of awareness than everyday life at the time.  It makes me think of Jim Carrey’s often-viewed video on the subject “I got there – and I’ve been trying to get back – ever since!”

Or kundalini can feel like tingles or movement of ‘something’ up the spine…

I’ve felt energy moving up my spine during yoga classes and sometimes during my training as an EMF Balancing Technique® practitioner.

It was especially noticeable during the training for Phases IX-XII, where even before the training started and I was sitting in my chair ready to begin, my body was swaying left to right for no apparent reason.

(It happens…I’ve learned to get used to it – one Shaman used to call me ‘Superman’ in her journeying classes because both arms would involuntarily go up in the air when I was laying on the floor journeying).

It’s funny sometimes but – as a Mom On a Spiritual Journey – what am I gonna do?  Got to be me!

In that particular class, when our teacher Peggy Phoenix-Dubro arrived, she explained that we may feel ‘swaying’ sensations during learning and teaching these phases of the work since we would be working intensively with the ‘core’ or spinal energies and energy centers.  Oh, so that was why.

I have worked with energy for a while – but when a book hits me ‘on the head’ like Kathryn McCusker’s did – I listen

Today, more validation.

Through another great website (Eileen Seiler, Transformation Energetics) I found a Cosmic Weather Report from an astrologer called Mark Borax – you can read the post by clicking here.

He discusses the concept of shedding everything but love in The Year of the Snake  – 2013!

Now that we have passed the great Mayan marker of December 21st 2014, Mark interprets the meaning of 2013 as follows

The best way to decipher the meaning of a year is to combine its Oriental Animal with its numerology.  After the Oriental New Year occurs on the 10th of February, 2013 is a 6 Snake Year.  The 6 = Task and Obligation, leading to Right Livelihood.  The Snake has to do with shedding outmoded forms that have run their course, and undergoing the radical transformation necessary to emerge from the old.  As you shed everything in the way of right livelihood, and awaken to the great love within, remember that no barrier can block the creative dream of your soul.

I’m starting 40 days of Kundalini Meditation Practice – unleashing my inner serpent – in The Year of the Snake!

The way I view the world – I take this as a sign that I’m on the right path with taking up this kind of meditation practice.  After working through Iyanla Vanzant’s  7 days of Writing 40 Affirmations per day – I feel that I have the resolve to do this.

It also matches with my observations about mass media and the modern age, I believe I will feel more free after doing this work – and I intend to keep on practicing!

As Mark Borax so aptly says in his post

As the repressed life force of the world — kundalini (coiled serpent power) — uncoils and releases, it will surge through the world body from your head to your spine, as many others across the planet shed their skin and awaken from the mass deception of the modern age.

I’ll keep you up to date on my practice – let me know if you feel moved to join this practice too!

I’ll write regularly about my practice as the 40 days progress.  I think it’s time for many of us to shift our patterns and uncoil from systems that are no longer working for us, as Mark Borax says in his Cosmic Weather report.

Ready to uncoil your serpent and become an energetic agent of change?  I’d love to hear from you or share experiences on the Mom On A Spiritual Journey Facebook Page.

Uncoiling into kundalini meditation…

Using Affirmations – written Affirmation 7 day exercise

I recently completed an exercise where I wrote 40 affirmations per day for 7 days.

All affirmations needed to be written in the positive frame and start with the words ‘I am’.

This suggested exercise came from Iyanla Vanzant’s excellent Stimu-Mail series.

 

40 Affirmations a day?  Sounds a little off-putting…

I was excited to try this exercise because I love Iyanla Vanzant’s work, both on Oprah with her excellent series Fix My Life and her written work also.

Still, as I sat there with my blank page 40 affirmations did seem a lot – per day??

I took a breath and got going.

My first three were

I am a writer.

I am an energy worker.

I am energy.

Oh, this is interesting…my brain is going in a direction.

As I wrote more affirmations each day, I noticed a few things happening

First of all, my mind got really quiet while I was writing.  Sometimes the words would come out in a stream or almost a block…then there might be a pause.

I also began to notice when I slipped out of writing in the positive frame and needed to adjust my affirmations.

For example, with one affirmation I initially wrote

I am trusting life to teach me exactly what I need to know.

That didn’t feel satisfying, so I changed it to

I am trusting.

As I look at it now, even better would be

I am trust.

Doing this exercise makes me feel really, really happy!

The happiness quotient seems to last for days afterwards too.

I have never used affirmations in such a big block before, hadn’t realized how powerful a tool this method can be.

When I give Online Intuitive Sessions or other types of readings such as the http://" target="_blank">Akashic Records reading or an http://" target="_blank">Angelic Reading, sometimes affirmations come through that are specific for the client.

Click this link to read more about some other practical ways of using affirmations.

I’d also love to hear about any other ways that you use affirmations.

Oh shift!  Spiritual books and how they can change you

I’ve noticed a pattern when I hit on a spiritual book that really rocks my world.

I read it…get a BIG result…get scared…put it down for a while and then when I’m finally ready to swallow the contents, pick it up again.

This definitely happened when I read How to Read the Akashic Records by Linda Howe.

I just felt that something ‘big’ was going to happen and I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready for it.  (In that case, I ended up becoming an Akashic Records reader).

My first experience of shift-ing after reading a Spiritual Book

The first experience of this that I can clearly remember is reading this book by Zulma Reyo – Mastery: The Path of Inner Alchemy.

Fact is, it really does do what it says on the cover, I just wasn’t ready for it at the time!

On a business trip, decided to take this book with me

It was actually my first ever trip through the new ‘Chunnel’ (Channel Tunnel connecting the UK and France under the English Channel).

I traveled on through to Belgium to give some computer business training the next day, and checked into a hotel.

Decided to give myself a little light reading.  It was in a period of my life I now call ‘weekend spirituality’

I went to every spiritual workshop under the sun, wore every T-shirt, but took it off again on Monday morning when it was time to pick up my suitcase and go to work.

I knew I was on a journey but I wasn’t ready to come out about it at the time.

The part that really hit me about this book was a small innocuous chapter called The Violet Flame Shaking Practice – Zulma says in the book that this method was inspired by a Rajneesh practice.

I had read a little about St Germaine and the healing powers of the Violet Flame visualizations, so I was curious and decided to try the meditation.

Oh shift!

It’s more of a practice than a meditation.  After focusing and achieving stillness, you shake and move the body in particular order whilst also visualizing violet flames moving through the body.

So I relaxed, focused and stilled myself.  Then got up and started the movements.

45 minutes later, I was still moving involuntarily around the hotel room freeing my body.

I decided to stop!

Over time I have continued to work with this practice…but recently had fallen off using it – until just about 3 days ago Zulma Reyo followed me on Twitter out of the blue.

Oh.  Now the way I think about the world, I tend to take this as a sign

Whilst chatting about this on Facebook and Twitter with some other soul-centric friends, Monica Wilcox at FemmeTales.com tweeted me and said “Books that alter your life in mere words are rare.  Most need to be actively applied or merely provoke thoughts…”Out on  Limb by Shirley Maclaine was the first one I experienced that with.  How about you?”

I thought that was a great question and my immediate reply was that I thought about 8 books had really impacted me that way (and I’ve read a lot of books!).

My top eight books that gave me that Oh Shift! Feeling

1. Mastery: The Path of Inner Alchemy by Zulma Reyo as discussed above (out of print currently, could only find the German version on Amazon – let me know if anyone else finds a good link).
2. Louise Hay: You Can Heal Your Life Louise’s book has always been a huge confirmation for me about how energy works.  More about Using Affirmations here.
3. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61) Ekhart Tolle (learning about the pain body – had a powerful experience of being attacked by someone elses pain body immediately after reading this).
4. How to Hear Your Angels by Doreen Virtue.  Well, I’ve started hearing them and working with them.  This book began the process for me.
5. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.  At last.  Somebody who was ready to tell the truth about how people use energy for positive and negative outcomes.
6. The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived by Lee Carroll (see more here)  So glad the official psychic at the ARE (Association of Research and Enlightenment) told me about this book when I was pregnant with Callie, my first.
7. Coyote Medicine: Lessons from Native American Healing My first real introduction to the concept of Shamanic work and how powerful a healing tool it can be.
8. Little Book on EMF by Lina Esposito.  I read this book as part of my EMF Balancing Technique® training and was deeply moved by Lina’s account of giving EMF Sessions to her terminally ill father.  Little did I know at the time that the book would prove inspirational for me when my mother was sick and I gave her sessions to help her transition too.

I would love to hear your top 8 (or whatever number) of books that gave you that Oh Shift! feeling.

Dear Sarah, 2013 is upon us, and already we are seeing change. If you listen to the first two free #KRYON audio channelings of the year, you may get an idea of what I’m talking about. Passing...

Learn more about your Personal Energy, what it is, how to manage it and how to balance it!

Ten things you don’t know about me by Mom On A Spiritual Journey author Sarah Lawrence Hinson

A colleague of mine on a Facebook group, Ken Jacques, recently wrote a blog post about himself - ten things you didn’t know – and I laughed all the way.

Ken used this idea to cure writer’s block when us bloggers get stuck – an excellent application.

I don’t usually get writer’s block, I just lack writer’s focus.

I come up with several great ideas, tweak my blog, dabble on Facebook, Twitter etc, learn something cool about online software and then realize I wanted to write something before I collect the kids from school.

Well, sometimes it’s a bit more organized than that…

150 posts to date on Mom On A Spiritual Journey!

So, as this blog is going to be around for a while longer and I’ve just reached the 150 mark with my blog posts – (woo hoo!) – thought it was time for a little author recap.  Or madcap.  We’ll see.

Since the focus of this blog is normally about spiritual subjects and alternative wellness…I haven’t chatted that much about me.  So here goes…

1.  I love chocolate – way tooo much

As a Brit abroad I haven’t truly adapted to Hershey’s.  Still love UK chocolate sometimes, I am buying organic these days and do my best to make the bar last.

Then it calls my name from the cupboard, and it’s all over.

I’ve read all the articles that say dark chocolate is better for you (and I believe them), but the taste isn’t as kind on my buds as the milk chocolate.

2.  I was an 80s fashion victim

Well, it WAS the ’80s.  From FlashDance to the Thomson Twins, I’ve worn it all.

The sleeveless sweatshirts, studded belts, Olivia Newton-John shiny pants from Grease, long earrings, teased-up hair and moon boots.

Once at work, I remember one boss patting my shoulder because I had done something well and exclaiming.  We figured out between us that I was wearing not one, not two, but THREE sets of shoulder pads.  (Coat, jacket, blouse).

It’s a wonder any of us fitted into cars and doorways in those days.

3.  I went around the Maypole the wrong way on May Day at school

I maintain it was Philip Ambrose’s fault.

He was my partner and kept squeezing my hand so it hurt and giving me Chinese burns (twist the skin around the wrist two different ways).  Probably in the US they call it something different.

Anyway, we were all doing great up to the final unwinding part and I zigged when I should have zagged.  Ran off crying and hid.  Can laugh about it now but I did feel fair bit of shame.

4.  I have flown on Concorde

I was lucky enough to win a prize whilst working for one company (the one where I wore lots of shoulder pads).  My ex-husband and I got to fly out over the Atlantic on Concorde and eat lunch at mach 2.  It was really cool and I remember being told to touch the wall – they got warm when the ‘plane went very fast.

Didn’t know it at the time, but this fact has come in useful during my second marriage.  My husband is an ex-Navy fighter pilot and hates to be reminded that I’ve gone faster than him.  Ah, well.

5.  My first job was at the BBC as a Secretary

Lots of things I’ve never regretted, three being learning shorthand and typing and getting a job at the BBC instead of going to university.  It was A LOT of fun, the jobs given me were more like internships than secretarial jobs (and as badly paid!).

I got to help organize the first ever Soap Opera conference and met Julia Smith, the producer of EastEnders, just as it was starting, amongst others.

Also got to read about how a Dalek operator from Dr Who got a splinter in his bum and had to sue the BBC.

Drank lots of BBC tea, ate BBC doughnuts and bacon sandwiches doled out by grumpy BBC tea ladies and even typed up traffic reports on a manual typewriter (with tip-pex) to take to Steve Wright on a Saturday morning – earned extra money that way.

6.  I once caught a 16ft reef shark with a hook and twine attached to a bent up piece of coke can

On a hard-earned vacation on Fesdu in the Maldives, we had an inclusive evening fishing trip with the local fishermen.  They paddled us out into the ocean on a fairly small boat and gave us all pieces of tuna and basic hook and twine lines wrapped around a crushed soda can.  (People in the Maldives don’t have much – they treasure what they have and live in one of the most beautiful areas of our planet).

People’s bait kept disappearing and we weren’t quite sure why.  I used to catch crabs and fish in the UK so jiggled my line about like my dad showed me.  Then it seemed to get stuck.  Darn.  Asked one of the fisherman to help (it had got dark by then).  He got a flashlight and shone it down into the clear water…I saw a little shark and said so.  He said “No lady – beeg fish, beeg fish!”.

His buddy came over, held onto his ankles and he leaned over and started pulling.  Up came the fish in a few minutes.  It was a reef shark, teeth and all, as long as the boat.  The reason they pulled up the line?  Despite the shark’s teeth, they needed their hook back, and sure enough, the guy hanging over the side pulled the hook out with his bare hands.  Wow.

7.  I helped create a business idea using a rude British hand signal and a smiley face

In the UK our equivalent to ‘the finger’ is the ‘two finger salute’ or V, (two fingers up, palm facing you, as opposed to palm outwards, which is the peace sign).  This often causes me consternation in the US, because servers will unknowingly flip the V at me when saying “You want two glasses of water?”.  I have to be careful not to flare my nostrils – they know not what they do!

So, my good friend Nicky and I had designed a keyboard skills course to help people learn to type with all of their fingers in just one day, as opposed to tapping away with two or so fingers as most people do to start with.

When I ran those courses, I though people would be done with keyboard in 10 years…I was so wrong!!  Anyway, we needed a catchy line for the campaign and after an evening in the pub came up with “Do You Show Your Keyboard Two Fingers?”  – the inference of which any self-respecting Brit will understand.  We also created a logo that was a smiley (didn’t know ANYTHING about Wal-Mart in those days).  People loved our smiley ad and used to cut it out and make masks with it at meetings.

8.  I threw up in a teacher’s lap when she told me to eat something (and I did warn her it would happen)

Manchester Tart.  No, not perhaps what you’re thinking…a creation offered as pudding/dessert at my little English village school where we all moved our tables and chairs around so that the dinner ladies could serve lunch.  The food was great – my mum used to cycle past and tell me from the smell what we were having “Roast lamb today, right?”.

I have never liked custard.  I will never like custard.  It just hits my gag reflex.  But Miss Smithwright said I had to eat my Manchester Tart.  (Pastry, strawberry jelly/jam, pink custard, coconut on top).  I had eaten the pastry, the jam and scraped off the coconut.  There was the custard sitting there in all its pink wobbly glory.

I did warn her.  But Miss Smithwright was ‘mustard’ so I did what she said.  After I threw up, she never sat next to me again.

9.  I had a house-trained white lop rabbit that liked people’s shoe-laces

I traveled a lot in my job (back to those shoulder-pads) and needed a pet that could tolerate absences but be more interactive than a mouse (childhood pet).

So, Honeybunny the lop-eared rabbit entered my home and was (fairly) house-trained.  She had a fixation with shoelaces though.  Once an adult, she was about 1ft long (that’s a small lop rabbit).  Was pretty funny to watch the consternation on friend’s faces when they found a large white rabbit attached to their sneaker.

10.  I’ve had most of the hair styles under the sun  – je ne regret rien

We’ve all done it, but I’ve probably done it more than most.  The buzz cut, the Tina Turner, the blonde highlights (maybe regret that one a little – I looked like a skunk).  Short, long layered, Annie Lennox impersonator, Jennifer Anniston’s ‘do’ from friends (that one went VERY well with shoulder pads!).

I still regret nothing.  My current hairdresser does a great job hiding my grey…errr sorry sun damage.  Thanks to mum and dad I did end up with a great head of hair…finally doing what my mum used to exclaim and wish I did – have a nice, classic, cut.

Still, we all live and learn!  Love to hear ten things I don’t know about you.  Feel free to comment here or on my Facebook Page.

2013 flu – aka the Zombie Flu

Thought I’d drop a quick post about the flu before the weekend starts – we had it two weeks ago and I am still ‘in recovery’.

I think people are calling it the Zombie Flu because it makes you sit around like a zombie, I know I did.  I lost 4lbs too, which never normally happens with the flu.  Yuck.

So while I was sick with the 2013 flu…

…I went online and did as much research as I was able whilst being a zombie.  I went and checked out my favorite US homeopaths Facebook Page, Miranda Castro, and she published the following note:-

The flu isn’t straightforward this year … I have spoken to homeopaths and patients all over the country and different remedies are needed for different people at different stages of the illness – and in different parts of the country.

 Rhus tox is helping people with severe body aches – stiffness and aching in the joints, and restlessness, with runny noses and fevers (can be high). There may be a nausea – there should be a red tip to the tongue (Rhus tox SRP/confirmatory). This is no cough, no sore throat.

I gave Opium to a friend who looked like an extreme Gelsemium – sleeping around the clock (for 5 days altogether), not thirsty etc. etc. It didn’t work, Nux moschata didn’t work either, I then realized she wasn’t asking for anything. A single dose of Opium worked a small miracle and no other remedies were needed.

 Begabati Lennihan (Boston homeopath) hasn’t had one case of flu in her practice. Considering that there’s an epidemic in Boston this is beyond impressive. She thinks the preventative protocol (courtesy of Sandra Perko) she is using for her patients is a winner so here it is:

• Influenzinum 9C (single dose) once a week for 4 weeks then once a month (single dose) for the rest of the flu season
• Influenzinum 30C if in contact with someone who has the flu and/or
• Influenzinum 30C if flu symptoms develop – Begabati has people take it 3-4 times a day until the symptoms resolve

Oscillococcinum is only working for some people – for those with clear symptoms that match the remedy … I have included the materia medica below FYI.

I suppose you could alternate it with Influenzinum (I never have done this but why not …

I have started alternating Influenzinum with the indicated remedy (at any stage during the flu including/especially the convalescent stage) and gotten much much better responses than with the remedy on its own.

Influenzinum 9C and 30C are available from:

Washington Homeopathic Products in the US: http://www.homeopathyworks.com (best to order online)

Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy UK: http://www.helios.co.uk

Karen Allen (and the French homeopaths) give Thymuline 9C for flus with coughs – especially with patients with chronic respiratory complaints like RAD, asthma and COPD etc.

There’s an interesting discussion here: http://kenthomeopathic.com/homeonet/index.php?topic=1555.0

Thymuline 9C is available from:

The Homeopathy Store in the US: http://www.homeopathystore.com/products/thymuline

Helios Homeopathic Pharmacy UK: http://www.helios.co.uk

What worked for me and mine with 2013 flu

This time, the Oscillo didn’t seem to work for us.  I didn’t have the Influenzinum in until later (we were too busy sitting around like zombies at the time) so I can’t vouch for it, but I trust the researchers here.

What really helped my oldest was Ignatia Amara as a cough remedy.  Many people are having a pervasive, retching cough afterwards and poor Callie (age 10) just couldn’t stop, even at night.

So I looked up cough remedies and matched the symptoms from this excellent site http://homeopathyplus.com.au/coughs-and-how-to-treat-them/ and this one matched…

Ignatia amara (Ign.)

Dry, hacking, spasmodic cough, where the more the patient coughs, the more the irritation. Whooping cough (see Dros). They are unable to take a full breath and sigh frequently.

The real giveaway for me was that the cough was dry (e.g. not producing phlegm) and the sigh or groan at the end of the cough.

I gave the first dose at midnight and then a second one 15 minutes later (she was seriously coughing at night despite anything else I had tried).  I used muscle testing and intuition to figure out the dose.  I got an intuitive hit that “that would be enough until 3am“.

Sure enough, at 3.03, the coughing started.  One more dose whilst she was half asleep and she slept through until 10am.  Oh the relief (for everybody!).

I hope this post helps you.  Feel free to share with any other friends that may be suffering with the Zombie Flu and need some extra help.