On dawnfarm.org, I found this wonderful quote.  It echos my philosophy of what I strive for in all my relationships.  In healing work especially, we let go of judgement, and choose to see each person through the perfection that exists within them.  We trust that they are on their path and it is just as it is meant to be.  We release preconceptions of outcome and simply see this person in the moment; respecting their belief systems, their life experiences, and their perceptions.  We strive to meet each person where they are, relieving them of expectations without enabling them.  In the process, we help them see the perfection that already exists within them.  We do not choose their path, rather, we shine a light to help illuminate it, so they may move forward in love and light.

Let it go...

I've had the strangest experience this past week, revisiting something from my past. Each day new feelings and memories surfaced. There were tears, both of fear and sorrow, but also of joy. Somewhere, somehow, inside of me, something was let free. I'm not even sure how. I had no idea I was holding onto this and yet there it was, and now it's gone. As a reflex, I went to grab one of my favorite self-help guides, and then I realized, I was done. I was done fixing myself. All I'd had to do all along was to offer & receive forgiveness, and let myself feel those buried feelings. There was nothing I could have done that would have sped up the process. It had to happen in the perfect timing that this Universe offers us. And now more than ever, I trust. I trust that it's all good. And that on my path, I will always find exactly what I need, when I need it most. I breathe in, and I breathe out a quiet "thank you," and am grateful for the perfection this world offers. It's all good.

A Weighty Matter

As we slide into the end of another year, I thought I would "weigh in" on a few things...namely, scales. When I moved to Calfornia last July, I purposely left mine in WA. I was one of those people who had to weigh themselves every single morning. But if I didn't like the number I saw, my day would start with negativity, regardless of whether that number was 120 or 160. So silly.

I am more than a number on a scale. My health is more than that too. Now when I wake up, I don't even think about my weight. I put my clothes on and see how they feel. If they feel tight, I make a mental note to eat a salad. If they feel loose, I am just more comfortable that day.

I love the absence of judgement. I love the way it allows me to feel good about myself every single day.

Every now and then, in pursuit of healthful habits and ideas, I run into people who weigh themselves religiously and am quickly reminded why I chose this path instead. It is liberating. It is loving.

Geneen Roth wrote that you can't hate yourself thin. I believe that.

Whenever I have a negative thought in my head about my body, I replace it with a positive thought. One of my favorite "exercises" to do when I am falling asleep at night is to close my eyes and focus on different parts of my body and say, thank you. It might start like this: "Thank you feet, for holding me up all day, for taking me on a beautiful walk through the park. You are strong. I love you."

It may feel strange at first, but learning how to love ourselves (at any weight & at any place) is one of the most important things we will learn in this life.

Finding God In Walla Walla

I recently spent a long weekend with family in Walla Walla. My visit was dual-purposed: to spend time with family and friends before we leave Washington, and to receive my Reiki Master attunement from my Reiki teacher. The attunement was done inside of a labyrinth. As we called in the spirits of Reiki to join us, I could feel my ancestors all around me. It was awesome. A fun & lovely evening was spent with family and friends, and I slept peacefully that night, feeling especially loved and supported. My Aunt had given me a beautiful little book called Celtic Benediction, which contained morning and evening prayers for the week. While rooted in Christianity, the pagan Celtic leanings were strong and undeniable. I loved it immediately.

The next morning, my Uncle realized he'd had a series of mild strokes, and the rest of the weekend was spent in ICU. My Aunt works at the hospital, so my Uncle was treated like a rock star. I was fortunate to have some very special ladies visiting their home at the time, and we joined forces to offer him healing by using a surrogate and the B.E.S.T. method I practice, together with Reiki. The energy was HUGE, and I was reminded of the power of leverage, of love, and of the Universe.

My trip would be incomplete without a visit to my new family, who live in my great grandparents old home. I spent a wonderful afternoon with the nicest people on the planet, hearing about the renovations and the garden, the neighbors, and goings on. We managed to have dinner another evening as well. I am so grateful to them for the love and care they give this old house, and for their friendship. I know the resident ghosts are happy about it too.

On my way out of town later that week, I stopped in to see my family at the Mountain View Cemetery. As the family genealogist, I especially love cemeteries and communing with my dead relatives. It always feels like a reunion picnic, minus the mayonnaise and flies. After a short visit, I hit the road. (okay, I may have stopped at my favorite winery too!) It had been quite a trip. I could still feel changes happening within me from the attunement, and it felt as though I was being connected to something so much bigger than myself.

Since losing my religion ten years ago, I have not felt comfortable with the concept of God, or even the word for that matter. Whenever others say it, I find myself translating in my head to "Universe" which is something I get. Life was easier when I believed in God. It was easier believing that someone else was in control, and I miss that simplicity and honestly, that lack of accountability & responsibility. This trip reminded me that while there may not be some old bearded man on a cloud directing earthly matters, there is an energy that binds us, that unites us, and perhaps that even guides us. It is within each of us. It's in the trees, the oceans, the earth, everywhere. And once we tap into it, we are never the same.

Planned Parenthood and the Budget

Planned Parenthood provides health care services to women who cannot afford it otherwise. Each year they provide nearly 4 million STD tests, 1 million screenings for cervical cancer, and 830,000 breast exams. Their family planning services help prevent hundreds of thousands of unwanted pregnancies every year.

PP receives about 323 million dollars a year of the 3.69 trillion dollar federal budget, none of which is used for abortion services. Follow this link to a great interactive budget chart. See if you can find the budget for Planned Parenthood.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html?src=tp

What? You can't? That's because it's a drop in the bucket. Cutting programs like PP or any cuts that do not involve the National Defense, Social Security, Medicaid, or Income Security cuts, is like throwing a thimble of water at a house fire. (in fact it's more like throwing gasoline on the fire, because without PP services, things get worse!)

Critics of PP propose cuts because they believe the abortion services provided by PP are immoral. However, the Federal Budget is not meant to be a "moral document." Rather, it is a distribution of limited resources against unlimited wants. (remember, this is the whole purpose of politics!) When you approach politics from the court of morality, you find moral absolutism. (the Taliban is a good example of this!) It does not allow for compromise. Yet, the American system can only work with compromise.

Universal Directions

Standing in Tucson with my camera, I might snap pictures of golden hills, green Ocotillo with its red flames, and spectacular sunsets. A friend looking at the pictures later might infer certain things from the photo. It's normally hot, dry, and dusty; but it's wet enough for the Ocotillo to bloom. When she visits, she'll need to pack rain gear as well as shorts and sturdy shoes. In the same way, your astrological natal chart captures a moment in time, taking a snapshot of the Universe the moment of your birth, helping you infer certain things about your "visit."

Start by generating a free natal chart at www.astro.com . You can register for free, and generate all sorts of free horoscopes based on your chart, plus you can print your chart. You'll need your birth day, time, and place. Most birth certificates will have a birth time. (If you have no way of knowing your birth time, it is common practice to use a 6pm birth time as a default.) From the "free horoscopes" page on www.astro.com, click on AstroClick Portrait. This is an interactive chart that can give you lots of insight, though it is geared towards children and teens. (they also offer an alternative interpretation that is more geared towards adults, but both are helpful)

Once you have your chart in hand, you will see a circle, divided into 12 "houses," some of which contain symbols. This is a snapshot of the sky where you were born, at the moment of your birth. Start by determining the placement of your sun, moon, and ascendant; specifically, in which house they are found and in which sign. (the outer circle on the chart shows you the signs) On your chart, there is a box on the left side that shows you the symbols and what they stand for. Using the clickable chart at astro, or the links at http://www.astrology-numerology.com/astrology.html, you can get a basic picture of who you are, what motivates you, your personality, the types of things you enjoy, your emotional world, etc. Your sun and moon may show up anywhere, but the ascendant is always the horizontal line on the left hand side of the chart, designating the beginning of the first house. It shows you that which was rising in the horizon at the moment of your birth. For example, if you look at my chart, I have the Sun in Leo in the fifth house, the Moon in Scorpio in the sixth house, and my ascendant is Taurus.

From there you can look at the houses that contain planets. Each house rules over a different part of life; for example, finances, relationships, and work. Each planet will be in a certain sign, such as Leo, Scorpio, Taurus, etc. and will give you insight into how important that area of life will be for you, and what it may offer. I find that these basic understandings give a lot of insight into how each of us views our world and how we are shaped by the energies of the Universe. As you get more involved, you may want to explore Aspects. These are based on the geometric relationships of the planets to each other, and are represented by the colored lines, as well as the bottom left box on the astro.com birth chart. These infuse layers and subtleties to give you even more insight.

Many of us read our daily horoscope that is based on our Sun sign. But as you can see, each of us is so much more than that. By gaining a basic understanding of your natal astrological chart, you can gain valuable insights into who you are, the lessons you are here to learn, and why you are the way your are.

Questions about your chart or how to generate one? Feel free to contact me.
Peace,
Laura

When It's All Worth It

Today I received a call back from the high school registrar, Linda. I'd left a message regarding my daughter's transcripts and needing to have them sent to a college where she is applying. She was very helpful and more than happy to get them off before leaving on winter break tomorrow. Then she told me a story that left me in tears.

Last year, when my husband was in Iraq, he had contacted her for help in securing a "stabilization." You can request one when you have a child who will be a high school junior during the time of your next scheduled military move. It ensures that you stay put until your child has graduated from high school. For those of you who know my husband, you know he has never met a stranger and always takes the time to have a friendly relationship with everyone. Linda filled me in.

Apparently, her father was a veteran. Well, that's all it took. My husband had a U.S flag officially flown over Iraq for her father. Then he had it sent to him, along with a personalized certificate. She told me, "You can never know how much that meant to him. When he received it, he raised it proudly with all of his family in attendance. He spoke of your husband, with tears in his eyes. Later, Taps was played. It is still proudly flying."

Now, my husband has been home for less than half of our marriage, because of his military service. But when I look back over these nearly 20 years, and I see how many lives he's touched through his service, I know that our family's struggles have been worth it.

I married a wonderful man, and I am so grateful for him!