Cedar Water Healing Lodge

We just finished a 3-month workshop called the Personal Spiritual Program where the participants looked at who they are and their life’s patterns … those patterns we carry with us from lifetime to lifetime. This month’s theme plays very well into the ideas and concepts discussed in that workshop … the theme of CREATING.

When we look back over this year of 2013 we can see the unfolding of this year’s theme of transformation. We have seen the duality of March, February’s uncertainty, and January’s need for silence, reflection and movement towards a more positive attitude. April reminded us about attitude … that how we think, speak and react is what we will continue to create.

So what are you CREATING? The force behind this year’s theme of transformation has been gaining momentum. Each month it’s force has been getting stronger and stronger, pushing us towards the year’s goal … your goals. Remember those goals you set out for yourself towards the end of last year? Remember how you were going to let go of some things in your life and manifest other, more positive things? Remember that commitment to change? Well, that is where we are this year! CREATING those changes!

But what happens when we don’t ‘flow’ with those changes? What happens when we continue to follow the patterns of all those years gone by? What happens when we try to hold on to those negative attitudes?

Remember when we talked about this being the Age of Aquarius? That moving forward in this more feminine energetic state we needed to move, think, act, react, operate from a more loving, positive, heartfelt space? To do otherwise only creates havoc, chaos, destruction and other negative results … for you and those around you following your lead.

For many, the Age of Pisces continues to live … for you haven’t completely made that shift of attitude and consciousness. You may recognize that ‘life’ seems a whole lot harder, but your general attitude, judgments, negative view of the world or parts of the world at large are still steeped in a mindset of victim-hood, fear, intimidation, anger, resentment, jealousy, and hostility. It’s too bad transformation doesn’t take place in a shorter time span … like maybe overnight! But it doesn’t.

So, here we are in the merry month of May CREATING our reality with the full force and momentum of 2013 behind it! What you are CREATING is coming to life with all the attitude, intention and patterns you bring into it! How about that?!! You are the creator of your own creation! You are the architect of all that lies before you! How exciting is that?! Or … how scary is that?

One of the first lessons of CREATING  in this time of Aquarius is … when you create something it always comes back to you. For example, if you are angry at someone for something they did, and you think something harsh about that person … it will come back to you. Remember that old saying … “what you put out is what you get back”? Well, in the Age of Aquarius it is like a double whammy! It comes back on you ten-fold … unlike the age we just came out of … Pisces!

While you are thinking about what you want to CREATE in your life … think about what you want to put in to it. Use the finest ingredients. Use those ingredients that are full of life and create peace, harmony, and joy in your life. Use ingredients that support the richness of all life … of all that surrounds you, of all that you know or don’t know.

If, however, you choose ingredients that are heavy and laden with unhealthy fillers and ill-will, ingredients that are full of judgment, anger, hostility, and resentment, you will CREATE all of that and more in your life.  It will become the poison that will eventually destroy you and your life.

Think of CREATING like building your home … the place where you and your family and friends will live, work, play, and rest. The materials you use and the labor put into building the foundation will determine how long that home will stand before it begins to crumble … like the buildings reported in the news in Bangladesh.

This is your time! Use this month and all its momentum to CREATE what you truly want in YOUR life … not what you want for someone else, or not what you wish on others!! If you bring it into your mind, you put it out into the Universe for creation. And mind you … if it is negative … it will come back on you in a mean and nasty way! If it is positive … it too will come back to you.  Just like you sent it out … it will come back!

Now go out and CREATE ………………. a better world!!

There are many names for this month’s full moon. The Cherokee (my native blood tribe) call it the Full Flower Moon because of the blooming wild flowers and phlox, while many of the coastal tribes referred to it as the Full Fish Moon … as the fish would be swimming upstream for their spawning season. Because of yesterday’s snow and today’s bitter cold rain, I would personally call it the Full Cold, Springless Moon … but that’s just me.

April’s Full Moon also comes with a partial, 27-minute, lunar eclipse … making this a very powerful Full Moon. It will be the first of three eclipses for this year. We will not be able to see it here in North America, however the effects of an eclipse will still be felt or experienced by those sensitive to the Universe’s energy shifts.

In a previous post I talked about April being a month of ACTION, and that the FORCE behind your thoughts, words, deeds and intentions will have a strong and direct effect on those actions and their eventual outcome. During this Full Moon, with the FORCE of the eclipse behind it, take the time to go deep within yourself. Begin by honoring yourself, your life, your truth and your wisdom. Identify and acknowledge those times in your life when big shifts and changes needed to take place, and while they may have seemed challenging, it wasn’t the challenge that mattered … but what you did with it. How you chose to handle the challenge … whether it was begrudgingly, pessimistically, fearfully, boldly, willingly, confidently, or nonchalantly … was truly the point that mattered. It is not the challenge itself that matters, but how you handle it. Did you react as though the challenge was presented to you as a personal attack, affront or vendetta? Or, did you see it as a challenge Spirit was presenting to you for your own growth, support and direction?

This is the time to reflect on where you have been, where you want to go, and how you want to grow … spiritually and personally. Regardless of what challenges Spirit has or will present to you … now and in the future … know in your heart, body and mind that it is there for your growth … and always exactly what you need.

S.B. 288 is not just an assault on wildlife, like wolves.  It is an assault on our voting rights.

Now, I hope you will contact your state rep, your state senator, and the governor to oppose State Bill 288, which will undo the efforts of and continue to undermine grassroots democracy in our state.

So, I hope you will contact your state rep, your state senator, and the governor to oppose State Bill 288, which will undo and continue to undermine grassroots democracy in our state.

I hear people say (and I agree) that they cannot watch the broadcast news anymore. There is so much violence towards our ‘brothers & sisters’, destruction of our Mother Earth, political nonsense and mud-slinging (there are lots of politicians but where are our “states people”?), crimes against our children (as adults, aren’t we supposed to love and protect them?) and humanity in general, greed (what is it we worship these days?), saber-rattling (nothing like flexing your muscle to scare people into submission), corruption in all areas of government (the idea of ‘for the people’ only applies to those holding political office), no reverence for life of any kind (people are being killed all the time … if not by bullets by our foods!), and sensationalized journalism feeding the masses negative, cynical, pessimistic, opinionated, no-hope news.

How in the world did we get here? Wars have been around for centuries … people fighting people for the good of … what? People killing and maiming each other in the streets of our cities everyday … for what? Our children are no longer safe in their homes, schools, places of worship, playgrounds … and why? Our elderly, who worked to raise and care for their families, grow businesses, and support their communities are no longer being taken care of by those organizations designed to help them in their later years because … they are no longer needed? And our government … which was once run by people who looked out for their constituents … working to help this nation of people live the American dream, is now working to better only those elected and selected people of our American government.

I don’t understand what happened. I know that I came from a generation of people who bucked the system … who fought to end senseless wars, discrimination, injustice, and who loved Mother Earth, human rights, green peace, Peace Corps, peace in general. But today, it seems if you are not a politician you have no voice. No one hears you unless you have lots of money and influence. What happened?

In my practice I see people everyday who are suffering from the effects of our social decline. More and more people everyday are displaying signs of depression, oppression, fear and anxiety. What do we do for them? We hand them a prescription for anti-depressants or some other anti-anxiety, anti-feeling medicine. We need to stop treating symptoms!!! Stop treating the effects of what is happening here in our world and start addressing and treating the problems!! We need to start caring of each other!!

If we cared about each other … would we allow so much discrimination? Would we be so judgmental? Wouldn’t we protect and defend our children? Wouldn’t we make sure our food supply was safe, healthy and free of chemicals and pesticides? Wouldn’t we applaud those who at least try to help others and silence the naysayers? Instead, we continue to focus on all the negativity, crisis, acts of crime and violence, judgment, terror, fear, disgrace, etc., etc., etc.

I want to live in a world of peace and harmony … of One Nation. Where people care about each other, Mother Earth, our children and their future, and hold an acceptance of others. Where money is not the idol to be worshipped … but pay honor and homage to all the Creator has given to us. A place where people do not have to live with fear and anxiety because they cannot trust their neighbor, friend, family or government.

What can we do? I seek your comments and suggestions …

The past week has been an interesting preview of what this month of showers and flowers is all about!

March seemed like such a harsh month … as though the grip of winter with its cloak of darkness and solitude didn’t want to let go. At times it seemed as though that Lion March came in with had eaten the poor little Lamb! I wasn’t so sure the Lamb existed! But March lived up to its duality … and as it left us, it left with a rush.

April moved in with a forward moving force … advancing all your hopes and dreams to a point where they can begin to materialize! Remember … the end of March was about ACTION! After we moved into the second half of March, Mercury went direct, and all the changes we had been working on the previous 6 months were ready to spring forward … to move to manifesting! Hurray!!

But is it ‘hurray!’? What made this past week interesting have been the attitudes or mind sets expressed by so many … hopelessness, anger, desperation, confusion, and an overall dissatisfaction with life. Why is that? We have finally reached the point during this year of transformation where we are moving forward towards those changes we hoped for, longed for, and asked for. What happened?

We all recognize that change is sometimes difficult to accept, and moving through change is usually more disruptive than the actual change itself. Even the smallest change brings with it the ‘ripple effect’ … everything and every one around it is effected in some way, shape or form. It is just the way things happen. And that ripple effect … that ripple that spreads out further and further from the center … will continue to move forward, in whatever direction it was pointed towards. Imagine it … you drop a pebble in a pool of water and the ripples begin to move out away from the center. They continue to move in that direction until something stops it or changes its direction. The force behind the ripple … that which moves the ripple forward … will continue to push the ripples forward, even though the ripples will eventually come to hit a cement wall. Changing the direction of the ripple is possible but takes a lot of concentrated effort to do so. The force behind the ripple has to be redirected.

The same is true about attitude. When you wake up in the morning feeling like a bear, growling like a bear, and behaving like a bear … the force behind your attitude perpetuates and expands forward. If you repeat a behavior or attitude in a repetitive manner, it takes on a ‘life’ of its own … it develops a force behind it. If your conversations are always about how ‘everything in your life is wrong’, then guess what? The force behind those thoughts and words will create, support and push forward the materialization of “everything in your life  being wrong’. That is why it is so very, very important to be clear and concise in your messages to Spirit of what it is you want, need or desire.

The old saying, “Be careful what you wish for” is absolutely spot on!!! You can ask for happiness … but if you do it with anger and resentment, the emotional force will move farther faster in manifesting than the simple word or idea. Try this test … think of a time you felt really happy, and hold that thought for a minute. Now, think of time you were furiously angry, and hold that thought for a minute. Which one held the most energy? Which one felt like it had the most force behind it? Which one was easier to let go of?

April is about checking the FORCE behind your thoughts, words and actions. How many times have you said to yourself … ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘why can’t I get a break’? Statements like that almost always come true. Wouldn’t it be better to say something closer to ‘I’ll give it try! What can I lose?’ or ‘all good things come to those who wait’ or ‘something better will come my way’?

Because of this FORCE, April can be a month of great productivity, creativity, and enlightenment. It is a month of where you need to be aware of your surroundings … distinguishing the kinds of energies you want to be around, which will best serve you and which will help move and grow you in a positive and uplifting way.

Sometimes we get pulled into negative situations or dialogues. The people, places and things around us may lead us into feeling uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. The same FORCE behind these negative situations or dialogues may attempt to move us along this same path … finding ourselves swallowed up in some pool of negative energy. This is a time of setting boundaries, and being honest with yourself about what it is you want to achieve during this time of movement.

If you pay attention, this can be a very positive and productive month.

Earth Hour 2013 will be held on Saturday March 23, at 8:30pm-9:30pm wherever you are in the world.

There is no doubt about it … the world is facing some of the most critical environmental challenges in its history. That may make the journey to a sustainable future seem difficult to imagine, but it is far from impossible. Change this big needs everyone’s attention and involvement.

All around the world, individuals, companies, and governments are taking steps to help heal Mother Earth. After the voices of 120,000 Russians were presented to the government during the I Will If You Will campaign for Earth Hour 2012, the Russian parliament passed a law to protect the country’s seas from oil pollution. Over 7,000 cities are involved in Earth Hour this year … challenging individuals, companies and other organizations to clean up the environment. For example, in a WWF supported event, 2.8 million people in Hong Kong participated in last year’s “lights off” event. The majority of participants showed a commitment to sustainable living beyond the designated hour. In fact, all of  Hong Kong’s Earth Hour participants pledged to take future action toward a more sustainable living, with 77% saying they would turn off lights when not in use, 64% would replace old light bulbs and 61% would turn off appliances when not being used.

According to data provided by both CLP and HK Electric, electricity consumption in Hong Kong dropped by 4.27% during Earth Hour on Saturday March 31, 2012. This drop in electricity consumption is equivalent to saving 146 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which would require 6,348 trees to absorb in one year.

For more information, go to earthhour.org and see what you might do to help save our precious life source, Mother Earth. Let’s make a difference together! Let’s see what we can do!!!

As I sit here writing this, I can’t help but think about the ‘journey’. The journey that has taken me from the corporate world to the world of healing, health and Spirit. Over the past 25+ years I have spent a lot of time and energy in learning all I could about the body, holistic healing and spiritual awareness. I have been blessed with an understanding of the greater whole, and how things seen and unseen can work, if approached in a good and humble way. And, I have come to know without a shadow of a doubt that it is not I who does the work of healing for others. It is not I who can reduce pain, inflammation and illness within others. Nor is it I who brings comfort and peace to those that come to see me.

But I do know when Spirit tries to ‘nudge’ me in a new direction … maybe a direction I haven’t thought of, or maybe slightly altering the direction I have been heading towards. I am being ‘nudged’. What started out as a slight nudging has turned into a more determined nudge. And, because I pay attention to these little signs, I am making some changes to what services I personally will offer as of July 1st, 2013.

Starting July 1st, I will no longer offer the massage aspect of my services. I will continue to offer Reiki-Infused Bodywork, however, unless necessary to correct a specific problem, massage will not be part of the service. Reiki-Infused Bodywork is composed of many components … Reiki, Breema, Reflexology, acupressure, polarity, etc. The massage aspect is used primarily to help relax the client and to establish a direct connection between the client’s energy field and my own. As most of you know … the healing work I do during a session is NOT done through the massage, but through the various energetic layers and systems of the body that I work with.

I recognize that sometimes you just want a good massage, and the other aspects of what I do is a wonderful healthy bonus! For those times you just want a really good massage, I recommend you see a really good massage therapist. The two I highly recommend are Crystal Jennings at 248-302-4291 in Farmington, or Julie Jeffries at 248-684-2028 in Milford. If, however, you want the traditional Reiki-Infused Bodywork with the massage, I suggest you contact Donna Andrews at 937-623-7890 or Michelle Meritt at 248-797-4461.

Please know that I am NOT stopping the healing work. But Spirit has made it clear that I need to focus on the healing aspect of what I do, and less on the massage. So, I am listening!

Another thing that has been presented to me is that I need to be more ‘open’ to the idea of doing spiritual readings for people. This is an area I have shied away from for many, many years. Why? Because I am a private person and respect the privacy of others. Recently though, I have been approached by so many people asking for a simple spiritual reading, that I believe it is yet another nudge from Spirit. So, you will see very soon the offering of spiritual readings.

And finally, I am opening up the Personal Spiritual Growth Program to anyone who is interested. This is a mentoring program I have only offered to people who have asked specifically for it. It is an initial 3-month program that guides you to finding your truth, your core beliefs, your own spiritual identity and language, and connects you deeply with your own true Self essence. I am looking to start a new group within the next month, so if this is something that resonates with you, please let me know. The groups are small … under 10 people, preferably 6.

These are exciting times at the Lodge! We are busy getting ready for warmer weather! We recently purchased a new cover for the tipi and a large hide for our community drum! All thanks to the generous donations we have received over these past winter months!

We are in full swing getting ready for the Wisdom Keepers’ Weekend! We are in need of volunteers to help us get ready and to help with the Weekend itself! To see what you can do to help, click on this link http://cedarwaterhealinglodge.com/about-us/volunteer/.

A couple of volunteer opportunities are coming up quickly. We have a Craft Night tomorrow night at 6:00pm – 8:30pm. On April 6th we are looking for volunteers with chain saws and/or the ability to stack wood to help us cut up, split and stack wood from trees that fell over these past winter months. For more information, click on http://cedarwaterhealinglodge.com/calendar/.

We also really need help passing out flyers for the Wisdom Keepers’ Weekend. So much work … so little time!!!! If you are interested at all in participating in our events, please do not hesitate to contact us!

The old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb is symbolic of the duality of the month. The ‘uncertainty’ of February will remain through a part of the month … along with Mercury’s retrograde. The latter half of the month begins to move us in the direction we have been preparing ourselves for.

Towards the end of 2012, known as the year of change, we were busily working to recognize, change and release our old paradigms. The first couple of months of 2013, the year of transformation, has provided us the opportunity to begin transforming our old ways of thinking, behaving and reacting to external events and situations.

So, here we sit at the beginning of March … with Mercury’s retrograde conflicting our ability to communicate, and slowing our ability to move things in a forward direction. It seems no matter how hard we try to accelerate progress or how much momentum we try to put behind our ‘drive’ to our goals, Murphy’s law is there to keep us from gaining traction!

You may find yourself frustrated, angry and a little wary or  fearful … because all of the planning and hard work you have been putting forth just doesn’t seem to be working or getting you to where you want to be! Is it futile? Should you just quit trying? Well … once Mercury goes direct on March 17th, things should begin to lighten up … but you may continue to feel the effects of retrograde for another week.

This is an emotional time! We are still in a time of uncertainty … things may not be heading in the direction you would like to see them going, relationships may not be as satisfying as they once were or as you would want them to be, you may find yourself ‘floundering’ or feeling as though you are a drift in some space and time, not knowing where you are headed or why. And while all of this uncertainty is going on, there is a great deal of action taking place deep within you … at a level deep within your subconscious. Action that you set in place back in the fall of 2012.

You have probably heard the saying, “timing is everything” … and it is. Back in the fall, you set into motion changes you wanted to make within yourself. The goals and intentions you set for yourself at that time have been working to loosen and burn away the old and make way for the new. These subtle changes have been working their way into your subconscious and conscious mind … bringing with them a new awareness and the surfacing of old and new emotions.

Mercury’s retrograde at this time helps to keep you in a place where you can continue to review and let go of any useless old patterns, thoughts, fears, anxieties, judgement, expectations, dreams, disappointments and self imposed restrictions. Recognize each of them for what they are. Decide whether they will help or hinder you now and into your future. Recognize who they belong to … are they yours or someone else’s?

As mentioned earlier … this month is about duality. The second half of the month is about ACTION! Take the time in this first half of the month to be prepared for the second half. Do NOT set expectations for what will or will not be. Do NOT anticipate what will or will not happen. Just make sure you have been present the first half of the month to prepare for the second half! 

The second half of the month begins the manifestation of those things you set into place throughout the past 6 months. All of your hopes, dreams and desires for now and into the coming months and years … all the work you have been doing up to this point … will begin to come to fruition the last half of this month.

It is important that you send clear and succinct messages to Spirit from this point forward. And, you must make sure that what you ask for is what you want! Do NOT ask for something, then when you receive it decide it is NOT what you want, what you were asking for, or something that you are not ready for! Make sure you are willing and able to accept whatever the Spirits present to you. Do NOT send mixed messages. Do NOT ask for something that you are not ready for. Do NOT ask for something, then in the same message suggest you are not worthy of receiving it. And, do NOT ask for something for someone else! Be very careful of what you ask for! You will probably get it … whether you want it or not!