Yeah, it's story telling time.
I love it when something magical happens. Something small and unexpected. Just one of those things that taps you on the shoulder and causes you to notice and ponder in your heart. And makes you question the things you think you know. Yeah, it's story telling time. One day almost a year ago, I was in my kitchen cooking. I had removed a cast iron skillet from the oven (temperature 425° F.) and set it on the stove top. My attention was divided, because I was multi-tasking, as all cooks do, and the skillet was in my way, so I grabbed the handle to move it. Well you can imagine, how badly I scorched my hand. Yup, second degree. I immediately turned the cold water on my hand and let it run about a minute, then wrapped a cloth bathed in cold water around my hand. Then I did what is called fast aid in the BodyTalk System, (a kind of emergency energy technique) and I must admit, my focus wasn't very good at the moment. I went back to cooking, but my hand was still really hurting. I have an Aloe Vera plant in the Kitchen, and so I thought I'd better try some of the gel. But I have to tell you, I rescued that plant (which had been neglected at someone's office and was on it's way to the bin), and I just didn't have the heart to cut into it. I was standing there wanting to ask permission to take a leaf, and wanting it to show me which leaf to take. And I'm really glad that I took the time to do that. Because what happened was this...I was inspired to think about working with the resonant frequency of the healing properties of the plant. So I asked the Aloe Vera if it would work with me in this way, and before I even finished asking the question, I got a very clear yes. A resounding yes! A JOYFUL YES! I didn't need the actual physical gel of the plant, so I didn't need to cut into it. I just held my hand over the top and the pain went away within seconds. My job was to hold space for the belief that the resonant frequency of the healing gel would have the same effect on my burn, as putting actual gel on my hand. It was amazing. There is something about receiving healing from unexpected sources, which gives you a deep, deep feeling of reverence. Because I asked for help, with respect and true concern for the well being of the plant I got a very enthusiastic, joyous response, and healing beyond what I was expecting. Not only did my hand stop hurting, but I had a sense of deep peace on a cellular level, and I felt like I was over flowing with love and joy. A little while later, I looked at my palm. The only evidence that I had been burned, was a small heart shaped red mark just below the base of my thumb. By the following evening, even that was gone. I even took pictures. I don't have a very good camera on my laptop, so I hope you can see the "heart". It's not science. I know. But I experiment with things like this all the time. My life is my laboratory. And why not. If everything is energy, and energy carries a frequency, why wouldn't you be able to tap into the frequency of a gel that is known to have a healing affect on burns? Doesn't it just seem logical? And let's talk about the plant. The plant is not the subject of study here. The burn is the subject. The plant is my COLLEAGUE in this experiment. We two conscious beings (and I use the word "two" loosely) work together to create a healing. That is exactly how it works for any type of healing to take place. When you come to me for energy work, you are every bit as much involved in the process as I am. If you bring your animal friend, the animal is every bit involved. There is this wonderful exchange of energy and work and healing that takes place where ever two or more are gathered, if that is your intention. But what happens if it's just one person? I've done work on myself lots of times, with no one else around. The beautiful things is this...Consciousness is everywhere. It's in all things. The "Observer" is everywhere. Oh I have lots more to say on this subject. I have other stories to tell, which will have to wait until tomorrow. This subject really excites me, so I can't wait to continue. I would love to read your views on the subject. If you'd like to share, I invite you to leave a comment. Or email on the contact page.
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Is it possible? That at last I may be running out of things to say? No, I think I'm just tired, or my Muse is...maybe both of us. The truth is, that today's post came from a journal entry I made in April of 2011, which I felt compelled to share. Maybe it is still timely and will speak to your heart. (I Think the "anonymous person" I wrote about was someone in a car-probably something that happened while I was driving.) So now back to April 2011... This past week, I found myself in a situation, where the actions of another person triggered an anger response in me. It didn't feel good to me, so immediately my rational mind took over and my inner psychologist started telling me that no one could make me angry, and that it was all in my perception, yadda, yadda, yadda. And yet I kept going back to it. My mind kept replaying the experience, and trying to analyze the event, which was impossible because I didn't actually know this anonymous person with whom I was angry. I began to get annoyed with myself at my inability to shake off this experience. And the harder I tried to let it go, the more insistent it became. The more "life" it took on. Suddenly I remembered my heart. I put my attention on my heart and the nagging creature that had become my anger, melted instantly away. I was astonished. Even though it was my intention to neutralize my anger by going to my heart, I have to admit, that the results were quicker than I had expected. And it is a tribute to this "technique" that I can't remember the event which caused the anger in the first place. When I was a kid, we were taught that we should forgive and forget. I never could get the forget part until this experience of connecting with the heart. And how very important it is to have that piece of the puzzle--that ability to forget. Because without it, we just go round and round. True forgiveness, really does mean being able to forget. To neutralize the memory of the "wrong done", so that it truly did not take place. The human heart is a very powerful tool, to be able to do that. Because how often have we tried to "forget" and "push things down", etc., etc. Pushing down isn't actually neutralizing the memory. Instead it is activating it, so it becomes like a hidden explosive devise in a mine field, armed and dangerous. We may have forgotten it, because it has gotten buried very deeply, but it's still there-very much alive, with the potential to do great harm. By working with the heart, we have the ability to take the charge out of an experience, and we are able to live life in a more objective, and more loving way. It's not impossible to find 5 minutes out of every day to begin working with the heart field. It's a pretty easy exercise to engage in. Try spending 3 to 5 minutes sitting quietly with attention on the heart center (the energy field around the heart), then bringing awareness simultaneously to heart and mind as if one was superimposed on the other. One way to do this is by picturing the ability to merge the mind into the heart. Try practicing it throughout the day. Just by putting attention on the heart and then bringing heart and mind together for about a minute, occasionally throughout the day. It seems like such a small thing, yet is wonderfully transforming. It soon becomes very natural to do this in situations of all kinds. What a powerful tool for transformation is the human heart. Rita Tortorello journal entry April 2011
Intuition is my most important tool, speaking as someone who practices within the BodyTalk System. When I get into the zone of doing a session with a client, that interfacing is happening between us. Then my left and right brain hemispheres are sharing their unique points of view about the information coming in--I just get a flow of communication which is valid to the session. I've long since stopped being astonished by what I pick up on, because the information is coming from an internal receiver that we all have, and I allow myself to open up to it. It's a bit like tuning in to a radio broadcast. The first time I had a BodyTalk session, I was a little freaked out thinking that the practitioner could read my mind. Well let me assure you. For me, it's nothing of the sort. It just seems like it, if you're not used to people knowing stuff about you. And as soon as the session is over, it just sort of fades from my memory like a dream. I have had to do a lot of work, just to allow that information to flow. It's been more a matter of removing layers, which distract me and get in my way. It's very much all about just allowing-not "efforting", as one of my instructors likes to say. And practice. With practice, confidence is gained. It needs to be a comfortable process. Finding what works to receive information. There's been a lot of scientific research done on this subject, but I've just never been interested in reading about it from that angle. I guess I prefer to experiment on my own and see what feels good to me. Early on, when I first started training my mind to pick up intuitive information, I was so impressed by everyone else's ability. They all seemed like they were born with second sight. It made me feel like I really needed to work hard and train myself diligently. So not only did I train in MindScape which is offered through the International BodyTalk Association, but I checked into the Silva Mind courses, and searched online for whatever I could find. That's how I met my friend Sibylle. She was offering courses in Witchcraft on line. And I'm really glad she has resumed them after taking a couple of years off. I thought, if anyone knows about intuitive development, it's a Witch. So I started by taking her free sample course, and I had so much fun, that I signed up for her 101 class, and then her 102. The thing I liked about it more than anything else was that she was responsive and available via email. I would send her emails about how I had done the assignment, and what I got out of it; or I could ask questions which she always responded to very quickly. Over time, she and I became friends. I expect it's that way with most people who meet her. She has a very loving heart, and is very supportive of her friends. I suspect she is also a force to be reckoned with in World of Warcraft. I will include her contact information below. Some of the other things I did to develop intuitive function was to play with the landscape. I would look at the clouds to see what shapes they suggested, and I would gaze into my coffee cup, or look into the fire, or just pay attention to what my surroundings were telling me through nature. These are all really good ways to blow the dust off of your right brain function. By using your imagination, and engaging in creative pursuits, you make the right side of your brain very happy. It get's more "exercise", and you become better able to access intuition as a result. Another thing I did was play with oracle cards. I would get pretty good information, and then after using the deck awhile, I'd get bored and want to find a different deck...I can see why people have lots of different decks. I went through two oracle decks and then I thought I'd try Tarot. I just never took to it, so I haven't really played with cards for a while. But thanks to Sibylle's Blog Post, I felt inspired to try it again. This time I got the cards out, but NOT the book. I just want to see what my intuition tells me and not worry about the traditional meanings. So far, it seems to be working pretty well. In addition to these other ways to stimulate your intuition, the best way of all is meditation. And now, if you're interested in playing with tools to help you increase your intuition, I'll include some links below. And because Sibylle came into my story today, I'll include some contact information about her, as well. Sibylle offers Witchcraft courses online at The Hag's Den http://www.thehagsden.com/# Read "The Three of Pentacles" here http://www.thehagsden.com/#/blog/4565945385/The-Three-Of-Pentacles/3295441 Have fun exploring her site, which has loads of good stuff to read there. Other good tools to exercise your right brain are meditation, creative pursuits of any kind, using your imagination, playing games, and what ever inspires you to get out of your thinking/rational mind exclusively.
More formal types of training would be MindScape offered by the IBA at https://www.bodytalksystem.com/seminars/?yo=0&course=20&instructor=0&course_m=0&course_y=0&continent=&country=&state=&city= Or The Silva Method http://www.silvamethod.com/ I invite you to start using more of your brain...have fun playing with your intuition. It's a really healthy thing to do. Yesterday I wrote about my cat friend Esmerelda. And today I want to talk about the way our animals mirror our stuff back at us. I adopted Esmerelda in the aftermath of losing my beloved cat guru of 14 years. He had lung tumors. So when I showed up at my vet's office with another cat that had breathing issues within a couple of months of losing him, the doctor said, "What is it with you and your cats with lung trouble?" We both thought he was kidding... Honestly, I can't say if my cats were mirroring some kind of lung issues for me, because I've had a lot of energy work done on myself by me and by others, and sometimes things get resolved before they have had a chance to manifest as disease. But now, I have gained a little bit of an understanding about the "psychology of the lungs" from Chinese medicine, which is all about processing grief, and about suffocation, reactiveness, vitality, surrender, release, and so on. Based on that understanding, I can see a correlation in my own life at the time. I can give you another example of how "mirroring" came into the story of one of my clients. I did a series of three sessions for a client on her newly adopted puppy to resolve some elimination issues and some behavior issues. The woman gave me great feed back, and was really really pleased with the results of the sessions. But what was even cooler for me was this--the woman discovered that her puppy's behavior issues would show up during her own times of "intense personal struggle." This is what it's all about for me. You can have all the work you want done on your animal friend, but if you're not working on your own stuff, you may not see LASTING results. My wonderful client with the puppy, was perceptive enough to realize this. And that rang the bell for me! Think about what that can mean to you. If what you're seeing in the "out there" world of the external landscape becomes a kind of diagnostic screen which gives you clues about what is going on in the "in here" world of your own internal landscape...If you're paying attention, you could really use that information to actively write your story.
Yesterday I told you that I work with animals and their human family members to provide holistic alternatives for wellbeing. I gave you a little background information about what motivates me in my practice, and I explained briefly what the BodyTalk system is. That post was getting to be a little longer than my usual posts, so I'm picking up the threads of that story today and will continue where I left off. This work has changed my perception about what causes illness and about what is possible for the body. And that is very important to the theme of what I am trying to convey whenever I write on this blog. Due to my experiences, I have come to believe very strongly that perception is a game changer. It is how I actively write my story. Here's an example of how a shift in perception helped me to help my cat Esmerelda (pictured above). I adopted Esmerelda as an adult cat from our local animal shelter in the fall of 2004. They estimated she was between 2 and 3 years old. Long story short--she was diagnosed with feline asthma on one of those midnight visits to the animal emergency. She was put on a regular dose of prednisolone 2 pills daily and we had a bronchodilator in pill form on hand which would be the equivalent to an inhalant for when she had an asthma attack. (The language we use! An attack! Well anyway...) I was a little freaked out about that. I hate pharmaceuticals. But worse, I hated to see her having that "attack". I told myself I would find something else. But I became complacent over time, because I wasn't able to find an alternative and we settled into an "easy" routine, which became easier because we were able to "manage" her symptoms on one pill a day. And her vet assured me that, that was a minimal dose. Four years later, I found The BodyTalk system, and became a certified practitioner. I started doing regular sessions with her, and she dropped down to 1/2 pill a day. But she would still have the occasional attack, which I would treat with her bronchodilator pill. And in all that time I could not wean her off prednisolone, because she would get worse, if I lessened the dose. There was a very delicate balance to maintaining her ability to breath comfortably. Then about a year ago, we were unable to get the medicine she was using as a bronchodilator. It just wasn't available anywhere, and I was down to 8 doses, Granted 8 doses could have lasted all year, because they were only used when she had a flair up, and those were rare. But because I suddenly found myself unable to get this perscription filled--anywhere--she began to have full blown asthma attacks. I used up 6 of her 8 doses in two weeks, and all the while I was looking for a replacement for that drug, which suddenly didn't seem to exist anymore. And I continued to give her healing sessions. Down to her last two doses...no acceptable alternative to be found. And then one day something changed. She had an attack and somehow, what I was doing energy-wise was enough. I had finally done enough work on myself to shift my perspective on what her body was capable of doing to restore it's own balance. And it did. She's been fine ever since, and I have this past year very slowly weaned her prednisolone dose from 1/2 pill to 1/3 pill to 1/4 which is where she's at now. And I can not be more grateful. And she is amazingly vibrant and happy. She is my most playful cat friend, and reminds me daily to Just Lighten UP! So this is what I want to say about that story. The lesson for me is that perception is a game changer--Yes! Absolutely. But you can know something in theory or believe it in theory or understand it, but until it becomes part of your consciousness, life will continue to look the same for you. What I want to say is this...It was me who changed, not Esmerelda. My perception of her changed. For real. You may understand what I'm saying. You may not. Either way is absolutely valid to your story, but I want to say how important it is to your family members - animal and human that you get work done which helps shift your perception of what's possible for your health, and the health of your family. It doesn't have to be BodyTalk (that's my favorite), but find some type of energy work to experience which rocks your world and knocks your socks off, because it is transformative and besides that it just feels really, really good. You feel more balanced in your life, the impact of stress is reduced, you sleep better, you get a little better dealing with relationships and life in general. And all this happens so gradually, that you almost don't notice. It's just this nice, comfortable, easy transition. At least that's how it is for me, and for my clients too. "But Rita", you say, "what about the animals? Why are we talking about people? Well it's like this...You may have heard the expression that your animal is the mirror of your soul... But you know, once again this post is getting pretty long and I really want to share this piece of it with you, so I'll continue tomorrow. Until tomorrow, then. I want to invite you to make it your priority to take an active part in writing your story, and shifting your perception of what is possible, cuz it's such a fun way to live. To read Part 3-the final, click the link below.
http://heartstarblog.weebly.com/1/post/2012/08/mirroring.html |
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