It's human nature to react in horror, anger, and despair to traumatic events. It's your divine nature to respond in peace, calm and Love. Own them both and then choose which one you will empower ~ Julia Rogers Hamrick
We are hardwired for survival. Biologically our nervous system functions to alert us to danger and enable us to respond quickly and efficiently to a threat. This is a good thing, which has allowed us to evolve over hundreds of thousands of years. But it was just the starting point, not where we were meant to stay. As our brains have developed so has our capacity for reasoning, creative problem solving, and the ability to expand our consciousness and awareness beyond immediate danger. While our brain and intellect may have catapulted us into the 21st century often it feels that we are still in the infancy of our heart.Like so many, my heart is broken by the most recent tragedy in Orlando and I have felt a full range of emotions from outrage to grief. It is hard to imagine hatred and fear so disconnected from life that that it could enact such brutal violence and yet we live in a world where this happens daily. I know that we are better than this. Hate is a vicious cycle, it feeds upon itself, it grows stronger with anger, and fear, judgment and blame are its fuel. Hatred builds walls and separates us from one another. There is no winner in this cycle and yet habitually we return to it over and over again.
I want to call out to the higher nature in all of us:
Can we choose to respond in the face of tragedy with Love? Can we find the courage to work through the difficult emotions that acts of hatred bring up within us without shutting down or demonizing one another? Can we put into action the inspiration of great beings like Gandhi that lived the choice to open his heart in the face of horrible injustice and love even the “enemy”? These simple acts changed the heart of an entire nation. Can we forgive each other and ourselves when we fall short of these ideals? The world needs more love; more open hearted listening, more compassion and willingness to stay open even when we disagree. I don’t know the answers but I know that anger creates more anger and that fixed ideas don’t leave any room for growth. I want to offer my love and support to all of the families suffering, to all of you who may be suffering. My hope is that we all find peace, support and healing through these difficult times. May we take care of ourselves and be kind to each other. Here are a couple of powerful tools for self care and healing that I hope will support you on your path.
Active love –
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Breathe into your heart, ask it to relax and soften, opening to sense the profound love that is always available and abundantly present all around us in every moment. Allow yourself to really feel and receive that love into your own heart. As you breathe that love in, feel it concentrate in your heart and when you are ready send that love to a friend, or family member that may be suffering, really visualize and sense as that love enters them through their solar plexus. Imagine that they are feeling and receiving the love in the same way you just did. Now move to someone you don’t know personally but whom you feel is suffering, send the love to them and see/feel it entering them through their solar plexus and filling their whole being. Finally really feel the love that is still channeling through you and visualize someone you feel a lot of anger and resentment towards send the love to them and feel as it enters them through their solar plexus and begins to nourish them in the same way it has been nourishing you. Allow that flow to continue for as long as you are able and then return to your own heart. Breathe in gratitude for the source of this love and the grace that blesses us all.If you would like to learn more about this exercise, check out the book The Tools by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. To learn more click here: http://www.thetoolsbook.com
Essential Oils and Acupuncture Points –
The use of essential oils on acupuncture points has a powerful and transformative effect on the nervous system. Essential oils are known for their compelling effect on our emotional body partly because of the link between our sense of smell and the limbic system. Aromatherapy has been used for ages as a way to access our emotions, release tension and stress and promote a sense of wellbeing. In addition to these energetic effects these potent plant substances also carry chemical messages. When an essential oil is used on an acupuncture point a multi-level effect is put into motion.I would like to give a simple description of what an acupuncture point is so that we can understand more clearly how and why an essential oil would have such a profound effect when placed on certain points. An acupuncture point is thought to be a concentration of nerves and blood vessels that come together to form a special junction point that has a specific function. Western science has validated this through the use of research with MRI and CAT scan machines that have shown that when an acupuncture needle is inserted into one of these points it sends a message to an area of the brain that is associated with the specific function or action of that point.There are several essential oil and acupuncture point combinations that are profound in managing nervous system dysregulation, stress and strong emotional experiences. I would like to share them with you here in hopes that these are rituals you can perform at home to take care of and support yourself through difficult times.
BERGAMOT – place a drop of oil on your index finger tips and gently hold your fingers on Shen Men with very light pressure for at least 60 seconds or as long as it takes to feel a shift. This is the best oil point combination for clearing tension from the nervous system and helping to balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
Geranium – place a drop of oil on your index finger tips and gently with light pressure place your fingers on SP-6 and hold for 60 seconds or as long as it takes to feel a shift. This is one of the best combinations for facilitating the release of repressed grief and pain, softening anger and healing the heart. It is a powerful emotional healer that can support us through times of anxiety and bring nourishment and acceptance to our whole being.
LAVENDER – place a drop of lavender on your index finger tip and then gently with very light pressure hold your finger tip on Yin Tang for 60 seconds or as long as it takes to feel a shift. Lavender is a powerful oil when dealing with acute emotions, trauma and shock. When it is used with this point it can help to bring a sense of calm in the midst of a storm and help to relax and ease our mind. * Be sure to always use a light touch when treating mental-emotional issues, regardless of whether physiological symptoms are present or not.I hope that you find these resources helpful and that they provide some support during these difficult times. Please share this blog post with those you feel would benefit. If you have any questions or need additional support do not hesitate to contact me. Click To ContactYours in love and health,Aiden Seraphim
