Diary of a Psychic Healer: Nature

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The 13 Original Clan Mothers & The Moon

Six months ago I joined a weekly circle where we meet up at each other's houses and take turns presenting metaphysical subjects that we are into. Its been lots of fun; earlier this year I got to teach tarot and astrology and I am now I am back as a student, which I love. This week we kicked off with a new round of classes on Mayan spirituality, specifically the 13 cycles of the moon, from New Moon to Full Moon and what we learn about ourselves as we start to peel back the layers of the ego. The round of classes will span 26 weeks, I will be working on it into the New Year.

Exploring The Mayan World View

This week kicked off with a bit of theory on the Mayan "World View" of the human being as a functioning, sentient being that is part of the Universe but not all of it, just like a kidney is a functioning organ that is part of the human body and not separate from it (but also, not one and the same with the whole). The idea was that we each have a function to complete on earth, just like the kidney has a specific role, and that by fulfilling that function all of our needs would be met. This contrasts to our modern world view where the belief could be that we are competing with each other for jobs, money, resources, promotions, etc - and that through that world view, we have created a system that validates and reinforces those beliefs. I'm not sure how this fits in with the 13 moons, but the idea was intriguing ...

Yesterday's overarching theme was relationships - our relationship with the world whether it is a human being, a tree or an animal. The teacher encouraged us to sit in meditation and connect with plants and animals to receive their guidance. We did this in a short meditation where each of us was guided to meet one of our power animals, and to connect with a particular kind of tree and ask it what kind of healing it could give us. The tree that came to mind for me was the Eucalyptus, and it told me that we could receive its healing by chewing on its leaves. Afterwards, our teacher told us that Eucalyptus trees were about taking a breathe and resting, if you will. With regards to my power animal, I saw three: a spider, which I ignored and asked my intuition to give my something else. Then came a flying squirrel, which I saw as a cartoon character from the Sword in the Stone. I also got the lyrics to Seal's Fly Like an Eagle, along with a visual of an eagle flying over a lake and diving into to cool down.

After the meditation we discussed what we'd seen - the spider represents creativity so I guess it says something about my current creative process when I ignored the spider and waited for it to move along. The squirrel I think was about finding freedom, stretching your wings and also finding a bit of magic in our daily lives. Finally I'm not sure what the eagle represents and my homework was to connect with its energy in my daily meditations. It was pretty cool overall. The class we are taking is based on books by a woman called Jaime Sams, who has written extensively about Native American spirituality. I believe this specific course is based on the material in her book, the 13 Original Clan Mothers. She also published a set of Medicine Cards that I have been eyeing for years: The Discovery of Power Through the Way of the Animals.

Relationships As Reflections of Ourselves

The first moon's overarching theme is relationships as mirrors; how what we dislike in other people is often something that we are disowning in ourselves. And what we like in others are often qualities that we like in ourselves. So our relationship with the world is largely dependent on our relationship to ourselves, and in order to soften those triggers, we need to look within. Here's an example, let's say I'm super annoyed by people who show off. Is there a part of me that wants to show off but doesn't? Or is there an aspect of my life where I can't help showing off?

Along the same lines, when we think about what it is about a person that makes us like them, could it be that we have that same quality and it is one of the things that we like about ourselves? So for example, I am drawn to people who are happy and smile a lot (aren't we all?) and its usually people who are uncomplicated and happy that I like spending time with. Though it may be an aspirational mirror as I am quite happy and uncomplicated, but I could probably have more sunshine in my life. I think that is why I'm so drawn to Reiki, it is like a burst of sunshine in your mind's eye.

Our homework is to try and be more aware of what it is that draws us to other people (or away from them) and how those traits could be a reflection of ourselves. This is a theory that I was already familiar with, especially with regards to opposites in astrology. For example, as an Aquarius, I can be put off by Leo's drive to shine but really, it is just the opposite side of my coin. What I see as separate from myself is part of my disowned shadow. Let's think about what that means...

Update 2025: The class I took emphasized the Mayan tradition - Jamie Sam’s book is on Native American spirituality. Por si las moscas …

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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, angel medium and the author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. Blogging at Diary of a Psychic Healer since 2010, her passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to unlock your intuition.

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> Español: @AngelMedium33

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Pope Francis Speaks up for the Environment

When I was a kid, our local church was on a hill near the ocean. The wall behind the altar was made of glass and through it we could see the sky, the trees, and birds, squirrels or even dogs running by. We were in nature without being exposed to the elements. Every Sunday I tuned out the priest (oops!) and took in the view instead. I don't know if I believe creationism but if I did, it would make more sense to meditate and pray in nature. I find that my intuition is louder when I'm sitting in a park, and energetically it also becomes very clear that we are all part of one living breathing ecosystem.

Somehow we've lost sight of the fact that hurting the planet ultimately hurts us as much as it hurts the environment. This is why I was thrilled to read Pope Francis' Environmental Encyclical last week, an open letter imploring all of us to take better care of the planet. He starts by referencing St Francis of Assisi, whose name he took, as a prime example of respect for non-human lifeforms. Pope Francis also condemns the view that we own the Earth and have the right to pillage it's resources. We've been doing it for centuries without any thought for the consequences, which he also lays out:

Climate Change and Pollution: Here he highlights the damage that fossil fuels are doing to the environment and calls on our governments to look for other, sustainable sources that won't wreak havoc on the climate. He also mentions environmental toxins that make people sick and all of the trash that our society creates (though population control isn't mentioned). I think this point has to be tackled at a macroeconomic level although I wouldn't underestimate the voice of the public. It's a shared responsibility we all have, especially when we consider our consumption habits and "brand" loyalties.

The Water Crisis: This is a hard one to wrap your head around, if you think that 70% of the surface area on the earth is water. Fresh drinking water can be hard to come by in some parts of the world, putting human survival at risk and also increasing the cost of our food supply. Also, growing up in California we were constantly told to be mindful of our water consumption because of the droughts. I learned to appreciate rain so much that living in drizzly London for five years felt like a dream.

Loss of Biodiversity: I'm a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio's Facebook Page, and even though I love his movies, it's the environmental posts that grabbed my attention. Elephants are in danger of extinction because of the illegal ivory trade, and a lot of that ivory finds it's way to the US through legal misdirection. We know and love elephants so we're moved to action, but as Pope Francis points out in his encyclical, there are plant and animal species that we're not even aware of, and they are likely being wiped out by commercial developments that affect our rainforests and oceans. We don't really know what the implications will be or how it will affect that "global equilibrium"

Quality of Life: Our social structures are also affected when we deplete the earth's resources and build cities that grow into the tens of millions of residents without proper planning for water, transportation, clean air and waste management (especially common in developing nations). I can attest to this as my hometown has more than 20 million inhabitants and being near one of the few parks is a huge privilege. We need fewer cars on the streets and better urban planning when it comes to new developments. Not being able to drink water without boiling it is also a hassle, so we buy twenty-gallon jugs instead.

I don't know enough about sustainability but I'm keen to learn. So far Netflix and blogs have been my main source of inspiration. There's a great Ted Talk where the speaker starts by Googling "paradise" and he comes up with pristine nature scenes. There's a reason so many of us crave holidays on a remote beach or in the mountains. We have (or had) that, but our way of life is pushing that paradise further and further away. Spending time in nature can also be healing on so many levels and we are shooting ourselves in the foot by trampling our surroundings and pretending that nothing is wrong.

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