Monday 27 February 2017

Oh Those NarciPaths – Shahida’s “20 Narci Tactics”

Thank you, Jamie and Shahida. I’m reblogging Jamie’s comments, which then link to Shahida’s excellent article. As Jamie notes, narcissism is majorly and absurdly in our faces right now from so many corners. Learning (and reminding ourselves) how to recognize the signs allows us to move much more freely in our own power and discernment, helping us to know for sure what we do or do not wish to create in the world — rather than just accepting some prescribed version of who we are and what we value. Hugely important right now for individuals and civilization as a whole!

Sophia's Children

Eruption des Stromboli (Isolde Eolie, Italien). Photo by Wolfgang Beyer, GNU Free via Wikimedia Eruption des Stromboli (Isolde Eolie, Italien). Photo by Wolfgang Beyer, GNU Free via Wikimedia

I’d usually just reblog this one, but the reblog format is funky. So I’m just going to say this:

Shahida Arabi, via her Self-Care Haven blog, recently posted an excellent summary of 20 often-used Bully and NarciPath tactics.

I shared Shahida’sFive Ways Narcissists Get In Your Head” post some time ago, and mentioned her blog in my “Withholding as a Manipulation Tactic” post for the Empaths & Sensitives ‘readers favorite’ series (which spotlights other common tactics, like ‘leveling’, ‘off-loading’ and others as well).

The point isn’t to shame and blame — ’nuffa that going on — but to recognize the tactics and patterns so we can more easily step outside of them and respond rather than react from a place of awareness and greater resourcefulness.

That can be tall practice…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/oh-those-narcipaths-shahidas-20-narci-tactics/

Friday 24 February 2017

TANAAZ (Forever Conscious): “Intuitive Astrology: New Moon Solar Eclipse February 2017”

This post has some excellent information about the upcoming New Moon Solar Eclipse on February 26th. I especially agree with these sentences, as they are tips I tell people all the time:

“When it comes to manifesting however, sometimes it is best to focus on what feelings you want to create for this new chapter, rather than physical or material items.

“While there is nothing wrong wishing for something material or physical, there is greater power in manifesting feelings or states of being.”

Happy Shifting!

Circle of the Dolphins

pisces-solar-eclipse (11).jpg

The New Moon Solar Eclipse falls in the intuitive and watery sign of Pisces on February 26th.

This Solar Eclipse is the first of the year and is going to set the tone and energy for the months ahead. In fact, whatever energy transpires on this Eclipse is likely to create a theme that will last until the next Solar Eclipse on August 21st.

Earlier this month on February 11, we had a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, which was all about endings, letting go and clearing out the past. This energy has still been lingering but will shift as the New Moon Solar Eclipse energy takes over.

If Lunar Eclipses are all about endings, Solar Eclipses are all about new beginnings. Whatever emotions or events were stirred earlier this month are likely to melt away and shift in a new direction as February draws to a close.

Energetically, the Universe has been calling…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/tanaaz-forever-conscious-intuitive-astrology-new-moon-solar-eclipse-february-2017/

Garden Update: First Crocus, Hazelnut Catkins, Sedum, and Bulb Action

While the West Coast has found itself with winter floods, here in Northern Indiana, we’ve had an unseasonably warm winter. I expected that, although even I’ve been surprised by just how warm: fifties to upper sixties in February. With sun! Thankfully, we’ve had at least some rain and a few snow showers, too, but as crazy as this weather is, it arrived as a welcome treat. We’ve taken many long walks on trails and in the woods, and I even spent some time cleaning up the garden.

Yesterday, I noticed a lot of bulbs beginning to poke through. When I took over Haus Am See in Fall 2015, I added another 1,000 Spring bulbs to the hundreds I had already planted around Faery Hof. I didn’t know how many would return this year, as apparently, not all tulips remain perennial. It looks like most plan to reveal themselves again, as I see signs of hyacinths, daffodils and tulips poking their way through mulch and thyme. Last Fall, I  planted another 100 or so bulbs, mostly a wide blooming time array of daffodils and some extra hyacinths.

What a nice surprise to see some crocus, though! These two smiled at me yesterday, as I moved mulch to weed. Normally, the bunnies eat these before I get to enjoy them, but here they bloom — the very first harbingers of Spring:

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Some of the nine sacred hazel trees and shrubs boast lots of male catkins and even some of the bright red female flowers ready for wind fertilization:

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If the weather continues this way, the early bulbs will start blooming as early as March. I feel heartened that my early, mid, late succession varieties should ensure blooms even if we get another very cold spell. Something will flower! In the meantime, we have sedum:

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People keep asking if I will miss my garden whenever we move. Yes and no. I do love the blooms! And I have put tons of time, money and love into these yards, carefully selecting varieties of flowers, shrubs, trees and perennial vegetables for maximum continual harvest throughout the months. I always want to have a prolific garden, and I’ve received a massive education from my time outside. I know which fruits don’t live up to the permaculture hype (at least to our tastes and aesthetics), and I know which plants create more trouble than their food and/or beauty justifies if I want to do more than farm. And I do — once we move.

Not knowing the when or precisely where makes gardening here less enticing, since I don’t know if we’ll be here for Spring, Summer and Fall, or just Spring. I don’t know how many seeds to plant, or when. David collected a 5-gallon bucket of worm castings from our basement worm factory/winter compost center, so I’ll spread that out on some beds this afternoon or maybe Monday.

Temperatures look good for lettuce and carrot growing, so I’ll get some in after tomorrow’s snow. As for other crops, I will likely err on the side of very short harvest times, which means no cushaw or Fairy Tale pumpkins this year, but maybe a super fast growing small variety of winter squash I picked up from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I will likely also treat myself to more plant starts than usual from the farmers market and local growers.

We do love us some fresh, prolific greens! Had I known we’d have these temperatures, I would have started a bunch of new chard, spinach, kale and romaine in January. We’re going through so many purchased organic greens right now that it really makes me appreciate just how much produce the garden yields. In any case, I will continue to work with the Faeries and Spirits of the Land here and on the other end of our move, along with Reiki Healing Attunements, sigils and visualization, intending all unfolds in proper time and place, both old and new, there and here … with new caretakers for both houses and yards. And while we wait for time to unfurl?

Flowers and yums!

Blessed Be.




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/garden-update-first-crocus-hazelnut-catkins-sedum-and-bulb-action/

Thursday 23 February 2017

Medical Intuitive Reading of Steve Bannon

To watch the video of my interview with Maxine Taylor, click on the video below.   My dear friend Maxine Taylor, Georgia’s first licensed astrologer, Amazon No. 1 bestselling author and host of Move Into the Magic radio show, asked me to do a medical intuitive reading of White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. I want to […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/medical-intuitive-reading-of-steve-bannon/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/23/medical-intuitive-reading-of-steve-bannon/

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Shoulder and Back Pain Relief

I have mentioned “The Founder” or “Foundation Exercises” before, but I’m posting this TEDx again with Dr. Eric Goodman.

So many people keep contacting me about shoulder and/or back pain. Every injury or illness has a metaphysical component to it, so if symptoms or pain continue, then your soul wants your attention. Your body volunteered to get it. That said, chronic pain is no fun! In today’s sedentary culture, so many people spend hours hunched over a computer or desk, sitting in a car or train, and doing ergonomically questionable moves on a daily basis. If this sounds like you, check out this talk.

I personally have found the Founder so transformative in my own life. No more pinched nerves. No more popped out hip, neck or and knee. In the very rare event something like that happens, I just do the Founder and immediately realign. For me, it works much better and much faster than yoga, although I do love yoga for other reasons. We own the Foundation book and 2 DVD’s. It all seems simple, but whenever I break out the DVD’s I remember just what a good workout it is! Other than loving the exercises, I have no relationship with Dr. Eric Goodman or his company. Just sharing, since shoulder and back pain seems to be up right now!




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/shoulder-and-back-pain-relief/

3 Ways to Go After Inspiration Other Than with a Club

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London If you’re going to do this writing thing, you have to figure out how to go after your own inspiration. There are many things in life we can get handed down to us – preferably of course the first […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/3-ways-to-go-after-inspiration-other-than-with-a-club/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/3-ways-to-go-after-inspiration-other-than-with-a-club/

Tuesday 21 February 2017

February 2017 Specials

It’s hard to believe we have only one week left in February! Actually, with mid-sixties weather, it’s hard to believe it’s February at all. Nevertheless, we have only one week left for these specials.

Laura Bruno's Blog

I’ve decided to offer another Timeline Tune-In and Tune-Up Special because so many people keep contacting me with major concerns about the direction of our world and how this will impact them. I’m also introducing a new special this month — “Energy Protection for Empaths.” You can find details below.

FEBRUARY 2017 SPECIALS

Energy Protection for Empaths

This new half-hour offering shares tips and techniques specifically tailored to your own energy field and the challenges you face as a “Sensitive” or “Empath” — someone who deeply feels the emotions and energies of others, including the larger collective energies and emotions. Empaths have intuitive, psychic, and healing gifts that can feel more like a curse when faced with discord, negative or disharmonious frequencies like EMF’s, groupthink, or emotional overwhelm.

As someone whose already very thin veil practically disappeared with a 1998 brain injury, I have learned through trial and error, extensive…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/february-2017-specials-2/

Monday 20 February 2017

Slowing Down the Druid Way, Part II: Relationships of Work and Time

This is an important series from Dana and something for some reason I always sensed. I have been very fortunate even pre-TBI and self-employment largely to manifest jobs in which I controlled most of my own time and schedule. It makes such a difference! I work with so many disabled people, and in many cases, health is really about TIME. When we refuse to make conscious course corrections, the body steps in to rescue the soul with justification for already much needed changes. Consciously reclaiming your relationship with time, moving beyond linear time, and recognizing the ability to bend time are among many health saving and health recovering techniques. Recognizing cultural patterns and internalized expectations about time helps in the reclamation process. Thanks, Dana!

The Druid's Garden

In the US, it seems that the first question people ask is, “what do you do?”  When they say that, of course, they are not talking about how you spend your leisure time, but rather, the work that you do for pay. This is the most defining characteristic of modern lives–because this is tied to the thing our culture holds as most sacred: money.  Money is the only metric that has any real value and the pursuit of money drives all else. If you aren’t working in the workforce earning pay, either the work are doing is devalued (as any stay-at-home parent can attest) or there is something very wrong with you (as in, why aren’t you out there earning money?). This current economic system, driven by industrial mindsets surrounding profit and efficiency, gives us a rather poor metric through which to measure ourselves and our value.

Last week

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/slowing-down-the-druid-way-part-ii-relationships-of-work-and-time/

Thursday 16 February 2017

Denial, Boundaries, Dams and Emotions

Today’s post offers a collection of other posts with commentary based on what I’ve observed in recent sessions and in the larger world. It doesn’t take much intuition to recognize how polarized, projecting and intense emotions have become, especially in recent weeks. What surprises me (somewhat) is the degree to which even non-political people are empathing and experiencing the massive energies swirling around. So many people tell me about huge arguments in their microcosm, which exactly mirror huge arguments in the macrocosm. Or about feeling a need to suppress emotions and opinions in order to keep the peace, but then having physical symptoms arise that demand attention.

As within, so without. As without, so within. Add to this dynamic the struggle between the current energy pushing towards revelation and awakening — including rude awakening — fighting against the desire to shove unpleasant truths back under the rug, and we’ve got a roiling, boiling collective threatening to break the dam. Coincidentally, we also have a crisis at Oroville Dam — whose inadequate/defective spillways demanded (but did not receive) attention 12 years ago. Regardless of whether or not that dam creates a 100-foot tsunami of water through major farmland towards Sacramento, other dams throughout the US suffer from similar neglect and/or sabotage. Just as the body speaks for the repressed soul, so the physical world echoes underlying spiritual and emotional states.

Jamie Walters posted an excellent piece on Sophia’s Children, called “The (Healed) Feminine — Medicine for Our Times.” I highly recommend Jamie’s piece as it explores the importance of not just the Divine Feminine, but also the Sacred Masculine. She does a good job noting some of the differences between the Feminine principle and “Feminism,” helping readers to recenter themselves and bring that spiritual awareness and balance back out into the world. I’ll share here a little comment stream between us regarding her post, as our comments relate to the interconnectedness of all things, from politics to physical health to infrastructure to relationships:

Me: Thank you for holding the balance. The levels of projection right now are off the charts, toxic, and suicidal as a civilization, so I feel heartened whenever I witness people holding space for the Feminine and recognizing the difference between that and some of what passes today as “Feminism.” We need gentle strength and respectful wisdom and yes, REAL empathy beyond the tag lines. Real attempts to understand and really see people beyond caricature level. Every voice that echoes these receptive, Feminine qualities increases the chance of them being recognized, cultivated and honored amidst the cacophony and orchestrated chaos. Peace in, peace out. Thanks, Love, and Blessed Be ❤

Jamie: Amen to that, sister. 🙂 And yowza — yes — the levels of projection are off the charts, toxic, and suicidal as a civilization (in the ‘outer’, and also the corresponding energy/psychic ‘shared field’). Always good to be aware of it, and choose to be a vibrational remedy. 🙂 Lots of love Laura. J

Me: I’ve been following this Oroville Dam situation and pondering how it’s kind of like what’s happening in the collective emotional realm right now — a potential tsunami of untold devastation … or through proper attention and really addressing the cracks and spillways, a near miss wake-up call. Which will it be? Here’s to vibrational remedies. Lots of love, Jamie. Thanks for being you. 🙂

Although some friends and I continue to send energy to the dam for the safety and protection of the millions of people its collapse or overflow would affect, I have not had time to blog about the connections I see related to individual and collective emotions. Further revealing the interconnectedness of all beings, and how ideas and inspiration touch many lives at once, I saw that my friend Ann Kreilkamp wrote an excellent piece on just that topic: “Astrology of Oroville Dam Emergency: A Metaphor of Our Dammed Up Feelings.”

I echo Ann’s conclusion:

“Hey everybody! Let’s wake up! Come to our senses! Use this strong emergence, not to throw rocks — or missiles, or drones, or nasty words — at each other or ourselves, but to dissolve the walls that separate compartmentalized pools of deep, damned up energy, whether internal or external. Let us muster the courage to embrace the vulnerability that attends our experience when feelings flow, without judgment, and without becoming reactive. Simply: Allow and honor them enough so that they may dissipate naturally. Our feelings are real. They alert us to our unlived lives, due to longstanding and worsening systematic inequality and institutionalized abuse among equals. As we do release those long buried feelings consciously, we begin move into union, harmony. Humanity is reborn.

“It will take a while to get there. Of course! But we are up to it. This is our time.”

It’s important to remember that even if people eschew mainstream media by getting “all their news from the internet,” social media and search engines exert tight controls over what shows up in individual news feeds, which results in an echo-chamber effect unless people have the time, energy and presence to look beyond each offered polarity. Since the self-appointed elites sense their control faltering, they do everything they can to divide and conquer by amplifying differences. Any differences.  Media, politics and social media have reached their tentacles into so many areas of life that practically everything can become a hot button for people in the throws of nonstop brainwashing and one-sided vitriol. This goes for both sides of the same (heavily manipulated) coin, and I hear it affecting not only relationships, but also health.

For people who value harmony, this intensity hurts — if not consciously, then physically. The increase in autoimmune issues, digestive problems, headaches, and major lung issues all make sense from a Medical Intuitive perspective, as do the number of clients I’ve recently had complaining of shoulder/arm pain. Your arms are an extension of your heart chakra, and the vitriol, knee-jerk reactions, warlike talking points and sheer madness — on both sides — are enough to break a sensitive heart. People who try to stay out of the fray sometimes suffer even more than those who dive into one side or the other, because the reactions catch them off guard.

Very conscious people exercising extremely good energy hygiene feel juiced with all this energy swirling around, as you can transmute any energy into positive fuel, but this is not a time to scrimp on good energy hygiene. Make no mistake: without regular energy brush-off’s and learning how to protect and enhance your own energy field, the roiling water or — in the case of Paris, fire — of collective emotions run wild will flood, drown and/or burn. As intense as things feel, “we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

The level of deep, dark, truly disgusting revelations has only poked its one little periscope to the surface behind the iceberg. Nothing on the surface reveals the true depth of the unprocessed Shadow of humanity trying to lift itself into view right now. You can find more about that by reading Ann’s next post, “Michael Flynn: Hanging in the Wind, or Strategic Sacrifice?”

By peeking behind the curtain, you prepare yourself for dealing with what happens when the veil gets shredded. By agreeing to explore uncomfortable possibilities outside your ken, you give yourself a chance to respond instead of reacting to events. You grow strong in your own center, wiser in your discernment of which paths lead where you want to go, and which paths likely detour somewhere you decidedly do not choose as your reality. You don’t need to saturate your awareness with things you do not wish to know, see or feel; however, the energies right now no longer support denial. You can take the hard way, or the extremely hard way … or you can take the far easier way of addressing your own prejudices and blinders so that you can move through time and space while always affirming and experiencing: “I am in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.”

Those who perpetuate revolting, outrageous crimes in the shadows count on average people to turn away in utter disbelief. This can’t be true. I don’t want this to be true. No, no, no, anyone who believes otherwise is wrong, wrong, wrong. Crazy! Evil. Those committing inhumane deeds count on most people’s very human compulsion to shove facts, revelations, ideas, and people back under the fraying rug or behind the cracking closet door. A time arises when enough is enough. Those dammed up facts and their attendant emotions eventually burst as flood or fire.

As within, so without. By learning to tend our own Shadow and having courage to look at the “boogie men” “outside” ourselves, we shift these destructive Elements back into their essence: neither good, nor bad. The Element of Water can quench your thirst and irrigate your fields, or it can drown you. The Element of Fire can warm you, or burn down your house. I created this month’s specials to offer support for Empaths and for those people who dream of a much better reality than seems on offer right now. You can find the February 2017 specials by clicking here.

I’ll also leave you with two videos, one by Lee Harris and another by Byron Katie:

The Byron Katie video will especially speak to people who awake in terror or find themselves utterly sickened by Trump and his administration. Reclaim your story and emotions. They are powerful things:

OK, one more video from Joanna Macy:

Please do not feel afraid or ashamed to reach out for help in these intense times. You do not need to suffer in silence or wonder why your health hasn’t turned around or why you feel stressed. The more each of us learns to manage our own emotions and our own energy fields, the greater influence we have in our own lives and in the world.

Peace.




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/denial-boundaries-dams-and-emotions/

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Happy Love Day!

Wishing you and yours a celebration of love today in its many forms, including knowing and loving yourself, recognizing glimmers of ourselves in those we find it difficult to love, and opening our hearts to our beautiful Mother Earth. I said I’d share some of the pre-marriage photos David’s co-workers gifted us before “We Tied the Celtic Knot on Yule.” Today seems like a good day to post this one. Happy Valentine’s Day from the newlyweds at Faery Hof and Haus Am See!

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/happy-love-day-3/

64 Ways to Heal Your Heart Naturally

This Valentine’s Day you can fill yourself with love and joy  by practicing natural healing for your heart. In Chinese medicine, your heart is the emperor of your body. When your heart is happy, you experience high energy levels, physical strength and deep inner wisdom. As  a medical intuitive healer, I frequently assess whether your heart is […]
Source: http://catherinecarrigan.com/64-ways-to-heal-your-heart-naturally/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/64-ways-to-heal-your-heart-naturally/

Monday 13 February 2017

Slowing Down the Druid Way: A History of Time

This is an excellent post from Dana about differences between “time” in the Middle Ages and “time” in the 21st century. I became aware of just how much leisure and feast time peasants had during the Middle Ages when David and I watched a documentary made by someone from Monty Python. For the life of me, I cannot recall which actor nor the title, but it explored in depth the peasants’ lives. They sounded surprisingly good compared to most people’s workaday week in the 21st century.

I’ve also been pondering this topic in my hopes to find people to enjoy/maintain the food forest at both houses once we move on from here. I’ve realized just how much freedom I have in terms of managing my own time and how rare that is in our society. It would likely require 4-5 people to do what I’ve done mostly on my own. A two home community would be ideal to step in and benefit from a working permaculture design. I’m also exploring how large a garden I want in our next location. These yards were right sized here, because I wanted the education/experience and didn’t want to do much else here. As we move forward, though, allocating more time to writing, traveling, socializing, and eating out, how much garden do I really want or need? I’m still exploring the balance, and we have “time” to do so, but periodic self-assessments of values and foci help make more satisfying and conscious changes.

My “Amish” five-pointed star blew off its trellis yesterday. To me this came as a sign that we will not be here much longer. When thinking about these properties without us here, I always see the star gone. Yesterday, the gusty wind whisked it away, just as I feel will happen when all aligns on both ends of our new adventure.

In any case, if you feel strapped for time, or you want to become more sustainable but don’t know how, this new set of articles by Dana will likely help flesh out your ideas and choices.

The Druid's Garden

Some awesome gardens on my homestead Some awesome gardens on my homestead

What continues to drive me is to live more in line with my principles: to grow my food, to take care of my basic needs, take charge of my health and healing, and to live fully and honestly with myself in line with the living earth. For a while, as I have discussed on this blog, I ran a homestead as well as worked full time to pay for it, something that I stopped doing about a year and a half ago. Part of why I had to walk away from my homestead in its current model (and regroup) was that it was physically exhausting me, especially as a single woman. I was trying to do everything: hold a full time job, grow my own food, tend my bees, tend my chickens, tend my land, make lots of things, write my blog…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/slowing-down-the-druid-way-a-history-of-time/

Sunday 12 February 2017

What Is Your Light Body?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16, King James Version Just as you have a pain body that carries the heavy, uncomfortable energy of your suffering, you also have a light body. What is your light body? Simply […]
Source: http://catherinecarrigan.com/what-is-your-light-body/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/what-is-your-light-body/

Friday 10 February 2017

Empaths, Malaise, and Downward Spirals: How to Shift the Energy Now

This post wants to go up again. Practicing good energy hygiene is like brushing your teeth. You don’t wait until you have an abscessed tooth to consider brushing your teeth; you brush every day in order to avoid a dental crisis. The same goes for brushing off energy. Don’t wait until you feel completely overwhelmed and crushed. Clear your energy field often so that you know what’s yours and release what’s not yours. You’ll have far more influence with healthy boundaries and a higher vibrational set point.

Laura Bruno's Blog

I can’t tell you how many sessions I’ve had with people this past week for whom the election and its aftermath — regardless of their politics or disinterest in politics — has triggered massive grief, anger, shock, disbelief, confusion, feelings of fear, cognitive dissonance, betrayal, and/or the desire to give up. Most of these clients are people “who know better” than to go down such spirals, but for whatever reason, they can’t seem to pull themselves out of the whirlpool.

In most cases, their usual coping tools aren’t working, because the things bothering them aren’t really “theirs” to fix.

I’ve had an unusually high volume of calls from Water Signs this past week, especially Pisces, well known for their fluid boundaries and subconscious empathing of surrounding emotions and energies. Even if you’re not a Pisces, if you feel less than optimal right now, please consider the possibility that you might…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/empaths-malaise-and-downward-spirals-how-to-shift-the-energy-now-2/

Thursday 9 February 2017

Vegan Comfort Food

I’m not sure if it’s the unusual weather or the winds of change, but I’ve recently felt some creative kitchen urges. Although David and I are no longer 100% vegan, we still eat that way most of the time, with occasional forays into raw cheese for my continued tooth health. Goshen offers so few places we can eat that we’ve become “the best diner in town” with all our vegan versions of traditional foods. We each have our specialties. David makes some mean vegan Sloppy Joe’s and chili, and we both enjoy gluten free vegan pizza and various Italian creations served over lentil pasta. I tend to experiment more, since working from home gives me more time to play in the kitchen.

Some recent favorites:

Gluten-free, Soy-free, Vegan Mac ‘n’ Chz

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I adapted this recipe from Organic Authority’s “The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe: Comfort in a Bowl.” I changed some key ingredients, though, so I’ll post my recipe here, especially since I know quite a few blog readers now grow my favorite (and prolific!) White Scallop Squash, which features prominently in my version. The original recipe uses potatoes, which require some extra cooking care. In addition to a more forgiving method, the  White Scallop Squash also adds a lot of fiber, vitamin C and using the lentil pasta results in a low carb comfort treat.

Ingredients

8 oz. or 16 oz. lentil or other gluten-free noodles (depending on how many people you have dining. 16 oz. for four people; 8 oz. for two hungry people, and then you’ll have leftovers with a fresh batch of pasta another day)

2 cups white scallop squash (peeled yellow squash could also work)

1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup unsweetened hazelnut milk (almond milk could also work)

1/3  cup organic safflower and/or olive oil (you might need more, but only add if needed)

1 lemon, juiced

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 TBSP chick pea flour

1 TBSP ground chia seeds

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

Method:

Shred or cube the squash, or use frozen squash from a bumper crop harvest. Peel and chop carrots, then steam or cook in a little water until warm and slightly softened, 5-10 minutes, depending on size of squash and carrot pieces and whether or not the squash is frozen.

While veggies cook, get hot water started on stove for pasta.

Drain and put into a Vitamix or other high-speed blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and then smother with the “cheese” sauce.

Notes:

We like our Mac ‘n’ Chz, well, cheesy, so I doubled the sauce recipe to pasta ratio of the original recipe. (The amounts I listed are what I make.) We find it just right for 16 oz. of pasta, but because gluten-free pasta does not hold up well in leftovers, we prefer to make the sauce recipe and then only the amount of pasta we plan to use for the first meal. The sauce reheats nicely, so leftovers only require a new batch of pasta to go with the sauce. Your mileage may vary. Lentil pasta holds up better than brown rice pasta.

I was never a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese fan, but this really does have that color and consistency — just filled with fresh veggies and no food coloring. It might even fool a picky eater and definitely tastes much better than the boxed faux mac ‘n ‘ cheese you find in health food stores.

Cauliflower Hot Wings with Raw Vegan Ranch

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Even though we don’t have cable TV and don’t watch football, David wanted a Superbowl Sunday vegan special. These amazing cauliflower hot wings were tasty, crispy, and they reheated well the next day. You can find the main recipe I used for the wings here at Gimme Delicious. I subbed hazelnut milk and olive oil for the recommendations in the original. I also noticed that the time allotments seemed very optimistic. It took me at least twice as long to make this recipe as stated. Maybe I’m a kitchen klutz, or maybe the Gimme Delicious folks just chop and flip way faster than I do. If you’re not a whiz with the chef’s knife, please plan accordingly. 🙂

For the sauce, I decided to go for ranch dressing with a raw cashew base.

Raw Vegan Ranch Dressing or Dip

Ingredients

I did not really measure, since I added as I went, but here is an approximate recipe:

1 cup soaked cashews

2 – 4 TBSP lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar, but it will taste a little different)

2 TBSP (or more) dried dill (more if using fresh dill)

2 cloves garlic

1 TBSP nutritional yeast

optional splash of olive oil

enough water to thin to desired consistency (less if you want a dip, more if you want dressing)

You can add agave nectar or honey if you feel want a little sweetness.

Method

Pre-soak the cashews in water for several hours to soften.

Blend everything together in a Vitamix or high-speed blender.

Refrigerate for one hour for best flavor, but you can also serve immediately.

Fakin’ Bacon BLT’s

We usually serve these scrumptious sandwiches open-faced during peak tomato season and with home grown lettuce, but David was craving some BLT bliss. We used my very last, finally ripe tomato from a late fall harvest, plus two store-bought tomatoes and some store-bought Romaine lettuce. Below, you can see the ingredients lined up for gluten-free vegan BLT’s:

img_0851

The Fabanaise is our favorite vegan mayo, made from chickpea soak water, and we use a millet-brown rice-flax bread for our toast. Lightlife’s smoky tempeh is our favorite faux bacon when we bake it crispy in the convection oven, then toast the bread the last few minutes. You can’t beat these in summer with those juicy heirloom tomatoes, and nothing tastes quite like lettuce you harvested three minutes ago. For an early February craving, these worked well, though.

We’ve made lots more comfort food in recent weeks, re-inspired by our trips to Kalamazoo, where we can actually eat out. Maybe a little too much eating out, LOL! Next week will feature a lot more fresh green juice. 😉

Wishing you and yours some kitchen fun!




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/vegan-comfort-food/

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Tarot Workshop in Goshen, IN

I’ve had ongoing requests for something like this, so I’ve decided to offer a Tarot Workshop the afternoon before the March 5, 2017 Reiki Level 2 Certification Class. This way, out of state students can take more than one class on a trip to Goshen. If you’ve felt curious about Tarot or want to deepen your understanding of the cards and synchronicity, please join us for a specially tailored afternoon of instruction and interactive play.

 

Tarot Workshop

Saturday, March 4, 2017

2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Goshen, IN (Haus Am See address given upon registration)

 

I will tailor this workshop to the attendees, but likely topics may include:

 

Archetypes and the Major Arcana

Getting the most out of the Minor Arcana

How to choose the right deck for the right occasion

How to use Tarot to empower intentions, altars and magic

Beyond typical spreads: how tell a cohesive story with Tarot

Unusual applications of Tarot

Tricks and tips for more accurate readings

Awakening your intuition

Learning your own, personal Tarot language

I’m open to including other topics, as requested upon sign up.

 

Pre-registration is required for this class, so please contact me if you’d like to attend.

$133 ($122 if prepaid by 2/17/17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/tarot-workshop-in-goshen-in/

Are Politics Making You Sick? How to Overcome Headline Stress Disorder

Yesterday I did a medical intuitive reading with a client from Asheville, North Carolina, who had been experiencing ringing in the ears, insomnia and fear. A holistic healer herself, she had already done everything she could think of as well as consulted several other practitioners but decided to call me after several bad nights of insomnia. […]
Source: http://catherinecarrigan.com/are-politics-making-you-sick-how-to-overcome-headline-stress-disorder/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/are-politics-making-you-sick-how-to-overcome-headline-stress-disorder/

Monday 6 February 2017

Goji Dandelion Red Lentil Curry

This Faux Spring weather has me craving dandelion greens before they come up, so we (gasp!) bought some yesterday to make this yummy soup. Since I was looking up the recipe anyway, I thought I’d repost in case anyone else wants to enjoy this superfood rich soup.

Laura Bruno's Blog

I haven’t posted any recipes in awhile, but this one was too tasty not to share!

As regular blog readers know, I’ve got a yard full of dandelions, and aside from harvesting the flowers for dandelion wine and dandelion jelly, I also gather dandelion leaves. Bags and bags of dandelion leaves! Sometimes I put them in green smoothies with frozen pineapple, banana and filtered water. Sometimes I steam them and just top with a hint of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. And sometimes I’ve been known to eat them wrapped around a slice of raw manchego. Tonight, I decided to make a dandelion soup.

Dandelions

Goji soup ingredients

I don’t measure when I prepare food, but here’s a guestimate:

Goji Dandelion Red Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

1.5 cups dried red lentils
filtered water to cover the lentils
1 strip of kombu seaweed
1 clove of garlic, pressed

half bag of gathered dandelion greens
half…

View original post 736 more words




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/goji-dandelion-red-lentil-curry-2/

Retrain Your Amygdala to Overcome Chronic Pain: Why Resolving Long Term Emotional Stress is Crucial for Recovery

One of the keys to overcoming chronic pain is to resolve the emotions that keep you operating out of your amydalae, the fight, flight or freeze centers of your brain. Simply put, resolving long term emotional stress is crucial for your recovery from chronic pain. It’s my experience as a medical intuitive healer that you won’t permanently […]
Source: http://catherinecarrigan.com/retrain-your-amygdala-to-overcome-chronic-pain-why-resolving-long-term-emotional-stress-is-crucial-for-recovery/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/06/retrain-your-amygdala-to-overcome-chronic-pain-why-resolving-long-term-emotional-stress-is-crucial-for-recovery/

Sunday 5 February 2017

Mantra for Knowing How to Heal

  It is my belief and experience that we all experience whispers from the spirit world because we all possess a soul. Your soul is constantly forever and always trying to speak to you, attempting to guide your ego mind and direct you to all that is good. At times, however, we become disconnected from […]
Source: http://catherinecarrigan.com/mantra-for-knowing-how-to-heal/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/mantra-for-knowing-how-to-heal/