Saturday 30 September 2017

Timothy Glenn on Zany Mystic Tonight

Just a heads up for Timothy Glenn fans: Tim will return to Zany Mystic tonight, Saturday, September 30th at 7 p.m. Pacific time. Details here.




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/timothy-glenn-on-zany-mystic-tonight/

Thursday 28 September 2017

Garden Update: The Good, The Bad, and the Undetermined

Despite last week’s heatwave into the mid-nineties, which we had not reached all Summer, signs of Autumn continue to reveal themselves. A cool breeze here, crunchy leaves there, along with more squirrel activity than I’ve seen since Spring.

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It’s also the start of Fall bulb planting season, and — since CPL (crazy plant lady) ordered those bulbs before what turned out to be a slightly dislocated rib causing all the neck and upper chest pain — I’ve got a lot of bulbs to plant. Not the 1,000 I planted in Goshen in 2015, but 200+ daffodils, alliums, irises and fritillaria are nothing to sneeze at.

About those fritillaria

I sure hope they’re worth it! I ordered them as groundhog, rabbit, vole and deer deterrents. If the flowers and leaves smell even half as potent as the bulbs, they might also become Laura deterrents. Oh. My. Skunks. Seriously, those bulbs smell like skunk times ten. They won’t make you sneeze, but they might make me gag. Crown imperials are so stately, though finicky, and fritillaria meleagris (the checkerboard droopy tulip looking things) look so dainty. Let me tell you, they don’t smell dainty! And that’s the point. I hope they keep groundhogs at bay as much as people claim they do, because Kalamazoo Kal appears to have found the front yard gardens.

I can’t prove it’s him. Yet. But I strongly suspect, because a) I’ve seen him right across the street, eyeing our front yard; b) a possum moved into his former home under the backyard shed; and c) something has had major kale munchies on the side of the driveway that Kal used to zip past on his way to and from the backyard:

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That kale is in a pot between lemon time and day lilies, away from the rest of the edibles. I noticed evidence of kale poaching several weeks ago, but I didn’t really care, because that kale was puny compared to my femur length kale leaves tucked behind the weeping birch tree on the other side of the driveway.  It’s also too close for comfort to the neighbor’s septic tank, so I figured whatever wants to eat over there, have at it, as long as it keeps that critter away from the rest of the garden.

That might not have been the best plan. I think someone now has a fever for the flavor of lacinato. Last night, I got a warning as I sometimes do that I should protect my main crops of front yard kale. Instead of hustling out with deer repellent spray, I spent an hour and a half on the phone and then dove right back into novel preparation. Characters, mirror moments, structure, genre, how to do this, how to craft that. Very productive time, I might add!

Unfortunately, someone found the golden goose. A completely unprotected brassica heaven, without the eagle eye view from the dining room table. Whatever ate this kale came up on the house side and munched a lot of leaves at least two feet above the already raised bed. It could be a rabbit, but I do suspect it’s Kal, even though he’s been warned –repeatedly– that the forbidden side of our yard means a trap. Don’t make me do it, Kal.

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It’s not terrible yet, but the house side has been seriously gnawed, and if this critter continues like it has with the sacrificial kale, we’re going to have a problem. I suspect Kal due to groundhog’s notorious love of kale, but also due to some interesting timing. I had just yesterday decided those fritillaria stink too much to plant them all. They’re expensive, so I didn’t want to throw them away. I offered quite a few to a friend, but today, I needed to skim the top of that offer in an effort to deter (and thus spare) my worthy adversary.

Several synchronous gifts followed. This friend reminded me about planting garlic, which I already have scheduled to do, but she sent me a site with perennial vegetables in case my sea kale seeds (which I misplaced) didn’t sprout. I’ve procured and not received sea kale several times this year, so hopefully the third time’s the charm. Someone in Kalamazoo offered me one as a gift, but they dropped off the radar as soon as I accepted. Other locations had run out of sea kale, and I have no idea where I put those seeds! I thought of taking a root division in Goshen, but it was sooooo hot and muggy the day I visited. I also at that point, thought I had a plant waiting for me in Kzoo.

In any case, thanks to my needing to explain why I was tweaking the number of fritillaria, I now have 2-3 sea kale root divisions, ramps, another rhubarb and one (that’s all you need!) Egyptian walking onion en route. So thank you, Karen! And thank you, critter, although I will specify right now that this sea kale is not the thank you. You can munch on the dandelions, the sacrificial kale, and be glad I haven’t asked the cat to spray.

Another synchronicity about this suspected Kal violation is that just this morning I got inspired to change both point of view and the protagonist/antagonist structure of my novel. I’m still brainstorming, but I had a major aha moment right before I discovered the early morning mischief. The breakthrough involves creating a surprisingly sympathetic villain protagonist who finds himself caring about his adversaries. How do I show that sort of thing? What does it feel like? What sort of emotions and conflict might that fuel? Enter Kal into my prized front yard garden. Even if it wasn’t him — but oh, you fat rascal, I know it was — the suspicion gave me great insights into character, conflict and motivation.

I walked to the nearby landscape store to get bulb fertilizer since I got my initial batch of 50 daffodils and a reblooming “Mother Earth” iris. While there, I ran into an edible gardener (gardener of edibles?) who actually offered me a groundhog solution besides, “Oh, you just have to trap them. That’s the only way.” “Here, let me show you what I use. It smells like vomit!” Sold! Actually, I did buy it and sprinkle it around the kale. I also sprayed the deer repellent around the edge of the garden. I wouldn’t put it in a perfume, but obviously, this guy has not experienced fritillaria!

Anyway, I got the bulb fertilizer so my daffodils actually bloom in the lawn’s poor soil, and I spent two hours planting eleven daffodils. I need to wait for some rain, or it’s going to be a long, slow Fall bulb season! Daffodils are the best gift you can give yourself, though, imho. One time planting brings decades of Spring cheer, and unlike tulips, nothing wants to eat them. I’ll view this batch first thing in the morning, as I open our bedroom curtains. The others will get scattered around the front and back yards, in spots that won’t get watered during regular garden season.

I also got the reblooming iris planted within easy view of the front window, and the root of a miniature aster by the mailbox volunteered to clone itself in a nearby spot, as well. You can see some of the current garden in bloom, along with newly planted beets and lettuce, and just imagine the deep purple aster and reblooming iris of I forget which color towards the right of this photo:

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Speaking of asters, this one made it from Goshen! Once it finishes blooming, I will plant it out back by the shed, between the larkspur and clematis. In Goshen, this one grew to about four feet tall, so I look forward to prolific blooms next year:

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All in all, the garden’s doing well. Two rhubarbs have established themselves in the 20-gallon Smart Pots out back, and today I noticed we even have a full sized strawberry trying to ripen before frost sets in:

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The late Summer planted lettuce has finally taken off:

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And a clematis who’d nearly given up the ghost before we moved in has recovered enough to bloom a second time this year:

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So far, the kale muncher has left most of the collards alone:

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And to top it all off, the shrub the former, former owner told us was a reblooming lilac is, in fact, blooming right now:

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I have been so preoccupied with writing prep and sessions that I really have done very little in the garden of late. That will, of course, change as I plant the remaining 190+ flowering bulbs, garlic and perennial vegetables. Fortunately, my neck-rib-chest bizarre injury/initiation seems to have healed enough to get these babies in the ground. I get glimmers of how colorful the yard will be next year when this year’s newbies start coming into their own. With any good luck, those skunky fritillarias will do their deterring, while I do my writing, and Kal and I will continue this uneasy, yet somewhat comical dance of wills.

Wishing you and yours brilliant colors and abundant harvests — on whatever level!

 

 

 

 

 




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/28/garden-update-the-good-the-bad-and-the-undetermined/

Wednesday 27 September 2017

Sync Winks and Faery Portals

I happened upon this post again last night, and I had to giggle. The faery portal door I fell into in our Goshen house, the one that reminded me of sitting by the fire with David as we grow old, now happens to stand right next to our fireplace. This post was from April 2016, before we had any idea where we’d move or when. I’m reposting it today as things continue to unfold here in beautiful, synchronous ways.

So often, we don’t know the exact way or precisely how, but dreams, “accidents,” synchronicities and visions wink, wink, nudge, nudge us in the right direction. Keep the faith! There IS a beautifully intricate plan somewhere, somehow, even if you can’t see it for yourself in each and every moment.

Laura Bruno's Blog

I’ve been having one of those days already, and it’s just 7:22 a.m.! Due to a combination of yesterday’s late afternoon chocolate, a hot upstairs, new fan and the sudden absence of our heavy comforter, I had trouble falling asleep last night. My intuition was screaming at me to use that excuse to read the Kindle version of Sharon Blackie’s “If Women Rose Rooted,” since I had downloaded it in Pennsylvania but not had a chance yet to begin reading it. My Kindle sat on the floor next to the bed taunting me all night, but for some reason, I refused to give up on sleep and read.

At one point, after about my fifth bathroom break, fan fiddle, and prowl around the upstairs, I decided to go downstairs, still sans Kindle, and turn the full house fan on with just a few minutes of AC. We have super steep…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/27/sync-winks-and-faery-portals-2/

Tuesday 26 September 2017

Yes, You Can Build Muscle Without Steroids: Here’s How

When you want to learn how to build muscle naturally without steroids or drugs, who better to ask than a guy who has been bodybuilding for 30 years? Cris Ramis, a holistic fitness coach in Westcliff-on-Sea, U.K., explains how to build muscle naturally without drugs in this interview for the Natural Healing Show on UK Health Radio. […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/yes-you-can-build-muscle-without-steroids-heres-how/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/yes-you-can-build-muscle-without-steroids-heres-how/

Monday 25 September 2017

How Your Astrology Affects Your Health

Did you know your astrology can affect your health? Maxine Taylor, Georgia’s first licensed astrologer, explains how in this interview I did for the Natural Healing Show on UK Health Radio. Maxine Taylor is a pioneer in the field of astrology.  In 1968, she became Georgia’s first licensed astrologer.  She then spearheaded the establishment of […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/how-your-astrology-affects-your-health/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/how-your-astrology-affects-your-health/

September 2017 Specials

I can’t believe there are only five days left in September, but here we are!

Laura Bruno's Blog

Today’s the last day for the August 2017 Specials, which you can find by clicking here.

September brings a new option due to so many requests for some kind of package special, as well as a return of emailed property readings. (At this time, the Property/Home Readings are the only type of email reading I’m offering, but I’ve had so many requests for those, in addition to the always available Property Clearings/Blessings, that I decided to bring them back this month.)

SEPTEMBER 2017 SPECIALS

Three for Two

Three hours for the price of two: save $222. This package can be used in whatever increments you choose — hour, 40-minute, half-hour or 20-minute sessions — and for whatever services you’d like — Medical Intuition, Life Coaching, Soul Readings, or any other related service. $444 if prepaid on or before 9/30/17, and yes, you may purchase more than one package…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/september-2017-specials-2/

Sunday 24 September 2017

What It Really Means to Be Excellent at Yoga

What does it REALLY mean to be excellent at yoga? Does that mean you have to be able to stand on your head and twist yourself up like a circus freak? Suzanne Dulin, founder of the Sadhana Catalog and Sadhana Community Facebook group, explains the many profound health benefits of yoga and meditation that do not […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/what-it-really-means-to-be-excellent-at-yoga/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/24/what-it-really-means-to-be-excellent-at-yoga/

Saturday 23 September 2017

Yes, Organic Products Can Improve Your Skin: Here’s Why

You may wonder, “Can organic products REALLY make my skin look better?” The unequivocal answer is: YES! For many years I have been a customer of Sally Bs Skin Yummies. When I became co-host of the Natural Healing Show on UK Health Radio, one of the first people I wanted to interview was Sally Larsen, owner, founder and […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/yes-organic-products-can-improve-your-skin-heres-why/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/yes-organic-products-can-improve-your-skin-heres-why/

Friday 22 September 2017

Timothy Glenn ~ The September 23, 2017 Hype

Tim sent this post to me as an urgent update due to the number of emails and panicked inquiries he’s received about today. Although YouTube has “suggested” various videos with extremely paranoid sounding titles while I research other things like how to outline my novel or how to trim my own bangs, LOL, I’m happy to report that precisely no one has sent me a panicked email or requested an emergency session because they thought the planet would explode today. Thank you for having discernment!

Just in case you’ve stumbled across scary mainstream media claims or have anxiously wondered about this planet rocking and rolling with everything from earthquakes to hurricanes to fires to imminent eruptions, I’m posting Timothy Glenn’s latest piece here.

On the one end we’ve got conspiracy folks claiming geoengineering made all the recent events; on the other we’ve got doomsday predictions of the End of the World as We Know It due to Planet X/Nibiru crashing into Earth. We’ve got people screaming either for or against the idea of Climate Change, Global Cooling or Global Warming. Oh, and don’t forget about the Flat Earthers or the Anyone-And-Anything-I-Can’t-Control-Is-Evil-Crowd. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? To what extent does it matter? To what extent does your own energy, prayerful intention, intuition and creativity determine which reality you experience?

Lots of people in lots of places have recently lost their homes. I send huge love, prayers, Reiki, support and synchronicity to any and all facing that challenge right now. I have heard from many clients, friends and relatives in such locations. Everyone I’ve heard from has felt protected and experienced only minor challenges themselves, although they deeply feel for those people and the land areas less fortunate.

For my own part, I took today off from phone sessions, but I did do clearings for five properties, as well as a Reiki Healing Attunement for David and me. I also planted some Spring bulbs on this Autumn Equinox. I asserted and strengthened boundaries, worked on my book … life feels good. I wish each and everyone whatever form of blessing and abundance feels right and holy to you and a Happy Equinox, whether Spring or Fall. Here’s Tim:

The September 23, 2017 Hype

By Timothy Glenn

The mainstream corporate propaganda machine is at it again: distorting facts and fabricating narratives. Their target this time is Christian researcher David Meade, whose work I have occasionally cited over the last couple years.

He has been grossly misrepresented as having proclaimed that “Planet X” will arrive on September 23rd of this year, and collide with the Earth. This is being hyped as another doomsday prediction on the end of the world.

Not.

Get a Grip

Since the messages, emails and phone calls have been coming in, it seems best to dash off this article. First of all, please remember the wise words of admonition on the front cover of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (in large, friendly letters): Don’t Panic.

Second, please feel free to disregard anything coming from “official” sources. In fact, the more official the source, the more suspect the narrative. Officialdom still hasn’t gotten around to telling us the truth about the JFK assassination, and has been caught in thousands of lies in the interim. Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction are now for sale on Craig’s List, if you’re interested.

Signs in the Sky

According to David Meade’s biblical research, the 12th chapter of the book of Revelation describes a specific alignment in the constellation of Virgo. Since it involves the moon, this would pinpoint a specific day.

This “sign in the sky” would serve as a harbinger of the coming 7 year “great tribulation”. A sign in the sky is just that: a sign, not an event.

Not David Meade nor any legitimate Planet X/Nibiru researcher has ever made the claims being spread by the corporate legacy media.

Official Disclaimer

I am not a Christian, nor a Christian apologist, and am not affiliated with any kind of a religion. The recommended procedure is to remain open to all, honor all, and take it all with a pound of salt. Do your own research, share your data, transcend belief systems, allow your illusions to dissolve, and above all: quit giving your power away to known liars and deceivers posing as authorities on Reality.

The Game

When it comes to the so-called “news”, you are being gamed. These people are nothing if not predictable. They follow the same patterns again and again. The System does not want you to be aware of approaching celestial phenomena which will drastically alter life on Earth, any more than the System wants you to realize what a bunch of lying scumbags they are. They are predators, and they see us as their prey.

In scenarios such as the September 23rd hype, their game is to ascribe outlandish claims to legitimate researchers who have never made any such claims. And then when nothing happens, the System has discredited those researchers and others like them – at least in the eyes of those gullible enough to believe that the “news” is within a million light years of being a credible source of information.

People, Get Ready

Reviewing the various models presented by Planet X/Nibiru researchers, the Earth is starting to rock and roll as forecasted. September 23, 2017 is merely a punctuation mark in the warm up exercise for the Shift of the Ages.

The prophecy of “the angry sun” is looking more accurate every day. The sun is being affected by the incoming celestial bodies, and Earth is being buffeted by the solar winds caused by coronal mass ejections, etc. Do you really think your SUV’s are causing all this? Well, if you’re going to get ready – then first, get real. Pan the camera back and see a bigger picture.

Timothy Glenn
http://soulpurposereadings.com/




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/timothy-glenn-the-september-23-2017-hype/

How to Heal Your Inner Kid with Bicycling

After being invited to co-host of the Natural Healing Show on UK Health Radio, my very first guest was Ramajon Cogan, author of the Amazon No. 1 bestselling book Sedona Mountain Biking: The Rise of the Gnarly Crew. For those of you prone to jealousy, for many years Rama ran a bike shop in Sedona, […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/how-to-heal-your-inner-kid-with-bicycling/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/how-to-heal-your-inner-kid-with-bicycling/

Thursday 21 September 2017

Lyme Book Update

Some people have inquired about the collaborative healing Lyme Disease book project between Catherine Grace O’Connell and myself. Although we remain in contact, at the moment, it seems that life has sent each of us in different directions. When Catherine was ready to start working on the project in 2016, I needed to finish up several other projects; when I started writing the book in early 2017, Catherine’s other work ramped up so much that she couldn’t do any writing at that time. Then, David and I had the whirlwind of our house purchase, move out, and still ongoing relocation.

Around the time of our move, Catherine and I decided that we will support each other’s work and writing, but not write the book together, since we currently have very different foci. She started the “Fierce 50” campaign, which helps to connect women over 50 to their most empowered selves, while simultaneously building bridges with the millennial generation, and she’s also busy with her Kat and Kaehler radio program. Meanwhile, a huge motivation behind David’s and my move was to get us into a compatible location where we could both thrive and I could write fiction again. I’m happy to report that’s already happening, as I recently began work on my next novel.

With all its complexities and multiple layers, I find Chronic Lyme Disease most responsive to some very unusual strategies of healing. In early 2017, I started writing about these in a non-fiction format; however, I’ve since decided that non-fiction is not the best avenue for delivering these concepts or triggering healing. Instead, I feel inspired to interweave my Lyme insights into a novel, where hopefully, the story itself will bypass much of the devastating resistance and stuckness I see with Lyme disease and other “medical mysteries.”

Over the past 13 years, I’ve known and worked with some of the most incredible people who’ve found Lyme a worthy (though unwelcome) adversary. I hope and pray the power of Story helps more people to help themselves, as well as provides entertainment, inspiration and healing to readers from all walks of life. At some point, Catherine might write her own story, or I/we might write a non-fiction book on Lyme disease. For the foreseeable future, though, that’s my update: non-fiction Lyme book, out; novel with a Lyme connection and all sorts of metaphysical goodies, in. 🙂 Thanks for your interest and support!




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/21/lyme-book-update/

Tuesday 19 September 2017

‘Twas the Weekend ‘Fore Autumn

Ahhh, how far we’ve come since this time last year! I stumbled on this poem I wrote about our yard in Goshen … synchronously on the day I travel back to Goshen for the first time since our move. I hope everyone’s enjoying the change of seasons this week — whether to Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere or Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

Those interested in the Photo Version can find it by clicking here.

Laura Bruno's Blog

The Weekend ‘Fore Autumn

‘Twas the weekend ‘fore Autumn and all through the yard,

All the plants were a’thriving, including the chard.

The bees dined on asters; the cushaw had grown.

The mums nearly bursting, the yard freshly mown.

Thai basil hummed purple; eggplants danced in the breeze–

The garden so fragrant, it drew many a sneeze!

Sweet potato vines covered the sides of the trough,

And on sedum and zinnias, butterflies sipped on and off.

For the first time in years, the holly had berries.

Boltonia blossoms delighted the faeries.

As Fall Equinox split the light and the dark,

Those flowers all giggled at anything stark.

The Robinhood roses had been blooming since June–

So hard to believe ‘twould be Halloween soon!

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/twas-the-weekend-fore-autumn-2/

Monday 18 September 2017

Reiki Master Teacher Certification Class in Kalamazoo, MI

Just a heads up that we still have some spots available in the first Reiki 3 Master Teacher Class I’ll be teaching in Kalamazoo, MI. Reiki always sorts the classes — synchronously selecting each day’s students, whether a very small or very large class. I’m always curious to see who else winds up in each class!

Laura Bruno's Blog

The next Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Level III Master Teacher Certification Class will be taught on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 10-6 at a private classroom in Kalamazoo, MI. If interested, please contact me so that we can discuss your previous training and make sure the RMT training makes sense for you at this time. Students must have at least Reiki Level 2 training in order to register for this class. Pre-registration is required. $650 ($50 discount if prepaid by September 15, 2017).

Taking this class also entitles participants to audit, free of charge, all additional Reiki Certification Classes taught by me (Laura Bruno), space permitting. Many students value this chance to observe earlier levels from a Master’s perspective. A very high percentage of my former students now teach their own Reiki classes all around the US. Class size is limited, so please contact me soon if you have interest…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/reiki-master-teacher-certification-class-in-kalamazoo-mi-2/

Friday 15 September 2017

An Impromptu Photo Shoot

Yesterday afternoon, I was taking one of my usual walks, admiring the magnificent trees and clouds:

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I happened to wander past a field and copse where I know a groundhog lives, probably one of Kalamazoo Kal’s relatives. I suddenly thought, “It’s funny how often I’ve mentioned groundhogs — Tucker Rat Boy, Kalamazoo Kal — but never posted a photo of any of them on my blog. Of course, when I looked up, this friendly gal was out munching dinner in the autumn colors:

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And then …

I thought, “Well, she’s very cute, but it’s just not Kal. I can never get a clear photo from the dining room windows due to the screens.” When I got home, I started reading on the BioMat in the back room, as I so often do. By now you’ve probably guessed who showed up for an impromptu photo shoot through the screenless part of the sliding glass door:

 

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More of a grimace than a smile: “Here, take your stupid photo, will ya?” And then he ran the 20-yard dash to his hidey hole under the shed. I really need to stop writing about Kal now. Every time I mention him on my blog, he shows up. He’s a cute, not-little guy, and he does keep the dandelions nicely munched out back. He and the cat provide endless hours of entertainment between stalking and whistling … but I’d still prefer he remain on a strictly dandelion and clover diet, preferably across the street. As far as groundhogs go, he’s a good one — much better behaved than Tucker Rat Boy, who now lives about twelve lots to the West of us.

In any case, for anyone who’s ever wondered, that’s Kalamazoo Kal.




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/an-impromptu-photo-shoot/

Thursday 14 September 2017

Garden Update: Misty Morn, Faery Godmother, Cat Familiar, and Osage Orange

I’ve been in hermit mode here — doing intuitive sessions, taking walks, exercising, cooking myself on the BioMat and completing an astonishing breadth and depth of studies before I shift my focus to fiction writing on November 1. With Samhain on October 31st traditionally celebrated as the Celtic New Year, it somehow feels appropriate to return to fiction after what became an 8-year hiatus. Synchronously, it’s also the start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which I might do again this year — not to finish a novel in that time, but to tap into the collective discipline of word counts and new writing habits.

Today’s misty morning captures my overall mood the past couple months:

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With David still finishing up things in Goshen during the week, I usually have the days and nights to myself from early Monday morning until Friday evening. Initially, I filled that time with setting up the new garden, but a neck “injury” aka kundalini adjustment aka cosmic realignment took me out of that habitual physical hard work. My neck feels fine now, but the intensity of “stop me in my tracks” pain when trying to do more gardening forced me into extensive BioMat time, pondering the shift back to fiction.

I ended up with quite the curriculum presenting itself, and I’ve felt like a graduate student with most of my time focused on reading, research and integration, all of which will inform this next phase. I had grown accustomed to alone time in Goshen, but I never felt alone, because the yard was such a buzz of pollinator, bird and squirrel activity. Also, the constant train horns and influx of factory workers across the street reminded me that despite any magical boundaries, civilization was never far away.

By contrast, our new house and lot create the illusion and experience of seclusion. If I don’t walk to a nearby store or restaurant, I can go an entire week without encountering anyone in person. Cars drive by, but the trees shield my view of that, even when sitting on the garden bench. I thought I’d be taking the bus downtown more often while David’s gone, but my neck made that less appealing until I settled into and committed to a new routine. Through the gifts of that process, I eventually recognized that this liminal time has opened to prepare the way for the new. Barring some kind of dedicated silent retreat, I will likely never have this set of circumstances and opportunities again. The courses of study revealed themselves, and I feel both inner and outer shifts as a result of this entire process.

We did, however, have an interesting visit this weekend from the original CPL (crazy plant lady) of our yard. She rang the doorbell on her way home from church on Sunday so that she could tell us how pleased she was every time she drives by the yard. She was literally giddy with joy to have a gardener not only continue her legacy but add to it. We invited her inside to show her some of the upgrades, which received her enthusiastic seal of approval. Then we showed her the backyard, where this clematis finally began to bloom after waiting all summer:

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She told us varieties of trees and special upgrades she had given the house and gave us the inside scoop on even more reasons to love our new home. She’s a cute little old lady, but feisty! David and I agreed we’re glad to be on her good side, as she had very little use for the people she sold to and from whom we bought out house. She had watched in dismay as those owners had hacked away her holly and neglected the weeping cherries. She’s thrilled to see flowers and veggies growing in the fabric pots and might come by to pick up some yellow irises this fall, since they need division. We returned a decorative stepping stone she had dearly missed for a year and a half, and promised to invite her over again. Fun times! She’s like a Faery Tale character! Best to stay on her good side … but we are very Faery friendly here. 😉

We got the lowdown on the shed, and I told her about how the neighbors’ cat has adopted our yard for groundhog patrol. She seemed impressed, as she had never seen a cat in this yard before. Interestingly, after a one day, two pop out appearance of Kalamazoo Kal, I had asked the cat to keep a closer watch on the shed. I’ve since seen the kitty go into the Kal’s hidey hole and patrol the general area. On Sunday, I noticed that someone had placed a block of wood right in the way of the hole, and I asked David if he had done that. Nope! Then today, I saw that it’s turned to make access even more cumbersome:

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Good kitty! This morning, I could smell that the cat had laid claim to this area, scenting it just enough to have groundhogs keep their distance. Mostly, the cat just naps near the back door, hanging out with me while I read on the BioMat, but it continues to amaze me just what a great job s/he does with the groundhog patrol.

Another odd ball thing about this yard with its faery godmother previous owner and the non-resident, no-name-given cat familiar is the osage orange:

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Just look at that lumpy, warty, lime green fruit and tell me it doesn’t remind you of something from the Brothers Grimm?! I half expect the shed to turn into a candy covered cottage whenever one of these bizarre orbs drops through the evergreens. Our neighbor had warned us about the enormous thorns on the osage orange trees behind our property. We don’t have any on our property, but she said her one of the five inch thorns had pierced all the way through her husband’s sneakers when he was cleaning up the ones in their yard.

So there you have it — magical studies in a misty land filled with solitude, surrounded by thorny trees of strange fruit, with occasional visits from a faery godmother who still protects this land, a cat familiar who’s not my cat, and as the veil parts on the weekends … my true love. I almost don’t even need to write fiction, eh?

 




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/garden-update-misty-morn-faery-godmother-cat-familiar-and-osage-orange/

Catherine Carrigan Joins The Natural Healing Show

Catherine Carrigan, medical intuitive healer and Amazon No. 1 bestselling author, has joined The Natural Healing Show on UK Health Radio as co-host. The Natural Healing Show empowers you to achieve exceptional levels of health and well-being through discovering the healing power of nature and natural health. Started by Yara Ghrewati, a rain forest and bushcraft survival […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/catherine-carrigan-joins-the-natural-healing-show/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/catherine-carrigan-joins-the-natural-healing-show/

Wednesday 13 September 2017

What It Means to Be a Man

The other day I led a healing that was so profound I almost wept. I asked my client if he would be willing for me to share his story with you and he agreed. We have been working together to improve his digestive system and address many other issues, all of which have been steadily […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/what-it-means-to-be-a-man/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/what-it-means-to-be-a-man/

Sunday 10 September 2017

Autumn Beauty Sunflower

This stowaway from Goshen finally bloomed this week. I’ve enjoyed the color next to the purple maple tree, as well as the hummingbird I saw yesterday sipping sunflower and cosmos:

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/autumn-beauty-sunflower/

Friday 8 September 2017

The Earth, the Air, the Fire, the Water

A mantra for the Elements of Mother Earth:

Text: The Earth, the Air, the Fire, the Water return, return, return

Ein Mantra für die Elemente von Mutter Erde.

Version von Alissia Iannella, Klingendes Herz Infos: http://www.blessed-on-earth.ch




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/the-earth-the-air-the-fire-the-water/

The Difference Between Pain and Suffering: My 8th Book & 6th Amazon No. 1 Bestseller

Just published: The Difference Between Pain and Suffering, My 8th Book & 6th Amazon No. 1 Bestseller. The Difference Between Pain and Suffering is a complete handbook for hope and healing for pain relief without drugs. Written by medical intuitive healer Catherine Carrigan, this book outlines tips you can follow to restore your health naturally. Drug […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/the-difference-between-pain-and-suffering-my-8th-book-6th-amazon-no-1-bestseller/




source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/the-difference-between-pain-and-suffering-my-8th-book-6th-amazon-no-1-bestseller/

Thursday 7 September 2017

Caroline Myss ~ Choices that Can Change Your Life

Some great wisdom from Caroline Myss about the power of choice: Caroline goes over five potent choices that will change everything. This is tough love from one of the wisest healers and teachers of our time, the author of “Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can” — a must listen for anyone with chronic health issues:




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/caroline-myss-choices-that-can-change-your-life/

Wednesday 6 September 2017

Metaphysical Meaning of UTI, Bladder and Kidney Problems

In a span of nine days, I just spoke with eight women about severe UTI or bladder infections. This topic is not unusual for Medical Intuitive sessions; however, that number of people in a short span of time definitely got my attention. I figured if so many people are contacting me about these issues at one time, then likely more “out there” are suffering in silence. This post is not limited to women, by the way. It just happened to be eight women I recently heard from about UTI and bladder issues.

As usual, I give my standard disclaimer: I am not a doctor or psychologist, not diagnosing or prescribing. Anything I share here is based on intuitive observation and/or experience. Medical Intuition is not meant to replace medical advice or support. I look at the energies of things on mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and other levels and report what I see. This post contains general information. Your specific situation might include other factors not mentioned here. If you would like a personal reading about your own symptoms or issues, that would require booking a private session. I do not offer mini-sessions via the comments section or email. I’m just posting this free material as a service since it seems to be “up” right now for a lot of people. 

Anger, UTI, Bladder and Kidney Infections

What’s pissing you off?

Seriously! Whenever I ask this question, people laugh at me, but anger — often what polite society considers inappropriate or ridiculous anger — is the emotional root of urinary tract, bladder and kidney burning, pain, infection and/or disease. I find that women especially have difficulty expressing anger, not wanting to hurt others. Instead, they turn that anger back on themselves in the form of intense pain and irritation “down there.” Ironically, shifting repressed irritation and pain from the emotional to the physical level tends to result in short tempers and increased irritation, thereby sending the energy right back to the emotional plane, where it demands attention.

Even if you find an effective herbal remedy or antibiotic this time, failing to address the deeper anger threatens to turn these UTI, bladder and kidney issues chronic. It also amplifies both the physical and emotional feelings, turning irritation to full on rage. Think of the forest fires currently ravaging the West Coast of the US, and also consider the massive flood damage from Hurricane Harvey, with Hurricanes Irma and Jose on the way. Fire and Water. Both have value, but both can also destroy: a fire can warm your house or burn it to the ground. Water can hydrate, renew and generate power, but it can also level everything in its path. In the US, we’ve reached a crisis level imbalance between Fire and Water — on both mundane and metaphysical levels.

The Sacral Chakra that holds the urinary tract, bladder, kidneys and sexual organs is our Water Center. It’s the site of our preferences, where our likes and our dislikes begin. It’s also the chakra of generation and regeneration — the seat of where and how we birth ourselves and our values into the world. The Water Center wants what it wants, regardless of what society tells us we “should” want. Repressing those deep longings and preferences doesn’t make them go away. It just forces them to express via indirect means. They can turn inward or outward, but when we fail to give adequate release in the appropriate chakra, they escape our conscious influence.

The Solar Plexus, just above this Sacral (2nd) Chakra, is our Fire Center. It affects digestion and includes the liver, whose primary emotion is frustration. Whenever we ignore deep, survival level urges of the soul, that repression creates frustration. (Sexual and spiritual energies are intimately linked.) With frustration, the liver gets overwhelmed by toxic emotions and physical toxins, and this overwhelm, in turn, creates even more frustration, which ricochet’s back to anger. Repressed Sacral Chakra and Solar Plexus energies create a negative feedback loop until one or the other (or both) of them bursts forth in destruction.

The Solar Plexus houses the ego, both negative and positive aspects of ego: asserting healthy boundaries, disregarding our own needs, or disrespecting others’ boundaries. Housing the stomach, it’s also the chakra most affected by disempowering lies and media spin. “I just can’t digest all this information.” “I’ve lost my center. I don’t even know how to react anymore.” “I don’t know how to trust my gut anymore.”

On the flip side, some people feel 100% certain of their convictions but can’t understand why they struggle with digestive issues. Eating the same thing every day (or only listening to one information stream) eventually results in deficiency that seems “necessary” for “balance.” “I can’t eat anything except these three foods” or “the other side has zero legitimate points, zip, none, nada.” Both statements evidence an imbalance of the Power Center.

When threatened, the Solar Plexus latches onto perspectives that make us feel significantly smaller or larger than we really are. “Who am I to shine?” comes just as much from ego imbalance as the most obvious narcissist steamrolling anyone in his or her way. False modesty, professional victim status, bullying, “snowflake triggers,” and energy vampirism are all signs of Solar Plexus imbalance. The anger, frustration and reactions such imbalances spawn needs to go somewhere. Quite often, that Fire energy gets squeezed back to the Water Center, creating burning sensations instead of healthy digestive fire. (For a discussion of what happens when unexpressed anger and frustration get squeezed up to the Heart Chakra, please see, “Overgiving, Resentment and Breast Cancer.”)

For the purposes of this article, we’re looking at the complex interplay between Fire and Water — as well as desire, creation, anger and frustration.

As Within, So Without

And for Empaths, as without, so within. Anyone tuned into Collective energies needs to exercise extra self-awareness and authenticity, or else any predisposition to a UTI, bladder infection or kidney issue will find the easiest routes to physical manifestation.

The most common cause of a UTI on the physical level is poor hygiene — wiping back to front, improper cleaning after sexual relations, or some kind of leakage that introduces fecal matter where it does not belong. On the metaphysical level, it’s taking that which has already served its purpose (i.e. digested food whose remains have now become unhealthy) and introducing that which no longer serves into our Water Center of preferences, aversions and deep longing.

On the macro level, think about groundwater contamination by runoff from factory farms. I in no way support factory farming, but proper management of that waste could serve to nourish the land as compost. Improper management of waste poisons the Water Center. When First Chakra (colon) infiltrates Second/Sacral Chakra, we get the psychic equivalent of contaminated groundwater. First Chakra is primarily concerned with foundations and security. When money or security fears overwhelm the Water Center’s natural longings and predispositions, that water becomes undrinkable without some kind of treatment or purification.

Empaths in particular struggle to discern their own desires apart from childhood programming or others’ expectations. Good energy hygiene means regularly wiping off others’ energies and expectations, in order to maintain your own natural balance. Do this from “front to back,” in other words, start with yourself rather than dragging in the expectations. Don’t try to clear while also dragging in the old fears and expectations. There are many ways to practice good energy hygiene; find what works best for you before those poopy energies disrupt your system in painful, persistent ways.

One of the easiest physical remedies at the first signs of a UTI is simply to drink more water. Flood the Water Center with its natural element. Flush out toxins until you’re “in the flow.” On the metaphysical level, this means flooding yourself with experiences, sounds, scents, and sights that align with and nourish your preferences. Treat yourself to some version of a deep longing. Trust your intuition, which arises from these longings.

To the extent you can, minimize any ongoing irritations. On the physical level, don’t eat spicy foods, and avoid coffee and alcohol. Excuse yourself and flee toxic situations, turn off the television, fix that tricky doorknob that drives you crazy. Addressing minor irritations helps shift your energy to tackle larger issues that take more time to change. Flooding yourself with what you do want and flushing out what you don’t want goes a long way toward preventing the more serious bladder or kidney infections. It also greatly aids in clarifying those age old questions, “Who am I and what do I want to do with myself?”

If you don’t think you’re an Empath but you get frequent UTI’s, bladder infections or kidney stones, you’ll want to pick up Dr. Judith Orloff’s excellent “The Empath’s Survival Guide,” which provides lots of self-tests, tools and strategies, especially helpful for people who have no idea what I’m talking about here!

Get Creative

The Sacral Chakra also houses the sexual organs, including the womb — both metaphysical and (in the case of women) physical. Whether or not we choose to bring human children into the world, we all have “babies.” Any creative project we bring forth incubates for some time in the Water Center, just as all life proceeds from the Sea, Cosmic or otherwise.

If you’d like to balance this area long term, you’ll need to harness Desire and use it to direct your creativity. We are all creative, no matter what your high school art teacher might have told you. Find a hobby or creative pursuit and let yourself play. What little things bring you joy? What lifts you into ecstacy? Dance? Pottery? Baking? Painting? Allow creativity to flow through you. Turn that “inappropriate” anger into something gorgeous. Or poignant. It doesn’t matter. Just take that energy and redirect it. Encourage that creative Water Center to flow instead of burn.

“The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.” ~ Gloria Steinem

You will stop feeling so pissy when you move towards inner truth and freedom.

Blessings on the journey!

 

 




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/metaphysical-meaning-of-uti-bladder-and-kidney-problems/

Tuesday 5 September 2017

Anam Cara, Home, and Beauty as Antidote

A beautiful reminder from Jamie and that dear, soulful priest of beauty, John O’Donohue. May we each seek and find those moments of beauty and hold the vision of what our world and we ourselves can be.

Sophia's Children

“You are joined in an ancient and eternal union with humanity that cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy and definition. When you are blessed with Anam Cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place: home.” ~ John O’ Donohue

The poet Theodore Roethke wrote that “In a dark time, the eye begins to see.”

Cultivating the ‘inner garden‘, Anam Cara relationship, and some connection to beauty — rather than the ensorcelment of glamour — can also be sustaining.

The late poet-priest, John O’Donohue also said, in a very rich and inspiring conversation with Krista Tippett (OnBeing),

“… There are individuals holding out on frontlines, holding the humane tissue alive in areas of ultimate barbarity, where things are visible that the human eye should never see.”

“And they are able to sustain it, because there is in them some kind…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/05/anam-cara-home-and-beauty-as-antidote/

Sunday 3 September 2017

Ecoregional Druidry and the Wheel of the Year: Rituals, Observances, and Activities

This is such a helpful post for people who want to tune into their bioregion in meaningful ways, but maybe aren’t interested in old lore or live in climates very different than the traditional Wheel of the Year days and symbolism would indicate. Thanks, Dana!

The Druid's Garden

A group of people gather in an orchard, the snows quietly falling, the cold brisk and clear.  Our voices ring to the heavens, toast is offered to the branches of the tree. We drum, sing, make noise, and scare away any spirits who would seek to harm the orchard’s harvest. We enjoy hot mulled cider and retreat back inside for feasting and community. This is a wassail for the health of the apple trees, an ancient celebration that is now very much part of my yearly wheel of the year (and one that I’ve described in some depth on this blog earlier this year and a few years ago). This is one of many rich traditions that we can engage in in honoring the land and living an earth-based path. In my last post, we explored how druids in various ecosystems might adapt the UK-based wheel of the…

View original post 2,000 more words




source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/ecoregional-druidry-and-the-wheel-of-the-year-rituals-observances-and-activities/