Dharma in the Garden

Tingling Fingers

Loving my Shakti acupressure ring, which looks beautiful (although a little big to wear as a decorative ring) but more importantly actually works!  Not sure how it works - something to do with the meridians (energy lines) in your fingers being stimulated - but it does.  You roll the little ring up and down each finger about 20 times and you start to feel your fingers tingling.  Great for my cold hands.

Healing Plants

I have started giving myself daily treatments of Reiki again.  You need to practice regularly to keep the energy strong and unfortunately I have been very bad at doing this.  I have even been treating a couple of my plants to a healing session. Well, you never know.  If it can do wonders for me who's to say my plants won't benefit.

I've added an Osteospermum, a Geum, a Gentian and a Poppy Orientale to one of my borders.  Oh and a Stachys Byzantina (lamb's lugs). It's the poppy that needs some TLC at the moment.  I planted it when the weather was warm but since then it has turned really cold so it obviously didn't like that (I wasn't too happy either!). Sadly it also looks like my Apple Scrumptious won't be producing fruit again this year. It might have apple scab. Then again it could be blossom wilt. I really don't know. And my clematis has still not produced any flowers (this is it's third year).  So I turned my garden into an outdoor treatment area and went round giving Reiki to various plants.  If anyone had witnessed the scene I'm not sure what they would have thought.  Anyway, the experiment is in its early stages and I think more sessions are required.  But I could be onto something here...

Testing the water

Woke this morning feeling quite down and worrying about what I should be doing with my life, whether I should stay in my current job or take the leap and do something completely different.  Last week I had tentatively put my toes in the water regarding becoming a Virgin Vie Consultant but then immediately pulled them back out again as my confidence plummeted. 

However, in the short space of a couple of hours I have phoned my Reiki teacher to arrange a hypnotherapy & motivational coaching session, exchanged emails and phone numbers with a consultant from Virgin Vie about having an informal chat over coffee this week, and spoken to a recruitment agency about dropping in sometime with my C.V.  Of course this time next week it's quite possible that for all my plans I'll be right back to square one again as far as my confidence is concerned but at least I've done something.

Today's Horoscope

"Although you can be so intently focused on the minute details of your immediate environment, the astrological month of Taurus opens your vistas of thought and imagination. Today, however, with the Moon in your 10th House of Career, it's crucial for you to make an effort to push beyond your own self-limiting boundaries. Widen your vision in a practical manner so you can eagerly open the door when opportunity knocks."

This is very appropriate considering the current situation here in my office.  We are living on the knive edge at the moment and not sure which way things will go.  Before I read the above this morning, a few of us were discussing the way things are and how we probably need forced change in order to jolt us out of our current environments.  We moan and complain but we put up with our lot because it's safe and it's what we know.  I think this is true for the majority of people.  Unless change forces us out of a situation, we are happy just to stay put and accept our lot.  But if our work is a huge chunk of our lives (we spend more time at work than we do with our families), why are we putting up with something that makes us so miserable? 

The last few years have seen me taking steps to change my working life so that it incorporates some or all of my interests. Progress hasn't been as fast as I would have liked but moving from full-time to part-time working is one change that has definitely had a huge impact on my life (for the better!).  I'm still heading in the right direction as far as my plans are concerned, although I now accept that things don't always happen when we want them to.  Life can change at any time and we never know what is just around the corner.  I'm definitely going to be prepared for when the opportunity comes knocking.

Oasis for The Body

Way back in 1990 I was a solo visitor to Le Sport in St Lucia.  It's on my travel wish list as the place I would like to return to (I'm thinking a holiday for our anniversary next April might be nice...).  I also read recently that Kira Bowie, a lady here in Aberdeen who runs pilates classes and who I bought my MBT trainers from, teaches a few weeks a year at Le Sport as a Master of Pilates. 

A brief search of the internet after that found the website for Le Sport - they have certainly added to the resort over the years and it looks very impressive.  When I was there I particularly liked the Oasis, which is the Spa which stands on a hill overlooking the hotel.  It is moorish in design (see photo) and is a haven of tranquility.  Since I was there they have added to their list of treatments and therapies.  They now have a resident doctor of holistic medicine who is available for consultation and individual treatments which work with the body, breath, mind and soul.  They also offer ayurveda therapies and a series of holistic practices encompassing yoga, meditation, massage and detoxification.  Add to that the healing arts of Kinesiology and Iridiology, a specialist skin clinic, a whole range of fitness classes, a gym, massage rooms, nude sun deck, meditation temple, not to mention the incredible list of heavenly face and body treatments, and it's no wonder that this resort was recently named as the number one destination spa in the world by readers of Conde Nast Traveller.

The tag on their website says "give us your body for a week and we will give you back your mind".  I'm having to hold myself back from booking this holiday right now.

Healing Angel

I am reading the 'Angel Bible' by Hazel Raven and have discovered several fascinating facts about Archangel Raphael.  I have always called on Raphael (and other angels) when I practice Reiki but I didn't really know why.  However, I did know his name means "God heals" and that he is the angel of healing.  Since reading the Angel Bible, I now know that Raphael is also associated with Spring (my favourite season), Wednesday (the day I was born), the zodiac sign Virgo (my birth sign) and the planet Mercury (ruler of the sign of Virgo).  It's no surprise that he also appears in my favourite book, Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers! 

Raphael grants us many gifts, including joy and creativity. He encourages self-motivation to become who we are meant to be. He is also the angel of communication (I am calling on him right now to help me convey this message!). Raphael spreads love and laughter and delights in helping people.  I am reassured that, despite being an Archangel, anyone can call on Raphael for help and we don't need to be psychic or have any special powers to do so. We just need to open our minds and our hearts.  Synchronisities are the angels' way of letting us know they are there. Thank you Raphael - I've got the message.

Dharma Creation

In the beginning...

Dharma in the Garden is being created.  Watch this space!