SoulKu Jewelry

 

I have been making jewelry for over 10 years. I learned beadweaving techniques and making jewelry became a passion rather quickly. I then taught advanced beadweaving for several years to women who also had a craving for crystals, beads, bracelets, necklaces. That said, I simply love jewelry.

I was introduced to SoulKu jewelry through a friend - www.soulku.com  SoulKu is a women owned business that was founded in 2011. The pieces are hand-made, simple, yet meaningful as they are infused with energy to honor friendship, love, courage, harmony, etc. It's worth a look. A portion of the purchases support non-profits that empower women, children and families. An example is below:

 

 

Essential Oils and Smell

 

 

We have heard the old adage, "stop and smell the roses." There is actually scientific evidence that smelling rose oil can turn off the fear response happening in your body. Credit is given to Nobel Prize researcher named Linda Buck. Her research centered around specific olfactory cells (connected to the sense of smell) in the nervous system and the body's response.

Jodie Cohen, in her book, Essential Oils to Boost the Brain & Heal the Body, says, 

    "The cells of the olfactory epithelium are in fact brain cells. This olfactory membrane is the only place in your body where your central nervous system is exposed and is in direct contact with the environment."

There are simple ways to use smell with an essential oil. 

• One way is to open the bottle and hold it a few inches below the nose and inhale deeply. 

• You can also place a drop of the oil in your hands, rub them together and then inhale the scent on your hands. 

• You can diffuse the oils into the air.

• You could also place a few drops on a cotton ball near your bed or on your pillowcase and get the benefit of the oil.

Smelling an essential oil has worked well for me as my skin is sensitive to the oils and often results in a rash especially when placing the oils behind my ears to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Everyone's body reacts differently to oils, so having the scientific study behind the benefit of smell and healing is incredibly valuable.

 

It's HOT, HOT, HOT!

 

It's July in New Hampshire and feeling like the oppressive days of August. You can cut the humidity with a knife and it is HOT. Now, New Englanders complain about weather all the time. It's too hot, too cold, too much snow, too much rain, not enough rain... It's kind of funny and we do laugh at ourselves.

Hot weather and temperatures in the 90s is no joke. It affects the body tremendously and can cause serious health concerns. Some people are more vulnerable to the heat than others and need to be even more cautious.

Symptoms to be aware of:

Heat Exhaustion Symptoms:

• Felling faint, dizzy

• Increased sweating

• Cool, pale skin

• Nausea/vomiting

• Rapid, weak pulse

• Muscle cramps

Heat Stroke Symptoms 

• Throbbing headache

• No sweating

• Body temperature above 104 degrees
  

• Red, hot, dry skin

• Nausea/vomiting

• Rapid, strong pulse

• Altered mental state

• Possible loss of consciousness

 

The flower essence I recommend for dealing with the heat is the Australian Bush Flower essence - Mulla Mulla. I just ordered another stock bottle at
www.southernherb.com because I don't want to run out.

This plant grows in the desert of central Australia which is the hottest part of the continent. Ian White says, "This plant prefers the rocky, loamy soil of hot, arid regions. The greater the heat, the better it seems to thrive."

This flower essence will help rejuvenate your body and clear any fear of fire or hot objects or any past traumas associated with fire and heat.

 

 

Essential Oils For the Vagus Nerve

There are many companies that make essential oils such as Young Living and DoTerra. I have become more familiar with Vibrant Blue Oils having participated in many trauma summits with Jodie Cohen, founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, as well as studying with her. 

The following are essential oils from Vibrant Blue Oils that are having a positive impact on those who want to reset and regenerate their Vagus Nerve:

Parasympathetic Oil – Triggers the optimal rest and digest healing state. Includes: Clove and Lime

Bladder Support Essential Oil – Supports releasing trauma, shock, shame, helplessness. Includes: Frankincense, Geranium, Helichrysum, Lavender, Petigrain Combava, Rose, Sandalwood, Spruce, Valerian

Nerve Repair – Supports damaged nerves, relieves pain. Includes: Basil, Peppermint, Helichrysum italicum, Marjorum

Adrenal – Balances the adrenals to support anxiety, stress, low back pain and fatigue. Includes: Thyme, Rosemary, Manuka, Galbanum and Frankincense

Anti-inflammatory – Supports pain and inflammation. Includes: Dill Seed, Ginger, Ylang Ylang, Grapefruit, and Tarragon

Calm – Supports anxiety, calms tension, reduces stress and promotes relaxation. Includes: Tangerine, Orange, Ylang Ylang, Blue Tansy and Patchouli

 

Risk

 A favorite poem of mine:

 

Six Thinking Hats Exercise

Edward DeBono's Six Thinking Hats exercise is an alternative way to look at making decisions and setting goals using information, emotions, logic, creativity, caution and optimism.

Each "hat" represents a different perspective. You can use this technique individually or with a team to consider a problem from different angles.

An Overview of Each Hat:

WHITE HAT is the information hat and fact gathering. This is a neutral position hat.

RED HAT: is the intuitive and feeling hat. What is your gut reaction?

BLUE HAT: the planning and organizing hat.

GREEN HAT: the creative hat for new ideas and solutions.

BLACK HAT: the caution hat looking at risks, problems, pit-falls.

YELLOW HAT: optimism, looking at positive benefits and advantages.

 

Questions that go with each HAT:

WHITE:  Who, what, where? What are the facts?

RED: What is your hunch or intuition? What are your feelings or gut response?

BLUE: What is the main idea? What is action plan? Was the problem solved?

GREEN: What else can be done? What is the value? What might be holding us back?

BLACK: What are the risks? Are there weaknesses? What are the consequences?

YELLOW: Can we make this work? What are the benefits? What are the positive outcomes?

I have used the Six Thinking Hats in a networking group and it was a lot of fun and very informative. If you like working with a spreadsheet or graph, the below is an example of how to pull this together. Have fun with it!

 

Activating Your Vagus Nerve For Healing

 For your body to heal it is important to learn how to be in a healing state. 

This is a profound statement and not meant to discourage. Rather, it is an opportunity to connect with your Body Wisdom, Body Intelligence. I was pleased that the professionals presenting at the Biology of Trauma summits that I've attended all offer simple tools for healing overwhelming experiences that have affected the nervous system.

For healing to occur, the vagus nerve needs to activate the Parasympathetic Nervous system that puts you in a rest, digest, grounded and calm state. There are many simple, yet profound ways to do that. Utilizing the various techniques over time will actually rewire your brain and nervous system. Healing takes time and patience and can offer many learning experiences if you are open. Be gentle and kind to yourself.

Things you can do for yourself:

• Hum/Sing/Chant
• 
  Laugh
• Meditate
• Pray
• Connect with Nature
  
• Sunshine
• Gratitude Journal
• Deep Breathing
• Socially Engage
• Flower Essences 
• Essential Oils
• Yoga 
• Hold a purring cat
  

 Things you might need support for:

• 
  Acupuncture
• Therapy with trauma specialist
• Appointment with a health professional
  
• Somatic Therapy
• Cranial/Sacral Therapy
• Yoga with an instructor
  
• Infrared Sauna
• FLOTE
• Havening Technique ( www.havening.org )
  

 

 

 

Ear Massage Health Benefits

Ear massage or ear reflexology or auriculotherapy has many health benefits. First, it is important to know that you think with your ears, therefore, under stress it is often difficult to comprehend verbal information. Massaging all of the points on your ears can begin to relieve stress because the external part of the ear can be viewed as a microsystem representing the entire body.

Benefits of ear massage could be:

Reducing pain in the body with the release of natural painkillers;

Releasing positive endorphins creating a feeling of happiness;

Relaxing the body by activating the vagus nerve;

Activating nerves associated that resonate throughout the body;

Enhancing the immune system by stimulating the senses;

An article in The Institute For Integrative Healthcare website states: "Auriculotherapy is used throughout the world to reduce substance cravings and assist in the detoxification of addictive substances"

How to massage the ears:

Gently pull, extend, massage and roll all areas of the brain. Make this an enjoyable experience. Get all of the nooks and crannies.

Also spend time massaging behind the ear to stimulate the vagus nerve and move into the Parasympathetic state of rest and digest.

 

Below is a chart from Vibrant Blue Oils showing where to use essential oils on your ears. For more information: www.vibrantblueoils.com 

Break Family Patterns with Flower Essences

I just spent a weekend with a lot of family as we celebrated the birthday of the newest member who celebrated turning 2. When I get together with cousins and their kids and their kid's kids and my nieces and brother and sister-in-law, the stories start to flow along with plenty of laughs. The giggles often reflect the dysfunction that we all experienced in our not so perfect lives.

What I love about the work I do is helping people identify and clear these family patterns that no longer serve them. It is never about pointing fingers. It is about discovering the generational emotional and mental beliefs, fears, abuse patterns, cultural expectations and more that require releasing. On September 27, 2023, I wrote about ancestral math. I've added the image again because it shows how impossible it is to NOT have recurring familiar patterns. It's mind blowing!

 

One of my favorite flower essences from Australia for clearing negative patterns of the ancestors is from the BOAB tree. It is a huge tree with extensive roots in the ground that become tangled. Often there are younger Boab trees growing around it in a circular pattern. The smaller trees eventually get engulfed by, and merge into the older tree. This speaks to the theme of family enmeshment as does the tangled root system. This wonderful flower essence will clear karma and the negative energetic patterns that have traveled for many years through the ancestral line.

Ian White gives 3 affirmations for Boab in his book, Bush Flower Healing:

"I now release and clear all negative conditioning and family traits from my psyche."

"I create my own reality which is now free of all persecution and abuse."

"I now choose to fulfill my own destiny and not my family's."

I order my Australian Bush Flower essence stock bottles from: www.southernherb.com

 

Another flower essence to consider for clearing multi-generational patterns, especially experiences of abuse, trauma, alcoholism or prejudice, is Rose Campion. This is one of my favorite flowers and as I was dead-heading them today I could see the new growth as I cleared the old, dead flowers. How often does an older member of the family pass away as another one is being born? 

Tree Frog Farm carries this flower essence and offers this affirmation:

"I am access to wisdom from a healed family, tribal, ethnic and racial lineage."

www.treefrogfarm.com