What's new this month is VIDEO! Thanks for joining us online.
Since we're about to let go of the season of death and head into the celebration of resurrection —Easter and the less well known pagan holidays that came before that—our theme for this month is the Spiritual Benefits of Loss and how to heal enough to allow for the rebirth so many of us want so much right now.
We start with a video featuring Paul speaking on this topic.
Here's some more insight on the same topic inspired by the world of flower essences:
Sagebrush Flower Essence for When Life Strips You to the Essentials
When a person is over-identified with aspects of its “ego self”—that small self that is part of the past and never the future—sometimes we need to cleanse the spirit of all those past attachments so life can be truly transformed and made new. There are times that try people’s souls. We become so attached to possessions, lifestyle, social recognition, external things that we think express who we are but in reality can help hold us back from what we can become. Last year's recession brought job loss, business losses, bankruptcy and home foreclosure to a lot of people. Others have lost family and friends. It's hard to feel spiritual when you’re stripped of so much but a lot of people turn to spirit in times like these.
So is there any spiritual purpose in experiences like this? Sure! But when people you love are in the midst of the crisis it's probably not the right time to discuss it -- at least not if you want things to remain civil. This week, however, Paul and I have been taking the time to look at this key issue. Spirituality isn't always about living "The Secret" and getting what you want, at least not right away. Sometimes it is about loss and that's painful! But from the highest spiritual perspective it’s hard for a purpose. To give up the past is often a blessing, not a curse. It frees you to new experience, to create what you’re longing for without a death wish related to past beliefs and old ideas of “right living” attached. When you are stripped to the essentials, you see so clearly what matters most. You never let go of your essential soul purpose. That’s what you see and that’s what you have left to build upon and grow.
In Flower Essence Therapy, Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is used to help people who have been essentially stripped of a lot of what they hold dear. Sagebrush lives in the desert in the harshest of conditions. We see it growing along the road where Paul and I live now and it's quite beautiful. In the summer and fall it has tiny yellow flowers that grow in bunches near the ends of the branches and it has hairy but stiff silvery grey-green leaves that are lobed like an oak leaf. It can grow to almost 4 feet tall but, unless living near a source of running water, most tend to stay a lot smaller, usually 1-2 feet.
Artemisia tridentata is part of the asteraceae or Sunflower family which, for flower essence purposes, indicates that it carries some of the same characteristics of other flowers in that family. For example, the small flower heads are actually a composite of many individual flowers clumped together so they look like one. The Asteraceae flower family is also known as "compositae" for this very reason. Most of the species in this family are also sun-loving plants, with strong, sturdy, long-lasting stems and branches. Richard Katz of the Flower Essence Society has written about this plant family. He says flower essences from this family deal with themes of spiritual integration, wholeness, integrity and the development of the spiritual Self.
Sagebrush has been used for spiritual purposes by Native peoples throughout the Southwest for millennia. It's the most common herb used in smudging, an ancient practice intended to clear negative toxic energy from around an individual or in an environment. It was also used medicinally to rid the body of parasites, stop internal bleeding and aid in the healing of infection.
The Sagebrush plant group Artemisia is named for Artemisia II, the sister and wife of king Mausolus, the ancient ruler of Caria in southwestern Anatolia. Artemis is also the name of the ancient sun god Apollo's sister, the goddess of the moon, the hunt and wild nature. Queen Artemis showed a lot of her namesake's spirit in the years after her husband's death. She took over the throne and brilliantly defended her country from marauding invaders who hoped to take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately she is far more well-known for her extraordinary grief at his passing. She is said to have mixed her husband’s ashes in her drink, and to have gradually pined away during the two years that she survived him. She had a giant monument built in his honor that was once listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The word "mausoleum" comes from this. But she was also a botanist and medical researcher and that's why the plant group is named after her. Think of someone who couldn't let go of her life long attachment to her brother/husband and you'll get the gist of what Sagebrush flower essence is meant to help one overcome. It helps one find a new self-identity when the old one is now gone.
Ready to be reborn? Smile, lighten up, Spring is almost here. And what better way to celebrate than with newborn baby goats! Sheryl took the photographs in this next video at Harley Farms in Pescadero, CA. If you've never been there when these wonderful fun-loving creatures are born, March is the month to go do it!
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MORE NEW STUFF!
Are you interested in learning about Kundalini awakening? Paul did a video about that long ago that you might have seen already. If not you can see it here . We've received lots of questions about that ever since so we finally have done a video to address them. It's broken up into 3 short parts.
"Kundalini Part 2"
"Kundalini 3"
"Kundalini 4, The Last Word"
Paul also did a nice talk on Transcending Polarity which includes some insight into Yin and Yang and American politics! Lots of helpful Buddhist principles as well. We think you'll find it interesting.
Transcending Polarity Part 1
Transcending Polarity Part 2
Transcending Polarity Part 3
And finally we found some clips from more than a year and a half ago featuring Paul as well.
Taking Your Spiritual Life Seriously
The Ideal and the Real
It's Not About Fixing Everything
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INTERESTED IN A SESSION?
We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.
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MAMA LOVE PERFUME
Sheryl has a line of Reiki-infused Flower Essence Aromatherapy products for a wide variety of healing purposes. You can find them at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com.
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BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)
THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.
Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .
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WHERE TO FIND OUR ART
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)
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WHERE TO FIND ALL OUR VIDEOS
http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam
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