Ronda Snow's Blog, page 20

Adverse Effects in Reiki (part 1)

I’ve been working with Reiki for a long time. Close to 18 years now. In all the times I’ve used it for myself, family and clients, I’ve not once seen a bad reaction. None. In theory, after a long, supine, exceptionally relaxing session, someone could get lightheaded on standing because of a vasovagal lag in blood pressure. That is an easy fix. Just take it easy standing after a session. Take your time, sit a bit before standing. If you are lightheaded, sit right back down. In my experience, some people do feel a bit sleepy and groggy after a full session, like they are waking up from a good night’s sleep, but it always passes quickly, and never with any serious dizziness. In a chair session, not even that happens.

If you really stretch it, and go looking for potential trouble, you might want to take care with blood-level dependent medications like coumadin, digoxin, or lithium. IF someone is taking Reiki in an ongoing series of sessions, it might be wise to alert the physician monitoring those medications. In theory (again this is really stretching things) as Reiki improves well-being over time, the body may use the medication is used or metabolized, changing the blood level. I’ve never had any direct reports of this. As someone who uses  Reiki regularly and takes warfarin – in my personal experience, it has no impact on my blood levels at all, ever.

First, let’s look at it literally, from a purely physical point of view. Just touching someone lightly is harmless…quite the opposite, touch is beneficial, needed. Who, under normal circumstances, has been physically hurt by a hug, a handshake, a hand on the shoulder? Touch is essential. Our need for it begins at birth (1). Some argue that the relaxing effect of simple reassuring human touch  is the source of Reiki’s benefit, not some mysterious “energy”. Do hugs and handshakes change digoxin levels? Obviously not. Do your normal garden variety hugs and handshakes cause physical harm? No.

Now lets look at the mind/spirit aspects. Science might call it “placebo effect” (2) or “psychosomatic” effect. From a holistic point of view, mind and body are profoundly connected. “Placebo” and “psychosomatic” aren’t the negative things that mainstream medicine might have you believe. True placebo an psychosomatic phenomena are nothing short of proof of the mind-body connection. So are all the many health benefits that stem from stress management and relaxation. You could write a dissertation about it (3).

Apart from the chance of a little wooziness from standing quickly after deep relaxation (which has to do with the parasympathetic nervous system) , it seems that physical manifestations from Reiki are solidly in the mind-body realm of things, and usually a “healing crisis”….

To be continued….

Sources:

1.  https://www.psychologicalscience.org/...

2. http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/...

3. Snow, R. “Reiki and Relaxation: A Practical Look at Reiki as a Stress Reduction in a Non-medical setting (2011) self published.

Outsider-y

Ronda Snow:

“The Vampire Diet” is my blog where I play with recipes and menu ideas – plus ideas for maybe a book by the same name. The basic idea is to use fun and imagination to make changing to a healthier way of eating less stressful and more, well, fun. I call it “mental cosplay” for healthier eating. This is the latest post. Menu ideas for weekday dinners go up every Saturday or Sunday. I share some of my favorite foods here – some healthy, some not. Everything in moderation, you know.

Originally posted on The Vampire Diet:

One of the many scenes I liked in the books from the ‘verse of “Twilight” was the shift to a quieter energy, but ongoing activity when Bella was still human but at the Cullens’ house. They don’t sleep, so what do you DO with 24 hours a day?

That is another place where a vampish point of view can help with eating better…take a step outside of normal patterns.

Vampires are outside the normal rhythm. They can do stuff when we sleep. We can do stuff instead of eat. When she was really young, I tried to tell my daughter I liked to make things because I was a tinker-fairy. She didn’t buy it, but being a maker at heart, I do love my knitting, stitching and MAKEing stuff, even if it isn’t 3d printed or replica movie props and the like, like they do at Maker Faire.  But in…

View original 328 more words

Tarot Q&A: Minor Arcana cards for general readings

This question really caught my attention – it never crossed my mind that that anyone would omit the minor arcana for any reason. I’d love to hear more about where the idea of just using the major arcana only comes from…leave a comment below if you have anything to offer or if you did the search that inspired this fictional Q&A -thanks for the thought provoking question!

Q: Can I use minor arcana cards when doing a general spread, and no particular question in mind?

A: Yes, of course! Why wouldn’t you? Who doesn’t?

I approach Tarot expansively…the whole point and purpose is to expand our horizons, learn, grow, ease stress. To me, more cards mean more opportunity for inspiration and more chance of sparking just the brainwave we need. Even the full 78 card deck doesn’t seem to be enough sometimes, even when you throw in all the little variations that come with reversals (the card appearing upside down relative to the reader), position within the card spread, and so on.

But that’s just me. In the end, it really doesn’t matter if you use the minor arcana or not –  in ANY reading. If I’m doing a family or public party where kids are around then I’ll take out the Devil, Death, 10 of swords and some of the scary-looking cards OR I’ll just switch to another deck with more abstract images (art nouveaux for example). I’ve had a few clients ask that those cards be removed, which is not a problem – the needed message will find a way through.

A good Tarot reading is never limited to just the “card meanings” anyway. You don’t have to use cards at all. In the end, cards, palm lines, tea leaves, rune stones, crystal balls, black mirrors, head bumps, chicken guts – whatever – are all just tools used to access that human intuition that we all have. The REAL oracle is the human hearts and minds involved in the reading, so which cards you use are secondary. They are just a springboard to help you hear you own inner wisdom, and access your own good intuition no matter what cards you use.

 

Tao Tuesdays: Chapter 45

Every Tuesday on Tao Te Ching Daily, Amy Putkonen posts a chapter from her version of the Tao Te Ching with her commentary. She graciously opens the post up to links from other bloggers with their commentary on the chapter. I’ve enjoyed the project so much! You are invited to join in, too. Just link your post to Amy’s, and then visit Amy’s post to link it to yours. Please be sure to read her comments and the others there – such excellent insights!

Great perfection

seems to be missing something,

Yet it is always useful.

Great fullness seems empty,

But it will never wear out.

Very straight things appear crooked.

Intelligence seems slow.

Great debates seems to lack words.

Movement overcomes cold.

Stillness overcomes heat.

Stay clear and calm

and the Universe will do the same.

Like everything in the Tao Te Ching, this chapter is multi-layered. On the surface, it is more balance of opposites: Each creates the other. Each interacts with the other, creating everything else.

Underneath, I see the idea of projection. It has been said that a true sage is like a mirror. The universe is a teaching mirror too. Something that is called perfect may also be the mirror for our own imperfections, yet it is still wonderful. Fullness can feel empty because of our own yearnings, yet is still bountiful in its own right.

Finally we are reminded again of our deep connection, our utter integration, our being a true part of all things: we are part of that dynamic relationship of opposites. We play our part, literally (movement overcomes cold) and mentally / emotionally through our projections and perceptions. It has also been said that a sage remains serene though a mountain falls down before him…if we are clear and calm, that is the universe we project and therefor experience. Like attracts like, what you give to the universe returns to you….”Stay clear and calm and the Universe will do the same”.

Merry Monday: Quotes

 

Merry Monday is  an ongoing project where each week I find one thing that makes life a little, well, more merry. It can be any little commonplace thing that is anywhere from kind of cool to outright marvelous. Please share the merry! Add your Merry Monday delight in the comments below or blog about it and share a link (if you blog it or use the graphic, I’d appreciate a link back to here in your post too).

 

By the time a year of Mondays has passed, my bet is that a scary lot of these are going to be related to the Internet. Guess that’s a side effect of being a gen x cyberpunk back in the day. Neuromancer is still one of my favorite books, but that can be a post on another day. Today my mind is on quotes. Luv a good quote. So, naturally, I’m particularly fond of websites that aggregate quotes with whatever degree of accuracy in their attributions. I don’t want to spread around bad attributions, saying something came from some famous person when it really didn’t. http://www.quoteinvestigator.com seems like a thoughtful, reasonable resource for that kind of thing. Brainyquote.com is a wealth of quotes, some good, some trivial fluff, some as picture memes. Wikiquote, goodreads, and thinkexist.com are loaded with quote treasures too.

“Those who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do” – Isaac Asimov

One of the biggest assets of these sites (besides the easy search ability) is the collective-ness. Nobody knows everything. While one person may not be the worlds expert on one thing…lots of other people are. SOMEbody is going to have something helpful to say about whatever is on your mind. Quote sites have all of written human history to use,  from Socrates to Carrot Top – and yes, I tend to prefer the latter.

“I only made this letter longer because I have not had time to make it shorter” – Blaise Pascal

The best part of any quote is the pith. That is why I love haiku (but that’s for another post, too). Short, potent language is the pinnacle of communication. A good quote (or poem, or haiku) is  a quivering, clear, rainbow-filled, diamond dew-drop of distilled essence of human intellect and spirit. And you can quote me on that.

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened” – author unknown

Like an apple, a nap, or a little exercise, a little quote-reading can only do good. They too are a source of re-framing thoughts, so quotes fit right in with the premise of “Merry Monday” and “#PeaceTarot”: If you do something to deliberately nudge your day toward a better outlook, it will become a habit. If you nourish and nudge optimism, it will be there fast and handy when you need it. Same thing happens with negativity. You can focus on worries that might never happen, or you can focus on all the good stuff that could easily come to be.  The thing you practice the most is what you do best, and what comes to you the quickest in a crisis.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” – Bruce Lee

Wishing you good quotes and thought-kick-practice this Merry springtime Monday

Scattered Life Collective 18 April 2014

The Scattered Life Collective was begun by Cynthia Lee of spirituncaged.com. It is a simple idea, beautiful in its simplicity… she, and other bloggers write a short post about, well, life. We share the simple, common things that make up the skeleton and matrix of our daily lives. To be a part of the collective, just write your own post, link it to the spirituncaged post, and put a link to your contribution there so we can all read all the scattered life posts. Like “Merry Monday” and “#PeaceTarot” here, I think writing collective posts is a very healing uplifting thing…it builds a habit of contentment and appreciation for the simple things .

Out the window: sun! Finally very spring-like. The downside is the yard is starting to need attention, not my favorite thing to do. Beats living on a concrete slab, I suppose.

On the menu: I’m in the same boat as Cynthia – the family isn’t very adventurous, somewhat veggie adverse, and I’ve made not wasting food into  a personal crusade.  I’m sure my menu ideas over on The Vampire Diet blog are boring and repetitive, but practical trumps creative sometimes. PaBlam! and Omnomilicious has fantastic menu ideas and recipe links for when I’m really stumped. I’m sure we’ll be going down the same road of easy, repetitive food when my daughter is old enough to do more of the cooking. Breakfast for dinner eh? Wonderful idea!

On the TV: the youngling is watching one of her favorite shows “Warehouse 13″. Sorry to see it wrap … like one of my other faves, “Being Human”. Hopefully something good is on the horizon as replacements. Not that it really matters. TV is audio wallpaper more often than not – am always doing something else instead of just watching tv. Never seem to find the time (or motivation) to really pay attention to the stuff I want to really digest – like TED talks. Cosmos, of course, is the big exception. I make time for that, and am taking full advantage while it is around, sponging it up as much as the original.

On the Kindle: I loved Divergent. And Insurgent. Am patiently waiting my turn for Allegiant. Excellent reads – I totally recommend them. I want to get back to the Relic Master series (by Catherine Fisher, of Incarceron and Sapphique). Came to both series through my daughter’s recommendation. In the vein of Harry Potter, both series has far wider appeal than just the youth audience. Especially if you have a taste for adventure or (in the case of Incarceron) the steampunk aesthetic.

On the ipod: not much new there. Liking new Foster the People and Coldplay. Have had fun writing new playlists on spotify.

Good Things:

having a yard, even one that needs weeded and mowed
having food, no matter how others may judge it. It is healthy, and works for us.
utilities. I do like electronics, indoor plumbing and the like
that I’m at a point in life where I don’t have to celebrate holidays or do empty things to please others

 

For those of you who celebrate it, have a lovely easter. For those who don’t, may you have an equally lovely weekend!

 

P.S. With spring break and all, am rolling with the kiddos schedule. Blogging is first thing on the list of things to flex, so posts might be a little erratic the next several weeks

Love an Egg

Ronda Snow:

There is some debate about eggs, and how much you should moderate them in your diet. Luckily decorated ones that you don’t eat won’t raise your cholesterol one bit!

Originally posted on The Vampire Diet:

I can’t imagine this time of year without eggs. Even though I no longer celebrate Easter per se, I still appreciate the symbolism of new life, renewal, the cycles of nature and so on that eggs have come to symbolize.

And they taste good. Scrambled egg sandwiches have always been a favorite. Who, save the allergic, doesn’t like the peanut butter filled chocolate kind?

Ideas for using those leftover hard boiled eggs is low-hanging fruit for most cooks…tuna, chicken or ham salad on a nice, crusty french bread is a no-brainer, right along with deviled eggs,  Cesar salad, or shred them up into a rice based casserole for extra protein and flavor.

Before you deal with leftovers, you gotta cook the things in the first place. This weekend, that usually means boiling then decorating them. Was thinking about trying natural egg coloring, but once again caved to the puppy face from the…

View original 126 more words

Return of Arcana in Balance series: The Fool

Ronda Snow:

From my Tarot blog. Over on Modern Oracle, I have a special offer for April and May: Pay what you want gift exchange. If you want to try a reading to see if it is a stress reliever for you, now is a good time!

Originally posted on Modern Oracle Tarot:

Back in 2009, I started a series of posts about the cards of the major arcana and the way they point out places in life where balance is needed. All the cards have that aspect…no one card is all good or all bad. The card right side up isn’t one thing and reversed another…like life, all the cards have a balance of opposites contained all in one whole. I’ve always agreed with Diane Morgan “Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao” in this respect and others. There is an enormous amount of overlap between Taoist philosophy and Tarot insights as I see it. The idea of the dynamic balance of opposites – or more often a dynamic juggling act with a balance of many aspects – is the key place where Tarot and Taoism meet.

Initially, I’ll be re-posting the old commentary as we go through the major arcana as it most commonly…

View original 667 more words

Tao Tuesday Chapter 44

Surprise! Tao Tuesday ON a Tuesday!

Tao Tuesday is a web sharing project by Amy Putkonen of http://www.taotechingdaily.com. Each Tuesday she posts a chapter from her version of the Tao Te Ching and invites readers to write their own comment on the chapter. If you would like to comment as well, just link to her post in yours, and then visit her post to link to your blog with the linky widget at the bottom of the page. Easy. If you are a fan of the Tao Te Ching, this is a wonderful way to gain new insights and points of view into the classic.

Fame or your own life,

which is more dear?

Your own life or your treasures,

which is worth more?

Gain or loss, which is worse?

Excessive attachment carries a high cost.

One who hoards will surely lose.

A contented woman

suffers no disappointment.

She knows when to stop

and does not reach exhaustion.

Thus, she can endure.

- See more at: http://taotechingdaily.com/tao-tuesdays-chapter-44/#sthash.UeLAtLDt.dpuf

This reminds me of some conversations that have been around the interwebs lately about the knight of Coins card and the idea of perception. In this case, it also evokes that classic Mary Poppins quote “enough is as good as a feast”.

Perception and focus define our world, or at least our relationship with it. It is the “poor little rich girl” phenomenon. If we shift our focus to material things, we lose the greatest treasures life has to offer – the immaterial treasures of relationships, love, compassion, spirituality, personal fulfillment and so, so many more. We can be surrounded by material riches and still be miserable. It is less our actual situation, and more our perspective and contentment with that situation. A high powered Beverly Hills heiress may not see a house in the ‘burbs, fuzzy socks on a cold day and a steaming mug of coffee as paradise, but I do. High heels and high fashion clothes are, to my perception, a form of torture that should have been banned by the Geneva Convention. Keeping up appearances and “keeping up with the Jones” is a lot of work, effort and worry. When you have enough, it’s a feast. No worry about lack, no worry or effort about the excess. There is a lot to be said for life in the Goldilocks zone. Life is devastatingly hard when you don’t have the basics. Life is a nuisance when you have too much and have to guard and maintain it all.

Those with more have more to lose. Those who are content with what they have right now have the world, no matter what the world thinks of what they have.

Merry Monday: The Big Friendly Button

“Merry Monday” is a project for 2014-15 where my goal is to find one little thing each week that is a delight, a little fun, a little, well, merry. I post it here, and hope you will either post your own merry-ness in the comments or send a link to your own merry monday post if you have a blog. If you post, please link to here, and share a link to you so we all can share in the fun too. 

This week’s Merry Monday is about Merry Monday itself. To me, it’s like Doctor Who’s “Big Friendly Button”.

I love Doctor Who. That’s a year of Merry Monday right there if you get into the details. Not long ago, was watching the “Into the Heart of the Tardis” episode. At the end, the Doctor gives himself a big friendly reset button that re-boots the Tardis and makes every all better.

Just like that office supply store with its “easy button” commercials. It was a HUGE lightbulb over my head when local author Gina Mazza told me that it is OK for things to be easy.

Yeah, I know. In literature, the Doctor’s Big Friendly Button would be deus ex machina on steroids. Fortunately it exists to some extent in real life, too. In psychology, it’s called “re-framing”. In politics it’s called “spin doctoring”. In my blog, it’s called “Merry Monday”.

This re-framing, this transformation of thought-habits, is what Merry Monday (and #PeaceTarot too) are all about. If you cultivate a meditation habit of any kind…Transcendental, Buddhist, Tai Chi, daily meditation style Tarot readings, reading newspaper comics….SOMEthing…then you are re-framing your thoughts in a better direction. After time, that positive point of view becomes more habitual. It’s easier.

I think of it as brain exercise to get a bigger happy muscle.

You might not notice a big change. You might not notice a change at all. Nothing is a magic bullet for everyone. Don’t forget…everything is relative. No one is going to turn grumpy grandpa into a flower child. No one wants you to deny, minimize or pretend bad stuff doesn’t happen or that bad feelings don’t exist. No one can control all of what happens but you can control how you respond to it. Knee jerk reflexes may happen faster than you can get a grip on it…but that is the happy part of these kinds of exercises. It nudges that knee jerk in a more positive direction. That way those knee jerk reflexes don’t come around to kick us in the backside later.

Two things work in our favor: new days and new points of view. Each day is a new beginning. Each moment is a new chance. We just have to click a slight different lens into place over the way we see the world. With practice, you can shift from seeing the proverbial glass as half empty to seeing it as half full, to seeing it as half full automatically in the beginning. Either way, it doesn’t change the reality of how many ml are in the doggone glass, but a half-full reflex might help you deal with the glass more effectively and have a happier quality of life while you do.

image via tardis wiki