Your body as compass

 

“My body is a compass – and it does not lie.” ~ Terry Tempest Williams

I teach weekly meditation classes on the touring platform, Heygo, and one of the things we do prior to each session is a body scan (https://www.heygo.com/the-footloose-muse). During the body scan, I invite participants to check in with their physical bodies, to notice any areas of tension, stiffness, pain. From there, I direct them to send some intention to those areas, to send some love, some light, to invite those areas to soften, to yield, to release. 

Too often we either deny pain until it's too late, or we push it away instead of embracing the lessons it has come to teach us. Pain or dis-ease is instructive; it acts as a roadmap, a compass, an indicator that some part of our life is out of alignment with spirit, with source, with the divine. Pain points us to our true north, the course correction we so often need to lead happy and healthy lives. In order for pain to inform, we must first ask, "What have you come to teach me?" and then we must listen for the answers.  

I wrote about the instruction I'd received a few weeks ago when, seemingly out of nowhere, two frightening episodes of vertigo rocked me (https://carolmossa.substack.com/p/what-had-the-frightening-episodes).

Vertigo is an inner ear imbalance, so I framed the question, "Where in my life am I experiencing an imbalance?" and the message was loud and clear, "Find time for more play." I heeded the call and blessedly, vertigo is no longer an issue.

Four years ago, an MRI revealed crippling arthritis in both knees. My orthopedic doctor suggested surgery, but I resisted, choosing to do the mental work of asking my pain what it had come to teach me. Surprisingly, I discovered that contrary to slowing down, I was actually being challenged to move forward towards a fuller and more expansive life. I had created a perfectly comfortable yet complacent life. I wasn't reaching, wasn't stretching outside of my comfort zone. The pain subsided once I began building in outings and new experiences. 

This week, I find myself in the midst of asking and listening again. I have a tooth that was scheduled for extraction last year, but I chose to save the tooth by innervating the nerves around the gums. A year later, the tooth is acting up again. What has the dental discomfort come to teach me this time? Might it be time to let go, to surrender? Where in my life am I experiencing a similar reluctance to let go of something that no longer serves me? (If you read last week's column here, you already know the answer.)

Always seek medical attention for your dis-ease, and simultaneously, undertake your own inquiry. Identify where the discomfort is located. What is the pain preventing you from doing? For example, is back pain preventing you from bending? Next, frame a question like: "Is there somewhere in my life where I'm unwilling to bend, to compromise?" Endeavor to fix that area and you may experience pain relief.

The answers will come if you ask the right questions and then take the time to listen.

I prefer freedom

 "Safety is all well and good: I prefer freedom."~E. B. White

I like money; I make it welcome in my life. I do all those things metaphysicians tell us to do when manifesting wealth: I keep my wallet tidy; I smile when I pay my bills; I have a mindset of abundance rather than lack. But I value freedom more. I value my personal freedom---freedom of movement, freedom of choice, freedom from soul-crushing encumbrances---more than anything else, more than all the tea in China. 

I lead an unencumbered life. I am not weighed down by debt, by other people's expectations of me, by relationships that require more than I have to give. Yet every so often I find myself spread too thin, too engulfed in obligations, too stuck. Last weekend caught me off guard. Waves of discontent engulfed me and I had to pause to examine why. I am an instructor in a wonderful adult education program and I love the curriculum, I love the students, and I love the other instructors. But what I love more than anything else in the world is freedom to come and go as I please, freedom to go through life with no strings attached. Those are difficult objectives to achieve if I'm bound by other people's expectations of me. I realized last weekend that it may be time to reevaluate my commitment to this gig that offers me a chance to put in one weekend a month for four months in the fall and winter. The compensation is fair and it always comes in handy. 

One of the greatest sources of unhappiness is the feeling of being stuck. ~Dr. Robert Anthony, Doing What You Love, Loving What You Do

But for this Sagittarius who has been unabashedly self-employed for decades, one who has known lean and prosperous times, I agree with E. B. White: I prefer freedom. And while it's not necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition, at my age, I ain't wasting time chasing anything but my heart's desire. 

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Don't die with your history still in you

 

Rose (Longo) Mossa (b. November 6, 1924 - d. January 6, 2016)

"A mother is a child's first looking glass into the world." ~Richelle E. Goodrich

The last time I devoted a column to my mother was back in January 2016, a few short days before she passed away at 92. At the time of that column (archived here https://hjfree.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-legacy-of-love.html), my mom was lying in a hospital bed after surgery to repair a broken leg suffered while living independently and alone on New Year’s Eve. While the surgery was successful, metabolically my mother’s body could not tolerate the pain medications and rigorous toll that hospitalization had on her body.

Unless we’ve been diligent and forward-thinking, much of our shared history dies when a parent dies. When my father predeceased my mother by twelve years in 2004, I should have (how I wish I had), gathered up all my questions and spent more time interviewing (ok, not interviewing, but querying) my mom about her younger years and our family’s history. With both my parents and all of their siblings now gone, the only family of origin left to speak of (and to) is my brother and a few distant (in more ways than one) cousins .

I passed by a mirror the other day, and I was surprised to see my mother’s face looking back at me. I inherited my mom's shockingly white hair, and though she wore hers cropped and continually begged me to do the same, mine is shoulder length. On this particular day, I had my hair swept back in a high ponytail, and the resemblance was uncanny and dreamlike.

I won't say it was unpleasant to be reminded that I am my mother's 68-year-old daughter, but it was a humbling reminder that I am now the elder. My brother and I are now the last line of defense, the final hedge between our kids and the great beyond.

I hope my three adult children get around to asking me questions. 

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Where have all the readers gone?

 

"The best friend a man can have is reading and writing." ~Hojo Soun

I've suspected for some time, long before launching my newsletter on Substack, (a home for great writers and readers), that folks aren’t reading like they used to. I was just spitballing until I googled it and discovered that my hunch might have some merit.

“According to a study done in the early 2000s, the average attention span of humans has decreased from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.” ~Microsoft

Further study reveals that it’s not so much that people aren’t reading, but that they are simply inundated with too many sources. In the age of Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, people are accessing their news and other content throughout the day, across devices, in videos, bullet points, and sound bites.

I’m an avid reader, but I wasn’t always. In high school, a history teacher once told me, "You'll never succeed because you aren't a good reader." My parents, to their credit, took this teacher's blunt comment to heart and bought me an electric, variable-speed, mechanical device with a metal arm that moved down the written page. I’m doubtful it did anything to increase and/or improve my reading speed and skills, but it did make for interesting conversation. 

My oldest daughter is a voracious reader and clever writer, and we trade books regularly. My two younger children, not so much, although I was heartened recently when my younger daughter posted a selfie spread out on a blanket with an open book in her lap.

As a writer and content creator, I have seconds to capture and keep your attention. Personally, I prefer short, visually appealing content, and my reading preferences inform my writing practice and style. As a reader, I won't shy away from reading a long novel, but I prefer short chapters, opportunities to come up to the surface for air, to breathe, to assimilate. I'm turned off by long drawn-out posts. You’ll lose me if you're not succinct, you’ll bore me if you ramble, and you’ll irritate me with flowery language. That’s why I try to keep it simple, to say what I have to say, and to exit the page. I’m a ruthless editor and by the time these words reach your smartphone, tablet or computer, you can bet I’ve eliminated words and phrases that impede the narrative. I rarely exceed six paragraphs, and I even record in audio form for those who don't like to read. 

I'd love your take on this topic. What kind of reader/writer are you?

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What is the chakra system, and why should I care about it?

In 2011, I graduated from Bancroft School of Massage Therapy in Worcester, Massachusetts and embarked on a decade-long career as a bodyworker. During my tenure at BSMT, I became fascinated with the chakra system and energy work. For the uninitiated, let me explain. 

The word chakra is Sanskrit for "spinning wheel" or "disk." According to ancient yogic traditions, there are seven major chakras or energy centers in our bodies. Each of these chakras corresponds to a particular color-coded vibrational frequency in the universe, which influences our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. 

When our chakras are perfectly aligned with the universal flow of energy, every aspect of our life becomes harmonious and joyful. We reclaim perfect health and our love and passion for life becomes renewed. These seven chakras run from the root of our spine to the top of our head (see graphic above).

Unlike the body's major organs, chakras are not visible to the naked eye, nor can they be detected on an x-ray or other diagnostic tool. Chakras are energetic in nature and all learning about them is experiential. As a former massage therapist, I was often able to correct dysfunctions simply by helping my clients activate and balance their blocked chakras. The mind-body connection is powerful, and often an imbalance can be traced to some unresolved emotional issue. For example, a sore throat could indicate a need to speak up, speak truthfully, openly, clearly and/or to make an amend for overstepping a boundary. Upper back discomfort could be a result of not being able to forgive someone. Anyone can tap into the teachings and use the chakra system to improve overall physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Keep reading if you'd like to learn a few basics.

1. Root Chakra. Color: Red. Location: Base of the spine. Represents our foundation and feeling of being grounded.

2. Sacral Chakra. Color: Orange. Location: Lower abdomen, about 2 inches below the navel. Represents our connection and ability to accept others and new experiences. Center of creativity and passion.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra.  Color: Yellow. Location: Upper abdomen in the stomach area. Represents our ability to be confident and in control of our lives.

4. Heart Chakra. Color: Green. Location: Center of the chest, just above the heart. Represents our ability to love others and ourselves. Compassion. Forgiveness. 

5. Throat Chakra. Color: Light Blue. Location: Throat. Represents our ability to communicate clearly, openly and honestly. Creative self-expression.

6. Third Eye (brow) Chakra. Color: Indigo. Location: Forehead between the eyes. Represents our intuitive nature.

7. Crown Chakra. Color: Purple. Location: Top of the head. Represents our connection to our divine natures.

I’m not suggesting you skip a medical diagnosis for any dis-ease or disorder; I am suggesting however, that you take seriously the possibility that healing is often an inside job.