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Anacapra, Italy Photo used by permission of Al and Patti Palumbo
“In your freedom, in your joy that echoes through the universe with unbridled, childlike enthusiasm, You become the Light of the world.” – Journey Beyond Words, Brent Haskell, Ph.D., D.O.
A Gift from the Garden of Life
It’s magical when dreams provide us with answers and solutions, and it happened to me last night. My dream gave me grist for the mill and structure for this article: It’s about Uncovering and Fueling our Purpose by discovering and using our Gifts. This concept is a central part of Holistic Health and Healing!
What is an Allegory?
Allegory: As a literary device, an allegory is a metaphor in which a character, a place or event is used to deliver a broader message about real world issues and occurrences. – Dictionary
A few years ago, someone gifted me with a little booklet called “Gift from the Garden” by Bernie DuBois. Each chapter uses the allegory of a different plant category to explore meaningful things in life. One example is how “weeds” in our garden can give rise to an examination of the people around us. Are these people–once comfortable or useful in your life–now like weeds in your garden? How do you tend your garden to grow and nurture the aspects of you which bring joy and freedom to use your gifts? Perhaps you feel stuck in old patterns, you have a “niggling” sensation that you are not living life to your fullest potential, or you have recently become aware of some habit not serving your health and happiness. Maybe you need to “weed” out some of the people in your “garden” –or simply adjust and spend MORE of your time with other people–in order to thrive. Weeding out those experiences, habits–and sometimes people–is important to assess periodically to make sure we are on track with our Purpose…and using our Gifts.
Listen to Your Dreams
In English, we use the word “dream” for multiple meanings. It can mean “I have a Dream”, which is Martin Luther King’s most famous speech about his vision of a better future for his people and humanity in general. Since Dr. King gave that speech in 1963, it has become a commonly-understood phrase within our American lexicon (language). Each of us can have—and create–our own “Dream”, using our own God-given talents/gifts.
Alternatively, it can also mean the literal experience of having a dream.
I sometimes awake in the mornings with the oddest dream fragments in my memory. I take a moment to contemplate them. I may discuss them with my husband, and sometimes again later in the day with a friend. What is the meaning or the message in that dream? Anything I should pay attention to? After all, my subconscious awareness can’t come through as well in the daylight hours when my frontal lobe is acting as fierce sentry. However, the subconscious can and does come thru in our dreams. Perhaps it shows us there is too much chaos going on in our lives. Or it may be a weird dream, befitting of a sci-fi movie. Or it could be more practical. For example, I would be well-advised to examine something in my life (especially if the dream is repeated). Last night’s dream, however, was an allegory with a solution set built right in. It was directly supporting the activity on which I’ve been working the past few days: this article.
Last night’s dream placed me inside Robin William’s body and wisdom. He/me was living in a dorm-like situation, and a “bad-State-actor” (e.g. an evil Big Brother system) was after me. They were doing things like keeping innocent animals in one room stuffed into tiny cages. These were Bad Actor State people! And they were after me. They caught me and put a covering over my eyes. I was unable to get away because I couldn’t see. But my captors became distracted. I was able to remove the blindfold over my eyes and simply walk up a nearby staircase, into another fellow’s room, and hide myself in a pile of clean towels. I was very close to the place the bad actors had tried to abduct me, but I was safe. I also found I could use the towels to wrap me like a cloak, and I was able to walk about undetected!
As you can begin to see, this dream is rich in potential meanings. For today, I’m going to point out the covering over my eyes and the proximity of a solution. Did you notice that I was able to remove the covering….it was easy? I was being taken prisoner, and my first instinct was fear. I felt a lack of control, and yet all I had to do was lift my hands and remove the blindfold. It was EASY to do. I just had to take the most logical action. Sometimes we think it’s harder than it is.
I interpret these lessons from my dream as they apply to rediscovering and firing up our Gifts and Purpose. Here’s the journey, and I invite you to take it with me now:
- Take the most logical step
- Remove your blindfold, whatever form that has taken in your life.
- Your solution is very near.
- Your solution (Gift) is hiding in plain sight!
1. TAKE THE MOST LOGICAL STEP
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sometimes we don’t feel like taking on even a slight challenge. We are tired and worn down emotionally or physically, or both. My mother would say “Put on a smile, and the world will get better.” And it’s true! Modern science can track the chemicals created by our brains; and, yep, the happy hormones fire up by simply rearranging the muscles of our face into a smile! So, your first step is SMILE, even if you don’t feel like it. Smile especially when nobody is looking. This smile is for YOU!
What does Gratitude do?
We exist in a quantum world of possibilities, and the physicists are proving what ancient wisdom in most/all cultures has always known. Everything is connected, even if our physical eyes don’t see it. And the field of Psychology has studied the experience of sudden awareness allowing us to see more of something. For example, if you just bought a red car, you’ll see a lot more of them on the road. It’s called the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon or “frequency illusion”. Our brains are tricky things. It’s like teaching a horse to accept a rider with a saddle. It takes patience and skill. Want more of something in your life? Start with your thinking, bring on the emotion, and you have begun to create your reality. Use gratitude as a tool!
Find something to be grateful for today, even if it’s your next breath. Smile, FEEL the gratitude. This feeling literally changes your blood chemistry! Go outside and hug a tree–really touch it with your hands and feel the life coursing thru it! Take your shoes off and walk the beach in your bare feet or take a meditative journey! Pet and spend time with your animals…borrow a friend’s dog for the afternoon! Need other ideas? Come in for a free consult with Dr. David Martin or attend one of our 25 classes at Lotus Blossom Clinic each month. Check our calendar. http://www.lotusblossomclinic.com/calendar/
Use the Power of Food
Lest you think it’s too hard to change your mind and beliefs, let’s examine the power of food. The last quote I personally remember hearing directly from the mouth of popular metaphysical and self-help author Wayne Dyer continues to be a wake-up call to all of us: “Change your food and you can change your Consciousness.”
I’ve written many articles about the brain-gut connection and best ways to care for the tiny creatures who symbiotically work inside our bodies to create our immune systems and even the enzymes and hormones which are integral to hundreds, if not thousands, of physiological processes. This is KEY to our happiness, clarity, and our mental health. As we nourish ourselves well, as we help to ensure the health of the friendly microbial communities within us, we can change almost overnight. The darkness can become light. The smile comes more readily. The health issues begin to resolve. And we can uncover and fire up our Gifts more easily.
My consciousness journey started in 2011 with raw cacao (high-grade, raw chocolate). It’s a food I know now is effective for detoxing fluoride from the pineal gland. After a few weeks “on chocolate”, I literally was able to feel energy in my body in a manner I had never before experienced. I began to use acupressure points when someone was in discomfort. I had never attempted this sort of thing before, and yet I was drawn to do it. And, it seemed to help the people.
Metaphysically, the pineal gland influences our inner Vision. It’s the gland associated with our Third Eye. The takeaway here is: Seek knowledge to improve your nourishment and Do It! We give classes at Lotus Blossom Clinic on this topic each month. Dr. David and staff can provide guidelines to assist you to better health using food. Check our online calendar or call us at 239-277-1399.
REMOVE YOUR BLINDFOLD
This is something you control. You CAN do it! Blindfolds block our vision, and when we are wearing a blindfold, we are missing out on life and our Gifts! How to remove it? It all starts with an awareness that the blindfold is there. If, for example, you have chronic pain, stress, anxiety, or just feel really stuck, it’s really hard to be happy.
If you KNOW what’s bothering you—physical or emotional–seek help. Speak to a friend, a spiritual counselor, a medical professional, go on a personal retreat for a day or a weekend. Do you know about Amy Rybicki, of Simply Natural Coaching, and her North Fort Myers, Florida retreat center? It’s quite reasonable to “get away” for a weekend or attend an event at her new farm. Look her up and GO!
Got Pain, Stress or Anxiety? Let Dr. David’s needles align your own healing potential and bring you freedom! Chronic pain, stress, anxiety, all of these things are blindfolds which can be removed. Sometimes we just need a little help. Sometimes we need a lot of help. Begin now.
If you DON’T KNOW what’s bothering you, there are as many ways to find the answer as there are stars in the sky…well almost! I have seen lives changed in a few weeks using CBD oil. I have seen them change in a single session of Theta Healing or a few sessions of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Today I was speaking with Cheryle Freedman about the topic of hidden beliefs that can put blindfolds on us. Cheryle is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, and she is also a Past Life Archeologist. Even if you don’t believe in past lives, this technique is amazingly effective in identifying and shifting hidden beliefs that can be blindfolds. Cheryle shared this with me:
“Cognitive Behavior Therapy in a nutshell: Whatever you think produces feelings, and those feelings automatically produce action/behavior. Identify and shift those beliefs, and you’ll experience change! The Law of Attraction shows us that whatever you are focused on, you’ll see and get more of THAT. Therefore, once your mind starts the ball rolling in a new direction, you’ll easily see the next step. Your beliefs become a self-fulfilling prophecy, so why not examine them and make sure those beliefs are supporting your Gifts!” – Cheryle Freedman
YOUR SOLUTION IS NEAR…VERY NEAR
“Can you see your own greatness in the mirror? You may poo-poo your greatness because you are wearing a blindfold. It’s often easier to see everyone else’s greatness than our own.” – Dr. David Martin
Where to start looking? Look nearby! What brings out your curiosity? What are you “good at”? Either you know it, or you keep hearing from others that you are good at it. What are your dreams? Explore these things.
Here are a few suggestions to begin your Journey. Go to a library or get online. In the spirit of the Native Americans, take a walk in nature and pay attention to the signs of nature: the sound of the breeze, the feather you find, the type of bird that flew across your path. Notice what you notice…what “speaks” to you. Attend a Medicine Wheel. ASK YOURSELF for guidance by journaling or talking with a friend. Do something creative…paint, draw, cook, make a collage, arrange flowers. Draw a card from a metaphysical deck. These activities can get past your conscious mind’s sentry and its role of keeping things “the way they are”. These activities provide options and you’ll see, hear or feel something from a fresh perspective. When you get a “hit”, you’ll know it. It might make you feel joy… or discomfort. That’s OK too. You got a “feeling”, and that means you’ve hit a nerve! You are on the right track.
YOUR GIFT IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT!
We were all born with unique characteristics, and I found another “Gift” on a recent weekend spiritual retreat called “Infinite Magnificence”. I have always been passionate about educating people in useful ways, to empower them with job skills and business success, health, and happiness. It is why I design and deliver classes, put on events, and research and write articles. As I write this article, I see and “feel” you reading it. For me, writing and designing is a real experience of connection.
But as I began the Retreat at the Green Planet Farm the last weekend in May, I didn’t know what Gift might appear. I just knew there was one waiting for me. And now I’m on a new path of discovery regarding this latest, recently uncovered Gift. How do I know I’m on the right track? The mere thought of it makes me smile!
Our four facilitators for the Infinite Magnificence weekend included Martien and Teressena Bakens, and our workshop was structured to provide us with opportunities to explore our own magnificence through the senses. The last one was auditory sense– thru use of our voices. We each became recording artists in a real, honest-to-goodness recording studio! This is no backyard, homemade operation, although it is on an incredible 40-acre farm on Bokeelia called the Green Planet Farm. I’ll never forget that brilliantly-colored, majestic peacock who greeted us each morning. His was a haunting cry! The little alligator showed up at our closing circle. But, I digress.
Farmadelica Sound, in Bokeelia, (Pine Island, Florida), is a world-class recording studio. It is run by talented composer and producer, Howard Wulkan (aka “Merlin”) and his marketing powerhouse partner and wife, Lainie Sevante Wulkan. Lainie is also the president our of local chapters of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce and the creator and voice of Zeta Global Radio on the internet and heard in 60 countries. Yes, these are people busy using their Gifts and Talents!
What transpired that day for the 10 of us in our weekend retreat will forever be emblazoned in the memories of our hearts. Each of us stepped to the microphone and spoke our words. The amplified power of the sound allowed us to hear what others hear when we speak, and it was Grand and Glorious. As Howard explained to us, our own voices can’t be heard the same way from inside ourselves. Through this experience, I have uncovered a new Gift and a new part of my Life Journey. After my recording session (we all heard each other’s sessions), Andreia, originally from Brazil, said to me: “Deb, you should read for people learning English! You are so easy to understand and that would be very helpful! Listening to people is how I learned English.” Later that day, the recording producer and I were heading in opposite directions, and a thought stopped him in his tracks. With excitement in his voice, he said: “Deb, I hear a lot of voices, and you have a rare, “pure” voice. Technically, it’s in the sweet spot of pure. It’s an amazing Gift!”
And so begins another part of my Journey! My new Gift–my new desire and intention–is to use my voice to share readings to the population who are learning a second language, are sight-challenged or blind, or who simply want to listen to the spoken word. Bring it on! I’m ready to cultivate and share my New Gift! I feel the joy and wish the same for you!
“Joy is what happens to us when we recognize how good things really are.” – Marianne Williamson
You are the Gift,
Deb & Dr. David Martin
And all the Providers at Lotus Blossom Clinic
www.LotusBlossomClinic.com
239-277-1399
Serving the Greater Fort Myers area with Natural and Holistic Medicine: Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Massage, Science-backed Food as Medicine, Energy Medicine and Classes galore!