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Thursday, September 5, 2013

The Seat of Power



Power

That word is... well... powerful!
It can inspire, control, intimidate, destroy.
What does power mean to you?

I am sitting in the halls of what has become one of my favorite places... my school. My dinner is sitting next to me, waiting to be eaten. There is "magic" tea in my thermos that the herbalists donate every Thursday. 

It is quiet.

This little plot of ground, this re-purposed building, is devoted to nothing but healing. Mental, physical, emotional, spiritual. We are all here for the same thing. To learn how to serve others and find their healing in the most loving, caring and holistic way possible. It is a place of honoring and peace.

What does this have to do with power? A lot actually.

The theme of my class last night was power. The power we have in our personal lives. The power we have in ourselves. The power we have with others. The power we hold as practitioners. The power we give away to others. Stepping into our power, claiming it and living it out.

So it got me thinking about my own power... which is kind of the point of the class. There is a fear when you are called to step into your power as a practitioner. No longer can you hide behind the shield of being a student. At some point you have to step out and say, "I am a wellness practitioner" (or whatever your calling is) and claim ownership of it. 

This is a very scary moment!

To step into my power means I am responsible for how I use it, how others see it, and any outcome good or bad.

So here goes... Deep breath...

I am an aromatherapist. It is what I do, it is who I am. As much a part of me as being a wife, a mother and a dancer. 
Though my eventual degree will say massage therapist, and I will be licensed as such, it really is a vehicle for my aromatherapy practice. I am a wellness practitioner. I am not a doctor, I do not diagnose, But I can help guide you along your unique healing journey.
I am trained in the safe and effective use of essential oils; I also realize that it is not possible for me to know everything.
 I am drawn to the emotional and spiritual uses of aromatherapy, as well as the medicinal. I believe it is not possible to separate physical treatments from emotional ones. We are holistic beings and need to be treated as such.
 I am drawn to the need of the youngest of us... the children. Their sensitive little bodies are so responsive and need to be handled gently.
 I am constantly studying, researching, experimenting. I will never learn all there is to know, but I will try!

My prayer is that I live up to everything that my statement opens to.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

What are the Roots of Your Life?


Security
What do you picture when you see this word? 
Close your eyes and think on it for a moment...
Do you have a picture in your mind?

 I chose the picture above because I think it is a good representation of security. Take a look at the size of the tree... then take a look at the depth and complexity of its root system. Where dou you think the security is for the tree? In it's roots... Keep this in mind as you read on.

 My current ethics class at school is a bit different from the others I have taken so far. The goal of this class is to bring awareness to the "potentially shadow" areas of all healing relationships. The course description ends like this:

"This class provides navigational tools for dealing with the deep and often confusing interactions between client and holistic care practitioner. The goal of this class is to come from a strong centered place of service and not from that of a wounded healer."

What does this mean for me?
A lot of soul searching and digging into areas of life that may be fine
 But, if I am going to be an effective healer, fine isn't good enough.

I have unconsciously been resistant to doing my homework for this class. So I sat down with myself this morning and asked myself why... I don't like to rock the boat... If life is going smoothly let it continue as such.
Or... If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
The problem with that is you never grow. What happens if that tree quits growing?

It dies. 

So, since I don't want to die, in any sense of the word! I got to "work" this morning.

What does all this have to do with security? I will get to that...

This class looks at ethics from the major areas of life: 

Money
Sex
Power
Love
Truth
Insight
Oneness

Or you can look at it this way:

Security
Pleasure
Confidence
Love
Communication
Wisdom
Healing

So, security, the first center of life. The "root" of your life.
Where do you find your security? Is it money? Family values? Traditions? Relationships? There is no wrong answer, it is personal to everyone and something only you can decide for yourself.

Other words and ideas that are associated with this center include:

Patience
Structure
Stability
Manifestation
Order
Cultural Bias
Religious Practices
Traditional Family Values

Interestingly, the seven areas that I will cover in this class correspond to what some call the seven chakras, or energy centers in the body. 

Before I loose you here, let me explain my take on this:

I was raised in a traditional Christian home with traditional Christian values.
I profess a personal relationship with Christ.
I realize that I make mistakes, and am not perfect but try to model my life after the way Jesus did in the Bible.

I also realize that I do not have all the answers to all the histories of all the people in the entire world! How could I? So, when I encounter a new (to me) way of relating to the world, I explore it from all angles and not automatically dismiss it because it doesn't "fit". If I can take a piece of something for my tool box then I will.

If you still don't agree or don't care to explore then that is fine. I am not offended by your decision and I hope you are not offended by my curiosity :)

So, for this class I have a chart that outlines the seven chakras, their "tools'' and what areas of life and health they may correspond to.

Does this have an aromatherapy connection? You bet it does!! Doesn't everything? 

For each center there are corresponding aromatherapy, fragrance and incense categories. This particular center calls for cinnamon, cedar and myrrh. These three oils are very grounding, warming and soothing oils. All three of these oils come from trees... Which have long, deep extensive root systems that allows them to stand strong against the passage of time. Makes sense to me, this first life center has to do with our basic issues and needs in life... our roots.

Unfortunately, I don't have any myrrh oil, it is on my wish list, but I do have cedar and cinnamon! I decided to conduct a little experiment:

Before starting on my journal I lit a little tea light candle. While waiting for some of the wax to melt I looked over the questions that I was going to work on today. After there was a nice little ring of melted wax around the wick I blew out the candle and added 2 drops of Atlantic Cedar and 1 drop of Cinnamon Leaf oils to the candle, being careful not to get any on the wick. Then I re-lit the candle and spent a few minutes breathing in the fragrance of the oils and contemplating my questions.

I found that I was able to honestly answer the questions and not feel like I had to give a "perfect" thought out answer... which is what has kept me from doing my homework until now.

I will be exploring other ways to use these particular oils during the next week and providing the necessary information so you can decide if they are ones you care to have in you aromabox.

I hope you also take the time to explore how deep your roots run and find the security to stand through the pressures of this life.

Until next time,
Blessings!