Spirit is a Change Agent: 5 Ways to See. 6 Questions. 3 Lists.
Sometimes, when spirit reaches out, we rejoice.
Spirit speaks, whether or not we are interested. The message may be loud or soft, depending on your self-care situation.
Lately, I’ve been hearing from people, each of whom is in dialogue with spirit. One thing, spirit brings change. I think about change this way:
When I choose change, the words in my life are different:
I can love myself more.
I release resentment so forgiveness can become part of my life.
I move from the old to the new.
I express love in more ways.
Today’s article focuses on one prompt instead of the usual list of 5-7 self-care suggestions I’ve been offering. I’m interrupting the series with this one focus because it needs attention.
Do you feel resentment when a client, a relative, a neighbor, a manager, a stranger asks something of you?
Do you want to spend more time with someone but cannot?
The tendency is to swallow your feelings and press on. Whatever the message, spirit speaks truth. However spirit reaches you, the message is an opportunity. Eventually, when spirit bubbles your feelings up, you cannot pretend you don’t feel the tug. Spirit is a change agent.
How does spirit speak to you? Do you feel anger, depression, fear? Do you feel love, calm, excitement? Do you smell roses?
Do thoughts enter your head? “I really don’t want to do this job, see this person again, drive this commute, feel this stress, stay in this apartment, live in this town, put up with this pandemic stress even one minute more.”
Do you see answers in clouds, on pages of books you find open?
Eventually, spirit convinces you to honor your situation and yourself. It’s time to honor change.
A good next step is a list. After all, “if it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist.” Right?
For starters, I propose two lists. A heart list comes first. This is an ongoing document you create while traveling on your life path.
I first found the Heart list in a book, “Fireflies” by Coleen Murtagh Paratore – a successful and spiritual writer:
Take a piece of paper and draw a large heart on it. What words make you happy? What words make you smile? Put those words in the heart you just drew.
Set this heart list aside for the moment while you create your Change list.
On a second piece of paper, list things to change in your life. You are creating your Change list.
Now, ask yourself:
How can I turn the Change list entries into action?
What should I do to improve my situation?
What can I give away, move, rearrange?
Change is a gift. Is it time to allow gratitude into my life?
Can I get comfortable with change? Do I even want to get comfortable with change?
How long do I want to live with negativity in my life: Ten minutes? Ten days? Ten weeks? Ten Months? Ten years?
Put your two lists away. But, don’t hide your heart list. Place it where you can see it whenever you want. Add add words to your heart list often.
When tomorrow comes, look at your Change list. Your positive future may lie in this list. Seek ways to create what will work for you.
Find ways to graciously and generously reduce contact with stressful people, places, and situations.
Are there people and aspects in your life you want to draw closer? Do you want to spend more time with others? What places do you want to know better? Are there positive activities you want to include in your life?
What are the best ways to remove unwanted habits? Changes shift outcomes. Situations move and create a rejuvenating ripple effect in your life.
The third list, my Ben Franklin Change List, is important now. I’ve used this list for years when taking action becomes confusing. .
Sometimes I’m trying to decide what to do. My options have narrowed down to two or three and I’m still trying to decide. I haul out another piece of paper and draw two or three lines on it. I list everything that can happen if I move down path A, and then I list everything that can happen if I move down path B.
I include “the best thing that can happen if I…” in each option of my Ben Franklin list. I also include “the worst thing that can happen if I…”
After I’ve written down everything and anything, I examine the opportunities these lists created. One list will be longer than the other.
Listing all the options and then seeing them for what they are on the page clears my head and my heart. This information usually points me in a direction.
And, finally, if I’m at a yes/no point and have not reached a decision, I dowse for an answer. My trusty pendulum always helps.
If you don’t dowse, there are still things you can do:
Several years ago, I was in a real quandary. I felt I was going in circles. Confusion reigned.
Someone invited me to visit New York City for a weekend. On that visit, I wound up walking through Washington Square Park late on Sunday afternoon.
I’ve been there many times – there were always people enjoying themselves in this park. People sat around visiting with one another. People walked their dogs. Watching everyone was always fun.
On this afternoon, the place was deserted. Seated all by himself on a bench, sat a smallish, older man wearing an unusual hat.
I was drawn to him. How could I not be? The dogs, the college students, and the tourists were gone. Even the pianist playing songs for tips on his grand piano was gone. There was only the quaint little man and me. As I got closer, I saw a tarot deck next to him on the bench.
You know how this story ends.
I walked over to him and we chatted. He read my cards. His words coaxed my own intuition to pull what I needed from his message. His voice, his posture, his cards, were perfect for me at that moment.
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My book, “Healer’s Handbook,” dealing with the spirituality of health, discusses change in several entries.
People get angry when they aren’t comfortable with change. Sometimes this anger surfaces as health issues or disease. Arthritis, boils, burns, carpel tunnel syndrome, cold sores, depression, diarrhea, kidney infections, laryngitis, menstrual problems, obesity, pink eye, sprains, and warts are just a few.
Sometimes, when contacted by spirit,, we see our souls hanging out in front of us. Messages we didn’t ask for show up at a time when we don’t want change in our lives.
When that happens to you, acknowledge the situation and move on. Maybe you’ll be up for change soon.
Take whatever steps you can when you are ready.
Consider this: You may be more ready than you think. After all, spirit is connecting with you and you are listening.
I’m reminded of the old children’s game: “Ready or not, here I come!”
Change is the journey we travel.
Change is opportunity in the face.
Change is a naturally occurring life event.
Change surrounds us all.
Change can create joy. Joy allows you to love yourself and everyone else.
Doing what you can, connect with however many things in your life bring joy.
Change can sometimes be ungrounding. That’s where reflexology comes in. Schedule a session. Grounding is something to appreciate during stressful times.
Reflexology sessions bring the change of homeostasis. With homeostasis, you can take responsibility for your health and find the person you are meant to be.
When working for change, I focus on the immune system and nervous system together for the first part of the reflexology session. This can be transformative.
Thank you for reading this article. Please refer this blog post to your preferred social media network.
Please share it with your friends.
Thanks again.
Thurman Greco
Practical Wellness: 10 Tips You Can Use
With this article , you and I move into part two of practical wellness tips in the longevity series. The focus shifts to information less disease focused. My hope is that you’ll adopt a few, or maybe more than a few, healthy habits and avoid or discard the habits in your life which lead to illness.
The best way to have a long and healthy life is to prevent disease and promote homeostasis while you adopt practical wellness tips which resonate with you.
As you adopt new wellness habits, you empower yourself and take control of your body and your health. You’ll be in charge of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self. Practical wellness tips offered in these articles are often easy to adapt to your daily life.
Seeking a long and healthy life is an everyday proposition made easier when you adapt practical wellness tips which may change through time. You can always make improvements as new theories and practices become the norm.
As you adopt new habits, I hope you’ll consider the long term effects of the new directions you’re taking in your life.
Your body constantly moves and shifts which means you are different every single day from your cellular level on up. These new tips you adopt can change your life in small or large ways as your body self regulates toward wellness.
Adapt these practical wellness tips and changes to your age.
As a reflexologist and Reiki practitioner, this ability to change, move, develop means much to me. That is the heart of healing with the modalities I’ve been studying my whole adult life.
All of this points toward homeostasis – the balance of all body systems.
CHOOSE YOUR FATS WISELY – One of the most challenging things I’ve done with this wellness blog is tackle oils. If you go to the early blog posts, you’ll find articles reflecting how complicated life can get as you stand in front of the grocery shelf and choose a cooking oil.
The bottom line in cooking : Go with organic oils. Stay away from saturated fats whenever possible.
That means I buy organic olive oil.
I avoid saturated fats . Whipping cream is not a staple in my diet and I don’t eat much red meat.
Beyond that, things get a bit dicey. I don’t eat margarine because of the chemicals. I do eat butter.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids can be consumed by pills or by the spoonful. Choose your Omega 3 Fatty Acids carefully because they can be contaminated. I buy mine at the Village Apothecary here in Woodstock at 79 Tinker Street. I rely on my pharmacist, Neal Smoller, to educate me about which and how many supplements I should take.
How you deal with fats and oils in your diet is up to you, your health, and how comfortable you are with manufactured foods.
Personally, I’m not comfortable with manufactured foods so there’s not a lot of oil variety in my kitchen pantry.
WHAT ABOUT MINERALS? – The body uses many minerals and they don’t get near the attention that vitamins receive. Four minerals to concentrate on right now include Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Selenium.
Calcium is found in broccoli, dairy products, pinto beans, and spinach. If you’re concerned about osteoporosis, this mineral is for you. Eating foods high in calcium is important.
Magnesium is not found in our diets often. Unless you eat apples, bananas, beans, brown rice, leafy green vegetables, and nuts, you should take a supplement.
Magnesium holds off heart problems, strokes, and lack of energy.
Selenium boosts the immune system. Any mineral boosting the immune system is a friend of mine.
Potassium is extremely important and is found in bananas. I eat a banana twice a week. Potassium combats hypertension, depression, muscle weakness, and fatigue.
BEWARE OF THE HOSPITAL! – We are all probably going to be in a hospital once or twice (or even more) before it’s all over. Lots of things can go wrong in a hospital. It’s your job as the patient to know as much as you can about the hospital you are going to be in, the doctor who is going to treat you there, and the condition you are trying to get treated.
I have reflexology clients who visit my table regularly because they feel it’s important for their overall wellness. They don’t ever plan to be in a hospital.
Regular reflexology sessions definitely promote homeostasis which is good for disease prevention. But, for a person to categorically plan to never be a hospital patient can be an unwise move. You never know when an accident can put you in an emergency room.
It’s important to know about hospitals and to be insured . It’s important to have a health care professional that you visit at least annually so you don’t get caught in a situation where you don’t know who can help you or how to communicate with the professionals there.
Hospital is its own language. If you don’t do these things to know the language, you may not have the vocabulary or understanding to make the best decision for your own health’s sake.
A healthcare advocate is important if you have a major encounter in a hospital setting. When you are injured in an accident, or are ill, you may not be alert enough to protect yourself. And, if you haven’t kept up with modern medicine, you may not be strong enough to protect your self.
INJURIES, FALLS, AND CAR ACCIDENTS – For every person who dies in an accident, fifty or so are injured and live. These fifty or so people may sustain minor injuries or multiple injuries or major injuries. A few of them will be disabled and/or have their lives shortened by the injuries received during the accident.
If you are interested in a long and healthy life, you do not want to be a part of those statistics. Because most injuries are preventable, accident awareness can be important to you.
Are you interested in avoiding accidents? If so, think back on the things your family and teachers cautioned you about when you were young.
Never drive buzzed.
Always wear your seat belt.
Never swim alone.
Keep stairways free of clutter.
Put non-skid strips in your bathtub.
I think you get the drift here.
DON’T BLAME YOUR GENES! – They count but the choices you make in your daily life count more. You are in charge of you. Your longevity is all about knowing that the things you do today affect your future.
If you read about something which everyone says is good for you and you disagree, follow up on your feelings. Ask questions. Get to the heart of the matter.
GET TO KNOW YOURSELF. – Spend a couple of months getting to know yourself and your body better. Ask yourself some questions and pay attention to the answers you share. Take some notes. The goal is to get a close look at your body. It is unique, the only one like it in the world.
How do you feel in general?
How well are you sleeping?
Do you have any aches and pains? If so, where are they?
Do you feel healthy?
Is it hard for you to get out of bed in the morning?
How bad is your stress level?
Are you happy?
What do you want to change in your life?
Ask your own questions. based on your individual age, physiology, values, beliefs, and your own personal circumstances.
TAKE SOME MEASUREMENTS! – This should be fun if you are into apps. Or, if you’re into a fitness watch. Mine keeps me active throughout the day as it reminds me when I’ve been sitting too long.
With a Fitbit or a Garmin, you can track everything you do throughout the day. This may not be such a bad thing. The point is that you become more aware of your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual self.
Once you track your body’s clocks, you can control your homeostasis patterns. Your can track your waking/sleeping cycles, eating times, physical activity patterns, and medication schedules.
When you do this, your body will function much more efficiently. It will have the opportunity to become finely tuned.
EAT REAL FOOD – If you can’t understand the words on the ingredients list, the product you are holding in your hand is probably not food. Most likely, it is a selection of chemicals that have been manufactured and blended for human consumption.
Stay away from these manufactured products if you are interested in health and longevity.
Ideally, the food you eat will be just that: food. Select foods that are fresh or flash frozen.This means you will shop mostly from the produce aisle or frozen food aisle.
MAKE THE PRODUCE MANAGER, THE BUTCHER, AND THE WOMAN BEHIND THE FISH COUNTER YOUR BEST FRIENDS – They will tell you where the food came from, which selections are the best buys. They know the farmers and ranchers who supply the supermarket with the food you are buying.
When you go to the farmer’s market, get to know the people selling the food in the stalls. These are the people who are supplying you with the best available, locally grown foods.
You just can’t get better than this.
EAT THE FOOD THAT WORKS FOR YOU – Every time I go into my local book store, I see a new selection of cookbooks promoting another new diet/eating lifestyle. Their practical wellness tips may or may not be included in these cook books. It all depends on the ingredients that the author suggests in the recipes. The truth is that I support the diets that depend on fresh, locally grown food.
Important for any diet you adopt: You must enjoy what you eat. Traditional diets will outrank any diet that relies on manufactured ingredients. Processed food is not good for anyone.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it. And, I hope you’ll share it with your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
Woodstock, New York
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