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Medicine for the Earth:
As Within, So Without
by Lena Swanson
Sandra Ingerman has given the world an amazing gift that has yet to be discovered
by many people. This gift is a book that challenges each and every one of us to take
personal responsibility for healing the planet by healing ourselves ("As within,
so without"). Her basic premise is that who we become is the force that actually
causes deep positive change in our environment.
In her book, Medicine for the Earth, she takes readers on a fascinating journey through
her research into the mystical and alchemic traditions that form the basis for her
modern synthesis of these techniques for effecting environmental change. The book
is a blueprint for what we can do in our everyday lives on an individual basis to
transform and transmute our negative attitudes and beliefs. In doing so we stop dumping
our negative emotions into the environment and see the divine beauty in ourselves
and in everything around us. This process of healing ourselves is actually what heals
the environment.
Medicine for the Earth is a book intended to be read slowly and savored and then
re-read to work with the exercises at the end of each chapter. Ingerman is a gifted
shamanic healer but the book is written for both people who use the shamanic journey
as a spiritual practice and those who prefer guided meditation to do the exercises.
Both methods achieve the same results and Ingerman provides a meditation in the book
for those who want it.
The book is woven around a formula for personal development and the ability to transmute
negative energies into positives and this is part of the guide for everyday living.
The formula helps readers develop the ability to live with intention, love, harmony,
focus, union, concentration,and imagination on a minute-by-minute basis. The question
is, "What do we want raining down on us every day?" In other words, what
can we do on a daily basis to heal ourselves and in turn heal the earth?
I have gleaned some very simple yet profound keys for daily living from my own Medicine
for the Earth study that have helped me become a better person. (I'm becoming the
person my dogs think I am!) I sense that I am slowly becoming part of the solution
instead of a part of the problem. I am learning to shine my inner light more brightly
and as I do I can feel myself connecting to the "web of light" in the world
and feel it shining back on me. It is a slow yet profoundly transformative process.
Here are some nuggets from the material that have helped me personally:
-- Learn how to be still and listen in the stillness. Many of our deepest questions
can be answered by simply providing quiet space in which the answers can come in,
unfettered by movement and mental chatter. This does not necessarily need to be a
meditation. Simply being in silence for a few minutes each day can make a world of
difference.
-- No news is good news! Give yourself the gift of dropping out of the news and other
media for days or weeks at a time and discover the gifts it brings. (This also helps
with the first suggestion!)
-- Spend at least one day a week focusing on the power of your word and making it
more positive. Notice how the events of your day shift and flow more easily as you
send this positive vibrational power into the universe. The word "abracadabra"
actually means "I create as I speak." and illustrates the strong cause
and effect of our words.
-- Set a strong intention for yourself during difficult times. Find ways to stay
focused, positive and centered. Do the same for others who may be experiencing chaos
in their lives.
-- Try not to "compartmentalize" whatever daily spiritual practice you
follow. In other words, do you meditate daily but treat the wait person at a restaurant
poorly or cut people off in traffic? Live life more positively minute-by-minute and
be more aware of doing so.
-- Build community through ceremony and ritual with friends and family or by attending
events which do the same to help create space and the intention for positive change
in your life. You will feel supported and not so alone on this path of personal development
and self-improvement.
-- Attend a Medicine for the Earth gathering and go more deeply into the work in
a small, supportive community. To that end Sandra Ingerman has trained many people
to teach the Medicine for the Earth material and there are opportunities to study
all over the world. In the gatherings (as Ingerman likes to call the workshops) participants
have the opportunity to go deeper into the book while sitting in circle with a like-minded
community.
"As within, so without." The earth will become what we become.
Lena Swanson co-teaches a full weekend workshop, taking place April 1-3, a
nine week Medicine for the Earth class, and monthly "continuation" sessions
for people who have already attended a workshop. She also helps to teach an introduction
to shamanic journeying class for those who wish to explore this type of spiritual
practice. For more information, e-mail lena@lenaswanson.com
or call (651) 206-0644.
Lena Swanson taught English as a Second Language in St. Paul Public Schools for
twenty-two years and holds a Master's Degree in Second Languages and Cultures. Her
holistic healthcare practice, Sabai Healing, focuses on achieving and maintaining
wellness for both people and animals through a variety of services. Lena is an animal
communication specialist, Reiki master, and a consultant in the use of flower essences
and essential oils. She is also a shamanic practitioner, having trained through the
International Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and she uses shamanic healing methods
for animals as well as people. Visit www.lenaswanson.com
Copyright © 2005 Lena Swanson. All rights reserved. |
March 2005 |
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