So…what have y’all been up to over the Easter weekend?  Did you go for a bike ride? Did you have an Easter brunch? Or did you go out to the beach to sit in the sun? Common things you’d say; things we like to do. Things we take for granted at times. Things we may get annoyed about when other happenings block their opportunity. Basically what I am getting at is how many times are you really aware of the blessings you have in your life? Are you consuming what is offered? Or are you cherishing it? In three simple words:

Are You Grateful?

I’ve been working on the gratitude theme lately by writing down at the end of the day, what I have experienced that day to be grateful for.  I find it lightens up my life. I have to admit there are days where nothing is scribbled at the pages. Days where I find it hard to summon up the energy. Days where my joints ache and my muscles refuse to cooperate, while I still wanted to paint that one wall; or needed to get all that shopping. Days where my Spirit is gloomy and wants nothing but binge-watch a series or binge-read books.  But I guess those days make me human; and if I had the stamina I should actually write down in my agenda that I am grateful for those days too; for I sometimes simply need them to regenerate.

My days can be a total mess of deadlines or things I still need to do without actually getting to do them; frustration settling in; fear even to fail at getting where I sóóó want to go. It is then I live in frustration; in failure of  reaching my set goals.

But you know what. It happens. Life can be amazingly unpredictable. When I think about it, I actually never know what my day will bring.I get up in the morning, recall what day it is and what’s in my agenda for the day. I choose my clothing accordingly.  I do my morning exercises when I have the time or think about it. I look at the clock to instruct me when to do what or to go where. And then suddenly something happens that jerks me off my feet, messes up my time table; obstructs ‘all the things I still need to do’ ; raises my blood pressure, changes my mood and changes the expected outcome of my day.

Until I sit down in the evening and review all that has passed and ask myself:

What happened today to be grateful for.

It’s the realization sets it; awareness; moments I missed present themselves and make me think,

Hmmm, maybe this was good day after all.

The card that goes with this is undeniably  ‘Temperance’ ;  card number XIV, the last card of the row of 7 cards that is all about the journey of the soul while on earth. You see it here in it’s new Nan War -Who Am I version as drawn by my talented daughter. (something to be very grateful for).

Temperance teaches us to stay in the present moment; to expect nothing; to have no attachment to outcome;’ to work with what is there and most of all to be present; to realize what you have to be grateful for, rather than to sum up what you lack. Not wait for things to happen or to come through; but to live in the moment in the now.

To read more about the meaning of ‘Temperance'; click the card. You’ll find the old version of this card behind the new one. I have some work to do as yet to get them all organized on my website; but thought I’d enjoY using this card now.

EnjoY your day; stay in the Now as much as you can and remember to be Grateful.

Ingrid Schippers, 23 April 2019

The abridged spoken version of this spoken blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday  from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM’ and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated April 23, 2019 or click the link below.

The post Being There, Being Grateful appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

‘The Tower” or ‘Detachment’ as I prefer to call it in the Nan War Who Am I cards, is a card people prefer to keep in the pack during a reading. For many it signifies they have to detach (which is true btw) from what they are used to; what they are taught and therefore think they need in order to survive; sticking to the old ways of doing things.

Sometimes however Life provides us with ‘things’ that force us to face a truth we’d rather deny. And even though it might feel safer and more agreeable to stick to the same old same old; the reality of things inevitably opens gateways of new energy, filled with inspiration and new incentives. In that sense card number XVI in the third layer of the spiritual path is an important card to identify with if we want to open new sources of energy.

It seems to me that many people in this day and age are still in denial.  This in spite of many others who are sounding the alarm on why it is high time all people should open their eyes to what is happening.

I’m always curious what history books will say about this day and age in a hundred years from now.
Will they be appalled at the homelessness and emotional or material poverty some people lived in these days?
Will they wonder why so many of us chose to turn their backs on each other rather than turn around and reach out?
Will they have figured out why the rich and mighty got away with saying that people who live in poverty have themselves to blame for that and should use their circumstances as an incentive to become rich like the rich…. As if that is all that matters?
Will they have figured out that we are all connected in an intricate web of give and take, and that what happens to one, happens to all? Just like the butterfly that flaps its wings in Japan, has an effect on what happens at the other end of the world.

I have my hopes up. I see more and more people and groups of people taking action; in spite of ‘the system’ trying to freeze people into fearful robotic entities.
In spite of those watching the news, and perhaps shaking their heads but still live by the rule of those in power who all that time only serve themselves.
In spite of television programs showing how people are evicted from their homes because they can’t keep up with the materialism that is running this world.
In spite of commercials making us believe we need certain things for survival that we can do perfectly well without. In spite of people crying out about the oceans being polluted with plastic while at the same time buying new packs of plastic bottles filled with soda’s, shampoo’s, cleaning liquids and even more dangerous poisons that contaminate our environment.

But I still have my hopes up. I see more and more people stepping out of denial and create change for the better.Some are surprised to see at how initiating change for the sake of the greater good also turned out to improve their personal lives. But that’s how energies work. It only takes one butterfly to flaps it wings of transformation.

Steppin’out of denial might seem challenging, but just think of the potential it has. A potential the world very much needs, if we want to turn our it into a better place.

To read more about ‘The Tower” and its meaning, click the card.

Wishing you the opportunity to detach from the old and explore gateways of new energy,

Ingrid.

The abridged spoken version of this spoken blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday  from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM’ and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated February  26 , 2019 or click the link below, 2 minutes 54 seconds.

The post Stepping out of Denial appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Recently I had the joY of participating in the Energy Medicine for Women course delivered in Rotterdam by Prune Harris. In my energy counseling Facebook group I regularly share one of the many youtube video’s of Prune demonstrating simple yet effective self-supportive energy medicine techniques; all aimed to help regulate the 24/7 energy flows and to encourage what is known as the radiant circuits in ancient Chinese medicine; the energy system in our bodies that give us the power and understanding  to let the energies flow and live life to the fullest.

Fortunately at this very point in time and human evolution; a rising awareness is emphasizing the importance of waking up and living our potential rather than doing the daily survival-driven drone.  This shift from money, power and ownership-oriented cultural conditioning to sharing, caring and valuing each others creative talents is highly necessary.

At the root of it lies the way each of us in our individual way responds to outside influences, misunderstandings and injustices. The world outside of us can anger or threaten us or make us feel powerless against the injustices we encounter in daily life.

The place to start and change that is with One Self. To know who you are, to know what you are capable of ( both the good and the dark side) , to position your potential into the world of good are the main ingredients to toss off the shackles of dependency on the outside world for your well being AND it helps contribute to make the world a better place at the same time.

The weekend workshop of Prune Harris reminded me of the importance of 3 simple ways to do your thing with all of your strength and support yourself in being energized and empowered. The exercises take a from 20 seconds to as long and as often as you like.

1: Be Grounded. Be Here and Now.

With our heads in the clouds, it’s hard to manifest anything on earth. We are often unaware of our thoughts or emotions drifting away to other places in time and space.

A simple exercise to ground is to march your feet on the spot where you stand, at the same time tapping your cheekbones with your fingers; gently, rhythmically, while minding your rounds of breath, take nice deep breath in through your nose exhaling, letting go of your breath through your mouth.

When you are sitting on a chair, make sure your feet are connected to the floor side by side resting on the whole sole of the foot.

When lying down pull up your knees so the soles of the feet are in touch with the surface that is supporting you. Feel the connection of your back and buttocks in touch with the earth gravity, allowing your bodyweight to be carried.

2 Be hydrated.  Water is a great transporter of energy. The better the body is hydrated; the better the energies can flow; plus water helps to flush the system of toxins.  Depending on other intake habits; a minimum of 8 glasses of  water is a good place to start.  (coffee, tea, cigarettes, salty foods and sugary things use up water for themselves and need to be compensated with extra glasses of aqua.) 

 3. Be Connected.  This refers to the inner energy circuits. Much like the electricity coming out of your living room wall, the human body functions on crossed energies., i.e. it flows from plus to minus, from yin to yang.  Without that flow energy becomes stagnant. A simple way to cross the energies is to firmly place your right hand on the muscle of your left shoulder and visualize pulling energy from the left shoulder diagonally over your upper body towards the right hip. Engage your breathing again into this process, inhaling while placing the fingers on a shoulder, exhaling while pulling the energies diagonally over to the other side.

Another exercise to help you ground and connect the energies (yin and yang) is connecting heaven(yang) and earth (yin),

demonstrated here by Donna Eden

but of course the best thing is to do the daily energy routine designed by Donna Eden, demonstrated here by

daily routine by Prune Harris 

The card to go with this balanced way of grounding yourself and finding your inner core and strength is card number XI ‘The Force’, depicting the image of the Yin being in touch with the Yang (the lion) . To read more click the card.

Wishing you a wonderful energized and empowered day. May the Force be with you

Ingrid

Visit my website  to draw your own card or for more information about card readings, either by Skype or in person; and Nan Yar- Who Am I Life Make Over courses

More Questions? Mail me at info@energycounseling.nl

The abridged spoken version of this blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday  from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated  October 9, 2018.

The post Healthy, Energized and Empowered appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

The human body is the vehicle or mindfulness, empathy and willpower.
When we are less comfortable with our bodies; these energies are less comfortable with us.

Today’s Body Language of Energy blog;’ highlights the 5 minute daily Energy Routine, designed by Energy Medicine pioneer Donna Eden; who shares the principles of this knowledge already  for many many  years.

We’ll see two people demonstrating the daily routine; Donna Eden herself and Prune Harris.  Observe, Compare, use them alternately; whatever way feels best for you.
Even when you know the routine through and through; it’s nice to do it under guidance and go with the flow.

When you are more comfortable with your body; your body is more comfortable to contribute something for a better world.

What the Donna Eden 5 minute daily energy routine will do for you:

• Give the energy systems of your body a head start.
  By tapping certain acupressure points on the body, the energies are given a ‘kick-start’  (1 minute)
• Ensures the energies are crossed over.
  Similar to the left hemisphere of the brain guarding the right half of the body and the right hemisphere of the brain guarding the left half of the body; the energies used in daily life are crossed over as well.
  At times however the overwhelming amount of information and impressions we receive on a daily basis, can be stalled out of self protection. This means the energies turn homo lateral (run in the same direction) and in a proverbial sense raise the white flag.
  A simple marching-technique put them ‘straight’ in cross-over position.   (30 seconds)
• Balances the energy-circulation system.
  The energy pathways of your body both nourish and are nourished by each other.  A for instance stress full situation can cause the stress-support-meridian to draw more energy  from the other meridians.
  By balancing this system of give and take, every organ in the body is given a chance to function optimally.
• Protects you against absorbing negative energy.
  On a daily basis we receive many more impressions than we register.  Some of these impressions however do not go by unnoticed in the sense that they leave an imprint on our energies. A negative remark, an unpleasant message or something that keeps coming back in your life and makes you weary.  A simple ‘zip-up’ exercise (taking only a few seconds) prevents negative energy from crawling under your skin.
• Support and increase your emotional and physical resilience
• Help tone down degenerative processes
• Support your well being throughout the day.
  

Enough said, let’s go and do something….:) :

The 5 minute Daily Energy Routine presented by Donna Eden

The Daily Energy Routine with extra’s presented by Prune Harris

Ingrid

The post The Donna Eden Energy Routine. appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

I’ve often stated health insurance companies could save themselves a lot of money if they would reimburse relaxation classes, body work and massage therapy. In our go, go, go society we give little credit to the ability to unwind. We might go jogging, or to the gym and even take a yogaclass or two a week, but to lie in the grass along the river chewing on a straw, seems an art long lost. This, while unwinding is nature’s beauty sleep and hibernating it’s way of letting go of the old and preparing for renewal..

My fair bet is that in our hunter and gatherer days, some 5000 plus years ago , when having money, following the latest trends and being brainwashed by social media and television weren’t on top of the list, people were much more in tune with themselves and their natural rhytms and consequently much more in touch with each other.

Modern day technology in that context seperates. It puts up glass walls between us with computerscreens and 140 character ‘conversations’  The few words expected to make a point to me feel like asking someone to describe a painting while wearing a blindfold.

Modern media filter real life in the strainer of journalism, sensorship and the make believe world of advertising. We are being brainwashed on a 24 hour basis without even noticing it anymore. Have you truly ever experienced driving a certain car or using the best detergent to improve your sense of self? Maybe ancient peoples were better off in spite of the lack of progress or a thriving economy; in fact they might have been better off because of lack of progress and Lord Economy.

In the old days people still had the ability to mirror themselves in nature. It has a reason why ancient yoga exercises are named after animals. In the days they were invented, as it happens also 5000 plus years ago,  humans still took time to observe and learn about the natural flow of energies. They sensed winter coming because the flights of birds going north or south, instead of the clock being turned back to wintertime. They alternated ‘work’ with periods of unwinding; just being, sitting, sleeping, like the animals they lived with.  These days doing something ‘like an animal’ only has a negative ring to it.

My apologies if I’m doing a bit of a rant here and yes ofcourse some things go well in today’s world. It’s just that we should look for the goodness of life behind our television screens, computer games and illusionary world of advertising and marketing a bit more. Take a break from the addictive rush of modern day living;

cramming our lives with compulsive activities so there’s no time left to address the real issues,

to quote Sogyal Rinpoche.

Go lie along a stream and chew on a straw once in while; curl up in a wintercoat, sit on the sand and watch the sea…..that sort of thing….

Ingrid Schippers, November 7 2017

Click on the cards to learn more about their background

The spoken version of this blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday ( with the exception of summer and Christmas recess) from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated November 7 2017

Scroll through the website for details on the

Body Language of Energy and Nan Yar Who Am I,

personal development  individual and group sessions

or send me a mail at info@energycounseling.nl

The post Why Bears Hibernate appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

While we live in the 21st century, the human body is in fact still designed to survive conditions of over 5000 years ago. The fight, flight or freeze response for instance, the body’s defense mechanism to immediate danger. It was designed to protect your self and ignite the right decision when you met a sabertooth tiger on the road.

The problem however is that it is not about the occasional saber teeth any more.  The stress triggers in the present day and age, have been replaced by totally different phenomenon. Careers, mortgages; creditcard debts; addictions, children drafted in warzones; refugees being denied a safe haven; the president of the united states threatening to kick you out from everything you’ve lived and worked for.

In their pioneering book  ‘Energy Medicine’, Donna Eden and David Feinstein, devote a lot of their writings on how this reflects in the modern day human body. A certain meridian, known as ‘Triple Warmer’, goes on the alert when danger is on the prowl.

When danger is constantly on the prowl, when the basic needs in life are contineously under attack; Triple Warmer is constantly on the alert. While in the hunter and gatherer days danger would appear only once in a while;
the burden of mortgage, careers and the need to make money, the danger of being expelled for no other reason than your former nationality; breaking news on terrorism all over the world, are now constant stress factors 24 hours a day; something to have nightmares about during sleep and to wake up to every morning.

At least in the hunter and gatherer days we could take on one calamity at the time. Nowadays, we live in an overstressed society 24 hours a day.

This poses a problem, considering the human body  has only so much fossil fuel to spend in case of emergency. There is a whole lot of difference between the occasional threat from wild animals or other natural causes and the constant, – mostly financial/economic- pressure of modern day society

When ‘triple warmer’ , the stress meridian is on constant overdrive; it constantly draws energy away from the other meridians, other energy pathways that serve other body functions, such as that of the lungs, stomach, kidneys,bowels, who, depleted as they are from energy, begin to grow weak.

Now the good news is that the human body has self help ways to regulate this by doing energy exercises that promote the energy flow through all organs. The main lesson to be learned from this is to live life in favor of  yourself first; embrace yourself first rather than focussing on the economic demands from the outside world; supporting your own needs without damaging your environment; so you can be valuable and participate in what really matters in the outside world later on.

Ingrid Schippers, October 2017

Click on the cards to learn more about their background

The spoken version of this blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday ( with the exception of summer and Christmas recess) from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated October 10th 2017

Scroll through the website for details on the

Body Language of Energy and Nan Yar Who Am I,

personal development  individual and group sessions

Coming Sunday October 15, free energy medicine session from 10.45-11.15  at Zee van Licht, Scheveningen

The post On Constant Overdrive appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

‘Mindfulness’ is an ancient human capacity, that was rediscovered , much like Yoga, Tai Chi, Energy Medicine and other ancient forms of healing, in the course of the 20th century.
It came back into the Western world in all sorts of new publications, courses and seminars which, fortunately I might add, resonated with many people.

It was about time The Art of Being Mindful should surface from the vaults of what makes us human; especially in this day and age, where materialism is rife, together with the tendency to measure accomplishments in money rather than the ability to care about ourselves, one and other and the world that surrounds us.

‘Mindfullness’ has been around as long as humanity.
It is an ability that resides within every human being.
As with everything else, the mechanism of mindfulness, starts to work, when opening up to the principles of it and change our ways of thinking from defining how much things ‘cost’ to what they can bring us to be grateful for.

This is exactly why it is so necessary at this point in human evolution to bring the Art of Being Mindful back to our conscious thinking and make the world a little bit of a better place.

Being mindful goes beyond the pleasantries of buying someone flowers to say thank you or sorry or commemorate a special event. Being Mindful is about communicating from the heart rather than in terms of matter; respecting the feelings of others as much as you would your own, about minding the world as much as we would our own backyards.

At the same time, it is as simple as putting garbage in a garbage-can rather than toss it out the car window or on the pavement which is there for all of us to walk on.
It is as simple as helping somebody cross a busy street;
It reflects in the simple act of taking good care of yourself, taking a few minutes in the morning to do your stretches, giving yourself the pleasure of supporting your available flow of energy throughout the day.
It is as simple as taking a break before you get too tired;
As simple as making yourself a proper meal rather than eating ‘fast food’
As simple as saying thank when you feel grateful;
As simple as taking the time to listen,when someone has something to say.
You’ll find that in exchange for what you have to offer the world gives back to you.

Mindfulness is about investing in the positive rather than the negative, about being assertive in a mindful way.
Most of all…mindfulness is unconditional;
the ability be cared for without feeling you need to deserve it first
as well as the ability to care without expecting anything in return.
That is what makes the world go around.

Ingrid Schippers, 29-02-2016

This blog is recorded as weekly end-note of Dutchbuzz.nl, the radio program for internationals, every Tuesday on The Hague FM from 10 to 11 pm. All programs are archived at Dutchbuzz.nl.

The post Mindful over Matter appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Animal Kingdom has a lot  to teach us.
A lion or a cat for instance teaches us that some good tongue smacking, having a heartfelt yawn and stretching the limbs after a nap , is important to get the energies flowing.
It makes me wonder how many people in our Western World in fact jump out of bed in the mornings at the sound of the alarm, instantly beginning their days in a hurried fashion.

Even dogs in Western society do a better job than that. They stretch their front paws and hind legs, flicking between ‘downward facing dog’ and ‘upward facing dog’, stretching the lower back and flexing the spine, both movements aimed at allowing the energy flow to move through the body with more ease. It certainly has a reason the old yogi’s named two exercises after these movements.

Also birds set excellent examples to improve human behavior.
Ever wonder why birds makes nests? Well probably you don’t need to, for you know why, they make nests to lay their eggs in.
Did you ever wonder though what birds do outside of the egg-laying-season? The answer is they fly around freely, not bothered by any maintenance, repair work or finding a place to live; at least not until the next egg-laying-season comes in sight.  The World is their castle, the Air and the Earth their Space, and most importantly, their Inner World is their home and they take it to wherever they fly.

Humans are a bit different in that sense. They keep building at their nests, dressing it up according to the latest fashion; changing the furniture even when it’s still good to go and then when they feel they need a break, they fly to a holiday destination to create another nest in a building where there’s a lot of nests together, in order to relax.

While I understand people need houses all years through rather than temporary nests,  I think we could learn from birds in the sense that it doesn’t matter, where you live, or what your house looks like, as long as it is clean. Nor does it matter how big of a house you own, or which neighborhood is better to live in than another, as long you know how to stay in touch with your Inner Home, ‘the real you’  the world you live in 24 hours a day and leaves you free to fly wherever you want to go and be who ever you want to be.

Ingrid Schippers
The Hague, 19-10-2015

This blog is recorded as weekly end-note of Dutchbuzz.nl, the radio program for internationals, every Tuesday on The Hague FM from 10 to 11 pm.
All programs are archived at Dutchbuzz.nl.

The post Why Birds Build Nests appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Saturday October 24 at  Zee van Licht, Hellingweg 98K
(opposite Scheveningen Yachting Club)

Try out class Energy Medicine, 
Simple techniques promoting daily energy flow.

Presented by: Ingrid Schippers

Starts at: 13.00
Doors open at: 12.30
Dress code: Leisure clothing, extra socks/warm sweater optional.
Free donation basis

Register in advance (max 12 participants) through the contact form

‘Zee van Licht’ aan de Westkant van
Scheveningen jachthaven

In de oefenruimte worden géén schoenen gedrage

The post Try Out Energy Medicine Class appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

The Trick is to EnjoY it.

Get the most out of your day with Energy Medicine,
modeled after the methods of Donna Eden

Try Out Body Language of EnergY session Saturday 26 September from 1.30 to 2.30  pm

Presentation of  simple techniques for all ages and all walks of life.
No previous experience required.

Program:

• The 5-minute daily routine to go with the flow
• Tracing the meridians, cleansing and energizing the body’s energy system
• Energy Tips for Daily Life, the FAQ list.

Presentation: Ingrid Schippers

Location: Hellingweg 98k Scheveningen Den Haag.

After clicking the link scroll down all the way to the bottom of the page to find the google map of the location. Contrary to the rather stubborn arrow on the google map, ‘Zee van Licht’   is located directly at the harbor, as opposed to the indicated highroad behind the apartment building.

Try out fee: 10 euro pp.
Register in advance  This is mandatory, There’s room for 12 participants.

You can register by sending a mail to: info@counseling.nl
or via the contactform

Free parking at Hellingweg
Zee van Licht can be found at the West side (beach side) of the yachting section of Scheveningen harbour

Try out session in Dutch, same day Saturday September 26,  from 12 noon to 1.pm.

More on Energy Medicine: What if it only takes 5 minutes a daY…

The post Where Do You Find the EnergY appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

“The Trick is to EnjoY It”

  In communicating with its inner world , The Storyteller is always heading the conversation, as it depends on how the cards are interpreted, what outcome and influence they will have.
Thus the Nil-card, travels The World in its very own way and takes on the identity of the other cards without prejudice, pride or judgment and builds its own existence while it is being lived.   It is of importance to remember in this context, the cards are only  ‘good’ or ‘bad’  when they are interpreted as such.
A Storyteller with strong material attachments, probably won’t welcome a card such as The Tower, which symbolizes detachment from anything that could stand in the way of spiritual development.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Storyteller who is in fact in search of an inner path, may well  choose to use that exact same card as a steppin’ stone to the card that follows, The Star; therewith catching a first glimpse of enlightenment and share those findings with The World.

As such, every card represents two sides of every query, with everything that exists in between. Each card has a certain meaning, mirroring a certain facet of life, including a counter-characteristic held by that same facet, else it would not exist at all. Day can only be seen when one knows about night; warmth can only be felt when one knows about cold; truth and lies can only be distinguished from each other because  of each other. It are in fact the anti forces that offer a chance to also see the good of things.  Living in a perfect world , in which everything is taken care of , offers no incentive for personal development. This is why it is important to respond in the moment, rather than postponing till later or having it solved by others, or even more so, to blame others and do nothing about it oneself! Memento Mori trump card number XIII says, a reminder of mortality and to start ones bucketlist NOW.

In communicating with its inner world, The Storyteller takes responsibility over the way this communication takes place and the choices that are made as a result. This is represented by  card number X: Wheel of Fortune; translated in the Nan Yar  – Who Am I game as Freedom of Choice.

Life is what happens while you’re making’ plans , John Lennon is told to have said. What we notice, feel and act upon NOW, determines what will be next and has an effect on what happened in the past. The Storyteller as the conductor of the orchestra called Life, owns the freedom of choice to create the manner in which the music is made, while it is being made by the Archetypes, numbers and colors.  In this comparison, the conductor is the way The Storyteller thinks, while the subconscious is the orchestra.The musicians of the subconscious characterize their music a certain way, yet it is up to the conductor  how it is performed.

“If that is so, then how can it be…” I once called out in frustration to my mentor, psychiatrist and anthroposophist  Cees van der Kroef, “…how can it be that it seems the conductor lives outside of me and that it are forces I have no hold over and seem to determine my life. And how come that 9 out of every 10 times  I draw a card it is telling just that which I was thinking about? It’s as if the card knows more than I do!”

“Because” Cees answered, by now somewhat impatient as this question persistently featured my FAQ list and I never quite completely understood the answers I was given,  “….because YOU are the one asking the question and thinking about the subject.”

What I eventually learned to see, is that each and every Tarot card holds all elements of life, just like all elements of life one way or the other, are part of everything else in the world. Ultimately, everything, including being human, is made ‘of the same stuff stars are made of’.

I have learned to see how all cards already live in my subconscious rather than in some mystical setting outside of me and that it is my I-consciousness,  which is responsible for what eventually evolves from the composition of their different elements.

A small anecdote that set me thinking, illustrates this as follows:
One day I was shopping at a big warehouse with someone dear to me, when totally unexpected a man turned up out of nowhere . He had rather prominent features, a big mouth and big teeth and he was laughing out loud because of something that was happening nearby. The obvious pleasure he got out of it was infectious and made me laugh as well.  That man is the personification of  enjoyment , I thought and just as I was thinking that, the person I was with softly said to me:  “What an ugly man that is”! Two people, very familiar with each other, one moment, two interpretations. two different outcomes. That is exactly how it works with Tarot cards.  When you think about it, the most precious gift of the Tarot (and when you think even further, perhaps the most precious gift of life) is that we all, through freedom of choice, have a right to choose and interpret what is mirrored to us.

It doesn’t mean we can prevent certain things from happening.  It is devastating when a loved one passes away or when an illness overrules all other aspects of life. Getting fired, divorce, bankruptcy, infidelity, disappointment, having to watch loved ones suffer, feelings of powerlessness are all elements that turn life into a unconditional challenge.

What stays however, under all circumstances life has to offer, is that the way The Storyteller interprets these happenings at the very moment they take place, determines the way they manifest.

It might well have been the years of imprisonment that shaped Nelson Mandela into the charismatic leader that he was; and see how he has changed the world.  Same goes for Ghandi, Fransiscus of Assisi and other big names within human history.  It are exactly the lives of these people that are taunted by a life story and ‘fate’ outsiders readily back away from, and yet it are exactly these role-models of human history, who have lived their life to the fullest.
Eventually is depends all upon oneself , on who one truly is, how one looks back on life.

Next week: Module 7: Who Am I in daily life. 

The post Communicating with your Inner World appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Every morning when I walk down the stairs after my nights sleep, my dog comes and greets me at the bottom of the stairs.
And while I’m on my way down, I see her perform a downward facing dog and an upward facing dog, stretching her muscle tissues as well as the energy pathways of her body.

For those of you not familiar with the yoga practice of upward and downward facing dog, simply picture a dog, or a lion, or a cheetah or a cat for that matter in your mind’s eye, and watch what they do after getting up.

They stretch. My dog places her front legs as far forward as she can reach, brings her head towards the earth, stretches her front legs and spine while at the same time moving her butt backward and upward, making her look a bit like a hairy ski-slope.

Then she switches, moves her body forward and upward, stretches her hind legs, raises her head all the way up exposing her throat, while at the same time bending her spine backward.
Animals are smart in that sense; or maybe the word is lucky, as mother nature has blessed them with the intuitive inner knowing that they need to do this in order to get going.

Now deep down inside, us human beings know we should be doing our stretches in the morning as well. I bet you that in our hunter and gatherer days, it was one of the first things we did after waking up, because intuitively we knew it was what we needed in order to do our thing during the day.

These days, the only stretching many of us do is that of one arm to hit the alarm.
Straight after that our programmed brains tell us we need to be at work on time or the kids need to get up to go to school, or we need to make breakfast, or we still need to put the garbage out, all routine demands from the outside world, that make us forget to tend to ourselves first.

The six directions of the body

Now let me tell you what you are missing out on.
By doing a downward facing dog you would stretch the spine, specifically the lower back,i.e. the root of the spine, the seat of your energy supply, and open up the highway of your energy pathways which through smaller turns and twists and trails reaches into all other parts of your body.

By doing an upward facing dog and bending backwards, you would open a direct connection to the heart, enhancing your enjoyment of life while at the same time opening the throat and the thyroid so those hormones that make us do our thing on a daily basis can start flowing.

And the beauty of it is you don’t even have to do an upward or downward facing dog; it’s okay to resort to the practice of simple stretches which appear by themselves simply by listening to the body.
The body naturally knows how to move in order to get the energies flowing. It naturally knows the 6 directions of yoga, or maybe I should say, yoga is based on what the body has naturally known throughout evolution; and at some point, some 5000 years ago, someone started to write these exercises down and gave them names.

A simple version of the six directions goes like this:
– Make sure your knees are slightly bent and then bend the upper body forward from the hips, gently and slowly, using your arms and hands as weights to pull you down. Only go as far as feels comfortable and feel the stretch of your lower back. (o and by the way, simply continue breathing)
– Bend sideways, again making sure your knees are unlocked, i.e. slightly bent, only using your torso leaving the shoulders in line with the torso, using the arm of the side you are bending towards as a weight to pull you down to the side, only going as far as feel comfortable.
– Bend side ways to the other side, in the same manner.
– Bend backward, lifting the head to look up at the skies while placing your hands behind your lower back for support and feel the stretch of the chest, while knowing you’re doing your heart and thyroid a big favor.
– Rotate the spine to one side, leaving the hips aligned with the feet, look over your shoulder, knees still slightly bend and then switch and
– Rotate the spine to the other side, leaving the hips aligned with the feet, look over your shoulder, only rotating the spine.
You can make this fun and relaxed by letting your arms swing from side to side in sync with the rotations.

To round this off close your eyes, picture yourself in your mind’s eye, see yourself as you are right now, bring your hands in front of your chest, the thumbs touching the area of your heart, put a smile on your face and greet yourself and the day ahead of you.
And remember” The Trick is to EnjoY it.

The post The Business of Stretching appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.