Body/Mind/Spirit

Anam Cara Resources &
The Center for Hope
One Ellis Landing Rd. at the corner
of Route 6A, Brewster

Soulful Weddings
Call Reverend Kathleen Geagan at
Soulful Wedding Ceremonies
Call 508-896-9202 or 774-722-5265

Writing Workshop Supports those in Grief:
"Writing a Path through Grief," a support group for those grieving the loss of a loved one, is facilitated by Joan Graham, a writer with a master's degree in counseling psychology, who was widowed six years
ago, and the Rev. Kathleen Geagan RN, an interfaith minister and published poet who has worked in hospice care for eight years. Participants will use writing as a tool for healing. No prior writing experience is necessary. $10 per session.
The next series will run from March 16-April 13.
To register, call Joan Graham at 508-8965766 or
e-mail her at joangraham@capecod.net;
or call Kathleen Geagan at 508-896-9202 or e-mail soulnurse1@comcast.net

Ann Geagan is available for individual counseling focusing on loss, transition and chronic illness. She has a sliding scale fee. Kathleen Geagan is available for spiritual counselling, Reiki treatments and attunements, weddings and ceremonies.

Bereavement and cancer support care also available.
www.soulfulweddingceremonies.com

A Message from Spirit
Channeled by Lynne Delaney

Spring Cleaning for the Soul

My dearest beings of the human experience:
There comes a time when you need to look within and discover new parts of yourself and discard old parts of yourself. Take time to contemplate, meditate and look at yourself from all perspectives. Sometimes you may need to step outside of yourself to truly see an unbiased view of who you are, how you express yourself in the world and how and why you react to certain situations. Just as a house gathers dirt and dust in the corners and clutter in the nooks and crannies, so can the body, mind and spirit become muddled and encumbered with stagnant thoughts, attitudes and energy. On a regular basis, you need to assess, address and remedy your patterns of thought and action. It may be a recurring reaction to a particular circumstance, a judgment about a particular person, an unhealthy habit or a self-defeating and self-limiting thought that plays over and over in your head. Anything that is draining, limiting or negative must be fearlessly discarded. Keep only that which uplifts you, fills you with joy and gives joy to others. Take care of your sacred and precious self and do your spring cleaning for the soul – for that will open up room for new growth.

lynne

Background to this message

There are all sorts of ways that one can clear out the body, mind and spirit. My inner self and my guides urge me to reexamine my total self through the process of fasting a few times a year. Fasting is an ancient way to cleanse the body, mind and spirit of all toxins, negative emotions and old patterns of thinking.

Fasting does not have to be a long and extreme trial of deprivation. It is a cleansing method that can easily fit into a modern, on-the-go lifestyle. The experience can last a single day, a weekend or a week or more. Most “modern” fasts include some degree of nutrients such as vegetable and fruit juices, vegetable broth, water and lemon mixtures, and herbal teas. My most recent fast consisted of three days of eating apples during the day and vegetable broth at night plus tea and water throughout the fast. This fast was something that the influential 20th century psychic channeler and healer Edward Cayce recommended to many of his clients.

Some fasts are meant to heal or cleanse particular parts of the body. There are colon, kidney and liver fasts, for example. In addition, there is the mental and emotional cleansing. It is a good idea to refrain from news, gossip and negative statements. In general, the end result of fasting is having a clear mind, a better understanding of emotions, a compassionate heart and a stronger, healthier body.

During the fasting process it is a good idea to have a focus or goal in mind. For example, the last time we fasted, my husband and I focused on “manifestation.” By that we meant: bringing into being our souls’ purpose and allowing the Universe to easily supply us with spiritual and material things that we need in our daily lives. That fast was a three-day juice fast during which we drank several “juiced” organic raw fruit and vegetable drinks. On the third day, the blueberries—the mainstay of our diet—were running low. I had miscalculated how many we would need. Because of the fast, we didn’t have the energy or reflexes to drive to the store. We were in the midst of figuring out how we could get more blueberries when suddenly a neighbor came up to the house and asked, “Do you guys want some blueberries?” He had an extra quart of the fruit. We were amazed at the speedy delivery of our desire by the Universe! There were a couple more episodes of manifestation during the course of that fast. All of them were little things, but they were all so wonderful. They helped us to see that with clear focus and good intentions, things can manifest quickly.

There are challenges to fasting, most obviously the lack of food and the fatigue that can go with that. But there are also emotional releases, sometimes unexpected ones. The fasting process accentuates awareness on many levels, such as a more visceral understanding of the experience of those who are chronically hungry. It enhances our gratitude for the abundance and resources in our lives. It helps us be fully present to our spiritual and physical selves. It gives us a better perspective of what we are putting into our bodies and minds. At the same time, it helps us simplify. And, despite any slight discomfort along the way, a sense of renewed energy, vitality and spirit awaits us at the end.

Lynne Delaney lives in Brewster, where she meets with clients for private and group healing sessions. She is a Conscious Living Consultant and Reiki Master who offers Reiki treatments combined with intuitive energy and crystals. She offers private sessions in spiritual guidance, intuitive tarot, and hypnotherapy, as well as table-tipping and transfiguration sessions for groups. With a background in science and spiritual studies, she is able to better understand how both disciplines contribute to healing and well-being. To find out more or make an appointment, contact Lynne at (508) 241-3048 or
theconsciousspirit@yahoo.com

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Watercolor painting by Vera Champlin,
courtesy of Addison Art Gallery, Orleans
www.addisonart.com

Feng Shui: Wood Season
This spring, welcome the change that the Wood Element brings by clearing out old imagery that blocks the flow.

by Sheryll Hirschberger Reichwein

Back in my single days, I had a habit of getting into long distance relationships. Not a civilized Cape Cod to Boston or NYC commute. No, I took geographically undesirable to new limits. The cerebral college professor from Israel. The handsome acupuncturist from San Francisco. The bearded environmentalist from Melbourne, Australia. My relationships were more about being apart than being together. And I spent a most of my time pining away, waiting for the next communication.
One day, a dear friend came for a visit. We were sitting in my bedroom, catching up. As usual, I was sad and lonely.
“Don’t you think it’s odd,” she said, pointing to a Mary Cassatt framed poster that hung opposite my bed, “that the image you see first thing every morning is a sad lady sitting at her desk sending a letter to her lover far away?”
“Odd” was kind. My story was staring me in the face and I hadn’t even noticed. “Clueless” was more like it.
“I think it’s time for a change,” I said as I removed the much-loved image of the forlorn lady from my wall.
Some time soon after, I began studying Feng Shui. I discovered that visual images, such as my poster, are related to the Wood Element. Wood, the second element in the Five Element Cycle, is associated with the spring season, growing things, items made of wood, and the color green. When Wood is present we experience movement, growth, and expansion. Wood is also related to vision—what we visualize internally as potentially real and what we see externally in what exists around us. Wood is the element we need more of when we seek to create positive change in our lives. Add a healthy plant. Add a green pillow. Add a new picture.
Or, take pictures away.
When we’re frustrated with the pace of change in our lives, it’s time to review the visual items we’ve been looking at for so long that we no longer really see them. Removing old imagery has created dramatic changes for many of my Feng Shui clients, but one woman’s story stands out from among the rest. I’ll call her Sarah. A single mom who had been struggling to raise her daughter alone since her birth sixteen years before, Sarah finally felt ready to meet her soul mate—but he was nowhere to be found. After a series of disappointing relationships, she was frustrated. Adding to her stress was a rebellious teenage daughter who had recently decided to paint her bedroom black.
As we sat chatting on Sarah’s couch, I noticed an array of pictures on the wall opposite us, surrounding the television which was the focal point of the room. Most of the pictures featured a young girl of varying ages, but none older than 10 or 11. Also framed on the wall were abstract crayon drawings, the kind a child would draw in kindergarten.
“Have you noticed,” I said, as gently as possible, “you have no pictures of your daughter as a young adult? Do you think she could be rebelling because that’s the only way she feels she can grow up in your eyes?”
She gasped, audibly. “You know, I’ve stopped noticing. Those pictures of my daughter have been there forever and I cherish them very much. But she doesn’t see any images of today. I can see how she would think that I don’t love her as she is now. I can see how that might make her angry.”
She sighed with sadness, “I just didn’t see it.”
“I know,” I said. And, I truly did.
Once Sarah saw the power of the images she was choosing to display, she exchanged them for some up-to-date pictures. Those changes, along with a number of other Feng Shui adjustments, brought dramatic change to Sarah’s life. Shortly after, she met a lovely man whom she married. Wealthy, he built her a dream house—complete with an entire wing for her daughter, who had magically returned to her sweet former self. And they really did live happily ever after.
The images we hang on our walls and display on our table tops tell stories. Long after we stop consciously seeing those stories, they continue to speak to our subconscious mind influencing our thoughts and feelings. In some cases the image itself may be benign, but the story of how the image can into our life holds negative meaning. The painting our ex-husband bought us as an anniversary present. The decorative bowl that always held fresh fruit when we lived in the tropics—another place, another time that we painfully miss. The antique candlesticks inherited from an aunt who always criticized and in whose eyes we always felt not good enough. All of these items have positive value, yet because of what they symbolize to us they contain negative energy. In Feng Shui terms, Negative Chi.
This spring I encourage you to welcome the change that the Wood Element brings by clearing out old imagery that blocks the flow. Walk through your home, slowly. Pay attention to what you see in a new way. With fresh eyes, let your home’s imagery tell you what it wants to say. Are the stories life-enhancing? Do they support what you are hoping to grow in your life? Do they honor the positive memories of the past or do they speak only of remembered pain?
Let go of all the imagery that no longer serves you. Select new imagery that reflects who you are now and who you hope to be. Visualize your best life and express that life in all that you see.
When I removed Mary Cassatt’s sad lady from my wall, I replaced it with an Anne Geddes photographic poster of a giggly, pudgy baby in a field of pink rose petals—the sad lady’s much younger sister, full of joyful bliss. Every time I looked at her, I smiled. She told me a happy story of contentment in simply being that has become my story today. At home with a wonderful husband who shares my bed. Geographically, very desirable.

A native Cape Codder, Sheryll Hirschberger Reichwein is an innkeeper, owning The Beach Rose Inn in West Falmouth with her husband Douglas. Prior to that, Sheryll was an Adjunct Professor of Communications at Cape Cod Community College. She is a certified Feng Shui consultant and a widely published writer whose work was often featured in Cape Women magazine.
www.theBeachRoseInn.com