NBC Dateline and James Arthur Ray

Recently I watched the NBC Dateline program on James Arthur Ray and the tragedy with the sweat lodge. As much as I could, I stayed neutral on the situation as far as where the fault lay. Determining fault was not my goal in watching.

http://youtu.be/RfZ6CJmUyo0

Although I had not read James Arthur Ray’s books or listened to his CDs, I was disturbed. Many of the beliefs he espouses are similar to my own beliefs. Although the metaphysical community differs somewhat, most of us believe in love over fear, manifesting by using the law of attraction, and giving to receive. Where I differ, being a licensed mental health counselor for many years is that I counsel that the client, student, participant be safe and I am careful to “do no harm.” Being an intuitive counselor I also share with clients, students, participants to follow their own internal guidance. Although I do intuitive readings, good readers are 80 – 85 % accurate and it is important that my clients listen to themselves above all. Of course, if they are mentally ill and apt to harm themselves or others, that is a different case.
What interested me the most when I watched this show is the question I had. When did their internal guidance break down? Not only the self-guidance of the participants of his workshop, but James Arthur Ray’s self-guidance as well. I wonder about the struggle within each individual between their ego and their intuitive self. At what point does your survival instinct kick in and override your ego?
I have counseled many clients who made poor decisions at the last minute, knowing fully well it was the wrong thing to do, but they did it anyway. It can happen because of peer pressure, interjects (hearing someone else’s voice in their head – usually a parent), or having a situation go on for so long, they lose the internal fight to make the right decision.  I have heard this often from clients who married when they knew they shouldn't have. The day of the wedding they knew it is the wrong move, but they did it anyway. I did that myself. Even though I loved the man and wanted to continue to be together forever, marrying into his family was not what I wanted, and living in a domestic union would have been best for us. But he asked and I said yes. Later we discussed this and he really didn’t want to either, but thought it was what he was expected to do. I am so grateful today I rarely make decisions without checking in with my intuitive self first!
How often do you make poor decisions even though your gut clearly warns you ahead of time?  Most of my private practice, my teachings and my writings are about self-healing and following and developing your internal guidance, your intuition.
 

We all have this ability, though we often give it up as children. We feel pressure from either our parents or our peers.  It may be helpful to write out some of the times you said yes, when no was clearly the right decision. Write out when you said no, when every cell in your body knew yes was the best choice. It is important to forgive yourself so you don’t make your past your future, but choose from this day on to breathe, take time to sense and make a decision balanced with your mind, your heart, and your intuitive self!

What about Vitamin D?

An Interview with Patrick C. Dougherty, D.C.
Recently I had some blood work done and found I was low in Vitamin D. I remembered several friends and clients had the same problem and so I contacted Dr. Pat to find out more.
Dr. Pat, I understand you are a Chiropractor here in Spokane. How long have you been practicing?
I have practiced chiropractic since March of 1994, first in Denver CO, and since November of 2004 in Spokane WA.

What else do you do in your practice? 
Chiropractic College did not prepare me to pursue creative solutions to people’s health challenges.  As a chiropractor I am required to take continuing education credits each year.  It is these classes that have shaped how I work today.  Rather than look at a person as merely muscles and bones, I initially  evaluate them in a total of six areas:  Musculaoskeletal, electromagnetics, nutrition excess and deficiency, toxicity, buried emotional stress, and allergy and sensitivity.  I do this with a combination of muscle testing, questionnaires, and intuition.
After the evaluation I present the person with a list of the health challenges I observed, they choose what they are willing to work on, and I help them overcome their challenges through chiropractic adjustments to optimize the nervous system, nutritional supplementation, diet counseling, exercise and posture counseling, soft tissue release techniques, and other energy techniques. 
I accomplish this by using my hands, mechanical adjusting instruments, cold laser therapy, and supplements.
Is it true that Vitamin D is a hormone?
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone.  Hormones are chemical messengers.  They have a shape that allows them to fit into the receptors of cells.  This is much like a jigsaw puzzle.  If the cell and the hormone fit together then the hormone can pass along its encoded message to the cell.
I understand you know a lot about Vitamin D. What is so important about Vitamin D?
A tremendous number of cells in the body have Vitamin D receptors.  For this reason, researchers have found that Vitamin D has the ability to optimize function in 2000-3000 genes in the human body.  That is 10% of all the genes in the body!  The better you genes and cells work, the better you will function.
The vast majority of everything we know about Vitamin D has been uncovered in this century.  Researchers have found Vitamin D deficiency in astounding numbers of named diseases and conditions.  While this does not mean that Vitamin D is the sole cause of any of these conditions, it does indicate that unhealthy people almost always have low Vitamin D levels.
The bottom line is that your genes are the blueprint for your body.  Vitamin D activates many of the “healthy” genes in the body.  Ask yourself, “do I want to build my body and my health with the best blueprint available to me, or will I settle for a blueprint from a first grade architecture class?”  If you want the best, then you will take Vitamin D.
How much Vitamin D should we take?
This is controversial subject.  The main reason it is controversial is that the FDA appears to be impervious to science.  It is only recently that the FDA raised the suggestion daily dose of Vitamin D from 400 IU/day.  Scientists have known for years that this is a fairly meaningless dosage.  Every year researchers at some of the best medical schools in the world are suggesting higher daily dosages of Vitamin D than ever before.  I have seen 10, 000 IU/day recommended in several papers in the past year.
Personally I am wary of such a high dose, but only because I have not seen enough evidence.  I have taken 3000- 5000 IU/day for the past 3 years.  When I have my Vitamin D blood level tested I have never come close to peaking at a dangerous level.
I recommend anywhere from 1000-5000 IU/day dependent on the personal factors involved.  I also recommend that people taking dose of 5000 IU/day and up get their blood level tested to insure they do not overdose on Vitamin D.
Can we just take the Vitamin D from the grocery store?
I recommend people get their supplements from a source they can trust to weed through all of the poorly made supplements and only provide the highest quality supplements.  I have yet to see a grocery store that meets this criteria.  Surveys have shown that a huge number of supplements are not well made, and at times they even have enough impurities to be harmful to a person.
Also, because Vitamin D is a steroid hormone it is fat soluble.  Many people have difficulties with fat digestion.  For this reason I use a liquid vitamin D in my office.  I believe the liquid form is more readily absorbed by more people than Vitamin D in the pill form.
My work is about self-healing. In what way would taking Vitamin D help in self-healing?
 Vitamin D, in my mind, is the king of the self-healing supplements.  I firmly believe in the chiropractic principle that the power that made the body can heal the body.  In other words we are meant to be healthy – until our pathologically stressful lifestyle interferes to a degree that the self-healing capacity of the nervous system to comprehend our stresses and adapt to them is overwhelmed.
Vitamin D, because it asserts a positive influence on so many genes in the body, and so many of our cells; increases the capacity of our body to resonate at a higher level.  When our vibratory frequency is peaking, so is the ability of the nervous system to comprehend and adapt to stress.  That adaptation is the key to expressing our innate healing ability.
What would you say are the top 3 other ways we can take good care of our health?
The key to good health is the ability of the nervous system to comprehend and adapt.  Receptors on the spine are the conductors for that communication.  For that reason, I recommend everyone get chiropractic adjustments.  Adjustments facilitate vibratory frequency in the spine, which encourages nervous system communication.  That communication is what allows a body to make good use of the three factors that follow.
 
 
1.  It would be easy to say Food, Food, Food here. But I will give you 2 other ways, also.  Food is the fuel for our body.  It is proper to draw an analogy to a car.  If the proper fuel is put in a new car it runs beautifully.  When you put a lesser grade of fuel in the car it runs more poorly.  Put diesel in a gasoline engine (or vice versa) and you have got big problems.  Put kerosene in your car and I shudder to think what would happen.
Our bodies are no different.  There is good fuel and bad fuel.  A good rule of thumb is that if you have to read a label, then the food is probably not great fuel.  Whole fresh foods, preferably organic and not shipped a great distance are going to supply your body more good fuel than processed foods.  People who ignore this principle are robbing their energetic essence.
2.  Exercise is so important.  Many people think that because they are active during the day they do not need to have a regular exercise program.  The focused intensity of an exercise program is much more valuable to must of us than a busy day.  Exercise programs need to be tailored to the individual.
3.  For number three I am going to cheat and say people need to honor the importance of positive self talk, good posture, a daily source of mind quieting activity, a daily dose of learning, daily expressions of gratitude, and finally having a clear and active purpose in life.
This has been really informative. Thank you so much! 
Dr. Pat Dougherty can be reached at his office in Spokane, WA by phone 509-327-4373,  or by email bud3dc@gmail.com.  Visit his website at www.spokane-chiropractic.com
Patrick C. Dougherty, D.C.  received a Bachelor of Science degree in May of 1992 and a Doctor of Chiropractic in December of 1993 from Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, OR; Certification in the Educational Program for Musculoskeletal Evaluation and Rehabilitation from the Department of Human Performance and Wellness of Mesa State College  in Colorado in 1999; and certification in Surface Electromyography (Semg) from Turning Point Logistics Systems, Inc.   He has practiced chiropractic since March of 1994, first in Denver CO, and since November of 2004 in Spokane WA.

Truth Lie Rose Video

In this video I assist you in gaining your own intuitive information through the Truth/Lie Rose. I learned this process in a workshop with The Church of Divine Man.

Breast Cancer Prevention

Whether it be mammography or thermography (or both), these tests are easy to get and provide a great preventive measure for women.

 

October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I have been thinking about the prevention of breast cancer.  The focus of most of my work and my upcoming book is about self-healing.  Self-testing and being preventative certainly fits in here. We are taught to do monthly breast exams as well as have mammograms yearly. What I have always thought is, it would be wonderful for women to communicate with their husbands, boyfriends, lovers, to be involved in this process as well. I figure since men like to play in this area, why not be more proactive in helping their women stay healthy. It would be an incredible experience for couples to bring checking for lumps into the privacy of their loving relationship.

I remember mentioning this to the nurse a couple years ago when getting a mammogram. She said that it is often the men who notice a lump in the woman's breast. Often by the time they do though, the lump is fairly large, so consciously examining for lumps more often would help.
The nurse said it is also good for men to have breast exams. We don’t think about this as much, but she said they see men in their office for mammograms about once or twice a month.
I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but instead inspires you to be an advocate for health with yourself and your loving partner.

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Moving into the Light!

When I awoke yesterday morning I noticed my dog Domingo lying in the small triangle of sunshine in the room. This spurred me to think about how important it is for us to move into the Light.

When I was a young person I often found myself in difficult situations, resisting and arguing and ending up in some pretty dark places, especially within myself. Depression was a common theme and it seems I was often angry and reactive.
Thankfully I have grown through and out of that, but I realize even today, I am extremely affected by my surroundings. The good news is I have choice where I go, who I see, and what I spend my time focusing upon.
You may relate to this as well. Many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and their mood changes dramatically over the fall and winter months. Even if you don’t tend to be depressed, negative or reactive, you may respond this way internally if not externally.
Some of the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are increased appetite and weight gain, increased sleep and drowsiness, social withdrawal, being lethargic, unhappiness and irritability, and loss of interest in work and other activities.
So, what does it mean to move into the Light?  I have some ideas.

• Take time to get outdoors during the day, even for 10 – 15 minutes. Take breaks and get sunshine and fresh air to change your mood. Even standing in the rain with an umbrella can be stimulating and clear your head.
• Engage in conversations that are fun and playful, but not at another’s expense.
• Spend more time watching inspirational TV shows and less violence and murder.
• Pull away from the busy-ness of the world and sit quietly and just breathe.
• Read positive, inspirational books.
• Spend time with those you love and focus on them. Play together, laugh together, but leave talk about the work stress for another time.
• Write out a gratitude list. Studies show this is more effective to do weekly than daily.

For Seasonal Affective Disorder, you could also take a weekend trip to somewhere warm like Las Vegas or Reno. Trips are inexpensive and make a big difference.  After checking with your doctor you could take Vitamin D. Also, you can use Light Therapy. Light panels are available online at Amazon for under $100.  I have used them in the past and they work great! Enjoy pulling in and also getting out!

You can find one of these Light Therapy Lamps at Amazon by visiting the following link:
http://amzn.to/p5jmQN

3-Running Cosmic Energy Video

In this video you will learn to Run Cosmic Energy and clear others energy out of your energy field. Cosmic Energy is also called the Christ Light!

2-Running Earth Energy Video

Running Earth Energy

1- Grounding Your Energy and Manifesting Video

In this Energy Medicine DNA video you will learn a simple tool of grounding your energy. This will assist your body in feeling safe and also help you to manifest your creations.

Remembering September 11th!

The media alerts us to remember 9/11 on this 10^th anniversary. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. I remember the day well. Awakened by my alarm, I turned the TV on to bring me gently into the world after a good night sleep. News flashed immediately with the intensity of alert. I saw the twin towers and the smoke. I allowed myself less than a minute of this before I switched it off.
My immediate reaction, instinct I suppose, was to protect myself. I understand that others may have felt safe watching the news and trying to understand. For me, my first thought was this is big, and I knew people would be watching TV and absorbing the fear as if it were poisonous gas. I knew wherever I went and with whomever I spoke, others would be full of anger, fear and pain. I wanted none of it.

Being an energy healer, immediately, I made a decision to have a different experience than the one the media fed. Motivated to holding the space of love and light, I took a couple deep breaths and focused up out of the top of my head into the heavens. I envisioned a golden white Light, what I call the Christ Light. I felt the energy come down through the top of my head into my body and felt the incredible vibration of love illuminating every cell of my body.  It felt incredible! I understood that I had control over how I felt during this time of crisis. I also knew that suffering due to this tragedy was not helpful to anyone. There was nothing of value in my being fearful or in pain.

At the time of perceived and real crisis, I chose to be detached from the sensationalism of the media. My awareness was heightened realizing how I could control how I felt and what I experienced. This was a practice of learning to control my feelings rather than having my feelings control me. The mind can be used to control physical pain as well.

When we lose people in a crisis such as this, grief is a natural, healing response. It is important to have clear boundaries though, and to feel your own pain and not take on the pain of others. Holding the space for others healing by being present to them allows them their pain. It it is definitely important to feel your feelings.  It is also important to understand that what you choose to focus on is your choice and you can increase your feelings of happiness, gratitude, fear or anger.

On this anniversary of September 11^th, choose to feel gratitude for your country.  Remember your loved ones, all your loved ones who have passed and hold the space for those who are currently grieving. Take time to focus on the positive and lift someone’s spirit! Be present to others, love, and be happy.


Remember we are one people, more similar than different, all over the world!

Bless your hearts!

Letting Intuition Unfold

This morning as I packed (on my way to Santa Clara for Experts’ Academy) I decided to take my favorite long sleeve t-shirt with Mount Fuji printed on it. The print is delicate and beautiful, in Japanese art style. This shirt is of my favorite purchases I bought in Kyoto a couple years ago when working in Japan. As I walked along the walkway in the Salt Lake City Airport, I saw a gigantic wall filled with a photo of Tokyo and featuring Mount Fuji. Strolling along, looking for the healthiest food I could find, I found a little seating area across from MachuWok and sat down to catch up on emails and FB posts. I saw a man across from me and was curious if he was Japanese or not. Then I heard him on his cell phone and my ears delighted in the familiar Japanese language I love, but do not speak.

Tokyo Temple

These three connections wet my appetite for something amazing and interesting to happen on this trip. I can’t remember a time when I traveled that I did not have an experience worth writing about and these associations have set me up to be even more aware. This is partial how intuition develops. We become aware of associations, what we think may be coincidences, and happenings that create patterns in our lives.
Now I know that this will be a great workshop with Brendon Burchard and mystery speakers, but now I have a heightened anticipation. I have an expectation of positive manifestations coming my way. I was told Deepak Chopra and Daniel Amen had been speakers in the past. I am excited to see what lay ahead.
I’ll keep in mind the Japanese influences and pay attention to what unfolds. I invite you to do that as well. Notice the connections, associations, patterns around you and watch with heightened anticipation for great things to unfold in your life! This is one process of increasing intuition and manifesting your desires!

Soul Mates

When doing readings I often get asked about soul mates. It seems  there is a  lot of confusion about the concept of  soul mates. Often a soul mate is thought of as a perfect mate; one who truly is the love of your life, the other half of you. I believe a soul mate is more like the person in your life who is your mirror. Through relationship with a soul mate you are revealed to yourself. The ways in which you hide are revealed and the shadow side of your personality is exposed. A soul mate is one who comes into your life, tears down the barriers to your full self-expression and intensifies situations so your true self is revealed. You find another layer peeled away and often this person then moves on. If you can stay present and learn from this experience, totally acknowledging and owning who you are, this person can end up being your best friend and one whom you love deeply. If you are not able to see yourself with the veils pulled down then there will be chaos and struggle and the relationship can end up as a painful memory. Relationships can be intensely healing, especially when we know that they bring up all that we have left to heal so we can become our Highest Self.

Interview with Swami Samayananda Part 3

This inteview was conducted at the Yashodhara Ashram in British Columbia, Canada on the beautiful Kootenay Lake.This is part 3 of 3 parts.
(Some sections have been edited for grammar.)
Candess:  When you are talking about that, some of the yogas like the Divine Light Invocation is one of the tools I have been using here and there are so many tools. It has been incredible. What is one of your favorite tools?
Swami Samayananda: For me, one of my favorites is Mantra. I have had a mantra practice since early 1980s. I also do my practice with a harmonium, which I like. There is that whole practice of having an instrument. I tend to be restless by nature so it gives my hands something to do. Also, singing has been a big part of my life. To be able to channel all of that into the mantra and to have a practice like that that doesn’t get old, it just keeps getting deeper and deeper and it feels to me like a dear friend. It is where I go each day and it offers me tremendous support.

Candess:  I love the Satsang. The chanting and the mantra is so beautiful. I have a book coming out in January that is called 12 Weeks to Self-Healing: The Gift of Pain. What way would you say that one of the Yoga practices would be helpful in self-healing?


Swami Samayananda:  Swami Radha wrote a book called The Yoga of Healing.  In it, there are several chapters. Some I remember are working with the Light. It is a small book and at the end of each chapter it has four practices you can do. The first one is on the Light and the Divine Light Invocation is one practice. There is also a section on breath. We know that connection with breath and our own healing and when we get anxious, the breath shortens, shortens, and shortens. That is not healthy for the body. Working with breath is healthy and calming for the body. Also, Hatha Yoga, especially when it I approached from more than the physical. What is my body saying to me as I am going into the pose and doing the pose. Mantra, absolutely for sure. Especially the Hari Om mantra is a healing mantra. Using mantra is healing as well. Relaxation is very healing. Those are a few.

Candess: That is great! One of the reasons I came her is to rest. I had been pushing myself too hard. We had a whole day on learning to rest. I learned so many tools that I would not have known before. It’s been very helpful.
If someone wanted to go on retreat here, what would be the best way for them to find out about the programs?
Swami Samayananda:  The best way would be to go to our website and just take a look at what we offer. There is a whole range from weekend workshops to 3 day retreats, 4 day retreats, 10 day retreats like you are on now, to our 3 month Yoga Development Course. There is just about something for everybody. Our basic retreats really introduce people to the practices we offer here, Swami Radha’s teachings. There are some specific ones, like we have one coming up called the Inner Life of Asanas which is a way of going deeper with the Hatha Yoga practice. We had one this summer not too long ago called Facing Change, Exploring Options, so there are lots of different ways for people to come and be here. People can also come on private retreat and join with us for a couple hours in Karma Yoga so they feel connected in the community. The rest of the times, they can enjoy the prayer rooms. It is beautiful as you said. The trails, the lake, the Temple, the library are all available for people when they are here.
Candess: I went to the Temple the other night and I could just feel Swami Radha there. I thought, this must be her favorite place.
Swami Samayananda: – It is.
Candess:  It was so clear to me. It was so beautiful there.
Swami Samayananda: – She said when she died, that is where she would go.
Candess:  I have another guide that I work with and I was connecting with this guide, but Swami Radha was right there, so I thought OKAY!


Is there anything else that would be helpful for people to know about being a Swami or your life path or being here at the Ashram.
Swami Samayananda: I think one thing that is important for people to know about coming here is it is a time of renewing, learning some practices, some tools as you said to take away. There is no dogma in yoga. There is not doctrine. It is not a religion. I think it is really important. We are an Ashram; it is a spiritual community, so we have people who come who are Buddhist, who are Christian, who practice in the Jewish faith, Muslims, and people who have no particular tradition that they follow but are open to that spiritual dimension and they just want to take a step further. I think that is often a relief.
When people come, we do have imagery around. Imagery and symbolism whether we know it or not is very important to us. We live it anyway and symbols are there simply as a symbol that is reflecting some in ourselves so sometimes for some people, and part because of our Christian Judaic background in the West, images can be a little off-putting; but they are so beautiful and the have so much to say to us if we open them up and take them apart.  I think the biggest thing is it is a beautiful place to be, to heal, to renew, to gain perspective and then take what is meaningful back out; bridge it back out to your life, back home, family, friends, work, whatever. Often people will come back and get a little bit more and take it back, back and forth. That is what I did for years.
Candess:  That is wonderful! It took me probably to day eight until I started feeling myself again, so it was such a wonderful place to renew and relax. Thank you so much.
Swami Samayananda: Namaste
The end. . .

Interview with Swami Samayananda Part 2

This interview was taken at Yashodhara Ashram in British Columbia, Canada on the beautiful Kootenay Lake.
(Some sections have been edited for grammar.)
Candess: When I hear you talk, it sounds like what’s happening is that you are keeping the truth of what Swami Radha had in terms of living out what she taught, to truly keep living it and not have a separation.
Swami Samayanda: Yes, and no matter what the changes are that happen, there is that very solid core that cannot change, because that is what an Ashram is. It is the center of one teacher’s teachings and we are all committed to that. To what she gave us and in our gratitude, that is what we give back. These have to be applied to what is happening in the world. Our focus now is to be carbon neutral by 2013. We are not cut off from the world. Our sustainability, how do we care for our forests? Our development, Yashodhara Heights, three cabins that we built are all extremely green. We are very much in tune with what is happening with the world and what the concerns are in the world, and bringing them right in to our community, right here. We are always asking. We can go back to her teachings and it is all there. Carbon neutral, it is all there. Sustainability, it is all there. We say, “I am sustained by Divine Light, I am sustained by the teachings.” So how do we bring that out then, into the actual physical place we work and to the people who come.

Candess:  That is exciting. The more I hear about this, I am so grateful I am here. My connection with the Spokane Radha House has been mostly through Yoga for Health and Healing and the Dream Yoga. There are a lot of forms of yoga other than the physical. Can you tell me more about yoga?
Swami Samayanda: It is interesting in the West, we have taken one yoga practice out of the entire yogic system and we call it yoga. It’s basically Hatha Yoga. It’s working with the body. It is mainstream. When you say the word yoga, everybody thinks of a studio and doing postures and that kind of thing. Yoga, actually if you look at the original sutras, the yoga sutras by Patanjali; asanas are a very tiny, tiny, part of the yogic system. Their original intent is to prepare the body to be still for meditation and other yogic practices.  I see that changing in the West, where a lot of people were just interested in the physical part of it. More and more I hear people say, I know there is more. What more is there? There has got to be more to this. There are probably about 39 kinds of yoga, of which Hatha is just one. What Swami Radha brought back were several that we work with here.

We work with Dream Yoga, which is the interpretation, learning to interpret our own dream messages. We work with Kundalini Yoga which is the study of, really of how we use energy, how we express ourselves, the choices we make and how that comes out in our speech, in our behavior, in our thoughts. We also work with the Yoga of Light and our primary way of doing that is through the standing practice of doing the Divine Light Invocation. We focus on Mantra Yoga, which is the yoga of chanting, sound, vibration. We work with Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga is the basis actually of our Ashram which is the yoga of action. Work is service. It is different than just volunteering. We actually do the yoga and ask ourselves what we are learning from it. What is the work teaching us? It is not just doing the work, getting the work done itself, its what we are learning in that process.

(next . . . Part 3)

Interview with Swami Samayananda Part 1

This interview took place at Yashodhara Ashram in British Columbia, Canada. This Ashram is on the beautiful Kootenay Lake.
 (Some sections have been edited for grammar.)
Candess: What motivated you to become involved with the Ashram?
Swami Samayananda: In the late ‘70s I was in a PhD program in Transpersonal Psychology in California at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and it was one of the first of its kind anywhere in North America.
And it was in the first half of the year I was there I met Swami Radha. She came as a teacher in the course and she was teaching one of the workshops she had created called Life Seals.  She had been very supportive of the whole transpersonal movement because she thought it was a way that women could come into the work, which was very dominated by men, the whole psychological field [was dominated by men]. And also she thought it was the women who would bring a more feminine approach into psychology and also open it up more to the spiritual. She really supported the whole transpersonal institute that was started there.
She agreed. She offered to come to teach and she did many of the first years that the school was there. That’s how I initially. .  . a door opened, I met her and then I left California, my life went on in other directions and then I moved back to California.
Six months after I moved back she opened her first center of her teachings, her first one in the states, 20 minutes from where I was living. And so, I spent a lot of time with her in workshops she offered and with her during the mid 80’s. To have a teacher who was so, well, first of all she was female and that was wonderful, for me, but also to have a teacher who lived what she said. There was no discrepancy between who she was and how she lived her life and how she taught and what she offered. I always had a sense there was so much more behind her, as a person. I was always curious what that was. What was it that she knew?  Why did she think the way she thought? It was always a drawing power for me.
So, It wasn’t until 1987 I came to the Ashram itself. I was living in California and I was with her. Then it was in ‘87 I came for the first time for our 3-month yoga development course. That was the first time I had taken it.  So even then I was going back. I came and took the course and I went back to my job and back to my life in California. And over time in my life there has been a lot of back and forth, living at the centers that are connected with the Ashram and teaching there, directing there, but always coming back and returning here. A couple of years ago I said I just want to be here, so that is what I did.

Candess: That is great. It is beautiful here. Where is it that she first started? What was her first center?
Swami Samayananda:  She immigrated to Canada in ’54 or a couple of years earlier, not exactly sure, but it was around that time from Germany. She had a visionary experience, which took her to India and to her training time with Sivananda, Swami Sivananda Rishikesh. And then he sent her back to the west. So she came back in ’56. A very different . . . she was 44 years old and she was a professional dancer and she was an immigrant and so she was doing any kind of work she could find to pay her rent. She left everything again which she had also done in Germany, and went to India.
She just wanted to stay there. He [Swami Sivananda] sent her back. He said no, there is a lot that you can offer to Westerners. In ’56 she came back. She only had 6 months with him and she said literally she’d only in that six months had 12 hours with him. Just with him. She came back. Her first center of work was in Montreal. Eventually she moved out west. The temperature and everything was much more conducive for her and she started the first Ashram in North America in Burnaby, right outside of Vancouver and eventually moved to this location here in the interior of BC. Yashodhara Ashram
Candess:  The more I hear about her the more grateful I am that we have a Radha House Yoga Center in Spokane. So, being a Swami, What does it mean to be a Swami?
Swami Samayananda: There is sannyasan tradition. Sannyasan means becoming a Swami, living the life of a renunciant basically, in many countries of Asia. In the West it’s a whole lot less of a familiar choice in living a life. So what it really means is dedicating. I’ll talk personally. It means dedicating my life to the teachings that we offer here at the Ashram, which are Swami Radha’s teachings. So being of service to the people who come here, whether its teaching, whether its making special arrangements for people, listening to people, whatever it is, it really is making a commitment to a life of service, and doing the work that needs to be done. So the runinciation part is renouncing those things that I might personally want to do. What comes first is being of service and my commitment to the Divine, or to the Light or to whatever name we give that part of us that transcends the normal everyday life that we live. So it is really based a lot on surrender and learning what surrender means, which is very different than saying yes to anything that comes along and everything that comes along. It certainly is discrimination but it also is really learning what surrender is all about. What does it mean to let go of things that I am really attached to? Whether it is my ideas, whether it is physical things, or whatever. Freedom. There is a tremendous freedom that comes from a life of renunciation. I really recommend it.
Candess: I am doing the 10-day yoga course here now and I am just delighted. I can see how you and the other teachers have been so patient with us. (Swami Samayanda laughs) What is it like for you living in a spiritual community? How has your life changed?
Swami Samayanda:  Well it’s interesting because in a community like what we have here, it is a constant learning. The people that come together at any point and time wouldn’t necessarily be people I might go out and choose and say, oh, could I live with you or could we live together. That is part of the surrender, trying to understand, why has this particular group of people come together at this time and how do we support each other. That means not just the nice, friendly, supportive times, but it means how do I remain honest with myself and with the people that I live with. There is a small group of us that are living here permanently. We have our own class every week and it is a reflection class and we talk about what we are going through and what we are thinking and we talk about things that come up among us. It stays very open and flexible and honest among ourselves, because if that doesn’t happen with the core, it’s not going to happen in the whole community.

One of the things I find very vibrant about this community is we have people here at times ranging in ages. Recently we had a 3 year old up to someone who is 87. It is very intergenerational in that way. So we all have an opportunity. In society things are so segmented. Here we all have an opportunity to learn to live together, to work together, and to eat our meals together. It really is an integrative way of learning. So for me it is very exciting.
Swami Radananda who is our spiritual director, who is Swami Radha’s successor, is very much like Swami Radha in that she truly knows that life is a flow, that life is change. We have all kinds of scientific facts now telling us that life is not what it appears to be. There are waves, there are changes, there are vibrations, and there is all of this happening all the time. So, we are more and more putting ourselves in that flow asking, what do we need to be looking at? What do we need to be asking? What are the next steps in the future? We are in a big process right now, looking ahead to the next 10 or 15 years, and the fact that many of us in the core group are in our 60s and one is 70, and one is 82. Here we are now. We can’t keep doing what we have been doing forever. The next generation, how do we bring them in which is in the process of happening?  What are we going to do as we get older. I find it very, very exciting and it also takes some getting used to. In the outside world, at least in my life was trying to find the stability where things didn’t change so much. Here we are constantly moving and changing.

(to be continued. . .)

The Victim Archetype

In the last blog I gave you  some information about the Saboteur Archetype and encouraged you to use the information to explore within yourself in the privacy of your journal. Today, I am focusing on the Victim Archetype.  This information comes from information from Caroline Myss' work in her Sacred Contracts book and the classes I took from her on Medical Intuition and Sacred Contracts. I have also added information that I have gained from working as a mental health counselor and chemical dependency professional for over 20 years.

Remember that we all have 4 archetypes that we share. These are the Child, Victim, Saboteur and Prostitute.  Each of these archetypes have a positive side to them and with the Victim it is Self-Esteem. This would be the other side of the victim.  The focus of my newsletter is All Healing is Self-Healing. This is also the focus of my book 12 Weeks to Self-Healing: Evolving Through Chronic Pain.

In the process of self-healing, you have to come to terms with your victim self and move beyond this state of being. You can identify your victim, confront the behavior, love and forgive yourself and bring your energy into present time. In fact, unless you can bring at least 80% of your energy into present time, you will not have the power to self-heal. What do I mean by bringing yourself into present time? Watch your thoughts. Do you go off to the future (which can create anxiety) or drift off to the past (which can cause depression) or are you able to be present in the moment?

I will write more about present time, but for now, enjoy exploring this archetype that can bring you high self-esteem once you embrace this part of yourself and move on!

Victim Archetype

Guardian of Self Esteem

Core issue is whether it is worth giving up your own sense of empowerment to avoid taking responsibility for your independence.

• When you don't stand up for yourself after awhile you no longer can tell the difference whether you are being victimized or not; so either you are being victimized and don't know it or you are not being victimized, but act as if you are.
• The victim archetype helps you decide what you will or will not do; a guardian of personal boundaries.
• Lessons associated with the victim archetype demand that you evaluate your relationship to power, especially with people with whom you have control issues and have to set boundaries.
• Primary objective is to develop self-esteem and personal power.
• You have contracts with people whose primary purpose is to help you develop yourself-esteem through acts of honesty, integrity, courage, endurance and self-respect.
• The victim will entice you to feel sorry for yourself.
• You can act like a victim and give in or call upon your companions and guides for help.
• Like the lion in the Wizard of Oz, you need to have the courage to look at your victim and make it your ally.
• Do you victimize yourself in the way you interpret conversations with other people?
• Does your victim alert you to protect yourself rather than letting people take advantage of you?
• Does your victim motivate you to be shrewd in the dealings of whatever house it is in?
• Does your empowered victim allow you to take risks in your life?
• The victim urges us to act appropriately when we are in danger of being victimized.
• The victim can alert us to being victimized through passivity and rash or inappropriate actions.
• It can also alert us to how we victimize others for personal gain.
• In shadow it may show how we play victim for sympathy or pity.

Bless your heart,

Candess

The Saboteur Within - Exploring this Archetype

I was talking with a client earlier this week whose saboteur archetype is in full force and then last night with a friend about relationships after he read my blog on soul mates. According to the teachings of Caroline Myss (I love her work) there are 4 main archetypes we all share. They are the Child, Victim, Saboteur and Prostitute.
I took a class from Caroline many years ago on Sacred Contracts and then taught from her book of the same name. From the information I gained from her and some of my own experiences, I came up with a list of characteristics of these archetypes. Myss explains how each of these four archetypes are like legs of a table in which we build our life. I'll share the information first about the Saboteur Archetype which Myss refers to as the Guardian of Choice. If you journal, this will give you a great opportunity to explore your inner life journaling from these characteristics.
Core issue of saboteur is fear of inviting changes into your life; changes that shape and deepen your spirit

• Other side of destruction is rebuilding and rebirth
• Use saboteur to consciously dismantle areas of your life you need to fix or heal
• Makes itself known through disruption and resistance
• Is the mirror that reflects your fears of taking responsibility for yourself and what you create
• You can silence the saboteur with acts of courage and following your intuition
• Listen to the small voice and make choices - small ones to begin with
• Shadow saboteur will play on your fears that you are not good enough to accomplish anything on your own
• We are afraid that if we are enlightened we will be alone, wont' be vulnerable, capable of sensual love, so we feed the shadow saboteur, the part of use that is fragmented
• We fear empowerment because we think it will remove us from the warmth and comfort of loved ones
• We fear empowerment because we don't want to be responsible for our actions and therefore consciously or unconsciously encourage our weakness and hold onto our fears; we do want to be around others that are empowered or enlightened though
• Do you sabotage your personal growth for a little comfort or does your inner saboteur alert you to stay on the Yellow Brick Road
• Work with your saboteur to see where you may be doing yourself in (what are you doing you know you should not be doing and what you are not doing that you know you should be doing?
• Have you blown an opportunity to follow a dream?
• Saboteur is made up of the fears and issues related to low self esteem that cause you to make choices in your life that block your own empowerment and success
• When you make the saboteur your ally it can call your attention to ways you might be sabotaged or sabotage yourself and then you can make other choices The intellect of the scarecrow can work with your saboteur to alert you to when you are doing yourself in

I love the Spokane River!

During the blogging workshop this morning put on by Jeff Gish and Pia Hallenberg Christensen, I met a young man who was new to Spokane. We chatted about what brought him here and I thought about having lived in Spokane all my life. I remember saying when I left, check out the Spokane River.

When I think about Spokane, what I love is the river.
I’ve walked the Spokane River for nearly 30 years now.  Originally I walked near Gonzaga University and now in Peaceful Valley where I live.

Domingo, my Cairn terrier mix and I love the walk to People’s Park. We walk across the Sanifer Bridge and I delight in feeling the water mist up on my skin.  A cacophony of birds lead us deeper in the park where Latah Creek intersects with the Spokane River.  The creek, also known as Hangman Creek changes seasonally from being like a rolling river, to a frozen lake and in late summer to a few puddles you can walk across. My favorite time is in the early spring when the frozen creek breaks and 6-inch ice chucks feed the river.
The Spokane River is a photographer’s dream!

Latah, or Hangman Creek is an area where the Spokane Indians used to camp. My friends, Bill Kostelec, The Blue Ribbon Tea Company wrote a song, The Pride of Vinegar Flats about this.
Enough writing, we’re going for a walk!

Listening to my body at the Ashram!

The last 10 days of July I had an incredible experience at the Yasodhara Ashram in beautiful British Columbia. I was aware of this Ashram because of the Radha Yoga Center in Spokane where I have taken yoga and dream classes for several years.

You may be aware of my experience with adrenal fatigue in 2008 and 2009. At the retreat one day our focus was on Relaxation and Rest. What happened for me was I realized (again) I didn't know how to rest. Previously, I would get tired and use caffeine and sugar to push through. We experienced Hidden Language Yoga and it was wonderful. After the pose, we journaled. First we did the Bridge and Tranquility Poses to become aware of our spine. Then we did the Cobra. We dialogued with ourselves after each pose. The question I journaled with was "What do I surrender to?" The answer could be another blog or newsletter. For me my back clearly disclosed that it needed further support and in the cobra I understood my abdomen needs to support my back. This will alleviate the back twinges I get occasionally.

Also, I contemplated the relationship between Joy and Surrender. I clearly understood I fight with mySelf inwardly by choosing confusion and indecision rather than surrendering and moving into a state of wait. I fight outwardly by resisting rather than accepting and letting life unfold. When I surrender, there is no struggle and I feel JOY!

Class focused on rest and we did some relaxation and visualization exercises. It was delightful. During lunch and on our break we were asked to be in silence. I spend a lot of time alone, but I became aware of how much rest I get when I am in conscious silence.




I spent time on the beach of Kootenay Lake and had quite a walk back up to my room in Saraswati. As I began the journey back I decided to bring rest into my life. I will write more about this when I write and share my Karma Yoga experience. On the way back I decided to stop to rest after a number of steps. I looked at the flowers, the trees, the birds, the cherries and the apples on each rest stop. When I got to the steps I decided to take 10 steps and rest, 10 steps and rest. It was an incredible experience. Whenever I stopped, the colors were so much more grand!

My desire for the retreat was rest. Now I am rested, have learned incredible tools and am more conscious of my life and my relationship with the Divine!

Bless your heart, Candess