An Urban Village: September 2014

Here kitty kitty...... grrrr miaow! !!

In a rather mischievous mood this afternoon, and this poster kindof aptly captures just it!

Not sure who the creative force behind my wild and wonderful kitty cat is, but I vow to search and update and credit accordingly

Have a fun and fabulous weekend you all.

Don't take life too seriously

Don't over think

Just go and be the most awesome crazy wonderful you you've ever imagined of being

Ps this is also a note to my fine self that oh so regularly over thinks and over analyse

I say 'No More'!

And I say Yes to be free of the mind and to live fully in the present

Image via Pinterest

Update: The creative force behind this image is Welsh Artist and Designer Rhys Owens and he has a cool web-shop called Hidden Moves where you can purchase his prints and designs. Do check it out!

Anyone else been feeling a bit out of sorts lately? Reflecting too deeply, thinking, over-thinking, analyzing - feeling anxious and overwhelmed for no certain reason whatsoever? There may be an explanation, which may help you - as it's helped me understand what I was experiencing and why, and thus not looking at my immediate life as such for answers, but lifting my gaze upwards towards the brightly lit night skies....

I'm a bit of a novice in this area, so I asked my very talented and inspiring niece and great friend, Natasja Brand-Mason to write this piece which I felt I'd like to share with you all... Natasja, thank you so much for a very inspiring and informative and well written piece of information xx

Natasja says 'Before we start it is important to distinguish between the influences of the moon and astrological influences. There’s a lot of interesting information about how the different planetary bodies can affect our lives and behavior. We can also see the moon more as a giant amplifier.

I believe we are all affected by the cycles of the moon. The moon exerts a gravitational field on the Earth, therefore tides are affected by the moon. Our bodies are about 60% water, of which our brain is around 85%, so this is one of the reasons we are also affected by he moon. This influence can be very energizing. Science tries to disputes the effects, but I know that Portugal get their riot police out on the full moon due to the fact that a lot more people behave disorderly than at other times. The more sensitive the person, the more the effect can be.

It is also believed that the moon affects the cycles of women. A lot of women’s cycles get tuned into the moon cycle. This is not true for women that use oral contraception. So the start of a women’s period can be at the full moon. It is also said a woman is at her most powerful at the time of her period. So this can be a testing time for women. Energies and old issues can be stirred up by the full moon’s energizing effect, and this combined with a heightening of our female powers, can have an overwhelming affect if we don’t prepare for it. At the same time we can use this time to our advantage to become more of our true self and let go of the bits that no longer serve us.

It will help to become aware of natures cycles. To understand the moon’s cycles, we have to look at the wider picture. Everything moves in cycles. Energy rises and peaks, then falls and disappears. Then reappears and the cycle starts again.
Like day and night, the sun comes and goes.
Like the seasons spring, summer, autumn and winter.
New things are initiated in spring. Crops are planted, and this is also the time for us to start new projects. Just so the new moon is a time for initiating new projects, clearing, and personal growth.

Full moon, like summer is a culmination of our efforts and projects. Most importantly is to let go and appraise what you have done, as the energy is turning. The full moon is the peak when the most light shines on your unresolved issues. Use this energy for releasing old patterns & healing. Fill the empty spaces created with new positive patterns and energize them with positive energy.

Autumn, like the waning moon is a time for review & evaluation.
In winter we hibernate. When moon is dark be still and do nothing. Dark moon is 3 days before the new moon. Pamper yourself and rest. Don’t ‘do’.

The reason we might be so out of touch could lie in how our time gets divided by the Gregorian calendar. How it divides the year into 12 months, is not aligned with the cycles of nature. A month is really a cycle of the moon, from new moon to full moon. In old cultures they understood and worked in harmony with these cycles. Our modern society is for the most part completely out of tune and out of touch with the cycles we life in and are intrinsically part of.

So how to we deal with those times of feeling so deeply sad, disappointed or whatever feeling causes you to take notice of yourself? To have a sustained and balanced personal growth, you would need to simultaneously work on all areas: physical health, the mind, soul/spirit and emotional. Starting with physical sometimes gives you that bit of extra help to give you the motivation to get on with it.
I recommend starting with the practice of Earthing. If you have not yet come across it yet, I highly recommend reading more up about this. Here’s just one link you might find useful:

http://earthinginstitute.net/about-us/

Crudely explained, our bodies are electric. We can stay healthy by means of absorbing the electrons available to us from the earth’s electro magnetic field. This is also true for plants and animals. Illness or free radicals carry a positive charge in the body. The negatively charged electrons come and fix this issue. So by standing barefoot on a place on the earth that is not covered by some obstructions, we will absorb electrons through our feet. If the area is wet or damp it is more conductive and effective. The charge first works through our outer layers such as skin, then deeper to the muscles, and after about 30 minutes it will reach deeper organs and bones. So at least 30 minutes a day is recommended.

If you live by the sea you are very lucky, as walking in the salty water will give you the fastest and best results. Since we started wearing shoes with plastic and rubber soles, we have been cut off from these health giving electrons to such a degree that we have become ill and depressed. Do an experiment. Try one week where you go outside and stand on a piece of grass, or best yet go for a paddle in the waves. You will be surprised by this easy and free tool for health. I worked with a woman in Sydney who had terrible morning sickness and it was causing her so much distress. I recommended Earthing. She came back the very next day, extremely excited that it worked. Since then she had hardly any nausea.

So in these times of acceleration and pressure, this is one of your best tools, and as I said it’s completely free. If you don’t have the time, then I guess your health and growth is just not a priority for you right now. For those that have no access to bare ground, there are Earthing mats you can buy or build yourself, just do some research. A friend of mine built his own Earthing mat for their bed, and has reported amazing results of increased energy, better sleep and health.

The most difficult area to address I believe is the mind. This is a whole discussion in itself, but in order to grow, and if you want to be a successful soul, you are going to have to sort this one out at some stage. Making personal time is very important. I’m very guilty of this one myself. Find something that suits your taste. Yoga, nature walking, singing in the shower. Whatever it takes. He is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I find the material in Eckhart Tolle’s free course extremely helpful:

https://www.eckharttolle.com/uncourse/login/

Maybe set yourself a time, even if you start with just one session a week and watch something inspirational and conductive to your growth.

What does the full moon have to do with any of this? I recommend seeing the full moon as an amplifier of what is already going on within you. It can stir up and bring to the surface things that need your attention and needs releasing. Higher energy will always dislodge and stir up lower energies that are trapped inside you. Old energy is from past, unresolved issues. Picture it this way: every time something that you deem ‘bad’ happens to you, and you can’t or won’t deal with it at that moment, it separates and gets trapped in a bubble inside of you. A part of your energy is now trapped inside you. Trapped energy distorts with time and can get negative. If you want to clear yourself and get all your energy back, sooner or later you need to ‘burp’ these bubbles. The energy gets released and if done right, get changed into positive energy. A clue here is not to identify with the old energy as it surfaces. Don’t give it your ‘stamp of approval’ as it will then just go back inside, waiting to resurface at another time. Become rather an observer of it as it rises and just let it out. This is difficult to do and we usually only make this distinction after the fact. But by practicing this awareness, we can become prepared, and then when the right moment comes, we can release it without re-energizing it.

We all know that emotional pain is uncomfortable at best, but this is only because of our perspective on the situation. Feel glad that you have the opportunity to get rid of something that no longer serves you. If you can, give healing and love to that part of you that feels neglected or disappointed. As this is how you change and grow and get chance to blossom into your true potential. The pain is from holding on. So observe it as best you can to gain an understanding of what is behind these feelings and reactions.

The moon’s light will help you illuminate those hidden feelings and little pockets of trapped feelings you’d rather forget. But remember the past has already happened. It’s over. So thank the experience and this feeling that reminded you that you still have something trapped inside, that you need to release. And then thank this experience, embrace it with love. Don’t judge it, as this will just tie you into another round of the same experience. Love it and set it free, and wish it well. Now give yourself love and compassion and healing into the area that has been freed up. Each and every person on this planet is very brave and has gone through so much in their journey. We are always hard on ourselves as we know and can feel our deepest true potential underneath. Also don’t look at others and how they are, what they do and compare yourself with them. You need only express YOU. So shine who you are as best you can. Focus on being the best YOU that you can be.

And trust that we are all part of a very beautiful and intricate puzzle, and each piece is needed to be exactly as it is to make up the picture. What would a puzzle look like where each piece is exactly the same?

Whether you might believe this to be true or not, we are all connected. This becomes apparent when someone you care about can pick up your thoughts, or you experience coincidences such as humming the same song, or calling each other at the same time. Just as a flock of birds can change direction in a split second, or a school of fish moves almost hypnotically in unison, so we humans are also connected. And while one of us are suffering, we will feel this pain. We can try and block ourselves of and try any addiction to try and suffocate this empathy we all share. The most helpful thing to do is to ask forgiveness
for our part in this pain, and so bit-by-bit we can help with the healing process of our group. Attacking something or someone will always just cause more pain and separation.

Enveloping it with love will set it free from your judgment and give it a chance to change. And the love will help it remember it’s true nature and guide it back to this state. If you want to get a better understanding of this forgiveness process, I highly recommend watching the material of Dr Hew Len and the practice of Ho’oponopono (based on an
ancient Hawaiian practice).

you tube

I have crammed a lot of information into this article, so I recommend finding the area that excites you most, and follow your inner guidance to the tool that is most relevant to you right now. We are all in the same boat. Next time you see someone be rude or insensitive to you, remember they might be going through some painful process you are not aware of. Just as you would not be unkind to a small brother or sister, rather lend them a loving hand, or just give them a smile, or send them some love. Lets help each other be the best we can be. Let’s be the example of freedom, love and growth.
In Lak’ech – “I am another you”

Natasja is an artist influenced by her love for nature and animals. She received a BA (Law) degree in 1997, but chose not to pursue a career in this direction. She has had an interest in health and consciousness for over twenty years and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this field.