Wisdom from the walking trail

It’s all about frame of mind…

Whatever you do …. if you decide before you do it that you hate it or will hate it then it’s probably not going to be an enjoyable experience for you. (This isn’t always true.. but mostly true.. there are always those exceptions

If you set your mind to be open to the task.. then who knows.. you may end up liking it or at the least .. not minding it so much.

I started out in my most recent “battle of the bulge” thinking that adding a workout to my already busy day was just going to be that much more work for me… it made just getting to the gym a real chore… talking myself into going and not giving up all the way home up until I actually stepped foot into the gym and then from there I would have to talk myself into staying on the bike while I was there just to get through the whole workout.

Then suddenly a funny thing happened somewhere between getting there.. being there and finishing my workout…. My thoughts went from dread to I now look forward to my workouts! How can that be??????

Well I wasn’t going to give up on the workouts .. it is my mission this time around to win this battle… and so I might as well try my best to find a way to like what I’m doing. So I did! I found something in the gym that I absolutely love .. that would be the swimming and the sauna .. hee hee LOVE IT! I save that for last .. I go in do my rounds with the weights .. do my 30 minutes of cardio and then my reward is there waiting every time.. time to swim .. which is also a great workout so there’s an extra benefit to me.. and then after swimming as many laps as I can handle .. off to the sauna I go.. there is my meditation time.. time to just sit and relax and sweat off a bit more weight at the same time.

So now it’s so much easier to get through my workouts .. so much easier to get to the gym .. and all in all I feel better.. I don’t have that looming dread hanging over me at the end of my day.

As soon as my thoughts changed from negative to positive .. everything clicked and my world became a whole lot brighter. This was something I needed to do regardless of how I thought about it so I might as well turn it into something enjoyable.

I’m lucky that my thoughts changed so quickly .. just 5 weeks into my battle.. if only they had changed years ago maybe I wouldn’t have such a large battle.. but that’s in the past and for now I’m concentrating on each day as it comes.

Message of the day:

When you have a task before you and you’re feeling that dread … look around and see if there is a way to see the positive and embrace that part of it.. even if it’s something small.. a little bit of positivity goes a long way!

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Today's Walk

What a beautiful Spring day!

I pushed myself away from my desk and took myself down the street to the park and walked for my lunch break. I was greeted at the path entrance by sister crow, cawing from overhead.

Crows are the keepers of the Sacred Law and to have a Crow totem is very powerful. Personal Integrity are your watchwords and your guide in Life. If you have a Crow totem, your prime path is to be mindful of your opinions and actions. You must be willing to walk your talk, to speak your truth and to know your life’s mission. Crow is a omen of Change. Crow lives in the void and has no sense of time, therefore, it sees past, present and future simultaneously. Crow merges both light and dark, both inner and outer.
It is the totem of the Great Spirit and must be respected as such. They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength. Look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life. Crows are messengers calling to us about the creation and magic that is alive in the world today and available to us.

As I rounded my path for the 3rd time.. look at what was gifted to me

As I’m making my rounds my dear friend the dragonfly swoops by for a visit… and I say hello!

Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment; and the communication from the elemental world. Dragonfly medicine beckons you to seek out the parts of your habits which need changing. Call on Dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation.

The Jasmine is starting to bud and the fragrance is already filling the warm spring air… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…. so relaxing!


Jasmine is an astringent, anti bacterial, anti viral, cooling and bitter herb. It stimulates the uterus, calms nerves and is reportedly an aphrodisiac for women.

It is also used as an alternative for cancers, as well as viral and bacterial infections. J. officinale is used in perfumes, as well as flavoring for maraschino cherries.

It is mostly used in Ayurvedic medicine for infections with high fever, conjunctivitis, sunstroke, dermatitis, as well as cancer of the bones, lymphatic nodes and breast cancer.
Also it is used for mouth ulcers, and the fresh juice is applied to corns.

■This is useful for severe depression and especially for postnatal depression.
■It is useful during childbirth since it relieves pain and strengthens contractions and is also a hormonal balancer.
■On the skin it is used with great effect to treat dry, stressed and sensitive skins and also helps to increase elasticity.
■It has anti-depressant, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac, emmenagogue, emollient, galactagogue, sedative and uterine properties.
The Robins are everywhere .. preparing their nests and fetching food for the young ones that have already hatched.. I always smile when I see the Robin.. it reminds me of the fairies.


A Robin totem will stimulate new growth in all areas of your life. Believe in yourself as you move forward. Obstacles will fall by the wayside if you do and confrontations will be for show only. This totem gives you the ability to will new growth into your life. Meditate on Robin and the correct path will be revealed to you.

I have to also speak of the Polk Salad that grew along the path .. It reminds me of my grandmother… when I was young she would always send me out to pick it when was ready. Then she would take it inside…. wash it off and cook a big pot of it … I never ate because I couldn’t stand the smell.. but she sure loved it!

Since pioneer times, pokeweed has been used as a folk remedy to treat many ailments. It can be applied topically or taken internally. Topical treatments have been used for acne and other ailments. Internal treatments include tonsillitis, swollen glands and weight loss. Dried berries were ingested whole as a treatment for boils, taken 1 berry per day for 7 days. Grated pokeroot was used by Native Americans as a poultice to treat inflammations and rashes of the breast. Independent researchers are investigating phytolacca’s use in treating AIDS and cancer patients. Especially to those who have not been properly trained in its use, pokeweed should be considered dangerous and possibly deadly.

All in all I’d say another productive walk


See you on the next round!

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Look Twice Before You Leap!

I hadn’t posted anything all day today because I just haven’t had any insightful words to give … well… That has now changed!

I work with a wonderful guy here at Coldwell Banker Barnes in Brentwood, his name is Jerry Kemp and he’s been a real estate agent for over 48 years. Today he told me a story and I’d like to take a moment to share his story.

Back in the day when he was in army and was in training … his unit was out doing maneuvers. They came upon a spot that was really dark in one area and light in another. He told his captain that it looked like they were going to have to jump over the ditch. The Captain said, no we will just go around. Jerry then says, how long will it takes us if we go around it? The Captain replies with, about an hour. He said to the Captain.. “hold on and watch this” (famous last words… hahahahahah)

Jerry backs up and takes off running and goes for it!

Then suddenly realizes that what he thought was the bank of the ditch in front of him was actually the tops of the trees down in the valley.

So there goes Jerry.. reaching out trying to grab hold of every limb he falls into on his way down … oh and screaming all the way. Limb after limb just breaks as he falls. He lands and by means of some sort of miracle only has scratches and bruises… nothing was broken. The Captain shouts down, are you ok? Jerry shouts back to them.. I’m ok but yall go around!

Jerry said to me after his story… about half way down he was thinking of quitting the army …lol

He sure had an angel watching after him that day and since then I bet he looks twice before leaping into the darkness!

It’s always a pleasure to hear Jerry’s stories…. I can picture in my mind, him free falling into those trees.. thinking it was just going to be a quick jump over the ditch.

So take Jerry’s advice… live and learn and oh yeah.. Look twice before leaping!

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

What's Holding You Back Today?

What's Holding You Back Today From Chasing Your Dreams?

Is it money?

Is it Know-how?

Is it time?

Is it opportunity?

What is it that holds you back today?

Take your dreams in your own hands today and do something .. even if it is only to sit down and draw/write out a plan of action.

Do something today that will help you step a little closer to your dreams.

To have a dream/goal and do nothing to bring it into reality is a sad loss.

Even if the dream is never fully brought into creation.. if you work toward that goal/dream.. you will have at least tried. But if you do nothing to bring that dream into reality .. it is lost forever.

Take a chance .. and do something today that will bring you one step closer to that dream.

You just never know.. with each step you become that much closer and before you know it ... that dream/goal might be staring you right in the face.

You'll never know until you try.


Go ahead .. step closer to your dreams today!!!


Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Stripping it all away

This is a vision I had a couple of years ago and thought now to be a good time to re-share with you my experience…

The Milk Ceremony ~

I was laid out in circle completely naked as the clan mothers cleansed me with milk. They carefully poured milk all over my body taking care not to miss any part of me. Once this was done pieces of leather were laid over my more private areas and a medicine man then came into the circle. He carried with him a large shell of smoke to once again cleanse and bless me and the area before he began his medicine.

What happened next was something I would have never imagined. It was as if I had many layers of myself on me…. Like layers of clothing it was as if I had layers of flesh that had built up over the years. The medicine man stood at my feet and with gestures he pulled off each layer one by one. With each layer he pulled off and threw behind him, I became brighter and more clean looking. It was just like when one lightens their teeth and with each application they become a tad bit whiter. Behind him as he threw off each layer, there were helpers that would quickly pour special water mixed with milk and herbs onto the ground where his gestures seemed to have thrown the layers. Also there was a bundle of herbs smoking just on the far side of the area that yet another helper would continuously fan so that the smoke filled the entire area behind the medicine man.

These layers of me were… well….. they were ideas, behaviors, thoughts, actions and habits that I had formed over years of living. Things that had attached to me through all my daysin this life. I was being stripped away of everything. Stripped down to the bone but the medicine man went far beyond flesh and bone … he went all the way down to the core of me.

It took quite a long while to strip away all my layers .. seems as though I must have collected quite a lot in this life thus far. When he was finally done stripping away my layers, I saw something amazing and unexpected. I was made up entirely of light. Laying there still, glowing oh so brightly.. and to my amazement I could see certain parts of me a bit brighter than the rest. We read about and are taught that our bodies have these Chakra points… the points in your body that hold the most energy…. Seeing myself in this way….. confirmed that to be true.

It was as if I had the whole of the universe inside me… made up of every constellation imaginable. Some say were are born of the stars .. after seeing this I would certainly believe that to be a truth. Once I was stripped down to this level the medicine man and his helpers along with the clan mothers, sat down and formed a circle around me…. They sat there for a very long time chanting in a meditative prayer. They did this until the sun came back up.

I was then shaded by some structure that they built and left there in a meditative state until the sun had gone back down. As I began to grow back a new layer of flesh and bone… I was given a token or gift from each person in the circle… they placed these gifts inside me. It will be up to me to find these gifts and use them when the time is right. The medicine man’s gift was a large crystal.. it was squared in shape .. not pointed and not entirely clear.. it was a milky color and a bit off white.

This ceremony leaves me in quite a state of reflection. I can certainly see the point of it and feel quite blessed to have been part of such a sacred and healing act. In fact beyond the words describing the ceremony I feel quite speechless.. not knowing exactly what to say… yeah I bet you never imagines that either!! hahahaha.

On that note I will leave you with this one last thought… maybe we should all take a bit of time to look at ourselves and the many layers we have collected over our lifetimes… and do ourselves the favor of shedding those layers that bring us negativity, pain or those thoughts and behaviors that simply hold us back in life.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Remember When….

Remember When…

Remember what it was like when you were little?


When there really was a man in the moon that listened to all your prayers and watched over you as you slept....


When you looked at frogs, bunnies, bugs and lizards as your friends who had their own home and families in the garden .. and how you just knew they understood every word you said even though you spoke different languages...


When a mound of dirt suddenly became the tallest mountain you would ever climb.... and how wonderful it felt when you reached the top!


When you would see a falling star and you closed your eyes as tight as can be and made a wish straight from your heart....


When bed sheets and blankets made the best secret club house ever!


What happened that you stop seeing the world like this?


It's the same world ya know....


All you need to do to bring the magic back into your life .. is believe .. believe as you did back when .. with your whole heart and soul ...


Really... that’s all it takes...


Remember yet?


Open your heart to love and you'll begin to believe again ..


Just because you have grown taller doesn't mean your adventures have come to an end ...


Come on... take my hand .. I'll walk with you for a while .. until your eyes are once again open and the magic is real and no longer just some words from a fairy tale.... come on.. what are you waiting for ... let's go!


"Your life is only as good as you allow it to be"


"Allow more"



Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Fear of Failure

If this rose were to have a fear of failure ... it would have never bloomed. We would have never seen it's beauty.


My job is to help agents succeed in their business.. I am constantly looking for new ways in which they can grow and expand their business... that's my day job....



In my personal life I try and use my own experiences in the same way .. hoping to help others heal, grow and find their own peace and happiness as I try and do the same for myself...



This morning Spirit gently whispered to me... it's not because they don't want to.. it's because they are afraid.



Often I get "what I call" excuses ... from this person and that about why they can't do this or learn that ... or whatever ...



... and I get frustrated... You know the saying .. "You can lead a horse to water....", well thats how I often feel when trying to help others whether it be in their professional or personal lives.



Personally I fail all the time... but for me it's an adventure... certainly not a fear ..



I do my best .. dust myself off and try again ... sometimes it never works out .. eventually I move on to another approach if thats the case .. and again I may fail ... but if I don't at least give it a try .. I'll never know.



My message to everyone today is "it's ok to fail" tomorrow is another day ... all the great inventors failed many times before getting it right ... the world won't end .. and time won't stop.



What's not ok is not trying at all.



So what if it takes several tries or even a hundred ... at least you gave it a go.



Believe in yourself and hug yourself for trying....



Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Finding your animal totems

Ok in the past few days I have had several conversations about how do you find your totem animal or animals .. and how do you know which animal is yours.... soooooooooooooo I thought I might speak a few words about this.


The first thing that I want to say is ... the below are my own thoughts and ways ... I'm not saying this is the one and only way and I'm not saying I'm right and everyone else is wrong... all I can do is give you my perspective and speak from my own experiences... so please don't take it personally if my view differs from yours or from what you may have been told by someone else..


ok whew .. now that the disclaimer is said and done.. we can get down to business.


Note #1 - First of all there were comments by one of my friends that she is connected to one particular animal more than any other and then she said that told her that her totem was something else .. her next statement was that she has never connected with that animal.


Well, I'm not saying that whoever told her what her totem was - was wrong .. that totem may be around her but not yet showing itself to her - but also I want to say that ... YOU are the one connecting with YOUR totem .. YOU are the one effected ... YOU are the one being guided - Don't worry so much about what others tell you - instead ... if you feel strongly linked to one particular animal or 2 or 3 or whatever - then that/those are YOUR totems.


Note #2 - You may have many totems throughout your lifetime.. some stay with you for long periods of time and sometimes forever and some come and go as they are needed. Sooooooo ... you meet someone and they tell you is your totem ... or at least that's what THEY see as YOUR totem ... and that may be true for that moment in time... but as your life progresses and you change .. your situation changes and all things around you change .. your totem may or may not also change. So don't get yourself stuck on ... "so and so said this is my totem so that's it .. forever" LOL



Note #3 - You will find your totem when you stop trying so hard to find it ..


It is not something to be forced or made to be.. when you relax and let things just be .. you will see...

You must allow your totem to come to you .. welcome it into your life and soon you will discover it has been there all along.. you will see the signs and have that DUH! Moment .. LOL...


When you push and push and try to force things to be ... the vision becomes blurred and unclear. We all have our totems.. don't worry you are not without one just because you are unsure of what it is. You just have to relax and allow it to show itself to you.


Note #4 - Stan Hughes has a wonderful book called Medicine Seeker.. in the back of his book he has a 100+ question survey to help you find out what totems you may have. It's a very in depth survey that may bring light to what you already know but may be suppressing.


Here's a link to Stan's page
http://www.facebook.com/people/Stan-Hughes/722647534#!/profile.php?id=100001401923003



Anyway .. I hope this has helped .. good luck and Many Blessings,
Raventalker

One Thousand Times

One Thousand Times

One thousand times I’ve been born
One thousand times I’ve died

The years have passed by like a soft whisper in the wind
Days and nights gone without my knowing

One thousand paths I have walked
One thousand lessons I have learned

Tears I have cried for so many reasons
Smiles, laughter and love have helped me make it through the seasons

One thousand rights
One thousand wrongs

Blessings and curses bestowed upon me
Love, the miracle that always brings me back to why I’m ME

One thousand ways
One thousand times

One thousand pairs of eyes
One thousand ways to see

One thousand lips to be kissed
One thousand people, wondering if ever they were missed

One thousand ways to go
One thousand reasons to live again

One thousand times ……

Raventalker

Being the Messenger

Let me answer the questions that have been wandering through your head..
How is it I come up with the things I have said?


How do you see what you see?
With the inner eyes that Spirit has given me.


How do you hear what can't be heard?
I quiet the noise and say not a word.


How does Spirit sound?
Like the wind, the rain, the sun, the moon and the ground.


How do you know these things are true?
I have faith, the question is, why don't you?


What's the key to help me see more?
Our mind is like a hallway of many doors...


No locks, even though closed they may be
Just reach out and turn the knob - that's the key!


Open them wide and release your fear
Soon, you'll see and even hear


Empty your heart of all anger and distrust
To walk this way, it is a must!


Let go, stop trying to control


Let yourself be guided, taken by the hand
Soon you'll be floating with Spirit across the land


Visions will fill the eyes you didn't know were there
It's not a secret... everyone has two pair!


Forget what you thought you knew
Just let it come to you.


And now with a smile and a wink, you know what to do
Blessings for the beginning of a whole new view!


Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Inspiration

Today I'd like to hear your thoughts....


Let me be the student and you the teacher ...


Now... what is it you'd like to say?


What inspires you?

What gets you up out of bed in the mornings?

What keeps you moving even though you want so badly to give up or take a break?

What motivates you?

What lessons have you learned?

What makes you feel better?

What makes you smile?

What makes you sad?



What is it that you could share today?



Raventalker