Ways to a Bright Inner Constellation

Today I had the entire day off with great intentions that quickly became sidetracked (Damn, that Wimbledon!). Finally, at 6:40 in the evening, I'm sitting down to do the much anticipated--write to you all. I know you can relate to becoming distracted and pulled in multiple directions. The day was not coincidental, however, and I find myself drawing on the framework of my Inner Constellation practice:

1) Find True North - in ancient days of star navigation sailors found their ways in uncharted territory by locating the North Star. What's your North Star, that which is most fundamental in life? If my North Star is becoming a professional tennis player (not!), watching six hours of Wimbledon might have been a great first step, in addition to getting off the couch and playing a few sets myself! This brings us to number 2....

2) Chart Your Course - what tools keep you headed in the direction of your North Star? For me, tools like EFT, hypnosis, exercise and writing keep me on track. For more on this step, consider reading the blog articles in the category entitled "Chart Your Course," which has lots of meaty information that might prove useful.

3) Arrival - similar to a sailor heading in the direction of the North Star, arrival occurs in each small step, not miles out in the future. I'll let you in on a secret, one of my North Stars is compassion. How did I practice compassion while watching Wimbledon? Hmm, let me stretch a bit....I made two collage cards, one for friends of mine and another for my sister and her new husband. Um, I cuddled with my cat and husband, made us a Lasagna (we worked up an appetite watching the tennis). I could keep stretching, but you get my point. Each moment holds potential.

I don't feel so bad sitting around watching Wimbledon all day! If you wish to dive deeper into the above three, my website goes into more detail (the green box entitled, "Meet Karla,"). Also, in the next few days I'll write articles highlighting each step: Find True North, Chart Your Course, and Arrival. This is my personal "Chart Your Course" promise to keep me from viewing too much Wimbledon! You might notice that the blog is set up with these three themes in mind. TTFN, Wimbledon is back on--JK.

Inner Constellation: A Personal Story

I've been in the habit lately of laying outside and star-gazing. All my life, I've taken comfort from the night sky. As a kid, it was my stability and ultimate expression of eternity when life around me (down below) was chaotic and unruly. When I moved over a 1,000 miles from home (and then tripled that distance a few years later), the sky was my constant. My loved ones looked at the same moon, the same constellations as I looked at, no matter the distance between us. Same could be said of the ancients--those whom lived years ago. Oh, geez, getting sappy, but my point: I love the stars, especially the constellation Pleiades, commonly called, "Seven Sisters." As you might know, not all the stars in the constellation are visible with the naked eye, and so then, doesn't this leave much to be imagined? Here's one of my favorite poems as part of my book, Gospel of the Seven Sisters. It's been kind of quiet out there of late in cyber-space. If you happen to read this poem and like it (or don't like it:), please consider commenting. This poem's for you:

Gospel of the Seventh Star
© Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

      1.    Beloved,
             who is the seventh star completing Pleiades:

       recollected,

       drawn back

       and returned to her charted course?

2.    Seventh star who felt love’s pull

       take seed beneath the olive tree.

3.    Angel whisperings, “You are holy.”

4.    Did you come to believe?

5.    Seventh star, I called you forth,

       pursued you with unquenchable fire,

       stripped bare the boundless sky.

6.    In the heavens I set you,

       infused with light

       and tied you to me,

       joined us with a silver cord

       across a thousand worlds,

       a thousand lifetimes.

7.    Pinpoint luminary,

       interwoven among equally bright nations:

       none more advantaged,

       all sparks Eternal.

8.    Child of the Almighty—

       made from,

       and returned to, dust:

       celestial,

       boundless,

       purposefully

       and marvelously made.

9.    I call to you:

       “Beloved,

       you are precious,

       holy,

       a bright and morning star.”

10.  Remember this anointing in darkest night.

11.  Nay, shine in spite of it!

12.  Lift eyes to the heavens and see.

13.  Bright with understanding,

       you are my greatest offering—

       love incarnate,

       the seventh star completing Pleiades.

"I Feel For You...I Think I Love You."

Today, I want to consider something called chakras--a Sanskrit word translating as, "wheels of light." Sounds like an Inner Constellation to me! Chakras are described as subtle energy centers located on the main branchings of the nervous system. I'm going to tell you a secret, I didn't really have any visceral experience of the chakras until I met my husband and received his bear-hugs from behind ("Let me take you in my arms, let me fill you with my charms, Chaka!"). My hip region (to say it politely) would literally blaze hot as fire. Initially, it was embarrassing as my love exclaimed, "You're cookin'!"

What the heck was going on? "Chaka, Chaka, Chaka, Chaka Khan." Take a look at this most excellent chakra diagram. You can see how each of the seven energy centers are aligned along the spine or central nervous system. If you've read the "Energetic Anatomy" blog post, you may recall that the meridians, channels that carry subtle energy to the tissue and organs of the body, also converge along the spinal cord. You can read about each specific chakra online, but what I wish to consider are the spinal cord and nervous system that interacts with the chakras and meridians. Anatomically, it's proven that peripheral nerves branch from the spine and communicate to muscles and tendons as well as connect to various organs. Can you guess where the largest conglomeration of these nerve bundles are located? In six of the seven chakra locations (minus the crown chakra, said to be the source of the sacred).

On a daily basis, I consider how I use my energies (in a positive way) to effect other people's nervous systems. I also consider the activities that assist my system in flowing smoothly. Yoga is an activity that professes strengthening the chakras and nervous system. Stillness, meditation, EFT, hypnosis and prayer are also activities proven effective in activating the bodies energetic channels. Of course, you could also receive or give a little love and literally feel the body light up! "Chaka Khan let me tell you what I wanna do. I wanna love you, wanna hug you, wanna squeeze you to...."

Wild Woods and Roads Less Traveled

I took off on my early morning run today. Jogged about 50 yards, rounded the bend and then noticed a sign that stopped me dead in my tracks, "END." The bright yellow, standard road-side triangle marking the end of the paved street had stood there for years, but I hadn't taken such stark notice before. Its message jumped out at me, "END," yet directly beyond the sign was the forest trail my feet were seeking. For me, the sign was deceptive. It wasn't the END, the dirt trail beyond was actually the BEGINNING. What stopped me in my tracks was the sign's perfect metaphor in languaging (my made-up word) the energy medicine I practice on a daily basis. Energy therapy is a subtle force that often stretches into the unknown, unmarked terrain, similar to the dirt trail beyond the clearly marked sign. The path energy travels is often full of brambles, thorns and is not well-marked or clearly demarcated. In other words--it's wild. When I practice energy techniques, I enter into the wilds and work with whatever presents, no matter how funky or seemingly unrelated. In fact, when I tune-in and go beyond the obvious and deeper into the woods, the connections the body makes are astounding.

My feet hit the dirt path with renewed vigor, and I was long gone, not seen again till sun crested high in the sky.

I See Dead People

I woke up this morning thinking of my grandma who would have celebrated her 101st birthday today. She passed on a little over a year ago. As I say my prayers while looking out over the snow-capped mountains, I notice more snow has receded with summer's approach, and the moon is beginning to wane. I get to pondering the second Inner Constellation truth: energy never dies, it just changes form. Is Grandma's spirit living on?

The phone rings and it's my nephew. He's getting ready to suit up for the Labor and Delivery room. His baby girl is making her arrival known--June 20, the same day my grandma was born 101 years ago--her DNA has changed form inside this new little life. I see my grandma's sweet smile like it's only yesterday. The muse has caught wind of my thoughts and brings a poem:

Unbridled Lullaby
©Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

You come in dream,

gliding on formless space.

Boundaries are lost,

I end where you begin.

Lyrics written upon my heart,

draw forth a harmony.

Voices from the times of yore,

serenade:

“Come, walk into my spirit,

come, walk into my arms,

come to me,

and every care will be gone.”

Heavy-laden head,

falls into lap,

no longer thinking you away,

but breathing comfort.

Where you end and I begin,

no other can define.

The road is mine and yours,

and our melody goes on….

Poem: "Lovely"

Those of you who know me, know it's near impossible for me to go more than a few days without busting out a poem. I looked outside at the newly emerging flowers in my yard this morning and felt the muse....

Lovely

©Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

 Exquisite flower

completely accepts its natural state.

It does not relocate,

uproot itself
and search here and there,

grasping for a better place.

Imagine,

if flower behaved so,

bee would fly by and although longing to penetrate

the once-lovely flower

find only a dry and barren resting place—

dangling, hollow roots!

Instead, night falls,

stars shine

and cycles of divine pollination begin:

movement, followed by stillness;

opening seeds embrace mother soil

while exposing hard shells to light.

Dear Blossoms, do you hear the buzzing?

We are exquisite flowers

on which bee patiently waits.

"Bring Back That Loving Feeling"

A close friend of mine once used the metaphor of a 5-pointed star to represent how it feels to not get along with someone. She brought both her hands up, fingers spread wide like 5-pointed stars and put her palms together, each hand slightly ascewed and said,  "It's like your points clash and get all entangled."

I can relate. There are two simple practices I find incredibly useful when my points clash with others. The first key is vital, for without it, the second never happens!

1. Pause - You know how I advocate stillness, even a one-second pause can switch us from automatic reaction to a more informed response (gathering information from our Inner Constellation).
2. Heart-centered breathing - Take a few breaths while focusing on the region of your heart. Why the heart? Our hearts are electromagnetic and with all the clashing going on, are probably swept up in the highs and lows of electronic interference ("I Sing the Body Electric" talks in more detail about electromagnetic energy from our hearts, brains and nervous system).

Pause, and breathe from the heart. It takes about as long as punching someone in the face (sorry for the dramatic analogy, I tend to be fighter, not a lover:) and is so much more productive for both parties. Consider the Righteous Brothers call to action, "bring back that loving feeling." I would love to hear the results if you experiment with the above 2 keys..."so bring it on back, just bring it on back...."

Energetic Anatomy

If you do a search under Energy Therapy you will find a wealth of information. It's gaining momentum and interest in the field of Western Medicine due to experiential as well as researched results. In my work with people I tend to focus on what's called meridian-based therapies. If you've ever had acupuncture, you may be familiar with the Eastern idea of channels that flow through the body, supplying energy to vital tissues and organs. The energy pulls in certain spots and can be accessed by either needling (acupuncture) or pressuring (acupressure) to break up blocks that might have occurred. Often the metaphor of a river represents meridians with the idea that the river can become lodged with debris; when the debris is dislodged, then the river flows more freely.

My preferred way of accessing the meridians is with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), which is simply using one's fingertips to tap 14 points on the body that access the entire meridian system. Conscious language is used to target the health concern while accessing the energetic system. To read more about meridians, consider reading the post entitled, "What's an Inner Constellation?"

"You've Lost That Loving Feeling...."

This is an amazing fact-- the heart generates an electromagnetic field measurable up to five to eight feet away from the body! The brain has similar electromagnetic frequency, and although not as powerful as the heart, it too is measurable. Internal and external body rhythms are measured by ECG and EKG equipment and SQUID (Super-conducting Quantum Interference Device-based magnetometers) Now you really do feel part of Inner Constellation Space Agency, don't you?

Researchers at HeartMath Institute have found that during positive states such as love and appreciation, our electromagnetic heart rhythms becomes even and smooth. These sine wave patterns are referred to as "heart coherence." When in heart coherence, the frontal lobe of the brain (the seat of awareness and creativity) is shown to be fully engage. Conversely, when negative emotional states such as frustration or anger are experienced, the heart waves become disordered, erratic and uneven, and the back part of our primitive brain (survival instinct: fight, flight or freeze) is activated.

Another fascinating tidbit from HeartMath research is that people’s heart and brain rhythms have the ability to synchronize to one another. We are literally sending electric signals that influence those around us on a regular basis. So, maybe the Righteous Brothers were spot on when they mourned, "You've tried hard not to show it, but baby, baby I know it....you've lost that loving feeling." So what can we do when we lose that loving feeling? Next post, "Bring Back That Loving Feeling," will address this exact question.

For today, chose to interact, even if just a few moments, with people you genuinely enjoy being with. I betcha you're picking up on their groovy heart-rhythms. 

"I Sing the Body Electric"--Say What Now?

When I was a kid, I loved the song from the Fame production, "Body Electric." I belted out the lyrics in middle school chorus and little did I know I'd be writing a blog years later that would be advocating using our body's energetic anatomy for health and well-being. About this time in the conversation, people ask--energetic anatomy, huh? What are you talking about? I'm talking about 3 electrical systems in the human body:

1) heart
2) mind
3) nervous system

Search google (a plug, since I'm a blogger:) on the above electrical systems and you'll be amazed at the voltage our bodies produce. Here's a freaky factoid--NASA and the military are energy harvesting the human body to supply fuel in remote locations. If NASA can do it, why can't we? We can! Heart and mind, accessed via the nervous system is nature's medicine for feeling good. If you're ready to join the Inner Constellation Space Agency (ICSA:), check back tomorrow night for--"You've Lost That Loving Feeling...."