Spring is currently here. As my body transitioned out of Winter, I felt a need to do Fasting. Two New Moons ago, I began my Fasting journey, with the intention to do a meatless Fast till the following New Moon, a month. My husband and I used to eat meat only occasionally, until we had children. Since we have children, we have included meat in most of our meals; this was a conscious choice in order to support the growth of their bodies. Now that they are already in their mid to late teens, where most of their physical growth have taken place, I have come to a decision that meat does not have to be a constant feature in our meals.

As the New Moon began, I started my Fast from flesh foods, thinking that I would practice moderation; meaning that animal products such as chicken broth and dairy could still be in my diet. I had imagined that my Fast wasn’t going to be so drastic, as I have done more intense Fasts without food and only drank water for almost a week. How naïve I was! Toward the end of the first week, I woke up in the middle of the night with chills. I had to put on a sweater but managed to go back to sleep. As I woke up in the morning, my husband commented that I felt warm to the touch. I measured my temperature and it was slight elevated, 37,5 degrees Celsius, with no other symptoms. I drank some mint tea and went back to sleep. Slept all day long, not eating anything but drinking fluid. At some point in the afternoon, I had a low-grade fever of 38 degrees. But by evening, I could feel the fever pass, I felt better that I could even eat some Congee (rice soup). As I went to bed that night, I could not imagine falling asleep as I had slept all day, but I did until morning, by which time, every trace of this fever had passed; I felt well, energized and ready to begin my work week. The only remnant of this less-than-24-hours ailment was a lower back pain, something that I do not know normally. I had imagined it was from lying too long. I went to work, got myself acupuncture and rubbed some liniment to help release my back. I went to bed the second night with more liniment on my back, hoping for a release of the back pain.

In the night, I began dreaming; dreams of travelling to other worlds. At some point I sensed or heard a voice with a message, it stated, “Do you see why your back pain is taking time to resolve? It has to transform on multiple planes before it can resolve in your back.” I saw images of dots having to line up, like Lucky Sevens on the slot machine in a casino. I woke up with a feeling of being awakened. I understood then and now that my back pain wasn’t/ isn’t just about me. I realized in this moment that I needed to have patience. I continued on with my everyday activities: giving treatments, doing my regular practices and taking care of the family, including cooking. But I made it a point to take special care of my body, giving it acupuncture, taking warm baths and giving it time-space. Within 2 days, it was gone – the back pain was gone! I could move my body without wincing or having to change my movements to avoid tipping my pelvis forward. I was freely moving again.

My meatless-Fast continued till the last New Moon, with little issues. I felt lighter and spacious in my body; I had a sense of freedom. Who would have thought a simple little thing of taking out meat from my diet for a moon-cycle could invoke such an intense experience. I was aware of having healing reactions or crisis, which aren’t always comfortable, but fever and pain in my body with a profound message, I really did not expect. I am thankful for the beings that give up their lives so that I may continue living, I am thankful to my body for its mobility, its ability to sustain me in this lifetime and the life lessons that it provides me.



Image by Mihai Panait on Pixabay

​These past few months, I was travelling a few times with family and also alone for continuing education. I spent moments observing and learning things about myself but also of people around me. Travelling is one of those moments in life that challenges us to come out of our comfort zone; as we make our way to a place, which we may or may not know, we encounter new people and situations, requiring us to react and be flexible to changes that may occur to our plans, in order that we get to our destination. I find this exhilarating and insightful.
 
As I waited to pick up my suitcase at the baggage carousel, I felt myself hopeful, that my suitcase would be on that carousel and maybe one of the first bags out so I could get on my way to where I needed to go to. Yet there is that other side, of the unknown; what if they misplaced my suitcase, put it on another flight and is on another conveyor belt in another airport? This is one of those moments where observation of self teaches us who we really are inside. Am I going to be impatient and fearful, not trusting that the airline baggage staff were able to put the right suitcase in the right place? Or am I going to be patient, knowing that my suitcase will arrive when it arrives, and I will get on the right transport, at the right moment and arrive where I need to get at the right time? The funny thing is that we have a choice in this moment, even if many of us don't realize it or want to realize it. We could choose to be stressed and create worse-case-scenarios in our minds or we could trust that things will turn out the way they should. 
 
I choose the latter; I choose to trust the people at luggage handling to do their jobs, which they often do well, and receive my suitcase in the right moment when I am supposed to receive it, even if it means I may have to wait a moment. This is a great time to practice standing meditation and breathing techniques, practices we do in Tai Ji Quan/ Qi Gong. In fact, it is marvelous to observe the flow of the conveyor-belt, as it meanders through the space of the hall like a dragon with scales, often times black with a shiny metal frame. Then as the bags mysteriously appear through the slot and roll onto the dragon's scales, they land ever so playfully before they find stillness on the dragon's scales, just rotating around on the dragon's back. Around me, I often sense a feeling of relief, "Ah, the luggage is here," or irritation, I imagine due to the stress of travel, "Finally! I need to get going!" 
 
Can you imagine what the vibe in this hall would be like, if we all started to practice breathing deeply and being grateful? 
 
*Inhale, exhale connecting with the energy of Heaven and Earth - 100 times or until your suitcase(s) arrives in front of you. Receive your suitcase saying: 
"Oh, there you are, my suitcase. Thank you for coming back to me at this precise moment. I am grateful to all the beings and the instruments that have brought you back to me. Now I may continue on my journey." 
*Inhale and exhale      
 
I have a feeling it would make us all less stressed and we would have a more relaxing time travelling through the airport, a place of transition. We might even enjoy travelling and notice something/ someone pleasant in the airport. As we approach summer, holidays for many, try this method for your travels. Look with playfulness for the "dragons" transporting your luggage to you, find gratitude, deep breaths and delight on your journey towards your summer vacation. Happy Trails!
 




 
Photo by Markus Winkler on pexels.com

​​One morning last week, I was sitting eating my breakfast at the dining table, looking at the flower that my son received from his graduation ceremony the evening before. It was a red Gerbera, with a long stem and fine petals. The night before, I had hastily found a container to put it in as we got home. But at that present moment of observing the flower, I realized that the container, rather low and broad, did not hold or support the Gerbera at all. What this flower being needed was a long, slim vessel. So, right after my breakfast I went to look for one and I imagined I found the right one to complement it. This got me wondering about the word "complement." 
 
The noun "complement" in English comes from French, referring to "means of completing; that which completes; what is needed to complete or fill up." As a verb it means to "make complete." If one were to begin an internet search with the word "complementary," we get suggestions like "complementary colors," "complementary angles" and "complementary medicine." 
 
Looking at the picture above, the color wheel, we see a chart for complementary colors used by artists and graphic designers to create contrasts that catch the eye, as well as the attention. In the middle are the 3 primary colors and when we want to find the complementary color for let's say red, we add blue and yellow together and we get green. These 2 colors are complementary to each other. The outer circle shows us the complementary colors in opposition to each other in different shades of the primary and secondary mixes. This color concept is really about how one color enhances the other.

​Then there are complementary angles referring to 2 angles that add up to 90°, which is a right angle. This is basic geometry we learned in math class. For example, if an angle is 30°, then the other will be 60°, adding the sum total to 90°. In this case, the 2 angles complete each other.
 
To have a complement is to be made whole and completed. I like this description to explain Complementary Medicine. This term was created in the 1980s to describe medical and therapeutic practices that did not/were not allowed to be fitted into conventional medicine. Chinese Medicine has landed in this category in the West, as it did not fit into the model created by the dominant allopathic medicine. To be very honest, I find that it is rightfully so. When I understand the word complementary as being "made whole," I am proud to say I practice this form of medicine. Then, my focus is to help a person be/feel whole and well; not cut up into pieces and detached from her/himself. For me the focus of medicine is the person, the individual and what their body-mind needs to be healthy. In feeling healthy and thriving, the individual feels empowered; thus, being able to live well and make healthy life-style choices for her/himself.
 
As I go back to the example of my son's Gerbera, I observe the being as it is and try to understand what it needs to thrive in its environment. I help it by providing the appropriate container and the nourishment, that it may feel safe, nurtured and supported enough to grow for the time that it is with me. As we know, we are not here in our present state or situation forever; life is finite, we should cherish the time we have been given and have gratitude for the experience. As such, I also know that at one point this being will have to go to its next stage of life and I, who have provided this container must learn to let go, to give this being the possibility to move on. In doing so, I am a complement to that being. 


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Image Color Wheel by vector portal-pixel77
Image Angle by bjus

As I look out the window right now, I observe the extreme changes of Spring; the winds blowing the trees, the rain splattering the window and suddenly the blue sky pops out from behind dark clouds. It is stormy, restless, unsettling and all of a sudden it's sunny again. It reminds me of birthing a child.
 
Almost 15 years ago, I was initiated into the realm of motherhood and my "ritual," as most mothers would endure, was a long, intense torrent of contracting, ripping pain that didn't appear to end. Somehow the 9 months of pregnancy didn't seem to be enough to prepare me for those intense hours of labor. But labor itself revealed to me that I was embarking on a very profound journey with myself and another being, whom I would guide/ am guiding through this lifetime. This is a great responsibility filled with many challenges. Through experiencing the birthing of a being, I came to a realization of how remarkable and exceptional life is. As such I value life more than I did before I became pregnant. I appreciate the little things that I experience of my children growing up as I know that these could have not been, had the birthing process taken a different turn.
 
We in the modern world take many things for granted; we turn on a tap and clean water flows; plug in our electrical device and it powers up; women become pregnant and babies get delivered all wrapped in soft linen, all cleaned and "perfect," with no trace of blood or mucus that nourished it for 9 months. Even this word, "delivery," that we use in English to describe birth is strange to me. I definitely did not feel that my babies were "delivered" like a package arriving by post. It required resources, nourishment, connection, preparation, endurance of pain and patience. Birthing is just one step in a longer intense process of nurturing life, which continues throughout the child's and caregiver's lifetime. I say "caregiver" because it could be that it may not be the mother that births the child, who will care for it in its lifetime. Not only do we take for granted that life just keeps happening, we take the people who make it happen for granted.
 
"The woman of ancient times had possessed a strength we no longer claimed. If she had too many children, or not enough strength to rear another child, or if feeding it would deprive the tribe at the wrong time of year, she could look into the face of the child and put forth her hand and send that child back into the nowhere and nothingness as if it had never been born...A man must know that he is breathing because his mother looked on his face and saw that it was good and chose freely to nourish him." (Zimmer Bradley, Paxson, 179-180)     
 
I am here today, as you are, because our mothers chose to bring us into the world and nourish us as best as they could. Sometimes this is not easy and may be extremely challenging, depending on the circumstances life presents in different geographic and cultural circumstances. Mothers give us the unconditional love to be who we need to be, they are that hand which supports us when we are falling and pick-up what we left behind. In this day and age of looking for superheroes, we forget these invisible beings who do superhuman actions, like creating, maintaining and nourishing life; right there in front of us, in our own homes. To mothers all over the world I say, "I see you and I appreciate your invisible hand. I am grateful and I thank you for being Mother."   
 
 
    
Reference
Zimmer Bradley, Marion/ Paxson, Diana L. (2000): Priestess of Avalon. London: Penguin Books Roc.
 
 
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Image by Phalia from Pixabay