November Sponsor Giveaway!

Happy November everyone! Today is a super special day for me, number one because this is the month in which our son will be born...and number two, this is the very first month I am doing sponsorship/ads here on Sometimes Sweet! This is all a learning process for me, so as time goes by the way I do this may change, but for this first month, here's how this is going to work:

All of the following (AMAZING) shops and blogs are my larger sponsors, and they are each offering one item for this huge, multiple-winner giveaway! All you have to do is the following:

Leave your name and email address in the comments.

*(and see below for a way to get one additional entry too!)

Yup! That's it! On Monday, November 22nd I will pick 9 different winners at random, who will win the different prizes. I didn't want to get super complicated, and next month I may do separate giveaway posts, or have one big winner who wins everything. But this month I will be choosing nine names...so you have a GREAT chance at winning any one of these super-neat items! Again, simply leave your name and email in the comments to enter.

To get one additional entry, you can blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave an additional comment with a link to that blog or tweet, along with your contact info again.

So overall you can put your name into the drawing twice.

I am just so excited about each and every one of these amazing shops. I got such a big, big response about sponsoring my blog and I am so pleased to present these wonderful women as my very first sponsors here. I also have seven more sites I will be highlighting in my "small ad" post later this week, so you'll have seven more shops/blogs to check out as well. Many of you know I've been thinking about doing this for a long time, so I am just over the moon happy about bringing all of these great people to you, and supporting local/small/handmade businesses and blogs. In the future I am most likely going to keep my ads to a smaller amount, but this first month I thought I would do a few more than I normally would.

Be sure to check out my sidebar for all of the new, wonderful buttons I have displayed there, and give each one a little click and say hello!

And now, without further ado, below you will find a small description of each shop, as well as the item or items they are graciously giving away. The links for each blog/shop can be found by clicking the shop/blog name, and also grouped under the first photo. Have fun exploring and clicking around, and good luck!

1) I'm Kyla Roma, a twenty-something prairie girl living under the biggest sky I've ever seen. When I'm not blogging I'm designing blogs with Freckled Nest and running my etsy shop, A Little Thistle. I'm a black tea aficionado, life long vegetarian, tattooed lady, puppy mama and photography addict trying to live joyfully in every moment I've got.


http://www.kylaroma.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/alittlethistle

Giveaway item: Penny Farthing Bicycle Necklace


2) Doodle creates custom, modern and affordable paper goods you won't find anywhere else. We love to make stationery, recipe cards and custom invitations which we mail directly to your door. Each design is original, each card is hand cut and we strive for great quality and quick turnaround!


http://www.doodlepapergoods.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DoodlePaperGoods

Giveaway items: Teal Arrow Stationery Set of 8 and the Purple Beads Stationery Set of 8. The sets each include 8 cards and 8 brown Kraft paper envelopes.


3) Studio M.M.E. is a quirky pen and ink art shop where you can find everything from antlered girls to hungry moons. Run by illustrator Megan M. Eckman, the shop abounds with humor, childish play, and the feeling of nostalgia thanks to the mostly black and white prints. For those who are still children at heart, Studio M.M.E. offers a wild visual thrill that embraces those old games of pretend.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/studiomme

Giveaway item: one 5" x 7" print of "Imogene Coming Home"


4) Tumbleweeds Oddities is a marketplace created by Beca Lewis Skeels and Doug Switalski, two southern transplants with a big heart for junk yards and recycled art. From our recovered earth-friendly leather and (vegan) vinyl bike saddles to our hodgepodge collection of vintage and recycled curios, oddities and recovered taxidermy, you can find a whole mess of curiosities in our shop for any collection, at every price range.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/tumbleweedsoddities
http://www.curiositiesandthelike.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/tumbleweedsoddities

Giveaway item: Hot Pink Recovered Suede Bike Saddle handmade entirely from recycled materials (don't worry Vegan friends, all of our leather products are vintage or recovered from the scrap bin and recycled for posterity, we love animals!!) - Worth: $50.00

5) Hi everyone! Over at Happy Owl we are so glad to sponsor the lovely, long time blog friend Danielle! Happy Owl is a warm little space for me to share my musings, our loves, our two young boys and our wild life. We were born and raised in California and are living our dreams in Juneau, Alaska.


http://juneauecomommie.blogspot.com/

Giveaway items: "Alaska Autumn Favorites": Here are a few of my favorite things to share with you; a pair of fabulous metal candle holders (perfect plain or craftily recreated by you), cozy custard fingerless handwarmers made by me, a set of adorable vintage apple tea cups and a surprise gift also made by me. Enjoy!


6) My name is Susannah Bean and I live in the midwest with my hilarious boyfriend Chris and our adorable kitty Mr. Littlejeans. I taught myself how to knit and crochet, and I like to make things that I can't find anywhere else! I have a blog about my life and crafts, and my shop is full of cute and cozy accessories.


http://susannahbean.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/susannahbean

Giveaway item: one pair of fingerless mitts (I call them The Lady Mitts, but it's a terrible name haha)


7) Pleasantly Plump [Knits.] is a combination of my love for knitting & all things sweet & plump!! Each pair of booties are hand-knit with love & personality for your baby's tiny toes!


http://www.etsy.com/shop/pleasantlyplumpknits
http://www.pocketfulofpretty.com/

Giveaway item: Gift Certificate for one pair of custom plump booties

8) Hello Dearie is a fiber arts company that designs original dolls and other textile goods. This mother-in-law/daughter-in-law team enjoy collaborating on new ideas and creating together.


http://www.etsy.com/shop/hellodearie

Giveaway item: This is our Elf OFF the shelf. He doesn't just sit on the shelf; he is ready for fun...and just in time for the holidays!


9) Gypsy 05 is more than an artistic statement; it is an expression that stands to make a difference in the world. "good planets are hard to find" is the motto that began Gypsy05's exploration to fight against environmental exploitation. Through the art of fashion, Gypsy 05 aims to communicate that the beauty of nature is a marvel. Gypsy's one of a kind designs incorporate organic fabrics, low impact dyes, and water based printing in every collection as part of our mission in environmental awareness. Our story suggests the importance of smelling the roses rather than picking them; of getting inspired by the beauty of the vast ocean rather than polluting it. The message is to Recycle, Reduce, Re-planet and feel naturally confident and free while living environmentally friendly.


http://www.gypsy05.com/shop/index.aspx

Giveaway item: a surprise Gypsy pack worth $225! The winner will provide their size, and Gypsy 05 will provide a fabulous prize pack full of adorable clothing.


So don't forgot, just leave your name and email to enter once, and you can come back and enter a second time by leaving your name/email again in that second comment, along with the link to a blog post or tweet about this great giveaway!

Good luck! :)

p.s., If you are curious about advertising YOUR shop or blog here for the busy retail month of December, I will make a call for ads on November 15th (they'll go quickly!), so keep your eyes peeled. If you'd like to get a jump start and reserve your spot, email me at sometimessweetblog@gmail.com and be sure to check out my ad info page here.

On nasty, anonymous commenters...

{image via weheartit}

What could I possibly say about this topic that hasn't been said a million times? It's funny because a year or two ago, when I received my first mean anonymous comment on this site, all of my blog friends said something along the lines of "congratulations, welcome to the club!" Getting anonymous comments are (unfortunately) par for the course. If you get a few hundred, or a few thousand visitors everyday you can be assured that there is a large handful of those people amidst that big number who probably can't stand you yet still come by to read what you write! It sounds odd, but it's so true. It goes back to number five on my "things I learned in my 20s part one" (click here to read). The point I made there is that not everyone will like you (and that's okay)! Mean comments don't happen very often on this blog, but they do every once and awhile. I don't care about whatever it is they decide to say, but the fact that someone is out there, so worked up and ANGRY...taking so much of their energy to write something nasty...well, that kind of freaks me out. Luckily I'm at a point now where it doesn't get to me. We're all human though, and if you're not in the right mindset, words can definitely hurt even if they aren't true statements- the anger alone can be the upsetting part. Just this week I had an anonymous commenter come and leave a comment, which was ironic because just the day before my friend had gotten a similar, horrible comment on her blog that we had discussed for a bit. I chose to delete the comment and just quickly respond on the post, telling the person not to come back. I'm sure they're still reading, and that's okay (oh heeey rude anon!), but maybe that person has thought a bit about how silly and sad they really sounded, although that's probably a stretch. Opinions are welcome- yes, even negative ones about me- and I of course support everyone's right to say and feel how they want, but when they turn nasty it's just wrong. So with all of this in mind, I just wanted to share a couple of things that have helped me when I've received rude comments.

• Remember that you are dealing with a very sad person behind that anonymous screen. For someone to come willingly to your space on the internet, read what you have to say, and then take the time to leave a rude comment, really takes a lot of negative energy. In the past few years I've gotten away from even reacting to these people and instead it's turned into feeling so, so sad for them. What an unhappy life to want to bring others down, and try and hurt them!

• The happier you are, the more "haters" you will receive. My blog is generally pretty upbeat, I talk about happy topics, use a lot of exclamation points from time to time, post quotes that inspire me, and I make no apologies about leading a life full of love that I am incredibly thankful for. I can imagine this would really annoy some people. You have to remind yourself though that these commenters have come willingly to your blog. Remember that. They have sought you out. Don't let someone else make you feel bad about putting yourself out there, or being happy, just because they're not.

• Also, remember that the internet is just that- the internet. Don't get too wrapped up in what anyone thinks, be it good OR bad. Blogging is fun, but it should be something that enhances your life, not something that becomes your life. I personally like to take a "delete and ignore" stance on anonymous comments- I responded a bit to the person the other day, which I probably shouldn't have, but I went ahead and deleted their rude comment because I didn't want the entire thread to turn into people "defending" me unnecessarily and defeating the whole purpose of what should have been a positive post. Handle the comments however you'd like, but for me, not even allowing them to exist works well. It can be hard not to want to defend yourself, but by doing that you totally are validating the effect and importance of the nasty words. I used to feel like I had to write back to anything rude or unkind. "Fake?! You want to call me fake? How dare you! blah blah blah!" What an epic waste of energy. Instead, just move on.

• And don't forget, the rude person often has some reason for not liking you, your blog, their perception of you, whatever, that has less to do about you, and a LOT more to do about them. That phrase "haters gonna hate" fits pretty perfectly into this- no matter what you do, you can't please everyone, so just worry about your own happiness and wish the best for anyone who decides to try and bring you down to their negative level.
  

Thanks for reading this little list- so much love and happy blogging! :]

Welcome!

I wanted to make a little post and say "HI!" to so many of you who have recently made your way over here to my blog. Welcome, welcome! If you'd like to leave a link to your blog in the comments, I'd love to pop over and get to know you a little bit better too!

Also, I try and respond to every comment, but the most direct way to ask me a question or correspond is via Twitter or email! twitter.com/danihampton or sometimessweetblog@gmail.com - I will always get back to you...and I'd love to hear from you! You can also "like" this blog over on the left hand sidebar, and that's a great way to communicate as well.

So, welcome to Sometimes Sweet! I'm so glad you stopped by. :)

HereAfter by Clint Eastwood

I went to see HereAfter this afternoon.  It was very right - brained.  While it didn't have a coherent beginning, middle and end, it wove together three strands of stories and bound them together with the theme of Death and the Other World.  And Love unites it all.

Stories are like collective dreams.   This is one of the few movies in recent years that deals with the idea of life after death.   It seems once a decade some film maker finally makes a movie with the theme of life after death.  Each of those movies has offered us a unique vision of that afterlife.  Do you remember the movie, What Dreams May Come?   Or Ghost?

The opening scene of HereAfter is horrific in its reality, and all throughout the movie, Clint Eastwood somehow creates an atmosphere of 'reality' that contrasts with the uncertainty of the 'other world'.   It's a sharp yet subtle contrast.

HereAfter is not a movie that coddles you.  Its characters are annoying, heart-breaking and frustrating at times, just like real people.  It is a story of how we can reject a spiritual gift by not knowing how to work with it.  But also because other people are afraid of it and how it ends up isolating us from life.

The whole topic of death is so often ignored in Western culture, mainly because we split life from death and stepped out of the Wheel of the Year and nature's cycles.  The idea that there is a life after death is so obvious to me - look at the trees and plants; look at the moon; look at the circle of the year.  The natural cycles of life say there is gestation, birth, growth, maturity, decline and death.  Which is always followed by rebirth!

So have hope in what comes after.  It will make us less fearful here on Earth.

HereAfter is well worth seeing, although I don't think you'll put it at the top of your favorites list.

HereAfter by Clint Eastwood

I went to see HereAfter this afternoon.  It was very right - brained.  While it didn't have a coherent beginning, middle and end, it wove together three strands of stories and bound them together with the theme of Death and the Other World.  And Love unites it all.

Stories are like collective dreams.   This is one of the few movies in recent years that deals with the idea of life after death.   It seems once a decade some film maker finally makes a movie with the theme of life after death.  Each of those movies has offered us a unique vision of that afterlife.  Do you remember the movie, What Dreams May Come?   Or Ghost?

The opening scene of HereAfter is horrific in its reality, and all throughout the movie, Clint Eastwood somehow creates an atmosphere of 'reality' that contrasts with the uncertainty of the 'other world'.   It's a sharp yet subtle contrast.

HereAfter is not a movie that coddles you.  Its characters are annoying, heart-breaking and frustrating at times, just like real people.  It is a story of how we can reject a spiritual gift by not knowing how to work with it.  But also because other people are afraid of it and how it ends up isolating us from life.

The whole topic of death is so often ignored in Western culture, mainly because we split life from death and stepped out of the Wheel of the Year and nature's cycles.  The idea that there is a life after death is so obvious to me - look at the trees and plants; look at the moon; look at the circle of the year.  The natural cycles of life say there is gestation, birth, growth, maturity, decline and death.  Which is always followed by rebirth!

So have hope in what comes after.  It will make us less fearful here on Earth.

HereAfter is well worth seeing, although I don't think you'll put it at the top of your favorites list.

Western Painting - Body Painting - A Contemporary Yet Ancient Style of Being a Canvas

Body Painting - The Intricacies

The origin of body painting is unknown, but its use has been widespread - sometimes as an art form, sometimes as a part of tradition, and the other times, as a necessity. The evidence of body painting is found in ancient practices across various cultures and remains a popular fashion statement in the present times. There is no set style or technique for body painting. It can be a localized design or a fuller one, covering the entire body in some cases. The color pigments used can be natural or synthetic. Similarly, it can be a work of an expert or an amateurish hand of a novice. However, unlike permanent tattoos, body paints are temporary or semi-permanent in nature.

The Geographical Spread

Painting the body was prevalent in ancient Egyptian civilization, where Pharaohs and high-class individuals painted their faces in red ochre & white pigments, and eyes in kohl. The Himba group of Namibia also generously uses red ochre. These people paint their entire bodies in the uniform pigment, as a traditional practice. In India, body painting is an elaborate work of expertise, which requires training and a lot of experience. One of the best examples of this art is the make-up of Kathakali dancers that involves the use of white, red, black, and yellow colors against a base of bottle green color, on face.

The use of 'henna,' a natural plant extract, is very popular among the Indian women across the country and is again, done by trained experts. Henna is used for decorating the hands and feet in beautiful, complex designs. Native Americans use streaks, concentric circles, and other patterns of colors, which include red, white, yellow, blue, and black. The indigenous Yolngu people of Australia use detailed and painstaking technique to embellish their bodies. It is an inspiration for many other art forms and a job that only the experts can do.Painted faces have been a trademark of comedians and mimics, throughout the history of performing arts. Body painting has found as much use in military operations, as in local communities. Facial colors, particularly in nature tones are heavily employed as camouflage by almost all armies in the world. Now days, this art has become a fad, especially among the youth and is treated more as an avant-garde fashion accessory, rather than as a religious belief. Across the US and Europe, body painting is used in theatre, cinema, fashion, carnivals, and body painting festivals. Despite facing criticism and rejection from various corners, this art continued to grow and is still evolving!

the week in photos

from left to right: Madeline lounging in the sun (it's tough being a spoiled pup!), one of my favorite nighttime snacks- fresh air popped popcorn with sea salt, a really funny/cute letter my students wrote to me, my handsome breakfast date, The Bagel Cafe downtown, our delicious bagels, so many baby socks to match, the Lights show with Erin and Hank, hot apple cider/hot chocolate break, the adorable HCHIV onesie from Erin, Madeline and me hanging out in bed, more onesies from EP!

Overall this past week was wonderful! Towards the end of the week work got a little rough- it's hard to be on my feet all day and I found that I was having some increased stomach-area cramping (contractions maybe? I feel like I still don't know what's a contraction or not), and I was just overall uncomfortable. I am thinking that next Friday (38 weeks) will be my last day of work, and it's definitely going to be a little sad to say goodbye to my students. I've talked about it before but this year has been just wonderful- my best year ever. I feel like I finally have gelled as a teacher, which is ironic, but maybe that's just how it goes. Five years later and it's a LOT easier. And really fun! It helps that I'm a huge nerd about my subject area, American Literature. I'm going to miss it for sure but at the same time I'm just beyond excited about my "new" job like I've said a million times before.

So yes, good week for sure. I'm looking forward to these next couple of weeks and really just wondering when I'm going to go into labor (19 days 'til my due date!)! Talk about crazy anticipation. It's wild! I obviously won't be blogging while I'm in the hospital but I'm sure I will be tweeting, so if you'd like, feel free to follow me over there: twitter.com/danihampton. I'm not going to play by play the birth or anything but I will definitely update when I go into labor, etc. AHH just typing that out makes me feel SO insane but so excited. The count down is definitely on and I am ready (or at least I keep telling myself that).

Workout motivation!

When I had my formspring up, I'd get a lot of questions about motivation in regards to working out. Recently, a few of my friends have asked me how I find the energy to get myself to the gym or out walking so often while pregnant, so I thought I would write a quick post highlighting the things that work for me, with child or not. I should also note that I'm definitely no expert- so for specific workout questions please see a certified trainer. :)

So, here's a quick little list of five things that work for me, and help me stay motivated!

1) Workout first thing in the morning. To me, there is no better feeling than having my workout DONE for the day. I really prefer to go super early in the morning, literally rolling out of bed, brushing my teeth and heading straight into the gym. If you're worried about looking good or not having makeup on, really don't even worry about that. The only people at the gym that early are the people who are there just to workout- no one cares that you have pillow marks on the side of your face or that your unruly morning hair is in a huge bun on the top of your head. Here's a (kind of embarrassing) confession: I have a much better workout when I feel cute. I don't do well when I feel gross. Yes, I know this is silly but it's just the way it goes for me. In the mornings though, I couldn't care less. At 5 and 6am you have the people there, right along side you who are NOT there to socialize, they're there to get their workout in and get on with their day. I love it. If you haven't tried working out in the early morning, trust me, it's amazing. One of my most favorite feelings in the entire world is leaving the gym at 6:30 in the morning, knowing that my entire workout is done for the day. Plus, you get a huge rush of endorphins to start your morning off right, listen to your ipod and get stoked for the day, and when 5pm or the end of your work day rolls around you have the whole evening to yourself, no gym time needed. And one more plus- once you've woken up early, expended energy and worked hard, you are way more apt to make healthy food choices. Give the early morning workout a try, I bet you'll love it!

2) Wear your workout clothes to bed OR set out your workout clothes right next to your bed. This is so, so important. If I'm having a rough, unmotivated week I will wear my workout clothes to bed the night before so when my alarm goes off early I have no excuse; I'm already dressed! All I have to do at that point is lace up my sneakers. If you have everything all ready to go- either on your body or stacked next to the bed, water bottle filled and in the fridge, ipod next to your car keys...when you alarm goes off all you have to do is wake up and get yourself to the gym. Planning ahead is key. And if you're curious about whether or not to eat before your workout, I typically like to do my morning cardio on an empty stomach, but if I'm feeling hungry I'll do a half a Luna bar or half a banana. Just a little boost to get me going and then I'll eat a huge, healthy breakfast when I get home.

3) Play the whole picture in your mind. Sometimes when I'm feeling lazy or unmotivated I seriously just want to camp out on my couch, play online, watch a movie, whatever. This often happens when I haven't made the effort to workout that morning, I've had a long day, and the last thing I want to do is exercise. However, I try to run the entire picture through in my mind. I think of the scenario I'm in: I'm already feeling lethargic and lazy, and I have two choices. I can either continue to do nothing, keep lying around, and then lo and behold, I'm sure to feel guilty later that evening when I realize I made a bad choice. The other side of the coin is that I can get up, get moving, spend some time treating my body well and with respect, and feel SO proud of myself when I am done. Who wouldn't want to feel great? When I think about the whole picture, and focus on how I will feel afterward, I always choose to be active and exercise.

4) Use the 15 minute rule. Even when I don't want to go to the gym, I make a deal with myself that I will go and workout for 15 minutes. At the end of those 15 minutes I can then decide to leave or stay. It's pretty safe to say that when you are already there, you won't want to leave, and you'll actually begin to enjoy yourself.

5) Workout anywhere/mix it up. If you don't have a gym membership, there is NO reason you still can't get a good workout in. Running is great, but not for everyone. Walking can also be a wonderful way to use your body and get exercise. Walk outside at a good fast pace for about 40 minutes- swing your arms and break a sweat- and you will get a great workout. You can do pushups, lunges, squats, etc. in your living room during the commercials of your favorite television show. You can get 5-15 lb. weights at Target and get a full body workout all in the comfort (or privacy if you're iffy on working out in public) of your own home. Nothing motivates me more than finding a new workout to try. Keep challenging yourself to try new things! Zumba, yoga, or even a video! In the snowy winter months sometimes it's just not feasible to get out of our house. In that case, I will go between a few different videos- namely a Billy Blanks Tae-bo dvd and Jillian Micheal's 30-Day Shred. If you are a gym-goer, make it a rule to never do the same cardio machine twice in a row. One day do the elliptical, the next do 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 on the bike. And obviously you shouldn't work the same muscles everyday when lifting weights. Changing things up often will keep you engaged and interested...and make working out fun!

Good luck and happy exercising! :)

Dreams and Healing

            With the cost of medical care rising, I’d like to suggest another, ancient form of healing:  interpreting your dreams!  Once you understand symbolic language, you have an inner source of wisdom that will give you information about your body, your emotions and your direction in life.

While science is just now beginning to understand the place of dreaming for our health, most ancient cultures seemed to understand that illness begins in the soul.  And since dreams are the stories the soul tells us each night, perhaps we can consider paying attention to our dreams as a preventative measure for our health.

Until around the fifth century, there were over 200 healing temples spread throughout the Mediterranean region from Palestine to Spain.  Dedicated to the Greek god Asklepios or the Egyptian god Serapis, people went to these temples to be cured of their diseases.   

Once you entered the sacred precincts of the healing temple, you would participate in a ritual cleansing in a sacred spring, make an offering to the god, go to work out at the gymnasium and perhaps go to the Theater to experience a catharsis that freed up your emotions.  Then you would sleep in the temple to incubate a dream in which the god came to you and either healed you or gave you a prescription for healing.  The temple priests recorded your dreams and helped you understand what you had to do to heal.

The diagnostic value of dreams was acknowledged by the great physicians of the past: Hippocrates (famous for the Hippocratic oath of modern doctors) and Galen, the physician of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.  These doctors believed that dreams could foreshadow physical symptoms and reveal their progress.  Hippocrates noted that the Earth can symbolize the body, a river the blood, a tree for a man’s and a spring for a woman’s reproductive system. 

Freud, who did not recognize the precognitive aspect of dreams, may have missed a dream warning that could have saved his life.  Freud had a dream that contained a preview of the precise symptoms of oral cancer that eventually killed him twenty-eight years later.  Instead of seeing the dream as an aspect of himself, he projected it onto the female client in his dream. 

Louise Hay, in her classic book You Can Heal Your Life, shows how our physical ailments begin in our emotional body.  From rashes which symbolize irritations that bother us, to knee injuries which reflect an inflexible attitude of pride and ego, to breast cancer which often develops because we do not know how to nurture ourselves but would rather nurture and worry about others, we develop into what and who we are.  If we develop an illness, it is a call to us to pay more attention and to find out where we are cut off from a deep connection to ourselves.

If we only read illness as a physiological dysfunction, we lose the soul reason why we developed this specific illness in the first place.  Once we learn to give meaning to our lives, even to our illness, we begin the real process of healing and becoming whole. 

And dreams are important diagnostic tools that each of us, not only doctors, can use.

Dreams and Healing

            With the cost of medical care rising, I’d like to suggest another, ancient form of healing:  interpreting your dreams!  Once you understand symbolic language, you have an inner source of wisdom that will give you information about your body, your emotions and your direction in life.

While science is just now beginning to understand the place of dreaming for our health, most ancient cultures seemed to understand that illness begins in the soul.  And since dreams are the stories the soul tells us each night, perhaps we can consider paying attention to our dreams as a preventative measure for our health.

Until around the fifth century, there were over 200 healing temples spread throughout the Mediterranean region from Palestine to Spain.  Dedicated to the Greek god Asklepios or the Egyptian god Serapis, people went to these temples to be cured of their diseases.   

Once you entered the sacred precincts of the healing temple, you would participate in a ritual cleansing in a sacred spring, make an offering to the god, go to work out at the gymnasium and perhaps go to the Theater to experience a catharsis that freed up your emotions.  Then you would sleep in the temple to incubate a dream in which the god came to you and either healed you or gave you a prescription for healing.  The temple priests recorded your dreams and helped you understand what you had to do to heal.

The diagnostic value of dreams was acknowledged by the great physicians of the past: Hippocrates (famous for the Hippocratic oath of modern doctors) and Galen, the physician of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.  These doctors believed that dreams could foreshadow physical symptoms and reveal their progress.  Hippocrates noted that the Earth can symbolize the body, a river the blood, a tree for a man’s and a spring for a woman’s reproductive system. 

Freud, who did not recognize the precognitive aspect of dreams, may have missed a dream warning that could have saved his life.  Freud had a dream that contained a preview of the precise symptoms of oral cancer that eventually killed him twenty-eight years later.  Instead of seeing the dream as an aspect of himself, he projected it onto the female client in his dream. 

Louise Hay, in her classic book You Can Heal Your Life, shows how our physical ailments begin in our emotional body.  From rashes which symbolize irritations that bother us, to knee injuries which reflect an inflexible attitude of pride and ego, to breast cancer which often develops because we do not know how to nurture ourselves but would rather nurture and worry about others, we develop into what and who we are.  If we develop an illness, it is a call to us to pay more attention and to find out where we are cut off from a deep connection to ourselves.

If we only read illness as a physiological dysfunction, we lose the soul reason why we developed this specific illness in the first place.  Once we learn to give meaning to our lives, even to our illness, we begin the real process of healing and becoming whole. 

And dreams are important diagnostic tools that each of us, not only doctors, can use.

Gallery Art Flags Body Painting

Gallery Art Brasil Flags Body Painting

Gallery Art Argentina Flags Body Painting

Gallery Art Swedia Flags Body Painting

Gallery Art America Flags Body Painting

Gallery Art England Flags Body Painting

Happy Friday!

Isn't this a good reminder? Sometimes I feel that the older I get, the more I lose a bit of my sweetness, my niceness towards others. It's easy to get jaded and start to distrust people- it's simple to become bitter after disappointments come and go, after things don't go as planned. But the world is beautiful. I really believe this. And I think it's so important to remember this, and to hold onto your goodness, and any bit of kindness you have. It's worth a reminder for myself, and maybe for you too. If you look around, and remove yourself from the everyday noise, the daily routines and to-dos, the heres and theres, if you step back and just look at the world and take a deep breath, I think we could all find a lot more beauty in our everyday lives.

I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

*I also received an anonymous comment on this post that I deleted. Anonymous person, I don't need to have my readers "defend" me, or even deal with someone who gets so worked up. If you'd like to talk EMAIL me instead of leaving an annoying comment. If you think my life and happiness are so fake, that I talk too much about the things I have, etc. etc. stop coming back here to read what I write. It's my blog and you are coming here by choice. And hello, who asks me for money advice except the repeated questions via formspring (hence me deleting that site)? That's all I'll say. There's no need for me to leave up such a negative comment and have this post turn into ridiculousness- me trying to justify myself (I've already said too much) and comments from people doing the same. I'll just leave it at this: go away.