Wellspring Wisdom

More on Intuition

2006-02-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

It is my firm belief that you are the "expert" when it comes to understanding what it is that you need. The best gift you can give to yourself is time and space to breathe, meditate and stay in touch with your body. As a society, we do not honour these necessities sufficiently and tend to relinquish our power to others who declare their expertise.The mind is so powerful. You change your mind and you change your life. Fatigue, dis-ease are clues that we need to revisit the wisdom of our body, to follow the clues to their source and to make the necessary changes even if these changes are inconvenient in our "logical estimation".

I have recently had a request to do an intuitive scan for a young woman. As I am a Medical Intuitive, I could visit her energy field and with permission invite her body to share its wisdom with me. However, she was hesitant in requesting this service because somewhere within she already knows that she is the real expert. We may believe someone else has the magical ability to see into our lives and advise us on that which they deem to be best for us. Many are helpful, and of course there are others who, in the interest of their business can build dependency in those who come to them for help. There is no real magic in this. We all have access to such information. All that is required is the intent and the attentiveness to the clues.

The probing questions of this person seeking help reminded me of two very important things:

The first is that when seeking help from any professional, whether in health care or other fields, it is essential to be an informed consumer. Check out their credentials and what they are offering.
Secondly, trust that they can only report to you what you already know at some level of your being.

This second point is something I am in need of remembering myself. Just because I am an intuitive (as, by the way is everyone reading this) does not mean that I cannot get caught in the very human, very western tendency to figure things out rather than listening to the wisdom of the body. What is underneath my periodic insomnia? Why is Norm, my husband, who has post-taumatic epilepsy suddenly having more frequent seizures? Like others, I can worry and fret with the best of them when the issue comes close to home. But when I take the time to walk with my troubles, breathe through them and attentively listen to that inner wisdom, I can even discover the root causes of these issues.

Note: this is not thinking it through or researching it on the web but rather saying to myself, my inner wise guidance, "Let's take a walk in the woods, by the beach, around the block. Tell me what I can do to make this better." Then we walk, me, myself and I and out of that meditative, open, listening stance, I get a sense, a knowing that if I just take one more day off work, if I just exchange that hour of mindless computer gaming with a walk, a bubble bath, a meditation, Tai Chi in the garden, then my mind will stop racing. Then I can sleep better and get rid of the knot in my stomach that I created by suppressing the feelings of worry for Norm. When I know this. I can cry. I can release the knot. I can clear the resistence to see the solutions right under my nose.

We can know all that there is to know because we are intimately connected to the expert. Our self.

We Create our own Reality

2006-01-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Recently, a dear friend said to me "Sometimes I feel that I can't win for losing!" This statement was actually her truth when she said it. Was it her truth before she got the news that her car needed a new transmission? Was it her truth before her beloved dog, Samson was diagnosed with liver cancer, before her hard contact lens dropped into the garberater?

Her statement certainly gave me reason to ponder the question. Why is it that some people seem to attract misfortune while others consistently and effortlessly attract serendipity.

It seems to me that the more we can keep ourselves in that attitude of gratitude the more we expect and magnetize positive outcomes for ourselves. This is not theoretical any more. It really happens. A statement like "I can't win for losing." actually can make itself reality. While we think we are stating a truth in protest, we are, in reality creating it.

I recognize this because I do the same thing much of the time. At those times when I truly am convinced that good things will come my way, or I intend them, they really do. When I fall into lamentations the opposite occurs. Let us look for the positives moment by moment and not anticipate or invite the bad things by believing statements like that.

A Stroke of Humour

2005-09-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

The following is an article published in the September/October issue of Synergy, a bi-monthly periodical from Nanaimo, BC, "dedicated to body, mind & spirit".

Writing here, I listen to the fountain gurgling beyond my window. I turn to look outside as the undersides of the Stewartia leaves reflect the shimmer of flowing water. A fat robin does his post bathing ritual dance to dry off sufficiently to fly. Soaked to the skin, he is not a pretty sight. Norm, my husband, chuckles at the drenched bird. His laughter is infectious and I also giggle at the spectacle.
Norm is a remarkable man. He has a sense of humour that has been his saving grace. A vibrant man, bookkeeper, jogger, photographer, Norm had a devastating fall that left him paralyzed on the right side. After his accident, he lost his speech, his ability to recognize letters and numbers and with a condition called post-traumatic epilepsy. Naturally, Norm went through a period of mourning after such an enormous loss but eventually acceptance and a love of life started him on the road to stroke recovery.
Learning to speak clearly was first on the agenda. Sometimes sentences came out garbled. Eventually, however, Norm’s speech improved. He then needed to tackle re-learning to walk, dress himself, eat and finally to read. Words on a page appeared to be jumbled. He could not keep track of the rows of text. “They are running into each other. I don’t understand how little kids learn this so easily.” Numbers were even more difficult. Dialing his home phone number was an insurmountable obstacle. But, again, with time and stubborn perseverance Norm began to be, as he says of himself, “Normal Norm”.
Housebound after the accident, he could no longer jog. Being “single handed” he could no longer manipulate the camera. The computer grew to be his best friend until he became so proficient that he is a now a published writer.
He started by writing out his favourite shaggy dog stories. He had been notorious for the telling of these lengthy groaners. Now his goal was to get good at it again. So he practiced diligently. Writing, reading, memorizing.
At his first birthday party after the injury, he felt sufficiently well-rehearsed to try one of his stories on the guests. Despite last minute cold feet, he embarked on the following tale. (This is the shortened version. Be grateful.)
A cougar chewed one of Roy Rogers’ new Birthday boots and removed the other one altogether from the porch. Angry, Roy was determined to shoot the culprit. He was gone all day. Dale was beginning to worry about him when she saw him approaching, cougar slung across the horse’s rump. She called out “’Scuse me Roy, is that the cat that ate your new boots?”
That was, supposedly, the punch line. Nobody laughed. At first, neither did Norm but as the realization of his error dawned on him, he nearly fell from his wheelchair in paroxysms of laughter. Puzzled looks flew around the group. Some laughed, out of politeness, others simply shrugged their shoulders. When Norm finally regained composure he was able to deliver the punch line as intended.

“Pardon me Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoe?” (A pun on, “Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga ChooChoo?”)

Since his debut, Norm has laughed long and hard at many mixed words. He has also told lots of jokes well to appreciative audiences. In my considered opinion and that of Norm’s friends, his recovery has been largely due to his willingness to persevere and the ability to laugh, not only at the shaggy dog stories that he loves so much but also at himself.

Márta O’Reilly is a Medical Intuitive, Reiki Master/Teacher and Counsellor. Her practice is in North Nanaimo’s Wellspring Healing. She is fortunate to be married to Norm Johnson with whom she shares much laughter. Márta welcomes new clients for Intuitive body scans, Reiki healing as well as Reiki classes. Visit Márta’s Website at http://wellspringhealing.net
Phone: 619-9074 or e-mail: marta@wellspringhealing.net

Insecurity

2005-07-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

I suspect that, at one time or another, you have struggled with a sense of insecurity, as have I. I suspect that, some of those times, you have been able to overcome that feeling and move forward in a positive and constructive manner, whereas, at others, the feelings of self-doubt paralized you. This is a common occurance. Even though we all have people in our lives who appear always to know exactly where they are going and what their next step is to get there, underneath that façade of confidence there are private moments of uncertainty even they experience.

What purpose could these moments possibly serve in our lives? What can we learn from these uncomfortable, trying experiences? In general, we feel insecure in those circumstances that are either unfamiliar or for which we are not adequately prepared. The feeling underlying this is, of course fear, whether it be fear of failure or fear of the unknown.

What do I say to a sick friend? How do I approach a new client? How do I present myself in a job interview? What situations warrant challenging my boss, co-worker, life partner? Where can I get the information to make my presentation sizzle instead of fizzle? These are only skimming the surface of the types of emotional or social insecurities. In addition there may be matters of insecurity in our financial and physical health and well-being. We can either shut down and claim that we cannot deal with the situation or we can roll up our sleeves and learn what we are lacking in order to move through the task, event or challenge.

If we live our lives with the expectation of maintaining a high comfort level we will never grow to our full potential. It is in the discomfort of our lives that growth occurs. It is the hurdles we face that give us the sense of accomplishment that grows our self-esteem. These are not just words. When I feel stuck in some area of my life, let's say that my friendship with someone is unsatisfactory; I feel used, taken for granted. If I say nothing, the situation stays the same. I may get more and more resentful. I may avoid this person, (provided, of course I am not living with them). I may feel lonely, hurt, jaded, angry or worst of all, powerless. However, were I to talk to my friend about my feelings, were I to work through the issues with him to affect a mutually satisfactory resolution, the situation could be remedied. The remedy may result in compromise, understanding or termination of relationship but at the very least, I will have been proactive, honest and self respecting. There is no sense of insecurity when we honour ourselves enough to recognize and address our discomforts in a relationship.

It has been said that fear is the antithesis of love. When I face my fears, first and foremost I am demonstrating love for myself. If I love myself enough to be diligent in facing my fears, a.k.a. insecurities, then I open myself to honest, loving relationships with others.

Please reflect on these words. I value any feedback you may have on any of my Wellspring Wisdom. If you have questions, rants or raves, let us learn from one another.

Namasté,
Márta O’Reilly

Reiki: Energy Support for Weight Loss

2005-07-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

I call myself a healer. I work with energy; that energy which is in every living thing; that energy which forms us into who we are.

Have you seen the movie What the Bleep doe we Know? It was a wonderful illustration of how quantum physiscs operates in our every-day lives. We are composed of bundles of energy. These bundles of energy react, respond to thought. We can by our intention, by our volition affect change in our physiology.

Have you embarked on a weight loss program? It is by your intention that you are losing the weight. You decided - "I no longer want to carry around these extra pounds. I am ready, willing and able to lose the pounds I need to get to my target weight." It is this decision that brings you success, that makes it possible for you to succeed. I know because I have done that too - and find myself doing it again.

Why? Why do I have to do it again? We have all made decisions, intended great things in our lives and have gone so far before falling back into old habits, old excuses that serve as obstacles to success. We see this a lot in our lives. New year's resolutions; we join the gym in January and by March we have so many excuses we can no longer make it. Why?

Is is a lack of discipline? Energy? Will power? Or is it an underlying self-sabotage? Not one of us is free of emotional issues in our lives. Difficult relationships take their toll. If you have ever been in a bad marriage did you keep eating just to make yourself feel better or, perhaps simply to protect yourself with extra layers of fat almost like an armour against the hurts hurled your way? There are all sorts of emotional reasons for eating.

It is easy to blame someone else. I used to blame my mother. She lived through the war in Eastern Europe and of course, scarcety. "Waste not want not. Clean up your plate. Good girl!" So, when I was not feeling particularly good about myself I 'd clean up my plate. Funny, how that didn't really work any more, but I had to blame someone.

How can energy work help with these underlying emotional issues? Reiki, along with the myriad of other energetic healing and touch therapies works with your auric field. The energy bundles that compose your physical, emotional and etheric body respond to thought and intent. As the therapist lays his or her hands upon a client who is coming to experience release and relief from discomfort or dis-ease, the energetic field comes into balance and there is a resulting sense of well-being. Of course this is an oversimplification. It does not happen by waving a magic wand. Reiki and other energy therapies work miracles when healing follows injury immediately but when the issues needing attention are long-term, ingrained, often buried in the subconscious, the energy work coaxes the problem into the consciousness and over a period of weeks or occasionally, months the connection is made and balance becomes available.

So the process is one of Release - Relief - Re-Balance. It is far easier to achieve our goal when we are in a state of balance energetically. Try it! It really works.

Marta O'Reilly is a Reiki Therapist Located at Wellspring Healing in Nanaimo, BC.

Honing Intuition

2005-07-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

We live in a society that does not encourage introspection. Wherever we go, we are bombarded by "INPUT". I don't know if you have ever seen the movie, "Short Circuit" in which a robot, known as Number 5, begins to take on human characteristics. Hungry for information about everything, he keeps looking for input. Reading encyclopedias, watching television endlessly, checking out human behaviour.

Of course, as human beings we do need input about the world around us. We need to be informed in order to function well in the world. However, we also need to listen to our inner guidance, that still small voice within that represents our reaction, our emotional response to all this input. We need to reduce the volume of the input in order to savour what we hear and see, to assimilate that which fits and discard that which does not. For this we need time. The time we need is that time that we might otherwise spend watching television, listening to talk shows or playing computer games. Don't get me wrong, these activities are all well and good, IF we can do them in addition to our inner work. If they are instead of or for the purpose of shutting off our gut feelings, we are, indeed destroying our connection to inner guidance, our intuitive selves.

If we have already spent much of our lives squelching our naturally intuitive selves, can we recover what we have lost? Most definitely. With intention, with creating the time and space, with attention to our inner voice, we can definitely hone our intuition.

Now, what do I mean by "intention". Intention is more than simply desire. When I intend to pay heed to my wise, inner self, I essentially make a conscious decision to check in with my feelings in situations that require decision-making. How does this decision make me feel? Am I anxious or serene if I opt for or against a certain scenario? Do I want to escape into mindless activities, anesthesize myself with food, drink or some addiction? Do I like myself more or think less of myself? Where in my body am I feeling this certainty or this insecurity? How does it feel to live my life rather than coast by trying not to feel. Given sufficient attention the subtle emotions or physical sensations, elation, fear, butterflies in the stomach or headache become sufficient hints upon which I can base my decision.

How do I give time and space in my life for intuitive play? I don't call it work because, in fact, it is more play than work. I sit by the side of the river, a human-being NOT a human-doing. The art of BEING is particularly a lost art in our productivity focussed western society. There IS value in simply being. Meditation, whether sitting, attending our breathing or the more dynamic meditations of walking, dancing, even jogging bring us back into the wisdom of our bodies and away from the constant chatter of the mind with its rationalizations that can steer us away from that which is best for us. We can all find the time and space if we look carefully at our wasted time.

And what is this inner voice we seek or, in many cases, seek to drown out? It is that gut feeling, the thermostat of our wellbeing. All it requires to speak is our attention. We have all encountered situations, even in the busy-ness of our daily lives when we have sensed danger or, at least, unrest in social situations. We visit a home where the host and hostess have just been fighting, despite the forced smiles on their faces, we sense that all is not well here. Paying attention to gut responses to the many situations in which we find ourselves can shed light on what course of action is in our best interest, what decision is the most life-giving for us in the now.

Try it! That entity that you call the "self" will demonstrate gratitude beyond expectation. Make a date with yourself and pay at least as much attention as you would to a dear and trusted friend. In fact your intuitive self IS the dearest and the most trust worthy of any friend in whom you may ever invest your time to get to know.

Namaste

Marta O'Reilly

First Post Wisdom

2005-06-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Technology is amazing. I am told that this is my opportunity to network with people of like mind. I have connected with you, so it must be working.

If you are interested in what makes us tick, what makes us well, what makes us sick you have come to the right blog. If you love people, if you love words and if you have a curiosity about life and quality of life in general, you have come to the right place. I explore the meaning of the Universe daily. That's easy. I explore the meaning of the self every moment of every day. That's the hard part.

What I do in my daily life is healing work. Actually that is not strictly true. What I do, is assist those who come to Wellspring Healing to pursue their own healing. We cannot presume to heal another. We heal ourselves. Sometimes we need a sounding board to help us sort through all the data of our life before healing can occur. Sometimes we need help sorting through our issues, reconnecting with our intuition or understanding our purpose in this lifetime. This blog can be the source of growth for both of us.

Join me next time when I will discuss how we can connect to our intuitive selves. In the meantime, please visit me on the web at: http://wellspringhealing.net

Marta O'Reilly
Wellspring Healing