Book Review – Spirit Woman: The Teachings of the Shields
I’m not sure when I purchased the book, or how long it had been on my shelf before I finally got around to reading it. It was probably sitting there for quite a while. I have a habit of letting books call to me at the time of sale, but not necessarily reading thenm promptly.
Spirit Woman, by Lynn Andrews, was actually written as a sequel to Medicine Woman but it easily stands on its own. Lynn describes her teachings from Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs through the spiritual tool of medicine shields.
Lynn’s education is definitely “experiential” rather than a lecture format that we are so used to in suburban educational systems. Lynn’s teachers set up situations that required much of her beyond simple demonstrations of skill or knowledge. These learning experiences challenged her to become something different and to become aware of her own abilities, fears, and constricted beliefs.
The author’s writing style allows you to feel at times as if you are sitting at the table, experiencing the darkness, or knowing the joy. It is amazing to realize that this is a true story. During each chapter I questioned whether or not I could have done the things that Lynn did. I wonder, could you?
Low Energy
Having low energy is a common problem for most of us. Below is a tapping exercise that may help to improve the situation. When I first used this one, lots of other issues popped up that needed tapping as well. You may want to have your tapping journal handy to jot down some notes.
If you are new to tapping, check out the Tapping Points video on the Meridian Tapping page before moving on.
Rate this statement on a 0-10 scale where 0=not true at all and 10=completely true, “I have low energy.” Write down the number.
Say these statements while tapping on the karate chop point: I don’t seem to have much energy lately. It is hard to get going and even harder to keep going. I just don’t seem to have the stamina I used to have and I want it back. Even though I’m lacking energy I love and accept myself completely. Although I have no stamina, I am open to loving myself anyway. Even though I have much less energy than what I think I need, I choose to accept myself just as I am.
Eyebrow…No energy
Side of Eye…Low energy
Under the Eye…Lack of energy
Nose…No stamina
Chin…Not enough to get going
Collarbone…Not enough to keep going either
Under the Arm…No energy
Top of Head…Need more energy
Eyebrow…No stamina
Side of Eye…I want more stamina
Under the Eye…I really miss having energy and stamina
Nose…It is bothering me
Chin…I am committed to improving my energy
Collarbone…I am open to raising my energy level
Under the Arm…I am eager to understand my current energy
Top of Head…I accept myself with or without energy and stamina
Take a deep breath and release it gently. Now say the statement again “I have low energy.” Rate it on the 0-10 scale. Has there been a change? Did any other thoughts come up? If the rating number is lower, you can tap on those new thoughts or continue tapping with statements similar to the ones above.
Tapping Video: Worry
Book Review – Energy Tapping: How to Rapidly Eliminate Anxiety, Depression, Cravings, and More Using Energy Psychology
Energy Tapping by Fred Gallo and Harry Vincenzi was one of the first books on Energy Psychology (EP) that I read and I’m delighted to have read it again after more than a decade of doing EP with others. In addition to being a great introductory text for EP work and tapping, this book has features that set it apart from many other books in the genre including a chapter about energy toxins, a great description of beliefs and their impact on feelings and behavior, and perhaps the best chapter anywhere on Psychological Reversal and Self Sabotage.
Beyond the basics of how to do tapping, the authors provide easy to follow instruction and numerous case examples so that the reader can feel confident in addressing a variety of emotions and situations. The page formatting and easy to understand graphics add to the experience and the ease of use.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their life circumstance. Whether you are a seasoned health care provider or new to energy work, this book has much to offer.
Patience Please
Please be patient. I know this site is pretty ugly. I know it has many flaws. Please read on. As you can tell, I’ve not been on here for a long time. So much has happened. I’ve moved. I broke my arm. I changed jobs. The site itself went wonky. Most of my content disappeared. That’s the short list.
I found it all very disappointing and frustrating. Each time I thought of something I wanted to write I bumped up against a lot of internal dialogue about not knowing how to fix the site, not knowing anything about formatting, not having a computer/web guru at my disposal, thinking that I suck at promoting myself, and believing that I needed to have all of that figured out before making my first post.
I’m not sure what changed my mind but I decided to let this be a work in progress. I’ve been immersing myself in PMA and self-help literature, tapping furiously, and trying to overcome my need to appear perfect. So….I’m diving back in.
If you have stayed with me this far into the post, I’m hoping you will support me by sharing posts that you enjoy, giving me feedback, and sharing your own stories. I promise that I will be working to make the site work more efficiently and more visually pleasing, but that will take time. Do you have suggestions? I’m listening.
Human Kindness
Although I had promised myself that things would be different this year, I found myself standing at UPS with packages to ship with less than an hour before the cost would rise substantially if I wanted them to arrive before Christmas. As you might imagine, the store was packed. To my right was a woman filling out the paperwork to ship a package to her daughter who is stationed in the Middle East for the United States Air Force. She mentioned it quietly but the person behind the counter repeated some of the information to verify accuracy, and another worker got involved while trying to expedite things.
Because the worker was also trying to take care of my three packages while helping the mother of our service member, there were several short periods where I needed to wait. Actually, I’m glad I did.
The man to my left was shipping something large, but finished his transaction quickly. Before he left, he handed money to the clerk and gestured that it was to help pay the cost of the shipping to the Middle East. Then he quietly left. He said nothing directly to the mother.
I was still waiting when the mother was given the total cost for her shipping, then the clerk advised her of the man’s generosity and deducted his gift from her total and shared with her the man’s statement of gratitude for her daughter’s service to our country. She cried. The sales clerk cried. I got a bit misty myself.
It is easy to bemoan the lack of civility and caring in society today but that would be a mistake. It is still there. There are still people who demonstrate human kindness. I’m now challenged that if I’m not seeing it in others, I need to act it out myself. I know that the rest of that day I was just a little happier, a little nicer, and a little more hopeful.
Feeling Uneasy? Try tapping
Tapping: Changing Problems Into Possibilities
I like Tapping. No, I love Tapping. It often baffles me that people are so resistant to trying it. Excuses are numerous, but one that used to ring true to me was “Tapping can’t change anything. The problem is still there.” Maybe yes. But maybe not.
Let’s say that you are traveling along the road when you come upon a tree that is down and blocking your path. You are right that Tapping is not going to make that tree go away. It will still be there after you are done tapping. So what is the point of doing Tapping in this situation?
Most people experience some degree of upset or frustration when their plans must be altered suddenly. The word ‘detour’ often has negative emotions attached. Tapping could be used immediately to decrease the frustration or negative feelings that arose when you first saw that the road was blocked. Tapping could also be used for the automatic negative thoughts that became evident such as “Now I’ll be late”, “I’ll never get there”, or “I’ll be stranded out here forever.” This type of negative thinking is seldom productive and, in fact, blocks our ability to creatively problem-solve and move forward.
There may be enough room to go around the tree. You might be able to back up, turn around, and go another route. The blocked path could be a gift because an even bigger obstacle or danger is around the next turn. If your energy system is all messed up from the negative response you might miss the opportunity to feel thankful that you didn’t end up in an even bigger disaster.
Bottom line – you are right. The tree is still there. But your perception of the tree and the total situation can change dramatically with the use of Tapping.