On The Farm
When I heard about 32 cats being rescued from a hoarding situation, I felt called to adopt one from the Huron Valley Humane Society. (Our country’s oldest no-kill shelter). Meet sweet Ernie, 4 years old, the newest addition to the family. He’s the tallest cat I’ve ever seen—long legs, very athletic. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a cat who could jump up on countertops, shelves and over dog gates. He and Stitch are gradually getting acquainted. At first greeting, Ernie asserted himself when Stitch wanted to say ‘hi’, so Stitch is being very cautious. Ernie is bringing a new energy to our home and keeping us on our toes. I’ll have to practice what I preach about adjusting to change.
Change is good. Change gives us opportunities to learn, to grow and to move forward. We learn from change how to be resilient, whether the change is gradual, like in aging, or sudden, like cats needing a home NOW. This month’s element is Air, one of my favorites. It’s all about movement. How do you work with change? What part of your ability to be resilient needs a little shoring up or a shift in attitude for what’s coming down the path of your life?
When we resist change, especially change over which we have no control, we set up our body, mind and spirit to expend a lot of energy, decreasing our immune system’s ability to ward off disease, reducing our strength physically and mentally. In shamanic terms, we’re ‘leaking power’, especially when we complain or express strong negative emotions like fear, anger or frustration.
The solutions may seem counterintuitive—finding stillness is the best way to move forward, and being curious about what’s happening can remove the emotional charge. Caring for ourselves, especially during stressful times, means bringing mind, body and spirit into balance. What do you need to balance in this moment? I think I’ll go sit with the cat. Ernie is certainly raising my awareness of the family dynamics. I’ll keep you posted.
Elemental Support - Air
I have had asthma and allergies that affect my breathing since I was a child, so Air is in my awareness a lot when it comes to self-care. I also play with Air—I have an enormous butterfly kite that I love to fly, I keep bubbles on hand for windy days, and chimes are hanging on nearly every tree and overhang.
In Chinese traditional medicine, the Air element is referred to as Metal and is the key to maintaining immune system health. It governs the energy channels of the Lungs and Large Intestines. It is associated with the autumn season, representing letting go of things we don’t need, like the trees letting go of their leaves. The taste associated with metal is pungent and aromatic, like garlic, ginger and basil. In its positive aspect, Metal/Air brings connection and courage. In its negative or deficient aspect, Metal/Air displays sorrow and attachment (not letting go). When Metal/Air is out of balance, a person might easily catch colds and flu, be short of breath, have congestion, constipation, dry skin, tiredness and grief chronically.
To come into balance, strengthening the lungs is important with breathing exercises or Qi Gong, an Asian practice for balancing the body’s energy systems. An active social life or participating in community activities is a good way to balance the sadness that is frequently found with Metal. Eating more pungent foods such as onions, chives, garlic, fresh ginger, chili peppers, cinnamon and wasabi will help. Because the color of metal is white, eating naturally white foods also will help to balance the Metal/Air energy—radishes, turnips, cauliflower, potatoes, and mushrooms (does not include white bread or sugar). It is also important to avoid mucus-producing foods such as dairy, sweets, and fried foods.
Ayurveda states that the Vata dosha contains both Air and Ether. The element of Air in this dosha represents the capacity for motion. The skin is considered the sense organ of the Air element, which is the source of life that allows blood to circulate, breath to move, thoughts to flow, and joints to propel us through the world. Air is the force behind all motion.
Vata is healthy when motion is controlled, but able to flow without obstruction. Control prevents excess flow while freedom prevents stagnation. Balance is the key to healthy Vata. Control of Air is done by having steady routines. A diet that is heavier will stabilize and balance the light quality of the Air element. Emotionally, surrender leads to the highest manifestations of motion (Air) and this requires faith. Air flows freely through a body and mind that has cultivated an attitude of surrender and faith in both self and the divine.
Good Air type foods to have in your diet are beans, lentils, and green leafy vegetables. These foods have bitter and astringent tastes which create lightness and movement in the body and clarity in the mind.
Consultations with your local TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner or acupuncturist, and/or with your local ayurvedic practitioner will support your goals for Air balance and health in both body and spirit.
A few breathing practices to balance and strengthen the Air element are:
*Ocean’s breath - breathe in through your nose and out with an open
mouth, making sounds like the ocean.
*Humming Bee Breath - breathe in through your nose and out with nearly
closed lips, humming and feeling the vibration.
*Box breath - breathe in to a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, breathe
out for a count of 4, hold out for a count of 4.
*Bubbles - when strong emotions can’t be expressed without hurting others or yourself, blow them into a bubble wand until they are expended. (Environmentally safe bubbles may be found on Amazon - Bubble Tree and Giant Gazillion are two brands of non-toxic solution.)
The Bookshelf
I’m of an age when friends and family are approaching older years and end of life. As I navigate this time of life for them and for myself, I find that there are few resources to tell a person how to age from this point. The world assumes that if you reached old age, you must know how to do it. But this is the first time I’ve been elderly, so what now?
Being Mortal, a New York Times bestseller, is beautifully written. Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses the questions of quality of life, which he acknowledges the medical profession is ill-equipped to manage on a whole-person level. Written in 2014, the first sections of the book describe the state of affairs that still exist in many hospitals and nursing homes. It’s pretty depressing and demeaning, but raises questions that everyone should raise who has an aging loved one.
Gawande makes the case that the goal of elder care for patients and families should be QUALITY of life, all the way to the end. He offers examples of freer, socially fulfilling models of care and explores varieties of hospice care that support a rich and dignified end of life.
As I discover the instruction manuals along the way, I’ll share them with you. This is a must-read.
So that’s the CAUSE OF THE MONTH, now to the book. For this month’s newsletter, I reviewed/read several books on how to provide home-cooked meals for canines, because I want to transition Stitch to healthier meals. He was showing signs of deteriorating health—weight gain, sluggishness, flaky skin, cranky temperament. We changed to The Farmer’s Dog, which is quite good, but pricey for the long term—Stitch is only 4 years old. Since making the investment (it’s been about 3 weeks) in small batch cooked food, there has been weight loss, glossy fur, no flakes, more calm and higher energy. I wanted to see if I could reach a balance between quality and cost by cooking Stitch’s meals myself.
Genie’s book is very well done. Different from the other books I read, hers is organized in a way that I can look up what I need when I need it. Even the research is presented in a way that I can understand. I do have a post-graduate degree, but I just don’t want to wade through studies—tell me the important things I need to know. What’s the bottom line?
There are 11 principles that take you through the essentials of holistic, natural care of your dog, from understanding digestion and nutrition basics to play and stimulation to relationships and alternative healthcare for animals. Genie helps us to understand why certain foods are beneficial and how to use them, and also why others are not. Finally, there are 111 really good recipes that cover a full range of main courses, diets for sensitive systems, weight loss, skin allergies, and special needs. Don’t forget the treats and celebratory goodies!
This book is only one of several that Genie has written, and every copy purchased helps to support the Human-Animal Connection. Go get yours now!
REQUIEM FOR OZZIE, by Ali Abruzzi
One of my clients sent me the most beautiful requiem poem she wrote for her beloved animal companion, Ozzie. I asked her permission to share it with you, as I know many of you share her sentiments about your own beloveds who have passed. Thank you, Ali.
Ozzie ate up my tears
On the tissues
I stopped him before the third
His salty dessert
After a salami & cheese sub
The last supper
Byron dug a mighty hole for you
Stood on the bottom
up to his neck
Cutting through rocks
Determined and digging
Like you loved to do
Grave expanding wide
The final embrace of the earth
Under the heart-shaped leaves
of the Redbud tree
You lay your heavy bones
Your ears tall, white pyramids
Soft like lamb’s ear
Listening to the love whispers
of you family
Oh, how you kept us safe
Led the way
Maple brown eyes
Discerning and wise
Sweet & dark like syrup
I’m still by your side
I hear you now in your Burl Ives’ voice
Humming along
with a rock between your teeth
Fur like a polar bear, strength of a horse
So smart, so brave
My Good Boy
Blanketed by Eva’s heartthrob
As we held on
And you let go
—Ali Abruzzi
Upcoming Classes
Find full descriptions and costs of the classes and events on the website - https://JudyRamsey.net. Registrations are on the website. Once registered, a Zoom invitation will be sent to register to receive the meeting i.d. and passcode. If you want to attend a journey circle, please contact Judy at info@judyramsey.net. Journey circles are held the first and third Thursday of each month. All classes and journey circles are recorded for your convenience.
August 24-25, 2024
Extraction: Illness & Healing From a Shamanic Perspective—This is an advanced class with a limit of 6 persons. Deepen your understanding of illness and how one’s spirit can help the physical body thrive or not. We will focus on power loss and extraction of intrusions. Explore different ways to “diagnose” an illness as well as to address its healing. Working with partners, deepen your understanding of spiritual intrusions and learn ways to extract them. Prerequisites: Basic Journeying, Medicine For the Earth/Healing With Spiritual Light. Suggested Reading: Walking In Light by Sandra Ingerman.
Class will be taught via ZOOM with careful monitoring of techniques and practice.
$220 per person, $100 for repeating students. 9am-5pm each day
October 19-20, November 16-17, and December 21-22, 2024
Soul Retrieval—This is an advanced class limited to 6 persons. When a person experiences trauma, there is a loss of soul essence. The person’s spirit is fragmented, causing disease, mental illness, or personality and behavioral shifts. In this training, deepen your connection to your helping spirits and learn to work with them to restore a soul’s essence. Expand your ‘tool chest’ of ways to help a client integrate a soul retrieval session, and experience as well, soul retrieval of body parts and of places in nature/landscape. Initiation and ceremony will anchor your learning. Prerequisites: Medicine For the Earth/Healing With Spiritual Light, and Extraction: A Shamanic View of Illness & Healing. Suggested reading: Soul Retrieval and Welcome Home by Sandra Ingerman.
Class will be taught via ZOOM with careful monitoring of techniques and practice.
$600 per person, $300 for repeating students. 9am-4pm each day est. Attendance at all
sessions is required. Optional mentoring sessions will be held November 4 and December 2, 2024.
Deadline for registration is September 15, 2024. Please contact Judy at info@judyramsey.net to apply.
October 5-6, 2024
Ancestors: The Power Within—Ancestors can be powerful allies in your practice, and healing our ancestral lines can help us heal ourselves and our families. Explore your heritage, deepen your connection with the grandmothers and grandfathers in ceremony, in initiation and in the shamanic journey. Prerequisite: basic journeying skills.
The class will be taught online via ZOOM.
$180 per person, $90 for repeating students. 9am-4pm each day.
November 23-24, 2024
Basic Journeying: The Art of Shamanism for Practical and Visionary Purposes in Daily Life—The shamanic journey is an easy and powerful tool we can use to access spiritual information. In this class you will meet and begin to develop a relationship with a compassionate spirit or power animal who is coming forward to help you at this time in your life. You will learn techniques to help you develop a self-directed practice of empowerment, allowing you to move safely, intentionally through the world in a balanced way.This class is a prerequisite to ongoing and more advanced shamanic studies.
The class will be taught online via ZOOM.
$160 per person, $80 for repeating students. 9am-3pm EDT each day
January 11-12 and February 8-9, 2025
A Shamanic View of Death & Dying—This is an advanced class limited to 6 persons. One of the traditional roles of a shaman was to prepare the dying person for a good death, escort the souls of the deceased to their ancestors, and to help those grieving left behind. By doing psychopomp work, a shamanic practitioner can heal those who have passed and help suffering souls to be at peace. This workshop will teach about helping people in the dying process, connecting with compassionate spirits to do psychopomp, helping spirits of the departed after death, and experiencing your own beautiful death. Individual, as well as group psychopomp will be presented. Initiation and ceremony will anchor your learning. Prerequisite: Soul Retrieval. Suggested Reading: Walking In Light by Sandra Ingerman.
The class will be taught online via ZOOM.
$250 per person, $150 for repeating students. 9am-4pm each day. Attendance at all sessions is required.