On The Farm
After driving over 2100 miles to attend this year’s animal chaplain ordination and to team teach the workshop at the Omega Institute, I’m grateful to stay put for awhile. The events were amazing. This year’s chaplain cohort is SO gifted and special—look out world!
During an afternoon break at Omega, I drove to My Happy Place, the horse sanctuary where the shires were brought last year. It was delightful to spend time with Julie Sabatine, the director, meeting her and the horses for the first time after working with them for nearly two years. The horses recognized me, my energy field, and that was a thrill! The Shires are doing so well. They are recovering such that Violet is able to receive critical care for her hooves. Sometimes, the animals must be stabilized, both physically and emotionally, before this can happen. Julie has done a fantastic job.
On the way home, I visited with my son’s family—did puzzles with my grandson which was so fun. Also stayed with friends I hadn’t seen since before Covid. Celebrated my birthday every place I stopped—that was a nice surprise.
So good to reconnect. And to reconnect with myself as well over the long drive. No distractions except traffic, which was gratefully light. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much time for myself and my thoughts. My takeaway from the trip was to spend more time with me. To make life more spacious so I can expand into the person that lives inside of me—more passion, more stillness, more service, more of whatever makes me happy and full.
When was the last time you made space and time for yourself, by yourself, to be with your thoughts, your desires, your life? In a good way, not to solve the latest crisis, but to strengthen who you are at the core? That’s tending your own Fire, which is the element of the month for July. Timely, isn’t it?
Elemental Support - Fire
The heat is on. July is a month that I don’t move very fast. My own element is Fire, so the hot climate on top of that gives me double heat. I can always get warm, but cooling down is challenging.
Honoring my own Fire at this time is important to help me stay cool. Self-care of Fire includes watching my diet to reduce inflammation. Expression of creative passion divests me of excess energy in a fun way—i can spend hours with fiber, beads, painting or creating no-cook meals. Spending time in nature, the garden, getting up early (5-6am) to walk Stitch helps us both appreciate the beginning of the day while it’s still relatively cool. We can move comfortably early and again late at dusk. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep is critical for focus, as is staying hydrated. Notice the emphasis on self-care? If you are feeling the heat, nurture your heart.
It takes some planning to work with Fire, as its active nature can demand action and movement. Its nature can also be like slow-burning coals. In Chinese traditional medicine, the fire element holds the heart. All thought, feelings and authenticity flow through it. Mastering maturity, balancing giving and receiving, living your passion, expressing joy and sharing laughter! All are crucial in maintaining the harmony of heart fire – the ruler of spirit.
When your spiritual and physical Fire is out of balance, one can experience headaches, dry mucous, thirst, insomnia, and hyperactivity. Even the actual heat of the day can affect your mental well-being, and your level of patience and acceptance, your reactivity. Extreme emotions like euphoria, sadness, worry, fear and anger may also produce internal Fire and affect all of the organs in a specific way. To rebalance one’s Fire, it is important to have clear objectives and actions. Enjoy activities that don’t take a lot of effort. Finding a point of gratitude in what is happening is always rebalancing.
Ayurveda states that the Pitta dosha controls heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. In addition to this, it also controls how to digest foods, how to metabolize sensory perceptions and how to understand the difference between right and wrong. Pitta controls the essential digestive “Agni” or fire of the body.
A Pitta balancing routine, including going to bed before 10 p.m., eating meals at regular times, making lunch the biggest meal of the day, and practicing daily self-massage coconut oil are ways to balance the body. Also, sweet, mild spices like mint, dill and cinnamon are beneficial for the Pitta dosha.
Consultations with your local TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner or acupuncturist, and/or with your local ayurvedic practitioner will support your goals for Fire balance and health in both body and spirit.
Best Resources to Support and Balance Your Heart’s Fire
When Rachel and I were operating our clinic, there were several techniques that we taught overstressed, anxious patients, including HeartMath and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). These were scientifically proven methods to reduce activation of the vagus nerve in the body and mind. They were also the easiest to teach and the most convenient to use in any setting. These are short-term methods to survive the moment, and do not replace counseling or psychiatric treatment.
Since 1991, the HeartMath Institute has developed reliable, scientifically validated tools that help people reduce and avoid stress while experiencing increased peace, satisfaction and self-security. Research at the HeartMath Institute shows that, adding heart to our daily activities and connections produces measurable benefits to our own and others’ well-being.
The website, has free resources, excellent research articles, and training that offers easy, simple techniques to achieve deep releases with your heart, your anxiety, your anger or other stresses. HeartMath practitioners are excellent coaches that support your return to resilience and calm and can be found in the certified professionals directory on the website. As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, donations are welcome.
EFT Universe was organized in 2010 to train professionals to teach and use a specific neurological method to reduce stressful emotions. The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a simple tapping process that clinical trials and neuroscience studies show calms the brain’s emotional centers and takes one out of flight-fight mode. Through a tapping protocol, one stimulates 13 acupressure points on the face and body lightly and quickly with the fingertips while focusing the mind on stressful events. The process re-trains the body to respond with calm to negative experiences.
Cause of the Month and the Bookshelf
I wanted to share the work of Dr. Genie Joseph, whom I met at the animal chaplain ordination—she just added ‘animal chaplain’ to her long list of accomplishments. Genie’s passion is animals and service—that is her ‘fire’. This extraordinary creative person is the executive director of The Human-Animal Connection, a non-profit organization that helps traumatized shelter animals by supporting their healing, and training them to become therapy dogs for teenagers, reclusive persons, healthcare professionals and military veterans with PTSD. The program is free for Veterans, Active Duty, First Responders, Health Care Providers and anyone feeling stress in the line of duty. These therapeutic interactions relieve stress, restore resilience and increase enthusiasm for life. Over 4,000 military members and their families have benefited so far.
You can find more information on The Human-Animal Connection at the website, as well as blogs, resources, opportunities to help and to donate to this wonderful cause.
Donations may be made at https://www.thehumananimalconnection.org.
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!
Prevent Dehydration in Your Companion Animals
In extreme temperatures, we need to consider the specific needs of our beloved animal companions. In small animals, signs of dehydration include loss of appetite, lethargy or weakness, vomiting or diarrhea, dark colored urine, excessive panting, sunken eyes, for dogs-pale or bright red gums, for cats-tacky, dry gums. If you gently pull up the skin between the shoulders and it falls into place quickly, the animal is hydrated. If the skin falls slowly, that is a sign of dehydration.
From the Daily Dig, here are reminders for dogs, many of which work for cats as well.
*Make fresh water available
*Add flavor to the water to encourage drinking (broth with no garlic/onion)
*Increase amount of wet food or add liquid (water/broth)
*Give frozen treats (I mix yogurt with peanut butter and freeze for a simple snack)
*Offer vegetables like cucumbers or celery
*Make homemade rehydrating treats that can be frozen (see Dr. Joseph’s book above for recipes)
*Keep them from drinking from toilets, puddles or other potentially contaminated sources
*Visit the vet
Horses are another matter. Be sure they have access to fresh water. Algae can form in hot weather—clean troughs or run water, and fill buckets daily as needed to avoid bacterial accumulation. Spraying horses to cool them down is great, as long as you towel off the excess water, which can heat up just with body temperature and make them overheat. Extremely cold water will shock the system. A gentle spray of cool water, with toweling (rigid towel) is good. Wipe face and ears with a damp rag and then reapply fly repellent as needed. If possible, place circulating fans in the barn or mount them for stall use to keep the air moving, even if it is hot air. Use caution and common sense to keep all electrical wires and connections away from the animals.
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.
July 27-28, 2024
Basic Animal Communication—Learn how to communicate telepathically the way that animals communicate to each other. In this basic class, you will open your intuitive senses through exercises designed to take you gently step-by-step into telepathic communication. In a fun, nurturing class environment, you will open your intuitive senses through the first day. By the second day, you will be ready to explore communication with animal guests who have offered to teach you how to understand what they want to say. Come join us!
9am-5pm both days
$180 per person/ $90 for repeat students
August 17-18, 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
August 24-25, 2024
Extraction: Illness & Healing From a Shamanic Perspective—This is an advanced in-person class with a limit of 4 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
September 22-26, 2024
Soul Retrieval—This is an advanced residential class limited to 8 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. Suggested reading: Soul Retrieval and Welcome Home by Sandra Ingerman. Class is held in Ann Arbor, MI.
$650 per person, $400 for repeating students. Room & Board $300 per person, all meals included. Transportation from DTW may be arranged.
Deadline for registration is September 1, 2024