Transformation - the ordinary becomes extraordinary
Around this time 11 years ago I was preparing myself for a 10 day vision quest and water fast. This was one of the most extraordinary things I have done for myself. Through my Shamanic Diploma training I had learnt about these vision quests in which one would sit in a hole for 10 days. For much of my life prior to this, when difficult times had arisen, I would fantasise about being buried in the earth. This was something peculiar to me and I had no understanding why I felt this way, until the opportunity for this type of vision quest came to me.
After the 9 days of being in that hole, which I dug myself, my body was telling me that I had reached my limit and I had received what I needed. So the 9th day is where I ended my vision quest. I have never had the craving to be buried in the earth since and one of my greatest gifts from this experience was being able to see just how extraordinary the ordinary is in this life on earth. I have always sensed just how extraordinary the body is, in the way that it can operate thousands of bodily functions in a single moment. The intelligence of the brain and heart can co-ordinate a multi-dimensional system with such eloquence.
Looking out into nature from my hole in the red centre, this vision quest gave me some unique perspectives and the opportunity to shed many obstacles to a lived experience of the extraordinary nature of life. This space of silence and connection with the earth and the spirit of all things, gave me an appreciation for just how magnificently life is orchestrated. I could sense the way divine support was always communicating with me and guiding me. I could release past traumas and punishment patterns to experience greater love and therefore a greater sense of connection to life. This, I believe, is what makes life extraordinary - the transformations we can make internally to change our perspective and positively influence the experiences we receive in life.
When we can make this shift of perspective from ordinary to extraordinary, it can nourish the body, heart and soul with pleasure and joy. In turn it feeds the state of appreciation and gratitude, which is fertiliser for growing and attracting goodness into life. It also correlates with a greater connection with your higher self and your intuitive guidance.
I am still enjoying this quest of exploring the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Here are my first top 5: (more to come next month)
1. DRINKS TO DELIGHT
Hydration for the body is a fundamental necessity and a truly extraordinary aspect of human function. Water can hold and transmit energetic frequencies and neurological signals, which makes it a magical type of medium in the body. Ordinary water is essential to drink, thirsty or not –
In fact, the body’s thirst is its mechanism for indicating it is dehydrated, which is an added stress to the body. So the kindest thing we can do for our body is to continue to give it hydrating drinks, before the thirst intensifies.
Your thirst mechanism is essential for preventing dehydration. The more you ignore it, the lower your threshold becomes and the more dehydrated you become. This has detrimental implications for your weight loss attempts, your recurring back pains, your brain function and concentration levels, your ability to release toxins from the body and the health of your skin – just to name a few.
So here are some suggestions for making your ordinary duties of hydrating the body a little more delightful.
You can add to your still or sparkling water
Fresh strawberries, chopped in half
Slices of lemons, limes and oranges
Crushed mint leaves
Orange slices and stick of fresh rosemary
Watermelon and cucumber slices
Instead of ice blocks, you can add frozen berries straight from the freezer
And for your warm drinks in winter, here are some tasty hydrating suggestions to add to your hot water:
Slices of lemon (skin and all) to hot or boiled water
Slices of fresh ginger and turmeric
Coconut milk, molasses, cacao powder and spices such as cinnamon, cardamon, chilli
Lemon juice, honey and a pinch of sea salt and cayenne powder
2. GREENS MADE GREAT
For the body to do it’s many incredible functions and keep it running effectively, good nutrition is essential. Ordinary everyday whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, spices, herbs and animal products are in fact extraordinary. Not only do we get an incredible taste sensation with them, they are also the necessary building blocks for mental and physical health. According to the latest research discussed in Sayer Ji’s book Regenerate plants not only provide essential nutrients, they also provide information via messenger RNA which support the health of the body. One particular plant food profoundly supportive for health, energy and vitality and packed full of B vitamins and minerals is our greens. Most of us have probably heard this in one way or another and yet how often are the greens making an appearance in your diet? Here are a few suggestions to help you to make greens the star of your meals in a way that they can taste great.
Splash over your baby spinach some olive oil and that tasty brew - apple cider vinegar and honey. Melrose and Wescobe are 2 companies that make this delightful combo and bottle it for our convenience.
Turn your ordinary green leafy mix into a salad sensation by adding olives, tomato, cucumber, red capsicum and grilled halloumi slices.
Steam your silverbeet or kale leaves and serve them with toasted sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds. Almond slivers are also a tasty addition.
Toss your steamed greens with olive oil and dukka.
Grated parmesan cheese, olive oil and lemon is a delightful topping for a herby greens salad of baby, spinach, lettuce, parsley and basil leaves.
Stir fry kale, beetroot leaves and silverbeet leaves in coconut oil and sprinkle with grated nutmeg, sultanas, toasted almonds and sunflower seeds.
Rub salt and coconut oil into kale leaves and bake them at 160 degrees until crispy.
Macadamia oil is a perfect match for rocket. It’s like butter meeting pepper on a romantic French cooking tour. Throw together rocket leaves, baby spinach leaves and macadamia nuts. Drizzle with macadamia oil and lime juice and season with salt.
Steam florets of broccoli and toss them with grated fresh ginger, tamari sauce, sesame and olive oil and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Add a bunch of finely chopped coriander, parsley or mint to your evening meal for extra goodness.
Switch your eggs on toast for eggs and greens. Fry in coconut oil or ghee your silverbeet, kale, beetroot or turnip tops along with eschallots, garlic and ginger. Fry your eggs on this lovely bed of green and sprinkle with salt, pepper and turmeric powder.
3. FUN-FILLED FITNESS
Movement is life, and you realise just how much life it gives you when you stop moving or reduce your movement. Yet it doesn’t have to be boring or hard work. There are many glorious tools in this world to inspire us to move and appreciate the many ways we can move our body. The co-ordination of muscles and movements is an extraordinary thing in itself. When I watch an athletic body in slow motion, or you notice all the many incredible ways people can move their bodies in gymnastics, aerobics, circus acts, sports and dance, I am in awe of what the human body can do. To explore my own body and variety of movement through dance and movement practices, I have discovered much about myself, my tendancies, my strengths, my weaknesses and my sheer delights. When you move your body with awareness, noticing its sensations and feedback, you can experience a sense of the extraordinary in you.
Ordinary activities such as cleaning, shopping, hanging washing, gardening and helping another, are movement practices with health and fitness benefits, They can also hold joyful benefits when they are approached in a certain way and when you can truly sense the rewards in these activities. When we can shift our perception from them being an arduous chore, to being a life giving movement activity, we have new found appreciation for the ordinary. There are so many glorious movement practices to choose from - dancing, walking, gym workouts, aerobics, yoga, pilates, qi gong, tai chi, swimming, playing on the floor with your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews.
What helps you to feel inspired to move?
What activities inspire you to feel alive and well?
4. LET LOVE LEAD
Love is an everyday thing in life which we can take for granted and which has extraordinary consequences. Love can be expressed in so many ways and yet is sometimes missed, especially when the psyche is underdeveloped or the mind gets in the way with analysis, criticism or judgement. For example as a child I could have felt a lack of love when my mother told me to play outside. Yet as an adult I see her expression of lovingly setting boundaries and supporting my connection with sunshine, nature and healthy habits. Looking back on life I can see how my husband shows love by stepping back from household jobs in an effort to lovingly keep the peace and allow me to do things my way. It is not that he is being unhelpful and unloving.
It is a lack of love or craving for love that has humans doing many weird and wonderful things. It is an absence of love that instills hurt and drives an intensity of feelings. It is the joy of love that amplifies every part of our being and supports health and wellbeing. It is the giving and receiving of love that gives life to the moment. It is extraordinary that a parent can continue to love and support their child, despite the difficult behaviour, differences in viewing the world or the situation, the opposition, the defiance, the dishonesty, the big emotions, the hiding. The human experience is fraught with challenges and the ability to continue being loving towards ourselves and each other, is what adds an extraordinary perspective on ordinary everyday human experiences.
To ask the question, ‘what would love do now?’ enables the extraordinary answer. The path of the heart does not always make sense to the mind, yet looking back, you may see just how perfect the heart’s creations are in the grand scheme of things.
5. INTUITIVE GUIDANCE
Magical moments arise when we ask for support and guidance and mindfully listen to receive it. It is easy to forget that there is another realm of support available to us outside of this physical world. Not many of us can see or sense the spiritual world of support, yet if you look back at your life, you may connect with a rather special moment or experience which demonstrated that life was happening for you. You may remember a time when you were being guided to follow a certain path or make a certain choice, despite what your mind may have thought or chosen for you. You may have experienced something, or someone show up in your life who fulfilled an important need or dream.
When I sit in stillness with an openness to receive, I am amazed at what insights come to me or the things that I remember. I like to create some space each day for this kind of activity. I find that I feel more organised and on top of things when I do this. You can call it meditation, reflection time, quiet time, rest, grounding time in nature. Whatever you call it and however you conduct your space for receiving intuition, it will still offer extraordinary moments. By choosing some quiet moments in stillness, we are choosing to invest in our relationship with the extraordinary.
By remembering to ask and believing we can receive intuitive guidance, we are making more space in our life for it, and this is where the extraordinary is born.