GPS for butterflies

Every fall, monarch butterflies make an impressive 2,000-mile trek south, using the sun to guide them to the exact same wintering spot in central Mexico. But because the sun is a moving target, changing position throughout the day, biologists have long speculated that in addition to having a “sun compass” in their brains, butterflies must use some kind of 24-hour clock to guide their migration. Now, researchers have located this special GPS system, but were completely shocked as to where it was.

Instead of being in the brain where most people expected, it turns out the circadian clock is located in the butterflies’ antennae.  “The antennal clock is rather like a standalone global positioning system that one might use while driving”, biologist Charalambos Kyriacou of the University of Leicester wrote in a commentary about the research, also published Thursday in Science. “This result is surprising, given that several studies have set the stage for a brain clock to mediate navigation.”

I bet it was surprising for scientists as conventional science says that all intelligence and consciousness exists in the stuff between our ears.   Butterfly researcher Karen Oberhauser of the University of Minnesota, she said she’s not too surprised that the feelers can also keep time.  “Our sensory systems are really localized to our heads, but insects can taste with their feet and smell with their antennae” Oberhauser said. “Because insect sensory systems are so different than our sensory systems, it’s sometimes difficult for us to even ask the right questions”.

Are you really that different from a butterfly?  The chakra system teaches us that we have 7 levels of “sensory systems”, each with a distinct way of sensing ourselves, what is happening in our life right now and how aligned we are with our life purpose.  The majority of our chakras are physically located below the head and speak to us through feeling and sensations.  Yet we are taught to ignore those signals and listen instead to the chatter of our minds?which is usually filled with the  replay of our programming and past. 

For example, what if you also had a built-in gps system that showed you exactly where you are at all times AND whether you are on course or off course with your life purpose.  Would you listen to it?  Let’s find out! 

Imagine for a minute you could rise above your body and fly up to 20,000 feet.  Now, from this vantage point you can see yourself standing there in your life surrounded by all the people you interact with and impact  ? family, partner, clients, friends, customers.  Look closely at YOU, can you see your unique talents and gifts and how TOTALLY needed they are by the world?  Can you see how totally needed they are by the exact people you are connected to?  Or have you closed down and fogged out some of this “map view” and see yourself as just average, medium, nothing special.  

Now look closely at the those people around you?are they listening, seeing YOU, receiving your gifts?  Or are they ignoring you, battling you, draining you, so that looking at this map makes you feel like, “I don’t want to see this!”

This is the gift of your 6th chakra and it’s a big one.  It is clarity!  The gift in seeing where you are right now and knowing, by feeling it throughout your entire being, “Yes this is where I am supposed to be, with these people and on this mission!”  Or, the gift is the clarity (and courage) to know, “I am not seen here, valued here, nurtured here?I am DRAINED HERE and I have got to move on!”

For many years I chose the fog of saying “ummm, ummm?I don’t really know” because I was too afraid of the clarity and gift of my 6th chakra GPS system.  So I used my divinely human gift of free will/willpower to STAY with people and belief systems that had me driving around in circles and into many painful and annoying brick walls.  OUCH!  When you use your free will to pretend to be in a fog and stay unconscious of your 6 chakra antennae, it will seriously KICK YOUR BUTT! 

But when you allow it to open and show you - unfiltered ? how fabulously special you and your gifts are (and how important to the planet) it you gain a super power!  You become a person who carries the power of belief, vision and unwavering faith in your path because you see the bigger picture!  Now that is super hero power I would say YES to?even if it means my super hero costume would have antennae like a butterfly! 

Bron: Margaret M. Lynch

Chickens

Can We Both Have What We Want?

‎40 years of marriage..



A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating their 40th wedding
anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant.
Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table. She said, 'For
being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for
all this time, I will grant you each a wish.'



The wife answered, 'Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling
husband
The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II
appeared in her hands.



The husband thought for a moment: 'Well, this is all very romantic, but an
opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is
to have a wife 30 years younger than me.
The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish.



So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof!...the husband became 92 years old.

Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed

By Bronnie Ware (who worked for years nursing the dying)

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. 

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it. 
2. I wish I didn't work so hard. 

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. 

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle. 

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. 

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. 

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly,in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. 

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved.Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip.But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks,love and relationships. 

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have sillyness in their life again.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again,long before you are dying. 

I first read this in the Observer August 2010 but have since found a link to the post on her website: http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

Emotions

E-motions are simply energy in motion, so it’s natural for us to experience our emotions passing through. For many of us however, emotions get stuck and cause pain, confusion and frustration.

 

I believe that the two most common reasons emotions get stuck is because we either get too attached to them or because we ignore them. Are you super-sensitive to your emotions sensing your way through your life and find it hard to function at times because the force of them is so strong? Perhaps you put a lot of time and energy into telling yourself and others about your emotional process and you’re attached to your emotional wounds.

Or do you belong to the other camp, paying your emotions no attention at all, focusing your attention more on your mind, body, career, family or social life? Maybe you avoid your emotions through an addiction to work, alcohol, drugs, food or sex.

Love them or hate them, I believe that our emotions are the best guide to our Soul’s unfolding. The key is developing enough detachment to watch our emotions ebb and flow and welcome them as friends that guide us into greater connection with ourselves rather than enemies that are trying to ruin our lives!

Some people carry a lot of fear about looking at their emotions because they perceive it will be difficult and painful and inevitably involve digging into the past, bringing up old wounds and re-experiencing difficult times. Actually I find that when we truly get in touch with our emotions; the absolute core of them, the release can be instantaneous. My philosophy is to get in touch with what’s calling for your attention in one way or another and then let it go. Move on. Don’t stay stuck in old stories, learn the lesson and you will move forward with more joy, energy and greater flow. Emotions only cause us pain when they get stuck so I’m sharing 5 secrets for unblocking them.

 

1. Listen to your body

Our bodies are a wonderful guide to how we’re really feeling. Our bodies tell it how it really is. Our minds can play all manner of confusing games but our bodies don’t lie. Louise Hay said: “The body, like everything else in life, is a mirror of our inner thoughts and beliefs. Every cell within your body responds to every single thought you think and every word you speak.” Pain, discomfort or imbalance in your body tell you about how you’re feeling on an emotional level. Our body calls for our attention when it needs to.

Feeling tired and heavy physically – is there anything you’re emotionally weary of but not noticing? 

Pains on the left (feminine) side – is there an area of life where you need to use your intuition, nurturing or creativity more? 

Pains on the right (masculine) side – it’s likely you need to pay more attention to your masculine qualities of thinking, action, and initiating. Any tension in your shoulders? They’ll carry the burden of responsibility if you’re taking on too much. 

Stomach problems: ask yourself if it’s fear? Over-sensitivity? Problems setting clear boundaries with others? Is there something going on in life that you literally can’t stomach? Sore throat – is there a difficult conversation you need to have with someone; perhaps you need to speak your truth more?  

Look honestly at your body and tune into what it’s trying to tell you.

 

2. Embrace strong emotions

Do you find yourself running away from your emotions saying “I’m not angry” when you’re seething inside or “that doesn’t bother me” when your feelings have been so hurt you feel as if you’ve been ripped open? If it hurts, then the emotional pain is still there regardless of what you say to the contrary. It’s easier to get in touch with our emotions when we embrace them. When a strong emotion comes into your awareness this is a wonderful opportunity for self awareness so don’t fight it when you have a strong emotional reaction to something.

Most of us feel comfortable at the thought of embracing ‘positive’ emotions – joy, excitement etc. Few of us relish the thought of embracing loneliness, fear, anger, resentment, emotional neediness or other so-called ‘negative emotions’. It is one thing to allow yourself to feel emotions in a safe way, it’s another to act them out. It takes discernment to allow ourselves to get in touch with our feelings without taking them out on others. When we stop running and embrace our emotions they release and stop bothering us. I think this video of Simon’s Cat is a wonderful metaphor for how our emotions can be persistent, clawing for our attention until we notice.

 

3. Clear the mind and emotions become clearer too

Meditation is the best way I’ve found to get in touch with emotions because you are consciously creating a quiet space where the mind becomes quiet and the distractions are no longer able to distract. As the mind becomes quiet you will find emotions coming into your awareness. Ask yourself “how am I feeling?” Allow your emotions to be noticed. Just notice not expecting them to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Today am I angry, fearful, excited, confident, worried, depressed, lonely…. Just notice and accept. Next time you meditate, observe whether are you feeling the same or whether is there a different emotion in this quiet space. They ebb and flow, they come and go. Get into the habit of noticing them without attachment.

 

4. Distill it down to the simple truth

What have you been telling your friends about this week that has pushed your buttons? Perhaps someone stole your parking place, pushed past you in the shops, or didn’t listen to you? “My son’s teacher doesn’t listen to anything I say and the bullying is continuing and Amazon haven’t delivered the stuff I ordered”. Notice the story you tell to others or replay in your own head– this person did that and it made me furious … Stop telling the story and read between your own lines. Distill it down to the simple truth of how you feel, just one word that really gets to the heart of it. “I feel powerless.”

Perhaps you’re keeping your worries inside and they go round and round in your head like a hamster on a wheel. You want to set up your own business but you’re worried that you won’t be able to make a living from it, You don’t know if you’ve got what it takes and fear that you might fail and look ridiculous. Distill it down to the simple truth of how you’re feeling. “I feel scared”. When you hit the simple truth and see it for what it is you’ll feel the relief of inner recognition. Find one word that expresses how you truthfully feel and really allow yourself to sit in the simple truth of that. Accept it, it’s not so bad. Looking it in the eye goes a huge way to releasing it.

 

5. See the reflection and own it

When someone else pushes your buttons, whether by annoying you or hurting your feelings, it’s yours to integrate. Own the reaction as yours and you’ll feel a huge emotional release. I want to share a story from my life where this happened. I have a friend with no interest in flower essences or personal growth and sees my beliefs as somewhere between ridiculous and irrelevant – he nicknames me Wacko Jacko and regularly tries to find me a ‘proper job’. This has often led to difficult conversations between us and historically it pained me that he didn’t respect my life choices. When he suggested I got a job in a call centre rather than focusing on this ‘flower essence nonsense’ it really pushed a button for me and I was hurt and furious. I wanted to process my feelings of anger and indignation but the truth was that it hurt me that I’d always believed in him, yet he didn’t believe in me.

Looking honestly at myself, I brought my hurt feeling back home to own it. I turned it round and asked myself truthfully if it hurt because I didn’t believe in me. That felt so deep and true. Suddenly the tension and pain left the situation with that self-awareness. By seeing the pain for what it was, it dissolved. I had been stuck in an old story about lack of self belief, and when I looked at that I realised it didn’t fit any more. It no longer mattered whether he believed in me or not because I now believe in myself. When you truly believe in yourself you don’t need validation from anyone. So whatever button someone seems to be pushing for you, bring it back home and own it. You have the power to stop it hurting. Get in touch with the part of you that is being reflected back to you in difficult relationships and the pain will flow away.

If you need further support unblocking your emotions, a consultation is the perfect way to do so. You have an opportunity to get in touch with what’s bothering you while I hold a safe space for your truth to emerge. The essences I prescribe provide ongoing support after the consultation, enabling you to release on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. If you’re interested in taking essences but don’t want a consultation I recommend intuitive diagnosis by email where I’ll select a combination of essences to get to the heart of the matter.

© 2011 Jackie Stewart. First published in Essence of Wild newsletter January 2011.