Category Book Reviews

Dana shares books she likes

Dec 7 2012

Reluctantly Reiki

It’s that time of year again–Andy Williams singing, strange blow-up Santa’s on people’s lawns and I’m selling “Shiny Green Shoes” in the Christmas story anthology, HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

shoes300The story centers on a black child of the Depression and her unlikely friendship with an aging white actress. Where did the story come from? I’ve rarely told the origin of the idea because people might think I am a little crazy (like that’s something new.) I’ve used the audio version as Christmas card in the past. A friend’s husband (fine Christian fellow) once asked me where the story came from and I told him the truth. I never got invited to their home again.

But, maybe times are changing. I recently received my Reiki Master Certificate from the local community college. Hospitals are offering Reiki treatments. People are now calling me for Reiki treatments. When Bette Lee Crosby invited me to guest blog at her site today and talk about HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS, I decided to reveal the Reiki connection to the story’s inspiration.

Hop over to Bette’s site and read “the rest of the story”– HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS at Words, Wit and Wisdom.

Nov 18 2012

End Pain with Energy Medicine

12 Weeks to Self-Healing: Transforming Pain through Energy MedicineCandess Campbell, Ph.D., asked me to preview her book on energy medicine a few months ago. I was very impressed with the broad range of subjects the book covers. Dr. Campbell is part of the growing vanguard of physicians creating a new paradigm of treatment. Her book is now released for the general public. If you’re serious about taking charge of your health, 12 Weeks to Self-Healing Transforming Pain through Energy Medicine is an excellent place to start.

“If you’re tired of feeling sick and powerless, grab a copy of 12 Weeks to Self-Healing: Transforming Pain through Energy Medicine by Candess Campbell, Ph.D. This book offers a comprehensive explanation of the mind-body connection and presents practical ways to break old habits that lead to illness. As an energy worker, Campbell understands the dimensions beyond accepted Western thinking, and yet is well-versed in the advances of modern medicine. This is a book that will help people transform their lives.”  Dana Taylor, Reiki Master and author of Ever-Flowing Streams: Tapping into Healing Energy

Nov 9 2012

Throw Your Unforgiveness into Stinky Creek

Welcome to R. Ann Rousseau, owner of the popular Explore Beyond the Usual blogsite and author of the metaphysical novel, PORTSMOUTH, A LOVE STORY. She understands the need to forgive…

R. Ann Rousseau

In  my novel, Portsmouth A Love Story, I wrote a scene where the main character,  Severine Champagne  asks God why she  isn’t with the husband she longed for all her life. It’s a question many women  and men have asked themselves if they’ve reached their 40’s and the right  partner is not a part of their life yet. As she walks on the beach, she hears  the words Forgive the Past.  She thought she had forgiven and released the past. The  reality was she wasn’t with a loving partner, something she truly wanted, which  meant her desire was blocked. But why? Fears or old wounds still lingered in her  soul. I think that’s true of many things in our life that seem blocked. A Course  in Miracles says that any time there is dis-ease there is an unforgiveness. Pain  about not being with a partner or the right partner is evidence that there is  dis-ease and a need to uncover an unforgiveness.

I have mentioned many times in my blog posts that I love  to walk on Wallis Sands Beach in Rye, New Hampshire. I’m blessed to live near  the seacoast. I try to walk every day. At the end of Wallis Sands, there’s a  flowing body of water called Stinky Creek which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. I  don’t know this for a fact but I was told it got its Stinky name, because  there’s an old ship wreck under the creek which doesn’t allow for proper  drainage and circulation of the water flowing down from the mountains of New  Hampshire. Many days, the water pools and there’s a very noticeable odor  emanating from Creek.

As I approach Stinky Creek during my daily walk, I pick  up a rock or two on the beach. I say to myself, I forgive and release…(whomever is  rubbing me the wrong way that day) to God, and throw the rock into the creek.  A Course in Miracles says that all it takes is a Little Willingness to forgive.  By taking something I possess–a rock containing the negative energy of my  unforgiveness, with intention, I toss my stinky unforgiveness into Stinky  Creek…and it’s released. As many spiritual teachers will tell you, releasing  an unforgiveness is more for the person doing the forgiving than it is for the  person forgiven. Some days, you have to forgive yourself, and that’s Ok. If you  don’t have an ocean nearby, you go to a park and throw a penny into a fountain  and release your unforgiveness.Whatever works for you.

Enjoy this Excerpt from PORTSMOUTH, A LOVE STORY

She hadn’t spoken to her mother for many years. As a young woman, she had made several attempts to draw a line in the sand as to the level of negative energy she would take from her before she would finally leave the relationship. After many attempts, she had to admit that the woman was completely unconscious. To stay and continue interacting with her would be submitting herself to an emotionally dangerous environment. Her mother knew her weak points and most of all, how to extract guilt.

What she had learned after studying about spirituality was that manipulation and control is not love. There was no obligation to stay in a family that was harmful to her spirit.

Severine thought she had successfully let go of her toxic past but now it was coming back to haunt her. She was told there was still a lingering unforgiveness blocking her path.

I have no interest in opening that old can of worms again. I can’t see how that would do any good. I can’t change her. I just need to INTEND to forgive her. Not that I believe my mother was right about anything. That’s for sure. I’m doing it for ME…and my future.

At sunset, to mark the occasion, she returned to Wallis Sands and headed over to the point where Stinky Creek emptied into the Atlantic. She took a rock from the beach and said out loud, I forgive and release my mother to God.

In a split second, she decided to pick up another rock. She threw the rock into the water and watched it sink to the bottom and said, I forgive and release Peter Nicholas to God.

With sincere intention to surrender all past anger and any lurking unforgiveness, the rooms of her Spirit were swept clean. She was now ready to embrace a new family, whoever that might be.

R. Ann Rousseau writes about metaphysical, spiritual and astrology  topics on her blog Explore Beyond the Usual. She is author of the new novel Portsmouth, A Love  Story. 

Follow R. Ann Rousseau on Twitter  @RAnnRousseau

Facebook. www.facebook.com/PortsmouthALoveStory

 

 

 

Oct 15 2012

World Menopause Day–Seriously…

October 18th, 2012 has been declared World Menopause Day by the International Menopause Society.  I must have been inspired to write about menopause from the cosmic group consciousness going on.

World CongressLast night I attended a fundraiser dinner for our local symphony. As often happens when women-of-a-certain age gather around a table, the subject of hot flashes and menopause came up. The conversation went something like this:

50-something woman–“These hot flashes are driving me crazy. Guess it’s just part of life now. My mother still has them and she’s in her 80’s.”

70-something woman–“Mine started when I was 45 and I’ve been having them ever since.”

There was a lot of nodding and commiseration as everyone seemed to simply accept the inevitable discomforts of feminine aging.  I wanted to yell, “You don’t have to take it! Menopause is a passage, not a curse. You can take charge of your health.”

Of course it was neither the time nor the place to get on my health-conscious soap box. That place would be here…

THE CHANGE

The Change doesn’t necessarily mean you turn into a Werewolf. Change can be a good thing, too. As the body shifts its chemistry, women need to focus on finding a new way to bring balance and harmony to their systems. Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and weight gain do not need to be your Next Chapter.

When I turned about 50, I experienced a few classic menopausal symptoms. I believe my symptoms were less severe than most American women largely because I have been ingesting the Quinary Formula of Chinese Herbs from Sunrider International for about twenty years.  This formulation of over 50 herbs to balance the five basic systems of the body is the biggest bang for your buck for over-all health–in my opinion.

However, after one particularly powerful, nauseating midday hot flash, I hied myself over to my favorite Korean Herbalist/Health Food Store Owner, Lady M. She is a porcelein-skinned healer in La Habra, California. We did some muscle-testing with a row of female formulas and settled on one called Transitions from Pure Essence Labs.

Pure Essence Labs Transitions, 60 VegicapTransitions contains black cohash, dong quai and other herbs known to bring relief to menopausal symptoms. I stayed on the product for a couple of years and found it very beneficial. The hot flashes and increased appetite disappeared. There is no one-pill-fits-all, but there are many formulas to try. Working with a skilled diagnostition can help you find  the right product for you.

PROGESTERONE CONNECTION

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About(TM): Menopause: The Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About...)Dr. John Lee wrote the now classic What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause. He writes persuasively about how the estrogen-rich plastics and oil-based products in modern society are throwing our bodies out of balance. He touts progesterone as a way to restore balance. There are now many progesterone creams on the market. They are not all equal. Personally, the ones I tried made me too “hot,” until I started using the Young Living Essential Oil version.

progessence plusToday, Young Living has a new generation answer to the progesterone product in a serum called PROGESSENCE PLUS.  Information about this product can be found at:

Young Living PDF

Dr. Dan Purser FAQ on Progessence Plus

If you want to order a bottle, you can use my membership number–57763.

BE PRO-ACTIVE

The point is, if you are not functioning at optimum health–DO something about it. If you’re in hormone hell, educate yourself about what is happening to your body and then take action to alleviate your symptoms. You should be able to enjoy life at every stage. Take the misery out of menopause.

Celebrate World Menopause Day!

Dana Taylor

Reiki Therapist, Author of Ever-Flowing Streams

Sep 5 2012

Messages from The Ancient Ones by Stacey Stephens

Messages From The Ancient Ones: Year One (Messages From The Ancient Ones - Spirituality, Consciousness, Self Help & Personal Growth (Akin to: Esther Hicks & Eckhart Tolle)If you’re a fan of the Abraham/Esther Hicks channeled books, you might enjoy Messages from the Ancient Ones by Stacey Stephens. Well organized by topics such as Compassion, Empowerment, Relationships, Integrity, etc., the ideas presented are upbeat and almost uptopian. If everyone took the advice to live by the ideals in this book, it would be a better place indeed.

I used the chapters as a daily devotional in the mornings. There are pictures to set the tone for each chapter, which is a creative way to utilize the new freedoms of digital publishing. The messages are reminiscent of A Course in Miracles talking about ego-based thinking and urging readers to breakthrough to an era of Divinity.

This book is part of the New Thought movement of spirituality. For those of us well-versed in this type of philosophy, it doesn’t break new ground. However, it is a good presentation of the ideas and presents a hopeful image of what the human experience can be.

Dana Taylor

Aug 31 2012

Cancer and Reiki

1st Place Spirituality & Religion–E Festival of Books Awards 2012

The Supernal Friends have found themselves surrounded by cancer patients over the past months. Cancer used to be a disease of “old” people. Today it cuts a swath across all age groups. It touches everyone. You probably know several people dealing with it.

As an energy worker, I sometimes feel overwhelmed when faced with these extremes of thinking:

  • Going “all natural”—Sometimes people walk completely away from medical doctors and begin a desperate search for health with supplements, strange diets, gurus, and begging me to send them healing energy.
  • Last resort—After all the surgeries, chemo and radiation have been tried, then people are looking for a miracle worker and I get a call.

In my experience, neither one of these scenarios are optimum for healing. Reiki and most natural methods of dealing with a health crisis are best utilized for accelerating healing and establishing better lifestyles. They work in conjunction with an overall game plan for better health.

Best Case Scenario

I’ve been working woman who has had breast cancer and has recently finished up all the surgery, chemo and radiation treatments.  Her prognosis is good, but she has been seeking a boost back to wellness. She had a wound that would not heal for months. After one Reiki treatment, there was enough improvement, her doctor told her, “I don’t know what you’ve done, but keep doing it.”

Reiki energy treatments are ideal in this situation. After cancer treatments, the body is impaired and out of balance. It is full of toxicity. The patient feels exhausted all the time. Reiki serves as an infusion of healing energy. It draws on the Ever-Flowing Streams of light and color and envelopes the patient in these unseen, but very real energies.

As a Reiki therapist, I can “read” a body.  As my hands travel over the head, trunk, arms & legs, I literally feel the hot spots. I know where there are problems. Like little Geiger Counters, my palms buzz over trouble areas.  Often, I’ll get an image of an organ in my mind’s eye and work the area as I feel led.  This is an intuitive way of tapping into information available in the patient’s energy field.

Sometimes I draw out the blockages to improve the energy flow.  Occasionally I lay my hands on the area and concentrate on sending energy into the person. It’s certainly not an exact science, but then neither is traditional medicine.

A Reiki therapist works on the whole person. Even with a repeating client, each session can be vastly different. Emotions may be more at issue one week and I’ll suddenly “know” about a situation that needs to be addressed. Mind and body are so intertwined.

Cancer is so much more than a physical disease. It is a huge emotional experience. It’s a catastrophic event.  People go from being themselves to being a Cancer Patient.

Energy treatments go through all the layers of imbalance and distress, both physical and mental to help people get to a better place.

Despite the pain of hearing about a teenager struck down by leukemia or the dear friend with a deadly tumor, my Reiki work is my way of making a positive difference. A half hour on my Reiki table is an oasis of peace and healing for my clients. That is their time to rest in the Ever-Flowing Streams. Sometimes they cry; occasionally they sleep; their pain is usually alleviated.

Healing is a process. Reiki helps.