well-being Archives - Mercedes Déziel-Hupé

The documentary Origins is an exploration of our origins as human beings is to be the key to understanding our current predicament. Exploring our origins will lead us to answers for our health issues, our individual and collective purpose, and of course, how to transform our lives into sustainable ones.

“The wisdom of the ancients is truly the medicine of the future.” – The Origins Movie

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Source: DoYouYoga.com

This may seem like a lot to chew on, and it is. By scaling a question like this one to ourselves, we can better understand then, how we play a role and how the Earth plays a role in our lives as well.

Choices

I’ve reflected on mindfulness as it extends to intentional living: how are my choices helping my life and how are they impacting the future lives of children I wish to have? Are my choices true to my values, if I actually research the steps involved in bringing my food to my table or my clothes to my closet? These thoughts scare me. They probably should, as long as this awakening leads to constructive action.

“The truth will set you free, but first, it will piss you off.” – Gloria Steinem

With record high numbers of people feeling disconnected, depressed and sick, it’s becoming hard to ignore the proverbial elephant. There’s so much misinformation and fear in our media that it’s difficult not to feel confused, overwhelmed and paralyzed into our habits. I know that personally, I’ve struggled with my career choices, my relationship with food and with my relationship to the environment.

One of the best decisions I’ve made in reducing my stress levels is boycotting traditional media and seeking information on matters that interest me as I feel ready to learn about them and take action. The saying “knowledge is power” is true, only if it is used wisely. And that’s key; use it!

There are many amazing organizations, activists, writers, educators, elders, spiritual leaders and light workers out there who are working very hard to show us a better, kinder way, for all involved. If you truly want to find truth and empowerment, you will find it.

Oneness

In a nutshell, struggling with dis-ease is not being in harmony. Struggling with depression is not being aligned with our purpose. When we understand the relationship between ourselves and our environment, whether we do so practically or symbolically, it becomes obvious that oneness is the answer. We cannot manifest the answer to our needs if we aren’t one with our environment, whether those needs are physical or spiritual.

Native Americans believe that we are a part of Nature, that we aren’t the “supreme predator” and shouldn’t consider ourselves as such. In Native traditions, it’s common knowledge that the Earth Mother cares for us, provided we are connected to her. I’ve heard the analogy of the mother and her child travelling abroad with no contact information as a way to explain how it is we find it so difficult to have our “needs” met.

Picture a young adult leaving their mother to go travelling without giving her their contact information or address. When that child calls mom in a panic for help, mom has no way to find her without her saying where she is, how to reach her and what’s happening.

Wouldn’t you want to leave the Earth Mother your number and address?

Reconnecting

I’m not an expert at this but I take this daily challenge on gladly, as I know it ultimately betters my life and those of the people I love and in future, those of strangers whom I may or may not meet.

My Top Reconnecting Methods:

1. Yoga and Meditation
2. Reiki
3. Being present and mindful practice
4. Being in nature
5. Gratitude

Yoga and meditation have been practices used for thousands of years and the great Gandhi wouldn’t have achieved peace for his people without the use of his mind, made sharper through these practices.

Reiki is a holistic technique for relaxation which encourages the flow of life force energy for the creation of ideal health. Reiki brings awareness and helps clear the body of blockages to allow it to do its natural job of healing itself. To introduce yourself to reiki, check out Diane Stein’s book.

Presence and mindful practice have the benefit of quieting the mind in an accessible way. When we do something mindfully, like cooking or dancing to music, we’re fully present without making an effort to do so. All we do is focus on the task at hand and enjoy it. If you haven’t read Eckhart Tolle, do so, you’ll be grateful you did!

Nature is a great teacher and listener. Bodies of water have the ability to absorb your cares and convert them into life. We wash away worries as we do dirt. Trees are mighty and full of memory; they show us growth is greatest when rooted. Rocks show us patience as they have been created over millenia. Animals teach us about BEing and seasons teach us about cycles. Walk in nature and allow yourself to be in awe.

When we cultivate gratitude, we get more of what we need and sometimes, more of what we want. The beauty of it is, we want (and want for) very little when we are grateful. We assess all that is given to us and we’re humbled. Do whatever works for you; a gratitude jar or journal, a morning prayer, an evening thanks…

All these practices create a sense of peace and clarity which allows for better decisions.

Creating Ideal Health

In regards to our physical health, there is much research that shows how our nutrition is dumbing us down, numbing us to our reality and the experience of living. We’re cultivating dangerous sugar additions, as described in Fed-Up. It also shows that our lifestyles as they currently sit (pun intended) are dulling our senses and ultimately killing us.

For a better understanding of how nutrition and lifestyle are affecting us, do yourself the favour of watching (and re-watching) the Origins movie. It’s free and it’s a very good tool to start educating yourself on the importance of your personal choices on your health, your family’s well-being and the state of our planet.

Together, we can do this. I send you all my most loving wishes in your quests back to your authentic selves and your intentional lives.

Lightworkers have a responsibility to hold a lantern in the dark.

“We’re not meant to live in a righteous, isolated group of enlightened or aware people and leave everyone else in darkness without tools.”

I’m paraphrasing my reiki instructor. This is how I heard her explanation of professional responsibility as reiki practitioners and more globally, as healers. I suppose it’s akin to the Robert Baden-Powell quote: “Leave this world a little better than you found it.”

This teaching has resonated with me greatly when completing my second level of reiki this past weekend. Why would we surround ourselves with people who do not need our help?

What is the point of service, if not to assist, through our gifts and abilities?

I’ve wrestled with the idea of not living my purpose as my career, and of being in places that feel so “wrong” to me. To a highly sensitive person (HSP) like me, may environments feel like an assault to the senses. (SIDEBAR: If you think HSPs aren’t real, look it up as they comprise about 20% of the population. We’re real and our sensitivity is a gift!) I’ve been seeking peaceful and loving relationships, while being confronted with complicated and sometimes even toxic ones. I’ve had, as many folks do, my challenges with my family as with friendships and workplaces. It’s happen to me so often that I’ve felt out of place, wishing to just find the “right” environment that would allow me to blossom and just be. I’ve been looking for an everlasting sunshine.

Source: Elley Ray

As it turns out, flowers and plants grow in dirt. Funny enough, this analogy didn’t occur to me, despite my hardcore gardening habits since I’ve become a home owner. Flowers and greenery add colour to any landscape and they tend to brighten up most people’s day. Guess what flowers and plants also need? Water. That’s right. Sometimes, it’s got to rain.

Lightworkers

I’ve come to realize, as this lesson is being hammered home, that I can embrace my unique set of abilities and my sensitivity, and I can be proud of how far I’ve come. I can continue to grow and should do so for my own well-being. I can love who I am and accept where I am on my path and still hope for growth. I can be excited about what I learn. I am entitled to healthy retreats. By all means, when I need to self-care, I do so – finally, guilt-free!

However, it’s important to remind myself never to become righteous or condescending (even in my head! That darn voice…). I mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that my path is any wiser or better than anyone else’s. A solution for me, as obvious as it may seem, may not be one suited for another. Everyone has a story.

I shouldn’t hope to live in seclusion, protected from “the others”. My growth was helped by so many people and experiences who must have smiled, in understanding, at my process.

We aren’t islands or “monks on mountains“… As we all share the Earth, we should share our resources, literal and figurative.

I wanted to share this insight with you because it ties in nicely with the spirit of this blog; it’s storytelling and sharing from an honest, heart-centred place. And so it is… hoping to be shielded from the world through the quest for enlightenment or through intentional living is fruitless. Wishing to be saved from “this place” by “becoming better” isn’t going to lead anywhere either. And what would be the point of a race to “awareness” and “understanding”, especially if it meant leaving our brothers and sisters permanently behind?

It is one of the greatest responsibilities to work in service or in healing of any kind. I believe when one has mastered a skill or discovered a great treasure, one has the duty to share it. Besides, it’s impossible to keep it to yourself without extinguishing it. It’s a little bit like holding a lantern in the dark. If you hold it up, you help others find their own way. If you try to hold it tightly, either you get burned or you snuff it out.

This simple teaching has helped me integrate, in yet a different manner, that in order to grow, we need to do so while facing challenges. Initially, we’re in the dark and we’re digging through dirt – often of our own making. We can curse the dirt, or we can be grateful for what it feeds us: opportunities to morph and grow. We soak up the sun when it’s in our sky, because it’s going to rain. And when it does, we drink it up and we’re our most beautiful, authentic selves. Someone needs to see you shine. Someone needs to see the rays of sunshine through the droplets on leaves and petals.

Tag: well-being

Origins – A Documentary for Wellness & Sustainability