Holistic Feathers

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them
They think I’m telling lies.

I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.

I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.

I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.

I say
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.

I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

~ Maya Angelou (taken from her book Still I Rise)

Note from Callie ~ we are ALL phenomenal women, we are all goddesses!  We just need to practice the art of being ourselves and loving what we are!!

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If we all took heed of Sophie’s wise words, imagine how happy we would all be – no self-esteem issues, all knowing we are perfectly unique and perfectly beautiful.

Wise words indeed from a 3 year old beauty!

“You have forgotten that you are unique”
“Why are you trying to look like someone else?”
“You have the power to Stop it!”
“Be healthy! Get to your right size. Not someone else’s …”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=fULtU2NfPQA

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… and a lot more can be found in our latest newsletter!

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Last Friday I spent a very happy morning shielded from the hot sun under a row of pine trees in our local Gardens, browsing the Summer issue of Inspired Times magazine which is now available directly from us at our treatment room or via our Holistic Feathers online shop.

So what is in the Summer issue of Inspired Times?

FEATURES:

* All the fun of the festival – Sharon Henshall gets us in the festive spirit by taking us on a magical mystery tour of UK festivals throughout time

* Awesome rawsome – Blast your way into the summer by putting more raw in your diet. Anna Middleton shares her top tips and a tasty recipe for sun-dried tomato and seed pate – yum!

* Beach Melba – Tracey Davies offers a cocktail of Britain’s beaches … something for everyone

* Power to the people – The internet is aiding the fight against oppressive regimes and blowing the whistle on corruption. Luke Bell explains

* Homeopathy in Ghana – Sophie Bartlett highlights the importance of integrated low-cost healthcare in Ghana

REGULARS

* Holistic Health – an Ayurvedic way to quit smoking and herbalist John Smith introduces dandelions to your diet

* UK Getaways – eco-tourism is stepping up, hike high in the Peak District and put the wind in your sails … trips circumnavigating Britain!

* Environment – a Taste of Freedom: looking for ways to deal with the issue of UK food waste

* Spirituality – Paulo Coehlo shares his confusion on the pursuit of happiness

… and a whole host of other regular articles, including: Have your say, Peace, Inspiring tales, Creative expression, Inspiring days out, European escapes, Recipe of the season (always yum!), Tomorrow’s vision, Creative kids, Communities, Gardening, Events, Inspired individuals, and Classifieds (with some wonderful companies and events to discover)

* * * *

You can grab your very own copy from us when you next visit for a treatment (£3.40) or we can send to you by post for just £4.00 (UK) here >> INSPIRED TIMES – Summer 2010

* * * *

The magazine also makes for a wonderful gift idea to bring sunshine into someone’s life – just let us know if its a gift for someone and we will add a little card with a note from you!

We also have a limited stock of Inspired ‘Times – Spring 2010 available (£3.20 if collected from us, £3.80 if posted)

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As sure as we are that Leap Year will happen every four years in a perpetual cycle, so too can we be sure that every fourth summer we will find public places completely clear, devoid of life as World Cup fever takes over the globe!

If, like me, you share a home with die-hard football fans then there are certain rules that must obeyed during the World Cup – and my partner has just shared the list with me!

FIFA 2010 World Cup Rules for Wives and Partners

I hope it made you giggle and also give you a little advance warning – the World Cup officially kicks off on 11th June 2010 and lasts for one month exactly (to Sunday 11th July).  Rather inconveniently, my 40th birthday falls on Saturday 10th July so all plans are on hold until AFTER the World Cup *hehehe*

Where’s all my books I’ve been storing away to tide me over the World Cup period when I become invisible except at dinner-time?! Being a fair-weather football supporter, I will only be “allowed” to sit and watch England games with the lads …

I’d love to know what your plans are for the World Cup, too!

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Stillness Buddy is a revolutionary mindfulness and stress reduction application that helps you to be more present, more relaxed and at peace, while busy at work – we love it, helping us to take a moment out of our busy work schedule and helping us, in turn, to give greater focus and energy to our tasks.

Stillness Buddy is like having a friend that, every now and then, gently reminds you to stop for a moment, breathe, center yourself again and then continue.

How it works (in a nutshell)
Stillness Buddy works by displaying on your desktop screen, short “moments of stillness” and longer “mindfulness pauses”, spread out during the day. These breaks are very brief so they don’t interfere with your work. You choose their duration and frequency to suit your preferences and schedule.

They’ve even made a little video to show you exactly how it works …

For those of you who read this blog via your Smartphone: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3klJFj_J-zA

There are four different versions available to use, with more being added to all the time …

We think Stillness Buddy is excellent value at £23 ~ that works out at about 11 of our favourite Pret mochas. We would love to know what you think of it, too.

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Today, I am delighted to host Vrinda Pendred, Founding Director/Editor of Conditional Publications, a new independent publisher dedicated solely to publishing the works of authors with neurological conditions. Their first book ‘Check Mates’ comes out on May 11,2010.

Yesterday Vrinda stopped by Kate Griffiths’s blog and if you missed it you can read it here: http://mumsdaword.blogspot.com/

We are the eleventh stop on Vrinda’s 14-day Virtual Blog Tour to promote the launch of this ground-breaking new book and she will be answering some of the most common questions about OCD here with us today.

What makes this book groundbreaking is that ‘Check Mates’ is a collection of short fiction and poetry either about or inspired by the struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, all written by people with OCD. It is arranged into two categories, Realism and Beyond. Whether solidly real, allegorical, or completely fictionalised, all the compelling work contained in this collection portrays the true story of this greatly misunderstood condition. It is also the first ever book of fiction written entirely by OCD authors.

I hope you will feel inspired by the interview you are about to read. If you do, be sure to sign up for the book launch reminder so you can buy ‘Check Mates’ and receive over 30 free personal development gifts on May 11,2010. To register, go to: http://conditionalpublications.com/pages/check-mates-launch.html (if you are reading this article after 11 May, you can buy the book directly from this page).

1. What coaches, counsellors and therapists should know
In my experience, the most important thing to be kept in mind is that drugs are not necessarily the answer. In America in particular it seems medication has become the end-all solution to every problem, even the non-biological ones. Wherever something can be treated through psychological therapy instead, this method should be tried first – especially with children. I fear for a future where our kids’ brain structure and mental development has been altered by medications introduced too young in life, when a few years of good emotional and psychological / mental treatment could have saved them so much suffering. Drugs should only be used when there is no other choice.

2. What OCD actually is, both neurologically and emotionally
Scientifically speaking, no one really knows what OCD is. Doctors claim they know that it is connected to an imbalance of the neurotransmitters Dopamine, Seratonin and Norepinephrine. In this way, it is genetically linked to disorders like Tourette Syndrome and ADHD, among others. Often it will coexist with one of these related conditions, which they call comorbidity. The trouble is, they give out drugs intended to re-balance these chemicals, and it usually ends up sending the brain off-balance in some other way. There is also a very common reaction to medication known as a negative feedback loop, where the brain responds to the drug by adjusting its chemical levels so they are back to the way they were before you started taking the drug. It is the exact same response the brain has to narcotics like heroin, which suggests to me that our brains don’t WANT to be medicated. Our brains think this ‘imbalance’ is a healthy way of being.

My conclusion is that people with neurological disorders have different brain types, that’s all. In some ways, it’s like a disability; in others, it’s no stranger than people having different skin tones. Scientists can do all the research they like, but all they’re really proving is that no one person in the world thinks exactly like the next – and isn’t that wonderful? I explored this in my story ‘The Royal Bank of Scotland’, included in ‘Check Mates’. I have decided there is a huge element of OCD that is incredibly damaging, but if you can get some control over it through good therapy, it doesn’t have to be so terrible. The biggest pain and heartache comes from being told all the time that you’re strange for it, that you need to change, to fit in with the way other people do things. It would be so much easier to cope with the real disabilities these conditions cause if you didn’t have to deal with the prejudice on top of everything else. And a lot of that prejudice isn’t even on purpose. It’s just that not enough people are educated about these things, so they make comments or suggestions without knowing how hurtful they’re being. This is a big part of why I’ve started Conditional Publications.

3. Spiritual, creative and emotional angles to OCD
With OCD, the predisposition toward developing obsessions and reacting in compulsions appears most definitely to be genetic. However, the specific types of obsessions seem to reflect our individual morals. Obsessions spring from our most deeply held beliefs and ethics. This is why it is so painful; it targets our weak spots. It is also a reflection of a heightened sense of morality, because if we didn’t feel so strongly opposed to certain things (such as violence), we wouldn’t worry about them to the point where we’re unable to function in day-to-day life. In this sense, I think it’s so important to remember that OCD does NOT make you a ‘bad’ person, but instead means you’re a very good one!

Much of OCD also seems to revolve around spiritual / religious beliefs. We may begin challenging ourselves about our own faith, even if we have the utmost belief – then feel horrible for having such thoughts, and doubtful of ourselves as faithful people. I have heard many say they feel perpetually sinful. For me, personally, my most destructive obsession is an overwhelming terror of death and a desperate need to know what the afterlife (if there is such a thing) holds. I wrote about this in ‘Check Mates’, in a story called ‘The Fear’ – even after writing it, I felt it was inadequate to express just how strong a grip this obsession can have on me. But looking at it from a more positive angle, the whole point of OCD is that we are over-thinking…and sometimes that can be a good thing, because it endows us with the ability to analyse and understand subjects perhaps not everyone would consider. There is a sense of intuition that can come from it – and despite how much pain my morbid ruminations may cause me, they have also led me on an endless path of spiritual searching, which may turn out to be a good thing.

As I mentioned, OCD is genetic. It is possible to keep much of it under control through the right therapy, but the underlying propensity for obsessions will always be there, as it is one of many connected neurological disorders. The good side of this, though, is that it has been proven time and time again that people with certain neurological disorders tend to be more intelligent or creative than the average person. All one need do is google one of these disorders to find a list of famous historical innovators, scientists, artists, writers and musicians who were either officially diagnosed or exhibited enough symptoms for us to know now they must have had something. We need to see this as inspiring. I hope more people with OCD will reach inside themselves and tap into that talent and / or intelligence and use it to express all the emotions raging inside. For me, and for so many others I know, it is an incredible form of self-therapy – and, if you get it out into the public, it spreads awareness and encourages diversity in the world.

Be sure to follow Vrinda to her next Virtual Blog Tour stop on Friday May 7th, hosted by Edee Conrad at http://edeeconrad.com
AND … don’t forget to sign up for the book launch reminder so you can buy ‘Check Mates’ and over 30 free personal development gifts on May 11,2010. Just go to http://conditionalpublications.com/pages/check-mates-launch.html

The book Check Mates, edited by Vrinda Pendred, is a collection of such stories. It is the first ever collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about OCD, by people with OCD – the real experts on the subject. It also marks the launch of Conditional Publications, the only dedicated publishing house for writers with any kind of neurological condition.

What makes Check Mates such compulsive reading (if you’ll excuse the pun!) is that it’s divided into two halves: in ‘Realism’ you get glimpse of what it’s like to live with OCD in day-to-day situations, and in ‘Beyond’ you enter fantasy worlds that drive the absurdity and horror of OCD straight home. Put together by writers and artists from around the world, there’s so much diversity in this book, showcasing a range of emotions, from love to hate, joy to rage, fear and sorrow to hope and optimism. There’s even a little bit of humour! I think everyone will find something to relate to.

What it doesn’t do is shy away from the truth. Every angle is covered, no matter how painful, which makes for a startling and moving read.

If you have OCD, you’re going to find yourself in this book and realise you’re definitely not alone. If you don’t have OCD … you’re probably going to find a little of yourself anyway, because that’s what this book does: it forces us to look at our own neuroses. I think this book is set to crack wide open a few stereotypes that have been flying around for far too long.

And as if that’s not enough, part of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to OCD charities.

Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD is coming to Amazon on 11 May 2010. To show support of this inspirational new book, there are lots of bonus goodies available to everyone who buys Check Mates on the day of the launch.

There are over 30 other wonderful gifts being offered by mind-body-spirit teachers, authors, coaches and healers from around the planet when you purchase Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD on May 11^th.

AND … Vrinda Pendred, the editor of Check Mates, is giving away an EXTRA special gift of her own: ‘The Passenger’, an unpublished short story about Tourette Syndrome.

To find out how you can buy this book on May 11^th, claim your free copy of ‘The Passenger’, and receive over 30 other gifts, just visit:

http://conditionalpublications.com/pages/check-mates-launch.html

I hope you will join me in celebrating the launch of this unique book, Check Mates, the first ever collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about OCD.

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