Still Kneedy!

Dear Yin Weaver,

In my last blog I said everything is an opportunity to learn and grow. Learning and growing, I believe, comes from reflecting deeply on the hidden meanings--the mysteries, if you will--of our daily experiences.  This week I have been reflecting on what an easy target the knee makes for puns. What do I kneed to pay attention to in my life? What kneeds have I been ignoring to my detriment? Am I too kneedy? Not kneedy enough? Am I in touch with my kneeds? You get the drift.

Well, the Law of Synchronicity was working overtime. In the midst of these musings, I ran across a cute little exercise in another blog: Google your name with the word “needs” after it and see what happens. So I did, and the results were very interesting!  Below is a list of the ten best ones.  Beside them I've written my reflections on them.

1. Rose needs some help... (my wobbly knee has been forcing me to remember this lesson!)
2. Rose needs to be vocal to reach greatness... (What?  I need to tell you?  I thought my greatness was obvious!)
3. Rose needs to make some changes... (notice it doesn't say Rose wants to make some changes.  I think life sometimes intervenes with accidents and injuries to nudge us towards needed changes.)
4. Rose needs to grow... (and I need to change in order to grow)
5. Rose needs to take charge... (using Energy Medicine is a way I'm taking charge of my knee's healing process)
6. Rose needs some extra light... (Yes.  But who's going to pay for my ticket to Hawaii?)
7. Rose needs more clarity... (Oh.  Not that kind of extra light!  Extra Inner light!)
8. Rose needs the sun and rain... (it's a cliche, isn't it?  But so true that I need the hard times as much as the easy times in order to grow.  As they say, "It's all good."  Or, as St. Therese of the Little Flower said, "it's all grace.")
9. Rose needs attention... (maybe that's why my knee brace squeeks every time I walk.)
10. Rose needs stitches after bedtime accident... (Sleeping...the new Xtreme support.)

So, what does Google say YOU need? Let me know.

Blessings,
Rose

PS By the way, I have great news to report on my knee. I got a second opinion from my regular doc who felt since the symptom picture had improved so rapidly in less than two weeks, I had time on my side. It’s not like I have to get back out there on the ice and compete for gold anytime soon. So I’m continuing my regimen of supplements, acupuncture and Eden Energy Medicine.

Thanks! I Kneeded That!

Dear Yin Weaver,

"So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed."

These are words from the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. They've been on my mind a lot this past week. In the original context, the reference is symbolic. Whether or not we need to strengthen our biceps or quads, we are encouraged to accept the hardships of life as a kind of spiritual discipline that helps to improve our character. In my case, however, the interpretation became more literal when I found out on Monday I have a torn medial meniscus in my right knee. A meniscus is a disk of cartilage between the articulating ends of the bones in a joint, in this case--the knee. A knee is that bendy thing half way between your groin and your foot. It's a very simple hinge, actually, meant to only move in one of two directions. It takes not kindly to twists and torques, which is why menisci tears are common in athletes who make very quick turns on the playing field. In my case, I did not have a specific injury. Instead, it's probably a combination of wear and tear (my husband asked me, "how did you do it, Rose?" I answered, "Well, first I turned fifty...") and Yoga, which is full of interesting, pretzel poses.

Of course, the literal interpretation does not preclude the symbolic. Everything is an opportunity to learn and grow, right? So far I have learned three things.

One, between sorting out supplements to be taken 3-5x daily, icing, moxibustion, acupuncture sessions, acupressure, doctor’s appointments, talking to the health insurance company, back to icing, another dose of meds, putting on the brace, taking off the brace and general hobbling about from this chore to that, I have learned it is very time consuming to take care of a wounded knee.
Two, I have been reminded I have excellent friends who care about me, and smart-as-whips colleagues who have given me a host of ideas for helping me heal this knee as fast as possible. Let me share two quick and easy ones you can do to strengthen your knees:

• Lightly hold your hands behind your knees for 3-5 minutes. The goal is to bring warmth to the area, so don’t press hard or you’ll cut off the blood flow. You aren’t just holding the backs of your knees. You’re holding the Gall Bladder meridian Neurovasculars. Indirectly, you are balancing Gall Bladder Meridian, which runs along the outside of the knee. Since the emotional polarity of Gall Bladder is rage and forgiveness, holding here might also help to drain off anger and judgment. At the very least, sitting on your hands will keep you out of trouble!

• Lightly karate chop the pinky side of your hands together at the rate of about one chop per second while repeating this affirmation: “I know what I want, and I am decisive.” In this case, you are indirectly balancing your Small Intestine meridian, which supports the knee and quadraceps. Its emotional polarity is indecisiveness and decisiveness. If you think about it, when you know what you want, you move decisively towards that goal, figuratively and literally. So, this exercise energetically and emotionally helps you to make a straight path for your feet so your poor, weak knees won’t get dislocated.

Three, living and healing with the use of energy medicine takes care, compassion, courage, patience, creativity, thoughtfulness and experimentation.

Where in your life this week have you kneeded, um, I mean needed care, compassion, courage, patience, creativity, thoughtfulness and experimentation?

Blessings,
Rose

Welcome to the Eden Project

Dear Yin-Weaver,

Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” I truly believe the path of the Yin-Weaver is the path of doing small things with great love, because each act of love is like adding a tiny stitch to the quilt of life. I call YOU Yin-Weaver because you are a woman who wants to weave those “yin stitches” back into your life, back into society, and back into the world. But you live in a society that has become so hardened by a materialistic world view, sewing in those lovely energies of love, joy, peace, health, bounty, connection, reflection, kindness, nurture, goodness, generosity, gratitude and grace is like pushing a needle made of straw through a brick wall. Yet still, gently, quietly, faithfully and patiently you weave where you can, when you can—knowing so much rides on it.

Well, as a fellow Yin-Weaver, I’m here to support you on your journey. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rose Mattax. I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. I am an Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner. I am a Certified Flower Essence Practitioner (FES & Spirit-In-Nature).  I am an Usui Reiki Master and Visitation Reiki Practitioner (more on this later). I love to reweave the power of yin back into the world through my practice as an Energy Medicine Practitioner. In my office, I have seen Energy Medicine stop Multiple Sclerosis in its tracks, turn anxiety and depression into joy and peace, get rid of hot flashes, support high-risk pregnancies, rebuild resiliency after surgery, make emotional traumas truly a thing of the past, and so much more.

Over the next six months, I want to use this blog to help you discover Energy Medicine as the “oldest, safest, most organic, most accessible, and most affordable medicine there is.”* I will chart the use of Energy Medicine both in my personal and professional life with people, pets, at home and in my travels. I’ll be sharing exercises and how-to tips for you to practice on your own. You’ll be invited to participate in “Energy Medicine Challenges” to encourage you in making Energy Medicine a part of your daily life.

In the process, I hope to encourage a dialogue between us, or at least get YOU, Yin-Weaver, to think about how Energy Medicine can work in YOUR life. You don’t have to have a serious medical issue or life concern to make Energy Medicine work for you (and by the way, this blog is in no way intended to be a substitute for appropriate professional medical and/or psychological care where indicated). Look at it as an opportunity to participate more fully in your own health care. Together we can share our ups and downs along the way towards creating a more Yin-friendly and pro-Energy Medicine world.

Are you game? Great! Please sign up to receive my blog and you’ll be hearing from me every Friday.

Blessings,


Rose