Vivid P.E.A.C.E.

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We often think of “peace” as a calm environment and gentle thoughts, but I believe it can also be a strong vibrant energy.  I feel the most peaceful at the beach with the churning waves, rushing currents, seagulls calling and children playing.  I am completely calm and relaxed there, but the scene is so very vivid and kinetic.

I have a friend that finds total peace by taking long drives at night.  His stressful thoughts evaporate into the distant lights and the darkness comforts him. The gentle hum of his engine and the passing cars are relaxing.

Where do you find your Peace?

Introducing my latest piece from my Transforming Energy series.  “Vivid Peace”, like all of the work in this set, has been transformed from a previous painting into an entirely new piece of art. Enjoy!

Can You Do This?

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I am talking about MEDITATION.  Can you meditate?  For years I tried to bring this practice into my life.  After all, I am a type A personality.  And I am not talking an A- either.  I excel at motivation and drive.  I do not stop until I get the job done kinda gal.  I always knew it would be good for me to learn how to mentally “check out” and just “be.  I just did not know how to accomplish it.  I read books, watched videos and listened to tapes.  But I just could not relax and I certainly could not just observe my thoughts and let them pass through like leaves in the wind without attaching myself to them.  It was frustrating which did not help me feel better.  In fact, it did the opposite.  Every time I’d try and fail I would feel like something was wrong with me.  Until…..

About 7 years ago I developed some peripheral neuropathy as a result of a stomach virus.  They call that side effect Guillain-Barré Syndrome and I was lucky that mine was mild.  Some people end up on life support for awhile and others die. I just had pins and needles in my hands and feet.  I got off easy.  Anyway, in a quest to get relief from this annoying buzzing in my extremities, I happened upon a device called a “Rebuilder” which was being used to treat diabetic neuropathy with great success.  It was FDA approved and insurance would cover it if there was a medical need.  Sign me up!

I ordered and received my equipment which consisted of a small rectangular box with 2 dials and electrodes that you attach to the bottom of your feet and palms of your hands.  I am not too keen on electricity passing through my body, but I gave it a go.  It felt kind of strange…like tickling but I tolerated it well.  Once I got used to my 30 minutes a day I started to realize something.  When I used it, I could mentally “check out” and not focus on my thoughts.  I did not fall asleep.  In fact, I’ve tried it for insomnia and it never works.  Instead it puts me into a deep relaxation where my brain can take a breather.  When I snap out of it.  And that is what I do…after about 15 minutes of relaxation I snap up and feel so refreshed it is amazing.

It did heal my neuropathy over time, but it gave me so much more.  The ability to relax and finally…..meditate!

Ever Been Hypnotized?

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A few people have said that my new series “Transforming Energy” is hypnotizing.  I’ve never been hypnotized and am uncertain if it would even be possible.  I am pretty strong willed.  Also I am not very open to suggestion nor does the placebo effect work on me.  I do not believe everything I hear/see and I do not trust doctors very much.  Not that hypnotists are doctors, but to my mind they are close enough in principle.  Additionally as a survivor or childhood abuse I know I would not be comfortable with this practice even if it could work on me.  How could you trust anyone with your psyche like that?  I’d have to have my husband or sister with me and wouldn’t they get hypnotized too?  At any rate, I do find it fascinating.

The term “hypnosis” comes from the Greek word hypnos which means sleep. The words “hypnosis” and “hypnotism” both derive from the term “neuro-hypnotism” (nervous sleep) coined by the Scottish surgeon James Braid around 1841. Braid based his practice on that developed by Franz Mesmer and his followers (“Mesmerism” or “animal magnetism“), but differed in his theory as to how the procedure worked.

There is a belief that hypnosis is a form of unconsciousness resembling sleep, but contemporary research suggests that hypnotic subjects are fully awake and are focusing attention, with a corresponding decrease in their peripheral awareness.^[7] Subjects also show an increased response to suggestions.^[8] In the first book on the subject, Neurypnology (1843), Braid described “hypnotism” as a state of physical relaxation accompanied and induced by mental concentration (“abstraction”).^{[9] Source Wikipedia}

I like the last description “state of physical relaxation” and “mental concentration”.  Maybe I will have to try “self” hypnosis. 😉

Diamonds Are Not A Girl’s Best Friend

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It’s been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.  But not this girl.  My best friends is my husband.  For nearly a decade I wore a beautiful 1.58 carat diamond engagement ring.  It was a real sparkler and people complimented me on it all of the time.  It looked great on my hand and I loved the sentiment behind it.

A few weeks ago while on a mini-vacation tragedy struck.  Somehow I lost my diamond.  It was not a loose prong as three of the prongs were sheared clear off.  I was in shock.  We tore the hotel room apart, swept the floors and followed our steps all over Lido beach with no luck.  It was gone.

After we exhausted all efforts, I let my husband know that I did not need a diamond that I would be happy with a CZ.  My friend and love of my life said “Let’s get you a new diamond.”  So we went to this glittery vault called a retail store that was full of diamonds. They had an entire wall of bling in all kinds of sizes, shapes and quality.  The prices for these little bits of carbon were astronomical.  But we eventually selected a pretty stone. When we picked it up and left the store we noticed that it did not look the same as it did when we picked it out (I even looked at it in natural light before buying).  The one I selected was near colorless and looked great.  Now it looked as if a canary ate a Swarovski crystal and pooped it out.  Yellow glass.  No sparkle.

We suspected that they switched diamonds on us.  This would not be the first time for a jewelry scam.  Last year I had my diamond reset into a new ring and was informed by the jeweler that the old ring was 18K plated.  The receipt which I still have and the appraisal from that jewelry store said 18K gold.

So we took it back.  No refunds but we could have a store credit.  After much negotiating by the Hubby they finally agreed to buy it back.  The rock was now worth a little less than when they sold it to us a week earlier.  We took a hit, but were over the diamond scam.

After doing a lot of research on diamonds, I came to realize just what an awful thing the diamond industry is.

All diamonds are blood diamonds. All diamonds are conflict diamonds. The brutal Western imperial proxy wars in West Africa over diamond mines have been horrific. These wars, however, are only another chapter in the last hundred years of colonial terror as it has been represented by the diamond trade, controlled by the DeBeers cartel.

The legacy of the diamond is steeped in the slavery, colonialism, genocide and terror that built and maintains the Western capitalist system. We are the beneficiaries of this genocidal system.

But like a lot of women, I still love sparkly things on my hand.  What is a girl to do?  One word:  moissanite.  You can learn about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite

For about 5% of the cost of an equivalent diamond, I got an amazing 1.5 carat stone that has fire and beauty even better than the real one I had before.  I got the Forever Brilliant version and there is no yellow at all.  Looks like an amazing diamond! Pictures do not do justice! It is so pretty on my hand and I could not be happier.

And BEST of all, now with all of the money we saved we can invest in “memories” and not just a “thing”.  We have two romantic trips planned already.  St. Augustine in October and The Florida Keys in January.

Moissanite….a girl’s second best friend.  😉