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September 16, 2010
Dear Clients and Friends of Intuition,
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Integrity - do you have it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My last newsletter on the topic of values has brought up with several clients the concept of integrity, a quality I evaluate in every energetic scan. I check to see whether one feels, thinks, speaks, and acts on their personal truth (their values.)
When all four are in alignment, one can be said to be living with integrity.
Integrity itself is a value, like courage and compassion. Even more than that, it's the linchpin of your other values. You are the person you aspire to be to the degree to which you live your life consistent with the highest values you espouse. Integrity is the quality that locks in your values and causes you to live consistent with them.
To be completely honest with others, you must first be rigorously honest with yourself. You must be true to yourself, to the very best that is in you, to the very best that you know. Only a person who is living consistent with hers or his highest values is truly living a life of integrity. And when you commit to living this kind of life, you'll find yourself continually raising your own standards, continually refining your definition of integrity and honesty.
People who are chronically ill (and a great many people who aren't) find it difficult to do. The risks feel too great, particularly the fear of alienating one's support group. They often feel dependent upon the approval of others for their survival. "But if I did/said that, my friend/spouse/child/parent/doctor might not be there for me anymore" is something I hear often. When an individual begins to feel the desire to take the risk of living completely in the light of their truth in all ways, it's a cardinal sign to me that they've taken a giant step toward emotional and physical health.
When we choose to live with integrity, we may need to renegotiate relationships that have been based on a lack of integrity. And we're likely to choose new relationships with people who are similarly integrated, because those relationships feel clear, clean, and without the nagging resentments fostered when integrity is lacking.
People who live with integrity are who they appear to be. They are impeccable with their word. They do what they say they'll do. They assume responsibility for their lives. They can be counted on. They speak their truth, even when it isn't popular. Charisma, charm, eloquence, talent, extraordinary performance are often rewarded in the short-term, but without integrity, any other qualities or achievements will ultimately be corrupted or abused.
This theme might be said to be at the root of the present crisis in our culture. If we lived by the values of our constitution - "to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" - it seems unlikely that we would have paid $15 million to a football quarterback, $50 million dollars to a movie actor, and $85 million to a single corporate CEO.
I hear a lot of finger-pointing with regard to how this situation occurred, but if we live with integrity, it follows that we evaluate first what roll we may have played in the creation of our collective karma, as we do for the creation of our individual lives.
I came across the following list of ways in which the Quakers bear witness to truth and integrity in their lives:
- making sure that one's words and actions flow from one's beliefs
- speaking the truth, even when it is difficult
- paying people fair wages for their work
- give one's employer the right amount of labor for one's pay
- saying difficult things with truth and grace
- receiving difficult sayings gracefully
- guarding one's reputation for fairness, honesty, and fidelity
- taking responsibility for one's actions and their results
- fulfilling one's commitments
- taking care of items entrusted to one
- being open to the ideas of others but not too easily swayed by them
- confronting lapses of integrity in oneself and in others
- giving credit to others for their contributions
- assessing people and situations fairly and accurately
- avoiding spending beyond one's means through the use of credit
Then I tried to imagine a larger society that lived by them. |
| Pet tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Animals have a built-in system for clearing trauma from their bodies (have you seen your pet tremble as s/he shakes it off?) and tend to have far fewer symptoms related to stored emotional memory than their human counterparts (in whom 80% of all symptoms I scan for have some degree of emotional distress as a root cause.)
In some sensitive animals, however, I've seen the figure go as high as 50% of symptoms as related to stored emotional energies.
A recent example from my practice is a rescue dog - a mostly Yorkshire terrier - who was on anti-depressant and and anti-convulsive medications for snapping at people unexpectedly and petit-mal seizures. His troubled past and on-going anxiety showed up on his scan and the owner and I worked together with techniques for clearing trauma. In a fairly short time, the owner chose to reduce, then discontinue the dog's medications with no return of symptoms to date.
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| New (to me) research on Happy Hour!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've recently become perplexed by articles on the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. My energetic scan indicates when alcohol is having a negative effect on an individual. Most of you for whom I've picked it up were drinking wine, usually moderately. Though there's been a lot of press on the benefits of wine, I sometimes get that it's not good for specific individuals. Perhaps the added sulfites? Perhaps more than that? I haven't investigated it but accept that it's true.
Common sense and the references to alcohol as a poison in alternative healing literature have led me to assume that it was. I also admit to a personal bias, having had experience with the damage that alcoholism can do to individuals and families.
So the recent articles (though it turns out that the "new" research is simply confirming older research) on the increased longevity of moderate drinkers sent me to querying, and my intuitive investigation seems to agree with the articles on the subject.
Here's a very comprehensive look at the issue if it interests you: Alcohol and Health
Studies show that moderate imbibing (1.5 oz. daily for women, twice that for men) is beneficial for 15 or more serious health conditions: from cardiovascular disease to pancreatic cancer and indicates that moderate drinkers live longer than either non-drinkers or those who drink to excess.
I haven't investigated (intuitively) the many specific benefits cited by the studies except for the statistics on cardiovascular health. I get that alcohol's propensity for thinning the blood is the root of that particular advantage. (Of course, any benefits I pick up assumes a healthy person, not a person trying to become healthy, and doesn't apply to those who might be sensitive to alcohol, which some are.)
The article states: "Alcohol has been used medicinally throughout recorded history; its
medicinal properties are mentioned 191 times in the Old and New
Testaments. As early as the turn of the century there was evidence
that moderate consumption of alcohol was associated with a decrease in
the risk of heart attack. And the evidence of health benefits of
moderate consumption has continued to grow over time."
It would seem to make Happy Hour almost mandatory for anyone with the slightest inclination :-) I think I'll go have a brandy and soda (just one) while I ponder it. . . .
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Good health and a Light Spirit to you all, Susan Shadburne (and granddaughter Logan) Medical Intuitive/Bio-energy healer EmailWeb site 503-222-6676  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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