How acupuncture can increase your chances of having a baby.
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Peace and blessings on your journey...
mike berkley
Wednesday, February 10
Monday, February 1
Native American Smudging: The Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing
Native American Smudging: The Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing
'Smudging' is the common name given to the "Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing," a powerful cleansing technique from the Native American tradition. It is a ritual way to cleanse a person, place or an object of negative energies or influences.
The theory behind smudging is that the smoke attaches itself to negative energy and as it clears it takes the negative energy with it, releasing it into another space to be regenerated. Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out evil spirits, negative thoughts and feelings, and to keep Gan'n (negative entities) away from areas where ceremonials take place.
In the Plains Sweatlodge, the floor of the structure is strewn with sage leaves for the participants to rub on their bodies during the sweat. Sage is also used in keeping sacred objects like pipes or Peyote wands safe from negative influence. In the Sioux nation, the Sacred Pipe is kept in a bundle with sage boughs.
Smudging is very effective when you've been feeling depressed, angry, resentful or unwell or after you have had an argument with someone.
It is also great to smudge yourself, the space and all the guests or participants before a ritual or ceremony or celebration.
You can smudge your own auric field, the spaces of your home, car or work area. You can use smudging to cleanse crystals, gemstones, altars, sacred books, or any other spiritual item.
Different types of herb for different uses:
Sage: Healing, Out with the bad
There are two major genii and several varieties of each genus of Sage that are used for smudging. Salvia, or the herb sage used for cooking, comes in two major varieties: S. Officinalis, commonly known as Garden Sage, and S. Apiana, commonly known as White Sage. Salvia varieties have long been acknowledged as healing herbs, reflected in the fact that its genus name comes from the Latin root word "salvare", which is the verb "to heal" or "to save."
Cedar: Purifying, In with the good
True cedar is of the Thuja and Libocedrus genii. Cedar is burnt while
praying to the Great Spirit (Usen', the Source--also known to Plains nations as Wakan Tanka) in meditation, and also to bless a house before moving in as is the tradition in the Northwest and Western Canada. It works both as a purifier and as a way to attract good energy in your direction, it cleanses and chases away life-negative energies and beings.
Sweetgrass: Blessing, Goodness and Warmth
Sweetgrass is very important to the Sioux and Cherokee nations, its botanical name is Hierochloe Oderata. Used for general blessing--for making a home a warm, inviting place. In these tribes, the sweetgrass is braided like hair. Sweetgrass is burnt after smudging with sage, to welcome in good influences after the bad had been driven out. Cedar can also be safely be used this way. Also Pinon pine needles (used more frequently by the Southwest Teneh, like the Navajo and Apache as well as the Pueblo people and the Zuni) and Copal (used by the Yaqui and in ancient times by the Azteca and the Maya) have similar effects.
Other Ritual or Ceremonial Herbs
Sagebrush (artemesia) is for calling up spirit (empowering) or calling in spirits.
Mugwort stimulates psychic awareness and acts a strong cleanser of negative energies.
Lavender restores balance, and creates a peaceful atmosphere and attracts loving energy.
I have recently begun the ancient ritual of smudging the Berkley Center each morning with Lavender sage to help create a loving energy for patients,practitioners and staff.
'Smudging' is the common name given to the "Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing," a powerful cleansing technique from the Native American tradition. It is a ritual way to cleanse a person, place or an object of negative energies or influences.
The theory behind smudging is that the smoke attaches itself to negative energy and as it clears it takes the negative energy with it, releasing it into another space to be regenerated. Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out evil spirits, negative thoughts and feelings, and to keep Gan'n (negative entities) away from areas where ceremonials take place.
In the Plains Sweatlodge, the floor of the structure is strewn with sage leaves for the participants to rub on their bodies during the sweat. Sage is also used in keeping sacred objects like pipes or Peyote wands safe from negative influence. In the Sioux nation, the Sacred Pipe is kept in a bundle with sage boughs.
Smudging is very effective when you've been feeling depressed, angry, resentful or unwell or after you have had an argument with someone.
It is also great to smudge yourself, the space and all the guests or participants before a ritual or ceremony or celebration.
You can smudge your own auric field, the spaces of your home, car or work area. You can use smudging to cleanse crystals, gemstones, altars, sacred books, or any other spiritual item.
Different types of herb for different uses:
Sage: Healing, Out with the bad
There are two major genii and several varieties of each genus of Sage that are used for smudging. Salvia, or the herb sage used for cooking, comes in two major varieties: S. Officinalis, commonly known as Garden Sage, and S. Apiana, commonly known as White Sage. Salvia varieties have long been acknowledged as healing herbs, reflected in the fact that its genus name comes from the Latin root word "salvare", which is the verb "to heal" or "to save."
Cedar: Purifying, In with the good
True cedar is of the Thuja and Libocedrus genii. Cedar is burnt while
praying to the Great Spirit (Usen', the Source--also known to Plains nations as Wakan Tanka) in meditation, and also to bless a house before moving in as is the tradition in the Northwest and Western Canada. It works both as a purifier and as a way to attract good energy in your direction, it cleanses and chases away life-negative energies and beings.
Sweetgrass: Blessing, Goodness and Warmth
Sweetgrass is very important to the Sioux and Cherokee nations, its botanical name is Hierochloe Oderata. Used for general blessing--for making a home a warm, inviting place. In these tribes, the sweetgrass is braided like hair. Sweetgrass is burnt after smudging with sage, to welcome in good influences after the bad had been driven out. Cedar can also be safely be used this way. Also Pinon pine needles (used more frequently by the Southwest Teneh, like the Navajo and Apache as well as the Pueblo people and the Zuni) and Copal (used by the Yaqui and in ancient times by the Azteca and the Maya) have similar effects.
Other Ritual or Ceremonial Herbs
Sagebrush (artemesia) is for calling up spirit (empowering) or calling in spirits.
Mugwort stimulates psychic awareness and acts a strong cleanser of negative energies.
Lavender restores balance, and creates a peaceful atmosphere and attracts loving energy.
I have recently begun the ancient ritual of smudging the Berkley Center each morning with Lavender sage to help create a loving energy for patients,practitioners and staff.
Wednesday, January 27
Fertility Acupuncture Video
Watch and learn how The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness combines acupuncture, and herbal medicine to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Saturday, January 23
Finding Peace Within
A Full Embrace Excluding Nothing
Most people agree that a more peaceful world would be an ideal situation for all living creatures. However, we often seem stumped as to how to bring this ideal situation into being. If we are to have true peace in this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first. If we don’t like ourselves, for example, we probably won’t like those around us. If we are in a constant state of inner conflict, then we will probably manifest conflict in the world. If we have fighting within our families, there can be no peace in the world. We must shine the light of inquiry on our internal struggles, because this is the only place we can really create change.
When we initiate the process of looking inside ourselves for the meaning of peace, we will begin to understand why it has always been so difficult to come by. This in itself will enable us to be compassionate toward the many people in the world who find themselves caught up in conflicts both personal and universal. We may have an experience of peace that we can call up in ourselves to remind us of what we want to create, but if we are human we will also feel the pull in the opposite direction—the desire to defend ourselves, to keep what we feel belongs to us, to protect our loved ones and our cherished ideals, and the anger we feel when threatened. This awareness is important because we cannot truly know peace until we understand the many tendencies and passions that threaten our ability to find it. Peace necessarily includes, even as it transcends, all of our primal energy, much of which has been expressed in ways that contradict peace.
Being at peace with ourselves is not about denying or rejecting any part of ourselves. On the contrary, in order to be at peace we must be willing and able to hold ourselves, in all our complexity, in a full embrace that excludes nothing. This is perhaps the most difficult part for many of us, because we want so much to disown the negative aspects of our humanity. Ironically, though, true peace begins with a willingness to take responsibility for our humanity so that we might ultimately transform it in the light of our love.
Peace.
mike berkley, Licensed Acupuncturist/Herbalist
Most people agree that a more peaceful world would be an ideal situation for all living creatures. However, we often seem stumped as to how to bring this ideal situation into being. If we are to have true peace in this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first. If we don’t like ourselves, for example, we probably won’t like those around us. If we are in a constant state of inner conflict, then we will probably manifest conflict in the world. If we have fighting within our families, there can be no peace in the world. We must shine the light of inquiry on our internal struggles, because this is the only place we can really create change.
When we initiate the process of looking inside ourselves for the meaning of peace, we will begin to understand why it has always been so difficult to come by. This in itself will enable us to be compassionate toward the many people in the world who find themselves caught up in conflicts both personal and universal. We may have an experience of peace that we can call up in ourselves to remind us of what we want to create, but if we are human we will also feel the pull in the opposite direction—the desire to defend ourselves, to keep what we feel belongs to us, to protect our loved ones and our cherished ideals, and the anger we feel when threatened. This awareness is important because we cannot truly know peace until we understand the many tendencies and passions that threaten our ability to find it. Peace necessarily includes, even as it transcends, all of our primal energy, much of which has been expressed in ways that contradict peace.
Being at peace with ourselves is not about denying or rejecting any part of ourselves. On the contrary, in order to be at peace we must be willing and able to hold ourselves, in all our complexity, in a full embrace that excludes nothing. This is perhaps the most difficult part for many of us, because we want so much to disown the negative aspects of our humanity. Ironically, though, true peace begins with a willingness to take responsibility for our humanity so that we might ultimately transform it in the light of our love.
Peace.
mike berkley, Licensed Acupuncturist/Herbalist
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