I’m going to try to post reviews of books that I have really enjoyed; we’ll see how long this blog feature lasts.  Many of the books I am reading lately are for a women’s shamanic book group I am in.  I love the books we read though I don’t always finish them before the meeting, and I don’t always make it to the meetings.

The book for my November book group meeting is Robert Moss’ The Three “Only” Things:  Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence, and Imagination (2007).  This book would be great for someone new on their spiritual journey who wants to learn more about how the divine can be found in our lives because of the multitude of easy ways Moss lays out for individuals to invite and practice working with messages in dreams, synchronicity and imagery.  Robert Moss’ sense of humor is right up my alley, and the multitude of stories he tells and examples he shares create a fiction-like characteristic to the tone.  Even though I’m not new to the concepts he presents, I still enjoyed the book immensely.

Moss approaches three areas that we are prone to blowing off as “only” things:  It’s “only” a dream, it’s “only” a coincidence, and it’s “only” your imagination.  Moss argues that these three only things are actually powerful means of guidance that we should be listening to, not ignoring as our mainstream culture teaches us.  He states, "There are no impermeable boundaries between inner and outer, subjective and objective."  He breaks each “only” down into a list of his beliefs about each and then supports each with narratives and arguments from people he's met and from more famous individuals such as Mark Twain and Joan of Arc. 

The first part of the book is the strongest as it focuses on dreams: Moss has written other books on dreaming.  I was captivated.  While I have powerful and detailed dreams, I don’t have the experiences Moss details, though I believe they are possible.  For me, most often my brain uses my dreams to work out past traumas or even mundane daily events rather than showing me future paths.  However, I don’t believe dreams are “only” anything.  They are deep experiences that deserve a great deal of respect and consideration.

The second section focuses on coincidence or what many people would call synchronicity.  I feel that Moss’ attempt to resist the word synchronicity is noble but doomed.  Any English major can tell you that words change in spelling and meaning.  This is part of linguistic evolution.  Just because a word is not true to its root meaning doesn’t make it a bad word.  Rather than trying to force the connotation of the word "synchronicity" onto "coincidence," I think Moss should come to terms with the fact that language is what people make of it.

Aside from that petty quarrel of mine with the author, Moss shows that synchronicity is powerful in our lives as a sign of divine guidance.  He believes that when we are in motion, sometimes literally and sometimes mentally, we are more likely to attract synchronicity.  When synchronicity shows up, we should be asking why and what it means for us rather than just saying, “How cool!” I find this to be true in my own life.  Recently during the middle of the night, my spirit guides were telling me through a dream and my subsequent waking thoughts that I have a "block" going on in my emotional processing that I need to remove so that I can get rid of some negativity that I am holding on to.  Just to make sure I got the message, the toilet then clogged (or blocked) at 2 a.m.  Really, I didn't need that confirmation to understand the message, but thanks, y'all!

The third section of the book was the weakest in my opinion, but it was still worth reading.  What Moss terms “imagination” I would call “inspired imagery.”  I find that the wild images that pop into my head are not attributes of my personal creation but are intentionally put in my mind by others as I experience during my healing messages.  Here again, word choice is vital as to me, imagination has a connotation of personal creation rather than outside influence, though in some ways Moss is arguing there are no such thing as boundaries.  I have learned that these inspired images I experience are incredibly important to listen to, and it is on that point that Moss and I agree.  Tuning in to the higher powers that guide our lives in seemingly “only” ways can help one’s life become far better than one ever imagined.

© 2013 Green Heart Guidance

(As always, just a reminder that I am not a medical doctor.  This blog entry is me sharing my experiences with chronic illness.  If you are considering doing something that might affect your health like using a sauna, be sure to consult with your health practitioners first.)

Early in my illness, I heard from many others with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities that Far Infrared (FIR) Saunas were incredibly helpful healing devices recommended by many doctors.  The FIR sauna works differently than a regular steam sauna to release toxins and help the body sweat them out.  In addition to helping those with CFS, MCS, Fibromyalgia, and Lyme, FIR saunas are recommended for those suffering from mold toxicity, autism, and many other diseases and conditions as well.

It sounded like a great idea:  Getting well by just laying there.  The main contra-indication with FIR saunas for many people is that you should not use them if you have amalgam fillings in your teeth as they can create release dangerous chemicals.  I was blessed never to end up with amalgam fillings, so that wasn't an issue for me.  I went ahead and bought a brand recommended for the chemically sensitive; I had sniff-tested an older model at a friend's house and it seemed ok.  Once I got it, we couldn't bring it in the house for an entire year because I was so severely chemically sensitive.  My ex-husband put it in the garage, assembled, and periodically would run it to use the heat to help off-gas whatever in it was bothering me.  When he wasn't running it, he left the door open.  After a year, he and two other friends hauled its very heavy components up to my bathroom and assembled it where it sat mostly unused for another five years. I used it a few times but couldn't break a sweat and felt miserable.  I gave up.  I was worried that this was yet another multi-thousand dollar waste of money in my quest for health. 

Fast-forward another five years, and I was finally at a point where I was ready to try using it again because I was finally strong enough to be able to handle detoxing.  First, however, I had to teach my body how to sweat.  In the previous times when I got in the sauna for 20-40 minutes at 140F, I would not break a sweat. Since my body was releasing toxic crud but not sweating it out, I became sick because my detox pathways were so screwed up. In order to force my body sweat, I first had to take a VERY hot bath that was one step short of scalding so that I got my body temperature up. Then I could get in the sauna and sweat.

After watching some of the ILADS conference speakers through an internet broadcast one year, I realized that I had the temperature too high, especially for someone who is chemically sensitive. A FIR sauna doesn't need to be as high as a regular sauna. The recommended temperature from an MD who treats mold patients was lower. I now have mine set at 130F which is what is right for my body.  This leads to an important component of sauna use:  It's really best to be doing it with a health care practitioner who knows what they are doing.  None of my health care providers really did, though they all encouraged me to use the sauna because they had heard such great things.  You also need to listen to your own body.  If your doctor tells you 20 minutes but your body clearly tells you that it is done after 10, then get out after 10 and slowly work your way up to 20 minutes.  This isn't a race, and there are no rewards for staying in there at a ridiculously high heat for unbearably long times.

Once I started sweating, I then proceeded to make myself really sick because I threw my minerals out of whack. While you are sweating out the bad stuff, you also sweat out some of the good stuff in the sauna. I had been forewarned by patients of a doctor in Dallas who treats the chemically sensitive that getting one's B vitamins out of whack was a likely result, so I was being careful with those. I didn't, however, expect my magnesium, calcium, and trace minerals to go out of whack.  As a result, I had to do some mineral IVs during this initial time in the sauna to get myself stable again. I now have to take daily electrolytes, magnesium, calcium, and trace minerals. I use Trace Minerals brand, available at People's Pharmacy or on Amazon.

When I started my healthier sauna routine last year, I was doing the hot bath plus up to 20 minutes in the sauna at 130F. Then I showered afterward to get off the "dirty" sweat. It was a routine that was taking over an hour a day.  On the advice of others who owned saunas, I had bought a three person sauna that allowed me to lay down on the bench because I didn't have the strength to sit up for that long in the heat; because heat rises, it is a bit cooler when laying down. I was using the sauna about 5 times a week.  I was also forewarned by sauna groups for the chemically sensitive that you have to find the best time of day for your body. My best time is in the late evening before bed. It has helped improve my sleep so much. For others, the sauna invigorates them, so they do it in the morning.

Now that I am doing much better, I am in the sauna daily to detox. It is a huge part of what is helping me function again. On the days when I am more toxic, I start sweating much sooner. On days when I'm not as toxic, I don't sweat as quickly. I no longer have to bathe first. I am in there for about 25 minutes at 130F.  It's important that I listen to my body tell me "I'm done." I know the feeling when I'm done, and that's when I get out.  I can now sit up in there as well. I meditate about half the time. I journal. I read spiritual books. Some days I just lay down on the bench when I am sick, but that's rarer now.  I look forward to being in the sauna whereas I used to hate it violently. It's become part of both a health and spiritual routine for me. When I miss a day, I feel it in my body and usually end up sleeping poorly, so no matter how late it is, I try to get myself in there before bed.

© 2013 Green Heart Guidance