Well, hello to anyone who stops by.  This is going to be random thoughts, events and discussions about my life and life in general.  I am not sure how much I will write, but if people comment, I will do my best to respond:)

I'll try to quickly explain where I am coming from:

I am basically introverted with a definite bent towards the mischevious.  I get bored easily so I do things like make up "adult conversations" in my mind to match the action on the t.v. when I get stuck watching a kids show.  If I can make someone laugh, I will.  One of the things I love best is to find a good comic (see Savage Chickens or Toothpaste for Dinner on the web and you will get my humor), to see a good comedy movie, or to be hanging out with someone and we start laughing so hard we are crying.  I LOVE that!

I am a person who is spiritual without a construct around me.  That is, I have no church, synagogue, temple, or coven to give me rules or structure.  I am a believer of many and varied teachings, though not all, and believe that most religions agree on the major points and intent if you stand back far enough and look at them through slightly blurred lenses, if you know what I mean.  I support all people to have and live with their own beliefs.

I am a Reiki Master/Teacher.  For those of you who don't know, Reiki is energy healing that generally brings relaxation and, for me, a closer feeling to the Infinite/Universal Energy.  Reiki has changed my life in ways I cannot even begin to express.  Mainly, it has helped me to open up my heart and live with it that way (it was pretty closed down before).  I think I am more pleasant to be around now, too:)  Because Reiki is something you can give to someone and receive at the same time, it is always a blessing to be able to do it.  You can also give it to yourself, which I have found is a nice way to go to sleep or when you are stressed or while driving or, okay, any time at all.

Reiki also unveiled some of the more hidden things in life to me.  That is, I am often able to feel other people's emotions and to know things about them they haven't told me.  Not everything, believe me, so it isn't THAT freaky, but enough that I am right more times than not when predicting someone's behavior or the reason behind it.  And, that has been something I have cultivated in my line of work.  My full-time job is as a program director for women and their children at a small, not-for-profit mental health program.  There are many times that my intuition has been helpful in determining the best course, when to be really concerned or not, when to be wondering if someone isn't telling the whole truth, etc.  I have had a blast working in this job and feel very fortunate to continue to have so many good life teachers (in my peers, supervisors, and clients) with whom I have worked.

I am a mom to two very active and smart, scary smart, boys.  They are the kids strangers would look at, then look at me, and say, "you are so brave".  Yes, it is a true story.  It happened in the local clinic.  They also are the ones who are at the emergency room having to get several layers deep stitches and who take apart our entrance doorknob "just for fun".  Anyway, my challenge is to be balanced and loving towards them as much as I can, and when I can't, to make that as short a period as possible and apologize, apologize, apologize.  Sigh, life and parenting is a journey, not a destination, right?

I am the wife of a good man.  He has a good sense of humor, and is good-looking, responsible, reliable, on time, conscientious, caring, fair and a good dad.  I would put in all the other good stuff, but really, some of that is just personal;)  Also, I am one of those women that did not change my name when we got married because there was not a better argument than "it has always been done this way".  I guess that just shows my need for independence.

And some miscellaneous stuff about me: I am an Aries (if you know about that stuff: to me that is the headstrong, sometimes stubborn, often "fighter" energy).  I love yoga and exercise in the morning.  I believe you can eat, drink (see www.mymonavie.com/andreawest/) and move your body in ways that can create health.  I love to read a good book and sit under a tree.  I believe in angels, fairies, ghosts and people who can communicate with them.  I like to be alone and I can make myself laugh.  I also have some very strange dreams.

In the past month or so, things have been changing for me.  One thing that happened is that I had a year-long work experience with a group of women that ended.  We got together to open a healing center.  To make a long story short, I decided to leave the group because of lack of communication and cohesion.  What I learned from my experience is this: I need to be able to feel like my own boss and be able to make my own decisions.  I can inform people of those decisions, but I need to be able to make them.  I can make decisions with other people, but only if they are on the same wavelength as me and are capable of discussing all sides of a position and coming to a conclusion based on the discussion with no ulterior motives or emotions.  It was a painful decision for me to leave, but I felt much better after I had made it.

Another thing that happened is meeting another inspiring teacher/mentor/fellow life walker.  I met with him and we swapped energy work.  For whatever reason, after meeting with him I was inspired to change around my house so I could have Reiki or other clients come to my home comfortably.  When I met with him a second time (and I got to share energy with a tree and the earth-and, listen, if you get a chance to do that, I seriously recommend it), he told me about his experience at a 10-day meditation retreat.  It sounded kind of scary but FABULOUS.  I had been debating in my head about going out-of-town to do some family stuff and some business stuff in September, but I came upon this training through Crimson Circle (www.crimsoncircle.com) and decided to do that instead.  Indeed, I am going on a 4-day retreat in another state, all by myself for the first time EVER.  I feel trepidation but also amazingly FREE!  To top it all off, my husband and I are going to a training that he and his wife will be part of tomorrow and I am so excited about it!

That was more than I thought I would say.  We'll see how this all goes.  Maybe no one will read this and maybe I can just get my creative juices flowing all by myself.  In the past, I have blogged about some of the cool, synchronistic, or downright strange things that have happened.  I am not a real head-type so I won't be writing much about other's theories or knowledge from books: though I am an avid reader, it flows into my brain and becomes a part of me or flows right out, I don't hold onto it as it's own separate thing.

For now, may all beings have love in their heart and peace in their being.

Namaste.

Andrea

     I attended a workshop to day with my husband and about 35 other people.  One thing that happens to me all the time is that people tell me their stories or strange little parts of their lives without even knowing me (cashiers, people on the street, in the mall, etc).  It happened again today.  As we got out of our car, a woman loaded down with lunch, pillow and blanket approached me and told me she had signed up for a class but had no idea how to get there.  I told her we were in the same class and would figure it out together.  During the short walk there, she told me her sister had signed her up for the class and told her she had to go ("strange little part of life" example).  I said, "good for you for coming to the class".  Well, it turns out this woman is currently struggling with a pretty chaotic life right now, including alcohol abuse.  Did I mention that I grew up in an alcoholic household and I also seem to attract that element?  Life works in strange ways, right?
     About the workshop: it was so fabulous!  We got a chance to do some major grounding work which had me firmly planted in my body, on this Earth and in the present moment.  Really, what better place to start from than that?
     We then moved into a meditation.  Many times I felt myself leave this realm and/or sink through the floor and into the Earth.  When we finished, I was dazed, relaxed, and ready for lunch to re-ground.
     During the lunch I was able to show my husband how to ground with a tree.  He chose not to do it because it was out in the middle of the college square.  Sigh.  Some people!  Anyway, it was a joyous lunch filled with good food, good tree/Earth energy, and a little Eva Cassidy on the I-Pod.  Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
     And then there was the second half of the workshop on QiGong.  Wow!  Like I said before, I am a Reiki Master/Teacher and have been practicing for over five years.  I have made it my own by moving energies and playing with them.  QiGong does this times ten but in a lot of ways it was so familiar to me. 
     Some  wonderful things happened during the session: I felt this meditative state during many of the movements, had a feeling of release, and was part of a group dynamic that was very powerful and loving.  There was a meditation including a healing as well as a group healing, both of which were very special.  During the meditation healing, I was laying down going in and out of the bliss-space when I felt a different energy come upon me which startled me so much I opened my eyes: it was another QiGong practitioner coming by doing some healing work.  During the group healing, I smelled this sweet fragrance (apparently others smelled smoke/fireworks, too).  The facilitator named it as lotus and I thought, fabulous, we have Quan Yin helping us in the healing (and who/whatever brought the smoke smell, too).  I find Quan Yin works with people to build harmony and love, especially during modalities that have origins in China and/or Tibet.  Like Reiki, that is correct!  
     The group did a gratitude exercise to the facilitator, but I felt like I needed to thank her personally.  When I did, she asked for a hug and told me she had been working on me during the meditation healing session (I had no CONSCIOUS idea of this at all).  I love when this happens.
     Well, we will see what happens but I would love to study more QiGong and a weekend class is coming my way in November.  Woohoo!
     On another note, I have become friends with someone who is not very guarded in their thoughts, feelings and expressions.  I have begun to realize as a comparison that I am still fairly guarded about many things.  I appreciate the opportunity to be around people less guarded so I can practice and see it successfully done.  I think my mini-mind tries to tell me that something catastrophic will happen if I am not guarded.  I am going to start to actively disagree and BE a less guarded person (a goal). 
     I enjoy being around people who are more successful than I am at something.  It gives me a chance to see it in action and to try to emulate it.  Not that I have to be perfect in everything, but I will at least give it a try.  So, I have people who are better at active listening, being less guarded, having fun, being patient, taking responsibility for their actions, and on and on.  I like to think that I pick up attitudes and ways of being from others that improve me and the way I am.  I also pick up quirky mannerisms and sayings, so I have to watch out or I start sounding like a parrot (too much repetition).  I also like to think that others pick up good things from me.  We are all so much together on this world it sometimes seems strange to me that we believe ourselves apart.  Though, in this 3-D world, that is still the rumor.

Namaste,

Andrea

A warm smile, a touch on my arm, a hug, a meeting of the eyes with communication, love in their heart beaming out to others, a shared laugh, opening the door, a "thank you", an open spirit, an unexpectedly candid and personal conversation from someone I haven't met before...  I try to live my life in a state of gratitude and love so I feel welcomed by life most of the time. 

Namaste,
Andrea

It has occurred to me recently (again) that sometimes I am drawn to do/be/act in a way that is contrary to most others just because it is contrary.  A lot of times I enjoy being contrary.  I have always had a big independent and individualistic streak, and it seems, at 40, it is more pronounced then ever.  This does not mean that I throw things in people's face or that I am obnoxious about it (now, anyway) but it does mean I will quietly do things my own way unless I feel like I need to be a little louder about it.

When I was a teenager, for example, I would follow some of the clothing trends but it was never quite what everyone else had.  It was a different fabric, a different color, etc.  Contrary.  In the late 80's, I went to a Community College that was going smoke-free and I was avidly against smoking.  (I even have a tattoo to prove it).  I would confront people as nicely as possible about their smoking right in front of the non-smoking signs, for example, and I would get smoke blown in my face occasionally.  Contrary.  In the 90's I began to work at an agency that supports people who have serious and persistent mental illness like schizophrenia (voices, hallucinations, etc.) to work, actually work, every day so they can feel better physically and have higher self-esteem.  Contrary.

When I think about the idea of being contrary to public opinion or action, I think there are a lot more "contrarians" now than there have been in the past and we are making (mostly) a quiet but strong revolution.  My question is this: When will the tipping point be?  That is, what is the point at which there are so many people holding a particular point of view/feeling about the world that the world has to change with it.  I feel the tipping point getting closer and closer about many things: peace, conservation, health, community...  This is a very exciting time to be alive.

Today, I wasn't all that contrary except that I was scheduled to be at the "office", and did not go in because I felt like I needed to take care of myself and spend some time with my family.  I worked from home, grounded to the Earth during a soccer game, weeded and played in the mud (smile), and made a tasty raspberry pie that turned into a slurpy mess.  Yeah, that last one was unintentional.  I figure if I can be purposeful in my contrariness (contrarity? being contrary?), I think I will effect change.  One person at a time, change will be made.  When I live my life with my heart and in my passion, I am being contrary to the majority of people.  That kind of contrariness is catchy, though, I have noticed.  Like I said, one person at a time, one heart at a time...change will be made.

May you be contrary too,

Andrea