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Gratitude and more Gratitude

3/4/2015

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As we all prepare for another dumping of snow, remember to be thankful.   
“What?!” you ask, “thankful?!!!  I am sick of the snow, sick of the cold, I want Spring!!!”

Those of you who know me, know I really don’t like heat, and so Fall and Winter are happy times for me.  I do love Spring, but when it arrives, I know Summer is on its way with the heat and humidity and mosquitoes and, and, and. . .   But, that’s not why I am saying to remember to be thankful.  I would like to think I would be reminding us all to be thankful even if it was 100 degrees and humid.  

So, what I am talking about is that those of you who are reading this have a computer, a home, clothing, food, a bed, loved ones, pets, health and so on.  There are people in this world who not only don’t know when and where their next meal is coming, they don’t even have clothes to wear.  We have so much to be thankful for, and we often take it all for granted.  When we are snowbound tomorrow, choose to be thankful for a warm place to live, warm food to eat and the warmth of love from friends, family and animals around us.  

One of the co-founders of the Acupuncture school where I work says that all unnecessary suffering is the expectation that things should be different than they are.  Some suffering is necessary.  If a loved one dies, or you get hit by a car, suffering is natural and part of the experience.  But most of us experience suffering from wanting life to show up differently than it does.  We could be in suffering for more snow coming.  I could suffer that summer is on its way.  Or we all could choose differently.  We could choose to be grateful.  

More things go right in our lives than go wrong.  We are just used to focusing on the things that have gone wrong.  We ignore the days that go smoothly, or the delicious meals that grace our tables, or the joy our dogs express when we walk in the door.  But let one thing go wrong and that’s all we talk about for hours, or days.  I am learning the practice of bringing my mind back to gratitude when I catch myself complaining.  I mess up (a lot), but I get to start over and over and over again, and that’s something to also be grateful for.  I invite you to practice with me.  The next time something goes “wrong” and you catch yourself complaining, think of one thing you are grateful for and shift your thinking.  I also invite you to email me and tell me what changes in your life when you do this practice: spiritpoint@sprintmail.com.

Stay warm, dry and safe, and I send love to you all.
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Love

2/4/2015

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Harvest Blessings

10/28/2014

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Autumn is in full swing.  The trees are brilliant, the weather cooling and the smell of wood fires can be wafted in the streets.  This time of year helps me to take stock of all that I have been sewing this year, and the beautiful harvest I have gathered:

In April I started a fabulous herbal course which met one weekend a month through last weekend in North Carolina.  We hiked through woods, visited farms, listened to teachers on permaculture, primitive skills, intentional communities and learned to identify plants and mushrooms where they grow wildly.  I learned to make tinctures, teas, salves, oil infusions and mead!  I met a group of amazing classmates of various ages from 20 to 58, whom I fell in love with and because of whom I have great hope for the future of our planet.  I brought home a beautiful certificate of completion yesterday.

In June I went to California to learn NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique) and have begun helping lots of people get rid of their allergies.  This is a mind-blowing system based on Chinese Medical theory, energy movement and applied Kinesiology.  I have had the privilege to witness people who couldn’t be around animals without sneezing, wheezing and running spend time with those same animals with no symptoms.  And people who couldn’t eat eggs and dairy without severe abdominal pain and diarrhea now able to eat those things without symptoms.  I love, love, love doing this work.

Two weeks ago, I had the joy and privilege of officiating a wedding.  The bride and groom are friends of my daughter.  It was in Quiet Water’s park, right on the water.  I realized how much I love this work as well.  Especially being able to sit down with the couple and offer coaching for a successful relationship.  The harvest for me in this is realizing that I have a life of experience and wisdom to offer people, and that there are people who want it.  

So, dear community who read this blog, I want you to know that I love my life, and I love that my life intersects with your life.  This is an amazing planet, with unfathomable biodiversity and beauty.  And we, the human element are also amazing.  With all our diversity of cultures, skin, hair and eye colors, languages, likes and dislikes, joys and sorrows, and the myriad of experiences are more alike than we could ever realize.  Your presence in my life is also a bountiful harvest of untold riches.  You are in my heart always, and I wish for you the joy of a rich harvest as well.


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How do you spend your time?

10/11/2014

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Time is relentless. It never stops.  Like the waves on a seashore, each second ticks by as you listen to the clock itself ticking.  There are activities we do which make us forget about time and we say, “time flies when you are having fun.”  And there are activities that remind us of each and every second as they drag on and on.  Regardless of how we perceive time, it is a constant, continuous movement of one second after another, one minute after another, one hour, one day, one month, one year after another.  

We human beings sometimes fill our time with business, postponing joy, relaxation or fun.  Sometimes we fill our time with uselessness such as spending the day on the couch watching television, or in front of a computer playing games.  Unlike any other resource, time can never be stored, returned to us, or multiplied.  Once it is spent, it is gone forever.  

There is a balance which needs to be achieved with the humankind.  Some folks work every second of their lives, postponing happiness.  They say, “I’ll relax when I retire,” or “I’ll be happy when the kids are through college,” or “Next year I’ll take some time off.”  How many people do you know, or have heard of, do this their whole lives only to die within weeks or months of their retirement?  Far too many, I say.  Some folks in our “me” generation want instant gratification so they do the opposite with their time, and indulge constantly by going into debt or even worse by stealing instead of waiting until they have resources to have their enjoyment.  

In my practice I see more of the former rather than the latter of the two extremes.  I see people who have difficulty carving out an hour or half hour a week, let alone a day for themselves, because they are so busy.  If they aren’t working, they are chauffeuring kids from soccer, to baseball, to dance lessons.  They eat on the fly, sleep far too little and have no down time.  When I tell them they need more down time, or better nutrition or more sleep, they know, but they are on the treadmill and won’t get off.  I say won’t rather than can’t, because this is a choice.  I know the intentions are well-meaning.  Doing all this for their children, they are hoping to create opportunities for their future, better colleges, better careers, etc.  However, if you follow that through, the careers then recreate the same scenarios: busy careers, busy lives, busy grandchildren, and so on.  You see time is relentless.

What are we here on this earth for?  Why are we given life?  To make money? To make our bosses or corporations we work for richer?  What exactly is happiness?

I can’t answer these questions, but I can ask them. You get to decide, and if you are postponing happiness for the sake of a job, or even your children, you may want to rethink this.  The future is not guaranteed.  God forbid, but you could be in a car accident and die tomorrow.  Do you want your last day with your family to be rushing around to meet deadlines or soccer games?  If you don’t have a car accident, do you want to model this lifestyle to your children so they can recreate with their children?  

Harry Chapin’s song, “The Cat’s in the Cradle” really speaks to this for me:

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day

He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

There is a time to be busy, and there is a time for quiet, reflection.  The way to live in this balance is to live in harmony with the seasons.  The Spring is the time to make goals and plans (like when you plant a garden), activity can be high.  The early Summer is when the plans mature that’s when activity can be the highest - the energy supports it.  The late Summer is when we harvest the fruits from the Spring plans, activity begins to slow down - it’s hard to move in the heat and humidity of late Summer.  The Autumn is when it is time to make assessments - what to store for Winter and what to let go of, the activity level is slowing some, and busy storing some.   The Winter is the time to pull in, be quiet, hibernate, and reflect.  Sit by the fire, eat warm food, snuggle.  When we give in to the Winter, then we will have the energy to rise in the Spring.  

Time will never stop, it moves on and on and on.  As you move through your life, think about how you are spending that time.  If you died today, would you have regrets?  Live as though this were your last day, and plan as though you have many years.  Watch and emulate how nature works, because we are part of nature.   And remember to enjoy this life.  

I am ending with the last three lines of a Mary Oliver Poem called Summer Day:

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?














 




 




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The Human Trait of Ideas

9/18/2014

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This week on Facebook I was engaged in an very interesting discussion on veganism, vegetarianism, or meat-eater.  It was prompted by a video showing how plants “feel” pain.  The discussion got a little warm (not heated) and one person shared a blog that completely inspired me.  I will give the references to both the video and the blog at the end of this blog.  

What I found really fascinating is that human beings make meaning and create belief systems and defend those belief systems in such a common way.  So let’s say I believe in organic gardening.  I would start by sharing the joys and gifts that garden has brought me.  If everyone agrees, then I might move on to another topic.  If someone disagrees, then I would start bringing in documentation, or “evidence” of why my viewpoint is the “right” viewpoint.  This rarely changes anyone else’s mind.  The other will then bring evidence of why their viewpoint is right, and choose one thing out of context about my evidence to rip apart.  And the duel
goes on and on.  By the third or fourth round, and especially on social media there are folks taking sides and offering more “evidence.”  It is quite amusing if one can get out of the way and watch the pattern.  In the end people will part ways as enemies, or “agree to disagree.”  

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a wonderful human trait to have opinions and to be passionate about something.  It is what makes us unique in all the world.  Trees don’t argue over which soil type is the right one.  Their roots my quarrel a little over real estate, but that is survival it isn’t “principles”.  Birds may fight over territory or sexual conquests, but again they would never fight over which worm is healthier or the meaning of pollen.  

What is it about us that makes us so zealous about ideas or philosophical ideologies? Wars are fought over these concepts.  I always pride myself on my comfort with the gray areas, of not having staunch “blacks and whites,” yet this week, I was sure I was right in my viewpoint.  I had to laugh at myself, and yes in the end I did decide that my friendships were more important than my ideas.  I still hold my ideas, but I gave breath and space to my friends’ rights to their way of thinking.  That too, is part of being human.  We change our minds, we let go of “being right,” we choose again.  

So this week if you find yourself in conflict, over anything, take a moment to smile.  This is human!  If you smile, you have already created space.  Then ask, is this worth losing a friend or colleague over?  The answer may be yes, and so walk away if they are worth losing, then don’t spend precious energy fighting.  If the relationship is more important, then back up and listen to their point of view.  You may not agree, but you can give space for them to hold their belief.  And, many times I have found that people will give my thoughts credence when I first give their’s credence.  Understanding is also human, and it feels good too.

References:


https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153059756828357&set=vb.74671163356&&theater  This takes you to Amazing Plants, then search “When Plants Talk.”

http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/an-open-letter-to-angry-vegetarians.html



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How I came to study Shamanism

9/13/2014

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Most of the blogs I’ve been writing have been about acupuncture and how I got into acupuncture.  I’d like to devote this one to shamanism.  

First, I want to tell you shamanism is not a religion, so you can be any religion you want and still practice shamanism.  Shamanism is a spiritual practice which embraces the aliveness of our world.  The fundamental, core belief is that everything that exists is alive and has spirit: trees, animals, rocks, soil, sunlight, you name it.  And so do we, we are spiritual beings in physical form.  Because of this spirit in all things, we are not separate from nature, but rather we are part of nature - at one with it.  Through spirit, we can communicate and live in harmony with all things, if we choose.

Shamanism dates back 40-100 thousand years and is therefore the oldest spiritual and healing practice known to humankind.  If you go far enough back in any culture around the world you will see we all come from shamanic cultures, it is not just Native American.  In fact, the word Shaman comes from the Tungus tribe in Siberia and means “one who sees in the dark.”  

I came to study shamanism when I was still in Acupuncture school.  A shaman/herbalist/acupuncturist by the name of Eliot Cowan, author of Plant Spirit Medicine, guest taught at our school.  In his class he taught us all how to do a shamanic journey.  A shamanic journey is an altered state of consciousness where one can connect with spirit with an intention.  Before you all get “freaked” out, altered states of consciousness are things we all do all the time.  When you are sleeping you are in an altered state of consciousness, same for daydreaming, meditating, or hypnosis.  We are set up for this because we are spiritual beings by nature.  

Since graduating from acupuncture school (1993) I have studied shamanism continuously, first with the Foundation for Shamanic studies (FSS), then with Sandra Ingerman, and Tom Cowan, and a shaman in Philadelphia named Two Moons.  I have taught many one or two day workshops, and eight two year programs.  I have authored a book, which I am in the process of publishing where I use shamanistic techniques to connect with the acupuncture points.  And yes, acupuncture has its roots in shamanism according to the Nei Jing (Ancient Chinese medical text).  

In case you didn’t know, I am an ordained minister and so I practice shamanic healing under my minister’s certificate as in Maryland it is not covered under the acupuncture scope of practice.  For that reason, when I do a shamanic healing session it is always separate from an acupuncture treatment, and I don’t do it in the spa where my treatment room is.  I offer shamanic healing either at my home or I go to my client’s home.  If you want to know more about shamanism, I am offering an intro workshop on Sunday November 2nd 1-5 p.m.  You can also visit my shamanic website: www.heartfirejourneys.com  

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There's Magic to change the world

8/28/2014

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I don’t want to treat everyone in the world, I don’t even want to treat everyone in Annapolis.  I am not in competition with all the other acupuncturists around me.  I am only in competition with myself.  I am doing better work than I did six months ago, and I know I will be doing better work in six months, than I am doing now.  

If you have been reading my blogs, you know that I want to treat people who are interested in being inspired.  What, you may ask, does that mean? Maybe you want your headaches to go away, or maybe you’d like to be allergy free, or maybe you’d like to try facial rejuvenation and you are wondering if what I do has anything to do with what you want.  What I do will certainly help you.  It is why I do it that keeps me striving to do better work.  

Your headaches or allergies or even your lack of facial vitality comes from imbalance.  I believe that when you achieve balance, your whole life will be enlivened and you will be inspired, awake and aware.  I believe that most people have a deep longing to be engaged and involved fully in life.  I also believe that the very thing that keeps them from being fully engaged is what causes their symptoms.  Helping to bring someone into balance and watching their symptoms resolve is very rewarding.  Even more so, to see that as they achieve this balance, their relationships, their jobs and how they live their lives, get better too.  

This is the magic that changes the world.  


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Who is Dee Stennett?

8/26/2014

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Picture
Who is Dee Stennett? What do I believe and what do I stand for in the world?  If you wanted to refer a patient to me, would you be able to answer these questions?  That is the purpose of this blog - to make clear to you what I stand for and why I do what I do.

My logo (on this page) explains it clearly.  I have used this logo for 18 years.  A friend of mine helped me design it.  A lot of people use the Yin/Yang symbol, but you will notice on my logo there are plants and flowers coming out of the the Yin/Yang symbol, all around it.  This isn’t just because it’s “pretty.”  The Yin/Yang symbol, simply put, means balance.  Not too much of anything - not too little of anything.  Perfect balance.  And when there is perfect balance, life grows and flourishes.  The plants and flowers in my logo are growing out of perfect balance.

I was driving by a construction site a few years ago (not the first or last as I am sure you all know.) and I noticed, at the edge of the site, stacks of naked trees.  Their branches and leaves were all stripped off and they were lying there exposed to the world.  It was one of the saddest sights to me.  It reminded me of the horrific pictures of the Nazi Holocaust (no disrespect intended).  

A disregard for life.  Living beings are of no consequence to the goal.  My soul aches for the holiness of this world. 


When there is balance, life flourishes.  That doesn’t mean that no trees will be cut down to build things, it means there is more respect for the land.  I have witnessed the destruction of all the woods along Route 3 South in Crofton, Maryland to create massive shopping centers.  There are actually four large supermarkets in less than one mile.  This is disrespectful to the land and the beings who live there.  There are confused deer dying on the road all along this area.  How many grocery stores do people need? This is imbalance.  

I believe very strongly that the destruction of our planet comes from imbalanced people.  So, when you think about me and what I do, think about my love for the planet.  I am treating the planet by treating one person at a time.  Healthy people create a healthy world.  


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Wake up!

8/22/2014

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What is life all about?  What are we here for?  I don’t think any higher being put us here to make millions of dollars, selling mass produced possessions that we don’t need.  I am sure you’ve heard the saying, “no one on their deathbed ever says they wished they made more money or attended more meetings.”  We all know this.  When we read this we all have a little heart flutters and say, “yes we will wish we loved more, or spent more time with our loved ones.”  Thirty seconds later we all go back to our busy lives.  

WE ARE UNDER A SPELL.  Laugh if you will, but how else do you explain the hypnotic trance that causes millions upon millions of people to follow a few people who are exploiting, and manipulating them?  How many sweet, little children say, “when I grow up I want to spend 8-10 hours a day doing meaningless work, to pay for cheap stuff, made by slave labor, and eat factory farmed food that will kill me, so I’ll have to take 10 prescriptions a day to keep from keeling over, and do this day in and day out, until I die.”  

There really is a better way to live.  Step off the treadmill.  Quit running on the hamster’s wheel.  When we find ways to serve the planet, starting by changing our lifestyle, even using baby steps, the spell will be broken.  When you wake up, you’ll wake your friends, who will wake their friends and we will see the changes we’ve been yearning for.

The key is to not try to do the whole thing, all at once, all by yourself.  Yes, hold the vision of the whole thing, but start one small step at a time.  Buy local for starters.  Recycle.  Go outside.  Meet your neighbors.  Look for ways to change your career if it doesn’t bring you joy or fulfillment.  Don’t litter.  Take care of yourself, you matter and when you are healthy, you will have the energy to help others.  It’s hard to water a garden with an empty vessel.  Surround yourself with likeminded people who also care about making a difference.  Life really is short and fleeting, so don’t postpone happiness for busy-ness.

Maybe this is what life is all about, maybe it isn’t, but if we don’t change the way we have been doing things, there won’t be anything left for our children and grandchildren. And don’t you want their short, fleeting lives to be filled with joy?




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So you want to save the world . . .

8/20/2014

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Have you ever met people who are married and miserable?  They are both good people, but they make each other unhappy, and in that unhappiness the worst in both shows up.  But, they are staying together “for the kids.”  When my first husband and I split up it was because I realized that we couldn’t raise healthy children in an unhealthy marriage.  

This is true of everything in life.  Our planet is unhealthy or out of balance because the people who are living on her are unhealthy and out of balance.  We can’t fix the planet without first starting with the individual people who live here.  Treating one person at a time, and helping them to achieve some type of balance is the way to “save the world.”

I am an acupuncturist, a shamanic practitioner, an artist, and a writer, but these are just tools.  Tools will not help the world.  Underneath this, I am a lover of Earth.  I believe that our Earth is a living, breathing, sentient being whose sole/soul desire is to take care of her children, the living beings who make up her mass. 

A friend of mine lives out in the Shenandoah valley on a farm.  She is dabbling in herbal medicine and belongs to a local group of herbalists who meet regularly and share information.  On my last visit to her place she showed me a common weed that has always been there, but had suddenly started growing prolifically.  At the local meeting, the other herbalists said they had noticed the same thing.  As they investigated this herb, they found that it was particularly useful in treating MRSA.  There had been a large number of people infected with MRSA at their local hospitals.  This to me was amazing, the Earth responding to a need for her children!

I know beyond anything I can put into words that this amazing planet is alive and conscious of all that is going on.  This is why I believe helping people become balanced and healthy is helping the Earth to become balanced and healthy.  


We have been married to a particular way of life that has made us miserable and sick.  It is bringing out the worst in us, and the worst in our “Mother.”  Fear keeps us here.  Fear that we won’t have enough, that we won’t survive.  It is that very belief which is making us impoverished.  And in that impoverished state we think we need more and more and more to feel safe.  This perpetuates destruction.  We are not at peace or ease, we are dis-eased.  By letting go of this way of life and practicing gratitude, balance and recognizing the abundance all around us we are “divorcing” the way of life that makes us sick and miserable.  Just like you can’t raise healthy children in an unhealthy marriage, we can’t save the planet as unbalanced people. 

I treat people, not disease.  I treat the planet by treating people.  This is why I am here, this is why I do what I do.  

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