Growing pains

Naturopathic health in the trenches / summer 2010
A monthly health diary by Katherine Willow, ND

It’s officially summer and we’ve had the nicest spring I can remember in 52 years.  Outside my rented city house window the sun is shining, birds are chirping — and sirens are wailing.  It’s a poignant reflection of what is happening in our world as nature continues its rhythms and we create painful dramas in the middle of it.

My life is turbulent at the moment.  This is the week I move back to Carp Ridge with my almost two year old grandson, Felix, whom I’ll be caretaking while his young parents further their education.  On top of that there are so many issues, events and the usual work that my mind has just given up trying to control it all and resigned itself to taking life one moment at a time.

In the midst of this, maybe because of it, there are palpable emotional and mental shifts taking place.  Instead of feeling anxious and irritable because of the stress, which is my usual reaction, there is a calm sense of trust and going with the flow.  Commitment to meditation is deepening and life perspective is broadening even while I can’t organize the next day.  Things are getting done as needed in the middle of chaos and I don’t even know how.  Dramas are taken in stride.  Nature is noticed and appreciated.  Breathing deepens.  I wonder about the truth of intensifying spiritual influences leading up to 2012. . .

Out of another corner of my awareness, I take in the ongoing information crossing my desk about the toxicity we are faced with in the modern world, including new studies about the damaging effects of electromagnetic frequencies (EMF’s).  I look forward to putting together information on how to cope with this barrage within the context: be conscious, avoid what you can and most of all, focus on building your resiliency, both physical and psychological.

In the middle of our planetary crisis there is tremendous hope.  It resides inside each of us and manifests as an ingenuity that develops ideas and discovers new inventions to help us deal with the challenges.  I see this in the material we use as a map for healing at the clinic, German New Medicine.  And I see it in every area of human endeavour, from agriculture to architecture to education to our ability to clean up polluted bodies of water with vibrational means.  The latter has been used successfully around the world and has recently been directed to the Gulf oil spill.

Often it’s hard to see the bright side when we are in the middle of difficult change.  I’m sure millions of people on the planet do not see anything positive in their hunger, wars, torture and sickness.  The deadening and depressing effects of modern life are not much better.  This pain motivates us to find ways to solve it.

I am fortunate, having the opportunities to educate myself about cutting edge holistic solutions and enough time to develop my inner life so that I can be used for moving forwards through this painful growing stage of humanity.  Our Centre is a haven where we can heal, learn and then give back.  It is a blessing to be doing this work of creative service!

Here’s wishing you increasing awareness of your own healing process and the tools to progress,
Katherine