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What is the difference between Religion and Spirituality?

Many may confuse Spirituality for Religion. Some even think of it as a sect or a cult, but this is because of their lack of knowledge and their fear of being manipulated.

Upon further study you come to understand what spirituality actually is. It is our nature and is nothing mysterious or supernatural nor in any way connected to a sect or cult of any kind.

Religion requires conforming – Spirituality is freedom Religion tells you to follow an ideology and obey certain rules or you’ll be punished otherwise. Spirituality is an ”inside job” and “what feels right for you”. You are free to be what you truly are without having to conform to anything that doesn’t resonate as right with you. Spirituality leads to an awareness that we are all one. It is all up to you to choose what you’ll honor, and choose to believe.

Religion tells you what to think– Spirituality teaches you how to discover the Truth yourself.

Religion tells you what to believe and what is right. Spirituality lets you discover it by yourself and understand it in your own unique way. It encourages discovering your own inner power. It encourages faith and trust in your own truth through the Spirit within.

Religion creates separation – Spirituality unites Globally, there are many religions and they all claim to have the right story. Spirituality sees the nuggets of truth in all of them. The truth is same for everyone despite our differences. It focuses on the divine message they share and not on the differences.

Religion creates dependency – Spirituality creates self-empowerment Religion requires adherence and compliance to be happy. Spirituality shows you happiness is an inside job. Happiness is always found deep in ourselves and only we are responsible for it. We are always spiritual beings not just while attending some events or buildings. Divinity is in us and we are always worthy.

Religion speaks of punishment – Spirituality understands cause and effect Religion says that if we don’t obey certain rules there is punishment in the afterlife…Hell and damnation. Spirituality teaches that every action has a reaction/consequence. The punishment from our actions is not a geographical location like Hell but a consequence of our actions in our daily lives.

Religion says follow me – Spirituality encourages following your own inner wisdom, the Spirit within The foundation of many religions is to make you follow their rules and dogma. Spirituality encourages self-discovery and proving Spirit exists for yourself.

Every religion has something true in it. Spirituality encourages discovering the Truth for yourself.

“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.” Albert Einstein.

Rev Anne Ahokangas

Centre for Spiritual living Winnipeg

Nature First

Learn how to create your own natural First Aid Kit using Essential Oils. Not everyone wants to reach for harsh chemicals or medicated creams when faced with a mild “boo boo”, so as an alternative, I’ll show you my favourite essential oils to have on-hand to help ease minor mishaps.

There are six common essential oils (EOs) that every natural first aid kit should contain Lavender, Tea Tree, Chamomile, Rosemary, Peppermint and Eucalyptus.

Lavender: Lavender is probably the most popular EO and there is good reason why. In fact, if you could have only one essential oil in your arsenal, this would be it! Lavender is great for treating minor cuts and scrapes, as it is known to have anti-bacterial properties. It also encourages healing, can prevent scarring of cuts and burns and it can relieve minor pain and itching (which is great for pesky bug bites). However, beyond that, Lavender is also known for its calming properties, perfect for not only soothing “boo boos” but also soothing your soul!

Tea Tree or Melaleuca is one of the strongest and safest natural antiseptics known and is often used to prevent and treat infection. It is a helpful essential oil for cold sores, rashes and scrapes. We have often heard of Tea Tree used for acne because of its anti-bacterial properties. Not only is it anti-bacterial but also anti-fungal, so is also used to treat fungal infection such as athlete’s foot.

Camomile essential oil has natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain reliever) properties. It is also valuable as it is one of the few essential oils gentle enough to safely use on children. Great for treating bumps, bruises, and sprains. Keep in mind that there are several different kinds of Chamomile essential oil. However, only two of them, German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile possess the healing properties useful for your essential oil first aid kit.

Rosemary is a good all-purpose EO. It contains similar properties as those mentioned above by relieving aches & pains, being anti-bacterial, and soothing minor cuts/scrapes. But Rosemary is also useful for relieving digestive discomfort. Another useful property that Rosemary has is that it is a mild stimulant, which can come in handy when needing to boost alertness.

Peppermint is another EO that can also boost alertness, but that is not its only benefit. In addition to this Peppermint is great for relieving nausea, motion sickness or indigestion. Furthermore, applying it your scalp, or at the back of your neck can help relieve irritating headaches. Because of its cooling sensation, Peppermint is also often used to cool the skin if sunburned and can even help reduce body temperature.

Eucalyptus is a great EO to have around for coughs & colds and to help sooth respiratory issues. It is often found in cough drops for this reason. In addition, Eucalyptus makes a great insect repellent to keep those stinging/biting bugs away!

The common applications of essential oils are: topically (directly on the skin using a carrier oil), via inhalation (drop oil into palm of your hand, then cup your hand around nose to breathe in), or by diffusion (using a room diffuser).

As with any type of herb or natural medicine, make sure that you are purchasing the best quality essential oil on the market. Lower quality oils may state that they are 100% pure, but that does not necessarily mean they are 100% pure essential oils. They may contain fillers! I like to use oils from companies that use third party testers to ensure the quality. A few companies out there do this type of testing.

Now that you know a handful of good oils to keep on hand for an emergency, you need to know how to use them properly. Essential oils are very potent and powerful– start low and go slow and dilute with carrier oils. In most cases, using 1-2 drops at a time is adequate and using more may waste product. Proper usage is indicated on each Essential Oil label. It’s very important to follow label instructions

 

To learn more about how to use essential oils or to see what my favourite oils are, go to my website CanadianMoms.ca or contact me at [email protected]

Spring Cleaning Fun?

Don’t expect me to post tips about how to make Spring Cleaning fun. As someone with a bad back, Spring Cleaning is not exactly my idea of having fun as it involves quite a bit of risk and effort from my part! Having said that, there is one part of the Spring cleaning process that I do enjoy tremendously and that is Spring Decluttering!

Spring Decluttering is an inherent part of Spring Cleaning, as one goes hand in hand with the other. Spring is perhaps the best time of the year to get into the decluttering process full blast! You are tired of the Winter blues, Spring is smiling at you, and your energy levels are rising again. So here you go! Best time to tackle that mountain of clutter as ruthlessly or as joyfully as you wish! It is all a matter of perception after all…

Spring Decluttering is perhaps the best motivation to achieve a thorough Spring Cleaning and to make it an exceptionally satisfying process too. Getting rid of the old ‘stuff’ both literally and virtually and replacing it with something new that will elevate your spirit to new levels is definitely worthwhile in my book!

Get to know your ‘why’

To achieve your goal, you need to first be crystal clear about why you want to do this and what you want to achieve. To make the whole process productive and enjoyable you need to start from a solid starting point which relates to your wants and needs and the values behind them.

Why do you want to declutter your space? What do you want to achieve with that? What will the result offer you that will bring a change that in turn will bring you closer to satisfying and fulfilling deep seated and/or long held wants and needs? What will you be able to afford, enjoy, take pleasure in by undertaking this task? What will replace –or not- the clutter and how that will make you happier and/or improve your quality of life?

If you do it only ‘just because’ you have to do it, it will most likely be experienced like one more chore and not something to enjoy and find satisfaction in. If you declutter and Spring clean your space with a very clear goal in mind, one that has heart and meaning for you, chances are that it will be an enjoyable process you will want to repeat.

Decluttering begins before clutter accumulates

The process of decluttering is not just about getting rid of old ‘junk’, but about changing one’s attitude and values towards consumerism. About moving from mindless buying, to conscious and eclectic purchasing. About picking only what is meaningful, useful and necessary, beautiful, satisfying and high quality.

About getting away from short term buying habits and thinking more long term, as for example instead of buying three cheap, poor quality t-shirts, buying one, good quality, more expensive one. It is about honoring and valuing who you are and what you deserve.

About putting attention and intention where it is due. About creating a space for yourself and your family that will support your goals and wishes, your well-being and happiness. A space that will be enjoyable to live and function in, effectively and effortlessly. A space that serves you and not the other way around.

Taking your power back from ‘stuff’

Think about it for a moment, so many of us spend so much of our time trying to ‘tame’ our ‘stuff’. The usual reasons being:

  1. a) Too much ‘stuff’
  2. b) Not the right or enough storage for that ‘stuff’
  3. c) Not knowing what to do with all that ‘stuff’
  4. d) Not being aware of how we came to accumulate all that ‘stuff’.

‘Stuff’ rules our lives, takes up our time, our space and we end up being enslaved to it. Crazy stuff right? Isn’t it time to reverse that trend? To take over and get our power back? Time to set out the rules about what we allow into our space and be clear about the why, the purpose? Time to cut down on the superfluous and excuses and building up on real wants and needs and take action?

Focus on quality, meaning, beauty and utility

The best way to go about it is to take things up a notch. Move away from quantity and towards quality. Away from mindless buying and towards more conscious consumerism. Away from instant gratification and towards more substantial and long term goal achievement and satisfaction.

Living clutter free is a state of mind, an attitude and philosophy towards life in general. It is not about minimalism, Zen or living in a clinical environment. It is not about starving ourselves from sensual pleasures, depriving ourselves from the fun and color of joyful living.

It is all about knowing exactly what has heart and meaning for us, what brings us joy, what makes us happy, what we love and enjoy from an aesthetic point of view and knowing what are our deeper wants and needs and the goals we want to achieve.

Spring cleaning is what you make of it. It can be anything from a simple story of brooms, wash cloths and detergents to a whole different experience that can change your way of looking at life, yourself, your space and what you want out of it.

So, what do you want?

Emmanuelle Stathopoulos is the soul behind Inner Dream To Outer Form – Life & Space Redesign. Using Environmental and Design Psychology as well as Coaching principles and techniques, she helps her clients create the space that best answers their wants and needs.

Services:

  • LIFE REDESIGN – Personal Coaching
  • SPACE REDESIGN – Space Coaching:
  1. Private or Business Space Evaluation & Consulting
  2. De-cluttering
  3. Moving – Downsizing
  4. Functional – Ergonomic Space Assessment
  5. Home Staging
  6. Design Briefs
  7. Client/Realtor – Client/Designer Mediation

www.innerdreamtoouterform.com

Pets and Lyme Disease

It’s important to routinely check your animals for ticks, particularly if you live in high-risk areas or have recently visited one. Vets have access to a reliable blood test so if your vet suggests testing for Lyme, it’s a good idea. Dogs can be vaccinated against Lyme disease, but the vaccine is relatively new and somewhat controversial. Common symptoms include arthritis (sudden lameness), pain, fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, inactivity and swollen lymph nodes and joints. Lyme disease in cats is rare, but not unheard-of. Lyme disease is also very common in horses. Some studies show that 50% of horses in high-risk areas will contract Lyme disease over their lifetime. Horses are at a higher risk than other animals because ticks often go unnoticed. It’s difficult to accurately diagnose animals with Lyme disease. Be sure to follow-up with your vet right away if your pet’s condition doesn’t improve.

IQ and Nutrition

What if you could increase your child’s IQ with nutrition? Inhabitants of a tiny island off the coast of Japan have the highest IQ scores in the world and produce seven times as many geniuses as any other place in the world. Seniors living there don’t seem to struggle with cognitive decline either. The secret: DHA, an essential fatty acid found in fish, krill, squid and some algae. The brain is made mostly of fat, 60% of which is DHA. DHA is found in mother’s milk and has long been recognized as aiding IQ scores in children. Almost everyone nowadays is deficient in DHA. This may be one of the reasons for the increased rates of ADHD, learning disabilities and autism as well as increasing rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related cognitive problems.

Dr. Anke Zimmermann, ND, drzimmermann.org

Financial Fitness

In May, we honour mothers on a special day but know in our hearts that we need to honour their shaping of our lives all year long. Quite often it was mom that planned the budgets for clothes and food while dad took care of other expenses. Mom helped us decided whether the birthday money should be spent or saved for a specific item. It was mom who wanted us to be good to ourselves – especially when we left home to find our way in the world. She wanted us to make sure we met our basic expenses like rent, hydro, phone and groceries before the concerts, eating out and the latest of everything. Mom placed ‘needs’ above ‘wants’ and we should do the same. How often do you puzzle over a spending decision and think back to advice from Mom? Or better yet, do you call her?

Doris Minervini, Abakhan & Associates Inc., Abakhan.com

Have You Tried Hypnotherapy?

We have two parts to our mind, the conscious mind, and the subconscious mind. The conscious part of our mind makes up 5-10% of our potential mind power. Our subconscious makes up 90 to 95% of our potential mind power, where our core values and belief systems stem from, where creativity and emotions are generated, and where long term memories are stored. Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic tool that uses hypnosis and allows the conscious mind and the subconscious mind to work together to use all the potential power of your mind to achieve goals, change unwanted behaviors and beliefs, and resolve inner conflicts. Hypnosis allows direct access to the subconscious and can alter unwanted or outdated beliefs which results in positive changes physically, mentally and emotionally. It is imperative to change or alter what is in our subconscious mind, or understand it in order to facilitate positive, lasting change.

Scott Metcalf, C.H.t, RCCH, ABeautifulMindHypnotherapy.com

Healthy Communication for Couples

Do you want to communicate better with someone? When we are clear with ourselves and others, our relationships can thrive. But clear communication is not always easy! We can feel attacked, defensive, hurt, overwhelmed, enraged, or shut down. We don’t always feel heard, or know what we want. So much happens when we try to talk. Couples often find some discussions tricky. And it’s not always clear what the issue is. Is it the dirty kitchen or is it about getting respect? Is it sex or is it about making an emotional connection? Or both? The different interpretations can create friction. Is your communication working for you? Counselling can help you say what you want and feel heard. Good communication can improve your trust in yourself and in your relationship. Counselling provides a safe and non-judgmental place to find ways to communicate more effectively.

Mary Munro, MaryMunro.ca

 

Feeding Tips for Cats

Many of the most common feline diseases diagnosed these days are linked to how and what we feed our cats. In the wild, cats will eat multiple small meals throughout the day that are high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrates. But that’s not all. These cats have to work to get their food. This is quite unlike a typical house cat’s diet and exercise regime. Many cats that eat dry food have access to it all day long, setting them up for obesity. Your indoor kitty is probably profoundly bored and unchallenged by its bottomless food bowl. A new study shows that making cats work for food helps to keep them mentally stimulated, as well as in good physical shape. Food puzzles can be purchased at pet supply stores, or try making one yourself! Cut a few holes in an empty bottle, place some kibble in it, and watch them get to work!

Happy Paws Pet Food, HappyPaws.ca

TMJ – The Hidden Imposter

Do you suffer from headaches or earaches? Do you have a stiff neck and upper back? What about on-going stomach issues, anxiety or depression? Dissimilar as all these issues might sound, the root cause may be your temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. Known as “the hidden imposter” for the way it mimics other syndromes, TMJ disorder is not only very common, it’s also often misdiagnosed. The TMJ is the hinge where the jawbone connects to the skull. Factors that can cause TMJ issues include misalignment of the jaw or teeth; physical trauma, such as whiplash or dental work; degenerative diseases; or, most commonly, tension resulting in teeth clenching or grinding. While actual joint pain may or may not occur, typically symptoms manifest elsewhere in the body and include migraines, earaches or tinnitus (ringing in the ears), hip and pelvic pain and muscle soreness in the upper body. Because of these diverse symptoms, correct diagnosis is often overlooked while treatment doesn’t deal with the underlying problem.

Dr. Brigitte Tetrault, Courtenay Healing Centre, CourtenayHealing.ca

Ask The Expert

Q: I’ve suffered from allergies this spring that really made my eyes water and itch, as well as my nose and sinuses. Everything seems better now except for my eyes, they still feel sandy. What’s going on?

A: This is very common. While you may have had some temporary springtime ocular allergies, your condition evolved into some persistent irritation. It’d be a good idea to treat your eyelids with a warm compress for a few minutes every night to clear out the glands which are necessary to lubricate your eyes. Rubbing your eyes from allergies can introduce even more bacteria to the area. A hot moist washcloth is good to use, but a heating pad or mask can hold the heat longer. Oftentimes, extra lubrication from eye drops is helpful. Relief is usually slow-going. It can take several weeks (or even months) before the eyes start to feel normal, so diligence is key.

Dr. Alex Kennedy, MosaicVisionCare.com