Embracing the Fire of Necessity: A Deep Dive into Nauthiz and Its Wisdom

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I have been dedicated to working with the runic calendar of the year from S. Kelley Harrell’s Runic Book of Days. Though I have been studying the runes for years, I’ve wanted to deepen my understanding of them, and this practice is doing just that. The first portion of this post is the research I’ve gleaned through the aforementioned book, in addition to Freya Aswynn’s Northern Mysteries & Magick, Renna Shesso’s Rune-Reader, and Cosmic Whisper by Cocorrina. I will end it with the associations and insights I’ve discovered myself.

Nauthiz (pronounced now-theez or not-this): November 13–28

This is the second of the Winter Runes, and it means Need, Necessity, or Need-Fire.

On a basic level, Nauthiz embodies:

  • Desire, craving, and compulsion

  • The force of growth through resistance

  • Life lessons, creative friction, and consequences of past actions

  • Urgency and effort

Nauthiz is a rune of personal development through life’s trials—short-term pain for long-term gain. Its shape is often likened to an imbalanced scale, two sticks rubbing together to create fire, or even fingers crossed for luck.

Core Meanings of Nauthiz

Nauthiz represents an unfulfilled craving or yearning within the soul. It asks us to discern between what we want and what we truly need. It pushes us to identify the necessities that sustain us and to question whether our desires serve our growth or blind us to deeper truths.

When Nauthiz appears, it often signals imbalance or actions that are “not right.” It asks:

  • Are we being blinded by our perceived needs?

  • Are we indulging in excess or being driven by selfish desires?

  • What are the essentials we should focus on?

This rune warns of decadence and urges modesty—seeking only what is essential and avoiding indulgence. It reminds us that every action has an opposite reaction and encourages us to consider how our actions affect not just ourselves but also others and the greater whole.

The Norns and the Weight of “Shoulds”

In Norse mythology, the Norns are the goddesses of fate who govern the past, present, and future. They are Urd (what was), Verdandi (what is becoming), and Skuld (what should be). Each plays a vital role in weaving the threads of life on Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

Nauthiz is closely associated with Skuld, the youngest Norn, who presides over the future. Her name is derived from the Old Norse word skuldr, which translates to “debt” or “obligation.” This implies that Skuld embodies what is owed—whether in the karmic sense of cause and effect or the burdens we impose on ourselves through expectations.

Skuld’s connection to Nauthiz suggests a deep interplay between our needs, wants, and the pressures we feel to fulfill them. She governs what “should” be based on conditions, highlighting that outcomes rely on our actions but also on unseen forces beyond our control. Like dominoes set up with care, we may anticipate a particular result, but unexpected variables can change everything.

This is where the lesson of Nauthiz becomes clear: we must learn to respond to what is, rather than clinging to rigid expectations of what “should” happen. The rune teaches us to release the weight of unmet “shoulds” and focus instead on what is essential and attainable.

"Shoulders of Should" – Embodied Wisdom

One of my teachers once said, “Shoulds live in our shoulders.” When we carry the weight of what we think we should do, it often manifests as physical tension. This isn’t just metaphorical—it’s a deeply embodied truth.

When reflecting on the concept of shoulds, ask yourself:

  • Are these obligations true needs, or are they based on societal expectations, guilt, or perfectionism?

  • What happens if I let go of something I think I “should” do?

Nauthiz asks us to lighten our load. Sometimes, the things we think we “should” do are nothing more than self-imposed burdens. Balancing these “shoulds” with what truly matters allows us to move forward without unnecessary resistance.

Nauthiz in Myth and Magic

Magically, Nauthiz can be used to restrict others, much like Thurisaz can. It is linked to the binding of Loki—a fire god—when his actions became destructive. In Eddaic poems, Nauthiz was used for protection by inscribing it on fingernails.

Nauthiz also rules over Nifelhel, one of the nine worlds in Norse cosmology. Nifelhel is home to the dragon Nidhog, known as the “gnawer from beneath.” Nidhog chews on the roots of Yggdrasil, symbolizing the unconscious forces that undermine the self—or even the collective. Nifelhel represents a state of mind where fears reside, reminding us that fear is one of the greatest restrictions.

However, fear also serves as an omen, highlighting what needs attention. It is both an inhibitor and a survival instinct. Facing these fears with awareness allows for transformation and growth.

Need-Fire: A Ritual of Cleansing

Nauthiz is also called the “Need-Fire.” In ancient traditions, Need-Fires were ritualistically kindled during times of drought, disease, or famine. Livestock would be driven between two fires to cleanse and protect them.

This ritual reflects a deeper truth: to cleanse and protect ourselves, we must actively participate in letting go of what hinders us. During the cold, dark winters of the North, fire symbolized creativity, transformation, and survival.

Embodied Insights and Balance

Fire represents creativity, light, and passion. I associate Nauthiz with the sacral chakra, located in the uterus or prostate area. This is where our drive to create—whether life, art, or ideas—resides. To embody this rune, we must tend to our inner fire and balance our passions. What fuels our creative spark?

Nauthiz reminds us to focus on true needs rather than fleeting desires. For example, someone might say, “I need a cigarette.” But do they really? This distinction between craving and necessity is at the heart of Nauthiz.

Balancing postures can help bring this energy into our bodies. Mimicking the shape of Nauthiz, with its imbalance, can be a powerful practice. Spend time reflecting on the difference between wants, needs, and desires. Cultivate a sense of balance in your life and actions.

Final Reflections

Nauthiz challenges us to find peace regardless of circumstances. It doesn’t promise that we’ll meet all our needs, but it assures us that we can handle whatever comes. It teaches us to respond to life’s challenges with persistence and patience, helping us cultivate strength through creative friction.

Think of Nauthiz as the “not this” rune—a signal that something in the current plan isn’t right. Before we can move forward, we must identify and address the unmet need. When we do this work, we find balance and unlock momentum.

Ultimately, Nauthiz is a rune of transformation. It asks us to step into the heart of what’s missing and take a leap of faith, knowing that what we truly need will appear—even if we don’t know what it is yet.

Solar Plexus

The Solar Plexus in physical terms is the Celiac plexus, a complex bundle of nerves located in your abdomen.

“It receives both parasympathetic (rest/digest) and sympathetic (flight or flight) inputs from the vagus and splanchnic nerves.

The function of the celiac plexus is to transmit visceral sensory impulses (like pain or reflexes). . . It increases gland secretion and promotes peristalsis and digestion with its parasympathetic division. The sympathetic division inhibits peristalsis, constricts blood vessels and redirects blood to skeletal muscles.” says ken hub.

It’s next to the stomach and the diaphram, so it makes sense why it hurts to get punched in the stomach and why you’d get the wind knocked out of you.

These nerves are part of the Gut Brain, being able to listen to what your gut is saying to you.

Solar Plexus Chakra

There is an energetic center in the same spot. In Quantum Shiatsu I learned that it is related with SELF DEFINITION and the right is to act and react. It is where we set boundaries using our intuition. Our gut knowledge. Strengthening and clearing this energy center is very helpful in moving through life.

  • Working to strengthen your core is a great way to support your solar plexus. Years ago a took a chakra class with Psalm Isadora and this was the routine she gave us.

  • Imagining a sun in your solar plexus filling up your auric field. I also like to sit in the sun while I do this.

  • Stones, Herbs, Essential oils and sound can be used to help balance your solar plexus.

    • Sound. Tone for solar plexus is “OH”, as in “go”. This frequency is responsible for miracles and dramatic changes in people. Tones in this frequency help pain and anxiety relief, weight loss, and rewiring of your brain’s neural pathways. The 528 Hz frequency is associated with the solar chakra.

This technique I learned in Massage School in 2001. I’ve used regularly and it is a very helpful practice. It comes from Damaris Jarboux from The Center Place in Boulder.

Solar Plexus Bowl Practice

“This practice can be done in any position, but it is a good practice ot do in bed before going to sleep at night or getting up in the morning It takes 10 minutes at first.

  • Resting your mind in center, become aware of your solar plexus - as if you were witnessing it from center.

  • As you exhale, imagine you were sending your breath there.

  • Feel the area: notice the quality, sensation or image that is there.

  • Lightly place your hands on your solar plexus with your fingertips in a straight line from your navel to the xyphoid (at the bottom of your breast bone), right hand on top.Your thumbs are not sued except as a vent. your fingertips are just lightly touching your body (wearing clothes is fine).

  • Imagine a bowl inside your solar plexus area facing up; the surface of your skin is the top of the bowl.

  • Let the energy of your fingertips sink down into the area like they were sinking into the bottom of the bowl.

  • Watch (from your place of rest in the center) and feel your willingness to allow this area of your body to soften, relax and begin to allow it to open like the eye of a camera. Tell your willingness to let go of the habit of over protecting with unnecessary guarding and shielding. You are filtering your own light out by doing that. Effort/work (pushing your fingers way in) won’t help, it will only close tighter. Soften and open.

  • You will start to feel a physical response as your body begins to let go of your unconscious stress response and sink slowly into relaxation response.

  • Keeping your hands in place, imagine (see it or just think it) an egg of light all around you, like a shell of light at the edge of your personal field, at least 3 feet out. It is a permeable shell that filters out what you don’t need and brings in what you do need. (This is not about your personal wants and desires, but about your soul’s needs.) See and feel it behind you, in front, to the sides, above and below you. Like a large egg of white/golden light surrounding and protecting your body. This is your personal energy cocoon, this field is real, and it gets stronger every time you think of it.

  • Now, remember the egg of light that is your real filter, proceed with willingness to break up the false filter that you’re holding in your solar plexus. Move your hands so that the energy from your fingertips rest on either side at the base of your rib cage, along the edge of the bowl. Again, let the energy from your fingertips sink in like the fingers were growing longer and sliding down the sides of the bowl to the bottom, meeting in the middle. They are “breaking up” the filter pattern/habit in the part of the bowl nearest your chest.

  • Move your hands so your fingertips are on each side, directly below your nipples and below your rib cage along the edge of the bowl. Again, let your “energy fingers” sink down the sids of the bowl, breaking up the filter/pattern at the part of the bowl to your sides Let yourself really feel the image and imagine this happening.

  • Move your hands around the bowl so your index fingers meet in your navel and your fingertips fan out on either side of your navel. again, let you fingers grow and sink down the sides of the bowl to the bottom, breaking up the pattern of over-protection at the area of the bowl closest to the navel. Note: There is not one way to do this, just “walk your hands (separately or together) around the bowl, breaking up the pattern. Stay in willingness, not effort.

  • Come back to the midline (first position) again with fingertips in a straight line, navel to xyphoid. Sink in again.

  • When you’re ready, take a deep breath in and as you exhale, let your mind lead your breath down and out your solar plexus. Keep doing this at you draw your hands off your body - drawing those old patterns of energy out. Be glad to let it go. Each time your exhale, fill your solar plexus with breath and light, and keep drawing your hands from your solar plexus bowl out. You can even circle your hands out clockwise.

There is nothing “bad” leaving during this practice, just an old habit of protection that has been subconsciously keeping your body in stress response and weakening your constitution to some degree, because it was filter your own light from full descent into your physical body. This is not just the cauldron/chakra that we are engaged with, it is a much bigger center, the only “eye” of its kind in your body. Some version of this eye and egg practice was part of the esoteric tradition of every indigenous culture that survived; we have forgotten its importance. Remember, once you have developed this process, it is faster and you can do it with your mind. In Chi Kung we understand the mind can lead the chi (energy) and also the chi (energy) can lead the mind. If something happens to you that is a shock or trauma, this eye will probably close - it is supposed to. But it will open soon as things settle; if you’re doing the practice, it won’t remain stuck closed,

If you do this daily (for 10 minutes) or 2 times daily, it will entrain your energy-body to respond quicker and deeper each time. The egg (the real filter) will get stronger and your constitution (elements, organs, meridians) will strengthen. Gradually, your “Solar Plexus Eye” will be more and more open until it functions at 80-100% all the time instead of 0-30% like most people. Your whole life will feel and be different! I guarantee it - if you do it, because I have developed this practice for 15 years with people both in treatment and teaching them to do it themselves - I can always tell when someone is doing the practice. It is reflected in body, emotions, thoughts, work relationships - their whole life.

When you have fully embodied this and see it in your life - teach it to someone else. If you know receptive teenager pass it along. It will be an invaluable tool for life!” ~ Damaris Jarboux

grounding

What is Grounding:  A coping strategy to immediately connect you with the present moment and the earth we are living on often through bringing awareness to the senses. Connecting with earth physically and energetically brings us out of our heads and into our bodies. 

  • Why? When?

    • Coping: Triggers, feeling disconnected, stress, anxiety, intrusive thought, feeling out of control. Sleep problems, weight gain, light/noise sensitivity, Dizzy.

    • Would you live in a house that is ungrounded? Electricity in a house that is ungrounded has no direction or clear path to follow. Reconnect to purpose, clears up confusion and provides stability in tumult.

    • Earth: mother/teacher: wisdom, power, compassion ~ getting connected the earth is alive. Can we treat it like an object to be used at our whim?

    • Forgetful, misplacing, lacking energy, tired, continual daydreaming, over stimulated, bumping into things, spacey.

    • Self limiting beliefs, emotional turmoil, taking on other’s energy.

    • EMF’s free radials

    • Before and after magical work. Before/After being around difficult people. Energy vampires.

  • BODY/MIND: Science has shown

    • Improve Sleep

    • Normalize day-night CORTISOL rhythm

      • Natures built in alarm system. Body’s main stress hormone. It works with parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation and fear. Fuel’s “fight or flight” instinct. If it stays on can cause Anxiety, depression, headaches, heart disease, memory and concentration problems, problems with digestion, trouble sleeping, weight gain.

    • Reduce Pain

    • Reduce Stress

    • Shift autonomic nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight) toward parasympathetic (rest & digest) activation (muscles relax, heart rate decreases)

    • Speed Wound Healing

    • Reduce Blood Viscosity

    • Experience Less Pain

    • Increased Immune Response

    • DIRT: Soil bacteria: Mycobacteium vaccae

      • Success with trials to fight drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis and boost immune system.

      • Oncologisy Mary O’Brien: lung cancer patients

        • Significally improved patient quailty of life

          • happier, more vital, better cognitive function. Reduced the emotion toll of advanced cancer

      • Neuroscientiest Chirstopher Lowry injected it into mice and then stress tested them

        • Showed far less stressed behavior, acted like antidepressants

          • Activated part of brain responsible for producing serotonin ~ related ot immune system

  • SPIRIT

    • Intuition works with your senses so being in tune with those senses allows you to be more in tune with intuition.

    • Electrons move freely between the earth and the grounded human body. The Earth’s magnetic resonance vibrate at the same frequency as our heart rhythms and brain waves.

    • Connecting with the energy of the earth. If you’re intuitive and absorb other people’s energies. Helps you release it. Gain more energy, tap into the energy of the earth.

    • Before and after magical work

    • Bring thoughts, idea and creativity into the real

    • Energetically: release excess energy and sending it back to the earth and tapping into the energy of the earth. The earth purifies the energy we put back into it. “Attention goes where energy flows.” Release negative energy.

    • Plug you into the earth: balance

    • Spiritual grounding should help integrate spiritual lessons into the real world. Allow you to put intellect aside and EXPERIENCE spiritual work rather than thinking through it. Helps you ensure you receive the energy you want. Grounding brings us out of our heads and into our bodies.

  • PRACTICES/TOOLS

    • Root Chakra:self-preservation, earth element, survival instincts. Base or Root Chakra: Physical identity, base of spine. Forms our foundation. Used to ground essence with physical body. Determination, prosperity, security and dynamic presence.

      • Color: Red/Black

      • Primal energy of survival fight, flight, freeze is initiated from Root chakra. Animal nature survival.

      • Erik Erickson stages of development 1st is trust vs. mistrust. Feeling secure in the world.

      • When your needs are met you feel grounded and safe.

      • Personal integrity, self-esteem and sense of belonging.

      • imbalances: anxiety, worry, panic, depression, frustrations, resentment, anger/rage. Not fitting in, low self esteem. Poor focus, disorganization pessimism, negative thinking.

    • Grounding Meditation: Imagine Being a tree, visualize roots coming out of your feet/root chakra.

    • Hug a Tree: The roots go deep in the earth complexly connect to water supply and nutrients that help it grow strong and tall. A tree also sways, reaches for light and changes with the season which emphasize that being grounded doesn’t mean rigidity, like stone.

    • Yoga

      • Child Pose

      • Sukhasa or Easy Pose

      • Warrior 2

      • Triangle

      • Mountain

      • Tree Pose

      • Pigeon

      • Bridge

      • Savasana

    • Herbs

      • Cayenne: bright red color aligns with root chakra. Magically it’s used for protection and strength.

      • Dandelion: helps balance adrenals. Tea is best. Magically used for wishes, divination and calling upon spirits.

      • Nettle: Particularly for men. Tea. Magically removes curses.

      • Rosemary: Just the smell can bring your focus inward and downward and help center you.

      • Sage: Garden variety. Burning is grounding, drinking and eating. Prosperity, protection, healing and deeper wisdom.

    • Acupressure points (see below)

    • Crystals (see below)

    • Essential Oils

      • Vetiver

      • Sandalwood

      • Cedarwood

      • Frankincense

      • Lavender

      • Myrrh

      • Patchouli

      • Cypress

      • Camomile

      • Cinnamon

      • Rosewood

    • MISC

      • Eating Root Veggies, Hands and Knees, Exercise, Bodywork, Bath, Drinking Water

Press or put a grounding essential oil blend on this point for grounding.

Stomach 36 is great for grounding and for increasing energy.

Getting Out of Pain

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The Sunday after Christmas I woke up feeling like I had been bent in half the wrong way. I was in pain, normally don’t have pain so it was loud. I had the day off and spent it doing self care. I did yoga, iced, foam rolled, rolled on a tennis ball, took a hot epsom salt bath, cupped myself, used my Thera Cane, put on arnica and CBD oil and fell asleep with a heating pad. The next morning it was even worse! It felt like I was being stabbed in the back. Literally.

I made an appointment for the chiropractor the next day and couldn’t get in for a massage for a couple more days. I spent all my free time the next few days continuing with the self care but I was still in almost constant pain. After the massage I felt kind of sick. I felt dehydrated. I drank a gallon of water and started to finally feel 80%.

It took a full week of self care for me to get 100% out of pain. It was a quite a lesson for me to realize how much work it can take, even when I thought I had been taking care of myself pretty well. One thing I had definitely let slip was receiving bodywork.

In massage school I received bodywork almost every day, sometimes more! I somatically learned how much it helps get and keep me out of pain. I recently saw an old friend/client and asked about the chronic pain in their elbow from work. After weekly massage they don't have it anymore and it hasn’t come back after years. Occasionally there can be a structural problem or other things but human bodies have an amazing capacity for healing.

If you are having pain get curious. How long have you had it? It may take that long to get out of it. What makes it feel worse? What makes it feel better. There are no magic pills. Become the authority of your body. Try different things and notice how you feel but finding bodywork that you like and feels good is very helpful. If you’re having acute pain get very regular bodywork. Once a week is not out of the ordinary, Bob Hope got a massage everyday and lived to be 100. Once it’s gone you can just do tune ups but bodywork builds on itself. It can really support your well being.

Here’s to a pain free 2021 to you!

Trouble Sleeping?

First off have to say getting a massage has been shown to help improve sleep. It’s science but in addition to the usual bath and exercise recommendations, I wanted to share the couple of things that have really helped me if I struggle with sleep.

CBD

dram.png

This doesn’t work for everyone but I truly love Dram’s CBD products. I think the adaptogens in them make them even more magic. You can get them online and also RItualcravt and Nooch have them in stock.

61 POINT MEDIATION

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This 61 point meditation has been helping me sleep since massage school in 2000. It’s like counting sheep only better because you imagine the points on your body and I was told it keeps the right and left hemispheres of the brain busy. I usually only get through it 2 or 3 times before I’m asleep.

DON’T FIGHT IT

Sometimes if I can’t sleep I just don’t fight it. I get up and do some art or read or watch a show. Usually writing, making lists or journaling will help me get all my anxieties out and then I can drift off easily. The app Insight Timer has a lot of great meditations to help with sleep too.

Happy resting

How to receive the best massage ever.

People have often asked me what’s my favorite massage to receive. The best sessions for me are when I feel like I am floating in the ether, I’m on the table but I’m not. Something more than just physical is happening. There’s an out of this world feeling. When the session is over it takes a minute to come back to earth and to get grounded. My body, mind and spirit feel touched. The benefits from the session are obvious and last for days. I feel better and know a healing change has happened. Different types of body work have given me this sensation from a quick chair massage to deep tissue or quantum shiatsu but the one constant is me and how I show up for my session.

FIND A THERAPIST YOU TRUST

This is a very crucial part because being touched is intimate. Even more so since we are in the midst of a pandemic. Be mindful of practitioners that make claims that they can heal you, it’s a dangerous to give someone so much control and it’s not true. While it might be nice if someone could wave a magic wand to fix everything, bodywork is a co-creative relationship. You have to find someone you can work together with to create the change you are looking for. Find a therapist who is open to following your unique process and not imposing their beliefs on you and respects your time. You should feel comfortable sharing what is going on with your health and they should be a good listener and make space for you to feel comfortable. Consider the practitioner’s education and experience. Are they licensed and insured? Talk with your friends and family to see if there is a practitioner that they can refer. You’ll never receive the best massage ever if you don’t trust the therapist.

BE RECEPTIVE

Have a goal and the belief that change is possible. Be present and in your body as much as possible, this might take practice. Do what you can quiet your mind. Make every effort to leave your stressors at the door. The best massage therapist in the universe cannot make you relax. They can bring your awareness to areas where you are holding and will have techniques that should help support relaxation and healing but it will be much more effective if you consciously make the effort to let go. Just focusing on your breath and sending it to the area where the therapist is working can very helpful. It helps keep you embodied, present and deep breathing reduces blood pressure and stress.

FIND YOUR STYLE

Find a style of massage that you like. Every body is different and some love deep tissue while other people like Swedish. Gaining awareness and the ability to be an advocate for yourself is a vital part of the healing process. There are many different types of bodywork available. One of my favorite reference books is Discovering the Body’s Wisdom. It has introductions to over 50 different “Bodyways” and exploring different styles of bodywork is important if you haven’t found one you love.

PARTICIPATE

Your body is not a car you’re dropping off for an oil change. If you make the choice to receive a session, show up for it. Take some time before to connect with what is going on in your body (mind/spirit) so you can set a goal for what you’d like to work on. Communicate these things with your therapist. If the pressure doesn’t feel right let them know, hopefully they will ask in ways that make you comfortable sharing but most people can’t read minds. The more you pay attention during your session and start making the connections between what you do in your body and how you feel, the longer lasting the results will be because of the heightened awareness you will develop. After you session be mindful of habits that may not be beneficial for your well being. Follow through on suggestions the practitioner makes if they are in alignment with you. Commit to your health and well being.

Touch and Wellbeing

In 2008 at Metropolitan State College of Denver I did my statistic project on touch and well being. I was the only one in class that found a significant correlation! I recently found my paper and wanted to share it here, though I know now that touch is actually the first sense we develop and it’s part of our lives even before we are born. I’m sure there is new research available and APA style has probably changed. Still was proud of this and I hope someday I have the opportunity to do more research about the topic.

Abstract

Extending previous research done evaluating the benefits of massage on special populations, the present study sought to determine whether touch is related to increased well-being in the general population. Participants self-reported well-being and how comfortable they were with giving and receiving everyday touch on surveys and their scores were added and compared. There was a significant positive correlation found between touch and well-being. touch may be a simple way to improve well-being for the general population. An experimental design of this research is recommended so that a causal relationship can be established.

Does Touch Improve Well-being?

Touch is an integral part of our every day lives beginning at birth. In 1958 Harry Harlow began studying the positive effect that warm nurturing physical contact had on orphaned monkeys (Harlow, 1958). In recent years there has been a surge of touch therapies entering the health care market that entering the importance touch has on well-being. Studies have been conducted to better understand the benefits that massage therapy, an organized form of touch, have on a person’s physiology, including reducing blood pressure (Field, Hernandes-Reif & Diego, 2005). There have been numerous studies exploring the use of massage and other touch therapies on special populations, such as the elderly (Field et al, 1998), but none on the general population. Studies have also shown that touching benefits the giver as well as the receiver (Moyer, Rounds, & Hannum, 2003). There has also recently, been talk of the importance of touching during psychotherapy sessions (Turp, 2000). With all of the health options available to the public today, it is important to determine the actual benefits and value of touch for the general population.

A prime example of the importance of touch was illustrated in 1958 by Harlow’s ground breaking work. In his studies he found that when the orphaned infant rhesus monkeys were faced with the choice of a surrogate mother that was warm and soft or one that was constructed of wire but contained food, the infant monkeys would always choose the comfort of the soft mother figure over the food (Harlow, 1958). The fact that the monkeys chose the comforting touch of the warm surrogate over food testifies the importance touch plays in life.

The International Journal of Neuroscience published an article about many of the physiological benefits of massage (Field, Hernandez-Reif & Diego, 2005). It was found that after massage levels of the hormone cortisol significantly decreased. This outcome is important because cortisol is released byt the adrenal cortex and causes blood pressure to rise along with blood sugar and also shuts down the immune system (Field, Hernandez-Reif & Diego, 2005). If a body is stressed and continues to release the hormone, this continued release can cause numerous problems for the health and well-being of an individual. The article also noted the presence of higher levels of dopamine and serotonin following massage, both of which play important roles in the brains reward center and have many positive effects in the body. If massage can benefit the physiology and health of a person, then other forms of touch may also have a positive effect on well-being.

Special populations that have been studied and had positive results from touch range from genetic disorders to psychological problems. Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety have been shown to improve with receiving touch just once or on multiple occasions (Moyer, Rounds, Hannum, 2003). Many of the problem behaviors associated with autism were found to improve after touch (Field, et al. 1998). There have also been positive effects shown with depressed adolescents (field, Frizzle, Scafidi & Schanber, 1996) and depressed mothers (Jones, Field, 1999) after receiving touch. Massage has been shown to help children with cystic fibrosis (Hernandez-Reif et al., 1999), cerebral palsy (Hernandez-Reif, et all, 2005) and Down Syndrome (Hernandez-Reif et al, 2006). These are chronic lifelong problems with no cure, yet people affected with them have found relief through touch. Lack of touch, or touch deprivation, has been shown to cause a significantly decreased body image in young woman women with eating disorders (Gupta, Gupta, Schork, Watteel, 1995). Thus receiving touch might contribute to establishing a positive body image. Massage has been shown to boost sports performance by increasing muscle recovery and preventing injuries (Weerapong, Hume, Kolt, 2005). Not only does massage improve normal muscle function it has been shown to help with serious life threatening illnesses such as lung cancer (Sola et al. 2004) and HIV (Ironson et al, 1996). Although neither disease has a cure, massage has been shown to reduce anxiety, increase the sense of well-being, and show positive changes in blood chemistry in people with these disorders. While this list may seem extensive, it is just scratching the surface of the many studies showing the benefits of massage therapy. All of these studies that have observed these benefits, have concentrated on pathophysiology. There is an alarming lack of studies conducted to see if there are similar benefits of touch for normal healthy adults.

The benefits of massage are not limited to the one receiving it. Depression is lifted in mothers (Malphurs et al, 1996) and the elderly (Field et al, 1998) when they are given the training and opportunity to massage infants. The fact that touch is not just beneficial to those receiving, but also to those who are giving their touch further illustrates how important physical contact is for overall well-being.

The element of touch has also drawn attention fo psychologist who have found touch may play an important role in talk therapy (Turp, 2000). There is still a controversy in psychotherapy speculating whether touch should be incorporated and what may be the ethical concerns. The very fact that touch has become and issue shows that it may indeed play an intergral part in mental health as well as physical health. Descartes wrote about eh importance of the mind and body connection in 1650 and only now is the importance being investigated in psychology.

There is a large among of evidence supporting the positive importance of touch bus all these studies have been on selected populations and only using massage. It would be rational to believe that other forms of healthy, non-sexual touch given and received, will improve well-being in all people. Since touch has been shown to help the well-being in special populations it is possible that it will benefit people in the normal population. The present study measured if those who reported higher levels of everyday touch would also report higher levels of well-being to see if there is any relationship.

Methods

Participants

Participants were 30 adults. They ranged in age from 18 to 42 with the mean age being 26 (SD=4.7). There were 18 females and 12 males that participated.

Materials

Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, 1989) is an 84-item questionnaire used to assess psychological well-being in six different dimensions of life: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with other, purpose of life and self-acceptance. The questions can be answered from a (1) strongly disagree to a (6) strongly agree, in regards to the questions about how participants feel about themselves and their life. 1. In general I feel I am in charge of the situation in which I live. 2. The demands of everyday life often get me down.

A self-report scale with 55 questions was adapted from the book Vitamin T (Czimbal & Zadikov, 1991). The measure asked questions on seven levels of touch: public, professional, social, friendly, family, special and personal. The participants answer from (1) always to (5) never. 1. Are you comfortable handshaking when being introduced to a stranger? 2. Do you hug friends when you greet them? 3. Do you put lotion on your body after a bath or shower?

Procedure

In this correlational study half of the participants were given the well-being measure first followed by the touch scale and the second half received the touch scale followed by the well-being measure. The participants had 10 minutes to complete the touch measure and 15 minutes to complete the well-being measure.

Results

After assessment of the participant’s self-reported touch and well-being measure with a possible score of 115 and 108 respectively, a positive correlation was found between touch and psychological well-being. There was a significant correlations between well-being and touch (r = .52, p=.001). It was also shown there was no correlation between well-being and exercise or well-being and healthy sleep patterns.

Discussion

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate whether touch plays a positive role in the well-being of normal individuals. The findings of this study are consistent with research done in special populations and in addition to the positive finding of touch and psychological benefits. This research has shown significant positive correlations between touch and psychological well-being within the normal population. This is important information because if reinforces that touch should be an integral part of well-being and may be beneficial in prevention psychological problems. It is also important because it shows that normal everyday human contact is important, not just trained manual therapies such as massage.

It is also important to realize that this was a correlational study and there is a possibility that other factors may have caused higher scores in well-being other than touch, such as having strong social relationships. It is important to continue this research with an experimental study to observe if touch itself really does increase people’s well0being. By actually offering massage and noting if there is an increase in subjects reported well-being a cause/effect relationship could be continue.

There are many social stigmas that should be altered concerning non-sexual healthy touch and it’s importance for people’s well-being. If steps are taken to broaden the acceptable levels of sexual touch in schools and work places it could have an overall positive effect on the general population. It may benefit people many disconnected members of society, such as Seung-Hui Cho, who recently committed the terrible mass murder/suicide at the Virginia Tech campus. Current fears of sexual abuse and sexual harassment are such that a hand on the shoulder may be taken as something malicious and thus has resulted in a hands-off approach to living. This study illustrates the need to reevaluate our views concerning touch in our society and the need to alter the perceived norms associated with touch in order to benefit the overall well-being of the general population.

The touch measure used in this study is new and may not be valid. It is important to conduct a pilot study in order to insure a viable measure, by comparing scores from people who receive a lot of massage and those who have never received a massage. Both measures were self-reported and could have an effect on the validity of this study. It would also be more conclusive to make use of a larger sample to improve the study’s external validity. If would be important to test weather touch and well-being are correlated in different regions of the country as well as around the world. A study about accepted levels of touch across cultures would also be incredibly useful. Studying the benefits of touch on individuals in correctional faciliteis may show very important benefits for those individuals and lead to limitations or even eliminations of solitary confinement. Studying the effects of touch on different psychiatric disorders might provide insight and create healthy and effective treatment as well. The range of people within society that the inexpensive therapy of touch could benefit is endless. The need for human touch is real and importan, weather it is the comforting embrace of a loved one, a solid handshake from a business associate ora good massage, we need touch to remind us of our connection ot the would outside of our own body. Those who suffer from deficient must be given ample opportunity to receive healthy touch to be well in mind and body.

References available upon request.

Summer Light

I recently completed my Quantum Shiatsu certification. Like acupuncture we use the meridians, or energy channels, based on Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shiatsu but rather than working one point with a needle we work the full channel with our hands and thumbs. Meridians are associated with seasons and right now in the Northern Hemisphere we are in Summer. The element associated with Summer is Fire and the organs are Heart and Small Intestines. If you are feeling out of balance this Summer TCM can give you some insights for feeling better.

Taking care of your heart and small intestines during this time is important. Be mindful of what you eat, I think most of us know what makes our heart happy food wise. Reduce sodium, fatty foods and sugar. So much is growing now and eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables during the summer is best. Drink a lot of water or herbal tea helps balance the fire. Exercise is so important to heart health and to help get digestion moving. Do something you enjoy but sweating it out helps mind, body and spirit.

Herbs can be used to strengthen your fire too. Cayenne pepper is a tonic and a stimulant. It’s high in vitamin C too! You can mix it in water or take capsules daily. Ginger root is also great for this time of year. Add 6-8 thin slices of ginger root to 2 cups of boiling water and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Red clover blossoms steamed as a tea is another good summertime herb. If you are too hot try some cooling herbs like mint, hibiscus and chamomile. Some herbs that are good for Small Intestines are comfrey root, licorice root and fennel seed. Hawthorn berries, ginseng root, borage, motherwort and peppermint are good for your Heart. Create a blend and make a sun tea to help you stay healthy and balanced through the rest of the summer!

Intuition is attributed to the Fire element in the Chinese system. Becoming “aware of your feelings (water) and a flash of light/insight (fire) will come into your awareness. This guidance from your heart can be helpful to guide you to good or protect you from danger. Our hearts know the truth. If we can learn how to listen to this information, we can answer question or solve problems. We now need to find this fine balance between the heart and the mind.” (Elson Haas) I often check in with my heart to notice how it feels when making decisions. I sit down and drop my awareness to my heart then I ask questions and notice how my heart feels. If you give yourself the time your notice the difference when something feels right.

If you’re in balance this summer you’ll be joyful and full of energy. When you’re out of balance you may feel sorrow, be too serious or over eat. Try a laughter meditation, wearing red or go sweat it out. Take care of yourself and happy summer!

“The body is a machine, you gotta keep it clean and oiled or ‘twill spoil.” ~B.B. ArgIlse

Bachelorette Blessing Ritual

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Rituals together are a great way to build energy and set intention.  I crafted this ritual to help support a friend through the transition into her new life, to bless us and celebrate our time and connection together.

Begin by setting up your alter.  Bring offerings of flowers, bread, fruit, chocolate, etc. In addition to what you normally place on your alter have a candle for each person, salt, water and incense, Palo Santo or sage, and a lighter.  You can also have paper and something to write with to burn fears and things you would like to let go of in the fire, we wrote these things down before the ritual and had the paper with us but you could do it once you've called circle as well.

I brought canning jars with lids for the water so each person would have their own and be able to take it with them. I also placed crystals in the jars and it rained right before so I collected some rain water.  If you were near a natural source of water you could use that too. The crystals I used:  Rose Quartz: encourage unconditional love, openings heart, self-love, deep inner healing and peace. Turmalated Quartz: grounding and deflection of negative energy.  Ruby: increase passion and love, finding bliss, adventure.  Garnet:  Grounding, love and relationships. Moonstone: inner growth and strength. Sooth emotions, success and good fortune. Labradorite: Transformation, companion through change, protection. Rainbow Tourmaline:   Cleanse, balance and strengthen love centre, purify heart.  Malachite: stone of transformation, protection.

Gather your group and begin to call your circle, you can smudge each person as they walk into the circle if you like.  If you have a fire you can set up around the fire.  Face the direction as you call.  You can also do this ritual alone.

We (I) call to the energy of Air in the East.  May you breathe peace into our (my) new beginnings and change with the turning of the wheel.  Bring us (me) wisdom, clear thought and communication.  Hail and Welcome

We (I) call to the energy of Fire in the South.  May your heat burn everything that does not serve us (me) and bring the passion and courage in the creation of successful relationships.  Hail and Welcome

We (I) call to the energy of Water in the West.  May you wash away any emotions that cause suffering.  May you heal, purify and cleanse us (me) and fill our (my) hearts with joy and love.  Hail and Welcome

 We (I) call to the energy of Earth in the North.  May you ground us (me) in your stability and nourish us (me) with your strength as we (I) walk into new growth and abundance.  Hail and Welcome.

(In the center you can call any energy you working with if the ones listed do not resonate with you)

We (I) call to the goddess of love Aphrodite, Venus and Freya help us with this blessing in joy in love.  We (I) call to Hecate keeper of the keys and the crossroads and the unknown.  We (I) call on Lugh to protect us (me). We (I) call all our (my) guides above and below to help support this blessing and transition.  Hail and Welcome.

Light Palo Santo, Sage or incense:  Air reflects our creativity, spirituality, and inspiration, have someone in the group smudge each person or if you're doing it alone smudge yourself with the sweet smell and spend a moment contemplating the aspects of air.

Light a candle or look to the fire:  Fire reflects our relationships, protection, ideas and achievement, spend a moment contemplating these aspects of fire.  This would be the time to write down fears and things you would like to let go of and throw them into the fire.

Open your jar of water:  Water reflects our emotions, intuition, dream states and healing, smudge the water and spend a moment contemplating the aspects of water.

Take a handful of salt and place it in the water:  Salt represents Earth which reflects our practicality, knowledge, sacred wisdom and growth.

Stir realizing you are combining the elements that create life itself.  Consider the balance of the elements and the magic that you would like to create in your life.

Dip your fingers in the water and touch your crown

Say “Bless my crown and my connection to source, highest self and pure bliss from this day forward.”

Dip and touch 3rd eye

Say “Bless my 3rd site that I may see the truth have clear vision and be able to make decisions from my intuition, imagination and inner wisdom from this day forward”

Dip and touch throat

Say “Bless my throat so that my communication may be clear and may I always easily express my feelings and speak my truth from this day forward.”

Dip and touch heart

Say “Bless my heart that it may be open and unburdened may it be filled with love and joy and inner peace from this day forward”

Dip and touch solar plexus

Say “Bless my center that I may create harmony and be filled with self worth, self confidence and self esteem from this day forward.”

Dip and touch Sacral Chakra,

Say: “Bless my connections to others, open me to the passions of life, my ability to accept others as they are and create magical new experiences from this day forward.”

Dip and touch root and feet.

Say “Bless my rootedness and my feet that I may be grounded, that I may walk my path in balance and abundance from this day forward.”

So mote it be

We (I) thank the goddesses of love Aphrodite, Venus and Freya for your help and your blessing in joy in love.  We (I) thank Hecate keeper of the keys and the crossroads and the unknown.  We (I) thank Lugh for your protection. We (I) thank our (my) guides above and below for your support and your blessing.  Hail and Farewell.

We (I) thank the energy of Earth in the North.  For your grounding in stability and nourishing us (me) with your strength as we (I) walk away in growth and abundance.  Hail and Farewell.

We (I) thank the energy of Water in the West.  You have washed away our (my) suffering and bought healing, purification and cleansed our (my) hearts with joy and love.  Hail and farewell

We (I) thank the energy of Fire in the South.  You have ignited our (my) passion and courage to create successful relationships.  Hail and Farewell

We (I) thank the energy of Air in the East.  You have breathed peace into our (my) new beginnings and change as the wheel turns and brought us (me) the wisdom that comes from clear thoughts and communication.  Hail and Farewell

MERRY MEET AND MERRY PART AND MERRY MEET AGAIN!

You may save the mixture and dab a little on your third-eye every day for a few days as reminder.  You may pour the mixture in your bath for a gentle energizer.  You may return the mixture to the earth by pouring it on soil or sand (reminder plants don’t thrive in salt).   Sprinkle throughout your home to seal in positive energies and protection.

So mote it be!

 

Do not lose heart

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Do not lose heart by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Mis estimados: Do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world right now... Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.
You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement...

I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able crafts in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind... Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a greater forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.

We have been in training for a dark time such as this, since the day we assented to come to Earth. For many decades, worldwide, souls just like us have been felled and left for dead in so many ways over and over brought down by naivete, by lack of love, by being ambushed and assaulted by various cultural and personal shocks in the extreme. We have a history of being gutted, and yet remember this especially - we have also, of necessity, perfected the knack of resurrection. Over and over again we have been the living proof that that which has been exiled, lost, or foundered can be restored to life again.

In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency too to fall into being weakened by perseverating on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without raising the sails. We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn't you say you were a believer? Didn't you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn't you ask for grace? Don't you remember that to be in grace means to submit to the voice greater?...

Understand the paradox: If you study the physics of a waterspout, you will see that the outer vortex whirls far more quickly than the inner one. To calm the storm means to quiet the outer layer, to cause it to swirl much less, to more evenly match the velocity of the inner core - 'til whatever has been lifted into such a vicious funnel falls back to Earth, lays down, is peaceable again. One of the most important steps you can take to help calm the storm is to not allow yourself to be taken in a flurry of overwrought emotion or desperation thereby accidentally contributing to the swale and the swirl.

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take "everyone on Earth" to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these - to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both, are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.

There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it; I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate. The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours: They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.

This comes with much love and prayer that you remember who you came from, and why you came to this beautiful, needful Earth, 
Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes