Sitting with Sharon at IMS

“Faith is not a singular state that we either have or don’t have, but it is something that we do.  Faith is the willingness to take the next step, to see the unknown as an adventure, to launch a journey.  For faith to be alive and to deepen we need to use our power to inquire, to wonder, to explore or experience to see what is true for ourselves.  This requires us to approach life with an inquisitive, eager, self-confident capacity to probe and question.  It requires us to examine where we place our faith, and why, to see if it makes us more aware and loving people.  To develop a verified faith we need to open to the messiness, the discordance, the ambivalence, and above all, the vital life force of questioning.  If we don’t, our faith can wither.  If we don’t, our faith will always remain in the hands of someone else, as something we borrow or abjure, but not as something we can claim as our own.”

 --Faith by Sharon Salzberg

Dragonfly Healing Center supported the Association of Black Psychologists Student Circle Regional Conference held at San Francisco State University.  The national association is the leader and international resource for addressing the psychological needs of African people throughout the world.  In good company, SF State boasts being the only provider of a master’s level program in Ethnic Studies in the entire nation.  Melissa Green facilitated meditation and appreciated the honor of interacting with all present during the empowering conference.
Dragonfly Healing Center donated a free gift certificate to participate in our upcoming May workshop.  Welcome to further inspiration!
 
Esalen Institute is graced with the presence of Lucy Keoni as a work scholar in their world-renowned retreat center.  Esalen is a leading center for exploring and realizing human potential through experience, education, and research. Esalen works towards the realization of a more humane and all-embracing world, seeking answers to questions unlikely to be explored by traditional universities or religions.  Lucy’s purpose in participating as a work scholar is to study and benchmark the inner workings of Esalen which is serving as an incubator for the birth of the larger purpose of Dragonfly Healing Center.  Esalen is a major catalyst in the transformation of humankind, to help people integrate body, heart, mind, spirit, and community in a nurturing relationship with the environment.  Our vision at Dragonfly Healing Center is to offer a sanctuary for people to get away and rejuvenate with serene grounds and trails of our future space, our daily workshops, evening workshops, daylong and weekend retreats as well as our longer retreats. Our café will host communal meals with cleansing organic gourmet gluten-free, vegetarian meals and juices. We envision a thriving, supportive spiritual community of guest and resident healers aligned with our mission. We will have an East meets West integrative health center. We will have an educational institute for professional and leadership training as well as classes to nurture our youth. We are committed to sustainable living through permaculture.  We are committed to creating a shift in the global consciousness through the healing of individuals and through social change projects worldwide. 

Dragonfly Healing Center is well on its way to realizing this vision.  If you are interested in supporting us or being part of this vision, please email info@dragonflycenter.org.

Our send off for Lucy was truly magical!  On April 14th, a close group of sister-goddesses joined hearts in a sweat lodge ceremony to offer up our prayers, give gratitude, and hold space for Lucy's journey to Esalen and the Heart Connection Project.  Here is a special note from Lucy:  

We arose out of the flames, leaving behind the ashes of the past that no longer serve us, emerging more radiant than ever.
I am incredibly grateful to Mother Earth, lodge leader- Verlinda, singers, firekeepers, and my soul sisters ( those who were present in body and those who came in spirit...for those who could not be there lifted you up in prayer). Thank you Universe for the opportunity to take part in the Inipi sweat lodge of the Lakota Sioux people today.
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin....All my relations. I honor you in this circle of life with me today. I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer....
To the Creator, for the ultimate gift of life, I thank you.
To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, I thank you.
To the plant nation that sustains my organs and body and gives me healing herbs for sickness, I thank you.
To the animal nation that feeds me from your own flesh and offers your loyal companionship in this walk of life, I thank you.
To the human nation that shares my path as a soul upon the sacred wheel of Earthly life, I thank you.
To the Spirit nation that guides me invisibly through the ups and downs of life and for carrying the torch of light through the Ages, I thank you.
To the Four Winds of Change and Growth, I thank you.
You are all my relations, my relatives, without whom I would not live. We are in the circle of life together, co-existing, co-dependent, co-creating our destiny. One, not more important than the other. One nation evolving from the other and yet each dependent upon the one above and the one below. All of us a part of the Great Mystery.
Thank you for this Life. 
 
We'll be sharing stories and photos on our Facebook page and blog, so stay tuned!

  
Melissa:  How I lift my spirit without fail is by taking a walk or hike in nature.  I feel so connected to all of life, plus I get a great workout at the same time.  When I was on the magical island of Maui, I took advantage of many opportunities to connect with nature and soothe my soul.  Maui has a plethora of natural sites in which to deeply connect with life energy and the whole island is covered with the spirit of Aloha.  
 
On my most recent trip, I found incredible solace at the Ali’i Kula Lavendar farm.  The lavender farm is upcountry at 4,000 feet elevation on the slopes of Haleakala crater.  There are trails meandering through the lavender fields with identification of the various types of lavender.  After strolling through the delicious fields I stopped to meditate in the Native Hawaiian Garden.  My afternoon was scrumptious and complete with a visit to the shop to take home some of the lavender bliss I experienced.  
 
I will be sharing the aromatic scent of this lavender essential oil at Dragonfly’s upcoming workshop, Uplift the Spirit!   Aromatherapy using lavender has a regulating effect on the nervous system.  Lavender is widely known for its calming, soothing and stress relieving qualities and has been used by many cultures for thousands of years.  On May 19th, come live the balance and harmony that lavender essential oil brings!
 
Essential Oils are the fragrant essence of a plant or flower.  They are in liquid form and highly concentrated and create the foundation for aromatherapy.  Aromatherapy is the healing practice of using essential oils from nature such as flowers and many parts of plants like stems, bark, root, and leaves.    When the aroma of these oils is inhaled, the benefits include stimulation of brain functioning, pain relief and enhancing mood; though each essential oil has its own specific healing properties.  Aromatherapy is a form of herbal healing practices when it is used for its therapeutic properties.  Because an herb is a plant or plant part that offers its flavor, scent and therapeutic properties, aromatherapy gives the gift of natural, effective, herbal healing to soothe the soul and lift the spirit.  Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh……..
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Lucy:  Last February, I set out on a healing journey to Maui.  The second I stepped onto the land and breathed in the air, I could feel the healing power of the island.  Maui is a well-known power spot for healing and renewal, much like Sedona, Stonehenge, and the Pyramids. 
 
People who are “burnt out” by stressful lives come from all over the world to take an “energy bath” in ancient balancing energies. As the weight of the world lifts, the rhythm of the sea and the vibrancy of Haleakala volcano, the “house of the sun” can be felt as a physical and Spiritual presence beneath your feet, through the exquisite flowers and in the refreshing tropical Pacific air.  
There is legendary healing power here, power recognized by the Hawaiian shamans, the Kahunas, who still exist today in a sacred lineage. One very special reason for this is attributed to the "mana" (dynamic healing powers) contained in the sacred bones of ancestral Hawaiian kings buried long ago on the "valley isle".
 
Hawaii is the birthplace of Reiki in the western world. Hundreds of thousands of subtle energy workers trace their lineage to a Japanese American Reiki Master named Hawayo Takata who was born at the turn of this century in the Hawaii.
 
Hawayo Takata journeyed to Japan in the 1930s, received Reiki healing treatments for several serious ailments. We are told she received a complete healing of all of her conditions. Then, she learned from Reiki Master Chujiro Hayashi the recovered secrets of this 19th century Japanese laying on of hands Spiritual energy healing technique. Until Mrs. Takata brought Reiki and her teacher, Dr. Hayashi, to the Hawaiian islands Reiki was virtually unknown outside of Japan.

Reiki is a self empowering energy healing technique which is quickly and easily learned and can be used every day to achieve balance and relieve stress. I am excited to share the healing Reiki energies during our next workshop in May.  I also ecstatic about offering Moving Into the Light, our signature women’s retreat in 2013!  It will be a blissful week in paradise.