Are You A Junkie?

"Livin' on Reds, vitamin C and cocaine…" sang the Grateful Dead, and they might have been describing today's adrenaline junkies, hooked not on drugs but on a super-sized life, juggling it all without dropping a ball: power career, marriage, motherhood, perfect parties, posh home, toned body…

Just thinking about it can be exhausting. As I wrote last month in Why You Should Drop Out, books like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In exhort women to give their all to work so that they'll want to return to the corner office after having kids. And while women certainly deserve to rise to the top like the (organic) cream in their half-caff, burning the proverbial candle to a nub day in and day out can create serious health issues. Such as adrenal burnout.

While all of us are familiar with the term "adrenaline," not many people stop to associate it with the adrenals, two tiny glands that sit atop the kidneys and are responsible for regulating our stress hormones. When your blood pressure rises or your heart starts beating in double-time, that's the adrenal glands pumping the hormones cortisol and adrenaline into your body in response to stress. Which works superbly if you're running from a tiger (or perhaps confronting an angry partner), but not so much as a steady diet. Living like the Energizer Bunny doesn't cut it long-term. You can simply replace Bunny's batteries when they run down; our bodies require continual, comprehensive care.

Some of the areas to examine:

• Sleep: are you chronically exhausted? Believe it or not, going to bed earlier will not only help you get rested — it can help you lose weight!
• Diet/nutrition: grabbing junk food or even "food bars" in place of healthy meals? Even the best food bars are cut-rate fuel.
• Exercise: are you too busy — or too tired? Just a 20-minute walk 3-4 times a week is restorative. Then you can think about adding cardio and weight training.
• Supplements: what do you need to restore balance?
• Work: do you need to delegate more? Hire an assistant or VA (virtual assistant)?

You'll have more to give in all areas of your life when you feel vibrantly healthy. So put yourself first on your to-do list. After all, there's a reason those airline emergency drills always tell you, "Put your own oxygen mask on first!"

Solar Flares and Geo-Magnetic Side Effects

I've been wondering why I've felt dried out the last week or so… as usual, cosmic weather to the rescue! Thanks to Irma Kaye Sawyer for this timely reminder about solar flares and the importance of balancing our inner ecology:

Vata Dosha (Air and Ether) - Astrological signs: Libra, Aquarius and Gemini

Pitta Dosha (Predominantly Fire with a small amount of Water) Astrological signs: Aries, Sagittarius and Leo (minor water dosha influence of Pisces, Scorpio and Cancer.)

Kapha Dosha (Water and Earth) - Astrological signs: Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, Pisces, Scorpio & Cancer.

For more detailed information on the Doshas and how to determine yours, visit PeacefulMind.com

"Keep in mind that periods of high flare activity are drying to the human body. The Pitta Dosha may be especially susceptible and may experience drier skin, hair, nails and even the eyes may be drier. Investing in a good homeopathic, lubricating eye drop may be needed, along with plenty of HIGH quality water for drinking. Like the Vata Dosha, the Pitta type may feel "hyper" at times and have difficultly getting to sleep and staying asleep when they get there. Pitta types may experience an increase of sinus problems and nasal allergies at this time.

The Vata Dosha is inclined to headaches and a feeling of increased pressure in the head and face. They also may experience mental confusion, forgetfulness, etc. We ALL can experience a bit of forgetfulness in times of high geo-mag/flare activity and that is to be expected. Sleeplessness is also commonly experienced and sleeping through the night may be difficult. It is not uncommon for Vata Dosha types to only sleep 4 hours or so at a time during these periods. They may experieince feeling "hyper" both during the day and nightime hours. Daytime napping may be very helpful to keep fatigue manageable. GROUNDING exercises are important for all types but VITAL for Vata and Pitta, especially. It is important to keep "firey" emotions such as anger, intense passions, etc. under control to keep the body energies balanced and headaches at bay.

The Kapha Dosha will most likely experience more fatigue than the other dosha types. Adequate rest is vital, take naps if you can. Also, be sure to keep your protein and calorie intake at a stable level. It is not uncommon for Kapha types to lose their appetite or even experience nausea. Eat what sounds good to you, but do avoid junk or high calorie/carb "comfort" foods, as they can devitalize even further. Kapha Doshas may be able to avoid the headaches of the other types, but will most likely experience a "foggy head," which can be exacerbated by caffeine, sugar and alcohol. Stimulants and depressants of all types are good to avoid in periods of high level activity. Kaphas may experience intestinal issues at this time such as symptoms of I.B.S, and related issues. A high-fiber supplement is a good thing to have around! It is a good idea to increase light exercise such as yoga, walking, etc. especially if one is a Kapha type that is prone to body pain or has arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.

For ALL types, liberal amounts of high-quality WATER and REST is indicated in periods of high activity. Getting "unplugged" from computers, cell phones, etc. is also helpful."

Postpartum Fatigue: Planet Birthin' Blues 'n' Bliss

Did the Earth move for you on 11-11-11? Did you feel replete, complete — and absolutely knackered on Saturday, November 12th? I sure did.

At first I attributed my extreme weariness to the bad fall I took Thursday night, which left me barely able to walk on 11/11/11. Talk about being forced to slow down! Then, as I began checking in with others, I realized this was a system-wide energy outage: the exhaustive exhaustion of assimilating a higher frequency, crossing the threshold, midwifing Earth in rebirth! Gaia herself has been cleansing in preparation for becoming a star; it rained on Friday where I dwell.

By sunny Sunday, the exuberance of the new was shining through. Saturday felt like the First Day; it continues to seem like a world washed clean. And yes, we've got a ways to journey; no child graduates a few days after exiting the womb!

The days ahead will not follow any script; one illuminating resource I'm in the midst of digesting (slowly!) is Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse, a penetrating inquiry into regarding life as play and possibility.

We're paving the new road as we walk it, or better yet, clearing a trail. In Bringers of the Dawn, The Pleiadians (channeled by Barbara Marciniak) called this experience "bushwhacking through consciousness". It's never been more literally true than now, as we enter the time that has been foretold for millennia: the Golden Age, the Age of Aquarius, the Fifth World, Home.

Tweeting As I Travel Rte. 50

I've decided communication is for the birds, and joined the Twitter (R)evolution. Amazingly, both LiveYourLight and my own name were already in use, so my Twitter handle is Amara_Rose, or http://twitter.com/Amara_Rose.

I'm currently traveling back to the West coast via US 50, a state highway that runs coast to coast, minus the frenetic pace and diesel devastation of the interstates. Tonight I'm in Romney, West Virginia, typing this in a local hotel as a 50th anniversary high school reunion rages in the conference room a few feet away. It's fun to watch these lively people in their late 60s act just as they probably did at 18. Our bodies may age, but we remain who we've always been ~ ideally becoming more of ourselves in the best ways, and allowing our less beneficial behaviors to morph along the timeline.

My trip East has been fraught with distress, frustration, and a deep sense of loss. Despite my planetary role as energy transducer and worldbridger, I felt unable to bridge the gulf that exists between who I have evolved into over the years, and my family of origin. We inhabit vastly different universes in every sense, and while both they and I made valiant efforts to communicate from love and patience, ultimately my great fatigue (after driving 4000 miles and then continuing to deal with the van's ongoing mechanical problems, spending most of my days in auto repair shops ~ not exactly high vibration environments!) and physical depletion left me with no resources to hold the space for the highest possibility to emerge.

On one level, I feel I've failed both myself and my birth family; on another, I realize, as Patti Cota-Robles keeps reminding us in her alerts, that we are in the midst of an "incredibly intensified cleansing process" and all is perfect, whether it "looks" that way to me right now or not. I know I began to feel the low vibration feelings lifting/shifting as soon as I was out of the immediate physical vicinity; after about 100 miles, I started to relax, and by the time I got to Route 50 (near Winchester, VA) I was ready for adventure again.

I have a card in my van that reads, "What, after all, is Adventure but Inconvenience, properly regarded?" I could not hold this perspective against the decades, if not lifetimes, of competing energy in NJ, and, it is and has been who I am now.

May you hold yourself tenderly during these tumultuous times, and allow your energy to fluctuate as it needs to as you ride the roller coaster of Now into the New.

Remember that this New Nomad is available, via phone, email and in person as I travel, to serve you.

Many blessings,
Amara