Sanctuary Saturdays ~ Sitting in with Pentad!

With the trials and tribulations we are currently facing here in America, and consequently around the globe, I asked our friend, mentor, and life coach Tamera Daun from Pentad ~ Simplifying Life and Love to sit and chat with us on some of the coping skills we can begin to implement for ourselves and for our families.

Struggling through this alone just will not do! We must maintain a "Healthier, Happier, You!!!!" at all cost and Tamera is always there to show us how! Thanks, Tamera!



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There are many forms of relaxation for the spirit and the mind.

From our earlier chats, we know that you are a Reiki healer and Life Coach. In this particular time in our journey, what would you recommend the average American be attempting to focus on as we worry about the weather, our finances, our jobs, our food, and our future President.

In the spirit realm, these challenges are probably less catastrophic than they feel, how can we pull back, assess, and maintain without elevating ourselves into sheer panic?

Times such as these test the feelings of self-security that we all carry around with us. They test our ability to stand firm, simplify life, and adapt and flow with the ups and downs of life. They test us even more, because they are often circumstances that are not "self-chosen". They are circumstances that are in the control and hands of other authorities, and even Mother Nature (in the case of a natural catastrophe). This also leads us to want to control the consequences, and in this way, tests our personality issues of control. When we feel vulnerable, the need to organize and control sometimes floats in over us. Understand me correctly. I do not connect a negative meaning to the word "control" as some would tend to do. I feel it is a natural human thing to do when people feel afraid or uncertain of what the future will bring. It is a part of our survival mechanism.

We are experiencing difficult economic times, and they can actually lead us back to that which is really vital and important. We have so many frills, and when finances become stretched, we cannot maintain them any longer. In simplifying life, we can think a little about what it is that we really need, and what are we buying to substitute for those feelings. We can decide that which we would like to keep and maintain, and then implement contemplation into practice. In other words, begin the process of thinking through our priorities a little more carefully.

All in all, life will happen. We cannot protect ourselves from life, and from life happening to us. Not everything will be an issue of self-choices. I feel that it is important to remain centered, strong, and balanced. From that center we "feel" safe, and can more easily flow with that which comes, however, we often tend to want to "fight it". The best practice to working on maintaining a centered stance is physical exercise, whether it be walking or something else enjoyable. It has a funny way of creating the sense of physical security, and this absolutely influences our thought processes, and our emotional experience of security. This balances those bouts of fear and panic.

In order to remain open and flowing; meditation, good breathing technique and being your own best friend are constructive practices. What I mean by being a good friend to oneself, is the ways in which we choose to self-talk to ourselves. If we enter difficult times with an attitude of, "I may learn something new, and I can do this a little at a time", it can help us get through anything in a positive way. It is emotional energy conservation, which allows us to use that energy on that which has to be done or adapted to, in practice. When we enter difficult times feeling negatively, it drains our energy.

Attempting to do both of these things at the same time is a process of learning. It takes time to balance if there is something that is not going too well. However, the more we practice, the easier it is to move back to that "place" within us.

You once stated in one of our earlier chats that "when we decide for something to happen, it will begin to happen". You were referring to relationship mending and awareness. Can we apply some of those concepts to our relationship with our current world?

Yes, this is applicable to anything and everything. If we would like for anything to improve, the first rule of thumb is to intend for it to happen. We make a decision, and from there the path begins. There may be a few detours along the way, but this usually means that we need to develop some part of our character in order to fully implement that which we have intended. The thing that often frightens us the most is that we are uncertain of what will come along in the process. Again, we are met with our personal issues of trust and faith. This means "trust" that things WILL work out for the best. They will balance on the other side of our decision toward something new. Our development does not go any quicker than we can accept at any given time. I can guarantee people that things will work out for the best. The end result may not have the same detail as we may have pictured mentally beforehand, but then, our thinking is usually not as expanded as it should be. We cannot envision any more than our thinking allows us to. So, the end result may even end up better than we can imagine.

Most importantly, as parents, what can we be saying through our fears of the unknown to our children who are unfortunately picking up on the chaos that is unfolding around us?

That which we end up saying is exactly all of the symptoms of our own fear. We signalize all of it, and they do pick it up.

Are there simple techniques we can be teaching them to calm themselves? How much of the current situations of the world should we be sharing with our children who are old enough and are aware?

I do feel that this is the responsibility of adults and not children. It is not positive to signalize fear, which children begin to internalize, and then teach them how to calm the consequences of our own fear and insecurities. We have to solve them inside of ourselves, and then let children "see and hear" that, "Hey! Anything in life can be dealt with. Every problem or situation has a solution, or perhaps even several to choose from". They then learn to hit life "head-on" without fear of life.

If children are old enough to understand certain problems, then I think it can be do-able to speak with them naturally in everyday life about the small solutions we choose. It can also be important for them to realize that things don't always go perfectly, and some days can be a "downer", and that although we take those feelings seriously, it doesn't stop us from looking for solutions from a general positive outlook. Sharing this with older children gets their creative juices flowing, and they also begin to look for creative solutions to problems, and difficult times. I would also encourage them to remember that we are all in this world together, and that it can be of great emotional help to support and help each other in our communities.

How much of this should we be encouraging them to shoulder and assist in formulating changes? What is the best advice you can give for capturing daily "bliss" moments?

My best advice is to work on these internal environments that I have mentioned, because it is what we show the world about ourselves. Stay grounded and centered, flow with change, trust that things will work out, and above all; always remember to appreciate those small joys in everyday life, and appreciate others.



Ahhh, don't we feel better??? Now get out there and have a great DAY!!