Your Crystal Ball

Do you have one? Do you wish you did? Do you know how to plant seeds for one to sprout and come to full spherical glory? Read on my friend.

What should I do? What shouldn’t I do? How the heck do I choose, out of all the things out there, what will help me feel better as I age?

I think I need a miracle…or a crystal ball.

I have had the privilege (and perhaps the delusion) of having pretty good DNA I think. I haven’t had any major accidents. I am gifted with a strong sense of personal discipline, plus inner motivation. AND I have had resources (I was not born into a third world country where survival was my highest option.

This boils down to me having access to LOTS of information, and being able to try most anything I want. Bottom line? I have tried A LOT in the name of health and wellness and personal growth. For a while I began to think of myself as a bit of an expert. And I guess if you consider information and knowledge the thing that makes an expert maybe I am. But I wouldn’t use that term for myself ever, now knowing that data and research changes constantly. We stay open and learn.

But I’d be willing to bet my last dime that you’ve about had it with “experts”, like I have. Every time you look at any screen anywhere, someone is telling you about the latest, greatest thing you need to purchase to fix your problems. If you’re like many of us, you can end up quite quickly with a large cabinet full of supplements, notes all over your table, sleeping devices, breathing apps, yoga equipment, juicers, blenders, superfoods, phone numbers to consultants that “know”, podcasts, recipes to fix your gut, modalities you must do every day or week …or else…

Recently I became aware that anyone can be interviewed on some of the hottest podcasts, as ‘an expert’ in their field, IF they pay a large some of money. SO…okay I can go pay 50k and get interviewed on the most viral podcast and boom I literally bought my ticket to ‘expert-dom”.

Does this give you pause? It should. We are listening and purchasing and shaping our lives AS IF said person actually has our best interest at heart. And really its just about money. Am I the only one who is (was) naive enough to think otherwise?

Let me be super clear…we have made marvelous advances in our nutraceuticals, and our finessed way of addressing the body’s root issues. There’s some good sh*! out there, and I’m glad to be alive now. But it can lead the most intelligent human to want to pull their hair out. ALL these things can’t be the answer? Which one will help ME?

Well I’d like to introduce you to your crystal ball.

Ever notice how a crystal ball exactly flips the images upside down? Can we follow this example and look without preconceived ideas about what it should be?

Your crystal ball lives inside you and I bet you aren’t well acquainted, since this is not a skill taught in our culture. Maybe we could also call her your inner knowing. Your intuition. Grabbing for any supplement, the latest hack, constantly scanning Instagram for what’s ‘out there’ that everyone is using, are acts of fear and desperation. They are not crystal ball actions. Your personal crystal ball is accessible only from a place of quiet, calm, patient asking and looking with openness. You’ll get nothing from her if you arrive out of breath, panicked and want a quick fix pronto.

So let’s take a made-up scenario, just for fun…

You have just turned 67 and are having some health changes that concern you. You can’t seem to fix them, so you’re trying everything you can and listening to all the Instagram biohackers. Nothing seems to be working and you’re getting frustrated to put it mildly. What to do? It’s time for your own personal crystal ball. I believe she will take you deep into what you know is truth. She will quiet all the hype. She will remind you of what you DO know. (And that’s more than you think.) She will, given enough space, lead you to what is right for you in this moment of confusion and overwhelm.

My crystal ball (aka Divine Guidance) has been with me through the exhaustion years of raising six kids, navigating a divorce, and so much more.

Surely, you must have heard her voice at some point.

One of the most foundational guiding principles of my life has been movement. It has kept me sane, strong, disciplined, mentally clear, and more. So I know personally, that movement (or exercise, which takes different form now than it did when I was 35) is a tool that always serves my highest good. If i stopped all supplements, all health modalities, I would never stop moving as well as I can. I am thoughtful about it, and meticulous about addressing my body with this language. Its a given.

BUT… that may not be your thing .It may not be what you hear from your diving guidance. That doesn’t mean that I am right and you are wrong. I want you to remember above all else that you are an expert at your life, your body. Seek that wisdom, and refrain from the endless chase of the current buzz. The current buzz is exhausting. Trust that you will be lead if you’re willing to listen.

IF you are confused, fed up, and tired of buying the latest bottle of supplements, the latest treatment hack, maybe take a pause…

What do you KNOW?

What. Do. You. Know.

I told you about my first ride or die…movement, good movement, appropriate movement, at times any movement at all. Just move. If my body is weak or sick, this might be just move the lymph through. Move. And do it more.

If I had to pick the top 5 things that are unchanging, no matter what swirls around me they would be: Sunlight. Nature. Sleep. Consciousness work, Movement. These are power-packed, power-FULL, life giving, basics of health that I bet any one of us can improve upon right now. These will never go out of style, or hit the “bad list.” They are safe choices.