In times past, a rose placed above a door to a meeting place signifies privacy and a level of confidentiality. I like to invoke the sign of the rose in my practice in order to assure us that we can feel safe and comfortable talking about personal information.
In addition, I have been doing a lot of thinking about privacy, intimacy, and discretion and what we decide to reveal...and what we decide to conceal. I know that often (even if don’t think I am being pushy or trying to be persuasive) I am met with a certain disdain and defensiveness from people when I talk about my techniques and philosophies. It’s okay. They don’t need to believe me/you. If they need to know it/want to know it...they will come to it themselves (or it will come to them!) otherwise, there is nothing you can do to change people’s minds!
I mention this because I know that when you learn new information...or when something is finally working for you...or you think you’ve found the answers to the problems that have been plaguing you for years...you want to run out and shout to the world “This is all you have to do!!!” But really, keep the personal stuff for you. You are different than anyone else and what is working for you may not work for someone else and they might try it exactly like you did and not see results (because they didn’t work up to it, or they had different needs) and you may feel discouraged. If they are interested, gently guide them to the places where they can learn it for themselves or to someone who can get them on the right track...but try not to disclose too much of your own personal techniques until they are ready. Then, do it under strict confidence, one on one, in a special place where you are comfortable and have privacy.
In so many ways, the work of herbalists, healers, beauticians, and mothers has been an invisible thread that has woven through history virtually unnoticed but always there...and I like to think of this as a good thing. Invisibility is a powerful tool to have when you are working to benefit both people and the earth. Anyone who is outside the status quo who becomes too visible in the public eye quickly gets knocked down or strung-up (or burned at the stake, if you will) for going against the common belief system of the day.
When we are invisible, we have the ability to work on ourselves, our families, our communities and make beautiful changes in the world. Free from the watchful, hateful, jealous eyes of the “powerful” we put the ideas out there and spread messages like a swarm of honey bees and soon, there is a paradigm shift that does get noticed...and we let them believe they did it themselves. But really, was it the executives at W.Mart et al. that suddenly decided that we didn’t want plastic water bottles any more..(now they are pushing water filters and reusable bottles)...no...it was us. One person at a time we talked about the issue and we changed our habits and our friends asked us about it...then they changed their habits...until those “in charge” got the picture (sort-of).
A magic potion for becoming invisible: coming soon!
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