In order to have good recall it is necessary to be able to identify things clearly and accurately, to label them correctly, to file them in the right place and to cross index where necessary; to file them efficiently for reference and retrieval when it is required. To carry out this organizational task, we have to become librarians and our experiences are pieces of information that need to be placed in the right place for retrieval later.

The brain is the part of our body-mind that catalogs and files away experiences and failure to store information properly results in many difficulties. Confusion and fear often arise from false identification. Incorrect filing also creates confusion, learning problems and difficulties in retrieval (remembering).

Here is an exercise called the Memory Game in which you’re trying to help your brain determine how it organizes information and decides how it will be stored. When your able to recall information from your working memory board you will find that by building your working memory that eventually it will be easier to recall information that’s been stored in your long term memory bank. (Learn more about the psychological end of working memory)

Memory Game:

Keep in mind you may have to repeat this several times. If you reach 25 or more correct answers you are doing very well. It is important that even if you can remember only five items, that you don’t get annoyed or disappointed with yourself. Practice improves scores. It is up to you how honest you are with yourself when doing the exercise.

First find around 30 items that are small and place them on a plain background. Color of background should be neutral. Then cover the items with a cloth. Second collect a pen and paper. Uncover the items and look at them for not more than three minutes (time yourself). I sometimes say to myself (time to take that mental picture); as if I am taking a picture but using my minds eye rather than a real life camera.

Then cover the items with the cloth again and write down as many items as you can remember. Try to recall the picture of the items. If it helps try closing your eyes a minute and look at your memory picture then begin writing.

The goal to this exercise is to build your ability to recall 25-30 of the items. In addition, the point to this exercise is to help build your memory bank for when your trying to recall events in your life now; but it will also help you if your healing work involves past life retrieval. When we begin to build our ability to recall we can then explore who we were in a previous life and we can begin to see what patterns of behaviors have continued into this lifetime that we may try change and heal.

Have fun and let me know if you reached your goal of 25!

~ LadyHawk of CalmingWinds.com – Reiki and Wellness in Northern Va

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How did the term synchronicity originate? A famous Swiss psychoanalyst named Carl Jung (1875-1961) first coined the term “synchronicity” to explain what he called “meaningful coincidences ” that are not related by any causal events. His concept of synchronicity came about through the many baffling coincidences his patients shared with him in his practice, especially as he began to realize that the occurrences went beyond what could be attributed to mere chance. During his lifetime he had some paranormal experiences of his own. What is Jung’s view of synchronicity? Jung’s own explanation of the concept of synchronicity is as follows:

“As its etymology shows, this term has something to do with time, or to be more accurate, with a kind of simultaneity. Instead of simultaneity we could use the concept of a meaningful coincidence of two or more events, where something other than the probability of chance is involved.” (Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle, by C G Jung, from the article “On Synchronicity”, Appendix, pg. 104)

What did Jung state about the chance occurrence of coincidences? Jung had been studying synchronicity since the middle twenties, when he was investigating the phenomena of the collective unconscious and kept on coming across connections which he simply could not explain: “as chance groupings or ‘runs.’ What I found were ‘coincidences’ which were connected so meaningfully that their ‘chance’ concurrence would represent a degree of improbability that would have to be expressed by an astronomical figure.” Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle, by C G Jung, pg. 21. This ‘meaningful coincidence in time’ can take three forms.

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Several months ago, I was approached to do a book review for a children’s book called What Does it Mean to be Global? by Rana DiOrio. As an activist for equality, I was thrilled to be part of this book and its special way of illustrating to our children that we are all equal, regardless of where we are from.

Ms. DiOrio has recently published another book for children titled, “What Does it Mean to be Present?” that shows children (and parents!) the difference in their lives when they are “in the moment” instead of mentally preparing for the next event, vegged out in front of a computer/TV/hand-held screen, or doing too many things at once. It teaches them to fully appreciate the world in which they live, and the beauty surrounding them.

As an Internet Mom (there are days when I am more proud of that title than others), I can certainly say that I am not always present. I am always thinking of different projects, housework, finances, scheduling, food and any number of different things that keep me from enjoying special moments with my children, and my time to myself. What Does it Mean to be Present reminds me that even when there are dozens or hundreds of plates spinning in the air, I have the ability to turn off my own brain and just enjoy the place I am in, in that moment. Its an important reminder for adults and its definitely something that children can and should be taught to do, as well. On the HippyMom Forum, we try to encourage all of our members to be more present in their lives, knowing especially how the Internet can affect the space-time continuum, leaving us with little knowledge of where our time went as we Google.

Rana DiOrio was born in Providence, RI and grew up in a colorful Italian-American family. Her curiosity about the world began in kindergarten, while studying Western access to China and, obviously, panda bears! She has written her way through life – as a student, a lawyer, an investment banker, a private equity investor – and now as an author of children’s picture books and owner of Little Pickle Press.

Rana’s inspiration for writing What Does It Mean To Be Present? was noticing that her young children were often focused on the future or the past and her desire to help them to understand the value of being present, which she is still learning herself.

Her interests include reading nonfiction, dreaming, effecting positive change, and, of course, practicing yoga. She lives in Belvedere, California with her husband and their three Little Pickles.

If the book isn’t amazing enough, there is also a Grand Prize Giveaway on the Book Blog Tour, AND HippyMom readers are entitled to two books of their choice plus one free poster of their choice for $29.95 just by using the code, “HIPPYMOM” during checkout from Little Pickle Press! Check it out!

Posted under Articles, review

Reflections on a Visit

Tonight my sister and brother in law came to visit us for a few hours, and although they only come to our area once a year or less the visits are always magic to me.  I am the youngest of seven children, so most of the older ones were grown and married by the time I came along.  I didn’t know my sister that well when I was little, and if you added up the number of hours we have been able to be together over the years the result would be merely a few hours in total.  So why are these visits so wonderful for me?

I was mulling this over after they left, and I came to the realization that it related to more than the old adage about quality time and seeing interesting people, although it is always quality time when they are here and they are both very interesting.  It goes back to the basics of human interactions and how we can see a person every week or even day and enjoy their company without feeling closeness or particularly strong affection even if the interaction is positive, but on the other hand see others with whom we feel close even if we have seen them only once.  All through my life I have felt this sister’s presence on some level even though I didn’t see her for many years, and when I met their son on their last visit I felt as if I had known him all my life and that we were resuming a chat from a few days ago.

What makes us click with some people in our lives regardless of the amount of time we have to bond, and why do some people we may only meet eyes with for a few seconds stay in our hearts while others who are perfectly pleasant come in and out without leaving such a deep imprint?  The theories range from both parties having the same vibrational frequency and thus connecting and bonding, to recognition from a past life, to some genetic similarity each might recognize subconsciously as familiar, to simple reasons such as coming together at a significant time when at least one needed the other, common interests, or even opposites having interest in someone very different from his or her usual contacts.  Whatever the reason, there is no denying that these bonds exist, can be powerful indeed and can even shape our lives.

The more I thought about it the more I also thought of the average person’s time online visiting communities, message boards, chatting, and other social networking contact opportunities.   Since print doesn’t translate facial expressions, tone of voice, or even assure you that the people you are interacting with are the gender they profess to be, it is more an act of faith than my visit with my family last evening.   Despite these challenges I have not only managed to “meet” some wonderful friends, but to marry an amazing husband whom I found online as well.    So perhaps the why of these connections isn’t as important as the fact that they exist and can be profound however long the contact is, and since I really enjoyed last evening with my sister immensely despite the short visit, I will make sure to enjoy each moment I do have with her.

I believe that is the secret to living well actually.  Instead of only considering long and familiar relationships as important or worth maintaining, perhaps we get more from life if we treasure every moment and every contact for whatever it adds to our lives in the moment.   That also means we are always adding to the lives of others as well, so each time we post or read in our online communities we could be sharing one of those life-changing moments with someone.  The eyes we meet in the grocery store may belong to someone who really needs our smile, and I hope my sister will look back throughout the year and smile when she thinks of the hugs we shared as I will.  Real life is any moment we happen to feel alive and connected whether it is online, driving past someone on the street, or in our living rooms.  It isn’t just the graduations and job promotions or the hard times, so connect with someone and make one of those moments you will both remember.  They are fleeting, but sometimes they fill our hearts forever.

MamaBirdie
HippyMom Staff

The Inside Life Meditations
Alabama Reiki

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Don’t forget about these upcoming workshops on Hippymom!

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Posted under Articles, Communities, HippyMom Weekly Bloggers

Summer is the time for baseball, swimming, and some of the best food of the whole year!  We have fresh produce available and family time to enjoy it together, and so off we go to cook up a summer storm, right?  Not so fast!  This summer is the hottest on record according to an article I read today, and although I realize many like to grill out just about any food they like to eat during the summer someone still has to prepare the food and provide refreshing treats and meals to those swimmers and little sluggers. Since I have been wracking my brain for weeks for ways to cool things down I decided to ask some really smart moms their favorite summer meals and treats.  I got some wonderful ideas to add to my own summer favorites, and I know you will enjoy these suggestions for your own family and summer parties.

When I was out in the heat mowing the yard today in 102 heat index and miserable humidity I kept myself going by promising myself one of my favorite cold treats, but I couldn’t decide between the Strawberry Mango Smoothie and a simpler but really refreshing drink, a Cherry Lemon Limeade.  I finally staggered in and made myself a light decaf version of my favorite drink of all, a Mocha Frappe.  I got wonderful ideas from my Hippymom friends as well, such as fruity teas made with berry teas and honey and even a for when the kids are in bed and the party is in full swing drink.

Alas, we all still have to eat when the heat is almost unbearable, and of course we could grill out as my hippy friends suggested.  They recommended grilled corn most often, but of course anything from burgers to veggies are delicious on the grill.  This will keep the kitchen cool and save you standing over a hot stove, especially if you can convince someone else to stand over the grill.  Since grilling out isn’t always an option a quick and easy way to eat and cool off at the same time is to eat a salad.  There are as many styles of salad as there are hungry people, but basically there are salads based on greens and other wonderful veggies from the garden tossed with some protein such as cheese, chicken, seeds, beans, or nuts, and salads with pasta, potatoes, sauces, and other assorted ingredients such as the Radish and Sesame Soy Noodle Salad and this Macaroni Salad, a lighter version of pasta salad.  Both types of salad are wonderful for hot days and can be tweaked for elegant events or made quickly from ingredients on hand.

If you find yourself actually needing a hot meal we have suggestions for some easy favorites such as simple patties on pitas, linguine that even the kids will love, or one of our favorites, an Easy Chili Noodle Dinner that my kids love to make.

Now that we have taken care of the drinks and meals we need some treats to finish with that will keep us cool as well.  Of course we could enjoy a dish of ice cream and our favorite sorbet made by one of our very own hippies  if we are lucky enough to live where it is available, or we could also enjoy refreshingly tart key lime, lemon ice box, or seasonal pies made with our own fruits.  One of our favorites on hot days is a fruit plate with seasonal berries and peaches, apples, grapes, bananas, or my favorite watermelon.  You can even let the kids arrange them or make funny pictures with the fruits to make it a fun summer activity if you can keep them from eating them before you’re finished. Fresh fruit is nutritious, delicious, and is a great way to get the fluids we all need to survive the scorching heat and oppressive humidity many of us are experiencing this summer.

So drink plenty of water and other delicious summer concoctions, watch out for sun overexposure, be creative so you don’t spend your summer over a hot stove, and most of all stay cool!

MamaBirdie
HippyMom Staff

The Inside Life Meditations
Alabama Reiki

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