Hi Everyone!
It's been awhile...I was sick again dang flu season, plus a few other minor hiccups with my health. But I am feeling better and able to sit at the computer and type!
I am thinking of simplifying things in my life so that I am more active in my blog. If you want to make sure your favorite topics don't disappear, make sure to comment at the bottom of this post and make your voice heard!
For the year 2013 in general, I am hoping to streamline the topics and focus on my health more so than ever. The number 13 has always been lucky for me, and I intend on using it to my advantage. I hope you join me in for this next calendar year of changes to my blog. I will still have my spiritual, witchy ways written about as topics, but will also focus on my health, battle of kidney disease and bringing Lupus under control hopefully once and for all this upcoming year with my increased Benlysta treatments!
So again if there is a specific topic you do NOT want to see go away, please either email me at crystal_cauldrons@yahoo.com or comment at the bottom of this post (which would provide a quicker response than regular email).
I hope everyone had a fantastic Yuletide, Christmas, or whatever you may have celebrated this month!
Sincerely,
Crystal
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Goals and New Page Added
I am adding a new page onto my blog dedicated to specific updates on my weight loss.
I am still considering whether or not I should post my "Before" pics. I simply don't know if I would be embarrassed by them or embarass my husband by my posting them. I am very ashamed of my body. There are many beautiful plus size women, but frankly I am not one of them. With shaving my head earlier this fall when my hair was falling out due to medical reasons, I just don't feel feminine anymore. I am hoping to bring back a better, healthier, beautiful me in 2013.
I have several goals in place for 2013.
Participate in the Crim Festival of Races.
Not be ashamed of my body.
Loose weight by nourishing my body with Gaia's bounty (aka fruits, vegetables, herbs, and grains) as the main source of food I consume. The doc has given me the green light to increase my protein intake but my body still gets sick everytime I attempt to do so. Seafood is still the primary source that does not get me sick and I stay the heck away from poultry as much as I loved it oh so long ago!
Cutting out the sugary drinks that I am so addicted too!
Using more organic products on my body (make-up, perfume, lotions, etc).
Losing enough weight so that I need a new wardrobe come this summer.
By "new" wardrobe, I mean majority of it upcycled from old clothes, remade into something new that is fitting and hopefully vintage inspired. If anything is purchased hopefully it will be vintage fashions or recycled items from an Etsy Shop, Salvation Army, or Goodwill store. I don't like today's fashions and hope that by losing weight I will be able to fit into treasures from the past. Only exception is shoes. I might invest in a new pair of shoes.
I am still considering whether or not I should post my "Before" pics. I simply don't know if I would be embarrassed by them or embarass my husband by my posting them. I am very ashamed of my body. There are many beautiful plus size women, but frankly I am not one of them. With shaving my head earlier this fall when my hair was falling out due to medical reasons, I just don't feel feminine anymore. I am hoping to bring back a better, healthier, beautiful me in 2013.
I have several goals in place for 2013.
Participate in the Crim Festival of Races.
Not be ashamed of my body.
Loose weight by nourishing my body with Gaia's bounty (aka fruits, vegetables, herbs, and grains) as the main source of food I consume. The doc has given me the green light to increase my protein intake but my body still gets sick everytime I attempt to do so. Seafood is still the primary source that does not get me sick and I stay the heck away from poultry as much as I loved it oh so long ago!
Cutting out the sugary drinks that I am so addicted too!
Using more organic products on my body (make-up, perfume, lotions, etc).
Losing enough weight so that I need a new wardrobe come this summer.
By "new" wardrobe, I mean majority of it upcycled from old clothes, remade into something new that is fitting and hopefully vintage inspired. If anything is purchased hopefully it will be vintage fashions or recycled items from an Etsy Shop, Salvation Army, or Goodwill store. I don't like today's fashions and hope that by losing weight I will be able to fit into treasures from the past. Only exception is shoes. I might invest in a new pair of shoes.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Pagan Blog Post - I want to be a Traiteur
Now did you read that right? I spelled T-R-A-I-T-E-U-R. not T-R-A-I-T-O-R.
Traiteur is a Cajun word that means "treater". Some would probably be more familiar with the word "healer". It is a system/tradition of healing that is not highly publicized. Maybe because most common folks would see a traiteur and instantly think about faith healers. Some people believe and some do not. Majority of the people I personally know (non-Pagan) do not believe in the power of healing by touch or spirit.
I have always wanted to be a healer. Mostly I practice upon myself and those close to me. It has mostly been simple things such as toothache, headache, muscle cramps, stomach ache, etc. My research has expanded into what the normal world would label as "Alternative" Healing. I am ok with being "Alternative" when the mundane world's approach doesn't work, I do look for alternate ways to heal myself and make myself better.
As most of you who read my blog regularly know, I have kidney disease and now Lupus. When we had no clue about the Lupus, my doctor and I were at lengths trying to keep me off of dialysis. So far to date, with his help as well as my own, we have succeeded. For those that know what a creatinine level is what known to be the reliable factor in measuring the kidneys function. A normal woman would have anywhere from 0.5 to 1.1 milligrams per deciliter. When I was first diagnosed my levels were at 12.2 Grams so in the same measurement it was at 12,200 milligrams which is high. My doctor prescribed various medications and after months of his treatment the number only lowered to around 9 grams (9,000 mg). I began my research, there was something I could to do help heal myself.
I began my research with Crystal Healing, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, as well as began to study a form of healing called Chios Healing Energy. Its very similar to Reiki to me. I am still learning about it as well as Reiki itself . I also have been cleansing and aligning my Chakras as well. My main focus primarily has been about Touch and Nourishment.
If you research Traiteur yourself, you will find they are a majority of Christian based healers. To date, I have not found another Pagan (besides myself) labeling themselves as a Traiteur and I use the term very loosely as I still have a problem seeing myself as one. My main practice has been on myself only and will most likely be that way for some time in the distant future. I plan to create my own system based off of my spirituality of being a daughter and priestess of the Goddess. I will include all forms of healing I can possibly learn and want to use every source I possibly can to defeat my illness. Whether its magically supported or medically supported I believe combing the magic and the mundane in healing can yield great results.
I can remember vaguely instances where my grandmother would heal me. I have memories of not feeling well and she would pick me up, sit in her chair and rock me. She would put her palm on my forehead and also sing to me in Cajun French. The pain would always go away after a few minutes of being with her. I think she had the gift though she probably would never fess up to it because she was very humble. I can remember the smell of the food from her kitchen and even on my most nauseous of days, would want to get out of bed and eat what she cooked specifically her catfish coubillion which is a spicy fish stew. I want to utilize whatever healing traits I can find within my being to serve myself, my family, my friends and my community. I want to be like my grandmother.
So yeah I want to be a Traiteur. I am going to be a Goddess Traiteur.
Blessed Be,
Crystal T.
Traiteur is a Cajun word that means "treater". Some would probably be more familiar with the word "healer". It is a system/tradition of healing that is not highly publicized. Maybe because most common folks would see a traiteur and instantly think about faith healers. Some people believe and some do not. Majority of the people I personally know (non-Pagan) do not believe in the power of healing by touch or spirit.
I have always wanted to be a healer. Mostly I practice upon myself and those close to me. It has mostly been simple things such as toothache, headache, muscle cramps, stomach ache, etc. My research has expanded into what the normal world would label as "Alternative" Healing. I am ok with being "Alternative" when the mundane world's approach doesn't work, I do look for alternate ways to heal myself and make myself better.
As most of you who read my blog regularly know, I have kidney disease and now Lupus. When we had no clue about the Lupus, my doctor and I were at lengths trying to keep me off of dialysis. So far to date, with his help as well as my own, we have succeeded. For those that know what a creatinine level is what known to be the reliable factor in measuring the kidneys function. A normal woman would have anywhere from 0.5 to 1.1 milligrams per deciliter. When I was first diagnosed my levels were at 12.2 Grams so in the same measurement it was at 12,200 milligrams which is high. My doctor prescribed various medications and after months of his treatment the number only lowered to around 9 grams (9,000 mg). I began my research, there was something I could to do help heal myself.
I began my research with Crystal Healing, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, as well as began to study a form of healing called Chios Healing Energy. Its very similar to Reiki to me. I am still learning about it as well as Reiki itself . I also have been cleansing and aligning my Chakras as well. My main focus primarily has been about Touch and Nourishment.
If you research Traiteur yourself, you will find they are a majority of Christian based healers. To date, I have not found another Pagan (besides myself) labeling themselves as a Traiteur and I use the term very loosely as I still have a problem seeing myself as one. My main practice has been on myself only and will most likely be that way for some time in the distant future. I plan to create my own system based off of my spirituality of being a daughter and priestess of the Goddess. I will include all forms of healing I can possibly learn and want to use every source I possibly can to defeat my illness. Whether its magically supported or medically supported I believe combing the magic and the mundane in healing can yield great results.
I can remember vaguely instances where my grandmother would heal me. I have memories of not feeling well and she would pick me up, sit in her chair and rock me. She would put her palm on my forehead and also sing to me in Cajun French. The pain would always go away after a few minutes of being with her. I think she had the gift though she probably would never fess up to it because she was very humble. I can remember the smell of the food from her kitchen and even on my most nauseous of days, would want to get out of bed and eat what she cooked specifically her catfish coubillion which is a spicy fish stew. I want to utilize whatever healing traits I can find within my being to serve myself, my family, my friends and my community. I want to be like my grandmother.
So yeah I want to be a Traiteur. I am going to be a Goddess Traiteur.
Blessed Be,
Crystal T.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Medicine Wheel
Its been one day since I have returned from our annual Sisters of the Craft yearly trip/get together. This year we chose to venture out West and visit a few Sacred and National Treasures.
The main highlight and what I wanted to do most was to visit the Medicine Wheel in Big Horn National Forest. It's always been a dream of mine to visit this special and sacred place. When I first started out on my path I was most drawn to spiritual concepts I found in Native American History. Though I am a devout daughter of Herne (still to this day even with not being able to eat alot of the hunt because of my medical issues) the respect for the cycle of life remains intact.
Last year when I was diagnosed with Kidney disease my first diagnose was not the greatest. My doc originally thought that I would be on dialysis sooner than expected. Here we are a year later! I currently do not need dialysis and do not see the need for it in the immediate future (ok so the 2 years has turned to 5 years). If we are able to control both my Lupus (recently diagnosed earlier this year and the current thought of the cause) and stop the regression of my Kidney Disease I can live a long, healthy and normal life span as most people not sick at all. At least that is my ultimate goal.
When I was in the hospital last year, both myself and a few of my Covenmates were going through some really hard medical times. We decided together that if we got thru this past year we would reward ourselves with a Sacred Journey. As we discussed the many options, Wyoming kept coming up. One of us had family there that could offer an offset of financial obligations such as extra hotel rooms. We agreed that this would be our next sacred journey together.
So last week we packed my car and headed out West. Here are a few photos.
The first challenge of the journey is making it up the mountain because you have to walk the 1+ miles up and down the mountain's path just to get to the wheel. It included up the mountain, down the mountain, up the mountain once again, plus a final very steep incline to reach the top where the wheel is located. Thankfully there were a few benches we could stop, rest, and take in the spectacular view.
As I was walking around the Wheel (counterclockwise which is a sign of respect for those visiting the wheel as the current tribes still using the wheel request) I received many messages and thoughts of things I needed to take of in my life. Most of them involved with Healing, Cleansing and Swifting. I also aquired a new energy that was not present before and also made it down the mountain with only one stop on the way down. The Ranger at the bottom of the mountain who was switching shifts (she was coming down from being at the top of the mountain once we got there) was able to time me on the way down. She said that for me being a big girl I made it in great time. It takes her 45 minutes a day one way to make it either up or down the mountain. I know it took us alot longer getting up the mountain because of the amount of inclines but on my final way down it took me one hour to get down the mountain. I am very proud of myself physically being able to do this much less be only 15 minutes behind the ranger that walks it several times during the day (therefore being much fitter than I am).
I felt that visiting this Sacred Place was very important to my well being both medically and spiritually. I do tend on blogging more about this place and trip later on when I have recovered from the journey. We had many "little sleep" nights as we tried jam packing as much opportunities into our daily schedule that involved waking up very very early to going to bed very very late. (Roughly we were sleeping from midnight to 5am if we were lucky, LOL).
If you are able to make a spiritual journey or are looking to visit a Sacred Place, please consider visiting the Medicine Wheel. You won't be disappointed!
Blessed Be,
Crystal T.
The main highlight and what I wanted to do most was to visit the Medicine Wheel in Big Horn National Forest. It's always been a dream of mine to visit this special and sacred place. When I first started out on my path I was most drawn to spiritual concepts I found in Native American History. Though I am a devout daughter of Herne (still to this day even with not being able to eat alot of the hunt because of my medical issues) the respect for the cycle of life remains intact.
Last year when I was diagnosed with Kidney disease my first diagnose was not the greatest. My doc originally thought that I would be on dialysis sooner than expected. Here we are a year later! I currently do not need dialysis and do not see the need for it in the immediate future (ok so the 2 years has turned to 5 years). If we are able to control both my Lupus (recently diagnosed earlier this year and the current thought of the cause) and stop the regression of my Kidney Disease I can live a long, healthy and normal life span as most people not sick at all. At least that is my ultimate goal.
When I was in the hospital last year, both myself and a few of my Covenmates were going through some really hard medical times. We decided together that if we got thru this past year we would reward ourselves with a Sacred Journey. As we discussed the many options, Wyoming kept coming up. One of us had family there that could offer an offset of financial obligations such as extra hotel rooms. We agreed that this would be our next sacred journey together.
So last week we packed my car and headed out West. Here are a few photos.
 |
| The Medicine Wheel |
 |
| Various Prayer Bundles and Ribbons tied to the Wheel's safety barrier. |
The first challenge of the journey is making it up the mountain because you have to walk the 1+ miles up and down the mountain's path just to get to the wheel. It included up the mountain, down the mountain, up the mountain once again, plus a final very steep incline to reach the top where the wheel is located. Thankfully there were a few benches we could stop, rest, and take in the spectacular view.
 |
| Even with some snow present in places the climb up left me very hot to where I took off my jacket to make it up the mountain and give my back a chance to breathe. It was very cloudy and also hazey that day from the many Forest Wildfires in the area and the surrounding states that caused the sky to be covered. |
As I was walking around the Wheel (counterclockwise which is a sign of respect for those visiting the wheel as the current tribes still using the wheel request) I received many messages and thoughts of things I needed to take of in my life. Most of them involved with Healing, Cleansing and Swifting. I also aquired a new energy that was not present before and also made it down the mountain with only one stop on the way down. The Ranger at the bottom of the mountain who was switching shifts (she was coming down from being at the top of the mountain once we got there) was able to time me on the way down. She said that for me being a big girl I made it in great time. It takes her 45 minutes a day one way to make it either up or down the mountain. I know it took us alot longer getting up the mountain because of the amount of inclines but on my final way down it took me one hour to get down the mountain. I am very proud of myself physically being able to do this much less be only 15 minutes behind the ranger that walks it several times during the day (therefore being much fitter than I am).
I felt that visiting this Sacred Place was very important to my well being both medically and spiritually. I do tend on blogging more about this place and trip later on when I have recovered from the journey. We had many "little sleep" nights as we tried jam packing as much opportunities into our daily schedule that involved waking up very very early to going to bed very very late. (Roughly we were sleeping from midnight to 5am if we were lucky, LOL).
If you are able to make a spiritual journey or are looking to visit a Sacred Place, please consider visiting the Medicine Wheel. You won't be disappointed!
Blessed Be,
Crystal T.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Checking In
Howdy All,
This past week has not been kind to me....nothing has been my friend health wise. Not my skin, my scalp, my body in general as I have been nauseas and vomitting all week with a 10 lb weight loss. Not exactly the way I wanted to lose weight. I have not been able to sleep, eat or drink anything and keep it down. Yesterday was the first day most of what I ate and drank stayed down.
My Cilantro Pineapple Smoothie was a comfort food for me, but alas I am out of pineapple.
Today I will be turning to my Basil Lemonade and hope it will help me out with the nausea. I ate soup from my favorite Chinese Restaurant called China Wok that delivers to my home but I did go pick it up since I needed to run an errand and pick up food for Princess Leia as well. She has been having a very sensitive tummy too! I am switching her to Pro-Plan food on the advice of her Vet.
I have had little to no energy and every bone in my body hurting (shoulders and hands especially which is something new to me, but after researching is common among Lupus patients). My scalp is just a mess. I am developing discord lesions and they are bleeding as well. There are three prominent spots on my scalp that are in pain and bleeding. Here is a photo of one of the spots that is bleeding.
This is the back lower area in line with my right ear. Eric says its about the size of a quarter right now. There are a few other spots on my head this is happening as well. I am also losing more hair. I decided to cut it and highlight it to give it some dimension and hopes that the thinning is camoflauged a bit. Here is what I look like since my birthday the day I had it done.
To get support I have recently joined a website called Lupus Out Loud . After just being there for a few days I am learning about this disease and ways to cope and live life to the fullest. I sparked a conversation about the Butterfly Rash and Cosmetics. I received all positive responses from accepting the rash like the color of my eyes to recommendations for some products I have not tried yet. Later I will be doing another video to follow up to the ones I posted on Youtube almost a year ago (before I was officially diagnosed with Lupus, which now I am). You can see the video by clicking here for the video of the "before" and then for my first video with makeup for the "After" look here. If you live with Lupus and wear make-up I would love to know what you have tried that works and what doesn't.
Hopefully things will turn around for me. I am just really tired of being sick and tired!
Thank the Goddess its Friday!
Blessed Be,
Crystal T.
This past week has not been kind to me....nothing has been my friend health wise. Not my skin, my scalp, my body in general as I have been nauseas and vomitting all week with a 10 lb weight loss. Not exactly the way I wanted to lose weight. I have not been able to sleep, eat or drink anything and keep it down. Yesterday was the first day most of what I ate and drank stayed down.
My Cilantro Pineapple Smoothie was a comfort food for me, but alas I am out of pineapple.
Today I will be turning to my Basil Lemonade and hope it will help me out with the nausea. I ate soup from my favorite Chinese Restaurant called China Wok that delivers to my home but I did go pick it up since I needed to run an errand and pick up food for Princess Leia as well. She has been having a very sensitive tummy too! I am switching her to Pro-Plan food on the advice of her Vet.
I have had little to no energy and every bone in my body hurting (shoulders and hands especially which is something new to me, but after researching is common among Lupus patients). My scalp is just a mess. I am developing discord lesions and they are bleeding as well. There are three prominent spots on my scalp that are in pain and bleeding. Here is a photo of one of the spots that is bleeding.
To get support I have recently joined a website called Lupus Out Loud . After just being there for a few days I am learning about this disease and ways to cope and live life to the fullest. I sparked a conversation about the Butterfly Rash and Cosmetics. I received all positive responses from accepting the rash like the color of my eyes to recommendations for some products I have not tried yet. Later I will be doing another video to follow up to the ones I posted on Youtube almost a year ago (before I was officially diagnosed with Lupus, which now I am). You can see the video by clicking here for the video of the "before" and then for my first video with makeup for the "After" look here. If you live with Lupus and wear make-up I would love to know what you have tried that works and what doesn't.
Hopefully things will turn around for me. I am just really tired of being sick and tired!
Thank the Goddess its Friday!
Blessed Be,
Crystal T.
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