SP

Caffeine & the Adrenal Glands

Our body is a whole system.  If one part of the body is not working right, the whole being has to work harder in order to compensate.  When we ingest stimulants such as caffeine and refined sugar, the response is immediate.  We are given an extra boost which helps us to move faster and think clearer - at the time.  And there is something to be said for thinking more clearly.  People who ingest caffeine are less likely to get Parkinson's disease1.  However, the long term effects of stimulants also cause the body to prematurely reduce potency on a system-wide scale.  By system-wide I mean = ALL OF YOU.

Caffeine specifically has a negative effect on the adrenal glands.  The adrenals are two small endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys and are responsible for a class of steroid hormones called corticosteroids2  as well as catecholamines3 such as adrenaline and noradrenaline.  Endocrine glands secrete hormones directly into the blood rather than through a duct4.

1 = penial   2 = pituitary   3 = thyroid   4 = thymus   5 = adrenal   6 = pancreas   7 = ovary   8 = testicle

It's really very simple.  Caffeine, and stimulants in general, have a taxing effect on the adrenal glands.  

In an exhausted state, the adrenals have to work harder to produce these hormones.  This also initiates the fight or flight effect on the body even though there is no crisis that would typically cause this response.  If extended to long term fatigue, the adrenal glands become impaired and do not function to the best of their ability5.  Since everything in our body is interconnected, it stands to reason that if one part of the body is being taxed then other parts are having to work harder as well.

What is the solution to the energy crisis going on in our bodies?  How can I give up these things that give me energy when I already feel exhausted and overwhelmed?  


Diet and exercise are the given.  We all know this but how does one go about creating the changes that will create a long-term benefit? 

My own transformation has been very gradual and I am an avid supporter of gently working into things.  In most cases, a gentle and steady dedication is going to outlast a sudden shock to the system.  Start with what you are comfortable with and gradually reach deeper into your own health and well-being.  Do your own research and experiment to see what works for you.  This will also ensure the longevity of your efforts because you cared enough to make that investment in yourself.

The most important thing, however, is to take a step today to create personal change.  Not tomorrow, not next week, not three months from now.  Thats not what I mean by gradual, ok.  Everything you need, want, and feel calling to you is literally within your reach. Your optimal health, vibrancy, and fulfillment are all within your reach.  All you need now is meet yourself halfway.  

~ starlyn sreeya devi

SOURCES:

1.  Caffeine May Protect Against Parkinson's by Kate Wong, Scientific American
2. Corticosteroid, Wikipedia
3. Adrenal gland, Wikipedia
4. Endocrine gland, Wikipedia
5. Caffeine, Adrenal Glands, & Stress by Kara Bauer, healthcentral.com
*all images collected from wikipedia*

Best Christmas In Ages

Woke up just after 4:00am and was inspired to perform house-hold seva  until 12:30 while fasting.  Didn't eat until close to 2:00pm when I had a pear and a kiwi.  

Went down to Coolidge with one of my best friends, Chris Leavitt (of the Leavitt Files) to visit my folks.  There were several obstacles.  Even these seemed to be blessings in disguise and everything worked out marvelously, as if a mercy was granted through genuine love and compassion.  ;)

The highlight of my Christmas was connecting with my parents.   Received a guitar lesson from my father and applied for a new birth cert with mom.  Very healing/strengthening to the root chakra.
 

Another highlight was being the designated driver around Coolidge and on the way home.  I've intentionally avoided driving for most of my adult life because it seemed stressful and bothersome.  Road a motorcycle for about 4 years in my 20's but that didn't seem to bother me.  There's been a feeling that I should get a regular license in 2011... it may be useful in where I'm taking myself.

Brother J and I made two gingerbread-pumpkin pies the day after.  I made the gluten-free, almost vegan (has honey) gingerbread crust.  Bro J made the filling out of a big pumpkin, coconut milk, eggs, and spices.  It was a bit of a learning curve and we made note of things we'd do differently again ~ but for the most part we're pretty happy with the results...  DELICIOUS!!!

Yesterday was a day of fasting and silence  My Mondays are going to be dedicated to this from now on in order to ensure that I take time to slow down and just be.  I slept a lot which surprised me.  My average length of sleep is 4-6 hours a day now with no naps.  I took a two hour nap and slept for 9 hours through the night.  Wow! 

On days of fasting and silence, I do not use the computer, avoid entertainment, or communicating on any level.  This includes hand signs, nodding, and writing.  It is also essential to keep chores/activities to a minimum and refraining from public life. 

May you be blessed:

body, mind, heart, spirit, and energy

with light, love, peace, harmony, joy, health, and abundance

 

Cave Fast December 2010

...This was a challenging fast.  Much more than usual.  Visions showed this during the pilgrimage but part of me didn't want to believe it.  On the other side of every tear is the strength to continue with devotions.

 ~Cactus skeleton washed on the rocks by flooding in the wash~

Soft green moss appears amidst the lichen in celebration of life inspiring water.  Sometimes there are black moss and orange moss around the area.

 The wrathful/good deity stands facing her suitors: the many phallic features that rise in her honor.  Divine romance and longing, ahhh... 

 Beautiful Goddess!!!

There are stories in Native American Lore about entities called "chindris".  These spirits are vigilantes.  They can be called up by a medicine person with that knowledge or can act of their own to protect the land if the spirit feels that the land or it's creatures are being disrespected.  They do this by inhabiting the body of an animal to attack the target.  You will know a chindri for it will walk on two legs.  If you kill the animal it will only come back in another animal's body again and again until it exhausts you and takes your life.  Your best bet is to put a protective circle around yourself and pray.

A true story:  There is another cave in this area that looks out toward the Goddess.   When J was 3 year's old his father, D, would take him camping here. There were times in the beginning when D made the mistake of killing a rattlesnake or two.  He was concerned for his son's welfare.  One night D was awoken by the blood curdling screams of his little son.  There in the dark, J recounted the terrifying tale of his  dream:  a powerful medicine woman came into the cave and turned into a coyote walking on it's hind legs.  She disemboweled them both.  Imagine hearing this from a three year old in a dark cave in the middle of the desert... far from city limits.  D no longer kills snakes.  

There are three places, attributes of the Goddess, that I offer tobacco to.  My pledge is to harm none (all creatures) and to ask for protection as one of her children.

 The entrance to the goddess, sacred sakti yoni.

Ayya!

 As the day breaks...

 Another beautiful feature in the area, always brings to mind "Honorable Great Grandfather".

snout, snout, snout, snout... 

Most of the day was pretty dark and stormy.  This little pocket of sunlight opened up just for a short while I was waiting for someone to pick me up on the side of the road.

From the back of a pick-up... Canyon Lake.

Initiation In Los Angeles

Jai Sri Ganesha!

Initiation took place on 12-10-10 from within the beautiful Ariven Temple centered in Los Angeles, CA.  

Slept in the light of the Goddess.  

jai guruji aadi nandi!

aum sri tapasyogi nandi namaha!

homage to Ayya

To my little-starlyn-self, the journey is one big miracle of mercy that inspires awe in my heart and mind.  Receiving the initiation ceremony itself inspires a wish in me for deeper humility.  May my efforts be to help others along the path.

Jaya Jagadambe Durga Ma

When is the moment that I should let go?

When is the moment to stay my course?

To be diligent... to be graceful?

Is there a situation where one

is more fruitful than the other?

In lacking understanding,

do I give up or do I shine in battle?

I guess the question should be:

How much does this really mean to me?

The real deal is not about the signs and synchronicities.  Those have had their place for certain.  There has been a strong theme of guidance and protection. But what has lead me here are the things I fight against on the inside.  The thing that have seemed impossible, always out of reach ~ or that I'm just not good enough to receive.  Yet ever I seek.

" What does the word 'Exodus' mean?  It means an exit, a going or a getting-out of trouble.  An exit is a way out and, with trouble, the idea is to get out quickly.  The book of Exodus deals with the getting out of evil, because all evil is limitation of one kind or another."

-Emmett Fox, the Ten Commandments, 1953

We put this name on it and give a personality.  We breath life into it with the imagination ~ yet it is our own face looking back at us.    

I've proven my unworthiness to myself time and time again.  Yet even as the tears fall ~ still I pray for the courage to seek Durga's light.  To conquer what refuses to be conquered: my own limitations.  The mere wish for courage is a courageous action.  When we feel this we can create change simply by bringing awareness to it.  Ahhh, now the healing begins!

In every dark hour shines a golden flower. A single grain.  A light, a wish. This is the wish of the great compassionate beings who stoke the sacred fire in their hearts for our betterment every moment of every day.  Their existence is, itself, an offering for blessings along the journey home. 

We can choose to be strong when we feel weak.  Seek from the heart and be grateful, recognizing that whatever the response is - this is the one meant for you at this time.    That can be a hard pill to swallow.  I've surly had my share.

But how else would you grow?  What better medicine is there than to receive the motivation to seek healing?   

As I prepare myself tonight for another step, may it come into my own thoughts for the betterment of others.  May my own betterment and nourishing strengthen me that I may be of service.

Aum namah Sivaya

Aum namah Sivaya

Aum namah Sivaya

Ninjas... damn!

Hand painted (without stencil) devotional Mayan art is all over the Greyhound station in Santa Barbara.  All was done by some guy that use to work there, according to the guy (Ben) who works there now.

Got a ride to Santa Barbara with someone from craigslist at the last minute from SLO and then caught the Greyound the rest of the way to Los Angeles. Original plan was to stop off in Santa Barbara for a few nights but there was a strong vibe from Spirit that I should get to my last stop and have a couple days to myself before Initiation.

My ride to SB was with a lady named Heidi who is on a parallel with me.  We're both Geminis, only a few years apart, both into non-obligatory lifestyles, yoga, raw foods, and have been in a similar head and heart space lately.  As we shared our stories, the twilight zone music played in my head.  Even our challenges seem to mirror one another.    


The afternoon bus was full so I had to wait until 8:00pm.  It actually worked out well for me.  I'd been feeling a bit challenged and needed a break so I went to see a movie.  It's a luxury that I just don't afford myself anymore.  Today felt like a good day for a rare treat. 


I saw the Warrior's Way.  Someone was telling me that I should see it but I forgot.  Guess it got in on a deeper level. So glad it did 'cause I laughed so much!!!  Normally I don't like seeing movies alone but it's a good thing I was.  Surely they would have been embarrassed.  There are all these corny jokes.  Near the beginning a midget takes off his top-hat off to show the "8" etched into his hair (because his name is 8-Ball).  When I heard myself laughing I just wanted to laugh more and more.  It felt like laughter yoga with Caity.


Early on in the film I thought that I saw Geoffery Rush but second guessed... naw, thats just a bad knock off trying to do a drunken style recreation of his Marquis roll in Quills.  Look ~ they even gave him a couple similar lines.  Later in the movie I realized that it is actually Mr. Rush himself doing the drunken knock off of his own performance.  Not his best  ~ though I was convinced he was drunk.


If you love carnival folk, ninjas, and cowboys... this is the holy trinity of that ~ with Goeffery Rush on top (like a brandied cherry).