AVENGERS: Age of DIFFUSION

Age of DIFFUSION

 

We saw Avengers: Age of Ultron this past weekend. It was amazing, as the Avengers usually are. I have crushes on most of them, but that’s a conversation for another post. As I was watching I kept thinking, “These peeps need some oils and to just relax a little.” I really enjoyed the film, but I realized they all need some extra oils to help them with their super powers. But first I would recommend they start diffusing Balance and Serenity in their headquarters. I’d go with a Petal or Lotus diffuser to fit their aesthetic. A little “Liquid Xanax” could really help them with the narcissism and frantic need to save the world.

Black Widow: I love Black Widow. She’s a great reminder of how tough women can be. She is beautiful, fit and powerful. The combination all of us women strive to be. However, she has a very dark history that seems to weigh quite heavy on her. She could really use a dose of Elevation every now and then. It’s a proprietary blend that helps a person feel joyful. It just might lighten her mood and help her feel better between Avenging events. She has got to be using the Veráge skin care and Salon Essentials collections to always look so good. They’re the best way to get clear skin and the perfect blow out!

Hawkeye: He needs to use OnGuard to protect him against germs. This will help boost his immune system and keep him from getting sick. With the shocking surprise in the newest film you realize he really needs to protect against little germs while he’s away from THE AVENGERS. Can you just imagine him sneezing while shooting an arrow? That’s not going to work out too well.

Iron Man: He is my original Avengers crush. I don’t care he’s nearly as old as my dad. He’s one handsome superhero. He does seem to have a hard time focusing without saying something inappropriate. A small roller ball across is neck or up his spine of the proprietary blend of InTune could very well help him focus. Just maybe then people would like him a little more, but he might not be as funny.  Since his heart is in a precarious situation he might want to add in some oils for heart health to give it a little extra boost each day. There are lots of different oils he can try to keep his ticker in tip-top shape.

The Hulk: Oh boy, this guy is an extra challenge. He’s complicated and lovely. For him I would start with DDR Prime to help with cellular renewal. Just maybe he can repair the cells from the experimentation he’s done and stop turning into a green monster. Or worst case scenario he can alleviate some of the pain associated with the frequent changes to his body. He could use an extra dose of Serenity and Balance to help him keep calm and avoid changing into the Hulk at all. I think that would make Bruce Banner very happy. I would also add some lemongrass and Deep Blue Rub to his daily routine to alleviate any aches or pains his muscles go through as the Hulk. Crushing cars and buildings has got to be painful.

 

Captain America: I guess being frozen for seventy years would make me pretty uptight too. A little Citrus Bliss rubbed on his wrists just might unwind him a little bit. A mix of Wild Orange and Balance is another great little trick to help ground a person while also lifting their spirits. Anything to help him see the calm in the chaos that surrounds him would be good. 

 

Thor: As the ruler of Asgard, Thor should be entitled to the king of oils - Frankincense. This oil is very grounding. As a God and ruler it’s good for him to be reminded why he’s helping us little Earth pukes. Hopefully it would also help him lose the narcissism he deals with knowing he’s a space god and more powerful than the Earthly Avengers. But who knows if our natural oils from the earth (dōTERRA) could even work on an immortal being like him? We’ll do our best.

Quicksilver: As a mutant I would recommend Lemon essential oil to be added to his water or rubbed on his wrists to help him detoxify his body. Also, who knows what he is picking up moving around so fast. A little cleansing never hurt anyone. He could also use the new Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex  daily to help any aches or pains he gets from moving so fast.

 

Scarlet Witch: This girl is intense. Her powers are mesmerizing and terrifying. I can only imagine how many headaches she must get controlling the minds of so many people. Adjusting events, actions and thoughts has got to be challenging. A nice roller ball of Past Tense could really help ease the tension in her head, neck and shoulders after a long days work. Ouch!

Vision: He leaves me speechless. He sounds so perfect and reasonable when he speaks, but that might just be the accent. A little bit of Peppermint might help keep his mind clear and focused on the tasks ahead. He could also really use some of the Lifelong Vitality Pack to help maintain the human cells he does have.

Falcon: This guy is tough and he flies. He’s got HUGE wings and you know what they say about a guy with huge wings? He always needs a back rub. Lavender is a great oil to massage into his back to help relax and calm him after a busy day of flying around, saving the world. . He’ll be safe around other birds with the Lavender massaged into his back and shoulders. It won’t scare off any of the lady falcons he tries to get close to or ruffle any feathers. Each Avenger has their own unique needs, but as usual there is an “oil for that”. They should diffuse plenty of calming blends at headquarters or wherever they are so that they can stay calm, friendly and focused on the mission at hand. Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential Oils are just another tool for them to use in their arsenal.

To order oils for the Avenger in your life click here.

All characters and names copyright of ©Marvel.

Juice vs. Oil

As I’ve worked to learn more about essentials, primarily dōTERRA essential oils I’ve started to wonder what the oil is and where do they get it. One of my favorites to use is Vetiver, which comes from a grass in Haiti. The roots of a grass especially. I’ve play in grass and pulled up plants. I can’t comprehend where the oil is in the plants. And I definitely don’t see much oil in the dirt and roots of a plant. Always feels dry to me.

So I keep asking, where on earth does the oil come from. It comes from distillation of the plants to extract the natural oils. I can’t quite wrap my brain around what the process of distillation does or how it works. I do know it helps pull the oils out of whatever plant the oil is being extracted from. Then the essential oil will float to the top of the distillates so that it can be collected for human use. Don’t quote me on this, but this is my very minimal understanding of how this works and we get our precious essential oils.

Okay, I guess that’s oil process, but in things like Wild Orange that smell like an orange how is that not juice? The juice from fruits and vegetables is created by squeezing the liquid and watery contents from a plant. When you squeeze an orange and the liquid pours out into a beautiful aromatic glass of orange liquid that is the flavorful water content of the fruit.

I guess still there is another thing we drink and use as a liquid. That would be tea. Sometimes pulling a juice isn’t very practical so we make a tea. dōTERRA offers Lavender and Peppermint oils, but I’ve also seen these in flavors of a tea before. Teas, even herbal, are often made be steeping leaves or flowers from the plants in hot water to bring out the flavors for drinking. Tea is not as potent as oil or juice, but it is still a very popular drink around the world.

Now I feel confident that I know the difference between the various types of liquids that we can extract from plants. Potency definitely matters depending on  the purpose for which you need it. Also it’s good to know where things come from, especially if we’re putting them into our body. It’s one of the reasons I’m so glad that dōTERRA is known for being (CPTG) Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade^®. I’m confident when I use their oils that I am using the best of what nature has to offer me.

War vs Peace

Last night my husband and I saw “American Sniper”; a Clint Eastwood film about American Navy Seal, Chris Kyle. He is reported to have the most “confirmed kills” of any sniper in American history and saved a lot of lives. It’s an emotional movie that made me hate war. I am generally very conservative, but war I cannot tolerate. It destroys our humanity and it’s not something you can easily recover from mentally.

Anyway, in the movie the group of SEALs get ambushed and retreat back to base. They sniper that keeps taking people out was part of it. One of the SEALS says “An eye for an eye” in reference to a fellow SEAL that was shot in the eye I believe. That left me to think about the bible where it said “an eye for an eye”.  Yet then my mind rolled over to what Jesus said in the New Testament. He didn’t preach vengeance, but absolutely said to turn the other cheek. So if you are attacked you should forfeit. I believe that under Mosaic law justice could only be settled by tit-for-tat but then with the birth of Christ and then His offering of the atonement changed the way justice would be settled. The atonement allows for eternal justice and mortal mercy.

Yet then, quickly from these thoughts my mind rolled to the Book of Mormon. In that book we learn of Captain Moroni going to battle carrying the banner of liberty. Here he teaches his people to fight and defend their families. So then, at what point do things change from surrender to defense? What is the deciding factor?

I did think last night about it being an individual act of pride to strike back after being hit. And since is a pretty common sin. However being willing to sacrifice yourself is noble and charitable and therefore might be permissible by God.

Then this morning I realized that Captain Moroni raised the title of Liberty in the century before Christ. So Christ actually told us to be kind and turn the other cheek after Captain Moroni raised the Title of Liberty. Therefore, is it possible that we should all live as Quakers and not fight. I don’t know if the answer is to defend ourselves or to let things go. I’d love to hear your opinions because I honestly don’t know the answer. What do you think?

East vs. West

Growing up my mom had a lot of allergies that lead to other health issues. She’s totally fine, but through her process I learned a lot. I never use margarine or shortening when I cook because soy is just not something we ate. (Soy is what those products are made from in case you didn’t know.) As I’ve gotten older I’ve discovered my own food sensitivities. There are just certain products that I can’t do. I now avoid soy because it’s not great for me. I also do everything I can to avoid antibiotics because I’ve had two bad allergic reactions, one even put me in the hospital for four days.

So with all of this it’s safe to say I try to be careful what I put in my body. I’m not perfect with my diet but I’m working on that. When I get sick I try to use natural remedies first. I use fresh garlic to treat a yeast infection. I have made my own nasal wash to fight severe congestion. I also use regular medicines when I need to. My husband has had two colds in the past few weeks. Finally this weekend, we put him to bed with a couple of Nyquil for a couple nights and he’s finally improving and staying well.  

But I never use medicines exclusively. I like to try natural options. I do a lot of vitamins when sick. If my husband is congested I always give him a neck rub since that’s where his body holds his stress. It’s amazing how well it works. His nose is always running and he feels more relaxed when I’m done. I’ve even been known to make him swallow whole garlic when he’s been sick and he didn’t have insurance.

When we moved in 2013 we both left jobs with benefits behind. We had no insurance and terrible colds. That’s when my mom mentioned a really great product to me. The product(s) is DoTERRA essential oils. 

These are oils from plants and natural sources. I’ve dabbled here and there and recently found huge benefits. My two favorite oils are Vetiver and Whisper.

Vetiver is from the roots of a grass grown in Haiti. It smells very earthy. It is completely relaxing to me and is fantastic to help you fall asleep. The first time I was exposed to it I fell right asleep and I didn't even know it was in the  blend that I had put on. Just relaxes me. It's help with some muscle/nerve damage and is great help for sleep issues including insomnia. 

Whisper is a blend by DoTERRA. It's meant for women. It helps balance the body and smells amazing. It's one of the few products that include jasmine. I wear it as a perfume most times. I've also rubbed it on my lower abdomen to help with "lady aches". 

There are so many other amazing products that are a great compliment to everyday medications we're used to, but these won't deplete our bodies nearly as much or at all. These are going to be safer and have fewer negative interactions. I still take Tylenol for a fever, but I'll use oils right along with it. There is no need to suffer anymore. Not when we have all of these products to help us. 

If you'd like to learn more please visit my DoTERRA website to find out about products and more. Click Here!

Modesty vs. Charity

I’ve read a lot about modesty in the past year. Had some really great conversations too. There are a lot of modern day women bucking at the traditional definition of modesty. That definition describes modesty as having our bodies fully covered so as not to allow others to by tempted by our belly buttons or cleavage. Not showing more skin than is really necessary functioning. This definition hinges on the observer not the one who is actually dressing.

I remember a class in college, a Christian University, where we had to conduct a study. I don’t exactly remember why we were doing it, but one group did their study on modesty. They tallied all the girls with low cut tops and skirts just a bit to short. I immediately raised my hand in protest. (I relate most to Hermione Granger of all Harry Potter characters.) When called upon I sounded a bit over dramatic, but that’s just how it was. Essentially I said their study was biased and unfair. A flat chested girl and I could wear the same shirt and hers wouldn’t be immodest  because there would be no cleavage, but an observer may consider the same shirt on me as immodest because I have cleavage. This isn’t fair or just. I hadn’t fully formed my opinions or understanding of modesty at that point, but I knew that having boys (or girls) judge my modesty didn’t feel right.

I’ve come to the understanding and opinion that modesty is about how we feel individually. To be modest of character and person, would mean we’re likely to cover up our bodies and not use them to show-off or entice others with our bodies or use them to gain favor with others. The way we dress can and often very likely is a reflection of our modesty. I like V-neck shirts. I think they look good on me and fit me best. I do not believe this means I’m immodest. When I wore them in high school to get boys to notice me and like me that was immodest (and it didn’t work).  With this understanding of modesty it then applies to boys equally too. If they wear tight shirts or tank tops to show off their muscles then that too  is immodest. But if a girl is training for a marathon and wears short running shorts and a sports bra that is not immodest, nor is it for a guy to wear a muscle shirt to lift weights at the gym.

When I mentioned this to my husband and said that it’s not immodest for me to wear V-neck shirts because I’m not doing it to show off my chest. He said something to the effect of it not helping others have modest thoughts about me. I reminded him that’s not my problem. And thought about how we reconcile our modesty with our responsibility to those around us. That is when the light bulb moment hit. We don’t have to be dress a certain way for others nor is it then even about modesty. It is our own charity that will allow us to see how our choices impact those around us and then behave accordingly. It does not make a girl immodest to wear a sporty bikini. However, it does show a lack of charity to the boys around her if she wears a bikini out to a church beach party.

I think it behooves all of us to stop judging others. Passing judgment on others shows a lack of modesty and charity in our character. But as I thought of this I think it’s worth sharing. We’ve too narrowly defined and understood modesty. It’s time we expand and make all people responsible for their own modesty and live our lives with charity for others.

Choices vs. Consequences

I once read about a different perspective on the war Heaven. In Mormon theology it’s often shared that Satan’s plan was to dictate what we could do and take away our ability to choose so that we would remain perfect and return to our Heavenly Father. On the other side is the plan Christ offered up to allow us to come to earth to make choices for ourselves. He would be the redeemer to make up for the mistakes we’d make, but we’d learn. And if we so chose to live righteously we would end up with God in Heaven. This other perspective was about Satan’s plan. It was not to limit or constrain us from making choices, but to rid choice of consequences. Thus, our choices would have no significance. All choices would be okay therefore we’d never have chosen wrong or been sinful. I wish I could find the original article, but I’m not sure where it is, but that’s the gist of it.

As soon as I read it everything made sense. In the garden, the serpent got Eve to eat the fruit by telling her the consequence she believed was not true. They wouldn’t die but be as the Gods. (Genesis 3: 1-5) He didn’t force it down her throat, but convinced her the consequences weren’t really there and it would give her what she wanted. In the days of Sodom and Gomorrah they had fallen into those same patterns of belief. It was not that they were being forced to sin, but they had decided their desires were above consequence. And then when they tried to assault an angel of God it was the end of their ways. God destroyed them.

We can choose to believe there are no consequences, but that is not possible. Everything in life has a consequence, for better or worse. If we choose to do well in school we have the consequence of good grades. Depending on when we decide to leave on a trip we may make great time, get stuck in traffic or even end up in a horrific accident. Consequences are not ours for the choosing, they are natural.

In the US we live in a society that I see as trying to limit consequences in various ways. One big one is through legalizing abortion. Pregnancy is often a result (natural consequence) of having sex. But in the cases of unwanted/unplanned pregnancies we have decided as a people that the woman has the right to choose. She chose to get into bed and have sex, so did the father. However, we’re now deeming it possible to choose the consequence. It doesn’t work out that way. Further consequences are possible from that choice. In another example we have become very litigious as a people. We try to shift the blame around so that we are never held accountable for our actions. In one case recently a 17 year old girl is being forced by the courts to undergo chemo against her will. In talking to friends we realized if the state didn’t step in and force her to do it then her non-consenting parent could sue the hospital and/or state for not protecting his minor, almost adult daughter. In a few years if the girl is suffering trauma from being forced into surgery and challenging medical treatments she could probably sue the state for her emotional trauma. So essentially no one wants the consequences and will do what they can to shift the consequences to someone else.

It is important we are personally responsible for our actions and our consequences. Not to be too political, but this is all some of the reason I support more libertarian ideals in politics. I’d rather make my own choices and deal with the natural consequences than to shift my consequences around. That plan doesn’t work so well for any of us, because eventually we’ll all get screwed from someone else’s choice.

Us vs Them

Lately I’ve been hearing lots about women’s rights and their place in male dominated organizations. This is perhaps just because of who I am surrounded by, but I still believe it deserves a little conversation. In the last one hundred years women have seen huge advancements. We’ve received (after putting up a fight) the right to vote, we entered the work force in droves, laws were enacted to protect women from discrimination.

Legally women are equal to men and have all the same rights. Yet, we still struggle. In church organizations the clergy are mostly male. Even in my own faith the leadership is male based on the priesthood that is exclusive to men. This is not at all an issue for me. It is how God intended it. Classrooms find males favored over female students. Women are harassed in public by men. There are a lot of women, strong and important even, that feel that this inequality is unfair and wrong.

I would contend that it’s not unfair or wrong at all, but simply human nature. In any group of people we sort ourselves out as “us verse them” type groups. And both groups will claim superiority but power is rarely shared. Somehow one group absorbs all power and then uses it to keep down the other group that claims their value in existence. Some brief examples. The Egyptians and The Jews. Well, I saw Exodus and I’ve read the book. It didn’t go so well for the Jews for many centuries. They were enslaved. Fast forward many more centuries and black Africans became this other group that was free for the kidnapping. They were also enslaved until the nations got their senses together and stopped being dingbats. Then in the middle of the 20^th century we had Hitler and he decided he didn’t like the Jews. (Seriously, that’s a tortured group of people. At least they’ve got God on their side.) Although not enslaved, they were just murdered in large batches. If they were lucky they just got put to work and were tortured. And throughout all of this women have been seen as less than men, while men have maintained power.

In the last century though we have become an enlightened people. We are bucking the trends and patterns of our ancestors so that we can do and be better. Still nothing is going to change over night. We have to continue to work towards improvement. No one is going to give women the power they’re fighting for. They have to stand up and take it back. The power that we seek is within us. Men are not required to pull it out of us or wait around for it to come out. That’s not in their nature. So, if we want our place in existence we have to make it. We have to stand up for ourselves and just be the powerful group we know we can be. And hopefully with this new enlightenment we don’t have to prove our superiority but can simply live in peace with men.