Current Trends In Plant Medicine

Everyone suffers stress and anxiety at some point in life. Luckily, meditation can give you a balance of emotions, a sense of calm, and peace. Calmness and inner peace can help you cope with stress and anxiety or develop a positive perspective toward your job, relationship, or schoolwork. But how do you stay focused in your meditation sessions? This is where meditation music comes in. Music provides insight during meditation to help you cope with stress and anxiety. Continue reading to learn more about meditation music healing.

HOW TO MEDITATE WITH MUSIC

Music helps to enhance focus and internal concentration during meditation. Beginners can find incorporating soundtracks into their sessions a little challenging. However, this needn’t be the case. You only need to start your sessions with music playing in the background.

The music can come from any device, but it would be good to enjoy your favorite meditation music through headphones. Noise cancellation headphones may give you a better experience, especially if you live in a noisy place or have kids or pets. 

Other than enhancing focus, meditation music helps you in timing your sessions. Unlike an alarm timer, music helps close your sessions softly. If you want a five-minute meditation session, select a song that runs for five minutes. This way, you can know when your session is about to end for a smooth transition. 

SELECTING THE BEST MUSIC FOR MEDITATION 

While you can meditate with any soundtrack, some music genres naturally get you into a meditative mood. The point here is to get the best music for your meditation sessions. You can try different genres until you get one that works for you. Here are some genres to make your start list;

BINAURAL BEAT MUSIC

In binaural beat music, the frequency delivered to your left ear differs slightly from what you receive through the right ear. The different frequencies provide relaxation and the ability to cope with anxiety and stress. 

OM MEDITATION SONGS

Om meditation songs help you chant throughout your meditation session. Chanting has traditionally been used to provide relaxation during yoga and meditation.

HINDI MEDITATION SONGS

Hindi meditation songs originate from India. The songs have rhythms and mantra that puts you in a meditative mood. 

RELAXING TIBETAN FLUTE MUSIC

Tibetan flute music is Buddhist-styled songs that set you in the right mood for meditation. Flute soundtracks put you into a sense of calmness for your meditation.

RELAXING MEDITATION MUSIC

A relaxing music track for meditation is designed to enhance meditation for stress and anxiety. The tranquil nature of relaxing meditation music provides a spa-like feeling that helps you slide into a meditative mood. 

MEDITATION MYTH: YOU CAN ONLY MEDITATE WITH RELAXING MUSIC

For so long, meditation has been used to enhance relaxation, which explains why people associate it with relaxing music. However, insight is equally essential in meditation. Many do not realize that the intensely satisfying experience of a meditation session comes from insight/focus. 

If you are looking for insight, you do not need relaxing music. You require the right music to help you focus on what is happening inside you. Use what works for you: whether like rap or rock music, do not allow myths to limit your choices.

ALTERNATIVE RAP/ROCK MUSIC

Rap music focuses on rhyme and lyrics, while rock songs are generally about beats from musical instruments. The two genres are equally effective in setting a meditative mood. 

FIND YOUR INNER PEACE THROUGH MUSIC

Meditation helps you discover your inner peace and ability to cope with stressful situations in life. The good thing is that you are not limited to a specific kind of music. Click here to download or stream FLOOWOOD music on all platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, and discover your inner peace through meditation.

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Current Trends In Plant Medicine

Plant medicine has been used to improve people’s lives for the longest time. Most communities around the world have herbal medicines they rely on to address various illnesses and health conditions, including mental disorders, hypertension, and cancer. Just like music, plant medicine has a therapeutic effect and plays a significant role in helping your mind relax. Here is a brief guide if you need to know the therapeutic effects of herbal tea and Psychedelics.

Herbal Tea

Do you occasionally experience anxiety or depression or need to manage stress? Herbal tea can be a perfect remedy. Herbal tea is made using a combination of caffeine-free herbs. Known for its high medicinal value, herbal tea helps boost your health in many ways and relieves apprehension signs. Additionally, herbal tea has the ability to relieve frustrations related to lifestyle changes and to help you cope with issues that overwhelm you.

This beverage is made from various parts of specified plants, including leaves, barks, roots, and petals. Some of the most effective ingredients include ginger, hibiscus, lavender, peppermint, and chamomile. When blended in the right proportions, the product is an effective herbal remedy for anxiety and depression.     

Psychedelics

Psychedelics are psychoactive substances that can be used to boost mental health. Some cultures embrace the use of psychedelics as a cultural practice. Shamanism, for instance, combines plant medicine with shamanic healing practices to address emotional and mental imbalances. Shamans have the ability to alter your consciousness to help you address mental issues. The ceremonial use of psychedelics is a natural remedy believed to promote mental consciousness and thus address a range of mental disorders.  

There are a variety of psychedelics, some of which are known to provide a sense of relaxation. However, you should not take psychedelics on your own. It is recommended that you consult an individual who is well versed in the industry and will also offer spiritual guidance during the treatment session.

Some of the most common psychedelics include:

Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a type of herbal tea made by brewing Psychotria Viridis leaves and Banisteriopsis caapi vine stalks in water. The drink is prepared by a shaman and has hallucinogenic properties to help your mind relax. Once you take the brew, your mental consciousness will be altered.

Ayahuasca is an excellent remedy if you experience uncontrolled anxiety or any other form of mental disorder. Research has shown that taking ayahuasca enhances your psychological well-being while improving your mindfulness capacity.

Ayahuasca can be combined with the icaros to yield better results. But, what is icaros, and how does it work? Here’s what you need to know;

Icaros  

This plant medicine is administered at the temple with close monitoring of a religious leader to remove negative energies. This magical therapy is presented in song form and gradually affects the participant. If you feel overwhelmed and unable to face life’s challenges, you may want to experience this thrilling musical transformation that enhances your mindfulness.

Psilocybin (Mushrooms)

Psilocybin is a form of psychedelic treatment used to treat depression. This mushroom therapy offers therapeutic effects that work on the central nervous system. It penetrates the brain, providing a healing effect that helps relax your mind.

Marijuana

Cannabis can be used to treat a range of medical issues, including anxiety and depression. In addition to helping you relax, medical marijuana has many advantages. If you want to alter your mental state and experience a relaxation effect, you can use recreational marijuana. However, seeking medical advice before taking this plant medicine is highly recommended to prevent unwanted side effects.

DMT

Another psychedelic treatment used in religious ceremonies is DMT. The drug produces psychoactive effects that can alter your mental state and cause hallucinations. For better and positive results, consult your physician. You can reduce the effects by following these simple steps:

• Ensure your environment is safe with people you can trust
• Avoid alcohol and other drugs
• Be in a positive state of mind

Take Control of Your Mental Health

Don’t let anxiety or any other mental health condition ruin your happiness. If you present any signs of mental health disorder, try plant medicine. The therapeutic effect produced can only be equated to music that calms your mind and helps you feel relaxed. For more insights on how to address mental issues, listen to enjoy therapeutic music that will keep you relaxed.

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Have you lost interest in activities you used to enjoy? Are you angered and agitated for no reason? You could be suffering from depression. Depression is a mental health condition that impacts the mood leading to a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities. Here we look at the warning signs of depression and how music can help.

Depression Warning Signs

Like other mental health conditions, depression has a diagnostic manual that doctors review with you. The manual helps determine whether a patient suffers a form of depression or not. However, our depression may not always feature in the diagnostic manual. It is possible to rule out depression if you only rely on the DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria. The diagnostic tools used in most depression treatment centers may not resonate with most of us. Here are a few warning signs of depression that may not appear in the mainstream depression diagnostic manual.

Music Doesn’t Hit Like It Used To

While we may have differences in the music that soothes our souls, almost everyone loves music. Everyone has a specific music genre that lifts them when they are feeling low. There is that song that brightens your moods whenever you feel down. But what reason would make your favorite song leave you feeling emotionless? You suddenly cannot cope with the emotions brought out in a song that brightened you before. This could be a sign of depression.

Everything is Sore, All the Time

Sometimes your body hurts for no apparent reason. You have pain in your joints, back, neck, and head. You cannot get settled. Your stomach also feels upset, and generally speaking, you are unwell. Note that you cannot really tell what is wrong with you, and any explanation for the pains would be welcome. When you cannot tell what makes you sick and constantly feel in bad shape, you could be depressed. Discussing this with a doctor is extremely important. However, it is good to appreciate that issues other than depression may make you feel ill.

Losing Your Creativity

Creativity is the ability to imagine and come up with ideas that provide the solution or meet the needs of a section of society. You could be creative in craft, drama, music, comedy, or other arts. Regardless of your area of creativity, a sudden loss of ability to offer solutions, entertainment, or education could point to depression.

Forgetting Your Identity

Sometimes you feel lost. Almost everyone feels lost at times. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with that. However, when you constantly become unable to clarify your purpose, values, or direction in life, you could be experiencing depression. Losing your personal identity is a common sign of depression.

How Can Music Therapy Help with Depression?

Music is a powerful emotion-stabilizing tool. Different styles of music impact positively on the mind to brighten your moods. The use of music to help alleviate symptoms of depression is known as music therapy. Music has been used alongside other counseling techniques to help improve the well-being of patients.

Benefits of Music Therapy

Uplifting melodies or lyrics can help to improve the listener’s mood as well.
Learning a song’s origin, theme, or setting can help connect with the composer and share their feelings. For example, Floowood’s music explores themes ranging from Dante’s Inferno to Buddha to Noah’s Ark.
Music therapy also helps you to express yourself creatively. Listening to music might inspire you to create your own and bring that creative spark back into your life.

Take Control of Your Mental Health

While depression may be inevitable, you have numerous ways of overcoming it. Music therapy is just one of them. Take control of your mental health through music therapy and improve the quality of your life. To access more wisdom from Floowood, click here, download, or stream his music on all platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.

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Apocalypse Now

The world has gone to hell.

The problem is you probably don’t disagree with that statement despite the fact that there is generally less global poverty, hunger, and conflict than ever before in human history. Why is it that we as a species remain insist that we are living in the “end of days?”

Perhaps it is because we just experienced a global pandemic. Perhaps it is because the doomsday clock is currently set at 100 seconds to midnight, the closest our world has ever come to total annihilation.

In a strange way, I feel relieved by the current climate. I no longer feel like a lonely street musician, singing to preoccupied passersby about the corrupt, incompetent, and compassionless behavior corroding American and global ethics. At last, it seems the rest of the world has finally caught up with my apocalyptic sensibilities.

Yet, I fear we are misinterpreting the implications of living amidst the apocalypse.

The Revealing

The common definition of apocalypse is “the complete final destruction of the world, as described in the book of Revelation.” This popular understanding of the term has led to it being used synonymously with catastrophe. But is the apocalypse truly a catastrophe to be feared?

Apocalypse comes from the Greek word, apokálypsis, meaning “revelation” or “disclosure.” With that in mind, consider revisiting the word “Revelation.” A new interpretation may reveal itself to you.

The year 2020 shined a light that revealed many shadows in ourselves and our society. Bearing witness to that suffering is an uncomfortable process, but admitting there is a problem is also the first step toward healing the American culture war or improving humanity’s relationship with our planet to prevent certain ecological collapse.

However, identifying the problem (and the necessary action to mitigate it) requires a common anchor of reality. Unfortunately, media bias has eroded the middle ground into a political divide that is not easily bridged.

The Misinformation Age

If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes journalism. Misinformation spread by cable news and social media has become a powerful and insidious tool of influence. What’s worse is that foreign adversaries have weaponized  social media, using fake accounts to disseminate divisive content that preys on American identity politics to widen the cracks in our decaying civility.

Deeming a revelation as “fake news,” a “conspiracy theory,” or a “Russian hoax” on mainstream news is the fastest, easiest way to delegitimize its credibility and dismiss it from consideration. Let us not forget, the media as it exists in its entirety is owned by only five companies. As news networks become increasingly partisan, the narratives they propagate become increasingly polarized, making it difficult to decipher which interpretation of reality is valid.

The Missing “Truth” Can Be Found In The Other

Wisdom insists both interpretations reveal aspects of truth, yet our desire to be blameless and act righteous prevents us from seeing (or sometimes even acknowledging) the truth in another’s contrary point of view. Instead of respecting opposing perspectives, media and tech companies have repeatedly censored conversations and de-platformed content creators for spreading misinformation.

When our uncompromising devotion to our identities and beliefs are challenged by conflicting ideologies, we feel insecure about who we are, how we fit, and what we believe. This leads to the feeling of being attacked or feeling “unsafe,” a phenomenon best described as cognitive dissonance. 

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance describes the discomfort people feel when presented with evidence of two contradictory thoughts, attitudes, or behaviors. Dissonance is most painful when the revelation undermines how we see ourselves in relationship to the world, threatening the belief that we are virtuous or morally righteous.

The minute we choose to align with a belief, we begin to find reasons why our decision was just and we were wise to dismiss the alternative. In time, any doubt we originally felt at the time of the initial decision has been replaced with surety. The more we justify our choices, the more difficult we find it to admit the possibility that we were ever wrong to begin with, especially if the end result proves humiliating, self-defeating, or harmful.

Why So Serious?

The best cure for cognitive dissonance is comedy. Seriously! The best way to circumvent the anxiety of reconciling two contradictory beliefs is to not take your beliefs and group identity so seriously. Humor can be used as a cognitive and communicative reframing device and also serves as a strategy to reduce or temporarily suspend tension.

The Archetype known as “The Fool” provides comic relief by crossing cultural norms. They are the court jester often seen in stories alongside the ruler, critiquing the state of the kingdom, saying (in jest) what needs to be said, yet no-one else is willing to say out loud.

The Fool uses honesty to combat incompetence and corruption. The fool remains unafraid of what the establishment thinks and speaks to the hypocrisy of those who claim to be righteous. They question rules and challenge authority, using humor to soften their blows.

When I was growing up, political satirists and late night comedians served as the fools. Now, political partisanship has engulfed Late Night television, and it seems Twitch streamers and podcasters have assumed the mantle of providing honest, unrestrained societal commentary. Is it not revealing that so many people choose to listen to the Joe Rogan Podcast instead of cable news?

Braving the Inferno

I embody the Fool every time I make music. I write rhymes that point out societal ails and bring light to the shadow. My lyrics reveal the rot of society, but in hopes that it may inspire growth. In recognition of this natural duality, I decided to release my project, Inferno, as two separate albums: Descent and Ascent.

In today’s world, there is no shortage of fools on radio and television pointing out problems. However, it is rare to find someone who dedicates equal time and attention to proposing and role-modeling solutions. For every song that I wrote on the album, “Inferno – Descent,” that pointed to a cultural problem, I composed an equally compelling companion song on “Inferno – Ascent” that captured the spirit of the positive reformative change I wish to see in the world.

Creating the music and story for the dual Inferno albums taught me that beyond duality, there is polarity. In the bigger picture, both sides are not separate, but one. So if we say the world has gone to hell, can we not also recognize that Earth can be heaven? That’s the power of choice.

See more about how Floowood has to offer and make sure to check out the music page. Make sure to also check out the Floowood YouTube channel.

Are You Struggling With Your Identity?

Everyone feels lost at times. If you’re finding it difficult to clarify your values, direction, or purpose in life, you’re not alone. The reason I started making music was to transcend my suffering and discover who I really was.

My artist persona, Floowood, was initially conceived out of heartbreak. You can hear the pain in my voice in the song “Ghost,” the lead single on the album Inferno: Descent. The song is about longing to feel recognized and ends with the words, “I’m just a victim.”

When I wrote those words, I meant them. I told myself a story that I had been wrongfully treated and found a sense of power and relief by identifying as a victim. Doing so meant I didn’t have to take responsibility for my failures and could avoid uncomfortable emotions. It gave me the right to complain and feel righteously sad and persecuted. In reality, I was just manipulating myself and others, although I wasn’t conscious of it at the time.

Identifying With Suffering Prevents Healing

Some believe our struggles define us. We find a sense of identity in the adversity and pain we overcome. After every hardship, we have a choice to see ourselves as survivors or victims.

These are not physiological wounds to heal because they are self-inflicted wounds. We carry wounds as badges of life’s experience, so we don’t let go.

Sometimes, suffering becomes so engrained in our identity that any attempt to heal our pain becomes a threat to our identity. In this instance, the victimhood identity can become a hindrance to spiritual growth and our ability to heal because we cannot let go of our past.

How to Overcome Victimhood Identity

1. Speak For Yourself

Instead of making statements like “you made me feel so angry,” express yourself through a direct “I” statement such as “I felt angry when you said that.” Take ownership of your behavior to improve your overall happiness. 

Consider saying affirmations such as “I am responsible for my life” or “I am empowered to create change” to help you build confidence and reprogram the unconscious need to play the victim.

2. Change Your Story

Are you a victim or are you a survivor? Victims get stuck in the past. Survivors move forward. Victims tell themselves they are helpless. Survivors fight to take control.

Although the victim mentality is addictive, the survivor mentality is much more empowering. When you see yourself as a survivor, you begin to feel more appreciative, confident, and optimistic about life.

3. Don’t Suffer Twice

Don’t blame yourself for being a victim. That doesn’t do any good. This identity isn’t something you choose. You inherited your code of beliefs through childhood conditioning. Give yourself grace and practice self love. Replace self-judgment with self-compassion.

4.  Integrate Your Shadow

Explore the wounds and core beliefs that limit you. Much of these limiting beliefs dwell in the shadow side of our psyche, and can only be explored through deep shadow work. The mistaken beliefs we unknowingly adopt about ourselves and others create anxiety, depression, anger, and blame. Instead of pointing fingers, don’t be afraid to ruthlessly interrogate yourself and understand your own toxic behavior so it doesn’t take you by surprise.

5. Give Thanks

Gratitude is the simplest, most powerful antidote to depression. Vocalizing what you’re thankful for reminds you that life isn’t all misery. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of life, identify ten things that you’re thankful for each day. Try saying grace before you enjoy a meal. The more you focus on your blessings, you will feel less empty and more whole. 

7. Express Yourself

If you’re struggling with identity and a victim mentality, consider seeing a therapist. You can also express yourself by journaling or through creative pursuits such as poetry, music, and dance. One of the best ways to process pain is to turn it into art and release it.

8. Show Love

The more we identify as a victim, the more we tend to isolate and focus only on ourselves. Doing something nice for someone you love is a great way to get out of your own head. Be generous with your service. The more helpful you are, the less helpless you feel.

Reclaim Your Sovereignty

We are not defined by our traumas. We are defined by our ability to overcome them.

Sovereignty is the opposite of victimhood. It is quality of being independent and responsible for one’s life conditions in such a way that we take charge and are prepared to meet life’s challenges. To be sovereign means to be free from fear, self-pity, and limiting beliefs. It means controlling our healing process.

For more wisdom from Floowood click here to download or stream his music on all platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music