Morpheus: “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” –The Matrix

Whether you are aware of it or not, many in the West are born, grow, and die a slave to the Matrix. The 1999 movie of the same name starring Keanu Reeves questions what is real and what is simulated reality. While purely a fictitious work by the Wachowskis brothers, the movie touches on themes which challenge the current model of society and points to the problem of indoctrination and a lack of awareness amongst the populace. In search of answers, the mild-mannered Neo, a computer programmer, meets Morpheus, who tries to explain the Matrix. On entering the room Morpheus asks Neo, “Do you want to know what it is?” He explains…

The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work. or you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. – The Matrix

Growing your own medicinal garden is so easy, there might even be some herbs already growing in your back yard. Since many common culinary herbs have a long history as traditional medicines, you might want to consider planting a few. It can only do you good!

1. German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

As one of the best herbs for treating stress, infections, and stomachaches it’s worth having it in your garden. Make a tea, or treat your hair with it if you want it to change its color to lighter nuance. It tolerates many types of soils, but sandy, well-drained soil is most preferable.

2. Common Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Sage can be used for treating fevers, diarrhea and excessive sweating. Because of its phytosterols, its main purpose is cooling and drying body functions.

The meaning of life is… This.

I’m not pulling your leg.

This right here – What’s happening right now – This is the meaning of life.

But…

What about helping others?

What about love?

What about growing as a person?

Those things will never happen outside of now. They are part of this. So is reading this article, biting your lip, and that itch you have juuuust about now.

Our sense of smell is the only sense that is directly tied to the limbic area of the brain, which is considered the emotional control center. And when we inhale essential oils they go directly to the brain. The other four senses — taste, sight, touch and hearing — are first routed through the thalamus before reaching designated areas of the brain.

Therapeutic-grade essential oils can have amazing psychological and physiological effects since the limbic system is directly connected to parts of the brain that control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, stress levels, memory, and hormone balance. Every essential oil has therapeutic calming, sedative, stimulating, and balancing properties. The inhaled molecule of the essential oil travels through the nasal passage to a receptor neuron that transports it up to the limbic brain, particularly the hypothalamus. The limbic center in the brain controls all the physical, psychological, and emotional responses that the body performs based on stimuli that come from the outside. Therefore, the capacity of essential oils to target the limbic center makes them a powerful tool in the treatment of many health diseases.

Being able to pick up on others energy and feel what they are feeling is a wonderful gift to have.  It can also be one of the most burdensome curses.  If not managed properly, empathetic abilities can cause you extreme emotional, spiritual, and psychological distress.

Have you ever been around someone and had your energy completely drained from how negative they are? Or have you ever been around someone who is in a state of depression, and then you get caught up in feeling that same depression as well?  Being an empath is a gift, but it requires that we have a special skillset to prevent ourselves from losing our energy and our sanity.

Here are 3 essential coping tips for people with empathetic abilities:

1) Guard your thoughts

Here is a very common experience empaths go through.  Let’s say you are sitting down with a friend, and another person walks into the room and you start picking up on what they are feeling.  When you start picking up on what they are feeling, pay attention to the thoughts that arise in your mind when this happens.  They may be thoughts like: