Cheyenne

Enjoy a guest blog from Cheyenne Mendel, Goddess extraordinaire!

“From a Latin root meaning “to delight in,” the Dilettante is a lover of the fine arts who never rises above the level of an amateur, and to whom the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” applies. Although the word has the negative connotation of a dabbler who seeks only a cursory knowledge or experience, it never completely loses the sense of delighting in the arts. The Amateur, from the Latin root for “love,” has many of the same qualities of the Dilettante applied to the realm of sports or applied arts such as cooking and gardening. In many cases it’s better to be an inspired amateur than a grind-it-out professional. Like the survival archetypes, the Dilettante or Amateur can alert you when you are in danger of becoming merely superficial in your pursuits, or losing the love that drew you to your avocation in the first place. The shadow Dilettante manifests as a pretension to much deeper knowledge than you actually possess.” – Caroline Myss

If you have not blessed yourself with any of Caroline Myss’s books or teachings I highly recommend it. They are life changing.

“VENICE” by Rowan Lyford

I realize now the archetype of the Dilettante came to me early 2016 when I went into the local artisans gallery in Crestone, Colorado. I saw this painting entitled “VENICE” and was immediately smitten. I love art but I have never considered myself an artist of any kind.

I could not get the painting out of my mind and would walk by to make sure it was still there. I realized I had to secure it for myself and plopped $700 down on it. I had never really purchased a painting let alone spend that kind of money.

I discovered it was painted by a 17-year-old girl named Rowan. I was amazed by how much it inspired me and it also turned out to be a feng shui cure to help sell my business.

In 2016 I took up piano lessons. I had them in the 2nd and 3rd grade but during the times I was supposed to be practicing, bad things were happening to me at home. I had “collapsed” (a Landmark Education term) the abuse with playing the piano. I never touched the piano again for decades.

Cheyenne Mendel playing the piano in her home in Saguache, Colorado.

I myself have been and acupuncturist for 26 years. I have had the privilege of treating over 30,000 sessions and chances are for years and years I have spent most of my days standing with people and working on them. Like me, there are many other specialist in fields that require tons of education like physicians for example, who have not explored the Dilettante simply for lack of time.

I would say anyone who spends 10,000 hours let alone 30,000 would be an expert in that field. I am not used to being an amateur. Crawling when I am used to running doesn’t feel great. Ego crushing at times!

The benefits of artistic expression are numerous and undeniable when practiced. Being able to do something for the sheer joy of it is inspirational and miraculous.

Another bucket list item for me was dance. Just this month, I enrolled in a studio for a 6 week two-step country swing class and it has been pure pleasure. For me the best part is “being led”. I have to lead in so many other areas of my life. To be able to let go and flit around the dance floor to honkey tonk music has been a blast.

In the Dec 2016/ Jan 2017 Reader’s Digest article, Kurt Vonnegut writes, ‘What I have to say to you, moreover will not take long, to wit: Practice any art – music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage – no matter how well or badly, not to get money or fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what is inside of you, to make your soul grow.”

He goes on to say “Write a poem and make it the best you possible can. Don’t tell anyone what you are doing. Don’t share it with anyone. Tear it into tiny pieces and discard them widely in different receptacles.”

The Dilettante experiences art for the joy of it. The huge popularity of the show THE VOICE speaks to how much the population is thirsty for pure inspiration and joy in artistry.

The artist Prince died April 21, 2016. I cried for three weeks and then again even months later. Why? I never understood the crying I saw around me when Elvis died. I was 9 years old. All these people did not know Elvis. I now understand. I did not know Prince personally nor did I ever attend one of the famous Paisley Park pop up concerts, but the love and artistry and high frequency and how he conducted his life, left a big impression in my heart. Every time someone we know or someone who touches us dies, we take inventory of our life and the meaning of it and what brings meaning to it.

So if the Dilettante is knocking I recommend letting him or her in. The water is very fine.

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” – William W. Purkey

Cheyenne Mendel practices acupuncture in Crestone, Colorado.

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This is conversation with Cheyenne Mendel, Licensed Acupuncturist, Executive and long time friend.

Candess: We have a New Year ahead of us and many people are making changes in their lives to increase their health. What are some of the most important changes you suggest to do for their health in the coming year?

Cheyenne:

1. Drink good quality Water!

Chances are if you say, “I don’t like water,” you don’t have a good clean source. The very best investment you can make for your health “HANDS DOWN” is hydration. Your body cannot release toxins without it.

All organs need water. The lungs use one quart of water at sea level just to breathe. Your body need much more at higher elevations. When it is freezing you can see your breath. Some people don’t ever even drink that much. Some people say “I drink coffee…lots of water in that.” Have you ever tried washing your clothes or wiping your counters with coffee? You can also get water by eating water filled foods like raw fruits and vegetables.

2. Avoid the offenders!

Avoid the foods that become “goo and glue” in your body. These are sugar, high fat, and refined carbs.

Anything in a box or with plastic on it has been processed in some way. I am currently in California and finally made it to the ever-famous Trader Joes. The problem with this store even though it is pretty cool, is that most of the vegetables are processed in some way. The vegetables are wrapped in petroleum based plastic materials.

Make sure you are not hungry when you shop because you will end up eating whatever you buy. Whether you make a healthy or crappy lunch for work, when lunchtime rolls around you are hungry and you will eat whatever is there. When you eat healthy it is like giving your cells a high paying job vs. minimum wage or a slave labor job.

If eating healthy is too overwhelming then simply avoid the bad stuff. If that is too much, then start small. If you eat sugar all day long then start by avoiding sugar in the morning. Don’t destroy your whole day with an assault on your pancreas first thing in the morning. Avoid the offenders! Nature abhors a vacuum and the healthy food will creep in.

3. Consciously interact with Dr. Nature 20 min a day!

Dr. Nature has many curing aspects such as fresh air, sunshine, rest, movement/exercise or a combination of these. Try a walk and a quick catnap or a cat rest if you can’t do naps. Today people are so exhausted and over stimulated from technology that rest is a higher priority for a body. You know how to do this. Notice how your thinking and feeling changes as your begin to walk in nature.

4. Contribute to others!

Being an acupuncturist for two decades with 10,000 patient contacts, I can say the unhappiest people I encountered in my practice and in life were people that focused entirely on themselves. It is difficult, almost impossible to be happy when you are not healthy, but of being happy is contributing to another person in some way.

Take 10 -15 minutes a day to contribute to someone else. The opportunity or challenge I am offered is to do something that brings you joy. Write and mail a card of appreciation, make someone’s bed, clean the employee break room for 10 minutes, pick up trash around your neighborhood, or bag your own groceries to help a busy clerk. Sharing a kind word or listening deeply to someone can make you happy by giving.

There are stories about random acts of kindness like the story of people paying the lay away bills for people at K Mart. People who use lay-away are typically very poor or they would simply purchase the items in the first place. You can send a loving thought and prayer for a homeless person rather than sending out a thought like “get a job.” (One I have been working on.)

5. Forgive others!

Forgiveness is for YOU and your freedom. If you are offended or “go to your bed in wrath” or are thinking about what so and so said or did to you, then you are sowing strong seeds of ill health. Try forgiving on a small scale and you will understand the truth of how forgiving contributes to your health. Ten minutes of prayer or mediation can really help in this area.

6. Spend 15 min a day on your Essence Self!

Just like how you are instructed in an airplane, if there is a need, an oxygen mask will appear and you must put the oxygen mask on yourself first; it is important to care for yourself first. We all have family or friend situations that we respond to either in a positive or negative way.

It is important to take time to spend with your Essence Self and to put energy into your own “coffer” and not wait for someone else to fill you up.

In an emergency situation, I recently moved to California to manage one of my husband’s businesses. It is a small complex of studios which I am selling. The first 20 minutes in the unit I unplugged and removed the television. I have lived without a TV in my home for 20 years. My 18-year-old daughter has grown up without TV.

Instead of watching TV, I walk on the beach, read, write old fashioned cards, people watch, sit and zone out and have more time to make special “qi” (life force) filled meals for myself. I have more energy to pick out really healthy food and the list goes on and on. Spend 15 minutes a day with your Essence Self and see what you need to create and what you need to let go of this year.

Candess: My thanks to Cheyenne for sharing this with us. She is the most healthy and pure person I know and I love her continued support of mine and other’s physical, mental and spiritual health. She has contributed to tens of thousands of people in her lifetime!

7. Step 7 is for the reader. As you read this, there is something you know that you need to do that will be helpful to raise your level of health for the New Year!

The Dilettante (Amateur) Archetype

7 Simple Steps for a Healthy New Year!