9 must have tools to have with you on the road
Spiritually inclined packing list!
Packing list for the spiritually inclined, not really a list limited to those spiritually minded, but anyone who recognizes that sometimes we need extra help. In my experience after traveling for a long period of time, I get overwhelmed. Be it unsettled or tired. Often the result is that I find it hard to make decisions, clarify what I’m doing, where I’m going next, who I can trust and so on. If I’m not able to maintain rhythms of work, sleep, and healthy food it’s hard to be clear about what’s going on, all the time.
For example, I adventured around Myanmar a few years ago. One part of the trip I traveled by overnight bus to the north of the country where I was woken up at 3.30 in the morning. The bus was supposed to arrive at 7 am but arrived 3.5 hours early. I got hustled off into a pitch black street, with no real idea what is going on and where I was. As the bus pulled away, all I could see where the two rear lights disappearing in the darkness. Half asleep and disoriented, I had to make a decision. In this moment, it was which way to walk and find somewhere to stay (there were no taxis or living souls, and the bus had stopped on the side of a road rather than at a bus station).
Needless to say, most cities are quiet at 3.30 in the morning you can imagine the village was completely dead. Even the street dogs were silent. Without a proper map, idea, or even adequate lighting I reached for my ‘tool-kit’ and answered the pressing question ‘Where do I go now? Left or Right? My answer was ‘left’ and so, to the left I walked and into what would be the exact town I wanted to be in and to the only place that had someone available to talk to and with an available room at 4 am.
When we travel occasionally we have to make snap decisions about the best thing to do in a situation, quickly. Sometimes when your brain is not making any sense whatsoever due to stress, lack of sleep, or overstimulation, the reason doesn’t matter, occasionally we all need some secondary assistance. This is where my ‘tool-kit’ comes in. What did I use at 3.30 in the morning to make my decision? Kinesiology.
Muscle testing with Kinesiology
Kinesiology – muscle testing, brought into practice by Donna Eden. An energy healer who started asking her body what it needed, wanted, liked (or not) and from this, the practice of kinesiology was developed into a technique used to ask questions.
– Start by balancing yourself and taking a few deep breaths and firmly planting your feet on the ground, connecting with the universal energy flow, with your dominant hand connect the tips of your little finger and thumb together to create a strong circular connection. With your non-dominant hand create a pincer (crab claw) with your thumb and forefinger.
Your dominant hand is generally the hand you write with and non-dominant is your other hand.
– Start by asking two questions that have definitive yes and no answers, for example,
Is my name ___________ insert your name (the answer will definitely be yes)
Is my name ____________ select a random name (the answer will definitely be no)
How to get ready to muscle test for answers.
– When you ask each question create the loop with your dominant hand and the pincer with your non-dominant hand.
– Ask the question to confirm for the ‘yes’result – Is my name ___________? (insert your name)
– As you ask the question put your non-dominant pincer fingers in the circle made with your little finger and thumb of your dominant hand, insert your ‘pincer fingers’ into the loop and try to open your fingers with your other fingers – if the loop on your dominant hand doesn’t open the answer is YES.
– Now repeat the process with your ‘no’ question – Is my name ____________? (select a completely random name)
– As you ask the question put your non-dominant pincer fingers in the circle made with your little finger and thumb of your dominant hand, insert your ‘pincer fingers’ into the loop and try to open your fingers with your other fingers – if the loop opens easily, this means NO.
– For me, for example, if my fingers open easily as though I have no power or strength, this means, no. If my fingers open a little or with some difficulty, this means maybe, and best to find another solution. If I can’t open the loop at all, it means yes.
Asking questions about food
– helpful for those with food allergies* –
– You can ask all sorts of questions, related to food, places to stay, people, anything and everything. One good thing to remember is that the body doesn’t lie!
– To ask questions about food, its best to hold a piece of food so your body can feel it’s energy. Try it with a sachet of white sugar, then a piece of fruit or vegetable and see the difference in your body’s response to the question.
– how to keep your inner balance when you’re on the road –
Spiritual tool box packing list essentials.when you’re on the road –
Pendulum – pendulums are a great tool for asking yes and no questions, again, center yourself and breath, go within and listen to your inner voice. Ask basic yes and no questions that you know are either yes or no (use the examples above) and once you have determined the movement from the pendulum that indicates yes, no and maybe – for example, turning anti-clockwise for no, turning clockwise for yes and straight swinging line for maybe. Pendulums take some time and practice, but well worth the time! Couple the answers with your kinesiology to see if you get the same answers.
I usually wear a pendulum on a necklace, I particularly love the pendulums from Pound Jewelry. But you can use anything, a ring on a necklace or piece or string with a weighted end. What’s important is the connection you have and how you ask the question.
Tarot / Oracle deck – When packing for a trip I always take one deck of cards with me, historically tarot, but recently I have been using oracle cards more, so next time, who knows – maybe the oracle will come with me instead. I like to use the beautiful Vision Quest tarot deck, with amazing drawings with Native American wisdom. I mentioned before, oracle decks feature more in my daily practice. Colette Baron-Reid’s Wisdom of the Oracle deck has beautiful illustrations and her collaborative oracle set with Pam Grout, the author of E² (E-squared) and E³ (E-cubed). The Oracle of E is much simpler and straightforward, plus it has Pam’s wonderful tongue in cheek humor.
Tuning fork – personally when I travel I notice I pick up all sorts of ‘stuff’. From other people’s energy to negative ideas or thoughts, thus I always have a tuning fork with me. The tuning fork is a marvelous tool to refine and clear your energy if it’s not possible to have an Epsom salt bath, swim in the sea or use sage and palo santo to clear the energy of the space or yourself. Easy to include in your packing as it’s not bulky or heavy.
Mala beads – otherwise known as prayer beads, are strands of up to 108 beads used to create and maintain a rhythm whilst praying or meditating. Used in many different cultures with different names, Roman Catholics use the Rosary with 54 beads and five additional beads. Islamic prayer beads known as Misbaha or Tasbih have either 99 or 33 beads. Sikhs and Buddhists use Mala with 108 beads.
Palo Santo – meaning literally “holy wood” a tree native to the subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, burned as incense by the Incas and indigenous people of the Andes region. Palo Santo has the ability to clear energy similar to White Sage and Cedar. It’s also good for keeping away mosquitoes! If you’re packing to go to Australia or New Zealand you won’t be able to take Palo Santo with you. You’ll need to purchase some when you are there. Check customs regulations before you travel. Palo Santo is also available as a therapeutic oil, which is an alternative to carrying a small piece of wood.
Yogo tall ultralight yoga mat made from natural tree rubber and cotton.
Yoga travel mat – If you’re not really into yoga, in my opinion, there is no point taking a mat. But if you are a yogi and want to continue your practice without lugging a huge and heavy mat around with you, have a look at the Yogo ultralight mat. Just 1kg folding down to 30 x 7.5 x 12cm. The ultralight is 61cm wide and 173cm long with a thickness of 1.5mm made from natural tree rubber and cotton. The Yogo long ultralight mat is slightly heavier at 1.5kg but it’s 182cm long. Which for tall people like me is a better length!
– Packing virtual tools –
Online meditations – we’ve all got a stash of meditations on our phone, kindle, tablet or computer. Meditations are a great tool to disconnect from the space we’re in. Regardless of whether it’s metaphorically or physically. Plus, they weigh nothing, an excellent addition to your packing list.
Kindle e-books – I think of my kindle as an “escape hatch”. Disappearing into another world in the turn of a virtual page. I have the most basic version of the Kindle. I don’t want to be distracted by wifi or the web. Reading for me is serious business and when I’m in the zone, I don’t want to be distracted.
Packing lists have to be adapted to each person’s needs and requirements, but these nine items are a good starting point. Happy wayfairing and please leave a comment below to tell me what you tools you’re packing in your tool kit.
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