Internally, it seems there is no end to what nettle tea can do for the body. To begin with, nettle tea is rich in vitamins: A; C; E; B1; B2; B3; B5; calcium; iron; folate; potassium; magnesium; manganese; phosphorous; selenium; and zinc – who needs daily supplements after sipping a hot cup of nettle tea? Even if you do not suffer from any ailments, drinking nettle tea regularly can help keep you in
tip-top shape.

As nettle tea is a natural diuretic (meaning it flushes out your system), it aids in the relief of urinary tract infections and kidney stones. It can also relieve diarrhea symptoms; just be careful, as drinking too much nettle tea also acts as a
laxative.
Nettle tea contains anti-inflammatory properties that assist in a respite from joint pain
and arthritis (either from drinking the tea or applying it directly to the
joints – the tea, not the leaves!). These properties help open nasal cavities,
as well, allowing relief from hay fever and other allergies.

This subject is one I've always felt passionate about, so when I cam across this article I just had to share it with you:

When I worked in St James’s Church, Piccadilly, there was a wonderful quotation blue-tacked to one of the walls. If you walked from the adjoining rectory through to the church you could not avoid seeing it.  It was a quotation from the Swiss psychiatrist and mystic, Carl Jung.

 "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. "This comes from his book 'Alchemical Studies' and in the same passage he goes on to write that this process of making the darkness conscious "is disagreeable and therefore not popular."

Never was a truer word written. Spiritual people will often do anything to avoid
looking at their own faults and shadows. We could have a television talent
competition for avoidance, denial and excuses. Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome. And who is the winner today for denying their bad behaviour, blaming others and maintaining a smug composure? Roll up. Roll up. 
Everyone welcome. 

I always smiled when I passed the Jung quotation in the church. I liked the
reality-check. I especially liked it because so many of the speakers on our
programme were naïve about the human condition. They delivered intriguing and
inspiring ideas that promised better health, improved finances and more loving
relationships. You are probably very familiar with this type of teaching. Change your thoughts. Change your attitude. And you will attract whatever you desire. But they did not acknowledge or understand our deeper shadows. 

To repeat what I wrote a few months ago, that type of teaching points in an
interesting direction but is, in my opinion, misleading and shallow. It misleads
because it ignores the huge unseen and unconscious material that is beneath the surface. It treats the human psyche as if what you see is what you get.
But human beings are like icebergs, only the tip showing. Below the water is a mass of psychological history, karma and ancestral influences.

More than that we are also animals, complex mammals, naked apes with powerful biological instincts. I loudly profess our spirituality — souls on immensely long journeys, developing heart and consciousness — but it would be gullible and immature to ignore our biology.  Look at some of the embedded instincts that can drive our feelings, thoughts and behaviour. The need for food, shelter, status and comfort.

Lust and loneliness. Pain, irritability, excitement and sloth. Responses to threat, rudeness and aggression.

You may think all these behaviours are just human. In fact they are driven by
biology and you can clearly see them in other animals. (Don’t get in the way of
a tired, hungry, irritated beast. Whether it is a member of your family or an
elephant in the jungle. Let them have dinner first.)

But there is one biological drive that is particularly human and is especially
challenging for us. Our mind-brains, our monkey-minds, are endlessly whirring
with a compulsive neural drive to understand, interpret and comment on all that
is happening. This never-ending chatter, which includes made-up stories and
fictions, results from a biological drive that has ensured our species’ survival. Our brains fill in gaps, so that we have a whole picture and story. 

You can see this in rudimentary form in animals: Grey clouds = Rain = Animals go to water hole = Dinner. Our brains compulsively fill in gaps — and are often wrong! Someone promised to phone you and then doesn’t. Your brain makes up a story…This continuous brain activity and our other biological drives trigger different levels of arousal.
You see food you like and hormones of digestion are produced. You perceive a
threat and your body responds with anxiety. You see something you like and your body responds with desire. 

Our minds and bodies are integrated in an intimate neuro-endocrinal anatomy. And our confabulating brains — creating the story, filling in the spaces — compulsively tells a story to relieve us from the anxiety of unknowing. Those are the biological realities for all of us:
the pursuit of food, survival, status and never-ending internal gibbering chatter. It is problematic, isn’t it? Here we are, beautiful cosmic souls and we are incarnate in this flesh and blood activity. No wonder there are spiritual traditions that try to ignore the body or, even worse, punish it for being so biological. 

It is important for people who are serious about spiritual development fully to
understand these realities. Yes we are beautiful cosmic souls. And we are also
biological creatures enmeshed in our personal and collective karma.
Look at the worst forms of human cruelty and you can see all of these dynamics converging and at work. Stupid, cruel, bestial behaviour justified by internal stories of delusion. Exhausted, frightened, threatened, caught up in a herd dynamic, who knows what any of us might do? 

Eckhart Tolle graphically refers to our shadow as the pain body and in A New Earth writes that it ‘is a semi-autonomous energy-form that lives within most human beings ... It has its own primitive intelligence, not unlike a cunning animal,
and its intelligence is directed primarily at survival.’ All experienced spiritual practitioners are realistic about our shadows. There are for example wonderful eastern paintings of serene meditators surrounded by terrible dragons, ghosts and ghouls all representing aspects of the shadow self. 

We have to take all of this seriously, don’t we? Surely it merits our highest
wisdom, insight and compassion. In acknowledging the shadow we are realistic
about the challenges in our spiritual development. We can be strategic and wise
in self-managing our growth. We no longer have to lose energy in fandangos of
denial. We no longer have to guilt-trip ourselves as if there is something
personally and uniquely wrong with us. Our shadow behaviours are all just part
of the human condition.

So what’s my advice to help us along? It is no different from that of all wise
spiritual traditions. First, deepen your experience and connection with the
wonder and benevolence of nature and cosmos. You need the fuel and motivation that come from being connected to the great mystery and benevolence of life. Commit to increasing surrender and openness to spirit. 

Second, turn up the volume on your insightful and wise compassion. Open your heart more fully to the realities of the human condition, practising acceptance,
forgiveness, healing and integration. And if none of that works you might try ice cream or a movie …anything that calms the beast. Until you are ready to make the moral and compassionate effort, to look deeply again into the eyes of your own shadow and embrace it with love.
All my love. William

This
article can be found online here:http://www.williambloom.com/writings/embracing-our-shadow-179.htm

Meditation, with practice, helps us become more of an individual, a more mature adult who has developed & connected with our intentions and who is more willing to take responsibility for our actions.

 Regular meditation can refine our mind and can lead to greater positivity, as well as focus and concentration. If we could meditate every day, we’d start enjoying…

The kind of deep and blissful relaxation that melts away stress and leaves us feeling rejuvenated.  
A profound mind-body connection that empowers us.
Free-flowing inspiration and creativity that helps us solve challenges.
An unbreakable abundance mind-set and a magnetic attraction to wealth and success. 
   
So why is meditation such a struggle for many people?
Well first we need to understand that when we sit down to meditate, our brain waves shift and enter a deeper level of consciousness.
Brain Wave Frequency (cycles per seconds) 14-21 cps and higher.
Walking state, the five senses. Perception of time and spaces.  7-14 cps.
Light sleep, meditation, intuition. No time and space limitation. 4-7 cps.
Deep sleep, meditation. 0-4 cps.
Deeper sleep. We are unconscious at Delta. 

The Alpha level is the state most commonly associated with meditation and the challenge most people face is staying in this state, as mind chatter (or monkey chatter) can take us out of this state, but it's worth the effort to keep practicing.

Another way to get into meditation is to start with guided meditations, as they are very powerful too and often keep the monkey chatter at bay.

1    joy/knowledge/empowerment/love
2    passion
3    enthusiasm
4    positive expectation/belief
5    optimism
6    hopefulness
7    contentment
8    boredom
9    pessimism
10  frustration/impatience
11  overwhelment
12  disappointment
13  doubt
14  worry
15  blame
16  discouragement
17  anger
18  revenge
19  hatred/rage
20  jealousy
21  insecurity/unworthiness/guilt
22 fear/grief/depression/powerlessness/victim