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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

May Eve - Beltane Facts & Folklore

On April 30th the celebration known as May Eve arrives.
May Eve is also known as Beltaine or Beltane.
Beltane is one of the Great Fire Festivals of the ancient
Celtic people.
Beltane is the celebration of Summer.
From this point until the Summer Solstice,
sunlight will reach it's peak.
The days will continue to grow longer.

-On the Summer Solstice,
traditionally considered the start of
summer for many, the days actually
become shorter. A sign that
Fall will soon arrive!

Beltane is a celebration of Rebirth.
The Sun's warmth brings growth to the land.
Although many consider it
a celebration of love, the origins lie
in celebrating the fertility of the land.

As one of the major Fire festivals,
It is a time when the veil between worlds
is believed "thin".
A time to communicate with the Fae
or the Spirits of Nature.

Have you heard the expression,
"Bringing in the May"?
That goes back to the ancient Roman
festival of Floralia.
The festival was celebrated from
April 28th - May 3rd.
On May 1st, the celebration was
highlighted with a floral procession.
The festival,which honored the Goddess Flora,
would ensure an abundant growing season.

There are many beliefs or customs associated
with May Eve & May Day  -
Rain on May Eve is considered Magickal!
It keeps you healthy, beautiful &
lucky for a full year.
(Especially if you roll naked in it)
Bringing flowers & branches into the home
invokes Spring.
It's a powerful time for divination,
creating charms for luck, love & protection.

One of My favorites is the May Basket -
Preparing small baskets filled with flowers,
hanging them on friends doors for May Morning!

Correspondences for Beltane Include :
Herbs/Flowers : Any Flowers are perfect! 
                              Mint, Nettle, Sweet Woodruff

Incense/Oils : Jasmine, Vanilla, Ylang Ylang,
                         Dragon's Blood

Candle Colors : Green, Yellow, Pink

May You Bring Abundance, Joy & Laughter into Your Home!

Monday, April 28, 2014

Message From Spirit April 2014

"Great change is upon Us.
Global Markets shall shift.
Jobs lost
New beginnings
Shall come
That which is steadfast & loyal remains
The New Age shall scorch under the heat of the Sun
Prepare for you are warned"

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Letting go under a Scorpio Moon


Last night while doing some Spiritual work,
My focus kept drifting away from "Intention"
towards some negative thoughts.
Time & again I would move My thoughts
back to Thankfulness and the positive but
the negative found it's way back in.

Now in all fairness to Myself,
I have a lot going on. Some of it kicked
up some old issues.
Sometimes there are people or things
that don't exactly bring out the best in us.
As a Spiritual Practitioner,
It is very important for Me to be mindful of
these energies & to let them go.
It's not always easy to do.

Instead of "swimming upstream",
so to speak - I realized rather than fight
these emotions, I needed to address them.
Perhaps a lesson of the Scorpio Moon,
but I was reminded of My selfishness.
Yes, selfishness.
Not only toward others, but to My SELF.

Scorpio is a very intense sign.
Emotions run deep.
Scorpio is fond of Justice, Fairness
but sometimes that sense of fairness can
transmute into "revenge".
That Scorpio intensity can become selfish or
self serving.
Okay, So where does any of this fit in with
"Releasing"?

Realizing My own frustration & anger,
I turned My energy over to Spirit.
What I got in return was interesting.
"Selfish"
It is easy to hold on to anger & resentment,
By doing so, We hold the "Power".
In actuality, our  resentments hold power
over us.  When We feel angry, We think
We are protecting Ourselves. We believe we
are justified in our resentment.  Whether we are
or aren't, the resulting "selfishness"
not only hurts others; it hurts US.

Instead of being angry at Myself
for being angry - I accepted the energy &
asked, "Great Mother, guide me. Show me how
to overcome these feelings when they creep up.
Help me to be the best person I can be."
I headed to bed.

This Morning, while working on some product,
I thought it would be fun to pull a card from a
New Aromatherapy deck I found - to perhaps
give me an idea for a blend.
I think Spirit had other ideas.
"German Chamomile"  
Letting go.
A gentle reminder.
There is more power in releasing
than holding on to anger.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Up Your Happiness with Meditation (made easy)

One of the most beneficial things We can do for ourselves
is meditate.  Meditation is something everyone can do.
You don't need any special abilities,
You don't need any special tools,
You don't need to be a member of some secret society.
Meditation belongs to Everyman (or Woman).

Meditation provides health benefits -
both mental & physical.  The act of Meditating relaxes us.
It lowers blood pressure, relieves anxiety, reduces stress.
In some cases it reduces pain. 
It calms us.  It brings a sense of peace.

Meditation is a simple practice.
We go into it will a simple mindset.
The only expectation should be to calm
& center One's self.
Sometimes people think Meditation
is this miracle that is going to align them
with the Universe overnight or
help them connect psychically & receive messages.
Anything is possible, but not necessarily feasible.
It also doesn't happen overnight.
Yogi's spend a lifetime perfecting their Meditation,
Or realizing there is no perfection.
For spiritual seekers,
it is the path to self realization,
Developing One's consciousness.



For the average person,
Meditation will help achieve
a sense of calm & peace
Which leads to good health and happiness.
So, How do I meditate???
 
1. Put the focus on breath.  Breath from nose to
abdomen. Deep Breaths. Be conscious of Your breath.
Notice the sensation, how it feels.  We as a whole are
shallow breathers.  We need to "relearn" how to breath
properly & Meditation helps.
NO, don't get all worked up & hyperventilate.
Take it slow & steady.

2. Use a Mantra.  Simply put a Mantra is the repetition
of a word or phrase.

3. Guided Imagery or Meditations.        

4. Prayer Beads, Mala Beads, Rosaries. 
    Although I often use My Mala beads, I have a simple
    gemstone bracelet on elastic that  love to use.

                                                                             
                                                     
 

                                                          
5.  Focus on Your body.  When I was Young,
      I  learned a relaxation technique.
      I was very Young so I'm not sure
      what prompted me to do this but
      I would lie in bed focus on My body
      beginning with My feet.
      I would focus on relaxing them
      without moving them. Not even wiggling My toes!
      I would move up My body focusing
      on relaxing & not moving.
     You can image how difficult that was.
      It still is, but it is a great technique to help You relax.

6. Meditate anywhere. At work, have a lunch break?
     Sit outside, find a tree or comfortable bench.


7.  Take the focus off time.
      It doesn't matter "how long",
     what matters is how you come away feeling.
     Don't stress about how you did,
     how much time you devoted.
     In fact, In the beginning -
     less is more!  Start out with 5 min.
     & slowly increase your routine.

The most important advice I can give,
 "Enter into a Meditation Practice without expectations".
Just be in the moment.  Relax.  Meditation shouldn't be something
to lose sleep over, it should be something that helps you sleep.
It should be something helps you find your center -
It should bring you peace, and peace brings happiness.

Blessings!