Sunday, October 12, 2008

Christmas Care Call for Help

The Center of Divine Light
Is Honored
To Be Sponsoring The
9th Military Police Detachment
Germany
For a Christmas Care Package Drive

The 9th Military Police Detachment is the primary unit responsible for confinement operations in the European theater. They do not deploy as a unit, but rather as individual augmentees with other units and currently have soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers are not able to travel back to the States for the holidays as their presence is required in Germany in case of an emergency requiring a 100% unit recall.

There are a number of soldiers in this particular Unit that are young and have never spent a holiday alone before.

What we are looking for:

Christmas cards there are 105 soldiers in this unit – Our goal – 550 Cards
Drop by the Center and leave a stack of cards that have an uplifting message and a thank you with or without your name on them. Watch our Cards basket overflow.

Care packages – 105 packages
Our goal is to be able to send a care package to the Unit for each and every soldier. We are looking for the following donations: DVD's, phone cards, magazines, stationary, envelopes, stamps, anything holiday. You can either drop by the Center (opening Nov. 1 officially – however the collection box is available at both the old location and new location at the corner of 4th and 8th Avenue, Zephyrhills) or email either Carla at carla@thecenterofdivinelight.com.


If you are a friend from out of state and still want to be involved in supporting the Unit, email Carla at carla@thecenterofdivinelight.com and I will provide you with physical mailing address and other options.

We know that we have the best clients and friends in the world and can make the holidays a blessed time while they are on foreign soil. Let us unit together to show them we thank them for their service, we offer prayers of protection for each of them, and that we at home have not forgotten that they do not stand on US soil.

Thank you for supporting this drive.
Carla Goddard
Director
The Center of Divine Light

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The Salem Witchcraft Trial Connection

The Salem Witchcraft Trial Connection
By Ashira Goddard

Serving as a black mark on the history of Massachusetts were the Witchcraft trials of 1692-1693. Rebeca Nurse and Sarah Cloyce were victims of the witchcraft frenzy. A new perspective on the Salem Witchcraft Trials...



[READ FULL ARTICLE]

Monday, June 16, 2008

Crystal Healing

What are the healing powers truly that some claim are within a crystal? Crystals are amazingly beautiful stones just to look upon. Many can calm and soothe a person just by gazing into the multicolored facets of the stone. Many physicians will tell you that this alone is a healing power as stress has been proven to cause many different ailments. The real magic of the crystal, though, lies in its ability to physically heal.

Crystals are one of Earths magical gifts that can be used to help us in more than just a tranquil appearance. Each crystal has an energy field within it that can heal, adjust, align, or attune the energy field within each person. Just as different parts of the human body are associated with different aspects of our physical, mental, or emotional well being; crystals have unique properties that are associated with the same aspects.

Crystals have been used by healers in many spiritual and holistic venues for centuries; it is not something new. It is more that the Earth is beginning to reawaken and within that re awakening more and more people are looking to crystal healing. There are a few aspects of crystal healing that should be mentioned. First when ever you purchase a crystal for healing, the first order of business is to clear the crystal. To do this you can use a variety of methods from running it under cold water for 5-7 minutes or using salt. The preferred method for most healers is to use dry sea salt. This may take longer but it assures that the crystal is completely clear of all energy and it is ready to be charged.

Charging a crystal is not a complicated process. It is one that anyone can learn. Simply hold the cleared crystal in your palm and focus on the crystal, praying or meditating upon what you wish the crystal to do. It may take some practice before you truly begin to feel the vibration from the crystal.

A myth of crystals is that if you allow anyone to touch your crystal it will be no good for further healing. This is simply a myth. If you can feel negative energy in a crystal, simply clear and charge it again. Healers use the same stones over and over again in their practice. Many healers will clear stones even while using them on a person. When you become in tune with the vibrational energy in the stone, you will be able to tell when the negative energy needs to be expelled from the crystal.

Personally, I wear a rose quartz on a necklace every day to keep my higher self open to love and calmness. I also carry a few other stones in my purse or jean pockets depending upon what I am personally working on. When people feel it necessary to touch (and they will), simply inhale and exhale concentrating on the crystal's healing properties and send them to the person touching the crystal. It may be that they are being drawn to the stone as they are in desperate need of what it has to offer. A person looking to start with crystals should follow their instinct of a crystal calling to you and not worry so much about what chakra the crystal works with. Our inner higher self many times will direct us if we let it.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Finding Your Own Way

To find a new beginning in life, regardless of where you are starting from, you must be able to define what your belief is. To be able to asses our own beliefs and make any difference in the world around us, one must understand the definition of what a belief is. Beliefs simply are those things that we as individuals believe are true. A wise mentor once said there are three sides to every story = my side, you side, and the truth. Beliefs are personal and will never be exactly the same as anyone else. Does this make your beliefs false? Absolutely not. The trap here is that many people fall into thinking whatever their personal belief is - is the only right and true belief. Anyone who has a different belief in this scenario must be wrong.

Beliefs, in part, come from personal experiences. A prime example is everyone believes if you let go of something while it is in the air, gravity will cause it to fall to the ground. Imagine there was a time that humanity as a whole believed that space exploration was never to happen - it was considered impossible. These types of beliefs that are shared by the whole of humanity are based on external facts that are either scientifically proven or disproved.

Most beliefs are not so clear. They are based on personal experiences and personal perspectives that define who you are. This includes how we react, who we trust and even what we believe is good for us or bad for us. Some of these beliefs may be of people in a general way for example a member of a certain religion may all in a general way believe in the same divine being. But each individual will have certain images of the divine that are different than another's.

Everyone's beliefs are formed over the course of our lives. As children we mimic those we respect and want to be like. We develop beliefs through repetitive events in our early childhood. This is even more prevalent when a traumatic event transpires in early childhood. Your culture and environment will have an impact on your beliefs. Many of these beliefs that are formed in early childhood stay with you for your entire life.

The term belief is sometimes confused with the term value. They are very different from one another. A value is a statement describing what is important to you. A belief is what our mindset is.

Beliefs are like a pair of glasses that we look at life through. Glasses can actually distort our view changing the true importance of the information we are taking in and processing mentally. Each belief will have a profound effect on how you behave in any situation. Beliefs influence not only what we do but also what we learn from in any given situation. They actually shape and mold our outlook and control our reactions.
When a person limits their beliefs to be unchangeable, the very beliefs themselves can become a mortal enemy. The reality is that anyone can change a belief that is causing negative results in their lives. A distinct easy way to check if you are limiting your belief is when you start off with . . . I can't. Whether or not you can or can not do something is irrelevant. The simple statement of I can't has already led your beliefs and mind set down a negative pathway. When you do this it will jeopardize any future success or growth in your life

A person may want to take a deeper look at their own beliefs by writing some of the major beliefs they have about life down on paper. Look for places where you are limiting your own beliefs to actual imprison yourself. Ask yourself how each belief is impacting your life? Anytime a negative result is noted, write next to the belief a suggestion of another belief you may want to take to release yourself to limitless power.

By writing and updating you beliefs on paper consistently you will begin to be able to look at them more and more object able as patterns emerge. You will be able to see the beliefs you hold within that are causing you to have negative results. Most importantly you will begin to discover by changing a belief (perspective) your life will change in a positive way.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Teacher Bullying

Everyone is aware of peer on peer bullying and the Education system is emphatic about about not allowing the situation to arise and if it does how to protect the student who is being bullied. What about when teachers bully students. This receives virtually no attention. With the publicity surrounding peer to peer bullying, why is the idea of teacher to student bullying largely ignored in the education system today unless it involves sexual conduct? Is other types of bullying implausible? Is there a definition for teacher bullying? Does it exist?

Bullying by a teacher is defined as a pattern of conduct, rooted in a power differential, that threatens, harms, humiliates, induces fear, or causes a student substantial emotional distress. What does that really mean? Abuse of power that tends to be chronic and often expressed in public, a form of humiliation that generates attention while degrading the student in front of others, students capabilities are debased and identity is ridiculed. In nearly every case of teacher bullying it is a singular target that this bullied repeatedly. Equally significant is that the teacher usually receives no retribution or other negative consequences.

Victims are chosen on the basis of either vulnerability or because of some devalued personal attribute the teacher perceives of the student. Once targeted, the victim is treated in a manner which will set the student apart from their peers. The teacher makes frequent references to how the student differs from other students whom the teacher perceives as more capable or valuable. As a consequence, the student because a scapegoat among peers.

Teachers who do bully feel their abusive conduct is justified and claim provocation by the student. They disguise their behavior as an appropriate part of the instruction, as well as disguising abuse as an appropriate disciplinary response to unacceptable behavior by the student. However, the student is subjected to deliberate humiliation by the teacher that can never ever serve as a legitimate educational purpose.

Students who are bullied by teachers feel confused, angry, fearful, full of self-doubt, and have profound concerns about their competencies both academically and socially. The student not understanding why they were targeted nor what they must do to end the bullying, over time, especially if no one in an authoritative position intervenes, feels they are to blame for the abuse and feel a sense of helplessness and worthlessness.

Teachers who bully employ a number of methods to deflect any complaints about their offensive conduct. Convincing or attempting to convince the target they are paranoid, that they have misperceived or misrepresented the behavior in question. As an example, an abusive teacher will argue that a student who complains is simply trying to excuse their questionable performance, thus shifting attention from the teacher's inappropriate conduct to a discussion of stands and student's motivation for complaining. This minimizes the effect of suggesting to other that what is truly at stake is merely a personal difference, rather than a systematic abuse of power.

The bullying by a teacher effectively produces a hostile climate for the student that is indefensible on academic grounds; undermining learning and the ability of a student to fulfill academic requirements. It shares at its core the same attributes of other abuses of power such as sexual harassment or hate crimes. A hate crime is simply bullying by target selection based on characteristics of race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

The bullying is non-physical but nevertheless pervasive and powerful with the student fearing shunning and humiliation as much as physical harm. The threat of humiliation is used as a weapon in this case. The students feels literally trapped in an environment where the abuse is imposed upon them and there is no escape. Any complaint abut the abusive behavior places the student at risk of retaliation by the teacher including the use of grades as a sanction.
Students are selected as targets based on some perceived difference by the teacher that is devalued. When the basis of the target selection is also based on discriminatory recognizable categories such as religion, it is called a hate crime. Regardless of selection process, bullying conduct by a teacher sends a clear message of fear that threatens the student, enhances their sense of vulnerability, and produces a loss of faith in the fairness of the schools.

A student victim feels emotionally distraught anf fearful, with no place to turn for help. When administration's do nothing to defend the student, they are confirming the teacher has a right to use professional authority and endorsing and tacitly legitimizing the abuser's mistreatment.

In the Supreme Court's ruling in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education the Davis Court defined that schools receiving federal funds may be held financially responsible where officials are "deliberately indifferent" to harassing behaviors including staff to student harassment that are "severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive". This ruling defined four criteria in considering school liability: 1)school officials had actual knowledge of conduct, 2) schools were deliberately indifferent to conduct, 3) school had control of the abuser and where it occurred, and 4) the school's response or lack of response was unreasonable given such knowledge. The ruling also suggests that schools have in pace policies and procedures to address abusive conduct such as teacher-student harassment/abuse. In effect, if the school has allowed behavior that creates a hostile environment for student in a classroom, and school officials have been given appropriate notice but fail to act, then the school risks both compensatory and punitive damages.

This one case alone proves that teacher bullying does exist. This case holds Administrators accountable for the actions of the teachers. If your student is a victim of teacher bullying, speak up and speak out. Sometimes as parents we are the only voice that is heard. It is our responsibility as parents to hold our educators responsible for their actions and behaviors.

Here are some differences between maintaining classroom control and bullying according to The Florida Anti Bullying Campaign;

Educators let students know they care. Bullies let students know who's the boss.
Educators teach self-control. Bullies exert their own control.
Educators set ironclad expectations. Bullies rule with whims of steel.
Educators diffuse minor disruptions with humor. Bullies to disruptions into confrontations.
Educators privately counsel chronic discipline problems. Bullies publically humiliate chronic misbehaviors.
Educators are judicious. Bullies are judgmental.
Educators, aware of the power they wield over their students, choose their words and actions carefully. Bullies wield their power, recklessly, frequently resorting to anger and intimidation.
Educators help all students feel successful. Bullies punish students for being unsuccessful.
Educators address misbehavior. Bullies attack the character of the misbehaviors.
Educators see each student's uniqueness. Bullies compare children to one another.
Educators treat all students with respect. Bullies make it clear that not all students deserve respect.
Educators highlight good behavior. Bullies make examples of poor behavior.
Educators are proactive; they create classroom environments that minimize student misbehavior.
Bullies are reactive; they blame students for the lack of order in their classroom.
Educators educate. Bullies humiliate.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

NOW AVAILABLE

Now Available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle formats:

The Old Religion by Ashira Goddard
The Golden Bough by Frazer edited and foreward by Ashira Goddard
50 Tips to a Better Night Sleep
Bacon Bits
The Witches' Child


http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/AHMJAHXEC5LOW/ref=cm_pdp_lm_edit

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Author Book Signing Event

Ashira Book Signing Saturday, May 10th 11 am – 3 pm
Mystikal Scents is proud to present "The Witches' Child" By author Ashira. The Witches' Child is a journey through four generations and the resulting choices and consequences. Fallon embarks on her own journey to solve the riddles of her soul, riddles that speak of perspectives, not of truths. Join Fallon in a place where the flowers speak tales of old oak trees, the wind carries the thundering clouds messages from distant places, people are never who they first seem, and Fallon struggles in the metamorphous of becoming a woman. She discovers a love that leads her to the glacial chills of Ninib to search for answers to the riddles, only to find more choices..... Join us and find out what all the buzz is about with this new writer. Her book will be available for purchase and Ashira will be happy to sign it for you. Author: Ashira Goddard


Location:

Mystikal Scents

9545 E. Fowler Ave
Thonotosassa, FL., 33592
813-986-3212

contact: ashira@ashira.ws
www.ashira.ws

Wednesday, April 23, 2008


The Witches’ Child on sale now for $9.98 - LIMITED TIME Only
http://www.publishamerica.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?Search=Yes

By Ashira

The Witches’ Child is a journey through four generations and the result of each generation’s choices and consequences. Fallon embarks on her own journey to solve the riddles of her soul; riddles that speak of perspectives, not of truths. Join Fallon in a place where the flowers speak tales of old oak trees, the wind carries the thundering clouds messages from distant places, and people who are never whom they first seem. Fallon struggles with the choices she must make in the metamorphous of becoming a woman.

She discovers a love that knows no bounds and has no barriers. A love that leads her to the glacial chills of Ninib to search for answers to the riddles, only to find more choices. Fallon’s alternatives totting up a heavy burden to bear on the arduous journey, struggling with the choice of which life to save, her own, Fredericks, or her child’s.

Every path, every choice, riddled with consequences and those consequences leading to yet more choices leading Fallon to discover that life is a riddle of paradoxes with no true answer.

www.ashira.ws

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Salem Witchcraft Trial Connection

Excerpt from Genealogy of David Miles Goddard Sr. by Ashira Goddard

The Salem Witchcraft Trial Connection

Serving as a black mark on the history of Massachusetts were the Witchcraft trials of 1692-1693. Rebeca Nurse and Sarah Cloyce were victims of the witchcraft frenzy (related through the heritage of William and Elizabeth Miles Goddard and William and Keziah (Cloyces) Goddard).

Research has shown that a deep piety in this theocratic society intertwined with superstition, hysteria, fear and believe it or not economics all played a part in perpetuating this persecution and tragedy. A minister with limited education and after a year's deliberation was ired by a church committee, his name was Reverend Mr. Parris. Most of the upper economics liked ministers with Harvard degree's. His economic demands upon hire brought about a great deal of contention between the church members. He insisted that the church gifted him a parsonage and two acres of land. This was against the laws at the time. The Nurse family along with others, strongly opposed his views.

The Revered had also brought with him two Indian servants from Barbados where he had taken a year off from religion to trade in the colony of Barbados. Their names were Tituba and Indian Jones who would tell group of young women about conjuring spirits and holding 'pow wows'. The Puritan girls bored with their own life enjoyed the tales that were considered extremely sinful pagan practice.

It was not long after that the servants were caught in what was called practicing incantations. The local physician claimed that they were bewitched. Two of the Puritian girls began to have odd experiences that they claimed were fit, seeing specters and having hallucinations. The physician was called and declared that Tituba was the cause. Tituba named Sarah Osburne (who was bed ridden) and Sarah Good (a social outcast) as her counterparts in bewitching the Puritan girls. All three were held for trial and accused of witchcraft. That was only the beginning of what would become more than a simple line in a history book.

After some time, the Reverend began to claim that every incident of children "crying out" against the villagers was an act of girls being bewitched inciting the congregation from the pulpit. The Norse family, the Cloyce family and Joseph Putnam became so utterly disgusted with the Reverend and his pulpit antics that they stopped attending the Church all together. As in most disputes that may outwardly seem to be religious in motive, economics lay just beneath the surface.

There was a boundary dispute that was caused by an unintentional error by the Court house resulting in Villages of Beverly, Topsfield and Salem having to pay town and parish taxes to Tospfield. This land dispute would not be settled for over a century. Disputes and hard feelings developed between the Putnam's on one side and the Easty's and Townes on the other side. Rebeca was a Towne and the family sided with Topsfield. This angered the Putnam's and the hostility only escalated when boundary lines between the Nurses and the Putnam's farms arose. The Nurses had made a name for themselves economically and resided in one of the finest house in the parish that was set on 300 acres of land. They were considered to be a family of untainted character and moral people that lived by the teachings of the Church.

So when the Putnam's were the complainants on the arrest warrant for Rebeca Nurse, many were appalled. On March 23, 1692 a warrant was issued for the indictment of acts of witchcraft against Ann Putnam and unnamed others. At this time Rebeca was 71 years old, deaf, weak, bedridden and ill. Still she was arrested and taken to jail to await trial.

John Proctor was one of the few that stood up for Rebeca and her character. When his own servant Mary Warren also accused Rebeca, Mr. Proctor threatened her with a whip if she even moved from her spinning wheel. Until the day that Mary was called to testify against Rebeca there was not a single episode of fits. However, upon the stand miraculously the fits returned. On June 30 Rebeca appeared dressed in a proper gray gown, white collar and white-winged Puritan cap. Abigail Williams testified that she had been bewitched by Rebeca. Her reply was "I am innocent, and God will clear my innocence."

Ann Putnam's mother went on to claim that the spectral shape caused by Rebeca's bewitching caused her to do evil and further claimed that Rebeca was what caused the deaths of Ann's young children. The Court had decided that for these particular cases to allow spectral evidence. What this really meant that dreams, hallucinations and fancied imaginations would be accepted as factual proof. How does one defend themselves against 'you were in my dreams last night'.

Rebeca was convicted and taken to Salem jail. Sarah Cloyce was so angry and outraged that during a pulpit sermon ranting about witchcraft and insisting every witch should be destroyed, that she got up in the middle of the sermon and walked out of the church ensuring the door slammed behind her.

At the trial Rebeca was found guilty and sentenced to death. On July 3 she was officially excommunicated from her church. The men of the Nurse family got a petition together and went to the Governor. The Governor granted a reprieve being displeased with the judge's proceedings. The news of his reprieve of Rebeca caused such an outrage that the Governor feared of being deposed and rescinded his order. So on July 19, 1692 Rebeca Nurse at the age of 71 was hung.

On April 4, while the Rebeca case was going on, a complaint was made against Sarah Cloyce who was Rebecca's sister. A warrant was issued on April 8, followed by a trial on April 11. The servant Indian John testified that Sarah had chocked him and made him sign the Devil's book. Indian John was afraid of also being accused of being a witch as Tituba had been and decided it would be better to be one that had been bewitched. During the trial Mary Wolcott and Abigail Williams accused Rebeca, Sarah Good, Martha Corey and Sarah Cloyce had all been seen at witches meetings. At the same time Elizabeth and John Proctor were also tried and were remanded to a jail in Boston.

Sarah Cloyce was later transferred to confinement of her home, her husband Peter moved her to Framingham where she stayed until her death in 1703. Many were later released to the confinement of their homes never seeing the streets of Salem again.

Alternative Medicine and Cancer: The Hype and the Truth

While there are many unfounded claims that state they have the newest cure for various forms of cancer, the reality is that none of them have shown reputed scientific studies to support their claims.

There are, however, some herbal combinations that can be combined with traditional medicine that have shown promise. A prime example is bloodroot and skin cancer. The Native Americans along Lake Superior were the first reported ones to use the sap of the herb on skin cancerous growths with documented success. In "Medical botany" they state their have been successful cases using the herb in treating both breast cancer and superficial cancerous growths.

A traditional beverage known to nearly every man is coffee. coffee enemas have been prescribed for cancer in many areas around the world. Though this is not scientifically proven; it is known that caffeine is a stimulate that reacts with the nervous system and may in fact open blood flow while stimulate the immune system in a variety of ways. It is currently being studied at various Universities to determine how and if this claim can be confirmed.

In Germany and Australia there is an extract called V.album which is made from mistletoe that is currently being used to treat certain tumorous cancers with some reported success. Dr. James Duke describes the new research results as a study in which laboratory settings were able to treat cancer cells individually with the same extract of mistletoe. The danger is that if not done properly mistletoe is toxic.

Tropical Periwinkle is one of those gifts from nature. Currently Eli Lilly and Company has been conducting studies with the herb and has produced two drugs known world wide as Velban and Oncovin to treat cancer. The Vinblastine sulfate is known to treat Hodgkin's disease and choriocarcinoma. Vincristine which is the alkaloid found in the herb is also used to treat childhood leukemia and breast cancer. When these two parts are administered together, they have shown a 43 percent beneficial result with patients with malignant lymphoma. Although the benefits are immense, there is a danger of toxicity and your doctor should be involved in treatment with this herb.

While herbs can be additive to curing cancer in some cases, the far more beneficial effects can be obtained in using herbal medicine for the additive benefits. It is thought that nearly one in every three Americans will get some form of cancer. Cancer is not a single entity with a certain cause but rather a complex disease with over 200 different classifications. If you ask any oncologist what are the most important factors in overcoming and preventing cancer, they will tell you diet and nutrition. Simply your lifestyle.

It is a proven fact that most cancers are caused or aggravated by nutritional deficiencies that have accumulated over the years. Therefore, reducing fact intake, eating vegetables and using plant enzyme therapy may be the single most important aspect of preventing cancer. Simply by adding two fruits and three vegetable servings to your diet daily have been shown to have amazing results. Some studies show that eating fruit twice a day can reduce your likelihood of lung cancer alone by nearly 75 percent.

There are known allopathic formulas that have shown positive results in helping systemic cancers of the colon, bowel, stomach organ and lungs, malignant tumors, melanoma, leukemia, and skin cancers. Many have had astounding results using herbal compounds to rebuild the body's natural system after chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Just as each cancer is different, every herbal formula is different and should be customized by a herbalist for the best and safest results.

Herbal Home Remedies

In every paper, magazine, and even on television the benefits of some 'new' remedy is talked about as though it is some break through is medical research. These natural remedies are no new. These so called modern miracle remedies are really a step back in time. These have been healing people for thousands of years. An example is garlic, nature's gift, has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Gingseng, another relative new remedy, has been used for over 2,000 years when it brightened eyes and enlightened the mind.

There is a plethora of home remedies to choose from including herbal remedies to folk lore remedies. Here is a list of some of the less known herbs that can be used to treat some of the more common diseases and conditions.

IMMUNE SYSTEM/COLD

Astragalus has been used for more than 2,000 in TCM as an immune system booster. Every day one capsule will boost your immune system and fight off any of those spring time colds that linger on and on.

BLADDER INFECTIONS

Bearberry first used in Asia is nature's cure for bladder infections. This is definitely a capsule to have in the cabinet of every woman.

PMS

Chasteberry is the answer for PMS and even for irregularities. This herb influences the pituitary gland to secrete the hormone prolactin which allows for a more normal menstrual cycle.

MOTION SICKNESS

Ginger surpasses nearly every modern day cure for motion sickness on the market. It settles the stomach and acts as a suppressant for queasiness of motion. Some studies say it works better than even "Dramamine".

ANTIOXIDANT / LIVER / CIRROHOSIS / HEPATITIS

Milk Thistle is one of the best herbs that there are for liver health. In scientific studies it has been shown that the silymarin (active ingredient in Milk Thistle) will improve cirrhosis and hepatitis. As an antioxidant it is ten times stronger than Vitamin E.

ALLERGIES

Nettle is your answer to seasonal allergies and hay fever. Take one capsule a day to start ensuring that your symptoms get better rather than worse.

ARTHRITIS / RHEUMATISM / FATIGUE / INSOMNIA / HEADACHE

Oatstraw is one of the best overall herbs for the entire body. Whether to soak in for arthritis or rheumatism or internally for the calcium. It also helps internally with exhaustion and physical fatigue to tension headaches and insomnia. Remember though Oatstraw is a grain and contains gluten.

ANXIETY / STRESS

Skullcap is full of minerals that can help you deal with all sorts of stress, anxiety and exhaustion. It contains calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.

ACNE / ECZEMA / PSORIASIS

Yellow Dock is the perfect herb for those with chronic acne, eczema, or psoriasis. It has thiamine, iron and vitamin C and has been used in Europe for centuries as a chronic skin problem remedy.

There are literally thousands of herbs and herbal supplements on the market today. Be sure that you go to a reputable health food store to buy your supplements and dried herbs to ensure the quality of the product you are getting. As always, discuss with your medical health care provider's whatever natural supplements that you are using.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Aura's

If everyone has an aura why can't I see them? Most people often do see an aura but disbelieve what they see or chalk it up to something it really is not. So what is an aura? Is it some weird light like a halo around certain people's crown? In order to learn to see an aura one must understand what an aura is. There is absolutely nothing mystical or magical about the process of seeing an aura. It simply requires some understanding of what you are looking for. There are many definitions for aura's but it is really an energy field that surrounds anything that has an atomic structure.

More....
http://www.helium.com/tm/804395/everyone-people-often-disbelieve

Do Pagans and Witches really fly on brooms? This is the question most often asked by younger children who I have met. With the advent of "The Harry Potter" series showing the wizards flying across the fields in a "Quidditch" match, one can understand the question. What amazes me is the many Pagans and Wiccan's that do not know the symbolic meaning of the broom from the Old Religion.

More . . . http://www.helium.com/tm/843497/pagans-witches-really-brooms

The Witches' Child Excerpt

Chapter One

"The tear in the fabric is your fault. It is because of you, your decisions, and your actions that this battle rages. It is because of you, that all you hold precious is gone from you. Do you hear me? Your fault. It is not that of either side, but you alone hold responsibility of the Dark Days. The responsibility of the tear", the resounding echoes of the voice sounding so deliberate, so purposeful in nature.

http://www.helium.com/tm/843542/witches-child-excerptchapter-onethe

Lucid dreams very simply stated is a dream in which you are completely aware that you are dreaming. The degree of your "lucidity" or awareness can vary according to what the strength of your conscious is to focus. The presence of critical faculty and mental ability to take control of a dream itself varies greatly from person to person. Lucid dreaming is very similar to astral projection as it can be spontaneous or intentional experience, only more commonly remembered than astral projection. For the most part lucidity in dreams is triggered by something which would not occur in reality or could not occur.

More .... http://www.helium.com/tm/850207/lucid-dreams-simply-stated

Reflections: How I see myself in the mirror


The metaphorical comparison "life is like a mirror" is more of a reality than most would believe. When looking at the back side of a mirror there is no reflection. It is like your mental state, your mind set (positive or negative) and your emotions. No one sees the backside of a mirror, just as no on sees the inside of a p...
More..
http://www.helium.com/tm/855375/metaphorical-comparison-mirror-reality

Monday, February 4, 2008

Laws of Attraction

Law of Attraction - Does it apply to you? The mistake many people make comes with not understanding what the Law of Attraction is. Even those who understand what the Law of Attraction is do not understand how to fully apply it to their lives. It is much more than just thinking about and visualizing what you wish to attract to your life. There is action needed to allow the Laws of Attraction manifest themselves.

The Law of Attraction simply says that what you think about is what you will attract into your life. Or even simpler like attracts like. It has been suggested that the energy of any person can act as a living magnet - either repelling or attracting energy around them. The Law of Attraction is working in every living being whether they realize it or not. You attract the people in your life, you attract the situations in your life and when you learn to use the Law of Attraction you can deliberately attract what you wish for to your life. How do you do this?

There are some very basic steps to follow in applying the Law of Attraction to your life.

Clarity. You need to be very clear on what it is that you want to manifest in your life. This can sometimes be a difficult task. Reversing the process actually can make it simpler to understand. By knowing what you definitely do not want in your life, you can begin to see a clearer picture of what it is that you do want in your life. As you determine what it is that you want to attract, write it down to help you stay focused on your goal.
Visualize. The Law of Attraction is using the energy or vibrational pull that each person has within them. Close your eyes and visualize yourself having already obtained what your picture looks like. Visualize that all the things that you wrote on your list in Step one have come to culmination in your life already.
Allow. This may actually be the most difficult of the three steps in the Laws of Attraction. To allow our desire to come sounds simple; yet, many times within us what we desire most causes an underlying fear and anxiety. When these emotions are felt what happens is unconsciously we push that which is coming into our life back out. To be open to all opportunities is the key. Allowing things to flow in and out and be willing to put in a measured amount of our own energy to the pot will begin to subtle change those underlying fears that keep pushing things away.

The application of the Law of Attraction challenges our beliefs about ourselves. The limits we once set are taken down allowing the person to be free and open to all that they are trying to attract. Allowing is an action; however, it is not the same as searching. A person needs to be still enough within to realize when they need to breath and just allow. When a person can fully apply the Laws of Attraction within every aspect of their life, they will find they have been rocketed into another dimension of joy and serenity

Friday, February 1, 2008

Difference between Paganism and Wicca

When discussing the difference between Wicca and Paganism, each person will have a different slant on what the terminology means to them. With that said, for me, there is a vast difference in being Pagan and being Wiccan and there is no difference in being Pagan and being Wiccan. I realize that this is a paradoxical way of thinking and believing. Let me attempt to explain as my mentor did for me a very long time ago.

To be Pagan is to walk on a narrow pathway that leads to no where and every where. Meaning the standards and ethics by which you live by are based upon respect and honor for all things; including all things living and non-living. To breathe in and breathe out the energy that surrounds all things.

To be Wiccan is to walk on the same narrow pathway as a Pagan does but living by man made laws and order in the practice of living. Having studied Wiccan for a multitude of years, the major difference to me is the fellowship the craft offers and the ritualistic nature of worship.

Unfortunately, the current culture has made Wicca into a magic casting, spell binding, almost cult like group. However, every Wiccan that I have had the honor of meeting has been based upon a spiritual pathway that is by its very nature an inward spirituality; rather than a outward showing of spell work. Every circle I have been honored to participate in was a reflective circle that drew the energy from all and returned it back to all creating a divine space of serenity.

The lifestyle that I chose to call Pagan is a quiet walk with nature, in nature, and a part of nature embracing all of its energies. It is a path that requires I do self searching within to deepen my own spirituality. It requires my spirit and soul to be aligned as one so that I may receive and learn from every experience within every moment. The beauty of Paganism, for me, is the ability to live in a space where I can chose to walk with no purpose and just enjoy; or chose to run with a defined purpose and destination.

Paganism, for me, is boiled down simply in this way: There is a Divine entity that has both positive and negative energy. For without negative there can be no positive. If something is considered beautiful then something else in comparison must be ugly. How I chose to perceive any energy is based upon the amount of positive energy flowing through me and around me; keeping the balance to stay on the path.

Bright blessings.

Ancient Origins of Pagan Belief

When dealing with the subject of "Pagan Origins" the first duty is to determine the sense of which the term "Pagan" is being referred to. In this particular article, it is used as a reference to the countries in historic times, that have been at one time or other mainly of Celtic speech and origin. There is nothing clearer than the marvelous persistence of immemorial modes of thought regarding whatever ideas on Paganism that any may bring to the table. This writing is based upon the scanty remnants of all Celtic religion that are examined, the clearer it becomes that many of the characteristic features evolved during the vast period of the ages of stone. During this time, men evolved into a working philosophy of life. Any who study the origins are compelled to realize that the names of deities, rites, folk-lore and legend, the fundamental groundwork for the basic ideals of all Celtic religion can be seen as far back as the Paleolithic man.

It is not settle in history as to whether the Paleolithic man survived the Ice Age in Celtic speech originated countries. There is evidence however, that there is continuity between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. So somewhere civilization must obviously existed. We know, from some of the drawings and carvings that have been uncovered,that at some point the life of man changed from a hunter to a tamer of animals. What we do not know is what motivated the change. Some believe it was a kinship that man developed with the animals suggesting a "magic" developed between them or at the very least an alliance with the animals to protect man from hostile spirits. In all probability, we shall never know the true motivation of the alliance.

The spiritual/religious ideas of man in Neolithic times came into correlation with his development. Evidence abounds in striking illustration with uninterrupted stone circles and pillars of the world stand witness to the zeal of mans mind that was almost haunted by stone. As you delve further into historical origin, commonalities between the Celtic, Italian and Greek tongues suggest contact with men of different speech. The more the relics of Celtic religion are investigated, the more complex do its contributory factors become. In the long ages before history books, there were unrecorded conquests and migrations innumerable, and ideas do not fail to spread because there is no historian to record them.

Looking back Caesar tells us that Mars had at one time been the chief god of the Gauls, and that in Germany that was still the case. In Britain, also, we find that there were several deities identified with Mars, notably Belatucadrus and Cocidius, and this, too, points in the direction of a development of religion under military influence. This is not something most that study the origins of Paganism wish to shed light upon.

It isn't until late 300 BC do we begin to see what is considered now to be the fantastic Celtic art of Paganism. From the sketches of Celtic civilization it is seen, as well as elsewhere, that religious development is closely related to the development of the civilization in general. Bear in mind though that all parts of the Celtic world were not affected in equal proportion between the religious development and civilization development. This is part of the extreme complexity of studying the history of Celtic religion. One can not be certain as to the degree of progress either in civilization or the religious progress, nor the ideas that pervaded the interests of man at that time. In addition, accounts given by ancient authorities that were written do not match up with indisputable evidence, carvings, nor inscriptions.

Primitive man came to seek a solution not of the Universe as a whole (for of this he had no conception), but of the local Universe, in which he played a part. In dealing with Celtic folk-lore, it is very remarkable how it mirrors the characteristic local coloring and scenery of the districts in which it has originated.

The same holds true even today. Those who seek a solution to the true origins of Paganism can only mirror the characteristic of their own universe in which they live in. The true nature of Paganism itself is reverence and honor to all things. Since even the Stone Age, historically it is fact that primitive man held nature at its very purest form in a place of honor and respect. To that end, I subscribe to the theory that Paganism was, is, and always will be a part of the universe as we know it to be. For all man kind has taken heed to the energies of nature, be it a perceived positive or negative energy.

In conclusion, I hope that the brief sketch, which is based on an independent study only, will interest students of religion to pause and reflect without subjectivity, not only the dominant modes of thought held in the midst of our highly developed and complex world of today but, with openness of mind and spirit, allow that which is folk-lore and customs to show them selves as we all grope towards the light of understanding and spirituality.

All work is copyrighted upon publication by Ashira.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Aura

If everyone has an aura why can't I see them? Most people often do see an aura but disbelieve what they see or chalk it up to something it really is not. So what is an aura? Is it some weird light like a halo around certain people's crown? In order to learn to see an aura one must understand what an aura is. There is absolutely nothing mystical or magical about the process of seeing an aura. It simply requires some understanding of what you are looking for. There are many definitions for aura's but it is really an energy field that surrounds anything that has an atomic structure.

The human aura is the energy field that surrounds you. It is usually either an elliptical or egg shape. It is different sizes and colors for every person. The size and color can change at any given time. This is one reason why it is difficult to describe exactly what it is that you are looking to see. The size and coloring vitalized in your auric field means that you have more energy to do things, feel things, and be with things. When an auric field is weak it is usually from outside influences that are causing stress such as health problems, or life situations that drain you.

There are two aspects to the human aura field. One is the energies of your subtle body. These are the energy waves that surround you closest to your body. The function of this aura field is to regulate your physical life and spiritual life. Sort of a protection field surrounding you. The second aspect is the auric emanations. This is the energy field that absorbs from the energies around you. The energies of nature are easily absorbed which is one reason many old religions practiced their faiths outside with nature.

Every auric field has its own energy frequency. Your aura is not like any other persons aura. It is unique to you alone. Similarities do exist between peoples energies fields, but they will never be identical. They are made up of sound, light and electromagnetic fields of varying strength and intensity. Have you thought, "boy I really hit it off with Bob" or feeling completely drained after spending time with a person? These are the exchange of auric energies. Your aura will interact with the auric fields of others. Sometimes in a positive manner and other times in a defined negative manner. Understanding this aspect of aura's is vital to your spiritual well being.

Nature on the other hand always interacts with your aura field in a positive manner. For example, if you sit underneath a pine tree it will almost feel cleansing to your soul. That is the effect of the tree's aura on your own. The same thing is true with stones and crystals, the different auric or energy field of the stone can influence your own. I always carry certain crystals on my person. The crystal stones that I carry keep my auric field balanced and calm and offer a protection from other person's auric fields.

Actually seeing the auric field is not a metaphysical gift as much as it is a physical trait learned. There are two different ways to see an aura - intuitively or objectively. The difference is that intuitively you do not actually see the aura with your physical eyes. It is projected into your minds eye instead. Objectively seeing an aura is seeing it with your physical eye. Both methods are equal relative to consistency of seeing the energy field. Seeing an aura is not the hard part, interpreting what the colors means is where the specialized knowledge comes into play.

You can train your eyes to take in and translate the light spectrum of colors that it is seeing. To train your eyes you must understand the eye itself. There is a pupil that is a small opening in the center of your eye that allows light to enter. The pupil of your eye can be adjusted to let more or less light in. The iris is the part of the eye that opens and closes the pupil. Just like any muscle the more you use it the stronger it becomes.

One good exercise to strengthen your iris muscle is the spiral chart. It strengthens the depth of vision and keeps both iris muscles working equally. When you look at a simple black spiral focus on the center of the spiral. Concentrate on just the center part of the spiral. Find a point deep within the tunnel that the spiral design creates. Now slowly draw your focus out of the spiral taking the center point with you., as though you are mentally pulling the center point out to reverse the direction of the spiral.

Another exercise with this same spiral chart is to follow the thin black line into the center with your iris muscle and to follow it back out. These simple exercises should not be performed longer than five minutes a day. You will find that your inner eye muscles are working throughout both of those exercises. This will allow you to eventually see more of the light color spectrum surrounding people.

To practice seeing other people's auric energy field after training your iris muscles for 2-3 weeks, have a partner stand against a white wall in a dimly lit room. Stand 8 feet away (the key is to be able to see your partner from head to toe with a white wall surrounding them. Focus your line of sight at your partners forehead and circle the eyes around the body of your partner in a clockwise direction. Do this as quickly as possible for several times. Return your focus to the top of the head and concentrate your focus there for 15 seconds and then shift your focus to a soft one that encompasses a wide area around the body. Hold this focus passively observing for a period of time. Most often you will see the auric field at first around your partner's head.

Practice all of these exercises and you will begin to see the auras of others around you. Carry a stone or crystal in your pocket or wear as a necklace and notice if people begin to comment on your appearance. Asking you why you seem so calm, or so chipper, or perhaps even why you are glowing!

Learn to Love Yourself

Self awareness allows us to take in new information as it comes to us. It allows a person to consider an idea before automatically rejecting it. It is being able to know that a person's perception of the world has a powerful effect on how they experience everyday life. As perceptions change, so do experiences. If your perception of life is that the glass is half empty, perhaps it is time for a new outlook.

Changing perceptions can transition a person virtually that person can become a self actualized happy person, even in the middle of seeming calamity. When a perception is that old adage of waiting for the other shoe to drop, a person lives in a self focused perception. In doing so, they miss all the small gifts given to every one of us each day. When the attitude or perception changes and a person is no longer focused on what may or may not happen, or even on what has already happened, they begin to stop regretting every decision they have made in the past and stop worrying about every decision they will make in the future. In doing so, they become open to learning; learning from past mistakes and learning new behaviors and reactions to life.

Attitudes are free to grow and shift at any time. A person can focus upon a fear based life or a freedom based life. Each person has the choice to move from a negative perception of life to a positive one. How do you do that? In order for a perception change to begin a person has to be willing to change certain beliefs that may actually be ingrained within them. A major part of changing our perceptions means that a person has to be willing to look at their current belief system scrutinizing it honestly. Simply put, a person needs to ask themselves simple questions such as "Is this belief system working for me?" or "Is it promoting positive perceptions in my life or negative ones?"

This is not always an easy task to accomplish. Some of these belief systems are a part of what makes up a person's character. It takes courage and a strong desire to change. A person has to change in order to realize what the value of a different perception can be. It is vitally important that a person remember that it is a belief that is being scrutinized and not the person themselves.

Many times as people look at their own beliefs they find that it is not the belief itself that is the problem, but that they themselves have forgotten in the hectic lifestyles of today's world what they hold as truth for themselves. By stopping and looking at their own beliefs, many times they can change their own outlook by returning to what they have always believed in and just stopped practicing.

It is up to each person what choices they make in their belief system and as a result what perception they have on life. It is their own responsibility for how they perceive the world around them. Opening up to new perceptions can be a bit scary and intimidating. Stopping to realize that changing your attitude and outlook upon life is not a result of changing you as a person, but as a result of some hard soul searching can make the task a bit less frightening.

The action of stopping to allow yourself the time to determine what your own beliefs are many times is the key to having a positive outlook on life.

What are Your Eyes Saying?

What Are Your Eyes Saying?

Body language can speak volumes without your voice ever saying a word. Most people can tell when someone is angry or in a defensive position just by the way they are standing. But what do your eyes reveal? What secrets are they telling that you may not revealed? Think back, have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who won't look you in the eyes as they spoke? What did this tell you? How many times have you heard parents say to a child "look at me when I am talking to you?" Without eye to eye contact communications can be misconstrued.

When you are trying to convey a message to someone whether it is in a relationship or in your career, it is vitally important to connect with them by having eye to eye contact. It is the first step in building any type of connection. Your eye contact or lack there of will express far more than any words that you can speak. The following are some important factors to remember about eye contact.

Avoiding eye contact reflects a negative language and energy. A person who avoids making eye contact can be perceived in different ways. It can reflect fear, shame or even dishonesty regardless of what you are saying. It can also show a lack of self confidence and low self esteem. Even if you are a genuinely shy person by nature, the lack of eye contact will perceived by others as devious or untrustworthy words.
Eye contact, however, does not mean a stare down competition pupil to pupil either. This can give the impression of aggression. Eye to eye contact can include looking at a person's eyelids or even the bridge of some ones nose.
The general rule of thumb is to maintain eye contact long enough to notice what the color of their eyes are.
Sunglasses are for just that, the sunshine. Wearing sunglasses or any deeply tinted glasses indoors makes people uneasy in general. No one can tell where the person is looking with them on. It is perceived as though the person wearing the sunglasses has something to hide.
Starring too long may be perceived as a sign of hostility or over aggressiveness. When meeting someone you don't know and you see them start to shift or look away purposefully, don't force your gaze on them. It will make a definite wrong impression.
The most important rule of eye contact is simple. When you meet some one's eyes, match it with a warm smile. The smile will ensure a sincerity in your eyes as well.
So many things are determined not by the words we speak, but by the body langue we communicate with. When having a conversation, be sure to the look the person in the eyes, notice the eye color, then look away. Returning your eyes frequently to the other persons without a starring gawk.

Be sensitive to cultural differences as well. Many cultures consider direct eye contact very differently than other cultures. This is even more important when the eye contact is with someone of the opposite sex. Not all cultures approve of a female looking directly into a male's eyes.

Awareness of eye communication is a key to communication with a sincere desire to develop a relationship either personally or with a business contact. It only takes a few seconds to give a warm and sincere impression or a devious and untrustworthy impression.

Before you turn to pills to treat your insomnia, try these 9 simple suggestions for a better nights sleep naturally.

1. Soften Your Bedding
Sounds too simple but the fact is using a softer pillow and a softer feeling comforter actually relaxes the body naturally to help induce drowsiness.

2. Sleep in the Dark
Even the light generated from a led alarm clock can distract the brain into remaining awake. Try pulling the shades and making your room completely dark. The natural clock within the human body recognizes darkness as a time for rest. If it is not possible to darken your room, try wearing a sleeping mask that is soft and silky to shut out the light.

3. A bed is for sleep and sex
A human brain makes habitual patterns which are difficult to break. These patterns are made without thinking about them. Have a chair to sit in and read if you are going to read. Watch TV in the family room not in bed. Any activities other than sleep or sex should be done off the bed.

4. Give it 20 minutes
When you lay down to sleep and you toss and turn, give it 20 minutes before you get up in frustration. During that 20 minutes practice deep breathing clearing your mind of everything but your breathing. If after 20 minutes you are still awake, get up and go into another room and do something quietly such as reading, then return to bed and give it another 20.

5. Keep a schedule
Regardless of what your work schedule is, keep a sleep schedule. Goto bed at relatively the same time each night (or morning) and rise at the same time. Brain patterns are made through habits. You can develop a habit of sleep once it becomes a regularly scheduled part of your day.

6. Ban the booze
Drinking alcohol in the evening may make you drowsy but the fact is it promotes a habit of needing the drink to sleep just as a pill develops a habit. Most times even a glass of wine can cause wakefulness in the middle of the night when the effect of alcohol induced drowsiness evaporates.

7. Food
Just as you have heard a large meal right before bed time can keep you awake. However, the opposite is also true. Your body can become hungry during the night and wake you up. Try eating a few crackers right before you retire at night to keep the belly rumbles from waking you up.

8. Caffeine is out
Remember that a lot more than just coffee contains caffeine. All caffeine should be avoided for at least 4 hours before you plan to go to sleep. Caffeine is also in tea, soda and chocolate.

9. Scrap the nap
If you are taking longer than a 10 minute power nap during the course of the day, scrap it. It might just be the reason you can not fall asleep at night.

If after trying these methods for a few weeks you still find that you can not sleep, contact your medical doctor as there may be an underlying problem.

Healing Treasures

Hidden in a set of offices on Stadium Drive is a unique treasure right in our own backyard. Whether you are looking for aroma therapy essential oils or perhaps a unique piece of jewelry, you will find it here. But there is so much more than just herbs, teas, books, crystals, rocks, and gems to discover.

From the moment you open the door, the soft aria of meditation music fills your ears. At the counter, you will find Jeff working on a handcrafted item like a decorative wand ready to offer you a bright, warm hello. As you step in further, the tendrils of aromatic essences flood your senses, relaxing you. Every stress you may have walked in with simply disappears. A surprise awaits every visit, as the experience and aura of the store shifts, a previously undiscovered item with suddenly appear. A hot cup of fresh tea always is available for those who wish to sit and peer through the book shelves of loaner books or for those who don't wish to return the books another room awaits you full of new books on various healing and spiritual subjects.

Another room awaits you full of minerals and hard to find gems. Jewelry for every spiritual path can be found; as well as jewelry making supplies. T-shirts, scarves, and wraps are available. Herbs of every variety are available. Candles, aroma therapy essentials and warmers, incense, tinctures and sea salts are readily available. Continuing on your journey and you will discover Native American items and a selection of Egyptian items. If angels are your interest, you will find a huge selection of angel figurines, angel cards, and angel stones. There is something for everybody.

Stephanie offers spiritual readings as well as chakra therapy and energy work and is available to answer questions you may have. Every full moon, Spiritual Effects offers a healing circle which is open to the public. So mark it on your calendar.

This is definitely a place to commemorate on your trip to Zephyrhills as a place not to be missed. More information about what is available at the store can be found by visiting their website at http://www.spiritualeffectslifecenter.com/.

January Forecast

As we come into the New Year, most reflect upon this past year; noting the accomplishments and the seeds planted during the Yule time. Praying the unseen seeds will germinate and manifest themselves into a bountiful harvest. We look forward to February which will bring Imbolc soon enough and with it the time to weed out anything chocking out our spiritual garden. So January take the time to relax and think about the year that has begun. Allow your imagination to spark a fire of magic that bursts into your desires and dreams for the New Year. Don’t quell any of the vibrational energies pouring out from you soul. Let them flourish; mediate upon the yearnings for your spiritual growth. During this time, do not let the mundane world creep and dose the flames.

Focus your thoughts on your desires as you envision yourself to be the spiritual being you wish to be. Take this vision into your sacred space and raise the vibrational energy flow charging your desire to its fullest. Inhale deeply to hold the vision deep within your soul. For every thought can manifest itself into reality. Thus be careful of what thoughts you allow to enter your sacred space. Close your sacred space, and leave the desire and dream within it. Let it go. It is now apart of you, no longer words upon a paper.

Desires will manifest themselves in your life when the focus stays on spiritual growth rather than the mundane world. This is the year for deepening your spiritual roots and allow the buds to blossom into love, joy, and harmony. This is also the year to be careful of the mundane world. The negative nature of some around you will invade your personal space. Avoid this negative as it will quench any fire of spiritual growth. Thoughts do in fact manifest themselves into reality. Therefore, be sure to only focus your thoughts on that which is positive around you. Remember, just because you are invited to a fight does not mean you need show up.

I pray that your year is full of every desire, yearning and dream. That your harvest in bountiful. That the light within you burns even brighter.

Bright blessings,

Ashira

Best Days in January for Magical Work

January 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30

Do you have a happy body?

As today's women look in the mirror, many times they tend to find more things to criticize rather than to find flawless. The media trends try to sell things to inject to remove wrinkles, show trendy fashions in size 2, and advertise hundreds of products to loose weight, change hair color, and remove hair with a laser beam. As woman, we forget that our bodies just the way they are something to be celebrated. The female body is a temple. Temples come in various shapes and sizes and every single temple is beautiful in its own right.

Here are some ways to ensure that you have a happy body everyday. One that is honored and not just some vehicle you want to trade in , but a fine tuned instrument that revs up its engine every time your eyes meet their own reflection in the mirror.

Remember your body is your vehicle to drive to your dreams. It moves you each and every day from place to place. It nurtures those around you that you love.

Count the blessings in your life. You may find that they are far more than any blemish you see in the mirror.

Exercise your body in some way every day. Make it an adventure rather than a chore. A healthy strong body enhances your sensation of being alive. This does not mean necessarily to loose weight. It is about exercise that energizes you.

Every time you stop to look deep into the mirror, tell yourself life is too short to waste on worrying about wrinkles or that new gray hair.

Nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Every vehicle needs fuel to run properly. Eating healthy can fuel both your body and your soul.

You are a beautiful, vivacious, strong creation that can go out into the world and create a revolution. A revolution full of positive energy. Walk proud, sway those hips, and reveal in the fact that you are a woman. A woman with honor and dignity.

Find your passion. Some people just know what their passion is. If you are one of those who still have no idea what you want to be when you grow up so to speak, then go out into the world and create your own destiny. Try something new every week until you discover what you are passionate about, then stick with it.

In the words of Oprah "Stay true to who you are. Work from your heart." In everything that you do show the inner beauty that makes you so very special and show off that unique gift that you have - you.

Remember, count your blessings, become connected with your soul and dreams, and celebrate the simple fact that you are a woman - a goddess. Don't waste precious energy of searching out your blemishes and flaws, celebrate them. They make you the person that you are.

Freeing Yourself From the Clutch of Guilt

It is impossible to follow a code of ethics when you have no idea how to have a healthy connection with others. The results of not having healthy relationships are guilt and shame over the consequences of your own actions or non action as the case may be. Almost worse than the harm that may have been cause to those around us with actions, a person further harms themselves with heavy handed embarrassment, guilt and shame.

Attitude changes are required to happen before any actions to rid yourself of all this guilt. Everyone deserves to live guilt and shame free. There is a way out from it. The first step is taking responsibility for those things that you have done to create the guilt and shame in the first place. To take responsibility means that you have discovered what your own set of ethics are. This is a huge step in being able to release your self from the clutches of the guilt. The process of taking responsibility can be empowering. Once you have taken personal responsibility of your own actions, you can begin once more to show care and concern. First to yourself and then to others by having the readiness to take a change in your actions. During this process you will begin to see a change or shift in your perceptions.

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When you begin to take responsibility rather than simply dwelling in the shame, the ghosts of your past will start to disappear. As these ghost disappear your self worth will increase. You deserve to live guilt free. It is self destructive to continue to punish yourself by holding onto the guilt of the past. To continue the action required to achieve this new way of living requires some courage and determination. It is not enough to take personal responsibility within yourself, you must take it one step further.

This means going to those about you that are in direct relation to where the guilt source is. This is a difficult task. However, this is paramount to realize the full gift of living completely guilt free in your life. When living in this state of mind of constant guilt and shame, the life is chaotic catching everyone around in a vortex of craziness. Stepping outside the vortex and simply stating your part (your responsibility) can stop the vortex not only for you, but for the others in your life. The choke hold of guilt will loosen with each step you take in making amends for your actions. Facing the reality of your actions breaks the cycle of guilt. Guilt is a powerful and destructive force that persists and grows left unchecked.

To deal with such a powerful force, you absolutely need a powerful and drastic action. That powerful action comes from your willingness to take deliberate actions in your life today to free it from any guilt or shame you have held onto. Life will take on a new meaning and new experience. Going to the people whom you hurt by your actions and taking responsibility does so much more than making peace with them. It frees you in away that you can not even fathom until you experience it.

When you are able to take such responsibility for your own actions, you will begin to truly connect with yourself and others in a healthy way. The re connection will tap into an inner resource with in you that you never knew was there. This inner resource allows you to find and maintain a sense of wholeness. A wholeness that is secure. You will have blessings come to you in the most unlikely circumstances when you are able to release yourself from the clutches of guilt and be truly free.