Tag: Health

Crone’s Corner – Knot Magick to Undo a Wrong

 

Crone’s Corner – Knot Magick to Undo a Wrong


Sometimes we do a spell, or do something not in magick, which we
cannot undo, words we cannot take back. No matter, the energy
is still floating, causing damage. You can undo this energy
in a knot spell.

Take a piece of white cord, about 12 inches long and tie three knots
into it. As you tie the knots think of the situation, the deed or
words done which now you cannot undo. When you are done, spread the
cord flat out on a surface and sprinkle some salt over it
and begin to undo the knots and as you undo each say:

“What I said will be unsaid
What I did will be undone.
When the knots are unmade
Will be the magick then be gone.”

Now light a white candle and place the candle inside your cauldron or
a heat resistant censer. Lower the cord slowly into the flame and allow
the cord to be consumed. When done, gather the ashes of the cord
and sprinkle outside.

 

Elemental Meditation

Elemental Meditation

Author: Mike

I wrote the meditation scripts featured below and have used them many times with wonderful results. Feel free to use them if you wish, for whatever situation seems best to you, whether it’s a working or just pure meditation. They are not long, but work best when read slowly with enough time between lines for the subconscious to do its job.

Fire Meditation

(Light a candle or a bonfire, whichever works best for you)

Breathe in.
Breathe deeply of the hot energy of life.
See the life in the flames, and the dance.
Nothing else exists but the fire in front of you.
Breathe in.
Close your eyes, and know that the fire is not just outside of you, but burning within your soul as well.
Feel the flickering dance of heat and feverish delight burning there.
Feed it.
You are not on fire; you are fire.
You are not burning up; you burn, and your fuel is the limitless energy of the universe.
Know that you cannot contain it, because this fire burns through all creation, bringing passion and light to all life.
Breathe in.
Let your fiery soul dance in a consuming whirlwind of divine flame.
Feel the boundless energy and joy that burning brings.
Laugh and burn, and share the fire with everything and everyone else.
It is a part of you, and you are a part of it.
Spin through the timeless ether in the ecstasy of eternal combustion…

Breathe in.
Let your soul fire die down a little, no longer the wild inferno, but a comfortable blaze, warming and soothing.
Breathe in.
Let it burn a little lower, still dancing; for fire always dances, but now it is a candle again, and sways and flickers with the drafts of time.
Breathe in, and open your eyes again to see the flame in front of you, and smile because the fire still burns in your soul…

Earth Meditation

(Find a stone that feels right and fits well in your palm)

Close your eyes.
Take a slow, deep breath, and let it out.
Relax.
Let your muscles all go limp so that you are only supported by your bones.
Enjoy this feeling.
Feel the weight of the stone in your hand, its shape, its size, and its texture.
Now forget all of these.
Understand the stone.
It is ancient, and it is the framework of the Earth.
Earth does not hear. Earth does not see. Earth does not feel.
Earth is not bothered by the petty scurrying of creatures that run around on its surface.
Let it communicate to you of serenity, and solidity, and strength, and the wisdom of age, and perseverance.
Know that you are of the Earth.
You have within you the strength of granite, and the serenity of an oak, and the ancient power of life.
You hold the primeval vastness of creation within you.
The cycle of birth and death and rebirth is cradled in your psyche, the violent force of a volcano, and the soft innocence of a fresh flower blooming.
Earth effortlessly serves it’s perfect purpose in the dance of the universe.
Understand your place in the universe, and realize the magnitude of potential you have within you to create.
Rest in the knowledge that you can perfectly fill your place in the Cosmos…

Now take a slow, deep breath, and let it out.
Feel the Earth beneath your feet, supporting you in everything you do.
Feel all of creation around you.
Feel the Earth holding you to her breast.
Open your eyes like the petals of a flower in the morning dew…

Air Meditation

(Sit somewhere outside so you can feel the wind on your face)

Close your eyes.
Pull the sweet Air deep into your lungs.
Breathe in the life of the Wind.
Feel the Air caress your skin.
Take another breath and begin to rise.
Feel the weightlessness of your spirit as it ascends and entwines itself in the Wind.
Leave your body relaxed on the ground, and send your mind and your spirit upwards.
The Air dances and flows around your spirit, bringing refreshment and enlightenment.
Cast off the weight of the physical world, and join your spirit as it dances with the Air.
Send out your thoughts through the sky, unencumbered by your body, totally free to go where you want them to.
Let your mind taste the colors as it floats through the Air.
Spread wings of light and soar over everything else, leaving the burden of consciousness heavy on the ground.
Ride the wafting updrafts, circling higher and higher, closer and closer to divine enlightenment.
Let your imagination leap through the clouds and embrace the eternal blue, and feel the freedom of the Air.
Float here in the ever-expanding sky…

Now take a deep breath, pulling in the power of the Wind, feeling it swirling around you.
Breathe it back out and send forth your will into the universe.
Take hold of that power, drawing it in and making it a part of you, there to use whenever you need it.
Slowly float back down, feeling solidity and substance in your body beneath you.
Feel the weight of the physical world again as you begin to regain consciousness, but bring with you the drifting freedom and enlightenment of the Wind.
Take a deep breath, and feel your body around you, the physical manifestation of your spirit and your soul.
Take a deep breath and open your eyes again, and remember your flight…

Water Meditation

(Gaze into a bowl of water, or immerse yourself in a bath, a pool, or a pond)

Gaze into the Water.
Look through the water, not to the bottom, but into the element itself.
Feel its cool refreshing flow around you.
Let it soak in to your body, mingling with the Water that is already there.
Take a deep breath, and plunge your soul in to the water.
Let the surface close above you, so that you are completely engulfed in pure liquid blue.
Feel the gentle healing eddies swirl around and through you, easing the tension in your mind and body and spirit.
Feel the currents pulling you back and forth, like the pulse of the planet, rocking you gently to and fro.
Continue to breathe in this bliss as your pain and stress are dissolved and washed away from you.
Feel the cleansing of your entire being.
Now catch a current that flows by you, swirl in to it and become the Water, coursing out to join the ocean of the universe.
Join with other flowing souls, until you are all a rushing river, racing towards the sea.
Leap over rocks and sand, splashing and eroding and playing in fluid joy.
Dive off the edge of time, cascading down into the infinite ocean of cosmic life.
Feel the ebb and surge of creation as your waves crash and spray and foam…

Now wash back up in to your body.
Soak in through your skin, all the way in to your soul.
Feel the purity and refreshment like a cool drink on a hot day.
Saturate your self with the healing essence of Water.
Feel it coursing through your body, from your feet, up your legs, into your chest and your arms, and up in to your head.
Open your eyes, and feel the healing calm still running throughout your body

Today’s Affirmation for December 29th

Gypsy Comments & Graphics
In pain and sorrow lies truth. I honor the anguish the heart may feel
to understand myself and those around me. Sadness begets joy, joy begets sadness. I push forward, through the dark towards the light. I celebrate the richness of the human exprience.
                                        ~from RowanTurningLeaf

 

~Magickal Graphics~

Candle Magick: Incense

Candle Magick: Incense

There are some who believe that incense is unimportant in candle magic. I cannot imagine performing candle magic without the incense. The type that you use may be specified in a specific spell, if that is the case by all means use that. Generally, I use three kings incense as well as vervain. Vervain gives the spell working a little umph. But then again nothing is set in stone.. Be creative.
Incense symbolizes Air… as the smoke rises our thoughts are carried up into the universe.

Potion of the Day – Special Mixture of La Pompadour

Truly Lustful Potion – Special Mixture of La Pompadour

La Pompadour was the deep love of King Louis XV, and her spirit can still be felt in the walls of Versailles. She organized
festivities, suppers, and shows to entertain the King. But more than that…what were her little hidden secrets?

Prepare the following aromatic mixture in a 1-oz bottle. Pour the essential oils first and then add your massage oil. Massage
the potion on the spine, the sacrum (lower back), abdomen, and heart. Anoint a few drops along the neck (almost behind the ears).

· 5 drops Rose otto
· 7 drops Jasmine
· 10 drops Orange
· 10 drops Mandarin

Copyright Françoise Rapp

Tuesday’s Herbal Meditation

 Tuesday’s Herbal Meditation

Combine bay leaves, cinnamon, cedar, and sagebrush, and meditate with them, asking for their blessings and giving thanks for their energies. Light one green and one yellow candle, then hold your hands out over the herbs. Visualize your home and land filled with the healing energy of the Sun. See this merge with Earth energy, creating a bubble that surrounds your home and family. Send this visualization into the herbs through your hands, and say:
Sacred herbs of Earth and Sun,
Bring health and light to every one.
Bless our travels and our hearth,
Honored plants of Sun and Earth.
Bury the mixture at the entrance to your land or at your front and back doors of your home.
By: Kristin Madden

Daily Aromatherapy Tip for December 27th

 

Daily Aromatherapy Tip

 

It’s a good idea to rotate use of essential oils. This will reduce the chance of acquiring sensitization from using the same oils over a long period of time. Try to use a wide variety of different essential oils.
Why not try a new one today? Enjoy!

 

Brought to you by AromaThyme.com


 

Daily Feng Shui Tip for December 27th

You know what they say — there’s no place like OM for the holidays! Ancient scriptures from Eastern cultures tell us that the ‘OM’ is the mother all languages and that repetition of the word enables us to maintain mental and emotional calmness, overcome all obstacles and facilitate deeper understanding of the circumstances and situations in our lives. OM is the primordial breath. Take a minute to give yourself a break and a boost by using the power of your OM breath. Lie down and keep one hand over your heart and one over your abdomen. The hand that is over the belly should have the thumb over the belly button and the other four fingers below. The fingers of both hands should be spread. Breathing in through the nose, take in a big bit of air and pull it into your belly so it puffs up like a balloon. As you slowly exhale back out through the nose, visualize your breath as a silver ball of light traveling from your belly, down and around and then back up your spine, over your head and out your nose again. Do this three times in succession to successfully oxygenate your blood while massaging and bringing a big boost of energy to all of your organs. Man, OM Man, you’ll feel a lot better after doing this empowering exercise!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

The Rede Does Not Say “Harm None”

The Rede Does Not Say “Harm None”

Author: Praxiteles

I have always been puzzled over the general notion that the Wiccan Rede can be reduced to “harm none”, but it wasn’t until recently that the significance of this dawned on me. Ethics and morality in Western culture are almost always the ethics of denial, restriction, and rules, instead of the ethics of opportunity.

Think of the 10 Commandments: thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not commit adultery; keep holy the Sabbath, honor thy mother and father. They define a negative space you simply shall not enter, and a positive space you simply must occupy. In the realm of morality, we’re just not used to positive ethics, to the ethics of opportunity. So it’s not surprising that what most people seem to take away from the Rede is the negative component, “harm none”. Yet, in my opinion, this reduction of the Rede misses the whole point, and does great damage to its essential nature!

If we move things from the realm of morality into another realm, this will become clearer. Suppose that your lover says to you “My darling, just as long as there isn’t any bondage-discipline or sado-masochism, we can make love in whatever way the mood and inspiration comes to us! We can let our imaginations and passions run free and enjoy each other!”

Suppose that he or she says this to you, and then you start talking about how you both must ensure that nothing that you do will lead to BDSM, and start going on about how important it is to consider the smallest implications of every action in your lovemaking, and whether or not it might not someday lead to BDSM. Wouldn’t that be missing the whole point? Wouldn’t you be focusing in exactly the wrong area? The whole point of mentioning the negative space was to say that everything else was the positive space—such a large space, such room for growth and flowering! That was the point, not the other!

Or suppose that a mother says to her children: “My dears, you can play and run and do whatever you want, and wear whatever clothes you want, so long as you stay on our property between the road and the stream.” And suppose that one child sits down and draws a map and focuses intently on the road and stream, and then walks around noting the boundary lines and continually talks to the other children about how they must not cross these boundaries. Yet, the other children are busy making up fun games to play, running around, climbing trees, and enjoying themselves.

The thought of the boundary only enters their minds when they come to the road or the stream during a game, and they take some care to turn aside the path of their running, or chose another place to hide. Wouldn’t you think those children were the ones who had gotten the real message intended by the mother? Further, wouldn’t it simply be wrong to say that the mother had told the children “never leave our property; never cross the road or the stream”?

Because, that is not what she said. Essentially she said if you don’t leave the property then you can do whatever you want and wear whatever you want. Perhaps, if questioned, she would say that if the children have on long pants and their good boots and if they don’t run, they could go across the stream.

Getting back to the Rede, it says: An it harm none, do as ye will. Clearly this is not logically equivalent to “harm none”. If we invert it, it says “An it cause harm, don’t will it”—and does not say “an it cause harm, don’t do it.” Thus, in some Traditions, the Rede is amended to read “An it harm none, do as ye will. An it cause harm, do as ye must.” The issue is whether the harm is willed or not, not whether it is done or not.

In my opinion, the part of the Rede that people should be focused on is “do as ye will”. The Rede defines a huge, wonderful, wide-open space in which each of us can figure out what our beings aspire to do, to be. As long as we aren’t harming others or ourselves, we can feel confident that we can aspire towards the flowering and revelation of our True Will.

This is the important part of the Rede, and not the bit about “harm none.” And I find it incredible that so much attention is given to the issue of “harm none”. I’ve seen endless discussion about whether it is even possible to live without harming others, evening bringing plants and bacteria into the term “others.” Some try to elevate it to an ideal, unattainable, but the direction to be followed, like the Buddhist notion of saving all sentient beings. Others use it as the reason they aren’t Wiccan. Such a stupid idea! Obviously one can’t live without harming others!

All of these positions are tangential, because the Rede doesn’t say that we must live without harming anyone or anything. The Rede says that we can do what we will if it isn’t harming anyone. If it is harming someone, then we can’t just do whatever we will—other factors and consideration enter the equation then. What those are, each of us must decide for him or herself. Even here, the Rede offers no rules. Even here, the Rede is of a very different character than the 10 Commandments and general Western morality.

Some people want to be told what to do and what not to do, what to think as good, and what to think as bad or evil. They want rules and regulations—commandments. They believe that without these, no social order is possible. Yet increasingly in this day and age we can see that that assumption is unfounded, and increasingly there are people who want to figure out a way to arrange society and ethics to allow for as much freedom of expression and being as possible; to use ethical formulations to protect and support freedom, instead of to deny and restrict it. And, in my opinion, these people are essentially following the Wiccan Rede, whether they know it or not.

Far from being a liability, I find the Wiccan Rede to be a wonderful asset. It clears away so much muck from morality, and redefines the entire realm in a positive way. Understanding it in a negative way undoes much of the greatness of the Rede. So in my opinion, people should stop reducing the Rede to “harm none” and start trying to have more fun in life!

What Your Sleep Position Says About You

What Your Sleep Position Says About You

  • Melissa Breyer

Starfish? Soldier? Yearner? How do you sleep? I fall firmly into the Fetus category of sleeping positions–curled up on my side–which, according to researchers at the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, suggests that I am a tough cookie with a sensitive heart. (And yes, it’s true…underneath it all I am a big mush.)

Sleep scientists believe the position in which a person sleeps offers important clues about their personality. Director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, Professor Chris Idzikowski, analyzed six common sleeping positions and found that each is associated with particular personality traits.

 

The Fetus
This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41 percent of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position. Those who curl up in the fetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax.

The Log
Lying on your side with both arms down by your side is the sleep position favored by 14 percent of the people in the study. I’d adopt this position if it guaranteed sleeping like a log, but perhaps not at the risk of being naive. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.

The Yearner
13 percent of people sleep in the pose of the yearner–on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious and cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely to change it.

 

Soldier
Are you one of the 8 percent who sleep lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides? Well hello, soldier. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don’t like a fuss, but set high standards for themselves and others. The soldier style is more likely to lead to snoring and a bad night’s sleep.

The Freefaller
If you sleep on your stomach with your hands around the pillow and your head turned to one side, you sleep in the freefall position. You are probably often gregarious and brash, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don’t like criticism or extreme situations. Seven percent of sleepers assume this posture, which happens to be good for digestion.

The Starfish
About 5 percent choose to lay on their back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don’t like to be the center of attention. The starfish position is more likely to lead to snoring and a bad night’s sleep

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 24this 40: Deliverance

40: Deliverance

Hexagram 40

General Meaning: After a thunderstorm, or any period of extreme tension, a period of new clarity and fresh opportunity follows. The storm has the effect of clearing the air and suddenly reducing atmospheric tension. Deliverance is at hand. In the wake of a storm on land, deliverance appears in the form of new color and life, which bursts forth in all the fields and flowers. In the wake of a storm at sea, deliverance takes the form of land itself.

In the field of human relations, the rain of forgiveness washes the human landscape clean after a period of conflict and enmity. Great clarity of purpose and renewed vigor can follow the healing of old wounds. But care must be taken not to re-open such wounds by moving too quickly. In the same way, it is important to return to normalcy before moving ahead with new plans after periods of stress.

Following the resolution of a difficult situation, your first priority, should be to return to normal conditions as quickly as possible. Breathe a sigh of relief, but don’t relax completely. It would be a mistake to re-awaken the sleeping dogs of the immediate past before the new situation has crystallized. Look ahead. Attend to any residual matters that need resolution, and do so as quickly as possible. Make a clean sweep of the past, move deliberately and the future will bring good fortune.

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep Look Beautiful all Winter

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep Look Beautiful all Winter
By: Isadora Dunne


When the weather’s frosty and dry, skin becomes dryer, flakier and more irritated. So how is it that some women look so
darn supple and healthy, even in the dead of winter, while you’re all dry and chapped? As usual, we’re here to help with 10
tremendous tips to keeping beautiful in winter.

Apply full-spectrum sunscreen even when it’s chilly: You probably know that UVB rays are the sun’s burning rays, but UVA
radiation is the principal cause of wrinkling and skin cancer and can penetrate glass. Hello! This means that even if you’re
at home, driving or in the office by a window, you’ll need full-spectrum (both UVA and UVB) coverage. This is true on even
the cloudiest winter days. Murad Hydrating Sunscreen SPF 15 (Murad.com) is a high-quality choice.
Don’t linger in the bath or shower: Healthy skin has a protective superficial layer called the stratum corneum — essentially, a
natural “lipid barrier,” and as temperature and humidity drop, this natural barrier becomes vulnerable to damage, says
Stacy P. Salob, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New
York. She cautions against prolonged bathing, especially with hot water, because the water will sap moisture from this
superficial layer, leaving the skin drier, flakier and more susceptible to damage and irritation.
Cut back on acids and astringents: For the winter months, consider limiting your use of alpha-hydroxy acid products and
astringents that contain alcohol, Salob says. We may love these products for their exfoliating properties, but they can strip
the skin of its natural protective oils, leaving it easily irritated.

Humidify thyself: Bicoastal dermatologist Karyn Grossman recommends a humidifier in your bedroom and office to
prevent winter skin from drying out. Humidifiers keep air moist. Look for a UV model because they offer a germ-free mist,
better to soothe those dry lips and chapped skin. Grossman recommends brands such as the SlantFin GF350
Sip hot cocoa and get your antioxidants: According to recent studies, cocoa beans were found to contain large amounts of
natural antioxidants called flavonoids; thus cocoa powders made from these beans are an undeniably compelling choice of
drink. Go ahead, steam some milk and enjoy your cocoa-anti-oxidants!

Resuscitate Frigid Feet: For dry and flaky winter feet, try exfoliating with a scrub like Alba Sea Salt Body Scrub. Which
contains organic jojoba, avocado and vitamin E. Afterward, dry your tootsies and slip on cozy cotton socks overnight. Your
feet will feel pliant and smooth in the morning.

Revive Chapped Winter Lips: Aside from looking wretched, chapped lips feel awful. Problem is, we continually
exacerbate the condition by licking, so it’s an endless cycle. To roll off the dead skin, try the clever Dr. Feel good’s
Lipscription, expressly made for “dry-lip emergencies,” which buffs away dryness with exfoliating beads, then softens with
Vitamin E & chamomile.

Protect Those Tresses: Tippi Shorter, consulting stylist for Pantene, recommends using a leave-in conditioner before
blow-drying hair, or using hot irons. She likes Pantene Pro-V Daily Renewal Treatment and if you regularly use heated
styling tools, she suggests biweekly or monthly deep conditioning treatments to keep hair hydrated and soft.

Repair Winter Cells: Robert Scott, aesthetician and wellness expert, explains how skin is nourished by blood and lymph
fluid, and since less blood flows when you’re cold, you’ll want to compensate by giving skin extra protection and
nourishment. He recommends regenerating your skin’s appearance by using products that feature amino-peptides, which
work by renewing the skin’s outer cell layer, and he loves Olay Regenerist) because it repairs without irritating the skin.

Incense for Cats

Incense for Cats

Cats and magic have enjoyed a natural partnership throughout history. The Egyptians relied on feline cunning to destroy the rodents that plagued the Nile Valley granaries. Cats saved the population from starvation. Thereafter, cats were given a place of honor in Egypt.

The black jaguar of the Mayan people represented their most powerful deity and was the driving force behind their magic.

This is still true today. Giant ground pictures called intaglios, which are etched in to the Colorado basin of California, two mountain lions, each over a hindered feet long. According to the Mojave tribe, these are the tribal creator’s helpers.

Of course, no cat story would be complete without mentioning all the wonderful tales of Witches and their feline familiars.

One gem that has been handed down through English history is an incense recipe for cats:

3 teaspoons pine needles, dried and crushed

1 teaspoon frankincense

3 teaspoons catnip, dried and crushed

1/2-3/4 teaspoon gum arabic

Rain water to bind gun Arabic to the other ingredients.

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl. Burn on self-igniting charcoal. For your cat’s safety, burn this recipe before he or she comes in to play, or place the burner out of reach.

Pagan Hearth Recipes

 

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 23rd is 59: Dispersing

59: Dispersing

Hexagram 59

General Meaning: Nothing survives forever, not even rocks, not even the most rigid of structures. The erosion of that which has been solid is not necessarily bad: it can mean that something new is being created. The image is of ice floes, hardened in winter, dispersing in the warmth of spring; when the ice melts, a mighty river emerges.

Rigidity in the hearts of men and women tends to breed a separateness that can only be thawed by a greater force: typically, some strong spiritual stirring. The thawing of cold hearts always improves conditions.

The first thing to dissolve is any internal rigidity that separates you from others. Try to work more closely with your mates, concentrating on common activities which evidence your integrity and native goodwill. Sudden, strong action in support of a greater good can lift the spirit, and lead toward new possibilities in many areas. Spiritual impulses — including a strong sense of justice — should be honored, and acted upon. They can provide the initial impulse to important and constructive change.

And if you should have any lingering business or partnerships which are inactive or not working, you might consider dissolving these as well.

Solstice Meditation and Visualization

Solstice Meditation and Visualization
 
Winter Solstice is an excellent time to undergo a vision quest to find your magickal name, a totem animal, a mantra, or other empowering
insights. This meditation is meant to accent that quest by opening your awareness to the power within and without all things. Begin in a
standing position. Center yourself and breathe deeply. Slowly take off your mundane clothes., likewise removing the “World” with each.
Wrap a blanket around yourself for warmth, but remain naked for the meditation. You need no trappings to discover personal power.
 
Sit and close your eyes. Let any remaining tension drain away, then begin listening to the sound of silence. Smell the aromas of oak and herb.
Feel the latent energy of everything around you and the magick you’ve placed there. Know it is your own. Listen to your breath and your heartbeat.
Sense the pulse and bb within as the same energy without. Listen closely; does it whisper a message to you? Does it whisper a name? Do you
hear the cry of an animal? Do you hear words that fill you with energy? Linger in this place between Earth and stars until you receive a message.
Then return to normal levels of awareness, and write the experience in your journal.

Daily Aromatherapy Tip ~ Lavender-Orange Refresher Spray

 

Daily Aromatherapy Tip ~ Lavender-Orange Refresher Spray

This floral-fruity mist is a great way to refresh tired senses on plane trips, long car rides or anytime

you need a fragrant boost; Add 9 drops of lavender and 7 drops of orange essential oil to 1 2/3
ounces of distilled water. Place in a spray bottle or atomizer. Shake the bottle vigorously, then close

your eyes and lightly mist your face or personal space.

Brought to you by AromaThyme.com

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for December 20 is 7:Discipline

7: Discipline

Hexagram 7

General Meaning: The most successful general is not the one that triumphs in battle, but the one who is able, through strength of a resolute discipline and the personal power that results from that, to achieve victory without spilling blood. This is why for the effective leadership of any organization the key virtues are clarity, decisiveness and conscientiousness. The most effective team or partnership marches with a single purpose — a dedication to a common goal that is held dear by all. Otherwise, even with an excess of external discipline, unpopular wars are seldom winnable.

Let power be held in check by the acceptance of a common discipline, and submission to a higher authority. Look to the common good. When life is in balance, evil impulses are checked by human decency; parents die before their children; leaders lead and followers follow. If you hold or aspire to a position of leadership, remember that the true leader speaks to and captures the hearts of the people and articulates a clear, simple vision that unites them as a team.

In the realm of government, the relationship between the army and state is critical. Only when the state is economically prosperous can the army be strong. Only when the army is disciplined can the state be protected from disruptive outside forces. For this balance to be preserved, government must be steady, and mild toward its own people. When balancing strong complementary forces, modesty and generosity at the center can be a magnetic force that keeps relationships intact. Coordination of all elements is essential for success at this time.