34290 Blog Feed: ValerieJeanne 2008-08-04 10:08:39 ValerieJeanne Your e-mail address 132960 2008-08-04 10:16:25
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Thank you
]]> 131474 2008-07-31 21:09:21

A good vacation is over when you begin to yearn for your work.

~ Morris Fishbein ~

Have you had your vacation yet ?
~ your comments are very welcomed ~

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]]> 130596 2008-07-30 09:07:45 Around 5:30pm, I was on the bus one day and everybody on the bus was quiet. People had just gotten off from work, students had just finished their last class and everybody was a little tired from a long day. It wasn’t a particularly good day for me either as I was feeling quite tired. I was just looking outside of the window without any specific thought in my mind. It was the same view I have seen many times before, people hurrying home.

In front of me, there was a guy sitting in the seat who didn't look too clean. As he was looking out of the window, the guy suddenly turned to me and pointed at something outside. “Hey, look buddy, look.” He had a big smile on his face. I turned to the direction he was pointing in and there it was...the beautiful Catalina mountains burning with a beautiful sunset. The mountains were coated with bright pink light and shadows. It was spectacular. He turned to other people on the bus and told them to look at the mountains. He repeated, “Wow” and “it’s so beautiful,“ again and again. Everybody enjoyed the view indeed.

The amazing view also helped me to end my long tiring day with a good feeling in my heart. But, more importantly, I was so inspired to see that this man wanted to SHARE the beautiful view with everybody on the bus, totally strangers. His kind act made me feel like I do when I accidentally find something that I had lost which I didn’t even know I had lost. He made me realize that I had lost the feelings and the excitement I used to have everyday. In the midst of my chaotic life, many things had lost their color and movement, but he reminded me that things are still there -- they never get lost.

from helpothers.org--posted by yoshi on May 16, 2008

]]> 119921 2008-07-07 19:57:12

It is in vain to expect our prayers to be heard,
if we do not strive as well as pray.

~ Aesop ~

What do you expect to be heard ?
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]]> 119913 2008-07-07 19:27:34

Whatever we expect with confidence
becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.

~ Brian Tracy ~

What do you expect with confidence ?
~ your comments are very welcomed ~

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]]> 118677 2008-07-04 21:57:28
Each time you create you are, in a sense, releasing power.

~ Macodus ~

Are you releasing your power?

~ your comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,please contact me. ]]> 118285 2008-07-03 22:43:20
If we let go of things, our life is going to change.
And the reality is that we are actually more afraid of change than we are of death.

~ Caroline Myss ~

Are you ?

~ your comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,
please contact me. ]]> 117813 2008-07-02 23:44:10

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly,
but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

~ Maya Angelou ~

Are you a chrysalis on a tree branch ?

~ your comments are very welcomed ~

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please contact me.

]]> 117794 2008-07-02 23:04:02

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world,
the master calls a butterfly.

~ Richard Bach ~

Are you the caterpillar or the master?

~ your comments are very welcomed ~

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please contact me.

]]> 116757 2008-06-30 19:30:54

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting,
for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

~ Alan Cohen ~

Today I invite you to view the following UTube video
before asking yourself the question that follows;
enjoy !

a 40 day journey

Are you willing to release the familiar and seemingly secure ?

~ your comments are very welcomed ~

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please contact me.

]]> 116333 2008-06-29 21:59:01
You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought,
'I release the need for this in my life'.

~ Wayne Dyer ~

Are you willing to release an old habit ?
~ your comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,
please contact me. ]]> 115111 2008-06-26 22:59:36
The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life
is the source from which self-respect springs.

~ Joan Didion ~

Are you willing to accept responsibility for your own life?
~ your comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,
please contact me. ]]> 111959 2008-06-20 10:07:11
Passion kept one fully in the present,
so that time became a series of mutually exclusive 'nows.'

~ Sue Halpern ~

Is your passion keeping you in the present?
~ your comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,
please contact me. ]]> 111371 2008-06-19 01:10:46

It's the soul's duty to be loyal to its own desires.
It must abandon itself to its master passion.

Rebecca West

Is your soul loyal to its own desires?
~ your comments are very welcomed ~

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please contact me.

]]> 111226 2008-06-18 18:34:16

Here are some natural lavender furniture polish recipes that are safe and very easy to make and it's so much cheaper! They can have essential oils in them if you want or are fine without. but use whatever kind you like. Basically you can use any kind of oil to make homemade furniture polish. You can use a light olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, jojoba, or whatever. Olive oil and jojoba stay fresher longer.

Lavender Furniture Polish #1

Use unrefined coconut oil. It's solid until it gets warm and then melts in your hand. Take a small amount of coconut oil in a small bowl and add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to it. Rub this on my freshly dusted furniture with your bare hands. It smells so yummy and softens your hands at the same time.

Hint Lemon juice or white vinegar brings up dirt from your furniture and the oil enriches the wood. A heavy polish would be using up to three times as much oil as vinegar or lemon juice. This is good for clean wood. For a lighter polish you want use up to three times as much vinegar or lemon juice to oil. Or try something in between. Vinegar can dissolve the pre-existing wax on furniture.

Lavender Furniture Polish #2

Mix together
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 or 2 drops lavender essential oil or oil of your choice.
Dab a soft rag into the solution and rub your furniture to make it shine.

Lavender Furniture Polish #3

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 drop of lavender essential oil

Lavender Furniture Polish #4

3 parts oil
1 part vinegar
1 drop lavender essential oil

Lavender Furniture Polish #5

This one is good for oak furniture.
Boil together
one quart of beer
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons beeswax
3 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
Cool, then wipe onto your furniture. Let this dry. Polish with a soft cloth.

Lavender Furniture Polish #6

1 part walnut oil
1 part lemon juice
lavender essential oil
Put ingredients in a jar, shake well and with a nice soft cotton cloth wipe on your furniture and polish.

Lavender Furniture Polish #7

1/4 cup of vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
3 drops lavender essential oil

Hint; When using lemon juice, only make as much polish as you can use at one time. It also is a lightener and may lighten your wood.

Lavender Furniture Polish Cream

2 ounces olive oil
2 ounces coconut oil
1 ounce beeswax
1 ounce carnauba wax
4 ounces distilled water
5 drops lavender essential oil
Makes 1 and 1/4 cup

Melt over medium heat in a double boiler the oils and waxes. Remove from the heat and mix in the water with a hand mixer until it becomes thick and creamy. If you use a blender you will have to put the water in the blender first. Then drizzle in the oil combination. If you want you can add a preservative like 1/3 teaspoon grapefruit seed extract, 1 teaspoon vitamin C powder, or 1 tablespoon of wheat germ oil. Store in a jar. To use just dab some on a rag and buff into furniture until the oils are worked in well. The shelf life is about 6 months. ]]> 110978 2008-06-18 10:25:37

Only passions, great passions,
can elevate the soul to great things.

Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784)

How will you elevate your soul today?
~ Comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,
please contact me. ]]> 110630 2008-06-17 18:23:03

"There was once a man who loved to gossip. He loved the attention it brought him, and could not stop himself from speaking about others, sometimes sharing the good they did, but most often sharing the mistakes they made.

"In time, however, he realized the harm his speech was causing and he sought to make amends. He went to his rabbi and explained the situation, and asked how he could make amends.

"The rabbi thought for a moment and instructed the man to go to the marketplace and purchase two of the finest feather pillows he could find. He should then take the pillows to the top of the mountain overlooking the village, tear them open, and spill the feathers into the wind.

"The man was surprised and pleased at the rabbi's advice. He thought repentance would be much harder than this. So he ran to the marketplace, purchased his pillows, and within an hour had scatter their feathers to the wind.

"He returned to the rabbi all aglow. He was ready to be forgiven for his gossiping. Not just yet, the rabbi told him. There was one more thing to do. He had to return to the mountain and repack the pillows with the feathers that he had scattered.

"'But that's impossible,' the man said. 'Those feathers have gone everywhere, there is no way I can take them back now.'"

"The rabbi nodded solemnly and said, 'What is true of the feathers is true of the words. Once spoke they can never be retrieved. The harm caused by gossip cannot be undone.'"

~ Rabbi Rami Shapiro ~
from The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness ]]> 110221 2008-06-16 22:07:54

Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first.
Ask questions, then feel the answer.
Learn to trust your heart.

Will you remain quiet and listen today?
~ Comments are very welcomed ~

To have your daily thought deposited into your inbox,
please contact me.

]]> 110184 2008-06-16 20:10:08 "Whatever your connection to the Rowan, be sure to look out for the changes that will occur as a result of any communication with this tree. It should not be underestimated and its influence will bring about a quickening of your energy on many subtle levels. For this reason, it has always been used by the wise ones and revered as a powerful influence and should be treated with the greatest respect."

Rowan trees were planted near doors and gates to ward off evil influences and branches were attached to barns in order that the cattle housed inside would be protected from misfortune. This tree was also believed to guard the gateway to the spirit world and its boughs often used for dowsing and deflecting spells. The Rowan is sometimes called the "Whispering Tree" and ancient legend tells that it has secrets to reveal to those who would but listen. The Rowan has been associated throughout history with protection against wickedness and is believed to be the wood which was used to engrave the Norse Runes. Its name is linked with the Norse "Runa" or "Rundall," meaning "a charm." It is also associated with the Sanskrit "Runall" meaning "magician." The Cornish and Scots would carry an equal-sided cross of Rowan to protect them from harm and wands were often placed over doorways to houses in order to ensure good fortune. In Wales, Rowans used to be planted in churchyards so that they might to watch over the dead. The Rowan, a tree of protection and insights, was known to be a tree belonging to the Faery. Its wood was frequently used for bows, favored second only to Yew for this purpose. When sliced in two, the orange-red Rowan berry reveals a pentagram symbol of protection. Thus, this tree was believed to possess the ability to protect from enchantment and trickery. It was once thought that the berries of the Rowan were so sacred that the Gods guarded them jealously and kept them from humankind.

The Rowan was also believed to enhance strength with courage. The Ancient Druids would light fires of Rowan wood to help induce insights as to how a battle might progress and to invite the Faery folk of the Sidhe to fight alongside them, thus lending aid in the fray. The Tuatha De Danaan are said to have brought the Rowan to Ireland from Tir Tairnagire, the "Land of Promise." In Irish legend, the first human female was created from Rowan (the first male being created from Alder).

The Rowan tree, whose blossoms are members of the Rose family, flowers in May and rarely grows to be more than 30 feet in height. Also known as the Mountain Ash (although it is not related to the true Ashes), this tree is sometimes referred to as the "Lady of the Mountains," due to the fact that it often grows in the most inhospitable of places, though it is most frequently found in mountainous areas as well as gardens. The Rowan is also known as "Delight of the Eye," "Wiggy" and "Witchbane." This is a small, deciduous tree (considered by some to be more a shrub) with shiny, smooth, grey-brown bark that tends to roughen with age. All parts of the tree are astringent and may be used in tanning and dyeing black. When cut, its wood yields poles and hoops for barrels. The ripe red berries are said to be beneficial in the treatment of sore throats and inflamed tonsils and were once used as a curative for scurvy. The fruit of the Rowan is a favorite among birds and a delicious jelly can be made from the berries, which carry a pentagram shape...the symbol of protection and, according to many folk legends, an aid against magick. The Welsh once brewed an ale from Rowan berries, but the secret of this art has been lost over time. Walking sticks or magician staves were customarily made of this wood in order to ensure safe journeys at night and it was often carried on ships to prevent damage from storms. If planted upon a grave, the Rowan was thought to keep the deceased from haunting. A Rowan which grows out of another Rowan is known as a "Flying Rowan" and was considered especially potent against witches and their magick...a counter-charm against sorcery. Rowan is considered an "ornamental wood" and is a wonderful lure for birds (which gives this tree yet another name, "Bird Catcher"). It is also useful in making fence posts and walking sticks.

Physical Goal: To keep a hold on senses in order to distinguish good from bad...and harm from help.

Mental Goal: To refuse to be swayed, tricked or beguiled.

Spiritual Goal: To possess the strength to turn away anything that threatens purpose and serenity...to be unafraid.

Amergin Verse: "I am a Wide Flood on a Plain"

Ogham Association: Luis

Polarity: Masculine

Colour: Red and/or Grey

Class: Peasant

Letter Character: "L"

Month: December...the second month of the Ogham calendar and named for the Roman Goddess Decima who, as the middle of the Three Fates, personified the present. Alternatively, it may have been named after the Latin Decem, which means "ten." Decem was the tenth month of the old Roman calendar. Anglo-Saxons called December "Aerra Geola" ("The Time Before Yule") or "Wintermonat" ("Winter Month") and to the Irish, it was "Mi na Nollag" or "Christmas Month." The December Full Moon is known as the Backwoods' Cold or Hunting Moon.

Alias: "Moon of Vision," "Spirit Moon" and "Astral Travel Moon"

Magickal Properties: Healing, personal empowerment and divination

Some Famous Rowan People: Garth Brooks, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Michael Jordan, Charles Lindbergh, Jerry Springer and Jules Verne

Symbols

Gemstone: The Rowan gemstone is the Peridot, also known as "Olivine," the "Evening Emerald" and, in ancient times, called "Chrysolite." Its name derives from the Greek meaning "golden stone." It is a transparent gem of a rich, bottle-green shade which contains a golden inner glow. One of the oldest known stones, it was once mined only at night because legend stated that the Peridot could not be easily seen during the daylight hours. It has been regarded as a gem of powerful magic by all ancient cultures. The Egyptians and Babylonians used it as a protective amulet against evil and it was often used to decorate medieval churches. Large Peridots (more than 200 carats in size) adorn the Shrine of the Three Magi at the Cologne Cathedral. The Greeks used it in headbands in order to foretell the future and the Druids stitched Peridot into their robes for protection. Said to possess the ability to drive away evil spirits, the power of the Peridot was considered to be even more intense when set in gold and King Solomon is believed to have been made wise and enlightened by drinking from cups made of Peridot. It is the only gemstone born in fire...the volcanic gem.

Flower: The flower of the Rowan is the Snowdrop, also known as the "Fair Maid of February," "Candlemas Bells" and "Mary's Tapers," and referred to by old botanists as the "Bulbous Violet." Its botanical name derives from two Greek words for "milk" and "flower" and it has long been associated with purity, being described in poetry of classical Rome from the First Century A.D. as being "brought down from heaven." Nevertheless, it is said to be unlucky to bring the flower into the house if a member of the family is ill. The Snowdrop has been known for centuries throughout Europe and grows best in cool, moist soil, reaching six to eight inches in height. Despite its beauty, the Snowdrop is often seen as an omen of death. One of the legends associated with the origin of the Snowdrop states that after her expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Eve sat weeping while an angel comforted her. Since the banishment, no flowers had bloomed...instead, snow fell ceaselessly. As the angel spoke with Eve, he caught a snowflake in his hand, breathed upon it and it fell to Earth as the first Snowdrop. The flower bloomed and Hope was thus born. According to German legend, when God made all things on the Earth, he asked Snow to go to the flowers and obtain a little color from each of them. One-by-one, the flowers refused. Extremely saddened, Snow asked a Snowdrop to give a little of its color and the Snowdrop agreed. As a reward, Snow now allows the Snowdrop to bloom first whenever Spring arrives. Snowdrops were originally transported to Europe from Turkey. Monks carried the bulbs from Rome to England and were the first to plant them around old monasteries. Because of this, the Snowdrop is sometimes known as the "Church Flower." Their presence in churchyards eventually generated an unlucky reputation for the Snowdrop. Although commonly believed to be the first wildflower of the year, the Winter Aconite is perhaps more worthy of the title. The Snowdrop is reputed to have digestive healing properties.

Celestial Body: The celestial body associated with the Rowan is the planet Uranus ("Brigantia"). Known to the Romans as Coelus ("Heaven"), Uranus was God of the Sky and father of the Titans.

Deity: The Rowan deity is Brigid, Celtic Goddess of Fertility and Poetry. Also known as "Brid" (among many other aliases), Brigid's name comes from the old Irish word "brigh," which means "power" or "renown." Daughter of the Dagda, Brigid was a major Celtic pastoral deity and one of the great Mother Goddesses of Ireland. Her priestesses numbered nineteen, representing the nineteen-year cycle of the "Celtic Great Year." As a Goddess, Brigid presided over many things...fire, fertility, the hearth, all feminine arts and crafts, as well as healing, agriculture, learning, poetry, love, witchcraft and occult knowledge, to name but a few. Brigid became Christianzed as Saint Brigit of Kildare, who is said to have lived from 450 AD to 523 AD, founding the first female Christian monastery community in Ireland. In Irish mythology, Brigid is regarded as midwife to the Virgin Mary, and has also been worshipped as a guardian of children and slayer of serpents. As Saint Brigit or Saint Bride, she is one of Ireland's Patron Saints.

Animals:

The Crane -- One late Celtic tradition (apparently originated after the arrival of Christianity) stated that Cranes were people paying penance for wrong-doing. The Crane was associated with Lir, the Celtic Sea-God, who made his bag from the skin of this bird. The Crane was also sacred to the Triple Goddess and sometimes known as the "Moon Bird." It symbolized shamanic travel, the learning and keeping of secrets and the search for deeper mysteries and truth.

The Green Dragon - The Dragon symbolized inspiration and imagination. It represented the supernatural forces that guarded the great secrets and treasures of the universe. There are numerous references to serpents or dragons in Celtic mythology. On many occasions, the Fianna fought huge dragons in lakes. One likely center of the Serpent/Dragon was the sacred site of Kildare, under the protection of the Goddess Brigit. Most cultures considered the Dragon as a benevolent dweller of caves, lakes and the Inner Earth. In ancient times, it was a symbol of wealth and associated with the power of the Elements (particularly that of the Earth), but also of the treasure of the subconscious mind. It often appeared in many varieties...as a water serpent or worm-shaped beast, as well as the more well-known winged depiction.

Given this long, magickal history, it is no wonder that Tolken chose the Rowan for one of his main Ents ("Quickbeam" - left) in his Lord of the Rings cycle. To quote Glennie Kindred again from www.WhiteDragon.Org,

"Whatever your connection to the Rowan, be sure to look out for the changes that will occur as a result of any communication with this tree. It should not be underestimated and its influence will bring about a quickening of your energy on many subtle levels. For this reason, it has always been used by the wise ones and revered as a powerful influence and should be treated with the greatest respect."

Although much of this information is commonly accepted by scholars, I have not attempted to verify everything here. I will leave it to the reader to determine what to accept at face value and what to consider in need of further research.

References;
paganliving.com
angelfire.com
]]> 109908 2008-06-16 08:59:02 <embed src="http://www.metrolyrics.com/scroller/scroller.swf?lyricid=2215459&border=4&bordert=86&bgfont=0xC0C0C0&bg=http://www.metrolyrics.com/scroller/bgpic/lightbluenotes.gif&filter=0x000000&filtert=31.3&txt=0x000000&fontname=arial&fontsize=11&speed=2" quality="high" bgcolor="#006666" width="180" height="210" name="scroll" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /><br /> - <a href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/celtic-woman-lyrics.html" title="Celtic Woman Lyrics">Celtic Woman Lyrics</a></embed>

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