Trisha Keel is professional educator and a natural-born teacher, a feng shui master, and metaphysician. It is her mission to share her knowledge with others to encourage, enlighten, and empower others so they may heal, grow, and achieve their goals.

This unique seminar series shares ideas about blending earth energies and principles of feng shui with the powers of each new Moon. Leave with ideas you can implement in an afternoon and stage your life for success in each of the energetic qualities governed and enhanced by each Moon.

Although the presentation of this 13 moon series is now complete, there will be one last encore with a repeat presentation of the Willow Moon on April 18th. Come alone or bring a friend and save! Tuition is $30 per class. Couples register for $50 a pair. Attendees receive a 10% discount on all items purchased during their Temples Gate Treasure Hunt the day of class.

Register for this seminar to be held Saturday April 18, 2009, from 1-3 pm, at Temples Gate at 625 West 19th Street in the Heights. Seating is limited. Call today! For more information about the classes or to register, please call Joel at Temple Gate, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm or Sunday, 1-5 pm at 713-863-0525.

============================================

Use Feng Shui and the Willow Moon of April to Set the Stage for Romance
By Trisha Keel, Tomorrow’s Key, www.tomorrowskey.com

Romance is all about YOU! Setting the stage for romance involves enhancing space and time with your personal energy signature. Use the time of the Willow Moon and weave the magic of springtime into the frequencies of your most private environment—your bedroom. Realign your environment to harmonize with what pleases you sensually and set the stage for a powerful place of passion! Treasure yourself above all others. Know that you are beautiful and self-confident. Feel the self-empowerment that comes from knowing and loving yourself, and you will exude an aura of energy that is irresistibly attractive.

Start with an evaluation of your personal space. Approach your home from the front door, where your special guest will enter. Then walk through your place and stand the middle of your bedroom. Do a very slow pirouette and consider everything you see. You want the answers to the following questions to be a resounding “YES!”

Thirty Ways to Set the Stage for Romance:
__ Is the front door and porch area welcoming and fresh?
__ Is the house clean and quiet?
__ Is the bedroom room clean - surfaces cleared and dusted; mirrors sparkling; bed made; clothes put away?
__ Is the room clutter free?
__ Is there a lock on the bedroom door?
__ Is the head of the bed on a solid wall that does NOT have plumbing behind or inside it?
__ Is there a solid headboard or is the head of the bed against a wall?
__ Is the bed tightly assembled and squeak-free?
__ Is the bed set up so that both sides are away from the wall?
__ Is the bed made with high threadcount linens or satin, if preferred?
__ Are they in good repair, clean and lightly scented?
__ Are there four fluffy pillows to support two adults?
__ Is there no nest of throw pillows that have to be removed before you can get into your bed?
__ Are there two bedside tables and shaded lamps of equal/similar size?
__ Is there a source of music or the sounds of nature, as preferred?
__ Do you have the colors pink, white, red, and/or purple included in the space?
__ Is there a deep pile rug or carpet next to the bed on both sides?
__ Does the room smell fresh and sensually pleasing to you, but not in with overpowering amount of scent?
__ Are there no photos of other people in the room?
__ Are there no flowers or art depicting flowers in the room?
__ Is there a clear space upon which to set a tray of beverages or taste treats?
__ Are there drapes or curtains to soften sharp edges around windows and provide privacy?
__ Are there candles in the room that can be safely lit or lamps that can be turned down to candlelight levels?
__ Is the temperature of the room comfortable and just a bit cool?
__ If there is a bathroom next to the bed, is there a live plant inside, is it clean, odor-free, and the door closed?
__ Are all animals removed from the room, including cats, dogs, birds, fish, reptiles, arachnids, and children?
__ Is the bedroom in the back, rather than along the front wall of your dwelling?
__ Is the bedroom not over a garage?
__ Are all exercise equipment, sewing machines, desks, computers, and televisions removed from the room?
__ Do you feel special in this room, delighted with your treasures, and proud of your personal space?

The Willow Moon of April is known as the Moon of Enchantment. In this lunar cycle, magic dances to the heartbeat of Spring. The first flush of deeper love feels like a spell that is working in spite of logic or the demands of our normal lives. This feeling intoxicates our senses, brightens colors, and sweetens flavors. Time tilts. While you do not exert your personal energy to gain power over others, you do sometimes hold them “in thrall.” You are charming and enchanting. You share your own magic and make more by the light of the Willow moon.

Your self-confidence and self-empowerment provide an invitation to savor a bolder tapestry of life, combining various sensory experiences. Your most primal sense is scent. Scent bewitches in an instant. Your brain is especially responsive to scents that arouse passion. Your body responds reflexively, often without your brain realizing why. Use this powerful sensory input in your personal space. Blend or use only one scent of tuberose, jasmine, gardenia, ylang-ylang, or lavender to arouse and entice in various ways:
• Bathe in scented water
• Use a reed diffuser or daub some oil on a light bulb (before you turn it on) or use a ring diffuser
• Apply a little of the essential oil on your pulse points - wrists, throat, behind your knees and below your ears
• Use candles with these scents or make some of your own from beeswax and infuse the scent of your choice
• Dilute the scents in water (4 drops essential oil to 10 fluid ounces of purified/distilled water) and spray yourself, your hair, sheets, carpet, car, briefcase, or the air in your bedroom.

The colors of love include red, pink, white, and purple. Purple is an empowering color, so wear it! If you’re not comfortable being fully and royally in control, tone your purple down to wisteria or lavender. Avoid totally encasing your body in lavender, however. Its blueness can cause you to appear cool instead of sssssssssssexy-hot! Make sure to include erotic art, romantic lighting, natural stones, and elements in pairs to promote the passion.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the Hawthorne Moon of May to Set Boundaries in Your Life

As I mentioned in my last column, romance is all about you. In fact, your entire life is all about you. Your job is to take care of you. To the extent that you make this your first priority, your life will reflect your own opinion of you, your sense of self-esteem and personal worth. The quality of care you provide for yourself will show others exactly how you wish to be treated.

And unless you are aware of and actively taking care of your own needs, you will quickly find yourself sacrificed on the altar of the needs of others. This need to give and give until those you love are literally feeding off your energy is a blueprint for breast cancer. With all due respect to any who may not have survived or who are actually surviving this devastating disEASE, no one is comfortable in an environment where they feel that those they love are “eating them alive.” This is not OK. Where such an energy configuration exists, boundaries need to be defined. Those who are feeding off your energies need to be disenchanted. They need to learn to take care of themselves. They must first learn to respect themselves, to know they are empowered and capable of their own care. You need to lead the way and to let them. You need to learn to become selfish.

Let’s talk about being selfish. Most of us were taught that being “selfish” was not a good thing. As a child, you were most likely taught to share your toys and treats. Those of you who had a problem doing so might have been reprimanded, setting up a pattern of giving away at least part of what was yours regardless of your personal needs. The end result of this would be a tendency to question your self-worth. When you doubt your own value, others do too. If you’re willing to accept second best, that’s all you’re going to get. If you don’t feel that your own needs are worthy of fulfilling, no one else will either.

When you do what makes you feel good and tend to your own needs first, then you have joy to share. You don’t even have to think about it – the joy just flows out of you and fills the hearts of those around you. I’m not talking about conceit or narcissism. I’m encouraging you to have a good,  healthy sense of self-respect and self-esteem. If you don’t love and respect you, no one else can or will love or respect you either. To build up your self-worth, you need to think different thoughts. As you think differently, so too will others around you. To change your thoughts, first change your environment. Even if you have to pretend, set the stage of your life AS IF you love you. Start with your bedroom and bath. (Please be sure you already took care of the list in the Willow Moon column before starting this one.)

__  Is your bedroom clean, dusted, and sweet-smelling?
__  Are your bedroom surfaces clutter-free?
__  Is there a mirror that is hung at the height that frames your face within it?
__  Do you have a mattress and box springs that is less than ten years old?
__  Is your bed placed  in the power position of the bedroom?
__  Have your bedroom windows been washed in the last year?
__  Is there nothing under your bed (except possibly stored bed linens)?
__  Are there locks on your bedroom and bathroom doors?
__  Is there a recent and flattering photo or painting of you in your bedroom?
__  Do you have your own favorite scent present in your bedroom and bath?
__  Are your closet and drawers organized, well-lit and a little empty?
__  Are your pillows and bed linens less than two years old?
__  Is your underwear beautiful, sexy, well-fitting, and less than six months old?
__  Do you have at least one set of sleepwear that can be described as “decadent”?
__  Are there no spider-webs, crunchy insect bodies, or hairballs in your corners, windows, or under your furniture?
__  Have you worn everything hanging in your closet within the last two years?
__  Are your shoes kept together, shined, polished, and well-kept?
__  Do you keep your purses and/or briefcases off the floor, honoring your money and your work?
__  Is there something in your bedroom that shows your appreciation of beauty?
__  Do you have a collection of scents and jewelry with which to adorn (and adore) yourself?

The Hawthorn Moon of May is known as the Moon of Disenchantment. With this lunar cycle comes both clarity and certainty that can help you learn to release the need for perpetual self-sacrifice. You will clearly see that you are a perfect creation of Nature who deserves love and respect, just as much as everyone else. Now you can help others who might be abusing your generous nature to make new choices. This can include releasing friends or lovers who no longer bring joy into your life. It may include a partner, boss, or even an intruder in your life. As they cross your personal boundary between your serenity and their demands, this moon is here to help you disconnect and eject. The Hawthorn moon sets boundaries just like a hedge of thorns keeps people from crossing a property line.

Show yourself that you love you more than anyone else in the world! Reward yourself! Do all the things for you that you’ve always hoped someone else would do for you. Get a haircut. Get your car washed and waxed. Get a massage. Buy a piece of jewelry that enhances your eyes, sparkles from your ears, or in some way causes you to feel good about yourself. Buy a book to read for fun instead of learning or work. Create an adventure a week and keep souvenirs of where you go and who you meet in a journal, scrapbook, or even on a bulletin board. Take photos of you having a good time – even if you have to ask a stranger to take the photo. Appreciate something about yourself every day.

Learn to wrap your lips around the word “no” and teach your mind that you mean them. When personal boundaries are not defined family, friends, and even lovers can find themselves enchanted with using you. It’s convenient and easy. It’s also a bad habit. To help disenchant. define your boundaries through most basic human understanding—use scent:

• Mint – signals the brain to work intelligently rather than emotionally
• Black pepper – brings the mind to a quick, sharp focus; dispels dreaminess
• Pine – bracing rather than sensual, cleans up unclear thoughts
• Camphor – decongests and clears the respiratory system (ointment or leaves can be used)

When you use any of these scents you are clearly drawing a line, creating a boundary between you and any party who may be causing you problems. Maintain a mindset of asking others to respect your wishes, while remaining gracious, and others will be hard put to deny you. Along with your politeness must come the clear message of refusal. You must respect the barrier strongly within yourself for others to respect it. There must be love of yourself and a positive attitude to enforce your dissuasive intention.

Add the color combination of pink and white to your environment with candles, fabrics, stones, art, and/or glass. Use marigolds and other peppery-scented flowers. Add mint to your tea. Place your pink candle near the front door and light it to warn others to respect your space. Add a good-sized quartz crystal to your bedside table, dresser and/or desk. Spray your garden perimeters with pepper-water to communicate your boundaries to pets and snails. If you feel under siege from someone who refuses to respect your boundaries, gather a bouquet of blooming hawthorn branches, tie them with a rose colored sash, and hang them above your front door. (Make sure you take them down as this moon ends as you don’t want dead things in your environment.)

Finally, if your need for disenchantment includes wanting to ease away someone who has impossible hopes for either a renewed relationship with you or a cherished but completely unreturned interest in your affection, the Hawthorn Moon and your firm mindset can help. Grow a pot of peppermint in your garden or kitchen window. Keep peppermints in your pocket or in a dish in your home or work environment. Burn rose pink and white candles throughout the month. Clean your bathroom with pine scented cleaner. Tie white ribbons around your chair legs to keep yourself “free” from the expectations of others.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the Oak Moon to Add Protection and Security to Your Life

June’s oak moon brings special energies for protection and physical, emotional and financial security. This moon is all about the power of the sun, fire and earth energies, and celebrations of passion. Setting the stage for protection and security in your life involves capturing the power of the sun, focusing it to achieve your life goals, and celebrating the midsummer’s peak energies.

The power of the sun translates to fire energy in the principles of feng shui. Furthermore, fire energy generates earth energy. The gua of fire energy is all about your fame, reputation, protection, and vision. Vision includes the ability to see what’s coming toward you through both space and time. The Fame gua is found in the back center area of your home from the front door, and the back center area of your property from the mouth of the driveway. (See Bagua page for an energy map and more details.) Earth energy is all about security, nurturing, and mutual support. The guas of earth energy are found in the back right (Marriage), center (Health) and front left (Knowledge) areas of your home from the front door, and from the mouth of the driveway to your property. Remember, these guas are part of every space: every room from its doorway; every piece of furniture; and even every face. To make sure the fire and earth energies are supported in each of these four areas, here are questions to ensure your home has great fire and earth energies: 

The Oak Moon is known as the Moon of Security. With this lunar cycle comes the energy for personal security, including self-confidence, financial stability, happiness in love, positivity, intellect, strength, and a safe place in which to live. June’s moon brings the Summer Solstice, June 21^st the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. No other day has as much sun power. In fact, from June 22nd the days start getting shorter until the arrival of the Winter Solstice at Christmastime. Pump up your personal fire energies by wearing colors of fire: reds, oranges, and golds. Enhance your personal earth energies wearing earth tones such as brown, tan, brick, yellow, or sienna; or pinks, reds, or white.

The oak tree is a symbol of strength, wisdom, endurance, and security. The oak and everything associated with it sets the stage with positive energies. Manifest the strength of an oak tree in your home any way you can. Acquire oak furniture, plant an oak tree, or wear silver acorn jewelry. (Real acorns are often used in fertility rites, medicinally, and in prosperity and protection ceremonies.) Grow your own oak tree or simply find one in a park that you can visit, sit beneath, read to, and dream under. Tie a ribbon around it when you go visit. Have someone take a photo of you beneath your tree. Paint an oak tree yourself or buy art depicting oaks and position it in one of the earth guas of your home. Stencil oak leaves and acorns around the inside of your porch or entryway. Once you have included oak in your environment, know that your abilities to think powerful thoughts and to focus your visualizations have been enhanced.

If we think positively, we design for ourselves the lives we DO want. By our thoughts are realities are defined. Inspire yourself towards positive thoughts by adding the scents of sandalwood and frankincense. Geranium and bay are wonderful scents for strength, optimism, and security. Whenever you feel a bit unsure or uneasy, dilute these (a few drops of each in a base oil such as sweet almond) and wear them as a perfume. Add earthen elements to your environment to help you feel grounded. Stones, ceramics, statuary and tiles all help keep us connected to our earth energies. Crystals and gemstones are fruits of the earth. Wear your favorite stone next to your skin. Get a hot stone or crystal massage.

Practice thinking about what you DO want and appreciate in your life instead of what you DON’T. Make it a rule to never discuss bad days, frustrating people or events, or sad stories when you eat (or ever!). It doesn’t make you feel strong or powerful to relive these stories, nor do the stories empower those you tell them to. Energy flows where attention goes. Whatever you give attention and energy to grows. Never give such memories a second thought! Do not feed their energies by telling the story over and over again. Don’t share what disempowers you with your family, friends, or counselor. Tell them the good stuff and the good stuff will grow.

On Saturday June 21^st, gather firewood, herbs, and flowers for a bonfire (this will also work in your fire pit) on that Midsummer night. Plant a garden of basil, lemon balm, and rosemary to attract love. Grow sweet peas to add magic to your days. Plant your gardens in pretty shapes. Place beautiful stones or crystals among the plants to promote fairy activity and positive energy. Decorate potted plants with real or painted ribbons in pink to bring general love, red to bring passion, and blue for loyalty. Keep fresh flowers on your table in your bedroom. Scent your sugar with roses, lavender, or sweet peas. Then cook up love dishes with their fragrance and share them with those you treasure. Burning incense with a pleasing scent sends sweet spirals of smoke upward and honors the power of the sun. Fire adds pure energy to every celebration in life. Celebrate every day with your own collection of incense to honor the fire energy and to carry your thoughts. Best summer incense includes scents of orange blossom or peel, frankincense, or rose. It sends a message of serious intent to the heavens. It purifies and attracts the best spirit.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the Holly Moon of July to Turn Your Life Around

The Holly Moon is all about reversing difficult situations in your life by changing their polarity. Polarity is all about duality. Everything has two sides. Paper comes with a front and back. Coins come with heads and tails. Everything has an opposite, but opposites have identical natures. Hot and cold are opposites. But they are also part of the same circle. Look at your thermometer and see if you can find where heat ends and cold begins.

Yin and yang represent the negative and positive dualism existing within all things. This duality can be used to set the stage of your life, just as it can be used to change the setting. When you want to reverse the polarity of an environment, change the yin elements to yang or vice versa, depending on whether you wish to invoke the bright, directive, hard, expanding, vertical, and active yang or dark, receptive, soft, contracting, horizontal, and quiet yin.

__  Turn Around Your Bank Account: Use your front door every day. You can park in your garage and enter your house, but set down your things and go out and check the mail. See if the homeless are living on your porch, sweep the stoop, or water the plants. Your incoming energy (and cash flow!) will increase after 27 days.
__  Turn Around Your Sense of Security: Put your bed in the power position on a wall opposite your bedroom door. Make sure you have a headboard, even if you have to paint one on the wall. Lie in your bed and be sure the furniture or architectural features to your left are taller than you are when you are standing. Make sure the furniture or architectural features to your right are lower than those on the left. Finally, make sure you can see your bedroom door from your bed. Your support (and personal power!) will strengthen immediately.
__  Turn Around Your Self-Esteem: Make sure you can see your entire head in all mirrors. Then polish all your glass. Make sure your artwork hangs so that your head is about the same level as the middle of the art. Your self-image will be enhanced and you will feel valued.
__  Turn Around A Threat to Your Business: If you are the boss, get yourself a power chair and move your desk so that you face the door instead of the wall. If you are an employee, make sure you have the support of the celestials wherever you spend the most time performing your task. If you are moving most of the day, keep a quartz crystal in your pocket instead. This will absorb any negative energy in your environment, protecting you from taking the hit.
__  Turn Around Your Health: Clear the clutter from the center of your home. Of course, continue to clear clutter throughout your home, but start with the center and continue a bit each day. Ten minutes in the morning will add up to more than an hour a week. Do it while you’re drinking your morning coffee or on the phone. Throw out anything you don’t love and use.
__  Turn Around Your Ability to Start New Projects: Add green dragon energy by giving yourself a healthy and lush plant (no cactus or spiky leaves please). Place it to the left side of your desk or bed.
__  Turn Around Your Love Relationship: Find something to appreciate about your lover every day. Compliment your lover every day and touch them every day. Make sure your bed has the support of two equally sized bedside tables and lamps. Light PAIRS of candles every day.
__  Turn Around Your Family Relationships: Tell your family member about something that you admire about them. Add photos of them and you to the Family & Friends gua of your home. Frame them thoughtfully. Add a plant and a water feature to the same gua.
__  Turn Around Your Children’s Lives: Frame and display your child(ren)’s artwork in the Children and Creativity gua of your home. Add elements of metal and earth to the same gua.
__  Turn Around Your Reputation: Fire up the barbeque in the Fame gua. Light tiki torches or string twinkle lights. Plant roses, bougainvillea, or any other thorny or spiky-leaved plants in the same gua. Clean out the space between your screens and windows. Wash the screens and polish the window glass inside and out. Replace any broken glass. Fix pocked or cracked windshields. 

The Holly Moon of June is known as the Moon of Encirclement or cycles. With this lunar cycle comes the reversal of summer energies as the days grow inexorably shorter toward winter and the moment of the Holly King (part of the archetype for Santa Claus). Now is the time to set the stage to reverse any situation in your life by changing your thoughts and your environment.

Polarity can also be seen as the rebalancing of a situation that has gone too far in one direction or another. This shifting of energies can be done by changing your environment and then enhanced with the use of oils, herbs, and colors. But all of the change starts with changing your mind and your attitude. 

Holly brings enduring life and foresight to your life. The plant has very sharp and pointy leaves until it reaches a height of about ten feet. Above that, the plant has no need for protection and the leaves are smooth at the edges. In addition, the holly’s berries sustain birds when other foods are scarce. A sprig of holly or a holly leaf makes a talisman with a magnetic effect. If you want to reverse sharp words that have passed between you and a lover, friend, or relative, place a photo of you and the other person in a little box or basket with eight holly leaves. Burn a yellow candle in a bronze candleholder nearby. Gently send thoughts of apology to the other person for your part in the misunderstanding. Ask for tolerance and a chance to set things right. 

The scents of rebalancing will effectively encourage you to try to see some of your problems from different points of view.

• Cilantro – also known as coriander, this herb is an aromatic stimulant that has aphrodisiacal properties. It also combats fatigue and apathy. The seeds have a mildly narcotic effect and will act as a sedative, easing headaches, tension, and nervous exhaustion.
• Tuberose – a tiny drop will counteract irritability and emotional conflict. It arouses sensuality, motivates, inspires spontaneity, and can transform the introvert into an outgoing personality. Both the wearer of the oil and those who smell it feel these effects.
• Benzoin – also known as gum Benjamin, this is one of the classic ingredients of incense and its scent honors all deities. Benzoin has a very relaxing effect so don’t use it when you need to concentrate.. Its therapeutic properties include antiseptic, anti-depressant, and sedative.

Combine these three scents in a spray bottle of distilled water to use to rebalance the energies of any environment where previous encounters have happened or new encounters will occur. Send a mental message of peace and forgiveness as you spritz the space. (You can also wear a combination of the oils, but don’t use so much scent that they can’t stand to be around you. Think subtle.) Apologies and encounters will then be able to take place gently. 

Add the colors of yellow and bronze to your environment with candles, fabrics, stones, art, and/or glass. Untie knots in cords of any kind. Make sure all your clocks are running and have the right time. 

Finally, if your need for counteractive magic stems from your desire to turn everything around so you can move in a completely opposite direction, it’s time to set a new course and turn the other way. This can be just as true in your business, career or working life as in a relationship, health, or even your education. Once you know what you don’t want, you also know what you do want. Think that through until you can write down clearly on one yellow page exactly what you want to reverse your life to include. Begin by cleansing your environment. Get yourself a compass with the cardinal directions marked. Then under a waning moon dress in new clothes and shoes (underwear too!). Set up a table in the center of your freshly cleaned home with a yellow candle and/or sunshine colored flowers.

*Spray the space with your water spritzer or anoint the candle with cilantro, tuberose, and benzoin. Light the candle and visualize your new life as you gaze quietly into its flame for a few minutes. Stand facing due North. Speak aloud and state with conviction what it is that you wish to reverse. Turn to face due South. Now read aloud what is written on your yellow page. Let your voice command the space by speaking with clear strong tones. See yourself following your new path. Feel how happy you now are. Turn to the East and state that your new path begins now with simplicity and joy. Then turn to the West and state your gratitude and appreciation for your new direction. Finally place the compass on your table where you can repeat the process (from the * above) every day for the next nine days. (Twenty seven is even more powerful – 3x3x3.) 

=====================================

Use Feng Shui and the New Hazel Moon of July 26 to Grow in Wisdom

The Hazel Moon is known as the Moon of the Wise. The acquisition of knowledge and all matters of education are auspicious for this lunar cycle. Anyone studying, taking an exam (even those experiencing a life test), or trying to take in information of any kind will find strong support from the Universe actively assisting them at this time of the year. We are witnessing the strongest power of the sun as it burgeons into Summer and illuminates our lives with its longest and brightest rays. 

Strive now to sense the best times to tackle your tasks and tests. Your own personal wisdom will shine if you let it. Trust your intuition and instincts. If you don’t already trust yourself, start practicing using your sensitivities. Ask yourself if it is the right time to do or not do any particular task. Take the answer you get without second-guessing. Honor and thank your higher self for all your insights and intuitions. Learn from your own experience when it is best to act and when it is best to leave well enough alone. 

__  Ground Yourself: Get a hot stone massage, work in your gardens, dig in the dirt, sit on a stone bench, sweep your sidewalk, play with clay, make mud pies, or throw pottery. Anything that actually blends your body with the earth element will enhance earth energy. Get in the dirt and work it into your skin. Lie down in the grass and play cloud games. Any way that you can connect yourself to the earth will help strengthen all of the energies of your body, spirit and mind.

__  Lay a Strong Foundation: Create a stone or brick patio in either the Knowledge/Self-Improvement or in the Marriage/Relationship gua. Use red bricks or flagstone to promote your passion for life and increase your own sense of self-esteem.

__  Sit on Your Laurels: Install a cement bench to square off a missing Knowledge or Marriage gua. Sit on it in the lovely evening hours and read a book while drinking an herbal tea or a glass of wine.

__  Surround Yourself with Stability: Edge gardens with stone. Be sure to lay the stones so as not to present a dangerous sharp edge that protrudes upward.

__  Build Your Library: Your local library and garage sales offer books for as little as 25¢. Half Price Books and other used bookstores offer incredible deals too. Never pass up the opportunity to add a good book to your collection. Make sure you have bookshelves in the Knowledge gua of your home or bedroom to hold your personal library.

__  Wear Diamonds: Diamonds, like all gemstones, add earth energy to your personal energy field. Wear your birthstone or favorite color gemstone according to your own intuitive sense of which piece will provide you the sweetest support on any given day. Make sure the gems touch your skin even if you have to purposely stroke them with your fingertips. 

__  Chakra Crystal Massage: Locate a spa that offers chakra crystal massages and give yourself a fabulous gift of grounding that will set your energy field to singing! With stones of each color of the spectrum applied to your body, each of your body’s energy centers is activated and aligned. Delicious!

__  Enlighten Yourself: Add the fire element to your Knowledge or Marriage guas. Include candles of every color, shape, and size. Take care with fire safety and keep all papers away from the flames. In addition to candles, lamps should be in good working order in these areas, always paired, and always with enough wattage for ease of reading. If a bulb burns out replace it immediately with one of equal or greater wattage.

__  Front Porch Light is On and YOU Are Home: Clean out all the critter corpuses in your front porch light fixture. Clear away all cobwebs and spider webs from your front entry. Sweep your porch. Beat the dust off your doormat. Replace worn doormats and welcome banners or flags. Wash the front shutters and shingles. Freshen up the entry to your home. Add seasonal color to the entry area to attract attention and delight your senses. Hang a wind chime to call in good energy. Make sure your doorbell works – opportunity doesn’t limit itself to knocking! Use that front door every day, even if you park in and enter from your garage!

__  Be Fair and Square: The Chinese explain that since the earth has four corners, it must be square. Therefore, the shape of the square adds earth energy to your environment. Add squares using chessboards, tiles, or even coasters. Any squares will do. Just make sure you love them and use them.

__  Dish It Out: Your dishes are made of earth, whether they are china, ceramic, or Corel. Avoid using paper plates, plastic, or Styrofoam (heaven forbid!) Celebrate your food with a lovely table setting. Square plates are intriguing and grounding, making an interesting shape contrast to food, which is rarely square. 

The Hazel Moon of July brings a perfect opportunity to put your reflective powers into action. Start to make a difference in your own life and also for those around you. Consider, ponder, and meditate upon your choices for courses of action. Discuss and deliberate with family and friends. Then, based on all you have learned, decide according to your own intuitive knowing. 

Never second-guess yourself. Even if you could go back in time, if you had the same knowledge and opportunity, you would make the same decision again. Learn the lesson presented in each opportunity and joyfully go forth. If you learn that you don’t like a particular outcome, then choose to do something differently. Remember, as Einstein said, it is the purest form of insanity to always do the same thing but expect a different outcome. If you want something different in your life, make a different choice. 

Certain scents turn on the mind and sharpen your focus, increasing your mental alertness and clarifying your thoughts. The scents of the Hazel Moon will effectively assist you to acquire wisdom and know how to use it:

• Rosemary and lemon – helps to improve remembrance. This scent combination will help you remember all the details, especially for work, study, or schoolwork. If you have a job interview at which you will need to show mental dexterity and a familiarity with many topics, these are the scents you wish to savor. Other essential oils you can use to help you focus or think clearly include basil, bergamot, ginger and grapefruit.
• Sandalwood – promotes positive thinking and optimism. Inspire yourself with the scent of sandalwood to add self-confidence, poise, and inner security.
• Lavender – What does this herb not do? It cheers the mind and rallies flagging spirits. Lavender adds compassion and gentleness, rejuvenating and comforting the mind and spirit. Bestow clarity, confidence and a sweet sense of humor as you inhale the scent of lavender. This herb will also help combat depression. 

Just to get your mind engaged in daily tasks that require concentration, inhale a few drops of rosemary and lemon essential oils on a tissue or in a burner. Keep lemon drops in your purse or pocket. Always add lemon to your water or tea. 

Green is the color of Nature in full celebration. This color in the olive shade, rather than the emerald of deep foresty green of the later Reed Moon, has the effect of slowing us down a little, and perhaps even encouraging us to appreciate the other more subdued colors of nature, such as mulberry, chocolate, and russet, Mulberry is in the spectrum of the color of wisdom. It represents strength and life, but without aggression. Blend both olive and mulberry in our environment and imbue your space with reflection, calm, pensiveness, mental activity, and careful thought. Consciously breathe in the colors as you add them to your world with candles, fabrics, stones, art, and/or glass. Become one with these colors by eating green olives and berries and drinking wine. Use olive oil in cooking, graze the salad bar, and savor the salads made using the berry-colored field greens. 

Remember that knowledge alone is not wisdom. Wisdom comes only through experience. Lessons learned guide our better choices toward beneficial outcomes for all. Add the symbolism of wisdom to your environment with imagery of owls, scrolls, books, pens and paper. The ninth card of the Tarot’s major arcana, the Hermit, is a powerful symbol of the magic of learning. Get your own lantern of illumination and enlightenment. Add an hourglass, a symbol of patience, or a dragon, creatures that always seek knowledge, to your desktop. Wear both silver and gold to remind yourself that speech is silver but silence is golden.

Spend an hour early one morning – preferably while the moon is still up – outside in a garden or your yard. Bring with you sprigs of rosemary or lavender, tied with an olive green ribbon. Sit and be still, observing your surroundings. Use all five senses to take full inventory of the earth and its presents. Crush the herbs in your hand to start the process with scent. Then inhale the smell of the soil, flowers, grass and trees about you. What light scents are floating on the breeze? Is there rain coming? Listen to the sounds of nature. Put your ear to the ground – can you hear traffic nearby? Birdsong, dripping dew, dogs barking, insects buzzing all play part of the one-song, the Universe, which throbs to the rhythm of your own pulse. Look at everything around you with fresh eyes, taking in the exact color of the morning sky, the trees in the early light, the ground damp with dew, the precise hue of your clothing and skin. What do you feel? Do the blades of grass tickle your toes? Is the breeze lifting the fine hairs on the nape of your neck? Are you warm or cool? Chew on a blade of grass or a stem of reed. If present, eat a tomato or berry still warm from the vine. Savor every flavor and texture. Hold your sprigs of herbs up to the sky and send gratitude to Mother Earth and Father Sky for all their blessings. Consciously consider and cherish the lessons of life they teach you every day. With each lesson, your wisdom grows.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the New Vine Moon of August 30
to Power Up & Celebrate Life!

The Vine Moon is known as the Moon of Celebration. It is also known as the Blue Corn Moon or Barley Moon in years when the Harvest Moon comes very late in September. The full Harvest/Vine Moon occurs September 15th. This is the full moon closest to the 2008 autumnal equinox, which will be September 23rd. Generally, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but about once in three years it occurs in October. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, it seems to rise at nearly the same time each night. This moon’s bright light allows farmers to work late into the evening, gathering their harvests for our feasts.

With the harvest comes recognition for jobs well done. This should be a moment of unabashed joy and celebration. Enjoying the fruits of our labors can be just as magical as we make it. Plan to power up your own pats on the back and spread the wealth of kudos as far and wide as possible! Always stay within the bounds of integrity - mean what you say and say what you mean with your praise of others. Stand in front of your mirror, look yourself straight in the eyes, grin as wide as you can, and say to yourself, “Good job!”

Great news! The celebrations that come with the Vine Moon include fruits of the vine, especially beer, wine, and champagne! These magical elixirs dissolve boundaries between us, allow us to mingle more easily, and relax with others. At this time of the autumnal equinox, days and nights are balanced (equi-nox / equal night). Now is the perfect time to work with the energy of Nature to restore balance to any situations you perceive as unhappy or unfair. Use your amazingly perceptive instincts to discern the motives of others. Use your irresistible charm to encourage restoring a fading relationship that still has sparks of life and love within. One very special person to remember is you. Don’t be afraid to spend some time alone now and then taking care of yourself. Your own company is the best when you are taking care of yourself.

Our intuition and logic are in equal measure now, so this is a time for action rather than thought. Here are some things you can do to brighten up your last days of Summer:

__  Lighten Up: Have your hairdresser lighten your hair color and/or add highlights around your face. Trim your bangs or pull back your hair - show your face! 

__  Get Your Head Examined: Visit the dentist, optometrist, or LASIK eye-surgeon. Get your smile shined, your cavities filled, and your teeth cleaned. Update your look with new glasses, contacts, or even LASIK eye-surgery.

__  Let Your Light Shine Out: Make sure the light fixture at your front door is clean and in good working order. Check every lamp, light fixture, and appliance to be sure they have working bulbs. Check your car head and tail lights (blinkers and inside lights too)!

__  Let the Sun Shine In: Find a reason to be outside for at least 20 minutes per day. This little dose of sunlight allows your body to manufacture Vitamin D and metabolize the calcium you’ve been taking in.  This powers up your heart!

__  Celebrate Yourself: Have your diplomas, degrees, and certificates professionally framed and put them up in your Fame gua.

__  Wear Red: If you’re a man, do this sparingly - a red tie, a red shirt, maybe even red shorts. Only Santa can get away with a full suit of red. However, if you’re a woman, go for it. Wear a red dress or suit, red slacks, red lipstick, a red hat, or even red tennis shoes! Anything goes here, just prepare yourself for all the attention!

__  Play Darts: These little flyers have points, just like arrows, knives, spears, and many other weapons. Play it safe. Toe the line and have yourself a cold one while playing with pals.

__  Give Yourself Roses: Collect the rose petals from your garden (or pick some up at your grocery store) and sprinkle the petals in your bathtub for a fragrant, candlelit celebration of YOU!

__  Twinkles & Flames: Plan an evening celebration under the stars. Set out dozens of votive candles, tiki torches, or light a bonfire in your fire pit. Grill kabobs, toast “taters,” toss salad, make s’mores, dance in the moonlight, and giggle your fill during your Harvest Moon celebration.

__  Sparkle & Shine: Clean all your diamonds, rubies, and other faceted gemstones and jewelry. Remember to clear their energies on the Equinox.

__  Show Your Colors: Hang the stars and stripes of the American flag or even the Texas flag near your front door. Make sure the white stripe is on top when you hang the Texas flag (so the blood doesn’t drip down).

__  Star Light, Star Bright: Put candles on cakes and wish on them as you blow them out. Watch the stars come out and “Wish you may, wish you might, have the wish you wish tonight!” Remember to wish out loud to raise the energy of your wish from a thought to a sound. Then it’s much closer to manifestation.

__  Spread Joy: Practice giving and getting smiles and waves from complete strangers. Do it in your car, while you’re walking down a street or hallway, with wrong numbers - and even right numbers. People can hear you smile when you answer the phone. Post a note on your phone or monitor to remind you to SMILE! Add smile icons to emails ; )

__  Release Rainbows: On your way home one afternoon, stop at the store and buy a rainbow bouquet of balloons with one in each color of the rainbow. Grab some roasted chicken, a loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese, a bottle of wine, and a little cake. Kidnap the one you love, drive to the park or into the country, and watch the sun set. Each of you write wishes on half of the balloons with a felt tip pen. Release all the balloons when you see the very first star.

__  Shooting Stars: Draw stars on your body with colored felt-tipped pens. If you’re really brave, get a tattoo!

__  Red Phoenix Fire: Make sure your front yard has bushes trimmed down to 4 feet tall and tree skirts lifted up to at least 8 feet off the ground. Trim branches that create “scary hands” so that the tree grows upward instead of reaching down. When the yard work is done, decorate the front door with a grapevine wreath that has late blooming flowers, grapes, and colored ribbons woven through it. Then ask friends over for dinner!

The Vine Moon of August brings a perfect opportunity to help your visions to manifest. Create a vision board for your life goals. Get a piece of poster board about 12” x 14” or even a bulletin board. Go through catalogs and magazines and cut out images and paste up of things you’d like to have in your life. Take your camera and a friend and go get photos of you standing in front of the new house you want to live in, sitting in the new car you want to drive, or wearing the new clothing you want to own. If you just cut out a picture of the car you want, be sure to include YOUR face pasted over the driver’s face. Your subconscious needs to see YOU in the picture for it to understand that this is your vision for you, not for others. Once your subconscious sees your vision, it will work to support your new dreams.

As the days and nights balance out for the equinox, look to find balance in your life. Create a little altar with a red cloth, a candle on a metal stick or base, a stone or crystal, and a rose in a vase. Light your candle and think about bringing the peace and harmony of balance into your life. See it resonating in every area of your home and with every person you know. Ask your angels or spirit guides to help you stay in peace and harmony. Thank them for their help. Leave the candle burning only as long as you are in the room.

Certain scents support celebration and harvest. The scents of the Vine Moon will effectively fire up your sensibilities and help you reward yourself for a job well done:

• Jasmine  – The small, highly scented white flowers bloom on vines from early summer to early autumn, filling the air with their fragrant perfume. The flowers -  8000 needed to make just a single gram of oil -  are picked only at night when their aroma is even more powerful. This oil has an exotic, sensuous essence that is used as an antidepressant, aphrodisiac, sedative, and antiseptic oil.
• Sweet Orange  –  brings the healing, rejuvenating qualities of solar energy into the body/mind system. It promotes mental clarity and emotional balance and is a wonderful oil for uplifting the spirits. Sweet orange assists in resolving and releasing deep emotional issues.
• Clary Sage – Highly regarded by the Greeks and Romans for its euphoric and aphrodisiac properties, the Germans favored it for its ability to intensify the intoxicating effects of Muscatel wines. The uplifting and inspiring action of clary sage creates a sense of well-being useful for times of depression and nervous tension. It is useful as an aid in adjusting to change and helping put things into perspective. It encourages creative thought, but because it can also cause sleepiness it is best used for times of pleasure and relaxation. For this reason, clary sage should not be used before driving or any function requiring focused concentration. This essential oil is very useful for women who suffer from PMS or menopausal symptoms.

The colors to enhance the energy of the Vine Moon of Celebration are silver and burgundy, the colors of moonlight and the deep berries and grapes that now burgeon on the vine. Many from France and the British Isles consider it dangerous to eat blackberries because the fruit belongs to the fairies and they resent it when mere mortals presume to taste their magical berries. To honor the fairies and still enjoy your/their fruit, always leave a few berries or grapes in the ferns in your garden, where “faeries be.”

Create magic with the food for your feast by adding fresh berries and herbs along with your gratitude and intentions. Always sing while cooking, and hum while serving. The foods thus prepared should be shared with friends to form a  delicious repast with both physical and spiritually uplifting qualities. Celebrations should include cakes and champagne, ale, or cider (hard or not, according to your desire to add “spirits”). Remember to adorn your candlesticks and serve your drinks in vessels tied with burgundy or silver ribbons (or both) and to make wishes for general prosperity and health as you tie them. Let everyone add to the celebration by standing and toasting the blessings in each of their lives.

To celebrate the power of the Vine Moon of Celebration, create a Magical Spiral of Strength. A very simple way to celebrate with this ancient Celtic magic symbol is to take a full letter-sized sheet of paper and draw with a pencil a loose spiral from center out to the edge. Then, with a silver pen write your own words of intention and celebration between the lines. Anoint the edges of the paper with your favorite essential oil. Sprinkle the paper with silver glitter or decorate it with silver stars. Then roll the paper into a spiral and tie it with silver and/or burgundy ribbons. Under the full Vine Moon in September, burn the scroll while dancing around the fire. Wave burning sparklers in spirals as you dance. Taking all precautions of fire safety, waft the smoke up in a spiral to the sky, and send your thanks up to the stars and the heavens.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the New Ivy Moon of September 29 to
Promote Well-Being and Abundance!

The Ivy Moon is known as the Moon of Resilience. Ivy’s Latin name is Hedera helix, with the word helix meaning “to turn round: describing the plant’s tendency to spiral around as it grows. All things in the Universe grow through spiraling, including the Universe itself. Just as in the coil of the chambered nautilus the Divine Mean repeats itself in every facet of our world. Aligning ourselves and our energies with the resonance of the Divine, we can use the power of Adam’s Law, As Above, So Below; As Within, So Without, to promote our well-being and abundance.

Ivy trails along the ground and is weak and fruitless. But when ivy finds a tree or structure to climb it strengthens and flowers in Fall and bears fruit in the Spring. It is through the challenge that the plant not only begins to thrive but is able to manifest its goals and ensure its own survival through reproduction. The ivy is green and lush when all other plants begin to fade and die back for Winter. Its vibrant color adds life to the naked trees and soil during the coldest months, defining the tenacity of the plant to cling on and grow when and where no other life seems apparent.

These same challenges to tenacity and growth appear in every life. Our life forces are weak and aimless when we are without goals. It is when we are growing and reaching for the sky that we are strongest. This is also when we find the support we never knew we needed. Our support and our strength come from our deepest roots - our ancestors, teachers, and spiritual guides. It is by their teachings that our life path unfolds, spiralling us upward and onward. Their foundations allow us to dig deep and reach high simultaneously. With their belief systems fueling our own, we are as resilient as the ivy, which seems to be able to withstand even the harshest days of Winter.

Wealth derives from the old English word weal, which means well-being. Therefore, the greater quality of life you have, the wealthier you are. The qualities of joy, gratitude, love, pleasure, and appreciation are among the highest vibrational frequencies of emotion. When we consciously choose to count our blessings, appreciate one another, and find the good in everything our optimism colors our lives with an iridescent rainbow of deliciousness. We are able to bounce back from any challenge, perceiving that challenge it by its positive opposite: opportunity! Like the ivy, our challenges strengthen us and allow us to reach for the sky.

To promote your well-being and abundance find that you already have it. Literally count your blessings before your feet touch the floor every morning. As you brush your teeth and wash your face, continue to allow yourself to vibrate at the frequency of appreciation and gratitude. Thank Heaven for every blessing you can think of: your health, your home, your family and friends, your purpose, your mind, and more. Keep a buoyant and optimistic perspective regardless of the darkness or cold spots in life.

The month of the Ivy moon is the most fertile and fecund in Nature. Now is the time that our focusing of energies is capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth. As we reach the end of the growing season, Nature has gone to seed. Seeds we gather and plant now will gestate through the Winter and come forth in the Spring. Here are ways to prepare your home for the growth to come:

__  Say Grace: Even if you just say it to yourself over a bowl of cereal, stop a moment to feel thankful for everything you eat and drink.  

__  What’s In Your Wealth Corner?: Go look at the ultimate wealth corner of your home (from your front door, the furthest back left corner of the structure of your home). Consider what you have chosen to put there. Does it represent your greatest treasure, your greatest joy, or your greatest dream? Check the wealth corners of all your furniture, cabinets, closets, and even on your desktop at work. (Vertical surface wealth corners are at the top left.) For your own copy of the Bagua energy map go online to: http://www.tomorrowskey.com/web-content/Bagua.html

__  Wooden You Love More Wealth Energy?: The metaphor for describing the energy of the Wealth gua is that of an apple tree. If you have an apple tree on your property then you have apples to feed yourself and your family. You have birds, butterflies and other wildlife. You have fertile soil, fresh water, and sweet breezes. You would have everything we say grace over at Thanksgiving. Add a fresh live plant to your Wealth gua. Keep it thriving. If it dies or beings to look like it’s fading, replace it immediately!

__  Cornucopia: Add this symbol of abundance to your fall table decor. Fill it with real or silk fruits and vegetables in all the rich jewel tones of nature. Make sure these same rich colors pour forth from every Wealth corner you can. Even a bowl of fresh fruit on your table will make you feel rich. And if you feel rich, you ARE rich.

__  Move Your Trash Cans: The one place you don’t want to put your trash can (or cat box) is in your Wealth corner. Look under your desk. If the can is in the back left, move it. Look in your back yard too. (Compost piles are OK here though, so don’t worry about them.)

__  Power Up: The Wealth gua (area) pairs up with the Benefactor gua. If you don’t have benefactors - good clients and vendors, good people that support and guide you - you have no lasting wealth (well-being). Go look at your Benefactor gua (front right from your front door). Add images of your parents, grandparents, mentors, or gods here.

__  Just Add Water: The Wealth gua is an area of wood energy. Water feeds wood. Add water energy to this area of your home or office by including mirrors, glass, black or blue, fluid lines, or artwork depicting water. The water should always flow toward the house/office center, whether it is in art or in a fountain.

__  Getting Along Swimmingly: If you are willing to commit to the care necessary to maintain one, get an aquarium. Add 8 goldfish and 1 black (or 1 gold and 8 black). If one dies, replace it immediately! Keep this tank clean and beautiful. Stagnant, stinky tanks are NOT good feng shui.

__  Dry Water Features: You can add water energy without adding actual water. Get a tropical fish mobile, paint an accent wall your favorite shade of blue, add a mirror, a glass bowl of seashells, or even a photo of yourself at the lake or seaside.

__  Virtual Aquariums: To add water energy to your office place your computer in your Wealth gua of your desktop. Then run a virtual aquarium screen saver on your computer.

__  Go With the Flow: Money was invented so our talents could be traded for the goods and services of others. If you have a container of coins or a wad of bills stuffed into your mattress, they are no longer money. They are bits of metal and paper. Money must move and be exchanged in order to be money. Get your stagnant money back into the flow. Visit the CoinStar machine nearest you and then get your cash into your savings account at the bank where it can earn you some interest.

__  Pay Yourself First: Every payday, put some money into a savings account. Have the money automatically deducted from your check and deposited in your savings account. NEVER every touch that money in savings. Use it only to build more money.

__  Be A Go Giver: If you don’t tithe at church, find a group of charities to support. Send them as little or as much as you can. You can do this online easily and efficiently. I give to public television, Make A Wish Foundation, and many, many more. Choose your own favorites. Spread the wealth and feel good about it.

__  Love Money: Money only goes to those who love her. Watch your words. Do you constantly hear yourself saying things like “I never have enough money” or “There’s always more than enough”? Your subconscious is listening. It will make sure your life matches what you say. Focus only on the good stuff!

__  Honor Money: Do not place your purse or wallet on the ground. It shows no respect for your money. Clean out your purse and wallet weekly. Balance your checkbook with joy. Celebrate finding coins!

__  Enjoy Your Bill Paying Process: Get yourself in a regular rhythm with money. Set up a schedule and a budget. Get your favorite pen to write checks or crank up the music to pay online. When you’re done for the day, stand up and say out loud, “Wow! I am so happy and grateful now that I have paid my _____, _______, ______, and ____ bills! I am so wealthy I even saved $______ and gave $_____ to charity! Woohoo! Life is good!”

The Ivy Moon of September brings a perfect opportunity to promote your well-being. With the vast and varied selection of salad fixings in grocery stores and farmers markets you have access to such a wealth of natural vitamins and minerals that you can enrich your diet with herbs, greens, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Celebrate the bounty of life and step outside your regular cellophane bag of salad. Add herbs to your cooking and taste the magic. Be sure to include these herbs that form the nucleus of the witch’s garden and were prescribed for health and for their magical properties: sage, clary, angelica, borage, fennel, mint, tarragon, caraway, thyme, marjoram, basil, watercress, dandelion, nasturtium, strawberries, french rose, garlic, parsley, cilantro (coriander when dry), chervil, rosemary, calendula, lavender, hops, meadowsweet, lemon balm, evening primrose, violets and pansies.

Every day fill a large salad bowl with as many leaves and flowers from the list as you can. Invite a friend to share lunch with you and talk through and ease problems. The release of difficulties is vital to daily well-being. Problems hung on to are ultimately the cause of any health issues. Remember to end your visit on positive, hopeful notes.

Some scents can be blended for perfect harmony. The scents of the Ivy Moon will enhance your own sense of self-worth. Contentment and joy radiate from within, showing on the outside. To look your best on the outside, work on the inside. Add a rainbow of scent by blending hyacinth, rose and sandalwood to improve your feelings about yourself. To feel joyful, blend jasmine, patchouli and orris. Add the oils to clear spring water and put it into a misting bottle. Spray your room or spray your hair after shampooing and conditioning.

The colors to enhance the energy of the Ivy Moon of Resilience are deep forest green and black. Bring out the best of both energy frequencies by buying yourself a little ivy plant and putting it into a black pot in your wealth corner.

Celebrate the power of the Ivy Moon of Resilience with a master spell for Good Health. Use this spell for any health problem and for any person. Choose the time of the waxing moon to bring good health. You’ll need a garden statue of a person (small is fine), a yard of forest green ribbon, a small piece of paper (handmade would be best but at least “special” to you in some way), a special pen, scenting oil (choose from pine, sandalwood, cedarwood, or rosewood), a deep forest-green pillar candle, matches, a strand of ivy (long enough to go around the head of the statue), and a twist-tie or short wire. To supercharge this spell, add music such as a Gregorian chant or other music that makes you feel soothed and serene. As the music plays, wrap the wreath of ivy around the head of your statue and secure it with the twist-tie. Anoint the paper and the candle with your oil. Then write the name of the person you want to help. Tuck the paper underneath the statue. Sit next to the statue on the ground. Take your ribbon and lay it in a circle on the ground. Place the forest-green pillar candle in the middle of the circle. Touch the ivy wreath and caress the head of the statue. Light the candle and whisper a prayer-wish for “Sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing” as Keats said. Then “breathe in” the green from the ribbon, the ivy, and the candle. Breathe it into your heart (the heart chakra resonates with the color green). Imagine green vitality, resilience, and longevity. See this person like a tree in Spring, sprouting new blossoms and leaves after Winter. Be thoroughly peaceful and let the candle burn as you concentrate on the brow of the statue and the name of the person. See strength entering the pores of their body and the depth of their soul. Think of anyone else who needs bolstering in this way and envision them growing stronger too. Breathe in the fragrance from the candle and let yourself be carried away into serenity by the music. Repeat this procedure three days or nights in a row, depending on when the moon is up. On the final day, take the paper out and burn it in the flame of the green candle. Remove the ivy wreath from the brow of your statue. Crumble and scatter the leaves in the garden to recharge and recycle them into new growth next season.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the New Reed Moon of October 28 to
Promote Health, Home & Hearth!

The Reed Moon of late October and early November is also known as the Moon of Home and Hearth. The reed tree grows along riverbanks and in marshy areas all over the world. Although this is a different plant variety than the hollow reeds that also grow in marshy areas, all reed varieties are included in this moon’s energy. This tree is also known as the marsh elder, the guelder rose, and the cranberry tree. Its branches are harvested in November and used for thatching cottage roofs and floor rushing, leading to this tree’s symbolization of home life and protection.

Because the reed has its roots deep in water, the plant also symbolizes emotional depths, intuition, and the hidden roots of all life. Sometimes during this moon, the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld dissolve, allowing us to glimpse between the veils and grasp the greater depths at which we all are connected. Strong change and metamorphosis frequently dominate the legends and lore surrounding this tree. In Greece mythology, Pan pursued Syrinx, a nymph known for her chastity. He chased her to the river’s edge where she eluded him by transforming into reeds. Pan cut the reeds and used them to create his pan pipe, turning his sorrow into song. 

Home blessing spells or spells to attract a new home should be performed beneath the waxing of this moon. Explore ways to honor the spirit of your home and decorate to enhance your family’s happiness, health, wealth, and prosperity. Recharge yourself and your family’s energies by focusing on the love of and in your home. All your focus this month should be on keeping your home fires burning and ensuring a happy, blessed dwelling.

__  You’re Grounded: Health is all about earth energy. Your family’s health will be microcosmically reflected in your home’s Center gua. Make sure you have a strong presence here of earth elements with fire too, to feed the earth.  

__  Dead Center is Not So Good: If your home has either a water or fire feature in the exact center of your home then there is a pipe through the roof of your home that creates a hole in your home’s heart. Measure to be sure, but it you have this situation, avoid building raging fires or flooding showers. This extreme energy exchange can lead to stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and a constant feeling of stress and overwhelment.

__   Counterbalancing Bathrooms: Bathrooms in the Center of the house or near the front door lead to problems for female occupants of the house. First of all, keep center bathrooms absolutely pristine. Next, mirror the outside of the bathroom door. Finally, make sure that all five elements are represented in the bath and that none of them dominate the strength of the earth element. Add a plant (silk is OK) in a beautiful earthen pot.

__  Keep the Home Fires Burning: If your home doesn’t have a fireplace, add banks of candles to your dining table, altar, and other locations throughout the house. Especially add candles to the Fame, Marriage, Center, and Knowledge guas.

__  Sweep Away Stagnant Energy: Look into the dark corners and unused recesses of your home. Sweep away cobwebs, insect bodies, mouse droppings, etc. Where these exist, energy is stagnating. After sweeping, wash/mop/scour/clean/polish. Then add something to keep the energy moving. Make sure you do this spot check quarterly.

__  Halloween Hijinks: Focus on the fun of Halloween and not the horror. Do not allow frightening or murderous movies (or even the worst of the evening news) to be a part of your home’s energies. Choose to fill your home with joy and laughter instead.

__  Bring in the Feng (Wind): Open your house to the outside air for at least 30 minutes a day to let your house breathe. This can be done by opening a window or cracking a door. If you have a screen door, that would be even better as it will let in both air and light.

__  Honor Your Ancestors: If you don’t have any of your own, ask your parents for photos of or treasures from grandparents, great grandparents, and other relatives who have passed on. Frame them and honor them by placing them in the Benefactor gua of your house or in the Benefactor gua of your hearth room (family room). Make sure to speak their names often to keep their energies alive and active in your dwelling.

__  Splash Fall Color in Your Welcome Zone: Place a tall transparent container in your Career gua. Polish and then place a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter in the bottom. Add a bountiful bunch of branches with fall-colored leaves, branches with dried seeds or berries still clinging to them, or pumpkin tree branches to the vase. Make sure to include some eucalyptus or cinnamon-scented pine cones for sensory stimulation.

__  Raise Your Level of Respect: Show your respect for your God, gods, or saints by raising any statues, relics, or symbols off the ground.

__  Still Waters Run Deep: There is a difference between still water and stagnant water, just like there is a difference between a still and a stagnant mind. Look around outside your home and get rid of any items holding stagnant water. Then create a corner where you can sit in the stillness and silence outdoors and honor your connection to Nature by sitting with her for 15 minutes a day. Dream of the future you’re creating every day.

__  It’s Hip to Be Square: If your home is not a complete shape like a square or rectangle, square off the missing areas. Use square concrete stones, terra cotta colored pavers, or lay a concrete slab to complete a missing Marriage, Children, Benefactor, or Knowledge gua. For missing Family, Wealth or Fame, use a wood deck to square off the shape.

__  Be The Best You Can Be: To inspire your greatest love relationship, learn to love, cherish, and adore yourself! Set up a study area with a bookshelf, chair, and lamp in your Knowledge gua (or in the Knowledge gua of your space). Grant yourself permission to sit for at least 15 minutes a day and study something uplifting.

__  Up On The Roof: Get a ladder and go up on your roof one morning before it gets hot. Check for wear, corrosion around venting turbines and pipes, missing shingles, nests of small animals in deep corners, etc. Clean gutters, chimneys, and fascia as needed. (Don’t do this alone. Make sure someone else is around when you do this.)

__  Get Yourself Some Guardians: Seek and find the perfect couple to stand as guardians at your door or property entrance. These can be statues, plants, or even boulders. All matter is energy. Set the intention that your pair watch and protect. If they are stolen, they did their job and prevented greater loss. Replace them immediately with bigger guardians.

__  Flaming Fun: Cook something over an open fire on a regular basis. Whether grilling a steak, roasting hot dogs, or even splurging with s’mores, the age old celebration of gathering around the fire reminds us to take our time, enjoy the process and all the delicious aromas connected to concocting our cuisine. Stay in the moment, and enjoy!

The Reed Moon of November brings a perfect opportunity to bring some reed magic into your life with these traditional rituals:

•     The new year begins with the Winter Solstice and the return of the sun. In the time between Samhain and the Solstice, gather a few friends and head for Galveston for an evening of celebration and a picnic on the beach. Build a big bonfire for your group’s enjoyment. Build a smaller one nearby and each of you leap over it to symbolize leaving behind the old year and surmounting all your old challenges.

•     Have apple bobbing at your Halloween celebration. Eat your apple at midnight and you’ll dream of your spirit guide before you wake. Take advantage of the dream and write a question for your spirit guide on handmade paper and sleep with it under your pillow. On waking, don’t let your feet touch the floor until you take the time to recall your spirit guide’s answer.

•     Carve out a turnip, gourd, or pumpkin as a lantern of protection. Place it at your entry and light its candle each evening at twilight.

•     To tap into support from your ancestors who have already passed over, bury an apple at a crossroads as an offering to their spirits.

•     Use the runes or cards for divination or to gain insight into your current situation.

The scents of the Reed Moon will link you back to your most basic beliefs and secure foundations about home. Add basil for sanctity of your space, jasmine for luxury in your life, and tuberose for sparkling joy. Add cinnamon to baking bread or an apple pie, roast a turkey or a goose, or cook up a rich berry cobbler. You’ll give yourself and everyone who smells your cooking reason to pause and enjoy the aromas. Remember to express your gratitude for the bountiful harvest before you indulge yourself in the luxuriant pleasures of your palate.

The colors to enhance the energy of the Reed Moon of Home and Hearth are white overlaid with a tapestry of other colors. Sprinkle all the colors of autumn throughout your home space, both inside and out. Use no faded glory here: celebrate the Harvest with an abundance of all the rich colors of the fruits and vegetables of the cornucopia and spangled with the fiery colors of fall foliage.

Celebrate the power of the Reed Moon of Home and Hearth with the creation of an Ancestor Spirit Altar (locate it in your Benefactor gua or the Benefactor gua of your available space). To connect with your ancestors and other loved ones who have crossed to the spirit world, gather photos of your ancestors, three white candles, and some flowers that are growing in dirt (not cut or silk). Place the photos on your altar with the flowers behind them and the candles before them. Light the candles from left to right and offer a prayer after each in the following order:

            Candle One:    “I honor the Ancestors of my blood.”

            Candle Two:    “I honor the Ancestors of my heart.”

            Candle Three: “I honor the Ancestors of my tradition.”

Then sit quietly for a while. Attend your breathing and let images and memories of these ancestors (if you knew them) peacefully drift through your mind. Send each one in turn thanks and appreciation for what they have given or taught you that enhances your life, such as determination, strength, health, focus, drive, a joyful heart, a talent, or even a family birthmark. Ask for a sign that your loved ones are still with you in spirit. Know that they will speak to you in metaphor. Burn the candles only as long as you are in the room. Remember to use your candle snuffer instead of blowing out the flames. (This honors the spirit of the fire.)

The Reed Moon is a good time for introspection. Spend time alone with your own small silent voice and listen to the winds play in the fall leaves and stormy rumblings that herald the change of seasons. Look within to find what is working for your health, home and hearth and root out what is not bringing joy. If you need help in letting go of something from your past, use a little reed magic at Samhain (October 31st). Gather together a pen and paper, knife, sea salt, matches or multi-purpose lighter, and a fireproof dish. Use the pen and paper to write out what or who it is you wish to release from your life. You may attach a photo if you feel it is the thing to do. Then go to a spot along a river bank where reeds grow tall and strong. Sprinkle a handful of sea salt on the surface of the water and say, “River of birth, river of death, I honor you. Please accept this offering.” Then  choose a healthy reed and cut a piece about a foot long. Use the reed to pierce and impale the paper. Place the paper and the reed in your fireproof dish and set them on fire. As they burn look up to the sky and visualize your life without what you are releasing. Thank what/whomever you are releasing for helping you learn the important lessons in your life. Say, “Thank you so much for helping me to learn to be a better person. I appreciate your contribution to my life. I release you. I release you. I release you.” Visualize that they float away with the smoke and breeze. Feel the breeze on your face. Once the reed has burned away, pour the ashes into the water, and say, “As I will, so mote it be.” Then gather your possessions, turn and walk away, feeling fully cleansed of the past.

=======================================

Use Feng Shui and the New Elder Moon of November 27 to
Celebrate Your Accomplishments and Completions!

The Elder Moon of late November is the thirteenth and final moon of the year. This moon is also known as the Cold Moon or Long Night’s Moon because it shines over the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. The elder tree likes moist soil but will grow anywhere that it is protected from the wind. This tree is small but bountiful, covered with edible fragrant blossoms in summer and juicy purple berries in autumn, often used for centuries in jams, jellies, medicinal syrups and wine.

Like the willow, the elder tree seems to have strong feminine associations. Sometimes called the Elder Mother, there are legends that the spirit of the tree must be asked before removal of any of its branches, flowers or fruit. Those who do not ask permission are cursed. The correct way to approach the tree was to say: “Old Woman, give me some of thy wood and I will give thee some of mine when I grow into a tree.” If this procedure was followed carefully bad luck would follow. Crosses made of elder twigs protect livestock and people when hung over doors. Drivers of horse-drawn hearses carried whips with handles made of elder to ward off evil influences. It is believed that Christ’s cross was made of elder wood and that Judas hung himself from an elder.

As we arrive at the completion of our yearly cycle, it is time to give back to the spirit of the world. The greatest power in the world is that energy which comes with gratitude. While we thrive in a state of constant thankfulness and appreciation; we wither in a state of belief in lack. There is no lack - not of the resources of the earth, the stars in the sky, or even thoughts in our minds. A daily tally of blessings helps keep our personal bounty flowing. An annual celebration of thanks brings the fullest power to our finishing celebration of the lunar year. Many of our wishes have been granted, goals met, and ideas manifested. Blessings include extras in life like finding a twenty dollar bill in the dryer, an extra pair of helping hands, or even a cool breeze on a warm day. Some blessings include letting go - such as ending a personal relationship and managing to keep it amicable or even a person who goes away or even dies. All things have their time and place, and the celebration of this kind of magic is as important as all the others. We live in a cyclical world. The cycle of death and rebirth happens every day with the setting of the sun and the dawn of the new day.

Fifteen Ways to Use Feng Shui to Promote Accomplishments and Completion:

__ Here Kitty, Kitty: Bring the white tiger energy home by including an image of a white tiger. This can be a photo of a Siberian tiger, a painting, statue, or even a stuffed animal. If you have your own little tiger, get them a new white ceramic or stainless steel food or water bowl.

__ The Time is Now: Make sure that every clock in your environment works and is set correctly. This does include your VCR, microwave, and the clock in your car. It also includes all your old clocks that don’t work any more.

__ The Music is Magic: All art, including music, is a manifestation of white tiger energy. This is the energy of creativity. Promote your creativity by playing music that inspires and drives. Avoid music that is melancholy, whiney, screaming, or discordant.

__ Open Lines of Communication: Write letters (email will do but letters on paper are infinitely better and more powerful) to those you love and respect. Tell them what they mean to you. Even three or four lines will brighten someone’s day. Handwritten thank you notes are not taken lightly.

__ Fair’s Fair: White tiger energy includes moderation and justice. Are your activities balanced: work with play, focus with fun, and solitude with community?

__ Be the Sharpest Tool in the Drawer: How long has it been since you sharpened your scissors, knives, or kitchen shears? Check out your hedge trimmers, saws, and any other sharp edged tools. If they can’t be sharpened, get new ones! Honor the metal energy of your tools by taking care to store them safely and well-protected from rust.

__ Who’s Your Daddy?: Everyone needs a helping hand now and then. Our first assistance came through our parents, grandparents, family and friends who taught us social graces, manners, and how to get along in life. As we grew we received even more guidance from our teachers, our religion, and our experiences. Find something made of metal to remind you of the help you have always had through your life. Keep it where you can touch it each day.

__ Sleeping Safely With Dragons and Tigers: When you’re lying in your bed, make sure the furniture to your left is taller than the furniture on your right. (If this is reversed you’ll find it hard to get anything started and even harder to bring to completion.)

__ Traveling in Style: Wash your car. Clean out the glove compartment, console, pockets, and trunk. Make sure your spare tire is in good condition and has plenty of air. Also make sure you have basic tools and a flashlight.

__ Good As Gold: Wear gold during this moon. Make sure it touches your skin. Revered as the highest form of metal because of its constancy and strength, gold will link you to the sun and help celebrate its return the day after the Solstice, when the days begin to get longer.

__ Jingle All The Way: Keep several loose coins in your pocket or purse so that you hear them jingle. Whenever you hear them (or any other jingling) smile and know you have money flowing through your life!

__ Flat Tires Suck Less When Someone Else Changes Them: You always have people out there who are part of your own personal support group. Some of them you’ve never met. Did you know that if you ever have car trouble on the freeway, there’s a number to call on the back of your driver’s license? They really come quickly and there is no charge at all - even for towing. (Note: I don't know if this works when you're NOT on the freeway.)

__ Welcome to My World: Create a beautiful wreath of evergreen boughs, decorate it with golden ribbons and brightly colored ornaments and hang it on your front door.

__ Iron Out the Wrinkles: Iron is one of the most powerful metals in all of Nature. In our bodies the metal keeps us strong. In our homes, our irons (which used to actually be made of iron) keep us spiffy and polished. Take the time to iron your clothes and appreciate the zen process of the back and forth movements, the steam and the scent. For sweet dreams, spray your sheets with lavender-scented water and iron in the aroma.

__ Green - Not Just for Giants Anymore: Wear green: forest green, kelly green, emerald green, spring green, olive green, neon green, or even blue-green to remember the promise of Spring.

__ Bring Spring Early: Bring the energy of Spring and new beginnings into your home with a pot of blooming bulbs such as tulips or amaryllis. For the adventurous, force paper whites, hyacinths or crocus in water. (Discard when the flowers are spent.)

The scents of the Elder Moon evoke fruition and completeness. Pine, bergamot, neroli, and rose are the most powerful scents for completion magic and for helping us finish our goals with a flourish. If you feel your resolve weakening, your beliefs tested, or uncertainty for your success, set aside a little private time to work a bit of magic with these oils and scents. This is a spell for the eleventh hour that will convince you at this last moment that all will be well. Prepare your bathroom by cleansing it first. Bring in and light a bank of candles (anoint them with pine or rose oil). Fill your tub, add a few drops of these scents, and sprinkle rose petals across the steamy water. Drop your clothing and cares and step into the welcoming warmth. Put aside doubt and visualize your victory. Feel how it feels to succeed. Visualize yourself as you step into the winner’s circle (notice what you’re wearing, who shakes your hand, the smiles on your family’s faces, and especially feel the emotions of both pleasure at your accomplishment and gratitude for your success). Lather your body in rose or pine soap, caress and pamper yourself. Believe in yourself again and feel confident in the strength of your preparation work.

Gold is the color of the Elder Moon and the Christmas season (which comes itself from the celebration of the Solstice and the return of the Sun). Gold is used in all magic at this time because it is connected with completion and achievement (seeing things through to the end). Use gold as a finishing touch rather than as the driving theme. Add something golden to your altar, even a piece of golden ribbon tied to a white candle is enough to raise the frequencies of your celebration to the golden level.

Celebrate this golden time by slowing your pace a little and contemplating the whole picture around any given situation. This moon’s lesson is one of patience: the patience to see our tasks through to the end and the patience to tie up loose ends to finish what we have taken on. Slow down long enough to spend some personal time with those who are important to you. What you do isn’t nearly as important as putting aside the routine and showing them how much they are loved. Love yourself by setting some time aside to sit quietly in the darkness and meditate in silence.

As the year comes to an end take the time to review the list of goals you made at the Summer Solstice. What is yet to be completed? What needs to be weeded out? What needs to be released and thereby transformed? Answer your correspondence, complete the decorating, do the filing, clear out closets, and finish old jobs. Throw wasted promises into the wastebasket and start fresh. You can’t finish everything but it is important that you complete one significant thing before the old year ends.

Invite guests to celebrate the Winter Solstice with you. Decorate a large red pillar candle with holly or other evergreens, gold ribbon, and brightly colored ornaments. Designate one person as the lightbringer who will light the Christmas Candle as needed. (Remember to extinguish the candle with a snuffer rather than blowing it out, which would blow the luck away and irritate the fire gods.) Place your Christmas candle in the center of the table with a bowl of scented water and a shaker of gold glitter. As guests arrive, give each participant a lit candle in a glass votive. Have everyone sit around the table with a lit candle in front of them. Each person should speak a bit about their losses during the year, putting out their candle with your candle snuffer (kept in the center of the table with your lit Christmas Candle) when they’re done speaking. When all are done, the central candle is extinguished and everyone sits in the darkness reflecting on what they have lost.

After a long silence, the lightbringer relights the Christmas candle (representing the sun) and sprinkles the gold glitter on the water. Everyone relights their candles from a small taper lit from the Christmas candle and places them by the water so they can watch the glitter sparkling there. This is a good time to sing a sun song, like “Here Comes the Sun,” or “You Are My Sunshine.” Pour elderberry wine, sparkling cider, or wassail and toast the return of the sun and the promise of the future. Everyone can talk about a promise they see in their future. They should also speak of promises they see in each other’s futures. Turn on all your Christmas lights inside and outside your house. Sing carols and feast on the thirteen kinds of Christmas cookies prepared for the occasion. (Thirteen moons in a year and the number of completion and change.)

Next Month: The Birch Moon of New Beginnings and Unlimited Potential

Use Feng Shui and the New Birch Moon of December 27
to Celebrate New Beginnings

The Birch Moon of late December comes just after the Winter Solstice, which marks the return of the sun, and lasts through New Year’s Day. For this reason, the Birch Moon is considered to be the first moon of the year. This moon is known as the Moon of New Beginnings and Infinite Possibilities. Birch is the wood of broomsticks. Now is the season to get yourself a new broom. First sweep out the old year with the old broom, then sweep in the new with the new. If your old broom was made entirely of organic materials, burn it. Do not begin the New Year with an old broom in your home. (Note: do not move into a new home with an old broom either.)

The birch is very much a strong symbol of green dragon energy and figures prominently in Northern European folklore. Sacred to Thor, the Norse god of thunder and lightning, the birch symbolizes youth and springtime. The Dakota Sioux burn birch bark to dispel thunder spirits. Likewise, Germans keep a birch bough on the roof to protect from lightning strikes. While this tree is one of the first to bud out its new leaves in Spring, the birch will also sow its own seeds to form lovely groves that enchant wanderers who find them in the midst of forests.

At the Winter Solstice we find ourselves at the bottom of the Wheel of Life. The word yule comes from the Norse word iul, meaning wheel. This is the time of year that heralds the return of the sun. By December 21, we’ll have only about 9 hours and 53 minutes of daylight. But that day the length of the days begins to grow again. By New Year’s Day we’ll have grown our daylight to 10 hours and 17 minutes! Aaaahhhh - much better!! The sun is our primary source of energy on this planet. All the food we eat gets its energy from the sun and therefore, so do we. Some people are so connected to the sun’s energy that as the days get shorter they suffer from what doctors have labeled SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which is treated with exposure to full-spectrum light. Our Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations are loosely based on the pagan worship of the sun and this solstice.

To enhance your environmental energies with a focus on endings and beginnings, both fire and water energies must be included. Fire brings the vision, the focus, the desire and the idea for what you want. Water brings the emotion, the movement, the lifebreath, and the flow of change into manifestation. According to the teachings of all cultures throughout all time the manifestation of human dreams and visions into the material world requires the combination of both fire and water, father and mother, light and chaos. There’s just one more thing to add: the soul, the energy or chi. Your ideas are born and your dreams come true (are real/ized) through the combination of the idea (fire), the desire (water), and the thrill or passion (spirit). You must visualize (fire) clearly, emotionalize (water) vividly, and magnetize (earth) your thoughts powerfully until you’re living the life you’ve chosen to create - literally vibrating with the energy of it. Hu is a Sanskrit name for God. Human = GodMan. A human being is god/man experiencing its own reality by its own beliefs.

The most powerful thing to remember is that whatsoever you desire, believe that you receive it, and you shall have it. See yourself receiving it (preferably visualizing and emotionalizing in bed before you go to sleep and again before you get up). Run through a sensory check as you see yourself celebrating life the way you desire it to be. Maintain unwavering faith. Turn any tiny inkling of negativity into thundering certainty. Live in a constant state of gratitude and action. (Pray without ceasing.) The energy of thought will resonate with greater frequency the more you repeat the thought. (Which is why you NEVER want to focus your energy on worry!) Thoughts multiply until they become thought-form. When we clarify what we’re thinking enough to be able to speak about our thoughts is when others can share our ideas. We literally manifest or evoke our thoughts in other people’s minds when we vibrate our thoughts at the frequency of sound. To write our thoughts down, create vision boards, or draw pictures makes them visible! Then others can literally see what you are thinking. Now that’s power.

So the more you think about what you desire and the more you imagine having it, the more powerfully you’ll feel the pleasure of manifesting. The more you talk about it the more energy you feed your ideas. Do this for the joy and pleasure you feel, not while pretending you’re not worried or resisting what you don’t want. Do this to let in the fun and feel the joy of having what you want. Experience how nice it is now in your mind, taking thoughts to thought-form. BE what you want now in your mind until your thoughts move through thought-forms and actually manifest into form. This is not to say that a new Mustang convertible will manifest right before your eyes in your living room. This is to say that whatever energy you are vibrating with, resonating with…BEING…is multiplied until your thoughts match what you are living. The thoughts multiply further toward thought-form and manifestation with each 68 seconds you can hold the vision strong and pure in your mind and resistance-free in your heart. The first 17 seconds provides energy equal to about 2,000 hours of action to create your vision. The next 17 seconds multiplies that by 10 to 20,000 action hours. The third 17 second span again multiplies the energy by 10 to 200,000 action hours. By the time you’ve managed 4 set of 17 seconds you multiply your energies by another 10 to 2,000,000 action hours!

If you believe you are a good-looking, well-dressed, intelligent, kind, and generous person then you will act as if you are and you will BE good-looking, well-dressed, intelligent, kind, and generous. Likewise if you believe you haven’t got enough money, can’t dress nicely, make bad choices, disrespect others, and are stingy then you will act as if you haven’t got enough money, can’t dress nicely, make bad choices, disrespect others, and are stingy. What you believe to be true becomes your reality. Look at the generations of poor who have always lived on welfare and in a state of lack and believe that’s all there is in life. Look also at the generations of wealthy who have always lived with wealth and a state of abundance and believe that’s all there is in life. The poor get poorer. The rich get richer. According to your belief so shall be your life. To change your life, change your thoughts. To change your thoughts, change your surroundings.

To physically stage your home to support your ability to manifest new beginnings and infinite possibilities, enhance fire, water, and earth energies with the intention of deliberate creation.

A Delightful Dozen Ways to Use Feng Shui to Promote New Beginnings and Infinite Possibilities:
__ Be the Star You Are: Find, frame, and put up photos of yourself in moments of success and accomplishment. Whether you’re winning a race, accepting an award, receiving a certificate, or just serving a delightful dinner, celebrate yourself. See yourself as capable, worthy, and worthwhile. If you don’t have photos like this, stage some!
__ Come On Baby, Light My Fire: Every day - without exception - light candles in your environment. A day without candlelight is like a party with no music. Scented or plain, pillar or taper, votive or tea-light - the more the merrier!
__ Light Up Your Life: When you choose joy, feel good, and just beam out your smile, you literally radiate with light. You light up the room and the life of everyone with whom you come in contact. Make sure you smile with your eyes, voice, and heart.
__ Keep Your Eye on the Prize: See only the best in people and the beauty in life. Actively screen out darkness of spirit or dreariness of space. Avoid energy vampires. Protect yourself with a shield of white light. Whistle, sing, and hum regularly.
__ Be There and Be Square: Look around your bedroom and consider every thing in that room. From the art to the furniture, from the floor to the ceiling, from the clothes to the shoes - are these the stuff of which your dreams are made? If you were staging a play of your life (and by the way - YOU ARE!) are these the props you’d use? If not, let them go and trade them for what you do want. If you have anything broken, dead, or stinky in your bedroom, get it out of there! Make sure that what you surround yourself with squares up to who you are in your own mind.
__ Get a Piece of the Rock: Do you have some favorite or beautiful rocks in your environment? Whether you have a geode, a chunk of granite, or a heart-shaped stone you found one day, you need to have your own piece of the planet. Get a pet rock. Or better yet - get lots of them!
__ Rocks In Your Head: No, you’re not crazy, you’re well-grounded. Make sure you have artwork of landscapes that show where you want to go in your dreams. How can you get where you’re headed if you don’t know where you’re going? No landscape artwork? Draw one yourself!!
__ Get Your Hands Dirty: Have some one-on-one with Mother Earth. Build a sand-castle. Make mud pies. Model clay. Get a hot stone massage. Have a mud-masque facial. Roll around in the dirt. Get down on the ground if you have to just lay in the grass and look at the sky. Put your body fully on the ground for at least 10 minutes a week.
__ Nothing Beats a Warm Welcome: Check out your doormat. Pick it up and beat the dirt out of it with a broom. Sweep it, spray it with a hose, and dry it in the sun. If your doormat doesn’t say “welcome” get a new one.
__ Breakthrough Blues: Feel like you can’t get anywhere no matter how hard you try? Look at the process of entering your home with fresh eyes. Pretend you’re coming to visit someone else living in your home. Start at the street. Can you see the front door? Is the light on for you? Can you see the path to the door? Is it unobstructed? Is the address clearly marked? Does the doorbell work? Does the door look well tended? Does it stick or squeak when it opens? What is the first thing you see as you step into the house? Can you see or is it too dark? Is the sensory input attractive? Is your entry into the room blocked or crowded?
__ Art at the Entry: What is the first piece of artwork you see as you enter your home? What statement does it make? Is there any water or indication of flow in the image? Does the water flow into the house or out?
__ Alive, Alive-Oh!: What is the first living thing you see upon entering your home. Not art of a living thing, or a representation, but a real, live, living thing: pet, plant, or person. What have you got? If there is nothing alive in your home except for you, go buy yourself some flowers or cut some yard greenery t-o-d-a-y!

The most important scent of the time of the Birch moon is rose. Burn rose-scented candles, spray your bed linens with rose-water, and even burn some rose potpourri in your fireplace to cleanse and purify both your environment and its energies. Float rose petals in your bath. Drink rose-hip tea. Wear the colors of roses.

Flame-red is the color of the Birch Moon. This color resonates with the same frequency as fire energy. Add the Divine Spark to all your new ideas and refines them, just as metal is made stronger through the foundry; eggs, flour, and sugar are made into cake through the heat of the oven; and diamonds are crystallized through the metamorphic heat and pressure of the earth. Get a red notebook or planner for 2009. Get a pen that writes in many colors, including red.

Get out the list of goals you made at the Summer Solstice. Did you reach them? Which have you discarded? What new dreams need to be added? Light a candle and visualize where you want to be in your life next Summer. Write your new goals in that red ink. Put gold stars next to the three most important goals. List three steps you’ll take first to meet each of those goals. Then list the three things you’ll do tomorrow to move towards those goals. Keep this up till you get there! Remember to check them at the Summer Solstice.

We’ve addressed the elements of Fire, Earth and Water. Now let’s take a deep breath and focus on the element of Air. The universal connector, Air fills the interspaces of our lives. Sweet breezes, sweet breaths, and sweet dreams all manifest through the element of Air. Here is a spell to draw blessings from the energy of the time of the Birch moon and penetrate every breath of your life with joy and happiness. Step out into the lovely night air and enjoy it!

You’ll need a length of red ribbon, a red or white pillar candle anointed with rose oil, matches, a candle-snuffer, a long-stemmed red rose in an earthen or crystal vase of water, and a wand cut from a birch tree (ask first!) 9 to 12 inches long. When the moon is waxing to full or nearly there find a quiet place and set up a small altar. Tie your ribbon around the candle’s base. Light the candle. Place the rose beside it. Take three slow deep breaths. Take the wand in your dominant hand and pass the tip of the wand through the flame until it glows and then pass it clockwise around the candle. Inscribe a circle around your working area with the wand, moving your body clockwise as you go. Once the circle is complete, stand in the center before your altar. Take another three deep slow breaths. Raise both arms to the moon with your wand still in your hand. Speak aloud your pledge to the Lady of the Moon to appreciate and care for nature in small ways. Pledge to find ways to help those around you in any way that you can, according to your means. Ask for help in all things, and offer thanks for all thoughts that bring smiles to your face and the faces of others. Ask for luck and love for the children around you. Thank the Moon and Stars for the cycles of life that renew each year and each day. Say simply, “Blessed be all things. May I appreciate the harmony of the music of the spheres. May I stay mindful of my place in the web of all creation. As I will, so mote it be.” Sit, focus on your breathing, relax, and enjoy the evening for a while. When you’re ready, snuff the candle and untie the ribbon, saying “Blessed be” as you complete your ceremony. Leave the wand on the ground as an offering to the Lady of the Moon.

Next Month: The Rowan Moon of Vision & Thinking Bigger

Use Feng Shui and the New Rowan Moon of January 26
to Enhance Vision & Thinking Bigger

The Rowan Moon is known as the Moon of Vision and Astral Travel. This tree has bright red berries which give its Scottish name rowan meaning the red one. An older, more romantic name is luisliu meaning flame or delight of the eye. Flames, fiery colors, sparks, and radiance are all parts of energy of the element of fire. The corresponding area of the feng shui bagua is Fame and Reputation. The energy metaphor for this gua is that of fire and light, burning brightly and shining out into the darkness. It has to do with seeing and being seen, rank, reputation, recognition, status and place in society. Here we find the manifestation of how we have realized our perception of our self and the measure of our worthiness to receive fame or the ramifications of our reputation.

Now is the time of year to not only think about what you want but to clarify and focus the energies of your vision. Blending your intentions with visualization and emotions into your daily routine makes your goals manifest around you “as if by magic!” Thoughts become things. The more clearly and crisply you can think about what you want, the more precisely your vision can be formulated into the reality you achieve.

A Dozen Ways to Use Feng Shui to Enhance the Fire Energy of Vision and Fame:
__ Google Yourself: Check to see what is “out there” and online about you. If what you find is dated or incorrect, do what you need to do to update and correct the information.
__ Promote Positive Strokes: When someone compliments you, don’t say “it was nothing” or downplay their words. Look them in the eye and say “thank you.” Know you have done well and feel proud of yourself.
__ Polish Your Smile: Get your teeth cleaned. Use teeth-whitening toothpaste or get a whitening treatment.
__ Be the Light: Make a conscious effort to smile at everyone you encounter and say at least “hello.” You’ll be amazed at their responses. Some people haven’t ever had eye contact or verbal recognition with a happy stranger.
__ Project Your Energy: When you walk into a room feeling calm but energized, happily expecting good things, others around you will respond to that energy.
__ Wear Fire: If you’re a woman there are many ways you can do this, including the colors of your clothes, streaks in your hair, opals or sparkling jewelry, red nail polish and lipstick. If you’re a man, you can wear red in much smaller amounts (unless you’re Santa), such as a tie, a monogram, hair streaks and even styles, and a little jewelry. Think tasteful here. What would work in an executive boardroom? Do not wear a hood ornament on a chain!
__ When in Doubt, Wink: A delightful energy is exchanged with winks that includes taking yourself lightly, beaming smiles, radiating confidence, and joyfully sharing dimples and grins. All conversations lighten up when you take yourself less seriously.
__ Look for What You Want to See: Expect something WONDERFUL to happen to you today.
__ Be Now As You Intend to Become: Any change you want to enhance your life can begin in the instant you think it, if you think it in a positive way. For example, if you want to lose weight then TODAY start thinking “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” During the day TODAY you can be choose the amount and types of foods to eat for dinner, you can park farther from the building, and you can dress to show that you love your body and are proud of yourself. Each day continue to find ways to be NOW to support what you are becoming. Remember, there is only NOW. Be the best you can be right this minute. Tomorrow you can do it some more.
__ Promote YOU: Have personal business cards printed. You can do this on your own computer. Get creative with your personal symbol - it represents you and you should feel resonance with it.
__ Put Yourself Out There: Get out of the house and the office. Go out and play. Meet people. Give them your card. Get theirs and let them see you put it in a safe place.
__ Focus on the Flame: Whenever you’re feeling scattered, light a candle. Sit for a moment and watch the flame dance. Breathe in and breathe out, watching the flame. Let it burn while you’re working. Make sure to set it away from flammable papers.

The Rowan Moon of January brings a perfect opportunity to start flexing your focus and put your visualizing powers into action. As the energy within the earth begins to re-emerge you’ll feel a thrill or stirring of energy yourself. This is the time called Imbolc. Coming from the Celtic word imelc meaning ewe’s milk, this time heralds the birth of the first lambs of springtime. This festival of early spring is celebrated February first or second, and marks the shift in energy from the father winter to the virgin goddess. This is a time of year look into the future. Many cultures predict the coming of spring or the year’s weather. Pear and plum trees bloom in January in Houston. On February 2nd (Groundhog Day), if you look you’ll see that the ash trees have green buds on them. Tulips and daffodils, begin to sprout their green leaves, and their brilliant flowers aren’t far behind.

Use the energy of the Rowan moon to meditate on your visions of the future to bring both enlightenment and clairvoyant (meaning clear seeing) answers. It is appropriate to sit within a ring of candles and ask questions to help yourself find these answers both from within and from the collective conscious. Do this before sleeping and know the answers will come to you after you sleep on it. To enhance the clarity, do not speak at all from the time you put out the candles until you arise the next day.

The colors of the Rowan moon span the spectrum from ruby red to the pink-gold of a clear winter sunset. Make sure to place the magic of flames within your home to promote the elemental energy of fire. Garlands of red ribbons will increase your psychic energy. Get yourself a pot of fiery colored tulips, amaryllis, cyclamen, and azaleas bring the living energy of the flames into your home!

The Rowan moon is the second lunar cycle of the year. Its energy is that of the number two, pairing, partnerships, cooperation, and relationships. Spread your magic around by sending valentines to everyone. Mark your envelopes with your own special emblem. Symbols are an ancient part of magic ritual and practice because they serve to transfer your thought energy to the minds of others. Choosing the right visual symbols helps to send a clear message about yourself, your personal energies, and your intentions. It is most important that you feel comfortable with the symbols you choose to represent you, whether they are your totem, logo, flower, tree, rune, tarot or playing card, or any other personal symbol. Your symbol is a tool of your own psyche but you must direct it in the same way that you must say what you mean and mean what you say.

Symbols of beginnings include spiders, acorns, lilacs, bells, new moons, birch trees or birch brooms. Symbols of vision and clairvoyance include peacock feathers, rainbows, stags, magnifying glasses or binoculars (spyglasses), mirrors, and unicorns. Symbols of love and strong feelings include flowers (especially spring flowers, myrtle, carnations, peonies, roses, and pansies), swans, musical instruments, apples, arrows, fountains, cupids, oak trees, keys, and knots. Symbols for travel and foreign affairs include shells, sea horses, sails, boats, horses, sand, and grasshoppers. Symbols for work and business include the bee, clover, thimble, gold ribbons, bricks, ants, spinning wheels, ladders, coins, the alder tree, snails, spades, and the scythe. Any item can be your symbol as long as it has meaning for you.

To find answers and guidance to help clarify your visions of the future, experiment with a bit of astral travel. Some people get a bit nervous about “leaving their body” as they feel they might die or be hurt in some way. The Canterbury Institute, widely known for its metaphysical studies, executed an experiment in astral travel (also known as astral projection) involving over 2,000 people. None of them were hurt in any way by this, and now, years later, none have complained of any newly arising problems. With no fear involved, focus your mind on a question you may have about your future. Get yourself as clear as you can about what you would like to know. Write your question down in as few words as possible. Keep the tablet and pen next to your chair or bed, wherever you’ll be when you do this.

Whenever you’re ready, make sure you’re not feeling either hungry or too full; or nervous or too tired. Check to be sure you’re feeling calm and that you are able to focus your thoughts (you’re not feeling stressed or scattered). Remove all jewelry or metal from your body. You may want a light blanket if the room is cool. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Close the door of the room where you are, even if you are home alone. Sit or lie down and close your eyes. Give yourself the mental suggestion that you will remember all that occurs during the upcoming session and that your experience will be beneficial to your well-being. Repeat this statement three times aloud.

Put your attention on your breathing. Begin with progressive relaxation, starting with your feet. Think about each foot, each toe, your instep, and your ankles. Wiggle them, relax them, and let your awareness of them move to your legs. Relax your calves, your knees, your thighs, and your hips. Move your legs a bit from left to right, relax them, then let your awareness move to your butt. Squeeze the muscles together, relax them, then move your awareness to your solar plexus. Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, then move your attention to your stomach, chest, and shoulders. Take a deep breath in, hold it for a moment. Then release it, relax, and move your attention to your arms. Think about your hands, each finger, your wrists, your forearms, your elbows, and your upper arms. Tense them, relax them, then move your awareness to your head. Think about your throat, your jaw, your cheeks, your mouth, your nose, eyes, ears, and scalp. Relax each muscle and let your awareness return to your breathing. Think only breathe in 1, breathe out 2, breathe in 3, breathe out 4, and so on, until you reach 30.

At this point your brain activity will have slowed down from normal beta waves, through to alpha. Stay focused and continue to pay attention to your breathing. Now, whether you are lying down or sitting, further relax your brain’s activity further down into delta by imagining yourself going up in an elevator. Count the floors as you breathe. First floor 1, second floor 2, third floor 3, fourth floor 4, etc., until you have reached the 30th floor. Visualize the elevator doors opening and step out comfortably into the warmth of theta level brain waves. This is where you are when you experience REM or dreaming sleep. You are in a hypnagogic state - what you see is real to you, just like dreams seem so real. In this state you are have full access to your unconscious mind and can begin to find insights that you seek. Many scientific break-throughs and discoveries have been enabled through this process, including the cure for polio!

You may see colors or lights swirling around against the black of your closed eyelids. These are caused by your optic nerves discharging electricity and are absolutely normal. Enjoy them as you relax into a deeper and deeper state. Now you have reached the level of delta, or deep dreamless sleep. Here you have full access to both your unconscious mind and the collective conscious of the Universe. You may lose awareness of your body. You may begin to see images or hear sounds or voices. Simply observe what you see with your eyes closed. Let the scenes play out and pay attention to any symbols, animals, ancestors, messages, voices, songs, or sounds you experience.

If you would like to try some full astral projection or astral travel, now is the time to practice this. Focus your attention about a foot in front of your eyes, then move your focus further back about as far as your armspan is wide. (If you’re sitting, then once your attention is backed away from your face, move to project your conscious awareness in a rainbow’s arc from in front of you upward to above your head the same distance.) From your focus above your body, concentrate and mentally project your energy to that point. Make up a way to do this. Visualize and feel it as you imagine it. Even if you don’t have any idea how this is supposed to happen, know that you are doing just fine. From the position above your body, look around and “see” how things look. Know that you are safe and warm.

Then, think of where you want to go and whom you want to see. For example, to visit your mother (living or not), imagine yourself in her home. See her there. Go sit beside her in your mind. Speak with her. Hold her hands. Ask for her guidance. Imagine what she would say to you. See her look you in the eye and hear her tell you the answers you seek. Thank her and tell her you love her. Tell her you will see her again soon, let go of her hands, and wave farewell. Stand in your mind, then sit or lay down in your mind so that your body’s mentally projected position matches your physical position. Feel yourself come back into your body. Become aware of your head, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and feet. Breathe in and out several times. Slowly open your eyes. Stretch a bit but do not get up or speak. No matter how odd or disjointed your experiences may have seemed to you, write down everything you can remember before you speak or get up. You will be able to make wise use of whatever information you received. Send thoughts of appreciation to whomever you encountered or to the Universe itself for its assistance.

===============================

Use Feng Shui and the New Ash Moon of February 25
for Love and Personal Empowerment

The Ash Moon is known as the Moon of Waters. This is a moon connected with the flow of loving feelings that create a sweet awareness and appreciation for all those near and dear to us. The corresponding area of the feng shui bagua is Marriage and Relationships. The energy metaphor for this gua is that of mother earth that cares for and nourishes all things. It has to do with relationships and partnerships, and their mutual support. Here we find the manifestation of our ability to nurture ourselves and others in our lives and the measure of our own sense of worthiness to receive nurturing and non-judgmental acceptance.

This is the time of year to expand your most important relationship to include a third entity and therefore provide spiritual balance. When two come together and focus their energies together, there manifests an additional source of energy and support that most of us simply call “love.” That’s why men and woman so often call God’s name during or after sex, because they literally feel the energy of love flowing through them. God is love and love is God. (Note: While I’m using the word “God” you can replace that in your mind with whichever term you are most comfortable for the same entity: Jesus, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Source, Higher Self, Universal Love, Spirit, the Goddess, etc.)

Twelve Ways to Use Feng Shui to Enhance Your Most Important Relationships:
__ Chocolate Zeroes: Listen to your own words. Make sure you hear yourself speak sweet words aloud to your significant other something you appreciate about them every day. Tell others the good stuff too. With each sweet nothing you whisper, watch as your lover does more!
__ Cherish Yourself: Cherish yourself. Get your hair cut, shoes fixed, new satin lingerie, a toe ring, or whatever else you need to do to cherish yourself. If you won’t cherish you, why should others?
__ Color Your World Rosy: Legend has it that when Venus was born, roses appeared in the world with her. Add roses to your world with scent, color, or actual flowers. If you put the actual flowers in your bedroom, remove the thorns and keep them only as long as they’re unquestionably fresh.
__ China, not Chinette: Eat your meals on china, not paper or plastic. Set your table with a cloth, candles, and flowers.
__ Dazzlers & Sparklers: Wear diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and other precious or semi-precious gemstones next to your skin. Earth energy from these crystals cause our spirits to sparkle!
__ Strong Foundations: If you sleep in a king-size bed with split box springs, your relationship is based on a split foundation. To reunite and strengthen your base spread a length of red fabric across both box springs beneath your mattress.
__ Promote Passion: Fire energy contributes to the earth energy of the Marriage and Relationship gua. What promotes your passions? Choose from life’s buffet and make sure to include these in your bedroom: candlelight, erotica, laughter, tactile delights like satin, 100% cotton, feathers or fur, scents, music, and whatever else tickles your fancy.
__ One Word: Chocolate: Chocolate actually increases blood flow and seratonin production in the brain. (Please note bold italics.)
__ Create Your Own Bathing Rituals: When you are warm, relaxed, clean, and sweet-smelling, life is good. When your partner is warm, relaxed, clean, and sweet-smelling, life is better. When the two of you share your bathing ritual, life is at its best!
__ Mutual Massage: Warm almond oil and locked doors.
__ Make Play Dates: Go outside and play together. You and your partner have different ideas about what is fun: golf, stargazing, dancing in the moonlight, concerts in the park, the zoo, sailing, fishing, paddleboats, picnics, bicycling, walks, go-cart races, bocce ball--—anything you can do outdoors. Each of you write down things you’d like to do and put them in an Oh Boy Go for Joy! Jar. Coordinate your play date and time and draw one of the slips of paper.
__ Kidnapping: Invent an adventure and take your lover away from the mundane. If it’s going to be overnight or longer, pack a bag for your lover and find someone to cover the kids, pets, etc. Let them know that you have a surprise planned and the times it will begin and end. Then, regardless of their begging and pleading, draw out the foreplay of mystery and refuse to reveal anything until the adventure begins. Ideas for kidnapping can be as simple as spending the night at a local hotel or as exotic as flying away to paradise. Where would you like to be kidnapped to?

The Ash Moon of February brings a perfect opportunity to practice the magic of love in your life. This magic stays alive through the use of your imagination. Notice those words share the same root word: magi - one who has the ability to read the stars and manipulate the fate the stars foretell. All humans are magi. All of us have the ability to pay attention to what is going on in our environment and decipher the meaning of what we see. We also have the free will and imagination necessary to create alternative outcomes. Imagination comes to us directly as inspiration. The root word of inspiration is spirit. It is the Spark of the Divine that inspires us to create. To discover the transfiguring power of a magical relationship, keep your imagination active and fertile. Making sure that both partners give and take 100% means that no one becomes an “other half.” Wholeness inspires you to show each other every day appreciation in creative ways. Whether you leave a flower on a pillow, send a sexy text message, or drop a Hershey’s kiss into a palm, the message will resound through both your hearts.

The colors of the Ash moon include all shades of pink, but especially cherry pink. If you are looking to enhance or promote a relationship, choose from all the colors of the rainbow to give meaning to what you wear, what you eat, and any other color choices that may come before you during this lunar period. Choose cherry pink for sweetening loving feelings and promoting divine love. Choose rose pink for times you’re feeling low on energy about love. Choose flame red to counterbalance selfish love. Pair Pink and Gold or Ruby and Red to promote lasting partnership opportunities. Use peach for a quickie - this relationship will fade fast. Use earthtones like sandy pink or terra cotta to ground the relationship that you want and to base it on strength, security, and wisdom. Use white for the fulfillment of dreams. Use cherry next to green for forgiveness. To extend and enhance your spiritual relationship, surround your love with silver, white, or gold (photo frames work too).

The Ash moon is the third lunar cycle of the year. Its energy is that of the number three: cooperation and relationships. Three is associated with social life, and very often with the appearance of a child (and baby makes three). The III of the Tarot represents a couple with divine guidance. The perfect relationship of God and those made in God’s image. Remember, God made Eve in His image too, and he saved the best for last. The triangle created between God (the father) and Jesus (the son/divine masculine) and the Holy Spirit (sacred feminine) creates the Holy Trinity, the basis of the Christian religion. That same triangle is repeated in the relationship between God (the father) and Adam (divine masculine made in the image of God) and Eve (sacred feminine made in the image of God). All couples that link with God share the power of three.

Three is considered God’s signature. Conscious, superconscious, and subconscious. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Over, in, and under. Anything happening in threes indicates God’s hand in the creation. This includes addresses, phone numbers, times someone calls or the phone rings, birds in flight, and all other events that happen in triplicate or objects with three parts such as shamrocks, ivy,

To further celebrate the energy of the Ash moon, surround your home with the colors of love: pink, red and white. Plant pinks (also called dianthus or sweet william) in your garden to echo your blooming azaleas. Add pink hibiscus and roses in all colors to your sunny gardens. Add pink, red and white impatiens to your shady gardens. Purple and lavendar count as shades of red and pink too, so include them too if you like.

For rose-colored dreams of love to come set a lovely stage and gather the following:
A teapot
A china cup and saucer - preferably with pink, red, or white in its pattern, but any favorite china will do.
1 tablespoon of fresh rose petals
1 teaspoon of jasmine petals
1 teaspoon fresh or dried vervain
1 stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 vanilla pod
honey optional

2 rose-scented candles
1 drop benzoin oil mixed into 1 teaspoon carrier (almond) oil (make more if you like by multiplying)
1 yard pink ribbon

Combine the flower petals, cinnamon and vanilla in a teapot and add boiling water. Allow to brew for about 10 minutes, then strain into your pretty cup. Sweeten with honey if desired. After pouring your cup, light your pair of rose scented candles. Tie the pink ribbon around your head and/or through your hair. Warm the oil and massage it gently and slowly into your temples using your center and ring fingers. Sip your tea and think beautiful, romantic thoughts. Imagine (visualize with magic intentions) massaging your lover. Feel the warmth of their body beneath your hands. Feel how your hands glide over their skin with the warm oil. Smell their personal scent along with the scents of the oil and candle. Hear the sounds of murmuring and flesh stroking flesh. Taste the flowers in the tea. The more clearly you can “see” the more effectively you will draw this experience into your reality. With each sip of the tea, delight in the sensual and sensory input you are enjoying.

For intensification of this ceremony, wear only a satin robe and add a long stemmed rose (red or pink - choose one with a strong sweet scent) with thorns removed to your setting. Make sure you are in a safe, warm, and private place. Your bedroom would be perfect. In addition to your pair of rose scented candles, surround yourself with a circle of tealights. After enjoying your tea, slowly disrobe. Slowly stroke the rose over your body, allowing your sensuality and awareness to heighten with each stroke. Start with your face, close your eyes and trail the bud slowly across your lips, jaw, neck, collarbone, shoulders and throat. Breathe deeply of the scent of the rose. Then, using your left hand, stroke your right arm and breast, switching the rose to your right hand to stroke your left arm and breast. Continue using your least dominant hand to stroke your belly and as much of your backside as possible. Then continue with each of your legs stroking the flower across your thighs, backs of your knees, calves, feet and toes. When you are finished, place the flower beside your bed and blow out all your candles. Dream of your lover and feel them near you.

Use Feng Shui and the New Alder Moon of March 26
for Business Growth & Success

The Alder Moon is known as the Moon of Utility and Self-Governance. This is a moon connected with our personal strength and determination, our practicality, and our independent spirits that prepare us for success in our business ventures. The corresponding areas of the feng shui bagua for this moon include both Career and Center.

The energy metaphor for the Career gua is that of moving water and the ocean of people in which we swim. It has to do with our ability to reflect a situation without imposing our opinion; wisdom learned from our teachers; and lessons learned through life itself. In the Career gua of your environment we find the manifestation of how we have realized our ancestral foundation. We literally see physical representations of what our parents and grandparents taught us, as their parents taught them. We literally see the physical manifestation of our personal concept of our measure of our worthiness to flow with our careers and social lives. Look at the front center or entry area of your home to discover how your energy flows in this part of your life.

The energy metaphor for the Center gua is that of the earth as our Garden of Eden. From the fertile soil springs manifestations which physically represent our mental, physical, and spiritual health. This area is a microcosmic reflection of all the rest of our lives, following the most ancient law “As above, so below.” In today’s science, this law is demonstrated everywhere in nature through fractals. Fractals are found in “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole.” This is a property called self-similarity. We find that the structure of a tree is repeated in the pattern of veins on the tree’s leaves. We find that the shape of the human heart is very similar to the shape of fruits and vegetables that are good for the heart. Likewise, we find that what we have placed within the center or heart of our environment is a miniature version of what we have placed in our entire environment. Look in your center/main desk drawer or the heart of your house to discover what you have manifested to show how you have realized your power, centeredness, focus, and your faith in yourself and your life experiences as supportive and capable.

This moon governs the routine of business and focused work to achieve a goal rather than the launch of anything spectacular or singular. This is the time of year to look at our work and determine whether we execute our own duties effectively and enjoyably. Our intentions during this lunar cycle will deliver logical results from our efforts. The magic of this time is present in the preparation. Just like a farmer tills the soil to prepare it for the sowing of seeds, we now plan for success in our working life. Now is the time for laying the ground work and focusing our intentions to keep our business robust and thriving. The time of the Alder Moon is represented by two symbols: patience (as the tortoise) and the garden (where what is useful may also be beautiful). Prepare the ground for your business to grow!

Twelve Ways to Use Feng Shui to Enhance Your Business Growth and Success:
__ Am I Blue?: An environment that includes the color blue will help you to think, study, and concentrate.
__ Indigo Dreams: Bring indigo, the deepest shade of blue and the color of the Third Eye or Brow Chakra, into your business environment to provide a combination of clarity and stimulation, with an added benefit of less stress.
__ Team Blue: Any office environment with a strong blue presence supports the mental activities of employees. If you don’t want to paint a wall or carpet a floor in blue, add a blue cushion to your chair or hang art with blue near your desk.
__ Lots to Do Done Easier: On days when your list is long, wear blue clothes and/or accessories.
__ True Blue: Those who wear blue are perceived to be trustworthy. Police uniforms are blue for a reason. Blue suits are less intimidating (and powerful) than black suits. (Notice that the President wears black to take a power position and blue to be in a position to mediate or engender trust.)
__ Breathe In Blue: Get a coffee mug in a shade of blue that inspires you. When you take a break, “breathe in” the calming blue of the cup as you sip your hot tea, coffee, or soup.
__ Joyful Blues: For inspiration at work, especially when facing a deadline, add blue flowers in a vase or growing in a pot to your desktop or windowsill. Force some blue hyacinths or bring in an African violet.
__ Blue Boundaries: Put a project’s documents in a blue folder to help get the job done calmly and efficiently.
__ Blue Foods for Fun: Blue popsicles, suckers, Tootsie Pops, M&Ms, bubble gum or jawbreakers will all turn your tongue blue. It is very difficult to take anyone seriously when they speak with a blue tongue. If you’re having a difficult meeting, be sure to bring some blue food to lighten the energies.
__ Blue Baubles: Wear blue gemstones and crystals such as lapiz lazuli, sapphires, blue topaz, or sodalite.
__ Get Over the Blues: Clean out and organize your middle desk drawer while you’re on the phone.
__ Blue Bonus: Write in blue ink rather than black, especially for signatures. People will recognize a special energy level from the shade of blue you choose. They will also feel the intention of personalization from the color, much like the difference between a hand-written note and an email.

The Alder Moon of March brings us to the water’s edge. Alder trees are always found thriving in thickets beside lakes, streams, and rivers. Interestingly, when dried, the wood of the alder is water resistant and does not split when nails are hammered into it. This wood has been used for centuries in Europe as pilings of building foundations. Charcoal derived from alder wood is said to be superior to all others, burning long and low and slow.

Correspondingly, this lunar cycle marks the time to celebrate the foundations for the processes of our business lives. When dressing for interviews or other important business meetings, start with blue underwear, preferably satin or silk! Try to arrange your meeting at the new moon and begin by bathing or showering with citrus scents. Don’t wear any designer fragrance, but do dab on a bit of undiluted citrus oil onto anything leather you’re wearing to keep the person you’re talking to as focused and alert as you will be.

If you’re starting a new business during this lunar phase, lay your groundwork first. Wait for the new moon before making public announcements or signing contracts. Choose a name for the business with the letters d, m, or v in it to signify an inclination to work hard for material success. H, q, and z will signify an intention to be of great service. Remember to include blue in your logo. To bring immediate energy to your company, get the public’s attention with signs, balloons, flags, banners, and/or ropes of pennants with blue lettering or blue base material. Infuse the scents of the Alder Moon to promote and enhance work performance. You can do this by adding a few drops of essential oil to a spray bottle of purified water and spraying the air conditioning intake, carpets, or other fabrics in the office. Once you have your new business cards, take one to some running water. Use blue ink to write on the back of the card a blessing that your new working life will flow with ease, develop roots of strong depth, pour good feelings into your life and the lives of your employees and clients, fill you with gentle power, and absorb the ability to adapt to any circumstance. Be confidant and you will not fail. Destiny favors the bold. Drop your card onto the water and watch it sail away.

Kick start a sluggish business by injecting energy into it in every way possible. Get everyone included and make this project fun! Choose a time and place where everyone can participate and contribute. Choose an appropriate theme for your new infusion of energy. Get creative - make this a party-like atmosphere. Have balloons, streamers, banners, cake, prizes, and decorations that are consistent with your theme. For example, if you have an accounting office and you want to wake up the staff and attract new potential clients. Have music playing as they enter such as It’s a Brand New Day, Good Morning Starshine, Here Comes the Sun, or Wake Up Little Susie. Dress up in pajamas and carry a teddy bear or a “blankie” as you give your speech to your team. Take yourself lightly as you explain that you feel everyone has been feeling drowsy and that your business has been lackadaisical. Have alarm clocks and roosters in your decor. Provide silly favors and prizes such as sunshine buttons, stickers, stars, yo-yo’s, slinkies, bird chirp whistles, toothbrushes, little flashlights, etc. Serve different flavors of coffee (as in “wake up and smell the...”) and have the group vote on which flavor to serve in the office. Have the team break into small groups. Ask some of the groups to brainstorm ideas to attract new customers, appreciate current customers, and to reinvigorate and revitalize relationships with past customers. Have other groups brainstorm ideas to infuse life and energy into the office. Bring all the groups back together and have them debrief the others. Vote on which ideas to integrate first and decide who is going to be in charge of what. Make sure everyone receives a favor but give prizes out to anyone who volunteers for anything. Especially make sure that everyone leaves with a shared vision, shared enthusiasm, and a clear plan of who will implement what upon their return to the office.

If you’ve been having personal relationship issues at work, get a fresh new potted plant and place it somewhere between where you and that person sit. Tie the pot with blue, yellow, and green ribbons (or paint them on the pot). Blue to symbolize perfected work, yellow to symbolize a reversal of current circumstances, and green as an indication of forgiveness. Each time you water the plant, say aloud something nice or something you appreciate about the other person. You’ll notice an easing of tensions immediately. IF the plant dies, replace it immediately with a bigger one.

For continued success and fortunate blessings in a career which fulfills your heart and sense of purpose, actively seek ways to acknowledge your appreciation. For your co-workers, every day find ways to show them your appreciation. Become your company cheerleader. Bring treats for all. Give pats on the back and/or high fives. Give blue ribbon prizes for jobs particularly well done. Dole out stars or stickies for name badges or computer monitors when you witness random acts of excellence. Show your appreciation to your customers by finding ways to make their day. Get creative here. Be observant and listen carefully. Go the extra mile and you’ll guarantee that customer’s loyalty and referral.

The scents of the Alder moon include orange, lemon, grapefruit, ginger, basil, and rosemary. Assess the challenges at your workplace and choose the scent as needed at the time. Orange neutralizes bad feelings that accompany overwork and mental strain. Lemon is an antidote to feelings of tiredness and sluggishness. Grapefruit helps to overcome frustration, feeling apprehensive or indecisive. Ginger, basil, and rosemary improve memory and focus thoughts.

The Alder moon is the fourth lunar cycle of the year. Its energy is that of the number four: security; four elements: earth, air, water and fire; the four directions; the four seasons; self-discipline through work and service; productivity; organization; wholeness and unity. Four has stable and secure energy of the four walls or boundaries that provide security. Four symbolizes solid foundations and protection. During this lunar phase seek to find your roots, plant the seeds of your dreams and relish the fruits of your labor. Your work is love made visible, providing you both satisfaction and a source of security. This month’s energy lends itself to steady employment and building foundations for the future. Sometimes this moon’s energy can feel like all work and no play. If you find this happening, take a day to be footloose and fancy-free. Be silly and giggle. There can also be a tendency to hoard or to be stubborn. Remember, there is always enough and lighten up! Life is not as serious as it sometimes seems. Create Fun Fridays or Tacky Tuesdays. Have a Go Barefoot Day or Denim and Donuts Day.

For happiness at work gather together the following: 1 yard each of blue and gold ribbon of the same texture; 1 piece of paper marked with an emblem of your work (can be letterhead or marked with your own runes); yellow flowers such as daffodils, sunflowers, daisies, yellow roses, or tulips; blue flowers such as pansies, hyacinths, lavender, violets, or hydrangeas; 2 taper candles and candlesticks (any color), a vase, a blue pen, a fireproof dish, and matches.

On a day when you are feeling happy and positive, make a circle on the floor in the heart of your home by placing the blue and gold ribbon in semicircles opposite one another to create one circle of two colors. Write your name with blue ink near the logo or your runes on the paper. Now identify and write down four characteristics, processes, or people that you appreciate the most about your work. Make an arrangement using all the flowers and put the vase in the center of the circle on the floor. Light the candles and place them on each side of the vase in the circle. Taking all the necessary precautions, burn the paper with a bit of flame from each candle. Walk around the circle four times, visualizing security and pleasure in your working life. Allow yourself to feel appreciation that your contributions are positive and that you are valued fairly for them. Consider the web of life throughout the Universe and how your threads are part of the tapestry. Lift the flowers out of the circle and place them on the table in the heart of your home. (The next day, take them to work) Place the candles on the table beside the flowers. Allow them to burn for an hour, then snuff. Relight again from time to time to ask for additional blessings at work. Take the ribbons to work and tie them around something you can see as you work. Your work life will continue to blossom.

Due to popular demand we will repeat the first seminar (My husband's favorite moon!): The Willow Moon of Enchantment & Passionate Romance on April 18th.

For more information about the seminars, or to make your reservations, please call Joel at Temple Gate, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm or Sunday, 1-5 pm at 713-863-0525. Cash or checks only please.