For most of us, the minute we open our eyes the day begins, and we put them to work for our jobs, self-care, housework and even Facetiming loved ones and Skyping business associates. If you are a designer or artist of any sort, you most likely use your eyes to create, so caring for them is essential. Take two small muslin bags and three ounces of dried chamomile flowers. Divide the herb in half, stuff the bags, and sew them shut.
Place the eye bags in a bowl and pour a quarter cup of boiling water over them. Cover them and let sit for a half-hour. Squeeze the excess water out of the bags and place over your eyes. Your eyes and your artistic vision should both be rejuvenated quickly. This healing rite is best performed at twilight but, anytime your peepers need some “TLC,” steep away.
We live in the age of anxiety. There is so much stress, bad news and soul-crushing chaos; it is hard to know how to get through each day. But here’s the thing; ancient wisdom is the best way to approach to deal with modern troubles. Try the following tried and true rite. Gather together:
We live in the age of anxiety. There is so much stress, bad news and soul-crushing chaos; it is hard to know how to get through each day. But here’s the thing; ancient wisdom is the best way to approach to deal with modern troubles. Try the following tried and true rite. Gather together:
When you feel pain somewhere in your body, it is a small voice that needs to be listened to. It could be old energy that needs to be released or a blockage or imbalance. I was in a hit-and-run auto accident where I was hit by a drunk driver who plowed through a red light and totaled my car, and very nearly me. As I hit the brake, my foot and ankle were shattered, rather like a porcelain teacup thrown with great force. The doctors wanted to amputate my leg, but I managed to talk them out of it. I had to learn to walk again, but I can walk and even dance and run again after lots of physical therapy and healing. But nowadays whenever I hit the brake too hard, I feel pain because my body remembers. The tissue and bones old the memory imprint of that awful day and the terrible trauma.
I have a few shrines around my house: an ancestor shrine on the hearth mantel; a "winter shrine" in the corner of the kitchen for my home's land spirit; and a shrine in the window of my bathroom. This last one might seem like a strange location for a sacred place, but peoples around the world have understood that the places where we clean and care for our bodies are hallowed places, housing certain powers.
Murcha in Sanskrit means “to retain,” so murcha is the “retaining breath.” Murcha will help you hold on to some of your natural energy that business drains away. Restore yourself through this ritual. Pranayama is the fine art of breathing and controlling the flow of oxygen in and out of the lungs. Conscious breathing can vastly improve your health and make you more alert. This is a yoga exercise for achieving a state of ecstasy through pranayama. Done properly, murcha will enhance your mental capacity, center you, and create a sense of euphoria.
Our minds are our most powerful tool. It is with directed thought, your intention that you create enchantment and create outcomes in your spellwork. By this same token, the consciousness management that is at the core of meditation is the connecting thread in body, mind and spirit wellness. I think of meditation as “mental magic” and you can and should harness the power of your brain to deal with stress and difficulty and achieve a higher state of awareness. Many of us start our day with some kind of grounding practice and I begin with an intention-setting meditation immediately upon rising.
Cultivating a calm inner state is instrumental to realizing your deepest goals and intentions. By starting your day grounded and centered, you'll experience more balance and flow throughout your day and into each evening. The practice of meditation helps you raise your energy and self-awareness. By expanding your consciousness, you create a clear, inner space that allows you to move towards the center of your creations. It's from this place of grounded awareness that you'll really focus on what's most important to you. Through guided meditations designed to help you relax and center, you'll have an opportunity to hone in and refine your inner vision
Chas S. Clifton
I'm with the first commenter. "I'm going straight to Tacos Tlaloc -- not spending money anywhere else until we get some rain." (Actually, el buen seño...
Steven Posch
Interestingly, diaspora Hindu temples tend to be set up this way, since members of the temple honor different deities, so that instead of (as back in ...
Anthony Gresham
I actually like that food court of the gods image. Each little shop run by a different goddess where she sells her product and takes your offering. ...
