Month: June 2019

Petrified Wood comes from the Greek root petro, which means rock or stone, with literal meaning ‘wood turned into stone’. In layman terms, a fossil.

The petrifaction process happens underground, when wood starts to get covered by sediments. It’s preserved at first due to lack of oxygen.

Mineral-rich water that’s flowing through the sediments deposits minerals in the tree’s cells. As the tree’s lignin and cellulose start to decay, a stone begins to form.

Wood takes approximately a hundred years to petrify.

Organic material needs to become petrified first before it completely decomposes.

Elements in the soil or earth such as copper, iron, and manganese in the mud or water during the process of petrifaction give Petrified Wood its various colors, tones and hues.

Petrified Wood connects to your root and third eye chakras, one will experience an increased sense of awareness and determination.

Petrified Wood strengthen one’s the core, both in a physical and metaphysical sense. It will also promote discipline and self-will. It is also effective in removing the obstacles in one’s life and break down the barrier to achieve one’s goal.

During a meditation session with Petrified Wood, it helps to bring our spirit back to the time when it was still nurtured by nature. A sense of connectness with mother nature and the environment. Remind us to respect nature and take care of it in our own little way. And to live simply and in harmony with the spirit of nature and the energies of the earth. Some even give off a ‘woody’ and calming fragrance.

Smoky Quartz has a history of being used in spell works, shamanistic rituals and North American tribal ceremonies to enhance stability and protection.

Smoky Quartz is known as a Stone of Power. In Wicca and also to Druids, it is sacred and signifies the dark power of Earth gods and goddesses. In other cultures, it is believed that it guided souls to the afterlife, the stone was used in shamanistic rituals and tribal ceremonies, and was utilized in magic and scrying to connect with spirits of the lower worlds.

Smoky Quartz’s power lies in its ability to protect and ground the person physically and spiritually, and ability to absorb and transmute significant amounts of negative energy and release it into the Earth to be neutralized naturally.

In crystal healing layouts to activate and purify the Base or Root Chakra. It also balance and direct the energy of the upper chakras to the Base Chakra.

The Base, or Root Chakra, is located at the base of the spine and controls the energy for kinesthetic feeling and movement. It is the foundation of physical and spiritual energy for the body.

Smoky Quartz is also a great stone for grounding in crystal healing and in grids. Relates to element of Earth in Chinese Metaphysics because of it grounding effects and root chakra, it resonate with Northeast and Southwest direction, as well as the heavenly doctor (天醫). An inexpensive stone to add into the collection.

The Summer Solstice occurs during summer. This is the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the December solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 in the Southern Hemisphere. The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the winter solstice.

Litha or Midsummer is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, and more specifically the northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 19 and June 25 and the preceding evening.

In Egypt, the Midsummer season was associated with the flooding of the Nile River delta.

In South America, paper boats are filled with flowers, and then set on fire. They are then sailed down the river, carrying prayers to the gods.

In some traditions of modern Paganism, you can get rid of problems by writing them on a piece of paper and dropping them into a moving body of water on Litha.

Astrologically, the sun is entering Cancer, which is a water sign. Midsummer is not only a time of fire magic, but of water as well. Now is a good time to work magic involving sacred streams and holy wells.

Amaterasu (Shinto): This solar goddess is the sister of the moon deity and the storm god of Japan, and is known as the goddess “from which all light comes”. She is much loved by her worshippers and treats them with warmth and compassion. Every year in July, she is celebrated in the streets of Japan.

Aten (Egypt): This god was at one point an aspect of Ra, but rather than being depicted as an anthropomorphic being (like most of the other ancient Egyptian gods), Aten was represented by the disc of the sun, with rays of light emanating outward. Although his early origins aren’t quite known – he may have been a localized, provincial deity – Aten soon became known as the creator of mankind. In the Book of the Dead, he is honored with “Hail, Aten, thou lord of beams of light, when thou shinest, all faces live.”

Apollo (Greek): The son of Zeus by Leto, Apollo was a multi-faceted god. In addition to being the god of the sun, he also presided over music, medicine, and healing. He was at one point identified with Helios. As the worship of him spread throughout the Roman empire into the British Isles, he took on many of the aspects of the Celtic deities and was seen as a god of the sun and of healing.

Hestia (Greek): This goddess watched over domesticity and the family. She was given the first offering at any sacrifice made in the home. On a public level, the local town hall served as a shrine for her — any time a new settlement was formed, a flame from the public hearth was taken to the new village from the old one.

Horus (Egyptian): Horus was one of the solar deities of the ancient Egyptians. He rose and set every day, and is often associated with Nut, the sky god. Horus later became connected with another sun god, Ra.

Huitzilopochtli (Aztec): This warrior god of the ancient Aztecs was a sun god and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He battled with Nanahuatzin, an earlier solar god. Huitzilopochtli fought against darkness and required his worshipers to make regular sacrifices to ensure the sun’s survival over the next fifty-two years, which is a significant number in Mesoamerican myths.

Juno (Roman): She is also called Juno Luna and blesses women with the privilege of menstruation. The month of June was named for her, and because Juno was the patroness of marriage, her month remains an ever-popular time for weddings and handfasting.

Lugh (Celtic): Similar to the Roman god Mercury, Lugh was known as a god of both skill and the distribution of talent. He is sometimes associated with midsummer because of his role as a harvest god, and during the summer solstice the crops are flourishing, waiting to be plucked from the ground at Lughnasadh.

Sulis Minerva (Celtic, Roman): When the Romans occupied the British Isles, they took the aspects of the Celtic sun goddess, Sulis, and blended her with their own goddess of wisdom, Minerva. The resulting combination was Sulis Minerva, who watched over the hot springs and sacred waters in the town of Bath.

Sunna or Sol (Germanic): Little is known about this Norse goddess of the sun, but she appears in the Poetic Eddas as the sister of the moon god. Author and artist Thalia Took says, “Sól (“Mistress Sun”), drives the chariot of the Sun across the sky every day. Pulled by the horses Allsvinn (“Very Fast”) and Arvak (“Early Rising”), the Sun-chariot is pursued by the wolf Skoll… She is the sister of Måni, the Moon-god, and the wife of Glaur or Glen (“Shine”). As Sunna, She is a healer.”

https://www.learnreligions.com/deities-of-litha-2562232

Most of the Wiccian and Magick practitioner make use of 19 to 25 June during Litha or Midsummer for energy and enhancement spell works. I personally make use of a tighter 5 day period of Summer Solstice for space cleansing, recharging my crystals and gems, and other enhancement work. This is often done with an understanding of of QMDJ chart to get the optimal combination of Heaven, Earth, Man and Deity for enhancement and healing work within the 5 days period. . If your house faces or sits in NE or SW, this period is one of the best time to recharge the house energy.

~ 明

Our ancient ancestors celebrated Yule, and when Christianity was introduced the church opted for this time of year to celebrate Christmas, with many of the Yule traditions and practices absorbed into Christmas festivities. We can hear echoes of pagan songs in Christmas carols, and just like our ancestors we light candles and fires, decorate our homes with evergreen plants, feast, dance, and give gifts. Whatever your religious background, Winter Solstice offers a perfect opportunity to get together with family and reflect on the year that has gone and the year to come. If your family have different religious beliefs, Winter Solstice is a good chance to be together and celebrate a non-denominational festival, a time of gratitude for Nature’s cycles.

Solstice means ‘sun stand still’, and this is the time when the sun seems to halt in the sky. Christians celebrate the birth of Christ at this time of year, and Yule is connected to the joy at the birth of the Sun God, child of the Goddess. It is a celebration of rebirth. This is the turning point of the year, when the days gradually become longer and the darkness of winter is overcome. It is easy to understand why our ancestors held Solstice in such reverence. Their lives were governed by the sun, and the promise of its return would, of course, be sacred. Today, our relationship with the natural world has much less of an impact on our everyday lives; in fact, 21st century people can, and do, forget the world outside their window.

https://thegreenparent.co.uk/articles/read/ten-ways-to-celebrate-yule

European Origins of Yule: In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has been celebrated for millennia. The Norse peoples, who called it Jul, viewed it as a time for much feasting and merrymaking. In addition, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, this was a time of sacrifice as well. Traditional customs such as the Yule log, the decorated tree, and wassailing can all be traced back to Norse origins.

The Celts of the British Isles celebrated midwinter as well. Although little is known today about the specifics of what they did, many traditions persist. According to the writings of Pliny the Elder, this is the time of year in which Druid priests sacrificed a white bull and gathered mistletoe in celebration.

Welcoming the Sun Through the Ages: Four thousand years ago, the Ancient Egyptians took the time to celebrate the daily rebirth of Ra, the god of the Sun. As their culture flourished and spread throughout Mesopotamia, other civilizations decided to get in on the sun-welcoming action. They found that things went really well… until the weather got cooler, and crops began to die. Each year, this cycle of birth, death, and rebirth took place, and they began to realize that every year after a period of cold and darkness, the Sun did indeed return.

Winter festivals were also common in Greece and Rome, as well as in the British Isles. When a new religion called Christianity popped up, the new hierarchy had trouble converting the Pagans, and as such, folks didn’t want to give up their old holidays. Christian churches were built on old Pagan worship sites, and Pagan symbols were incorporated into the symbolism of Christianity. Within a few centuries, the Christians had everyone worshiping a new holiday celebrated on December 25, although scholars believe it is more likely that Jesus was born around April rather than in the winter.

In some traditions of Wicca and Paganism, the Yule celebration comes from the Celtic legend of the battle between the young Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak King, representing the light of the new year, tries each year to usurp the old Holly King, who is the symbol of darkness. Re-enactment of the battle is popular in some Wiccan rituals.

https://www.learnreligions.com/history-of-yule-2562997

Hence, we can see much similarities is shared with Chinese Metaphysics use and celebration of Winter Solstice, 冬至一阳生. The commencement of 奇门遁甲 (QMDJ) chart and cycle also comes at arrival of winter solstice. In Feng Shui (Date Selection), the Winter Solstice has auspicious energy to commence renovation works in afflicted sectors of the house. We call this “太阳到山, 太阳到向”. For example, this period is most favourable for houses / apartments sitting on sector of Ox. “坐丑：冬至到山，夏至到向”;  incidently, The Wiccian Practitioners also make use of this special season energy for space cleansing and magick rituals.

~ 明

“Imagine you are the Divine ~ A soul out there sends you an email for a job change request. But at the same time, you receive another email from the same person whining that his life sucks.

So, you as the Divine, which wish would you want to grant that soul. Being all mighty and loving. The person says his life sucks, you shouldn’t deny his wish that his life sucks. Thus, if his life sucks, how can you ever grant him the wish that he wants to change to a better job.

His desires are self-conflicting. Hence think about it, are we not getting what we want because we don’t deserve it, or the Divine doesn’t love us as much. Or is it due to our inner conflicts and mixed desires that impedes us that the Divine is just abiding our wishes.”

https://www.thewildunknown.com/blogs/guidance/two-interviews-with-kim-krans

Brazilian Auralite (not to be mistaken with Auralite 23), this is considered a rare crystal (but not as rare) comparable to Auralite 23 and the Super 7 crystal. This crystal is recently discovered and unearth in Brazil. This gem is also known as Red-Capped Ametrine.

Under lighting, visibly, there are hematitie, citrine, amethyst, smoky quartz and goethite. The other minute minerals are yet to be studied and examined.

Hematite has a dark colour, since ancient times was thought to be especially intimidating or protective. Hematite are opaque, not the strongest of stones, approx Mohs 5, with a strong metallic lustre.

Hematite projects earth energy. Resonate with the base chakra for grounding and protection. Stimulate concentration, balancing Yin-Yang.

Hematite healing properties includes restoring, strengthening and regulating the blood supply, aiding blood conditions such as anaemia. Since it dark color, resonate with water element in Chinese BAZI astrology, it also supports the kidneys and regenerates tissue. Stimulates the absorption of iron and formation of red blood cells. Treats leg cramps, anxiety and insomnia. Hematite aids spinal alignment and fractures.

Citrine is a manifestation stone. It enables imagination and personal will. Citrine carry the power of the sun, it is warm and comforting, energizing and life giving.

Citrine is associated with Sacral, Solar and Crown chakra, It stimulates the chakras like the sunlight of spring, helps clears the mind and activate intention, stirring souls to action. Its frequency awakens creativity and imagination, and sustains the process of transforming dreams and wishes into tangible form.

Citrine does not hold or accumulate negative energy, but rather transmutes, dissipates, and grounds it, making it a protective stone for metaphysics practitioner, mediation, occult and Feng Shui application.Citrine has a earthly yellow is associated with the element of Earth in BAZI astrology.

Citrine stimulates digestion, the spleen and pancreas.; It also negates kidney and bladder infections.

Citrine resonate with Sacral which links with liver. Liver is a wood element of in BAZI; citrine would helps with eye problems, increases blood circulation, detoxifies the blood, activates the thymus and balances the thyroid and also relieves constipation.

Amethyst derives from the Greek word ametusthos, meaning “not intoxicated,” and comes from an ancient legend.

Amethyst is powerful and protective at the same time. It guards against psychic attack and protecting the wearer from harm and ill wishes from others.

Amethyst is a natural tranquiliser, it relieves stress and soothes irritability, it balances mood swings, dispels anger, anxiety and dissolves negativity. Amethyst is associated with the 3rd eye and crown chakra, capable of activating spiritual awareness, opening intuition and enhances psychic abilities. Its inherent high frequency purifies the aura of any negative energy or attachments, and creates a protective shield of light around the body, allowing one to remain clear and centered while opening to spiritual direction.

In the application of 8 Mansion Feng Shui, the placement of Amethyst cave or sphere to gather positive energy i.e. Life Generating （生气） Qi to a particular sector of the household.

Combination of Amethyst and Citrine within the same crystal, you get Ametrine. A harmonious blend of the two energies. It brings spirituality into harmony with the intellect and inspires a profound flow of creativity, new ideas and insights. Promotes healing and energy movement in the mind and body.

Smokey Quartz is associated with base and solar chakra. Smokey Quartz is of excellent grounding properties. It gently neutralises negative vibrations and is detoxifying on all levels, prompting elimination of the digestive system and protecting against radiation and electromagnetic smog. Disperses fear, lifts depression and negativity. It brings emotional calmness, relieving stress and anxiety. Dispels nightmares and manifests your dreams. Smokey Quartz aids concentration and assists in communication difficulties.

Smokey Quartz dissolves cramps, strengthens the back and fortifies the nerves as it resonate with solar chakra. It aids abdomen, hips and legs. Relieves headaches, back pain, eases muscular spasms. It regulates liquids within the body and aids assimilation of minerals.

Goethite was named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a mineralogy enthusiast. The powerful vibration of Goethite is believe to help bridge the link between yourself and the Earth. This connection will facilitate the sensitization of your perceptions, emotions, and energies. Goethite is especially useful for those who may be dealing with grief. It gently brings awareness and healing of your wounds which have been buried in the subconscious.

Goethite makes one more conscious of your feelings and opens up your heart, awakening one’s dormant sense of compassion and love. Metaphysics practitioner use this stone during divination. Goethite is a stone that can be programmed and help a practitioner achieve his/her’s specific intentions. And, intention is energy. So remember, the universe always responds to one’s energies, so when one release positive energies from yourself, thru’ thoughts, words, actions or prayers, the universe would pick them up and respond accordingly. Goethite is excellent in gathering energy to its core and assist in moving up higher state of consciousness.

https://3g.d1xz.net/rili/jieqi/art142389.aspx

初伏防中暑
入伏的头两日气温极高，因此初伏的保健重点在于防中暑。此时应合理安排作息时间，不要在烈日下曝晒或在高温环境中久留，外出应打遮阳伞、戴遮阳帽，勿做剧烈运动，保证午睡。全天补充水分的策略应是少量、多次，还可选择淡盐水、绿茶、绿豆汤及其他清凉饮料。

若出现头晕、心悸、恶心、呕吐等中暑先兆，要迅速移至阴凉处，解开衣服，冷敷头部，饮用清凉饮料，并服用人丹或十滴水。如果是体弱多病的人或老年人、小儿中暑，则应立即送院抢救。

中伏防湿邪
伏天“湿热交加”，湿邪最易伤脾，常使人感到头昏身重，胸中烦闷，四肢无力，食欲不振。进入中伏，要格外注意饮食，既要清淡，又要富有营养易于消化，不宜大量食用生冷及油腻食物。

中伏时候天气最热，食物是祛暑湿的好帮手，可用扁豆、薏米等健脾利湿之品熬粥，或者用鲜藿香、佩兰各10克，飞滑石、焦大麦各20克，甘草3克，水煎代茶饮，均于祛湿有效。

末伏防上火
末伏是立秋后，“秋老虎”正凶时。虽然暑热天已经结束，但“秋老虎”的余威不可小视，应注意预防“上火”，并注意清心安神。虽然早晚较凉，但白天仍旧热浪袭人，要特别注意补水，以免出现口干、鼻干、咽干、皮肤干燥等不适。另，由于热扰心神，在注意防暑降温的同时，还应有意识避开不良情绪的干扰。