The Sunflower Method - Flower Essences

The Sun Flower Method

Following is the equipment you will need to make a sun flower essence: a clear glass bowl, fresh mountain or spring water, sharp scissors or a crystal, or stone (used only for this purpose), a camera, a notebook or journal, something to write or draw with, a funnel (preferably glass), tweezers, a strainer (this is not an a necessity - muslin or cheesecloth work well), a 2-4 ounce  dark amber or cobalt blue glass bottle (4 ounces is a good size), organic brandy, apple cider vinegar, glycerin, or red shiso vinegar, and a local wildflower guide.

Offering: bring a gift to offer to the flowers – suggestions include Indian Tobacco (Lobelia), cornmeal, sage or sweetgrass, a song, a prayer, crystal or offering of personal choice.

Find the plants from which you wish to make into a flower essence.
They should be plants growing in a pristine natural setting or cultivated organically; away from traffic; in abundance.

You may wish to spend some time in mediation with the plants prior to harvesting. Get clear and enjoy the process of developing this relationship.

Ask and gain permission and NEVER take the grandmother flowers.

Ask for a sign and be sure to stay open to recognizing when your sign appears.

When you have made a connection with your plant make your offering.

The process:  The best time of day to harvest the plants is when the plant is at its peak power, usually sometime between 11 am and 3 pm. If possible use natural spring water that is found near the plant.

Begin by preparing yourself. Peaceful, open, joyful, present and clear.
Do NOT make the flowers when your thoughts or emotions are turbulent or chaotic.

Use a clear glass bowl that is only used for this purpose. (Dr. Bach destroyed his bowls after using…I like to use mine in the kitchen for living foods meals).

After sitting with the plant in meditation and when you feel the timing is appropriate begin by making your offering. This is a precious opportunity to commune with the plant. Enjoy this time.

Use the new scissors or crystal or stone to cut the most auspicious of the plants blooms. Do NOT touch the flowers. Allow the blooms to drop gently into the top of the bowl that has been filled with water. Cover the surface of the water with the blossoms.

Leave the flowers in the water for several hours, until you can see the energy has left the flowers and ‘transferred’ to the water.

In the meantime: As you wait for the flowers to potentiate the water… take time to photograph the site; the plant; the surroundings. Journal. Draw. Meditate.

Examine the plant carefully. Become fully acquainted with the plant. Draw the plant. Note any physical aspects of the plant that might be related to its healing properties. (Doctrine of Signatures) Note colors; textures; energies; aroma; shape; arrangement and number of petals and so on.

Sit with the plant as you would a dear friend. Listening attentively, learning all that the plant is willing to reveal and you are ready to receive.

Potentiate: The water is charged.
a) Remove the blossoms with the tweezers. Offer the flowers back to the earth and the surrounding environment.

b) Put the funnel in the large bottle.

c) Pour the flowers (through the strainer) and into the bottle.

d) Label the ‘mother tincture’ with the name of the plant, the date, and the location, and any other pertinent information.

e) If there is any remaining water you can either drink it or offer it back to the plants or both.

Upon returning home: Preserve the flower essence in an equal amount of brandy or other tincture preservative.

To make a dosage bottle:
a) Almost fill a (dark glass or cobalt blue) glass dropper bottle with water.
b) Add two to three drops of your ‘mother tincture’ flower essence to the bottle.
c) Add a small amount of brandy or other preservative.
d) Shake gently.

e) Doses of four to six drops of this bottle can be taken as needed.

Effectiveness:
a) Always set an intention before using your flowers.

b) Consistency is the KEY.

c) Flowers can be taken neat (in the mouth); added to one’s drinking water; added to a bath; applied to the crown of the head of feet (this works great for children and animals); any variety of ways that feels appropriate to you.

d) The flowers will not conflict with other methods of healing. They are vibrational medicines that support healing from within and without.

e) Trust and heal. You are whole. You are divine.

Does the Term “Eating Clean” Make You Crazy?


329/365 Worst Exam Ever
Creative Commons License photo credit: stuartpilbrow

Eating clean is a way of eating in which the food consumed is as close to its natural state as possible. That means no processed foods, nothing that comes in a box – basically if it’s man-made, chances are it shouldn’t be eaten. To give you an idea of eating clean, bodybuilders tend to eat this way. However, most people who are trying to eat healthier and lose weight find it difficult to follow.

I run another blog about clean eating and many times, depending on the topic, people will leave comments like “that isn’t clean eating.” I have even received emails about the links I point to for recipes stating that I need to learn what clean eating is. I totally think it’s fine since I started the blog in the hopes to get better at eating clean.

Yet, lately I have been less and less interested because I feel like I have fallen into the category of those who just want to eat healthier without having labels applied to my meals. Just recently, someone left a comment that resonated with me:

Please just stop. Stop with the “clean” and “dirty” eating or “clean” and “dirty” foods. Food is food. A meal is a meal. You do not “cheat” when you eat “dirty” food. The moral attachment that occurs when labeling foods in this way serves to generate guilt and is counterproductive to the goal of fat loss. Eliminate these words from your vocabulary and you’ll be happier and less neurotic. [view the comment in full here]

That comment made a lot of sense to me which is probably why I haven’t been able to really get into writing much on that blog. I still like the idea of eating clean. It makes sense and I believe people who do it are very satisfied with their results.

Are you a clean eater? Do you feel like there is a moral attachment to eating that way?

Reasons Why Body Weight Training Rocks!

When most people start to exercise they don’t consider body weight training as a valuable part of an exercise routine. This is a mistake. In this article I go over some of the advantages of bodyweight exercises.

Anti aging skin care products

Anti aging skin care products remind me of the song 18 till I die. Indeed, anti aging skin care products are very popular today; and why not, who doesnt want to look young for ever?

Talking of anti aging skin care products, the first thing that comes to mind is vitamin C based anti aging skin care products. These products work by enabling the synthesis of collagen (a structural protein that is found in skin). This category of anti aging skin care products is related to anti-oxidants. Anti aging skin care products that are based on vitamin C are, however, posed with the danger of getting oxidised themselves (as they come into contact with air during their usage). So some anti aging skin care products are based on the derivatives of vitamin C, which are more stable and less expensive. However, the effectiveness of such anti aging skin care is not as much as it is for vitamin C based ant aging skin care products.

Besides vitamin C, vitamin E and lipoic acid are anti-oxidants too. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble anti-oxidant that is found in human blood and helps in building resistance against infection. Vitamin E is also known to inhibit cancer. Liponic acid is known to combat the signs of aging very effectively by reversing the skin damage caused by the aging process.

Phytochemicals form the other category of anti aging skin care products. Phytochemical are special chemicals that are extracted from plants. There are a variety of phytochemicals that are in use today. Phytochemicals prevent occurrence of cancer of certain types; these include prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. That is why they find their place in anti aging skin care products.

Some B-vitamins like B5, B6 and B12 are also in use for anti aging skin care products.

The field of anti aging skin care products is vast and needs a lot of research. Though the currently available products are effective, they still have challenges to combat. Hopefully, these challenges will get resolved in due course and help get better and cheaper anti aging skin care products.

However, anti aging skin care products should be used only as a supplement to the natural ways of skin and body care. So, drinking a lot of water, getting a good night sleep, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping stress at bay are essential means of delaying the aging process. No anti aging skin care product can replace them really.

Post retrieved from: Anti Aging Clues

Anti aging skin care products

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Fitness Interviews – Aaron Harris, CPT


I am happy to post a new fitness interview with Aaron Harris, Certified Personal Trainer. Aaron can be found at his web site: www.AaronHarrisFitness.com

1. Could you tell us a little about yourself and what made you decide to become a personal trainer?
 
I first started exercising when I was in the sixth grade. I was always the smallest and weakest kid in my class, so I would do pushups and sit-ups every night to build up my strength. My older brother and I used to read comic books and I remember every issue had the ad for Charles Atlas’ Dynamic Tension Program. That got me even more interested in exercise. My brother started to get Muscle and Fitness issues and Joe Weider catalogs. Impressed with Arnold, Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbo and others, I asked for a York Junior Barbell set for Christmas. Since then I’ve been hooked on fitness and working out.

I decided to become a personal trainer based on my desire to work in a field involving something I love. I made up my mind to find a satisfying career that I would enjoy and I have found it.
 
2. What does you current workout routine consist of?
 
Currently I am doing strength training 3 or 4 days a week. I lift for about 45 – 60 minutes per workout focusing mostly on compound movements.

As far as cardio, I get plenty by participating with some of my clients during their training sessions throughout the week.

3. How does your approach to training differ from other personal trainers?
 
I get my clients to make fitness and exercise an enjoyable component of their lives, not make their entire lives revolve around workouts. I’ve met too many people that were unhappy with their trainers because the trainer did not take into consideration the client’s life. Family, work, and leisure time are important, so I make sure that exercise, fitness, and healthy eating are able to be incorporated without expecting my clients to live like monks.

I also let clients know from the beginning what are realistic expectations based on how much of a commitment they are willing and able to make.

Unfortunately, lots of folks expect to be able to lose double digit pounds in a week thanks to the Biggest Loser, or be able to get in a total body workout and get amazing results in just 2 easy 10 minute sessions a week like they saw on an exercise product infomercial. I let them know not to compare themselves to fitness models unless they want to live the life of a fitness model. I won’t fill them with false hope and promises that are undeliverable.
 
4. Do you feel it is important to track progress such as keeping workout journals and food journals?
 
If someone has specific goals they are working towards it is best to log their workouts and menus. I don’t feel that it needs to be done for every phase of training though. If someone is doing a week of active recovery or they are doing a maintenance phase usually they can skip the logging until it’s time to get back to serious training. Definitely, the best way to track exercise progression is by keeping a log and referring back to it.
 
5. What do you suggest for people who are just getting back into working out?
 
My main suggestion is to prepare a solution for every imaginable excuse to not workout. Finding a good workout or training program is easy. Learning to do the exercises is not that difficult. Most people have big trouble just getting themselves started. Whether it is lack of motivation or not enough self-discipline, I think it is the toughest for some people to just get going. I recommend they go over all the reasons they’ve used in the past for skipping a workout or delaying the start of an exercise program and find all the ways they can overcome these obstacles. Once they’ve eliminated the obstacles, they can create a plan suitable for their goals, and find a partner or mentor that will hold you accountable.
 
6. Recently, I’ve received a lot of comments about the topic of eating one meal a day to lose weight. Could you give your feedback on this?

I’m sure there are a few rare individuals that might be able to survive, thrive and enjoy a healthy active life eating one meal a day, but for most people I don’t think there would be any positive outcome from following, or trying to follow a one-meal-a-day diet.
 
First of all, in order to get a sufficient amount of calories the majority of the meal would need to be energy dense. It would be too difficult to get enough calories eating the healthiest, nutrient rich foods because they are so full of fiber and much lower in calories. That would lead to a problem of getting all your required nutrients.
 
The average person would probably feel very low on energy, and the first thing to suffer from that effect would be their workouts, and we all know that exercise is a major factor in successful permanent fat loss.
Two other major concerns would be the decreased metabolism from prolonged daily fasting, and the possibility of the body cannibalizing skeletal muscle for its protein requirements.
 
Anyone looking for eating or diet guidelines for losing fat should consider that most athletes, especially physique athletes follow the rule of eating smaller frequent meals throughout the day to keep the metabolism running higher, even out blood sugar levels, maintain energy levels and keep hunger in check. The athletes that are best known for following the opposite, eating just two meals a day, are sumo wrestlers. Just by looking at those two examples, anyone should be able to see that eating one meal a day is not the way to go about losing fat.

7. Could you describe your diet and any supplements that you take?
 
Right now I am following a very strict vegan diet, just as a personal experiment for thirty days. I call it my “Bird Diet.” Normally my eating is very sound. I try to avoid or limit trans fats, high fructose corn syrups, MSG. I never use artificial sweeteners or products containing them.

I definitely follow the 80/20 rule, eating very well 80% or more of the time so I can enjoy a treat once in awhile. Except during my experiment, I never deprive myself of anything. Mainly I just make good choices, the same thing that I teach my personal training clients to do.
 
As far as supplements, I try to take Mega Omega (EPA/DHA capsules) regularly, but I’m not a pill person, so that doesn’t always happen. The same applies for my multivitamin, The Big One. Occasionally I will supplement with whey protein, and depending on what training program I am doing, I will use creatine.
 
8. What are some things to keep in mind to help avoid injuries when exercising?
 
The first thing is to know your limits and not test them. Progress your workouts gradually, not too much all at once.

Properly warming up and maintaining adequate flexibility are also very important, along with maintaining proper form, not just for strength training exercises but cardiovascular exercise too.

Also, people need to occasionally vary their workouts. Performing the same repetitive movements will lead to overuse injuries. The best way to prevent that is by taking a break from the normal routine and doing something completely different.

Another important thing to help avoid injuries is proper nutrition. Exercise breaks down tissue. You need to have enough nutrients to repair and build the tissue damaged from your workouts.
 
9. Is there a fitness myth you would like to debunk?
 
The myth that conventional strength training shortens muscles and that Pilates lengthens muscles. First of all, exercise itself is the best thing to counter “muscle binding.” Individuals become “muscle bound”, inflexible through inactivity, not exercise. I have nothing against Pilates, just its proponents that try to hype it by making it sound superior to other forms of exercise such as resistance training or weight lifting by making false claims. It is impossible to lengthen your muscles through exercise.

They are attached at their origins and insertions, and you should want them to always stay there! They can experience hypertrophy or atrophy, their tone can improve or decline, but to say you can change the length is just false.

10. Is there anything you would like to add?
 
Just thank you for the interview.

Thank you Aaron for participating! Visit Aaron at: www.AaronHarrisFitness.com

Blast Your Lower Stomach With These Killer Ab Exercises!

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Hyper pigmentation of the skin can make you look older

Hyper pigmentation of the skin can make you look older than your years and there are two main causes of this condition where the pigment changes and areas of color appear as freckles and spots on various parts of the face and the body.

The first and obvious cause is the sun - that villain of the skin that causes more aging problems than anything else. The sun will not only affect the face but also other areas that are prone to more exposure such as the hands and upper areas of the chest.
Good SPF sunscreens will help a lot and also by keeping out of the sun when it is at its most damaging around the hours either side of midday will help to reduce hyper pigmentation.

The other main cause of hyper pigmentation is not quite as easy to eliminate as that is due to hormonal changes within the body. This can be caused by any number of factors including pregnancy and birth control pills.

By using skin bleaching products the discoloration caused by hyper pigmentation can be made to fade somewhat and for some people this is sufficient for it to go unnoticed. For others where these bleaching products aren’t as effective or the changes in pigment have been too extensive there is still the opportunity to reduce or eliminate it through the use of laser skin treatments.

Your hands are areas that can make you look older as they are highly visual and will also show the effects of the lifestyle that you have lead so getting laser treatment to improve the condition of the skin on your hands, along with your face can do wonders for your desire to look younger.

The laser treatment also has other positive effects on your skin such as the stimulation of collagen which is necessary for healthy skin.

Post retrieved from: Anti Aging Clues

Hyper pigmentation of the skin can make you look older

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