Red Lights on Black Friday

So tomorrow is Black Friday in the United States.  It would be hard to miss that fact given the advertisements and marketing around this shopping event.  In fact, for the first time ever, Black Friday seems to have swept into Canada and we are apparently having a "Black Friday" as well, even though it isn't a holiday, we celebrated Thanksgiving a month ago, and Christmas is still a month away!

I wrote about Black Friday last year. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/11/black-friday-mysterious-potential.html I re-read that post and think I probably need a few of the Bach Flowers I mentioned now that this black fever is spreading northward!! I think Canadians in general might benefit from a few of the essences.

Make no mistake. I can be very easily distracted.  Buzzes, pings, chirpy sounds and ,heaven forbid, flashing red lights and my focus is gone from the task at hand.  So it was hard to work today.  My Blackberry, delivers all these distractions all at once. And today, it was going off like crazy.

I like technology. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/10/mindful-use-vs-shutting-down.html   I'm pretty affectionately attached to my electronic device.  It makes life freer for me.  I get a lot of good news from this little critter.  I've received great work contracts through incoming messages. I get newsy, funny and inspirational messages from friends. I keep in touch with clients, and on occasion I've maintained a life-line to family members from this device.  I've even found teenagers from the deep dark depths of a mall this way- otherwise I'd still be looking for them!  But today I got hammered with telemarketing through my device.  It would seem every corporation that I have even been a part of, shopped at, looked at, browsed through, or thought about, sent me a message today on how I could capitalize on a Black Friday "deal".  Seriously????

I wrote in the previous year's post about the significance of the color black. But today, I realize that perhaps coincidentally, my blackberry is actually red. And the little light that flashes on it, distracting my attention and calling me like a beckon is definately red. That got me thinking.... (I warned you I was easily distracted).

What I got thinking about, is that Black Friday puts retailers and corporations in the black.  And perhaps they do that by encouraging me to go into the red? Red is a great color, just not really welcomed on a personal financial spreadsheet. Hmm....

Red resonates with the root chakra. This chakra is focused on safety and survival. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/11/chakra-foods.html When this chakra is balanced we feel strongly grounded, secure in the knowledge that we are taken care of, part of a group, strong enough to survive and thrive. We know we have the basics we need and from this perspective we can reach up to higher levels of thought and purpose. When the Root Chakra is unbalanced we can feel overly concerned about materialistic things.  We can get caught up in the fears of lack and the frenzy of a "great deal".

From my distracted mind it occurs to me that my survival is probably not based on having the latest and greatest technological device, the newest gadget, the most fashionable clothes, the latest bestseller, or the "perfect deal". Perhaps I would be better off ignoring some of those incoming marketing suggestions.  Maybe I should get my fingers away from the surf board of key strokes and put my feel in a pair of red sneakers and go for a nice long walk instead.

That might not be in the "spirit " of Black Friday from a retail point of view.  But from my point of view I think it just might keep me secure under a black cloak of protection while the red lights flash away without me.

This all may be a moot point on Black Friday anyway.  Spaceweather.com reports a high probability of geomagnetic storms on November 23rd. http://spaceweather.com/  That could just knock out some of those electronic devices.  And with everyone using credit, debit machines and computer links, there's a good chance it could come crashing down anyway.  So I'll post this message the night before Black Friday. Tomorrow I will "walk away" from all marketing gimicks and "deals".

May your finances be in the black, your shoes red, your cookies be ginger, and your heart light!

Ginger Cookies and Full Moon in Taurus

Today might be a good day to make Ginger Cookies.  That is, if you aren't making storm preparations.  It seems that mother nature is making herself known in all kinds of dramatic. ways.  It seems within 24 hours we are experiencing earthquakes and tsunami warnings in the West, Hurricane, rain and storm surge events in the East, and winter storms everywhere in between. It will also be a Full Moon in Taurus tomorrow. And that alone, is helping to fuel the storm surge predictions for Hurricane Sandy, raise the tides and increase the surf. 

It would seem  that with those predictions of storms, direct evidence of the force of nature, and a Full Moon cycle in Taurus there could be a lot of Root Chakra's feeling some imbalance. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/11/chakra-foods.html

The Moon in Taurus, according to We'Moon 2012, slows us down. Taurus energy is deep, heavily rooted, earthy in nature. A Full Moon in Taurus can be a good time to focus on your resources of home, health, and garden.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that the last time I wrote about a Full Moon in Taurus on this blog, we were also getting ready to feel the impacts of a major storm.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/11/full-moon-in-taurus.html  That freaked me out a bit when I read the old post and looked at the date, because it's pretty much was I was going to write today! 

So here we are in a time of the moon cycle when we are feeling very connected to our Root Chakra from wherein comes our sense of safety and security.  This is occurring at the same time that we may be feeling some challenges in that regard, particularly if you are in an area where evacuations and storm preparations are being encouraged. We'Moon writes that the challenge for Taurus energy is to explore the differences between strength and stubbornness.  There may also be a challenge to trust flexibility. Hmm...

I've written about preparing for storms before.  I wrote about this when Hurricane Irene (which Hurricane Sandy is being compared to) was making her way up the coast. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/08/preparedness-vs-panic.html

I still believe in all the things I've written about before.  I think it's important to be prepared so you're not scared.  I think the Moon Cycles can intensify our feelings and  the moon in Taurus may be intensifying our fears of insecurity and magnifying the need for safety.  I believe you can use that energy to be motivated to prepare and take logical steps to protect yourself so your emotions remain positive.  I believe there are Bach Flowers that can help ease the transition in full moon cycles, as well as before, during and after major storms.

Samantha in Sweet Shack & Bach Bar, http://www.brylerpublications.com/books/fiction/sweet-shack-and-bach-bar got some Root Charka help from Wise Woman.  She received Rock Rose, Sweet Chestnut and Clematis Bach Flowers.  That helped with her fear of storms and basic survival.  She also got a plate of ginger cookies.  That helped as well.  And Merlin gave her red shoes- for that you'll have to read the book.

I've gone baking...

Red Chestnut Bach & the Root Chakra

I find myself in a bit of a wait and worry mode these days. I don't do waiting very well. I'm prone to impatience for sure and have taken my fair share of the Bach Flower essence Impatiens.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/11/sun-and-moon-in-sagittarius-bach-flower.html But that's not really what this felt like so I decided to focus on it a bit. That led me to researching the Bach Flower essence Red Chestnut from a new perspective.

When I want to dig deeper into a Bach Flower essence, I often turn to Julian Barnard's book, "Bach Flower Remedies: Form & Function". This book explains the botanical nature of the essence as well as Dr. Bach's findings and often goes much deeper into his experiments than some other books.

It turns out, like all of the Bach Flower remedies, Dr. Bach discovered Red Chestnut seemingly by accident.  But in this case it was really an "accident" that led him to Red Chestnut. It was the 1930's remember, and Dr. Bach was chopping wood.  Can you see where this was going?? He slipped with the axe and "gashed his wrist" according to Barnard's account. He was treated with first aid measures but was in shock; pale and shaky from loss of blood. His friends, the ones that treated him, were anxious and worried about him. Dr. Bach felt that anxiety and believed their worries were making things worse for him.  He was feeling their concern and internalizing it. To make a long story short, he went wondering in the woods, and thus discovered Red Chestnut, the Bach Flower essence that is recommended for "worry and over concern for others".

But here's the part that strikes me.  Dr. Bach didn't discover this essence and pass it over to Nora Weeks and the friends that were "throwing out" this worry and anxiety. He didn't suggest that if they could calm themselves down by taking the essence he might actually feel better.  He took Red Chestnut himself. Hmm...

I think it is a very basic human trait to feel worry and concern for others.  There is a level of connection, particularly with people close to us, and we blur the boundaries between self and others sometimes. We seem to socially accept that we should feel this type of concern. Parents should worry about their children, friends should worry about each other, and perhaps there is something wrong with us if we don't.

Although we believe we should worry and be concerned for others, it seems we want to externalize it. We want to fix the other person that is "going through" this trauma or drama. It's easier to "fix" others than"fix" ourselves. But once you take it on- you own it. And the worry of Red Chestnut gets you right in the Root Chakra, your center for safety and security.

According to Barnard,  Dr. Bach believed the Red Chestnut anxiety, worry or imbalance, was partly based  upon a memory. At some point in the past, something did happen to someone you love and and this present event triggers that memory. A person in a Red Chestnut state "calls up" those accidents, mishaps, drama and trauma, and projects that image onto a loved one and the present event. This can set up a cycle pattern in people that are close to each other.  A classic example of this is the situation that can occur when a small child falls.  Often, before the child cries he looks to the parent.  If the parent looks upset, the child starts to cry.  Then the parent figures their worse fears have been fulfilled and there really must be a serious  injury.  Before you know it, both parent and child are in a weird circle of worry and crying. They both loose their sense of safety, security and confidence. The emergency department is filled with such cases on any given day. Red Chestnut helps to stop that pattern.  Perhaps it should be freely handed out in all emergency rooms. I'll add that to my ideas of reformed health care http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/tiered-health-care.html.

The red flowers of the Red Chestnut are powerful. They speak of an empathy and an understanding where you can truly appreciate how others feel. A few drops of this essence helps to balance your sensitivity so you can be in the present, and not overwhelmed by past remembrances and triggers that disrupt your sense of personal security. When balanced yourself, you are actually in a position to give emotional support to others rather than perpetuate the cycle. The red of the flowers resonates with the red of the Root Chakra. From that balanced place of personal safety and security we can extend our empathy without causing further harm. It seems sometimes our connectedness requires separation.

Maybe it's a good day to make ginger cookies  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/11/chakra-foods.html while I wait!

Root Chakra Lessons From the Potato Patch

If you've been following along with my blog, you'll realize I seem to have a bit of a relationship with my potato patch. It is one of my few gardening attempts but I find I'm learning an awful lot from this experience,. Some of it is not unlike some of the Perelandra Gardening experiences Michaelle Small-Wright talks about in her books and on her website http://www.perlandra-ltd.com
 

My particular patch has been a very enjoyable experience.  It started out with multiple wheelbarrows of horse manure.  To this we added a pile of seaweed. Last year I planted a few potatoes. This year we added more manure, hauled way more seaweed from the beach (on a very cold and rainy day),  and planted a lot of potatoes!  The potatoes this year were carefully chosen.  I bought organic seed potatoes in a number of different varieties and planted with intention.  I planted "late" potatoes at the back and "early" potatoes in the front and even drew a map for myself so I would know which kind was where.

Unlike some other things in life, it seems once I had planted my potatoes with intention, I was really good at "letting it go".  I admired my potatoes every day- don't get me wrong. And I talked to the potato plants as they grew.  I didn't weed them, hoe the rows, or do anything else to them.  It just didn't feel right, and to be honest I wasn't really sure what was potato plant and what was weed, so I decided not to got there. Plus, when you've planted them in seaweed you get some pretty freaky looking pieces of seaweed here and there that are definitely best left alone! The potato patch has lots of visitors and a few residents.  A Chipmunk seemed to call it home for the first while.  I embraced the snake that suns herself on the rocks beside the peonie that grows in the middle http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.com/2011/07/animal-signs-snake.html. There are often toads in there. I let the deer graze the outside edge of the patch. I didn't put up any fences, scarecrows or borders. I never watered the patch. I didn't put any fertilizer down (unless you consider multiple wheelbarrows of horse manure fertilizer), and I never removed a bug.

I loved watching them grow.  But now it's almost the end of summer and I can see a potato or two poking up to the surface, and I realize I'm going to have to dig those potatoes.  This, I have a problem with.  It just never really seems like the right time. What if I pulled them before they were ready.  Maybe they would go rotten before spring if I put them in storage already. But the biggest thing that was holding me back from harvesting, was the thought that maybe if I left them just a bit longer, they would grow bigger or there would be more of them.  Happy to put in the labor to plant, I was afraid of reaping the rewards, or at least of reaping the rewards too soon.  Hmm...

I didn't think about it today. It just seemed right and I pretty much "found" myself out there in the potato patch digging up the first row of early potatoes. They are incredible!  They are called "All Red" and are true to their word.  They are the most beautiful color of red imaginable and the reddish color extends into the core- not just on the outside. Almost all of them are pretty big potatoes and from that first row alone I probably have enough potatoes to feed our family for the winter! The patch looks better since I dug up that row. Now there is a nice layer of sandy rich soil in the front.   The peonie almost sighed her contentment to have a bit more room to catch the sun, and I discovered a very healthy wild rose bush growing in there.

Interestingly,  the first row of early potatoes were red. Red is the color that resonates with the Root or First Chakra. Not only that, the first chakra deals with survival issues and a sense of security.  That strikes me as pretty appropriate.  Maybe now that I have enough red potatoes to get through the winter, I can feel more safe and secure about the rest of that potato patch! 

Perhaps in a past life I went through the potato famine or something!  Maybe that experience is planted in my genetic code, but whatever the reason, it feels really good to me to have a supply of potatoes and it seems to satisfy my root chakra.  One of the Bach Flower essences that resonates with the Root Chakra is Sweet Chestnut. It's indicated for that mental anguish that comes with really having a shattered sense of security or home base. The positive aspect of Sweet Chestnut is a restoration in the faith of a higher power and a sense of inner support. It's about trusting that what you need will be provided to you.

There is a lot of talk, books, and advice out there on creating abundance.  Some of it strikes a bad cord in me because, I think in many circles, abundance has come to  mean money, fortune, and get rich marketing schemes. True abundance, to me, is the experience of  having a bunch of red potatoes offered to me after putting in just a bit of intention. The lesson for me, and perhaps for others, is to accept this abundance. It's about digging your potatoes when they are ready, instead of hoping that they will become bigger or more will grow. It's about recognizing when you have been given a gift you should accept, trusting that there are three more rows of equally awesome potatoes that will be ready when you need them.

In the meantime, if anyone has 101 Recipes for Potatoes, I could probably use them. I've got a lot of abundance!

Chakra Foods

I'm still working on Chakras. In fact I'm doing some research for a novel that will involve chakras, food, colors, Bach flowers and women- at least that's the plan. It's an advanced, adult version of Melvin's Balloons. There, having written that in my blog I now feel like I really have to stick with it and not abandon this writing idea like so many others! Hmm....

I have discovered that certain foods and spices are linked to different chakras. Ginger for instance is linked to the first or root chakra. The root chakra is related to the feelings and developmental stages of safety and security. When it is balanced we feel confident that our basic needs are being provided. If you have faith and trust that your needs will be met, your root chakra may be balanced and healthy. If however you are fearful, overly concerned about materialistic things, emotionally needy or find yourself engaging in overly risky physical activities "just because", your root chakra may be unbalanced- either too open or blocked.

If you can actually smell those ginger cookies on today's picture and if that brings your emotions to a time when you felt particularly cared for, safe and secure- perhaps memories of a mother or grandmother or a favorite Aunt it may be that your root chakra does resonate with ginger and basic comforts. The smell of "Nannie's Ginger Cookies" baking is particularly reassuring on some basic level.

Maybe that's what we really mean by comfort foods. Certain foods help comfort unbalanced chakras or at least make us consider those particular deep emotions.

If you are feeling particularly emotional today anyway, consider the fact that it is a Full Moon. Not only is it full, apparently it is a Full Moon in Taurus which can translate into particularly emotional and tearful times. A Full Moon is said to stir emotion and the illumination of the full moon corresponds to illumination of self when you see yourself objectively and consider if what you want in your heart is actually manifest in your life. Sounds a bit like a connection to that High Heart Chakra again from yesterday's entry!

So if it's a bit of basic security you feel you are missing, let the tears flow and then consider a batch of real homemade ginger cookies or a cup of ginger tea. They don't have to be made for you- create your own security!

Red Shoes and Thursdays

So why the picture of Dorothy's Ruby Red shoes from the Wizard of Oz? Ahh... glad you asked...

For my friend that sees the days of the week as colors, Thursday is red. And red is also the color that resonates with the first or root chakra. As the first chakra to be developed the root chakra, when balanced, provides a sense of safety,security and trust.

I recently had an email conversation with another friend of mine as she was traveling internationally. She had taken my children's book "Melvin's Balloons" with her on the plane as the first chance she had to read it. As she read about the red balloon and the emotions attached to the color she realized she was wearing red shoes and a red vest. She figures she may have sub-consciously chosen those colors to provide her with a sense of safety while traveling. I agreed and it struck me that red shoes might be the ultimate way to really ground yourself- safe and secure in your position in the world. Then I remembered Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and how all she had to do was click the heels of her ruby red shoes to get back home to safety and the security of the world she knew.

So maybe I really should go buy those red flats (not the ones in the picture!) I have been admiring in the expensive shoe store! Perhaps I could claim them as a business expense- office supplies, experimental materials, or something like that!!

In fact, I might need those red shoes today. My website is officially launched and this is a step I must say that took me out of my feelings of safety and security. It's likely if you're reading this blog you've already been to my website but if you somehow found the blog and not the site, check out www.pixiedusthealing.com


To discover more about the world of colors and how they are linked to emotions,you can also buy copies of Melvin's Balloons through my website or through the publisher's site at www.brylerpublications.com

Have a safe and happy Thursday!