Praying for Prosperity, New Opportunities, and Closure

I need my own life. Well, I love my family life, but I need to be able to have my own goals to achieve, space to create, friends to do things with. Chris has taken the garage and the workshop, and it's very depressing for me to not have my own space. My little workshop is accessible to everyone...no privacy...no soundproofing for solitude. If I want to get up early in the morning to work in my workshop, which is full of every one's stuff, I have to be careful not to wake up Willow because we don't have any doors. It's truly frustrating. I understand that creating a small business will not bring in a substantial amount of money, but it would be something. I haven't found the boost that I need yet, but I will continue to work towards it. It's a financial thing. Right now I consider us below poverty, but rich in love and knowledge.

I am sometimes struggling to walk and use my hands. I want to use my body while I still can. Sometimes people poke fun at me because I can't do everything that a 30 year old woman "should" be able to do. My mental health is still compromised. I am still grieving pretty bad, I realize that. I know that it is written all over my face everyday, and through my writing and conversations.

I will be praying today and tonight, during this full moon, to be shown the way to a new way of life for myself. One that will allow for me to still have strong bond with my family and husband, but an outlet for me to have my own experiences without them as well. I will be asking for support, prosperity, and for new opportunities. I am willing to work hard for these things. My physical limitations are just one thing. I still have my mind and my passion.

I still have myself...my own dreams and aspirations.

I will stay positive and work on drawing in positive things, and opening new doors for myself...that will also benefit my family and friends.

Thank you God, Goddess, Universe, etc....for everything that I have and for all of the new things that may come my way.

I am so very thankful, and looking forward to seeing what my future will hold.

With all that being said, I would like to post a beautiful graphic as a reminder to myself and to anyone who may read this, that we are all warriors in our own lives. We need to stand up for ourselves and take charge when needed. We must stay strong.

Earth Day and Cultural Anthropology Studies

Today is Earth day and I think it is only natural to think about the earth in it's entirety. This would include the geology and also studies in cultural anthropology. I happen to be blessed with a collection of anthropology books, that I got for free. I like to call it a miracle, or a syncrhronistic manifestation. The books are from a used book store that is like a spiritual vortex, helping people manifest the knowledge that they are seeking.

Last night I was reading a page from a book called Cultural Anthropology, Understanding Ourselves and Others, second edition, by Richley H. Crapo. I immediately started reading about culture shock, but I flipped through the pages and found myself very interested in a section titled "Intercultural Influences". I would like share an excerpt from that book, that I believe is important for everyone to understand.

Intercultural Influences

Contact between cultures can bring tremendous change. This is especially true when the two societies differ greatly in economic and political power. Sometimes the extinction of native populations has been carried out by systematic acts of war. Even in less extreme cases, the transition from the traditional way of life to a socially dependent status is never without turmoil. Cultural subordination of one way of life by another, even when it occurs peaceably, can be a shattering experience both psychologically and culturally.

Time and time again, anthropologists have described the tragic effects of the world's nonagricultural peoples of contact with the industrialized peoples of the world. Diseases introduced from the more densely populated societies sometimes decimate the local population, in which there is less resistance to the diseases of the civilized world. The awareness that other peoples are more powerful and more blessed with luxuries is a blow to the cultural pride that unifies a society. Often, contact is followed by a rise in the rate of internal conflict and other forms of deviance, such as alcoholism and suicide. For the Kwakiutl (tribe), contact with Europeans may have led to exaggerated-and destructive-attempts to display wealth and power.   

This really makes me think about the conflicts that are going on around the world, and right here in the United States, between the people of different states or within the groups of people with different economical statuses and religious or spiritual views.

In the United States accurate education about world history is stifled. It takes a certain amount of intuitiveness and curiosity to break free from this perception. Ideally, we would all want to strive for a better understanding of the world, but most of the time, this is not the case.

I believe that it is our responsibility to try to understand the psychology of the people in the world and our own psychological process. With insight into these processes we can better understand and accept different cultures and religions with less resistance.

Earth Day, Some Dreams and Spiritual Evolution

I had an awful dream last night. I won't get into it, but I realize that I REALLY need to start doing some more serious dream work. That's something that shouldn't be ignored. If you are constantly having vivid dreams they shouldn't be ignored! It's time to delve into my subconscious mind and work on a few things.

I woke up in a weird mood because of the dream, and I got on the computer to help wake up my eyes. It's a ritual that I enjoy. I also decided that I should scramble around and find my walking shoes and workout clothes. Willow woke up, but I still got ready to go for a walk. I woke Chris up while I was looking for a bra. Whoops. Well, he needed to keep an eye on Willow while I was gone anyway.

I really needed to take a walk. That dream really did shake me up and made me question some things in my life. We live in a beautiful neighborhood, except for a few little things. During my walk I had to keep reminding myself to not worry, and to just have TRUST that I am where I belong. I need to believe that the universe will give me signs as to where I belong and what I should be doing.

That is trust.

Today is Earth Day, and also the anniversary of the day Chris and I decided to set off on an adventure as a couple. We went through flirting, courting, feeling out the situation, and then finally we went looking for moss covered rocks and a waterfall...that was on Earth Day 2007.

I walked past some trash on my walk, but was disappointed in myself for not thinking about bringing a bag for trash and recyclables! At the end of my walk, close to our house, I started picking up cigarette butts. I think I know where they came from, but I can't be certain...so I can't point any fingers. It does make me sad, though. My sister lost her husband a couple years ago because of his cigarette addiction. He went through many painful treatments and surgeries.

It's 9:42am, and I have a lot more things to do today.

I'm just going to go with the flow...

Boob Talk: Teaching Older Children About Breastfeeding

Today my four year old was asking me about my boobs. I don't want her to be scared of breasts, I just want her to understand them. Recently we went to visit some good friends of ours. She got to see a little girl nursing, and I'm so glad she did. I nursed my babies, but didn't nurse them for as long as I wanted to. I ended up with breast infections that left me very ill. I nursed two of my children for six months. Well, today Willow wanted to see my breasts, and I told her "Sorry, I'm not just going to show them to you just because you want to see them!". I want her to realize she can't just show them to people whenever they ask. I am not completely shy and we have our own house, so I do walk around in the buff sometimes. Partly so she knows it's ok behind closed doors, and partly so I can dry off after a shower. The truth is, I want her to love her body, and I want her to feel comfortable talking about it to the right people. I also want her to know the importance of breastfeeding. If she decides to have children, I want her to be educated and to not feel like it's wrong to nurse and use her breasts for the right reason. I let her know how amazing it is how mothers can make milk for their babies, just like the mom on Ponyo, which is one of her favorite movies. I talked to her for a little while about it all, and she seems very satisfied with our talk. She also laughed and said "Daddy has boobs, too!" Haha! Out of the mouths of babes...

In Response to a Sensitive Subject:

I wrote this in response to a post on one of the wonderful facebook pages that I'm following. It was about human sacrifice and Christianity. It was quite the topic, and generated 216 or so comments. I decided it would be a good idea to save my response here since it's also an update as to why I have been so darn busy! I thought it would be inspiring to someone, and a great post to look back on for myself for personal growth.

So here goes...

I try not to focus on the story of just one healer/teacher. I have room for the stories of many in my life. As for human sacrifice, it happens. It's called homicide or genocide. It's still going on all over the world. Right now I am working with some wonderful healers, and I am one myself. As for the myths and stories that are written in the bible, that's pretty much what they are...stories. We can take what we want from them. It's pretty much the same as Greek mythology, or mythology from any other culture. I'm not going to obsess over them either, but instead embrace them all. That is why I just started my studies in cultural anthropology. I have just always been so fascinated by culture and world history. You all will probably get a kick out of this, I am definitely not Christian, but I was raised going to many different churches and I sing gospel everyday! It is flowing out of me so freely and inspires others! My husband and a friend of ours are thinking about starting up a little group so we can all perform together and make beautiful music with our voices, guitars, a mandolin, and soon a banjo. I happen to love bluegrass, and my favorites are Alison Krauss and The Wailin' Jennys. :) I don't care so much for the words in the hymns (although they are beautiful and filled with joy and love), but I tend to focus on the ENERGY of reaching your voice out to the universe (Or God or Goddess, or both) as a form of prayer and rejoice. It's a beautiful thing! Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this, and I hope it gives you some good vibes and inspiration. Love to all of you! ~Amanda Star~

 

I posted one more comment to hopefully give some peace to all of the souls that contributed to the conversation. It was just a link to a song that I thought would be very suiting.

 

I hope you enjoy... <3

 

Down in the River To Pray - Alison Krauss

 

 

Homemade, Natural Orange Dreamsicle Deodorant

My latest creation is so, so sweet. I am just so thrilled at how this product turned out. This is the formula that I plan on using for the next few weeks, and longer if it turns out to be as perfect as it seems. I found the recipe online and decided to give it a whirl. Here's where I found the recipe.

Creamy Homemade Deodorant Antiperspirant

My first attempt was good, and the tea tree lime scent that I used was heavenly. It just didn't seem to do the trick. I could still smell sweat, and it wasn't good. I also didn't have cocoa butter, but I have to add that I LOVE cocoa butter. The smell of it reminds me of being pregnant with my sweet babies. Very fond memories. I plan on picking some up when I have some cash to do so. What I had to do is add baking soda, and now the product works.


Ingredients:
4 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. beeswax pastilles (or grated beeswax)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. baking soda
8 drops tea tree essential oil
20 drops orange essential oil
7 drops vanilla extract (if you don't have a dropper for this, use a spoon and let it drip off)


Materials:
small pan
pyrex glass bowl
metal spoon- for stirring and scooping
whisk- handy for mixing the powders in
clean, dry containers with lids- to hold product
~or~ wash out an empty deodorant tube.
measuring cup
measuring spoons

The Process:
~I made sure I had gathered everything I need.
~Put the pan on the stove on about medium heat.
~Fill pan with water part way, and put the pyrex bowl on top, so that the water heats the bowl.
~Heat the water hot enough to melt the wax, but not boiling. Always check to make sure the water doesn't evaporate.
~Add coconut oil and beeswax pastilles to the pyrex bowl, stir with a spoon occasionally, let them melt.
~Turn heat off or down.
~Add tea tree, and orange essential oils, mix well.
~Add the vanilla extract, mix well.
~Slowly add the cornstarch and baking soda, mixing well with a whisk.
~Scoop the mixture, carefully, into a little jar or container of choice (we didn't have a deodorant tube).

Notes:
I've found it's easiest to mix the powders into the melted coconut oil and beeswax with a whisk in the pyrex bowl. It's much easier than having to scrape the sides of a pan to get all of the ingredients mixed in.

The baking soda in this recipe makes it a little "grainy", but without the baking soda the recipe didn't seem to work well enough. If you want to make it less grainy, you could use less baking soda. It really helps to keep you dry, and that's why I used as much as I did.

The scent in this formula is quite gentle, and can be kicked up a bit by adding more orange essential oil and more vanilla extract. Do this gradually, so you don't add too much scent!



Warnings:

1. This is a natural deodorant with some antiperspirant properties. It probably won't work all the time. I tend to apply it a few times per day, just to keep it working. I have found that it works better than the Tom's brand natural deodorant that I was using, but it's not as fragrant.

2. This is made with coconut oil. It can stain your clothing. Please take that into consideration.

3. The essential oils in this recipe could be irritating to some people's skin. If you are sensitive to them, you can omit them from the recipe.

4. Please be careful using orange essential oil, or other oils that can cause phototoxicity, on skin that will be exposed to sunlight. It can cause damage to your skin. You can learn more about that here.

I will add pictures when I can...Enjoy~

~Amanda Star~

Photography and Budding Hellebores = Perfection

I'm dabbling into photography again. It's something that I love! Today I snapped these shots of the hellebores growing in our front garden. It's mid January and they are budding! They started to do that and then we hit a little cold snap, but they are very hardy plants. I feel so blessed to have such beautiful plants on our property.

 

 

 

I love how these pictures are the same plant, but they are captured so differently!

 

 

I hope these pictures both puzzle you and delight you the way they do me!

 

~Amanda Star~