Spring is a great time for new beginnings: start new projects, new friendships and for trying new hobbies. Try wearing Amber for increased confidence, clarity of goals and protection. Amethyst is great for helping to enhance intuition and for easing stress and tension. This stone also helps focus your thoughts. Place Hematite on your desk at work or near you, by your bed or favourite armchair to help you solve problems and increase your psychic awareness. Citrine will bring abundance to your spring projects. If you’re taking on more responsibility or recovering after an illness and need some extra energy, tiger’s eye should help give you a boost. This crystal will also help keep you focused on your goal, no matter how long it might take to get there. Jade can help relieve anxiety and Amber could bring you luck and we all need a bit of that! You can wear, carry or keep your gemstones alongside you where you are working. Or hold them when you feel the need and meditate with them to feel their healing energy.
Crystals and Gemstones for the Spring
Spring is a great time for new beginnings: start new projects, new friendships and for trying new hobbies. Try wearing Amber for increased confidence, clarity of goals and protection. Amethyst is great for helping to enhance intuition and for easing stress and tension. This stone also helps focus your thoughts. Place Hematite on your desk at work or near you, by your bed or favourite armchair to help you solve problems and increase your psychic awareness. Citrine will bring abundance to your spring projects. If you’re taking on more responsibility or recovering after an illness and need some extra energy, tiger’s eye should help give you a boost. This crystal will also help keep you focused on your goal, no matter how long it might take to get there. Jade can help relieve anxiety and Amber could bring you luck and we all need a bit of that! You can wear, carry or keep your gemstones alongside you where you are working. Or hold them when you feel the need and meditate with them to feel their healing energy.
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A mandala is a geometric pattern, usually circular, that represents the cosmos. Mandala is the ancient Sanskrit word for circle and some see it as a diagram of the cosmos or universe. Designing your own mandala for meditative purposes can help you get in touch with your inner-self, your deepest thoughts and strongest needs. The centre of the mandala represents the most important aspect of your spiritual self at the moment in time the mandala was created, while whatever springs out from the centre is regarded as less important. Learning how to interpret the symbols and colours chosen for your mandala is similar to dream interpretation and analysing unconscious symbols. For many cultures, mandala art is used as a form of self-expression to help towards spiritual development For those who seek greater spiritual awareness, a mandala is a tool that is believed to guide a person straight to the heart of this quest. To understand this further, the psychologist Carl Jung regularly used a mandala as an aid to psychological understanding. He would draw a mandala to express what was going through his mind and he would recognise the images drawn as symbols representing his inner-self. Interested? Even if you have not heard about mandalas, you might now be wondering how you might make one for yourself. Because making a mandala can be a creative, fun and profound experience. There are simple techniques that can be used and remember: ultimately creating your own mandala can be as easy or as complicated as you wish it to be. How to Make a Mandala ~ To make a mandala, all you need is a large sheet of drawing paper, paints, colouring pencils, crayons or pens in the colours of your choice. You will also need a compass or large circular object such as a plate to draw around. It might help to play classical music or a CD you like to meditate to while you are completing this project. Chose a time when you know you will not be disturbed as you need to quieten your mind. Allow your mind to relax into a meditative state. Then draw your circle. Next you will want to fill it with patterns and colours. Go with what you instinctively feel is right. Whichever shapes, colour combinations and patters that feel right for you. There are no rules here. You might find yourself drawing the same pattern over and over or you might fill the circle with flowers, animals, planets … whatever comes to your mind at the time. When you feel it is time to stop, do so. Date your mandala just as you would date a dream interpretation. When you are ready to do so, your next exercise will be to consider the symbols within your mandala and what these might be saying to you. As with recording dreams and dream interpretations, be sure to write down your observations. © C Somerville. This article has also been published in Yahoo Voices and Helium. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. COLOURS AND YOU The colours we wear can affect our mood, mental outlook and emotions as well as send out signals to others around us about ourselves. Do you often wear the same colour? If you look in your wardrobe is there a colour that stands out from the rest? The following list gives a brief description of what the colours we choose to wear say about us. If a colour is overused it can also have a negative effect so, for instance, if you tend to wear unrelieved white all of the time beware as it might start making you seem cold, aloof and critical. The last words in each description gives the negative traits of each colour. GREEN: friendly. Nurturing. Love of nature. Generous. Renewal. Youthful. * Lazy. BLUE: logical, honest, tranquil, loyal, calm, trustworthy, technological * depression, boring LAVENDER: grace, elegance, sensitivity *showy RED: passion, energy, excitement, extrovert, strength, love * aggression, over-confidence ORANGE: outgoing, sociable, warm, balance, sporty * attention-seeking, untrustworthy YELLOW: cheerful, creative, joyful, hopeful, philosophical, imaginative * disorganised, jealousy VIOLET: creative, diplomatic, unique, psychic, enlightenment * controversial PURPLE: noble, ceremonious, mysterious, wise, spiritual * arrogant GREY: classic, dependable, reliable, intelligent, practical, dignified * stuffy, boring BROWN: hardworking, stable, family-minded, simplicity, love of outdoors * dull PINK: love, feminine, gentle, approachable, tender, romantic, calm * unrealistic, dreamy BLACK: sophisticated, powerful, sensual, mysterious, depth, elegant, secretive * depressing, anger, remorse WHITE: purity, simplicity, love of cleanliness, love of winter, peaceful, precise * stark, cold, criticalPhoto: Photograph: © Adriana Manea | Dreamstime Stock Photos In a world that is full of pressure and stress seeming like a disorder few people nowadays can avoid, it is important to find ways to wind down and relax. Granted some people thrive on a stressful and hectic lifestyle and a little stress is a good thing in that it brings challenge, adds spice and interest to life and keeps some people motivated. Even so, there are always limitations, no matter what your personality, status or ability. Everyone needs time to wind down and music can be a great tool to help you relax.
Music can have a profound affect on your mood and emotions. Life is so often full of extremes and listening to your favourite music can help make it feel you have a degree of control over what you choose to do especially during those times when it feels like you must go along with other people’s choices and some aspects of your life have been taken out of your hands. The transforming affect of music on emotional health ~ When wound up, miserable, irritable or feeling low, choosing the right kind of music can have a transforming affect on your mood. Choose something with a slow rhythm and repetitive structure during those times when your thoughts are all over the place and you’re finding it hard to focus your mind. The slow movements of Mozart’s sonatas can be incredibly soothing in helping you relax. Go for the light touch of Debussy if you’re a little low and need cheering up. Try Vivaldi to help improve your mood if you’re feeling cross or short-tempered. Recent years have seen many studies looking at the link between music, the brain, mood and the body. In 2004, the British Transport Police played classical music in Underground stations in some of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in London for six months. During that time staff assaults decreased by 25 per cent and vandalism down by 37 per cent. Again in 2008 classical music was used in the London Underground stations based on research suggesting 80 per cent of people felt more relaxed listening to music and 85 per cent felt music improved the general environment of the station. Similar results were found in Tyne and Wear, England when vandalism was reduced after classical music was played at Metro Stations. Music is vibration, rhythm and tone. When the body is out of kilter thunderous music at a high volume can add to this chaos while gentle, melodious pieces can have an incredibly harmonious affect on emotions, body and soul. © C Somerville. This article has also been published in Yahoo Voices and Helium. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. |
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