Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving and Angel Gifts

I wish all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Give the gift of "your time" to YOU this wonderful season. What I mean is create quiet time .. meditative time for this season and all seasons of your life.

Then the next step is to give of your time to others. Shopping for someone that is house bound or have a situation that makes it hard to get shopping done (kids, elderly parents, etc.), walking a pet, cooking a meal, or reading a book to someone that cannot read or may be ill. Angel gifts of "your" time does not have to be every week. If you do not know who or how to help, just go "WITHIN", and your heart will reveal the answer.

Be an ANGEL and love yourself, and GIFT your time to others.

Many Blessings

Saturday, November 21, 2009

ASTROLOGY EMPOWERMENT - Part 1

This is the first blog addressing where the planets are “NOW”, and what affect they have on all of us. You will be amazed at what the planets are lining up for you now and in the future. Have fun as I navigate and educate you on some of the interesting planetary alignments, signs and aspects. This information is even more powerful when compared to the planetary alignments within your “birth astrology chart”. Empower yourself with the information, and use it to your advantage.

Before I list what the planets are doing now, I want to give you the basics of Astrology. The following information is important to help you “know” what you are reading. I encourage you to print out each fact sheet for future reference.

PLANETS

Sun - On the first page of Genesis it says, "God made the Sun to rule the day and the Moon to rule the night and to be for signs and wonders." To the ancients, the Sun was known as Shamash, Ra, Apollo "breaker of family curses" and Tonatiuh, "dispenser of fate". The Sun gives you light and life. It also represents how and where you shine. The Sun is the star of self-expression, ego-identity, leadership, honor, glory and pride.

Moon - is an instinctual force. It is an ever-changing symbol of your emotional life including such things as home, family, mother, dreams, feelings, the public, women and your early childhood. The Moon represents your environment, the one you were born into and the one you create for yourself. It also talks about your support system, and your "involuntary nervous system." More than that, the Moon symbolizes your unconscious life. The Moon represents what happens while you're sleeping. The Moon is the intermediary between the Earth and the universe, and you're somewhere in the middle. Because of this positioning, understanding how the Moon figures in your life is essential for happiness and personal growth. One thing that was very striking to the astronauts on the moon was that they were able to look back and view the Earth.

Mercury - is the conceptual force. It is a symbol of your mental life and such things as your mind, ideas, analytical abilities, as well as your sense and style of communication. Mercury describes patterns of thought, of learning and of assessing reality. Consequently it affects your self image and the force of your thought. Mercury also represents the respiratory system. Mercury is youthful and it is the symbol of wit and levity.

Venus - is the force of affinity. Venus represents a good part of what you attract, cherish, enjoy and are receptive to. Venus describes much of what makes your life worth living: love, civilized sex, seduction and creativity. Venus is also an indicator for many of the qualities you look for in a mate and your sense of femininity. More than a symbol of your values, Venus represents beauty, devotion to pleasure, appreciation of art and romantic longings. Venus rules such things as skin, hair & kidneys.

Mars - is the force of motivation and mobilization. It is a symbol of your drive, action and energy. The placement of Mars in your chart influences the condition of your muscular system. Mars is associated with a lot of "A" words: aggression, anger, arousal, ardor, and appropriate assertiveness. Mars also represents things that are urgent, things that trigger your temper, and things that you furiously pursue. Mars indicates many of your issues with men and the "male ego."

Jupiter - is the force of encouragement and expansion. Jupiter is the biggest planet and possibly a sun in the making. No matter what, Jupiter measures up big. It is a symbol of your success, luck, optimism, generosity, blessings, good fortune, adventure and opportunities for growth. Life is a bowl of cherries and more is never enough for Jupiter. In its expansive sense, Jupiter also represents how you can become over-inflated, hot, greedy, over-zealous, righteous and extravagant.

Saturn - is the force of discipline and boundarys. Saturn defines your duties, responsibilities and the structure of your life. Saturn also represents the heavy hand of authority, fear, inhibitions, constrictions, restrictions, reservations, anxiety and limits imposed. It is a symbol for the force of gravity. Words like "must" and "can't" relate to Saturn.

Uranus - is the force of liberation. It's no accident that Uranus was rediscovered in the period between the American and French revolutions with their emphasis upon liberty. Uranus is where you change unexpectedly and are surprised. It's where you are unusual, eccentric and extraordinary. Uranus represents the new ideas that you are open to and where you are disinclined toward cohesion.

Neptune - represents fads, impressionability, style, glamor, imagination and inspiration. Neptune, Poseidon, "The Artful Creator" also represents your charisma, creativity, and your spiritual life. Neptune is a symbol of your immune system, parts of your aura and subtle body. Neptune is the force of deep space and the force of consciousness expansion.

Pluto - is a symbol of what the ancients used to call the "secret parts," including reproductive and elimination systems. Pluto is the force of cleansing. Pluto represents trust and violation of trust, control, obsessions and power struggles. Pluto is the force of intense transformation.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Have a Hedonist Holiday!

For a lot of people the word Hedonism seems to conjure up images of
wild Bacchanals with toga-clad guests swilling giant chalices of wine and
engaging in shocking behavior. Sometimes the word has a more commonplace but negative connotation that brings to mind a person who pursues their own enjoyment heedless of the repercussions or effects on those around them.

Browsing through a local bookshop recently, I caught sight of a bright red compact volume called The Hedonism Handbook, Mastering the Lost Arts of Leisure and Pleasure by Michael Flocker. The cover of the book bore vintage illustrations of a cluster of grapes and a flapper-esque lady luxuriating on a chaise lounge in a nightie and enjoying a cigarette in a long elegant holder. Though I have asthma and generally revile smoking, the fact that she was so brazenly savoring her glamorous and carefree repose really appealed to me.

In this smart and very funny book Flocker takes on the American pandemic more perilous than Swine Flu: Workaholism. He points out how so many of us are running so hard in the hamster wheel of all our duties and responsibilities and the pursuit of success, that we never notice that there's no end in sight. You may have heard that one before, but truly, the time to stop and smell those proverbial roses is today, and every day. Just deliberately adding a little personal pleasure into your daily life can lead to more fun, less stress, a happier outlook, and generally being more of a joy to be around. The book takes it a step further with factoids (who knew that those hyper-productive Japanese have 15 days of paid vacation required by law while the US has none!) and practical tips and to help bring out the inner hedonist in everyone.

There is no better time to spice up your life with a little Hedonism than the holiday season. When I think about all the hustle, the hassle, the shopping, the traveling, and entertaining that comes along with "the most wonderful" time of year, I can feel the knots in my back having a family gathering of their own. So this year I'm prescribing myself some pleasure and a pinch of indulgence when I start to hyperventilate with humbug. I'm going to slow down, take a deep breath, take a long walk, get a massage, and offer myself a glass of red wine...and a bon bon or two.

Random Acts of Kindness

From Angela Passarelli, Pavia Esthetician:

At a recent staff meeting, I had an idea for a great way for Pavia to show how much we LOVE and APPRECIATE our clients. It's a new program at the spa that we're calling, "Random Acts of Kindness". Starting December 1st, each time you visit Pavia for a service, you can put your name in our fish bowl for a chance to win a FREE service with us the following month. What better way to get into the spirit of giving (and receiving!) for the holidays?

Each month we will feature a different service for Random Acts of Kindness, including: an hour long facial, a 45 minute upper body massage, acupuncture, tarot reading and a custom aromatherapy blend. These are just a FEW of the great services that will be offered. The more times you visit - the better chance you have of winning.

Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

BIRTHDAY COMING UP

Well it has been quite a year, and with my birthday coming up on November 13 (Friday the 13th), I am examining the past, present and future. I call it visiting the "basement" or "trap doors" of myself. I do this through meditation, self hypnosis, and following my dreams. My intention is to process the changes since my last birthday. A health issue, relationships going sideways and how I do my work in the world. There is more, but for the sake of the length of this blog post, I will leave it at that.

Basements represent "storing" stuff ... usually a lot of stuff. How often do we really go into a basement and look at everything stored there to determine what you want to keep and what you want to release? The basement holds past and present behaviors, judgments, attitudes, hurts, hopes and dreams not fulfilled, etc. Basements are usually dark places we do not like to go to ... especially if there are scary steps to reach the bottom. Scorpio's love scary steps!!

Trap Doors represent the situations or experiences that come out of the blue. Events that drop the floor out from under you ... are we prepared for these trap door experiences? I actually imagine myself walking on a floor, usually without a rug, and all of a sudden the floor gives way revealing a trap door I did not see. I allow myself to feel the fear of falling, and then once I "land", I face the "unknown" and history that reveals itself within me ....contributing to my unconscious behaviors.

The basement and trap door experiences are to bring the above mentioned information about myself to "conscious awareness". Once this occurs, I can start examining the way to heal, find pattern opportunities, and to be happy and free.

One does not have to wait for their birthday to visit their "basement" and "trap door". Ask yourself, what am I doing to expand awareness and consciousness in my life? So turn on the light to illuminate the way to the basement, and when the trap door opens, enjoy the fall. These are the adventures of finding out what is hidden within you.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Pavia Manivestation Party--Part Two!

On Sunday October 18th, I had the pleasure of attending Pavia's first Manifestation Party! The gathering was hosted by Pavia's illustrious owner, Mare Yu, and the magical Ms. Theresa Hatcher. As one of Pavia's Spa Coordinators, I have the pleasure of knowing both ladies personally for over a year now. After witnessing the wonderful things conscious manifestation has brought into their lives, naturally I was just a bit overzealous to get in on the fun.

An intimate group of six came to share the excitement. We nibbled on delectable refreshments and made ourselves some organic, local beverages from the tea bar before getting started around 6pm. First, Mare covered some manifestation basics with us, then Theresa led us in a grounding meditation to prepare and center ourselves to access our hopes and dreams. Each of us worked out what we hoped to manifest on paper, and the group helped us fine tune our desires to be both specific and energetically aligned with our own excitement and positive expectation. Mare guided the six of us individually through a manifestation visualization for our personal desire.

There was a palpable feeling of love and support in our circle the entire night, and a lot of laughter. I found that having such a fun and open group to witness your intentions and desires really brings another dimension of hope, and a certainty that your dreams are coming through into reality.

Our next manifestation party will be held at Pavia on Sunday November 15th at 6:00pm. Whether you are a complete newbie to the concept, or a seasoned manifester, we hope that you will join us! To make a reservation, please contact the front desk at 408-741-1555 or email us at info@paviadayspa.com to save your place, as seats are limited. Compensation for the event is on an at-will basis, so you can give whatever you feel is best.