Archive for February, 2010

Dr. Deanna Minich is an internationally-known nutritionist with a unique approach to holistic health, food and nutrition. She combines the various facets of her background integrating her academic training in medicine with her study of energy work including shamanic healing practices, reiki, yoga and intuition, the results of which have been published in several books through Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari. Through her years of experience, she has uncovered the art and unification of what occurs when food is connected with spirit. Recently, I sat down to speak with Deanna to learn more about her practical applications and work to help people achieve what she describes as …‘bridging the gap between the earthly body of our being and the heavenly essence of our soul.

Kala: Deanna, wonderful to speak with you again. I enjoyed having you as a guest on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show where we discussed your book, Chakra Foods for Optimum Health .Today, I’d like to speak with you about your book: Quantum Supplements; A Total Health and Wellness Makeover with Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs. Deanna, what prompted you to write this book?

Deanna: When we think about nourishment, it is important to think about everything that we ingest. Of course, everyone eats food, and with many people wanting to take control of their health, they are also taking dietary supplements in some form or another, whether it’s a daily multi-vitamin, vitamin C tablet, or Echinacea if they feel they are becoming unwell. In addition, an increasing number of health care practitioners are implementing nutritional therapy in their practices, prescribing dietary supplements such as omega-3 oils or probiotics. As a result, there is more awareness about using supplemental nutrients overall.

Kala: How does nutrition affect the chakra system?

Deanna: Everything we do, say, think, and eat impacts our well-being. It is all “information” for the body to digest and transform. We have our physical body, which uses the nutrients from food as energy to live. In the ancient spiritual texts in India, they refer to more subtle aspects of our being – an “energy body” – which will respond to our environment just like our physical body. Our being is wired with paths for this subtle energy to travel on. There are certain places in the body where these “energy highways” coalesce – these intersections are the “chakras” or main energy centers. In Sanskrit, “chakra” means wheel, and, thus, this term is used to refer to the nature of these energy centers – they flux energy in and out of our being. In Western medicine, we might say that they correspond to the major endocrine glands of the body. Essentially, the way that I see chakras is as subtle and symbolic. Each of them connect to a specific aspect of our being: structure, emotions, power, love, authenticity, intuition, and interconnectedness. There is no doubt that food, supplements, and eating hook into each of these aspects of who we are. For example, instead of expressing our emotions, we may stuff them down with food. Instead of telling someone you love them, we may make them a meal. Rather than say what we want to eat, we may let someone else determine what goes in our mouth. Therefore, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to connect foods/nutrients/eating to these aspects.

Kala: How can the vibrational properties of vitamins, minerals and herbs help to balance our body and restore energy?

Deanna: By being in tune with what we need, we can use vitamins, minerals, and herbs to get us into balance. Just like foods, each vitamin, mineral, and herb carries its unique energetic signature. Minerals will be more dense and physical (think of iron, zinc, and calcium), vitamins act as catalysts (B vitamins are used for metabolizing carbohydrates), and herbs contain inherent information for healing (think of the origins of aspirin, white willow bark). I think it is beneficial to tap into supplements as needed. For example, perhaps we are living a stressful life. We are over-committed, over-tasked, and overwhelmed. What may happen is that our physiology begins to “mirror” our surroundings. We may start to feel on overdrive from within – our blood sugar may be erratic, our insulin levels may be overextended. Taking the mineral, chromium, or supplementing with herbs such as extracts from bitter melon and cinnamon, may help to provide the vibration we need to rope ourselves back into balance mode.

Kala: Are supplements enough to bring the body back into balance? For example, the american diet is so full of processed food, can one continue to eat processed food and maintain balance with the use of supplements?

Deanna: I don’t believe in “quick fixes” or “silver bullets”. Supplements are one therapy on a palette of many other options. They are potent substances, but also need the support of healthy, vibrant eating, movement, thinking, and emoting. Without everything else in combination, they may not be as powerful as they truly could be. I believe that the first approach to becoming well and maintaining balance is to look at one’s lifestyle. Are you overworking? Are you passionate about what you do and how you live? If not, perhaps some changes need to be made. Eating nourishing foods will be helpful, and eating them in a mindful, loving way will be even better at assisting one in finding balance. An individual’s surroundings may be so stressful that he or she can eat all the nutrient-dense food they want, but they may need added protection. An example would be living in a polluted city. In this instance, a healthy eating regimen combined with appropriate supplements can be of value.

Kala: There’s a huge debate about vitamins, some say that cold pressed vitamins don’t have much nutritional value. What are your feelings on the best way to absorb nutrients?

Deanna: First of all, I think it’s important to examine the health of the gut. Is your gut in a healthy state? I believe it’s better to start here so you can absorb everything you need to optimally rather than focus on the other way around – find supplements that can be absorbed in an unhealthy gut. There are a number of ways to heal an unhealthy gut – the first is to remove the offending substances that you eat. Find out what you are allergic to by working with a healthcare practitioner. Note that most of your immune system is in the gut, so if you are eating foods that you are allergic to, you will be creating an immune response every time you eat. You may also need to examine whether you are stressed when you eat, whether you eat too much, and if you are eating the proper amount at times that your digestion is robust (like eating a larger meal in the afternoon rather than in late evening before bedtime). Supplements such as pancreatic enzymes, probiotics, and fiber may be important in helping to heal the gut. Regarding absorbing nutrients, make sure you follow the instructions provided on the label. If it states to take with food, it’s probably because it’s a fat-soluble substance or it needs food to facilitate its absorption. There may be other supplements that are best absorbed and used by the body when taken throughout the day rather than in one dose, like calcium. Since we only absorb 20-25% of calcium on average, it is better to take smaller amounts throughout the day rather than one huge pill.

Kala: You’re also the author of: An A to Z Guide to Food Additives: Never Eat What You Can’t Pronounce. Sadly, I think 80 percent of what we see in products in the grocery store contain label descriptions that are difficult to pronounce. Why are our foods filled with such complicated ingredients?

Deanna: Our foods are filled with these “unpronounceables” because the majority of consumers want food to be convenient, cheap, abundant, and good tasting. As a result, the food industry responds to this consumer demand by creating additive-laden foods so they can sit on the shelves longer at a low price. As Michael Pollan has said, “We vote with our fork.”

We need to take the responsibility as consumers to demand high-quality foods by speaking out, and by not supporting the purchase of the lower quality items. We put our energy where our money is. If we want to change, we need to start with our next food purchase, food selection in a restaurant, and, ultimately, with the next bite of food.

I would say that your best bet is to shop the perimeter of the store where there are more fresh foods rather than face the complicated foods in the “guts of the store” that are disguised in cardboard, metal, plastic, and Styrofoam.

Kala: Are there some additives that you’d like to attach a red light to and say Stop! Never eat these?

Deanna: Absolutely! There are some additives that don’t do you any good to eat, and, in fact, may cause deleterious effects when consumed over a long period of time. One of them is TRANS FATS. Trans fats were created by the food industry to stabilize fats in a food. Now we know that they are awful for our cardiovascular system. They increase our bad cholesterol and reduce our good cholesterol, so not a good effect overall. As of 2006, it became the law to list trans fat content on Nutrition Facts Labels. However, if the content of trans fats is less than 0.5 grams, the food manufacturer can list the content of trans fats as zero! Therefore, you need to read the ingredient list, and if you see anything that says “partially hydrogenated” on it, be advised that it most likely has trans fats in it. The other “never” ingredient is ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. I think that if we are eating a healthy diet, we will find these substances to be too sweet, and they may encourage cravings. Aside from potential cravings, many of them may have side effects, often neurological ones like headaches and dizziness in some people. I would avoid them at all costs!

Kala: Any tips you’d like to share with us on how best to shop and prepare our meals?

Deanna: The best way to shop is to make sure that you are not stressed when you are making food choices. Use the grocery store as a sanctuary. Enter into it in a meditative, purely calm state so that you can listen to what your body truly needs. In preparing your meals, do the same. Ensure that you like your kitchen, that you want to be in it – paint it a color that makes you feel creative. Orange is the color for creativity so that may be a good place to start. Light some candles, play some music, and create your meal. Whether you are shopping, or preparing or eating food, the most important part of all is that you feel your body and soul are nourished.

Kala: Deanna, a pleasure as always. Thanks for taking the time to share information on having a healthier lifestyle!

Deanna: The pleasure is mine! I enjoy getting the word out about healthy eating. If your readers want daily tips, please have them sign up for the “Food and Spirit Facebook Fan Page” or they can sign up for my newsletter via my website at www.foodandspirit.com. Nourishing wishes to all!

SPRING FASHION COLOR TRENDS – What the 2010 Color Trends Say About Our Mood
(Use color to transform your personal style and well-being)

Pantone, the leading authority on color, sets the professional color standards for the design industries each year. According to their Fashion Color Report for Spring 2010, the top color this spring is Turquoise. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone had this comment on the spring colors -  “Now more than ever, women are vigilant when it comes to spending. Instead of reinventing their wardrobe at the start of each season, consumers want pieces to complement what they already own. Pairing a bold color with a basic piece or freshening up their look with bright accents addresses the need for practicality, as well as fun”.

Two leading color and aura experts, Elizabeth Harper and Kala Ambrose are traveling around the US this year, to discuss the power and presence of color in your life and how it affects you on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. Teaching together at the prestigious Omega Institute in New York in July 2010, one of their first stops of the spring season begins right here in Raleigh, NC as they hold a 3 Day Event on March 4th, 5th, and 6th, hosted by Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship.  The event includes a lecture on Thursday evening, private color readings on Friday and an all day workshop on Saturday discussing Color and Auras, which are the colors seen by intuitive people in a field around the physical body.

Kala and Elizabeth teach that… “Color is the mirror of the soul. Every day waves of color-filled energy wash over us and the colors we choose at any given moment reflect messages from the deep knowing part of our being. The choices of color can be used not only in fashion, but in the food we eat, our creative pursuits, home decoration and work environment to enhance our well-being. Color permeates everything in our lives and can generate significant emotions; pink invokes love, green creates space, and violet inspires reverence. As hue-man beings we possess an awareness of color, but much of this knowledge is buried beneath the surface of our waking consciousness”.

According to Kala Ambrose, “Turquoise, the top color selected for 2010, represents self-expression and has to do with communication and healing.  Turquoise worn in clothing can stimulate the imagination and bring forth creative ideas and the turquoise stone, worn as jewelry can bring transformation.  The choice of turquoise this year signifies the mood of the people around the country who are ready to have their voices heard and want to bring about change in a big way. Turquoise reflects prosperity and collectively the color represents the desire by the people to heal from what has occurred nationally in the past few years and builds motivational energy to turn things around in the economy”.

More information on the event at: http://exploreyourspirit.com/workshop-sff.html

Gong Xi Fa Cai! is Mandarin for Happy New Year, which is also pronounced as Gung Hay Fat Choy in Cantonese. February 14th, 2010,  is the New Year as celebrated in China and this year is the Year of the Tiger, which is also referred to as Geng Yin. The animal which corresponds to each new year, is based on the ancient tradition of Chinese Astrology with 12 zodiac animals, which are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

The Chinese New Year is the most important traditional holiday in China and is also referred to as the Spring Festival. The date of the new year is based on a lunar calendar, which has been used for centuries and is much older than the solar Gregorian calendar used in the west for most events.  This year, which is dated in the west as 2010, is Year 4707 in the chinese calendar. Since the lunar calendar follows the cycle of the moon, the date of the new year fluctuates each year, falling sometime between mid January and mid February.  In the west, lunar cycles are followed for some holidays and events, including the celebration of Easter, which is based on a lunar cycle, which is why it falls on a different date each year.

Chinese New Year is a joyous celebration incorporating body, mind and spirit traditions.  It is celebrated with gift giving, colorful decorations, extensive parties, spectacular firework displays and mult-generational celebrations. Families prepare their homes by cleaning them thoroughly and use brooms to sweep away any bad luck from the past, clearing the path for good fortune to enter the home in the new year. Auspicious symbols are hung in windows and on doors to bring in joy, wealth, long life and other positive affirmations.  It is revered as a time to let go of the past, release old feelings and open to a new year filled with hope, peace, abundance and joy.

2009 was the Year of the Ox, which was defined as a year of slow growth and a time to create stability. Those who worked hard on their endeavors in 2009, may not have seen much come to fruition during the year, but their work will have a good chance of being rewarded this coming year, though Tiger years can be tumultuous and a little tricky.  One of the careers that does well during an ox year is agriculture and this can be seen in review of 2009, as a powerful and positive focus was placed on the food we eat, with movies such as Food Inc as well as the desire to return to organic nurturing foods and a focus on how food is prepared and animals are treated. The going green campaign received tremendous attention during the year of the Ox.

This year, the Tiger, is unleashed. If you were born in 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, or 1998, you are a Tiger. To find out what Chinese Astrological sign that you are, visit here: http://www.gotohoroscope.com/chinese-astrology.html

The Tiger is on the opposite end of the energy spectrum in terms of animals and years. The Ox was plodding, slow, stabile, the Tiger leaps onto the scene, creating strong energy and raising passion wherever he goes.  This is exciting and many people are ready for something new to occur and see movement in their lives, in striking comparison to this past year, where everything seemed to be stuck in the mud and moving slowly, from finances, to creative endeavors, to working through relationships. Tiger years brings passion and powerful change. This can be activated in both positive and negative outcomes.  The urge to fight is greater, which can bring about positive changes in society, swiftly removing outdated ways of operating, but can also bring swift destruction and rebellion, depending upon the emotional intensity of the situation and whether cooler heads are able to prevail and direct the energy in the highest and best manner.  During a Tiger year, situations that are hanging on by a thread, have a good chance of breaking, including relationships, business partnerships and political agendas. One of the most significant Tiger years was 1974, which was the year of Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Delving into greater detail, this is the year of the Metal/White Tiger. For more about what this year brings, read Albuquerque Metaphysical Examiner Raphael Simons article on: The Year of the Metal Tiger in Chinese Astrology: Predictions.

Perhaps it is a most fortituous sign, that the 2010 Chinese New Year falls on St. Valentine’s Day this year, culminating a time of celebration and joy with the energy of love in the west.  The Tiger is notoriously impulsive and wildly romantic, which may very well symbolize what is to come in this new year.

Wishing you great fortune in this New Year!
*~Kala~*

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s  book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala lectures on Esoteric Teachings,  Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom (also known as the Divine Feminine). Kala’s Guided Meditations CD’s include Spirit of Hawaii and Egyptian Mystery Temple and Tibetan Mountain Journey.  More info: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. For more articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

In this column, Ask Kala -  Kala invites you to email your probing metaphysical, spiritual, holistic, esoteric and paranormal questions. Due to the volume of email she receives, she won’t be able to answer back individual e-mails. Instead, she’ll choose interesting questions and answer them here.  Here’s the latest question…

Hi Kala, My name is Tammy. I’m from Kansas City, MO. I have been wondering if when a loved one has passed and reincarnated, can you still make contact with them as the person you knew them as? Hope that makes sense! I’ve listened to many mediums – John Edwards, Lisa Williams, Mary Occhino… But I’ve never heard anyone speak to my question. Thank you!

Hi Tammy,

This is a great question. First, we must look at the soul. The soul is a container which holds our expansive energy and all that we are. We often think of our soul as being inside of our body, while actually, the soul is much larger than this and only a tiny part of the soul resides inside the body. The best way to picture this, is to visualize a pyramid, but imagine the pyramid pointing upside down. If you could see this pyramid, the giant base of the pyramid would be up in the higher spiritual planes, where souls go when they leave the earth plane. The tiny capstone of the pyramid is the section that resides within your body, in the heart. The capstone contains the spark of life, the energy which activates the soul and begins to pour all that is you, from the higher planes, down into your heart when you are born.

As you can imagine, this is a lot of energy and information, so the process slows as the size of the pyramid shape grows more narrow, until it reaches the tip inside of you. This capstone has a crystalline structure and captures all of the experiences in your life and returns this energy information back up to the higher planes and stores them in the akashic records. This is where the quote from one of my favorite authors, James Allen, comes from, where he says – “As A Man Thinketh in His Heart, So Shall He Be”.

Ok, so now we have an understanding of our soul as a container, which holds the essence of all of who we are and all we have ever been.

Now let’s look at the higher planes surrounding us. We are on the earth plane, where we are grounded through the lower chakras. We tend to think of the higher planes as places above us, way up in the sky, where people point to when they are speaking of Heaven. There are many levels to the higher planes, but let’s stick to the basics for this question. Some of the higher planes can be reached from various points of your body, including your heart, throat and third eye region, so the higher planes are closer and more accessible than most people realize. In the higher planes, the confining rules of the earth plane do not exist, including the limitations of time as we know it as well as the concept of being in one space at one time. The higher up one goes into the spiritual planes, the greater the ability is to be omni-present. This allows us basically, to be in several places at once.

As we take this big picture look at the soul, we see that the majority of the essence and energy of what makes us who we are, resides in the higher planes and that a small portion of our soul, trickles down into the body, which reincarnates from lifetime to lifetime. The larger part of ourselves, up in the higher planes has a greater consciousness and awareness and is the sum of all of our parts, all of our lifetimes and experiences.

When we reach out to speak to a loved one, who has passed on, we connect with this part of their essence, what we would refer to as the Higher Self. The Higher Self retains memory of all lifetimes including the one that we are reaching out to connect to them. The Higher Self, not bound by the restrictions of time and space on the earth plane, can continue to communicate with us with these memories and connections of one lifetime, while also having the freedom to incorporate another portion of the self, into a new body to gain new experiences at the same time.

An example of this situation was portrayed in the movie, What Dreams May Come, as the character played by Robin Williams travels to the other planes and meets his children, but finds that being his child was just one tiny portion of who they are.

The journey and experience of each us on the soul level, is the topic of my book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled, where I state: ‘We are Greater Than We Remember Ourselves To Be’.

Tammy, I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing in to the Ask Kala column. Wishing you the best in all things!

As Bob Marley once said, “Man is a universe within himself”.

Join me and take a walk on the wild side,
Kala

Don’t miss an article or Ask Kala question, click on the subscribe button on the top section of this page, where you’ll be notified via email each time a new article by yours truly appears.

The experience of seeing auras is a complex subject to unravel. I’ve seen auras around people since I was a child. It never occurred to me that others did not see auras as well. For example, when you walk outside and it’s a sunny day and the light is so bright that it makes you squint, do you run to other people and ask, “Do you see the light outside, does it make you close your eyes a little, is the light yellow in color to you”? You don’t ask these questions, you just assume that what you experience is what others are also experiencing.

My first inkling that I was seeing something different occurred in elementary school. We had been assigned to draw a picture of our home and family. While coloring each family member, I colored outside the lines portraying the colors I saw around each person. I also colored around the tree I had drawn, as I see the auras of plants and trees. When my picture was critiqued, I was told that I had not done a good job since I had colored outside of the lines. As an empath, I picked up that the teacher was very displeased with my work, but I could not understand why. That brief conversation opened the door to my eventual understanding that others did not see colors around other people the way that I did. This was the beginning of my journey to read auras and determine what the colors and images that I saw in the auras meant.

While it is fairly easy to learn to see an aura, understanding what the colors and images surrounding the aura represent, is something entirely different all together. To discern what the colors and shapes mean around a person at a particular time requires intuition, practice and an understanding of the spiritual planes and fields around the body.

During the last year of his life, Edgar Cayce began work with his friend Thomas Sugrue to write a book about his work with auras. This book was intended to reveal a full discourse on auras and colors, including Cayce’s notes on how he learned via observation with his clients, the meanings of specific colors and shapes in the aura. Unfortunately, his health took a turn for the worse and he died early that year in 1945.

Due to Cayce’s untimely demise, the compilation of his work and study of the auras was complied into a twenty-page pamphlet entitled Auras: An Essay on the Meaning of Colors. To this day, Auras is a popular reference guide containing helpful information including how the colors in the aura are connected with the planets and musical notes. This pamphlet is still available for sale through the A.R.E. catalog online.

From my experience in reading auras over the years, I’ve found that they are almost as unique as fingerprints. While some characteristics are similar in form including swirls and shades of color, each individual creates a distinctive pattern, which appears in their auric field. This field is comprised by the individual’s thoughts and emotions, as well as manifestations of energy coming into the body and thought forms, which have been around the person for some time.

People, who are able to view auras, see and sense them at different levels. Some are more attuned to see physical dis-ease before it enters the physical body. They may also see emotional distress in the auric field, or glimpses of the akashic records being worked through in this lifetime or they may just see the energy in motion around the person, which reflects their general wellbeing.

In my work as an esoteric wisdom teacher, I teach students how to read auras. We discuss the types of auras, their condition and how to heal an aura that has become damaged due to shock, stress or other harmful situations. I continue to experience new revelations when seeing auras and giving aura readings for people.

In the past ten years, I’ve seen new structures around the auras, that I do not recall having seen before. My theory on this new design in the auric field is that we are evolving at a fast pace and our energy bodies are being attuned right before our very eyes. It is happening so rapidly that the energy bodies around us are being reconstructed and are opening up to allow more light and energy to flow through our bodies now, more than ever before.

In the past four years, I have seen this gain even greater momentum, and the structures, which surround the auric field and energy bodies appear different in people according to their age and state of well-being. What I have seen forming in all stages of life is overwhelmingly positive and awe inspiring, so much so that I am now teaching a new workshop on auras at the Omega Institute in New York this summer, to explain how they are leading the evolution of our light bodies.

Auras, like so many natural gifts given to us, are powerful conductors of energy. Used consciously and with an understanding of their ability to be a pure vessel to hold the light, we can transform ourselves body, mind and spirit. In many ways they represent the symbolic sarcophagus, allowing us the opportunity and sacred space in which to regenerate, transmute and transform. 

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s  book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala lectures on Esoteric Teachings,  Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom (also known as the Divine Feminine). Kala’s Guided Meditations CD’s include Spirit of Hawaii and Egyptian Mystery Temple and Tibetan Mountain Journey.

More information about her Auras and Chakras workshop here:
http://exploreyourspirit.com/workshop-sff.html

In the wisdom teachings of the Divine Feminine, there are certain earth cycles, which open a gateway between the higher planes of existence and the earth plane. These moments of enhanced connection allow us to view the rhythm and timing of the goddess in her form as mother nature.

We are experiencing one of these magical moments this week, marked as the mid-way point of the season of Winter around February 2nd. This celebration is most popularly known by the Celtic reference of Imbolc. Imbolc, a gaelic word, means in-milk, derived from the gaelic pronunciation ‘oimelc’, meaning ewe’s milk.

While Imbolc is the most well known celebration of this holiday, its origins stem from a powerful universal wisdom teaching known as – ‘As Within, So Without’.

During the barren frozen winter days of early February in western Europe, the celebration of Imbolc was a symbol of hope and represented the good things to come. When surveying the landscape (without), everything appeared bleak, and lifeless yet (within) the dairy animals, hints of Spring were returning as the animals began to lactate and milk began to flow again.

There is a Goddess assigned to this quickening and universally she symbolizes the seeds of life planted (within) the earth and within each person and how when nurtured and cared for, they blossom (without) producing the life affirming milk and awakening of life and hope.

In the Celtic celebration, the Goddess is known as Brigid, also spelled as Brighid. Brigid is revered as the Goddess of healing, writing and prosperity. As a solar goddess, she represents the fire and light that burns within each living being and how when cared for, this eternal light creates inner healing, restores vital energy and stirs life within. She is also represented in the phases of the Goddess as the maiden and the bride. Wise women around the world work with this goddess energy, helping others to launch new projects and beginnings, to stimulate powerful healing energies within the body and perform weddings, as this is the most advantageous day of the year to be married.

Brigid is referred to as the bride, which in modern times is recognized in the form of a young woman being joined in matrimony. This is but one derivative of the wisdom teaching and rituals. The Goddess Brigid is recognized as one of the Queens of Heaven who is being transmuted during this time and reborn. The Wise Woman of Winter, who has journeyed deep within herself during the darkest days of winter, is now ready to emerge and be reborn as the Young Maiden. This maiden carries the hope and promise of new life along with the wisdom and discernment of the wise women, giving herself the gift of intuition, healing, abundance and love. She is a bride of the light, participating in her own unification of this energy in a marriage ceremony of the heart and mind.

Would you like to connect with this energy and connect with the loving energy of the light without and stir this energy within your heart and mind?

There are Seven Sacred Ways to Connect with the Energy of Imbolc and the Goddess:

1. On February 2nd, light candles and lamps in the home to welcome the return of the Light. Yellow, white and orange candles are the best colors to use. As you light each candle, focus your energy with the flame and ask that the light burn clear and bright, bringing clarity to the home, burning off any residual gloom or negative energy within the home.

2. White flowers symbolize the purity within and the promise of blooming to come. Place a beautiful bouquet in the heart area of your home and breathe deeply into the flowers, allowing their essence and fragrance to be experienced by all of your senses.

3. Reminiscent of the milk flowing, sharing dairy products is abundant, the most popular choice being milk chocolate. Hot chocolate warms the body and when stirring the chocolate, imbibe the mix with loving thoughts and warmth.

4. Place a silk ribbon or piece of fabric on a window sill, often referred to as Brighid’s Mantle. It is said overnight, it will be blessed with the healing, intuitive and abundant energy flowing at this time. Use this fabric to wrap your deck of tarot cards, to wrap herbs in or create a special pouch to hold treasured items.

5. Leave an offering outdoors of bread for birds and other small creatures who may be having a difficult time finding sustenance in the barren landscape. While outdoors in the cold, give thanks to the beauty surrounding you. Stand with your feet firmly grounded to the earth and raise your arms in the air, bring the light from above around you and allow it to flow deep within you.

6. Gather the seeds that you will be planting in your Spring garden. Hold your hands over the seeds and ask for the energy of the Goddess within to bless the seeds and nurture them. Take a small quartz crystal and charge this crystal with the same intention. When planting these seeds in the spring, plant the quartz crystal into the earth next to the seeds.

7. Reflect on the seeds of thought you planted in the Fall within yourself and the goals you are affirming in this new year. Ask for the quickening of the seeds within you, that they may blossom and grow. Take a quartz crystal and charge this crystal with the same intention. Keep this crystal on your desk or in a spot where it will remind you of your goals and intentions.

The Goddess in her many forms, teaches by example through nature. Use this time wisely, as it creates a sacred opportunity to plant new seeds of thought in the mind and heart. In the circle of life, there are adversities (within and without), representing a time of darkness and Winter, which are always overcome through the journey. The return to the light in the Spring, offers the opportunity to be reborn and move forward on the path, having learned from the time of adversity. Offerings of gratitude are given at this time to one’s adversaries, as they represent lessons and growth opportunities in disguise.

There is a powerful Norwegian proverb which states: ‘In every woman there is a Queen. Speak to the Queen and the Queen will answer’. As the traditions of the Goddess and Divine Feminine resurge in the light again, celebrate with the seven sacred ways listed above. The powerful life-affirming magic of Spring is around the corner. Should you wish to change something in your life, this is the moment to set that intention and ask for your dream to bloom, grow and rejuvenate!