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Feng Shui Anyone?

Just for fun, I recently analyzed the layout of our tiny casita using a bagua map. Feng Shui practitioners use a bagua map similar to the one below to organize a home in a way that promotes the well-being of the residents. According to the bagua map, each section of your home has a symbolic meaning for a different aspect of your life. (Square 1 corresponds to the main entrance to your home.)


Because the casita we're currently renting is so small, some rooms have multiple meanings. For instance, our bedroom comprises three squares: Wealth, Fame, and Relationships. I find it rather amusing that, according to the bagua map, our wealth is located in the bedroom closet! Interestingly, though, the Study/Knowledge/Meditation square corresponds the area where we keep our computer desk; and right next to that is a loveseat, where I prefer to meditate. The Creativity square corresponds to the area where I keep my craft supplies. Our kitchen is located in the Family square, which makes sense because that's where we make our meals together. It gave me a chuckle to learn that we keep our dog's food and water bowls in the Helpful Friends/Travel Guides area, for Sasha is definitely a wonderful friend and travel companion. The laundry area falls into the Health square, which I suppose makes sense because clean clothing and linens are essential to good health.

While I don't necessarily believe that Feng Shui is an exact science, I did find some eerie truths after analyzing our home using the bagua map. For instance, I learned that decluttering certain areas of our home might help us with the issues in the corresponding square. So now I plan to declutter the area around the entrance to our home to see if it helps us gain clarity on our Career/Life Path issues.

Unfortunately, the small size of my house won't allow me to employ the principles of Feng Shui exactly; so, as long as we continue living here, I'll never know whether Feng Shui really works for me. Nevertheless, this turned out to be a rather fun and fascinating exercise.

Practicing Positive Thinking

"You consciously deny every negative thought that comes into your mind and substitute a positive one for it. Do not make a big isssue of the denial. A negative though repressed is harmful. Merely toss it out, instead; then substitute a positive thought in its place. For 'I can't do that, it's too difficult,' think 'That's untrue, of course I can do it, and I'll be successful.' This might not sound as sensible as it really is, but try it. You will discover that it works. That's the important thing--it works!"

"Start every day with the statement that you are a brilliant, stimulating mind living in a healthy, normally functioning body. Let no negative reaction deny this as the day goes forward, and occasionally repeat the statement."

From Confessions of a Psychic by Susy Smith

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Did you know that Easter egg dyes are made of synthetic materials derived from petroleum products? I don't know about you, but I don't relish the idea of unnatural ingredients in or on my food, even if the FDA claims they're safe.

You can make your own safe Easter egg dyes from plant-based ingredients. The plant world offers up a rainbow of colors. I feel better using natural Easter egg dyes such as these:

Red

Red onion skins, use a lot (boil with eggs)

Pomegranate juice

Orange

Yellow onion skins (boil with eggs)

Yellow

Lemon or orange peel (boil with eggs)

Carrot tops (boil with eggs)

Celery seed (boil with eggs)

Ground cumin (boil with eggs)

Ground turmeric (boil with eggs)

Yellow Brown

Dill seeds (boil with eggs)

Brown

Strong coffee

Instant coffee

Black walnut shells (boil with eggs)

Yellow Green

Bright green apple peels (boil with eggs)

Green

Spinach leaves (boil with eggs)

Blue

Canned blueberries and their juice

Red cabbage leaves (boil with eggs)Purple grape juice

Violet Blue

Violet blossoms

Red onion skins, less amount than you need to make red (boil with eggs)

Lavender

Diluted purple grape juice

Violet blossoms plus squeeze of lemon (boil with eggs)

Pink

Beets, fresh or canned

Cranberries or cranberry juice

Raspberries

Red grape juice

From www.care2.com

"The Secret"

For months now, I've been hearing about this mysterious book called The Secret, which supposedly contains a heretofore unrevealed formula for prosperity. A friend of mine read the book and immediately began to put it into practice. In fact, she believed in its precepts so much that she threw all common sense aside. Daily, she envisioned herself living in a custom-built, million dollar home in one of the best neighborhoods in the city. Despite the fact that neither she nor her husband were employed at the time, they placed an order for their dream home. Then they watched construction begin and visualized moving in to their new home and furnishing it in grand style. As time went on and with no job prospects in sight, it became evident that their dream home was just that...a dream. Eventually, they had to pull out of the deal and, as a result, they lost their $10,000 deposit. So much for The Secret.

A friend recently loaned me a DVD of the film version of The Secret, so I finally got to watch it and find out what all the brouhaha was about. To say that I found the film disappointing would be an understatement. Oh, don't get me wrong...the production was very professionally done. The source of my disgust was the emphasis on materialism that pervaded the entire film. The basic premise is that we can attract anything we want simply by asking, believing, and then receiving. A series of vignettes showed people who had acquired large sums of money, expensive cars, and multimillion dollar homes just by putting The Secret's simple principles into practice. According to The Secret, all that's required to receive money and things is to ask, receive, and believe. Follow those three steps and the Universe will deliver. This sounds just a wee bit trite to me. And where is God in all this?

Perhaps the greatest irony was the film's reporting that the some of the greatest minds in history knew The Secret. It mentioned Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Winston Churchill, to name a few. Now I don't claim to have studied much about the other men, but I do know for sure that Ralph Waldo Emerson shunned materialism and focused on developing virtue, which I believe is the real secret. This world would be a better place if more people embraced Emerson instead of getting excited about The Secret, which in my mind is yet another "get rich quick" scam wrapped in slick marketing.

No More Toxic Fabric Softeners

So many people equate clean laundry with a clean smell. But it's not necessary to use toxic fabric softeners to make your clothes smell clean. Yes, that's right, fabric softeners can be toxic! According to the book Home Enlightenment by Annie B. Bond, "...the chemical analysis of the airborne emissions of five mainstream fabric softeners revealed that the fabric softeners emitted many toxic chemicals, many of which cause acute respiratory tract irritation and inflammation." So, if you have asthma, perhaps your laundry products are to blame.

As someone with multiple chemical sensitivities, I am careful to avoid products that contain artificial fragrances. I have found several ways to "sweeten" my laundry without using fabric softeners. For some reason, probably because they are derived from natural sources, natural essential oils do not bother me. So, sometimes I sprinkle our clothes with pure French lavender essential oil. (You have to be careful to spot test fabrics when in doubt, so that clothes do not get stained.) The essential oil of lavender leaves our clothing smelling fresh for quite some time, and also imparts a lovely smell to the drawers where the clothing is stored. Another very simple way to sweeten your laundry is to let it dry outdoors in the open air. The sun can fade colors quickly so you have to be careful. On the other hand, because the sun can make whites whiter, it can work to your advantage, too.

Besides imparting a fragrance, fabric softeners are formulated to fight static cling. All-natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, rayon, and flax don't require fabric softeners because they don't develop static cling in the first place. Over time, it would be wise to replace your wardrobe with all-natural fabrics. In the interim, you can switch to a "green" fabric softener, which is made of vegetable-based surfactants, salt, and all natural fragrances. For your health, I urge you to avoid mainstream fabric softeners altogether.

Downsizing by Decluttering

My husband and I are currently renting a 500 square foot casita (Southwestern cottage), which is much too small for two adults and a 90-pound German Shepherd. We also maintain a large storage unit a few miles away. The latter enables us to keep a minimal amount of furniture, kitchenware, clothing, etc. in the house at any given time. Because our casita is so limited in space, clutter is a constant battle. The worst clutter spots are our kitchen table (where the mail always seems to end up), my sewing table, the kitchen and bathroom countertops, and the bedroom closet.

I recently read somewhere that there is a connection between clutter and weight, and I can see why this might be true. Whenever my house gets cluttered with "stuff," it makes me feel weighed down and depressed. On the other hand, when everything is sorted out and put away, I feel lighter and happier.

Putting things away is not the easiest thing in the world when your house has almost no storage space. Since there are no shelves (except for a small linen closet), books tend to pile up everywhere. Since there is no room for my filing cabinet, papers tend to end up in piles all over the place. In some instances, space is available but it cannot be efficiently used. For example, the GE Spacemaker (compact washer/dryer combination) vibrates so hard during the spin cycle that it's impossible to keep any laundry products on top of the dryer. Consequently, they end up on the floor in the narrow hallway outside the tiny laundry closet. Kitchen cabinet space is extremely limited also; two of the cabinets, plus the shelf space on top of the cabinets, are inaccessible without a ladder.

Since we will inevitably be renting this place for another six months to a year, I am committed to decluttering once and for all. I'm not sure how much more downsizing we can do in the house, but I intend to find out. I plan to begin by sorting out any clothing that has not been worn during the past year. Those items will be removed to the storage unit or donated. Similarly, any books that have been read will be returned to storage or sold. These tasks should keep me busy for the next few days. Then, I will tackle reorganization.

Oh, How I Hate Organizing!

OK, I admit it, I am the world's worst organizer! Given my druthers, I tend to be guided by whim and fancy rather than by logic and predictability. As a right-brained creative type, organization does not come naturally to me. I really have to work at it, unlike some folks. Take this friend of mine, for example. Her home and ranch are organized to a tee. Observing her system has taught me that the only way everything can be in its place is if there is a place for everything to begin with.

You see, my problem is not laziness. I don't have trouble putting things away. The real problem is that often there is no place to put them. Good organizers use tools such as filing cabinets, shelves, drawers, etc. They can see past the clutter and envision a way to arrange things in the best possible way. For some reason, whenever I attempt to do the same, the solution always ends up costing me more money than I want to spend!

In order to organize my tiny house properly, at a minimum, I forsee the need for some shelf space and some baskets. The shelf space is needed to store books, and the baskets are needed to collect small items that are currently scattered all over the bathroom countertop and my bedroom dressing table. It would also be nice to have a basket system for incoming mail.

Now that I think of it, the unused bar counter in the kitchen could serve as a bookshelf. As far as baskets are concerned, I can probably find something suitable in the white elephant thrift shop. Maybe this organizing business isn't as hard as it seems after all?

Bird's Nest in the Oleanders

Can you find the bird's nest in the oleander bush?

Three of My Favorite Things

What I'm Burning Right Now

Aveda aroma diffusers in Euphoric and Madagascar

What I'm Reading Right Now

A travelogue of self-discovery in three countries: Italy, India, and Indonesia

What I'm Listening to Right Now

A beautiful experience in vocal meditation

Pretty Pollen

The pollen counts are outrageous here in southeastern Arizona as the trees, grass, and weeds have begun to sprout. Particularly problematic are the mulberry and ash trees, which coupled with the desert winds and Arizona dust, make for an especially severe allergy and asthma season. Despite the fact that the dust and pollen make me wake up sputtering every morning, the desert in bloom is a beautiful sight. On my morning constitutional today I came across a tree in full bloom, heavy with chains of purple flowers. If you happen to know what type of tree this is, please post a comment. (Hint: It's not a lilac bush.)

Pruning Oleanders

Well, yesterday I began the great oleander pruning project, which turned out to be a gargantuan task. The bushes were terribly overgrown because they receive an ample supply of water from the leak in our broken irrigation system, which the landlord refuses to fix. Because the past winter was colder than usual, the oleanders were severely damaged by frost and in need of a drastic haircut.

It took a great deal of doing to prune them back and remove all the frost-damaged foliage. So far, I have only pruned two out of three bushes. Working in the hot sun feels good, but my fibromyalgia ridden body protests in pain. So I pace myself carefully, always bearing in mind that tomorrow is another day. There's no point in getting exhausted, which ultimately results in a fibro flare.

We are supposed to have high winds followed by a cold snap over the next four days, so the remaining oleander will have to wait until next week. See how much better the two bushes on the right look? It's amazing how something so poisonous can look so pretty! Notice the lovely rivulet of water from the leaking irrigation system? Well, at least the mailman has nothing to complain about anymore.

Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning has begun! Today I thoroughly vacuumed the living room, including the carpets, furniture, and lampshade. Then I dusted the blinds and window frames, and vacuumed the window sills. After all that, I was exhausted. These days I can't do too much housework at one time due to the pain and fatigue from fibromyalgia. I have to pace myself and remember that tomorrow is another day.

For dusting, I like to use my handy-dandy "One Wipe Ultimate Duster" cloth. This waxy feeling cloth because it picks up and traps dust better than anything else I've ever used. Also, it's washable, so I feel like I'm doing something positive for the environment.

Later this week, I'll need to prune back the oleander bushes, which are totally out of control. They have grown so much since last year that the view from the front window is obstructed and the mailman is having problems pulling the truck up to the curb to deliver our mail.

Bringing Reiki to the Community - Part 2

I'm delighted to announce that I have been given the opportunity to speak on the topic of Reiki in my community. On April 9th, I will be giving a presentation called "Demystifying Reiki." I trust that God will send all the people who need to be there. Afterwards, I hope to begin making appointments with clients who are interested in having a Reiki session. Wish me luck!

Non-Toxic Cleaners

Ever since I developed environmental illness in 2001, I have been making my own cleaning products instead of buying chemical-laden ones. It's incredible how well you can clean your house using natural ingredients such as borax, vinegar, salt, castile soap, and essential oils.

For example, today I scrubbed my stovetop sparkling clean using a soft scrubby sponge, a few drops of dishwashing detergent, and some baking soda. To do this, sprinkle a small pile of baking soda on your stovetop. Wet a soft sponge with a gentle scrubber on one side, pour a few drops of detergent on the sponge, and work it in. Then dip the soapy sponge into the baking soda and use it to scour the stovetop. As necessary, rinse the sponge, add more a bit more detergent if necessary, and dip it into the baking soda again. When finished scrubbing, wipe the stovetop down with a clean, wet sponge. I guarantee you'll be amazed at the results.

To clean my kitchen and bathroom countertops, I mix a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water in a clean spray bottle designated for that purpose. Did you know that vinegar is a powerful disinfectant? Any cheap white vinegar will do; it's not necessary to buy a name brand. Spray surfaces with the vinegar/water solution and wipe with a clean cloth. The vinegar smell will dissipate quickly and your countertops will gleam.


To clean the toilet, pour about a cup of baking soda into the bowl and scrub with a toilet brush. The baking soda acts as a scouring powder. When finished scrubbing, add about a cup of white vinegar to the toilet bowl. The mixture will begin to fizz madly. When the fizzing stops, brush the bowl again and flush. This combination removes stains, disinfects, and deodorizes your toilet.


If you're interested in making your own non-toxic cleaning products, I recommend the book "Better Basics for the Home" by Annie Berthold-Bond. It contains over 800 formulas for items such as household cleansers, personal and pet care, lawn and garden care, and natural paints, stains, and dyes.

Bringing Reiki to the Community

Next Monday will be a very important day for my energy healing practice. I'll be meeting with the Lifestyle Director here to pitch the idea of bringing Reiki to the resort community where I live. I've been studying and practicing Reiki in many different forms for several years now. In the past, I've offered Reiki sessions to clients at various New Age health fairs that promote products and services that benefit the body, mind, and spirit. In those days, I was struggling to grow my Reiki practice while, at the same time, working insane hours in a corporate job as a technical writer. But now that I'm no longer juggling two jobs, the time has come to add new venues to my Reiki practice.

The International Center for Reiki Training describes Reiki like this:

"Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes spiritual healing. It is administered by laying on hands and is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's life force energy is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy
and healthy...A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well-being."

I'm hoping that my bid to bring Reiki here will be accepted and well received by the community. Please keep your fingers crossed for me, dear readers.

A Walk in the Desert

Savvy Food Shopping

Because of where we happen to live, food is more expensive here than in other parts of the U.S. Therefore, good planning is necessary to eat simply and well. Fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, and whole grain products are staples at our house. I wish we could afford to buy everything organic, but that isn't possible for us right now. However, we always make sure to buy organic coffee, because conventional coffee is heavily sprayed with pesticides that end up in your morning cuppa in concentrated form.

We have found that it's possible to eat well on the cheap by poring over the sales flyers for the grocery stores in our area and buying mainly the sale items at each store. We rarely buy canned or frozen goods, with the exception of frozen vegetables, because I usually cook everything from scratch. Hearty homemade soups are regular fare at our house during the winter months, which are few here in southern Arizona. These are easy to make and the per serving cost is minimal because I use a lot of inexpensive vegetables such as carrots, celery, and potatoes, and sometimes a little bit of meat or a whole chicken if it's on sale. During the warmer months, we typically subside on lighter fare such as large salads accented with pieces of barbequed meat or poultry, and vegetarian stir fries. An assortment of fruits is almost always on our counter, but these sweet treats seem to go fast even though there are only two of us. And, of course, icy fruit pops are de rigeur when the temperature climbs to over 100 degrees and stays there all summer.

I wait for sales to stock up on more expensive items like herbs and spices, or else buy them in bulk at the health food store. I buy other items in bulk there too, such as quinoa, buckwheat, fresh shelled nuts, and coffee. One of my favorite beverages is green tea, which I drink all throughout the day...hot in winter and cold in summer. After trying several brands, I've settled on one of the least expensive ones because I've found that flavor of Kroger's generic green tea rivals that of the pricier brands. So I buy a box of 48 tea bags every couple of weeks for approximately $3.29. This is about half the price of Celestial Seasonings brand, which has only half the number of tea bags per box. Besides, the Kroger brand produces a darker, more flavorful tea reminiscent of Bancha, which I much prefer to certain other light, grassy-tasting brands.

All in all, we have greatly reduced our food budget by shopping the sales and sticking to generic brands whenever possible. Buying items in bulk at the health food store works out to be much cheaper than buying the same items in a package. As tempting as it may be, I've found that it's not worth it to scrimp by buying items that may have been heavily sprayed with pesticides, such as the aforementioned coffee and various Chilean fruits. Buying locally grown produce in season is important to us. Not only does it save money, but this type of food is more in tune with the earth's cycles and has been proven to be more nutritious. While shopping this way takes more time and planning, we can ensure that we are always getting the highest quality food for our money. And high quality food is extremely important for overall health and well being.

Meditation 101

Ever since I began meditating 10 years ago, I have practiced many different types of meditation techniques. Usually, I prefer the Essene Healing Breath meditation, but recently I revisited one of the first methods I ever learned. Aptly named "The Relaxation Response" this technique, initually popularized by Harvard researcher Dr. Herbert Benson, is a quick way to soothe yourself when you're feeling anxious.

The relaxation response technique is actually very easy to do, and its benefits are myriad. Immediate changes have been recorded, including lowered blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and oxygen consumption. Over the long term, if you practice regularly for at least a month, your body's response to adrenaline becomes altered. This has been known to reduce anxiety and depression, and improve the ability to cope with stress.

You can practice this technique once or twice a day. Two practice periods typically result in greater benefits. In general, here are the steps:

1. Choose a word or short phrase to focus on. This word must be part of your belief system. As a Christian, I have chosen the phrase "Guide me O Lord."

2. Sit comfortably in a quiet space and close your eyes.

3. Progressively relax your muscles, beginning with your toes and moving toward your head.

4. Breathe slowly and rhythmically. As you exhale, repeat the focus word of phrase in your mind.

5. When other thoughts come up, dismiss them gently. Just continue breathing and repeating your focus word or phrase upon exhalation.

6. Continue doing this for 10 to 20 minutes.

7. When the time is up, gently open your eyes and sit still for a minute or so before rising. Do not attempt to stand up immediately, as dizziness may occur.

Jealousy and Simple Living

There is no room for jealousy in the simple life. And yet jealousy reigns supreme in our world of bigger homes, monster SUV's, and wide screen TV's. The news reports are full of stories about people who have maxed out their credit cards to buy these types of things. And why? Mainly, it's to keep up with the Jones's. I am ashamed to admit that there was a time not that long ago when I too fell victim to this "sickness." Getting out of debt was painful, and I do not recommend that path if you can avoid it.

My adventures in materialism ended when I lost my job, fell ill, and subsequently became disabled. Amazingly, losing my job was not the end of the world. The earth didn't stop spinning when I could no longer trade my car in for a new one every two years. The sun didn't stop shining when I had to move into a tiny house to save money. And guess what? The Jones's didn't seem to care, either. In fact, I apparently dropped off their radar screen and rarely hear from them anymore.

Although I started out being frugal because I had to, it has since become a way of life for me. Always checking and comparing prices, even for small items at the supermarket. Now I buy generic most of the time. The products are often just as good as the name brands. I'm gearing up to make a spring wardrobe and realize that it probably won't look store bought, but that's good, right? Who wants to walk around looking like everyone else in their designer duds? Not me. Not anymore.

Now I use my money much more wisely, although I do allow myself the occasional modest transgression. Not only am I careful about what I buy, but I'm also mindful of what I don't buy. For instance, recently I chose to take a stand against the trash on television by canceling my cable service. Gasp! That's right, our home is a TV-free zone. And you know what? I feel all the better for it.

The greatest irony is that now the Jones's are jealous of me because I have a tremendous amount of "free" time on my hands. For the first time in my life, I'm not frazzled from working 60+ hour weeks in a stressful environment. Instead, I do things like cook, read, sew, make jewelry, and take walks in the desert. Few people have the freedom to do what they want, when they want. I am eternally grateful for that gift, and thank God every day for giving me the knowledge, strength, and opportunity to turn my life around.