Magickal Happenings with Oshuyn...

We all experience the occasional case of the blues, but sometimes we can lift our mood with herbal remedies.

Anxiouness, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping and lethargy may be symptoms of depression or anxiety.  many people just accept such feelings as part of modern life, but there are simple and effective ways to boost your mood using herbal remedies.

Holistic Healing

Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years to relieve depression.  Some that have been traditionally taken to chase away the "winter blues" are now known to be as effective and potent as western medicines, with fewer side effects. 

A healing approach that is "holistic," incorporating a healthy lifestyle wiht aromatherapy and the healing powers of herbas can help you to regain your strength, joy and enthusiasm for life.

St. John's Wort - "Natural Prozac"

St. John's Wort has been regarded as a miracle herb for the last 4000 years, and is now being rediscovered by the medical world as nature's alternative to Prozac.

People taking St. John's Wort report a sense of well-being and serenity.  The herb calms the spirit and sharpens perception, helping people to enjoy life to the full.  Scientific studies show it to be as effective as conventional antidepressant drugs in treating mild to moderate depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and anxiety.

St. John's Wort works by altering levels of serotonin and melatonin, chemicals in the brain that regulate energy levels, alertness and mood.  The herb also increases "theta waves" that only occur during sleep and meditation.  For the effects to be therapeutic, St. John's Wort must be taken regularly as a incture or infusion.

"Winter Blues' may be caused by the pineal gland secreting too much of the hormone melatonin.

Natural Mood Lifters

Whether you've got the winter blues or are suffering from stress and anxiety, these easy-to-prepare herbal remedies can be used to chase away the symptoms of depression

Revitalizing Herbal Tea

A warming herbal tea will help to chase away the blues without giving you the caffeine jitters of coffee.  To make your own herbal tea:

1. Take half a teaspoon each of the dried herbs St. John's Wort, vervain and licorice.  Add to a handful of fresh borage flowers.

2. Place mixture in a teapot and add boiling water.

3. Steep for 10 minutes, then strain the liquid into a cup.

4. Sweetn with honey as desired, and drink instead of your usual tea or coffee.

An herbal tea infusion including St. John's Wort will lift your spirits.

Soothing Valerian

Valerian, which grows in abundance in damp meadows, has been an esteemed herbal remedy for centuries.  Nicknamed "all heal" by herbalists, the joice of the root has a soothing and quieting effect.

Prescribed to soldiers suffering from shell shock during both world wars, it is now recommended to combat nervous exhaustion and emotional upsets.  It can be taken as a cpsule or an herbal extract from the fresh root.

Valerian is known as nature's Valium.  It has been used as a natural tranquilzer for thousands of years.

Healing Hops

Hops are another effective remedy for treating tension and anxiety.  They promote restful and refreshing sleep without the side effects of sleepign pills.  For a blissful night's sleep, rest your head on a pillow filled with dried hop flowers or take a cup of hops tea for a soothing naturla nightcap.

A small pouch of hops placed under your pillow will help you to sleep soundly.

Beautiful Borage

Borage has a long association with joy and courage; its bright blue, star-shaped flowers are popular in many herb gardens.  It is often added to cold summer drinks as its slighly cucumbery taste is a perfect complement to many party favorites.

Young fresh leaves and flowers can be used to drive away the blues, restore energy and lift the spirits.  The herb works by stimulating the adrenal gland to produce adrenaline.

Add some borage flowers to lemon balm and iced apple juice to make a refreshing summer drink.

Flowers That Shine Like The Sun

We all know that a big bunch of bright, beautiful flowers can work wonders in lifting our mood.  In magick and folklore, flowers that resemble the Sun take on its attributes, giving out light and life energy wherever they are found.

Cheerful birhgt yellow and orange flowers, such as those of marigolds and gerberas, drive away negative feelings, leaving a spirit that is warm and refreshed.

The ancient Egyptians valued marigold as a rejuvenating herb.  In traditional Chinese medicing it is used to bring people's spirits back into harmony.

Float fresh flowers in a bowl of spring water and leave in sunlight during the day.  This infuses the water with the Sun's light, which you can sip as a flower remedy.

Be In Your Brilliance!

Oshuyn

The essence of Yin and Yang is that you live in an ever-changing world.  Accepting this will make it easier to keep a constant balance in your life.

The early Chinese Sages believed that humanity was affected by town dominant forces: Heaven and Earth.  Heaven was regarded as the space above and was given the term "Yang".  Its main force is that of a descending tendency toward the earth.  Earth was regarded as the Chi beneath the ground that rose up vertically and retruned to the cosmos.

First Words of Balance

The first Sage to write about Yin and Yang was Lao Tzu in his classic, the Tao Te Ching, written in 500BC.  He described how all human affairs were catagorized by the forces of Yin and Yang.  Lao Tzu gives many examples of this working dynaic.  For example, it is impossible to understand heat (Yang) without having any knowledge of cold (Yin).  How is it possible to descirbe the daylight (Yang) without any knowledge of the dark and the night (Yin)? 

History of the Yin/Yang Symbol

Historically, the followers of Lao Tzu, know as Taoists, are acknowledged as the creators of the Yin/Yang symbol.  The symbol itself beautifully and simply expresses the concept of a universe with tow dominate forces - Yin and Yang - and their perpetual motion.

The eye of the opposite color indicates that nothing is entirely Yin or Yang.

THe circle represents the wholeness of the entire universe.  It also represents a clockwise cycle that begins at the bottom, which from a Chinese perspective represents the night or the winter, when the forces of Yin are at their peak. 

The color black always represents Yin - the night and the winter, white the color white represents Yang - the daytime and the summer, which are natural opposites of Yin.

Attributes of Yin and Yang

ONe of the earliest mentions of Yin and Yang in relationship to Feng Shui appeared in the 6th century AD.  In the Landscape and Form Schoool, Yin and Yang were simply epitomized by the location of a dwelling on the shady (Yin) side or the sunny (Yang) side of a hill.  It's important to remember that all the qualities of Yin and Yang are tendencies, and were drawn from the Sages' experience of the natural world.

Yang:  heaven, hot, day, summer, faster, active, bright, harder, practical, white/red/green, rigid, masculine

Yin: earth, cold, night, winter, slower, passive, dark, softer, spiritual, black/blue, flexible, feminine

Two Key Principles

There are two vital dynamics of Yin and Yang that are well worth remembering.

1. If there is a dominance of one of hte Yin or Yang characteristics present in your life or environment, it will ultimately make you take on that quality.  For example, if you live in a cold, damp, dark basement (Yin), this Chi will affect you, and you will become cold, passive and unenthusiastic.

2. At their extremes, Yin turns into Yang and vice versa.  For example, if you apply extreme heat to a rock or a piece of metal, it will ultimately Yin-ize and become fluid and flexible.  If you apply the principle of extreme Yin - cold - to water, it will freeze and become hard.  Taking it personally, if you live in the extrememly cold, mountainous regions of the world, you will become very active, focused and resilient (Yang).  If you take a vacation in a very hot Yang climate, you will become very relaxed and lethargic (Yin). 

Yin and Yang at Home

Generally speaking, your home is a more Yin environment compared to the workplace.  Home is where you retreat, where you relax and recover your strength and energy, and there are many Yin qualities and features in it that help to achieve this.  These include: soft furnishings, softer lighting, mellow colors, soft carpets, music, plants and artwork that is either comforting or relaxing.  Even within the home, you can create more Yin or more Yang rooms or themes within your house.

If you are raising healthy, boisterous kids, they need a more Yang and uplifting environment.  This can be achieved with brighter lighteing, brighter colors and stimulating imagery.  If the home is occupied by elderly people, they prefer a more Yin environment where they ighting is softer and darker, imagery is peaceful and the ambience is more mellow.

You can combine Yin and Yang in the same object, like having a Yang color in a Yin texture in a pillow.

Creating Balance

A useful tip using Yin and Yang is always to bring in a little of the opposite into your environment.  For example, if you occupy a Yang, bright office, bring in a touch of Yin - a plant, a flower, an image that is either romantic or mellow.  On the other hand, in a Yin, darker room at home, use brighter colors and lighting.

If tall shrubbery blocks natural outdoor light from coming into your home, be sure to have a bright lamp in the room to rebalance the area's Chi.

In Light & Love

Oshuyn

Meditation can be practiced when you wake in the morning to start the day and also at the end of the evening before you fall asleep.

The mind enjoys repetition and is quick to set up a pattern to follow.  When you first begin to meditate, you might find your mind wandering, but regular practice will make it pregressively easier to ettle your mind and reap the benefits of a quiet, relaxed space.  Very soon, the simple act of lighting  acandle or sitting quietly will repaidly trigger a meditative state.

Allowing your mind to unwind

You will discover that meditation feels very pleasant - especially if you allow yourself to go with the flow and do not place high expectations on yourself.  Most people need several sessions before their mind becomes accustomed to slowing down.  This is why a regular time and particular place are helful

After meditation, you will feel relaxed and peaceful, and you should take a few minutes to enjoy this state before resuming activities.

Who can benefit from meditation?

Meditation is perfectly safe and suitable for anyone, even children.

* To get the most out of meditation, avoid noisy environments, and switch off your telephone as sudden, loud noises can pull you out of your meditative state, making you feel disoriented.

* You can still meditate safely if you are taking prescribed medication.  Avoid alcohol, hoever, as this can affect your ability to maintain focus.

* Ensure you will not be disturbed by members of your household so that you can fully relax.

* Make sure you keep to a time limit of 10 - 20 minutes for meditation.

Your First Meditation Exercise

This gentle meditation exercise is easy to perform and requires only a few minutes of your time.  With practice, you'll discover how to empty your mind and find peace.

This exercise is easey and gentle.  Prepare your meditation space, then experience the tranquility that is gained by meditating on your breathing.

1. Sit Quietly

Make sure that you are comfortable and will not be interrupted.  Take three deep breaths, exhaling fully, then breathe in your natural rhythm.  Feel yourself begin to relax.  Allow passing thoughts to drift away without paying attention to them.

2. Focus On Your Breath

Become aware of your breath as you breathe in and out.  As you breath in, imagine that you are becoming filled with a sensation of light and peace.  As you breathe out, allow any tension and anxiety to melt away with the exhalation.

3. Flow With Your Breath

Follow the rhythm of your breath as it flows, gently and regularly.  Feel yourself becoming increasingly relaxed and peaceful.  Become aware of your breathe as the life-force that sustains you, relaxes you, and energizes you.  Ignore any distractions that come into your mind, and you will find that it becomes easy to sit and concentrate on your breathing.

4. Find  A Special Word

Now repeat a word that has significance for you.  For example "peace," "harmony," "healing, " "gentleness," or "love."  Repeat your word inwardly with both the in-breath and the out-breath.  You will feel the emotion assocated with that word becoming infused into your being.

5. Ending Your Meditation

After a minute or two, return your full attention to your breathing.   Take three deep breaths then bring your attention back to your body and your surroundings. Wiggle your fingers and toes, stretch a little, then slowly open your eyes and take in your surroundings. 

Some may choose to ground and cleanse at this time.  Sending any energies that you have lingering back into Earth herself.  This is done in many ways such as placing your palms on the ground and simply sending them downward, some visualize a white light shine down into your crown chakra and fill your body passing through all the chakras and as it leaves your base it shines to the core of the Earth, another way is to visualize a flow of water wash over your crown and completely covering your body washing you clean and flowing to Earth. 

6. Enjoy The Benefits

Sit quietly for a few moments to accustom yourself to your everyday state of awareness.  Put some music on if you wish.  GIve yourself some time to enjoy the feelig of calmness before returning to your daily activities.

Follow this meditatio exercise step by step to relieve daily stress and tension.  They more often you meditate, the more focused you'll become.

In Light & Love

Oshuyn