Opening Up the Channels

Despite my reluctance to post this…I’m going to go for it. I don’t know why this feels more personal than writing about the Diva Cup, but it does. Anyway, it may “disappear” within a month, but I just feel that it’s important to post at this time.

In brief, my regular readers know how much I have struggled with substitute teaching (or teaching, at all). It is quite contrary to my extremely introverted personality and takes so much out of me, that I am not able to function well after most days. There are many rewards to teaching that I find wonderfully fulfilling…but nothing has been able to “fill up my well” even halfway. It is just too hard for me to put so much energy outward, when I am a naturally inward-moving person.

Since writing about this issue, I have chosen to continue subbing (out of financial necessity) while seriously pondering my next step. I could write an entire post about the goals I have for myself. And perhaps I will write about that in the future. But let’s just say that everything seems ever so slightly out of reach – financially and energetically. I sometimes feel like I’m in my early 20’s again, with ten million choices swirling around me and WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHOOSE????

While pondering this question, I realized that there is no step I can take in any direction without first fully clearing out the muck and creating a strong, organized foundation upon which to build. I have been inspired by my friends who are downsizing, and fellow bloggers who are de-cluttering, like Mon at Holistic Mama. And the most amazing thing happened. The more I de-cluttered, the more I felt pulled back to my old, forgotten creative expressions. Simultaneously, sub jobs dried up quickly and inexplicably. I haven’t worked in nearly a month, which is panic-inducing. However, I have been determined not to succumb to fear. Now is the time to direct my energies into something new. Or at least that’s what it appears the Universe is pushing me to do.

Image copyright: greenmamas.com

There are two venues that I am currently putting my energies into. First, I have always wanted to have an herbal business, in which I make lotions, lip balms, tinctures, etc. It has been a dream of mine for many years now, but I have never done it because there are millions of other women basically selling the same stuff. And even though I have had incredible emotional and financial support and encouragement about this from friends and family…still, I resisted.

Well, I’m resisting no more. I’m going to give it a try. I can only afford a small investment at this time, and will be limiting myself to lotions and lip balms and a few other items sold through Etsy. (I won’t be selling tinctures or other such things, as I have no herbal certification – but maybe someday…) I don’t expect to make a living off this, per se, certainly not right off. But it is a direction in which I desperately want to go. And sometimes you have to take a step forward without knowing what lies beyond in order to get to where you ultimately want to be.

The thing is: Thinking about this makes me HAPPY. Unlike teaching, which fills me with dread, misery, and fear. I want to pursue this path, and leave my student record sheets, assessments, disciplinary tactics, and pinstripe pants behind.

And in the long term: Writing has shouted out to me. There is so much I could say about this…but I will try to condense. I spent my twenties writing six novels – most of them awful. I was always mad at myself for taking ten years to earn my B.A. but deep down, I knew I was in my own kind of school – that I was learning and honing my craft by reading, by writing, by endlessly revising, and actually putting together those six novels.

When I finished the sixth one, in 2003, I was still deeply dissatisfied with it (my perfectionism kicked in). And after a mere three rejection letters from publishers, I put it away and vowed to “get serious” and get a “real” career. Hence, I finally finished college a few years later. During grad school (my ticket to a “real” career), I had an inspiration for another book I wanted to write. But imagine my surprise when I was hit with a three-year bout of writer’s block after writing only 15 pages. Again, writing was put away to pursue my degree and “get serious” about life.

A lot of things changed. My motivation as a writer altered completely, leaving me to try to find where to “tap in” for inspiration. And to be honest, I think much of the draw of writing in my late teens and early twenties was the desire to be famous. To be validated by popularity. Now that I’m in my thirties, that has changed, as well. Though I can’t deny that publishing, for whatever reason, is still deeply important to me. I think writers, on some level, write to be read. If we are not read, part of the cycle of creativity goes unfed, leaving us wanting.

Anyway…nothing could’ve surprised me more than the guidance I got after clearing out my space and my mind. I was compelled to go back to my sixth novel, finish editing it, and…try again to get it published. I resisted that for over a month, wanting to focus on the new book I started a few years ago. But no…I was drawn back to my sixth book again and again.

Image copyright: thefuturebuzz.com

After having many dreams about it, experiencing some synchronistic events, and even feeling the presence of my departed uncle (who was one of my biggest “fans” in his time on this earth), I finally opened my manuscript files and got to work. I also realized why I was drawn to do so. I believe that disapproving of this novel was just another way of shutting the door on myself. If we hold out for perfection in ourselves or in what we do, we will never truly be alive. And I have been guilty of giving myself “creative abortions” time and time again, for a multitude of self-destructive reasons.

I used my dissatisfaction with the book as another reason to prove my so-called unworthiness. And I used it to create more strife and drama and unhappiness in my life, which is what I believed I needed and deserved. I felt different my whole life because I never did anything the way my friends did – I didn’t finish school at 22, start a career, get married, or have a baby. When I felt I couldn’t stand being different anymore, I used my “failure” as a writer as an excuse to finally catch up to everyone else – to go back to school, get my B.A. and my M.A.T….and start leading a life that ultimately ended up being terribly unfulfilling.

I don’t have particular expectations about writing, anymore than I do about selling my own lotions. It is just what has always been one of the greatest passions of my life, and I have always wanted to pursue it. I feel that, in committing to the path of self-acceptance that I have started on, I have to embrace my writing, as well. I will pursue publishing, though not for validation, fame, or financial reasons – simply because I want to complete the circle of energy created when one puts pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

So, neither of these opportunities is necessarily going to put rent money in my pockets anytime soon…yet since I have cleared out the clutter, I feel it is imperative that I pursue them. One cannot keep putting energy into something that diminishes. Otherwise, there will be nothing left. I don’t know where subbing will go from here – again, I will take jobs if they are offered, as I am quite in need of the money – but if next month is anything like this month…things will get interesting around here.

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Turning the World Upside-down

In my Personal Practice Adventure (over at EcoYogini’s blog), I have been drawn more and more to my solitary yoga practice. This is actually pretty normal for me during the cold winter months. I would much rather do yoga in a warm room than go walking outside!

However, I’ve found myself wanting more and more of a challenge. I have been working with Natasha Rizopoulos’ Yoga Journal DVDs, primarily, because they really focus on form. I am trying to make sure that I’m doing things in the correct manner not only to avoid injury, but to go deeper in my practice.

I have also tried very hard to do poses that scare me: Bakasana, for instance. And good old headstand. I have achieved neither yet, but Rizopoulos’ third DVD in the YJ series focuses on both these poses. Please note, I have worked on these with an instructor in the past, though never fully achieved either pose. But I wouldn’t be attempting them on my own had I not had that personal, human-to-human instruction. I think we all need to be careful with some poses.

Some of you may know that I am terrified of these poses, and most inversions. I am so scared that I will fall on my face, or tweak my neck, and end up toothless, paralyzed, and/or broken in places that shouldn’t be broken.

However, despite this, I am trying to face my fear. I have worked and worked at headstand, primarily, in an effort to loosen the bands of fear that have kept me from doing it in the past. And I focus on alignment and form diligently, because ultimately, the pose will arise from proper form.

I’m having a heck of a time lifting my legs up, though. I have tried headstand against the wall, extending one foot all the way up and then the other. But this is only because I have not been able to pull up both bent legs, despite working diligently on my core strength the past six months. But I keep telling myself that it will happen when it’s right, and I’m just glad that I am feeling less and less fear surrounding the practice of this pose.

I’m also trying to accept the fact that, despite the fact that I’m practicing more, and feeling stronger than I have in years, I also have less energy. Perhaps this is just winter energy descending upon me. During the summer, it was go-go-go. I was hiking/walking 4-10 miles each time, biking 10-15 miles at a time, and doing yoga for at least 1 ½ hours per practice. Now the thought of 1 ½ hours of yoga makes me want to crawl into bed and take a nap! So I’ve learned to relax and accept that I am only capable of 25-45 minute practices during this season. I have found some great podcasts at Yoga Journal that really energize me (or relax me, depending on the practice I choose), in just 20 short minutes.

As for the rest… One of the things I love about EcoYogini’s Personal Practice Adventure is that she understands that yoga is not just about yoga. Yoga encompasses our entire life. So when we talk about our practice, we are talking about our spirit, our creativity, our physical efforts in the world that occur off the mat.

My personal practice has led me to simplify. After moving, as many of you know, I was confronted with all my JUNK. And when you find yourself mired in physical junk, you start uncovering your mental and emotional junk, too. (One of these days, I might tell a story about a designer purse that’ll amuse the heck out of you.)

Needless to say, things have been MOVING around here. My life feels like a drain that has recently been unclogged and suddenly, new energies, desires, and passions are flooding to me.  Like EcoYogini, I’m feeling drawn back to music as a creative expression. I have been longing to play the piano again, and hope to start fiddling with it within the next month. I am also considering taking up the guitar again – I started to learn how to play three years ago, and then gave it up, as it’s quite a daunting instrument to someone who is used to black and white repeating keys. But I want to learn a song by this time next year.

I have also made some quite stunning revelations. I’ve already written a post on that, though for some reason, I feel it’s quite personal (though posting about the Diva Cup didn’t bother me…), and I’m reluctant to post it. I may just go ahead and do it, or perhaps I will post it with password protection, so only my regular readers can see it, as opposed to someone just passing through. (As if I even know how to do that…) I’ll give it some thought tonight.

But for now, I’m signing off, and wishing you a happy yoga practice – and encouraging you to turn your world upside-down!

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Natural Hand Sanitizer

Even though I still think we need to be more peaceful in our response to H1N1 (as I mentioned in this post), I do think it is important to be careful and keep ourselves as safe as possible. However, traditional hand sanitizers are full of questionable chemicals. Purell, for instance, is rated a whopping 7 (out of 10) on the Skin Deep scale, classifying it as a “high hazard.” You can read the dangerous ingredient list here, and an explanation of what makes them dangerous.

Copyright information included in the picture

Do you want to be rubbing this into your hands multiple times per day? I sure don’t!

Though I have been using Little Moon Essentials Clear Breeze Spray Hand Sanitizer, I am running low, so I decided to do some research and start making my own.

I came up with two versions here. The first one is the “FDA approved” version. The FDA says that hand sanitizers need at least 60% alcohol content to fully kill all the germs. Now, I have my questions about this – if you use anti-bacterial essential oils, like tea tree, then isn’t that just as effective? But just to be safe, I am offering this 60% alcohol version, and a “lite” sanitizer that has less alcohol for those of you who would prefer a gentler sanitizer.

A Green Spell’s Hand Sanitizer

¼ cup witch hazel
¼ cup vegetable glycerin
¾ to 1 cup of alcohol

10-20 drops of each of the following essential oils:

-clove
-eucalyptus
-tea tree
-lavender
-lemon

A Green Spell’s Lite Hand Sanitizer

¼ cup witch hazel
¼ cup distilled water
¼ cup vegetable glycerin
¼ cup alcohol

10-20 drops of the following essential oils:

-clove
-eucalyptus
-tea tree
-lavender
-lemon

Here are the properties of these ingredients:

Tea Tree Oil: analgesic, antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antiseptic, antiviral

Eucalyptus Oil: analgesic, antibiotic, antifungal, anti-infectious, antiparasitic, antiseptic, antiviral

Lemon Oil: antibiotic, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antitoxic, bactericidal

Clove Bud Oil: analgesic, antibiotic, antifungal, anti-infectious, antiseptic, antiviral

Lavender Oil: analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antitoxic,

Witch Hazel: astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal

Please note that this hand sanitizer is much thinner than the traditional version. I use the glycerin as a thickener, but it doesn’t thicken all that much. Many of the homemade recipes I found used aloe vera gel as a thickener, but this didn’t work for me – it just turned into a clump in the middle of the mixture, no matter how much I whisked it. You may have better luck with it than I did! You will also need to remember to shake this before use.

There has also been some evidence that cinnamon oil is a great germ-killer. Read about it here. However, I have chosen not to include it in these recipes, as some sources say that cinnamon oil is very irritating on the skin. Apparently, cinnamon bark oil should never be used on the skin, and cinnamon leaf oil is not recommended for use on the skin. So use them at your discretion.

So stay germ-free and safe this winter – but don’t get stressed or worried about getting sick! Use this time to really take care of yourself.

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

A great source for all the supplies in this recipe (and local, if you live in Oregon, as I do!):

Zero Waste Update: November 2009

Image credit: http://www.squidoo.com/whattoreuse

I’ve been really proud of my progress in my Zero Waste Project. Since I moved, I have cut down my use of plastic in a major way. I have not bought any Ziploc bags, or plastic wrap. I haven’t even bought new Tupperware, even though I have very few containers.

I store food in a totally different way these days. I put things in mason jars, most of the time. I also put things in glass bowls, and simply put a plate over the top. I only use Tupperware occasionally, when I run out of bowls and jars!

As for taking snacks with me, I have bought three ReUsies from Reusable Bags. I wish these were cheaper so I could buy a few more, though they are definitely worth every penny! I use them almost every day. And since I mostly fill them with nuts and raisins, I only wash them every other day, just by rinsing them with a little soap and water, and hanging them on the drainer to dry.

I DO have plastic bags in the house. I have several from the herbs I buy from Mountain Rose, which I wash and reuse. But again, I rarely use these. I also have some bags from the bulk bin that I try to reuse each time, unless they are full of messy items (dates, flour, etc.), in which case, I rinse them out and save them for who-knows-what. I am, however, close to conquering the bulk bin, which I’ll discuss at a later date.

As for produce in the market, I never use plastic bags anymore – I wrote about mesh produce bags some time ago here. I am working out a system of grocery shopping in the most economical and green way possible. I admit, it takes time and organization! But it’s proving to be worth it, so far. I will write a separate post on this in the near future.

One thing I want to work on is cloth toilet paper. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and am interested in trying “Number One Cloths.” I just haven’t had the chance to get to the fabric store. But I’ll have loads of time in December, when school is out (which is unfortunate for the finances, but a great time to do my green projects).

I finally feel that I’m on my way to conquering plastic! Stay tuned…and check out this link to learn more about landfills and where your trash goes.

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Paring Down

Image credit: thedivasplr.com

Moving is always a great opportunity to declutter. If you read my blog regularly, you may have read my post last month on “Stuffology.” I always get scared when I get too much stuff. I think this is partly a reaction to having grown up with a mother who was a pack-rat. I found it suffocating to have so much stuff in our house, and throughout my adulthood, I have found myself, on a regular basis, feeling that same, panicky feeling. The only way I’ve been able to return to peace is to take a couple bags of stuff to the Goodwill.

Since moving into my new place in September, I have been more conscious than ever of how much JUNK I have stored and carried around with me for the past ten years. It is truly ridiculous. And with the holidays coming up, I’m feeling panicky yet again, as my family tends to overdo it with the gifts. I’m already worried about all the stuff I’m about to acquire from well-meaning but overzealous relatives.

I have been ruthless in the past few weeks about paring down. I have been to Goodwill three times already, and will be going back again next week with several more boxes of stuff. Here’s what I’ve been facing, and some decisions I have made recently to help declutter:

-Clothing: I have been getting rid of a lot of my “teacher clothes” (I’m still working on the career issues…haven’t quite solved that one, yet) and wish I could afford to buy clothing that is more fitting to my personality, rather than tailoring it to fit my current career choice. I am SO TEMPTED to do what I normally do: Buy cheap, fun clothing that I’ll probably want to get rid of next year. But I’m more and more drawn to conscientious dressing (and shopping). I hate that my acrylic sweaters are all basically made from petro chemicals. And what kinds of dyes and pesticides are in my T-shirts? Weeding out the wardrobe is a tough one for me – I LOVE clothes and fashion. But my funds are extremely tight right now, and I am doing the best I can to keep from buying a few cheap items during the holiday sales that have started to pop up everywhere. I have lots more to say about this, but I think I will save it for a post of its own.

-Furniture: This is another challenging area. Brian and I have some space in the house with stacks of books or paperwork…and no place to put it all. My parents have generously given us lots of their old furniture, so everything in this house looks mismatched – but it works for now. We finally did break today, however, and bought a cheap, pressboard bookcase from Walmart. I’m not crazy about buying cheaply-made furniture (goodness knows its effect on the environment) or from buying from Walmart, so I’ve been thinking a lot on this one. This is similar to the clothing issue, in which I am realizing that I’m going to have to start saving up and acquiring quality, conscientious items over a long (very long) period of time.

-Food: I’ve discovered (to my shame) that my overspending habits extend to food, as well as other items. Now that Brian and I are living on a strict budget, I cannot believe how hard it is for me to stick to it at the grocery store! Overbuying food also means overeating food, and I’m really surprised how deeply these habits are ingrained in me, even after all these years. Again, I may post separately on this, as I experiment with a new menu plan idea, but for now, I’ll leave it at that.

-Magazines: It’s time to go, I’m sorry to say. I only have two subscriptions: Vegetarian Times, and Yoga Journal, and I have to admit, I enjoy them both a great deal. I LOVE to read the recipes in VT, and getting reading material in the mail every month is my idea of heaven. But magazine subscriptions aren’t very eco-friendly. Plus, I have found that they just contribute to needless clutter. Every few months, I go through my collection of magazines, and rip out the recipes and articles that I want to keep. I’m always surprised to find that I end up recycling MOST of the magazine! So it’s time to let my subscriptions run out.

-Blogs: This is a great way to find something delightful to read on a regular basis, and make up for the loss of magazine subscriptions! But, it can turn into mind clutter super fast! This past summer, I started getting stressed from trying to find time to read all the blogs I wanted to read, and from navigating my Firefox Bookmarks tab. No more! I’ve cleaned it out, and organized it into three sections: My favorite blogs (a list that I keep short and visit frequently), my secondary blogs (that I read when I have time), and food blogs (that I use for recipe inspiration). I noticed Mon recently did this, as well, and I think it is a great way to clear your mind!

-Computer files: I have been dreading this one, and finally tackled it. I went through seven years of computer files that were all over my hard drive. I had duplicate files everywhere, and probably hundreds of files that were of no use to me anymore. I deleted as many as I could, and created a new organizational system in My Documents. I can’t tell you what a relief this has been!

-CDs: I’m talking here about data CDs, not music CDs. I had ten million, give or take (ha ha) hanging around containing back up files, photos, and more. Even old music mixes that I burned. I have held on to them because I refused to add them to the landfill. I recently found CD Recycle Center, however, and what a relief! My mom and I will be combining our mountains of old CDs to mail in and we’ll be rid of them once and for all!

-Odds and ends: I have a million things hanging around here that I bought for one project or another. Some projects got postponed, while I lost interest in others. Now I have fabric swatches, paints, stickers, craft paper, decorative boxes, and other such things sitting in my arts and crafts supplies just waiting. Some have been there for six years. It’s time to use them or dump them. NOW. I have found homes for some items, and the others, I’m planning to work into projects that will be finished by Christmas.

It’s such a rush to (conscientiously) purge things from your home and life. Nothing makes me realize how much JUNK we hoard more than the holiday season when all types of useless items vie for our attention on the store shelves, begging us to buy them for our loved ones. That’s not the way I want to live – I want to embrace simplicity so I can have time for the things I love to do. And that means fighting the urge I sometimes get to be a collector, or to buy something to satisfy myself “for now.”

I’ll revisit this issue in the near future, as Christmas approaches. But if you need some more inspiration, check out this video of Oprah visiting a typical family home in Copenhagen. It will challenge how you feel about space and stuff. And wouldn’t it be amazing to have such an uncluttered space?

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Turning Paranoia into Pampering

Image credit: Precious Life Wellness Village

Like many of my favorite bloggers, I hesitated to write about H1N1, but I wanted to say a few things, and then no more!

Many of us in the education field, or healthcare field have experienced the complete paranoia about H1N1. As a substitute teacher, I find myself surrounded by other teachers who say, at every introduction, “Wow, you’re still standing? Well, not for long.”

With the children, there are constant reminders to wash their hands, sneeze into their sleeves, don’t touch the other kids, and please don’t touch the teachers. At my last job, I was excited, as a local nutritionist was scheduled to give a 45 minute lecture to my class, as the beginning of a six-week nutrition course. I’m sorry to say that the discussion was almost entirely about germs. The woman began by washing all the desks down with bleach (yuck!), and then having the kids go through hand washing drills to see how fast they could wash up as a class, while still doing a thorough job. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

And hand sanitizer – it is prized at schools these days. There are usually at least 20 jumbo bottles in every teacher’s closet, and the kids are expected to use these about every ten to twenty minutes.

I’ll leave my comments about bleach and hand sanitizer unspoken – for now – and focus on what I really want to discuss: this paranoia.

With the constant media attention, and the kind of attention it gets at work, it is impossible not to have this on your mind ALL THE TIME. And yes. I’m scared. I’m not scared of getting H1N1. I haven’t gotten the “regular” flu since I was 7 or so. I always get colds – and bad ones. If I get H1N1, okay, I’ll deal with it. But I’m scared of getting sick, in general – cold, flu, whatever. Substitute teachers don’t have sick days. Every time we have to cancel a job for an illness, we lose that paycheck. It is scary, especially at this time of year, when we have three weeks of holiday breaks coming up – and we don’t get paid during those times, either. So illness is a major financial problem for subs.

It is hard to be at work where kids want to hug you and hold your hand, and all you can think is: “What germs am I going to end up with because of this?” I hate it that I feel dirty and “contaminated” just from touching a desk or a pencil from the teacher’s desk that has probably been used by countless students. I hate it that I feel the need to wash my hands every 15 minutes.

And did I mention the vaccination frenzy? The past month or so, our schools have been offering both flu vaccinations, and almost all the kids have been getting them. It is “HIGHLY recommended” by the school district, as, understandably, they don’t want anyone to get sick. There is a weird attitude about it, though – the belief that one cannot get sick now that they’ve been vaccinated. However, the paranoia about illness still remains. Hmmm.

Vaccinations are another discussion, one I don’t intend to have, but just to let you know, I have chosen NOT to get vaccinated. I do not get the regular flu shot, either, as I had some weird side effects from it when I used to get it in my early twenties. I don’t feel the need to get the H1N1 vaccination, and I have my worries about it. However, that means I have to be super careful and vigilant about it, as I do not want to bring any illness to the kids I teach.

So back to that paranoia. What to do? I have become so sick of it that I tried to think of a way to frame it in a positive light. How about we take this flu scare and turn it into an excuse to pamper ourselves? (Though one should never need an excuse for that!) I have been realizing how addicted I get to stress, and how I store that stress in my body. I realized how much sugar I really eat (which seriously depresses the immune system). I realized that I keep telling myself to GO GO GO, even when I’m tired and need to rest.

This has to stop. If I want to stay healthy, I have to start taking care of myself. I can’t believe how much I have cleaned up my diet in the past two weeks! I no longer take more than a bite of traditional, processed candies or chocolates (if that) per day. No more sugar or processed/refined foods! I compensate by making raw desserts a lot – full of dates, raw cacao, coconut, and other sweet treats that won’t send your body into a sugar frenzy! I eat ginger and garlic several times a day (in juices, smoothies, nut pates, etc.). I eat fresh veggies or fruit at EVERY meal. I work out nearly every day (sometimes yoga, sometimes walking), and I get as much sleep as I can.

It seems so simple, but these are really the basic building blocks for keeping our immune system working well. Funnily enough, it is often hard to do this because it just isn’t part of our culture. We are taught to go faster, work harder, don’t rest, and eat food that comes in a cardboard box. This also requires us to say no a lot more often, and to cancel social events or other commitments from time to time so we can rest. But this is like the oxygen mask in the airplane – if we don’t take care of ourselves first (despite our instincts to tend to others first), then we won’t be physically ABLE to take care of others.

Anyway, I would like to share with your three posts that I have found helpful about this subject:

1. EcoYogini’s discussion on H1N1 vaccinations
2. Another take on vaccinations and immunity boosters on Open-Ended Question
3. Meghan Telpner’s vaccination opinion, and links to her other great posts on keeping healthy

When it comes to vaccinations, do what feels right for you, based on your risk group, your career, and your personal gut instincts. Beyond that, let’s lay this panic down. I don’t mean to say that H1N1 isn’t a serious and dangerous issue – it is. But I believe that our fear of it will cause it to thrive. I believe that our mental immunity is as (or maybe more) important as our physical immunity. I believe we create what we think. If we walk around in constant fear, then we will manifest greater and greater numbers of affliction. We need to take control NOW, tell the fear to sit down and be quiet, and start promoting health and wellness, rather than talking about how scary the flu is.

Now it is time to be peaceful, inside and out – that’s the best immune system boost we can give ourselves AND the world.

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

When the Veil is Thin

Here we are, at the Celtic New Year, and I don’t know about you, but I love to start things out fresh. Get rid of the old and ring in the new. This is also a weekend to honor the dead, in the tradition of Samhain (though I believe the astrological date of Samhain this year is November 8^th), and Dio de los Muertos (today).

In honor of this, I thought I would post some pictures of my adventures in Parisian cemeteries. I’ve been really itching to revisit my trip (I went in May) through pictures and sharing stories with others, for some reason, so this is a perfect time!

While in Paris, I dragged sweetly accommodating Brian with me to three of their most famous cemeteries: Montmartre Cemetery, Montparnasse Cemetery, and Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Many famous people are buried in these places, and for some reason, it was very important for me to see them. I wanted to see Edgar Degas (the painter) in Montmartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Guy de Maupassant in Montparnasse, and Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and Oscar Wilde in Pere Lachaise. (No, I didn’t have any desire to see Jim Morrison’s grave, which is also in Pere Lachaise.

We went to Montmartre with my cousins who flew down from Scotland to spend the first few days of our trip with us. I was surprised to find that many interesting people had been buried there, including the director of the Folies Bergere (below). I was also moved by some of the tombstones, which wordlessly expressed deep grief, and/or which told stories of the people inside the crypts.

We were on our own for the second two cemeteries. We walked to the Montparnasse Cemetery all the way from le Jardin du Luxembourg. In pouring rain. We were both soaking wet, tired, sore, and cranky, and we had just had a huge fight. We barely spoke to each other for the many miles we walked, but we made a temporary truce when we entered the cemetery. The rain had just stopped, and we walked to de Beauvoir’s grave and left a metro ticket on top of it with our names and the date written on it, as many others had done before us. We passed several groups of young people who were hanging out at the benches in the cemetery (how interesting), and finally had a long talk and made amends.

We then crossed the street that cuts through the cemetery and spent half an hour looking for de Maupassant’s grave. I remember that half hour very vividly. We had split up and were walking between the gravestones, our shoes sinking in the mud. The sun was just peeking out, the air smelled fresh and clean, and the birds sang softly. I was suddenly enveloped in peace, and felt so lucky to be there in Paris doing something as absurd as searching for a French author that most of my friends (including Brian) had never even heard of! Finally, Brian found the grave – which is just how I imagined it would look – and we took pictures, and left, walking quickly, as we were quite hungry for lunch by that point.

We visited Pere Lachaise on our last day in Paris. We had a strict schedule to keep that day – we wanted to visit the Louvre as soon as it opened. So we woke up at 6AM to catch the metro that goes to the northeast part of Paris.

This cemetery seemed a lot bigger than the other two and it was in a part of town that wasn’t really….savory. It was the only part of Paris we visited that reminded me of my hometown of Los Angeles. It was covered in spray paint, and odd characters running around on the sidewalks. We weren’t scared, or anything – it was just dirty and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to stay there long. But I digress…

We entered the cemetery at the furthest entrance from the graves we sought, of course! We literally had to walk all the way to the other end (which was quite far). Along the way, we passed some eerie headstones, and some haunting WWII memorials. We found Stein’s grave easily as it was on the outer edge of the cemetery. It took us a few minutes to realize that Toklas was buried there, as well, and her name was on the OTHER side of the gravestone. (Typical.)

We turned the corner, as instructed by the map, to find Wilde’s grave…and it only took a moment to see it. Wow. It is the ugliest gravestone I ever saw, and I couldn’t imagine Wilde having picked such a monstrosity (though come to think of it…I can). In any case, we found out that it was chosen and bought by a fan (with terrible taste…?). If you know of this grave, then you know that it is COVERED in lipstick kisses. I had heard about this myself, but wasn’t prepared for the sight of it. It also had some messages written in lipstick on it, some of them in reference to Wilde’s sexuality. I’d write them here, but I try to keep this a PG-rated blog!

Anyway, there was a sign on the gravestone asking people to refrain from defacing it any further (though it doesn’t seem to be doing much good). We left without kissing it, as I have no desire to put my mouth on something that’s been kissed by hundreds of other people. Not my cup of tea. Oscar probably enjoys it, though.

So, I hope you enjoy these pictures, and know that I post them with the greatest of respect for the souls buried in those cemeteries, and for the families and loved ones who lost them. And please ask permission if you would like to use one or more of these photographs for your own use. I did not have time to “tag” them with my blog’s name, so I hope people will be respectful with them. Thank you!

Remember to give a prayer to those you have lost tonight.

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Happy Halloween 2009!

Happy Halloween/Samhain, everyone! I hope you have a great day today!

Last night, Brian and I prepared our jack-o-lanterns. It was our first time doing it alone (we usually do this with my parents) and in our new digs. It was wonderful. We watched Wallace and Grommit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and carved away!

Remember to compost the pumpkin waste, and make Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds from the seeds! I already dried mine out, and will be picking up some ginger from the store this weekend to make them! Yum! And after Halloween, don’t throw away your jack-o-lantern. Be sure to compost that, too!

And remember to ring in the Celtic New Year by throwing away the old garbage from the past. Try a ritual coffin burning, like they did on Eastwick this week. Or, keep it simple. My sister, mother, and I often gather at this time of year with a bowl of pumpkin seeds and a fire. We each take a seed, and silently think about what we want to let go…then we throw the seed into the fire. We do this as often as we feel necessary to get rid of old, dusty mojo. Give it a try!

BTW, we “borrowed” these amazing jack-o-lantern designs from the internet. Aren’t they cute faces?!

Happy Halloween and Samhain Blessings!

Don’t forget to check out the October Blog Party for some excellent October inspiration, and Mrs. B.’s 31 Days of Halloween for unbelievable giveaways!!

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Safe Halloween Make-Up

Please be aware this year that many face paints on the market (including those sold for use on children) contain lead, nickel, cobalt, and chromium. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did a study on these, using 10 popular brands (click here to see the full report, which lists the ten brands). Here’s a sample of what they found:

• All 10 products contained lead, ranging from .054 parts per million (ppm) to .65 ppm.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many other experts agree that
lead exposure is not safe at any level, and exposure to lead adds up in the body.11
Lead primarily enters the body through ingestion or inhalation. There is limited evidence
that lead can be absorbed through the skin, though this is less understood than other
routes of exposure.

• Lead exposures during prenatal development, infancy and childhood can cause attention
deficits, hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, IQ deficits, reduced school performance,
aggression and delinquent behavior.

• Lead is banned from cosmetics in Canada18 and Europe.  It is legal for cosmetics sold in
the U.S. to contain lead in any amount.

This isn’t surprising, as recent studies have found lead in popular brands of women’s lipsticks. As unbelievable as it sounds, lead in cosmetics is still a danger. Label reading will not help, either. These products do not list the heavy metals in them, and many say “safe,” hypoallergenic,” and/or “FDA compliant.” None of these claims means you are safe from lead or other toxins.

Click here for some easy DIY makeup recipes. If you choose to buy Halloween makeup, check out www.safecosmetics.org for a “toxin rating.” Also, stay away from those awful aerosol hair dyes! They are FULL of toxins both for you and the environment. Here’s what Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has to say:

While all the products tested for this report contain lead, it does not mean that all face paints
on the market contain lead. On the flip side, just because the products we analyzed did not
test postitive for mercury or arsenic does not mean we know for certain that face paints never
contain mercury or arsenic, which were both found in a Canadian study. Unfortunately, this
leaves parents in a difficult place when deciding how to help children dress up for Halloween.

For Halloween this year, using costumes that do not include face paint may be the best option.

Moving forward, parents should urge their elected officials to ban harmful ingredients and
contaminants from face paints and other cosmetics and enact comprehensive federal “safe
cosmetics” legislation that gives the FDA the authority and resources it needs to regulate
the cosmetics industry and ensure cosmetic safety.

Parents should also contact the manufacturer of their favorite face paint and insist they remove
lead, nickel, cobalt, chromium and other toxic ingredients and contaminants from face paint
immediately. The use of harmful chemicals by face paint and other cosmetics manufacturers is
unacceptable and avoidable. Safer ingredients must be identified and used.

Be safe this year and avoid those toxic makeups, both for yourself and your children. And sorry for the formatting issues with my quotations! I copied them off of the PDF file, so they are a little wonky.

Don’t forget to check out the October Blog Party for some excellent October inspiration, and Mrs. B.’s 31 Days of Halloween for unbelievable giveaways!!

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com

Halloween Advent Calendars

Last year, my mother, sister, and I made these amazing advent calendars. I’ve tried to look online for the directions we used (which came from a magazine, I believe), but I had no luck with that. So I’ll have to give you a general idea of what we did and hope you can run with it.

We started out by buying the frames (the kinds without backs – in other words, they are just frames that you can stick your hand through) we wanted from Michael’s (each one of us got a different one). We also purchased boards that would fit inside the frames (though you can cut them yourself, if you are that handy).

Before I go on, let me say that this didn’t turn out to be the most eco-friendly project. There were a couple things that are questionable and/or downright bad and I have to admit that up front. I did not take the time to research more eco-friendly alternatives. I will talk about that a little more at the end of this post, however.

You will need super powerful magnets, which Brian was kind enough to procure for us, and 31 embellishments of your choice. We used Halloween buttons and pins, and removed the backing on them to make them flat. Glue those super powerful magnets on your embellishments (but be aware that some magnets, like the ones we used are so powerful that moving them on and off the board may rip the magnet right off the embellishment).

As for the board, you will be painting that with at least three (I think we used six) layers of magnetic paint. You can find this at Home Depot. Make sure you test your magnets before deciding you are finished – this paint isn’t strongly magnetic, so you really need to make sure you put enough layers on it.

Once your magnetic paint is dry, you will be gluing a paper/calendar design to it. Now this is where you really get creative. We simply created a grid on MS Publisher to use for the calendar (you can do this any way you like – and even make one landscape-style if you don’t want it portrait-style). This was then printed out on regular cardstock paper. We then glued our calendars onto the magnetic-painted board along with strategically and artfully placed pieces of decorative scrapbook paper (the kind that comes in those big blocks). Again, this is where we got really creative and each of us used a different set of colors, and designs. My mother went for a retro look, my sister for a rustic look, and I went for a spooky look. This is where I was most offensive to Mother Nature, however, because I used spray-on glue. I’m still feeling guilty about that one.

Anyway, once you have that together, you simply embellish as you like. We used letter stickers for the days of the week (remember NOT to number your calendar, as each year the numbers will fall on different days of the week – so just label the days of the week, and leave it at that). Then we used die-cuts for the lettering at the top. What will you call yours? My sister used the title Samhain, while my mother used October, and I used Hallowmas. Mom even made one for my sister-in-law that says Halloween. It is entirely up to you.

You can use stamps and glitter to embellish, as well, which is what I did. You can leave the magnet “holding area” (where the magnets sit at the side of the calendar waiting to be placed on the calendar, itself) plain, or you can add something more to it. I added a Samhain poem by Silver Ravenwolf on mine, printed on vellum so you can still see the dark paper behind it.

Now, if I were to make this calendar again this year, you can bet I would try a lot harder to make it more eco-friendly. There are probably many glues you can find that are safer than the ones we used. I also found ideas that are similar but easier and more eco-friendly. For instance, using a cookie sheet as your background would work well. You would have to embellish the sides pretty well to hide the lip and handles, but that might not be so difficult. You can glue the calendar grid and decorations onto the back or front of the sheet, and the magnets will easily stick without using the magnetic paint.

This is a great time to make these, while you still have access to Halloween items (for the next week, anyway). Or, better yet, collect your ideas and supplies and start making yours in September 2010, so it will be ready for action next Halloween!

Feel free to add any other eco-friendly options here in the comments section, or let me know if you have seen or created something similar.

Don’t forget to check out the October Blog Party for some excellent October inspiration, and Mrs. B.’s 31 Days of Halloween for unbelievable giveaways!!

Copyright: A Green Spell
http://greenspell.wordpress.com