Mandala Aroma: gifts for you
http://www.mandala-aroma.com
Thursday, 17 December 2009
gifts for you
At this time of year we spend so much time preparing, worrying and stressing out about Xmas, I ask you to take a deep breath in, hold, and let it out. ahhhhh
Xmas or Yuletide as its old name was once known, is a time for reflection and celebration. Celebrating the coming together of loved ones, family and friends. In olden days past it was a gathering of the Yule log, that would keep you warm over the coldest darkest time of year.
A celebration of that yule log that had sacrificed itself to give us warmth. Imagine, in ancient times, the men go out to find a good yule log that will burn well, and give good heat. Some woods may burn well but dont give good heat. Others maybe smaller but give better heat, ash, oak. So the men size up the wood and decide upon the appropriate tree, they sing songs, and honour the tree before cutting down. Its sacrifice means the family is kept warm.
It is the time of longest nights and shortest days. A time to hibernate, and go within, a time for reflection and nurturing.
The Yule log, brings light into the home at the time of year. The darkest nights the yule log illuminates our life. It brings heat and warmth to body and soul. It brings out the story teller in us, the songster, the creative knitter, and the embroiderer, it brings imagination, hopes and dreams, it helps us to remember our love for each other and life.
May the blessings of Yule be with you, may it illuminate your dreams, and ignite your love
Gillian xx
Xmas or Yuletide as its old name was once known, is a time for reflection and celebration. Celebrating the coming together of loved ones, family and friends. In olden days past it was a gathering of the Yule log, that would keep you warm over the coldest darkest time of year.
A celebration of that yule log that had sacrificed itself to give us warmth. Imagine, in ancient times, the men go out to find a good yule log that will burn well, and give good heat. Some woods may burn well but dont give good heat. Others maybe smaller but give better heat, ash, oak. So the men size up the wood and decide upon the appropriate tree, they sing songs, and honour the tree before cutting down. Its sacrifice means the family is kept warm.
It is the time of longest nights and shortest days. A time to hibernate, and go within, a time for reflection and nurturing.
The Yule log, brings light into the home at the time of year. The darkest nights the yule log illuminates our life. It brings heat and warmth to body and soul. It brings out the story teller in us, the songster, the creative knitter, and the embroiderer, it brings imagination, hopes and dreams, it helps us to remember our love for each other and life.
May the blessings of Yule be with you, may it illuminate your dreams, and ignite your love
Gillian xx
Monday, 8 September 2008
DOES YOUR SHOWER GEL NEED A HEALTH WARNING?
Most of us use some sort of toiletry product everyday in shampoos, shower gels, moisturisers and perfumes to name a few. How safe are they? Even products marked “natural”, “herbal” or “organic” may contain just a trace of a natural essences added to a synthetic base. Nobody has tested the effects of repeated daily use of complex mixtures of synthetic chemicals over a long term period. The industry feeds people’s insecurities about their appearance and body odour to sell products that at best may be unnecessary, at worst linked to allergies, skin irritation, cancer and hormone disruption.
Your skin is a living breathing organ, and absorbs approximately 60% of what you put on it, that is how HRT patches work. So it doesn’t matter if you eat a healthy organic diet if you are applying toxic personal care products to your skin, they are absorbed.
One of the most popular chemicals added to personal care products is Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, known as SLS. It is a strong detergent that makes the product foam well, and it is very cheap for the manufacturer to use. It can cause eye irritation and permanent damage to the eyes, especially in children, skin rashes, hair loss, and flaking skin. When combined with other ingredients it can form nitrosamines which are carcinogenic. It easily penetrates the skin and can lodge itself in the heart, lungs, brain and liver.
Other products manufacturers used for moisturising the skin are mineral oils. These are petroleum derived products. It is a grease that is used to give a feeling of moisturising the skin. In fact it strips the skin of its natural oil causing dryness and prohibits the release of toxins through the skin. It can also cause photosensitivity, chapping and premature ageing. It is found in Baby oil, and other liquid and gel based petroleum oil products.
So you have one product that cleans the skin but strips the natural oil from the skin leaving it dry, and then you add a petroleum based moisturiser that dries the skin further. This means big profits for the manufacturer, yet you the customer are on a cycle of permanently drying your skin, that can lead to more sensitive skin problems.
The chemicals in products and how they damage the skin, is what inspired me to develope Mandala Aroma Organics to be ultra soothing skin conditioning products. All organic and Vegan approved. The products of body wash, body lotions, bath oils, body oils, hand creams, and soaps, use all natural ingredients to gentle preserve the delicate skin mantle. High concentrations of skin enhancing ingredients such as Shea Butter, Marula oil and rosehip seed oil with natural plant soap extracts leaves your skin soft, supple and moisturised. As they are moisture intensive you only need to use a small amount to feel the difference immediately. Many customers with skin problems such as eczema have found rapid relief using the Mandala Aroma products, and an end to the never ending cycle of dry skin.
http://www.mandala-aroma.com/
Monday, 26 May 2008
Friday, 23 May 2008
The Birds & the Bees!
Well hellooo
I have been so busy out and about that my blog is falling behind. What amazes me is how some people blogg everyday, maybe its their online diary.
So its May, the land is lush and green and it feels like Summer is here. I love the scent of Hawthorn blossom in blousy cream clouds on the hedgerows, and up and down the country the May queens have been crowned. Reminiscent of a time gone by when the goddess ( the earth) was celebrated as she mated with the green god to bring fertility back to the land. The birds are mating and the bees are buzzing, in more ways than one! Talking of bees, do you know that for every 3 mouthfuls of food you eat 2 of them was made by pollination by insects.
Bees are dwindling rapidly in this country and up to 60% in the USA. The thinking is and some research has suggested that radiation from mobile phones and other high tech gadgets are responsible. I also think loss of habitat with the massive building going on in this country is also contributing.
Infact where I live we have a lovely lane full of nettles and wild flowers. Some crazy person who lives in a neat bungalow with a very neat garden tends to take it upon themselves to strim the wild verges of everything above 1cm high!. It infuriates me. These small messy verges with nettles and wild forget me knots are an eco system that feeds bees, insects, butterflies and birds for the whole of the summer. This very "neat " person thinks it looks a mess and wipes it all out. Despite complaining to the local council, and the Parish council, no one seems to care. They probably think I am quite mad. Well if and when the day comes that bees have deserted us and we have failed crops and no food, they may just feel a little uneasy that they contributed to it!
The implications of the spread of bees deserting hives is alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left". Scary!
No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks.
German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines.
Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.
Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."
What you can do to help
Plant bee friendly flowers . In areas of the country where there are few agricultural crops, honeybees rely upon garden flowers to ensure they have a diverse diet and to provide nectar and pollen. Encourage honeybees to visit your garden by planting single flowering plants and vegetables. Go for all the allium family, all the mints, all beans except French beans and flowering herbs. Bees like daisy-shaped flowers - asters and sunflowers, also tall plants like hollyhocks, larkspur and foxgloves. Bees need a lot of pollen and trees are a good source of food. Willows and lime trees are exceptionally good. check out the bee keeping website http://www.britishbee.org.uk/index.php
Buy local honey.- also this is good for people who suffer from hay fever
Honey is also a natural antiseptic and never goes off. Infact you can use honey on cuts to act as a natural antiseptic. Honey has been found in Egyptian tombs still fresh and edible after 3000 years!
Bees have always been revered as mysterious creatures and infact we owe quite a few of our English language sayings to the humble bee:-
Mind your beeswax- mind your own business
Tell it to the bees- to keep a secret
The bees knees- Absolute cream of the crop, excellent.
The Hindu gods Vishnu, Krishna and Indra were called Madhava or "nectar born ones", and were often represented as bees perched on a lotus flower. Madhava is derived from madhu meaning honey, which seems to be related to the saxon medu meaning mead, and also the name of the celtic queen of the fairies Madb.
Known as messangers of God by some country folk, the bee were thought to have special knowledge of the future, and to kill one brought extreme bad luck. Bees have been acknowledged throughout history from Egyptian, Celts, to the Elysium mysteries, Roman, and Greek mythology and foklore.
The legs of a Bee are covered with fine hairs which allow them to collect pollen to bring to their hives and make honey. They can also “taste” through their legs.
Dont confuse bees with wasps. If a bee stings you it dies, if a wasp stings you it goes on to live another day and sting again, and again,,,,,,and again!
Have a fab Bank holiday weekend
Gillian :)
I have been so busy out and about that my blog is falling behind. What amazes me is how some people blogg everyday, maybe its their online diary.
So its May, the land is lush and green and it feels like Summer is here. I love the scent of Hawthorn blossom in blousy cream clouds on the hedgerows, and up and down the country the May queens have been crowned. Reminiscent of a time gone by when the goddess ( the earth) was celebrated as she mated with the green god to bring fertility back to the land. The birds are mating and the bees are buzzing, in more ways than one! Talking of bees, do you know that for every 3 mouthfuls of food you eat 2 of them was made by pollination by insects.
Bees are dwindling rapidly in this country and up to 60% in the USA. The thinking is and some research has suggested that radiation from mobile phones and other high tech gadgets are responsible. I also think loss of habitat with the massive building going on in this country is also contributing.
Infact where I live we have a lovely lane full of nettles and wild flowers. Some crazy person who lives in a neat bungalow with a very neat garden tends to take it upon themselves to strim the wild verges of everything above 1cm high!. It infuriates me. These small messy verges with nettles and wild forget me knots are an eco system that feeds bees, insects, butterflies and birds for the whole of the summer. This very "neat " person thinks it looks a mess and wipes it all out. Despite complaining to the local council, and the Parish council, no one seems to care. They probably think I am quite mad. Well if and when the day comes that bees have deserted us and we have failed crops and no food, they may just feel a little uneasy that they contributed to it!
The implications of the spread of bees deserting hives is alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left". Scary!
No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks.
German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines.
Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a "hint" to a possible cause.
Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."
What you can do to help
Plant bee friendly flowers . In areas of the country where there are few agricultural crops, honeybees rely upon garden flowers to ensure they have a diverse diet and to provide nectar and pollen. Encourage honeybees to visit your garden by planting single flowering plants and vegetables. Go for all the allium family, all the mints, all beans except French beans and flowering herbs. Bees like daisy-shaped flowers - asters and sunflowers, also tall plants like hollyhocks, larkspur and foxgloves. Bees need a lot of pollen and trees are a good source of food. Willows and lime trees are exceptionally good. check out the bee keeping website http://www.britishbee.org.uk/index.php
Buy local honey.- also this is good for people who suffer from hay fever
Honey is also a natural antiseptic and never goes off. Infact you can use honey on cuts to act as a natural antiseptic. Honey has been found in Egyptian tombs still fresh and edible after 3000 years!
Bees have always been revered as mysterious creatures and infact we owe quite a few of our English language sayings to the humble bee:-
Mind your beeswax- mind your own business
Tell it to the bees- to keep a secret
The bees knees- Absolute cream of the crop, excellent.
The Hindu gods Vishnu, Krishna and Indra were called Madhava or "nectar born ones", and were often represented as bees perched on a lotus flower. Madhava is derived from madhu meaning honey, which seems to be related to the saxon medu meaning mead, and also the name of the celtic queen of the fairies Madb.
Known as messangers of God by some country folk, the bee were thought to have special knowledge of the future, and to kill one brought extreme bad luck. Bees have been acknowledged throughout history from Egyptian, Celts, to the Elysium mysteries, Roman, and Greek mythology and foklore.
The legs of a Bee are covered with fine hairs which allow them to collect pollen to bring to their hives and make honey. They can also “taste” through their legs.
Dont confuse bees with wasps. If a bee stings you it dies, if a wasp stings you it goes on to live another day and sting again, and again,,,,,,and again!
Have a fab Bank holiday weekend
Gillian :)
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