Dance, dance, dance All Night Long~~~It's bella bella~~~Thanks Steve Miller~~~

sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still),


Summer Solstice and Winter solstice are the most common names. However, these can be ambiguous since seasons of the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, and the summer solstice of one hemisphere is the winter solstice of the other. These are also known as the 'longest' or 'shortest' days of the year.
Northern Solstice and Southern Solstice indicate the direction of the Sun's apparent movement. The northern solstice is in June on Earth, when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the southern solstice is in December, when the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere.
June Solstice and December Solstice are an alternative to the more common "summer" and "winter" terms, but without the ambiguity as to which hemisphere is the context. They are still not universal, however, as not all people use a solar-based calendar where the solstices occur every year in the same month (as they do not in the Islamic Calendar and Hebrew calendar, for example), and the names are not useful for other planets (Mars, for example), even though these planets do have seasons.
First point of Cancer and first point of Capricorn. One disadvantage of these names is that, due to the precession of the equinoxes, the astrological signs where these solstices are located no longer correspond with the actual constellations.
Taurus solstice and Sagittarius solstice are names that indicate in which constellations the two solstices are currently located. These terms are not widely used, though, and until December 1989 the first solstice was in Gemini, according to official IAU boundaries.
The Latin names Hibernal solstice (winter), and Aestival solstice (summer) are sometimes used.




Dance, dance, dance all night long!

Here's to the days of light!

And here's to hoping your's is bright!

Namesta,

Allison

Portrait of a Painter, Healing Painting

A picture speaks a thousand words is an aged old saying, but I just heard it the opposite. It can speak for itself without words. Some knowledge is tactic knowledge which helped me mountains because I stopped trying to 'explain' myself.
Have a beautiful day!
Namesta,
May the best in us find each other!
Allisonians

In the Ojibwe culture, the sun is seen as the source of renewal, of warmth and light. The two themes of the sun and Naniboujou are intertwined in a huge mural-like painting by Red Cliff artist Rabbit Strickland entitled, "To Move The Sun." Strickland is a nationally known Native American artist, whose works have been displayed at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth and are sold out of the prestigious Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, N.M.

Spring Smash

Oh, Spring you are elusive!
How fast a day can go when played in your presence.
My children are grown,
They are in the spring of thier lives and
Their lives are busy and bright!
Thank you!

Just want to slow down and sing!
Listen to the birds and the bees
Rain and the Trees!
Have a brilliant season.
The spring smash has truly begun.


©Allisonians

The Swallows of San Juan Capistrano

Back from winter vacation in Argentina

The famous cliff swallows of San Juan Capistrano, that leave town every year in a swirling mass near the Day of San Juan (October 23), are returning from their winter vacation spot 6,000 miles south in Goya, Corrientes, Argentina.

They land at the mission in San Juan, California, on or around St. Joseph's Day, March 19, to the ringing bells of the old church and a crowd of visitors from all over the world who are in town awaiting their arrival and celebrating with a huge fiesta as well as a parade.

Seeking Solace in the Mission

Legend has it that the swallows took refuge in the Mission San Juan Capistrano from an irate innkeeper who destroyed their muddy nests. The swallows return to the old ruined church each spring knowing they will be protected within the mission's walls. In fact, the city has taken their safety seriously passing an ordinance against destroying their nests.

So-called "scout swallows" precede the main flock each year by a few days but the majority of the small birds usually arrives on the 19th and begins rebuilding the mud nests that cling to the ruins of the old stone church and throughout the Capistrano Valley.

The Oldest Building in California


The mission, originally built from 1776–1806, was seriously damaged in 1812 by a deadly earthquake and was never fully rebuilt. It is the seventh in a chain of 21 California Missions all supposedly separated by the distance of a day's walk. The Mission was named for the Crusader, Saint John of Capistrano, who had taken the name of his Italian birthplace. Padre Junipero Serra was a Spanish Franciscan priest who founded the church on November 1, 1776, and the adobe Serra Chapel section of the mission has been rebuilt and it is now the oldest building in California still in use today.

The mission is located near two rivers and was an ideal spot for the swallows to nest for years because of the abundance of the insects on which they feed. The reduction in numbers of the insects, largely as a result of the development of the area, has caused some of the swallows to locate further from the center of town and explains why there are no longer huge clouds of swallows descending on the Mission. Still, it's quite a sight.

Oh, And One More Thing.....

Soil Association is looking at a poison linked to the killing off of the bees.
Check it out for yourself. I am just into bees, and that darn Carson lady's book left me no choice, years ago, but to make my ears perk up when I see that there is still talk going on like that, and there's an obvious population decrease here,
'made me look'.

What about you?

Please feel free to send in your comments.

Thank you!

Allisonian

And My Favorite Subjects..... Mother Nature and Eating.....AND of course~~Chickweed; oh my little stars

Why Eat Wild Herbs and Edible Plants? What Do You Get In a Weed That Money Can Not Buy?

For hundreds of years people took advantage of the medicine cabinet at their doorstep. Before the advent of processed foods and modern convenience stores, wild plants were a common dietary supplement. They were the ultimate natural multivitamin!

Often the plants we call weeds have therapeutic value. Our pharmaceutical industry bases many new medicines on the healing factors in herbs.

Why eat wild herbs?


They are power packed with phyto-nutrients, hundreds of times the vitamin and mineral density of a supermarket lettuce. Remember our common lettuce started out in the wild. Due to thousands of years of agriculture it has become rather meek and mild, compared to its ancestors.

They are free; great value nutrition.

You only need a little to reap the nutritional benefits.

Nutrient dense wild plants support all levels of health, starting at a cellular level.

What if you live in the city?
Not everyone lives in the countryside these days, with healthy spray free wild herbs at their doorstep. How can you get the benefits of wild plants without turning into a forager?


Drink herbal teas made from wild herbs, like nettle.

Eat darker leafy green vegetables whenever possible. Shop at a farmers market for the older varieties and more unusual green vegetables. These vegetables are most likely less hybridised and therefore intrinsically more powerful health wise.

Take a green powder like barley grass or Vitamineral Green. Vitamineral green contains wild plants in its nutrient dense ingredient profile.

If you do live rurally, how do you spot the good ones?
People ask us, “how do you avoid the poisonous ones?” Good question! Ask around and learn one edible variety at a time. Often community gardens have people in the know. Gather this precious knowledge slowly. Read books. You will feel more connected to your local environment and

What to do with wild herbs and dark leafy greens?


Wild herbs can be juiced (the forerunner to wheat grass juice!) with carrots and apples, made into dressings or pesto, and chopped finely into salads.

Wild Weed Pesto Recipe - This really tastes good!
Makes 2 cups
This recipe works well for many other greens if you are unfamiliar with edible weeds. Try rocket, coriander or spinach. It can also be spiced up with the addition of fresh chilli. Almost any other nuts or seeds can be substituted for the pumpkin seeds.

2 cups (packed) chickweed, puha or other mild-tasting edible weeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight in water, then drained.
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 Tab olive oil
2 Tab miso (or ½ tsp sea salt)
Juice of one lemon

1) Wash your weeds and drain well. Chop them into about 1 cm bits.
2) Place in a food processor. Blend together with all other ingredients. Adjust consistency with either olive oil (to make it thicker) or water (to make it thinner).

Conclusion on Eating Wild Weeds
So what are you going to get out of a common weed, that you won’t get out of spinach? Not less, you get more of everything! More vitamins and minerals, to feed the powerhouse in every cell exactly what it’s needs to be well. As nutrient values in common vegetables have declined, eating a few finely chopped wild herbs in your salad will top you up… for free!

Copyright Wild Health and Anna Wilde 2007

Anna Wilde works with people who want to improve their health naturally.
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This is not My advice, but I like how these people think and so does Jack Johnson..

Peace out!

Sri Yantra; Loom; Mendala; Bindu

A mandala is a plan, chart or geometric pattern which represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective. A Sri Yantra is a type of mandala with geometric patterns. Sri Yantra literally means loom, instrument or machine. In actual practice, a yantra is a symbolic representation of aspects of divinity, the creative forces of the universe. It is an interlocking matrix of geometric figures, circles, triangles and floral patterns that form fractal patterns of elegance and beauty. These visual patterns can have a powerful effect on the mind. Just as primordial sounds, or mantras, can be useful in balancing our mind and body through hearing, primordial shapes can generate increased coherence in our brains, creating a balancing and calming influence. In cultures around the world, beautiful visual patterns are used to quiet a restless mind.




Yantra Meditation

As you look at the yantra, allow your eyes to focus on its center. This dot in the center is called the Bindu, which represents the unity that underlies all the diversity of the physical world.

Now allow your eyes to see the triangle that encloses the bindu. The downward pointing triangle represents the feminine creative power, while the upward facing triangle represents male energy.

Allow your vision to expand to include the circles outside of the triangles. They represent the cycles of cosmic rhythms. The image of the circle embodies the notion that time has no beginning and no end. The farthest region of space and the innermost nucleus of an atom both pulsate with the same rhythmic energy of creation. That rhythm is within you and without you.

Bring your awareness to lotus petals outside the circle. Notice that they are pointing outwards, as if opening. They illustrate the unfolding of our understanding. The lotus also represents the heart, the seat of the Self. When the heart opens, understanding comes.

The square at the outside of the yantra represents the world of form, the material world that our senses show us, the illusion of separateness, of well defined edges and boundaries. At the periphery of the figure are four T-shaped portals, or gateways. Notice that they point toward the interior of the yantra, the inner spaces of life. They represent our earthly passage from the external and material to the internal and sacred.

Now take a moment to gaze into the yantra, letting the different shapes and patterns emerge naturally, allowing your eyes to be held loosely in focus. Gaze at the center of the yantra on the page. Without moving your eyes, gradually begin to expand your field of vision. Continue expanding your vision until you are taking in information from greater than 180 degrees. Notice that all this information was there all along, you just became aware of it. Now slowly reverse the process by re-focusing back to the center of the yantra. Now gently close your eyes. You may still see the yantra in your mind’s eye. The patterns of creativity represented by these primordial shapes express the fundamental forces of nature. They govern the world and they govern you.






http://www.chopra.com/mandalas