The Empowered Lifestyle

Crazy busy day today. Have been on the phone from about 8 in the morning right up to this very late afternoon moment. Haven't even had a chance to mull over Adam ending up in the bottom two on 'Idol' last night. As long as my little Kris Allen keeps moving forward though I'm happy. I'd guess Gokie or little Janis Joplin goes next and then it comes down to Adam and Kris. We'll see.

Have been renegotiating or, in a particular case, negotiating for the first time, deals and deals and deals all day. See, I planned alot of these meetings to take place today because there is a good communications vibe floating in the ethers. Not that you'd know it around here but that's an entirely other story for an entirely different post. One that I'll write once I get my wit about me again. But, for today, I was a little nervous going in this morning and so checked to make sure the Shui was all alight, aligned and proper. Front lights lit and windows cleaned and crystal clear. Fountain flowing in the Wealth area with the dragon tortoise keeping a close eye on the water fall. Red light in Fame area charged and charging and even remembered to offer a little incense and some sweet treats on the old altar.

And just as I was lighting the incense an older 'teaching', one that I'd received more than fifteen years ago just sort of "popped" into my mind. I had a teacher once upon much younger days named Hilda Charlton. Hilda wrote the most incredible books about her most incredible life. One of them called SAINTS ALIVE was about, well, saints who had come to life. In that book Hilda told all these stories about her own encounters with the supportive spirits of saints and also shared stories from others who could attest to same. From the girl disparaged and in despair from not being able to find a job who prayed to one of my all time fav saints, Therese of Liseaux, day in and day out asking,no begging for Therese to help her find a job. Then, one day, she went to a shop that she had been in so many times before because it really was where she wanted to work. She went back to check yet again if there were any openings or possibility that they would reconsider and hire her if one became available. The decision maker in the room SHOCKED her when he told her that the woman who had been in earlier that day had convinced them to hire her and so they were going to do just that. On the spot. She couldn't dream or imagine who had stepped in though to advocate for her? She asked the owners of the shop what the woman looked like and as they began to describe her she showed them a picture prayer card of Therese and they said that was the same woman. Of course Therese had been dead for decades and decades, but, she interceded on this devout girl's behalf.

So, today, I serendipitously remembered Hilda's sharing a story about a Hindu Holy Woman named Ammal. I don't remember all the details completely but the story went something like this:

Ammal lived in a remote part of India and was a devoted wife and loving mother. One day her family, her whole entire beloved family and the reason for her being, died in a fire. And she survived. I'll cut to the chase here, apparently, not only did Ammal survive but she retained her faith in a perfect, loving and just God. At a crisis period in her life, when it seemed that anything and everything she loved to her bones, was taken from her she refused to believe that this was anything but a blessing given her by a beautiful and benevolent God. She began to build a reputation as a holy woman (I'm sure something happened to make that happen but I just can't remember. It actually might have been that she shouldn't have but survived that fire making her a walking miracle. Let's go with that shall we?)

Anyway, it turns out that business people traveled far and long to get shakti or blessings from Ammal. And, then, when Hilda heard this story she found out about one businessman in particular whose whole business was hinging on some deal or other happening for him. He sat at Ammal's feet and begged her intercession and against the most tremendous of odds AND with a miracle effecting the outcome, this deal actually came through for that guy.

Of course, that's the drive-by version but that's what I remembered. So, before I got on the phone this morning I remembered some of Hilda's instructions to petition a saint for their assistance:

You need to recite their name aloud three times:

HOLY LADY AMMAL
HOLY LADY AMMAL
HOLY LADY AMMAL

Then you MUST use ONLY the words invoke and intercede in your petition:

I INVOKE YOUR INTERCESSION

Then you state your request:

That my blankety blank blank deal with blankety bland and my negotiations with blankety blank both are super successful. Then you add specifics here. I am sure my super successful and yours are different, so, fill in your blanks here.

Then you close by offering gratitude AS IF the Ammal had already intervened and orchestrated the perfect scenario:

THANK YOU SO MUCH AMMAL FOR INTERCEDING AND ORCHESTRATING THIS MOST PERFECT OUTCOME. I AM SO GRATEFUL.

And then you share that gratitude with the world but saying a prayer or doing a good deed. Whatevs.

So, I did all of that and, well, we'll see. But, no matter what, I know she's got my back now and that makes me feel so really and truly special. And loved. By her.

THANK YOU AMMAL.

THANK YOU AMMAL.

THANK YOU AMMAL.

AMEN.

How much do we loooove Arlen Specter renouncing his allegiance to the Republican Party because the latest polls show that he probably wouldn't win his seat back in the next Pennsylvania run-off. Not as a Republican anyway. So, he just switched his party. Even my 13 year old asked me if people could just "switch" when they thought they would be defeated running on their previous platform. Well, I guess so since he just did. Only in America. The one that China is whizzing past. But that's another whole post.

And, speaking of the Orient....

Oh wait, did you hear that Spidey is honeymooning in Mexico? I'm so not kidding! One of the late night pundits was joking about it last night. Spencer and Heidi are in Cabo. I can only imagine that not even TMZ will be traveling there to give them ANOTHERRRRRRR 15 minutes. I swear I laughed so hard when I heard that. Mexico? What were they thinking? It does make for some funny fodder though....there is a goddess with a sense of humor after all......

And, speaking of goddesses.....

Oh, one more...how much did we also loveeeee Chuck Wicks spitting out the seeds from some sour grapes when he was kicked off 'Dancing' last night? I can't believe that cowboy husband of Jewel's is still in the running. And, of course, little Janis Joplin will be the next to go on Idol tonight, even though her rendition of 'Someone to Watch Over Me' almost made me cry last night it was so sweet. Or it was the Frascati, not sure which. But I also thought the kid who wears the fedoras version of 'My Funny Valentine' was tepid to say least and totally didn't hold my attention at all. WHAT DOES SIMON SEE IN HIM? Anyway, bye bye young Janis, I think you should have def made it to the Final Four! And, of course, what's a Wednesday morning without a little comment about the New York housewives? Nah, never mind, it's too beautiful outside today.

And, speaking of the weather outside today....

TAKO-AGE Festival of the Kites in Japan. A festival sometimes dedicated to the goddess, SHINA TSU HIME. Her theme as well as the theme of this festival is all about granting wishes that are cast upon the wind.

If you have any inclination try to fly a kite today and, then, as it flies, release your wishes on the wind. You can blow bubbles or release balloons with the same idea but the real deal is the kite thing. Unless, of course, you are me and know some other secret way to engage these wish fulfilling energies....ahhhh, it's good to be the keeper of the keys....

Gather up nine leaves, each one representing the remaining months left in the year. Turn clockwise in a circle, release all but one leaf back into the care of Shina Tsu Hime while saying something like this:

When May comes, make movement towards my goals,
When June arrives send me a playful love who completes me,
When July is here, my wishes I will see come true,
When August comes, so does my hope.
When September arrives, all distractions disappear,
When October comes, my spirit shall soar free,
When November arrives, I healthy, healed and whole.
When December comes in my heart you shall reside.

Keep the last leaf as a sort of emergency "call" releasing it only one you need a quick assist from this goddess to make a wish come true. It's written on the wind. Now, blow will ya?

Once upon a time there was just the most beautiful and inspirational springtime weather embracing the end of April and causing minds and spirits to drift and be distracted by the smells of fresh green blowing blades of grass and the sights of trees spreading their newly leafed wings.

Until the Big Bad Pig came along and caused all of us to take our attention away from the things that can fill our lives with magic. This Big Bad Pig wanted a panic. Yes he did. The swine!

But he won't get one from us.

We know that we can stay healthy and well by not giving that oinker any of our good energy.

See, last night, around 10 o'clock (post 'Dancing' but just at the tippy top of Brody doing the dirty with Audrina..talk about pigs and swines....unless, of course, it was okay with his girlfriend Jayde, you know, the one he "LOVES" for him to go sleeping around with other girls?), but, wait, back to my story. My son comes into my room with his laptop open and poised on a big bad breaking news page all about the pig.

"Look Mom," he pleaded while pointing to the fact that the pig had wings and was flying, as pigs are sometimes wont to do. Especially when Hell freezes over. But, there he was, my sweet young innocent, buying into the media frenzy, you know, the same one instructing us all not to panic.

Ah well, time I suppose to pack in my ire over Team Mambo not winning the group dance off with the most excellent (said in my best Napolean Dynamite voice) version of B's 'All The Single Ladies.'

Team Tango judges....really?

So, suspending my disbelief at the judges utter lack of any semblence of humor and resigned to the fact that I was going to have to forego watching paint dry, um, I mean, the girls on The Hills hit Hawaii, I decided to seize the swine-y opportunity to remind my son of a little lesson that I've tried to drum into his little head about seven gajillion times.

And it goes like this:

WHATEVER YOU GIVE YOUR ENERGY TO, YOU ARE ALLOWING TO MANIFEST INTO YOUR LIFE. GOOD OR BAD, NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE, YOUR (!!!!!) CHOICE. BUT IF YOU THINK IT, IT WILL COME! YOU (!!!!!....and, just in case...!!!!!) CREATE YOUR OWN REALITY. PERIOD.

So, therefore, if you are going to run around the shoe-box trying to find the old lady who lives there so you can show her frightening faces of gloom and doom all predicting the end of the world because of a pig, then, guess what? YOU are helping to spread this infection too.

This is applicable to EVERY SINGLE THING IN LIFE. Look, I'm not immune. I can whine and bitch with the best. Just ask Kath (who's dad, by the way, is undergoing ANOTHER surgery today...prayers kids, prayers. Pull HEALTH and HEALING to him just he way we know we can!)

Anyway, back to my whining and bitching. Let's just take my current computer conundrum. For whatever reason my machine is running really slow. Takes FOREVER to open an email. And, considering I get over 500 a day, you can imagine, right? But, instead of sitting and moaning and working myself into a dither that won't help the delay, I have chosen to use the time to say affirmations while I wait for my mail to load. I chose a more productive path even though my gut response is to pick up this piece of...oh, wait, um, I mean, I NOW EXPRESS THE DIVINE IDEA IN MY MIND, BODY AND AFFAIRS.

So, you see, I used this current opportunity that potentially puts fear into the collective unconscious to show my son how powerful each and every one of us can be in turning that fear into empowerment simply by not allowing our energy to go to the pedestrian place, but, rather, to CHOOSE to focus it elsewhere. Like on the beautiful spring nights with the stars shining bright and the faeries flitting their flickering little lights from burgeoning and budding tree to tree. Time MUCH better spent.

Find your faeries. They're waiting.

And we all live happily ever after. THE END.

Was all set to give the latest weekend lil guy lacrosse update (even though it was four thousand degrees and the kids heads were collectively up their lax playing arses, we still managed to pull out another win...undefeated on the season with three games left to go.) I was also going to rail against the crap that Trump has been pulling on his Sunday night 'Celebrity Apprentice' show...like how, a few weeks ago he just serendipitously sent one of the Kardashian girls packing because he found out that she missed a day of work in order to fly home and attend a DUI class imposed upon her by the court. Trump, a notorious non-imbiber, was so incensed at her past behavior that he just kicked her out of the boardroom with no other excuse other than he was peeved. I really didn't care then though because, well, who would? A Kardashian sister. Enough said.

But, then, last night he had Jim Cramer (the CNBC stock pick guy...I know, I don't get it either) as one of the guest judges and it was CRYSTAL CLEAR that either the blonde Brandy (who was the project manager who lost the task by the way) should go OR her puppeteer professional poker playing bff, Annie, should go. It was equally CRYSTAL CLEAR that Melissa Rivers, love or hate her, did nothing to warrant expulsion from that team. But, just as Cramer is making her, um, I mean, his case why Brandy should exit, Trump (and I swear this is true) slips him a NOTE!!! A note!!!! Like my seventh grader does at school. A NOTE! And all of a sudden pussy Cramer totally turns tail and starts to malign Melissa out of the blue. It all came down to who could raise the most money for ole Emperor Donny of course, but it was the way it went down that was so transparently moronic. I mean I am just so sick of ALL of these network execs thinking that we are all morons too.

But mostly I was just glad to see that Cramer stays true to form as his wimp-ass self. I actually used to like the guy, well, a little anyway. Slim pickings over there at the old financial news network. Anyway, then Cramer agreed to assume the gauntlet that Jon Stewart initially lobbed at another CNBC'er, Rick Santelli. Santelli completely chickened out and someone really idiotic over at CNBC thought it would be a good idea to send Cramer over to The Daily Show. Sent him armed with a dull knife to that gunfight. Cramer said so many mea culpa's for his own abberant and irresponsible behaviors and those of his cronies who contributed to the current economic climate that he should now be wearing a big, giant ring, a tall red tocque and be called Monsignor Cramer. I totally lost ANY ounce of respect that I might have had for him when he practically wet his pants on Stewart's stage. What a girl.

Anyway, I was going to rail about all of this when I just heard that the CDC is considering closing down ALL SCHOOLS in the country due to this swine flu outbreak. They are deciding this week whether to do just that or not. EVERY SCHOOL in the country. I'm also hearing that we might want to stock up as if a storm is heading our way. They're obviously trying to control a panic situation but, yeesh, closing EVERY school? That's pretty dramatic don't you think?

So, instead of offering Melissa Rivers some secret Shui to get and keep her next job, I think I'll veer over into the holistic health arena today and tell you some secret Shui ways to boost your immunity and how to do same for anyone else around you.

Firstly, if you don't have some 100% lavendar essential oil on hand, you should. Always. It is Mother Nature's answer to almost everything. For our intents and purposes now we are going to use it as an immune system enhancer. Pour ten drops into a bowl of boiling water and let that diffuse into sleeping spaces overnight. I can PROMISE you that one bowl and ten drops a night in each applicable bedroom until this epidemic is over will give you a good night's sleep on every conceivable level. All natural anti-biotic, ANTI-VIRAL, anti-fungal and immunity booster.

Next, and this is pretty critical too, keep your living space cleansed and cleared of any germs while preventing negative energies from entering as well. Burn pine needles inside your home. There's a reason they call that disinfectant PINE Sol, you know. Pine needles. Burn them. At least a few times a day. And here's the secret Shui...hang a pine bough from a tree over your front door. This is supposedly one way to keep ill energies, such as, oh, say, the swine flu for instance, out of your space. A different sort of passover but the same piggy principle. If you can't grab some pine then you can substitute dried sage but try to get pine.

And, regardless of what anyone else says, don't eat pork until this thing passes as well. Just don't take the chance. That's all. I know, I know, I'm gonna get letters, but, guess what? I don't care. If one person stays healthy and well because of this codicil then hit that 'Send' button all ya want. Don't care. Sorry sueeeeeeeeee.

Okay, lastly, bee propolis. You've read those words in this same space before. For a good reason. Don't worry about grabbing some black market Tamiflu when bee propolis will do the EXACT same thing without weighing on the liver. It's an anti-histamine, an anti-biotic, and ANTI-VIRUS, anti-fungal and a decongestant in one. Tablets, caplets or liquid form. If you are reading this from one of our cities that is suffering an outbreak (Queens, NY or Ohio or Kansas) then get some propolis and start taking it immediately as protection.

This works.

Supposedly Oprah is having Oz on her show tomorrow so she can pull the curtain aside and he can instruct on other measure to take while the concerns surrounding a global pandemic swirl around this swine flu. If you just do what we just talked about however, you'll be in the pink and so will all of your loved ones.

These are just the days that I know we were all put together for. And I am grateful for that! Thanks! Now get thee to a nearby park and start collecting those pine needles....go on now....don't make me come over there and smack you.....go on.....and for goodness sakes, stay healthy will you?

April 26 marks the day that good Will was actually baptized on, so, we also celebrate his birthday on this day as well. I took a Shakespeare course in college with Father Lynch as our Jesuit guide and practically memorized every one of the sonnets and the plays. Except don't tell Kath that because it's still a sore point with her that I almost never went to that class but still managed to pull an A for the entire year. Because, like I said, I practially memorized every one of Will's sonnets and plays. We had to speak olde English in that class and, to this day, the only word I remember is the one for sexual intercourse. That should tell you something eh? Anyway, back to Will. So, he was born and raised in the countryside thereby allowing him a wonderfully grand sense of herbs and plants. It apears that he was as well versed in greenery as he was in swithing (wink, wink!)

He was prone to punching up his prose with frequent references to the edible gifts that come from the earth. It's a fact that one of the most well referenced quotes from A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM contains a point to one of the most referenced herbs in his work....beautifully fragrant and magical thyme..(see, Kath, I still remembered Fr. Lynch talking all about this....but do you????)

Anyway, all teasing aside, in that same play Oberon speaks of "a bank where the wild thyme blows," indeed, the bower where Titania sleeps among the honeysuckle and the roses. Isn't that allusion just lovely?

As is the following thyme and chicken recipe. But, first, the magically delicious aspect of thyme: Look if for nothing else, we LOVE the lore surrounding this herb that says that women should wear a sprig in their hair to make themselves irresistable. I'll be making a wig out of some sprigs this weekend. With bangs of course. Will let you know how that goes for me. In the mean, it is also believed that placing thyme beneath your pillow while you sleep at night will bring a peaceful, restful sleep without worry or nightmare. It is also thought that carrying or keeping fresh thyme close by will exponentially increase your psychic powers. Wait, it's working...I see thyme and chicken in your future....WOW! This stuff really workds. Okay, one last; thyme was used in ancient Greek times as a purifactory herb as they burned it in their temples to purify and cleanse. To that end they also recommended a magical bath containing fresh thyme as well as marjoram (another herb that Shakespeare referenced quite often...see how I can tie all this in together?) Anyway, this bath was believed to remove all sorrows and ills from any person soaking up the courage and good energy.

Once your dry you can cook up some culinary magic in your own kitchen with..

THYME AND HONEY CHICKEN
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablepoons honey
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 freshly garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme
4 chicken breasts

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients but the chicken and pour into any container that can be sealed. Lid the container of marinade and refrigerate at least overnight (refrigerated, the marinade will keep for a little over one week.)

Coat the chicken with the marinade and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Obviously you can broil or grill the chicken as well.

Thanks for all the kind words Will Shakespeare and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!