WHAT ARE FREE RADICALS AND ANTIOXIDANTS?

In the world of skin care you may have heard of "Free Radicals", this term seems to crop up a lot in skin care adverts so what exactly are Free Radicals? Well basically they are organic molecules and they are very unstable and because of this, they look to bond with other molecules in an effort to become stable. They are responsible for aging and tissue damage and because they are looking to bond with other molecules, they destroy their vigour. You may have also have heard of "Antioxidants" these are present in many foods and are molecules that prevent damage by Free Radicals. You may also have heard of the ACE vitamins, these are Vitamins A, C and E and these vitamins have a known effect on Free Radicals. Many skin cremes have these vitamins added to them and vitamin E especially has been added to many food stuffs especially bread as it extends the shelf life. It is well known by adding wheat germ oil, which is rich in vitamin E to skin preparations and essential oils blends, extends its shelf life and prevents the oils from becoming rancid too quickly. It is better to obtain these vitamins as part of a healthy balanced diet as they are assimilated better by the body than supplements.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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UNIVERSAL LAW

THE SEVEN NATURAL LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation-
* Energy moves into physical form.
* The images you hold in your mind most often materialise in results in your life. In other words every great plan, building, structure began as "A castle in the air"Your dreams can become a reality if you believe in them.
The Law of Relativity-
* Nothing is good or bad, big or small... until you RELATE it to something.
* Practice relating your situation to something much worse and yours will always look good. There is ALWAYS someone worse off than YOU
The Law of Vibration and Attraction-
* Everything vibrates, nothing rests.
* Conscious awareness of vibration is called feeling. Your thoughts control your paradigms and your vibration (which dictates what you attract).
* When you are not feeling good, become aware of what you are thinking, then think of something pleasant. In other words negativity attracts negativity and likewise positivity attracts positivity
The Law of Polarity-
* Everything has an opposite: Hot - Cold ... Up - Down ... Good - Bad.
* Constantly look for the good in people and situations. When you find it, tell the person. People love compliments and the positive idea in your mind makes you feel good. Remember, good idea - good vibrations. Encourage the good it will change a negative to a positive and this will reverberate throughout the Universe.
The Law of Rhythm-
* The tide goes out ... night follows day ... good times - bad times.
* When you are on a down swing, do not feel bad. Know the swing will change and things will get better. There are good times coming - think of them. Always focus on the positive, nothing stays the same and the bad times will come to an end
The Law of Cause and Effect-
* Whatever you send into the Universe comes back. Action -- re-action are equal and opposite.
* Say good things to everyone; treat everyone with total respect and it will all come back. Never worry about what you are going to get, just concentrate on what you can give. What YOU give out YOU get back. This is Karma
The Law of Gender-
* Every seed has a gestation or incubation period. Ideas are spiritual seeds and will move into form or physical results.
* Your goals will manifest when the time is right. KNOW they will. There is a correct time for everything, if it didn't happen it wasn't the right time, when it is IT WILL HAPPEN.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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SO YOU WANT TO SMOKE!

We know that smoking can wreak havoc on a woman's appearance, (as explained in previous articles on this blog) causing a sallow complexion and premature ageing, and as well as having effects on sexual health contributing to infertility, early menopause, can contribute to osteoporosis.

Smokers lungs, mouth and skin cancers, circulatory disease leading to gangerine

Smoking causes 50 certain diseases cigarettes are a well-known cause of lung cancer, chronic lung disease, heart disease, and other disorders such as skin cancer, mouth cancer, stroke and high blood pressure. It is the myriad of toxins in cigarette smoke, rather than the nicotine content, that is responsible for the majority of the harmful effects. In other words, it is the delivery system, not the addictive drug, which is responsible for the vast majority of tobacco-related diseases. And it is not the nicotine in cigarettes, but the tar that causes the unsightly yellow-brown stains on fingers and teeth. There are more than 4,000 other chemicals in cigarette smoke, many of which are known to cause cancer. In particular it is the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrosamines that are the probable causative agents for lung and other cancers.

It is the adverse nicotine effect in tobacco products that leads to addiction and this which sustains tobacco use. Because most smokers are nicotine-dependent, they continue to expose themselves to toxins from cigarettes. It is the other chemicals in cigarettes, not nicotine, which are responsible for most of the adverse health effects related to smoking. Nicotine is an addictive drug. When smoked, it is delivered into the lungs and is rapidly absorbed by the blood, reaching the brain within approximately ten seconds. At this point, smokers experience a nicotine "hit" - causing the brain to produce Dopamines, a neurotransmitter that regulates emotion and feelings of pleasure. The brain soon comes to expect regular doses of nicotine and suffers nicotine withdrawal symptoms when the supply is interrupted. The addictive nature of nicotine is largely due to its dose and rapid delivery to the brain when smoking cigarettes.

Women who carry on smoking in pregnancy endanger not only themselves, but their babies too. Mothers who smoke around their children also put their kids' health at risk. Even before conceiving research shows that cigarette smoking is harmful to a woman's ovaries. It can cause a woman's eggs to be more prone to genetic abnormality and increase the risk of spontaneous miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Women who smoke take longer to conceive with the chances of conceiving falling by up to 40 per cent per menstrual cycle. The more cigarettes you smoke the longer it takes to become pregnant. Just one cigarette a day can have a significant impact. In men stopping smoking can reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction and may improve sexual potency.

RISKS YOU CAN LESSEN IF YOU QUIT SMOKING

 
• Harming ovaries
• genetic abnormalities
• miscarriages
• ectopic pregnancy
• IVF attempts improve increasing the success of fertility treatment.

There is a reduction in the likelihood of the embryo implanting compared to non-smokers, and nearly twice as many IVF attempts may be required to conceive in smokers. Breathing in secondary smoke can cause nearly as much harm as a woman smoking herself.
Like every mum-to-be you want to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. The best way to ensure this is not to smoke and avoid all smoking dangers. Smoking during pregnancy harms you and it harms your baby.

THE SMOKING DANGERS YOU CAN AVOID IF YOU QUIT SMOKING 

 

• Poisonous chemicals in cigarette smoke passing through your body into your baby.
• Cigarette smoke disrupting the flow of blood to your baby.
• Prenatal passive smoking influences placental and fetal development, reduces birth weight, and affects lung and brain development.
• A smaller, weaker baby that will be more prone to infections and illness.An increased risk of breathlessness and wheezing in young babies.
• Increased risk of congenital defects such as cleft lip and/or palate or limb deformities.

Stopping smoking at any stage of pregnancy is very beneficial. The moment you quit you start increasing your chances of a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby. You will have more energy, be able to cope better with pregnancy, and know you are doing the best for your unborn baby. Passive smoking is equally dangerous for your unborn baby. If your family or friends smoke near you, you will breathe in harmful gases and chemicals and pass them onto your baby. Passive smoking becomes more harmful for mothers who exceeds the age of 30. There is more of a risk of sudden death symptoms for new born babies if their parents were smokers. Passive smoking also increases the possibility of having respiratory diseases for children before the school age; it also increases the possibility of having heart diseases that reaches the rate of 50%, hence, increase the risk of Angina due to the increase damage of the cells in the heart muscle because of carbon monoxide and nicotine. Studies have shown that certain parts of the chromosomes were more affected by the tobacco, which lead to blood cancer (leukaemia). This may explains the relationship between smoking during pregnancy and leukaemia in children. Children growing up in a smoke free home are less likely to catch colds, coughs and bugs. And you will reduce the risk of serious problems like cot death, asthma, chest infections, and glue ear and you and your partner will feel healthier, should have fewer coughs and colds, and have more energy to run around and play with your children.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU QUIT?

 
20 minutes: Your blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal
8 hours: Oxygen levels in your blood return to normal.
24 hours: Carbon monoxide has been eliminated from your body. Your lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
48 hours: There is no nicotine left in your body. Your ability to taste and smell is greatly improved.
72 hours: Breathing becomes easier. Your bronchial tubes begin to relax and your energy levels increase.
2-12 weeks: Circulation improves throughout the body, making walking and running a whole lot easier.
3-9 months: Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems get better as your lung function is increased by up to 10%.
5 years: Heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
10 years: Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to same as someone who has never smoked.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PSYCHIC AND A MEDIUM?

I GET ASKED MANY TIMES CAN YOU TELL MY FUTURE READ MY PALM/TEA LEAVES/AURA READ/CRYSTAL BALL ETC.ETC.

THE ANSWER IS NO ONE CAN. I hope the article I've posted before will shed some light on to why this is for basically it explains FREEWILL. (especially area highlighted in italics)

What is the difference between a Psychic and a Medium?


Everybody is capable with working on a psychic level, it is our sixth sense. When man was evolving it was this special sense, that kept us safe, it was an inner knowing, a gut feeling that helped protect us and survive danger. Animals still use this sense, you might like think of it as being akin to instinct.

The psychic level is our link with 'the ethos', the Universe, where all knowledge can be sought.

It is perfectly possible to develop this ability, through finding a development class or from various techniques and exercises that can be found in suitable reading literature. Some people are naturally good psychics and it is perfectly possible to develop naturally. However this can be frightening for some, in which case a development class is the best option where the student will be under the tutelage of an experienced medium.

So just what is psychic energy, it is an energy lower than that of spiritual energy but it gives us insight and ability to gain knowledge from the past, present and future. We can do this by linking in to the universe, where the answers we are seeking to anything can be found. We do this by using our subconscious mind, the same part of the brain that is active when we are dreaming or under hypnosis. Our subconscious mind absorbs every piece of information given to us, every thought, every event in our present life and those we had before. The trouble is gaining access to this information, it is a skill, and like all skills can be developed.

Ah! the future, you say, that sounds interesting, and who on earth doesn't want to know at some point in their lives, what will befall them, whether it is, 'Will I pass this exam?', 'Will I get the job?' or 'When will I move house?' Therein lies the problem. It is truly impossible to truly predict the future accurately, we have all been issued with 'Free Will', nothing is written in stone, so it can only be a guide, as we all have the ability to make our own futures and life is what you make it.

So What is Mediumship?

The word 'medium' means a vessel, literally. Mediums have the ability to link with spirit and communicate with them. When the physical body dies, the mind lives on, it is our mind that is our soul, our spirit. The term 'ghosts' are not spirit at all, a ghost is akin to a tape recording the vibrations of that person, and generally the recording is deposited and left behind after a particularly traumatic event in that person's life whilst they were here on earth. The event was so traumatic as to have caused immense distress to that person, all the emotions, feelings and mental anguish made a mark on where these strong emotions were experienced. Generally the so called 'ghost' follows the same pattern, an anniversary of the sighting might be experienced on the same date year after year for example. It is impossible to communicate with a ghost as it is a 'recording' and not a spirit.

So the spirit is the mind energy of someone who was once alive at sometime on earth, and the only difference now is they don't have a physical body. We as humans on earth just now are spirit in a human body that is the only difference.

Mediumship is not something that can be acquired through attending a course like psychic ability, it is a gift given to us by the 'Godhead' to be utilised for the highest good for mankind.

Everything on earth and in 'heaven' has a vibration, an energy, mediums have the ability to 'tune in' to this vibration and interpret ate it; a bit like turning the tuning dial on a radio to locate a station. After all each radio station has its own wave length and by turning the tuning dial we locate another channel. We know that sound waves exist, we cannot see them, but we know they are there for when we turn on the TV or radio, they are responsible for enabling us to watch and listen to our favourite program. This is exactly what a medium is, we have been gifted this 'tuning dial' that is all.

So when someone passes over, I prefer this term to death, it is only the physical human body that perishes, the person's mind still exists, with all the personality and foibles that made that person who they are, their character. Mediums therefore have the ability to tune into each souls vibration and pick up messages for their loved ones they left behind when their physical body perished.

Mediums are also psychic as spiritual vibrations resonate at a higher frequency than that of the psychic so have the ability to work on both levels. A medium cannot conjure up spirit, The link between spirit and those on earth is love and that bond can never be broken and lives on for all eternity. So all the medium can do is to ask for those loved ones to come forward if they have any messages of love to gift for those they have left behind on earth.

Most of the work a medium does is to provide survival evidence. 'Survival' evidence is knowledge that cannot be gained by the medium themselves about the person they are giving a sitting to, it is generally only something that the sitter would know, and often can only be confirmed by another relative, proof that their loved ones in spirit exist. Mediums are not there to foretell the future, the loved ones in spirit may well give a little information purely as proof of survival and as long as it did not hinder any progress in life for the sitter. And remember if you didn't take advice from 'Grandad' when he was alive you don't have to now he's passed over, he still has exactly the same personality and character as he did when he was' here'.

So how do mediums communicate with spirit, we do this with our minds, to be totally honest I have had this ability for as long as I can remember, and truthfully I really don't know, but I have over the years been able to recognise various sensations, that alert me that spirit are around, sensations like differences in temperature, tingling etc.

Mediums communicate in different ways, sometimes through 'clairvoyance' which means clear seeing, where the medium actually sees the spirit, now this can be in one of two ways or even both, where the medium sees the spirit as if looking at someone in real life, in the physical, the spirit may even be transparent or in their minds eye, this is known as 'Mental Mediumship'. Personally myself I see spirit in both these ways.

In 'clairaudience', this means hearing, now this can be actually hearing a voice that you is not your own, or it can sound like your own, but its not your thoughts, and don't worry, I am quite sane lol!

In 'clairsentience', this is feeling, sensing, the spirit, in this the medium senses the emotions, mental state of the spirit, almost as if the spirit imposes their themselves over you.

Most mediums use one or two of these abilities, myself I combine all three, when I link with them, this enables me to experience all their emotions, see what they looked like and hear what they are saying.

Now as I've said everything in the universe has its own vibration, Earth having the lowest in spiritual terms. After Earth comes the Astral realm, it is on this realm that we travel when we dream, its not unusual to see friends etc, in dream state, after all they will be travelling this realm too at night lol. It is on this realm where lower Elementals reside, i.e. wood nymphs, nature spirits, elves and fairies amongst others, and as often as in the case spirit who are trapped unable to move on also reside in this vibration. this is the same vibration used in psychic work. There are several spiritual realms each having a different vibration, with the most Celestial where the realms of the Angels are.

When the medium links with spirit, he or she has the ability to raise their own vibration that bit higher, loved ones in spirit who are around us at a given time, whether it is to help their loved ones on earth or sometimes it is an anniversary of their passing, will have lowered their vibration and the medium is then able to pick up these vibrations and interpret ate them. Unfortunately for the medium, it is not so easy and difficult to maintain this link continuously, hence some information may be lost, complete names for example and sentences to explain: 'the fat black cat sat on the red mat', what the medium might hear because of the fluctuating vibration would be: 'the back sat on mat', hence some information is lost.

For some reason spirit sometimes work with a type of shorthand i.e. symbols, these symbols have to be and worked out by the medium for example to me, seeing a ring might mean a marriage or partnership, it might mean something differently entirely to another medium, we each have our own, it is a way of communicating at a fast vibrational level. When messages from spirit come in to the medium's mind the arrive very fast and to help the medium 'catch' and interpret ate these messages quickly the shorthand helps speed up the process.

One of the most accurate ways of obtaining information from spirit is by doing absent readings, here the sitter is not present and the medium can link in with the sitter either by thinking about them or by viewing a photograph, sometimes an example of handwriting is useful. In this method the medium will ask any spirit links to come forward with any messages for the sitter. This is a particularly accurate method, for the medium cannot read the sitter's body language or by careful questioning gleam any information from the sitter as they are absent, many mediums work best in this area and each medium will eventually find a method suitable for them.

I myself personally like to work with Tarot, this works on the psychic level first of all, and in doing his gives an insight to the sitter's past, present and future, for all that can be picked up from the sitter's auric field: and then I raise the vibration to link with spirit, to bring forward any messages from the spirit realms. With regard to the information from the tarot or any other Mantic tool (A mantic tool is any form of divination aid such as tarot, crystals, crystal ball, angel cards, tea leaves any sort of aid that helps aid the psychic to use as a tool to latch on to the unique vibration of the sitter. The hand of the sitter is a mantic tool in palm reading) nothing is written in stone, God and the Universe gave us 'Free will'

Before we incarnate as spirit in a human body, for that is what we are whilst on earth, we have some sort of basic plan in mind. We have a goal, a series of lessons we have chosen for ourselves to experience and learn, these lessons may be such as humility, compassion, kindness, sorrow, pain and suffering, for in experiencing these emotions and experiences, we develop empathy and understanding for our fellow humans on earth. Each time we go through these experiences, we become more spiritual and closer to God. But we are never left on our own to go through life's traumas, we have our friends and guides in spirit who give us support to undergo these tasks. Sometimes it feels as if we are all alone and this is because of guides have to stand back to let us experience pain and suffering, for only by undertaking these challenges we learn and grown strong. They never allow us to suffer so much that we cannot bear it, we have chosen these experiences for ourselves, so we are responsible for our own spiritual development. They are there to guide and support us in our 'School on earth'. Why is it we never remember what we planned before we came here? Well that is because if we knew what was before us would we want to; I think not!

Often we incarnate in the same soul groups, the soul is neither male nor female, and we choose which sex we will be to experience life and views from that perspective. Sometimes in that soul group we may be the father of the son who was the father in the last incarnation to experience life from both sides to gain empathy and understanding. We tend to incarnate in groups so that we learn from one another, and the power of this in action is that we are often drawn to particular people in our lives here. We are often drawn to these souls, on meeting these people we instantly feel a bond, not necessarily of physical attraction, but we feel some sort of unseen force bond at work, for we had planned this meeting before we came here, and we recognise one another on a subconscious level. Remember though it is up to us whether we choose whether to go through the experience, but generally if we delay the process, we will often have to relive these experiences at a later date or another life, for we know instinctively what is best for us. We choose to do this because we have a common goal we wish to grow closer to God and the Universe.

Spiritual love is the purest love of all, it has no conditions, it does not judge, it has no limits and never ends. It conquers all that is evil and bad in this world and removes all pain. Our common goal is to grow in spirit, and our loved ones in spirit are always there supporting and sending us their love. Mediumship is a gift bestowed upon us to help mankind in order that we can feel the touch of spirit from beyond, to support and teach us and keep us on our chosen path, our path to God.

MPB (c)

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IMPROVING THE SKIN PART 2 HOW TO CARE FOR IT

CARING FOR THE SKIN

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So you know know how the skin works and it's functions  and that's great when everything is in balance. However skin is a very sensitive organ but as far as the body is concerned it is a lesser important organ that the heart, lungs, liver etc, so priority is given to important organs at times of stress, whether that is emotional stress i.e. worry etc. or physical stress such as extremes of temperature and its very cold.

What we put on the skin can throw it off balance, many people use soap and water, well that's fine for your body, but our face has more sebaceous glands, is more exposed to the elements and more open to micro-organisms. Why not soap and water? well soap is alkaline  and remember the acid mantle is slightly acidic, this maintains an environment where micro-organisms are less likely to multiply and if you use an alkaline product you will strip away this protective layer, making the skin more susceptible to infection. Because our sebaceous glands tend to be more active on the face, and this increase of sebum in nature's moisturiser, there may be more of a tendency for them to become blocked, if infection enters the blocked pores the result it a spot. There are a number of cleansing bars on the market and water activated cleansers around for those of you who like the feel of water on your face.

The trouble and risk of blocked pores is magnified if there is also a build up of dead skin cells. Now it takes roughly 28 days for new cells in the basal layer of the epidermis to form and be shed, this time span increases with age, as we get older our skin becomes more sluggish, if we don't cleanse our skin adequately enough a layer of dead cells sit on the surface making our complexion dull, combined with sebum these dead cells can block pores causing blackheads. Inncidently blackheads are not dirt but sebum and dead cells form a plug and oxidise  causing this this discolouration. In order to keep our complexions fresh and depending on the type of skin you have exfoliation should be carried out once to twice a week, with oily skin generally twice. There are various products on the market but avoid those exfoliators that are made from ground up nutshells and husks as these can be quite scratchy and can damage the surface of the skin leading to possible infection. Rather choose a product with fine micro beads. Some exfoliators work by dissolving dead skin cells and are often fruit based containing fruit acids or enzymes, these may irritate sensitive skin so its a good idea to patch test an area  before proceeding.

But before choosing what cleanser to use on your skin, you need to know what type of skin you have. Firstly normal skin is a rarity, normal skin is like the skin children have, its neither dry or oily, theres no visible pores nor shine, it has a good texture and colour, no spots, blackheads and is plump and has good elasticity. Now how many of us can say we have normal skin? Oily skin often has visible pores particularly down the 'T zone' of our faces, it becomes shiny very quickly, it is prone to blackheads and spots, its doesn't have dry, flaky patches and often has a sallow colour about it and make up slides of the face quite quickly. Dry skin, has no obvious pores, doesn't have a tendency to blackheads or spots, can have flaky itchy areas, often feels tight after cleansing and a tendency to line and can often be more highly coloured. Combination skin is by far the most common type of skin, it often has an oil 'T zone' with normal, if your lucky outer areas or dry cheeks. It is a combination of either of the aforementioned types. So you have 4 skin types. Now if only it was that simple but the skin has different conditions that affect it. Firstly moisture, it may surprise you to know that even oily skin can become dehydrated as this is down to moisture content in the skin and not oil. Central heating, changes in temperatures, windy weather and not drinking enough water, too much coffee, tea and cola drinks and alcohol all affect our skin and can lead to dehydration. Oily skin favours better than most as sebum can trap some moisture but not enough to prevent moisture loss. So its important you keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty of water to start with and use the correct moisturiser for your skin type. Moisturiser does what it says, its job is to trap moisture in the skin, with dry skin moisturisers, they generally are more oil based than one designed for oily skin and so on.

Cleansing is a matter of preference but your skin type will guide you as I mentioned early, some people prefer the feel of water on their skin so a rinse off type of cleanser will suit them. But whatever way you cleanse your skin, cleanse it twice once to remove make up and the grime from the day and second to deep cleanse the skin. Which leads me on to eye make up remover. The skin around the eyes is very delicate and is the thinest skin thickness on our bodies so treat it with care. Do not treat it roughly or rub cleanser harshly around the eyes as this will stretch this delicate skin. Eye make up is designed for this sensitive area and not all facial cleansers suitable, check the packaging. Which leads on to all in one cleansers and wipes, these are fine short term but not ideal in the long term. Many of the wipes contain alcohol and irritate sensitive eye tissue and certainly the same wipe should not be used for both eyes due to the risk of cross infection, the same goes for cotton wool pads and tissues.

Toners do we need them? well if you use a water based rinse of cleanser no you don't as the water is suffice to tone and freshen the skin, but if you use a tissue off cleanser yes you do to remove any residue of cleanser and grime. These vary from hydrasols (i.e. rose water) to witch hazel, avoid alcohol on the face as it will remove the acid mantle.

It may surprise you to know that skin after the age of 25 is considered mature but after the age of 25 ageing signs start becoming apparent. Prevention is better than cure and a lot easier. We know from Part 1 how UV light contributes to ageing so be sure your moisturiser contains a sun protection level of at least 15 thats the first thing to be aware of. Drink plenty of water to maintain moisture levels and avoid caffeinated drinks as they are diuretics as encourage the kidneys to excrete more urine and can lead to dehydration. A good balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables to give the cells the right nutrients. Avoid smoking I explained in an earlier article how this ages the skin and does so by ten years. And there is stress, now that is difficult to avoid but there are things you can do, you can lessen its affects by relaxation and I will be giving tips to avoid the damaging effects due to stress later.

Anti-wrinkle cremes, well if you read the earlier article in Part 1 no cosmetic can penetrate the epidermis, so I have to say ladies expensive skin cremes are a total waste of money. The only thing I would say is that avoid products with mineral oil as this oil sits on the surface of the skin, yes it traps the evaporation of moisture but it can block the pores but its fine to use on the body, instead use a vegetable oil based product and by that I don't mean 'Crisp and Dry' some examples are Almond oil, Jojoba oil, Olive oil. With expensive cremes you are paying for the packaging and nice jar. There are temporary anti-wrinkle fixers that work by temporarily tightening up the skin or have fillers and light reflective powders that soften the appearance of lines. Simple things like avoiding squinting in the sun or getting your eyes checked if you have difficulty in reading will prevent many a line forming around the eyes

Aromatherapy cremes and face masks I will cover in a later article

MPB ©

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AURA PHOTOGRAPHY/AURA READING

MY AURA PHOTO TAKEN A FEW YEARS AGO

This is an Aura photograph taken by a specialised camera. Aura cameras have come a long way since the first Kirlian camera in the 1970's.

The Aura is an electromagnetic field that surrounds living bodies, this includes people, animals, plants and crystals and is composed of several layers that are constantly moving. For those of us who are lucky enough to see auras here is a photo of one. The colours are influenced by our moods and emotions and by Spirit activity, likewise our moods and emotions will influence how far our aura expands e.g. when we are happy our aura expands and when we are depressed it shrinks in on itself. Other shapes and bubbles within the aura are common. It is on the aura that psychics base their readings for the past, present and future is contained within it.

Colours and shapes within the aura mean different things and are constantly changing due to our thoughts. In mine here I was very positive as you can see by how expansive it is. I will be adding exercises to the 'Spirituality & Psychic Development' section of this blog on how we can influence the aura through thought and demonstrate how you can feel this for yourself.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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WAXING

WAXING

Now this isn't just one for the ladies, men wax these days too and there's nothing wrong in keeping yourself tidy. You can wax at home these days, there are many products available, from cold wax strips to hot wax, warm wax kits and sugaring kits that you can warm in the microwave some are easier than others for the novice to use at home. If you are going to try waxing I recommend you have one or two treatments by a professional therapist to watch how it is done. Word to the wise avoid therapists who double dip their spatulas, think about this there's the wax all nice and warm a perfect breeding ground for micro-organisms, ok the therapist may use a new spatula for you but every time she puts that spatula in the wax pot she takes the odd hair, skin flakes, traces of blood from hair follicles and micro-organisms off your skin (and anyone else she's treated before you) so imagine what's breeding in her wax pot!

Technique is the key to efficient and painless waxing, with warm, sugaring and cold wax strips, the wax is applied in the direction of growth. The skin is stretched brace with your hand and ripped off quickly in the opposite direction to growth. Remember to cleanse the skin and make sure it is dry before waxing and to apply a soothing lotion one that is slightly antiseptic (your hair follicles are open) a tea tree one is ideal. It's normal to have a 'Histamine Reaction' that plucked chicken appearance and slight redness after all you have activated the 'Mast cells' in the skin (see skin care) to produce histamine, this in turn causes blood to rush to the surface to repair damage. This will disappear within 24 hours and may be itchy don't scratch it you will make it worse and damage the skin with your finger nails and render it to infection, just apply a cool soothing lotion.

Hot wax has a different technique and should not be applied by the inexperienced and there is risk of burning. If you are using a product you heat up yourself always patch test a little area first to check the temperature.

For those that have been waxed before the good therapist will always explain the growth cycle as first timers may be disappointed to find that you have hairs popping up the next day or two when you thought it would last 4 to 6 weeks. Well waxing can last this time but in order for this to happen to have to educate and train your hairs. Your hair both head and body hair goes through a cycle of growth, transition and resting, now can you imagine if all your hair on your body and or head went through that cycle at the same time! You would be bald. So nature being very clever devised the hair growth cycle so no one is bald, but we can outwit nature, if you remove all the hairs at once and initially wax areas say every 2 to 3 weeks eventually you will catch all the hairs and train them to be at the same stage in the growth cycle. This will take several treatments to achieve this but eventually you wont have to do your waxing every 2 to 3 weeks but more like every 6 weeks and the hair will grow in tapered and finer as a result. So if you are planing on being fuzz free for the beach in the summer start several months earlier and you will find the benefits of carrying on all year as the hair follicles will be weaker and shallower over time and it will become pain free. if you give up waxing and want to return to the hirsute look all you need do is discontinue and the hair follicles will strengthen and become their old selves.

Remember Waxing is a long lasting temporary solution to unwanted hair and always patch test and follow manufacturers guidelines when using products.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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THIS BLOG IS IN ITS TRANSITION STAGE

You may have noticed some aspect of my blog here is not working, when trying to click on the links to pages here, this is because my blog is in its transition phase as I am linking my blogger blog here to one of my domains http://www.astridestella.info and it takes a few days for this to happen. So for now you will see an error message saying not found, this error message is only transient and all should be ok in a few days

Maggie Brown (Author)

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FACING THE FEAR OF CHANGE

FACING THE FEAR OF CHANGE

Have you noticed people will always gravitate to those of a similar type? It is the way of the Universe. We are attracted to kindred spirits and those friends you are meant to be with, and you will stay with and attract kindred souls. Those whom we are to help and those whom can help us will be led to us.

There are fundamental laws in the Universe, one of which is the law of attraction. Another is the law of vacuum, where we give something up to be replaced by something new as in change.

Change is not always bad. It can be for the better and that is good. All change is hard. It is like leaping into the unknown. It is this unknown that creates the fear and the reluctance to embrace it.

I recall the first time I tried a really deep type of meditation, a very deep Buddhist type. In most types of meditation, you focus on breathing. Often, as you sink deeper into a meditative state, you start to receive information in the form colours or visions. Within this deep type of meditation, the idea is to still your mind completely, where there is nothing - no pictures, no sounds, and no focusing on anything.

The first few times you do this it’s very important you do it in company. What you feel is like a huge black precipice before you, and you feel genuine fear as you teeter on the edge. You feel a fear that if you give in and jump you will never come back. No joking, that is what is feels like to get so deep with this type of meditation. This is why its important you practice this under the guidance of someone who is experienced.

However, when you face your fears and go with it, the ecstasy, tranquility, and peace you find are completely out of this world. It is very difficult to achieve this sensation for long, but it is truly amazing.

There comes a time in our lives when we have to go with change, and no amount of cajoling ourselves can stop what has begun. The Universe knows what we need and that which we do not, even if it means we leave things behind - some of which will hurt and hurt us bad, but to continue will only hurt us more in the end.

We cannot interfere in the development of others. We have to allow them to develop at their own pace and it can hurt to see those we love make mistakes and fall off the route they were meant to travel, but we were all given free will and we have the choice to leave the road that is meant for us.

Most of us will eventually find our way back. It is almost akin to coming off the motorway, walking along the grass verge, and hopping into the field for a bit; but eventually we find the motorway again. Sadly, others do not, and although you may offer advice and guidance to a few, if they do not want to accept it, then we have to let them find their own way. All we can do is wave them goodbye with love. It is from mistakes that we learn.

It is an old saying as one door closes, another will be opened up for us, but it is a true one. It can take courage to go tentatively inside. We can always leave the old door open for a bit and if it stays open, well that's okay, but should we find it closed, well there is no point in banging on that door.

What we chose to do is up to us, for the opportunities are there. It is because we are diving into the unknown that we feel fear, but then again change can be exciting, new, and different, so perhaps we should just feel the fear and go with it. Perhaps it is part of our journey of life.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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