WHO'S KNITTING CHEMO CAPS? - HOWS & WHYS

In my last post, I wrote about charity knitting circles and why people get involved in them. This post gives more information for those who want to start charity knitting. What I say here comes mainly from my recent experience working with five volunteers at our local meditation group who want to form a charity knitting circle. Our meditation group has already been doing cancer patient support activities for a full year. To date, the activities include light snacks, drinks, and reading materials taken to the chemo area of a local oncology hospital. The five knitting volunteers are more than willing to begin, but most of them feel they lacked sufficient knitting skills. So, I told them - and later announced to the entire meditation group - that I would teach all those who wanted to be part of the circle how to knit. As a first project, I proposed a simple pattern for loom-knitted chemo caps.

Most everyone knows some cancer patients, children or adults, who have lost their hair during chemotherapy and has seen how baldness is a major discomfort for most of them. In response to that problem, many groups, nationwide, are making chemo caps that cancer patients can wear at home for sleep and leisure. And some of these caps are so elegant that they can even be worn on the street. The caps mean warmer heads in cold weather. But they have a greater meaning, too. As cancer patients face the many challenges of their cancer, tenderly handmade caps can give them new hope and help them gather personal forces to combat their illness.

What kind of cap works for cancer patients?
Having decided to knit chemo caps, the next question is what style cap works well for these patients and still is easy to make. I suggested that our small group of volunteers begin with a really simple beanie cap that only involves beginner knitting skills. With these ideas in mind, I recommended loom-knitting and an easy pattern with some special features.

The caps, themselves, will be worn more comfortably if they are made from soft polyester yarns, cotton, bamboo, baby yarn, etc. Pure wool and wool blends are often too hot when worn indoors and some people have allergies to these fibers. Cotton and bamboo yarns are cooler, less allergenic, and much nice for hot weather. Also, the design should include stitches that are knitted fairly close together so that you don't see patches of baldness through the spaces.

Beyond that, solid color or slight variations on a color are better because they draw less attention to the wearer’s head. The more uniform colors also go better with more outfits. And thinner knits, rather than very chunky ones, and caps without seams are preferable because lumps are uncomfortable for sleeping and long hours of wear.

Once the cap is finished, it should be gently washed and dried before before being given to a patient. Washing helps to avoid passing on germs to a sick person who shouldn't be exposed to any kind of infection. It also helps to soften the yarn. No commercial fabric softeners should be used because many of them are allergenic.


Pattern for a seamless, loom- knitted chemo cap for women.
Materials - for an adult woman with an average head circumference.
- round peg loom, 32 to 36-pegs (3/4" apart)
- about 120 yards of chunky yarn or twice as much for thin yarn that must be doubled for this cap. Cotton and bamboo yarns are best.
- loom hook
- crochet hook
- yarn needle

Instructions
Use 2 strands of a medium weight yarn or one strand of a chunky yarn in a light, bright color. Subtle differences in shades of the same color are acceptable.

Take up your loom and wrap a first counter clockwise row. The initial row should be wrapped tight for a better edge. You can crochet a chain for each peg or just turn the loops over, making a half knot for a wrap.

For the second row, e-wrap all pegs. Then lift off bottom loops, in a clockwise direction over top e-wraps (knit row). Make sure that you are knitting without any breaks since this is a seamless cap. E-wrap and lift-off for rows 2 and 4 and all the rest after row five.

Continue wrapping to the right (counter-clockwise) and lifting off to the left (clockwise).  For rows 3 and 5, e-wrap for the entire round. Then, take the loops out, one stitch at a time. Change the direction of the loop - pulled through from behind (knit stitch) to pulled through from the front (purl stitch). The first five rows form a small brim on the hat.

Knit about 28 e-wrap rows (a total of 8 inches) for the main part of the cap.

Next begin the gathered part by taking yarn off peg 1 and placing it on the second peg. Take yarn off peg 3 and place it on peg 4, 5 on 6 and so on all around. Then e-wrap the final row around on looped pegs, skipping the open spaces. Then one final lift-off.

With that row finished and the stitches still on the loom, measure out and cut off a couple yards of yarn on the same ball used to make the cap - without separating it from the knitted work. Put the yarn through the yarn needle and pass it through all loops from behind. Take all loops off the loom. Pull the yarn to make a fairly uniform circle and tighten it to form the gathered part of of the cap. Knot and cut the yarn. Weave the yarn end into the top part of the cap.

What else can be done with chemo caps?
There are some other activities that knitting circles can do along with knitting chemo caps. Again, I'll mention the plans of our meditation group. Organizational leaders will collect all the finished, hand-knitted chemo caps. Once or twice a month, the caps will be taken to the meditation room at regular meeting hours. The whole group will pray for the healing of those patients who receive caps. Each cap will be tagged with a specially decorated card that includes the name and email address of our organization. It will say something like: “Hand knitted for you with love and prayers for your healing.” Tags will also mention that, according to their wishes, people who receive a hat are welcome to contact the organization and the cap maker. 

The chemo caps will be given to staff members of local cancer treatment centers for their distribution. We are beginning our project with just a few volunteers. But, as other group members see how chemo caps make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, we hope to get more participants in our charity knitting circle. Others who want to support the knitting circle but can't find the time to knit can donate yarn and help with decorating the cards to be attached to caps.

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CHARITY KNITTING CIRCLES ARE USEFUL & FUN.

I can remember a time a few decades ago when women formed circles for all kinds of activities. It was a way of strengthening relationships among women, most of whom were unrelated by blood or marriage. And it gave them an excuse to meet regularly as friends and neighbors and work for special purposes. My own mother was part of a circle for decades. They called themselves the "Safety Pin Club" because they all had babies and small children at around the same time. When they got started, their main purpose was to offer each other emotional support and useful hints on how to care for the young ones. The group was diverse and included Catholics, Protestants, and Greek Orthodox from several different national backgrounds. They forged long-term friendships and were still meeting as a group when they had grown children and grandchildren. Most of the time their activities were social but they also got involved in a few charitable activities over the years.

In the last part of the 20th century, what with more freedom for women and their incorporation in the workplace, fewer women seemed to have the need or time for social or charitable circles. Nowadays, many young women don't even consider the need for such a thing. But, for others, both young and old, there are still good reasons to organize themselves and meet - just as women.

Knitters often form circles to reach out other knitters. Whether wanting to learn new stitches or pass on needlework skills, the warm companionship of a knitting group enriches their love of knitting and comes to be an important part of social life. Members of the group also do more than sit around knitting. They share details of their lives, talk about their husbands, children, pets, favorite recipes and so on. Many circles are neighborhood clubs, while others are linked with churches, or workplaces. Some groups meet to knit while watching movies. Others are for mothers with small children. Men who knit sometimes join these circles. Whatever brings them together, everyone contributes to the conversation and shares knitting magazines, patterns and stitchery know-how. 

Recently, a number of women's circles have formed related to charity. And one of the most popular charities involves knitting and crocheting clothing or blankets and donating them to the homeless or the sick. These groups answer a desire to help those in need, but in a way that means more to them than just giving or collecting money for needy causes. And, for some, it's probably the best way to be charitable because they are using their time and  talents when they don't have much extra money to donate to needy causes.

Charity circles tend to be more open than those belonging to particular churches or formal clubs.They are more egalitarian because their primary focus is on helping others in need in the community and secondly, on making new friends who love to do some of the same things. They tend to be informal and free clubs - some meet weekly, others bi-monthly or monthly and welcome members of all ages.

Obviously, these circles respond to a real need to help. At the same time, they give women a sense of satisfaction by being part of a group involved in a common effort. While no group, small or large, can ever begin to do enough, it's the spiritual principle that counts here. Each knitted cap or scarf or blanket can mean the difference of a homeless person surviving a cold winter night, just as meals served to the hungry are really gifts from God. Those who get involved in these kinds of charities consider themselves blessed by being able to help in delivering those gifts. When they do things with other people's welfare in mind, from knitting a prayer shawl for a friend to making a blanket for a homeless person, they see themselves as using their loving concern to contribute to  social justice and peace.

Interested in doing something like this? Well, don't wait. Get involved right away. If you don't find a knitting group in your area, start out by seeking information at a local knitting shop, signing up for charity knitting newsletters and reading columns in knitting magazines. They are also a number of websites that give information on knitting groups nationwide. Some are done as online communities where people never meet face-to-face, but, instead, send in their contributions to a central place which takes care of the distribution to places and people in need. They keep in touch through photos and comments on these websites.

If you want to learn more about charity knitting, you can read a book or books on the subject. One good book, written by Betty Christiansen, is titled: Knitting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time.

The overall goal of charity knitting groups is to bring comfort and a smiles to recipients and let them know that someone is thinking of them - oftentimes someone they'll never meet. But the people invoved in these activites see their work as more than just a way of supporting those who need cheering up because of illness or social vulnerability. They also consider it to be a spiritual activity just as much as prayer and meditation are. It's a particular way of showing love for others and commitment to a better world - one that is pledged to making and sharing beautiful and useful things. It's all part of a new spirit of living the abundant life and making the world a kinder place.

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SOON YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF IN A “PAY-IT-FORWARD” CHAIN.

Most of us, happily or begrudgingly, according to our mood and the specific message, have forwarded an email or Facebook (FB) post as part of a chain. That's one kind of chain. But there’s a new chain happening - from heart-to-heart -that's growing right now. It's the Pay-it-forward (PIFO) chain. And the links binding this chain give surprising results. When someone starts up a PIFO, they don’t know – exactly – who the recipients will be. That means that you do something or another person does something nice for you without expecting anything at all in return. A PIFO doesn’t have to be same thing that was done before, either. It can be a little or a big gesture but it's one that comes from the heart. And it’s part of the new spirit of loving gifts that express how people feel to be living in 2013. We're now in the Year of the Snake – a time for change. And that change is seen as highly positive for the Earth and for all the people on this planet.

And this idea isn't something dreamed up just recently. It was Ben Franklin who mentioned it in 1784 in a letter he wrote to a friend when he lent him some money. Ben Franklin didn't want to be repaid directly. He asked his friend to pass some money along when he could to someone else who was in need. The same  concept was popularized in a book from the 1950’s, ”Between Planets” by Robert A. Heinlein. Later (2000) there was a Hollywood movie titled “Pay It Forward”. In the movie, a young boy has a school assignment that asks him to come up with an idea that could change the world for the better. He decides to promote the PIFO concept by his own example. In so doing, he creates a long chain of good deeds.

I had only heard about this idea a week ago at my meditation group. It was introduced at our regular  meeting with a short video. (Actually, I’m not 100% sure that’s the very same video but it’s clearly the same idea.) The PIFO in the video involved paying for another person’s tab before leaving a coffee shop. After showing the video, a young woman from our group told us that the PIFO idea would work at a movie show, a toll both, a parking garage, or a restaurant. Summing it up, she described paying forward in the following way. A PIFO relates to doing something kind for someone else in response to having received something good or to a loving feeling that you happen to have. When you pay forward, you’re not “repaying” the person who did something nice for you. Instead, you do something nice for a third person. For example, if someone helps you pick up the groceries that you dropped as you got out of the car, you might “repay” this kind act by taking a homemade casserole to an elderly neighbor who has a hard time getting around.

Accepting Pay -Forward means that you'll do a kindness, too.

Then the young woman held up the PIFO-SMILE card. The business-size card had a big smile face on the front and words saying something like: “SMILE - you just received a Pay-it-forward gift. Be sure to do a nice favor for someone else just as soon as you can.” On the back of the card, there was mention of a website for more information on the pay forward concept. It also said that the very same card should be passed on from beneficiary to beneficiary, thereby forming a loving chain of kindnesses.

Just a couple of days ago, I saw that a FB friend of mine was offering a PIFO. It was sent out as a post to what must be a very large group of friends. The first 5 to comment on her PIFO offer would receive a small gift in 2013. As I remember, it read something like this (my own variation): "Participating in a 2013 Pay-forward chain: 1st five people to comment on this post will receive from me in 2013, a special surprise giftie. The exact date of gift giving is up to me. To be eligible for a gift, then you must be willing to make the same offer to five other people in a FB post and promise to deliver all gifties during 2013."

I liked the idea a lot and quickly commented on her post. When I found out that I was one of the lucky first five, I immediately sent out a PIFO offer to all my FB friends. Five quickly accepted. Now, a couple of days later, I see that the same chain has been continued by others. So, that’s just great. Optimally, we will have gone from one originator to five to 25 to 625, and so on, and all happening in just 48 hours.

OK. You might still be skeptical about the value of the PIFO idea. But, there's reason to believe that acts of love – even little ones – brighten the hearts of givers and receivers. When hearts are bright, they shine on many people around them. Beyond that, there’s reason to believe smiling faces and warm heart feelings extend beyond us to our surroundings. These loving chains benefit our communities. And crazy optimists, like Grandma Susan and many of her friends, believe that the entire natural world and Earth, herself, respond with SMILES when many people are busy doing kind deeds.

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THE STRANGE CASE OF THE SOMETIMES PINK GERANIUMS.

I have white geraniums in my front yard. Have had them for about 3 years. I found them in a cracked pot - apparently one that fell off a truck that carried some one's belongings in a move from one house to another.

They’ve flowered beautifully in my yard these past 2 years after I finally got them out of their large cracked pot. They managed to stay alive over the short winter freeze in our area but stopped flowering at the end of December to begin again at the end of February. At first, I was covering them at night but later as I saw their impressive growth rate, I gave up taking that precaution.

So, you might say. Well, that’s nice but hardly remarkable – a lot of people have pretty geraniums. But I want to tell you something surprising about my flowers.

One day last December, the first wintering that these flowers did in my yard, I noticed a difference in their blooms. They were still mostly white but, from one day to the next, I saw them with a decidedly pink center on almost all the blooms. I was enchanted to see the change and thanked the flowers for such a beautiful color. Another rather strange change was the addition of some fine golden lines that look a bit like sunbeams in each bloom.  I wasn’t sure why they had a different December color but thought that perhaps they knew that they wouldn’t be flowering for a few months and wanted to put on a “good show.”

In January, the few remaining blooms disappeared with the cold weather. And at the end of February, they returned in full force and all blooms were totally white – just like they had been before.

This past week, at the end of November, my flowers made their annual move – from white to white with pink and tiny golden lines. I pointed it out to my husband. At first, he didn’t believe me because he had been in the yard the day before and remembered that the blooms were uniformly white. He was really surprised with the change and, also, with my story about the same thing occurring one year ago. He said I should take some photos – which I did. (They show some of the pink, but not as nicely as can be seen directly.)

The blooms had, in fact, turned partially pink, the very day after praying the rosary for Our Lady of Guadalupe. This was part of a neighborhood rosary chain, honoring Our Lady through a particular old image of Her (Una Virgen Peregrina), 60 or more years old.  The image is a long resident in our city that was carried by her current owner/caretaker to a home in our neighborhood. (Of course, at this time of the year, rosary chains are being enacted everywhere throughout Mexico and in US Mexican American neighborhoods.)

According to this particular tradition, the image of Our Lady stays in 45 neighborhood homes, 24 hours in each house, for 45 days and arrives along with a small group of neighbors who stop over to pray the rosary. This begins on Oct. 28 and finishes Dec. 11. On the 46th day - Dec. 12 - she returns to her permanent home for the final Anniversary Rosary. That night there's a huge celebration and even more neighbors attend.

I mentioned the association of the rosary to my husband and the possibility that the pinkish flowers actually were honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pink is a favorite color for flowers that adorn images of Our Lady. (I noticed the same pink color change one year ago - also after the rosary prayers at our house, but I can't remember if it actually happened right afterwards or several days later.)

My husband was a bit doubtful about the association of the pink blooms with the rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe but wanted to offer some kind of explanation of the strange occurrence. He said the energy must, somehow, be different at that time of year around our home.  Just why there would be different energy, but he couldn’t think up any particular reason.

So, who’s to say? Whatever the reason, the bright pink blooms with tiny golden lines are a winter gift of our geraniums to us and to the neighborhood where we live.

Update on Grandma Susan's sometimes pink geraniums (1-20-13).  Grandma's geraniums lived through several night time frosts with blossoms and all. All January blooms are only white just like they were before December.



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YOUR VERY BEST DREAM IS WAITING FOR YOU

Grandma Susan sometimes writes about subjects that can best be labeled “New Age”. The description,  New Age, generally refers to that what was done by our ancient ancestors in the realm of the sacred. These practices can be revived and carried out by us in our times. Those principles still work. It shouldn’t be confused with witchcraft or magic. It’s a kind of self-care and reaching out in a positive way to the universe – carried out according to some ancient laws. Though only a few, comparatively, several of Grandma's most popular posts have been on New Age themes.

They say that most of the time we are using only a tiny fraction of our brains. New Age practices such as dreamwork, meditation and some other "altered" states often help heighten our mind/body capacities. The real question is whether we are prepared to let these experiences into our lives. Beyond that, we have to  be open to living better lives (expanded heart, greater service to others) on the basis of these practices.

 

Going for your dream

So, you want to remember more about your dreams?  And think, maybe, that your dreams might be useful to you, if  they didn’t slip away from you so fast after you wake up? Well, yes, they can. And there are some ways to go about dreaming with a purpose. And you (probably) don’t have to consult a dreamworker expert on how to do it.

I decided to keep a dream journal a while ago, then, put it down, now it's on my agenda again. It's all good. I write notes and draw rough sketches about these dreams and related topics in my journal. Reflections on these entries have many times have helped me make important decisions or changed how I feel about things, in general. So, keeping a dream journal is a good idea in my experience.

 

Here's an exercise that you can do to begin focusing on your dreams. It's one way to make that best dream – the one you’ve been wanting - happen to you.This is my own purposeful dream technique, based on New Age practice, that you might like to try.

Night time ritual to ask for the dream you want

Moon phases can have an influence on sleeping and dreaming patterns. Many people do this kind of exercise in the New Moon phase, which is a very good time for beginnings and changes in your life. On the other hand, thecloser we near the Full Moon phase, the more dreams tend to be more vivid and feel more consequential.

Take off everything on your night stand – except your lamp. Dust the stand with a sweet smelling, light oil on a cloth. A few fresh flowers in a small vase or petals in a bowl of water also then can be placed on your stand, if you like. 

Take out a piece of a nice note pad and a pen that you like. Sit down and reflect on something in your life that you wish to develop or change, something that, for you, would be a ‘dream come true.” Write it on the sheet of paper. Make it a short note, not an essay. Two or three sentences should be enough if you’ve been thinking about it. Be as specific as you can. Don’t be in a rush to get started. If you're not totally ready, tomorrow or the next day might be a better time to do this exercise. You don’t want to hurry through some part of the ritual or be interrupted.

 

Make sure you have mental clarity about what you’re aiming for before you look for your dream. If your request is imprecise, the answers you get can be fuzzy and disappointing. So, state your dream request as precisely as possible to ensure better results. Any intention that is mentally focused on, written down on paper, and spoken out loud carries power.

Read what you've written out loud. Place the note on the nightstand, face up. Lay some tiny thing that you treasure on top, if you think the note could be knocked off during the night.

Then, say a short prayer, out loud or silently, with words of your choice, asking for clarity on the matter. Clasping the hands together, vertically, is a good way to center your focus on prayer.

Go to sleep as quickly as possible - no TV or conversations - and wait for the dream you want. Your sleeping arrangements don't have to vary from the normal. If you have a customary bed partner, you'll maintain your regular sleeping and dreaming rhythms.

See what happens. If the dream doesn’t occur the first night, don’t think you had some kind of failure. Try variations on the same topic each night for a week or more - each night writing out a new version of your note on a fresh sheet of paper. You may have to go through a whole Moon cycle to get the result you’re looking for.

Sometimes, circumstances during our waking hours will change the importance that we attach to a topic, whether because our wishes were accomplished or because they turn out to be less important than we thought they were. Then, we could imagine that our dream-self has taken care of our needs without being remembered as a dream.

Remember, art, humor, and the future all arise from the unexpected. We can dream the unprecedented reality we want. Go for your best one, governed by love and light. Just be ready for the unanticipated twist that almost always comes with future events. It's almost impossible to imagine, beforehand, the particular ways in which good things come into our lives.

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IN THIS FIRST FULL MOON OF SUMMER: TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES.

The sweet smell of midsummer roses.

After reading a recent article on how the unnecessary “busyness” of our society is making us sick, I decided to celebrate the midsummer full moon (July 3) by being strategically “un-busy.” And I’ll share with you one of my reflections (a time-honored guidance): remember to smell the roses.

One way or another, we aren’t going to see this (particular) midsummer again – ever. So, we need to appreciate it. Reveling in the sweet smell of July roses isn’t only for light-weights and vacationers, and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re lazy. It is the very makings of human life. And, if we’re too involved being busy to enjoy moments of quiet sanity, then we’re destined to be anxious and unhappy people.

If the stars (and planets and moons) are correctly interpreted, then we can expect a lot of difficulties later on this summer. We need to use these first few days of July for reflection on how we use our time. Space and quiet can give us the inspiration we need to better understand our lives and to center ourselves, not only as admirers of, but also as part of natural processes – like the seasons, the land, the plants, and wildlife. By taking time to be relaxed in nature (staying in the now), we prepare ourselves (in a much better way than yard work, exercising at the gym, or seeing more movies) for meaningful work and for facing unexpected adversity. Yes, of course, most of us have paid work, housework and other pressing obligations. But, nearly all of us have some time off during the week or weekend, and we owe it to ourselves and to our Earth to stop doing so many things that hardly matter and use our precious hours more wisely.

Also, what we do, day-by-day, is the true example that our children (and grandchildren) have. Teaching them to do more (and more and more) with the hope that they excel - by the standards of our current burdensome society - isn’t the best way to help our children in the long run. It will only guarantee that they are as anxious as most of the grownups around them. We need to teach our children priorities. And roses and some carefree time in July are what it’s really all about. Children need to play, and a part of summer play should be outdoors. Extreme heat levels aside - there are always a few hours of the morning when walks can be taken or a garden hose can be turned on for improvised water play. And, whenever possible, some of their activities ought to be carried out in an unstructured way with minimal adult interference.

In May, I attended my granddaughter’s graduation from preschool. At the ceremony, the school director said some wise words. She said that the most important thing that we can give our children is a solid religious background. Soccer games, music lesson, even academic enrichment classes all can be nice, if not bombarded at children like target ball games at the fairgrounds. All those things are secondary. It’s the core beliefs that we instill in our children will (or won't) sustain them through life’s conflicts. For this reason, its our first duty to be sure that our children have a sound basis for living.

Seeing that our children have some religious instruction isn’t good enough. They will tend to follow what they see at home and in their neighborhood. Don’t let that be a never-ending stream of make-work activities. We can't be good models for our children if our own lives have strayed away from enduring principals. Use the plentiful energy of the first days of July to smell the roses and choose time and heart over money, prestige, and material things.

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PHASES OF THE MOON - MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU MAY THINK.

Lunar phases are what we see as we look up at the Moon on it’s journey around the Earth in conjunction with the Earth's orbit around the sun. Traditionally, the first phase is the New Moon. That’s when the Sun and Moon are aligned on the same side of the Earth,  and the Moon isn't visible from Earth. As the Moon waxes (increasing illumination as seen from Earth) the New Moon crescent progresses to First Quarter Moon, and then on to the Full Moon phase, before waning (shrinking illumination from the Earth’s vantage) through the Last Quarter Moon, and continuing on to begin another cycle. The "Quarter Moon" refers to the progress of the moon's cycle around the Earth and not to its shape, which is seen as a half-moon.

You may have asked yourself: “Are we really affected by the phases of the Moon? Most people who have studied it think so. For thousands of years, the effects of the Moon on the earth's oceans, animals and humans have been a passionate subject of interest. Many important activities, like planting crops (remember the Farmers’ Almanacs), are often done according to the phases of the Moon. And, as GrandmaS has mentioned many times before, we all need to be more connected to the natural world around us. The practice of watching the Moon helps us to be more aware of the patterns of nature, and this can have very positive effects in our lives.

As we learn more about the Lunar Cycle, we see that the different phases are associated with particular energies. And, each part of the Moon cycle can be associated with a special flower that represents the essence of those days. Meditation on this flower can be done many different ways - by observation in nature, home displays (real, silk version, or drawing), by smelling the oil essence (fragrance), and the wearing of or even dancing around with the flower in your hand. All these forms of meditation are wonderful ways to celebrate a phase of the Moon.

NEW MOON
The New Moon brings calmness, and people’s emotions are stabilized. This means that they have more energy and acceptance of changes in their lives. So, the New Moon is time to strengthen your inner self by meditating, praying, chanting and resting. It’s also beneficial to fast for a day or eat lightly so that your body may flush out what it no longer needs. The vibrations of the New Moon will provide fresh perspectives and motivations. Nothing can remain stagnant at this stage of the Moon. So, start out fresh and transform your intentions into action, invoking the Law of Attraction. Plan for positive changes in your life and map out what you want for the upcoming month.

Floral essence: NIGHTBLOOMING CEREUS, a fragrant, desert cactus that blooms at night.

WAXING MOON AND FIRST QUARTER
The days following a New Moon represent the early advance of the new cycle, and you can take advantage of this to get things underway. From a farming perspective, waxing is a time for planting and growing. This is the gestation period for a new idea and the seed is still underground. By organizing your intentions, you can work in coordination with the lunar cycle and be ready to put your intentions in practice.

The arrival of the First Quarter Moon represents the time in the planting cycle when the plant emerges from the ground and puts out its leaves and branches. This period helps you build a solid foundation for your new endeavors and gets you ready to embrace expansion and growth in your life. Your new reality begins to evolve. Take confidence in your future success and fill your life with interests and activities.

Floral essence: the IRIS, considered to be the creative and liberating paintbrush of the soul.

FULL MOON
The Full Moon appears when the Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth, and the Moon's face is fully visible. This corresponds to the time in the planting cycle when the flower emerges. But, along with the great change comes increased activity. There's more emotional stress during the Full Moon, and people tend to be self-centered and  ignore the needs of others. So, there's more need for objectivity. While considered a great time for business and sales, it’s bad for purchasers who tend to be spend recklessly. Even though listening skills may be somewhat muted during the Full Moon, many people get more engaged and focused at this time. So, fully trust in your gifts, talents, and creative spirit, and keep yourself moving in a positive, helpful way.

Floral essence: the LOTUS, the flower that represents completeness and both cause and effect, simultaneously.

WANING MOON AND LAST QUARTER
This is a time that represents completion. In the planting cycle, this time corresponds to the appearance of the fruit. From a farming perspective, waning is the culmination of the entire planting cycle, involving harvesting and clean-up. You are filled with the knowledge of what you’ve accomplished in the past weeks, and your purpose is to share it with others. It’s also creates a sense of urgency to get the most out of things. This part of the lunar cycle offers you the opportunity to share your knowledge by communicating, networking, and offering service. It’s not the best time to start new projects since it's the end of a cycle. As the waning phase progresses, you may want to spend some quality time alone, reading a good book, or cleaning out a closet.

Floral essence: the ROSE, deeply rooted in the Earth and associated with true love.

MAKE YOUR OWN MOON CALENDAR
Traditionally, the Moon Cycle is one of the most important elements of life on Earth. You can think of this cycle as sort of a big clock. When we can keep track of the phases of the Moon, we have a guide to make improvements in our work and outlook. Here’s a simple way of doing that. Print out the Moon Cycle drawing shown above and write in the dates of the corresponding periods for the coming month (or just find a regular calendar that includes the phases of the Moon.) Next, write some short notes to yourself about what each phase of the cycle is supposed to mean. (An Internet search may be helpful, here.) Then, observe and keep records of your emotions, interpersonal reactions, and activities in the Lunar cycle. Write down your experiences in a personal journal. After a few months, read over your notes. You may find interesting patterns. These patterns represent your personal Lunar Rhythm. Knowing more about your own attitudes and behavior, can help you improve many important aspects of your life.

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LEARN HOW TO BE HEALTHY THE "NATURAL WAY"

Naturalistic practice is a system of personal care that concentrates on maintaining the body in a healthy condition. It’s sometimes referred to as natural healing, and those who follow it have more energy and fewer illnesses. Eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet is, of course, a part of any program for health. But natural healing goes beyond this. This kind of preventive program represents a "vitalistic" tradition and, whenever the body has illnesses, these same practices support the person's own healing capacity. By working with a person's vital force and respecting the natural healing processes, all kinds of ailments can be overcome without the use of Western medicines and surgery.

So, what are the bases of natural healing? (You’ll be happy to hear that no commercial products are necessary for this program, and that only dedication to a healthy lifestyle is the key to natural healing.)

Get outdoors and enjoy some sunshine everyday.
Just 10 to 15 minutes of sitting or walking in the sunshine gives us a lot of energy and helps keep our spirits high. If you don't live in a zone with temperatures warm enough to be outdoors for part of the year, make yourself a sun room or sit in a window when the sun comes in. This is particularly good to do when you eat your meals. By exposing your skin to sunlight, you'll get the necessary Vitamin D that your body must have for good health. While your outside, touch your bare hands to a large tree, and just simply breathe. All these actions help to "ground" or stabilize the energy of the body. Mother Nature has many ways to cure her children, but you have to connect with her to receive all the benefits.

Feet were meant to be bare (at least part of the time).
Try to go barefoot for an hour or more a day. Walk barefoot on grass or sand whenever there is an opportunity.  When conditions aren't right for being totally barefoot, wear (preferably all leather) sandals without socks for some hours of the day. Wash your feet with warm water before going to bed and rub them with a light oil.  Sleep at night without socks if the room temperature permits.

Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
The list is long, but here are some fruits and vegetables that are very nutritious. Raw foods are especially good for you, so plan to eat some raw fruit and a big salad everyday.
* Apples
* Asparagus
* Avocados
* Beets
* Broccoli
* Cabbage
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Cilantro
* Cucumbers
* Garlic
* Green Beans
* Hot Peppers
* Kale (mustard greens, collards, dandelion greens, etc.)
* Lettuce
* Olives
* Radishes
* Sweet potatoes
* Wild or brown rice
(Don't eat a lot of tomatoes, white potatoes or mushrooms.)

Learn to enjoy simple meals.
Eat a whole grain cereal in the morning along with a fruit, and choose fruit that is grown locally or regionally. Eat a brothy vegetable soup for lunch, accompanied by a whole grain bread with a nut or bean topping. Eat whole grain rice with vegetables for dinner along with a green salad. Eggs, beans, nuts, and fresh (not aged) cheese, like farmers' and cottage cheese, can be added to the meals in small quantities. Try to eliminate all sugar from the diet except for honey and maple sugar (and use even those with moderation). Have a snack of fruit during the day. Apples, grapes and pears are great for vitamins and fiber.

Some other dietary tips.
Learn to add all kinds of herbs and spices to your meals to enhance what otherwise might make for bland and repetitious meals. Make sure you add some apple cider vinegar to all soups and salads. Drink a lot of water and other liquids during the day – especially when you get up in the morning and throughout the day. Too many liquids in the evening can disturb your nightime sleep with extra trips to the toilet. Eat your evening meal before 7 pm.

Say a blessing before your meals.
Take a minute and hold your hands over your plate to thank God for your food and ask that the food be used for your own good and for you to be able to help those around you. Ask for God's mercy on others who are hungry, sick, or afraid.

Practice gentle or moderate exercise for 30 minutes everyday.
All healthy exercise and fitness activities, including walking, yoga, dancing, running and other sports, help your heart rate, increase your oxygen intake, improve circulation, and pump up your lymph (infection-fighting) system. And, working up a sweat is one of the best ways to rid your body of toxins. The endorphins and other happy hormones that you feel after a good exercise session are guarantees that the energy is flowing through your whole system.

Do a "Chinese pat-down" in the morning.
First thing in morning, before or after a shower, pat-down all your body with the flat of your hand or with a loose fist. Start at the feet and pat all the parts that you can reach all the way up to you head. This will stimulate all your vital points, giving you extra energy and better immunity. This can take several minutes. If you don’t have time to do a full pat-down, try a shorter version. Do a pat-down with one hand, from waist to wrist and back on the outer part of the body.  Do this on both sides of the body for a couple of minutes. Then, take another minute or two for a pat-down with both hands (fists) around the lower back and sacrum area.

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VISION BOARDS AND THE NEW MOON CYCLE.

You could really use a vision board.
Most everyone desires for a better future for themselves and for their families. We spend a lot of time and energy on actions that we hope will bring about that future. Here’s an activity that you may not know about that can help you achieve the better life that you wish for. It’s called a vision board, and it’s a collage of visual images of what you value and what you want to see as part of your life. The purpose of a vision board is to create a focus on specific things that will enable you to realize your dreams. By selecting and putting together a set of very significant pictures and writing, you’ll begin to reveal those things in a very positive way. Physically, it is a poster or corkboard with cut out pictures, drawings and writing about things that you want in your life. Like many other endeavors that involve heart and spirit, new moon energy can help you with your vision board. (More about this later.)

The vision board is also called a manifestation board, an intention board or treasure map because it provides us with a road map of the intentions/hopes/goals that we want to attract in our lives. By frequent reviewing of our creation, we can focus our energy in a way that helps us move closer towards our goals.

Consider the things that you dream about or think about when you are alone. What do you imagine yourself doing or having? These questions are the ones that can help you reach the objectives you’re searching for. It’s our own sense of positivism or courage that needs to be activated so we can obtain our most cherished dreams. There is universal energy (part of the Universal Mind) available to all of us that can help us find the strength and wisdom that we need to succeed.

The theory for the vision board comes from the Law of Attraction. The basic idea behind this law is that we attract things to us by focusing on or giving our attention to them. And this happens whether or not we are aware of this principle. If you think negative thoughts about yourself, that attracts bad things to you – things like lack of money, loneliness, worries. If we focus on things that are positive for us, then we can attract the brighter, better future that we long for.

What do you want on your vision board?
Consider your priority areas for the next year. The items on your vision board may involve things, beliefs and/or environments. Do you want a nicer or more organized home? Better health? A stronger marriage? Do you want to connect or reconnect with some person or a group of people? Do you want to live in a safer and more loving community? Do you want your lifestyle to be simpler and more eco-friendly? Do you want to keep a journal or write a book? Do you want to eat more nutritious and less fattening meals?

Do you even really know what you want? If you are like many of us, you've been so busy with everyday activities that you haven’t had time to fully consider your own needs. Don’t worry if you don’t have any clear goals when you begin this process. That’s what you’re going to find out once you sit down and figure it out. Choosing what to include in the board may take a number of hours or even a few days. Give yourself the gift of time to dream and be guided by your visualizations.

Ways to put your board together.
Collect a lot of magazines, Internet clipart, drawings, and/or photos. Go through the pictures, cutting out any images that appeal to you. Whether they're words or pictures – if it’s what attracts you, separate it, and put in your "keeper" pile.  Consider including some things in these areas: health, wealth, family, friends, personal growth, home and environment.

Pick out your favorite images from all the cutouts. Lay these on your board and begin to arrange them into the places that you want. Glue your images to the board.

Draw some lines under each image. The spaces under each item can be used later to write in just when and how those dreams make themselves apparent in your life. You can also decorate the board with paints, shapes, and hand drawn pictures. If you like, you can write words or short phrases beside the pictures. Make your board as attractive as possible. If you like, you can even do the whole board as pin-ups on a bulletin board. Or use computer software to collect all kinds of photos and digital images and put them in a single vision board file (as in my drawing). It can, then, be a computer print-out or the image on the background of your computer desktop.

It’s good to leave a space in the center of the board for a photo or drawing of yourself. This makes your vision board personal to you. You can also draw lines or place ribbons (like rays out from the sun) to emphasize your connection to each item.

Affirmations are part of the vision board process.
State your affirmations (desires) for each item in the present tense and in very positive terms. For example: I am healthy. My children are strong and doing well. I have the money that I need. I help my family and friends and they help me. I pray often and my prayers comfort me.

Put your vision board somewhere in your home where you can see it several times a day – in the kitchen, in your bedroom, in the hallway. Every day spend a few minutes in front of your vision board and imagine all these wishes happening in your life. Repeat your affirmations out loud in the morning when you get out of bed, and then again in the evening – perhaps before going to bed. As you make the affirmations part of your everyday life, you’ll begin to notice some changes happening around you. These changes will point to new possibilities, and you’ll find the steps you need to take to accomplish your dreams.

In the following weeks and months, you’ll see many of the items on your board actually appearing in your life. Also, if after a time, something that you have on your board doesn’t feel “right”, then remove it and replace it with something else. Changes are O.K.

Begin your vision board with the new moon.

The best time to create your board is during the first four days of the lunar cycle (day of the new moon and the three following days). Some experts recommend that the board be made in conjunction with the yearly astrological cycle - that's Aries in April. But you don’t have to wait for an annual cycle. Any lunar cycle during the year will do. Ideally, you should complete your board within the first four days of the new moon. Don’t worry if you don’t finish all the work in four days. Get the bulk of it done in those days, and if necessary, you can add some details later. Be ready before the new moon cycle by buying supplies, collecting pictures, and bringing together all the materials that you’ll use in your board. But don’t begin it early. The energy of the new moon will help you create your board faster and in a more positive frame of mind.

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LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE MORE AWARE OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

Most Western people lead lives that are almost entirely disassociated from nature. They feel that their lives are only related to a specific group of people or perhaps, for a minority, to the human race, in general. For them, the natural world is just a kind of backdrop, a setting that provides humans with their necessities for food, warmth, work and recreation, and from which all is to be taken freely and little or nothing needs to be returned. This kind of disconnect from nature creates damaged mental health and terribly destructive behavior. On the other hand, as almost anyone who's experienced nature recognizes, we can be as closely involved with nature as we allow ourselves to be. And through that involvement, nature can renew and re-create us. This means that our efforts to explore our relationship with our natural environment, can be the basis for more productive and happier lives.

This page is written with the purpose of asking you to do a small study of nature that involves exploring your own special relationship with plants or, more in particular, with a single plant. You have heard the saying that “You are what you eat.” That’s what I’m asking of you to consider. Put one fruit in front of you – some fruit that you like a lot. Meditate on it for a couple of minutes. Lift it up and consider its weight. Turn it around and view it from several angles. Smell it. Think about the many experiences it may have had in order to reach your table and your hand – being planted, breaking through the ground, finding the light, being watered, growing, and then harvested, and transported. Or, for those fruits that grow on trees, their appearance as blossoms, growth to maturity, passing through times of more or less water, more or less light and heat, being picked and then transported. Then say a sort of prayer of thanks, asking the fruit to accept becoming part of you and to help you to be healthier.

While not the only way - or even one of the best ways - to overcome our separation with nature, this simple consideration of a food source can be a start to this process. It can help us be more aware of the importance of our interactions with the natural world – by creating a deeper recognition of our dependence on plants and a thankfulness toward them for sustaining all animal and human life on this planet.

After you have carried out your fruit-considering experiment, I hope that you will open your mind to other possibilities for engagement with plants. There are an estimated 275,000 different species of plants on Earth, and current science knows only a few thousand of them, and even at that, not necessarily very well. Plants do a lot more than just feed us. Plants are many different things, as all native people realize --they're food, shelter, medicines, poisons, and visionary agents. And, as indigenous people know, different species of plant have their own spirits, which can act as teachers, healers, and allies.

Unfortunately, most modern people are so immersed in the material world and with their own personal ego that they assume that plants are somehow unintelligent or even “lifeless”. We are totally ignorant when we think of plants as just a set of chemical processes that somehow appeared on the Earth and have no important purpose other than what the human population makes of them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While a plant does not have a recognizable physical brain or other obvious animal characteristics, they are, by definition, at one time, living and sentient beings. That means that, in an important way, they share in the same energy sources that animals and humans do. Beyond that, plants form the foundation for the macroscopic level of life on this planet and their presence regulates our atmosphere. It goes without saying that that they also produce “medicine” (healing powers) for themselves and for all animal species. Yet we don’t know how they “live” their lives and, in our arrogance, we often consider them to be unfeeling or unconscious things.

While clearly lacking an animal’s central nervous system, plants do have some kind of a dispersed nervous system that allows them to communicate between their cells and with their organs. And, recently, researchers in some of the lesser-known sciences like plant neurobiology and ethnobotany have shown other surprising facts about the "behavior" of plants. From their experiments, they postulate that plants not only have mechanisms of intelligence (Plant-Mind) but also appear to do their work through a psychic link – a type of biological wisdom. This is the same intelligent link that bonds all life on Earth and is sometimes referred to as the Gaian mind (and that, in turn, is part of Universal Mind).

All of us participate at some level in Gaian and Universal Mind, but our psychic limitations keep us from being aware of our involvement. On the other hand, we can do better than we have in the past. And if we, indeed, love our lives on this Earth – and love the Earth – we need to open our hearts and minds, accepting to be healed by and finding a healing role in nature. Only then, will we be able to find some peace and stop destroying our planet.

DON’T FORGET TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER

Along with the end of the year festivities, don’t forget this coming week, to celebrate one of Earth’s important anniversaries. That’s right. December 21 is THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER. It's the WINTER SOLSTICE, the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. On December 21, the earth’s orbit, in the northern hemisphere, is the most inclined away from the sun. SOLSTICE is a Latin expression that means "sun stand", because the morning sun's appears to momentarily stop its progress in the sky, and then abruptly begins its decline.

In the past, people in the northerly latitudes knew this moment as the was most critical time of the year for survival. Therefore, ceremonies were held to assure continued existence – to assist the Sun on its path and to celebrate the return of the light. According to ancient Germanic folk practices, December 21 was called Yule, and it was celebrated by fires, lights, special foods, and singing. In more recent times, "Yule" and "Yuletide" are also sometimes used interchangeably with Christmas. In this cold and relatively dark time, we long for greater light and warmth. For this reason, this date has been remembered as the change of dark to light, cold to warm, shortage to plenty, and death to life. Because of this symbolism, the Solstice represents an important opportunity for us to examine our lives and seek out balance.

If we are strong in spirit, we can, at this time of year, consciously deal with the least comfortable parts of our lives. And even as we acknowledge the darkness, we can feel gratitude for what we do have and for the chance to continue our lives in the New Year. In this way, Solstice gives us the opportunity to heal our selves from our weaknesses and to enrich our relationships with other people and, importantly, with our EARTH.

So, use this day to create your own personal ceremony. Your ceremony for Solstice can be whatever signifies to you living through the stark challenges of winter and striving for a better year to come. Some of the rituals that people often do at the Winter Solstice are lighting the Yuletide log, lighting up candles, saying special prayers, meditating, listening to inspiring music, and singing spirited songs.

Note: Don't let the advertisers and other spokespeople for monied interests, co-opt this time of year. It's definitely, not in the spirit of Solstice (or of Christmas, for that matter) to increase our personal debt and consume all kinds of things that we don't need.

BENEFIT FROM NEW MOON FASTING

Inspired by Farmers' Almanacs
When I began writing this blog, I decided to call it an almanac instead of a referring to it as a diary or journal. The term almanac seemed to me more appropriate for what I wanted to say. The Farmers’ Almanacs are a source of folk wisdom that has been published in the U.S. continually for about two centuries. Many people, over the years, strongly believed in and have been helped by following the recommendations of farmers’ almanacs. So, that was part of my inspiration. While I never imagined that what I had to say would become widely popular, I hoped that the pages of my blog would reflect traditional wisdom and be helpful to a small group of people including, of course, my family and friends.

There is a lot to be learned in the Farmers’ Almanacs. One of the main points in these publications is detailed weather prediction that is printed for at least a year in advance. The sun and planetary movements, as well as phases of the moon guide these predictions. The almanacs also tell people the dates when to plant crops and when to harvest, as well as the best timing for starting up many other human activities. (See note below.)

The new moon offers opportunities
The lunar month is one of the most important aspects of our planet because it represents a regular cycle of greater and lesser gravitational attraction between the earth and the moon. The lunar cycle is 29.3 days long, and the lunar calendar has thirteen "moonths", plus one extra day to harmonize with the 365-day solar calendar.  Besides having a daily rythym of high and low tides, the lunar cycles also affect the tides. We have highest tides on new moon and full moon days and lowest tides when the moon is in the 1st quarter and last quarter.

According to the farmers’ almanacs, the new moon offers opportunities for making changes and initiating new projects. The new moon is a time for promoting all forms of growth, including planting crops, business opportunities, relationships, as well as creative and spiritual endeavors.

We become more attuned with our own aims and possibilities, when we are aware of the geo-magnetic and psychic energy available to us in different moments according to the lunar cycle. For the same reason, many spiritual traditions, including that of Native Americans, yogis and others, have special practices during the new moon. Their traditions point to these days as very favorable times to carry out certain spiritual rituals and other intentions.

Fasting and the new moon
Short periods of not eating offer a way of cleansing the body and preparing the mind for greater focus. When you fast, your body takes a rest and healing occurs. A lot of people who regularly fast say that their days of fasting help them see things more clearly and with a new perspective.

The Christian tradition also calls for fasting, and is rooted in the words of Jesus: “All things will be possible for you. That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and fasting.” (Matthew:17:20-21)

Fasting gives you an opportunity to live your day in a different way – with greater reflection -- a time for peace of body and spirit, and a closer connection to your Creator. Your fast will be even more pleasant if you spend at least part of your day outdoors, walking in nature, creating art, writing in your personal journal, listening to inspiring music, or doing devotional reading.

When you fast during the new moon, you receive important benefits. Fasting on that day greatly increases your energy and boosts your health. Yogis don’t do their regular yoga practice during the new moon, but instead maintain a fast and use the day for quiet walks, meditation, and prayer. This is a wonderful way they have of connecting with the Divine.

So, my recommendation to you is to try new moon fasting and feel its benefits for yourself. This fast is usually for 24 hours. Start your fast in the morning and end it with a light breakfast on the following morning. If you’re new to fasting, try to plan as calm a day as possible. Be sure to allow yourself some quiet time or a leisurely nap in the afternoon -- if you can manage it.

You may fast in different ways. The usual ways are by drinking water with lemon juice or drinking vegetable and fruit juices, diluted with about 50% water. You may drink as much as you like. The important thing is to not chew anything during the day and don’t drink any coffee or black tea. If -- and only if -- there is a lot of hunger in the late afternoon or evening, you can drink a fruit smoothie with a little yogurt.

Note: You can see the date of the new moon in the coming "moonth" and other info from Farmers' Almanac in GrandmaS' Almanac Calendar.


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