On the Fourth Day of New Year, My True Love Gave To Me …

The fourth day of the Chinese New Year is a day to nourish and nurture our bodies, our minds AND our spirits as well as the kitchen gods who shower us with fulfillment.  The kitchen, considered the Room of Abundance, will respond to your requests and your respect if you treat this space accordingly.

That’s a Chinese New Year recipe for success.

Here’s a Magically Delicious one:

Fritters for Healthy Finances

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup of cornstarch

one teaspoon salt

1/4 cup of sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

1/3 cup of whole milk

2 tablespoons of melted salted butter

3 ripe/firm bananas, peeled and cut into 4 pieces each - cut crosswise

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of whipped cream

Heat approximately 20 inches of the oil in a deep fryer or skillet to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl blend together the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl combine the egg, the milk and the butter and then add that to the flour mixture.  Mix together until the batter becomes stiff and smooth.  Take the pieces of banana and roll each one in the cornstarch.  Holding each piece with tongs, dip the banana into the fritter batter and completely coat.  Lower the banana VERY GENTLY into the oil and fry each piece until golden and brown.  Serve warm topped with the whipped cream and expect some unexpected prosperity!  Maybe even enough to fritter some away!

The connection between heaven and earth, on this day, is in the kitchen!  XOE

It’s Just A Game - -

All last week the boy and I kept discussing the coming weekend and what the/our schedule(s) looked like.  I knew that I was engaging in an invitation only seminar on an ancient yogic way of breathing that brings fortune, luck, abundance, love and all sorts of good things on Friday while also trying to handle Saturday’s basketball schedule while also trying to clean the house before the Chinese New Year today, and, of course, and what WAS most importantly, the Ravens - Pats / Giants - Niners games of yesterday.  That last agenda, in fact, topped ALL the others.  Should we watch at home or go to Beth and George’s big blast?  If we watch at home should we have people over?  I decided against that last idea because A) it was a Sunday and we get up BEFORE the crack of dawn around here and B) if the Giants ran late it would be a lock that so would we first thing this Monday morning.  And, so,  considering how first thing Monday morning was/is also Chinese New Year and there are rules and regs as to how to handle this day so that we can get the most and biggest benefit/blessings for the whole of the New Year ahead, well, we decided to just do the Giants by ourselves.

Now, the gist of this post isn’t what a busy, blustery weekend we had, but, rather, how much emphasis and importance was placed on being ready and rarin’ to watch the Patriots and the Giants.  Until, well, it wasn’t.

And that happened Saturday afternoon at a small gym in suburban Virginia Beach.

The night before, during another local high school basketball game, an anonymous shooter came to the First Colonial High School gym, allegedly wrote some angst ridden manifesto on the walls of the one of the stalls in the Men’s Room and then went out into the parking lot and squeezed off a couple of rounds.  LUCKILY!  BLESSEDLY!  FORTUNATELY! no one was hurt.  But, with the shooter still at large and another whole day of bball scheduled the following day, including our game, tensions were running high and electricity was in the air.

We hit the floor facing off against a team that got cockier as the digits increased on their side of the scoreboard.  Smack talking and immature, these boys taunted and baited ours until finally our center snapped and pushed one of the ruder kids.  Our kid got ejected and the electricity immediately increased.  I have to say as well that we had a ref that was as contentious and immature as the kids and kept baiting boy after boy after boy fueling what was already a steamy situation.  OH BOY!  I couldn’t wait for it all to end - too much stupid and senseless drama for me.  For a Saturday afternoon basketball game!  Emphasis on that last word.

Because, during the fourth quarter when energies were at a crescendo pitch and the parents were behaving more badly than the kids, my son turned to a particularly punchy parent and simply said “Stop.”  Then he looked around at all of the other kids surrounding him on the floor, from both his team and the other one too. and with calm and cool simply said to them, “Just stop.  Stop.  Everyone.  It’s just a game!”

And right there and right then the whole Patriots and Giants BIG deal folded into a much, much smaller one. For me at least.  And even though they both won their respective leagues last night and even though both will now go to the Super Bowl, ANY ONE OF THOSE FOUR TEAMS could have pulled off the win.  ANY ONE OF THEM.  But it shouldn’t really  matter too too much because, well, it’s really just a game.

See below for the email I received from the boy’s basketball coach yesterday morning.  Reminding me that out of the mouths of babes sometimes comes more maturity than we adults can ever even imagine.  Life.  It’s only a game.  Play it to your highest and best and stay in your integrity.  Honor ALL the players.  You never know who’s going to be on your team when it really matters.

Here now, the email that allows me to remember not to get too caught up.  Gratis a wise and wonderful 16 year old teacher!

Hi Ellen, I just wanted to tell you what a marvelous job you’ve done raising such an outstanding young man. I was totally impressed with Grayson having the ability and confidence to in an appropriate manner handle a parent behaving badly yesterday by reminding everyone why we were there and pointing out how it was disrupting the game. I myself wanted to throw my clipboard at her…and your son did what I wasn’t able to do. Anyways, just wanted you to know you’ve got a great kid..but I am sure you know that :O)”

Yes, I sure do know it.  Now, if I could only act like it!  XOXE

You’re Simply Irresistible -

The planets are conspiring to make this Friday something you’ll really TG for!  Flirty and sexy Venus sextiles power-full Pluto while electric Uranus hangs out and then hooks up with the sizzling Sun!  All of this swell celestial stuff makes you irresistible and HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE too!  So, then, no better time to call on Archangel Chammuel to make your dreams come true!

From JoAnn Cornug’s ORIGINAL TRIBE; Handbook of Angels, Cornug shares that Chammuel is a mighty and powerful angel tasked with having dominion over MANY MANY powers.  The ancient texts tell that Chammuel will joyfully join with you an dyour own personal intention and will in order to accomplish your most profound and lofty goal.  And, honestly, who can’t use a little extra added assist when activating accomplishment on our most lofty goal?  We are instructed to be VERY specific with Chammuel as he is believed to be your greatest ally in achieving your cause!  After all, you ARE simply irresistible!

Invoke Chammuel’s intercession THREE times and then say the following:

“Mighty I Am the Love, Power and Wisdom

  to realize (your goal here - be SPECIFIC!)

Mighty I Am  Mighty I Am  Mighty I Am”

One of my current goals is to make THE POWER OF LOVE something so totally magically miraculous that all of your loving dreams come true.  Good start so far with a friend who is one of my test cases and reports the following:

“Okay, okay, I am crying Uncle now.  I believe.  I was flying to San Fran to meet with Jamie for that book signing thing and who do I run into in the airport?  You’ll never guess (or YOU actually might!)  I hear someone calling my name and I turn around and PETER (!!!!) is standing five feet away from me.  PETER!!  Long story short - he’s been living in LA for the last 15 years, was in SF for the weekend and we had drinks together.  He’s coming to NYC to see some documentary (he’s still into filming short movies) and we’re having dinner together.  He’s divorced, twice (shut up!) but still makes my heart swell.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU dear friend.  I’ll stay in touch, but, this was incredible!”

These were two old ‘steady’ flames from high school.  So far, so good.  On ALL fronts and on ALL accounts.  LOVING this new POWER OF LOVE secret seal, power prayers and miracle spray.  LOVING!

LOVE this day too and hope you will as well!  TGIF indeed!  XXOE

COUNTDOWN to Chinese New Year - by your animal ally!

First the big blanket statement, if you don’t know your Chinese Zodiac animal, you can look that up on any search engine.  Because of the different animals associated with different years I won’t / don’t have time to look anyone’s up - soooooooooooo - yeah.

And if you can’t find the images I’m about to suggest then please just go ahead and skip these cures.  These are only  meant to be of service and of help, they are NEVER meant to stress or cause anxiety that then spills over into my inbox.  Let’s just tackle this effort with a big smile, an open heart and the hope that it all flows really smoothly!  In fact, in the Year of the WATER Dragon, everything else should start to flow too!  That’s right, during this upcoming Dragon influenced year (a lively and power-full year coming just in time to save the 2012 365!) you can simply carry an image or even a small statue of the Rooster since he is the Dragon’s bff and will bring you plenty of fortune and luck while the Dragon breathes fire and lights up your intentions and dreams.  See, you can download an image of a Rooster and put that in your wallet right?  See, that was uber easy!  But, if you’re a bit more interested in your SPECIFIC and PARTICULAR Chinese Zodiac Animal and how to activate that ally for this New Year then go ahead and keep reading.  This information comes from the school of FLYING STAR Feng Shui.

If you are a RAT then you have something called the General Star influencing you this year and should keep an image or statue of Kwan Kung with the Victory Flag.

If you are on OX you will be under the light of the Yearly Conflict Star and so should carry or wear an image of the Chinese Feng Shui Self-Protection Medallion.

If you are a TIGER you will be influenced by the Golden Deity Star so should carry or wear the Kuan Yin Moving Mantra in order to receive her grace and blessings.

If you are a RABBIT you will be influenced by the Star of Reducing Energy and so should have an image of the Crane and Deer together somewhere where you can see it everyday.  You can also hang a small Feng Shui Wu Lou health activating symbol on the headboard of your bed on the side that you sleep on.

If you are a DRAGON you will be influenced by the Side 5 Yellow so shoul carry or wear the Tree of Life to ensure your fortunes and luck both on track.

If you are a SNAKE you will be influenced by a star that indicates potential robbery so should carry an image of the Feng Shui Blue Rhinoceros and/or wear an elephant amulet for protection.

If you are a HORSE you will be influenced by the Three Killings and can empower yourself by carrying the Chinese Three Celestial Guardians holding implements.

If you are a SHEEP you will be influenced by the yearly killing star and so should carry or wear a HUM symbol/pendant for protection, grace, luck and light.

If you are a MONKEY you will be influenced by the Earth Seal and should activate this auspicious star by carrying the Feng Shui Earth Seal Enhancer.

If you are a ROOSTER you have the Multiplying Yi Duo star on your side and should enhance and activate by carrying or spying an image of The Flying Star Feng Shui Mantra Diamond Jewel.

If you are a DOG you will will blessed by carrying the Feng Shui Prayer Wheel in order to counter the Sui Po star, and, lastly,

If you are a BOAR you will be influenced by the Heavenly Seal Star.  Carry the Heavenly Seal image with you to enhance all the excellent energies this star brings.

I give great thanks to one of my master teachers, Lillian Too, for providing this information from the more traditional or Eastern School of Feng Shui so that all the rest of us can navigate the coming New Year with health, happiness, love and prosperity!

Tomorrow I am going to share some stories about the new POWER OF LOVE product and what’s been reported back to us in this very early going!  Sometimes I even am amazed.  But just sometimes.  I will say that I get so many emails from people who want to reunite with a loved one that I’ve included that intention in this new promotion as well.  So it will attract a new love, enhance an existing relationship that could use a boost and also, if it’s the RIGHT THING will reunite partners meant to be together as well.  First feedback comes tomorrow from someone who just did that same thing.  In a seemingly miraculous way!

For today, download your images and begin carrying them AFTER FEBRUARY 4.  AFTER FEBRUARY 4.  AFTER.  FEBRUARY.  4.   XOXE

Salt and Power!

Here’s this year’s BIG magic!  Get ready for luck, fortune, empowerment and say buh bye to negative energies, bad juju and towing the hard road.

But first:

If applicable, dispose of last year’s Secret Salt Cure by putting EVERYTHING into a brown paper bag and throwing away OUTSIDE of the house.  OUTSIDE of the house.  OUTSIDE.  THE.  HOUSE.  Everything.  EVERYTHING.

Now, this next NEW Salt Cure for this next New Year will get placed / positioned in the southeast and/OR north.  It doesn’t matter if that’s in your bedroom.  It does matter that it’s not INSIDE a cabinet or anywhere else the air cannot activate this cure every day.  So find a place in the southeast and - OR in the north of your living space where you can position this salt cure and don’t forget to also use a RED mat (if possible - a piece of red material or even red construction paper will do) atop some other absorbent something or other in the case of spill or overflow.  While I’m here, spill or overflow is GOOD!!!!  Means the cure is really working.

And when it works for you so will everything and everyone else.

For the purists, I will be positioning my own cure on the eve of the Chinese New Year, January 22.  For everyone else, if you are going to invest time and energy in this effort, do it before Mars moves retrograde on that same January 23 date (same date as Chinese New Year itself!)

1. Fill a glass jar or any glass receptacle with table or rock salt.  Fill to about three quarters full.
   
   
2. Place six faux (or real!) Chinese coins on top of the salt in a circle. Make sure the coins are Yang side up; this is the side with the four Chinese characters. Don’t panic/worry (and/or email!) if the coins sink into the sale either before or after you add the water.
   
   
3. Fill the jar to the top with tap water.
   
   
4. The jar WILL form crystals over time; this shows that it is working and IS absorbing ALL negative energy.
   
   
5. Like my glass of pinot noir, make sure the water is topped off occasionally.
7. Try not to touch or move the jar too much as it now stores a TON of negative stuff.

There you go!  The 2012 Secret Salt Cure.  Carry on.  XO

POP! goes the girlfriend!

My dear friend and partner in cri - um, I mean, writing, Lisa Richmon has once again inspired me to get up and get going on something that motivates and inspires me too.  I’ve been watching her birth her ‘brand’ new business called POP (http://popinprint.com/) and I have found all of her creativity and energy to be so motivating that I simply cannot say.  This was truly a blessing and a gift that I needed right now too!  Lisa’s way with words as well as her immediate insight into her clients and her acumen and aplomb at capturing anyone’s charisma and putting that in print promises a fresh perspective - and that my friends is exactly what she has now offered me!  A fresh perspective.

So, towards that same end I am resurrecting an idea I had awhile ago in regards to capturing the POWER OF LOVE!  Right now, my brand new assistant Ruth and I are meeting once a day to pull all the ingredients together so I can take the POWER for a test run with some willing participants - be they singletons looking for love, partners who want to reunite or even long existing relationships that need a little extra added ooomph and romance to refuel and restart the spark.

Once again based in ancient knowledge and techniques I will be sharing more about this new promotion as we come closer to Valentine’s Day but I wanted to publicly thank Lisa Richmon for the motivation, the inspiration and all the LOVE.  Check her out, you just never know when you might need something to POP! in your life too! 

And don’t forget that today is the SUPER STELLAR DAY of January!  Make a wish.  Create an intention.  Say it often.  Say it loud.  GO US GO!  XOE

Going Home….

Yesterday my son and I buried his dad who we both called ‘Pop.’

Pop had been declining rapidly in recent years from both a terminal heart ailment while also suffering the end stage of Parkinson’s Disease.  He was living on borrowed time and is finally at peace.  WE are finally at peace as well.  We so sincerely appreciated all of the condolences and sympathies sent and certainly are grateful for the kindnesses and grace showered upon us.  But we were ready.  ALL three of us were ready.  And now we are ready as well to start the next new phase of our lives and embrace health, happiness, love and prosperity as we move ONWARD!  Again, we know how very much we’ve been in your prayers and are so very thankful, but, we’re READY.  To look with wonder at that which is before us.  So, we’re looking.  With wonder.  And heading to that which lies BEFORE us.

And Pop will rest in peace.

And he will do that, in part, due to the wonderful assistance and aid we received from Pop’s niece Dee.  Dee runs the family funeral home and was instrumental in moving us through this time with ease and, yes, grace.  Dee writes a blog about death and dying and she offers some really terrific advice about a topic that so many are so reticent to talk about.  Considering the outpouring I received on my Facebook page from those of you who have recently lost a loved one too, I thought it might be PERFECT to share some of Dee’s words here today.  So, here then, Dee Oliver and her guest post for today.  We leave the Facebook page for more optimism about what the future holds.  And that enthusiasm will begin as soon as tomorrow.  Because tomorrow I’ll be sharing some information about a POP! of a totally different kind.  The kind that my dear friend and writing partner Lisa Richmon has put in place so that we can all work and live the life of our dreams!  And, then, the next day - THE SALT CURE for 2012!!!!  Mark your calendars, a busy week indeed!  But, for today, here’s Dee - - -

A Story of Everlasting (and unfolding) Love!

I yield the floor today to my good friend, mentor and one of the best writer’s I know, Arielle Ford, so she can share a story of finding her true love and what she’s done since about keeping that love alive - healthy, happy, fulfilling and alive!  But, one quick first - since we are talking excellent writers, I want you to be sure to stop back tomorrow when I introduce another wonderful friend and fantastic writer, Lisa Richmon.  I am positive you will want to know all about her POP (she snaps and krackles too!)  But, for right now, I am more than honored and thrilled to introduce our guest blogger Arielle Ford as she introduces her new book, WABI SABI LOVE!  Take it away Arielle:

‘After Brian and I got married I discovered that “manifesting a soulmate” was the easy part. 

The hard part was just beginning. 

I was totally clueless about creating a great relationship.  After 44 years of being single, I was used to having my own way (all of the time) and since I managed skip over having a “starter marriage” I had zero experience in “partnership.”

One day I found myself being particularly pushy.  I witnessed myself pointing my right index finger in Brian’s face (left hand on left hip) ragging him out about something…..and I was shocked!  OMG….what was I doing?

I quickly apologized and then in a flash of insight said to him, “the next time I get like this, and unfortunately there will be a next time, you have my permission to ask me “when did Sheila enter the room?” (Sheila is my brilliant, amazing, and some times overbearing Mom)

Brian instantly got it and said to me, “And the next time I am getting too patronizing, you can call me Wayne.” (his much beloved Dad.) This was the amazing beginning of our dedication to practicing Wabi Sabi Love in our relationship…a way to offset problems and allow in more love.
Now you may be thinking….what the heck is Wabi Sabi?

Wabi Sabi is an ancient Japanese art form that honors all things old, worn, weathered, imperfect, and impermanent.  In fact, it seeks to find “beauty and perfection in the imperfections.”  For instance, if you had a large vase with a big crack down the middle of it, a Japanese art museum would put the vase on a pedestal and shine a spotlight on the crack!

My new book, Wabi Sabi Love shows you exactly how to see your partner in a whole new light, so you begin to appreciate, even celebrate  your partner’s imperfections. It transforms “tired” relationships so they feel new, fresh, and exciting-like you’re on your honeymoon again! AND….even if you are not yet with your soulmate, this is a skill worth learning now.

The best way to discover Wabi Sabi Love is through stories and fun, simple exercises, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in the book. Wabi SabiLove reveals secrets that create a passionate, joyful, and loving relationship.

If you are ready for more love, fun, harmony, and passion in your relationship, I encourage you to order my book today.  It comes with several terrific free bonuses including audio workshops from John Gray, Harville Hendrix, Alison Armstrong, guided practices, a higher love visioning video and more!

To More Love and Light in Your Relationship,

Arielle

P.S: You’ll be particularly inspired by the story on page 211, which shows how Michelle Obama accomplished a Wabi Sabi Love transformation faster than she ever thought possible. You can do it too, but you have to buy the book to get this kind of transformation in your relationship, so hurry before the first printing sells out.

Get your copy of Wabi Sabi Love now!

New Year - Day Three….

If you want good news the whole year through, feed the birds, it’s good for you.  ANYTIME during the first 15 days of the New Year - feed the birds.  Feng Shui says to literally scatter birdseed up the front walkway all the way to the front door of your house.  But for those who don’t live in spaces with front walkways, just make any effort to get to an open space and feed the birds, or, even open your window and leave a little sumptin’ sumptin’ on the outside of the ledge.

I leave you this as some extra special motivation while wondering if either of these two kids have run into Kim Richards in rehab recently.  HEY!  It’s me!  Come on. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VwU_oS2ErQ

How do you FEEL about the New Year?

Here’s what I KNOW - it is simply impossible to make conscious efforts to FEEL positive, optimistic, motivated and inspired and have those efforts not reap rewards and tremendous results!  Here we are embarking on a New Year and this would be as good a time as any for you to decide to CHOOSE how you will FEEL at any given time during any given day.

See, once you really get it - once you really, really understand that how you feel will influence and impact every moment of your future, you will then also understand that you hold the keys to creation in the palm of your hands.

Once again, once a day, first thing in the morning, decide to feel positive, motivated, enthused and inspired and STAY that way no matter what.  After 21 days you won’t even recognize your purpose driven and fulfilling life!  XOE