Category: Product Info & Tips

Clear Your Mental Clutter, Get A Journal

Velvet embroidered notebookToday’s guest post by Julie Rowlands explores the joy and therapeutic effect of writing a journal.

If you are new to journaling and need some cues on topics you can write about, here are Julie’s inspirational ideas:

One of the best ways I know to clear my head of the mental clutter that often accumulates there, is to write a journal.

I love writing, to me, there is something really special about writing in a beautiful journal or notebook with a special pen.

I have a stash of what I call my ‘special pens’, which I use regularly to write.

Actually, they really are nothing special except they are purple, and they write in purple ink. ( I am a purple girl from way back, long before it was fashionable to be a purple girl!)

All of my journals are written in purple ink, and for me that makes them unique and for me, more special.

What makes journal writing so special?

There are lots of reasons, here are six of my favourites.

  • It clears my head, I tend to write as I am thinking and some days that is very mixed up and other days very clear. Getting it out of my head and down on paper is a wonderful way to create space for more new ideas.
  • It is a wonderful record of my journey, my life. Reading some of my journals from years ago gives me a new perspective on where I have come from, what I have achieved, as well as the challenges I have faced and overcome.
  • It is a great reminder of particular incidents I may have forgotten, that seemed very important at the time. Often gives me a different perspective.
  • It is a  wonderful sounding board to record my frustrations and anguishes, and guess what?  Just writing them down helps clarify the real issues.
  • It is a fantastic tool for expressing Gratitude, even if it feels at times  like there is little to be grateful for, just writing something down often gets me thinking of more that I can be truly grateful for.
  • It is a fantastic way of documenting my goals and dreams, and my written steps to achieve them.
Is there a special way to write in a journal? A formula?

Personally – I don’t think so, the important part is for you to create a habit around it, so you write regularly, and that you make it a special activity just for you.

To help with this I suggest you buy a special journal or notebook to start with, but in reality a plain notebook will be just fine.

I  suggest you try challenging yourself with questions, to stimulate your thinking.

  • What have I learned here?
  • What could I have done differently or better
  • What did I do really well?

Ultimately it is your special book, and your special time, so Enjoy!

So, what are you waiting for? Choose your favourite from our beautiful range of fairly traded, handmade notebooks and reap the benefits of journal writing.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

 

Mystical Hematite

Rose Quartz and Hematite BraceletHematite is the mineral form of iron oxide.

It’s metallic dark grey in colour, magnetic and cool to the touch.

The name ‘hematite’ derives from the Greek word meaning ‘blood’ as it can be red in its powdered form. Hematite jewellery was very popular in the Victorian era, when doctors believed it to improve blood disorders.

Hematite has been used for thousands of years; in ancient Egypt it was turned into magical amulets, and the Romans associated Hematite with Mars, their God of War.

Roman soldiers are said to have used it during battle for protection. Coincidentally, this mineral stone has been found in large quantities on the planet Mars in 2001 by the NASA 2001 Odyssey spacecraft, which is still orbiting Mars today.

Hematite is said to be a good grounding stone, helping to improve resistance to life’s stresses.

Its shiny metallic lustre may deflect negative energies.

In crystal healing books, Hematite is recommended when facing confrontations as it is thought to boost confidence and stimulates concentration and focus.

In American folklore, hematite was used as a remedy for alcohol abuse. In fact, it is said to help to break the cycle of all kinds of addictions including smoking and over-eating.

If you have an allergy to metal, then you may well be able to wear hematite jewellery as it doesn’t contain any nickel, which is the main cause for adverse skin reactions.

Wear a hematite necklace to relieve tension in the neck, upper back and shoulders.

A hematite bracelet is said to increase the wearer’s magnetism – so wear one, if you are looking for love!

Of course, the healing properties of crystals in general are not scientifically proven, but why not try it out? At least we can enjoy their beauty.

Hematite Jewellery

The Benefits of Himalayan Salt Tea Light Holders

Himalayan Salt Tealight HolderHimalayan salt tea light holders improve air quality in our homes at low cost by turning positively ionized air into negatively ionized air.

But what exactly does this mean? An ion is an atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or a negative charge.

Computers, TVs, air conditioning, smoke etc. produce positive ionized air, which has a detrimental effect on our health.

A sign of positive ionized air is “stuffiness” and a tendency to suffer more often from colds and chronic respiratory ailments.

The gentle heat of a Himalayan salt tea light holder generates ions carrying a negative charge thus creating a climate we find in the mountains, around waterfalls, by the sea or after thunderstorms.

Breathing air saturated with negative ions has a highly beneficial effect on our health. The vibrations of all our body cells are harmonised and contribute to improving our body functions.

For decades the beneficial effect of negative ions in the treatment of many illnesses has been known, such as rheumatism, allergies, respiratory diseases, sleeplessness, migraine and high blood pressure.

Salt tea light holders can be an additional and natural treatment option for such disorders.

The colour of the Himalayan salt tea light holders reinforces the rejuvenating effect on our health as colours themselves have a healing influence.

Red stands for revitalization, orange for revival, yellow for positive thinking, white for the power of concentration, apricot to alleviate emotional disorders.

The salt crystal used in tea light holders come from salt mines where crystallised salt has been deposited more than 260 million years ago.

The tea light holders are produced in their country of origin, and each one is carefully shaped by hand from a single piece of salt crystal.

Himalayan salt tea light holders are best placed where a lot of electrical equipment is used, such as offices and living rooms, but they are also beneficial in bedrooms to aid sleep and relaxation.

Don’t keep salt lamps in bathrooms or outside as high moisture can damage the lamp due to the salt’s hygroscopic properties.

Should the tea light holder get wet, simply light a tea light in it immediately to dry it out naturally.

The warm glow of our salt tea light holders creates a cosy atmosphere and adds a healthy touch to your home.

Shop Himalayan Salt Tea Light Holders

It’s Halloween!

Halloween Pumpkin
Halloween at Cosmic HQ

One of my favourite festivals of the year, Halloween marks the start of the party season in the run up to Christmas.

Today its main purpose is to entertain children and provide teens with the opportunity to irritate and annoy intimidated citizens in many places across the world ?

The origins of this festival are found in the ancient Celtic tradition of celebrating Samhain on the 1st November, which was the beginning of winter for our ancestors and also the start of the Celtic New Year.

As you can imagine, it was a dark, cold and gloomy time, the completion of the last harvest before everyone would huddle up in their huts and fight for survival during the harsh winter months ahead.

No wonder the Celts thought of death, ghosts and misery in general, so they believed that in the night from the 31st October to the 1st of November they could communicate with their departed relatives and friends.

To make this time of year even more atmospheric, the Celts would start their days at dusk, as darkness was seen to be a time for beginnings.

Death was regarded as important as life, reflecting the Celts’ embracing and understanding of the perpetuous cycle of life and death.

Samhain was truly the darkest time for our ancestors, and today this is reflected in the way the festival is celebrated as Halloween.

The custom of Trick or Treat came across to Britain from America, yet its origin is European, honouring the trickiness of the season and the human being.

We all have a dark side in our personalities, and Samhain is the time of hauntings, when the spirits of the dead seek the warmth of the fireplaces and candle lights.

The spirits of departed loved-ones were welcomed, but not all spirits were deemed to be friendly.

The pumpkin lantern with the scary face was introduced to frighten away the demons attempting to disrupt that night in a nasty sort of way.

Here’s some inspiration to get you into Halloween / Samhain mood:

Activities and Rituals
End of summer, honouring /communicating with the dead, scrying, divination, last harvest, meat harvest.

Incense
Sandalwood, sweetgrass, wormwood, mugwort, sage, myrrh or patchouli. Buy incense.

Tools
Besom, cauldron, tarot, obsidian ball, pendulum, runes, oghams, Ouija boards, black cauldron or bowl filled with black ink or water, or magick mirror.

Stones/Gems
Black obsidian (check out our black obsidian skulls), jasper, carnelian, onyx, smoky quartz, jet, bloodstone, snowflake obsidian.

Colours
Black, orange, red, green

Symbols & Decorations
Apples, autumn flowers, acorns, bats, black cats, bones, skulls, corn stalks, coloured leaves, crows, cross, divination and the tools associated with it, ghosts, jack-o-lantern, nuts, oak leaves, ivy, pomegranates, pumpkins, scarecrows, scythes, waning moon.

Foods
Apples, apple dishes, cider, meat (traditionally this is the meat harvest) especially pork, mulled cider with spices, nuts—representing resurrection and rebirth, pomegranates, potatoes, pumpkins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, roasted pumpkin seeds.

Deities
Anubis, Arianrhod, Astarte, Baba Yaga Beansidhe (Banshee), Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Crone, Demeter, Hathor, Hecate, Hel, Horned God, Kali, Lakshmi, Lilith, the Morrigan, Nephthys, Odin, Osiris, Persephone, Tlazoteotl.

Herbs and Flowers
Almond, apple leaf, bay leaf, calendula, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, hazelnut, hemlock cones, mandrake root, marigold, nettle, passionflower, pine needles, pumpkin seeds, rosemary (for remembrance of our ancestors), sage, sunflower petals and seeds, tarragon, wild ginseng.

Happy HalloweenAnimals
Stag, cat, bat, owl, jackal, elephant, ram, scorpion, heron, crow, robin.

Work
Release of bad habits, banishing, faery magick, divination of any kind, candle magick, astral projection, past life work, dark moon mysteries, mirror spells (reflection), casting protection, inner work, clearing obstacles, inspiration, workings of transition or culmination, manifesting transformation, creative visualisation, contacting those who have departed this plane.

Enjoy Halloween! 

Christiane

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