Essences & Chakras

Essences and Chakras
As with crystals, people react in different ways to the aromatherapy essences, so trust your intuition. As always, if in doubt, consult a qualified aromatherapist for guidance.
Essential oils
Fragrance, in the form of essential oils, has been used in healing for thousands of years, even before the ancient Egyptians.
The essential oils are extracted from plants and trees and fall in to 8 basic categories. These are:-
Citrus - eg. bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange.
Floral - eg. geranium, chamomile(Roman), rose otto, lavender, ylang ylang, neroli.
Herbaceous - eg. chamomile, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, clary sage.
Camphoraceous - eg. eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, tea tree.
Spicy - eg. coriander, black pepper, ginger, cardamom.
Resinous - eg. frankincense, myrrh, galbanum.
Woody - eg. cedarwood, sandalwood, juniper, cypress.Earthy - eg. patchouli.
Some essences fall in to more than one group - this a a reflection of their complex makeup. The essences have many uses and one essence can have a number of different uses. Since they have an effect on the physical and the emotional, their uses vary depending on what effect is being sought. They can also be blended, thus giving even more possibilities.
Below are a few ideas of essences in relation to the body chakras.
Crown Chakra
Frankincense - emotional problems, calming, antidepressant, antiseptic, tonic.
Myrrh - heals sores and wounds with external application, astringent, anti-spasmodic.
Viola - soporific, analgesic.
Brow Chakra
Angelica Seed - general tonic, encourages inspiration and inner focus. (Avoid during pregnancy.)
Lavender - calming, cleansing, antiseptic, anti-infectious restorative.
Hyacinth - hypnotic, sedative, used for aroma-psychology. (Very strong, so only a small amount to be used in blends).
Throat Chakra
Chamomile (Roman) - soothing, calming, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious.
Linden Blossom - calming, anti-spasmodic.

Heart Chakra
Geranium - eases tired nerves, balancing endocrine system, regeneration.
Eucalyptus - expectorant, tonic, anti-infectious.
Rose - calming the nerves, headaches, shock.
Solar Plexus
Basil - good for stress (pre-exams), for nervous system, intestinal antiseptic, digestion. (Avoid during pregnancy and can cause irritation to sensitive skin).
Bergamot - good for stomach, antidepressant, calming.

Sacral Chakra
Neroli - antidepressant, good tonic Cardamom - stimulant, antiseptic, eases abdominal pain by relieving flatulence.
Clary Sage - tonic, anti-infectious, helps menstrual problems.
Ylang Ylang - aids confidence, antidepressant, aphrodisiac, calming.
Base Chakra
Black pepper - ( Can cause irritation to sensitive skin. Do not use undiluted in baths.) For circulation, aching muscles, low blood pressure, lethargy.
Rosemary - (Not to be used during pregnancy or by those with epilepsy) eases acid in the joints, analgesic, antidepressant.
Cedarwood - antiseptic, good tonic, aids regeneration.

Aromatherapy : Chakra Balance::.

Aromatherapy and Seven Chakras-(7 Chakras)
Are Aromatherapy and Seven-7 Chakras Interrelated?
Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for. Aromatherapy is a term coined to describe the practice of using essential oils taken from plants, flowers, roots, seeds, etc., in healing for psychological and physical well being. The main attraction in aromatherapy is the healing power of essential oils. Chakras are Entry Gates of the Aura. Within the physical body resides a body double, a spiritual body that contains the Chakras. They are centers of activity that receives, assimilates and expresses life force energy. They absorb and transmit energies to and from the universe, nature, and celestial entities, from people even from things. They are responsible for the person's physical, mental, and spiritual functions. There are 7 major chakras or energy points located within our physical bodies. It is necessary to balance them in order to maintain health. The best way to relieve stresses, balance chakras and bring your body back into balance is through natural therapies such as Aromatherapy. Thus aromatherapy and chakras are interrelated. Here we are going to discuss aromatherapy essential oils and their use in balancing the 7 chakras.
Aromatherapy and Root or Base Chakra
This is the first chakra that roots the subtle divine consciousness in the material life. This chakra is the basis for human existence in the physical world. This chakra also reflects a person's connection with their mother, and with Mother Earth. Symptoms or tensions in the parts of the body controlled by this chakra indicate tensions in the parts of the person's consciousness related to this chakra. Tension here is experienced as insecurity, fear, terror, or a threat to survival. Now we will see the use of aromatherapy in this chakra. Mentioned below are some essential oils and their uses.
Black Pepper - It is used for proper blood circulation, aching muscles, low blood pressure and lethargy. It can cause irritation to sensitive skin so do not use undiluted in baths.
Rosemary - Due to its analgesic and antidepressant properties it eases acid in the joints It is not recommended during pregnancy or by those with epilepsy.
Cedarwood - It is antiseptic, good tonic and aids regeneration. Other essential oils like Vetiver, Angelica, Ginger, Frankincense and Lavender also help.
Aromatherapy and Sacral Chakra
This is the second chakra and focuses on the aligning of the mental, emotional and physical levels with desires or pleasures. It is associated, in the body with the genitals, reproductive organs and bladder with the element water. There is an element of giving rather than taking. When this chakra is clean the person only thinks positive thoughts, thus no impure thoughts or feelings can penetrate. The purity that is reflected in ones attitudes means living in accordance with the truth of life and manifesting one's own reality without complaining. Use of aromatherapy (Essential oils) in sacral chakra:
Clary Sage - It is anti-infectious tonic which helps in menstrual problems
Cardamom - Due to its antiseptic and stimulant properties it eases abdominal pain by relieving flatulence
Neroli - It is antidepressant and a good tonic.
Ylang Ylang - It has antidepressant, aphrodisiac, calmingproperties. It aids confidence.
Other than these oils like Jasmine, Patchouli, Tangerine, Bergamot, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Nutmeg, Oakmoss, Cedarwood and Rosewood also help. Choose the essential oil, which will help balance, the male/female energies and draw out the creative essence.
Aromatherapy and Solar Plexus Chakra
This is the third chakra, which is your emotional power center where you take control and authority of one's self, emotions and helps project love and light into the world. It transmutes the energy of the emotions into soulful passion for life i.e. fear into love, anger into action, sadness into surrender and bliss activating our soul. It is associated, in the body with the stomach, with the elements fire and water. All is positive when one is pure and at peace with others. All conflicts are stopped and transformed thus facilitating learning instead of fighting. Love is expressed, If one stands humbly to solve the conflict. A resolution will eventually find itself thus the chakra of both parties remain balanced.Use of aromatherapy (Essential oils) in solar plexus chakra:
Basil - It is good for nervous system, for pre-exams stress, intestinal antiseptic and digestion. It can cause irritation to sensitive skin and should be strictly avoided during pregnancy.
Bergamot - It has antidepressant and calming properties and is good for stomach.
Vetiver - It helps to assist in anchoring the awareness in your body.
Other Essential oils like Carnation, Gold Chamomile, Fennel, Juniper, Lavender, Sandalwood, Ginger and Lemon are also useful. Choose the essential oils, which will help to strengthen and keep this center protected.





Aromatherapy and Heart Chakra
It is the fourth chakra, which is situated in the center of the body and is an anchor for all life force energy. This chakra contains the seed for the ability to feel divine and pure love for everyone and everything. It opens our hearts to the nonjudgmental, detached vibration of universal love. It is associated, in the body with the heart, hands, arms and thymus gland, with the element air. Love makes this the most important of all the chakras.Use of aromatherapy (Essential oils) in Heart chakra:
Eucalyptus - It is an expectorant, anti-infectious and a good tonic.
Rose - It has a calming effect, which helps in calming the nerves, headaches and shock.
Cedarwood - It is antiseptic, good tonic and aids regeneration.
Frankincense - It is antidepressant, antiseptic, calming and a tonic, which helps to handle emotional problems.
Marjoram, Orange, Rose Otto, Yarrow, Lavender, Sandalwood and Bergamot are also useful in balancing this chakra. Choose the essential oil, which will help keep the heart area open and receptive to receiving and giving love.
Aromatherapy and Throat Chakra
This fifth chakra deals with the power of the spoken word. Its name means pure. It helps to express our truth fearlessly and hear the sound of the universe. When this chakra is clean one feels completely peaceful. When two people mix energies from their throat chakra they will talk together actively and intensely. It is associated, in the body with the throat, ears, thyroid, and parathyroid, with the element ether. Use of aromatherapy (Essential oils) in Throat chakra:
Chamomile - It is soothing, calming, anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious.
Linden Blossom - It has calming and anti-spasmodic properties.
Myrrh - Due to its astringent and anti-spasmodic properties it heals sores and wounds with external application.
Choose the essential oil, which will help open communication skills and release stuffed unexpressed emotions that may be trapped. Other essential oils like Benzoin, Bergamot, Blue Chamomile, Frankincense, Hyssop, Lavender, and Lemon also help.
Aromatherapy and Third Eye or Brow Chakra
The sixth chakra is the center of clairvoyance, visions, transcendence of time and space and integrates all the gifts of wisdom from the Spirit to bridge you with the Divine. It helps to focus the mind, where one-pointed clarity and peace automatically occur. It helps to move from dualistic mind to intuitive neutral mind. It is associated, in the body with the pituitary gland, eyes, and brain, with the element light and also beyond the elements. Third eye problems are mutually intensified if the chakras are unclean, especially in a marriage or other relationship. The one with the cleanest chakra intuitively feels betrayed and left out. Use of aromatherapy (Essential oils) in Third eye chakra:
Angelica Seed - It is a general tonic, which encourages inspiration and inner focus. It should be avoided during pregnancy.
Lavender - It is calming, cleansing, antiseptic and anti-infectious restorative.
Hyacinth -It is hypnotic, sedative and is used for aroma-psychology. It is very strong so only a small amount should be used in blends.
Other essential oils, which are helpful, are Camphor, Eucalyptus, Jasmine, Lemon, Rosemary, Frankincense, Chamomile Blue, Sandalwood, Clary Sage, Cedarwood and Cypress. Choose the essential oil, which will help to open, activate and balance both the right and left hemispheres of the brain, stimulating intuitive thinking and releases rigid, judgmental thoughts.
Aromatherapy and Crown Chakra
This seventh chakra is a blending of the power and will of the God and the love and compassion of the God, which creates balance and harmony for our spirit and allows wisdom to flow into the soul. The crown chakra accumulates all the energies and emotions from the lower chakra points and transmutes them by fire. It helps to tune into and surrender to divine consciousness. It is associated, in the body with the pineal gland & cerebral cortex, with consciousness and the quality of luminosity. When clean, one knows and understands everything. Nothing is obscure concerning life. When two people mix the energies, the crown chakras and the throat chakras are often involved. Use of aromatherapy (Essential oils) in Crown chakra:
Frankincense - It helps to handle emotional problems, as it is calming, antidepressant, antiseptic and a tonic.
Myrrh - It helps to heal sores and wounds with external application, as it is astringent and anti-spasmodic.
Viola - It is soporific and analgesic.
Other essential oils like Sandalwood, Lavender and Spikenard also help in balancing this chakra.






The Best Essential Oils For Your Chakras
The body consists of seven chakras or energy channels that affect the function of the respective organs that belong within that chakra. There are different types of essential oils best suited when treating or promoting function in the individual chakras to ensure that you can enjoy the most benefit from using these healing oils.
To learn more about choosing the best oils for your chakras, read further below.
Root Chakra
The root chakra represents the foundation of all chakras. It represents your stability, which is why keeping your root chakra open is very important such that you can create a connection between your physical and mental body. When it is closed, it could lead to fear and paranoia, while affecting your blood pressure and circulatory system.
The best essential oils for opening your root chakra include peppermint, cedarwood, carrot, clove, patchouli, ginger, benzoin, vetiver, frankincense, myrrh, cardamom, oakmoss, laurel, and sandalwood essential oils.
Sacral Chakra
Your sacral chakra consist of your individual personality, which is important in terms of building trust, creating intimacy, and maintaining balance between your desires and pleasures. When your sacral chakra is open, it is easier for you to develop healthy attachments but if it is closed, you feel more withdrawn and develop fear due to feelings of insecurity and constant suspicion. As an effect, you have lower sexual drive.
The best essential oils for your sacral chakra are ylang ylang, petitgrain, myrrh, coriander, rose, geranium, clary sage, jasmine, cinnamon, tangerine, pine cypress, oak moss, rose geranium, and patchouli essential oils.
Navel Chakra
Your navel power represents the center of your power, will, and metabolism. It is important to produce positive vibrations in your navel chakra because it affects your self-confidence. On the other hand, the stronger the energy is in your navel chakra, the better able it is to protect itself against negative energies. When your energy in the navel chakra is low, you become passive, indecisive, and apathetic. On the physical aspect, you become vulnerable to constipation, indigestion and other related illnesses.
The best essential oils for the navel chakra are lemon, ginger, carrot, juniper, melissa, rosemary, oregano, vetiver, peppermint, citronella, spikenard, ylang ylang, lemongrass, cade, cedarwood, marjoram, vetiver, cinnamon bark, cardamom, and valerian.
Heart Chakra
Obviously, the heart chakra represents love and is responsible for developing feelings of empathy, sympathy, and sensitivity to others' feelings. If you can take advantage of this chakra, it could possibly unite oppositions while merging both mind and body. On the physical aspect of your heart chakra, using the right essential oils could prevent certain diseases such as high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions.
The best essential oils for your heart chakra includes melissa, frankincense, bergamot, carrot, lavender, oregano, black pepper, marjoram, sandalwood, tansy, hyssop, laurel, spikenard, camphor, and cinnamon bark essential oils.
Throat Chakra
This chakra represents your ability to communicate. Hence, this is your means of manifesting your desires or expressing yourself, through art and communication. When your throat chakra is open, it facilitates in the process of efficient communication. On the other hand, when it is closed, you have difficulty expressing your true self. You could also be at risk for thyroid problems, inflammations, chronic throat ailments, among others.
The best essential oils for your throat chakra are Roman and German chamomile, catnip, cypress, spruce, carrot seed, lavender, spearmint, frankincense, and geranium essential oils.







Third Eye Chakra
This chakra enables you to see, visually and intuitively. Aside from the physical act of seeing, it offers you with clairvoyance abilities for deeper insight into things that you cannot physically see. It also represents your ability to make visions and dreams. If this chakra is not working efficiently or is not open, you could develop a depress thyroid, respiratory problems, and other such conditions.
The best essential oils for your third eye chakra are cedar, spruce, terebinth, rosemary, oregano, thyme, linden, everlast, and clary sage essential oils.
Crown Chakra
This is the utmost form of chakra in the body, such that it bridges the connection between you and the outside world. By keeping your crown chakra open, you become open to others and can gain a deeper level of wisdom. You are also better able to establish spiritual connection through your crown chakra. Physically, any problems in your crown chakra are manifested through cramping, and bladder problems.
The best essential oils for your crown chakra includes cistus, myrrh, angelica, lavender, rose, basil, rosemary, and ravensara essential oils.

Have a nice day!

Friendship should not be sought, but is usually found both by chance and good luck.

Enthusiasm can be like a fire that needs an occasional poke with a stick.

The envious praise me unknowingly. (Kahlil Gibran)

A lasting marriage consists of the 3 C's;
Commitment
Communication
Compromise.

If you can laugh with a person, you can work with a person.

Strive for perfection in everything you do.

Take the best that exists and make it better.
When it does not exist, design it.
(Sir Frederick Henry Royce - of Rolls-Royce)

Smile is contagious; just smile at someone and see their reaction.

It takes a day to find a friend, a moment to lose them but a lifetime to forget them.

He, who doesn't hope to win has already lost. (Simon Bolivar)

Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.

Making your good times count and not forgeting your bad times makes a man sucessful.

Talent is useless without training, thank God. (Mark Twain)

Relationships-- of all kinds-- are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost. (Kaleel Jamison)

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Fate decides who walks into your life, you decide who you let stay, who you let walk away, and who you refuse to let walk out.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

Don't make someone a priority, who only makes you an option.

If a man is not there for you at your worst, he does not deserve to see you at your best.

It is the pain of sacrifice or the pain of regret.

He who wrestles with us, strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skills. Our antagonist is our helper. (Edmund Burke)

It's good to have money and all the things that money can buy, but it's good too, to make sure you haven't lost the things that money can't buy. (George Horace Lorimer)

Friendship is not about who came first or who cares the most. It is all about who came in your life and never left.

Contingencies have tendencies to become dependencies. (W. Thomas McQueeney)

When you take things for granted, the things you are granted, get taken. (Phil Hennessy)

The older I get, the smarter my Dad gets. (Mark Twain)

The search for wisdom is a great challenge; to act on wisdom is an even greater challenge. (Jagad Guru)

Charity may begin at home, but if it goes no further, it's no longer charity. It's clan loyalty.

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

Advice for the day: If you have a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two, and keep away from children.

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.

When the well's dry, we know the worth of water. (Ben Franklin)

A succesful man makes more money than his woman can spend.

A succesful woman is one who can find such a man.

If you can't dance, don't blame the dance floor.

The road to a friends house is never long. (Swedish proverb)

The time to ensure that the toilet works is before you really need it.

Making enemies out of friends is easy.
Making friends out of enemies is difficult, but it is actually worthwhile.

Fools learn from experience. Wise men learn from the experience of others (Otto von Bismark)

When the congregation falls asleep it is time for the minister to wake up.

The measure of greatness is not found in your accomplishments. Its in how much discouragement it takes to stop you.

People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. There is much chaos in this world because things are being loved and people are being used.

Laziness is the mother of all vice... but, it's a mother and you should respect her! (Spanish popular wisdom)

Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, and then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.

Talent hits the target which no one else can hit; genius hits the target which no one else can see.

A beautiful relationship does not depend upon how good we understand someone but on how well we avoid misunderstandings.

Wisdom will keep you from getting into situations where you need it. (Bruce M. Sandbrook)

Opportunity is a bald man with a beard: You can catch him coming, but you can' t catch him going.

What is worth having is worth waiting for.

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. (Robert Frost)

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. (Mohandas Gandhi)

As long as people keep killing people, to stop the killing of people, the killing will go on.

If love was a raindrop I would send you a shower

If hope was a minute I would send you an hour

If happiness was a leaf I would send you a tree

If you need a friend you will always have me!

Surely it's no coincidence that the word "listen" is an anagram of the word "silent".

May every day of your life together be worse than the next. (Old Irish wedding blessing)

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.
(Abraham Lincoln)

A good match blows fire...

You may have grown old, but you may not have grown up.

It is not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. Then came the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation. When it was his turn, Rick stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?"
"No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms?"

A Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah, the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. And then Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times - "Now," said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, " I know, I know!" she said, "To make the gravy!"

A Sunday school teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"No Joey, is that really what the teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"
The banquet was about to begin when the master of ceremonies was informed that the clergyman invited to give the blessing was unable to attend.
He asked the main speaker if he would oblige, and the man agreed.
He began, "There is no clergyman present, let us thank God."

If you need time alone, try cleaning the house.

If I never had a bad day, how would I know whether I was having a good day? (Lee)

Looks capture the eyes.

Personality captures the heart.

Heaven is where the police are British, the mechanics German, the cooks are French, the lovers Italian, and all is organize by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the mechanics are French, the cooks are British, the lovers are Swiss, and it's all organized by the Italians!
(Eliane Kirchner)

When you give and don't expect anything back that's love. But if you give and expect a return it's an investment.

God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

The teenager lost a contact lens while playing basketball in his driveway. After a fruitless search, he told his mother the lens was no where to be found.

Undaunted, she went outside and in a few minutes returned with the lens in her hand.
"How did you manage to find it, Mom?" the teenager asked.
"We weren't looking for the same thing," she replied. "You were looking for a small piece of plastic. I was looking for $150."

Laughter is a smile with the volume turned up.

Sometimes we all have days where we are 386's in a P4 world.

Have you ever noticed how the contents of a box are much more interesting before the box is opened?

It is okay to visit your past just don't bring any luggage with you.

Don't ask God to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet.

There's a book that tells you where you should go on your vacation. It's called your checkbook.

Knowledge is proud she knows so much; wisdom is humble that she knows no more. (Cowper)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did. (Mark Twain)

You can't expect people to look eye to eye with you if you are looking down on them.

We can't always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Be not simply good; be good for something. (Henry David Thoreau)

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. (Winston Churchill)

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. (Mark Twain)

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

A children's catechism class was learning the Apostles Creed. Each child had been assigned a sentence to repeat.

The first one said, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth."

The second child said, "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son."When he had completed his sentence, there was an embarrassing silence.

Finally, one child piped up, "Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn't here."

People laugh because I'm different, I laugh because they're all the same.

My Sunday school class of kindergartners was studying the creation story.
After several weeks, we were ready to review.
"What did God make the first day?" I quizzed.
"The second day?" They answered both questions correctly.
"And what happened on the third day?" I asked.
One little child, face shining with enthusiasm, exclaimed, "He rose from the dead!"
Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future.
Faith is having the courage to dance to it today.
You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours. (Colin Powell)

Impossibility simply means I'm possibility. (Monsieur Nana Adom)

Faith is personal, but never private.

Tears are the baptism of the soul.

Utility is when you have one telephone,
luxury is when you have two,
and paradise is when you have none.

A politician is the one who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Quality rather than quantity determines your success.

Turn the despair of being alone into the wonder of being alone with God.

Don't protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.

Keep it up......n enjoy!

Zen: Seeing into one's own nature.

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
Basho

An autumn night... don't think your life, didn't matter.
Basho

There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon.
Basho

At any given moment, I open my eyes and exist. And before that, during all eternity, what was there? Nothing.
Ugo Betti

The torch of doubt and chaos, this is what the sage steers by.
Chuang-tzu

It is everywhere.
Chuang-tzu

To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
Chuang-tzu

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
Dogen

Zazen is itself enlightenment.
Dogen

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
Dogen

There is no beginning to practice nor end to enlightenment; There is no beginning to enlightenment nor end to practice.
Dogen

And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

When you are deluded and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture are not enough. When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much.
Fen-Yang

Should you desire great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.
Hakuin

Zen: Seeing into one's own nature.
Hui-neng

How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?
koan

It is better to practice a little than talk a lot.
Muso Kokushi

We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.
Lao Tzu

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu

So little time, so little to do.
Oscar Levant

The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.
Robert M. Pirsig

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.
Yasutani Roshi

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
Baba Ram Dass

Natural and super-natural, temporal and eternal - continuums, not absolutes.
Albert Schweitzer (paraphrased)

You must neither strive for truth nor seek to lose your illusions.
The Shodoka

We have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything. That is to understand Zen.
D. T. Suzuki

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.
Shunryu Suzuki

Zen is not some kind of excitement, but merely concentration on our usual everyday routine.
Shunkyu Suzuki

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki

The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.
Shunryu Suzuki

Life is like stepping onto a boat that is about to sail out to sea and sink.
Shunryu Suzuki

My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.
Sayen Shaku

To set up what you like against what you don't like -- this is the disease of the mind.
Sheng-ts'an

No yesterday, no tomorrow, and no today.
Sheng-ts'an

Don't seek reality, just put an end to opinions.
Sheng-ts'an

When you get there, there isn't any there there.
Gertrude Stein

Water which is too pure has no fish.
Ts'ai Ken T'an

Nothing is exactly as it seems, nor is it otherwise.
Alan Watts

Let the dead bury the dead.
Western Koan

What does mysticism mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It's close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically.
Elie Wiesel

Ten thousand flowers in spring
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer,
snow in winter.
If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.
Wu-men

Since it is all too clear
It takes time to grasp it.
When you understand that it's foolish to look for fire with fire,
The meal is already cooked.
Wu-men

.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

If you're attached to anything, you surely will go far astray.

Only the crystal-clear question yields a transparent answer.

All of the significant battles are waged within the self.

Life is the only thing worth living for.

Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon.

Live every day like your hair was on fire.

If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing.

The mind should be as a mirror.

There is nothing infinite apart from finite things.

Everyday life is the way.

Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Effort. - The three qualities necessary for training.

If you do not get it from yourself, Where will you go for it?

Do not permit the events of your daily life to bind you, but never withdraw yourself from them.

Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

Sitting peacefully doing nothing Spring comes and the grass grows all by itself.

Everything the same; everything distinct.

Lovely snowflakes, they fall nowhere else!

Chop wood, carry water.

Possessing much knowledge is like having a thousand foot fishing line with a hook, but the fish is always an inch beyond the hook.

A noble heart never forces itself forward. Its words are as rare gems, seldom displayed and of great value.

If you meet on the way a man who knows, Don't speak a word -- Don't keep silent!

Even a good thing isn't as good as nothing.

This is not the Buddha, this is the Buddha.

One moon shows in every pool, in every pool the one moon.

.

Studying Zen, learning the way, is originally for the sake of birth and death, no other thing.

What do I mean by other things? Arousing the mind and stirring thoughts right now; having contrivance and artificiality; having grasping and rejecting; having practice and realization; having purity and defilement; having sacred and profane; having Buddhas and sentient beings; writing verses and songs, composing poems and odes; discoursing on Zen and the way; discoursing on right and wrong; discoursing on past and present.

These various activities are not relevant to the issue of birth and death; they are all "other things."
Chien-ju

::Talking Zen::..

You have said it, but you have not understood.

(Jesus of Nazareth)


We take refuge in pride because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves.

(Kakuzo Okakura)


"This is my child, this is my wealth": such thoughts are the preoccupations of fools. If we are unable to own even ourselves, why make such claims?

(Buddha)


The samurai must maintain his faith in his beliefs, even as the social or political climate shifts and alters. He must be patient, must act in a manner that may at times seem irrational or illogical, must resist the temptations of instant gratification, and must work towards fulfilling what may seem to be an impossible idea.

As a result, the samurai is often something of an outsider, a rebellious figure because he refuses to conform to the habits of the day.

(Takahiro Kitamura)


Why is the tao so valuable?
Because it is everywhere,
and everyone can use it.

This is why those who seek
will find,
And those who reform
will be forgiven;
Why the good
will be rewarded,
And the thief who is cunning
will escape.

(Lao Tzu)


Taoism furnished the basis for aesthetic ideals, zen made them practical.

(Kakuzo Okakura)


When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye is not set on one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.

(Takuan Soto)


She did not consciously think, "Ah, today I learned this and that; I gained this much." You do not do it step by step that way, by adding on coatings of varnish, or new paint. When learning becomes you, then it appears as you need it, when you are being you. Sometimes true learning surprises you when it emerges.

(Chungliang Al Huang)


The art of teaching is clarity and the art of learning is to listen.

(Vanda Scaravelli)


The tao is both singular and universal. It is open to all with the resolve and inclination to walk it. Those who do, however, take a variety of disciplines in approaching it, for the tao extrapolates from the specific to the general.

(Dave Lowry)


If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.
But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.
And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

(Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)


Without the tao,
Kindness and compassion are replaced by law and justice;
Faith and trust are supplanted by ritual and ceremony.

(Lao Tzu)


In the history of Chinese civilisation, no significant scientific advances came as a result of Confucian studies. They were scholastics, and a scholastic in those times was one who went by the book, who believed what the ancient text or the ancient scriptures said, and who studied them and became proficient in them like a rabbi or a Christian theologian.

But mystics have never been very interested in theology. Mystics are interested in direct experience, and therefore - although you may laugh at them and say they are not scientific - they are empirical in their approach. And the taoists, being mystics, were the only great group of ancient Chinese people who seriously studied nature. They were interested in its principles from the beginning, and their books are full of analogies between the taoist way of life and the behaviour of natural forces seen in water, wind, or plants and rocks.

(Alan Watts)


Simplicity before understanding is simplistic; simplicity after understanding is simple.

(Edward De Bono)


Kindness should become the natural way of life,
not the exception.

(Buddha)


After a heavy snowfall the more rigid branches
of the pine break under the weight of the snow,
but the more supple willow branches bend,
thus allowing the snow to fall to the ground.

(Tao: Sacred Symbols)

The judgements of particular times, places and people depend on subjective standpoints and therefore are not the same thing as objective truths in themselves.

(Cleary)

..:Benefits of Cycling::.

Cycling is a great fun activity that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike. A fantastic workout, it not only enables you to derive pleasure, but also goes a long way in ensuring your overall fitness. The best part about this sporting activity is that, you would find cycling a delightful experience, without even realizing that it has done good to your body. Cycling proves to be one of the most effective exercises, to shed off those extra calories and get rid of flabby abs. Even a small amount of cycling can prove to be good enough to boost your metabolism level, thereby fastening your weight loss program. It helps to improve the overall balance and coordination. The benefits of cycling go beyond health issues. To know more about the numerous benefits of cycling, read through the following lines.

Benefits Of Cycling

Heath Benefits

* Cycling minimizes the risk of coronary heart disease. Essentially an aerobic exercise, it gives your heart, blood vessels and lungs a workout, thereby reducing the risk of heart problems.
* A few miles of cycling per day assure trimmer and toned muscles. This is because your upper thigh muscles, backside and calf muscles all get to workout.
* Pursuing cycling helps a great deal in building your stamina. It enables you to carry out your day-to-day activities more effectively.
* For people, who are on the heavier side, cycling can prove to be beneficial. It manages weight and helps in getting rid of increased waistline and bulging fat.
* The pleasure and satisfaction attained while riding a bicycle alleviates all the stress, anxiety and depression of a person.
* This might come to you as a surprise, but cycling ensures a control in the level of blood pressure.
* Cycling enhances the overall fitness level of a person. It makes you breathe deeper and perspire more, thereby leading to a feeling of enhanced body temperature.
* Cycling has found to be effective for treating people diagnosed with diabetes and cancer.

Other Benefits

* A complete leisure activity, cycling gives you the opportunity to spend time with friends.
* A chance to meet new people and discover new places cannot be ruled out as well.
* Cycling is a complete environmental friendly activity. Unlike other means of transport, it lets out no harmful chemicals in the air.
* Cycling can prove to be the best mode to move around your local area without any difficulty.