Look beneath the surface

Djeco Princess Marguerite lampshade

The 'Princess Marguerite' rice paper lampshade from Djeco is charming and decorative both day and night. This pretty princess themed design also features birds, hearts and flowers. Beautiful baby,s room, nursery and playroom decor. Assembly required. Dimensions: 40cm Box Size: 40 x x 40 x 1cm http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001GZK3AK

In the Forest lampshade - Nursery Decor by Djeco

Beautiful cut-out Chinese Lantern lampshade by Djeco - with a forest theme. Wonderful addition to any nursery,baby's room or playroom

Happy First Day of Spring! 6 Rituals to tap into the Season's Energy by Barbara Biziou

Although we have gone from blizzards to uncanny warm days this winter, spring is finally in the air. Spring is the time when cultures around the world celebrate the possibility of new growth and fresh beginnings. In fact, the New Year was originally celebrated in March and early April, and anyone who didn’t realize it was considered an “April fool.” Remember, symbols are the language of the soul, and ritual speaks that language fluently. Here are six powerful rituals you can use to welcome spring and experience the seen and unseen worlds of infinite possibilities:

1. Love Mother Nature. Every culture, past and present, celebrates the natural beauty of spring with yearly rituals. In Rome, the lengthening of the day that followed the vernal (spring) equinox was marked by sacrifices to celebrate the death and rebirth of Attis—the god of vegetation. Goddesses of fertility—the Greeks’ Aphrodite, the Native Americans’ Spider woman, Mexico’s Tonantzin, Africa’s Oshun, Norway’s Freya, and Rome’s Flora—were all honored in the spring as well. Outdoor rituals infuse the world with new energy, so go out and plant a tree, clean up your local park, or participate in a community garden. Have a picnic in nature and bless some seeds for the coming season—hold them in your hands and visualize how each one holds the full potential for life. When you are finished, plant them in the earth and leave some for the birds to eat. Think of nature as a window into the natural world of the Divine.

2. Clean your home. In ancient Rome, women cleaned their houses in honor of Vesta—the goddess of the hearth. Take a cue from them and release the heaviness of winter by cleaning out your home. Get up early and gather clothes, toys, books, and other items that add clutter to your space. Donate them to a shelter, school, or needy family. This is a great way to create space for new life to emerge and reinforce the idea that giving is a blessing. When you’re finished, you’ll feel lighter, and so will the energy in your home. Purify your space even further by burning sage or copal, or opening all the windows to let in the fresh air. Symbols are the language of the soul, and ritual speaks that language fluently.

3. Disconnect from negativity. Our thoughts affect our emotions, which then influence the choices we make. Think about how you feel when you walk into a room where everyone is happy and positive, and then consider how you feel when you're surrounded by complaints and negativity. Emotions are contagious, so decide whose opinions you want to listen to and drop the rest. Carefully pick films, books, and TV shows that lift your spirit, and tune out the negative ones this season.

4. Create a basket of support. On separate pieces of paper, write down the names of people, places, animals, or objects that you feel support your efforts and have your back. Include those who have passed on to Spirit. Place the slips of paper into a basket or bowl and, once a week or more this spring, pick out a name from the basket and consciously send and receive love with that person throughout the day. You can send them an email, pick up a phone and call them, or simply think of them. It's been amazing to hear some of the people I reach out to tell me that they'd been feeling sick or scared and saw my presence as a source of comfort.

5. Gather scented gemstones. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and the one that begins our spring season, so why not create a magical bowl of scented gemstones to harness the symbol's energy? Gather gems that elicit spontaneous, daring, active, and courageous energy for springtime, like jasper, garnet ruby, diamond, amethyst, aquamarine, carnelian, or topaz. Anoint them with clove, coriander, frankincense, neroli, or pine, and breathe in the aroma to strengthen the Aries in you.

6. Make flower wishes. Write your wishes for the season on ribbons and tie them around flowers. You can gift these spirited bouquets to loved ones, friends, and even people you've just met. This simple act of generosity reminds me of the early peace marches in New York when people gave daffodils to strangers as a sign of peace and hope for the world. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-23873/happy-first-day-of-spring-6-rituals-to-tap-into-the-seasons-energy.html

Try it

Djeco Felt Tips with Flowers - Charming Easter gift for child over 7

Djeco Felt Tips with Flowers is an exquisite drawing by numbers style creative kit that comes with 4 beautifully illustrated images to complete using the 8 artist quality double ended felt tip pens. The completed pictures will look perfect on a bedroom wall and the pens will last and last. Box dimensions 16.5 by 23 by 4cms. Recommended for ages 7 to 13 years old. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001BR5MWC

A Doctor Explains How to Write the Prescription For Your Own Health by Dr Lissa Rankin

Dr. Lissa Rankin is on a mission to merge science and spirituality. A certified MD and expert in integrative health, Lissa is a thought leader in mind-body medicine. If you're inspired to learn more, check out her new course: Getting Back to 100 Percent: A Six-Step Process for Radical Self-Healing. In my book, Mind Over Medicine, and in the training program I run for doctors and other health care providers, the Whole Health Medicine Institute, I teach the "6 steps to healing yourself" and step 5 is always to write your own prescription. I’m a physician, so it might sound strange for me to suggest that you may be able to write a prescription for yourself. Let me clarify: I’m NOT talking about having you steal a prescription pad so you can write an illegal script for your own Xanax. Nor am I telling you to listen to all those direct-to-consumer marketing ads that suggest "asking your doctor” for whatever expensive new wonder drug is on the market. (Did you know that direct-to-consumer marketing for prescription drugs is only legal in two countries in the world — the U.S. and New Zealand? But that’s a topic for another blog post.) What I’m suggesting is something radically different.

While conventional medical treatment options — drugs, surgeries, or other standard medical interventions — will get you far, I'm asking you to go even deeper. I'm encouraging you to diagnose the root cause of your illness or, if you’re not sick, the root cause of why you're not feeling 100 percent. In other words, find the aspect of your life that's predisposing you to illness or manifesting itself as sluggish energy or chronic fatigue. Here's how to do it: I’m not suggesting that you refuse a doctor’s conventional recommendations.

1. Address the root cause of illness. In order to address the root causes making you susceptible to illness, you’ll really need to listen to your “Inner Pilot Light" — that wise inner doctor who knows what’s best for you. Let’s suppose that someone with cancer or another serious illness feels lonely, works in a soul-sucking job, or has underlying depression. If you're sick and you’re not addressing your loneliness, stress, or depression, taking medicine may help in the short term, but the changes won't necessarily be permanent. Your illness may come back, or you might wind up with some other ailment because your body is still at the mercy of the root cause that put you at risk in the first place. I’m not suggesting that you refuse a doctor’s conventional recommendations. If your Inner Pilot Light says, “Hell yeah” to drugs, surgery, or any other treatment, do it. Modern medicine can work miracles, but so can your intuition.

2. Take charge of your health (with humility). Part of writing the prescription for yourself is stepping up to the plate as the head honcho of your health care. Remember, you’re the boss. Everyone else is in service to you. This doesn’t give you license to be a jerk to your doctor or anyone else who is doing his or her best to help you. Entitlement will not help you, but empowerment will. Make your body ripe for miracles by staying both empowered and humble. Let go of any victim story or perceived power imbalance between you and your doctor. You can call upon doctors and healers for their expertise, opinions, and support without relinquishing your power or violating your intuition. If your body is physically ill, sure, your doctor will help you diagnose what’s wrong, write prescriptions, and recommend surgery when they think it's necessary. But it’s up to you whether you take those drugs or submit to that surgery. If you do feel guided to partake of what conventional medicine has to offer, don’t stop there! Conventional medical treatment may be part of your larger prescription to health, but don’t use it as a crutch to avoid doing the deep inner work that helps you heal at the soul level. Modern medicine can work miracles, but so can your intuition.

3. Have the courage to heal from the root. By writing a prescription for yourself, you're refusing to allow medical treatment to serve as a Band-Aid that keeps you from facing the truth about where your life is out of alignment. Every individual’s prescription is going to be unique. Maybe your prescription, in addition to medicine, will include adjusting your wellness routine by cutting out carbs, starting an exercise regimen, or adding green juice to your diet. Or it might include actions like finding a community, leaving your job, finding your calling, or prioritizing self-care. When you’re willing to be honest with yourself about what your body might be saying “no” to, you come face to face with the truth of who you are and what your soul needs in order to fully express its glorious radiance.

Once you heal any soul sickness that's interfering with your health, you'll not only start to feel better — you'll start to glow. You'll open yourself to synchronicity and move closer to finding and fulfilling your calling in the world. Optimal health is just one of many magical unfoldings that often accompanies doing the deep inner work of writing your own prescription http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-24073/a-doctor-explains-how-to-write-the-prescription-for-your-own-health.html