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December 20 through December 26, 2021

Merry Christmas! As we count the days up to the 25th, this week should unfold without any surprises or glitches. The Cancer Moon on Monday and Tuesday will have us occupied with putting the finishing touches on any holiday plans, and making sure all is in order for the celebration ahead. The Sun will move into Capricorn on Tuesday, giving us that extra oomph! we need to complete all the tasks necessary before year's end. With the Moon skipping through Leo on Wednesday and Thursday we'll have to be careful and watch our egos! Remember that giving is more important than receiving, and that's not just limited to boxes and bows; people need to know you care, and generous messages from the heart will be worth much more than gold! Christmas Eve and Day unfold under a Virgo Moon, making it essential that you pay close attention to details and adjust expectations accordingly. We are often prone to visualizing exactly what or how things should happen on these very special days, and that can set us up for disappointment. Instead, let's all focus on the true spirit of the season and the joy that can't be wrapped up in colorful paper. Restoring our balance will be much easier under Sunday's Libra Moon, where we can all step back and appreciate the true beauty that dwells in our lives, not just on Christmas, but every day of the year!

An Introduction to Natural Skincare, by Helene Berton

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

My first contact with natural cosmetics was during a course on essential oils, more than ten years ago. Though it was about the therapeutic uses of essential oils, some words were said about some of oils that are beneficial for the skin.

I made my first trial with a mix of vegetable and essential oils as skin care oil for my face. I liked it very much; the effect on my skin, the price (compared to a conventional cosmetic product), and the fact that it is not only totally natural but also very simple to prepare and to use.

Then, questions arose: Which vegetable oils and essential oils can be used on skin? Which ones are useful for skincare? What are the specific properties of the various oils? Which proportion of each of them is the best? And the vegetable butters? And the hydrosols? And what else, still keeping things simple, can be used?

That is how I decided to write my book, The Essential Guide to Natural Skin Care. I wanted to collect and reassemble answers to these questions and others that arose during my research.

After more than a decade of experimenting, training, researching, and teaching and writing on the subject, my motto remains: efficient, natural, and simple.

I stay faithful to skin care oils (versus creams or lotions) because they are easy to prepare, with very few manipulations and few ingredients, and they are easy to store and to use. For me, the less transformation, the better!

People often ask me which vegetable and essential oils they should choose. It is not necessarily an easy question, as it depends on the person's skin type, age, and the effect sought. For a good start, here are some tips that use affordable, easy to find ingredients:

• For young, oily skin, jojoba vegetable oil and rosemary ct. verbenone essential oil can be a good choice, as they regulate the sebum production of the skin.
• For acne, I would choose jojoba oil with palmarosa and ylang ylang essential oils. Those two last oils can also be used, pure, right on pimples and blemishes. The antibacterial properties of palmarosa and the anti-inflammatory properties of ylang ylang one are helpful to that condition.
• For dry skin, avocado oil is very nourishing and well absorbed, and myrrh essential oil helps prevent dehydration of the skin.
• For mature skin, rosehip vegetable oil has good regenerating properties, as does helichrysum essential oil.
• For sensitive skin, macadamia vegetable oil is a good choice, as is with chamomile (German or Roman) essential oil (both have soothing properties).

Usually, a very small amount of essential oil is added to the vegetable oil (usually 0.5 % to 1%); that is about 5 to 10 drops of an essential oil for an ounce of vegetable oil.

Once you have chosen, prepared, and tried your first skin care oil, you can begin to experiment; you can choose a second vegetable or essential oil that you add to your preparation or use to replace another one you do not like that much. And so, small touch by small touch, you can customize the skin care oil that suits you the best. There is no need to have a preparation made of ten vegetable oils and the same number of essential oils; usually, up to four of each is more than enough, and fewer can be excellent as well.

In the same fashion, it is also possible to modulate the ingredients according to the season. For example, some more nourishing oils can be used during dry weather and lighter ones can be more suitable on hot or moist season.

You will likely buy the new ingredients you have not yet experimented with in small amounts; keep in mind that if you do not like them as skin care oils, you can still use them in other ways. For example, you can use the vegetable oils on your dry skin (legs, hands, etc.), as a makeup remover, or as hair treatment. For the essential oils, if you like the smell, they can perfume a room or a car. As they have therapeutic properties, you can also save them for that use, if needed.

As mentioned in The Essential Guide to Natural Skin Care, it is good to make you preparation in a small amount (for example, 1/3 or ½ fl. oz.). This way, it is easier to make adjustments if needed. Keep any unmixed vegetable and essential oils in the refrigerator; the cool, dark environment will help to preserve them longer.

These skin care oil mixtures are the simplest, natural way of taking care of your skin.

You can also experiment simple recipes made with hydrosols. Hydrosols come from the steam used to distillate plants; this steam condenses into water as it is cooled at the end of the distillation process. Hydrosols contain part of the aromatic molecules of the plants, and can have the aromatic composition of the essential oil extracted from the same plant, or they can have a more or less different one—it depends on the plant processed. They also contain some of the elements that are otherwise extracted by doing an infusion: minerals, oligo-elements, acids, etc. That explains why there are hydrosols, with cosmetics and therapeutic properties, produced from plants that are not aromatic.

For a long time, most hydrosols were seen as waste by-products of the production of essential oils and thrown away (with the exception of a few, like rose or orange blossom hydrosols). More and more, their therapeutic and cosmetic properties and values are being considered, and it is getting easier to find them.

Hydrosols are much cheaper, at equal volume, than essential oils. Unfortunately, being aqueous, they do not preserve as well and as long as essential oils (1 to 3 years), and need to be kept in the refrigerator. Their short shelf-life also makes them not as easy as to find as essential oils. They are usually used in bigger volumes and are sold as such, making the shipping weight and fees higher than for essential oils. All that also limits the affordability of hydrosols produced from plants only available in very far countries.

However, it is still possible to find true hydrosols, even if not as many as desired. They can be used as toner or hair rinse, or to make creams. They are also very good as mouthwash.

Below are some good hydrosols to be used if making mouthwash:

• Helichrysum is regenerating for the gums, healing, and anti-inflammatory (note: do not use right after a mouth surgery, as it is an anticoagulant.)
• Mountain savory, thyme (thymol type), cinnamon bark, oregano, or scarlet bee balm (also called Canadian bergamot—thymol type) all have anti-infectious properties Mountain savory, thyme (thymol type), cinnamon bark, oregano, or scarlet bee balm (also called Canadian bergamot—thymol type) all have anti-infectious properties (be careful, these hydrosols are irritating to the tissues when used pure. It is suggested to have a maximum of 30% of them if used in a mouthwash)
• Common sage is an astringent, regenerating for the gums, and anti-infectious
• Laurel is anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, and an analgesic (very good on gums that are sensitive and that hurt)
• Peppermint is good to add for taste

You can use a single hydrosol (as long as it is not mountain savory, thyme, cinnamon, or Canadian bergamot), or you can mix more; two hydrosols are generally mixed fifty-fifty and three of them are usually mixed in thirds (or 40/40/20 if peppermint is your third choice), depending on the desired effect. (For example, gingivitis is the inflammation and degeneration of the gums caused by bacteria. Thyme plus common sage could be a good choice for that condition, and a little bit of peppermint would improve the taste.) Again, as with your other mixtures, experiment and adapt your recipe to your needs and taste. These mixtures provide a very efficient, alcohol-free mouthwash.

If you decide to prepare a mouthwash with several hydrosols, the best thing to do is to make a mix in a separate bottle that you leave on the bathroom counter for daily use. Keep the remaining unmixed hydrosols in their original containers in the refrigerator.

There are thousands of other uses for these wonderful ingredients, but a simple article could not begin to explain them all. While there are many other vegetable ingredients that can be used for cosmetic purposes, these are some that I know and love best. The above recipes and ingredients are intended to help you begin exploring natural ingredients and help you switch to simple, natural products for your daily cosmetic routine. Begin simply, one product at a time. Little by little, you will widen the range of products you can make and use.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013. All rights reserved.

I have been having recurring dreams for two years now of a certain man. He was once famous, but at that time, I was not a fan. He came into my dreams one night and has been there ever since. I have tried to meet him through various connections, but as yet, have not succeeded. Astrologers and psychics have told me that we have been together in past lives and there is a strong connection between us in this one. Is it possible that we recognize past life connections to celebrities because they are so high profile? Does this feeling mean we're meant to meet in this life, or just that there is an old connection?
Marsha

Susyn:

Fame and celebrity aside, we can often be drawn to certain individuals for no apparent reason. In most cases, we have those strange feelings of attraction because we had happy experiences with them in a past life. It's true that celebrities have a higher profile than the rest of us, so even if we don't come into contact with them directly, seeing them in the media can trigger a deep knowing within us.

As with many people we cross paths with in this lifetime, past-life karma plays a role in whether or not those individuals will become a part of our lives. Those instant connections we make that develop into a relationship or lifelong friendship basically reveal themselves, through their longevity and specialness, as having a strong foundation on a soul level.

The most important thing to recognize in this instance is that you've been touched on a very deep soul level by this famous personality. Destiny will dictate if and when you will come together in this lifetime with little to no effort on your part. That being said, it is still very important to note the feelings of attraction this man evokes within you.

We can often be deeply affected simply by the idea of another person. Often we tend to idealize someone we do not know intimately, and so the purest form of this man's spirit is what is attracting you. He could represent all the qualities you'd like to have in a partner, or he could have been your husband or lover in a past life. The thing to remember is that currently, he is not in your life, so these feelings are Spirit trying to send you a message.

When we encounter someone who for no logical apparent reason has a profound effect on us, we're wise to note the changes we end up making, and how this shifts our focus. These stirrings can move us to strive for a higher sense of purpose or enlightenment in our lives, and in the process, convince us to let go of some old ideas. For example, if you were dating someone who was completely inappropriate for you, the awareness that you are strongly attracted to this celebrity could persuade you to get out of that bad relationship.

I suspect that when you think about this man, you feel more alive, more excited and more inclined to improve yourself. Using these invigorating energies to inspire ourselves is a good thing, so it may be just what you need to move forward on your life's journey. If he is destined to be a part of your life, Spirit will move the two of you closer together and make it happen. In the meantime, I suggest you capitalize on the inspiration this man evokes in you and continue to strive for your heart's desires.

*****

Oceania:

As is true of most obsessions, the man in your dreams serves two purposes. On a surface level, he is distracting you from something unresolved in your own life. On a deeper level, he symbolically holds the key to your healing.

When we repeatedly dream about or think of someone, that person serves as a diversion from some loss or other source of emotional pain, so it would be helpful to examine what was happening in your life at the time these dreams began. What was going on two years ago, or what changed at that time? Perhaps some newfound awareness surfaced that got set aside.

While this man's presence may be intriguing or comforting in the short run, it also shields you from addressing a deeper, more powerful issue. He's like a brightly-colored Band-Aid taped over an infected wound that distracts and consoles but cannot heal you. By examining what this man symbolizes for you, you may be able to heal yourself.

I suggest a free association technique called bubble journaling. Write this man's name in the center of a blank piece of paper and draw a big circle around it. Now draw smaller circles around the big circle, and connect them to the big circle with lines. Fill each of these satellite circles with a word you associate with this man. If you feel stuck, think of words that describe him, his strengths or weaknesses. Since he is not in your life and you don't really know him, all that matters is what YOU associate with him.

Now draw smaller circles around each of your satellite circles and connect them to the satellites with lines. Taking one satellite at a time, think of words you associate with the word inside and write them down in the smaller circles. For example, if one of the words you associate with your dream man is bold, you might put words like adventurous, courageous, daring, or fearless in the circles surrounding bold. When you finish, read through your complete list of words and see how they might reflect what preceded this man's appearances in your dreams in terms of a situation or solution.

I'd like you to do one other exercise called a role play. Imagine yourself to BE this celebrity and to possess the qualities you ascribe to him. Imagine yourself (as him) speaking or writing directly to Marsha. What would you say to her? What advice or encouragement would you bestow? Try not to edit as you speak aloud or write things down. The messages may not make sense at first, but as you mull them over, you will likely discover wisdom that will help you tackle your own life challenges and let this obsession go.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.