We are now at the final post of our Chakra Series, which is our Seventh chakra, or Crown Chakra. The Sanskrit name for the crown chakra is “Sahasrara” which means “thousandfold.” This chakra is located at the top of the head, and when working with […]
We are almost to the end of our Chakra Series! Today’s post is all about The Third Eye. The Third eye Chakra, also called Ajna in Sanskrit, means “to perceive” or “To Know.” This chakra is located above and between the eyebrows. This is […]
Today we continue with our Chakra Series with our 5thChakra, which is located at the throat. In Sanskrit this chakra is referred to as the “Vishuddha” which means “Purification.” When working with this chakra we are looking to purify our intention in regard to speech and communication. We learn to choose words that bring value and meaning, not just empty chit chat. To reach a pure form of truthful communication, we must first work our way through the previous four chakras, so our throat chakra can fully open, and we are free to speak to productively express ourselves. This chakra is all about personal expression combined with responsibility.
Location- Base of neck/throat
Name and Meaning- Vishuddha/Purification
Associated Color- Blue
Main Issue- Communication/ Self expression
Glandular connection- Thyroid/ Parathyroid
Associated body parts- Mouth, Throat, ears
Element and ruling planet- Ether/Mercury
Astrological associations-Gemini, Virgo
Associated Sense- Sound/ Hearing
Fragrances/Incense/Oils-Chamomile/Myrrh
Crystals-Lapis Lazuli/Turquoise/Aquamarine
Animals and Archtypes- elephant, Bull, /communicator, Masked Self
Physical Dysfunctions- Sore throats, neckache, thyroid problems, tinnitus, asthma
Emotional Dysfunctions- perfectionism, inability to express emotions, blocked creativity
Sacramental associations- Confession
Foods- Fruit
Developmental age & Life Lesson- 28-35 yrs/ Personal expression
What is the current status of your throat chakra? Is it too open? Too closed? Or is it spinning in harmony? Here are the symptoms of each….
Too Open- If your chakra spins too fast you may be over-talkative, dogmatic, self-righteous, or arrogant
Blocked or closed- If your chakra spins sluggishly or not at all you may find yourself holding back from self expression, unreliable, or holding inconsistent views.
A Balanced Chakra- which spins at the correct speed will make one a good communicator, contented, easy to meditate, and artistically inspired.
The two archetypes associated with the throat chakra are the communicator and the masked self. When our throat chakra is out of balance one “masks” their true self. They are incapable of openly and honestly expressing themselves. In contrast the balanced individual will be excellent communicators. They “walk their talk” and they know how to express themselves with amazing clarity and purpose.
As mentioned in our other chakra posts, I use an app called “Insight Timer.” If you are interested in some throat chakra meditations, here are a few that are available on the app….
I hope you are enjoying our chakra series. Our next post will be on the Third Eye Chakra.
Can you believe we are already in the month of September? Time has gone by so fast! But that means it’s time to do my favorites for August and wrap-up! Favorite reads of the month Didn’t finish any major novels this month but as […]
Getting to the “heart” of things…. Continuing on with our Chakra series, today we will be discussing the “Anahata” or Heart Chakra. This chakra is our 4thchakra, and is located at the center of our being…the heart. The heart chakra lingers between the two worlds […]
Hello again everyone, and welcome to the second part of my “All about Succulents & Cacti” series where I go over some of the things I’ve learned so far about these neat plants. This time I will be talking about 3 of my most prolific propagators.
Propagating is the process of producing more plants based on portions of the parent plant. With many other plants, this process can be fairly tricky if you don’t know what you are doing. Succulents on the other hand can be almost too easy to propagate and you can have quite the little army in no time. But do keep in mind that not all succulents and cacti can be propagated in the same way.
There are usually two main ways to propagate a succulent—from leaves or through cuttings, and at this point I have done both. The thing you have to know is that some succulents can only be propagated by cuttings while others can be done either way. Do your research and experiment if you feel comfortable with your plant. So far I’ve found that if the plant has rather fleshy and stocky leaves they can be easy to propagate with the leaf method.
When it comes to leaf propagating, make sure you gently wiggle the leaves so they cleanly pop from the mother plant. If the leaf is broken in half then it will not grow roots. Just remember to be gentle and carefully test to see if a leaf is ready to be pulled. I’ve found that it is rather easy to tell which leaves would be good to propagate, since they just fall from the mother plant without much trouble.
After getting the leaf off, I just lay them on top of the soil and leave them be for a day or two and upwards of a week before watering. I’ve read that you should water new propagating plants daily, but I have never really done this and I’ve had fine success with most of my baby plants.
It only takes a few weeks for a leaf to start to grow baby pink or white roots, which is what you want! If you notice a leaf is just growing a new succulent without any roots, this is usually not a good sign. The plant will probably die off before getting any bigger without growing roots.
This plant is such a trooper! I haven’t had any major issues with it and it is an unbelievable propagator! This succulent can withstand full sun, but it actually does best in light shade/partial sun or a favorite windowsill which is where my plant makes its home. The common name for these plants is a Ghost Plant and is a native to Mexico. Like many other succulents, these little guys can change color mattering on environmental factors. I know mine is of the subspecies Bernalense because of their rather small size. Other Ghost Plants can actually get quite big outdoors.
When it comes to propagating, this type is known to be successful by all methods, from seed, cuttings, and leaf propagation. I’ve only propagating mine from leaves since it is so easy, but I will likely be trying a cutting soon in the future to bring them back down in size.
The next succulent in my propagating corner is a very popular type of Echeveria, the Perle von Nurnberg! It has a very pretty appearance with pale purple/blue/ and pink colors, and is known to change color in full sun, but I would recommend slowly transitioning it from indoors to outdoors, since it can definitely get sunburned.
They are prone to mealy bugs, but luckily I have not had any issues with this, but I did have to do a cutting of it since it was having some issues with rot.
As far as propagating I have had success with leaves and the cuttings have been good so far. I will say that leaf propagating with this plant has been a hit and miss more so than my Ghost Plant. In general though, this is a very easy plant to propagate and it is a beautiful plant to have in any succulent and cacti lover’s collection.
This is one of my most problem free succulents and it’s just adorable! Kalanchoe Tomentosa common names include Panda Plant or Pussy Ears, which is understandable considering its fuzzy appearance and elongated oval pale grey blue/green leaves which sport brown spotted edges. I absolutely love this native Madagascar succulent and it has been so easy to care for. Since purchasing this plant as just a tiny thing it has been one of my fastest growers, and this goes for my propagation attempts as well. This is interesting since some of information I’ve read on these plants say that they are rather slow growing.
It’s best to propagate these plants in spring and summer, and so far I have had great luck propagating from leaves. These plants can also do well in a hanging basket and they will typically only grow as big as the container they are in. these planets do flower in the wild but they very rarely flower as indoor plants unless it’s a subspecies.
Also, if you are a particular fan of the brown/red spots they have, then you might prefer the Chocolate Solider variety of the panda plant which has more of that brown/red edge and tend to be more yellow in color.
So that is some of the tips I’ve learned about propagating succulents so far, as well as my recommendations for the plants I’ve found to be the best for this! If you know some other great propagators, then definitely let us know in the comments down below!
Thanks for reading!
Looking for more on succulents & cacti? Check out our previous post HERE.
30 Day HIIT and Mini Band Challenge The challenge- Today we are going to share with you something we have wanted to do for a long time; A fitness challenge! We wanted this challenge to be one that everyone can take part in, and that […]
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog! Today I will be sharing with you a recipe I’ve been wanting to try for a while now—Gluten-Free Brownie Cookies! These were pretty interesting cookies to make, because they required an ingredient I had never tried baking […]
We are continuing our chakra series today by discussing the 3rdchakra, or solar plexus chakra. If you didn’t read our root chakra or sacral chakra posts, you can check them out here, and here.
In Sanskrit the solar plexus chakra is called the manipura, which translates to “lustrous gem”. This chakra is all about the power of being an individual, and celebration of our uniqueness, while simultaneously continuing on with our connection to all of humanity. The 3rdchakra also relates to self will.
Sanskrit name and meaning- Manipura/lustrous gem
Location on the body- between navel & base of sternum
Associated color-Yellow
Main issue- personal power/self will
Glandular connection- pancreas
Associated body parts- digestive system/muscles
Element and ruling planet- fire/mars&sun
Astrological associations- Aries/Leo
Associated sense- sight
Fragrances/incense/oils- vetivert/ylang ylang/ bergamot
Crystals- aventurine/quartz/sunstone/yellow citrine
Animals and archtypes- ram/spiritual warrior/drudge
Physical dysfunctions- stomach ulcers/digestive problems/ chronic fatigue/allergies/ diabetes
Emotional dysfunctions-oversensitive to criticism/ need to be in control/ low self esteem
Sacramental association- confirmation
Foods- complex carbohydrates
Developmental age and life lesson- 14-21 years/self esteem/ self confidence
When working regularly with our solar plexus chakra, we strive to attain a balanced self-esteem, and achieve true personal power*. When we strengthen this chakra we will attain a level in which we can easily shake off the fears of rejection, and criticism. We can easily stand alone. We create our own unique identity, in which we accept who we are, and attain a high level of self respect. We become courageous; We have the ability to take risks. We accept the challenges we face with confidence because we know can handle them due to our keen knowledge of our own personal strength.
Being aware of how our chakras “spin” will determine what actions we need to take in working with our energy centers.
3rdchakra is “too open” or spins to fast- we become angry, controlling, workaholic, judgmental and act superior to others.
3rdchakra is “blocked” or spins sluggishly or not at all- we become overly concerned with what others think, fearful of being alone, insecure, or need constant reassurance.
3rdchakra is “balanced” or maintains equilibrium and spins at correct vibrational speed- we respect self and others, we have personal power, we are spontaneous, and uninhibited.
Note* when we refer to “power” or “personal power” here, we are not referring to to the type that is aggressive or controlling. Instead this refers to the ability to acknowledge differences, but transcend challenges of polarity connected with the sacral chakra (2ndchakra) to achieve a new point of balance. Working on this chakra helps to bridge differences to accomplish wholeness. (Simpson)
As I stated in our root chakra post, if you would like to learn more about your chakras, and see examples, as well as exercises to strengthen all your chakras, check out the Book of Chakra Healing by Liz Simpson. It’s a good starting point in which to begin learning about this amazing system of health and wellbeing.
If you read our post on meditation (here) there is an app I use twice daily called “insight timer” On it there are some great chakra meditations. Here are a few of my favorites…
As always, I hope this post sparked an interest in you to learn more about chakras. In our next post we will cover the heart chakra (4thchakra).
Thank you for joining us here! Until next time….
This week in our Chakra Series, we will be discussing the svadhisthana chakra, or sacral chakra. If you missed our first post on the 1stchakra or root chakra, please go read it now here. In the root chakra post I suggest a great book to […]