In this Newsletter:
AromaYoga Boutique
Fall Equinox
Soul Mates/Twin Souls
My beautiful friend Anuradha's Goddess dance and mudras

Flower Essence Apprenticeship with Linda Cohen

Damanhur: A new community

Chic Eco: Earth friendly designs for home, bodies and garden

The Shift Movie

What's up on Planet Earth

The New World Center

Aroma  Boutique:
Here you can find the products used in the Aromayoga class. You can read about how the products are made and what ingredients are used. The essential oils help to open up the seven chakras or energy centers and can help to release blocked areas of your chakras. They also aid in releasing memory and emotion that are stored within these centers of your body.
If you do have any allergies and sensitivity to essential oils, please let me know before class, or just do not participate in applying them during our pratice. All ingredients used are complelety free of any synthetic additives and chemicals and should not cause any irritations, since they are diluted in a carrier oil. All ingriedients are either organic or wild crafted.





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Tuesday AromaYoga Class:
18. September 2007
Fall Equinox





Namaste!
Soul Mates/ Twin Souls:


The other day I came across this beautiful text and I would like to share it with you in todays newsletter.
Additionally I would like you to think of things in your life that you can call your "twin" essentials, like a "twin" or "soul" yoga pose. What I mean with that is a yoga pose that absolutely complements you, when you practice it. One that is absolutely essential to you and when you practice it, you are feeling 100% better. The same can apply to food, to a certain music, to a plant or color. Make a list of what complements you, your soul, your personality, your moods and then celebrate these things into your life, like you would with a twin soul.

Please also check out Linda Cohen's Flower Essence apprenticeship, that is focusing on the chakras.
www.luminoslotus.com

A time of harvest, Fall Equinox/Mabon:

On 23. September we are celebrating the Autumnal Equinox. (More info below).
As Lammas is the harvest of the grain, Mabon is the harvest of the orchard and garden. The plants are large and the garden gleams with bright colors, yellow squash, red tomatoes, purple eggplants, bright orange pumpkins, gourds of many colors and astounding shapes and sizes. Every day more ripens and is harvested. The cellar is full, the freezer is stuffed, the cabinet shelves are groaning. A time of harvest and plenty.
What are you harvesting in your life? What has come to full bloom? Celebrate and honor what has come to fruition in your life.
We give thanks for the abundance of the harvest, knowing that we will not lack during the cold winter for our earth has provided for us.
It is a time of initiation into the mysteries, or reinitiation or rededication to our studies, our yoga practice on and off the mat. The time of coming in - preparing for the cold season when our activities will be inner rather than outer.
Be grateful and give thanks!
Blessed Be!

I will be bringing oils to class that are in aligment with the vibration of the equinox energy. You can choose to work with one or several of these oils during tuesdays class.

Think of a yoga asana that can help you with the transition of the new season. If you cannot, I will do that for you...:-)

See you in class,
Namaste,
Tanja



FALL EQUINOX


In the language of science, an equinox is either of two points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic and the celestial equator intersect. For the rest of us, it's one of two times a year when the sun crosses the equator, and the day and night are of approximately equal length.

At the autumnal equinox (Sept. 23, 2007, 5:51 A.M. EDT), the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Fall Equinox is also known as: Alban Elfed, Autumn Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Witch's Thanksgiving, and the first day of autumn.

It is the point where there is exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness at the equator. If you live anywhere else, however, you will see a little bit more or a little bit less than 12 hours of daylight. The daylight hours are dwindling and will continue to do so until we reach the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the start of winter.

In ancient times, the Autumn Equinox was cause for a variety of pagan festivals, among them the celebration of the birth of Mabon, the son of Mordon, the Goddess of the earth.

Astrologically, this is when the sun moves into Libra. This holiday is the second harvest festival, falling during or at the end of the European grain harvest. It also known as the wine harvest.
Druids know this celebration as "Mea'n Fo'mhair" and honor the Green Man, God of the Forest, and his trees with poured offerings of ciders and wine. Norse pagans celebrate this time as Winter Finding, a time period that runs from the Sabbat until October 15th. This night is known as Winter's Night and is the Norse New Year. The Wiccan New Year is also approaching at October's end. It is known the ancient Mayans observed this date as well. At the pyramid at Cihickén Itzá, seven triangles of light fall on the pyramid's staircase on this date only. In Japan, there is a six-day celebration around the equinox. This holiday is to honor Higan-e, the "other shore" and is based on six "perfections": giving, observance of the precepts, perseverance, effort, meditation and wisdom.

Herbs of Mabon:
Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods of Mabon:
Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Incense of Mabon:
Autumn Blend-benzoin, myrrh, and sage.

Colors of Mabon:
Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, and gold.

Stones of Mabon:
Sapphire, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates.

Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing!




SOUL MATES AND TWIN SOULS




Soul Mates are souls we have met and lived with in many life times. They have been our lovers, spouses, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, teachers, students, friends, and family, or even our enemies, victims, or tormenters.We contract with these souls to return to earth togetherfor greater learning and growth.

We have many soul mates, the first larger splitting of souls. These souls resonate with us and there is a comfort in that recognition. We evolve and reincarnate with these souls through many lifetimes, learning lessons in our many unions and partings, you can say on some level we are all soul mates one with another, learning and growing together. Not all these lessons are loving or comforting as lessons in forgiveness and unconditional love are challenging. Sometimes we are the "victim", and sometimes we are the "darkness" that shows another soul their light. This is where freewill and choice comes into the "game", how we react or perceive our relationships. Someone can come into your life and cause you much pain and suffering, this is a soul contract between you to grow and evolve in love and forgiveness. This is one perception of karma, and one that will free you from the karmic cycle of "I kill you, now you kill me" type of karmic dance some souls are involved in for many lifetimes. You break the cycle by acting rather than reacting, by freeing the ego from the soul and learning to love and forgive even in suffering.
Our greatest joy and our greatest pain are both conceived in these soul mate relationships, our feelings intensified by our soul connections, whether for good or bad. You can often spot a soul mate or karmic relationship by "love at first site" or "revulsion at first site", depending upon the lessons you've contracted to learn from this soul.

Becoming "Whole" Before "Two" Becomes "One"

It is said that one does not meet their Twin Soul or Twin Flame until they have learned many lessons of love, loss and forgiveness through close Soul Mate relationships, that the heart is made resilient and strong through pain and loss, and must be so to face the intensity of being with the other half of their soul.
Twin souls, also called Twin Flames or Twin Rays, are the other half of your soul. This is based on the belief that we are all parts of the Divine Being, God, All That Is, Source, Spirit, Creator. The Divine Being, in order to experience Its Self, divided into many souls, each in turn divided into many others and many others. The final splitting of the many neutrally gendered souls created male and female halves of a whole, the Twin Soul.

Many people who have met their Twin Soul had experienced a "Dark Night of the Soul", or a major spiritual transformation just prior to meeting, or upon meeting this soul. It's almost as if you need to be "emptied out" emotionally, spiritually and mentally as a test of your spirit. Meeting your "other half" can be a magical, maddening experience that opens your perceptions. Some experience an opening of their psychic awareness as their heart expands in this unbounded and unconditional love. The fact is, your life will not be the same, and whether you perceive this as a gift or a curse is the challenge of your soul's evolution. The Twin Soul connection is always a triad involving the Divine Spirit/All That Is, two people connected by soul, connected to God.

Before one can physically unite with their Twin Soul, one must do the conscious work of healing and becoming whole within their self. Twin Soul love cannot exist in a codependent, ego-based relationship, or from a perceived "need" that the other person will make you whole. Both must often face separations while they strengthen their own connection to Spirit and find their strength and purpose on their own.

Each half will find balance in their male/female, yin/yang before union. When both halves of the Soul become strong pillars on their own, have healed and resolved karmic ties in the present life, then they can unite to fulfill their Divine purpose, but the challenges do not end. There is an intensity that can be frightening when dealing with your mirror, your weaknesses and strengths magnified, unresolved issues and wounds painfully open to push you to further healing, or cause ego to run from the relationship in fear. It's important for Twin Souls to find their greater purpose, whether it's a task they will accomplish together, or alone, there will be work to be done.

Some Twin Souls do not unite physically here on Earth, and the relationship may last a lifetime on the spiritual level alone, while one or both may be living physically with another soul in karmic agreement. Some Twin Souls other halves are not even on the Earth plane at the same time and will offer guidance and comfort from beyond as a "guardian angel".


Psychic Connections and Synchronicity

Psychic and spiritual connection with your twin soul is intense and profound. Many experience a feeling of connection in a matrix of golden white threads of light, whether consciously or in a dream state. Some have strong psychic connection with their twin, feeling their thoughts embrace them mutually in an ecstatic place of comfort and bliss. You may feel your twin's pain and suffering in heart-wrenching anguish. Often physical symptoms are shared between twins, simultaneous nosebleeds, headaches, body aches are confirmed by both twins.

synchronicity: the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality; used especially in the psychology of C. G. Jung
Synchronicity plays an important part in twin soul meetings... I like to say that synchronicity is God's way of getting your attention. You may find similar experiences in the same time frames before you even met, marriages, births, divorces, illnesses. You may find that you had lived as neighbors in totally different towns at some point in your lifes or vacationed in the same country at the same time.

How Do You Know if You've Met Your Twin?

Meeting the "other half of your soul" is generally so life changing and profound that this question is unnecessary.... you just know. Twin souls will both recognize this extraordinary bond, whether they are evolved and whole enough to acknowledge and act upon it is another thing. Meeting with your twin soul brings about an internal spiritual revolution, a deeper connection and understanding of the Divine and the Universal Oneness, this is the greatest gift of knowing your twin. Twin soul love is not to be confused with an obsessive/compulsive disorder, it's not a desire to "possess" another, but truly a challenge to love unconditionally and without expectation, to be whole and complete within yourself before joining with the other whole and complete side of your soul. The longing and desire to be with your twin soul is intense, but through growth and perception can be seen as the greater longing to join with the Divine, and that is the true lesson, you are two halves of a much greater whole.

When you meet your twin, there will be no "game-playing" or manipulation, you will have the need to be transparently honest in your relationship and communication with one another. If there is karma from past lives to work out between you, it will be apparent and consciously worked out. If you or your twin is committed to another relationship, you will respect and honor that bond and realize the tests of unconditional love. Meeting your twin soul challenges you to grow spiritually, heal mentally, emotionally, physically, and to see beyond time, ego, and physical limitations. You will be driven with the desire to be the best manifestation of your soul on earth. This is not a relationship of hearts and flowers, but one that will be tested in fire and will endure beyond time and space.

I need to caution that all of these signs are not "proof" of meeting the other half of your soul, very often we are challenged by the meeting of a "near twin" or karmic soul mate that can mirror all these signs. In my own experience, the man I believed with my entire being of being my twin flame, turned out to be a karmic soul mate, and one of the most painful lessons of my life. Thus, this article has been rewritten eliminating some of the original text. After these few years of reflection, I've come to see that there are no guarantees in life, in all our lessons we are called to learn unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness, a meeting with a karmic soul mate can be the ultimate test of your spiritual evolution. Many people have written me, asking me to somehow confirm their belief that they have met their twin soul. There is no confirmation until the ultimate reunion with Divine Source, until then the greatest message I have received is, "Do not fear being "wrong.

In other words, if we are so determined to believe that this or that certain person is our twin, we tend to become blinded to the rest of the lessons in life. Life is about love in all forms, how can we truly grow without trusting in the wisdom of the Universe to bring to us those which will teach us best? Love is not about expectation, love is without condition, but relationships on this Earth are all about conditions. I would advise anyone who believes they have met their twin, yet is in such pain from that meeting, that perhaps the time for union is not right, or that they are enmeshed in a karmic soul mate or "near twin" relationship. Only in "letting go" can we be prepared to receive what is truly ours. There are some that believe the "reunion" with our twinflame is truly within, that we carry the essence of our beloved within our soul, and we are challenged to manifest that love in all we do, without attachment, without expectation, we become ONE
.
©2003 Harusami, rewrite Oct. 2005






AROMAYOGA CLASS

Please come to Centerpoint Studios weekly ongoing ChakraAromaYoga Class.
The level of this yoga class is from advanced beginner to intermediate. I do try to accommodate all levels. If you have no experience in yoga at all, you are welcome to just join in and sit on your mat. Observe, visualize, meditate and experience the oils and the sounds. No one will be send away and there is absolutely no judgement. This is a feel good class and healing does occur from being part of the circle. Its about healing from the inside out and not about how many advanced poses you can do.
Please always listen to your body and only do what feels right at that certain moment. Please let me know about any injuries that you have before we start class.
Class is every Tuesday evening from 6:30pm to 7:55pm.

Centerpoint Studios are located at: 324, Lafayette Street, 7th floor (just north of Houston) By subway: take the 6 to Bleeker, or W/R to Prince Street or V/ B/D/F to Broadway Lafayette


 



What are chakras?


Chakras are psychic centers that lie along the axis of the spine as consciousness potentials. The chakras are not materially real and are to be understood as situated, not in the gross body, but in the subtle or etheric body. Repositories of psychic energies, they govern the whole condition of being. In the Hindy tradition they are usually represented as lotuses.

As kundalini energy reaches each chakra, that lotus opens and lift its flower; and as soon as she leaves for a higher chakra, the lotus closes its petals and hangs down, symbolizing the activation of the energies of the chakra and their assimilation to kundalini.

Each of the chakras, according to the Tantras, corresponds to one of the elements of which the known world is compounded. Muladhara represents solidity; Svadhisthana, liquidity; Manipura, the gaseous; Anahata, the aerial; Vishuddha, the etheric, or space.

This ascent through the chakras can be viewed as an upward journey through the self.


As a courtesy to other yogis, please try to be on time. If you want to reserve your space you can do so by going to www.mindbodyonline.com, click on yoga and then enter centerpointstudios. Its easy.

Aromatic Blessings,


Tanja
April Aromatics

tanjab1@mac.com
http://www.aprilaromatics.com