There is always a natural alternative

Each time I perform a consultation I am suggesting enhancements for people and their buildings, which has often left me searching for suppliers to various items. One example is the wind chimes that I now promote and distribute through the consultancy. This came about from suggesting ‘The Sound of Metal’ remedy via the easiest route, a metal wind chime, but being unable to give clients a good supplier with a quality product. In the end, after much searching, I found Windsong Chimes and was suitably impressed and pleasantly amazed with their level of craftsmanship, dedication to their product, and their real connection to the harmony it brings people. As well as this one item, I also suggest that people always reduce the amount of toxic chemicals they are knowingly or inadvertently using in their home and on themselves.

Food-wise it is simple to reduce processed foods and increase the amount of organic food we consume, but often other areas like household cleaning and personal hygiene products are more difficult to access, or, if found, the labelling can be somewhat misleading or just plain confusing.
For this reason I began searching for a good supplier of safe household cleaning and personal care items. I tried a lot of different companies, and after three years of trialling, I decided upon supporting the ONEGroup Certified Organic Products. All of their products are more than 75% organic ingredients, with everything but two products in the whole range being made with almost 95% certified organic ingredients. I use the household cleaning products and they work very well, have a natural aroma and are very economical.

The personal care items keep on impressing me each time I try a new one, AND, a wonderful surprise was how good their make-up and skin care range was. Top quality and very suitable for our humid climate. (and certified organic!) What tipped me over towards this company in favour of others was their attention to detail, their commitment to making things better even when they were very good already. An example being the new nappy change spray, that comes in a bottle made of plastic manufactured so it does not leach plastics chemicals into the ingredients of the spray and contaminate it. That made me realise just how far this company was prepared to go to reduce the amount of toxins we normally interact with.

ONEGroup is Australian and their warehouse is on the Gold Coast, so orders are shipped quickly and efficiently throughout SE Qld and Northern NSW, normally arriving one or two days after the order is submitted. All my dealings with this company have been good. The representative I chose to help me begin my business with them was helpful, happy and healthy. The products have always lived up to their claims and there is a vast amount of information on the website to sort out any questions you may have as well. If you are interested in converting a few, or many, of your household cleaning and/or personal care products over to safe, certified organic, options, please contact me for information about ONEGroup’s products and other company’s products that are completely organic and toxin free.

Visit http://www.jannettetibbs.mionegroup.com/ to view all of the products on the ONEGroup listing. You may also be interested in becoming your own representative and accessing greater discounts on the range of products.

Email me direct to find out about alternatives to laundry detergents and other cleaning options. I also provide access to granulated incense and accessories, aromatherapy dilutions, flower essences blends and mother tinctures.

BIG BIG BIG Offer! now on!
Enrol as a rep with ONEGroup (Miessence, MiEnviron, MiVitality certified organic products) for only $6.00 AUS!!

that's insane! so little to start a potentially big business of your own.
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This opportunity is only for February 09, so get on board now and save more than $80.00! on your enrolment fee.

Being a rep is very easy and keeping your business going is as simple as committing to a $20/week spend (approximately) through your ONEGroup business.
Thats simple really, when you consider you could easily spend $20/week on combining what you spend now on household cleaning products, make-up, skin care, shampoo/conditioner/styler/treatments, nutritional supplements, detox aides, shaving foam, soaps etc etc etc.

And with spending your money on YOUR business, you support your own endeavour AND help yourself to detox naturally, calmly, easily,....... simply.

Contact me now on Mb: 0427 152 756 or at the office on Ph: 07 5547 6725 to talk about your new business in certified organic products.

Email: jthtc@yahoo.com.au

"Easy Wealth and Harmony NOW"

Building Harmony

Now that it is 2009, and you have hopefully got your resonance sorted out for the year, how are you best going to keep it in the forefront of your Mind, Space and Life Experience through this whole year?

I utilise many different ways of imbuing a space with the resonance I want or need. As the title of this article suggests, it is by layering energy that we can derive the most benefit. Using one kind of Energy Signature is going to be helpful, but using many layers of Energy Signatures to build a resonance really gets a reaction from the environment you are in!

I do stress the immense benefit you can achieve from implementing Energy Signatures into your home to assist you in supporting the energy you interact with.

Energy Signatures are thought forms + a symbol, a sound, a phrase or mantra, a smell, a song or even a tangible object like a flower, plant, crystal or decorative object, to manifest a kind of feeling, a ‘resonance’ in a space be it your Mind, Body, Spirit or Place.

You can use ‘real’ things, or just use a ‘virtual’ implant instead. I love to use virtual symbols as it resonates with the healing energy of Reiki, which also uses virtual symbols to attract and resonate energy. Once started you can add or subtract any signature at will. For example lets take a front door of a family home. In our homes we wish for Peace, Tranquility, Harmony, Health and Abundance among other things of course, but these are the main kind of resonances we want to invite into a family home. Wealth and Prosperity follow good high level Chi, so if we are surrounded by Harmony at home, we will always take that out into the world with us.
Ok so the main emphasis is on Peace and Health. Think of what symbolises Peace and Health as an energy. Peace is quiet, calm, cared for, practical, efficient...Health is clean, tidy, effective, vigorous, flowing…

With these descriptions of energy we can then begin to layer our Energy Signatures at the front door by eliminating anything that may be attracting low level energy. Simply put, remove anything that resonates as the opposite of the descriptions above! Take away ‘busyness’, clutter, dirt, broken things, stored things etc, and begin to layer from a ‘clean slate’ so to speak.

Clean first.

Dust it down, sweep it out, wipe up anything that needs wiping up, and generally use a bit of elbow grease to get it spick and span. For doorways to be inviting they need to allow easy entry and exits, so if you have a few too many potplants, shoes or the welcome mat is looking a little worse for wear, remove or replace with a better alternative. If shoes have to be at the front door, then find a handsome looking wicker basket that is a good size to fit a few pairs of shoes in. Keep a small pot of bi-carb soda here to sprinkle into any shoes that are in need of deodourising. If plants are here they need to be healthy and happy ones, well fed and watered in pots that are attractive too.

This cleaning is setting the foundation of your layering. Secondly you can use symbols like a statue or wall hanging at the front door energy that resonates the Energy Signature of Peace and or Health. This could be peace doves, a Buddha or Kuan Yin, Angels or Fairies, etc. The plants you choose for the front door can also be representative of Peace and Health. The Peace Lilly or Arum Lily is wonderful for attracting high level Chi. Jade Trees are not only symbols of Wealth but also of endurance and accumulation, as their leaves store water and they can survive hardships easily. Holy Basil (Tulsi Rama) is a great plant for the front door Health signature, as this plant can be used as a ‘tonic’ when taken as tea or the leaves eaten, but also it imbues any space with high level Chi, and is used in Temples throughout India for this very reason. Calendula (Marigolds) are wonderful for a sunny spot, while Maiden Hair ferns will provide delicate and quiet energy to a shady doorway.

To top off your layering, consider things like bright or beautiful doormats, a charming bell or doorknock, incense, and virtual symbols. (these are done by drawing a symbol in the air with your hand or holding in your overlayed on the front door)

Inside the house you can also prepare the space for this wonderful Energy Signature to be invited further in with ease by replicating some of the symbols you have used outside. Fresh fragrant flowers do this easily, or an aromatherapy burner can do the same job. Fragrances like Vanilla, Lavender, Rose, Orange and Lime can be invigorating as well as calming.

All combined, the layering of Energy Signatures makes it easy to tap into your resonance each day with ease. With repetition, the symbols you use will effortlessly attract the desired response and invite in Health and Peace very easily.

Using layers of energy in any area will bring in the resonance you want.

A Home Office can be layered with the resonances of Efficiency, Organisation, Wealth Attraction, Goals, Dreams, Hopes etc. Use visionboards, or something that Carole Fogarty is trying this year, a ‘String of Inspiration’ (visit her blog here), to have these resonances in view each day. Repetition of a message strengthens it’s frequency and therefore it resonates ‘louder’ in our life, driving our passions, and organising our endeavours towards a common goal.

A Bedroom will be layered with more Yin attributes using mood calming colours, delicate flowers, considerate lighting, the symbols of calm like sleeping characters in paintings and drawings, a statue of the reclining Buddha etc.

I always use my Reiki symbols for ‘cleansing and energy’ on my mattress every time I change the sheets. You could do the same thing by drawing these words with your hands on your mattress. (perhaps ‘great sleeping’ might be useful at times as well!)

In a Living Room you could do the same by drawing the words ‘Happy and Relax’ on the table or the couch.

Start doing these kinds of things and you’ll find you can’t stop.
Plus its enjoyable, so go ahead,...do it. ∞

New Year Feng Shui

New Year Feng Shui

Feng Shui is often a misunderstood thing, painted with red tassles and ornamented with brass frogs and deep cultural superstition. What it is can be so much more than where to put your golden buddha or jade tree. Feng Shui is the study of the vital forces of the universe, how energy moves and why, and how best to harness this potent force in our environments to support our endeavours. New Year is traditonally a time where we can state our intentions for the year, and align ourselves and our places to enable smooth, clean and high level energy flow.
Chinese New Year falls on the second New Moon after the Solstice, and this year it is the 26th January. The Feng Shui New Year follows the Solar Calendar and usually falls somewhere around the 4th February. Either way here are a few tips you can follow to enhance the chi flow in your place, and optimise the new year energy!

1. Prepare your front doorway to receive fresh new energy. Think of it as a symbolic invitation to the Universe to bring you all good things this year. Your doorway represents the same connection as the kind of paper and ink you would choose for any kind of formal invitation. So clear up, clean up, repair if necessary and make it look pretty :) Even go so far as to write your New Year Affirmation onto a piece of beautiful paper and put it under your fresh new doormat. (you are going to buy a new doormat aren't you?)

2. Do not sweep up on Chinese New Year day, otherwise you symbolically risk sweeping away new heavenly chi coming in. (don't have to tell me twice to sit and do nothing...)

3. Hold a massive celebration with overflowing bowls of fruit and other yummy things on the table, lots of happiness and good friends around. (yes, that's right, have a party!) This burst of Human Chi really activates the incoming energy and allows you to verbalise your intentions as well with partygoers while you socialise. The power of casual conversation should not be underestimated.

4. Space Clear. Uh huh, that does include de-cluttering. :) And however 'ugh-some' you may feel about de-cluttering and cleaning up, symbolically, de-cluttering sends out a message that you have space to invite fresh new things into your life. If you are in need of a change, first look at what you have and what those possessions are resonating. If your garage shelves could talk what would they say? ("hello, I'm neglected" ??) Space Clearing also entails the use of personal ritual in the form of a cleansing of the energy in your place using anything from bells, gongs, incense, aromatherapy, chanting or singing and even just a darn good clean up with the windows left open for half the day. (For free inforation on Space Clearing and Domestic Home visit www.fengshuiconnections.bravehost.com/articles)

After this kind of treatment, any place will feel tangibley 'shifted' energywise. Now sit back, and wait for the chi to settle. Enjoy this 2009 the year of the Yin Earth Ox, and the Fire Star 9 Angel of Vivacity and Vigour!

Jannette operates her own consultancy Jannette Tibbs Holistic Therapy Connections, and is part of a wonderful family. She loves to be of service to anyone who requires Feng Shui Assessments or Healing treatments.

Chia seeds - more nutritional gold from the South American ancients

I’ve written about Amaranth, and Quinoa (keen-wah), and now here is Chia! Researching new nutritional gold led me to the Chiatah Co in Australia. Growing Chia in Australia and offering a high quality natural, unprocessed ‘superfood’, well, I couldn’t NOT get in touch with them.
So what is Chia and where does it come from? Read on….(courtesy of the Chiatah website www.thechiaco.com.au)


“Chiatah is high quality, naturally grown Australian Chia seed. Chiatah seeds are small, oval shaped black or white seeds and are one of nature's richest sources of plant based Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. What makes essential fatty acids so important? Your body can't produce them but needs them to maintain optimum health. Not only are they jam packed with essential fatty acids but Chiatah seeds are also rich in a stack of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. They have virtually no sodium or sugar and absolutely no gluten. We describe Chiatah as a wholefood at it's packed with a full spectrum of goodness to benefit your body and mind.


Chia seeds were first used as food as early as 3500 BC and were one of the main dietary components of the Aztecs and the Mayans. Chia seeds were eaten as a grain, drunk as a beverage when mixed with water, ground into flour, included in medicines, pressed for oil and used as a base for face and body paints. The Spanish conquests of America destroyed much of the intensive agricultural production systems that were in place however small pockets of producing regions remained in Central and South America.


A consistent highly quality supply had to be available before Chia could be accepted in the Australian food industry. Growing trials proved exceptionally successful and The Chia Company began large scale production in Australia.”


And as you’ve probably guessed, yep, I put them into muffins so that the children get that all important whack of essential fatty acid input in their diet. They’re both not big on oily fish so it’s one way I can make sure their nutritional needs are being met with ease.


The website for Chiatah has a link for recipes so you can diversify and use chia in many different applications.


I am giving away two sample-paks of chia seeds, one white one black, for someone to try. Write to me at jthtc@yahoo.com.au, with the subject heading ‘Chia Gold’ to enter the draw.
All entries will be taken during February and the winner will be contacted during March, and announced in April’s MiniZine. Best of Luck!


*want to get the free monthly online Holistic Feng Shui MiniZine?
go to www.HolisticTherapyConnections.com
and subscribe easily!

Symbolism - Signs of Life

Why is it that so often in Life we seem to overlook wonderful intuitions and get ourselves ‘stuck’ in situations that we may well of avoided had we listened to our inner voice? Seems like we spend a lot of time nodding and shaking our heads, relating stories about how we should have ‘known better’, and we’ll listen to our feelings ‘next time’. Well, NOW is the time to start listening to yourself, take notice of the happenings around you and by you, and ‘listen’ to the messages coming through.

Signposts in life can be small events that seem familiar. These are often referred to as ‘dejavu’ experiences. I kind of use them to reassure myself that I’m on the right track, the right Life Path for me. Other signposts happen as events that may slow us down, like illnesses, injuries and accidents, or unfortunate/unforeseeable twists to our best laid plans. Alternatively there can be wonderful connections, windfalls, or successful outcomes after a troublesome time, that indicate we are on the right track. Whatever form these signs come in, they are here to be recognised. With this in mind, it is easier to see the silver lining to most dark clouds.

Consider that some of the people you meet quite ‘by accident’, or in a extremely unformal way (waiting at the bus stop or in the supermarket que kind-of-thing) may actually be signs themselves. Did you have a conversation with them? What was the conversation about? And did you make strange ‘confession-like’ conversation, or was it very guarded speech? Either thing can indicate a need on your behalf to examine the subject of the conversation, or intended conversation, and explore that subjects relevance in your current life situation. A colour may become quite important to you, or you may find yourself drawn to a particular place in your house or garden, or a special place you like to visit. Take notice of this kind of thing, there is always a meaning within the action. Even songs that stick in your head! A certain phrase that you either speak or hear often, will be bringing with it some valuable information. (one morning over the last few months, I got up and had Kate Bush’s ‘Cloud Busting’ chorus in my head, ‘Ooooh I just know that something good is gonna’ happen’, then as I was making tea I burst into song singing Frank Sinatra’s ‘I did it Myyyyyyyy way!!’ Not my usual kind of music but I felt so good, as I realised some good stuff was on my way as long as I stayed on track with what I wanted to do. Very cool indeed)

This article has come about from a conversation I had with a friend a few months ago. I expressed how interwoven the varying belief systems of the world are and how humanity can view things so differently when inherently they are very similar. We started to talk about Wicca, Paganisms, and other earth-based belief systems from other cultures and how similar they are to Classical Feng Shui theory and practice. This respect and reverence for the environment is a fundamental of both systems.

Its what got me interested in Feng Shui actually….Feng Shui demonstrates what can be done when environmental study moves beyond the four walls and garden to reach out into the cosmos. Resonance of Universal energy affects us all. Ancient studies of how this universal energy interacts with our planet, our landscapes, the buildings we construct upon it and then how those energies interact with us, IS Feng Shui. These resonances are interpreted as signs, and in most cases traditional Feng Shui is explained as a kind of divination.

I have been studying mythology since I was a teenager, looking into the folklore of my ancestral heritage, Paganism etc. Part of each system was divining knowledge from the immediate environment, so I began to watch my environment for small seemingly ‘insignificant’ signs. Cloud-watching and interpreting symbols made by cloud formations as well as the part of the sky they appeared in, what time of day, and which direction if any they were moving towards, is a kind of divination-therapy. Another kind of environmental divination can be to identify a certain animal you repeatedly see and find out what the symbolism of this particular animal is. Sometimes you’ll be inspired by an animals antics, behaviour or sounds. Even if you are extremely annoyed or irritated by an animal it is worth it to find out why. What is the symbolism within the animal, their sounds and their behaviour….

Symbolism is a big part of your Feng Shui. What you connect with you resonate; and what you resonate, you connect with. This is of the vibration of your Life!

Intuition issues? Try Bach Flowers ‘Cerato’ to help you trust your inner voice.
Available from JTHTC $10/25ml bottle + pp.

Quinoa - Mother of all Grains

Quinoa, pronounced ‘keen-wah’ or ‘kin-wah’, is a grain similar to Amaranth, which readers know is a special favourite of mine for cooking. Quinoa is high in nutrients and also comes from South American continent like Amaranth. It was a food used in sacred ceremonies by the Incas and was therefore frowned upon by the Christian Spanish Conquistadors, and subsequently suppressed. However it, survived this and is receiving a lot of new interest lately because of it ‘superfood’ status, and has even been considered ‘Kosher’ by Jewish communities if it has been harvested accordingly.

The nutritional value of Quinoa lies in its high protein content and balanced set of essential amino acids, the building blocks of cells. Because of this, it is an excellent food for vegetarians and vegans, and, its gluten free too, so it is wonderful for anyone who is even slightly gluten intolerant, or those with IBS. High in fibre, magnesium and iron, this grain can compliment many recipes and is considered easy to digest. The grains become sticky with heating and I personally use it to thicken vegie gravy or fruit puree for my baby, as well as the all important addition to any muffin recipe you have! :)

Quinoa on its own has an uncommon taste, slightly nutty, with a bitterness that is a result of the saponin coating of the grain itself. This coating is slightly removed in the milling process. Because of the slight bitterness, it is a good balancer in sweet or savoury foods. The flakes are very tasty over muesli or other cereal flakes for breakfast. Buy your Quinoa as a certified organic product to get as much nutrient content as possible. There are many certified organic brands of Quinoa which are available from online organic stores. Just ask by email and they will usually be able to provide you with a sample.

Almond, Sultana & Quinoa Muffins
1 cup wholemeal flour or gluten free flour (Plain) 1/2 cup whole milk
1tbsp baking powder 1/4 cup of Rice Bran Oil (or similar)
1/2 cup brown sugar (or sweetener of your choice) 2 eggs
1/2 cup Almond meal (ground almonds) 1tsp Vanilla extract if desired
1 cup sultanas 1tsp ground Cinnamon
Mix the dry ingredients well, then fold in the wet ingredients. Do not over-mix, just combine the two.
Spoon into muffin papers in a muffin tray, and bake for 20 mins in a pre-heated oven, 180˚ C. Wait till cool to enjoy. These are nice warmed with treacle and custard as a pudding too!

Symbolism - Energy Signatures Therapy

While researching some ideas about ‘beneficial illusion’, I started to experiment with Energy Signatures again as a form of therapy. I have always used this kind of energy therapy when doing visualisation, Reiki, or dowsing, so it made sense to incorporate it into my current research on ‘illusion’. What I found was the astounding ‘useability’ of certain phrases to induce calm, peace, sleep, rest, health, restoration, recuperation and such. I started with the simple phrase ‘My Mind is Clear like a Crystal’, and thought-formed a clear quartz crystal slowly rotating and catching the light. ZAP! My thoughts just cleared instantly. It was like the brain got a cool drink of water. Wonderful! So I explored this again and changed the phrase slightly. ‘My thoughts flow like a cool mountain stream’, and thought formed clear water flowing over rocks, pebbles, grass and flowers. Again, this cleared troublesome thoughts very very quickly.

The reason I feel these thought-forms + phrase Energy Signatures work so well is that they are laden with symbology and a visual-sonic vibrational pattern that we are already familiar with. We ‘hear’ those words in our Mind, we ‘see’ those pictures in our Mind; so not only is the Mind fed with beneficial illusion, it is also distracted from the unbeneficial illusion of whatever current problem or issue is keeping one worried or occupied.
Have a go with these ones over the coming months and let me know what kind of results they elicit. I’ll be very interested to hear any feedback J

To assist beautiful sleep or recuperation:
“I am Heavy with Blossoms” picture a bough of a cherry tree covered with light pink blossom
To assist in clearing the Mind:
“My Mind is Clear like a Crystal” picture a clear quartz crystal slowly rotating

To assist with removing troublesome thoughts:
“My thoughts flow like a cool mountain stream” picture water flowing over meadow grass and rocks
To assist in regaining good health:
“My body is repairing” picture the cells with ladders and tools working together (presumably rebuilding the affected part of the body)
Experiment using colours and font styles for your phrases too, as I’ve found this elicits different results as well. Happy Visualising \

वाल्लेट Cleansing

Have you ever thought about the energy of your wallet? (or purse) It is important to encourage Wealth energy into this very important possession. Our wallets contain so much potent energy and we interact with them on more than one level. Removing stagnant and stressful energy from this possession can encourage higher quality energy. This means getting rid of all the ‘junk’ in there, and cleaning it physically as well as vibrationally.

Step 1: Take everything out of your wallet. Everything. ID cards, Credit Cards, Money, tickets, receipts...the lot.
Step 2: Mix up a little bi-carb soda and vinegar in warm water and with a clean rag, wipe out the inside of the wallet, all areas, and the outside too. Repair any catches or zippers that need attention. A little clean oil on zippers can release a stubborn catch, and we want to promote ease and flow when it comes to this little possession that we use to organise our money.
Step 3: Assess what needs to go back into the wallet. What do you need in there? What might be able to go into a zip in your handbag instead?
Step 4: Vibrationally cleanse the wallet. There are a number of ways to do this.
place it in the middle of a crystal grid, or onto a amethyst geode for about an hour or so, or even overnight.
Smudge it with some beautiful incense or White Sage smoke (hold the wallet over the rising smoke, letting it get into all of the spaces of the wallet)
Spray it with cleansing essences that invite abundance too. Australian Bush Flower Essences have an ‘Abund’ blend, or you can use Bach Flower Essences ‘Crab Apple’, ’Pine’ and ‘Wild Rose’. (yes, I can make you the blend!)
Spray the inside with soluble essential oil of Lemon, an oil traditionally associated with Abundance and Health. You may like to experiment with Mint, Rose or Basil too.
Chant an OM or beautiful mantra while holding the wallet close to your lips. Or, you could leave it between some speakers with a beautiful CD playing. Sound therapy is so easy...use chimes or bells too.
Use Reiki or other healing vibration while holding the wallet between your hands.
Breathe the words, Wealthy-Abundant-Flowing-Helpful-Grateful, onto your wallet :) this is a nice, easy and simple way of imbuing great energy.
Step 5: Replace your necessary things and money back into the wallet। Place a great vibrational energy card with a symbol like the Infinity or a Reiki Sei He Ki and Cho Ku Rei, the San Kal Pa, or Sacred Spiral.

You may also like to put a good wealth attracting crystal into the coin purse, like Citrine to protect wealth, or Aventurine to attract wealth, or perhaps Jet to assist in making good financial decisions. Placing a small amount of Black Tourmaline into your wallet will assist in transmuting any low level vibrational energy that comes in via physical money.

And yes, it would also make sense to cleanse the money before you put it back in. I would suggest doing something like this each week or month, as money carries with it a lot of energy and we are constantly picking up cash from other people. It makes sense to cleanse regularly! Happy shopping and spending and receiving…

Does the colour of your wallet make any difference?
Well yes, according to colour therapy theory. Red wallets can mean you shop way too spontaneously and thoughtlessly, whereas Green wallets attract abundance energy. Black wallets can bring miserly energy to the owner, but is also stable and organised. Yellow may bring many indecisions, whereas Orange may have you spending up big for the people you care about. White sends a very clinical message indeed, with this kind of wallet owner firmly in charge of a set budget.

Does it have Amaranth in it?

This is a little joke between my sister and me since my Mother discovered Amaranth and its amazing qualities to promote good health. I have three sisters and we are all interested in natural health and good nutrition, and often tell each other about our newest ‘discovery’ so we can all try it out. I don’t know which one of us told Mum about Amaranth, but it made quite an impression on her and she promptly started using it. Then I received a packet of it too!

My dear Mother has the wonderful ability to mix us all up, and in fairness, having four daughters all living close by and filling her head with each new great product we’ve come across, I excuse her forgetting which one of us said what. (poor woman) So when I received my packet of puffed Amaranth I was told how great it was and that I should use it in all my baking so the children would get its goodness too. And from then on, every time I presented any baked item to Mother Dear I would be asked “Did you put the Amaranth in it???”.

So what is Amaranth and why is it so fantastic?
This ancient grain was grown by the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas and ground to be used as a tasty flour. It has a slightly nutty, spicy flavour and gets very sticky when cooked. It is gluten free! The puffed seeds make a light addition to other flours, as well as heightening the nutritional content of any food it is added too. High in Calcium (approximately 60mg/half cup), low in fat, it contains high quality protein and is rich in Lysine.

Lysine is an essential amino acid (the building blocks of proteins), which means that it is essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body. For this reason, lysine must be obtained from food. Lysine is important for proper growth and it plays an essential role in the production of carnitine, a nutrient responsible for converting fatty acids into energy and helping to lower cholesterol. Lysine appears to help the body absorb and conserve calcium and it plays an important role in the formation of collagen, a substance important for bones and connective tissues including skin, tendon, and cartilage. If there is too little lysine in the diet, kidney stones and other health related problems may develop including fatigue, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, agitation, bloodshot eyes, slow growth, anemia, and reproductive disorders.

You can use it in any baking as a nutritional addition to pastries, cakes, muffins etc, or added to rice or millet dishes. The grains congeal when cooled, so keep it warm before eating. Sprinkle the puffed seeds over your breakfast cereal and salads too!
This tiny seed was cultivated over 5000 years ago as one of the staple foods for the indigenous peoples of South America, until the arrival of the Spanish, who banned the crop. The tribal people responded by hiding their crops and harvests high in the mountainous areas, and the seed became a valuable source of food.

Luckily, the seed plant was introduced as an ornamental to Europe during the 16th century, and from there it was propagated throughout the world. Especially in India, Amaranth has become an important nutritional supplement and is the main ingredient in the traditional Indian sweet called ‘laddoo’.

In my house I use the puffed grains mainly as an additive to muffins, but find that it goes well with an Alfalfa sandwich too. When my sisters come to visit I usually bake some muffins so we have some thing small and nutritious to eat with our cup of tea, and inevitably now, one particular sister and I have to ask each other “Does it have Amaranth in it?” while pointing decisively at the muffin in question…. :)

This is the typical breakdown of nutrients/100g quantity:
Water 9.84g ; Protein 14.45g ; Fat 6.51g (Saturated Fat 1.662 mg, Monounsaturated Fat 1.433 mg, Polyunsaturated Fat 2.891 mg) ; Carbohydrates 66,71g ; Vitamin C 4.2 mg ; Thiamin 0.08 mg ; Riboflavin 0.208 mg ; Niacin 1.286 mg ; Vitamin B6 0.223 mg ; Folate 49 mcg ; Food Folate 49 5.6 mcg ; Dietary Folate Equivalents 49 mcg ; Pantothenic Acid 1.047 mcg ; Calcium 153 mg ; Iron 7.59 mg ; Magnesium 266 mg ; Phosphorus 455 mg ; Potassium 366 mg ; Sodium 21 mg ; Zinc 3.18 mg ; Copper 0.777 mg ; Manganese 2.26 mg.

Feng Shui - How it Works - Part 2 - 'Fulfilling Potentials'

As much as I can say that Flying Stars follows formulas to define the energy in a space, you cannot have a ‘formula for a good life’, or for that matter a formula for a good building and landscape. Each situation is inherently unique, and this is part of its beauty. Each influence is a potential of energy. IF a beneficial potential is supported, then this can lead to favourable Life Experiences. Unsupported or negatively influenced by landscape and form of the building, any potential can be completely lost, leading to the possibility of unsatisfactory Life Experiences.

What has your building been telling you if you view your Life Experience as a direct result of how it is influenced by the Earth Feng Shui? Or perhaps you can say that your Life Experience has been heavily influenced by your Man or Heaven Influences lately…?

Any influence on our lives helps us to fulfil one potential or another. Can we work better, more efficiently, or more closely to our true talent(s)? What enables us to truly fulfil a potential talent or passion we have? The answer is great support.

If our living and working environments support our endeavours, the energy we put into them is effortlessly received, and good success should ensue. Here I go with formulas again….so let me strip it back to simplicity again. As a child we are bolstered, encouraged, praised and valued for our achievements. This makes us strive to become ‘better’ at whatever challenge is presented. Without encouragement and praise, which is basic human support, children may become dejected, depressed and sullen. The thing is,…we don’t change much as we become adults! If we constantly strive for achievement and we are often not receiving successful outcomes or recognition, Life just ‘feels’ hard. If our energy is not being helped by where we sleep and live we won’t even enjoy our homelife, much less enjoy a fulfilling career.

Support from the environment you are in = Successful endeavours.

If your bedroom does not support rest, perhaps by being too Yang, then all your endeavours to gain restful sleep will be unsuccessful. Conversely, if your work area/office is set up to support you in every way by being organised, then you work efficiently and gain success in the endeavours you pursue in this area. By knowing what the underlying energy influences are on your building, you can then support and enhance the best aspects of each energy combination on your building’s chart, (and suppress or weaken anything unbeneficial) to support YOU and what you need to do.

Looking at the energy influences that move each month and Annually, you can also plan important projects or experiences at the most optimum time, and avoid wasting energy at times that don’t support favourable outcomes.

Without using Flying Stars Feng Shui to decipher the energy ‘map’ of your building, you can still implement ‘good feng shui’ to heighten the vibrational energy, which then increases positive potential. Bringing in the positive vibration is as easy as keeping spaces that are loved, tended to, appreciated, maintained, hygienic when necessary, beautiful and healthy. Spaces do not need to be clinical or minimalist, yet a certain amount of de-cluttering is always good for the soul, re-connecting one to basic needs without lots of ‘stuff’.

Quiet Spaces
Manifesting Harmony is a potential made up of all three major Life Influences. Success depends largely upon which influence is getting the most support. If we have too much ‘static’ in one area of our building (work or home), Mind, Body or Spirit, it can manifest as disharmony. That’s why we need to seek spaces that nourish and support who we are and what we wish to do. And those ‘spaces’ aren’t always tangible rooms or landscapes. They can be a quiet Mind, a peaceful Spirit and a ‘sound’ Body.

In the article about creating Quiet Spaces, it was explained how noise is not just an auditory thing, but can come from visual and extrasensory stimuli too. Noise comes in many forms some of which are: TV, traffic, radios, chatter, conversations, artworks that jump out at you or are just plain confronting, newspapers, gossip mags, busy corridors/doors, bright lights, blinking lights, etc.

To achieve quietness you may need to observe quietly the energy of the space you are in. Make changes, see how it works, evaluate the results of the efforts you have put into bringing about quietness in the space. Essentially, Balance supports Quietness. If you can achieve Balance from your spaces you will find it effortlessly brings with it a peaceful harmonious atmosphere. ( is your Yang too Yang, is your Yin too Yin??)

Balance can be brought to any space by observing that the Proportions (size of space and furniture etc), Colour, Shapes, Textures and Lighting; are appropriate for the function of that space. For example, a bedroom would have soft furnishings, subdued colours and lighting, understated shapes, etc. A workroom would have to be well lit, the colour scheme and shapes used would be stimulating and the proportion of furniture to space would allow for smooth access to and from work areas.

By removing the ‘static’ associated with disharmonious spaces you can still have a vibrant space that supports high level energy, but is essentially ‘quiet’. Odd hey?

Yes, you CAN find fantastic information on the back of a cereal box!

One of my wonderful sisters gave me a great cereal to try that is made of Flax, Corn and, of course, Amaranth. (if you don’t know why this is significant, read August’s article ‘Does it have Amaranth in it?”) Did you know that Flax is one of our richest sources of alpha-linolenic acid, and essential fatty acids in a group of substances called ‘omega-3 fatty acids’? As well as being a great source of fibre it also has lignans, a highly prized phytochemical. Yay! And the good news doesn’t stop there! :)

Amaranth is, as some of you know now, full of lysine which is an essential amino acid, but, what is wonderful about eating Amaranth with Corn and other similar grains is that it results in a complete amino acid profile, so it is fantastic for Vegetarians. The oil content provides linoleic acid and a form of Vitamin E too. Fab hey.

I feel healthier just reading it… and it tasted great!
You can buy various cereals with this particular blend from your natural food supplier or health food shop.