Welcome to The Majickal Garden. It is a mystical cyber garden where we hope to inspire the sense of internal spiritual mystery, awe and fascination for anyone traveling the path, who is interested in enhancing their spiritual & personal growth. How we all choose to do so is an individual choice. With true intentions there is no right or wrong. You will find an acceptance here to new ideas as well as others beliefs.
We are all students in the light of life. The Universe filled with mystical forces of nature have gifted us wonderful tools for our soul’s evolvement and discovering them is a pleasure found in The Majickal Garden.
Thank you for taking the time to spend some of your precious time here. We hope you can find something of interest to take with you on your own path of spiritual journey.
Peace and Light…Jasmine – Webmistress of majickalgarden.com
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
Chief Seattle
( If an item appears on this website that should not be posted, please let us know and we will be happy to remove it or add credit to its authenticated origin.)
Written by Jasmine-Webmistress of majickalgarden.com
When my daughter was young, she had difficulties settling down to sleep. There was a routine we followed nightly that needed to be followed, in order, for her to settle down. If an interruption caused enough time delay or enough time passed where she could not sleep, we had to start all over again. As a busy mother of 2 sometimes this seemed to take “forever” considering the chores I still had in front of me before I could sleep but I realized how important this routine was to her comfort and peace of mind.
At the time I was learning meditation and the thought occurred to me that perhaps it could help her. I found a guided meditation book for children. She was around 4 years old at the time and I explained to her how this would help her relax and feel safe on her inside. After the usual routine I had her lie on her back with the covers all tucked in around her with the buddy of her choice. With her eyes closed we focused on her breath, slow in/ out and to “listen” to it. Then I would read the guided meditation from the book.
At first it was funny to her and we had some giggle time to get thru but after a few times she began to settle into it. We did this nightly for quite a while then the time came where we were able to let it go until it became an option for the occasion when she would feel the need to ask for it. The extra nighttime steps began to drop away.
Some months passed and I had to be away for a week. I knew that she would have a problem with my absence for that length of time so I made a recording of some of the meditations from the book and gave her a player so she could use it at night while I was away. Her dad was there for her while she played it. It was a success and made a difference for her.
There are many meditation books for children available with different flavors depending on where your own beliefs lie as well as websites that offer free online streaming of recorded meditations. Recordings work well too however I found my voice made a difference for her.
The world can be a scary place for our precious children. Teaching them at an early age that they have control over their own level of comfort and feeling of security in knowing they are loved and supported is a valuable gift to offer them.
Written By Jasmine – Webmistress of majickalgarden.com
Warm Greetings! I have left my treasured web site alone for far too long. Writing is one of my passions. Having found myself focusing on other creative projects…I have been sidetracked with frequent intentions of fitting it back into the picture. The thing about not beginning is that nothing gets done and the days, months and years fly by!
So many excuses and things to be done before I could allow my indulgence in what I would really like to be doing raised a wall between myself and the words building up inside me. Today I found out that wall is made of paper and all I had to do is walk thru it! I have begun, once again, on this day.
The Majickal Garden website is still under re-construction. There will be much work in the weeding and re-planting and I am looking forward to the journey. I hope you might bear with some confusion along its path as it evolves.
Written by Jasmine-Webmistress of majickalgarden.com
I had a spare 10 minutes before it was time to walk in the door to work. So, as a full-fledged affiliate of modern tech I chose to take a quick poke around the headlines on my trusty cell. You know, to make sure the bottom half of earth had not broken evenly away at the equator to be never seen again as I slept peacefully through the night.
I find in these unsettling disturbing times that, frequently, the headline of an article is as far as I will allow myself to go. I remind myself that this is not some random clip from the National Enquirer but it’s actual real-life stuff and currently happening! O.k. just to clarify, I am referring to the news from reputable sources. Wading into these particular patches of the newest happenings tend to feed the head shaking confusion as to why it’s all such a mess that began with the headline.
Then I remembered a piece on the local news
the other day about a new and “improved” design for a toilet. Yes, a
toilet! The company that came up with the idea are targeting employers who
might feel their esteemed employees are spending far too much time sitting on
them; doing apparently all the many things that one might do on one…besides the
most obvious that this seat was created for. Included in their vision are the
public toilets that attract large groups of visitors.
Their reasoning is that from its invention some 400 years ago it has remained the same comfortable style that has allowed the average person to be able to sit for an extended amount of time. Their answer is to adjust the even horizontal flat surface to a version that is tilted toward the floor at an approximate angle of 11 to 13 degrees. This would require the occupant to slide the lower legs back to accommodate the angle and thus create an increasingly awkward sense of a position that will encourage vacating the seat after a few minutes.
Now, I know I was not the only one stunned
with this bit of information because I witnessed my local newscasters respond
with the same reaction albeit with a subtle professional delivery.
I listened to the rain beat heavy rapid
pulsating thumps over my head and watched the result cascading down my
windshield; distorting the visuals in front of me. From headlines to toilets
pretty much summed up my feelings about the news today and I could not help
myself from smiling and chuckling out loud as I dashed to the door to start my
shift.
Written by Jasmine…Webmistress of The Majickal Garden
My loved one has left me with the impression that on occasion I might be a minor hypochondriac. This has been done with a particular “look” with a flavor of thoughtful doubt and sympathetic dismissal, in silence. Of course, that is after I have presented a “brief” thesis of symptoms , research findings and summation of possibilities!
It got me to
wondering why he would come to this conclusion when I am clearly focused on my
subject matter. I think foremost on his mind is that he does not want anything
to be wrong with me. If he dismisses my health concerns in the moment as being
perhaps overly paranoid then I will be alright. I get that. I don’t want that
any more than he does honestly! For me it’s more of reading my body and
assessing what is going on, why and if I need to take any action, i.e.
research, natural medicine sources or a doctor visit.
I took a look at the women in my life and how they are tuned into their bodies. We share information about what we have found to work for this and that; being tuned into the natural side of healing and boosting our health or discovering answers. Then I thought about the men around me and the differences became more apparent to me.
Around this time I came across an article about the differences between men and women regarding their health. It prompted me to dig a bit deeper. According to many sources that learned through research that there are differences between the sexes when it comes to health and seeking medical care.
Men who hold
traditional views on masculinity are less likely to get consistent health care.
There appears to be a connection between believing that men should be strong
and self-reliant (and slow to show emotion) and resisting routine exams.
Fear of diagnosis is
another concern for men. Although I might add here that it’s a serious concern
of mine as well. It might hold me back from quickly seeking medical help but
not finding out what the problem might be. Unfortunately, waiting on symptoms
to become acutely painful or otherwise unavoidable is not a good health plan.
Another concern that
holds men back is fear of certain personal invasive tests. It is reported this issue could also be tied
into the idea of traditional masculinity views as well. Some intimate exams
make us all feel vulnerable. What I can tell you is by the time a woman has
birthed a baby, whatever modesty she entered the pregnancy with will pretty
much be shattered by the time that happens!
According to the
World Health Organization: “Women generally live longer than males – – on
average by six to eight years. This difference is partly due to an inherent
biological advantage for the female, but it also reflects behavioral
differences between men and women.”
O.K. This is what I
think after reading the research results and mulling this subject over. It’s not that men don’t care as much as women
are conditioned by nature to do so.
Both sexes go thru
puberty. At that time we didn’t question the changes going on in our body as
basically worried how the heck we were going to make it thru it!
Girls start their
monthly cycles which will continue on into menopause. Believe me, it’s a big
deal to wrap our young heads around the fact that we will have to deal with
this monthly thing “forever”! We learned to read our bodies/emotions
and be aware of any changes from “normal”. The week before our bodies are getting ready
to shed and “normal” is knowing this as we might begin to become
uncomfortable. Then the week of…well…it’s not pleasant and varying degrees of
individual discomfort, pain and throw in wonky emotions for fun.
Pregnancy is a true
physical, life altering state of being. From the very first symptoms with the
discovery of new life all the way to the other side of nursing, our bodies
change so much physically, emotionally and mentally. We are caring for another
life and are required to keep as healthy as possible. Every change in the body
is noted and evaluated. The odd (and some majickal wonderful) sensations,
twinges as wells as pains accompany a broadly changing body that at times feels
almost alien.
Then baby arrives
and we are constantly monitoring their many needs. There is an instinctive
awareness of using our bodies sensitivity to the temperature of the babies’
environment to gauge what they might need for adjustments in it. We are also aware of how tired and run down
we are as we heal up and take care of everyone; as our bodies return to a new
“normal”. In general, perhaps, it might stem from having a maternal
instinct.
The summation of
most of my reading seems its best to look after our manly men and with love,
compassion and care to make sure they are looking after their health well.
As a young teen, on those nights when dinner was unappealing too my “refined” taste buds, I would eat as little as possible of the offending dish. Sometimes after dinner I would offer up my services to make chocolate chip cookies. I figured I could eat cookie dough to fill the gap left over from a skimpy dinner. The (un)rational thinking of youth, right? It appeared I was trying to be helpful. The fact I pleased my mom in the process was a bonus; however I craftily failed to mention my true reason. She had taught me how to make Nestle’s chocolate chip…and I loved them. (This was a time when it was not considered a health hazard to eat raw cookie dough, the good old days!)
Fast forward to the time when I had my own kids diving around the kitchen as I baked my double batch, for them of course! Actually, it became a labor of love for me because they were met with such approval that they would ask for me to bring them out when they had their friends over. I had altered the original recipe to get the taste and consistency that I wanted and I have continued to make them exactly that way for decades. Thin, soft and chewy.
The day came when we moved away from the neighborhood to faraway places. I returned to live back home after 12 years away. We were at a welcome home gathering with the family that had lived next door to us for 20 years.
Their kids had become adults with their own. One of them brought up coming to our back door for fresh baked cookies with enthusiastic memories of how good they were. During the next Christmas holiday season I decided to bake some for each of their families. My efforts were met with the same enthusiasm they had voiced at our gathering. It’s become a tradition every year since. Yes…it does jack up a person’s ego to hear such things!
Today I was getting the ingredients out to make some “love” cookies for hubby. I put my Pandora music list on Shuffle. I do this when I am feeling edgy and adventurous because it’s a pot luck for great music I have “liked”; which ranges from New Age to blues to country to trance. I found my music groove and was totally in the moment in front of me weaving my love into the ingredients.
My mind was blank with focus on my task. All of a sudden it snapped me back to a time in my life where I had a very difficult interaction with someone very close to me that I handled badly. The kitchen dropped away. Remorse and sadness filled my body; it hurt bad. As quick as it came on…it went with the awareness I did not have to stay there and I was back…with much thankfulness that I was.
I continue to practice focusing in my moments. More
often than not I experience a peaceful calm deep inside. My mind will try to
take me to the past (or worry about something in the future) away from my
center but knowing it’s my choice is comforting indeed. I have increased my
pleasure in accomplishing simple everyday tasks and in gratefulness for being
fit to do them the best I can.
Written by Jasmine, Webmistress of https:majickalgarden.com
Written By Jasmine – Webmistress of majickalgarden.com
I recently accompanied a friend to a class for back problems. The speaker was a physical therapist that specialized in sports injuries. It was, for me, a good reason to catch some girlfriend time over a meal and I hoped to hear something of interest.
Although the speaker was good with just the right level of enthusiasm for his subject matter, I found myself listening out of one ear as my thoughts kept tugging me away. Then he switched gears and started talking about his 5 year old son and how he is always moving his body about even when he was standing in one place. He would be wiggling, standing on one foot, making faces, or jumping up and down, etc. He told how in observing the physical actions of the boy and how he decided to do a study of it in relation to adults. His conclusion was that the older the body the more important it is to keep moving. O.K…this is not new! However, he did have my attention if nothing more than curiosity as to how this observance of his active child was going to translate to be of interest to me.
I am now expecting him to go into a new presentation of a “new exercise regime” that would naturally be difficult to maintain…or something like that! I was wrong. He did say that exercise in any form is very good and spent a few minutes speaking about a few of them including Pilates and Yoga. Then he got to the point.
What he was referring to was conscious movement in everyday life. He asked us to become aware of how we were sitting in our (folding) chairs. Were we leaning back with shoulders hunched or maybe slumped a bit with an elbow thrown over the back of the chair? He mimed how some of us might be sitting in our recliners or couches at home where some might be hunched, slumped and draped almost becoming part of the furniture.
I noticed in the class some of us were sitting upright with our backs straight. This was the position he said we should be sitting in. I must admit with the past back problems that brought much pain, and many years passing with it; was exactly the way that became my habit. I could not sit back on any couch let alone slouch! Consciously thinking about proper posture had become my normal.
Good posture contributes to a healthier spine, better digestion and circulation, and helps bones and joints in correct alignment so our muscles are used correctly.
The speaker talked about using our muscles all the time…with awareness in different activities. When we get up out of our chairs we should use our leg muscles to lift us up instead of heaving ourselves up with the arms off the furniture or using our arms to press up. The thought being the more it’s consciously practiced the easier and beneficial for body strength. Almost sit on a chair and use thigh muscles to stand back up; repeating throughout the day.
While standing, bending down, or reaching up high, being conscious of our posture…shoulders back, butt and stomach tucked a bit enables better muscle control and awareness of the body.
He also encouraged practicing standing on one foot frequently. Stand with weight balanced evenly then lift your foot a few inches off the floor with arms to your side. Hold this position for 5 secs., if you can, and work towards 30 secs. Repeat with other leg. Repeat 1 or 2 more times, if you can.
As you do this exercise, focus on a spot straight ahead. Try to maintain good posture throughout by keeping your chest lifted, your shoulders down and back, and your abdominal muscles braced. And breathe comfortably. You could also use a chair or counter for balance if its too hard. Hold for up to 60 seconds if its too easy. Lifting leg to the front or side could be a variation if its comfortable for you.
This exercise is easy to incorporate into each day (multiple times) and it will get easier with time. This is of course for good balance as well as using muscles to maintain this pose for any length of time! The older we get the more balance can become a big issue. He noted many falls with the elderly are caused by this. It also helps strengthen the ankles which is important for balance as well.
If you are young and maintain an active lifestyle you can make sure some type of balance training is added to your activity of choice. You are never to young or old to benefit.
