The Mystical Powers of Emerald

Emeralds are one of the most beautiful and popular gemstones, having been mined and prized since the ancient Egyptians began to mine them.  They are part of the beryl family; while the emerald is most commonly known as a green stone, the shades of green can vary from yellow-green all the way to a deep blue-green. Only the deepest, darkest colored stones are known as emeralds; beryls of lighter shades are often classified as other types of gemstones.

Emeralds are very rare and valuable crystal stones, revered for their deep luscious color and their mystical properties as well.  As the traditional birthstone for May, the emerald is also associated with the green Heart Chakra and thus can be used in healing the heart, circulatory system, lungs and throat as well.  They are also purported to help with the eyesight, guard against drunkenness, strengthen the digestive system, and counteract poison.  More importantly are the mental and emotional benefits -- inner healing, introducing mental clarity, and increasing perception are all claims by emerald enthusiasts.

Many folks associate the green of emerald with the green of money and prosperity.  However, if you're looking for a powerful stone for love spells, you needn't look any further than the emerald! If it is your birthstone, you're covered as long as you feel the need to wear one.  If not, you can always use your favorite emerald in spiritual workings.  Program the emerald just as you would consecrate and program any crystal that you like to use for rituals, and then wear it near your heart.  An emerald pin would be perfect for this type of purpose, or a tiny chip of emerald that you can wear in your pocket!

"Who first beholds the light of day,
In spring's sweet flowery month of May,
And wears an Emerald all her life,
Shall be a loved, and happy wife."

Shluchot: A Jewish Prayer for Luck

Sometimes, I get chain emails.  While I don't believe in forwarding them because of the fear and guilt they seem to create, I have to admit that sometimes I get a lot of enjoyment out of simply reading them. Also, I figure that if I post them in my blog where people are actually coming to read them, it's way better than forwarding it to people who may not want their inboxes to be stuffed with chain emails.

I've seen so many Christian prayer chains, especially Catholic ones devoted to different saints.  But this one is the very first Jewish one that I've ever come across.  It was sent to me awhile ago, so I thought I'd share. :)

"You're one of my 12...Shluchot -- A mystical Jewish formula for good mazel and who of us can't use that!?  Please do not break! Just 27 words.

G'mar Chatima Tova!
G-D our Father, walk through my house & take away all my worries &
illness & please watch over & heal my family & other families
too...Amen.

This prayer is so powerful.
Pass this to 12 people
A blessing is coming to you of a new job, a house, marriage, good
health, or financial comfort

Do not break or ask questions."

Prophecies of Nostradamus: Century V

Century V

1
Before the coming of Celtic ruin,
In the temple two will parley
Pike and dagger to the heart of one mounted on the steed,
They will bury the great one without making any noise.
2
Seven conspirators at the banquet will cause to flash
The iron out of the ship against the three:
One will have the two fleets brought to the great one,
When through the evil the latter shoots him in the forehead.
3
The successor to the Duchy will come,
Very far beyond the Tuscan Sea:
A Gallic branch will hold Florence,
The nautical Frog in its bosom be agreement.
4
The large mastiff expelled from the city
Will be vexed by the strange alliance,
After having chased the stag to the fields
The wolf and the Bear will defy each other.
5
Under the shadowy pretense of removing servitude,
He will himself usurp the people and city:
He will do worse because of the deceit of the young prostitute,
Delivered in the field reading the false poem.
6
The Augur putting his hand upon the head of the King
Will come to pray for the peace of Italy:
He will come to move the scepter to his left hand,
From King he will become pacific Emperor.
7
The bones of the Triumvir will be found,
Looking for a deep enigmatic treasure:
Those from thereabouts will not be at rest,
Digging for this thing of marble and metallic lead.
8
There will be unleashed live fire, hidden death,
Horrible and frightful within the globes,
By night the city reduced to dust by the fleet,
The city afire, the enemy amenable.
9
The great arch demolished down to its base,
By the chief captive his friend forestalled,
He will be born of the lady with hairy forehead and face,
Then through cunning the Duke overtaken by death.
10
A Celtic chief wounded in the conflict
Seeing death overtaking his men near a cellar:
Pressed by blood and wounds and enemies,
And relief by four unknown ones.
11
The sea will not be passed over safely by those of the Sun,
Those of Venus will hold all Africa:
Saturn will no longer occupy their realm,
And the Asiatic part will change.
12
To near the Lake of Geneva will it be conducted,
By the foreign maiden wishing to betray the city:
Before its murder at Augsburg the great suite,
And those of the Rhine will come to invade it.
13
With great fury the Roman Belgian King
Will want to vex the barbarian with his phalanx:
Fury gnashing, he will chase the African people
From the Pannonias to the pillars of Hercules.
14
Saturn and Mars in Leo Spain captive,
By the African chief trapped in the conflict,
Near Malta, Herod taken alive,
And the Roman scepter will be struck down by the Cock.
15
The great Pontiff taken captive while navigating,
The great one thereafter to fail the clergy in tumult:
Second one elected absent his estate declines,
His favorite bastard to death broken on the wheel.
16
The Sabaean tear no longer at its high price,
Turning human flesh into ashes through death,
At the isle of Pharos disturbed by the Crusaders,
When at Rhodes will appear a hard phantom.
17
By night the King passing near an Alley,
He of Cyprus and the principal guard:
The King mistaken, the hand flees the length of the Rhône,
The conspirators will set out to put him to death.
18
The unhappy abandoned one will die of grief,
His conqueress will celebrate the hecatomb:
Pristine law, free edict drawn up,
The wall and the Prince falls on the seventh day.
19
The great Royal one of gold, augmented by brass,
The agreement broken, war opened by a young man:
People afflicted because of a lamented chief,
The land will be covered with barbarian blood.
20
The great army will pass beyond the Alps,
Shortly before will be born a monster scoundrel:
Prodigious and sudden he will turn
The great Tuscan to his nearest place.
21
By the death of the Latin Monarch,
Those whom he will have assisted through his reign:
The fire will light up again the booty divided,
Public death for the bold ones who incurred it.
22
Before the great one has given up the ghost at Rome,
Great terror for the foreign army:
The ambush by squadrons near Parma,
Then the two red ones will celebrate together.
23
The two contented ones will be united together,
When for the most part they will be conjoined with Mars:
The great one of Africa trembles in terror,
Duumvirate disjoined by the fleet.
24
The realm and law raised under Venus,
Saturn will have dominion over Jupiter:
The law and realm raised by the Sun,
Through those of Saturn it will suffer the worst.
25
The Arab Prince Mars, Sun, Venus, Leo,
The rule of the Church will succumb by sea:
Towards Persia very nearly a million men,
The true serpent will invade Byzantium and Egypt.
26
The slavish people through luck in war
Will become elevated to a very high degree:
They will change their Prince, one born a provincial,
An army raised in the mountains to pass over the sea.
27
Through fire and arms not far from the Black Sea,
He will come from Persia to occupy Trebizond:
Pharos, Mytilene to tremble, the Sun joyful,
The Adriatic Sea covered with Arab blood.
28
His arm hung and leg bound,
Face pale, dagger hidden in his bosom,
Three who will be sworn in the fray
Against the great one of Genoa will the steel be unleashed.
29
Liberty will not be recovered,
A proud, villainous, wicked black one will occupy it,
When the matter of the bridge will be opened,
The republic of Venice vexed by the Danube.
30
All around the great city
Soldiers will be lodged throughout the fields and towns:
To give the assault Paris, Rome incited,
Then upon the bridge great pillage will be carried out.
31
Through the Attic land fountain of wisdom,
At present the rose of the world:
The bridge ruined, and its great pre-eminence
Will be subjected, a wreck amidst the waves.
32
Where all is good, the Sun all beneficial and the Moon
Is abundant, its ruin approaches:
From the sky it advances to change your fortune.
In the same state as the seventh rock.
33
Of the principal ones of the city in rebellion
Who will strive mightily to recover their liberty:
The males cut up, unhappy fray,
Cries, groans at Nantes pitiful to see.
34
From the deepest part of the English West
Where the head of the British isle is
A fleet will enter the Gironde through Blois,
Through wine and salt, fires hidden in the casks.
35
For the free city of the great Crescent sea,
Which still carries the stone in its stomach,
The English fleet will come under the drizzle
To seize a branch, war opened by the great one.
36
The sister's brother through the quarrel and deceit
Will come to mix dew in the mineral:
On the cake given to the slow old woman,
She dies tasting it she will be simple and rustic.
37
Three hundred will be in accord with one will
To come to the execution of their blow,
Twenty months after all memory
Their king betrayed simulating feigned hate.
38
He who will succeed the great monarch on his death
Will lead an illicit and wanton life:
Through nonchalance he will give way to all,
So that in the end the Salic law will fail.
39
Issued from the true branch of the fleur-de-lis,
Placed and lodged as heir of Etruria:
His ancient blood woven by long hand,
He will cause the escutcheon of Florence to bloom.
40
The blood royal will be so very mixed,
Gauls will be constrained by Hesperia:
One will wait until his term has expired,
And until the memory of his voice has perished.
41
Born in the shadows and during a dark day,
He will be sovereign in realm and goodness:
He will cause his blood to rise again in the ancient urn,
Renewing the age of gold for that of brass.
42
Mars raised to his highest belfry
Will cause the Savoyards to withdraw from France:
The Lombard people will cause very great terror
To those of the Eagle included under the Balance.
43
The great ruin of the holy things is not far off,
Provence, Naples, Sicily, Sées and Pons:
In Germany, at the Rhine and Cologne,
Vexed to death by all those of Mainz.
44
On sea the red one will be taken by pirates,
Because of him peace will be troubled:
Anger and greed will he expose through a false act,
The army doubled by the great Pontiff.
45
The great Empire will soon be desolated
And transferred to near the Ardennes:
The two bastards beheaded by the oldest one,
And Bronzebeard the hawk-nose will reign.
46
Quarrels and new schism by the red hats
When the Sabine will have been elected:
They will produce great sophism against him,
And Rome will be injured by those of Alba.
47
The great Arab will march far forward,
He will be betrayed by the Byzantians:
Ancient Rhodes will come to meet him,
And greater harm through the Austrian Hungarians.
48
After the great affliction of the scepter,
Two enemies will be defeated by them:
A fleet from Africa will appear before the Hungarians,
By land and sea horrible deeds will take place.
49
Not from Spain but from ancient France
Will one be elected for the trembling bark,
To the enemy will a promise be made,
He who will cause a cruel plague in his realm.
50
The year that the brothers of the lily come of age,
One of them will hold the great Romania:
The mountains to tremble, Latin passage opened,
Agreement to march against the fort of Armenia.
51
The people of Dacia, England, Poland
And of Bohemia will make a new league:
To pass beyond the pillars of Hercules,
The Barcelonians and Tuscans will prepare a cruel plot.
52
There will be a King who will give opposition,
The exiles raised over the realm:
The pure poor people to swim in blood,
And for a long time will he flourish under such a device.
53
The law of the Sun and of Venus in strife,
Appropriating the spirit of prophecy:
Neither the one nor the other will be understood,
The law of the great Messiah will hold through the Sun.
54
From beyond the Black Sea and great Tartary,
There will be a King who will come to see Gaul,
He will pierce through Alania and Armenia,
And within Byzantium will he leave his bloody rod.
55
In the country of Arabia Felix
There will be born one powerful in the law of Mahomet:
To vex Spain, to conquer Grenada,
And more by sea against the Ligurian people.
56
Through the death of the very old Pontiff
A Roman of good age will be elected,
Of him it will be said that he weakens his see,
But long will he sit and in biting activity.
57
There will go from Mont and Aventin,
One who through the hole will warn the army:
Between two rocks will the booty be taken,
Of Sectus' mausoleum the renown to fail.
58
By the aqueduct of Uzès over the Gard,
Through the forest and inaccessible mountain,
In the middle of the bridge there will be cut in the fist
The chief of Nîmes who will be very terrible.
59
Too long a stay for the English chief at Nîmes,
Towards Spain Redbeard to the rescue:
Many will die by war opened that day,
When a bearded star will fall in Artois.
60
By the shaven head a very bad choice will come to be made,
Overburdened he will not pass the gate:
He will speak with such great fury and rage,
That to fire and blood he will consign the entire sex.
61
The child of the great one not by his birth,
He will subjugate the high Apennine mountains:
He will cause all those of the balance to tremble,
And from the Pyrenees to Mont Cenis.
62
One will see blood to rain on the rocks,
Sun in the East, Saturn in the West:
Near Orgon war, at Rome great evil to be seen,
Ships sunk to the bottom, taken by Trident.
63
From the vain enterprise honor and undue complaint,
Boats tossed about among the Latins, cold, hunger, waves
Not far from the Tiber the land stained with blood,
And diverse plagues will be upon mankind.
64
Those assembled by the tranquillity of the great number,
By land and sea counsel countermanded:
Near Antonne Genoa, Nice in the shadow
Through fields and towns in revolt against the chief.
65
Come suddenly the terror will be great,
Hidden by the principal ones of the affair:
And the lady on the charcoal will no longer be in sight,
Thus little by little will the great ones be angered.
66
Under the ancient vestal edifices,
Not far from the ruined aqueduct:
The glittering metals are of the Sun and Moon,
The lamp of Trajan engraved with gold burning.
67
When the chief of Perugia will not venture his tunic
Sense under cover to strip himself quite naked:
Seven will be taken Aristocratic deed,
Father and son dead through a point in the collar.
68
In the Danube and of the Rhine will come to drink
The great Camel, not repenting it:
Those of the Rhône to tremble, and much more so those of the Loire,
and near the Alps the Cock will ruin him.
69
No longer will the great one be in his false sleep,
Uneasiness will come to replace tranquillity:
A phalanx of gold, azure and vermilion arrayed
To subjugate Africa and gnaw it to the bone,
70
Of the regions subject to the Balance,
They will trouble the mountains with great war,
Captives the entire sex enthralled and all Byzantium,
So that at dawn they will spread the news from land to land.
71
By the fury of one who will wait for the water,
By his great rage the entire army moved:
Seventeen boats loaded with the noble,
The messenger come late along the Rhône.
72
For the pleasure of the voluptuous edict,
One will mix poison in the faith:
Venus will be in a course so virtuous
As to becloud the whole quality of the Sun.
73
The Church of God will be persecuted,
And the holy Temples will be plundered,
The child will put his mother out in her shift,
Arabs will be allied with the Poles.
74
Of Trojan blood will be born a Germanic heart
Who will rise to very high power:
He will drive out the foreign Arabic people,
Returning the Church to its pristine pre-eminence.
75
He will rise high over the estate more to the right,
He will remain seated on the square stone,
Towards the south facing to his left,
The crooked staff in his hand his mouth sealed.
76
In a free place will he pitch his tent,
And he will not want to lodge in the cities:
Aix, Carpentras, L'Isle, Vaucluse Mont, Cavaillon,
Throughout all these places will he abolish his trace.
77
All degrees of Ecclesiastical honor
Will be changed to that of Jupiter and Quirinus:
The priest of Quirinus to one of Mars,
Then a King of France will make him one of Vulcan.
78
The two will not be united for very long,
And in thirteen years to the Barbarian Satrap:
On both sides they will cause such loss
That one will bless the Bark and its cope.
79
The sacred pomp will come to lower its wings,
Through the coming of the great legislator:
He will raise the humble, he will vex the rebels,
His like will not appear on this earth.
80
Ogmios will approach great Byzantium,
The Barbaric League will be driven out:
Of the two laws the heathen one will give way,
Barbarian and Frank in perpetual strife.
81
The royal bird over the city of the Sun,
Seven months in advance it will deliver a nocturnal omen:
The Eastern wall will fall lightning thunder,
Seven days the enemies directly to the gates.
82
At the conclusion of the treaty outside the fortress
Will not go he who is placed in despair:
When those of Arbois, of Langres against Bresse
Will have the mountains of Dôle an enemy ambush.
83
Those who will have undertaken to subvert,
An unparalleled realm, powerful and invincible:
They will act through deceit, nights three to warn,
When the greatest one will read his Bible at the table.
84
He will be born of the gulf and unmeasured city,
Born of obscure and dark family:
He who the revered power of the great King
Will want to destroy through Rouen and Evreux.
85
Through the Suevi and neighboring places,
They will be at war over the clouds:
Swarm of marine locusts and gnats,
The faults of Geneva will be laid quite bare.
86
Divided by the two heads and three arms,
The great city will be vexed by waters:
Some great ones among them led astray in exile,
Byzantium hard pressed by the head of Persia.
87
The year that Saturn is out of bondage,
In the Frank land he will be inundated by water:
Of Trojan blood will his marriage be,
And he will be confined safely be the Spaniards.
88
Through a frightful flood upon the sand,
A marine monster from other seas found:
Near the place will be made a refuge,
Holding Savona the slave of Turin.
89
Into Hungary through Bohemia, Navarre,
and under that banner holy insurrections:
By the fleur-de-lis legion carrying the bar,
Against Orléans they will cause disturbances.
90
In the Cyclades, in Perinthus and Larissa,
In Sparta and the entire Pelopennesus:
Very great famine, plague through false dust,
Nine months will it last and throughout the entire peninsula.
91
At the market that they call that of liars,
Of the entire Torrent and field of Athens:
They will be surprised by the light horses,
By those of Alba when Mars is in Leo and Saturn in Aquarius.
92
After the see has been held seventeen years,
Five will change within the same period of time:
Then one will be elected at the same time,
One who will not be too comfortable to the Romans.
93
Under the land of the round lunar globe,
When Mercury will be dominating:
The isle of Scotland will produce a luminary,
One who will put the English into confusion.
94
He will transfer into great Germany
Brabant and Flanders, Ghent, Bruges and Boulogne:
The truce feigned, the great Duke of Armenia
Will assail Vienna and Cologne.
95
The nautical oar will tempt the shadows,
Then it will come to stir up the great Empire:
In the Aegean Sea the impediments of wood
Obstructing the diverted Tyrrhenian Sea.
96
The rose upon the middle of the great world,
For new deeds public shedding of blood:
To speak the truth, one will have a closed mouth,
Then at the time of need the awaited one will come late.
97
The one born deformed suffocated in horror,
In the habitable city of the great King:
The severe edict of the captives revoked,
Hail and thunder, Condom inestimable.
98
At the forty-eighth climacteric degree,
At the end of Cancer very great dryness:
Fish in sea, river, lake boiled hectic,
Béarn, Bigorre in distress through fire from the sky.
99
Milan, Ferrara, Turin and Aquileia,
Capua, Brindisi vexed by the Celtic nation:
By the Lion and his Eagle’s phalanx,
When the old British chief Rome will have.
100
The incendiary trapped in his own fire,
Of fire from the sky at Carcassonne and the Comminges:
Foix, Auch, Mazères, the high old man escaped,
Through those of Hesse and Thuringia, and some Saxons.

Having an Awesome Life, Lesson #10: The Ecstasy of Stillness and Silence

In your quest for awesomeness, you might want to spring up out of your chair and shout, "Let's go!"  You are motivated to change, to do, to accomplish.

These are wonderful notions for enjoying the potential awesomeness of your life!  When you're unhappy with the way things are going in your life, moving against the current can often help to turn the tide.

But what about going with the flow?  There's a lot to be said for simply sitting down, getting quiet, listening, thinking, and meditating.  Take some time each day to enjoy the still, quiet, and gentle times when you're at rest.  Use this time to dream, to contemplate where you're going as well as where you have been.  Those goals deserve some time and thought, so give them a bit of attention as you relax and indulge in a dream or two.

Learning and practicing meditation, prayer, or even quiet time for thinking can also improve your world by leaps and bounds.  In this busy and fast-paced life that we're all living, it is imperative that we find ways to rest, regenerate, and recharge our batteries.  So don't be afraid to get still.  Revel in the motions of the world and your place within it.

Review: The Witch's Cat

"These are the words of the Witch's Cat, the most sacred and most powerful symbol in the mysterious world of Witchcraft.
Hold me... the gates to happiness could swing open.
Touch me... money and prizes could fall from the sky.
Caress me... love and romance could seek you out.
Gaze upon me... the instincts of the feline could protect you.
Possess me... I will do your bidding!"

He who possesses the Witch's Cat may unlock the door to the Supernatural! Possess the Cat and experience the powers of another world. Possess the Cat, it may bring riches, love, and happiness to your doorstep."

I wanted to let you all know what I think of California Astrology Association's "Witch's Cat."  When I was a child of about twelve, I purchased one because I thought it was so cute, and needed an extra good luck charm.  Unfortunately, the chain I had it on broke and I lost it forever!

A few years back, I decided to buy a new Cat to replace the one I'd lost years ago.  As you can see, it is an adorable piece, done in a cute stylized primitive design.  The black "antiquing" paint is fragile, though, and rubs off easily.  (You can see where mine has come off near the Cat's rear end.)  This piece is not sterling silver, probably not stainless steel or pewter, either.  When I wore it, my neck got a nasty green spot on it, so now I just use it as a good luck piece without wearing it.  (I may use the loop on top as an anchor to sew it onto a backpack or something!)

All in all, I give this purchase a C+.  The Cat gets points for adorableness, but has to lose points for quality.  However, it's around $20 and you can definitely get a nicer cat-shaped pendant elsewhere in Sterling silver for that amount.  If you aren't expecting great things from it jewelry-wise, it may still be worth purchasing.

Magic Properties of Diamonds

There is, perhaps, no gemstone nearly as famous as a diamond -- and certainly none as precious!  These stones are among the hardest in the world, and prized all over the planet for their immense beauty, durability, relevance as a status symbol, and most of all... their power.  Although they are often imitated, nothing is quite the same as a real diamond.

Diamonds come in all types of colors, though white is the hue we think of most when diamonds come to mind.  They also come in all shades of brown, yellow, grey, even pink or red!  Commercial diamonds are often treated to enhance their color or clarity, though it certainly does not detract from their beauty.  Many different colors, shapes, and crystal styles can be created through modern technology.

Many legends and myths surround this awe-inspiring gem.  As an amulet, it is known as the "mother's stone," since it helps to protect the female reproductive organs, the heart, and the circulatory system.  It is also said to protect against all manner of catastrophic issues:  snake bites, curses, fire, poison, illnesses of all types, as well as evil magicks.  Diamonds are virtually indesctructable; they symbolize innocence, purity, and beauty.

As healing stones, diamonds are very useful for reproductive parts of the female anatomy and the heart.  It is also excellent for depression, memory issues, to center and calm the bearer as it strengthens.

Q&A: Best Time to Launch a Website?

I recently got an email asking when would be a good time to get a business off the ground.  The person thought that the new moon might be a good time -- and it is!  But there are other options, as well.


Actually, I might try launching a business during the full moon, when it is at its most potent.  Or a waxing moon, as you gain lots of "acquisition" energy. 

The sun is currently in Virgo, and will be there until the end of this month -- which makes it a great time to handle anything involving communication and technology.  The next sign is Libra, which as an air sign, rules more over the intellect and therefore would be a decent second choice. :)

The Ten of Pentacles in the Tarot

One of my favorite cards, and one that often appears when I do readings, is the Ten of Pentacles.  I love this card for its beauty as well as for its symbolism.  I would describe it as follows:  A woman clothed in orange and red floral robes is standing among a fruit-laden vineyard during sunset.  Her pet bird (possibly a hawk?) rests on the gauntlet on her left hand.  Among the grapes and vines are ten gold pentacles.

This card has many interesting things happening.  First of all, look at the background.  It is lush and green, with a calm sky.  I feel that it's sunset, because I'm not seeing a rising sun, but also because the woman seems to be at leisure and that her work is done.  How do we know that the bird is her pet, and not just some random bird that she picked up and is hanging out with?  She's wearing a gauntlet to protect her hand.  The bird is her friend, but its talons are sharp.  She protects herself against anticipated and possibly unintended pain.

Also, look at the vines.  Her vineyard is prosperous, filled with deep purple grapes.  The pentacles are evenly distributed around, suggesting prosperity and enjoying the "fruits" of one's labor.  This is not abundance that comes from the blue sky, this is a hard-earned and well-deserved return on one's investment.  Again, to me this suggests that the time of day is sunset.  It's the end of a well-worked day; time to rest, enjoy yourself, and possibly plan a little about tomorrow.

To me, this card represents a true sense of peace and calm.  The woman brings to mind the famous "Proverbs 31 Woman," that miracle wife-homemaker-businesswoman who works day and night, takes care of everyone, and still manages to look lovely and stay positive.  The card itself suggests that everything will turn out fine as long as care is taken, good sense is used, and the person in question makes sure to work on what they have.  The Ten of Pentacles encourages all of us to appreciate our natural gifts, and to cultivate them in order for us to find true happiness and peace.

Reversed, this card reminds us not to hold an unrealistically optimistic attitude.  Perhaps one is underestimating the work that needs to be done, or is behaving too Pollyanna-ish about the issues at hand.  The reversal of this card implies that it's still possible to have a happy ending, but the querent must be willing to do the work involved in making it come to fruition.

Reflexology Chart

Reflexology is the utilization of nerve points within the feet (and sometimes the hands) in order to manage and alleviate pain or discomfort in various points of the body.

It is a non-invasive and ancient form of healing.  People can try reflexology for themselves.  You can't really "break" yourself by giving it a shot. :)

I created a reflexology chart, which you can access here.  It's good for beginners.  Enjoy!

Prophecies of Nostradamus: Century IV

Century IV

1
That of the remainder of blood unshed:
Venice demands that relief be given:
After having waited a very long time,
City delivered up at the first sound of the horn.
2
Because of death France will take to making a journey,
Fleet by sea, marching over the Pyrenees Mountains,
Spain in trouble, military people marching:
Some of the greatest Ladies carried off to France.
3
From Arras and Bourges many banners of Dusky Ones,
A greater number of Gascons to fight on foot,
Those along the Rhône will bleed the Spanish:
Near the mountain where Sagunto sits.
4
The impotent Prince angry, complaints and quarrels,
Rape and pillage, by cocks and Africans:
Great it is by land, by sea infinite sails,
Italy alone will be chasing Celts.
5
Cross, peace, under one the divine word accomplished,
Spain and Gaul will be united together:
Great disaster near, and combat very bitter:
No heart will be so hardy as not to tremble.
6
By the new clothes after the find is made,
Malicious plot and machination:
First will die he who will prove it,
Color Venetian trap.
7
The minor son of the great and hated Prince,
He will have a great touch of leprosy at the age of twenty:
Of grief his mother will die very sad and emaciated,
And he will die where the loose flesh falls.
8
The great city by prompt and sudden assault
Surprised at night, guards interrupted:
The guards and watches of Saint-Quentin
Slaughtered, guards and the portals broken.
9
The chief of the army in the middle of the crowd
Will be wounded by an arrow shot in the thighs,
When Geneva in tears and distress
Will be betrayed by Lausanne and the Swiss.
10
The young Prince falsely accused
Will plunge the army into trouble and quarrels:
The chief murdered for his support,
Scepter to pacify: then to cure scrofula.
11.
He who will have the government of the great cope
Will be prevailed upon to perform several deeds:
The twelve red one who will come to soil the cloth,
Under murder, murder will come to be perpetrated.
12
The greater army put to flight in disorder,
Scarcely further will it be pursued:
Army reassembled and the legion reduced,
Then it will be chased out completely from the Gauls.
13
News of the greater loss reported,
The report will astonish the army:
Troops united against the revolted:
The double phalanx will abandon the great one.
14
The sudden death of the first personage
Will have caused a change and put another in the sovereignty:
Soon, late come so high and of low age,
Such by land and sea that it will be necessary to fear him.
15
From where they will think to make famine come,
From there will come the surfeit:
The eye of the sea through canine greed
For the one the other will give oil and wheat.
16
The city of liberty made servile:
Made the asylum of profligates and dreamers.
The King changed to them not so violent:
From one hundred become more than a thousand.
17
To change at Beaune, Nuits, Châlon and Dijon,
The duke wishing to improve the Carmelite [nun]
Marching near the river, fish, diver's beak
Will see the tail: the gate will be locked.
18
Some of those most lettered in the celestial facts
Will be condemned by illiterate princes:
Punished by Edict, hunted, like criminals,
And put to death wherever they will be found.
19
Before Rouen the siege laid by the Insubrians,
By land and sea the passages shut up:
By Hainaut and Flanders, by Ghent and those of Liége
Through cloaked gifts they will ravage the shores.
20
Peace and plenty for a long time the place will praise:
Throughout his realm the fleur-de-lis deserted:
Bodies dead by water, land one will bring there,
Vainly awaiting the good fortune to be buried there.
21
The change will be very difficult:
City and province will gain by the change:
Heart high, prudent established, chased out one cunning,
Sea, land, people will change their state.
22
The great army will be chased out,
In one moment it will be needed by the King:
The faith promised from afar will be broken,
He will be seen naked in pitiful disorder.
23
The legion in the marine fleet
Will burn lime, lodestone sulfur and pitch:
The long rest in the secure place:
Port Selyn and Monaco, fire will consume them.
24
Beneath the holy earth of a soul the faint voice heard,
Human flame seen to shine as divine:
It will cause the earth to be stained with the blood of the monks,
And to destroy the holy temples for the impure ones.
25
Lofty bodies endlessly visible to the eye,
Through these reasons they will come to obscure:
Body, forehead included, sense and head invisible,
Diminishing the sacred prayers.
26
The great swarm of bees will arise,
Such that one will not know whence they have come;
By night the ambush, the sentinel under the vines
City delivered by five babblers not naked.
27
Salon, Tarascon, Mausol, the arch of SEX.,
Where the pyramid is still standing:
They will come to deliver the Prince of Annemark,
Redemption reviled in the temple of Artemis.
28
When Venus will be covered by the Sun,
Under the splendor will be a hidden form:
Mercury will have exposed them to the fire,
Through warlike noise it will be insulted.
29
The Sun hidden eclipsed by Mercury
Will be placed only second in the sky:
Of Vulcan Hermes will be made into food,
The Sun will be seen pure, glowing red and golden.
30
Eleven more times the Moon the Sun will not want,
All raised and lowered by degree:
And put so low that one will stitch little gold:
Such that after famine plague, the secret uncovered.
31
The Moon in the full of night over the high mountain,
The new sage with a lone brain sees it:
By his disciples invited to be immortal,
Eyes to the south. Hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire.
32
In the places and times of flesh giving way to fish,
The communal law will be made in opposition:
It will hold strongly the old ones, then removed from the midst,
Loving of Everything in Common put far behind.
33
Jupiter joined more to Venus than to the Moon
Appearing with white fullness:
Venus hidden under the whiteness of Neptune
Struck by Mars through the white stew.
34
The great one of the foreign land led captive,
Chained in gold offered to King Chyren:
He who in Ausonia, Milan will lose the war,
And all his army put to fire and sword.
35
The fire put out the virgins will betray
The greater part of the new band:
Lightning in sword and lance the lone Kings will guard
Etruria and Corsica, by night throat cut.
36
The new sports set up again in Gaul,
After victory in the Insubrian campaign:
Mountains of Hesperia, the great ones tied and trussed up:
Romania and Spain to tremble with fear.
37
The Gaul will come to penetrate the mountains by leaps:
He will occupy the great place of Insubria:
His army to enter to the greatest depth,
Genoa and Monaco will drive back the red fleet.
38
While he will engross the Duke, King and Queen
With the captive Byzantine chief in Samothrace:
Before the assault one will eat the order:
Reverse side metaled will follow the trail of the blood.
39
The Rhodians will demand relief,
Through the neglect of its heirs abandoned.
The Arab empire will reveal its course,
The cause set right again by Hesperia.
40
The fortresses of the besieged shut up,
Through gunpowder sunk into the abyss:
The traitors will all be stowed away alive,
Never did such a pitiful schism happen to the sextons.
41
Female sex captive as a hostage
Will come by night to deceive the guards:
The chief of the army deceived by her language
Will abandon her to the people, it will be pitiful to see.
42
Geneva and Langres through those of Chartres and Dôle
And through Grenoble captive at Montélimar
Seyssel, Lausanne, through fraudulent deceit,
They will betray them for sixty marks of gold.
43
Arms will be heard clashing in the sky:
That very same year the divine ones enemies:
They will want unjustly to discuss the holy laws:
Through lightning and war the complacent one put to death.
44
Two large ones of Mende, of Rodez and Milhau
Cahors, Limoges, Castres bad week
By night the entry, from Bordeaux an insult
Through Périgord at the peal of the bell.
45
Through conflict a King will abandon his realm:
The greatest chief will fail in time of need:
Dead, ruined few will escape it,
All cut up, one will be a witness to it.
46
The fact well defended by excellence,
Guard yourself Tours from your near ruin:
London and Nantes will make a defense through Reims
Not passing further in the time of the drizzle.
47
The savage black one when he will have tried
His bloody hand at fire, sword and drawn bows:
All of his people will be terribly frightened,
Seeing the greatest ones hung by neck and feet.
48
The fertile, spacious Ausonian plain
Will produce so many gadflies and locusts,
The solar brightness will become clouded,
All devoured, great plague to come from them.
49
Before the people blood will be shed,
Only from the high heavens will it come far:
But for a long time of one nothing will be heard,
The spirit of a lone one will come to bear witness against it.
50
Libra will see the Hesperias govern,
Holding the monarchy of heaven and earth:
No one will see the forces of Asia perished,
Only seven hold the hierarchy in order.
51
A Duke eager to follow his enemy
Will enter within impeding the phalanx:
Hurried on foot they will come to pursue so closely
That the day will see a conflict near Ganges.
52
In the besieged city men and woman to the walls,
Enemies outside the chief ready to surrender:
The wind will be strongly against the troops,
They will be driven away through lime, dust and ashes.
53
The fugitives and exiles recalled:
Fathers and sons great garnishing of the deep wells:
The cruel father and his people choked:
His far worse son submerged in the well.
54
Of the name which no Gallic King ever had
Never was there so fearful a thunderbolt,
Italy, Spain and the English trembling,
Very attentive to a woman and foreigners.
55
When the crow on the tower made of brick
For seven hours will continue to scream:
Death foretold, the statue stained with blood,
Tyrant murdered, people praying to their Gods.
56
After the victory of the raving tongue,
The spirit tempered in tranquillity and repose:
Throughout the conflict the bloody victor makes orations,
Roasting the tongue and the flesh and the bones.
57
Ignorant envy upheld before the great King,
He will propose forbidding the writings:
His wife not his wife tempted by another,
Twice two more neither skill nor cries.
58
To swallow the burning Sun in the throat,
The Etruscan land washed by human blood:
The chief pail of water, to lead his son away,
Captive lady conducted into Turkish land.
59
Two beset in burning fervor:
By thirst for two full cups extinguished,
The fort filed, and an old dreamer,
To the Genevans he will show the track from Nira.
60
The seven children left in hostage,
The third will come to slaughter his child:
Because of his son two will be pierced by the point,
Genoa, Florence, he will come to confuse them.
61
The old one mocked and deprived of his place,
By the foreigner who will suborn him:
Hands of his son eaten before his face,
His brother to Chartres, Orléans Rouen will betray.
62
A colonel with ambition plots,
He will seize the greatest army,
Against his Prince false invention,
And he will be discovered under his arbor.
63
The Celtic army against the mountaineers,
Those who will be learned and able in bird-calling:
Peasants will soon work fresh presses,
All hurled on the sword's edge.
64
The transgressor in bourgeois garb,
He will come to try the King with his offense:
Fifteen soldiers for the most part bandits,
Last of life and chief of his fortune.
65
Towards the deserter of the great fortress,
After he will have abandoned his place,
His adversary will exhibit very great prowess,
The Emperor soon dead will be condemned.
66
Under the feigned color of seven shaven heads
Diverse spies will be scattered:
Wells and fountains sprinkled with poisons,
At the fort of Genoa devourers of men.
67
The year that Saturn and Mars are equal fiery,
The air very dry parched long meteor:
Through secret fires a great place blazing from burning heat,
Little rain, warm wind, wars, incursions.
68
The two greatest ones of Asia and of Africa,
From the Rhine and Lower Danube they will be said to have come,
Cries, tears at Malta and the Ligurian side.
69
The exiles will hold the great city,
The citizens dead, murdered and driven out:
Those of Aquileia will promise Parma
To show them the entry through the untracked places.
70
Quite contiguous to the great Pyrenees mountains,
One to direct a great army against the Eagle:
Veins opened, forces exterminated,
As far as Pau will he come to chase the chief.
71
In place of the bride the daughters slaughtered,
Murder with great error no survivor to be:
Within the well vestals inundated,
The bride extinguished by a drink of Aconite.
72
Those of Nîmes through Agen and Lectoure
At Saint-Félix will hold their parliament:
Those of Bazas will come at the unhappy hour
To seize Condom and Marsan promptly.
73
The great nephew by force will test
The treaty made by the pusillanimous heart:
The Duke will try Ferrara and Asti,
When the pantomime will take place in the evening.
74
Those of lake Geneva and of Mâcon:
All assembled against those of Aquitaine:
Many Germans many more Swiss,
They will be routed along with those of the Humane.
75
Ready to fight one will desert,
The chief adversary will obtain the victory:
The rear guard will make a defense,
The faltering ones dead in the white territory.
76
The people of Agen by those of Périgord
Will be vexed, holding as far as the Rhône:
The union of Gascons and Bigorre
To betray the temple, the priest giving his sermon.
77
Selin monarch Italy peaceful,
Realms united by the Christian King of the World:
Dying he will want to lie in Blois soil,
After having chased the pirates from the sea.
78
The great army of the civil struggle,
By night Parma to the foreign one discovered,
Seventy-nine murdered in the town,
The foreigners all put to the sword.
79
Blood Royal flee, Monheurt, Mas, Aiguillon,
The Landes will be filled by Bordelais,
Navarre, Bigorre points and spurs,
Deep in hunger to devour acorns of the cork oak.
80
Near the great river, great ditch, earth drawn out,
In fifteen parts will the water be divided:
The city taken, fire, blood, cries, sad conflict,
And the greatest part involving the coliseum.
81
Promptly will one build a bridge of boats,
To pass the army of the great Belgian Prince:
Poured forth inside and not far from Brussels,
Passed beyond, seven cut up by pike.
82
A throng approaches coming from Slavonia,
The old Destroyer the city will ruin:
He will see his Romania quite desolated,
Then he will not know how to put out the great flame.
83
Combat by night the valiant captain
Conquered will flee few people conquered:
His people stirred up, sedition not in vain,
His own son will hold him besieged.
84
A great one of Auxerre will die very miserable,
Driven out by those who had been under him:
Put in chains, behind a strong cable,
In the year that Mars, Venus and Sun are in conjunction in summer.
85
The white coal will be chased by the black one,
Made prisoner led to the dung cart,
Moor Camel on twisted feet,
Then the younger one will blind the hobby falcon.
86
The year that Saturn will be conjoined in Aquarius
With the Sun, the very powerful King
Will be received and anointed at Reims and Aix,
After conquests he will murder the innocent.
87
A King's son learned in many languages,
Different from his senior in the realm:
His handsome father understood by the greater son,
He will cause his principal adherent to perish.
88
Anthony by name great by the filthy fact
Of Lousiness wasted to his end:
One who will want to be desirous of lead,
Passing the port he will be immersed by the elected one.
89
Thirty of London will conspire secretly
Against their King, the enterprise on the bridge:
He and his satellites will have a distaste for death,
A fair King elected, native of Frisia.
90
The two armies will be unable to unite at the walls,
In that instant Milan and Pavia to tremble:
Hunger, thirst, doubt will come to plague them very strongly
They will not have a single morsel of meat, bread or victuals.
91
For the Gallic Duke compelled to fight in the duel,
The ship of Melilla will not approach Monaco,
Wrongly accused, perpetual prison,
His son will strive to reign before his death.
92
The head of the valiant captain cut off,
It will be thrown before his adversary:
His body hung on the sail-yard of the ship,
Confused it will flee by oars against the wind.
93
A serpent seen near the royal bed,
It will be by the lady at night the dogs will not bark:
Then to be born in France a Prince so royal,
Come from heaven all the Princes will see him.
94
Two great brothers will be chased out of Spain,
The elder conquered under the Pyrenees mountains:
The sea to redden, Rhône, bloody Lake Geneva from Germany,
Narbonne, Béziers contaminated by Agde.
95
The realm left to two they will hold it very briefly,
Three years and seven months passed by they will make war:
The two Vestals will rebel in opposition,
Victor the younger in the land of Brittany.
96
The elder sister of the British Isle
Will be born fifteen years before her brother,
Because of her promise procuring verification,
She will succeed to the kingdom of the balance.
97
The year that Mercury, Mars, Venus in retrogression,
The line of the great Monarch will not fail:
Elected by the Portuguese people near Cadiz,
One who will come to grow very old in peace and reign.
98
Those of Alba will pass into Rome,
By means of Langres the multitude muffled up,
Marquis and Duke will pardon no man,
Fire, blood, smallpox no water the crops to fail.
99
The valiant elder son of the King's daughter,
He will hurl back the Celts very far,
Such that he will cast thunderbolts, so many in such an array
Few and distant, then deep into the Hesperias.
100
From the celestial fire on the Royal edifice,
When the light of Mars will go out,
Seven months great war, people dead through evil
Rouen, Evreux the King will not fail.

Having an Awesome Life, Lesson #9: The Miracles of Kindness

Are you feeling depressed?  Bogged down by your problems?  Annoyed at just about everyone else in the world?  Maybe it seems like others have an easier, funner, better life.  Perhaps you're feeling bored, stuck in a rut, or just plain inadequate.  Maybe you have no idea what direction your life should be taking.  What can you do then, you might ask.

The secret to this is actually very simple.  If you're having trouble getting your own life to the place where you want it -- whether you've lost your way, or feel at a loose end -- you can find a way to feel better in a snap.  Try showing some kindness to others!

Helping other people can give you a whole new lease on life.  It can make you feel like a hero, because that's just what you'll be.  It can help to eliminate boredom, because it will give you plenty to do and lots of satisfaction with doing it.  You will always have something on the agenda if you try volunteering for something, doing charity work, and connecting with people who share your values.  Helping other people can also make your problems seem really small and much easier to handle than they do now; by focusing on others and seeing issues that are truly devastating, it makes your complaints about the annoying co-worker who chews with his mouth open a lot more trivial and manageable.

Remember that you don't need to go running off to your nearest non-profit organization in order to help someone.  Flip through your mental inventory of loved ones, friends, family, and neighbors.  How about shoveling the snow off of your neighbor's car while you're doing your own?  Next time you're making dinner, throw twice as much in the pot to cook and take some over to a friend who's too busy or tired to make some for herself.  Offer to do some errands for that sick relative.  Even spending a few minutes to help make someone else's day a little better can do wonders for them as well as for you.

Best of all, you will get so much personal satisfaction out of helping other people.  It's better than the self-esteem boost, the extra activity, and the inner makeover of your own issues.  The great feeling that you'll get from being one of the good guys, and from seeing others benefit from your efforts, is one of the most awesome things you can experience.  And that will carry over to some serious awesome life points!

Does God Exist?

Regardless of your faith -- take a moment to imagine that God does not exist.  (If you are an atheist, this should be easy!)  Envision our lives as simply... being here.  We are born, be live, and we pass into oblivion.  The rest of civilization continues long after us; they carry the memory of us for a time.  Our genetics are passed down, but other than that, we ourselves are gone forever.

And now, ask yourself... is that really so bad?  Would our lives cease to be meaningful?  Would we love one another any less?  Would our lives be less of a struggle than before?  Would we care more or less about our lives?

Perhaps some of our ideas may shift.  Without thought of a Hell as punishment or a Heaven as reward, some of our behaviors would likely change a bit.  We may find that we live more in the moment with our behavior, our words, and our thoughts.  We may realize that instead of looking to the heavens for consequences, we can find those rewards and punishments here on earth, with our lives being created in the image of our own personal heaven or hell.  Instead of looking to God for help or being annoyed with God when live isn't up to our own expectations, we would look inside ourselves.  And the power to change our situations would exist solely within us.

Instead of blaming God for the things that go wrong in your life, try taking responsibility for your actions and situations in life.  Look around; are there things about this world that bother you?   Awful things happen every day, to so many people.  You have the power to change a part of the world, however small that part is.  Instead of blaming God, or expecting God to pick up the slack, try jumping in and helping.

Don't wait for heaven.  Create a heaven in your own lifetime.  Be good to others.  Use the powers you have been blessed with, to create change when you see a wrong that is in need of correction. Enjoy every second of your time on earth.  Love those around you.

Whether or not you believe in the existence of God is not the issue.  What is the issue, is how you choose to live your life.  Regardless of how we came to be on this planet, here we are.  This is our home, and it is our responsibility to take care of it as well as to show positive regard for those who share our home.

You can begin anytime.  You must understand that, regardless of your beliefs, that concept of God does exist.  God lives within you and me, and everyone else.  God is that perfect, loving part inside your heart that wants to do the most good possible, and to believe in the goodness of our fellow humans.  Honor that part within yourself and others by creating positive changes in the world around you.  Change happens slowly and starts small.  But it can begin with you.

Crystal Grid Therapy: Fertility Grid Layout

When you have problems conceiving a child, you can feel powerless over the situation.  Keep the faith, though!  The family that you dream of CAN happen!  One method to try is crystal therapy.  Yes, it's hard to understand if you're not a crystal healing enthusiast, but no matter what, it certainly cannot hurt in your quest for pregnancy.

I've devised a simple crystal grid layout that can work for beginners or novices alike.  But you all know I like to keep things simple. :)   For this layout to become even more powerful, by all means feel free to wear your favorite pearl and/or diamond jewelry when performing this layout.  Both are reputed to be fantastic for women's reproductive health, especially during pregnancy.  I'd also throw in a ruby or two since it promotes healthy childbirth... why not? :)

The grey splotches represent moonstones.  Use four of them; place one against each breast or along the chest area, and place the other two parallel to these in the lower abdomen in the ovarian area.  This is to help you lay the best and most farm-fresh possible eggs for your upcoming pregnancy!  Moonstones are said to posses powers that help the female body cycles align correctly and naturally.  By adding them into this crystal grid layout, you are syncing your body with nature's cycles as well.  If you cannot find moonstones, you can also try gems such as pearls, mother-of-pearl, agate of any type (though I'd go with violet agate or the black and white types first as they have fertility powers)... even seashells from your nearest beach can provide nice energy!

Along your uterine area, lay a red jasper, garnet, or other red stone and make sure that the stone itself is making contact against your skin.  (Below the navel but above the genitals.)  When I first drew this, I made two red stones but then decided to connect them with a third, because I wanted to show multiple stones in this area.  Feel free to use several if you don't have a larger one available.  Even a small pile of different red stones would be great.  The trick here is to use the spiritual color energy of the root chakra and get your body to align with those passionate red fertility vibes!

If you have crystals with points to place beside you parallel with your hips, I'd recommend using them.  If not, feel free to use round tumbled stones.  My preference for you here is rose quartz or amethyst.  Face the pointed parts of your crystals outward.  Concentrate on picking up the ambient fertility energy with the crystal points, and absorbing it into your reproductive system in order to have the strongest and most fertile lady parts ever!

Here's to a happy, healthy pregnancy!

Stalked at 17: The Story That's a True Warning

The Lifetime movie, Stalked at 17, is a true eye-opener for people who consider teen romance to be a trivial story.  "He's only overprotective because he loves me," Angela offered this explanation as a reason for why her boyfriend, Chad, flipped out at the night before.

But the guy from the restaurant had Chad's number.  "The way he treats other people... someday he will treat you that way," he said in response.

Angela, who was only sixteen, met Chad while touring a university.  They hooked up at a party later that night, and from there, the two were inseperable.  On the surface, Chad seemed like the perfect guy.  He was gorgeous, smart, and going places with his life.  A student in college just on the verge of graduating, Chad seemed to have everything going for him.  He seemed to come from a good family, with a mother was on the city council with friends in high places.  And Chad had treated her so lovingly at first.  His true colors began to show quickly, though.

But Chad was a very controlling boyfriend.  He manipulated Angela at every opportunity; large betrayals such as getting her pregnant on purpose, and even small controlling things such as deciding what she should drink when she visited his mother's house.  He had an extremely volatile temper.  Chad's first reaction always seemed to be yelling and violent behavior -- from causing an embarrassing scene at a restaurant when Angela's chicken was undercooked, to wigging out when his roommates played their music too loudly -- Chad would show his terrible temper at every turn.

And Chad wasn't being up front with Angela about his past.  Although he'd told her that his biological mother had been murdered, the truth was that she was actually a drug addict who was serving time in prison for armed robbery.  And Angela wasn't the first girl that he had gotten pregnant; there was another one in his past, who had refused his proposals of marriage, gotten an abortion, and ended their relationship.

When Angela's parents decided that it was best for the two of them to stop seeing each other, Chad's true colors emerged.  Chad harrassed Angela's dad on the phone, calling his home and work incessantly.  He was hostile and threatening toward Angela's mother.  He would go to Angela's school and home to visit her without her parents' permission.  Eventually they filed a restraining order, which he and Angela periodically ignored.  When Chad attacked Angela's father in a parking lot with a tire iron, he was sent to jail for assault.  Angela's friend Tenaya calls him, "violent and creepy... a nut case."

While Chad was in jail, Angela continued living her life.  She stayed in school, saw her pregnancy through, and had a baby boy whom she named Josh.  When Chad turned to his biological mother for help, she agreed to his plot to kidnap Angela and the baby.

Chad and his mother didn't get very far, however.  After showing a remarkable amount of weak will throughout the entire movie, finally Angela becomes motivated to fight for herself and her child.  She finds a way to notify someone that she is in need of help, and takes control of the situation in order to escape from under his thumb.

I had never heard of this movie until I started reading other people's search terms, which were leading Stalked at 17 enthusiasts my way.  I found it to be a fairly entertaining movie with some redeeming qualities.  It was a nice way to spend a snowy afternoon.  However, I still love Obsessed way more. :)

Many people seemed to also be seeking the name of the song from Stalked at 17's trailer.  Allow me to help you!  It's called "All Alone" by David O'Dowda.  I've also found a video for it on YouTube.

Enjoy!



Was "Stalked at 17" based on a true story?  According to this tweet from the star of the movie Taylor Spreitler who plays the main character, this movie is not based on a specific story.  However, it was inspired by some true events.

What other Lifetime movies do you enjoy?  Please leave me a comment below! :)

Prophecies of Nostradamus: Century III

Century III

1
After combat and naval battle,
The great Neptune in his highest belfry:
Red adversary will become pale with fear,
Putting the great Ocean in dread.
2
The divine word will give to the sustenance,
Including heaven, earth, gold hidden in the mystic milk:
Body, soul, spirit having all power,
As much under its feet as the Heavenly see.
3
Mars and Mercury, and the silver joined together,
Towards the south extreme drought:
In the depths of Asia one will say the earth trembles,
Corinth, Ephesus then in perplexity.
4
When they will be close the lunar ones will fail,
From one another not greatly distant,
Cold, dryness, danger towards the frontiers,
Even where the oracle has had its beginning.
5
Near, far the failure of the two great luminaries
Which will occur between April and March.
Oh, what a loss! but two great good-natured ones
By land and sea will relieve all parts.
6
Within the closed temple the lightning will enter,
The citizens within their fort injured:
Horses, cattle, men, the wave will touch the wall,
Through famine, drought, under the weakest armed.
7
The fugitives, fire from the sky on the pikes:
Conflict near the ravens frolicking,
From land they cry for aid and heavenly relief,
When the combatants will be near the walls.
8
The Cimbri joined with their neighbors
Will come to ravage almost Spain:
Peoples gathered in Guienne and Limousin
Will be in league, and will bear them company.
9
Bordeaux, Rouen and La Rochelle joined
Will hold around the great Ocean sea,
English, Bretons and the Flemings allied
Will chase them as far as Roanne.
10
Greater calamity of blood and famine,
Seven times it approaches the marine shore:
Monaco from hunger, place captured, captivity,
The great one led crunching in a metaled cage.
11
The arms to fight in the sky a long time,
The tree in the middle of the city fallen:
Sacred bough clipped, steel, in the face of the firebrand,
Then the monarch of Adria fallen.
12
Because of the swelling of the Ebro, Po, Tagus, Tiber and Rhône
And because of the pond of Geneva and Arezzo,
The two great chiefs and cities of the Garonne,
Taken, dead, drowned: human booty divided.
13.
Through lightning in the arch gold and silver melted,
Of two captives one will eat the other:
The greatest one of the city stretched out,
When submerged the fleet will swim.
14
Through the branch of the valiant personage
Of lowest France: because of the unhappy father
Honors, riches, travail in his old age,
For having believed the advice of a simple man.
15
The realm, will change in heart, vigor and glory,
In all points having its adversary opposed:
Then through death France an infancy will subjugate,
A great Regent will then be more contrary.
16
An English prince Marc in his heavenly heart
Will want to pursue his prosperous fortune,
Of the two duels one will pierce his gall:
Hated by him well loved by his mother.
17
Mount Aventine will be seen to burn at night:
The sky very suddenly dark in Flanders:
When the monarch will chase his nephew,
Then Church people will commit scandals.
18
After the rather long rain milk,
In several places in Reims the sky touched:
Alas, what a bloody murder is prepared near them,
Fathers and sons Kings will not dare approach.
19
In Lucca it will come to rain blood and milk,
Shortly before a change of praetor:
Great plague and war, famine and drought will be made visible
Far away where their prince and rector will die.
20
Through the regions of the great river Guadalquivir
Deep in Iberia to the Kingdom of Grenada
Crosses beaten back by the Mahometan peoples
One of Cordova will betray his country
21
In the Conca by the Adriatic Sea
There will appear a horrible fish,
With face human and its end aquatic,
Which will be taken without the hook.
22
Six days the attack made before the city:
Battle will be given strong and harsh:
Three will surrender it, and to them pardon:
The rest to fire and to bloody slicing and cutting.
23
If, France, you pass beyond the Ligurian Sea,
You will see yourself shut up in islands and seas:
Mahomet contrary, more so the Adriatic Sea:
You will gnaw the bones of horses and asses.
24
Great confusion in the enterprise,
Loss of people, countless treasure:
You ought not to extend further there.
France, let what I say be remembered.
25
He who will attain to the kingdom of Navarre
When Sicily and Naples will be joined:
He will hold Bigorre and Landes through Foix and Oloron
From one who will be too closely allied with Spain.
26
They will prepare idols of Kings and Princes,
Soothsayers and empty prophets elevated:
Horn, victim of gold, and azure, dazzling,
The soothsayers will be interpreted.
27
Libyan Prince powerful in the West
Will come to inflame very much French with Arabian.
Learned in letters condescending he will
Translate the Arabian language into French.
28
Of land weak and parentage poor,
Through piece and peace he will attain to the empire.
For a long time a young female to reign,
Never has one so bad come upon the kingdom.
29
The two nephews brought up in diverse places:
Naval battle, land, fathers fallen:
They will come to be elevated very high in making war
To avenge the injury, enemies succumbed.
30
He who during the struggle with steel in the deed of war
Will have carried off the prize from on greater than he:
By night six will carry the grudge to his bed,
Without armor he will surprised suddenly.
31
On the field of Media, of Arabia and of Armenia
Two great armies will assemble thrice:
The host near the bank of the Araxes,
They will fall in the land of the great Suleiman.
32
The great tomb of the people of Aquitaine
Will approach near to Tuscany,
When Mars will be in the corner of Germany
And in the land of the Mantuan people.
33
In the city where the wolf will enter,
Very near there will the enemies be:
Foreign army will spoil a great country.
The friends will pass at the wall and Alps.
34
When the eclipse of the Sun will then be,
The monster will be seen in full day:
Quite otherwise will one interpret it,
High price unguarded: none will have foreseen it.
35
From the very depths of the West of Europe,
A young child will be born of poor people,
He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop:
His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.
36
Buried apoplectic not dead,
He will be found to have his hands eaten:
When the city will condemn the heretic,
He who it seemed to them had changed their laws.
37
The speech delivered before the attack,
Milan taken by the Eagle through deceptive ambushes:
Ancient wall driven in by cannons,
Through fire and blood few given quarter.
38
The Gallic people and a foreign nation
Beyond the mountains, dead, captured and killed:
In the contrary month and near vintage time,
Through the Lords drawn up in accord.
39
The seven in three months in agreement
To subjugate the Apennine Alps:
But the tempest and cowardly Ligurian,
Destroys them in sudden ruins.
40
The great theater will come to be set up again:
The dice cast and the snares already laid.
Too much the first one will come to tire in the death knell,
Prostrated by arches already a long time split.
41
Hunchback will be elected by the council,
A more hideous monster not seen on earth,
The willing blow will put out his eye:
The traitor to the King received as faithful.
42
The child will be born with two teeth in his mouth,
Stones will fall during the rain in Tuscany:
A few years after there will be neither wheat nor barley,
To satiate those who will faint from hunger.
43
People from around the Tarn, Lot and Garonne
Beware of passing the Apennine mountains:
Your tomb near Rome and Ancona,
The black frizzled beard will have a trophy set up.
44
When the animal domesticated by man
After great pains and leaps will come to speak:
The lightning to the virgin will be very harmful,
Taken from earth and suspended in the air.
45
The five strangers entered in the temple,
Their blood will come to pollute the land:
To the Toulousans it will be a very hard example
Of one who will come to exterminate their laws.
46
The sky ( of Plancus' city ) forebodes to us
Through clear signs and fixed stars,
That the time of its sudden change is approaching,
Neither for its good, nor for its evils.
47
The old monarch chased out of his realm
Will go to the East asking for its help:
For fear of the crosses he will fold his banner:
To Mitylene he will go through port and by land.
48
Seven hundred captives bound roughly.
Lots drawn for the half to be murdered:
The hope at hand will come very promptly
But not as soon as the fifteenth death.
49
Gallic realm, you will be much changed:
To a foreign place is the empire transferred:
You will be set up amidst other customs and laws:
Rouen and Chartres will do much of the worst to you.
50
The republic of the great city
Will not want to consent to the great severity:
King summoned by trumpet to go out,
The ladder at the wall, the city will repent.
51
Paris conspires to commit a great murder
Blois will cause it to be fully carried out:
Those of Orléans will want to replace their chief,
Angers, Troyes, Langres will commit a misdeed against them.
52
In Campania there will be a very long rain,
In Apulia very great drought.
The Cock will see the Eagle, its wing poorly finished,
By the Lion will it be put into extremity.
53
When the greatest one will carry off the prize
Of Nuremberg, of Augsburg, and those of Bâle
Through Cologne the chief Frankfort retaken
They will cross through Flanders right into Gaul.
54
One of the greatest ones will flee to Spain
Which will thereafter come to bleed in a long wound:
Armies passing over the high mountains,
Devastating all, and then to reign in peace.
55
In the year that one eye will reign in France,
The court will be in very unpleasant trouble:
The great one of Blois will kill his friend:
The realm placed in harm and double doubt.
56
Montauban, Nîmes, Avignon and Béziers,
Plague, thunder and hail in the wake of Mars:
Of Paris bridge, Lyons wall, Montpellier,
After six hundreds and seven score three pairs.
57
Seven times will you see the British nation change,
Steeped in blood in 290 years:
Free not at all its support Germanic.
Aries doubt his Bastarnian pole.
58
Near the Rhine from the Noric mountains
Will be born a great one of people come too late,
One who will defend Sarmatia and the Pannonians,
One will not know what will have become of him.
59
Barbarian empire usurped by the third,
The greater part of his blood he will put to death:
Through senile death the fourth struck by him,
For fear that the blood through the blood be not dead.
60
Throughout all Asia (Minor) great proscription,
Even in Mysia, Lycia and Pamphilia.
Blood will be shed because of the absolution
Of a young black one filled with felony.
61
The great band and sect of crusaders
Will be arrayed in Mesopotamia:
Light company of the nearby river,
That such law will hold for an enemy.
62
Near the Douro by the closed Tyrian sea,
He will come to pierce the great Pyrenees mountains.
One hand shorter his opening glosses,
He will lead his traces to Carcassone.
63
The Roman power will be thoroughly abased,
Following in the footsteps of its great neighbor:
Hidden civil hatreds and debates
Will delay their follies for the buffoons.
64
The chief of Persia will occupy great Olchades,
The trireme fleet against the Mahometan people
From Parthia, and Media: and the Cyclades pillaged:
Long rest at the great Ionian port.
65
When the sepulcher of the great Roman is found,
The day after a Pontiff will be elected:
Scarcely will he be approved by the Senate
Poisoned, his blood in the sacred chalice.
66
The great Bailiff of Orléans put to death
Will be by one of blood revengeful:
Of death deserved he will not die, nor by chance:
He made captive poorly by his feet and hands.
67
A new sect of Philosophers
Despising death, gold, honors and riches
Will not be bordering upon the German mountains:
To follow them they will have power and crowds.
68
Leaderless people of Spain and Italy
Dead, overcome within the Peninsula:
Their dictator betrayed by irresponsible folly,
Swimming in blood everywhere in the latitude.
69
The great army led by a young man,
It will come to surrender itself into the hands of the enemies:
But the old one born to the half-pig,
He will cause Châlon and Mâcon to be friends.
70
The great Britain including England
Will come to be flooded very high by waters
The new League of Ausonia will make war,
So that they will come to strive against them.
71
Those in the isles long besieged
Will take vigor and force against their enemies:
Those outside dead overcome by hunger,
They will be put in greater hunger than ever before.
72
The good old man buried quite alive,
Near the great river through false suspicion:
The new old man ennobled by riches,
Captured on the road all his gold for ransom.
73
When the cripple will attain to the realm,
For his competitor he will have a near bastard:
He and the realm will become so very mangy
That before he recovers, it will be too late.
74
Naples, Florence, Faenza and Imola,
They will be on terms of such disagreement
As to delight in the wretches of Nola
Complaining of having mocked its chief.
75
Pau, Verona, Vicenza, Saragossa,
From distant swords lands wet with blood:
Very great plague will come with the great shell,
Relief near, and the remedies very far.
76
In Germany will be born diverse sects,
Coming very near happy paganism,
The heart captive and returns small,
They will return to paying the true tithe.
77
The third climate included under Aries
The year 1727 in October,
The King of Persia captured by those of Egypt:
Conflict, death, loss: to the cross great shame.
78
The chief of Scotland, with six of Germany,
Captive of the Eastern seamen:
They will pass Gibraltar and Spain,
Present in Persia for the fearful new King.
79
The fatal everlasting order through the chain
Will come to turn through consistent order:
The chain of Marseilles will be broken:
The city taken, the enemy at the same time.
80
The worthy one chased out of the English realm,
The adviser through anger put to the fire:
His adherents will go so low to efface themselves
That the bastard will be half received.
81
The great shameless, audacious bawler,
He will be elected governor of the army:
The boldness of his contention,
The bridge broken, the city faint from fear.
82
Fréjus, Antibes, towns around Nice,
They will be thoroughly devastated by sea and by land:
The locusts by land and by sea the wind propitious,
Captured, dead, bound, pillaged without law of war.
83
The long hairs of Celtic Gaul
Accompanied by foreign nations,
They will make captive the people of Aquitaine,
For succumbing to their designs.
84
The great city will be thoroughly desolated,
Of the inhabitants not a single one will remain there:
Wall, sex, temple and virgin violated,
Through sword, fire, plague, cannon people will die.
85
The city taken through deceit and guile,
Taken in by means of a handsome youth:
Assault given by the Robine near the Aude,
He and all dead for having thoroughly deceived.
86
A chief of Ausonia will go to Spain
By sea, he will make a stop in Marseilles:
Before his death he will linger a long time:
After his death one will see a great marvel.
87
Gallic fleet, do not approach Corsica,
Less Sardinia, you will rue it:
Every one of you will die frustrated of the help of the cape:
You will swim in blood, captive you will not believe me.
88
From Barcelona a very great army by sea,
All Marseilles will tremble with terror:
Isles seized help shut off by sea,
Your traitor will swim on land.
89
At that time Cyprus will be frustrated
Of its relief by those of the Aegean Sea:
Old ones slaughtered: but by speeches and supplications
Their King seduced, Queen outraged more.
90
The great Satyr and Tiger of Hyrcania,
Gift presented to those of the Ocean:
A fleet's chief will set out from Carmania,
One who will take land at the Tyrren Phocaean.
91
The tree which had long been dead and withered,
In one night it will come to grow green again:
The Cronian King sick, Prince with club foot,
Feared by his enemies he will make his sail bound.
92
The world near the last period,
Saturn will come back again late:
Empire transferred towards the Dusky nation,
The eye plucked out by the Goshawk at Narbonne.
93
In Avignon the chief of the whole empire
Will make a stop on the way to desolated Paris:
Tricast will hold the anger of Hannibal:
Lyons will be poorly consoled for the change.
94
For five hundred years more one will keep count of him
Who was the ornament of his time:
Then suddenly great light will he give,
He who for this century will render them very satisfied.
95
The law of More will be seen to decline:
After another much more seductive:
Dnieper first will come to give way:
Through gifts and tongue another more attractive.
96
The Chief of Fossano will have his throat cut
By the leader of the bloodhound and greyhound:
The deed executed by those of the Tarpeian Rock,
Saturn in Leo February 13.
97
New law to occupy the new land
Towards Syria, Judea and Palestine:
The great barbarian empire to decay,
Before the Moon completes it cycle.
98
Two royal brothers will wage war so fiercely
That between them the war will be so mortal
That both will occupy the strong places:
Their great quarrel will fill realm and life.
99
In the grassy fields of Alleins and Vernègues
Of the Lubéron range near the Durance,
The conflict will be very sharp for both armies,
Mesopotamia will fail in France.
100
The last one honored amongst the Gauls,
Over the enemy man will he be victorious:
Force and land in a moment explored,
When the envious one will die from an arrow shot.

Having an Awesome Life: Lesson #8, Keep It Real

You might notice that the drawing style for this month's Awesome Life affirmation is a little different than those from the months before it.  Well, there's a reason for that.

In a world that often seems to push a homogenized lifestyle, uniqueness is given a rather low value at times.  But there's no way around it: we're all different.  Every person on this planet has unique traits, qualities, abilities, and thoughts.  There's nothing wrong with being a special snowflake, is there?  Of course not!

An emotion that many people seem to experience is fear of rejection.  We often worry that the ways that we may be different from others will alienate us; our values, thoughts, or lifestyles will drive other people away or cause us pain because we will not be accepted.  While there's always the risk of experiencing disapproval from those around us, it's also important to be able to look in the mirror each day and realize that you are living your true will.

As long as you're not infringing on other people's rights to safety and happiness, there is nothing at all wrong with keeping it real.  In fact, there's a lot of good that comes out of being yourself and meeting life on your own unique terms.  It is very satisfying to be admired and respected for being your own original self.

Learn what makes you special and unique.  Keep it real!

Spiritual Awakening: The Dark Side

In some cases, an individual will experience an extremely intense spiritual awakening, which can also be likened to a spiritual emergency or crisis.  This is because the person cannot handle the experience.  The individual may not realize or understand what is happening to him or her.  Some people may mistakenly feel or believe that they are invincible, as if they have reached a point of ultimate enlightenment which disconnects them from reality.  I have heard some stories about people who have experienced a spiritual emergency due to loss or moments of extreme crisis, and have experienced moments of madness with this awakening.

A spiritual awakening can also come spontaneously to someone through a life-altering event, such as a medical problem like epilepsy, a stroke, or other condition that involves extreme pain or physical trauma.  A near-death experience can trigger a religious experience as well.  Psychosis, schizophrenia, and depression can not only cause a sacred experience, but can also be triggered by the spiritual awakening as well in people who are predisposed to mental illness.

Some people attempt to coax a spiritual awakening through drug use or dangerous meditation practices that I cannot recommend.  A spiritual experience can make someone feel a flood of very powerful, intense emotions and sensations all at once.  If the person is not yet ready for this experience, he or she can encounter physical, emotional, or mental health problems which may continue to be present long after the spiritual awakening has come and gone.  The individual may have reached a point of enlightenment or connection with the divine for a fleeting moment, but must also pay for these experiences with a lifetime of difficulties in return.  It is much better to allow the divine love of the universe to come to you and flow through you when you are truly ready, rather than simply when you feel you are ready.  For these reasons, I must recommend that you do not rush or force your awakening.  Instead, let it come at just the right moment; your higher power will know when you are ready to handle the experience.