Yantra (यन्त्र) is the Sanskrit word for a mystical diagram, especially diagrams or amulets supposed to possess occult powers in astrological or magicalbenefits in the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Traditionally such symbols are used in Eastern mysticism to balance the mind or focus it on spiritual concepts. The act of wearing, depicting, enacting and/or concentrating on a yantra is held to have spiritual or astrological or magical benefits in the Tantrictraditions of the Indian religions.

Shapes and patterns commonly employed in yantra include squares, triangles, circles and floral patterns but may also include more complex and detailed symbols, for instance:

• The lotus flower typically represents chakras, with each petal representing a psychic propensity (or vritti) associated with that chakra;
• A dot, or bindu, represents the starting point of creation or the infinite, unexpressed cosmos;
• The shatkona (şaţkoņa) (Sanskrit name for a Hexagram) is composed of a balance between:
• An upwards triangle which according to Tantra denotes energy, or more specifically action and service (seva). It may also denote spiritual aspiration, the element of fire, or Shiva. It is also said to represent the static substratum of the cosmos;[citation needed]
• A downwards triangle which according to Tantra denotes spiritual knowledge. It may also denote the creative power of the cosmos, fecundity, the element of water, or Shakti;
• A swastika represents good luck, welfare, prosperity or spiritual victory;
• Bija mantras (usually represented as characters of Devanāgarī that correspond to the acoustic roots of a particular chakra or vritti).

Geometric element meanings:

• Circle = Energy of the element water
• Square = Energy of the element earth
• Upward-facing Triangle = Energy of the element fire; energy
• Downward-facing Triangle = Energy of the element water; knowledge
• Diagonal line = Energy of the element air
• Horizontal line = Energy of the element water
• Vertical line = Energy of the element fire
• Point = Energy of the element ether

This month I’ve been  concentrating on tulips. I’ve been painting or sketching at least one a day and creating  a list about tulips from my research - Tulips from A - Z. 
There is a comforting poem - below - about tulips and loved ones who are no longer with us. 
Many of my friends have lost loved ones and I hope this will provide comfort. 

Gender: Masculine
Element:  Fire
Planet: Sun

“Smelling  rosemary  prevents aging,” I explained to my class of 25 students, as I handed each of  them an eight to 10 inch sprigs from my garden. All were over 50 in the Renaissance Institute lifelong learning program.  “It will  also  keep  you alert  and help  you  remember the information you learn  in class.” It was my first session in a series, over a period of 6  weeks, of my Enhancing Your Life with  Herbs, and rosemary was the ideal herb to  introduce  the course. 
Rosemary’s well  documented and legendary gift of preventing aging is one  of the virtues I wish  I had found out years ago - maybe when I was eighteen. Since I’ve learned of this magical power, I breathe in deeply  when the plant is nearby.  
Many virtues have been  associated with rosemary throughout the centuries. He  is one of 500 herbs featured  in Eber’s Papyrus found in the  Valley of Tombs near Luxor. The 20 meter long scroll,  about the  size  of  a bowling alley, was written in 1500  B.C., though believed to have been copied from an earlier document. It documents its use as an herbal  remedy. Sprigs have been found in Egyptian tombs dated from 3,000 B.C. 
Its medicinal uses have been  documented  in Greece and Rome since 500  B.C.   The “herb of  crowns”  is also reputed  to  improve memory and mental powers. 
Priests burned it as incense and it has been used as a disinfectant and strewing herb. The pungent fragrances covers up unpleasant odors and purifies the air. It has been  credited with  protecting  people from  the plague and having a clean fragrance that is purifying in a sick person’s  room. Once valued for medicinal uses, it  is now mostly  used in cosmetics and cooking. 
Friendship and love have long  been associated with rosemary. It has been used in love spells and is credited with encouraging faithfulness, so it is often used in friendship and wedding  bouquets.  Both Thomas More  and Shakespeare have commemorated rosemary’s association with friendship and remembrance in well known quotes.  
Rosemary  is often found at with funerals. My rosemary sympathy cards and comfort journals for people who have lost loved ones encourage people to find easement in sacred memories.

Rosemary is often used  in wreaths, bouquets and arrangements at Christmas time.
This legend describes how the rosemary flowers got their gorgeous color. 

The Legend of Rosemary
When  Joseph, Mary, and  the baby Jesus fled through the Egyptian desert from  King Herod’s soldiers, they found shelter in a rosemary grove. Mary draped her blue cloak over one of the white flowered bushes before she retired for the night. The next morning when Joseph removed her cloak, the white flowers on the bush had turned to the same  shade  of blue as Mary’s cloak. 

When we think of pine, our first thoughts are probably  as a Christmas tree, or using the evergreens for wreaths and swags.  Pine wreaths were originally hung on doors for protection more than decoration, replacing the dead black chicken which was once hung on entrances to discourage witches from entering. They were honor bound to count every feather before they could go inside. Thankfully, pine needles replaced the feathers, undoubtedly more fragrant than rotting poultry! Witches have very active minds and often get distracted and lose count, so instead of starting over, they will probably go next door. (You may want to advise your neighbors to get a pine wreath.)

Pine cones can be used to make roses, wreaths, garlands, and in table arrangements. The internet is overflowing with ideas for using pine cones as crafts. 
They can be covered with peanut butter, rolled in bird seed and hung out as bird feeders.
Use tongs to dip thoroughly dried pine cones in melted paraffin or beeswax, let wax drip off and dry on wax paper or foil. 

Turpentine, another gift from pine, is a distilled oil made from pine resin. Some of my most cherished moments in the art room have been surrounded by the fragrances of turpentine and linseed oil.

Amber -Pine's Gift of Golden Sunshine Energy
Pine gives us another gift! Amber! It is said to have the energy of liquid sunshine, to make the wearer more beautiful, to attract wealth and success, and dissolve opposition.

Amber has been identified in over 300 shades. Most of us are familiar with the golden yellow and orange ambers, but it can also be an orange-red, brown, green, black or even violet, though very rare. 

Amber is made from the fossilized resin of the pine tree, and to be classified as true amber it must be over 100,000 years old! That is miraculous, don't you think?  Copal, or Columbian Amber, less than 1,000 years old, has not yet fossilized but is also beautiful and truly remarkable. There is something sacred about pieces that have been part of the earth for so long! 

Amber is revered in the Far Eastern Asian cultures. Asian Indians regard amber as the 'soul of the tiger', endowing the wearer with courage. Egyptians placed a piece of amber in the casket of a loved one to ensure the body would forever remain whole. Early physicians prescribed amber for headaches, heart problems, arthritis and a variety of other ailments. In ancient times, amber was carried by travelers for protection.

Wishing you all a holiday season of fragrant, protective pine and the warmth and sunshine of amber!

Papers prepared, canvases covered, rosemary gathered, Rosemary portraits painted! 

Writing for NaNoWriMo is going well but I miss playing with colors! Love autumn’s golden palette!

 

This showed up as a memory on Facebook and prompted me to repost. I've had it out since January  and in these challenging times, it's kept me focussed and provided peace of mind. 

It's that time of year! This has been our of sight, out of mind since the move in July. My course prompted me to look for it and display it again. It's helpful to reflect on what I cherish, what I want to create in my life and business, what I want to surrender and release, and why I know these things are meant to be. Hope it prompts you to do a map of your amazing life! I love the ocean and roses. Create your map with things that are personal to you!
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