Chinese Research with Psychic Children

I found this neat article about psychic children in China and some of the wonderful experiments modern scientists have been working on with gifted kids.

China has a very different approach to children who are able to materialize and dematerialize objects, make watch hands move through concentrated thought, or discern information through a "sixth" or even "seventh" sense.

This short piece will give you a taste of what is possible for the human mind to accomplish in a lab setting, when the experimenters are in a supportive and open state of mind (as opposed to many contemporary lab settings here in the U.S.)

http://members.aol.com/Thales97/levitate.htm

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Reality Shifts Are Real - Cynthia Larson Article

Reality shifts are real, and Cynthia Larson, author of Aura Advantage, is one of the few consciousness pioneers who are writing and talking about how they actually happen.

I'll be posting an interview with Cynthia soon in my Guest Interviews section, where you can learn more about reality shifts. In the meantime, you can check out her website, http://realityshifters.com and read her newsletters and published articles.

Here is an article of hers that I especially like. It talks about how she and her daughter experienced a reality shift together.

http://www.planetlightworker.com/articles/cynthialarson/article4.shtml

Things really DO materialize and dematerialize at times in ways that we are only beginning to understand. Cynthia has collected many first hand accounts from people about reality shifts while also analyzing these events from a quantum physics perspective.

Check out her article - you'll enjoy it.

Meanwhile, I'm setting the intention that these stubborn extra ten pounds disappear from my mid-section. Hmm. Where should I send them to? Maybe to somebody who could really use them, like Calista Flockhart of Ally McBeal fame. There you go.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

New Article Added to Site - Duality Consciousness or "Us vs. Them"

Polarization or the mentality of "us vs. them" seems such a strong theme these days, and it's playing out everywhere. Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, cat or dog, everyone is having a lot of fun objectifying somebody else as "wrong" or as "evil." I believe that whenever we do that, we dehumanize them and put an end to any possibility of real debate.....or real peace, for that matter.

I've been watching this energy kick up on every level lately, from the personal to the professional to the global scenes. I posted the article Duality Consciousness or "Us. vs. Them" to my website. See if you can find yourself somewhere in this essay. Chances are that you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

http://www.lipstickmystic.com/articles/articles092804.html


editor@lipstickmystic.com

What the Bleep Do We Know? - Movie

I saw a great movie this weekend. It's a little independent film that is gradually sweeping the country, and it will be getting a wider release soon. It's called What the Bleep Do We Know?

At the center of the movie is the story of a woman played by actress Marlee Matlin, who pretty much represents the average woman with average problems. She is suffering from the breakup of a marriage, dissatisfaction with her job, and and an annoying roommate. Like most people, she's wondering why her life seems so out of control and why things just aren't flowing in the way that she might expect or want.

Woven through the story is the commentary of several noted physicists, researchers, and experts in human consciousness. Each of them provides insightful information about the nature of life, from the sub-atomic level on up. Throughout the movie, viewers are given wonderful illustrations about how emotions and thoughts really do influence reality and how malleable a thing reality itself is.

There are also some hilarious sections with computerized animation. You'll see how the peptides (chains of amino acids) act in the hypothalamus region of the brain, each jonesing to have their various addictions (food, sex, emotional highs and lows) fed. Brain chemistry is illustrated in an easy-to-understand way so that you can really comprehend the neural net of our collected emotions and habits. Until you shift the habits and addictions that your neural net is constantly recreating, you can't really change your consciousness or your life. So it's all about repatterning the mind and emotions.

The movie is one part metaphysical documentary, one part science project, and one part character drama. It provides lots of fuel for thought and an exciting take off point for better understanding how your own consciousness affects reality.

Marlee Matlin is the deaf actress who won the Oscar in 1997 for her breakthrough performance in Children of a Lesser God. She's a gifted performer, and it was lovely watching her in a role that gave her a chance to really shine. The woman she plays happens to be deaf, since the actress herself is, but the character interacts with people and situations just like anybody else does. Matlin is very gifted in expressing the internal world of a character, and her deep green eyes reflect the tumultuous thoughts and emotions that everyone faces in their day-to-day lives. The character she plays is very human and engaging, and I thought Matlin gave a wonderful performance in a complex, multi-layered role.

Here's the website for the film, where you can watch a trailer and read more about the cast and the scientists and researchers who were interviewed in the movie. Many of the scientists are reknowned physicists and authors.

http://www.whatthebleep.com/nav_html/faq.php

Check it out! And do go to see the movie if you get the chance. I guarantee that you'll be stimulated and inspired.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Research Suggests That Optimism Aids Recovery

I just stumbled upon this news article from 2001. In it, researchers from the Canadian Medical Association Journal are quoted as saying that a positive attitude is proven to have a significant impact on a person's health.

"An optimistic attitude can do wonders for patients' recovery, according to researchers who reviewed 16 studies that looked at patients' attitudes toward health. The studies spanned 30 years and looked at patients' attitudes after surgery. The review appears in the August issue of Canadian Medical Association Journal.

"In each case the better a patient's expectations about how they would do after surgery or some health procedure, the better they did," said author Donald Cole, of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto."--end excerpt

You can read the rest of this short article at this link:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/HealthyWoman/positive010723.html

I think it's such a great reminder of the basics, that emotions and intentions really do have a measurable impact on the physical body. I remember when a friend of mine was battling Hodgkin's Disease (lymphatic cancer,) and he just plugged away at it. Neither he nor I would accept any negative outcome for this health challenge that he faced. We were both clear that he would be fine.

Today, over six years later, he is still cancer free.

I do believe that it's us who are ultimately at the "helm" of our bodies, either sending messages of regeneration or disease through our deeply-held attitudes.

So let's be good to our bodies and be loving toward these magnificent cells that compose our physical form.

(Although, once in a while, you just gotta have a Twinkie. It's a good thing that the body is the forgiving type, allow a certain amount of backsliding. :)

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Stuart Wilde and the Morph

Stuart Wilde is a "statesman," an old soul, in the human potential movement. He's been around for a while. He wrote some hot books in the 1970's about the Force, talking about how it's very real, this field of consciousness that exists all around us. Since then, he's written other books and done a lot of seminars. His point of view is unique and funny while at the same time very wise. He has this ironic British sense of humor, which I love. One of my favortite books of his is The Trick to Money is Having Some, the title of which is not only true, it's the key to unlocking personal abundance. The book is filled with great ideas and anecdotes about approaching money from an energy perspective.

These days, he's self-publishing books and CD's, and he also periodically writes essays at his website. All of them talk about how this consciousness shift that we are going through on the planet is real. He and his colleagues have had countless experiences of seeing through what he calls "the morph," the field that surrounds us, and peeking into other dimensions. They've been able to travel there in their energy bodies and learn many amazing things.

He's also had many times when objects have materialized or dematerialized and has collected tons of first-hand accounts of people experiencing these same things. For instance, they would look at a light switch on a wall and find, to their surprise, that it had gone all blurry, getting all hazy-looking and then disappearing completely for a minute or two. Wilde talks about how these events are all going to become more common as this denser world shifts into a less dense frequency in the years to come.

Many teachers and writers have been talking about consciousness shifts or earth changes, but I find that Wilde does so in an accessible, fun way. You'll enjoy reading his website. He also has a free newsletter that you can subscribe to. Once in a while, he'll write a more advanced metaphysical essay that will go out to the people on his list. The material is always thought-provoking and good. Reading Stuart Wilde is a bit like hanging out with Yoda for the day - you always learn something important.

http://www.stuartwilde.com

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Talk to Plants or Trees? Send Me Your Stories

I've been collecting first person stories about experiences with plant communication - times when people feel that they have received a message or had some sort of conscious interaction with plants.

Check out my article on my site about Cleve Backster's research into the consciousness of plants, plus read about some of my own plant chat experiences here:

http://www.lipstickmystic.com/articles/articles092304.html


And do send me your experiences, as I'm working on developing a larger article about people's interactions with the plant kingdom.

Thanks!
Editor@lipstickmystic.com

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Happy equinox to you. This is a special day with powerful energy afoot. Do take some time to focus on what you'd like to insert into your current reality and really imagine abundance, happiness, and health expanding throughout your life and throughout the whole world.

It's a great day for intention setting and for personal harvest.

If you missed it, check out my article about the equinox energies:

http://www.lipstickmystic.com/astro/astro092004.html

Have a great day!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Art of Abundance Support Groups and Coaching

I stumbled upon (or was led to find) this interesting site about setting up abundance support groups in your local area. The idea seems really powerful to me, the whole idea of getting together a group of like-minded people whose shared intent is to learn how to bring more abundance into their lives. Unlike an investment club, where you pick stocks to invest in, you're working with the energy behind all of finance.

It's always important to take action on both the non-physical/etheric level as well as the physical level whenever you set about shifting energy in your life. Activities that support abundance thinking like taking a class in finance or reading books about wealthy achievers are always good. And talking with friends who share your intention to create greater abundance can be great, because you can build up the energy charge together. Meanwhile, on the physical plane, it's important to learn how to invest, save, and accumulate multiple streams of income in the world of "3-D."

The woman who created this art of abundance site is named Paula Langguth Ryan, and she does success coaching and also helps set up Art of Abundance clubs. Sounds kinda neat to me. She also has some good points on her site about basic manifestation principles - they might inspire you.

http://www.artofabundance.com/AIY_Brochure.htm

Meanwhile, I'm setting my own intentions for all my readers to have a successful and abundant week!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Wayne Dyer's The Power of Intention

I've always loved Wayne Dyer's teachings and writing. I had the joy of seeing him in person on two separate occasions, each time when he was giving brief talks while promoting his latest book. (The man's very prolific. He puts out about a book a year.) I remember going to see him on a busy weeknight in northern New Jersey. There were over 1000 people there to attend this heavily-advertised appearance, and you could tell that, although audience members were eager to hear someone talk about positive thinking, spirituality, and healing, that they were feeling pretty grumpy and unruly when they assembled in the room.

There were a lot of men there, I remember, and I wondered how many of them had been dragged there by girlfriends or wives. I don't say that to belittle you guys, who are often more tuned in than we women are! But you know how it is. It's not seen as particularly "macho" to attend a self-help seminar where you have to get in touch with emotional issues, and men aren't encouraged to feel comfortable expressing that part of their nature. So very often when a soft and sweet therapist guy like Wayne Dyer gives a presentation, the women in the crowd are going, "Yes, yes!" and the men are sitting there with their stony faces, giving off the old attitude of "I don't believe a word of it; you'll have to prove it."

There was a huge amount of bristling testosterone in this particular crowd, and I remember thinking, "How is he going to shift the energy in this room? The vibe feels really rebellious and angry, and a lot of people here are very unhappy." You could just sense this hostile energy there in the space.

Well, Wayne came out and softly started his presentation, speaking in his usual serene way, breaking things up occasionally to make jokes or tell funny anecdotes. I remember thinking that his intention was so clear. He was 100% certain that this was going to be a great event and that people were going to really feel good coming out of the session. It didn't matter if they came in grumpy or emotionaly battered and bruised. His intention was so crystal clear that this was going to be an inspiring and uplifting evening that he didn't even give any power to people's grumpy moods. He didn't give their negative attitudes any energy.

In northern New Jersey there can be some horrendous traffic that people travel through, and they commute through this psychic soup every day. Meanwhile, most people on the road are doing a lot of negative emoting - expressing hatred towards their fellow travellers, making dangerous moves back and forth in the lanes. This event with Wayne Dyer was held near a highly congested traffic area, and you could really feel the effects of that commute on the audience members. They came in to the seminar all icky and pouty and hostile. It made me wonder, "Why do we do this to ourselves each day?" (Well, I count myself out of that experience and have been fortunate enough to do so most of my adult life, being self-employed and working largely from home.) But I just wondered how people could subject themselves to that experience day after day.

Anyway, Wayne Dyer went on to give a powerful presentation, and within twenty minutes of him starting to speak, everyone was all smiling and mellow. You could just look around and see the energy shift that Dyer had affected. At the first break, I saw how people seemed like entirely different beings than the cranky 1000 folks I'd witnessed entering the room earlier. Their auric fields were clean and balanced and receptive now.

That's the power of a person with crystal clear intent overcoming the lower emotions of a crowd. I always think that that's how Jesus did his thing. He maintained a frequency of such clarity and integrity that, in His presence, all else fell away. Unruly energies took a hike.

Dyer's material is very powerful, and I encourage you to pick up any of the books that he's written in the last ten years. They each get into concepts of personal power, spiritual growth, and conscious self-direction of energy. And he writes in a very human and relatable tone, so you don't feel that he's a guru or anything. He's a very humble and self-effacing person who nevertheless wields an incredible vibration of personal power. You can really feel just, well, better, when you listen to one of his tapes, read his books, or watch his videos.

My friend got him to sign a copy of one of his books for her, and she found herself just giving him this huge, soulful hug, because his material had already helped her so much in her life. He just embraced her back with his own warm and sincere energy. (I was standing off to the side, typical Virgo, analyzing the energy exchange.)

The other night our PBS station was broadcasting a lecture he had given based on material from his most recent book, The Power of Intention. I only had the opportunity to listen to some of it, but I liked everything I heard. It gave me powerful fuel for thought.

He talked about how people hear the title of his book and think that the "Power of Intention" must be about how to be more willful and forceful with your intentions so that you can bring them to materialization. But that's not what his material is about at all. Instead, he sets up the idea that the "Power of Intention" is about aligning yourself with what a Divine Power has intended for you in this world, that you are a not an accident but a miraculous creation, and that your life has a unique flow to it that is perfect and whole. When it doesn't feel perfect and whole, it's because you aren't in alignment with this divine flow of intention for your life. And if you can truly learn how to get online with that infinite power of creation, you'll never feel lack, either emotionally or physically, and the universe will bring you everything you need.

The challenge is to get ourselves back online with this energy when we have fallen away from it. His material gives readers lots of great ideas and tools for realigning with the power of God's intention for their life. It involves opening the heart and moving beyond the ego, of course, but it also involves setting your own intention to be aligned with God's intention. Some might call it God's will, but Dyer doesn't see it as "will." More that there is a divine blueprint of your ideal self that God continually holds out to you, and that this is the key to becoming your best, happiest, and most abundant self.

I'm not expressing it half as well as Dyer does. So if this material interests you, check out his new book or his videos or CD's. I think you'll feel yourself catapulted into a new level of understanding, and you'll start to get in touch with the miraculous possibilities of the real, self-actualized, you.

http://www.drwaynedyer.com/home/index.cfm

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Putting the Mystic Pig to Work

I asked the Mystic Pig today if I should create a new entry in this blog, and he responded "There are better options available."

He's right! It's a gorgeous, sunny day here in central New Jersy, and I think it's time for the Lipstick Mystic to get herself outside.

Catch up with you on Monday!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Ask the Mystic Pig

This is for some fun, cheap (free!) amusement. It's the weekend, right? Time to enjoy yourself.


Go to this link and type in a question to ask the Mystic Pig. The Mystic Pig will respond with wise and mysterious answers.


http://www.fluffhouse.org.uk/ixwin/mysticpig.html


Go on! You know you have something you've been dying to ask the Mystic Pig.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Weather Working Article

Using metaphysical techniques like prayer, shamanic journeying, and intention setting to affect the weather is something I've been learning more and more about. I'm developing an article about this for my website, but in the meantime, I invite you to read this interesting article about the shamanic approach to "weather working" at Michael Harner's site.

Michael Harner is an anthropologist who runs the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, an organization devoted to exploring shamanism in a modern context. His students teach workshops in drumming, soul retrieval, and other shamanic techniques all over the world.

This article was published in their quarterly magazine, which is available to members of the Foundation. You can make a small donation to the Foundation and become a member without taking any of the classes. Then you get on the mailing list to receive the magazine.

This is an article I found posted at his site about weather working and connecting with the spirit of weather. It gives you a whole different perspective on why weather so often appears to get "out of hand."

http://www.shamanism.org/articles/1027870279.htm

More weather thoughts to come!
editor@lipstickmystic.com

Excellent Articles on Manifesting - Check Out This Link!

I found a wonderful site created by a therapist who gives a clear, cogent set of tips on manifesting everything you might desire in life. He talks a lot about how to overcome the various blocks that we set up for ourselves and gives simple tips on reprogramming yourself to experience joy and abundance instead of lack.

This link is to the section on his website that talks about manifesting money. But I recommend the rest of his site, too. You'll be given some excellent fuel for thought.

He especially talks about why conventional "positive thinking" doesn't work. You know how when you go around trying to be positive all the time, or you shift your thinking to try to only have positive beliefs about romance, health, money, etc., you always seem to backslide? He talks about how this is a natural process. It's normal to encounter resistance when you seriously set about trying to change something. That's actually a sign that you are starting to stir something up, when you suddenly feel that you are encountering opposition (either within yourself or within others.)

He talks about how to overcome that resistance with affirmations, giving real tips on how to make them work, quoting real life examples.

Check it out:

http://www.helpself.com/manifest/index.htm

Me, I'm off to do some affirmations....
editor@lipstickmystic.com

How To Tell Bad Spirits From Good Ones

I just read this neat article by Cynthia Larson, author of the book Aura Advantage and owner of the website http://realityshifters.com.

In it, her nine year old daughter asks her how you can tell bad spirits from good ones.

Cynthia's reply is simple, empowering, and insightful, just like all of her other writing.

Her short essay will put a smile on your face.

Have a great day!

http://www.planetlightworker.com/articles/cynthialarson/article11.htm


editor@lipstickmystic.com

Happy New Moon and More Money Articles to Come

Happy New Moon, Everyone!

To make use of the power of this special day, take some time and sit yerself down for a bit. Focus on those dreams you'd like to bring into reality, like improvement in a romance, better health, wonderful friendships, and greater financial abundance. Energize these intentions with lots of joy, gratitude, and love. Then release these intentions out to the world. Expect them to be made manifest. Know that they already DO exist, in the realm of probability, and that through setting clear intentions, you are aligning your frequency to those things becoming real.
Have fun! Over the next moon cycle, see what happens. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Prayers are more powerful during a new moon. And that's what you're doing, invoking and setting an intention, a wish made with a full heart and an open spirit.

And if you haven't done so already, consider writing yourself a new moon abundance check. See my latest article about this.

I had such a great response from people yesterday after I posted this article that it made me think perhaps this is the subject I should be writing my first book about. I already have lots of pieces of various books written, and I've been trying to decide which one to self-publish first. A book about manifesting abundance may well be the way to go. What do you think?

Abundance isn't just about finanical security, it's about health, joy, and peace, all the things that we would wish for ourselves and this planet in great supply. So my book about abundance will tie these things together.

Something tells me I'd better get to work! Readers are waiting.

Big new moon hugs,
Jennifer

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Need Cash? Write a New Moon Abundance Check

There's a powerful new moon coming up tomorrow, Tuesday the 14th. I thought I'd share a fun and simple technique for using the energy of the new moon to start manifesting greater financial abundance for yourself. This is really neat. Some friends of mine shared this with me, and we've been writing new moon abundance checks for a couple of months now. It works to connect you both with a sense of light-heartedness and play (key for any successful manifesting work) and also setting a clear, unbending intent.

I just posted an article with more details about this here:

http://www.lipstickmystic.com/articles/articles091204.htm

Go see!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Get Super Smart - Click Your Amygdala

A loyal reader was kind enough to send me this one. This is a link to a site that has all manner of interesting info about how you can learn to consciously work with your brain's limbic system by "clicking your amygdala," thereby increasing your powers of intuition, creativity, and intelligence.

Check it out:

http://www.neilslade.com

Also, check out the latest update to my Mystic Mail section: Dream of Cat with Wings - Cat Angel? It's here at:

http://www.lipstickmystic.com/mail/mail091104.htm

Happy reading!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

New Astro-Update Added - Power Time for Virgos and Earth Signs

If you're an Earth sign (Virgo, Taurus, or Capricorn,) you won't want to miss my latest Astro-Update. It's called "The Next Two Weeks - Power Time for Virgos and Earth Signs."

There's something very unique and exciting happening with the planets right now. So many planets are aligning in the sign of Virgo that all of us will be finding it easier to focus on things that we want to manifest in our lives and to quickly bring these things into reality.

Read about it more in my Astro-Updates section:

http://www.lipstickmystic.com/astro/astro091004.html

And start making some wishes! Now is the time to see them come true.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

New Hot Links Added to Site

I've been updating the Hot Links section of my site. In addition to Cynthia Larson's amazing http://www.realityshifters.com site and Denise Biondo's wonderful web design site, http://www.denisebiondo.com, I'm featuring some other links you'll want to check out.

Rumor Mill News is an alternative news site with some wild and amazing posts. It's updated every day by a group of over 100 news agents living all over the world, each of whom has their own area of specialty. Some agents create features on political issues, others explore conspiracy theories, and others are into alternative health subjects. I post there regularly under the name LipstickMystic. If you do a search at the site under that name, you'll find a big pile of posts I've made this year on everything from psychic dreams to mind over matter to shamanic energy healing. I will probably collect those here on the site at some point, but for now, they're all over there. The link to RMNews is: http://www.rumormillnews.com

Surfing the Apocalypse is more of a metaphysical site with a lot of great info on stuff that just doesn't get published in the mainstream media. If you're into UFO's, archeology, sacred geometry, or alternative healing, you'll enjoy this site. I will probably post there in the future under Jennifer Shepherd, as there is already a "Lipstick" posting there. (Trying to steal my thunder, no doubt!:) http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.com

Montalk.net is a carefully written, well thought out site by a gifted student of metaphysics. He writes a lot about the various control mechanisms that are set up in society, both by human and multi-dimensional beings. All of his writings are about regaining your spiritual sovereignty and learning how to dismantle control mechanisms in your own life. I especially like the owner because he's one of the rarer young voices out there. He's in his 20's, I'm in my 30's, and we both find that many metaphysical sites are run by more middle-aged folks. (Not that there's anything wrong with that! But young voices tend to be uncommon on New Age subjects.) Do check him out: http://www.montalk.net

I added a link to Angela Hoy's freelance writing ezine site, http://www.writersweekly.com, which is packed with info on the craft of writing, the business of marketing your writing, and other helpful tips. You can subcribe for free and receive an issue delivered to your "In" box every week.

Lastly, I added a link to Bust.com, the website for a sassy and smart women's magazine. Called Bust, it comes out quarterly on newstands. The website also has lots of cool features. You won't find any of the usual articles like "How to Catch a Man" in Bust. Instead, you'll read interviews with powerful women artists like Cher or Margaret Cho and find reviews for eclectic "underground" books, CD's, and movies. http://www.bust.com

Enjoy!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Shamanic Dreams and Power Animals

I have an active dreaming life, with many vivid dreams each night. Many of them are shamanic ones -- that is, dreams which contain classic symbols and characters in them that are honored within the shamanic traditions.

I had one like that yesterday morning. I've always felt a strong connection to black bears, although I've never seen one in the wild. In my spiritual life, I've come to feel that black bear is one of my power animals or spiritual protectors. Whenever I dream about a bear, I feel empowered.

This particular dream was one of those dreams where you seem to be waking up, yet you're really still locked in a dream. In the dream, I "woke up" to find a cuddly black bear curled up at my feet, his head over my legs, like a REALLY BIG cat. I remember thinking, "Oh, this is unusual! How did that black bear get in here?" At first, I was a little scared, but this bear was incredibly gentle and loving. He just relaxed by my feet like a happy lap dog or kitty.

I don't remember too much more of the dream. I just remember convincing myself in the dream that hanging out with a wild bear like this was perfectly normal and safe (although it's not something I would be likely to do in real life.)

In the shamanic tradition, it's said that if you have a dream about an animal, especially an animal who might be your power animal, this can be an important message. You have to pay attention to the little details of the dream. Animals can appear as messengers, providing warnings or giving guidance. The trick is to remember everything from the dream.

I also wonder if the bear dream has something to do with out newest adopted cat, Teddy. He's a big "bear" of a cat. I've never called him Teddy Bear, just Teddy. But he does like to hang out on the bed at night and sleep by our feet. Maybe he has a lot of bear energy. He does have these huge paws, big black things that are a marvel to behold. They're more like bear claws than cat paws.

Do you ever have animal dreams that seem to be shamanic in nature? Do animals ever act as powerful symbols or messengers in your dreams? Feel free to share your dreaming adventures with me. I'm always researching dreams and the dreaming life, and I love to collect new stories and first-hand experiences.

Happy dreaming!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Colorstrology - Color-Coded Horoscopes?

There was an article in yesterday's Trenton Times about an intuitive and healer named Michele Bernhardt who has developed a system called colorstrology. The basic premise is that colors are an important part of our lives, and that each month carries a unique color vibration, as does each day. She has worked to develop this system with Pantone, the famous color and graphics company.

At their new website, you'll see a neat flash presentation talking about the power of color. You can also click to find out what color corresponds to your birth month.

I found out something cool. According to this system September, my birth month, corresponds to a beautiful shade called Baha blue - which happens to be the same color my wonderful web designer and artist pal, Denise Biondo, incorporated into my Lipstick Mystic graphic. You'll see the Lipstick Mystic girl figure wearing a dress of this color, and this shade is also used throughout other pages of my website. Isn't that neat? I always felt like Denise really nailed it when she came up with the graphics and design scheme. She's a Pisces anyway, very intuitive and psychic, so she must have been tuning in to the color frequency for my site when she designed it.

Pantone is also offering something called color horoscopes, which I guess are kind of a profile of your colors based on your birth date. Michele Bernhardt developed the color system using a lot of old systems of wisdom, from astrology to numerology to other metaphysical disciplines.

I think she may be onto something here.

You can check out the site and see what you think. I think colors represent a whole other language of energy, one that we are only just beginning to become aware of. And colorstrology may be a nice exploration of this energy vocabulary.

http://www.colorstrology.com


editor@lipstickmystic.com

Check Out These Groovy Updates to My Site

After feeling like a computer imbecile for a couple of weeks, I'm finally learning how to update my site using Dreamweaver. Other than some weird instances of button float, where the buttons on the side of the page keep changing size, I feel like I'm getting it down.

I encourage you to check out a few cool updates I've made. Don't miss When Hunches Come True, a discussion I had with a reader in my Mystic Mail section. Two new tea leaf readings have been posted, "Is That All There Is?" and "How Do I Reach My Far-Away Love."

I also offered my thoughts on the Cancer/Aries relationship and how this intense and exciting combo can work. Look for this piece in the Astro-Updates zone.

And lastly, after I made a post to alternative news site RumorMillNews.com on the subject of tattoos and body piercings, I received some thoughtful mail from readers which prompted me to expand upon my thoughts on this controversial topic. Do check out Tattoos and Piercings Damage the Etheric Body. If you or a loved one has a tattoo or piercing, you won't want to miss it! All of the observations I offer are based on healing work I've done on people with tattoos, so this isn't just some airy-fairy theory of mine. It all comes from real life.

Look for a new Astro-Update to be posted later this week covering the exciting conjunctions that are happening right now in the sign of Virgo. It's a rare pile up of planets in this practical Earth sign. If you're a Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn, you'll be experiencing some wonderful effects from these conjunctions that aren't going to happen any time again in the near future. I'm writing an article about how you can make the most of this "power window" period, focusing your energies to achieve miraculous, positive effects. Whatever your sign may be, you can still make use of this unusual time to ground your thoughts into manifestation on the earth plane, moving closer to making your wildest dreams come true in physical life.

I'll tell you more about it shortly. See ya soon!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Venus Is Entering Leo - Love Alert for Fire Signs!

Venus will enter the sign of Leo at 6:16 pm EST tonight. It will stay in Leo for about four weeks, moving on to the sign of Virgo on October 3rd at 1:20 pm EST.

What does this mean?

Well, if you're a Fire sign (Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius) expect your love life to receive a jolt of energy. Whether you are currently in a relationship or not, you'll find that romantic matters will be on your brain. You'll be thinking a lot about partnership, passion, and companionship. You may get clearer about what kind of person you'd like to become involved with. Or you might focus on healing and achieving a breakthrough in your current situation. You'll feel more ambitious and more motivated, ready to make your romance flow better.

Fire signs looking for somebody new to date may well end up meeting someone special over the next four weeks. Whether this becomes a long-term relationship or just a fun flirtation is up to you. The point is, opportunity will be knocking, and you'll have to figure out whether you want to invite it in to share a glass of wine.

Aquarians may experience a bit of a challenging time throughout this period. You may feel at odds with your partner in ways that you don't quite understand. This is because Leo is opposite your sign, so Venus' journey through Leo may make you squirmy, depressed, or anxious about love. Try to use this time productively. This is a good month for meditating and getting clear about what you really want in a partnership or deciding whether you even want a partner at all. Don't rush to break up with someone, though, if you're feeling grumpy about love. You don't want to discover in November that you've abandoned someone you really care about just because the planets were making you a crankypants. You'll have more clarity and piece of mind about romance stuff throughout the late fall. So don't panic, and don't make a move you might later regret.

All signs will be feeling more socially bold now, as Venus is the sign of community. September's "back to school" feeling will enhance that sense of wanting to connect with new friends and associates. On a spiritual level, we're all in "school," whatever our age. So even if those college days are long behind you, you may be drawn to people who share common interests and goals this month. Forming new friendships may lead you into some exciting learning experiences, so don't be shy about introducing yourself to people.

Overall, Venus in Leo will be prompting everyone to abandon shyness, self-involvement, or isolation and reach out to other members of their soul "tribe." We're all in this grand adventure of living on this planet together, and sometimes, it's good to compare notes on the journey.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday, and I thought I'd take a moment to raise a cup of cheer to all who have been kind enough to be reading this blog. I'm 36, which feels like a very good age to be. You couldn't pay me to go through my twenties again - I refuse to be that stupid again! (Although some would say that I'm pretty stupid now.)

The decade of your thirties is a powerful period of growth, where you're developing the essential parts of your character and grounding your identity on the earth plane. A lot of people have kids during this decade. Me, my kids are my upcoming books and my furbabies. And I feel just as powerfully connected to them as people do to more human kiddies. Tons of love, adoration, and loyalty coming from a deep place within my bones.

I do believe that it's important to have a life passion, something that drives you to get up each day. Mine is to share stories, ideas, and techniques about the spiritual side of life. When people are on a spiritual journey, they inevitably go through some type of awakening process, and intuitive abilities and extrasensory talents spring forth. That's when someone like the Lipstick Mystic needs to come along and share some insights about how to balance out the practical and the metaphysical aspects of living, without denying either part of life (because both are important.)

I've been blessed to be inspired by many teachers and authors and friends over the years who have helped me to accumulate whatever knowledge I have at the moment. A teacher isn't someone who knows everything. A teacher is someone whose enthusiasm for learning is contagious.

That's the energy I hope to convey on my website and in this ongoing blog, plus forthcoming books. Every one of my readers is an amazing, miraculous being, blessed with seemingly "supernatural" gifts. But they're not spooky "powers" or something to be repressed. They are the manifestation of the creative spirit in motion, and wonderful talents to be developed.

So it's good for me to focus on these things again on this special day. Whenever you have a birthday, the sun returns to the position it was in at your birth. In astrology, this is called a solar return. During a solar return, you'll want to meditate on the meaning and purpose of your own life, tapping into your core goals. It's a great time to reconnect with your sense of personal truth, your creative energy, and the powers of love that live within your heart.

Thanks to all my readers for sharing this natal day with me - doing it electronically still counts!

And best wishes for your OWN natal day, whenever it occurs, to be a unique day of power and joy.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Using Dreams in Fiction Writing Class Starts Sept. 6

I wanted to let other writers know about a fun class that I'm offering. It's called Using Dreams as Inspiration for Fiction Writing, and it's designed for beginning writers as well as more advanced authors.This course is conducted all by email, and it runs for six weeks. Lessons are delivered which have cool info about dreams, the history of dreams, the different types of dreams, the spiritual aspects of dreams, and more. Several writing assignments are given in the class, showing students how they can harvest their dream content to find neat entry points into short stories. (Don't worry. All the short story assignments are really short, just a couple of pages in length.)

I just finished running this class, and that "term" went really well. Lots of fun dialogue developed, and we had both professional and amateur writers, all levels of interest and experience. Some students are using stories that they worked on in class to go on to novel projects or longer story projects, so the class gave them real material that they could use in their writing outside of class.

I'm offering the class again starting September 6th. It's not too late to register through WritersWeekly.com.

USING DREAMS AS INSPIRATION FOR FICTION

Here are comments from my past students:

"On a whim, I chose to take the Dreamers course through Writers Weekly. It became one of the best things I have done to refresh and enlighten myself as a writer. Not only of great benefit,the class is also great fun. I highly recommend it." Dorry C. Pease

“There was something freeing about this class. One of the more valuable and unusual writing experiences I’ve had.” Bruce Schirmers

Much of the course is about learning how to get into the habit of writing in a dream journal and exploring tips to help you have better dream recall. Students also post some of their favorite dreams to the class, and lots of cool discussion ends up happening. I will be offering this class throughout the year, roughly every eight weeks. So if you keep checking at WritersWeekly.com and look into their course info, you'll see when the next ones are coming up. Each class costs $40 and is payable by check or credit card through WritersWeekly.com.

I hope to see you there!

editor@lipstickmystic.com

Mercury Finally Goes Direct

Mercury was in retrograde for three and a half weeks, but as of today, it has finally gone direct again. Whew! Was that an annoying time, or what?

Let's see - it was totally a Mercury retrograde Olympics. Poor Paul Hamm was asked to return his gold medal in men's gymastics because of the judges' scoring error. Michael Phelps did a bang-up job winning eight medals in men's swimming, yet STILL didn't get any respect from the press. Catfights happened in the women's gymnastics all-around between cheery gold medalist Carly Patterson and grumpy Russian competitor Svetlana Khorkina. The US Dream Team became more of a nightmare team in men's basketball. (Although I shouldn't be hard on them. They did win a bronze medal, after all.)

Meanwhile, Hurricane Charley shook things up on the weather front, and two planes mysteriously crashed in Russia, apparently from bombs which had been placed on board. And the Republican National Convention in New York City has been a tense event, with a massive police presence and tons of protestors, many of whom are busy getting themselves arrested.

The intense tone of these past few weeks should quickly fade from view, and we'll find ourselves getting back to business as usual. Whew! I, for one, am glad for it.

I collected more Mercury retrograde stories that I didn't have time to post. Many of them were postal nightmare tales. I had a piece of software take some three weeks to catch up with me. A friend of mine mailed some items weeks ago to someone via Priority Mail, and these things STILL haven't caught up to the recipient. I'm convinced that a black hole or vortex opens throughout the postal system during Mercury retrograde periods.

Fortunately, with Mercury now in direct motion again, it should be full speed ahead with projects, communication, and travel. We should all be experiencing fewer disruptions and less chaotic energy. Yay!

Also, I'm preparing for a birthday in a few days. On September 5th I turn a ripe old 36. I'm not sure what I should do throughout these last few days as a 35-year-old. Kick up my heels at a disco? Run through the streets naked? Pick up a young man half my age? (That one's probably not such a good idea. I think my honey would have some problems with that.)

I'll probably stage a mild form of rebellion, like taking out an old mini-skirt and fishnet stockings, which were my uniform back when I was a theater actress, and cavorting around nearby New Hope. New Hope is an artists' community across the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side, in Bucks County. It's a fun and lively place, great for people watching. It could be time to participate in the dramatic energy there.

Maybe I'll hold up some signs and stage my own form of protest. "Shave the Males!" "Patriots for Peace!" "Mystics for - um, Marshmallows!"

I'll come up with something.

editor@lipstickmystic.com

IONS Monthly Intentions for Manifesting Peace

The Institute for Noetic Sciences (IONS) is a fascinating group who is on the cutting edge of blending scientific research and spirituality in one place. Their quarterly magazine, Shift, is available to members, and it highlights some of the exciting things that researchers across the world are finding as they map human consciousness.

IONS has done a lot of experiments where they encourage people to set a monthly intention - to focus, meditate, or pray upon this intention - and they track the effects of this group intention setting. Very often, they've managed to measure effects through the random number generator machines that Princeton University's Engineering Anomalies Lab invented, and which are now placed in locations throughout the world. These random number generator machines generate a perfectly random string of numbers. At certain times, often at key turning points in our modern histroy, these random number generators suddenly behave in "non-random" ways, defying the laws of statistics as we know them. This happened when Princess Diana died, when the 9/11 tragedies occurred, and also in instances where organizations put together global peace vigils in which large numbers of people prayed for peace. If machines can suddenly go off course in this way when humanity is experiencing a global event, then it would seem to suggest that thoughts and emotions DO influence reality, and that the effects of our consciousness can be measured in practical, scientific ways.

I was fortunate enough to participate, off the record, in some experiments at Princeton's Engineering Lab some years ago. I found that since I was in a light-hearted state of mind, having fun chatting with the bright fellows in the lab there, that it was easy to affect the random number generator machines and to make them do seemingly "non-random" things. When you are in a heightened state of consciousness, a psychic or intuitive state, it seems to be easier to have these mind over matter effects.

The Institute for Noetic Science (IONS) has set out on an ambitious course, to actually try to map out human consciousness and the amazing things that the human spirit and brain appear to be capable of. As part of this, they encourage people to join in with their monthly intention setting, as an informal experiment in group intentionality or group manifestation. They send out the monthly intention so that people can focus on it on the first of the month. Since today is September 1st, I thought it would be fun to post the intention for this month here. These are great things to focus on, anyway, and powerful stuff to be praying and meditating upon. I invite you to join this collective effort in reality shifting. Also, check out the Noetic Science website, which has cool articles and features about the research that the organization is doing.

IONS MONTHLY INTENTION FOR A GLOBAL SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS:

I picture the world as it is today, knowing that I am a part of this planet's evolutionary design. I choose to live to my fullest capacity in a spirit of openness, intellectual integrity, and freedom.
I am conscious that I have a role in the unfolding story of humanity. I am connected to the whole.

I am prepared to imagine that my intentions can find a deep resonance in the hearts and minds of others.

Together, we will stir the depths of human ingenuity, creativity, and collective healing. Together, we are part of an evolutionary pulse bringing into focus our collective responsibility for planet Earth and its diverse peoples.

My intention is that I may come to a place of wisdom, compassion, and an abiding exuberance for serving our common work and the greater good.

INSTITUTE FOR NOETIC SCIENCES

editor@lipstickmystic.com