Material: Swarovski Pearls

Color: Wine

Full length: 2.5cm

Mailing list: S$13.90

Non-mailing list: S$15.90

Material: Freshwater Pearls & Pewter

Full length: 4.5cm

Mailing list: S$19.90

Non-mailing list: S$21.90

         I’ve been stringing pearls…a string for a dear friend’s birthday, and a string for myself - one of my favorite strands had broken. It reminded me that I had read some very interesting things lately about pearls, and I thought I would share them with you. Many cultures revere the pearl, and it is often considered a very precious gem, second only to the diamond.

        I read a lovely novel entitled “Anna and Her Daughters” by E.B. Stevenson in which one of the girls is given an extremely valuable strand of pearls to wear, but the pearls are “sick” and unrecognizable. You see, from what I understand from the novel, pearls need some moisture, or they dry out and become “sick.” The idea was that the girl would wear the pearls and see if their lustre would return. (I won’t tell you what they represented or what happened in case you want to read the book!) Using my trusty search engine, I tried to discover if this was something that would truly occur – that pearls would deteriorate if not worn, and possibly return to  their prior beauty if worn. I found an legendary reference to in the New York Times from 1892 to some sick pearls belonging to the Archduchess Rainier. According to the legend, her pearls had become sick from disuse, and a special locked cage had been designed for them, and they had been immersed in the Adriatic, where they were slowly regaining their lustre (the small part of the article that I was able to read can be found here http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B0DE6DA1E39E033A25755C0A96F9C94639ED7CF). The Archduchess Ranier is reported to have been Carlotta, wife of Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, who built Castle Miramar. Another archduchess,  Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, loved pearls,  for her husband gave her a string of pearls with the birth of each of her ten children.

Material: Freshwater Pearls

Full length: 4.5cm

Mailing list: S$15.90

Non-mailing list: S$17.90

Material: Freshwater Pearls

Full length: 5.5cm

Mailing list: S$17.90

Non-mailing list: S$19.90

Material: Freshwater Pearls & Crystal

Color: Champagne

Full length: 4cm

Mailing list: S$19.90

Non-mailing list: S$21.90

Material: Freshwater Pearls & Crystal

Color: Pink

Full length: 4cm

Mailing list: S$19.90

Non-mailing list: S$21.90

Material: Freshwater Pearls & Crystal

Color: Purple

Full length: 4cm

Mailing list: S$19.90

Non-mailing list: S$21.90

Material: Swarovski Pearls

Color: Charcoal

Full length: 4.5cm

Mailing list: S$15.90

Non-mailing list: S$17.90

Material: Swarovski Pearls

Color: Purple

Full length: 4.5cm

Mailing list: S$15.90

Non-mailing list: S$17.90

Material: Swarovski Pearls

Color: Green

Full length: 4.5cm

Mailing list: S$15.90

Non-mailing list: S$17.90

Here are Ways #s 4 and 5 from the last post which promised you 5 Ways to Be More Great-full (Boost Your Gratitude Attitude)…

#4: FAMILY (or couple’s) GRATITUDE BOOK
We just spent a very pleasant hour doing this great art & writing interactive project. So simple and yet so meaningful and fun! Quality family time!

We do not watch television, nor do our children. We are dedicated to parenting consciously and strive to support a vibration of love in our household. Yet, given that my husband and I are both entrepreneurs, with seven businesses between the two of us, and given that our children are still quite young, we know how important and sometimes challenging it can be to come up ideas (not to mention time, energy and materials) for positive family experiences.

I myself am about the least craftsy person you will ever meet and can draw a stick figure on a good day! So believe me when I tell you: Yes, you CAN do this project, and probably with what’s already available in your home. It really ranks high on simple, high on fun, high on memorable, and low on expense. (I can NEVER do those Origami things, puuleeeeeazzze, can we talk?)

Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to do this Family Gratitude Book…but of course so is any day that ends in “y.” Monday, Tuesday…. Enjoy!

Materials:

All you need is:

Some blank paper (we used printer or copy paper, white)

Construction paper

Ribbon or brass brads to secure the book

Markers, pencils, hole punch and/or scissors

Optional: Stickers, stamps, other art supplies, scrapbook, photos

Definitely: A little bit of time and lots of love!

We started by making a brainstormed list of everything we are grateful for. You can do this any way you like; follow your own creative impulses & inspiration. We have four family members, so I decided to color code what we wrote on this collective page or you could just all write and draw without attributing who said/drew what, or make a chart, have sections of the page, etc. The things my 6-year-old called out first were written in yellow, my 10-year-old chose blue, I picked purple and my husband green. We made a color key on the page and wrote and drew various things we are thankful for: Our dog came first, followed by a lovely torrent such as family and friends, food, a good home, music, the Earth, music, health, God, life and so on.

Then I gave each family member a separate page on which to do whatever they like, the only requirement being that whatever is on the page relates to or represents what they are thankful for. We stuck in some more blank pages, so we can add more later as we are inspired.

The kids each got to pick a color for the front and back covers. The older did the words, the younger did the drawings. We punched holes, added brads, all signed the masterpiece and voila! A Family Gratitude Book.

Not only a wonderful way to spend part of our Thanksgiving Day, but a precious keepsake, and, I trust, a new family tradition as well. We will be sharing this book with family all weekend long and inviting them to add to it as well. And of course, it can be done any day! Every day bears its own gifts if we just open the package.

Today we focused mainly on what we are thankful for in our current lives (now), but we could also include wonderful memories (past) and gratitude for all the blessings on the way! (future)

Alternative for Couples: You can also do this as a Couple’s Gratitude Book or Journal, a beautiful way to show appreciation and deepen connection. So few marriages last or are happy, as we all know, and I am blessed to have a deliriously, deLIGHTfully ecstatic marriage, 12 years strong and better every day. One of the reasons is of course, the selection of the right mate; but in order to do so, we had to do the necessary self-healing and inner preparation to bring whole, healthy individuals to the relationship. Much of this work is presented in my book: The Radical Self-Love Workbook. But it is also essential to nurture even the best of relationships, and my husband and I do so daily in many creative ways such as this.

More tips on love and relationships are at

www.LoveandSpirit.org

and at my love blog: loveandspiritblog.wordpress.com.

Whether you do the Gratitude Book as a homemade book like we did today, like a scrapbook or journal, and whether you do it as a family activity or a couple’s relationship-enhancer, it will help you see your life through the eyes of love and gratitude, and bring you even closer with those you love. Enjoy! And I welcome you to send me a comment or email to share your experience.

#5: Honor the 4 Directions and 4 Sacred Elements:

Earth, Air, Fire, Water

You do not have to be Native American to appreciate one of their traditions, which is to honor the Medicine Wheel, facing each of the four directions, thanking each one for their gifts. This is also a tradition in all indigenous cultures including pre-Christian Europe (a.k.a. Wicca, Druidry, paganism, et al.), Africa, Australia, Hawaii and South America.

In fact, if you scratch the surface beneath contemporary religions on any part of the Earth, you will find an ancient shamanic tradition that honors all the directions and all of nature as sacred.

All things follow this cycle of birth, growth, fruition and quietude, whether we are looking at seasons, a lifespan, a day, or a garden. The beauty of Medicine Wheel ceremony and the paradigm itself is that it can be applied to our lives in so many ways.

So how do you honor the directions and elements, to give thanks for what they give to us so generously? Here are a few ideas:

* Altar: Create an altar to each direction or a Medicine Wheel altar encompassing all the directions/elements. This can be in your home or outside. My husband specializes in creating Medicine Wheels as a sacred practice on the land, and has helped others to do this as well.

* Cherokee Dance of Life – You would need to learn this in person from someone who has learned it, oral tradition. This is an incredible moving meditation to all 4 directions, peoples, and elements which also honors Mother Earth and Father Sky, balances their energies as sacred partners in our hearts, and helps us give away the gifts of Spirit that are our special medicine to share with the world through our right work and service. Occasionally my husband and I share this Dance with our community. If you live near Sacramento, and would like to experience this dance, let us know so we can invite you. Or perhaps Spirit will guide you to another teacher of this beautiful tradition.

* Drum, chant, play flute to each direction

* Give offerings such as cornmeal, tobacco or sage smoke to each direction

* Speak aloud from your heart to each direction and give thanks

* Sweat lodge

* Vision quest

If you do either sweat lodge or vision quest, please do so with the guidance of a Native elder to be sure you do it properly and safely.

* Journal or journey (shamanic meditation) to discover what power animals comprise your personal Medicine Wheel of your own energy field. I love to lead these meditations when I am called to do so. Honoring your own inner Medicine Wheel supports a strong aura and keeps you connected to your spirit guides, if this resonates for you.

Associations with Each Direction

Depending on which culture or even which tribe you consult, there are somewhat different associations with the directions, colors, elements and meanings, the medicine or power that direction helps us receive and embody. The one I am most familiar with follows but this is not dogma, merely a summary of what I have found to be the more universal associations. Follow your own heart and work with any spiritual practice in the way that resonates for your own heart and inner truth.

While I have a small amount of native blood, I was adopted and was not raised in that tradition. I discovered shamanism after my initiation and spiritual awakening 15 years ago. I do not claim to be a tribal elder or teacher of any one tradition. I am an interfaith minister, meditation teacher, hypnotherapist, energy healer and intuitive life coach. I have been on the path of Spirit, studying, practicing and sharing healing and wisdom teachings from many cultures for several decades, so I offer here a simplified summary as a starting point for your discovery journey. You would do well to study more in depth with a local teacher steeped in the particular tradition that calls to your spirit, and of course feel free to research further on the Web, in books, classes, and listen to your own inner guidance. I always say the best way to pray, do ceremony or ritual is the way that feels best to you, with harm to none, of course. But we do need to honor the specific traditions so they are not all diluted through multiculturalism.

From the East we have the yellow people (Asia) and the gift of Air, Brother Wind, clarity of vision, inspiration, the new day, new beginnings, establishment of purpose and intention, and springtime.

From South, we receive the wisdom of the black people (Africa), Fire. The tools, strength, perseverance and energy to follow through and manifest, midday/ noon, summer, also humor and passion, innocence and trust.

The West gives us the culture of the Red people (such as Native Americans), the setting sun, Water, emotions, the fall season, self-evaluation toward completion, looks-within time, peace, rest and healing.

And the North represents the White (European) people and all their cultural gift. The sacred mountain, winter, midnight, time to slow down, go within and be still to receive guidance for what comes next. Completion, what you keep from the past cycle and all that you have accomplished and learned. It is also associated with the Spirit and wisdom.

Note: You can also honor the other 3 directions: Earth (below), Sky (above) and Center (within).

I hope you enjoyed these five creative ways to give thanks and I wish you abundant blessings on your journey!

Finally, in the spirit of Sufi mystic poet Rumi, I invite you to kiss the ground. Blow kisses to the sky. Bow to everything. Everything is sacred.

With Love,

Sage

More resources for your path, including free special reports on abundance, love, transformational classes, soul and energy healing sessions, intuitive readings, matchmaking and more are at:

www.LoveandSpirit.org

Taylor@LoveandSpirit.org

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

- Rumi

Happy Thanksgiving!

“The eye, altering, alters all.” – William Blake

I recently saw the movie Up with my family and we were touched by the sweet message that it is the most simple moments that have the most meaning for us. I call those moments, like when Russell sits on the curb counting red and blue cars with his dad and then with his new (grand)father figure at the end of the movie, the “pearls on life’s necklace.” Individually, they are precious and delicate, yet strung one after another, they form a true treasure.

In an earlier post, I shared several reasons why it is so essential to enhance our gratitude attitude. So now, as promised, here are some fun, practical ideas for how to become even more grateful (great full), how to count more of those pearls and value them with your heart, while they are in your hands:

1. My Feet Touch the Earth.

A Native American custom is to give thanks to Mother Earth each morning upon rising, when your feet first touch the floor or ground. This helps us remember that the land we live upon is alive and sacred, worthy of our deepest respect and greatest appreciation. It also helps you receive her bounty, through food, health, abundance and every good thing you can touch or experience through your senses, and to feel more grounded and “in your body.” Another thing I love about this practice is it takes zero extra time; it’s just a shift in consciousness, and isn’t that what we are most striving for?

2. Write a (different kind of) Thank-You Letter.

Well, you already know about the traditional thank-you-for-the-gift kind of letter. I believe it’s on the Endangered Species List. (When’s the last time to sent or received one of those?) I highly recommend we resuscitate these as they bring and spread so much joy, especially the kind of letters, cards and notes you can actually…what’s that called?….Oh, yeah, TOUCH with your actual hands and reread over and over without having to go online. What a concept!

In addition to writing to give thanks for specific gifts or favors you have received, I propose you explore writing Thank-You Letters to:

* Your loved ones…just because

* Yourself

* God/The Universe

* Your Body

* Money

* Your Ancestors

* The Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Sun, Moon, Stars…

You see, the possibilities are as infinite as your abundantly grateful heart.

3. Take a Gratitude Walk.

Dedicate a walk to the awareness of thankfulness. This is a walking meditation and is best done in silence or punctuated only with your statements of appreciation or a simple mantra such as:

* Thank you, God, for all that is.

* Right here, right now, beauty all around me.

* I give thanks.

* I am thankful.

Your gratitude mantra can also just run in your mind without being spoken aloud. You can rhythmically coordinate the mantra to your steps, or not; follow your own guidance and what your body tells you to do.

Another option is to think or praise something with each step or everytime you notice something you are thankful for, such as: “Thank you for my feet that I may walk. Thank you for these trees I see…. Thank you for the air I breathe. Thank you for my children (husband, wife, etc..). Thank you for my home. Thank you for my dog. Thank you for my car. Thank you for my work. Thank you for music….”

While you are walking, you may give thanks for gifts from Spirit which you can see and hear and touch in the present moment, or other blessings in your life, counting your pearls, but the key is to keep every step, every breath, every moment focused on hearful, mindful appreciation.

This is an excellent exercise which combines nourishing your body through the movement itself with nourishing your mind, heart and soul by returning your awareness to what is precious and good, all around you and within you.

As a meditation teacher for the past 11 years, I have frequently met beginning students who lament, “I can’t meditate because I can’t sit still so long. My body hurts and gets fidgety.” Some meditation disciplines and teachers simply reply to this: “Just sit. Let the distraction of the mind chatter and body aches just fade away and just sit anyway. They are all illusions, and your mind will eventually clear as you ignore the ‘monkey mind.’”

This is true for some people, some of the time, as with so much wisdom. However, some people really do need to move more often. This can be due a medical condition, a tendency toward being highly kinesthetic, and/or a need to move energy and remember they have a body through touch and motion.

I am solidly in the latter category myself and find that I benefit optimally from a kaleidoscopic, multicultural meditation practice, drawn from Eastern and Western traditions – like the Meditation for Busy People course I designed for and taught at Kaiser Permanente. Sometimes still, some moving, sometimes silent, others with chanting or music or sacred sounds, sometimes focusing on the heart, third eye, or other chakra, other times aware of the whole body and energy field, sometimes open-eyed (gazing meditation is called “tratakam” in India), sometimes closed, focused on the inner space. Let me know if you would like to me to share more of my knowledge of meditation in this blog column. I teach many methods in my workshops, teleseminars and private practice and share them also on my meditation audios.

For whatever reason, if you do not enjoy an extended sitting meditation practice, you will likely give up on it, so I highly recommend exploring moving meditation such as Tai Chi, Chi Gun, Native American Dance of Life (Dance to the 4 Directions) and even some dynamic forms of yoga, or simply authentic body movement and dance as a meditation. Walking meditations like this gratitude walk is another wonderful way to integrate Body, Mind, Heart and Spirit, so give yourself permission to move while you meditate, and give yourself credit for “meditating” if you are moving consciously and feeling a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefit.

Anything you do that brings your awareness to the present moment, that cultivates mindfulness and what I call heartfulness, is a form of meditation, be it walking, stretching, drinking a cup of tea, even cooking or cleaning.

As Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nat Hanh says, whatever you are doing, even if you are washing dishes, it is the most important thing in the world.And it can be done joyfully and gratefully. Absolutely anything and everything is a meditation when done with focus and appreciation. Right here. Right now. Love.

So I invite you to join me in striving to live Life as The Grand Meditation. The Prayer of Thankfulness that Never Ends. The moment of choice, the moment of change, the moment of power, healing and grace, is now.

∞

As for me, time to go practice gratitude with my family. Right here. Right now. We are about to create a Family Gratitude Book! I’ll let you know how it turns out, and I suspect that may become Gratitude Tip #4.

Your life can change in a moment’s notice.

And the moments you notice can change your entire life.

So, my friends, have a beautiful day…and another…and another…Keep adding to, and treasuring those precious gifts of moments of simple pleasure, in oneness, and in the company of loved ones, the pearls on your necklace of life.

With Love, Sage

P.S. Please share in comments:

What part of this article did you most resonate with?

What are your favorite ways to deepen your gratitude attitude?

And what are you most thankful for this season?

(what are some of your precious pearls)

Just click on the article title to add a comment if the box is not visible below. Thanks for visiting!

www.LoveandSpirit.org

…without a care in the world

the heartful swallow S$22

a swallow, and a ring of  six faux pearls dangle  on an 18 inch silver chain

now available in store

xoxo

Since you all where so helpful – NOOOT! when I requested help with my christmas gift for boyfriend’s grandmother, I take it, you liked the bracelet just the way it was. So I kept it that way and just did some remaking in the way I attached the clasp. Instead of only the crimp beads that I used before, I now have bead tips for terminators (Kalotten), it looks more professional like this because you can’t see the wire anymore. You still have to use the crimps though, they’re hidden inside the tips. Now, I think the clasp is the pretty side up and I hope ol’ polish Gran will think so too.

The photo is lousy, I know. It’s not that ideal to photograph beads and pearls with photo booth, especially not on my imac because the screen is so darn light, the light reflects in the pearls and they all kind of turn into this white blur. This was the best pic actually – all the others kind of looked like this:

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Review

Check Price Now!

This perfume is absoulitly intoxicating!!!! It smells very much like Fendi’s Theorema but not quite as lemmony as Theorema is but just as gorgous. It almost gives the smell of baked cookies to me-it may just be the way my nose is percieving it but that is what it smells like to me and I cannot get enough of Elizabeth Taylors perfumes. This is quite suprising to me also because I never thought I would go for such inexpensive perfumes but Elizabeth Taylor has outdone herself on her scent lines. The only one perfume that I cannot tolorate is Diamonds and Rubies-way too something that does not agree with my nose. I recommend this to EVERYONE!

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Feature

• Made in Switzerland
• Packaging for this product may vary from that shown in the image above

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Overview

Launched by the design house of Elizabeth Taylor in 1996, BLACK PEARLS is classified as a refreshing, oriental, floral fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of soft sweet spices, white rose, and amber. Accompanied by fruity notes of fresh citru

Black Pearls By Elizabeth Taylor For Women. Eau De Parfum Spray 3.3 Ounces Specifications

Elizabeth Taylor 126283

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 25, 2009 10:00:23
INTOXICATING!!!! – Sonia M. Mcalear –
This smells like Fendi’s Theorema without the cost! Theorema comes in a EDP but for . and this comes in EDP for -they both smell very much alike to me. This stuff is such a beautiful scent!!!!! I recommend this to everyone. Its also very long lasting. The Sparkling Diamonds and Brilliant Diamonds do not last the distance like the Yellow perfumes by Elizabeth Taylor like White Diamonds, Diamonds and Saphires and Black Pearls-these go the distance hands down! Definitely worth the whole twenty bucks!

Smell Like a Million Dollars – Marcos Valenca – Recife – PE – Brazil
I gave Elizabeth Taylor’s Black Pearls as a present to my mother. She said the scent strength is moderate, lasts 6-10 hours and it’s a flowery fragrance. She loved it! The pure perfume version comes in an exquisite bottle.

HP MediaSmart Server EX495

There are many different colours and types of pearls on the market today that even pearl connoisseurs get a little confused! Those that want to buy pearl earrings just don’t know where to start. With this in mind, here is a useful guide to help you along the way and give you some background into the world of pearls.

Are All Tahitian Pearls Black?

Not only are Tahitian cultured pearls not exclusively black, they’re also not grown in Tahiti. Called “black” because of their exotic dark colours, Tahitian cultured pearls can also be grey, blue, green and brown. And they’re grown in the lagoons of small islands that are part of a group known as French Polynesia.

Cultured Vs Natural Pearl Earrings

To start with, natural pearls are formed when a foreign object gets into an oyster. In order to shield itself, the oyster will over the parasite in an organic substance called nacre, which then creates the mother of pearl we know today. Over time, the layers of nacre build up around the intruder and eventually form the organic gem we all know as the pearl.

When it comes to cultured pearls, they are formed in the same way, but with man’s input rather than nature’s. A technician will place the irritant in the oyster and then place it back into the water. At the end of it all, you have some beautiful cultured pearls that end up in the shops for you to buy pearl earrings or pearl necklaces etc.

Are Saltwater Pearls Better Than Freshwater Pearls?

Although both are beautiful, many people feel that the cultured freshwater pearls are just as good as saltwater pearls, and they are of course more affordable too. Over the years, improved pearl culturing processes have meant that freshwater pearls are now being produced that are large, rounded and stunningly beautiful.

If you’re a pearl fan, you can buy freshwater coloured pearls in many different variations and these can vary from cream to pink. One of the most popular pearl options at the moment is lavender. White pearls are bleached to enhance their natural shine. Stunning black pearls, which are treated with dye, are rising up the style stakes too, and many people like the fact they are a little out of the ordinary.

You definitely get more value for money with freshwater pearls. So, for all the pearl fans out there, there has never been a better time to buy pearl earrings.

50th Anniversary & 19th Birthday Cake

A combination 50th Anniversary and 19th Birthday cake.  This cake gave me fits trying to figure out how to work the two events together!  I like how it came out though!

The Agate Design Jewelry Holiday Show is just around the corner!

Mark you calendars for Sunday, December 13th, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., 1029 Neilson Street, Albany, California.

Choose from our collection of simple, elegant handmade jewelry — including our new “Gold Collection” and many other pieces that have not yet been featured on the website!

Questions?  Just contact Teresa by e-mail on the Order/Contact Us page.

Look forward to seeing you!

em Campinas agora a galera anda cheirando solda eletrica. Que meda ! Que barato que deve dar ?

Photo by Alexis Rhone Fancher

Who

would have guessed
it

would come

down

to this
in calculating

my day –

matching

the cerulean silk
against the teal,

choosing

the cultured pearls
over the 14 kt. choker,

forcing

my right foot
to

step first
across
my

desperation.

Barbara Moreno

All Rights Reserved

© 2009

Remember Romance d’amour? The lovely lady who wanted it requested a matching pair of pearl earrings. So I made these for her.

~SGD$25.00~

Romance d'amour II