Orion Constellation

The Orion constellation has been a fixture in monuments throughout the ancient world, from Egypt, China to Mexico.

Orion was an important constellation to our ancestors, but why?

Why are the Pyramids of Egypt placed in such a way that they mirror the Orion pattern?

The whole city of Teotihuacán seems to be aligned astronomically. 

It is consistently oriented 15 to 25 degrees east of true north, and the front wall of the Pyramid of the Sun is exactly perpendicular to the point on the horizon where the sun sets on the equinoxes. 

The rest of the ceremonial buildings were laid out at right angles to the Pyramid of the Sun. 

The Avenue of the Dead points at the setting of the Pleiades.

The Hopi migrated all over the Southwest and after a series of building villages and abandoning these villages, they came to these three primary mesas in Northern Arizona. 

They call them first, second and third mesas. 

The Hopi mesas shape Orion’s Belt image and it is said that the Hopi specifically came here because of the shape, so  we know for sure that the Hopi were extremely interested in Orion’s Belt and for them his was the center of their universe. 

There are those that believe Orion may have been the beginning of our life on earth.

Who knows? 

Maybe it was, maybe not, but aren't we at least curious to understand why the ancient civilizations that ruled the world, gave so much importance to this constellation.

Why did cultures who knew nothing of each other decide to build pyramids aligned with Orion?

Perhaps our curiosity will encourage us to dig deeper looking for evidence to discover answers to the questions about the origin of the human race and the purpose of life altogether.

Or just maybe we can discover what the ancients understood, that we don't.

The 4 Elements

The four elements are all around and within you. 

They are essential to all life. 

You and the universe are formed by these four elements: earth, air, water, fire. 

The elements bring balance. 

Fire needs water to be quenched and the earth needs wind to move it. 

Each element carries its own set of qualities. 

No element is inherently bad or good. 

They each carry an equal amount of positive and negative traits.

One great way to employ the power of the four elements is to balance your own energy. 

BRINGING ELEMENTAL ENERGY INTO YOUR LIFE

Do you live or work in a space that’s really tense, negative or competitive? 

By adding some simple symbols or objects that represent a certain element may find calm vibe of the space you are in.

Because the four elements are the building blocks of all things, inside and outside of you, they are essential for most rituals and magical practices. 

Simply having all four of them represented on your desk, altar or in a sacred space is a powerful balancing force.

The four elements can be represented in physical form or non-physical form (a symbol) for different purposes. 

As we mentioned, the symbols and representations of them can be placed in a variety of areas. You can wear them, put them on your altar, on your desk, in your car, or a room. 

Here are a few ways that you can represent each of the elements.

EARTH

• The symbol for Earth element
• Root chakra
• Earthy stones like jasper, agate, amber, petrified wood, and malachite
• Metal and wood objects
• Green or brown candle
• Plants and flowers
• Pentacle

WATER

• The symbol for the Water element
• Sacral chakra
• Vessel of water
• Blue candle
• Moonstone
• Shells, coral, sand dollars, etc.
• Moon symbolism
• Cauldron or chalice

FIRE

• The symbol for the Fire element
• Solar plexus chakra
• Candles, fire pit
• Burning herbs or incense
• Matches or lighter
• Fire opal and carnelian
• Athame

AIR

• The symbol for the Air element
• Third eye chakra
• Smoke from resin, herbs, or incense
• Wand
• Yellow candle
• Citrine and smoky quartz
• Feather
• Fan
• Butterfly, birds, fairies, or dragonflies

You may have already noticed that much of these items are connected.

For example, burning herbs can serve for earth (the plant material), air (the smoke), and fire (as it burns). 

Add in an abalone shell (water) to the mix and you’ve got all four elements represented very easily!

Woolly Lambs Ear

This is truly the best plant / herb you can grow in your garden.

Lamb’s ear is easy to grow, easy to transplant and has so many uses some.

For centuries, hunters and soldiers have used Lamb’s Ear leaves as a field dressing for injuries. 

With its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and super absorbent properties, it makes a perfect make-shift bandage. 

Woolly Lambs Ear not only looks good in a garden, you can eat it, use it for wounds and make tea from it. If 

A Natural Antibacterial Bandage

As we mentioned, Wooly Lamb’s Ear, botanical name Stachys byzantina, has been used for centuries as a wound dressing on battlefields. Not only do the soft, fuzzy leaves absorb blood and help it to clot more quickly, they also contain antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. 

All of these factors make this plant a really great alternative to store-bought bandages.

Other Medicinal Uses

Wooly Lamb’s Ear actually has many medicinal uses. 

You can heat a few bruised leaves in a pot of simmering water, and use the cooled infusion as an eyewash to treat pinkeye and sties.

Drink a tea made from young, dried Wooly Lamb’s Ear leaves to help with fevers, diarrhea, sore mouth and throat, internal bleeding, and weaknesses of the liver and heart.

You can bruise the leaves so that the juices are released, and put them on bee stings or other insect bites to help reduce the swelling. 

The same effect can be seen when used for treating hemorrhoids, or for postpartum recovery.

Enjoy young, tender leaves fresh in a salad, or gently steamed as greens.

Worlds Largest Cashew Tree

There is a cashew tree in Brazil that has grown to cover two acres (8,500 square metres/91,500 square feet).

Yes, the photo above shows the one gigantic cashew tree.

This one tree is a mini forest and it’s still growing.

No one is exactly sure when the tree was planted, but there is a consensus that fisherman Luis Inacio de Oliveira in 1888 planted the tree.