Got Coupons? I do! Addoway.com offers sellers flexible options for promotions

Everyone loves a great deal, I know I do. I love sales, special insider discounts and secret codes for free shipping, a percentage off, or a free gift.
I especially love coupons!

I tuck "preferred customer coupons" into outgoing packages from Journey Beads and Oshun Spirit, and "welcome coupons" to entice new Listia auction winners to visit my website, and of course ebay customers get both Journey Beads and Oshun Spirit "come visit my other venues coupons" in their packages in hopes they will convert. Ebay remains my most productive marketplace venue outside of my website, even though my products cost more there because it costs me to sell there. A quality product, timely delivery, and a coupon plus the lower price usually does the job.

But until yesterday, my new storefront on Addoway was left out out the fun. No longer! Now my customers will be able to apply their coupon codes across all venues. So my customer friends, whatever coupon you're holding today is now good at my storefront on Addoway.com  (www.oshunspirit.com) in addition to the venue listed on the card! Yipppeee!

Seller friends: Addoway introduced a smart, simple coupon generator which allows buyers to redeem coupons towards purchases made from the storefronts. Check it out: I can create individual coupons with specific end dates and choose either a dollar amount or percentage discount, and create the coupon for items priced over $x or under $x... and even better... by specific item #! This is great if you want to run a special on certain items, create gift certificates, or offer "deal of the day" type promos. It's well thought out and really easy to implement.

Watch this: I'll create a special offer for my blog readers only:

Code: SPECIAL OFFER
 SAVE $5
On ad# 141176 thru 10/31/10 
This one is only good on Addoway, and you'll have to click on the link to find out what the offer is...

Have fun! I know I am!

Creating our new world, one breath at a time...

Are you feeling like there are simply not enough hours in the day... that you are running out of time?

Always playing catch up? Physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted? Stressed beyond repair?

When I was a little girl, it seemed to me that summer vacation took up half the year, and school time the other half. It felt equal to me.  I also remember endless stretches in my 'tween years of, "I'm soooooo bored, hours and days just dragging by." But today, as I recall just this past decade marked by my sons' high school years and subsequent graduations from college, I have no idea how that time whizzed by so quickly!

Perhaps we feel an increasing speed in passing time as we grow older because of the higher proportion of time that has been spent...

For example: At five years old, a child feels like she is waiting an extraordinary amount of time in September for Christmas to come in December. The percentage of the child's life between September and December is 7.1%, calculated by dividing the four months of waiting by the five-year-olds' 56 months of living. For a thirty-year-old adult, the percentage is 1.1 %, based on four months of waiting divided by the thirty-year-old's 356 months of living.

But, there are other factors at work that have quickened time. Most significantly, we are moving to zero point, as described by Gregg Braden in his book, Awakening to Zero Point.

Gregg has traced the Schumann Resonance or heartbeat of the Earth. For decades, it has measured 7.8 cycles per second. In 1980, it started increasing. By 1993, scientists published reports of the Schumann Resonance pulsing at 8.6 cycles per second. Today, it is around 12 cycles per second, hence the feeling of time passing more quickly. At 13 cycles, the Earth will be at a zero point magnetic field, and in two or three days it will start turning in the opposite direction.

This is the "event" predicted by ancient prophets to occur in 2012, when we will be introduced to the next level of consciousness as ordinary reality. Right now, we are "entering the time of no time."

It is interesting to note that the Fibonacci Series of numbers supports the notion of this shift to a new reality via sacred geometry principles. Fibonacci discovered a sequence of numbers that matches the proportions of the human body and the basis for how plants grow, to name a few examples. It goes like this: Start with 1, add 1 to the previous number or 1 to get 2, add 2 to the previous number or 1 to get 3, add 3 to 2 to get 5, add 5 to 3 to get 8 (or 7.8 on the SR scale), add 8 to 5 to get 13. So it's 1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5, 5+3=8, 8+5=13. Remember, as we near 2012, the SR is nearing 13. Factor in the significance of the Fibonacci Series, which predicts a segueway or transition at 13, and voila: the shift!

But back to the no-time thing... so if we compare the rate of passing time today, for that forty-year-old, to that same person at the age of five, they are living approximately five and a half times faster than they did in childhood. That means that each day equates to five and a half days thirty-five years ago!

And you wonder why you are feeling stressed?

Stress is the typical reaction to the evaporation of time, because we feel synchronous the SR that was occurring during the time we developed in the womb, that particular rate became imprinted on our internal clock, on our circadian rhythm.  So we need to retrain our subconscious to accept a new rhythm in order to regain our sense of balance.

The subconscious will pay attention when you interfere with your routine breathing patterns, because it manages this breathing function so you don't have to constantly remind yourself to breathe. It is important to gain the attention of the subconscious, as it is in charge of habits and automatic body responses. It needs to know that you are making a change. Some of my students have been working with various subconscious patterning by breathing deeply six times in a row, using the following pattern: inhale slowly to the count of four, hold to the count of four, exhale slowly to the count of eight.

In reprogramming our response to the passage of time, we set the intention to "update our processing of time sequences to match the current cycles per second occurring on Earth." I will share this mediation that I have been working on to help heal the stresses of our out-of-synch circadian rhythms.

These methods may sound "too easy" but life is not designed to be a "dis-ease." We, and they, are designed to create an exchange of energy between us and the Earth when we are in a meditative state with the least resistance present, the Earth's frequency is able to calibrate with you and, likewise, you with it, thereby creating a better match.

Begin with the interuptive pattern: breathing deeply six times in a row, inhaling slowly to the count of four, holding to the count of four, exhaling slowly to the count of eight. Breathe deeply. As you breathe out, envision your energy entering the Earth. As you breathe in, envision the Earth sending energy to you. I've been doing this while lying on my back under an old strong tree with the crown of my head aligned with the base of her trunk. I visualize our energy surging up the middle of the tree trunk, and feel the tree reciprocate by sending energy through her trunk to us.

But you can sych with any element. Watch water trickle, in a fountain or a brook or even a running faucet. As the water trickles, integrate your energy with the flow of the water. Place your hand in the water and feel the energy infuse you. Feel your energy enter the water and infuse it. Even better, immerse yourself in water, and feel the water support you as you float. Imagine the boundaries being eliminated between your body and the water as you merge into one element of sensation.

This simple meditation will help you to feel yourself get in sync with the current pace and feel less stressed and more present in your daily life. You can enjoy the improved synergy between you and your surroundings as the Earth's heartbeat continues to accelerate and we move into the next world with a sense of Peace.

Where are we going? How will it be when we get there?

We are creating it right now, one breath at a time.
May you be blessed!

Wisdom from the Grandmothers: The Way to Peace

 Every once in a while someone finds me online,  on a selling site, facebook or through google and feels the need to challenge me, chastise me, or save me, via email. I say pick up the phone, come over for tea. Let's have some face time if this is really that important to you. At least, please use your true name in your emails so we can make a real connection.

And while I do appreciate the kind gestures springing from your dogma of choice, name calling, threats of eternal damnation, and warnings that I am running out of time to jump on your (one-and-only) bandwagon don't come across as very loving.... to me.

I have a new fan. And she's been writing to me, warning me, as part of her mission. And while I am a pretty present and grounded girl, I have to admit I find her constant contact unsettling. Yesterday, while reading her email I felt real negativity entering me. She was sending me fire, hate, and unfounded judgement, ignorance and intolerance, and I was allowing her bully-behavior into my sacred space.

I shifted right into the crazy place. I thought about my defense. My "rights." My "right" rights to squash this.

I know about returning unwanted energies, so I stated out loud "These energies are not mine to deal with, please return them to the sender."  I phrased it differently in my head at first but regrouped to a kinder, gentler me. And then I added the "please."

I stopped reading and recognized that this was not mine to deal with, these emotions of fear, anger and guilt were not my own, but from the sender. And although I felt calmer in this knowing, I did not feel resolved or balanced. I wondered if there was some better way I could assist the sender. So I sent feelings of love, joy, harmony and peace, and pictured the sender in her highest light.

I know that many people would have reacted to this situation by returning an email, perhaps with as much anger as directed at them, and some of us skilled with words and thoughtforms might have even drawn mightier swords. You, like me, might have even tried (once again) to educate and reason with the sender, but both of these reactions have only added to the energy charge already formed, expressed. They form a line in the sand, between my viewpoints and hers.

When defensive emotions rise within me I try to sense why they are being triggered. I become aware of the first thing or situation that comes to my mind, leading me to realize what needs to be released within me.

Today another email, even more negative (no, that is a judgement... I'll say extremest) than yesterday. She wanted a response. A validation of her "rights" and my wrongs, repentance and conversion, and a surrender of my position. Her sword, drawn in the name... of what?

So I went to my healing room and meditated, surrendered. As I sat quietly I realized that the energies that I had returned in the past by engaging in dialouge, no matter how well-intentioned, had in fact made things worse, by adding defense to the already unstable energy of attack. If I'm not one of the right "them," I am one of the "wrong others." I can only be for them or against them, and if I am not with them then the perception is that I am fighting them.  Any defense is seen as an attack. I cannot win. This war.

No, war is not the answer, and it will never create peace.

I asked my guides to show me how to handle this situation correctly.

I heard, "send the unhealed negative energies to Source and ask that they be transmuted and that these now positive energies be dedicated to The Earth Mother."

Wisdom from the grandmothers.

Dearest Creator, the Source of unconditional love. I ask that the negative unhealed energies being created and directed at me by x, be sent to you to be transmuted. I ask that this now positive energy be dedicated to Mother Earth to assist in raising the vibrations of this beautiful planet.

And I went to my computer.

My Dear Sister, I see you in your highest light, be your heart filled with love, peace, harmony, joy, tolerance and gratitude. Be this for your highest and greatest good and the highest and greatest good of all.

Unconditional love to create peace.
May you be blessed!

Chinese Finger Traps as Spiritual Teachers

Recently I won a Chinese Finger Trap (remember those?) at an Autumn Fair. In fact, it was the prize given for coming in last place, for failure. I humbly accepted my booby-prize, and decided I would just give it away to the first child that crossed my path, someone who would have at least some appreciation for the silly thing.

But, I played with it as I walked through the crowds and  I had an ah-ha moment. I realized that this simple toy was a profound metaphor for the energy needed to move past fear (and failure) in our lives... and that I could use it in my practice as a wonderful teaching tool. So thank you carnival-guy for giving me the squirtgun with the blocked nozzle, you know the one, the blue one, number thirteen next to the scary, chipped, clown face.

By the way, I didn't even have fun playing your stupid game. I didn't care if I won or lost. I just wanted to get out of there, I wasn't even trying to win. I have a bit of a clown phobia, you know.

"Where there is fear, there is no love. Fear is the opposite of love. What we fear, we attract. Love is letting go of fear." Blah, blah, blah, I've said it and read it one million times. If it were so simple we'd all be leaping for joy with reckless abandon head on to the embrace of the challenges, and clowns, in our lives.

Instead we run away from and deny and avoid that which actually terrifies us, or at least makes us uncomfortable.

Denying our fear is like trying to pull our fingers free from the Chinese finger traps.  The more we pull, the tighter they grip our fingers.

The only way to release it is to move toward it, go deeper into it. Then it's able to release. It is the same with fear.

Let's revisit the old addage, "Fear is the opposite of love."

Although love and fear certainly can co-exist side by side within an individual and be experienced simultaneously, just as darkness and light co-exist side by side within all of us, I believe that love and fear cannot co-exist in the same energy space of an individual's emotional body. If we want loving light in that space, we're going to have to get it in there ourselves. We must get into that dark space and bathe it from within with the loving light called self-acceptance, until the fear is all eroded away.

That is the paradox of fear.  It negates love, yet will persist until it is loved. What?

The misconception that fear is the opposite of love seems to stem from the fact that fear excludes love.  But so do hatred, guilt, anger, shame, jealousy and envy.  Therefore, we need a more precise definition of what "opposite" means in reference to love vs. fear.


Where there is no loving light, there is darkness. In that darkness may reside the guilt of not being loving enough, or the fear of not being deserving and good enough.  However, darkness is only the absence of light, not its opposite.  Unloving light is more commonly known as hate.

Hate, not fear, is the opposite of love. Because, whereas fear and guilt signal the absence of love, hate is the opposite polarity of the exact same energy as love. Love and hate both have consciousness and intent - guided directionality - whereas fear is pretty mindless.  Love and hate have focus (something loved or hated), whereas fear may have focus but may also be experienced as unfocused general anxiety, as in "I don't know why I'm afraid... of clowns."

Fear and anger (or terror and rage) are opposite polarities of the exact same energy.  They are two sides of the same coin. Where one resides, you can bet the other one does too.  Although they rarely surface at the same time.

Fear and anger are the same energy. They serve the same purpose, although from opposite points of view. One of their functions is to assign blame. Anger is the emotion which places the blame with another. " You gave me the squirtgun with the blocked nozzle, you made me stand next to the scary, chipped, clown face.  It's your fault I came in last place"

"By the way, I didn't even have fun playing your stupid game."
Fear, however, is the emotion which places the blame with oneself, and that may not be as obvious. But ask yourself why you feel fear of certain things. We feel fear because we are afraid something painful or unpleasant will happen to us. And the reason we expect a hurtful experience is because we consciously or subconsciously believe we are at fault – inadequate, incompetent, awkward, clumsy, laughable, shameful, blameworthy, deserving of punishment, and the list goes on.

If I hadn't angled my body away from the clown I might have had straighter aim.... 

What We Fear, We Attract!

The Universe has created this phenomenon to help us face and overcome our painful emotions, not to get us to try harder to avoid them. It is a well-known concept that painful emotions contribute to physical unhealth. It has been scientifically confirmed that painful emotions such as fear suppress the immune system and lower the pH of the body, both of which contribute to increased risk of physical illness.

Healing truly requires only the state of "no resistance and self acceptance."

So, let's look at three paths to deal with fear:

• By far the most common way to handle fear is that we don't know how, so we do the only thing we can:  We feel our fear while disapproving of ourselves for being afraid.  In other words, the fear is experienced in a state of non-acceptance.  No healing takes place and similar situations continue to come up time and again, evoking the same fear response.
• Some mentally or psychically powerful individuals can keep from feeling spontaneous fear by convincing themselves - their conscious minds - that they are not afraid.  This can be a temporarily successful path for a certain category of individuals. Painful emotions are relegated to the subconscious without being healed.  As the subconscious' accumulation of unhealed painful emotions grows, the subconscious mind eventually gains more power than the conscious mind's ability to control it, and the "inner demons" begin to seep out.
• The third way is to experience spontaneous fear in a state of self acceptance.  Due to varying degrees of childhood conditioning from shame, ridicule, guilt and blame, this path may take a while to master.  Any degree of self acceptance we can muster makes a difference.  The higher the degree of self acceptance, the faster and easier the healing. The fear is permanently healed and released.  We will no longer attract what we used to fear because we no longer fear it.

When we have self acceptance for ourselves while experiencing any kind of fear we don't hold onto it.  When the fear is ready to let go, we let it go. And then that space within can be filled with the energy of love and self acceptance, the energy of release. The straight shot to success. The giant stuffed Panda.

Bring in the clowns!
May you be blessed!

Fair Trade Genuine Bogolan Mud Cloth is now available at Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods and at our new storefront on Addoway.com

We are so very excited to introduce a new line of beautiful, authentic mud cloth accessories on our website and through our new storefront at Addoway.com.

Each piece is made of 100% cotton, and is completely hand-made. The fabric is softer than it looks, and is very comfortable to wear as clothing. I adore the mud cloth scarves to add eye-catching patterns and a sense of global style to basics.

Mudcloth is made using an ancient and extensive process. The making of mudcloth is a time-consuming process, normally taking four days to a week to complete depending on weather. The fabric is all hand spun making a number of individual cloth strips. Each strip of cloth is then sewn together. The entire piece of fabric is then dyed in tea made from Bogalon tree found in Mali, West Africa. The tea acts as a fixative for mud painted designs that are hand painted using specially prepared mud. Some parts of the fabric are then bleached after the entire process is complete to produce the "white" areas
.

Normally mudcloth is made totally from scratch. The men start the process by weaving cotton thread on a loom. The loom is normally hand-held and makes a strip of cloth five to six inches wide and then sewn together. Women have traditionally painted and designed the cloth.

The first step in making the cloth is to set it in a solution that dyes the cloth yellow and acts as the fixative: typically this is a tea made from the Bogolon tree which is native to Mali, West Africa. The mud designs are then hand painted onto the cloth with the tea acting as a fixative for the mud dye. The mud used to make mudcloth is usually mixed with water and then set aside to sit for about one year. 


Using twigs or metal instruments the artist will paint the designs with the mud, being sure to saturate the area so it will not wash out. The fabric is then washed and another layer is applied over the first. The fabric is then dried and put in an organic solution to make the patterns appear darker. Finally, on black and white fabric, a soda is painted on to the areas that have no patterns. This bleaches the fabric causing it to regain its original cotton white.

A mudcloth artist is much like any western artist dealing in a specific field. Each concept must be taught and learned over a long period of time. A person wishing to work in the art of mudcloth has to be taught how to make each of the different dyes out of organic  Each color in a mudcloth sheet has its own meaning. The most traditional coloring has been the black background with white designs. This is typically used for story telling or the portrayal of a proverb.


Another color popular among hunters, and the Fulani people is the rust. This color is preferred as it does not show dirt and also as it is supposed to represent the strong supernatural powers that protect the hunters. Because mudcloth is made from the soils, it has been used as a form of camouflage.

At Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods we offer a beautiful selection of Genuine Mud Cloth accessories including homegoods, scarves, purses and Kufi hats.


The Fair Trade Mud Cloth you purchase from Oshun Spirit helps feed children, and helps women in the developing world by providing fair wages, safe working conditions, job training, opportunity, and empowerment. For example, your order of $50 provides orphaned children in Mali with 8 meals in addition to providing a living wage for the craftspeople who have produced these goods.  By purchasing products through fair trade programs, you are supporting a great cause and giving a thoughtful, one-of-kind gift. 

I hope you will shop our collection of Fair Trade clothing and accessories, textiles, totes and bags, and home goods, and BE part of the change you wish to see in the world!

Discover How Distance Healing Really Works!

Quantum Physics states that everything in the universe is made of subatomic particles of energy, not solid matter as previous believed. In the early 1980’s, scientists proved that under certain circumstances subatomic particles of energy are able to communicate instantaneously with each other no matter how far apart. Whether separated by a few inches, or many thousands of miles, the results were the same. In subsequent studies, when the phenomenon was duplicated, scientists concluded the energy particles communicated at a rate thousands of times faster than the speed of light.

Quantum physicists have reached the conclusion that the reason subatomic particles can stay in contact with each other despite vast distances is not because they are transmitting a signal back and forth faster than the speed of light, but because the separateness of the particles is an illusion. On a much deeper level of reality the particles are not individual entities but are extensions of the same fundamental something, and everything in the universe is infinitely interconnected.

These "new" theories mirror what mystics have been saying for thousands of years. We are all part of a continuous whole. They suggest the reason distance healing works is because we are all one in some fundamental or spiritual way. I walk the path of the Ancient Ones who knew this as they called the rain, blessed the crops, thanked the herbs, and stood in presence of the great central sun.

A Virgo, and an Engineer (BS Mechanical Engineering RIT '82)  I am always in questioning mode. But as a healer, I can sense the energy field of the person receiving the healing and provide healing equally effectively if the person is in the same room or across the world, and I cannot question that. It is the miracle of our connectivity.

Physicists describe a unified field. This is the field in which I work, and is actually an altered state of awareness and perception in which the limitations of time and distance have been transcended. It is the fifth dimension and beyond. And it is here, now, accessible from 3-D as it has always been.

This is natural, and available to all beings for inspiration, creation, manifestation and wellbeing. It is oneness consciousness, and our true nature.

Physical distance is not a barrier to a healing interaction, in fact, energy healing can be accomplished at a distance just as easily as in person! From my own viewpoint, it is not necessary for the energy to travel anywhere as I am able to "see" the universe as being like a holograph, where the whole is contained in every part.

Time and distance are only concepts which help define our "ordinary" third dimensional reality. The laws of nature which describe subtle energies in the higher dimensions are different than those which describe the denser frequencies including the physical body. As physics explores the layers of the structure of creation, phenomena become less and less localized. And more and more connected.

Please feel free to email me at suberry@metrocast.net if you have any questions about the services listed on my websites.

I look forward to opening my heart as a channel for healing, growth and awareness in your life. 

Back to Basics: Eating Raw

Please welcome Megha Mehta, our guest blogger today...

Hi there!

Susan was generous enough to offer me a chance to do a guest post on her blog so here I am!

I am a yoga enthusiast, wellness freak and energy healing practioner rolled into one. I write about simple everyday things that can make our urban lives more connected and healthier. You can read them at www.backtobasics.com.sg 

Follow me on Twitter at @BacktoBasics_SG !

I recently came across this book that talked about super energy-packed foods, most of them raw and decided to find out more about it! Raw foods are full of fibre, make you full without making you feel heavy or sleepy and are full of nutrients.

Personally, I've looked at salads mostly as a great option because I feel like they do wonders to my skin and they're really easy to prepare when I am lazy and unwilling to cook! :D And packing a fruit in my handbag is the quickest way to satisfy a sudden hunger pang when I am on the go!

But a bit of flipping through this book really gave me some background on how the enzymes in these RAWS (the real food stars!) aid digestion and nutrition absorption. That's because cooking all food destroys most naturally occurring enzymes in the food and so the body has to use its own reserves in turn depleting its own energy, metabolism and immunity. So adding/substituting raw foods are a great add on to your existing snacks and meals.

And if you need some inspiration here are some raw food ideas you can make use of:

- Nuts - Whether its a nutri-bar or just a small assorted pack of nuts (which you can put together at home), these are great to satisfy hunger pangs anytime of the day!

I guess it's a good idea to beware of two things - the fried salted nuts are high on cholestrol and obviously defeat the whole purpose of eating 'Raw'! And, most nuts are heaty for your stomach so if you feel your body doesn't take too well to it then go ahead and soak it overnight before eating.

- Veggies - Carrots - The easiest to peel and completely ready to eat, you can store it in a box to eat later or eat them right away. They are really high on vitamins and fibre. One of the ways I know many people enjoy this is as thin sticks with Thousand Island dressing or any others as a dip.

- Avocado - Some people categorize them as fruits but whichever name you call it by, avocados are a great energy packed food. Some people like to eat the pulp with a few sprinkles of either salt or sugar. Other ways are to roughly mash it and mix in with tomatoes lime juice and parsley for a yummy vegetable dip!

- Fruit - Kiwi - These citrus fruits are a great source of fibre and really good for your skin. Although I prefer the fruits that I can carry in my bag and munch on at any time of the day, Kiwis just need a mention here for the fact that they're bursting with Vitamin C, Vitamin E, antioxidants and much more!

Here's hoping that these ideas set you on the path to raw food habits soon :) By substituting for complex combinations of cooked food, this habit can make your life that much 'simpler'!

image credit: myelomahope.blogspot.com

Free Pandora-style Journey Beads and goodies from Oshun Spirit. Yes, free!

Would you like five free Pandora-style Journey Beads?
How about a free Tiger Eye Pendant Necklace from Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods?

It's true! Yesterday I listed a few items on Listia  which is a new kind of auction site where you bid on items using credits instead of real money.  And you get the credits for free! Begin with signing up using this link and you'll get fifty right away because you're using my referral link. There are lots of things on Listia you can bid on and win with just those first 50 credits, and most offer free shipping. The category structure is similar to ebay and includes antiques, collectibles, fashion, electronics, home & garden and more!

Plus, you can earn 10 more credits just by tweeting an item or sharing it on Facebook before you bid. If you list an item to "sell" (that's free) you'll get another 100. And once you get rolling its easy to earn even more credits, for example you can earn 50 credits by inviting 6 Facebook friends who participate in any auction.


I'll be listing items from Journey Beads and Oshun Spirit from time to time, mostly just for fun and to promote our new Facebook Fan pages... but there are some pretty cool goodies I want to bid on too! Not only is it a great way to get visibility for the storefronts, Listia auctions are a nice way to say thank you to you, my loyal customer friends. Some of you may have already received free credits from me this morning through Facebook.

So please take a moment to "like" our fan pages if you haven't already done so  http://www.facebook.com/JourneyBeads and http://www.facebook.com/oshunspiritstore  and you'll be among the first to know when the freebies get listed on Listia. 

It's fun. It's easy. And you can score some of your favorites from Oshun Spirit and Journey Beads for free! Sign up here and take a look at the first five auctions!

http://www.listia.com/auction/809965  Tiger Eye Pendant
http://www.listia.com/auction/814853  Five Tibetan Silver Journey Beads with Dream Charm
http://www.listia.com/auction/814052  Five Tibetan Silver Journey Beads with Hope Charm
http://www.listia.com/auction/816822  Three Pandora-style Halloween beads 
http://www.listia.com/auction/816861  Five Pandora-style beads pictured above

Good luck on your bidding!

Discover super-soft, eco-friendly organic Bamboo clothing at Oshun Spirtit Earth Friendly Goods

Clothing made from bamboo is nature's answer to our needs for everyday fabric, in an environmentally sustainable form. Bamboo fabric is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. Bamboo fabric has been growing in popularity because it has many unique properties and is more sustainable than most textile fibers.  

Bamboo fabric is light and strong, has excellent wicking properties, and is to some extent antibacterial. Our Bamboo socks have been customer favorites since we introduced them in 2003. In fact, we are often sold out! Bamboo fabric is favored by consumers wanting to purchase sustainable textiles, because the bamboo plant is very quick growing and does not usually require the use of pesticides. As a result, plantations can easily be kept organic and replanted yearly to replenish stocks.

• Bamboo is 100% naturally grown, without assistance from man.
• Bamboo thrives naturally without using any pesticides or fertilizers
• Bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable
• As the fastest growing plant in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years.  It spreads rapidly across large areas.  Because of this, bamboo is known to improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas of land.
• As a grass, bamboo is cut, not uprooted, also helping soil stability.  Bamboo also can grow on hill slopes where nothing else is viable.
• The amount of product you get from an acre of bamboo is 10 times greater than the yield you get from cotton.  In an age where land use is under enormous pressure this is huge.
• The water requirement for bamboo is minute, mainly just from what falls.  As opposed to cotton, whose water requirement per shirt's-worth is huge.
• Because Bamboo retains many of the properties it has as a plant (highly water absorbent, able to take up three times its weight in water) it has an excellent wicking ability that will pull moisture away from the skin so that it can evaporate. For this reason, clothing made of bamboo fiber is often worn next to the skin. 

In contrast... synthetic performance fabrics are made from petrochemicals, a non-renewable fossil fuel.  You get clothes which get smelly really quickly. Bamboo has antibacterial qualities, which bamboo fabric is apparently able to retain, even through multiple washings. This helps to reduce bacteria that thrive on clothing and cause unpleasant odors. It can also kill odor causing bacteria that live on human skin, making the wearer and his or her clothing smell more sweet. In addition, bamboo fabric has insulating properties and will keep the wearer cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
Our Bamboo scarves are very soft and can be worn directly next to the skin. Many people who experience allergic reactions to other natural fibers, such as hemp and wool can wear bamboo. The fiber is naturally smooth and round so there are no sharp spurs to irritate the skin. 
Shown above: Our luxurious Silk/Bamboo scarf (70 x 18 inches) is hand-loomed and cashmere-soft. A Fair Trade hand craft from Thailand, shown in Marigold. Several other colors available at Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods, and at our new storefront on Addoway.com!

Fair Trade African Black Soap is now available at Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods

The average person absorbs nearly 130 chemicals each morning through the use of skincare products. (The average woman will ingest nearly four pounds of lipstick in her lifetime, but we'll save that for another day!) But if you are thinking that maybe its time to stop feeding your skin chemicals, and are searching for organic skincare that is handmade with handpicked ingredients, I'd like to introduce you to African Black Soap.

African Black Soap is generally made in West Africa. Although some types are made in the United States and Europe, soaps from these countries are mass produced and are not true African Black Soap, and probably have artificial ingredients added to them to give the dark coloring. Fake African Black Soap will stain your washcloth, it contains dyes.

True African Black Soap is created from the leaves and bark of trees and plants which are burned in a kettle. These include leaves from banana trees, plantain skins, leaves and bark, palm tree leaves, cocoa pods, and shea tree bark. Water is then added to the ashes and then filtered. Oils including shea butter, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter are added to this water to create the soap. The soap is then hand stirred by local women for at least a day and then set out to cure for two weeks. Each region and tribe have their own recipe that has been handed down through generations. 

The color of African Black Soap varies depending on the region it's made in since the availability of the ingredients varies. African Black Soap from coastal regions of Africa contains a higher percentage of coconut oil whereas soap from the interior regions contains more shea butter.

It is important to purchase only Fair Trade African Black Soap. Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that helps producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, and wine.

Dudu-Osun is regarded as the finest African Black Soap, and it is made with all organic ingredients including cocoa pod powder, honey, shea, and tropical herbs. It is a Fair Trade product. Ose Dudu (doudoun) comes from the Yoruba languages of Nigeria, Benin and Togo and means literally Soap (ose) Black (dudu ). It effectively restores damaged skin and is helpful in healing chronic eczema, acne, freckles and dark spots. Dudu-Osun is with Osun (Camwood extract) citrus juices and native honey. It also contains organic Aloe Vera.

Use this soap on your body, face, and hair. You will look and feel as if you've spent hours being pampered at a Spa. Not only will it leave you glowing, it has amazing healing properties which help  relieve rashes, scalp irritations, scars and stretch marks and evens out your skin tone. Black soap gives your face a deep cleansing, leaving it fresh and healthy, and it diminishes fine lines and wrinkles.  It is appropriate for all skin types, as it is purifying and balancing.  Use it to soften rough skin, balance oily skin and dry skin, and heal acne, blemishes and other skin problems.

Sound too good to be true? You be the judge! I'll be adding little samples of Dudu-Osun African Black Soap in all outgoing packages in the next few weeks so you can experience it for yourself. Dudu-Osun African Black Soap can be purchased at Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods and at our new storefront on Addoway.com.


May you be beautiful!


image credit: ilovemylocs.blogspot.com