The Queen of Horror/Fantasy...

In my opinion, Tanith Lee wears that mantle. She has written a vast library of wonderful books. Many I have read and many I still have yet to get my hands on. Her use of the English language, her style, is so vivid and is rife with shadows and mood. There is a rawness and fear that is woven through the worlds and characters she creates, but there is also a darkly compelling beauty. Tanith has easily become my favorite writer. As a writer myself, I have deep admiration for her mind and her work.

I currently have a novel in my head that has been searching for a way out. I've had a wall in front of me for a little while now, but I'm seeing cracks in the mortar. Blogging is helping, and a light at the end of my stress tunnel is also having major effect. Stress has always been one of my mortal enemies, and the distracting thoughts it creates are a real creativity killer. As someone who thrives on their creativity, it has been a rough stretch of road. This too shall pass. These frustrating spells always do. Eventually.

Tanith's books have come to my mind...one's that I have read. They are serving as inspiration. I always find good books inspiring. The contents of the books themselves, and the attention paid by the writers. Tanith has over 50 books on her personal bibliography. She has won a number of awards. She was born in 1947, which makes her...64. For someone her age, she has really cranked out the books. Very impressive, if you ask me.

As I mentioned, I have read quite a few of her books. There are a number on my 'To Get' list. Some out of print but I'll find them. Well, as many as I can. As far as titles on my 'Books I Have Read' list, I thought I would share some of my favorites. If you have never heard of Tanith Lee and enjoy dark fiction, these might just be your cup of tea.

The Blood Opera Sequence

• Dark Dance (1992)
• Personal Darkness (1993)
• Darkness, I (1994)

These served as my introduction to Tanith's work. I have always had a fascination for Vampires, and watch every vampire movie - read every vampire novel I can. In this trilogy, she introduces the reader to a vampiric family/race called the Scarabae.

In book one of the series (Dark Dance) we meet Rachaela Day, a young woman who leads a rather drab, grey life. She is barely scraping by on the pittance she makes working in a small book shop. One day a mysterious letter arrives from the Scarabae family, and things begin to change. All that Rachaela knows is that her father, Adamus Scarabae, left her mother before she was born. Her mother had warned her against them and Rachaela tries to steer clear, but the family becomes intrusively persistent. Losing her flat and her job, she agrees to the offer of coming to live with them in their house...a mysterious cliff top mansion miles away from anywhere.

I'll leave my plot description there, so as to leave as much of the story discovery as possible to any new readers who check the books out. This book was so vivid and it pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. It's high up on a short list of novels I started to read and couldn't put down until I had finished it. The two follow-ups ('Personal Darkness', and 'Darkness, I') are also quite excellent. I've also been hearing rumor (albeit for awhile now) that there is another novel in the works for the Scarabae clan...I'm completely down for that!

The Secret Books of Venus

• Faces Under Water
• Saint Fire
• A Bed of Earth
• Venus Preserved

These are just brilliant. Dark, romantic, and with a peppering of violence that fits into the storyline in a way that it isn't completely repugnant. It is necessary to the flow of the story. I'm usually quite disappointed with series because a wonderful opener can be deflated with a sub-par follow-up novel. This was to be the second series of Tanith's that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring.

The series takes place in 18th century Venice. Book one opens with the hedonistic atmosphere of Carnival. The festive turns deadly when Furian Furiano finds a mask of Apollo floating in the murky waters of the canals. The mask hides a sinister art. Furian becomes trapped in a bizarre web of love and evil, causing him to stumble on a macabre society of murderers. A beautiful and elusive woman, Eurydiche, holds the key to the murders. As she leads Furian into a labyrinth of ancient alchemy and black magic, he begins to realize that there are secrets in his own past linking him to her.

The Tanaquil Trilogy

• Black Unicorn
• Gold Unicorn
• Red Unicorn

These lean a bit more toward the fantasy genre. Yes, all of Tanith's books are fantasy's of sorts, but these don't have some of the hard darkness and deeds of others...the first two series I mentioned, being examples.

In the first of these ('Black Unicorn'), we meet Tanaquil. The daughter of a Sorceress, she is thought to have no magical talents. One day she discovers a pile of bones in the desert near her mother's palace. Tanaquil assembles the bones to find that they are those of a unicorn...one that comes back to life.

If you want to start off a little lighter in your intro to Tanith, these would be a good way to go. Each book is slimmer on pages, but not on story. The story in these shorter novels is as rich as any I've read by her.

If anyone who reads this blog post has read some of Tanith Lee's work, or if anyone reads their first of her books, I'd love to hear what you think. I so seldom meet anyone who is familiar with her work.

Before I end this post, I feel the need to share a thought here. Tanith doesn't add an entry to her blog site very often. She has mentioned that she would rather spend the bulk of her time writing a book instead of writing a blog entry. I get where she's coming from. In a post from February, 2010, she mentions that she has had not one-but two bouts with cancer. Breast cancer in 2000, and a recurrence in 2008 in the muscle above the breast. In 2000, they removed the tumor, and gave her the requisite 'therapy's' (chemo and radiation). With additional meds she ended up cancer free. With the return of cancer in her muscles, well, they can't perform surgery to remove that. She was a bit concerned about losing the use of her arm (she writes in long hand). The tumor seemed rather inactive and wasn't spreading, so they gave her meds and it diminished to the point of nothingness. There may be damage from the medications that will rear it's head down the road, but she's fine for now. At least according to that particular blog report. She hasn't mentioned it since.

"So far though, I am clear, if losing lots of time back on the hospital-test-X ray carousel. I may, and could, flourish for years to come. But once more, I don't know how long I've got. As it says in the wonderful Blade Runner, 'Who does?"

~ TanithLee.com

I lost one of my dearest friends to her second bout with cancer several years ago. I've never met Tanith Lee. I would love to some day. I'm a fan. Someone who loves her work, and is truly inspired by it. Someone who would've felt like she had lost a friend...of sorts...if things had gone the other way. Reading that entry about her cancer made me feel relieved. She had dodged a bullet, not once but twice. Tanith is quite the prolific writer, and I know she has a lot more to share with us. I'm very happy that she'll be weaving more wonderful tales for us to read.

"I must add one proviso though. I'll still be trying to keep you posted on developments of a writing and publication nature. But if there is another long gap, as anyone who still has the patience to check out this site will normally know, silence does NOT mean that Lord Death, done up in his best black, has carted me away. It just means that, as usual, the World's Worse Website-Upkeeper, Tanith Lee, is busy writing, lost in her own wild worlds.

So then, as they jargonistically say, let us move on, in this case back on to the golden dancing floor of life and into the well-stocked bar of Good Hope. Cheers! Here's looking at you, kid." ~ TanithLee.com

Onwards, and upwards...

Haiku...

Haiku is a poetry form that most people are familiar with. The basic format is three lines of a set number of syllables: 5-7-5. It's easy to learn, but it takes many years for someone to be considered a master. I have always enjoyed reading Haiku. Currently, I'm trying my hand at it. A few recent poems of mine will follow, but I feel the need to explain a bit of the history of Haiku. It will kind of illustrate some of the things that I dig about it.

Haiku focuses on a single moment. It's rooted in the physical world senses, but it goes deeper than that. I find it to be a very personal form of self expression. It can be quite deep and profound, even in it's simplicity. It is derived from an earlier Japanese poetry form known as 'Tanka', a court poetry used in the 9th-12th centuries. Court themes and religion were usually the topics for 'Tanka'. It is made up of 5 lines containing a set number of syllables: 5-7-5-7-7. It became popular to link the poems. One poet would write the first part of three lines (called 'Hokku') that would set the tone for the poem. Then another poet would write the next two lines. A third poet would build on it with three lines, and so on and so forth. This chaining of verses is known as 'Renga'.

Those poets that mastered the art of composing the initial three lines, or Hokku, earned much respect. During the 19th century, Hoku began to be written and read as one poem, in large part to the work of Masaoka Shiki .

During the Edo Period (1600-1868) there were three well known masters: Basho, Buson, and Issa. Their work still holds great influence on the art form today. They all were from rural villages, and honed their craft by observing. They were known as traditional Japanese wanderers, as they would wander the countryside studying nature and the human condition.


BASHO ~ HAIKU

An old pond—

The sound of a frog jumping

Into water

- Matsuo Basho

Basho (1644-94) stood out as the father of Haiku. (Haiku is derived from the word Hokku). A Taoist He broke free from the normal conventions of Japanese poetry and wrote outside of the confines of the court and religion. He wandered the countryside, keeping journals of his travels.

I have an earlier post entitled "Come Relax By The Pond..." that features music from 'Basho's Pond: Music From the World of Osho', and a couple of Basho's Haiku's. Wonderful stuff. I recommend playing the music while you read the poems and look at the pictures...for full effect. ;)

(This is more music from "Basho's Pond".)

Now for some of my 'beginner' Haiku's. It is a really fun and creative art...one that I find extremely challenging. It's diffcult in it's simplicity, if that makes sense. I have a tendency to be overly verbose, and this edited down poetry form is tough for me. I'm sure with time I will get more comfortable with it.

The poems I have posted are based on some of my photos...I scanned through a bunch that I took over the last year or so, and selected a few.

Wandering limbs wide

Feathered and verdant, The tree

Worships scattered sun.

~ L.E. Brown

White slate finger waves

Woolen clouds cast their veil o'er

The luminous sun.

~L.E. Brown

Silent dark palms gaze

Flat burnt orange horizon

Meets indigo sky.

~ L.E. Brown

It truly is a challenge getting the proper balance of simplicity and description in so few words. I'm toying with the idea of starting one of the chained poems (Renga) I mentioned above. If I do, I'll set it up on it's own page, so participants can leave their contributions as comments. I think it could be fun and interesting. Let me know if you would like to participate. Just leave a comment on this post.

Shadow Of My Former Self...? (Past Life Regression)

The subject of past life regression is a source of debate for many. There are pretty much two main camps...one of believers, and one of non-believers. It is said that the best indicator of whether or not someone believes in the legitimate existence of past life memories and experiences is if they believe that reincarnation is a reality. Science believes the apparent revelations discovered during regression therapy are mearly caused by "cryptomnesia", the subconscious using the imagination, discarded and forgotten information, and the suggestion(s) caused by the questions of the hypnotist/hypnotherapist. They believe it to all be a fictional account created by all of these factors.



Then there are the believers. Past life regression goes back quite a ways. Back to ancient India and the Upanishads (ancient, sacred texts that form the final part of Hindu religious thought...‘Upanishad’ is a sanskrit word that literally means to sit at the feet of a master to receive instruction). In the second century BCE, Patañjali (Hindu scholar, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali) described past life regression as prati-prasav ("reverse birthing"). Accumulated Karma from past lives burdens ones soul, and prati-prasav helps address current problems via past life memories. It's commonly used these days in some forms of yoga.

Past life regression therapy regained popularity in the 1950's. It was in 1952 that a famous and controversial regression happened. Virginia Tighe, an American housewife, was taken back in hypnotic regression by amateur hypnotist Morey Bernstein. When he took her back to the time 'before she was born', he found himself talking to an Irish woman named Bridey Murphy who lived in Cork, Ireland, back in the 19th century. Bernstein wrote a book about the experience, which became a bestseller. However, the facts presented by Bridey Murphy were never checked. The skeptics got involved. None of the dates given by Murphy checked out...there were no records. Instead of continuing to look into the "facts" presented by Murphy, they looked back at Tighe's life. Among many discoveries was the fact that as a child in Chicago, Tighe had lived across the street from an Irish immigrant woman named, Bridie Murphy Corkell. Scientists believe that Tighe's supposed past life was actually a fictional account created by memories from her childhood. The regression had been proven to be a hoax.






So...do past lives exist? Is hypnotic regression legitimate? To be (in the past), or not to be (in the past)...that is the question. (hehe) Do I believe? Yes, I do. I would like to learn a bit more about my personal past life history. I've been told by several that I have been with members of my family through other past lives. One person told me I was an older sister to both my mother and father in a past life. Whether or not they were during the same life, that I don't know. Actually, it is supposed to be very common for us to find the same people through each life. The relationships may be different, like mine with my parents. Some of my close friends might have been related to me, too. Another common occurrence is for a persons gender to change.

The more I share about experiences I've had in my life so far, the more I know I have a lot to learn. I'm intrigued. Have I ever been through past life regression hypnosis? Yes, once. It's my reason for writing this post. I would definitely like to have another go. I'm very curious as to what I would see. Would I see the same thing, or an extension thereof? I think I would like to see if I can get some validation, because what I saw has left me with a number of questions.



It was 1985, or so. I was about 21 years old, and going on my first weekend event with the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms). It was an 'Arts & Sciences' event. My roommates, Sherry and Michelle, told me a bit of what to expect. It was to be a great first event for a newcomer to the group. A co-worker of Sherry's would be joining us, as well. I had not met her prior to the trip.

Events usually took place over a weekend. Our destination was a state park with camp facilities. I think it operated primarily as a summer camp. There were several bunk houses, a main hall, infirmary, etc. Wasn't a huge place, but people had a bed. It was a good thing that we would be spending our nights inside. Since it was winter time, it was freezing outside. The first night (Friday) we checked in and laid claim to our beds. We ended getting into the infirmary which was the best set-up. It was very late, so we bundled up in the blankets we brought and sat up talking. It was during the night's conversation that I learned that Sherry's co-worker was studying hypnotherapy with her main focus being regression therapy. I was completely intrigued, and proceeded to play 20 Questions with her. Eventually, we all succumbed to fatigue and crashed.

The following day was a lot of fun. After the early breakfast in the main hall, we perused the tables artisans had on the large stone front porch. Lots of great medievally based wares. Everything from hand loomed, embroidered, and screen printed fabrics, to hand made swords. Savog, a long time society member who was knighted and had his own household that I would later become a member of, bought me some handmade and printed fabric adorned with the figure of a knight on horseback and a damsel, which I still have to this day. Saturday night at events is the big event when the feast takes place, so there is lots to be done in preparation in the kitchen. I searched out the Feastcrat (the woman heading up the planning of the feast festivities and food), and volunteered some time in helping get things together. After that I just did some walking around. Some observing. I felt transported back in time. Yes, SCA members select their own period of history to emulate, so there are people from many different periods socializing with one another...one of the only times you would see something like that. It was the costumes, the old English being spoken, everything of an anachronistic nature. We were surrounded by modern conveniences (lamps, a lot full of cars, camp water fountains and garbage cans, etc.), but they kind of dissolved away into the background. Pure escapism at it's best. By that point I was killing time on my own taking it all in, and then Judy (Sherry's co-worker) appeared. Since we had rolled out of bed so early, the day was still young. It was just shy of noon, so we had a few hours to kill. It was then that she brought up the subject of past life regression again. She asked me if I would like a regression session, free of charge. She had been glad to meet someone as interested as I was about it, and she would look at it as more experience for her. I was thrilled. The main thing we needed was a relatively quiet place. It wasn't that easy to come up with a location, but we settled on her car. We had driven down in her car, and it was quite roomy. The passenger side seat reclined, and it just seemed like the only choice available for a closed environment.

After swinging by the infirmary for a couple of things (a couple of blankets and some crystals Judy always carried with her), we hopped in her car. She moved it to the far side of the parking lot to the farthest point from the bustle of activity. Not only was this going to be my first regression, it was going to be the first time that I had been hypnotized. I was experiencing a little nervous excitement, but Judy took me through some relaxation exercises and that ended pretty quickly. Sufficiently calm and relaxed, Judy began the hypnosis. She used a technique using a staircase and the numbers 1 through 10, the top most stair being 10. With each stair/number, I descended the staircase and entered more into a hypnotic state. For a minute or two I stopped hearing her all together. The best way I can describe hearing her voice again was like someone turning up the volume on a stereo. It started off faint, and gradually gained in strength until it reached the proper volume. At that point I was pretty much hypnotized. (Judy would later tell me that she was surprised that I entered hypnosis so deeply for a first timer. It's quite common for newbies to hypnosis to not go under very deeply, or at all the first time or two.) At that point, she said that I had reached the bottom of the staircase and there was a path before me. From that point on she didn't really lead me much. She let me describe things. Don't get me wrong, Judy would ask me things like "What do you see?", but not things like "Do you see a house?" I remember what I saw during my 'state' quite vividly to this day. What follows is a Reader's Digest version, rather than a blow by blow account.

Once Judy tells me I'm at the head of a path, I see it. There is nothing to either side just darkness. She tells me to start down it, and then I just start moving forward. Kind of a steady drifting motion. A moment later, I'm moving down a dirt road. Green fields roll away from me to either side and the road is lined with roughly constructed stone walls. 'Ireland' pops into my mind. Everything is uncommonly vivid. The colors, the sounds. I can hear birds and thunder. The sky is full of clouds. It feels like I'm there, and not there...I feel ethereal. (I don't know if that makes any sense whatsoever.) The visuals on how I'm moving can be described best as being like the smooth, floaty motion of a steady cam with a filter on the lens that makes everything look more vibrant. I continue moving along the road, catching sight of trees and bushes here and there. Then I notice a small structure off to my right.



A small stone cottage type of building. It has a thatch roof. I feel myself moving towards it. There's a set of double wooden doors that are standing open. I move toward and through the open doors, a strong scent of fresh cut wood filling the air. A man wearing a leather apron over his non-descript clothing is sitting on a stool by a work table carving on something. The floor is covered with wood shavings, and the room is filled to the brim with things that say 'carpenter' to me. I see wooden bowls, and small pieces of furniture. The man looks quite fixated on his task. He has long-ish hair that is pulled back, a moustache and small beard on his chin. He looks to be young...somewhere in his twenties. I really sense his attention to his project. Then someone else enters the room. A young woman with long brown hair. She looks angry about something, and starts shouting at him and waving her arms. He is startled and tries to calm her down. She rushes out into the torrential rain that is now falling, and he goes after her. I move out the door to follow, and they are gone.



After several moments of not seeing anything but green grass, I hear Judy's voice tell me to go into the future. To move forward 15 years. Everything kind of goes black, but it feels more like a fade from one time to another. I then move into a huge room. It has a high ceiling of wood above, and all of the walls are stone. There are a couple of small windows high up on the end walls. The walls themselves are covered with pieces of artwork, but I can't make out what any of them are. One wall has a huge fireplace that looks big enough for a person to walk into without stooping. A fire is blazing away. Two huge wiry haired dogs are snoozing in front of it. To the center of the room is a bulky and long table, surrounded by chairs with candles down the center of it's surface. At that point, I notice a figure seated at the opposite end. I move toward them and realize that it is an older version of the man I saw from before. He has quite a bit of grey in his hair, and he seems slightly thicker around the middle. Judging by the room and his appearance, he seems to have become a bit more affluent. I get a sense that he is concerned about something, and notice him pouring over some papers on the table in front of him. I move to his side. A moment later he looks over where I am, but not at me. Someone has entered the room and he looks to be very spooked. Then a look of absolute fear covers his face, there is a bright white flash, and I come out of hypnosis. I just sit bolt upright in the seat. In a way, it felt like I had been yanked out. I startled Judy. She hadn't started the process of bringing me out, and couldn't fathom what had caused me to "snap out of it".

To say that I have questions...well, that would be an understatement. Who did I see? Was the man me? During the course of the regression, Judy had been surprised that I was so vocal with what I was seeing. She had enjoyed taking me through it, and I think she was as intrigued as I was. As I mentioned towards the beginning of this post, I do believe in the subject of past lives. Did I genuinely see images from my past? Judy took me through the experience at an SCA event that was filled with people in Medieval garb. I have a very creative imagination. Could my subconscious have been at work, creating a world from the sources stated in the concept of Cryptomnesia effecting past life regression? Maybe, but I can't say for sure either way. I think I'll have these questions until I'm able to do some research in the form of another regression, or two. See if I can get some more solid information (names, dates, places, etc.) Who knows? Maybe I won't revisit the same person and place again. I do think it's very possible that I tapped into some memories from my far away past, but even as open minded as I am I'd like to see some more solid facts/proof on it. I do have my personal set of beliefs, but on the whole I don't believe or disbelieve something until it's proven to me one way or the other. My opportunity to have more sessions with Judy ceased to be a possibility when I moved out of the house I shared with Sherry. The cause for my departure wasn't my doing, I just didn't feel comfortable with my roommate situation at that point. It is now roughly 25 years later, and I still have yet to do any follow-up. I'll go through another regression when the time is ripe.

I have had many experiences during the course of my life thus far, and they have all shaped my belief system. Life is supposed to teach us, and we are here to be taught. I believe that we keep coming back until we have achieved everything we are supposed to. Is it destiny? I think there are some things that are predetermined, but on a big picture level, how does one learn if they don't have the power of choice? We have our own paths, but every path has forks. It is up to each of us to decide which way we go.

Come Relax By The Pond...

Some music from the world of Osho. One of my favorites. (I have practically worn a hole in my cassette's tape...happy to see that it appears to be on CD now.)

Thought I would share this on what looks to be a quiet Sunday. Every time I listen to this music, it makes me feel peaceful. Hope you enjoy it.

The old pond

A frog jumps in

The Sound of Water

~ Basho

Old pond

leap - splash

a frog.

~Basho

Shirley & Chakras...

I am really jazzed that someone posted the four videos below on YouTube. My VHS copy of this wonderful guided meditation is in storage, and it has become a bit difficult to buy copies. (Amazon is slim pickings. I keep hoping that it will be released on DVD in the near future. Still just on VHS.)

"Shirley MacClaine's Inner Workout For Stress Reduction & Relaxation" is SO well worth the time. I know that there are those who think her a kook, but I admire her greatly. Each of us has our own individual spiritual path. It is up to each of us to traverse it (if we wish to), to learn whatever we are supposed to, and to find those 'things' that are right for us. Those things that make us happy, centered, and get us through the day. Shirley had the means and the desire to explore what is out there. Big respect.

The video (the up loader broke it down into the four parts) deals with the Chakras. Don't know what the Chakras are? The word 'chakra' is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning 'wheel'; but a better translation would be spinning wheel. To people that can see them, they describe each main chakra as appearing like a spinning wheel or vortex of energy. Each 'vortex' spins inward from the front of your body towards the center point of each chakra on what is called the 'kunilini', and then they spin outward from that same point to your back. The kunilini is shaped like a staff, and sits almost on your spinal column. The Chakras are positioned along the kunilini starting at the base of the spine and running up through the head.

There are seven primary Chakras and around 100 smaller secondary Chakras. The smaller ones are called meridians and are tapped into during acupuncture to attune an individuals Chi flow. The secondary/meridians are influenced with the physical and with action. The seven primary Chakras deal with spirituality and emotions. The primary chakras have a great effect on your health, and the health issue associated with a particular chakra would indicate that the chakra is unbalanced within itself from an emotional or spiritual cause. The imbalance manifests into the physical ailment. That's where chakra healing comes in. This MacClaine meditation acts as a kind of alignment to the seven primary chakras. A way to relieve stress, and I must say that it works. I used to plug this tape in frequently to help get 'centered' and release stuff. It's quite effective.

I will say that it stinks that the person who up loaded the videos had to be creative in editing the meditation because of length limits that YouTube has in place. I'm glad that they positioned the breaks in places where Shirley is transitioning from one Chakra to another. I need to do some looking around online to find the two other portions that they didn't upload. There is a section at the very beginning of Shirley explaining what the Chakras are and going through them one by one. (Hopefully I've explained enough about what they are in relation to the meditation.) The other missing section is at the end of the tape. It's a second, closed eye meditation that is also quite wonderful. I have had great experiences with both.

THE SEVEN PRIMARY CHAKRAS

Their Colors & Meanings

VIOLET/PURPLE

• Governs the CROWN chakra, at the top of the head.
  
• BEAUTY, CREATIVITY, INSPIRATION
  
• Related organ: brain
  
• Endocrine gland: pineal gland.
  
• Associated problems: depression, Parkinson's disease, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, senile dementia, Alzheimer's, many mental disorders, confusion, and dizziness.
  
• Personality Traits: Inspirational leaders, kindly and just, humanitarians, self-sacrificing, visionary, creative, and strong mentally.
• Violet relates to self knowledge/spiritual awareness. It is the union with your higher self, with spirituality, and your higher consciousness. Disease can result with an in-balance of energy in this chakra, either too much or too little. The violet energy connects us to our spiritual self bringing guidance, wisdom and inner strength and purifies our thoughts and feelings giving us inspiration in all undertakings. Enhances artistic talent and creativity.

INDIGO

• Governs the BROW chakra or third eye, in the center of the forehead.
  INTUITION, MYSTICISM, UNDERSTANDING
  Related organs: eyes, lower head and sinuses Endocrine gland: pituitary gland.
  Associated problems: tension headache, migraine, visual defects, short-sightedness, long-sightedness, glaucoma, cataracts, sinus problems, ear problems.
  Personality Traits: Intuitive, fearless, practical, idealistic, wise, and a truth seeker.
• Indigo relates to self responsibility - being responsible for one's own life, responsible to oneself to follow the soul's path and needs and trusting one's own intuition. (The ability to see things from a 'higher' viewpoint rather than purely for satisfaction of the ego or one's material comfort.). The indigo energy connects us to our unconscious self, and gives us the experience of being part of the whole universe. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers, and increases dream activity.

BLUE

• Governs the THROAT chakra. KNOWLEDGE, HEALTH, DECISIVENESS
• Related organs: throat and lungs
• Endocrine gland: thyroid gland. The upper digestive tract can be affected by imbalance in this area. TURQUOISE can also be helpful for both the throat and the heart chakra.
• Associated problems: Thyroid problems - over active/under active; Anorexia nervosa (this is a multi-chakra problem but has a strong connection to the throat chakra); asthma; bronchitis; hearing problems; tinnitus - may also be connected to problems with the brow chakra; problems of the upper digestive tract; mouth ulcers, sore throats, tonsillitis.
• Personality Traits: Loyal, tactful, affectionate, inspiring, inventive, caring, and cautious.
• Blue is the color of the spirit and relates to self expression - speech, communication, the ability to communicate our needs and requirements; Spirit of truth and purpose. This is a mentally-relaxing color. Blue has a pacifying effect on the nervous system and brings great relaxation - ideal for sleep problems, and hyper-active children. Connects us to holistic thought, and gives us wisdom and clarity enhancing communication and speech.

GREEN

• Governs the HEART chakra.
• BALANCE, LOVE, SELF CONTROL
• Related organs: heart and breasts
• Endocrine gland: thymus gland
• Associated problems: heart diseases, diseases of the Immune system eg.AIDS and ME (myalgia encephalomyelitis, sometimes referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome); other problems related to the immune system, allergies, cancer of the breast. TURQUOISE also has a helpful effect on the immune system and also helpful in relation to the throat chakra. PINK also relates to the heart chakra being the color of love.
• Personality Traits: Understanding, self-controlled, adaptable, sympathetic, compassionate, generous, humble, nature loving, and romantic.
• Green chakra relates to love/self love - the ability to give and take unconditionally. When balanced we are able to give love and also to love and nurture ourselves. Helps relax muscles, nerves, and thoughts. Cleanses and balances our energy, to give a feeling of renewal, peace and harmony. Green connects us to unconditional love and is used for balancing our whole being.

YELLOW

• Governs the SOLAR PLEXUS chakra, situated below the ribs.
• WISDOM, CLARITY, SELF-ESTEEM
• Related organs: liver, spleen, stomach and small intestine.
• Endocrine gland: pancreas
• Associated problems: diabetes, pancreatitis, liver disease, peptic ulcer, Coeliac's disease, and gall stones.
• Personality Traits: Good-humored, optimistic, confident, practical, and intellectual.
• Yellow is a creative color and relates to self worth. How we feel about ourselves and how we feel others perceive us. This is the area of the personality, the ego and the intellect. Gives us clarity of thought, increases awareness, and stimulates interest and curiosity. Yellow energy is related to the ability to perceive and understand. The yellow energy connects us to our mental self.

ORANGE

• Governs the SACRAL chakra situated in the lower abdomen.
• HAPPINESS, CONFIDENCE, RESOURCEFULNESS
• Related organs: uterus, large bowel, prostate, ovaries and testes. (In the fetus the testes develop in the lower abdomen, thus linking with the sacral chakra energy, then descending to the scrotum by birth.)
• Endocrine glands: ovaries and testes
• Associated problems: pre-menstrual syndrome, problems with menstrual flow, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, testicular disease, prostate disease. Personality Traits: Enthusiastic, happy, sociable, energetic, sporty, self-assured, and constructive.
• Orange is the color of success and relates to self respect; having the ability to give ourselves the freedom to be ourselves and helps you expand your interests and activities. Brings joy to our workday and strengthens our appetite for life! Orange is the best emotional stimulant. It connects us to our senses and helps to remove inhibitions and makes us independent and social.

RED

• Governs the BASE chakra situated at the base of the spine.
• VITALITY, COURAGE, SELF CONFIDENCE
• Related organs: kidneys and bladder, the vertebral column, hips and legs are also areas related to this chakra.
• Endocrine gland: adrenal gland.
• Associated problems: constipation, diarrhea, piles, colitis, Crohn's disease, cold fingers and toes, frequency of urination, hypertension (high blood pressure), kidney stones, impotence, hip problems, legs and feet. PINK can also be used here when a more gentle energy is required.
• Personality Traits: Courageous, confident, humanistic, strong-willed, spontaneous, honest, and extroverted.
• Red relates to self awareness. It is the area of survival and stability and your place on this earth. The color red provides the power from the earth and gives energy on all levels. It connects us to our physical body. Everything that is to be commenced needs the life vitality of red.