Holistic Products December 2007
Abrioné Chakra Masques
A mind-body connection in a facial? The critic in me wanted to scoff, but the rainbow colors in the set of Abrioné Chakra Masques brought out the little kid in me. The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and is a center of activity that receives, assimilates, and expresses life force energy. In the Hindu system, it is believed that there are seven of these wheels in our bodies, stacked in a column of energy from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra relates to a specific color and qualities. The Abrioné Chakra Masques were formulated with this in mind. When I used the Masques, I lined the different colored jars up to see which one I was attracted to. After I chose one, I eagerly read the qualities that were associated with the Masque. Even though I have a good working knowledge of the charkas, it was still fun to see which natural ingredients were chosen for the masque and what was written about the qualities.
One day, I was drawn to the cooling blue Throat Chakra Masque. The turquoise color associated with this chakra is believed to bring lightness, peace and calm. The ingredients were formulated to soften, smooth and moisturize my skin. The green tea in it served as an anti-irritant. I even put a little on my neck and chest to help bring some lightness and peace to my lungs. It felt great. Another day, I allowed myself to bask in the invigorating quality of the Sacral Chakra Masque. It was the final Masque in my journey through the chakras. The ylang ylang in the masque helped calm the negative voices in my head, brought back the memory of the sweetness of life and opened up my creativity. Abrioné Chakra Masques reminded me to slow down and think about the qualities each chakra represented (a big step for this multi-task queen). Each time I chose a new color, I was inspired to take my experience a step further and meditate on the qualities of the Masque while I was waiting for it to dry. I got a meditation and a facial all in one. Even the Queen of Multi-Tasking” was appeased in a gentle, healing way. —LG
www.vbcosmetics.com.
Do You Know What Your Pet is Thinking?
My father and his cat, Tsunami, are like two peas in a pod. They even sit on the couch every night watching reruns of CSI together. Some of “the Nam’s” habits, however, have always been a mystery. Why, for instance, does he intermittently spray at random pieces of furniture for no apparent reason? And what is he trying to tell my dad when he stands up on his hind legs and “head butts” him on the shoulder like a rutting billy goat? When I brought home a deck of Angelica del Mar’s Messages From Your Animal Companion Oracle Deck, we thought we would put it to the test and “aim”—no pun intended—some questions about Tsunami at it. After my father stated his intention to “strengthen my relationship with my animal companion” (admittedly, this was hard for him to do without cracking up a few times), he then asked the pivotal question: “What does Tsunami want to tell me most right now?” My mother and I stood in rapt attention as my father pulled a card from the middle of the deck. “Elimination” said the card. In a telling color photograph, there was a picture of a not-so-happy cat perched inside a very cramped box. “ I need a new litter box,” the explanation at the bottom of the card said. “…I need a new designated elimination area or walk.” We looked at the card once more, then all eyes turned to Tsunami, who reared up on his hind legs rather dramatically (he is Siamese after all) and gave my father the biggest head butt we had ever seen. The next night, my parents bought Tsunami, who had been sharing facilities with our other cat, his own litter box. Nowadays, he still head butts at times—and we are glad he does because it is kind of endearing. Ever since the litter box room addition, however, he hasn’t sprayed once. Our household includes my mom, my dad, two cats, a dog and myself. I know what the two-legged members of my family are up to because they tell me. Doesn’t it make sense to want to know what the four-legged members are thinking as well? Messages From Your Animal Companions is a lot of fun and it helps give us two-leggeds a way to slow down and lovingly ask questions about our pets—and maybe get some answers back as well. —NLP
www.angelicascards.com