Tongue Diagnosis
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Tongue Diagnosis

Detox, Detoxification, Diagnosis, Nurturing Life Project, Period Care, Postpartum Care, Second Spring, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Tongue Diagnosis

The tongue is a part of the interior of our bodies that we can see. The tongue is slower to change as compared to the pulse. By using both tongue and pulse diagnosis, acupuncturists are able to get a clear picture of a patient’s current state of health, and what what may have gotten him/her there.

Many patients have a combination of patterns occurring at the same time, making real world diagnosis more complicated than the straightforward explanations below. First we will look at the tongue body then the tongue coating.

Normal Tongue
A normal tongue is pink, not too big and not too small, with a very thin white coating.

Tongue Body

Jutting Tongue
This tongue to “v” shaped and juts out forcefully. The tension in the tongue is indicative of the tension held in the body. It is a sign of Liver excess (Liver Qi Stagnation or Fire). Possible symptoms include muscle tension, stress, irritability, depression, and PMS. If the tongue veers to one side this indicates Liver Wind and potentially stroke or convulsions.

Puffy Tongue
Also known as a enlarged or fat tongue. This indicates Phlegm and is a sign of congestion of body fluids. Phlegm is implicated in many modern diseases including sinus or lung congestion, excess weight, irrational thinking, obsessive thoughts, fatigue, foggy thinking, chronic joint pain, high cholesterol, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and channel blockages.

Small Tongue
A tongue that is smaller than normal indicates a deficiency of substance in the body, namely Blood Deficiency or Yin Deficiency. Common symptoms include anxiety, restlessness, tinnitis, insomnia, night sweats, and female hormone deficiency.

Scalloped Tongue
Teeth marks on the sides of the tongue indicates Spleen Qi Deficiency. This can present as weak digestion, food allergies, fatigue, poor muscle tone, a tendency to bruise, low immunity, and organ prolapse.

Assessing Tongue Color

Red indicates Heat (inflammation and/or toxicity). Symptoms can include thirst, constipation, irritability, acne, excess hunger, bad breath, strong body odor, and excessive bleeding.

Pallor indicates Cold or Deficiency (Qi, Blood, and/or Yang). Symptoms may include feeling cold, fatigue, emotional sensitivity, insomnia, lack of physical strength, and knee and low back weakness.

Purple or bluish indicates Blood Stagnation. Physical trauma, longstanding emotional stress, uterine fibroids, heart issues, or other conditions impeding healthy blood circulation. There may be difficulty sleeping, stubborn depression, pain, stiffness, and stuck emotional patterns.

Red Tip The very tip of the tongue corresponds to the Heart. A red tip indicates Heart Heat, or emotional unrest. This can manifest as stress, anxiety, or insomnia. If the tip has a cleft it indicates longstanding or constitutional tendency towards emotional issues. Petechiae (little red dots) indicate Wind Heat; a cold with fever and yellow phlegm, typically bacterial in origin.

Tongue Coating

Thick White Coat
A thick tongue coating indicates Dampness. This is a pathological accumulation of fluids associated with digestive impairment. Common signs include weight gain, abdominal bloating, cloudy urination, mucous in the stools, edema, excessive vaginal discharge, poor digestion, and loose stools.

Thin Yellow Coat
The coating is thin, but distinctly yellow. This indicates Heat, either internal (inflammation) or Wind Heat (cold with fever, typically bacterial in origin).

Thick Yellow Coat
The tongue appears heavily coated and yellow. This indicates Damp Heat, the combination of Dampness and Heat (fluid accumulation mixed with inflammation). Commons symptoms include excess weight, feeling hot, anger, Liver/Gallbladder issues, and red weepy skin conditions.

Scanty or Mirrored Coat
The tongue looks shiny, like liver. This indicates Yin Deficiency and the patient may present with insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, thirst, low back pain, tinnitis, hot flashes, and night sweats.

Common Combination Patterns

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:30+00:00December 29th, 2017|Detox, Detoxification, Diagnosis, Nurturing Life Project, Period Care, Postpartum Care, Second Spring, Traditional Chinese Medicine|Comments Off

How to Heal/Avoid Spiritual Abuse
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How to Heal/Avoid Spiritual Abuse

Sexual Cultivation, Spirituality

How to Heal/Avoid Spiritual Abuse

“Widows, bulls, slippery steps, and holy men. Avoid these, and liberation awaits.”
Quote from the movie “Water”

My mom, Dr. Judith Andrews, is always saying “you don’t need a guru.” She inherited my grandfather’s skepticism of holy men as swindlers. My years in southern California, a seeming epicenter for gurus, has only affirmed this for me.

As the quote above alludes, people who set themselves up as God’s middlemen have always been an issue. The stories are the same across time, cultures, and religious/spiritual orders. Sexual abuse of minors or adults. Taking money from the hands of the desperate. Narcissistic outbursts. Catholic priests, Megastar pastors, Tibetan monks, your local yoga instructor…. there is no safe place for you to hand over your spiritual power.

Most of us have been cut off from our personal connection to the divine within us at an early age. It can happen even before we are born out of the womb if the environment we incarnate into is too dense. The veil drops and we forget who we really are and our connection to the mystery around us.

This works in society’s favor, or at least societies built on hierarchical control. Having a bunch of self-aware, happy, empowered people around would be worse than trying to herd butterflies.

But one day we catch a glimpse. A hardship or abrupt change breaks through the illusion and we can no longer do things as we did before. We are scared. Like standing at the edge of a high cliff…. and there appears this person so full of confidence.

This person is also so confident in us and our greatness. This is all fine and good. We all need teachers and friends after all. There is one caveat, however, we must depend on this confidence man. We only retain this safe, special place as long as we are with him/her. We may not stray on our own.

This is where the grooming and usual mind control come into play to undermine individual identity and create dependency.

I want to add a less talked about aspect, because it holds the key to your empowerment and freedom from these wayward parasites. Something even more sinister may be happening. In many Eastern, African, and Western occult traditions the spiritual expert actually harnesses spiritual powers and gifts from their followers. The imagery and terms vary from tradition to tradition, but the gist is the same.

We all have a connection to the divine through the heart up to the crown and third eye chakras. The spiritual conman will hijack the inner sight and divert that crown connection to themselves. All the divine gifts and power go to the conman. The follower’s psyche has been rewired. It now makes a B-line to the conman when it tries to access spiritual connection. This is how some spiritual conmen are able to attain special powers. They often make great use of magic tricks.

In traditions across Eurasia that understand the power of sexual energy, conmen (and women) emerged who found it much faster to steal sexual energy from others rather than cultivate it themselves. This is known as sexual vampirism. This misuse and hijacking of the sexual-spiritual axis occurs in dark corners of Daoist, Tantric, and Tibetan Tantric traditions. It was smuggled into secret societies in the U.S. by Aleister Crawley. Rasputin was initiated into a sexual cult in Russia…if you dig a little you will find that some of the darkest aspects of our humanity are tied to this inversion of sexual-spiritual connection. These conmen will be the most hypnotic and powerful.

These most serious cases of spiritual abuse require even more intervention than leaving a cult. Victims need help reclaiming their energy and their gifts. The damage to their personal identity will have been even more profound. All these cases have and can be healed, but it is far easier to get the lesson through someone else’s story and avoid all that time and energy it takes to heal.

The Lesson:
There are no certainties in life. There is no one way. It is best to go ahead and make friends with fear now because it will be there every time you are about to grow in some big and magical way. It means you are on to something. I t means you are about to stretch beyond the familiar.

Make sure your spiritual practice includes learning who you are and loving yourself and others. Illusion cannot stand up to Truth and Love.

If you have been conned, forgive yourself. We all go through vulnerable times and all it takes is for a vulture to swoop in at the right moment. It does not mean you are weak, or stupid, or should feel ashamed. That only keeps you from seeking the support that will heal you.

Spiritual conmen are everywhere, but I give an extra caution to associating with Neo-Tantric groups. This is one of the reasons I felt called to share information on sexuality in a spiritual and health context. We need more people bringing this information out in an empowering way.

The purpose of the guru is to teach you that you don’t need one. You are meant to discover your own divinity and power.

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:30+00:00December 29th, 2017|Sexual Cultivation, Spirituality|Comments Off

Podcast 10; Interview with child Holocaust survivor Fani Weinstein

In this episode of The Lia Andrews Show I interview child Holocaust survivor and success business woman Fani Weinstein. You can download her autobiography free here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:13 — 55.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

By andrews|2017-10-17T22:09:59+00:00October 17th, 2017|Podcasts|Comments Off

Episode 8; Interview with Fani Weingarten – The Lia Andrews Show

In this episode of The Lia Andrews Show I interview child Holocaust survivor and success business woman Fani Weinstein. You can download her autobiography free here.

via IFTTT

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:30+00:00October 9th, 2017|Extended Interviews, Interview with Fani Weingarten - The Lia Andrews Show, Weekly Show|Comments Off

Basic Grounding Meditation

Daoist tradition plays great emphasis on grounding before embarking on any type of spiritual development such as a meditation practice. This helps avoid two of the primary pitfalls of spiritual development:

Getting spacy, ungrounded, unbalanced, and otherwise incapable of functioning in this world.
Entity attack or influence.

This basic meditation grounds you in your space and connects you to the earth in preparation for deeper practices.

You can also listen to the audio on my podcast below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:26 — 12.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:31+00:00October 4th, 2017|Daoism, Nurturing Life Project, Podcasts, Weekly Show|Comments Off

Mickey Carnell on Lady Slipper Orchid Culture 2017
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Mickey Carnell on Lady Slipper Orchid Culture 2017

Plants

Mickey Carnell on Lady Slipper Orchid Culture 2017

By Lia Andrews. I have had beginner’s luck with many orchids: dendrobiums, cattleyas, phalaenopsis, and even vandaceous orchids, but my two paphiopedilums are barely hanging on. They’re alive but they are not happy, and they certainly have not bloomed. I thought maybe these orchids were not for me. I was surprised to hear Mickey say that when he first started growing orchids, he had immediate success with slipper orchids. He believes that slipper orchids are actually the easiest orchids for those who already have a green thumb with houseplants to start with because their care is not so different.

Slipper orchids are not epiphytes or lithophytes, like most orchids grown in collections like cattleyas and dendrobiums. (Epiphytes get their moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and occasional debris. Lithophytes grow on rock faces, again without soil.) Slipper orchids are terrestrial and semi-terrestrial plants often found by streams and lakes in most parts of the world. They are in the subfamily Cypripedioideae of orchids. The genera include cypripediums, mexipediums, selenipediums, phragmipediums and paphiopedilums. Most species in this subfamily are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss.

They share some common characteristics. They tend to like their roots wet, but not soggy. They cannot be mericloned, only divided. Seed crosses can vary widely (similar to the variety of genetic variations that can occur when you cross two humans). Their flowers are long lasting.

Water – The biggest take away I got from the presentation was the idea of “hydration” rather than watering. This is a key concept with this group. They need time to soak and fill up. Slippers do not like to fully dry out.

How to Hydrate a Slipper Orchid:

Get a larger pot with no drainage hole.
Fill with water and a little food.
Place your potted slipper inside to soak for at least 15 min – 2 hours.

Water every other day or every 4^th day depending on the time of year.

Media – Mickey has grown slippers in all types of media: moss, bark, and various mixes. Just pay attention to moisture and freshness of the media. You will have to adjust watering according to the media. Remember that the more food and water, the faster organic media breaks down. (This is why many growers favor using rocks, sponge rock, etc. in their media to prolong the time before they have to repot). When it does, it becomes acidic and inhospitable to the orchids. The same media can be used for all slippers, the difference is that phragmipediums typically prefer to remain moist, while paphopedilums require a slight drying out between waterings.

Potting – All orchids like a fresh mix. Repot slipper orchids any time you think the media has started to break down to keep the growing media fresh. Like most orchids, they like to be underpotted. Repotting just means replacing the media, it does not necessarily mean going with a larger pot. Like other orchids, slippers prefer to be underpotted. Also, be sure to open the roots a bit so that at least some of the roots are touching the edge of the pot. Slipper roots are a little more delicate than other orchids. Cut away where the roots have become papery. Note: If you have an ailing slipper, cut away dead roots and pot in a tight wad of high quality sphagnum moss. Let the moss dry thoroughly before fully hydrating again.

Note: The wetter the media, the more prone to heat and cold damage.

Food – Mickey prefers high nitrate fertilizer (no urea). A 3:1:2 ratio will grow any plant under the sun. Nitrogen queues the plant to grow. Bloom fertilizer lacks nitrogen and allows the plant to flower. But remember, blooms happen on mature plants.

Pests – Slippers are bothered by few pests aside from occasional mealy bugs.

Cypripedium reginae

CYPRIPEDIUMS
From the Latin Cypris = “Kypris or Aphrodite (Venus)”, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “Aphrodite’s slipper”.
These are the lady slipper orchids I remember as a kid growing in the forests of upstate New York. They are cold weather orchids widespread in the northern U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, and China. Mickey did not review their culture in detail as they do not tolerate the heat of the southern U.S. Species include: Cypripedium reginae, formosanum, and gutatum. More pictures of species and hybrids.

Mexipedium xerophyticum

MEXIPEDIUMS
From Mexi = Mexico, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “Mexican slipper”.

The genera consists of a single species, Mexipedium xerophyticum, found in Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows in limestone crevices.

Selenipedium aequinoctiale

SELENIPEDIUMS
From the Greek Selen = “moon”, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “moon slipper”.

The natural habitat for the genera is concentrated in the Amazon and thus is at great risk due to deforestation. An attempt was made to use some species as a vanilla substitute, but their difficulty in cultivation made their use inefficient. Species include: Selenipedium aequinoctiale (mimicry orchid), vanillocarpum, and chica.

P. Court Jester

PHRAGMIPEDIUMS
From the Greek Phragma = “division”, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “divided slipper”.

They are native to Latin America and many are endangered in the wild. Species include: Phragmipedium pearcei, besseae, and kovachii and popular hybrids like P. “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. More pictures of species.

Phragmipediums are known amongst orchid growers as “difficult” plants so I was surprised to hear Mickey say P. Court Jester was the first orchid he ever got to flower. In Mickey’s opinion, phrags are the easiest slipper orchid to bloom. They can bloom sequentially for 6 months to 1 ½ years.

Phrags are very different from paphiopedilums. Of all the slippers, phrags are the most terrestrial. All slippers like their roots “wet but not soggy”, but phrags have the highest tolerance for wetness. You can get away with growing most phrags in standing water. P. bessiae and its hybrids are sensitive to wet feet, but most phrags enjoy being moist all the time. Many growers keep their potted phrags in a saucer of water. Otherwise, you want to check the potting mixture for moisture like you would any potted plant. As soon as it begins to dry out, hydrate the phrag thoroughly; typically every other day or so.

They may not be sensitive to the quantity but they are picky on quality. Every successful phrag grower I have spoken to swears that rain water is the secret. Their famous sensitivity to water quality is likely due to their dependence on mycorrhizal fungi (which perish in the chemical-laden water supply most of us have access to). This is the opinion of expert phragmipedium grower, Gary Murza.

Paph. (Via Victoria x Spring Free) x spicerianum grown by Barb Murza

PAPHIOPEDILUMS
From Paphos = a city in Cyprus, a place sacred to Aphrodite (Venus), Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “Venus slipper”.

These are native to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Paphiopedilums are widely hybridized and common in orchid collections. Many adapt well to the southern U.S. The bulk of Mickey’s talk focused on this genera. He brought in examples of each subgenus for us to see and touch.

General Culture:

Media – 2 parts coconut or bark : 1 part charcoal : 1 part perlite. Mickey does not like lava rock because they accumulate salts. Paphs and phrags can be grown in the same media. Paphs really don’t like acid media. Be sure to repot when the media begins to break down.

Water – Never let them dry out completely. Use room temperature water. Do not use softened water. Potting media should stay moist but not wet. Most paphs like to be watered every other day. Paphs do not like water on their leaves (in South Florida. In California you would not need to worry about this). If you get water on their leaf axis it can easily cause fungus and rot. To remedy this you can grow in moss to limit the frequency of watering and/or hydrate them by soaking just the roots in water rather than spraying with a hose or watering from overhead.

Food – Paphs like to eat frequently. You can feed a dilute amount at every watering. Simply add a little food to the water and allow roots to soak. Flush with plain water every 4^th watering. Alternately, feed weakly weekly, flushing with plain water 4-6 weeks.

Light – 800-1,000 foot candles. 70% shade (shadow east – too much light). Leaves should feel cool to the touch. Most paphs like early morning sun, though they thrive in all day filtered light. If they are in a place where the phalaenopsis have dark green leaves, it is too shady. As with all plants, the higher the light exposure, the more food and water required for the plant to keep up.

Humidity – 70% humidity is ideal. Use a humidity tray, fine mist several times a day, or use a humidifier.

Temperature range – 55°-85° is the ideal temperature range for most paphs.

Air Movement – moist, vigorous air movement reduces chance of disease.

New growth on a healthy plant will mature and bloom within 9 months.

At tonight’s meeting, the winning orchid was Paph. (Via Victoria x Spring Free) x spicerianum, expertly grown by Barb Murza. Barb says this Paph. spicerianum crosses are reliable bloomers and easy to grow.

Subgenus: Barbatum/Sigmatopetalum
Species include: Paph. venustum, wardii, purpuratum, argus, appletonianum,barbatum, callosum, lawrenceanum, mastersianum, sukhakulii, superbiens, venustum, viniferum and wolterianum.

Widespread through Southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Known as maudiae-type paphs due to their mottled leaves. Warm monsoon (monsoon summer/dry cool winter) growers ideally suited to South Florida. Prefer shade (500-1500 foot-candles).

Subgenus: Paphiopedilum/Insigne
Species include: Paph. coccineum, hirsutissimum, spicerianum, barbigerum. boxalii, charlesworthii, druryi, exul, fairrieanum, gratrixianum, helenae, henryanum, herman, insigne, and trigrinum.

Native to Southen China, Bhutan, Laos, Burma, and Thailand. Most are cool monsoon growers (require cooler autumn temperatures to bloom). Distinguished by green, strap-shaped leaves. Bloom in winter. Prefer bright light (high phalaenopsis, low cattleya light).

Subgenus: Brachypetalum
Species include: Paph. bellatulum, longipetalum, niveum, bellatulum, concolor, godefroyae, xgreyi, niveum and thaianum.

Native to tropical China, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, and Thailand. Distinguished by their tessellated and succulent, water-filled leaves. They do not need as much water as other paphs. According to Mickey they come to flower quickly. They like more food and particularly do not like water on their leaf axis. These slippers can tolerate temperatures into the 40’s. They enjoy the monsoon summer/dry cool winter seasons of South Florida. Cool dry winter + calcium supplements for summer blooming. Shade. Good air movement.

Subgenus: Parvisepalum
Species include: Paph. armeniacum, delenatii, malipoense, micranthum, vietnamense, emersonii, hangianum, jackii, and malipoense.

Native to tropical China and Vietnam. They are distinguished by tessellated thin leaves and flowers with large, inflated pouches. Cool dry winter + calcium supplements for summer blooming. Shade. Good air movement.

Strap-Leaf Multiflorals – Distinguished by their ability to sustain multiple blooms. They like good air flow. Must have a 6-8 week cool period (50-60°F) to bloom. Mickey considers them difficult to kill and they are fast growers. The leaves should be an apple green color for optimal flowering. This subgroup prefers more light; most tolerating cattleya-level light (2000-3000 ft-candles). They prefer to grow warmer and shouldn’t be exposed to temperatures below 50°-55°. They enjoy the monsoon summer/dry winter seasons of South Florida.

Subgenus: Cochlopetalum
Species include: Paph. glaucophyllum, liemianum, moquetteanum, primulinum, victoria-mariae and victoria-regina (syn. chamberlainianum).

Native to Indonesia. Sequential bloomer. Mickey states that cochlopetalums are great for growers in Southwest Florida. Again, they are warm weather monsoon growers.

Subgenus: Coryopetalum
Species include: Paph. adductum, gigantifolium, intaniae, kolopakingii, ooii, philippinense, platyphyllum, praestans (syn. glanduliferum), randsii, rothschildianum, sanderianum, stonei and supardii.

Simultaneous bloomer.

Subgenus: Pardalopetalum/Polyantha
Species include: Paph. parishii, stonei, lowii, dianthum, haynaldianum, lynniae, and richardianum.

Primarily found in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. Simultaneous bloomer. These enjoy cooler, drier weather.

DO PAPHIOPEDILUMS LIKE LIME?
For a mixed collection use: balanced fertilizer, 40ppm calcium, 20-30ppm magnesium, and pH 6.2-6.6.
For Calcareous Species add a top dressing of crushed oyster shell, pelletized limestone, or dolomitic limestone chunks.
Calcareous Species include: armeniacum, malipoense, microanthum, emersonii, bellatulum, concolor, godefroyae, niveum, philippinense, sanderianum, stonei, glanduliferum, wilhelminae, supardii, dianthum, glaucophyllum, liemianum, primulinium, Victoria-regime, hirsuitissmum, charlesworthii, insigne, barbigerum, exul, spicerianum, fairrieanum.

MISCELLANEOUS ORCHID TIPS

Oncidiums growing too dark in winter won’t bloom in Spring. This is why many growers can only get their oncidiums to bloom once a year in the Fall.
Ring stakes allow light to hit new growth and increase blooming in cattleyas.
Bare root orchids love to be watered daily, and by watered Mickey means fully hydrated of course, to mimic the nearly constant misting many of them receive in their natural habitats. Professional growers typically mist their bare root orchids for 45 min twice daily and feed twice a week. Hobbyists can set up a sprinkler on a timer for a similar effect. For those of us with other responsibilities Mickey recommends at least once a week fully hydrating your orchids, either soaking in water or watering them 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). This particularly applies to vandas. Palm tree vandas are food and water-deprived vandas.

REFERENCE
Blue Pagoda

http://slipperorchids.info/paphdatasheets/parvisepalum/

https://personal.uwaterloo.ca/jerry/orchids/cnotes/paph2.html

http://www.cloudsorchids.com/culture/slippers.htm

http://slipperorchids.info/paphspecies/index.html

https://www.lookingafterorchids.com/useful-articles/lady-slipper-orchid-care/

http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27013

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:31+00:00January 29th, 2017|Plants|Comments Off

Happy Chinese New Year! Yin Fire Rooster 2017
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Happy Chinese New Year! Yin Fire Rooster 2017

Daoism, Feng Shui, Spirituality

Happy Chinese New Year! Yin Fire Rooster 2017

Time for intense and positive changes and transformation. Time to take advantage of tons of energy coming our way, and get things done. This is a big year for love and romance.

If you want a quick and positive read on what the new year has in store for you, check out this Horoscope.com post.

If you want details you will need to understand a little more. Each year provides a new matchup between the 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches, and it is the alchemy between those elements, and your own, that predicts how you will fare.

The 10 Heavenly Stems (天干, tiāngān) are combinations between Yin and Yang and each of the 5 Elements:

The 12 Earthly Branches (地支, dìzhī) are the 12 animals that represent further Yin and Yang and 5 Element combinations:

Those combinations then interact with your personal birth chart, called the 4 pillars:

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:31+00:00January 28th, 2017|Daoism, Feng Shui, Spirituality|Comments Off

How to Outsmart Heaven, the Daoist Way
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How to Outsmart Heaven, the Daoist Way

Daoism, Feng Shui, Nurturing Life Project, Spirituality

How to Outsmart Heaven, the Daoist Way

When I would get an astrological reading it felt like I was receiving a sentencing. I was told who I was and what was in store with no chance for negotiation. It wasn’t until I began studying Daoism as part of my Chinese medical training, that I was able to embrace it. Ancient Chinese culture also had its rich history of astrology, but being a culture accustomed to adversity, they figured out how to outsmart heaven down to the percentage point.

Daoist master Mantak Chia, well known in the West for his work on Daoist sexual practices, laid out how to mitigate any undesirable shenanigans of the stars during the introduction during his course on Chinese Astrology. He wanted us to understand what our options were before we could feel confined. There are 3 types of luck: Heaven luck, Human luck, and Earth luck.

Heaven luck pertains to the movement of the stars and planets, all of which are beyond our control but constantly exert influence over our lives. The time we are born sets a certain course for our lives, and it is helpful to time our activities to work with the movements of heaven. But, this is only 33% of what happens to us.

Earth luck our physical environment; things like our geography, the quality of our water, etc. Feng shui is the Daoist system to assess and create the most supportive environment for our who we are and what we want to accomplish. Feng shui takes into account your astrology, the astrology of the home, the climate, the flow of the neighborhood, the materials the home is built out of, etc. and offers ways to play up the good and mitigate the bad. This is the second 33% of what happens to you and it is within your free will.

Finally Human luck is your personal development. It is entirely your choice. This is where nutrition, lifestyle choices and self-care choices come into play. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage…all of these build body’s strength. Chinese facial Diagnosis (Mien Shiang) allows us to see our innate gifts and challenges as they evolve in real time. Qigong and tai chi were developed to maximize our Human luck potential. This comprises the final 33%.

So your free will outnumbers your destiny 2 to 1. This is a good thing or a bad thing depending on how proactive you are and how the heavens choose to shine on you.

By andrews|2019-03-26T14:29:31+00:00January 27th, 2017|Daoism, Feng Shui, Nurturing Life Project, Spirituality|Comments Off

Mickey Carnell on Lady Slipper Orchid Culture
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Mickey Carnell on Lady Slipper Orchid Culture

Plants

Mickey Carnell on Lady Slipper Orchid Culture

By Lia Andrews. I have had beginner’s luck with many orchids: dendrobiums, cattleyas, phalaenopsis, and even vandaceous orchids, but my two paphiopedilums are barely hanging on. They’re alive but they are not happy, and they certainly have not bloomed. I thought maybe these orchids were not for me. I was surprised to hear Mickey say that when he first started growing orchids, he had immediate success with slipper orchids. He believes that slipper orchids are actually the easiest orchids for those who already have a green thumb with houseplants to start with because their care is not so different.

Slipper orchids are not epiphytes or lithophytes, like most orchids grown in collections like cattleyas and dendrobiums. (Epiphytes get their moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and occasional debris. Lithophytes grow on rock faces, again without soil.) Slipper orchids are terrestrial and semi-terrestrial plants often found by streams and lakes in most parts of the world. They are in the subfamily Cypripedioideae of orchids. The genera include cypripediums, mexipediums, selenipediums, phragmipediums and paphiopedilums. Most species in this subfamily are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss.

They share some common characteristics. They tend to like their roots wet, but not soggy. They cannot be mericloned, only divided. Seed crosses can vary widely (similar to the variety of genetic variations that can occur when you cross two humans). Their flowers are long lasting.

Water – The biggest take away I got from the presentation was the idea of “hydration” rather than watering. This is a key concept with this group. They need time to soak and fill up. Slippers do not like to fully dry out.

How to Hydrate a Slipper Orchid:

Get a larger pot with no drainage hole.
Fill with water and a little food.
Place your potted slipper inside to soak for at least 15 min – 2 hours.

Water every other day or every 4^th day depending on the time of year.

Media – Mickey has grown slippers in all types of media: moss, bark, and various mixes. Just pay attention to moisture and freshness of the media. You will have to adjust watering according to the media. Remember that the more food and water, the faster organic media breaks down. (This is why many growers favor using rocks, sponge rock, etc. in their media to prolong the time before they have to repot). When it does, it becomes acidic and inhospitable to the orchids. The same media can be used for all slippers, the difference is that phragmipediums typically prefer to remain moist, while paphopedilums require a slight drying out between waterings.

Potting – All orchids like a fresh mix. Repot slipper orchids any time you think the media has started to break down to keep the growing media fresh. Like most orchids, they like to be underpotted. Repotting just means replacing the media, it does not necessarily mean going with a larger pot. Like other orchids, slippers prefer to be underpotted. Also, be sure to open the roots a bit so that at least some of the roots are touching the edge of the pot. Slipper roots are a little more delicate than other orchids. Cut away where the roots have become papery. Note: If you have an ailing slipper, cut away dead roots and pot in a tight wad of high quality sphagnum moss. Let the moss dry thoroughly before fully hydrating again.

Note: The wetter the media, the more prone to heat and cold damage.

Food – Mickey prefers high nitrate fertilizer (no urea). A 3:1:2 ratio will grow any plant under the sun. Nitrogen queues the plant to grow. Bloom fertilizer lacks nitrogen and allows the plant to flower. But remember, blooms happen on mature plants.

Pests – Slippers are bothered by few pests aside from occasional mealy bugs.

Cypripedium reginae

CYPRIPEDIUMS
From the Latin Cypris = “Kypris or Aphrodite (Venus)”, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “Aphrodite’s slipper”.
These are the lady slipper orchids I remember as a kid growing in the forests of upstate New York. They are cold weather orchids widespread in the northern U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, and China. Mickey did not review their culture in detail as they do not tolerate the heat of the southern U.S. Species include: Cypripedium reginae, formosanum, and gutatum. More pictures of species and hybrids.

Mexipedium xerophyticum

MEXIPEDIUMS
From Mexi = Mexico, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “Mexican slipper”.

The genera consists of a single species, Mexipedium xerophyticum, found in Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows in limestone crevices.

Selenipedium aequinoctiale

SELENIPEDIUMS
From the Greek Selen = “moon”, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “moon slipper”.

The natural habitat for the genera is concentrated in the Amazon and thus is at great risk due to deforestation. An attempt was made to use some species as a vanilla substitute, but their difficulty in cultivation made their use inefficient. Species include: Selenipedium aequinoctiale (mimicry orchid), vanillocarpum, and chica.

P. Court Jester

PHRAGMIPEDIUMS
From the Greek Phragma = “division”, Greek Pedilon = “sandal”, thus “divided slipper”.

They are native to Latin America and many are endangered in the wild. Species include: Phragmipedium pearcei, besseae, and kovachii and popular hybrids like P. “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. More pictures of species.

Phragmipediums are known amongst orchid growers as “difficult” plants so I was surprised to hear Mickey say P. Court Jester was the first orchid he ever got to flower. In Mickey’s opinion, phrags are the easiest slipper orchid to bloom. They can bloom sequentially for 6 months to 1 ½ years.

Phrags are very different from paphiopedilums. Of all the slippers, phrags are the most terrestrial. All slippers like their roots “wet but not soggy”, but phrags have the highest tolerance for wetness. You can get away with growing most phrags in standing water. P. bessiae and its hybrids are sensitive to wet feet, but most phrags enjoy being moist all the time. Many growers keep their potted phrags in a saucer of water. Otherwise, you want to check the potting mixture for moisture like you would any potted plant. As soon as it begins to dry out, hydrate the phrag thoroughly; typically every other day or so.

They may not be sensitive to the quantity but they are picky on quality. Every successful phrag grower I have spoken to swears that rain water is the secret. Their famous sensitivity to water quality is likely due to their dependence on mycorrhizal fungi (which perish in the chemical-laden water supply most of us have access to). This is the opinion of expert phragmipedium grower, Gary Murza.