The Four Pillars of Destiny offers a more through reading in Chinese Astrology. A quick tutorial on how to start reading for yourself.
Free chart software: http://www.chineseastrologyonline.com/CFTCal2.htm
Detailed Chart Software: http://healingqi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/david-chinese-medical-bruce-lee.pdf
by Dr. Judith Andrews, DAOM, L.Ac.
2015 is the Year of the Green Wooden Sheep (or Goat or Ram if someone wants to sound more macho). It is the year 4713 in the Chinese calendar system.
Chinese Stem-Branch Calendar is a cyclic numeral system of 60 combinations of the two basic cycles, the ten Heavenly Stems and the twelve Earthly Branches. This calendar system has been used in China since the second millennium BC, and adopted throughout Asian cultures. Animal names are given to years and days, just like we name our months and days of the week.
To determine the Chinese horoscope sign we look at the start of spring in the Chinese Stem-Branch Calendar. Start of spring is when the sun enters the 315th degree of the tropical zodiac. In California, for example, a baby born after 8 pm on February 3, 2015 is born on the year of the sheep. If the baby is born at 7:59 pm on February 3, 2015, he or she is still in the year of the horse.
To make things a bit confusing, Chinese New Year Day is February 19, 2015. Chinese New Year Day is determined by the new moon day of the first lunar moon. That is the day Chinese New Year is celebrated.
A practitioner of Chinese acupuncture may include the person’s astrological sign during a health assessment. For the acupuncturist it is just another tool to examine the forces of nature at play within the dynamic of an individual’s personality and life path.
Some of us like to have more fun with this knowledge. What the year of the sheep will bring into our lives. Which signs are compatible, the signs that are not.
Sheep is a yin sign associated with peace, tranquility, and incredible good luck. The wood element in the year of the sheep lends fortitude and steadiness to 2015. If you have been working hard these past 2 years look forward to reaping the rewards. If the last 2 years have been difficult, things will turn around this year.
Plants provide us with food, medicine, and oxygen, and stabilize our climate. More than this, they are our teachers. Listen as the brilliant and entertaining David King discusses GMOs, organic gardening, and plant spirit medicine. Thank you for joining us and enjoy.
The Seed Library of Los Angeles
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Our apologies for the sound the quality, but the content is worth putting up with a loud fountain. Plants provide us with food, medicine, and oxygen, and stabilize our climate. More than this, they are our teachers. Listen as the brilliant and entertaining David King discusses GMOs, organic gardening, and plant spirit medicine. Thank you for joining us and enjoy.
https://www.facebook.com/SeedLibraryLA?pnref=about.overview
Be sure to attend the Seed Library Forum in Tuscon if you are around those parts in early March.
Plants are our food, our medicine, and our oxygen. They create our climate. More than this, they are our teachers. This is why we chose to feature David King, botanist and plant activist, in our premiere of The Lia Andrews Show (airing this Wed @ 7pm PST).
David King was Judith’s and my botany professor for our masters program at Yo San University. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a plant-based medicine, so the importance of his class was obvious. However, he did far more than teach us about deciduous trees vs evergreens, he introduced my class to their world. Stephen Harrod Buhner’s The Lost Language of Plants and Eliot Cowan’s Plant Spirit Medicine were required reading.
Our distance from nature has allowed the emergence of factory farming, GMOs, and deadly pesticides as acceptable ways to grow our food. There is little thought to the destruction this causes to the soil and water, the suffering to the animals or laborers, or the health risks to consumers. There is also psychological damage. When we are in sync with our electronics we develop a frenzied pace that affects all our relationships and our happiness, whereas a few moments walking in nature can restore us to peace.
As David relays in the interview, life had dealt him a heavy blow, and it was his connection with plants that saved his life. He came back from that experience with the ability to listen; an ability that humankind used to have before the advent of video games and cell phones. I believe, of all his gifts, this is his greatest; to teach us how to listen again. This is a vital lesson for herbalists, gardeners, farmers, and for all of us who share space with plants.
David King is the founding chair of the Los Angeles Seed Library and is garden master of the Learning Garden, where he hosts classes. David is also working on a book for gardeners.
I suffered from severe acne for many years and thus am educated on the harsh and ineffective products that are often used to address the condition. There are many contributors to acne, such as stress, hormonal imbalance, digestive issues, poor diet, topical irritants, inadequate hygiene, etc. This is why it can be so difficult to treat. In Traditional Chines Medicine (TCM) we use herbal medicine and acupuncture to get to the root of the problem. Additionally, we recommend important diet and lifestyle changes patients can do at home which form the basis of healthy skin. Natural skincare does not just mean clean ingredients. It means approaching the skin in a holistic way. It means using a variety of tools to increase the health and resilience of the skin over time.
No matter the cause of acne, Heat (inflammation) is always a factor. Stress, anxiety, and frustration all generate Heat in the body. Most of us need to schedule time for regular relaxation (like meditation, yoga, massage).
coix seed (Job’s tears, yi yi ren)
Is important to minimize heating foods in the diet: such as sugar (white bread, fruit juice, soda, ice cream), fried foods, processed foods, garlic, spices, alcohol, and lamb. If you have food sensitivities these foods will also generate Heat in the body. Common culprits include: gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, and shellfish. Drinking ample water and eating a high proportion of vegetables helps to cool the body and promotes regular bowel movements. Particularly helpful foods for acneic conditions include coix seed (Chinese barley, yi yi ren), biter melon, daikon radish, fennel bulb, and honeysuckle (jin yin hua) tea.
Topical skincare should most importantly be void of irritants, harsh chemicals, and pore-clogging agents. Inappropriate moisturizers, cleansers, and sun protection can sabotage your efforts. Liquid makeup used to cover blemishes only contribute to more inflammation and should be avoided. As a general rule you want to include an anti-inflammatory, an anti-bacterial, an enzyme exfoliant, and a Vitamin A into your regimen. I do not believe in using acids in homecare regimens as frequent acid exfoliation weakens the epidermis and contributes to inflammation. The following are some of my favorite acne-clearing products:
Clean ingredients, brilliantly formulated, amazing results. Here you will find listed the ingredients in the various products. It is always important to research what you are using. Note: many products are available in Rx (essential oil-free).
Avogen™ Supplement
302 Sensitive Drops Rx
302 Drops
302 Serum
302 Plus Drops
302 Plus Serum
A-Boost
Clarity
Ceramide Serum
C-Boost
Lightening Drops
302 Plus Drops
302 Plus Serum
Ceramide Serum
302 Plus Drops
302 Plus Serum
Ceramide Serum
Eye Firming Serum
Eye Gel
Remedy Rx
Revive Rx
302 Purity
Enzyme Gel
Hydrating Mask
Treatment Mask
302 Cleanser
302 Normal/Dry Cleanser
302 Oily/Combination Cleanser
302 Sensitive Cleanser
302 Sensitive Cleanser Rx
302 Acne Cleanser Rx
302 Face & Body Bar
302 Makeup Remover
302 Purity
302 Calming Mist
302 Moisturizing Drops
302 Lip Balm
302 Recovery Plus
302 Recovery Plus: Intensive
302 Recovery: Day/Night
302 Body Treatment Intensive
302 Body Butter
302 Body Massage Oil
302 Recovery Minerals (SPF-30): Translucent
The holidays are over and as we emerge from our sugar-comas we instinctively want to “cleanse.” We want to get off the sugar roller coaster, fulfill our goal to be healthier this year, and of course shed a few pounds. We often associate cleansing with suffering. In fact, in an increasingly secular society, restricted eating has become the new penance.
If your goal is sustained health and balanced weight loss, however, I prefer a gentler approach that will not cost more than you are already spending on groceries. First I want to go over a key term in Chinese medicine; Phlegm-Damp. Phlegm-Damp is a pathological fluid accumulation that can cause such symptoms as lethargy, excess fat, high cholesterol, cellulite, nasal congestion, snoring, incomplete bowel movements, water retention, yeast overgrowth, and weepy skin conditions.
Excess consumption of: sugar, greasy foods, raw or cold foods. Eating less does not resolve the issue. Instead, it is more effective to eat foods that counteract Phlegm-Damp without starving yourself.
Daikon Radish
1. Eat a high proportion of vegetables. Aim for 50%. Vegetables gently cleanse excess conditions in the body, regulate bowel movements, and aid in weight loss. Fruit also has a cleansing action but its high sugar content can trigger blood sugar imbalances. Limit fruit to 1- servings daily.
2. Unless you have a lot of Heat (feel hot, crave ice cold drinks, have hot flashes, etc.) limit raw food. Eat your vegetables in soups, casseroles, steamed, or sauteed. Exception: eat a little pungent or digestive vegetables with meals such as daikon radish, red radish, or fennel bulb.
3. Drink plenty of room temperature or warm water. Cold water suppresses digestion, which is a hot process, and can compound poor fluid metabolism issues.
4. Cut out sugar (wine, white bread and tortillas, cereal) and dairy for at 1-2 weeks. Then limit to 3-5 times per week.
5. Eat complex grains and organic protein to feel satiated and energized.
This is just a simple cleansing program but it is highly effective to balance your body after the holidays.
Chinese Face Reading evolved as a way of diagnosing disease, ascertaining constitutional strengths and weaknesses, and predicting how individuals would get along together. I studied face reading with Patrician McCarthy, of the Mian Shiang Institute, at Yo San University. Her classes brought the abstract concepts of the 5 Elements into tangible features and personality traits. Face reading is not only an incredible tool for acupuncturists, but also for every manager, salesperson, and dating person.
My teacher emphasized both the gifts and challenges of our facial features. Thick eyebrows, for example, show a propensity towards great passion, or anger, depending on our choices and life experiences. What each of us needs and wants in terms of a relationship partner varies considerably and you will want to delve into face reading more deeply for specific features that work for you in a mate.
A person’s Shen, or spirit, can be seen in their eyes. The number one red flag is someone with a crazy, sinister, or otherwise unsettling look in their eyes. Unless someone is non-functional, they will be able to maintain a facade of normalcy during initial courtship. The unsettling gaze is something you will catch by chance when a person is triggered and their pathology surfaces. This may seem obvious, but we often disregard our instincts when the person in question has an otherwise pretty package.
While a crazed look should be taken as a clear sign to get away, the following traits are tendencies to keep an eye out for:
Sizeable Cleft Chin
An Extreme Cleft
This is a matter of degree. A shallow indentation or dimple is a Fire trait and shows a desire for attention, playful flirtation, physical connection, and fun sexuality. My teacher also called it a Performer’s Chin as it is common amongst actors and other performers.
A cleft indicates more ego than fun as a motivation, a stronger need for attention, and also an association between getting sex and feeling loved. If someone is not aware, this can lead to a propensity towards sex addiction.
A very deep cleft indicates an even stronger association between sex and love. Sexual rejection is very difficult for them and there is a tendency towards addiction and predatory behavior if they have not learned to deal with these feelings. This is also an indicator of a “manly” man.
Very small eyes in proportion to the rest of the face indicates someone who is ambitious, self-referential, materialistic, and hedonistic in sensual pursuits. These qualities make them more likely to be unfaithful. There are many factors involved in people being unfaithful. These individuals just have a stronger natural pull in that direction.
Strong jaws are a sign of determination. As with all features, the bigger the feature, the stronger the trait. Determination is exaggerated in an inverted trapezoid-shaped face. The jaws are wide and strong compared to a narrower forehead. These individuals are physically strong, determined to get their way, and aggressive. They can be tyrannical.
When the eyebrows slant downwards it indicates a tendency towards high expectation of others but not necessarily of themselves. They also tend towards selfishness and promiscuity. They do tend to be loyal once they find the right person.
Prominent browbone both central forehead and over eyes.
A prominent browbone indicates control. When the browbone is prominent over the eyes but not the center, the individual has a great deal of self-control. When the browbone is strong in the center of the forehead this indicates a need to control others.
The lower lip tends to be a little fuller than the top lip in most people. Also a thick lower lip balanced by a thick upper lip does not apply. This refers to the lower lip being significantly, proportionately larger than the upper lip. Such individuals tend to be sensual, unreliable, and have an (undeserved) high opinion of themselves. They have difficulty keeping relationships or staying faithful. They have a lot of wants and needs and act out on their desires.
When the two eyebrows are connected it indicates there is more anger than passion, and a tendency to direct it towards others. These individuals tend to be edgy, provocative, and quick to fight. While this may be a great trait in a contact sport, it isn’t so nice in relationships. This is an easy fix, however. Consistent tweezing will mellow this trait over time.
In closing I want to note that our personalities and behaviors are also shaped by our social conditioning, family values, and personal choices. For example, I know a man with a very prominent browbone (both central and over the eyes). He is a warm, laid back guy by all accounts, particularly to his wife and child. He claims he had been willful as a child but that his tough Korean mom had “beat it out” of him. He had learned to funnel his controlling nature into professional accomplishments and kept it out his relationships. Rather, use these features as additional clues.
Many of these traits are also associated with high testosterone, a quality that requires social conditioning and positive outlets in order to be constructive.
The Face Reader – by Patrician McCarthy, is an extensive look at Daoist Face Reading covering 5 Element Personalities and specific facial features. She has 5 new books coming out in 2014, one for each element.
Run
In San Diego dry skin can be a chronic issue, especially in winter time. Internally, you want to take in ample fluids, eat Blood and Yin-nourishing foods, and eat some sour-tasting foods to astringe fluids. Dry skin that is not weather-induced is a sign of Blood and/or Yin deficiency.
302 Recovery Day/NightThis is a new addition to the 302 line and is already performing miracles. After my mom, Judith’s, stay in the hospital she developed Blood and Yin deficiency as is common after a prolonged exterior invasion (infection). She is still recovering and her skin was rough and dry. After two days of using 302 Recovery Day/Night her skin is incredibly soft and fine lines have disappeared. The results are due to the high concentration of phytolipids of avocado oil which have a remarkable softening effect on the skin.
Who Benefits: Those needing a great deal of hydration. This cream leaves a protective dewy layer on the surface of the skin. It is appropriate for dry skin types or dry, windy weather. It also doubles as an excellent hand cream.
How to Use: A little goes a long way. Use day or night as needed. As with all our moisturizers, Recovery Day/Night does not cause dependency and does not contain actives that can cause irritation.
Hylunia Healing and Restoring CreamThis continues to be our most versatile moisturizer. Deeply hydrating but non-greasy, it can be applied thick over serums at night or in a thin layer under sunscreen/makeup in the morning. Excellent for adult acne or enlarged pores as it won’t clog pores. (A great trick for enlarged pores is to apply 302 Serum followed by Healing and Restoring Cream at night.)
Who Benefits: All skin types. This cream leaves a protective matte layer on the surface of the skin.
How to Use: Use day or night as needed. As with all our moisturizers, Healing and Restoring Cream does not cause dependency and does not contain actives that can cause irritation.
302 Moisturizing DropsContains refined jojoba oil, phytolipids of avocado oil, and capric triglycerides (highest quality coconut oil). This oil blend is the base for all 302 active oils (302 drops, 302 Plus Drops, C-Boost, A-Boost, and Lightening Drops). Refining natural oils makes them safe for even the most acne-prone skin to use. Refining removes the large lipid molecules which clog pores and can cause breakouts. Unrefined, these oils are not recommended for acne-prone skin.
Who Benefits: All skin types. This oil leaves a dewy layer on the surface of the skin. It is appropriate for even the most irritated, sensitive skin.
How to Use: A little goes a long way. Use day or night as needed. As with all our moisturizers, Moisturizing Drops does not cause dependency and does not contain actives that can cause irritation.
302 Normal/Dry CleanserJapanese women typically perform 2 cleanses at night: an oil wash to remove makeup, sunscreen, and pollutants, followed by a soap wash. This provides a very thorough, yet gentle cleanse. In the U.S. cleansing with oil has enjoyed a resurgence. The problem is that oil, even good oils like jojoba or coconut, contain large lipid molecules that can clog pores. 302 Normal/Dry Cleanser contains refined avocado oil where the large pore-cloging lipids have been removed. It also contains natural surfactants making this an incredible “oil” wash.
Who Benefits: Excellent makeup remover for all skin types. Perfect for dry skin but provides a deep cleanse for all skin types.
How to Use: Use like all 302 cream cleansers. Apply one pump to dry skin, massage in, and let sit for 60 sec. Wet your hands and apply another pup, massage in, and rinse.
