March 2010 Classes & Events at Beads N Botanicals

Come and stop at Beads N Botanicals
Beads N Botanicals Shop

Basic Stringing: Bracelet Design: Want to learn how to put together a bracelet, but not sure how to begin? Or, how to end it?  Includes information on crimping and using various clasps. Cost $15, 1 hour, all materials included.

Saturday,  March 13, 11am

Wednesday, March 24, DAYTIME LUNCH CLASS: 11:30 am.

The Sole Experience…Foot Reflexology with Marlita: Not a class, but an opportunity for you to pamper yourself. This special type of foot massage is available by appointment (recommended) or walk-in. Reiki Healing Sessions also available.  Cost: $65 per hour; $35 per half hour. Time: Noon to 5 pm.

Wednesday, March 17, 12noon-5pm             Wednesday, March 31, 12noon-5pm             Wednesday, April 14, noon-5pm

Wednesday, April 28, noon-5pm                     Wednesday, May 5, noon-5pm                        Wednesday, May 19, noon-5pm

Basic Wire Working: How to Make Earrings: A great starter class! You'll make two pairs of earrings. Please Note: This class is a pre-requisite for our Wire-Wrapping Pendants class. Cost: $15, 1 hour, materials included..

Wednesday, March 17, DAYTIME LUNCH CLASS: 11:30 am

Saturday,  March 20, 1pm

Wednesday, April 7, DAYTIME LUNCH CLASS: 11:30 am

Saturday, April 10, 1pm

Introduction to Aromatherapy: Learn about aromatherapy. Discover the therapeutic uses of essential oils for healing, and why they work.  Cost: Free
Thursday, March 18, 6pm

Basic Stringing: Necklace Design: Want to learn how to put together a necklace, but not sure how to begin? Or, how to end it? Learn about different necklace lengths and clasps. Cost: $18, materials included.

Saturday,  March 20, 11am

Wednesday, March 30, DAYTIME LUNCH CLASS: 11:30 am.

Introduction to Paganism: Modern paganism is a kaleidoscope of different spiritual and religious traditions that are bringing meaning to the lives of as many as a million people worldwide.  Join us for a magical mystery tour of the major traditions and emerging trends in modern paganism in the US.  Active in the Central Illinois pagan community for over twenty years, Ian Phanes is one of the current co-ordinators for Pagans Night Out, a monthly social gathering. Cost: $20, pre-registered; $25 at the door.

Saturday, March 20, 1pm to 3pm

Tarot and Divination Meet and Greet: Give a Reading; Take a Reading:
Do you read cards, runes, palms or something else? Do you want to practice, but have been too shy? Stop by and share your skills with other like-minded folks. All participants must be willing to give readings as well as receive them. This is an opportunity to have some fun and play. Cost: $5.

Saturday, March 20, 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Basics of Psychic Protection …Tired of negative people influencing your moods and your life? Learn how to protect yourself from unwanted outside influences, both seen and unseen. Cost: $10

Thursday, March 25, 6pm

Body/Mind/Spirit Wednesday Night Classes

The Crystals Used for Healing class last Wednesday was a lot of fun, with some interesting experiences shared by the class members.

This coming week's class, "How to Work with Pendulums" should also prove to be enlightening and delightful.

Our Wednesday night classes start at 6:30 p.m., here at Beads N Botanicals in Hoopeston, IL 217-283-6380. $5.00 per person and PLEASE show up at least 10 minutes before to make sure we don't lock you out.

February 6, 2008, will be our "Basics of Psychic Protection."
February 13, "The Healing Power of Love."
Feb. 20, "A Meditation for Relaxation."
Feb. 27, "Tapping into Your Intuition."

See you!

Happy New Year, Back Here in the MidWest

Well, made it back to the MidWest after being away the week between Christmas and New Year's. Actually made it back Dec. 30, so we were NOT on the road when all the snow hit.

Even with all the flooding this week, it was hopping at The Office last night, when I did readings there. Barely walked in the door and had several readings with folks. Then it was quiet for a while. Then I got slammed and had to stay late. Got out of there close to 11 p.m. just as the band really got cranking. If I weren't driving a bit, I probably would have stayed to hang out and listen.

It was fun to be back at The Office after being away for three weeks with all the holiday actitivies. Even without the University being in full session yet, Urbana's kickin'

On another note, we've got a Seven Chakras class here tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. (here in Hoopeston at Beads N Botanicals) and next week another Meditation for Relaxation class. Hope to see ya!

Fashion Trends in Jewely: the Pearl Connection

Pictured is a pair of Amethyst, Fresh Water Pearls & MOP Earrings

I love working with healing crystals and find that making them into beautiful jewelry gives people an opportunity to not only benefit from the crystal's healing energies, but also from the beauty of the artisan-crafted piece itself.

Lately I’ve been making several necklaces and bracelets featuring freshwater pearls, as well as incorporating pearls into a variety of earrings.

I thought it was just a fluke on my part (well, I was inspired by a local jewelry store advertising a variety of pearl earrings and necklaces.) What I discovered, though, is that long, swinging pearl earrings are the number one fashion choice.

Yep, sensuous, shoulder-sweeping pearl earrings are being promoted as The Way to be glamorous and in on the latest fashion trends.

I’ve been taking my designs one step more, using MOP teeth (mother-of-pearl) mixed in necklaces and earrings. The one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces are absolutely incredible. Even similar looking pear dangle earrings differ because each pearl, as a unique natural product, has its own character.

Right now I have some of the earrings up on EBAY, either in my EBAY storefront or at auction. More of them are here at the shop, and I hope to get some listed in my webstore as well.

Check out all the gemstone earrings, and wire wrapped pendants, as well.

Amethyst

A “Stone of spirituality and contentment.” Clears the aura. Brings stability, strength & peace. Used for meditation. Opens and activates the Crown Chakra. Protects against psychic attacks. Encourages and supports sobriety. Used to treat insomnia and clear pain from headaches and other physical problems.

Pearl
Signifies faith, charity & innocence. Enhances personal integrity. Focuses one’s attention. Allows for a clean channel for receiving spiritual guidance. Brings truth to situations & loyalty to causes.

Mother of Pearl, Paua Shell,Abalone

Abalone is a Mollusk (shelled fish) in the Gastropod class. Gastropods also include snails and whelks. Abalone is prized for its meat as well as its beautiful shell. The pretty part of the shell in on the inside, where nacre (mother of pearl) of a variety of colors can be seen.The word "Abalone" comes from the Spanish word aulone, which is the name of the animal. The shell is also called Paua Shell.

Crystal healers use Abalone for a large variety of purposes. It is thought to be helpful in disorders involving joints, bones, and muscles.It protects against uncooperative attitudes, stimulates creativity, and promotes calm. Not surprisingly, it also helps in calcium deficiencies.
Since Mollusks often have to leave their shells to find larger ones when they grow, all shells are considered to bring boundless growth in life and thought.
The Abalone that you often see in jewelry is a brilliant blue or purple.
It is sometimes known as a "Sea Opal" due to the changing opalescent hues.

Silver
Patience. Perserverance. Perception. Silver has long been thought to destroy evil--hence the legends surrounding silver bullets killing werewolves and vampires.

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Beads N Botanicals Celebrates Its Second Anniversay

Beads N Botanicals Second Anniversary with Holiday Open House

Beads N Botanicals' Second Anniversary Holiday Open House takes place on Saturday, November 17, 2007, from 10 am to 5 pm

There will be door prizes, refreshments, gift ideas, special discounts, craft demonstrations, one-minute tarot readings and more.

“It’s been very satisfying to see how so many people have come to our shop in Hoopeston,” says Catherine Novak, proprietress of Beads N Botanicals. “Whether someone is interested in learning how to make jewelry, or reduce stress in their life through meditation, they’re finding out how to do that here.”

The shop, which opened in 2005, features aromatherapy, crystals, essential oils, books, handmade jewelry, handcrafted oil blends & incense, soaps, bath salts, candles, herbs for tea, medicinal and culinary use; beading and wire wrapping supplies: including sterling silver wire, seed beads, semi-precious stones, sterling silver beads, milfoil, seed beads, Swarovski ™ crystals and much more.

Can't make it on Saturday? Don't worry, we'll be celebrating the whole week of November 20 through November 24 (but remember, we're closed on Thanksgiving!).

New at our shop....REED DIFFUSERS. Don't want to worry about lit candles or using electricity? We've got the answer: Reed diffusers that work to disperse fragrance naturally throughout a room. And we offer OVER 200 scent blends. Custom bottling of any blend you want, including aromatherapy blends with REAL essential oils.


Beads N Botanicals, 227 S. Market St,
(next to the Harris Agency), Hoopeston, IL 60942
Phone: 217-283-6380

STORE HOURS: Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Catherine Novak has served as an adjunct faculty member for Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, Pa., been a featured speaker at Barnes & Noble; and spoken about medicinal herbs on the Health Nuts NJ radio show. She appeared on the Judy Lewis show: Psychic World. Also, she and her son appeared on ABC's Sunrise This Morning out of Champaign, IL.

Catherine is available for individual herbal and health consultations, hypnotherapy for behavior modification, relaxation and pain management, Reiki energy balancing, tarot readings and classes at her office at Beads N Botanicals, and can be reached at at 217-283-6380 or beadsnbotanicals@gmail.com

http://wiseweeds.net

Witchy Cat in Hat

Here's one disgruntled cat. Can't you hear Shadow saying, "Mom, I will get you for this?"

If you go to my myspace profile, you can join the online Halloween party that I'm hosting there with my playlist of Halloween-themed music.

Wise Weeds Myspace

A Consumer's Right to Know About Essential Oils and Oil Blends

Wise Weeds Botanicals is celebrating its 15^th Anniversary in 2007.

Known as “the Wise Weeds Lady” to many people over the years, I have been blending essential oils, cosmetic grade fragrance oils and herbs to make my herbal healing, mystical, magical and spiritual oils for even longer than the establishment of Wise Weeds in 1992.

I’m a certified medicinal herbalist, transpersonal hypnotherapist and Reiki practitioner who has taught herbalism, aromatherapy and other healing practices in a variety of venues, including a community college, many adult education programs, Barnes & Noble bookstores,gift shops, beauty spas and salons, festivals and many other places. I've appeared on radio,cable and network television shows over the years, as well as been featured in newpaper articles.

Over the years, I’ve learned more and more about safe practices using oils. I’ve also seen how many vendors sell their products via false advertising, whereby they confuse the consumer
by promoting oils as being essential oil based, when they are not.

A Consumer’s Right to Know What S/he is Buying

As a consumer, you have a right to know what you are buying. I make no bones that I use cosmetic grade fragrance oils in some of my blends. Unlike many others on the market, whether ignorant or greedy, I do not call my blends “essences” thereby giving the impression, but not the reality, that certain oils are essential, plant-based oils.

There are some spiritual practitioners who value only actual essential oils and/or herbs in oil blends. Their reasoning is that the plants imbue the product with a type of natural magic that cannot be found in synthetically based products.

While I myself tend to follow this belief, on a practical level, certain scents are NOT generally available, except as synthetics. For example, Gardenia Absolute is rare, hard to obtain and VERY expensive. Rose Otto is more readily available, however, it is still extremely expensive. It is virtually impossible to obtain a natural Lilac fragrance. So I will use synthetic versions of these oils in blends. But, again, I don’t hide the fact from anyone, nor do I try to mislead anyone.

If you’re buying a one-dram bottle of rose oil essence for $5.00, it’s not the real McCoy. Believe me, I've had people insist they had found a "bargain." Well, you get what you pay for.

On the other hand, if someone has infused rose petals into oil to get the scent, the oil blend will not be an “essential” oil, but it may be a wonderful treat. I used to own such an oil many years ago, and the scent was delightful and quite magical. But it was not an essential oil, nor had it been sold to me under that guise.

What actually are essential oils?

The essential oils of herbs contain their concentrated energies. An essential oil usually bears the aroma and/or flavor of a plant, although the intensity of the scent may be overwhelming compared to what you're used to the plant smelling like.

Found in Various Plant Parts

Unlike fixed oils, essential oils are volatile. This means they evaporate rapidly at room temperature, whereas fixed oils, such as vegetable or motor oils, are more stable. Chemically, essential oils consist of a complex mixture of 30 to 100 or more compounds.

The oils themselves are found in various plant parts. Peppermint, patchouli, basil and geranium oils are derived from their leaves and stems. Clove oil comes from flower buds. Jasmine, rose and tuberose oils are derived from the open flowers. Essential oils are also derived from the seeds, wood, bark, roots, needles and skins of various plants.

Herbally-Infused Oils

Herbally-infused oils are different creatures than essential oils. An herbally-infused oil consists of plant material that is infused into a carrier or base oil. This base oil takes on the medicinal qualities of the herb, and can often be used either by itself or with another vegetable oil for massage therapy or as the base for an herbal salve.

I, myself, will often include some herbs in certain oils blends, taking a cue from certain hoodoo and voodoo traditional blendings of spiritual oils.

More often, I make herbally infused oils with a direct medicinal usage in mind. For example,
Hypericum oil consists of the fresh flowering tops of St. Johnswort infused into olive or some other carrier oil. Comfrey infused oil forms the basis of comfrey salve, used for healing.

And, of course, my Banish Pain oils consist of a combination of herbally infused oils and essential oils to help reduce or eliminate inflammation and pain.

To check out my oils in my webstore, you can go to

http://wiseweeds.net

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Summer Rises on Stonehenge solstice ritual

Summer Rises on Stonehenge solstice ritual

STONEHENGE, England -- Druids, drummers, pagans and partygoers welcomed the sun yesterday as it rose above the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge on the longest day of the year -- the summer solstice.

Clad in antlers, black cloaks and oak leaves, a group of druids danced at the Heel Stone -- a twisted, pockmarked pillar at the edge of Stonehenge.

Summer Rises on Stonehenge solstice ritual

Happy Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice
Current mood: busy

Wishing all a happy Summer Solstice. Wow! Longest day of the year and all that.

Check out my music playlist at my myspace.

myspace.com/wiseweeds

Updated it to acknowledge the "official" start of Summer today. Used to DJ a few years ago (okay...AEONS ago) in college and loved putting sets together. So, with this neat player, and the ability to update it almost instantaneously, I plan to change up the music when holidays happen and/or the mood strikes me. Some of the music will stay the same, but I'm figuring on changing up at least the first two or three songs so it's not the SAME OLE, SAME OLE, everytime someone visits.

Got a lot happening. All good. Will share some of it here.

Healing Comes Through Many Avenues

Been getting ready for this Saturday's Day of Tarot Readings. Spiffing up the shop a little, running business cards, you know, the usual kind of stuff.

Have also checked up on whether or not flyers were still up around town, continued to post info on the web and followed up with other folks who are helping promote this event.

In the process, it's been interesting to learn that a lot of folks are surprised I do readings. I explained that I tend to focus on assisting people with herbal consultations, hypnotherapy for behavior modification as well as past life regression and Reiki energy healing, but that tarot and intuitive guidance is also another avenue for healing.

Just like hypnotherapy can help someone overcome fears, blocks and obstacles in their life's path, tarot and intuitive guidance can aid someone in more clearly viewing where they are and where they are headed.

While a reading can indicate where one's path may lead, I truly believe that each of us can make changes to that path. Therefore, a reading is usually not a prediction of exactitude, but more an indication of where we may be headed.

One example of this in action happened last Winter. A young woman was considering a job change, but wasn't sure about a new position that she was offered.

The reading helped her to step forward with confidence and leave a job that had deadended for her. She had the confidence to ask for more money (and got it!) even though the recruiter discouraged her from doing so. She's now more confident, self-possessed and feeling more competent than she had felt in the last several years.

This woman could have ignored the reading and stayed in a dead-end situation. Instead, she used the reading to guide her and overcome her fears about dealing with a new situation.

That's what I mean about tarot and intuitive guidance being another avenue for healing.

Anything that helps us in a positive way can be a healing and transformative force in our lives.