Here we are, almost at year end.

2017 has been a busy year at the school due to the graduation of our students who started programs three years ago and the influx of new and returning students.

Like you, at the closing of a year, we take the time to review all that has unfolded throughout 2017 in the world, at the school and in our personal lives.

2017 has offered both the teachers and students many opportunities to practice staying centered and present during global as well as personal highs and lows.

We look forward to 2018 offering us opportunities for expansion,  greater insight, laughter and love.

As we bid adieu to 2017 we, Robert, Laurie, Skye, Nicole and Catherine, want to express our gratitude for your continued support of our school. We wish you peace, happiness, love and joy as you celebrate the holiday season!   

Next up are the January certificate programs Tarot,  Earth Spirit Medicine,  and in February Applied Metaphysics, and Astrology & Practical Mysticism.

For more information scroll down to our calendar and remember if you are not interested in a full program many of the courses within a program (space permitting) as well as our general studies can be taken individually.

Remember to keep checking back for new workshops.

Create an Environment That Makes Sense

Laurie Szott-Rogers

What makes one environment rich, inviting and healing, while another feels cold, unappealing and depressing? Color, texture, lighting and design all have a large visual impact on a space.  But there is more to creating a breathtaking environment than the visual.

Since human’s time on the earth, part of our brain has been devoted to scent and instinct.  As babies, even when our other senses were not yet fully developed we had a keen sense of smell.  With this sense we accumulated data about our world.  Who is safe and who is familiar was relayed to us through scent molecules.

Essential oils are made from steam distilled or cold pressed plant oils. These tiny molecules go through the nose up to the brain and blood stream. Smaller, and better travelers than most molecules they have ability to carry the information from the plant, through our nostrils and into the deepest center of our brain.

Many of our decisions are made through emotional reactions. The data for this comes mainly through our sense of smell. We make many of our life changing decisions based on feelings, not just logic. The mates we choose, the friends we have, the houses we buy are sometimes chosen rather instinctually.  Our choices are partly determined by what the potential mate smells like, what scents our friends emanate and how the house smells.  Yet we rarely attribute our decisions to our nose, because the data comes across as feelings- inarticulate, illogical and hard to express.

Scent influences both choices and feelings. This can be used to your advantage, knowing which essential oil to use in your space can help you bolster your moods. For instance, most people find bergamot and tangerine uplifting. There is a certain subjectivity to scent and this is where it gets most interesting. Use the oils you like the best to express your true “scentual” nature and heighten your feelings of well-being. Make your environment rich, interesting and inspirational with your choice of the right décor, lighting and natural scents.

Go to the Practical Potions Program for an online, certification program.

Mercury Retrograde – An Opportunity

 Catherine Potter

We have all heard the horror stories of what happens when a planet is retrograde. Anything that goes wrong in our life is because of the retrograde – right? Wrong!

Typically a transiting planet activates a certain area of your life ( chart) and then moves to the next area.

In the case of a retrograde planet instead of continuing to move to the next location in your chart it stops and goes back and reactivates the same area.

What retrograde motion does is prolong the time a planet spends in one area of your life and if it happens to activate a point (planet) in your natal chart the effect is stronger. That is why we notice some retrograde periods more than others.

If that activation point happens to be one that creates flow – great. If it is one that creates tension that is also good in that there is an opportunity to grow.

Retrograde periods aren’t good or bad. If a situation (positive or challenging) comes up during a retrograde period usually, when you take the time to reflect, you will see it isn’t new you are simply noticing something that was already present.

Mercury is retrograde from December 3rd until December 22nd  at 29˚ of Sagittarius → 13˚ of Sagittarius.

A couple of points to note regarding Mercury. One, Mercury is the fastest moving planet therefore we typically notice its influence for a couple of days unless it retrograde and then it’s influence is longer.

Two, Mercury is the planet that retrogrades the most amount of times in a year. The outer planets are retrograde for longer periods of time anywhere from  approx. 4- 6 months whereas Mercury retrogrades about 3 times a year for 3 weeks.

Each one of the planets represents a particular type of energy and activity. Mercury, is a link and a messenger and is associated with the part of the mind connected to reasoning, interpretation and communication. It’s association with communication refers to both incoming and outgoing.

In the body it relates to messages that go from the brain via the nervous system to organs, muscles, glands, tissues, nerves, cells and returns their messages back to the brain.

The shadow side of Mercury is it moves super fast so challenges involve over-stimulation and mis-information. When that happens the ability to reason, interpret and communicate becomes impaired . These challenges can show up in the mind and in the body. The message if you are over- stimulated is to slow down.

Following are a few things to look at during the retrograde period.

• During the retrograde notice what area of your life gets highlighted. It is a good time to review where communication or lack of,  faulty thinking or timing is off.
• It’s best not to sign important documents but if you must check things over thoroughly.
• When possible hold off making significant purchase particularly those involving electronics.
• Rest, renew, relax, unplug! It is a great time to give your self a mental break. Do you have enough quiet time in your week for reflection and rest?
• If you are travelling during the retrograde re-check reservations to make sure they are still in place. Also take a carry on bag in case your luggage decides to travel to a different location.

Want to learn more about Astrology click here 

Follow the above link for more information on Astrology and Practical Mysticism. Scroll down the astrology page till you come to Intermediate Courses

Reading Tarot For Yourself

Skye MacLachlan

Sometimes it can be difficult to read your own tarot cards.  You might be tempted to project the answers that you want onto the cards.  This projection is usually unconscious which makes it harder to see clearly.

These are a few guidelines that can help your personal readings to be more accurate and clear.

1. Prepare for the reading in the same way that you’d prepare for a professional tarot consultation with a client. This might involve choosing a time when you won’t be interrupted, laying out a special cloth that the cards are placed on, lighting a candle and calling upon the Spirit of the Tarot to guide you truly.
2. Give yourself the gift of time when doing a reading just for you. We often rush thru our own personal readings, not allowing time for the true message to reveal itself.
3. Use a journal and write down the question that you’re asking the tarot, follow this with writing about each card that appears in the reading. Let the cards tell you a story and trust your first perceptions of what’s occurring on each card.  Your intuitive impression of the card holds more weight than the words in the little white book that came with your deck.  Lastly, write a summary of what the cards are revealing.
4. Don’t view the cards as a pack of paper. Rather see them as a trusted wise friend who is sharing insights with you.  If you’re not clear about what a specific card is trying to communicate, ask this friend to offer clarity and pick another card to shed more light.
5. In ancient times it was taboo to read the tarot during wind storms or other turbulent weather. Years ago it was revealed to me that this actually refers to our inner landscape.  If you’re feeling reactive and stormy within, it’s very difficult to receive an accurate reading.  In these situations take 20 minutes to meditate and calm yourself, your reading will be much clearer.
6. At the end of the reading, offer gratitude to your dear wise friend, the tarot, and put your cards away in a place where others won’t be tempted to disturb them. Remember that if your friend is treated in an honorable manner, she will continue to communicate with you even after the reading is over.  I often receive clarity about some aspect of a reading in a serendipitous way when I’m least expecting it.
7. We are blessed to live in a time when there are hundreds of tarot decks available. I love watching tarot deck reviews on youtube.  This gives you the opportunity to see all of the cards in a deck before buying it.  It’s important to find that wise friend, the specific deck that you’re able to communicate with easily.  This journey can take a short time or a long time – honor how it unfolds for you.  Remember that it’s not only the images on the cards, it’s also the feel of the deck and how it shuffles in your hands.

There are still some spaces left in my Tarot Certificate Program which begins in January.  For the first time I’m teaching this class on one Monday per month (9am – 5pm).

January 2018

February 2018

Autumn 2018

Distance Learning

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Courses currently available

  Practical Potions – Aromatherapy