Welcome to my transplanted metaphysics site. Over the next few weeks, I will be converting all my old articles (and adding new ones) from my previous metaphysics site to this one. Why the move? Long story involving Content Management Systems and lost google rankings and heinous formatting issues - email me if you're really interested.

Modern New Age and Metaphysical thinking encompasses quite a lot of subjects, as you can see by the navigation bar to the left. Some are almost scientific (herbalism and much of what is being discovered about the cognitive and behavioral effects of meditation, for example) and much is simply experiential. I'll be the first to admit that I cannot read a crystal's 'vibrations', but I'm willing to believe that perhaps many people can.

Navigate the site with the links to the left - new articles will be highlighted here when they first appear.

Herbs - St. John's Wort - NEW
St. John's Wort ( Hypericum perforatum ) is a bushy plant that can be grown almost anywhere and grows wild easily. It has been known as a medicinal herb for literally centuries - use of St. John's Wort dates back to the ancient Greeks. Today, St. John's Wort is widely used in Europe as treatment for mild depression and for anxiety. It is being more accepted by the US medical community as well. (more)
Previously - Lavender
Earlier - Chamomile

Eastern Thought: Feng shui - Chi - NEW
One of the main goals of Feng Shui is to balance and smooth the flow of 'chi' through your spaces to optimize balance in our life. So what's this 'Chi' stuff that everyone's worried about? Chi, variously spelled 'qi' and 'ki' in English, and pronounced both 'key' and 'chee', is a concept in eastern thought for the energy or life force that can be found in all things. It differs from conventional western thought in that inanimate objects - rocks, streams, roadways - also have their own chi; it's not a property of 'living' objects only. (more)
Previously: Quan Yin - Goddess of Compassion
Earlier: The Dalai Lama at MIT

Divination and Tarot - Review: Professional Tarot: The business of reading, consulting and teaching - by Christine Jette - New
This book really fills a niche; there are untold numbers of books on how to read the cards, but this is the only one to date to give advice on how to make a business of it.
Previously - How to Use a Pendulum

Astrology - Sunsigns - NEW
Everyone knows what their 'sign' is, but do you know what it means? The fixed stars are stars that are so far away that they always appear in the same position in the night sky, and rotate above us as if on a spherical shell with the earth at the center. Of course it is the earth that rotates, but the perception is of a rotating star field. (more)
 Previously - Moon Signs

Affirmations and Visualizations - REVIEW: Shakti Gawain's Creative Visualization
Shakti Gawain literally wrote the book on Creative Visualization. She wrote and self-published Creative Visualization in 1979, with an initial run
of two thousand copies. Her tiny publishing firm had no distributor, no
advertising budget, and one title to sell. And yet, bookstores that
carried her book couldn't keep them in stock, as purchasers returned to
buy multiple copies to give as gifts.

Today, Creative Visualization has sold more than three million copies
in English and an equal number in all the other languages it is now
available in, and gone through numerous editions. Word of mouth sells
this book, and hope. (more)
Previously: Affirmations and Visualizations - Why do Affirmations Work?

Incense: The Sacred Woods - Sandalwood, Cypress, Juniper and Cedar
Incense has been in use for at least the last five thousand years. As long as there has been offerings to the gods, incense has been one of the most pleasing.Wood was probably the very first incense. It didn't take a genius to recognize that when certain woods are burned, they emit a pleasant odor. These woods, usually rarer than the less aromatic ones, were soon
used as burnt offerings, to please or propitiate a diety, to sanctify an area or purify objects, occasions and beings. (more)
Previously - Nag Champa: the Most Popular Incense in the World


Meditation: 101 - Grounding, Centering and Shielding
Before you meditate, or do other spiritual work such as energy healings, divination or magick, you should prepare and protect yourself. You do this by grounding yourself, centering your energies, and shielding yourself from unwanted influences. (more)
Previously: Walking the Labyrinthe - a Moving Meditation



Aromatherapy - a Primer, part I
I've always thought 'aromatherapy' was a misnomer. It makes it sound like the therapeutic effects derive from the scent, and not the actual botanical material. It also makes it sound like the effects are achieved solely through inhalation of the scent. Not so. What people blithely call 'aromatherapy' should more correctly be called 'essential botanical oils therapy'. Artificial scents will not have the same effect, no matter how close they come to the original plant's scent. The chemical components of the plant-derived oil is what makes them effective, and some of the most effective oils don't necessarily 'smell nice'.(more)
Previously - A Recipe for Solid Perfume Base

Shamanism - Smudging: what it is and how to do it
One of native America's most 'cross-over' traditions is that of smudging. Many people who are completely uninterested in other aspects of Native American culture routinely smudge their environment to clear the air and keep the creepy feelings away. Simply put, smudging is purifying an area or object by the use of ritual smoke. The smoke of purifying herbs is thought to carry away bad influences and spirits and make the space hospitible to helpful and positive spirits. (more)
Previously - Shamanic Drumming

Crystals and Gemstones: Moldavite - the Extraterrestrial Stone
This stone is sometimes called the Crystal from Outer Space or the
Stone that Fell to Earth, to reflect its putatively extraterrestrial
origins. It is found only in the Moldau Valley in the Czech Republic, the result of a meteor strike some millions of years ago. The crystal is
translucent and a clear green color, darker than peridot, and of a
slightly 'olive' shade. (more)
Previously - Citrine: the Merchant Stone

Mystical Experiences - What is Astral Travel?
Astral Travel, or Astral Projection, is often called Out of Body Experiences, or OBE. In brief, it is the experience that your spirit has become separate from your body and can move independently of it. People have often reported the sensation of leaving their bodies to hover near the ceiling in hospital rooms after accidents - this, astral travelers say, is stress-induced astral projection. (more)