I love chocolate as I'm sure the rest of you do as well, most especially our sweet Johannes/Sevara. ;-) Anyway, I limit my consumption because of course I try not to eat too many sweets, for obvious reasons. However, I forget that eating chocolate, most especially 'dark' chocolate, has it's benefits. Here is an article that I found on the subject. Makes me feel less guilty when I eat it!

From > About.com on Longevity

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

After reading this, I thought it important to post here on DE, since most of us love to pamper ourselves with a nice manicure & pedicure. Even though most
of us use extreme caution about the nail salons we visit, some of our friends and family members might not, so it might be a good idea to warn them of the possible health risks involved. 5 reasons I do my own pedicures!

Blessings,

Gitana

article by - Tom Scheve - howstuffworks.com

Most nail salons see a steady parade of business. Nails get cut and filed, feet soak in tubs, cuticles get pushed back and trimmed, calluses get buffed. And while the majority of nail salon visits won't send you on your way with anything other than an excellent manicure and pedicure, customers -- and salon workers -- are at risk of spreading disease.

How can a desire for well-groomed nails lead you straight to the doctor's office? All that buffing, clipping and trimming means that it's not uncommon for hands and feet to get nicked and cut. And wherever you have open wounds and a lot of skin-to-skin and skin-to-surface contact, you have a very good chance of picking up some gross bacteria or viruses.

To all my Divine Earth friends, a nighttime blessing.

May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
May you walk gently through the world and know it's beauty
all the days of your life.

~ Native American Goodnight Blessing

Coralina, from my heart, wishing you a beautifully divine birthday. ;)

Happily Ever After

On your birthday, special one,
I wish that all your dreams come true.
May your day be filled with joy,
Wonderful gifts and goodies, too.

On your day I wish for you
Favorite people to embrace,
Loving smiles and caring looks
That earthly gifts cannot replace.

I wish you fine and simple pleasures.
I wish you many years of laughter.
I wish you all of life’s best treasures.
I wish you happily ever after!

Happy Birthday!

Poem By Joanna Fuchs

Blessings now and always,

Gitana

*Dear Friends,

This is another topic of which our dear Sevara/DE/Johannes is so knowledgeable about.
I came across this article by chance and wish to share with all.
Because DivineEarth brings inspiration, wisdom, and love to all of us, he is, OUR SPIRITUAL LIGHT...
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SPIRITUAL LIGHT AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM

How we Experience Energy Sensitivity

Beloved ones, the higher vibrations of God's light are streaming forth into physical matter, rapidly transforming the physical and energetic structure of the human body.

At the present time, light has activated a process of transformation and transfiguration within the energy body of the Earth. This transformation process is interacting with the miraculous divine organic processes of life that exist within all living things on the Earth.

Your nervous system is one of the most miraculous creations imaginable in God's creation. From the highest reaches of the spiritual planes, your soul essence is translated in to physical form, mainly through the nervous and endocrine systems of the body.

Chinese Medicine is based on a functional system comprised of the theories of Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Zang Fu, Meridians, Spirit, Qi, Blood, Body Fluids, Five Emotions, Six Exogenous Pathogenic Factors, etc. The five Zang organs are the lung, heart, spleen, liver and kidney; and the six Fu organs are the large intestine, small intestine, stomach, gallbladder, urinary bladder and triple burner. The acupuncturist characterizes the functional disturbances of the Zang-Fu organs with the help of eight diagnostic criteria, namely: Yin and Yang, Interior and Exterior, Deficiency and Excess, Cold and Heat.

Honey has a long history of healing. It’s been used for centuries for its healing properties, as well as its sweetness.
People use it to bake with. It requires you to use less heat. Its tasty flavor is one reason many people prefer it over table sugar. Besides that, honey is much sweeter than regular table sugar and better for you.
It’s best if you buy locally grown organic raw honey whenever you can. Locally grown because it’s produced by bees which are from the environment in which you live. It is always best to grow or consume foods from the area in which you live as they contain the immune stimulating properties needed for your body to adapt to its environment.
Fresh raw honey will also be tastier, and more potent. And, when you buy from local independent farmers you help keep them in business, which is good for your economy.

Health Benefits of Honey
As a healing remedy, raw honey can address multiple issues. There are far more benefits of honey than I will include here. Scientific research is ongoing surrounding the benefits of this remarkable substance. I’ve included some interesting benefits that you may not know about.

** Like stars, may we all give light. Let us radiate love, peace and kindness to all, both near and far.
I'm looking forward in 2010 and beyond to sharing many wonderful and divine moments with my DE friends. With love in my heart always...gitana
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From World Book at NASA >

A star is a huge, shining ball in space that produces a tremendous amount of light and other forms of energy. The sun is a star, and it supplies Earth with light and heat energy. The stars look like twinkling points of light -- except for the sun. The sun looks like a ball because it is much closer to Earth than any other star.
The sun and most other stars are made of gas and a hot, gaslike substance known as plasma. But some stars, called white dwarfs and neutron stars, consist of tightly packed atoms or subatomic particles. These stars are therefore much more dense than anything on Earth.

Written by Ken From / All-Star Telescope
Monday, 19 October 2009

2009 has been designated “International Year of Astronomy” by the United Nations to highlight 400 years of astronomy since 1609 when Galileo first viewed the heavens with a telescope. It was also 400 years ago when Galileo turned his telescope toward the moon and discovered that the moon “is uneven, rough and full of cavities and prominences.” 2009 also marked 40 years since human beings first walked on the moon. As this special year draws to a close, we are reminded of how much, in recent years, humanity has learned about the universe and our place in it - from discovering craters on the moon to walking on it.

A hug is a universal symbol of love and affection. A hug can be shared with a relative, a lover, a friend, a pet, or even a complete stranger.
Hugs do not discriminate, they can be therapeutic for both the giver, and receiver.

A hug is generally a positive exchange of energy between two or more people. Healing is sometimes about simply having someone hold you in their arms and feeling their love, caring and compassion. To many souls reality is a lonely, painful experience with nowhere to turn. A hug is a way to share both good and bad times with others. A hug can create a connection that one cannot express in words. Even a small hug generally makes everyone feel good. A hug can make one feel safe and secure. It can lift our spirits and make us smile. Some people are not comfortable with the physical embrace, yet a quick hug can go a long way. A hug is meant for everyone.

The yoga class ended at 10:30 central time for me.
I feel so blessed that I was able to view it!
For me it was; cleansing, relaxing, emotional, blissful,and truly beautiful.
The music was magical!
From my heart, thank you so much!

Love & blessings

gitana

Beautiful wild horses can still be seen and appreciated in a natural and uncontained habitat. Sandi Claypool and Ila Bromberg, are both founders of a Wild Horse Sanctuary in the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico. This article from moneromustangs.org >>

On April 30, 1598 Don Juan de Onate led Spanish colonists living in Mexico north across the Rio Grande River. He claimed all of New Mexico beyond the river for Spain when he did. Their party brought over 1,000 horses with them, and for a time, their main settlement was in the Abiquiu and Las Piedras areas.

The exploits of the Spanish Horse in North America had begun in earnest. It is hard to overstate their impact on the exploration of the American West and the lives of Native Americans over the next centuries. Read more about this history. The horses that comprise the Monero Mustangs herd are descended directly from the animals that accompanied Onate as he crossed the Rio Grande River in 1598.

With the holidays just around the corner many of us might have travel plans. I found these travel tips on www.womens-finance.com
These saavy travel tips might make life a little easier during times of high-stress and long lines at the airport.

>Travel tips for stress-free flights

Long lines at security checkpoints, traffic jams and lost luggage are just a few of the common complaints of holiday travelers.

While it's impossible to predict or control travel conditions, utilizing some of the latest innovations in travel technology, as well as some creativity in planning, can help to reduce stress during the busiest travel time of the year.

To help, Samsonite, the global leader in travel equipment, offers the following tips to ease hectic travel:

• Pack wisely: Examine everything that you would normally pack in your carry-on luggage and evaluate whether it would pass the scrutiny of airport security. While seemingly harmless, wrapped presents are a security no-no. Consider mailing gifts ahead, or sending all of your luggage in advance.

Recently, I spoke to a person that is suffering from post-traumatic disorder as a result of being in the military. I was alarmed to find out that the military is using blood & guts video "games" to desensitize troops. These video games are the same ones available at your local video stores and available to children! I found a related article concerning the desensitization of children turning them into possible aggressive and violent adults. This article from killology.com >

"Trained to Kill"

The Methods in this Madness: Desensitization

How the military increases the killing rate of soldiers in combat is instructive, because our culture today is doing the same thing to our children. The training methods militaries use are brutalization, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and role modeling. I will explain these in the military context and show how these same factors are contributing to the phenomenal increase of violence in our culture.

* A thought provoking story  ~ Although fictional, this story helps us examine our idea of what true beauty is,  and to ask ourselves, "Do I have a perfect heart, or do I have a beautiful one?

The Most Beautiful Heart 

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley.

A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.