Making the Switch: The Best Brand Chart on Organic Beauty Products

Here’s a chart that will help you separate the natural beauty products from the posers

Have a look, then choose the level of natural hair products and natural beauty products that are right for you 

Definition of each category

BAD: These are the products that use chemicals shown to be carcinogens (cancer causing), neurotoxins (causing brain issues), endocrine disruptors (leading to fertility issues), and harmful to the environment. Just think of where all those chemicals go when you wash them off, not to mention the plastic containers too. They may also be tested on laboratory animals.

Check out “Dirty Dozen” Cosmetic Chemicals to Avoid

Better: These products removed the biggies like parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate, but are not quite as natural as their claims. Crude oil is a natural ingredient but you wouldn’t want petro-chemicals in your skin care either (think petroleum jelly)!

Some of them still use questionable ingredients like phenoxyethanol and dimethicone.

Some do not reveal all their ingredients on the websites. That’s usually a red flag that the company doesn’t want the consumer to know something.

Others scored high ratings on the EWG (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep database for harmful ingredients. Any product that scored between three to five would be here.

Good: These products remove most of the nasties and scored zero to two on EWG. They may still use some animal-derived ingredients like beeswax and carmine. But for the most part these are safe options. Many have organic certification or mostly organic ingredients. They’re cruelty-free, plus in some cases they’re also fair-trade certified and vegan (hard to find in lipsticks).

Best: This is for the die hard naturalista! No chemicals. You mainly use products that you would eat that are raw, locally sourced, organic, and vegan.

The Disclaimer

The products included in the chart were challenging to compile for several reasons. For one, sometimes specific products made by companies found in the “Bad” column ranked lower in terms of toxicity in EWG ratings, while some listed in the “Better” or “Good” columns carry products that rate higher. If most products scored high, the company would be in the “Bad” column.

Many products are not listed on EWG at all, so they were selected based on researching their ingredients.

If you have a particular skin sensitivity, allergy or if you are dealing with cancer prevention or treatment, you will need to be more selective about exposure to certain ingredients.

It is not the intention of this post to vilify any company or product, but rather to raise awareness of the many available options that serve our health and well-being.

It is always best to do your own research. The following list includes a few reliable websites for reference.

Resources For Checking Labels

Some of the best sites for finding out the truth behind ingredients and products are the EWG Skin Deep website, the Good Guide, and Chemical of the Day.  Higher scores on the EWG list reflect a higher toxicity level in the product, while high numbers on the Good Guide list deem a product as safer. For the chart, I mainly referred to the EWG Skin Deep Database.

About Each Website

• EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Base Lists more than 62,000 products according to their safety on skin. Environmental Working Group researchers evaluate hundreds of safety studies and thousands of ingredient labels to bring you their top recommendations. Products score from a zero for no traces of toxicity to ten for high levels of harmful chemicals.
• Good Guide A team comprised of chemists, toxicologists, nutritionists, sociologists, and lifecycle analysis experts rates products and companies on their health, environmental and social performance. With a rating system from one to ten, products that earn high scores are safest. Pass on the ones with low scores. This website also offers a transparency toolbar so that every time you search a product on the internet, you can check its zero to ten rating on the Good Guide.  That way you can “shop your values wherever you shop,” according to the website.
• Chemical of the Day The educational resource by Bubble & Bee Organic. It is written by the knowledgeable Stephanie Greenwood.  Chemicals undergo analysis in a well-researched and readable format with sources for the information clearly cited.  Stephanie often answers questions personally.

For books explaining why toxic beauty is a real issue and what you can do about it, check out No More Dirty Looks and No Bull Beauty.

With these resources, you don’t have to become a chemist overnight. They will help decipher the labels for you so that you can choose the products and ingredients most suitable for your needs.

What natural hair products and natural skin products do you use?

What do you think? Did any items in the chart surprise you? Do you think we categorized anything wrongly? Are your favorite products listed? Share with us in the comments below.

Enjoy this post? It would mean so much to me if you shared it.

- See more at: http://www.mamanatural.com/good-bad-ugly-beauty/#sthash.krxQ5Ywz.dpuf

Does Easter come from the Goddess Ēostre or Jesus?

The Clues in History of Easter 

The word “Easter” is problematic for many reasons. In non-English speaking countries the commemoration of Jesus’s return from the dead is called somethingelse entirely, we simply translate it as “Easter” out of laziness. In Greece for example, “Easter” is called “Lambros” which translates as “shining” or “bright.” This is problematic because many Pagans like to make the argument that Easter is a specifically pagan holiday, because of the alleged origins of the word Easter. According to the British historian Bede (673-735 CE) the word “Easter” comes from the name of a Germanic fertility goddess named Eostre, whose name was given to an entire month “Eostur-month,” and then eventually to one specific holiday occurring in that month, the one we now call Easter.

The problem with all of this is that the only source for the goddess Eostre is Bede. There aren’t any tales of Eostre throwing eggs to all of the good little Germanic pagans, or of her correlation to the rabbit, so it’s hard to say with certainty that she existed and is the source for the word “Easter.” The only thing really pointing towards her existence in Ancient History is that her name shares a linguistic origin with that of various Indo-European goddesses of the dawn (like the Greek Eos for example). The questions then becomes whether the dawn was named after the deities in question, or if the deities were named after the rising sun. The word Easter then could be linked directly to a pagan goddess, or simply mean beginnings.

Jesus as a dying and resurrecting god is a two thousand year old tradition, there’s no question of its connection to ancient antiquity. The other trappings of Easter, the egg and the bunny, are far more problematic. I’ve been conditioned to always think of them as ancient pagan practices, but researching this article has brought up more questions than answers in that regard.

Why the Egg and the Bunny?

I can say with certainty that eggs as a symbol of fertility and rebirth have a long pedigree, but they were also very common items whose symbolism and role certainly could have changed and evolved over time. In the Greek Orphic tradition the god Phanes was said to have hatched from a “world egg,” illustrating that the Ancient Greeks believed in the egg as a symbol of rebirth and new life.

Rabbits have been associated with fertility from pagan times into the present. (I have friends who like to say “they go at it like rabbits” when discussing the sexual habits of others.) It seems likely that the Easter Bunny is an ancient pagan tradition (though the association of the bunny with the myth-less Eostra is most certainly a modern invention), but the first references to the Easter Bunny only date back to the 1500′s. That doesn’t mean the Easter Bunny didn’t exist before those first references to the Germanic Oschter Haws (or Osterhase), it just can’t be documented.

There’s a part of me that believes human beings have a natural tendency to be drawn to things in the natural world that correlate to what is going on in their own environments. Venerating a rabbit in April during the Earth’s annual period of rebirth makes complete sense. That doesn’t mean it’s pagan in the sense that people worshiped a rabbit in the year 100, but it’s Pagan in the sense that it taps into the natural rhythms of the Earth.

Everyone then becomes united in history of the celebration from death (winter) to life (spring). Let us join hands and share union!

Source

The Message from the Aquarian Age Gateway has Arrived.

Pluto opposes the Black Aquarian Sun.

Once again the New Moon approaches and I see all of us-the collective crawling away, hiding in the shadows, the quiet contemplative restorative space of reflection. Pluto whispers it is time to face the shadow aspects of our own human nature, that we can pass through and emerge into light whole-as one. No longer in need of the defenses, separation, illusion and denial which frequently keep us in the darkness of the unconscious but now the truth is being unveiled, the fog is dissipating.

Never have we had such a powerful opportunity to transform ego and pain which hold us back and keep us from birthing the Aquarian Age. The Aquarian Age is about ascending into a society that is not separate. It is not about "feeling down on yourself" or being the victim of identifying and dragging along all of the painful experiences in your life.

Look at them, release them, drop them. You are not those experiences.

Ego is not over-confidence in yourself as most believe it to be. it is more so being blinded from the fact that we are all one. That God-The universe moves through and is a part of all of us. We are the brother and sisters of human and intergalactic connection. Thinking we must carry the past, or pain of any sort in order to "serve" ourselves, repeating self served Karma, to keep pouring salt in the wound as a reminder that we are that experience; is the grandest illusion in the great dream called the ego. Once this is fully realized the ending Age of Pisces will be complete. Pisces is the sign of the dreamer and this reality is now disappearing.

You are not your past. You are a free and infinite soul made of pure love. In the only true moment in existence. Now.

The truth is in the letting go process, let go of the idea you are in control and know that all is already taken care of, the end to your suffering. The sacrifice is over and the dawning to the age of inner peace, bliss and supreme inner happiness is within us. No where outside of us. No one is going to initiate this but you. So, if not for all of society transforming, at least do yourself and humanity a favor and just let go.

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for and if you dream to step in that direction. If you dare to ask the question of where the pain comes from instead of accepting the world's hurried request to numb it.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you have kept the spirit you had as a child dear to your heart and alive.

It doesn't interest me what you did in the past or what you plan to be in the future.

I want to know if you realize you are an embodiment of pure love.

Know all of life is just a mirror of yourself and you will finally understand.

It’ll take honesty, vulnerability, and loyalty to truth. 

Like the Aquarian I wait with my vase, my vessel empty free of egoic attachment to my past channeling the gifts, the pure essence of life within the universe to be poured in. 

Infinite truth and unifying unconditional love.

I am stripped bare. I accept all parts of me and outside of me. I am open. I am free.

It is time.

Namaste, we are one.

Ho' apono apono
 

The Stages of Twin Flame Relationship

Recognition and Temporary Spiritual Awakening 

Both twins recognize one another at the soul level and feel as if they have met before. Synchronous events surround the union, the heart chakra open and both souls quickly merge into a third unified energy. Both twins experience an acceleration of spiritual understanding.

The Purpose of the Recognition Stage & Temporary Awakenings Stage: To activate the memory of each soul's life mission and to help awaken each twin to higher levels of consciousness.

Testing

The initial temporary spiritual awakening (illumination) fades. The ego (little self) begins to reemerge. One or both twins may attempt to fit the relationship into the "old model” of love, couple hood and relationship as it relates to their ego desires and learned false beliefs. Inner conflict arises.  Twins ruminate on what they were taught to believe their beloved "should be" and how relationships are supposed to serve them. Both twins feel simultaneously inspired and toppled by power of the union. Doubts creep in, making one or both twins begin to view their beloved critically or suspiciously.

The Purpose of the Testing Stage: To cause outdated mental concepts about relationships to rise to the surface to be cleared.

Crisis

The crisis of the twin is realizing they must either reject egoic beliefs about love relationships or reject their beloved. Having to shed "little self" or identity based beliefs and desires to embrace a higher expression of love can lead to stubbornness and anxiety. Fear can take hold, triggering many habitual dysfunctional emotional patterns. In staying present with the patterns, they can be witnessed and released. Despite fears, both twins naturally come together in cycles for bonding, confession, forgiveness, and lovemaking. These rituals cement higher levels of consciousness into the energy fields of both twins.

The Purpose of the Crisis Stage: To provide opportunities for healing and maturing of mental and emotional bodies.

Runner Dynamic

The human spirit naturally fears annihilation in the face of the divine unified consciousness encoded inside the twin flame union. The pain body rises up and old ego survival mechanisms or "bottom of the barrel" emotional and mental patterns like defiance, resistance, manipulation, anger, punishing, and judgment arise. One or both twins become emotionally and mentally flooded with deep pain from what feels like a soul level, rejection and abandonment. The unbearable soul level pain leads one or both twins to withdraw physically and block communication in fear and futility. One or both twins may also unsuccessfully try to re-create the original unified harmony.

The Purpose of the Runner Dynamic: To propel both individuals toward God for healing and maturation of the spiritual body.

Surrender

The direction and outcome of the relationship is surrendered to God in full faith and trust that the union is under divine protection. It is accepted that what is best and destined for the final physical harmonization with conspire in its own time. (Both twins must reach illumination in order to harmonize in the physical) The "runner" twin is allowed the space and freedom to choose to evolve at their own pace in their own way.

At this stage, the frequency of compassion returns and maintains itself. The surrendered twin holds a heart space for their beloved while fully exploring life on way to becoming an illuminated human. This may be a time of channeling unconditional love into art, music, writing, teaching, active service or some other creative outlet.

The temptation to engage in ego battle or withdrawal is very seductive and difficult for many to resist, which is why many twins never reach Surrender, Radiance or Harmony. Try to remember there is no room for judgment in twin soul pairings. Each soul learns much from walking its own path and choosing through its own will. Your non-attached loving thoughts will be felt by your beloved in the subconscious, keeping them strong.

Purpose of the Surrender Phase: To help each soul release the ego, develop regular communication with God and demonstrate their full trust in God to do what is best and when.

Self-Realization, Illumination and Radiance

The ego or little self-dies and God-force energy takes over. This leads to a complete spiritual awakening, arriving at one's fully awakened divinity. This is the stage of radiating divine love rather than seeking romantic love. At this stage, the surrendered twin's emotional, mental, spiritual bodies arrive at full maturity. New creativity and healing abilities arise, which are put in service to assist others.

Purpose of the Radiance Stage:  To establish an outward flow of divine love through one's body and works, which vibrates at a level that uplifts humanity.

Harmonizing

By this stage, both twins have awakened. They come together in the physical assimilate their newly evolved energies, flowing into new dynamic of their unified potential. Both twins integrate fully into the third energy of unconditional love in a way that influences others towards their own heart opening.

Purpose of the Harmonization Phase: To fulfill the intended mission of the Twin Flame union. Twin Flame Relationships come into your life to help mold you to embody the vibration of unconditional love.

For more on spiritual inquiry visit: Emerge Grow Prosper

Set Yourself Free through Life's One and Only Law.

There are laws that apply to all of us.

For example: When anyone jumps off a building whether you are a good person or bad person, you are going to hit the ground.

In science we know that everything around us is made from energy. Energy and frequency being the smallest form of anything in the entirety of the universe. Thoughts and feelings can be measured in the brain as waves or frequency meaning they are energy.

There are three laws that energy must obey and always has:

1. Moves in form, through form and out of form.
2. Always will be and always has been.
3. Neither can be created nor destroyed.

If you ask a theologian about what God is in ANY religion he will tell you this same definition.

Therefore thoughts and feelings are energy, meaning you have a direct connection and embodiment of God (whoever that is to you) within you.

Whether you call it prayer, manifestation or meditation. We attract the sum of the frequency we are resonating meaning, we attract what we think but MORE SO WHAT WE FEEL THE MOST.

If you don't quite understand this yet do not worry. You don't have to. Do you know how electricity works? I don't but I do know: You can cook a man's dinner with electricity or you can cook the man.

So do yourself a favor believe in yourself, follow your joy. Allow yourself to be the divine embodiment of the splendor in your deepest dreams and desires.

What would you feel like if your dreams had come true?

FEEL THAT NOW.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP.

I am so grateful for my abundant life.

Namaste, we are one.

Jocelyn 

Supporting the Sacred Male

Original post December 30,2013

I have heard so much of holding space for the divine feminine which is essential 

but what about the sacred male?

I am holding such a loving healing space for all men within this dominant society of the world today. Today in our society the male is told that he must provide for the women and yet have no emotion about it. He is in charge to be the leader of the world, yet most are not shown his internal compass. 

With such sayings echoing in his subconscious as, "Man up" or " Stop acting like a Child" Men are given great responsibility to provide and guard yet not being taught how to ground this energy or emotion to do so. A true warrior knows that his efforts are not effective unless the inside battles have been won first but our society does not allow this. 

So many women have then experienced "Bad Boys" or "Man Children" while this is not our responsibility to "heal" this space for males they come to us because women have been allowed this space their whole lives. There is an untouched and purity of heart in a women that men seek within themselves. And this space is free flowing and open because we have been allowed the release of emotions unlike our dear male counter part. This manifest as a "Bad Boy" someone who has buried the memories of childhood and has created a thick layer diversion to deal with the outer realm, to be accepted and loved by society. Then there are the "Man Children" who want to heal the child by being the child and do not want to be pushed into the mold of current societal construct. 

Men need to be provided NOT JUST BY WOMEN but by their male counterparts space to be themselves. In other words a place to tune into the pure love and heart space that a woman does. The place where the SELF-CONSCIOUS and over compensation through ego turns to SELF- AWARENESS there becomes a soft yet strong harnessed power in this space. This goes for male and female, so that they are both balanced within the male and female energies. The key here is for all of us to start allowing a level of vulnerability and acceptance for both parties. Real Self Examination requires COURAGE and DISCIPLINE. This is a message for all women,you can not heal those wounds for him, you can open the space (meaning supporting his growth) but he must drive this change internally.

There is a great quote that says, " A man once asked his father," Father, how will I ever find the right woman. His father replied, " Forget finding the right woman, focus on being the right man." 

Don't just be a male, be a man. 

In the peaceful warrior sense.

Don't just strive for external perfection of your body, peel through your emotional layers.

Don't just strive to be dominant in society but connect with your heart space.

Don't just strive for intelligence but seek wisdom from the spirit.

Don't blind-fully move through your primal attraction but become aware of how you want to be satisfied and the space you create within that.

Become a true and constant explorer of your mind, body and spirit. 

You will be surprised how you can be met so fully in all areas of life.

You will then be able to truly satisfy the needs of a conscious woman by:

Not simply staring at her beauty but seeing every layer of her being.

By not just flirting with her mind but connecting with her heart.

By not just lusting for her body but craving and achieving satisfying intimacy with her soul.

By not only taking her to bed but creating a unique space so trusting and passionate that you both feel safe to explore the depth of both your desires.

When we look within we gain everything that is with out.

My Secrets on How to Deal with Trolls (In Real Life and Online)

When it comes to any dilemma whether it be in a group chat forum type environment
or out in the real world, here are the messages from my higher angels,

 I have been relayed over the coming days/weeks.

You are either the advocate or the alchemist in this process. 

About five years ago, I could be considered an "energy vampire" (that is a story for another time) an attention seeking person using negative behavior, self pitying or words to suck energy from others.
 but a light bringer or light worker knows that all areas in life can be cleansed, re-alchemized and nothing can penetrate his/her being or space without first the permission to allow to be disrupted. 

A troll is only a troll if given attention or responded to in a negative way. You can only be hurt if you allow it to effect you or take it personally.  Being a light worker it is our job to see these "trolls" as confused energies projecting their confusion onto us. We have the power in the knowledge that we can cleanse the space by responding always through love or just frankly ignoring their temper tantrum attention seeking habits. 

All you have to do is see it in the right light and then you see their true intention.

All things either come from love or are a cry for love. 

As an admin on EWAO with almost 70,000 people and growing, I understand it is not my responsibility to censor what others want to say since in my communication with ET's, higher angels, my higher self (what ever you would like to call it) you do not censor humanity, you allow it - it's process and in that comes the beauty of choice, enlightenment and finally 

"self realizing salvation"

Once we realize that we are one with the "energy vampires" or "trolls"
that we all have a negative side within us if we feed it, 

we realize it takes feeding them for them to "thrive".

 Let me further elaborate...

It is always our reaction to there action that either gives them power for more negativity.

How can you teach and educate when you will not share the light 

with anyone unless asked or provoked? How can you change someone by ignoring them?

For Example: I have a 5 year old when he has a tantrum, I do not "pop" his bottom because then I become the target for anger within his own self started demise and misery. If I let him have his tantrum or put him in time out, ignoring the negative behavior, he then comes to his own realization on how to fix things himself. People who are hurt are sometimes the same. 

Another analogy rings true here, a man was watching a butterfly hatching from his cocoon. The new butterfly tried and tried to get through the little hole in the end, but no matter how much it tried, it could not get out. So after watching this for quite a while, the man opened the hole, and let the butterfly out. The butterfly crawled out, and the man, pleased with himself waited for the butterfly to fly off. After 5 minutes though, it just sat there. He looked at its wings, and realized that they were stunted and malformed. That little hole was more important than the man knew. If the butterfly can not go through the process of working it's way through the hole, the biochemical lubricants in the butterfly's body can not squeeze out and disperse into the wings, pumping them up to be able to fly. By helping the butterfly, he doomed him. 

Sometimes it is not about the end result, its about the process.

It is about the journey more than the destination.

They need the space to come to their own answer and healing.

We help each person by embodying love and diving deeper within ourselves into self mastery to understand what drives ourselves and others. 

All of life are just mirrors, reflections of self. 

The more we clear the space within, the more it echoes with clarity without.

A response I often hear is: I was simply defending myself. 

While someone throws the first punch, 

if  you choose to stand to defend yourself and give one back 

you are just as much standing to receive a punch. 

Do yourself a favor follow many of the eastern philosophies,such as martial artist do
and duck the punch.

Deflect the ill intent.

 The words or actions can only hurt you if you see what he/she is saying or doing as valid.
OR if you see why he is acting out as the true causer,
since each person has the internal choice of what upsets him anyway.

Many eastern cultures have talked about alchemizing your space for the preparation in battle. 

One of the biggest teachings is that, if there is no enemy within, there will be no enemy without. 

The other perspective is that there is no room for defeat if you realize you're
"opponent"  is a part of you, therefore there is no room to be defeated or to win.

 If you look at most eastern forms of combat they are revered as the most successful, based on self-defense rather than self-offense. They deflect the physical attempts to make contact to wear their opponent down, while expending little energy themselves. They know that energy is precious and needs to be reserved and utilized intentionally.

Another common question:

No one likes to be disciplined, yet it is a great way to learn. Should murders be ignored, rapist and the like be ignored? There should be consequences for bad behavior in general. 

Yes, this is the typical question most of society asks.

 This is simply addressing the symptom rather than the causer for the dilemma you speak of. 

Why are there murders and rapist? 

Because of a society of suppressed people who are not allowed to come to their own answers. 

We are told what we can and cannot do but we are not taught why we wouldn't want to make the decisions because of how that would make everyone in the situation feel. The rules then become the mental block to someone's feelings and organic questioning process of "Why would I want to rape or kill someone?" There is no benefit to this if truly examined thoroughly through the heart space but we do not teach people how to feel, our society just gives rules.

 We are caught up in a society who wants to answer all of the questions for you, who want to be right but do not want to do what comes from the heart and allow each man his own process of feeling that personal truth. 

Therefore he, the follower - follows empty rules without knowing why and demands to be right in all situations without feeling that maybe you do not have to be right. That maybe you just have to be in love in all moments and maybe this would lead to happiness for everyone. 

So, if you are one in the many who are working through this dualistic structure of right and wrong. The thought process that all wrong actions should be forbidden or condemned (banned), then would you acting negatively in your defense not fall into the category of a negative action? 

Warranting also your own condemning?

Oh I see, so I suppose that we will cause greater confusion and attach more rules by saying that if it is in defense of ourselves than a negative action is then justified? 

Not so. 

Have you ever heard of the story of the girl that was about to get raped by a man outside a concert, she chose to kiss him and the man not understanding, perplexed by her actions and dissatisfied by not causing fear, ran away and left her to escape to her freedom. 

It is all in our reaction, we are either contributing to the problem or we are being the cure to this epidemic disease which is hate. We can be in defense of ourselves and others by moving always through kindness and through intentional words/actions rather than hateful/condemning actions, there is no exception-there is no separation. 

Even in defense we should act through love, we should choose to be the solution-the answer to the call of love within all of humanity.