The Green Parent
Raising kids with conscience
Blog / February 2009
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Feb 02 2009
Sizzling seduction tips!
Are you looking to energise your love life? Follow these seven saucy steps to seduction and you could discover a greener side to romance!
Get the body of Adonis/Aphrodite
Ripple those muscles, firm those thighs and wow your partner with your fantastic physique… by cycling to work. Walking or cycling all journeys that don’t need to be driven will tone your body, improve your fitness and will boost your stamina, not to mention cutting your carbon emissions. 25% of all carbon emissions in the UK come from transport.The perfect icebreaker
For that special someone at work who you really fancy, car-sharing journeys each morning and night could be the ideal way to get up close and personal. It is also a great way of cutting your commuting emissions in two.Wine and Dine
Sharing romantic candlelit dinners is relationship friendly and ecofriendly too. Cooking for two or more generates fewer emissions than individually prepared meals.Salad of Love
The lettuce species Lactura virosa has an aphrodisiac quality, a fact discovered by the Ancient Egyptians. You won’t find it stocked in supermarkets so why not grow it at home and add it to salads to boost your romantic desires. Homegrown produce reduces emissions because none are generated either by transport or from the machinery used in industrial scale food production.Get Lathered Up
Sharing a bath with your partner can be a most intimate and loving act so, turn on the taps and start bonding. 40% of your energy bill is generated from heating and hot water. Sharing a bath will save you money and cut your carbon emissions.007 Heaven
It would seem that James Bond is a keen advocate of energy efficiency. He has often wooed Russian agents by insisting “We must use bodily warmth to make it through to morning“. So why don’t you turn the heating down and snuggle up. By turning your thermostat down by one degree you could make a 10% saving on heating bills.No Lights Please, we’re British
It may be a little unadventurous to turn the lights off on intimacy but it can add a touch of intrigue and mystery. Lighting your home makes up 15% of your electricity bill so switching them off will save you cash and reduce CO2.Have fun!!
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Feb 02 2009
Celebrating Imbolc
I just wanted to post a short note on Imbolc, the feast of the Goddess Brigid, which takes place tomorrow. It’s a time to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, an opportunity for new beginnings and purification using fire. Today’s snowfall has created a beautiful setting for this ancient celebration.
We have celebrated in various ways over the years from dressing all in white and going for a woodland walk to taking it in turns to wear a crown of candles. We tend to have a celebration meal with lots of candles and circular food like pancakes to represent the sun and lengthening days. When everyone else is in bed I will pull my cards and do a spiral spread for Imbolc and the coming months for a greater insight on what I have to work on in my life.
No matter how you celebrate Imbolc, the focus for this time of year is new beginnings (both literal and metaphorical), the blessing of hearth, home and crops and purification (by means of fire). As well as a chance to honour the rebirth of the sun, it is a favourable time to celebrate creativity, ignite passions, and to harness the power that is created in the turn of the season.
Hope and anticipation abound and and encourage us to gather our thoughts and prepare for new creative projects and activities. If you haven’t started a journal this year or created goals for the months ahead now is the time to focus upon your hopes and dreams for the coming year. They may be physical, spiritual or emotional, but you can be assured that now is the time to lay the foundation stones of your dreams. This needn’t be a new dream, it may be something that has been a longheld desire. Be safe in the knowledge that in beginning this process you will be communing with, and at one with the universal force, limitless potential and bounty of nature. As the earth is awakening, so can we harness this period of aspiration, fulfilment and creativity that lies ahead.
A candle ritual is particularly appropriate as Imbolc is a fire festival. Take a white candle and carve into it a picture or word symbolising your goal for the year ahead. Place the candle in a heatproof dish and light it. Allow the candle to burn right down. You can do this in three or four sittings so as not to leave it unattended.
Happy creating!
NOTE: This beautiful painting was created by Wendy Andrews – you can view more of her inspirational art at Painting Dreams
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