The Pampering Times

September 2020 Issue 183

Jane Sheehan

Footreading.com

September Hello Everyone

Book 2 in the Gurus’ Guide to Reflexology Series is now with

the Graphic Designer. Yes we are on target for Christmas

launch.

The French online foot reading course is with the website de-

signer to construct. I’ve just got to translate one more page.

Dawn Emmerson has been over to be my foot model for the

photoshoot of the new book cover (with Ian Abbott doing the

photography) Then returned for a second photoshoot to up-

date my PR shots and get some new shots for the website.

I’m going on Retreat on 28 Sept for the week with fellow

Temple Academy Teachers. Leaving Pops in charge.

My first live workshop is in Bedfordshire 10 and 11 October,

and on 20 and 21 October I am doing a joint 360 degree foot

reading workshop with Angela Telford. Angela will be cover-

ing the physical aspects and I will be covering the emotional

aspects. This takes place in Stevenage and we have space left

if you are interested.

Provided travel will be allowed, I still plan to do my work-

shops in Tralee and Lyon in November and Portugal in De-

cember.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Question ......................... 2

Happy face ..................... 2

Parent Guide .................. 4

Counselling Sills ............ 6

Creating a wave………8

Capacitar .................... 9

Recipe………….…11

Breastfeeding ............. 12

Iceland……………..…14

Astrology…………...21

Diary Dates…………...30

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

Gurus’ Guide Book 2 is due for Christmas launch. Focus on pu-berty, infertility, fertili-ty, pregnancy, meno-pause

2

During a zoom workshop I gave to the Reflexology Association of Canada, I was made aware of something that I would like to ask fellow foot readers to start noticing and benchmarking in case it is a thing. One student said she is working with two clients who have had very difficult journeys to getting pregnant—hard time con-ceiving. She has noticed that their big toe increased in size with pregnancy.

I’d like to know if anyone else has noticed this phenomenon and

I’d like to ask anyone who is helping similar clients, to start notic-ing if it is the case for them.

Thanks

QUESTION FOR FOOT READERS

Great news for my French readers—Eddy Couthouis has volun-teered to translate The Gurus Guide to Reflexology Book 1 into French Lan-guage. I would antic-ipate that it will be ready for Christmas

Great news for my Italian readers—Luca has finished the translation of “Let’s Read our Feet” into Italian Language. It is with the graphic designer for creating after Gurus’ Guide Book 2 is finished.

Lyn is a self employed Reflexologist and works from her home n Wirral. (contact her at lynebbrell@hotmail.com)

Sometimes as therapists we have moments of joy, enlightenment, and mystery, and on the odd occasion we will have an unexplained incident, which we may remember for years to come.

During a training session many years ago, I was using some kind of se-quence on the plantar of my ‘client's’ foot (a foot of a fellow student), when I paused to read my notes. When I looked back to start again I saw this smiling face looking at me. (See photo on next page.) I rushed to get my phone and took this photograph. Minutes later the skin had flattened and the image was gone. I’m sure Jane will have a more educated explana-tion than I as to the mystery behind the face. I think at the time, I felt that not only was the client very happy with my touch, but that perhaps there was some kind of unconscious positive message from the body too.

THE HAPPY FACE BY LYN EBBRELL

Jane replies: “Often during a foot reading I see a picture appear in the foot—this is a great example. I ask the client “Does the symbol of ……..(name the picture) mean something to you?” and usually the client knows exactly what you are talking about. I believe it is their subcon-scious trying to show you something that is important to them. The danger in trying to interpret it ourselves is that we add our projection into it. Often it is a very personal interpretation that they give that we would never have managed to discover without their input. Fabulous example. Thanks Lyn”

3

Teens 101 tackles drugs, social media, sex, mental health, and re-spect

Parenting teenagers is more challenging than ever in the coronavirus (COVID-19) age. The usual issues such as anxiety, experimentation, peer pressure and cyber bullying, have in many cases been compounded by the global pandemic and resulting social isolation. Now, more than ever, parents are looking for support and guidance. Known for its factual and non-preachy guides Drugs 101, Social Media 101, Sex 101, Mental Health 101 and Respect 101, Parent Guides has combined them to produce a compendium, Teens 101. The 180-page reference book draws upon the latest research, expert advice, and practical resources to help parents and carers navigate the teen years and start important conversations with their children. No holds are barred, and no topic is shirked. “We tell it how it is,” says founder and Melbourne media identity Ei-leen Berry. “We inform parents and carers about what drugs their kids might take, what they are doing online, how likely they are to be hav-ing sex and, most importantly, how to discuss all this rationally with them.

Eileen Berry, Parent Guides Founder Ph: 0407 542 655 Email: eileen @parentguides.com.au Web link: parentguides.com.au

4

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT TEENAGERS AND MORE… BY

EILEEN BERRY

5

“Teens 101 covers all the bases and will be a valuable resource for parents, carers, schools, universities and other organisations that support families. Our goal is to spark meaningful conversations between parents, carers and their young people.” Parent Guides is a not-for-profit organisation that has provided resources for nearly six years. The guides help parents and carers educate themselves about teen issues, and in some cases have prompted expert panel nights at schools. The new compendium resource is ideal for schools, universities, libraries, and family support organisations. Special bundle packag-es have been developed to make them affordable. “We want as many families as possible to benefit,” Eileen says. “With COVID-19 potentially amplifying issues faced by teenagers, practical and useful advice from respected experts is more im-portant than ever.” For more details: Eileen Berry, Parent Guides Founder & Ph: 0407 542 655 Email: eileen@parentguides.com.au Web link: www.parentguides.com.au

I mentioned that I am going to be doing a Counselling Skills course with Andrea Rippon after seeing her give a zoom talk on the topic. I’d like to invite you to join in too. Cost is £300 per person. Dates for the 25 hours are on Wednesdays 09.45 to 13:00 on January 20, 27; February 3, 10, 24; March 3, 10, 17 (ICS210120) Class size is 8 students This will give you a professional safe ethial way of working and will transform your approach to your work. It is experiential so don’t un-derestimate the impact it will have on yourself too. Description This introduction to Counselling Skills course (25 hrs) teaches you how to be with someone in a way that meets the “Six Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change” as intro-duced by Carl Rogers, one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. You will learn how to provide someone with an envi-ronment of genuine non-judgmental understanding, so that they can find their own solutions. To unconditionally accept someone in this way, you—as the listener—will first need to listen, understand and ac-cept yourself. Carl Rogers’ Person Centred Approach is regarded as beign one of the most influential in humanistic psychology. It is an approach that uses ‘relationship’ as the means to change, grow and develop. The Person Centred Approach is the primary approach recommended for those who have dementia; and can be found in the support/voluntary sec-tor, in mental health, caring, parenting and in education. Past stu-dents have included teachers, social workers, wellbeing therapists, par-ents, health workers, HR, artists, musicians and those from the volun-tary sector. It is also a Foundation course for progression onto the Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills, run by the Norwich Centre. The course will include teaching and demonstration, group discussion, guided experiential listening exercises, learning from listening to and observing others, peer and tutor feedback and some time focussing on your Personal Development. You need to spend up to 2 hours a week in private study, which will include reflection, writing your learning journal and reading. Due to the personal development work involved, this course may not be suitable for those who are emotionally stretched at the moment. Please contact Andrea (07814 735970 ) if you’re concerned about whether you can meet the emotional demands of this course.

Contact Andrea Rippon

07814 735970

http://strongerrelation-ships.co.uk

6

Counselling Skills for Therapists (25 hrs)

7

Progression: This 25 hour course is approved by The Norwich Centre as compulsory for those wanting to apply for the Part Time Certificate in Counselling Skills. After completing the Certificate, students can progress on to the Part Time Diploma in Counsel-ling. Students who did this course said: • I will definitely be using (and have already started to use) coun-

selling skills at work. I am now able to provide better emotion-al support by listening, instead of constantly offering advice. I have also developed in my own confidence and this has im-pacted across all areas of my life.

• I feel that the course has taken my self awareness and personal development to another level

• I feel totally liberated in my thinking. It is already having a direct impact both personally and in my professional role. I am really grateful for the experience and the personal develop-ment and growth.

• I enjoyed the way the tutor made the learning personal and relevant. It was great to be part of a group of people that were so open and real.

• I just love your passion and enthusiasm for what you teach. You are quite an inspiration.

• Thank you for reminding me to let my talents shine. Your en-couragement to put myself our there will stay with me always.

• Loved your clarity and straightness. You explained things well when I got stuck

• I appreciated your flexible approach to group requirements Medical Undergraduates (Y4), School of Medicine, UEA said: • Helped me realise/reinforce that giving advice is not the only

point of the consultation. The patient’s experience of being heard is as important, if not more so. Also with a medical bent lots of work has been done on how this fosters a good relationship and thus increases compliance.

• Person centred listening and positive regard provide a good background for treating the patient as a human rather than a disease

• It teaches the value of listening. How to be aware of ourselves and how to be more mindful of what we do and say.

To book, please go to http://strongerrelationships.co.uk/product/introduction-to-counselling-skills Add to cart. View cart. Proceed tocheckout and complete the in-formation. Please indicate the course you’d like to book, by giving the course code ICS210120. Andrea will invoice you and your place will be confirmed when payment has been made by bank transfer. If you would like to pay by instalments, please indicate the payments you can manage; and ensure that the final payment is made the day before the last day of the course.

Wow – Thank you for such a wonderful response to last month’s article, I am absolutely thrilled! I am so pleased that so many of you have decided to join me on this first presentation of the Self-Mastery Programme. Having spoken with the web developers for my new website, I realise they are under a lot of pressure at the moment. Lockdown has given them more business than they can easily handle, so obviously paid work must come first and my ‘freebie’ will be a bit later than in-tended. However, I am not daunted – there is always another way. I have decided to improvise and will be using links to a private YouTube channel for the videos and will use email for the Workbook Sheets and we should be able to get cracking. This first group is my pilot group and your feedback will be invaluable to me, so I can tweak it where needed before launching on the website, so maybe this was a blessing in disguise. I don’t know about you, but I do believe that things happen for a reason and now that I think about it, doing it this way to start really seems like a better plan than the original! Or is it me? I always find a silver lining. So …… drum roll ……

… we will go live on Sunday, 6th September … our first Zoom Meeting will be the following Saturday, 12th September at 10.00 a.m. Everyone who has responded should be now have received emails from me about the plans. My cut-off for this group is 5th Sep-tember, so if you had been meaning to join, email me now at awaken@ripples.life and I will add you on. Once the website is up and running the whole course will be available to everyone who wants to do it, for free, so don’t worry if the timing isn’t right for you now. I will keep Jane posted when the web-site is finally live. I can feel the little ripples of excitement building …….I’d bet-ter watch out for the wave!

Heather Salter awaken@Ripples.Life

8

CREATING A WAVE WITH HEATHER SALTER

This month I am going to share another healing practice from Capaci-tar International Trauma Healing system.

Capacitar is a Spanish word meaning to empower, to awaken, to bring each other to life. Capacitar’s mission is to heal ourselves and heal our world. It teaches body-based practices that empower people to use their inner wisdom to heal and transform themselves to heal injustice and build peace in their families and communities.

In these Covid 19 times we are being encouraged to eat immune boosting foods, loose weight and get fitter so we can fight off the virus more effectively should. We are all now very familiar with the steps we need to take to avoid infection, including frequent hand washing, so-cial distancing and the wearing of face masks.

Within my own treatments I regularly use two ways to boost the im-mune system. Precision Reflexology has a link specifically on the thy-mus gland - part of both the lymphatic and endocrine systems, linking it to itself, plantar and dorsal aspects, using the thumb of one hand and the middle finger of the other. When beginning a treatment with Vertical Reflexology (VTR), Lynne Booth recommends beginning the treatment with the ankle reflexes to stimulate the immune system.

As part of the process of empowering people to take responsibility for their own well being, I teach my clients the following simple Immune System Boost, encouraging them to do it daily. It can easily be done whilst lying in bed in the morning before getting up or at night as part of a going to sleep routine. The hands are used to send energy to three different organs of the immune system: the Peyer's patches located in the walls of the intestines, the spleen and the thymus gland. Each po-sition should be held for 2-3 minutes, whilst breathing deeply and im-agining healing light or energy filling these parts bringing health and wellbeing to the entire immune system.

Position 1:

Place left hand of the lower abdomen just below the naval.

The right hand rests on the abdomen just above the left hand, over

9

Reverend Rachel Hextall has been an Or-dained Methodist Min-ister for over 20 years and a Reflexologist for 12. She integrates heal-ing practices into the sermons and prayers she shares with her con-gregations, as well as getting them to knit and crochet angels, hearts, shawls and all manner of things as ex-pressions of God's love for the world. Over the years Rachel has led quiet days and spiritual-ity workshops on sub-jects as diverse as knit-ting, labyrinths and ho-listic healing.

You can contact her at

reflexrevrach@gmail.com

Capacitar Trauma Healing Immune

System Boost by Rev Rach

10

the navel.

This energizes the Peyer's patches found in the intestinal wall.

Position 2:

Leave the right hand in place over the Peyer's patches and move the left hand to the spleen, located on the left side of the abdo-men just at the edge of the rib cage

Position 3:

Leave the right hand over the Peyer's patches and move the left hand to the thymus. located just above the heart and below the throat in the centre of the chest.

Position 4:

Leave the left hand on the thymus and move the right hand to the spleen, located on the left side of the abdomen just at the edge of the rib cage. (The spleen gets a double boost.)

References:

The Complete Guide to Precision Reflexology (2nd edition) Jan Williamson pub: 2010. p57ff

Vertical Reflexology - Lynne Booth pub: 2000 p94

Refugee Accompaniment - Capacitar Practices by Pat Cane and Kathryn Revtyak pub:2016 p63

www.capacitar.org

Ingredients

2 navel oranges 6 eggs 250 g caster sugar 250 g almond ground 1 tsp baking powder 50 g flaked almonds

Wash the navel oranges and place into a large pot.

Cover with water and bring to the boil on the stovetop for 2 hours, add more water if needed.

Remove the oranges from the water and allow to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (fan-forced).

Grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm springform pan with baking paper and set aside.

Cut the ends off the oranges and discard, chop the cooled oranges into pieces and place into a food processor. Process until completely smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Beat the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl until pale and frothy (about 2 minutes on high using hand-held beaters).

Add the orange puree and stir through.

Add the almond meal and baking powder and stir through.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin.

Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the cake.

Bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs on it.

Allow to cool completely in the tin.

Sprinkle with icing sugar just before serving, plus a little orange zest if you wish, serve with fresh cream.

Enjoy

GLUTEN FREE FLOURLESS ORANGE AND AL-MOND CAKE

11

My friends Colin

and Yvonne have

been entertaining

their neighbours

down on the farm

with this delightful

treat

12

Animal reflexology post-

er now available from

https://

www.footreading.com

and also available in

French language

From chapter in Gurus’

Guide Book 1

Top 5 Tips for Successful Breastfeed-

ing by Maura O’Shea

Hi, I’m Maura! I am a Doula, Reflexologist and I run a Breastfeeding

Support & Information Group in Tramore, County Waterford

(Ireland). At a resent meet-up, the mums attending came up with

their top 5 tips for successful breastfeeding….

Top 5 Tips for Successful Breastfeeding

Support- surround yourself with as much breastfeeding support

as possible. If things don’t seem to be going well at the start,

get help as soon as possible from the hospital midwives, hos-

pital/local Lactation Consultant or your local Breastfeeding

Counsellor who may be able to visit you in hospital or in the

early days at home.

Ask your close family and friends to support you by preparing

meals for you, helping with household chores or minding old-

er children over the first few days and weeks so you can con-

centrate on recovering from pregnancy and labour and getting

breastfeeding off to a good start.

Information- try to source good research based breastfeeding

information from reputable sources such as ‘The Womanly

Art of Breastfeeding’ book, ‘The Positive Breastfeeding

Book’ by Amy Brown or websites such as

13

www.kellymom.com, www.laleche.org.uk,

www.nct.org.uk.

Go to a breastfeeding support group while pregnant- this

has helped many of our local mums as they have found

out lots of good information by attending a meet-up be-

fore their baby arrives. They also get to meet the local

Breastfeeding Counsellor or La Leche League Leader

which sometimes makes it easier to contact her to ask for

help and information if the need arises! They can also

borrow free breastfeeding books from our group library

and meet other mums in a lovely, supportive setting.

Positioning- resent studies have shown that many babies

breastfeed very well in a more Laidback or Natural

Breastfeeding position. (Think puppies or piglets lying

across their mum!) We too are mammals and in the early

days this position seems to stimulate certain reflexes lo-

cated on the front of a baby’s body which in turn encour-

ages baby to open their mouths wide to get a good latch.

www.youtu.be/diuGQhbjC6s

Preparation- Before baby arrives, batch cook and freeze as

many meals as possible to make life as easy as possible in

the early weeks! Have some snacks on stand-by such as

crackers, rice cakes, yogurts, fruit, hummus, peanut but-

ter, flapjacks, etc.

Some Health Insurance Providers offer free Postpartum Dou-

la hours to help mums in the early days and weeks so

check out your insurance just in case!

To find your local Breastfeeding Support Group:

www.laleche.org.uk/find-lll-support-group/

www.nct.org.uk/local-activities-meet-ups/local-parent-

support

www.lalecheleagueireland.com/groups/

www.cuidiu.ie/supports_breastfeeding_breastfeedinggroups

Hope that helps and best wishes to you and your little one!

Learn more about Maura via facebook

https://www.facebook.com/tramorereflexology/

Where better to start than a view of my feet? Well, a view of my shoes at least. I am one of the very fortunate ones to have escaped the COVID madness of the UK and am spending 10 days in my beloved Iceland. I was swab tested at Keflavík airport on entry and am additionally safe in the knowledge that (from a sero-prevalence taken back home) I already have the COVID anti-bodies. I am therefore allowed to play in Iceland. Remarkably, here in Iceland, life is pretty much near-normal. Strategically positioned bottles of hand sanitiser are the only giveaway that there could be a virus lurking in our midsts. Although the whole of Iceland is rather special - this is my 28th visit - where my feet are right now is particularly special. The Icelandic island of Grímsey, three (typically very rough - see the photo) hours ferry journey north of the mainland, is one of those rare places left in Europe where you can retreat to be with Nature at its best and most remote. And it is my resting place for the next few days.

More information can be

found on Phil’s website

www.cuttingcarbs.co.uk or

by following him on Insta-

gram: CuttingCarbsUK

14

A postcard from Iceland by Phil

Nuttridge

15

This small barely inhabited island has three claims to fame: it is the only part of Iceland within the Arctic Circle; it has its own mini “Giant’s Causeway”; each Summer, it is home to tens of thousands of puffins. The last of these three is the main draw for me. But before I tell my story of those adorable puffins and how they raise a significant point about nutrition in the 21st century, let me just throw to you one of those “Did you know….?” type trivia facts: Did you know that the Arctic Circle moves? Yes, each year, the exact location of the line defining the Arctic Circle shifts a little bit north or a little bit south.

Each point on the Arctic Circle is the southern most location at which the centre of the midnight sun is still just visible at the horizon on the summer solstice. It moves each year because there is a slight ‘wobble’ on the axis around which the Earth rotates, this wobble caused by the pull of the moon and the tides. On the island of Grímsey, they mark the location of the Arctic circle with a concrete sphere. The clever bit is the fact that it is a sphere - it can be rolled to the new location of the circle each year. The photo below demonstrates this: My truck is parked right next to a circular mark on the ground which is where the concrete sphere was two years ago. If you look carefully at the photograph you can see the sphere at its current 2020 location a little way in the distance. Perhaps I should also mention Grímsey’s second claim to fame. The basaltic rock structure on the south of the island is identi-cal in geology to the much more famous, and much more visit-ed, Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. And yet each time I have walked on that volcanic pavement on

Grímsey I have had it all to myself. Where and how better to con-nect with the Earth and the powerful forces of Nature that have creat-ed it? And connecting with Nature is my point regarding the puffins. This is my third time to Grímsey and the puffins never disappoint. The cosy spot where my feet are resting is on a cliff-top near the north of the island. Today I spent a couple of hours here just ‘being’ with these rather special little animals. There are around two dozen human inhabitants on Grímsey and as I occupied my perfect vantage point, all of these humans were about a mile south of me (the whole island is less than two miles in length). At that precise moment there was no human in Iceland further north than me: My feet were as north as it gets! There is no question that puffins are adorable. Watching them, and staying relatively still for long enough, you get a real sense of puffins at their daily business. They are also insatiably curious. If I make small movement they all look; they don’t fly away, they just look. And I swear some of the bolder birds just love standing in front of the cam-era. The near perfect portraiture of some of my photographs is surely evidence of that. Not long after I took the picture of my feet, I turned and looked to the south to see that no longer was I the only hu-man this far north. For, sitting on the cliff just a little way behind me, was another solitary figure also quietly watching the birds. There was however a key difference between me and this other figure: Whereas I was clutching a camera and zoom lens, this other figure was clutching a net. I was fascinated and so, from my perfect distance I watched. And I have to confess that the more I watched the more I admired the skill of this man and his net. With precise timing he would suddenly

16

17

sweep the net into the air and (almost) without fail, catch a puffin within his net. His accuracy, skill and timing were mesmerising. Let me cut to the chase here. Yes, he was catching these birds so that they may be eaten. The reactions that are almost certainly now brewing in you as you read this are really the main point of this postcard: Our relationship with food and how it is reared and sourced.

Later that evening I chatted to the net-wielding guy and his father, as we were all staying in the only guesthouse on the island. They talked about how their skills at catching puffins have been passed down the generations in their family. The son had learnt from his father who in turn had learnt from his father and so on through the generations. They enthusiastically conveyed to me their knowledge and passion for these animals. They clearly understood puffins like no one else. But they also talked about the recent decline in the puffin popula-tion. How the large flocks were settling ever further north each year. Father and son were from the Vestmannaeyjar, an island chain of the south coast of Iceland. Up until a few years ago, they could have successfully hunted puffin at home but now, because of the puffin migration north, they too had to travel north to get good hunting. The puffin colony on the Vestmannaeyjar is dwin-dling but yet on Grímsey in the far north, they now have the larg-est summer population of puffins ever. For conservation reasons, whereas father and son used to be able to hunt for forty days each year, now they are restricted to just five. And they truly under-stand and respect that. Their hunting is truly sustainable.

They showed me their day’s catch. We talked about the meat and how it is best prepared and served. And later that evening I also ate some of their day’s catch.

“How could you eat such a beautiful bird?” I can hear some of you ask. Let me explain. In the twenty first century, we have a broken food system. To be able to offer the 99p fast-food burger or the £1.99 supermarket lasagne, we have to raise mass herds of food animals in concrete enclosures and feed them on mass-grown beans, grains and cereals. This creates huge problems for the animals, us and the environment. Ruminants should be raised and fed on grass - that is what they are evolved to do. Feeding them on beans, grains and cereals makes them obese and un-healthy (just as feeding humans on beans, grains and cereals makes us obese and unhealthy). The nutrient profile of the meat from these poorly fed ruminants is inevitably altered diminished. If we rear the animals on concrete, their urine and excrement then become biohaz-ards that need to be diluted, processed and disposed of all detrimental to the environment. Pasture-raised animals by contrast return their wastes to the soil and the compression of their hooves enrich and sus-tain it making a positive contribution to the environment and the well-being of the planet. Rather than tackling this problem at its source - put ruminants back on grass, feed them properly and take away the 99p burger - we instead create the dysfunctional view where eating meat is seen as unhealthy and damaging to the environment. We are shamed into eating less meat and told to turn to plant-based foods for our nutrition. And let’s be clear, shifting to a plant-based diet solves nothing for us or the environment. Mass scale mono-crop agriculture is depleting soil resources necessitating less-than-environmentally-friendly GMO and agri-chemical businesses to sustain it. Many small animals and insects are killed and their natural environments destroyed for the sake of large scale crop production. For those humans who consume these mass-produced mono-crops, the plant material has a poor micronutri-ent profile compared to animal products, even from those animals

18

19

raised on the wrong foods but especially compared to those fed on their ancestral diet. Many of the micro-nutrients, found in plant food are in the wrong biochemical form to be readily utilised by humans. We also now know that many plant foods contain chemical defence weaponry (plants don’t naturally like to be eat-en!) that disrupt our own metabolism and those of the bacteria in our guts when we eat them. Farting and bloating are after all the hallmarks of plant based foods! So how do we change things to get it right? We need to eat food that has been grown and raised in the most natural way possible. And this is where the puffin comes in. Thinking of it as a food source, and the puffin has indeed been a natural food source for island communities in the northern part of Europe for centuries, you cannot get more ‘free-range’ or ‘organic’ than that. It is an animal that has eaten what its natural diet dictates and has lived how its genes determine. There is nothing artificial within its flesh. It is not a polluter of the environment. Consequently, the puffin breast I ate that night was probably the most nutritious food I had eaten for a while. It also probably had the smallest car-bon footprint - the restaurant where I ate it was only a short walk from where it was caught. And so this demonstrates one of the modern myths of meat eating. It is not meat eating per se that is harming us and damaging the planet, it is how we are raising and rearing our meat. And in fair-ness, it is far from the majority of our meat. It is only the meat that is in the 99p burger and the £1.99 lasagne that is typically at fault. If we did not drive the demand for these products we would not create the market for poor quality meat. Don’t demonise all meat because a small sector of the meat economy is broken and dysfunctional. OK so we can’t all eat puffin and nor should we. Here in the UK we can though access some similar ‘natural’ meats: Wild venison, rabbit and pheasant hunted in season are tapping into animals that have eaten and lived as their ancestry determines. Lamb is pretty close too - it is hard to feed sheep on anything other than grass and pretty much all our British lamb is allowed to roam free on natural grassland. Fortunately in the UK too the vast majority of our beef cattle are raised in pasture (and pasture land that is mostly not suitable for crop agriculture despite the protestations of some vocal plant-based advocates). But beware the cheap imports - if there is beef in your 99p burger it has almost certainly come from somewhere where shortcuts have been taken in the animal welfare and its diet. You are what you eat has eaten!

Be a canny meat shopper, but still be a meat shopper. Meat is the most nutrient dense food on the planet - source it well and it will feed you well. Loving meat is a good and easy thing in Iceland as Icelanders also love their meat. Their lamb and beef are some of the sweetest you will ever taste due to the rich volcanic mineral content of the grass they eat from the spectacular scenery in which they graze. Icelandic duck, goose and reindeer are also ancestral delicacies not to be missed - all of it about as organic and free-range as it gets. I am rather partial to their fermented shark too, but that is another story!

20

ASTROLOGY FOR SEPTEMBER 2020

BY DIANE OF POSITIVE ELEMENTS

21

Diane is a talented,

experienced astrologer and

qualified counsellorTo get in

touch, please call: 07929 261

231

(or 00 44 7929 261 231 if you

are outside the UK)

Or you can write to Diane at info@positive-elements.com

Instagram #positiveelementsastrology

Our shared planetary picture

Some of the weight of recent months starts to inch for-ward in September as two of the three heavy-weight planets in Capricorn go direct after three months of all moving retrograde. Jupiter planet of growth, expansion and op-portunity completes its review and goes direct on 13th followed by Saturn planet of self-discipline, hard work and boundaries on 29th.

These movements are especially significant as Jupiter and Saturn are on their final stretch in Capricorn and by late December they will be gone. Pluto remains retrograde though until next month and will stay in Capricorn, demanding further transformation of power structures and the status quo for another four years.

None of this is much consolation for Mars in Aries though which has been trying to make headway against the heavy authority of the three planets in Capricorn. This symbolises the struggle of the individual against authority. On 9th Mars goes retrograde to carry out a review of how it has been approaching its goals. Mars in Ar-ies is not easily thwarted though and mid-November it comes back, hopefully with a winning formula.

Venus runs into opposition with Pluto and Saturn during the first week of the month (ouch!) but glides on to happier times from 6th when it moves into Leo. Self expression everyone! Remember that? If not, Venus in Leo will help to remind you!

Venus squares Uranus too on 14th - 15th which can bring about the unexpected. As opportunities for spontaneity have been so squashed recently, a surprise could be welcome!

So what will this mean for us all?

Read the horoscope for your Sun sign and your Ascendant sign if you know it.

Aries: Career prospects should look a bit brighter this month as Jupiter goes direct on 13th and Saturn on 29th in your social sta-tus zone. Pluto is still holding back, looking for deeper transfor-mation but some movement should at least be possible.

Your ruling planet Mars is less happy though as Saturn and to some extent, Pluto are blocking it all month. The powers that be seem not to agree with your plans this month. Mars goes retro-grade too on 9th to review your recent efforts and work out how best to proceed once the brakes are off (from mid-November).

Home comforts may run up against the demands of the world ear-ly in the month and you may not be able to give as much time as you would like to domestic pleasures. Opportunities for fun (and possibly romance) increase though from 6th when Venus glides into your 5th House of pleasure. This also brings opportunities for enjoyable time with children, being creative, recreation, sports (if that is your thing) and letting your hair down in general.

New Moon on 17th falls in your work, health and service to others zone - the perfect time to start a new regime, new job or volunteer-ing position. Could your daily routine do with a shake-up too? Saturn is on hand offering any self-discipline needed. So why not go for it?

Taurus: Travel has been on hold for most of us this year but Taureans may have felt the pinch more than most, as three heavy-weight planets have been sitting in your 9th House of exploration, deep study, philosophy, ethics and world view. They have also been moving retrograde for the past few weeks, calling for an inter-nal review of your beliefs and your relationship with the wider world. The good news is two of them go direct this month: Jupiter on 13th and Saturn on 29th. And you can start to apply your conclusions from this review period and move forward once again.

Your ruling planet Venus runs up against these heavy-weight dur-ing the first week of the month and frustratingly, Mars does the same all month and itself goes retrograde from 9th. This calls for a review of your inner-workings, your response to those suffering and in need, your online life and your spiritual world.

22

Your ruling planet Venus brings harmony on the mother and home front from 6th and you may want to beautify your home and invite others to share its pleasures. This is a good time for self-nurture and for personal development too. On 14th - 15th Venus squares Uranus in your sign which challenges you to make internal changes. Make them!

New Moon on 17th falls in your romance, children and creativity zone. Recreational pleasures come into this too. Arrange fun ac-tivities for yourself.

Gemini: Venus glides through your communications zone from 6th, adding sugar to your silver tongue and quick wit. Yes, your charm offensive is high. Others beware! Your ruling planet Mer-cury is whizzing ahead too and spans three signs this month, stir-ring up lots of mental stimulation and variety which is just how you like it.

Mars is having a more difficult month though which for Geminis means conflict or frustrations with friends, groups, organisations, community or humanitarian ideals. Admitting defeat temporarily, Mars goes retrograde on 9th to review its recent approach in one or more of these areas.

The main challenge Mars runs into are the three huge planets (Jupiter,Saturn and Pluto) currently residing in your 8th House, calling for growth and transformation in your joint funds, intima-cy and sharing zone. All three have been retrograde for months but on 13th Jupiter goes direct and Saturn follows on 29th. And yes, this means the possibility of moving out from a state of feeling stuck.

New Moon on 17th marks a fresh start in your mother and home zone. Are home conditions supporting your personal develop-ment? And have you been attending enough to self-nurture? This new cycle is an opportunity to get physical and emotional condi-tions in the home just right, so you can spring into the world from a healthy base.

Cancer: Your desire to socialise early in the month, may get scuppered by opposition from partners or partnerships. And your ambitions likewise as Mars tries to square up to the same immova-

23

ble objects in your partnerships zone all month. There may be a bit of give though when Jupiter goes direct on 13th and Saturn on 29th.

Mars retreats and goes retrograde from 9th to review its recent strategies. You have two months to reflect on how your approach needs to change and to decide on your goals. Then mid-November you will be ready to give your ambitions a push for-wards once again.

The Sun is keeping your communications zone warm and active during the first three weeks of September and New Moon on 17th falls here too, marking a fresh start in some way. Do you need to re-establish contact with someone? Or is there a course you would enjoy taking, a new language to learn or a new form of exercise to try? If so, the planetary wind is behind you

Venus spends most of the month (from 6th) in your 2nd House, making finances look rosier and adding to your sense of security. Although there may be a surprise mid-month when friends or the call of community or humanitarian ideals question your values. Be open to looking at these from a fresh viewpoint.

Leo: Venus is in your sign from 6th making you darling of the zodiac for the rest of the month. Your charms will be at their highest and you will effortlessly attract others to you (which might include a surprise or two mid-month!)

Venus is good for creative flow too and can have an impact on the long-term changes taking place in your ambitions, social standing or dealings with father-figures (or on your own dealings if you are a father-figure yourself).

There should be some long-awaited movement on the work and health front this month as Jupiter, planet of growth, expansion and opportunity goes direct on 13th. This completes a three-month review where you have been looking at what expansion might look like. Saturn goes direct too (on 29th) providing the self-discipline and grit to put in the hard work needed to make your plans a reality.

Mars is having a difficult time this month which for Leos means frustrations over travel, education, ethics, legal matters, dealings

24

with other cultures and your world-view. You will be keeping an eye on your finances this month too and New Moon on 17th is a perfect point to carry out an audit and put a new budget in place. Make sure it reflects your true priorities.

Virgo: The Sun ball remains in your court this month until 22nd, radiating warmth, optimism and freer self-expression. Your ruling planet Mercury lends you mental energy too until 5th, then it moves on to look at your finances. It encounters some opposi-tion here though around 17th, 21st and 23rd from the three heavy-weight planets (Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto) still occupying your ro-mance, children and creativity zone.

These three are also causing problems for Mars all month which is trying to make headway in your joint funds, intimacy and sharing zone. Admitting temporary defeat, Mars goes retrograde on 9th to review its recent attempts to push ahead but returns in two months time to continue the progress already made.

Venus planet of love, harmony and relating glides through your inner-workings from 6th. This highlights your compassion for oth-ers, adds grace to your spirituality and makes your online life pleas-urable. There may be surprises though mid-month when Uranus may startle you with a new awakening.

New Moon in your sign on 17th marks the beginning of your per-sonal New Year. Make resolutions that will support your emotion-al needs in the month and year ahead!

Libra: Energy levels may have been low recently but that is about to change. The month before our birthday we are often at low ebb as the Sun has been away from us for the longest time. The good news is the Sun is bringing fresh energy and a sense of renewal to you from 22nd!

Your birthday whether this month or next is your personal new year and a more meaningful time to make resolutions for the year ahead than January 1st. Many Happy Solar Returns! It is also the perfect time to explore your planets for the year ahead with a good astrologer.

Things should start to improve on the mother and home front this month as Jupiter goes direct on 13th and Saturn likewise on 29th. 25

Pluto is going to be hanging around looking for another four years though, so long-term there will be more transformation ahead.

Your worldly ambitions may run up against unhelpful factors at home early in the month when your ruling planet Venus opposes Saturn. Partners or partnerships may run up against obstacles this month and from 9th when Mars goes retrograde, you will need to review how you have been interacting in your relationships. And assertiveness may be something to think about...

From 6th your ruling planet Venus is bringing pleasure in the form of friends, groups, community and humanitarian ideals. There could even be a sudden attraction from this direction mid-month. Be ready for surprises!

Scorpio: The huge process taking place in your 3rd House of thinking, communications and dealings with neighbours and sib-lings starts to make some progress this month, partially completing a long review which has been taking place since late-spring. Jupi-ter, planet of growth, expansion and opportunity goes direct on 13th and Saturn likewise on 29th. This means you can start to apply any conclusions you have come to over the past three or so months. Your ruling planet Pluto has further to go though and will be demanding even more transformation over the next four years.

Mars is struggling this month however, as it squares up to these three heavy-weights and then retreats going retrograde itself from 9th. This initiates another review, this time connected to your work, health, daily routine and service to others. What adjust-ments need making here? You cannot make them while Mars in retrograde but once it goes direct in mid-November you should hopefully know how to move ahead.

From 6th Venus is smoothing the path in your father, career and social status zone. If you need support from authority figures, just ask, they are looking on you positively. Equally if you are an au-thority figure yourself (including being a parent) use your influ-ence in the best way possible. Partners may have a surprising im-pact mid-month too.

New Moon on 17th falls in your 11th House, marking a fresh start with friends, groups, community and humanitarian ideals. What

26

would you like this fresh start to be?

Sagittarius: Your ruling planet Jupiter goes direct this month (on 13th) which may come as a relief in your financial life where the three heavy-weight planets Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto have been moving backwards for three months. Jupiter planet of growth, ex-pansion and opportunity brings optimism and hope which are es-sential for Sagittarians. Saturn goes direct too on 29th adding self-discipline and willingness to work hard, elements which are also needed to succeed.

Mars moving through your 5th House of romance, children and creativity is having a difficult month though and it retreats on 9th and takes you back to review how you have been trying to assert yourself and to look at what changes you need to make to your approach. You have two months to ponder all of this and mid-November you can press forwards once again.

From 6th Venus is offering pleasure through travel and relations with people from different cultures or belief systems. You may enjoy learning a new language or some other course of study too. Keep an eye open for what appeals.

And New Moon on 17th falls in your father, career and social sta-tus zone. What would you like this new cycle to be about? Your role as a father or authority figure, a fresh start in your career, a new approach to your social status or all three?

Capricorn: You may have been feeling stuck for the past few months with three heavy-weight planets moving retrograde in your sign. This has been an opportunity to review deep aspects of your-self which can now hopefully move forward in a more positive way as Jupiter goes direct on 13th and Saturn on 29th.

Relationships and partnerships may have to take second place dur-ing the first week of the month. And matters to do with mother, home, roots and foundations may be a source of frustration. Home improvement projects and personal-development plans run up against your need for control and your need to focus on pro-cesses happening deep within yourself.

Mother-figures could be a pain and if you happen to be a mother yourself, the difficulties of that role may become even more appar- 27

ent than usual. Mars goes retrograde here from 9th, giving you two months to review how you have been dealing with any or all of these matters.

You may benefit from 'the money of others' this month as Venus glides through your joint funds, intimacy and sharing zone from 6th. This is good for all three and there may be some surprises mid-month when Uranus calls for a fresh approach.

Mercury will have you thinking about father, career and social sta-tus for much of the month and the Sun arrives from 22nd to illu-minate and energise one or more of your ideas. Which will it be?

Aquarius: Venus glides into your relationships and partner-ships zone on 6th and stays there harmoniously for the rest of the month, smoothing things along and making you more aware of the attractiveness of others. There may be a surprise too when Ve-nus squares your ruling planet Uranus around 14th - 15th which can bring changes or nudge you to consider changes to your social status in some way!

Your inner-workings, creativity behind the scenes and online life start to move forwards this month when Jupiter goes direct on 13th and Saturn does likewise on 29th. This can help your spiritu-al development to move forwards too although there is further to go, especially during the next four years.

Communications, dealings with neighbours and siblings or short journeys may be frustrating as Mars runs up against the big-boy planets presently resident in your unconscious. Mars goes retro-grade from 9th for two months to review your recent approach. Try to take out any frustrations this causes in exercise and physical movement so that the energy does not just rev around your nerv-ous system.

New Moon on 17th falls in your joint funds, intimacy and sharing zone, marking a new cycle. Decide what this needs to be about and follow through.

Pisces: There may be conflict between your individual needs and partnership needs around 1st in the lead up to Full Moon in your sign in the early hours of 2nd. The Sun is lending warmth to relationships and partnerships too until 22nd when it moves on to 28

illuminate joint funds, intimacy and sharing.

Mars is struggling to make headway with your finances but keeps running into what is happening on the collective front. (The three heavy-weight planets in your friends, groups, organisations, com-munity and humanitarian ideals zone). Mars goes retrograde on 9th to review recent efforts and gather itself together for a hopeful-ly more effective approach, starting mid-November.

There is movement though this month in your collective zone as Jupiter, planet of growth, expansion and opportunity completes its three-month review and goes forward on 13th. Saturn follows on 29th adding self-discipline and willingness to work hard to the mix. This is all good news.

Venus enhances your daily pleasures from 6th through good rela-tions at work and with daily companions. Tending to your physi-cal needs and your daily rituals are a source of pleasure too, alt-hough a new idea or new form of physical movement may shake things up mid-month.

New Moon on 17th marks a fresh start in relationships and part-nerships. Define what are you hoping to find here and play your part in helping it to happen...

____________________________________________________

To find out what this means for you as an individual, get in touch and we can explore your birth chart together by phone - di-ane@positive-elements.com or 07929 261231 (++ 44 7929 261231 if calling from outside UK). And to find out more about the bene-fits of astrology or more about me, visit www.positive-elements.com

And or more regular postings, join me on Instagram

#positiveelementsastrology

See you there!

Janes Diary Dates overleaf

29

Footreading.com

Jane Sheehan is author of

“Let’s Read our Feet”, “The

Foot Reading Coach”, “Sole

Trader: The holistic therapy

business handbook”, “Foot

Reading - a Portable Guide”,

“Lisons nos pieds” and “The

Gurus’ Guide to Reflexolo-

gy” series. All of these are

available at https://

www.footreading.com

Jane has also co-written

“Reflexes : Physical and

Emotional” which is availa-

ble from the Association of

Reflexologists

JANE’S DIARY DATES FOR 2020 AND 2021

I have a watching brief on whether any workshops can proceed since

social distancing is imposed. There’s always my online elearning work-

shop in the meantime. These are the ones planned if restrictions are

lifted.

10/11 Oct—Shefford, Bedfordshire

20/21 Oct—360 degree foot reading with Angela Telford and

Jane Sheehan

7/8 Nov—Tralee, Ireland

27/28 Nov Lyons, France

5/6 Dec—Lisbon, Portugal

Dates for 2021

6/7 Feb—Warwick

20/21 Feb—Chester

6/7 Mar—Stevenage

20/21 Mar—Portlaois Ireland

17/18 April—Lincoln

23-25 April—RAA Conference , Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA

12/13 May—Devon

5-19 Jun—private event

4/5 July—Aldershot

17/18 July—Gily, Belgium

TBA—Kings Norton, Birmingham. Discussing 28/29 july

25 Aug to 20 Sept—Canada tour

28 Sept-2 Oct—Temple Academy retreat event

20 Oct—Coaching for Foot readers with Jane Sheehan and

Kerry Hales in York

TBA Nov—Lyons, France

more workshop dates on www.footreading.com/workshops

Jane Sheehan is based in Scarisbrick, Lancashire Www.footreading.com jane@footreading.com

YOUR LOGO HERE