Healthy Habits: Castor Oil

     so today we're talking about castor oil very briefly.
     now, most of you probably know it by it's use in aiding bowel movements, but you might not know that it's also amazing for hair growth. It can be used once a week in your hair, either by itself or with a carrier oil like coconut oil or jojoba oil, and left in anywhere between two hours to all night; just be sure you either wear a shower cap, or a warm towel wrapped around your head. I've only used it once, and my dad has already commented that my hair is appearing a bit thicker. It's also great for eyelashes and eyebrows, too; I've used it on my eyelashes for about a week now, and there's already a noticeable difference. So, if you have any castor oil handy, try it. The stuff tastes horrible, but it really does work wonders for your hair. Not only does it help it grow, but promotes excellent circulation in your scalp and heals up split ends. Give it a shot!

     - the writer

p.s. As an added bonus, try rosemary essential oil in your hair every day; this also promotes hair growth and smells awesome.

The Bible and Astrological Signs

     so. i've made a very interesting observation.
     we were doing our Bible reading this evening, and we're at Genesis 49; Jacob's prophecy regarding his sons and who they would turn out to be. as i was listening to mom read out loud, i began to notice a very strange resemblance between some of the descriptions Jacob gave his sons, and the zodiac signs.
     now, before i go any further, let me say a few things about zodiac signs; i think that they typically can be very accurate when it comes to personalities and characteristics, but let me make it clear that i do not agree with or support horoscopes. Deuteronomy 29:29: "the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law." i think horoscopes are a form of witch craft and that they are looking into things that aren't for us to know, and are only for God to know.
     ok, back to what i was originally talking about.
     Genesis 49.
     there are twelve zodiac signs, and twelve tribes of Israel. not all of these match, but there are some very, very close similarities. right away we have Reuben: verse 3-4. He is described as "preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence..." my first though was
 Aquarius - water. but he could also stand for any of the other water signs; Pisces or Cancer. 
     the second was Simeon and Levi: verse 5. They are the only two mentioned together; "Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence". We know Simeon and Levi aren't twins, but the first thought that comes to mind is Gemini.
     the third thing that stuck out to me was Judah: verse 9-12. Described as "Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. he crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up?" we have probably all heard about the Lion of Judah: Christ. the sign of the lion is Leo.
     the fourth is Zebulun: verse 13. "Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; and he shall be a haven for ships". what came to mind was Cancer, the crab.
     then we have Issachar, who is "a strong donkey" - there's no connection here that i can currently see.
     the fifth thing that i saw was Dan: verse 16-17. described as "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backwards." what automatically comes to mind is Scorpio. a "horned snake".
     there are no connections i see between Gad and Asher, though Asher could possibly be Libra, a balance. Verse 20. but Naphtali: verse 21. described as "a doe let loose, he gives beautiful words." In the KJV, it says "hind"; what comes to mind is Aries, a ram, or Capricorn, a goat.
     the seventh and last prominent one is Joseph: verse 22 and 24. he is first described as a fruitful tree, but then in verse 24, "but his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile, from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.)" he is described as an archer - Sagittarius.
     these are all very interesting. there is even a link between the zodiac signs, which is so incredibly popular in our age, and has been in ages past, and the Bible, God's Word.