Bonsai Misconceptions and Advantages

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Welcome to the Houston Energy Healers Meetup group.

http://www.meetup.com/houstonenergyhealers/

OUR MAIN ENERGY HEALERS MEETUP, Third Monday

Our main Meetup date is the third Monday evening of each

month. We meet at a lovely New Age shop:

Temples Gate

625 W. 19th Street

Houston, TX 77008 (in the Heights, half a block east of N.

Shepherd)

Our main Meetups consist of informally learning, teaching, and

practicing energy healing, using whatever methods people are

led to use.

For more information on healing and on how our Meetups work,

please read Spiritual Energy Healing 101:

http://www.meetup.com/houstonenergyhealers/pages/SPIRITUAL_ENERGY_HEALING_101/

(You can find a printable copy of the same information in the

Files section of our Meetup site.)

People of all belief systems are welcome, and we have had

people from many religions and nationalities as part of our

group.

The group is an eclectic mixture of certified spiritual

healers, Reiki and other energy healing teachers, healing

practitioners, and students, and also people who come just to

receive healing. It is a small, friendly and welcoming group.

If you are new, please arrive by 7:15 so that you can

meet people, ask questions, and get oriented before we start.

There is an opening circle at 7:30 pm and a closing

circle at about 9:15 or 9:30.

You are also welcome to come and just watch the healing and/or

just meditate. Participation is optional. All we ask is that

people remain silent during the healing sessions.

On the third Mondays, when we do healing, you are always

welcome to arrive whenever you can and leave

whenever you need to. There are three healing rounds, so you

should have a chance to give a healing or sit for a healing

(maybe both) even if you can’t get there before 8 pm.

We turn the lights down low in the classroom before starting

the healings and discussion, but the shop lights will be on,

and we are always there on the third Monday (except this

month), so come

on in.

GUIDED JOURNEY MEDITATION

We a Guided Meditation group that normally meets on the

first Monday of each month. Once in a while we have another

topic that is relevant to healers instead.

That group also starts at 7:15, but the doors are locked at 7:

30,

and no one is allowed in after the doors are locked.

We do that so that people can concentrate and not be

interrupted while in trance.

Please arrive early for the meditation group so you have

time to relax, use the restroom, turn off your cell phone,

and chat with other members before we start.

YAHOO GROUP: Spiritual Healing Houston

You are also invited to join our Yahoo group: Spiritual Healing

Houston

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualhealinghouston

It’s a very low-traffic group, so please jump in, introduce

yourself, ask any questions you may have about healing, or

start a discussion. People will respond.

ADDITIONAL HEALING MEETUPS

Two of the Assistant Organizers of the Houston Energy Healers

Meetup also organize healing Meetups. They post their Meetups

on our Calendar for the convenience of our members. Those

Meetups are held at various locations. One is held at Temples

Gate. Others are held at other Houston Locations or other

elsewhere in the Houston metro area. If you have questions

about one of those Meetups, please contact the Asst. Organizer

who organized it.

DIRECTIONS & MAPS TO OUR MEETUPS

You can view a map from the Meetup.com page where you RSVP for

the Energy Healers Meetup. Also, MapQuest.com can help you find

the general area.

DIRECTIONS TO TEMPLES GATE

If you have a paper map of Houston, look just northwest of

Downtown, between I-45 and Loop 610 West.

N. Shepherd is a one-way street, running north. It crosses I-10

and continues north to cross Loop 610 North.

When you head north on N. Shepherd from I-10, it is about 16 or

17 blocks to W. 19th Street.

Turn right on W. 19th and *IMMEDIATELY* turn into the parking

lot on the north side of the street.

The shop is on the east end of the small two-story building

next to the parking lot.

You will see a couple of flags standing out front.

Temples Gate is very easy to find. Call the shop if you need

more detailed directions: 713-863-0525

For our Main Meetup and Guided Meditations, I’m always there by

7 pm and try to be there a few minutes

earlier to set up the room. Feel free to arrive anytime after

Once again, welcome to the group. We’ll look forward to seeing

you at the next Meetup.

Kathleen

aka, White Cranes

Organizer, Houston Energy Healers Meetup group

http://whitecranes.wordpress.com

(healing and metaphysics)

http://www.tengsha.com

(using sound for healing)

http://www.dreamvisions.info

http://www.angel-words-and-art.com

When they hear the word bonsai, many people think of tiny little Japanese trees cut and pruned to an extreme miniature size. But literally bonsai simply means “plant in a tray.”

So while bonsai trees are smaller than their wild counterparts they do not have to be just a few inches tall. They can be grown in a pot in the garden, be several feet tall, and still be smaller than their wild counterparts.

Common Misconceptions about Bonsai Trees

Many people believe that training Bonsai trees is a cruel pastime because the cultivator starves the tree and cuts it to such an extent that it becomes unhealthy. Quite the reverse is usually true.

While bonsai trees are cut and pruned quite heavily to keep them to the size of the pot, they are usually transferred from pot to pot regularly and are fed and watered much more often than their wild cousins.

Contrary to belief, bonsai trees do not originate from Japan. There are records dating back more than 2000 years that show bonsai being grown in China.

These bonsai were not as small as the bonsai trees that people often visualize. They were simply grown individually outdoors in pots.

It was, though, the Japanese that took the bonsai art form and raised it to the current level of expertise and esthetics. That has led to quite different styles in Japanese and Chinese bonsai.

The Chinese bonsai trees are more free in style and more lightly pruned. The Japanese miniature bonsai are very heavily groomed and pruned. They look much more like miniature natural versions of the full-sized trees.

Bonsai trees do not live shorter lives than wild trees. They regularly live for many centuries and are traditionally passed down from generation to generation of a family. They lead nearly exactly the same length lives as their wild cousins and are often much healthier because of the attention they receive.

Advantages of Growing Bonsai

Not everyone has a large garden where they can plant numerous trees and let them grow as big as they want. Even those who do have large gardens still need to wait for many years before a tree becomes truly established.

To grow bonsai you do not need much more room than the size of your pot. And because you only need bonsai to grow to much smaller proportions, the art of bonsai really is accessible to anyone who is interested in learning about it and doing the work. You can even grow bonsai inside if you can recreate the correct conditions for the kind of tree you want to grow.

Growing Bonsai trees can fast become an addictive hobby. It requires attention to detail, foresight of how the selected tree will grow and plenty of time and care. You will feel great satisfaction if you decide to grow bonsai and succeed.