An email question asked if you had to always wear a jade piece to benefit from the energy from it, the luck, happiness, fortune, health. When jade belongs to you, you benefit from the qi energy, or feng shui from it. That's why we have jade three-legged money toads, Buddhas and other carvings. Her question reminded to get out some dragon carvings and pendants, because it's very auspicious to wear or display a jade dragon, and it's even more lucky to end the Chinese Year of the Dragon and make the transition to the Year of the Snake when you give your Dragon a place of honor. So I have a jade dragon carving on my desk, and am going to wear my jade Dragon pendant until the Year of the Snake starts February 10. And Dragon is perfect if you wear jade as "medicine", because it's winter here, and the yang dragon will balance this cold winter Yin. While I was getting my jade dragon pendant out, I decided to put our YYJ Year of the Dragon jadeite pendant on sale. This pendant was made just for YYJ to celebrate this auspicious year. It's a big, nice carved pendant with lots of detail, carved in the traditional old dynasty style, and sells in China for $400-500. The regular price is a bargain, and the sale price is a really big bargain. It's a small jade carving you can wear, and when you are not wearing it, you will benefit from its energy as a carving you can display. December 27

We wish you a very merry Christmas, and hope you have a wonderful day. We are taking a couple days off, back to business on December 26. And there will be a very special coupon for high-end jade bangles. I know there are many jade bangles being given as gifts, but if you don't get that special jade bangle you really want, get it with a great coupon savings after Christmas. December 23

Last week a jade loving woman purchased a high priced jadeite bangle she had been looking at and craving for a long time. She asked for express mail because she wanted to enjoy it before the "end of the world" December 22. I would eat all those cookies I baked if I thought that was then end for us. But energy workers I stay in touch with believe it's not an end, but a "cosmic beginning". They believe there will be a tremendous magnetic force from the center of the universe that will affect us all neurologically. So if you are in a "good" energetic place, ie happy, healthy, spiritually strong, you will get a positive burst to continue that way. They are working with their family, friends, clients to be the best they can be now and prepare to get a boost from the energy. I hope the woman who bought her "dream" jade bangle is getting all the good energy from it, and it magnifies on December 22. I will wear my best jade to get full benefits of any good energy coming my way. I personally have been doing my best to stay in a peaceful and joyous mood this month, putting up a big "STOP" sign in my mind when something negative creeps in and have been enjoying these past few weeks more than any time in my life. Regular blog readers know I have been trying to make a decision about keeping, selling, "retiring" from this jade business, and I have been trusting that the answer will come to me, and it's starting to clarify. Feeling anxious about "the end of the world" December 22? Wear your jade, and live mindfully, because we never know what day will be our final one. Make each one count. December 20

I had pulled out ingredients and baking things to start my Christmas cookies on Friday, then the school shooting, some personal family problems, and I wasn't in the spirit to bake. Today I finally made myself start baking, and got sugar cookies baked and decorated. They required rolling out, and my jade bangle slid nicely up my arm and soft thumped on the pastry cloth, stimulating my arm with good healing qi energy. And of course I felt better sharing those cookies with friends. Comfort foods are cheering and healing, for the giver and the recipient. A customer asked for a comforting jade suggesting, for herself and a gift, and I am making the jade prayer bead mala the Wednesday daily special. I gave one to my massage therapist last week, and her thank you note today mentioned that she had been feeling unsettled with family illness, the death of her mom, for several months, and the jade bead mala was just what she needed, when she needed it. We often get what we need, when we need it. I am fortunate to have a all these wonderful jade gifts to give to friends. Some customers order when they are on special to have something on hand when they need it for a gift, or for themselves. The malas are made from the good healing jade stone we buy from our China mine, the beads are carved by our family carving business, and the monks at the nearby Buddhist monastary make them with their blessed hands. Lovely.
December 18

The Sandy Hook, Connecticut, school shootings are heartbreaking. The same day, 22 students in an elementary school in China were injured when a man attacked a classroom armed with a knife. Attacks on young children are some of the most disturbing acts of violence. We always look for the reason "why", and usually the answer doesn't help with the pain and loss. I spent 20 years working as a counselor and program administrator in a rural Ohio school district. The final few years of working were in the middle school. The offices for the other counselor and I were right by the main entrance door for the school building. We were in the back of the main office, and we kept the rear door to our offices unlocked because sometimes distressed students couldn't deal with the secretary/principal when they needed to see us. Sometimes angry parents came in the building and also bypassed the main office entrance, and entered through the counselor door. We talked occasionally about if someone with a gun came in, she was number 1, and I was number 2. Eventually the main entrance to the school was locked during the school day, with a buzzer and intercom the office managed to allow entrance. But being rural, if someone was determined to enter, they could. I was also part of the community crisis response team, and violence issues were the most difficult to help with. I wrote a workbook for students for our group counseling, "Memory Book" and for people to use on their own. Even though I have worked with grief, loss, death issues most of my life, the hurt and pain is the same, I never get hardened to it. When I saw the news about the shootings, I comforted myself with one of the soft color jade bangles, and since Friday that bangle, which I put on my "other" wrist has glowed with my body qi. It reminds me to send out positive energy, prayers, to those who have been affected by the violence, which is actually all of us. December 16

When I started listing the Comfort and Joy collection, the energy was so uplifting that I made a resolution to myself that I would not allow anything to upset me this month (one month at a time!). Handling them every day keeps my spirit calm and joy in my heart. We are going to start moving them to the regular jadeite bangle web pages this weekend, and the prices will increase to their regular price, so if you have been thinking about getting one, do it today. You may have noticed that sometimes we list a new item as the Daily Special with a preview price. All the work to get it on a regular web page hasn't been done, the expense of the webmaster work hasn't been incurred, and we offer it a low price to customers as a special deal. December 14

A jade-loving friend sent me a link to "color of the year", click here. Yesterday was "girlfriend's day out" and while shopping we noticed a lot of that emerald green color. We all dismissed it, didn't think it would look good on any of us, and I thought it looked awful with my jade bangle, which is a "modern jade" dark veins on stone green. We though a piece of that green, like a scarf, or handbag, or tank top might be OK, but overall we didn't care for the color to wear, and we are all different in appearance, ranging from platinum hair, blond hair, and red/brown hair. Then when I got the link, I though that the jade that is in the Comfort and Joy collection would look very good with emerald green, because of the soft colors in the jade, and the veins that will be a "chameleon" and glow with the emerald green when you wear it. A very light jade stone, with some green veins will not be overwhelmed by the emerald green. If you are wearing the new "color of the year" and your jade, send me an email with your comments about how you think it looks together, and even a small photo of your jade bangle with the blouse or whatever, and will share it on the blog. December 12

A "new" customer who is pleased with her jadeite bangle bracelet purchase wrote about a women who told her that she had been very seriously ill. She wore a jade bangle bracelet all the time. She was in the hospital and not getting any better. One day, her jade bangle mysteriously broke, and then she started getting well. I have heard this story many times. When you wear a jade bangle all the time, it becomes part of you. For centuries Chinese people have believed jade protects them and heals them. That's why there's an energetic description on YYJ bangle bracelets. Women have told me about very serious accidents they had where they bangle broke, but amazingly they didn't get injured. Whenever I travel I either wear or have in a pocket a black jade bangle for the protective qi energy of the jade. And since I don't get a flu shot, I rely on the black veins in my every day jade bangle to protect me. If you need another excuse to buy jade, healing and protection is it. December 9

Yesterday almost every order that needed to be packed and shipped was located in a box or drawer on the floor level. Lifting all that jade throughout the day took a toll on my back, and by 9:30 pm I was stuck on the floor and couldn't get up with my husband's help. Ouch ouch ouch. I laid on an ice pack for awhile but still hurt. When I went to bed, I put my jade pillow cover on the mattress under my back. It felt so cool and smooth and melted away the aches. I woke up ready to pick up those boxes and drawers of jades to get all your orders out, in one business day as we promise! And I think I am going to remove the few remaining jade pillow covers to keep for myself, to wrap those achy body parts in when I need some healing relief. December 6

There are quite a few first-time jade bangle buyers, and men buying jade bangles as a gift for their special woman, so I have been spending time helping customers get a jade bangle that will fit. I get as excited as the customer getting their first jade bangle, waiting to hear how it will fit. Most of the time it turns out to be a good fit: that it goes on tight so it won't clunk around as much as a looser fitting bangle. But then they tell me their dismay that the jade bangle goes a third, or halfway up her arm. Most women's arms taper up from the wrist, but a slender arm will have less fullness which means the bangle slides up higher. I wear 51-53mm and mine goes up, too. But now that I have been wearing a jade bangle for many years, I am glad it does. I had just received an email from a new customer about this issue as I was making some cinnamon rolls from scratch, and kneading the dough. If my bangle was close to my wrist, I would have to take it off to knead and I keep mine on all the time. I was thankful it went up my arm. A woman who plays pianos, gives concerts, told me the same thing. If her bangle didn't go up her arm, she couldn't wear it with while she played, and her bangle looks lovely up her arm with her black formal sleeveless gown. I need my bangle to "climb" so I can do general daily tasks, including using the keyboard to write this. In ancient times in China, women who wore jade bangles were royalty, didn't work, and had their jade bangle put on their wrist when they were very young so they would "grow into it". We modern women probably couldn't live our daily lives if our bangle were tight on our wrist. December 3

YYJ is continuing the special collection of "off-white" jadeite bangles for the holiday season, our "Comfort and Joy" collection. They are specially price very low, also. The holidays are often bitter sweet. We enjoy celebrating with our family and friends, but we miss those who are no longer with us. Grief is related to the lung meridian, and this "Comfort and Joy" collection has healing qi energy for the lung meridian. The selection will vary daily, so check back to see what's been added on the Daily Special Page. December 1

The Calm Spirit / Ying Yu Jade complete December newsletter is available online now, click here. This month features Chinese medicine wellness information for December regarding balance of body, mind and spirit. There is information about what kind of jade to wear this month if you wear jade for your health, and more.

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