Mimosa Books & Gifts

Mimosa will be open Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) from 10 am to 4 pm.  We will be closed on Sunday, December 25 (Christmas Day).  From then on, we will be open regular hours every day, including New Year's Day.

Free track from Deva Premal’s new album PASSWORD when you purchase a concert ticket to the 2011 USA Tour.

White Swan Records is pleased to offer an exclusive free track-download from PASSWORD when you provide proof-of-purchase for a ticket to any concert on Deva Premal & Miten’s 2011 USA tour.

For more information go to: http://whiteswanrecords.bandcamp.com/track/sri-nanda-nandanastakam-free-download-with-concert-ticket-purchase

Offer expires Sept 30, 2011

We are so excited to have a fresh supply of Wire-Wrapped Jewelry from local artist April Kelly!  Come down soon to get the best pick of her new pieces.  There are lots of stones to choose from wrapped in varied materials like Sterling Silver, Gold Fill, Brass, & Copper.  Don't forget, April also creates custom pieces!

Also, Deva Premal tickets are going fast.  We have already sold close to 100 tickets in our first two weeks.  We expect the show to sell out, so be sure to get yours soon so you don't miss the fun.  TO purchase tickets for the show, or for more information, please visit the Barrymore's Website.  You can also order tickets by phone by calling the Barrymore's Ticket Hotline at (608) 241-8633.  Additionally, tickets can be purchased at any of these ticket outlets.  We hope to see you at the show!

An evening with Deva Premal and Miten, with Manose

Mimosa is very, very pleased to present Deva Premal! We’re bringing Deva Premal to the Barrymore on Madison’s east side, with her guests Miten and Manose. They’re currently on their U.S. and world tour. Their unique blend of music, chant and mantra transcends musical boundaries, and has enchanted millions of listeners worldwide. Fans include everyone from the Dalai Lama to Cher. Eckhart Tolle had this to say:

**

**

As you listen to the music of Deva and Miten, the sacred space that lies beyond the mind emerges naturally and effortlessly. Pure magic! Deva’s music in influenced by the classical music of both India and her native Germany, where she was chanting the Gyantri Mantra by the time she was five years old. “It just comes naturally, as if I’d heard it all before, in another life.” You can find out more about these beautiful artists at http://www.devapremalmiten.com/. Tickets on sale now at The Barrymore. You can also check out this event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hpskip#!/event.php?eid=176841472384370

Friday, September 30 at 7:30 pm. You can purchase tickets online at http://www.barrymorelive.com/__DPM.htm or by phone at (608) 241-8633, Monday through Friday from noon to 5:00. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Main floor seating is $35 per ticket, VIP seating $45, and balcony seats $25. Special discounted children’s seating is available on the balcony for just $12.50, for children 12 and under. For more about this lovely artist, go to http://www.devapremalmiten.com/.

We just went to order new jewelry boxes, and -- yay! -- found that our supplier has started carrying a green line.  They're made with recycled materials, come in claasy earth tones, and include tarnish-resistant  cotton.  So we're ordering all our little gift boxes from this line.  We love it when our suppliers help up out like this!

Mimosa is partnering with the Wisconsin Green Exchange, a group that helps small businesses identify green practices, little things we can do that will help the environment.  As enlightened people put more energy into helping Mother Earth, we're finding technologies and practices that are both environmental and economical.  When you think about it, conserving resources should save money.  This group helps us with the specifics.

Changes don't have to be large to be meaningful.  One small change we made immediately:  a little bin to save food scraps for composting.  Now that wasn't hard, was it?  

We're also in the middle of marking fair trade, locally made, and otherwise eco-friendly products throughout the store.  You'll be seeing labels like this around the store:

In the weeks to come, we'll share what we're learning with our blog readers.  

Mimosa is pleased to offer a half-priced Groupon on April 19th-20th. 

What is Groupon you ask? Well, Groupons, (a word meaning Group Coupon) are special deals offered by businesses to members of Groupon's website. These deals are at least 50% off of the retail price and are redeemable for merchandise at the featured business.

This means you can get merchandise from your favorite local businesses for at least 1/2 off!

Mimosa will be offering a $20 gift certificate (redeemable for any in-store merchandise) and the best part is...it will only cost you $10!!!

So how do you become a member? Just sign up here for free. Your Groupon deals (including Mimosa's upcoming deal) will be delivered to your email inbox.

Just buy the deals you like and pass on the ones you don't...it's that simple.

Need more information? Click here to visit Groupon's site for more details.

Many of us use crystals to help us with a host of issues in our everyday lives.  When intelligently used, crystals can help us work with our own hopes, fears, shortcomings and dreams.  So it's no surprise that one of the questions we're most frequently asked is, "What are the properties of this stone?"

But there's a more basic question that comes with this:  Where do crystal properties come from? Who decides what a crystal is good for, and how do they know?

While intuition is part of the answer, it's far more complicated than that.  The history of crystal healing and crystal magic goes back to a time before recorded history, and stones have helped people in every part of the Earth.  Our problem in answering customer questions is deciding how to sum up a crystals metaphysical properties, neither ignoring history nor burdening our customers with a book's worth of information.

Three main sources of information come into play:

1.  Historical uses of the stone.In considering crystal properties throughout history and throughout the world, we look for common threads.  The Chinese, Persians, and Aztecs may each have a dozen different ideas, but it's the one they have in common that gives us the most to work with.

2.  Intuitive impressions from trusted crystal experts. Here things get a little subjective.  Anyone can look at a stone, hold it in their hand, and bring forth intuitive ideas about how it might be used.  But how much of that is useful for anyone else, and where do you draw the line between intuition and imagination?  There is no easy answer.  But over time, certain experts have earned our trust, because many people have found them reliable.  And when we compare their advice, again, we look for commonalities.

3.  Chakra associations/color magic.  Chakras are the figurative "wheels" of energy associated with the human body.  The word comes from Hindu tradition, but the concept crosses cultural lines.  For modern purposes, when we discuss chakras we usually mean the seven energy centers that run from the base of the spine throught the crown of the head, each of which is associated with a color and an area of human experience and health.  Simply by looking at a stone, anyone can know certain basic properties if they're familiar with these color associations.

When we advise people about how to work with a crystal, we're drawing from all these sources.   The hard part isn't coming up with information, it's knowing how to put all this knowledge into people's hands without boggling their minds!

Mimosa will be at the Spiritual Faire presented by Journeys with Jaguar. This free event will be on March 12, from noon to 5:30 pm, at the Boys and Girls Club, 2001 Taft Street, Madison. FREE! Vendors, Presenters, Intuitive Readings, Tarot Card Readings, Reiki Practitioners, Energy & Light Workers, Natural Products, Alternative Health Services for Humans & Pets, Massage, & much more.

Other local businesses along with Mimosa. More info at www.journeyswithjaguar.com under "Current Offerings."

Here's a little bit about one of the stones Ashley and Diane brought back from Tucson.  For more information on more stones, click here.

Ocean Jasper

Like amulet stone, ocean jasper is a type of agate--a form of quartz intricately patterned over time by the pressure and heat of the Earth. The specimens we got this year have a smooth, patterned surface in shades of green and white, broken by irregular cracks containing little geode inclusions. They remind me a bit of those fancy Easter eggs, where you can look inside and see all kinds of little rabbits and flowers and things. Only with ocean jasper, what you see will come from your own imagination and intuition.

Ocean jasper’s connections are both to cycles and water. It promotes positive energy, but the “cycle” part of this this works in tandem with the laws of cause and effect. That is, while the stone will help banish negative energies and bring positive ones to the forefront, it can only do this with our active cooperation. For those ready to make their own future, ocean jasper can help. But if anyone’s free ride, it might just ask them to look for another rock! With proper use, though, ocean jasper can help us focus our energy to take care of problem areas, while drawing our attention toward the bright side.