gratitude
The Secret Power of Enlightened Beings
Enlightened beings feel powerful because they are allowing and connecting to an unlimited source of energy. Divine Energy is eternal, unlimited and available to all who seek it. It is continuously pouring forth. Just like the Sun, it has never stopped shining since the beginning of time.
Accessing more of the Divine Source is a choice we make every day and only possible if we are truly in alignment with spirit. Enlightened beings use all of the energy available to them to manifest the truth. The enlightened and spiritually awakened do not drag the veils of illusion into their daily reality.
Each and every time we make a healing change in our everyday reality, we free up energy that can be applied to seeking our spiritual truth instead. Imagine how powerful and limitless you can be if you choose to do this in your own life. This is true, ageless power, not the illusory power bought with money, status, petty human obsessions or material possessions. And that is what we should all be going after.
The central perception of enlightened humans is that they are never alone. If you live with the limiting belief that life is experienced with only the five physical senses and consists only of that which can be observed and measured in the material world, you will surely miss out on the miracles, blessings and divine guidance that is so freely available to each and every one of us.
Receiving an intuitive forewarning that prevents us from entering a dangerous situation is an example of divine guidance. These messages are from our spiritual essence and our inner guidance system to help us along our path in life.
Connecting With Your Team Of Spirit Guardians
You have a ‘squad’ of spirit friends you can count on and talk to when you need support. Our spirit helpers, be they guardian angels, guides, animal spirits, ancestors, or departed family members, are there to look out for us. They want to make our lives better.
So, how can you get to know them better? Because these beings are of the spirit realms, it’s not quite as simple as calling a human friend or sending a text, but the channels of communication are definitely open.
The first thing you need to do is get to know their names. If they are the spirits of loved ones or pets, of course, they already have a name you know them by. Use your intuition to receive the names of your guides and angels. All you need to do is ask. They will reveal their name to you when you are ready to receive it.
It is also important to understand that our spirit guardians communicate through various unspoken messages and signs, such as patterns of recurring numbers, lyrics of a favorite song, or seeing the same patterns in nature, such as cloud formations or a particular animal. Pay attention to these special signs. In our world, it’s easy to become distracted and overstimulated, but our guardians are always sending these subtle messages if we pay attention.
Engaging in your daily spiritual practices is necessary to connect with your spirit guides. When getting to know angels, for example, an angel card oracle deck is a useful tool, or a Tarot deck to link archetypes to individual guardians.
For animal spirits there are also lovely card decks, which can be very useful in identifying your totem of guardian animals. You can also keep your departed pet’s favorite items after they’re gone.
To Live Gratitude Is To Touch Heaven
One aspect of spiritual living too seldom addressed is our lack of true appreciation and gratitude for all the blessings in our lives, regardless of our circumstances.
Some spiritual seekers tend to be very keen on beating the drum of prosperity, and becoming fixated on the Law of Attraction and manifesting abundance, which is too often merely a thinly disguised obsession with material wealth and earthly comforts.
Most of us simply take too much for granted every day. We experience so many blessings of joy, beauty, forgiveness, protection and Divine grace, which we seldom acknowledge in our lives. We always have something to be grateful, or thankful for, no matter how difficult times may be. As a species we are very good at complaining about what we don’t have, but we seem to find it difficult to give thanks for what we do have.
We seldom express our gratitude and appreciation towards those we love and cherish, and we hardly ever remember to share what we have with those who have less – not because we feel obligated, but because we feel so much appreciation that we simply want to share our abundant blessings with others. Charity is not about lending a helping hand; it is about celebrating all that we have, and to share our joy and appreciation.
Research has demonstrated an indisputable connection between gratitude and spirituality. It is no coincidence that gratitude is regarded as a much cherished and valued quality by most world religions, including the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu Jewish, and Christian traditions. When reviewing the large body of research done on the subject, gratitude seems to play a much more noteworthy role in our happiness and well-being than most other emotions and personality traits.
Several research studies in recent years have shown that people who have a tendency towards higher levels of gratitude also tend to report higher levels of psychological, emotional and physical well-being. People who are grateful have been shown to be happier, more optimistic and more content with their lives. They also appear to have lower levels of stress and depression, and they are more satisfied with their relationships and social interaction with others.
Pay It Forward With Holiday Gratitude
As the year end approaches, most of us would normally be shopping, entertaining and gathering with friends and family to celebrate the various holidays and the New Year. Lots of special food, drink and laughter would also be the order of the day!
With a few exceptions, many of our usual traditions are however being curtailed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, at a time when holiday shopping, traditional music and festive lights usually brighten the scene, many of us will have to be low-key and socially distanced, even isolated and alone.
In addition, although many people will be able to celebrate virtually, those with limited access to technology will not, so some loved ones will be forced to limit their contact to the telephone only, or even do without.
It is therefore even more important this year to think of those who will not be able to find an easy way to compromise or ‘make-do’ with alternative online shopping or virtual socializing.
Give thought to those you personally know who may have been cut off from their usual social activities, friends and relatives. Perhaps you can make an extra phone call or two, or send an old-fashioned Christmas card by postal mail, or surprise them with the delivery of an unexpected little gift.
Let just one person outside your intimate family circle know that they are still in your thoughts, even though you cannot visit or see them in person. It can make really make a world of difference for someone who is unable to get out to visit friends, or welcome family this year.
Many people have also lost loved ones in recent months and will be grieving this Christmas, instead of celebrating. If you know someone who is in this predicament, do reach out to them and offer a comforting word and some emotional support. Even just a little can go a very long way!
Slow Down, Relax And Let Go
A friend recently mentioned that when she finally made up her mind to just allow herself to relax, let go and feel safe in the presence of spirit, she felt her shoulders spontaneously lowering from her ears back down to their natural position. “It was such a surprising relief,” she sighed.
Indeed, when we slow down and relax, we can let go of the worries and fears that are beyond our control. When we give ourselves permission to just let go, it allows deep healing to begin, and to be more in-tune and connected to our body and its needs.
There is no need for us to control everything. It serves our highest good to release the past, the limitations, the fears and anxieties, the unforeseen circumstances, and the constant criticisms and judgements. Instead, we must allow the Universe to work on our behalf.
As a child I was an obsessive worrier, over-achiever and a classic Type A personality – harder on myself than anyone else could ever be! I even refused to use an eraser doing my school work. My mother would say that’s why they put erasers at the end of pencils, to easily correct our mistakes. But I felt I had to do everything perfectly the first time. It was exhausting.
Mom also would say that most of the things we worry about never actually happen. My mother had many such words of wisdom, which my daughter today calls grandma’s “nanaisms.” Well, Nana was spot on! We tend to waste so much precious time and energy on worrying about absolutely nothing.
Lost time and wasted energy, however, is not all we sacrifice to our fears and worries. When we constantly anticipate problems or disasters in every life situation, we create unnecessary stress and anxiety, which can also lead to illness, relationship problems, depression, and even premature aging and death.
Astrological Forecast November 16 – 22, 2020
The Sun will complete its cycle through Scorpio this week, moving into Sagittarius on Saturday, and kicking off the official start of the holiday season. The Moon travels through Sagittarius on Monday, then enters Capricorn on Tuesday, where it will remain until Thursday. This will create one of the most productive weeks we’ve had in a while, and since Thanksgiving is next week in the United States, and the holiday season will kick in right after that, this is the week to get all that unfinished work and overdue projects completed, or at least advanced to a level where it feels manageable through the end of the year.
The Aquarius Moon will take us into the weekend, urging us to prepare for the social activities ahead. If you’re planning a big holiday dinner, double-check to make sure you’ve invited everyone you want there, and if you’re aiming for a more quiet, peaceful and calorie-light day off, this is the time to set that into motion as well. Doing things differently is a theme of Aquarius, so if you’re ready to start a new holiday tradition, or ignore tradition altogether, you can still work an attitude and sense of gratitude into your world.
Venus will move into Scorpio on Saturday, adding to the spiritual tone of the weekend. And with the Moon moving into Pisces on Sunday, it will be easy to hear what your intuition is telling you. Listening to your gut will take you exactly where you want to go!
The Tarot Is A Mystical Bridge To Spiritual Insight
Mysterious, symbolic and highly energetic, the Tarot is a high vibrational tool that can help us explore the deeper meaning behind the events of our daily lives, and the influence of Spirit in our earthly existence. The Tarot especially offers guidance in situations where may feel lost or confused, and it serves as a mystical bridge between our physical reality and the metaphysical realm. The cards have their own energy, a high vibrational frequency, which Spirit uses to communicate messages of guidance, encouragement, insight and caution.
Every Tarot reader has their own set of spiritual gifts and psychic abilities, and therefore we tend to each develop our own reading style accordingly. In my own readings, I find that Spirit most often seeks to illuminate areas in our lives where changes and healing may be needed, in order to bring about the most beneficial future outcomes. This can be anything from the need to shift one’s perspective, to the need to let go, or sometimes the need to simply accept things as they are.
Ultimately, I find Spirit uses the Tarot to get us ‘unstuck,’ so we get back in the flow. When we are in the flow, or in alignment, we are creating with the Universe, instead of creating resistance. Only then are we truly moving toward our highest good and the fulfillment of our greatest potential.
The Tarot is a conduit for communication with our guides and our higher self, through which we can gain a deeper understanding of the soul lessons and the magic happening in our lives.
From the physical ‘self’ perspective of the human ego, we often cannot see situations for what they really are. But our higher self understands the deeper meaning and purpose, and wants to lovingly guide us to a more joyful, peaceful and fulfilling existence.
Sometimes we can be very resistant when unwanted events shake up our lives. Typically, when difficulties arise, we get swept up in the drama of the situation, and allow ourselves to act from this highly-charged emotional state. In such times of trial, we can use the Tarot to take a step back and look at the situation from a wider lens, and receive guidance on the matter directly from Spirit.