patterns
Mandala Meditation
Mandala is an ancient word simply meaning ‘circle’ in Sanskrit. Mandalas are patterns which range from simple to complex, and are said to represent the Universe and its energies. Varying designs have appeared for centuries in cultures around the world. These beautiful and intriguing works of art can be used in any meditative practice.
To use a mandala in your spiritual practice, begin by choosing one which has special meaning for you, or has a design you personally find harmonious. Many can be found online, in design books, or in color-it-yourself art books. The colors and patterns can also hold intrinsic meanings.
When you have found a mandala you like, use it as a focal point for meditation. State your intent beforehand. While studying the design of your mandala, let your mind stray into the subconscious.
This work is quite similar to candle or crystal work, in that the imagery directs our thoughts rather than the other way around. If you’ve ever found yourself getting lost in the patterns of a tile floor, or the wallpaper in a favorite room, then you’re already well-equipped for mandala work!
Changing Your Future
Working with my clients to co-create a future outcome is one of the aspects of doing psychic readings which I enjoy the most. Setting the right intention for a future manifestation not only helps them with the issue they initially consulted me about, but also tends to improve every area of their life.
It is likely if someone carries an imbalance in one area of life, it’s bound to show up in other areas too. For example, if you know someone who struggles in their love life, because they’re always hopping from one relationship to the next, it’s more than likely that person displays the same behavior at work and with many other decisions and choices in their life.
These habitual behavior patterns take hold in our lives for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, our childhood upbringing, society, genetics, and our astrological birth chart. However, I don’t believe these patterns fully define us, or that we are permanently bound by them. Whether one is born a saint or a sinner, rich or poor, privileged or not, when a person awakens from the myth of who they thought they were, and stops running away from their fears, they can decide to change their future and allow success into their life.
This is where the magic comes in. The simple act of ‘deciding’ something, even in the face of discouragement, is when we align with the powerful forces of the Universe to co-create the life we really want! I’ve seen this in Astrology, with even the most difficult astrological chart aspects. When someone wakes up, or realizes that they are an unlimited being, their entire world shifts. I’m a firm believer that we come here to transcend our astrological chart, not be imprisoned by it.
Astrological Magic Of The New Moon
The Moon card in the Tarot reminds me of the Facebook relationship status: It’s Complicated. It not only can bring up our deepest fears, but also speaks of the natural cycles of life. I am ever changing, reinventing myself, navigating by Moon time.
In the summertime and living in a big city, my mother’s fear for me always used to be that I might “get into trouble,” since I had “way too much time on my hands.” So, every summer, before I was old enough to get my work permit to land a summer job, she would schedule summer classes just to keep me busy.
One particular summer, I was enrolled in a sewing class at a woman’s house down the street from us. I was able to choose from several projects, and I immediately chose the two piece bathing suit! I was so proud of my work, and could not wait to show it off, but my mother was understandably cautious, because of my red hair, fair skin, and freckles. I suggested a compromise: “moon bathing.”
Reluctantly she agreed, so I took out the lounge chair, flashlight, my small transistor radio, and some reading material. Wearing my two-piece bathing suit, I basked in the Moon’s glow, while listening to music, reading, and even dancing. That’s the summer when I fell in love with the Moon, and started on the path of following her cycles. And I have been forever changed.
For me, every New Moon brings her own magic and invites us to make wishes for that lunation. Each New Moon has her own personality and asks us to dwell in the possibilities. We also experience different New Moon energies according to the annual procession of the Zodiac. As you make your wishes for each lunation on the New Moon, the ideas below may inspire you in setting your own New Moon intentions for every month of the year.
Are We There Yet?
Are we there yet? It’s okay to ask. The answer, however, should always be no. If we become preoccupied with destination, we lose sight of the purpose of the journey in the first place. When we honor the journey, we are able to keep on the path of forward motion.
Life itself is the journey. We learn the hard lessons, and finally understand that it’s a never-ending process. Often things occur in the guise of mistakes, failures, misunderstandings, hurts. But in truth, not learning from these events is the only failure. And if you don’t learn it the first time, it is highly likely the lesson will repeat itself, over and over again, until you actually do learn it.
When our behavior and actions change, we convert what we have learned into wisdom. For some people the process is a lifelong quest, while others utilize what they have learned and it moves them along quickly. Some people need to go deeper within themselves to make progress.
It is always good to ask if we are there yet. Especially at the beginning of every journey, or when the learned lessons tell us there is more work to be done – inner work to get to the very core of our being. For some people inner work can be very frightening, as many of us deeply suppress the things that we don’t want to deal with. But to complete the journey we must peel away the layers, like peeling an onion.
How To Boost Your Confidence
Sometimes I wish that confidence was for sale! Feeling confident can make all the difference, for example, when you are anxious about accepting a social invitation, without the need for spending hours of internal dialogue trying to convince yourself it will be okay for you to attend. Confidence also means being able to easily decide what to wear for the big night out, and so on.
Indeed, I have marveled at other people’s ability to do such things with ease. However, these very same people are no different than you or me. It is just that they have mastered their mindset with regards being confident, and so can you! Here’s how:
Maintain Healthy Boundaries
Have you noticed certain people in your life encroaching on your space and time? If so, it may be time to implement some polite, yet firm boundaries. By doing so, you should find that this really builds your confidence in both professional and personal relationships, and you no longer feel drained or undermined by specific individuals you have to share some of your time and space with.
Practice Self-Awareness
We hear a lot these days about being more self-aware, but just what is meant by this? Well, it simply means having the ability to recognize when you are falling into a pattern of self-sabotage. Let’s say, for example, you are due to meet a person who continually makes significant demands on you, but you find great difficulty in saying no to them. By learning the art of becoming more self-aware, you can plan, in advance, how to remain strong and firm with this particular individual, so that your relationship with them becomes far healthier.
Through The Looking Glass
We tend to not see ourselves accurately. We too often choose to focus on our shortcomings and weaknesses, such as we perceive them to be. And I believe we are all guilty of this. I have not in all my years met anyone who was truly satisfied with themselves – until it was sometimes too late.
I was just as guilty of this as anyone else. My childhood was one that I wouldn’t have wished on my worst enemy. I was abandoned by both parents when I was very young. I was raised by an aunt and uncle, who took pleasure in reminding me that my parents did not love me. My aunt also took every opportunity to beat the daylights out of me, while my uncle did nothing.
When I hit puberty, several older males in my ‘family’ began to stalk and harass me. I’d go into the kitchen and soon find myself backed up against a wall. Nobody believed me. Nobody did anything to stop it – not even when I was raped at 16 by a family friend’s son, who was deemed to be a “good boy” and “would never do anything like that.”
I could go on and on about all the horrible things that happened to me, but once I turned that momentous age of 16, and having had the experiences that I have had, I left my aunt and uncle’s home. I went to live with my boyfriend, his sister and their mom. When I left, my uncle dumped all my clothes on the front lawn.
You Can Stop Smoking With Hypnotherapy
There is currently much talk about the possibility of another cigarette tax increase in my state. The hardcore smokers are of course adamantly opposed. It’s going to cost them a lot more money to sustain their habit. The reasoning behind the proposed increase is that the smokers are costing everyone else more money, in terms long-term health care, so why not put the burden on the smokers through the cost of cigarettes.
Fortunately, this shift in public perception is inspiring more smokers to stop. More people are seeking hypnotherapy as a means to help them stop. As a hypnotherapist, I use the word stop and not quit, because quitting implies giving something up, while stopping means ending a dreadful habit and improving one’s life and long-term health.
Many doctors, researchers and hypnotists will tell you that hypnotherapy is the most successful way to stop smoking cigarettes. Reports state that up to 80% of people who use hypnosis actually stop, and about 50% or more remain non-smokers after one year. That’s double or more compared to any other method, such as using a nicotine patch or medication.
The potential side-effects of the other methods are also not pleasant and may include headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, stomach upset, nausea, breathing difficulties, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, nervousness, anxiety, and tremors. With hypnotherapy, the only ‘side-effects’ are improved sleep, improved well-being, decreased stress, less pain, better quality of life, and increased self-esteem and self-confidence!