self-reflection
How To Have A Peaceful Christmas This Year
A
s magical a time of year as Christmas may be, it can still be somewhat stressful.
Nevertheless, with a little pre-planning, you should be able to get your Xmas off to a good start and enjoy the celebrations to the maximum without experiencing too much stress and drama in the process!
How good is that? Here’s how.
Set Clear Intentions
Let go of the idea that Christmas must be traditional and ‘perfect,’ and that you must make it that way for everybody. Set instead a clear intention for what your ideal Christmas will be.
After that, all you need to do is make plans that go along with your vision. Having established what Christmas really means to you, you can then use it as a guide to prepare your celebrations.
Keep It Simple
Simplicity ensures peace and calm, whereas complexity causes stress and drama. It really is as simple as that! It is imperative that any Christmas plans you make are as simple, straightforward and as streamlined as possible. Doing so should help to create a sense of calm and empowerment, which you will no doubt need to take into the New Year with you.
Embracing Growth Challenges In Your Relationship
At some point in a romantic relationship, we all face challenges that test our connection with our partner or spouse. People disagree, make mistakes, and experience conflict. It’s human nature.
However, it is important to realize that most problems in a developing relationship are often not inherently negative or catastrophic. Instead, they present valuable opportunities for personal growth, healing, and self-discovery.
If you believe that your happiness in a relationship depends on finding the perfect partner, it’s time for a new perspective. The key to a happy relationship is to remove personal barriers one at a time. By doing so, you can fully immerse yourself in love and become a magnet for attracting the right partner into your life.
Consider the following five common issues that many new couples face and how you can learn from them to foster a stronger, more fulfilling connection with your significant other.
The Happiness Myth
Some people go into a new relationship expecting their partner to bring them the complete state of happiness, joy, and fulfillment they have always sought. But others cannot make us happy, joyful, or fulfilled because achieving this is always an inside job. It starts with us.
Tune Into The Guidance Of Your Emotions
I believe our emotions are an additional ‘sense’ we use as a means of interpreting our life experiences, in the same way the normal five senses enable us to perceive and understand the world around us. Our ‘emotional sense’ help us make decisions about our preferences all the time.
For example, I love chocolate. My sense of taste tells me that chocolate is for me! It’s a very clear and obvious signal from my taste buds to my brain. We receive and process stimuli all the time and our senses help us to ‘make sense’ of that input.
Your emotions are also giving you information about your preferences and if we listen and pay attention, we can gain a lot of guidance from it. Our emotions don’t just come from nowhere. They arise in direct response to stimuli or input, just like our senses do.
I have also heard emotions described as an internal guidance system, or our inner compass, which helps us decide what we want to create more of, and less of, in our life. We sometimes get confused though, because just like the other senses, we have different preferences.
For example, some people love coconut desserts, but I detest then. Not thanks, keep your coconut out of my chocolate! The thing is, I’m not confused about the fact that I don’t like coconut. I also don’t feel I have to change my preference because other people love coconut. And I also don’t force myself to eat it, just to make other people happy.
When one of our five physical senses tells us something we tend to listen, because it’s visceral. We feel it undeniably in the body. Emotions are no different!
Simple Guidelines For Real Spiritual Growth
Spirituality is a wide-ranging concept with many diverse perspectives. In essence it is the process through which our inner being seeks to relate to something bigger than ourselves. It is the search for the meaning and purpose of our human existence.
Spirituality is about our soul or spirit, and the unseen realms, as opposed to material things and physical life. It is also the life-long pursuit of inner peace, unconditional love, and existential wisdom and understanding.
Many people believe that the secret to spiritual growth and development can only be found in a book, a lecture, dogmatic belief system, or some other product or service that will magically unlock the doors to spiritual insight, happiness, joy and fulfillment.
However, spirituality is a unique, personal path that each of us can explore on our own, from within. The following guidelines may be helpful on your journey towards spiritual fulfillment.
Reflection
The first step in personal spiritual growth is reflecting on your life journey. To be spiritual is to be questioning and inquisitive. Spiritual growth is a process of constantly learning and improving. One must be willing to open yourself to personal and spiritual growth, and by doing this your world opens up and things become less scary.
Holding on to past events keeps us from experiencing new adventures, and the emotional baggage will only weigh you down. Accept your past mistakes and learn from them. Reflect on what changes need to happen for you to move forward.
We are all teachers. We are either teaching someone, or they are teaching us – both good and bad. Learn from your experiences and move on with life.
All Hallows Month Is Ideal For Self-Reflection
I did a reading for a new client yesterday, and during the session, I kept hearing the word “roots.” I told her, “You should get back to your roots.” She confirmed right away that she’d been thinking about moving back to her hometown to be closer to her family and friends.
That got me thinking about how October is often a time to think about where we really belong in life and in the world. This season, we’re thinking about place, direction, and home. It is the ideal time to reflect on whether it’s maybe time for a change, or if we should return to our roots.
It also got me thinking more about my spiritual roots and ancestry. October is a time to think about our physical lives and the spiritual truths, values, and principles that have been passed down to us. Are we still following those principles? Are we living in a way that reflects the wisdom of those who came before us? This is the kind of reflection October brings out, encouraging us to reconnect with our roots and the bigger picture of where we’re headed.
October, also known as the All Hallows Month, has always had a special kind of magic about it. It has always been a big deal in many spiritual traditions, because it is seen as a kind of in-between month.
This month is a time when the physical and spiritual worlds feel closer to each other, synchronicities multiply, and messages from the unseen find their way more easily into our lives. It’s no coincidence that so many cultures honor the dead and celebrate the mysteries of life and death during this season.
Reclaiming Your inner Peace In A Noisy World
When was the last time you sat down with yourself? I mean really be in the moment and connnect with your inner being. When did you last pay close attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations?
So often, we go about life on autopilot, barely acknowledging our inner world. Over time, this becomes a way of being.
We stay caught up in the human busy-ness that keeps us focused on the practical aspects of life. Important, yes, but often at the expense of our spiritual and emotional well-being.
The result is a kind of soul fatigue or a quiet weariness that stems from disconnection. We may notice a sense of restlessness or dissatisfaction, but struggle to trace its roots. That’s often a sign our inner world is calling for attention, urging us to slow down and truly listen.
Even when we do find quiet moments, we rarely use them to check in with ourselves. We live in a world of endless distractions: a computer at our fingertips, the internet in our pocket. This disconnect is creating a divide between real life and our presence within it.
Today, I felt inspired to write about reconnecting with our inner selves and creating more balance between our spiritual and practical experiences.
This doesn’t require a massive overhaul. It just takes intention. It can be as simple as spending a few quiet moments with your thoughts and feelings.
Here are three simple yet powerful ways to slow down and reconnect with simple, meaningful moments in everyday life.
Tarot Forecast September 2025: Queen Of Cups
This month we are inspired by the serene and soulful energy of the Queen of Cups. Her appearance as the card of the month sets the tone for a period of emotional clarity, compassionate connection, and deepened intuition. This is not a time to push, rush, or force. Instead, it is a sacred pause that invites us inward.
The Queen of Cups embodies the wisdom of the heart. She understands that true strength lies not in control, but in compassion. Her energy helps us soften where we have built walls, offering emotional nourishment both to ourselves and those around us.
This month, we are encouraged to listen deeply, not just to others, but to the whispers of our own soul. The next four weeks is about emotional intelligence, healing, and inner alignment. We are reminded that empathy is a superpower, and that our intuition is one of our greatest guides.
Traditionally the Queen of Cups is depicted sitting on a throne by the sea, symbolizing her deep emotional sensitivity and intuitive depth. The waters around her represent the subconscious mind and the realm of emotions. Her throne is adorned with images of sea creatures, signifying her connection to the watery, emotional realm and her comfort with navigating its depths.
In her hands, she holds a lidded, ornate cup, unlike any other in the Tarot. This closed cup suggests mystery, emotional containment, and sacred inner knowledge. It also symbolizes her ability to hold space, to keep confidences, and to honor emotional boundaries. She gazes intently at the cup, not distracted by the waves behind her, illustrating her capacity for focused emotional awareness and inner reflection. The Queen of Cups teaches us that strength can be serene, and that emotional attunement can lead to profound spiritual insight.