trait
Finding Love With Online Dating
I believe in the power of romance and love. I believe in soulmates, synchronicity, and love at first sight. I could not practice my job properly if I did not believe in such things. And is this not what many of us are dreaming about? The knight in the shiny armor on a white steed, coming to save the damsel from her misery?
So, let’s talk about online dating.
We all know the dangers and the threats of dating online. Many of us know someone who was deceived, or even got scammed. It can also be a very frustrating or disappointing process. But it is not impossible to meet your soulmate online. I personally have witnessed many success stories. But I also know of some incidents of ‘love makes you blind,’ as well as lonely, bankrupt and insecure.
I often get asked to do a reading about a person someone met online. It is important to be cautious and careful. For example, if you only connected with somebody online, you have not actually met anyone yet. The best way to be sure is to actually meet them in person, or at least have a video call with them. It is best to meet the person in a public place first. Inform your friends or family where and when you are to meet, and who the person is.
Who Are You, And What Do You Really Want?
Do you have any genuine idea who you really are, and what it is you want ‘more than anything in the whole wide world?’ Most people don’t have a clue. They think they do, but they are as far removed from the truth of what constitutes their innate being of actual contentment as a doughnut is in wholesome nutrient composition.
If you don’t know who you are, you can’t possibly begin to imagine what you absolutely want. Without knowing who you really are, you may have lived your entire life under falsely embellished suppositions, firmly influenced ideas, fearfully established goals, and fastidiously monitored aspirations of others. Instead of following your own heart’s desire, you may be living out the unfulfilled dreams of others, as a means of pacifying their deeply-unresolved natures.
Unfortunately, we carry within our own psyches the uninvited, infiltrated voices of countless people who have ever made an impact on us, and continue to do so. It matters not whether the impact is negative or positive, those influential voices prevail.
Restlessness, body weight issues, promiscuity, boredom, depression, anger, loneliness, lying and lawlessness, health concerns, and substance abuse and addiction, whether it be alcohol, drugs, food, sex, shopping, social media, or simply gossip, are all verifiable barometers of not knowing who you are and what you want. When we are not in-tune with the ‘still small voice’ that resides within the deepest recesses of our psyche, we manufacture a superficial existence of continued disappointment.
Competence And Confidence
Competence and confidence…how are they related? Or, are they? If we consider ourselves to be competent, does this so-called confidence arise naturally from the specified experience of validated competence? Or does the experience associated with confidence ‘stay on the surface’ of things? And does it then have to be renewed over and over, to continually prove the level of expertise, once the particular hailed experiment, or event, or situation is over?
In other words, how do we hone a certain skills or ability enough to be competent and confident with the knowledge gained, developed and demonstrated, without having to repeatedly ‘prove’ our worth and merit? And, should we feel the need to prove our expertise in any area of life, are we not placed in a defensive position, whereby our competence is questioned and our confidence doubted?
Some may argue that confidence is an inborn trait and can not necessarily be developed by perfecting a certain craft, skill, talent or gift. But, whoever would take this position, has not done their homework in actuality to establish, cultivate and maintain expanded potential.
Competence comes through repetitious practice, until the act is perfected. Then, confidence rides piggy back on the polished competence, from the very fact that one does not have to ‘think’ about what is being achieved. Yes, thinking interferes with the competence, and therefore inhibits confidence.
In order, to learn to ride a bicycle with ease, one must practice, fall repeatedly and work with the laws of gravity until balance is preserved. But, even then, the magic of riding a bike happens of its own accord without the aid, interference or assistance of the rider. Once accomplished, no one can unlearn.
What Is My Gift?
Recently, during a reading, someone asked me what her ‘gift’ was. When asked why she wanted to know this, she said, “Because I don’t want to continue studying or working, unless I know I am going to succeed and be really good at it.” My jaw dropped.
To me that is like saying, “I will only get married, and have a children, if there is a guarantee that it will all work out!” Even if you have a so-called ‘gift,’ it doesn’t mean you will be ‘successful’ at it in earth plane terms. Jesus, Buddha, and many other spiritual teachers, did not become rich and famous in their lifetimes. They used their ‘gifts,’ talents and lives for the greater good, because they believed in what they were doing.
In my days as a performing artist, I saw many gifted, brilliant dancers choosing to abandon the dance studio to raise children. I saw mediocre or physically challenged dancers, with no family support, work, and work, and work, to become brilliant dancers… while others thought they were simply ‘gifted.’
Sadly this idea of having a special ‘gift’ has become a cash cow for the self-help industry. Tell someone they have a gift, and they will hand over thousands of dollars to attend workshops and seminar to develop their ‘gift.’ And the so-called teacher gets to feel good for getting others hyped up about having a gift, for which there is no evidence, and therefore they cannot be held accountable when nothing materializes.
Your Spirit Animals
Many wisdom traditions and cultures features some form of animal symbolism. Animals are thought to be guides, teachers, messengers, or protectors for a person as they journey through life. They are referred to as spirit animals, familiars, animal guides, power animals, or totems.
Our spirit animals provide guidance or insight when we most need it, if we are paying attention. These animal guides can appear in our lives in many unexpected or interesting ways. Typically, an animal that appears over and over, or that one feels a special affinity to, should be considered a possible spirit animal.
There are animals that are life-long guides, which are typically more reflective of our own personality and unique gifts. Those animals that show up briefly, or only at certain times, are thought of as messengers or wayshowers to help us along our path. They often provide comfort, or convey an important message.
We can also call on animals to empower us in times of need, when we need a particular quality or inspirational or healing energy in our life, such as strength (lion), joy or playfulness (dolphin), vision (hawk), awareness (eagle), or peace (dove).
To discover your totem animals, think about animals you have always been drawn to, especially as a child, and consider the qualities of these animals. Then consider how these might apply to you, or how they have played out in your life.
Who Are You Really?
At some point today you probably looked in the mirror. Maybe you liked who you saw there, and maybe you did not. But, did it dawn on you that the person who stared back at you from that reflection, is not the same person as the one who looked back at you yesterday? Yes, things changed while you were sleeping, and you were not aware of it.
Do we really know who or what we are looking at in that mirror every day? Do we even care? Does it matter to us that we will spend every waking and sleeping hour with that person we see in our reflection? Do we realize that whoever that person is, we will be sharing our deepest most profound thoughts, ideas and convictions with them for the rest of our life?
Instead of merely glancing at that reflection we have grown so accustomed to, why not take the time to truly observe the facial expressions and body language, revealing our inner motivations and latent content.
More importantly, maybe it is time to really get to know that individual we observe in the mirror. That mysterious, fathomless person most likely demonstrates enormous fortitude, determination, strength of will and irresolute character. There may also be an infectious humor buried just below the surface, waiting to be examined for discernment in the reality of our most passionate dreams and mocking glares.
What is important to us today will be important to us always. The problem is we don’t always know what is really important to us. Why? Because, we won’t stay still long enough to study the most important subject in the world: the self. We may claim that we are too busy to care, but nothing is more important than getting to know the real you.
The Myths Of Mercury Retrograde
As a practicing psychic, I have on many occasions spoken to clients who were concerned about the planet Mercury going retrograde. They typically fear that this recurring planetary event might wreak havoc in their lives. While astrologers agree that it can at times be a more challenging time, many of the fears about retrogrades are often unfounded, and based on myth and misinformation. Its potential effect on our daily lives can actually be highly positive and beneficial.
Reputable astrologers quite rightly point out that by truly understanding Mercury Retrograde and how to manage its influence in our life, we can actually turn it into a positive experience, rather than a negative one. For my part, should you have been worried about the Mercury Retrograde in the past, I hope to ease at least some of your concerns here, as to what role this phenomenon can, and cannot play in your daily life.
The Spinning Backwards Myth
The most prevalent myth about Mercury Retrograde is that the planet is ‘spinning backwards’ at this time. The truth of the matter, as any astronomer would tell you, is that Mercury is not actually moving backwards during a retrograde. It only appears to be receding.
The planet Mercury is closer to the Sun than any other planet and therefore circles around it in as little 88 days. The Earth, on the other hand, takes much longer, i.e. a whole year to complete this trip. During a retrograde, Mercury appears to slow down, while Earth seems to move at a faster rate. This creates an optical illusion in the heavens which makes it seem that Mercury is spinning backwards in its orbit. However, Mercury is merely moving more slowly around the Sun, compared to planet Earth.
One can liken this to Mercury being a race car on the inside track, while Earth is on the outside of the track and overtaking Mercury. While doing so, as Earth appears to go faster, it would seem that the Mercury is slowing down or, in fact, going backwards, even though this is not the case.