Self-Help
Change your Habits, Change Your Life!
As 2022 comes to an end and the New Year is upon is, many of us are considering how we can improve our lives and become a better version of ourselves.
Today we might be sitting with our shiny new diary or journal, or a beautiful 2022 calendar full of inspiring affirmations, in the hope it will inspire us to lead healthier, happier, more fulfilling and successful life. But the single biggest thing that we can do to change our lives for the better and really smash our goals is to change our habits.
What we habitually do is who we will ultimately become. Our daily physical habits are our metaphysical destiny. In fact, research would suggest that approximately 95% of the things people do daily are purely habitual.
From the spiritual perspective, I always look to archetype of The Archer in the Wildwood Tarot deck as the positive symbology to help me break bad habits and create new, better ones. The Archer is a genuinely motivating card that symbolizes strength, direction, aim and focus. When it comes to habits, it reminds us to focus on the positive ones and that by doing so, we will achieve our goals by hitting our target. Gaze upon his symbology, and it should help give you the strength to do so.
For example, I am a chocoholic, the results of which is clearly evident around my middle-aged waistline! How do I personally break the habit of a lifetime and develop a healthier relationship with chocolate? Well, the guidelines are the same for any other goal we may have:
Remove The Temptation
As the saying goes: ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ My household will therefore be seeing far less sugar in the kitchen cupboards in 2022. This may seem somewhat an extreme measure, but it may help to change my family’s nutritional habits for the better. It is not so easy to maintain a sweet tooth when there is nothing to reaching out for to serve as a reward or an emotional crutch.
Remember To Reach Out This Holiday Season
The holidays have been different these past two years. We are normally accustomed to planning big get-togethers, buying many gifts, preparing lots of food and finally gathering with family and friends. In the past, these gatherings were a given, whenever feasible, and both small and large get-togethers were marked with fun, laughter, music, food and festivities.
But a global pandemic has been curtailing our carefully laid plans and we had to be to be innovative to stay connected with our loved ones. Some people live in areas with very little impact. Others are in hot spots. Regardless of your own current situation, it is important to include people safely, to whatever level you can under the circumstances.
Please remember to touch a few lonely hearts this time of year, even if it is just by way of a quick phone call or text message. If there are people you know who live alone or are unable to join their usual groups to celebrate, do whatever you can to reach out to them and make them feel included in the celebrations. Connect virtually, send a parcel or invite them to a future event to look forward to.
Extend your reach to those less fortunate as well. This time of year can be particularly difficult for those in need. Contribute to a charity, or reach out to a volunteer group and offer your services. A willing pair of helping hands is always appreciated.
Amid all the chaos and excitement of the season, also take some time to be good to yourself. We tend to run ourselves ragged, while it just isn’t possible to keep going at maximum speed without a well-deserved break. It is important to remember that we cannot give what we ourselves do not have. Your career or business will always be there. Recharge your batteries so you will be rested, confident, and energized to help others.
Astrology Forecast December 27, 2021- January 2, 2022
As 2021 comes to a close, we can be grateful for completing an especially challenging year, and all the lessons and gifts that came with the struggles. Courtesy of today and tomorrow’s Libra Moon, it will be somewhat easier to review the past 12 months from a positive perspective. It will also inspire us to anticipate a much brighter future!
This morning the Libra Moon sextile Mars in Sagittarius and trine Saturn in Aquarius will further serve to kick-start this final week of 2021 with an increased sense of responsibility, resourcefulness, practical action and some organizational flair, ensuring we end our year on a high note.
Jupiter will move into Pisces tomorrow, ending the year on a promising, more spiritual note. In the sign of Pisces, this planet is all about generating karmic blessings and restoring our life to a better state than it was when this year started. We can certainly count on Jupiter to bring things back into balance and raise the bar in 2022.
Wednesday and Thursday’s Scorpio Moon makes these days ideal for mapping out a plan of action for next year or making a New Year’s resolution list. Striving for a better way of living by setting out your intentions is always a wonderful way to start a new year!
Early on Saturday the Capricorn Sun trine Uranus in Taurus will boost our sense of initiative, innovation, ambition and self-confidence to set an inspired tone on the first day of 2022 for the year that lies ahead. The Capricorn Moon sextile Jupiter in Pisces will further rouse our spirit with a positive, optimistic outlook on life. Here’s to a fabulous 2022 and having life restored to even better form than it was prior to the current pandemic. Happy New Year!
Dealing With Negative Energy This Holiday Season
What do you do when you have to go to a family holiday gathering you have dreaded all year? What is supposed to be a positive, happy reunion this time of the year is often a negative, argumentative and energetically draining occasion!
I know from experience that diverse personalities show up to these types of gatherings and over the years I have learned to keep quiet, and smile, and muster through it. I have helped several of my clients lately find solutions to deal with these challenging situation.
There was the uncle that swears around the children who my client is trying to raise in a loving, Christian environment. I have also helped a client find out why her sisters-in-law and mother-in-law constantly gossip about her behind her back. I have helped bring light to a client’s ongoing problems with her siblings’ argumentative nature.
I want you to know that the choice is yours if you choose to deal with these people. Remember you always have free will, even in the most dire circumstances. You don’t have to be around family members who steal your energy and drop their poison of negative energy and comments on you.
It’s unhealthy to put yourself in situations that are uncomfortable, especially when the environment is saturated with dis-ease. Sometimes you have to exercise your right to say: “No thank you, I will pass!” If you do this, you will find you have more energy for those that do treat you well and don’t talk about you behind your back.
Also, do not allow yourself to feel guilty that your not going to attend. Make positive changes this holiday season by saying no to unnecessary stress, negative people and toxic energy. Embrace your own assertiveness for the betterment of your health and mental well-being.
De-Cluttering For Body, Mind & Spirit
For me the average household chore is only temporarily rewarding, because before you know it, the serenity which comes from the cleanliness and order you’ve just created is short lived. Dust and chaos return in a flash!
On the other hand, I find ‘de-cluttering’ much more rewarding, and more so knowing that a lot of ‘stuff’ not used in a while is either going to someone who can use it, or to help in raising funds for one of the animal charities I support.
More frequently these days, people are adopting a minimalist feng shui approach to furnishing their homes – and also in other areas of their lives – because somewhere deep down we all long for the space and lack of gadgets and stuff that our forefathers managed quite happily without.
Much has been brought to our TV screens these days in the way of reality shows about compulsive hoarding, bringing awareness about how the obsession of accumulating a vast amount of things is actually an emotional issue, rather than one of material usefulness.
Advances of modern civilization are generally limited to the material. So, our spiritual and mental progress hasn’t kept up with the material, hence people’s anguished stories, which I feel is accentuated because their spiritual development hasn’t kept up with their worldly achievements.
The benefit of clearing out that which no longer serves us helps in two major ways:
Astrology Forecast December 20 – 26, 2021
Christmas week this year should unfold without any major astrological challenges or glitches.
The Cancer Moon today and tomorrow will have us preoccupied with finalizing our holiday plans, and making sure all is in order for the celebrations that lay ahead. Fortunately, Mercury in Capricorn trine Uranus in Taurus will inspire a determined, inventive state of mind, making unconventional problem-solving an effortless possibility.
The Sun will also move into Capricorn tomorrow, giving us the extra boost we may need to complete all the tasks necessary before the year’s end.
With the Moon prowling through Leo on Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll have to be careful to watch our ego. Remember that giving is more important than receiving, and this is not just limited to Christmas boxes and bows. Loved ones need to know you care, and generous messages from the heart will be worth much more than overpriced, last-minute holiday gifts!
Christmas will be under a Virgo Moon, making it essential that we pay close attention to details and adjust expectations accordingly. We are often prone to visualizing exactly what or how things should happen on these very special days, and that can set us up for disappointment. Instead, focus on the true spirit of the season and the true joy that cannot be wrapped up in colorful paper.
Beware the Virgo Moon opposition with Neptune in Pisces late on Christmas day, as this constellation may leave us feeling nervous and highly sensitive. It can also cause people to be somewhat disingenuous and insincere. So, if you are entertaining judgmental, demanding relatives, be careful not to let them get under your skin!
Restoring our balance should be easy under Sunday’s Libra Moon, when we can all step back and appreciate the true beauty that dwells in our lives, not just on Christmas, but every day of the year.