empathy
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!
Teaching Your Child ‘Magic’
My son, who is 4 years old, is also psychic. I have nurtured his psychic ability since birth. I listened to his stories about the other side, angels and how he chose me us as his family and chose his looks. I never doubted him or questioned whether his statements and experiences were real, or not.
I also teach him about setting intentions, deliberate creation, manifesting, affirmations, energy healing and the Law of Attraction. We call it ‘creating magic.’ We wave our hands in circles and say something like, “Magic, magic, magic…sending love and healing light to protect and strengthen you!”
Whenever there is a commercial or television show about children in hospitals, or animal welfare, or experts talking about Covid-19, or anything else that causes suffering in our world, my son and I do ‘magic’ to help those people heal, or save the animals, or make the world a more loving and peaceful place.
Teaching your child these metaphysical principles not only cultivates empathy and compassion, but it also helps them feel that they are powerful and have enough agency to take good care of themselves and to help others.
I have noticed the difference between my son and other children, who have not been exposed to this kind of spiritual outlook. My son seems empowered, confident and in control, while some of his peers tend to be insecure, fearful and quick to complain that they cannot do something, or that certain things are simply too difficult for them to handle.
Because of this, my son has developed both his natural empathic abilities and his natural healing abilities way beyond his years. He even makes magical healing potions outside, using his own recipes and ingredients. I find he also is more aware of other people’s struggles and life challenges, and he is more attentive with the needs of others than some of the other kids he is sometimes playing with.
The Truth About Angels Among Us
The term ‘angel’ often means different things to different people. The true definition of the term is ‘messenger of the Divine.’ The English word angel derives from the Latin angelus, which in turn was borrowed from the Greek angelos, literally meaning ‘messenger.’
Angels in this context can therefore be anyone who brings us a message or gift from the Divine! In my own life I have experienced several physical messengers from God – both human and animal angels! However, this blog is about the spiritual angelic beings who are not of this world, but merely interact with humankind.
Firstly, we need to discern the difference between an angel and a guide. All spiritual beings emanate from the Divine Loving Essence, the Source, God, the Eternal, and exist in the Oneness, which is why all beings can be angels. However, the spiritual definition of angels, that stems from many religious traditions, are beings that have never had any physical, incarnated experiences.
Spirit guides have had prior incarnated experience. They are either a being who has had an incarnation on this earth plane, or another plane of existence. Guides can therefore relate to our human struggles of free will and soul growth, as they have faced these challenges themselves. They can help guide us through these challenges with deep empathy and wisdom.
Angels on the other hand are beings that have never experienced the potential hazards and hardships of free will. They have never gone through any of the contrasting experiences we have as humans. They are an expression of pure, unadulterated love, joy, and peace. They do not have the capacity to empathize with our physical experience of contrast, but they deliver instead direct messages from Spirit, that emanate from the Divine Source.
The Dreamy Neptunian Waters Of Sean Connery
This year, on All Hallow’s Eve, I received news that truly rattled me. Halloween is normally a magical time for me, but I was left shaken with sadness this year, because one of my most beloved heroes, Sean Connery, had passed.
I think of Connery as Indiana Jones’s ingenious, funny dad, or as Daniel Dravot in The Man Who Would Be King, as well as the handsome love interest Mark Rutland in Hitchcock’s Marnie. But most of all, he is the true James Bond 007 original, of course, to which all subsequent iterations pale in comparison (although Daniel Craig does come a close second in my opinion).
Taking a peek at this iconic movie heartthrob’s astrological chart, one discovers some interesting nuggets as you dive deeper into his mysterious Neptunian waters!
His humble beginnings on “the street of a thousand smells,” as Connery once described it, was anything but easy. This is evident in his natal chart, with the serious nature of Capricorn, with its retrograde ruler, Mercury, sitting on his Ascendant.
However, this is also why he managed to make something of himself, often by using purely his wits, versatility and ingenuity, because Mercury is a capable planet placement that ruled his house of hard work! True to his Virgo nature, he worked diligently on his physique to become a notable bodybuilder, for example, which laid the foundation for his future stardom. The Moon in his 9th House further gave him the imaginative mind and empathetic understanding he needed to become so successful internationally.
An 8th House Virgo Stellium (a cluster of three or more planets in a single sign or house), made this meticulous, down-to-earth Virgo very much the perfectionist, and contributed greatly to the legend he ultimately became.
The Need For Empath Self-Care
In times of great stress an empath may neglect their own needs in favor of others, and start to lose the unique perspective they bring to the world.
Since most empaths, by their very nature, want to help others, finding a balance between using their gifts, while practicing self-care, can be tricky. Simply put, it’s easy in these times for empathic people to become overwhelmed.
Empaths feel the energies of the world much stronger than others, and can pick up on the subtle changes in the emotions and intentions of those around them. The empath serves as both a mirror and a prism to the world and its energies. Being an empath feels as if your ‘personal filter’ has been turned off, and naturally, there are many things in our noisy, hectic world that can trigger empaths.
Whether it be the chaos of others arguing or fighting; the feeling of getting lost in a crowd; the sense that others are being phony or inauthentic; or just too much on one’s emotional plate all at once; the empath may begin to withdraw, or even shut off from the rest of the world, when it all becomes too much.
Think of an empath’s ability to pick up on energies like a motion-alarm system which is constantly being tripped by any form of movement or activity. In this case the motions are the energies, emotions, and forces which shape our world. The empath has to deal with the stresses of this constant barrage.
Not only is the empath surrounded in modern society by constant incoming sensory stimuli: flickering images, flashing lights, loud music, conversations, and ambient noise, but also moving in though an ocean of all kinds of good and bad energy. Finding time and space to shut off all the noise, and block out all the negative energies, needs to be part of an empath’s daily self-care routine.
Small Gestures Of Kindness In A Time Of Cruelty
People are feeling anxious and uncertain with what has been happening in the world in recent months. Many are fearful and stressed, and unsure how to act appropriately in these strange times. Some act out in destructive or dramatic ways, taking their frustration out on others.
It is common knowledge that the digital age and social media has spawned a generation of computer warriors and online bullies who express their insecurities and fears, in often extremely mean and cruel ways, from the comfort of their living rooms and basements. This savage lack of empathy and decorum has seemingly now spilt over into our streets and neighborhoods too, in the midst of a global pandemic.
It is easier for many to be critical and judgmental, to complain and argue, instead of facing facts, dealing with the truth and seeking lasting solutions. Often not knowing the entire story, many people choose to see only see one side of things, while telling others off for disagreeing with their limited point of view. The computer has unfortunately given some people a platform to spread strife and hatred, instead of love, hope and kindness.
I pray that more people will strive to seek the truth and learn to look for the good and kind in others. Showing tolerance, patience and kindness is always the better, more open approach. And always remember that if someone attacks you directly, then it often means they are somehow struggling or hurting. It usually serves no real purpose to attack them back.
When Tempers Flare – A Message From My Guides
These are very uncertain times. The planet has been engulfed with worry due to the rampant spread of the novel coronavirus. Some regions of the planet have been harder hit than others, and some areas have been unable to maintain a tight control over the spread of this new disease.
In addition to the illness itself, both financial and food insecurities are now affecting many more households. Businesses are being forced to close. People have lost their employment. Some positions have ceased to exist altogether. Government stimulus and rescue funds have been helpful, but in some cases, have not been received in a timely manner.
The stress on individuals and families trying to keep their heads above water has been monumental.
Meanwhile, the work demands placed on medical professionals, frontline workers and first responders have intensified at a rapid speed. For many their hours of duty have seemed endless and their personal risks and sacrifices are significant. They are being thrown into worst-case scenarios that would not have seemed imaginable only a few short months ago. They have further been hampered by the lack of supplies, and the overwhelming numbers of people infected in a relatively short period. The stress faced by these professionals has been relentless. Continue reading