fulfillment
Walking In Faith Through Life’s Ups And Downs
Most of us go through life like it is a roller coaster ride. We have our ups and downs, our good days and our hard ones. Sometimes we catch ourselves saying things we probably shouldn’t, or reaching for that chocolate chip cookie even though we promised ourselves we wouldn’t.
Temptation is everywhere. That little voice in our head tells us to go for it, even when our gut or intuition says it’s not a good idea. It can leave us feeling torn and unsure of what the right choice really is.
And then, on top of all our personal ups and downs, there’s everything going on in the world around us. Lately, it feels like we’re living through constant upheaval: wars, natural disasters, political division, economic stress, runaway technology, and so much uncertainty about the future. All of it adds to the pressure we already carry.
It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed or tempted to numb ourselves with distractions. When everything feels unstable, it’s easy to lose our sense of direction or forget the spiritual tools that keep us grounded.
That’s why staying connected to faith, however that looks for you, is more important than ever. It becomes an anchor in the storm, something solid to hold onto when everything else feels like it’s shifting.
Faith helps us pause, speak with care, and make better choices. It gives us insight and direction. When we turn away from it or get stuck in negative thinking, that’s usually when life starts feeling harder and more complicated.
You Create Your Own Happiness
Too often, people find themselves trapped in a shadowed corner of life, believing that happiness lies just beyond the next relationship, paycheck, job, or home. But true joy isn’t found in any of these external pursuits.
As the Dalai Lama so wisely said, “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” Pause for a moment and really reflect on that. It’s a beautifully simple truth, yet so many of us struggle to embrace it.
We’ve been raised in a world that teaches us to chase after happiness as though it’s something ‘out there,’ just one success or possession away. But here’s the sacred truth: happiness begins within.
This is a difficult statement for many to comprehend. “How can I be happy, if I have nothing? you might ask. “I am alone. I have no job, no money, no love.”
And yet, the answer is simple and profound: no one else is responsible for your life. No one else is responsible for your happiness. You are the sole creator of your reality.
Your emotional well-being, fulfillment, and general experience of life aren’t determined by outside forces, other people, circumstances, or luck. Living your best life starts with you.
Happiness isn’t something someone can give you or take away. What you think, believe, and do determines if you feel satisfied or unfulfilled.
Tarot Forecast July 2025: Nine Of Cups
July arrives with the vibrant energy of the Nine of Cups, promising a month filled with possibility and growth. Often called the “wish card,” this tarot card signals a month of fulfillment, gratitude, and emotional well-being. It invites us to revel in the joy of our achievements this month and reflect on how far we’ve come.
The Nine of Cups symbolizes not only external success, but also the profound truth that true satisfaction comes from within. It encourages us to anchor ourselves in self-love and contentment, radiating that inner harmony into every aspect of our lives.
This July, we’re all about celebrating life’s joys and embracing the many forms of emotional abundance. From nurturing relationships to personal triumphs and moments of serenity, let’s make this July the best one yet!
This card is incredibly powerful, and it’s amazing to see the impact it has on people. It doesn’t shout or demand; rather, it rests in the confidence that everything is as it should be. As you move through the month, consider what it means to feel “full.” It’s not just material, but also spiritual, emotional, and energetic! Which dreams have come to fruition, and which new wishes are beginning to form?
The Nine of Cups is a symbol of new beginnings and fresh arrivals. It often represents a thrilling pause between chapters that invites celebration and reflection. It’s a call to action to express gratitude for what we have and who we are becoming. Whether you’re enjoying long-awaited rewards or learning to appreciate the everyday joys, July is the perfect time to trust your inner wisdom and embrace the richness of the present moment.
The Joy And Wisdom Of The Hummingbird
Mother Nature is a wonderful place to retreat to when we are seeking clarity, inner peace and a return to balance. This is especially true when we have the opportunity to watch animals in the wild.
Each animal, bird, insect and living creature affords us a special magic or spiritual wisdom, which it carries to remind us of a part of our own spiritual being.
Birds in particular carry wisdom from a higher perspective. One such bird is the mystical hummingbird. The energy of the hummingbird first emerged in my artwork in 2016, when he appeared in a painting I titled Grace.
When the hummingbird first appeared in my artwork, he came as a sign or symbol of hope and joy. He appeared on the path of the angel in this artwork, and he has since appeared in numerous of my sketches and paintings.
Hummingbird may be tiny, but he is mighty in so many ways. His medicine or spiritual symbolism reminds us of our true spiritual nature and our ability to experience personal transformation, by transcending our burdens and finding freedom in expressing who we are as individuals.
Just as the hummingbird suspends himself in flight, to reach for the nectar of the flower, when we hold true to our own values, our experiences are in alignment with the desires of our own hearts. We are then open to experience the sweet nectar of life. The nectar of life is contentment, inner peace, being valued, and the ability to find fulfillment. It is the feeling of joy!
The Soul Legacy Of A Life Well-Lived
It is natural for spiritually aware people to reflect on the lives we live and the impact we have on the world. We often ask ourselves, are we making a difference? Is our contribution meaningful? How well are we serving our family, community, nation, environment, spirit, the divine?
Some people’s legacies are marked by awards, innovations, or public achievements. Some live their lives as great inventors, artists, scientists, philosophers, activists, spiritual leaders, leaving a measurable trail of impact to make the world a better place.
The names of those with such remarkable legacies are etched in history books, and their contributions change the course of societies and industries. We witness their contributions in news headlines and biopics, and learn about them in books and classrooms.
But these remarkable individuals represent only a small minority of humanity. What about the rest of us?
What about those of us who get up every day, not to chase fame or fortune, but to fulfill the humble, yet noble responsibilities of everyday life — raising children, maintaining a home, showing up for work with integrity, running a small business with courage, caring for neighbors, rescuing animals in need?
For most spiritual seekers, our life’s legacy is not about accolades or recognition. It is simply a reflection of the heart, a matter of daily presence, generosity, kindness and compassion, and the quiet ripples of goodness we send out into the world.
The Tarot Is A Mystical Bridge To Spiritual Insight
Mysterious, symbolic and highly energetic, the Tarot is a high vibrational tool that can help us explore the deeper meaning behind the events of our daily lives, and the influence of Spirit in our earthly existence.
The Tarot especially offers guidance in situations where may feel lost or confused, and it serves as a mystical bridge between our physical reality and the metaphysical realm.
The cards have their own energy, a high vibrational frequency, which Spirit uses to communicate messages of guidance, encouragement, insight and caution.
Every Tarot reader has their own set of spiritual gifts and psychic abilities, and therefore we tend to each develop our own reading style accordingly.
In my own readings, I find that Spirit most often seeks to illuminate areas in our lives where changes and healing may be needed, in order to bring about the most beneficial future outcomes. This can be anything from the need to shift one’s perspective, to the need to let go, or sometimes the need to simply accept things as they are.
Ultimately, I find Spirit uses the Tarot to get us ‘unstuck,’ so we get back in the flow. When we are in the flow, or in alignment, we are creating with the Universe, instead of creating resistance. Only then are we truly moving toward our highest good and the fulfillment of our greatest potential.
The Tarot is a conduit for communication with our guides and our higher self, through which we can gain a deeper understanding of the soul lessons and the magic happening in our lives.
Finding Peace and Joy In The ‘No-thingness’
Like Neo in the movie The Matrix (1999) our minds occasionally slip into luminous moments of complete stillness and clarity — tiny mental pauses where all thinking stops just long enough for us to glimpse the truth of all existence.
In these fleeting spaces between our thoughts, it becomes clear that the comings and goings of life are just that… temporary ‘blips’ of experience that arise and pass through our awareness.
I have come to know these moments as realizations of ‘no-thingness.’
In these brief pauses, something quietly opens up within us. We notice the obvious — what has always been there — hidden behind the busy waking mind and its constant commentary. Our awareness shifts from being consumed by temporary events to seeing what’s always there: the background, the container, the eternal.
These silent mental breaks reveal something much deeper and greater than our own existence and awareness.
There’s a word for this in ancient Sanskrit: svabhāva. It means one’s true nature — the essence of who we are beneath the roles, stories, and conditioning. The term is used in many yogic and Vedantic texts to describe the innate reality or unconditioned self beyond our human ego and thoughts.
Our true authentic self is not something we become. It’s something we remember. When we glimpse the silence between thoughts, we’re not discovering something new — we’re reconnecting with our original divine self. Not the self that reacts and worries, but the self that simply is. Svabhāva is the part of us that doesn’t come and go. It’s the constant presence behind every changing moment. It is the essence of living a truly conscious life.