growth
How To Embrace Your Shadow Self
Most people tend to shy away from acknowledging their dark or “shadow” side when it comes to spirituality.
In fact, the tendency to avoid the uncomfortable aspects of the self is due in large part to our religious or spiritual background. Throughout history, most traditions have encouraged people to suppress, deny, or transcend their human flaws and shortcomings in favor of higher ideals such as purity, salvation, or enlightenment.
This reluctance to face the shadow within continues to this day, with modern spiritual and metaphysical communities often favoring light, love, and positivity while largely ignoring the messy, difficult, and painful aspects of the human experience.
But by avoiding the shadow within, we deny ourselves the opportunity for a deeper understanding of our soul’s purpose and untapped possibilities for personal and spiritual growth.
According to Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist who pioneered the concept of the “shadow” in psychology, “one is not enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” Enlightenment isn’t about avoiding the shadow. Instead, it’s about facing it and integrating it into our being.
When we face the shadow within, we reclaim parts of ourselves that hold immense power, creativity, and insight. By delving into the deeper truths of our shadow selves, we can unravel the unconscious patterns that dictate our lives, allowing for true healing, transformation, and enlightenment.
Always Stay True To Your Soul Path And Purpose
Visiting a nursing home or retirement community and interacting with the residents can be a life-changing experience!
I recently had the opportunity to interact with a group of seniors and one of the things I asked them was, “If you could go back in time and start over, what would you do differently?”
To my surprise, the biggest regret most of them have is that they wish they had been more true to themselves and lived their lives their own way instead of pleasing others. One lady says she realizes she should have followed the original path her soul intended for her, instead of trying to live up to the expectations of others.
Another lady recalls how her life was shattered when a man she loved dearly and had devoted her life to unexpectedly left her to be with someone else. She said that was the day she realized she had wasted so much time putting her own dreams and goals on hold to make someone else the focus of her life. If she could go back in time, she would have handled this relationship very differently. In fact, she would probably never have gotten involved with him in the first place! “Never live for someone else, that is what I have learned,” she said.
Some of the regrets seemed heavy and intense. Some realize that too much time has passed and they cannot undo the choices they have made. There are potential joys and opportunities for personal and spiritual fulfillment that are now forever out of reach. One gentleman added that while there is much wisdom and truth in the saying “it’s never too late,” there are also the practical realities of aging and “missed deadlines” for some things in life.
The Soul Secrets Of Your Known Name Number
Numerology, the ancient mystical study of numbers and its influence on our daily existence, goes far beyond calculating the meaning of your birth date.
While many people are familiar with the concept of the life path number, which is derived from one’s birth date, few realize that their known name number also holds profound insights into their character, destiny, and spiritual journey.
Also known as the expression number, the calculation of this number is a core component of numerology used by practitioners to explore one’s personality, potential, and life path. Calculating this number can be eye-opening and transformative.
Metaphysically, names are not arbitrary; they are energetic vibrations that carry specific meanings and influences.
Your known name is the name you go by in everyday life, whether it is the name your parents gave you at birth or a nickname that has stuck with you over time.
The name you identify with carries an energetic signature that reveals much about your personality, your purpose, and the unique challenges or gifts you may encounter in this lifetime.
In the practice of numerology, the letters in your name are assigned numerical values based on a system known as the Pythagorean Number Table, where each letter corresponds to a number from 1 to 9. By adding up the numbers associated with the letters in your known name, you can uncover several key numbers that offer insight into your personality, strengths, and life purpose.
What To Do When He Is Not Calling You
When someone you like a lot doesn’t call or even ghosts you, it can really sting. The excitement of a new romance can quickly turn into self-doubt and frustration.
This is when patience, trust in the bigger picture, and reclaiming your own power become really important.
Patience isn’t just about waiting; it’s about trusting that everything happens in its own time. When someone doesn’t call, it’s easy to panic and think they’re not interested or that you’ve messed up. But patience helps us trust life’s timing. What’s meant for you won’t slip away.
It’s not about sitting around hoping. It’s about realizing that the universe has a way of making things work, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Trusting that everything happens for a reason helps you let go of the need to control the outcome of your romantic life. You find peace in knowing that what’s meant for you will come to you at the right time.
Trust that everything happens for your highest good. The universe has your back. If someone doesn’t call, maybe they’re right for you. Maybe the timing isn’t right, or there’s someone better just around the corner.
Trusting the universal flow for your highest good helps you let go of the need to control everything and focus on what you can control in life. Controlling how other people behave is not one of them.
How Venus Debilitation Impacts Your Love Life
As we find ourselves in the midst of the annual Venus debilitation transit until September 18, it’s important to understand how this cosmic event tends to affect our love lives and relationships.
In astrology, debilitation refers to a planet being in a weaker or less favorable position in the zodiac, which affects its ability to express its natural qualities. When a planet is debilitated, it is limited in the expression of its positive qualities and may instead exhibit more challenging qualities. This concept is a key element in Vedic astrology (Jyotish), which emphasizes the dignity of the planets based on their positions in the zodiac.
Venus is considered weak in the sign of Virgo. Virgo, an earth sign ruled by Mercury, is associated with practicality, analysis and critical thinking. These qualities conflict with Venus’ natural inclinations toward love, harmony, pleasure, and artistic expression. This period can bring emotional instability, communication breakdowns and a need for introspection in your relationships.
But while a Venusian weakening is usually seen as a challenging or negative time for love and relationships, it can actually be a blessing in disguise. This cosmic event forces us to look deeper into the dynamics of our relationships and helps us identify areas that need attention or improvement.
When Venus is weakened, it strips away illusions and forces us to confront the realities of our romantic lives. By facing these truths, we have the opportunity to address unresolved issues, break unhealthy patterns, and communicate more honestly with our partners. This introspection can lead to a greater understanding of what we truly need and value in our relationships, paving the way for more authentic and meaningful connections.
Letting Go Of Guilt
We all like to be seen as good people, and it can be deeply unsettling when others perceive us otherwise. When we find ourselves in a disagreement with a dear friend or colleague and take the blame for something we’re not responsible for, it’s natural to feel unhappy.
Spirit teaches that while it’s important to own our actions and the roles we play in conflict, guilt only serves to amplify feelings of remorse. If we allow guilt to fester, we may begin to believe that we are “bad” people who do not deserve happiness and success.
This is far from the truth. We are human, and human beings have the ability to change. Our actions may not always be right, but that doesn’t mean we are inherently bad or deserving of punishment.
Making mistakes is part of being human, and sometimes we need to adjust our responses, especially in challenging situations, in order to grow and improve. Spirit suggests that this is a much healthier perspective.
However, taking this “healthy approach” is often easier said than done. We’ve grown up in a world where elders, peers, and society define what is good and bad – even when they’re not always right. This can lead us to judge ourselves harshly and feel unnecessary guilt.
Many traditional spiritual teachings emphasize the importance of forgiveness, both of oneself and of others. In Christianity, for example, the concept of repentance is central; believers are encouraged to confess their sins, seek divine forgiveness, and then release their guilt, trusting that God’s grace has absolved them.
Always Pay Attention To The Signs
Paying attention to divine spiritual signs is essential to aligning with one’s highest good and purpose.
These signs, often subtle and easily overlooked, guide us along the paths that resonate most harmoniously with our true selves. By attuning ourselves to these spiritual signals, we can navigate life more effectively, avoiding pitfalls and embracing opportunities for growth and love.
But the journey is not always straightforward. Sometimes our desires and obsessions can cloud our judgment and lead us astray from the divine guidance that is trying to guide us.
One of the most common distractions is becoming obsessed with a person of interest. This obsession can create a narrow focus that blinds us to the signs and messages that point us toward true love and fulfillment.
It is easy to mistake intense attraction or infatuation for destiny and ‘meant to be,’ but these feelings are often the result of unmet emotional needs or unresolved past experiences rather than a genuine connection orchestrated by divine forces.
I have experienced this firsthand. There was a time when I was hopelessly in love with a man who, in retrospect, was not aligned with my highest good. My obsession with him was all consuming. I interpreted every little gesture, every word he spoke, as a sign that we were meant to be together. I convinced myself that our connection was fated, despite numerous red flags and gut feelings that suggested otherwise.