life experience
How To Have Peace And Calm This Christmas
The year 2020 has been quite a year! The pandemic has turned the world upside down. Given what we have all been through, there is now an increased emotional need to have something to celebrate, and with Christmas around the corner, we have just that.
However, as magical a time of year as Christmas may be, it can still be somewhat stressful, and this year may prove even more challenging due to the need for safety precautions, social distancing and travel restrictions.
Nevertheless, with a little pre-planning, you should be able to get your Xmas off to a good start and enjoy the celebrations to the maximum without experiencing too much stress and drama in the process! How good is that? Here’s how.
Set Clear Intentions
Given the kind of a year we have experienced, we can indeed be excused for not celebrating a perfectly traditional Christmas this year. We are now in an excellent position to enjoy the kind of Christmas that we prefer.
Let go of the idea this year that Christmas must be ‘perfect,’ and that you must make it that way for everybody. Set instead a clear intention for what your ideal Christmas will be. After that, all you need to do is make plans that go along with your vision. Having established what Christmas really means to you, you can then use it as a guide to prepare your celebrations.
Keep It Simple
Simplicity ensures peace and calm, whereas complexity causes stress and drama. It really is as simple as that! It is imperative that any Christmas plans you make are as simple, straightforward and as streamlined as possible. Doing so should help to create a sense of calm and empowerment, which you will no doubt need to take into the New Year with you.
A Silver Lining In Times Of Uncertainty
We grow in our spiritual awareness and insight in different ways. Some of us read spiritual material by great authors, for example, and learn from their wise teachings, while others meditate and go deep within for guidance, and so on. However, in my experience the most powerful catalyst for spiritual growth is a time of trauma or crisis.
With the Covid-19 pandemic currently raging around the world, many people have lost loved ones, income, savings, businesses and homes. These losses can be devastating, especially when children are involved. Many people are in grief, many are lonely and isolated. Normal life has been greatly curtailed for many, with no clear end in sight.
It has also been an extremely stressful, challenging time for our essential frontline workers and healthcare professionals. The novel coronavirus has affected everyone to some extent, and it is during such trying times that many of us turn to Spirit, or the God of our understanding, and ask: why?
In these times our faith in a higher power, in ourselves, and in our world at large, becomes even more pivotal to our mental health and personal well-being. Hope and faith give us the strength and courage to carry on another day, regardless of not being able to see the end result at the moment. When we dig deep, we can often find untapped spiritual and psychological reserves, that we were unaware we actually had.
Although living through a global pandemic is an experience our generation has not encountered before, many of us are rising to the occasion by helping others in person, online or by donation.
People are also transforming from within. Many are becoming stronger, more resilient and positive, knowing that they will be able to surmount this challenge, and even support others throughout the ordeal too.
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.
Adaptability Is The Key To Manifesting Your Best Life
A life lesson most often learned the hard way, is how important adaptability is to our prosperity, happiness and well-being. Adaptability is a skill that must be learned by all of us. For once you are open to this path, your world will open up in ways you never could have previously imagined!
We are all born with the capability to be adaptable. Without this, we would not be able to function effectively in this physical world. In primitive times we had to adapt to the changing seasons, extreme climates, the scarcity of food, health challenges and other challenges of human survival and evolution.
What I find most intriguing about adaptability, is that we can consciously decide to be open to adapting at any time. We simply need to open up to the Universe and all the opportunities it has to offer. It’s as simple as looking out for opportunities around us to try new things, meet new people, explore new ideas and experiences.
It can be painful at first, as it requires stepping out of your comfort zone, but it gets easier the more you do it. Look at it this way: when you choose to start working out, your muscles will change over time, because they are dealing with new, unexpected demands and are becoming better at what you are requiring it to do. Eventually it becomes second nature and you become stronger. The same thing happens when you open your mind to new thought processes, new ideas, new ways of thinking.
Being adaptable means that you have the courage and enthusiasm to go beyond your comfort zone, and experiment with what the Universe is trying to direct you through. It can be as simple as deciding to finally stop and grab food at an Indian restaurant you pass daily. You may have never tried Indian food before, but it kept catching your eye. When you are adaptable, and open to the signs of spirit coming in, you will embrace such an opportunity to try something new. Continue reading
The Joy Of Being Your Authentic Self
Many people feel forever discontented, because they are constantly trying to find ‘happiness.’ However, like love, there is no real limitation to the experience of joy and fulfillment in our lives.
Joy is not something that we find outside of ourselves, but rather the unconditional expression of our authentic self. It cannot really be found through chasing ‘happiness.’ Joy comes when we are free from fear, worry, resentment, blame, guilt, criticism, and judgment – whether it is the practice of these things, or the fear of them.
True joy comes from just being yourself, which requires that you learn to accept yourself as you are, with all your unique quirks. Without this authentic expression of the self, we will always feel incomplete.
The Univeral Law of Attraction states that we attract our life experiences based on our state of consciousness and our energy frequency. Joy is a state of consciousness that is limitless, because your authenticity is unending and expansive. In other words, being joyful brings about more joy!
The trouble with chasing happiness is that it becomes a frustrating ‘wild goose chase.’ We try and manipulate circumstances, or we rely on chance, or other people, to bring us fulfillment. Neither works. Have you ever tried to change another person? How did that go?
There are two caveats to this. First, true joy does not mean that you are happy all the time. Yes, you experience happiness more often, because you are aware that whatever negative feeling you may be having is only temporary.
Some people try and feign happiness thinking that these universal spiritual laws can be tricked. There is no twisting of spiritual truth. There is no amount of ‘happy thoughts’ or positive thinking that can shift one’s inner reality. Only true authenticity brings joy.
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.
From the physical ‘self’ perspective of the human ego, we often cannot see situations for what they really are. But our higher self understands the deeper meaning and purpose, and wants to lovingly guide us to a more joyful, peaceful and fulfilling existence.
Sometimes we can be very resistant when unwanted events shake up our lives. Typically, when difficulties arise, we get swept up in the drama of the situation, and allow ourselves to act from this highly-charged emotional state. In such times of trial, we can use the Tarot to take a step back and look at the situation from a wider lens, and receive guidance on the matter directly from Spirit.
Will The Aliens Come And Rescue Us?
I don’t know if is due to the havoc that has been happening on our planet in recent months, but lately I have consistently been having an unusual, recurring thought. I have been wondering whether the aliens might be willing to come and rescue us? Unfortunately, my next instinct is usually, I doubt they will!
If we had the opportunity to express our fears and worries to highly-evolved extraterrestrial beings, and ask for their help, how would they respond?
Let’s say we tell them how terrified or confused we have been of this insidious new virus that has been spreading all over our world. Or maybe we would whine and fret over the changing climate, extreme weather patterns, pollution, the plight of the animals, or environmental decline. Or we might lament the many socio-economic hardships, cultural difficulties, psychological suffering and physical pain many of us face in our daily lives.
My guess is the aliens would immediately question our fears, and remind us that it only creates panic and paralysis. Fear does not heal, or solve problems. The aliens will also explain to us that while we are here in this particular plane of physical existence, there is great value in learning to creatively cope with all the trials and tribulations that are thrown our way.
Even though life’s setbacks may appear to be frightening and insurmountable at times, each time we accept the challenge, it will enhance our personal growth and spiritual expansion. We become stronger and wiser as spiritual beings, and with the conquering of every passing fear and obstacle, we become more adept at understanding the true purpose and meaning of life and our place in the Universe.