lifestyle
The Miracle Power Of Music
Last night, my friends and I went out to see a performance by the blues artist, Shemeka Copeland. What a great show that lady put on! The music made the audience feel the love and joy, young and old alike, happily singing along and feeling the vibes.
Looking around me, I saw many people with smiling faces moving to the beat, doing the chair dance, clapping hands and happy feet. People of all walks of life came together as a community, any and all differences forgotten, because of a shared love of the music. The miracle of music!
All living things respond to sound. It’s the vibes that just touch us, because music is after all nothing more than vibration. Music has been known to inspire, soothe, calm and heal. I have heard, for example, of a group of harpists who play at hospitals for the benefit of patients.
When my daughter was young she said to me, “Momma, if the teachers only had music playing in class, all the kids would pay attention and understand what they were teaching.” On the flip side my parents always said, “Turn that music off!” How can you study, learn and remember what you are reading with that music on, they asked.
Moving On After A Relationship Breakup
I sometimes have clients who are struggling to move past a recent break-up, or they want to know if they will get back together with an ex. Focusing on the past, by wanting to go back to a happier time, or a relationship that left us sad when it ended, prevents us from living fully in the present. And this may be blocking your path to true happiness.
On the flip side, sometimes the universe will block your forward movement, because you are not truly ready for it. If you need to go through a period of grieving the past, do so in the healthiest way by looking towards the future.
The next chapter for you will be richer if you focus on the path ahead, be it with your ex in a new realm, or someone new. Just know the energy that you give out when you are stuck in the past does not welcome new relationships into your life – at least not healthy ones.
No one wants to go through the pain, sadness or loneliness of a breakup. In my mid-20’s I ended a very serious five year relationship. He had already bought the ring. I knew we were close to making a bigger commitment, but he had broken my trust many times in the relationship.
So, as I looked towards a future with him, I knew I no longer wanted to continue. The relationship ended abruptly and all contact with him was severed, like a death. As I look back I realize it had to end this way, as the relationship was only going in one direction, and I no longer wanted it, even though I still deeply cared for him.
How To Create Your Own Angel Altar
Over the last few months, I have written in depth about the angelic realm and all the wonders it bestows upon humanity. In today’s blog, however, I wish to share some ideas on how to construct your own angel altar at home, so that you can connect with the angels and archangels whenever you need their spiritual guidance and assistance in your life.
First, find a sacred space for your altar somewhere in your home or office. This can just be a small, private area in your bedroom where you know you will not be disturbed and will be at peace with yourself.
Select or purchase a base for your altar. It can be as simple as a small box or coffee table that is sturdy enough to hold whatever you choose to place upon it. Then drape a cloth over your altar. Anything that is large enough to cover the base will suffice.
Next, you can adorn your altar by placing appropriate objects on it, such as candles, crystals, angelic figures, plants, flowers, stones, and the like. You may use anything that is personally meaningful to you, or to which your are intuitively drawn.
To glamorize your display, you could add golden or silver colored objects, or even spray-paint an artifact of your choice to really add that personal touch. Silver, gold, black, white and mirrored rectangular trays are particularly on trend at the moment for decorating holy altars. However, if your budget is limited, simply paint or decorate an old tray, before placing it on your altar. Check around your home for other unused items that you could paint spray and add to your altar to compliment it.
Nurture And Nourish Yourself With Nature
In our busy world we tend to take nature for granted. Consider for just a moment all the things flowers, plants and trees really do for humanity. They sustain life all around the world. Plants produce food and oxygen for many of the largest animals around the world, as well as for humans. Plants are also used for healing.
Unfortunately, modern humanity demands that things grow faster and produce better crops, leading us to alter plants in such a way that they might no longer be as healthy as they once were.
Just by watching the trees, one can predict the weather. We sometimes have an abundance of acorns from the oak trees here in Maine. It is said to be a sign of a snowy winter. Most acorns mature in late summer and begin falling from the trees in September or October. It’s a great time for the squirrels to collect them, and become fat and round before the winter.
In Maine the winter tends to be very long and it’s easy to become a somewhat down and sad. So, my friend and I decided earlier this year to take a ride on such a gray day to the local greenhouse that is open all winter. Plants, flowers, trees and beautiful landscapes can change one’s state of mind and put a smile on your face!
Forgiveness Is The Solution
Forgiveness may be the path to a truly happy and fulfilled life. In his book The Forgiveness Solution, Dr. Philip Friedman puts forth the idea that all our emotional concerns, such as judgment, anger, and grievance, come from our inability to forgive. When we hold onto this emotional baggage, it harms everything. Hurt people hurt people. Taken to the extreme, it may lead to self-harm, or harm to others. But there’s a way out of this vicious cycle.
The first and most important step is to learn to forgive ourselves and develop, what Dr. Friedman calls ‘self-regulation skills.’ In essence these skills are defined by the classic Serenity prayer for courage to change what we can, acceptance of what we cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference. In addition, becoming wholly healthy, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, will better allow self-forgiveness.
When we engage in our daily spiritual practice, we should ideally include a mantra about forgiveness. It may take a while for the idea to take root. Habits take about 30 days to become routine, but after you’ve begun to forgive, you can let the pain go by the wayside.
Keeping a positive attitude is essential to the process of forgiveness. This doesn’t mean that you have to be happy all the time. What is does mean is that setbacks and obstacles are regarded as challenges to overcome, rather than insurmountable hurdles.
Nine Lemons In A Bowl
You will always find a bowl filled with exactly nine lemons in the center of my kitchen island. It is a labor of love keeping that bowl filled to this exact number, but the happiness which fills my soul with just a quick glance at them, makes all the effort worthwhile – because I know they are doing so much for me physically, mentally and emotionally.
So, why lemons and why exactly nine? In Feng Shui, lemons are believed to help clear away bad karma and their bright yellow color is a symbol of optimism and happiness. Also, in Feng Shui, the number nine is considered to be the luckiest, as it represents wealth, accomplishment, and attaining personal goals. Why would I not want to welcome these wonderful attributes into my home with such a gift from nature?
I love the pop of color those nine lemons bring to my home and they have actually become a permanent part of the decor. Of course, it does help that I happen to have a large lemon tree in my backyard. From December to April lemons are available in abundance here in Arizona!
Lemons are also a great source of nutrition. They are a natural antioxidant and great source of Vitamin C. Lemons helps to detoxify the body and clear away negative energies, to bring balance to your health and your soul. They also create a positive, uplifting environment.
Inspiration – A Message From My Guides
In times of division and mistrust, it is often easy to see the negative side of any given issue. Rather than letting everything pile up around you and affect your own positive mood, though, it is more helpful to try and find a little sunshine as you go about your day-to-day business.
Whenever possible, search for inspiration in even the simplest of things. If you can put your negative thoughts to one side and look elsewhere for inspiration, it can make it much easier to see the positive side of life.
Look for some good in people, even if they do not share your views. Focus on interesting and creative news stories of the day and look for inspiration in the most unexpected or mundane places.
Find joy in little everyday things and don’t take anything for granted. Imagine the myriad of components that had to fall into place in order for you to be where you are in this time and place. Be grateful for the lessons you have learned and your ability to mentor others by example.
The more you search for things that inspire and make you smile, the more examples you will find and the easier it will be to recognize that your world has many points of inspiration.