self-reflection
A Sincere Apology Is Good For The Soul
One of the most difficult things in life is knowing when to apologize. It is obvious in some situations, but in others not so much. There are times when we need to weigh out all our options. Is the situation worth an apology, even if you are not the one who created a problem?
Knowing the right time to apologize is critical to the resolution. Was it done intentionally, or was it unintentional? Did the action cause others stress, worry, or pain?
You must also ask yourself if you can live without apologizing the rest of your life. Is it worth losing a friendship, leaving a group, resigning from a job, or not speaking to a family member ever again?
The good old Golden Rule can always come in handy in this dilemma. If you have done something that you would not want done to you, then apologize and seek atonement! Many people find it almost impossible to apologize. They struggle to acknowledge their own part in an argument or wrongdoing.
Some just do not seem to understand their actions were unacceptable, or they always feel that the world is out to get them. There is no compromise in their mind. They always try to twist every situation to make it seem like it is another person’s fault.
For some people, on the other hand, an apology seems to roll off their tongue a little too easily. When a sincere apology is made it must be followed by actions. Actions speak louder than words. By not repeating the offense, for example, it shows a true and sincere apology.
Sometimes all the other person needs to hear is a sincere, “I am sorry.” When we accept responsibility for our actions, we tell others we are sorry for hurting them. It is not always easy, but releasing guilt always is good for the soul.
Celebrate The Seasons Of Your Life
Ecclesiastes wrote, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” When things feel out of balance in one or more aspects of your life, be it in your relationship, career, finances, health, or spirituality, it may be time to look at the season you are currently experiencing.
The question you need to ask is: what do you need for this season of your life? For this you need to quiet your mind and listen to your inner guidance to get the answers.
We are often so busy with our schedules and responsibilities and that we have little time to look at what season of life we are in. Are we stuck in a season? Are we making progress or not? Is it time to maybe move to a new season in our life?
No matter where we find ourselves, there are usually adjustments to be made. Rather than staying on autopilot, we must take stock and identify the season and the areas in our life that need attention. What needs doing, or not doing? Is it maybe time for an important life transition? Is it a time to plant seeds, nurture what has been planted, branch out in different directions, reap the harvest, or time to rest before the next cycle begins?
Various cultures and spiritual traditions all used to observe certain rituals that mark the seasons of life and the rites of passage. These days we might eengage in some of these practices, but for the most part we are simply pulled along by the next thing expected of us.
We may think to not worry about any of it now, because there will be time for it later, but often it just falls into the cracks. It’s up to us to find where we are in our current season and think about the next rite of passage we need to observe or celebrate.
When we move into a new season of life in a particular area, we must celebrate where we have been, before moving on. We must put in place a small ritual to mark this on our path. It can be simple as a prayer of thanks or act of gratitude. Write an entry into our journal or find a piece of art and keeping it nearby to encourage you.
Everyone Is An Artist
Art is a powerful form of self-expression. It allows us to communicate complex emotions and spiritual concepts through various mediums such as the visual and fine arts, music, dance, acting, creative writing, and so on.
When we are being creative we connect with the subconscious part of ourselves. This can be a powerfully healing experience to help us process and integrate our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and life experiences on a deep level.
When we are children, we don’t have any preconceived ideas about art. If you observe young children, you’ll see this very clearly. They don’t worry about how ‘good’ an artist they are. Most kids just see art as a form of play. They love to draw, or paint, or color, and are typically pretty thrilled with their creations.
So, what happens along the way that we become so self-conscious about our artistic endeavors? It seems to me that at some point most people have had ‘the artist’ within subtly discouraged or silenced. Whatever the case may be,suffice it to say that life takes over at some point and being creative artistically takes a back seat.
“I was never very good at it anyway,” or “I just did it for fun,” are common remarks I’ve heard from people. But what’s wrong with not being very good at something? Especially if it’s fun? Moreover, the benefits of spending time being creative are vast! Art Therapy is growing in popularity and more studies are being done around this modality.
One particular study focused on people with chronic illness or cancer. The researchers looked at the impact visual art activities such as painting, drawing, and pottery had on patients and found that art helped to distract them from thoughts of illness.
Art therapy improved their well-being by decreasing negative emotions and improving positive ones. Depression levels were also reduced, and medical outcomes improved overall. There were also reductions in stress, anxiety, and distress. Further there were improvements in the patients’s spontaneity, expression of their grief, positive identity and social interactions.
Relationship Change Begins With You
A psychic reading is always based on the energy you are creating in the moment. This is why seasoned readers will often tell you to give it some time and to let things unfold I its own way. We tend to be impatient, but like it or not, we live in a physical world where metaphysical energy takes time to settle into our density.
We’ve all been there. You get a reading and it turns out to not be what you had hoped to hear. You wanted things to be different by now, or you wanted the universe to hurry up and get on with changing your life for the better.
Well it’s always good to desire a better life, but we need to shift the energy ourselves. Even when it involves another person, it is our energy that needs to change first before anything else can manifest or shift into place.
Our energy vibration is created by what we think, believe and choose to feel about a situation. We create with our energy whatever we choose to focus on.
Changing our energy regarding a person or situation does not mean it will change the other person or situation, but it will change our experience of the other person or situation. It will also change the kind of people and situations we attract into our life in the future.
Think of the glass ‘half-full or half-empty’ analogy. If the glass is half-full you still have possibilities and options left. If it is half empty you are feeling like you’ve lost something, or your options are reduced.
Relationships are the perfect example. Be it friendship or romance, our lives are built on relationships. So often we aren’t happy with what is going on in a relationship and we get a psychic reading that confirms what we are already thinking and feeling.
Our first thought might be, that everything would be fine if the other person in the relationship makes certain changes. Now that may be partially true, but you could be waiting a very long, long time for them to change! You are the one suffering in the interim.
It takes spiritual and emotional maturity to accept that the only control you really have in life and your relationships is over yourself. Yes, that may seem daunting, or even unfair. But once you carefully think about it, you realize that it is you who wants things to be different.
Venus In The Underworld A Time Of Transformation
The ancient Sumerians associated the 18-month cycle of planet Venus to the story of the goddess Inanna’s descent into the underworld. It is a story of transformation, healing and rebirth. It is a process of letting go of the old, dying to who we were and being reborn.
Two months ago, on February 13th, the planet Venus disappeared from view behind the Sun as part of her orbit cycle. During this conjunction with the Sun she becomes invisible to us. When Venus disappears behind the Sun, she is said to be in the Underworld and at this point in the story, Inanna is killed by her sister who is Queen of the Underworld.
This is one of the most transformational parts of her journey and it is valuable to understand what is going on, so we can use the cycle and consciously work within it.
By paying attention to what may have been disrupted in your life in the last few months, you may see a pattern of recurring issues or triggers, where you are being encouraged to release the past fully, so you are ready to be transformed into a new and better version of yourself.
This often requires a process of surrender and letting go of the need to control, or constantly having to know what the outcome will be. It also can involve the need to grieve what is dying or being lost, or what is gone, even if it is a negative part of yourself that has been with you for too long.
This process is an important part of our soul’s evolution in life. It can bring us more fully home to who we truly are and a greater expression of our purpose. Astrologically speaking, Venus represents love, pleasure, beauty and harmony. In our natal chart it reflects what we love and value.
In the Shamanic Astrology interpretation, Venus, which is a personal planet, also represents our individual feminine nature for both women and men. It can be helpful to look at your own astrology chart to understand your Venus qualities and see what your feminine essence is.
The Spiritual Power Of Sweet Solitude
In a meditation circle the other day, there were many of us who got the same message from spirit: that solitude is of vital importance for soul growth and for tapping into our spiritual well-being and psychic potential.
It reminded me of my childhood. I was expanding my psychic awareness and started tapping into my psychic abilities at a very young age. I remember vividly spending time in a tree house, meditating and feeling so free and relaxed.
As I grew older, I began recording my psychic perceptions and spiritual insights in a journal, which at the time I simply thought of as ‘my diary.’ Reading back in later years, I discovered that I had unknowingly recorded many predictions that came to pass.
I would spend a lot of time in solitude and quiet contemplation. I would focus on a certain things or persons that were important to me at the time, and I would then receive intuitive flashes about what needed to be done, as well as what would come to pass, or not.
Discovering the power of solitude and quiet contemplation at such a young age made all the difference in my psychic development and personal spiritual growth. I can hardly imagine where I would be without it today, had I not cottoned on to this in my youth.
If you can spend just a few minutes in sweet solitude every day, or even a few times a day, you will boost your mental and physical health and reduce your stress levels. You will find you will hear your body better for what it needs for healing and well-being.
Spiritual practice in solitude will also empower you to become more creatively inspired and you’ll receive more insightful messages and guidance from spirit. If you want to connect with your intuition and psychic abilities, it is vital that you spend more time in alone in meditation.
The Karmic Fruit Of Our Past Life Seeds
To be the architect of our own destiny is a spiritual concept that has been spoken of for thousands of years. The Vedas call it Karma. The Bible refers to it as ‘reaping what you sow.’
Karma is a Sanskrit word that means action, as well as reaction. It has made its way into our everyday language to represent the good or bad we create in life that will eventually come back to us.
However, the true meaning of karma goes much deeper than that. In this life it does refer to ‘sowing and reaping’ in the short-term, but it also extends into the long-term, over thousands of years and many lifetimes.
The Padma Purana, an ancient Hindu encyclopedic text of spiritual truths, compares karma to seeds that are sown and harvested in due course of time. It explains that every activity we perform bears four kinds of effects. The first is merely a seed, the second is not yet fructified, the third is in the process of being fructified, and the fourth has blossomed and is already mature.
The karma we are experiencing today, are the sweet and sour fruits of the past seeds we have planted, – not only in this lifetime, but also from thousands of years and lifetimes before this life.
Therefore, we may not be able to recognize why certain things are happening that seem out of sync with the efforts and energies we are extending in the now. Similarly, it may sometimes be disheartening and difficult to understand why the desired results of our best endeavors do not appear to be coming to fruition.
To thoroughly resolve these misgivings, a broader scope of our soul’s journey before and beyond this one body and lifespan must be considered. Clarity can come with spiritual vision and higher consciousness.