spirituality
Turn Up The Music Of Your Soul
As have been pondering the miracle of sound and music lately. During these times of uncertainty, I have a collection of songs in my memory bank that I can easily call upon for inspiration. I use many of these songs to jump start my days.
Long after a popular song has been sung, whether it is a familiar hymn, a spiritual mantra, a national anthem, or a Top 40 hit, there is often a residual hum that we hold on to. This constant reminder, time and time again, brings us back to the original song, striking a chord with those emotions that were first charged by the lyrics and the melody.
Music lodges itself in our memories and can be brought forth at any time without actually hearing the tune itself. Sound or hearing is also said to be the final sense to leave as we depart this life. Kahlil Gibran, the great Lebanese writer and author of The Prophet, wrote “music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”
Growing up, I loved all types of music. My eclectic taste was universal and reflected artists from a broad spectrum of genres. I was also fortunate that my metropolitan city was host to artists from all over the world. And thanks to my older brother, whose work in entertainment law made him familiar amongst promoters and musicians alike, I was blessed to gain entre to many of these concerts, including backstage passes.
My favorite acts packed up their instruments from crowded cities and remote villages of the Far East and Africa, making many sacrifices to cross the Atlantic, and often shared between sets the perils of their journey. I likened their sound to ethereal gold, so precious that it would stay with me forever.
To Lie, To Live, To Believe
Our brains are naturally wired to recognize patterns, find connections between seemingly unrelated things, and draw analytical conclusions from our observations. We all use this ability every day without even knowing it.
It is a talent we inherited from our ancient ancestors. Professor Robert C. Barkman explains that “pattern recognition was key to the survival of our Neanderthal ancestors, allowing them to identify poisonous plants, distinguish predator from prey, and interpret celestial events. Today, pattern recognition plays new, but just as important roles in diagnosing diseases, inspiring new ways to safeguard data, and discovering new planets.”
This amazing ability is however seldom mentioned or considered in spiritual and metaphysical circles. But Spirit has over the years guided me towards greater spiritual insight and metaphysical understanding by taking me on interesting journeys of analysis and pattern recognition towards profound insights and relevations.
For example, while meditating during Easter a few weeks ago, my guides took me ‘down a rabbit hole’ on the decisive word believe. The first insight I discovered was that right in the middle of the word ‘believe’ there hides another, more disheartening little word: lie.
Of course, ‘believe’ is a good word. It is the cornerstone to faith and living a spiritually empowered life. But the hidden word ‘lie’ inside it reminds us that we must also have a living faith for it to be authentic and powerful. And, if you drop the letter ‘v’ into ‘lie,’ it becomes the word ‘live.’
Meditating On An Archangel
Archangels are powerful celestial beings who serve as messengers or agents of God, and who offer protection, guidance, and healing to those who call upon them. They are found in various spiritual traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Gnosticism.
Meditating on an archangel is a powerful way to deepen your spiritual practice and connect with God, Source, Spirit, the Divine. For the best results it is important to select the archangel that best corresponds with your personal development, spiritual growth, healing, or manifesting goals.
The seven archangels are Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Jophiel, Ariel, Azrael, and Chamuel. Each of these angelic beings are associated with specific correspondences, including colors, elements, planets, and virtues. Here are some of the correspondences for the four main archangels in the Judeo-Christian tradition:
Archangel Michael: Michael is associated with the color red, the element of fire, the planet Mercury, and the virtue of courage. He is depicted as a warrior and protector, and is known for his powerful ability to vanquish evil and defend the righteous.
Archangel Gabriel: Gabriel is associated with the color blue, the element of water, the Moon, and the virtue of purity. He is depicted as a messenger, and is known for delivering important messages from God, including the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Archangel Raphael: Raphael is associated with the color yellow, the element of air, the Sun, and the virtue of healing. He is depicted as a guide and healer, and is known for his ability to bring physical, emotional, and spiritual healing to those in need.
The Mystical Tale Of The Lovers Card
I have made an illuminating discovery regarding the Lovers card in the Tarot. In all the years I have been practicing cartomancy, I never realized certain aspects of this card’s mytsical symbolism and its portrayal of the healing power of divine love.
In the classic Rider-Waite rendition, it is commonly accepted the card merely depicts an archetypal Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, with a scheming serpent lurking behind Eve and the majestic figure of an angel looming overhead. Recently, I learned from a psychic colleague’s podcast that the angelic figure portrayed in the in card in fact represents the Archangel Raphael. I’ve always been fascinated by Raphael, the angelic healer of minds, bodies and souls.
Raphael is first mentioned the ancient Hebrew apocalyptic book of Enoch, as well as the deuterocanonical book of Tobit. Also known as the apocrypha, the deuterocanonical books are not traditionally included in Protestant and Jewish canonical texts, but it is recognized in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions.
The book of Tobit relays the story of a blind man named Tobit and his son Tobias, whom he sends to retrieve an investment of silver he had deposited in a town in Media in north-western Iran. With the protection and guidance of the angel Raphael, Tobias arrives along his journey in Ecbatana, the capitol of Media, where he meets a young woman named Sarah.
Sarah is in utter despair and praying for death, as she has already lost seven husbands. Each of her lovers had been murdered on their wedding night by the demon Asmodeus, who is obsessively in love with her. Angel Raphael encourages Tobias to marry Sarah and then helps him to defeat the homicidal demon.
The Life-Long Journey Of Self-Love
Self-love is essential for mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It is vital to have a positive, loving attitude towards yourself and take care of your own needs. Not only is this essential for living a happy and healthy life, but it also empowers you to be more loving and caring towards others.
Self-love is often misunderstood. Many people think that self-love is only about pampering oneself, indulging in extravagance, or buying yourself expensive things. It is much more than that. It is not about being selfish, self-indulgent, or narcissistic. Instead, it is about accepting yourself, taking care of yourself and understanding your true worth.
Truly loving yourself is therefore about knowing your worth, appreciating your unique strengths and abilities, and treating yourself with compassion and kindness. It is also about taking personal responsibility for your life, making choices and decisions that serve your highest good, and letting go of negative thoughts and self-destructive behaviors.
It is also important to realize that self-love is a journey, not a destination. It is a life-long process that is part of our soul purpose in this lifetime. It is a state of being that requires patience, dedication, commitment and effort.
Cultivating self-love begins with understanding yourself, accepting your flaws, and learning to forgive yourself. It involves setting boundaries and taking responsibility for your own needs and happiness. It is also about cultivating positive relationships and learning to trust yourself.
Empower Your Life With Affirmations
Affirmation is a great self-empowerment tool for deliberate manifesting, personal transformation and self-healing. It is a simple, yet powerful spiritual practice to focus on what we wish to create and attract, and make the changes we wish for in ourselves and our life.
An affirmation is an affirmative, positive statement or mantra that you repeatedly speak, preferably daily. Words or language have metaphysical power. By thinking, speaking, and writing affirmative mantras, slogans, chants, spells, invocations, or prayers we set powerful intentions for transformation and manifestation. Here are some examples:
I lоvе and ассерt myself.
I fully believe in myself.
My potential is limitless.
I am achieving greatness.
My body is healthy and strong.
My mind is powerful.
I have control over my thoughts and feelings.
I am happy and fulfilled.
Affirmations reframe and improve our thinking. It reconstructs our negative thought patterns and rewires our mind to become more positively focused. The more we repeat it, the more it creates neural pathways for positive thought. These empowering new pathways gradually replace our old, negative thoughts habits.
Empower Yourself With Astrological Intention
Astrology is to me like a metaphysical best friend. It is a way to reflect in the mirror and expand my personal growth. By applying it daily over the past decade my life has become more mindful, and miraculous. I’ve also noticed that challenging astrological aspects, such as squares and oppositions, have become easier for me to deal with.
An astrological square is considered one of the more adverse aspects in a chart. This placement is when two planets are separated by three zodiac signs and therefore positioned at a 90-degree angle in the chart at the time of birth. This creates competing tension between the energies of these two planets which neither can win, forcing them to compromise and somehow meet each other halfway.
An astrological opposition is another extremely challenging aspect in a chart. This placement happens when two planets are exactly opposite each other in the zodiac at 180 degrees apart. This means these two planets are in opposing signs and as far apart as they can possibly be on the astrological wheel. Their unique energies are therefore polar opposite, causing conflict, drama, and power clashes.
I keep track of these events in my chart because I incorporate daily astrological intentions in my life as part of my spiritual routine. My practice is to map out each day’s relevant transits and to then meditate on the significant aspects. I also pray for assistance where needed, such as with the significant squares and oppositions in my daily chart. Then, I go about my day.