Highly Sensitive People (HSPs): The Gifts, Challenges, and Miracles

HSP: The Gifts, Challenges, and Miracles

Some of us are wildly sensitive. We might be grocery shopping and feel what other shoppers are feeling. We might even sense the emotions of yesterday’s workers – the ones who placed the cucumbers into the bin in front of us. Alas, if you are feeling like you collect energy from every experience and find it difficult to shake it, you might be a Highly Sensitive Person.

Being more sensitive and vulnerable means that your soul has grown to sense what others are feeling. Some HSPs feel things but don’t internalize them. Others feel them and process them at a deep level.

Some HSPs are compassionate, while others might not have an ounce of empathy. Being sensitive does not necessarily mean you are evolved. It must means that you don’t have the same protective mechanisms as others. It might also mean that your brain process experiences, relationships, and emotions in a unique way.

A few questions the might help you determine if you’re an HSP:

Do you often find yourself more in tune with others’ feelings or having more extreme reactions to certain events than those around you?

Do specific environments, emotions, or situations bother you, while other people go unaffected?

During an argument, do you begin to feel overwhelmed, as if you’re carrying a burden that is not yours?

At cocktail parties and coffee shops, can you feel the emotions of the people around you?

Do you cry or feel stressed when other people are feeling the same?

If any of these questions are hitting home, it might be time to tune into yourself and learn what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).

The concept of being an HSP might feel like a burden, but it’s not. It’s not only a responsibility, it’s a super-hero power. Also, the more you know about yourself, the easier it is to own your experiences, shift perspectives, and protect yourself.

If you truly take command of your sensitivities, they’ll become immeasurably valuable tools & assets – even weapons.

As HSPs, we are not victims, we are warriors with super-skills.

What is a Highly Sensitive Person?

An HSP, also known as a Highly Sensitive Person, has a highly active nervous system and extreme sensory sensitivities. Studies are being done to show that Highly Sensitive People actually have brains that work a bit differently than others, causing them to react in unique and often powerful ways within their daily lives and relationships.

While this might sound a bit strange or abnormal, HSP is not a disorder. In fact, around 15-20% of people report they might be HSPs, making it a lot more common than you think! At the same time, not enough people experience these symptoms for the personality to be widely accepted. Unfortunately, that can make Highly Sensitive People feel lonely and misunderstood.

What’s really unique about the HSP personality trait is that it can be found in a wide variety of personality types. You can be an HSP and an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert. HSPs also come from a variety of backgrounds. Depending on the culture an HSP lives within, they might be lovingly accepted, pitied, feared, worshiped, or ostracized.

How Do I Know if I’m a Highly Sensitive Person?

You deserve to get to know yourself so that you can be 100% comfortable with who you are! If you’ve ended up reading this article, it’s likely you have the traits of a Highly Sensitive Person – or someone close to you in an HSP.

HSP traits can manifest in several ways. Some people are highly sensitive to environments that have too many stimuli, such as loud noises, bright lights, too many people, or distinct textures found on walls or on clothing. When exploring these environments, you might feel like you need to retreat into a quiet, secret place so you can recharge and prepare for your next outing.

Some HSPs will go to cocktail parties and similar events only to spend most of their time in the bathroom, their car, washing the dishes, or playing with the loneliest child at the event. Others might show up and quickly exit, never to return again.

As a fellow HSP, I know life can be challenging at times. Some experiences can be so overwhelming, you won’t want to speak to anybody for a day, two days, or more! If you’re also empathic, you might then carry some of the reactive emotions of those who felt disappointed by your exit. Being an HSP can be an overwhelming and never-ending cycle of energetic absorption and release.

Some HSPs are more reactive to emotional stimuli such as with friends, family, and romantic partners. A small spat might feel like a life-changing argument, and a small trickle of affection can feel like a profound, intimate, and loving moment. As such, HSPs might also experience deep thoughts and emotions without receiving sufficient reciprocation.

Further, you might feel the need to avoid intense movies, art galleries, books, and other experiences that overwhelm you. The feelings that emerge from being overwhelmed can be unsettling and potentially anxiety-inducing. You might also feel deeply moved by beauty and upon each event, you might experience your own personalized form of ecstasy.

If you’re still unsure about whether you’re a Highly Sensitive Person, there are tests you can take. Specifically, there’s a questionnaire by Elaine N. Aron written in 1996 that has 27 questions. If you answer YES to 14 of the questions, there’s a high probability of being an HSP. Remember, though, that questionnaires like these are subjective, and you should never make changes to your life without further consulting with health care professionals and your most trusted allies and friends.

Explore my Empath Oath to see how your virtues correlate to your depth of feelings for the world.

High Sensitivity Is A Super-Power

Everyone is unique! Each of us has our own personality with unique quirks and needs. Being an HSP means that your super-power is born from sensing energy. If you process and harness this energy in the correct way, you will experience a deeper connection to everyone and everything around you – and you’ll have a highly advanced prayer life – but only if you allow these things.

Having HSP traits can feel burdensome until you decide to master them.

MASTERING YOUR HSP AWARENESS

Here are a few rules you might consider as you explore the benefits of being a Highly Sensitive Person:

Own your sensitivities and celebrate them.

Never blame others for being sensitive.

Never play the victim.

Own your experiences and process them like a Warrior.

Use the knowledge gained from being sensitivity to your benefit.

Help others when you can, but don’t hurt yourself in the process.

Clear the energies as often as possible: Cry, Shout, Pray, Cry Some More, Pound The Earth, Do Cleansing Rituals & Ceremonies, And Forgive Everything Often!

Challenges for HSPs

If someone calls you “sensitive,” it is often meant negatively. It can hurt to hear that we “overreact” or “think too much” because it invalidates our emotions and experiences. People with HSP traits suffer these insults and invalidations more often than others because of their visceral reactions to life.

It’s true – HSPs experience life, emotions, and thoughts on a much deeper level. What feels good to some will feel great to you, but what feels bad to others can absolutely devastate you. Pain, whether emotional or physical, is experienced much more by HSPs, and recovery time can be much longer.

As a result, many HSPs choose to take a back seat in life to avoid pain and disappointment. It might feel too much to handle when people or life obstacles let you down. HSPs can often pass up opportunities for growth and enjoyment because they’d rather avoid overstimulation, exhaustion, and potential pain.

The Benefits of Being an HSP

Highly Sensitive People have strong gut feelings and are incredibly intuitive. Having a sensitive nervous system means that you pick up on stimuli that most people can’t, and you have stellar observation skills. You won’t only be able to pick up on changes in your environment but also sense the needs of others with fantastic accuracy and foresight.

HSPs can enjoy intense and powerful relationships with others because of their ability to empathize, anticipate needs, and feel emotions deeply. For the same reasons, they make stellar parents.

Being able to pick up on stimuli and experience on an advanced level means you can also enjoy life so much more. Prayer, rituals, devotion, fine food, art, sex, travel, and adventures can be enjoyed on a whole new level. Having a heightened ability to enjoy stimuli means you have a positive attitude.

When you are extremely grateful for life and everything you have, you are an EMPOWERED HSP!

Self Care for Highly Sensitive People

Overall, you should celebrate and feel blessed if you are a Highly Sensitive Person! The people you should keep in your life are those who appreciate how deeply you feel things, including how deeply you understand and care about them. In exchange, your personal tribe should understand your need for space and cooldown periods when things get too intense.

Here are some great methods that HSPs can introduce to their daily lives in order to find balance, peace, and growth:

- - Schedule positive experiences into your most hectic days
  - Plan for alone time and relaxation periods after anticipated times of overwhelm
  - Suggest alternatives to experiences that you aren’t comfortable with – there’s no need to push yourself
  - Come to understand your personal boundaries for environments, people, and tasks – and be clear about your triggers
  - Create a soothing space you can use as a retreat when you’re overstimulated – build a lovely altar
  - Incorporate meditation, yoga, prayer, and other practices that allow you to center your body and mind to find balance

Proper self-care for HSPs is important. To fully know yourself, remember to incorporate helpful practices so that you can continually experience peacefulness in your mind, body, and heart.

Embrace Your Sensitivity

If you ever become upset over your state as a Highly Sensitive Person, remember that you aren’t alone. Some of the most innovative and profound people in the world are HSPs. And many will go down in history as assets to humanity. Scientists like Albert Einstein, actors like Jim Carey, Gilda Radner, and Nicole Kidman, and social reformers like Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, and Martin Luther King Jr. are also HSPs who made the most of their sensitivity superpowers!

You are extremely intuitive, empathetic, expressive, and compassionate, and all your friends and family are lucky to have you in their lives. You’re on the path to seeing and doing great things. Remember to harness the power of your ultra-sensitive nervous system and unique mind for your own benefit and the benefit of those you engage.

As a human being, you are the embodiment of love. As an HSP, you have 10X the ability to feel this at a core level – so OWN IT!

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

January 4, 2022March 27, 2024

The Metaverse: Realities Colliding

The Metaverse: The Walls Between This Reality And Others Will Evaporate

One day soon, there will be a metaverse tech launch that enables people to connect with others outside the restrictive and data-driven umbrellas of corporate-run social networks.

This new Social Sphere will allow users to port their identities and customized data into a free and multi-way encrypted experience.

The tech will empower everyone to create and engage in unique, protected, anonymous, custom, interactive experiences with friends, fans, and customers.

Nothing will be compromised, manipulated, accessible, “hackable,” or owned by anyone other than each unique user.

The interactive environment, sessions, and elements can be extinguished in an instant, creating inaccessible ghosts that can be turned on and off at will.

In addition to manual participation, the interactivity can also be generated by brain impulse, eye movement, and gesture, but without the cumbersome attachments of cumbersome virtual gear.

While many of the prior concerns about data and safety will evaporate, new and more serious concerns will emerge around virtual addictions and losing our identities to the enrapturing vapors of projection and illusion.

While things like projection, illusion and all the related psychological disorders are already occurring in our current reality, they will become far more dangerous and toxic as time goes on – because the veils between the here-and-now and the fabricated digital realms of the metaverse will become far less obvious and far easier to traverse.

We will become the robots that we are building, not because we envy them, but because we’ll need robotified identities in the metaverse to protect ourselves from our own wandering and self-negating tendencies.

We can see glimpses of the forthcoming reality in the lives of celebrities. They contrive social identities to fulfill their own egos, desires, and the projections of others. The more money they have and the more attention they get, their identities become isolated and warped. They become facsimiles of themselves, unable to meander back to their original God-Given Selves.

Lost in seas of delusion and paranoia, they break themselves, their relationships, and the hearts of everyone around them.

The remedy for all of this has and always will be prayer, meditation, selfless-service, nature, healthy eating, and solitude.

REMEMBER!

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

December 30, 2021March 27, 2024

The Wonderful Benefits of Drinking Tea

Shutterstock licensed image

The Wonderful Benefits Of Drinking Tea

I love the magic found in tea. The warmth, the subtle flavors, and the healing feeling that emerges as the heat travels down your spine and into your belly. How I Love Tea! How about you?

When it comes to the benefits of drinking tea, it’s important to note that it can heal our hearts and open our minds to allow rebirth.

We can make our own teas from fresh herbs. Some of which could also induce deep emotional and physical healing. You might want to explore these teas, which you can make from scratch – each with a unique set of healing attributes:

- - - Chamomile Tea: Relaxes the mind & heart
    - Peppermint Tea: Relaxes the stomach and body
    - Ginger Tea: Stimulates healing in the stomach, anti-inflammatory
    - Lemon Tea: Vitamin C, Liver Detox, Digestion
    - Echinacea Tea: Colds, flus, cough, immune system, anti-bacterial anti-viral, anticancer
    - Reishi Tea: soothes nervous & immune systems
    - Sage Tea: Calming, removes toxins, anti-bacterial
    - Jasmine Tea: anti-inflammation, promotes sleep and relaxation, anti-bacterial, anti-viral
    - Matcha Tea: antioxidants, boosts energy levels, contains l-theanine
    - Lemon Balm Tea: Calms the nerves, mind, and body
    - Cinnamon Tea: Blood sugar
    - Dandelion Tea: Cleansing & Detox
    - Goldenseal Tea: Releases toxins, clears system, boosts immunity
    - Marshmallow Tea: soothes mucus membranes of the digestive system, respiratory tract and urinary tract
    - Chaga Tea: immune-booster, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant
    - Passionflower Tea: sleep, relaxation, lower your blood pressure
    - Turmeric Tea: anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer
    - Fennel Tea: digestion, coughs, colds
    - Maca Tea: Sex drive, boost energy, hormonal balance
    - Licorice Tea: digestion, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial.
    - Lavender Tea: Calms the mind, sedative, invites a spiritual heart
    - Ashwagandha Tea: Relieves mental and physical stress, boosts energy, reduces inflammation

If you love tea, find the time to dive more deeply into its riches!

When you think of a cup of tea, what comes to mind?

You may imagine the strong brews the British favor, enriched with splashes of milk and sugar. Or your mind may desire small cups of Chinese green tea, or mugs of steaming chamomile sitting on your bedside table.

Tea has a rich heritage all over the world, and it’s as diverse a drink as the cultures from which it springs.

There are so many benefits to drinking tea. Tea can create calm, provide nourishment, and give you the space you need to contemplate and process your life.

Tea is liquid therapy for the soul.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of drinking tea, as well as the many different types of this amazing beverage.

Black Tea

For most people, when you hear the word “tea,” black tea is what springs to mind. Black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh tea all come from the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference among these teas is how they’re processed after the leaves are picked.

Black tea uses tea leaves that have been oxidized – the same process that turns apples and avocados brown after they’re cut. All tea leaves go through some level of oxidation, but black teas undergo the most strenuous form of the process. When we talk about the benefits of drinking tea, black tea is high in caffeine and comes in a wide variety of flavored blends, including chai.

Green Tea

Aside from black tea, green tea is perhaps the most popular form of the beverage. While black tea tends to have a stronger flavor and may be somewhat bitter, green tea is lighter in both flavor and color. The leaves are “fired” as soon as they’re picked to prevent the oxidation that would turn them into black tea leaves.

There are a number of potential benefits of green tea, ranging from improving brain function and weight loss to preventing cancer and heart disease. Green tea generally contains less caffeine than black tea, making it a good option for people who are sensitive to caffeine. Like black tea, it comes in a variety of styles and blends that vary widely in flavor.

Matcha Tea

Matcha tea is a form of green tea that has become extremely popular in recent years. Matcha tea leaves are grown in the shade, and the veins and stems get removed prior to processing. The remaining leaf material is ground down into a fine powder that later gets mixed with hot water to form a blended tea drink.

Matcha is different from other teas in a variety of ways; for one thing, the leaf matter is consumed whole, rather than being steeped. This can give matcha some additional benefits, including higher levels of antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. Matcha is often used in Japanese tea ceremonies and is one of the highest-quality teas on the market.

White Tea

Like the other teas we’ve discussed so far, white tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. However, it is much more minimally processed than either green or black teas. While it doesn’t get fired like green tea to prevent oxidation, it also isn’t put through an intentional oxidation process either.

There are only three different styles of white tea: silver needles, white peony, and Shou Mei. The flavors of this tea tend to be somewhat lighter, since no steps to strengthen the flavors are taken during processing. When it comes to the benefits of drinking tea, white tea tends to have lower caffeine levels than either green tea or black tea, depending on how you brew it.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea sits somewhere on the oxidation spectrum between white tea and black tea. This tea is often described as “partially oxidized,” although this is only a part of what defines oolong tea. In addition to the lighter oxidation process, oolong tea goes through a distinctive set of transformations that shape the leaves into something new.

Oolong tea may be shaken, rolled, dried, pan-fired, withered, or baked to achieve a distinctive flavor in the cup. Different regions have different ways of processing their oolong teas, and you may find brews from different regions have very distinctive flavors. Overall, oolong tea is somewhat less bitter than black tea, but has a stronger flavor than white or green tea.

Pu-erh Tea

Pu-erh is the last of the “true” teas we’ll talk about here. This tea is similar to black tea, but instead of being oxidized, pu-erh tea leaves get aged in the open air. This exposure to oxygen, as well as various bacteria and enzymes, actually cause the leaves to ferment somewhat, creating a unique, full-bodied taste.

Like champagne, pu-erh tea is defined by the region from which it originates. This tea came from the Yunnan province of China, and today, most pu-erh tea in the world is still produced there. In general, pu-erh tea leaves are aged for about three years, although there are two different processes that take varying amounts of time.

Herbal Tea

Herbal teas and the rest of the teas we’ll discuss here are not “true” teas – that is to say, they don’t come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal tea is a large umbrella that can cover teas made from a wide variety of other plants. Popular herbal teas include peppermint tea, chamomile, ginger tea, mint tea, and many others.

Herbal teas, as a rule, are caffeine-free and may have a variety of flavor profiles and potential benefits. For instance, the benefits of peppermint tea include easing nausea, reducing inflammation, and making drinkers feel more alert. Chamomile is an anti-spasmodic that can help to relieve some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos tea comes from a reddish bush native to southern Africa. This tea technically falls under the umbrella of herbal teas, and, like its cousins, it doesn’t contain any caffeine. However, it has a somewhat bolder flavor than many of its herbal cousins and is traditionally fermented to make the flavors stronger.

The benefits of rooibos may include reducing your risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as potentially helping people with Type 2 diabetes. Rooibos has high levels of antioxidants, which can have a variety of health benefits. And the lack of caffeine can make this a great option for people who are trying to cut back.

Mate Tea

Mate is another herbal tea that has gained a large enough reputation to deserve its own mention. This tea is made from dried holly leaves and originates in South America. Unlike most herbal teas, mate is very high in caffeine and was traditionally served in a gourd and drunk through a metal straw.

Some people say that mate tea has the strength of coffee, the joy of chocolate, and the health benefits of tea. The benefits of mate can include improved focus, reduced risk of infection, and weight loss. Mate is high in antioxidants, and the caffeine boost can help you to be more productive in your day.

Specialty Teas

In addition to the more common types of tea we’ve discussed here, there are also dozens of other specialty teas, some of which fall into the “true” tea category. Purple tea originates in the Assam region of India and is made from a rare type of tea plant that grows wild there. Yellow tea is processed more gently than green tea and produces a flavor somewhere between green and white tea.

Learn More About the Benefits of Drinking Tea

Tea is an amazing drink that is as widely varied as the cultures it comes from. From the strong, rich flavors of black tea and mate tea to the delicate flavors of white tea and herbal teas, you can go a whole lifetime without experiencing all the flavors of tea that are out there. Many of these teas also have potential health benefits, in addition to the simple joy of holding a warm cup between your hands.

REMEMBER!

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Learn more about my services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

December 27, 2021March 27, 2024

THE YEAR OF THE TIGER! IT’S TIME TO ROAR!

Happy Chinese New Year 2022: Year of the Tiger. A *Shutterstock licensed image.*

THE YEAR OF THE TIGER! IT’S TIME TO ROAR!

Once a year, loving human beings just like you and me begin to reflect on what we’ve done, what we want, and where we’d like to venture. We take stock of our challenges and accomplishments, and we reassess how our goals serve us. Whether it has to do with our physical, mental, or spiritual health, we are likely to begin this reflection process in the weeks prior to the New Year.

Whether we call it New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Rosh Hashanah, or What Happened To My Dreams Day – or something else entirely: WE ARE HUNGRY FOR A CHANGE!

In the days surrounding January 1st (and anytime of year), we have a wonderful opportunity to transform and realign ourselves.

If you love rituals, check out my Free Resources pages. You’ll find ancient ceremonies, lovely prayers, and encouragement that you might find helpful during times of change and transition. You might also consider using my Personality Cards – they’re wonderful for all sorts of rituals.

Let’s Dive In!

You might be wondering, “How did astrology-based New Years’ celebrations get started in the first place?” Since civilization began, the best answer is that humanity has looked to the stars for guidance.

During this time of year, we look beyond ourselves and we reach to the Cosmos, asking questions about our existence and purpose. For eons, ancient astronomers, shamans, and seers have used the movements of the sun, moon, and constellations to find stability and meaning in time and space.

While many of the most colorful cultures throughout the world long-ago formed unique traditions for their New Years’ celebrations, the Chinese New Year is one of the most specific, complex, and fascinating. Whether you plan on celebrating for fun or for a deep transformation, or you’re just interested in learning more, look no further!

What is the Origin of the Chinese New Year?

The earliest recorded New Years’ celebrations occurred in Babylon over 4000 years ago. These celebrations were marked by the first new moon after the vernal Equinox, as Babylonians celebrated their religious festival called Akitu. Akitu celebrations were closely tied to harvesting barley in the Spring, where devotees would worship various Gods and entities – and crown a new King.

Similarly ancient is the origin of the Chinese New Year. As early as the 14th century BC, the Shang Dynasty began celebrating this holiday with a focus on religious and political significance. Unlike our Western understanding of New Years Day, which is always January 1st, the Chinese New Year has always been changeable according to the empire’s lunar cycle and political power changes.

While the Babylonians chose their New Year’s celebration schedule according to the moon, the Chinese celebrated the second new moon after the winter solstice. In other words, Chinese New Year always falls between January and February, instead of March or later. The Chinese also track the year differently than other cultures, in that they allow solstices, equinoxes, and religious influences to affect their calendar.

The Chinese begin New Year’s celebrations at the start of that second new moon and continue celebrating for about 15 days, until the Festival of Lanterns, marked by the next full moon. This 15 day period is full of traditions that illuminate the darkness, inviting hope and good fortune. If you were to celebrate Chinese New Year, you might light lanterns and candles and set fireworks aglow.

Why is The Chinese New Year So Late in 2022?

In 2022, the Chinese New Year will occur on February 1st. The date for the Chinese New Year shifts every year according to the lunar calendar. February 1st of 2022 will be the day we experience the second new moon after the winter solstice. If you want to follow the tradition down to the letter of Beijing “law,” you might also make yourself some delicious dumplings.

What many don’t realize is that China is predominantly Buddhist. While the government of China rightfully rejects the over-organization of religions, it allows temples and worship within reason. This modest policy allows people to choose their practices but prevents religious propaganda from infecting the hearts and minds of the population. With such a large population, any massive movement can affect the economic balance, psychological profile, and the sense of oneness and community within the country.

As each festival ensues, many families will include Buddhist prayers in their daily rituals and they’ll venture out to their favorite temple to honor the Divine Beings who nourished them throughout the year. This is when devotees will pray for their ancestors and living family members, and invite divine grace for the days ahead.

Why Do The Chinese Celebrate The Lunar Year?

The Chinese traditions for the modern Lunar Year are mainly religious and social in nature. During the preparation for the festival and throughout, the Chinese will perform a variety of rituals to appease the various aspects within their cultural and Buddhist traditions.

For example, those preparing for the Chinese New Year will clean their houses as a way to serve and honor God, cleansing their environments of any negative energy from the past year. They might also sacrifice paper goods and food to their ancestors, while families use firecrackers to dispel any evil spirits.

The Chinese New Year also centers around ensuring good luck for the coming year. Elders sometimes give out money to children, and many will post scrolls with good luck messages. People might also keep their doors unlocked or open to allow good luck to enter their homes.

The New Year celebrations are also meant to ensure longevity for families, so much of the tradition centers around feasting. Long noodles symbolize long life, and the last course, meant to be left uneaten, symbolizes abundance. Extended families gather around dumplings which stand for perfection and the family unit.

The Chinese treat their chronological calendar as part of their zodiac, which uses animals to symbolize personalities and destinies throughout the years. These signs are also used to mark the sun’s path as it visually moves around the Earth. Each New Year, the Chinese celebrate the end of one animal year and the beginning of a new animal year. Each animal symbolizes specific characteristics for that year.

What Are The Chinese New Year Symbols?

There are 12 Chinese Zodiac symbols which rotate in a chronological cycle. Each year, a new animal is assigned to that year, marking the year’s characteristics and the people born during that year. According to this tradition and the Zodiac Calendar, 2022 Is The Year Of The Tiger.

The 12 Chinese Zodiac symbols are:

- - Rat
  - Ox
  - Tiger – YAY!
  - Rabbit
  - Dragon
  - Snake
  - Horse
  - Sheep
  - Monkey
  - Rooster
  - Dog
  - Pig

The next animal is always assigned in the same order as each year passes. In other words, 2022 is the third year into the newest cycle of the Zodiac calendar.

Meaning Of The Year Of The Tiger

The Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac is a symbol of confidence and strength. Those who have birthdays in the Year Of The Tiger are meant to be enthusiastic and confident leaders. At the same time, these people are also sensitive to others’ needs, generous, and committed to selflessly serving others.

These traits are helpful for those who must lead in business, politics, or religion, because those marked by the Tiger are bold yet compassionate. These Tigers have the necessary emotional intelligence to guide others, while also being ultra-sensitive to the intricacies of life.

This year is marked by the Tiger, but the Tiger comes around every 12 years. That means that anyone born in 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, and so forth are also marked by the characteristics of the Tiger.

What Should I Do If I’m Born In The Year Of The Tiger?

Born as a Tiger, you’ll have lucky and unlucky colors, numbers, flowers, and directions. You’ll also have opposite and compatible signs!

If you’re a Tiger, your lucky numbers of 1, 3, and 4. Your unlucky numbers are 6, 7, and 8, and your unlucky color is brown.

Your lucky colors are blue, gray, and orange, and you’re in good hands if you’re facing East, North, or South. You’ll want to avoid facing Southwest, which is your unlucky direction!

You also have lucky days and months! Try to plan good things on the 16th and 27th of any month, especially during each lunar year’s 3rd, 7th, and 10th months. Try to avoid planning things for any Chinese year’s 1st, 4th, 5th, and 11th lunar month, as those are your unlucky months.

If you’re looking for love, you’ll want to avoid the Monkey signs at all costs since they are your opposite. Though, for some reason, Tigers and Monkey folk might have very intense and consuming sexual exchanges.

Tigers might also have bad luck with anyone who is an Ox, Snake, or Goat. If you’re a Tiger and hoping for the best life possible, you might consider aiming for relationships with people who fall under the Horse, Dog, or Pig signs.

Some predictions say that 2022 is a great year for Tiger signs to get married or find a relationship, but those 24 or 36 years old should pay close attention to their love lives, as their luck in love might waver during this year.

For Tigers, having good luck in financial areas might be tricky, but don’t worry, a huge promotion might be on the way as 2022 is a year of personal advancement.

REMEMBER!

In all things astrological, please realize that these aspects are only suggestions to help ease some stress. You are far more powerful than you realize. The blueprints that astrology suggest are not hard and fast rules. It might also be that you have other influences in your life that might greatly enhance your ability to receive what you desire.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras. Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

YOU ARE LOVE!

December 14, 2021March 27, 2024

Neurofeedback, ACT, And CBT: Powerful Healing for the Heart & Mind

Shutterstock licensed image: Heal your heart, your mind and life will follow.

Neurofeedback, ACT, and CBT: Powerful Modalities for Healing the Heart & Mind

The events and conditions within our lives can feel dramatic or difficult. At various junctures in our lives, we might feel completely overwhelmed and unable to cope. We might even lose hope, faith, and focus.

Luckily, our world is constantly changing – and so are we. And while many of the aspects in our lives can feel insurmountable, we are always in control of our perspectives, attitudes, and abilities to look deeply within ourselves.

Even the darkest night has a dawn.

Shadows disappear when obstacles are dissolved.

Science is working on behalf of all the people who are in pain. Many are creating inspiring, life-changing technological advancements that promise to improve life as we know it. All of these emerging innovations are making life more peaceful and bearable for those who are struggling.

Let’s be honest.

Most of us suffer from at least one of these things: stress, frustration, anxiety, depression, panic attacks – or all of the above. Sadly, each of these things is fueling an accelerating mental health crisis.

It might seem difficult to significantly change our immediate environments or have lasting impacts on the world around us. We might not realize just how powerful and impactful we can be!

Regardless, we can change how we respond to everything. If we’re disciplined, we can deeply heal ourselves and become more resilient. By approaching life with a sense of warriorship – a sense of adventure – we can accomplish just about anything.

Upon every challenge, we must focus on the positive and forge ahead with courage. It’s vital that we dig deeply within ourselves so that we may heal our hearts, minds, and spirits.

While God and Guru are here to nourish and guide us, the only person who can truly heal and save us is ourselves.

We’re actually lucky to be on the planet right now.

There are so many unique healing and scientific innovations appearing almost every day — ever heard of somatic experiencing? Specifically, new therapies are gaining momentum in the mental health space that could unlock a future of brighter days.

No matter the modality, begin by being vulnerable with yourself. Ask yourself what you’re feeling and what you need. If you can, call out to God and ask for Her loving guidance. When we’re open and vulnerable to the Divine, angels and transformative forces will come to our aid.

Knowing which options are available to you during your healing process is important. Here are a few that I love: CBT, ACT, and Neurofeedback therapy.

What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, commonly shortened to CBT, is a wildly successful therapeutic method that has recently gained a lot of recognition. The idea behind CBT is that we can train the brain to respond to certain situations differently than it had before. This method involves talk-therapy mixed with Gestalt-style experiencing. This modality can also be found integrated into mobile phone apps that prompt and guide seekers to change the way they speak, feel, and think about their current situations and feelings.

Why does this work? The mind functions by firing neurons and creating neural pathways. The more your brain responds to a particular event, the more permanent this pathway becomes. People who often react negatively to events might do so because this is the most familiar way the brain knows how to respond.

In other words, the more you can coax yourself to respond differently or positively to things, the more familiar and comfortable it becomes to stay positive rather than react negatively.

Through CBT, we can learn to not only cope with stressful situations, we can learn to master and transcend them. Through CBT processes, we can learn to respond positively to even the most disruptive chaos. Breaking our negative cycles and teaching our brains to respond positively help and heal our minds, hearts, and spirits.

What is ACT?

ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a direct descendent of CBT, and for many people, it’s the most important modality they’ve adopted in their lives. This method uses CBT in conjunction with acceptance therapy, which teaches the patient to genuinely accept the world and all situations so that they can find peace. Another word for this technique is mindfulness, which encourages us to live in the present and be aware of ourselves and our decisions within the moment.

An adjunct to ACT and CBT – or something that can replace them entirely – is The Sedona Method, a uniquely powerful and effective technique that helps participants acknowledge, accept, and release every experience and related emotions that emerge. More on that, later!

ACT comes in two steps. First, you accept the things out of your control, whether it is the people around you, your environment, or negative events. Then, you commit to specific actions that will help you handle the stress and pain within your situation.

This method is useful for everybody, from all walks of life. It can help you, your mind, heart, and spirit become more flexible, open, and (eventually) more detached. The more we can respond positively or proactively under stress, the stronger we become.

What is Neurofeedback?

While CBT and ACT rely solely on human beings changing their behaviors, Neurofeedback elevates these methods utilizing technology. In Neurofeedback therapy, a practitioner uses EEG Biofeedback to help the patient visualize, track, and understand exactly how their brains respond to a variety of stimuli.

With this technology, the practitioner and patient watch a screen to see the way the brain responds, which becomes a primary tool within the therapeutic model. The practitioner applies electrodes to the scalp and shows the patient how their brain waves appear. Then, the patient is asked to alter this activity consciously through a video-game-like interface.

Through this method, the brain is trained to reroute its pathways, alter its activity, and ultimately respond positively, all within a fascinating reward system. This method is being used to treat conditions like anxiety, panic attacks, depression, anger, attention-deficits, sleep disorders, migraines, and even seizures and autism.

CBT vs. ACT vs. Neurofeedback: Which Is More Effective?

Whether CBT, ACT, and Neurofeedback therapies are effective has been in question for years. Many therapists are committed to using only these modalities, while more traditional therapists worry that aspects of these things are superfluous and ineffective.

Experts are regularly and rigorously testing new therapy methods to determine which are truly beneficial to psychotherapeutic practitioners. This trend is especially true for recent attempts to administer CBT through mobile apps, which had once threatened the commonly-held belief that professional therapy requires consistent human interaction and face-time with a therapist.

In 2017, a German study revealed that CBT and Neurofeedback showed the same positive results in adults who had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The kicker? The same positive results were found in the control (placebo) group. If nothing else, doesn’t this show that it’s not about what technologies and advancements we apply, but what our perception of them is? Maybe knowing you’ve acknowledged the problem and taken action to better your health is the most significant step towards healing.

It’s all about you. How do you feel? What helps you heal? What will help you change your mindset, and in turn, your response to the world around you? Whatever that is, that’s the answer.

Using Mindfulness To Heal

Being present and aware is natural to us, yet it often seems so far away from us. With the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, amid all of our complex webs of responsibilities, we don’t realize how far outside of our bodies we usually are. We are too often living in tomorrow, next month, or even 5 years ahead of this present moment. When we aren’t in the future, we’re thinking of the past. All the while, we’re neglecting ourselves in the present.

Mindfulness is the first step towards healing, and it can be achieved through any of the above therapies. If you choose to attend a CBT or ACT group or individual session, you’re choosing to acknowledge your problems and pain in the present and take action now.

If you choose to explore Neurofeedback therapy, you’re choosing to be aware of how your brain reacts and performs upon various stimuli and in the moment.

When conscious of ourselves in the present, we’re paying attention to who we are, what we feel, and what we want. Knowing some of these things, we can successfully heal the aspects that are most troubling to us.

Of course, you don’t need CBT, ACT, or Neurofeedback to become mindful. Mindfulness is the most basic of all modalities for healing. All you need is yourself and the conscious decision to become fully present.

Just like with CBT, you can train your brain to be mindful by default. Like with ACT, you can accept your reality in the present without being too reactive or overwhelmed. If you sit quietly amid a challenging feeling, you can find its source, accept the feeling, and then release it. This might take some time to master, but along the way, you’ll clear years of stealth emotions and experiences. Doing so, you can become free.

Find a way to make meditation a habit in your life. Encourage yourself to regularly turn inward so that you can acknowledge how you feel in the present. This alone will train your brain to advance.

Through mindfulness, we can become non-judgemental of ourselves and others. Instead of judging and feeling ashamed of our thoughts and feelings, we can fully explore them and get to know who we are.

What can be more healing than completely and unconditionally embracing our authentic selves? Nada. Dive deeply and you’ll find that you are part of a luminous and expanded consciousness.

Get To Know Your True Self

If you truly want to heal your heart and mind, begin with a 10-minute meditation every morning and evening. As you meditate, focus on your inward and outward breaths. You might even imagine that your inward breaths are full of light and your outward breaths carry away stored negativity and stress.

Explore different methods of therapy and tools for self-reflection.

Seek a guru like Amma (Amma.org), Jesus, Buddha, or other living saints like Mother Meera and Karunamayi Ma.

Talking to a professional or a trusted friend can help you acknowledge your pain and hear out loud what you’re really thinking for the first time.

Use a diary or my Personality Cards to delve deeply into your soul to source and release behaviors and emotions that are stifling you.

Any resources that help you pause, breathe, and explore yourself in the present will put you on the path to healing.

REMEMBER!

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

December 9, 2021March 27, 2024

St. Patrick: Loving Magic

Shutterstock licensed image: St. Patrick Was Full Of Love

The Loving Magic of St. Patrick

Have you ever thought to yourself, “If only I could find just a teeny tiny bit of luck!”? Maybe you’ve been out of work, enduring endless job interviews, or you’re on the tenth blind date this year. Or maybe you’re going through a challenging time emotionally or psychologically. If you’re feeling down on yourself or your luck, it might be time to lean into the loving magic of St. Patrick.

After all, even when deceased, high-vibration souls like his still emanate light and love. Just like any deity we can tap into this vibrant soul’s divine light.

Sure, it might not be March 17th, but his legacy and healing aura extends throughout time. St. Patrick is a man, a devotee of God, and a legend who can guide us and help us learn more about ourselves. In turn, we can manifest new paths and find happiness without the need to rely on luck.

So, how can St. Patrick do all this for us?

Who is St. Patrick?

While St. Patrick has emerged a legend, he lived in the 5th century. One of the things that made him so unique was that he understood the nature of human beings and the Universe. He looked to the divine, yet he was practical in how he served inhabitants of the earth. Additionally, his work was so profound, he deeply impacted Irish, Catholic, Christian, and global cultures for centuries – any milleniums to come.

Modern historians often paint a simple, gentle picture of St. Patrick, as he walked among the Irish, but his life was difficult, full of challenging experiences and painful decisions. Just like you and me, he had to come to know himself and choose his path one hurdle at a time. Once he tapped into his soul and found his divine strength and resolve, this wonderful saint drew from his will power to touch the lives of many individuals throughout time.

The myths of St. Patrick are among the most inspiring in all of human history. Many believe he used clovers as a way to teach a new belief system. Others say he was the first significant leader in history to reject the practice of slavery. It seems this dynamic soul affected the spiritual and political lives of many people.

If you’re looking for the facts of St. Patrick’s life, he was born in Great Britain and torn from his family at the age of 16. Broken hearted, lost, confused, destitute, and without a single companion, young Patrick was sold into slavery. This hardship was his first experience in Ireland, where he toiled as a herdsman and had no belongings to call his own. Instead of losing hope, St. Patrick turned to his faith, praying for guidance and relief.

Devout and loyal to the Divine, he knew that God would help him. He never wavered.

One night, St. Patrick dreamed of a ship that would carry him from slavery and back to his family. He broke from the dreamscape and left his slave owner in the middle of the night. He ran with all his might.

After many hurdles and further hardship, but with heroic determination, St. Patrick found his way back to his homeland. This successful escape might have been the end of his story, but St. Patrick could not ignore what he experienced in Ireland.

He eventually dreamed about the Irish begging for his return.

While he could not banish the chains of slavery that held an entire population, he set out to free the Irish people in another way. Once he made landfall, he immediately began evangelizing and converting the Irish to Christianity. While he was there, he suffered persecution and arrest, but these physical pains did not dampen his spirit.

With glowing love for the Irish and their freedom, St. Patrick fought to help them until his death.

The Powerful Icon of St. Patrick

The best account that we have today of St. Patrick’s life is the Confessio, his diary, in which he bared his soul. Thought to be written near to the time of his death, the Confessio shows the saint’s religious devotion and fervent love for the Irish. It also helps us to better understand his personality, struggles, and motivations. He was truly a remarkable human being!

When you step back and view St. Patrick from a distance, however, he is a powerful icon. Christianity upholds him as one of the most important and influential Christians to have lived. He is revered as a powerful force that converted Ireland from Pagan to mostly Christian. He is now the national apostle and patron saint of Ireland. And as luck would have it, Paganism survived the abuse it endured and is again flourishing today.

A large part of the symbolism, myth, and meditation on St. Patrick that exists today originated in the Catholic faith. St Patrick is often depicted with clovers, snakes, and a shepherd’s staff. This powerful imagery can help us to understand St. Patrick’s power and love of humanity. These icons can help us turn inward, expand ourselves, forgive everything, and become holy servants of humanity.

In many ways, Amma, The Hugging Saint is doing the same for all of the world, not just Hinduism. Check out Amma’s divine magic and global humanitarian mission HERE.

St. Patrick Symbolism

By the 7th century, St. Patrick’s legacy had grown in numbers and spread throughout various parts of the world. Throughout history, St. Patrick’s image has been recreated, most commonly with his foot on a snake, as he held a wooden staff. These images are no coincidence. They emerged from true stories about his life. As you learn about these stories, consider meditating on the image of St. Patrick. This can help you center yourself and find strength within.

The Shepherd’s Staff

The shepherd’s staff is a symbol used in Christian tradition to represent tender yet strict leadership. Just as a shepherd tends to his flock of sheep, a person depicted with a staff is seen as a gentle father-like figure, guiding his followers. St. Patrick was both literally and figuratively a shepherd in Ireland. He was an enslaved herdsmen at first, and then he chose to tend to the Irish people in their need as a loving shepherd of the people.

Today, we can rely on St. Patrick as our shepherd during difficult times, using his loving magic as a guide in our own lives.

Are you in need of guidance?

Are our heart and mind wandering far from afield?

Can you find the inspiration and strength you need to bring you back to yourself?

Go within, seek the help of St. Patrick and the depth of your own divinity.

The Snakes

St. Patrick is often famously depicted with a snake under his foot, which originated from the legend that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. While snakes never existed on the Emerald Isle, this legend actually uses snakes as a symbol for evil. Just like in the Garden of Eden story, the snake is a representation of evil and temptation. As we reflect on St. Patrick’s ability to cast out temptations and evil forces, we should identify the toxic habits, passions, and forces in our own lives and find ways to cast them out.

Three-Leaf And Four-Leaf Clovers

Finally, St. Patrick and his famous St. Patrick’s Day holiday are often tied to three and four-leaf clovers. While three is the number of the Christian Trinity – Father, Son, And Holy Ghost, Four symbolizes the perfect triune’s connection to eternity and the concept of manifestation on three-dimensional planes.

The numbers three and four are extremely powerful. They are used as powerful symbols and tools beyond St. Patrick.

For the Irish, the three Gods Brigid, Ériu, and the Morrigan held serious significance. With the image of a three-leaf clover, he converted the triple Goddesses of the Irish to the three Divine Beings of the Catholic faith. This imagery was so powerful that it eventually turned the innocent little three-leaf clover into the national flower of Ireland.

The number three can give us structure and guidance, just as St. Patrick did for the Irish.

You are far more capable and expanded than we often realize.

St. Patrick Miracles

St. Patrick holds such powerful love and magic that many of his works are still revered today. He recounts in his Confessio raising 33 men from the dead (see that “3” again?), many of whom had been gone for years. There are also reports that a herd of swine mysteriously appeared after St. Patrick prayed for food and water provisions for desperate travelers.

Whether you believe these events occurred or not, there is a powerful lesson here. St. Patrick’s strength and devotion poured out of him and created an undeniable movement that changed the world.

Forge Ahead, No Luck Needed!

Let’s learn from St. Patrick! No matter our circumstances or pains in life, we must turn inward and seek guidance. By meditating on the personality and symbolism of St. Patrick, we can better understand ourselves.

Doing so, we can tackle our challenges from more inspired angles.

If we believe in the Providence Of The Divine and the Power Of Love, we can cast out snakes, evil, and toxins no matter how and when they appear.

Take up your staff and join divine saints like St. Patrick. Your divinity can carry you anywhere. Stay positive, remain prayerful, and seek the light in all things.

You might enjoy my Free Resources pages, as they offer many prayers and rituals that can heal, illuminate, and change your life.

December 4, 2021March 27, 2024

THE SPRING EQUINOX: MAGIC OF BIRTH & REBIRTH

Shutterstock licensed image: Spring is a time of magic, life, love, and rebirth.

SPRING EQUINOX – THE MAGIC OF BIRTH & REBIRTH

Ahhh Spring! The sun outshines the moon, light overcomes dark, and life once again flourishes on the ground and illuminates our skies. We can feel Spring in our bones. Our guts tell us it’s time to get out there and create. We want to dance, play, and celebrate creation.

Equinoxes mark a time when day and night are equally long. This is rare: the equally long day and night only happen twice in twelve months. During this time, we can experience palpable and delicious Earthly magic. The Spring Equinox is a time of rebirth for all life. We feel the sun’s energy penetrate and uplift our spirits. We hear the rippling of fountains and the pitter patter of light rain on our roofs. We have renewed hope and faith. Flowers bloom, Bees buzz, Bunnies appear, and ALL IS WELL!

The blossoming season is the embodiment of the connection and cooperation between all Living Beings. It’s during Spring that we feel our connection to every creature and all the luscious, invisible threads that bind us. Every creature rejoices during this time.

Spring is truly the embodiment of the Universe’s love for us.

TRANSITIONING FROM FALL TO SPRING

The Spring Equinox invites us to be truly reborn. During the fall and winter, we
pause, reflect, forgive, heal, and regenerate. After setting ourselves free from the past, we’re ready to flourish.

In case you missed the chance to move on from the lessons of the last year, try this on for size:

REFLECT – FORGIVE – ACCEPT – RELEASE

FORGIVING EVERYTHING,

WE TRANSFORM OUR REALITIES.

In the Fall, during the Autumnal Equinox, we ask ourselves:

What has been holding me back?

What did I learn?

What can I forgive?

The Spring Equinox symbolizes rebirth as well as new life on Earth. Start your Spring Equinox change by revisiting the hidden parts of yourself that you evaluated in the Autumnal Equinox. By finding and opening the hidden that lives within you, you gain insight into your unique spiritual aspects and gifts – ones you may have never before allowed. Then, we can move on in celebration.

In the Spring, we ask ourselves:

What can I celebrate?

What can I create?

What can I embrace?

How can I give birth to joy?

What do I really want?

What do I truly love?

Where am I going?

Who is going with me?

What will I do when I get there?

THE VERNAL EQUINOX MARKS PROFOUND MOMENTS IN TIME

When the Spring Equinox is upon us, it means the Vernal Equinox is here. The Vernal Equinox is also known as the celebration of Ostara. It’s one of eight Sabbaths or festivals that make up what some people call “The Wheel of the Year.” Every turn of the wheel celebrates endings and births, and during Ostara, we celebrate the possibilities of new life and romance.

YES! It’s time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. During this section of The Wheel of the Year, it is the perfect moment to say to yourself:

I ALLOW MY PAST. I ACCEPT MY PAST. I RELEASE MY PAST. I RELEASE THE ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS TO ALL EVENTS AND IDEAS. I WILL NOT LOOK BACK. I WILL WALK BRAVELY FORWARD WITH LOVE, LIGHT, HOPE, FAITH, AND JOY!

OSTARA OPENS DOORS TO NEW POSSIBILITIES

We are fascinated and obsessed with our attachments. We easily become blinded by our egos, temporary self-identities, emotions, and projections. Upon viewing one social media post, we can lose touch of ourselves and reality. When we allow this to continue for years on end, we put ourselves into vulnerable positions. After all, near the moments of our deaths, we will feel a surge of unresolved emotions, thrusting us toward a threshold that leads to the Beyond.

It takes courage to release everything that has been holding you back and blocking your connection to the Divine.

Why not begin this process now?

Release the pain from your past and make way for space within you. Doing so, you will feel more whole and available to love.

Forgive yourself, forgive others, forgive everything.

Try the Ho’oponopono process. Say these things in your mind to either yourself or another: I love you. I’m sorry. Forgive Me. Thank you.

Repeat these things over and over again until you truly release. Deep and unlimited forgiveness will set you free.

AWESOME THINGS TO DO DURING SPRING EQUINOX

The three days during equinox provide you with the opportunity to change your perspective, cleanse your heart, and improve your health.

Accept yourself for who you are.
Commit to a process that allows you to accept everything as a gift.
Commit to growing virtue.
Commit to living a Dharmic life instead of a Karmic one. Karmic lives involve contracts where you do this for me, I do this for you. Dharmic lives involve spiritual law.
Send love and gratitude to the living Earth.
Pray for those who have harmed you.
Pray for those whom you love.
Meditate every day.
Find small ways to serve others. A smile can be a tremendous gift to a sad soul.
Do a toxicity cleanse using Ayurvedic herbs. Banyan is a wonderful company for this class of medicine.
Clean the house.
Empty the attic.
Give away as much as possible to charities.
Lean to cook and garden.
Commit to exercise and yoga.
Think of your favorite people and give them gifts that will make their lives better.

The Spring Equinox reminds us to be proactive and disciplined, telling us that infinite possibilities are within us.

November 28, 2021March 27, 2024

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX: Season Of Reflection

Shutterstock licensed image: Autumnal Equinox is the time to relax into and release emotions.

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX: The Season Of Reflection And Deepening

Every year, near the end of September, you might notice a change in temperature in the early evening. From there, the leaves are beginning to change colors and you might notice feelings of happiness, sadness, regret, and pride arise within you.

During this time, we might think about all those who helped us throughout the year and those whom we have helped. Using these thoughts as creative fodder, we might form visions and plans to enact in the new year.

The Autumn Equinox is the beginning of a period of pause, self-reflection, and dormancy. It’s a time of reassessment and inner-planning. It’s when humans, plants, trees, bugs, bunnies, birds, animals, and millions of soil inhabitants go deep within themselves. Even the life of bees is altered!

While it might appear as if everything is beginning to sleep, the energy systems of all of these beings are actually actively gathering strength and energy for a later time. Soon, we will all reemerge in the Spring.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE AUTUMN EQUINOX?

The Autumn Equinox is when we honor the harvests of our efforts. It’s when we reflect on who we are and why we’re here on this uniquely beautiful planet. During this time, we might also rethink our processes and procedures. We might even reassess our relationships.

Certainly, the Autumnal Equinox is a time to process all of our emotions and experiences throughout the prior months, releasing the challenging aspects, celebrating the good, and fully embracing who we are in this moment.

To take full advantage of the planetary influences and this magical time of year, you might explore performing the Seven Arrows Ceremony or Changing The Book Of Life Ritual found on my Free Resources pages. Through these simple processes, you can connect with the Divine, immerse yourself in the energies of Mother Earth, release emotional and intellectual toxins, and create a pathway to begin again.

WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING DURING THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX?

Indigenous cultures mark this time of year as an important period of self-reflection, renewal, growth, transition, and rebirth. To those who are deeply connected to the rhythms of the Earth and Cosmos, it’s a time to gather strength, release the past, deepen our resolve to be loving, vibrant Beings, and imagine new beginnings.

During this time, we might even venture into exploring the experiences and potentialities around our own deaths. As death opens a door to a new life, so do the Autumn and Winter seasons.

During this equinox, we have equal hours of daylight and night. This is a great time to reflect on the balance of our public personas and our shadow aspects. Where there is light, there is openness and growth, where there is darkness, there is a great potential for learning and expanding.

When we rest, it is a form of self-care. When we write in our journals to express our thoughts and emotions, it’s a form of self-love. This equinox is a time for silence and looking within.

Given that our lives are moving so quickly, with too many responsibilities, each of us needs time to decompress. If we can write in our journals, find tears of forgiveness, and make time for prayer, even for just a half-hour each day, we will set the stage to become fully rejuvenated, fresh, and expanded at the start of Spring.

For those of us who operate at a rapid pace, we might also need acupuncture, massage, herbal cleanses, and healing sessions. We might feel confused or broken during this time of pause. Be conscious of what you need and seek the healers and helpers with whom you most resonate. This is the time to invest in your healing and expansion.

When we nurture our inner stillness, we improve our vibrations and allow for growth and positive change.

IMPROVE YOUR SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

As days are getting shorter and nights are growing longer, you might feel a little isolated or disconnected. Consider putting a support system in place. As you reach out to loved ones, you’ll find that everyone is processing something deep during the Autumnal Equinox.

Truth be told, you are an expanded, connected, Light-Being with unlimited potential in every direction. To source your power and light, meditate 3 times per day, even if only for 5 minutes each time. This will have you know your core Self. Knowing who she is, you can align your personality and identity with her. As you depend on your spiritual practices, you’ll notice that your inner Being is far more expanded than you may have previously realized.

Given the holiday season and all its noise and complications, you might consider foregoing the traditional popular route and create new rituals – ones that truly connect you with God, the Universe, yourself, and those whom you treasure most.

A TIME FOR SELFLESS SERVICE

During these intense transition periods, you might feel that you are focusing too much on the past. If you are unable to truly be in the present, consider volunteering for a few hours every week or every day. By doing so, your heart will come to life and your connection to the Divine will deepen.

When we selflessly serve others and when we pray for others, the Universe does the same in return.

The Autumnal Equinox awakens the loving spirits who reside in the Earth’s soil. This time beckons the ancients and our long-ago relatives to nurture us.

As you venture forward, choose love over stubbornness, hope over grumpiness, and light over shadows. During this equinox, you are being called to forgive, allow, accept, and release all aspects that do not serve your core nature and the light.

Forgive – Allow – Accept – Release

In all new endeavors, decide to be more aloof, less attached, and less dramatic. Decide to choose service over selfishness. During this time, you can create a whole new you.

Take the time to meditate, forgive, cry, pray, and serve others. The seeds you plant within yourself during this time will give birth to a remarkable, luscious Spring.

November 18, 2021March 27, 2024

Soulmates, Twin Souls, And Soul Groups, Oh My!

Soulmates are wonderful. The associated delusions around this concept are not. Shutterstock licensed image.

SOULMATES, TWIN SOULS, AND SOUL GROUPS, OH MY!

While every major event in our lives impacts our health, vitality, and happiness, there are few things more potent to us than romance and intimate relationships. That’s why so many people refer to the Chinese zodiac and Vedic astrology for insights and help with major decisions around love and marriage.

This begs the question: What is a Soulmate? What are Soul Groups? What is a Twin Flame?

Since the beginning of time, the stars and planets have given humanity and other life forms immeasurable hope, clarity, and guidance. In many countries, like China and India, the majority of people utilize astrology when making major decisions or when seeking love. They’ll regularly refer to their astrological charts and major planetary events to plan daily life and set future milestones.

Our astrological charts can help us better understand our weaknesses and strengths amid our most challenging and promising life categories. Learning these things, we can project into the potentials around every aspect of our lives so that we might improve upon them.

Yet, if we live so obsessed with these planetary and energetic blueprints, we will miss the point: we’re here to learn to be present in this moment, accepting every event as divine. That’s why it’s said: A wise person consults the stars, while a foolish one is ruled by them. In all things, temperance. And before looking elsewhere, look within.

Your Soulmate is Important to Your Story

We’ve all romanticized the idea of having a Soulmate in our lives. We’ve dreamed of a “perfect person” who truly “gets us.” We’ve projected visions of divine, loving relationships and eternal fulfillment. Feeling that our soulmates will be perfect in every way, we might even imagine these evasive souls fulfilling our every desire, even holding our hands as we die. While these things are possible, it’s all fantasy. Instead of encouraging us to improve ourselves and look within, the new age tells us to look elsewhere. We rush into our fantasies, thinking this could be “the one.” It’s not. The over-promoted, new-age concept of Soulmate is flawed and so are we.

Astrologically, Soulmates are perfectly aligned partners whose charts have harmonious aspects when compared to ours. Many aspects of chart alignments might point to a Soulmate relationship. The challenge is that we have personalities and history and hangups. Until we mastered the mind and release our egos, even our Soulmate relationships will become stale and problematic.

Positivity is one thing, delusion is another.

The concept of Soulmate is a romantic notion – and all romance is an illusion. If you are looking within and healing every fissure in your self-construct, you will continuously be merging with the Divine. By doing so, you will always be advancing your concept of relationships and temporary self-identity.

If you can train yourself to look within, you will become very picky in relationships and will only choose partnerships when you can sense your inner Being aligning with them.

You are the One that you are seeking. You are the loving soul who will save you. You are your best partner. From there, you can form co-interdependent relationships that honor Dharma instead of Karma. Karmic relationships are contractual – you do this for me and I’ll do this for you. Dharmic relationships require that you are responsible for your happiness – no one else.

That said, we still might find a Soulmate, rather, one whose temperament and self-concept are peacefully aligned with ours.

It might also be that once you’ve depended and developed as a person, once you’ve extinguished selfish tendencies and your codependent self-concept, you might finally recognize a potential Soulmate.

What Is A Soulmate?

In short, a Soulmate is a person who is aligned with our sensibilities and behaviors in a harmonious way. We will feel encouraged by a Soulmate. And we will want to be encouraging to them, at all costs.

Soulmates are deeply nourishing to us, on levels that transcend physical form and circumstance. We attract one another due to our most positive, radiant qualities. Some of these qualities turn into actionable events, like devotion to a higher purpose, a mutual love of the Divine (God in some form), or providing selfless service to each other.

To be able to handle having a Soulmate, we must look within and eradicate our ego. We must put ourselves in the position of a servant. There is no other way.

The Pros and Cons Of Being With a Soulmate

Soulmate stories are found within almost every romantic poem, book, meme, and movie. The idea that we’re fated to be with someone has been around since humans first started pairing off. Romance and finding your soulmate is a universal language that transcends culture and time.

While fate sounds like an interesting idea, fate is born from your trajectory, which you can change at any time by forgiving someone, releasing the past, or changing how you respond to circumstances.

Finding your “other half” can be an elusive challenge. After all, you might have many halves wandering the planet at any given time. Especially if you’ve been at it a while and find you’re still looking. The biggest challenge we have is that human beings too often idealize the concept of Soulmates, which creates an insane amount of pressure once we begin projecting that title onto someone. Romance is also marketed by unconscious companies and people, who have nothing better to do than encourage people’s delusions. Media outlets continuously reinforce our “missing-half status” by depicting unrealistic expectations and concepts in TV, movies, and advertisements. With these depictions, the media drives our sense of loneliness and separateness.

Truth be told, we are never truly alone. We are merged with the divine. When you feel alone, pray or serve someone with love and light.

Belief in the Soulmate concept or “destiny” can lead to poor communication within and with our potential partners. All relationships take effort and innovation because we are not communicating from our souls, we are communicating from contrived self-concepts that we continually re-fabricate based on what we want or feel at any given moment. This makes true relating very difficult.

How Does Astrology Help Us Find or Know Our Soul Mates?

There are times when the stars do align for us, and we’ll find what feel to be Soulmates or “perfect” matches. When this happens, it doesn’t take long for us to share deep understandings with one another.

It might be that the understanding goes beyond words – like an intangible force in line with fate brought about by unforeseen forces. Our joint astrology can help us deeply enjoy our alignment with these people and find pathways around any potential struggles. Astrological, especially Vedic Astrology, can help guide the way.

If you want to start using astrological signs to move forward in finding a Soulmate, start with the Moon. The Moon represents the feminine aspect of our natures, which is a more receptive and creative soul. The Moon’s nodes represent who we are and where we’re going in this life. When someone’s personal planets or luminaries touch either the South or North nodes, it can yield a feeling of destiny. While this, too, is an illusion, it can give us the glue we need to develop commitment, loyalty, and a sense of service to this person.

Astrology Provides Hints

The core of Astrological influences comes from the energy we absorb from
the Universe and specific planets, such as mercury retrogrades. We can ingest and embody energies from our environments and other people in our lives, and we develop ‘subtle’ vibrations that will magnetize a variety of related experiences. The more we pray, meditate, forgive, and release, the more aligned we will be with our pure natures and the Divine – and the more we’ll attract goodness to our lives.

Should we be looking to the planets for guidance when it comes to our relationships? Yes to guidance, but no to obsession. We are each far more powerful than our individual charts and unions of charts with others.

Astrology offers potential outcomes. Prayer, devotion to a living or imagined Deity, and selfless service can overpower our Astrological charts. Your chart might note that you are a stubborn Taurus, but you can overcome stubbornness in an instant.

Your destiny can be altered and improved at any moment. It’s up to you, not your chart.

Is it Necessary to Experience True Love?

We believe in true love because our Soul’s essence is always looking to find our other halves. The reality is that we are not missing anything or anyone. We are simply lacking discipline. We might meet someone with whom we feel “connected,” but this connection is often nothing more than a pleasant stew of chemicals and projections. The imagined connection could potentially be traced to a prior life with this person, but the chances of that are slim. Even so, those prior lives are long gone and they too were based on the needs and fantasies of temporary self-constructs and imagined personalities.

In short, stop fooling yourself.

What Is Falling In Love?

Falling in love is the process through which we bend our understanding of the Universe and ourselves to the will of a delusion. The act of falling in love with a person doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve met your Soulmate. And it’s not really love. It’s a projection of an idea. Given how mind-obsessed we all are, these projections can appear and feel real.

Chances are, if you’re in love with someone, it’s because you forgot yourself and believe this person to be a savior of some sort. They are not.

The good news is that when you believe you’ve found your Soulmate, it changes the way we look at life, as if everything has finally “fallen into place.” The reality is that we are already merged with the Divine, so why not focus on that? Why not focus on having the Divine clear your heart and soul? From there, you can liberate yourself. Why not focus on becoming Divine so that any relationship will be born from a clean soul-alignment, devoid of delusion.

What Is A Twin Flame?

Twin Flames feel like best friends because their soul is a near-identical soul imprint to ours. That makes most Twin Flame relationships fiery, sexy, problematic, or a combination of all three. Many people find value in Twin-Flame relationships, but these pairings are not the best for marriage or long-term relationships. They tend to flair up and flair out like herpes.

You might enjoy a Twin Flame relationship with a friend or roommate. Unless the two of you are also fully immersed in a Dharma-based ideology, you’ll want to make sure there is always a healthy distance between you. One of you is the flame and one of you is in the pile of flammable material. Just be careful.

When we rush to convert our Twin Flame relationships into romantic connections, we are most likely lonely and impatient. Don’t rush into anything. If there is a need to rush, chances are that it’s based on insecurity, low self-worth, and low self-esteem.

Some people describe Twin Flame relationships as being pulled into hurricanes. When was the last time you felt a hurricane was beneficial?

If you’re coming out of a Twin Flame relationship that ran hot and intense, you may not be prepared for the pain upon walking away. It will often feel like part of yourself is missing, like an arm or leg, or worse, your heart or soul. Upon a Twin Flame relationship conclusion, some people feel frozen in time, convinced they cannot move on. That’s because they gave their power to their Twin Flame, which is easy to do.

How Can I Recover from a Twin Flame Extinguished?

Soon enough you will feel like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. You may be broken, but you will soon be whole. If you’re feeling like you cannot recover from a Twin Flame relationship, it’s time to improve upon your commitment to spiritual disciplines like meditation, yoga, forgiveness, and selfless service to others. Knowing ourselves, we can never feel empty.

The Twin Flame relationship is born from two people’s need to exercise their egos. This is not a bad thing, it’s just something to keep in mind. Your ego should be annihilated in this life, but enjoying the ego once in a while is okay.

If you feel inclined to have sex with your Twin Flame, it might be fun, but it will be like having sex with yourself.

Sex is the lowest form of communication. If you have no other levels of communication to rely upon, you’re not relating with the other person, you’re just masturbating together. Not a bad thing, just not necessarily something that will help you evolve over time.

After all, sex is simply going to the bathroom in a nicer room.

What Are Soul Groups?

Soul Groups are like leaves on a branch. You either entered this life to travel together or you traveled in a prior life together. You might regularly find Soul Groups with whom you feel aligned. That’s because you’ve lived many lives. This is not an achievement, rather, it’s a fact.

You might also be involved with a Soul Group because of how you have evolved in this lifetime. Your most treasured Soul Group may have formed because of a new devotion or commitment you’ve made. It might be that because of a change in your life, a Soul Group quickly appeared.

Soul Families are a unique type of Soul Group. They are more intimate and often involve members of the Soul Family having experienced a more familiar connection from life to life. It might be that your Soul Family is comprised of people with whom you’ve been romantic in prior lives and people with whom you’ve also been a sibling or parent in prior lives. The forms of our relationships are not as important as how we evolve when immersed in them.

So, Before You Begin Diving Into Soulmateship…

You are unlimited potential in every direction. You can achieve liberation in this lifetime. Focus not on romance, rather, focus on truly loving and knowing yourself. From there, you can develop co-interdependent relationships based on Dharmic principles, rather than Karmic ones.

If you’re truly seeking enlightened companionship, begin with the Divine. From
there, pray for a loving, selfless partner. Until you find one, become one. Whatever you become, you will attract.

Forgive everything, release everything, and only rely upon Astrology to give a
few hints. After all, you are not limited by a faint blueprint. You are only limited by your beliefs.