Month: January 2017

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for January 24th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
We have to believe that the courage to do the impossible is possible. We have to have courage before we give up, thinking we are always going to be in the middle of difficult situations.

Lasting courage comes by refusing to judge everything by appearances and by hearsay. The world is rife with rumors about anything and everything. Those who never intend to do anything of consequence will tell us how bad things are and how much worse it is going to get.

Others will take heart and ride out the storm. There may not be any signs that promise better times, but there is that glimmer of inner-light, that knowledge that those who make it are the ones that kept going when everyone said it couldn’t be done.

If we can bear defeat and not lose heart, we will know it was no defeating life, but only one small part that went awry.

 

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

 

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 24

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 24

“Always listen to what the Elders say.”

–Dona Josefa Medrano, HUICHOL, SIERRA MADRE, MEXICO

In school we have been taught to go to the encyclopedia when we need information about certain subjects. From the time we are little, we have a natural tendency to seek out role models. When we need information about living we tend to seek out books about living. These maybe self help books. The world is full of information. For the Native people, we have our Elders. All races have Elders. Our lives will run much smoother when we listen to the Elders. They don’t always tell us what we want to hear but they always tell us what we need to hear. The Elders have the ability to make the truth sweet.

Creator, thank You for the Elders. Help me this day to listen to them.

January 24 – Daily Feast

January 24 – Daily Feast
Volume II

Homecoming is not just a certain hour but a feeling, an attitude, an an na li – a friend. One phase of the day has been completed, so now back to the reasons for it – home. Home with its familiar fragrances, its lighted warmth and peace of mind. At least, home ought to be this way – though it isn’t always. Too little time, too much weariness, too many complaints. Too little, too late, too bad. Real homecoming is a state of mind. Someone needs to be comforted, someone needs a gentle touch, someone needs to think of others. It may not be perfect, but working together makes homecoming a celebration.

~ Do not touch the money of the white man or his clothes. We do not fight for these things. The Seminole is fighting for his hunting grounds. ~

OSCEOLA – SEMINOLE CHIEF

“A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II” by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

The Daily Motivator for Jan. 24th – Work where you are

Work where you are

by Ralph Marston

You don’t need a particular setup to do good work. You just need to do it.

You don’t need conditions to be perfect to make progress. Any situation, any condition, is an opportunity.

Work where you are, with what you have, no matter what has happened. Whether your tools are old or new, whether resources are abundant or scarce, what matters most is what you do.

Your best work might very well be done during the most challenging times. For those times will drive you, inspire you, make you more determined to create value.

If you’re waiting for things to be perfect, stop waiting and start working. Even with all its flaws, you have this moment, so use it.

Whatever else this day may hold, it holds for you the opportunity to make a difference. Stop waiting, stop wishing, stop wondering and start working to get it done.

© 2017 Ralph S. Marston, Jr.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/motivate/170124.html

Daily OM for Tuesday, January 24th – Things that Annoy Us

Things that Annoy Us

by Madisyn Taylor

 

There will always be factors and people that we cannot control; how we respond can determine the quality of our lives.

There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There is even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students. From an everyday perspective, this is difficult to comprehend. We generally work hard to avoid people and things that we find annoying so they don’t bother us.

From a deeper spiritual perspective, however, irritation can be an important teacher and indicator that we are making progress on our path. Being able to remain centered and awake even when we feel uncomfortable is much more impressive than doing so in an environment where everything is to our liking. No matter how good we are at controlling our circumstances, there will always be factors and people that we cannot control. How we respond to these experiences to a great degree determines the quality of our lives. The goal of spiritual development is not to learn to control our environment–which is more of an ego-driven desire. And while having some measure of control over our external reality is important, it is when we are confronted with a person or situation that irritates us and we can choose not to react that we know have made progress spiritually. It is when we have mastered our internal reality that we will have become the masters of our lives.

The more we try to eliminate annoyances, instead of learning to handle them gracefully, the further we get from developing the qualities that come with spiritual growth, such as patience, tolerance, and acceptance. It is often in the presence of people and experiences we find annoying that we have an opportunity to develop these qualities. Fortunately for most of us, our lives offer an abundance of opportunities to practice and cultivate these traits.

Source
Daily OM

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Orion Dust Reflections

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2017 January 24

M78 and Orion Dust Reflections
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Burali, Tiziano Capecchi, Marco Mancini (MTM observatory, Italy)

 

Explanation: In the vast Orion Molecular Cloud complex, several bright blue nebulas are particularly apparent. Pictured here are two of the most prominent reflection nebulas – dust clouds lit by the reflecting light of bright embedded stars. The more famous nebula is M78, in the image center, cataloged over 200 years ago. To its left is the lesser known NGC 2071. Astronomers continue to study these reflection nebulas to better understand how interior stars form. The Orion complex lies about 1500 light-years distant, contains the Orion and Horsehead nebulas, and covers much of the constellation of Orion.

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Earth Sky News for Tuesday, January 24th: Asteroid to pass between Earth and moon

Asteroid to pass between Earth and moon

By in Space | January 24, 2017

It’ll be Tuesday night or Wednesday, depending on your time zone. Asteroid 2017 BX – found just days ago – is maybe about as big as a house.

An asteroid designated 2017 BX – found just days ago, on January 20 – will pass between the Earth and moon on late Tuesday night according to clocks in the Americas, early Wednesday morning according to clocks in Europe and Africa and Wednesday afternoon for Asia. Closest approach is 11:45 ET on January 24, 2017 (04:45 UTC on January 25; translate to your time zone). It’ll come within 0.68 lunar distances, or about 162,252 miles (261,120 km). This is the second time in just three weeks that a small asteroid will pass between our Earth and moon.

The asteroid’s estimated size is between 13 and 46 feet (4 and 14 meters). It’s Apollo-class asteroid, that is, an asteroid with an orbit that crosses Earth’s orbit.

At the time of its closest approach to Earth, its estimated velocity is 4.62 miles per second (7.44 km/s).

Slooh will broadcast about this asteroid, beginning at 5 p.m. ET (22:30 UTC; translate to your time zone). Slooh says that asteroid 2017 BX has been nicknamed:

… Rerun in honor of the beloved, late actor Fred Berry.

Click here to watch Slooh’s show

2017 BX was first observed at Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala on January 20, 2017.

The next time this object will close to Earth will be on January 12, 2070, when it’ll pass 37.9 lunar distances away.

Bottom line: Asteroid 2017 BX – found just days ago – will pass between the Earth and moon tonight or Wednesday according to your time zone. Closest approach is 11:45 ET on January 24, 2017 (04:45 UTC for January 25; translate to your time zone).

 

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says.

Article published on EarthSky

Your Charm for Tuesday, January 24th is The Grotesque Figure

Your Daily Charm for Today

Today’s Meaning:
The good spirits are pleased with you. This period is a happy one. For the immediate future these spirits will protect as you travel through life and reward you with moments of bliss.

General Description:
This curious wooden figure is worn suspended round the neck as a talisman by the natives of New Guinea. It is supposed to terrify and scare away evil spirits. It is also a charm for happiness and is believed to protect the wearer from illness, for the natives believe that illness is caused by a bad spirit entering the body. They are taught by their witch doctors that nature is full of evil, and good spirits, and much of their time is spent in pacifying the good spirits, and frightening away the evil ones.