Tag: Advice

Daily OM for September 27 ~ Seasons of Beauty

Seasons of Beauty

Aging Gracefully

by Madisyn Taylor

As we cultivate our life, our beauty becomes as much about what we are creating and doing as it is about our appearance.

We tend to associate youth with beauty, but the truth is that beauty transcends every age. Just as a deciduous tree is stunning in all its stages—from its full leafy green in the summer to its naked skeleton during winter and everything in between—human beings are beautiful throughout their life spans.

The early years of our lives tend to be about learning and experiencing as much as we possibly can. We move through the world like sponges, absorbing the ideas of other people and the world. Like a tree in spring, we are waking up to the world. In this youthful phase of life, our physical strength, youth, and beauty help open doors and attract attention. Gradually, we begin to use the information we have gathered to form ideas and opinions of our own. As we cultivate our philosophy about life, our beauty becomes as much about what we are saying, doing, and creating as it is about our appearance. Like a tree in summer, we become full, expressive, beautiful, and productive.

When the time comes for us to let go of the creations of our middle lives, we are like a tree in autumn dropping leaves, as we release our past attachments and preparing for a new phase of growth. The children move on, and careers shift or end. The lines on our faces, the stretch marks, and the grey hairs are beautiful testaments to the fullness of our experience. In the winter of our lives, we become stripped down to our essence like a tree. We may become more radiant than ever at this stage, because our inner light shines brighter through our eyes as time passes. Beauty at this age comes from the very core of our being—our essence. This essence is a reminder that there is nothing to fear in growing older and that there is a kind of beauty that comes only after one has spent many years on earth.

 

Daily OM

Daily Motivator for Sept. 9 – Beauty itself

Beauty itself

You are beauty itself. Spend your days revealing that beauty more fully in an  infinitely expanding number of ways.

There is nothing to fear. For nothing can diminish the true beauty at the  heart of you.

How is it that you’re able to recognize beauty when you see it? Because that  beauty resonates with the beauty that is you, and you know it, and you feel  it.

Live from a perspective of beauty, for it is your most authentic nature. See  each circumstance as an opportunity to express the unique beauty that is your  life.

What could possibly be more beautiful than the ability to experience and  comprehend beauty? That is who you are, and that is what you do.

Live the miracle that is the beauty that is you. Give your beauty to life,  and it all grows more beautiful.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily Motivator for Sept. 8 – Delight in the beauty

Delight in the beauty

It is the experience of beauty that makes it beauty. Make life more beautiful  by appreciating how beautiful and precious it is.

Life is so much more than just a set of possessions and transactions. It is a  wholeness of experience and being that can never be fully distilled into words  or images.

Feel the wondrous aliveness of which you’re a vital part. Allow the beauty  that surrounds you to reach into the deepest part of you.

Give your awareness and your energy to what’s truly important. Let life see  and experience itself in the best possible light from your unique perspective.

This very moment is your opportunity to live with richness and meaning.  Breathe in the beauty and fulfill the positive possibilities that this golden  moment brings.

Delight in all the beauty. Let it fill you, making it even richer and more  abundant.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily OM for August 24 – A Chance to Contribute

A Chance to Contribute

Disarming the Know-It-All

by Madisyn Taylor

People that are know-it-alls are simply stuck in a pattern and may actually have feelings of low self worth.

Most of us have encountered a person in our lives who can accurately be referred to as a know-it-all. This person seems to know everything about anything that gets brought up and tends to dominate the conversation. They don’t take well to being questioned, and they have a hard time ever admitting that they were wrong.

Being around a know-it-all is inevitably tiring because there is no shared energy between the two of you. Rather, you become an audience member to this person’s need to be the center of attention. Attention and respect are probably the two things this person most longs for, and at some point in their lives, they learned that knowing it all was the way to get those needs met. Over time, they have become stuck in this pattern, regardless of the fact that it is no longer working. They may feel afraid of the experience of listening, being receptive, or learning something new, because it’s so unfamiliar.

On the one hand, when we see the childlike need underneath the know-it-all’s mask of confidence, we feel compassion for the person, and we may tolerate their one-sided approach to conversation out of a desire not to hurt their feelings. On the other hand, we may be feeling drained and tempted to avoid this person altogether. In the middle of these two possible ways of feeling, we may actually like this person and wish for a closer relationship. If we come from a place of kindness, we might attempt to bridge the gap that this person’s habitual way of relating creates. Simply expressing a desire to be closer may open their heart, and give you a chance to ask for what you need in the relationship—a chance to contribute.

The Third REDE – Lover and Beloved

THE THIRD REDE – LOVER AND BELOVED

For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth;
for my law is love unto all beings.

I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart
of man.

Moondaughter taught us that the ideal relationship is when two beings interact
as lover and beloved. By this she did not necessarily imply a sexual
relationship; in many cases — such as between adults and children or teacher and student — she considered that any sexual relationship would be a violation
of that concern for the welfare of the other which was the essence of the lover/beloved relationship. Nevertheless, the love between the Lord and the Lady
was for her the ideal toward which all relationships should evolve.

According to Moondaughter, joy is not created by an individual alone. Joy is
created when a lover has a relationship with a beloved. The beloved need not be
another person — an artist feels joy both when she has a stimulating vision or
idea as her beloved, and again when her vision or idea stands before her as a
realized work of art. In this, men and women are the children of the Lord and
the Lady, who also feel joy from such relationships. Whether or not the
relationship is sexual, the interaction of lover and beloved unites them into
one being.

The True Will

Moondaughter believed that at some deep level, every being intuitively knows
that joy is produced by relationships between lover and beloved. She taught that
it was from this inner knowledge that the Will of the individual arises. While
an individual may sometimes feel desires to act in ways which are destructive to
others, Moondaughter taught that the Will seeks that joy which is produced only
by harmonious relationships with others.

Since any relationship requires the participation of both self and other, Will
has both the aspect of seeking the welfare of the self and also the aspect of
seeking the welfare of the beloved. According to Moondaughter, these two aspects
of the Will are related and interdependent, not opposed. Since joy comes from
relationships, harming the other in any relationship lessens one’s own joy.

The Ecstasy of the Spirit

According to Moondaughter, it is the nature of Love to seek a beloved to love.
The joy that is produced by the Lord’s love for the Lady and the Lady’s love for
the Lord is beyond human experience, but Love is never satisfied, and so the
Lord and the Lady gave birth children who could respond to Their Love, and give
Them joy, and receive joy from taking Them as beloveds.

My own understanding of this teaching is that as an individual grows in love,
she expands her circle of beloveds until, like the Lord and the Lady, she Wills
the welfare of all that exists. It seems to me that when they first appear
tribalism and nationalism can be healthy stages in this growth, but they can
also become diseases which hold men and women back from a larger, and more
joyful, circle of beloveds.

I know from my own experience that each man and woman can be both lover and
beloved to both the Lord and the Lady, and that the intensity of this
relationship deepens as one brings one’s character into harmony with one’s own
Will. The joy produced by this relationship is beyond words.

Daily OM for July 12 – The Friend We Want to Be

The Friend We Want to Be

Evaluating Our Relationships

by Madisyn Taylor

Be the friend to others that you wish them to be to you.

 

There comes a time in all our lives when we may need to evaluate our relationships, making sure that they are having a positive effect on us, rather than dragging us down. Without realizing it, we may be spending precious time and energy engaging in friendships that let us down, rather than cultivating ones that support and nourish us along our path. Life, with its many twists, turns, and challenges, is difficult enough without us entertaining people in our inner circle who drain our energy. We can do so much more in this world when we are surrounded by people who understand what we’re trying to do and who positively support our efforts to walk our path.

We can begin this evaluation process by simply noticing how we feel in the context of each one of our close relationships. We may begin to see that an old friend is still carrying negative attitudes or ideas that we ourselves need to let go of in order to move forward. Or we may find that we have a long-term relationship with someone who has a habit of letting us down, or not showing up for us when we need support. There are many ways to go about changing the status quo in situations like this, having a heart to heart with our friend showing through example. This process isn’t so much about abandoning old friends as it is about shifting our relationships so that they support us on our journey rather than holding us back.

An important part of this process is looking at ourselves and noticing what kind of friend we are to the people in our lives. We might find that as we adjust our own approach to a relationship, challenging ourselves to be more supportive and positive, our friends make adjustments as well and the whole world benefits.

Your Daily Chinese Zodiac Horoscopes for Monday, May 14th

Rabbit

Don’t let a friend or a loved one convince you that their newest “cure-all” will fix everything from cancer to dandruff. It is one in another string of such things that trace their dubious roots to the infamous “snake oil” salesmen of yesteryear.

Dragon

This is not the best day to take a friend aside and confide your concerns, especially when those concerns involve their love life or their children. You may be tempted to offer unsolicited advice, and that is likely to backfire if you are not careful.

Snake

The family member who is in need of emotional support today is you. You cannot rescue everyone else, when you are dealing with emotional issues of your own. Right now, the best way to deal with your feelings is to confront them, and that may mean “telling it like it is” to someone who has not been paying attention.

Horse

Good news is coming in from friends or companions about an upcoming party or gathering. That may be excellent news, just in time to take your mind off some money worries or a dispute over a financial agreement that has you rather frustrated today.

Sheep

If you are looking for new financial opportunities, you may stumble across an interesting “Get Rich” scheme on the Internet that, believe it or not, might actually pay off for you … just not maybe as much or as quickly as you had hoped.

Monkey

An inner riot is getting deafening. If you are at all tempted to think that “it” – whatever may frustrate you right now – is coming from outside or is someone else’s fault, think again. You do create your reality sometimes, often because you need to learn something.

Rooster

It’s another good day to stay silent, but that may be difficult, because you’ll have insights that may be helpful to others. However, if you offer advice before you are asked, it is likely to go unheeded at best – or be thrown back in your face at worst.

Dog

This is not the best day to trust in friendly investment advice. Avoid those who may offer advice or ideas, but whose real agenda is getting a slice of your financial pie. Be careful when discussions of religion or politics roll around too, because you could get trapped in someone’s circular thinking.

Pig

Communications troubles dog your ambitions today. You may find that you have problems with cell phones, fax machines and networked computers. If you are creative, you may find an alternative solution that actually helps you make a better connection with a boss or important client.

Rat

Family members are making unreasonable demands on your time and attention, when you have other plans or responsibilities. You can put them off for a little bit by throwing on the charm. If that does not work, there may be confrontations when you are forced to say “Not today, sorry!”

Ox

You may be looking at changes in your spiritual beliefs or value system today as the result of some unusual information you get from a friend. Some of what they have to say could be wildly speculative though, so it pays to keep an open but skeptical mindset.

Tiger

A romantic relationship seems to skid to a halt today, but don’t worry. There are unlikely to be long-term repercussions to anything that is said or done right now, particularly in romantic or business partnerships. This is not a good day to sign partnership agreements.

To Become Open To New Relationships

Flower GraphicsTo Become Open To New Relationships

Items You Will Need:

Pink candle

Sunflower oil

Rose Quartz

The Spell:

Inscribe a pink candle with your name, then anoint it and the rose quartz with sunflower oil. Light the candle. Hold the stone in your hand, and visualize friendship and romance coming your way and new relationships forming.

Chant three times:

Open mind, and gain new life,

Gone from you, all stress and strife.

Open heart, gain life anew.

Accept all love that’s offered you.

Positive thought and word and deed

Enter now–of bane I’m freed.

Ancients, hear me–grant my plea

To new relationships, open me.

Place the stone by the candle and leave it there until the candle burns all the way down. Carry the stone with you.

 

Magickal Graphics

WHAT CAN ANIMAL GUIDES DO– AND HOW DO I WORK WITH THEM????

WHAT CAN ANIMAL GUIDES DO– AND HOW DO I WORK WITH THEM????

Animal guides can help you in many areas of you life whether they are of the
physical or astral plane.

They can help focus and raise the energy of a ritual or magickal circle.

They can protect you in your dreams, meditations and quests, as well as in the real world.

They can teach you how to take on their abilities through shapeshifting.

They can help you learn to take yourself less seriously (or more so if needed).

A guide can be your friend, confidant, sister, brother, teacher… They can be
playful, loving, protective and supportive. They will change and grow with you throughout your life.

You work with spirit guides the same way you work with anyone else, ask them for help, advice, or support, whatever you need. They will decide if they will do what you ask.

If it is for the best they will almost always help.

To talk with a guide, do a visualization in which you call to them.

They will come if they choose.

If they do not, try again later or try to work out the problem on your own.

If your guide is a physical one just talk with it. It will help if it chooses.

Talk with your guide. Ask it to teach you. Get to know your guide as you would get to know any close friend. Spend time with it.

You will learn how to work with it as you get to know each other, as you learn to become a team and understand each others needs.

Just remember to always, always, treat your guide with respect and gratitude for the help it gives.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for June 6 is 53: A Steady Pace

53: A Steady Pace

Hexagram 53
 
General Meaning: Like an ancient old-growth forest — where the subtle play of light, texture and shadows is the product of a process measured in centuries and inches — most things of lasting value develop gradually, at their own pace. The ability to learn from experience — one of humanity’s greatest capacities — implies constant yet gradual progress. The combination of stillness within and determination without are the essence of this dynamic. Good things sometimes sprout quickly; the truly delightful take much longer.

The principle of gradual development applies also to human relationships. For love and marriage or any important partnership to endure, progress must be slow but steady: slow enough to allow for the bonds to knit properly; steady enough to keep moving in the right direction.

You can’t expect to have everything all at once. Development must be allowed to take its proper course and allotted time; events must neither be rushed nor manipulated, but allowed to unfold naturally. In this way, you will come to enjoy long-lasting relationships and achieve success.