Tag: Business

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

How much voice do we really have in our own affairs? How free are we to speak out on the things we know and believe and want to say? How much voice do we have in public affairs?

How much goes unsaid because it may be bad for business, or it might make us look foolish? How often we should speak up but think it is none of our business. How quiet we are when someone’s unethical hand does wrong?

What is it that inhibits us? Our own fears. Fear of our own ignorance, fear of losing, fear of the bugaboos we know lurk somewhere, but just aren’t sure where.

Who are the people who are free of fears? They are the individuals who govern themselves in such a manner as to have thought our their own ideas enough to be able to speak freely for themselves.

Ethics would seem to be something to ignore if you wish to be successful in business. Many people strive harder today than at any other time to divide their lives so that being seen in church is good taste, and being unethical in business proves they are shrewd. Being successful isn’t nearly as important as proving that they’ve gotten that way by the clever undoing of their opposition.

There was a time when building a better mouse trap by the most efficient methods gave us satisfaction, but too often these days we are impressed because someone is smart. Not smart with intelligence, but smart with the cunning that goes along with the jungle code of getting before someone gets you.

The person who tries to get ahead by ethical methods, and by wanting only to provide something better than is already in existence, must also be equipped to withstand ridicule.

Frankly, the race of the tortoise and the hare is still on, and while the hare is tearing around showing off its ability to be a fast runner, the tortoise is making progress, and never losing its way.

Socrates, being asked the way to honest fame, said, “Study to be what you wish to seem.” Success takes time and moral discipline, but our success will be as human beings first, and then the crown of success in business will sit easily and firmly.

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

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

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for July 30th is 13: Fellowship

13: Fellowship

Hexagram 13

General Meaning: Fellowship. When communal bonds unite people, great success is possible. But such bonds can develop only when personal interests are subordinated to goals that serve the greater good of all. The broader the basis for action, the greater the benefits that can be achieved. And conversely, the greater the potential good, the more powerful the support behind it. A spirit of cooperation steadies the boat, but it helps to have a beautiful island to row towards.

Learn to respect the strength in diversity, for a community’s true power lies not in its numbers, but in the diverse skills and resources of its members. Just as the stoutest walls are reinforced with many different materials, so the strongest groups allow differences to co-exist inside the whole.

With a unified group solidly behind you, even difficult enterprises can be attempted without great risk.

Daily Motivator for July 26th – Positive power

Positive power

Your most formidable obstacle is you. If you are unwilling, or filled with  doubt, you simply cannot get very far.

All the other challenges and limitations, you can find a way around. Yet when  you persist in holding yourself back, nothing can move you forward.

The extremely good news is, you never have to continue holding yourself back.  You can be entirely free of your most stubborn burden simply by choosing to be.

Your doubts are yours by choice, and you can choose to let them go. Your  apathy, lack of ambition, and negativity are yours by choice, and you can be  free of them all in an instant.

There are many difficult challenges to living a life of success and  fulfillment. Yet once you get the positive power of your own authentic purpose  on your side, you have what it takes to handle everything else.

Instead of being your own biggest obstacle, choose to be your own most  effective advocate and facilitator of success. You have the power to choose in  every moment, so choose again and again to live the richest, most meaningful  life you can imagine.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for July 25 is 63: After Completion

63: After Completion

Hexagram 63

General Meaning: It is a fine irony that after completion of some project or great enterprise, there is still much left to do. Completion is merely a pause in the cycle of creation and decay, a momentary still point for the swinging pendulum of life. Though completion does imply a period of restful pause — one that usually has been well earned — it is not an actual end, but rather a uniquely harmonious flat spot in the constancy of change and movement.

The image of After Completion is that of a kettle of water boiling over a fire. When the forces are balanced, the water boils properly; but if the pot is too full, it may boil over and put out the fire; or, if the fire is too hot, it may evaporate all the water. In the equilibrium that follows the completion of something significant, the current dynamics must be watched carefully to assure that a proper balance is maintained.

After Completion is the time for fine-tuning, for refinements and embellishments of what has already been accomplished.

Even if we are enjoying a rewarding situation right now, the laws of the natural world dictate that influence and success will eventually decline. So, don’t let current good fortunes prompt careless or relaxed attitudes. A successful endeavor or partnership needs to be carefully tended and maintained. What is incomplete should be finished, and brought to fruition without delay.

Take satisfaction upon completion, but do not dwell on it. To do so could bring a halt to your influence and capability.

Today’s Runes for July 24 is Uruz

 Uruz symbolizes the Auroch, a member of the ox family that became extinct long ago. This rune represents the strength, bravery, and endurance of this animal of old. Uruz portends the ability to meet problems head on and to overcome them. When the world was new, warriors used to test their strength against the Auroch. Hence, this rune has come to represent the masculine principle and the capacity to meet a challenge.

Daily Motivator for July 23 – Abundance of opportunity

Abundance of opportunity

There is no shortage of opportunity. The more you make use of the  opportunities, the more opportunities you make.

Opportunity does not get used up, no matter how many people make use of it.  When opportunity is followed and fulfilled, it expands.

Problems create opportunities. And then the solutions to those problems  create even more opportunities.

A meaningful, valuable opportunity demands much of you. When you give your  effort, time and commitment to the opportunity, it becomes even more valuable  and meaningful.

Don’t be envious or resentful when others create great achievements from the  opportunities. Those achievements bring increased opportunities with them.

Move forward with the best opportunities. And as you do, you’ll create even  better ones.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for July 21 is 17:Following

17: Following

Hexagram 17

General Meaning:  Following brings supreme success. You may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but by frequently adjusting your sails, you can arrive at your destination.

Those who would acquire a following must speak the language of their followers. Those who would be loved must become the envisioned lover of their beloved. Those who would prosper must bend with natural forces and the pressures of society. In matters of principle, stand firm; in matters of style and taste, swim with the current.

In all human affairs, change is constant. In order to stay fresh, old ideas and patterns must continually be discarded in favor of new ones. Only by being adaptable to the demands of the time can the highest good emerge. Only by adjusting to changing circumstances can you prosper. Remain flexible, and you will gain the confidence of those around you. Bend and you shall not break.

Today’s Runes for July 21 is Fehu

Fehu represents cattle the Norse symbol of wealth. This rune has some interesting implications based on the fact that cattle, unlike land, move about of their own accord. Cattle also reproduce, so this rune often speaks of wealth that renews or perpetuates itself. Wealth takes many forms, but this rune generally represents the value that is purely material or monetary in nature. Alternatively, this rune is deeply associated with Frey, and hence can be the harbinger of fertility and children.

Calendar of the Sun for July 21

Calendar of the Sun

Carista – Day of Peace in the Family

Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.

Carista Invocation

May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)

Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.

(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

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Today’s Runes for July 20 is Fehu

Fehu represents cattle the Norse symbol of wealth. This rune has some interesting implications based on the fact that cattle, unlike land, move about of their own accord. Cattle also reproduce, so this rune often speaks of wealth that renews or perpetuates itself. Wealth takes many forms, but this rune generally represents the value that is purely material or monetary in nature. Alternatively, this rune is deeply associated with Frey, and hence can be the harbinger of fertility and children.

Daily Aromatherapy Tip – Swelling and Circulation Problems

Daily Aromatherapy Tip – Swelling and Circulation Problems

 

If you stand on your feet all day here is a treatment to help with swelling and circulation.
Perfect for summer heat.

1 drop Cypress
1 drop Lavender

Add to a bowl of warm water to which about 12 smooth round pebbles have been added.

Roll the soles of your feet slowly over the pebbles for a few minutes, then dry your feet.

http://www.aromathyme.com

 

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for July 19th is 51: Shock

51: Shock

Hexagram 51

General Meaning:  One hears thunder unexpectedly! First comes fear, then a sharpening of one’s vision. Recall a close brush with danger — a falling branch, an automobile accident barely avoided, an escape from a potentially violent confrontation. Such incidents arouse every nerve fiber in your body in a brief wave of terror, but soon, once the danger has passed, give way to a heightened awareness of the world. The same process also occurs with other types of shock — the loss of a job, the sudden departure of a loved one, business failure and so on.

The lasting impact of a major shock can either be stimulating or debilitating, depending upon one’s strength of character. The critical factor is the ability to shake off fear, thereby transforming anxiety into a laser-sharp perception of the world around you.

When overtaken by crisis, the wise search their hearts for inner strengths in order to face their life with courage. This often means daring to take an unexpected path — to bounce back quickly and self-confidently after failures, to have faith in the eternal when confronted with death.

We tend to think of shock only in the context of unpleasant events. We can also be jarred, however, by the sudden release of tension that comes with unexpected joy or success. To keep your bearings in the aftershock of either trauma or victory, it is essential that your inner compass be aligned with ‘true north’, that magnetic force which guides you toward fulfillment of both your deepest desire, and your highest destiny.

Air Sealing Tips for Hot Humid Climates

Air Sealing Tips for Hot Humid Climates

by Chaya, selected from Networx

Since we’re now into summer, and it may well be a hot one  this year,  it’s a good time to look at home improvements that can help  save energy and  make your house more comfortable in those hot, sticky  months coming up. Air  conditioning installers in Miami and other hot, humid climates are going to  get a lot of work this  summer. How can you get the most from your investment in  air  conditioning?

The first thing that homeowners and contractors need to understand is that air sealing is really  important.  The most  common insulation, fiberglass, doesn’t work very well  when air leaks  through it.  It’s actually a pretty good filter for dirt  (you may have  noticed that it’s used for those cheap furnace filters), when you  cut  open an old insulated wall you usually see big streaks of dirt where air   has been blowing through the insulation for years.  Not only do air  leaks  keep the insulation from working, they let lots of humid air into  the house,  making your air conditioner work harder.  Tightening up those  leaks keeps  the house more comfortable, keeps the humidity lower, and  saves a lot of energy  in the process.

So where do we need to air  seal, you might ask?  Pretty much  everywhere, but let’s start at the  bottom.  For now, I’ll assume that you  have a wood framed floor with a  vented crawlspace below it, and probably  fiberglass batt insulation  installed between the floor joists.  Carefully  pull out the batts around  any big holes like tub drains, pipes, big wires, and  any other place  where there are holes in the floor decking.  Plug those  holes with foam  boards, spray foam, or anything else that won’t let air pass  through.  Don’t jam fiberglass insulation in the holes – it won’t air seal   anything.  Then carefully caulk all the small holes where wires and  pipes  pass through the floor.

Finally, make sure that all the  insulation is pushed up tight against the  subfloor and held in place  with skinny metal bars called tiger teeth.  If  you’re really ambitious  you could seal and insulate your crawlspace, but that’s a little too involved  for this post.

Then  you need to go inside and caulk all the cracks between the walls and   the floor.  If you’re replacing carpet or refinishing wood floors, put a   good bead of caulk or spray foam between the baseboard and the  subfloor.   Next, start moving up the walls, filling in all the gaps in  the drywall –  around receptacles, pipes, wires, window and door trim,  and anything else that  makes a hole in the wall finish.  You can buy  foam gaskets to put behind  electrical plates that will help seal them  from more air leaks.  If you  have any knee walls – walls between  interior space and attics, make sure that  they are well insulated and  have a solid air barrier on the attic side –  something like drywall or  foam board, carefully caulked at all joints and  edges.  If your house is  missing this, all the heat from the attic will  flow right through the  insulation into the room, making it really  uncomfortable.

Finally,  we need to fix up the ceiling.  This is where we usually get  the most  air leakage, particularly in the summer.  Go up in your attic and  start  pulling the insulation away from the walls, pipes, wires, and any other   openings in the ceiling.  Seal those holes the same way you did the ones   in the floor, making sure that you get all of them.  You should also  seal  the crack between drywall and the wood wall at the top – that’s a  big air leak  in most houses.   But the biggest ceiling leak is the attic  stair or  access hatch.  You can build or buy a nice foam box to seal  over the top  of them, but you have to be careful about putting them back  every time you go  into the attic.

If you’re not interested in taking on this project yourself, think about hiring a weatherization contractor to inspect the house and  make the repairs for you.  If you’re lucky,  your local utility may offer  rebates for doing improvements like these –  you can be more comfortable, save  energy, and get a little money back  in your pocket.

 

You Ever Have Days When You Can’t Win for Losing

Well that is one of those days for me. I am sorry about the interruption in posting today. We have some out-of-town contractors putting in fiber-optic cable for the phone company. It never fails they tear up something. The last time, they came through they cut the main water line to all the houses on my road. It was a beautiful gusher, lol!

So hopefully, they won’t tear up anything else today. Now let’s get back to normal.

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for July 17th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

It is written that where there’s a will there’s a way. If a desire is sincere and the results are for the good of everyone, the first giant steps have already been taken. American clergyman Joel Hawes has been quoted, “You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world, and you will be something – ‘I cannot’ never accomplishes anything; ‘I will try’ has wrought wonders.”

A positive attitude can be one of the greatest joys to experience. To begin a day by willing everything good, and meeting any obstacle with the idea that it has no power, can make some of the most sudden and drastic changes in anyone’s life.

To be something or someone is one of the strongest desires, but it does mean sacrifices of doubt and apprehension and feeling sorry for oneself. It means standing straighter when it is more comfortable to crawl. It means laughing instead of lamenting. It means thinking positively and speaking good words.

It is said that a great deal of talent is lost in this world for the want of a little courage. We often think of courage as the kind that wins wars and braves new fronts. But there is another plain, ordinary kind of courage that helps us face our everyday problems.

There is a surprising lack of this kind of courage, and it leads us to seek ways to dodge our responsibilities. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to face everything and everyone and take a firm stand for what we believe. It takes courage to admit we have weaknesses and needs that we must overcome. It is a daily fight to follow the right road when the wrong one looks so smooth. And it takes courage to believe, when obstacles face us.

God has given courage to each of us, for strength to overcome is available to all who are courageous in asking for help to be courageous.

*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*

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

 

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for July 17 is 3: Difficulty at the Beginning

3: Difficulty at the Beginning

Hexagram 3

General Meaning: Difficulty at the beginning. The birth of anything new – including any new venture or relationship — is an entry into the realm of the unknown. Strange new feelings can seem to be rushing upon you, and confusion can easily take over. But even chaos is full of potential if you harness it properly. Don’t rush things. Do not let events overwhelm you. Stay calm and persevering, but do take the first step. And get whatever help you can.

Challenges lie ahead. Now is a time to gather your strength and find courage. Like a newborn fawn, the opportunity for rapid development is real, but only by being determined can the fawn rise to its feet and survive to grow to full stature. Keep going despite difficulties and you will manifest the success you desire. One primary challenge is maintaining personal clarity. Avoid lunging at seemingly perfect solutions; wait until a good practical course of action becomes clear. Do not start a new venture before thinking it through. A careless step in the beginning can easily cause events to spin out of control later. Enlist the aid of experienced people.

Daily Motivator for July 14 – Whatever you can imagine

Whatever you can imagine

You are not your problems. You are not the world’s problems.

You are not your possessions. You are not your job title, your social  standing, your credit score or your bank balance.

You are a unique and beautiful spirit, immersed in a universe that’s  overflowing with abundance. You are a bundle of magnificent possibilities, with  the desire and the skills to fulfill those possibilities.

You are able to enjoy beauty and to give love. You can create joy where it  has not existed before and spread that joy far and wide.

You can brilliantly and successfully adapt and thrive in an endless variety  of situations. You can focus your awareness and your efforts to bring into  reality whatever you envision.

You are the wonderful and amazing person who can rise above all the pettiness  and succeed no matter what. You are whatever you can imagine, so always, always,  imagine the very best.

— Ralph Marston

 

The Daily Motivator 

Daily OM for July 14 – Earth Living

Earth Living

Following Nature’s Cycles

Nature, in all its myriad forms, is the most powerful force on earth. Although mankind has tried, we have not found a way to match its awesome power, but we have found ways to work with it. Science often confirms the wisdom of the ancients who observed and then harnessed nature’s rhythms and cycles to shape and enhance their lives. We can begin to do this in our own lives by first paying attention to our own natural rhythms, such as when we wake or when we feel the need to sleep. If possible, we may want to try to rise and sleep with the sun or live without electricity for a weekend and then monitor how we feel. We can make the choice to eat the foods of the seasons and to seek fresher, locally grown, or organic produce whose own cycles have not been tampered with by technology.

We can create harmony in our homes by making a smooth transition between our indoor and outdoor spaces. By bringing some of the outdoors inside and taking some of our indoor décor out, we can simultaneously enjoy nature and the comforts of home and the feeling that our living space is expanded. Then, whether inside or out, we can lounge on a comfortable piece of furniture and feel the wind, inhale the scent of deeply breathing plants, listen for the many songs of life, and observe the moon and the stars. As we do this more often, we may find ourselves noticing the pull of the full moon on bodies of water, as well as the water in bodies, or the music of the night acting as a lullaby.

When we seek balance in our lives, we want to balance not just our roles in life but also the natural elements in our spaces. Having representations of the elements in the colors, shapes, and textures of our homes will appeal to our mind, body, and spirit. We may find that when we sync ourselves with nature’s rhythms, we ride the waves of energy to feel more in harmony with life and the world around us.

Daily Motivator for July 12 – In motion

In motion

When you’re on a roll, keep going. When you’re in a slump, get going.

Get in motion and stay in motion. The possibilities are far more powerful and  more numerous when you’re taking action.

If you’re just sitting around doing nothing, you won’t be too thrilled with  whatever happens to come your way, if anything. When you get up and get moving,  you can go any place and experience anything you choose.

Being patient is admirable but being lazy is not. Be eager and persistent  about taking action, while being patient about letting the results come.

The way to have it done is to get up and get it done. The way to live the  life of your dreams is to bring it about with focused action.

Get the power of momentum on your side and keep it there. Get in motion, stay  in motion, and live life on your own very best terms.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Fennel

 

Fennel

Magickal Uses:  Grown around the home, fennel confers protection. Wearing a piece of fennel in the left shoe will prevent wood ticks from biting your legs. Fennel is also hung up at windows and doors to ward off evil spirits, and the seeds can be carried for the same reason.

Fennel is used in purification sachets, as well as in healing mixtures.