Tag: Henry David Thoreau

If You Were Born Today, July 12

happy-birthday-cake

If You Were Born Today, July 12

You are a colorful, likable, and intelligent person, but you are not always well understood, probably due to a somewhat contradictory nature. You have a way with words, possess great wit, and your intuition is very strong. If lacking confidence, you tend to get into a rut; but at your best, you embrace your spontaneity. Your life path is not always easy, but with age and experience, you learn how to avoid worrying excessively about the future. Famous people born today: Henry David Thoreau, Bill Cosby, Cheryl Ladd, Milton Berle, Michelle Rodriguez, Topher Grace.

Source:
Café Astrology

Daily Planet Tracker: Mars in Taurus, Now to May 11, 2015

Planet Tracker

Mars in Taurus

Now to May 11, 2015

 

Astrological tradition says that Mars the Warrior is not comfortable in bucolic Taurus. The reasoning is simply that this planet of “go” isn’t at its best in the sign of “go slow, go very slow.” Earthy Taurus is a fixed sign. It occupies the middle of the spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) and symbolizes the sweetness of burgeoning plant life. Taurus doesn’t want to go anywhere. It’s fine where it is.

The challenge is that Mars doesn’t like to stand still. It lives for action, not the couch potato life of Taurus. It may, therefore, be a bit more difficult to get new projects off the ground. This is a period in which a solid foundation and a plentiful supply of fuel are required to get your rocket off the launch pad.

Mars is also the planet of anger. The Bull is basically a very calm beast. It can take considerable poking and prodding before its ire is raised, but when it is, look out! Personally, you may find this to be a time when you’d prefer to avoid confrontation. It’s easier to duck a fight now than meet your opponent face to face. Yet, resentment doesn’t disappear when the cause is not confronted. It just goes underground where it is much more dangerous than an open display of anger. But Mars in Taurus also needs to know when to end the battle, rather than prolonging it endlessly.

A key to success now is to be solidly rooted before reaching out in a new direction. When Mars in Taurus has its feet on the ground, there is no limit as to how far it can go. It is motivated not by hunger, fear or desire. It is motivated by the joy of building, creating and the intrinsic joy of the work itself. Taking pleasure in your job not only makes life nicer, but can make you much more productive.

Taurus, in the end, is about personal values. Actions need to align with individual needs if they’re going to amount to anything. It takes a great deal to move Mars when in this sign, but there can be incredible strength and endurance when the right path has been opened. Look at what you’ve begun recently with Mars in Aries (February 11 – March 22). This fiery sword has cut sharply, making room for the Mars in Taurus steamroller to come through. The road is wide, enjoy the ride.

A good many dancers were born with Mars in Taurus, perhaps a reflection of the principle of pleasure (Taurus) through movement (Mars). Among them are Paula Abdul, Maurice Bejart, Merce Cunningham, Shirley MacLaine, Rudolph Nureyev and Ginger Rogers.

Mars in Taurus poets include Robert Bly, Robert Frost, Omar Khayam, Henry David Thoreau and Paul Verlaine. Some not so sweet guys in this category are Nazis Martin Bormann, Adolph Eichman and Adolph Hitler, as well as Fidel Castro and Ruhollah Khomeini.

Taurus is associated with the throat, so it’s not surprising to find singers Belinda Carlisle, Celine Dion, Wynona Judd, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Ann Murray, Leontyne Price, Pat Boone, Glen Campbell, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Dean Martin and Graham Nash with Mars in this sign. Mars in Taurus painters are Salvadore Dali, James McNeill Whistler, Andy Warhol, Paul Klee and Edgar Degas.

Actors with Mars in Taurus are Tom Cruise, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bette Davis, Robert DeNiro, Sidney Poitier, Jack Lemmon and Charlie Chaplin. There is also that giant of jazz John Coltrane and the great spiritual teacher Rudolph Steiner.

 

@Tarot.com is a Daily Insight Group Site

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose cry was “Simplify! Simplify!” went to great measures to prove to himself, and perhaps to society, that life could be lived in the most simple manner and at the least expense. With only a few dollars he managed to provide for himself the things of absolute necessity for quite a long period of time.

Not many of us would care to exist on the absolute necessities. We have become too much accustomed to easier living. Things that were once thought of as luxuries are now considered necessities. And yet, with all of this, life is anything but simple. We seem to have the ability to complicate the best laid plans and find ourselves shadow boxing.

Like many of the trite old adages, “Life is what we make it,” is so true. By our own minds we accept of reject, by ignoring or by searching out the causes of shadows and removing the cause. It is whatever we elect to do about our individual lives that makes the difference. But we shall make great strides when we recognize the supreme excellence in all things of simplicity.

We don’t need to worry about doing without the necessary things in life – if we have a grateful heart. A grateful heart is not just remembering to write a few words to someone who has done a kindness, or saying thank you graciously and at the right moment. A grateful heart is the feeling of great blessing which precedes that thank you note and that verbal expression.

A grateful heart is one that always known the fullness of that rich feeling of first being grateful without cause. And then, all other gratitude and its expression comes naturally.

Perhaps true gratitude is a grateful thoughts toward heaven that I should be chosen to fill this spot, do this work, and have been given the strength to do it.

It was Romaine, the English theologian, who said, “Gratitude to God makes even a tempered blessing a taste of heaven.” We can have so much more heaven with a grateful heart.

______________________________________________

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

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for December 30

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose cry was “Simplify! Simplify!” went to great measures to prove to himself, and perhaps to society, that life could be lived in the most simple manner and at the least expense. With only a few dollars he managed to provide for himself the things of absolute necessity for quite a long period of time.

Not many of us would care to exist on the absolute necessities. We have become too much accustomed to easier living. Things that were once thought of as luxuries are now considered necessities. And yet, with all of this, life is anything but simple. We seem to have the ability to complicate the best laid plans and find ourselves shadow boxing.

Like many of the trite old adages, “Life is what we make it,” is so true. By our own minds we accept or reject, by ignoring or by searching out the causes of shadows and removing the cause. It is whatever we elect to do about our individual lives that makes the difference. But we shall make great strides when we recognize the supreme excellence in all things of simplicity.

We don’t need to worry about doing without the necessary things in life – if we have a grateful heart. A grateful heart is not just remembering to write a few words to someone who has done a kindness, or saying thank you graciously and at the right moment. A grateful heart is the feeling of great blessings which precedes that thank you note and that verbal expression.

A grateful heart is one that always knows the fullness of that rich feeling of first being grateful without cause. And then, all other gratitude and its expression comes naturally.

Perhaps true gratitude is a grateful though toward heaven that I should be chosen to fill this spot, do this work, and have been given the strength to do it.

It was Romaine, the English theologian, who said, “Gratitude to God makes even a temporal blessing a taste of heaven.” We can have so much more heaven with a grateful heart.

________________________

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

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for December 5th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose love for simplicity often took him into solitude, also wrote of the sensitive side of human nature. “The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.”

How easy is it to destroy the only approach to our true selves. And how often communications are broken down by the brutal force of “getting to the point” and speaking “frankly.”

The only time an agreement has been reached by the frankly route is when two people already believe in the same thing. And it is a most infrequent occasion when two people can meet head-on and believe the other honest because that person is direct and wordy.

More often, there must be some thought given to the sensitivity of the other person. First, that person is a human being with human dignity; feelings and thoughts, strong likes and dislikes. And it is a considerate person who has the sensitive perception and insight into the heart of another, and because of that thoughtfulness can be more honest and direct and progress by it.

Nevertheless, if one has to be constantly on the outlook to keep from offending a friend, then that person is not really a friend. It isn’t difficult to be a friend to someone who is endearing to everyone. Indeed it is a pleasure to be counted among the person’s friends. But it is another thing altogether to be a friend to someone who finds little friendship anywhere.

Other people seldom see us as we are. In fact, who we truly are is lost somewhere among our daily contacts. We react differently to nearly every person we meet. Their personality DNA ours may blend beautifully or they may clash horribly. And we can rather tell where the faith lies when we balance out the blends and the clashes. Are we easy to be friends with, or are we merely acquaintances and nothing more?

If people have to dodge around so many issues in order to keep us sweet, we need to hear some truth about ourselves. If we can’t do it, it may have to come from a friend. Then, we must remember the words of Thomas a’ Becket, “Better are the blows of a friend than the kisses of an enemy.”

_____________________________

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

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for December 5th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose love for simplicity often took him into solitude, also wrote of the sensitive side of human nature. “The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.”

How easy is it to destroy the only approach to our true selves. And how often communications are broken down by the brutal force of “getting to the point” and speaking “frankly.”

The only time an agreement has been reached by the frankly route is when two people already believe in the same thing. And it is a most infrequent occasion when two people can meet head-on and believe the other honest because that person is direct and wordy.

More often, there must be some thought given to the sensitivity of the other person. First, that person is a human being with human dignity; feelings and thoughts, strong likes and dislikes. And it is a considerate person who has the sensitive perception and insight into the heart of another, and because of that thoughtfulness can be more honest and direct and progress by it.

Nevertheless, if one has to be constantly on the outlook to keep from offending a friend, then that person is not really a friend. It isn’t difficult to be a friend to someone who is endearing to everyone. Indeed it is a pleasure to be counted among the person’s friends. But it is another thing altogether to be a friend to someone who finds little friendship anywhere.

Other people seldom see us as we are. In fact, who we truly are is lost somewhere among our daily contacts. We react differently to nearly every person we meet. Their personality DNA ours may blend beautifully or they may clash horribly. And we can rather tell where the faith lies when we balance out the blends and the clashes. Are we easy to be friends with, or are we merely acquaintances and nothing more?

If people have to dodge around so many issues in order to keep us sweet, we need to hear some truth about ourselves. If we can’t do it, it may have to come from a friend. Then, we must remember the words of Thomas a’ Becket, “Better are the blows of a friend than the kisses of an enemy.”

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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

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for May 6th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose cry was “Simplify! Simplify!” went to great measures to prove to himself, and perhaps to society, that life could be lived in the most simple manner and at the least expense. With only a few dollars he managed to provide for himself the things of absolute necessity for quite a long period of time.

Not many of us would care to exist on the absolute necessities. We have become too much accustomed to easier living. Things that were once thought of as luxuries are now considered necessities. And yet, with all of this, life is anything but simple. We seem to have the ability to complicate the best laid plans and find ourselves shadow boxing.

Like many of the trite old adages, “Life is what we make it,” is so true. By our own minds we accept of reject, by ignoring or by searching out the causes of shadows and removing the cause. It is whatever we elect to do about our individual lives that makes the difference. But we shall make great strides when we recognize the supreme excellence in all things of simplicity.

We don’t need to worry about doing without the necessary things in life – if we have a grateful heart. A grateful heart is not just remembering to write a few words to someone who has done a kindness, or saying thank you graciously and at the right moment. A grateful heart is the feeling of great blessing which precedes that thank you note and that verbal expression.

A grateful heart is one that always known the fullness of that rich feeling of first being grateful without cause. And then, all other gratitude and its expression comes naturally.

Perhaps true gratitude is a grateful thoughts toward heaven that I should be chosen to fill this spot, do this work, and have been given the strength to do it.

It was Romaine, the English theologian, who said, “Gratitude to God makes even a tempered blessing a taste of heaven.” We can have so much more heaven with a grateful heart.

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

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 Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for April 25

Today’s Affirmation for Wednesday, April 25th

I juggle the demands of my life with grace, catching balls that give me purpose and putting down, without guilt or anxiety, those that drain my energy.

 

Today’s Thought for Wednesday, April 25th

“Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of so much of life. So aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.”

Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 62)

 

Today’s Meditation for Wednesday, April 25th

Karmic Law

Within many wisdom paths is the belief that life is governed by Karma – the spiritual law of cause and effect. This law states that our actions in this life dictate the rewards we will receive in the next. Close your eyes and spend a few minutes considering how your actions impact on your own life and the lives of those around you. How would your life differ if you strived to be kind, generous and thoughtful at all times? Good Karma depends upon pure intentions, so it is important to try to release any thoughts of self-gain as a result of your good actions. Resolve that from now on you will make an effort to respond to all situations, whether easy or difficult, with consideration for others and generosity of spirit.

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for April 17th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

The greatest tragedy of life is not that we quarrel with our fellows, but that we do not take time to know them.

In his great understanding of man and nature, Thoreau wrote, “Let a man take time enough for the most trivial deed.” Take time.

How often what seems to be an unfriendly atmosphere is only a lack of time. Some of our dearest friends are hidden behind the mask of hurry. And we need so desperately to know each other.

Understanding comes when people are allowed to talk to one another. They discover the ways and needs, the loves and hopes, and the despairs and fears when they take enough time to speak of them. All these things that make for understanding and compassion come from personal contact and the knowledge and practice of good will.

People become more civilized, more peaceful, more as God intended them to be when they take time to make friends out of acquaintances.

To be a good listener endears many a friendship. Everyone needs someone with whom to talk at length on all subjects without later regret. It has been written, “What a great blessing is a friend with breast so trusty that you may bury all your secrets in it.”

And how often we need to be that friend and be the listener, and to make sure we are worthy of that trust.

Listening comes in many ways. We listen with all our sense, knowing many times without having to be told what someone’s needs are. Charles Dickens said that no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else. And it just may be by listening that we lighten another’s load.

Sometimes we listen with our hearts and understand in silence. Sometimes we simply have to put ourselves into a situation to understand all sides of it. And we best do so by listening.

All our lives we carry secrets with us that we long to reveal to someone who understands.

There are relationships in our lives better and closer than the ordinary. Closer yet than brothers or sisters are those with whom we can share all our secrets, we think.

What a sad state of affairs when life imparts that others cannot always be trusted. What a shock to realize we have given all our hearts and bared our souls to people whose curiosity was the only motive that compelled them to listen.

Phillip Massinger, sixteenth century poet wrote, “I have played the fool, the gross fool to believe the bosom of a friend would hold a secret mine own could not contain.”

Not one of us can testify that we have nothing within our lives and thoughts that we cannot reveal. And many of us have not expressed our innermost thoughts because we have found no one in whom we can confide.

As Shakespeare said, “Many a man’s tongue shakes out its master’s undoing.” Sometimes the loquacious tell their secrets not out of a need to tell them, but out of a love of talking.

One of the greatest feelings in the world is to discover we haven’t told something we cherish very much to someone we once thought we could trust.

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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

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for April 13th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Henry David Thoreau, whose love for simplicity often took him into solitude, also wrote of the sensitive side of human nature. “The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.”

How easy it is to destroy the only approach to our true selves. And how often communications are broken down by the brutal force of “getting the point” and speaking “frankly.”

The only time an agreement has been reached by the frankly routine is when two people already believe in the same thing. And it is a most infrequent occasion when two people can meet head-on and believe the other honest because that person is direct and wordy.

More often, there must be some thought given to the sensitivity of the other person. First, that person is a human being with human dignity; feelings and thoughts, strong likes and dislikes. And it is a considerate person who has the sensitive perception and insight into the heart of another, and because of that thoughtfulness can be more honest and direct and progress by it.

Nevertheless, if one has to be constantly on the outlook to keep from offending a friend, then that person is not really a friend. It isn’t difficult to be a friend to someone who is endearing to everyone. Indeed it is a pleasure to be counted among the person’s friends. But it is another thing altogether to be a friend to someone who finds little friendship anywhere.

Other people seldom see us as we are. In fact, who we truly are is lost somewhere among our daily contacts. We react differently to nearly every person we meet. Their personality and ours may blend beautifully or they may clash horribly. And we can rather tell where the fault lies when we balance out the blends and the clashes. Are we easy to be friends with, or are we merely acquaintances and nothing more?

If people have to dodge around so many issues in order to keep us sweet, we need to hear some truth about ourselves. If we can’t do it, it may have to come from a friend. Then, we must remember the words of Thomas A. Becket, “Better are the blows of a friend than the kisses of an enemy.”

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

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

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for March 17th

St Patrick's Day Comments
Today’s Affirmation for Saturday, March 17th

I have a wealth of knowledge and talents. Each day I spend some time in quiet contemplation to allow these riches to emerge.

 

Today’s Thought for Saturday, March 17th

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”

Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 62)

 

Today’s Meditation for Saturday, March 17th

Draw Spontaneously

Give yourself free rein to draw whatever images suggest themselves to you. Try not to censure what comes, simply express whatever surfaces from your consciousness. Now spend some time meditating on the images that you have drawn. In doing so, you may discover a deeper level of self, authentically expressed in the drawing.

If you are feeling adventurous, paint spontaneously or use another artistic medium, such as clay, to express yourself.

 

Reference:
Magickal Graphics

March 3 – Daily Feast

March 3 – Daily Feast

A great man once said that a human soul may be thought of as seeking a creative outlet. If that outlet is clear and free, all is well. But if the channel is clogged with fuss and worry, we can forget the creativity. Even in quiet, we can be in a frenzy. Quiet desperation, Thoreau called it. True silence comes from directing thought to quiet places and still waters. If we allow our minds to drift toward something that could go wrong, then it steals our peace and clogs our creative capacity. Sit quietly and think of softly flowing water, gentle breezes, and the call of the whippoorwill. Reflect on the joy of thinking freely, of unlimited vitality – and don’t tell yourself that it couldn’t possibly happen.

~ The American Indian is skillfully artistic, a refined sense that springs from deep wells of ancient vision. ~

MURPHY

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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The Path Of The Air Witch (Part 2)

The Path Of The Air Witch

(Part 2)

If you are friends with an Air Witch, prepare to be inspired. She wants her friends and loved ones to achieve their desired level of success just as badly as they do. The Air Witch gives herself to her friends selflessly. However, once betrayed, she will never trust that person again. The Air Witch is all about movement and she refuses to get caught in other people’s hand-ups. She is not one to give second chances. Because of her willingness to please, and the fact that she strives to make all things just, she may actually say that she will grant someone a second chance and then try to, but rarely can she do it in her heart. Once trust is gone for her, it is gone. She moves on.

The Air Witch is optimistic and energetic. She always starts off strong, even if her efforts dwindle later. It is the same in all areas of her life. Her first magick is the strongest, and she usually instinctually knows her element instantly. The only part of her life where this factor does not enter into the equation is in the case of first love. Once a relationship is over for her, it is over. The Air Witch does not live in the past, but in the present. The love she has now is the only one that matters.

The Air Witch can maintain her stamina to complete a project if she perceives it to be a challenge. Telling an Air Witch that she can’t do something is a sure way to see to it that she does. However, if she guesses that she is being manipulated in this fashion, she will erupt into a tantrum. She despises manipulative games and tends to see through them quickly, due to her own manipulative nature.

Because the air blankets the Earth and water, the Air Witch frequently has a large ego. She sees herself as above others and counts on her sister elements  to keep this ego in check. A key lesson for the windy ones is learning that they are not the only creatures that count. However, this position also grants the Air Witch the ability to see all sides of a situation. She is very just.

(continued on The Path Of The Air Witch, Part 3)

9 Natural Lessons For Your New Year

  • Christy Diane Farr

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The earth is a most magnificent teacher, not just of how to best interact with her but also of how to make our own lives bloom. In the spirit of the new year, of this magnificent opportunity to cultivate the life you desire, I offer you these 9 Natural Lessons for the New Year.

Lesson 1: YOU are not a weed. (You may just be a wildflower planted in a rose garden.)

Call it whatever you wish but our source makes no accidents. Too many truly extraordinary human beings are walking around on this planet feeling like they don’t fit, like they are broken, or that they don’t belong. I don’t care if it was your parents, teachers, peers, spouse, church, or the images portrayed in the media that led you to believe that you are a weed but it is a lie… and you have to stop believing it.

You are perfectly imperfect, just like the rest of us. You may very well be unlike the others but that doesn’t mean you suck, it means you’re a Wild One. That means you’re one of us… and your life is a gift.

 

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. – Rachel Carson

Lesson 2: You find what you seek. Seek intentionally.

I know it seems simple but seriously, it matters. If you want a beautiful life, look for beautiful things and wallow in them. If you want love, look for opportunities to be loving (in a healthy way). If you want abundance, surround yourself with things (images, quotes, books, people, etc.) that teach and remind you how to feel abundant. If you talk to yourself all day about how there isn’t enough time, energy, money, help, or whatever else you need, then you will absolutely find proof of that everywhere you are. There are too many ways for us to cultivate a different way of showing up in the world for anyone to keep living with the same old crappy life.

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. – Henry David Thoreau

Lesson 3: Your dreams are your plans. Live them.

We all want our lives to make sense. We want to feel like we’re making a difference. Still, I see people searching and searching for what they are supposed to be doing. What are you good at? Do that. What makes your heart sing? Do that. What was the thing you did that cultivated the most dramatic results for you and the people you were serving? Do that again. The answers are not “out there” somewhere. Your answers are within you. Look within. Ask questions and when your soul whispers… for the love of all things glittery, do what it says!

(And if you don’t know what that means, call me.)

 

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lesson 4: This is a lifetime, your lifetime. Calm down and be the real you.

All of these resolutions, goals, dreams, and such are just different words for, “I want to be me.” If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re saying you want to return to your true body size. If you want a new job, you’re saying that you want work that’s true for you. If you want to stop doing something destructive to your body, you’re saying that you want to live in alignment with your integrity, no more coping mechanisms. You’re saying you want to be you, the real you, after a spell of months or years of living like someone else.

This is about returning to your true self. It’s a journey, just like the road you took away from you that got you here. Be patient. Let go of the hysteria. Drop the desperation. Just breathe, decide what needs to be done, and take action–small, consistent, steps back to the truth of who you are–as frequently as you can bear it.

The more steps you take, the faster you’ll get home.

 

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. – Lao Tzuis

Lesson 5: Take only the actions that are true for you.

Saying yes is a sacred act. Your resources–time, energy, money, attention, etc.–are all you have at your disposal. Think about how you’re using them. If there isn’t enough of you to go around, it’s time to reconsider. Think about why you say yes.

 

I ask not for a larger garden, but for finer seeds. – Russell Herman Conwell

Lesson 6: Live within your means.

You have this much space, this much energy, this much passion, and this much money… Are you wasting your life stretching and searching, when you could be cultivating true joy right here in your real world? We all want to live well, there’s nothing wrong with that. But, so many are missing out on true love at home while they are out trying to conquer the next level at work. So many are sacrificing their health to accomplish tasks that won’t actually bring them a better life. To thrive in the year ahead, consider if the actions you’ve been taking are going to cultivate the results you truly desire

 

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change. – Buddha

Lesson 7: When life feels dark, remember the lotus flower.

During a particularly difficult time earlier this year, a friend said to me, “Lotus flower. Google it.” I did and you would be well served to do the same. When life is hard, meditate on this earthy lesson.

 

Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it. – Author Unknown

Lesson 8: Keep the promises you make to yourself… no matter what.

Once you decide what you want to be different, commit to reasonable daily action that will result in that transformation and then do it. No. Matter. What.

 

The new year is a tender time. Be still for a moment and enjoy the possibility.

Lesson 9: Make space for YOU in 2012.

If you’re like me, this door between one year and the next is a time full of reflection and anticipation. We make resolutions. We set goals. We dream. We intend to cultivate change in the gardens of our lives.

Then, we propel ourselves into the new year, into our big plans, and it works… at first. Then 12 months flies by (or crawls, depending on the year) and we’re back here again, reflecting on what was lost and gained, what came into our lives and what we released. We can’t help but notice how much changed in the past year, and how much didn’t change.

That’s right … we can’t help but notice what didn’t change–the book we didn’t write, music we didn’t make, weight we didn’t lose, trips we didn’t take, moves we didn’t make, debt we didn’t eliminate, relationships we didn’t nurture, habits we didn’t break (or adopt), leaps we didn’t take, and on and on and on.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Your home is your garden, and if you want to grow something new in your life, you’ve got to do more than walk around with the seed in your pocket. It’s time to clear space in the garden of your life, to make room for that seed to grow and bloom.

It’s time to make space for your life to bloom.

This year, let’s do it differently. You and me. Let’s create the space necessary for your resolutions or goals or dreams or change to become your reality.

2012- A Witches View of Life and the ‘End’

2012- A Witches View of Life and the ‘End’

Author: Fayte Ravencraft

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have undoubtedly heard of the phenomenon that is 2012. The calendar of the ancient Mayan civilization ends on December 21, 2012, and many believe that it spells out disaster for our planet. Others think that it will be a time of transformation and spiritual rebirth. Here is the opinion of one humble Witch:

I won’t lie and say that the whole ‘2012 hysteria isn’t a little scary. I mean we have several extremely rare celestial occurrences, which also coincide with this exact date, which seem to add to the possibility of strange or catastrophic events occurring. The Earth and the Sun will be perfectly aligned with the ‘Great Rift, in the center of our galaxy, and this alignment is said to occur only every 21, 000 years or so. The Sun will also reach its solar maximum, the peak in its level of sunspot activity. Scientists have noticed recently that the Sun has been alarmingly weak for this point in the cycle — the lowest in over one-hundred years according to one article—, which may mean, in my own opinion, that when the Sun activity does pick up, it may cause a little trouble here on Earth.

The Sun’s own magnetic poles are supposed to switch in 2012 as well, which may cause further issues here on earth. These are simply the facts. Not even the most brilliant among us can truly say what they mean because it has never happened before in recorded history, and all theories are just that: theories. I encourage you to do your own research before coming to any assumption, and do not panic about the ‘approaching disaster, ” because there is not necessarily anything to be worried about. You do, I’m sure, remember the same mass hysteria about the supposed apocalypse in 2000, which never occurred.

I say all this simply so that you, the reader, may come to your own conclusions as to what the future may hold, and so that you know just what everyone is causing all the commotion about. I have listed as many Internet sources as possible so that you may further research them if you wish.

It is my personal feeling that December 21, 2012 will be a time of extraordinary power, a time when the veil between the worlds will be at its absolute thinnest. The Great Rift in the center of our galaxy has always been symbolic of the creative power of the Goddess, the ‘Great Womb, so to speak. The fact that the Sun, the symbol of the Lord, The Great Rift, a symbol of the Lady, and our Earth will be aligned will have a significant meaning magickally. There will never be a better time in our lives to perform magick of all types especially that of the divinatory type.

I do feel like it is a significant milestone in the history of human kind, and that, for those of us who are enlightened and willing, it is the perfect time to reach the maximum of our potential. Being a time of great power, it is also a time when we can make a powerful commitment to change things, both within and without, and to decided just where it is we want to go with our lives. Any energies set to work during this rare alignment are going to have extraordinary results, so why not use this as a time to heal the Earth, and with it, all of mankind. The Maya knew that this would be a time of immense power, and both feared and respected it.

We have a great thing here on our planet, and we too often take even the air we breathe for granted. The gifts we have received from the Universe have been greater than we could ever ask for, and it is time now to realize that. I am not convinced that 2012 marks the end of our world, but I certainly hope it marks a great change within the heart of mankind. We must learn to be grateful for all that we have; our lives and this astoundingly beautiful planet, or we might as well have never been here. I hate to say it, but if by some chance the world truly does end in 2012, I am just glad that I’ve had the blessing of spending this life on this beautiful planet. If it doesn’t end, I hope we all do our very best to be more appreciative; we have a good thing going on here, and we get too caught up in the daily grind of things to realize it sometimes.

While I do not feel that the world is truly about to end, I do think that we need to start living as though the end of the world were today, because it very well could be. We have never been guaranteed any amount of time here, and should view every second, the good and bad, as a gift. If we could truly follow ‘In perfect love and perfect trust, ” and have that love and trust towards ourselves and our fellow man, we would truly be making the absolute best of our time here.

As the great Henry David Thoreau said:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Let us learn all that we can in this life so that when the end comes, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that we have done something that few ever have: Truly lived. If we can say in all honesty that we have lived a full life, then we cannot possibly grieve at its ending. We were lucky even to have one day here, let alone an entire life of loving, laughing and learning! The Great Cycle will continue eternally and we are all but small parts of the infinite cycle. When we embrace the entire cycle, life, death, and rebirth, then there is absolutely nothing to fear.

Nothing is ever truly destroyed, simply changed; and change, my friends, is a very good thing. Embracing change is embracing life.

Blessed Be,
Fayte Ravencraft


Footnotes:
Interview with NASA Solar Scientist

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/sthttp://www.witchvox.com/vu/fms/farticle.htmlory.php?storyId=128268488

http://www.interestingfacts.org/fact/2012-interesting-facts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4JuoBD56HQ