Tag: Meditation

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 27th

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Today’s Affirmation

As I begin to explore new territories of the self, the shell of my false self-image begins to fracture under the pressure of my growth. I emerge – newly hatched chick. I look forward to the adventure of learning.

 

Thought of the Day

The best preacher is the heart; the best teacher is time; the best book is he world; the best friend is the Goddess.

 

Today’s Meditation

The Living Library

Meditate on a vast library. It is a monument to the greatest minds that have ever existed – for books are living things, which immortalize the most profound thinking of humanity. Even the littlest book earns its place there, because the library welcomes all books that are well-intentioned. Imagine your own best thoughts living on in the memories of the friends and family to whom you have expressed them. Your words have seeded, rooted and flowered in happy recollections.

Wishing You A Very Happy & Blessed Sunday, dear friends!

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Today’s Affirmation

Like an ocean wave, my emotions come and go, but the depth of my being remains unchanging, eternal.

 

Today’s Thought

Moods pass through us like clouds across the sky. Allow them to pass, knowing that clear azure blue is the true colour of the spirit. All moods are transient,whether stormy and racing; heavy, dull and slow-moving; or a wispy veil that hides the sun.

 

Today’s Meditation

Reflect on Ripples

This meditation will help you to let go of past pain so that you can move forward with your life.

  1. Siting comfortably, close your eyes and imagine that you are standing by a lake.
  2. From the shore choose a stone to represent an event from your past that causes feelings of discomfort.
  3. Imagine throwing the stone into the lake and watching the ripples spreading in concentric circles across the surface.
  4. Allow any emotions provoked by your memory of the event to ripple freely through our body, before subsiding without trace. Like the surface of the lake you are now perfectly calm. By experiencing your feelings without resistance, you can let them go and move forward.

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 24th

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Sorry about running a little late postings these. My cable got knocked out for some unknown reason. You know cable is fantastic according to my husband. Yeah right! Again I apologize.

 

Today’s Affirmation

I am committed to finding the most worth while routes for my energies – I will work to transform my emotion into the exhilarating energies of the spirit.

 

Today’s Thought

“My heart, which is so full to overflowing,has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.”

Martin Luther (1483 -1546)

 

Today’s Meditation

The Complete Breath

This is a form of yogic meditation in which deep breathing is synchronized with arm movements to unite mind and body.

  1. Lie on your back with arms out to the sides.
  2. Close your eyes and focus on breathing through your nose
  3. Inhale for five counts and exhale for ten.
  4. Repeat three times, noticing the sense of relaxation that permeates your body.
  5. Take five more breaths, this time raising our arm over your head as you inhale and returning your arm to your sides as you exhale.

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 23rd

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Today’s Affirmation

My creativity is my spiritual legacy. I will use it to make gifts for myself and for everyone I care about.

 

Today’s Thought

Surrender yourself to the creative flow of the universe. Rather than shivering on the rocks, plunge into the pool and allow the images to cascade over you.

 

Today’s Meditation

Your Special Gifts

We all have gifts that we may not fully appreciate – unique talents that enrich our experiences and help us to face the challenges in our lives. Spend time reflecting on them. What personal qualities and creative talents do you have? Perhaps you are empathetic, funny or eloquent, a talented singer or a beautiful dancer. Acknowledge and cherish these unique gifts. Recognize them as blessings bequeathed to you for the benefit and enjoyment of yourself and others.

Designing Labyrinths

Designing Labyrinths

 

 

Labyrinths can be complex or as simple as a rock spiral. The rock spiral can be a simple as a widely spaced line of small stones that curves inward until a center is reached, rather like the design of a snail’s shell. The best way to provide for a working center is to first establish a circular space big enough to stand and move around in; center this over a power spot if you are fortunate enough to find one. Surround this center with a border of rocks, leaving an opening on one side. Then curve your spiral path out from this at least three times around the center. Be sure that the path is wide enough to comfortably walk in. Make the path turn clockwise.

In the very center of the spiral, you can place a flat stone. It does not have to be very large. Whenever you find such a stone, before placing it within your power area, cleanse it with a bath of salt and water. This flat stone can do double duty as an altar and also to stand or sit upon when you are working within your sacred space. There are some human-constructed flat stones used for facing buildings that work quite well. Stay away from plastics. Several bricks set up in a square or oblong pattern can be substituted; however, they are not very good at conducting energy into your body. The real stones can become power-sinks in their own right, drawing in and storing Earth dragon power or even the power produced by repeated rituals.

Much more elaborate labyrinths can be formed if you first plan them out on paper, but I cannot say they are any more effective than the simpler design. One side effect of such a spiral is an improvement of the atmospheric vibrations thought the immediate neighborhood, as well as on your own property.

Circle of stones will work in the same manner, especially if they are built over lines of dragon power. In Circles, Groves & Sanctuaries(Llewellyn 1993), Dan and Pauline Campanelli wrote of a man who built a wooden henge, as in Stonehenge, in his yard. This circular structure would work on the same principle as a stone circle or labyrinth.

Although the mere laying out of the spiral or circular rock pattern will activate and center the dragon’s breath energy, you might want to specifically tie it to your own energy vibrations. This can be done with a simple welcoming ritual. Using your staff, walk along the spiral path into the center. Take with you a small gift of herbs. If you have laid out a circle, choose one particular direction to use as a consistent entrance place. Stand in the center facing north and tape the ground three times with the staff, saying;

Arise, O breath of dragon.

Fill this land with goodness.

Bless me and mine with your positive energies,

And repel all those who wish to harm in any form,

I welcome all dragons who come to this place of power.

May we work in harmony and in love.

May this sacred spot become a haven of centeredness,

A refuge that revitalizes,

A door that leads to Otherworld knowledge.

May your power become one with mine (kneel and

Touch the ground with palm of your hand).

That I, my family, my community, my country, the

World,

May become whole and healthy again.

 

 

Tap the staff three times on the ground. Sprinkle the gift of herbs about your center space. Exit the circle or spiral with dignity and thanksgiving, knowing you have begun a neighborhood change in vibrations for the better.
Sometimes you will find a house or building that sits on a line of dragon’s breath energy. Some of the older houses that exude an atmosphere or either welcome or repulsion are often situated on such lines. Disembodied spirits or ghosts are frequently seen in these building, and not just by psychics. If the energy stream is a positive one, the ghosts will not be troublesome. However, if the sits over a black stream, one finds poltergeist activity, malicious ghosts, and a general set of negative vibrations that harass the family living there. It may be that these ghosts are trapped by the negative energy flow or that they use it to boost their own power.

I rented such a negatively situated house once and never was able to stake the energy line right or get rid of the hateful ghost who stayed there. One of the two stairways in that house was always as cold as the inside of a freezer, even on the hottest days of the year. The evil that was felt on that stairway made everyone, even nonbelieving visitors avoid going that way. I found out that forty years before, a teen-aged boy had died in the room at the top of the stairs. What his reasons were for staying on after death, I do not know, but the noises, evil feelings and trouble he caused were unwelcome. No renters stayed for any length of time.

Tracing flows of “dragon energy” is an excellent exercise for strengthening your psychic energy. The vibration of such power is quite similar to that felt when dragons are in the vicinity, so it helps the magician become familiar with the feeling of arriving dragons. Best of all, it is just plain, inexpensive fun.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 22nd

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Today’s Affirmation

My aim in life is to learn what I can from my experiences, to act on that learning and by my example to share what I have learned with others.

 

Today’s Thought

Like a shoal of fish swimming as one within the ocean, humankind is bound together by a common destiny. While finding your own path in life, draw strength from the knowledge that everyone around you is also on a journey. You are never wholly alone.

 

Today’s Meditation

One Step At A Time

Practice this meditation whenever you feel paralyzed by fear and unable to move forward with your life.

  1. Stand in the middle of a room, close your eyes and visualize the source of your fear ahead of you.
  2. Bring your attention to your body. Notice how you are feeling. Breathe deeply, allowing yourself to be with your feelings without fighting them.
  3. When you feel more comfortable, take a step toward the source of your fear.
  4. Continue to repeat steps 2 and 3 so that by gradually acclimatization you overcome the obstacles that prevent you from moving forward.

Once Upon A Time: Make Your Own Good Luck

Once Upon A Time: Make Your Own Good Luck

Author: etain.butterfly

After watching two episodes of the new series Once Upon A Time I remembered the old nursery rhymes I used to read to my children when they were young.

There was Rumpelstiltskin a tiny little man who spun straw into gold for the miller’s daughter, but for a price. The first time he spun the straw into gold she gave him her necklace; the second time it was her ring and the third time she had nothing to give him. Rumpelstiltskin made her promise to give him her first child if she became Queen. The tale continues…the King was young and handsome and saw the miller’s daughter leaving the castle and fell in love with her. They soon married and she became pregnant. Rumpelstiltskin returned to collect on the promise of her first born child. The Queen cried so hard that Rumpelstiltskin had pity and gave her three days to find out his name and if she did she could keep her child. The Queen was determined to change her luck. She sent out messengers all over the land to find different names. One messenger returned with a rhyme he heard a strange little man singing:

Tonight I brew, tomorrow I bake,
And then the child away I’ll take.
For little knows the Royal Dame
That Rumpelstiltskin is my name. [1]

The Queen was so delighted and immediately summoned Rumpelstiltskin to let him know she knew his name. “A witch has told you that – a witch has told you that!” shrieked the little man as he fled into the woods in a rage never to be seen again.

Beauty and the Beast is another fairy tale that taught us that beauty is only skin deep and that what is in you heart is most important. As Beauty got to know the Beast he appeared less ugly in her eyes. As the story goes, the Prince had a spell put on him by the magician because he was proud, thoughtless, vain and selfish. He was to remain that way until a beautiful girl consented to marry him of her own free will.

The Prince did not give up. He was determined to change his luck and break the spell. He succeeded and Beauty and the Prince got married and lived happily ever after.

These fairy tales always had an evil villain that made life almost unbearable and emphasized the determination of the recipient to figure out a way to beat the odds. Isn’t that what real life is all about? Well, maybe not the ‘evil villain casting spells’ part but the concept of triumph over adversity is the same. Life is filled with all kinds of plunges and how we choose to handle these obstacles is the key to survival.

As Witches, we have many tools that can help us on this journey we call life. However when things get really tough we sometimes forget to use them. One of my most beloved techniques is ‘grounding and centering’. It’s an easy ritual to use. You can take it anywhere and using this ‘tool’ can show results almost immediately.

In times of stress or anxiety, grounding is a way to release excess energy and allow you to calm down and think things through. At times when you need energy, grounding enables you to draw energy up from the Earth, offering a wellspring of power that can flow through you without exhausting your own resources.

Another tool that we as Witches have at our fingertips to help detangle life’s hard knocks is meditation. Just like grounding and centering, it’s simple and inexpensive and it doesn’t require any special equipment. You can practice meditation wherever you are. Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance. When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress. The emotional benefits of meditation include: gaining a new perspective on stressful situation, building skills to manage your stress, increasing self-awareness, focusing on the present and reducing negative emotions.

By clearing away the informational overload, you reclaim the ability to think clearly, allowing you to formulate plans that will help you get through the tough times. It is all about survival. There can always be a new beginning.

The concepts behind “Once Upon A Time” gave me the inspiration to create this poem:

Fairy Tales (by Terry Moore / Etain.Butterfly ©)

Jack and the bean stalk, Cracker Jack box,
Life isn’t a fairy tale; it does have some hard knocks.

Mary had a little lamb and little Bo Peep,
Sometimes things plunge and sometimes things peek.

There is Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and lots of happy endings,
So keep in mind when life gets tough there is always new beginnings.

Like hay diddle – diddle, the cat and the fiddle and the cow jumped over the moon,
Remember to keep a smile on your face, for your luck will change real soon.

For all things we cannot control, just remember those old rhymes,
Never give up, make your own good luck and create your own good times.

My Witchy philosophy is to use all the tools that are available to me to help me to create a life that sustains my mind, body, and spirit for a “happy ever after” in this lifetime. For real, life is not a bowl of cherries and I have experienced some really hard knocks. The key is that I did not give up. I got back up determined to create my own good luck. I did not rely on someone else to fix the bumps in my road of life – I used the tools I had within myself to resurface my own road.

Once I figured out that I have the ability to ‘act on’ instead of ‘react to’ those obstacles that everyday life throws my way, I learned it is easy to make my own good luck. I am a Witch and I am truly blessed. I am living the “happy ever after” in this lifetime.

Blessed Be.

Footnotes:
1. Rumpelstiltskin; Shirley Temple’s Storybook – Random House 1958

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for Tuesday, Feb. 21

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Today’s Affirmation

To be a good friend to myself I will, without harshness, see the truth about myself, no matter how difficult or beautiful this truth may be.

 

Today’s Thought

“He who knows other is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Lao Tzu (c. 604 – 531 BCE)

 

Today’s Meditation

The House of the Self

Close your eyes and visualize the exterior of a house. In your mind enter the house and explore the interior from the basement to the attic. As you look around notice the colours, style and overall atmosphere of each room. After examining each room thoroughly, open your eyes and draw what  you have seen. Reflect on the meaning of your house as a metaphor for yourself.  What understanding of yourself can you glean from this exploratory visualization?

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 20th

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Today’s Affirmation

I am lighthouse rather than lifeboat. I do not rescue, but instead help others to find their own way to shore, guiding them by my example.

 

Today’s Thought

I have give you words of vision and wisdom more secret than hidden mysteries. Ponder them in the silence of your soul, and then in freedom do your will.

Bhagavad Gita (1st or 2nd Century)

 

Today’s Meditation

Dressage

This is a disciplined form of horse-riding in which the horse responds sensitively to the rider’s wishes. The object is to achieve harmony between horse and rider. Imagine yourself as a dressage rider:  focused and present, you engage n seamless communication with your horse. Translate this into your relations with yourself. Be at one with yourself, full aware and able to choose how you respond to the world in each moment.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 19

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 19

The Old Man said, “you are both ugly and handsome and you must accept your ugliness as well as your handsomeness in order to really accept yourself.”

–Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

My Grandfather told me one time that any person who is judgmental to another is also judgmental to themselves. If we want to be free of being judgmental, we need to first work on how judgmental we are to ourselves. If we quit judging ourselves and start accepting ourselves as we are, we will start accepting others as they are. Then we will experience a level of new freedom.

Great Spirit, let me accept myself as I am honoring both my strengths and my weaknesses.

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Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 19th

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Today’s Affirmation

The well-worn path is comfortable and easy, but leads nowhere. The less-travelled path is stony and hard, but will bring me to peace.

 

Today’s Thought

“Our real blessings often appear to us in the shapes of pains losses and disappointments: but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.”

Joseph Addison (1672 – 1719)

 

Today’s Meditation

Your Guardian Angel

People of many religions report encounters with angels – mystical beings who rescue them from danger. This meditation introduces you to your angel/guardian so that you can call on him or her in times of need. First light a candle to welcome the light of your angel/guardian into our life. Sit before the candle with your hands in your lap, palms upward – this position indicates your willingness to accept divine intervention in your life. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax your body. As you sit there become aware of a presence behind you, exuding warmth and comfort. Feel yourself embraced by the presence. Draw strength from the sense of security this brings you.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 18

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 18

“Modern civilization has no understanding of sacred matters. Everything is backwards.”

–Thomas Yellowtail, CROW

Modern civilization says, don’t pray in school; don’t pray at work; only go to church on Sunday. If you don’t believe what I believe, you’ll go to hell. Deviancy is normal. Our role models cheat, drink and run around; these are the people in the news. The news sells bad news; no one wants to hear good news. Kids are killing kids. Victims have little protection. Violence is normal. Leaders cheat and lie. Everything is backwards. We need to pray for spiritual intervention. We need to have guidance from the Creator to help us rebuild our families, our communities and ourselves. Today, I will pray for spiritual intervention from the Great Spirit.

Grandfather, we pray for your help in a pitiful way.

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Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for February 18th

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Today’s Affirmation

“Our relationship is like a gardener’s microclimate. If the conditions are right, both of us will grow healthily. I will nurture the ground to the best of my ability.”

 

Today’s Thought

“The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.”

Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900)

 

Today’s Meditation

Open to Love

Imagine yourself as a flowerbud, head bowed, petals tightly furled. Gradually you become pleasantly aware of a warm tingle as the morning sun strikes the base of your petals. You life your head and loosen your petals a little. As the sunlight gets warmer, you feel encouraged to open further until your exquisite petals, delicate hues and intoxicating scent are revealed in all their glory. In the same way, allow the warmth of your partner’s love to open your heart, allowing its full beauty to be revealed.

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation For February 17th

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Today’s Affirmation

“The energy of the universe flows through me, maintaining my well-bein I release energy in ways that are healing for myself and the Earth.”

 

Today’s Thought

“Be really whole and all things will come to you.”

Lao-Tz (c. 604 – 531 bce.)

 

Today’s Meditation

Rainbow Meditation

Colours are waves of light energy that have direct physiological and psychological effects. We can use them in meditation to influence our feelings and perceptions. To perform this meditation, choose a hue that represents the qualities, you would like to cultivate in that particular moment. Then cut a square or circle from a piece of paper or fabric in that shade and use the shape as a fous for your meditation.

Alternative, focus on a coloured object allowing the color rather than the form to dominate your consciousness, or visualize a colour, allowing it to fill your mind.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 16

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – February 16

“One of the essential characteristics we need to learn as men was to be gentle, and to be gentle means to be serene, to enter meditation or a prayerful state in the morning and evening.”

–Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA

The most important talk we can do during any day, is to start the day with prayer and meditation. We need to ask the Creator to be in our lives. We ask Him to direct our thinking. We ask Him for the courage and the power to be gentle. In the morning quiet time, we make our request for guidance using our spiritual tools. We pray for the people and we pray for ourselves. In the evening we thank the Creator for the day, for the lessons and for the opportunity to be of service to others. Then we go to sleep.

Great Spirit, today, show me the power of being gentle.

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Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for Thursday, February 16th

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Today’s Affirmation for February 16th

I have a body but am not my body. I have a mind but I am not my mind. I have thoughts but I am not my thought.

 

Today’s Thought for February 16th

“If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”

Dogen (1200 – 1253)

 

Today’s Meditation for February 16th

Restore Truth

Our ability to perceive truth is often distorted by our beliefs. To raise awareness of your beliefs, meditate on a recent situation. Try to identify the beliefs that led to your actions. Now cast your mind back to your early years to learn the origins of these beliefs – perhaps in the messages given by parents a teachers. The greater your awareness of distorting beliefs, the more you will be able to perceive the truth.

In a similar way, meditate on the actions of a colleague or partner to gain greater understanding of their behavior.

Today’s Affirmation, Thought of the Day & Meditation for February 13th

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Today’s Affirmation

Gratefully I put my faith in the spirit. Here I find peace and the strength to deal with any adversity.

 

Thought of the Day

Without the spirit, knowledge would never flower into wisdom and incident would never flower into experience.

 

Meditation of the Day

Your Inner Sanctuary

This is a place inside where you can go to reconnect with your spirit. Close your eyes and visualize a tranquil landscape. In this place, imagine building a sanctuary that reflects the beauty of your spirit. The materials you require appear as if by magick. Once you have built, decorated and furnished your sanctuary, sit for a few moments inside. Feel peace descend as you connect with yourself once more.

Wishing You & Your A Very Blessed & Relaxed Sunday!

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Today’s Affirmation for Sunday, February 12th

“I close my eyes and look within. At the centre of my being I see a still point of light – radiant and pure. It is my spirit, the alpha and omega of my life.”

 

Today’s Thought for Sunday, February 12th

Beautiful music is a cleansing rush of water through the pipework of the spirit. It leaves you fresh and wide awake. Your energies flow freely and lovingly.

 

Today’s Meditation for Sunday, February 12th

Spirit Singing

The life-force (known as prana in the Vedic Tradition) is often associated with the breath. Improvised singing can therefore be a powerful way to contact and express you spirit – the life-force within you. Find a place where you can make noise without being disturbed. Stand with your arms by your sides and your feet apart. Take a deep breath and push air through your mouth to create a sound. Do not try to form words or a tune. The aim is not to make beautiful sounds but to express your spirit through your voice. Be aware of your feelings, giving them full vocal expression in all their rawness and power.

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for Feb. 11th

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Today’s Affirmation for Saturday, February 11

“I am spacious yet full of loving kindness; full of compassion, yet serene. I live like the strings of a fine instrument – not to taut but not too loose.”

 

Thought of the Day for Saturday, February 11

Our lives are like tapestries – each one of us unique and distinct, yet woven from common threads. The presence of these threads in all of us enables us to know each other as ourselves – and therefore to show compassion.

 

Meditation of the Day for Saturday, February 11

When people harm others, it is tempting to condemn them for their actions, little realizing that this response is harmful to ourselves. Use meditation to evoke compassion. First bring to mind someone who wishes to harm others. Reflect that it is not them but their actions that are wrong. Understand that these actions are born out of their own inner pain. Feel compassion for their sufferings and visualize a healing light around their soul. You are healed in th process

Meditation to Meet Your Water Guide

Meditation to Meet Your Water Guide 

Create a simple altar with a bowl of water and floating blue candles. Use a rain-scented incense. You may keep a chalice filled with wine or a favorite herbal tea on the altar. Take several deep, cleansing breaths. Cast your personal circle. Close your eyes. Visualize the gateway to the elemental realm of water. What does it look like? How does it open? Focus on your breath. Keep your breathing deep, slow and steady. See the gate open, and walk through it. Amazingly, you find yourself walking across the bottom of the sea, yet you can still breathe easily, encased in your own personal bubble. The sand is firm under your feet. Around you are bright coral shells, starfish, sea horses, and dolphins. Schools of brightly colored fish swim by. Walk slowly toward the figure you see in the distance. Focus on your breath. You are calm, relaxed and happy. Greet your elemental guide for the realm of water, and listen to what he has to say. When you have heard all you wish, thank him. Begin to walk back toward the gateway. Stay focused on your breath as you take on last look at the beautiful world beneath the waves. Walk through the gateway and see it close. Take several deep breaths and then open your eyes slowly. Write down what you learned in your journal. Close your circle.