Tag: Psychology

Daily Motivator for October 6 – You are successful

You are successful

You are successful at being you. Even if no one else acknowledges that  success, it is real and it is yours.

You can expand upon your success. You can improve upon that success.

You have endured every challenge that has come your way. Now you are in a  position to move forward in whatever direction you choose.

You are a survivor, and yet life is about so much more than mere survival.  You are a dreamer, and now is the time to live your dreams.

Give yourself credit for the success you’ve already created and for the value  you continue to create. Then give yourself a meaningful goal that is worthy of  the successful person you are.

See your success, feel your success, and make the commitment to build on it  right now. You are successful, and this is the moment to live and enrich your  success.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Quiz of the Day – Are You Controlling?

Are You Controlling?

By Deepak Chopra

How much resistance are you in now? Our psychological defenses are extremely good at hiding this from us; by definition, stored-up emotions are the ones we can’t feel. However, resistance gives rise to a telltale behavior pattern—control. Having to be in control is a compulsion rooted in fear and threat.

Give yourself a point for each statement that applies to you frequently, most of the time, or almost always. Some of the statements do not sound very flattering, but try to be as candid and honest about yourself as you can.

1. I like to be in control of work situations and am much happier working alone than with others.
2. When I’m under pressure, the easiest emotion for me to show is anger or irritability.
3. I rarely tell anyone that I need them.
4. I tend to harbor old hurts. Rather than telling someone that he hurt me, I would rather fantasize about getting even.
5. I have quite a few resentments about the way my brothers and sisters relate to me.
6. The more money I spend on someone, the more that means I love them.
7. I keep to myself how unfairly others treat me.
8. If a relationship starts to go bad, I secretly wish I could take back everything I bought for that person.
9. If it’s my house, the people in it should follow my rules.
10. I find it hard to admit being vulnerable. I don’t often say “I’m wrong” and mean it.

11. It’s better to nurse my wounds than to show someone that I’m weak.
12. I’m a better talker than listener.
13. What I have to say is usually important.
14. I secretly think others don’t take my opinions as seriously as they should.
15. I have a pretty good sense of what’s good for people.
16. At least once in my life I got caught opening someone else’s mail.
17. People have called me cynical or negative.
18. I have high standards, which others sometimes mistake for criticism.
19. I tend to be a perfectionist. It bothers me to let a sloppy job go out.
20. I feel uncomfortable if someone gets too close to me emotionally.
21. After a relationship breaks up, I look back and think I was mostly right.
22. I’m neat and orderly. I like my way of doing things and find it hard to live with someone who is sloppy.
23. I’m good at scheduling my day and put a high value on punctuality.
24. I’m good at caring for other people’s needs, but then I get disappointed when they don’t think as much about mine.
25. I have a logical explanation for the way I act, even if others can’t always except it.
26. I don’t care that much if other people don’t like me.
27. In my opinion, most people don’t usually express their true motives for the way they behave.
28. I’m not good at handling noisy or rambunctious children.
29. I still blame my parents for a lot of my problems, but I haven’t told them so.
30. When I get into an argument with my spouse or lover, I can’t resist bringing up old grievances.

Next: What you score means

0-10 points

Your personality isn’t dominated by an excessive need to be in control. You are likely to be comfortable with your feelings and tolerant of other people. You realize that you are imperfect, therefore you understand the failings of others. It is easy for you to let events take their own course, and surprises don’t throw you off balance. You probably place a high value on spontaneity and the expression of emotions.

10-20 points

Being in control is a frequent issue with you. You have more fears and hurt feelings than you let on, but you don’t work hard to resolve these feelings. Being in charge isn’t necessarily that important to you, but having your way usually is. You consider yourself organized and efficient, yet it isn’t a major event if things get a little out of control. You have found someone whom you can be honest and open with, but there are limits to how much you can safely say or do, even with that person.

Over 20 points

You are a controlling person. You feel that control is necessary because people hurt your feelings a lot, and your memory of this goes back into your painful childhood. To keep from being hurt more, you try to control your feelings, which basically means you are very selective about revealing yourself to others. Your overriding need to be in charge or to have things your way drives people away from you, despite the fact that you work very hard to take care of their needs. The only emotion you show easily is anger or irritability. You constantly explain your motives and give reasons for why you are the way you are, but somehow this doesn’t help you get you what you want, which is other people’s love and affection.

Daily Motivator for Sept. 21 – Enjoy life itself

Enjoy life itself

The simple, common things in life can be just as enjoyable as the big,  impressive things. When you make the choice to enjoy life itself, you’ll find  yourself being lifted up by anything and everything.

Enjoy life itself, with all the ups and downs, and you won’t waste your  precious time worrying about what’s coming next. Relish the experience of life  itself, and every day will be filled with opportunities for true joy.

It’s great to have big, wonderful, meaningful dreams and ambitions. But you  don’t want to postpone your enjoyment of life until after those dreams are  realized.

Instead, find joy in the everyday process of bringing your dreams about. Find  your joy in the everyday moments of life itself.

You don’t have to wish or beg or hope or struggle for more. You already have  life itself, and the more of it you live, the more of its goodness you have.

Rather than putting conditions and judgments on your experiences, simply  enjoy life itself. And in that joy, you’ll find life getting better and  better.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Spirits of the Air

Spirits of the Air

The Elemental spirits associated with Air are called “sylphs,” and their ruler is name Peralda. The word “sylph” comes from the Greek word “sylpha,” which means “butterfly.” When you see butterflies fluttering on the wind, sylphs are inevitably nearby. Sylphs may be the easiest entities to invite to a ritual because air exists as easily in a tenth-floor apartment as it does in an outdoor circle. Sylphs especially tend to gravitate to creative endeavors, so they are most easily called by artists, writers, poets, and musicians. They inspire the creative spirit, much like muses, and aid in shaping clear communication. It isn’t unusual to feel a sylph touch your hand or toss your hair while you’re busy creating. Don’t be alarmed, they are just giving you some creative encouragement.

Sylphs stimulate mental balance, freedom and curiosity. They assist us in coordinating our perceptions and in verbalizing them. They enhance the power of speech, music and the written word, especially poetry. They teach us about the relationships between all things, which allow us to see and know the great web that connects all of life. This, in turn, brings about a desire for greater harmony. Sylphs stimulate creativity, intuitiveness, and inventiveness, and they awaken the intellect. They can open us to the realm of ideas and help us with mystical experiences and world views.

Like the wind, they dance on, sylphs are changeable, volatile, and occasionally flighty.

If you’ve ever experienced writer’s block, you know what it means to have the sylphs disappear and take their creative energy with them. But it’s easy to call them back.

Daily Motivator for August 24 – Positive example

Positive example

Don’t merely wait or wish or hope for the world to become more positive. The  world becomes more positive when you become more positive.

The experience of life in this world is not something that is imposed upon  you. Life is precisely and reliably what you choose to make it.

What you cannot control, you can accept, interpret and make use of in a  positive and purposeful way. Shine a genuine positive light where you are, and  that light will quickly spread beyond you.

Don’t complain about how bad things are. Imagine how good life can be, and  then persistently act on what you imagine.

Life is the way you live it. Live it well, with joy, with purpose, with care  and commitment and love.

Live according to your highest vision and your most treasured dreams. Be the  best positive example for all of life to follow.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

How To Create an Artificial Elemental

HOW TO CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL ELEMENTAL

 

You can create your own artificial elemental for

various purposes. An artificial elemental is basically a

thoughtform which has been strengthened with emotion. Refer

to the aura color chart in the previous lesson and decide

what color to make the elemental, based upon your intended

purpose. Apple green is a good choice for general purposes.

Then decide on a shape or outline. Do you want your elemental

to resemble some sort of animal? A simple circle or cloud is

a good place to start. With this in mind you can use ritual

to create your elemental. Creative visualization is good for

this. Visualize it glowing before you. A darkened room is

helpful for this.

 

Communicate with your elemental with telepathy, by

talking to it, or with creative visualization. Your

artificial elemental is closely linked to you and your

subconscious attitudes. It will generally not do things you

think it cannot do. As in any magick, results relate to

effort and belief. Another way of looking at an artificial

elemental is as an aspect of your personality (sub

personality) which has been detached from you.

The Second REDE – The Web of Life

THE SECOND REDE – THE WEB OF LIFE

There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet
have not won its deepest secrets; to these shall I teach things that
are as yet unknown.

Moondaughter taught us that the act of creation did not end when the Lady gave birth to the universe. Energy continuously generated by the loving union of the
Lord and Lady still radiates to every being, linking all things together in a
vast web.
According to Moondaughter, however, individual beings do not receive this energy
in isolation; it is through the web of relationships between beings that all
share in the energy of life. These relationships determine the character of
every being, and so by changing these relationships, we can change reality.

Magical Relationships

Changing relationships was the kind of magic Moondaughter most often recommended
to her students, especially in the early months of training when the focus was
upon changing the self. She urged her students to take conscious control of
their relationships with thoughtforms, and to make a magical act of their
interaction with others.

Thus she might advise a student troubled by self-doubt to cut off interaction
with doubts and thus deprive such thoughts of their energy. Or she might advise
a student to overcome dislike of a fellow student by making a magical ritual of
treating the other as a friend.

The psychological effects of such techniques are obvious — and not without
their dangers. But the effects of Moondaughter’s techniques were magical as well
as psychological, and under Moondaughter’s gentle guidance, students kept both
their magic and their psychology in balance.

For Moondaughter, the magic of psychological and interpersonal relationships was
just one example of a set of principles which equally applied to the
interdependence of the ecosystem and the invisible energies that we call magic.
In every case influencing the relevant relationships can cause change.

The Dangers of Magic

Moondaughter taught, however, that to exercise such influence one must oneself
enter into relationship with that which one would change. Since every
relationship alters for good or ill each being who is a party to it, every
spell, for better or worse, is a spell of self-transformation.

We were taught that in order to enter into a relationship with an other, we must
have certain elements in common with the other, and those common elements become
the initial basis of the relationship. I know of no magical system which does
not include operations which have the purpose of creating within the operator
herself those elements possessed by that force which she wishes to call upon, in
order that the resulting relationship will be strong enough to produce a
manifestation on the physical plane.

Since all beings are children of the same Parents, there is no other with whom
one has absolutely nothing in common, but the character of the relationship will
be influenced by the particular commonalties which exist. During the
relationship the two beings share elements, and so that commonalty which is the
basis of the relationship tends to expand.

Obviously this makes intercourse with demonic entities prohibitively costly, but
Moondaughter taught that the same principle is at work in physical world
relationships as well. Relationships, esoteric or mundane, change us.

Magical Correspondences

Moondaughter’s tradition, rooted as it was in rural life, made little use of the
more complex props and associations of ceremonial magic. Nevertheless, it seems
to me that her teachings on relationships explain well why ceremonialists should
make use of such associations.

Enhancing a working with the proper color, the proper incense, the proper day
and time, and a hundred other such correspondences increases the common elements
which form the basis of the worker’s link to the object of the ritual, and
greatly increases the worker’s link to the egregore of whichever tradition which
has handed down those particular associations. Likewise, Moondaughter’s
understanding of relationships would explain why clippings of hair or
fingernails, photographs, or objects closely associated with a person or place
could add power to a working.

Moondaughter’s tradition, however, made almost no use of such things. I believe
that, if I had been wise enough to question her about this, she would have said
that the Web of Life already connects us to every other being, and that the most
important common elements in any magical working are wholly within oneself.

Your Ancient Symbol Card for Monday, August 13

 

The Priestess

The Priestess is the Gatekeeper of the subconscious, the unknown. She travels in worlds which most of us only glimpse in our dreams. Her realm is that of unseen truths, untapped potentials, and hidden dangers. Purely Yin in nature, The Calling of The Priestess is to go beyond the obvious and visible to tap those powers which are veiled from normal vision. While she is passive by nature, she has the power to uncover unknown potential and is very aware of the infinite potential all humans harbor within them. She is also very patient. She can wait for events to blossom in their own time.

As a daily card, The Priestess suggest the answers you seek can only be found by looking beyond the obvious. This is a span in which you may do better by applying the power of your subconscious to your everyday actions. Your intuition should be very strong. Be patient, allow events to unfold and you will find propitious moments of opportunity.

Daily Motivator for Aug. 4 – Worth it

Worth it

A life of achievement and fulfillment is a lot of trouble and inconvenience.  Go to the trouble, and deal with the inconvenience, because it’s the quality of  your precious life that’s at stake.

Moving in the direction of your dreams can be complicated, challenging, risky  and tedious. Jump right in and do it anyway, because your real, authentic dreams  are worth it.

You must pay a substantial price to live true to your highest vision of life.  Yet that price is a bargain compared to the alternative of a life with meager  fulfillment.

Instead of avoiding the challenges and complaining about them, see those  challenges for what they are. They are pathways to valuable and meaningful  achievement.

It’s a lot of trouble to live with integrity and passion and purpose. And you  are very much worth the trouble.

A life that demands much of you is a life that offers the greatest richness.  For in meeting those demands, you immerse yourself in all that richness.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Egyptian Dream Scrying

Egyptian Dream Scrying

Ancient Egyptians believed in the power of dreams to bring messages from their many gods. Their methods of dream scrying go back over 5000 years and were recorded in their ancient texts and on hieroglyphic writings. Some of their techniques were later used by other ancient civilizations, as in ancient Greece thousands of years ago.

Ritual Dream Scrying Techniques

 

On the day you scry – find a place of solitude and remain alone.

Do not consume alcohol, eat for 4 hours before your begin, or engage in sexual activities.

Take a warm relaxing bath then anoint your temples with olive oil. You will need an oil lamp as used with lamp scrying.

On a short narrow strip of white linen write the name of the Egyptian God and the purpose for the dream scrying. Twist the linen strip into a wick and insert into the oil of the lamp. Place the lamp on a table beside your bed. Using the ink draw the image of the dream God upon your left palm.

Light your lamp. Kneel before the lamp. Invocation:

  Concentrating on the image on your left hand recite the following invocation :     Thoth, (use name of desired god) I invoke, blessed power of dreams divine,     Angel of future fates, swift wings are thine,     Great source of oracles to human kind,     When stealing soft, and whispering to the mind,     Through sleep’s sweet silence and the gloom of night,     Thy power awake the sight,     To silent souls the will of heaven relates,     And silently reveals their future fates.

Concentrate on your question. Around your left hand wrap a piece of black linen about four inches wide and about thirty inches long. The black cloth is called the black eye of Isis. – the Magic of Isis – or Black Isis.

Blow out the lamp’s flame. Clear your mind and go to sleep.

Have a tape recorder or pen and paper beside your bed so that when you awaken you may record your dreams while still fresh in your mind.

You will find that the dream will come to you in a voice that is clear and powerful rather than in dream images. Sometimes the messages are in symbols – cryptic forms. Take your time in deciphering the messages you have received. You may want to use a dream dictionary to interpret messages given, if possible. They are often archetypes from your subconscious mind, perhaps from an Egyptian lifetime.

Lighten Up – Modern New Age Affirmations

Modern New Age Affirmations

As I let go of my feelings of guilt, I am in touch with my inner sociopath.

I have the power to channel my imagination into ever-soaring levels of suspicion and paranoia.

I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else’s fault.

I no longer need to punish, deceive, or compromise myself, unless I want to stay employed.

In some cultures what I do would be considered normal.

Having control over myself is almost as good as having control over others.

My intuition nearly makes up for my lack of self-judgment.

I honor my personality flaws for without them I would have no personality at all.

Joan of Arc heard voices, too.

I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those censorious, self-righteous people around me.

I need not suffer in silence while I can still moan, whimper, whine (got any cheese?) and complain.

As I learn the innermost secrets of people around me, they reward me in many ways to keep me quiet.

When someone hurts me, I know that forgiveness is cheaper than a lawsuit, but not nearly as gratifying.

The first step is to say nice things about myself.
The second, to do nice things for myself. The third, to find someone to buy me nice things.

As I learn to trust the universe, I no longer need to carry a gun.

All of me is beautiful, even the ugly, stupid and, disgusting parts.

I am at one with my duality. I let it fight with my multiple selves.

Blessed are the flexible, for they can tie themselves into knots.

Only a lack of imagination saves me from immobilizing myself with imaginary fears.

I will strive to live each day as if it were my 50th birthday.

I honor and express all facets of my being, regardless of state and local laws.

Today I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there are no sweeter words than “I told you so!”

False hope is better than no hope at all.

A good scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.

Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day in my underwear in the Hollywood Cafe. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom.

Who can I blame for my problems? Just give me a minute. . . . I’ll find someone.

Why should I waste my time reliving the past when I can spend it worrying about the future?

The complete lack of evidence is the surest sign that the conspiracy is working.

I am learning that criticism is not nearly as effective as sabotage.

Becoming aware of my character defects leads me naturally to the next step of blaming my parents.

To have a successful relationship I must learn to make it look like I’m giving as much as I’m getting.

I am willing to make the mistakes if someone else is willing to learn from them.

Before I criticize a man, I walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he’s a mile away and barefoot.

Lighten Up – Helpful Hints For A Nearly Extinct Species

Helpful Hints For A Nearly Extinct Species

by Haragano

Let’s get down to basics. Being the leader of a group is more than just the hard work of raising dust devils in the back yard or zapping a friend’s TV antenna so they can get HBO. Leading a group offers a lot of perks. You get a lot of ego strokes, you get to divide up babies just like Solomon and you even get to keep the leftovers from the potlucks at moon feasts. After all you have put in a lot of long, hard hours and cashed in a lot of empties to win the coveted title of “High Poop-di Ha of the Infinite Invisibility”. And you want to keep it! The bottom line, the final word in keeping your position on top of the heap is spelled P-O-W-E-R. These hints are concerned with helping you keep it.

In the busy modern craft of today there are many ways that your power base can be eroded. The two most likely ways you can end up preaching to an empty circle are through the insidious inroads made by INFORMATION and DISCUSSION. These twin curses have upset more High Poop-di-Has than Carter has little liver pills.

On Information

Information is the worst threat. The more a follower is acquainted with history, anthropology, psychology, socio-dynamics…really, any area that requires an individual to exert himself mentally, you are in for questions you don’t really want to answer. The very best way to deal with this sticky situation is to avoid it. Recruit the immature and the fanatic. They don’t bring really tasty goodies to feasts, but they are good ego boosters. They are expendable and fiercely loyal for no particular reason.

If you find you are being pestered by an “intellect” (they should have never gotten through your screening) you have to quickly learn to manage information more effectively. Don’t worry. Managing information is easier than it seems. Newscasters do it every night. First, Adopt an attitude of “ask me anything”, then make sure you don’t have any answers and don’t know where to get them. Create a vacuum! Yes, nature abhors a vacuum but it is your strongest weapon in the war for ignorance. Second is the wild goose chase, a tried and true method of dealing with anyone who persists in asking questions. Send a troublesome individual on a few of these. Tire them out, and they will go away sooner or later. When they leave, the stage is set for you to shake your head solemnly and expound at length on how they were not ready to learn what you had to offer. This act is very impressive to newcomers.

Reassure your followers that they don’t have to keep up on current thoughts in and about the craft. After all, books and  magazine subscriptions  are expensive. Imply that they will learn all that they need from you by hinting at the “secrets of the craft” that yet await them. If they are adamant about reading, call their attention only to those items that reinforce your point of view (you need all the backup you can get). The Xian (as in Xmas) fundamentalists have developed this sort of information management into an art form. “Information Management is next to Godliness”. I’m sure Mr. Falwell has that embroidered on a pillow slip somewhere. You might want to write him for a needlepoint kit.

On to Discussion…

Discussion with other groups must be limited. If they don’t share your point of view, all contact with them should be eliminated. After all, your immature followers do mature and fanatics mellow out. The free exchange of differing ideas has a justifiably bad reputation for expanding an individuals craft viewpoint. And THAT is deadly to the sacred position of High Poop-di Ha.

There is an effective means of terminating troublesome contacts with other groups, while at the same time confirming your position as the center of attention. It is the practice of the “Fine Art of Self-Righteous Indignation”! The premier example of this was the medieval Church. When it met with a conflicting view, such as a scholar pointing out that the Church was rewriting history or physics, the Church would denounce him as a “minion of Satan”. Usually the scholar was hauled off and put to the Question. What’s the truth, more or less, compared to the self Righteous Indignation of God’s Chosen…right?

Remember, you have to slam the door tightly on any new ideas! This takes dramatic measures. You don’t want conflicting information coming in, and you certainly don’t want your s/h/e/e/p/ followers wandering off.

Pick a public occasion and invade a circle or burst into a study group. Most importantly, make sure your group is around you. After all, the coming performance is really for them. Rant, pound your breast, whatever you need to do, to get across the idea of YOU as the poor, persecuted victim. Make this crystal clear to your group and they will stick to you like you were dipped in crazy glue. If anyone in your group has ever had a course in group dynamics, send them on a wild goose chase that evening. They might tumble to what you are up to, and besides they are probably asking too many questions anyway.

When facing the m/i/n/i/o/n/s/o/f/S/a/t/a/n/ opposing group, be personally offensive if you can. Call them picky, heretical, egotistical, perverse, etc. Anything you can get away with (wailing in the background is a nice touch). To keep your group successfully insulated from differing ideas, you have to clearly label the opposition in the minds of your followers. People just LOVE tags! Now, this next point is important, so listen up! You must make it clear that you want no further contact with the opposing group. Try to affect a tone in your voice that conveys “this is a regrettable decision but it just has to be”, like the tone Billy Graham takes on when he talks about sinners. This gives you a twofold bonus. First, it gets the word to “them” in no uncertain terms and, second, it gets the word to your people that it would not be wise for anyone who wants to remain a part of your group to have any contact with “those” you have just judged unacceptable. This sort of frontal assault generally alienates both groups as well as every individual in them. There will be no information exchange, no open discussion and very little growth. But what do you care, you’re safe.

One warning though; If for any reason you think the other group will simply laugh at your overacting, don’t chance a face-to-face confrontation. Keep the performance within your own group. If you have been a good information manager that should be effective enough.

Although you are one of the last “High Poop-di-Ha’s of the Infinite Invisibility” in the craft, you belong to an ancient society that can be traced through most of the world’s major religions. You exemplify rigidity, closed-mindedness and religious manipulation. You have a lot to be self-righteous about! In order to prevent your kind from dying out completely, you have to remember to stringently restrict the information flow to your group and terminate all open discussions with outsiders holding differing views. If you take to heart these few pointers you won’t go the way of the Great Auk and the Passenger Pigeon.

Quiz of the Day – Are You a Tracker or a Dreamer?

Are You a Tracker or a Dreamer? Quiz

  • Annie B. Bond

Trackers and dreamers experience energy very differently and connect to the  world in very different ways: trackers plan and carry out their plans, where  dreamers jump into reality without regard for plans. See if you are more of a  dreamer or a tracker with this fun quiz:

Examine these pairs of statements and see which of each pair sounds most like  you:

I purposefully consolidate energy. I keep awareness open to radical  transformation.

I develop flexibility and fluency among different worlds. I am often  black-and-white, totally in perspective or totally out of it.

I tend to be lighthearted. I often become morose or obsessed, seemingly  lost within the energies of my world.

I find knowledge through shifting social identities. I find knowledge  through shifting the various dreams of reality.

I find meaning in stability, then hook dreaming into the physical and build  it from there. I take my awareness, fixate on it, then project that onto  others.

I have a difficult time accessing the full robustness of dreaming. I have  a difficult time relating to what I consider the limitations of the physical  world and the requirements of building something over time.

I isolate components of a problem, then apply strategic pressure to open  doors. I sense options, then open doors.

I need training to stretch my energy body. I need training to get down to  earth.

I may get lost in the nuances of my wondrous accomplishments. I may get  lost in the currents of my own dreams.

If you identified more with the first statement of each pair, you are a  Tracker. If you related more to the second, you are a  Dreamer.

Daily OM for July 9 – Returning To Creative Dreams

Returning to Creative Dreams

Return and Reclaim

by Madisyn Taylor

 

Take the time to reclaim your creativity and watch your life blossom as a result.

 

As children, many of us entertained fantasies or even goals of being an actor, singer, dancer, artist, or musician. In some cases, we received enough encouragement to develop our abilities in those creative arenas, but somewhere along the way we stopped. This stopping may have been due to circumstances beyond our control or to our own unconscious acts of self-sabotage. Being creative can be scary in a world that seems to value logic over imagination and practicality over dreaming. We can forgive ourselves for shutting down or turning our attention away from our inner artist, but perhaps we can also take steps to reclaim our dreams.

In certain times and places, developing a creative ability was considered an important part of being a well-rounded human being. It was not necessary to be a professional or a masterly genius, because the act of creativity was valued in and of itself. It gifts are manifold—from the sheer pleasure of allowing our imaginations free reign to sharing and enjoying the fruits of our labor. Children share drawings and songs freely, without self-consciousness, and there is no reason why we cannot do the same thing. You may already be remembering some lost form of expression, such as making jewelry or writing songs. Your soul may be responding with an energetic lift as it feels its way back to a time when it was allowed to express itself freely. Your brain, on the other hand, may be throwing up obstacles, like the idea that you are too old or do not have the time.

The truth is, you are not too old, and if you have time to pick up a pen, you have time to make a doodle or write a haiku. Recognize that the obstacles you find before you have arisen from a place of fear and that they will wane in power every time you do something creative. Each creative act takes you deeper into a realm of beauty and magic, a realm that you have every right to return to and reclaim.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for June 20 is 12: Standstill

12: Standstill

Hexagram 12

General Meaning: A state of standstill is a state of decline. Confusion and disorder prevail. Inferior elements are on the rise, while the powers of clarity and creativity are waning. In such times, the wise take shelter in their own integrity and quietly remain faithful to their highest selves. Retreat from public activities and common exchanges until the time once again favors assertive action.

During periods of stagnation, inferior elements can rise to power. When the inmates are overrunning the asylum, summon up your fortitude, hide your worth and withdraw. Concentrate on your personal affairs with a quiet dignity, even if that means giving up short-term rewards.

Desiring to change a situation too quickly often creates extra conflict. By accepting hardship, while striving to maintain integrity, you are preparing for future growth. A seed of prosperity is often hidden inside the husk of misfortune.