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The Ho’Oponopono: Ancient Rite of Forgiveness

The Ho’Oponopono: The Ancient Rite of Forgiveness

Do you ever get the unshakable feeling of being unwanted or unwelcome around specific people or in a certain environment? Do you ever avoid attending certain events or being around a select group of people because there is “bad blood?” Whether you are at the center of these negative feelings or removed by a degree or two, the effects of grudges and unforgiveness are strong, widespread, and life-changing.

In an unsavory situation such as this, everyone involved can own up to some responsibility. You might have been the one who made the first mistake and then was shunned. You might be the one shunning. Either way, both parties are perpetuating the issue by not taking responsibility for their actions. With both parties unwilling to confront the issue, grudges and negative feelings can last a lifetime and lead to many missed opportunities and ruined experiences.

If you are ready to take control of your side of the situation, it’s time to learn from the masters of forgiveness. Whether or not the other side is ready or willing to move on, you can begin practicing Ho’Oponopono, the ancient Hawaiin rite of forgiveness.

What is Ho’Oponopono?

In Hawaii, “Ho’Oponopono” means “to make things right” or to “move things back into balance.” Unlike other understandings of “making things right,” this ancient ritual is focused on the self and introspection. Many people might think that confrontation with the other party and working things out verbally is the only way to reach forgiveness, but the Hawaiians believe that self-love is at the center of life’s balance in this ritual.

Without any intervention or knowledge of the other party, you can practice Ho’Oponopono by yourself. This ritual cleanses the body of all those negative feelings left over by unfortunate events and helps you to rid yourself of your guilt. This ritual is especially powerful for those who need to forgive themselves, even if the only wrong they committed was to themselves.

How Do I Do the Ho’Oponopono Ritual?

Forgiveness can seem extremely complicated, but the beauty of the Ho’Oponopono ritual is that it’s simple. The ritual is a manta made of four phrases that you can repeat to yourself as much as you need, as often as you need to. Find comfort in a still position, and close your eyes. If you think you need more confrontation with yourself, I like to look at myself in the mirror! Do what you’re comfortable with and go at your own pace.

The next step is to really visualize who you need forgiveness from. If you have wronged someone a long time ago, it’s time to confront them in your mind. You might never be able to face them again, but this ritual will allow you to ask for that forgiveness, and on some level, that person will feel the effects of this powerful ritual, too. If you need forgiveness from yourself, this ritual is an extremely powerful way to begin that healing process and jumpstart your journey towards wholeness and gentle self-love.

When you’re ready, repeat this mantra:

“I love you. I’m sorry. Please Forgive me. Thank you.”

This mantra might come in different forms for different people. If you are struggling to forgive yourself because you don’t have any self-love, it’s important to begin this ritual with “I love you.” Make sure you say it over and over until you start to feel its effects. Make sure you really mean each phrase as you say it.

For others, saying “I’m sorry” might be the biggest struggle. Having a hard time admitting guilt is common, so focusing on “I’m sorry” first could be most important. It is only by breaking down the first wall that we can continue to the next.

Repeating this mantra will help you dive deeper into the meaning of the mantra and slowly cleanse yourself of the guilt and pain. Now, you can begin to heal.

Benefits of the Ho’Oponopono Ritual

Beyond getting past an awkward or unfortunate mistake in the past is just one reason why you should practice the ancient rite of forgiveness. There are so many benefits to performing frequent forgiveness rituals that even fairly content and healthy people should still consider trying Ho’Oponopono!

Self-Love

At the center of this ancient Hawaiin rite of forgiveness is self-love. Learning to love yourself is the first step of many aspects of your life’s journey. Without self-love, every effort and action you take is rooted in hurt and a misunderstanding of yourself. You won’t ever get to know your needs or embrace your true self. How can you ever reach your goals and enjoy life without first discovering and loving yourself?

Sitting quietly in reflection or staring yourself in the face while repeating these mantras can help you delve into yourself and begin breaking down walls. Extend yourself an embrace and accept every edge and corner. By being more loving to yourself, you can also more fully give of yourself to others.

Letting Go of the Past

Many of us live in our past. We think too much about where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and who we’ve met along the way. Because of this, we are creatures of habit and tend to sulk in the darker corners of our minds. We struggle to break the chains of past faults and broken relationships.

Forgiveness requires us to let go of the past, and ultimately, the past doesn’t exist! The past is made up of our memories, many of them faulty and distorted due to our emotions and perceptions. The sooner we accept that the past doesn’t exist and cannot come back to do us any more harm, the sooner we can move on from our guilt and negative experiences.

Improve Mindfulness

Mantras and meditation of any kind are wonderful ways to improve our mindfulness. Not only does Ho’Oponopono help us to forgive ourselves and move on from the past, but it helps us to better root ourselves in the present. Making a point to set an alarm or stop to reflect each day pulls us from our busy routines and forces us to live in the present. The Ho’Oponopono ritual forces us to reflect on ourselves and be with ourselves in the now.

While we’re practicing this ancient ritual, we’re also given the opportunity to check in with ourselves. How do we feel when we tell ourselves “I love you” or “I’m sorry?” Are we uncomfortable, squirmy, unable to make eye contact without ourselves?

How about asking ourselves for forgiveness? Do we feel ready for forgiveness?

Ask all these questions throughout your forgiveness journey so that you can track your progress and understand where you’re at in your development.

Looking for More Guidance?

The Ho’Oponopono is by far one of my favorite rituals to practice. I do it sometimes a hundred times a day, making sure to always show myself love and forgiveness. I encourage you to practice this mantra, even if only for a moment in the day. I’ve also created a video on Ho’Oponopono to help you get started!

If you love these types of rituals, I have so many more to offer you to try. You can visit my free resources page to find more mantras, prayers, and practices for all types of healing. Check out this great list as well of Divine Masters for more spiritual inspiration.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

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The Many Benefits of Qi Gong

The Many Benefits of Qi Gong

Are you feeling blocked up emotionally, spiritually, or physically? Have you been looking for a new practice that can double as an exercise routine and a spiritual ritual? There are so many fantastic practices that combine working the body with working the mind and spirit, but none so much as rewarding and satisfying as Qi Gong.

If you have heard of Tai Chi, then you’ll already be well on your way to learning Qi Gong, also known as Chi Kung. Similar to other practices that focus on energy within the body, Qi Gong helps improve your energy flow to heal, revive, and maintain the positive energy within yourself and even support physical health.

What is Qi Gong (Chi Kung)?

Qi Gong or Chi Kung is a centuries-old Chinese practice for physical and spiritual health. It combines the preciseness of technique and the monotony of repetition to help rejuvenate you and improve your energy flow. The method relies heavily on deep, controlled breathing and the twisting and stretching your body’s energy channels. Because of its proven success in improving physical health, especially when recovering from injuries, the practice has been an accepted addition to health-related methods by medical authorities in China.

The practice dates to 2696–2598 BCE and the Yellow Emperor. You can also find it in the Huangdi Neijing book of internal medicine, which has been the fundamental source for two millennia for Chinese medicine. The practice focuses on Qi, also known as Chi, the energy that flows through the body through gates and channels.

If you observe someone practicing Qi Gong, you’ll notice that some repetitious movements are gentle and slow while others are vigorous and demanding. The practice uses both small, almost imperceptible movements with large movements to align, stretch, and improve different Qi gates and channels throughout the body. Ultimately, the goal is to relax as much as possible so that Qi can flow freely.

The 12 Meridians in Tradition Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qi flows through the 12 meridians of the body. These meridians are the basis for many healing practices, including acupuncture, meridian massages, and Tai Chi. Understanding the different meridians and their governance of Qi and the body is extremely important to your practice of Qi Gong.

The 12 meridians are connected to major organs in the body and work with the centerline meridians, also known as the conception vessel and the governing vessel. The principal meridians are:

    1. Lung meridian – through which we consume energy
    2. Large Intestine meridian – where we process waste
    3. Stomach meridian –  where we pull nutrients from things we consume
    4. Heart meridian – sends our blood throughout the body
    5. Small Intestine meridian – through which we pull water and nutrients
    6. Bladder meridian – through which we expel toxins
    7. Kidney meridian – where we regulate our male reproductive system, blood, and marrow
    8. Pericardium meridian – through which we regulate emotions, energy, and protection of the heart
    9. Triple Warmer meridian – through which we balance our wellness and metabolism
    10. Gall Bladder meridian – where we store toxins
    11. Liver meridian – through which we maintain our flexibility, circulate our Qi, and regulate the reproductive systems of females

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses the knowledge of these 12 meridians to direct the focus of acupuncturists, massage professionals, and Tai Chi practitioners. Massage and acupuncture practices, for instance, follow the mapped-out lines of Qi channels and gateways to apply pressure for certain conditions and complaints. On the other hand, Tai Chi practitioners use the knowledge of these channels to focus the breath and choose certain movements in achieving their goals.

Active vs. Passive Qi Gong

You can choose to follow active or passive Qi Gong or combine both to achieve your goals for the practice. Active Qi Gong is also known as dong gong, which focuses on enhancing Yang energy through active movements and breathing. Passive Qi Gong focuses on Yin energy by practicing stillness of both the body and mind, flexing the mind to alter energy flows instead of physical movements.

In other words, active Qi Gong looks a lot more like the traditional Tai Chi practices most people have witnessed, while passive Qi Gong looks like meditation.

Benefits of Qi Gong

At the elementary level, Qi Gong is a meditation, breathing, and exercise practice that can help the body and mind relax and heal. At a deeper level, improving the flow of Qi throughout the body revives your spirit and helps you take control of your life.

To properly benefit from practicing Qi Gong, one must learn about Qi, how it flows through the body, and precisely which different channels and gates regulate parts of the body and spirit. By understanding exactly how to use Qi Gong, you can target specific issues you might be dealing with and quickly help your body and mind to heal.

Supporting Mental Health

Both active and passive Qi Gong practices are great for supporting your mental health because the fundamental goal is to relax and focus on your breath. Meditation of any kind helps you to improve your awareness and presence in the moment, which is an effective method for checking in with how you feel physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. You can also help your mind to stop obsessing over the past or future, which are prevalent sources of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Both Eastern and Western medicine leaders promote stillness, deep breathing, and meditation as therapeutic practices that improve one’s ability to relax and shake off negative thoughts and emotions. Being still with yourself and improving your breath can reduce excessive adrenal responses in the body and stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system.

Lower Risk and Improve Symptoms of Chronic Disease

Because both active and passive Qi Gong methods are gentle practices, whether they include exercise or not, it is a great practice for supporting health even for those at risk of or suffering from chronic conditions.

Qi Gong does not interfere with other medical treatments, so it is entirely safe to practice as long as the practitioner does not push their body beyond their limits. These gentle and repetitious movements help to stimulate blood flow, stretch your muscles and ligaments, and lower stress. These benefits are proven to help lower your risk of suffering from many common chronic diseases.

For example, studies have shown that Qi Gong has improved symptoms common to heart disease and diabetes and lowered the risk of stroke.

Improving Muscle Strength and Precision

Qi Gong depends on your ability to repeat exact movements over a period of time, so performing them exactly over and over will help define your muscles. These practices, as a result, also improve your awareness of your physical presence within space. With enhanced muscle strength and stretches that increase your flexibility, you will get much better at putting your body into precise forms and staying very still, improving your balance.

Medical studies have shown improvements in how Qi Gong practitioners walk and balance, regardless of age. Older adults that practiced weekly for 12 weeks showed promising results, and young adults increased their stability scores by over 16% in another study over eight weeks.

Reach Spiritual Enlightenment

Aside from the health benefits, both physical and mental, of Qi Gong, there are so many other spiritual benefits. Those who dive into the meditation portion of Qi Gong during their practice can pursue enlightenment and improve their life of ritual and prayer. Overall, spiritual Qi Gong focuses on enhancing self-awareness and finding harmony and balance within oneself.

Through the regular and rigorous practice of active and passive Qi Gong methods, practitioners can take complete control of their body, mind, and spiritual energy. Mantras, prayers, and mudras are combined with mindful awareness and active management of energy flow within the body.

Achieving this ultimate awareness of energy flows allows expert practitioners to pinpoint imbalances and actively tend to them. Whether these imbalances are caused by physical injury, mental instability, emotional suffering, or even those passed down by previous generations, Qi Gong practitioners can actively target this imbalance and treat it using Qi Gong methods.

If you are interested in spiritual improvement using Qi Gong, I have many free resources including prayers, rituals, mantras, and more that you can incorporate into your practice. Once you begin, you’ll soon realize how freeing and empowering it is to slow down, breathe, and take control of your body, mind, and spirit.

YOU ARE LOVE!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

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The Wide Gap Between A Karmic and Dharmic Life

The Wide Gap Between A Karmic and Dharmic Life

Philosophies on life are innumerable. So many different cultures, belief systems, religions, and other institutional or social factors cause each person to have a unique view and journey in life. While everyone is different, there are efforts to apply labels or categories that make general mindsets or stages of life identifiable and easier to discuss. Two popular labels like this are “karmic” and “dharmic,” Sanskrit terms for concepts held in Indian regions.

I would never force anyone to choose a label for themselves to identify their beliefs. Still, if you’re looking for an opportunity to discuss your mindset and life journey, labels can be the easier way to bridge that gap. These categories can also help you assess what you want out of life and whether your current relationships are healthy. Let’s discover what karmic and dharmic mean and how these mindsets can help guide your life.

What Does Karmic Mean?

Many more people in the West have heard of “karma” rather than “dharma.” You might have heard people warn others not to do something because it’s “bad karma” or that karma will come back later. Because it is much more popularized, understanding the karmic system has a lower barrier to entry for beginners.

“Karma” literally means “action” in Hindu. Karmic refers to your day-to-day actions throughout your life. It relies on a moral system of good and bad actions, and each person builds up their karma with each thing they do. Actions as small as holding the door open for someone else or picking up something dropped by another can contribute to your karma.

Because karma focuses on the individual units of each action you take every minute of your life, it’s easy to focus on the small things without seeing them in the context of your entire life. However, building up as much positive karma as possible is the goal of your next life to be much improved from your current one. If you have too much bad karma, Hindus believe that they will end up a rung lower on the ladder of life in their next life.

As with all religious concepts, there are other interpretations of karma. A popular way of seeing karma is to see it as a guarantee that anything you do in life will be returned in kind. It is a way of seeing that the Universe is always in perfect balance. Every sacrifice will be repaid in a favor, and every overstep or wrongdoing will be balanced by a loss in this life or the next.

What Does Dharmic Mean?

Not many people have heard of the word “dharma,” as there aren’t many popular sayings in the West that use the term. It might seem foreign at first, but dharma is actually a concept that is familiar once you grasp a true understanding of it.

“Dharma” is a much more expansive term than “karma.” Dharmic refers to your life’s duty or goal, which is different for everyone and is generally determined by your social class and life situation.

While dharma is certainly a motivation for the structure of Indian culture and society, it is not much different from concepts originated in other religions and belief systems. Many faiths, including Christianity, believe that physical life on Earth is not the beginning or the end of a soul’s journey, but just a point at which humans are tested and given the opportunity to do good or bad things. What Christians do here on Earth directly affects where they believe they’ll end up after death, and they feel their life’s mission is to fulfill their highest purpose, which is very similar to the concepts of karma and dharma in India.

Strictly focusing on dharma alone, though, has its downfalls. For many in India who seek to live a dharmic life, it’s difficult to determine whether strictly staying within the tradition and your social class is enough to fulfill dharma. Some believe actions taken to stretch beyond the confines of one’s community are necessary to discovering one’s true life purpose. As you can see, the dharmic system is much more focused on one’s life overall rather than day-to-day actions like karma.

How Do Karma and Dharma Relate to Each Other?

While karma and dharma seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, both are integral to Hinduism. In simple terms, karma relates to your daily actions to achieve your dharma, which is your overall life’s mission. Not all actions you take relating to karma have to relate to your dharma directly. Still, the intention is to make sure you build up as much positive karma as possible so that you can break free of the reincarnation cycle and/or achieve enlightenment.

The tricky part? Dharma and karma are so intertwined that your karma directly relates to your dharma. What is good karma for one person might be bad for another, and there’s no set way to discover what your dharma is. For example, if your dharma is to fight for your nation in a war, and you choose to become a soldier, then you’ll have good karma. If you decide to become a soldier, but your dharma was actually to become a teacher, that otherwise noble act would actually be considered bad karma.

As you can imagine, this immense uncertainty is stressful to many believers of the karmic and dharmic systems. Karma and dharma, however, don’t just stop at being concepts that dictate the way you live your life. “Karmic” and “dharmic” are also terms that relate to the lifestyle choices you make and the way you conduct relationships with others.

What Does It Mean to Live a Karmic Life?

As we explained previously, the karmic system focuses on the minute details of our everyday life–every action we take scores a point in the karmic system, whether it’s a negative or positive point. Living a karmic life follows this idea: everything is very focused on doing something with the expectation that you get something in return. Actions are contractual and you have expectations for what you will receive.

In other words, a karmic life is very utilitarian. You do well at your job to get better pay. You’re polite to your neighbors so that they’ll watch out for you in the case of an emergency or difficult situation. You drive your car responsibly so that you won’t have to pay for tickets or get points on your license.

Simply, the karmic system doesn’t concern itself with your desires. It’s not about you being a great person no matter what you choose to do because what you want from your life doesn’t matter as much as fulfilling your life’s purpose. Achieving positive karma points is the end goal, so you don’t necessarily do things because they are good to do.

Some people might argue that intention doesn’t matter. Utilitarians see all things as tools, a means to an end. So the intention behind their use doesn’t matter as much as achieving a positive result. For many people, living a karmic life is natural and organic and switching to a dharmic mindset is outlandish and difficult.

What Do Dharmic Lives Look Like?

While karmic lives base themselves on contracts and expectations, dharmic lives treat life with the view of the bigger picture. Everything is done with an overall view of life and the Universe in mind, making one less attached to the minute details and everyday actions than those who focus on a karmic life.

In other words, actions are not done for the immediate result they will achieve. Those with dharmic lives do not do a nice thing for a neighbor in order to turn around and immediately ask for a favor. They do not smile at others in order to be treated better, and they don’t help others fix their problems because they want to get something out of it.

Dharmic lives are based on love, truth, and virtue. Actions are done because they are the right actions to be done, because they are based in truth and love. Dharmic lives build themselves around virtue no matter what that means, and they do not expect anything in return. Overall, those who live a dharmic life are idealists–they have their eyes set on the bigger picture and fulfilling their life’s purpose, not necessarily their everyday utilitarian needs and desires.

A more down-to-Earth example is to consider how Indian society is structured. Indians are people too, of course, which means they all have unique personalities, desires, and dreams. For many, though, the day-to-day whims and dreams don’t matter when it comes to living their lives as they are told. Indians who set out to live dharmic lives see their life’s purpose as the most important achievement, regardless of what they would want otherwise, and work very hard to fulfill that mission. For traditionalists, that means staying within their social class, fulfilling all the duties and expectations of a person within that class, and not deviating from what their parents have set up for them in regards to social circles and romantic relationships. In other words, to live a dharmic life is to live the most noble life within the station that the gods have given you.

What Is the Difference Between a Karmic and Dharmic Relationship?

By now, it is obvious these concepts of karmic and darmic can be applied to relationships. Thinking of karmic as utilitarian and dharmic as idealist helps to understand how these different lifestyles function within their families, social circles, and romantic relationships.

For example, karmic relationships consist of people who use each other contractually. One would say, “I’ll love you if you love me back.” One gives of themselves only if the other is also giving, and one will remove themselves if they are not receiving what they want in return. Because of this contractural relationship of expectations, people can be reduced to tools, used only for what they can offer. Relationships might be reduced to sexual relations, money, or other useful and pleasurable things.

While entering these relationships might feel consensual, it is often our strong unconscious pull towards the other person–not necessarily a decisive, intentional decision to enter a healthy and good relationship for our life’s purpose.

On the other hand, dharmic relationships are made of two people who don’t need each other. There is no reason to be together except for mutual love, respect, and desire to experience life by each other’s side. The relationship isn’t based on contracts, ultimatums, or expectations. These relationships enjoy the benefits of consensual experiences such as sexual relations, the sharing of money, and other exciting things, but these exchanges aren’t needed or expected. Overall, the goal is for both partners to reach their life’s highest purpose together.

Dharmic relationships are rare because both people need to have a higher level of emotional and spiritual maturity and a better understanding of their true selves. The relationship is not for the emotional healing of each person anymore. They’ve moved beyond that and are now looking for enlightenment.

Are Karmic Relationships Doomed to End Badly?

As wide as the gap is between a karmic and dharmic life or relationship, not all is lost. It is very possible to turn a karmic relationship into a dharmic one. For many people, early relationships are karmic because their souls and emotional maturity are still young. Too early on life’s journey, these people often have not yet discovered what they truly need to live a fulfilling life and are still living within a contractual mindset.

As life goes on, it is more likely for people to begin seeking dharmic relationships, where the partnership is based on life’s goal rather than expectations for each other. That being said, a karmic relationship from earlier in life’s journey can certainly turn into a dharmic relationship. People can grow and change together, and if the bond is strong enough, they can evolve into two people living dharmic lives side by side.

At the same time, it’s important to be self-aware and completely mindful of the situation. If you feel that you are progressing on life’s journey while your partner isn’t yet interested in emotionally and spiritually maturing, it might not be in either of your best interests to stay together.

Mixing a karmic life and a dharmic life can certainly cause problems and turmoil in a relationship. Suppose one person feels that they rightly deserve something in return for their actions, while the other does not believe they owe the other person anything. In that case, the relationship will likely turn toxic, and both partners will feel misunderstood and unloved.

At the same time, if one person is working on themselves, growing, and evolving, but the other person seems stuck in place, it can be frustrating for both. One partner might feel like the person they once love is no longer the person they are with. The other person might feel like their partner can no longer understand them or fulfill their spiritual and emotional needs.

Overall, the most important things in relationships are communication and honesty, no matter what stage of life. If both people stay open about their spiritual and emotional needs, then they will always be on the same page. They can continually check in with each other to see where the other is at in their life’s journey and quickly address any concerns instead of letting them fester.

Best case scenario, two people living karmic lives can help each other transcend into dharmic lives!

How Can I Learn to Live a Dharmic Life?

If you’re currently living with a karmic mindset, it will be a difficult journey towards a dharmic life, but not impossible. The first step is for you to turn inward and assess where you are at in your journey. Then, you can implement routines and practices that will help you grow towards your purpose.

I always highly recommend a daily practice of meditation. But stopping your day to take care of yourself, build your skills in mindfulness and focus, and spend some time in prayer, you can do wonders for your emotional and spiritual health. At first, you’ll notice it’s difficult to stay still and quiet, but over time, you’ll become an expert.

Then, you can begin adding mantras, rituals, and other spiritual practices to your day that will deepen your spiritual life and help you evolve. I have many free resources on my website that can get you started, and you can check out my services such as personalized coaching to help you improve your dharmic mindset in all areas of your life!

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

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The Year of the Rabbit: The History, Meaning & Power

The Year of the Rabbit: The History, Meaning & Power

Throughout time, rabbits and their animal cousins have been one of the most personified and utilized animals in metaphors, stories, and legends. From cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny to legendary tales like the Tortoise and the Hare, rabbits are at the center of creativity and intrigue. It’s no surprise, then, that an institution as old as the Chinese Zodiac includes rabbits as one of the 12 signs.

If you’ve just found out that your Chinese Zodiac sign is the Rabbit, or you’re approaching a Year of the Rabbit, this article is the perfect place to learn about the sign and what it means for your personality and fortune this year. Using this new information, you can dive deeper into self-reflection and meditation on the Universe!

The Origin of the Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese have been using a celestial calendar for centuries, depending on the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as religious and political forces to mark the passing of time. Many historians believe the Chinese Zodiac predates this calendar, but ultimately they come together to create one powerful 12-cycle institution.

While the Chinese lunar calendar is the oldest known structured use of the Chinese Zodiac animals, there’s no way to pinpoint its exact origin. The earliest known evidence is from the 5th century B.C., but the Han Dynasty officially identified those animals between 206 B.C. and 9 A.D. People weren’t being identified as born during years of different zodiac animals until late in the 500s A.D.

So far, the best idea we have of how the Zodiac animals are explained is the legend of the Great Race. In the story, an emperor set up a race where all the animals must compete to reach the other side of a river. As a reward for finishing as one of the first animals across the finish line, the first 12 animals would be revered in Chinese culture for the rest of time. The first 12 animals, which now make up the Chinese Zodiac, were the Rat followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

While many people understand that the 12 animals cycle in the same order over 12 years, it’s less known that the Chinese lunar calendar uses a 60-year cycle. The 60 years are divided into 12-year segments where the animals repeat but are differentiated by five elements: water, fire, earth, metal, and wood.

Why a Rabbit?

In Chinese culture, Rabbits have long been revered as divine symbols of luck, mercy, and longevity. They are often compared to the moon, an essential element of how the Chinese mark time and source their rich divine culture. In fact, early Chinese beliefs held that rabbits were only female and were impregnated by the moon.

The Chinese see rabbits as quick, quiet, observant, and more likely to flee than fight. They are agile and witty as well as able to offer solutions to complex issues quickly. If you have found yourself to be marked by the Rabbit, rejoice! Your sign is the luckiest sign in the zodiac. Learning more about the sign might help you learn much more about yourself!

What Does It Mean If I’m Born a Rabbit?

The Year of the Rabbit happens once every 12 years. Most recently, the Years of the Rabbit have been 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, and 2011. The next Year of the Rabbit is in 2023! If you were born in any of those years, it most likely means that the Rabbit is your zodiac sign.

The caveat is that the Chinese lunar calendar runs later than the Westen calendar, so you might actually be a Tiger if you were born in January or February. Further, the lunar calendar lands differently every year according to the moon’s cycles, so to know for sure, you can find where your birthday lands in the Chinese celestial calendar for that year.

If you were born during the Rabbit’s segment of the zodiac, the Chinese have assigned quite a few traits as typical of your sign. For example, people marked as a Rabbit are commonly cautious and self-protective as well as vigilant and witty. Overall, Rabbits are quiet and elegant, but the traits can differ depending on your sex and the element assigned to your birth year. For example, male Rabbits are polite, friendly, and trustworthy, while female Rabbits have an innocent appearance, pure heart, and are loyal to a small group of people.

Seers have based fortunes on the Rabbit sign for personalities, years, and even set lucky and unlucky things. Some seers say that Rabbits should avoid 1, 7, and 8 but hold the numbers 3, 4, and 6 dear. They also say that Rabbit’s lucky colors are pink, red, purple, and blue and that their lucky directions are Northwest, East, and South.

Fortune tellers also warn Rabbits to stay cautious of relationships with Roosters and Rats and seek connections with Dogs, Pigs, and Goats who have more complementary traits.

How Do the Chinese Zodiac Elements Affect the Sign?

As mentioned earlier, Rabbit signs are affected by the zodiac elements of their year. Wood Rabbits, for example, are more lively in appearance, wise, and might be selfish. Fire rabbits are more open-minded, flexible, and tend to hold unique opinions. Earth Rabbits tend to be more grounded in hard work and straightforward, while metal Rabbits are more conservative and kind-hearted. Finally, water Rabbits tend to be gentle and flexible but lack set values.

What Happens in the Year of the Rabbit?

Many people believe that the year of their sign is the lucky year for them, but it’s actually the opposite! In Chinese culture, your natal year is one you should enter cautiously. In opposition to Jupiter, Tai Sui, the divine being works to bring misfortune on Rabbits during the Years of the Rabbit.

As a result, Rabbits should keep their career and financial efforts conservative and guard their hearts a bit more in 2023. Focusing on one’s own self-development and wellness rather than outward moves towards new relationships and situations is the best way to play it safe. While 2022 is an excellent year for Rabbits to make big moves in relationships and personal life, 2023 is the year of the Black Water Rabbit, meaning that there will be even less stability and predictability than usual.

The Chinese recommend wearing red to bring in good luck and to lay low during your natal year. The year following your natal year is often one of much more luck and stability!

REMEMBER!

In all things astrological, please realize that these aspects are only suggestions to help you better delve into self-reflection and ease some stress. You are far more powerful than you realize.

The blueprints that astrology suggests are not hard and fast rules. It might also be that you have other influences in your life that might greatly enhance your ability to receive what you desire.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for you.

If you’re looking for more tools to delve into self-reflection, you can try out my personality cards or look into my FREE YOURSELF course. It’s wonderful.

YOU ARE LOVE!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

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Beyond Covid: A Chance for Spiritual Renewal, New Identities & Rebirth

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Beyond Covid: A Chance for Spiritual Renewal, New Identities & Rebirth

When the earth is sick, sickness spreads in ways that affect people. In this case, we have been treating Mother Earth poorly for so long, She is acting out our own projections, abuse, and anger. Covid-19 is exactly that.

The coronavirus has been around for a long while now. It’s had an indelible impact on our lives and world. This pandemic sent friends and family members to the hospital at record numbers. However, as with every other terrible event or situation, humanity will pick up the pieces and emerge ready for change.

What will most likely not change very much is how we abuse the planet. Sadly, most Republican and right-wing conservatives, and their counterpart governments, might have a wonderful handle on fiscal responsibility and infrastructure management, but they do not understand emotions, love, and how connected we are to all of the elements, planets, bugs, bunnies, each other – and the myriad of etherial realms. C’est la vie!

In the meantime, you can love yourself by loving the planet.

You can love others by first loving yourself.

And you can effect changes that improve your life, attitude, perspective, and conditions.

Are you ready for that life-changing transformation?

If the planet has left you isolated or emotionally and spiritually strung out, you can choose to pursue peace and balance.  

Declare this out loud: It’s time for me to have a lovely spiritual renewal. It’s time for me to accept, own, and celebrate my life. I will make changes and invite new light and love into my life!

It’s now time to reflect on yourself, form new habits, and adopt your most core nature as your primary identity. LET’S DO THIS!

COVID: The Affect on Our Spirit

The coronavirus is certainly a physical ailment, but the effects reverberate beyond just the physical body.

For many of us, this was our first experience with a widespread infectious disease – one that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Amid all this, we’ve all had no firm reassurances from the medical community on the illness or treatments.

Some of us took the vaccine and it harmed our health. Others ignored protocol and were selfish – and chose to avoid the vaccine – becoming harmful petri dishes that put everyone else’s lives in jeopardy. 

While governments and health organizations were rightfully keeping an eye on the numbers of infections, hospitalizations, and casualties, much fewer eyes were on the numbers of mental ailments resulting from the stress, uncertainty, and isolation. 

Statistics have revealed increased drug use, suicide rate, and other concerning issues surrounding wellness.

Thoughts of suicide and symptoms of anxiety and depression were on the rise, especially among health care workers.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reported global adverse mental health effects such as disturbed sleep, abnormal eating behavior, worsening chronic illnesses, and increased alcohol consumption. With an already worrying mental health crisis sweeping the world, COVID-19 was the last straw for many still struggling to function in their daily lives.

Luckily all of these things are improving! 

Spiritual and emotional ailments are a reality, pandemic or not. COVID-19 created an opportunity for us to open our eyes to the severity of the crisis and the lack of connection within ourselves.

As we all stood still amid lockdowns that kept us frozen in our homes, we were suddenly forced to reassess the states of our minds and spirits without the distractions of our regular routines.

The pandemic will always be an event we remember as one of the lowest points for our planet, but we can look forward in a positive light.

Beyond Covid, we have a chance to be reborn. We can reinvent ourselves, explore new identities, and heal our spirits.

An Opportunity for Spiritual Renewal

In every dark and low moment of our lives, we have a choice. We can wallow in the pain and find comfort in unhealthy habits, or we can seek transformational experiences big and small that will help us cope and climb out of the darkness.

These transformational experiences will be different for everyone. 

For many, prayers, routines, and rituals are helpful ways to re-establish our balance and peace. If you love rituals, check out my Free Resources pages. You’ll find ancient ceremonies, lovely prayers, and encouragement that you might find helpful during times of change and transition. You might also consider using my Personality Cards – they’re wonderful for all sorts of rituals. 

Spiritual renewal will come from identifying the negative forces, attitudes, and experiences in our lives and ourselves, then setting goals and courses for change that will help us become reinvigorated, renewed, and reborn. 

Do you allow energy vampires to affect your emotions and your life choices? Have you fallen into an unhealthy habit with drugs or alcohol? Maybe you lack balanced emotions or healthy priorities and need to reassess your journey.

Or, you might be too attached to someone who violates your boundaries, and it’s time to say goodbye and find yourself again.

No matter your concerns and situation, everyone can work on their spiritual renewal to come out on the other side of covid feeling refreshed, transformed, and ready to live life again.

 

Check out my course: FREE YOURSELF. It can help you completely rebirth your life.

 

Taking on a New Identity

Amid a spiritual renewal, we don’t need to change our appearance or behavior inauthentically. Instead, we need to dig deeper within ourselves to find what lives within us. Times like these can inspire us to make a firm commitment to becoming more in line with our authentic Selves. 

You may have recently realized that you’ve never been your true self. Maybe you’ve put on a mask or followed certain socially-acceptable behaviors under the guise of a false identity for a fair portion of your life. Realizing this and committing to a new life with an authentic identity can feel challenging but – on the other side of it – it can be wonderfully freeing.

Following this path requires that we be truly bold and courageous. To find our true Selves and commit to a life of honesty and freedom is the ultimate journey.

A choice like this might require that you try on a few different hats–so to speak–before you find one in which you’re entirely comfortable. Thankfully, there are so many tools and resources out there to help you on your journey.

Looking for a great start to your journey? Find a spiritual Guru to guide you. Throughout humanity’s existence, there have been divine masters who walked among us and changed the way we saw life and the Cosmos. Some have been physical embodiments of the divine forces of the universe, such as the Divine Feminine. Others have been reincarnations of Gods and established new philosophies and faiths.

Finding one or a few that speak to your soul can help you to re-establish spiritual balance and set on a new path to your true self!

You can also choose to establish a routine of prayer, meditation, and other rituals that help you center yourself and reflect on your authentic identity. Setting aside a few minutes a day for reflection and prayer will help you grow your spiritual strength over time and achieve a rebirth!

If your health is failing in some way, explore Ayurvedic Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Remember that eastern medical ideologies treat the core of diseases and challenges, while western medicine treats the symptoms. Why? Because drug companies are not restricted and their only motivation is profit.

Achieve Rebirth after COVID!

With the guidance of divine masters, spiritual tools such as prayer, and resources like my personality cards, you can set off on the path to a spiritual rebirth! And check out my Free Yourself course – it’s life-changing!

The most important thing you can do is to stay committed to your journey and be true to yourself.

Spiritual renewal and finding your core identity are not easy, and it can take inordinate amounts of time, all depending on your unique situation and spiritual state. Still, for authentic freedom and happiness, the pursuit is a vital one!

In all things astrological and spiritual, please realize that these aspects are only suggestions to help ease some stress. You are far more powerful than you realize.

The blueprints that astrology, white magic, and other spiritual forces and practices suggest are not hard and fast rules. It might also be that you have other influences in your life that might greatly enhance your ability to receive what you desire.

It is also probably that your spirit is more powerful and vibrant than any numerological or astrological reading.

To improve your vibration, luck, and happiness, spend time chanting Sanskrit mantras and love-filled sutras. Access and strengthen your chakras through pranic breathing and yoga. To achieve balance and fully allow energy to flow within you, pray for others. When we do this, the Universe prays for us.

REMEMBER! YOU ARE LOVE!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us. 

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How Empaths Can Build A Beautiful Intentional Life

Amma is a living enlightened Being, the ultimate Empath. Learn more at Amma.org. 

 

How To Build Intentional Lives As Empaths

As a coach, clients and friends will often seek my counsel. While each of their challenges appears to be unique, I believe many of the problems, especially the recurring ones, stem from one simple idea: We have yet to release the past, forgive everything, and construct new, durable personas (temporary self-identities) – ones that can establish and sustain an enjoyable, stable life.

Instead of plunging into forward movement, we tend to repeatedly reaffirm the past and go in circles.

We can change this. We can recreate our lives with the purest, clearest, and most focused intentions. Living an intentional life is not for everyone, but it’s the only path to liberation and peace.

Even amid being pummeled by karmic repercussions that stem from prior lives, if we establish a strong and deeply rooted self-concept, we can withstand any storm.

Let’s Dive In, Empaths!

From the moments of our births, we begin to build temporary self-identities or personas to maneuver through our lives. These personas are most often born from outdated beliefs, confused family dogma, codependent social paradigms, and limiting religious doctrine. Along the way, we weave guilt, shame, and regret into the fabric of our personas to the point of imprisoning ourselves in loops of repeated behaviors, decisions, and addictions.

Because of this, most of us live as if we’re strapped to rollercoasters, whereby we continuously react to external stimuli as if we have no control. In the short term, we enjoy the results of our impulses. In the long term, we find ourselves in complex situations that erode our senses of Self and peace.

Over time, consequences and complications emerge. We cope, medicate, and try to assemble a quick-fix response to it all. 

We try everything but eventually find that quick fixes do little to address the deeper issues. We look at every aspect of our lives and realize that our marriages, jobs, and environments are not aligned with who we know ourselves to be. 

In a moment, we understand that we are not self-aware, and therefore, we are not free.

This is the moment of decision. 

Do we continue to shrink and hide or do we choose the road less traveled, finally embracing our true Self as beautiful empaths?

If we choose the latter, we begin to wake up!

We soon feel or sense deep-seated emotions and regrets. We might feel anxious or panicked, feeling unable to source remedies. We finally see the weight that we’ve amassed atop our souls. We remember the stories and justifications we used to keep our outdated personas in charge and in motion for so long.

In a pure moment of delight, we decide enough is enough!

Intentional Spiritual Living is a decision and commitment of the mind and heart to live a fully conscious, pre-meditated life according to our deepest values, ethics, and beliefs, without story or excuse. 

We build an intentional life through self-inquiry, ritual, ceremony, and forgiveness. We own and acknowledge every aspect of our choices amid our tumultuous lives. We own it all – from every teensie bit of minutia to every decision we’ve made.

Empaths! We take responsibility for EVERYTHING. 

We blame NO ONE.

Beginning an intentional life often comes with a year or more of crying a few hours every day. It requires complete transparency with our core Self, God, and the eternal consciousness. We can no longer hide. We refuse to hide. We are now on a mission to unearth every truth about ourselves and the nature of the Universe.

We begin to imagine a new persona, one that is built upon virtue, transparency, vulnerability, and truth. We no longer carry regret or shame. We no longer blame. We own it all – every molecule of every instant.

We process it all, pounding the earth in anger and crying for every lost moment. We cry to God and the Universe to nurture and save us. We do this until we are drained of all projection, attitude, and ego. We realize we know nothing and we are nothing. 

From there, we build our new, more durable, more holy persona – not from the rubble, rather, from the truths we’ve uncovered and become.

We grow our personas into emotionally, psychologically, and financially stable warriors – through whatever means. With meditation, mantra, and Divine grace, we begin to strengthen and stabilize. 

We continually release emotions, attachments, and the past. 

“The past is a canceled check. It no longer exists.” – Amma

After some time, we realize that we’ve become warriors of self-care, self-responsibility, and self-awareness. 

Having built an intentional spiritual persona, we can now build an intentional spiritual life.

How Do We Do This as Empaths?

      • We are careful welcoming people into our lives
      • With a new friend, we are careful when choosing to engage in sex. While sex is certainly wonderful, it can be distracting and harmful. Get to know your friends before jumping into bed with them.
      • We are careful before solidifying a marriage. According to the rishis, it is best to know and live with someone for 3 years prior to committing to a marriage.
      • We carefully research and plan job and home changes
      • We don’t “jump” into anything, instead, we pause, reflect, and consider
      • We refrain from feeding our addictions
      • Less screen time and more prayer time, like letter-writing
      • We pray as often as we can
      • We continuously have faith hope
      • We forgive everything
      • We own everything
      • We do not dwell on our negative feelings
      • We remember that we are never a victim
      • We work to completely dissolve our egos
      • We choose our food carefully (organic, grass-fed, no chemicals, lots of greens and vegetables)
      • When we are able, we strive to find the balance between western medicine and naturopathic medicine, knowing that pure food is our best medicine
      • We realize our thoughts sustain us, so we choose them carefully
      • We learn to place our attention on aspects that truly serve and uplift us because we know what we contemplate is what we become. Mediate on the rose and you become the rose.
      • We realize that our self-esteem can only come from ourselves
      • We decide to be happy because happiness is a choice
      • We say goodbye to people and events that do not serve our liberation and peacefulness
      • We say goodbye to deep attachments, except GOD & THE DIVINE
      • We have boundaries
      • We only speak lovingly about ourselves
      • We stop all projection
      • We maintain a healing attitude
      • We find ways to selflessly love and serve others while also not hurting ourselves
      • We root ourselves in self-inquiry, honesty, and love
      • You might enjoy releasing processes and modalities like The Sedona Method (search it, it’s awesome)
      • When we’re ready, we can seek out living enlightened masters like Amma, Karunamayi Ma, and Mother Meera
        • We can ask to receive a mantra from one of them
        • We can ask Her to be our guru or spiritual master which can expedite our pathway to liberation.
      • If we feel so inclined, we honor the purest and most non-judgmental tenets of our birth religions
      • We enjoy our fellow empath birth masters, including Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, and others

IN ALL THINGS, PLEASE KNOW …

You are more than you realize. You have resources far beyond your wildest imagination. It’s time to commit to a more eternal game. It’s time to release it all and become your most vibrant, eternal, and empowered Self. SURrender!
As you reach toward liberation, you might want to explore having a coach, guide, or therapist to help you along your path. In the meantime, meditate, pray, and chant with loving attention toward the divine.

 

Other articles you might enjoy:

https://www.paulwagner.com/free-yourself-helpful-plans-to-inspire-rebirth/

Amma: The Loving, Hugging, Humanitarian Saint

Transformation Rituals and Ceremonies

Check out Paul’s EMPATH OATH.

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How to Make the World A Lovelier Place

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How to Make the World Lovelier

You are the embodiment of love and light.

Your heart is far bigger and far more expressive than you might realize.

You have stardust in your bones. You’re on a rock that’s spinning thousands of miles an hour, and somehow you have a refrigerator, phone, and loved ones.

If you’re looking to make the world lovelier, that’s just amazing. Let’s explore how!

1. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A MIRACLE!

It might be challenging to stay positive when bombarded by news, gossip, and social media. It’s time to take a deep breath! Exhale the negativity. Infuse your mindset with warm and positive light. Want to make the world lovelier? YOU GOT THIS!

To fully embrace your depth of light and love, decide to help the world become a lovelier place to live, both for yourself and those around you!

Are you having difficulty digging yourself out of a rut and don’t know where to begin?

Looking to shed layers of ego and self-abuse so you can feel and affirm your value and divine gifts?

This list will help you nurture and server the world. Every time you roll out of bed, commit to at least one of these things – and you’ll become an even brighter beacon of light.

2. Share Your Positivity to Others

Positivity is contagious! If you encounter other people today, whether they are friends, family, or strangers, you can be sure that they need a positivity boost.

Intentionally share your positive energy and outlook with them by helping them see things in a better light.

Happily share your warm, loving presence.

Whether it’s a hug, a phrase, or just a sweet smile, we always have the ability to add goodness and make the world lovelier with incredible power. 

3. Learn To Listen With Empathy

Are some of the people around you in the middle of a chaotic or challenging situation? Is someone you know hurt, confused, or frustrated? If you love them, do you feel you can help them by lending an ear?

If you can, lend these loved-ones a few minutes out of your day. Listen to them with your heart and help them approach their feelings from a new perspective.

Your loving attention can be life-changing for them. When you help and pray for others, the Universe does the same for us.

For an extra spiritual boon, try to inspire them to pray, meditate, or forgive someone near and dear to them. 

4. Nurture Yourself So You Can Be A Vibrant Light

When we heal ourselves, we send healing vibrations out to the entire Cosmos. Even a subtle shift in our mind and heart can inspire other Living Beings throughout All The Worlds to do the same.

When you deepen or self-acknowledge, you open doors for every soul to transform and transcend their challenges and ego into bright bursts of light.

If you’re finding it challenging to share your goodness with others, you might need a positivity boost, spiritual ceremony, or healing ritual. You might just need to journal and cry. 

Evaluating and attending your own needs first means that you want to practice what you preach. Start your day with prayer and meditation so that you can align your spirit with love and expand yourself.

For many, routines and rituals are wonderful ways to re-establish our balance and peacefulness. If you love rituals, check out my Free Resources pages. You’ll find ancient ceremonies, lovely prayers, and encouragement that you might find helpful during times of change and transition. You might also consider using my Personality Cards – they’re wonderful for all sorts of spiritual work and rituals – they’re far more powerful and precise and self-advancing than tarot. 

Spiritual renewal will come from identifying the negative forces and experiences in our lives and ourselves, then setting goals and courses for change that will help us rebirth. 

After you heal yourself, and own and embody your love and light, you will become effulgent in the light. Doing so, you’ll regularly offer your love and gifts to others without even thinking about it. 

5. Practice Forgiveness

For many people, forgiveness is a mystery. In many religions, it’s become a cliche catch-phrase that most people don’t truly understand.

You can forget someone, but truly forgiving someone requires some effort. To start, open your heart and owning every lesson that you needed to learn from that person or event. Once you own all of your part in these experiences and relationships, you can begin to grow. With a little growth, you can more easily release what you feel is an infringement on you and your life.

Forgiveness is acknowledging that you are a Divine Being and that no one is responsible for your happiness. You are the only one in every intersection. There is no OTHER.

When we fuel our negativity and hold grudges, we are delaying our personal growth and spiritual expansion. When we identify as a victim, we are telling God, “hey, you fucked up.” God did not fuck up. You had an experience and you are denying the deeper lessons and holding onto the past.

The past does not exist. It’s a canceled check. It’s gone.

You cannot resurrect the past.

Since everything has changed, why have you not changed?

The most advanced path to world peace and love is learning forgiveness and practicing it in our daily lives. Forgiveness is the key to making the world a lovelier place for ourselves and humanity.

The Steps To Forgiveness

One: Acknowledge the real-world cost of the experience and your pain.

Two: Own your challenges and shortcomings.

Three: Acknowledge what you need to learn.

Four: Accept those who harmed us as perfect.

Five: Accept that our experiences as perfect.

Six: Ask God/Universe/Divine-Mother to awaken us to our own power to become whole.

Seven: Allow yourself to feel into the pain until it’s unbearable. Notice the pain the body and related pains in your heart, nerves, and mind.

Eight: Accept this pain, own it, love it, and honor it. Speak it’s name. Shout to heavens and celebrate its existence. This is your doorway to transcendence.

Nine: Now – release it all – again and again and again – release ALL OF IT.

Ten: If you have not struck a chord aligned with forgiveness, begin this process again – and repeat it until you arrive at forgiveness.

Take the time to sit with yourself and go through this process being fully vulnerable and open.  

If you’re struggling to find yourself, release your pain, and establish a deep personal peacefulness, I have many tools to share! Check out my wonderful Personality Cards, which can help you assess your life, relationships, career, and more – and help you better respond to your desires, emotions, and core Self!

6. Offer Healing And Selfless Gifts

Is there someone specific in your life right now who is experiencing spiritual and emotional turmoil? As a loving friend, I bet they would love your support. A great way to help others is to surprise them with healing gifts!

Are they in need of spiritual renewal and self-discovery? There are tons of gift choices, big and small, which can help them on this journey. You might consider gifting them crystals, chakra energy jewelry, self-care gift baskets, or even self-development courses. And there’s always my beautiful Personality Cards!

If they’re more receptive to self-help books, gift them a set of self-renewal and spirituality books like The Power Of Now or A Course In Miracles. You can find some lovely spiritually healing books by Amma at Amma.org.

If they’re looking to get more in touch with their mystical self, you can offer them courses in intuition, rituals, and tarot readings. 

You can also gift someone a massage or you can be their masseuse!

7. Do Favors & Perform Small Acts of Kindness

While the former recommendations require forethought, more extended periods of effort, and sometimes money, there are many quick, easy, and free ways to improve the world. There are millions of opportunities every day to do the little things that make a huge difference, even if you never leave the house!

Acts of kindness, and every other altruistic and self-developing practice, require a layer of sacrifice. All kinds of belief systems, religions, and lifestyles rely on selfless service as a way to clear the heart, align one’s spirit with love & light, and truly help others.

What can you do today to share your time and energy in service to others?

Is it someone’s birthday that you haven’t spoken to in a while? Send them an email or text message, and consider striking up a conversation to learn about how they’re doing.

Is there someone that seems lonely, bored, or in need of friendship? Set up a meet over coffee, food, or some other mutual activity that they can look forward to and enjoy.

Do you notice someone that usually gets left out or ignored? Go out of your way to throw them a party on a special day, invite them to events, and engage them in conversation regularly.

Buy a drink or pay for the groceries for the person behind you.

Endeavor to pick up something when dropped by another.

Tell a stranger that God loves them.

When you like someone’s outfit or hair, share the compliment aloud. 

At the very least, show a smile! Smiling is proven to be contagious and uplifting for our moods, even if it’s intentional or forced! Smiling is the most significant small act of kindness you can offer. It can truly make the world a lovelier place to be.

8. Share Some Love When Traveling

When we travel, even if only to a restaurant, store, or to grab a quick bite, there are multitudes of things we can do to improve the conditions and feelings of others. Try a few of these on for size:

Give a humungous tip to someone who appears a little sad or broken – or who is working hard.

Carry small gifts in your car to share with others, a box of Kleenex packets, crayons, and chocolates. When you see someone like a fast-food check-out person who looks a little grumpy, give them a gift!

Carry used clothes, bottles of water, and single dollar bills in your car just in case you see a homeless person who needs some love.

When staying in a hotel, remember to leave at least a $5 tip for each night you stayed in the hotel – and add a loving note to brighten someone’s day! You might even clean the room a little bit by prepping your sheets and towels in easily portable piles. You might also pour all of the trash buckets into one bucket and place it near the door.

Buy a stranger a meal by giving the server some cash. This way they cannot find you to return the favor – which makes it part of the fun.

Help others at airports, especially in security lines! Take your time, make sure those around you know what they’re doing. Ask if you can help them. When you move through the machines, tell the security personnel that you appreciate them.

Clean up public bathrooms to make it more palatable for others. I always wipe off toilet seats and pick up the trash on the floor so that others might feel less uncomfortable when entering.

If you’re feeling naughty, write a little graffiti on the bathroom wall, like, I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! AND SO DOES GOD! You can also remove the paintings in hotel rooms and write loving messages on the back. Yes, these things are naughty, but they’re loving and fun!

Make eye contact with everyone you meet, especially those who are clearly working their butts off.

You can check out my article on loving travel tips, too!

Truly, you are the embodiment of God’s love. The more you acknowledge this and fully own it, the more love and light you can spread to the world.

GO FOR IT!

Want to make the world lovelier? REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. Pray for others and the Universe prays for us. 

I love to serve others and make the world lovelier. Learn about my services and let me know if I can help you. It’s always an honor to serve kind, honorable, and loving people like you.

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The Life Of Bees

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The Life Of Bees

I love bees. How about you? Most of them are so cute and remarkable diligent, it would be difficult not to love them.

Bees are the hardest workers on the planet. To eek out a teaspoon of honey, they kill themselves – literally.

Humans have been fascinated by the magic and movements of bees for centuries. These little insects have an incredibly complex social structure in which each individual has a job and works for the good of the whole. Imagine if humanity did this?

From making the delicious honey we so enjoy to caring for the young up-n-coming bees’ lives, these lovely creatures are busy from their first day of life until their last.

What does the life of bees look like on a day-to-day basis?

Read on to learn more about the life cycle of bees, as well as what each member of a colony spends their days doing throughout the year.

All Hail The Queen

The Queen Bee’s life is fairly straightforward – her job is to mate and lay all the eggs that will keep the hive growing and thriving. When she is a larva, she is fed royal jelly by her loyal buzzing servants, which transforms her into a Queen. She is not the only queen growing, however, and whichever Queen hatches first kills all the rest, which solidifies her position on the “Throne.”

Once the Queen is fully mature, she flies away from the hive to mate with drones from other colonies. After a few days of mating mid-air, she returns to her hive and begins laying eggs. She’ll lay as many as 2,000 eggs per day for the rest of her life, never leaving the hive again.

Drones

Drones are the only male bees in the colony, and their entire purpose in life is to mate. High-flying sex is the only thing on their minds. Drones are the male escorts of the bee world.

In most cases, drones do not mate with the Queen of their own hive. Instead, they fly up to an altitude of 200 or 300 feet, a mile or so away from the hive, and they mate with Queens from other colonies. This perform all of their sexy duties mid-air! The reason they do this is to maintain the diversity of the global genetic pools of bees.

Once drones have mated, they return to the hive to be fed by the worker bees. Kinda like gladiators when they return home from a day of battles at the local forum.

Drones do not do any work for the colony beyond mating. The lifespan of a drone bee tends to be somewhere around fifty-five days. As the weather gets colder, drone bees get pushed out of the colony and left to freeze, their life’s purpose accomplished.

Some bees in warmer climates will find ways to survive beyond their usual fifty-five days.

Workers

Worker bees have the most active lives of any in the hive. They perform all of the hive’s non-mating functions, including gathering food, caring for young, defending the hive, and building and repairing the nest. Worker bees’ daily activities vary as they continue through their month-long life cycle.

Worker bees tend to be the smallest of all the bees in the colony, coming in at just under half an inch in size. Drones are a little more than half an inch long, and Queen bees can be just under a full inch in length.

Young Workers

On her first day, a worker bee hatches from her cell, and begins to clean up everything around her. Unused pods need to be cleaned out in order to keep the hive healthy and in good order. She begins cleaning out her cell and then moves onto other cells that may have gathered dirt or other debris throughout the hive.

After that first day or two, a worker becomes a nurse bee, caring for all the developing eggs that the Queen has laid. She produces jelly and feeds the larvae as many as 1,300 meals each day.

As they develop, young worker bees feeds all of the growing eggs her bee bread, made from a mixture of pollen and nectar. On the fifth day of their development, she seals up their cells so they can finish their development.

Middle Aged Workers

After the first week of their lives, worker bees are already considered middle-aged, and they move into a new set of duties. During this next week or two, worker bees may take on a variety of roles within the hive. Oftentimes, they start out as processing workers, taking nectar from foragers and passing it to other worker bees who store it away to become honey.

Middle-aged bees also usually take on the role of hive architects, expanding the hive and repairing any cracks.

These tough old bee-folk make wax and build new cells for honey storage or for larvae to grow in.

These boomer bees may also create the bee bread that feeds young larvae.

Older Workers

Only when workers reach the end stage of their bee life cycle do they begin to leave the hive more regularly. As bees enter their third and fourth weeks of life, they become foragers, flying out from the hive to gather nectar and pollen. As foragers find good spots with plenty of pollen, they alert the other bees in their colony to this spot so they can focus their efforts there.

This is similar to New Yorkers who retire to Miami. Instead of gathering pollen, Florida retirees visit the area malls on little scooters and buy local newspapers and Entenmann’s crumb cake.

As they age, worker bees also help process nectar into honey. They run the warehouse and store the nectar, and they beat their wings to evaporate water from the developing honey. Some older worker bees also help to guard the hive and make sure no bees from other hives sneak in and steal their liquid goals.

The Life of Bees in Spring and Summer

Much like us, bees’ daily activities change with the weather and the turning of the seasons. Spring and summer are the bees’ busiest seasons. This is when they collect bundles of pollen and nectar from blooming flowers. The warmer months are also the safest to move around inside and outside the hive.

During the Spring and Summer, worker bees busily harvest pollen as much as twelve hours a day, as well as store nectar, make honey, repair the hive, and tend larvae. Drones fly out to mate with Queens from other hives, and the impregnated Queen of the hive spends all her time laying eggs.

The Life of Bees in Fall

Once the weather begins to cool down and the autumnal equinox comes around, bees prepare the hive for the long, harsh trek through the freezing months of Winter. Oftentimes, this means ejecting the drones from the hive and leaving them to die. The drones have performed their purpose by this time, and they’ll just consume hive resources during the leaner months, which would prevent the safety of the Queen.

As the weather cools off, the Queen’s egg-laying pace slows down a bit. The hive will need every bit of its honey to keep the current population of bees alive until the flowers bloom again. They don’t have resources to devote to caring for new bees, and moving around the hive can be dangerous in freezing weather. 

The Life of Bees in Winter

Once Winter sets in, all the worker bees return to the hive and settle in to make it through the Winter months. They form one large huddle in the center of the hive, with the Queen in the middle of the huddle.

Bees take turns buzzing their wings to warm up the hive, their Queen, and the other worker bees around them.

Bees rely on their honey stores to make it through the lean Winter months. A hive that hasn’t stored enough honey (or that has had too much honey harvested from them) may starve to death during this time. For the most part, the bees do not leave the hive until the weather warms up and flowers bloom again.

Learn More About the Life of Bees

From the moment their lives begin, bees have a dedicated role within their hive. Queens and drones spend their lives focused on mating, but worker bees handle every other aspect of hive life. From cleaning out cells and caring for larvae to harvesting nectar and pollen and turning it into honey, their daily lives are dedicated to keeping their hive healthy and running smoothly.

There are many lessons to draw from the lovely, beautiful lives of Bees. They are naturally and deeply committed to each other and their roles in the functioning of their hives. They roll with the punches so they can fulfill their life missions – and they protect their leaders at all costs.

Most importantly, Bees feed the planet. They are the singular species that is always required for life on Earth. Without Bees, the world would eventually perish.

If you see a Bee, pray for her. Love him.

Don’t be afraid of them. While they might seek to protect their hives, if you keep a distance, they’ll have no reason to attack.

The Life Of Bees is a noble one. THANK YOU, BEES!

I am here to help you awaken and bravely create an inspired life. Make the world a lovelier place! Learn more about our services today and start changing your life in the most positive way.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire. 

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us. 

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