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Uncertainty and Coping – The Daily, July 12, 2020

Don’t fight the current, allow it to take you somewhere new. It’s going to either way

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” 
― Aristotle

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

The longer we try to pretend that nothing is going to change, the bigger the correction is going to be, and it will be difficult for some people to adjust. The economies of many countries continue to be buoyed by governments printing money to provide stimulus, and for now it seems on the surface as though all is well. It probably isn’t. As more retailers file for bankruptcy and more people lag further behind on paying rent and their mortgages, the day where the system can no longer continue as it is will come.

Changes are afoot, and it’s not necessarily good or bad. It just is. The old system was familiar, but it was full of imperfections. Perhaps we can find something better that is fair and supportive for more people. Perhaps not. But change is coming, that seems to be inevitable.

What does it all mean? That we need to be adaptable and ready to respond. Be awake to new possibilities and aware of the ability to provide value. Good ideas will always be rewarded, and if you can find a need shared by many people and solve a common problem, you can thrive amidst the uncertainty. With great change always comes great opportunity. It’s important not to cling to what was, because it likely won’t be there anymore.

Moon Phase – The Last Quarter Moon is exact this evening when the Sun in Cancer forms a square to the Moon in Aries. We may be starting to see recent events in a more objective light. There has been a lot to process in a short amount of time, and it’s an opportunity to accept that the changes are here to stay, and likely to continue to progress. The days of sameness are gone so learn to roll with it. Reassess all areas of life and decide how you want to function going forward.

The New Moon is eight days away, and there is still the opportunity to wrap up a project that has dragged on too long. Get it done, so the plans that you make now are ready to go. Move on from whatever energy is tying you down and prepare for the next step.

Thought of the Day – Mercury turns direct this morning and the Moon is in assertive Aries all day. If you have been less than honest with yourself about anything, now is the time to get real and stop fooling yourself. Take action with your health, fitness and finances. No one else is going to do it for you and it needs to be done. Have a clear and productive day.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” 
― Steve Jobs

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Faith from Within – The Daily, July 11, 2020

Flowers should be appreciated more. They provide endless beauty and ask for nothing in return

“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.” 
― Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni

“You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.” 
― Wayne W. Dyer

Believing in yourself can be tricky. Sometimes you are the only one who has any faith that you are going in the right direction, and that’s okay. The secret to not allowing the doubts of others to affect you is to tell as few people as necessary about your plans. For every well-meaning doubt that is voiced by someone, it causes at least a moment of hesitation within yourself and can make you lose touch with the exuberance you feel when thinking about the manifestation of your dream. Don’t allow someone else’s limitations to poison your own optimism. They aren’t you.

The secret is to become so clear in your mind about what you are doing that nothing can take that image away from you. See your book as published, or your business as operating successfully, or your new home built. See it as though it were absolutely real and then work diligently towards the outcome. Nothing can stop you when you are dedicated to achieving a goal. Tune the outside noise out and focus on what needs to be done, one moment at a time. The details will take care of themselves.

Mercury – The Mercury retrograde ends on Sunday. If you have been experiencing any issues with communication, then you know how challenging this retrograde can be. Watch for everything to smooth itself out and for technology to run the way you want it to, not with the frustrating inconsistency of the past few weeks. If you started something new recently, expect that the road ahead will be smoother than the one you have been traversing. Calm returns and things should work the way they are supposed to.

It’s fun to blame the planets for the little things that cause you grief. It makes it easier to laugh it off and not to take everything so seriously. That is the gift you can give yourself every day – the ability to see the lighter side of life and to roll with the punches. After all, the alternative is to live a life of misery which doesn’t sound like a good time.

Thought of the Day – It’s the weekend. Do something special, get outside, move around, turn off the news. Forget about the problems of the world and live like the birds at least for one day. Letting go is a feeling that your body will appreciate and your mind will welcome, if only for a few hours. Enjoy a beautiful day.

“We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work” 
― Thomas A. Edison

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Shifting Priorities – The Daily, July 10, 2020

Turbulence displaces calm, but all is temporary

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” 
― Daniel J. Boorstin

“I think computer viruses should count as life … I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We’ve created life in our own image.” 
― Stephen Hawking

Something feels different lately, for me anyways. In a world that has been so caught up in selfies and self-promotion and developing ourselves as brands, the overall interest in that feels like it is waning. The current climate of uncertainty, change and loss has altered the way we are functioning. What was important before seems frivolous now. It will be interesting to watch going forward how this changes the landscape of social media.

The desire is for information that is concise, factual and reliable. There is an abundance of false statements circulating, but all that is accomplishing is making people turn away. Some get caught up in the hype but then when they discover they have been duped, their willingness to believe anything after that becomes guarded.

The world is changing, more rapidly than we are used to. The evolution of consciousness has now become more important than ever. In the Nuclear Age of our era, it is a matter of time before we either change the way we relate to each other and realize that we are all one, or continue in the other direction, towards a future that would be grim for all. Time will tell which side of the scale is going to drop first. Nothing is guaranteed at this moment.

Alignment – This should energetically feel like a wonderful day, with today’s Pisces Moon harmonizing with the Sun, Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn, and aligning with Neptune. It’s a positive time for entertaining dreams and visions. Words can provide comfort and healing for others, and we can appreciate the value of both relationships and finances. Ease into the day and allow life to flow around you. It’s much more comforting than feeling the need to fight and defend.

Thought of the Day – Take some time to notice what kind of information you allow into your vibrational field every day. If you spend a great deal of time watching the news, know that no matter the source, it has been filtered through different lenses and is a mere representation of someone’s truth, not actually what is truth. Truth is a difficult nut to crack – depending on who is looking at a situation, with all of their personal history and prejudices brought to the moment, the interpretations will vary. Just be aware that two people can watch the same event unfold and come away with completely different observations of what happened. Truth is a personal matter.

Have a day of peace and love.

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” 
― Oscar Wilde

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Consistency and Habits – The Daily, July 9, 2020

The climb can be challenging but is accomplished one step at a time

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, 
Your thoughts become your words, 
Your words become your actions, 
Your actions become your habits, 
Your habits become your values, 
Your values become your destiny.” 
― Gandhi

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” 
― William Durant

Consistency and working diligently towards something is a nice routine to settle into. When the purpose of what you want to accomplish is firmly in your mind, and you break it down into manageable steps and then work at it every day, it doesn’t take long to realize tremendous progress. Any roadblocks that come up can be used as opportunities to clarify intention and to refine what the final outcome is meant to be. By applying time and effort it adds up to achieving whatever you set out to do.

It’s a process that works, and it eliminates the evil habit of procrastination. It feels good to get things done, and to create something from nothing is satisfying. It is part of the human condition – to create brings joy and satisfaction. It is impossible to be miserable when you are fully engaged in the act of creation.

That’s why hobbies can be so satisfying, or engaging in artistic endeavours, or building something that you can use around the house. Sitting passively in front of a television doesn’t challenge us, nor does it stimulate us creatively. At the end of your life, you will remember what you built, not the hours of television that you watched.

Pisces and the Moon – Best friends, the Moon spends the day in the sign of Pisces, and a positive, healthy escape from the usual can be what you crave. It’s a Moon of being intuitive, trusting, and compassionate. But be mindful early in the day of a possibility of some underlying tensions in social interactions and relationships due to the Venus-Pluto sesquiquadrate (two planets separated by an angle of 135 degrees) aspect. This can produce some tension due to fear-based suspicions. Old financial issues can emerge, and issues of trust can show up in relationships. It’s a good time to learn from these challenges, and the energy eases as the day progresses.

Was She Great? – On this day way back in 1762, the wife of Russia’s new emperor, Peter III, rallied the army regiments of St. Petersburg against her husband and was proclaimed Empress Catherine II, the sole ruler of Russia. She would stay on the throne for the next 34 years, longer than any other female ruler in Russian history. Apparently she was a good ruler, and  it was remembered as a time of significant progress and achievement for Russia. When they call you Great, you must be doing something right.

Thought of the Day – July is a wonderful time to see nature in all of her glory. Everything is in full bloom, fruits and vegetables are plentiful, and the sun is bright, warm and around for many hours every day. Sit back and enjoy it all; like everything else, this too shall change. Have a great summer’s day.

“It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when they have lost their way.” 
― Rollo May

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How to be Successful – The Daily, July 8, 2020

Summertime and sunshine make the world go round

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” 
― W.C. Fields

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” 
― Maya Angelou

Success is never giving up. If you are doing something you enjoy, does it matter what the end result is? Money doesn’t mean success, it just means you have money. You can be miserable, unhealthy, unliked and depressed while surrounded by more luxury than most people dream of having. A successful life is one lived in the pursuit of fulfilling dreams, and the inner joy that comes from that is true success.

If you set the bar impossibly high and won’t feel successful until you get there, the feelings of joy and bliss will elude you. Being joyful every day with no conditions on the outside world to put you in that state is success.

A Little of This, a Little of That – Another study on the benefits of light drinking suggests that if you enjoy doing something and it doesn’t affect you negatively, then just do it. In a study from the University of Georgia, researchers found that compared to nondrinkers, those who had a drink or two a day tended to perform better on cognitive tests over time. Even when other important factors known to impact cognition such as age, smoking or education level were controlled for, they saw a pattern of light drinking associated with high cognitive trajectories.

More importantly, the thoughts you think about your behaviours have a lot to do with how different substances will affect you. If you believe you are doing something healthy, then likely the result will be positive. If you feel that what you are doing is about to harm you and you do it anyway, then the expectation sets up a potentially negative outcome. Thoughts are things, so choose them wisely.

Summertime – The days are long, warm and sunny. Take the time to get outside as much as possible and enjoy the fresh air. Do it safely and avoid crowds, because this is life in a pandemic after all. Denying that one is happening isn’t working. Act accordingly and stay safe.

Thought of the Day – If your definition of success is waking up in the morning able to get up, move around and live in the world, then you will find it easy to be joyful. Set expectations that you can meet every day and then the rest of what you do is a bonus. Have a successful day.

“I think you should be a child for as long as you can. I have been successful for 74 years being able to do that.” 
― Bob Newhart

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Seeking Something – The Daily, July 7, 2020

What wonderful colours there are in the world, a beauty to behold and allow to sink into your soul

“There is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” 
― Ernst Hemmingway

“The fear is simply because you are not living with life, You are living in your mind.” 
― Sadhguru

More and more it feels like people are looking for something. Self-help books and motivational speakers are everywhere and it feels like we strive to become more than who we are. Or at least we feel like we should. Reaching for something that is outside of us gives us a sense of purpose, a goal to work towards, and an ending that becomes a finish line that we race towards.

Sometimes we get there and nothing feels much different. A few moments of satisfaction and congratulations ensue, and then the need to set new finish lines appears. Or worse – some people get what they wanted, realize that it hasn’t brought them happiness, and then depression sets in. How many stories are there of outwardly successful people who fall into a world of addiction, mental turmoil and sometimes suicide? By constantly focusing on the outer appearances of life, they have neglected the inner.

The inner world is where you live. Nothing outside of you adds to life; it is how the outside world is processed internally that makes up your moments. Two people can witness the same event – one will walk away and never think of it again, and the other might have nightmares, or get depressed, or start a movement. How we process things internally is how we become the person we are. Some people gossip about others, or criticize, or find fault with everything. Meanwhile, they do nothing to add anything positive to the world. Sadly, it is a life well-wasted.

Go out, create, enjoy, see the beauty, and feel good about as much as you can. Life isn’t fun for you or anyone around you if all you do is pollute the world with negativity.

Look for the New – The Moon is touring through Aquarius all day, and we crave intellectual stimulation, change, and unusual or unconventional experiences. Do something different, maybe take a trip somewhere you wouldn’t normally go or watch a documentary on anything that looks interesting. Sometimes things present themselves in our lives for a reason, and you never know where any of them might lead. Look at all of it with an inquisitive mind and stay alert for anything that really grabs your attention. There might be more to it then you think.

Later in the day, Mars is square to retrograde Mercury and this can stir up issues in communication. Watch that you don’t become impatient when dealing with others.

Thought of the Day – One week of July is already in the books. Have you done anything differently this month that is going to make the rest of the year look closer to what you want? See what action you can take right now to move in the direction you want to go. The Universe will support you along the way, but you still need to do something to get there.

Have a special Tuesday.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” 
― Oprah Winfrey

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Being Brilliant – The Daily, July 6, 2020

Fuzzy full moon, but beautiful nonetheless

“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.”
― Deepak Chopra

“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes it isn’t easy to do something different. People around you may react negatively, afraid of what you are becoming and wanting to keep you as the person they are conditioned to expect to see. Breaking free of these expectations is necessary when you begin to follow your dreams, and it can be disconcerting. At times it will seem easier to ignore the inner urgings and just continue along with the status quo, but this becomes more challenging as time goes by.

You can only ignore the brilliance that wants to express itself through you for so long before not changing becomes more uncomfortable than changing. Just don’t look outside of yourself for help – in a lot of cases it won’t be there.

When you are continually reinventing yourself, the people in your life may think that you are losing it. It’s normal – we like to be able to count on things to stay the same, to be reliable and dependable and consistent. That really isn’t how life is supposed to be lived though. If you always do what you have always been doing in the same way, there is no growth, no flow of new creativity and no realization of your true potential.

So, do what you need to do. The people who truly love and support the real you will understand. The rest of them don’t matter.

Lama Day – Happy birthday to the Dalai Lama today! He was born in 1935 to a peasant family, and at the age of two it was declared that he was the reincarnation of a great Buddhist spiritual leader and he was thus named the 14th Dalai Lama. Talk about having your career decided for you by other people. He has two books on the bestseller list – The Art of Happiness and Ethics for the New Millennium. His words have helped guide millions and his camp has embraced new technology, reaching an audience of 19.3 million followers on Twitter alone.

His latest tweet: “Peace means no disturbance, no danger. It relates to our mental attitude. If we have a calm mind, obstacles will be less disruptive. What’s important to realize is that ultimately peace of mind is within us, it takes a warm heart and using our intelligence.” He is a beautiful soul.

Thought of the Day – It’s Monday. Change the record that runs endlessly in your mind today, the one that is good at noticing everything around you that you don’t like. Put a different one on, one of appreciation and gratitude just for the privilege of being alive for another day. Your mind is yours, and you control what you choose to think about and subsequently how you feel. Thoughts create emotions, and emotions create the experience of life. Make yours a pleasant one today.

“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” 
― Dalai Lama

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Balance in All – The Daily, July 5, 2020

The first blush of daylight and the promise of a new day with all possibilities available

“The aim is to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive.” 
― Carlos Castaneda

“Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.” 
― Jiddu Krishnamurti

Following the phases of the Moon is useful because it provides a framework within which you can structure your goals. How much can you accomplish if you focus on it intently for two weeks? How about a month? The Full Moon peaked this morning at 12:44 EDT and will reflect brightly in the sky for the next few nights. Take this opportunity to decide what is important to accomplish this month and then devise a plan to achieve it. By the next Full Moon in August, you should be able to look back and see definite progress.

Not setting goals is a good way not to get anything done. Break the big jobs up into smaller segments and aim for the next New Moon to start and finish something. That gives you two weeks to accomplish it. Be realistic and work consistently and methodically and the tasks will get done. Once you get used to setting time frames, the momentum builds and the bad habit of procrastination can be defeated. Time is something not to be wasted because for us it is finite and can’t be bought, borrowed or stolen.

More Moon – A Full Moon lunar eclipse occurs in the sign of Capricorn early today, and our emotions are heightened. This eclipse gives us the push to make needed changes in our lives. There can be epiphanies or turning points, effectively clearing the path to move forward. Watch for a heightened awareness of flaws in your life structure, particularly in career or outer structures and home and family. Decisions made now can be emotionally-driven, but the Moon in Capricorn encourages you to be practical and responsible.

Thought of the Day – Balance what you do this month. Decide what you have to do, what you want to do, and then find a way to get both done. Carrying projects and to-do lists around in your mind is far more work than just getting something done. Free up your energy by moving forward and not staying stuck where you are. Life is for living, after all. Have a wonderful day.

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” 
― Aristotle

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Sweet Summertime – The Daily, July 4, 2020

Celebrate all of the good times, forget all of the bad ones. Life is more fun that way

“The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.” 
― Shakti Gawain

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” 
― W.B. Yeats

Happy Fourth of July! Summer is such a special time. It’s easy to feel optimistic when the daylight hours are plentiful, the birds are singing and the sun shines brightly from one magnificent day to the next. It’s a stark contrast to winter when everything seems dark and grey.

Our moods are like that. When we focus on all that is good and right with our world, it feels good. When we turn our attention to the things we don’t like, then consequently our emotions follow our thoughts and we can find ourselves feeling lousy. Change your focus to change your thoughts, thus changing how you feel. The process is as simple as that.

Never forget how strong the vibrations of energy are at attracting other vibrations of a similar frequency. You may think that your mood stays within you and that unspoken thoughts can’t affect anything, but that isn’t true. We broadcast into the world everything that we are feeling inside, and then we get exactly what we are emitting back to us. Don’t attract what you don’t want.

That Crazy Moon – The Moon arrives in Capricorn in the wee hours of the morning today. This sensible Capricorn Moon influences us to seek order and structure, and our careers, reputation, and objectives are in focus. We’re inclined to get ready to work, organize, and plan. We’re also heading toward a Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse, which will occur early tomorrow. Emotions build, and we can be on the verge of important realizations. Trust your intuition and watch for the synchronicities that will give you a helping hand towards achieving your goals.

Thought of the Day – Think only of what you want, and of what you enjoy. If you are living in your head most of the time, at least make it a pleasant place to spend the day. Have the best Fourth of July ever.

“Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” 
― Rumi

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The Little Moments – The Daily, July 3, 2020

Always have enough time to stop and enjoy the flowers

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” 
― Confucious

“Never discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” 
― Plato

Taking time to cherish the moments that make up the journey to wherever you are trying to go is part of the joy of accomplishment. If nothing but the final result will satisfy you, then you rob yourself of the feeling of contentment that daily progress can supply. Savour the little moments because that takes the pressure off the need to get somewhere at all cost. It also allows you the freedom to alter course if you discover that the final destination isn’t what you want anymore.

If at the end of each day you are able to lay your head on the pillow and feel that progress was made, even if it was all put into planning, then that is something to celebrate. Each day’s accomplishments can’t help but lead somewhere eventually.

More Movement Please – The benefits of exercise continue to be proven in multiple studies. The latest is one out of the University of Virginia Health System that discovered the first experimental evidence showing that exercise can reduce the severity of macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss. It’s estimated that ten million Americans have the condition. They also found that exercise may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Researcher Bradley Gelfand, PhD, of UVA’s Center for Advanced Vision Science wanted to conduct the study because as a self-proclaimed “couch potato” he hoped to prove that exercise doesn’t have any benefits. “One reason I wanted to do this study was sort of selfish. I was hoping to find some reason not to exercise,” he joked. “It turned out exercise really is good for you.”

No More Please – On this day in 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg came to an end. The American Civil War would officially end two years later. Let’s hope that we will one day come to a stage of existence where fighting for what we want isn’t necessary, because conscious creation is the new way of life. Here’s to a future full of peace and cooperation.

Thought of the Day – The stars are aligned for today to be a creative and enjoyable day. The Sagittarius Moon encourages us to seek new things, learn, and discover, and we can enjoy a sense of mission now. Continue to take action and it will be amazing how much you can accomplish in a short time when everything just seems to magically fall into place. Enjoy the beauty of the day.

“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.” 
― Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi